Tampa Bay Lightning Extend Philippe Myers
Before he’s even skated in a single game with them, the Lightning have decided to give Philippe Myers a one-year, $1.4MM contract extension. Myers was acquired by the Lightning as part of the Ryan McDonagh trade from earlier this summer. Myers’ current deal is at a $2.55MM cap hit and expires after this upcoming season.
Myers is actually an extremely interesting case going into this season, and now his situation is made even more interesting thanks to this contract extension. Once the Lightning acquired Myers, many assumed that the team would choose to buy him out. At the cost of some cap space next season, the Lightning, by buying out Myers, would actually have gotten a cap credit for this season, which is something most believed the ever cap-crunched Lightning could use this summer.
But with major extensions for Mikhail Sergachev, Erik Cernak, and Anthony Cirelli set to kick in next summer, it seems Lightning GM Julien Brisebois has decided to prioritize saving as much cap space for next summer as possible.
That’s where this extension for Myers fits in. Myers is a smooth-skating defenseman who originally earned the relatively lucrative extension he’s currently playing on from the Philadelphia Flyers. Myers was once believed to be a core part of the team’s future on the blueline, but the hopes for Myers’ future never materialized into highly competent play. Myers, now 25, struggled to stay healthy, wasn’t as productive as many had hoped, and even had to, at times, play as a fourth-line winger to stay in the lineup.
The Lightning, though, seem to believe that they have value in Myers that no other organization has been able to unlock. That belief is evidenced not only by the fact that they didn’t take the cap credit and buy him out this summer, but also now by this contract extension before he’s even played a game for them.
The Athletic’s Joe Smith went into great detail in a story covering why the Lightning are betting on Myers. (subscription link) In essence, the Lightning believe that their track record as one of the NHL’s best developers of talent puts them in a unique position to help Myers, a player they believe has “all the tools” to become a strong NHL-er but simply hasn’t yet put those tools together.
Quite honestly, it’s very difficult to be a naysayer when the Lightning make a move like this. Tampa has appeared in each of the past three Stanley Cup Finals and has won two of them. The Lightning have developed mid-to-late-round draft picks such as Brayden Point, Cirelli, Cernak, and Nikita Kucherov into impactful NHLers. They have been a veritable talent factory for the rest of the NHL, so when they show this level of confidence in their ability to turn around a player’s career, it’s difficult not to trust them.
Still, whether this contract and Brisebois’ faith in his development process is rewarded is ultimately down to Myers himself. If he can be what the Lightning believe he can be, this contract will be a steal and this move will be seen as another stroke of genius by one of the NHL’s most savvy front offices.
If it doesn’t work, the Lightning will likely suffer next season when they are extremely hard-pressed for cap space. But even if that’s the case, this is a relatively low-risk bet and exactly the sort of move a team like the Lightning should make to maximize the value it mines from its coaching and player development staff.
Pictures courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Detroit Red Wings Sign Filip Zadina
The Red Wings have taken care of their last remaining restricted free agent, signing winger Filip Zadina to a three-year contract. Per the team announcement, the contract carries a $1.825MM cap hit. Zadina will be a restricted free agent once again when the deal expires.
The narrative around Zadina’s career thus far has largely been centered around how he’s failed to live up to the lofty expectations that were placed on him as a prospect. Drafted sixth overall at the 2018 draft, many outlets had Zadina ranked even higher, with quite a few considering him the best prospect outside of the clearly-defined top two players, Rasmus Dahlin and Andrei Svechnikov.
Zadina was coming off of a monster draft year in the QMJHL, a season where he torched junior defenses to the tune of 44 goals and 82 points in 57 games. After he was drafted, the Red Wings made the somewhat unconventional choice to send him to their AHL affiliate in Grand Rapids rather than send him for another year of junior hockey. At the AHL level, Zadina impressed, scoring 16 goals and 35 points in 59 games.
Zadina scored well at the AHL level the next season, with 16 points in 21 games, but at the NHL level offensive success has eluded him. The talent is there with Zadina, he has a good shot, and he can generate some scoring chances from the wing. But the consistency NHL coaches expect on a night-to-night basis has been missing. While Zadina’s defensive issues would not be cause for issue at lower levels, at the NHL level his inability to round out his two-way game has cost him opportunities to play higher in the lineup and with more talented linemates.
If Zadina can learn to rely less on a perimeter-style offensive game and improve his two-way hockey, he can quickly make this three-year contract extension look very wise on the part of Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman. But the quality of play he’s put forth so far in the NHL has been so underwhelming that there’s a legitimate chance that he does not finish this contract in Detroit.
The Red Wings have made significant additions this offseason with the idea of moving back into the hunt for a playoff spot. With Jakub Vrana finally healthy, David Perron and Dominik Kubalik now in the fold, and a new coach to prove himself to, it’s possible that Zadina will need to play better than he ever has before in order to get prime offensive opportunities in this new-look Red Wings squad. If nothing else, his leash will likely be shorter than it has ever been before in his NHL career.
This contract gives Zadina some runway to determine who he wants to be in the NHL. Does he want to take full advantage of his tools and become an impact scorer, or does he want to remain mired in the issues that have plagued him so far as an NHLer? That’s a question only Zadina can decide, and with this contract, he’ll now have the opportunity to answer it.
Picture courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Snapshots: Senators RFAs, PHF, Robidas
The Ottawa Senators still have two relatively significant names left to sign this offseason in defenseman Erik Brannstrom and Alex Formenton. In an interview today on TSN 1200, as relayed by Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch, Senators GM Pierre Dorion says that he’s “still talking” to Brannstrom and Formenton’s agents and that he expects both to be signed before training camp begins next month.
Getting both Brannstrom and Formenton under contract soon would be ideal, as teams typically don’t want outstanding contract negotiations to cast a shadow over their preparations for an upcoming season. Brannstrom, 22, is coming off of a disappointing season where, despite solid opportunities, he failed to make the major impact he was projected to make as a 2017 first-round pick. Formenton, 22, broke into the NHL last season and scored 18 goals and 32 points. The speedy Formenton is likely to get a larger deal than Brannstrom based on his production alone, but both are likely to receive entry-level deals as the Senators look to enter their first truly competitive phase since making a run to the Eastern Conference Final in 2017.
Now, for some other notes from around the hockey world:
- The PHF has had a pretty significant offseason, inking a two-year broadcasting extension with ESPN and announcing the addition of an expansion franchise in the Montreal market. Now, the league looks set to announce another big move. Per Hailey Salvian of The Athletic, the PHF will add legendary American forward Brianna Decker to the league’s front office in a part-time advisory role. The PHF has been battling to establish itself as the home of the world’s best women’s hockey players, and since the formation of the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association has seen some of its top talent depart the league. Adding Decker, albeit not as a player, could go a long way in helping the PHF continue to grow their league and mend their relationship with the PWHPA.
- Carolina Hurricanes prospect Justin Robidas, the son of former NHLer Stephane Robidas, will reportedly be traded when the QMJHL’s mid-season trade window opens, from his current QMJHL club, the Val-d’Or Foreurs to the Quebec Ramparts, according to Le Soleil de Quebec’s Mikael Lalancette. Robidas, a 2021 fifth-round pick and a player who is among the better prospects in the Hurricanes’ system will join a Quebec side that won 51 games last season but was unable to take home a championship.
Latest On J.T. Miller, Bo Horvat
As things currently stand, two of the Vancouver Canucks’ most important players are slated to hit unrestricted free agency. One of them, Bo Horvat, is the Canucks’ captain and heart-and-soul two-way center. The other is J.T. Miller, the Canucks’ leading scorer by a large margin and most accomplished offensive player.
The Athletic’s Thomas Drance and Rick Dhaliwal issued updates on the situations of both players today. (subscription link) For Horvat, the landscape is relatively simple. The team wants to retain its captain, and Horvat by all accounts wants to remain with the only NHL franchise he has ever played for. Drance and Dhaliwal report that there was a “sense of optimism” earlier this summer that an extension between Horvat and the Canucks would be completed relatively quickly, but that hasn’t happened yet. Now, it seems there is “somewhat less optimism than there had been in late June” that a deal will be reached shortly.
It still remains the overwhelming probability that Horvat re-signs in Vancouver, but the lack of any news on positive progress towards a new deal is notable. Horvat, 27, is an accomplished two-way center who scored a career-high 31 goals last season. If Horvat looks at Kevin Hayes‘ long-term contract with the Flyers, a deal that costs over $7MM per year, and the twin $8MM AAV deals the San Jose Sharks are paying Logan Couture and Tomas Hertl, he may decide that a deal at or around $7MM AAV is what he wants on his next contract.
With many major contracts already on their books and a looming extension for Elias Pettersson due in two years’ time, it would be understandable if the Canucks are hesitant to go that far for Horvat, a great player but not a franchise centerpiece. That being said, a loss of Horvat would leave a significant hole in the Canucks’ roster, especially if the team is set on playing Pettersson as a winger moving forward.
Much of what happens with Horvat, then, could depend on the fate of Miller. With a 99-point season under his belt, Miller is in an extremely strong negotiating position. He’s been a truly elite talent as a Canuck, and likely wants to be compensated with a contract that reflects the value he’s put forth these past few seasons.
The challenge with Miller for the Canucks, then, is if he’s worth the massive contract he’s earned and, more importantly, if giving him such a lucrative extension that covers his thirties is appropriate for a team whose core base of talent is still in their early-to-mid twenties.
Drance and Dhaliwal report that the Canucks privately “continue to insist that retaining Miller is their preference.” Even so, Miller’s own preferences could throw a wrench in the possibility of him remaining in Vancouver. Miller’s agent, Brian Bartlett, told The Athletic that Miller’s camp will “opt to cut off all discussions on a new contract once the regular season commences.” Such a stance might look familiar to some fans, as it’s the route Johnny Gaudreau took this past season while negotiating with the Calgary Flames.
Gaudreau eventually left the Flames and signed elsewhere, and that could be the position the Canucks are in a year from now if they stay the current course with Miller.
So, that brings up the question that will likely serve as the major storyline for the Canucks’ season, at least until a resolution is found. Do the Canucks settle on trading Miller if an extension isn’t reached by the start of the season? Would the Canucks, who still haven’t gone through a full season with their new front office and coaching staff, keep an unextended Miller past the deadline in the hopes that he’ll boost their competitive chances?
Those are the major questions facing the Canucks so far, and the first domino could fall if an extension for Horvat is finalized before the start of the season. Whichever route the Canucks opt to go down, it’s likely that the 2022-23 season will be one of great consequence for the Canucks’ organization.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Philadelphia Flyers Sign Wade Allison, Linus Hogberg
The Philadelphia Flyers have finalized contracts with two of their restricted free agents, per a team announcement. The Flyers have signed winger Wade Allison to a two-year deal with a $785K AAV, and defenseman Linus Hogberg to a one-year, two-way $750K deal. Allison’s deal is a two-way deal next season and a one-way deal in 2023-24. These two deals leave Hayden Hodgson as their final RFA left to sign.
Allison, who will be 25 this upcoming season, was one of three Flyers second-round picks at the 2016 NHL draft, being selected by Philadelphia in that round alongside teammate Carter Hart and current ECHLer Pascal Laberge. Allison took a bit of a long route to the NHL, playing a four-year collegiate career at Western Michigan University before turning pro during the 2020-21 season. Last year Allison saw the most game action with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, scoring 17 points in 28 games.
Allison has struggled to stay healthy so far in his pro career, but when he’s played he’s shown promise. He plays a powerful game and has shown goal-scoring ability at every level he’s played at. On a Flyers team in desperate need of young players who can step up and become meaningful NHLers, Allison’s new deal gives him a chance to become a fixture in Philadelphia.
Hogberg, 23, was a fifth-rounder at the 2015 entry draft. Hogberg was an everyday defenseman in the SHL for the Vaxjo Lakers from 2016-2020, and came to North America to play with AHL Lehigh Valley in 2020-21. Hogberg made his NHL debut last season, skating in five games for the Flyers, and getting just over 17 minutes a night.
Hogberg’s eight points in 58 AHL games last season indicate that he’s not much of a scorer, but with this one-year deal he’ll have a chance to prove he can take the next step in his game and become an NHL option for the Flyers and new coach John Tortorella.
West Notes: Canucks Defense, Stars RFAs, Kessel
The bulk of the Vancouver Canucks’ offseason work looks complete. A few new faces have been brought in, some players have departed, and a few major pending free agent situations still loom large, unlikely to be solved in the near future. But even though they’re largely ready for next season, the Canucks’ new regime led by Jim Rutherford and Patrik Allvin isn’t done looking to make tweaks to their roster, even as we near the end of August.
Per Thomas Drance and Rick Dhaliwal of The Athletic, the Canucks are “still listening on the trade market and kicking some tires on some of the unrestricted free agent talent” that’s still on the market. (subscription link) The two report that the Canucks are “among a small group of teams still in the mix” for unrestricted free agent defenseman Calvin de Haan, and that the team has made adding some extra support to its blueline the priority at this stage of the offseason. With defender Tucker Poolman‘s health status uncertain, adding a proven veteran defenseman such as de Haan would be a sensible move for a Vancouver side that wants to pick up where they left off last season under coach Bruce Boudreau.
Now, for some more news from the Western Conference:
- Two of the Dallas Stars’ best players, Jake Oettinger and Jason Robertson, are still without a contract for next season. The Athletic’s Saad Yousuf issued an update on the contract situations of the two players today, reporting that contract talks continue to “move at a snail’s pace.” (subscription link) The negotiations have reportedly played out like a “staring contest” between the players’ camps and the Stars, and Yousuf attributes the lack of any competitive pressure (possibility of an offer sheet, the looming start of training camp) to the slow pace of the deals. Oettinger and Robertson are still overwhelmingly likely to have deals in place before training camp, but it seems recently there hasn’t been any momentum towards actually getting those contracts ironed out.
- The Vegas Golden Knights and Phil Kessel signed a one-year, $1.5MM contract earlier this week, a deal that looks sensible for both sides. According to Elliotte Friedman on his 32 Thoughts podcast, the Golden Knights weren’t the only “win-now” team in the mix for Kessel’s services. Per Friedman, Kessel was a name that came up regarding the Flames’ desire for another forward, perhaps even to play with new acquisition Nazem Kadri and breakout winger Andrew Mangiapane. We previously covered how the Flames were connected to free agent winger Evan Rodrigues, so their reported interest in Kessel certainly checks out.
Minor Transactions 08/25/22
We’re inching closer to the opening of NHL training camps, and most teams have finalized their offseason work. That being said, there are still some players looking for a spot for next season, especially in minor leagues and in Europe. We’ll keep track of those moves here.
- Luka Burzan, a sixth-round pick of the Colorado Avalanche at the 2019 draft, signed a one-year AHL contract with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, per a team announcement. Burzan, 22, spent most of last season with the ECHL’s Utah Grizzlies, scoring 31 points in 41 games. Burzan is a former star WHL forward who should help improve the Phantoms’ forward depth and help them get a bit younger.
- The ECHL’s Florida Everblades announced the signing of defenseman Cole Moberg to a one-year contract. Moberg, 21, was a 2019 seventh-round pick of the Chicago Blackhawks. After turning pro with the Rockford IceHogs in 2020-21, Moberg split last season between the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda and ECHL’s Orlando Solar Bears. The six-foot-three defenseman will look to have a strong year with the reigning ECHL champions and hope that will lead him to an AHL deal for 2023-24.
- The Hershey Bears announced that they’ve signed forward Shane Gersich to a one-year AHL contract. Gersich has been with the Bears for the past four seasons, and has 90 points in 224 career AHL games.
- The ECHL’s Kansas City Mavericks announced the signings of two players today: forwards Austin Alger and Geoff Kitt. Alger, 24, turned pro last season after a five-year collegiate career, and got into five games with the Idaho Steelheads. Kitt, 25, was the captain of Mercyhurst College last season and will make his professional debut with the Mavericks next season.
This page will be updated throughout the day
Dallas Stars Sign Francesco Arcuri
The Dallas Stars have inked one of their prospects in advance of training camp, signing winger Francesco Arcuri to a three-year entry-level deal, per a team announcement. CapFriendly reports that the deal carries an AAV of just over $841K and breaks down as follows:
2022-23: $750K salary, $75K signing bonus, $10.5K junior salary
2023-24: $775K salary, $75K signing bonus
2024-25: $775K salary, $75K signing bonus
Arcuri, 19, was the Stars’ sixth-round choice at the 2021 draft, going 175th overall. Arcuri was one of the OHL players whose draft season was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent cancellation of the 2020-21 OHL season. Arcuri spent 2020-21 with Steel Wings Linz in the AlpsHL, scoring 15 points in 18 games there. Arcuri returned to the OHL for his 2021-22 season and had a strong year, scoring 34 goals and 74 points in 66 games.
The signing of this contract technically allows the Stars to have Arcuri in the picture for an NHL role this season, but that’s extremely unlikely to be their plan with him. Instead, he’ll likely head back to Kingston for another year in juniors.
It’s far from a given for a sixth-round pick to earn an entry-level deal, so getting his is a genuine achievement for Arcuri. Once he turns pro he’ll likely require seasoning at the AHL level with the Texas Stars, and now armed with this entry-level deal he’s secured at least the next three years of his hockey future in the Stars’ organization.
Offseason Notes: Stastny, Babcock, Kraken Hires
The Carolina Hurricanes solidified their situation down the middle with the addition of veteran center Paul Stastny on a one-year, $1.5MM deal. With the departure of Vincent Trocheck to the New York Rangers, the Hurricanes’ center corps is relatively unsettled. Armed with an eight-year, $4.82MM AAV contract, 2018 third-overall pick Jesperi Kotkaniemi will likely receive the first crack at replacing Trocheck as the Hurricanes’ second-line center. But if Kotkaniemi struggles in that role, look for Stastny to fill in and provide his usual steady production. With that possibility in mind, it seems this Stastny signing, while for a relatively cheap cap number, is actually quite important to the Hurricanes’ success next season.
It appears that Stastny understands that reality as well. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports on his 32 Thoughts Podcast that Stastny “took less money” than he was being offered from elsewhere in order to sign in Carolina. One possible suitor for Stastny that was presumably offering more money that Friedman specifically names is the Vegas Golden Knights. Stastny’s fit with the Golden Knights is less obvious, as the team already has Jack Eichel, William Karlsson, and Nicolas Roy entrenched as the top-three centers, and Chandler Stephenson waiting in the wings to play center in case of an injury. So, based on this reporting, it seems Stastny prioritized fit over maximizing his contract’s value as a free agent, which indicates how important he could be to the Hurricanes if Kotkaniemi fails to take a step forward in his development.
Now, for some other notes regarding offseason news across hockey:
- Former Detroit Red Wings, Anaheim Ducks, and Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock resigned today from his post as head coach of the University of Saskatchewan’s men’s hockey team. Babcock, who last coached in the NHL in 2019-20 and was once considered one of the top coaches in the game, spent a season under the helm for the Huskies and went 14-9. Babcock’s name last surfaced in the mix for NHL jobs in 2020, when he reportedly interviewed for the then-vacant Washington Capitals head coaching job.
- The Seattle Kraken announced some notable additions to their hockey operations staff today, hiring former San Jose Sharks head of amateur scouting Doug Wilson Jr. as an amateur scout, and former NHLer Frans Nielsen as a player development consultant. The Kraken are loaded with picks for the 2023 draft class, so adding an experienced scout like Wilson will only help in their efforts to build a contender. Additionally, Nielsen brings nearly 1,000 NHL games of experience to the Kraken’s development team and should especially help with their crop of young centers headlined by Shane Wright and Matthew Beniers.
Golden Knights Notes: Goalie Tandem, Lehner, Hague
Following last night’s signing of Phil Kessel to a one-year deal, Vegas Golden Knights GM Kelly McCrimmon spoke to the media and answered questions on a wide variety of topics. One of the most pressing topics he addressed was the team’s goaltending. As relayed by The Athletic’s Jesse Granger, McCrimmon stated that the team will run a goalie tandem of Logan Thompson and Laurent Brossoit for the entirety of next season, if possible. McCrimmon elaborated on that decision, stating that the timing of Lehner’s surgery all but made adding a goalie through free agency impossible and that the organization believes that this tandem can get them where they want to go.
For a team that is desperate to return to the playoffs next season, a Thompson-Brossoit tandem seems like a risk, at least on paper. Thompson, 25, did nearly single-handedly save the Golden Knights’ playoff hopes last spring but has just 20 NHL contests under his belt. Brossoit, 29, has served as a lightly-used backup goalie for the past few seasons, and is currently rehabbing from hip surgery. McCrimmon stated that Brossoit’s rehab has been going well and that he should be ready early next season, if he’s not ready for opening night, but even at full health this tandem is one that carries significant downside risk. With each passing day, it looks more and more likely that the Golden Knights’ hopes for next season will rest on Thompson’s shoulders.
Now, for some other notes regarding the Golden Knights:
- The goalie previously slated to be the Golden Knights’ starter, Robin Lehner, will miss the entirety of next season after undergoing hip surgery. Today McCrimmon elaborated on the nature of Lehner’s operation, stating that he is undergoing double hip surgery and has already had the procedure on one of his hips. Much has been made of the difficulties goaltenders face when recovering from hip ailments, and one has to assume that recovering from double hip surgery is even more difficult. But with all the talent Lehner possesses, his recovery from these injuries will be extremely important to the future of the Golden Knights.
- One other topic McCrimmon touched in his press conference is the status of restricted free agent defenseman Nicolas Hague. Hague is coming off of a two-year stretch where he has established himself as a quality NHLer, and is undoubtedly looking for a contract that reflects his newly-proven value. McCrimmon stated that “priority number-one” for this offseason is getting Hague under a contract, and with Lehner now set to hit long-term injured reserve he should have the necessary wiggle room under the cap to get a deal done. Given the Golden Knights’ ever-present need for salary-cap space (even with Lehner’s eventual placement on LTIR) a bridge deal could make the most sense, though one cannot rule out a long-term pact. The Golden Knights have previously shown a willingness to lock-up young blueliners to long-term pacts, as they did with Zach Whitecloud, so perhaps Hague receives a similar (albeit likely more expensive) deal.