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Las Vegas Has Several Free Agent Options As Well

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Not that the Las Vegas Golden Knights don’t have enough to do over the next few days, from going through the protection rosters, to making side deals, to participate in the NHL draft and then announce their team by June 21, but the team also needs to start thinking about free agents as well. The team has an exclusive window to negotiate with any unrestricted free agents. While the team has already inked KHL center Vadim Shipachyov to a free agent contract, more signings are sure to come. But who are their best options?

The Hockey News’ Jared Clinton has several suggestions of players the Golden Knights should consider to bolster their team for their initial season, including Arizona’s Radim Vrbata, Calgary’s Michael Stone, Washington’s Karl Alzner, Philadelphia’s Michael Del Zotto as well as San Jose’s Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau.

The scribe argues that Vrbata might be an easy choice. Although contents of the protection rosters won’t be known until tomorrow morning, Arizona is expected to provide very little in terms of available players on their roster. So going after one of the Coyotes free agents may have more meaning than a fringe prospect. Enter Vrbata. The 36 winger could be the perfect linemate for Shipachyov as he put up a 20-goal season for Arizona last season and is two years removed from a 31-goal season. And at age 36, Vrbata might come at a shorter deal than some other free agent options.

Both Thornton and Marleau are options as well. While both are expected to look for their best chance to chase a Stanley Cup, it’s conceivably possible that Las Vegas could convince one of them to be the face of the franchise. Thornton is coming off a 50-point season at age 37, but put up 82 points just the year before that. Marleau, on the other hand, had 27 goals last year and could also be a nice fit alongside Shipachyov. Also at age 37, Marleau hasn’t slowed down yet.

The rest of the suggestions that Clinton gives are blueliners, which may not be that important to the Golden Knights considering that many feel that the expansion draft will be loaded with defensive talent, but few quality forward options. Alzner was originally drafted by Las Vegas general manager George McPhee when he was with the Capitals and he could be the leader of the defense for a number of years. The 28-year-old Alzner is one of the top two free agent defensemen available (next to teammate Kevin Shattenkirk) and his defensive style might be a perfect fit in Las Vegas. The downside to Alzner is the team would lose the ability to use an expansion pick on a top prospect such as goaltender Philipp Grubauer or defenseman Nate Schmidt if they sign Alzner, so that option is not as likely.

Stone could be a good addition to the roster if they opt not to go after Alzner. Stone has been a solid top-4 defenseman for both Calgary this year and Arizona before that. Stone is more of a two-way player and might be able to provide some much-needed offense. He had just three goals and 12 assists in 64 games this year between the two teams, but had six goals and 39 points one year ago. Del Zotto is more than capable of providing offense for the Golden Knights. While not a defensive player, he’s had several good seasons, but injuries have often curtailed his career.

 

NHL Snapshots: Carolina/Pittsburgh Goaltending Coaches, Kesler, Johnson

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The Carolina Hurricanes felt they solved their goaltending problems in April when they traded for and later signed (4-year, $4.15MM cap hit) Chicago Blackhawks backup goaltender Scott Darling. The 28-year-old goalie proved to be an outstanding backup for three seasons and many believed he would find a starting job when he became an unrestricted free agent. Darling finished this past season with a 2.38 GAA and a .924 save percentage in 32 games.

However, the Hurricanes are going to make sure that they do everything they can to ensure Darlings’ success as a full-time starter. Carolina has signed away Pittsburgh Penguins goaltending coach Mike Bales to be their goaltending coach, tweets AP’s Stephen Whyno. Bales, who has been with the Penguins for the past four years, including their back-to-back title runs is considered to be one of the top goalie coaches and should be able to aid Darling to a big season as a full-time starter.

The Penguins quickly responded to the loss by promoting developmental goaltending coach Mike Buckley to the Penguins coaching staff. Buckley has worked with Penguins starter Matt Murray with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in previous years and now gets to work with him again. Buckley, has helped the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton goaltenders to the lowest goals-against in three of the last four seasons, according to Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

  • The Anaheim Ducks’ Ryan Kesler will be out 12 weeks following hip surgery, tweets Orange County Register’s Eric Stephens. Kessler had bone fragments removed from his hip. The 32-year-old center finished the year with 22 goals and 36 assists for Anaheim, but only scored one goal in 17 playoff games. That timetable would likely still have him ready for training camp.
  • Calgary Sun/Herald reporter Eric Francis tweets to not be shocked if the Flames turn around and sign back goaltender Chad Johnson, whose rights were traded to Arizona today, to be newly acquired goaltender Mike Smith’s goalie-mate. The 31-year-old Johnson, who is coming off a disappointing season with a 2.59 GAA and .910 save percentage in 36 contests, did have a solid year in 2015-16 when he had a 2.36 and a .920 save percentage in 45 games with the Buffalo Sabres.

Western Notes: Wild Stand Pat, Sharks Re-sign Three

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One team that has received a lot of attention the last few days is the Minnesota Wild, who were a hotbed of trade chatter coming up to the trade deadline, which just passed due to their possession of multiple defensemen who they would likely have to expose if they couldn’t make a deal. However, the Wild stood pat and did not make any last minute trades and as of now, the team had no side deals going with the Las Vegas Golden Knights, according to Michael Russo of the Star Tribune.

Many teams had been looking to make big deals with Minnesota, who had too many defensemen on their roster and had to lighten their load. Going with a 7-3-1 protection scheme, the Wild were already expected to protect blueliners Ryan Suter and Jared Spurgeon and then would have to choose between Mathew Dumba, Jonas Brodin and Marco Scandella for the final protection spot. That would expose two of those three to the Las Vegas Golden Knights.

According to Russo, the team had been working on several deals before the deadline, including a possible trade to acquire Jonathan Drouin from Tampa Bay or Alex Galchenyuk from Montreal. There were no details on how close Minnesota came to making a deal with the Canadiens, but Montreal wanted a package that included Scandella. The main issue, however, for general manager Chuck Fletcher was that if he traded away one of those three defensemen, he didn’t want to lose another to the Golden Knights in the expansion draft, therefore losing two defensemen. Standing pat ensures that one of those blueliners will be staying with the club.

  • San Jose Sharks general manager Doug Wilson announced that pending unrestricted free agent winger Ryan Carpenter has been signed to a two-year contract today, according to the Sharks website on NHL.com. The 26-year-old Carpenter played in just 11 games this past season, scoring two goals and two assists. He did score 14 goals for the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda in 54 contests. The team also signed Joakim Ryan and Tim Heed, as well, each to two-year contracts, tweeted by NBC Sports’ Kevin Kurz. Ryan, a 24-year-old defenseman scored 10 goals and 39 assists in 65 games for the Barracudas. Heed, also a defenseman, is coming off an even better year, putting up 14 goals and 42 assists in 55 games for the Barracudas. Heed only played one game for the Sharks this year, while Ryan has not made his NHL debut yet. All three have a legitimate chance to crack the Sharks rotation out of training camp depending on the team’s offseason moves.

Rangers Notes: Staal, Girardi, Smith, Raanta

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The New York Rangers have not made a request to either Marc Staal or Dan Girardi as of yesterday about waiving their No Movement Clauses, according to New York Posts’ Larry Brooks. Both veteran defenders are coming off down years and have sizable contracts, which likely would make them unattractive to the Las Vegas Golden Knights in the expansion draft. Many believe the team will ask one or both to waive that No Movement Clause with the hopes of being able to protect other defenders. Staal still has four years at $5.7MM remaining on his contract. Girardi has three years at $5.5MM remaining.

Brooks writes that it’s still possible the Rangers could ask, but says it’s unlikely because since the club must ask before Monday afternoon’s deadline, the club would likely had given them more time to think about it. That leaves several possibilities, including waiving one of them or possibly exposing veteran Nick Holden in the expansion draft and hoping the Golden Knights might take him as opposed to some of their young forwards or goaltender Antti Raanta. Holden is coming off a regular season in which he scored 11 goals and 23 assists for a 34-point season. He might make a good veteran defensive leader or a good trade piece for Las Vegas.

  • The Rangers are the top candidates to re-sign defenseman Brendan Smith. According to Brooks, Smith is willing to discuss a contract before unrestricted free agency begins and give the Rangers a window to ink him to a contract, so long as it’s a “market-price” offer. Smith, a defensive defenseman, was acquired from the Detroit Red Wings at the trade deadline for third-round pick this year and a second-round pick in 2018. The 28-year-old is a key component to their defense and played well in their playoff run.
  • The scribe also writes that several teams, including the Calgary Flames and the Winnipeg Jets have inquired about Raanta, who is the team’s backup goaltender. However, the Rangers have not committed to trading him yet and may wait until just before expansion rosters are due to make a decision. No doubt, the hope is to raise the price for the young goaltender as offers have not been overwhelming.
  • The Rangers and general manager Jeff Gorton have until Friday to lock up one of their restricted free agents to comply with the draft exposure regulations. The team must agree with either Jesper Fast, Oscar Lindberg or Matt Puempel in order to comply. All three know this and are using this as leverage to get a better deal, according to Brooks. If the Rangers are unable to sign one of them or trade for an eligible forward by Friday, they would be subject to penalties from the NHL, including possibly getting stripped of draft picks.

Tampa Bay Notes: Trades, Killorn, Namestnikov

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With the Tampa Bay Lightning having loads of offseason questions after not making the playoffs this past year, a lot is up in the air when it comes to their expansion protection plans. Regardless, Tampa Bay Times’ Joe Smith writes that general manager Steve Yzerman has said that he would like to work out a side deal with the Las Vegas Golden Knights, but said he isn’t sure he can as the Lightning may have too many good assets available.

The scribe writes to not be surprised, however, if the Lightning make a big trade, possibly for a defenseman in the next week before protection rosters must be turned in on Saturday. He mentions both the Anaheim Ducks and the Minnesota Wild as likely trade partners as both teams must move a defenseman as well. One suggestion would be to make an agreement with Las Vegas to select a defenseman from another team in the expansion draft and then package them to Tampa Bay in a bigger deal.

  • In a mailbag, Smith writes that he expects Tampa Bay to try to move center Alex Killorn before a no-trade clause kicks in. He signed a new seven-year deal last offseason, but a full-trade clause takes effect for the next three years on July 1. Then it goes to a modified no-trade clause for the final three years. Despite scoring a career high in goals (19) during the first year of that seven-year deal, the team may want to take advantage of his value and package him and his $4.45MM contract to solve some cap issues that the team must deal with. If the team doesn’t trade Killorn and he gets exposed for the expansion draft, don’t be shocked if Las Vegas head coach Gerard Gallant might take Killorn, who he coached for Team Canada at the World Championships this year.
  • Smith also mentions several players who are possible expansion picks by the Golden Knights, assuming Tampa Bay can’t pull off a side deal with them. Center Vladislav Namestnikov would be an obvious choice, if left unprotected, as well as restricted free agents Slater Koekkoek or Jake Dotchin. Namestnikov is just 24 and has scored 24 goals in the last two seasons. Koekkoek and Dotchin, both 23-year-old defensemen, each have promise. Koekkoek has only played in 41 total games, while Dotchin recorded 11 assists in 35 games in his rookie campaign.

 

 

Penguins Will Have Lots Of Offseason Decisions To Make On ‘D’

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The Pittsburgh Penguins are just one win away from capturing their second straight Stanley Cup title with Game 6 tonight, but they’ve done it throughout the playoffs with one of the most unheralded defensive corps possible. With two-time all-star Kris Letang out for the season with neck surgery he underwent on Apr. 13, the team has played without a star defenseman and it showed early in this series when the Predators dominated in Games 1 and 2. However, the defense held together and took things a step further the other day in Game 5 when the defense dominated on both offense and defense. They got two goals and three assists during that victory.

That defense, made up of Olli Maatta, Ian Cole, Trevor Daley, Ron Hainsey, Brian Dumoulin and Justin Schultz, has held tough and just might be increasing their stock as the offseason approaches for them in the next few days. The Penguins may have a few offseason issues to deal with in the upcoming weeks when it comes to their defense. While Letang is locked up until 2021-22 ($7.5MM), only two others are officially under contract for next year. The 22-year-old Matta is also under contract until 2021-22 ($4.083MM) and Cole has one more year left at $2.1MM. The rest are all free agents with Daley and Hainsey listed as unrestricted free agents, while Dumoulin and Schultz are both restricted free agents who should command more than they made this past year.

Daley played a much stronger game in Game 5 and was able to move the puck much more quickly in that performance. He is completing a six-year deal ($3.3MM) and the Penguins must decide if they want to bring the 33-year old back next season. He played in just 56 games and had 5 goals and 14 assists for 19 points, but has had a goal and five assists in the playoffs, including a key assist in Game 5. Hainsey came over as a rental from Carolina at the trade deadline. The 36-year-old is finishing up a three-year deal in which he was getting $2.833MM per season. Hainsey finished the season with four goals and 13 assists, but has proven valuable in the playoffs which could net him a solid offer next year. The veteran has put up two goals and six assists during the playoffs despite struggling to keep up with the top line.

The Penguins must also make key decisions on the restricted front. Dumoulin is wrapping up his second full season with Pittsburgh. The 25-year-old has played solidly and should get quite an increase from the $800,000 he is currently making. Dumoulin, a gifted young defender, scored one goal and added 14 assists this season, while adding a goal and five assists in the playoffs this year. He’s even been mentioned as a possible expansion candidate if the team trades backup goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury. Finally, Schultz is coming off a breakout year. After taking a paycut last year from $3.9MM in 2015-16 to $1.4MM this year, the 26-year-old will be looking for a long term deal after putting up 12 goals and 39 assists this past year. His playoff performance should also improve his stock with four goals and eight assists so far.

The Penguins should have plenty of questions to answer once they reach the offseason.

New York Notes: Kovalchuk, Raanta, Lundqvist

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The list of teams who are lining up to trade for the rights to winger Ilya Kovalchuk continue to increase. New York Post’s Larry Brooks writes that the Devils have multiple suitors trying to acquire the 34-year-old, including the St. Louis Blues, the San Jose Sharks, the Toronto Maple Leafs and the New York Rangers. Brooks writes that the most interesting part is that many of those teams have Kovalchuk’s old Devil teammates or personnel in their front office, including Martin Brodeur (assistant general manager for the Blues), Lou Lamoriello (general manager of the Maple Leafs), Pete DeBoer (coach of the Sharks) and Johan Hedberg (assistant coach of the Sharks). That might make it easier for Devils general manager Ray Shero to move the veteran since he has requested to play in New York or Florida, but a friendly face in San Jose, Toronto or St. Louis might change his mind.

Brooks writes that Shero would prefer to move Kovalchuk anywhere but across the Hudson River to the Rangers and no matter what, the cost to trade him to the Rangers would have to be more than for the other teams. However, he points out that Kovalchuk has some power as well. Shero only has until July 1 to get the deal done or Kovalchuk could wait one year and come back and be an unrestricted free agent in 2018. If Kovalchuk wants to play for the Rangers, Shero may have no choice.

Brooks also adds that the Rangers could offer 25-year-old center Oscar Lindberg and 30-year-old defenseman Nick Holden to get a deal done if they want Kovalchuk. Lindberg could easily become a top-six forward in New Jersey, while Holden would help aid a poor Devils’ defense.

  • Brooks also writes in the same story that the Rangers are getting a lot of interest in backup goaltender Antti Raanta. While the Rangers could easily trade him, the fear is that they would then lose a quality forward to the Las Vegas Golden Knights in the expansion draft. They have made it clear they don’t want to lose Lindberg (unless they were getting Kovalchuk back), Jesper Fast or Michael Grabner. Fast, 25, showed a lot of promise in the playoffs, scoring three goals and three assists in 12 playoff games. Grabner, 29, is coming off a 27-goal season this year. So unless, the team is overwhelmed with an offer, the Rangers may just allow Raanta to go to Las Vegas.
  • Brooks also writes that Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist will be rehabbing for four to six weeks due to an isolated MCL tear he got early in the IIHF World Championships. He is not expected to miss training camp, however. Lundqvist was the goaltender for Team Sweden who went on to win the championships.

L.A. Kings Frontrunners For Evander Kane Trade?

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While the Buffalo Sabres have made no indication on what their plans are for embattled wing Evander Kane, who has one year remaining on his contract, it is likely the 25-year-old goal scorer would be highly coveted by a number of teams if the team want to trade him. Yahoo Sports’ Justin Cuthbert writes the Kings could be the favorite to acquire Kane if the Sabres choose to move him.

Whether or not the Sabres move him is up for debate. The Hockey News’ Lyle Richardson wrote last week that Buffalo general manager Jason Botterill will allow the new head coach to have a say on whether the team wants to send off Kane, who is coming off his best season (on the ice) after scoring 28 goals, the most he’s netted in five seasons. The Sabres, who have yet to hire a head coach are awaiting the opportunity to interview Nashville assistant coach Phil Housley after the Stanley Cup Finals conclude. However, with Kane’s offensive success on the ice, this might be the best time to move on from Kane and get something for him before he becomes an unrestricted free agent next season.

Cuthbert writes that Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet hinted Saturday that Los Angeles might have the edge on acquiring Kane, “… the word is that the L.A. Kings are one of the teams that’s interested, and I think the Sabres are willing to do it if L.A. and them can strike a deal.”

The Kings, now under new management with general manager Rob Blake taking over, want to springboard the franchise back to its former glory. Adding a bona-fide scorer in Kane would fix the Kings’ biggest issue, which was scoring. The Kings are just one of seven teams that failed to score 200 goals last season. Kane put up huge numbers after he healed from a broken ribs injury on opening night. From December on, he put up those 28 goals in 59 games.

The down-side to Kane is his off-ice issues, which stem from two separate legal incidents in 2016, which include multiple charges as well as his ugly departure with Winnipeg Jets’ management two years ago. Those issues makes him a liability if he doesn’t get his act together. His $5.25MM contract, even if it’s just for one more year, is another obstacle for the Kings, who have limited cap space and still need to strike a deal with restricted free agent Tyler Toffoli. What the Kings might have to trade away to get Kane is another question, although Richardson said the Sabres might be looking for a second-round pick and a player in exchange for him.

 

 

Oilers Likely To Wait To Trade Eberle Until After Expansion Draft

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Edmonton Oilers’ forward Jordan Eberle’s name seems to come up in trade talks quite often. He recently appeared at No. 6 on TSN’s first edition of “Trade Bait,” and the belief is that moving the 20-goal scorer this season makes the most sense as the Oilers must free up cap space to eventually lock up both Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl to extensions. The hope is they can use Eberle to acquire a top-four defenseman the team needs. Several key defensemen are on TSN’s list, including Anaheim’s Sami Vatanen, Minnesota’s Jonas Brodin and Mathew Dumba, and New York Islanders’ Travis Hamonic – all right-handed defenseman, exactly what the Oilers need.

However, while Edmonton Journal’s David Staples believes that while moving Eberle will be inevitable, trading him before the expansion draft is a big mistake. If the team trades Eberle for a defender, that would force Edmonton to switch from a 7-3-1 protection scheme to a 4-4-1 scheme, meaning the Oilers would have to sacrifice one extra forward to the Las Vegas Golden Knights. The Oilers then would be only be able to protect Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Draisaitl, Milan Lucic and Patrick Maroon (McDavid is exempt). The team would then have to protect four defensemen, including the new acquisition, Andrej Sekera, Oscar Klefbom and Adam Larsson.

That would likely expose veteran enforcer Zack Kassian to the Golden Knights, something that they wouldn’t have done in a 7-3-1 scheme. Kassian was critical to the team in the playoffs as he stood up for his teammates and protected the likes of McDavid and Draisaitl. Staples believes that general manager Peter Chiarelli would prefer to keep him as he’s playing the best hockey of his career. A loss at wing of Kassian and Eberle might also force Draisaitl to stay at the wing, rather than move to center like the Oilers want.

So even though there may be quite a few defensemen available over the next two weeks, there are few scenarios in which trading Eberle for one makes any sense until after the expansion draft. Staples even hints that Las Vegas is likely to be overloaded in defenders after the expansion draft and looking there for a top-six defenseman would make more sense, although that does not solve the problem of unloading Eberle’s $6MM contract.

Eastern Notes: No. 1 pick, Neuvirth, Okposo

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The New Jersey Devils have an interesting decision to make in the next three weeks when they have to make the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming 2017 NHL Entry Draft. Not only must they decide whether to choose Nolan Patrick or Nico Hischier at that spot, the team is under extra pressure not to get the pick wrong, since the next pick goes to divisional rival Philadelphia.

However, did anyone learn much from this weekend’ scouting combine? The Record’s Andrew Gross spoke to Devils Director of Amateur Scouting Paul Castron who said the team learned very little they didn’t already know about the two players. “I don’t know. You try to get a little read on a personality, confidence,” Castron said. “Still, it comes down to a majority of what they do on the ice. It’s great if a kid is developed physically and they’ve put in the time. But take a step back. They’re still only 17. They’re not even scratching the surface of what they’re going to be physically.”

Early indications are that the Devils are likely to take Patrick, who is bigger and a better two-way player. Hischier is considered the faster and better offensive player.

The Flyers, have the easiest decision to make – pick the players the Devils didn’t. Most believe that the Flyers are hoping to get Hischier, who they believe has a higher upside, according to Sam Carchidi of philly.com. Hischier’s speed and creativity would be welcome on a straight-line team such as the Flyers who struggle to score points. The team may also need their second overall pick to play on the wing for a year until Valterri Filppula’s contract expires. That is an advantage to Hischier who has the speed to make that transition, something Patrick might struggle to do.

  • Speaking of the Flyers, Carchidi spoke to Las Vegas Golden Knights general manager George McPhee, about expansion draft candidate Michal Neuvirth, who McPhee drafted in the second round in the 2006 draft when he was with the Washington Capitals. While the Golden Knights are looking at other goaltenders such as Washington’s Philipp Grubauer or New York Rangers’ Antti Raanta, they will be drafting more than one goaltender, which means Neuvirth is a possibility if the team exposes him. Current starter Steve Mason is an unrestricted free agent, however. “As a goaltender, we always described Michal as a guy who was technically perfect,” McPhee said at the NHL scouting combine Saturday. “He certainly has a great physique and body composition for the position.” Neuvirth struggled last year with a 2.82 GAA in 28 games, but had a career best 2.27 GAA in 2015-16.
  • Buffalo Sabres Kyle Okposo visited the Buffalo Sabres facility for the first time in two months since he was hospitalized for an undisclosed illness. According to the Associated Press, the star forward was in good spirits at the unannounced visit and, according to anonymous source with direct knowledge of the situation, is improving, but has not been cleared to skate yet. Okposo spent a week at Buffalo General Hospital’s neurosurgical intensive care unit in early April. The 29-year-old wing just started a long-term deal with the Sabres at $6MM a year until the 2022-23 season.

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