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.
East Notes: Senators, Capitals, Johnson
While the Senators made a big splash yesterday with the acquisition of winger Alex DeBrincat, Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch relays (Twitter links) that there are still a pair of priorities for Ottawa – adding a defenseman and moving Matt Murray with talks intensifying on that front. He adds that winger Connor Brown and blueliner Nikita Zaitsev could be players on the move.
Brown isn’t likely to sign an extension after suggesting he’d like to test free agency when he’s eligible next summer and at $3.6MM, he’d carry some trade value after being a key two-way player. Zaitsev, meanwhile, has two years left at a $4.5MM AAV and might be used to match salaries in a move for a defender. Murray blocked a trade to Buffalo on Thursday but the Senators are still looking to get out from the two years at $6.25MM per season left on his deal but will almost certainly need to pay down a fair-sized portion of that to facilitate a move.
More from the Eastern Conference:
- The Capitals have interest in retaining pending unrestricted free agents Justin Schultz, Marcus Johansson, and Johan Larsson, notes Tarik El-Bashir of The Athletic (subscription link). With Schultz, however, the 32-year-old blueliner would need to take a pay cut from the $4MM he made over each of the last two years for a deal to be done. Schultz is coming off a bit of a quiet year by his standards where he notched 23 points in 74 games. The other two forwards were trade deadline acquisitions and fit in well with El-Bashir highlighting that the possibility of Larsson returning could be tied to Carl Hagelin’s situation with his availability for next season up in the air.
- Sabres prospect defenseman Ryan Johnson will make his decision on whether or not to turn pro following their upcoming Development Camp, reports Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News. The 2019 first-round pick has one more year of college eligibility remaining and the team could interpret him staying at the University of Minnesota as an indication that he may be interested in testing free agency next summer. If that’s the case, Buffalo could look to move his rights in the coming weeks. If Johnson opts for free agency next August and his rights aren’t traded, the Sabres would receive the 64th pick in the 2024 draft as compensation.
Offseason Checklist: Edmonton Oilers
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 Oilers.
This past season was a good one for the Oilers as they were able to make it to the Western Conference Final for the first time since 2006 before being taken out by the eventual Cup-winning Avalanche. Now, GM Ken Holland has some work to do to keep as much of the core intact while trying to add a piece or two to bolster their chances for next year.
New Deals For RFA Wingers
Let’s start with the free agent front. Thanks to their cap situation, they were forced to give low-cost bridge contracts to wingers Kailer Yamamoto and Jesse Puljujarvi. It worked in the sense that it allowed them to have enough flexibility to add some other pieces to their roster for 2021-22 and clearly, some of those additions helped propel them to the third round. But now, those young wingers are about to cost more.
Yamamoto will be owed a $1.175MM qualifying offer but should more than double that on his next contract. After a tough showing in 2020-21, the 23-year-old bounced back nicely, hitting the 20-goal mark for the first time while setting new career bests in assists (21) and points (41) as well. He didn’t produce at the same point-per-game rate that he did in his rookie campaign but he spent most of the year in Edmonton’s top six, logging nearly 17 minutes a game. Yamamoto is now arbitration-eligible and with the year he had, he’ll have a strong case to push for something in the high-$2MM range if it gets to a hearing. Another short-term contract is likely to keep the cost down but it will cost a fair bit more this time around.
As for Puljujarvi, the 24-year-old has had more success in his second stint in the NHL and is coming off a career year of his own with 36 points in 65 games with impressive possession stats as well. His playoff performance ended things on a sour note but with him being arbitration-eligible as well, he’s in line to earn considerably more than his $1.41MM qualifying offer. At this point, a trade appears to be likely but that was the expected outcome a few years ago when he first wanted out. If he sticks around, they’ll need to pay up to keep him. If he goes, they’ll need to find a pretty good player to replace him, one that won’t come all that cheap.
Add A Goalie
Now, onto the obvious one. Goaltending has been an issue for the Oilers for several years now and while Holland has tried to get in on the bidding for some of the notable free agents (such as Jacob Markstrom), he hasn’t been able to land an impact starter. Keeping Mike Smith around was supposed to give them some stability but the combination of him and Mikko Koskinen was highly volatile. Now, Koskinen is off to Switzerland while there has been plenty of speculation that Smith, who has one more year left on his contract, is expected to spend 2022-23 on LTIR after playing through several injuries during Edmonton’s playoff run. That leaves a pair of openings to fill.
One of those can be covered internally by Stuart Skinner who didn’t look out of place in a dozen starts this past season. He’s under contract for the league minimum for 2022-23 which will give Holland a little extra flexibility to work with. However, the 23-year-old isn’t ready to be an NHL starter yet and hasn’t played 50 regular season games in a full professional year. He’s someone that could be leaned on for 25-30 starts but anything more than that would be risky. Accordingly, the Oilers will need a true starter or at least someone that’s capable of playing the strong side of a platoon.
Looking into free agency, there aren’t a lot of those available with some of the more prominent names coming off the board over the last 48 hours. Darcy Kuemper will hit the open market with Colorado opting to go in a different direction and Jack Campbell remains unsigned. Those are the only two goalies that made more than 35 starts in 2021-22. Unless there’s a trade out there for an affordable goaltender to materialize, their options are limited and Edmonton will need to make sure one of those two is in their lineup on opening night.
Re-Sign Or Replace Kane
A few days ago, it looked like it would be quite difficult for Edmonton to have a chance at keeping Evander Kane in the fold. The power forward fit in quite well after joining the team midseason and is well-positioned to land a sizable contract. It probably won’t be as high as the one that San Jose terminated but he will land one of the bigger deals on the open market next week. But with them offloading Zack Kassian’s contract to Arizona and Duncan Keith set to retire, more than $8.5MM in cap room is opened up. Smith being LTIR-bound would give them another $2.2MM to work with although they’ll need that and more to fill the goalie vacancy.
All of a sudden, there’s at least a pathway towards Holland being able to take a legitimate run at keeping Kane around and ensuring a key part of their attack – he had 22 goals in just 43 games – sticks around. If not, they’ll need to put that money to good use to bring in another top-six forward to replace him. If they have to go the latter route, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Edmonton prefer a shorter-term option – someone like Claude Giroux – whose contract would expire by the time Draisaitl’s contract wraps up in 2025. Keith’s retirement has given Holland a chance to bring back or bring in another key piece and they’ll need to take advantage of it.
Add Defensive Depth
Keith’s retirement also opens up a spot on the back end to fill as the soon-to-be 39-year-old logged nearly 20 minutes a night on Edmonton’s blueline. While Evan Bouchard can conceivably cover a couple more than what he logged in 2021-22, the Oilers will need to find a replacement that’s at least capable of playing 16-18 minutes per contest.
On top of that, Brett Kulak and Kris Russell are pending unrestricted free agents, opening up a pair of slots at the end of their roster. While Kulak is a candidate to be brought back – more so following the Keith news – a depth defender or two would go a long way towards giving them a bit of stability on the third pairing. Philip Broberg has some upside but limited NHL experience so far while their current depth options like Slater Koekkoek and Dmitri Samorukov aren’t players they should be comfortable using on an every-game basis.
What they are or aren’t able to do here will largely be determined by what happens with their goalie situation and Kane but is something that Holland will be looking to address in the coming weeks.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.
Five Key Stories: 6/27/22 – 7/3/22
With Colorado beating Tampa Bay to win the Stanley Cup, the offseason is officially underway. Unsurprisingly, there was plenty of news over the past seven days which is recapped in our top stories.
Boston Gets Their Guy: While it took a lot longer than anyone really expected, the Bruins agreed on a multi-year contract extension with GM Don Sweeney. Soon after, Sweeney found his next head coach as Boston hired Jim Montgomery as their new bench boss. It will be Montgomery’s second time running an NHL bench as he was in charge for parts of two years in Dallas before being let go due to “unprofessional conduct” which Montgomery himself revealed was a battle with alcohol abuse. The Bruins will be dealing with several key injuries to start next season including Charlie McAvoy and Brad Marchand so Montgomery will have his work cut out for him early on until those players return. Dallas did well with Montgomery at the helm with a .579 points percentage but expectations will be high after they let Bruce Cassidy (who had a .672 points percentage with the Bruins) go earlier this offseason.
Tampa Makes Early Moves: Just days after falling to the Avalanche, the Lightning were back in the news. First, they found a way to keep Nick Paul around, handing the forward a seven-year contract that carries an AAV of $3.15MM with some trade protection. The 27-year-old fit in quite well after being acquired at the trade deadline from Ottawa, spending time on the second and third lines both down the stretch and in the playoffs. Knowing they needed to fit in that contract and their desire to keep winger Ondrej Palat, GM Julien BriseBois then convinced defenseman Ryan McDonagh to waive his no-trade clause and moved him to Nashville for blueliner Philippe Myers and AHL forward Grant Mismash. The move frees up $4.2MM in cap space as it stands but if Tampa Bay was to have a change of heart and buy out Myers, that could jump to $7.3MM as buying out the 25-year-old would actually give the Lightning a cap credit for next season. Nashville gets a solid veteran blueliner in McDonagh to bolster their top four and take on the remaining four years of his deal at a $6.75MM cap hit.
Fiala To Los Angeles: Minnesota’s salary cap situation is well-known. The increased dead cap charge stemming from the buyouts on Ryan Suter and Zach Parise was going to force their hand with Kevin Fiala. While they wanted to keep him, everyone knew they couldn’t afford to. That situation worked out well for the Kings as they acquired the 25-year-old in exchange for their first-round pick in next week’s draft (19th overall) along with the rights to prospect defenseman Brock Faber. Los Angeles wasted little time signing Fiala to a seven-year, $55.125MM extension that carries some form of trade protection in each year that he’s eligible for it. Fiala is coming off a career year that saw him pick up 85 points in 82 games and he immediately bolsters a Kings attack that was 20th in goals scored this past season. Minnesota, meanwhile, gets some quality future assets and the cap flexibility that should allow them to fill out the rest of their roster this summer.
Boeser Signs: Saturday was a quiet deadline for Vancouver to reach a new contract with pending RFA forward Brock Boeser as it was the first deadline for club-elected arbitration, one that would have allowed the Canucks to offer 85% of his $7.5MM qualifying offer. But that would have been a contentious process, one that both sides wanted to avoid. They were able to do just that as they agreed on a three-year, $19.95MM contract. The deal provides a small increase on his previous $5.85MM AAV, gives Vancouver a lower price tag than what his qualifier would have been, plus an extra two years of team control as Boeser had just one RFA year remaining. It’s a tidy piece of business for both sides with the Canucks needing all the cap space they can get to keep as much of their core intact as they can.
Coaching Carousel: For a while, it looked like the NHL’s annual coaching carousel was set to come to an end. Chicago officially hired Luke Richardson on a four-year contract while Detroit wasted little time following the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Final to make Derek Lalonde their new bench boss in another first-time hire. At that point, there was just one opening left but before it could be filled, another one opened up as the Sharks surprisingly parted ways with Bob Boughner to allow their eventual new GM to pick their next head coach. Not long after that, the other vacancy was filled as Winnipeg named former Dallas head coach Rick Bowness as their new head coach, giving him a two-year deal. San Jose’s vacancy is now the only one around the league.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Offseason Checklist: St. Louis Blues
With the offseason in full swing, it’s time to examine what each squad will need to accomplish over the coming months. Next up is a look at the Blues.
2021-22 was a decent season for St. Louis. While they finished in third in a very tight Central Division, they got past Minnesota in the first round and then took the eventual Cup-winning Avalanche to six games. GM Doug Armstrong can afford to keep most of the core together but there will still be a lot of work to do over the coming weeks.
Decide Tarasenko’s Future
Last summer, Vladimir Tarasenko wanted a trade but coming off another season that saw him miss extended time due to a shoulder issue and a $7.5MM cap hit, there were no takers. Seattle had an opportunity to take him in expansion and passed. The end result was somewhat of an awkward return to St. Louis.
It’s safe to say it worked out well for both sides. Tarasenko was able to show that he’s fully recovered from his shoulder surgeries, getting back to the 30-goal mark while eclipsing 80 points for the first time in his career. That was good enough for him to lead the Blues in scoring, giving them a much deeper offensive group in the process.
Now Armstrong has a decision to make. The trade request hasn’t been rescinded and there should be a much better trade market for Tarasenko’s services this time around although it’s worth noting that Tarasenko has a full no-trade clause which could come into play as well. The fact that the commitment is only for one year will help his value in a cap environment where it’s difficult to move pricey multi-year contracts. Moving him would almost certainly yield some cap savings which could come in handy this summer.
But trading Tarasenko away now would also create a big opening to fill on the Blues as teams rarely get better after trading their top scorer. While there’s definitely a risk in potentially losing him for nothing in free agency, that has to be weighed against their current situation where they’re a team with an eye on contending next season. The next couple of weeks is when trade activity is at its peak so if Armstrong is pondering a trade, it may need to happen sooner than later.
Re-Sign Or Replace Husso
Coming into the season, Jordan Binnington was expected to be the starter for the Blues with Ville Husso, who had a quiet rookie year, serving as the backup. That changed in the second half of the year when Binnington struggled and Husso stepped up with a .917 SV% from the beginning of January to the end of the season. Unfortunately for Husso and the Blues, the 27-year-old struggled in the playoffs when Binnington was injured so his season ended on a down note. However, Husso showed enough during the season to position himself as one of the top goalies heading into unrestricted free agency this month where he’ll also be one of the younger goalies to hit the open market.
That has him well-positioned to earn a significant raise after making the league minimum the last two years. While it’s unlikely he’ll be able to command true starter money – he has 64 career NHL appearances (including playoffs) after all – Husso could reasonably expect to get the type of top backup money that has been thrown around in recent years in free agency. Jonathan Bernier, a platoon goalie like Husso might be best suited to be, just received a two-year deal with a $4.125MM cap hit last summer from New Jersey. With the potential for more upside, it’s quite possible that Husso could receive more than that on the open market on a multi-year commitment.
Is that something the Blues can afford on their books with Binnington still on the books for another half-decade at $6MM per season? Is that a price they should want to pay even if they had the money to? If Armstrong feels that the answer to one of those questions is no, then St. Louis will be among the teams joining the annual goalie shuffle that will take place at the start of free agency on July 13th.
Extension Talks
In their summer spending planning, the Blues will need to keep in mind that three prominent forwards (beyond Tarasenko) will need new contracts a year from now so any spending this offseason could cut into what they have for contracts in 2023 (unless they sign players to one-year deals). Once July 13th hits, contract extensions can be worked out and Armstrong will be wanting to have those discussions somewhat quickly.
Ryan O’Reilly continues to be one of the more prominent two-way centers in the league. He consistently produces at a minimum of a 60-point pace (over a full 82-game season), kills penalties, and is one of the most prominent faceoff players in the league. He’s not a true number one center in terms of his scoring output but prior to this past season, he averaged more than 20 minutes a game for six straight years. With a $7.5MM cap hit currently, O’Reilly – who will be 32 when it starts – could conceivably command a similar price tag on a long-term deal, one that runs a little longer than preferred to keep the AAV down.
Then there are a pair of prominent younger forwards who will be coming off their $2.8MM bridge contracts in Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou. Both players hit career highs across the board in 2021-22 while surpassing the point-per-game mark. A repeat performance on either side would only push the asking price higher than it might be this summer. At this point, barring a significant drop-off next season, both players should easily double their current price tag at a minimum. New long-term contracts for those two basically will offset any cap savings if one of Tarasenko or O’Reilly goes unsigned a year from now.
While he’s not at the level of the other three listed here, it’s also worth mentioning that center Ivan Barbashev will also be on an expiring deal next summer and is extension-eligible later this month. He’s currently on a $2.25MM and is coming off a 60-point season. The 27-year-old will be unrestricted in 2023 and is currently in a position to land a significant raise of his own. It’s less likely that he’ll be extended now since his performance was an outlier relative to his first few seasons but if Armstrong intends to keep him around, he’ll be budgeting some room for that as well.
Create Cap Flexibility
If you read through that and thought to yourself that the Blues could use some extra cap flexibility, you’re certainly not the only one who thinks that. Looking ahead to this summer’s spending, it should also be noted that on top of Husso being unrestricted later this month, so are winger David Perron and defenseman Nick Leddy, both quality veterans.
It’s well-known that there is a mutual desire for Perron to stick around which will cut into the $9MM of cap space they have to work with this summer and likely into 2022-23’s money as well unless they can convince the 34-year-old to take a one-year deal. Doing so would put Perron’s next contract into 35+ territory so that’s not an ideal scenario from his point of view. Between that and needing some money for Husso or his replacement, it’s unlikely that Leddy returns although St. Louis would undoubtedly love to try to bring in an upgrade there as well.
There’s one contract that stands out above the rest in terms of an overpayment that they’d likely want to get out of and that’s defenseman Marco Scandella. At $3.275MM for two more years, it’s not as if it’s a massive above-market contract but they can likely find someone capable of covering his 18 minutes a game for less money. After that, however, it’s important parts of their core that might have to be moved to create that extra wiggle room. In an ideal world, Armstrong is able to kick that decision down to next summer and delay the tough decisions for another year but they’ll need to move one notable salary off the books to have a chance at that happening.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.