Brian La Rose

Central Notes: Jets, Zhigalov, Bichsel

September 9, 2023 at 10:34 am CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

The futures of Connor Hellebuyck and Mark Scheifele with the Jets has been a source of speculation all summer with no extensions in place as they enter the final year of their contracts. GM Kevin Cheveldayoff told Pierre LeBrun and Michael Russo of The Athletic (subscription link) that he plans to meet with both players once training camp gets underway to continue talks on a new deal. After trading Pierre-Luc Dubois and buying out Blake Wheeler, Winnipeg’s roster looks a bit weaker on paper heading into the season but having Hellebuyck and Scheifele around would certainly help their chances of making the playoffs. At this point, they’re expected to be on the roster when the regular season starts whether or not an extension is in place.

Elsewhere in the Central:

Avalanche prospect Ivan Zhigalov was supposed to play in Belarus this season but the deal ultimately fell through. However, it appears as if he has found a new place to play as McKeen’s Brock Otten reports (Twitter link) that the netminder will suit up for USHL Tri-City in 2023-24. The 20-year-old was the final pick of the 2022 draft (225th overall) and spent last season with OHL Kingston where he posted a 3.59 GAA with a .889 SV% in 45 games. The Avs have until June 1st to sign Zhigalov to an entry-level deal.
Stars prospect Lian Bichsel underwent ankle surgery back in the spring but he has been cleared to return as the team posted on Twitter that the blueliner skated in Dallas for the first time on Friday. The 19-year-old was the 18th pick last year and spent last season in Leksands’ system, playing in 42 games at the SHL level. There was a report back in August that suggested Bichsel won’t go back there for the upcoming season if he doesn’t land a roster spot with Dallas but instead, he’ll go to Rogle, another SHL squad.

Atlantic Notes: Kasper, Edvinsson, Canadiens

September 9, 2023 at 9:27 am CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

Red Wings prospect Marco Kasper spent most of last season playing with Rogle in Sweden before making the trek to North America once his campaign over there came to an end. That won’t be the case this season, however, as the forward told Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News (Twitter link) that he will report to AHL Grand Rapids if he doesn’t earn a spot with Detroit this fall. Kasper was the eighth overall pick last year and had eight goals and 15 assists in 52 games in the SHL before making his NHL debut with Detroit in early April. The Red Wings have brought in several forwards this summer to reshape their group so it’s quite possible that Kasper will have to bide his time in the minors this season.

Senators Sign Jake Sanderson To An Eight-Year Extension

September 6, 2023 at 8:25 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 15 Comments

The Senators have taken care of another one of their top young talents, announcing that they’ve signed blueliner Jake Sanderson to an eight-year contract extension that kicks in for the 2024-25 campaign. The deal carries an AAV of $8.05MM, paid in equal sums each season. GM Pierre Dorion released the following statement about the signing:

Jake’s transition to the pro game has been flawless. He’s a very mature young man who demonstrates a routine and skillful ability to play important minutes with poise. An effortless skater who holds himself to a high standard, he has the talent to be one of the best all-around defencemen in the NHL for years to come. We’re very pleased to have another significant member of our core group of players under long-term contract.

Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reported just yesterday that Sanderson had switched agents from Bartlett Hockey to CAA’s Pat Brisson and J.P. Barry. Clearly, it didn’t take too long for his new representatives to work out a new deal.

The 21-year-old is coming off an impressive rookie campaign that saw him put up 32 points and 147 blocks in 77 games. He also ranked second on the Sens in ice time, logging just shy of 22 minutes per game; only Thomas Chabot averaged more. That performance helped Sanderson finish sixth in Calder Trophy voting.

Interestingly, Chabot’s deal almost certainly stood as a comparable in discussions. He checks in at $8MM per season and while Sanderson has less NHL experience (just one season compared to two for Chabot when he signed his contract), the cap has gone up since then. While Sanderson has the higher cap hit, his cap hit percentage (9.62) actually comes in a bit below Chabot’s agreement (9.82%).

Ottawa’s young core is all locked in around a similar price point with this extension. Sanderson, Chabot, Tim Stutzle, Brady Tkachuk, and Joshua Norris are all on long-term agreements ranging from an AAV of $7.95MM (Norris) on the low end to $8.35MM (Stutzle). That gives them a strong foundation for the foreseeable future. They now have nearly $74MM in commitments in place for the 2024-25 campaign to 14 players with Vladimir Tarasenko’s $5MM contract being the biggest one set to come off the books.

For the upcoming season, Sanderson will still be on the books at his entry-level rate of $925K plus performance bonuses of up to $1.85MM. Cap space is at a premium for 2023-24 as they have less than $900K in room per CapFriendly with Shane Pinto (and prospect Egor Sokolov) still to re-sign. Sanderson is likely to hit most, if not all, of his $850K of ’A’ bonuses so if the Sens can’t free up ample cap space to fit in Pinto’s new deal, they could be looking at overage penalties which would carry over to 2024-25. That’s an extra pressure point Dorion will need to be mindful of as he crosses a key item off his to-do list with Sanderson’s deal, allowing him to focus on Pinto in the coming days.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Dallas Stars

September 6, 2023 at 8:00 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 1 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 heading into 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.

Dallas Stars

Current Cap Hit: $83,817,829 (over the $83.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

D Thomas Harley (one year, $863K)
F Wyatt Johnston (two years, $894K)
D Nils Lundkvist (one year, $925K)

Potential Bonuses
Lundkvist: $850K
Harley: $637.5K
Total: $1.4875MM

Johnston could have gone back to junior last season but it’s safe to say that Dallas made the right call with him as he potted 24 goals in his age-19 campaign. If he can stick in their top six and take a step or two forward offensively, he’s a strong candidate to bypass a bridge deal, especially with a big-ticket one coming off the books at the same time that he needs his second contract.

Dallas paid a high price to get Lundkvist from the Rangers last season but he wound up only playing a limited role. They’re banking on him taking a step forward but even so, he’s a strong candidate for a short-term second contract, one that could check in around the $1.5MM range. At this point, it doesn’t seem too likely that he’ll hit his four ‘A’ bonuses. The Stars are banking on Harley to make the jump full-time this season after being a regular in the playoffs. With some good numbers in the minors, he could reach one or two of his three ‘A’ bonuses but from a contract standpoint, like Lundkvist, he’s likely heading for a bridge deal as well.

Signed Through 2023-24, Non-Entry-Level

D Gavin Bayreuther ($775K, UFA)
F Ty Dellandrea ($900K, RFA)
F Matt Duchene ($3MM, UFA)
D Jani Hakanpaa ($1.5MM, UFA)
F Joe Pavelski ($3.5MM, UFA)
F Craig Smith ($1MM, UFA)
F Sam Steel ($850K, RFA)
G Scott Wedgewood ($1MM, UFA)

Potential Bonuses
Pavelski: $2MM

Duchene was a late entrant to the market which likely didn’t help his cause but he landed in a good spot here. In a more secondary role, he could thrive and in doing so, give the Stars some surplus value while better positioning himself for a longer-term agreement next summer. Smith struggled last season between Boston and Washington, even clearing waivers at one point in December thanks to his contract. He’s an interesting fit in the sense that he’s not a prototypical bottom-six forward but will be in that role here. A bounce-back showing could give him a small bump next summer but not to the level of the $3.25MM he made before.

Pavelski’s fourth season with the Stars was almost as good as his third, one that saw him set career highs in assists and points. He came up a bit shy of the point total but still finished third in scoring in a year that saw him turn 39. Pavelski almost certainly left money on the table to sign what should be a team-friendly extension back in January as let’s face it, the market for a center producing close to a point per game is much higher than his guaranteed salary. The structure of this agreement is notable as the bonuses are very easy to achieve – $1MM at 10 games played and another $1MM at 20. Doing it that way allows Dallas to squeak him in on the books this year with his base salary but it’s safe to say they’re heading for an overage penalty.

Dallas basically had to push Dellandrea to take a one-year deal to make things work cap-wise. He’ll have arbitration rights next summer though and if he progresses as expected, his AAV should shoot past the $2MM mark. Steel has been non-tendered for two straight years now but gives Dallas some extra depth down the middle. However, it’s clear he’ll need to find another gear offensively if he wants a shot at a seven-figure deal as his market value the last two summers hasn’t been strong.

Hakanpaa is the type of physical depth defender many teams covet and it doesn’t hurt that he’s a right-hand shot. Dallas actually used him on the second pairing with some regularity last season and if he’s in that role again, doubling his current price tag won’t be out of the question, especially after seeing Radko Gudas get three years at $4MM per season earlier this summer. Bayruether returns after spending a few years with Columbus and will push for the seventh spot on the depth chart. This is a spot on their salary hierarchy that will need to stay near the minimum moving forward.

Wedgewood had his best season, albeit in a relatively limited role for a backup by current standards as he made just 21 appearances. His track record isn’t strong (or long) enough to command the type of money that top backups on the open market get but another showing like last year could push him closer to the $2MM mark if he looks for top dollar. Staying in Dallas, however, would likely mean needing to leave some money on the table.

Signed Through 2024-25

F Jamie Benn ($9.5MM, UFA)
F Evgenii Dadonov ($2.25MM, UFA)
F Radek Faksa ($3.25MM, UFA)
D Joel Hanley ($787.5K, UFA)
D Esa Lindell ($5.8MM, UFA)
G Jake Oettinger ($4MM, RFA)
D Ryan Suter ($3.65MM, UFA)

After seeing his production drop sharply over the last three years, Benn had a resurgent campaign, finishing second on the team in scoring. It wouldn’t be fair to expect that to happen again – and the deal is still very much above-market – but it’s not quite the anchor it was long ago. Faksa’s offense just hasn’t come around. He’s a strong defensive center that’s above average at the faceoff dot but someone in that type of role should be making about a million less. Gone are the days of the argument of offensive potential so it’s tough to see him beating this contract in 2025. Dadonov did well after coming over in a late-season trade but his struggles with Montreal hurt his value, allowing the Stars to sneak in with a deal that’s more than reasonable for a middle-six option.

Lindell is another player whose scoring didn’t come around quite as much as Dallas would have hoped for. He’s still capable of logging big minutes and anchoring the penalty kill so they’re still getting a reasonable return but they’re probably expecting a bit more from him and he’ll need to produce more if he wants to land a big pay increase two years from now. They also were probably expecting a bit more from Suter, a player who shouldn’t be logging 20 minutes a night at this stage of his career but was pressed into that spot frequently. It’s hard to see him signing another contract at this point – he’ll be 40 when this deal is up – but if he does, it should be for considerably less. Hanley has been a depth defender for the last few years and will continue to hover around the NHL minimum moving forward unless he can establish himself as a full-time third-pairing player.

Oettinger’s bridge contract already looks like a bargain as he was one of the top goalies in the league last season. The backloaded structure guarantees an increase to $4.8MM for his qualifying offer (which also carries arbitration eligibility) but if he has two more years like this, he’ll be well-positioned to become one of the top-paid netminders in the league.

Signed Through 2025-26

F Mason Marchment ($4.5MM, UFA)
F Jason Robertson ($7.75MM, RFA)

Robertson is on the non-traditional bridge contract, a four-year agreement that bought out only RFA years while still having team control when it expires. At that point, it’s going to take a substantial offer to get him on a long-term agreement. Robertson will be owed a $9.3MM qualifying offer (plus arbitration eligibility) but it will take a million or two more if he continues on his current trajectory. Marchment, a late-bloomer, took a step back last season while dealing with injuries once again. There’s a power forward premium in his deal but they’d still like to see him closer to the 40-point mark to get a good return on this deal and set him up for a similar-sized agreement in 2026.

Signed Through 2026-27 Or Longer

D Miro Heiskanen ($8.45MM through 2028-29)
F Roope Hintz ($8.45MM through 2030-31)
F Tyler Seguin ($9.85MM through 2026-27)

Seguin is no longer the top center he was early in his tenure with the Stars. That’s unfortunate for them since they’re paying him like one for four more years. He’s still a quality secondary producer but he’s certainly overpaid by a few million a season. Hintz’s bargain bridge deal is up but this one could still provide some value for Dallas. He surpassed the point-per-game mark last season and if he can maintain that, this will be a below-market deal relatively quickly.

Heiskanen’s offense took off last season as he more than doubled his previous career-best point total, going from 36 to 73. He wasn’t quite able to maintain that level of production in the playoffs but still managed to pick up a dozen points in three rounds. At the lower point total, the contract was still more than reasonable with the heavy minutes he was logging. But if he can stay even near 73 points moving forward? Then it would be a significant bargain based on comparables around the NHL. If he stays on that trajectory, he’s someone who could be positioned to best the AAV of the current top-paid blueliner league-wide, Pittsburgh’s Erik Karlsson, when he hits the open market in 2029 when he’ll only be 30.

Buyouts

None

Retained Salary Transactions

None

Still To Sign

None

Best Value: Pavelski
Worst Value: Seguin

Looking Ahead

Dallas will need to trim their projected roster to get cap-compliant, a move that can be made by clearing out a defenseman. Harley is waiver-exempt but should be a regular for them which means it’s likely one of Bayreuther or Hanley that gets waived off the roster. That buys them a few hundred thousand in cap space which isn’t enough for a recall for a few months, nor does it allow them to bank much cap room. With Pavelski’s bonuses and possibly some entry-level ones on the horizon, they’ll be hard-pressed to offset much of the overage penalty that’s coming their way.

The good news is that the Stars have a relatively clean cap situation moving forward. A bump to the cap should allow them to deal with their pending free agents and when Benn comes off the books in 2025, they can use his money to re-sign Johnston, Lindell, and Oettinger. They won’t be in a spot to make another core addition but they should be able to keep this core in place for a little while. That’s a pretty good spot to be in.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Coyotes Invite Ryan Dzingel And Peter DiLiberatore To Training Camp

September 6, 2023 at 6:28 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 3 Comments

With training camps on the horizon, the Coyotes are the latest team to get in on PTO season. CapFriendly reports (Twitter link) that they’ve invited winger Ryan Dzingel and defenseman Peter DiLiberatore to camp when it gets underway later this month.

Dzingel is a player that many will be familiar with, including in Arizona where he spent part of the 2021-22 campaign. The 31-year-old has seen action in 404 games over parts of seven NHL campaigns, the bulk of which came back with Ottawa who drafted him in the seventh round back in 2011. He has had some success offensively at the top level, collecting 87 goals and 101 points but in his last couple of seasons, he has been limited to more of a depth role.

Dzingel didn’t see any NHL action last season. He cleared waivers in training camp back in October when he was with Carolina and suffered a long-term back injury just nine games into his campaign with AHL Chicago. While he was able to return, he was limited to just 22 games in total where he notched a pair of goals along with nine assists.

As for DiLiberatore, the 23-year-old has spent his first three professional seasons at the minor league level. He split last season between the AHL and ECHL affiliates for Pittsburgh and Vegas, combining to pick up two goals and seven assists in 53 games. A sixth-round pick by the Golden Knights in 2018, he was moved to the Penguins as part of the Teddy Blueger deal at the trade deadline but was non-tendered back in June.

Both players will likely be looking for a two-way deal at this point to catch on with Arizona’s AHL affiliate in Tucson. With the Coyotes kicking off the preseason in a little over two weeks with a pair of games in Australia, they’ll get a chance to make an early impression. Once Arizona officially terminates Liam Kirk’s deal tomorrow, they’ll have three open contract slots at their disposal although Jan Jenik remains a restricted free agent and could potentially fill one of those despite his reported trade request.

Five Key Stories: 8/28/23 – 9/3/23

September 3, 2023 at 9:01 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

The calendar has turned to September and training camps are now on the horizon. While many teams are enjoying the last bit of their summers, there was some news of note around the NHL which is recapped in our key stories.

PTO Season: At this point of the summer, there are generally more players landing tryout agreements compared to full contracts. With that in mind, several veterans found PTOs to give them a chance to take part in training camps. Sam Gagner will look to earn a third opportunity with Edmonton and extend his 16-year career. Other forwards of some significance catching on with teams are Joel Kiviranta (Colorado), Zack Kassian (Anaheim), and Max Comtois (Vegas). Meanwhile, on the back end, Jordie Benn is hoping to have a second stint with his brother in Dallas while Pittsburgh is bringing in a pair of blueliners in Libor Hajek and Mark Pysyk. Expect the number of PTO agreements to continue to go up in the coming days.

Fedotov Plays In Russia: The Ivan Fedotov saga has taken another turn. Last month, the IIHF ruled that the contract the Flyers have with the netminder is the valid one, a ruling that the KHL and CSKA Moscow clearly disagree with as in their season opener, Fedotov was between the pipes in direct violation of their ruling. The IIHF has now referred Fedotov to the disciplinary board and fined the Russian Hockey Federation but neither of those actions are likely going to change the situation. Clearly, there is more to come on this particular file.

Hanging Them Up: Veteran winger Carl Hagelin has called it a career at the age of 35 as he announced his retirement. His contract with Washington expired this summer and he wound up missing the entire 2022-23 campaign due to an eye injury along with a hip issue. Hagelin had hoped to come back this season but in his announcement, he indicated that the eye injury is too severe to keep playing. His career spanned 713 regular season games over 11 seasons where his speed and defensive ability made him an effective two-way winger that also chipped in with 296 points. Hagelin also took home a pair of Stanley Cup titles with Pittsburgh in the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons, his first two years with them.

Extension For Keefe: While Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving didn’t hire head coach Sheldon Keefe, he decided that he likes what he’s seen from him as Toronto handed their bench boss a two-year extension. Keefe was set to enter the final year of his contract so this move takes any possibility of his contractual situation being a distraction. The Leafs have had plenty of regular season success with Keefe behind the bench, posting a 166-71-30 regular-season record in 267 games. However, they’ve only won one playoff series in that stretch, that coming this past postseason in a six-game victory over Tampa Bay.

Kessel Not Worried About Ironman Streak: When Keith Yandle was nearing the end of his career, there was some pressure from teammates to keep him in the lineup to continue his ironman streak, one that eventually came to an end. Phil Kessel is in a similar situation; while he played all 82 games last season to bring the streak to 1,064, he was a frequent scratch in the playoffs. At this point, his best spot might be as a part-timer. To that end, Kessel indicated that he’s not concerned about extending the streak in the hopes that doing so will increase his chances of landing a guaranteed deal for the upcoming season. The 35-year-old was still relatively productive last year, picking up 36 points despite logging less than 13 minutes a night and is one of the more notable veterans still unsigned.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Colorado Avalanche

September 3, 2023 at 7:58 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 2 Comments