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Off-Season To Date: Central Division

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The NHL has entered its seasonal lull where teams are done signing free agents and will wait until training camp to make roster moves. Each team’s additions and subtractions will most likely remain static until the season starts, so compiling moves runs little risk of changing in the coming days. We have already documented the off-season moves of teams in the Atlantic Division and Metropolitan Division, and now we take a quick look cross-conference at the Central Division.

Chicago Blackhawks

Key Additions: Jordin Tootoo, Brian Campbell
Key Departures: Andrew Ladd, Teuvo Teravainen, Bryan Bickell, Dale Weise, Tomas Fleischmann, Christian Ehrhoff, David Rundblad, Andrew Shaw
Unsigned RFAs: None
Cap Space: $2,490,705
Projected Roster Size: 22
Notes: Another year, another cap-constrained selloff for the Chicago Blackhawks. This summer they managed to find a taker for Bryan Bickell, but it cost them young prospect Teuvo Teravainen. They also signed Brian Campbell to a one-year deal worth $1.5MM—a steal assuming Campbell doesn’t significantly decline this season. The ’hawks are particularly tight on cap space this year because Artemi Panarin achieved most of his bonuses last year, and the resulting cap hit gets applied to the upcoming season

Colorado Avalanche

Key Additions: Joe Colborne, Fedor Tyutin, Patrick Wiercioch
Key Departures: Mikkel Boedker, Shawn Matthias, Nate Guenin, Nick Holden, Reto Berra
Unsigned RFAs: None
Cap Space: $1,534,405
Projected Roster Size: 22
Notes: The Avalanche have had a tumultuous offseason. They waged a prolonged standoff with RFA Tyson Barrie before re-signing him to a four-year, $22MM deal, but then lost head coach Patrick Roy as he stepped down due to not having enough control. The Avs did not address their suboptimal possession metrics, nor did they boost their roster traditionally to compete in the historically tough Central Division.

Dallas Stars

Key Additions: Dan Hamhuis
Key Departures: Vernon Fiddler, Alex Goligoski, Kris Russell, Jason Demers, Colton Sceviour
Unsigned RFAs: Valeri Nichushkin
Cap Space: $7,984, 167
Projected Roster Size: 21
Notes: The Stars parted with significant defensive pieces and failed to upgrade its goaltending, but they still remain poised to challenge for first in the Central. They did sign Captain Jamie Benn to an eight-year, $76MM extension, a steep price but one most pundits found reasonable. The Stars still have ample cap room to sign another defenseman—even more if they decide to trade either goalie for a cheaper backup option.

Minnesota Wild

Key Additions: Eric Staal, Chris Stewart
Key Departures: Thomas Vanek, David Jones
Unsigned RFAs: None
Cap Space: $2,168,909
Projected Roster Size: 21
Notes: Minnesota remained relatively static this offseason, letting Vanek walk but signing Eric Staal to a three-year, $10.5MM contract. The Wild are hoping that having Zach Parise healthy for the playoffs this year will be enough to challenge for the Central Division crown.

Nashville Predators

Key Additions: P.K. Subban, Yannick Weber
Key Departures: Shea Weber, Jimmy Vesey, Carter Hutton, Cody Hodgson, Paul Gaustad, Barret Jackman, Eric Nystrom
Unsigned RFAs: Stefan Elliot
Cap Space: $5,414,166
Projected Roster Size: 23
Notes: The Predators rocked the boat this offseason by shipping Weber off to Montreal for fellow Canadian defenseman P.K. Subban. With the move, the Preds hope to have a stalwart offensive-minded defensemen for the foreseeable future, but give up elite rock solid dependency in return. Overall the move should boost Nashville’s offense and help them take the next step in the Central.

St. Louis Blues

Key Additions: David Perron, Landon Ferraro, Carter Hutton
Key Departures: Brian Elliot, David Backes, Troy Brouwer, Steve Ott, Anders Nilsson
Unsigned RFAs: None
Cap Space: $3,957,083
Projected Roster Size: 22
Notes: The Blues lost talent this offseason after Troy Brouwer and captain David Backes signed elsewhere in free agency. They also traded away goaltender Brian Elliot for draft picks, placing their trust in young Jake Allen. With the Blues’ young guns stepping up last year, the organization must have felt that they could afford to let Backes and Brouwer go. Finally, it was rumored this summer that the Blues would trade Kevin Shattenkirk—in the final contract year—but nothing has materialized to date.

Winnipeg Jets

Key Additions: Shawn Matthias
Key Departures: Grant Clitsome
Unsigned RFAs: Jacob Trouba, J.C. Lipon
Cap Space: $10,018,333
Projected Roster Size: 23
Notes: Winnipeg stayed relatively pat this summer, signing only Matthias to beef up the team’s bottom six. The focus is on what they haven’t done—namely, sign RFA Jacob Trouba to a new deal. Trouba will anchor Team North America’s defense this summer at the World Cup of Hockey, and a good performance could loosen Winnipeg’s pocketbook.

Training Camp Invite Tracker

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Over the course of the offseason more and more players will accept invitations to join team training camps. Usually these are players trying to resurrect their career or to show that they have one or two more years left before retirement. Notable training camp invites last year included Lee Stempniak and Jonas Gustavsson.

Making a team as an invitee is harder than just being one of the top-12 forwards or top-6 defensemen. Teams are usually looking for specific needs, such as a speedy second line forward or a defenseman who can eat minutes. Teams may want to save their bottom roster spots for developing prospects, so invitees risk being cut unless they meet a team’s identified need.

Here are the notable players who have been invited to training camps thus far. The list excludes players that are attending camps but are already signed to minor league contracts or prospects who are hoping to earn a minor league deal. Check here often for updates.

Training Camp Invites

Anaheim Ducks:
Sean Bergenheim
David Booth
Yann Danis
David Jones

Arizona Coyotes:
Zach Boychuk

Boston Bruins:
Peter Mueller

Calgary Flames:
Luke Adam
Jamie Devane
Matt Frattin
Nicklas Grossmann
Chris Higgins
Lauri Korpikoski
Colby Robak

Carolina Hurricanes:
Raffi Torres

Colorado Avalanche:
Gabriel Bourque
Rene Bourque
Jiri Tlusty

Columbus Blue Jackets:
Keith Aule
Marc-Andre Bergeron
Mike Brown
Aaron Palushaj
Jarret Stoll

Edmonton Oilers:
Eric Gryba
Kris Versteeg
Ryan Vesce

Florida Panthers:
Justin Fontaine
Adam Pardy

Los Angeles Kings:
Lucas Lessio
Tom McCollum
Devin Setoguchi

Minnesota Wild:
Ryan Carter
Tomas Fleischmann

New Jersey Devils:
Brian Gibbons
Anders Lindback

New York Islanders:
Steve Bernier
Stephen Gionta

New York Rangers:
Maxim Lapierre

Ottawa Senators:
Matt Bartkowski

Philadelphia Flyers:
Corban Knight

St. Louis Blues:
T.J. Galiardi
Eric Nystrom
Chris Porter
Yan Stastny
Mike Weber

Tampa Bay Lightning:
James Wisniewski

Toronto Maple Leafs:
Jeff Glass
Raman Hrabarenka
Brandon Prust

Vancouver Canucks:
Jack Skille
Tuomo Ruutu
James Sheppard

Washington Capitals:
Drew MacIntyre

Off-Season To Date: Metropolitan Division

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The NHL has entered its seasonal lull where teams are done signing free agents and will wait until training camp to make major roster moves. We have already documented the off-season moves of Atlantic Division teams, and now we take a quick look at the Metropolitan Division.

Carolina Hurricanes

Key Additions: Lee Stempniak, Teuvo Teravainen, Viktor Stalberg, Bryan Bickell
Key Departures: Riley Nash, Nathan Gerbe, James Wisniewski
Unsigned RFAs: None
Cap Space: $16,736,667
Projected Roster Size: 23
Notes: Carolina got paid Teravainen to take Bickell’s contract by Chicago this summer, and added a top-ten free agent in Stempniak. The offense improved, but the defense remains an issue outside of Justin Faulk. In a stacked Metropolitan, the Hurricanes did not appear to do enough to challenge for a playoff spot.

Columbus Blue Jackets

Key Additions: Sam Gagner
Key Departures: Jared Boll, Fedor Tyutin, Justin Falk
Unsigned RFAs: None
Cap Space: $3,817,857
Projected Roster Size: 20
Notes: Despite finishing last in the Metropolitan, the Blue Jackets are up tight against the cap, and did little to alleviate their situation. The cap situation prevented the Blue Jackets from making any major additions, but the team was expected to deal some higher-paid underperformers. Without any major changes, Columbus seems destimed to miss the playoffs once again.

New Jersey Devils

Key Additions: Taylor Hall, Beau Bennett, Vernon Fiddler, Ben Lovejoy, Marc Savard
Key Departures: Adam Larsson, Jiri Tlusty, Patrik Elias, Tuomo Ruutu, David Schlemko
Unsigned RFAs: None
Cap Space: $12,319,404
Projected Roster Size: 23
Notes: The Devils made a blockbuster trade this offseason, landing Taylor Hall in exchange for Defenseman Adam Larsson. They also added two ex-Penguins in an effort to stay competitive in the Metropolitan. Elias is still deciding whether to retire, but if he returns, he says it will only be for the Devils.

New York Islanders

Key Additions: Andrew Ladd, P.A. Parenteau, Jason Chimera
Key Departures: Frans Nielson, Kyle Okposo, Matt Martin, Marek Zidlicky
Unsigned RFAs: Ryan Strome, Christopher Gibson
Cap Space: $3,658,524
Projected Roster Size: 24
Notes:  The Isles’ forward corp received a shakeup this offseason, with their 2nd and 3rd leading scorers signing elsewhere as free agents. The team signed Ladd and Chimera to plug those holes, but only time will tell if those additions allow the Islanders to build off of their rare playoff success.

New York Rangers

Key Additions: Mika Zibanejad, Nathan Gerbe, Michael Grabner, Josh Jooris, Nick Holden, Adam Clendening, Maxim Lapierre (PTO)
Key Departures: Derick Brassard, Eric Staal, Viktor Stalberg, Keith Yandle, Dominic Moore, Dan Boyle
Unsigned RFAs: None
Cap Space: $3,425,000
Projected Roster Size: 23
Notes: The Rangers let Yandle and Staal walk this summer but did not make any signing splashes of their own. They acquired Zibanejad from the Senators in a deal for Derick Brassard, a trade many view as a slight downgrade. New York’s window with Lundqvist is closing as he gets older, so it was a surprise to see the Rangers abstain from any big acquisitions this summer.

Philadelphia Flyers

Key Additions: Boyd Gordon, Dale Weise
Key Departures: Ryan White, Sam Gagner, R.J. Umberger
Unsigned RFAs: None
Cap Space: $413,334
Projected Roster Size: 24
Notes: The Flyers are right up against the Cap and could not make any major additions this summer. It’ll be up to GM Ron Hextall to find creative solutions for improving the team if the Flyers make a playoff push.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Key Additions: None
Key Departures: Beau Bennett, Matt Cullen, Ben Lovejoy, Jeff Zatkoff
Unsigned RFAs: None
Cap Space: -$2,757,499.
Projected Roster Size: 24
Notes: The Penguins could not do much after winning the Stanley Cup given that they are over the cap by almost $3MM. Pittsburgh will alleviate some of that pressure by putting Pascal Dupuis on LTIR once the season starts, but the cap is harsh to Stanley Cup winners. The Penguins will have get used to shedding salary and picking up new parts on the cheap—something the Chicago Blackhawks have experienced more than once.

Washington Capitals

Key Additions: Lars Eller, Brett Connolly
Key Departures: Jason Chimera, Mike Richards
Unsigned RFAs: Dmitry Orlov
Cap Space: $3,454,871
Projected Roster Size: 21
Notes: The Caps tweaked their roster after losing to the eventual Stanley Cup champions in the 2nd round. They added Eller in exchange for draft picks, and let Chimera and Richards walk so that the team had cap room for Orlov. Orlov still isn’t signed, and a strong showing at the World Cup of Hockey for the Russian defenseman could force the Capitals to pay more than they expected.

Unsigned RFAs And UFAs At The 2016 World Cup Of Hockey

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The World Cup of Hockey poses a unique opportunity for unsigned RFAs and UFAs to showcase their talent before training camp. Players will be on the world stage facing off against top-level talent, and good performances would go a long way to improving a player’s stock. Below are the RFAs and UFAs set to play in the World Cup of Hockey:

Tobias Rieder (RFA)

Tobias Rieder headlines Team Europe’s forward group this summer and expects to play a large role in the team’s offense. Rieder and the Coyotes remain far apart on a new contract, with the forward’s camp insinuating to the KHL as a viable alternative. Rieder managed to score 14G and 23A in 82 games for the Coyotes in just his second season with the club. The German forward could benefit from a strong performance this summer, and skating with notable playmakers such as Kopitar, Hossa, and Gaborik can only help.

Johnny Gaudreau (RFA)

Johhny Gaudreau will join Team North America this summer. The centerman led the Flames in scoring last season with 30G and 48A in 79 games. While he currently remains unsigned, the Flames and Gaudreau are confident a deal will come to fruition. Johnny Hockey has an opportunity to prove that he is worth a long term contract this summer by holding his own amongst other Team North America stars Nathan MacKinnon and Connor MacDavid.

Sean Monahan (RFA)

Monahan will join his teammate Gaudreau on Team North America this summer, and it is fitting because Monahan finished second in team scoring behind Gaudreau with 27G and 36A in 81 games. Should both Monahan and Gaudreau shine in the tourney, it is likely that they get tandem long-term deals to solidify the Flames’ core.

[Update: Monahan sighed a 7-year, $44.625MM (6.375MM AAV) contract with the Flames]

Jacob Trouba (RFA)

Jacob Trouba will be anchoring Team North America’s defense this summer while looking for a new deal with the Winnipeg Jets. The steady young defenseman scored 6G and 15A in 81 games for Winnipeg, but more importantly played first line minutes averaging the second most even strength playing time. Trouba represents the Jets’ future on defense, but the team already has over $22M tied up in four defensemen. Winnipeg may push for a shorter bridge deal to lessen the cap hit.

Christian Ehrhoff (UFA)

Christian Ehrhoff is slated to play defense for Team Europe this summer, and strong play could create buzz for the 34 year old unrestricted free agent. The German defenseman split last season with the Los Angeles Kings and the Chicago Blackhawks, putting up 2G and 10A in 48 games. Ehrhoff has fallen precipitously since signing a 10-year deal with the Sabres in 2011-12, and was relegated to the press box during Chicago’s first round playoff loss last year. Ehrhoff hopes to impress NHL scouts enough to garner another contract, but he’ll have to significantly raise his game.

Dennis Seidenberg (UFA)

Dennis Seidenberg, another UFA German defenseman, will join Ehrhoff on Team Europe’s blueline. And like Ehrhoff, Seidenberg is hoping that a strong performance parlays into an NHL contract. The 35 year old defenseman scored 1G and 11A in 61 games for the Bruins last season. The free agent market is flooded with veteran defensemen of Seiderberg’s ilk, so he’ll value any chance to separate himself from the numerous other available players.

Nikita Kucherov (RFA)

Much has been written about Nikita Kucherov this summer. The Lightning’s leading scorer—30G and 36 P in 77 games—remains an unsigned RFA while the team looks for ways to make room under the cap. Tampa currently has $6.5M in cap space to sign Kucherov and Nikita Nesterov, but it also has to prepare for next year when Drouin, Palat, Johnson, and Bishop all require new contracts. If Kucherov lights it up this summer, the Lightning will have no choice but bite the bullet and find a way to alleviate the cap crunch.

Dmitry Orlov (RFA)

Dmitry Orlov highlights a thin Team Russia blueline this summer while still in contract talks with the Washington Capitals. Talks are amicable, reports CSN Mid-Atlantic, and that both sides chose to forgo arbitration bodes well for a deal. Orlov scored 8G and 21A in 82 games for the Capitals last season, but remains a bottom-pairing defenseman. A good performance this summer could boost both his salary numbers and his playing time.

Rasmus Ristolainen (RFA)

Rasmus Ristolainen will be manning Team Finland’s defense this summer, and the young defenseman looks to build on a productive season. The Finn led all Buffalo Sabres defenseman in scoring with 9G and 32A in 82 games, and led all players in ice time averaging over 25 minutes a game. A strong performance this summer will go a long way in showing that this season was not a fluke. Ristolainen is poised to become a top-pairing defenseman in the NHL someday, and he is hoping to parlay that potential into a favorable contract.

Columbus Close To Signing Sam Gagner

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The Columbus Blue Jackets are close to signing unrestricted free agent Sam Gagner, reports Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch. It is rumored to be a one-year, one way deal.

Gagner last played for the Philadelphia Flyers where he scored 8G and 8A in 53 games. The Canadian center held much promise as a member of the Edmonton Oilers from 2007-2014, including netting eight points in one game, but never fulfilled the potential scouts thought he had.

PHR predicted that Gagner would take a one-year prove it deal yesterday after it was rumored that the Canucks were one of the teams interested in his services. It appears that the Canucks bowed out or that the Blue Jackets offered more money.

More to follow.

Capology 101: College Free Agents

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With the rumors surrounding Jimmy Vesey and Thomas Di Pauli this offseason taking hold, PHR takes a quick look at how the CBA treats players who choose the NCAA development route.

Generally, a team who drafts a present or future college player retains their exclusive negotiating rights for four years, but that differs with the age of a player when they are signed.

18 and 19 year olds

Teams own a player’s rights up to and including the August 15th following his graduation* if the player is or becomes a college student prior to June 1st following his selection.**  The player must remain a student through to his college class’s graduation, and the player was 18 or 19 when drafted.

If a player quits school before his last semester, his drafting team owns his rights until the later of:

  • the 4th June 1st following his draft, or
  • 30 days after NHL Central Registry receives notice that the player is not a student.

If a player quits school after his last semester starts, and is in his 4th year of college and either 4th year of NCAA eligibility or scheduled to graduate, then his drafting team owns his rights until the August 15th following his college termination.

20+

If a player drafted at age 20 is or becomes a college student, then the drafting team retains his rights until the later of:

  • the 2nd June 1st following his draft, or
  • 30 days after NHL Central Registry receives notice that the player is not a student.

Some pundits call the entire system a NCAA loophole, but the reality is much more nuanced. Teams still get four years of exclusive negotiating rights while a player seeking to enter unrestricted free agency must still sign an entry level contract wherever they sign. What that means is that a player finishing college could join the team that drafted him and burn off a year of his ELC. Going to free agency, however, removes that option, and leaves a year of free agency money on the table. It is a give and take that protects both parties.

___________

*Graduation is defined as the class with which the player is scheduled to graduate during his final semester. It is not his matriculating class.
**The same rules apply if a player receives a Bona Fide Offer and enters college prior to the 2nd June 1st following the draft.

Professional Tryouts

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As the summer wears on, many remaining unrestricted free agents begin worrying about future employment. Teams have usually filled their needs by now and are done handing out large contracts. The last hope for unsigned players becomes the professional tryout. A player is essentially invited to a team’s camp to earn a professional contract. Last year 91 players tried out for a team—and some tried out for two teams—but only 14 tryouts garnered contracts.

The criteria for teams varies. Some teams are just looking for warm bodies to play at an NHL level, while others are searching for players in a more defined role that cannot be filled by a team’s prospect pool. Most players did not impact their team, but some turned out to be pleasant surprises. Below is a list of players who signed a contract stemming from a professional try-out:

Lee Stempniak and the New Jersey Devils are the obvious beneficiary of last year’s professional tryouts. Stempniak scored 16G and 25A in 63 games for the Devils last year before being traded to the Bruins at the deadline. Four other players, however, used their salvaged year to obtain new contracts for the upcoming season as well. Gustavsson, Boulton, Rozsival, and Upshall all signed new contracts this year, one year removed from the possibility of not playing at all.

This year Maxim Lapierre is the first player to sign up for a professional tryout. The rugged forward will be on display for the New York Rangers this training camp after spending the previous season with MODO of the Swedish Elite League and HC Lugano of the Swiss National League A. Over the course of the offseason more players will do the same. Some will be looking to revitalize their career while others are looking for one last chance to prove that they have what it takes.

Snapshots: Coyotes; Gagner; Barrie

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News and notes around the NHL:

  • With the recent signings of Connor Murphy and Michael Stone, the Arizona Coyotes now have eight defensemen signed to NHL deals—and that’s not even including top draft prospect Jake Chychrun, whom the Coyotes moved up for in the 2016 NHL Draft. As Craig Morgan of AZSports writes, the backlog of NHL-ready defensemen poses both problem and prosperity for the team. It creates a logjam of defensemen and little opportunity for prospects like Chychrun to get playing time, but it also gives them expendable pieces to upgrade other areas. The Coyotes may have to look elsewhere for offensive help if they cannot re-sign RFA Tobias Rieder before the season starts. Trading from a position of strength to obtain a forward kills two birds with one stone. Take a look at Arizona’s depth chart at Roster Resource.
  • UFA Sam Gagner is close to signing a deal with an NHL team, according to his agent. Gagner last played for the Philadelphia Flyers where he scored 8G and 8A in 53 games. The Canadian center held much promise as a member of the Edmonton Oilers from 2007-2014, including netting eight points in one game, but never fulfilled the potential scouts thought he had. Gagner will probably take a one-year “prove it” deal to try and revitalize his career.
  • RFA Tyson Barrie completed his arbitration hearing today, and the arbitrator will issue her decision within 48 hours. Because Colorado offered a $4MM contract, and Barrie offered a $6MM contract, the arbitrator’s decision will most likely meet the threshold ($3.9MM) to open up Colorado’s walk-away rights. If Colorado chooses to invoke those rights, they will be stuck with the arbitrator’s decision for one year before Barrie becomes a free agent. When a team elects a two-year term decision for any player-elected salary arbitration, using walk away rights reduces the arbitrator’s decision down to one year, and then the player becomes a UFA.

 

Snapshots: Tampa Bay; Las Vegas; St. Louis

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News and notes from around the NHL:

  • Tampa Bay Lightning GM Steve Yzerman is confident that the team will come to terms with RFA Nikita Kucherov eventually, reports Tamp Bay Times writer Joe Smith. The 23 year-old winger potted 30G and 36A last year while making only $700K on an entry-level contract. Kucherov was a large part of Tampa’s success last year, including leading the team in scoring in both the regular season and the playoffs. Yzerman offered no timetable for contract negotiations, but the Lightning GM has an excellent history of managing contractual issues—including re-signing Steven Stamkos and addressing the Jonathan Drouin holdout.
  • The St. Louis Blues signed second round draft pick Jordan Kyrou (35th overall) to an entry level deal worth approximately $803K a year. The Blues also agreed to additional games played bonuses of $182,000 a year for the first two years. Kyrou will make $742K base salary for the first two years before getting a raise to $925K. The young forward excelled in Juniors last year, scoring 17G and 34A in 65 games for the Sarnia Sting. Kyrou is 6’0 and only 170lbs, so expect him to remain in Juniors for another year while he grows and develops.
  • Las Vegas GM George McPhee is rumored to be considering Kelly McCrimmon for the Assistant GM position, reports Guy Flaming of The Pipeline Show. McCrimmon is the current coach, GM, and owner of the WHL’s Brandon Wheat Kings. The Wheat Kings won the WHL Championship last season before falling in the Memorial Cup. Intriguingly, McCrimmon’s Championship Wheat Kings featured the projected 2017 No. 1 draft pick Nolan Patrick. Kelly is also the younger brother of Brad McCrimmon, an 18 year NHL veteran who perished as head coach of the KHL’s Lokomotiv Yaroslavl in its tragic air crash.

 

Lightning Re-Sign Vladislav Namestnikov

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The Tampa Bay Lightning have come to terms with RFA centerman Vladislav Namestnikov, as reported by ESPN’s Craig Custance. It is a two-year deal worth $1.937MM a season. The signing avoids a July 29th salary arbitration hearing.

The Russian finished the last year of his ELC by scoring 14G and 21A in 80 games, which was good for seventh in team scoring. He slowed down in the playoffs, however, and only accumulated 1G and 2A in 17 games. The deal is slightly lower than market value, as fellow RFA Kevin Hayes agreed to $2.6MM, but then both Peter Holland and Mikhail Grigorenko signed for $1.3MM with slightly lower stats.

The Lightning have approximately $6.59MM in cap space after the signing—and will need every cent to sign remaining RFAs Nikita Nesterov and Nikita Kucherov. Kucherov especially, as he led the team in scoring and will be looking for a substantial raise. Moreover, next season Jonathan Drouin, Ondrej Palat, and Tyler Johnson all become RFAs, with the latter two arbitration-eligible. Tampa will be tight up against the cap this season, and will have to use creative cap-saving methods popularized by the Chicago Blackhawks.

 

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