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Atlantic Notes: Sabres, Stuetzle, Dermott

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With quite a few changes having been made to the Buffalo Sabres roster this offseason, including the additions of Taylor Hall and Eric Staal into their top six, Buffalo News’ Lance Lysowski writes that the team is done upgrading their roster, but a possibility of a trade still exists as the team is overloaded on defense.

The scribe writes that the Sabres could look to find a taker for either Colin Miller or Brandon Montour for a draft pick, which would open up a spot for 23-year-old William Borgen, a highly touted St. Cloud State player who has played just four NHL games so far after two years in the AHL.

  • Ottawa Senators newly-drafted forward Tim Stuetzle might have trouble joining the Senators for the upcoming 2020-21 due to his contract with Alder Manheim in Germany. The European rule is that a player with a valid cannot sign an NHL contract after Aug. 15. While that rule doesn’t make as much sense considering the draft was on Oct. 6, the rule still applies, according to deputy commissioner Bill Daly. The Athletic’s Hailey Salvian (subscription required) writes that Mannheim’s general manager Jan-Axel Alavaara said the only way Stuetzle could play for the Senators this season is if Mannheim releases him from his contract, which would then freely allow the 18-year-old to join Ottawa when the 2020-21 season begins. That would also require the German Federation to sign off on it. Salvian notes that no decision has been made on whether Mannheim would allow Stuetzle out of his contract, but the third-overall pick is still recovering from a fractured hand that he suffered on Oct. 13 and was given a six to eight-week recovery time. Of course, neither the DEL or the NHL have started their seasons with the DEL season having been postponed twice already with a current timetable of a December return. Regardless, expect general manager Pierre Dorion to continue to negotiate with Mannheim.
  • After being forced to accept a one-year pact with the Toronto Maple Leafs, defenseman Travis Dermott will have to bet on himself to benefit from a better deal next season. The blueliner will have to fight for a spot on the Maple Leafs’ blueline, according to Jonas Siegel (subscription required), who adds that Dermott will be fighting for playing time with Justin Holl, Zach Bogosian, Mikko Lehtonen and Rasmus Sandin for the final three spots on Toronto’s defense and easily could be forced to play on his off-hand in order to earn minutes.

Pacific Notes: Fischer, Sharks, Bowey

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With the deadline for players to accept their qualifying offers having passed earlier today, Coyotes beat writer Craig Morgan reports that the Coyotes are still working on a deal for restricted free agent forward Christian Fischer, even though there is no word on whether they requested an extension from the league. The forward does not have arbitration rights.

Fischer struggled significantly last season, seeing his playing time reduced by more than two minutes, going from 13:10 ATOI to 11:01 this season) and scored just six goals and nine points in 56 games. The 23-year-old just wrapped up his entry-level deal where he made $1.08MM.

  • The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz (subscription required) writes that the loss of center Joe Thornton will have a significant effect on the team. While his offense should be able to be replaced, the bigger effect is how the team will fare without his presence in the locker room, where the veterans had quite an effect over the years. Now with Thornton and Joe Pavelski gone, much of the leadership will fall on the shoulders of second-year captain Logan Couture, who will tough shoes to fill in the Sharks’ locker room. “You have to have a whole leadership group,” general manager Doug Wilson said. “It’s on a whole group of players, it’s not a one-person leadership mentality. … Yes, you’ve got some of the veterans that certainly know it’s their responsibility, but some of the younger guys, too — Tomas Hertl, Timo Meier, Kevin Labanc. It’s their time. They need to step up to the next level. We have to be the sum of all our parts.”
  • With Matt Benning gone and prospects Evan Bouchard and Philip Broberg still developing, the Edmonton Journal’s Kurt Leavins writes that one player that the Oilers may consider adding is former Detroit Red Wings blueliner Madison Bowey. The Red Wings opted not to give the 25-year-old a qualifying offer, making him a free-agent. However, Oilers general manager Ken Holland is familiar with Bowey, who he traded for back when he was with the Red Wings and it could be a good fit. The 6-foot-2 blueliner averaged 17:54 last season in 53 games with Detroit, posting three goals and 17 points.

Central Notes: Dumba, Honka, Colorado

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The Minnesota Wild have been quite aggressive in re-shaping their roster this season, which includes adding Marcus Johansson, Nick Bonino, Nick Bjugstadt and Cam Talbot, while also re-signing a number of key free agents and eliminating significant cap space. However, one move that hasn’t happened yet was the expected trade of defenseman Matt Dumba.

The Athletic’s Michael Russo (subscription required) writes that it might be a while before a trade for the blueliner is found. This is not the best time to find a trade partner with few teams ready to give Minnesota a significant return and a number of previously interested teams have already filled their need on defense. Russo suggests that one team that might still be interested is the Florida Panthers, who still need help on defense and have the prospects to make a deal happen.

Russo adds that he heard that Minnesota tried to pry Florida’s first-round pick from this year’s draft, who the Panthers used to select Anton Lundell, as part of a package for Dumba, which Florida rejected, but mainly because they wanted Lundell. Regardless, the Wild need to stay patient and hope it can find a match with Florida or any other team ready to get into the running.

  • The Athletic’s Sean Shapiro (subscription required) writes that Dallas Stars first-round pick Julius Honka, who didn’t sign as a restricted free-agent last summer and spent the season playing in Finland, is interested in returning to Dallas next season. The 24-year-old Honka’s rights are owned by the Stars until he turns 27, but despite demanding a trade last summer, he was forced to play in the Liiga and wasn’t necessarily a standout player there. Honka has played 87 career NHL games, but never was able to establish himself into the Stars’ defensive lineup. If he does opt to sign what would likely be a mininum-salaried deal, Honka would have to beat out a number of blueliners to get into the lineup, including Mark Pysyk, Taylor Fedun, Thomas Harley, Joel Hanley and Stephen Johns (assuming he returns to the team).
  • Colorado Hockey Now’s Adrian Dater (subscription required) writes that if the NHL is required to set up divisional bubbles next season as it is starting to look more and more likely that getting fans in the stands is looking less and less likely, then Colorado could be a likely candidate to host teams. In fact, Dater writes that he’s heard that the Pepsi Center, the Avalanche’s arena, is a leading candidate to be a host-city if the NHL opts to go that route, although it’s too soon to make a decision.

St. Louis Blues Sign Austin Poganski, Mitch Reinke

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The St. Louis Blues announced they have signed restricted free agents Austin Poganski and Mitch Reinke to one-year, two-way deals. CapFriendly reports that Reinke’s deal is worth $750K with a $100K AHL salary. No terms have been released on Poganski’s contract.

The 24-year-old Poganski was a fourth-round pick of the Blues back in 2014, but opted to go the college rout, playing four years at the University of North Dakota. He signed with the Blues after his collegiate career ended, joining the San Antonio Rampage in the AHL. He has been a solid contributor there for two seasons, posting 10 goals and 30 points last season in 56 games last season and he made his NHL debut last season, playing in one game for the Blues. He likely will continue a similar track next season as an AHL veteran and solid penalty killer with the hope to fill in as an emergency replacement for the Blues.

Reinke, also 24, made his only NHL appearance back in the 2017-18 season and since has found himself developing his skills with San Antonio. He posted a solid 12 goals and 45 points in 76 games back in 2018-19, breaking a Rampage rookie record for a defenseman. However, he saw some of those offensive numbers dip this past year as he posted five goals and 22 points in 46 games. He has been recalled at different points, but hasn’t had a chance to see any game action for St. Louis.

With two more restricted free agents signed, the Blues have two restricted free agents to deal, included defenseman Vince Dunn and Jake Walman still unsigned.

Metropolitan Notes: Rangers, Foligno, Devils

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The New York Rangers locked up restricted free agent defenseman Anthony DeAngelo to a two-year pact Thursday, but with a lopsided group of blueliners on the right side, the New York Post’s Larry Brooks writes that Rangers’ general manager Jeff Gorton and his staff have had internal discussions about moving either DeAngelo or Adam Fox to the left side.

With Jacob Trouba, Fox and DeAngelo on the right side, the Rangers would be better off if one player moves to the left, which isn’t as strong with Jack Johnson, Ryan Lindgren and Brendan Smith leading the way, not exactly what you’re looking for on one side. The Rangers then might have an opening to bring in top prospect Nils Lundqvist, the 28th overall pick in 2018, to join the team’s top six after his SHL season ends in early March, although they would still have to convince him to sign his entry-level deal.

Brooks also noted that the recent two-year deals handed out to both DeAngelo and goaltender Alexandar Georgiev suggest that both players could be trade candidates in a year as a two-year contract makes them easier to trade down the road then if there were both restricted free agents once again.

  • This should be a critical year for Columbus Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno, who is entering the final year of the six-year, $33MM contract he signed back in 2014. The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline (subscription required) writes that while Foligno has played mostly in top-six roles over the years, that role is changing, especially with his decline in offense after posting 10 goals and 31 points in 67 games last season. While head coach John Tortorella has said that he intends to be more aggressive this year and have Foligno play a big role in that, the 32-year-old will have to fight off a number of players for a top-six role, including Alexandre Texier. With other top forwards coming in in the next couple of years, Foligno’s role will have to change. Despite his respect around the organization and his love for the city of Columbus, the veteran will have to take a significant pay cut if he wants to stay for the remainder of his career.
  • One question that many fans are asking is whether the New Jersey Devils are done making moves. One area of weakness is on the team’s blueline where they have Ryan Murray and Will Butcher on the right side and Damon Severson and P.K. Subban on the left. However, the team has little else in terms of depth with injury-prone Connor Carrick and rookie Ty Smith the likely candidates for the third-pairing role. The Athletic’s Corey Masisak (subscription required) suggests the team could try and add a veteran via free agency, but there aren’t many options left. The team could circle back around to Sami Vatanen, but the team may be looking at the trade market as well with cap space being one of the few assets the team has.

 

Atlantic Notes: Chara, Maple Leafs, Danault

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With a big four-year extension for Boston Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk, the Bruins continue to work on their defense after the departure of Torey Krug. Of course, much of that work relies on a decision by veteran Zdeno Chara, who is still considering what he is going to do for the 2020-21 season.

Boston Hockey Now’s Joe Haggerty writes that Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said that the team can do nothing, but wait to hear from Chara about what his offseason plans are.

“We have communicated consistently with Zdeno and [his agent] Matt Keator,” said Sweeney. “We’re just waiting for him to initiate what he’d like to do moving forward. I feel very comfortable allowing [the decision-making process] to take the necessary time and let Zdeno make his own decisions along that route.”

Of course, Keator did say that Chara has received multiple inquiries from other teams and the veteran is considering all options, according to The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa (subscription required), which isn’t good for Boston who will need the 6-foot-9, 250-pounder to help stabilize their defense after losing Krug to St. Louis more than a week ago and lack the financial abilities to bring in a solid replacement.

  • In a conference call with reporters as well as NHL.com’s Mike Zeisberger, Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas said that he doesn’t foresee the team making any more roster moves, which includes adding more players or having to move a player out. The GM said the Maple Leafs will now focus on signing their own restricted free agents with next week’s arbitration case of Ilya Mikheyev on tap next, followed by focusing on working out a deal with defenseman Travis Dermott.
  • The Athletic’s Arpon Basu (subscription required) writes that Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin has now signed defenseman Jeff Petry and forward Brendan Gallagher to long-term deals. He also managed to swap forwards Max Domi and Josh Anderson, signing the latter to long-term deal as well. When asked what his next task would be, Bergevin replied that he was thinking about going on vacation, sounding like his work this offseason is finished. Basu writes that can’t be good news for center Phillip Danault, who is on his last year of a three-year, $9.25MM contract and has said he would like to stay long-term as long as his role on the team is guaranteed. The 27-year-old has posted 25 goals and 100 points combined over the last two seasons, but with young centers Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Nick Suzuki ready to step into more significant roles in the near future, there may not be a big role remaining for Danault.

Arizona Coyotes Loan Barrett Hayton To Ilves in Liiga

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With loans to Europe getting more and more common with plenty of delays in North America, the Arizona Coyotes will be sending forward Barrett Hayton, the fifth overall pick in 2018, to Finland to play in the Liiga for Ilves, according to Coyotes beat writer Craig Morgan and confirmed (translation required) by Ilves themselves. While many of the most recent loans to Europe have been for the entire season, Morgan adds that this is a loan until the NHL training camp begins.

Hayton is definitely a player that would want to take advantage of getting in some early work before the 2020-21 season begins. Hayton had a rough 2019-20 season, playing 20 games with the Coyotes last season. The 20-year-old played 14 games before the World Juniors, however, with limited playing time with Arizona. He then was released to join Team Canada where he dominated scoring six goals and 12 points in seven games, leading Canada to the gold medal.

However, that’s where things went south as he injured his shoulder in the tournament and didn’t return to the Coyotes until Feb. 20 where he only appeared in six games before the season was suspended due to the coronavirus. He did make three playoff appearances with Arizona, but still didn’t earn significant minutes.

The forward could be a key to the Coyotes future if he can earn himself a full-time role with the team next season. However, a stop in Finland could give him some extra-needed playing time. He will be playing alongside division rival Juuso Valimaki of the Calgary Flames on Ilves.

Vegas Working On Nate Schmidt Trade

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7:35PM: Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic notes that the Panthers have not completed a deal for Schmidt.  Considering their cap situation, a trade of someone making a sizable salary will need to happen before they can finalize any contract with Pietrangelo.

5:59 PM: While the talk the last hour or so has been with the Vegas Golden Knights looking to deal one of their defenseman to the Winnipeg Jets to make room for an Alex Pietrangelo signing, now Fox Sports Andy Strickland reports that Vegas is expected to send defenseman Nate Schmidt and his contract of five years at $5.95MM, is heading to the Florida Panthers. No word yet on the return.

Schmidt has been a big component for the Golden Knights since their inception. The blueliner was one of the Golden Knights selections in the expansion draft and has been one of their top minutes eaters since joining the team. While likely being surpassed as the team’s top defenseman last season by the improved play of defenseman Shea Theodore, Schmidt has been a key face for the Golden Knights franchise and a major locker room presence, going back to the Golden Misfit days. Last year, the 29-year-old blueliner averaged 21:41 of ice time, while posting seven goals and 31 points last year, while providing solid defense for the Golden Knights.

In Florida, Schmidt should immediately fill a significant role for the Panthers that was hurting on the defensive end. Last year, Florida spent significant money on free agent goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, who struggled out of the gate, much due to the fact that the Panthers defense was subpar, even under first-year head coach Joel Quenneville. This offseason, Florida has re-tooled their defense, moving multiple players out. The speedy Schmidt should fit in well besides Aaron Ekblad, Keith Yandle, Anton Stralman and newly acquired Radko Gudas and Markus Nutivaara.

Teams are only able to go more than 10% above the Upper Limit during the offseason which is $89.65MM.  Accordingly, this deal will seemingly need to be finalized before Pietrangelo’s contract can be made official.

Vegas Golden Knights Closing On Deal With Alex Pietrangelo

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The Vegas Golden Knights are rumored to be close to signing the top unrestricted free agent on the market in defenseman Alex Pietrangelo, according to The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford, who says a deal could be completed as early as tonight. Fox Sports Andy Strickland confirms that the Golden Knights and Pietrangelo are working towards finalizing a contract.

The deal could also coincide with a trade as the Golden Knights, who have already moved out Paul Stastny, are also a likely candidate to move out defenseman Nate Schmidt and his contract, which includes five more years at $5.95MM AAV. It’s likely both moves could be done in tandem with the belief that the Winnipeg Jets might again be part of that package, which would include restricted free agent Jack Roslovic. Even that trade could prove to be complicated as the Jets might be forced to move out a contract in order to take on Schmidt’s contract.

For the Golden Knights, bringing in Pietrangelo would finally give the franchise its first clear cut No. 1 defenseman. The team had tried to pry away Erik Karlsson several years ago at the trade deadline, but failed to pull that trade off. This time, the team is trying to juggle its finances to fit Pietrangelo into their salary cap, which is quite a daunting task.

Pietrangelo has been a stabilizing force the last 11 seasons with the Blues and is coming off an impressive season last year. The 30-year-old had 16 goals and 52 assists in 70 games and another six points in nine playoff games for the Blues, but is probably best known for his defensive abilities, something that could only help Vegas in their quest to win a Stanley Cup in the next couple of years. Vegas also has a major need for a right-handed blueliner as the only right-hander on the team is Zach Whitecloud.

The Golden Knights still have to move out goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury and his $7MM AAV contract for the next two years, but with little movement on that front over the last week, the team might be more likely forced to move out one of their pricier defensemen with Schmidt’s salary being the largest at the moment.

Winnipeg Jets Looking To Trade Jack Roslovic

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The Winnipeg Jets have been shopping restricted free agent forward Jack Roslovic with more intensity today with the hope of moving him for a top-four defender, according to the Winnipeg News’ Mike McIntyre. Several teams have expressed interest in the young center with the Vegas Golden Knights being at the top of that list, although the Columbus Blue Jackets are also interested in the Columbus native.

The scribe writes that there has been talk of dealing Roslovic, who has expressed an interest in a change of scenery. The 23-year-old Roslovic has steadily improved in his three years in the league with the Jets. He posted career highs in goals (12) and assists (17) and has been starting to show the potential to be a No. 2 center on the team, a role he has not been able to seize up until now. However, after making $1.1MM last season, Roslovic could get a considerable raise, something that other teams will have to take into account.

While the Golden Knights are just one candidate to acquire the young center, several names have already been mentioned by McIntyre, including Nate Schmidt and Alec Martinez. Winnipeg, who is looking for a left-handed defenseman, has already completed one trade with the Golden Knights recently when it acquired Paul Stastny just before free agency opened on Friday.

The Golden Knights are rumored to be close to signing No. 1 free agent, Alex Pietrangelo to a long-term deal, but still would need to move out some salary to make the deal work. With little known progress on moving goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, it would make sense to move on from one of their top-four defenders, likely Schmidt or Martinez. Both offer different advantages to Winnipeg if they choose to take one. Schmidt is locked up for another five years at $5.95MM with a 10-team no-trade list, which would give the Jets some security at that position. Martinez, on the other hand, will be an unrestricted free agent after the 2020-21 season, but comes in a little cheaper at just $4MM.

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