Latest On Jesse Puljujarvi
The fourth overall pick from 2016 is still without a contract for the 2019-20 season. Jesse Puljujarvi has made it clear he wants a fresh start somewhere other than with the Edmonton Oilers and is willing to wait for that opportunity. Today Finnish outlet MTV Uutiset reports (via Google translate) that if Puljujarvi can’t find a deal in the NHL he will play for Karpat this season. According to his agent Markus Lehto, several NHL clubs have expressed interest but he would not speculate on whether a trade will actually happen.
Puljujarvi has ties to Karpat going back years, as he was developed in their junior system and played two seasons for the Liiga club before joining Edmonton. Playing there likely wouldn’t be as financially rewarding, but it could get the 21-year old back onto a solid development path. That has to be the biggest worry for any interested NHL clubs right now. Puljujarvi hasn’t shown enough to indicate he’s ready for full-time NHL action, but he also can’t go to the minor leagues without first clearing waivers. There’s no way anyone wants to give up something of value just to risk him to the entire league afterwards, meaning the offers for the young forward are likely underwhelming for Oilers GM Ken Holland.
In fact, letting him play in Finland for a year may not actually be the worst course of action for the Oilers. While he won’t be helping their club try to get back to the playoffs, he may be able to build up a little more value by having a solid season. He’s already shown in the past that he can compete at the Liiga level, and he’s still young enough that playing overseas wouldn’t get him a year closer to unrestricted free agency.
There is of course always a chance that he ends up signing with Edmonton after this game of chicken ends. If that happens, it will be extremely interesting to see if new head coach Dave Tippett can turn around his career or if the bridges have already been burned to the ground through this holdout.
2007 NHL Draft Take Two: Fourth 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)
Even though Kane held onto his top spot this redraft is already extremely different than how it actually went down. Two players from outside the first round have jumped up with Subban moving 40 spots. The Toronto native was a dynamic defenseman for the Belleville Bulls in 2007, coming off a 56-point campaign putting him fifth in team scoring among a group that included future NHL players like Shawn Matthias and Matt Beleskey. Subban’s puck-carrying nature was divisive even then, leading to a ranking of 102nd among North American skaters according to NHL Central Scouting.
You could conclude that the Canadiens reached to pick Subban in the second round given that ranking, but his infectious personality was immediately embraced by Montreal fans—especially because he had grown up one himself, despite being from Toronto. Subban would return to the Bulls in 2007-08 but made the World Junior team as the extra defenseman. In 2008-09 he would return to the tournament in a much bigger role and give everyone a glimpse of exactly what was coming. He led the tournament in points from a defenseman, was named to the tournament All-Star team and took home his second gold medal.
An NHL career followed soon after one year in the AHL, and Subban never looked back. An immediate presence on the Montreal blueline he would win a Norris Trophy as the league’s best defenseman in just his third season (though it was the lockout-shortened 2012-13 campaign). In 434 games for the Canadiens he registered 278 points, but would find himself traded on a day that lives in hockey infamy. On June 29th 2016 in the span of what felt like just a few minutes, Subban was traded for Shea Weber, Taylor Hall was traded for Adam Larsson and Steven Stamkos decided free agency wasn’t for him and re-signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning. In a new career chapter in Nashville, Subban would once again become a Norris finalist and help the team to the Stanley Cup Final. This spring everything changed once again however, with Subban shipped off to the New Jersey Devils in a cap-saving move.
The 30-year old Subban leads all defensemen from the 2007 draft with 408 points and has been a legitimate top-pairing player for years. He comes in at No. 3.
After Phoenix came the Los Angeles Kings back in 2007 and though they too went off the board to pick a defenseman, it unfortunately wasn’t Subban. Instead the Kings picked Seattle Thunderbirds defenseman Thomas Hickey, who was coming off an impressive campaign in the WHL but was not nearly the highest-ranked blueliner on the board. Hickey was listed 26th among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting behind other names like Karl Alzner and Ryan McDonagh, though there were several defensemen ahead of him on that list that barely scraped their way into the NHL at all.
That’s not the case for Hickey, who while not living up to his draft pedigree is still an effective enough player for the New York Islanders. The Islanders actually acquired Hickey off waivers from the Kings after he failed to crack the NHL lineup and was passed over on the depth chart by young defensemen like Jake Muzzin, Alec Martinez and Slava Voynov. He has ended up playing in 449 NHL games for New York, recording 115 points.
Those numbers aren’t exactly what you want from fourth overall, meaning Hickey clearly won’t be the choice here in our redraft. The Kings would certainly like another chance to pick someone from the rest of the group.
With the fourth pick of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, who should the Los Angeles Kings 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.
Columbus GM “Confident” Zach Werenski Contract Is Coming
The Columbus Blue Jackets are just like a dozen other teams at this point in the offseason: waiting for something to happen in the restricted free agent market. The Blue Jackets have yet to sign star defenseman Zach Werenski for the upcoming season but as GM Jarmo Kekalainen puts it to Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (subscription required) the high profile RFAs are “waiting for somebody else to go first.” That doesn’t mean things haven’t progressed with Werenski though, as Kekalainen explained that the team is still confident things will get done before the start of training camp.
Werenski, 22, was the eighth overall selection in 2015 out of the University of Michigan and after returning for his sophomore season in the NCAA became an immediate success in the NHL. Recording 47 points as a rookie in 2016-17 he finished behind only Auston Matthews and Patrik Laine in Calder Trophy voting and even earned himself a handful of Norris Trophy votes. In the two years following he has only increased his role on the team, averaging close to 23 minutes a night for the Blue Jackets in 2018-19.
Unlike Charlie McAvoy who is another restricted free agent defenseman waiting on a contract, Werenski has completed three full seasons in the NHL and is eligible for an offer sheet. That is obviously very unlikely at this point, but it puts his negotiation in a slightly different category. Werenski is four years away from unrestricted free agency meaning any contract longer than that will push the average annual value substantially higher. Portzline reports the two sides have discussed several different scenarios including three and five-year deals.
The Blue Jackets may look very different next season without Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky in the lineup, but still aren’t a team to completely give up on in the Metropolitan Division. That’s in large part due to the stud duo of Werenski and Seth Jones on defense, who are both still young enough to experience even further development.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Minnesota Wild Not Given Permission To Interview Chris Drury
The Minnesota Wild GM search continues and though Michael Russo of The Athletic believes a decision won’t come until later in the month, more information about potential candidates has emerged. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that the Wild asked for permission from the New York Rangers to interview assistant GM Chris Drury, but were turned down. Friedman notes that the Rangers have now declined requests from two different teams on Drury, the other being the Buffalo Sabres.
Drury has been with the Rangers for the last several years and was given control of the Hartford Wolf Pack in 2017. He was also the choice as GM of Team USA at the most recent World Championship, a team that actually underperformed despite an excellent roster. Despite that unfortunate result Drury is a very well-respected young executive who has been on the radar of several teams over the last few seasons and is an important part of the Rangers rebuild.
The Wolf Pack have actually failed to make the playoffs in both of the years under Drury’s leadership, but at the same time have continued to develop some of the important young talents for New York. Minnesota would have been a much different task, trying to get a team back to the playoffs quickly without much appetite for a full rebuild. Wild owner Craig Leipold was clear he didn’t want a rebuild earlier this year when he sent a video to season ticket holders.
Carolina Hurricanes GM Don Waddell, Pittsburgh Penguins AGM Bill Guerin and former Philadelphia Flyers GM Ron Hextall have already interviewed for the position, among others. It is not clear when the request to speak with Drury was made.
Vegas Golden Knights Renew ECHL Affiliation
The Vegas Golden Knights and Fort Wayne Komets will be partners once again. The two organizations have renewed their affiliation for the 2019-20 season, giving Vegas a primary ECHL affiliate again this season. The Komets will once again benefit from receiving the Golden Knights’ raw or long-shot prospects and try to continue their streak of playoff appearances.
Last season saw the Komets post a 36-26-10 record in their first year with the Golden Knights, making it six consecutive seasons they had reached the postseason. That was thanks to a well-rounded attack and veteran goaltending. Former top Montreal Canadiens prospect Zach Fucale spent most of the season with the Komets, starting 34 games for the team and going 20-9-3. With Fucale now in the Syracuse Crunch organization the net will be open to other Golden Knights prospects. Dylan Ferguson, who will turn pro this season is a candidate, though it will depend what happens at the AHL level.
Top scorer Justin Hodgman has also moved on, taking his talents to Germany and the DEL. The former Arizona Coyotes forward had 57 points in 50 games for the Komets last season, edging out long-time ECHL superstar Shawn Szydlowski—who will return for 2019-20—for the team lead.
Andrei Markov Eyeing NHL Return
The rumors surrounding Andrei Markov‘s return to the NHL have never really gone away since he left North America for the KHL in 2017. Now it’s much more than just a rumor, as Stu Cowan of the Montreal Gazette got the 40-year old on the record talking about his plans for this season. Markov would love a chance to return to the Montreal Canadiens and reach the 1,000-game mark (he’s currently sitting at 990) but would also welcome other opportunities. Back in May it was reported that the veteran defenseman had already received interest from three teams in the NHL, though it wasn’t clear who those were.
Markov was once one of the premiere two-way defensemen in the NHL, recording a career-high 64 points in 2008-09 with the Canadiens. Even in the KHL he has continued to produce, recording 47 points in 104 regular season games and helping his club win a Gagarin Cup in 2018. He does admit that 2019-20 will probably be his final year as a player, meaning he’ll take advantage of every moment.
Obviously signing a 40-year old who is two years removed from NHL action is uncommon, but Markov showed an ability to stay relevant even into the late part of his career with Montreal. He recorded 36 points in just 62 games in 2016-17 and has always had good underlying possession numbers. If the Canadiens believe he can outplay one of their relatively unproven options on the blue line and help them get back to the playoffs, there’s not a ton of risk in a one-year deal. Still, with the offseason half over and rosters already relatively set it might be hard to find a fit.
One good thing is that Markov would be eligible for a performance bonus-laden contract, meaning his base salary could be extremely low. That would give a team some freedom in evaluating his play without committing a good chunk of their cap. If he’s still capable and productive any included bonuses will be worth it.
Minor Transactions: 08/07/19
As August continues and we get further into contract negotiations, teams continue to fill our their organizational depth charts. Here are some minor moves from around the league. We’ll keep updating as more come in:
- Jamie Devane and Yushiroh Hirano have joined the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for the 2019-20 season on AHL contracts. It’s been a great week for Japanese hockey after 2020 draft prospect Yu Sato decided to bring his talents to North America and now Hirano has landed an AHL deal. The 23-year old forward played his first season of professional North American hockey last year and dominated the ECHL, scoring 57 points in 67 games. Devane meanwhile has been in the AHL for years now, most recently with the Ontario Reign where he racked up 79 penalty minutes in just 27 games last season.
- If you’re a CHL fan who has been impressed with Swiss goaltender Noah Patenaude at the current Hlinka-Gretzky Cup, you might get another chance to see him up close next season. The 16-year old has signed with the Saint John Seadogs and will make the jump to North America test his skills next season.
- Jaakko Haarti may not be coming to the NCAA after all. The Finnish defenseman will play with the Lahti Pelicans instead for the upcoming season, taking away a top recruit for UMass. The 5’10” Haarti recorded 14 goals and 28 points in the top Finnish junior league last season in just 50 games.
- The Charlotte Checkers have signed Cedric Lacroix to a two-way AHL contract, bringing in an ECHL standout for a new opportunity. Lacroix played his first professional season with the Wheeling Nailers in 2018-19 and recorded 42 points in 71 games. That was more than he had in four whole seasons at the University of Maine, but he didn’t forget his roots as a physical presence. In those 71 contests, Lacroix finished sixth in the league by racking up 215 penalty minutes including 12 fighting majors.
2019 Arbitration Figures And Results
August 6th: All arbitration cases have now been completed. In total, six cases were decided by an arbitrator’s award this year. That number, though seemingly not many, actually presents a 50% increase over last summer and more than the past two off-seasons combined. Of those six decisions, the teams and players received the favorable decision an even three times apiece, and each award landed within $150K of the midpoint. All things considered, there were few surprises in arbitration, even though there were more awards than expected. Now the question is where the relationships between those teams and players go from here.
Originally published on July 19th: Friday marked the start of the arbitration season in the NHL, with Brock McGinn first scheduled for his hearing with the Carolina Hurricanes. The appointments will come fast and furious after that, with 23 cases left on the books. When we asked our readers how many would actually get to the hearing stage more than 36% of voters thought 3-4 was reasonable, the same number that reached last year.
We know now that at least one will, as Andrew Copp‘s agent Kurt Overhardt told Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Free Press that their camp will “look forward to” the hearing scheduled for Sunday. Copp and the Jets exchanged figures earlier today. It is important to remember that the two sides can actually work out a deal in the short period after the hearing and before the actual decision is submitted by the arbitrator. For every case except Ville Husso, who the St. Louis Blues took to arbitration, the team involved will be allowed to choose the duration of the contract awarded. They can choose either one or two years, unless the player is only one year away from unrestricted free agency, at which point only a one-year deal is available.
Here we’ll keep track of all the hearings still on the books and the figures submitted. This page will be updated as the numbers come in:
July 20:
Brock McGinn, Carolina Hurricanes – Team: $1.75MM AAV, Player: $2.7MM AAV
Settled: Two years, $2.1MM AAV
July 21:
Andrew Copp, Winnipeg Jets – Team: $1.5MM AAV, Player: $2.9MM AAV
Awarded: Two years, $2.28MM AAV
July 22:
MacKenzie Weegar, Florida Panthers
Settled: One year, $1.6MM AAV
Zach Aston-Reese, Pittsburgh Penguins
Settled: Two years, $1.0MM AAV
Ville Husso, St. Louis Blues (team-elected)
Settled: One year, two-way, $700K AAV
Christian Djoos, Washington Capitals – Team: $800K, Player: $1.9MM
Awarded: One year, $1.25MM AAV
July 23:
Evan Rodrigues, Buffalo Sabres – Team: $1.5MM, Player: $2.65MM
Awarded: One year, $2.0MM AAV
July 24:
Oskar Sundqvist, St. Louis Blues
Settled: Four years, $2.75MM AAV
Neal Pionk, Winnipeg Jets
Settled: Two years, $3.0MM AAV
July 26:
Colton Sissons, Nashville Predators
Settled: Seven years, $2.86MM AAV
July 27:
Sam Bennett, Calgary Flames
Settled: Two years, $2.55MM AAV
July 28:
Mirco Mueller, New Jersey Devils
Settled: One year, $1.4MM AAV
July 29:
David Rittich, Calgary Flames
Settled: Two years, $2.75MM AAV
Pavel Buchnevich, New York Rangers
Settled: Two years, $3.25MM AAV
August 1:
Remi Elie, Buffalo Sabres
Settled: One year, two-way $700K AAV
Chandler Stephenson, Washington Capitals
Settled: One year, $1.05MM
August 2:
Linus Ullmark, Buffalo Sabres – Team: $800K, Player: $2.65MM
Settled: One year, $1.33MM
Will Butcher, New Jersey Devils
Settled: Three years, $3.73MM AAV
August 4:
Jake McCabe, Buffalo Sabres – Team: 1.95MM, Player: $4.3MM
Settled: Two years, $2.85MM AAV
Anton Forsberg, Carolina Hurricanes – Team: $700K/$70K, Player: $833K
Awarded: One year, $775K AAV
Sheldon Dries, Colorado Avalanche
Settled: One year, two-way $735K AAV
Rocco Grimaldi, Nashville Predators – Team: $700K/$70K, Player $1.275MM
Awarded: One year, $1MM
Joel Edmundson, St. Louis Blues – Team: $2.3MM, Player $4.2MM
Awarded: One year, $3.1MM
Joel Edmundson Receives Arbitration Award
The arbitrator has decided on a contract for St. Louis Blues defenseman Joel Edmundson, awarding him a $3.1MM salary. Edmundson had filed for $4.2MM while the Blues were looking for $2.3MM. St. Louis GM Doug Armstrong released a short statement:
We are glad to have Joel under contract for next season. He is an important part of our defensive unit and we are looking forward to another successful year.
A one-year award of this amount is not ideal for the Blues. Although the $3.1MM salary is a favorable result for the Blues based on the midpoint in the case, it nevertheless pushes them even closer to the salary cap ceiling with Ivan Barbashev still to sign. More importantly, it also will take Edmundson right to unrestricted free agency next summer. The 26-year old has become a key part of the St. Louis defense corps over the years, averaging 20 minutes a game for the past two seasons. Though obviously not a big point producer—Edmundson’s best season saw him record 17—he plays a big role on the penalty kill and is a versatile partner often lining up beside one of the Alex Pietrangelo or Colton Parayko and letting them take a few more risks.
The question now will be whether the team feels he’s valuable enough to re-sign to what will likely be an expensive free agent deal. Pietrangelo and Brayden Schenn are also scheduled to become unrestricted free agents after this season, while Jaden Schwartz and Jordan Binnington will follow in 2021. That is a lot of dough to hand out in a short period of time if the team wants to bring the whole gang back, something that simply might not be possible.
The other thing to consider when it comes to Edmundson is Armstrong’s history with expiring contracts. Even while the Blues were fighting for playoff spots the GM moved on from key players like Kevin Shattenkirk and Paul Stastny in the past, using them instead to reload the organization with young talent instead of overpaying them to stay. Even with the success of the Stanley Cup victory one has to wonder if Armstrong will change his spots, or if a player like Edmundson will be a potential trade piece in six months.
Carolina Hurricanes, San Jose Sharks Complete Minor Trade
The Carolina Hurricanes have sent defenseman Trevor Carrick to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for defenseman Kyle Wood. Neither player has substantial NHL experience but will get a new start with a fresh organization. Hurricanes GM Don Waddell released a short statement on why he went after Wood:
Kyle is a big, puck-moving defenseman. He’s a couple years younger than Trevor, and will have time to continue to develop on Charlotte’s blueline. We thank Trevor for his contributions to our organization and wish him the best in San Jose.
The Sharks have also immediately agreed to a two-year, two-way contract with Carrick, who was a restricted free agent. The 25-year old defenseman will be a Group VI unrestricted free agent after the deal expires unless he plays in another 76 NHL games during that time. Selected in the fourth round in 2012, Carrick has suited up four times over the years for the Hurricanes but is still without a point at the NHL level. Instead he has spent most of his time in the minor leagues with the Charlotte Checkers as a dominant offensive force from the back end. In 376 AHL contests, Carrick has recorded 200 points.
It will be interesting to see if he gets that NHL opportunity in San Jose. He certainly wasn’t going to get it at this point in Carolina as names like Haydn Fleury and Jake Bean are still fighting for full-time roles. The Hurricanes have such a deep and young group that there was likely no way for Carrick to climb the depth chart, leaving him toiling in the minor leagues even as one of the most effective puck-movers in the AHL. The Sharks have a much different looking defense group, headlined by several older players and filled out by veterans on short-term deals.
Wood meanwhile has to join that Hurricanes depth chart and will now be trying to crack the NHL in his fourth organization. Originally selected by the Colorado Avalanche in 2014, Wood has already been traded three times. First the Avalanche sent him to the Arizona Coyotes as part of the Mikkel Boedker package, then he was flipped to San Jose last year for Adam Helewka. The 23-year old has been a good player in the minor leagues, racking up points even as a 6’5″ defenseman, but it’ll be a tough hill to climb to make any impact for the Hurricanes.