West Notes: Gagner, Pospisil, DeMelo
With this being Ken Holland’s final year under contract as GM of the Oilers, some have started to wonder who his replacement might be if the 68-year-old decides to move into an advisory role or if the team decides to make a change. One speculative candidate has been player agent Dave Gagner who worked with Jeff Jackson, now the president of hockey operations for Edmonton. Meanwhile, his son Sam is in his third stint with the franchise. However, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported in the latest Saturday Headlines segment (video link) that the former NHL player has indicated that he isn’t interested in the job and wouldn’t pursue it if it became available. Edmonton had an in-house candidate to eventually take Holland’s spot in Steve Staios but he is now with Ottawa.
Elsewhere out West:
- Sportsnet’s Eric Francis points out that Flames winger Martin Pospisil is now waiver-eligible once again having now played in 11 games this season. The 24-year-old has fared well in his first taste of NHL action with three goals and two assists which would make it much riskier to try to send him back down now that he has shown he can produce at the top level. Accordingly, Francis suggests that Pospisil’s spot is likely secure for the time being, even though it will present some challenges cap-wise later on when they want to bring others up from the minors.
- Jets defenseman Dylan DeMelo is a pending UFA for the second time in his career as he can hit the open market this summer. He told Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Free Press that his uncertain contract status affected his play last time when he was with Ottawa, who eventually moved him to Winnipeg. DeMelo’s desire is to remain with the Jets but noted that he knew he was lower on the priority list to re-sign. However, with extensions for Mark Scheifele and Connor Hellebuyck done, it’s possible that talks about a new deal for DeMelo could be in the works before long.
PHR Mailbag: Blue Jackets, Gaudreau, Kane, Rasmussen, Oilers, Hockey Canada
Topics in this edition of the PHR Mailbag include the rough start to the season for the Blue Jackets, how the Oilers could get out of their slump, and much more. If your question doesn’t appear here, check back in next weekend’s mailbag.
Black Ace57: What does Columbus do going forward if their high-paid stars keep struggling? They looked like a team that could compete this year, but if their top guys keep struggling it looks more like a team in need of a retool or short rebuild.
I wasn’t sold on the Blue Jackets being a playoff team this season but I was expecting them to be more competitive than they have been so far. In theory, I agree with you that a retool would help but the problem is who do they retool with? Selling low on Patrik Laine isn’t wise. Same for Johnny Gaudreau. I don’t think they’re moving Boone Jenner either. So, aside from the currently injured Jack Roslovic, the forwards they’d move don’t have a particularly significant track record; they aren’t players that will bring impact pieces in return.
On defense, Andrew Peeke and Adam Boqvist have some value but they’ve been on the block for most of the season now. Clearly, the offers haven’t been great as otherwise, they’d have been moved already. Erik Gudbranson doesn’t have a trade market and the other veterans are players they probably don’t want to trade.
If they can find a taker for Merzlikins, they can try the lateral goalie swap and hope the change of scenery works for each player. With his contract ($5.4MM through 2026-27), that’s easier said than done.
They’ve changed the coach multiple times now. They’ve changed the goalie coach. Pulling those levers again isn’t going to change much. So my recommendation to them would be to play the youngsters as much as possible and hope that the veterans find their footing. If they don’t, at least the development of their young core players gets advanced. That’s a small win but with their current situation, that might be the best-case scenario aside from moving out some rentals closer to the trade deadline if they’re out of it by then.
Pyramid Headcrab: Any insight on Johnny Gaudreau? His scoring has completely fallen off a cliff, and his play does not inspire confidence. Can you think of any other players who have had such a precipitous drop after signing a new contract?
And more vitally, is this a case of a guy completely phoning it in after getting a big paycheque, or is this a case of a player not fitting in a new system?
The player who replaced Gaudreau in Calgary comes to mind, Jonathan Huberdeau. He gets acquired, signs the long-term extension, and falls off a cliff, notching 60 fewer points compared to 2021-22. This season, he’s on pace for even less. Jeff Skinner also fits the bill. After a 40-goal year in his first season with Buffalo, he followed that up with 23 points followed by 14, making his deal one of the worst in the league. Fortunately for the Sabres, he turned it around and while his contract isn’t a bargain, it looks a lot better now.
Gaudreau will get an opportunity to do like Skinner and play his way out of this. There is no trade market for him at the moment. In a perfect world, Adam Fantilli becomes the top-line center they think he can be, giving Gaudreau a higher-end linemate that he hasn’t had with the Blue Jackets so far. If that happens, I think he can rebound somewhat. Not to the point where $9.5MM is viewed as a bargain but also not among the worst in the league either.
I also don’t think this is a case of Gaudreau cashing in and checking out, so to speak. I suspect this is more just him not fitting into the current system and lacking that impact center to play with. Granted, at $9.5MM, it should be Gaudreau helping elevate a linemate, not him needing a better linemate to bring out the best in him. It hasn’t gone well for him in Columbus so far but I think he can turn it around.
Winter in Colorado: What’s your take on Patrick Kane’s return? Every talking head out there thinks he’ll come back and be fine. No player has ever returned successfully from hip resurfacing surgery. It’s entirely possible Kane will be the next Nicklas Backstrom. Yet, I haven’t heard this from any hockey media. It really doesn’t matter what team or contract Patrick Kane wants if he can’t play.
This is a great point and frankly, it wasn’t even one I was really considering too much but you’re absolutely right, it does have to be factored in. Ed Jovanovski didn’t come back for too long when he had it. Ryan Kesler had it done and never played again. Backstrom wasn’t bad last season after coming back but now, it’s fair to wonder if his playing days are done. If I’m a GM, this should be something to consider.
I wonder if Backstrom’s situation could make Kane’s camp lean toward pursuing a multi-year deal. While it’s possible he leaves money on the table if he is able to buck the trend, locking in guaranteed money with injury concerns can rarely be called a good idea.
Here’s what I keep coming back to with Kane. The contending teams that want him are almost all in cap trouble. Their preference is undoubtedly going to be Kane taking a cheap deal that doesn’t require them to turn around and move out another player, possibly with an incentive added with so few teams being able and willing to take on money.
Kane is going to have to pick between trying to ring chase now (and perhaps land in a spot where he can be insulated a bit which helps from a health standpoint) or going for one last big financial score. I lean toward him taking the former (perhaps not by choice; the big-money deals are going to be tough to get at this point of the year) as that’s where his best options for short-term success will be.
Binnie: Two questions to ask. The first one is which team has the best chance of signing Patrick Kane. The second is about Michael Rasmussen contract extension, how long are the terms and average salary per offered if true.
There seems to be some speculation that his preference would be to stay in the East after finishing up last season with the Rangers, a team that it doesn’t look like he’ll be returning to. Florida doesn’t have a lot of cap space but there seems to be considerable mutual interest and frankly, of the Eastern contender teams that could have a realistic shot at trying to afford him, they might be the best fit.
Buffalo is out there both for the fact he’s a local and the sense he’d help give them a boost in a season that they’re supposed to emerge from their rebuild. Detroit is believed to be in the mix as they’re looking to get out of missing the playoffs as well. Both of them can afford pricier long-term deals. If Kane wants one of those, I’d lean to Buffalo. If he’s willing to take the one-year deal, Florida is my pick for where he signs.
As for Rasmussen, I’m sure Detroit GM Steve Yzerman is at least kicking the tires. The center is a pending RFA so a deal will have to get done at some point. It’s safe to say that he’ll get more than his $1.72MM qualifier, especially with arbitration rights. But I don’t think Rasmussen has shown enough to receive a long-term extension, the types that are often done in-season. Barring injury, he’d have gotten there last year but he doesn’t have a 30-point season under his belt and he’s at a lower pace offensively so far this season.
Honestly, I think the best play for both sides here is a one-year pact, another bridge deal if you will. If I’m Detroit, I’d be leery about going higher than a low $3MM offer on a multi-year agreement (three or more seasons). If I’m Rasmussen, why am I locking in long-term for that when I can get $2MM or more on a one-year deal and ideally have a better platform year? Those would be my picks for a new contract for Rasmussen which is why I don’t think the two sides will get one done.
Nha Trang: Alright, how’s this for a deadly hypothetical? Congratulations, Brian! You’ve just been drafted to be the new GM of the Oilers, a team in the dumps, with over half of their cap space tied up in just six players (each and every one of them with NMCs), you’re projected to have only $10MM of cap space NEXT season, and you’ve got a goalie in the minors with a no-trade clause and a nearly $4MM cap hit himself. What’s your turnaround strategy, beyond fleeing screaming for Tahiti? (That, or coming to Massachusetts to clock me upside the head with a goalie stick for making the suggestion.)
My strategy is probably pretty similar to the one they’ve probably been looking into. In net, I’m looking for change-of-scenery players that wouldn’t necessarily require a huge inducement to take on Campbell’s deal. I’m looking at Columbus and Elvis Merzlikins or Seattle and Philipp Grubauer. Both netminders are signed for as long as Campbell and their AAV’s are less than $1MM apart. With Columbus, perhaps add in Cody Ceci and Andrew Peeke to make the money come close to matching and with Seattle, Ceci and William Borgen for the same purpose. That’s probably not the exact trade when all is said and done, that’s the core of the swap.
If those don’t work, I think I might make a bigger offer for Arizona’s Karel Vejmelka. (The problem is they won’t take Campbell back.) The Coyotes don’t seem to be locked in with having him as their long-term starter and if I can get two years at $2.75MM to pair with Stuart Skinner, that’s worth pursuing. Kulak is probably the money matcher and as much as I wouldn’t want to do it, I could be persuaded to put Xavier Bourgault, one of their top prospects, in the offer. This isn’t a viable situation for a rebuild, not with their core. Selling is not an option so the swing is defensible.
Failing that, Montreal’s Sam Montembeault would be my next target since his contract is a lot easier to fit into the current salary structure; he could be added without subtracting anyone of consequence off their current roster. A first-round pick is off the table but if they accepted a package headlined by a second-rounder, that would be worth pursuing. That’s not going to be a big upgrade in terms of getting a new starter but that at least shores up the backup spot, increasing the chances of getting points from those games which will help as they look to get back into a playoff spot.
I’d also look at shaking up the back end. Between Ceci, Brett Kulak, Evan Bouchard, and Philip Broberg, they have a lot of defenders who are mobile but not particularly good in their own end. One or two of those is manageable, four out of seven on the roster is an issue. Moving Kulak and/or Ceci for different-styled players making similar money (Peeke and Borgen are examples from the earlier goalie offers) would be useful. Getting more defensive structure and stability should help solve some of the goaltending struggles and with the remaining puck-movers plus Darnell Nurse and Mattias Ekholm, their offensive game shouldn’t take much of a hit.
Up front, I don’t think I’d change a whole lot. What I would do is waive one of Adam Erne or Sam Gagner to make them waiver-exempt and shuffle one of them back and forth (down on off days) along with James Hamblin. (Not at the same time as they need 12 forwards though.) The idea would be to dip out of LTIR on those days and bank a tiny bit of cap space which might come in handy at the deadline. Ideally, it’d be nice to get a penalty kill specialist into Gagner’s spot and a more skilled fourth line grit player into Erne’s but given their weaker prospect pool, I wouldn’t be trading much for those. Rather, I’d watch the waiver wire for more optimal fits.
Otherwise, this is a good forward group and I expect they’ll turn it around on their own. That coupled with better defense and possibly better goaltending should get them into the playoffs at least.
Nick Ritchie Signs In Finland
Earlier this month, Brett Ritchie decided to head overseas after failing to secure an NHL contract, signing with Dinamo Minsk of the KHL. Now, his brother has also decided to cross the pond as Karpat of the SM-liiga in Finland announced that they’ve inked Nick Ritchie to a one-year contract.
The 27-year-old was the tenth overall selection back in 2014 but while he showed flashes of some upside, he wasn’t able to lock down a regular spot in the top six. Over the past few seasons, he has bounced around in depth roles, playing for four teams in the last three years.
Last season, Ritchie spent time with both Arizona and Calgary, notably being traded for his brother at the trade deadline. Between the two teams, he collected 13 goals and 13 assists in 74 games along with 218 hits. Despite that, he failed to secure a guaranteed contract over the summer and eventually settled for a PTO with St. Louis. He didn’t fare particularly well with them, picking up an assist and 17 penalty minutes in three preseason contests, leading to his release.
Now that a contract elsewhere in North America has failed to materialize, Ritchie heads overseas. A strong showing over the final few months with Karpat could very well get him back on the NHL radar for next season on a minimum-salary contract. However, if Ritchie struggles, this could be the beginning of an extended stint overseas which is hardly the outcome many expected after being such a high draft pick a decade ago.
Colorado Assigns Riley Tufte To AHL
While Avalanche winger Riley Tufte has been productive on his latest recall, it wasn’t enough to keep him up with the big club for long as Colorado has assigned him to the minors, per a team announcement (Twitter link).
The 25-year-old became a Group Six unrestricted free agent in the summer and quickly inked a one-year deal with Colorado on the opening day of free agency. Since then, he has frequently been shuffled back and forth between the Avs and Eagles; this demotion is already his sixth of the season.
Along the way, Tufte has played in five contests with the big club and picked up a point in each of his last two. Those are his only two points of the season while he’s averaging a little over 11 minutes a night at the top level. In the minors, however, Tufte has been quite productive, notching nine goals and eight assists in just a dozen games. That should have him in line to be recalled again before too long.
At this point, it’s unclear who will be taking Tufte’s spot in the lineup tonight against Calgary. Logan O’Connor has missed the last two games with a lower-body injury but remains on the active roster, suggesting his absence is a short-term one so it’s possible that he is cleared to play. Otherwise, Tomas Tatar would come back in after being a healthy scratch last night; the 32-year-old is still looking for his first goal of the season.
Islanders Recall Grant Hutton
While the Islanders added some defensive depth today when they claimed Mike Reilly off waivers from Florida, more reinforcements appear to be needed for their game tonight against Philadelphia as Newsday’s Andrew Gross relays (Twitter link) that Grant Hutton has been added to New York’s roster.
The 28-year-old last saw NHL action during the 2021-22 season when he got into 16 games at the top level. He didn’t dominate but held his own while averaging a little over 14 minutes of playing time, resulting in the Isles giving him a three-year deal that summer with two of those seasons being a one-way salary.
However, since then, Hutton has cleared waivers twice and has played exclusively with AHL Bridgeport until now. Last season, the blueliner had ten points in 39 games and is on a similar points pace this year with five points – all assists – in his first 16 appearances.
With Reilly only being claimed off waivers earlier this afternoon, there’s no guarantee that he will be available against the Flyers. Meanwhile, Sebastian Aho’s availability is also in question after leaving yesterday’s game early with an injury so Hutton will be available to suit up if those two aren’t able to play.
New York had a vacant roster spot following the placement of Matt Martin on injured reserve earlier today while the cap space was created earlier in the day when Adam Pelech was placed on LTIR. Accordingly, no further roster moves were necessary to add Hutton to the active roster.
Devils Sign Samuel Laberge
Samuel Laberge started this season on a minor league deal, but the Devils have seen something that they like as they announced that they have signed the forward to a one-year entry-level contract. The contract will pay him $775K in the NHL and $90K in the minors.
The 26-year-old has been somewhat of a journeyman thus far in his career. Undrafted out of the QMJHL, Laberge spent two seasons in the minors for Dallas before playing for a year in the LNAH, an independent league in Quebec to be closer to his father who had just been diagnosed with cancer. From there, he played on an ECHL deal in Minnesota before inking a minor-league agreement with New Jersey’s farm team back in 2021. This is his third season in their system.
Laberge has played in eight games with AHL Utica this season, recording a goal and two assists along with a team-high 16 penalty minutes. For his career, he has 54 points in 201 AHL appearances. Despite this contract, Laberge won’t get the opportunity to play in the NHL right away as the Devils immediately assigned him back to the Comets. However, having this deal in place puts him in a position to be recalled when injuries strike later in the season.
Jets Recall Declan Chisholm From Conditioning Stint
It has been an interesting start to the season for Jets blueliner Declan Chisholm as he has yet to see any action with Winnipeg. Last week, the team sent him to AHL Manitoba to get some playing time and today, they announced (Twitter link) that they have recalled him from that loan which was capped at a maximum of two weeks.
Last season, the 23-year-old was quite productive with the Moose, notching 43 points in 59 games after recording 30 in 53 appearances the year before but didn’t see any NHL action. Unsurprisingly, Chisholm was productive in this six-game AHL stint, collecting five assists.
However, despite making Winnipeg’s roster out of training camp, Chisholm is still waiting to play his first game of the season with the big club and has just two career NHL appearances to his name. It’s clear that internally, the team doesn’t think he’ll pass through waivers unclaimed and would like to avoid a repeat of last year when they waived a player in a similar situation in Johnathan Kovacevic who has since gone on to become a regular with Montreal.
His best path to playing time in Winnipeg is an injury but the Jets remain healthy on the back end, meaning that Chisholm is set to reprise his role of being eighth on the depth chart. With Ville Heinola showing that he’s ready for an NHL look when he returns from his ankle injury next month, it appears that Chisholm will continue to be stuck in a numbers game for a while yet.
Metropolitan Notes: Oshie, Martin, Texier, Lazar
After leaving Friday’s game against Edmonton following a collision with Mattias Ekholm, Capitals winger T.J. Oshie will not travel with the team for their upcoming five-game West Coast road trip, reports Sammi Silber of The Hockey News. Oshie has dealt with concussion issues throughout his career and while the team didn’t call the injury that, they’re clearly taking a cautious approach with the 36-year-old. It has been a particularly challenging year on the ice for Oshie, who has been limited to just one goal and one assist through his first 17 games of the season, numbers that are by far the worst of his career. Oshie has one year left on his contract after this one which carries a $5.75MM AAV.
More from the Metropolitan:
- After putting Adam Pelech on LTIR earlier in the day, the Islanders also announced (Twitter link) that winger Matt Martin has been placed on IR. The placement is retroactive to November 15th which means that he will be eligible to be activated as soon as he is cleared to return. Martin has a goal and an assist in 14 games this season along with seven penalty minutes and 31 hits while his playing time has dipped to just 8:27 per night.
- Blue Jackets winger Alexandre Texier has joined the team on its road trip, relays Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (Twitter link). The 24-year-old has missed the last two games due to illness but evidently has been cleared to return. After spending last season in Switzerland, Texier is off to a relatively quiet start to his season, notching four goals and three assists in his first 19 games despite logging more than 16 minutes a night of ice time, a career-best.
- Devils forward Curtis Lazar is listed as questionable for tonight’s game against Buffalo due to a lower-body injury sustained yesterday against Columbus, notes NHL.com’s Mike Morreale (Twitter link). The 28-year-old is in his first full season with New Jersey who acquired him from Vancouver at the trade deadline last March. Lazar has three goals and two assists along with 37 hits in 17 games so far in just over 12 minutes a night of action.
Sabres Recall Jiri Kulich And Isak Rosen
With Zemgus Girgensons leaving yesterday’s game early due to injury and Jordan Greenway being a late scratch, the Sabres needed some reinforcements up front. Those have come in the form of Jiri Kulich and Isak Rosen as the team announced that both forwards have been recalled from AHL Rochester.
To make room for them on the roster, Girgensons has been placed on injured reserve and is listed as week-to-week with a lower-body injury. Greenway, meanwhile, is away from the team for personal reasons, making him eligible for non-roster status.
Kulich was the 28th overall pick by Buffalo in 2022 and appears to be well on his way toward outperforming that draft spot. He spent all of last season with the Americans and fared quite well as an underager, notching 24 goals and 22 assists in 62 regular season games while chipping in with 11 points in a dozen playoff contests. This year, he’s off to an even better start with 11 goals and six helpers in his first 16 appearances. Kulich can play up to nine games with the Sabres before officially burning the first year of his entry-level contract so it’s quite possible that his promotion will be a short-term one.
As for Rosen, whose promotion was first reported by Pickin’ Splinters’ Kevin Oklobzija, the 20-year-old was the 14th pick by the Sabres in 2021. He also had his rookie season in North America last year and acquitted himself well, collecting 14 goals and 23 assists in 66 regular season games before chipping in with eight points in their 12 playoff matches. Rosen scored the overtime winner last night for Rochester and is their scoring leader with 19 points in 16 games so far. Unlike Kulich, Rosen is not subject to the nine-game threshold.
Kulich and Rosen are viewed as two of Buffalo’s top prospects. After starting in the minors together last season, it appears both of them will get a chance to make their NHL debuts together tonight against New Jersey.
Islanders Claim Mike Reilly Off Waivers From Panthers
With Adam Pelech going on LTIR earlier today, the Islanders have found his replacement, at least in the short term as the team announced that they’ve claimed defenseman Mike Reilly off waivers from Florida.
Last season was a rough one for Reilly as he spent most of the year with Boston’s AHL affiliate in Providence with no team willing to take him on at a $3MM AAV off the waiver wire. He became an unrestricted free agent this summer after the final year of that deal was bought out by the Bruins and he quickly found a landing spot in Florida, who inked him to a one-year, $1MM contract.
The 30-year-old had been on the roster for the Panthers all season long but despite the long-term injuries to Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour, Reilly suited up just twice. Relegated to the eighth blueliner, Florida waived him yesterday in an effort to get him to their AHL affiliate in Charlotte but that won’t be the case now. However, Reilly’s contract now comes off their books, giving Florida some extra salary cap space at their disposal.
The Isles didn’t have the cap space to pick Reilly up until this morning when Pelech landed on LTIR. Once Pelech is cleared to return, New York will have to create some cap room to activate him and will need to move someone else off the roster if they want to keep Reilly in the fold at that time.
Between that injury and the one to Sebastian Aho (both of which occurred yesterday against Ottawa), Reilly could find himself in a situation where playing time will come much more frequently, at least for the time being. A veteran of 341 games between five different teams, Reilly has 98 points and could add a bit of firepower to a back end that has just seven goals on the season, five of which have come from Noah Dobson. Reilly will once again be an unrestricted free agent next summer.