Free Agent Rumor Round-Up: Maroon, Grabner, De Haan, Rieder
Teams are free to speak with impending free agents prior to the official opening of free agency on Sunday, July 1st. As usual, that has produced a flurry of rumors regarding which teams and how many teams are talking to each of the biggest names. Here is an update on some of those rumors:
- Unsurprisingly, winger Patrick Maroon has been linked to his hometown St. Louis Blues. Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic reports and Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch confirms that the Blues have reached out to Maroon’s camp in hopes of bringing him back to where his hockey aspirations first began. Maroon is coming off a career-high 43-point season and especially looked strong after a Trade Deadline deal from the Edmonton Oilers to the New Jersey Devils. Blues beat reporter Andy Strickland adds that Maroon has not closed the door on a return to either Edmonton or New Jersey, but that the Blues are one of at least six other teams who are pursuing the power forward.
- The Boston Bruins were busy making their pitch to John Tavares today, but that doesn’t mean that they weren’t also thinking a few steps ahead. Mark Divver of the Providence Journal says that the Bruins have “checked in” on two-way speedster Michael Grabner, another Devils deadline acquisition. Not only do the Bruins need another veteran right-shot forward and want to continue to add quickness to the roster, but it also might not be a coincidence that Grabner spent years playing alongside Tavares with the New York Islanders.
- In a shallow class of top-four defenseman, Calvin de Haan is drawing a lot of interest despite missing most of the season with the New York Islanders due to injury. The 27-year-old former first-round pick is one of the more reliable and younger options among defenders on the market and is set to cash in as a result. Kings beat writer Dennis Bernstein reports that Los Angeles is the latest team to show interest in de Haan, bringing the speculated total number of teams interested in the blue liner into the double-digits.
- When the Kings declined to offer Tobias Rieder a qualifying offer yesterday, it was only a matter of time before teams came calling on the new UFA. Sportsnet’s Rick Dhaliwal states that the Vancouver Canucks are one of those interested teams, but that four or five other suitors have already emerged. The two-way winger is one of the youngest and most versatile options available on the market.
Spencer Carbery Named Hershey Bears Head Coach
The Washington Capitals parted ways with AHL head coach Troy Mann at the end of the season, and have now brought in his replacement in Spencer Carbery. Carbery was announced as the next head coach of the Hershey Bears, coming over from the Providence Bruins where he’d been an assistant. Capitals VP of hockey operations Bryan Helmer released a statement on the hiring:
Today is an exciting day for the Hershey Bears organization as we welcome Spencer Carbery as our new head coach. Throughout this process, Spencer’s passion, character and work ethic stood out–and his desire to win is without equal. His familiarity with the Hershey and Washington organizations will help make this a smooth transition, and we feel he is the perfect fit to lead this storied franchise to even greater success.
The Bears missed the playoffs last season and decided to move on from Mann, who is as intense a coach as there was in the AHL. In his place, Carbery will try to right the ship and bring Hershey back to the Calder Cup contender they were in recent seasons. The Capitals added plenty of young talent in the recent draft despite being Stanley Cup champions, and will hand off the duties of in-game development to Carbery and his staff.
Austin Czarnik, Daniel Carr Receiving Major Free Agency Interest
Who is the biggest the free agent name on the market that you may have never heard of? That would be Boston Bruins forward Austin Czarnik. Czarnik, 25, signed with the Bruins as an undrafted free agent out of Miami University in 2015 and qualified for Group 6 unrestricted free agency after just three pro seasons. During that time, Czarnik skated in 59 NHL games and recorded 17 points. However, only ten of those games came in 2017-18, as Czarnik was pushed out of the Boston lineup by superior play from young players like Jake DeBrusk, Danton Heinen, and Anders Bjork.
Czarnik spent almost the entire season in the AHL with the Providence Bruins, where his 69 points in 64 games was good enough for third in overall league scoring and second-best among all players with more than 45 games played. In both Boston and Providence, Czarnik has shown ability and versatility. He has elite puck possession skills, high-end skating and quickness, and strong offensive instincts, can play center or wing, plays a smart two-way game, and can contribute on the power play and penalty kill – at least that is what he has displayed in two full AHL seasons and a partial NHL season.
The Bruins obviously kept tabs on Czarnik and value his ability, but couldn’t find room for him on the roster down the stretch to get him over the requisite games to avoid Group 6 free agency. As such, Boston has the same chances as every other team at signing Czarnik and it’s shaping up to be quite a fight. The Providence Journal’s Mark Divver spoke with Czarnik’s agent, Brian Bartlett, who stated that there has been “overwhelming interest” in Czarnik so far and that he has heard from more than two-thirds of the league in regards to his client. Czarnik is largely unproven in the NHL and his smaller stature could be a concern, but his upside and potential to be an offensive asset in a bottom-six role has most teams vying for his consideration. The only real risk in pursuing Czarnik is if this turns into a bidding war, with the winner inking the young forward to an above-market contract for a player who has yet to prove he can produce at a high level in the NHL.
Bartlett has also been busy fielding calls on another unexpectedly popular client, Daniel Carr. The Montreal Canadiens forward was set to be a restricted free agent this summer, but was not made a qualifying offer today ahead of the deadline. As such, Carr is now an unrestricted free agent. According to TVA’s Renaud Lavoie, the Canadiens declined to make a qualifying offer to Carr after he first declined an initial offer worth $700K per year. Bartlett reportedly came armed to negotiations with an offer from the KHL worth far more than the Habs’ offer and they will look for a similar or superior deal in free agency. Lavoie says that Bartlett feels initial talks with other teams indicate that they will easily surpass the Canadiens’ last best offer on the open market.
Carr, like Czarnik, was an undrafted NCAA free agent out of Union College who has played a part-time role for Montreal over the past three seasons. Carr has posted 34 points in 94 games for the Canadiens while usually playing left wing in the bottom six. Carr also spent ample time watching the Habs play from the press box. However, he still managed to suit up for 20 games with the AHL’s Laval Rocket this season and contributed 19 points. Carr’s exposure has been limited, but the hard-working forward has done enough to impress scouts from the KHL and likely scouts from the NHL as well. He will remain an interesting name to watch this off-season.
List Of Potential Destinations For Carter Hutton Cut To Six
Among this year’s free agent goaltending crop, Carter Hutton stands out as a name that could potentially take over a starting role. The 32-year old is coming off an incredible season with the St. Louis Blues, and had been reportedly in talks with as many as eight teams on the first day of the free agent negotiating period. Now, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (subscription required) reports that group is down to just six teams.
LeBrun adds that even those six are broken into two tiers, depending on whether or not they’ll give Hutton a chance to fight for the starting role. The teams he’s sure of are the Chicago Blackhawks, Buffalo Sabres, Carolina Hurricanes and New York Islanders. All four are unsurprising contenders, as they all are dealing with uncertain goaltending situations as they head into next season. Craig Custance of The Athletic (subscription required) also links the Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings to Hutton, and adds that the Blues expressed interest in retaining him at the end of the year.
Hutton registered a .931 save percentage this season in 32 appearances, and continued to show why he’s considered one of the best backups in the league. His career save percentage is now up to .915, and he carries a 63-39-17 record. It’s hard to imagine a team giving him a big money, long-term contract, but it’s clear that he deserves more than the $1.125MM he’s averaged over the last two seasons.
In Buffalo, Carolina and New York he’d likely be given a chance to be a starting goaltender, as Linus Ullmark, Scott Darling and Thomas Greiss haven’t yet proven they can handle the full load. In Chicago, where Corey Crawford‘s health is still up in the air, they need to find an option they can rely on. Any interest from Boston and Detroit would likely be as a backup for Tuukka Rask or Jimmy Howard, though each have shown some inconsistency in the past. Howard is also on the final year of his current contract, meaning Detroit will need someone to step in should he head to another team next summer.
More Than Five Teams Still In The Mix For John Tavares
Though we’d heard reports about several teams that were expected to get meetings with superstar free agent John Tavares, the entire situation wasn’t clear. Now, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic and Darren Dreger of TSN report at nearly the same moment that the Dallas Stars, Boston Bruins, San Jose Sharks, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Tampa Bay Lightning all have sit down meetings scheduled over the next few days, while two or three other teams will have discussions over the phone. LeBrun notes that those phone conversations could turn into face-to-face meetings, while the Islanders obviously remain in the mix for their captain.
Interestingly, Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports reports that the Montreal Canadiens attempted to get a meeting with Tavares, but were refused. The Canadiens are not part of the current discussions.
Tavares would arguably be the best unrestricted free agent to hit the market in the salary cap era if he remains unsigned on July 1st, but it’s not like that is a guarantee at this point. In fact, it may still be incredibly unlikely for the 27-year old center to leave the Islanders but after waiting this long it made sense to at least listen to the other offers. We saw this same song and dance two years ago with Steven Stamkos, before the Tampa Bay Lightning—or perhaps an overt-the-top pitch from another team—eventually convinced their captain to stay put.
We’ve already seen John Carlson, the consensus second-best pending free agent re-sign with the Washington Capitals for huge money, and Tavares could be next. If he does end up staying in New York, it would mean only good things for Paul Stastny who would likely become the next best option by default. Tyler Bozak, Derek Ryan and others are also available at center, but Stastny would be the only real prize left down the middle. If the rest of the NHL is closely watching the meetings in Los Angeles, Stastny may be camped outside the CAA offices waiting for his big opportunity.
Tavares Notes: Toronto, San Jose, Boston
While reports suggest that John Tavares and his representation are speaking to five teams in Los Angeles, there is some confusion of which teams Tavares’ camp is speaking to. It was reported that the Toronto Maple Leafs, San Jose Sharks and the Dallas Stars are three teams that are definitely meeting with him, while other teams such as Vegas and Tampa Bay have been suggested as possibilities.
The Maple Leafs have been interested in signing Tavares for a long time, years in fact. However, with the state of their salary cap in the coming years with contracts of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander on the books, there are a lot of questions whether the Maple Leafs are really true candidates to bring Tavares on board, especially after the team splurged a season ago when they pried Patrick Marleau away from San Jose.
The Athletic’s James Mirtle (subscription required) writes that trying to add a contract that at the moment is linked at $11MM per year for Tavares (possibly $12MM) might be challenging, but not totally impossible. Unlike two years ago, when they tried to sign Steven Stamkos when they were a struggling franchise, things are much different. For one, Tavares gets to come home, he can immediate play for a top team which has a legitimate chance to win a Stanley Cup, and lots of cap space in the first year of a contract, which is where the discussion ends.
Mirtle suggests one rumor that has been going around for week is to offer Tavares a one-year max deal, which would be worth $15.9MM. Then the team could attempt to lock him up to an eight-year deal after that. However, that could also be construed as cap circumvention as well as dangerous if Tavares gets injured in that first year. Another offer Toronto could add to the package is the captaincy, but that would also be an issue considering that Matthews has been in line for that role.
- David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period confirms that the San Jose Sharks were the second team to speak with Tavares and his representatives. He writes that the Sharks are all-in on Tavares and the entire organization is on board to bring Tavares in. With more than $18MM in cap space, the Sharks have the money even after locking up winger Evander Kane to a seven-year, $49MM extension last month. With their defense and goaltending, alongside Tavares, Kane, Logan Couture, Joe Pavelski as well as a bunch of talented younger players that are ready to break out, the Sharks would look like a perennial Stanley Cup contender.
- Joe Haggerty of NBC Sports writes that while there is no word yet, the scribe gets the sense that the Boston Bruins haven’t been told yet whether they are one of the five teams that Tavares will meet with, but Boston definitely wants a meeting with the center. Boston has almost $12MM of cap space available and a team that is full of both veterans and young stars in which the addition of Tavares could take them to that Stanley Cup level as well.
Atlantic Notes: Pacioretty, O’Reilly, Nash, Reinhart, Tkachuk
Montreal Canadiens Max Pacioretty was the most talked about player throughout this weekend’s NHL Entry Draft, but the skilled forward remains with the Canadiens and a trade will have to wait, according to The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun (subscription required). Evidently general manager Marc Bergevin had many conversations about the 29-year-old, but wasn’t able to get a deal done. The rumor that Montreal and San Jose had struck a trade was false as the two teams had never spoken about him.
LeBrun also writes the closest team to pulling off a trade was the Los Angeles Kings earlier this week as he surmises that both teams were ready to pull the trigger on a trade, but the Kings failed to reach a contract extension with Pacioretty and the deal fell through. However, whether the pieces of a trade were actually in place at the time seemed unlikely, according to LeBrun. The Kings came out OK, however, as they won the Ilya Kovalchuk sweepstakes. Another wrinkle in trade talks is that Pacioretty also switched agents today as he left Pat Brisson and joined Allan Walsh of Octagon. Pacioretty, who is in the final year of a six-year, $27MM deal ($4.5 AAV), is looking to get paid after putting up big numbers as an underpaid player, suggesting he wants to cash in on that.
- One other trade topic that didn’t get as much attention this weekend was the potential trade of Buffalo Sabres center Ryan O’Reilly. Mike Harrinton of the Buffalo News writes that Buffalo had extensive talks with the Montreal Canadiens as well as the St. Louis Blues about O’Reilly, but weren’t able to strike a deal. “We just didn’t feel comfortable what was presented the last couple of days,” Botterill said in American Airlines Center. “We’ll see how things progress over the next week or two. Our main focus was the draft and we’re very excited where we’re at the last three days.” O’Reilly is expected to receive a roster bonus of $7.5MM on July 1. If the Sabres intend to trade him, they are more likely to do that before that date, otherwise, expect him to stay in Buffalo.
- Dan Rosen of NHL.com writes that after losing out on Kovalchuk earlier today, Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said he is interested in bringing back unrestricted free agent Rick Nash. Boston acquired the veteran forward at the trade deadline and fared well in the Bruins’ lineup, posting six points in 11 games to finish out the season and then added three goals and two assists in 12 playoff games. Sweeney said they have been in contact with Nash. “He’s strongly indicated that Boston is a place he would consider, as would we,” Sweeney said.
- Buffalo Sabres general manager Jason Botterill said he isn’t worried about contract negotiations with restricted free agent Sam Reinhart, according to The Athletic’s John Vogl. “Our discussions with Craig Oster have been positive,” Botterill said. “I don’t view it as a difficult situation at all. Hopefully, we’ll look at some different structures in the upcoming weeks and get something done.” The 22-year-old put up a career-high 25 goals last season.
- One key decision that the Ottawa Senators hope to work in their favor will be what avenue 2018 first-round pick Brady Tkachuk will take next season. The Boston University winger was taken fourth overall by the Senators and had previously indicated that he wanted to return to the school. However, after the draft, Tkachuk told reporters he intended to sit down with his father, Keith Tkachuk, to discuss it, according to Ottawa Citizen’s Bruce Garrioch. While a another year of development at BU wouldn’t be a bad idea, the Senators might want prefer him to be on the ice with them next season.
2018 Draft Results By Team
The 2018 NHL Entry Draft is now complete. Check out how each team did with accruing talent and filling needs with each of their selections this weekend:
Anaheim Ducks
1-23. F Isac Lundestrom, Lulea (SHL)
2-54. F Benoit-Olivier Groulx, Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL)
3-79. F Blake McLaughlin, Chicago Steel (USHL)
3-84. G Lukas Dostal, HC Kometa Brno (Czech Republic-Jr.)
4-116. F Jack Perbix, Elk River HS (USHS)
5-147. G Roman Durny, Des Moines Buccaneers (USHL)
6-178. D Hunter Drew, Charlottetown Islanders (QMJHL)
Arizona Coyotes
1-5. F Barrett Hayton, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL)
2-55. D Kevin Bahl, Ottawa 67’s (OHL)
3-65. F Jan Jenik, HC Benatky nad Jizerou (Czech Republic-2)
3-73. D Ty Emberson, U.S. National Development Program (USHL)
4-114. G Ivan Prosvetov, Youngstown Phantoms (USHL)
5-142. D Mitchell Callahan, Central Illinois Flying Aces (USHL)
5-145. D Dennis Busby, Flint Firebirds (OHL)
6-158. G David Tendeck, Vancouver Giants (WHL)
7-189. F Liam Kirk, Sheffield Steelers (England)
Boston Bruins
2-57. D Axel Andersson, Djurgardens IF (SuperElit)
3-77. F Jakub Lauko, Pirati Chomutov (Czech Republic)
4-119. F Curtis Hall, Youngstown Phantoms (USHL)
6-181. D Dustyn McFaul, Pickering Panthers (OJHL)
7-212. F Pavel Shen, Mamonty Yugry (MHL)
Buffalo Sabres
1-1. D Rasmus Dahlin, Frolunda HC (SHL)
2-32. D Mattias Samuelsson, U.S. National Development Program (USHL)
4-94. F Matej Pekar, Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL)
4-117. D Linus Lindstrand Kronholm, Malmo Redhawks (SuperElit)
5-125. D Miska Kuukonen, Ilves (Jr.-Liiga)
7-187. D William Worge Kreu, Linkoping (SuperElit)
Calgary Flames
3-105. F Martin Pospisil, Sioux City Musketeers (USHL)
3-108. F Demetrios Koumontzis, Edina HS (USHS)
4-122. F Milos Roman, Vancouver Giants (WHL)
6-167. F Mathias Emilio Pettersen, Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL)
7-198. F Dmitri Zavgorodny, Rimouski Oceanic (QMJHL)
Carolina Hurricanes
1-2. F Andrei Svechnikov, Barrie Colts (OHL)
2-42. F Jack Drury, Waterloo Blackhawks (USHL)
4-96. F Luke Henman, Blainville-Boisbriand Armada (QMJHL)
4-104. F Lenni Killinen, Espoo Blues (Jr.-Liiga)
6-166. D Jesper Sellgren, MODO (Allsveskan)
7-197. G Jake Kucharski, Des Moines Buccaneers (USHL)
Chicago Blackhawks
1-8. D Adam Boqvist, Brynas IF Gavle (SHL)
1-27. D Nicolas Beaudin, Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL)
3-69. F Jake Wise, U.S. National Development Program (USHL)
3-74. F Niklas Nordgren, HIFK Helsinki (Jr.-Liiga)
4-120. F Philipp Kurashev, Quebec Remparts (QMJHL)
5-139. F Mikael Hakkarainen, Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL)
6-162. G Alexis Gravel, Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL)
7-193. F Josiah Slavin, Lincoln Stars (USHL)
Colorado Avalanche
1-16. F Martin Kaut, Dynamo Pardubice (Czech Republic)
3-64. G Justus Annunen, Karpat (Jr.-Liiga)
3-78. F Sampo Ranta, Sioux City Musketeers (USHL)
4-109. F Tyler Weiss, U.S. National Development Program (USHL)
5-140. F Brandon Saigeon, Hamilton Bulldogs (OHL)
5-146. D Danila Zhuravlyov, Irbis Kazan (MHL)
6-171. F Nikolai Kovalenko, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (MHL)
7-202. G Shamil Shmakov, Sibirskie Snaipery Novosibirsk (MHL)Read more
Bruins Still Talking To Rick Nash But Are Prioritizing Signing Ilya Kovalchuk
- While the Bruins have prioritizing signing UFA winger Ilya Kovalchuk, they remain in contact with winger Rick Nash about possibly extending his stay in Boston should they not land the Russian, GM Don Sweeney told Joe Haggerty of NBC Sports Boston. However, Sweeney acknowledged that they won’t be able to sign both players. Nash should have plenty of interest if he makes it to the open market but he will have to take a significant pay cut on the $7.8MM he made in 2017-18.
Contract Offers Submitted To Ilya Kovalchuk
Ilya Kovalchuk can’t officially sign a contract until July 1st, but as Darren Dreger of TSN reports offers have already been submitted to his camp. Dreger believes the Los Angeles Kings are one of the team who have sent an offer, while the Boston Bruins, San Jose Sharks and Vegas Golden Knights remain in contention. Kovalchuk is permitted to reach a deal with a team prior to the free agent period.
The 35-year old Russian forward is returning after five seasons in the KHL, and has already sat down with multiple teams. Though his contract will be held to normal restrictions for a 35+ player—that is, his average annual value will be applied to the salary cap regardless of whether he retires before the end of the contract—he is still expected to get a multi-year deal. It’s not like his production has waned in recent years, as he led the KHL in scoring this season and recorded 78 points in 2016-17. Kovalchuk was one of the NHL’s most lethal offensive weapons during his first tenure in North America, recording 816 points in 816 games including an impressive 417 goals. While he’s coming back a much older player, he also recently won Olympic MVP and should still be able to produce at a respective rate in the NHL.
Whether he’ll be able to do that for multiple seasons, and at a rate which makes his contract palatable is another story. With several competing teams there is no telling how high the offers for Kovalchuk will climb, and though he has said his first priority is winning the Stanley Cup, all players want to earn the most they can during their final seasons of professional hockey.
For the Kings, the interest is not surprising. GM Rob Blake has shown reported interest in almost every scoring threat on the market, including players like Phil Kessel and Jeff Skinner. Los Angeles desperately needs to add offense to a group that can still compete for the Stanley Cup, and Kovalchuk costs nothing but money. Anze Kopitar bounced back to his MVP-caliber self this season, but relying on a resurgent Dustin Brown and Jeff Carter to carry the load just wasn’t working.
Boston too makes sense for the big winger, as the team is expected to let Rick Nash walk in free agency. The team acquired Nash at the trade deadline hoping he’d give their offense another dynamic goal threat to push them over the top, but after a disappointing playoff exit at the hands of the Tampa Bay Lightning will look to retool through free agency.
San Jose has been linked to just about every free agent on the market thanks to their healthy cap space, and with this week’s Mike Hoffman magic have cleared another $4MM. If they get the feeling that John Tavares isn’t going to be available in a few days, why not swing at Kovalchuk to give the team another option and more incentive for Joe Thornton to take one more crack at a Stanley Cup in California.
The Golden Knights are the wildcard in seemingly every trade and free agent scenario, as they have more than $30MM in cap space and very few long-term contracts on the books. Taking a chance on a player like Kovalchuk is nearly risk-free for an organization that is starting from scratch, but could add a huge marketing opportunity for the franchise. Kovalchuk is a star all around the world after his accomplishments in the NHL, KHL and on the Olympic stage, and would only lend some more credibility to a team looking to show they weren’t just a one-hit wonder.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images