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Eastern Notes: Hischier, Van Riemsdyk, Ladd, Miller

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With teams trying to get a jump on their 2020 restricted free agents, another team has started negotiations with one of their players. The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun (subscription required) writes in his notebook that the New Jersey Devils have started negotiations with center Nico Hischier. While the talks are preliminary so far, it’s a good sign the team wants to tackle the negotiations early as opposed to having it affect their training camp or a potential holdout of the 2020-21 season.

Hischier, the first-overall pick in the 2017 draft, has been a key piece to the Devils team the last two years. He put up a solid rookie campaign as an 18-year-old, scoring 20 goals for a total of 52 points. Despite missing 13 games last season, his numbers were solid as well, putting up 17 goals and 47 points and has established himself as a reliable top-six player who is currently centering the top line. Whether he will remain the top-line center or move to the second line once 2019 first-overall pick Jack Hughes establishes himself is unknown, but it gives the Devils two elite centers to build around.

  • The Carolina Hurricanes got some news on the health of veteran defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk, who is still recovering from shoulder surgery in early May, is getting closer to a return, according to News-Observer’s Chip Alexander. Head coach Rod Brind’Amour said he expects van Riemsdyk to return “soon,” but isn’t ready to refer to him as day-to-day either. “He’s definitely getting closer,” said Brind’Amour. The 28-year-old played 78 games for the Hurricanes last year.
  • New York Islanders head coach Barry Trotz said that veteran forward Andrew Ladd practiced Saturday and will continue to practice with the team in a non-contact jersey for a while, according to Newsday’s Andrew Gross. The Islanders intend to protect the 33-year-old from injury from the torn ACL injury he sustained in March and isn’t expected back until November. Ladd only played 26 games for the team last season and only produced 12 goals the year before. Ladd still has three more years on his contract after this one at $5.5MM AAV.
  • New York Rangers prospect K’Andre Miller, the team’s 22nd-overall pick in the 2018 draft, was suspended by the University of Wisconsin hockey team for a violation of team rules, according to Wisconsin State Journal’s Todd Milewski. No word on how long the suspension is for or whether he will miss the season opener on Friday against No. 11 Boston College, but associate head coach Mark Osiecki said that Miller was still with the team and involved in off-ice workouts. He is not practicing with the team at the moment. The blueliner scored five goals and 22 points in 26 games last season as a freshman with the Badgers.

Metropolitan Notes: Crosby, Staal, Hudon, Kravtsov

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Many fans got worried Saturday when Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby took a shot off of his foot and immediately left the game. The good news is that the injury isn’t too serious as NHL.com’s Wes Crosby writes that Crosby is listed as day-to-day. However, that also suggests that he is questionable for the season opener.

Crosby took a shot off his leg from Marco Scandella 6:42 into the first period in Saturday’s preseason game against the Buffalo Sabres, and while he did skate this morning to test his foot, he isn’t necessarily going to be ready for Thursday’s home opener against Buffalo.

“Injuries are a part of the game,” said Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan. “It is what it is. We just have to adjust. I think that’s where the versatility that our group has comes into play.”

  • The Carolina Hurricanes announced that longtime veteran Jordan Staal has been named captain of the team, replacing Justin Williams, who has decided to take some time off. The 31-year-old had served as a co-captain in 2017-18 and was an alternate captain for the other six years he’s been on the team, including last season. The team also announced that Jordan Martinook and defenseman Jaccob Slavin will serve as alternate captains this year.
  • While no players has been claimed yet on waivers, Philly.com’s Sam Carchidi reports that the Philadelphia Flyers could put in a claim for one tomorrow as the team might have some interest in Montreal Canadiens’ forward Charles Hudon. The forward was placed on waivers this afternoon. According to Carchidi, Flyers’ assistant coach Michel Therrien was a big fan of Hudon when he coached with the Canadiens. The 25-year-old only played 32 games last season for Montreal due to injuries, but scored 10 goals and 30 points in 2017-18.
  • One of the biggest decisions that the New York Rangers will have to make in the coming days is what to do with 2018 first-rounder Vitaly Kravtsov, according to The Athletic’s Rick Carpiniello (subscription required). The 19-year-old hasn’t impressed enough to force his way into the Rangers’ top-six and then the question is whether he would be better off spending some time in the AHL where he can develop his skills rather than play limited minutes with New York. The team may have to decide between Kravtsov, Filip Chytil and Brett Howden, none of which have been particularly impressive in the preseason.

Atlantic Notes: Brannstrom, Sandin, Panthers, Lightning, Bjork

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When the Ottawa Senators announced Sunday that the team had assigned defenseman Christian Jaros to the Belleville Senators of the AHL, it meant that the Senators intend on keeping top prospect Erik Brannstrom on the team, according to Sportsnet’s Kyle Bukauskas.

The 20-year-old had an impressive camp, but more importantly is a good look for the Senators who traded away star Mark Stone for the young defensive phenom. The Golden Knights sent Brannstrom, Oscar Lindberg (now playing in the NLA) and a 2020 second-round pick. If Brannstrom makes his mark quickly, it would help make the Stone trade more palatable.

Brannstrom, the 15th overall pick in 2017, played 50 games in the AHL between the Chicago Wolves and the Belleville Senators, scoring seven goals and 32 points in that time.

  • TSN’s Kristen Shilton reports that Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock confirmed that defenseman Rasmus Sandin is going to make Toronto’s opening day roster. “We got four [defencemen]…and, well, Sandin,” said Babcock. Sandin, the team’s first-round pick in 2018, was impressive in his first year with the Toronto Marlies in the AHL last season at 18 years of age, scoring six goals and 28 points in 44 games, and has been extremely impressive during the preseason so far.
  • The Athletic’s George Richards reports that with the cuts of Owen Tippett, Dominic Toninato and Riley Stillman, the Florida Panthers have essentially announced that defenseman Josh Brown and forward Dryden Hunt have made the team. The 25-year-old Brown played 37 games for the Panthers last season, while the 23-year-old Hunt got into 31 games, scoring three goals and 10 points.
  • The Tampa Bay Lightning could be without two players for opening night after Cedric Paquette and Tyler Johnson suffered injuries in Saturday’s final preseason game. NHL.com’s Corey Long reports that Paquette left the game with his right arm in a sling after taking a hit from Florida’s Stillman and his status remains in question for the season opener, while Johnson didn’t return to the bench in the third period, but head coach Jon Cooper said he was removed as a precaution and likely will be fine.
  • Boston Globe’s Matt Porter reports that despite a solid preseason, forward Anders Bjork is likely going to start the season in Providence in the AHL with the hope that he can gain some consistency after shoulder injuries have derailed his last two seasons. Bjork played just 20 games for the Bruins last season.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Tampa Bay Lightning

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Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM. Teams that can avert total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2019-20 season. This will focus more on those players who are integral parts of the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.

Tampa Bay Lightning

Current Cap Hit: $79,773,331 (under the $81.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

D Mikhail Sergachev (one year, $894K)
F Alexander Volkov (one year, $864K)
F Mitchell Stephens (one year, $833K)
F Anthony Cirelli (one year, $728K)
F Mathieu Joseph (one year, $728K)
D Erik Cernak (one year, $698K)

Potential Bonuses

Sergachev: $850K
Cirelli: $183K
Joseph: $183K
Cernak: $148K

The Tampa Bay Lightning have done exceedingly well with their young players as they always seem to have key contributors filling out their roster who are on low-cost salaries. Unfortunately for the team all of those entry-level contracts will be expiring after this season. However, for a team that is fighting for a Stanley Cup title, the Lightning should be happy to have several of these players around for this year.

At the top of the list is Sergachev, who came over in the Jonathan Drouin trade a couple of seasons ago. Sergachev has improved greatly, but is still battling for a top-four role, one which he may win this season as he continues to develop his skills. The 21-year-old already has 15 goals and 72 points over two seasons, but spent most of his time last year as a third-line option for Tampa Bay. The team hopes he can win a spot on the first line and earn some power play time to allow his offensive skills to kick in for the Lightning. Another strong season could force Tampa Bay to pay up significantly for him. The team also got some impressive play from Cernak last season who came up and found a permanent home with his physical play.

Cirelli and Joseph have made an impact for Tampa Bay as well. After an solid stint back in 2017-18, Cirelli had a breakout season, scoring 19 goals and 39 points last season and could take another step up this season with J.T. Miller gone. Joseph surprised quite a few when he made the team last year out of training camp, posting 13 goals and 26 points in a third-line role most of the time. The opportunities may continue to increase for the 22-year-old who has showed a hard-working mentality as well as solid skill.

Both Stephens and Volkov are in their last year of their entry-level contract, but both could see time up with the Lightning at some point this season.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

G Mike Condon ($2.4MM, UFA — buried at $1.33MM)
D Kevin Shattenkirk ($1.75MM, UFA)
D Jan Rutta ($1.3MM, UFA)
G Louis Domingue ($1.15MM, UFA) — buried at $75K)
F Pat Maroon ($900K, UFA)
F Danick Martel ($700K, RFA)
D Luke Schenn ($700K, UFA)

In their pursuit of a Stanley Cup, the team went out and acquired some veteran players to help the team for this year. They signed Shattenkirk immediately after being bought out from the New York Rangers to give the team a key veteran after they lost Anton Stralman and Dan Girardi in the offseason. The team hopes Shattenkirk can find his game and stay healthy this year and be able to provide quality minutes. They also hope Schenn can provide solid depth and physicality at the bottom of their lineup. On offense, the team also went out and signed Maroon to add some grit to their fourth line after the team lost Ryan Callahan to injury. Callahan was very productive in his time with the Lightning, but injuries derailed his last couple of years.

To unload the final year of Callahan’s contract, the Lightning traded him to Ottawa and were forced to accept Condon, who the team has already buried in the minors to give the team more cap flexibility. Domingue has been buried in the AHL as well.

Two Years Remaining

D Braydon Coburn ($1.7MM, UFA)
F Cedric Paquette ($1.65MM, UFA)
G Curtis McElhinney ($1.3MM, UFA)
D Luke Witkowski ($700K, UFA)

Despite a solid backup in Domingue, the Lightning surprised quite a few people when they inked McElhinney to a two-year deal, plucking him away from a number of interested teams. The 36-year-old veteran had an impressive season after being claimed by Carolina at the beginning of last season. McElhinney appeared in 33 games, picking up 20 wins with a 2.58 GAA and a .912 save percentage. The hope is the veteran will provide some extra insurance and maybe take some of the workload off the starter this season.

The team also has high hopes that bringing back Coburn as well as a gritty multi-versatile player like Witkowski will give Tampa Bay some much needed depth on their blueline.

Three Years Remaining

F Brayden Point ($6.75MM, RFA)
F Ondrej Palat ($5.3MM, UFA)

The Lightning has done exactly what it wants to do with Point, which was get him signed to a three-year bridge deal, something the team does with all its players before locking them up to long-term deals. Now the team has three more years to evaluate him before they have to lock him up to a long-term deal. The deal is actually quite reasonable, considering how much the center has excelled in each of his three seasons. Point’s rookie season was solid with 18 goals, but that number increased to a 32-goal campaign in 2017-18 and he followed that up with a 41-goal, 92-point season last year, making him one of the top young forwards in the game. Regardless, the team was able to sign him for a reasonable cost, giving the Lightning another strong presence at a discounted rate.

On the other hand, Palat may be the opposite of Point. Having struggled with injuries the past couple of seasons, the 28-year-old has appeared in just 120 out of 164 games over the past two seasons and scored a disappointing eight goals in 64 games last year as he’s slipped to a third-line role after a promising 23-goal rookie season back in 2013-14. Since then he’s scored in the teens, but has seen those numbers dip even further with his injury history. Unfortunately, at $5.3MM, the team hopes he can get healthy and rebound as he would be a hard player to find a trade partner for.

Four Or More Years Remaining

F Nikita Kucherov ($9.5MM through 2026-27)
F Steven Stamkos ($8.5MM through 2023-24)
D Victor Hedman ($7.88MM through 2024-25)
D Ryan McDonagh ($6.75MM through 2025-26)
F Yanni Gourde ($5.17MM through 2024-25)
F Tyler Johnson ($5MM through 2023-24)
F Alex Killorn ($4.45MM through 2022-23)
G Andrei Vasilevskiy ($3.5MM in 2019-20; $9.5MM through 2027-28)

The team has done a phenomenal job of signing their top talent. Kucherov is arguably one of the top three players in the league and is now just starting his eight-year contract at a reasonable $9.5MM. The 26-year-old scored 41 goals and 128 points to win the Hart Memorial Trophy, Art Ross Trophy and the Ted Lindsay Award and should be one of the greats for the Lightning for a long time. Stamkos also continues to put up big numbers for someone whose $8.5MM deal looks pretty good. He potted 45 goals last season and a career-high 98 points, which gives Tampa Bay an impressive one-two punch, which doesn’t even include Point.

The Lightning also has quite a bit tied up into their top two defensemen in Hedman and McDonagh. Hedman is one of the top defensemen in the league, only a year removed from winning the Norris Trophy in 2017-18. He posted an impressive 12 goals and 54 points last season and remains in his prime. It’s too early to see how he will fare as he gets older as his contract will run through his age-34 season. But by the time Hedman truly slows down, there shouldn’t be that much time remaining on his deal. As for McDonagh, the team’s second-best defenseman still posted solid numbers, nine goals and 46 points. However, he is two years older than Hedman and has a seventh year remaining on his contract, meaning he’ll be 37 in his final season, which suggests that his contract could become an issue even in just a few years.

As for Gourde, Johnson and Killorn, the team hopes that with the salary cap likely rising over the next few years, those role players’ deals will still look good, if not very good as they age. All have become solid contributors as middle-six players and hopefully will give the team good value over the next four or five years.

Buyouts

D Matt Carle (1.83MM in 2019-20)

Retained Salary Transactions

None

Still To Sign

None

Best Value: Point
Worst Value: Palat

Looking Ahead

The job that Steve Yzerman has done to get the franchise to this point, which might be one of the most impressive organizations that have been built, is impressive and the hope that Julien BriseBois will continue that success in Tampa Bay. The team had an amazing regular season a year ago, but a quick exit in the playoffs left many to wonder whether the team is as good as many think. However, BriseBois has done a good job bringing in some more veterans as well as some grit in hopes that this offensive team doesn’t get pushed around too much this year.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Waivers: 9/29/19

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With the start of the season just a few days away, teams are still trying to pare down their roster with a number of those players requiring waivers for them to send to the AHL. Here’s a final list of players put on waivers today, provided by TVA’s Renaud Lavoie:

Boston Bruins

G Maxime Lagace

Calgary Flames

F Zac Rinaldo

Colorado Avalanche

D Kevin Connauton
F A.J. Greer
F T.J. Tynan

Los Angeles Kings

F Mario Kempe
D Paul Ladue

Montreal Canadiens

F Charles Hudon
G Charlie Lindgren

Tampa Bay Lightning

F Danick Martel

Training Camp Cuts: 9/29/19

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Teams will continue to be cutting players still in training camp in order to get to their final opening day rosters. Keep an eye throughout the day on this story as teams continue to make roster moves:

Buffalo Sabres (via team report)

D William Borgen (to Rochester, AHL)

Carolina Hurricanes (via team report)

D Chase Priskie (to Charlotte, AHL)

Chicago Blackhawks (via team tweet)

F Aleksi Saarela (to Rockford, AHL)

Colorado Avalanche (via The Athletic’s Ryan S. Clark)

F Shane Bowers (to Colorado, AHL)
D Kevin Connauton (to Colorado, AHL, pending waivers)
F A.J. Greer (to Colorado, AHL, pending waivers)
F T.J. Tynan (to Colorado, AHL, pending waivers)

Detroit Red Wings (via team tweet)

F Turner Elson (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
D Joe Hicketts (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
G Filip Larsson (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
D Brian Lashoff (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
D Dylan McIlrath (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
G Calvin Pickard (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Matt Puempel (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Michael Rasmussen (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
D Moritz Seider (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Dominic Turgeon (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Chris Terry (to Grand Rapids, AHL)

Florida Panthers (via team report)

F Anthony Greco (to Springfield, AHL)
D Riley Stillman (to Springfield, AHL)
F Owen Tippett (to Springfield, AHL)
F Dominic Toninato (to Springfield, AHL)

Nashville Predators (via team report)

F Frederick Gaudreau (to Milwaukee, AHL)
D Jarred Tinordi (to Milwaukee, AHL)

Ottawa Senators (via team report)

F Vitaly Abramov (to Belleville, AHL)
F Logan Brown (to Belleville, AHL)
D Christian Jaros (to Belleville, AHL)

Pittsburgh Penguins (via team report)

F Adam Johnson (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)

St. Louis Blues (via team report)

D Andreas Borgman (to San Antonio, AHL)
D Niko Mikkola (to San Antonio, AHL)
D Mitch Reinke (to San Antonio, AHL)
F Tanner Kaspick (to San Antonio, AHL)
F Klim Kostin (to San Antonio, AHL)
F Jordan Nolan (to San Antonio, AHL)
F Ryan Olsen (to San Antonio, AHL)
F Austin Poganski (to San Antonio, AHL)
F Nathan Walker (to San Antonio, AHL)
F Jordan Kyrou (to injured non-roster list)
G Ville Husso (to San Antonio, AHL)
G Adam Wilcox (to San Antonio, AHL)

Toronto Maple Leafs (via team tweet)

F Pontus Aberg (to Toronto, AHL)
F Tyler Gaudet (to Toronto, AHL)
D Ben Harpur (to Toronto, AHL)
D Jordan Schmaltz (to Toronto, AHL)

 

 

Calgary Flames Sign Zac Rinaldo To One-Year Deal

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The Calgary Flames announced they have signed forward Zac Rinaldo to a one-year, two-way contract for $700K AAV. The 29-year-old was on a professional tryout with the Flames and he obviously did enough to earn himself a contract. Puckpedia reports Rinaldo will get $175K in the minors and gets $225K guaranteed in the deal.

The forward is known as a gritty bottom-six player, and while he saw some significant time with the Philadelphia Flyers, Boston Bruins and Arizona Coyotes, Rinaldo has struggled finding a full-time job with an NHL team. He played last year for the Nashville Predators, splitting his time with the NHL squad and the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL. He played 23 games with Nashville last season, scoring one goal and three points and 20 penalty minutes. Overall, Rinaldo has played 351 career games with 15 goals, 37 points and 317 penalty minutes.

Rinaldo played in four preseason games for the Flames, picking up two assists, while playing an average of 11:02 of ATOI. While the team looks to have a set opening day roster, what the team really lacks is depth as there are only a handful of solid options the team can recall in case of injuries, especially for a team that is coming off a first-place finish in the Pacific Division last season. Rinaldo might be the perfect player who can either stay on the Flames’ roster as the 13th man or give the Stockton Heat some veteran leadership until the team needs him.

Penguins’ Jack Johnson Likely To Be Traded Before Season

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With the Pittsburgh Penguins over the salary cap upper limit, the team will have to make a move to become cap compliant by the time the season starts. The team does have a number of options that could get them to the $81.5MM limit (they are only about $400K over the cap). However, The Athletic’s Josh Yohe (subscription required) reports that defenseman Jack Johnson has been told by the front office that general manager Jim Rutherford has many trade possibilities on his desk and the majority of them involve the Penguins trading away Johnson.

Yohe goes on to quote a source who indicated there was “a 75-80 percent chance” that Johnson will no longer be a Penguin. There are evidently two teams that are willing to take on Johnson’s contract, although Pittsburgh may be forced to send a sweetener. The Penguins are also likely going to have to move one of their backup goaltenders, either Tristan Jarry or Casey DeSmith, or will have to risk sending one of them through waivers, which means one of them would likely be snagged by another team.

Johnson signed a five-year, $16.25MM deal ($3.25MM AAV) with the Penguins last summer and the contract almost immediately become one of the team’s biggest albatrosses. Johnson struggled almost immediately as he played a career low in minutes played, averaging just 19:17. Despite playing in all 82 games, he finished with just 13 points and a minus-four plus/minus.

The team has quite a bit of depth on its blueline this year and Johnson, so far this preseason, has often found himself on the outside looking in and currently looks to be used as the team’s seventh extra defenseman, a tall order for a player making $3.25MM per season for another four years. Several players have passed him since last season on the depth chart, including Marcus Pettersson, Juuso Riikola and the emergence of John Marino.

Minor Transactions: 9/29/19

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Teams will be making roster moves as the season approaches as well as preparing their roster for the final preseason games.

Western Notes: Boeser, Laine, Tuch, Burdasov

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The Vancouver Canucks are hoping that they can get Brock Boeser back from concussion for the start of the regular season. The star forward, along with defenseman Oscar Fantenberg, suffered a concussion on Monday against the Ottawa Senators. However, the Vancouver Sun’s Patrick Johnston writes that both players appear to be making progress in their recovery.

The scribe writes that Boeser and Fantenberg skated with the team at practice Saturday for 90 minutes. By participating in practice, the duo are now in Stage 4 of their recovery of the SCAT5 return to play protocol, which involves non-contact training drills. To be cleared, both players must pass through Stage 5, which requires Boeser and Fantenberg to go 24 hours without any symptoms following activity.

With no more practices until Monday, if either player feels well enough, they can be full participants for practice. If they then go 24 hours without symptoms, they will be cleared to play in their season opener on Wednesday against the Oilers in Edmonton.

  • Tim Campbell of NHL.com writes that Winnipeg Jets forward Patrik Laine, who just signed a two-year, $13.5MM contract on Friday, is expected to be in the Jets’ lineup in New York against the Rangers on Thursday. “Being that he’s been training, and has been training with men, our expectation is he’ll be able to come and move around the ice pretty good,” Jets coach Paul Maurice said of the 21-year-old forward, who was a restricted free agent and has not played this preseason. Laine is expected to arrive in Winnipeg on Monday for fitness testing and a physical and then should be ready for practice on Tuesday before the team leaves for New York.
  • The Vegas Golden Knights got some bad news as forward Alex Tuch suffered an upper-body injury in Friday’s preseason game after he lost his balance and crashed hard into the boards and was forced to leave the game. Las Vegas Review-Journal’s David Schoen reports that Tuch is now listed as week-to-week and is expected to miss the start of the season for a second year in a row. Tuch scored 22 goals and 52 points last season and is currently slated to play on the Golden Knights’ third line.
  • Despite releasing Russian winger Anton Burdasov from his PTO Saturday, the Edmonton Oilers had hoped they could convince the 28-year-old to accept an assignment to the Bakersfield Condors of the AHL, which might buy some time to get him back on the NHL roster. However, Edmonton Journal’s Jim Matheson writes that Burdasov intends to return to Russia and was only interested in a one-way deal.

 

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