New Jersey Devils Sign Pavel Zacha
After flirting with the KHL recently, Pavel Zacha has decided to stick around in the NHL. The New Jersey Devils have signed the young restricted free agent to a three-year deal that carries an average annual value of $2.25MM. GM Ray Shero released this statement on the signing:
We are happy to have finalized this three-year agreement as Pavel is an important part of our team. He has established himself as someone who can play in any situation and we are looking forward to his continued growth as a player.
Zacha will still be a restricted free agent when the deal expires, but will be arbitration-eligible. The full breakdown of the deal is as follows:
- 2019-20: $1.75MM
- 2020-21: $2.0MM
- 2021-22: $3.0MM
Once again it is important to note the back-loaded nature of an RFA contract, meaning the Devils will be forced to issue a $3MM qualifying offer in order to keep Zacha’s rights at the end of the deal. At that point he would be just one year from unrestricted free agency, meaning he could essentially turn this into a four-year, $9.75MM deal and walk himself right onto the open market if he chooses. Still, getting it done now will allow Zacha to have a full training camp to try and finally become a bigger part of the New Jersey offense.
Though the cap hit is still relatively low compared to some of the other free agent numbers being thrown around, it seems in this case as if Zacha’s KHL threat may have actually resulted in a stronger offer from the Devils. In 201 NHL games the 22-year old has just 29 goals and 76 points, unable to register more than 13 goals in any of his three full seasons. In contrast, Anthony Beauvillier, a player selected 22 spots after Zacha in the 2015 draft, has scored at a much higher pace (48 goals in 218 games) and recently agreed to a two-year deal worth just $2.1MM per season. Obviously buying out the third year is what bumped up the AAV in Zacha’s case, but the fact that he was able to secure it with such little production may have something to do with his (apparent) willingness to play overseas.
There’s no getting around it, Zacha has been a disappointment to this point in his career. Selected ahead of some of the most productive young players in the league, he’ll continually be compared to names like Timo Meier (selected 9th), Mikko Rantanen (10th), Mathew Barzal (16th) and Kyle Connor (17th). While his draft pedigree shouldn’t matter at this point and the comparisons aren’t exactly fair, the Devils have to hope they can coax more offense out of him while still developing Zacha into the strong defensive center he showed at times last season. Now that Jack Hughes is in town to pair with Nico Hischier in the top two pivot spots, Zacha has a chance to be a difference-maker on the third line if he can just take a few steps forward in his development.
Minor Transactions: 09/10/19
Training camp is upon us, as rookie tournaments are underway and veterans are arriving back in town for informal workouts. In no time, teams will be back on the ice. Yet, many NHL clubs still have work to do, with prominent restricted and unrestricted free agents still without contracts. Minor league affiliates, European teams, and college programs are also still making moves to finalize their plans for the coming season. Keep track of those minor transactions right here:
- The Buffalo Sabres have announced several transactions following the prospect challenge, including sending Lukas Rousek and Matthew Welsh back to their respective teams. Notably, Brett Murray has been assigned to the Rochester Americans training camp as he continues to work towards the next step in his hockey career. Murray, a fourth-round pick of the Sabres in 2016, spent parts of two seasons with Penn State University before leaving to play for the Youngstown Phantoms of the USHL last season. He led the entire league in goals with 41 and at 21-years old could join the Americans to start his pro career.
- Former Northern Michigan standout Jordan Klimek has been acquired by the South Carolina Stingrays after spending his rookie season with the Maine Mariners. Klimek, a 24-year old defenseman put up 18 points in 66 games for the Mariners last season.
2007 NHL Draft Take Two: Fifteenth Overall Pick
Hindsight is an amazing thing, and allows us to look back and wonder “what could have been.” Though perfection is attempted, scouting and draft selection is far from an exact science and sometimes, it doesn’t work out the way teams – or players – intended. For every Patrick Kane, there is a Patrik Stefan.
We’re looking back at the 2007 NHL Entry Draft and asking how it would shake out knowing what we do now. Will the first round remain the same, or will some late-round picks jump up to the top of the board?
Here are the results of the redraft so far, with their original draft position in parentheses:
1st Overall: Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks (1)
2nd Overall: Jamie Benn, Philadelphia Flyers (129)
3rd Overall: P.K. Subban, Phoenix Coyotes (43)
4th Overall: Logan Couture, Los Angeles Kings (9)
5th Overall: Max Pacioretty, Washington Capitals (22)
6th Overall: Jakub Voracek, Edmonton Oilers (7)
7th Overall: Ryan McDonagh, Columbus Blue Jackets (12)
8th Overall: James van Riemsdyk, Boston Bruins (2)
9th Overall: Wayne Simmonds, San Jose Sharks (61)
10th Overall: Kevin Shattenkirk, Florida Panthers (14)
11th Overall: Jake Muzzin, Carolina Hurricanes (141)
12th Overall: Kyle Turris, Montreal Canadiens (3)
13th Overall: David Perron, St. Louis Blues (26)
14th Overall: Mikael Backlund, Colorado Avalanche (24)
Narrowly edging out the competition for 14th is Mikael Backlund, who jumps up ten spots from his original draft position with the Calgary Flames. In 2007 he had just been ranked the second best European skater by NHL Central Scouting, but given his three-point draft year output in the Swedish second league there was a level of unfamiliarity with Backlund at the time. For fans in Western Canada that unfamiliarity would quickly disappear. In 2008-09 after starting the year in Sweden, Backlund would attend the World Juniors in Ottawa and dominate en route to a silver medal. He would then play a single game with the Flames before joining the Kelown Rockets of the WHL, where he put up 53 points in 47 games and won a league championship.
Unfortunately through the first few seasons of his NHL career, it appeared as though his offense would never materialize. Recording just 62 points through his first 170 games, Backlund finally broke out in 2013-14 with a strong 18-goal campaign. That offense would continue to pour out of the forward to the point where he is now an integral part of the team’s attack and locked in as their second-line center. In 2018, Calgary signed Backlund to a six-year extension worth a total of $32.1MM, showing just how important they believe him to be.
Even with the slow start, Backlund ranks 13th in points among all players drafted in 2007 (11th among forwards) and seems to be just getting stronger as a two-way option for the Flames. On a list that doesn’t include many players who have spent their whole careers with the team that drafted them, he clearly deserves to be in the top half of the first round.
When the Edmonton Oilers strode to the podium in 2007 with the 15th pick, they should have taken Backlund or any of the other players who have jumped up our board. Instead, with the second of three first round picks (Sam Gagner went sixth overall), they decided to take Alex Plante. Perhaps it was because they held so many picks, but Plante was a reach of immense proportion. The 6’3″ defenseman had been ranked 72nd among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting but a strong playoff with the Calgary Hitmen of the WHL had turned some heads. Unfortunately, things quickly went downhill.
In his first year after being drafted, Plante dealt with injuries and tried to force his way out of the Hitmen organization—a move that would ultimately backfire—while recording just six points in 51 games. Upon turning pro it was obvious that Plante would never be able to contribute offensively, and his footspeed was questioned at every level. He did end up playing in ten games over three years with the Oilers, but parted ways with the organization in 2013 before playing in Austria and South Korea (in fact, he played for South Korea at the Olympics and World Championship in 2018 after getting his citizenship.)
Plante was not the right pick at the time and comes in as the second real bust of the draft so far. If given the chance to do it again, the Oilers would certainly pick someone else.
With the fifteenth pick of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, who should the Edmonton Oilers select? Cast your vote below!
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*Tragically, 17th overall pick Alexei Cherepanov died at the age of 19 and would never get a chance to suit up in the NHL. He has not been included in this vote.
Montreal Canadiens, Max Domi In Extension Talks
The frozen restricted free agent market this summer likely has some general managers around the league thinking about how to avoid a similar situation in the future. We’ve already seen the Arizona Coyotes and Colorado Avalanche hand out long-term extensions to Clayton Keller and Samuel Girard respectively, and now there may be another name to add to that group. Montreal Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin told Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports that the team has started extension talks with Max Domi, who is entering the final season of his two-year bridge deal signed last summer.
Domi, 24, signed that two-year $6.3MM deal with the Canadiens just a day after the team acquired him from the Coyotes in exchange for Alex Galchenyuk. At the time it was a nice bridge deal for both sides, rewarding a player that had obvious talent but experienced massive inconsistency during his second and third years in the league. In fact, Domi had only scored nine goals in 82 games during the 2017-18 campaign and there were real concerns about his ability to put the puck in the net. Those concerns have completely disappeared after one season in Montreal, as Domi not only scored 28 goals but became the team’s first-line center and most dangerous offensive player.
His 72-point season in Montreal completely changes how the bridge deal looks today, as a $3.15MM cap hit makes Domi one of the most valuable assets in the league—save for those on entry-level deals of course. That also means that he’ll be getting a huge raise on his next contract, especially if it buys out several unrestricted free agent seasons. Domi will be two years from UFA status when this contract ends.
After finishing 15th among all forwards in the league in even-strength assists with 37, there’s good reason to believe that Domi will soon become the Canadiens’ highest-paid forward. That honor currently goes to Jonathan Drouin with his $5.5MM cap hit, who also looks like something of a bargain as RFA contracts continue to rise. In fact, Montreal has set themselves up with quite a bit of cap room even while carrying Shea Weber and Carey Price‘s huge contracts, and should have more than enough room to compensate Domi fairly.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Pavel Zacha Linked To KHL
1:20pm: Devils GM Ray Shero certainly isn’t concerned with the reports about Zacha and the KHL. The executive spoke to reporters including John Wawrow of the Associated Press and explained that if Zacha wants to go to the KHL “it’s a long way back to the NHL.” Shero still hopes to sign Zacha for this season, but is quick to point out that the Devils own his rights regardless.
8:30am: Though their offseason has focused on other things, the New Jersey Devils are another one of the teams around the NHL with an unsigned restricted free agent just a few days before training camp opens. Pavel Zacha is still without a contract, and he may not be getting one from the Devils anytime soon. Igor Eronko of Sport-Express passes on a report that Zacha has agreed to terms with Avangard of the KHL. There has been no official announcement from either side at this point, but losing Zacha to the KHL would be a big disappointment for a Devils team that has plans to contend for the playoffs this season. As a restricted free agent that received a qualifying offer, his rights would be retained by New Jersey.
Of course, it is very important to note that until a deal is actually signed—not just agreed to—Zacha could very well still end up in New Jersey. The 22-year old doesn’t have a ton of leverage in his negotiation after struggling to put up big offensive numbers and even seeing some time in the minor leagues last season. Originally selected sixth overall in 2015, the Czech forward has recorded just 76 points in 201 NHL games, though did post his career-high in goals last year with 13. Dealing with injuries and inconsistencies over his first three seasons, it seems likely that the Devils wouldn’t be offering a very lucrative deal for Zacha.
The fact that he is not arbitration eligible yet means there are only a couple of ways for this to end, and no real deadline other than December 1st. That’s when Zacha would become ineligible to play in 2019-20 should he not have an NHL contract filed with the league. Dropping a hint by agreeing to terms in the KHL may push a negotiation along, or it may be simply that Zacha intends on playing overseas this year to get his game back on track.
The Devils have added Wayne Simmonds, Nikita Gusev and Jack Hughes to their forward group (among others) this season, making it even tougher for players like Zacha to crack the top-six and powerplay units moving forward.
Anaheim, Carolina Discussing Justin Faulk
When the Carolina Hurricanes signed Jake Gardiner last week, speculation immediately erupted about the future of Justin Faulk. The right-handed Faulk has just one year remaining on his contract before hitting unrestricted free agency and was made expendable—at least on the powerplay—by the depth of the Carolina blueline. Now, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that the Anaheim Ducks have had discussions with Carolina about the defenseman. Friedman notes that the Ducks are on Faulk’s no-trade list but would also like to work out an extension, and makes it clear that the deal is not done at this point. James Mirtle of The Athletic tweets that Faulk’s 15-team no-trade clause has been “causing issues” for Carolina as they try to move him.
Once considered a haven for young defensemen, the Anaheim blueline depth has become thinner and thinner over the last few years. The Ducks have watched Shea Theodore, Sami Vatanen and Brandon Montour leave town through various trades, leaving Cam Fowler, Hampus Lindholm and Josh Manson as the lone three defensemen the team can really count on this season. While Brendan Guhle, Josh Mahura and Jacob Larsson provide some interesting upside, adding Faulk would give the team another established name to line up in their top-four every night.
That said, the deal wouldn’t make much sense for Anaheim without the contract extension. The Ducks have turned their focus to the next wave of forwards coming through the system and will be without long-time core pieces like Corey Perry and Ryan Kesler. That young group is exciting and talented, but could very well leave Anaheim chasing in the Pacific Division. Faulk is just 27 however and should be able to contribute at a high level for the next several seasons.
That high level is impressive in this case. Faulk has been one of the most consistent offensive defensemen in the NHL over his career, recording at least 31 points in each of the last six seasons. Though he’s prone to a bad turnover and isn’t a star in his own end, there’s good reason to believe that he could have a lot of success in Anaheim if paired with Lindholm or Fowler.
For Carolina, moving on from their former co-captain made the most sense after Gardiner was acquired. Dougie Hamilton, Jaccob Slavin and Brett Pesce are all signed for at least two seasons, while young Haydn Fleury and Jake Bean look ready to contribute. If the team can add some more offense or future assets in exchange for the expiring Faulk, it will only help them improve their own program that got all the way to the Eastern Conference Final last season.
Morning Notes: Flyers, Canadiens, Colts
The Philadelphia Flyers have extended their affiliation with the Reading Royals of the ECHL. The two organizations have been partnered for the past five years and have signed a one-year agreement with an option for 2020-21. Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher explained the move:
We are very happy to extend our relationship with the Reading Royals. Over the last five years, we have seen how advantageous it has been to have each of our minor league affiliates, which includes the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms, in close proximity to Philadelphia, as we continue to develop players within the Flyers system.
The Royals missed the playoffs last season for the first time in a decade, but still posted a 34-28-10 record. Like other teams in the ECHL, Reading is used as a place for raw or long-shot prospects to hone their games in hopes of a chance at the AHL or NHL level some day. The team was led in scoring once again by Chris McCarthy, a 28-year old forward that has become something of a superstar for Reading over the last few seasons.
- Montreal Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin confirmed to Eric Engels of Sportsnet that the team did make an offer to Jake Gardiner before the defenseman signed with the Carolina Hurricanes, but explained that it is a “two-way street” and that the player needs to be interested as well. Gardiner’s market didn’t quite become what many thought it would be this summer as few teams offered him the term he was looking for. The Hurricanes signed him for four years and $16.2MM on Friday.
- The Canadiens also won’t be bringing in Jason Pominville according to Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports, who notes that the club wants to give their young players a “fair chance” during training camp. Pominville is still unsigned despite a 16-goal, 31-point season in 2018-19 and may need to settle for a professional tryout at this point in order to earn a contract.
- After Dale Hawerchuk was forced to take a leave of absence from the Barrie Colts coaching staff due to health concerns, the team has brought in a familiar OHL face. Warren Rychel, the long-time co-owner and general manager of the Windsor Spitfires will take over as head coach. Rychel sold his stake in the Spitfires earlier this year and stepped down from his post in the front office. Rychel played more than 400 games in the NHL, winning the Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche in 1996.
Zach Werenski Signs With Columbus Blue Jackets
There will be no training camp holdout for Zach Werenski. The Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman has agreed to a three-year, $15MM contract. Werenski will still be a restricted free agent at the deal’s expiry, though will be arbitration eligible. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports the breakdown:
- 2019-20: $4MM
- 2020-21: $4MM
- 2021-22: $7MM
The structure of the deal is an important thing to note, as the increased salary in year three guarantees Werenski will be given a qualifying offer of $7MM. Given that he’ll be just one year away from unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2022, it essentially makes the deal a four-year, $22MM deal ($5.5MM) if Werenski wanted. He’ll also be eligible for arbitration, where his previous salary will be taken into account.
To be sure, this deal represents a bargain for the Blue Jackets in the short term. Werenski has proven to be one of the most offensively-gifted young defensemen in the league over his three-year career, recording 38 goals and 128 points in 237 games. He has double-digit goals in each season and forms one of the best pairings in the NHL alongside Seth Jones. The fact that he is just 22 means there is room for improvement and likely even more excess value for the Blue Jackets over the next three years.
Unfortunately, that bargain will change dramatically at the end of the deal. Negotiating an extension with Werenski when he has the option of taking a $7MM payday and walking straight into unrestricted free agency will mean the Blue Jackets would have to offer a substantial increase, likely making him one of the highest-paid defensemen in the league. It also means that Werenski and Jones will both be negotiating extensions at the same time, though the latter is scheduled for unrestricted free agency in 2022 and should be getting a huge raise as soon as possible (which is July 1, 2021) if the Blue Jackets want to retain him.
Having both of their young defenders hitting free agency (of one kind or another) at the same time is obviously not ideal, but it also means that the team does have a sort of rebuild deadline if things aren’t going well over the next few seasons. The Blue Jackets actually have just three players signed through the 2022-23 season and just one—Cam Atkinson—for longer than that. While other teams are handing out long-term extensions to lock in their core for nearly a decade, Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen seems prepared to re-evaluate every few seasons to make sure his club doesn’t get too far ahead of themselves.
Obviously for Werenski this is a strong contract, even if he did accept a little less money up front. He controls where he wants to spend his prime years and how he wants to approach negotiations down the line. The fact that it is done a few days before training camp will allow him to enjoy the full preparation for this season.
For the other restricted free agent defensemen, it also may provide a model contract. Charlie McAvoy and Ivan Provorov remain unsigned as camp approaches and are in similar situations. McAvoy is a year further from unrestricted free agency, but for both the idea may be the same; take a shorter-term deal that gets you close to UFA status and go from there.
Kevin Weekes of the NHL Network and Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reported the deal earlier this morning.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Washington Capitals Hire Brooks Orpik
Brooks Orpik will be staying with the Washington Capitals after all. The veteran defenseman retired from his playing days earlier this offseason, but will join the Capitals’ Player Development department, working with prospects and players from the Hershey Bears. GM Brian MacLellan explained why he hired one of his former players:
As a member of our team, Brooks was a tremendous leader and a great role model for our young players. We are excited to be able to bring him back in this new role. We feel he will be a great resource for our hockey staff and our prospects.
Orpik, 38, played the last five seasons of his career with the Capitals and took home his second Stanley Cup in 2018. A first-round pick that took a few years to really find his way in the NHL, he’ll be able to relate to many of the team’s top prospects that are trying to get to the highest level. Never much of an offensive threat, Orpik still managed to carve out an excellent playing career that included two selections for the Olympics and more than 1,000 regular season NHL games.
In June he explained that his body simply couldn’t take another season, but it comes as little surprise that “Batya” as his Washington teammates called him, wants to stay involved in the game. Orpik will obviously be starting in a smaller role, but a future in the front office or coaching seems like a natural progression for the big defenseman.
2007 NHL Draft Take Two: Fourteenth Overall Pick
Hindsight is an amazing thing, and allows us to look back and wonder “what could have been.” Though perfection is attempted, scouting and draft selection is far from an exact science and sometimes, it doesn’t work out the way teams – or players – intended. For every Patrick Kane, there is a Patrik Stefan.
We’re looking back at the 2007 NHL Entry Draft and asking how it would shake out knowing what we do now. Will the first round remain the same, or will some late-round picks jump up to the top of the board?
Here are the results of the redraft so far, with their original draft position in parentheses:
1st Overall: Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks (1)
2nd Overall: Jamie Benn, Philadelphia Flyers (129)
3rd Overall: P.K. Subban, Phoenix Coyotes (43)
4th Overall: Logan Couture, Los Angeles Kings (9)
5th Overall: Max Pacioretty, Washington Capitals (22)
6th Overall: Jakub Voracek, Edmonton Oilers (7)
7th Overall: Ryan McDonagh, Columbus Blue Jackets (12)
8th Overall: James van Riemsdyk, Boston Bruins (2)
9th Overall: Wayne Simmonds, San Jose Sharks (61)
10th Overall: Kevin Shattenkirk, Florida Panthers (14)
11th Overall: Jake Muzzin, Carolina Hurricanes (141)
12th Overall: Kyle Turris, Montreal Canadiens (3)
13th Overall: David Perron, St. Louis Blues (26)
It always comes back to the Blues for David Perron. Now 12 years removed from being selected with the team’s third pick of the first round, Perron has played for five different NHL organizations. Amazingly, during all that time he has never signed a contract with anyone but St. Louis. Jumping right to the NHL after being drafted, Perron showed exactly why he was ranked as the tenth best among all North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting, despite teams letting him fall almost out of the first round entirely. The young forward put up 27 points in 62 games during that rookie season as a teenager, showing a glimpse of the incredibly consistent offensive player he would become.
In his sophomore season, Perron shot up the scoring list for St. Louis by becoming a catalyst on the powerplay and showing off his playmaking skills at even-strength. His 35 assists put him behind only Brad Boyes for the team lead, and his 50 points trailed only Boyes and David Backes. Not bad for a 20-year old still finding his footing at the professional level. After several injury-riddled seasons with the Blues, he ended up traded to the Edmonton Oilers for a package of picks and prospects (one of which ended up turning into Ivan Barbashev), before being flipped a couple of years later to the Pittsburgh Penguins for a first-round pick (which ended up turning into Mathew Barzal). His journey around the league wouldn’t end there as a year later he would go to the Anaheim Ducks, before signing back with the Blues that summer.
That homecoming was cut short when he was picked in the expansion draft by the Vegas Golden Knights, who promptly went all the way to the Stanley Cup Final on the back of Perron’s best offensive season. It always comes back to the Blues though, and Perron would sign again with St. Louis in the summer of 2018 only to win a Stanley Cup.
It makes sense then that the Blues would move Perron up their board and take him with the 13th overall pick. In fact, he’s probably a steal even there. The 31-year old ranks fifth in points among all players selected in 2007 but seems to have been continually overlooked throughout his career. While most players hit their peak in their mid-twenties, it almost seems as though Perron is getting better with age. He has 112 points in his last 127 regular season games and is an important part of the Blues forward group.
In 2007 it was Colorado that picked 14th after St. Louis, coming off their first season missing the playoffs in more than a decade. The team had still gone 44-31-7 under Joel Quenneville, but finished fourth in the extremely competitive Northwest Division. Joe Sakic had just put up 100 points as a 37-year old, and still looked like he had plenty left in the tank. Unfortunately Sakic wouldn’t play another full season, suiting up just 59 times over his last two seasons in uniform. Perhaps if they knew that they would have gone after a forward in the middle of the first round, but instead the team chose Kevin Shattenkirk.
That definitely worked out for Colorado, as shown by Shattenkirk’s spot in our redraft. He moved up into the top-10 after an excellent career, and will be unavailable this time around. So who could the team choose?
With the fourteenth pick of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, who should the Colorado Avalanche select? Cast your vote below!
[Mobile users click here to vote]
*Tragically, 17th overall pick Alexei Cherepanov died at the age of 19 and would never get a chance to suit up in the NHL. He has not been included in this vote.