Brian Elliott Re-Signs With Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers have decided to bring back one of their veteran goaltenders, inking Brian Elliott to a one-year contract extension. The deal will carry a cap hit of $2MM. GM Chuck Fletcher explained the signing:
Brian has played well for us the last two seasons. He is a proven, quality goaltender who competes and battles hard every time he has the net. We are excited to have him rejoin our team.
Elliott, 34, was one of three Philadelphia goaltenders set to hit unrestricted free agency along with Michal Neuvirth and Cam Talbot, but will instead be the one that gets to work with Carter Hart next year in the Flyers’ net. The veteran netminder has been both sides of outstanding and terrible throughout his career, posting save percentages as low as .893 (55 games in 2010-11) and as high as .940 (38 games in 2011-12). That kind of inconsistency isn’t exactly what you’re looking for from a backup, but after posting decent results over his two years in Philadelphia the team will welcome him back for a reasonable price.
Make no mistake, even with Elliott’s long career history the Flyers are about to be Hart’s team. The 20-year old posted a .917 through his 31 appearances as a rookie this season and looks poised to become one of the NHL’s young goaltending stars before long. Philadelphia is insulating their young netminder with some experience though, as Elliott and Alex Lyon are both now under contract for next season and can carry some of the load if needed.
Amazingly, Hart isn’t the only young goaltender on his way for the Flyers. The team also has 20-year old Kirill Ustimenko and 22-year old Felix Sandstrom developing at their own pace, both third-round picks that have considerable upside. While they may not be ready by the time Elliott’s one-year contract is complete, it’s easy to understand why the team wouldn’t want to lock in any veterans for a multi-year term.
Elliott’s re-signing will change the goaltending landscape in free agency however, given that he was a potential option for other teams looking at bringing in some experience. In fact it may actually help his former teammates in Neuvirth and Talbot, who are both trying to recapture some of their past success and now have one fewer rival to deal with on the open market.
Market Materializing For Corey Perry
The Anaheim Ducks said farewell to a franchise icon earlier this month when they bought out the remaining years of Corey Perry‘s contract, making him an unrestricted free agent headed for the open market. The veteran forward is determined to return to a competitive level after failing to record 20 goals in each of the last three seasons, and it appears as though he’ll have more than enough opportunity. There was already reporting that linked Perry to the Nashville Predators and Chicago Blackhawks, but now Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet indicates that the Montreal Canadiens, Pittsburgh Penguins and Dallas Stars are among those on his radar.
The Stars have also been linked to another veteran from the Pacific Division in Joe Pavelski, and as Friedman puts it they are “determined to add scorers.” That would certainly describe Perry, as the 34-year old has 372 goals including six seasons of at least 30. The question is can Perry still be that kind of player, dangerous on the powerplay and effective at even-strength. Dallas already watched the rapid decline of a former star over the last few years as Jason Spezza‘s career wound down.
Montreal meanwhile seems to be poking around most free agent, though they won’t be able to bring in everyone. The team has almost $9MM in cap space right now but needs to sign a few restricted free agents and think about the extensions that Max Domi and Victor Mete will be after next summer. If they plan on bringing in some help on the blue line a deal for Perry would have to be relatively inexpensive.
That’s exactly what might happen with the former Duck, as Perry is actually eligible for a performance bonus-laden deal if he settles for a one-year contract. Despite not being 35 yet he qualifies because of the number of days he spent on injured reserve last season. That could be the perfect answer for teams like Montreal or Pittsburgh who may not want to sacrifice much cap space to the former Hart trophy winner.
Arizona Coyotes Hire Phil Housley
The Arizona Coyotes have brought in another experienced coach, signing Phil Housley to a multi-year contract to serve under head coach Rick Tocchet. Housley was most recently the head coach of the Buffalo Sabres but lost that job after another disappointing year. GM John Chayka released a statement about the hire:
Phil is a great addition to our coaching staff. His experience as a player, combined with his success overseeing defensive units, make him a perfect fit for this job. We’re all excited to work with him and leverage his knowledge of the game to make us better.
Despite his unsuccessful run with the Sabres, Housley is still regarded as an excellent defensive coach from his time with the Nashville Predators. That is the same role he will serve in Arizona, and there is certainly plenty of talent to work with. The Coyotes have a solid veteran group on the blue line including Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Alex Goligoski, Niklas Hjalmarsson and Jason Demers, with a young talent emerging in Jakob Chychrun.
Arizona already allowed the sixth-fewest goals in the NHL last season, though a huge part of that was due to the exceptional goaltending they received. If Housley can improve the blue line even more—and perhaps even pass on a few tricks that got him to 1,232 career points from the back end—there is no reason to believe the Coyotes won’t compete for a spot in the playoffs in 2020.
Montreal Canadiens Re-Sign Mike Reilly
The Montreal Canadiens issued a qualifying offer to defenseman Mike Reilly yesterday, but he won’t need it. The two sides have agreed to terms on a two-year contract that will carry a $1.5MM average annual value. Reilly will be an unrestricted free agent at the conclusion of the deal.
If you were to start a conversation about last season’s Montreal blue line names like Shea Weber, Jeff Petry and Victor Mete would obviously come up first. Perhaps a mention of Jordie Benn‘s career year, or Karl Alzner‘s rapid decline. Eventually though you might get to Reilly, who quietly established himself as a full-time NHL option by playing in 57 games and more than holding his own. The 25-year old defenseman had just 11 points, but averaged nearly 19 minutes a night—easily the highest number of his career.
This contract is a reward for that performance, but also one that gives Reilly an even bigger opportunity. He will have the chance to set himself up for a much more lucrative deal in free agency two years from now if he can continue to grow and develop his game at both ends of the rink. A quiet contributor is exactly what many teams are looking for to lengthen out their defense corps, a purpose Reilly will serve once again this season behind the more well known names listed above.
Arriving in Montreal in exchange for a fifth-round pick, the young defenseman has been one of the many shrewd moves Montreal GM Marc Bergevin has made over the last several seasons to add some depth to his club. The Canadiens now have six defensemen signed to one-way contracts for 2019-20, plus Mete and Noah Juulsen still on their entry-level deals.
List Of Players Not Receiving A 2019 Qualifying Offer
The deadline to issue a qualifying offer to pending restricted free agents comes down at 4pm today, making any player who has not received one eligible to become an unrestricted free agent. It does not stop them from re-signing with the team for a different amount. Below are the players who will not be issued a qualifying offer:
Anaheim Ducks
D Jake Dotchin, D Trevor Murphy, D Keaton Thompson
Arizona Coyotes
G Hunter Miska, F Nick Cousins, F Josh Archibald
Boston Bruins
Buffalo Sabres
F Eric Cornel, D Jack Dougherty, D Brycen Martin, F Sean Malone* (Signed to AHL deal)
Calgary Flames
F Curtis Lazar, F Brett Pollock, F Kerby Rychel, D Josh Healey, G Mason McDonald
Carolina Hurricanes
Chicago Blackhawks
D Blake Hillman, F Anthony Louis, F Spencer Watson, F Luke Johnson, F David Kampf
Colorado Avalanche
F Sven Andrighetto, G Spencer Martin, D Sergei Boikov, D Mason Geertsen, F Julien Nantel
Columbus Blue Jackets
Dallas Stars
F Brett Ritchie, F Ryan Hartman, D Chris Martenet, G Philippe Desrosiers
Detroit Red Wings
F Martin Frk, F Axel Holmstrom, F Dylan Sadowy, D Libor Sulak
Edmonton Oilers
F Tobias Rieder, F Ty Rattie, F Colin Larkin, F Tyler Vesel, D Robin Norell
Florida Panthers
F Vincent Praplan, F Henrik Haapala, D Michael Downing, D Ludwig Bystrom
Los Angeles Kings
F Nikita Scherbak, F Brendan Leipsic, F Matheson Iacopelli, F Pavel Jenys, D Alex Lintuniemi
Minnesota Wild
F Pontus Aberg, F Chase Lang, F Dante Salituro, D Michael Kapla
Montreal Canadiens
F Hunter Shinkaruk, F Daniel Audette, D Brett Lernout
Nashville Predators
F Phillip Di Giuseppe, F Justin Kirkland
New Jersey Devils
F Stefan Noesen, D Ryan Murphy, G Cam Johnson
New York Islanders
New York Rangers
D Julius Bergman, D Fredrik Claesson, D Chris Bigras, G Chris Nell, G Brandon Halverson
Ottawa Senators
Philadelphia Flyers
F Justin Bailey, D Jacob Graves
Pittsburgh Penguins
San Jose Sharks
D Joakim Ryan, F Rourke Chartier, F Jon Martin, F Alex Schoenborn, D Michael Brodzinski, D Cody Donaghey, D Cavan Fitzgerald
St. Louis Blues
F Nikita Soshnikov, F Conner Bleackley
Tampa Bay Lightning
Toronto Maple Leafs
F Nicholas Baptiste, F Gabriel Gagne, D Jordan Subban, G Eamon McAdam
Vancouver Canucks
F Brendan Gaunce, F Markus Granlund, F Yan-Pavel LaPlante, D Derrick Pouliot, D Ben Hutton
Vegas Golden Knights
F Tomas Nosek, F Alex Gallant, F Tobias Lindberg, F Tomas Hyka, G Zach Fucale
Washington Capitals
F Dmitrij Jaskin, F Mason Mitchell, F Hampus Gustafsson, F Mathias Bau-Hansen
Winnipeg Jets
F Marko Dano, D Joseph Morrow, D Nathan Beaulieu, D Jimmy Oligny, G Ken Appleby
Vladimir Tarasenko Undergoes Arthroscopic Knee Surgery
The St. Louis Blues have announced another surgical procedure, this time indicating that Vladimir Tarasenko underwent arthroscopic knee surgery today. He will be re-evaluated in four weeks. He joins Robert Thomas on the shelf with an injury, though both have not been ruled out for the start of training camp in September.
Tarasenko, 27, looked like his stay as one of the top snipers in the NHL was finished when he scored just 12 goals through the first half of the 2018-19 season, but like the rest of the Blues turned it around in the second half. Finishing with 33 goals—the fifth consecutive season he has cracked the 30-goal mark—Tarasenko rode a hot stick into the playoffs and posted another 11 postseason tallies, only trailing Jaden Schwartz‘ 12 for the team lead. That silenced any trade talks that may have popped up in the first part of the year, and put him back on line to be a huge contributor for the Blues going forward.
In fact, Tarasenko represents one of only two players in the entire St. Louis organization that is signed for at least four more seasons, making him and Ryan O’Reilly the core the team must continue to build around. This summer will be a very interesting one for the Stanley Cup champions, who are looking at several restricted free agent negotiations—including rookie phenom Jordan Binnington—as well as potential extension talks with Alex Pietrangelo and Brayden Schenn. If the team wants to keep this group together they have some serious work to do, once of course the partying stops.
Wayne Simmonds Drawing Interest As Free Agency Nears
Things didn’t work out for Wayne Simmonds last season. After recording just 27 points through his first 62 games for the Philadelphia Flyers, he was flipped to the Nashville Predators at the deadline and absolutely fell off a cliff. In 17 games for the Predators, Simmonds recorded just three points and was demoted to the fourth line. He suited up for only two of the team’s playoff games, meaning it came as little surprise when GM David Poile announced they would not be bringing him back. That doesn’t mean there won’t be interest in him as a free agent though, as Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (subscription required) reports in his newest column.
LeBrun suggests that the Montreal Canadiens and Minnesota Wild are both among “about a dozen” teams that have reached out to Simmonds and agent Eustace King, who are expected to conduct negotiations over the phone instead of visiting with teams. The 30-year old forward is coming off a six-year deal signed back in 2012 with the Philadelphia Flyers that carried an average annual value of $3.975MM and was once considered one of the biggest bargains in the league.
He could be that once again if his market is drastically reduced by his down year. Simmonds recorded between 24 and 32 goals in the six full seasons between 2011-2018, plus added 15 in the lockout-shortened 2012-13 year. That kind of consistency is exactly what every team is looking for out of a physical, net-front presence and if he can reclaim any of that ability he would be an asset to anyone. Unfortunately injuries have taken their toll on him throughout the years and it is unclear if he can ever get back to that point.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Eric Robinson Re-Signs With Columbus Blue Jackets
It didn’t take long for Eric Robinson to accept his qualifying offer to remain with the Columbus Blue Jackets. The pending RFA has re-signed with the team for the 2019-20 season on a one-year, two-way contract worth just over $874K at the NHL level.
Robinson, 24, signed with the Blue Jackets in 2018 after playing four years at Princeton University and made quite an impact in the organization this season. The 6’2″ winger recorded 24 points in 45 games with the Cleveland Monsters of the AHL and has now suited up 14 times for the Blue Jackets. Amazingly he was held completely off the score sheet in those 14 games, failing to record a point or penalty minute.
Despite that, the two-way winger could very well be in the team’s plans as a fourth-line option should they need him this year. He will be waiver exempt meaning he can start the year with the Monsters, but given the team may be losing at least three forwards in Artemi Panarin, Ryan Dzingel and Matt Duchene there will be opportunity to make the club in training camp.
2019 Hockey Hall Of Fame Inductees Announced
The 2019 Hockey Hall of Fame inductees are Hayley Wickenheiser, Vaclav Nedomansky, Sergei Zubov and Guy Carbonneau. Jim Rutherford and Jerry York will also be inducted in the builder category.
Wickenheiser, arguably the greatest women’s hockey player of all-time, was an absolute lock to get in this season after ending her playing career in 2017. Now working as the assistant director of player development with the Toronto Maple Leafs, she continues to break new ground for women in the sport. Joining the Canadian Women’s National Team when she was just 16, Wickenheiser is one of the most decorated athletes in the country’s history with 13 World Championship medals (seven gold) and five Olympic medals (four gold). She would also represent Canada at the 2000 Olympics in softball, showing off her prowess as a multi-sport athlete. A dominant, powerful offensive player, Wickenheiser is the first female player to play in a men’s professional league in a position other than goal. She was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in February.
Nedomansky may not be as well known to young hockey fans, but a decision he made in 1974 changed the North American game forever. The forward was the first player to defect from Czechoslovakia to play professional hockey here, suiting up first in the WHL before transitioning to the NHL. Not only was Nedomansky the first to accomplish the defection, he was also an excellent player in his own right and finished his short NHL career with 278 points in 421 games. He won eight World Championship medals and two Olympics medals, and was inducted to the IIHF Hall of Fame in 1997. He has been a scout in the NHL for nearly three decades, currently employed by the Vegas Golden Knights.
Carbonneau, one of the best defensive forwards of all-time, has waited a long time to receive this call. Retired in 2000, Carbonneau won three Stanley Cups in a career that spanned more than 1,300 games. Suiting up for the Montreal Canadiens for most of it, he served as captain for five years before moving on to the St. Louis Blues and Dallas Stars. A three-time Selke Trophy winner as the league’s best defensive forward, Carbonneau also recorded 645 regular season points and was considered an irreplaceable leader on the ice. That leadership took him right into a coaching career that included a stint as the head coach of the Canadiens.
Perhaps the most overlooked and underrated defenseman of his generation, Zubov will get in after a playing career that ended in 2010. A fifth-round pick of the New York Rangers in 1990, the elite playmaking defenseman would rack up points throughout his career and finish with 771 in 1,068 regular season games. Perhaps more impressive even than his point totals was the calming effect he had on any team he played on, soaking up tough minutes against the opposition’s best players every night. In the 1999-00 season with Dallas, Zubov averaged nearly 29 minutes a night in the regular season, jumping over the boards on basically every other shift. He received votes for the Norris trophy in 12 different seasons, but never finished higher than third. A two-time Stanley Cup champion, he is now the head coach of HC Sochi in the KHL.
Tomas Hyka, Brooks Macek Sign In KHL
June 25: Hyka’s two-year deal in the KHL is now official, and he’ll be joined overseas by Chicago Wolves teammate Brooks Macek.
May 27: While Tomas Hyka is busy dominating the AHL playoffs, he may have already made some future plans. Igor Eronko of Sport-Express reports that Hyka has agreed to terms with Traktor Chelyabinsk in the KHL, despite being just one win away from the Calder Cup Final with the Chicago Wolves. Hyka is scheduled to be a restricted free agent this summer after his one-year two-way contract expires.
If the report is true and Hyka leaves North America, it would be a blow to the Vegas Golden Knights who are going to need inexpensive contributors over the next several seasons. Hyka has only recorded seven points in his 27 games with the Golden Knights over the last two seasons, but is a near point-per-game performer in the minor leagues and has earned himself a bigger opportunity at the NHL level. Originally a sixth-round pick of the Los Angeles Kings in 2012, he never signed with the team and instead joined the Golden Knights as the organization’s third player after Reid Duke and Vadim Shipachyov.
The 26-year old Hyka has 14 points in 16 playoff games with the Wolves and could earn a berth in the Calder Cup Final with a win tonight. If he does join the KHL it would be his first stint in the Russian league, after playing previously in Sweden and his home of the Czech Republic. The Golden Knights can retain his exclusive rights temporarily by issuing him a qualifying offer.