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Pacific Notes: Meruelo, Frolik, Talbot

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Arizona Coyotes fans got good news last week when Alex Meruelo closed on his sale of the franchise and the expects to keep the franchise in Arizona. The new owner must still figure out whether the team can get a new arena and make his claim to keep the team in the state of Arizona a reality.

Arizona Sports 98.7’s Matt Layman notes five takeaways from his press conference last week, including the owner’s desire to win. However, perhaps the most interesting fact is that Meruelo is known for buying failed businesses and making them viable once again. While Arizona isn’t a failing franchise, the team has been losing money and Meruelo might be the perfect owner to take over a struggling franchise that many feel cannot survive where it is, hence the rumors that the team will eventually make its way to Houston.

At the end of the day whether you’re flipping pizzas or you’re hitting hockey pucks, it’s a business and it must be treated as one. Hockey is a sport, but it’s also a business. I’ve had a lot experience growing businesses and turning them around. For 40 years I’ve been doing this. I’ve had a lot of success. I’ve got good people that I work with that I consider to be my team and my family and that makes me who I am today.

  • The Calgary Flames may have $7.76MM in projected cap room still, but with Matthew Tkachuk and Andrew Mangiapane still unsigned, the team will be forced to offload a contract to bring both forwards, especially Tkachuk under contract. While there has been plenty of talk of Calgary trading away a defenseman such as T.J. Brodie or Travis Hamonic, The Athletic’s Kent Wilson (subscription required) writes that another option would be Michael Frolik. The middle-six forward is still just 31 and is coming off a 16-goal season, which might make him more palatable than many of the veteran free-agent options remaining on the market. Frolik has one year remaining at $4.3MM. Wilson suggests that Ottawa might make a good fit. The Senators are way under the cap, but Frolik will actually be paid just $3MM in salary despite his cap hit number, something that the budget-focused Senators love to acquire. The scribe adds the New Jersey Devils, Columbus Blue Jackets and Philadelphia Flyers as alternative options for Calgary.
  • Sportsnet’s Luke Fox writes that Calgary Flames new goaltender Cam Talbot hopes to prove his value to his new team. Talbot, who signed on to be a veteran backup to David Rittich this summer, struggled in his final two seasons with the Edmonton Oilers before finally being traded at the trade deadline. Talbot said he hoped that a trade to Philadelphia would be the reset of his career that would allow him to bounce back. However, Talbot played just three and a half games with Philadelphia as the backup to Carter Hart and never got a chance to prove his value. Now in Calgary, Talbot said he hopes to be more than just a backup to Rittich and hopes to split time with him evenly. “[Rittich] played extremely well last year and kinda took that spot and earned his right to battle for it. I’m going in. I want to complement him,” says Talbot.

Metropolitan Notes: Jones & Werenski, Capitals Goalies, Shattenkirk

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After years of being paired together, Seth Jones and Zach Werenski saw some time apart. Over a three year period, Jones and Werenski spent 75 percent of their 5-on-5 time together and were almost inseparable. The two star defenseman stayed together on the top pairing line. However, that changed a bit last year. Jones and Werenski were split up sometimes as the two ended up spending just 57.7 percent of the time as Werenski, who was working on his defensive game, was often paired with Ryan Murray or David Savard.

The Athletic’s Alison Lukan (subscription required) analyzes whether the pair should be kept together or the split should finally be made and have each one of them on separate defensive lines. She writes that while they were more successful when they were together, the Jones and Murray combination and the Werenski and Savard combinations were among the top three combinations in terms of getting good chances and converting. While the split up likely affected Jones and Werenski’s goal-scoring last season, it created a deeper defense overall.

However, Lukan does note that Werenski’s defensive numbers actually dropped last season when not playing alongside Jones and considering that’s his weakness, Columbus might have be better off keeping the pair together. The Blue Jackets overall defense is improving and the combination of Murray and Markus Nutivaara actually put up solid numbers together as well and might serve the team even better as the second pairing. Of course, no one really knows what head coach John Tortorella is thinking.

  • In his most recent mailbag series, The Athletic’s Tarik El-Bashir (subscription required) comments on the goaltending depth in the Washington Capitals’ system. The team has a number of young goaltenders, including Ilya Samsonov, who they hope is the goaltender of the future. The team also houses Pheonix Copley and AHL All-Star Vitek Vanecek. However, El-Bashir points out that trading away some of their goaltending depth is extremely unlikely considering the team doesn’t know what will happen with current starter Braden Holtby, who will be an unrestricted free agent next season. With starting goaltender salaries beginning to skyrocket, it seems unlikely the team would be able to retain him, but if the Capitals win another Stanley Cup title this year, then things might change. Of course if Holtby does leave, then is Samsonov ready? If not, then the team might have to turn to Copley or Vanecek or even look elsewhere.
  • Chris Ryan of NJ.com writes that it’s highly unlikely that the New Jersey Devils consider signing defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk, who became a free agent after the New York Rangers bought him out last week. The Devils courted back in 2017 when Shattenkirk was the top defensive free agent and might be inclined to add him once again. However, considering the changes in the last two years, there is little need to bring Shattenkirk in. In those two years, the team has brought in P.K. Subban, Sami Vatanen, and Will Butcher as well as drafted Ty Smith and seen the emergence of Damon Severson.

Atlantic Notes: Bjork, Shattenkirk, Suzuki

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After dealing with shoulder injuries for the past two years, Boston Bruins forward Anders Bjork feels that he’s finally healthy and ready to take the role that he originally signed on for when he left Notre Dame after a big junior season and came to Boston as one of the team’s top prospects.

Instead, the 22-year-old suffered multiple injuries to his left shoulder, which in both cases required surgery, according to the Boston Globe’s Matt Porter. In 2017, Bjork suffered two injuries; he was trucked at center ice by Toronto’s Matt Martin in November and then saw his season ended after a crosscheck from Francois Beauchemin in January, then last year, his season ended in December while in the AHL after he overextended his shoulder after a hit from Washington’s Nathan Walker.

Bjork said that while he hasn’t gained any weight and still weighs about between 190 to 195 pounds, the forward said he is much fitter and has worked extensively in the gym on his upper-body muscles so there are no further issues.

I’ve had a lot of time to train. I didn’t want to get too heavy and lose any speed, but getting stronger, my upper body for shooting and winning my battles. I don’t feel heavy or slowed down at all. I’m pleased with that. My focus now is to maintain that and keep my strength throughout the season. You’ve got to be dedicated to keep the good weight on, because you’re playing a lot of hockey.

  • When defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk was an unrestricted free agent back in 2017, the Tampa Bay Lightning were one of the first teams that attempted to sign him. However, with the cap problems the team had at the time, signing the highly-touted defenseman was impossible and the team settled instead on Dan Girardi to a more reasonable deal. The Athletic’s Joe Smith (subscription required) wonders whether the Lightning might consider grabbing Shattenkirk now on a much more reasonable deal. Shattenkirk had everything go wrong with the Rangers since then from suffering a significant knee injury to suddenly finding himself in a rebuilding situation. However, Smith feels that a Shattenkirk fit makes sense and could work out as a short-term and cheap option.
  • The Athletic’s Marc Dumont (subscription required) analyzes the play of Montreal Canadiens forward Nick Suzuki, who will turn pro this season, and who many view as a top-six center option for Montreal in the future. While looking at his junior numbers and noting a significant plateau of his numbers after his third year, the scribe believes that Suzuki should become an eventual fixture in the team’s middle, but also suggests that Suzuki likely will never be an elite player. He also writes that the 20-year-old would likely benefit from one to two years in the AHL before he is ready to make an impact for the Canadiens.

Central Notes: Girard, Dach, Honka, Robertson

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The seven-year, $35MM contract that Samuel Girard signed with the Colorado Avalanche earlier this week as a sign that the team has found an heir apparent for recently traded Tyson Barrie. While the team has a ton of talent in Cale Makar, as well as the 2019 fourth-overall pick in Bowen Byram, the Avalanche believe they have a top-four defenseman in their 21-year-old.

In fact, The Athletic’s Scott Burnside (subscription required) writes that he believes that general manager Joe Sakic believes strongly that the 162-pound Girard is ready for a full-time role this season as their top defender, which is a big task to take on. Barrie averaged 24:11 in the playoffs last year, while Girard averaged almost five minutes below that. However, the team believes he will take his game up a notch and make his seven-year deal a steal of a signing in the future.

  • Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports Chicago writes in a mailbag column that he wonders whether the Chicago Blackhawks will seriously consider keeping 2019 third-overall pick Kirby Dach on the roster entering the season. Last year, the top four draft picks in the 2018 draft made their respective teams in the NHL, and Chicago does have an opening for a third-line center which could be a perfect match. Of course, much of that decision will come down to how Dach performs at training camp as well as how many minutes he might play as Dach is used to being a top-minutes player on his junior team.
  • In his latest mailbag, Sean Shapiro of The Athletic (subscription required) writes that the Dallas Stars may have trouble moving defenseman Julius Honka, who the team was expected to move this offseason. Shapiro believes the team is hoping to get a fourth-round pick for the 2014 first-rounder who has fallen out of favor in Dallas, but he writes that many teams believe that they can just get the blue liner off of waivers at the start of the season as its highly unlikely that Dallas will keep Honka on their roster.
  • Sticking with the Stars, Matthew DeFranks of SportsDay writes in a mailbag column that he believes that while Jason Robertson could be an excellent addition to the Dallas Stars team, he doubts that Robertson will play more than a handful of games with the Stars next season. The 20-year-old is turning pro this season after Dallas selected him in the second round of the 2017 draft and saw him net 48 goals and 117 points in 62 games in the OHL last season. Franks writes that Robertson will spend most of next season in the AHL with the Texas Stars as he learns to adjust to the pro game.

Adin Hill Agrees To Sign Qualifying Offer With Arizona Coyotes

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The Arizona Coyotes have brought back their third-string goaltender as Adin Hill has agreed to accept his qualifying offer and will sign a one-year deal, according to The Athletic’s Craig Morgan. The Coyotes have announced the trade, reporting that it is a two-way contract. Since Hill made $675K last season, his qualifying offer is for five percent more, meaning Hill should make just under $709K. While his qualifying offer expired on July 15, the offer can be extended by the team.

Hill showed some flashes of potential last season after being recalled and pulled into active duty after Arizona saw both their goalies, Antti Raanta and Darcy Kuemper, injured in the middle of the season. Hill immediately took over, winning four straight games, which included one shutout and two one-goal performances. He continued to show impressive skills for six more games before teams began to figure things out. The 23-year-old finished with a 2.76 GAA and a .901 save percentage in 13 appearances before returning to Tucson in the AHL.

With Raanta and Kuemper expected back to tandem the net for the Coyotes, Hill is expected to work on his skills with the Roadrunners and is the likely callup if one of the injury-prone goalies gets hurt and if he can find some consistency, could eventually be a long-term option for the club, especially considering that Kuemper is in the final year of a two-year deal he signed back in 2018. Raanta is also only two years away from unrestricted free agency, so a good season by Hill could eventually vault him into the mix.

Buffalo Sabres Sign Linus Ullmark To One-Year Deal

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The Buffalo Sabres have announced that they have signed goaltender Linus Ullmark to a one-year, $1.33MM deal today, avoiding the pending arbitrator’s ruling after the two sides met on Friday. The deal will allow Ullmark to become an unrestricted free agent next year.

It’s the second deal the Sabres struck with a player today, as the team signed Jake McCabe earlier today as well. With those two deals now settled, that will give the team a second buyout window for 48 hours that will start in three days with several potential candidates if the Sabres want to cut a player, including Marco Scandella, Zach Bogosian, or Vladimir Sobotka. However, the team did well for themselves with four scheduled arbitration hearings, receiving a favorable decision in the Evan Rodrigues case and below-market deals with Ullmark, McCabe, and Remi Elie. 

The 26-year-old Ullmark came in this season as the backup goaltender behind starter Carter Hutton, but didn’t fare as well as many had hoped. He did get quite a few appearances as he played in 37 games, but finished with a .905 save percentage and a 3.11 GAA in that span. This deal will likely become a “prove it” deal for Ullmark, who must prove to Buffalo that he deserves to be an NHL goaltender and maybe even challenge the veteran Hutton for more playing time next season.The question now is whether Ullmark can become a consistent goaltender for the slowly improving Sabres.

Ullmark, a sixth-round pick in 2012, impressed fans in Buffalo back in the 2015-16 season when he appeared in 20 games for the Sabres and performed well with a .913 save percentage when he was a 22-year-old. However, the team opted to keep him in the AHL to give the goaltender more seasoning. The 6-foot-4 netminder looked ready for the challenge after his performance in the 2017-18 season when he was 21-12-4 with the Rochester Americans, putting up a 2.42 GAA and a .922 save percentage. He looked even better in five appearances with the Sabres that year. Ullmark was also selected to the AHL All-Star game twice, in 2016 and 2017.

The question now is whether Ullmark can become a consistent goaltender for the slowly improving Sabres.

Oilers Notes: Offseason Plans, Nugent-Hopkins, Koskinen, Petrovic

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Despite quite a bit of struggles over the past couple of years, the Edmonton Oilers didn’t make a significant amount of changes this offseason. Sure, the team did acquire James Neal in a swap of bad contracts, sending off Milan Lucic, but little else was done. Much of that could be due to new general manager Ken Holland who wants to see more of his team before trading pieces away carelessly.

The Athletic’s Allan Mitchell (subscription required) writes that Holland should be quite busy over the next seven months as there are plenty of opportunities to upgrade. One obvious option is to pick up a free agent or two before training camp begins. The team already signed forward Josh Archibald a few weeks ago, but could add even more talent to their bottom-six. There are several significant names still available, including Derick Brassard, Thomas Vanek, Riley Sheahan, Magnus Paajarvi and Oscar Lindberg all as possibilities.

Mitchell also points out the Oilers could look to signing some players to PTO’s as well. The team got lucky last year when it signed Alex Chiasson to a PTO and eventually signed him as he scored 22 goals last season in a breakout campaign. There are a number of interesting players out there as well that might be willing to sign a PTO, including Valeri Nichushkin, Dmitrij Jaskin and Nicolas Kerdiles.

  • In the same article, Mitchell also notes that the team could find itself shopping a pair of their own players at the trade deadline as both Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Adam Larsson will be free agents after the 2020-21 season. If the team has little interest in handing either of them long-term deals, Holland might be better served trading them in February if the team is out of the playoff race, giving a buyer a chance to get a player who can help for their playoff run, but also a full year next season. The 26-year-old Nugent-Hopkins is coming off a career-high 28 goals and 69 points last season and could generate a solid return if the Oilers opted to move him at the trade deadline. Larsson, also 26, struggled last season with a minus-28 rating, but could still prove to be a solid defensive depth addition to a playoff team.
  • While Mikko Koskinen is being paid more than twice the amount of veteran backup Mike Smith, new head coach Dave Tippett says that he intends to split the minutes up between his two goaltenders equally, according to Edmonton Journal’s Derek Van Diest. The 31-year-old Koskinen was originally signed to take over full-time duties last season and will begin the first year of a three-year, $13.5MM deal, but still hasn’t proven to the team, fans or coaching that he deserves to be the team’s No. 1. “I hope they both play a similar amount of games and they’re both really good every one of them,” Tippett said at the Sixth Annual Mark Spector Golf Classic at the Quarry Golf Course on Wednesday. “Last year, I thought Koskinen looked tired. If you watch the last 20 games, he played a lot and mentally and physically, he looked tired.”
  • Former Edmonton Oilers defenseman Alexander Petrovic remains unsigned, but the Edmonton Journal’s Jim Matheson writes that he’s heard that there is interest from the rival Calgary Flames for the blue liner. The team could look to add a veteran depth defenseman like Petrovic, who just bought out Michael Stone. Petrovic, acquired in December from Florida for Chris Wideman and a 2019 third-round pick, played just nine games for the Oilers, posting a minus-seven in that time.

Eastern Notes: McAvoy, Carlo, Kreider, Samsonov

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There are quite a few restricted free agents that still haven’t been signed yet, but the Boston Bruins still have two of them in defensemen Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo and the Boston Globe’s Matt Porter suggests that fans may have to sit through not seeing them at training camp and potentially even having them sit out like William Nylander did last year with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Porter suggests that McAvoy could be looking for similar money to that of Jacob Trouba, who signed with the New York Rangers for seven years at $8MM AAV. However, a holdout might be necessary because Trouba had the benefit of an arbitration hearing deadline and had all the leverage on his side. That isn’t necessarily the case with McAvoy who doesn’t have arbitration rights and whose only leverage would be holding out. Carlo, an improving defenseman, could be looking for $4MM per season in a long-term deal.

Regardless, the Bruins already tight against the cap for the next few years, need to make sure they don’t overpay for the two defensemen, which might require the team to unload another player down the road.

  • In his Saturday’s Slapshots column, New York Post’s Larry Brooks mentions that the New York Rangers and Chris Kreider’s agent Matt Keator, haven’t had a conversation yet about what it would take to sign the 28-year-old to a long-term contract. While Brooks believes that is strange that both sides haven’t spoken yet, he believes that both sides are content to go into the season with Kreider in the last year of his current contract. The Rangers would be hard-pressed to sign Kreider to a long-term deal after handing out long-term deals to Artemi Panarin and Trouba and a number of talented young forwards who will eventually have to be paid down the road as well.
  • With a tumultuous offseason ahead for the Washington Capitals in the goaltending category with Braden Holtby expected to become an unrestricted free agent, The Athletic’s Tarik El-Bashir (subscription required) writes in a mailbag column that he wouldn’t be surprised if star goaltending prospect Ilya Samsonov could win the backup goaltending job in training camp. It would help the team determine whether the 22-year-old might be ready to take over as the team’s starting goaltender in 2020-21. Samsonov had an up-and-down first season in North America last season, putting up a .898 save percentage in 37 games with the Hershey Bears, but was much more impressive in the second half. However, there is no guarantee that he is ready for a back-up NHL role yet, so don’t count out Pheonix Copley.

Pacific Notes: Rittich, Bennett, Puljujarvi, Archibald

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After signing a two-year deal Saturday, Calgary Flames goaltender David Rittich is now ready to prove to Flames’ fans that he is ready to take over the full-time duties in net this year. While he more than doubled his appearances last season, the 26-year-old lost his job to Mike Smith in the playoffs as Rittich faded in the stretch run.

Rittich started the season strong last season. Before the all-star break, he had a 19-4 record in 30 games, posting a 2.47 GAA and a .918 save percentage, but saw those numbers fall off after the all-star break. Rittich instead appeared in just 15 games after the break as it looked as if he wore down, putting up a 2.85 GAA and a .898 save percentage. Rittich didn’t appear in any of the team’s playoff games after that.

The goaltender, however, has changed his workout regimen this summer with the intention of being able to endure the long season and starting even more games this season than the 45 he played in last season, according to Sportsnet’s Eric Francis. Rittich no longer has Smith to lean back on. Calgary instead brought in veteran Cam Talbot, who has struggled significantly over the past two years. The Flames need Rittich now more than ever.

“I would like to play more than last year, but it’s up to how I play,” said Rittich. “I’m working really hard so I think I can play more than 60 games.”

  • The Athletic’s Darren Haynes (subscription required) writes now that Calgary Flames forward Sam Bennett, who recently signed a two-year deal, could get an increase in minutes on the ice this year. The 23-year-old averaged just 13:17 of ATOI on the left wing, but with so many left wingers on the roster, someone may have to move over to the right side. Haynes writes that Bennett might be the perfect player who might even be able to crack the top-six this year and perhaps have the breakout season that everyone has been waiting for since Calgary selected Bennett with the fourth overall pick in 2014.
  • Kurt Leavins of the Edmonton Journal writes that the chances that Edmonton Oilers winger Jesse Puljujarvi returning to Edmonton is starting to improve. Despite the restricted free agent’s request to be traded away from Edmonton in hopes of a fresh start, a deal hasn’t happened as it’s believed that Ken Holland hasn’t received a suitable offer for Puljujarvi and with training camps already underway in Europe, his chances of returning there is lessening by the day. He writes the only place Puljujarvi can go to get decent pay at this point is with the Oilers. Still just 21 years old, Puljujarvi must show more offense no matter where he plays after finishing with just four goals in 46 games.
  • Leavins also added that he wouldn’t be surprised if recent signee Josh Archibald should play a big role throughout the Oilers lineup as new head coach Dave Tippett is quite familiar with him. Tippett, a resident of Arizona, spent quite a bit of time watching Archibald last season when he was with the Coyotes and could be an instant favorite of the coach and could see playing time up and down the lineup next season. Archibald finished with 12 goals and 22 points in 68 games, but also finished with 161 hits.

Metropolitan Notes: Namestnikov, Brown, Werenski, Siegenthaler, Malkin

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While a buyout of one of the New York Rangers defensemen seems like a popular option to fix the fact that the team is currently projected to be over the salary cap after New York paid out $19.65MM AAV for both Artemi Panarin and Jacob Trouba, there are still other options that might make even more sense.

With plenty of rumors that New York could choose to buyout Kevin Shattenkirk, Brendan Smith or Marc Staal when their buyout window opens on Monday, The Athletic’s Rick Carpiniello (subscription required) writes that the team might be better off saving their future cap room from carrying extra dead weight. One way to do that is move forward Vladislav Namestnikov, who carries a $4MM cap hit this year before becoming a unrestricted free agent. While teams might have shown little interest in the 26-year-old who scored just 11 goals last season, one better option would be to retain some of his salary, which could easily make him a more attractive trade option and wouldn’t cost the team future cap costs. Namestnikov is only one year removed from a 22-goal, 48-point season.

  • Sticking with the Rangers, the team announced the passing of former great Arnie Brown Saturday. The defenseman died at the age of 77, but played a total of 12 seasons for five different teams, but made his mark with New York after playing seven seasons (from 1964-1971) for the franchise and is listed among the top 100 players in Rangers history. Brown played 681 games over the course of his career, posting 44 goals and 185 points. Everyone at PHR wishes the best for the family and friends of Brown at this time.
  • The Columbus Dispatch’s Michael Arace writes that little progress has been made between the Columbus Blue Jackets and restricted free agent Zach Werenski. While the team hopes that it can lock up the 22-year-old to a long-term deal, there is always the possibility that Werenski could be a training camp holdout if the two sides can’t find an equitable arrangement. Blue Jackets fans have already seen that as several players, including Josh Anderson and Ryan Johansen have done that in past seasons. Werenski has proven to be a top pairing defenseman, having tallied 38 goals and 128 points over the course of three seasons. With key losses this offseason of Panarin, Sergei Bobrovsky and Matt Duchene, the team could benefit if they can convince Werenski to sign long-term.
  • After signing defenseman Christian Djoos and forward Chandler Stephenson to one-year deals last week, the Washington Capitals once again find themselves over the salary cap by $1.3MM. While one option to reduce their cap hit would be to send Jonas Siegenthaler to the AHL like the team did last year, NBC Sports Washington’s J.J. Regan writes that won’t be possible. While Siegenthaler is still waiver exempt, the team only has seven NHL defensemen under contract and even if they felt that Tyler Lewington could be the team’s seventh defenseman, he wouldn’t save the team a significant amount of money to make the move worth it. Unfortunately for general manager Brian MacLellan, the team will have to make a different move this year to get under the cap.
  • The Athletic’s Scott Burnside (subscription required) looks at candidates who could bounce back from disappointing seasons and marks Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin as a player who should return to his 90-point ways. The 32-year-old went from a 42-goal season in 2017-18 to half that total last year (21 goals) and went from 98 points to 72. Burnside writes that the team will need more goal scoring after losing Phil Kessel and Malkin will be looked to even more to fill that gap.

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