Calgary Flames Will Likely Trade Noah Hanifin
The 2023 offseason has been a monumental one for the Calgary Flames, and we’re still weeks away from the draft and free agency. New general manager Craig Conroy has a tough contract situation to deal with on his hands, with six important players currently headed for unrestricted free agency in 2024. A decision on what to do with one of those players has been made for him, though, as Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports defenseman Noah Hanifin is unwilling to sign an extension with the team and is likely destined for a trade.
Now 26, the top-flight defender has just shy of 600 NHL games under his belt and is entering the final season of a six-year, $4.95MM average annual value contract signed with Calgary in 2018. He’s had some very solid seasons in Alberta, including three 30-point campaigns and a firmly cemented top-four role throughout his time there. Historically a positive two-way force, Hanifin had some significant defensive struggles for the first time in 2022-23, seeing his advanced metrics dip slightly below the league average.
At his age and with his experience, though, that’s likely an outlier. Whichever team Hanifin ends up with can expect to pay him north of $6MM on a long-term deal and get their money’s worth. He’s one of the more consistent players from year to year in the league, really never having huge offensive or defensive lapses and maintaining solid (but not elite) numbers in heavy usage. His 0.48 points per game are tied for 47th among defensemen with at least 100 games played over the last three seasons, and his 21:32 average time on ice is 57th using the same parameters.
Competent on both the power play and penalty kill, the left-shot defender is not a true number-one defenseman but still a high-end, first-pairing caliber player. He may not fetch as much in a trade with the Flames as he would if he were a right-shot defenseman, but the Flames should still expect (and receive) at least a first-round pick for his services on the trade market – even if he makes it to the trade deadline and is sold as a rental.
With a steep trade market this offseason, though, moving him now is likely to get Calgary some good value with more time for their trade partner to negotiate an extension. And, given the Flames have pointed playoff aspirations next season, it would behoove them to free up Hanifin’s cap hit so he could be replaced via free agency or a separate trade later in the summer.
In 81 games this season, Hanifin registered seven goals and 38 points in 81 contests, recording a career-high average ice time of 22:39 in the process.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Snapshots: Winnipeg, Hayes, Sharangovich
The WHL’s Winnipeg Ice are on the move again after spending just four years in the city, TSN’s Darren Dreger reports Friday. After moving from Cranbrook in the Kootenay region of British Columbia in 2019, a condition of the sale to new owners in Winnipeg was a new facility for the team. The condition was never met, and now the team has been sold to former 2017 BCHL executive of the year David White, who will move them to Wenatchee, Washington, a town with a population of about 35,000 people in the center of the state. For now, it seems the new Wenatchee WHL squad will share the ice with White’s BCHL team, the Wenatchee Wild, at the Town Toyota Center with a capacity of 4,300 people.
Winnipeg lost in this year’s WHL championship series and boasts an eye-popping record of 110-20-6 over the past two seasons combined. The franchise’s debut season in Wenatchee could include Buffalo Sabres prospect Matthew Savoie and Arizona Coyotes prospect Conor Geekie, both first-round picks in the 2022 NHL Draft.
Other notes from around the hockey world today:
- On today’s episode of Sportsnet’s 32 Thoughts, Elliotte Friedman dumped some cold water on the rumors of a Kevin Hayes trade between the Philadelphia Flyers and Columbus Blue Jackets. After the two teams were involved in a three-way deal that saw Ivan Provorov head from the Flyers to the Jackets, reports said the move didn’t eliminate the possibility of the long-rumored Hayes deal coming to fruition. However, the Blue Jackets now have under $6MM in projected cap space for 2023-24 (CapFriendly) after getting defender Damon Severson from the New Jersey Devils in a sign-and-trade, which would force the Flyers to retain a high amount of Hayes’ $7.14MM cap hit through 2025-26. While Columbus remains in desperate need of centers, general manager Jarmo Kekalainen now has seven defensemen on the roster that cost more than $2MM against the cap, including a combined $6.75MM wrapped up in Erik Gudbranson and Andrew Peeke, who both had very disappointing campaigns last season.
- Another name mentioned by Friedman was that of New Jersey Devils forward Yegor Sharangovich, who Friedman believes could hit the trade market this offseason. The 25-year-old Belarusian is a restricted free agent with arbitration rights after completing a two-year, $4MM contract signed in August of 2021 and has registered at least 30 points in all three of his NHL campaigns. He is a decent depth scorer, but he’s not of much value defensively and posted the lowest point-per-game output of his NHL career (0.40) last season. He was a healthy scratch for most of New Jersey’s playoff run, appearing in three out of 12 games.
East Notes: Granlund, Matthews, Leafs Assistant Vacancy
The NHL’s first buyout window opens today, and teams have until 4 p.m. CT on June 30 to use them to create space ahead of free agency. If the Pittsburgh Penguins decide to pursue one, keep your eye on forward Mikael Granlund, The Athletic’s Rob Rossi said this morning.
Rossi notes that buyouts weren’t encouraged by previous ownership, but now, under Fenway Sports Group, interim general manager Kyle Dubas will have the freedom to pursue one if he so chooses. Pittsburgh acquired Granlund in a March 1 trade with the Nashville Predators and would essentially be throwing the 46th overall pick they gave up for him (and the cap hit of his buyout) down the drain. Granlund, who has two seasons remaining at $5MM per season, had just one goal and four assists in 21 games with Pittsburgh after the trade, as they missed the playoffs for the first time in nearly two decades. Per CapFriendly, a buyout would provide $4.17MM in savings next season and $3.17MM in 2024-25. Pittsburgh would then be hit with a $1.83MM penalty in 2025-26 and 2026-27.
Heading further north in the Eastern Conference:
- Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said on today’s 32 Thoughts podcast that the Toronto Maple Leafs’ preference with Auston Matthews is to get him locked into a max-term extension rather than a short-term payday. While Friedman couldn’t comment on the likelihood of that happening, he did say there’s been a heightened sense of urgency from both Matthews and the Leafs to get an extension done so the team can move on to other offseason business. Friedman said that after Matthews had a successful meeting with new general manager Brad Treliving in Arizona last week, he’s “even more confident” a deal will get done this summer.
- Staying in Toronto, Treliving and head coach Sheldon Keefe are deep in the process of interviewing candidates to replace former assistant Spencer Carbery, TSN’s Darren Dreger said today. Carbery had spent the past two seasons on Toronto’s bench before the Washington Capitals named him their next head coach earlier this spring. Dreger also mentioned that although Treliving and Keefe have spent time getting to know each other since the former’s hiring, no extension talks have begun yet for Keefe, who’s entering the final season of his contract.
Latest On Timo Meier, Mackenzie Blackwood
The New Jersey Devils got their first key piece of offseason business done yesterday, signing Jesper Bratt to an eight-year, $63MM extension. It’s a team-friendly $7.875MM cap hit (in the short-term, at least), which leaves the team still with upwards of $25MM of space this offseason, per CapFriendly. A good chunk of that will end up going to the team’s other star RFA, Timo Meier, who general manager Tom Fitzgerald said today wants to stay with the Devils long-term. While the Devils did file for team-elected salary arbitration yesterday, it’s a safety net more than anything else – Fitzgerald has requested Meier’s agent to hammer out the framework of a max-term, eight-year extension.
Now with seven NHL seasons and nearly 500 games under his belt, the 26-year-old Swiss winger is coming off a four-year, $6MM average annual value deal signed with the San Jose Sharks in 2019. He’s scored 35 and 40 goals in the last two seasons, and he’ll look to get paid like one of the premier goal-scorers in the league on a long-term deal.
While the Devils would prefer to keep a salary hierarchy among forwards under Jack Hughes‘ $8MM cap hit, that’s not likely on a long-term deal with Meier. While he won’t earn the eight figures due to him on a one-year qualifying offer, his cap hit across eight years could creep into the high $8MM range.
Another player the Devils have on their offseason list is netminder Mackenzie Blackwood, on whom Fitzgerald says the team will explore all options. Another restricted free agent, Fitzgerald wasn’t sure the team will opt to qualify him, negotiate a contract lower than his $3.36MM qualifying offer, or cut ties with the 26-year-old altogether and trade him.
After another injury-plagued season which saw him post a .893 save percentage in 22 games, he’s decidedly slipped to third on the team’s goalie depth chart behind Vitek Vanecek and Akira Schmid. A trade seems like the most pragmatic scenario here, likely for a draft pick. The team has a well-stocked prospect pool in the crease with names like Nico Daws and others.
It’s been an unfortunate turn of the tide for Blackwood, who a few seasons ago seemed the organization’s goalie of the future – especially in 2019-20 when he posted a .915 mark in 47 games behind a rather weak squad.
Dallas Stars Re-Sign Matt Murray
The Dallas Stars have secured goaltender Matt Murray on a one-year, two-way contract for the 2023-24 campaign, the team announced today. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Not to be confused with the Stanley Cup-winning netminder of the same name, the younger 25-year-old Murray made three appearances for the Dallas Stars in 2022-23. During his call-ups, Murray posted a record of 1-2-0 with a 3.39 goals-against average and a .844 save percentage.
Murray’s NHL debut came this season as well, successfully stopping 19 out of 21 shots in a March 2 win against the Chicago Blackhawks. His debut win on the road made him the first rookie goaltender for the Stars to achieve such a feat since Mike Smith in the 2006-06 campaign.
An undrafted free agent signing last summer out of the University of Massachusetts, Murray recorded an 18-10-5 record and three shutouts in 34 games for the AHL’s Texas Stars this year in his first full professional campaign. His 2.37 goals-against average ranked first among AHL rookie netminders, and he ranked second with a .911 save percentage and shared fourth place with 18 victories. During the Calder Cup Playoffs, the Alberta-born goalie tallied a 5-3-0 record in eight appearances, with a solid 2.79 GAA and .909 SV%.
With Scott Wedgewood still under contract to backup starter Jake Oettinger, Murray is likely again destined for a starting role in Texas for the 2023-24 campaign. While Wedgewood is a capable backup, he’s entering his 30s and could end up going elsewhere on the free agent market in 2024. Murray could very well take over the backup role in Dallas at that time.
Murray joins 21-year-old Remi Poirier as goalies under NHL contract with Dallas destined for the minors next season.
Calgary Flames Name Jarome Iginla Special Advisor To GM
One of the most hotly-anticipated front-office moves of the summer, at least in Alberta, has come in across the wire. The Calgary Flames have named Hall of Famer and former captain Jarome Iginla a special advisor to new general manager Craig Conroy, the team confirmed in a release.
Iginla has joined Conroy to offer assistance across all aspects of hockey operations, the Flames said. He, Conroy, and assistant general manager Dave Nonis now make up the nucleus of Calgary’s hockey operations department.
It’s a heartwarming front-office reunion for the two former linemates, who are now charged with leading this generation of Flames players to sustained playoff success. Conroy offered the following statement:
Dating as far back as our playing days with the Flames, Jarome and I have always talked about one day working together in the NHL. That day has finally come and I’m happy to welcome him back to Calgary. Jarome provides a creative approach and smart hockey mind to our team blended with a passion for the game, and a desire to win the Stanley Cup. Our relationship goes back 20 years and includes being opponents and teammates combined with a long-standing friendship. While our views on the game are similar, we often challenged each other on systems and playing style, always pushing each other to be better. I look forward to our team benefiting from his fierce competitiveness, career experiences and love of hockey.
Iginla currently serves as a coach for the RINK junior hockey academy in Kelowna, British Columbia. Per the Flames, he’ll continue in this role during 2023-24 and support Calgary in a shared capacity.
This is the Flames legend’s first executive experience, and it comes at a crucial time in Calgary’s history as they have a multitude of long-term deals and close-to-expiring core pieces. However, no one knows what it means to be a Flame more than the 45-year-old Iginla, who recorded 1,095 points across 1,219 games in a Flames jersey.
Ethan Bear Undergoes Shoulder Surgery, Out 6 Months
After a few weeks of mulling, the Vancouver Canucks and defenseman Ethan Bear have made a decision on how to move forward from a shoulder injury sustained while playing at the 2023 IIHF Men’s World Championships. Bear underwent successful surgery and is expected to miss six months, the Canucks said today.
Bear is now on track to make his 2023-24 season debut before the Christmas break in the NHL schedule and could miss around the first 30 games of the season based on a six-month timeline from today. The 25-year-old right-shot defender is a pending restricted free agent and remains without a contract for next year.
In his first year with the Canucks, Bear totaled 16 points in 61 games and posted excellent possession numbers while seeing his ice time increase to its highest level in three seasons. He’s expected to challenge for a top-four role next season, with his competitor, Tyler Myers, potentially on his way out of town if Vancouver can find a taker for the last season of his $6MM average annual value contract.
Bear was one of Vancouver’s highest upside options at right defense before the team unexpectedly acquired Filip Hronek from the Detroit Red Wings near the trade deadline. While a healthy Hronek next year will add some much-needed top-four caliber depth to the Canucks blueline, Bear is still an important defensive cog for a team that struggles to keep the puck out of their own net. He’ll be missed to start the 2023-24 campaign.
Colorado Avalanche Acquire, Extend Fredrik Olofsson
The Dallas Stars have dealt the rights to pending unrestricted free agent forward Fredrik Olofsson to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for future considerations, the team announced today. The Avalanche then immediately announced a one-year extension for Olofsson, with CapFriendly reporting a two-way deal worth $775,000 in the NHL and $300,000 in the AHL with $350,000 guaranteed.
Olofsson’s 2022-23 campaign was his first in North America after he signed with Dallas as a free agent. He wasn’t undrafted, though – the Chicago Blackhawks selected him with the 98th overall pick in 2014 but never signed him to an entry-level contract.
He showed flashes of solid fundamentals at points with the Stars but never made much of an impact at the scoresheet, even at the AHL level, where he recorded 14 points in 37 games with the Texas Stars. That low production was likely influenced by an extreme lack of stability, however. Olofsson was one of Dallas’ top call-up options throughout the year and was sent up and down more than 20 times, given he didn’t need to clear waivers to head up and down between leagues. After one season under contract, though, he will now require waivers if Colorado wants to send him to the AHL Eagles.
Olofsson, 27, is a marginal but much-needed depth add for the Avalanche, whose bottom six looks absolutely barren right now with many veterans on expiring deals. Depth scoring was easily the team’s biggest weakness last season, and they’ll likely need a by-committee approach to fix it in 2023-24. Olofsson will likely come in as a cost-effective option with more NHL (and professional experience) than others looking for NHL time in the organization.
New Jersey Devils Extend Jesper Bratt
The New Jersey Devils and pending restricted free agent winger Jesper Bratt have agreed to terms on a massive eight-year deal worth $7.875MM per season, the team announced Thursday afternoon. The contract, which will see Bratt stay in New Jersey until 2031 and carries a total value of $63MM, breaks down as follows:
2023-24: $10MM salary
2024-25: $9MM salary
2025-26: $9MM salary
2026-27: $8MM salary
2027-28: $7.2MM salary
2028-29: $7.2MM salary
2029-30: $6.6MM salary
2030-31: $6MM salary
ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski also reports the contract carries some form of trade protection. The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reports half of the above breakdown is paid out in signing bonuses.
The deal opens up what will be a pivotal offseason in New Jersey. After winning their first playoff series in 11 years, the Devils ended their season without extensions for both Bratt and trade deadline acquisition Timo Meier, who were both RFAs eligible for arbitration. With many more players to re-sign, especially at the bottom of their forward lineup, CapFriendly projects the Devils still have $26.4MM in cap space for next season.
General manager Tom Fitzgerald offered a statement on the monumental deal for both Bratt and the team:
It was always a priority to keep Jesper Bratt here long term and both parties are thrilled that a deal was completed. I value and commend the commitment Jesper made to this organization. We believe that he is a special player and a key member of our core group of talent who will contribute towards the team’s long-term success, and organizational goal of bringing the Stanley Cup back to New Jersey.
Most didn’t expect negotiations between Bratt and the Devils to be smooth sailing. Last offseason, Bratt was also an RFA and nearly required an arbitration hearing to get a new deal signed. The two parties eventually settled on a one-year, $5.45MM deal days before the hearing.
That being said, a deal of this magnitude has been a long time coming. The Devils reportedly started negotiations with Bratt as far back as last November, and after a second consecutive 70-point campaign from the Swedish winger in 2022-23, the team was comfortable committing the maximum term.
Bratt’s deal carries the same average annual value and just one less year of term than Los Angeles Kings winger Kevin Fiala, who signed an extension after being traded from the Minnesota Wild last June. Fiala had recorded 85 points in 82 games that season after a pair of seasons that came in close to the point-per-game mark.
Given Bratt’s similar scoring pace over the past pair of seasons, it’s hard to argue the deal is above market value. He’ll be in his early 30s when the deal expires, so the past few seasons shouldn’t age poorly if he continues his progression.
Bratt drew some ire from Devils fans after a disappointing playoff performance, registering a single goal and just six points in 12 games. He’s posted numbers reflective of a true top-line winger over the past two campaigns, though, and it should be a fair bet that the 5-foot-10 Swede can maintain that level of production. Advanced offensive metrics have been kind to him since his breakout 26-goal, 73-point campaign in 2021-22.
The Devils have already gotten way more value than initially expected out of Bratt, who fell to the sixth round of the 2016 NHL Draft. He was in the NHL just two seasons after his draft year, scoring 35 points in 74 games during his rookie season in 2017-18. In 389 games as a Devil overall, Bratt’s totaled 102 goals and 174 assists for 276 points.
He’s now the team’s third-highest-paid player and second-highest-paid forward. His cap hit comes in at $625,000 more than that of captain Nico Hischier, who’s locked in at a $7.25MM price tag through 2026-27. Only Jack Hughes ($8MM) and Dougie Hamilton ($9MM) make more per season on the team.
Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic was the first to report the deal.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
East Notes: Maple Leafs, Lightning, Sabres
While the Toronto Maple Leafs did finally win a playoff series this season, a five-game loss at the hands of the Florida Panthers in the second round erased most of the team’s forward momentum and goodwill with the fanbase. Team president Brendan Shanahan and new general manager Brad Treliving seem content to keep the team’s core intact, so any answers from outside the organization are likely going to come through free agency.
The Athletic’s Jonas Siegel today speculated defenseman Dmitry Orlov should be the team’s top target on the unrestricted free agent market, citing a need for a more puck-moving inclined defender to replace Jake Muzzin and Rasmus Sandin. He’ll likely cost more than $6MM per season on a multi-year deal, one that may not age particularly well given he’s already 31, but he showed with both Washington and Boston this season that he can still handle big minutes and big competition with strong results on both sides of the puck.
Among forwards, Siegel listed Connor Brown, Evan Rodrigues, Tyler Bertuzzi, and Lars Eller as potential adds on the open market.
Also in the Eastern Conference news cycle today:
- Stealing the Ottawa Senators’ thunder from earlier this week, Sportico reports the Tampa Bay Lightning are selling a minority stake in the club to Arctos Sports Partners at a massive $1.4 billion valuation. It’s over a ten-fold rise in franchise valuation in 13 years – majority owner Jeff Vinik purchased the team in 2010 for just $170MM. He’ll retain his majority stake in the team, so this won’t lead to any notable changes at the top of the franchise’s organizational pyramid.
- The Buffalo Sabres have mutually agreed not to extend their affiliation with the ECHL’s Cincinnati Cyclones, Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News reported Thursday. Per Lysowski, the team is close to an agreement with a new affiliate at that level. Since 2017, two netminders with playing time in Cincinnati had advanced to Buffalo’s NHL lineup: Michael Houser and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.