Minor Transactions: 10/28/20
The AHL may have delayed the start of their season for several months, but that won’t stop teams from continuing to fill out their rosters, especially with the ECHL still hoping to begin in December. Meanwhile, hockey is in full swing in Europe and clubs continue to make moves, whether that be loan agreements with NHL teams, free agent signings, or trades. Keep up with all of these minor transactions from today:
- The AHL’s Chicago Wolves, now an affiliate of the Hurricanes, have added a pair of veteran minor leaguers to their roster, both of whom played for Carolina’s previous affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers last season. The team has announced that defenseman Cavan Fitzgerald and forward Colin Markison have each signed a one-year contract. Fitzgerald, 24, was a member of the San Jose Sharks prior to joining Charlotte last season, but played exclusively in the AHL on his entry-level contract. A productive two-way defenseman, Fitzgerald is a quality addition to the Chicago blue line. Markison, 28, has four NCAA seasons with the University of Vermont and five AHL seasons with Bridgeport, Texas, and Charlotte on his resume. An undersized scorer, Markinson’s production has fluctuated over the years and may depend on his role and the system in Chicago.
- The Boston Bruins had already loaned Joona Koppanen overseas to KOOVEE of the Finnish minor league Metsis, but he is now on the move to the top level. Liiga club Ilves has announced that Koppanen has now joined them on loan, a reunion with a player who grew up in the system and played for the main club in 2017-18. Koppanen, 22, is a big power forward who recorded 18 points in 43 games with the AHL’s Providence Bruins last season and already had a whopping 17 points in ten games with KOOVEE this year. Koppanen appears to be a prospect on the rise, but is buried behind a team NHL and AHL roster for the Bruins. Ilves’ stated that Koppanen’s loan is until “further notice”, which could mean the 6’5″ center might stay in Finland beyond NHL training camp.
- While the deal has yet to be finalized, former NHLer Viktor Tikhonov is on the move in the KHL. The two sides are still working out the details, but Tikhonov has been traded from Ak Bars Kazan to Spartak Moscow, according to Sport.ru. Spartak had previously pursued Tikhonov as a free agent this summer, but he opted to re-sign with Ak Bars. Tikhonov was traded to Kazan last season from SKA St. Petersburgh, where he had played for seven of the past eight seasons. The one break was in 2015-16, which he split between the Arizona Coyotes and Chicago Blackhawks. Tikhonov is no longer an elite scorer in the KHL, but his experience and two-way acumen still make him a valuable asset.
Free Agent Profile: Mikael Granlund
There are just two free agents left unsigned among the top ten of PHR’s Top 50 UFA’s. One of them, Mike Hoffman, has been a fixture on the rumor mill since the market opened, with as much discussion and speculation as anyone. The other is Mikael Granlund and things have been stunningly quiet surrounding the two-time 60+ point player.
Granlund, 28, is relatively young for a traditional UFA and has over 500 NHL games to his credit, recording over 100 career goals and over 350 career points. He is a proven asset on the power play and penalty kill, an efficient shooter, a strong possession player, and can play major minutes. Granlund may not be a household name, but he has been everything one would expect from a first-round draft pick. So why the apparent lack of interest?
It seems potential NHL suitors may be focused more on Granlund’s recent play rather than looking at the big picture. The versatile forward was traded by the Minnesota Wild to the Nashville Predators at the trade deadline in 2019. Since that time, his scoring rate dropped from .69 to .44 points per game. That is quite the decline and not what any impending free agent wants to see, but should it really be the death knell for Granlund’s prospects on the open market? In less than a season and a half in Nashville, Granlund played for two different head coaches with the Predators. He did not fit the system of former bench boss Peter Laviolette, who held the job through the end of 2018-19 and into early January of this past season. During that time, Granlund’s usage was severely limited compared to his time in Minnesota, both in overall ice time and special teams role. During that time his scoring suffered and he simply did not look like the same player. Once John Hynes took over, Granlund’s play recovered in a big way. He saw an uptick in ice time, began shooting more often and scoring more as a result, and finally won back a consistent power play role. Granlund even tied a career best in possession with a 52.4 Corsi For %.
Granlund’s play in the latter half of this past season more closely resembles his time with the Wild. A reliable top-six forward, Granlund was a pivotal player for Minnesota for over five years after taking on a full-time role at just 21. He topped 20 goals twice and 50 points three times, never finishing with less than 39 points. He also proved himself to be a durable player, missing only nine total games over his final four seasons with the team while skating over 18 minutes per game each year. He also adapted to a move from center to wing without missing a beat and still proved to be a capable pivot when needed.
In the right system, Granlund can still be the player he was in Minnesota and showed flashes of down the stretch this past year, rather than the one who struggled after moving to Nashville. That is why the lack of interest – at least based on close to nothing coming out the rumor mill – remains such a mystery.
Potential Suitors
Unfortunately for Granlund, one of the teams that could most use a player of his ability and has the cap space to sign him is none other than the Nashville Predators. Although Granlund did perform better once Hynes took over, it seems unlikely that he would be open to a return after his experience with the club was sour overall.
The Boston Bruins are also known to be looking for a forward. Granlund would have the opportunity to play with former Minnesota teammate Charlie Coyle and former Nashville teammate Craig Smith on a line that could have instant chemistry. However, the Bruins are lacking in cap space with Jake DeBrusk also in need of a new deal, so one of those two players would need to take a significant discount.
Perhaps the best fit is with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Columbus moved out considerable salary in hopes of landing at least one big time free agent forward, but so far have merely swapped Josh Anderson for Max Domi and signed aging Mikko Koivu, another former Granlund teammate. The team needs to make another splash and inject some more skill into their forward corps and Granlund makes a lot of sense.
By all accounts, the Predators, Bruins, and Blue Jackets are the finalists to sign the aforementioned Hoffman, who PHR has ranked ahead of Granlund among available UFA’s. At least one of these teams seems likely to turn to Granlund when they miss out on Hoffman, which may explain the lack of noise surrounding Granlund while the Hoffman sweepstakes continues.
If it is not one of these three, a rebuilding club like the Ottawa Senators, Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings or New Jersey Devils makes sense on a one-year “show me” deal. Don’t rule out a return to Minnesota, where Granlund found immense success, but only if the Wild can open up some space.
Projected Contract
PHR initially projected Granlund to land a four-year $20MM deal in free agency and even that $5MM AAV seemed low for a player nearly guaranteed to put up 50+ points for many years still to come. However, the flat cap has had an even bigger impact than anyone imagined on free agent deals and the odds of Granlund getting that term and value seems slim. This rings especially true after Tyler Toffoli and Evgenii Dadonov, both ranked ahead of Granlund, signed such measly deals recently. Based on those two contracts, Granlund is likely looking at an AAV closer to $4MM on a short-term deal.
While Granlund’s slip in production in 2019-20 landed him behind Dadonov and Toffoli in our rankings, he has a more proven history of NHL success than either one and would stand a better chance of making the most of a one-year deal and cashing in as a free agent again next summer. Especially given the forthcoming Expansions Draft next summer, a one-year deal has added value for interested teams. Whether he ultimately signs with a playoff hopeful or a rebuild, a one-year, $4MM contract sounds about right for Granlund at this point – and stands to be an incredible bargain for whoever signs it.
Zach Senyshyn Re-Signs With Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins have signed restricted free agent forward Zachary Senyshyn to a one-year, two-way contract worth $700K at the NHL level. Senyshyn was not eligible for arbitration.
Senyshyn, 23, has still yet to establish himself as a true NHL option for the Bruins, five years removed from being the 15th overall selection. In 2019-20 he played in four games for Boston, recording two assists while averaging a little over eight minutes a night. Even his minor league numbers haven’t grown to the level that was expected, with Senyshyn scoring just seven goals and 16 points in 42 games for Providence this year.
The idea of the former Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds star becoming an impact top-six winger for the Bruins is pretty much dead at this point, but perhaps he can still carve out a role at the NHL level. The team brought in Craig Smith to give them another option on the right side but will likely be missing David Pastrnak for the beginning of the season after recent surgery.
Even without much production, it wasn’t time for the Bruins to give up on the young forward. He’ll join a growing group of prospects that will battle for roster spots at training camp (whenever that is) and have to wait patiently for his next opportunity.
Boston Bruins Re-Sign Karson Kuhlman
The Boston Bruins have re-signed depth forward Karson Kuhlman to a two-year contract worth an average of $725K at the NHL level. Kuhlman’s deal will be two-way in 2020-21 and one-way in 2021-22.
The 25-year-old forward was an undrafted free agent signing out of the University of Minnesota-Duluth in 2018 and has played 49 games for the Bruins over the last two seasons, including playoffs. In that time he’s contributed just 14 points but is an energy option that can be inserted into the lineup without hurting you.
In fact, Kuhlman has posted strong possession numbers whenever he does get a chance to play and saw a little bit of time on the penalty kill this year. It will be hard for him to ever really secure a full-time spot in the lineup without an injury to someone else on the roster, but as an extra forward that is still waiver-exempt, he’s a nice option.
Atlantic Notes: Chara, Maple Leafs, Danault
With a big four-year extension for Boston Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk, the Bruins continue to work on their defense after the departure of Torey Krug. Of course, much of that work relies on a decision by veteran Zdeno Chara, who is still considering what he is going to do for the 2020-21 season.
Boston Hockey Now’s Joe Haggerty writes that Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said that the team can do nothing, but wait to hear from Chara about what his offseason plans are.
“We have communicated consistently with Zdeno and [his agent] Matt Keator,” said Sweeney. “We’re just waiting for him to initiate what he’d like to do moving forward. I feel very comfortable allowing [the decision-making process] to take the necessary time and let Zdeno make his own decisions along that route.”
Of course, Keator did say that Chara has received multiple inquiries from other teams and the veteran is considering all options, according to The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa (subscription required), which isn’t good for Boston who will need the 6-foot-9, 250-pounder to help stabilize their defense after losing Krug to St. Louis more than a week ago and lack the financial abilities to bring in a solid replacement.
- In a conference call with reporters as well as NHL.com’s Mike Zeisberger, Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas said that he doesn’t foresee the team making any more roster moves, which includes adding more players or having to move a player out. The GM said the Maple Leafs will now focus on signing their own restricted free agents with next week’s arbitration case of Ilya Mikheyev on tap next, followed by focusing on working out a deal with defenseman Travis Dermott.
- The Athletic’s Arpon Basu (subscription required) writes that Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin has now signed defenseman Jeff Petry and forward Brendan Gallagher to long-term deals. He also managed to swap forwards Max Domi and Josh Anderson, signing the latter to long-term deal as well. When asked what his next task would be, Bergevin replied that he was thinking about going on vacation, sounding like his work this offseason is finished. Basu writes that can’t be good news for center Phillip Danault, who is on his last year of a three-year, $9.25MM contract and has said he would like to stay long-term as long as his role on the team is guaranteed. The 27-year-old has posted 25 goals and 100 points combined over the last two seasons, but with young centers Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Nick Suzuki ready to step into more significant roles in the near future, there may not be a big role remaining for Danault.
Bruins Re-Sign Matt Grzelcyk
The Bruins have taken care of one of their remaining restricted free agents, announcing that they’ve re-signed defenseman Matt Grzelcyk to a four-year, $14.75MM contract, avoiding a salary arbitration hearing that was scheduled for Tuesday. The deal means he more than doubles the $1.4MM he made on his most recent deal. Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that the deal breaks down as follows:
2020-21: $2.25MM
2021-22: $4MM
2022-23: $4.25MM
2023-24: $4.25MM
The 26-year-old has been a fixture on Boston’s back end in recent years, albeit in a more limited capacity. Last season, Grzelcyk had a career-high four goals and 17 assists in 68 games for the Bruins while averaging a little over 18 minutes per game in playing time. While he was limited to just a single assist in 12 postseason contests, his playing time jumped to nearly 20 minutes a night.
While it seems unlikely that Grzelcyk will be able to produce as much as he did at the college level (including one year with Charlie McAvoy), it’s possible that there is still another level he can get to offensively. With Torey Krug gone to St. Louis in free agency and Zdeno Chara’s fate uncertain for next season, Grzelcyk stands to be in line for a bigger role for 2020-21 as things stand with John Moore being the only other NHL regular on the left side of their back end. This deal clearly recognizes that potential while buying out three years of UFA eligibility.
With the move, Boston has roughly $6.5MM to $7.5MM in remaining cap space depending on various projections of filling out their roster. However, they still have a restricted free agent of note to re-sign in winger Jake DeBrusk which should take up a good chunk of that amount.
Joe Haggerty of Boston Hockey Now was first to report that the two sides were close to an agreement.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Bruins Have Shown Interest In Karl Alzner
With some uncertainty surrounding the state of the left side of their defense corps, the Bruins have shown some interest in defenseman Karl Alzner, reports Joe Haggerty of Boston Hockey Now. The 32-year-old was bought out of the final two years of his contract by Montreal earlier this month.
Alzner joined the Canadiens on an ill-fated five-year, $23.125MM contract back in 2017 after spending nine seasons with Washington. While he held down a regular spot on their back end in his first season, he cleared waivers multiple times since then and has spent the majority of the last two years in the minors with AHL Laval with only 13 NHL appearances in that span.
On the surface, it may seem odd that Boston may be interested in him but there could be a need for a veteran depth option. Zdeno Chara’s future with the Bruins is uncertain with his agent stating recently that all options (including ones outside of Boston) are being considered. Between that and the departure of Torey Krug off the left side, there are some holes to fill.
While Alzner certainly wouldn’t be able to step into one of those vacated spots, he’d at least serve as some veteran insurance in case prospects like Urho Vaakanainen and Jakub Zboril need more time at the minor league level. Plus, given the last couple of years he had, it shouldn’t cost more than the minimum salary of $700K (or a training camp PTO) to bring him in which wouldn’t impact their efforts to re-sign restricted free agents Jake DeBrusk and Matt Grzelcyk. It also wouldn’t affect any attempts to try to re-sign or replace Chara as with or without Alzner, GM Don Sweeney will still likely be looking to add a top-four option on that side in the coming weeks.
Boston Bruins Announce Three Contracts
The Boston Bruins have announced three contracts today, signing Jakub Zboril, Greg McKegg and Callum Booth. Zboril has signed a two-year contract with an average annual value of $725K, while McKegg and Booth have both inked one-year, two-way deals worth $700K at the NHL level.
The fact that Zboril has signed a one-way contract only strengthens the idea that he will get a chance to grab a spot on the Bruins blue line. With Torey Krug gone to St. Louis, Zdeno Chara unsigned and Matt Grzelcyk awaiting his arbitration hearing, John Moore is the only other left-handed defenseman currently signed to a one-way deal.
It’s been a long wait for Zboril (and Bruins fans) since he was selected 13th overall in 2015. The Czech defenseman was one of the infamous three consecutive first-round selections by the Bruins, along with Jake DeBrusk and Zachary Senyshyn. While DeBrusk has become a full-time NHL option, the other two have combined for just eight games. That pain was only increased when Mathew Barzal, Kyle Connor and Thomas Chabot, the next three picks in the draft, all became stars.
There is still time for Zboril to become a valuable member of the Bruins, but it’s hard to really imagine he’ll ever be a top option. The 23-year-old has played two games for Brno Kometa in the Czech league this fall.
McKegg meanwhile joins the organization on a two-way deal after establishing himself as an NHL player. The 28-year-old forward played in 41 games for the Carolina Hurricanes in 2018-19 and then 53 for the New York Rangers in 2019-20, also suiting up in the postseason for both clubs. It will be interesting to see what the Bruins plan to do with the depth center, as he would need to clear waivers to be sent to the minor leagues.
Booth, 23, comes to the Bruins as a depth goaltending option that has spent the majority of his career in the ECHL. He’s likely just expected to serve as organizational filler at this point, with much more exciting prospects in the system ahead of him.
Bruins Among The Teams Interested In Mike Hoffman
Seravalli notes that at that price point and term, the Bruins, Blue Jackets, and the Predators are among the teams showing the most interest in Hoffman’s services. He added that the Canucks are looking for help on the wing and also have shown some interest in the veteran but that they would have to clear some cap space first to do so; he also pegs the Canadiens as a team in that situation but after their addition of Tyler Toffoli yesterday, the fit with them may not be as strong as it previously was.
David Pastrnak, Brad Marchand Underwent Offseason Surgeries
The Boston Bruins have announced that three of their most important players have undergone offseason surgery. Brad Marchand underwent a sports hernia repair on September 14 and has been given a four-month recovery timeline, while David Pastrnak underwent a right hip arthroscopy and labral repair on September 16 and will be out five months. Charlie McAvoy, who underwent a right knee arthroscopy on September 8, has already been cleared to resume normal offseason activities.
Both Pastrnak and Marchand are now questionable for the start of the 2020-21 season, given their proposed timelines (to be clear, these are from the date of surgery). That could change based on when the NHL decides to start things off, but the current target date is still January 1, 2021.
Losing either or both would have a dramatic effect on the Bruins attack, though obviously, it’s a good thing that they had surgery so quickly after elimination from the bubble. Both should be back without missing a huge chunk of the season, hopefully at full strength.