Oilers Sign Carter Savoie
After signing him to an AHL tryout deal last month to allow him to finish off the year with AHL Bakersfield, it was only a matter of time before the Oilers worked out an entry-level contract with prospect winger Carter Savoie. As CapFriendly reports (Twitter link), that has now happened as the team has agreed to a three-year deal that begins this season. The pact carries a $925K AAV and does not contain any signing bonuses.
The 20-year-old was a fourth-round pick of Edmonton back in 2020 (100th overall) and it’s safe to say that he has outperformed that selection since then. Savoie was quite productive in his sophomore season with the University of Denver, finishing second on the Pioneers in scoring with 23 goals and 22 assists in just 39 games. After they won a national title, he decided to forego his remaining college eligibility and turned pro, getting into two games during the regular season but has yet to suit up in the playoffs.
Savoie has worked his way into being one of Edmonton’s more promising prospects over the last couple of years and while the Oilers will need some low-cost players to round out their roster next season, it’s unlikely that he will be able to make the jump right away on a full-time basis although the decision to start the deal this season makes him eligible to play in the playoffs now. Savoie has played in just a total of 65 games combined over the last two years so he’ll almost certainly need some time to adjust to the rigors of a full professional campaign. But if he continues to build on his performance this season, he’ll be worth waiting for.
Five Key Stories: 5/2/22 – 5/8/22
The first full week of May yielded some coaching news around the league as well as plenty of salary cap penalties; those are among the headlines in the top stories of the week.
Yeo Out: The Flyers will have a new head coach behind the bench season when they announced that Mike Yeo would not be retained in that role. After serving as an assistant on Alain Vigneault’s staff, Yeo was elevated to the interim role when Vigneault was let go but the coaching change didn’t spark the team as they went 17-36-7 following the move while finishing behind everyone but Arizona in goals scored. Philadelphia is keeping the door open for Yeo to remain with the team in a different role although they certainly won’t be stopping him from interviewing for other opportunities around the league.
Another Coaching Search: The Jets were another team that had a midseason coaching change, though it came due to Paul Maurice’s resignation instead of his firing. Dave Lowry took over but the team wasn’t able to turn things around under him, posting a 26-22-6 record and missing the playoffs. That has resulted in some changes as well with assistant coaches Charlie Huddy and Jamie Kompon being let go. As for Lowry, he will be granted the opportunity to interview for the full-time coaching job but that’s as far as GM Kevin Cheveldayoff is willing to go at this time so they will be going through a full coaching search as well.
Surgery For DeSmith: Generally speaking, a backup goaltender undergoing surgery wouldn’t be big news. However, it certainly is for the Penguins as they’ll be without Casey DeSmith for the rest of the playoffs after he underwent core muscle surgery. With Tristan Jarry still unavailable as he works his way back from a broken bone in his foot, journeyman Louis Domingue has become Pittsburgh’s starter by default. It’s a tough blow on multiple fronts – the Penguins are now dressing their AHL goalie tandem while the 30-year-old also loses a prime opportunity to showcase himself before he hits the open market for the first time this summer.
Morin’s Career Ends Early: It has been a tough last few years for Philadelphia defenseman Samuel Morin. He has had several significant knee injuries derail what looked to be a promising career and his latest one – which kept him out for all of this season – has now ended his career at the age of 26. Morin was a first-round pick back in 2013 (11th overall) as a big, physical, stay-at-home blueliner. But when the injuries started, they just kept on coming. Morin was able to get into 20 games last season but some of those came as a winger. In the end, he hangs up his skates with just 29 career NHL contests with one goal, 45 penalty minutes, and 66 hits. The Flyers have indicated that they may look to find another role for him to keep him in the organization in some capacity.
Cap Penalties: The salary cap is only increasing by $1MM next season to $82.5MM so many teams will be feeling the squeeze once again. On top of that, nearly half the league will face a bonus carryover penalty from this season with 14 teams set to receive one. Colorado finds itself at the low end of that with just a $25K overage while at the other end, three teams (Montreal, Vancouver, and St. Louis) are all at $1MM or more with the Blues potentially on the hook for another $250K depending on how deep they go in the playoffs which will certainly affect their offseason spending plans.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
PHR Mailbag: Golden Knights, Buyout Candidates, Gibson, Forsberg, Red Wings, NCAA
Topics in this edition of the PHR Mailbag include the disappointing season for the Golden Knights, possible buyout candidates this summer, Filip Forsberg’s pending free agency, and more. If your question doesn’t appear here, check back in last weekend’s mailbag.
dayvisferreras: How big will the changes be in Vegas?? Vegas should be making big changes and stop creating greener pastures for shiny new toys. I appreciate Bill Foley’s vision but he shouldn’t add more salary to a team with no cap.
Gbear: Simply put, have you ever seen a team choke down the stretch as badly as Vegas did and do you see DeBoer getting fired after this season?
DirtbagBlues: Is Robin Lehner with the Golden Knights next season?
Let’s dig right in with some Vegas talk.
I don’t expect anywhere near the amount of change for next season for the Golden Knights that some do. Part of that is the salary cap as obviously, they need to clear some money. Evgenii Dadonov is probably going somewhere and Reilly Smith is a potential cap casualty as a pending UFA. Mattias Janmark likely isn’t back as well. If they can avoid taking a contract back in a Dadonov trade, that’s $5MM in savings from next year’s commitments, most of which can be allocated to the three forwards needed to fill those roster spots with a bit left over to apply to Nicolas Roy’s next contract.
Vegas can more or less force their way into a one-year deal for Nicolas Hague as the blueliner doesn’t have arbitration rights. Accordingly, they don’t necessarily have to make a move on the back end. I expect they’ll try to move Laurent Brossoit in order to give Logan Thompson the full-time backup job, saving another $1.55MM in cap room. That’s enough to cover the one-year/no-leverage contract for Hague with the rest going to Roy. Ben Hutton ($850K) can be waived in a pinch and when all is said and done, that’s a team with no flexibility once again but it’d be cap-compliant. This is the path they’ve chosen to go and I don’t think they’ll deviate from it even after a tough end to their season.
I hesitate to put the word ‘choke’ on their collapse. Yes, it’s substantial and over the last few seasons, I can’t think of another team that prominent falling out like that. But they were also missing a lot of players. Yes, some of that was by design but Max Pacioretty and Mark Stone being injured wasn’t part of the plan and both of them were far from 100% down the stretch. They basically had their regular goalie tandem either out or playing at less than 100%. You take two top-line forwards and a goalie tandem out of a lineup and most of the time, it’s not going to end well. The Golden Knights created some of their misfortune, no doubt, but they had a lot out of their control go against them as well which is why I can’t call it a choke job.
To be honest, I was a bit underwhelmed when Vegas brought Peter DeBoer in to replace Gerard Gallant. He doesn’t have a long track record of playoff success but on the other hand, who out there is demonstrably better to lead a win-now, veteran-laden team? I’d be surprised if he was let go although he’ll also be viewed as someone squarely on the hot seat heading into next season. Again, they did have some bad luck at the end of the season from a health perspective (and were missing some key pieces throughout the year). To drastically shake things up based on how things ended this year seems a bit premature as a result.
I do think Lehner returns next season. The optics surrounding that whole fiasco of him being out for the season but still dressing as backup and being expected at practice was bizarre. But where else is Vegas going to find a good starting goaltender making $5MM or less for multiple years? It’s not as if they have a deep prospect pool or extra high draft picks at their disposal either that they could use to trade for someone that’s making a bit less. If Thompson makes a push for more minutes next season and gets closer to a 50-50 split in terms of playing time, then perhaps at that time Lehner might become available. But at this moment, I think he’s their starter on opening night.
wreckage: Who is the most likely offseason buyout candidate?
The first name that comes to mind is Predators defenseman Philippe Myers. His season was nothing short of a disaster and it was telling that after he cleared waivers before the trade deadline (a scenario that seemed unfathomable in the offseason), he was sent to Toronto’s farm team instead of their own. That’s a pretty clear sign that he’s not in their future plans. As he’s 25, he’s only subject to a one-third payout instead of the standard two-thirds while the heavily backloaded nature of the contract makes for a rather unique situation. A buyout of the final season that carries a $2.55MM AAV would give Nashville a cap credit of $617K next season with a cap hit of $633K the following year. I’m not sure the Predators are the ones that buy him out – perhaps a cap-strapped team views that buyout structure and cap credit as a short-term solution – but I’d be surprised if he’s playing under his current contract next season.
Colin White (three years left, $4.75MM AAV) also quickly came to mind when I saw this question. We know Montreal had serious trade talks for him at the trade deadline but I can’t help but wonder if it was with the intention of sending a player the other way and then turning around and buying White out in the summer. He’s also 25 and is thus subject to the one-third cost. Paying him over six years isn’t ideal but the cap hit for five of those is $875K while the other is a cap credit of $625K. Whether it’s the Canadiens or someone else, is it worth moving, say, a $3.5MM player to Ottawa for White and then executing the buyout to open up $2.625MM in cap room? There are a few teams that I suspect would give that some serious thought.
It’s rare that we see a trade and buy out combo (Steve Mason was a somewhat recent example back in 2018) but I think it’s a serious option for those two which puts them at the top of my buyout list.
As for others that could be options under the standard costs, Toronto’s Petr Mrazek (two years remaining, $3.8MM) is certainly an option after the tough year he had. Even with 50% retention, there may not be any trade takers which could force their hand. Zack Kassian (two years left, $3.2MM) could be an option if they need to free up money for some of their pending RFAs (more on them shortly). I’m sure there will be others that get bought out as well once that window opens up after the season.
Offseason Checklist: Arizona Coyotes
The offseason has arrived for half of the league’s teams that aren’t playoff-bound. It’s time to examine what they will need to accomplish over the coming months. Next up is a look at Arizona.
This season went more or less as expected for the Coyotes. After blowing up their roster over the summer and further cementing their status as a team committed to a long-term rebuild, expectations were low heading into the year and they lived up to them, finishing last in the Western Conference. It seems quite unlikely that their direction will change (beyond playing out of a college arena for next season) and their checklist reflects that as a result.
Add A Second Goalie
One of the bright spots this season was the unexpected emergence of Karel Vejmelka between the pipes. Originally viewed as extra depth, he played his way onto the opening roster and things only got better from there. That earned him a three-year contract extension at the trade deadline and secured part of their goalie tandem for the next few years.
The other half of that pairing remains a work in progress, however. Ivan Prosvetov has struggled in his limited NHL duty, Josef Korenar had a particularly rough season in the minors, and waiver claim Harri Sateri had just a .866 SV% in his six appearances down the stretch. Suffice it to say, the ideal partner for Vejmelka isn’t currently in the organization.
There are two routes the team can take to fill this spot. They can look to add a veteran free agent which is what they did this year when they signed Carter Hutton although setting their sights a little higher this time around would make sense. There are several veteran netminders available once again and adding one of those on a short-term contract would solve the issue in the short term and is a perfectly reasonable way to go. But how attractive will the team be with the direction they’re headed and the fact they won’t be playing out of an NHL-sized facility for a while?
On the other hand, as a team that has shown a willingness to take on unwanted contracts, that has to be a route worth exploring as well. There are some higher-priced starters out there with deals that their teams wouldn’t mind getting out of and it stands to reason that they could tack on some draft picks or prospects as compensation for taking the contract off their hands. That could lead to some longer-term stability at the position with some extra future assets as well.
Chychrun Decision
Last summer, there was an expectation that defenseman Jakob Chychrun was going to be on the move but it never materialized. Then, during the season, reports surfaced that he was available but that the asking price was quite high with those reports mentioning the price as at least three first-round elements or more. He then suffered an ankle injury about a week and a half before the trade deadline which put an end to any thoughts he might be moved.
But now it’s the offseason when it’s easier to trade players with term remaining on their contracts and Chychrun has three years remaining on his deal with a $4.6MM AAV. GM Bill Armstrong stated at the end of the season that a trade involving his top defenseman was something they were going to explore which will only further add fuel to the fire.
However, beyond the summer often yielding more flexibility in roster building, the same problems that existed during the season are still there now. The asking price is almost certain to remain extremely high and while there was speculation that there were teams willing to meet it, the fact a trade didn’t occur means either that wasn’t the case or the price went even higher.
The other is that Chychrun isn’t exactly coming off a strong season. Few Coyotes had good years in 2021-22 but the 24-year-old took a step back although he still managed to put up 21 points in 47 games. There’s certainly a good enough track record to indicate that he can return to form but him getting back to that form in an Arizona uniform would strengthen their negotiating position.
As a result, their biggest decision of the summer is deciding Chychrun’s future. Do they take the best offer they can get for him now or roll the dice and see if he can play his way into increased trade value? At this point, a trade is probably the best move for everyone involved.
Crouse – Trade Or Re-Sign?
One Coyote who did have a strong season was winger Lawson Crouse. The 2015 first-round pick had an increased role under head coach Andre Tourigny and responded with career highs in goals (20) and points (34) despite missing 17 games due to injury. He also contributed physically with nearly 2.8 hits per game. That’s a nice platform year heading into his first year of arbitration eligibility as a restricted free agent.
The 24-year-old still has two years of RFA eligibility remaining since he didn’t get to the 40-game mark in his second professional season in 2016-17 which stopped him from accruing a year towards the seven needed to reach UFA status. A power forward in the prime of his career with a couple of years of team control remaining – that’s the definition of a key part of Arizona’s future plan…or a key trade chip.
The market rate in terms of salary for a core power forward is always quite pricey and it’s probable that Crouse’s camp will be looking at Josh Anderson’s contract (seven years, $5.5MM AAV) as a comparable in any long-term discussions. Is that a price Arizona will want to pay? It’s certainly steep given his track record but at the same time, he’s young enough to still be part of the core when they eventually emerge from their rebuild.
Or, should they cash in when his trade value is probably at its highest? Is there a team out there willing to part with a high-quality prospect to get a young power forward? There probably is. While they’d be running the risk of moving him a little too early (another year like this one in 2022-23 would only increase his trade value), it’d ensure they’d get a solid return and an asset that might line up closer to their young core.
While Chychrun will dominate the discussion surrounding the Coyotes over the next little while, deciding what to do with Crouse is going to be a big part of Arizona’s offseason.
Keep Stockpiling
There will come a time when the Coyotes have too many picks and prospects; they’re already looking ahead to 2024’s draft class with some of their moves. They’re not there yet though. What do all rebuilding teams need to do? Stockpile young assets.
Arizona is starting to run out of significant trade chips, especially if Chychrun and Crouse are moved. However, they can still leverage their cap space. We saw them take on undesirable contracts several times last summer and even got a quality piece in Shayne Gostisbehere who could be a trade chip closer to the 2023 trade deadline. They’ve taken on contracts in the past for players on LTIR and recently did so with Bryan Little. They can still afford to do that to add more picks and prospects and with there being some uncertainty about the level of attractiveness as a free agent with their arena and competitiveness situation, it certainly would help them fill out their roster for next season.
Eventually, some of their picks and prospects will need to be consolidated to help them take some steps forward. Until then, when it comes to future assets, the more, the merrier.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Devils Notes: Top Draft Pick, Bratt, Zacha, Goaltending
Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald met with reporters (video link) earlier this week and indicated that he’s open to moving their first-round pick in an effort to expedite their return to the playoffs:
I said this two drafts ago, when we had the three first-round picks, I’m open to whatever can help our team improve. If that is using a pick like that, wherever it may be, to help bring in a player that we know, and feel, will help impact the results that we are looking for, absolutely.
It has been a tough run as of late in New Jersey with the team missing the playoffs for four straight years and not recording a victory in a postseason series in the last ten seasons. Along the way, they’ve had a pair of number one draft picks in Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes while adding Dougie Hamilton in free agency last summer. If they truly are open to dealing away their top pick (where it falls will be known on Tuesday with the draft lottery), they should be able to land another significant addition. Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek suggests that one possibility could be Minnesota’s Kevin Fiala, who the Devils have previously expressed interest in.
More from Fitzgerald’s comments:
- Winger Jesper Bratt highlights their list of restricted free agents and Fitzgerald indicated their intention is to work out a long-term deal with the 23-year-old. Bratt is coming off a career season where he led the Devils in scoring with 26 goals and 47 assists in 78 games, making his $2.75MM cap hit quite a bargain. He’s owed a $3.3MM qualifying offer (120% of the AAV is lower than his $3.45MM salary this season) but also has arbitration rights. Whether it’s a long-term contract or one awarded by an arbitrator, Bratt will be getting a significant raise for next season.
- Another RFA of note is Pavel Zacha. The forward had a career-best 36 points in 70 games this season and is a year away from UFA eligibility. Fitzgerald suggested that he wants “to see where some of the ducks fall on how we want to build out this team” before deciding on whether or not Zacha still fits in their plans. The 25-year-old is subject to the old qualifying offer rules and will need to be tendered a $3MM offer to match his salary from last season to retain his rights. If New Jersey decides to move on, Zacha could be one to watch for on the trade front in the coming weeks.
- Fitzgerald confirmed the desire to add another NHL-quality goaltender to the ranks. Mackenzie Blackwood is currently slated as their starter and Jonathan Bernier may or may not be ready for the start of next season as he works his way back from hip surgery. While carrying three NHL-caliber netminders isn’t something that’s appealing for most teams, New Jersey’s situation is one where going that way certainly makes a lot of sense.
AHL Shuffle: 05/07/22
While most of the daily roster movement is now finished with the playoffs now well underway, there have been a few smaller moves that have been made today which are as follows.
Atlantic Division
Metropolitan Division
- The Washington Capitals announced that they have reassigned forward Brett Leason to the Hershey Bears of the AHL. Leason has frequently transitioned between Washington and Hershey this season, drawing solid performances at both levels. The rookie did make his NHL playoff debut for the Capitals before being sent down. Because Leason was sent to the AHL on March 21st, he is eligible to play for the Hershey Bears in the Calder Cup playoffs.
Central Division
- The Predators have recalled center Cody Glass from AHL Milwaukee, putting the 23-year-old in the lineup for their third game against Colorado. Glass had a strong showing with the Admirals, picking up 62 points in 68 games while finishing fifth in the league in assists with 48. However, that hasn’t translated to much success in his limited action with Nashville as he had just one assist in eight regular season games.
- The Avalanche have brought up goaltender Hunter Miska, per the AHL’s transactions log. With Colorado on the road, he’ll serve as the emergency backup. The 26-year-old played in 17 games with the Colorado Eagles of the AHL this season, posting a 3.04 GAA with a save percentage of just .889, the worst numbers of his career.
Pacific Division
- The Oilers’ AHL affiliate in Bakersfield announced a pair of roster moves today. They’ve added winger Tyler Tullio from OHL Oshawa and forward Jake Chiasson from WHL Brandon with their junior playoffs coming to an end. Tullio was a fifth-round pick in 2020 (126th overall) and led the Generals in scoring with 42 goals and 44 assists in 65 games, a 25-point gap for that scoring title. Meanwhile, Chiasson, a 2021 fourth-rounder (116th overall), was limited to just 20 games for the Wheat Kings this season due to injury but still contributed with six goals and a dozen assists.
Flyers Sign Ivan Fedotov
It has taken quite a while but the Flyers have finally been able to sign prospect goaltender Ilya Fedotov, announcing that they’ve inked the netminder to a one-year, entry-level contract. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The 25-year-old was drafted in the seventh round back in 2015 and the only reason that Philadelphia was able to retain his rights for that long without ever signing him is that the Russian Hockey Federation doesn’t have a signed Player Transfer Agreement with the NHL. He was capped at signing a one-year contract due to his age.
Fedotov has had a stellar KHL career, recording a 2.13 GAA along with a .925 SV% in 89 games over seven years. His numbers this season were very close to that as he posted a 2.00 GAA and a .919 SV% in 26 appearances with CSKA Moscow during the regular season. He was even better in the playoffs, helping his team engineer a comeback from being down 3-1 to Metallurg Magnitogorsk while recording a 1.85 GAA and a .937 SV% in 22 contests. Fedotov may also be recognized from the Olympics as he suited up for the Russian Olympic Committee in that tournament, helping lead them to a silver medal.
It’s unlikely that Fedotov will be coming to North America to play with Philadelphia’s AHL affiliate in Lehigh Valley. Instead, he should be expected to form the other half of their goaltending tandem with Carter Hart and with the youngster struggling over the last couple of seasons, there will be an opportunity for the 6’8 Fedotov to push for playing time right away. The Flyers had to wait nearly seven years to sign Fedotov and they’ll soon be able to find out if he was worth the wait.
East Notes: Martinook, Lysell, Pysyk
Hurricanes winger Jordan Martinook left Friday’s loss against Boston after Taylor Hall fell on Martinook’s ankle. Chip Alexander and Luke DeCock of the Raleigh News & Observer report that x-rays on the ankle came back negative, however, the 29-year-old has already been ruled out for Sunday’s fourth game of the series. Derek Stepan or Steven Lorentz will likely slide into Martinook’s spot on the fourth line with head coach Rod Brind’Amour indicating they may try to find a way to get both of those players into the lineup which means someone else would be a healthy scratch. Trade deadline pickup Max Domi could the odd one out in that scenario after averaging just 10:10 through the first three games of the series.
Elsewhere in the East:
- The Bruins will decide this summer whether or not to turn prospect Fabian Lysell pro or not, notes Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe. The 19-year-old winger was drafted out of Sweden so he’s able to play in the minors before turning 20 but Boston decided that the major junior route was the best for him this season as he had 62 points in 53 regular season games with WHL Vancouver and has 15 points in seven playoff contests so far. The 2021 first-rounder can go back to junior next season but the Bruins might prefer testing him at a harder level next season, especially if his postseason dominance continues.
- Mark Pysyk was hoping to go back to being a full-time defenseman this season after spending a lot of the previous two years on the wing. He got that opportunity with Buffalo and not surprisingly, as a result, he told reporters including Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald that he “definitely would be open” to re-signing with the Sabres. The 30-year-old played in 68 games this season, collecting a dozen points while averaging just under 18 minutes a game. That’s a pretty good return on a one-year, $900K deal, a price tag that Pysyk should be able to eclipse on the open market in July.
Offseason Checklist: Montreal Canadiens
The offseason has arrived for half of the league’s teams that aren’t playoff-bound. It’s time to examine what they will need to accomplish over the coming months. First up is a look at Montreal.
While reasonable expectations heading into this season wouldn’t have been for the Canadiens to make it back to the Stanley Cup Final, few would have had them bottoming out completely as they finished dead last in the standings. They’ve already made significant changes including a coaching and general manager change while several trades were done in-season. Even so, there is still plenty to be done over the summer.
Re-Sign St. Louis
One of the biggest surprises of Montreal’s season came when the team named Hall of Famer Martin St. Louis as their interim head coach to take over from Dominique Ducharme who was let go after getting just eight wins in the first 45 games of the season. St. Louis had minimal coaching experience, primarily coaching his children so to throw someone that raw behind an NHL bench carried some risks.
While the Canadiens still struggled under their new bench boss, they were much more competitive under St. Louis, compiling a 14-19-4 record down the stretch while rookie Cole Caufield went from scoring one goal under Ducharme to being one goal off the NHL rookie lead by the end of the year.
However, since his contract was only for the rest of this season, GM Kent Hughes needs to get St. Louis signed to a new deal. Both sides have indicated a willingness to get a deal done and speaking at the end-of-season press conference, Hughes stated a desire to get a contract that’s at least three years in place. This seems like a formality but it’s something that will need to be completed over the next few weeks.
Get Clarity On Price’s Future
This one isn’t entirely in their hands but the playing future of Carey Price is certainly in question. After missing most of the season due to knee trouble, he was able to play a handful of games last month but swelling continues to be an issue. He went as far as to mention that he prepared for his last game as if it would be his last in the NHL, suggesting that if things don’t improve on that front, he may not be able to play again.
That isn’t to say that it’s a given that the 34-year-old won’t return as the veteran also suggested that another surgery is an option and that he’s certainly not giving up on playing again. If he does, however, it’s highly unlikely he’ll be able to log the heavy minutes that have made him the most-used goaltender in franchise history.
Price still has four years remaining on his contract at a $10.5MM AAV, the highest cap hit for a goalie in NHL history. If he’s able to keep playing with a reduced workload, his deal will be considerably overpriced and an anchor on their books. However, if he winds up in a similar situation to Shea Weber where it’s ruled that he won’t be able to return, they will be able to place him on LTIR which would give them some extra flexibility to work with although it will also result in them having to search for a new starter unless they’re okay with Jake Allen and Samuel Montembeault for another season.
A lot of what Montreal will or won’t need to do hinges on happens with Price, both in terms of roster composition and salary cap compliance. However, unlike many things that would typically be on the checklist for a rebuilding team, this one is pretty much out of their hands. Price is expected to undergo further testing in the coming weeks and the Canadiens will undoubtedly be hoping to have clarity on his future by the end of the playoffs.
Find A Petry Trade
While Montreal moved some notable players in the days and weeks leading up to the trade deadline, one veteran who wound up sticking around was Jeff Petry. The veteran defenseman had requested a trade well before the deadline and Hughes indicated they tried to find a deal that worked for both Petry and the Canadiens although clearly, they didn’t find one.
That might prove to be a blessing in disguise for the team as Petry fared much better under St. Louis than Ducharme, notching 21 points in his final 30 games of the season. While the caveat about evaluating players based on meaningless games in the standings with no pressure certainly is valid, the fact that he was more like the player that received a four-year, $25MM contract a year and a half ago certainly can’t hurt his trade value and could help it.
Last weekend, Petry didn’t go as far as walking back his trade request but acknowledged a scenario where he could return to Montreal. But with the team squarely committed towards a rebuild and a youth movement and the fact that the veteran is 34, a move makes sense for both sides.
While he’s coming off a down year overall, Petry is still a capable top-four defender who plays on the right side, the one that’s typically in low supply and high demand. Among their veterans that could be candidates to go, Petry may be the one that carries the potential for their best return. With three years left on his contract, this is a move that will be a lot easier to make this summer than it would midseason as well. This should be fairly high on their priority list as a result.
Clear Out Contracts
By the time you factor in their bonus penalty on top of their contractual commitments for next season, the Canadiens are already over the $82.5MM Upper Limit. Yes, Weber being LTIR-eligible again gives them a bit of wiggle room but Price’s situation being uncertain makes it difficult for them to rely on full-season LTIR relief on his deal, not to mention the challenges with trying to be compliant with the summer spending limit which is set 10% above the cap without going into offseason LTIR.
Suffice it to say, Montreal is in a spot where they’re going to need to clear out some money this summer. Weber was speculated to be heading for Arizona at the trade deadline but they weren’t able to work out the insurance elements in time. It wouldn’t be surprising to see those talks rekindled at some point which should allow them to keep compliant with the summer cap without needing offseason LTIR. Petry moving would help in that regard as well.
But there are other candidates to be moved to save cap space. Wingers Jonathan Drouin ($5.5MM) and Paul Byron ($3.4MM) will be on expiring contracts next season and could be of interest while winger Mike Hoffman ($4.5MM) has two years remaining. None of them had particularly good years but have had success in the past that should generate a little bit of interest as long as the acquiring team is able to at least offset some of the money (by retention or by sending a player back). Winger Joel Armia ($3.4MM) and center Christian Dvorak ($4.45MM) could also attract some interest but Armia, in particular, had a rough year and may need to build up his value first. Brendan Gallagher (five years, $6.5MM) is unlikely to move due to his contract.
This summer, the list of players to re-sign isn’t overly high with the most notable players being RFAs Alexander Romanov and Rem Pitlick. However, Cole Caufield is in line for a significant raise in the 2023 offseason while Allen will be unrestricted and will need to be re-signed or replaced. Caufield’s deal, in particular, will serve as a pressure point. Getting out of some of their commitments now would not only buy them some flexibility now but take the pressure off a year from now. Montreal is firmly committed to a rebuild and when that happens, there’s usually an exodus of veterans on their way out. That should be the case for them this summer.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Sharks Notes: Simek, Barabanov, Megna, Grievance
Sharks defenseman Radim Simek played just two partial games over the final six weeks of the season due to injuries and a lower role on the depth chart but he confirmed to Lukas Losleben of hokej.cz that he will suit up for the Czechs at the upcoming World Championships. The 29-year-old had a tough year, recording just two points in 36 games while averaging just over 13 minutes per game. Simek expressed some frustration with his usage, telling Losleben that management called his reduced role a coaching decision while the coaches said it was management’s call. A fresh start at the Worlds certainly won’t hurt as San Jose will undoubtedly be looking to move the final two years of his deal (which carries a $2.25MM AAV) this summer.
More from San Jose:
- Earlier this week, interim GM Joe Will met with reporters, including Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News, as part of their end-of-season media conferences. He mentioned that he would like to re-sign a pair of pending UFAs in winger Alexander Barabanov and defenseman Jaycob Megna. Barabanov was a capable secondary scorer for the Sharks this season with 39 points in 70 games which has him in line for a sizable raise on the $1MM deal that’s set to expire. Megna, meanwhile, averaged over 19 minutes a game in 44 contests on the back end. That should be enough to get him a one-way deal for the first time in his career with a price tag that checks in a little above the $750K minimum.
- Also from Pashelka’s piece, Will indicated that the team expects the Evander Kane grievance to be settled by July 13th which is the start of free agency this summer. San Jose terminated Kane’s deal with the winger filing a grievance back in January with the first hearing only occurring last month. Getting clarity on that front will be critical as there’s an expectation that the Sharks will face some cap penalties but the severity (or lack thereof) will go a long way in determining what they can or can’t do from a roster-building standpoint.