Predators Place David Rittich In COVID Protocol
The Predators will be without goaltender David Rittich for tonight’s game against Carolina as the team announced that they have placed him in COVID protocol. Connor Ingram has been recalled from AHL Milwaukee in his place.
Rittich is in his first season with Nashville and hasn’t yet made his regular season debut with the team, serving as the backup to Juuse Saros in their season-opening loss to Seattle. He had a 2.86 GAA along with a .901 SV% in 19 games last season between Calgary and Toronto which led the Preds to sign him to a one-year, $1.25MM contract this summer.
That meant that Ingram, who has been viewed at times as a possible backup of the future, would have to start in the minors again this season and he cleared waivers earlier this month. He was limited to just five AHL games last season after being in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program but before that, he was one of the top netminders in that league in 2017-18 and 2018-19 before being even better in AHL Milwaukee after being acquired, posting a 1.92 GAA with a .933 SV% in 33 games in 2019-20.
Central Notes: Bowness, Toews, Perron
Going into the final year of a contract as a coach is a scenario that a lot of teams like to try to avoid but that’s not the case with the Stars and bench boss Rick Bowness. Speaking with Matthew DeFranks of the Dallas Morning News regarding his expiring deal, Bowness stated “That doesn’t bother me one bit. Shouldn’t bother the players”. The 66-year-old also admitted to turning down three deals with more money and term before originally committing to Dallas so clearly, there is some comfort in going with short-term agreements. After a disappointing and injury-riddled season, many expect the Stars to bounce back this season which would bode well for his future behind the bench.
More from the Central Division:
- Avalanche defenseman Devon Toews is expected to travel with the team on their upcoming three-game road trip and could be cleared to play at some point in that stretch, reports Mike Chambers of the Denver Post. The 27-year-old was a significant addition to Colorado’s back end last season as he logged nearly 25 minutes a night while chipping in with 31 points, the most in his career. For the time being, Colorado is carrying a minimum-sized roster (though that could change by next week) so no roster move would be needed to activated Toews.
- In a recent reader chat, Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch suggested that he thinks Blues winger David Perron could take another team-friendly deal around the $4MM mark if he has a similar showing to last season. While he could likely garner more on the open market, the 33-year-old hasn’t hidden his desire to be in St. Louis, signing back there each time he has reached free agency. In order for him to remain there, Perron will need to take a below-market deal with St. Louis having over $72MM in commitments to just 14 players for next season, per CapFriendly, not leaving much wiggle room to fill out the rest of the roster.
Atlantic Notes: Weber, Murray, Tkachuk, Mrazek
The NHL has permitted the Canadiens to place defenseman Shea Weber on LTIR, reports Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic in the latest Insider Trading segment. Shortly following the playoffs, Montreal announced Weber would not play at all this season and may not play again but there were reports that the league wanted to take a closer look at his case since he was able to play for the entirety of the playoffs. To that end, Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly told LeBrun that “We are not currently challenging that Shea Weber satisfied the CBA requirements necessary to qualify for LTI”, allowing for the possibility for them to re-evaluate the situation later on. Montreal will need to make use of Weber’s LTIR assuming goaltender Carey Price returns at some point this season.
More from the Atlantic Division:
- Senators winger Brady Tkachuk has been ruled out of Saturday’s contest against Toronto, relays Postmedia’s Ken Warren. However, he’s expected to make his season debut either Sunday against Dallas or Thursday against San Jose. Tkachuk signed his seven-year deal yesterday and will need some time to get up to speed before suiting up.
- Still with Ottawa, the team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve moved goaltender Matt Murray to injured reserve retroactive to October 12th. He has been dealing with a non-COVID-related illness that caused him to miss the opener and now it will keep him out through the weekend at the very least. The retroactive placement makes him eligible to be activated for Thursday’s contest.
- Given the fact that groin injuries can be longer-term than expected, Chris Johnston of the Toronto Star suggested in a recent appearance on TSN 1050 (audio link) that it’s unlikely that Maple Leafs goaltender Petr Mrazek will return in the near future. He left Thursday’s game against Ottawa due to the injury. It sounds likely that a stint on IR is forthcoming which means they will need to call a goalie up from the minors, likely veteran Michael Hutchinson.
Minor Transactions: 10/15/21
With the AHL getting going this weekend, some players are signing contracts in the minors to make sure they have a spot to play. Here’s a rundown of some of those recent moves plus an update on a Colorado player currently overseas.
- The Rangers have inked veteran forward Pierre-Cedric Labrie to an AHL tryout. The 35-year-old is no stranger to the minors, playing in 629 games over parts of 13 seasons while recording over 1,100 penalty minutes. Labrie last saw NHL action with Tampa Bay back in 2013-14 and spent the last two seasons in Germany with Eisbaren Berlin.
- The Flames aren’t ready to send Ryan Francis back to junior yet as their affiliate in Stockton announced that they’ve inked the 19-year-old to a tryout agreement. Francis was Calgary’s fifth-round pick (143rd overall) in 2019 and had 50 points in 32 games last season in the QMJHL. As he turns 20 before December 31st, Francis is eligible to play in the AHL this season.
- Vladislav Kamenev is on the move in the KHL as CSKA Moscow announced they’ve signed the winger to a one-year deal. His rights continue to be held by the Avalanche as an unsigned restricted free agent as the 25-year-old last suited up in the NHL back in 2019-20. A strong showing in Moscow could get him back on the NHL radar if he wanted to try playing in North America again.
- Tobias Rieder’s previously-rumored deal in the SHL is now official, per an announcement from Vaxjo. The 31-year-old has inked a one-year deal with the Lakers after spending last season with Buffalo where he had five goals and two assists in 44 games.
Mark Jankowski Signs AHL Contract With Buffalo
If Mark Jankowski wants to make it back to the NHL, he’ll be going through the AHL to do it as Rochester, AHL affiliate of Buffalo, announced that they’ve inked the 27-year-old to a one-year contract.
Jankowski has not been able to live up to his first-round draft billing (21st overall in 2012) and has struggled the last few seasons. After being non-tendered by Calgary in 2020, the center quickly signed with Pittsburgh, inking a one-year deal for the league minimum. The move made plenty of sense on paper as a still relatively unproven player with a bit of upside hoping that a change of scenery would get him going.
However, that didn’t really happen. Jankowski managed just 11 points (4-7-11) in 45 games last season while playing almost exclusively on the fourth line. Even though his qualifying offer was only for the minimum this season ($750K), the Penguins opted to non-tender him again, avoiding arbitration in the process. Unable to secure a guaranteed deal, Jankowski signed a training camp tryout with New Jersey but wasn’t able to land a contract with them either.
Evidently, an NHL two-way offer wasn’t available either which has led Jankowski to the AHL and the Americans. It will be his first extended action in the minors since 2016-17 when he had 27 goals and 29 assists with Stockton. This will also be Jankowski’s first real opportunity to play an offensive role in the top six since that season as well and he’s clearly banking that a good showing with Rochester will bolster his shot at landing an NHL contract somewhere either later this season or next summer.
Islanders Agree To Terms On Eight-Year Extension With Ryan Pulock
The Islanders won’t be letting their top defenseman get to the UFA market next summer. Instead, they’ve agreed to terms with Ryan Pulock on an eight-year extension, reports TSN’s Darren Dreger (Twitter link). Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that the contract will carry an average annual value of $6.15MM, which will represent a small raise on his current $5MM AAV but a decrease on his current $6.66MM salary.
The 27-year-old, a first-round pick of the Isles back in 2013 (15th overall), has worked his way up from the third pairing at the start of his career to New York’s top blueliner. He has logged over 22 minutes per game in each of the last three seasons and while his offensive production dipped last year (17 points in 56 games), he had three straight seasons of more than 30 points before that. He isn’t a prototypical number one defender although had he gotten to free agency in July, he likely would have had a shot at landing considerably more on the open market considering some of the deals that were handed out to impact rearguards last offseason.
While Pulock didn’t land top money with this deal, he did get some trade protection at least as Dreger adds (Twitter link) that the deal contains a full no-trade clause in the first five years plus a limited no-trade clause in the final three seasons.
Between this contract and the eight-year pact handed out to his partner Adam Pelech back in August, GM Lou Lamoriello has locked up his top pairing for around $12MM per season. Given that they are built as a defense-first team, having that stability at the top of their back end will certainly help to extend their competitive window from a salary cap perspective, especially knowing that top center Mathew Barzal is heading for a significant contract in 2023 when his bridge deal comes to an end.
But that’s a concern for another day. Once this contract is officially finalized, the core of their back end will be secure and their top pending UFA won’t be getting the opportunity to test the market next summer. That’s a pretty good piece of business for Lamoriello and the Islanders.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Snapshots: Tkachuk, Sceviour, Kane, Blackwell
While there has been a suggestion in recent days that signing bonuses have been a big part of the holdup in contract talks for Senators RFA winger Brady Tkachuk, that isn’t the case, reports Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. The scribe suggests that at this point, the biggest holdup is term and total salary in each option. Ottawa’s known preference is a max-term eight-year deal while Tkachuk’s camp appears to be leaning towards preferring a bridge deal. With Ottawa’s regular season getting underway on Thursday, time is running out to have the 22-year-old in the lineup on opening night.
Elsewhere around the NHL:
- The Oilers are believed to have offered forward Colton Sceviour a two-way contract, suggests Postmedia’s Kurt Leavins. Sceviour attended camp with Edmonton on a PTO, getting into seven of eight games while collecting three assists. The 32-year-old had 10 points in 46 games with Pittsburgh last season and is believed to be weighing his other options at the moment before making a final decision on whether or not to accept their offer.
- The Sharks have released their season-opening roster and veteran winger Evander Kane is not on it. Instead, the team indicated that the 30-year-old is “is considered a non-roster player pending completion of the NHL’s investigation”. Kane did not participate in training camp and there is some hope that the investigation will wrap up over the next few days. Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News relays (Twitter link) that their cap situation as it pertains to Kane’s absence is still to be determined.
- Kraken forward Colin Blackwell is out indefinitely with a lower-body injury, notes Marisa Ingemi of the Seattle Times (Twitter link). The 28-year-old didn’t play at all in the preseason with the injury and it doesn’t appear as if he’s close to returning. That’s another regular player that will be missing on opening night on top of the five that are currently in COVID protocol.
Islanders Register Anatoly Golyshev’s Contract
The fact that Islanders winger Anatoly Golyshev participated in training camp and was cut today suggested that a contract had been agreed upon with the restricted free agent. CapFriendly reports (Twitter link) that the team has now registered the deal with the league and it’s a one-year, one-way pact worth $750K.
The 26-year-old was a fourth-round pick of the Isles back in 2016 (95th overall) but it took nearly five years for him to sign his entry-level deal. That happened back in March once his KHL season came to an end, permitting him to burn his one-year deal without even playing a single game on it. Last season, Golyshev had 12 goals and 15 assists with Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg of the KHL, his eighth season in that league. Overall, he has 208 points in 366 career AHL contests, a decent performance overall in a low-scoring league.
While Golyshev will be starting in the minors with AHL Bridgeport to kick off his North American playing career, it’s likely that he will see some action with New York at some point this season. With their salary cap situation, a contract for the league minimum will certainly help his chances of earning a recall.
Salary Cap Deep Dive: New Jersey Devils
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 into the 2021-22 season. 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.
New Jersey Devils
Current Cap Hit: $70,019,735 (under the $81.5MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
F Jesper Boqvist (one year, $925K)
F Jack Hughes (one year, $925K)
F Dawson Mercer (three years, $894K)
D Ty Smith (two years, $863K)
Potential Bonuses:
Hughes: $2.85MM
Mercer: $400K
Smith: $400K
Total: $3.65MM
Hughes showed some improvement in his second season but isn’t playing at the level that a recent first-overall selection is expected to. Many expect him to take a step forward this year but it’s fair to wonder if that will be enough to get him a long-term deal or whether he’d be better off with a bridge. Nico Hischier’s contract (more on that one later) would be the potential comparable but if Hughes thinks he can hit another level, his camp would be better off going for a short-term second contract. On the bonus front, the ‘A’ portions are certainly attainable ($850K in total) while the ‘B’ ones seem unrealistic for him to get to.
Boqvist, who was sent down to start the season, should earn a limited role before too long. As a result, a short-term second deal is likely. Mercer made the team out of camp but it’s too early to assess whether he’ll be able to hit some bonuses while forecasting his next contract before he plays a game isn’t really doable. There are other forwards (Tyce Thompson and Alexander Holtz) that could play their way onto the roster but they’re candidates to go back and forth which makes it unlikely their respective bonuses are hit.
Smith’s rookie season was an impressive one as he locked down a spot inside New Jersey’s top four on the back end while chipping in offensively. Lots can change over the next two years but assuming he progresses, he’s looking at a significant raise and could be a candidate for a long-term pact that buys out a few UFA years as well. His bonuses are certainly achievable as well.
One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level
F Jesper Bratt ($2.75MM, RFA)
D/F Mason Geertsen ($725K, UFA)
D Christian Jaros ($800K, UFA)
D P.K. Subban ($9MM, UFA)
F Miles Wood ($2.75MM, RFA)
F Pavel Zacha ($2.25MM, RFA)
Bratt hasn’t emerged as an impact scorer yet but the speedster has put up at least 30 points in each of his four NHL seasons, including the pandemic-shortened last two years. He eventually settled on a bridge deal just days before the regular season started although he’ll have arbitration eligibility and a $3.3MM qualifying offer (120% of the AAV) working in his favor this time around. He needs to establish himself as a bigger threat if he wants to land a considerably higher price tag than that. Wood is coming off a good season in the goal department with 17 in 55 games and has a $3.5MM qualifier coming his way. That’s on the high side for someone who hasn’t scored 20 yet but they have the wiggle room to afford that raise even if he remains more of a secondary piece. Zacha has slowly improved and quietly led the Devils in scoring last season. He has a $3MM qualifier on the horizon and while he’s basically locked in on the third line with their first-overall picks holding down the top two spots, he can still be an impact piece. A long-term deal in the $4MM range is a realistic scenario here if he’s around the 35-40-point mark again this season.
Subban is no longer the top-pairing player that he was when he signed this contract and durability has been a concern the last few years. He’s more of a role player and his next deal might not even be half of his current rate. He’ll be a candidate to be dealt between now and the trade deadline as long as New Jersey is willing to retain half of the price tag. Jaros is a depth piece, a placeholder for some of their prospects until one of them is ready to come in. Geertsen was a surprising waiver claim but with the role he’s likely to have, it’s unlikely he’ll garner much more than the minimum on his next contract.
Two Years Remaining
G Jonathan Bernier ($4.125MM, UFA)
G Mackenzie Blackwood ($2.8MM, RFA)
D Ryan Graves ($3.167MM, UFA)
F Andreas Johnsson ($3.4MM, UFA)
F Janne Kuokkanen ($1.85MM, RFA)
F Michael McLeod ($975K, RFA)
D Damon Severson ($4.167MM, UFA)
D Jonas Siegenthaler ($1.125MM, RFA)
F Yegor Sharangovich ($2MM, RFA)
F Tomas Tatar ($4.5MM, UFA)
Tatar was one of the more intriguing unrestricted free agents in the 2021 class. His production dipped a bit after two strong seasons with Montreal but what really worked against him was being a healthy scratch for most of their playoff run. That certainly hurt his value although he still managed to land a decent price tag, albeit not at the type of term he was hoping to command. If he can help elevate the production in the top six though, he’ll have a chance to land a similar contract two years from now. Johnsson was acquired as a cap dump from Toronto but didn’t come close to matching the production he had with the Maple Leafs. That contract will be difficult to move unless he rebounds.
Sharangovich had a nice rookie season buoyed by a good half-season in the KHL before the NHL season got underway. As long as he stays in their top six, he should be able to produce enough to warrant a raise on his $2.05MM qualifying offer while he’ll have arbitration rights at that time. Is he a long-term piece for them? They’ll find out over the next two years. Kuokkanen didn’t look out of place in a middle-six role last season, his first taste of regular NHL action. The price tag is a little high given his limited NHL experience but if he even stays on the third line, they’ll get a good return on it. His qualifier is at $1.95MM with arbitration rights in 2023. McLeod, a 2016 first-rounder, has had a slower development path but is now waiver-eligible, helping him secure a spot. He’ll have time to establish himself as a legitimate full-time NHL player and will need to do so if he wants to get more than his $1MM qualifier.
Severson has been miscast in a top-pairing role over the last few years so it will be interesting to see how he fares on the second pairing which is where he’s more suited to be. His contract has been a bargain considering the role and ice time he has played but now in a more optimal spot on the depth chart, he could stand out a bit more which would certainly improve his fortunes heading into free agency in 2023 where he’s already looking at a raise. Graves joins New Jersey after Colorado decided they needed to move him out for expansion considerations and he should add a stabilizing presence on the back end. If he holds down a spot in their top four as expected, he should be looking at a small raise at a minimum on his next deal. Siegenthaler hasn’t had an extended NHL look but should get one over the next couple of years. If he’s more of a depth player than an impact one, he shouldn’t get much more than this on his next contract.
Last season was a tough one for Blackwood as he was thrust into the undisputed starting role with Corey Crawford retiring at the beginning of training camp. A bout with COVID-19 didn’t help things as he struggled upon his return. He is viewed as their long-term starter but has some work to do to earn the big money contract that number one netminders get. Bernier was brought in this summer in the role that Crawford was supposed to fill – serve as a mentor to Blackwood while pushing for playing time. It’s an above-market contract for that role but they have more than enough cap room to pay the extra cost to get the player that the wanted.
Three Years Remaining
No players have expiring contracts following the 2023-24 season.
Metropolitan Notes: Penguins, Trocheck, Backstrom, Rangers
The Penguins had close to a full group at practice today with winger Jake Guentzel returning from COVID-19 protocol while center Sidney Crosby participated once again. However, head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters, including Mike DeFabo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, that those two as well as winger Zach Aston-Reese, have all been ruled out for tomorrow’s season-opener. However, Guentzel is a possibility to play on Thursday night while Crosby is unlikely to play on their road trip. An IR placement for him appears likely which could open up a roster spot for the expected signing of veteran Brian Boyle.
More from the Metropolitan:
- While Carolina placed center Vincent Trocheck on IR over the weekend, Walt Ruff of the Hurricanes’ team site notes (Twitter link) that the team remains optimistic that he will be available for their season-opener against the Islanders on Thursday. Trocheck had 43 points in 47 games last season while primarily playing on Carolina’s second line, a role he’s likely to reprise in 2021-22.
- Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom has been making progress as he works his way back from a hip injury but the team announced (Twitter link) that the veteran has been designated as injured/non-roster on their season-opening roster. Head coach Peter Laviolette told reporters, including NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti (Twitter link) that the 33-year-old has to start skating. As a result, it appears it will be a little while longer before Washington’s top pivot is in the lineup.
- While the Rangers were expected to name a captain before the season started, that is not the case. Instead, the team revealed (Twitter link) that they have named six alternates – defenseman Jacob Trouba plus forwards Barclay Goodrow, Chris Kreider, Artemi Panarin, Ryan Strome, and Mika Zibanejad.