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Minnesota Wild Re-Sign Marc-Andre Fleury

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Just as the draft is set to begin, the Minnesota Wild have finalized a deal with Marc-Andre Fleury. Fleury will return to Minnesota on a two-year, $3.5MM AAV deal, per a team announcement. The deal carries a full no-movement clause and has an even $3.5MM salary for each year that it runs, which means the normal rules covering 35+ contracts will not apply to this deal.

Fleury was sent to Minnesota in a mid-season trade and found success there, going 9-2-0 with a .910 save percentage. Like the rest of the Wild, Fleury struggled in the playoffs, eventually ceding the starter’s crease to Cam Talbot. The Talbot and Fleury tandem is set to return, and GM Bill Guerin told The Athletic’s Michael Russo that they believe their tandem is “one of the strongest” in the NHL.

Fleury’s deal also takes a big name off of the UFA goalie market, a group he was set to headline that also includes Darcy Kuemper, Jack Campbell, and Ville Husso. Now back in Minnesota, Fleury will likely split starts with Talbot as the team chases its first Stanley Cup in franchise history.

For the Wild, getting Fleury at a $3.5MM AAV is a good bit of business. With starting-caliber goalies often costing $5MM-6MM on the open market, having Fleury at a number under $4MM should help the Wild navigate the treacherous cap waters they plunged themselves into with the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts.

Snapshots: Malkin, Sommer, Rheaume

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The Pittsburgh Penguins had two franchise icons to re-sign this offseason, and today they finalized a deal with one of them: Kris Letang. With Letang’s extension finalized, the next priority for Ron Hextall and the Penguins is re-signing Evgeni Malkin. According to Pierre LeBrun of TSN, getting across the finish line with Malkin and his agent, J.P. Barry, could be a challenge.

Per LeBrun, Malkin and the Penguins are “not on the same page” and Malkin is reportedly “ready” to hit free agency if the Penguins don’t offer him an extension with more than a three-year term. Malkin, 35, is coming off of a season where he was above a point-per-game, although his injury woes limited him to playing in only half of the Penguins’ 82 regular-season contests. Injury issues have plagued Malkin for years, and he has not reached the 70-game mark in any regular season since 2017-18. Malkin’s desire for more term is definitely reasonable, he’s such a widely-respected superstar that he could likely get a longer-term deal on the open market, and the Penguins’ desire to keep term down on an extension for their injury-prone, 35-year-old franchise legend is also understandable. It looks like a difficult, complicated situation for the Penguins to navigate, and it seems that the unthinkable possibility of Malkin playing for another NHL franchise is more realistic than it has ever been.

Now, for some other notes from across the NHL:

  • The San Diego Gulls’ next head coach seems to have been found. The Athletic’s Eric Stephens reports that “multiple sources” have told him that the San Diego Gulls will hire Ray Sommer as their next head coach, on a one-year deal. The contract is not yet finalized but once it becomes official the Gulls will be adding the AHL’s all-time winningest head coach. Sommer was previously the coach of the San Jose Barracuda and has been an AHL head coach since the 1998-99 season when he led the Kentucky Thoroughblades to the playoffs.
  • The Los Angeles Kings are beefing up their hockey operations department. Earlier this year they added a former GM to their front office ranks and now they’re adding another accomplished name: Manon Rheaume. Rheaume famously became the first woman to play in any of the four major North American professional sports leagues, when she suited up for the Tampa Bay Lightning for exhibition games 1992 and 1993. Rheaume will take an advisory role with the Kings.

Ottawa Senators Acquire Alex DeBrincat

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Just a few hours before the draft, we have a massive trade. The Ottawa Senators have announced that they are acquiring superstar winger Alex DeBrincat from the Chicago Blackhawks for the seventh-overall pick, the 39th overall pick, and a 2024 third-round pick.

As relayed by Mark Lazerus of The Athletic, Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson said the following regarding the deal:

It was an incredibly difficult decision to trade a player of Alex’s caliber. We feel as if this move sets the Blackhawks up for future success by giving us additional flexibility and future talent.

DeBrincat, 24, has one year remaining on his contract before he becomes a restricted free agent entitled to a $9MM qualifying offer. After that point, barring an extension, DeBrincat will become an unrestricted free agent. There is currently no word on any possible extension for DeBrincat, but one has to assume that the Senators will make every attempt to keep him in Ottawa beyond the two years of team control they have just acquired.

For the Senators, acquiring DeBrincat is a major coup as the team looks to escape their rebuild and finally return to contention. DeBrincat is a superstar forward in a relatively similar age range to the Senators’ other core pieces. He is close to the same age as Thomas Chabot and only a few years older than players such as Josh Norris and Brady Tkachuk. DeBrincat is an elite offensive player, having scored over 40 goals twice in his career, including this past season. His 78 points would have led the Senators in 2021-22, and the Senators have to be extremely excited about the possibility of DeBrincat playing with Tkachuk and Norris.

The contract situation is definitely something for Ottawa to monitor, as the Senators have had issues in the past with players not wanting to sign there long-term. But at the cost of their first-rounder, second-rounder, and a 2024 third, the chance to add a player of DeBrincat’s caliber for at least the next two years (and potentially longer) is definitely a risk worth taking.

For the Blackhawks, this trade is on one hand shocking and on the other wholly unsurprising. Davidson has made it no secret that he’d be stripping the roster bare in order to pursue a rebuild, and DeBrincat’s name had been floating in trade rumors for weeks. So the fact that he was ultimately dealt is not a surprise, especially when one considers the fact that the Blackhawks did not have a 2022 first-round pick until this trade. And having that seventh-overall pick is definitely a boon for a team looking to add more prospects to a depleted prospect pool.

That being said, there is a general sentiment that the return the Blackhawks received was a bit light when one takes into account DeBrincat’s age and talent level. A top-ten pick and a high second-rounder are two valuable assets, but only six players have scored more goals than DeBrincat over the last four years. He’s a superstar player who hasn’t even turned 25 years old. The last superstar-level player to be traded, Jack Eichel, net the Sabres a package that included NHL-ready talent such as Peyton Krebs and Alex Tuch as well as draft picks. While Eichel did have more years left on his contract, he also had some medical uncertainty, the kind of uncertainty the rarely-injured DeBrincat does not carry.

This trade is certainly going to be widely celebrated among Senators fans, but whether this trade is ultimately successful for Ottawa could depend on if they manage to sign DeBrincat to a long-term extension. For the Blackhawks, this trade is a major one, setting the tone for what could be a difficult few years as Davidson attempts to find the next set of core Blackhawks players. Finding one of those core players tonight, with the seventh-overall selection they just acquired, will be essential.

Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff was first on the deal. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Snapshots: Trocheck, Kaprizov, Dach

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While the Boston Bruins will be dealing with injuries to major players for the start of the 2021-22 season, a new head coach and the potential return of captain Patrice Bergeron on an extension provides optimism for the Bruins’ 2022-23 outlook. One major need the team needs to fill is their second-line center spot. Erik Haula filled the role with moderate success this past season, scoring 44 points in 78 games, but his production in the playoffs (three points in seven games) and overall inability to factor in as a true difference-maker has left many with the belief that the Bruins will need a stronger second-line center in order to return to cup contention. The Bruins had long relied on David Krejci as the consistent second center behind Bergeron, but with Krejci now out of the picture GM Don Sweeney may need to find an upgrade on Haula this summer.

This summer’s free-agent market is not without options for the Bruins, and one player they are now specifically connected to is Carolina Hurricanes center Vincent Trocheck. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that the Bruins are “believed to have interest” in Trocheck, who has spent most of his career playing for the Bruins’ division rival, the Florida Panthers. Trocheck’s pure offensive production would be a sure upgrade over Haula’s (94 points in 128 games over the last two seasons compared to Haula’s 65 in 129) and Trocheck may even reach new offensive heights when paired with former Hart Trophy winner Taylor Hall. Trocheck would surely cost more than the $2.375MM the Bruins owe to Haula, but since the Bruins’ old second-line center, Krejci, cost $7.25MM against the cap for many years, one has to assume that the Bruins are willing to pay up in order to get a higher quality player. Boston will have to compete with other teams vying for Trocheck’s services, but at the very least they should be in the mix for the established top-six centers that are set to hit the market.

Some other notes from across the NHL:

  • Some eyebrows were raised on social media a few days ago when Russian winger Kirill Kaprizov was tagged in a social media post from what appeared to be a Russian doctor wishing him, per the translation, a “speedy return to the ice.” The Athletic’s Michael Russo calmed any fears of any major unannounced injury issues for Kaprizov, clarifying that the post was about a “minor procedure” that Kaprizov had undergone and that he would be “ready well in advance of camp.” That’s certainly a relief for any worried Wild fans because the team will need Kaprizov to hit the ground running next season. Kaprizov led the Wild with 108 points in 81 games in 2021-22 and figures to be the Wild’s most important player for the foreseeable future.
  • The Chicago Blackhawks have made it no secret that they will be embarking on a scorched-earth rebuild under new GM Kyle Davidson. Nearly every player on their roster has seen his name surface in trade rumors, including star winger Alex DeBrincat. One player less frequently mentioned is 2019 third-overall pick Kirby Dach, likely because as a 21-year-old highly-drafted center most believe that Dach is the player a rebuilding club should hold on to, not deal. But per Friedman, a Dach trade might not be fully out of the question, and there is reportedly “a lot of research being done” on Dach by teams interested in acquiring him. Dach, who is still just 21 years old, has had an up-and-down NHL career thus far. He showed flashes in an injury-filled 2020-21, scoring 10 points in 18 games, but his past year was a disappointment (nine goals 26 points in 70 games) and there are some who look at him as a player in need of a change of scenery. Whether or not that’s true is still yet to be determined, although we now know that there are teams preparing for the possibility of Dach becoming available in a trade.

Extension Notes: Larkin, Olofsson, Deslauriers

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While many players who are just a year away from trips to unrestricted free agency, such as J.T. Miller or David Pastrnak have seen their names floated in various degrees of trade rumors, Detroit Red Wings fans have not had to face a similar degree of speculation regarding their own prominent 2023 free agent: Dylan Larkin. That’s because Larkin, 25, was born only 45 minutes outside of Detroit, played at the University of Michigan, and now captains the NHL team he grew up rooting for. He’s been attached by the hip to the Red Wings for most of his life, either as a fan or player, and many have assumed that his relationship with the team would endure through any potential contract hiccups.

That seems to be what’s most likely to happen. Per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, the Red Wings “are believed to be working on an extension” for Larkin and GM Steve Yzerman has in the past communicated a desire to get Larkin signed to a new long-term deal. Larkin had a career year 2021-22, setting a career-high in points-per-game and effectively bouncing back from what was a miserable, 23-point 2020-21 campaign. Larkin has had his bouts of inconsistency, but at his best he’s a near point-per-game top-six center. In a market where a center with a weaker offensive resume like Kevin Hayes can earn above $7MM on a long-term extension and comparable centers such as Tomas Hertl are making $8MM or more on their own deals, expect a decent raise for Larkin from the $6.1MM cap hit he’s played on for the past few seasons.

Now, for some other notes regarding extension business this offseason:

  • As part of his 32 Thoughts blog, Friedman reported on quite a few extension situations across the NHL, touching on Larkin as well as Buffalo Sabres winger Victor Olofsson. Olofsson, who turns 27 this month, played 2021-22 on a $3.05MM cap hit and could be looking for a raise after a strong offensive season. Olofsson’s negotiation is an important one for the Sabres and GM Kevyn Adams, as Olofsson is an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent who is precariously close to a trip to unrestricted free agency. A native of Ornskoldsvik, a Swedish hockey hotbed, Olofsson scored 20 goals and 49 points in 72 games this past season and also has an impressive 42-point 54-game rookie campaign. Per Friedman, the Sabres “are making progress” on an extension with Olofsson, and have “boatloads of cap space” to get it done. All indications point to the talented sniper remaining in Buffalo for the foreseeable future.
  • One pending free agent situation where an extension might not be possible is with Minnesota Wild winger Nicolas Deslauriers. Per Friedman, the Wild want to keep Deslauriers, and GM Bill Guerin “would already have Deslauriers re-signed” if it were possible. But unfortunately for the Wild, the cap constraints imposed by the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts could keep the Wild from being true contenders in what is expected to be a “hot market” for Deslauriers. As a result, Friedman believes the Wild “won’t be able” to retain the winger they surrendered a 2023 third-rounder to acquire. Deslauriers 31, had only 13 points in 81 games in 2021-22, although that likely won’t stop him from having a solid amount of interest once he hits the open market on the 13th.

Metropolitan Notes: Laine, Husso, Brunette

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While the Winnipeg Jets have a situation on their hands with Pierre-Luc Dubois and his reported desire to test free agency in two years, the Columbus Blue Jackets aren’t facing a similar issue with the main player they received in the Dubois trade: Patrik Laine. According to Aaron Portzline of The Athletic, Laine’s camp and the Blue Jackets “communicate every few days” in “amicable” negotiations focused on finding a long-term deal for Laine. (subscription link) While Portzline does note that the negotiations aren’t “anywhere close,” and that negotiations “may take a while,” there is a desire from both parties to get a long-term extension done regardless of where the exact negotiations might be at this point in time.

For the Blue Jackets, their desire to extend Laine is entirely understandable. When he was healthy, Laine was a dynamic offensive force the type of scorer the Blue Jackets haven’t had in their lineup since Artemi Panarin’s two-year stay in Columbus. Laine had 26 goals and 56 points in 56 games in 2021-22 and showed the kind of elite scoring ability that got him drafted second overall in 2016. Perhaps most importantly, Laine produced at a point-per-game rate without having an elite center to rely on, highlighting his abilities as a play-driving winger and helping dispel the notion that he is simply a streaky, perimeter-shooting passenger winger. The Blue Jackets clearly believe they have a player to build around in the 24-year-old Laine and getting him inked to any sort of remotely reasonable long-term extension would be a major win for Jarmo Kekalainen’s front office.

Now, for some other notes regarding Metropolitan Division teams:

  • The New Jersey Devils hold the number-two pick at next week’s draft, but that’s not where they’re devoting all of their offseason focus. The team’s biggest need this summer is to add to their goaltending, and one could make the argument that it was the single biggest factor that kept the team from playing meaningful games last spring. Many have speculated that the Devils would go after this summer’s biggest names in net, such as Darcy Kuemper, Jack Campbell, or even John Gibson, and we now know a more specific name the Devils could be targeting. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet writes in his latest 32 Thoughts blog that the Devils are “expected to be in” the conversation for pending free agent goaltender Ville Husso. Friedman notes that the Devils’ goalie coach, Dave Rogalski, knows Husso well from his time in a similar role for the AHL’s old San Antonio Rampage, and that connection could be the Devils’ key to landing the 27-year-old goaltender, who impressed enough in 2021-22 to earn a third-place Vezina Trophy vote.
  • One area of less pressing need for New Jersey is behind the bench, where they have veteran coach Lindy Ruff set to enter his third season as the Devils’ head coach. Per Friedman, the Devils are believed to be “among the teams interested in” former Florida Panthers head coach and Jack Adams Award finalist Andrew Brunette in an assistant coaching role for next season. One assistant on the Devils’ staff, Alain Nasreddine, was recently named to Peter DeBoer’s Dallas Stars staff, leaving a vacancy that could be filled by Brunette. Ruff, 62, has a combined 46-76-16 record coaching in New Jersey. If he enters 2021-22 on the hot seat, the Devils adding Brunette to their coaching staff could be seen as GM Tom Fitzgerald preparing for an eventual succession plan in order to secure the next coach for his young, ascending Devils squad.

Buyout Candidate: Marc-Edouard Vlasic

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With free agency nearing, many teams are looking to sort out their salary cap situations before the free-agent market opens on July 13th. One way to free cap space is through buyouts, and with buyout season now upon us, we’re taking a look at players who could potentially see their contracts bought out within this year’s window. 

While the San Jose Sharks have been among the most successful franchises in the cap era, recent years have not been kind to them. The Sharks, who fired coach Bob Boughner yesterday, have not made the playoffs since their 2019 run to the Western Conference Final, and this current streak of three consecutive finishes outside of the playoffs is the longest in franchise history.

So, while some have concluded that a rebuild is the right course of action for the Sharks, that doesn’t seem to be the route the team will go on. The Sharks are currently still searching for the franchise’s next general manager, and once their new leader is in place the organization is widely expected to have a mandate from ownership to return the team to the playoffs as quickly as possible.

The Sharks are an older team with many core veteran players on expensive, long-term deals. Erik Karlsson, Logan Couture, Brent Burns, and Tomas Hertl all are under contract for the next two seasons at least at cap hits north of $8MM. The result of the Sharks’ superstar-hunting, big-spending ways under GM Doug Wilson (who was successful by every metric outside of winning a Stanley Cup) is that the team lacks the cap space to make the improvements needed to make a swift return to playoff contention.

Per CapFriendly, the Sharks have just under $6MM in projected cap room for this offseason, and with extensions for Mario Ferraro and Kaapo Kahkonen to consider, as well as an upcoming Timo Meier deal next summer, the Sharks’ new GM won’t be inheriting a rosy cap picture.

One of the possible ways for the Sharks to create more cap space to secure better players is through buyouts. The Sharks are no stranger to buyouts, having just last year bought out goaltender Martin Jones, and could pursue this route of creating cap space once again.

The one player whose name has frequently been mentioned as a buyout candidate this year is defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic.

Once a premier shutdown defenseman, Vlasic’s skills have eroded as he’s aged, and the decline of his on-ice value has mirrored the decline in his on-ice role. Vlasic himself has seemingly not been thrilled about his declining usage under Boughner and spoke on it in his end-of-season press conference. After noting that he finished third among defensemen in points and was “more physical” than the year before, Vlasic asked the assembled media to “imagine if [he] played more,” a clear indication that he believes his play is worthy of a greater role than he received in 2021-22.

On one hand, Vlasic is correct to note that his role has declined in recent years. Vlasic used to regularly play 22-23 minutes per game, anchoring the Sharks’ defense and being routinely relied upon in the most high-leverage defensive situations. This year, Vlasic averaged a career-low 15:13 time-on-ice per game, ranking seventh on the team among defensemen with at least 40 games played. Vlasic is also correct that he did rank third on the team in points by a defenseman, although his 14 points in 75 games is certainly not an offensive breakout and still a steep decline from the offensive form he showed earlier in his career when he played in a Pete DeBoer-coached system that prioritized generating offense from the point.

On the other hand, Vlasic is clearly not worth the $7MM cap hit he earns. The work by The Athletic’s Dom Luszczyszyn and Shayna Goldman assigns Vlasic a market value of just $600k, noting a clear negative impact on his team’s offensive play. (subscription link)

Perhaps most damningly, Vlasic is no longer a factor on the Sharks’ penalty kill. Vlasic averaged only 49 seconds of shorthanded ice time per game, which ranked seventh among Sharks defensemen. Vlasic is an extremely accomplished player who means a lot to the Sharks franchise. That much is not arguable. But if he’s a defense-first blueliner who has become a non-factor on the penalty kill and has little to no offensive value, can the Sharks afford to keep him on their books at a $7MM cap hit and realistically be able to return to playoff contention?

That’s the question the Sharks’ next general manager will need to grapple with. For what it’s worth, Vlasic seemed completely unconcerned by the possibility of a buyout, answering with a simple “no” when asked if he was concerned about being bought out this summer. But even if Vlasic does not believe the possibility is likely, the cap benefits would definitely look appealing to any GM planning on making immediate moves in free agency.

Under a Vlasic buyout, the Sharks would save $3.3MM against the cap in 2022-23, $5.5MM in 2023-24, $2.8MM in 2024-25, and $1.8MM in 2025-26, at the cost of a $1.68MM dead cap charge from 2026-27 to 2029-30. If the Sharks are certain that they want to return to the playoffs as early as next season, saving nearly $9MM over the next two seasons could be huge in helping the team secure the necessary upgrades to their roster in order to do so.

If the Sharks’ next coach is intent on utilizing Vlasic in a similar fashion to how Boughner deployed him in 2021-22, then a Vlasic buyout wouldn’t be too disruptive to the Sharks’ ability to construct a defense. So, with the potential to save several million dollars against the cap in the next two years, with moderate savings in the two years after that, the possibility of a Vlasic buyout cannot be ruled out for a Sharks organization desperate to return to the playoffs.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

East Notes: Mikheyev, Chytil, Monahan

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A few days ago, we covered reports stating that the Toronto Maple Leafs had made it clear to teams across the league that they would be open to trading the early negotiating rights to Ilya Mikheyev to any interested teams. Now, we have some more clarity on what those interested teams might look like. According to TSN’s Chris Johnston, there look to be many. Johnston reports that “as many as half the teams” in the NHL are expected to hold at least some interest in acquiring Mikheyev this summer, and adds that Mikheyev is looking for a deal “in the $4MM range,” if not higher.

Such a vast level of interest in Mikheyev is not a complete surprise. The speedy, undrafted Russian winger scored 21 goals and 32 points in 53 games this season, bouncing back from an off 2020-21 where he only had seven goals and 17 points in 54 games. While not the largest reason for each team’s success, both the Colorado Avalanche and Tampa Bay Lightning feature premium middle-of-the-lineup players, and it’s likely that the teams interested in him consider him a “premium” middle-sixer. The NHL is a “copycat” league, so it’s very possible that the playoff success of relatively comparable players such as Artturi Lehkonen or Nick Paul has grown Mikheyev’s market. The more teams that enter a bidding war for his services, the more likely Mikheyev is to earn the type of contract the desires. So if anything, Johnston’s reporting is great news for Mikheyev and his camp, and could also be an early sign of the type of players that will be in high demand on July 13th.

Now, for some other notes regarding Eastern Conference teams:

  • The New York Rangers could lose both Andrew Copp and Ryan Strome this summer, two top-six players who were important pieces of the team’s run to the Eastern Conference Final. Those losses will likely leave a hole at the Rangers’ second-line center slot, and the Rangers will need to find a replacement this summer. One way the team can find a replacement is in the trade market, and according to The Athletic’s Arthur Staple, that’s something they’re considering. (subscription link) Per Staple, two league sources noted that center Filip Chytil, the hero of the team’s second-round victory over the Carolina Hurricanes, is the “most talked-about” Ranger in GM Chris Drury’s trade conversations, and that “the Rangers are willing to lose Chytil in order to acquire an older, more established top-six center.” Chytil, a 2017 first-round pick, is a veteran of over 250 NHL games despite being just 22 years old. He had 22 points in 67 games this season and his strong playoff performance could motivate the Rangers to “sell high” on him if they don’t view him as part of their long-term plans.
  • One player who could potentially fill the Rangers’ second-line center need is Calgary Flames pivot Sean Monahan. Per Staple, Monahan “has been discussed in trade talks” with the Rangers. Monahan, 27, has seen his career derailed due to injuries as of late, and was placed on long-term injured reserve following hip surgery. If the Rangers believe in Monahan’s ability to re-discover the form that saw him score between 20 and 30 goals for seven straight seasons, then the Rangers could acquire him at an asset cost that would likely be far lower than the cost it would take to acquire a more in-demand center.

Atlantic Notes: Palat, Senators Priorities, Murray

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The Tampa Bay Lightning may have fallen just short in their attempt to win a third straight Stanley Cup, but that hasn’t stopped them from doubling down on some of the players that got them there, and they started earlier this week with a seven-year extension for playoff hero Nick Paul. While defenseman Ryan McDonagh could be on the move, it seems as though that move would be motivated by the team’s desire to keep another important playoff performer: Ondrej Palat. Palat is one of the Lightning’s ultimate success stories, a seventh-rounder who developed to the point of being among coach Jon Cooper’s most trusted players. Palat is a pending unrestricted free agent, and GM Julien Brisebois has already made public his desire to sign Palat to an extension.

Earlier this week, The Athletic’s Joe Smith took a look (subscription link) at what a potential Palat extension could look like, and concluded that another team could very well offer Palat a long-term contract worth more than $5MM per year. But, according to Smith, even in the face of those offers “the Lightning are absolutely going to try to keep Palat.” The decision on whether he remains in Tampa “will likely rest in [Palat’s] hands” as he’ll have to decide if he’s willing to take a potentially lower offer in order to remain with the only franchise he’s ever known.

Now, for some other notes regarding teams in the Atlantic Division:

  • The Senators want to improve their team for next season, with the goal of potentially competing for a playoff spot in 2022-23. That much is no secret, and Ottawa indicated that would be their team’s direction earlier this year, when they traded a mid-round draft pick in order to acquire a veteran defenseman in Travis Hamonic. But while we know they want to improve their team, what we don’t know is exactly how they’ll go about doing so. According to Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia, the Senators are looking to add a “high-end winger” and a “top-four defenseman” as their main priorities for this offseason. Luckily for the Senators, there are high-end wingers and top-four defensemen on the market this summer, although acquiring them through free agency could prove to be a challenge as Ottawa has not traditionally been among the most desirable markets for free agents. The Senators have been dangling the seventh-overall pick in trade talks, though, so perhaps that pick holds the key to the Senators acquiring the players they desire.
  • Perhaps the single greatest factor the Senators have going in their favor as they seek to improve their team is their advantageous cap position. In a league where most teams are walking a salary cap tightrope, the Senators have over $20MM in projected cap space. Per Garrioch, they’d like to grow that number, and one avenue they’re considering is a move for goaltender Matt Murray. Murray is making $6.25MM against the cap for the next two seasons and the Senators already have found their number-one goalie for that time frame in Anton Forsberg. Garrioch reports that the Senators have talked about “packaging” Murray’s contract with the seventh-overall pick in order to clear his cap hit off their books. While Garrioch does note that such a scenario would need to bring the Senators a “strong return” in exchange, one does have to wonder if the cap relief trading Murray would provide could be considered part of a satisfactory “strong return.”

Boston Bruins Hire Jim Montgomery

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The Bruins have found their next head coach as they officially announced on Friday that they have hired Jim Montgomery as their new head coach.  He takes over for Bruce Cassidy who was fired earlier this offseason.  GM Don Sweeney released the following statement about the hire:

Jim has a winning history, and throughout the interview process he conveyed his ability to connect with all types of players while also demanding that his teams play with structure. We are excited for Jim to begin to make his imprint on our team.

This hire is a bit of a surprising one, as the Bruins had been interviewing candidates such as David Quinn and Jay Leach, coaches with deep ties to either Boston hockey or the Bruins organization. Montgomery does not have such deep ties to the Bruins, and the Montreal native did not play in the Boston area during his 122-game NHL career. He did have an extremely successful career at the University of Maine, which is technically within New England, but still, his ties to the area are dwarfed by the other reported finalists.

Montgomery is an intriguing candidate in part because of why he’s in this position in the first place. After an extremely successful tenure at the helm of the USHL’s Dubuque Fighting Saints, winning two championships in three years, he left to coach the NCAA’s University of Denver. There, Montgomery won the 2017 NCAA National Championship.

That success at Denver led Montgomery to his first NHL head coaching job, taking the reins of a Dallas Stars franchise that had missed the playoffs the year before. Montgomery’s player-focused, upbeat coaching style immediately connected with the Stars players, and he went 43-32-7 and won a playoff series. The next year, though, Montgomery was fired early in the season for what the team called “unprofessional conduct.” After his firing, Montgomery made his struggles with alcohol abuse public, and began the process of rehabilitation.

His recovery was successful enough for him to earn another chance to coach in the NHL, this time as an assistant on Craig Berube’s St. Louis Blues staff. There, Montgomery coached a powerplay that rocketed to among the league’s best, and it’s on the back of that success that he gets his second chance at being an NHL head coach, now in Boston, where ESPN’s Kevin Weekes reports that he has received a three-year deal worth around $2MM annually.

For the Bruins, the hire of Montgomery represents a significant departure from Cassidy’s style of management. Cassidy’s more demanding style reportedly wore on the Bruins’ players and played a role in his firing despite all the success he had. Montgomery’s style is a departure from Cassidy’s, as he is by all reports a highly approachable, player-first bench boss. It remains to be seen if the team’s swap of Cassidy for Montgomery, and the stylistic changes that result from that swap, is ultimately successful. But what we do know now is that this move, at the very least, gives a coach who was once viewed as a rising star the second chance at coaching that he’s worked so hard to earn.

Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic was the first to report that Montgomery was set to become Boston’s head coach.

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