Current Trade Candidates (Part One)
Now almost a month into free agency, the NHL off-season is nearing a point where the flow of transactions, once a raging river of signings during the first few days of July, will slow down to only a trickle. A few notable unrestricted free agents remain unsigned, a handful of young restricted free agents are set to still be extended, and arbitration cases continue to be settled prior to their hearings, though perhaps one of two will come to fruition. However, the days of big signings are over; all remaining deals handed out will either be expected, in the case of RFA’s, or underwhelming, for the UFA’s lucky enough to even find a new home. So what off-season excitement is left for hockey fans to follow? The trade market. August often brings a change of mindset for many NHL front office executives, from adding free agents before someone else scoops them up, to instead subtracting from the current roster as the season nears and cap space, depth, and even character concerns become more clear and focused as opening night approaches. The following players have had their names floated around the trade market all summer, and the next few weeks could bring a change of scenery to one or more:
The case of Evander Kane is different than many others on this list. If he is moved by the Sabres, it is not out of necessity due to cap constraints or a glut of depth at left wing, it is because they simply want him gone. The young power forward was recently charged with criminal trespass and harassment stemming from his role in an altercation at a local Buffalo nightclub. This is now his second run-in with the law during his short tenure in Buffalo, as he was just recently cleared of charges involving accusations of sexual misconduct by a young woman back in December. With his 0ff-ice behavior becoming a consistent and growing concern for the Sabres organization, trade speculation has run rampant. Buffalo would certainly like to have Kane’s on-ice production over the next two seasons, but they also have to weigh the risk of his troublesome actions becoming a distraction or interfering with his play during that time as well. If they wait to pull the trigger on a trade, and more incidents occur, this newest allegation grows more serious, or his production is impacted by his extracurricular issues, than the return for Buffalo will also be negatively effected. Also, if the Sabres decide to stick with him throughout his legal issues, potential suspensions and all, they still run the risk that their investment will not pay out, as Kane can still leave as a free agent in 2018. While nearly half of the league could probably find the space to add a great talent like Kane to their top six forward group, they all have to weigh these same risks. Expect the trade talk to continue, especially if teams feel that Kane simply needs a change of scenery, and don’t be surprised to see Kane wearing a different jersey in the next year. Any jersey would be better than an orange jumpsuit, as the hockey world can all join in hoping that a great young talent like Kane can sort out his off-ice issues and get back to focusing on his NHL career.
Jimmy Howard, Detroit Red Wings
Howard is the first of several goalies on this list, and realistically only one of them is likely to be moved before the season begins, if any at all. Detroit is in trouble with the salary cap, having just awarded Danny DeKeyser with a new contract that carries a $5MM cap hit and still working out a new contract with Howard’s heir, Petr Mrazek, who is also looking for $5MM a season. Even if the two sides are able to agree to a deal that keeps Mrazek at about $3MM or so for next season, the signing will effectively put Detroit over the salary cap limit of $73MM. Johan Franzen will be put on Long-Term Injured Reserve as soon as possible, erasing his nearly $4MM cap hit, but the Red Wings must be cap compliant before then. If GM Ken Holland can find away to squeeze his roster in under the cap using his two-way contracts and other roster management magic, then maybe Howard or other could be spared. However, if that is not possible, expect Howard to be the main focus of a trade. The 32-year-old Howard and his 2.80 GAA and .906 save percentage were soundly supplanted by the 34-year-old Mrazek, who posted a 2.33 GAA and .921 save percentage in 13 more games during the regular season. Howard now is just an expensive backup at over $5MM. While there is value in keeping the former starter on board, both for depth and for expansion draft purposes, when push comes to shove for cap compliance, an expensive backup is an easy trade chip. However, there may only be one real suitor for Howard, as well as any starting-caliber goalie on the market, and that is the Dallas Stars, whose tandem of Kari Lehtonen and Antti Niemi didn’t quite get the job done last year, despite having a combined cap hit of $10.4MM. The problem this presents to a cap-strapped team like Detroit, is that they would have to take one of the two back in return, and even if Dallas held on to a portion of either contract, it might not provide the Red Wings with the space they need. Howard’s name will continue to come up, but he seems more likely to be traded during season when new suitors start to arrive, or perhaps not dealt at all.
Gustav Nyquist, Detroit Red Wings
If the Red Wings cannot move Howard and are getting desperate as the deadline approaches for cap compliance and there’s no tricks up Ken Holland’s sleeve, it seems like Nyquist could be the next man up on the chopping block. The college hockey star from the University of Maine was once considered untouchable in Detroit, after he lit the hockey world on fire in 2013-14 when he scored 48 points in 57 games in his first full NHL campaign. However, relative to his recent production of nearly a point per game in 2013-14 at the age of 24, and even his 54 points in a full 82 games in 2014-15, Nyquist layed an egg this past season with just 43 points and only about half of the goals of each of his prior two seasons. The worst part was that he did so in the first year of a new four-year, $19MM contract. Now Nyquist, who will turn 27 in September, is far from untouchable and is likely the leading trade candidate among a deep forward group in Detroit due to his financial burden relative to his production. The Red Wings would surely prefer not to trade him if they don’t have to, but they can rest assured that if he is truly put on the market, teams will line up for his services and the return will be more than satisfactory.
Marc-Andre Fleury, Pittsburgh Penguins
Another goalie who could be on the move is Marc-Andre Fleury. After being surprisingly overtaken by the young playoff hero, Matt Murray, everyone and their grandmother seems to know that Fleury’s time is up in Pittsburgh. With an expansion draft looming, there is no way that the Penguins allow Murray to be left unprotected, which means that Fleury (whose No-Movement Clause makes him automatically protected, and teams can only protect one goalie) must go. GM Jim Rutherford has already said that he is happy with the two goalie situation and plans on having both when the season starts. However, the true intentions of the veteran executive are transparent, and the words are simply a farce that are likely meant to simply keep the morale of the former-All-Star starter up. Whether Rutherford truly plans to keep Fleury for the start of the season or not does not hide the fact that he does not plan to keep Fleury until the end of the season. Some way, somehow, it seems as close to a sure thing as a trade can be that Marc-Andre Fleury will be traded. Again, Dallas appears to be the lone suitor for a starter right now and the Penguins are no better off with the salary cap than the Red Wings, which causes confusion in making any potential deal regarding Niemi or Lehtonen. However, even if the Penguins are able to re-sign Matt Cullen, their roster has the flexibility to allow them to be cap compliant before putting Pascal Dupuis‘ $3.75MM cap hit on LTIR. So, the Penguins both don’t have to trade Fleury before the season and also are able to trade Fleury before the season. One thing is certain, he will be traded soon enough.
More On The Blackhawks, Jimmy Vesey
Kristi Loucks of Today’s Slapshot writes today on the emerging speculation surrounding Buffalo Sabres’ prospect Jimmy Vesey, who can become an unrestricted free agent on August 15th, when his draft rights expire, and the Chicago Blackhawks. We’ve discussed before the talk surrounding Vesey and the Blackhawks, and the news that Stan Bowman has been going to Foxboro, Massachusetts to watch Vesey play summer games.
Loucks mentions the Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings, Edmonton Oilers, Philadelphia Flyers, and Toronto Maple Leafs as other teams that will be in the running for Vesey’s services. In season-long speculation involving Vesey, his ties to Sabres’ forward Jack Eichel are often brought up, as are his having been raised in Boston, and the fact that his father Jim is a scout for the Leafs, and his brother Nolan is a Leafs prospect himself.
Loucks discusses the benefits available in Chicago for Vesey. Obviously they’re a legitimate contender, having won the Stanley Cup three times this decade, but they’re unique for a contender in that they offer a large amount of playing time immediately for a young player. The Blackhawks aren’t particularly deep at left wing, and assuming Calder Trophy winner Artemi Panarin stays on the second line with Artem Anisimov and Patrick Kane, Vesey could find the opportunity to play top minutes with future Hall of Fame linemates in Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa.
Snapshots: KHL, Burrows, Oilers, Blues, Moore
Former Blue Jackets’ forward Alexandre Picard and former Hurricanes’ defenseman Brett Bellemore, have signed today to play for Red Star Kalunin, the new KHL expansion team in China, according to KHL reporter Alvis Kalnins. Picard, 30, was taken eighth overall by the Blue Jackets in the 2004 entry draft, and last played in the NHL in 2010. Bellemore, 28, has played 121 NHL games, all with the Hurricanes, the last of which came in 2015.
Here are some more links from throughout the day.
- Canucks forward Alex Burrows is hopeful for a bounce back season in 2017, writes Dhiren Mahiben of The Hockey News. Burrows had just nine goals, 22 points last year, in what has to be considered one of the worst states of his career. As a 35 year old on the last year of his contract, he may be staring at the end of his NHL career, but Burrows tells Mahiben that he has been assured by management that there remains a spot for him in the lineup.
- Also from The Hockey News, Mike Brophy went over some of his scattered off-season thoughts. Among other subjects, Brophy speculates that Connor McDavid may be soon in line for the Oilers’ captaincy, and questions how long teams will continue to take chances on Buffalo Sabres’ forward Evander Kane. There were reports of the Sabres shopping Kane earlier this summer. Kane was recently charged with harassment after allegedly attacking two women in a bar.
- Greg Wyshynski at Puck Daddy writes today on the St. Louis Blues, and how they intend to move forward with their young core after losing veteran Brian Elliott, David Backes, and Troy Brouwer. As Wyshnyski discussed, the Blues will rely more heavily this year on their under-25 core, including Robby Fabbri, Colton Parayko, Jaden Schwartz, and Vladimir Tarasenko, as well as 26-year old defenseman Alex Pietrangelo.
- Luke Fox of Sportsnet writes today about the future of former New York Rangers’ center Dominic Moore. Fox writes that the Rangers appear to have moved on, but that Moore, 35, has multiple offers on the table as he considers his future. Moore’s production has declined in recent years, but data suggests he’s been playing some of the tougher minutes in the NHL as of late.
Speculative Suitors For Kris Russell
Yesterday we talked about the market for former Stars’ defenseman Kris Russell as reported by Andy Strickland, a Blues reporter for Fox Sports Midwest. On the 23rd day of free agency, Russell remains unsigned. This is surprising to an extent, since most assumed he’d be one of the few to sign a big money contract right away. Still, similar situations have happened before, including with defenseman Cody Franson last summer. Below are some teams that may have some interest in Russell, and who may be able to pay for him, given the right circumstances.
- Ottawa Senators: The Ottawa Senators currently have just six defensemen under contract for next year, and while that doesn’t count restricted free agent Cody Ceci, it does count Chris Wideman, Mike Kostka, and Mark Borowiecki, who are far from locks for serious NHL ice time. The team also lacks particularly strong defensemen, outside of Erik Karlsson, and while Russell has his detractors in the analytics community, a team that took on Dion Phaneuf without any retained salary seems like a likely one to use their own evaluation methods.
- Buffalo Sabres: The Sabres, similarly to the Senators, have six defensemen under contract, and one in Rasmus Ristolainen who is currently an unsigned restricted free agent, and one in Justin Falk, who’s yet to play serious minutes in the NHL, at 27 years old. One advantage the Sabres have in this situation is that with Franson, Ristolainen, and Zach Bogosian all being right handed, they can accomodate a left handed shot better than most teams. As mentioned earlier, Franson was an unsigned free agent far later into last summer than anyone anticipated, after talk of an expensive long term asking price, and ended up with the Sabres on a lower money, two year deal.
- Detroit Red Wings: Detroit has five defensemen under contract, in addition to the unsigned Danny DeKeyser. Once DeKeyser’s re-signed, there isn’t an obvious candidate to sit as the number seven defenseman in case of injuries, and they’re already mildly unbalanced in terms of handedness, carrying four left handers, and two right handers. Still, there’s been talk of the Wings improving their defense for a while now, and should they be able to clear out someone like Jonathan Ericsson or Jimmy Howard, which they’ll likely have to do to re-sign DeKeyser and goalie Petr Mrazek anyway, they could concievably be a fit for Russell, if GM Ken Holland values him more than one of his current defensemen, and should Ericsson be the one moved out, Russell would be a natural replacement.
- Edmonton Oilers: This is another scenario that really depends on how much the team values its current defenders. Andrew Ference was still injured during the buyout period, and so still on the roster, but between the injuries, his heavy decline, and his expiring contract, it’s hard to see him getting much ice time. The real questions are about what the Oilers want to do with Mark Fayne, who was waived and demoted this past season, and Jordan Oesterle, who has impressed in Bakersfield, and just turned 24, but who has just 23 NHL games to his credit, and is on a two way contract. We know the Oilers want to get better, and physical players are favored by GM Peter Chiarelli, but Ference was also once a physical, undersized, veteran free agent signing.
- Winnipeg Jets: The Jets have a large defense core as it is, but they also have tops of cap room, and a lot of their defensemen are cheaper veterans like Paul Postma and Brian Strait, who’d be easily stashed in the minors. It’s not a pressing need, but you can see why a team might make a less than necessary upgrade to their defense later in the summer if it’s possible, and the price tag is lower than originally imagined. Still, the Jets have a history of caution in the free agent market.
Evander Kane Charged With Misdemeanor Trespassing
The Buffalo News reports that Sabres forward Evander Kane has voluntarily turned himself in to the authorities in Buffalo. Several other sources have confirmed the news as well. The News writes that Kane will face one misdemeanor count of criminal trespass and up to four counts of non-criminal harassment.
Kane’s lawyer told the News that Kane maintains his innocence, and plans to fight the charges.
The News reports that Kane turned himself in at around 11am. The charges stem from an incident in a bar this past June where Kane purportedly placed his hands on a bouncer and three different women during an early morning incident.
Two incidence reports were filed. Kane allegedly tried to engage in a physical confrontation with the bouncer and then reportedly became combative with two different women both inside and outside the bar. The News reports that authorities declined to comment when asked about Kane being intoxicated.
The Buffalo Police Department have released a statement indicating the charges.
Weeks ago, ESPN reported that Sabres general manager Tim Murray was displeased with the latest round of legal issues surrounding the 24-year-old forward. The story was written prior to the charges being filed. Darren Dreger tweets that while the NHL is monitoring the situation, they are not expected to take any disciplinary action at this time. They will, however, recommend him for behavioral health professionals for counseling if necessary.
Mike Harrington tweets that Kane will not be going anywhere. He reiterates that the charges stem from the incident on June 24th, and that nothing new was added. Harrington also bristles at the thought of Buffalo dealing Kane to another team.
The Sabres have issued a statement regarding Kane’s arrest: “We are aware of the charges against Evander Kane stemming from an incident last month. Our organization will have no further comment at this time.” Obviously, the team will collect all pertinent information before responding to the situation.
Minor Transactions: Leivo, Leafs, Sabres, Red Wings
On this date 20 years ago, The Great One signed a free agent contract with the New York Rangers, rejoining his former Edmonton Oilers running mate, Mark Messier. While it’s highly unlikely will see a signing of that magnitude today, we’ll still bring you news of today’s transactions, even the minor ones.
- The Buffalo Sabres have announced, via the team’s website, the signing of free agent defenseman Erik Burgdoerfer to a one-year, two-way contract. Burgdoerfer played for the Hershey Bears last season, the AHL affiliate of the Washington Capitals. The 27-year-old native of East Setauket, NY recorded 20 points along with 59 penalty minutes in 74 games for the Bears.
- According to James Mirtle of The Globe and Mail (via Twitter) the Toronto Maple Leafs have re-signed forward Josh Leivo to a two-year deal. Cap Friendly reports the breakdown of the contract, including that it comes with a cap charge of $612.5K annually. Leivo tallied five goals in 12 NHL games and has seven in 28 career contests in the league. A third-round pick of the Leafs in 2011, Leivo had a nice year for Toronto’s AHL affiliate, the Marlies, scoring 17 goals and 48 points in just 51 games in 2015-16. At this point Leivo projects to be a depth player, again likely to see most of his action in the minors.
- Mitch Callahan has re-signed with the Detroit Red Wings, according to the team’s website. The right wing, who has appeared in just one NHL contest during his career, recorded 19 goals and 32 points in 62 games for Grand Rapids in 2015-16. Callahan, who inked a two-way contract, will earn $600K at the NHL level and $175K while playing in the AHL, as reported by Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press.
- Winnipeg has agreed to re-sign RFA left wing Brandon Tanev to a one-year, two-way deal, as reported on the team’s website. Brandon, the younger brother of Vancouver defenseman Chris Tanev, will earn a little more than $874K while on the NHL roster, which is the value of his qualifying offer. Tanev skated in three NHL contests upon signing as an undrafted free agent in March after wrapping up his four-year college career at Providence College.
Snapshots: Tanev, Ohlund, Barrie, Kreider, Vesey
Jason Botchford of the Province writes today asking about the future of Canucks defenseman Chris Tanev. Botchford compares the possibility of such a deal to the Adam Larsson for Taylor Hall trade, suggesting that since Tanev is also a right handed defensive defenseman, but better at it, one should wonder what the Canucks could get in exchange for him if Larsson was able to bring a player of Hall’s caliber back to the Devils.
Botchford discusses Tanev’s prowess at things measured by analytics, and his conclusion is fairly tempered. He writes that the Canucks should certainly explore the possibility, but not be looking to give him away. Given Tanev’s age, that seems like a fair assessment. The Canucks may enter a rebuild stage if they don’t succeed this year. They’ll have a head start, given their relative wealth of young players. Because Tanev is just 26, it’s not hard to imagine him still being useful by the time the Canucks are ready to compete. If they can get high end young pieces from a team more desperate to win now, it would be worth exploring long term, but Tanev has too much value and is too young to be just dumped for the sake of getting younger. Tanev also plays the right side, something that is currently scarce, and highly valued. Data suggests that defense pairings should involve one player who shoots each way.
Here are some more links to start your hockey morning:
- Speaking of skilled defensemen to have played for the Canucks, Aftonbladet in Sweden reports that Mattias Ohlund has retired at the age of 39. Ohlund, who also spent two seasons in Tampa Bay, has been out since 2011 with a knee injury, and has been on the Lightning’s long-term injured reserve ever since. It’s a sad way to go out, but Ohlund had a really strong career, and signed one of the earlier bonus-laden offer sheets with the Toronto Maple Leafs, though it was matched by the Canucks. Ohlund had yet to play a game in the NHL.
- Mike Halford of Pro Hockey Talk at NBC Sports writes that now that the Avalanche have re-signed Mikhail Grigorenko, their attention is squarely on the status of defenseman Tyson Barrie. Barrie, who has an arbitration hearing nine days from now, has been subject to trade rumors all summer, and while Avalanche GM Joe Sakic says he isn’t trading him, the negotiations have been drawn out, and speculation has persisted. Barrie will turn 25 on Tuesday, and is coming off a season in which he scored 13 goals, and 49 points, following up on his 2015 year that saw him score 12 goals, 52 points, both very impressive for a defenseman.
- Larry Brooks at the New York Post reports on the difficulties in the Chris Kreider arbitration case. Kreider, 25, is eligible for unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2018, meaning that a two year arbitration decision takes him to the open market, and a one year deal leaves the Rangers exposed to the possibility of a breakout year, and deciding whether to commit a lot of money and term, or letting him go to arbitration again, and then hitting the market.
- Mark Divver of the Providence Journal tweets that Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman was in Foxboro, Massachusetts last night, watching unsigned Sabres prospect Jimmy Vesey. Vesey, who played at Harvard last year, and whose rights were traded to the Sabres by Nashville for a third round pick in June’s entry draft, can become an unrestricted free agent on August 15th, and says he plans to.
Grigorenko, Avalanche Settle On Terms
According to Tim Wharnsby of CBC, the Colorado Avalanche and RFA forward Mikhail Grigorenko have agreed to terms on a contract for 2016-17. Grigorenko, who had an arbitration hearing scheduled for Friday and who just exchanged numbers with the club this morning, will receive $1.3MM for the upcoming campaign. The Avalanche had offered $950K with Grigorenko’s camp countering at $1.65MM. The settlement comes in at exactly the midpoint.
Grigorenko finished with six goals and 27 points in his first season with the Avalanche after coming over from Buffalo as part of the return in the blockbuster Ryan O’Reilly trade. The 22-year-old natural center has 12 goals and 41 points in 142 NHL contests.
The Sabres selected Grigorenko in the first-round, 12th overall, of the 2012 entry draft. Grigerenko played his junior hockey for Quebec in the QMJHL under current Avalanche head coach Patrick Roy. That likely played a role in his inclusion in the trad package for O’Reilly.
The signing leaves Tyson Barrie as the club’s lone remaining RFA. With more than $6MM in space left according to General Fanager, the Avalanche should have the necessary room to get a deal done with the defenseman, even if negotiations have reportedly not gone smoothly.
Snapshots: Arbitration Filings, Devils, Rangers, Girgensons
Tim Wharsnby of CBC tweets that Mikhail Grigorenko will be asking for $1.65MM in arbitration, while the Avalanche will be offering $950K. Given Grigorenko just turned 22, and is coming off a 27 point season with little ice time, his ask is probably on the lower end of what players with similar values make.
Sticking with arbitration, former NHL defenseman turned TSN analyst Aaron Ward tweets that Rangers’ forward Chris Kreider is asking for $4.75MM in arbitration, while the Rangers have offered $3.2MM. This looks close enough that it might just settle in between. Kreider, 25, is coming off back to back 20 goal seasons, and is generally seen to be a part of the Rangers’ long term core.
Here are some more links from around the league:
- NHL.com’s Mike Morreale writes today about New Jersey Devils prospects Pavel Zacha and Steven Santini, and their odds of becoming NHL regulars next year. Zacha, a 19 year old center taken 6th overall in the 2015 entry draft, played most of last year with the OHL’s Sarnia Sting. Santini, 21, played defense for Boston College last year, and was taken in the second round, 42nd overall, in the 2013 draft. Both played one game for the Devils this year, together against the Maple Leafs. Zacha had two assists, and Santini was a +2 on the night.
- Robert Nasso at Today’s Slapshot writes that the Rangers may be turning a corner, praising the smaller adjustments they’ve made, and the their trade of Derick Brassard for Mika Zibanejad. He also speculates on the rumors surrounding Rangers forward Rick Nash, and their potential interest in Kevin Shattenkirk. While not mentioned in the article, it’s fair to wonder if Nash, who has extensive experience with Blues’ head coach Ken Hitchock, playing for him in Columbus and with Hockey Canada, would be of interest in return for Shattenkirk. It was reported in June that the Blues asked for another left wing, Taylor Hall, then of the Oilers, now of the Devils, in exchange for Shattenkirk at the entry draft.
- The Buffalo News’ Mike Harrington reports that while Zemgus Girgensons would like a two or three year deal, the Sabres may be hesitant to commit to him, given his offensive decline this year. Girgensons, 22, has always been seen as having potential, having been taken 14th in the 2012 entry draft, but put up just seven goals and 11 assists last year, in 71 games. The Sabres are also fairly loaded down the middle, and as Harrington writes, that could push Girgensons to the fourth line.
- The NHL tweeted today that Devils forward Kyle Palmieri has been added to the American team for the World Cup of Hockey, replacing the injured Lightning forward Ryan Callahan. Palmieri, 25, is coming off a breakout year for the Devils, in which he scored 30 goals, and added 27 assists, playing in all 82 games.
Sabres Sign Alexander Nylander To Entry-Level Deal
The Buffalo Sabres have signed their 2016 first round pick (eighth overall) Alexander Nylander to a three-year, entry-level deal. Cap Friendly has the deal at $925K AAV.
Nylander spent last season with the Mississauga Steelheads and led the team in goals, assists, and points (28-47-75). He notched 12 points (6-6) in the six playoff games.
General manager Tim Murray said in the team release that he expects Nylander to compete for a job in training camp. Nylander, who had a strong showing in the World Junior Championships, and IIHF Under 18 World Championship, joins a Buffalo organization oozing with young talent.
Should he break camp as a member of the Sabres, he would join the likes of Sam Reinhart, and Jack Eichel, both rising stars under 21. The Sabres also added Kyle Okposo through free agency.