Vancouver Canucks Sign Arshdeep Bains
The Vancouver Canucks have dipped their toes into the undrafted free agent waters, signing local product Arshdeep Bains to a three-year, entry-level contract. Bains currently plays for the Red Deer Rebels of the WHL. Though not specifically mentioned, the contract likely starts in 2022-23.
Bains, 21, is tied for the lead in WHL scoring this season with 82 points in 55 games and leads all players with 52 assists. The undrafted winger is in his fifth season in the CHL, but has come a long way from the player who registered just seven points in 2017-18. With Red Deer heading to the WHL playoffs after a strong season, he likely won’t be joining the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks for some time.
Vancouver GM Patrik Alvin promised that the team would be looking everywhere for talent, not just through the draft, and this is the first step toward following through in the few months he’s been at the helm. A lesson he likely learned during his time with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Allvin knows that to truly fill out the organizational depth chart they need to take chances on players that might have otherwise been overlooked. Bains has a chance to be just that if he can carry over his offensive production to the professional level.
Trade Deadline Primer: Arizona Coyotes
As we enter the middle of March, the trade deadline is inching closer. Where does each team stand and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the Arizona Coyotes.
Bill Armstrong has been general manager of the Coyotes for one year, five months, and 22 days. In that time, he has already made 15 trades, changing the look of his roster dramatically. Derek Stepan, Adin Hill, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Conor Garland, Darcy Kuemper, Christian Dvorak, Ryan Dzingel, Ilya Lyubushkin–all out. Andrew Ladd, Shayne Gostisbehere, Loui Eriksson, Antoine Roussel, Jay Beagle, Anton Stralman, Nick Ritchie–all in. It’s easy to spot the way that Armstrong is approaching his full-scale rebuild, by sending out anyone that carries value, and bringing back contracts that teams don’t want. It’ll be the exact same strategy at this deadline, which opens up a whole number of possibilities for the suddenly-hot Coyotes.
Record
18-35-4, 8th in the Central
Deadline Status
Seller/Broker
Deadline Cap Space
$26.02MM today, $32.53MM in full-season space by the deadline, 2/3 retention slots used, 44/50 contracts used per CapFriendly
Upcoming Draft Picks
2022: ARI 1st, MON/CAR 1st*, COL 1st^, ARI 2nd, NYI 2nd, PHI 2nd, SJS 2nd, VAN 2nd, ARI 3rd, ARI 4th, ARI 5th, ARI 6th
2023: ARI 1st, ARI 2nd, ARI 3rd, NYI 3rd**, ARI 4th, ARI 5th, ARI 6th, VAN 7th
*As per the terms of the offseason Dvorak trade, Montreal will give Arizona the better of Montreal/Carolina’s first-round picks, unless either or both are inside the top-10, in which case Montreal will receive the better of the two picks.
^If Colorado’s pick is in the top-10, the Avalanche will send their 2023 pick instead.
**Pick not transferred if Ladd plays in any professional games in 2022-23 while under his current contract, or retires prior to the conclusion of the 2022-23 regular season.
Trade Chips
If the Coyotes wanted to, they have the draft capital to acquire just about any player on the market. Their three first-round picks and five second-round picks will make them a frequent flyer to the podium in Montreal this summer, adding a huge amount of talent to the prospect pool. Giving up those draft picks at this point isn’t the strategy though, as Arizona is still in tear-down mode wherever possible.
No one represents that strategy more than Jakob Chychrun, who has been on the market all season despite being just 23 and under a relatively inexpensive contract for another three years. If the Coyotes are willing to trade Chychrun, they’re not even considering a quick rebuild with the assets they’ve already acquired. Among those things they could move at the deadline, the young defenseman is obviously the most attractive and could bring back a package that includes multiple high-end assets. Still, they likely will be targeting prospects that still have years left on their entry-level contracts (or perhaps those who haven’t even signed yet) instead of struggling first-round picks that are already around Chychrun’s age, meaning this is a hard trade for many teams in the league to actually accomplish. If he is moved before the deadline, it will be a blockbuster deal.
Beyond Chychrun there is still lots left on the Coyotes’ roster that could be of interest. Phil Kessel, finally in the last season of that eight-year, $64MM contract signed with Toronto in 2013, is a potential target for teams looking to upgrade their second or third line. Whatever you think of Kessel, he’s still an incredibly dangerous forward off the rush and has 78 points in 113 games since the beginning of last season, while playing on a bad Coyotes team. Kessel’s contract already has some salary retention from when the Maple Leafs traded it, meaning it couldn’t go through the double-retention that some other big names will this spring. A single contract can only be retained on twice, meaning the lowest his cap hit can go from this point is $3.4MM.
Speaking of salary retention, that would normally be a perfect option for the Coyotes, but they’ve already used two of their three slots. They’ll have to be quite picky about where that last one is used at the deadline in order to maximize the return. Gostisbehere, for instance, could be an option after he has rediscovered his game in the desert. The 28-year-old defenseman cost Philadelphia two draft picks to get rid of in the summer, but after 36 points in 57 games perhaps there will be another team interested–especially if he comes at just a $2.25MM cap hit through next season, should Arizona retain 50 percent.
Karel Vejmelka is another one of the interesting names to watch, should the goaltending market continue to improve in the next ten days. The 25-year-old netminder has been a revelation this season but is also just a year away from unrestricted free agency. Just yesterday his name was brought up by Chris Johnston of TSN, who opined that if the two sides couldn’t work out an extension, the Coyotes could potentially move on from the goaltender before the deadline.
Others To Watch For: F Johan Larsson (IR), G Scott Wedgewood
Team Needs
1) Draft Picks: It’s simple, the Coyotes are trying to build through the draft. A 22-year-old player that’s headed for restricted free agency soon might be attractive to most teams, but for one that’s about to slash revenues by moving into a tiny building and isn’t expected to really compete for the playoffs in the next few years, a prospect that will head back to junior, college, or overseas is actually the better route. The Coyotes have a ton for this season and for 2024 but note that they have only two selections in the first two rounds of 2023–a draft that has some exceptional talent. Don’t be surprised to see them add to their 2023 collection so that the wave of prospects doesn’t have a gap.
2) Flippable Contracts: It’s not out of the realm of possibility that the Coyotes flip players like Gostisbehere and Ritchie after building them back up with prime deployment. It’s a great strategy for a team that doesn’t really care about wins and losses, and one that has worked well for other franchises in the past. Just yesterday, the idea of acquiring Andreas Johnsson was brought up by Darren Dreger of TSN because of how front-loaded his contract is. The Coyotes could nab a player like that, pay him for 12 months (while giving him powerplay and top-six time) and then flip him for even more next deadline when every team in the league can afford the decreased cap hit. While some might say that the New Jersey Devils aren’t the team to target with that kind of a strategy, there are plenty of other opportunities just like it out there.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Roman Ahcan Signs AHL Contract
On a Wisconsin Badgers team filled with NHL draft picks, there were a few surnames that stood out among those undrafted. One was Brock Caufield, older brother of the Montreal Canadiens young sniper, and one of the others was Roman Ahcan. The latter has made the jump to professional hockey, signing an AHL contract with the Cleveland Monsters for the 2022-23 season and joining them on a professional tryout for the rest of this year.
Ahcan, 22, is the younger brother of Boston Bruins defenseman Jack Ahcan, who just so happened to have a big night of his own yesterday. Jack Ahcan recorded his first NHL goal in a win against the Chicago Blackhawks, just his eighth NHL game since signing in Boston in 2020. He too was an undrafted talent that spent four years at college–St. Cloud State, not Wisconsin–and earned a two-year entry-level deal.
It won’t be a family reunion in the Bruins organization though, as Roman Ahcan joins the AHL affiliate of the Columbus Blue Jackets and tries to show that he too is worthy of an NHL deal down the road. Undersized like his brother, the young forward put up 34 goals and 74 points in 130 college contests.
Interestingly enough, there’s a third brother that could be chasing the same dream in a few years. Nineteen-year-old Grant Ahcan is set to start at St. Cloud State next season, after playing for the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders of the USHL this year.
Dallas Stars Sign Remi Poirier
The Dallas Stars have added a little more goaltending depth to the system, signing Remi Poirier to a three-year, entry-level contract. The young goaltender was a sixth-round pick of the team in 2020 and currently plays for the Gatineau Olympiques of the QMJHL, where he will remain for the rest of the season.
It’s not always so easy to stock a prospect pipeline with goaltending talent, but the Stars appear to be set for the immediate future. Jake Oettinger is already showing he’s ready for the starting gig at age-23, Adam Scheel is making the transition from the college ranks nicely, and now Poirier–selected 185th overall–is a front-runner for the QMJHL goaltender of the year award.
In 29 appearances, Poirier leads all qualified netminders with a .919 save percentage and 2.24 goals-against-average while sitting third in wins with 17. The 6’2″ goaltender has been on a steady development path since entering the CHL in 2018, posting better and better numbers each season. If that kind of progression can continue, he could very well be challenging for the starting role with the Texas Stars as soon as next season.
That’s when his contract will kick in, meaning he’s now signed through 2024-25 on his entry-level deal.
Edmonton Oilers Extend Markus Niemelainen
The Edmonton Oilers have reached a two-year contract extension with Markus Niemelainen, one which will keep him signed and on an average annual value of just $762K. The first year of the extension, 2022-23, is a two-way contract, while 2023-24 will be a one-way deal.
Niemelainen, 23, has split this season between the Oilers and the Bakersfield Condors of the AHL, providing some valuable size and depth whenever Edmonton is dealing with injuries. The 6’6″ defenseman is averaging just over 13 minutes in those NHL appearances–and even less in his most recent few–but has flashed a defensive ability that isn’t all that common among the rest of the team’s young options. He’s actually fourth on the team in hits despite playing in just a third of the games, and his length suggests he could have a substantial role on the penalty kill down the road.
This deal represents a bet from the Oilers that he can provide some more NHL minutes over the next couple of seasons and comes with basically no risk. The cap hit means he’s earning league-minimum in both years (and should actually be $762.5K for this reason) so even if he’s just an extra defenseman on the roster, it’s worth it. Notably though, Niemelainen still won’t be eligible for waivers next season, meaning he can continue to bounce up and down without worry of claim. That is of course unless he establishes himself as a regular at some point before 2023-24 and manages to get into 43 more games.
Either way, this is a little bit of work done for general manager Ken Holland and his staff ahead of the trade deadline, when things will get really interesting in Edmonton.
Alexandre Texier Granted Leave Of Absence
The nightmare season for Alexandre Texier continues. The young forward has been granted an indefinite leave of absence from the Columbus Blue Jackets for personal reasons. Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen explained:
Recently, Tex has experienced personal losses of people very close to him and our priority right now is to support him in every way possible. We are going to give him the time he needs and look forward to welcoming him back to the Blue Jackets family when he is ready.
Texier, 22, hasn’t played since January because of a fractured finger, which stopped a successful season in its tracks. He had 11 goals 20 points in 36 games before the injury took him out of the lineup, with still no clear date for his return. Now, with this personal loss, it’s completely unclear when Texier will hit the ice again for the Blue Jackets.
The young French forward has scored 22 goals and 39 points in his 123-game NHL career to this point, after bursting onto the scene as a teenager in 2019. Signed through 2022-23 at a $1.525MM cap hit, he has also been included in some trade speculation, though the team has never seemed eager to move him. Something like this should put all of that speculation on pause, as the Blue Jackets and the rest of hockey support Texier while he goes through this period.
Corey Andonovski Signs With Pittsburgh Penguins
March 10: Dreger reports that Andonovski has chosen the Pittsburgh Penguins for his NHL home. The Penguins are notorious for bringing players out of the college ranks and giving them a real opportunity at the NHL level. The team has officially announced the two-year contract, noting that it will begin in the 2022-23 season. He’ll join the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on an amateur tryout for the time being.
March 7: As the NCAA season comes to a close for many programs, NHL teams will be desperately trying to sell their organization as the best place for an undrafted talent to take the next step. That’s what is happening in the case of Corey Andonovski, who according to Darren Dreger of TSN “continues to mull over multiple NHL offers” and could make a decision this week.
Andonovski, 22, just finished his third season (and fourth year) at Princeton, scoring 22 points in 31 games. Technically he could go back as he had an extra year of eligibility due to the lost 2020-21 season–when Ivy League schools did not participate in hockey due to COVID restrictions–but that appears not to be the case. Princeton was ousted from the ECAC first round by Union over the weekend, with Andonovski scoring the lone goal for the Tigers in the deciding game.
Since the beginning of this month, NHL teams have been able to sign undrafted prospects to entry-level contracts that start in 2022-23, though that may not necessarily be the case here. Andonovski would be signing a two-year deal either way, meaning if a team really wants to win the battle for his services, they could offer him a contract that starts in 2021-22 instead, get him directly into professional hockey and closer to restricted free agency.
Signing his first NHL contract will be a big step for the former BCHL forward, but there’s potentially another big moment coming up soon as well. On March 16, the Hobey Baker Top-Ten Finalists will be announced, and Andonovski was one of the original nominees. His is a long shot, given how many other outstanding college players there are around the country, but even being nominated is obviously a nice honor in his final season with Princeton.
Ryan Getzlaf, Jakob Silfverberg Moved To Injured Reserve
With the Anaheim Ducks scuffling on the ice, falling in the standings, and heading toward a trade deadline that could determine the direction of the franchise for years to come, there’s a lot to consider when looking at any transaction. Today, the club moved captain Ryan Getzlaf and forward Jakob Silfverberg to injured reserve, recalling Danny O’Regan, Vinni Lettieri, and Buddy Robinson in their place.
It’s not that a move like this is akin to throwing in the towel–if players get injured there’s not really another option–but losing Getzlaf and Silfverberg does certainly raise some questions about the Ducks’ ability to compete in the Pacific Division race. While he’s not the dominating two-way presence he was earlier in his career, Getzlaf is still an effective player for Anaheim with 31 points in 47 games. Never a huge goal scorer, he has only found the back of the net three times, but there’s a reason why he still plays nearly 19 minutes a night and takes more faceoffs than anyone else in the lineup.
Silfverberg meanwhile has also seen his goal-scoring numbers plummet in recent years. After posting at least 17 in five consecutive seasons, he had just eight last year and just five through 53 games this season. While he still has 21 points and is a positive defensive player, he’s not the dynamic offensive threat he once was.
Still, losing both puts a strain on the depth of the Ducks, especially if they were to trade names like Rickard Rakell and Nicolas Deslauriers at the deadline. The team is already using many of their top prospects in the lineup, though this would likely be good news for someone like Max Comtois, who has found himself on the outside looking in despite leading the Ducks in scoring last season.
At any rate, the team will have to make do for the next little while without the services of two veteran forwards. It is not clear how long either will be out, though they must serve seven days on injured reserve from their last game played. For Getzlaf, that’s March 4 after missing the last couple, but Silfverberg played (and scored) on Tuesday.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Miro Heiskanen Out Indefinitely With Mononucleosis
The Dallas Stars will be without young defenseman Miro Heiskanen indefinitely after he was diagnosed with mononucleosis. Heiskanen has been placed on injured reserve retroactive to his last game played on March 2, meaning he will be able to be activated whenever he is ready to return.
Just 22, Heiskanen has taken over as arguably the most important player on the Stars roster, averaging nearly 25 minutes a night while playing in all situations. Without him, the Stars played last night with almost just four defenders, giving Joel Hanley and Thomas Harley fewer than ten minutes each. The top four of Ryan Suter (28:51), Jani Hakanpaa (25:32), John Klingberg (23:36), and Esa Lindell (22:56) all played huge minutes in a losing effort against the Nashville Predators in one of the most important games of the year.
It’s Klingberg’s status that is so interesting now that Heiskanen is out. The pending free agent defenseman had been expected to be traded before the deadline, but over the last three games his ice time has exploded with the team desperately needing his offensive ability. If Dallas remains in the playoff run, it’s hard to justify trading Klingberg away until they have a more definite timeline on Heiskanen’s return.
Dallas now sits fifth in the Central Division, one point behind the Predators but still holds the second wild card spot in the west. The Edmonton Oilers, Vancouver Canucks, and Anaheim Ducks are hot on their heels, and without Heiskanen in the lineup, it will be all the more difficult to stay in that spot.
AHL Shuffle: 03/10/22
After a quiet Wednesday, the NHL is practically overflowing with games tonight as 26 of the league’s 32 teams are in action. That includes Jack Eichel‘s return to Buffalo to take on the Sabres for the first time since their messy divorce last year. Eichel reflected on his time with Buffalo and the way the two sides parted yesterday, suggesting that the team was “toying” with him by the end of it. You can bet his return to the ice will bring some mixed emotions from Sabres fans and a surge of adrenaline for the Golden Knights center. As those teams and others prepare for action, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves right here.
Atlantic Division
Metropolitan Division
- The Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled forward Valtteri Puustinen from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Puustinen was the team’s 2019 7th round pick (203rd overall) and finally made the jump to North America this season. After posting 41 points in 51 games for HPK Hameenlinna in Finland, the 22 year old winger is set to potentially make his NHL debut after a successful rookie season in the AHL, where he has 34 points in 53 games so far.
Central Division
- Reese Johnson has been activated from long-term injured reserve by the Chicago Blackhawks and assigned to the minor leagues. The 23-year-old forward has been out for months with a broken collarbone, and has four points in 18 NHL games this season. While he’ll likely get his legs under him in the AHL, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Johnson back with the Blackhawks at some point.
Pacific Division
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