Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Evening Notes: Luukkonen, Josi, MacEachern

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

As many expected, the Buffalo Sabres would be without their top goaltending prospect, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, at the Prospects Challenge and now Sabres assistant general manager Randy Sexton revealed that the prospect, who underwent hip surgery in April, will miss training camp as well, according to Buffalo News’ Lance Lysowski. However, Luukkonen could be ready to play games as soon as the beginning of the season.

The 20-year-old goaltender was impressive in his one year North America, posting a .920 save percentage in 53 games with the Sudbury Wolves of the OHL and now is ready to join the Rochester Americans of the AHL. However, he was given a six-month recover time after the hip surgery, but Sexton said he was “on track” and continues to work with Sabres goaltending coach Seamus Kotyk to get ready for the regular season.

“He’s doing very well,” Sexton said. “He’s right on track, which is great. … No pain, no soreness. A little bit of fatigue but you would expect that. He’s on track. He’ll be around here in Buffalo for a while because he’s obviously not ready to play, but we’re really encouraged by the progress he’s made and we have every expectation, barring a setback, he’ll be ready to play when the schedule starts.”

  • The Athletic’s Adam Vingan (subscription required) writes that the reason why the Nashville Predators haven’t locked up defenseman Roman Josi to a contract extension yet is due to the restricted free agent market in which a group of top players are holding out for big-time paydays. While Nashville doesn’t have any restricted free agents at the moment, the team is in a holding pattern as the team awaits the outcome of the signings. Among the restricted free agents, there are a number of unsigned defensemen, including Boston’s Charlie McAvoy, Philadelphia’s Ivan Provorov and Columbus’ Zach Werenski. While Josi, who will be an unrestricted free agent next summer, is a much more established player, it’s likely that he and his agent are waiting to see how those three players fare before agreeing to any contract. Josi has expressed a desire to remain in Nashville.
  • St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Jim Thomas writes that with Pat Maroon signing with the Tampa Bay Lightning, the St. Louis Blues must find a replacement for their veteran leader in the bottom-six. The scribe believes that player to be Mackenzie MacEachern, who has the size (6-foot-3) and will to hit players and was the forgotten man during the team’s playoff run, scratched for the final 10 games of the regular season and he never saw the playoffs. The 25-year-old played 29 games for St. Louis last year, scoring three goals, five points and 49 hits and could establish himself as a solid replacement for Maroon and might be even better than Maroon was in the regular season. Other possibilities might include Sammy Blais and prospect Klim Kostin.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Minnesota Wild

at CDT | by 4 Comments

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.

Minnesota Wild

Current Cap Hit: $73,541,089 (under the $81.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Luke Kunin (one year, $925K)
F Jordan Greenway (one year, $917K)
F Nico Sturm (one year, $874K)

Potential Bonuses

Kunin: $600K
Greenway: $500K

Kunin and Greenway will both have to earn their way onto the team this year, but both have legitimate shots at making the team as a potential third line forward. Kunin showed some promise last season, playing in 49 games and scoring six goals and 11 points, although he will have to take his game up a notch to stay there. Greenway, on the other hand, scored 12 goals over 81 games, picking up 24 points, but the former Boston University star, has the potential for a breakout season for the Wild.

Sturm was the team’s big signing this offseason as he was considered to be one of the top unrestricted free-agent college forwards this year and choose to ink a deal with Minnesota. He scored 36 goals over three seasons at Clarkson University, and while he could make the team out of training camp, he might need a year of seasoning in the AHL as well.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

F Mikko Koivu ($5.5MM, UFA)
D Jared Spurgeon ($5.18MM, UFA)
F J.T. Brown ($688K, UFA)

At 36 years of age, this could be his final year with Minnesota, although much of that decision will depend on how his final season will turn out. The captain was having a solid season with eight goals and 29 points in 48 games, but his season was cut short in February when he went down with a torn ACL and torn meniscus in his right knee. The team can only hope that Koivu bounces back from his injury and is ready to go as the season opens.

Spurgeon, on the other hand, is coming off another impressive season with the Wild and while there had been rumors of Minnesota looking to move their 29-year-old defensive star, the team also hasn’t gotten very far in locking him up this summer as he is eligible to sign an extension. With so much money tied into veteran players, the real question is whether there will be money left to sign Spurgeon to a new deal or whether he wants to stay. If no deal can be made, Spurgeon could be a valuable trade chip at the trade deadline.

Two Years Remaining

G Devan Dubnyk ($4.33MM, UFA)
D Jonas Brodin ($4.17MM, UFA)
F Eric Staal ($3.25MM, UFA)
F Marcus Foligno ($2.88MM, UFA)
D Greg Pateryn ($2.25MM, UFA)
F Ryan Hartman ($1.9MM, RFA)
F Ryan Donato ($1.9MM, RFA)
F Joel Eriksson Ek ($1.49MM, RFA)
D Nick Seeler ($725K, UFA)
D Brad Hunt ($700, UFA)

A lot of the Wild contracts are set with two years remaining, which could make for an interesting offseason in two years, considering that a number of their young players and key pieces will come up at the same time. The team must decide over the next two years is Dubnyk will continue to be the goaltender of the future down the road. He’ll be 35 at that point and he will have to prove he’s still a top-line goaltender. Dubnyk has had two solid seasons over the past two years. He finished the 2018-19 season with a 2.54 GAA and a .913 save percentage in 67 games.

Brodin is another candidate, whose status could be determined by what happens with Spurgeon. The 26-year-old has been a solid defensive presence and a top-four performer, but will have to prove that he is in the team’s long-term plans. If the team signs Spurgeon, it might have to move on from Brodin to save some of its cap room, but the team still has two years to sort it out. After two impressive seasons with Minnesota, Staal’s play dropped a little last year as he managed just 22 goals after tallying 70 in his first two years with the Wild. However, at 36, the team hopes he can still provide enough offense to lead the team and eventually take more of a middle-six role in the future.

The team also has a number of youngsters who will still be restricted free agents, but a breakout year from Hartman, Eriksson Ek or Donato could make any of them an expensive contract in two years. Hartman was brought in to provide a combination of scoring and grit to the team’s bottom-six, while both Eriksson Ek and Donato are both young pieces that the team hopes can move into their top-six within the next two years. Eriksson Ek has struggled since reaching the NHL, scoring just seven goals last season in 57 games, while Donato had stalled in Boston before breaking out after the Wild picked him up at the trade deadline. Donato picked up 16 points in 22 regular season games with Minnesota.

Three Years Remaining

F Victor Rask ($4MM, UFA)
G Alex Stalock ($785K, UFA)

Unfortunately, one trade that brought out the wrath of fans was the trade in which now former GM Paul Fenton sent underachieving Nino Neiderreiter to Carolina for Rask. While taking Rask back was part of the deal to match salaries to a certain extent, Neiderreiter established himself as a top-six player in Carolina, while Rask struggled even more. The 26-year-old Rask finished the season with just three goals, two while in Minnesota and there remain questions about what role Rask will play this season. While many have him penciled in as the team’s fourth-line center, there is a legitimate possibility that he could lose find himself buried in the AHL if he can’t rebound and put together a better season. That shouldn’t be too hard. He did score 51 goals over the previous three seasons, so there is potential. As for Stalock, the team has a reliable backup at a very friendly price, but could easily cut him loose if the team can find a better option in net over the next three years.

Four Or More Years Remaining

F Zach Parise ($7.54MM through 2024-25)
D Ryan Suter ($7.54MM through 2024-25)
F Mats Zuccarello ($6MM through 2023-24)
D Mathew Dumba ($6MM through 2023-24)
F Jason Zucker ($5.5MM through 2022-23)

The matching contracts of Parise and Suter are starting to be felt in Minnesota. While both players are still providing solid play, the fact that Parise is 35 and Suter will be 35 in January, could start to be worrisome to fans as they each have six mores seasons left and their play could start declining soon. Parise has dealt with injuries for the past few years although he only missed eight games last season. However, before being fired, Fenton did look into the possibility of trading off Parise, but the pair were brought to Minnesota in 2012 to win a championship and with many people not picking them to even reach the playoffs this year, their usefulness might be at an end unless Minnesota can reshape its roster into a winner sooner than many have been expected.

With what many people thought was a rebuilding phase coming, many people were thrown off when the team signed the 32-year-old Zuccarello to a five-year deal, giving them another high-priced veteran on the team. However, Zuccarello is a solid playmaker who should make a big impact on the Wild’s top-six. He was impressive in the playoffs for the Dallas Stars, scoring four goals and 11 assists in 13 games last year. Zucker has been another player rumored to be on the move after a 33-goal move in 2017-18 and a decline to 21 goals last year. However, the team can only hope that Zucker can return to his 30-goal ways. Regardless, even with a new GM in Minnesota, the team might also have a great trade chip if the team wants to move out a contract.

With the exception of a fight that cost him a good chunk of the season, Dumba has established himself as a first-line defenseman, scoring 12 goals and 22 points in just 32 games after a 50-point season the previous year. Finally healthy, Dumba should step up and be one of the team’s top players on the blueline and could be a bargain over the next few years if he continues to develop his game.

Buyouts

F Tyler Ennis ($1.22MM in 2019-20)

Retained Salary Transactions

None

Still To Sign

F Kevin Fiala

The key to Fenton’s tenure will be how Fiala fares. The team unloaded Mikael Granlund in an attempt to bring Fiala in, a young and talented winger. The 23-year-old posted 23 goals and 48 points in 2017-18, but struggled out of the gate in Nashville, posting just 10 goals and 32 points before the trade. In Minnesota, he scored three goals and seven points in 19 games and will have to prove that he was worth the trade. Of course, the Wild must find a way to sign him and might be forced to use a bridge deal to bring him in.

Best Value: Dumba
Worst Value: Parise

Looking Ahead

The Wild are not necessarily expected to make a big impact on the Central Division considering the division is loaded with top teams and might be the most challenging one in the league. However, the team has a number of young players who could take that next step this year and the team will need that if they want to compete in the Central. Of course, the Wild must also avoid injuries, which have ravaged the franchise for the last few years. Their high-priced veterans must stay healthy and continue to contribute at a high level for the next few years or Minnesota will be in even bigger trouble.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Metropolitan Notes: Gardiner, Vatanen, Sbisa, Friedman

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

There were quite a few surprised on Friday when the Carolina Hurricanes announced that they had signed former Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Jake Gardiner to a four-year, $16.2MM contract. After all, the team already had a significant amount of depth on their blueline to begin with. While many believe it’s the first piece of another potential trade, there is another major reason for signing Gardiner.

The Hurricanes’ biggest weakness last year was its power play, which ranked 20th in the league with a 17.8 percent success rate during the regular season. Despite that, the team reached the Eastern Conference Finals last season. Had they possessed even a competent power-play attack, who knows whether they could have advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals. Adding Gardiner, according to The Athletic’s Sara Civian (subscription required), could solve some of those problems. The veteran has seen quite a bit of time over the years as a quarterback of a power play and should be able to bring those talents to the Hurricanes along with the additions of Erik Haula and rookie Martin Necas, all of whom the team hopes will turn around that power play.

  • NJ.com’s Chris Ryan writes that the New Jersey Devils are still trying to figure out who will partner next to newly acquired star defenseman P.K. Subban this season. With New Jersey being overloaded with right-handed shot defensemen, including Subban, Sami Vatanen and Damon Severson, the team might have to move one of their top-four blue liners over to the left side. The most likely scenario is to move Vatanen over to the left side and then pair him with Subban on the team’s first defensive pair. One reason for that is that Vatanen has spent some time on the left side while with the Anaheim Ducks. “I played (left side) in Anaheim for a bit, and last year I played here sometimes,” Vatanen said, “It takes a little time to get used to it, but it’s a long season, so I’m ready to play wherever. I’ll start to be a goalie if they want me.” Vatanen claims to be 100 percent after missing all but four games over the final two months of the season due to concussion and an illness.
  • In a notebook column, The Athletic’s Arthur Staple (subscription required) writes that unrestricted free agent Luca Sbisa is still skating with veterans of the New York Islanders. Sbisa agreed to a PTO last year and eventually signed a one-year deal, but only appeared in nine games over the course of the season, serving most of the time as a healthy scratch. Staple writes that Sbisa could return to Islanders camp once again on a PTO, but his chances of making the team would be much slimmer with a number of young defenseman who are ready to step into the lineup. Sbisa’s best chance is to impress another team for a potential job elsewhere.
  • Philly.com’s Sam Carchidi reports that Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Mark Friedman will miss rookie camp after undergoing offseason abdominal surgery over the summer. Already a longshot to make the Flyers team, his chances aren’t likely to improve by missing this camp. The 23-year-old is expected, however, to be at training camp next week with the veterans. Friedman had a solid season with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms last season, his second season in the AHL, but will have to impress to have any shot at a NHL job.

Pacific Notes: McDavid, Hitchcock, Sharks Prospects

at CDT | by 3 Comments

The Edmonton Oilers might be breathing a little easier today after their star, Connor McDavid, took the ice for the first time since tearing his PCL in his left knee on the final game of the season on Apr. 6, though he did not require surgery. There were concerns recently when McDavid didn’t take the ice last week at the annual BioSteel camp in Toronto, but McDavid said he felt good after today’s informal skate, according to Sportsnet’s Marc Spector.

“It feels like nothing’s changed,” said McDavid. “I didn’t want to push it too hard but you have to push it hard enough to ensure that it’s healing. I was lucky to work with some great doctors and the Oilers medical team.”

The 22-year-old took the ice today with a group of Oilers and fared well in informal three-on-three scrimmages. Spector writes that McDavid looked 100 percent, who said that he feels that nothing is restricting him on the ice. The star forward hopes that he will be ready to go on opening night, Oct. 2 against Vancouver.

“We’re working towards that,” he said about opening night. “It’s kinda out of my hands. The doctors, they’ll figure that all out, and I’ll listen to them.”

  • Sticking with the Oilers, former head coach Ken Hitchcock may no longer be behind the bench, but is still quite involved in Edmonton. Now with the job title of advisor, Holland is involved in everything that goes around the team as he helps general manager Ken Holland, according to Edmonton Journal’s Jim Matheson. He had a hand in the hiring of Dave Tippett as the new head coach and also had a hand in the Milan Lucic – James Neal swap as well. He is expected to be present at both rookie and the main training camp before returning to his home in California, where the veteran coach is expected to keep an eye on Oilers on TV, while watching the Bakersfield AHL team as well. “I’m here to help the Oiler organization, anything to help the American League team … I’m really glad I’m able to sit in with the coaches meetings with the AHL club. Anything that Ken and Tip (new coach Dave Tippett) want,” said Hitchcock. “But it’s really important I give each staff their space, physical and mental space.”
  • The Sharks have high expectations for their prospects at the Anaheim Rookie Faceoff Tournament as the team still has a few holes in their lineup and several of their young prospects have the potential to challenge for spots, according to the Mercury News’ Curtis Pashelka. A strong showing at this tournament that starts today will be critical for them, including Sasha Chmelevski, Ivan Chekhovich and Joachim Blichfield who are all turning pro this year. While many expect the three to play out their first professional season with the San Jose Barracuda in the AHL, a strong showing at the rookie tournament by one of these players could allow the team to look at them challenging several of the frontrunners jobs’ at the main training camp such as Dylan Gambrell, Antti Suomela and Alexander True.

 

Evening Notes: Hanzal, Pominville, Pilut

at CDT | by 1 Comment

Last season, the Dallas Stars freed up some cap space at the trade deadline by placing both Martin Hanzal and Marc Methot on LTIR, which allowed the team to go out and acquire New York Rangers forward Mats Zuccarello and Pittsburgh’s Jamie Oleksiak. While Methot’s contract has expired, the team still has Hanzal under contract for one more season and while his on-ice contributions are in question with recurring back issues, his contract could help the team once again.

According to Dallasnews.com’s Matthew DeFranks, the team may be able to do something similar. Hanzal hasn’t played any hockey since before last Christmas and has appeared in only 45 games since signing a three-year, $14.25MM deal back in 2017. However, while there are quite a few variables when dealing with LTIR, the Stars could conceivably open up between $4-5MM in cap space during the season and use that to acquire a player.

DeFranks lists a number of potential targets, including T.J. Brodie, Chris Kreider, Tyler Toffoli, Craig Smith, Evgenii Dadonov, Vladislav Namestnikov and Jake Muzzin.

  • In his most recent mailbag column, the Buffalo News’ Lance Lysowski writes that it’s highly unlikely the Buffalo Sabres will be bringing back veteran forward and current unsigned unrestricted free agent Jason Pominville, even if it’s on a tryout basis. At 36 years old, Pominville still seems to have something to give after posting 16 goals and 31 points last season, but after adding Jimmy Vesey and Marcus Johansson to their roster and with a number of young forwards looking to step up, including Tage Thompson, Victor Olofsson and C.J. Smith, there really isn’t space for Pominville. The team did opt to keep Johan Larsson and Zemgus Girgensons as fourth-line options, where they could have retained Pominville, but both Larsson and Girgensons have penalty kill experience, while Pominville doesn’t.
  • Sticking with the Sabres, The Athletic’s Joe Yerdon (subscription required) wonders whether Buffalo Sabres defenseman Lawrence Pilut could be ready to immediately jump in as the team’s No. 2 defenseman on the left side. Pilut, despite recovering from offseason shoulder injury and might miss some time early in the season, played just 33 games for Buffalo, posting a goal and six points, and impressed with his corsi-for with a 53.2 percent, only behind Brandon Montour. The 23-year-old proved in Rochester that he can be a dependable blueliner in his own end. The question is whether he’s ready for the same role in Buffalo.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Chicago Blackhawks

at CDT | by 5 Comments

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.

Chicago Blackhawks

Current Cap Hit: $78,163,461 (under the $81.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Kirby Dach (three years, $925K)
F Dominik Kubalik (one year, $925K)
F Anton Wedin (one year, $925K)
D Adam Boqvist (three years, $894K)
F Dylan Strome (one year, $863K)
F Alexander Nylander (two years, $863K)
F Alex DeBrincat (one year, $778K)

Potential Bonuses

Dach: $2.5MM
Strome: $2.48MM
Nylander: $850K
Kubalik: $850K
Boqvist: $850K
DeBrincat: $33K

The Blackhawks have done quite a bit of work to bring in a number of top players on entry-level contracts over the past few years in hopes of taking a team that was loaded with high-priced, aging talent and getting them back into playoff contention. They have hit the jackpot with DeBrincat, who immediately stepped onto the ice and has been a phenomenal top-six player for the past two years, scoring 69 goals so far, including a key 41-goal season last year. The diminutive winger was passed up by many teams in the 2016 draft and has proven that his size isn’t an issue on the team. The only problem is that his entry-level deal will be up at the end of the season, meaning the Blackhawks will likely have to pay a high price to lock him up. Strome, in the meantime, has been a solid trade acquisition. The top prospect, who couldn’t seem be able to turn the corner in the pros, broke out once arriving in Chicago, putting up 17 goals and 51 points in 58 games. If he can produce at a similar level, the Blackhawks will have to offer pay up again, giving them two potential significant contracts the team will have to pay out one year from now.

Chicago also is banking on a number of their draft picks to make an impact. Dach, the third-overall pick in this year’s draft, could be an option for the team if he can prove he’s ready for NHL action now, but with a number of young forwards pushing for playing time on their roster, he’d have to dominate and prove he might be ready to assume a third-line center position. Boqvist, the team’s eighth-overall pick in 2018, will challenge for playing time as well, but could just as easily spend time in the AHL to get used to playing against adults for part of the season first. Regardless, the team has two core pieces that are close to joining the organization.

General manager Stan Bowman has also made an effort in bringing in talent from outside the organization as the team has brought in a pair of prospects over from Europe in Wedin and Kubalik. The 26-year-old Wedin broke out in his rookie season in the SHL with 14 goals, while Kubalik scored 25 goals and 57 points in 50 games in the NLA. The team also surprised a few people earlier this summer when it traded top defensive prospect Henri Jokiharju to Buffalo for Alexander Nylander. The team hopes to get Nylander going as the eighth-overall pick in 2016 has so far struggled with consistency in three AHL seasons.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

G Corey Crawford ($6MM, UFA)
G Robin Lehner ($5MM, UFA)
F Drake Caggiula ($1.5MM, RFA)
D Erik Gustafsson ($1.2MM, UFA)
D Slater Koekkoek ($925K, RFA)

The team did a phenomenal job of bringing in some goaltending help by stealing away UFA goaltender Lehner with a one-year, $5MM deal. That’s a steal if Lehner can produce anything close to last year’s numbers of a 2.13 GAA and .930 save percentage in 46 games. The 2018-19 Jennings and Masterton Trophy winner last year, Lehner can stabilize the Blackhawks goaltending situation, which has struggled due to concussion issues that Crawford has sustained over the past two years. Without Crawford, the team has struggled in goal. The hope is that both will be healthy this year and can share the workload, but if Crawford has trouble getting on the ice again, Chicago can now turn to Lehner. With both players down to one year remaining before unrestricted free agency, the Blackhawks can look at how both players fare this year and offer a long-term deal to the player they feel can best help them in the future.

The team may have their most challenging decision to make about Gustafsson next season. The rising defenseman put up impressive numbers in a full season last year after looking sharp in the second-half of 2017-18. The 27-year-old scored 17 goals and 60 points and if he can duplicate a season like that could find himself to be one of the most marketable UFA blueliners next year. With the Blackhawks having to hand out big contracts to DeBrincat and Strome, the team may have to move Gustafsson at the trade deadline or let him go at the end of the season for nothing.

Two Years Remaining

F Brandon Saad ($6MM, UFA)
F Zack Smith ($3.25MM, UFA)
F David Kampf ($1MM, RFA)
D Carl Dahlstrom ($850K, RFA)
F Dylan Sikura ($750K, RFA)
F John Quenneville ($750K, RFA)

The team has two contracts that they might want to see gone soon. The team re-acquired Saad back in 2017 in hopes of bringing back a big-time goal scorer. However, Saad hasn’t been nearly as dominant since returning, although he did rebound with a 23-goal campain last season. However at $6MM AAV, Saad could easily be a candidate to move on from when they need to free up some extra cash next offseason. Smith is in a similar situation. The team acquired Smith this summer in a swap of bad contracts as the team managed to unload Artem Anisimov. Smith, however, scored just nine goals last season in Ottawa and could have a hard time locking down a spot in the bottom-six with so many younger players pushing for playing time.

The team can only hope that some of their younger players like Sikura and the newly acquired Quenneville can contribute immediately, but both would have to take their game up a notch to prove themselves at the NHL level. Sikura, signed out of Northeastern University after the 2018 season, fared well in the AHL, but failed to register a goal in 33 games with the Blackhawks. The team also hopes that Kampf and Dahlstrom can prove themselves in their lineup.

Three Years Remaining

D Calvin de Haan ($4.55MM, UFA)
D Olli Maatta ($4.08MM, UFA)
D Connor Murphy ($3.85MM, UFA)
F Andrew Shaw ($3.9MM, UFA)
F Ryan Carpenter ($1MM, UFA)
G Collin Delia ($1MM, UFA)

In hopes of improving its defense, the team went out and acquired a pair of defenders in de Haan and Maatta over the summers. The Blackhawks picked up de Haan from Carolina  and while he’s currently dealing with a shoulder injury and isn’t expected to start the season, he has proven to be a solid defender for years and should upgrade the team’s top-four. The team also moved some of its young forward depth by sending Dominik Kahun to Pittsburgh to get the defensive-minded Maatta. The two veteran blueliners should bolster a defense that had plenty of issues over the past few years. However, both come with significant contracts, especially if either defenseman struggles to succeed in Chicago. The team also has Murphy, who the team acquired two years ago from Arizona, who has three years remaining and has found himself a solid contributor on the team’s blueline.

The team also has acquired Shaw this summer to improve their depth in hopes of getting Chicago back in the playoffs. The former Blackhawk should add a significant presence on their bottom-six and add an element of physicality to the team. Carpenter, signed away from Vegas, should also improve the team’s bottom-six.

Four Or More Years Remaining

F Patrick Kane ($10.5MM through 2022-23)
F Jonathan Toews ($10.5MM through 2022-23)
D Brent Seabrook ($6.88MM through 2023-24)
D Duncan Keith ($5.54MM through 2022-23)

Things will likely change next season, but Chicago’s four biggest contracts haven’t changed with all of them, minus Seabrook’s, down to four more years and starting to look more and more manageable. Kane continues to amaze at age 30 as he posted 44 goals and a career-high in points with 110. His contract doesn’t even look like it’s a questionable one. The 31-year-old Toews also had a resurgent season as he tallied a career-high 35 goals and 81 points, showing that as long as he has talented players around him, he is more than capable of justifying his $10.5MM AAV.

Keith is somewhat of a different story. He’s 36 now and will be 40 when his contract ends and while there has been an evident decline, the veteran has still shown that he’s a solid defender, scoring six goals and 40 points last year and is averaging more than 23 minutes of ice time a game still. The question will be how long can Keith keep up those numbers and will his game decline even more over the next couple of years. Seabrook, however, has that extra season on his deal as he is locked up for five more years. At 34-year-old, Seabrook has seen an obvious decline that even saw his minutes drop under 20 minutes a game for the first time in his career, not a good sign when the team has him under contract until 2024. The team can only hope that he can come back and prove that he still has the skills to be a top-four defenseman.

Buyouts

None

Retained Salary Transactions

None

Still To Sign

F  Brendan Perlini

Chicago still has one restricted free agent and must find a number that will make the youngster happy, but considering his inconsistent season, the team may have some trouble figuring out how much to pay him. Perlini, also acquired with Strome in the Nick Schmaltz trade during the season last year, struggled at first in Chicago, but finally broke out in March with eight goals and 10 points in 13 games. A one-year or bridge deal would be the most likely course of action to see whether Perlini’s late success can be duplicated. The former first-round pick from 2014 could be a major asset if Chicago can get the most out of the team.

Best Value: Lehner
Worst Value: Seabrook

Looking Ahead

The Blackhawks have done quite a bit in the last year to improve their team with the hopes of getting their veteran core back in the playoffs once again after a two-year absence. Chicago has added a bunch of veteran players and young and cheap roster additions that should be able to turn their team around. The key, of course, is the team needs their veterans to continue to thrive, while their younger players must continue to improve. On top of that, the Blackhawks must hope that a number of their roster additions can take that next step in their development and prove to be valuable to the team’s overall depth.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Pacific Notes: Golden Knights, Burdasov, Russell, Sutter

at CDT | by 1 Comment

The Vegas Golden Knights have had a quiet offseason so far this year after a busy couple of years. Many were shocked to see the expansion team already being capped out, loaded down with plenty of talented veterans on what was supposed to be a young roster. Instead, Vegas has built a team that can contend immediately and many have projected Vegas to capture the Western Conference. Despite having little maneuvering room in which they had to cast off a number of players, including Erik Haula, Colin Miller and Nikita Gusev, next season could be a whole different story.

Las Vegas Sun’s Justin Emerson writes that Vegas should have quite a bit of cap room next season once again once several contracts are off the books, including Cody Eakin, Ryan Reaves and Nick Holden amongst others. With a number of prospects ready to move into the Golden Knights’ lineup in a year, the team might have quite a bit of cap available, upwards of $6-9MM of available cap room (depending on moves made from now until July 1, 2020). That could free up enough room to acquire a significant free agent next season to target a number of free agents, especially on defense, including players like Tyson Barrie, Jared Spurgeon, Justin Schultz or Justin Faulk.

  • In his Sunday column, Edmonton Journal’s Kurt Leavins writes that he doubts that the Edmonton Oilers will go after Russian forward Anton Burdasov who has expressed recent interest in coming to the NHL this season with Edmonton supposedly being one of the three primary suitors for the 28-year-old. Burdasov is coming off a career-high 19 goals and tied his career-high in points in the KHL last season. However, Leavins adds that Burdasov is neither a playmaker or a good skater, which likely wouldn’t interest the Oilers too much as Edmonton is looking for players to increase their speed and are able to play next to their top two centers in Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.
  •  Sticking with the Oilers, Edmonton Journal’s David Staples writes that the Edmonton Oilers intend to shift defenseman Kris Russell back to his natural left side next season. Russell has been playing on the right side with the team as a top-four option, but assistant coach Jim Playfair said he wants Russell to move back to the left, while the team wants Darnell Nurse and Adam Larsson to pair together this year. Russell likely will be asked to take a third-pairing role, which should allow a one of the team’s younger players to step into the open top-four role on the right side. Several players are likely expected to battle for the open spot, including Matt Benning, Joel Persson, Ethan Bear and Evan Bouchard.
  • In his quest to get back to full health, Vancouver Canucks veteran forward Brandon Sutter is trying to use Pilates for the first time in his 11-year career to get back into shape. “I started doing Pilates this summer which was awesome,” the 30-year-old Sutter said Wednesday following an off-season skills and conditioning skate. “A whole different thing than I’ve done before and now that I’ve started it, I wish I would have done it 10 years ago because it has helped a lot,” said the 30-year-old Sutter. “It’s all functional movement and based on the inner thigh and core. It’s just very specific for exactly what I need and now that I’ve done it, in the future I’ll do it more and spend less time lifting weights.” Sutter was expected to play a significant role for the team last season, but injuries derailed his season and he appeared in just 26 games, scoring just four goals. The hope is that using Pilates might keep him healthy for a full season and he can play a big role as a bottom-line leader this year.

Metropolitan Notes: Schultz, Ho-Sang, Nedeljkovic

at CDT | by 4 Comments

The Pittsburgh Penguins have worked hard to develop their defense and have a number of blueliners under contract with RFA Marcus Pettersson still needing to be signed. However, next season could be a different story. The Penguins’ Justin Schultz is entering the final season of his three-year, $16.5MM deal he signed back in 2017 and is scheduled to hit unrestricted free agency next summer. With the team dealing with serious cap implications now and over the next few years, the team might have trouble retaining their top-four defenseman.

The Athletic’s Rob Rossi (subscription required) suggests that despite struggling the last few years with injuries (he’s only played 92 games over the past two seasons — having only played 56.1 percent of the time), the team might be forced to hold onto him and then allow him to walk for nothing. Schultz is finally healthy for the first time in years and could provide the team with a full season of play. The last time Schultz put together a full year was his first season in Pittsburgh when he posted 12 goals and 51 points in 2016-17 and has proven to be a solid top-four option with scoring ability. With the Penguins window for the Stanley Cup beginning to fade, this could be one of the last years the team can vie for a title and the team could use a healthy Schultz (as opposed to trading him).

Unless the Penguins feel they can free up enough room for the oft-injured defenseman next summer, the team may just have to let him leave at the end of the season.

  • Sportsnet’s Luke Fox writes that this could be a make-or-break year for New York Islanders’ prospect Joshua Ho-Sang. The 23-year-old has got to prove to Islanders’ brass that he belongs in the NHL. Often criticized for his attitude issues, Ho-Sang has struggled to prove himself with the Islanders. After playing 21 games with New York in 2016-17 and 22 games in 2017-18, Ho-Sang only appeared in 10 games despite solid numbers in the AHL. No longer waiver-exempt, Ho-Sang will have to win a spot at training camp or be labeled as a bust and very likely would be claimed by another NHL team. Of course the Islanders need offense after finishing 22nd in the league in scoring, but with a load of veterans on the roster, many of which play bottom-six roles, Ho-Sang might have a tough time proving himself.
  • The Carolina Hurricanes continue to look like a playoff team as their young nucleus continues to mature and develop. The Athletic’s Sara Civian (subscription required) writes that the Hurricanes biggest question mark next season will be its goaltending situation. The team inked last year’s goaltender and fan favorite Petr Mrazek to a two-year, $6.25MM deal. However, despite a impressive season in which he had a 2.39 GAA and a .914 save percentage in 40 appearances. However, the 27-year-old is also well known for his inconsistent play and a year ago looked to be out of the league until Carolina signed him to a “prove it” deal. However, Civian writes the team has backup options just in case with AHL goalie of the year and Calder Cup champion Alex Nedeljkovic as the fallback option even before the team would turn to backup James Reimer or AHL veteran Anton Forsberg as starting goalie options. The 23-year-old Nedeljkovic posted a 2.26 GAA and a .914 save percentage in 51 games for the Charlotte Checkers last year and could be ready for a legitimate crack at a NHL job.

Snapshots: Markov, Drouin, Scherbak

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Former NHL star Andrei Markov expects to play in the NHL next season and right now the question for the 40-year-old Russian is where he might play. However, one thing is quite clear. He has no intention of signing a player tryout (PTO).

Talking to Markov’s North American agent, Allen Walsh, TSN’s Melnick in the Afternoon, the agent made it clear that there are five teams that have expressed interest in the veteran blueliner’s services and he expects to sign a contract somewhere before training camp.

“Andrei and I have never even discussed a PTO and I’m expecting and I’m assuming that he’ll be signed to a contract before the start of training camp,” said Walsh. “We don’t feel any time pressure. I would expect that there will be something done before the start of training camp based on my discussions so far.”

The agent also made it clear that Markov wants to play on a winning team that has a chance to win a Stanley Cup title.

“He’s certainly looking to play on a team where there is a role for him,” said Walsh. “We believe that he can really help any team’s power play and that he can contribute meaningful 5-on-5 minutes. He can serve on as a veteran presence in the room and he’s always been known as a bit of a quiet guy, but he’s also been known as a quiet leader. He’s always been in amazing physical shape his entire career and he’s in great shape right now. He’s been training all summer. He’s looking to play for a team that has the potential to contend. He would love to win and be part of a winning season … He has a lot to offer to a team and he’s made it clear to me from the first minute that he called me that he desperately wants to play in the NHL next year.”

  • While many players look at different avenues to improve their game, The Athletic’s Marc Antoine Godin (subscription required) writes that Montreal Canadiens forward Jonathan Drouin has spent much of his summer in the video room analyzing his game in hopes of breaking his inconsistent play. Drouin reached out to assistant coach Dominique Ducharme and the two have been breaking down his game in hopes of unlocking the next level of his game. While possessed with incredible skills, Drouin has struggled to take his game to the next level like everyone expected him to do back when the Tampa Bay Lightning took him with the third-overall pick in 2013. While he did score 18 goals and tie a career-high of 53 points, many feel that he can do much better, especially if he can show more consistency. Perhaps the most interesting discovery was that Drouin wasn’t attacking through the inside of the slot often enough.
  • Former Los Angeles Kings forward Nikita Scherbak might be looking for work once again. The 23-year-old forward signed a three-year deal with Avangard Omsk back in June, but according to a Russian website, omskinform.ru (translation required), Scherbak has been unimpressive in pre-season tournaments and the team may look to trade or even terminate his contract. Scherbak appeared in 37 NHL games, including eight with Los Angeles last season, but has not been able to retain a full-time role and didn’t even dominate in the AHL last season, scoring just 11 points in 23 games. If released, the 23-year-old could be looking for a new team.

 

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Washington Capitals

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

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.

Washington Capitals

Current Cap Hit: $82,864,294 (over the $81.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

G Ilya Samsonov (two years, $925K)
F Jonas Siegenthaler (one year, $714K)

Potential Bonuses

Samsonov: $550K
Siegenthaler: $83K

The one failing of the Washington Capitals and their dominance of their run over the years has been their inability, lately, to develop young talent that can step in. Again there are few players on entry-level contracts who can help ease the Capitals’ salary cap. However, the team believes that they might be close to bringing in their top prospect in Samsonov. The talented Russian goaltender finally arrived in North America last season and had mixed results in his first year in the AHL. However, Samsonov is likely to get a long look in training camp this season and even if he doesn’t make the team, he’s due to make his NHL debut at some point this season. After all, the Capitals must figure out quickly whether they have their future No. 1 netminder.

Siegenthaler finally looks ready to step into a permanent role on the Capitals’ blueline. The 22-year-old showed promise last year in 26 regular season games and even saw some playoff action with four games last season. The defensive defenseman is a perfect addition to a defense that is still dealing with injuries.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

F Nicklas Backstrom ($6.7MM, UFA)
G Braden Holtby ($6.1MM, UFA)
D Radko Gudas ($2.35MM, UFA)
D Christian Djoos ($1.25MM, RFA)
F Chandler Stephenson ($1.05MM, RFA)
F Travis Boyd ($800K, RFA)
F Brendan Leipsic ($700K, RFA)

Washington will have a big decision to make next offseason as they have two of their core pieces who will become unrestricted free agents and with serious cap issue for several years coming, the team will almost assuredly have to make a tough decision and are likely to lose at least one of them for nothing next summer. Neither is likely to be traded considering the team is strong enough to compete for a Stanley Cup, but the team just can’t afford both. The most likely scenario is the team finds a way to retain Backstrom, but will be forced to let Holtby go, considering that top goaltenders have been cashing in and the Capitals likely won’t have the money to keep him around. Of course much could change, but considering that Washington does have a top goaltending prospect who is almost ready for the NHL, losing Holtby might be an easier blow to take than losing Backstrom.

The remaining group will have to prove their worth. The most interesting player could be Gudas, who is considered a likeable locker room guy, but the Capitals will have to wait and see how well the veteran blueliner fits in with their defense and what the cost of retaining him in the future will be.

Two Years Remaining

F Alex Ovechkin ($9.54MM, UFA)
F Jakub Vrana ($3.35MM, RFA)

While it’s hard to imagine a Capitals team without their star in Ovechkin seems highly unlikely, Washington will have to see whether they can convince their star to re-sign. He’ll be 36 years old by the time he signs his next contract, which means he has quite a few options and while re-signing with Washington is the most likely possibility, the veteran has a number of options which could include returning to Russia to finish his career. Signing with Washington also could hinge on how the Capitals will look in two years. If the team looks like an aging team that has little real chance at winning a title, Ovechkin could also look elsewhere in the NHL for a last chance for a Stanley Cup. The Athletic’s Jesse Granger suggested a while back that Ovechkin might be a good fit with Vegas in a couple of years, suggesting that his relationship with George McPhee could be enough to bring him over there.

The team needs Vrana to continue his development. A player who struggled and was a big question mark at this time a season ago, Vrana answered a lot of questions last year with a 24-goal, 47-point season. If he can continue that success and be a consistent top-six player, the team will likely have hand him a long-term deal in two years.

Three Years Remaining

D Michal Kempny ($2.5MM, UFA)
G Pheonix Copley ($1.1MM, UFA)
F Nic Dowd ($750K, UFA)

The team lacks many major contracts here, but if Kempny continues to prove to be a solid defensive presence on Washington’s blueline, the team may have to hand out a significant contract. While the defender will be out for the start of the season and remains an unknown after a season-ending hamstring injury, he has proven to be quite reliable since the Capitals acquired him back at the trade deadline in 2018. Copley, who posted solid numbers as a full-time back-up goalie, likely will hold down his job, but will be challenged by Samsonov, who the team hopes will be their goalie of the future.

Four Or More Years Remaining

D John Carlson ($8MM through 2025-26)
F Evgeny Kuznetsov ($7.8MM through 2024-25)
F T.J. Oshie ($5.75MM through 2024-25)
F Tom Wilson ($5.17MM through 2023-24)
D Dmitry Orlov ($5.1MM through 2022-23)
F Lars Eller ($3.5MM through 2022-23)
F Carl Hagelin ($2.75MM through 2022-23)
F Richard Panik ($2.75MM through 2022-23)
D Nick Jensen ($2.5MM through 2022-23)
F Garnet Hathaway ($1.5MM through 2022-23)

The bulk of the team’s contracts are here with plenty of money being dedicated to the team between the next four to seven years. Many of these players will likely not be worth the money they are paying for them by that time and much will depend on whether Washington can supplement the team with young, cheap talent. However, the core of the team comes down to Carlson, Kuznetsov, Oshie and Wilson, all of which are currently key to the team’s status as threats to capture another Stanley Cup in the next few years. Carlson, who hits 30 at midseason, put up another phenomenal numbers last year, scoring 13 goals and a career-high 70 points. Kuznetsov had a slight down year, but could be a candidate for a big bounce-back season. Oshie continues to put up solid numbers, 25 goals last season, but will turn 33 during the season and will be 39 before his contract expires, which could go bad quickly. Wilson’s contract doesn’t look nearly as bad, especially after posting career highs in goals (22) and points (40).

Orlov saw his goal-scoring numbers drop, but he still has been a key figure on the team’s defense. Although he saw his ATOI drop by a minute in a half, the team still believes that Orlov is a top-pairing defender. The team hopes that Jensen might provide the same value at a much cheaper price. Jensen, acquired from Detroit and immediately extended for four years, gives Washington even more depth on the team’s blueline. He only averaged 17 minutes in his 20 games with Washington, but he could return to the 20 minutes he was averaging when he was with the Red Wings.

Washington has started to put more effort into bringing in cheaper players, who they think can contribute to the team long-term such as Hagelin and Panik, who were both locked up as the team believes both can contribute as middle-six players for a number of years.

Buyouts

None

Retained Salary Transactions

None

Still To Sign

None

Best Value: Wilson
Worst Value: Oshie

Looking Ahead

The Capitals are a team that have made it clear years ago that they were going for it. They succeeded finally, winning a Stanley Cup after the 2017-18 season. However, they looked just as formidable last year, despite a first-round exit in a grueling seven-game series against the Carolina Hurricanes. However, expectations continue to be high that this veteran laden club can continue to be one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference. With a number of their players already in their 30’s, the question will end up being how long can they keep this up? The team is capped out and will be for years to come, so they could lose quite a bit of talent over the next few years and with one of the weakest group of prospects in the league, the team will have to be quite clever with the cap to keep the team relevant.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

scroll to top