Jon Cooper, Tampa Bay Lightning Begin Extension Talks
Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports that the Tampa Bay Lightning have begun contract extension talks with head coach Jon Cooper. Cooper is entering the final season of a three-year deal paying him $3.5MM per season.
A raise is undoubtedly in order for Cooper, who’s now guided the Lightning to back-to-back Stanley Cup championships. It’s an incredible achievement for Cooper, who’s already the longest-tenured head coach in the NHL. He took over the reins with 15 games left in the 2012-13 season after Guy Boucher was fired.
The Lightning have never won less than 40 games in a full season coached by Cooper, who’s now 54 years old. His coaching record stands at 384-197-53, good enough for a .647 points percentage during his time as a head coach in the league. Those numbers tie him for 42nd all-time in wins and 11th among all current head coaches in the league.
Cooper’s job could get more challenging this year. Salary cap constraints hit the Lightning hard this offseason, and they’re now a team that will be relying on their youth more than in recent years. He’s shown at multiple junctures in the past that he can get the most out of Tampa’s prospect system, helping coach underappreciated assets like Brayden Point and Anthony Cirelli to the heights of their success.
He’ll have to perform a similar act this year with names such as Ross Colton, Callan Foote, Mathieu Joseph, and other potential roster players such as Alex Barre-Boulet and Taylor Raddysh. If Cooper’s able to guide Tampa Bay to yet another Stanley Cup championship, he could become the first coach to win three straight Stanley Cups since Al Arbour won four in a row from 1980 to 1983.
Edmonton Oilers’ Josh Archibald Diagnosed With Myocarditis
TSN’s Ryan Rishaug reports that Edmonton Oilers forward Josh Archibald has been diagnosed with myocarditis and is out indefinitely. The diagnosis comes after it was revealed Archibald contracted COVID-19 over the summer.
It was revealed last month by general manager Ken Holland that Archibald entered training camp as the only unvaccinated member of the Oilers. Just days ago, head coach Dave Tippett announced that Archibald was being held out of camp, saying he “[wasn’t] feeling like he should be.”
The 28-year-old right wing carries a cap hit of $1.5MM. Due to the nature of the condition, he’ll likely be placed on long-term injured reserve and could very well miss the entire season.
Archibald’s spent the last two seasons in a depth role for the Oilers, playing on the third and fourth lines for the most part. He’s tallied 19 goals and 34 points in 114 games as an Oiler.
Over the course of his career, the sixth-round pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2011 has bounced around the league, now on his third team after making a stop with the Arizona Coyotes in between. He currently sits with 39 goals and 70 points in 235 games.
Archibald becomes the third player under NHL contract to miss time due to a COVID-related heart condition. Oilers netminder Alex Stalock will miss the entire campaign this year after contracting COVID-19 during last season, while the Wild’s Marco Rossi is returning to play after missing an entire year due to the condition.
Jake Evans Signs Three-Year Extension With Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens have signed center Jake Evans to a three-year, $5.1MM extension, the team announced today. The contract will pay him $1.7MM per season from 2022-23 to 2024-25. TVA’s Renaud Lavoie reports that the deal carries a flat $1.7MM in salary every season.
Evans signs his extension after seeing his role increase considerably during the playoffs. Evans jumped into a top-six role during a short seven-game stint, forming a formidable shutdown line with Philip Danault and Brendan Gallagher. A concussion suffered on a hit from Winnipeg’s Mark Scheifele knocked him out for the majority of June, but Evans returned for three games in their Stanley Cup Final series against Tampa Bay. He finished with a goal and an assist in seven games.
A seventh-round pick in 2014, Evans has gotten into 60 career NHL games, all over the past two seasons. He’s got five goals and 11 assists for 16 points in that timeframe, averaging 11:31 per night.
Those numbers will surely jump this season, as Evans is expected to take on a regular top-nine role with the club. Likely serving as the team’s third-line center behind Nick Suzuki and Christian Dvorak, he’ll be entrusted with more ice time and opportunity after some recent strong showings. He’ll attempt to bridge the gap in the bottom-six left by the departure of Jesperi Kotkaniemi.
Moving forward, Evans’ ceiling likely isn’t too high considering he’s now 25 years old. However, he does have the potential to be an important bottom-six piece for the team for years to come, and this extension shows that Montreal feels the same way.
Vancouver Canucks Agree To Terms On Elias Pettersson, Quinn Hughes Contracts
October 3: Darren Dreger of TSN has reported that the final contract structure of both deals is as follows:
Pettersson
2021-22: $3MM salary + $1MM signing bonus
2022-23: $7.8MM salary
2023-24: $10.25MM salary
Hughes
2021-22: $4MM salary
2022-23: $6.5MM salary
2023-24: $8.6MM salary
2024-25: $9.5MM salary
2025-26: $10.25MM salary
2026-27: $8.25MM salary
October 1: TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that the Vancouver Canucks have agreed to terms on multi-year deals with restricted free agents Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes. Pettersson’s deal is for three years at an average annual value of $7.35MM, while Hughes’ deal is for six years at $7.85MM. LeBrun says that the contracts themselves have yet to be finalized.
Sportsnet’s Satiar Shah was the first to report last night that Hughes’ deal would be six years in length, while The Athletic’s Rick Dhaliwal reported a three-year deal for Pettersson.
Pettersson’s three-year commitment comes after scoring 153 points in just 165 games during his first three seasons in the league. The fifth-overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft continues to be regarded as a top-ten center in the league by some, but injury issues this season limited his production (and negotiation leverage) with 21 points in 26 games. Winner of the 2019 Calder Trophy, Pettersson’s contract is certainly of spectacular value to the Canucks at this time. The scoring and two-way game Pettersson brings to the table both make it seem like he’s earning about $1.5-$2MM less than he should.
Hughes, a year younger than his forward counterpart, has had a near equal amount of success and accolades throughout his young career. While the soon-to-be-22-year-old has only two full NHL seasons under his belt, his 53 points in 68 games (along with 21:53 average time on ice) in 2019-20 were good enough to place him second in Calder Trophy voting, even earning some Norris Trophy votes along the way. While his defensive game stumbled slightly this year, the point production kept up with 41 points in 56 games. A long-term commitment is key here for Vancouver, ensuring some cost certainty at a reasonable cap hit while he continues to develop.
Concerns were aplenty surrounding Vancouver’s ability to fit both Pettersson and Hughes under an $81.5MM salary cap this season, but with forward Micheal Ferland headed to long-term injury reserve, general manager Jim Benning appears to have successfully manipulated a tight financial situation. CapFriendly projects a current cap hit of $82.9MM with a full 23-man roster for the Canucks, exceeding the salary cap by much less than Ferland’s $3.5MM cap hit. While the specifics of how Vancouver can maximize cap relief haven’t been hammered out quite yet, they’ll at least rest now knowing they’ll be compliant for the start of the season.
These contracts set up an important season for this Canucks core, as they look to return to the playoffs after a surprise run in 2020. Pettersson will likely be reprising his role as the team’s first-line center, being flanked by J.T. Miller and Brock Boeser. The secondary scoring’s been bolstered by the addition of Conor Garland, while young wingers Nils Hoglander and Vasily Podkolzin could make big impacts.
Hughes comes in as the undisputed number one defenseman on the team after Alexander Edler‘s departure in free agency to the Los Angeles Kings. While the additions of Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Tucker Poolman to the blueline have been controversial from an outside perspective, the team still hopes bounce-back campaigns are in order for both of them. Hughes’ ice time will undoubtedly increase from the 22:48 he played last year, becoming an increasingly important fixture within the team.
Jake Guentzel Enters COVID-19 Protocol With Positive Test
Pittsburgh Penguins forward Jake Guentzel has tested positive for COVID-19 and has entered protocol, the team confirmed Sunday morning. The Athletic’s Rob Rossi reports that due to protocol measures, Guentzel will be available for Pittsburgh’s season opener on October 12 against Tampa Bay so long as he doesn’t have more than two failed tests moving forward.
If for some reason Guentzel can’t go against the Lightning, the Penguins will be opening the season without their three best forwards. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin will remain out well into the season with their respective injuries.
Due to that, Guentzel will be relied upon heavily in Pittsburgh once he’s ready to go again. His ice time will undoubtedly stay above the 20-minute mark for the third straight season as the soon-to-be-27-year-old will take the reins as Pittsburgh’s best offensive talent until Crosby and Malkin are at full health.
Guentzel enters 2021-22 aiming for his fifth consecutive 20-goal season, as well as his third straight season above a point-per-game pace. Injuries and the pandemic have limited him to just 95 games over the past two seasons, but the Omaha-born forward’s still managed 43 goals and 100 points in that timeframe.
Pittsburgh will face an uphill battle early on in an airtight Metropolitan Division without their top two Hall-of-Fame centers. If the team (and Guentzel) can’t cover for their absences by committee, the Pens risk missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2006.
Training Camp Cuts: 10/3/21
As we enter the last week before the regular season starts, teams will be working to trim their rosters down to that final 23-man number. We’ll keep track of today’s cuts right here.
Calgary Flames (via team release)
*D Nick DeSimone (to Stockton, AHL)
F Ryan Francis (to Stockton, AHL)
*D Kevin Gravel (to Stockton, AHL)
F Jakob Pelletier (to Stockton, AHL)
F Mathias Emilio Pettersen (to Stockton, AHL)
*F Matthew Phillips (to Stockton, AHL)
F Martin Pospisil (to Stockton, AHL)
F Adam Ruzicka (to Stockton, AHL)
*D Andy Welinski (to Stockton, AHL)
G Dustin Wolf (to Stockton, AHL)
Edmonton Oilers (via team Twitter)
D Filip Berglund (to Bakersfield, AHL)
D Philip Broberg (to Bakersfield, AHL)
*F Seth Griffith (to Bakersfield, AHL)
G Ilya Konovalov (to Bakersfield, AHL)
*F Cooper Marody (to Bakersfield, AHL)
Montreal Canadiens (via team Twitter)
*F Brandon Baddock (to Laval, AHL)
F J.C. Beaudin (to Laval, AHL)
D Tobie Bisson (to Laval, AHL)
*F Laurent Dauphin (to Laval, AHL)
*F Jean-Sebastien Dea (to Laval, AHL)
*G Michael McNiven (to Laval, AHL)
D Corey Schueneman (to Laval, AHL)
Nashville Predators (via team release)
D Xavier Bouchard (released from PTO to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Robert Carpenter (released from PTO to Milwaukee, AHL)
D Marc Del Gaizo (to Milwaukee, AHL)
G Parker Gahagen (released from PTO to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Patrick Harper (to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Joseph LaBate (released from PTO to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Mitch McLain (released from PTO to Milwaukee, AHL)
D Jake McLaughlin (released from PTO to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Grant Mismash (to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Juuso Parssinen (to TPS, Liiga)
F Cole Schneider (released from PTO to Milwaukee, AHL)
F Zach Solow (released from PTO to Milwaukee, AHL)
G Tomas Vomacka (to Milwaukee, AHL)
New Jersey Devils (via team Twitter)
*F Brian Flynn (to Utica, AHL)
*D Robbie Russo (to Utica, AHL)
F Nate Schnarr (to Utica, AHL)
F Chase Stillman (to Sudbury, OHL)
New York Rangers (via team release)
F Will Cuylle (to Windsor, OHL)
G Adam Huska (to Hartford, AHL)
F Lauri Pajuniemi (to Hartford, AHL)
D Matthew Robertson (to Hartford, AHL)
D Braden Schneider (to Hartford, AHL)
G Tyler Wall (to Hartford, AHL)
Ottawa Senators (via team Twitter)
*F Pontus Aberg (to Belleville, AHL)
D Jonathan Aspirot (to Belleville, AHL)
D Jacob Bernard-Docker (to Belleville, AHL)
F Ridly Greig (to Brandon, WHL)
D Max Guenette (to Belleville, AHL)
*D Dillon Heatherington (to Belleville, AHL)
F Mark Kastelic (to Belleville, AHL)
G Kevin Mandolese (to Belleville, AHL)
F Zack Ostapchuk (to Vancouver, WHL)
F Cole Reinhardt (to Belleville, AHL)
*F Kole Sherwood (to Belleville, AHL)
F Egor Sokolov (to Belleville, AHL)
D Lassi Thomson (to Belleville, AHL)
St. Louis Blues (via team release)
D Tommy Cross (to Springfield, AHL)
D Tyler Tucker (to Springfield, AHL)
G Joel Hofer (to Springfield, AHL)
Vancouver Canucks (via team release)
F Jarid Lukosevicius (to Abbotsford, AHL)
F Vincent Arseneau (to Abbotsford, AHL)
D Ashton Sautner (to Abbotsford, AHL)
F Tristen Nielsen (to Abbotsford, AHL)
F Ethan Keppen (to Abbotsford, AHL)
F Chase Wouters (to Abbotsford, AHL)
D Alex Kannok-Leipert (to Abbotsford, AHL)
F Karel Plasek (to Abbotsford, AHL)
G Arturs Silovs (to Abbotsford, AHL)
D Jett Woo (to Abbotsford, AHL)
F John Stevens (to Abbotsford, AHL)*
D Devante Stephens (to Abbotsford, AHL)*
F Sheldon Rempal (to Abbotsford, AHL)*
G Spencer Martin (to Abbotsford, AHL)*
D Viktor Persson (to Kamloops, WHL)
F Connor Lockhart (to Erie, OHL)
Washington Capitals (via team Twitter)
*F Axel Jonsson-Fjallby (to Hershey, AHL)
F Brett Leason (to Hershey, AHL)
F Joe Snively (to Hershey, AHL)
*-pending the player clearing waivers
Ty Smith Out Day-To-Day With Undisclosed Injury
Per New Jersey Devils reporter Amanda Stein, sophomore defenseman Ty Smith will be out for ‘a number of days’ with an undisclosed injury.
While Smith’s absence is of a precautionary nature according to a team spokesman, the timing of the injury and announcement is somewhat concerning. Less than two weeks remain until the Devils’ October 15 season opener against the Chicago Blackhawks at home.
The 21-year-old Smith, drafted 17th overall by the Devils in 2018, was one of the brightest spots on a team that finished seventh in the East Division with a 19-30-7 record last season. Finishing seventh in Calder Trophy voting, the rookie defenseman put up 23 points in 48 games while playing over 20 minutes a night. His offensive production combined with impressive two-way play for a rookie remains encouraging signs for Smith’s development into a bona fide top-pair ‘D’ for the team.
A product of the WHL’s Spokane Chiefs, Smith’s production and role could increase considerably next season. Part of a retooled top-four that includes trade acquisition Ryan Graves and free-agent signing Dougie Hamilton, he’ll be surrounded with fortified talent on the blueline.
Those additions, along with Smith’s development and the signing of free-agent netminder Jonathan Bernier, look to propel the Devils much closer to a playoff spot. They’re all solid fixes for a team that allowed 194 goals last season, the fourth-highest in the NHL. While an injured Smith won’t help matters if he isn’t ready to go for the start of the season, an increasingly dependable defense group should be enough to serve as a competent stopgap until Smith returns to full health.
Montreal’s Sami Niku Suffers Concussion
Saturday: The Canadiens announced that Niku suffered a concussion on the play and is out indefinitely.
Friday: Newly signed Montreal Canadiens defenseman Sami Niku has left tonight’s preseason game against the Ottawa Senators and won’t return. The team reports he suffered an upper-body injury, leaving the game after a hit from Ottawa’s Josh Norris.
Niku signed a one-year, two-way deal with Montreal on September 24 after having his contract with the Winnipeg Jets mutually terminated. It was going to be the second year of a two-year deal for him with a cap hit of $725,000.
Drafted 198th overall in 2015, Niku’s stock rose steadily within the Winnipeg organization after his draft year. He had two impressive seasons with JYP in the Liiga in 2015-16 and 2016-17, tallying 38 points in 97 games while holding his own defensively in a professional league.
It hasn’t gone nearly as smoothly for Niku in the NHL, though, struggling to land a full-time spot with the team. Niku spent the majority of 2020-21 on the taxi squad, getting into just six games with Winnipeg and no AHL time whatsoever. Over a four-year career in Winnipeg, Niku’s gotten into 54 games, scoring two goals and eight assists for 10 points.
Niku was hoping a change of scenery and an uncertain defense in Montreal could translate into a consistent lineup spot this season. With Shea Weber missing the entire year and Alexander Romanov possibly moving into a top-four role, there’s space to fight for on the bottom pairing. Without a more extended internal scouting of their newly acquired talent, though, Niku’s opportunities to enter the lineup could be more limited than otherwise. He’ll be fighting for games played with more experienced talents like Brett Kulak and Chris Wideman. It’s not at all a guarantee that Niku is able to translate this one-year deal into a full-time role.
No Players Expected To Opt Out Of 2021-22 Season
NHL insider Chris Johnston reports that no NHL players are expected to opt-out of the 2021-22 season before tonight’s midnight ET deadline. This is the second straight regular season in which opting out has been an option available to players.
Players must notify their team in writing prior to the deadline in order to opt-out of the season. If any player had decided to opt-out, the rules, which carry over the same from last season, are as follows, per NHL documents:
Upon the provision of such notice, the Player will be under no further obligation to participate during the 2021-22 Season, the Club shall have no further obligations to pay such Player’s Salary and Bonuses for the 2021-22 Season, and the Player’s SPC will be considered tolled for the duration of that Season and all provisions of the SPC shall remain applicable upon the commencement of the 2022-23 Season.
The Sabres’ Casey Nelson was the only player to opt-out of the 2020-21 campaign, subsequently retiring from hockey.
This option, without the contract stipulations, was given to players ahead of the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs and Return to Play. Multiple players took advantage of this opportunity, including Travis Hamonic, Mike Green, and Roman Polak.
Toronto Maple Leafs Sign Braeden Kressler To Entry-Level Contract
The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed 18-year-old center Braeden Kressler to a three-year entry-level contract, announced by agent Dan Milstein on Twitter. Kressler was eligible for the 2021 NHL Draft but was not selected. PuckPedia reports the structure of the $835,000 cap hit deal as follows:
2021-22: $750,000 salary, $75,000 SB, $80,000 minors salary
2022-23: $750,000 salary, $75,000 SB, $80,000 minors salary
2023-24: $775,000 salary, $80,000 SB, $80,000 minors salary
Kressler attended Toronto’s training camp as an undrafted free agent, playing his way into an entry-level contract. It’s the second undrafted free agent signing we’ve seen from the 2021 class, following up Philadelphia’s signing of Jon-Randall Avon.
One of the players seriously affected by the lost 2020-21 season in the OHL, Kressler will be returning to the Flint Firebirds next season as the first year of his entry-level contract will slide, in all likelihood. A prototypical two-way center, Kressler tallied 18 points in 46 games as a rookie for Flint in 2019-20. He’s set to resume a much more important role in Flint this year, meaning his point totals will likely see a sharp uptick.
The 2003-born forward is likely a few seasons away from playing professional hockey for the Leafs, but it’s a no-risk move that carries potential upside years down the line for this Toronto organization.