Zach Leach – Page 282 – Pro Hockey Rumors

Koivu Named Captain For Finland At World Cup

By Zach Leach | at August 22, 2016 9:24 am

As speculated this summer, reported by many this morning, and now confirmed by the NHL, the Minnesota Wild’s Mikko Koivu has been named captain of the Finnish team in next month’s World Cup of Hockey.

Koivu, who has also captained the Wild since 2009, is no stranger to a leadership role. He has captained Finland’s national team multiple times, including three IIHF World Championships. However, the stakes will be a bit higher as Koivu leads a young Finland team into the World Cup. Among his teammates up front are up-and-coming NHL stars like Aleksander Barkov, Teuvo Teravainen, Sebastian Aho, and 2016 second overall pick Patrick Laine. Although Koivu will be comforted by some veteran assistance in net between Tuukka Rask and Pekka Rinne, the majority of the weight falls on his shoulders to lead a team that is somewhat inexperienced in major international play to the podium.

The World Cup will help to prepare Koivu for the upcoming season, where again the Wild will face a tough path to playoff success. Koivu has 556 points in 763 NHL games, all with Minnesota. His best season was back when he was first named captain for the 2009-10 season, and he responded with 71 points. However, his numbers have begun to dip down into the 40’s and 50’s since he turned 30 in 2013. The Wild hope that he can return to form and help to lead their equally young squad deep into the postseason. As Finland’s captain, he may just get the boost he needs from the World Cup to start the NHL season off strong.

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Retained Salary in 2016-17: Central Division

By Zach Leach | at August 21, 2016 9:36 pm

As a new season fast approaches, it’s always nice to look back and reminisce on years and players gone by. Unfortunately for most NHL teams, those feelings of nostalgia are usually cut short by the realization that some of those past players are still on the team’s payroll. Retained salary is a fact of life in the National Hockey League, as buyouts have become commonplace and retaining a portion of an outgoing player’s cap hit is often a deal-breaker in many trades. Retained salary can last long past the playing days of a former player or can simply be for just one year. One way or another nearly every NHL team has at least one guy who’s still being paid without having to perform. We’ve already examined the Metropolitan and the Pacific; below is a list of all the retained salary in the Central Division in 2016-17:

Chicago Blackhawks

Rob Scuderi ($1.125MM in 2016-17): In one of the funnier circumstances of the 2015-16 season, the Pittsburgh Penguins held on to one third of Scuderi’s contract when they traded him to the Blackhawks for fellow underperforming defenseman Trevor Daley. Then Chicago held on to another third of Scuderi’s contract when they traded him to the Los Angeles Kings for yet another underperforming defenseman, Christian Ehrhoff. Now going into 2016-17, the final year of four-year $13.5MM deal he signed when he returned to Pittsburgh, the Penguins, Hawks, and Kings will all pay $1.125MM of his contract. Maybe Scuderi will return to form this season and at least avoid being traded more than once.

Colorado Avalanche

Brad Stuart ($3.6MM cap hit in 2016-17): If you’re scratching your head about that cap hit, you’re not alone. For all intents and purposes, the Avalanche are just paying Stuart not be around this season. They signed the veteran defenseman to a two-year, $7.2MM contract extension before he ever took the ice in Denver, after giving up a second-round pick to get him from the San Jose Sharks in the summer of 2014 with one year left on his previous deal. In 2014-15, Stuart had 13 points in 65 games and showed his age. In 2015-16, he missed all but six games with a back injury and had 0 points. In 2016-17, he’s gone. However, because the contract that was bought out was a “35+” veteran contract, the team faces the full blow of the cap hit in year one of a two-year settlement. Brad Stuart could have stayed with the club, but it seems as if he was healthy enough to play, which means that he would have cost $3.6MM and would have taken up a roster spot that the Avalanche would prefer to give to a defenseman that they actually want on the ice. Instead, the buyout simply means that they pay him the full amount this year, but he does not interfere with their active roster and depth. Stuart’s career is likely over.

Dallas Stars

Ryan Garbutt ($900K cap hit in 2016-17): After signing a three-year, $5.4MM extension with the Stars during the 2013-14 season, Garbutt was traded last summer, alongside Trevor Daley, to the Chicago Blackhawks for Patrick Sharp and Stephen Johns. In what was essentially a salary dump for the Hawks, they asked for the Stars to retain 50% of Garbutt’s contract and $1.8MM yearly cap hit. Though Dallas was likely hesitant to pay for anyone on a division rival to play against them, they can rest easy now. Garbutt was flipped to the Anaheim Ducks for Jiri Sekac midway through the season, lessening the burden on the Stars of having to consistently face a tough competitor who was also on their payroll. Garbutt is entering the final year of his contract, leaving the stars without any retained salary (as of now) for 2017-18.

Minnesota Wild

Matt Cooke ($1MM cap hit in 2016-17): An NHL villain and career grinder, Cooke finished a long stint with the Pittsburgh Penguins and signed on with the Wild in July of 2013 (just months before he could have signed a veteran’s contract at 35 years old) for three years and $7.5MM. While Minnesota was looking for the grit that Cooke was known for, they were also hoping for some of the scoring punch and reliability that he brought to the table. More offensively-talented than the average grinder, Cooke had scored about 30 points per season throughout his career and he also rarely missed games, playing in at least 75 games in all but three of his 13 seasons as a full-time NHLer. So, when Cooke had just 10 points in just 29 games in his second season in Minnesota, paying $2.5MM for another year of an aging enforcer became too much of a chore for the Wild. They bought out the final year of his contract last summer, and will finish paying off the settlement in 2016-17 with a $1MM cap hit.

Thomas Vanek ($1.5MM cap hit in 2016-17, $2.5MM in 2017-18): The Thomas Vanek experiment did not work out as well as hoped in Minnesota. After being one of the top players in the league during his time with the Buffalo Sabres, Vanek had bounced around with Buffalo, the New York Islanders and Montreal Canadiens in 2013-14, before Minnesota gave him a new permanent home in the state where he played his college hockey. A three-year, $19.5MM deal was deemed reasonable for a player who consistently topped 60 points early on in his career. However, those numbers did not repeat themselves as a member of the Wild. Vanek put up 52 and 41 points respectively in his first two seasons, which weren’t bad years, but Minnesota felt that they were not worth $6.5MM. Vanek was hardly a 20-goal scorer anymore, and the Wild were expecting a 30-goal scorer. They bought out the final year of his contract earlier this summer, and will face the repercussions of back-to-back significant cap hits this year and next. However, the move allowed the cap-strapped Wild to bring in another reclamation project, Eric Staal, and at a more reasonable $3.5MM cap hit. Meanwhile, Vanek signed on for a one-year gig with the Detroit Red Wings for $2.6MM.

Nashville Predators

Viktor Stalberg ($667K cap hit in 2016-17, $1.167MM cap hit in 2017-18 and 2018-19): History repeats itself, and just as the Predators found themselves needing to dump to players last summer, they were back in the same position this summer, for a league-high four retained salary players in 2o16-17. It all started with Stalberg, who signed a four-year, $12MM contract in the summer of 2013, leaving the Chicago Blackhawks for a division rival. Paying for the 43-point season of 2011-12 instead of the 23-point, injury plagued season of 2012-13, Nashville would up getting the latter player instead of the more desired former. Stalberg had only 18 points in 70 games in his first year with the Preds, and then added 10 more in only 25 games in 2014-15. Faced with a choice of hoping for a rebound at $3MM per year for two more years or bailing on the deal, the Preds decided to cut and run. Stalberg signed a cheap, one-year deal with the New York Rangers and had 20 points last season, leading to another one-year deal this off-season, this time with the Carolina Hurricanes. While Stalberg may be on his way back to form, his production has not been worth the money that Nashville would have paid him and they should be content with an affordable buyout.

Rich Clune ($283K cap hit in 2016-17): When the cap hit is that low, a buyout was either a really good idea or a really bad idea. In this case, the Predators made the right call. Leaving town with Stalberg last summer was Clune, a career energy line player who arguably should never have gotten the call up to the NHL. Clune was picked up off of waivers by Nashville midway through the 2012-13 season, having not played in the NHL since suiting up for 14 games with the Los Angeles Kings in 2009-10. He went on to play in 47 games for the team that year with a career-high nine points. In 2013-14, he played a full-time energy line roll for the Preds, racking up hits and penalty minutes at a fair price of $538K. However, when it came time to re-sign the grinder, Nashville decided he was now worth $1.7MM over two years. That didn’t work out so well, as injuries and simply being buried on the depth chart earned Clune just one appearance in 2014-15. The decision was easy to buy out his final year rather than pay $850K for little to no contribution. Clune played in 19 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs last season, racking up four points, and signed an AHL contract this summer. His NHL days are likely over and Nashville just has a very, very small price to pay for their over-valuation.

Eric Nystrom ($500K cap hit in 2016-17, $1MM cap hit in 2017-18): Nystrom was another case of just overpaying for bottom six talent by GM David Poile. A budget team like Nashville simply cannot afford to overpay for non-contributors, which may explain the numerous buyouts and certainly explains Nystrom’s departure earlier this summer. After a couple of good years in Dallas, the Predators won the bidding for Nystrom’s services by giving him a raise of over $1MM per year with a four-year, $10MM contract. Nystrom’s first season in Nashville was not bad, as he totaled 21 points, but his lack of a two-way game made him a liability as a bottom six forward. 2014-15 and 2015-16 were much worse though. Nystrom scored 12 points in 60 games and then seven points in 46 games; he was nothing more than a veteran 13th man. Rather than pay $2.5MM for another year of the type of player that can be had for peanuts, the Predators bought out Nystrom’s contract to the tune of $1.5MM in cap waste over two seasons. Nystrom is currently a free agent.

Barret Jackman ($667K cap hit in 2016-17 and 2017-18): Jackman was the next to go this past June, as the lifelong-Blues defenseman failed to live up to expectations in his first year with a new team. Signing with the Predators for two years and $4MM last summer, Jackman was supposed to bring a veteran presence to what was regarded as one of the deepest and youngest defensive cores in the NHL. Instead he contributed very little, as his five points were the lowest of his career as a full-time player and the physicality and defensive awareness that he was known for disappeared for games at a time. The former Calder winner no longer had anything to bring to the team, and Nashville saw alternatives on the market and in the system that were better suited for their team and more worth their cap space. Jackman’s buyout is hardly a burden for the Predators, who will be better served to have other take his ice time in 2016-17. Jackman also remains a free agent.

St. Louis Blues

NONE. Quite the opposite of division-rival Nashville, St. Louis has no retained salary for this next year. The Blues are very efficient with their cap usage, which allows them to consistently have one of the deeper teams in the NHL and compete year after year.

Winnipeg Jets

NONE. No wonder the Central is considered the best division: very little cap waste. The Jets, and even more so the Atlanta Thrashers before them, had to be careful not to get bogged down in bad contracts so as to start fresh in their new city and put together the best team possible.

0 comments Chicago Blackhawks Colorado Avalanche Dallas Stars Minnesota Wild Nashville Predators St. Louis Blues Winnipeg Jets

Retained Salary in 2016-17: Atlantic Division

By Zach Leach | at August 21, 2016 7:35 pm

As a new season fast approaches, it’s always nice to look back and reminisce on years and players gone by. Unfortunately for most NHL teams, those feelings of nostalgia are usually cut short by the realization that some of those past players are still on the team’s payroll. Retained salary is a fact of life in the National Hockey League, as buyouts have become commonplace and retaining a portion of an outgoing player’s cap hit is often a deal-breaker in many trades. Retained salary can last long past the playing days of a former player (see Vincent Lecavalier) or can simply be for just one year. One way or another nearly every NHL team has at least one guy who’s still being paid without having to perform. We’ve already examined the Metropolitan and the Pacific; below is a list of all the retained salary in the Atlantic Division in 2016-17:

Boston Bruins

Dennis Seidenberg ($1.167MM cap hit in 2016-17, 2018-19, 2019-20; $2.167MM in 2017-18): While his buyout this summer came as a shock to Seidenberg, it did not surprise many Bruins fans, who have watched the big German blue liner’s play slip over the past few seasons. Injuries and age began to take their toll on Seidenberg in 2012-13, and it was all downhill from there. The dominant defenseman who scored 32 points in 2010-11 and made for an unstoppable postseason duo with Zdeno Chara was nowhere to be found, as he missed over 100 total games over the past four seasons and failed to score 20 points in any of those seasons. Once his defensive game started to go as well in 2015-16, the team knew it was his time to go. With two years left at $4MM per year, the Bruins bought out Seidenberg and will have to replace his production while dealing with his cap hit over the course of the next four years.

Buffalo Sabres

Christian Ehrhoff (no cap hit): In 2013 and 2014, teams were awarded “compliance buyouts” on contracts signed prior to the 2012-13 season, as a way to escape long, burdensome deals from prior to the new CBA. The compliance buyouts would still be used to make payments to players, but it would not count against the salary cap. No team benefited more from these buyouts than the Sabres, who used their first of two in 2014 to rid themselves of a ten-year deal with Ehrhoff. One of the top defenseman on the market in 2011, Buffalo believed that they had a bona fide top pair defenseman in the German puck-mover, and gave him a decade-long deal worth $40MM. When he wasn’t living up to their expectations after the first few years, struggling in his own end and dealing with nagging injuries, the Sabres jumped at the chance to cut ties with Ehrhoff with seven years still remaining. The result was a 14-year, $12MM buyout settlement that pays Ehrhoff about $857K each year, but doesn’t affect Buffalo’s salary cap. Ehrhoff would sign for $4MM per year again in 2014-15, but on a one-year deal with the Penguins, and split the 2015-16 season between the Los Angeles Kings and Chicago Blackhawks at a price tag of $1.5MM. While he is currently a free agent, Ehrhoff hasn’t had trouble finding work and making money, but he also hasn’t returned to his Vancouver Canucks form that the Sabres were paying him for and it is doubtful that they regret the buyout.

Ville Leino (no cap hit): The Sabres used a second compliance buyout in 2014 on the vastly overpaid Leino. Buffalo bought high on Leino in 2011, the same year they splurged on Ehrhoff, and gave him a six-year, $27MM deal. Leino was capitalizing on an outstanding contract year, in which he scored 53 points and excelled in all areas of the game for the Philadelphia Flyers. Buffalo was a completely different story though; Leino failed to match his 53 points in three seasons combined with the Sabres. Injuries limited him to just eight games in 2012-13, but even when he was healthy during the other two seasons, he was far from a $4.5MM player. While Ehrhoff would have at least been serviceable had the Sabres held on to him, Leino was no good to a team that was entering a rebuild and they jumped at the chance to buy him out without cap repercussions. Leino was owed $7.3MM over the course of six years in the deal, four years of which are left, but the $1.2MM yearly payout hardly phases Buffalo since it does not effect their cap space nor their active roster.

Cody Hodgson ($542K cap hit in 2016-17, -$458K in 2018-19, $792K from 2019-20 to 2022-23): The Hodgson buyout still stings for Sabres fans. The tenth overall pick by the Vancouver Canucks in the 2008 NHL Draft, big things were expected of the young center for years. When it seemed as though he wasn’t going to pan out in Vancouver, they flipped him to Buffalo for another young disappointment, Zack Kassian. In his first two full seasons with the Sabres, Hodgson began developing into the star that he was always supposed to be. At least that’s how it seemed. After a 34-point lockout-shortened campaign in 2012-13, Hodgson re-signed in Buffalo for six years and $25.5MM. He rewarded the Sabres for their commitment with 20 goals and 24 assists the following year. His gift in 2014-15: a shocking 13 points in 78 games. Buffalo was swift to cut loose the once-promising forward, content to deal with eight years of buyout payments rather than watch their mistake on the ice for four more years. Many were critical of how easily the Sabres bought out a 24-year-old with obvious offensive ability, but the move was confirmed when Hodgson scored only eight points in 39 appearances with the Nashville Predators last season. Hodgson is currently a free agent, and while he still holds some potential at only 26, he will likely have to settle for a PTO and/or minor league contract if he wants to work his way back into the NHL. Meanwhile, he’ll be collecting close to $800K per year from Buffalo until 2023, and the Sabres will have a reminder on their salary cap each season that they should not overpay for streaky, young players.

Detroit Red Wings

Jakub Kindl ($360K cap hit in 2016-17): The Red Wings and Florida Panthers struck a rarely-seen deal at the 2016 NHL Trade Deadline, as playoff-bound division rivals made a trade with each other. Kindl was dealt to Florida, and a 2017 6th-round pick was sent back. It was more or less a salary dump for the Red Wings, who had been trying to move the depth defenseman for some time. The Wings held on to 15% of Kindl’s $2.4MM yearly cap hit for last season and the final season of his deal in this upcoming year. Kindl has never been much of a point producer, nor is he a defensive juggernaut, which may explain why he’s never been given the chance to become a full-time player. If he earns that role in Florida, and the Panthers cause the Red Wings to miss or exit the playoffs, Kindl will be getting the last laugh as his former team partially pays for him to do so.

Stephen Weiss ($1.067MM cap hit in 2016-17 and 2017-18, $2.567MM in 2018-19, $1.667MM from 2018-19 to 2020-21): In another tale of Florida and Detroit, the Red Wings made the classic mistake in the summer of 2013 of overpaying for a player with red flags in a weak free agent market. Weiss had been a very good, if not great player for the Panthers in the late 2000’s, scoring between around 40 and 60 points in six straight seasons from 2006 to 2012. However, a lingering wrist injury limited Weiss to just 17 games in his 2012-13 contract year. The Panthers decided to move on without him, and the Red Wings decided to take a chance on an elite scorer coming back from an injury that could affect his scoring ability. They signed Weiss to a five-year, $24.5MM deal and hoped for the best. Unfortunately for Detroit, the risk did not pay off. Weiss played in just 26 games in his first year with the team and had just four points. The wrist injury was clearly keeping him from playing at his best. In 2014-15, he had just nine goals and 25 points in 52 games, and that was as close to full strength as he was going to get. The Red Wings recognized the sunk cost and bought out Weiss last off-season. The six-year buyout settlement cost the team $10MM, and will cut a decent chunk out of their cap space each year until 2020-21. Weiss has since retired, with his time in Detroit as just a sad reminder of a great career in Florida that was derailed by injury.

Florida Panthers

Brad Boyes ($833K cap hit in 2016-17): The buyout of Brad Boyes is somewhat inexplicable. The always-helpful veteran winger first signed with the Panthers in 2013-14 on just a one-year, $1MM deal. That year he had 36 points, including 21 goals, and was a great value to Florida. Impressed with his play, the Panthers re-upped Boyes with a two-year, $5.25MM extension, a raise from $1MM per year to $2.625MM. In 2014-15, Boyes bested his previous season’s mark with 38 points. Although his goals dropped to 14, his two-way game improved and he took on a leadership role on the team. For some reason, the Panthers were no longer enamored with the veteran and bought out the final year of his contract. They took a cap hit of nearly $1MM last year, and face a similar charge this season. Boyes meanwhile turned a PTO with the Toronto Sabres into an inexpenive one-year deal and a decent season of 24 points, and looks primed to do the same for next year with another lucky team. Why didn’t the Panther just hold on to him for a veteran boost at a relatively cheap price?

Montreal Canadiens

P-A Parenteau ($1.33MM cap hit in 2016-17): Coming off of an excellent 67-point season with the New York Islanders in 2011-2012, Parenteau caused quite a stir in free agency and ended up signing a four-year, $16MM pact with the Colorado Avalanche. Although his numbers were not disappointing (nearly a point-per-game in the shortened 2012-13 season and 33 points in 55 games in 2013-14), Parenteau was not the offensive star that Colorado expected and the Avs were not the contender that Parenteau hoped they would be. In need of a change of scenery, he was swapped with Daniel Briere in a trade with the Canadiens in the 2013 off-season. In his only season with the Habs, Parenteau did finally underperform relative to his contract, scoring only 22 points in an injury-plagued 56-game campaign. That was his ticket out of Montreal, as they chose not to pay $4MM for the final year of his contract, opting instead for $2.67MM over two years. The Canadiens will finish paying off the buyout this season. Parenteau has handled himself nicely; he returned to form with 41 points for the rival Toronto Maple Leafs last season on a one-year deal and heads back to the Islanders, where he played the best hockey of his career, for the 2016-17 season at just $1.25MM.

Ottawa Senators

NONE. Well done by the front office in the Canadian capital, as the Sens can afford to take on big contracts like that of Dion Phaneuf and hand out big extensions to the likes of Bobby Ryan when they don’t have to worry about any cap space tied up in players playing (or not playing) elsewhere.

Tampa Bay Lightning

Vincent Lecavalier (no cap hit): Lecavalier was a legend in Tampa. A four-time All-Star, Maurice Richard winner, and of course, a Stanley Cup champion, there was no greater icon in Tampa Bay sports at that time than the Lightning star. With one year left on a four-year, $27.5MM deal with the team, Lecavalier entered into an eleven-year, $85MM extension in 2008. The Lightning hoped that the new deal would keep their captain in Tampa for the remainder of his career, producing at an elite level for a bargain price of $7.727MM per year. However, the final year of deal one in 2008 saw the beginning of the downside of Lecavalier’s career. After seasons of 108 and 92 points in 2006-07 and 2007-08, his point total fell to 67. In year one of the new deal in 2009, it stayed about the same at 70 points. That level of production was still nothing to panic about. But when years two, three, and four ended in 54, 49, and 32 points respectively, Tampa Bay was beyond panicked. Given the chance to avoid seeing their champion continue struggle with scoring and health and essentially fall apart in front of their eyes at a premium cost to the team, the Lighting used their compliance buyout in 2013 to send their fallen hero packing. The price? A 14-year buyout plan that totals almost $33MM. Luckily for the perennial contenders in Tampa, it has no effect on the salary cap. They paid Lecavalier substantial amounts of money each year to watch him play for the Philadelphia Flyers and most recently the Los Angeles Kings, and will continue to pay him well into his retirement (until 2027 to be exact), but it will not hurt the team. Now that Lecavalier’s playing days are done, he will likely return to his legendary status in Tampa as they continue to celebrate the outstanding organization that he helped to build in the 2000’s.

Matt Carle ($1.83MM cap hit from 2016-17 to 2019-20): There was a resounding echo throughout the hockey world in the summer of 2012 that the Lightning had overpaid for Matt Carle. A good puck-moving defenseman coming off three straight 35+ point seasons with the Philadelphia Flyers, there was no doubt that Carle was going to get paid. However, many acknowledged his defensive deficiencies and doubted that he could continue to produce at the same offensive level. They were right on both counts. Tampa Bay signed Carle to a six-year, $33MM deal and four years in, he had not matched his Philly numbers and had continued to struggle in his own end. The past two seasons, he was used sparingly by the Lightning and was often seen as a liability. After getting just nine points in 64 games from Carle in 2015-16, the Bolts finally pulled the plug with a buyout. With two years left on his contract at $5.5MM, Tampa Bay will now be saddled with an nearly $2MM cap hit in each of the next four seasons. However, they did need the cap space and roster space, so the buyout was not all bad. Carle will try his hand at a comeback (at just $700K) with the Nashville Predators in 2o16-17.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Phil Kessel ($1.2MM cap hit from 2016-17 t0 2021-22): Everyone knows about the Phil Kessel trade. No, not the first one, the second one. The Toronto Maple Leafs send their best player to the star-studded Pittsburgh Penguins, who go on to win the Stanley Cup. The side story: not only did Toronto give the Pens a valuable piece to the Stanley Cup puzzle, but they also helped to fund his contributions as well. When Kessel, who hasn’t scored under 50 points in a season since his sophomore year with the Boston Bruins, was traded to Pittsburgh for a multiple picks, prospects, and players, the Leafs held on to 15% of his massive contract. Since Kessel gets paid $8MM per year, which calculates out to a $1.2MM cap hit each year until his contract ends in six years. Somewhat steep for the team that traded away the star player. Nevertheless, give the Maple Leafs some credit for this year’s Stanley Cup. They may not be able to win their own, but they can help support others’.

Tim Gleason ($1.33MM cap hit in 2016-17 and 2017-18): Gleason’s was a name that few knew much about outside of Raleigh, North Carolina for a long time. A mainstay on the Hurricanes’ blue line, Gleason wasn’t much of a point-producer, but could play the position with the best of them. Having already played six years in Carolina, he signed on for four more and $16MM during the 2011-12 season. However, as Gleason’s scoring slipped into the single digits and his defensive game began to weaken, the Hurricane’s attachment also began to dissipate and he was traded to the Maple Leafs for John-Michael Liles midway through the 2013-14 season. The wheels fell off for Gleason in Toronto, as he scored only one goal and was a -14 in 39 games with the Maple Leafs and ended up as their extra defenseman. Not wanting to pay $4MM for two more years for a seventh man, the Leafs bought out Gleason’s contract after just half a season with the team. The buyout settlement stretched four years and covers $5.33MM. Gleason unsurprisingly returned to Carolina for the 2014-15 season, but at least for Toronto’s sake, he played just as poorly and has since retired.

Mikhail Grabovski (no cap hit): After back-to-back 50+ point seasons for the Maple Leafs in 2010-11 and 2011-12, Toronto rewarded Grabovski with a five-year, $27.5MM contract. Then, during the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season, he only had 16 points and hysteria set in for the Leafs’ front office. Faced with an opportunity to cut Grabovski loose without any ill effects to the team with a compliance buyout or else face the possibility that Grabovski’s best days had come and gone, the team made the difficult choice despite much criticism. It turned out that they made the right call, as just one year later the New York Islanders signed Grabovski for four years and $2oMM and have thus far gotten two seasons of under 60 games and under 30 points at $5MM a pop. The Maple Leafs are happy they are not in that situation. If Grabovski does not turn it around this coming season, he could be collecting his $1.792MM from Toronto and a second buyout check from the Islanders in 2017.

0 comments Boston Bruins Buffalo Sabres Detroit Red Wings Florida Panthers Montreal Canadiens Ottawa Senators Tampa Bay Lightning Toronto Maple Leafs

Snapshots: Vesey Projections, David Jones, Dallas Goalies

By Zach Leach | at August 20, 2016 8:48 pm

NHL.com’s Rob Vollman looked at previous players in Jimmy Vesey‘s position and made some predictions as to how his rookie season and NHL career will play out. The results were somewhat underwhelming, and Rangers fans may want to temper their expectations. Based on the fact that Vesey played in the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) while at Harvard, rather than in a more talented conference such as Hockey East, Vollman warns that the numbers will likely not translate as well and there should be early struggles against much stronger competition. For this reason, he believes that 30 points is a reasonable estimation for Vesey in 2016-17. As for his career path, Volmann believes that Vesey has a ceiling of past ECAC scoring forwards like Harvard’s Alex Killorn and Dartmouth’s David Jones. While neither player garnered as much attention as Vesey, and both spent time in the AHL in their first pro season, as opposed to Vesey’s guaranteed NHL play time, Vollman still believes that the college numbers and playing styles make Killorn and Jones accurate comparisons. For those (Rangers fans) who disagree with those comparisons, they could be much worse. Even the most prolific ECAC scorers don’t generally end up as NHL regulars. Killorn has 138 points in 272 NHL games thus far in his four-year career, and Jones had 126 points in 272 games with the Colorado Avalanche in his first six seasons. Both had multiple seasons of around 40 points at their peak. However, Jones peak has since passed and Killorn’s is yet to be determined, but at 23 already and with a lot of tread on the tires, it doesn’t seem out of the realm of possibility that Vesey could be done with his 40 point seasons and on his way down the other side of the production peak in just five or six short years.

Speaking of David Jones… no one is really speaking of David Jones. It’s been all quiet on the free agency front for the 32-year-old winger this summer. After being linked to the New York Islanders early on in July, there has since been little news. 2015-16 was a forgettable season for the power forward, as he put up only 18 points while splitting the season between the Calgary Flames and Minnesota Wild. Vesey may project to have a similar career arc to him, but Jones is not the player he was just a few years ago. However, just one year before had scored 30 points for the Flames, and at his best with the Colorado Avalanche was a force in the crease and a consistent 20-goal scorer. Jones seems likely to be a PTO candidate or perhaps even get a late one-year deal for the upcoming season, as his size and strength still remain, but he has simply lost his scoring touch and needs to get back on track. If the NHL free agent market heats up, Jones name may resurface.

Don’t expect any free agent fireworks from the Dallas Stars. The Stars are happy with their depth and talent at all positions, except for goalie, and NBC Sports’ Jason Brough writes that the goalie tandem is not about to change. Kari Lehtonen and Antti Niemi struggled last season, and never was that more apparent than in the postseason, when the duo almost single-handedly eliminated Dallas from the playoffs. At a combined cap hit of $10.4MM and a league-low .904 save percentage, many thought that something had to change for the Star’s net-minding situation this off-season. However, neither goalie was bought out or to this point traded. It looks as if the tandem will both be donning their green sweaters to start the season after all. Brough says that this close to the season, GM Jim Nill has little that he can do. There is no market for a goalie upgrade and no one is out looking to acquire either of the goalies he already has either. It appears as if Lehtonen and Niemi will be given a second chance in 2016-17, at least until they force Nill’s hand into making a move.

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The Post-Vesey Free Agent Market

By Zach Leach | at August 20, 2016 7:20 pm

Technically, the free agent market has only changed by one player, with college free agent and the summer’s most talked about player, Jimmy Vesey, signing with the New York Rangers on Friday. However, the demand for players on the market has now taken a big swing, with seven teams leaving the Vesey sweepstakes disappointed. That could finally mean new homes for many long-standing free agent forwards, as well as some more attention given to a few college free agents.

No available free agent is more of a surprise than former 30-goal scorer Jiri Hudler, and almost immediately after the Vesey signing, Hudler’s name began to garner a bit more attention than it had in the last couple of weeks. The Chicago Blackhawks in particular have been mentioned as a possible fit for Hudler, and the New Jersey Devils had previously looked into Hudler this off-season. Both teams missed out on Vesey, but still are in need of a top six scorer before the season starts. Chicago has also been mentioned in connection with Tomas Fleischmann, and New Jersey may need to take a harder look at the practicality of bringing back lifelong Devil Patrik Elias.

For teams that were looking at Vesey as just a depth player for 2016-17, veterans like Alex Tanguay, Brad Boyes, and David Legwand remain available, and all three have enough in the tank to contribute next season. However, missing out on a young player may not inspire teams to begin looking at alternatives on the wrong side of 30. This could pay off for another free agent surprise, Brandon Pirri, and potentially for the likes of Jiri Tlusty or Cody Hodgson as well.

Vesey’s brethren from the college ranks will be get a little more focus now that he’s off the market, along with Notre Dame forward Thomas DiPauli (Penguins) and Providence defenseman John Gilmour (Rangers). Quentin Shore, a two-way center with sticking ability as an NHL bottom six forward, leads the way. He’s proved to be very reliable during his time in Denver, and would be a nice depth addition for some team. Winger Hunter Fejes of Colorado College is also going to get his fair share of looks, as he has an uncanny ability to find the back of the net when cleaning up rebounds.

Luckily for teams like the Bruins and Maple Leafs, missing out on Jimmy Vesey isn’t the end of the world when you consider the young talent they already have in the system. As for teams like the Blackhawks and Islanders, they were playoff-bound with or without Vesey. However, all of these teams and even those not in the Vesey conversation have some holes in their depth, and the last couple weeks of August could see the NHL free agent market come back to life to fill a few needs across the league.

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Myth or Reality: Boston Boys Don’t Want To Play For Bruins

By Zach Leach | at August 20, 2016 5:26 pm

You hear it every summer: some free agent with roots in Boston is surely going to sign with the Bruins. On the surface, it makes complete sense. Boston is one of the greatest sports cities in the world and seems to field contenders in every sport year after year. The Bruins are an Original Six franchise with names like Orr, Esposito, Bourque, and Neely hanging in the rafters. They won the Stanley Cup in 2011 and nearly won another in 2013. Their current roster features titans of the game like Zdeno Chara and Patrice Bergeron and is led by a highly respected head coach in Claude Julien. Boston has the best hockey TV ratings of any city in the United States that also houses an NBA team, and trails only Pittsburgh and St. Louis for first overall. Outside of the pro game, Boston is even more vital to the hockey world. It is unquestionably the hub of college hockey and the epicenter of the Hockey East conference. Boston College and Boston University are storied NCAA programs, joined within the city limits by Northeastern and Harvard and surrounded by numerous top-end college teams throughout New England. It is also a grassroots hockey heaven, with youth teams, junior teams, and elite high school and prep school teams littered throughout the city, the suburbs, and the rest of the New England states.

Yet, for the second time in three years, Bruins fans are left scratching their heads as one of Boston’s native sons signs elsewhere. Harvard’s Jimmy Vesey, whose father played for the Bruins, followed in the footsteps of friend and former BC Eagle Kevin Hayes, and chose New York, Boston’s arch rival city, and the Rangers over his childhood favorite Bruins. Is the pressure of playing in their hometown which has such a storied hockey history too much? When it came to Vesey, CSN New England’s Joe Haggerty seemed to think so. He says that the pressure of playing in front of his friends and family every game and the fear of the negative effects that underperformance may have on everyone involved were key considerations in Vesey’s final decision. This played out last season when “the pride of Dorchester”, Jimmy Hayes, was acquired by the Bruins and was heralded as a local boy who was going to be a difference-maker in Boston. As Hayes struggled throughout the season, he was met with even more criticism, disappointment, and anger than the typical player. Perhaps Vesey feared that this scenario could play out for him as well. WEEI’s DJ Bean doesn’t think that “not being tough enough to play in Boston” was the main reason why Vesey chose to leave home, but wonders why the Bruins weren’t chosen, especially over the Rangers. The Bruins offered Vesey a chance to live somewhere he was comfortable with and play for a team with a strong, up-and-coming prospect system, and reportedly was set to start the season playing with star center David Krejci and young scorer David Pastrnak. However, he spurned the Bruins for a Rangers team who many believe has seen their Stanley Cup window come and go, and who additionally have plenty of depth on the left side, including the younger Hayes, Rick Nash, (Boston native) Chris Kreider, and JT Miller.

Other than Vesey and the Hayes brothers, examples of Boston players who have chosen not to sign with the Bruins or struggled under the pressure of playing for their hometown squad are hard to come by. Haggerty points to Chris Bourque and Hal Gill as examples, but Bourque was (and is) a career AHLer who was given a great chance to be a contributor for his favorite team, much to the delight of fans of his legendary father, but there were never any grand expectations for him to fall short of, and Gill was a fan-favorite for years in Boston. Bill Guerin, Ted Donato (who recently spoke about how it was an honor to play in Boston), Steve Heinze, Bobby Carpenter, Andy Brickley, Jim Craig and more are all examples of Massachusetts natives that were happy to end up as Bruins and did not perform any less under the spotlight, and guys like Shawn McEachern, Tom Fitzgerald, and Jay Pandolfo went out of their way to play for the Bruins at the end of their careers. Robbie Ftorek even agreed to coach the Bruins, and there’s no more of a high-pressure position for a local guy than that.

However, there may be something to be said about the fact that the three highest scoring Boston natives in NHL history – Jeremy Roenick, Keith Tkachuk, and Tony Amonte – never donned the black and gold sweater. Could it be that locals who are role players do well in Boston, but the more talented players with high expectations, like Vesey or the Hayes brothers feel the pressure of the media, the fan base, and their own friends and family? This might also explain why another talented Bostonian, Keith Yandle, chose a long-term deal with the Florida Panthers this off-season despite the Bruins likely being interested.

What’s curious is that Boston’s own may be wary of playing for the Bruins, but it still remains a top destination for hockey players around the globe. Just last offseason, Windsor, Ontario’s Matt Beleskey took less money to come to Boston, stating that he had dreamed of playing for the Bruins and that they were always his top choice. Beleskey was also quick to blast Vesey about his decision, showing his passion for the team and the city. Players who attend college in Boston, but didn’t grow up there, are also often eager to return, like Brian Leetch. The Bruins have a worldwide fan base, and Europeans, Canadians, and Americans alike are drawn to the hockey city. However, their homegrown talent in recent years doesn’t seem to feel that same magnetism.

This trend of Boston natives supposedly struggling with the pressure of playing for the Bruins or fearing a return to the city will really be put to the test over the next few years, as local prospects (with Bruins bloodlines) Ryan Fitzgerald and Ryan Donato get their chances to shine in front of a hometown crowd and a D-needy Bruins team likely try to woo Natick, MA native and 2018 free agent John Carlson back home. Whether it be Carlson, a different NHL free agent, or another Hayes/Vesey college free agent scenario, it won’t be long before we hear “he’s from Boston, he’ll want to sign with the Bruins” and the myth of that statement no longer being true will be put to the test yet again.

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Vesey Update: 8/18/16

By Zach Leach | at August 18, 2016 6:09 pm

As reported earlier, free agent Jimmy Vesey met with seven teams today as he continues to deliberate where he will sign. The Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Toronto Maple Leafs have joined the Buffalo Sabres on the not-so-short short list of teams that Vesey is officially considering. ESPN’s Joe McDonald learned that no decision will be made today, as Vesey will sit down with agent Peter Fish and other representation, family members, and advisors tonight to discuss options. A decision is expected Friday or Saturday.

There is no clear clubhouse leader among the teams in consideration so far. As could be expected, all of Vesey’s meetings over the past few days were reportedly “great”. Teams can only sway the Hobey Baker winner with their pitches of play time, team success, organizational culture, and more, as Vesey’s contract will be locked in at an entry-level $925K plus bonuses no matter where he chooses to play.

McDonald reports that star power has been in full effect thus far, with Patrick Kane, John Tavares, Cory Schneider, and several Bruins among those in attendance at Vesey’s meetings in Boston. Sidney Crosby has also reportedly reached out, and friends of Vesey’s like Jack Eichel and brothers Jimmy and Kevin Hayes have likely been in his ear all summer.

Those with an inside source within the Vesey meetings and mullings have not been shy about reporting their thoughts. Sportsnet’s Howard Berger says not to be surprised if Vesey signs with the Maple Leafs, but also warns that Buffalo is very much still in the mix. Mike Grinnel of ESPN New Hampshire confirms the theory of colleague Jimmy Murphy that the New Jersey Devils are leading the chase. DJ Bean of Boston’s WEEI hears that the Bruins excelled in their meeting with Vesey and are still considered major contenders, counter to cross-town rival Joe Haggerty of CSN New England who said that Boston is all but out. Many have become skeptical of the Penguins ability to sign Vesey, having just re-signed Matt Cullen and reportedly having reached an agreement with another college free agent, Notre Dame’s Thomas DiPauli. All is quiet on the NYC front as well, with both the Islanders and Rangers considered strong contenders, but little chatter to support either’s position. Perhaps the most accurate “insider information” out there is the Chicago Tribune’s Chris Kruc’s take on Vesey and the Blackhawks, that they are just waiting for a decision from the Harvard star and that no known pecking order is in place.

With all of the noise out there about Jimmy Vesey and his destination, the best move for those following along with the storyline is to sit back and relax. A decision will come in the next couple of days, and no reports by Vesey’s sources (who have been all over the place thus far) will make any difference until the ink has dried on his first contract. In the end, one team will emerge triumphant, and our attention will turn to the seven who lost out and may look for additional scoring support before the start of the new season. Until then, #VeseyWatch rolls on.

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Colorado Coaching Search Down To Four

By Zach Leach | at August 18, 2016 4:07 pm

The Denver Post’s Mike Chambers reports today that the short list of candidates for the vacant head coaching job with the Colorado Avalanche is down to four, three of which would be first-time NHL skippers: Jared Bednar, Travis Green, and Lane Lambert as well as Scott Arniel. Following the unexpected departure of Patrick Roy last week, the Avs have had to move quickly to fill their major hole, and will reportedly begin preliminary interviews with these candidates as soon as possible.

Bednar, who many may consider the top contender for the job, is the head coach of the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters (formerly Lake Erie Monsters) and led the Columbus Blue Jackets affiliate to a Calder Cup championship last year. At just 44, Bednar was able to work with a young group of players to pull off a dominant run to the top in just his second year on the job. With another young group in need of leadership in Denver, Bednar would appear to be a good fit for an Avs squad that has just missed the playoffs in each of the past two years and is in need of some enthusiasm and motivation.

Another former Blue Jackets employee, Arniel was head coach in Columbus in 2010-11, before getting fired midway through the 2011-12 season with a combined record under .5oo. However, at just 53 years old, Arniel presents a candidate who is young, but also has NHL head coaching experience with some success, as well as a plethora of time as an AHL head coach and NHL assistant coach. Arniel may be the most prepared to step in and take over in Colorado with such a short time left before the kick-off to the 2016-17 season.

Green’s is a name that has been thrown around a lot recently as a top candidate for head coaching vacancies around the league. A veteran of 15 years in the NHL with the Islanders, Ducks, Coyotes, Leafs, and Bruins, Green has since quickly worked his way up through the coaching ranks with success at every level. A gritty player who now brings a tough game behind the bench, a Colorado team that often struggles against the rougher Western Conference competition would benefit from Green’s guidance.

Lambert, currently an assistant coach with the Washington Capitals, spent seven years as a coach with an Avs’ division rival, the Nashville Predators, first as AHL head coach and then as NHL assistant coach, before moving to the Caps in 2014. Well-respected across the league, including by former Quebec Nordiques teammate and Colorado GM Joe Sakic, it seems like only a matter of time before Lambert gets his own head coaching gig, and it might just come with the Avalanche.

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Vesey Update: Harvard’s Ted Donato On ESPN Radio

By Zach Leach | at August 16, 2016 5:24 pm

ESPN New Hampshire’s “The Stretch Run” with Pete Sheppard and Jimmy Murphy took #VeseyWatch to the airwaves today, debating the possible landing spots for Harvard star and one-man free agent frenzy Jimmy Vesey. Murphy revealed his prediction to be the New Jersey Devils, based on some inside information, as well as the plethora of USA Hockey connections in the organization and the ample cap space that the Devils have. New Jersey is in a unique situation compared to many of the major players in the Vesey sweepstakes, in that they are well below the NHL salary cap, so the roster that Vesey sees now is unlikely to change due to his signing there, and down the road the Devils could have the space to award Vesey with an expensive, long-term extension.

As a New England station, the pair then predictably analyzed the prospect of Vesey on the Boston Bruins. However, neither felt strongly about the Bruins’ chances. They felt that Claude Julien’s approach of being hard on young players and making them earn their play time, a system that sent Alexander Khokhlachev packing to Russia, may scare away a college free agent like Vesey. They also described the Bruins as a poor fit for Vesey compared to rest of the field, as they could not guarantee him success and playoff experience due to their poor defensive depth, nor could they guarantee him a top six role, with Brad Marchand, Matt Beleskey, and Frank Vatrano in the fold and Julien’s penchant for being tough on young players.

However, when Harvard University head coach Ted Donato, a former Bruin himself, joined the show, the mood towards the Bruins changed somewhat. He acknowledged that Vesey “is and always will be” a Bruins fan, and said that he knows from experience that Boston has a great fan base and strong tradition, and that it is an honor for local kids to play for the team. Donato sounded skeptical about the current Boston team when asked about the state of the Bruins, but seemed optimistic about the moves they have made with an eye toward the future. Whether or not that is an obligatory remark from the father of Bruins prospect Ryan Donato, it seems like Donato considers the Bruins to be very much in the mix for Vesey’s talents.

Donato did stop short of endorsing the Bruins as the destination for Vesey though, and said that he has tried to stay away from that situation. He describes Vesey as being “smart”, “well-spoken” and “humble”, and that he, his family, and his agents are taking a “down-to-earth” and reasonable approach to finding the right spot for the Hobey Baker winner. Donato listed the Rangers and Blackhawks (who Sheppard and Murphy call the “Patriots” of the NHL) as great franchises who are in the mix, and said that every team will have something to offer Vesey and that it will be a difficult choice.

While Donato did not reveal any real insider information about Vesey’s decision, it was a good segment from a guy who knows Vesey very well and has NHL experience and a great hockey mind himself. Listen for yourself and learn more about the young man who already has the entire hockey world captivated.

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Vrbata Officially Returns To Arizona

By Zach Leach | at August 16, 2016 3:41 pm

As has been speculated over the past few days, veteran winger Radim Vrbata has signed with the Arizona Coyotes, the team officially announced this morning. The deal is for one year and just $1MM in base salary. Although it has not been confirmed, it has been reported by many that the deal will also include performance bonuses. Regardless, the deal stands to be a potential bargain for an elite scorer, as GM John Chayka adds yet another shrewd move to his off-season resume.

One of the more surprising players left on the market, Vrbata has now been scooped up and will return to the Coyotes for his third stint (and seventh season) with the team. Although his 2015-16 campaign with the Vancouver Canucks was forgettable, Vrbata is just one year removed from a 63-point season and had several comparable years as a member of the Coyotes. Arizona hopes that the veteran of nearly one thousand NHL games can bring some consistent scoring to the young team and make up for some of the locker room presence lost by the recent release of Vrbata’s former teammate, Antoine Vermette.

Ranked 27th in our Top 50 Free Agents list, Vrbata’s signing takes one more impact free agent off the board and leaves only Kris Russell and Jiri Hudler as top-end players yet to be signed.

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Author: Zach Leach