Blackhawks To Non-Tender Dylan Strome
A fairly thin free agent center market is about to get a notable addition as Mark Lazerus of The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that the Blackhawks will not be tendering Dylan Strome a qualifying offer by Monday’s deadline. That means he will become an unrestricted free agent on Monday.
The move shouldn’t come as much surprise as Chicago has had the 25-year-old available for quite some time now with no takers. That’s more due to his cost than his performance, however. Strome’s qualifying offer of $3.6MM was more than what the Blackhawks were willing to pay and even if they were willing to go that high, the fact he had salary arbitration eligibility would almost certainly have pushed the price tag even higher which other teams around the league were certainly aware of.
Strome is coming off a bit of an up-and-down season. He got off to a tough start but over the final two months of the season, he averaged nearly a point per game in 28 contests while logging more than 20 minutes a night on the top line. Overall, he had 22 goals and 26 assists in 69 games, setting a new career-high in goals in the process.
For the criticism he has received over the past few years, the 2015 third-overall pick had a decent run overall in parts of four seasons with the Blackhawks, recording 60 goals and 94 assists in 225 games. While that type of production doesn’t quite live up to the draft billing, that’s still a solid performance for a secondary scorer. Between that and the fact it’s a thin center market, Strome should be able to generate considerable interest when the market opens up on Wednesday.
In the meantime, this will be the second center selected third overall to leave Chicago in less than a week after the Blackhawks moved Kirby Dach to Montreal back at the draft. GM Kyle Davidson is embarking on a full-scale rebuild and in a short stretch, the team is parting with a pair of young players that were viewed as potential long-term cogs just a couple of years ago.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Snapshots: Gibson, Dahlen, Brink, Oilers
With the Maple Leafs being one of the teams that still need to add a starting goaltender, some have speculated that Ducks goaltender John Gibson could be a potential trade option for them. However, his agent Kurt Overhardt told Sportsnet 590’s Nick Kypreos (Twitter link) that Gibson has “no interest” in playing in Toronto and is committed to staying in Anaheim. Gibson has five years left on his deal with a $6.4MM AAV with a ten-team no-trade clause so even if the Ducks were inclined to move him this summer, the 28-year-old may be able to block a move.
Elsewhere around the NHL:
- While Sharks winger Jonathan Dahlen had a decent rookie season with 12 goals and 10 assists in 61 games, Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now reports that the team is considering non-tendering him by tomorrow’s deadline. Even though he has only been in the NHL for one year, this is his fourth year on an NHL contract which gives him salary arbitration rights. While Dahlen couldn’t command a significant increase on his league-minimum salary from this past season, San Jose likely will want to keep the last few spots on their roster at low salary slots so whatever raise he could get from an arbitrator may be more than they can afford to allocate.
- Flyers winger Bobby Brink has sustained a hip injury during offseason workouts that might require surgery, Anthony SanFilippo of Crossing Broad was first to report (Twitter link). No timeline for a return is known yet but SanFilippo suggests the injury is severe enough that it could run into the start of next season; Olivia Reiner of the Philadelphia Inquirer adds (via Twitter) that the 21-year-old will see a specialist in a few days and that the team will have a better understanding of how much time he’ll miss by the end of the week. Brink had four assists in 10 NHL games down the stretch while logging over 15 minutes a night.
- The Oilers announced (Twitter link) that they’ve tendered qualifying offers to forwards Tyler Benson, Ryan McLeod, Jesse Puljujarvi, and Kailer Yamamoto. That means that defenseman Filip Berglund and forwards Brendan Perlini and Ostap Safin will go non-tendered. Those three will become unrestricted free agents later this week. Of the unqualified players, only Perlini has NHL experience and had four goals and an assist in 23 games this past season while Berglund has already signed in Sweden.
Offseason Checklist: Tampa Bay Lightning
With the offseason in full swing, it’s time to examine what each squad will need to accomplish over the coming weeks. Next up is a look at the Lightning.
Tampa Bay came close to making it three straight Stanley Cup titles before falling to Colorado in the Final last month. With the majority of their core still intact and their biggest offseason move already made when they sent Ryan McDonagh to Nashville to free up cap space, GM Julien BriseBois’ to-do list for the rest of the summer is fairly simple.
Re-Sign Or Replace Rutta
Part of the reason for the McDonagh deal was to free up cap space to re-sign two of their pending free agents. One of those is defenseman Jan Rutta. The 31-year-old has been a serviceable depth player for the Lightning over the last four seasons and played a regular role for the first time in 2021-22, suiting up in a career-best 76 games while chipping in with 18 points. He’s coming off a two-year deal with a $1.3MM cap hit and after showing he can handle a full-time spot, he should be able to beat that on the open market.
While Tampa Bay would certainly like to keep him around and have had discussions on a new deal, BriseBois also has to consider that McDonagh’s minutes need to be replaced. Rutta held his own playing 16 minutes a game but McDonagh logged 22. Can Tampa Bay fill those extra minutes internally with someone like Cal Foote or will they need someone that’s capable of taking on a bigger role? While BriseBois has stated his intention to keep and work with Philippe Myers (who came over in the McDonagh swap), it’s unlikely that they can count on much from him after the way this past season went. If Rutta and Foote can’t cover bigger roles on the third pairing to help offset the loss of McDonagh, BriseBois may have to go for a more prominent blueliner which would certainly take them out of the running for their other UFA of note.
Re-Sign Or Replace Palat
That other UFA is Ondrej Palat. The winger has been a regular in Tampa Bay’s lineup for most of the last decade, spending a lot of that time as a fixture in their top six. Along the way, he has become a consistent secondary scorer, notching at least 15 goals in seven of the last nine years and dealt with injury trouble in the two he didn’t. That type of consistency is very valuable to teams and an impressive showing in the playoffs that saw Palat finish second to only Nikita Kucherov in scoring. That certainly bolsters his value as we approach the opening of free agency on Wednesday. That’s good news for him but less so for the Lightning.
The 31-year-old is coming off a contract that saw him make an average of $5.3MM over the past five years. If he gets to the open market, a similar price at a similar term is doable. That’s one that Tampa Bay can’t afford, especially knowing they have to keep or replace Rutta as well. Even with Brent Seabrook’s LTIR space, there isn’t enough money for Palat to receive market value and still keep or re-place Rutta. A team-friendly contract is always an option – several have taken a bit less to re-sign in previous years – but with this likely being Palat’s last chance at a big contract, it would certainly be understandable if he wants to see what his other options might be.
If Palat winds up going elsewhere and they need to find a replacement, it wouldn’t be surprising if BriseBois looked for someone on a one-year deal. With several key pieces in need of new contracts soon, a short-term contract would allow give them a boost now and maintain a little bit of flexibility for the 2022-23 offseason. There will be players that don’t like what they have for long-term offers and would certainly view the Lightning as a favorable spot for a ‘pillow’ contract and going that route could give Tampa Bay a capable replacement without needing as long of a commitment.
Extension Talks
Tampa Bay has basically exclusively used short-term bridge contracts with their restricted free agents in recent years. The reason is certainly understandable as they used the lower cost of those contracts to keep their core intact and with two Stanley Cups and a Prince of Wales Trophy in the last three years, it’s hard to say they made the wrong choice. Going that way eventually has its consequences but with that type of recent success they’ve had, it couldn’t have gone much better.
But the consequences of that approach are only a year away. Defensemen Mikhail Sergachev and Erik Cernak along with centers Anthony Cirelli and Ross Colton are all about to enter the final year of their respective bridge deals. All four will have arbitration eligibility next summer. Combined, they’ll have a cap hit of $13.675MM next season. They will cost considerably more than that in 2023-24, likely surpassing the $20MM mark. That’s going to result in the departure of another core player or two no matter what and BriseBois knows that.
While the Lightning could wait to work on these next summer, that’s a lot of big-ticket deals to sign in a short period of time and with arbitration hearings occurring after the bulk of unrestricted free agents have signed, getting into July with even a couple of these still pending wouldn’t be ideal. Having the knowledge of what those players are going to cost before next June and July would be great for planning purposes while also giving those players certainly moving forward. Are they going to get all of them signed now? Probably not but the more they can finalize this summer, the easier it should be next summer.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.
Sabres Re-Sign Jacob Bryson
The Sabres have taken care of one of their pending restricted free agents, announcing (Twitter link) that they’ve re-signed defenseman Jacob Bryson to a two-year contract. The deal will carry a $1.85MM AAV with PuckPedia adding (Twitter link) that the deal will pay $1.8MM in 2022-23 and $1.9MM in 2023-24.
The 24-year-old was a fourth-round pick of Buffalo (99th overall) back in 2017 and a strong showing in the second half of the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 campaign helped propel him into a regular role for this past season. Bryson suited up in 73 games, picking up a goal and nine assists along with 73 hits while averaging 18:20 per game, good for fourth among full-time Sabres blueliners.
This contract effectively works as a second bridge deal for Bryson. He had salary arbitration eligibility this summer but the two-year term will still have him RFA-eligible with arbitration rights at its conclusion and a required qualifier of $1.9MM. Now that Bryson has established himself as an NHL regular, this pact will give him an opportunity to play his way into a bigger role; with Colin Miller expected to depart in free agency this summer, Bryson could be in line for a bit more playing time next season although 2021 top pick Owen Power will also be in the mix on the back end.
With this contract done, winger Victor Olofsson is the only full-time Sabre that’s still eligible for restricted free agency. He’s owed a $3.25MM qualifying offer by Monday’s tender deadline and the 26-year-old is also arbitration-eligible. Accordingly, GM Kevyn Adams will be looking to get that deal in place as soon as possible to try to avoid giving Olofsson a chance to file for a hearing.
Snapshots: Sharks, Cirelli, Islanders
While there was some trade activity in recent days with goaltenders, the Sharks weren’t among the teams involved. That might come as some surprise as the team has three NHL netminders in Adin Hill, James Reimer, and pending RFA Kaapo Kahkonen. However, GM Mike Grier told reporters after the draft including Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News that there’s no guarantee he’ll move one of them in the coming weeks:
Everything is on the table with regards to that. But if you looked around the league during the playoffs and the regular season, you need goaltending. Having three is not the worst thing in the world. If something comes up where we can use (the depth) to make ourselves better, we will. We’ll see how it goes, but we have three goaltenders that we like and I think that’s a good thing.
Hill and Reimer each have one year left on their contracts at $2.175MM and $2.25MM respectively and will be unrestricted free agents in 2023. The Sharks could move one of them and in the process, give themselves a bit more flexibility this summer. If not, this could be a repeat of 2003 when they carried three goalies to start the season when they had Evgeni Nabokov, Vesa Toskala, and Miikka Kiprusoff with the latter eventually being moved to Calgary.
Elsewhere around the hockey world:
- Lightning center Anthony Cirelli underwent shoulder surgery on Tuesday, relays Joe Smith of The Athletic (subscription link). He suffered an AC joint sprain on one side and a collarbone injury on the other which led to surgery being needed. However, at this time, the team does not have a definitive timeline as to when the 24-year-old will return with GM Julien BriseBois indicating that “There’s a wide range” in terms of how long Cirelli might be out. Cirelli had 43 points in 76 games in 2021-22 for Tampa Bay during the regular season but was limited to just eight points in 23 playoff contests with the injury likely contributing to that drop in production.
- With Ilya Sorokin establishing himself as the starter for the Islanders, some have wondered if Semyon Varlamov could be a trade candidate this summer, especially with there being strong demand for goaltending help. However, GM Lou Lamoriello told reporters including Ethan Sears of the New York Post that his intention remains to keep the tandem intact for next season. Varlamov carries a $5MM cap hit through next season but New York has enough cap space to round out their defense – including new deals for RFAs Noah Dobson and Alexander Romanov – without needing to create any extra flexibility.
Offseason Checklist: New York Rangers
With the offseason in full swing, it’s time to examine what each squad will need to accomplish over the coming weeks. Next up is a look at the Rangers.
2021-22 saw the Rangers turn their fortunes around quickly. A year after missing the playoffs, new GM Chris Drury made several key changes both on the ice and behind the bench and New York made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Final before being ousted by Tampa Bay, winners of two straight Stanley Cups at the time. For them to have a chance at making it back to that point, Drury has some work to do this summer.
Free Up Cap Space
This is a common one for a lot of teams, especially as we reach this post of the series where we’re looking at the ones that went the deepest in the playoffs. Generally speaking, those teams tend to have cap crunches. Right now, New York has a little over $10MM in cap space. Without context, that doesn’t look half bad. However, they have about six roster spots to fill with that money, some of which will cost a fair bit to fill (more on those shortly). They don’t have enough to fill all of those slots right now.
On top of that, winger Alexis Lafreniere, center Filip Chytil, and defenseman K’Andre Miller are all a year away from restricted free agency. All three of them will be eyeing considerable raises while Chytil will have arbitration eligibility at his disposal as well. Knowing that group will become more expensive has to be at the back of Drury’s mind as he navigates his offseason planning while it only increases the urgency for them to create some cap flexibility. That said, roughly half the league is trying to do that so freeing up any sort of meaningful cap room is much easier said than done.
Add A Backup Goalie
One of those roster spots is for a backup goaltender. Knowing they wouldn’t be able to keep him, the Rangers traded Alexandar Georgiev to Colorado just before the draft in exchange for a trio of draft picks, a decent return considering some felt he was a likely non-tender candidate because of his arbitration eligibility. While they did well in that trade, now they need to replace him.
In recent years, the backup goaltender market has gotten considerably more expensive as more teams look to a platoon situation. New York certainly won’t be doing that with Igor Shesterkin entrenched as their starter but his presence coupled with their cap situation will price them out of shopping near the top end of the market. Instead, they’ll be looking at the more affordable end with veterans like Thomas Greiss, Martin Jones, and Jaroslav Halak being potential fits on one-year deals. A trade with a team that has surplus depth (San Jose would be an option) would also be a short-term solution.
While they’re looking at goaltenders, Drury will likely want to add a second veteran as well, one to take Keith Kinkaid’s place with AHL Hartford if they opt not to bring the 33-year-old back. If the Rangers decide to try to save some money on their backup slot, they could look at a pair of prototypical third-string options and see how things shake out in training camp to see who starts with the big club. That would free up another million or so for other needs but such an approach would certainly be risky.
Bridge For Kakko
Three years ago, the hope was that winger Kaapo Kakko would be exiting his entry-level contract having established himself as a cornerstone piece of the franchise. However, the second-overall pick in 2019 hasn’t been able to live up to his draft billing just yet. He has shown some promising flashes but after an injury-plagued year that limited him to just 43 regular season games where he had 18 points and a postseason that saw him pick up just five points in 19 contests while ending with him as a healthy scratch makes it extremely unlikely that either side would be interested in a long-term commitment right now. Even if they were, finding a dollar figure that would work for both sides would be next to impossible.
So, a bridge deal is what Kakko’s contract is going to be then. Which route the two sides go from there becomes the question. The more years on the deal, the more expensive it will be. A one-year pact would give the Rangers the most short-term flexibility but would hand Kakko arbitration rights next summer when Lafreniere, Chytil, and Miller are up for new contracts. A three-year deal would give both sides some security and a bit more longer-term flexibility but puts him a year from UFA eligibility so that’s not necessarily ideal as well. The expectation is that a two-year contract, the most common bridge deal, is the one that will eventually get done with an AAV around the $2.5MM range.
Add Impact Center
Ryan Strome’s tenure with the Rangers hasn’t always been the smoothest (to the point where they pondered non-tendering him two years ago) but in the end, it has been a pretty good one. He put up 195 points in 263 games over parts of four seasons with a cap hit no higher than $4.5MM at any time. As far as second-line production goes, that’s pretty good. It’s the type of consistency that eluded Strome earlier in his career and as he’s coming off a season that saw him reach a new career-high in goals with 21, the 28-year-old has positioned himself for another raise. It’s one that New York might not be able to afford.
New York also added Andrew Copp at the trade deadline to lengthen their lineup and also to get an early jump on trying to sign him as Strome’s possible long-term replacement. But with him seeking a contract comparable to Zach Hyman (seven years, $5.5MM AAV), it’s unlikely that Copp will be in their price range as well.
Chytil was the 21st pick back in 2017 with the hopes that he’d be able to emerge as a capable two-way middleman. He has shown some upside at times but over the last four years, his point totals have ranged from a low of 22 to a high of 23. That type of production isn’t enough to comfortably hand him Strome’s old job even though a full season with Artemi Panarin would undoubtedly boost Chytil’s numbers.
With the internal options basically off the table barring a change in contract demands, Drury will have to look elsewhere for his second pivot behind Mika Zibanejad. Of course, the top free agent options in Nazem Kadri and Vincent Trocheck are going to land pricier long-term deals so they’re out of reach as well with New York’s current cap situation. Finding someone capable of playing that role at a price tag that’s equal to lower than what Strome made the last two years is undoubtedly a tall task but Drury will need to find a way to fill that spot either through free agency or a trade over the next couple of weeks.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.
Free Agent Updates: Copp, Holtby, Palat
Rangers center Andrew Copp is coming off a career year that saw him record 21 goals and 32 assists in 72 games while he was better than a point-per-game player after New York acquired him from Winnipeg back at the trade deadline. That has him setting a high price in extension talks as Arthur Staple of The Athletic reports (subscription link) that the 28-year-old is seeking a contract similar to the one that Zach Hyman received from Edmonton – seven years at a cap hit of $5.5MM. That will be difficult for the Rangers to afford without them clearing out some cap space so it’s quite possible that Copp will hit the open market on Wednesday.
Other free agent news from around the NHL:
- Still from Staple’s column, he cites a league source who noted that pending UFA goalie Braden Holtby may not play this season due to injury concerns. The 32-year-old had a nice bounce-back year with Dallas, posting a .913 SV% in 24 games which would have had him fairly high on the list of veteran backups that teams will be pursuing on the open market. Dallas, his soon-to-be former team, wasn’t expected to be among them after they re-signed Scott Wedgewood to serve as Jake Oettinger’s backup.
- When Tampa Bay freed up some cap space with the trade of Ryan McDonagh to Nashville, it was expected those savings would go towards re-signing pending UFA winger Ondrej Palat. However, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic relays (Twitter link) that the expectation is that the 31-year-old will instead test the open market next week. Palat is coming off a season that saw him put up 49 points in 77 games but he was much better in the playoffs for the Lightning, notching 11 goals and 10 assists in 23 contests to finish second on the team in postseason scoring which should help boost his market. He had a $5.3MM AAV on his set-to-expire deal and should be able to land a bit more than that in free agency.
Hunter Miska Signs In Germany
Rather than see what options might be available for him in free agency this coming week, goaltender Hunter Miska has decided to try his hand overseas as Straubing of the DEL announced that they’ve signed the pending unrestricted free agent. Terms of the contract were not disclosed.
The 27-year-old spent this past season in Colorado’s farm system although he was up with the Avalanche at various points in time between their taxi squad and the playoffs. Miska played in 17 games with AHL Colorado in 2021-22, posting a 3.04 GAA along with a save percentage of .889. He has six career NHL appearances under his belt over parts of three seasons with Arizona and Colorado.
Miska likely would have had offers to play in the AHL and likely serve as a fourth-string option for an NHL team with the possibility of being recalled when an injury arises to allow their younger goalie to continue playing in the minors. Instead, he’s opting for a bigger role in Germany and a good showing out there could keep his options open for a return to North America down the road.
Bruins Notes: Pastrnak, Krejci, Bergeron, Coaching Staff, LTIR
Following the completion of the draft yesterday, Boston GM Don Sweeney met with reporters including Eric Russo of the Bruins’ team website to discuss several items pertaining to his team for next season. While talks have begun regarding an extension for winger David Pastrnak, Sweeney was quick to mention that no numbers regarding the length of a new deal or financial terms but made it clear that the team intends for Pastrnak to be a lifelong Bruin. The 26-year-old is coming off a 40-goal season and has one year left on his contract with a $6.67MM cap hit and should be able to receive a max-term deal (eight years with Boston, seven if he hits the open market next summer) worth a couple million more than his current rate.
More from Sweeney’s press conference:
- The team has not yet heard if David Krejci is interested in returning to the NHL for next season. The 36-year-old spent 15 years with Boston before deciding to go back home to his native Czechia for this past season where he had 20 goals and 26 assists in 51 games with HC Olomouc. When he left, Krejci didn’t rule out a return to the NHL and his return would certainly help bolster their center depth next season.
- Another center they’re waiting for in terms of making a final decision is Patrice Bergeron. The 36-year-old has been suggested to be leaning towards a return but Sweeney stated that no final decision has been made yet. However, Sweeney suggested that the contract wouldn’t be an issue, which suggests that the parameters of a deal are in place if Bergeron does officially decide to return. It’s possible that a final decision is made before free agency opens up on Wednesday.
- Assistant coaches Joe Sacco, Chris Kelly, and Bob Essensa are all expected to return behind the bench next season with new head coach Jim Montgomery. Meanwhile, interviews continue to fill the vacancy created with the dismissal of assistant coach Kevin Dean earlier this offseason as Boston looks for a new coach to oversee their defensemen.
- Sweeney is unsure as to whether or not the team will utilize LTIR to start next season. Winger Brad Marchand plus defensemen Charlie McAvoy and Matt Grzelcyk are all expected to miss the start of the year after undergoing surgery but knowing that all will return, it would be difficult to make a big signing this summer and then try to clear money midseason when those players are ready to return.
Free Agent Focus: Colorado Avalanche
Free agency is now less than a week away and teams are looking ahead to when it opens up. There will be several prominent players set to hit the open market in mid-July while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign as well. Next up is a look at the Colorado Avalanche.
Key Restricted Free Agents
F Artturi Lehkonen – Montreal didn’t want to move the winger at the trade deadline but GM Joe Sakic parted with prospect blueliner Justin Barron and a 2024 second-round pick which was enough to land the 27-year-old. The move worked out quite well for Lehkonen and Colorado as he proved to be a strong fit both offensively and defensively while he scored a pair of key goals in the playoffs, the one to get them to the Stanley Cup Final and the one that was the Cup-winner in the sixth game of the series. Lehkonen has yet to crack the 40-point mark in his career but is a strong defensive forward and with his offensive improvement in Colorado, he could pass the $4MM mark on a one-year award while a long-term deal that buys out some UFA eligibility could push him closer to the $4.5MM range.
G Alexandar Georgiev – The freshly-acquired netminder is in need of a new contract and his fortune has certainly changed in recent days. Some expected him to be non-tendered with the goalie trade market usually not being strong but that changed this year with Colorado flipping three draft picks for the rights to the 26-year-old. Georgiev is arbitration-eligible and is coming off a quiet season that saw him post a 2.92 GAA along with a SV% of just .898. However, with the Avs committing to a platoon of Georgiev and Pavel Francouz, it’s clear they’ll want to get their new goalie locked up on a multi-year deal soon. GM Joe Sakic told reporters after the draft, including Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic (Twitter link) that he expects to get this deal done by the end of the weekend.
F Nicolas Aube-Kubel – Claimed off waivers by Colorado back in November, the 26-year-old fit in well with the Avalanche, picking up 11 goals and 11 assists in 67 games despite averaging less than 10 minutes a night in ice time. He’s owed a qualifying offer of $1.225MM which isn’t overly high but he’s also arbitration-eligible. It’s possible that the Avs want to avoid giving Aube-Kubel that option as that could push the salary higher than they can afford for someone in that role. If they can’t get an agreement in place by the tender deadline, it’s possible that Aube-Kubel goes unqualified.
Other RFAs: F Shane Bowers, F Callahan Burke, F Nick Henry, F Mikhail Maltsev, D Keaton Middleton, F Andreas Wingerli
Key Unrestricted Free Agents
F Nazem Kadri – There’s rarely a bad time for a career year offensively but having one in the final season of a contract before becoming UFA-eligible is basically the best time for one. Kadri, who had been a solid secondary scorer for most of his career, found a new gear entirely as he set new career-bests in assists (59) and points (87) in 71 games while logging over 19 minutes a game. As a result, the 31-year-old has positioned himself as the top center on the UFA market this summer and as we all know, high-end centers are always in short supply and high demand and Kadri is well-positioned to go for a seven-year max-term deal with a cap hit at or higher than $8MM per season. That’s a price tag Colorado is unlikely to be able to afford especially with Nathan MacKinnon’s contract up a year from now.
F Valeri Nichushkin – Dallas fans can only be wondering ‘what if?’ when it comes to the 27-year-old. After two disappointing stints with the Stars including one where he didn’t score a single goal in 57 games, they actually bought him out which paved the way for him to join Colorado. From there, Nichushkin has continually improved and is coming off a 25-goal, 27-assist season in just 62 games while providing strong offensive contributions in the playoffs with 15 points in 20 contests. He’s a quality penalty killer as well which only increases his value. Nichushkin is coming off a contract that carried a $2.5MM AAV and it’s quite possible he doubles that on the open market next week.
F Andre Burakovsky – The 27-year-old wasn’t able to produce with the type of consistency Washington was hoping for which helped lead to his trade to Colorado in 2019. Since then, Burakovsky has been able to put up consistent second-line production and he improved on that in 2021-22 with 22 goals and 39 assists, both career-highs. That has him in line for a nice jump on the $4.9MM AAV he has played under for the last two seasons. An extra million or so on a long-term agreement is definitely doable.
G Darcy Kuemper – Colorado paid a high price to get Kuemper on the final year of his contract (with salary retention) and they quickly realized they wouldn’t be able to afford the veteran on his next deal, leading to the Georgiev trade. The 32-year-old is the most proven goalie to hit the market this summer and is coming off a strong season that saw him post a 2.54 GAA along with a .921 SV%. While his numbers weren’t as impressive in the playoffs, that shouldn’t hurt his market too much. It has been suggested that his camp is seeking a contract similar to the one former Colorado netminder Philipp Grubauer received from Seattle (six years, $5.9MM AAV). Kuemper might not get that at his age but something close should be doable.
D Josh Manson – When Colorado picked up Manson, they were looking for some reliability and stability at the bottom of their defense corps. He provided exactly that. The 30-year-old played a lesser role than he did with Anaheim but that shouldn’t affect his market next week. Manson is a quality second-pairing player that can play upwards of 20 minutes a game, kill penalties, and play in late-game defensive situations. A lack of offense limits his earnings upside to a degree (he has only reached 20 points once in an eight-year NHL career) but he should be able to get a bit more than the $4.1MM he made on his expiring contract with a multi-year commitment as well.
Other UFAs: D Dennis Gilbert, D Jordan Gross, F Darren Helm, D Jack Johnson, D Jacob MacDonald, F Stefan Matteau, D Roland McKeown, G Hunter Miska, D Ryan Murray, F Kiefer Sherwood, F Dylan Sikura, F Nico Sturm
Projected Cap Space
Colorado has over $24MM in cap space to work with. Suffice it to say, it won’t take long to spend that up as a few of the above players plus some depth pieces to round out the roster will more or less take care of that money in a hurry. The Avalanche will be losing some important players next week but there’s a big, shiny silver lining that they won a couple of weeks ago that should help ease the sting of some of those pending departures.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.