West Notes: Parayko, Ennis, Canucks
Blues defenseman Colton Parayko missed 21 games last season due to a lingering back issue which likely kept the price tag lower on the eight-year, $52MM extension he just signed. Speaking with reporters, including Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the veteran indicated that his back has fully recovered but the treatment to get to that point has been minimal. Instead of surgery or extensive rehab, Parayko has largely just rested to heal the injury, something that simply wasn’t an option during the season when he tried to play through it. Expectations will be much higher for him heading into this coming season with that extension now in place and with the back injury behind him, he should be able to have a bigger impact offensively after recording just 12 points in 32 contests.
More from the Western Conference:
- Veteran forward Tyler Ennis is among those still sitting in the UFA pool but Postmedia’s Jim Matheson reports that there are some teams that have shown tentative interest along the lines of circling back to him as a fallback plan. He lists the Canucks as one of the teams that may have shown interest so far. The 31-year-old had a limited role with Edmonton last season, notching just nine points in 30 games while being a regular scratch. Accordingly, he’s someone that may have to settle for a PTO at this point whether that’s with Vancouver or someone else.
- With one successful offer sheet now being completed, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman noted in the latest 31 Thoughts podcast (audio link) that the Canucks have been the team believed to be the most concerned about an offer sheet this summer. Of their two remaining RFAs, only center Elias Pettersson is eligible to receive one as defenseman Quinn Hughes falls under the 10.2c classification. Friedman adds that talks are expected to pick up with both unsigned players after there were basically no discussions for all of August.
Snapshots: Tkachuk, Stars, Garland
With Drake Batherson now signed, the Senators can squarely turn their focus to getting a new deal done with RFA winger Brady Tkachuk. Speaking with reporters, including Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch, GM Pierre Dorion declined to comment on the status of negotiations, only stating that “We’ve had productive, positive discussions with Brady’s camp” which would contrast a recent report from TSN1200’s Shawn Simpson who relayed (Twitter link) that there is some frustration setting in with Tkachuk’s camp.
The 21-year-old could be eyeing Andrei Svechnikov’s eight-year, $62MM deal with Carolina as a legitimate comparable contract which would make him Ottawa’s highest-paid forward but would still keep him below Thomas Chabot’s $8MM AAV for the highest-paid player on the team. As some of Ottawa’s top youngsters come up for new deals, trying to keep all of those below Chabot’s price tag would seem like a viable strategy for the Senators in an effort to keep their window for contention open as long as possible.
Elsewhere around the hockey world:
- Stars head coach Rick Bowness told Matthew DeFranks of the Dallas Morning News that forwards Tyler Seguin (hip and knee), Roope Hintz (groin), Alexander Radulov (core), and defenseman Joel Hanley (core) have all recovered from their respective injuries and surgeries and will be ready for training camp. Seguin, in particular, will be a welcome return as he was only able to suit up in three games last season, managing a pair of goals in those contests. They’re still not fully healthy, however, as there is plenty of uncertainty surrounding goalie Ben Bishop’s future which is why Braden Holtby was surprisingly signed in free agency this summer.
- While winger Conor Garland believed the Bruins might show interest in him, he told Matt Porter of the Boston Globe that his camp never heard from Boston when Arizona was shopping him around the league. The 25-year-old Scituate native had identified Boston, Toronto, and Los Angeles as potential fits but he wound up being moved to Vancouver instead where he quickly signed a five-year, $24.75MM contract. Garland wouldn’t rule out the idea of playing for his hometown team down the road but it won’t be happening anytime soon.
PHR Mailbag: Hughes Brothers, Lundqvist, Domi, Caufield, Kings, Predictions
Topics in this edition of the PHR Mailbag include reuniting the Hughes brothers, Henrik Lundqvist, Max Domi, Cole Caufield’s production, the Kings’ offseason, plus playoff and crystal ball predictions. If your question doesn’t appear here, check back in last weekend’s mailbag.
SpeakOfTheDevil: Do you see the Hughes brothers all playing together on the same team someday? What would it take for that to happen via trade?
I don’t see it happening and it comes down to money. Quinn Hughes is going to get very expensive very quickly. If Jack Hughes pans out as expected, he’ll be expensive a year from now. By the time Quinn becomes a free agent, Luke will be on his second contract which, you guessed it, could get expensive quickly if he puts up the points many think he will. Dougie Hamilton might still be on the books at $9MM by then (depending on how long Quinn’s second contract is – is it a bridge or does it walk him to UFA right away?).
That likely takes the easiest scenario off the table. Could Vancouver one day trade Quinn? Sure, anything is possible. But does New Jersey need a third puck-moving defender with Hamilton and Luke and again, can they even afford that on the cap? Probably not and even if they could afford it, would they be willing to pay an extremely high price tag (multiple top picks and players) to make a strong spot (puck-moving defender) even stronger? That’s probably not the best use of organizational resources even if it makes for a nice story.
I don’t see New Jersey moving Jack and Luke to Vancouver, not with the cap challenges the Canucks are heading towards. And all three winding up on an entirely different team is even harder to see happening.
Could it happen later in their careers when they’re not all on big-money contracts? That’s certainly a little more realistic but even then, the safe bet is to say it doesn’t happen outside of them playing some summer scrimmages in the offseason on the same team.
Eaton Harass: Is Lundqvist the best goalie to never win a Cup?
He’s definitely in that mix. He’s a sure-fire Hall of Famer but there are others that are in the Hall of Fame that have to be considered.
Tony Esposito played in a much different era so it’s hard to directly compare the numbers but he played on some very good Chicago teams that just couldn’t get over the hump, much like the Rangers. Roberto Luongo didn’t always have good teams in front of him but was one of the premier goalies of his generation, the same as Lundqvist. I’d put Lundqvist ahead of Curtis Joseph and Ron Hextall who should also get at least some consideration here as well.
I’d say Esposito and his slightly more decorated track record would get the edge here but it’s not really a competition to be the best of that group. Lundqvist was a high-end goalie that never won a Stanley Cup that will one day be in the Hall of Fame. I know lots of people like ‘Best of’ lists but I don’t think being ranked first, second, third, or tenth matters all that much.
@MarkPaleo: Is Max Domi a possible solution for the Bruins’ 2nd line center question?
In the short term, no. He’s going to miss at least the first six weeks or so of the season if not longer after undergoing shoulder surgery in early June. There’s also the $5.3MM AAV which is one they can’t really afford. Yes, he’s eligible for LTIR but there would be a cap crunch as soon as he was able to return.
But at the trade deadline? That could be a really interesting option. At that point, Domi will have come back and shown if he’s capable of still being a top-six piece (particularly at center, after spending time the last two years on the wing) and the money will be easier to fit in with how much time will have passed and Columbus likely being more willing to retain at that time. Boston has looked at reclamation rental projects in the past at the deadline in the hopes that a change of scenery gets them going and Domi would certainly fit that particular strategy. If they haven’t filled that spot by the deadline, he’d make some sense for them.
wu tang killa beez: What do you expect from Cole Caufield in Montreal in a full NHL season? Can he score 30 goals?
In a single season at some point in his career? 30 is more than doable; it’d be a bit surprising if he didn’t get to that milestone a few times at least. He’s undersized but it’s hard to teach the scoring touch that Caufield has and he certainly didn’t look out of place during Montreal’s playoff run.
Now, if you’re asking about next season, that’s a little less certain. Don’t get me wrong, he could get 30 in 2021-22 but I don’t know if I’d necessarily predict that. The Canadiens are a score-by-committee type of team and outside of a hot start last year, they don’t typically score a lot. They have some decent weapons on the wing with him, Brendan Gallagher, Mike Hoffman, and Tyler Toffoli and that might result in some flatter scoring numbers. All of those players could (and if healthy, probably should) pass the 20-goal mark but because of that depth, none might reach 30 next season.
Winter in Colorado: Do you think the veteran additions and developing prospects will be enough for the LA Kings to make the playoffs this season? Is 3rd in the relatively weak Pacific Division possible?
bigalval: Can the Kings make the playoffs this year the team looks a lot better and the kids are coming up.
There’s no denying that the Kings are much-improved after the additions of Phillip Danault, Viktor Arvidsson, and Alexander Edler. The depth is a lot better and some players who were in spots higher than they should have been will be pushed back down which, from a development standpoint, isn’t a bad thing either. There’s also no denying that the Pacific Division isn’t all that strong and it is definitely possible that these additions plus some internal improvement from their youngsters could be enough to get them over the hump and into that third seed. I wouldn’t be shocked if it happened.
That said, I’m not going to predict it’ll happen. Last month, I made my very quick predictions for the playoffs and the Kings weren’t in that group. I think Edler will help their back end but it’s still not a particularly strong group. I don’t have a lot of confidence that Calvin Petersen and Jonathan Quick can be a playoff-caliber goaltending tandem, especially with that back end not being an impactful one. They’ll score more but after being 27th in that department last season, that’s a low bar to clear. I could see the Kings being fourth or fifth in the division but if five teams from the Central make it (a definite possibility), that would have Los Angeles just on the outside looking in. Bright days are soon coming but I think that jump ahead is another year away.
Central Notes: Predators, Francouz, Rossi
After three straight early playoff exits, the Predators have embarked on somewhat of a reset this summer that saw long-term pieces Viktor Arvidsson and Ryan Ellis head elsewhere. Speaking with Gentry Estes of The Tennessean, GM David Poile indicated that he wants to avoid the dreaded middle and is okay with taking a step back to move out of that spot in the standings:
We’ve made the playoffs, which is a good thing, but we haven’t been able to win a playoff round. I’m proud of the fact that we’ve made the playoffs, but if that’s all we were being judged by, then all these moves that I made, I probably would not have made. Because we don’t want to be in this middle. We want to be better. When I say better or worse, I want to be better, but I understand the consequences of these trades.
While the Preds did re-sign Mikael Granlund, their other moves have certainly been made with an eye on getting younger and giving opportunities to some of their younger players, a strategy that will likely hurt them in the short term but help in the long run.
More from the Central:
- Avalanche goaltender Pavel Francouz has fully recovered from the lower-body injury that caused him to miss all of last season, reports Adrian Dater of Colorado Hockey Now (Twitter link). The 31-year-old has just one full NHL season under his belt but clearly, Colorado is comfortable with the expectation that he’ll be able to return at a similar level as 2019-20 as they didn’t add any extra depth between the pipes although they did re-sign Jonas Johansson who briefly served as their backup last season.
- Although Marco Rossi missed all of last season after being diagnosed with myocarditis following a bout with COVID-19, Wild GM Bill Guerin told Michael Russo of The Athletic in an interview on KFAN (audio link) that he’s not ruling out the possibility of the 19-year-old breaking camp with Minnesota this season. Rossi, the ninth-overall pick in 2020, suited up for Austria for their three games in the Olympic qualifiers last month, notching an assist.
Nathan Gerbe Out Four To Six Months After Hip Surgery
The Blue Jackets will be without one of their depth forwards as they head into training camp later this month as the team announced (Twitter link) that winger Nathan Gerbe has undergone successful hip surgery and will miss the next four to six months.
The 34-year-old has spent the last four seasons with Columbus, seeing NHL action in three of those years. Last season, Gerbe got into 13 games with Cleveland of the AHL, notching four goals and six assists. He also suited up nine times with the Blue Jackets, picking up a goal and two assists while also spending some time on the taxi squad. Over an 11-year career that also includes stints with Buffalo and Carolina, Gerbe has 151 career NHL points in 435 contests.
Gerbe was expected to battle for a spot at the end of the roster in training camp or serve as a veteran that could be recalled when injuries strike but that clearly isn’t in the cards now. Instead, he’ll be focusing on a midseason return and at that point, it’s likely he would be waived and returned to the Monsters. He will carry a partial salary cap charge while on season-opening injured reserve (a proration of his NHL time last season multiplied by his $750K NHL AAV) but with the Blue Jackets well under the Upper Limit, that won’t be a concern for them at all.
Salary Cap Deep Dive: Vegas Golden Knights
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.
Vegas Golden Knights
Current Cap Hit: $81,537,439 (over the $81.5MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
F Peyton Krebs ($863K through 2023-24)
Potential Bonuses: $412.5K
Krebs, a 2019 first-rounder, got a brief NHL look late last season and held his own. He may have to wait to get a look this coming season – there will be roster limitations again when everyone is healthy – but if their summer acquisitions to bolster their center depth don’t pan out as hoped, Krebs should get a legitimate opportunity soon after.
One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level
F Sven Baertschi ($750K, UFA)
D Jake Bischoff ($717K, UFA)
D Nicolas Hague ($792K, RFA)
F Brett Howden ($885K, RFA)
F Mattias Janmark ($2MM, UFA)
F Keegan Kolesar ($725K, RFA)
D Brayden McNabb ($2.5MM, UFA)
F Nicolas Roy ($750K, RFA)
F Reilly Smith ($5MM, UFA)
D Zach Whitecloud ($725K, RFA)
Smith has been a fixture in Vegas’ top six for the past four seasons but saw his production drop off considerably last season. His first three years provided good value for the Golden Knights but a similar showing in 2021-22 could result in his market value taking a dip. As it stands, they may have a hard time being able to retain Smith beyond this contract. Janmark was a surprise re-signing in that he was expected to get more elsewhere but instead, he opted to take a below-market deal to stay with Vegas. If Smith does leave, Janmark could be one of the beneficiaries with some of that money going to him for 2022-23 and beyond. Roy stepped into a bigger role last season and could double his current AAV next summer with a similar showing due to his arbitration rights while Howden, another center in that mix, will need to play closer to his first two seasons if he wants any kind of sizable raise. Kolesar and Baertschi are both low-cost roster pieces and Vegas will need to have a few of those beyond this season whether it’s them or someone else.
McNabb is the only defenseman remaining in Vegas that was directly selected in expansion (not a related side deal). He doesn’t put up the offensive numbers to command top dollar but solid stay-at-home blueliners have checked in over $3.5MM in recent years. That’s certainly achievable if he makes it to the open market. Hague had a nice first full NHL season on the third pairing but with their depth and cap situation, he’s probably in a similar role this coming season and looking at a cheap one-year deal next summer to preserve short-term flexibility. Whitecloud isn’t as established but unlike Hague, will at least have arbitration rights in the offseason to help him in negotiations where he could push to double his AAV. Bischoff is tied for the lowest AAV in the entire league which will have him in the mix at times as well.
Two Years Remaining
G Laurent Brossoit ($2.325MM, UFA)
F Evgenii Dadonov ($5MM, UFA)
F Max Pacioretty ($7MM, UFA)
Pacioretty eclipsed the point per game mark for the first time in his career last season while leading the Golden Knights in goals for the second straight season. As long as that’s happening, they’ll be happy with his contract. Dadonov was one of the more puzzling trades of the summer. Yes, he has helped on the power play in the past which is an area of concern but them using a big chunk of their cap space from the Marc-Andre Fleury trade on a winger who struggled last season is certainly a bit of a risk.
Brossoit has had two strong seasons out of the last three but in the middle was a particularly tough showing. In all three, playing time was limited; his career-high in games played in a single season is only 21. That led to him landing a cheaper deal than more proven backups which was necessary for cap reasons but this is going to put a lot more pressure on their starter in the process. If Brossoit picks up where he left off in Winnipeg and can play a few more games though, he’s still young enough (28) to land a bigger deal two years from now.
Three Years Remaining
F William Carrier ($1.4MM, UFA)
F Jonathan Marchessault ($5MM, UFA)
D Alec Martinez ($5.35MM, UFA)
F Chandler Stephenson ($2.75MM, UFA)
Marchessault has more than proven that his breakout year in Florida was no fluke as he has been a key piece of their attack for all four seasons. That price tag for someone playing at greater than a 50-point pace is a pretty good return. It’s not quite as good of one as having a top-six center making third line money which is what they have in Stephenson. Leaving Washington has allowed him to become a reliable two-way second liner and a core player for them in the process whose absence in the Stanley Cup Semifinal was felt. Carrier doesn’t produce a lot but is an effective role player with plenty of sandpaper and those are the fourth liners that often get paid in free agency. They could fill that spot with someone cheaper if they had to but Carrier brings an element few others up front do for Vegas.
Had he made it to the open market, Martinez would have been arguably the most sought after blueliner (knowing that Dougie Hamilton’s price inherently limited his legitimate suitors) but he opted to pass on the opportunity to command a bigger deal in both price and term to stick around with Vegas. He’s not a number one defender but slides nicely into a second or third role depending on his pairing and in either slot, he’s likely to provide strong value. Considering his next contract will come in his age-37 season, a dip in pay will be coming at that time.
Four Or More Years Remaining
F William Karlsson ($5.9MM through 2026-27)
G Robin Lehner ($5MM through 2024-25)
D Alex Pietrangelo ($8.8MM through 2026-27)
F Mark Stone ($9.5MM through 2026-27)
D Shea Theodore ($5.2MM through 2024-25)
F Alex Tuch ($4.75MM through 2025-26)
Stone has shown more of an offensive touch the last few seasons which, coupled with his elite defensive game, makes him one of the premier two-way forwards in the league. It’s hard to call a $9.5MM contract a bargain but for what he’s able to do, it’s certainly not an overpayment either. Karlsson hasn’t come close to matching his production from his first year with the Golden Knights but has been a quality top-six center since then and as contracts for that position continue to escalate quickly, having him locked in is a good thing. Tuch’s inconsistency has limited him to more of a secondary role throughout his career but the skill and size are there to make him a consistent impact player and if that happens, his deal will quickly become a bargain.
Pietrangelo came as advertised as a legitimate number one blueliner and now finds himself on a cheaper contract than others in that role have signed in recent months. It’s hard to find value in many high-priced deals but if the escalating salaries continue, that could very well happen. There is definitely value in Theodore’s contract as he has continually improved to the point where it could be argued that he is a number one in his own right (though Pietrangelo logs the most minutes). Having him signed for four more years making the type of money that some number three defenders get is a significant bargain.
Lehner was limited due to injury last season plus Fleury’s strong season but now he comes in as the undisputed starter and will be counted on to play a considerably heavier workload than he’s accustomed to. He has shown flashes of being a higher-end starter and if he can provide that for the Golden Knights, he’ll be another high-value contract on their books.
Buyouts
None
Retained Salary Transactions
None
Still To Sign
D Dylan Coghlan
F Nolan Patrick
Patrick was acquired in a swap of young underachieving centers with Cody Glass going the other way. He was able to return last season after missing all of 2019-20 due to the pandemic but struggled. That’s going to limit his earnings upside here and he’s likely only looking at a one-year deal once again. As for Coghlan, he held his own in a reserve role last season while getting into 29 games. That’s not enough for him to command much of a raise and the delay to this point may be more of trying to sort out the two-way portion of his next deal than haggling over NHL money.
Best Value: Theodore
Worst Value: Dadonov
Looking Ahead
Tuch’s LTIR placement to start the season will actually allow Vegas to afford to carry a full roster, meaning that they won’t need to be playing games below the maximum player lineup as they did on multiple occasions last season. But when Tuch comes back (and assuming no one else is on LTIR by then), the cap crunch will return where they will be basically limited to carrying a minimum-sized roster and be susceptible to day-to-day injuries that force them below 18 skaters on game day. GM Kelly McCrimmon is clearly comfortable with this situation as he opted to go this tight to the Upper Limit after seeing what happened last season and while that carries some risk, he has a pretty strong roster once again.
Beyond next season, it’s going to be more of the same for 2022-23. Yes, they have about $14MM coming off the books next summer but have half of a defense corps to re-sign plus a forward or two so that money will be spent quickly. Depending on what happens with Pacioretty and Dadonov, that could be an opportunity for Vegas to reshape their roster a little bit but even if they did that, they’d still be tight to the cap. Get used to that being the case for the Golden Knights as it’s not about to change anytime soon.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Oilers Notes: Yamamoto, Goaltending, Chaulk
While young wingers Joel Farabee and Drake Batherson inked six-year deals earlier this week, don’t expect a similar deal to be coming for Oilers winger Kailer Yamamoto. Postmedia’s Jim Matheson notes that even with that market shifting towards longer-term deals, a bridge contract is still all but a certainty for the 22-year-old who is coming off a quiet year with 21 points in 52 games after putting up just 26 in 27 contests the year before. Matheson suggests Nashville’s Luke Kunin (two years, $2.3MM AAV) as the type of comparable deal that Yamamoto’s camp could realistically try to work off of while the Oilers may be closer to Jesse Puljujarvi’s deal (two years, $1.175MM AAV) knowing that Yamamoto has limited leverage for this deal.
More from Edmonton:
- The Oilers carried three goalies down the stretch last season after having all sorts of challenges rostering netminders early on in the campaign but Daniel Nugent-Bowman relays (subscription link) that they won’t do the same in 2021-22, at least to start the year. With Mike Smith set as the starter, that puts Mikko Koskinen and Alex Stalock battling for the second position. Koskinen has the more recent NHL experience (Stalock didn’t play at all last year) but if their cap situation is tight coming out of training camp, having Stalock be the backup and burying Koskinen in the minors would give them an extra $340K in cap room.
- Edmonton’s AHL affiliate in Bakersfield has added to their coaching staff as the Oilers announced that Colin Chaulk will join the Condors as an assistant coach. Chaulk last worked in the AHL in 2019-20 as an assistant with AHL Belleville and also has seven seasons of ECHL coaching experience.
West Notes: Kaprizov, Forsberg, Hertl
Contract talks for the Wild and RFA winger Kirill Kaprizov hadn’t been going too well but it appears there could be a light at the end of the tunnel. In an appearance on KFAN (audio link), Michael Russo of The Athletic noted there is a belief that the two sides have basically settled on term with a five-year deal and a price tag somewhere around the $9MM mark. However, that shouldn’t be taken as a sign that an announcement is imminent as hammering out the year-to-year structure of the deal will still take some time. A five-year agreement would give Minnesota two extra years of team control; those two seasons at the end of the deal would be the ones where Kaprizov would be eligible for trade protection which undoubtedly will be part of the year-to-year structure discussions.
More from the Western Conference:
- The Predators and winger Filip Forsberg have not yet started discussions on a contract extension, reports Robby Stanley of ESPN 102.5 (Twitter link). The 27-year-old has spent his entire career with Nashville, suiting up in 497 games, many of which have been spent on their top line. Forsberg has a $6MM cap hit for next season, the final year of his contract and he will undoubtedly be looking for a nice raise to give up a shot at testing the open market next summer.
- The Sharks have a prominent pending unrestricted free agent in center Tomas Hertl and while some teams want to sign their top UFAs early, Kevin Kurz of The Athletic makes the case (subscription link) for both sides to wait it out. By waiting to see if San Jose is able to bounce back this season, GM Doug Wilson can hold off on deciding whether or not the 27-year-old will be his prize trade asset at the trade deadline while Hertl would get a better idea if San Jose is going to be heading for an extended rebuild which is something he may not want to sign up for. That route does carry some risk but given the uncertainty surrounding the Sharks right now, waiting may be a good idea here.
Snapshots: Dvorak, Laczynski, Capitals, Mittelstadt
The Canadiens are believed to have identified Coyotes center Christian Dvorak as their top trade target as they investigate their options following the Jesperi Kotkaniemi offer sheet, reports Sportsnet’s Eric Engels (audio link). The 25-year-old was the logical speculative target for Montreal in this scenario with Arizona believed to be willing to move him and Dvorak being signed for four more years at $4.45MM while plausibly slotting in on the second line in the role that Kotkaniemi was expected to fill. The asking price for Dvorak was believed to be high at the draft and with Montreal’s hand being forced here, it could even be higher now.
Elsewhere around the NHL:
- In a column he penned for the Flyers’ team site, Philadelphia center Tanner Laczynski indicated that he has resumed on-ice activities after undergoing hip surgery back in April. The 24-year-old was limited to just 19 games last season in his first professional campaign split between the Flyers (five games) and AHL Lehigh Valley (14 contests). With the additions of veterans Nate Thompson and Derick Brassard this summer, Laczynski may need to wait for injuries to strike before getting another NHL look next season.
- The left side of Washington’s back end has undergone some changes this summer with Brenden Dillon (trade) and Zdeno Chara (free agency) departing and no one from outside the organization being brought in. As a result, J.J. Regan of NBC Sports Washington highlights that spot as an area of concern for the Capitals heading into next season with veteran Michal Kempny (who missed all of last season due to injury) and prospect Martin Fehervary (who has just six career NHL games played) as the two lefties behind Dmitry Orlov with veteran Matt Irwin also in the mix. With minimal cap space and them needing to preserve what little they have for in-season recalls, it’s an area that the Caps may not be able to address before the start of the season.
- The Sabres have held recent discussions with RFA center Casey Mittelstadt, reports David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period (Twitter link). The 22-year-old had somewhat of a bounce-back season in 2020-21, recording 22 points in 41 games with Buffalo after spending more than half of the previous year in the minors in between struggling considerably with the big club.
Snapshots: Couturier, Oilers, Chechelev
The eight-year, $62MM contract extension that the Flyers and center Sean Couturier agreed on last week appeared to be a bit of a bargain considering what top pivots have been getting and the scarcity of impact centers hitting the open market. Speaking with reporters, including Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Couturier suggested that he left some money on the table, saying that he didn’t want to “break the bank”, calling it “another way to try to help the team”. Speculatively speaking, given that GM Chuck Fletcher called the 28-year-old their best player right now, it will be worth monitoring to see if they try to make Couturier’s contract the ceiling in terms of their contract hierarchy.
Elsewhere around the NHL:
- The Oilers are believed to be looking for a right-shot defenseman that could split time between the NHL and AHL, suggests Kurt Leavins of the Edmonton Journal. Edmonton has limited veteran depth when it comes to their minor league pool so having someone with some NHL experience that can play on the third pairing when needed while being able to clear waivers and worth with their prospects would certainly be beneficial. It’s getting close to the time where PTO agreements will start to be signed and it wouldn’t be surprising to see if this is how the Oilers try to fill this spot.
- Flames goaltending prospect Daniil Chechelev will play in North America this season, his agent Aljoša Pilko of CAA Hockey announced (Twitter link). The 20-year-old was a fourth-round pick of Calgary (96th overall) back in 2020 and split last season between the VHL and MHL, playing in 40 games in total. Calgary already has five goalies under contract for 2021-22 so Chechelev may be headed for the USHL as he was selected in the 15th round of their draft by Sioux City back in 2020. That would give him a chance to get acclimated to the smaller North American surface before possibly signing for 2022-23.