Colton Sissons, Evander Kane Earn Fines
The NHL Department of Player Safety has handed out a pair of fines today, deciding against suspensions for both Nashville Predators forward Colton Sissons and Edmonton Oilers forward Evander Kane.
Kane has earned a $5,000 fine for kneeing Los Angeles Kings defenseman Sean Durzi in last night’s game, the maximum allowable under the CBA. The incident in question took place in the second period, with Kane extending his leg to get a piece of Durzi as the puck was sent up ice. The Oilers forward received a two-minute minor penalty for the hit and will now lose a bit of cash as well.
Sissons meanwhile has earned a $2,500 fine for spearing Ottawa Senators forward Josh Norris in last night’s match. That amount is notably not the maximum, and Sissons did not receive a penalty from the on-ice officials.
While they’ve avoided suspensions this time, both incidents will go on the record for Kane and Sissons, meaning any future transgressions could be penalized more harshly. Still, given how important every game is down the stretch, being available for their teams is obviously the most important thing.
Vancouver Canucks Extend Spencer Martin
April 8: Martin has indeed signed a one-way contract, and a two-year deal at that. The team announced the contract today, with general manager Patrik Allvin releasing the following statement:
We’re pleased with the success Spencer has had this season, not only in the American Hockey League but also during his stint with Vancouver earlier this year. He has been very reliable for Abbotsford, contributing greatly to their Calder Cup Playoff berth earlier this month, and has shown an ability to perform in high-pressure situations.
Dhaliwal reports that the deal will carry the league minimum of $750K in 2022-23 and $775K in 2023-24.
April 7: For three games in January, the Vancouver Canucks were forced to rely on minor league journeyman Spencer Martin in net. All he did in those games was stop 113 of 118 shots, including a 47-save performance to secure a point in overtime against the Edmonton Oilers. Now, he may end up with his reward. Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK TV reports that the Canucks are discussing a new contract with Martin, who could become an unrestricted free agent this summer, and that the expectation is it would be a one-way deal.
Martin, 26, was a third-round pick of the Colorado Avalanche in 2013, but has bounced around the minor leagues without a lot of extended success. He’s played for the Fort Wayne Komets, San Antonio Rampage, Colorado Eagles, Orlando Solar Bears, and Syracuse Crunch before reaching the Canucks, only ever entering three NHL games back in 2016-17.
Last year, he signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning and then was traded just a few months later for nothing more than future considerations. That move has proved a savvy one for the Canucks, who not only received those three NHL performances, but also a goaltender that has put up a 17-4-2 record in the minor leagues with Abbotsford.
The Canucks, meanwhile, have received inconsistent backup play from Jaroslav Halak, who is also a pending unrestricted free agent and will turn 37 next month. A potential extension for Martin could put him in line to be the regular NHL backup next season, or at very worst a strong third-string option. If he does earn a one-way contract, it will be for the first time in his career.
Toronto Maple Leafs Sign Max Ellis
The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed another undrafted forward out of the University of Notre Dame, inking Max Ellis to a two-year entry-level contract. The deal begins in the 2022-23 season and Ellis will join the Toronto Marlies on a professional tryout for the rest of 2021-22. James Mirtle of The Athletic reports that it will carry an average annual value of $838,750 at the NHL level.
Ellis, 22, follows former teammate Alex Steeves into the Maple Leafs organization. Steeves signed last spring after his junior season with Notre Dame, and now Ellis has done the same, following his 16-goal, 28-point year with the Fighting Irish. It’s been a rollercoaster career for the young forward to this point, who played for four different USHL teams in two years before heading to college and was forced to fight and claw his way up the Notre Dame depth chart.
Now, he enters the Toronto organization as another undersized winger with some interesting offensive upside and will have to do the same for the Marlies lineup card. An entry-level contract certainly doesn’t guarantee him any NHL playing time and there are many other young forwards already signed for next season. In fact, the Maple Leafs already have 12 forwards on entry-level deals for 2022-23, plus Joey Anderson‘s $750K one-way deal. That’s a lot of mouths to feed, and should create plenty of competition in the minor leagues.
AHL Shuffle: 04/08/22
Just five games are on the schedule for this evening but they bring a lot of fireworks. The Tampa Bay Lightning welcome in the Boston Bruins in a crucial Atlantic Division matchup, while the Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues battle for second in the Central. As those teams and others prepare, we’ll keep track of all the minor league shuffling around the league.
Atlantic Division
- The Ottawa Senators have sent Cole Reinhardt back to the AHL, after he made his NHL debut last night. The 22-year-old forward played just over eight minutes, recorded two hits, and took a hooking penalty that ended up costing the Senators the game. In 60 appearances with the Belleville Senators, he has 26 points.
- Josh Brook has been assigned all the way down to the ECHL by the Montreal Canadiens, as he tries to get his career back on track. The 22-year-old defenseman has played just six games this season because of injury and is still quite a ways from being the impact NHL player that some expected of him. Brook spoke about his season and his career in a recent column from Arpon Basu and Marc Antoine Godin of The Athletic.
- The Detroit Red Wings have assigned winger Taro Hirose to the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins. With the return of Mitchell Stephens, who has been out since November 13th, the team needed to make room on their roster, so Hirose gets sent down. Hirose, 25, has gotten into 12 NHL games this season and has posted four points. He has been a crucial player for the Griffins this season, where he has 45 points in 52 AHL games. Hirose has 20 points in 54 career NHL games, going back to when he made his NHL debut in the 2018-19 season.
Metropolitan Division
- The New Jersey Devils have recalled defenseman Kevin Bahl from the AHL’s Utica Comets to meet the team in Dallas. Bahl, 21, was famously part of the Devils’ return from their trade of Taylor Hall to the Arizona Coyotes in 2019, and the 2018 55th overall pick has 13 NHL games to his name. He has 16 points in 54 games in the AHL this season as well.
Central Division
Pacific Division
This page is updated throughout the day
Latest On Andrei Kuzmenko
The world has changed quite a bit since Andrei Kuzmenko‘s name surfaced in November as a player that was drawing interest from NHL teams. Given his place in the KHL and Russia’s actions in the invasion of Ukraine, it wasn’t at all clear whether teams would still pursue the soon-to-be free agent. On last night’s Insider Trading, Chris Johnston cleared that up.
I think what’s interesting is that even with the situation with Russia having invaded Ukraine, it doesn’t seem to have scared teams off at this point. And his contract in Russia runs through April 30. So as of May 1, he’s available to sign an NHL deal.
Kuzmenko, 26, had a brilliant regular season in the KHL this year, scoring 53 points in 45 games, and has carried that play right over into the postseason. Through 12 playoff games with SKA St. Petersburg, the dynamic forward has seven goals and 13 points, leading the team to the Conference Finals. Importantly, SKA is actually down 2-1 in their series against CSKA, meaning they could be eliminated in the coming days. If that happens, Kuzmenko will have plenty of time to talk to NHL clubs before his contract officially expires at the end of the month.
Johnston notes that a deal is not “cooked” yet, meaning there isn’t an agreement in place at this point. The Vancouver Canucks and Chicago Blackhawks have confirmed interest, but in 2018, the last time Kuzmenko was discussing contracts in the NHL, his agent said 24 teams reached out. If it’s anywhere near that many this time around, he’ll have quite a few options to choose from.
To be clear, Kuzmenko would not be eligible for this year’s playoffs, even if he joins a team still involved. Because he is not on any team’s reserve list as an undrafted player, he would have had to sign a contract before the trade deadline to help them in this postseason.
PHR Chatter: The Definition Of Value
As we head into the stretch run of the 2021-22 season, PHR is excited to announce a new feature aimed at encouraging discourse between reader and writer. On Friday mornings (and perhaps even more often than that), we’ll post a topic of discussion that we think will draw out varied and interesting perspectives from both our commenters and the other staff writers.
For too long there has only been a couple of outlets for our readers to interact with the PHR staff. Live chats and mailbags offer a chance at some discussion, but also run the risk of being too crowded or even outdated by the time the answer arrives. With this new feature, we’re hoping to get weekly chatter going on a topic that normally would have to be brought into the spotlight by a reader before even being discussed.
Last week, the topic centered on the early deadline returns and how teams were adjusting to their new players. This time, we might as well talk a bit about what the rest of the hockey world seems to be discussing.
What does Most Valuable Player really mean? The Hart Trophy has been up for debate long before this year, but Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews, Jonathan Huberdeau, Roman Josi, and Igor Shesterkin seem to be making things even more heated this season. Everyone has an idea of what it means to be the MVP–let’s see if we can’t come to a consensus. This will be a free-flowing discussion that doesn’t have a lot of guidelines, so make sure you chime in and check regularly to continue the conversation.
Los Angeles Kings Activate Brendan Lemieux, Matt Roy
The Los Angeles Kings have activated both Brendan Lemieux and Matt Roy from injured reserve, giving them some reinforcements for an important game tonight against the Edmonton Oilers. Because it is past the trade deadline, the team is not limited by a 23-man roster anymore, meaning corresponding moves aren’t necessarily required.
Lemieux, 26, last played over a month ago, leaving a game against the Columbus Blue Jackets in the first period and landing on the shelf. The bang-and-crash winger has recorded eight goals and 11 points in 44 games this season, racking up 86 penalty minutes and 108 hits along the way. Notably, he also missed time with a five-game suspension for biting, during an altercation with Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk.
While he doesn’t provide a ton of offense, Lemieux does give them another bottom-six option to work with while they chase a Pacific Division playoff spot, something that certainly isn’t guaranteed after some recent scuffles.
Roy, 27, is the much bigger addition, returning after several weeks on the sideline himself. In each of the two games before he suffered an injury, Roy had actually logged nearly 27 minutes of ice time, stepping into a huge role with so many other Kings’ defenders on the injured list. Overall, the seventh-round pick has put together quite the season for himself, averaging close to 21 minutes a night through 58 games and registering 17 points.
He’s not the flashiest player, but given how many injuries the Kings have dealt with on the back end, Roy’s return will be a welcome sight. He practiced on the top pairing with Sean Durzi yesterday, though things could obviously be switched in his first game back given how long he’s been out.
Filip Hallander Recalled By Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins could have a new face in the lineup this evening, as Filip Hallander has been recalled under emergency conditions. The young forward would be making his NHL debut should he join the lineup against the New York Rangers this evening.
Hallander’s career so far has been an interesting one. Originally drafted by the Penguins in 2018, he was part of the trade that brought Kasperi Kapanen to Pittsburgh in 2020. Less than a year later he was on his way back to the Penguins in the pre-expansion Jared McCann trade before he had ever even played in North America.
This season, his first with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the AHL, the 21-year-old forward has ten goals and 24 points in 53 games. While those numbers don’t pop off the page, Hallander has been praised for his two-way play dating back to his draft year. His ceiling was always likely that of a third-line forward in the NHL, if he reaches that level on a full-time basis at all.
It’s Hallander’s play in the NHL, whenever his debut does happen, that will ask some interesting questions about the future. Teddy Blueger, who represents the team’s checking-line center, is signed through next season but is a pending UFA in the summer of 2023. Versatile Evan Rodrigues and trade deadline pickup Rickard Rakell are both pending UFAs this summer. Then there is the core trio of Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, and Bryan Rust, who are all set to hit the open market–or land new, expensive contracts with the Penguins–this year. All of this uncertainty means that players on entry-level deals will become extremely important. Hallander is still signed through next season on that very inexpensive ELC, making him an intriguing piece to watch down the stretch if he finds his way into the lineup.
Doug Wilson Steps Down From Role With San Jose Sharks
The San Jose Sharks will be under new management next season for the first time in two decades. Doug Wilson announced today that he is stepping down from his role as general manager of the Sharks. Wilson had been on medical leave since November, and Joe Will will continue as interim GM until a new one is found. There is not yet a timeline for that search, but owner Hasso Plattner explained that it will be “guided by the organization’s ability to interview all of the desired prospective candidates.”
Wilson released a lengthy statement, which in part read:
Finally, I want to thank everyone who has reached out during my leave of absence. While I have made great progress over the last several months, I feel it is in the best interest of the organization and myself to step down from my current duties and focus on my health and full recovery. I look forward to continuing my career in the NHL in the future.
Given the title of general manager in 2003, Wilson led the Sharks to the playoffs on 14 different occasions and captured the Pacific Division title five times. They only reached the Stanley Cup Final once, and never did win it, but his time at the helm brought an almost unparalleled level of regular season success. The team averaged more than 45 wins and 100 points during his run.
Wilson was also ultimately responsible for drafting franchise icons like Joe Pavelski, Logan Couture, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Tomas Hertl, and Timo Meier, as well as acquiring Joe Thornton and Brent Burns. While it never ultimately resulted in an NHL championship, his time in San Jose certainly brought the city and Sharks’ fans a lot of wins.
In 2020, Wilson was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, celebrating his outstanding playing career that spanned more than 1,000 games. That included two seasons as captain of the Sharks, a few years before he joined the team as the director of player personnel in 1997, his first role with the team. In all, it’s been more than three decades since he has called any other NHL organization home.
Latest On Salary Cap Projections
It’s been a foolish game to try and project future revenues over the last few years, with COVID-19 creating so much unpredictability from day to day. In the summer of 2021, it seemed clear that because of the loss of huge amounts of gate revenue, broadcast commitments, and other sources of income for the NHL, the salary cap would be relatively flat through the 2025-26 season. Frank Seravalli and Daily Faceoff worked out the escrow debt that was holding back any cap increases and projected it would take several seasons to pay off.
Then, in December, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman was very bullish on the way the league revenues had rebounded and suggested that the escrow debt could be paid off a year earlier. Unfortunately, in the days that followed that announcement, a huge number of games started being postponed, Canadian teams started playing in empty rinks, and once again those projections were put in jeopardy.
Now, as things have at least stabilized for the time being, it appears as though the league is still on track for an increase in 2025-26. NHLPA director Donald Fehr told Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet that it is a “reasonable bet” that the escrow debt will be paid off by the end of the 2024-25 season. If they do, it would almost certainly trigger a significant cap jump.
When Seravalli first projected out the cap numbers for the next few years, that jump was just under $6MM, to a total of $91.4MM. Remember though, that was for the 2026-27 season, meaning if the escrow is paid off a year earlier, it will come in a little under that number.
For now, the league is still limited to $1MM increases. Next season will have a cap ceiling of $82.5MM, 2023-24 is expected to be $83.5MM, and 2024-25 will have an $84.5MM. But as the entire world has learned since early 2020–don’t take projections as gospel.