Dallas Stars Re-Sign Rhett Gardner
The Dallas Stars have finished some business with one of their pending restricted free agents, signing Rhett Gardner to a new two-year contract that will keep him in the organization through the 2022-23 season. The deal will be a two-way contract in the first year, one-way in the second, and carries an NHL salary of $750K in each.
Gardner, 25, is coming off his entry-level deal with the Stars, signed in 2019 after he finished his four years at the University of North Dakota. The fourth-round pick played in 28 games for the Stars this season, but managed just a single goal and two points. Offense has never really been the calling card of the 6’3″ forward, but he served as a reliable depth checker whenever needed.
Of course, he’ll have to provide a little more scoring to stay in the lineup over the length of this next contract, or at least establish himself as a reliable option on the penalty kill. More likely, Gardner will keep his role as the 13th or 14th forward for the Stars, if not go back to the AHL full-time.
Interestingly, though this kind of deal may appear to be expansion-related, Gardner is actually not even eligible for the upcoming Seattle draft because he has just two years of professional experience. The 11 games he played for the Texas Stars at the end of the 2018-19 season were under an amateur tryout contract, not his entry-level contract, and thus do not make up a year of service time in regards to the draft. Instead, this is simply a move to retain a depth forward that has a little versatility and size.
New York Rangers Announce Several Hockey Ops Changes
The New York Rangers have made a few more changes to the hockey operations department, as Chris Drury works to set up the organization under his leadership. Benoit Allaire has been promoted to Director of New York Rangers Goaltending and Jeff Malcolm has been promoted to Hartford Wolf Pack Goaltending Coach. Jean-Ian Filiatrault is joining the organization as a goaltending consultant, while Matt Hunwick is also joining the player development department.
Allaire, 57, has been with the Rangers for the last 17 years and is from a royal family in goaltending instruction. He and his brother Francois Allaire have over 50 years of experience as NHL goalie coaches, both starting their careers several decades ago in the Montreal Canadiens system. In this new role, Benoit Allaire will be responsible for overseeing the development of all goaltenders across all levels of the organization, including the AHL and ECHL levels. That is in addition to continuing his role as goaltending coach for the Rangers.
Filiatrault and Malcolm will work as part of the goalie development staff, an idea several teams around the league have moved to over the last few years. No longer is a goalie coach just another member of the team’s coaching staff; there are now whole separate departments committed to their development from the day they are drafted. The Rangers obviously have a pair of impressive young goalies in Alexandar Georgiev and Igor Shesterkin, but there will be more coming down the line that will need specific development strategies.
On the player development side comes Hunwick, who hadn’t played since the 2018-19 season when he suffered a debilitating neck injury and was forced into retirement. The veteran defenseman served as an assistant coach with the University of Michigan for the past two seasons, volunteering his time in order to continue to be involved in the game of hockey. This next move hints at a potential front office career for Hunwick in the future, as he gets his first opportunity under Jed Ortmeyer, Tanner Glass, and Tuomo Ruutu, the Rangers director and assistant directors of player development.
Free Agent Focus: Buffalo Sabres
Free agency is now just a little more than a month away and many teams are already looking ahead to when it opens up. There will be several prominent players set to hit the open market in late July while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign as well. Buffalo’s biggest question mark this summer is obviously the fate of the captain, but there are several other pending free agents that also need to be dealt with.
Key Restricted Free Agents
F Sam Reinhart – The trade speculation surrounding Jack Eichel has somewhat hidden any Reinhart news, but make no mistake he is also being discussed around the league. Despite being just 25, the RFA forward will be an unrestricted free agent after next season because he has already played six full seasons in the NHL. While he has never quite lived up to the second-overall billing of true franchise-changing star, there’s something to be said for Reinhart’s consistent production on a lackluster team. In five of his six seasons, he has recorded at least 22 goals, even tying his career-high of 25 this year in just 54 games. Reinhart has blown the rest of the Sabres out of the water year after year in possession statistics, and there is a real chance that he could explode into a game-changing presence if surrounded by more talent. Buffalo knows this (or should, at least) and will be holding out for a high price, but there is a ticking clock on the pending RFA. Reinhart can simply go to arbitration with the Sabres this season, receive a raise on the $5.2MM he earned in 2020-21 and then walk if he decides to pursue other opportunities. That would be a real miss on the part of the Buffalo front office, meaning a multi-year extension or a trade seem like the only reasonable options this summer.
F Casey Mittelstadt – If only Mittelstadt had developed the way many expected, Buffalo may not be in the situation they are now. The eighth overall pick from 2017 has still not really established himself as a full-time NHL player, even if this season was a legitimate step forward. In 155 career games he has recorded 61 points, a tough total to swallow when you look at that 2017 draft board and see the likes of Martin Necas and Nick Suzuki selected just a few picks later. Still, there are still plenty of reasons to stay the course with the 22-year-old center and given the fact that he is not yet arbitration-eligible, the Sabres should still get him signed at a reasonable price. There is always the threat of an offer sheet for a young player like Mittelstadt, but in today’s flat cap world it seems extremely unlikely.
D Rasmus Dahlin – In fact, if there was a Sabres RFA to target with an offer sheet, perhaps it would be Dahlin. The first-overall pick from 2018’s entry-level deal is up and he now approaches a negotiation with 107 points in 197 games. Sure, there are real question marks around parts of Dahlin’s game, but the 21-year-old defenseman has still been extremely productive in his first few years. In fact, since he entered the league, Dahlin ranks 20th among all NHL defensemen in points, ahead of players like Zach Werenski, Seth Jones, and Aaron Ekblad. No, he did not have a good 2020-21 season, but the Sabres would be absolutely foolish to be doing anything but locking in Dahlin long-term as soon as possible. He should be part of the solution, not the problem in Buffalo. The question is how long will the player want to go with a contract, coming off such a down year? It does seem to make sense for Dahlin’s camp to push for a bridge contract and then really cash in after his offensive numbers rebound. That delicate dance is what Sabres GM Kevyn Adams will have to navigate as he tries to get Buffalo pointed in the right direction.
Other RFAs: F Rasmus Asplund, F Dawson DiPietro, D William Borgen, D Henri Jokiharju, D Casey Fitzgerald, G Stefanos Lekkas
Key Unrestricted Free Agents
D Jake McCabe – Normally, McCabe would feature prominently in any offseason plans, given his place as a leader on the Sabres. The 27-year-old defenseman has played his entire NHL career in Buffalo to this point, totalling 353 games over parts of eight seasons. Unfortunately, McCabe suffered a major knee injury earlier this year, with damage to his ACL, MCL and meniscus. He was given a recovery timeline between six and eight months in February, meaning there’s a chance he’s ready for the start of next season, but who knows what kind of player is coming back. The Sabres should have the best insight into his recovery, so perhaps a contract extension in Buffalo makes sense. There is a feeling of dramatic change surrounding the team right now though, so cutting ties with a player who has been there through all the losing could make sense.
G Linus Ullmark – This is the real question among unrestricted free agents for the Sabres, as without Ullmark they don’t really have an NHL goaltender for the 2021-22 season. Partner Carter Hutton is also headed for the open market but is now 35 and coming off two brutal seasons. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is the obvious choice as “goaltender of the future” but has just four NHL appearances under his belt. The Sabres have been clear in the fact that they would like to keep Ullmark around, even deciding not to trade him at the deadline in order to continue negotiations. But there’s no deal in place yet, and free agency is creeping closer and closer. In 117 appearances with the Sabres, the 27-year-old Ullmark has posted a .912 save percentage. If he can play that well behind a poor team, there’s good reason to believe that he can be a legitimate playoff-level starter in the NHL. That of course will be known by his representatives too, meaning the Sabres will have to cough up more than the $2.6MM Ullmark made this season in order to keep him in Buffalo.
Other UFAs: F Tobias Rieder, F Riley Sheahan, F Drake Caggiula, F Jean-Sebastien Dea, F Steven Fogarty, F C.J. Smith, D Matt Irwin, D Brandon Davidson, G Carter Hutton, G Michael Houser
Projected Cap Space
The Sabres are one of the worst teams in the league and they also have a pair of terrible contracts on the books. Jeff Skinner and Kyle Okposo combine for a $15MM cap hit this year and next (with Skinner’s $9MM hit lasting long after Okposo’s expires), meaning the $34MM in space listed is a bit deceiving. That’s more than $47MM in salary committed to just ten players for next season and not many of them are all that good. With new deals for so many restricted free agents to come, the cap is going to become a challenge for Buffalo even before dipping into the unrestricted free agent waters. Of course, if trades for Eichel and Rasmus Ristolainen eventually happen, the financial situation looks a lot more reasonable.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.
Seattle Kraken Hire Dave Hakstol As First Head Coach
The Seattle Kraken went through an exhaustive process searching for their first head coach and have finally reached a decision. GM Ron Francis has announced that Dave Hakstol will be the organization’s first bench boss. In a statement, Francis explained his decision:
It is certainly is a job that interested a lot of candidates. There is a lot to like about the job with our ownership group setting the franchise for success. Dave is a hard-working guy. I liked his confidence during the interview process.
Dave has a strong understanding of the technical aspect of the game-how he wants his team to play in all three zones [on the ice]. He’s up for the challenge.
In Seattle, Hakstol is getting a second crack at a head coaching job after his first stint with the Philadelphia Flyers didn’t go all that well. He reached the playoffs in two of the three years that he completed, but was knocked out of the first round both times. Overall, he recorded a 134-101-42 record in parts of four seasons, while winning just four of 12 postseason contests.
For the past two seasons, he has been serving as an assistant coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Hakstol was responsible for the defense corps under both Mike Babcock and Sheldon Keefe, but will now take another step up to the head coaching position. Of course, his experience in that role isn’t limited to the seasons in Philadelphia. For a decade before coming to the NHL, Hakstol served as head coach of the University of North Dakota hockey program, leading powerhouse teams year after year. Before he joined the collegiate ranks he was the head coach of the USHL’s Sioux City Musketeers, another prestigious program at the amateur level.
He and Francis also have a history together from the 2019 IIHF World Championship, when Hakstol served as an assistant coach. Jason Botterill, who has joined Francis’ management team in Seattle was also part of that the leadership of that iteration of Team Canada. They’ll now get together for the new challenge of trying to take an expansion team to competitive status in short order. The Kraken have just one player–21-year-old Luke Henman–under contract.
This hiring leaves just two vacancies left in the NHL, those in Arizona and Buffalo. Rick Tocchet, who has seemingly received multiple interviews all over the league, has been passed over in Seattle, New York, and Columbus. Other names that were interviewed by Seattle include David Quinn, Rocky Thompson, Joe Sacco, Kevin Dineen, and Tony Granato, but it is Hakstol that has won the job.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Expansion Primer: New Jersey Devils
Over the next few weeks, we will be breaking down each team’s situation as it pertains to the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft. Which players are eligible, who will likely warrant protection, and which ones may be on the block to avoid the risk of losing them for nothing? Each team is required to submit their protection lists by 4:00 PM CDT on July 17th. The full eligibility rules can be found here, while CapFriendly has an expansion tool to make your own lists.
The last time the New Jersey Devils went through an expansion draft, they were coming off a terrible season where they finished last in the Metropolitan Divison and didn’t have a ton of assets to worry about losing. The team decided to go with the eight-skater protection strategy in order to protect defenseman Mirco Mueller, and ended up losing Jon Merrill. It ended up being the wrong choice, but both were never really impact defensemen before or after the expansion draft. This year things are relatively similar, with the Devils being at risk of losing a player who may continue on in the NHL but isn’t likely to win any awards.
Eligible Players (Non-UFA)
Forwards:
Nico Hischier, Andreas Johnsson, Jesper Bratt, Miles Wood, Pavel Zacha, Nathan Bastian, Nicholas Merkley, Brandon Gignac, A.J. Greer, Yegor Sharangovich, Michael McLeod, Marian Studenic, Janne Kuokkanen
Defense:
P.K. Subban, Damon Severson, Will Butcher, David Quenneville, Colby Sissons, Colton White, Jonas Siegenthaler
Goalies:
Mackenzie Blackwood, Evan Cormier
Notable Unrestricted Free Agents
D Ryan Murray, D Connor Carrick, G Aaron Dell
Notable Exemptions
F Jack Hughes, F Jesper Boqvist, F Tyce Thompson, D Ty Smith, D Kevin Bahl
Key Decisions
The biggest difference between then and now for the Devils is the number of interesting young forwards that could require protection. The team used only four spots upfront in 2017 but are almost certainly going to use the seven forward-three defenseman protection strategy this time around. Hischier, Bratt, and Zacha, who have grown and developed together the last few seasons are no-brainers. Sharangovich and Kuokkanen may not have been protected a year ago, but both became regular NHL options this season. That already fills five of the seven spots, meaning only two more of the group that includes Wood, McLeod, Johnsson, Bastian, and Merkley can be kept away from Seattle.
It would have been easy to choose Johnsson before he became a ghost this season, disappearing completely after breaking out in Toronto. The 26-year-old winger had just 11 points in 50 games for New Jersey but carries a cap hit of $3.4MM through 2022-23. It very well could bite the Devils if he heads to Seattle and rediscovers his game, but at this point, he isn’t really deserving of a protection spot.
Wood, 25, has never shown he can create much offense for his linemates, but it’s hard to argue with 17 goals in 55 games. The speedy forward has continued to cash in on his opportunities and brings an incredible amount of energy to the rink every night. He is likely going to be one of the two extra spots, though there at least has to be some consideration of the others. McLeod, Bastian, Merkley, and even Studenic are all still just finding their way at the NHL level but any one of them could take a step forward next season. There is a reason why the first three were all taken with high draft picks and New Jersey could decide to try to block Seattle from snatching up an unpolished gem.
On defense, the team almost has an extra protection slot, given how poorly Subban performed this season. His $9MM cap hit will likely scare off the Kraken but even if it doesn’t, removing him from the Devils lineup shouldn’t be too much of a negative for a team that is obviously trying to go with a young group. There’s not really any reason to protect Subban, meaning the Devils could even pursue a trade to help out a team that is overloaded.
In fact, Butcher is in a similar situation, even if his contract isn’t nearly as expensive. The 26-year-old has basically played himself out of the lineup in New Jersey, serving as a healthy scratch many times this year. He recorded just 11 points in 23 games and though his minutes were back up by May, his place in the future of the Devils is extremely unclear. That means the Devils really only have Severson to protect on the back end, giving them some flexibility and leverage in trade talks over the next few weeks. If they end up failing to add anyone, Siegenthaler is perhaps a piece they would like to keep after acquiring him this season, but it seems unlikely he’d be picked over an available forward anyway.
Goaltending is the one place where there isn’t much debate. Blackwood is the choice, while Cormier meets the exposure requirements. Dell and Wedgewood are both pending free agents and depth options at best.
Projected Protection List
F Nico Hischier
F Jesper Bratt
F Miles Wood
F Pavel Zacha
F Yegor Sharangovich
F Michael McLeod
F Janne Kuokkanen
D Damon Severson
D Will Butcher
D Jonas Siegenthaler
*Assuming no acquisitions
Skater Exposure Requirement Checklist
When Vegas had their expansion draft, a minimum of two forwards and one defenseman had to be exposed that were under contract and played either 40 games in the most recent season or 70 over the past two combined. Due to the pandemic, those thresholds have been changed to 27 games played in 2020-21 or 54 in 2019/20 and 2020-21 combined. In creating our expansion list for each team in this series, we will ensure that these criteria are met.
Forwards (2): Andreas Johnsson, Nathan Bastian
Defensemen (1): P.K. Subban
One of the key decision-making factors in the protection list upfront could be these exposure requirements, as only Hischier, Johnsson, Bratt, Wood, Zacha and Bastian currently meet them. New contracts for Merkley, Sharangovich, McLeod, or Kuokkanen would get them there, but as restricted free agents they currently don’t fit. On defense, Subban and Butcher both meet the requirements, meaning the team has little to worry about on the back end.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.
Latest On Seth Jones
The playoffs are still raging on, with four teams desperately battling for a chance to hoist the Stanley Cup. Meanwhile, in their individual cities, general managers across the league are dealing with a ticking clock on pending unrestricted free agents, scrambling to finish last-minute expansion plans or making calls to try and find a way to improve their club. In Columbus, the Blue Jackets front office is looking at a long, important to-do list. At the top of it is solve the Seth Jones problem—to trade or not to trade?
Jones, 26, has informed the Blue Jackets that he will not be re-signing with them at this point, meaning he is just over a year away from hitting the market as an unrestricted free agent. The Norris Trophy contender will command a huge price on the open market, likely becoming one of the highest-paid defensemen in the league whether he signs in Columbus or somewhere else. So the Blue Jackets must decide whether to trade him this summer, at next season’s deadline, or try and convince him to somehow change his mind on returning on a long-term extension.
This week, sources told Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic that the Philadelphia Flyers are one of the teams that have shown interest in the right-handed defenseman, a fit that the scribe had suggested previously. They certainly aren’t the only team calling Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen though. LeBrun suggests that Jones’ value actually could potentially increase if Columbus held onto him until the next trade deadline, but notes that the best-case scenario is likely trading him in the summer with a team that immediately extends him.
A trade this summer is exactly what Elliotte Friedman expects, as he told Sportsnet radio on Monday:
The Jones [trade] I expect to happen around the draft, I would say it’s probably when we’re going to look at it. Because it’s going to be some picks involved. But I do think they are pretty determined to make that move.
The Blue Jackets of course already have three first-round picks this year, meaning a trade with more draft picks involved could quickly restock the prospect cupboard. Kekalainen famously “went for it” in 2019, sending out several high picks for players like Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel, hoping to take advantage of the final year with Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky. While that might suggest he’d be willing to do the same in Jones’ final year, the Blue Jackets just aren’t in a competitive enough position with the rest of the roster for it to really make sense.
Remember though—in this very unique offseason—that any acquiring team will also be forced to protect Jones in the expansion draft if the deal is made in the coming weeks. That could potentially delay a trade depending on who is willing to pay the highest price, but keep an eye on that two-day period between the expansion and entry drafts for several moves around the league to be officially announced.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Morning Notes: Van Ryn, Sedgwick, Salomaki
The Arizona Coyotes are still conducting a search for their next head coach, but it won’t be Mike Van Ryn. The St. Louis Blues assistant is officially out of the running according to Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic. It’s not clear whether that decision came from the team or the coach.
It made sense that Van Ryn would be a candidate, given the fact that Coyotes GM Bill Armstrong was with the Blues for nearly two decades before joining Arizona. The Blues assistant also actually started his NHL coaching career with the Coyotes organization, serving as a development coach in 2016-17 after a stint in the OHL. Arizona has also spoken to candidates including Todd Nelson, Benoit Groulx, Jay Leach and Andre Tourigny as they look to find their next bench boss.
- The Montreal Canadiens have reached a three-year contract extension with their resident capologist John Sedgwick, who serves as Vice President of Hockey Operations and Legal Affairs. Sedgwick has been with the team since 2013 and has been a big part of bringing the Canadiens minor league teams—the Laval Rocket and the Trois-Rivieres Lions—closer to home. The extension quickly came with a wave of media members lauding the move, with Mike Zeisberger of NHL.com calling Sedgwick “one of the brightest minds in the game.”
- Minor league forward Miikka Salomaki has signed a two-year contract with Orebro in Finland, leaving the NHL behind for the time being. The 28-year-old spent the entire 2020-21 season in the AHL with the Colorado Eagles, scoring just two goals in 26 games. Salomaki was once a regular in the Nashville Predators lineup, but has just five NHL games played since the end of 2018-19.
Konstantin Okulov Re-Signs In KHL
It’s the same old song and dance for Konstantin Okulov, who has once again signed in the KHL instead of coming to North America. The free agent forward has signed a one-year deal with CSKA Moscow according to Eric Engels of Sportsnet. The contract also includes another option year for 2022-23.
Okulov, 26, has been pursued by NHL organizations for several years, most notably the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs. Just last month Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet wrote that teams were once again showing interest in him, but that will have to wait at least another year. You can understand why the NHL is coming to call, after another outstanding season in the KHL. Okulov scored 18 goals and 49 points for CSKA, adding another 20 in the playoffs to lead the entire league.
In the absence of Kirill Kaprizov from the Moscow roster this season, Okulov stepped into even more spotlight and led the charge offensively. His 49 points were 14 more than the next highest scorer on the team and he was a force in the postseason. The fact that he only turned 26 a few months ago is important in this case, as Okulov would still be limited to the entry-level contract system in the NHL. For now, teams will have to wait and hope he makes a different decision in the coming years.
Carl Gunnarsson Announces Retirement
He may have not been the biggest name, play the most important role or score many goals, but Carl Gunnarsson will always be a Stanley Cup champion. The veteran defenseman announced his retirement today, penning a letter to hockey titled “Goodbye to the game I love.” He was scheduled for unrestricted free agency this summer at the end of his latest two-year, $3.5MM contract.
Gunnarsson, 34, will likely be remembered best for his game-winning goal against the Boston Bruins during the 2019 Stanley Cup Final. The defenseman, who had never before scored a playoff goal, apparently predicted the overtime winner while standing next to his coach at the urinal during intermission. Gunnarsson said he needed just “one more chance” and he got it on a delayed penalty just four minutes into the period. A blast from the point beat Tuukka Rask to even the series at one, a moment that will keep the defensive defenseman in St. Louis lore.
There were only 30 other goals in his career, which included more than 300 regular season games for both the Blues and the Toronto Maple Leafs. The seventh-round, 194th-overall pick made quite a name for himself over the years, but will now hang up his skates and transition to the next part of his life.
Snapshots: Perry, Stephenson, Fantilli
Corey Perry was pretty close to not even being around for this Montreal Canadiens postseason run. The veteran forward’s agent Pat Morris told Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic that he personally called three teams when Perry was placed on waivers at the beginning of the season, asking them not to put in a claim and let him stay with Montreal. Two of those teams apparently told Morris they would have if he hadn’t called, but decided to “respect his career” and leave him with the Canadiens.
Perry ended up clearing, giving the Canadiens flexibility to bounce him back and forth from taxi squad to active roster, saving cap space in the process. He ended up playing in 49 regular season games and became one of the team’s most important forwards, playing a huge role in the postseason. The 36-year-old has three goals and eight points in 15 playoff games, including the game-winner in game seven against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
- Chandler Stephenson is a game-time decision for the Vegas Golden Knights tonight against Perry and the Canadiens. The 27-year-old has developed into a top-line center with the Golden Knights this season, scoring 35 points in 51 regular season games, usually skating between Mark Stone and Max Pacioretty. Though he has failed to score a goal in 14 playoff games so far, he does have six points and has been excellent in the faceoff circle. Stephenson of course won the Stanley Cup with the Washington Capitals in 2018 (defeating the Golden Knights) and would be a welcome addition to the lineup for this evening’s match.
- Though there had been some speculation that Adam Fantilli could leave the USHL next season, the top prospect will be back with the Chicago Steel for 2021-22 according to Corey Pronman of The Athletic. The 16-year-old is not eligible for the NHL draft until 2023 but is already turning heads after a 36-point campaign with Chicago this season. His eight goals in the playoffs were enough to Clark Cup MVP, helping the Steel secure the trophy for the second time. Fantilli, who is from Nobleton, Ontario, was actually drafted 18th overall by the Saginaw Spirit of the OHL in 2020 but would not be eligible for the NCAA if he decided to play in the CHL.