Rule Changes For 2019-20 NHL Season
The NHL has introduced a number of rule changes for the 2019-20 season, approved by the Board of Governors and Competition Committee. The changes are meant to address several situations that occurred in the previous season and playoffs, while also improving safety and offensive opportunities. The rule changes are as follows:
Expansion of coach’s challenge:
Not only will teams be allowed to challenge for offside and goaltender interference, but now a third category has been added. Coaches can choose to challenge a goal that follows a play in the offensive zone that should have resulted in a play stoppage. This includes a puck hitting the netting above the glass, one that his touched with a high-stick, or hand passes. The challenge will only be allowed if the puck did not come out of the offensive zone between the missed call and goal.
Several instances led to a call for this, most notably the San Jose Sharks’ overtime winner in Game 3 of the Western Conference Final. A hand pass was missed that directly resulted in an Erik Karlsson goal.
Penalties for coach’s challenge:
The challenges are no longer limited by a team’s availability of a time out. Unsuccessful challenges now have escalating consequences, with the first resulting in a minor penalty and any subsequent unsuccessful challenge resulting in a double minor penalty. These consequences now apply to any of the three challenge categories: offside, goaltender interference or missed play stoppage.
Review of major/match penalty:
Referees are now required to conduct a mandatory on-ice video review for all non-fighting major or match penalties. The officials can either confirm the call or reduce it to a two-minute minor, however they are not allowed to rescind the penalty completely.
Cody Eakin’s five-minute penalty for cross-checking Joe Pavelski is likely the culprit for this change, as the San Jose Sharks ended up scoring four times on the ensuing powerplay to take a lead in Game 7 of their first round series.
Referees can also conduct an on-ice video review of double minor high-sticking penalties to determine whether it was actually the correct stick being penalized. These are not mandatory.
Helmets:
A player who loses his helmet in the course of play must either exit the playing surface or retrieve and replace the helmet immediately. Not doing so will result in a minor penalty.
Line changes for defensive team:
The defensive team can no longer complete a line change when their goaltender freezes the puck on any shot from outside the center red line. The defensive team may also not complete a line change if one of their players unintentionally dislodges the net from its moorings.
Face-offs:
Following an icing that coincides with the beginning of a powerplay, the offensive team chooses which face-off dot to use. Any puck that goes out of bounds in the attacking zone will result in a face-off in that zone, regardless of which team was responsible.
Awarded goal:
If a goaltender deliberately dislodges the net from its moorings on a breakaway, a goal is awarded to the attacking team.
Morning Notes: Perry, Marleau, Senators
After being bought out earlier this week, former Anaheim Ducks superstar Corey Perry now has his choice of landing spot for the 2019-20 season. Though he may not be worth the $8.625MM cap hit he carried for Anaheim, there will likely be teams willing to bet on his history as a perennial 30+ goal scorer and give him a short-term deal. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (subscription required) reports that several have already shown interest, and links the Nashville Predators and Chicago Blackhawks to the veteran forward.
Perry is actually eligible for a one-year bonus-laden contract despite being only 34, thanks to his injury from last season. That could be a perfect way to mitigate risk for an acquiring team while providing Perry with an opportunity to make back some of the money he lost from the buyout.
- Patrick Marleau seemed destined for a new team just a few weeks ago, but Toronto Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas told reporters yesterday that there is a “strong chance” the veteran remains for at least the start of the season. The Maple Leafs could desperately use the cap space a Marleau trade would create, but are obviously limited by his full no-movement clause. Marleau is due a $3MM signing bonus this season, but Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reported last month that it is paid out in two installments—July and December. It is expected that the forward only wants to return to California, where his family has returned to their San Jose home.
- The Ottawa Senators could be a landing spot for several veterans on expensive deals, as Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia writes that five or six teams have spoken with GM Pierre Dorion about sending bad contracts the the Canadian capital. With the Senators embracing their rebuild with an extremely low salary base, the team could welcome expensive veterans along with a “sweetener” in order to provide some leadership for their young group while also adding to the future. Ottawa currently projects to have just $48.5MM in commitments to next season.
Anaheim Ducks Re-Sign Three Players
6:07pm: Miller’s deal checks in a little higher than anticipated. Eric Stephens of The Athletic reports the contract is worth $1.125MM.
5:40pm: The Ducks have made all three contracts official. Each player has been signed for one year.
9:53am: The Anaheim Ducks cleared a fair amount of cap space yesterday when they waved goodbye to one of their franchise icons in Corey Perry, and are now hard at work filling out their depth chart for next season. Elliott Teaford of the Orange County Register reports that the team is expected to announce new deals for Ryan Miller, Derek Grant and Korbinian Holzer today. Miller’s deal is expected to be a one-year, $1MM contract to keep him in net behind John Gibson.
You basically can’t ask for a better backup goaltender than the 38-year old Miller, who has a .921 save percentage over his two years with the Ducks while making just $2MM per season to this point. That salary will actually be cut in half in order for the veteran to stay in California, the only place he wanted to be given his wife Noureen DeWulf’s acting career. While he hasn’t been the absolute picture of health, Miller doesn’t need to play a ton to be effective behind a workhorse like Gibson. Now just 12 away from 400 for his career, the American-born goaltender will likely eventually be in the Hall of Fame as he now sits 16th all-time in wins.
Grant, 29, hasn’t had quite the same Hall of Fame career, but is still a valuable depth piece for the Ducks. The center ended up playing 31 games for them after a trade from the Pittsburgh Penguins and will serve as a veteran option down the middle as they transition to a new forward group. With Ryan Kesler, Corey Perry and Patrick Eaves all out of the way, the Ducks will have plenty of youngsters in the line up every night.
Holzer, 31, has been that depth player for the Ducks for several years now. Never playing in more than 32 games in a single season for the club, the defenseman has nevertheless been an important part of the puzzle for the team as an injury replacement. He suited up 22 times in 2018-19 recording four points, and could very well serve as the seventh or eighth defenseman on the roster once again in 2019-20.
PHR Live Chat Transcript: 06/20/19
Click here to read a transcript of this week’s live chat with PHR’s Gavin Lee.
Snapshots: Barrie, Spurgeon, Senators
The Colorado Avalanche are in the enviable position of having two first-round picks this year despite making the playoffs, and one of those selections is fourth overall. The team very well could be adding top defensive prospect Bowen Byram with that spot, giving them quite the young core on the blue line along with Samuel Girard and Cale Makar. That inevitably would lead to some speculating that the Avalanche will be looking to trade another defenseman, and A.J. Haefele of BSN Denver today tweeted that he believes Tyson Barrie is “in play.”
Haefele doesn’t mention the Byram connection, and perhaps that has nothing to do with it given Barrie plays the right side. With Erik Johnson already entrenched as a leader on the team and signed long-term, Barrie might be the one to go in order to give Makar more minutes on that side and the powerplay. The 27-year old Barrie had another excellent offensive season, recording 14 goals and 59 points in 78 games.
- The Minnesota Wild have made sweeping changes to the core of their team since GM Paul Fenton took over, but one name they’re looking to keep is Jared Spurgeon. Michael Russo of The Athletic reports that Fenton and agent Eustace King met yesterday to begin talks on an extension, given the defenseman has just a single year remaining on his contract. Spurgeon is one of the game’s premiere two-way defensemen, recording solid offensive numbers while being a reliable shutdown option in his own end. Coming off a career-high 43 points any extension will be an expensive one, and likely include a substantial raise over the $5.19MM cap hit he currently carries.
- Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia reports that the Ottawa Senators have issued qualifying offers to Cody Ceci, Christian Wolanin, Nick Paul, Colin White and Jack Rodewald, though all were expected. Ceci is still just 25 years old despite having played six seasons in the league, and is one of the more interesting players to watch on the Senators roster. He is a restricted free agent but could potentially settle for a one-year contract through arbitration and walk right into unrestricted free agency next season. His qualifying offer is $4.3MM, already a hefty contract for the Senators to swallow.
Ryan Callahan Diagnosed With Degenerative Disc Disease
The Tampa Bay Lightning do not have to trade Ryan Callahan anymore. The team has placed the veteran forward on long-term injured reserve with degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine. He is not expected to play professional hockey again. Tampa Bay GM Julien Brisebois put out a statement through team reporter Caley Chelios:
He’s such a proud competitor, such a fierce competitor. I know he was planning to not only play out this contract, but sign another contract after that. We had multiple conversations in the second half of the season about his future, so that was very sad news for him.
Callahan, 34, was heading into the final year of his current contract that carries a $5.8MM cap hit, but held a no-movement clause and partial no-trade clause. Even with that trade protection he seemed destined to be moved this summer to clear room for the Lightning to sign a group of restricted free agents including Brayden Point. That won’t be happening anymore, as instead the team will use the added flexibility created from placing him on LTIR (far from a perfect solution, as CapFriendly details here). Callahan will still earn the $4.7MM left on his deal, though likely part or all of it will be paid out by insurance.
He won’t retire until his contract is officially over, but this marks the end of an exceptional career for Callahan. Not known as an exceptional talent in junior, Callahan dropped to the fourth round in 2004 where the New York Rangers picked him 127th overall. His hard-nosed style and work ethic was enough to get him selected, and he would eventually grow into a dominant offensive piece for the Guelph Storm. Upon graduating to the AHL, Callahan’s game translated perfectly to the professional scene and he recorded an outstanding rookie season with the Hartford Wolf Pack, scoring 35 goals and 55 points in just 60 games.
Eleven more AHL games the next season and that was it for the scrappy forward, who joined the Rangers and quickly became a huge part of their core. In his first full season in the NHL he recorded 22 goals and was an alternate captain by 2009. Taking home a silver medal in the 2010 Olympics, Callahan would suit up again for Team USA in 2014. As captain of the Rangers he was dealt to the Lightning that year, where he has been ever since.
386 points, 428 penalty minutes and 757 games played will be Callahan’s regular season totals, a career defined by the willingness to do anything to win. Unfortunately he never did get to raise the Stanley Cup, despite 121 playoff games to his name.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Mrazek, McElhinney Not Expected To Re-Sign In Carolina
Thursday: Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic tweets that the Edmonton Oilers have asked the Hurricanes about acquiring Mrazek’s rights, but Carolina is still trying to sign the goaltender if possible. Oilers’ GM Ken Holland has been clear over the past few weeks that he is looking for another goaltender to help Mikko Koskinen next season.
Wednesday: At the end of the Carolina Hurricanes’ impressive playoff run, GM Don Waddell expressed an interest in bringing back his goaltending tandem. Both Petr Mrazek and Curtis McElhinney played well for the Hurricanes when few believed in them, and set themselves up for new contracts this summer. Unfortunately, those contracts may not come in Carolina. Waddell spoke with Tom Gulitti of NHL.com and explained that both goaltenders may hit the open market in a few weeks:
We’re trying to sign them, but it doesn’t look like we’re going to get either signed. So, if not, we’ll go to the market and see what’s out there for July 1.
Sometimes guys test the market and then you find where we’re at. We’d like to have both guys back. I’ve publicly said that. But right now, we don’t have deals done with them.
Mrazek, 27, was the lead dog for Carolina this season after seeing his career crumble in Detroit and Philadelphia the last few seasons. He turned things around dramatically for the Hurricanes, posting a .914 save percentage in 40 games. He was the starter when the playoffs opened and helped Carolina all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals, but eventually struggled to keep up with his Boston counterpart. Earning just $1.5MM on a one-year deal last season, Mrazek is likely looking for a multi-year pact to give him some stability.
McElhinney, 35, is in a different situation entirely. A career backup, he was snapped up by Carolina off waivers from the Toronto Maple Leafs before the season but made a positive impact on the Hurricanes. Through 33 appearances he posted a .912 save percentage, and was actually excellent in his short playoff stint. Still, it would be difficult for any team to commit to him for anything longer than a year, given that his contract will be of the 35+ variety. Interestingly, that would make McElhinney eligible for a bonus-laden deal, which could be a way for him to guarantee a raise if he ends up playing in a large amount of games once again.
There are several interesting options on the free agent market this season, though some may be re-signed before July 1 rolls around. Currently Sergei Bobrovsky, Robin Lehner and Semyon Varlamov are all scheduled to become unrestricted free agents, while other names like James Reimer have been tossed around as trade options. It’s important to note the Hurricanes still have Scott Darling under contract for another two years, and 23-year old Alex Nedeljkovic coming off an outstanding season in the AHL.
Jordie Benn To Test Free Agency
Jordie Benn set career highs in nearly every category this season, but it won’t be enough to earn him another contract with the Montreal Canadiens. The veteran defenseman will test unrestricted free agency, Canadiens’ GM Marc Bergevin told reporters including Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports. Bergevin also confirmed to Eric Engels of Sportsnet that Michael McCarron was qualified, and that he hasn’t made a final decision on whether he’ll use a buyout.
Benn, 31, played in 81 games for the first time in his career and recorded five goals and 22 points for the Canadiens. The versatile defender led the team in blocked shots and logged the most short-handed time—Shea Weber averaged just two seconds more per game on the penalty kill, but suited up just 58 times. In 473 career games, Benn now has 110 points could actually be considered one of the more attractive options on the open market this season. Since Erik Karlsson, Alexander Edler and others have re-signed, the blue line free agent depth is looking extremely thin. Benn’s 22 points puts him behind only Tyler Myers, Jake Gardiner, Niklas Kronwall and Ron Hainsey among UFA defensemen.
The left-handed defenseman is coming off a three-year deal signed in 2016 that paid him just $1.1MM per season, something he will likely be able to significantly eclipse on the open market this summer. Probably his best chance for a real career-defining contract, it will be interesting to see who goes after Benn and whether or not the Dallas Stars show any desire to reunite him with his brother Jamie Benn.
Coaching Notes: Playfair, Barnes, Schubert
The Edmonton Oilers have hired an associate coach to join Dave Tippett‘s staff, bringing Jim Playfair on board. The former defenseman was actually a first-round selection of the Oilers back in 1982, but ended up playing just two of his 21 career NHL games with the organization. After his retirement as a player in 1992, Playfair jumped into the coaching ranks and found success in the ECHL, AHL and NHL. He last worked in the league under Tippett in Arizona in 2016-17.
More coaching notes:
- The Dallas Stars have not renewed the contract of Stu Barnes according to Sean Shapiro of The Athletic. Barnes will not be part of the coaching staff next season, after serving as an assistant the last two seasons. Barnes had a long career in the NHL including several years with the Stars, and has two different stints coaching for the team. It’s unclear whether head coach Jim Montgomery will bring someone else in, after recently adding John Stevens to the staff.
- Former NHL defenseman Christoph Schubert has announced his retirement, and will join the coaching ranks now that his playing career is over. The German Olympian was forced out due to a shoulder injury but had already become something of a player-coach with the Hamburg third division team. Schubert played more than 300 games in the NHL for the Ottawa Senators and Atlanta Thrashers, and was an international staple for Germany for many years.
Toronto Maple Leafs Listening On Kapanen, Kadri
The Toronto Maple Leafs have dominated headlines as the draft approaches because of their ongoing negotiations with top restricted free agent Mitch Marner, but might be making news of another kind in the coming days. Darren Dreger of TSN reports that the Maple Leafs are “bracing for activity” and will listen to trade offers for both Kasperi Kapanen and Nazem Kadri. Dreger also lists Connor Brown as a possible trade candidate.
Kapanen, 22, has already been traded once in his young career, flipped to the Maple Leafs as a key part of the Phil Kessel deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2015. Though he’d flirted with NHL playing time over the last several seasons, Kapanen broke out as a regular with the Maple Leafs in 2018-19, scoring 20 goals and 44 points in 78 games. Often strapped to Auston Matthews‘ wing, Kapanen took advantage of the situation Toronto found themselves in without William Nylander to start the season and proved he could be a top-six player in the NHL even at a young age.
Scheduled to hit restricted free agency for the first time, the speedster isn’t yet eligible for salary arbitration but should still earn a healthy raise. That poses a problem for Toronto who are still waiting to see where Marner’s deal will leave them in terms of cap space for next season. With news that the cap ceiling may not be as high as originally thought, there’s good reason for the Maple Leafs to listen on potential trade offers, and Dreger notes that they are looking for a defenseman in return for the young winger. In fact, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic tweets that Toronto recently spoke with the Carolina Hurricanes about a deal that would have seen Kapanen and Brown exchanged for Brett Pesce. LeBrun isn’t the first person to indicate that Carolina isn’t willing to move Pesce at the moment however.
Kadri meanwhile is in a different situation, as he is one of the few bargains the Maple Leafs have on the roster currently. Now a third-line center thanks to the acquisition of John Tavares, the 28-year old is a two-time 30-goal scorer and carries just a $4.5MM cap hit for three more seasons. His contract is relatively inexpensive for his skill level but after seeing his goal total drop to just 16 in 2018-19 and earning a playoff suspension for the second consecutive season, his name has been in trade rumors for weeks. Dreger notes that the Maple Leafs would want a center back in any Kadri deal.