Atlantic Notes: Campbell, Lightning, Foligno
There were reports earlier this week that the Maple Leafs had started extension talks with goaltender Jack Campbell. However, his agent Kurt Overhardt told Postmedia’s Michael Traikos that no such discussions have taken place:
That’s so inaccurate. I can tell you that there’s been no material discussions (with the Leafs). Jack just wants to play hockey. That’s it.
The 29-year-old is in the second and final season of a deal that pays $1.65MM, a bargain considering he has posted a 2.16 GAA with a .923 SV% since coming over in a trade from Los Angeles back in February of last year. The Kings made that move in part to open up a spot for Calvin Petersen. Interestingly enough, Petersen’s recent contract – a three-year, $15MM pact – may be an attainable contract for Campbell but with Toronto’s cap situation, it’s unlikely the Maple Leafs will be able to afford to bring him back at a price tag anywhere near that amount.
Elsewhere in the Atlantic:
- The Lightning did show interest in bringing back defenseman Luke Schenn this summer, notes Joe Smith of The Athletic (subscription link). However, Schenn opted to go to Vancouver which paved the way for Tampa Bay to add Zach Bogosian on a three-year deal worth less than $1MM per season which should work out even better for them once he’s able to return from his lower-body injury later this month.
- Bruins winger Nick Foligno returned to practice on Friday, relays Boston Hockey Now’s Joe Haggerty. The veteran has been dealing with an upper-body injury that sidelined him in the second game of the season and while he has been ruled out for tonight’s game against Toronto, he could be an option to return soon after that, perhaps as early as Tuesday versus Ottawa.
PHR Mailbag: Red Wings Defense, Hertl, Maple Leafs, Sleepers, Finances
Topics in this edition of the PHR Mailbag include Detroit’s back end, what Tomas Hertl’s next contract could look like, Toronto’s roster composition, under the radar minor leaguers who could make an NHL impact over the next few years, and a note on teams who may have needed financial help last season. If your question doesn’t appear here, check back in last weekend’s mailbag.
Johnny Z: Filip Hronek was healthy scratched for two games. He has been the Wings’ leader in TOI for two years and logged big minutes for the first four games. Is Stevie about to trade him? It seems plausible as his value seems very good and has three years left on his deal.
Benching a player at this time of the season is rarely for a trade. A few days before the trade deadline, sure, it’s protecting the asset but in the first few weeks, it’s to send a message. Obviously, Jeff Blashill wasn’t overly impressed with Hronek’s play and decided to get that point across early on. It seems to have worked as Hronek has been better since coming back.
You’re absolutely correct in that he would have a lot of trade value. Few others on their team have the type of value that Hronek does. But at the same time, he’s someone that should be viewed as part of their future core. On the back end, Moritz Seider looks promising, but he’s about the only one other than Hronek on the current roster that plausibly has a shot at being an impact piece when they come out of their rebuild. (Gustav Lindstrom could factor in as well but as more of a depth player than an impact one.) With that in mind, they should be looking to hold onto Hronek.
YzerPlan19: With the hole on the right side in LA and the ton of young assets they have could the Kings be a potential trade partner?
The fit that I see isn’t one that would yield one of those young assets. Hronek and Seider aren’t moving. Lindstrom is too young to be moved just yet. That takes three of the four righties on the NHL roster off the table.
Then there’s Troy Stecher, a player who has felt like a placeholder from the moment he signed with the Red Wings. He’s someone that can play on the second pairing if needed or be a minute-eater on the third pairing. That’s more of what the Kings are looking for to replace Sean Walker (since they can’t do a lot to replace Drew Doughty as he’s expected back six weeks or so from now). He’s a rental and at $1.7MM, he’s cheap enough that it would leave them enough wiggle room to afford to recall someone from the minors into the rest of Walker’s LTIR space. The on-ice fit is there and the cap fit is there.
But here’s the thing. The return isn’t going to be overly significant. I don’t think he’d land a second-rounder at the deadline so that sort of sets the baseline of a third-rounder or equivalent prospect here with maybe a late pick tacked on. That’s not the type of young asset you may have been hoping for but if they want to give Lindstrom a longer look, it’s a move that is probably worth making from Detroit’s perspective.
mz90gu: What kind of contract can Hertl expect?
This is the type of question that should probably get its own article at some point closer to free agency. Hertl has a lot going for him – he’ll only be 28 (so a max-term deal is realistic), he plays a premium position that is in high demand and short supply, and he’s played around a 70-point pace for the last few years. That’s a great combination to have heading into a walk year.
At first glance, I think Sean Couturier’s extension with Philadelphia is the ballpark of where Hertl’s deal will fall. They’re a year apart age-wise and have produced at similar extrapolated numbers over the past few seasons. Couturier has a Selke Trophy which Hertl doesn’t (and won’t get) so it’s not a perfect comparison but he’s going to get a premium if he makes it to the open market.
Couturier signed for eight years and $62MM, a $7.75MM AAV. I think Hertl’s range sandwiches that amount, falling between $7.5MM and $8MM. If he re-signs with the Sharks, the ability to add an eighth year to the contract could push the cap hit towards the lower part of that range. That said, making the cap situation work with a raise like that will be easier said than done for GM Doug Wilson.
KAR 120C: Odds that Dubas either trades one of his four or loses his job. As a result of putting 50% of the cap into four players and it not working out well (imho).
@Darrell_Samuels: ‘Simple’ question – how do you fix the Toronto Maple Leafs?
I’m going to combine these as the answers sort of go together.
Dubas will eventually lose his job – all general managers do; it’s part of the business. So I’m going to put odds on one of those things happening this season. I’ll set it at around 10%. I don’t think Toronto will move one of their ‘core four’ up front during the regular season and it’s difficult to move big contracts for full value in-season. And unless things fall completely off the rails over the next couple of months, there probably isn’t going to be an in-season GM change either.
A lot depends on whether they can get out of the first round. That’s the barometer for success this year; numbers during the regular season aren’t going to matter if they’re quickly bounced again. Before the season, I predicted they’d win a round so I’ll stick by that and if that happens, Dubas will likely stick around.
But since these questions came out, Morgan Rielly signed his new deal, one that puts another big contract on the books. I’m not sure they should try the same approach of rounding out the roster with a bunch of low-cost deals and hoping that the end result is different this time but it’s not as if they have a lot of options as their top two centers aren’t being moved.
It sounds a little counter-intuitive to say that moving a top forward is how to fix things but with how their cap is structured, it’s the only way to really change things; swapping sub-$1MM players isn’t going to move the needle much. If Mitch Marner is moved for a top-six winger making half as much as he is plus some futures, there’s the cap space to keep Jack Campbell and maybe have a bit left over to put towards upgrading one of their cheaper forwards. If they want to risk going with Petr Mrazek as the full-fledged starter and go cheap on the backup goalie, then the Marner move would give them a chance to add another middle-six piece to deepen the roster and a bit more quality depth up front.
Long term, their hope is that players like Nicholas Robertson, Rodion Amirov, and maybe someone like Alex Steeves can come in and play a regular role and lengthen the lineup. At that time, that extra offensive depth could push them over the proverbial hump; at least, that’s the plan.
Is that truly fixing things though? Not really but they’ve made this commitment and it’s a hard one to get out of. If Auston Matthews decides to walk in free agency in 2024, that would be the next opportunity to dramatically change the shape and structure of the roster. Until then, they either stick with their current direction or move a winger to give themselves a bit of wiggle room to fill other areas of the roster. If I had to guess right now, I’d lean towards sticking with the current plan so I’d put the odds of moving a winger at 45% or close to a coin flip. The next few months will be interesting on that front.
Central Notes: Avalanche Injuries, Goligoski, Neighbours
Avalanche goaltender Pavel Francouz is about a week away from returning from his lower-body injury, notes Mike Chambers of the Denver Post. The 31-year-old hasn’t played since the 2019-20 campaign and with Darcy Kuemper not getting off to a particularly strong start this season with a .904 SV% in his first seven starts, Francouz’s return would be a welcome addition if he can find the form he had before his injuries. Meanwhile, Chambers adds in a separate column that winger Martin Kaut is listed as week-to-week after suffering a shoulder injury on Wednesday versus Columbus. The rookie is averaging just under nine minutes a game through six appearances so far this season.
More from the Central:
- Minnesota hopes to have defenseman Alex Goligoski back in the lineup tonight after he missed the last three games due to an upper-body injury, relays Sarah McLellan of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. The 36-year-old is in his first season with his hometown Wild and has been a steadying presence on their second pairing while chipping in with three assists. Despite the injury, Goligoski has remained on the active roster so they won’t need to make a roster move to get him in the lineup.
- The Blues could be slow-playing their pending decision on winger Jake Neighbours until Oskar Sundqvist is able to come off LTIR, suggests Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The 19-year-old has played in seven games this season, two away from the decision on whether or not to burn the first year of his entry-level deal. Neighbours has held his own so far with a goal and an assist in those seven contests while averaging nearly 10 minutes a night but more time in the WHL may be best for him in the long run.
AHL Shuffle: 11/06/21
As is often the case on a Saturday, it’s a busy day in the NHL with 24 teams in action including a matchup of the only two teams that have yet to lose in regulation this season in Carolina and Florida. We’ll keep track of today’s roster movement here.
Atlantic Division
- The Maple Leafs announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled goaltender Joseph Woll from AHL Toronto. Petr Mrazek did not take part in Toronto’s morning skate today and Woll will be backing up Jack Campbell tonight.
- The Panthers announced (Twitter link) that they’ve brought up goaltender Christopher Gibson from AHL Charlotte. Sergei Bobrovsky left Thursday’s victory over Washington with an upper-body injury and it appears he won’t be able to dress against Carolina tonight.
- The Sabres have also recalled a goalie as they’ve brought up Aaron Dell per a team release. The move suggests that one of their netminders won’t be able to suit up tonight versus Detroit. To make room on the roster, forward Brett Murray was sent down to AHL Rochester.
- With Tyler Ennis out due to a non-COVID illness, the Senators announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled Parker Kelly from AHL Belleville. The 22-year-old played in four games with Ottawa last month, logging nearly minutes per game on the fourth line.
- The Tampa Bay Lightning re-assigned defenseman Andrej Sustr to the Syracuse Crunch, per The Athletic’s Joe Smith. Sustr has just a goal in eight games this season, averaging 10:35 per night. The move leaves Tampa with no extra defensemen on the roster, signaling that the injured Zach Bogosian could be close to a return.
Metropolitan Division
- The Capitals announced that they’ve sent Aliaksei Protas back to Hershey of the AHL. The center was only recalled just yesterday to serve as an extra forward but with the Bears in action tonight, he’ll go back down while Washington will only carry 12 forwards on the active roster for their game against Philadelphia.
- The Devils have placed defenseman Christian Jaros on IR, freeing up a roster spot for them to recall Colton White from Utica. White played in a pair of games after breaking camp with New Jersey before being sent down last month when Ty Smith was activated. As for Jaros, he has played in two games with the Devils this season after being acquired in July from San Jose.
- CapFriendly reports the New York Rangers assigned Greg McKegg to Hartford, making room for Ryan Reaves on the active roster as he was activated from injured reserve today. McKegg has been held without a point in eight games this season.
Central Division
- After playing in his first game of the season on Friday, Blackhawks defenseman Nicolas Beaudin is headed back to AHL Rockford, per a team release. The 2018 first-rounder has played in 21 career NHL contests and has been productive in limited minor league action between last season and the start of 2021-22 with 13 points in 14 games with the IceHogs.
Pacific Division
- The Sharks have recalled forward Joel Kellman from the Barracuda, the team announced (Twitter link). The 27-year-old was up earlier in the week on an emergency recall although he didn’t suit up. It could be a similar scenario this time around although San Jose still has several players in COVID protocol with no changes being made on that front today.
- The Ducks have recalled center Mason McTavish from his conditioning stint along with defenseman Simon Benoit, per the AHL’s transactions log. McTavish had a goal and an assist in three games with the Gulls as he worked his way back from a lower-body injury. Goaltender Lukas Dostal was sent down to San Diego in a corresponding move after serving as the backup last night.
- The Golden Knights announced (Twitter link) that they’ve brought up forward Paul Cotter from AHL Henderson. The 21-year-old has yet to play in the NHL and has two goals in eight games with the Silver Knights this season.
This post will be updated throughout the day.
Metropolitan Notes: Lapierre, Hamilton, Komarov
With Capitals center Hendrix Lapierre averaging only nine minutes per game in his first five NHL appearances, it seems like it’s only a matter of time before he’s returned back to junior. He has been scratched in five other games to buy them some more time to make the decision, one that GM Brian MacLellan acknowledged to Tarik El-Bashir of The Athletic (subscription link) should be coming soon:
We’re going to do what’s best for him development-wise. He’s done a great job up until this point. Everything he’s done has benefited his growth — off-ice workouts, being around the guys, practicing with the big club.
But at some point here, we’re going to make a decision on what’s going to be best for him moving forward, to grow his game.
Lapierre can play in four more NHL games before officially burning the first year of his entry-level deal and MacLellan admitted that the cap element – in particular, having another cheap season from him – will also play a factor in their decision. At this point, it feels like the Capitals returning him to the QMJHL is a matter of when, not if.
Elsewhere in the Metropolitan:
- Prior to Dougie Hamilton leaving in free agency, Carolina GM Don Waddell felt that there was some progress on a new deal that would have stopped him from reaching the open market. However, the defenseman didn’t feel the same way, telling ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski that he never felt that he was wanted. He certainly got that feeling from the Devils, who signed him to a seven-year, $63MM contract on the opening day of free agency and he has done well so far, collecting six points in eight games while averaging 21:59 per contest.
- Islanders winger Leo Komarov has yet to report to Bridgeport despite clearing waivers and being assigned more than two weeks ago, notes Newsday’s Andrew Gross. However, GM Lou Lamoriello indicated that the veteran is rehabbing a minor injury and will report soon once that has cleared. Players generally aren’t permitted to be waived when they’re injured although since Komarov is still collecting his full salary (without escrow now that he has been sent down), it shouldn’t be much of a concern for him.
Poll: Grading The Jack Eichel Trade
It was a saga that dragged on and on (and on) for months but on Thursday, Jack Eichel’s tenure in Buffalo officially came to an end as he was traded with a 2023 third-round pick to Vegas in exchange for winger Alex Tuch, center Peyton Krebs, a 2022 first-round pick, and a 2023 second-round pick.
The Golden Knights had long been speculated as a landing spot for Eichel. Their desire to add a number one center had been well-known and they’ve had a tendency to find ways to land impact players in the early years of the franchise including the acquisitions of wingers Mark Stone and Max Pacioretty plus the signing of Alex Pietrangelo in free agency. Now, they have a legitimate top middleman, or at least that’s the hope assuming all goes well with his upcoming surgery.
The fact that Vegas was able to land Eichel without giving up a player from their current roster is impressive but it also is going to create some other challenges down the road from a salary cap perspective. Eichel joins Pacioretty and Stone on LTIR which keeps them cap-compliant for the next few months at least. But when they’re all ready to return, they will be well over the Upper Limit and some other moves will need to be made. Even if one of them stays on LTIR for the rest of the regular season, there’s still 2022-23 and beyond to think about. They have $78.735MM committed to 11 players for 2022-23, per CapFriendly, with an expected Upper Limit of $82.5MM. It doesn’t take a mathematician to figure out that more subtraction needs to come.
Whatever those moves ultimately wind up being will ultimately have to be factored into the cost of this deal for Vegas. They’ve given up Krebs, Tuch, and the two picks so far but what will the other ramifications be?
Meanwhile, Buffalo’s cap situation was at the exact opposite end to the point where they had to take on Johnny Boychuk’s injured contract from the Islanders merely to get back to the salary floor. But they were able to move Eichel without taking significant salary commitments back which appeared to be a goal when they started down this path last season.
In Krebs, they hope to have another center to build around alongside Dylan Cozens; the two were both first-rounders back in 2019 (seventh overall for Cozens while Krebs went ten spots later). The center spot has been the weakness of their quickly-expanding prospect pool and this certainly helps on that front although as is the case with all prospects, things may not go as planned.
As for Tuch, the Sabres add a power forward that has long been perceived as someone that could have another level in him if he had the chance to play a bigger role. He’ll get that chance with Buffalo and with five years of team control at a reasonable $4.75MM AAV, Tuch will be another long-term building block.
To get two potential top-six pieces plus a pair of draft picks (one being a first-rounder) is by no means a bad return but when you look at Eichel’s track record and how he was supposed to be the focal point of Buffalo’s rebuild, it’s understandable if it feels a little underwhelming as well. The Sabres are certainly a victim of circumstances here with his neck injury but it’s at least in part by their own design with their unwillingness to allow Eichel’s desired surgery, thereby delaying his return. Accordingly, there will be a ‘What If?’ element to this trade that will go on for years to come.
It only seems fitting that following all of the uncertainty for months leading up to the eventual trade, there’s still an awful lot of uncertainty even after it was made. Who else will need to leave Vegas to make the money work and what could have been the return had Sabres GM Kevyn Adams perhaps done things differently?
Of course, we can’t evaluate those scenarios but we can evaluate the trade itself. How do you feel both teams made out in this swap? Vote in the polls below to award your grades.
Grade The Eichel Trade For Vegas:
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B 41% (888)
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A 30% (666)
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C 20% (446)
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D 4% (98)
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F 4% (92)
Total votes: 2,190
Grade The Eichel Trade For Buffalo:
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B 37% (797)
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C 24% (515)
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A 22% (477)
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D 11% (227)
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F 6% (122)
Total votes: 2,138
Pacific Notes: Athanasiou, Andersson, Eichel, Tkachuk
Kings winger Andreas Athanasiou is expected to be activated off injured reserve and make his season debut on Friday, notes Zach Dooley of LA Kings Insider. The 27-year-old suffered an undisclosed injury late in September and while it was hoped that he wouldn’t be out long, he hasn’t played since, missing the first ten games of the season in the process. Athanasiou had 10 goals and 13 assists in 47 games with Los Angeles in 2020-21.
Meanwhile, Dooley adds that center Lias Andersson has been ruled out of Saturday’s contest due to his groin injury. Head coach Todd McLellan indicated that the plan is to “see how he is as the week goes on”.
More from the Pacific Division:
- Golden Knights center Jack Eichel will have his disk replacement surgery next Friday in Denver, relays David Schoen of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. GM Kelly McCrimmon indicated yesterday that the hope is that the 25-year-old will be able to return three to five months after having the procedure. That would have Eichel returning sometime between February and April. While that is a bit of an extended timeline, the fact it hasn’t been performed on an NHL player before leads to some uncertainty.
- Flames winger Matthew Tkachuk has been fined $5K for his high sticking infraction on Stars defenseman John Klingberg on Thursday night, the league announced. The incident occurred in the third period of the game with a minor penalty being assessed on the play. The fine is the maximum allowable in the CBA.
Injury Updates: Malkin, Toews, Forsberg, Ellis
The injury and COVID-riddled Penguins have been without center Evgeni Malkin all season as he works his way back from offseason knee surgery. Speaking with Mike DeFabo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, GM Ron Hextall indicated that the 35-year-old has been skating basically daily and is on track in his recovery. However, despite that promising news, the team is unable to provide an update on how much longer Malkin will be out of the lineup. The original announcement was that he’d miss the first two months of the season at a minimum so an updated timeline may still be a couple of weeks away.
Other injury notes from around the NHL:
- Devon Toews could be making his return to Colorado’s lineup soon as Niki Ardebili of the Avalanche’s team site notes that the hope is that the blueliner will be activated and make his season debut on Saturday against Columbus. Toews averaged just shy of 25 minutes a game last season for the Avs and would be a timely addition to their back end with Cale Makar now on IR.
- The Predators have listed (Twitter link) winger Filip Forsberg as week-to-week with an upper-body injury. The veteran suffered the injury in the third period of Tuesday’s game versus Calgary. Forsberg is in the final year of his contract and is eligible for unrestricted free agency this coming summer so an extended absence certainly wouldn’t help his value. The 27-year-old was off to a nice start before the injury with seven points in nine games to start his season.
- Flyers defenseman Ryan Ellis has been ruled out of their next two games, relays Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia. Originally hoped to not miss any time, this will be the sixth and seventh games that the 30-year-old has missed as a result of his lower-body injury.
Salary Cap Deep Dive: Los Angeles Kings
Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM. Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.
PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading for the 2021-22 season and beyond. This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.
Los Angeles Kings
Current Cap Hit: $81,040,835 (under the $81.5MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
D Michael Anderson (one year, $925K)
D Tobias Bjornfot (two years, $894K)
F Arthur Kaliyev (three years, $894K)
F Rasmus Kupari (two years, $863K)
F Vladimir Tkachev (one year, $925K)
F Gabriel Vilardi (one year, $894K)
Potential Bonuses
Anderson: $850K
Bjornfot: $212.5K
Kaliyev: $62.5K
Kupari: $212.5K
Tkachev: $850K
Vilardi: $850K
Total: $3.0375MM
Tkachev was brought in over the offseason to give Los Angeles another offensive threat but he has been in and out of the lineup so far. If he can lock down a regular spot in the middle six, he’ll have a chance to hit some of his ‘A’ bonuses but will have to work his way back from the minors first. The 26-year-old has one RFA-eligible year remaining but a return to Russia may be the likelier scenario if he can’t make his way into the lineup on a regular basis.
The other three forwards are much younger and figure to be part of the long-term plans. Vilardi’s first ‘full’ NHL season in 2020-21 was a decent showing and he was able to stay healthy which was notable. Given his injury history, he’s a safe bet for a bridge deal next summer while he’ll need to work his way into the top six to have a shot at some of his bonuses. Kaliyev has managed to hold down a spot in the lineup in the early going but could be shuffled to AHL Ontario at some point as well. As this is only officially the first year of his deal, a lot can change in terms of what his next deal will be. Kupari was a first-rounder in 2018 but has only seen limited NHL action so far. It’s hard to see him playing enough to reach an ‘A’ bonus and as a role player over a core piece, a short-term second contract is likely.
The same can’t be said for Anderson. He has quickly played his way into a spot in their top four and even with him burning the first year of the contract in a one-game appearance, he should have enough of a track record to have a case for a medium-term deal. His limited production will keep the price tag down (though his role could allow him to reach some of his bonuses) but something in the $2.5MM to $3MM range is definitely doable. Bjornfot has seen a lot of action on the third pairing so far in his career but he’s only 20 so it’s not much of a concern from a development perspective. That said, it doesn’t help from a leverage perspective; he’ll need a big 2022-23 campaign to avoid a bridge contract.
One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level
F Andreas Athanasiou ($2.7MM, UFA)
F Dustin Brown ($5.875MM, UFA)
D Alexander Edler ($3.5MM, UFA)
F Carl Grundstrom ($725K, RFA)
F Adrian Kempe ($2MM, RFA)
F Brendan Lemieux ($1.55MM, RFA)
F Blake Lizotte ($800K, RFA)
D Olli Maatta ($3.333MM, UFA)*
* – Chicago is retaining another $750K of Maatta’s contract.
It’s interesting how the perception of Brown’s contract has changed. When it was signed, it seemed a little long but was market value for a power forward. Then his production dropped sharply and it looked like an anchor contract. However, over the past few years, he has rebounded to the point where the deal looks decent again. Turning 38 on Thursday, it’s quite unlikely Brown will come close to this on his next contract – if there is one – but all of a sudden, he has gone from someone that was a buyout candidate to someone that could stick around. In the meantime, if the Kings are out of playoff contention by the trade deadline, he’ll be an intriguing candidate to be moved and he only has limited trade protection.
Athanasiou’s value has been hard to peg down lately. Edmonton moved two second-rounders to get him, then the flat cap forced him to be non-tendered where he had to settle for $1.2MM last season before landing a big raise in his final arbitration-eligible year. There are flashes of the 30-goal upside he has shown before but he’ll need to do that consistently to fare better on the open market next summer. Kempe hasn’t been able to really build on his production from his entry-level deal; he’s an important middle-six piece but with his numbers being where they are, a longer-term pact next summer should be in the high-$3MM range. Lemieux hasn’t been able to move off the fourth line too often since joining the Kings last season which makes his $1.65MM qualifying offer plus arbitration rights a potential concern for next summer. Lizotte and Grundstrom have worked their way into regular roles which should give them a small raise but both should be around the $1MM range on their next contract.
Edler has been a nice complementary part of the back end in the early going this season and at 35, his days of logging heavy minutes are probably coming to an end. His age makes him a candidate to go year-to-year with the potential for bonuses. Another contract around this price point is certainly attainable. The same can’t be said for Maatta who, despite the injuries the Kings have had on the back end this season, can still barely crack their lineup. His stock has dropped sharply since he signed this deal coming off his entry-level contract and he’ll be looking at closer to the $1MM mark next summer unless he is able to play himself into a regular role.
Two Years Remaining
F Trevor Moore ($1.875MM, UFA)
F Austin Wagner ($1.133MM, RFA)
G Jonathan Quick ($5.8MM, UFA)
Moore earned this contract coming off a career-best year last season where he produced at a third-line level. That hasn’t been his role for most of his career and he’ll need to stay at that level if he wants to have a chance at a sizable raise on the open market. Wagner was signed to be an energetic role player after being a regular for most of last season but cleared waivers and is in the minors which doesn’t bode well for his future earnings.
Quick has been a fixture between the pipes for Los Angeles since 2008 but he has struggled considerably over the past few seasons relative to the level he played at in his prime. At this point, he’s more of a backup than a starter so the current value isn’t there. That said, this was a team-friendly contract at the beginning including when they won a Stanley Cup so it being an overmarket one now shouldn’t bother them much.
Three Years Remaining
F Viktor Arvidsson ($4.25MM, UFA)
F Anze Kopitar ($10MM, UFA)
D Matt Roy ($3.15MM, UFA)
D Sean Walker ($2.65MM, UFA)
Kopitar has only finished one season above the point per game mark but has been one of the top two-way centers in the league throughout his career and is quietly off to a strong start offensively this season with 13 points through his first nine games. Considering he’ll be 37 when his next contract starts, it’s unlikely his next contract will be at this price tag but if he’s still a top-six player by then, his drop in pay may not be too sharp. Arvidsson is coming off a couple of quieter years with Nashville but will have an opportunity to re-establish himself as a legitimate top-six winger with the Kings. So far, so good on that front and his ability to sustain that over the next three years will determine if he winds up with an extra million or two or having to settle for a bit less as a middle-six piece.
Roy is more of a complementary defender that has been in and out of the top four depending on matchups and injuries and while that isn’t the most exciting of profiles, it’s one that landed him this deal and should give him an opportunity to beat it slightly in 2024 if all goes well. Right-shot blueliners are hard to come by and teams will pay a small premium for them. Walker is in a similar situation – he produces a bit more than Roy but doesn’t play quite as much and as they’re very close in age (both are 26), his potential is somewhat similar in terms of earnings. If he can become a full-time top-four player though, his production could boost him a bit higher than Roy.
Minor Transactions: 11/03/21
As teams get further into their seasons, prospects who aren’t seeing a lot of action often become candidates to be sent down to the ECHL simply to get some playing time. A couple of those moves happened today and are listed in our rundown of recent minor moves.
- The Sabres won’t be bringing prospect Prokhor Poltapov to North America anytime soon. CSKA Moscow of the KHL announced that they’ve signed the 18-year-old to an extension that runs through the 2024-25 season. Poltapov was the first pick of the second round (33rd overall) back in July but Buffalo is going to be waiting a while to bring him over now. As he was drafted out of Russia, the Sabres will hold his rights indefinitely.
- The Bruins have loaned goaltender Callum Booth to Maine of the ECHL, per the AHL’s transactions log. Booth has made one appearance this season after just playing twice in 2020-21 which is hardly ideal for a prospect so going to a lower level to get some more regular action certainly makes sense from a development standpoint.
- Golden Knights prospect Connor Corcoran has been loaned to Fort Wayne of the ECHL, their farm team in Henderson announced (Twitter link). The 21-year-old defenseman is in his second professional year but, until now, has been on season-opening injured reserve for Vegas. As Corcoran didn’t spend any time in the NHL last season, there was no cap charge for his SOIR placement.