Zach Fucale Released From AHL Contract, Signs In Germany
The long and winding career of Zach Fucale will now take the goaltender overseas, as today the Syracuse Crunch released him from his AHL contract in order for him to sign with Munich in the DEL. Fucale had spent most of the season in the ECHL with the Orlando Solar Bears, but will now head to Germany to follow a new opportunity.
Fucale, 24, was originally selected 36th overall by the Montreal Canadiens in 2013, but despite his promising junior career things haven’t gone to plan at the professional level. After his entry-level contract with the Canadiens ended in 2018 with him in the ECHL, the organization decided not to issue him a qualifying offer. The Vegas Golden Knights gave him another chance with a one-year two-way deal in 2018-19, but he once again spent more time in the low minors and actually struggled during his time with the Fort Wayne Komets.
Another non-qualified summer awaited him, and now after posting a .928 save percentage in 24 appearances with the Solar Bears he’ll head overseas. Fucale has been a staple for Team Canada in international competitions for some time, winning a World Junior gold medal in 2015 and two Spengler Cups over the last few years. If the NHL fails to go to the Olympics again in 2022, you can bet he’ll be on Canada’s radar as a potential option in net.
Latest On Tyler Toffoli’s Trade Market
One of the teams that is a confirmed seller this year is the Los Angeles Kings, as they look to rebuild around a new wave of prospects that are close to making an impact at the NHL level. They have already sold off Jack Campbell and Kyle Clifford in a deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs, and now Tyler Toffoli is one of the top rental names in any trade speculation. Today, Frank Seravalli of TSN listed Toffoli at #6 on the latest edition of his Trade Bait board, and explained that even while the Kings’ forward impresses with his recent play, a return might not be exceptional.
‘Every team is looking to get bigger, stronger and faster and [Chris] Kreider checks all of those boxes,’ one Eastern Conference executive said Monday. ‘Toffoli doesn’t have that speed and power element. He doesn’t play with pace.’
That executive, whose team isn’t in trade talks for Toffoli, said he could see ‘a package that looks like a second- and a fourth-round pick that might become a third with a condition’ or ‘a second-round pick and a team’s fourth- or fifth-best prospect.’
Toffoli has four goals in his last two games, including a hat trick against the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday. With 18 through 58 games, it looks like he will clearly break the 20-goal mark for the fourth time in his career, and even has an outside shot at getting to 30 once again. For that kind of production one would think the Kings are looking for a little more than a package of mid-round picks, but teams seem less and less willing to part with a first-round selection in a deal for a pure rental.
The 27-year old forward is on the final season of his three-year, $13.8MM deal he signed in 2017 and comes with a $4.6MM cap hit. The Kings have plenty of room to retain if they choose, but can only do it for two more players after retaining $800K on Clifford.
Toffoli, Alec Martinez and Trevor Lewis all appear on the list, but the Kings have several other expiring deals. Derek Forbort, Ben Hutton, Joakim Ryan are all scheduled to become unrestricted free agents.
New Jersey Devils Trade Andy Greene
The New Jersey Devils have decided to trade captain Andy Greene, sending him to the New York Islanders in exchange for David Quenneville and a 2021 second-round pick. Greene waived his no-trade clause to go to the Islanders, where he will be reunited with GM Lou Lamoriello who originally signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2006.
Greene, 37, has spent his entire career to this point with the Devils and was named captain in 2015. The minute-munching defenseman is in the final season of a five-year, $25MM deal negotiated in 2014 and is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in the summer. Even as the end of his career creeps closer, Greene has still been a reliable option on the back end, logging more than 20 minutes a night for the Devils and leading their penalty killing efforts.
That’s exactly the type of addition the Islanders were looking for after losing Adam Pelech for the rest of the season. Greene can slide right into their structured defensive system and give head coach Barry Trotz another veteran option to deploy in their playoff hunt.
The Devils have been forced to move on from some of the team’s most recognizable faces after a disastrous first half, trading Greene and Taylor Hall, while firing John Hynes and Ray Shero. It’s tough to watch the team be dismantled, but a second-round pick is a solid return to help the rebuild efforts.
Quenneville, 21, is essentially just a throw in to balance the number of contracts, given that he has found little success in professional hockey to this point. The brother of former Devils prospect John Quenneville, he has split the season between the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the AHL and Worcester Railers of the ECHL. The seventh-round pick has another year remaining on his entry-level contract.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Zach Bogosian Clears Waivers
Saturday: Bogosian has cleared waivers, reports Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston. The Sabres announced that he has been assigned to AHL Rochester.
Friday: The Buffalo Sabres have decided to offer Zach Bogosian to the rest of the league for free, placing him on waivers today. Bogosian has been a healthy scratch at times this season and reportedly requested a trade, but also comes with a hefty contract that makes a deal difficult.
Bogosian, 29, was acquired by the Sabres back in 2015 as part of the huge Tyler Myers–Evander Kane deal, but his constant battle with injury never stopped. In fact, Bogosian has played more than 80 games in a season just once in his career, not even topping 65 since 2010-11. That fact, combined with a steady decline in effectiveness, has made him even impossible to ice for the Sabres.
Combine those struggles with the fact that he is still carrying a $5.14MM cap hit this season and the idea of a team claiming the right-handed defenseman becomes unlikely. Bogosian is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year and could still try to continue his career elsewhere, but having a team take that contract of Buffalo’s hands right now will be difficult.
There is always the trade route, if the Sabres are willing to retain some salary, but again it would be hard to see him providing any real upgrade for a contending team. At this point, it seems likely that he’ll just have to wait out the rest of the year in Buffalo (or, alternatively Rochester if the team decides to send him to the minor leagues and save $1.075MM against the cap).
Trade Deadline Primer: Carolina Hurricanes
With the trade deadline now less than two weeks away, we will be taking a closer look at the situation for each team over the coming weeks. Where do they stand, what do they need to do, and what assets do they have to fill those needs? Next up is a look at the Carolina Hurricanes.
There was a time not too long ago when the Hurricanes were annually in a state of limbo at the deadline; close enough to the playoffs to consider buying, but far enough away that they never ended up making it. That’s the exact situation they find themselves in this year as well, sitting just outside the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference. Sure, Carolina has obvious talent and could potentially catch the several of the five Metropolitan teams ahead of them, but a bad week or two could also push them even further down the standings. Still, it appears as though they have at least one thing on their shopping list as the deadline approaches.
Record
32-19-3, sixth in the Atlantic Division
Deadline Status
Hesitant buyer
Deadline Cap Space
$5.56MM in a full-season cap hit, 1/3 used salary cap retention slots, 44/50 contracts per CapFriendly
Upcoming Draft Picks
2020: CAR 1st, TOR 1st*, CAR 2nd, NYR 2nd, CAR 3rd, BUF 3rd, CAR 4th, CAR 7th, TOR 7th
2021: CAR 1st, CAR 2nd, CAR 3rd, CAR 4th, CAR 5th^, CAR 6th, CAR 7th, STL 7th
* – If Toronto’s first-round pick in 2020 is in the top-ten, the Maple Leafs will keep this selection and transfer their first-round choice (unprotected) in 2021 to Carolina as part of the Patrick Marleau trade.
^ –Vegas receives the 2021 5th round draft pick if Erik Haula is on the is on the Hurricanes’ roster past the 2019-20 season, and/or if Carolina trades Haula for one of the following: a player, multiple draft picks, or a draft pick in rounds 1 to 5. If no condition is met, no pick will be transferred.
Trade Chips
The first thing to note about the Hurricanes when assessing their trade deadline ammunition, is how many draft picks they have this year. The team has amassed six selections in the first three rounds that can be used to add to their roster, limiting the amount of talent they would need to move. That’s not to say there aren’t some players potentially on the block however.
Things start with Jake Gardiner, who hasn’t been a very good fit since coming over from Toronto through free agency. The high-risk, high-reward defender has looked better of late, but rumors emerged early on that the team may decide to move on and find a better fit. Trading a defenseman less than a calendar year after signing him wouldn’t be out of the question for the Hurricanes, who parted with Calvin de Haan after just one season in Carolina.
There is also the aforementioned Haula, who is on an expiring contract and has been a healthy scratch this season. The 28-year old missed most of the 2018-19 campaign due to injury but did have a 29-goal season in his first year with the Golden Knights just prior. There would be interest in Haula if was made available.
If they get involved in something big, there are also plenty of interesting prospects in the minor leagues for the Hurricanes to deal from. Ryan Suzuki, Eetu Luostarinen, Dominik Bokk, Julien Gauthier, Janne Kuokkanen and others are all interesting, but it is Jake Bean that perhaps would bring about the most intrigue. The 21-year old defenseman was picked 13th overall in 2016, has dominated in the minor leagues but has still yet to really get an opportunity at the NHL level. You can bet that teams will be asking about him in any trade talks.
Five Players To Watch For: F Erik Haula, D Jake Gardiner, D Jake Bean, F Julien Gauthier, F Janne Kuokkanen
Team Needs
1) Dougie’s Replacement: No, you’re likely not going to find a direct replacement for Dougie Hamilton, who was performing at a Norris Trophy level before he went down to injury. But his absence has only increased the chatter about a defensive change in Carolina. The team has been looking all season, though their needs may have changed a bit from a depth addition to an impact player.
2) Scoring Touch: Somehow, even though Carolina has been working to add to their offense for years, they still lack some real firepower up front. The team scores enough goals as a whole with 181 through the first 56 games—not including the five they currently have tonight—but only Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov have more than 15 on the year. Nino Niederreiter‘s touch around the net has vanished, and Ryan Dzingel is on pace for just 12 goals after scoring 26 last year. Adding a true finisher up front would only make their attack more lethal.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Zack Kassian Suspended Seven Games
The Department of Player Safety have handed out a punishment, and quite a hefty one at that. Zack Kassian of the Edmonton Oilers has been suspended seven games for kicking Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak last night. As the accompanying video explains:
It is important to note that while we acknowledge Kassian’s argument that he was trying to disentangle himself from the pile of players, that in no way justifies this action. NHL players regularly become entangled with opponents and teammates, and regularly remove themselves from the pile safely and legally, without putting themselves or their opponents at risk of serious injury…
…It is also important to acknowledge the Oilers’ argument that the kick was not forceful. We have always been clear that force is an important consideration for both on-ice officials and our department in assessing penalties or discipline, with more substantial penalties being handed out for more forceful or violent infractions. However we must emphasize that using a skate blade to make intentional or reckless contact with an opponent, regardless of the purpose, is entirely different from a hit that involves a player’s body or stick as there is minimal force required to dangerously cut or injure an opponent.
This is the fourth suspension handed out by the DoPS for Kassian in his NHL career, including one just a month ago when he attacked Matthew Tkachuk of the Calgary Flames. That means that Kassian is a repeat offender under the CBA, and will forfeit more than $166K in salary for this seven-game suspension.
It also means there will be absolutely no tolerance for this sort of thing or any other incidents that require supplementary discipline in the future for the Oilers’ winger. After just signing an extension with Edmonton, he’ll have to try and stay out of the DoPS sightline for a while.
Scott Howson Elected AHL President
The AHL’s board of governors has unanimously elected Scott Howson as the league’s next president and CEO. He will replace the outgoing David Andrews, who will vacate the position after June 30th. Andrews will continue in his position as chairman of the board. Howson is currently the director of player development for the Edmonton Oilers.
After 26 years as league president, Andrews will give way to a long-time NHL executive in Howson. In 2007 he became the general manager of the Columbus Blue Jackets and led the franchise for six seasons, though his term there was not filled with much on-ice success.
Howson will become the league’s tenth president, leading them into a new decade. The AHL is going to soon expand to 32 teams with the expansion into Palm Springs, while the purchase and relocation of the San Antonio Rampage by the Vegas Golden Knights will soon be voted on.
Submit Your Questions For The #PHRMailbag
It’s trade season. Jason Zucker, Jack Campbell and Kyle Clifford have already been dealt, but who is next to be sent packing by a rebuilding club? Which rentals will be most coveted at the deadline? Can anyone land another ticket in the Alexis Lafreniere lottery?
With those questions in mind, it’s time to run another mailbag. You can submit a question by using #PHRMailbag on Twitter or by leaving a comment down below. Make sure to get your questions in early and we’ll try to get through as many of them as possible when the mailbag runs on the weekend.
If you missed our first mailbag of 2020, it was split into two parts you can read here and here. In the first, Brian answered questions about the struggling Buffalo Sabres, why the Nashville Predators went after John Hynes as head coach, and how the Detroit Red Wings might navigate the trade deadline. Part two discussed the ongoing questions surrounding the New York Rangers, the league’s biggest disappointments, and took a quick look at the 2020 draft class.
Boston Bruins Extend Jeremy Lauzon
Fresh off of serving his two-game suspension, Jeremy Lauzon is getting a nice new contract. The Boston Bruins have signed Lauzon to a two-year extension that carries an average annual value of $850K. The young defenseman was scheduled to become a restricted free agent at the end of the year, but will now be under contract through 2021-22.
Lauzon, 22, was originally selected 52nd overall in 2015 and is now on the precipice of becoming a full-time NHL player. Though he has only spent 23 games at that level so far in his short career the future, both in terms of performance and situation, look bright. The Bruins have three significant defenders—Torey Krug, Zdeno Chara and Kevan Miller—all scheduled for unrestricted free agency, and with it opportunity for some of the younger options.
The fact that Lauzon is now under contract for so little will only help his chances of staying in Boston. An $850K cap hit is just a little more than the league minimum, meaning they can fit him in even if they were to spend big to keep Krug around. There are plenty of options for the Bruins, but they obviously believe that Lauzon can contribute down the road.
The young defenseman could potentially be eligible for Group VI unrestricted free agency at the end of the deal, should he fail to play in another 57 games at the NHL level. That likely won’t be an issue, but is at least something to remember over the next two years.
Michael Hutchinson Clears Waivers
Friday: Hutchinson has cleared waivers. He has been assigned to the minor leagues along with Pontus Aberg.
Thursday: With the news that Frederik Andersen is ready to return to action, the Toronto Maple Leafs have placed Michael Hutchinson on waivers. Hutchinson lost his backup role with the Maple Leafs when they acquired Jack Campbell, and will now be sent to the minor leagues should he clear waivers tomorrow.
It hasn’t been an easy role for the Maple Leafs to fill since Curtis McElhinney left for greener pastures in the summer of 2018, but it appears as though Campbell has the full trust of the coaching staff and his teammates. That isn’t something that Hutchinson was ever really able to acquire, even with his history of success at every level. Before an ill-fated stop over with the Florida Panthers, Hutchinson had recorded a .910 save percentage in 102 games with the Winnipeg Jets and even better numbers in the minor leagues. This year was the epitome of inconsistency however, and he’ll leave the team with a 4-9-1 record and .886 save percentage.
It’s hard to see anyone claiming Hutchinson after he already cleared waivers in November, unless they need an injury replacement for a short period of time. If he does clear, having a goaltender with that much NHL experience sitting the minor leagues is never a bad thing, though it would certainly complicate the Toronto Marlies’ situation.
Hutchinson will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. His entire cap hit will come off the books if assigned to the minor leagues.