Snapshots: Williams, Granlund, Cousins
When Justin Williams decided to go back to the Carolina Hurricanes after his semi-retirement, it was on a minimum salary of $700K (prorated for the rest of the season). That deal comes with plenty of potential performance bonuses however, and Chris Johnston of Sportsnet broke them down today. Williams can earn:
- $150K for 10 games played
- $100K for 20 games played
- $250K if team makes the playoffs
- $100K for each round team wins in round 1-3
- $250K if team wins the Stanley Cup
- $250K if Williams wins the Conn Smythe
Those bonuses are cumulative, meaning Williams could earn an extra $1.3MM if things go (extremely) well. Not a bad payday for a player who hasn’t seen any action since last spring when the Hurricanes lost in the Eastern Conference Finals.
- Though Mikael Granlund wasn’t included in Craig Custance’s trade board today for The Athletic, colleague Adam Vingan was quick to point out on Twitter that the forward has not had any contract negotiations with the Nashville Predators yet. Granlund is in the final season of a three-year, $17.25MM deal signed when he was still with the Minnesota Wild, and will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
- While the Department of Player Safety considers the punishment for Ryan Lindgren, they’ve handed out a $2,688.17 fine (the maximum allowable amount) to Nick Cousins for his boarding incident last night. The Montreal Canadiens forward pushed Detroit Red Wings defenseman Mike Green from behind and sent him hard into the boards. Though he won’t be suspended for the incident, Cousins will see harsher punishments in the future thanks to the fine.
Minor Transactions: 01/08/20
After an interesting night of NHL hockey, the league is back with three games this evening including the Washington Capitals and Philadelphia Flyers in a Metropolitan battle. The Flyers are in fifth place in the division but still within striking distance of the top three. As they and the rest of the league prepare, we’ll keep track of the minor moves right here:
- Joachim Blichfeld has been returned to the minor leagues by the San Jose Sharks after failing to get into a game during this call-up. Blichfeld has just two NHL games under his belt at this point, and needs to keep playing to continue his development.
- The Philadelphia Flyers have decided to call up Mark Friedman, sending Andy Andreoff back to the minors in the process. Friedman, 24, made his NHL debut last season and has ten points in 28 games for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms this year.
- Barrett Hayton has been officially added back to the Arizona Coyotes roster after winning gold at the World Juniors. Hayton suffered a shoulder injury during the tournament, but played through it and scored the tying goal for Canada in the final.
- With Robin Lehner ready to return to action for the Chicago Blackhawks, Kevin Lankinen has been returned to the minor leagues. Lankinen didn’t get any NHL action in his recent call-up, but did get a little extra money and some experience from being up at the highest level.
Stephen Johns Sent On AHL Conditioning Stint
After missing the entire 2018-19 season and everything so far in 2019-20, Stephen Johns is ready to get back on the ice. The Dallas Stars defenseman has been loaned to the AHL’s Texas Stars on a conditioning assignment. The last professional game Johns played was on March 29th, 2018. He has been out with post-traumatic headaches for the last year and a half.
Johns, 27, was the other piece that came to Dallas alongside Patrick Sharp in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2015, before he had ever played in the NHL. After being selected 60th overall by the Blackhawks in 2010, Johns had spent four years at Notre Dame and then a full season in the minor leagues. Though he had found success at both stops, there was no guarantee he would ever really become a regular at the NHL level. That quickly changed however, as Johns made his NHL debut the next season for Dallas and would work his way into the lineup on a nightly basis soon after that (even if injuries did help open some opportunities along the way). Between 2016-17 and 2017-18 he played in 136 games for the Stars, registering 25 points.
It wasn’t offense that stood out when watching Johns however. His 6’4″ frame could move well around the ice and he was absolutely fearless when engaging physically or blocking shots. In 2017-18 he easily led Dallas in hits and blocks, despite averaging just over 17 minutes a night. Add that to the fact that he is right-handed and has a little more skill with the puck than many give him credit for, and he becomes an intriguing package that any team could use on the back end.
There’s no clear timeline for his return to the NHL, but it is great to see Johns getting back into some game action. Hopefully he’ll be able to return to Dallas before long.
Morning Notes: Trade Bait, Lindgren, Frolik
As we head into the middle of January, trade winds around the league are starting to blow. Teams are beginning to understand where exactly they fit into the league power structure and making decision on who to keep and who to sell. With that, Craig Custance of The Athletic (subscription required) broke down 27 players he believes could be on the market, including Chris Kreider who tops the list as the “top rental forward available.”
Custance suggests that Kreider could bring back a similar package to the one Kevin Hayes was traded for last season, which brought a first-round pick, Brendan Lemieux and a conditional fourth. The second name on his board, Tyler Toffoli, comes with a much more reasonable price tag. In all, the list includes several obvious names and many more that may come as a surprise.
- Ryan Lindgren had to face the music after laying a huge hit on Colorado Avalanche forward Joonas Donskoi last night, as Nazem Kadri confronted him and decided to punch him in the face a few times. The New York Rangers defenseman left the game and will get some insult added to that injury, as he has a hearing with the Department of Player Safety today and is likely looking at a suspension.
- Michael Frolik has joined the Buffalo Sabres after dealing with his immigration issues, and is expected to practice with the group today. The newly acquired forward will likely be asked to step into an important role right away given the team’s scoring struggles this season and Victor Olofsson‘s recent injury. Jeff Skinner, who was signed to an eight-year, $72MM contract in June has just 11 goals and 19 points in 39 games.
Latest On Justin Williams
8:00pm: Williams was in attendance at PNC Arena on Tuesday night and it seems he was doing more than just taking in the Hurricanes-Flyers game. LeBrun reports that Williams has tentatively agreed on a contract with Carolina, with an official signing and announcement likely to arrive on Wednesday.
4:20pm: Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic tweets that the Toronto Maple Leafs also “made a pitch” to Williams this week, while confirming Boston’s interest.
1:35pm: Last night, while the the hockey world was focused on Connor McDavid‘s wizardry and Peter Laviolette‘s unemployment, John Shannon of Sportsnet provided an update on the situation involving Justin Williams and Carolina Hurricanes. There have been various reports over the last few weeks that suggested Williams’ semi-retirement could be coming to an end, but nothing has yet been finalized with the league.
Shannon tweets that the Hurricanes made a final offer to Williams yesterday to return to the team for the rest of the season, but also notes that if the veteran forward doesn’t sign in Carolina, the Boston Bruins, Washington Capitals and Tampa Bay Lightning will “try and sign” him.
Luke DeCock of the Raleigh News & Observer however reported this afternoon that negotiations between the Hurricanes and Williams are ongoing, with the team “pushing for resolution in next 24 hours.”
Whatever that resolution is, there’s no guarantee that Williams will even be much help to an NHL team this season. The 38-year old forward has always come up big in important games, earning him the nickname “Mr. Game 7” but now hasn’t played any meaningful hockey in nearly eight months. Who knows how long it would take him to get up to speed, even if he was an effective option for the club last season.
In 82 contests during the 2018-19 campaign, the eighth consecutive season he has missed two or fewer games, Williams recorded 23 goals and 53 points. That included five game-winners to take his career total to 42 in the regular season (50 overall).
Montreal Canadiens, Nashville Predators Make Minor Swap
Laurent Dauphin is on the move again, but this time it is much closer to home. The Nashville Predators forward has been traded to the Montreal Canadiens, the fourth trade of his young career. Dauphin is on a one-year two-way contract, signed last February with the Predators after they acquired him from the Arizona Coyotes. The Predators will receive Michael McCarron in return.
Originally selected by the Coyotes in the second round in 2013, Dauphin was first dealt to the Chicago Blackhawks as part of the Niklas Hjalmarsson trade. Then, just seven months later, he was sent back to Arizona as part of a swap that saw Richard Panik and Anthony Duclair switch teams. Through all of that he has only ever played in the NHL for the Coyotes, suiting up for 35 total games over parts of four seasons.
That lack of experience, plus the fact that Dauphin will turn 25 in March, likely means he’s ticketed for assignment to the Laval Rocket. He cleared waivers before the season began and can be sent directly to the AHL, where he’ll give the team another option at forward.
They’ll need it as the Canadiens organization finally moves on from McCarron after several years of frustration. The 25th overall pick in 2013, McCarron never did grow into an NHL talent even though his 6’6″ frame suggested he would be able to hold down a fourth line role at least. In 69 NHL contests he’s recorded just eight points but 110 penalty minutes, not exactly an ideal mix in today’s league.
Both players will see their contracts expire at the end of the year, and will actually become Group VI unrestricted free agents (unless McCarron finds a regular role in Nashville’s lineup). At this point, a deal of this nature is just a fresh start and a new fit.
Vancouver Canucks Promote Chris Gear
The Vancouver Canucks have decided to promote Chris Gear to assistant general manager and chief legal officer. The 47-year old executive has spent the last four seasons serving in their hockey operations department, after five years as the Canucks Sports & Entertainment general counsel.
GM Jim Benning released a short statement:
We’re fortunate to have a very talented and experienced Hockey Operations staff. Chris Gear has made a significant contribution to our Hockey Operations executive over four years and we’re pleased to recognize his efforts and have him continue to provide his experience and support.
Gear will work closely with the rest of the hockey operations staff in the day to day management of the team, as well as the AHL’s Utica Comets. John Weisbrod is the other assistant general manager under Benning.
Nashville Predators Announce John Hynes As New Head Coach
After firing Peter Laviolette last night, the Nashville Predators have worked quickly to secure their next head coach. The team has hired John Hynes as the third head coach in franchise history. Hynes of course was also fired earlier this season by the New Jersey Devils. GM David Poile released a short statement on the hire:
John Hynes is bright young coach and great leader who has a track record of both effectively developing young players and successfully motivating veterans. We love his coaching resume and are confident that he has learned from every stop during his career, and has the best skill set to get the maximum potential out of our team.
Hynes was hired by the Devils in 2015 after a successful run as head coach of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the AHL, and actually led the team to an immediate improvement. New Jersey posted a winning season at 38-36-8, though still weren’t good enough to qualify for the playoffs. That would come in 2017-18 when Hynes took them from near the bottom of the standings to a 97-point finish on the back of Taylor Hall‘s Hart Trophy performance, and everything looked to be on track for the Devils to continue a strong rebuild.
Unfortunately, that rebuild took a huge step backwards last season and even after bringing in high profile players was a disaster again this year. The Devils were 9-13-4 when they fired Hynes, meaning his overall record at the NHL level sits at 150-159-45.
Even with that mediocre record, Hynes’ hiring in Nashville comes as little surprise. Many around the hockey world immediately thought of him when Laviolette was let go, in part because of the connection to Poile. The two have worked together in the USA Hockey system and Ray Shero, who hired Hynes when he was with Pittsburgh and then again with New Jersey, is a former protege of Poile from his time in Nashville.
That familiarity will come in handy as Hynes and Poile try to right the ship in Nashville. The team has a ton of talent all over the roster, but currently sit sixth in the Central Division with a 19-15-7 record. While that is certainly not out of the race, a much more dominant season was expected by the Predators after signing Matt Duchene in the offseason to a huge free agent contract.
The start of the Hynes era in Nashville starts tonight when they take on the Boston Bruins.
Minor Transactions: 01/07/20
It’s another busy Tuesday in the NHL with 12 games on the schedule, including the Nashville Predators playing without Peter Laviolette behind the bench for the first time in years. The Predators have yet to announce who will be coaching them tonight, but they’ll have to take on the tough Boston Bruins no matter who it is. As they and the rest of the league prepare, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves right here.
- The Minnesota Wild have recalled Kaapo Kahkonen from the minor leagues under emergency conditions. The team doesn’t play until Thursday, meaning it won’t be clear just yet who will be in net for the team when they take on the Calgary Flames. The Wild have also recalled veteran defenseman Matt Bartkowski from AHL Iowa. Bartkowski has yet to log any NHL minutes this season after playing in a pair of games with Minnesota last season and over 250 games total in his ten-year pro career.
- After trading away one of their defensemen, the Buffalo Sabres are giving a young player another chance. Lawrence Pilut has been recalled, once again giving the team eight defensemen even after they traded Marco Scandella away.
- The Anaheim Ducks have sent Kiefer Sherwood back to the minor leagues after just two days in the NHL. The 24-year old forward has 14 points in 18 games for the San Diego Gulls, but hasn’t entered an NHL game yet this season.
- Kale Clague has been sent back to the minor leagues after Derek Forbort made his return to the lineup last night. Forbort played just 14:25 in his first game of the season, but will likely take on a bigger role moving forward.
2019 Year In Review: December
2019 has been a very busy year throughout the hockey world. There have been several big trades and free agent signings (including a record-setting contract), plenty of changes behind the bench, and much more. Over the last few weeks, PHR has taken a look at the top stories from around the game on a month-by-month basis. Finally we get to December, which provided plenty of news after teams started to realize exactly where they stood for the 2019-20 season.
Coaching Changes: Both the San Jose Sharks and Dallas Stars made changes behind the bench in December, firing Peter DeBoer and Jim Montgomery respectively. The moves came for very different reasons however, as DeBoer’s Sharks were vastly underperforming expectations while Montgomery was dismissed for “unprofessional conduct.” Assistant coaches took over in both situations, with Bob Boughner taking over in San Jose and Rick Bowness getting another head coaching shot in Dallas.
Calgary Gets A Rink: Though it had been expected for some time, the city of Calgary and the Flames officially signed an agreement to build a new taxpayer-funded arena. The rink is expected to be ready for the 2024-25 season, but there’s obviously no guarantee in that timeline so far out. The fight over a new arena was very contentious and public, but hopefully the Flames can gain some stability now that fight is behind them.
Andersson Wants Out: After being unable to secure a full-time role with the New York Rangers through his first few professional seasons, Lias Andersson requested a trade and left the organization. He was subsequently suspended, and it appears his time in the NHL is over until such a time when GM Jeff Gorton decides he wants to move on. The seventh overall pick in 2017, Andersson has just nine points in 66 career NHL games.
Kovalchuk Terminated Again: Speaking of players leaving their organization, Ilya Kovalchuk became a free agent once again after his final bonus payment was made. The Los Angeles Kings and Kovalchuk agreed to terminate the remaining year and a half on his contract after they removed him from the lineup in November. The enigmatic winger eventually signed in Montreal, though it would take a few weeks.
Hall & ‘Yotes: The New Jersey Devils didn’t wait around the move their best trade asset, benching Taylor Hall for a few games and then trading him to the Arizona Coyotes in the middle of December. The former Hart Trophy winner secured the Devils several assets, though some critiqued the quality of each as Kevin Bahl—who was recently part of the gold medal-winning Canadian World Junior team—was really the best of the bunch.
#OskarStrong: The most devastating news of the month came when the Philadelphia Flyers announced young forward Oskar Lindblom was diagnosed with cancer. The entire hockey community came together to wish Lindblom the best and help raise awareness.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images