Arizona Coyotes Re-Sign Ilya Lyubushkin
The Arizona Coyotes have re-signed Ilya Lyubushkin to a one-year contract, avoiding restricted free agent with the young defenseman. Signed out of Russia in 2018, Lyubushkin was limited to a one-year entry-level contract that was set to expire at the end of the month. The team did not disclose the salary of the new contract, but GM John Chayka did release a statement on the deal:
We are pleased to re-sign Ilya. He was a solid addition to our team last year and provided us with depth and a physical presence on our blueline. We look forward to having him on our roster this season.
The 25-year old defenseman ended up playing in 41 games for the Coyotes and immediately made his presence felt with an eye-popping physical style. Recording 150 hits and 61 blocked shots despite averaging fewer than 14 minutes a night, he played his way into this contract extension by providing something that is relatively hard to find in today’s NHL. In fact, only Oliver Ekman-Larsson recorded more hits among the Coyotes defense and he played in 40 more games than Lyubushkin. That physicality won’t guarantee him a starting spot in the top-six, but it will certainly put him in the NHL for at least one more season.
There isn’t a lot of offensive upside in Lybushkin, as his career high even in the KHL was 11 points in a single season. Impressively though he took only four minor penalties all season, a remarkable feat for such a physical defenseman.
Tampa Bay Lightning Trade Connor Ingram
The Tampa Bay Lightning have traded prospect Connor Ingram to the Nashville Predators in exchange for a seventh round pick in 2021. Ingram has one year remaining on his entry-level contract.
It’s been a very odd year for the 22-year old goaltender, as Ingram was sent down to the ECHL almost immediately after being named an AHL All-Star. Little was explained about the decision, but Ingram spent the rest of the season with the Orlando Solar Bears. In his 22 appearances at the AHL level, Ingram recorded a 14-7 record and posted a .922 save percentage. In a bizarre situation, the trade was actually listed on NHL.com’s trade tracker before either Ingram or his agent were notified, according to Joe Smith of The Athletic.
Originally selected in the third round of the 2016 draft, Ingram was a top goaltending prospect that had competed for Canada internationally and dominated the WHL. He actually stepped into professional hockey in 2017 with no trouble, posting a 20-11 record for Syracuse in his rookie year. That kind of production is exactly what the Predators are hoping for, though obviously whatever came between him and the Lightning organization will have to be resolved if he wants to flourish with his new team.
Minnesota Wild Hope To Extend Jared Spurgeon
Of all names in trade speculation coming out regarding the Minnesota Wild, Jared Spurgeon‘s was perhaps the most surprising. While the 29-year old defenseman has just one year remaining on his current contract, he is also one of the most consistent two-way defensemen in the league and is coming off a career-high 43 points for the Wild. Spurgeon was forced to carry more of the offensive load after Matthew Dumba went down with injury, and ended up averaging more than 24 minutes a night for the third consecutive season. That kind of player is extremely hard to come by, which made it curious why his name was coming up in any speculation. Wild GM Paul Fenton put an end to that today while speaking to reporters including Michael Russo of The Athletic, indicating that he does not plan on trading Spurgeon and instead wants to sign him to an extension.
The Wild have made their fair share of trades over the last few months as Fenton tries to put his signature on the club, but trading Spurgeon may be the limit he’s unwilling to cross. After sending Nino Niederreiter, Charlie Coyle and Mikael Granlund packing in three separate trades, Jason Zucker has also been included in talks and is expected to be dealt at some point. Part of the rationale behind those moves was clearing long-term salary off the books, probably in order to do something like extend Spurgeon. Minnesota is still hamstrung by the massive contracts of Ryan Suter and Zach Parise—even if both are still fine players—and already have multi-year commitments to several other players.
It’s not just Spurgeon who will need a new deal soon however, as fellow defenseman Jonas Brodin will be looking for a raise after his current deal ends in 2021. Kevin Fiala and Joel Eriksson Ek are already restricted free agents this summer, and a decision will have to be made at some point down the road on Devan Dubnyk‘s future. Locking up Spurgeon to a long-term deal certainly keeps around a great player, but also makes everything a little tighter in terms of cap dollars available. Any extension will likely represent a big increase on the $5.19MM cap hit he carries currently, and may even push Suter and Parise for the team’s most expensive contract.
Montreal Canadiens Agree To Terms With Gustav Olofsson
The Montreal Canadiens have agreed to terms with pending restricted free agent Gustav Olofsson on a one-year two-way deal. The contract will pay Olofsson $700K in the NHL level, and guarantee him at least $300K. The 24-year old defenseman will be a Group VI unrestricted free agent at the end of the deal if he fails to play in 24 NHL games this season.
Olofsson was acquired by the Canadiens last October, but ended up playing in just two AHL games all season thanks to a shoulder injury. That meant he wasn’t able to help Montreal as they dealt with injuries on the NHL club, and sent him into this offseason in uncertain territory. Apparently he did enough to impress the front office and will try to show he can be an asset to the organization in 2019-20.
Montreal now has just three more defensemen to make a decision on, as Jordie Benn (UFA), Mike Reilly (RFA) and Brett Lernout (RFA) are the only free agents remaining. Even before any big moves this summer the team has a good amount of depth on the blue line, though it could probably use an upgrade at the NHL level if the Canadiens want to return to the playoffs. Olofsson isn’t that just yet, but don’t be surprised if he gets an opportunity to show he belongs at the highest level.
Toronto Maple Leafs Shopping Garret Sparks
The Toronto Maple Leafs watched this postseason as past goaltenders suited up for other teams. Not only did they have to watch Tuukka Rask, a Maple Leafs’ draft pick, nearly take home the Stanley Cup with the Boston Bruins, but even Curtis McElhinney with the Carolina Hurricanes eight months after losing him on waivers. McElhinney was excellent for the Hurricanes all season when called upon while Garret Sparks, the goaltender that was kept instead, struggled at various times throughout the year. Sparks finished with just a .902 save percentage through 20 appearances, and now may be headed somewhere else. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic tweets that the Maple Leafs are “quietly” shopping Sparks in trade talks.
Sparks, 25, actually signed a one-year contract extension with the Maple Leafs just a few months ago, a deal that will pay him $750K next season. That kind of low cap hit is exactly what Toronto needs from their backup goaltender given how much they’re spending on the rest of the roster, but they also need some consistency in net behind Frederik Andersen. Andersen has started more games and faced more shots than any other netminder over the past three seasons, something that likely won’t change unless Sparks takes a necessary step forward or the Maple Leafs bring in a different option.
They can’t spend much more than that $750K however, given the incoming contracts for Mitch Marner, Kasperi Kapanen and Andreas Johnsson. Even if the team is able to rid themselves of Nikita Zaitsev and Patrick Marleau they will still be in a cap crunch where every dollar counts. There are several veteran options on the market this summer, but a rare few (if any) will be taking close to the league minimum.
There is also the situation behind Sparks for the Maple Leafs to worry about. Kasimir Kaskisuo likely pencils in as the third option on the depth chart, and the 25-year old has struggled at times in the AHL. Toronto does have Ian Scott and Joseph Woll in the system, but both are just about to start their professional careers and shouldn’t be relied on for anything at this point.
Morning Notes: Eriksson, Sabres, Afanasyev
Loui Eriksson has been at the center of trade speculation for the last few weeks, and his name came up again when agent J.P. Barry was on Sportsnet radio today. Barry explained that he will work with Vancouver Canucks GM Jim Benning on how to go about Eriksson’s future, and noted that “for a lot of hockey reasons, it might be better for Loui to play somewhere else.” These comments come after Eriksson spoke out last month about how he was being used and how he didn’t see eye to eye with head coach Travis Green.
The 33-year old was infamously part of a spending spree on July 1, 2016 that has resulted in some of the worst contracts around the league, and still has three years remaining on the deal he signed that day. Eriksson comes with a $6MM cap hit for those three years, and actually has a full no-trade clause for this season. That means he gets to have a say in where he plays in 2019-20, but it may be difficult to find a taker given he has scored just 32 total goals in his three seasons in Vancouver.
- The Buffalo Sabres announced they have hired Don Granato and Mike Bales as assistant coaches, adding them to Ralph Krueger‘s staff that also includes Steve Smith. Goaltending coach Bales recently parted ways with the Carolina Hurricanes and was immediately linked to the Sabres, given his history with Buffalo GM Jason Botterill from their time in Pittsburgh together. Granato meanwhile spent the last two seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks, but has plenty of head coaching experience in the USHL, ECHL and AHL.
- The Windsor Spitfires have convinced Egor Afanasyev to commit to the OHL next season, giving them another intriguing weapon to deploy up front. The 18-year old forward starred for the Muskegon Lumberjacks in the USHL last season scoring 62 points in 58 games and could very well find himself selected early in this month’s NHL Entry Draft. Afanasyev was ranked 16th among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting, and is an attractive mix of size and skill that could be snapped up by a team who believes in his ceiling. No matter what NHL team picks him, the 6’4″ forward will be part of an excellent junior program in Windsor and should be given every chance to develop.
New York Islanders Agree To Terms With Jordan Eberle
The New York Islanders have locked up another one of their pending free agent forwards, this time agreeing to terms with Jordan Eberle on a five-year contract. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports the deal comes with an average annual value of $5.5MM. CapFriendly provides the full breakdown:
- 2019-20: $5.25MM salary + $2.0MM signing bonus + full NTC
- 2020-21: $4.75MM salary + full NTC
- 2021-22: $7.0MM salary + 16-team NTC
- 2022-23: $4.75MM salary + 16-team NTC
- 2023-24: $ 3.75MM salary + 16-team NTC
Eberle, 29, has played two seasons with the Islanders since being traded by the Edmonton Oilers in the summer of 2017 . He was scheduled to be one of the top options in free agency this season even with his relatively down year, but will now be relied upon as a core piece of the Islanders moving forward. His $5.5MM cap hit is actually a slight drop from the six-year $36MM deal he had been playing under previously, but still puts him right behind Brock Nelson as the second highest-paid forward on the Islanders for the time being.
That kind of commitment comes even after Eberle struggled at times this season. With new head coach Barry Trotz installing a more rigid, defensive structure, Eberle’s offensive production dropped to just 19 goals and 37 points in 78 games. Some were questioning whether he could be the same impact forward he had shown in the past, but an impressive playoff run with nine points in eight games seems to have convinced the team he can. It’s not like he doesn’t have a solid resume, as Eberle had recorded at least 20 goals in each of the previous five seasons and reached a career high of 34 in 2011-12 with Edmonton. Still remembered for his World Junior heroics, the now-veteran forward has a knack for scoring important goals at opportune times.
This contract is interesting however, given the Islanders still have not announced an extension for captain Anders Lee. GM Lou Lamoriello has now handed out new expensive deals for Eberle and Nelson, the two pending free agent forwards who seemed more likely than Lee to hit the open market. The team still has more than enough cap space to make a deal with Lee—and goaltender Robin Lehner—work, but if they want to be aggressive on any of the other names in free agency they’ll have to be careful how much they commit.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Tampa Bay Lightning Re-Sign Cameron Gaunce
The Tampa Bay Lightning have re-signed minor league defenseman Cameron Gaunce to a one-year, two-way contract. Gaunce was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, but will stick around for another year.
Gaunce, 29, played 59 games for the Crunch this season and was their best offensive weapon on the blue line. Recording 46 points in 59 games he set new career highs in basically every category, and earned himself a chance to suit up with the Lightning twice. Even with that breakout season there is little reason to think that Gaunce will play a big role in Tampa Bay next season, instead likely heading to the AHL right away. He’ll have to clear waivers to do it, but he did that twice last season including just a few months ago.
Washington Capitals Trade Matt Niskanen
The Washington Capitals have cleared some much needed cap space, trading Matt Niskanen to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for Radko Gudas. The Flyers will be retaining 30% of Gudas’ remaining contract, which leaves Washington responsible for just $2.345MM for the 2019-20 season. Niskanen meanwhile has two years left on his deal which carries a $5.75MM cap hit.
This deal has plenty of layers to it, but the most obvious one for the Capitals is how it gives them more operating space this summer. The team is dealing with a very tight cap situation thanks to some big contracts they’ve handed out over the last few seasons, and are carrying a $1.15MM bonus overage as well. With new contracts needed for players like Jakub Vrana and Andre Burakovsky there was always someone that would be a cap casualty. If it had to happen, Niskanen was perhaps the most obvious choice given the acquisition of Nick Jensen last season and his subsequent extension. The Capitals can move Jensen—or Gudas, if they choose—into the top four for a much lower price tag.
While he may come with a reputation as a player who sometimes crosses the line, Gudas has also been relatively underrated throughout his career. The physical right-shot defenseman is an excellent player in his own end and can effectively get the puck out of the zone. His possession numbers have been strong for years, and he has tallied more than 20 points three times in his career despite never seeing consistent powerplay time. While he may not be as experienced or as effective as a healthy Niskanen, he’s certainly not just a throw in for the Capitals.
For the Flyers though, a move like this is to get an experienced reliable veteran to help guide their young blue line over the next two seasons. Niskanen has averaged more than 20 minutes a night for the last seven seasons and has taken on all kinds of different roles throughout his career. Sometimes a powerplay quarterback, sometimes a shutdown defender, the 32-year old will come to Philadelphia with something to prove after a down season. Niskanen recorded just 25 points in 80 games, his lowest total since the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season. The Flyers will hope that’s not the first sign of a rapid decline, as he’ll likely be asked to play a huge role for them in 2019-20.
PHR Live Chat Transcript: 06/13/19
Click here to read a transcript of this week’s live chat with PHR’s Gavin Lee.