Five Key Stories: 5/16/22 – 5/22/22
While the second round of the playoffs is in full flight, the biggest news came off the ice in a week filled with plenty of coaching headlines which dominate the key stories.
Dallas Cleans House: While the Stars made the playoffs and gave Calgary all they could handle in the first round, there will be plenty of changes behind the bench. Rick Bowness decided to step down while the team also dismissed assistant coaches Derek Laxdal, John Stevens, and Todd Nelson. Bowness had been the head coach in Dallas since taking over partway through the 2019-20 season, his first NHL head coaching role in more than 15 years. The Stars did relatively well under his watch with an 89-62-25 record while they reached the Stanley Cup Final in the bubble. Although he’s 67, it’s expected that Bowness will be looking into other coaching opportunities around the league.
Lambert Promoted: Part of the rationale for the Islanders firing Barry Trotz was that GM Lou Lamoriello wanted a new voice guiding the team. He didn’t need to go outside the organization to find that new voice as he instead promoted associate coach Lane Lambert to serve as their new bench boss. It will be Lambert’s first opportunity as an NHL head coach and his first time as a head coach at any level since 2011 when he was last in charge with AHL Milwaukee. Lambert had worked with Trotz since 2011 but will now get the opportunity to implement his own systems and will be tasked with getting New York back into the playoff picture.
Six Years For Rust: The Penguins have several prominent pending unrestricted free agents and they were able to get a deal worked out with one of them as they inked winger Bryan Rust to a six-year, $30.75MM contract. The 30-year-old has become a key part of Pittsburgh’s attack over the past three seasons, scoring at least 22 goals per year in that stretch. In 2021-22, he had the best output of his eight-year career, recording 58 points in just 60 games during the regular season while averaging over a point per game (eight in seven contests) during the playoffs. The $5.125MM AAV is certainly a team-friendly one although Rust still nearly doubles his career earnings to date with this deal. GM Ron Hextall still has some work to do with Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, and Rickard Rakell among their remaining pending UFAs.
DeBoer Out: If there are two things we’ve learned about Vegas in their brief tenure in the NHL, it’s that they’re not particularly patient nor are they afraid to take big swings. In that spirit, they opted to make a coaching change, firing head coach Peter DeBoer along with assistants Steve Spott and Ryan McGill. DeBoer was with the team for 160 regular season games with the Golden Knights going 98-50-12 in that span while reaching the final four twice. However, they missed the playoffs this season which was enough of a reason for GM Kelly McCrimmon to pull the trigger on a change. They’ve now gone through two veteran head coaches in their first five years of existence with inaugural bench boss Gerard Gallant getting let go in his third season.
Sticking Around: The Maple Leafs have done well in recent years to get some veterans to sign for deals that are well below their market value to allow them to build as strong a roster as possible. They were able to accomplish that once again, inking defenseman Mark Giordano to a two-year contract worth just $800K per season. The 38-year-old came over from Seattle just before the trade deadline and helped to stabilize Toronto’s back end. While he was unlikely to command the $6.75MM AAV he made on his soon-to-expire deal, it’s certainly quite clear that he left a lot of money on the table to try to win with his hometown team.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Offseason Checklist: Ottawa Senators
The offseason has arrived for half of the league’s teams that aren’t playoff-bound plus some that were eliminated early in the playoffs. It’s time to examine what they will need to accomplish over the coming months. Next up is a look at Ottawa.
Before last season, Senators GM Pierre Dorion declared the rebuild over. The team went on to post a weaker points percentage and finished seventh in the Atlantic Division after finishing sixth in the North the year before. Nevertheless, they’re still on the right path towards trying to get back into the playoff picture and their checklist follows that mindset with a mixture of retaining their current core and trying to add to it.
Shore Up Goaltending
One area that hasn’t been pretty the last couple of years is between the pipes. Anton Forsberg exceeded expectations as a waiver claim and did well enough to earn himself a three-year extension just before the trade deadline. After him, however, there are question marks; even Forsberg is somewhat of a question with just 104 games under his belt.
Matt Murray has struggled mightily in his two seasons with Ottawa, posting a 3.23 GAA and a SV% of just .899 over that stretch. He suffered a concussion back in early March, the third documented one of his career already after having two in quick succession with Pittsburgh. At this point, it’s hard to rely on him to provide much even though he has two years left on his contract at a $6.25MM AAV, one that’s effectively untradeable.
Their other in-house option is Filip Gustavsson. Once viewed as a key goalie prospect of Ottawa’s future, he has underwhelmed in his limited NHL action so far. He is waiver-eligible next season so he’s likely to be on the roster although relying on him would also be risky.
This is not a trio of goaltenders that will inspire a lot of confidence for a team with playoff aspirations. Finding a capable second goaltender to partner with Forsberg would give them a big lift. It’ll be easier said than done with Murray on the books and Gustavsson’s trade value not exactly at its peak but Dorion would be wise to try to bring in an upgrade between the pipes.
Flip The Switch
Regardless of whether or not they’re able to shore up the goaltending, Dorion needs to start focusing on some win-now moves. They’re not going to go from being near the basement to a contender right away but the time has come to start shopping for veterans that are going to help the process of turning things around.
Up front, that means looking for a top-six winger. Ottawa’s front line appears to be set with Brady Tkachuk and Drake Batherson flanking Joshua Norris. However, with Tim Stutzle anchoring the second line, his options on the wing aren’t anywhere near as strong and have been a collection of youngsters looking to establish themselves in the NHL or a veteran like Connor Brown who has been more of a two-way player than a consistent offensive threat. Bringing in a quality scoring winger would elevate Stutzle’s play and really give the Senators a second line that’s capable of producing with consistency.
There’s also work that needs to be done on the back end beyond non-tendering Victor Mete and parting with Michael Del Zotto. Travis Hamonic was brought in to try to stabilize a back end that bleeds shots allowed (more than 33 per game after allowing just over 32 per game the year before) but while he’s a stable veteran, that alone isn’t going to change their fortunes. A full season from Jake Sanderson probably doesn’t hurt but another impact defender would make a big difference.
Ottawa doesn’t yet have $60MM in commitments for next season and while that will change once they re-sign their restricted free agents, they will have ample room to try to add. If they opt to buy out Colin White (at a cap charge of $3.75MM total spread out over six seasons), they’ll have nearly $4MM extra to work with this summer as well.
Re-Sign Norris
Last summer, it was Tkachuk that was in line for a big contract coming off his entry-level deal. This year, it’s Norris. The 23-year-old had a breakout campaign, leading Ottawa in goals with 35 while finishing third in points with 55. Dorion’s preference has been to sign long-term contracts off expiring entry-level pacts as he did for Tkachuk, Batherson, and Thomas Chabot so he’s likely going to want to do the same here.
One of the challenges that both sides will here is Norris’ shorter track record. His first season was just three games and he has only 125 career NHL appearances under his belt, the equivalent of a year and a half. That isn’t a big sample size to go off of and he doesn’t have arbitration eligibility so this has the potential to be a particularly drawn-out negotiation. If Ottawa wants to skip the bridge contract and look for a long-term pact, Norris’ camp is likely to point to Nick Suzuki’s contract in Montreal (eight years, $7.875MM AAV) which would also stay within their salary structure as it would check in a little below Tkachuk and Chabot.
Extension Talks
Speaking of long-term contracts handed out to players coming off of their entry-level contracts, Ottawa could be in that situation next summer with Stutzle’s deal coming to an end. After a stronger sophomore year, Dorion will likely want to kick the tires on what an extension now might cost, knowing that a stronger platform season would result in a higher asking price the following year. It’s likely to fall in the range of Tkachuk, Chabot, and probably Norris in terms of the AAV.
Ottawa also has a pair of intriguing players that will be unrestricted next summer and thus eligible for extension talks at the start of the new league year in mid-July. Brown has been a solid performer since coming over from Toronto but is his role likelier to stay where it is now or do they envision him being more of a third-liner down the road? The answer to that will go a long way in determining whether or not discussions of a new deal make sense.
The other UFA of note in 2023 is defenseman Artem Zub. His numbers don’t jump off the page (22 points in 81 games) but he logged over 21 minutes a night and is a right-shot defender that will hit the open market in 2023 at the age of 27. In other words, there is going to be a lot of interest if he gets to that point. Dorion moved quickly to extend Zub when his entry-level contract ended and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him try to get an early extension done again. If so, his teammate Nikita Zaitsev’s contract ($4.5MM AAV) is a possible comparable.
For the last few seasons, the Senators have been near the bottom in spending on the cap. As their young core matures and other veterans are added or brought in to deepen the roster, that’s going to change fast. The more certainty they can get on the spending front, the better which is why being proactive on the contract discussion front should be a priority for Dorion.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Salary figures courtesy of CapFriendly.
PHR Mailbag: Devils, Trotz, Maple Leafs, Predators, Predictions, Penguins, Quenneville
Topics in this edition of the PHR Mailbag include Barry Trotz’s market, Toronto’s early playoff exit, what’s next for Nashville, and much more. If your question doesn’t appear here, watch for it in next weekend’s mailbag.
M34: With a pretty strong young core and some team-friendly veteran contracts with plenty of room to spare, which UFA goalie does NJ pursue? Kuemper? Fleury?
Non-tendered: Another one regarding the Devils — It appears as if they have the assets and cap space to acquire an elite goaltender, which many believe is their biggest need. Is the notion of needing an elite goaltender done? The Oilers are primed to go deep and look at all the goalie problems they’ve had. Carolina is a revolving door of consonants between the pipes. How many elite goalies are there, really? Vasy, Shesterkin, Bob?
I’d prefer the Devils to shore up the netminder for 7+ years to come, but I’m not sure Kuemper, Gibson, or Husso are the ones. Who do the Devils look to to improve the goalie situation and what do they with all their assets?
I had a similar question in a mailbag last month so I won’t dig too deep into who they go after. But I think the Devils are going to have a hard time making themselves attractive to veterans like Darcy Kuemper and Marc-Andre Fleury. Kuemper is on a top team with a chance for a long playoff run. To turn around and go to a team that has consistently been out of the playoffs for a while would be surprising. As for Fleury, he’s near the end of his career. He wants to win or play where he’s comfortable. I don’t think New Jersey fits either situation.
The UFA I think they go after is Ville Husso. They have the cap space to go higher on the AAV than most teams will so why not go for some upside? There’s some risk but if they offset that with a capable 1B option (I suggested a trade for Boston’s Linus Ullmark in that previous mailbag assuming he’s willing to waive his no-move protection), the risk would be mitigated to an extent. That would give them a capable tandem with a big of upside and some certainty; Ullmark is signed for three years and Husso will probably get that long or more. Some stability between the pipes certainly wouldn’t hurt. I also don’t think they’d need to part with any significant asset to get Ullmark from the Bruins.
Now to circle back to the question that’s sort of sandwiched by what New Jersey should do. You make a good point in that there are few elite goalies in the league and of the three you suggested, I wouldn’t put Sergei Bobrovsky in that category. (If you want a darkhorse candidate for who’s in net for New Jersey next year, it’s him in a cap dump from Florida if they can get him to waive his no-move clause.) Andrei Vasilevskiy and Igor Shesterkin are definitely in there and Juuse Saros has a chance to get into that group. But in terms of elite, that’s about it.
Teams are beginning to embrace the platoon option more and more now which makes sense if they don’t have an elite or at least a higher-end starter. It’s more cost-efficient and is a better hedge against in-season injuries. New Jersey has tried to go that way the last couple of years and will likely stay on that path moving forward.
Johnny Z: NJ hinted at trading #2 OA. Do you think it could be offered for a player such as Fiala or Willie Nylander?
The speculation about New Jersey’s openness to move their first-round pick came before the Draft Lottery when their pick sat fifth and could drop as low as seventh. Things have changed since then with them winning the second draw, giving them the second pick. Now, they have a chance to get a core piece in the draft, either a winger like Juraj Slafkovsky or a defenseman like Simon Nemec or David Jiricek (assuming Montreal takes Shane Wright). That jump of a few spots really changes the outlook. If you can get a long-term core piece that should be NHL-ready fairly soon, they’re probably going to be better off keeping the pick.
For me, to even consider trading the pick, I’d want someone either signed or under team control for at least four years, someone that’s going to be part of their long-term core. William Nylander has two years left on his contract and with how contentious his last contract talks went, there’s little reason to think he’d sign an early extension so there would be a risk to acquiring him in such a move. It’s possible they could work out a long-term agreement with Kevin Fiala as part of a deal but if management thinks Slafkovsky can produce at a similar level, why not keep the pick and take him instead?
Never say never but there’s a reason teams very seldom trade top picks, let alone trading out of the draft entirely. They’ll certainly listen to what’s out there but I’d be surprised if that trend changes with the Devils this summer.
2012 orioles: What are the most realistic destinations for Trotz?
Player free agency doesn’t happen for a couple more months but coaching free agency just got a whole lot more interesting when Lou Lamoriello made Barry Trotz available. He’s probably going to wind up with a raise on the $4MM that he was getting with New York (and is still owed until he finds a new team) and plenty of job security in the form of a long-term deal.
In terms of who is a realistic fit for him, Vegas is the first team that comes to mind. They’ve set the bar high and Trotz is a coach that has plenty of pedigree and a good playoff track record. Both of those appeal to an organization like the Golden Knights. And if the Golden Knights are worried about how things went down with Robin Lehner down the stretch, what better move could they make by bringing in his coach from his best NHL season (2018-19)? He’s a splashy hire and would give them a boost while they have the willingness to spend big to get him. I’d handicap them as the top contender as a result.
Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher believes the core of his team is still good enough to contend and will go into this offseason with an eye on a quick turnaround. Trotz is the type of coach that could them back to the playoffs so they’ll be in the mix. Detroit GM Steve Yzerman has talked about wanting more defensive structure so they’ll kick the tires as well although Jim Montgomery still feels like the best fit to me. With Rick Bowness stepping down in Dallas, I’m sure they’ll also have interest although I’m not sure ownership will want to pay what it will cost to bring Trotz in.
The big wild card here is Winnipeg. Trotz is a Winnipeg native and the chance to coach his hometown team has to be appealing. They’re in a similar situation as Philadelphia in that they have a roster that underachieved but could plausibly get back in the hunt with the right coach. Speculatively on my part, if Trotz has interest in being a GM down the road, could he sign on as coach for a few years and then potentially move into the front office with Kevin Cheveldayoff moving up to team president (assuming he’s still around by then)? The Jets probably won’t be able to offer top dollar though.
Basically, every team with an opening is going to at least call. It wouldn’t surprise me if a team or two that doesn’t have an opening quietly interviews Trotz anyway. But right now, Vegas seems like the most realistic landing spot with Philadelphia and Winnipeg being in that next tier of options.
Y2KAK: When do the Maple Leafs win a first-round series? 2023? 2025? 2040?
Put me in the crew that thinks this core can still get there soon. They played a solid series against Tampa Bay and the final game was basically a coin flip. They didn’t get over the hump but this was far from choking away the series victories they could (and frankly, should) have had in the past. As a result, I wouldn’t drastically shake things up this summer if I were the Leafs.
If that’s the course that GM Kyle Dubas pursues, then it’s quite possible they get over that hump next year. Boston may take a step back depending on what happens with their captain, Florida’s roster won’t be as strong as it is now, and Tampa Bay is going to be squeezed by the cap as well.
Nothing is a guarantee and the questions are going to linger throughout the summer and into next season, as they should. But I’m pretty confident that this core is going to get through a round if it stays together. It wouldn’t surprise me in the least if that happened next season.
ckw: With the questionable coaching from Hynes and moves by Poile, where do you think the Preds go from here? Two forty-goal scorers, a record season by Josi and a Vezina-caliber goalie in Saros, and an arguable Calder trophy finalist they still could barely squeak into the playoffs.
A commonly-used phrase in sports is when a team is ‘spinning its wheels’. That’s a sentiment that I think applies pretty well to Nashville.
First things first, I was quite impressed with their season as I didn’t think they’d come close to making the playoffs. Even though they went out quickly, the fact they even got there surprised me with the moves they made over the summer.
But here’s the thing. The Predators are good enough to hang around the edge of the playoff mix. But how much more upside does their core group have? It’s probably not much, certainly not enough to catapult them into contender status. But they’re also not in a spot where they can really embrace a rebuild as some of their bigger contracts (Matt Duchene and Ryan Johansen) aren’t easy to move. If Filip Forsberg re-signs, he’ll be in that salary tier as well.
With the two-year extension given to Hynes, it’s a signal that they’re going to stay on this path for the time being. So where do they go from here? If Forsberg sticks around, they’re probably bringing a very similar team back to the one that finished this season unless they get the green light to spend closer to the cap ceiling which could allow them to add a player or two. That will have them either just in the playoffs or just out which is basically where they’ve been the last three years. They’re in that mushy middle and don’t appear to be changing course. From a sports perspective, they’re spinning their wheels.
Minor Transactions: 05/21/22
Most of the day-to-day roster shuffling is now complete but there have been a handful of moves made. We’ll keep track of those here.
- A day after sending him back down, the Flames have recalled defenseman Juuso Valimaki from AHL Stockton, per the AHL’s transactions log. It’s the third time this week that the 23-year-old has been recalled although he hasn’t seen any game action. With the Heat set to start their next series on Monday, there’s a good chance that Valimaki – who played in just nine games with Calgary this season – will be sent back down soon.
- The Avalanche have brought up goaltender Hunter Miska from AHL Colorado and had him at practice today, relays Peter Baugh of The Athletic (Twitter link). Miska will serve as the emergency goalie for the Avs for the time being although with their next series in the minors starting on Monday (against Calgary’s affiliate), he could be shuffled back and forth over the next few days. At the moment, both Miska and AHL starter Justus Annunen are up with the big club.
- A year after deciding to try his hand overseas, John Quenneville is looking for a new home after Zurich of the Swiss NLA announced in their transactions log that he has been released. The 26-year-old has played in 42 NHL games over parts of four seasons and could be a candidate to return to North America on a two-way deal this summer after a decent season with the Lions that saw him collect 20 goals and 17 assists in 46 games.
Snapshots: Kapanen, Blackhawks, Point
It was a tough year for Penguins winger Kasperi Kapanen. He had just 11 goals in 79 games and managed just two more points than he had in 2020-21 despite playing in 39 fewer contests. However, Dave Molinari of Pittsburgh Hockey Now posits that the 25-year-old may have done enough in the playoffs to convince management to give him one more chance instead of non-tendering him this summer. Kapanen is owed a $3.2MM qualifying offer and also has arbitration eligibility which complicates things as he’s unlikely to be awarded a deal that’s above the walkaway threshold. Molinari suggests Pittsburgh try to offer him a deal with a reduced salary in the hopes that Kapanen opts for that over testing the open market with a non-tender in July. If they can’t agree on a new deal, GM Ron Hextall is going to have a big decision on his hands on whether or not to qualify him.
Elsewhere around the NHL:
- The Blackhawks don’t have a first-round pick this year with theirs going to Columbus as part of the Seth Jones trade but GM Kyle Davidson told NBC Sports Chicago’s Charlie Roumeliotis that acquiring a first-round is “something I’m definitely interested in”. Chicago has committed to a rebuilding process but their challenge might be finding a player they’re willing to trade that is talented enough to command that strong of a return. Brandon Hagel went for two first-rounders at the trade deadline but those are in the 2023 and 2024 drafts.
- Tampa Bay has ruled out Brayden Point for Sunday’s game against Florida, relays Joe Smith of The Athletic (Twitter link). The center has yet to play in the second round after suffering a lower-body injury in the final game of their series against Toronto. Despite missing their top pivot, the Lightning find themselves in good shape with a 2-0 series lead heading into back-to-back games at home on Sunday and Monday.
Flames Sign Ilya Nikolaev
The Flames have agreed to a contract with one of their prospects as agent Dan Milstein of Gold Star announced (Twitter link) that Calgary has signed center Ilya Nikolaev to a three-year, entry-level contract. Financial terms of the deal, which has since been confirmed by the club, were not disclosed.
The 20-year-old was a third-round pick of the Flames back in 2019 (88th overall) out of the Russian junior league. Last season, Nikolaev split the year between Russia’s MHL and VHL, their junior and second-tier pro leagues but he decided to try his hand in North America this year. Undrafted in either the CHL or USHL, he opted to sign with the latter, joining Tri-City. He did quite well at that level this season, recording 23 goals and 49 assists in 58 games and tied for the team lead in playoff scoring with five goals and three helpers in five contests.
Nikolaev will now turn pro with the Flames and will need some time in the minors. Calgary is expected to move their AHL affiliate from Stockton to somewhere in the Calgary area for next season so they’ll have a good opportunity to keep close tabs on Nikolaev’s development over the next three years.
East Notes: Lindblom, Marchment, Korpisalo
Like many teams, the Flyers will be looking to free up some cap space this summer. Charlie O’Connor of The Athletic highlights (subscription link) an under-the-radar option to help accomplish that with a buyout of winger Oskar Lindblom. While his battle to return back from Ewing’s sarcoma and become a regular NHL player again is certainly commendable, he has underachieved offensively with just 20 goals in 129 games since then which isn’t a great return on a $3MM AAV. However, he’d be eligible for a reduced buyout charge of one-third because of his age (25) and the structure of the contract would actually create a cap credit of $333K for next season with a $667K charge the following year. With that credit, the Flyers would effectively save $3.33MM in 2022-23 with a Lindholm buyout, making that option one that GM Chuck Fletcher will likely give some serious consideration to in the coming weeks.
More from the East:
- Panthers winger Mason Marchment is doubtful to play in the next two games of their series against Tampa Bay, relays David Wilson of the Miami Herald. He has now missed the last four games with a lower-body injury and with Florida scuffling in the early going of this round, his secondary scoring and physicality are certainly being missed. Meanwhile, interim head coach Andrew Brunette clarified that Anton Lundell wasn’t injured on Thursday but was merely benched after just over four minutes of ice time.
- Blue Jackets goaltender Joonas Korpisalo told Bailey Johnson of the Columbus Dispatch that his recovery from hip surgery is on track and that he should be ready for the start of training camp. He indicated he had been playing through the injury for the last four seasons with the issue worsening until it was decided that surgery was the best way to go. He’ll get one more opportunity with Columbus after they signed him to a one-year, $1.3MM deal on Friday.
Offseason Checklist: Chicago Blackhawks
The offseason has arrived for half of the league’s teams that aren’t playoff-bound plus some that were eliminated early in the playoffs. It’s time to examine what they will need to accomplish over the coming months. Next up is a look at Chicago.
There were high hopes for the Blackhawks to start this season after a summer that saw them add a new top defender in Seth Jones, a new starting goalie in Marc-Andre Fleury, as well as some extra depth up front. The hope was that these improvements would help get them back into the playoff picture after missing the postseason the year before. It didn’t happen. Instead, mired with off-ice controversy and on-ice struggles, things snowballed in the opposite direction and instead of building for the playoffs, GM Kyle Davidson has committed to going for a rebuild instead. As a result, he has a busy summer ahead of him.
Coaching Decision
After Jeremy Colliton was let go after just a dozen games, Derek King was elevated from coaching with AHL Rockford to fill in on an interim basis for the rest of the season. His record wasn’t stellar by any stretch (27-33-10) but the team was much more competitive under King despite having nothing to play for but pride for most of the season.
Davidson decided that he wants to undergo a full coaching search and one of the questions he’ll have to answer is the type of coach he’s looking for. Is he looking for a long-term fixture to grow with the team or is it someone to take them through this transitional period? If it’s the latter, someone like King – who will interview for the full-time job – becomes a legitimate candidate with how Chicago performed down the stretch. A veteran coach doesn’t seem like a good fit for a rebuilding squad but Davidson has committed to a thorough search so there will undoubtedly be some veteran coaches considered over the coming weeks on top of some first-time options.
On top of hiring a head coach, Davidson and whoever he picks as his bench boss will need to fill a couple of vacancies on the bench after the team dismissed associate coach Marc Crawford and assistant coach Rob Cookson this summer.
Build A Goalie Tandem
In terms of Chicago’s on-ice personnel, there is a lot of work to be done this summer between the pipes. Fleury was moved to Minnesota at the trade deadline while holdovers Kevin Lankinen and Collin Delia are both pending unrestricted free agents. As it stands, the only goalie with professional experience that’s signed for next season is Arvid Soderblom. Suffice it to say, they have some work to do.
After an impressive first NHL season, Lankinen struggled considerably this year with a save percentage of just .891. A year ago, it looked like he could be a sought-after netminder in free agency but now, his market will have cooled considerably. Still, a return to Chicago could be an option in a backup role. Delia is someone that has been around the organization for a while (five years) but never has really emerged beyond being a good AHL netminder that can play a handful of NHL contests when needed. With the Blackhawks wanting to give Soderblom and Jaxson Stauber lots of action with AHL Rockford, Delia seems likely to move on.
Davidson could try to go after a younger free agent goalie in Jack Campbell or Ville Husso with the hope that they’ll still be on the team when they’re ready to try to contend again but that seems like an unlikely scenario. Instead, veterans on short-term contracts that give them some flexibility seems like the smarter way to go for them. They’ll need a couple of them over the next few months.
Rebuild The Rest
There are few core players on Chicago that should be viewed as untouchable. With them appearing to be eyeing a multi-year process, anyone that isn’t signed or under team control through that time could very well be expendable.
Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson has a very busy offseason ahead of him.The biggest decisions that will need to be made in the short term involve winger Patrick Kane and center Jonathan Toews. Both players have spent their entire careers (14 years for Toews, 15 for Kane) in Chicago and have been on identical contracts since 2010. They’re set to enter the final year of their deals that carry a $10.5MM cap hit. Are they a part of the future plans? Davidson allowed for the possibility that they could stick around but will the veterans be willing to go through several more years of losing? If not, then they will have to give serious consideration to trading their long-time pillars. Are those moves easier to make now when moving salary is a bit easier or closer to the trade deadline when most of the cap hit has been covered already? That, along with the possibility of extensions, will likely have to be jointly explored this summer.
Other veterans will likely be on the move as well to add future assets and try to free up some cap flexibility. Blueliner Jake McCabe and Connor Murphy along with center Tyler Johnson are all potential options either this summer or at some point during the season.
RFA Decisions
Two younger veterans that could fit in the above category as well are Dominik Kubalik and Dylan Strome. Both are restricted free agents this summer with qualifying offers ($4MM for Kubalik, $3.6MM for Strome) that are a bit high relative to their performance in recent years. Kubalik had 30 goals in his rookie season but just 32 in the last two combined. Strome, meanwhile, has been hit or miss since joining Chicago in 2018, at times looking like a capable top-six player and others where he struggled to the point of being a healthy scratch.
Not that long ago, both players were viewed as potential long-term fits for the Blackhawks but that isn’t the case now due to their inconsistency and somewhat recent struggles. Kubalik was available at the trade deadline with minimal interest while Strome has been available off and on going back more than a year although his strong finish (36 points in his last 40 games) could help his chances of sticking around with a one-year, ‘prove it’ type of contract.
Can they keep both? With their cap situation, can they afford to keep both? They can opt for club-elected arbitration which carries a minimum salary of 85% of the qualifying offer but there’s no guarantee the arbitrator will agree with that valuation and there are no walkaway rights with club-elected arbitration. Chicago can try to negotiate a lower-priced deal but there’s no requirement for Kubalik and Strome to agree to something like that. Accordingly, don’t be surprised if both players are in the rumor mill in the coming weeks to see if there’s a trade return that could be palatable if Davidson doesn’t want to pay the cost to keep them.
DeBrincat Extension Talks
One player that Davidson will undoubtedly be willing to pay the cost to keep is winger Alex DeBrincat. He signed a three-year bridge deal back in 2019 and has outperformed it, scoring 73 goals in just 134 games since then, including 41 this season. With his contract coming before the CBA extension, he’s subject to the old qualifying offer rules which means his 2022-23 salary of $9MM represents his qualifying offer next summer.
The 24-year-old will be eligible for an extension once the new league year starts in mid-July. DeBrincat looks like a centerpiece of Chicago’s rebuilding process so locking him up as soon as possible is something that needs to be explored. It wouldn’t be surprising to see discussions on a new agreement begin sooner than later as a result. A deal doesn’t have to be done now but if something isn’t agreed on, he’ll enter next summer a year away from UFA eligibility which always carries some risk. Expect Davidson to try to avoid that if he can.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Salary figures courtesy of CapFriendly.
Scott Walker Won’t Return As Canucks Assistant Coach
When Bruce Boudreau joined Vancouver as their head coach, he brought along Scott Walker as one of his assistants. However, while Boudreau will be sticking around, Walker won’t be as the bench boss indicated on The Bob McCown Podcast (audio link) that Walker won’t be back behind the bench and the team has already started to look for a replacement.
This is now the second time that Walker has left Vancouver in his post-playing days as he had served in a development role for three seasons before departing to be a special assistant to the GM in Arizona in 2019. However, that role was short-lived and he was back to working with OHL Guelph as their President of Hockey Operations last season.
Boudreau and Walker have some history as Walker finished his career playing for Boudreau while Postmedia’s Patrick Johnston mentions Boudreau nearly hired Walker back in 2016 when he was coaching in Minnesota. The two were also set to coach internationally for Canada at the Channel One and Spengler Cups alongside Boudreau but those plans changed when Vancouver came calling. With that working relationship and how well the Canucks performed in the second half of the season, Walker’s departure certainly comes as a bit of a surprise.
There will be plenty of coaches (both head and assistants) changing places in the coming months and Vancouver can now be added to the list of those that will have someone new behind the bench in the fall.
East Notes: Flyers, Lazar, Rakell
The Flyers are expected to interview Barry Trotz for their vacant head coaching position on Friday, reports Sam Carchidi of Philly Hockey Now. Philadelphia is among the teams looking for a new bench boss after opting not to give interim coach Mike Yeo the full-time job and with Chuck Fletcher looking for someone to turn things around quickly, Trotz’s track record certainly is appealing. Trotz’s former team, the Islanders, made the playoffs in each of his first three seasons while making the Eastern Conference Final in two of those while his defensive tactics would certainly help to shore up a team that allowed 298 goals this season. Philadelphia certainly isn’t the only team interested in the 59-year-old, however, as Trotz interviewed in Winnipeg earlier this week.
More from the Eastern Conference:
- Bruins center Curtis Lazar told reporters, including Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic (subscription link) that there is mutual interest in signing a new contract. The 27-year-old had eight goals and eight assists in 70 games this season while chipping in with 186 hits and is the type of energetic depth player that should garner some interest on the open market this summer. Lazar will be coming off a deal that paid him $800K and he should be able to get a little bit more than that at least either from Boston or someone else in free agency.
- Penguins winger Rickard Rakell told Chris Adamski of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that he’s definitely open to re-signing with Pittsburgh for next season although no contract talks have been held just yet. The 29-year-old did well after being acquired from Anaheim at the trade deadline, collecting 13 points in 19 games during the regular season before being injured and missing most of the first round. Rakell is coming off a deal that paid him $3.8MM over each of the last six seasons and while he hasn’t come close to matching the 34 goals and 35 assists he had in 2017-18, he should be able to land a bit of a higher price tag on the open market this summer.