Looking At Phil Kessel’s Impending Free Agency
Earlier in the week, PHR’s own Ethan Hetu covered the situation surrounding the pending free agency of Carolina Hurricanes forwards Vincent Trocheck and Max Domi. Now, however, we pivot to the Western Conference, turning the magnifying glass on Arizona Coyotes veteran (and two-time Stanley Cup champion) Phil Kessel. Arizona opting to not move Kessel for a return at this year’s Trade Deadline surprised many. The NHL’s now-resident iron man has a respectable 52 points in 81 games this year on a Coyotes team that’s put up just 202 goals on the season, the worst such number in the NHL, and that wasn’t due to a crazy post-deadline bump in production. Now, after the eight-year contract extension he signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2013 expires this offseason, the 34-year-old could hit the open market for the first time in his NHL career.
The bottom line remains that the Coyotes need NHL forwards next season. While their situation for 2022-23 has improved slightly after the acquisitions of young forwards Jack McBain and Nathan Smith, it’s unlikely that both of them (especially McBain) are ready for full-time NHL roles as soon as this fall. With the team surely a no-go destination for most of the NHL’s free-agent pool due to their arena situation, it’s not too far out of left field to assume Arizona’s choice not to move Kessel was influenced by the team’s desire to extend the veteran before he hits the open market.
If Kessel decides though, as he very well could, to join a team with more hype for 2022-23, the market for him should and will likely be there. While Kessel does just have eight goals on the year, his disastrous 4.7 shooting percentage (the lowest figure of his career) offers a compelling explanation for that. He’s not a factor defensively and hasn’t been for a few seasons now, but he remains a skilled and intelligent play-driver as evidenced by his 44 assists on the year. The fact that he’s having his best offensive season in Arizona in the year where he’s had the least talent surrounding him is sure to convince multiple general managers that Kessel still has it in him as a middle-six winger.
One near-perfect past comparable to Kessel’s situation is that of Corey Perry. Bought out a few years ago by the Anaheim Ducks, Perry signed a one-year, $1.5MM contract in Dallas after a career-worst season in Anaheim. He’s managed to continue performing as an extremely valuable depth piece on successful teams, helping provide secondary scoring. Kessel likely fits right into this mold, and could see a similar one- or two-year deal signed this offseason, albeit likely with a higher price tag. Perry had just 10 points the prior season, with Kessel outproducing that by about five times.
While there are multiple younger, flashier options on the market this offseason, they’re also a lot more expensive than Kessel would be. A short-term deal limits the negative implications of the contract if Kessel does enter a steep decline, and his Stanley Cup pedigree is obviously attractive around the league. A cap hit in the $4MM neighborhood seems likely for Kessel on a one- or two-year deal, though it could of course be lower if he opts to take a discount to join a cap-strapped contender. Arizona would likely need to offer more than that number to retain his services if they wish.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Dustin Brown To Retire After 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs
The Los Angeles Kings announced today that two-time Stanley Cup champion forward and former captain Dustin Brown will retire from the NHL at the conclusion of Los Angeles’ time in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The team will hold a press conference tomorrow with Brown, team president Luc Robitaille, general manager Rob Blake, and head coach Todd McLellan at 1:30 p.m. Central time.
Now 37 years of age, Brown played all of his 18 seasons and (as it stands) 1,295 regular-season games in a Kings uniform, remaining a gigantic voice in the room and one of the team’s most well-respected players. The Kings named Brown the 13th captain in team history after Blake left the team for the second time as a player before being replaced in the role by Anze Kopitar after a mid-career dip in production. With Brown currently slated to miss the 10-goal mark for the first time since his rookie season, and the team’s solid drafting prompting youth to challenge for lineup spots at all positions, it’s a natural end to his time in Los Angeles and the league.
While he did have ups and downs in his career, Brown, a member of the star-studded 2003 NHL Draft class (13th overall), will remain one of the most impactful and universally loved players in Los Angeles history. Those 1,295 games are the most by any player in a Kings uniform, though it’s a record that may not stand for long with Kopitar close behind. Even despite those mid-career struggles, Brown has still scored 325 goals and 387 assists for 712 points during his time in L.A., ranking seventh in franchise history behind Bernie Nicholls‘ 758. His 47 points in 85 playoff games are eighth in franchise history.
Brown, a native of Ithaca, New York, medalled twice internationally with the United States, winning bronze at the 2004 World Championships and taking home silver at the 2010 Winter Olympics. He was an alternate captain on both the U.S.’s 2010 and 2014 Olympic teams, further showcasing his stellar leadership. He’s the second member of the 2003 draft class to announce his retirement this month, joining longtime rival Ryan Getzlaf.
He’s still put up some decent production this season in a greatly reduced role, notching 28 points in 63 games while averaging under 15 minutes per game for the first time since 2005-06, his first full NHL season. He also had 28 points that season, offering a somewhat poetic bookend to his career.
Brown was the recipient of the 2014 Mark Messier Leadership Award, given “to the player who exemplifies great leadership qualities to his team, on and off the ice during the regular season.” It’s fitting that Brown’s only individual NHL accolade honors his contributions to his team.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Injury Notes: Maple Leafs, Avalanche, Blue Jackets
The Toronto Maple Leafs, while still remaining competitive with a tough schedule, have faced significant injury setbacks over the past few weeks. A mass of updates came today during a press conference with head coach Sheldon Keefe, where he revealed that forward Michael Bunting will miss the final two games of the regular season, defenseman Rasmus Sandin is likely to return for the team’s finale on Friday versus the Boston Bruins, and forward Ondrej Kase remains day-to-day with no timeline to return.
As the Maple Leafs prepare for a likely impending First Round matchup with the back-to-back Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning, this is mostly positive news. The language surrounding Bunting’s injury wasn’t initially positive after he fell awkwardly during an April 23 game against Florida, but his prognosis has improved since then and it looks like a possibility that he could be ready for the beginning of the series. Sandin has missed over a month with a knee injury, while Kase has missed the same duration with a concussion.
- There are some more updates on various players on a Stanley Cup contender, as the Colorado Avalanche deal with some injury issues of their own. Head coach Jared Bednar spoke to reporters today, saying that defenseman Devon Toews will return to the lineup tonight after dealing with an undisclosed injury, forward Mikko Rantanen is working toward a return on Thursday against the Nashville Predators, and captain Gabriel Landeskog won’t return until the postseason. Toews has missed just around a week and a half, but his absence cannot be understated, as he continues to be one of the most underrated defensemen in the league with 57 points in just 64 games this year (while averaging over 25 minutes per game). Meanwhile, the Colorado captain has been out since early March with a leg injury.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets announced today that both captain Boone Jenner and Sean Kuraly will miss the short remainder of the season with respective injuries. Kuraly, in his first season with Columbus, suffered a foot injury last Sunday and will miss the remaining three games. Jenner will have missed the last month and a half of the season with a back injury.
Frederik Andersen Expected To Miss Beginning Of First Round
There have been many conflicting reports over the past few days regarding the health of the Carolina Hurricanes’ goaltenders, and while there’s largely an optimistic tone around the health of their top netminders, it may not be all sunshine and roses just yet. ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski reported today that the “current expectation” is that Frederik Andersen could miss the first few games of Carolina’s First Round series, which likely looks to be against the Boston Bruins. The report comes after sources suggested to The Athletic’s Sara Civian just yesterday that Andersen would be “good to go” for Game 1.
An undisclosed injury has sidelined Andersen since April 16, when he left the late third period of a game against the Colorado Avalanche. He’s run away with the starter’s crease in Carolina this season with a Vezina-consideration-worthy campaign, compiling 35 wins (7th in NHL), four shutouts (tied for 5th in NHL), a 2.17 goals-against average (2nd among qualified goalies), and .922 save percentage (tied for 3rd among qualified goalies).
With backup netminder Antti Raanta becoming injured a few days ago, it put Andersen’s potential return under the spotlight to shut down any goaltending issues for Carolina ahead of the playoffs. Pyotr Kochetkov, Carolina’s 36th overall selection in 2019, entered the game in relief and started the team’s game the night prior as well. While he’s earned a victory in both games, he has just a .889 save percentage in his now 89 career minutes of NHL ice time.
Especially as the Bruins have caused Carolina fits during their last two playoff meetings, continued stellar goaltending will be essential for the Hurricanes to avoid an upset. They’re just 1-8 in their last nine playoff games against their most likely First Round opponent.
Grant Hutton Clears Waivers
April 22: Hutton has now cleared waivers, according to CapFriendly.
April 21: While a rarity to see waivers post-Trade Deadline, they are still in effect. The New York Islanders took advantage of this today, reports TVA’s Renaud Lavoie, as they’ve placed defenseman Grant Hutton on waivers.
Not a household name in the slightest, you might be surprised to learn Hutton has 16 games of action this season with the Islanders. While some came earlier in the season when the team was rattled with COVID cases, the 26-year-old has climbed up the organizational depth chart, actually playing in 11 straight games between March 27th and April 15th. In that timeframe, he averaged 13:42 of ice time per game and recorded his first NHL goal. Originally getting into the lineup with Scott Mayfield‘s injury, they’ve had other depth defenders get healthy (like Sebastian Aho), and the organization has decided to send him down to the AHL’s Bridgeport Islanders.
Since Hutton can’t actually play in the NHL for another team this season, considering he would be changing teams after the Trade Deadline, there’s almost zero risk that he’ll get claimed off waivers. With the defenseman hitting unrestricted free agency at the end of this season as well, there’s no reason for a team to pick him up.
Hutton has 19 points in 45 games this season with Bridgeport.
Snapshots: Kakko, Acciari, Clinching Scenarios
It’s no secret that New York Rangers forward Kaapo Kakko has had some tough injury luck this season. He was sidelined in late January with an upper-body injury, missing about two and a half months before returning. He played just four games before suffering another injury, this time lower-body in nature, but head coach Gerard Gallant believes Kakko, who was injured on April 16th against Detroit, is expected back for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs (if not sooner).
Kakko hasn’t exceeded expectations by any means on the scoresheet this season, tallying just seven goals, nine assists, and 16 points through 41 games this year. The pending restricted free agent was one of the Rangers’ best defensive forwards prior to the team’s post-deadline resurgence in that regard, so it’s not as though he hasn’t brought any real value to the table this season.
- Noel Acciari is returning to the Florida Panthers lineup once again tonight against Detroit. The veteran forward has missed most of the season due to a combination of injuries, and now, he rejoins the team after missing 10 games with an undisclosed injury. Acciari has one goal and five points in 14 games this year.
- Clinching scenarios remain boundless for tonight’s 11-game slate, with many matches still having playoff implications despite 12 out of 16 teams already clinching playoff berths. The Florida Panthers can clinch both the Atlantic Division and regular-season Eastern Conference titles with a win against Detroit, provided the Tampa Bay Lightning also defeat the Toronto Maple Leafs in any fashion. The Calgary Flames will also clinch the Pacific Division title with a win of any kind against the Dallas Stars. Toronto and Carolina can also clinch home-ice advantage in the First Round, while the Wild and Blues can lock in a First Round matchup against each other.
Nashville Predators Reassign Cody Glass To AHL
Soon after finally recording his first point with the Nashville Predators, the team announced today that they’ve reassigned forward Cody Glass to the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals.
Now 23 years old, Glass, who was drafted sixth overall in 2017 by the Vegas Golden Knights, found his way to Nashville this past off-season by way of a three-way trade, coming as the principal return to Nashville in exchange for defenseman Ryan Ellis, who ended up in Philadelphia. Glass never really translated his dominant two-way game from the juniors and minors into the NHL over two seasons in Vegas, and the team opted to move on.
That isn’t to suggest there isn’t some track left for Glass, though. He does have just the one assist in eight NHL games with Nashville this season, but he’s enjoying his best AHL season yet with 60 points in 63 games. That’s good enough for first place on the team by three points.
Nashville is gearing up to ensure they have the best playoff positioning possible by retaining the first Wild Card spot, so sending Glass down when they’re probably not going to use him much right now makes sense. Hopefully, a good run down the stretch in Milwaukee can help him garner more confidence for a full-time NHL role next season.
OHL Draft First Round Order Of Selection Set
The 2022 OHL Priority Selection Draft Lottery concluded today, awarding the Saginaw Spirit the first overall pick for the first time since 2003. The OHL’s lottery system, which determines the top four draft spots completely at random among the four non-playoff teams in the league, awarded the Erie Otters second overall, the Sudbury Wolves third overall, and the league-worst Niagara IceDogs fell to fourth.
It was a rough season for Saginaw, who finished just one point ahead of last place Niagara and allowed 305 goals in 68 games, finishing with a 24-43-1 record. There were some standouts, though, especially 2022 NHL Draft-eligible defenseman Pavel Mintyukov, who looks like a sure-fire first-round talent after leading the team with 62 points in 67 games. A surprise pick last season, Buffalo Sabres third-rounder Josh Bloom led the team’s forwards in points, while New York Islanders netminder prospect Tristan Lennox led Saginaw goalies with a .888 save percentage.
Saginaw will likely be choosing between a pair of forwards from the GTHL’s Mississauga Senators with the first-overall selection. There’s Michael Misa, who was just granted exceptional status in the OHL after the 15-year-old netted 20 points in just seven games at this year’s OHL Cup. While his upside makes him the more likely pick, there’s also the older Malcolm Spence, who also had a very solid run with 13 points in seven games at the same tournament.
Snapshots: Mittelstadt, Kadri, Hogberg
Buffalo Sabres youngster Casey Mittelstadt looked like he may be taking a long-awaited step forward last season with his biggest role and best offensive production yet, but an injury-riddled season has seen Mittelstadt take a step back in his development, a concerning look for the eighth-overall pick considering he’s already 23. But after sitting down with Buffalo Hockey Beat’s Bill Hoppe, Mittelstadt detailed his extensive struggle with a recurring upper-body injury this year, one that’s kept him out of the lineup at length and has caused him to be shuffled around constantly when healthy, not finding any chemistry with consistent linemates. Sabres fans will remember that Mittelstadt sustained an injury in the first period of the season, causing him to subsequently miss more than 20 games and then re-aggravate the injury soon after returning. It’s been a lengthy, trying season for the young American, but he feels as though he’s settling back into his game ahead of next season.
More from around the NHL on this Wednesday night:
- Via a cryptic tweet, it appears as though Colorado Avalanche center Nazem Kadri is making his return to the lineup tonight after missing the entirety of April with an upper-body injury. The original hope was that Kadri would be able to recover from the injury, suffered on March 31st against the San Jose Sharks, in time for the playoffs. That goal appears to have been exceeded here, and Kadri will get the chance to add to his career-high 83 points with six games left to go in the season. The team still managed to go 7-1-0 in his absence.
- Defenseman Linus Hogberg is expected to make his NHL debut tomorrow for the Philadelphia Flyers, making him the tenth(!) player to make his NHL debut for the team this season. Hogberg is in the midst of his first full season in North America, making his AHL debut with Lehigh Valley after being recalled from a loan that had him playing in his native Sweden. The two-way defenseman actually put up more points last season there in 26 games (eight) than he has this year in 57 (seven), but the team seems to want to give their 139th overall selection back in 2016 a brief crack at the NHL.
Marc-Andre Fleury Plans To Return Next Season
With Marc-Andre Fleury‘s three-year, $21MM contract extension expiring this offseason, many wondered if the 37-year-old netminder would return to NHL ice for 2022-23, especially after his offseason trade to the Chicago Blackhawks and ensuing retirement rumors. The answer to that query appears to be yes, with Fleury saying today he’d “like to play another season” after this one.
Fleury had a rough start to the season in Chicago, putting up one of the league’s worst goaltending performances early on behind a shoddy defense. But as the defense improved under new head coach Derek King, so did he, to the point where he boasted a .908 save percentage and fetched a conditional first-round pick at the Trade Deadline from the Minnesota Wild. He’s kept his solid play going since the trade, posting a .921 save percentage and saving 4.45 goals above average so far in a Wild uniform (according to Natural Stat Trick).
He is an unrestricted free agent this offseason, however, and with Minnesota’s impending severe cap crunch, many contending teams are likely to be in a position to offer him more money. It’s not impossible to rule out the option of Fleury taking a discount to stay in the Twin Cities, though, especially if he helps catapult the team to a deep playoff run.
If Fleury does join a fifth NHL team though, it would be his fourth in just the past three seasons, a high level of movement for the future Hall-of-Famer considering he spent the first 13 years of his career in Pittsburgh. Another season as a starter would give him a fighting chance at 1,000 NHL games, a mark achieved only by three other goalies in NHL history — Martin Brodeur (1,266), Roberto Luongo (1,044), and Patrick Roy (1,029). He currently sits at 935 games played, and with a few more starts down the stretch this season, he’d like need 55-60 games worth of action next year to hit the millennium mark.
One team likely to make a huge pitch for Fleury is the Colorado Avalanche, who were linked to him multiple times throughout the season but ended up pulling out with Darcy Kuemper regaining his form. Kuemper is a pending unrestricted free agent, though, and if the two can’t agree to an extension, expect the Avalanche to once again be connected to ‘Flower.’
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images