Retained Salary in 2016-17: Metropolitan Division
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 Rick DiPietro) 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. Below is a list of all the retained salary in the Metropolitan Division in 2016-17:
Carolina Hurricanes
- Alexander Semin ($2.33MM cap hit from 2016-17 to 2020-21): The Hurricanes first signed Semin in the summer of 2012 to a one-year, $7MM “show me” deal. While they were paying Semin a good amount of money, they were not prepared to commit long-term to a player know to be one-dimensional and streaky. However, Semin responded with a point-per-game campaign in 44 contests. The Hurricanes bought in, renewing Semin’s $7MM price tag with a five-year, $35MM extension. Semin put up another 40+ point season in 2013-14 season, but then, inexplicably, the wheels fell off. In 57 games in 2014-15, Semin only managed to score 19 points while contributing little else for Carolina. The Canes had no choice but to get rid of him, and the only route was through a buyout. With $21MM over three years left on his contract, they were saddled with a six-year, $14MM settlement, and still have five years left to go.
- James Wisniewski ($3.5MM cap hit in 2016-17, $1MM in 2017-18): Carolina did not have much better luck with Wisniewski. After trading Anton Khudobin to the Anaheim Ducks last summer to get the puck-moving defenseman, the Hurricanes got to watch him skate for just 47 seconds in the regular season opener before he tore his ACL and missed the rest of the year. Wisniewski had one year remaining on a six-year, $33MM deal he signed in Columbus in 2011, but faced with the prospect of a $5.5MM cap hit for a defenseman coming off a serious knee injury, Carolina decided instead to cut and run. While the buyout hit of $3.5MM in 2016-17 is tough, it’s already better to pay Wisniewski that for not playing this season since they already payed him $5.5MM for less than a minute last season. Recent events imply that the Hurricanes may have been correct to distance themselves from Wisniewski, as the once top-pair defenseman had enough trouble locking down a guaranteed contract that he committed to a professional tryout deal with Tampa Bay last week.
Columbus Blue Jackets
- Fedor Tyutin ($1.2MM cap hit in 2016-17, $1.96 in 2017-18, $1.46MM in 2018-19 and 2019-20): Dissapointed in the sharp decline of long-time defenseman Tyutin, the Blue Jackets made the tough call to cut ties with the 33-year-old this off-season rather than continue paying him $4.5MM over the next two seasons. Tyutin failed to make much of a difference for Columbus last season, and though paying him into retirement is not favorable, the Jackets could not afford another three-point season frought with defensive lapses at that price. Things have turned out alright for Tyutin though; he signed a one-year, $2MM pact with the Colorado Avalanche and is set to continue his NHL career.
- Jared Boll ($567K cap hit in 2016-17 and 2017-18): Like Tyutin, the rebuilding Blue Jackets did not see a future with Boll and bought out the final year of his contract this summer. A grinder without much offensive upside who struggled with injuries in 2015-16, Boll didn’t fit with the young and fast core being built in Columbus, and at $1.7MM was simply an inconvenience. Unlike Tyutin, who had been a solid presence on the Blue Jackets’ blue line for a long time, Boll’s presence will likely not be missed and the sub-$1MM buyout hit won’t make much of a difference for Columbus. Boll has moved on anyways, signing a two-year $1.8MM deal with the Anaheim Ducks.
New Jersey Devils
- Ilya Kovalchuk ($250K cap hit from 2016-17 to 2024-25): In one of the more outrageous contracts in NHL history, Kovalchuk hit the open market for the first time in 2010 and the Devils signed him to a 15-year, $100MM contract. The league initially rejected the offer for too obviously circumventing the salary cap, but even after it was fixed, it was still ridiculous. The contract, which would have had the Russian star playing in New Jersey until he was 42, held only a $6.67MM cap hit. However, Kovalchuk was to be paid over $11MM in salary in years three through eight. After that, the salaries began to plummet. In fact, over the course of the 15-year deal, the salary ranged in value from a mere $1MM to a whopping $11.8MM (ironically in 2016-17). Thus, the Devils knew that the contract carried a very big threat of recapture penalties if Kovalchuk retired early. As we all know, Kovalchuk retired very early, heading home to Russia following the 2012-13 season. In a weird twist, the Devils were actually saved by Kovalchuk retiring very early, before the front-loaded salaries started to pile up. Had he retired nine or ten years into the deal instead of just three, New Jersey could have been facing over $4MM in recapture penalties each year, instead of just $250K. While having a chunk of cap space taken off each year for 12 years is a harsh reminder of a rogue superstar, Kovalchuk’s departure may have been a blessing in disguise for New Jersey.
- Anton Volchenkov (no cap hit): Following the negotiation of the past NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement, in both 2013 and 2014 all teams were able to use a “compliance buyout” on contracts signed prior to the 2012-13 season. The compliance buyouts would still be used to make payments to players, but it would not count against the salary cap. The Devils used such a buyout on Volchenkov in 2013, who was no longer worth anywhere near the value of the six-year, $25.5MM deal he had signed with the team in 2010. Rather than keep him and his $4.25MM cap hit for the three years remaining or buy him out and face six years worth of buyout hits, the Devils took the opportunity for a “do-over” and used their compliance buyout. The teams still pays Volchenkov over $1.4MM every year, but it has no effect on the rest of the team. Volchenkov played one season in Nashville after departing the Devils, but had similar results and has been out of the NHL since.
New York Islanders
- Rick DiPietro (no cap hit): In the most obvious compliance buyout of all-time, the Islanders were able to rid themselves of Rick DiPietro’s infamous 15-year contract. Signed in 2006 after the 24-year-old goalie had shown signs of potential stardom, it was the longest NHL contract to date and carried a combined cap hit of 67.5MM. While 4.5MM per year for the entire career of a star goalie sounds pretty good, DiPietro had one more good year in him and then started to decline drastically and struggle year in and year out with injuries. In the five years leading up to his buyout, he played in 50 games total and had a save percentage under .900. Armed with the unique chance to avoid eight more years of the same without having to pay the price in cap space, the Isles jumped at the chance for a compliance buyout. Though they still pay the steep price of $1.5MM to DiPietro every year, and must do so until 2029, it has no effect on the current team and can be more or less forgotten.
New York Rangers
- Brad Richards (no cap hit): Not to the same extent of their cross-town rivals and their “franchise goalie”, but the Rangers were also very happy to get a chance at a compliance buyout when it came to Richards. While Richards would go on to have a couple of successful seasons with the Blackhawks and Red Wings after leaving New York, his production was not really worthy of what the Rangers would have paid him. In 2011, Richards was the “must-have” free agent of the summer, coming off back-to-back seasons of over a point-per-game with the Dallas Stars. The Rangers won the bidding, giving him a nine-year $60MM contract. The deal, like many long-term deals at that time, was very front loaded. It paid Richards $12MM in each of the first two seasons and only $1MM in each of the last three. The cap hit of $6.67MM was manageable for the Rangers at first, as Richards put up good numbers, but he was also showing decline and the threat of a big cap hit for an aging player and monstrous recapture penalties led to decision to use a compliance buyout on Richards. In retrospect, it was very smart, as Richards announced his retirement earlier this summer after two more years of declining production. New York paid Richards over $3MM each of the past two years in accordance with the buyout settlement and are set to pay a little more than $5MM in 2016-17 before settling in to a payment of just north of $1MM each year until 2025-16. Luckily for them, none of it touches the salary cap for a team that is constantly in a cap crunch.
Philadelphia Flyers
- Ilya Bryzgalov (no cap hit): The Flyers make a trio of Metro teams that used their compliance buyouts wisely, as Philadelphia was able to escape from a nine-year, $51MM contract they gave to the eccentric Russian goalie Bryzgalov. After back-to-back stellar seasons for the Phoenix Coyotes, the Flyers jumped on Bryzgalov in free agency in 2011, giving him a monster contract. However, as it so often goes in Philadelphia, the goalie didn’t work out and after just two years, the Flyers were ready to dump his $4.65MM cap hit. Though a 14-year buyout plan with annual payments of $1.64MM is not fun, the Flyers were able to move forward with new goalies and no negative impact on the salary cap.
- R.J. Umberger ($1.6MM in 2016-17 and 2017-18): A recent buyout victim, Umberger simply stopped producing. After starting his career off strongly in Philadelphia, Umberger was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets, where he became a star. The Jackets rewarded him with a five-year, $23MM deal in 2012, but then watched his number gradually decrease each year. With three years left on his contract, he was traded back to the Flyers, but the homecoming did not lead to many points. After two brutal seasons, Philadelphia decided to let Umberger and his $4.6MM cap hit go before the final year of his contract. They’ll pay for it over the next two seasons with significant cap hits, but it’s worth it considering their tight cap space entering 2016-17. Meanwhile, Umberger’s career appears likely to be over.
Pittsburgh Penguins
- Rob Scuderi ($1.125MM in 2016-17): In one of the funnier circumstances of the 2015-16 season, the Penguins held on to one third of Scuderi’s contract when they traded him to the Chicago Blackhawks for fellow underperforming defenseman Trevor Daley. Then, the Blackhawks 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.
Washington Capitals
- NONE. Right? The reigning Presidents’ Trophy winners will not pay anyone this season who isn’t on the ice for them. Cap efficiency, that’s the key to NHL success.
Retained Salary in 2016-17: Pacific Division
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 Mike Richards) 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. Below is a list of all the retained salary in the Pacific Division in 2016-17:
Anaheim Ducks
- Patrick Maroon ($500K cap hit in 2016-17 and 2017-18): Maroon was surprisingly dealt out of Anaheim last season to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for defensive prospect Martin Gernat and a fourth-round pick in the NHL Draft this past June (Jack Kopacka). The Ducks held on to 25% of Maroon’s three-year, $6MM contract that he had signed with the team prior to last season.
- Mark Fistric ($217K cap hit in 2016-17, $450K in 2017-18 and 2018-19): Fistric was bought out by Anaheim following an injury-plagued 2014-15 campaign, the first year of a new extension. He had two years and over $2.5MM left on his contract at the time. Fistric has not signed with another NHL team since leaving the Ducks.
Arizona Coyotes
- Mike Ribeiro ($1.94MM cap hit from 2016-17 to 2019-20): Ribeiro will be cashing in on NHL contracts for many years to come, as a buyout in Phoenix has not stopped him from continuing to play and getting good money to do so. The (then) Phoenix Coyotes signed Ribeiro to a four-year, $22MM contract in the summer of 2013, but after a 47-point season in 2013-14, the team decided to cut ties with him. The decision cost the Coyotes a capable player and has and will continue to cost them in dollars. Ribeiro’s buyout was for six years and nearly $12MM dollars, and Arizona is still facing down four more years. Meanwhile, Ribeiro signed a one-year, $1MM deal with the Nashville Predators in 2014-15 and put up 62 points. He was rewarded last summer with a two year, $7MM deal, which means between his active contract and his bought out contract, Ribeiro will actually make close to $5.5MM in 2016-17, what he would have made in Arizona.
- Antoine Vermette ($1.25MM cap hit in 2016-17 and 2017-18): A more recent development, Vermette was bought out by the Coyotes during their second buyout window last week. Vermette had only one season left with a cap hit of $3.75MM, after returning to the desert on a two-year deal after Arizona traded him to the Chicago Blackhawks before their 2015 Stanley Cup run. Vermette’s numbers did not tail off last season; in fact he has been very consistent over the course of his entire 11-year career. The buyout was viewed by many as Arizona simply deciding to pay to open up depth next season for their young players and prospects. Vermette remains unsigned as of now.
Calgary Flames
- Mason Raymond ($1.05MM cap hit in 2016-17 and 2017-18): After a one-year, $1MM trial run with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2013-14 ended in 45 points, the Flames decided to take a chance on Raymond, giving him a three-year, $9.45MM deal. After under-performing in year one, Raymond was only able to play in 29 games last season, contributing a mere five points. Calgary was swift to buy out the remaining year of his contract, which would have paid him $3.15MM in 2016-17. The $1.05MM cap hit for the Flames this year and next year is bearable for a team with cap space and a plethora of young talent, and Raymond has found a new home with division rival Anaheim and will make $675K on top of his buyout payment. It was a retained salary move that worked out for both sides.
Edmonton Oilers
- Lauri Korpikoski ($500K cap hit in 2016-17, $1MM in 2017-18): Another buyout victim this summer, Korpikoski simply did not perform to the level expected of him by the Oilers after they traded Boyd Gordon to the Coyotes to get him. Stemming from a strong career to that point in Arizona, the Coyotes gave the two-way specialist a four-year, $10MM extension in the summer of 2013. However, after back-to-back years of steep decline in his scoring numbers, Arizona felt comfortable shipping Korpikoski off to the division rival Oilers. New GM Peter Chiarelli hoped that, at the very least, Korpikoski would bring some defensive stability to a young and offensive-minded forward core. When that didn’t happen, Edmonton decided he didn’t need to stick around for the final year of his contract at a cost of $2.5MM.
Los Angeles Kings
- Mike Richards ($1.32MM cap hit from 2016-17 to 2019-20 AND $10.5MM cap hit over time until 2030-31): One of the most interesting cases of retained salary, Richards counts against the Kings’ cap for two reasons, neither of which is a buyout or a trade. Richards signed a (now illegal) 12-year, $69MM contract with the Philadelphia Flyers during the 2007 season, and prior to the last NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement. The league recognized that deals like Richards’, which were excessively long and included wide margins of salary over the course of the contract, were meant to circumvent the salary cap. By front-loading a contract with high salary seasons, and then adding years at the end of low salary, a team could effectively keep a player’s cap hit low without exposing themselves to much risk should the player retire or need to be bought out later on in his post-prime career. Richards’ cap hit on this contract was only $5.75MM, but there were six seasons where his actual salary was greater, including a 2012-13 salary of $8.4MM. So, when Richards got in legal trouble in 2015, the Kings (who acquired Richards from the Flyers in a blockbuster deal in June 2011) saw an opportunity to terminate Richards’ contract, which had become a major burden to the team for a player that was performing so poorly that he had been demoted to the AHL. Because Richards’ contract was cut short and had been constructed in an illegal way, the Kings faced “recapture penalties”, which offset the benefits of previous cap benefits from long, front-loaded contracts. Thus, the Kings face a cap hit of $1.32MM every year until what would have been the natural end of Richards’ contract in 2020. On top of that, the termination of the contract was fought by the NHL Players Association, and the grievance led to a settlement between the Kings and Richards which pays him $10.5MM of the $22MM that was left on his contract. The payments were to be made over the course of 16 years, with a maximum payment of $900K per year and minimum of $400K. All of these payments additionally count against the Kings’ cap. In the world of retained salary, Mike Richards is quite the story, and Los Angeles will be telling it for another decade and a half.
San Jose Sharks
- Adam Burish ($617K cap hit in 2016-17): Never much more than an energy line player, the Sharks gave Burish a four-year, $7.4MM contract when free agency opened on July 1st, 2012. Burish was coming off of a career-high 19 points to go with a strong two-way presence and elite toughness. However, he would only score six points in the next three seasons combined for San Jose, as injury struggles and mostly poor play derailed his career. The Sharks bought out the final year of his contract to avoid a $1.85MM cap hit for an AHL-caliber player and will finish paying off the buyout this season.
Vancouver Canucks
- Roberto Luongo ($800K cap hit from 2016-17 to 2020-21): Like Richards, Luongo too signed a massive deal before the league banned them. In 2010, the Canucks gave their ace goalie a 12-year, $64MM extension, despite the fact he was 31-years-old at the time. The deal paid Luongo $10MM in salary during the first year, followed by seven years of $6.7MM salaries, and then a steep drop off to $3.4MM, $1.6MM, and two final years at $1MM. Perhaps afraid of facing the full blow of potential recapture penalties (the rule for which is often nicknamed the “Luongo Rule”) for a contract that blatantly circumvents the salary cap with its 5.3MM cap hit, the Canucks traded the remaining eight years of Luongo’s contract to the Florida Panters before the Trade Deadline in 2014 in effort to share some of the risk should Luongo retire before the age of 43. However, to make the risky aquistion worth it, the Panthers had Vancouver hold on to $6.4MM of the contract, for an annual cap hit of $800K.
- Chris Higgins ($833K cap hit in 2016-17 and 2017-18): Higgins is another recent buyout, getting cut by the Canucks this off-season with one year remaining on a four-year, $10MM extension he signed in 2013. Higgins played in only 33 games last season, recording just four points. He remains unsigned.
Wisniewski To Try Out For Tampa
A difficult NHL off-season has claimed yet another victim. With many veteran players being forced into cheap contracts or overseas ventures, James Wisniewski was unable to even land a guaranteed contract. Once considered a top puck-moving defenseman, the 32-year-old is now in PTO territory, signing a tryout deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning, according to James Mirtle of The Globe and Mail.
Mirtle adds that Wisniewski’s injury concerns likely led to this outcome. “The Wiz” did not have a very magical stint with the Carolina Hurricanes last season, tearing his ACL in his first game with the team and missing the remainder of the season. He was promptly bought out this summer. It seems as though the injury is lingering and no team felt comfortable giving Wisniewski a guaranteed contract for the 2016-17 season. Tampa Bay will get to give him a look in training camp and during the preseason now, without having to make the decision without knowing the full extent of the injury.
Should he look healthy and effective and then be willing to agree to the GM Steve Yzerman‘s terms, Wisniewski is capable of having a successful season with the Bolts. The season before last, he put up 34 points split between the Columbus Blue Jackets and Anaheim Ducks, and the previous season, 2013-14, he had 51 points in 75 games to finish second on the Jackets in scoring. Wisniewski is a very capable puck-moving defenseman who, when healthy, can play top pair minutes and quarterback a power play. While those attributes were seemingly not enough to earn him a guaranteed contract this off-season, they should be enough to see him play somewhere in 2016-17. A tryout contract does not guarantee the Lightning exclusive rights to Wisniewski, and with their depth and cap struggles, it seems more likely than not that he won’t play in Tampa this season, but a strong preseason should see him end up with a legitimate NHL contract elsewhere at the very least. However, a poor showing due to his bad left knee and ACL could mean the end of a once-promising career.
Haggerty: Bruins Unlikely To Sign Vesey
CSN New England’s Bruins beat writer, Joe Haggerty, wrote today that sources have informed him that Boston is no longer considered to be a top contender for college phenom and impending free agent Jimmy Vesey. While the Bruins remain one of the teams that Vesey has previously said he will speak with on August 15th when he can officially explore his free agency options, Haggerty does not believe that the B’s are a likely to sign him.
When Vesey announced that he would not sign with the Nashville Predators, the team that drafted him, and even after his rights were traded to the Buffalo Sabres, the Bruins were considered one of the most likely destinations for the reigning Hobey Baker winner. A hometown kid, Vesey grew up in the Boston suburb of Charlestown, and his father briefly played for the Bruins during his short NHL career. Vesey played his prep school hockey at Belmont Hill in the Boston suburb of Belmont, and then attended Harvard University during the past four years in the Boston suburb of Cambridge. Noticing a trend? Vesey himself has not been shy about his attachment to the city as well, stating that he is a lifelong fan of the Bruins and wears #19 as a tribute to Joe Thornton. However, what many don’t realize is not only the city of Boston familiar to Vesey, but the future of the Bruins is as well. Within the Bruins system currently is forward Ryan Fitzgerald, a childhood friend of Vesey’s from Charlestown who is entering his senior year at Boston College, defenseman Rob O’Gara, Matt Grzelcyk, and Matt Benning, who Vesey squared off against at local New England NCAA schools over the past four years, goalie Zane McIntyre, a fellow Hobey Baker runner-up in 2015, and even Harvard teammates Ryan Donato and Wiley Sherman. Harvard coach and former Bruin Ted Donato has also been rumored to be a top candidate for the Bruins head coaching job during hot seat periods for Claude Julien. Add in that Vesey is friends with Torey Krug and Jimmy Hayes and idolized the Bruins 2011 Stanley Cup team, which included current Bruins Zdeno Chara, Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, David Krejci, Adam McQuaid, and Tuukka Rask, and it seems as if the past, present, and future would lead many to assume that Boston has always been Vesey’s preferred destination.
However, if Haggerty’s sources are correct, that is not true and all of those connections to the Bruins are not enough to sway Vesey. He believes that the Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers, and New Jersey Devils have all passed up the Bruins, as well as the Toronto Maple Leafs and Buffalo Sabres, as the most likely destination for Vesey’s services. Since all of the teams can essentially only pay Vesey the same amount, his decision is all about fit and opportunity. Haggerty believes that the draw of playing alongside Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane in Chicago or Taylor Hall and the upstart Devils in New Jersey may be too much for Vesey to instead stay with his comfortable choice of sticking around in Boston.
The Bruins certainly have space for Vesey to play on the left side in Boston, with only 2017 potential free agent Marchand as a bona-fide top six player at left wing. Both Krejci and Ryan Spooner would love to have the Harvard star on their wing. Should Vesey choose to sign elsewhere though, the Bruins will not be out of luck. The team was happy with the production from Matt Beleskey last season, and was very excited by the play of AHL top goal scorer Frank Vatrano. It would also open up opportunities for the AHL’s second-best scorer, Seth Griffith, 2015 first rounder Jake DeBrusk and another NCAA dominant force, Danton Heinen, to make the team.
Regardless, Vesey is certainly a player that any NHL team would like on their roster and there is no doubt that the Bruins will make a strong push to sign him next week. Even Haggerty acknowledged to his Twitter followers that there has been little indication surrounding the eventual landing place of Vesey, and no team can be taken out of the equation before the courting process even starts. The “sources” surrounding the Vesey camp have been pegged by many as unreliable and inconsistent as well, so the Vesey saga will continue until the ink has dried on his contract. Keep an eye on this summer’s biggest story right here at Pro Hockey Rumors when Vesey hits free agency on Monday, August 15th.
The Swiss Exodus
Professional hockey in Switzerland received an all-time high in global attention last season when presumptive top NHL Draft pick, Auston Matthews, decided to play professionally overseas a year before he was eligible to be selected into the National Hockey League. Playing for the ZSC Lions in the largest city in Switzerland, Zurich, Matthews drew quite a bit of attention to the Swiss National League A (NLA). However, he was not the only elite player in the league, nor will his transition to the NHL be much of a loss to the league. A closer look shows that the NLA is chock full of former NHL veterans and this off-season has shown that the flow of talent shows no signs of stopping.
The general consensus in hockey is that the NHL is the best league in the world, followed by the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). The KHL spans all of Russia, stretches into Belarus, Croatia, Finland, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Slovakia, and now China, and has plans to continue to grow. While there is certainly a lot of talent in the expansive KHL, the small country of Switzerland and the NLA seem to be giving them a run for their money as the second best pro hockey league in the world. Last year, Matthews was joined by former NHL stars Pierre-Marc Bouchard, who led the NLA in points, and Cory Conacher, who recently returned to North America, in the top ten in league scoring. The list does not stop there though; forwards Derek Roy, Matt D’Agostini, James Sheppard, Maxim Lapierre, defenseman Marc-Andre Bergeron, goalie Cristobal Huet, and of course Swiss native Damien Brunner are just some of the former impact NHLers who played in Switzerland last season.
Even more impressive than that list may just be the list of names who have signed on to play in the NLA next season, led by Kris Versteeg. Versteeg was ranked 25th in our Top 50 NHL Unrestricted Free Agents list, but rather than wait out a slow NHL market, Versteeg signed with SC Bern of the NLA to play in the Swiss capital next season. Versteeg is coming off a 38-point NHL campaign in which he was one of the better players on the Carolina Hurricanes and was enough of a commodity that the Los Angeles Kings gave up a pick and a prospect to get him at the Trade Deadline. In fact, Versteeg has four 20-goal seasons on his resume and has never had less than 30 points in a full NHL season in his career, yet at 30 years old he is taking his talents to Switzerland. Joining him are more capable NHL veterans like Mike Santorelli, Mark Arcobello, Swiss-born goalie Jonas Hiller, and according to reports, Nick Spaling. All of those players could have contributed to any number of NHL teams in 2016-17, but instead chose the Swiss route over a quiet NHL off-season market. American Hockey League players are flocking to Switzerland as well, as the likes of Rob Schremp, Dustin Jeffrey, Bobby Sanguinetti, and Brendan Shinnimin are among many who have abandoned the North American grind for a pro contract in the NLA.
The growing trend appears to be that players who feel like an NHL contract may not be coming are choosing Switzerland and the NLA over the KHL (the non-Russians anyway). The list of incoming and current NLA players with NHL experience is impressive, whereas the KHL has imported only a few players who contributed at the NHL level last season over the course of this summer. Despite the KHL’s best efforts at growth and expansion, the Swiss NLA is making a strong push to be the best alternative to the NHL for the world’s best hockey players and is even challenging the great NHL for free agents. The NLA is on it’s way.
Bruins Notes: Junior Showcase, Hardy, Vatrano, Vesey
Joe Haggerty relayed his thoughts on the impressive performance by the Boston Bruins’ prospects who took part in the National Junior Evaluation Showcase last week, including the three Americans that the Bruins selected early in the draft this past June. Defenseman Charlie McAvoy, the 14th overall pick who played in the United States National Development Program and is now a rising sophomore at Boston University, in particular caught Haggerty’s eye and continues to impress this summer, first at Bruins camp and now against even tougher competition, displaying both offensive skill and surprising physicality. Fellow first rounder Trent Frederic showed outstanding face-off ability and two-way presence, and second round defenseman Ryan Lindgren put on a solid performance. Over on Team Canada, 2015 first round winger Zach Senyshyn, who will try his best to crack the Boston Bruins lineup this fall, and 2015 second round blue liner Jeremy Lauzon, both looked good. Surprise addition to the Swedish team, 2016 sixth rounder Oskar Steen, was also flying around the ice all week. Haggerty opines that McAvoy may already be the Bruins top prospect, and that this Junior Showcase crew, as well as top prospects like Jakub Zboril, Jake DeBrusk, Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson, Brandon Carlo, Danton Heinen, and more represent a very bright future for a Boston team that has had its fair share of struggles of late.
- The Director of Player Personnel for the U.S. National Development Program who worked with McAvoy, Frederic, and Lindgren is now joining them as a member of the Bruins organization. Ryan Hardy, who has also worked in the USHL, NAHL, and NCAA, was primarily in charge of recruiting and evaluating young talent for the USNTDP and will be asked to put those tools to work as a scout for Boston. His New England roots, having grown up in Connecticut and worked as an assistant coach for Sacred Heart University, seem to have made his link to the Bruins an inevitability as he rose through the ranks of the hockey world
- Another local kid who worked his way on to the Bruins is Frank Vatrano, who was recently profiled by the Professional Hockey Player’s Association. A native of Longmeadow, Massachusetts who played his youth hockey for the Boston Jr. Bruins, played in the USNTDP, and then attended Massachusetts’ flagship school at UMass – Amherst, Vatrano predictably is a lifelong Bruins fan. The article goes into detail on his excitement to be signed by Boston after his first full season in Amherst, and the Bruins could not be more excited with how Vatrano has developed. In his first pro season, Vatrano led the American Hockey League with 36 goals, and amazingly he did it in 36 games. He finished 19th in AHL scoring, despite playing in half as many games as the majority of players who finished in the top 20. His presence helped Providence Bruins teammates Seth Griffith, Alexander Khokhlachev, and Austin Czarnik finish alongside him in the top 20 as well. When Vatrano wasn’t lighting the AHL on fire in 2015-16, he was contributing at the NHL level, with eight goals and three assists in 39 contests with the big Bruins. Now in 2016-17, Vatrano will be given every chance to earn a full-time role and a full 82 games in Boston, where they hope that his impeccable scoring ability continues.
- The Boston Globe’s Fluto Shinzawa suggests several local possibilities to replace the recently departed Keith Gretzky as the Bruins’ Director of Amateur Scouting. From Cape Cod to the Berkshires, amateur scouts from around the NHL reside in Massachusetts and may be up for a promotion and more convenient commute to Boston. The most interesting candidate he mentions though is Jim Vesey, a former Bruin who is currently an amateur scout for the Toronto Maple Leafs, and yes, of course, is the father of Harvard star and impending free agent Jimmy Vesey.
The Gagner Effect: Likely Contracts For Remaining Free Agents
With the Columbus Blue Jackets signing Sam Gagner to a one-year, $650K contract earlier this week, it seems that a new bar has been set for the unrestricted free agents still available on the market. Gagner, though he struggled last season, is still young and has a history of strong point production, yet settled for a contract that is over $4MM less than he was paid per year in his previous deal. While it is unlikley (and in most cases impossible) for any of those still looking for a contract to accept that kind of pay cut, it seems that bargain deals are the only deals being offered in a deep, but stagnant August market. While the destinations of the following players are still up in the air, their values have changed significantly since July 1st. Here is an updated prediction of what some of our Top 50 Unrestricted Free Agents and other notable players will sign for before the puck drops on the 2016-17 season:
Kris Russell (#12) – 2 years, $4.5MM
Russell remains our top-ranked unsigned free agent so far, and considering the hype that he was given prior to free agency as one of the best available defenseman in a shallow market for blue line help, it is shocking to many around the hockey world that he remains unsigned. The shock is much worse for Russell himself, who was reportedly looking to sign a long-term deal for $5MM+ per season. At this point, a deal like that seems far from the realm of possibility. Unfortunately for Russell, is playing style does not make him a darling of the analytics movement, which could be a primary reason for the surprising lack of interest. That, and his ineffectiveness with the Dallas Stars after coming over from the Calgary Flames at the Trade Deadline. Our original prediction for Russell was a four-year, $18MM contract. Given the situation he is in, it seems that both the term and value are likely to be cut in half.
Jiri Hudler (#18) – 1 year, $1.75MM
Hudler is the other player who’s availability is very surprising and difficult to figure out. Just one year removed from a 30-goal season, Hudler has shown that he is an offensive force and has found success playing on both wings and with many different types of line mates. Scoring and versatility, even at 32, generally earns a player a contract pretty quickly. That has not been the case for Hudler. A down season and concerns over size and toughness seem to be keeping him from getting the contract that he wanted and believed he deserved. Hudler is coming off a contract that carried a cap hit of $4MM per year, and we predicted that he would sign a deal for exactly that for four years. NHL teams are clearly concerned about paying for 2014-15 production and getting 2015-16 numbers, so term is likely a sticking point and a cheap, “show me” deal seems to be the most likely outcome. With similar stats to Teddy Purcell last year, expect Hudler to settle for a similar deal to the one-year, $1.6MM contract given to Purcell by the Los Angeles Kings.
Radim Vrbata (#27) – 1 year, $1.5MM
Similar to Hudler, Vrbata is likely asking for payment based on his 2014-15 numbers and getting offers based on his 2015-16 numbers. The veteran winger was excellent in the first year of a two-year $10MM deal with the Vancouver Canucks, scoring 63 points, but the second year did not turn out so well, as he scored less than half that amount. 27 points for a 35-year-old does not scream “hot commodity”, but even given his age and drop-off, we still predicted that Vrbata would secure a one-year, $3.7MM deal. The possibility of that value is long gone. Vrbata’s name seems to keep popping up, so it seems more likely that he’ll find a home in the NHL, rather than head overseas or retire, but it is likely to be more in the $1MM neighborhood.
Kyle Quincey (#44) – 1 year, $750K
If Sam Gagner got $650K after an awful season last year, Quincey’s prospects for anything over $1MM seem bleak given his dismal number in 2015-16 as well. We acknowledged in our prediction that Quincey severely under-performed the past two seasons in Detroit with a cap hit of $4.25MM, but still felt that a puck moving defenseman would earn at least $1.5MM on a one-year deal. Well, it’s now August and Quincey is not even the best defenseman on the market. Luke Schenn just got two years and only $2.5MM and he is better and younger than Quincey. Quincey will have to take a very cheap deal to play this season.
Jhonas Enroth (#50) – 1 year, $900K
It seemed like Enroth was set to sign with the Maple Leafs last week, but nothing ever came of it. It could be that the exact price was being nitpicked, as the Leafs are currently very close the salary cap ceiling. Unfortunately, the other team in the market for a backup goalie is San Jose, and they too are in a cap crunch. Enroth earned $1.25MM with the Kings last season and was excellent and thus was surely hoping for a raise. The market simply didn’t develop for the net minder, and now it is a bidding war between two teams with little to bid. Enroth could get lucky and sign a two-year deal for expansion draft purposes or simply to keep his cap hit low, but at this point a contract over $1MM seems unlikely.
Antoine Vermette (NR) – 1 year, $2MM
The newest addition to the free agent frenzy (or lack thereof) is Vermette, who was bought out by the Arizona Coyotes recently. Prior to the buyout, Vermette was put through waivers, and no team wanted any part of his 3.75MM cap hit. Using that as a starting point, it is safe to say that Vermette will not be getting 3.75MM from any team, nor will he likely get within even a million dollars of that mark. However, with 38 points in 76 games last season, Vermette is still producing at a similar rate as he has for the past five years or so, which made the buyout so surprising. The Coyotes likely wanted roster space for younger players, and the buyout was more about that than a commentary on Vermette’s ability. This late in free agency, most teams who would be interested in Vermette likely lack the cap flexibility to give him fair market value. He should still make a decent amount of money in 2016-17, but it will likely be a better bargain for his new destination.
James Wisniewski (NR) – 1 year, $850K
The off-season has not been kind to players coming off of bad seasons, and nothing is worse than missing an entire season with an injury. Such is the case with Wisniewski, who was injured in his first game with the Carolina Hurricanes, missed the remainder of the 2015-16 season, and was promptly bought out this off-season. Injury concerns are almost definitely the reason that Wisniewski remains unsigned, as he has top pair offensive ability when healthy, but simply isn’t healthy very often. However, even in this stagnant market, there are still D-needy teams who may be willing to pay for the chance at 30 to 40 points for an affordable, one-year deal if Wisniewski can play in the majority of the games this upcoming season. Unlike Quincey, who was actively bad this past season when healthy, Wisniewski’s ability post-injury is still somewhat unknown and may just give him a leg up in securing a contract.
Brandon Pirri (NR) – 2 years, $1.2MM
Finally we come to Pirri, who may be the closest comparison to Gagner remaining on the market. At 25 years old, Pirri perhaps has greatest potential of any remaining free agent, but is also a huge question mark. Despite showing some scoring ability in 166 NHL appearance, it seems many teams are still unsure of what his true ability is. He was expected to be tendered by the Anaheim Ducks, who acquired him at the Trade Deadline, and when they did not and he became an unrestricted free agent, he was expected to be scooped up quickly on July 1st. That also did not happen. Now, like Gagner, who is only 26 but must re-prove his NHL ability, Pirri is likely going to have to take a short-term deal for little money to show that he is an NHL-caliber player. At this point, Pirri is likely asking for a one-year deal so he can show himself and cash in next year, but don’t be surprised if he ends up signing for two or more so that the team can maintain control if their gamble pays off.
SKA Saint Petersburg: KHL Super Team
No hockey team has done more to make their roster better and separate themselves from the rest of the pack this off-season than SKA Saint Petersburg. Albeit, the Russian team does play in the Kontinental Hockey League rather than the NHL, but no one could possibly be unimpressed by the talent that SKA has accumulated. While the NHL’s salary cap structure makes it almost impossible for a “super team” to be formed like those in the NBA or MLB, the KHL does not have such a structure and SKA is set to dominate the league in 2016-17.
This summer alone, SKA has brought in four players who played in the NHL last season, not the least of which is newly named captain and Detroit Red Wings legend Pavel Datsyuk. With one season remaining on his deal with Detroit, Datsyuk informed the team that he planned to play overseas in 2016-17. Not long after, his rights were traded to the Arizona Coyotes, but his true destination has always been St. Petersburg. A veteran of nearly 1000 NHL games, Datsyuk had 918 points in his 14 year NHL career. At 38 years old, Datsyuk still has a few years of production left in his homeland, and will look to lead his new team to Red Wings-like success. Joining him will be fellow 2015-16 NHLers Viktor Tihkonov, Sergei Plotnikov, and Alexander Khokhlachev. Tihkonov returns to SKA after a one-year hiatus from the KHL where he tried his hand at another NHL stint, but did not find the success he was hoping for. Plotnikov is also making a KHL comeback, as he had played his entire career in Russia before signing with the Pittsburgh Penguins last season. Khokhlachev on the other hand, is finally making his professional debut overseas after committing to North American hockey at a young age. He played his junior hockey with the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League and was drafted by the Boston Bruins in 2011, but after failing to develop as planned and crack the Boston roster, Khokhlachev chose to return home to Russia rather than likely spend another year with the AHL’s Providence Bruins.
The four new additions are joining an already loaded SKA roster that made it all the way to the KHL Western Conference finals last season. KHL superstar Vadim Shipachyov led the team with 60 points in 54 games last season, and former NHL All-Star Ilya Kovalchuk finished just behind him. Young Russians Yevgeni Dadonov and Lightning prospect Nikita Gusev and former University of New Hampshire Wildcats phenom Steve Moses round out what should be a potent top nine for SKA. The top blue line pair is led by highly regarded KHLer and Bruins property Maxim Chudinov and former NHL defenseman Anton Belov, and the net will be well-kept with returning starter Mikko Koskinen.
While SKA may not be good enough to be a contender over an 82-game season against NHL competition, it would no doubt win more than a few games and will certainly win a majority of its games in the KHL in 2016-17. The Russian “super team” will be a story for hockey fans to follow this next year, and could be especially interesting should stars Shipachyov, Gusev, or Chudinov decide to make the trip overseas for a shot at NHL success.
Vancouver Trade Targets
In an article by Jason Botchford of the Vancouver Sun, he examines trade options for the Vancouver Canucks, who are looking to add talent to both their forward core and defensive group before the start of the season. With a young roster and talented prospect pool, the Canucks would likely be better suited to continue their re-build. However, after bringing in elite free agent Loui Eriksson to pair with Henrik and Daniel Sedin and with a year left with prior free agent splurge Ryan Miller in net, the Canucks and GM Jim Benning may feel like they want to contend for a playoff spot sooner rather than later. If that is the case, Botchford offers up five suggestions.
The lone defenseman on the list, Tyson Barrie, re-signed with the Colorado Avalanche today and is presumably off the market. However, Botchford lists his teammate, Gabriel Landeskog as a possible target for a blockbuster deal. While heads will likely roll if the Avalanche miss the playoffs again next season, or maybe even earlier if they get off to a rocky start, but it seems unlikely that they would trade a young cornerstone of their offense like Landeskog this off-season. Additionally, for the Canucks to get him, they would surely have to be willing to depart with young blueliner Chris Tanev. Tanev has developed into a strong defensive defenseman, and Botchford doubts Benning’s willingness to give him away, even for Landeskog.
If Tanev is off the table, Botchford’s suggestion of Bruin’s center David Krejci may as well be too. Krejci is a legitimate #1 center, and even a package of long-time Canuck top-pair defenseman Alex Edler and mid-level picks and prospects is unlikely to be enough for the 2011 Stanley Cup champ. The Bruins excess at center and lack of strength on the back end is well-documented, but they are likely looking at bigger fish like Kevin Shattenkirk if they are going to part with Krejci.
Botchford’s final two recommendations, Evander Kane and Scott Hartnell seem to be more likely, as both are being actively shopped. Ever since rumors started that Kane’s off-ice behavior had become too much of a distraction in Buffalo, the Canucks have been mentioned as a team willing to take the troubled, but talented winger of the Sabres’ hands. If Buffalo is able to sign Jimmy Vesey in August, they are expected to trade Kane. Vancouver very well could be the destination. If not, they could inquire about the veteran Hartnell. The Columbus Blue Jackets would love to rid themselves of Hartnell’s $4.75MM yearly cap hit, and Vancouver could use a big, strong forward to protect their younger and less physical players. As Botchford suggests, they may also be able to work out a deal in which bad contract is exchanged for bad contract, and the Canucks can ship overpaid defenseman Luca Sbisa out of town.
With all that said, it seems that Vancouver is in a better position to sign players than to make big trades. The Canucks seem far from contending, and as they did with Eriksson, it makes more sense to add players without losing young players, prospects, or draft picks. While a reunion with forward Radim Vrbata or defenseman Matt Bartkowski seems unlikely at this point, Vancouver has been linked to the surprisingly unsigned Jiri Hudler and might be well-served to give a young free agent like Brandon Pirri or Jakub Nakladal a shot. A Hartnell trade may be harmless, but all of Botchford’s other recommendations seem better suited for a team that is a few pieces away from contending. The Vancouver Canucks are not that.
Remaining Buyers And The Off-Season Salary Cap Landscape
All 30 NHL teams must be “cap compliant” before the first puck drops on the 2016-17 season this October. With the first month of the off-season on it’s way out, there are still players to be signed and trades to be made though. Many may think that the “buyers” would be those with plenty of cap space remaining and the “sellers” would be those over the cap or uncomfortably close to it. However, this is not always the case. Although the $73MM salary cap limit and $54MM salary cap floor allows teams plenty of flexibility as to how much they want to spend, those two values do not create an even distribution whatsoever. The “average” team expenditure in a balanced, bell curve distribution would be $63.5MM. Currently, there are only four teams with cap hits less than that: the Winnipeg Jets, the New Jersey Devils, the Calgary Flames, and the Carolina Hurricanes. Once the Flames re-sign restricted free agents Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan, they will be closer to the limit than the average. The Jets also have RFA defenseman Jacob Trouba to sign and the Devils may still be considering bringing back veteran Patrik Elias or adding another forward, which could leave the Hurricanes as the lone team below the “average” cap hit mark.
Instead of looking at the average, assume that a majority of NHL teams will instead spend as close to the cap as they see fit, whether that means they have a self-imposed budget or are simply content with their present roster. The median cap hit more accurately shows which clubs remain in a position to add to their team before the season begins. The median, or “mid-point” of NHL spending as of now is approximately $69MM. Thus, teams below that mark have $4MM or more in cap space and have the flexibility to still be “buyers” this off-season if they so choose. The teams above that mark may still have needs and want to be “buyers”, but are in a more difficult position to do so. Those teams will likely have to send salary out in return in any trade or make some risky roster moves to incorporate a new signing, otherwise they could leave themselves with too little cap flexibility once the season begins.
Looking at the teams who are just below the median and have some room left under the cap, several can be counted out immediately. Many teams will use up much of their remaining cap space on re-signing their own restricted free agents, as the aforementioned Calgary Flames and Winnipeg Jets are joined by the Tampa Bay Lighting (Nikita Kucherov), Anaheim Ducks (Rickard Rakell and Hampus Lindholm), Ottawa Senators (Cody Ceci), and Buffalo Sabres (Rasmus Ristolainen). While each of those teams may end up having some space left to make an additional move, their focus will likely be on bringing back their own.
Buffalo, however, is an interesting case, as they wait for August 15th and a decision by college free agent Jimmy Vesey. The Boston Bruins, considered the top suitor for Vesey’s talents, are also below the median line and appear to be waiting to make any further moves until the Vesey decision is made. Once August 15th has passed, expect both Boston and Buffalo to be back working the phones looking for impact defenseman via trade or signing. The Edmonton Oilers should be right there with them, as could the Dallas Stars and New Jersey Devils. The Columbus Blue Jackets could be in the market for added depth, even after their reported signing of Sam Gagner is made official. Additional bodies up front may also be needed in Ottawa and Winnipeg, if they have the means to add it.
As for the teams that are already in a cap crunch, but hope to add to their teams, they’ll have to get creative. The Detroit Red Wings would like to add a top pairing defenseman, but it seems very unlikely given that they are already projected to be over $4MM over the salary cap. The San Jose Sharks and Toronto Maple Leafs both desperately need a reliable back up goalie, but neither have ample room to spend big on one. The Vancouver Canucks would really like to add a top six forward, but there may not be one to be found that can be squeezed in under the cap. PHR Top 50 Free Agents Kris Russell (#12), Jiri Hudler (#18), Radim Vrbata (#27), and Alex Tanguay (#33) could be had for a bargain price at this point, if the teams with more space and flexibility don’t scoop them up first.
The off-season is far from over and there are many teams still looking to add to their rosters for the coming season. Depth charts and salary cap numbers will continue to change, but you can always keep up with all of the news here at ProHockeyRumors.com