Salary Cap Deep Dive: Boston Bruins
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.
Boston Bruins
Current Cap Hit: $83,070,834 (under the $83.5MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
None that are likely to be full-timers on the roster.
Signed Through 2023-24, Non-Entry-Level
F Jesper Boqvist ($775K, RFA)
F Jake DeBrusk ($4MM, UFA)
D Derek Forbort ($3MM, UFA)
F A.J. Greer ($762.5K, UFA)
D Matt Grzelcyk ($3.688MM, UFA)
F Milan Lucic ($1MM, UFA)
D Ian Mitchell ($775K, RFA)
D Kevin Shattenkirk ($1.05MM, UFA)
G Jeremy Swayman ($3.475MM, RFA)
F James van Riemsdyk ($1MM, UFA)
D Jakub Zboril ($1.138MM, UFA)
Potential Bonuses
Lucic: $500K
DeBrusk’s future with Boston has been murky for a few years now. First, it was a trade request that wasn’t granted and was later rescinded. Since then, he has become an important part of their attack, notching at least 25 goals in each of the last two seasons. Now, they need to decide if he’s part of their future plans on a contract that’s likely to cost closer to $6MM or if he could be a possible part of an offer to try to get some center help. Lucic returns after a long stretch out West and is no longer the top-six forward he once was. However, he has been a serviceable bottom-six piece in a limited role and this contract fits in with the role he’s likely to provide.
Not many players saw their stock fall last season as much as van Riemsdyk. After being a top power play threat in previous years, he struggled with the man advantage last year which resulted in his lowest goal total since 2011-12. In doing so, the Flyers weren’t able to find a taker for him at the trade deadline. He’ll look to rebuild his stock in Boston and if he can have success in a top-six role, his market should be considerably stronger next summer. Boqvist was non-tendered by New Jersey this summer to avoid arbitration. He’s a capable fourth-line checker and this should prove to be a team-friendly deal before too long. Arbitration rights will be in play next summer as well. Greer held down a regular spot on the roster last season, getting into a career-best 61 games. Another year like that should increase his chances of another one-way pact but he’s the type of player that teams will be looking to sign for the minimum.
With Boston’s cap situation, Grzelcyk’s future has come into some question as well. He was basically relegated to an even strength-only player last season and while that type of player still has some value – he’s still a capable offensive player – it’s one that’s hard to afford given their current roster structure. Next summer, if he has another season like this one, he might be looking at a small dip in pay but should still land a multi-year deal. Forbort is another speculative cap casualty if GM Don Sweeney makes a move to create some flexibility or needs to match money in a trade. More of a prototypical third-pairing/penalty killing piece at this point of his career, his market value is probably closer to $2MM unless he can stake a regular claim to a top-four spot this season.
Shattenkirk was one of many bargain signings by Boston this summer, coming over after three years in Anaheim. He’s starting to slow down but is still capable of logging upwards of 20 minutes per game and certainly left money on the table to join the Bruins. A good season with them could push him back over the $3MM mark next summer if he wants to maximize his next contract. Zboril has seen very little NHL action over four years due to injuries, demotions, and being scratched at times; his career GP total is less than a full year. When he played last season, he was sparingly used. If that’s the role he has again, his next offers are going to be closer to the minimum salary. That’s where Mitchell finds himself after taking less than his qualifying offer, presumably in the hopes of trying to secure a spot on Boston’s roster. Once viewed as a key prospect in Chicago, his stock has dipped but he has had enough success in the minors to warrant another look.
Swayman’s contract was one of the more interesting ones signed this summer. He had a very strong year, posting a 2.27 GAA along with a .920 SV% but in just 37 games. For his career, he has just 87 career appearances which isn’t a large sample size to work off of. A multi-year deal would likely have cost upwards of $4.5MM per year, a sum they simply couldn’t have afforded with their current roster. Instead, the sides went to arbitration to get this deal. Another year somewhat similar to this one could push his single-year value into the $4.5MM range – even as a platoon goalie – while a longer-term agreement could push closer to the $6MM mark.
Signed Through 2024-25
F Patrick Brown ($800K, UFA)
F Trent Frederic ($2.3MM, UFA)
F Morgan Geekie ($2MM, RFA)
F Brad Marchand ($6.125MM, UFA)
G Linus Ullmark ($5MM, UFA)
Marchand’s production isn’t where it was at his peak anymore but he was still close to a point per game last season. Without his long-time linemate Patrice Bergeron, it will be interesting to see how that affects his output but Marchand should still provide positive value on the final two years of his deal. He’ll be 37 when his next contract begins and it wouldn’t be surprising if he takes another team-friendly pact again. Frederic took a step forward last season, providing Boston with some good secondary production despite having a limited role, allowing him to more than double the AAV of his previous contract. He’ll need to maintain that at a minimum while moving up the lineup to push up his price tag again in two years.
Geekie came over after being somewhat surprisingly non-tendered by Seattle. He’ll have a chance to play a bit higher in the lineup with Boston’s turnover down the middle and if he can hold down the third-line center role, this should be a good pickup for them. Notably, he’ll still have another year of control through arbitration if things go well. Brown came over in free agency after splitting last season between Philadelphia and Ottawa. He’s a serviceable checker on the fourth line without providing much offense so future deals for him should come in close to the minimum as well.
Ullmark had an incredible season last year. He blew past his full-season career bests in GAA (2.45) and SV% (.917) by putting up 1.89 and .938 respectively in those categories. Wins and losses certainly aren’t everything for a goalie but he had 40 victories in 48 starts, a win rate that is quite difficult to come by. That made him a well-deserving recipient of the Vezina Trophy while making mid-tier starter money. Few are expecting a performance like this in 2023-24 but even if he goes back to his career averages, they’ll get good value here.
Signed Through 2025-26
F Charlie Coyle ($5.25MM, UFA)
Coyle has been a secondary producer for the majority of his career, even coming back to his time with Minnesota. That made this contract a bit on the high side when it was signed back in 2019. However, he’s coming off back-to-back years with more than 40 points and has moved back to primarily playing at center after splitting the previous few seasons between center and the wing. The full-time position switch helps the value. So do the departures of Bergeron and David Krejci as it will push Coyle into a more prominent role offensively. As long as that results in an uptick in production – a reasonable expectation – the return on the second half of this contract should be a bit better than the first half.
Signed Through 2026-27 Or Longer
D Brandon Carlo ($4.1MM through 2026-27)
D Hampus Lindholm ($6.5MM through 2029-30)
D Charlie McAvoy ($9.5MM through 2029-30)
F David Pastrnak ($11.25MM through 2030-31)
F Pavel Zacha ($4.75MM through 2026-27)
Pastrnak had a dominant performance last season, scoring 61 goals while averaging at least a point per game for the fifth straight season. That put him in the driver’s seat when it came to negotiating an early extension in-season, one that immediately became the richest deal in franchise history. It’s hard for a player making that much to live up to the contract but he’ll be the go-to player in Boston for a long time. Zacha’s contract is on the pricey side based on his career numbers but he had a breakout performance in 2022-23, notching 57 points. Like Coyle, he’ll be asked to play a bigger role this year and if there’s an uptick offensively as a result, this will become a team-friendly deal.
McAvoy has emerged as a legitimate top-pairing defenseman who is above-average at the offensive end. Those players get paid quickly and he was no exception as he now sits tied for fourth in the NHL in AAV among blueliners. That’s a hard contract to live up to but the Bruins are banking that he has another gear to get to yet. Lindholm found a gear offensively that he never could reach with Anaheim, becoming an ideal top-pairing fit in the process. There’s some concern about how the deal might age as he’ll be out of his prime by then but that’s a problem for down the road, not now. Carlo is a capable defensive defenseman but his ideal role is a fourth or fifth defender who can kill penalties. With minimal offensive contributions, it’s a deal that’s above market value at this point.
Buyouts
D Mike Reilly ($333K in 2023-24, $1.33MM in 2024-25)
Retained Salary Transactions
None
Still To Sign
None
Best Value: Shattenkirk
Worst Value: Carlo
Looking Ahead
The bonus carryover penalties from Bergeron and Krejci’s deals cut into Boston’s cap space by $4.5MM. They’re unlikely to afford a full-sized roster to start the season but if they want to get creative, they might be able to waive someone like Forbort and shuffle him back and forth, freeing up a pro-rated $1.15MM for each day he’s off the roster. That could give them some extra space to hedge against injuries but if they want to add to their group this season, it’s going to be a money-in, money-out situation barring LTIR for someone coming into play.
Fortunately for the Bruins, the cap challenges could be short-lived. With over $20MM coming off the books next summer plus the carryover charge being cleared (aside from potentially Lucic’s half-million), Sweeney should have ample flexibility to re-sign his core pieces and then try to add one either via trade or in free agency. Meanwhile, at the moment, there are just six players signed for the 2025-26 campaign, giving Boston a relatively clean canvas to work with for the future.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Minnesota Wild Sign Jujhar Khaira
09/17/23: The Wild have now officially announced a one-year, two-way contract for Khaira. The deal carries a $775k NHL salary and a $300k salary in the AHL, according to CapFriendly.
09/16/23: It appears that the Wild will be bringing in some extra forward depth, at least for training camp. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that they’re in discussions with Jujhar Khaira about a contract. Whether that’s a PTO agreement or a full-fledged contract remains to be seen.
The 29-year-old spent last season with Chicago, playing out the final year of a two-year deal that carried an AAV of $975K. Khaira got into 51 games with the Blackhawks but also missed more than two months with a back issue. That, of course, came on the heels of him missing 43 games with back trouble the year before. Khaira’s production was actually his best since the 2018-19 campaign as he pitched in with six goals and eight assists while logging just shy of 14 minutes per game.
Khaira’s career thus far spans parts of eight NHL seasons, the majority of which were spent with Edmonton who drafted him in the third round (63rd overall) back in 2012. He has 336 appearances at the top level under his belt, tallying 33 goals, 47 assists, and 783 hits while averaging 12:37 per contest of ice time.
With Minnesota being one of many teams that are tight to the salary cap, it’s likely that Khaira will be signing for the minimum if he does wind up with a guaranteed deal. His ability to play all three forward positions and kill penalties would certainly give the Wild some desired flexibility on the fourth line, a trio that figures to be particularly physical as it currently stands.
East Notes: Nylander, Rangers, Knight
The contract status of Maple Leafs forward William Nylander is sure to draw plenty of attention this season as he enters the final year of his contract. In the latest 32 Thoughts podcast (audio link), Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman suggests that there probably isn’t going to be a resolution soon and that discussions will likely occur throughout the season. Notably, he adds that there have been talks about testing Nylander down the middle, a position he played earlier in his career. Nylander is already eyeing a sizable raise that would push his AAV into to the $10MM range but if he is able to see some time at center and play well, his market value would only increase given the high demand for impact middlemen. If that happens, he could very well price himself out of what Toronto can afford.
More from the Eastern Conference:
- At the moment, the Rangers don’t have any players on PTOs heading to training camp with them. However, Arthur Staple of The Athletic relays (Twitter link) that GM Chris Drury hasn’t ruled out the idea of bringing one in over the coming days. New York doesn’t have many openings on their roster and they have a handful of forwards and blueliners that should contend for a spot so unless there’s a proven upgrade willing to come to camp on a tryout, it might make more sense for the Rangers to stay with what they have.
- Panthers goaltender Spencer Knight spoke with Ken Campbell of The Hockey News to discuss the events that transpired that ultimately resulted in him stepping away from the team in February to enter the NHL/NHL Players’ Association Player Assistance Program. Knight didn’t return during Florida’s run to the Stanley Cup Final but participated in their development camp this summer and is expected to be a full participant in training camp next week when he’ll look to reclaim the other spot in their tandem with Sergei Bobrovsky.
2009 NHL Draft Take Two: Thirteenth Overall
Hindsight is an amazing thing, and allows us to look back and wonder “what could have been.” Though perfection is attempted, scouting and draft selection is far from an exact science and sometimes, it doesn’t work out the way teams – or players – intended. For every Patrick Kane, there is a Patrik Stefan.
We’re looking back at the 2009 NHL Entry Draft and asking how it would shake out knowing what we do now. Will the first round remain the same, or will some late-round picks jump up to the top of the board?
The results of our redraft so far are as follows, with their original draft position in parentheses:
1st Overall: Victor Hedman, New York Islanders (2)
2nd Overall: John Tavares, Tampa Bay Lightning (1)
3rd Overall: Ryan O’Reilly, Colorado Avalanche (33)
4th Overall: Matt Duchene, Atlanta Thrashers (3)
5th Overall: Chris Kreider, Los Angeles Kings (19)
6th Overall: Nazem Kadri, Phoenix Coyotes (7)
7th Overall: Mattias Ekholm, Toronto Maple Leafs (102)
8th Overall: Evander Kane, Dallas Stars (4)
9th Overall: Brayden Schenn, Ottawa Senators (5)
10th Overall: Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Edmonton Oilers (6)
11th Overall: Ryan Ellis, Nashville Predators (11)
12th Overall: Dmitry Orlov, New York Islanders (55)
After our readers assigned the Islanders a franchise defender in Hedman instead of Tavares, they wind up with another impact blueliner here with Orlov receiving nearly 36% of the votes. The Isles are a team that has really built around a team defense concept in the past and with those two anchoring the back end in this exercise, it’s interesting to wonder if their presence would have been enough for that strategy to work.
It’s not common now for Russian-born players to come over and play in the minors but that’s what Orlov did as one year after being picked, he was in Washington’s system with AHL Hershey. One year later in 2011-12, he was a regular most nights in the lineup for the Capitals.
However, it took a while for Orlov to really establish himself as an impact defender. He took a big step toward that in 2015-16 when he played in all 82 games and notched 29 points; Orlov followed that up with four more seasons of at least 27 points. Between that and his strong defensive play, he emerged as a legitimate core two-way defenseman who could log more than 20 minutes a night.
Orlov was in the midst of another one of those years last season before the Capitals sold at the trade deadline with the blueliner going to Boston. He found another gear offensively with the Bruins down the stretch, collecting 17 points in just 23 games while adding eight assists in their first-round loss to Florida, really allowing him to hit the open market this summer on a high note.
But in this cap environment, a long-term big-money deal just wasn’t there. Instead, Orlov opted for a short-term deal, signing a two-year contract with Carolina with a $7.75MM AAV. This was the highest cap hit for any UFA this summer while giving him a chance to get another multi-year deal in 2025 when he’ll be 34. It took a little while but Orlov has certainly emerged as one of the top blueliners from the 2009 draft class; he’s the fifth one off the board in this exercise.
Now, we shift gears and look at the 13th pick from that draft, which was held by Buffalo. They opted to draft a power forward, selecting Zack Kassian out of Peterborough of the OHL. Was he the right pick for the Sabres or should they take someone else in our redraft? Make your pick by voting in our poll below.
2009 Redraft: Thirteenth Overall
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Anders Lee 30% (139)
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Tyson Barrie 12% (57)
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Darcy Kuemper 11% (49)
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Reilly Smith 10% (48)
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Tomas Tatar 7% (33)
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Mike Hoffman 4% (19)
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Kyle Palmieri 4% (18)
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Robin Lehner 3% (15)
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Jakob Silfverberg 3% (13)
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Marcus Foligno 2% (11)
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Marcus Johansson 2% (8)
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Erik Haula 1% (6)
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Nick Leddy 1% (6)
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Sami Vatanen 1% (6)
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Calvin de Haan 1% (5)
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Brian Dumoulin 1% (5)
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Zack Kassian 1% (5)
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Brayden McNabb 1% (5)
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Kyle Clifford 1% (4)
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Mikko Koskinen 1% (3)
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David Savard 1% (3)
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Craig Smith 1% (3)
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Casey Cizikas 0% (2)
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Dmitry Kulikov 0% (2)
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Cody Eakin 0% (1)
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Nick Jensen 0% (0)
Total votes: 466
If you can’t access the poll above, click here to vote.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Prospect Notes: Voronkov, Boucher, Bichsel
Blue Jackets prospect Dmitri Voronkov’s European Assignment Clause is a little different than most. While for most players who have one, it means that get sent back if they’re assigned to the minors, that’s not exactly the case for Voronkov. As Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports (subscription link), Voronkov’s clause is for him to return to Russia if he’s not with Columbus by the end of December. This gives the Blue Jackets a chance to stash the 23-year-old in the minors to start the season if they so desire to get him better acclimated to playing on the smaller North American rinks while also allowing him to play down the middle, an option he might not have if he breaks camp with the big club. Voronkov had 18 goals and 13 assists in 54 games with Ak Bars Kazan of the KHL last season.
Other prospect news from around the NHL:
- Senators prospect Tyler Boucher was notably left off their prospect tournament roster. Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch relays that the winger tweaked his groin during fitness testing on Wednesday so they’re opting to be cautious and give him a few days to rest. He is expected to be ready for the start of main camp. The tenth pick in 2021, Boucher will be turning pro this season and should play a prominent role with AHL Belleville where he’ll be looking to make up for lost time after injuries limited him to just 21 games with OHL Ottawa last season.
- Stars blueliner Lian Bichsel tweaked his knee on Thursday against Toronto and is being shut down for their rookie tournament, notes team reporter Mike Heika. The 2022 first-rounder (18th overall) dealt with an ankle injury late last season but this knee issue isn’t related to the ankle one which he has since fully recovered from. Bichsel was a regular in the SHL last season, getting into 42 games with Leksands while logging a little under 12 minutes a night.
Hurricanes Notes: Pesce, Teravainen, DeAngelo
Hurricanes blueliner Brett Pesce has switched agents, reports Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer. After working with Edge Sports Management, the defenseman is now represented by Wasserman’s Judd Moldaver. The timing of the change is notable since the 28-year-old is entering the final year of his contract. Pesce has emerged as a quality top-three defender over the past few years and set a new career-high in points last season with 30. He’s undoubtedly in line to land a sizable raise on his current $4.025MM AAV but with Brady Skjei also in need of a new deal, Carolina probably won’t be able to afford to keep both. Pesce made it clear that his preference is to remain with the Hurricanes but earlier this summer, GM Don Waddell noted that the team wasn’t close to re-signing any of their pending UFAs.
Elsewhere in Carolina:
- Luke DeCock of the Raleigh News & Observer wonders if Carolina would be better off just letting winger Teuvo Teravainen play out the final year of his deal and then move on next summer. The 29-year-old is coming off a down year that saw him score just 12 goals in 68 games but has a good enough track record that it would still cost more than his current $5.4MM AAV to extend him. With Martin Necas and Seth Jarvis both restricted free agents next summer, they may need Teravainen’s money to get those two locked up to long-term agreements.
- In his latest piece for The Athletic (subscription link), Cory Lavalette sat down with blueliner Anthony DeAngelo, a mid-summer signing after his contract was bought out by Philadelphia. Despite their strong defensive depth, he opted to go back to an organization that he was comfortable with over one where he would have had a better shot at a bigger role and more playing time. After what he called a season full of inconsistent play with the Flyers, he’ll be looking to stabilize things somewhat before testing the market again next summer.
Salary Cap Deep Dive: Winnipeg Jets
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.
Winnipeg Jets
Current Cap Hit: $81,720,357 (under the $83.5MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
D Ville Heinola (one year, $863K)
F Cole Perfetti (one year, $894K)
Potential Bonuses
Heinola: $425K
Perfetti: $850K
Total: $1.275MM
Last season was Perfetti’s first full year at the NHL level and it was going along well in the first half of the season, spending a fair bit of time in the top six while collecting 30 points in 51 games. However, an upper-body injury ended his season early. After only playing 18 games in his first year, there probably isn’t enough of a track record for a long-term agreement. But if he returns and stays in that role, a short-term bridge deal in the $2MM range should be doable. Perfetti’s bonuses are of the Class A variety (tied to specific thresholds). Had he stayed healthy, he probably would have reached one of those last season and if he takes a step forward, two or three could be legitimate possibilities which will be notable for GM Kevin Cheveldayoff to keep in mind.
Heinola is a victim of Winnipeg’s depth chart as his performance with AHL Manitoba has demonstrated that he’s worthy of a longer-term look with the Jets. That chance doesn’t appear to be coming at the moment although a trade or two can certainly change things. Having said that, unless he’s on the roster and in the lineup regularly, he’s unlikely to reach his two ‘A’ bonuses and will almost certainly be heading for a short-term second contract.
Signed Through 2023-24, Non-Entry-Level
G Laurent Brossoit ($1.75MM, UFA)
D Kyle Capobianco ($762.5K, RFA)
D Declan Chisholm ($775K, RFA)
D Dylan DeMelo ($3MM, UFA)
D Brenden Dillon ($3.9MM, UFA)
F David Gustafsson ($775K, RFA)
G Connor Hellebuyck ($6.167MM, UFA)
F Nino Niederreiter ($4MM, UFA)
F Mark Scheifele ($6.125MM, UFA)
D Logan Stanley ($1MM, RFA)
Scheifele’s future with the Jets has been in question for a while now and wasn’t resolved over the summer either by trade or extension. While he doesn’t produce a point per game most seasons, he’s still a number one option for Winnipeg and would be for several other teams. Accordingly, he’s well-positioned to earn an extra couple million per season at a minimum. Whether that’s from Winnipeg or another team remains to be seen.
Niederreiter was a victim of the down market in 2022 when he signed this deal with Nashville (who flipped him to Winnipeg near the trade deadline). He has reached the 20-goal mark in the last three seasons and if he can make it four, he might have a shot at doing a little better than this next summer. But as a winger best suited for the middle six, his earnings upside is going to be limited. Gustavsson had a very limited role last season and while he played in a career-best 46 games, he didn’t do much to push for a spot higher in the lineup. Unless that changes, his next contract should be below the $1MM mark even with arbitration rights.
Dillon has been a capable piece on the second pairing for the past two seasons after being acquired from San Jose. Offense is hard to come by but as a defender who can kill penalties, block shots, and play physical, there should still be a market for him next summer. It’d be surprising to see him command a big raise at 33 but a multi-year deal in this price range should be doable. DeMelo has shown that he can be more than a full-time third-pairing option but beyond last season, points have been hard to come by. Being a right-shot option helps but again, a big pay jump doesn’t seem likely; instead, another multi-year deal close to this point makes more sense.
Stanley had a hard time locking down a regular spot in the lineup last season, leading to a trade request that appears to have since been rescinded. But with their depth chart, playing time is still going to be hard to come by. He’ll basically need to keep going year-to-year until that changes for him either with the Jets or another organization. Capobianco and Chisholm will be battling for one spot on the roster. Capobianco held it last year but didn’t play much while Chisholm is waiver-eligible for the first time. Capobianco is likely to stay close to the minimum salary being a bit older while Chisholm will need to carve out a spot in the lineup to be able to get any sort of significant raise next summer.
Hellebuyck’s situation is well-known by now. After the season, it didn’t appear as if he was interested in signing a long-term extension to stay in Winnipeg, fueling trade speculation. However, a reported asking price of $9.5MM on a new contract cooled that speculation pretty quickly. Even though he’s among the higher-paid starters already, he’s still underpaid relative to the value he brings to the Jets. A true starter capable of carrying one of the heaviest workloads in the NHL, Hellebuyck has done a lot to keep Winnipeg in the playoff picture over the years. But he’ll be 31 when his next contract begins, making a max-term agreement a bit less palatable, particularly at his desired price point.
Signed Through 2024-25
F Mason Appleton ($2.167MM, UFA)
F Morgan Barron ($1.35MM, RFA)
F Nikolaj Ehlers ($6MM, UFA)
F Axel Jonsson-Fjallby ($775K, UFA)
F Rasmus Kupari ($1MM, RFA)
F Alex Iafallo ($4MM, UFA)
F Vladislav Namestnikov ($2MM, UFA)
D Neal Pionk ($5.875MM, UFA)
D Dylan Samberg ($1.4MM, RFA)
D Nate Schmidt ($5.95MM, UFA)
F Gabriel Vilardi ($3.438MM, RFA)
Ehlers, when healthy, has been a top-line producer in recent years. However, staying healthy has been a challenge for him over the past three seasons. If he can stay healthy over the next couple of years, he’ll still be well-positioned for a decent-sized raise but if the injury issues continue, it will certainly hurt his market. Iafallo comes over from Los Angeles in the Pierre-Luc Dubois swap and is in a similar situation as Niederreiter – a middle-six winger who can be moved around the lineup. However, Iafallo’s scoring touch is a bit more limited which, if not bolstered by the change of scenery, might limit him to a contract similar to this one in 2025, not a more lucrative pact.
Let’s stick with pieces acquired in the Dubois swap. Vilardi was the headliner of that trade, a 24-year-old who has played center in the past and is coming off a 23-goal campaign despite missing 19 games. This contract basically amounts to a second bridge deal to see if there’s another gear to get to or if he’ll settle in closer to the offensive range of Iafallo and Niederreiter. Obviously, whichever outcome he winds up at will go a long way toward determining his next deal but it’s worth noting he’ll have a $3.6MM qualifier. Kupari was the other player involved in the swap, another former first-round pick but he has been limited in the NHL so far. He’ll need to at least grab a hold of a third-line spot over the next two seasons to position himself considerably more than his $1.1MM qualifier.
Appleton hasn’t been able to match his output in 2020-21 although he had a chance to do so last year had he stayed healthy. His production is at the level of a third-liner which is in line with his salary although he plays a bit more than a typical bottom-six forward. He’ll need to improve his output to have a shot at cracking the $3MM mark on his next deal. Namestnikov has bounced around lately (eight teams over the last six seasons) and his market value has hovered in this range for the last few years. Barring any big improvements or injuries, his next one should be in this area as well. Barron’s first full NHL campaign was a decent one and this is a traditional bridge contract to better assess his future. Jonsson-Fjallby, meanwhile, was on waivers twice last season and will simply be looking to lock down a full-time roster spot.
On the back end, Schmidt was acquired for relatively cheap at the time with Vancouver looking to clear some cap space. His first season with them was good but he took a step back last year. If he’s going to be more of a fourth option moving forward, this will be a negative-value deal for them. Pionk has also had some ups and downs in his three seasons in Winnipeg. He hasn’t matched his per-game output from his first year with them but has settled in nicely as a second or third option most nights. If his ten-goal total from last season is repeatable, he’ll be in good shape for another jump in 2025. Samberg was a regular most nights in 2022-23, albeit in a limited role. Like Barron and Kupari, this is a true bridge agreement; he’ll be looking to get into a top-four spot where he’ll be better-positioned for a significant raise.
Signed Through 2025-26
F Kyle Connor ($7.143MM, UFA)
F Adam Lowry ($3.25MM, UFA)
Connor has somewhat quietly averaged more than a point per game over the last four seasons combined with the last two being particularly impressive, including a 47-goal showing in 2021-22. He’ll be 29 when he signs his next contract and even if his output remains at the 80-point mark it was a year ago, Connor should be in a good spot to get a max-term agreement and another couple million on that pact. Lowry, the newly-named captain, is on a contract that’s a bit high for a third-liner but he was a bit more productive last season, notching 36 points. If he can stay around that mark, they’ll do fine with this contract.
Flames Notes: Zadorov, Wolf, Captaincy
There have yet to be any extension talks between the Flames and Nikita Zadorov, according to the blueliner in an appearance on Sportsnet 960 (audio link). He indicated that he was waiting for an offer over the summer but one hasn’t come just yet. The 28-year-old is in the final season of a two-year deal that carries a $3.75MM AAV and is coming off a breakout year offensively, recording 14 goals. His previous career best in that department was seven in a single season and he had just nine tallies over the prior three years combined. With that in mind, it isn’t surprising to see Calgary take a wait-and-see approach with Zadorov to see if his offensive prowess last year was a one-off or a sign of things to come.
More from Calgary:
- In an interview with Sportsnet’s Eric Francis, GM Craig Conroy stated that he wants to get goaltender Dustin Wolf into some NHL games this season but also doesn’t want him to be in a backup role where he’s playing just once a week. Accordingly, it seems likely that their plan for him this season will be to keep him with the AHL’s Wranglers where he was nothing short of dominant in 2022-23 with a 2.09 GAA and a .932 SV% in 55 games and then bring him up for spot starts with the Flames here and there. With Calgary being quite tight to the salary cap, that plan may require some creative roster movement to accomplish.
- Postmedia’s Wes Gilbertson examines the captain conundrum that the Flames are facing. The team has been without one since losing Mark Giordano to Seattle two years ago and their most logical candidate – Mikael Backlund – is on an expiring contract and is taking a wait-and-see approach to how the season starts before deciding on potentially starting extension talks. Elias Lindholm is another logical choice but he’s also on an expiring deal. In Conroy’s interview with Francis, he confirmed that a captain will be named for this season.
No Extension Talks Scheduled For Mikael Backlund And Oliver Kylington
While there has been some optimism in Calgary regarding the possibility of both Elias Lindholm and Noah Hanifin signing extensions, things appear to be more of a wait-and-see approach when it comes to Mikael Backlund. His agent J.P. Barry told TSN’s Salim Valji that there are currently no plans for discussions about Backlund or teammate Oliver Kylington. Instead, the plan is to wait and evaluate how the season progresses before holding any sort of meaningful contract negotiations.
Backlund has spent his entire 15-year career with Calgary who drafted him in the first round (24th overall) back in 2007. The 34-year-old is actually coming off his best season offensively, one that saw him put up 19 goals and 37 assists in 82 games. For his career, he has 492 points in 908 games and he has expressed a desire to reach the 1,000-game mark in a Flames uniform.
Backlund has one more year remaining on his deal, a pact that carries a $5.35MM AAV and a 21-team no-trade clause. A report surfaced last month that noted trade offers for the middleman had been particularly light in spite of his breakout year so it appears Calgary will go into the season with him anchoring the second line.
As for Kylington, the fact that no discussions are planned shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. Last month, the blueliner revealed the reason for his season-long absence was due to things going on with his family which caused mental and psychological problems. Having missed that much time, it makes sense for both sides to wait and see how things go early on before pondering the idea of an extension. Like Backlund, the 26-year-old will be an unrestricted free agent next summer.
When he took over as GM, Craig Conroy indicated that he wanted to avoid a situation where he could lose a key player without any return by seeing them walk in free agency like Johnny Gaudreau did in the 2022 offseason. That played a part in them moving Tyler Toffoli, another pending UFA, to New Jersey earlier in the offseason. However, with Lindholm, Hanifin, Backlund, and Kylington all appearing to want to see how things go at the start of this coming season before deciding on their willingness to extend, he won’t be getting any further clarity for a little while longer.
Snapshots: Tkachuk, Sens Sale, Flames
Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk told NHL.com’s Dan Rosen that he has fully recovered from the broken sternum that sidelined him late in the Stanley Cup Final back in June. He sustained the injury in the third game of the series and found a way to play the fourth before doctors shut him down. The 25-year-old followed up his breakout campaign in 2021-22 with an even better showing last season, finishing tied for sixth in league scoring with 109 points. Florida is expected to be without key blueliners Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour for a while – Tkachuk speculated about a late-December return for each of them – so they will be leaning heavily on their offensive star when the season gets underway next month.
Elsewhere around the NHL:
- While there was some hope that the sale of the Senators to Michael Andlauer would be finalized by now, Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch notes that this is no longer the case. While there isn’t believed to be any issue – the financing is secure and he has already received approval from the NHL’s Executive Committee – things are moving slower than expected. Now, the hope is that the sale will be made official by Monday.
- The Flames haven’t ruled out bringing in someone on a tryout in the coming days, relays Sportsnet’s Eric Francis (Twitter link). While GM Craig Conroy has expressed a desire to let some of Calgary’s younger prospects push for a spot on the roster after not getting too many looks last season, a veteran willing to take the league minimum could give that player a leg up over a youngster on a more expensive entry-level deal. That difference could be notable as Calgary is one of many teams that project to be close to the cap line this season.