Charlie Coyle Undergoes Two Knee Surgeries
Bruins center Charlie Coyle had a quiet 2020-21 campaign but it appears he was playing through a knee issue for at least a portion of the season as Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic relays (subscription link) that the 29-year-old recently underwent a pair of knee surgeries to repair an avulsion fracture and a torn patellar tendon.
Coyle notched just 16 points in 51 games which is hardly the return he or the team were expecting in the first year of a six-year, $31.5MM contract. Things weren’t much better in the playoffs either as he managed just two goals and a single helper in 11 games. While it’s known exactly when the knee issues were sustained, it’s clear that it was hindering him for a significant chunk of the season.
The good news for Boston is that Coyle is expected to be ready for training camp in September. With David Krejci’s future with the team uncertain – he becomes an unrestricted free agent later this month with no decision yet made on his playing future – Coyle could be called upon to take a bigger role and could slide into the second center slot behind Patrice Bergeron. If Krejci returns, Coyle will remain their third-line pivot but will undoubtedly be counted on for a bounce-back season offensively in 2021-22.
Free Agent Focus: Minnesota Wild
Free agency is now just under a month away and many teams are already looking ahead to when it opens up. There will be several prominent players set to hit the open market in late July while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign as well. Minnesota has been busy in recent days with some re-signings but still has two impact RFAs and several veteran UFAs in need of new contracts.
Key Restricted Free Agents
F Kirill Kaprizov – Technically speaking, Kaprizov doesn’t even qualify for restricted free agency as he doesn’t have enough service time to qualify to be tendered an offer sheet but he needs a new deal nevertheless. Minnesota is believed to have already made a long-term offer to the 24-year-old but such a contract doesn’t appear to be to Kaprizov’s liking. Something shorter-term that sets him up for a new deal in a more favorable cap environment while being in the prime of his career would be preferable on his part though not for the Wild. With Kaprizov not having arbitration rights either, his leverage is limited to stalling in the hopes of getting a better offer from Minnesota so this is a deal that could be slow-played longer into the summer. Regardless of how long it takes, he will make substantially more than the $925K base salary (which includes the signing bonus) he made on his entry-level deal this season.
F Kevin Fiala – Despite the last two seasons being shortened by the pandemic, the winger has reached the 20-goal mark each time for only the second and third time of his career. Fiala has settled in nicely with the Wild after being acquired back at the 2019 trade deadline in exchange for Mikael Granlund. The 24-year-old has arbitration eligibility for the first time and is two years away from reaching unrestricted free agency. If a long-term deal is worked out that buys out some of those UFA-eligible years, Fiala may have a shot at doubling the $3MM AAV he had on his bridge contract. Worth noting, his qualifying offer stands a little higher than that at $3.5MM.
Other RFAs: F Will Bitten, F Brandon Duhaime, F Mason Shaw
Key Unrestricted Free Agents
F Nick Bonino – Statistically speaking, Bonino had a similar season on a points per game basis compared to his time with Nashville (who traded him to Minnesota last fall). At this stage of his career, he’s best served as a third-line center and as someone who is routinely above average at the faceoff dot, he should have considerable interest on the open market. However, spending on the bottom six dried up last summer and with the cap staying flat, that’s likely to continue this summer. Accordingly, it would be surprising to see the 33-year-old match the $4.1MM AAV he got from the Predators in his last trip to free agency back in 2017.
F Marcus Johansson – Last season didn’t go well for Johansson as he managed just six goals and eight assists in 36 games. However, he had two straight 30-point seasons before that and going back to his time in Washington, he had five seasons of 44 or more points. There’s a track record of offensive success in the right environment. He was patient two years ago and landed a two-year, $9MM contract from Buffalo but he won’t have a shot at that this time around. However, he’s an intriguing middle-six option out there, especially if he’s open to a one-year contract to try to boost his value and show he has something left in the tank.
D Ian Cole – The veteran was acquired early in the season to stabilize their third pairing and he did just that, logging nearly 16 minutes a night over 52 games while providing plenty of physicality. Cole should have a decent-sized market this summer but it will be in that limited capacity, not as a top-four player which is how he was able to sell himself three years ago in free agency when he managed to land a $4.25MM price tag. Half of that may be the ceiling this time around.
Other UFAs: D Matt Bartkowski, D Louis Belpedio, F Joseph Cramarossa, F Gabriel Dumont, G Andrew Hammond, D Brad Hunt, F Luke Johnson, D Ian McCoshen, D Dakota Mermis, F Kyle Rau
Projected Cap Space
Minnesota finds themselves with just under $16MM in cap space which may sound like a lot at first but a significant chunk of that will need to be allocated to Kaprizov and Fiala. By the time they fill out their roster with some depth players, that will basically be it for summer spending. As a result, if GM Bill Guerin wants to add a significant piece to his roster, that will likely have to come via the trade route. If that doesn’t happen, it could be a relatively quiet summer for the Wild.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.
Offseason Checklist: Toronto Maple Leafs
The offseason is in full flight with only two teams still standing. We continue our series which examines what those eliminated teams need to accomplish over the coming months. Next up is a look at Toronto.
Things didn’t quite go according to plan for the Maple Leafs this season. Yes, they won the North Division as expected but it didn’t result in much playoff success. Instead, they were ousted in the opening round once again, this time by Montreal. GM Kyle Dubas indicated after the season that he doesn’t intend to move any of his four highly-paid forwards so they will be looking to make smaller moves to try to upgrade this summer. Here is what they should be working on this offseason.
Add A New Assistant Coach
Seattle’s decision to hire Dave Hakstol as their first head coach caught many by surprise but it also created a vacancy on Toronto’s bench that will need to be filled. With head coach Sheldon Keefe still relatively inexperienced at the NHL level and Manny Malhotra not having any head coaching experience, bringing in a replacement who has been an NHL head coach would be a nice addition to the bench although Paul MacLean is also on the staff and could be elevated to a larger role. Bruce Boudreau was speculated as a possible addition last offseason and could make sense this summer as well.
Re-Sign Or Replace Hyman
Zach Hyman has worked his way up Toronto’s depth chart from a depth piece at the start to a key member of their top six and had a strong season offensively with 15 goals and 18 assists in 43 games. Of course, offense is only a piece of what he brings to the table as he’s an effective checker and a strong complementary piece on the top line. This has him well-positioned to land a significant contract in free agency later this month, even with a flat salary cap in a free agent environment that wasn’t kind to most wingers back in the fall.
But is that a contract they will be able to afford? They have over $70MM in commitments for next season already to 16 players and another high-priced deal would force them into even more low-cost depth pickups to stay cap compliant while filling out the roster. On the other hand, can they afford to lose him? Yes, he’s a complementary player on their number one line but he has logged more than 19 minutes a game the last two years while leading the way in penalty kill ice time among forwards as well. If he goes elsewhere, it’d be a big loss.
But if he winds up outpricing himself from what Toronto can realistically afford, Hyman’s departure would allow them to shop in the free agent market for a replacement. They’ve been linked to Nashville’s Mikael Granlund before and someone in his projected price range is what the Maple Leafs can more realistically afford while filling out the rest of their roster. Their preference would undoubtedly be to keep Hyman but if that doesn’t happen (and at this point, it sure sounds like the asking price is too high for their liking), the ability to dangle a spot alongside Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner could make them a team to watch for in free agency.
Rielly Extension Talks
Morgan Rielly has been a fixture on Toronto’s back end for the last eight years, often being their number one option over the last several seasons. His current contract – one that carries an AAV of $5MM – has turned into quite a bargain along the way. However, that deal is up a year from now which means that the 27-year-old is eligible to sign a contract extension as soon as the calendar flips to the 2021-22 league year on July 28th.
It’s safe to say that he will be landing a sizable raise and could push past the $7MM mark as long as he has a strong final year on his contract. If he gets to the open market, he’ll be one of the more sought-after players in the 2022 free agent class. And with over $57MM in commitments to just nine players for 2022-23 (which doesn’t factor in a new deal for Hyman or a replacement), there will come a time where they won’t be able to keep all of their core players.
But James Mirtle of The Athletic recently reported (subscription link) that Rielly is willing to take a discount to remain with the Maple Leafs. If that’s the case, Dubas would be wise to try to get a new deal for Rielly done this summer, giving them some extra certainty in terms of what their cap picture looks like for 2022 and beyond. If the framework of an extension was in place before free agency started, it’d give them some better clarity on what they can afford long-term on a Hyman re-signing or replacement as well as one other need that will have to be filled.
Platoon Partner For Campbell
That need is finding a second goaltender to team up with Jack Campbell next season. Frederik Andersen is set to become an unrestricted free agent and while he has expressed an interest in returning, he’d also like to have chance at being a starter again. That probably won’t come with Toronto with the way that Campbell played down the stretch and in the playoffs.
Campbell may not be the undisputed starter but he could very well be on the stronger side of the platoon which would be a good situation for him as he heads into the final year of his contract before being eligible for unrestricted free agency for the first time.
The good news for the Maple Leafs is that there are several goalies who fit as possible platoon partners. The bad news is that those netminders still carry a notable price tag with deals for them in recent years hovering in the $3MM range. They have the room to afford that for next season but it will undoubtedly cut into what they can afford in Hyman’s slot.
If there’s an opportunity to do what they did when they acquired Campbell and bring in a lower-cost netminder with team control beyond next season, that may very well be the more desirable route even though it would cost them an asset or two versus free agency where it’s just money. That would give them more flexibility on the cap and some certainty with Campbell’s deal being up next summer barring an extension over the summer.
Either way, through trade or a free agent signing, Toronto will need to add another goaltender over the next few weeks.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.
Snapshots: Menell, Keith, Eklund, Finkelstein
While Minnesota has been active in re-signing players in recent days with new deals for centers Joel Eriksson Ek and Nick Bjugstad, they also are in discussions on a new contract for defenseman Brennan Menell, reports Michael Russo of The Athletic (subscription link). Talks have picked up in recent weeks with a formal offer on the horizon. The 24-year-old is believed to be seeking a one-way contract to return from the KHL and put up the numbers to justify such an offer as he was second in the league in points by a blueliner this season, notching 38 points in 47 games.
Elsewhere around the hockey world:
- As part of his efforts to be traded to a place closer to his son, Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith has changed agents and is now represented by Gerry Johannson of The Sports Corporation, notes Postmedia’s Jim Matheson. He had previously been repped by RWG’s Ross Gurney. Johannson happens to be based out of Edmonton which Matheson believes could help the veteran eventually wind up with the Oilers although due to expansion, such a move wouldn’t come until after Seattle picks their team.
- Draft prospect William Eklund intends on remaining in Sweden next season before coming to the NHL, relays Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News (Twitter link). The 18-year-old is a consensus top-ten pick and accordingly, his entry-level contract would supersede the final year on his deal with Djurgarden but instead, he’ll stay with them and try to build on a 23-point season, impressive numbers for someone that can still be in their junior system for two more years.
- The Maple Leafs have added some defensive depth as their farm team announced the signing of blueliner Ben Finkelstein to a one-year, minor-league deal. The 23-year-old was a seventh-round pick of Florida back in 2016 but didn’t sign in 2020 after wrapping up his college career. Finkelstein spent this season with Greenville of the ECHL, averaging nearly a point per game with 11 goals and 21 assists in 35 games.
Five Key Stories: 6/28/21 – 7/4/21
The first week of July is usually a busy one around the NHL but despite free agency not opening up late in the month, there was still plenty of activity around the league. The biggest news is highlighted in our key stories.
Coaching Carousel Ends: The final two head coaching vacancies have been filled. One of them saw no change at all made as the Sabres removed the interim tag from Don Granato, signing him to a three-year deal as their head coach. Granato took over during the season when Ralph Krueger was let go and led Buffalo to a 9-16-3 record but the team did make some improvements down the stretch. Meanwhile, Arizona found their new bench boss with the hiring of Andre Tourigny who also received a three-year deal. This will be Tourigny’s first time as an NHL head coach although he has NHL experience as an assistant with Colorado and Ottawa. This season, he was supposed to be the head coach for OHL Ottawa but that league never played. He did, however, coach Canada at the World Juniors and served as an assistant at the World Championships in the spring.
One Veteran Set To Return, Another Set To Leave? The Blackhawks got some good news when team captain Jonathan Toews announced that he has resumed skating in preparation for returning next season. The center missed all of 2020-21 with what he revealed to be Chronic Immune Response Syndrome and assuming he is able to return, he will give Chicago a huge boost down the middle. However, while it appears he’ll be back, one of his long-time teammates will be on the move as it was revealed that the Blackhawks and Duncan Keith are working together on a trade that would see the veteran go to either Western Canada or the Pacific Northwest to allow him to be closer to his son. Keith has been a fixture in Chicago’s lineup for 16 seasons, helping lead the Blackhawks to three Stanley Cups along the way.
Nugent-Hopkins Sticks Around: One of the top forwards in the upcoming UFA class is off the market before he had an opportunity to even get there as the Oilers and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins agreed to an eight-year, $41MM contract. The contract actually represents a small decrease in his cost as his previous AAV was $6MM but in return for that dip, he gets a max-term contract and a no-move clause. The 28-year-old was the first overall pick back in 2011 and has been a fixture in Edmonton’s lineup ever since, notching 478 points in 656 games. He sits 381 games behind Kevin Lowe for the franchise lead in that department and if he stays with the team for the duration of the deal, he should be able to set the new record. Nugent-Hopkins has been a center for most of his career although he has primarily played on the wing in recent years in an effort to give him a bigger offensive role and load up their top six. That positional flexibility is certain to come in handy over the next eight years.
Kings Add A Veteran: After the season ended, some of the Kings’ veteran core called for some win-now additions to try to get them back into playoff contention while taking advantage of some of their good youngsters being on team-friendly contracts. GM Rob Blake did just that with the acquisition of winger Viktor Arvidsson from Nashville in exchange for a 2021 second-round pick and a 2022 third-round selection. The 28-year-old is coming off a pair of down seasons offensively but before that, he had three straight years with 29 or more goals and should give Los Angeles a much-needed boost in their top six. Meanwhile, Nashville adds some salary cap flexibility and gets something for a player who GM David Poile acknowledged would have been left unprotected in expansion had they not found a taker for Arvidsson.
One Down, Two To Go: Minnesota took care of one of their prominent restricted free agents with the signing of center Joel Eriksson Ek to an eight-year, $42MM contract. The 24-year-old had a career year offensively this season with 19 goals and 30 points in 56 games while playing his usual sound defensive game as well. The $5.25MM AAV may seem a little high but the deal buys out six years of UFA eligibility and guarantees that the Wild have an impact center for the foreseeable future. Now, GM Bill Guerin will turn his focus to wingers Kirill Kaprizov and Kevin Fiala, a pair of players that are also in line for notable raises.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Snapshots: Avalanche Free Agents, Blue Jackets, Golden Knights
The Avalanche haven’t gotten into substantive contract discussions with pending UFAs Gabriel Landeskog and Philipp Grubauer, reports Peter Baugh of The Athletic (subscription link). Landeskog, Colorado’s captain, has spent the last ten years with the Avs and will be hitting the open market for the first time. He’s believed to be seeking a long-term contract and an eight-year pact would basically lock him up for the rest of his career. However, they have to be mindful of the fact that Nathan MacKinnon is two years away from needing a substantial raise and Cale Makar will get one this summer as a restricted free agent. If Landeskog wants top dollar, they may not be able to afford it.
As for Grubauer, he could have a shot at doubling the $3.33MM AAV he had on his last contract which could also price him out of what the Avalanche can afford. But they also can’t afford to go into next season with Pavel Francouz – who didn’t play at all in 2020-21 – as the number one. Whether it’s Grubauer or someone else, they’ll need to set aside some money for goaltending.
Elsewhere around the league:
- The Blue Jackets are looking into adding an advisor to their coaching staff, relays Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (subscription link). No one on their staff has ever served as a head coach at the NHL level so bringing in someone in a mentorship type of role would make sense. Portzline suggests veteran bench boss Jacques Martin could be a viable candidate for such a position and that the 68-year-old is interested in a position like that.
- What do the Golden Knights need to add this offseason? Team owner Bill Foley told David Schoen of the Las Vegas Review-Journal that power play help will be a priority this summer. They were held without a power play goal in 15 opportunities in their semifinal loss to Montreal which contributed to a 9.5% success rate in the playoffs, the lowest among all postseason teams. Even during the regular season, they were below the league average with the man advantage. While Vegas has built impressive depth up front, bringing in someone to help boost their power play would certainly give them a big lift offensively.
Offseason Checklist: Minnesota Wild
The offseason is in full flight with only two teams still standing. We continue our series which examines what those eliminated teams need to accomplish over the coming months. Next up is a look at Minnesota.
Back in 2019-20, Minnesota went on a late run under then-interim head coach Dean Evason to help secure them a spot in the expanded playoffs. They went a step further this year, finishing a solid third in the West Division and gave Vegas a good run in the first round, ultimately falling in seven games. GM Bill Guerin has a decent core to work with but a few things need to be addressed for them to try to move up in the Western Conference next season.
Resolve The Parise Situation
One of the key storylines for them down the stretch was the usage of veteran winger Zach Parise. More specifically, the storyline was that he was a frequent healthy scratch. Through last season, the 36-year-old was still putting up numbers worthy of a spot on Minnesota’s second line and while his contract was an overpayment, he was still one of their stronger contributors.
That changed in 2020-21. Under Evason, Parise’s role and ice time steadily dropped to the point where he was seeing fourth line ice time late in the year when he was in the lineup. That was a tough pill to swallow for someone who has been a fixture in their lineup for nearly a decade.
There are still four years remaining on his contract with an AAV of just over $7.5MM. If he has indeed fallen that far down the depth chart, him spending the next four years as the designated scratch or a fourth liner isn’t a viable solution. Finding another spot for him would be beneficial for both teams but it’s not as simple as simply buying him out. The front-loaded nature of the contract makes a buyout quite punitive to the point where the post-buyout AAV in some of the years is just under $7.5MM.
Accordingly, this will need to be a trade if they want to move him. While Parise does have a no-move clause, it wouldn’t be surprising if he was willing to waive it to get an opportunity for some playing time. While there aren’t going to be teams wanting to absorb the contract outright, there should be some swaps of bad contracts this summer and there may be a fit there. Failing that, a lower-budget team might be okay with taking on the lower-priced years of the deal with the right incentive(s) attached.
Of course, there is another element that has to be considered that isn’t in effect for most other bad contracts and that’s salary cap recapture. Parise – along with teammate Ryan Suter – are on now-illegal deals with how much money was paid out up front. There’s a significant penalty if Parise retires early and if he’s not on the roster, there isn’t the ability to figure out some sort of injury to put him on LTIR and convince him to not file his papers.
It’s not going to be an easy fix and there are problems with pretty much every scenario. Either Parise needs to accept his reduced role or Guerin will need to be very careful in finding a new home for him, ideally with a side agreement that says Parise plays out his contract somewhere else. Usually, managing a situation with an overpaid veteran isn’t overly difficult but it could be here as a result.
Re-Sign Key RFAs
Guerin has already taken care of one key restricted free agent with the recent eight-year, $42MM extension that was given to center Joel Eriksson Ek. However, there are still two more to go.
Kirill Kaprizov sits on top of this list; after a year and a half off from the seemingly annual debate on will he or won’t he sign that went on for years, Kaprizov’s contract situation is once again at the forefront. This isn’t a case of Minnesota not wanting to pay up or Kaprizov looking to go back home as recent suggestions to that effect feel like more of a tactic than a real option. The Wild want to work out a max-term contract that will lock up the 24-year-old through the prime of his career. However, this isn’t a great financial climate for Kaprizov to agree to such an arrangement. Accordingly, he wants something shorter term that will allow him to cash in once the salary cap goes up. He is three years away from UFA eligibility and merely handing him a two-year bridge deal would easily open up the door for him to elect arbitration after that and walk to free agency at 27. That’s not something Minnesota wants to do. Finding a compromise that both sides are content with will be difficult which is why these talks could drag out for a while.
Another winger is also in need of a new deal in Kevin Fiala. His two full seasons with the Wild have yielded his best two statistical years in terms of goals, assists, and points per game which has him in great shape heading into his first time with arbitration eligibility. He’s only two years away from hitting the open market so there is a risk in a short-term deal here as well. Unfortunately, they only have $16MM in cap space so signing Fiala and Kaprizov to contracts that buy out some UFA years will be difficult. Even if it’s a short-term contract, Fiala will be earning a significant raise on the $3MM AAV he had on his most recent contract.
Add Center Help
Yes, this perpetual need still exists. Guerin is undoubtedly thrilled that Eriksson Ek has emerged as a legitimate top-six center which gives them one to work; that’s better than what it had been before. But there is still a lot of work to be done at this position.
Last offseason, Minnesota brought in three players to try to help down the middle in Nick Bonino, Nick Bjugstad, and Marcus Johansson. None of them really panned out. Bonino is better served as a bottom-six option, Bjugstad was only able to hold down a limited role, and Johansson wound up moving back to the wing and still managed only 14 points in 36 games. All are set to hit the open market so there will be plenty of work to do again as those players move on.
Victor Rask had a bounce-back season but is still overpaid at $4MM and could be a buyout candidate but if he comes back, he can probably handle the fourth line. Ryan Hartman spent some time down the middle but could be a stopgap option. But neither of these will fill the vacancy in the top six. Whether it’s another short-term fix or finding a way to move out salary to add a longer-term piece, at least one impact addition needs to be made at center.
Don’t Lose Dumba For Nothing
Another seemingly annual tradition as of late has been the trade speculation surrounding defenseman Mathew Dumba. He hasn’t hidden his desire to stay with the Wild but with Suter, Jared Spurgeon, and Jonas Brodin all locked up long-term and holding no-move clauses, it continues to be Dumba that’s viewed as the potential odd man out.
That speculation will pick up in recent weeks due to expansion. Those same no-move clauses lock in the three blueliners that Minnesota will protect from Seattle and they’re not in a spot where they can only protect four forwards to free up an extra spot for a defenseman. That makes Dumba the one in jeopardy of being selected – he’d be the obvious pick if it came to that – and losing him for nothing to the Kraken is far from ideal.
Perhaps he can be dangled to add help down the middle. Maybe it’s a side deal worked out with Seattle GM Ron Francis to pick someone else with Guerin sending an incentive to the Kraken to stay away from Dumba though that would need to be something of significance. Either way, while Dumba may not be a luxury they can afford anymore, they certainly can’t afford to lose him for nothing.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.
Free Agent Focus: Edmonton Oilers
Free agency is now just under a month away and many teams are already looking ahead to when it opens up. There will be several prominent players set to hit the open market in late July while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign as well. Edmonton has already taken care of their most notable potential unrestricted free agent but they still have some important veterans on expiring contracts.
Key Restricted Free Agents
F Kailer Yamamoto – There was some disappointment in the first half of his contract as the 21-year-old couldn’t get established as a regular. Then same the second half of 2019-20 where he was nearly a point per game player on their second line. That led to high expectations for this season which weren’t met. However, he still managed a respectable 21 points in 52 games, playing as a full-time regular for the first time. Given Yamamoto’s limited NHL experience, a short-term contract is likely and it will be interesting to see what he winds up with. His half-season showing last season is enough to give him a bit of leverage but his numbers this year will limit his earnings upside.
F Jujhar Khaira – The 26-year-old hasn’t been able to produce much over his career and only managed three goals and eight assists in 40 games this season. However, he is one of Edmonton’s more effective penalty killers and is a good fit on their fourth line. A $1.3MM qualifying offer is on the high side, especially since Khaira has arbitration rights. If they can’t work a deal out by the July 26th deadline, there’s a decent chance that he will be non-tendered.
F Dominik Kahun – A surprising non-tender last summer after Buffalo opted to avoid the risk of an arbitration award that was too high for their liking, Kahun wound up settling for a one-year, $975K contract, a deal that looked like a bargain given the fact he had two straight seasons over 30 points. However, he didn’t play well for long stretches in Edmonton and could be heading for a similar fate later this month unless they can agree to terms on a similarly-priced deal over the next few weeks.
Other RFAs: F Tyler Benson, D Theodor Lennstrom, F Cooper Marody, G Stuart Skinner, G Dylan Wells
Key Unrestricted Free Agents:
D Tyson Barrie – After a disappointing season in Toronto leading into unrestricted free agency a year ago, Barrie opted for the best fit in the fall over the best contract. The move turned out to be a wise one as he led all NHL blueliners in points with 48 in 56 games. In doing so, he should have a stronger market now than he did in the fall and should be able to get a bigger contract. However, he turns 30 just before reaching the open market and as someone that isn’t known for his play in his own end, Barrie isn’t going to command top dollar like Dougie Hamilton will if he reaches free agency. Barrie should have a good chance to reach the $5.5MM AAV he had on his previous contract with Colorado and Toronto which would still represent a nice raise on the $3.75MM he made this season and, perhaps more importantly, land a multi-year deal in the process.
D Adam Larsson – At this point, he seems to be the priority to re-sign for Edmonton with recent progress being made on that front. The 28-year-old is a steady defensive presence and since he doesn’t put up many points, he isn’t going to be able to command a big raise, if he gets one at all. Something in the high $3MM to low $4MM range seems like a reasonable fit for Larsson which would allow him to get a deal similar to the one he just finished up while still giving the Oilers some cap flexibility to try to add to their roster.
G Mike Smith – After Edmonton wasn’t able to land a longer-term fit between the pipes in the fall, they opted to re-sign Smith in a move that worked out quite well for them in the end. The 39-year-old posted his highest save percentage (.923) and lowest goals against average (2.31) in a decade and lost only six of his 30 starts in regulation time. That would seemingly have him in line for a raise on the $1.5MM base salary he made this season but his age will likely limit his suitors, holding his market back accordingly. The Oilers would be wise to look for a longer-term fit once again but if they can’t find one, circling back to Smith makes sense. Assuming he signs another one-year deal, he’ll be eligible for performance bonuses again, giving them some extra short-term wiggle room on the cap.
Other UFAs: F Alex Chiasson, F Tyler Ennis, F Joseph Gambardella, D Slater Koekkoek, D Dmitry Kulikov, F Alan Quine, F Patrick Russell
Projected Cap Space
The Oilers have a little over $16MM in cap space at the moment and those amounts could increase if they opt to buy out goalie Mikko Koskinen or winger James Neal. A new deal for Larsson will cut about a quarter of that room out and a starting goalie will eat into that as well with Smith costing about half of what a longer-term option should. Yamamoto is the only RFA of significance so there should be some room for GM Ken Holland to work with regardless of what happens between the pipes. The question becomes whether they should spend it on one impact piece or spread it out to give themselves better depth throughout the roster. They have a few more weeks to determine which way they want to go.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.
Central Notes: Zadorov, Hagel, Glendening, Stars
The Blackhawks are starting to find some common ground in negotiations with pending RFA defenseman Nikita Zadorov, reports Scott Powers of The Athletic (subscription link). Powers notes that Zadorov’s original ask was a five-year deal with a $5.85MM AAV, one that buys out four years of UFA eligibility but is a high price for someone that is more of a fourth or fifth defenseman, especially in this marketplace. He suggests that something in the $4MM range would make more sense. The 26-year-old is owed a $3.2MM qualifying offer but also has arbitration rights which could deter Chicago from tendering it by the July 26th deadline if no deal is in place by then.
More from the Central:
- In the same column, Powers notes that the Blackhawks haven’t made any progress in contract discussions with winger Brandon Hagel. The 22-year-old was a regular for the first time this season and put up nine goals and 15 assists in 52 games. He isn’t eligible for arbitration or an offer sheet and with his limited NHL experience, it stands to reason that Chicago will be trying to keep his contract close to the $874K qualifying offer. With no leverage other than trying to stall for a better deal, this could be a contract that takes some time to get done.
- The Red Wings are interested in re-signing pending UFA center Luke Glendening, reports Kevin Allen of Detroit Hockey Now. The 32-year-old has been in trade deadline speculation for several years now given his faceoff ability (he won a career-best 60.9% of his draws this season) but Detroit has opted to hold onto him each time. Considering that fourth liners were hit hard last fall in free agency and a flat cap this summer, Glendening may be hard-pressed to get more than the $1.8MM AAV he had on his most recent contract.
- Dallas is facing a bonus overage penalty of nearly $1MM for next season, notes Mike Heika on the Stars’ team website. Miro Heiskanen, Jason Robertson, and Jake Oettinger each reached their allotted Schedule A bonuses, creating a penalty after proration of just over $927K. Penalties from 2020-21 could be amortized over two seasons but that provision isn’t available now so that amount will be deducted from their spending limit for 2021-22.
Minor Transactions: 07/03/21
While NHL free agency doesn’t get underway for another four weeks, the same can’t be said for AHL free agency. Players on one-year deals hit the open market back on Thursday and some of those players will be finding new teams while others may look overseas. We’ll keep track of those moves here.
- The Canadiens have signed winger Danick Martel to a one-year AHL contract, per an announcement from their affiliate in Laval (Twitter link). The 26-year-old spent last season on a minor league deal with New Jersey, notching 14 points in 24 games with Binghamton. Martel has 13 career NHL games under his belt between Philadelphia and Tampa Bay, last suiting up at the top level in 2019.
- Former Carolina winger Brody Sutter is opting to stay overseas as Vienna of the ICEHL announced that they’ve signed the 29-year-old to a one-year deal. Sutter has played a dozen career NHL games but after being relegated to a full-time AHL player in 2017-18, he has opted to play internationally instead of sticking around in North America. Sutter spent the last two seasons with Iserlohn in Germany.
- Draft-eligible goaltender Tomas Suchanek has decided to come to North America. In an interview on Ocelari Trinec’s site, the netminder has elected to report to Tri-City of the WHL for next season. Suchanek spent this season in the second division in the Czech Republic, posting a 3.12 GAA along with a .908 SV% and the fact he’s going to play major junior could help boost his draft stock.