Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Flames Rumors

Pacific Notes: Coyotes’ Arena, Labanc, Flames’ Goaltending

at CDT | by 3 Comments

While the Arizona Coyotes new owner Alex Meruelo has made it clear that he’s committed to keeping the Coyotes in Arizona, he also didn’t go as far as to say that he wants to keep the team in Glendale, Arizona. The Coyotes have struggled financially at Gila River Arena and Merulo may be interested in moving the team elsewhere, calling Glendale, “a difficult situation.”

The owner made it clear that there are several reasons why Glendale may not be an ideal location in Arizona, including the team keeps losing money, most fans don’t live in Glendale, sponsorship there has been difficult and the team does not have a long-term lease there. However, AZ Central’s Jen Fifield reports that the leaders of the city of Glendale hope to have a meeting with Meruelo “to see how we can help him achieve his goals of success.”

However, Meruelo has made it clear for quite a while that he’s looking to find a new arena in Arizona. The team is currently on a year-to-year arena lease and the owner has made it clear that Glendale “is not viable long-term.”

  • Many eyes went wise earlier this summer, when highly talented restricted free agent Kevin Labanc signed just a one-year, $1MM deal when he could have gotten quite a bit more. NHL.com’s Adam Kimmelman reports that Labanc admits that he put the team first when he signed that deal. “I didn’t want to wait,” he said following a Checking For Charity game at Flyers Skate Zone on Friday. “I wanted to sign the contract, get myself ready for the upcoming year and have nothing hanging over my shoulder.” Labanc, who will be a restricted agent once again next summer, could be in line for an even bigger payday as his role on the ice with the Sharks is likely to increase with the losses of Joe Pavelski, Joonas Donskoi and Gustav Nyquist during the offseason. Labanc put together a solid year last season, posting career highs in goals (17) and points (56) and saw his ATOI improve as the season went on, averaging 15:26 in April despite averaging just 13:34 before the all-star break.
  • With a recent bias over the last few years in the NHL over the importance of height in goaltenders, The Athletic’s Darren Haynes (subscription required) writes that the Calgary Flames seem to be heading towards an anti-establishment policy towards them. In fact, most of Calgary’s goalie draft picks in recent years have been towards smaller goaltenders, including Tyler Parsons, who at 6-foot-1, is not considered to be ranked at the 15th percentile in height. In comparison, he would have been considered in the 89th percentile in 1984-85. The Flames seem to be opting to go against those trends as the team is also loaded with shorter goaltenders, including 2019 seventh-rounder Dustin Wolf at 5-foot-11 and Nick Schneider, who is one of their tallest prospects at 6-foot-2.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Calgary Flames

at CDT | by 4 Comments

Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM. Teams that can avert total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2019-20 season. This will focus more on those players who are integral parts of the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.

Calgary Flames

Current Cap Hit: $73,743,375 (under the $81.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

D Rasmus Andersson (one year, $756K)
D Oliver Kylington (one year, $731K)
D Juuso Valimaki (two years, $894K)

Potential Bonuses

Andersson: $57.5K
Kylington: $82.5K
Valimaki: $450K

These three players project to be a big part of Calgary’s back end in the near future but only Andersson has a full NHL season under his belt.  Accordingly, he’ll likely wind up with the biggest second contract among the three but it shouldn’t break the bank.  Valimaki, a 2017 first-rounder, probably has the most overall upside of the group but he still has to lock down a full-time NHL spot first.  Assuming they don’t go and add a veteran depth piece.  There were questions surrounding Kylington going back to his draft year which caused him to slide but he has shown some NHL upside as well.  He’ll also get a chance to push for a full-time spot this coming season.  At this stage, short-term post-ELC deals are likely on the horizon for all three.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

D T.J. Brodie ($4.6504MM, UFA)
F Austin Czarnik ($1.25MM, UFA)
F Michael Frolik ($4.3MM, UFA)
D Travis Hamonic ($3.857MM, UFA)
F Mark Jankowski ($1.675MM, RFA)
G Cam Talbot ($2.75MM, UFA)

Frolik has been part of trade speculation for quite a while now after his agent opted to up the pressure on Calgary for a perceived lack of playing time.  While he hasn’t really been able to live up to the offensive potential he showed as a youngster, he has still been an effective middle-six forward.  However, given what transpired last year plus their cap situation, he’s a prime candidate to be dealt and won’t be able to land similar money on his next deal.  Jankowski followed up his rookie year with a decent sophomore campaign as he set a new career-best in points despite playing less than 13 minutes a night.  Unless his role increases, another short-term pact (this time with arbitration rights) could be on the horizon next summer.  Czarnik was one of two Group VI UFAs that landed surprisingly rich deals in free agency last summer and like Matthew Peca in Montreal, this didn’t really pan out well as Czarnik struggled to hold down a regular spot in the lineup and was frequently on the fourth line when he was in.  Unless he takes a step forward in 2019-20, he’ll be in tough to match his current AAV.

Calgary was reported to be listening to offers on both Brodie and Hamonic earlier this summer.  It’s not that they’re not pleased with their play but rather facing the reality of their situation.  The odds of keeping both beyond this season are low.  The cost to sign both will be considerably higher than their current price tag and they do have the youngsters that will be pushing for more minutes before too long.  And, of course, there’s the fact that they still need to clear salary.  A strong season from Brodie could push him towards the $5.5MM-$6MM range while one from Hamonic would push him closer to $5MM as his offensive upside (or relative lack thereof) limits his ceiling in terms of a big contract.

Talbot signed a one-year deal with the hopes that he can take over the starting job (or least get the higher split of a platoon workload) in an effort of restoring some value around the league.  He spent most of last season behind a poor defense in Edmonton and now comes to a strong unit in Calgary so there’s a good chance his numbers will rebound accordingly.  However, if he doesn’t do enough to show that he can be a legitimate starter, his next deal probably won’t be much higher than this one.

Two Years Remaining

F Sam Bennett ($2.55MM, UFA)
G David Rittich ($2.75MM, UFA)
F Derek Ryan ($3.125MM, UFA)

Bennett continues to be a perplexing player.  He has shown flashes of being an impact player over the years but has also had stretches of play where he didn’t move the needle much.  The end result is three nearly identical underwhelming seasons which has resulted in another bridge deal.  More repeat performances will only add to trade speculation but if he puts it together, a much better contract could be on the horizon.  Ryan managed to equal his output from his career year with Carolina despite averaging two minutes less of ice time per night.  He’s an effective third liner but it’s hard to see him getting much more than he is now when his contract is up.

Rittich surprised many last season by staking claim to the number one spot for several stretches although he struggled a bit in the second half.  Given his limited track record, Calgary opted for this short-term deal.  If Rittich can lock down the number one job for these two seasons, he could double his AAV on the open market but if he stays in a platoon role, he will largely be capped like Talbot in terms of what his earning upside may be.

Three Years Remaining

F Johnny Gaudreau ($6.75MM, UFA)
F Mark Giordano ($6.75MM, UFA)

Gaudreau bypassed the bridge contract and opted to sign what was at the time considered to be a pretty big post-ELC deal just before the 2016 regular season started.  With only two full years of NHL experience under his belt, the signing was considered to be a little bit of a risk even though he was coming off a near point-per-game season.  Now, as RFA contracts have exploded, it’s turned into a pretty good bargain after Gaudreau took his offensive game to another level last season.  He should be pushing for $10MM or more three years from now.

Giordano was a late bloomer but has certainly blossomed into a legitimate number one defenseman and was a worthy recipient of the Norris Trophy.  Certainly, his deal has to be considered as well below market value after seeing what some of his peers have signed for in recent years.  His contract was once held as the standard in terms of how much their top-paid player could make but that’s highly likely to change in the near future.  Having said all that, it’s unlikely that Giordano will get much more than this on his next deal, if there is a next deal.  He’ll be turning 39 in October of 2022 when his next contract would kick in and while he’s the type of player that could still be an impact defender at that time, it’s hard to imagine him still being able to log 24+ minutes a night.

Four Or More Years Remaining

F Mikael Backlund ($5.35MM through 2023-24)
D Noah Hanifin ($4.95MM through 2023-24)
F Elias Lindholm ($4.85MM through 2023-24)
F Milan Lucic ($5.25MM through 2022-23)*
F Sean Monahan ($6.375MM through 2022-23)

* – Edmonton is retaining the other 12.5% of Lucic’s contract

Monahan has emerged as a legitimate number one center and is at a price tag that second liners are starting to get.  He might not be able to hit double-digits in terms of per-season salary but he could come close four years from now.  Lindholm, the other player alongside Monahan and Gaudreau, had a career year and is making that deal appear to be very team-friendly.  Like Monahan, he’ll still be in his 20’s when he reaches the open market and at this point, he’ll be seeking a significant raise.  Backlund has settled in nicely behind Monahan on the depth chart and is a dependable two-way center.  He’s not a bargain at that price tag but he certainly isn’t overpaid either.  He’ll be 35 when his deal is up so this could wind up being his highest-priced contract.

Then there’s Lucic.  His signing with Edmonton can only be classified as disastrous.  Calgary is clearly banking that a change of scenery can get him going but even at that, it’s still going to be a drag on their books for the next four years.  The structure of his deal makes a buyout rather prohibitive so he’s probably going to play the deal out.

While Hanifin may not become the true number one defender that his draft status might suggest, he continued to show improvement last season and should easily slot in as a number two or three for their long-term future.  Getting someone in that role for that long is certainly a bargain.

Buyouts

F Troy Brouwer ($1.5MM per year through 2021-22)
D Michael Stone ($1.167MM per year through 2020-21)

Retained Salary Transactions

None

Still To Sign

F Andrew Mangiapane
F Matthew Tkachuk

Tkachuk is one of the more prominent players in this RFA class and as he has established himself as a high-quality power forward, he’s in line for one of the bigger deals in the weeks to come.  In doing so, he will almost assuredly exceed Giordano and Gaudreau’s $6.75MM threshold and will quite likely put the Flames back over the Upper Limit even with Stone’s recent buyout.  As for Mangiapane, he impressed over his part season but he doesn’t have much in the way of leverage.  In order to trim as little from the roster as possible, Calgary will likely want to pursue a one-year pact at or around his $766.5K qualifying offer.

Best Value: Gaudreau
Worst Value: Lucic

Looking Ahead

In the short term, there’s clearly some work that still needs to be done.  They will need to free up some extra payroll room for their remaining RFAs and will almost assuredly be tiptoeing around the Upper Limit in 2019-20.  They have a decent chunk of money coming off the books which will give them a bit of flexibility next summer although they’ll have a few important spots that they’ll need to fill with that money.  While things may not be quite as tight after this season, don’t expect the Flames to have plenty of salary cap space for quite a while.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

2019 Arbitration Figures And Results

at CDT | by 3 Comments

August 6th: All arbitration cases have now been completed. In total, six cases were decided by an arbitrator’s award this year. That number, though seemingly not many, actually presents a 50% increase over last summer and more than the past two off-seasons combined. Of those six decisions, the teams and players received the favorable decision an even three times apiece, and each award landed within $150K of the midpoint. All things considered, there were few surprises in arbitration, even though there were more awards than expected. Now the question is where the relationships between those teams and players go from here.

Originally published on July 19th: Friday marked the start of the arbitration season in the NHL, with Brock McGinn first scheduled for his hearing with the Carolina Hurricanes. The appointments will come fast and furious after that, with 23 cases left on the books. When we asked our readers how many would actually get to the hearing stage more than 36% of voters thought 3-4 was reasonable, the same number that reached last year.

We know now that at least one will, as Andrew Copp’s agent Kurt Overhardt told Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Free Press that their camp will “look forward to” the hearing scheduled for Sunday. Copp and the Jets exchanged figures earlier today. It is important to remember that the two sides can actually work out a deal in the short period after the hearing and before the actual decision is submitted by the arbitrator. For every case except Ville Husso, who the St. Louis Blues took to arbitration, the team involved will be allowed to choose the duration of the contract awarded. They can choose either one or two years, unless the player is only one year away from unrestricted free agency, at which point only a one-year deal is available.

Here we’ll keep track of all the hearings still on the books and the figures submitted. This page will be updated as the numbers come in:

July 20:

Brock McGinn, Carolina Hurricanes – Team: $1.75MM AAV, Player: $2.7MM AAV
Settled: Two years, $2.1MM AAV

July 21:

Andrew Copp, Winnipeg Jets – Team: $1.5MM AAV, Player: $2.9MM AAV
Awarded: Two years, $2.28MM AAV

July 22: 

MacKenzie Weegar, Florida Panthers
Settled: One year, $1.6MM AAV

Zach Aston-Reese, Pittsburgh Penguins
Settled: Two years, $1.0MM AAV

Ville Husso, St. Louis Blues (team-elected)
Settled: One year, two-way, $700K AAV

Christian Djoos, Washington Capitals – Team: $800K, Player: $1.9MM
Awarded: One year, $1.25MM AAV

July 23: 

Evan Rodrigues, Buffalo Sabres – Team: $1.5MM, Player: $2.65MM
Awarded: One year, $2.0MM AAV

July 24: 

Oskar Sundqvist, St. Louis Blues
Settled: Four years, $2.75MM AAV

Neal Pionk, Winnipeg Jets
Settled: Two years, $3.0MM AAV

July 26: 

Colton Sissons, Nashville Predators
Settled: Seven years, $2.86MM AAV

July 27: 

Sam Bennett, Calgary Flames
Settled: Two years, $2.55MM AAV

July 28: 

Mirco Mueller, New Jersey Devils
Settled: One year, $1.4MM AAV

July 29: 

David Rittich, Calgary Flames
Settled: Two years, $2.75MM AAV

Pavel Buchnevich, New York Rangers
Settled: Two years, $3.25MM AAV

August 1: 

Remi Elie, Buffalo Sabres
Settled: One year, two-way $700K AAV

Chandler Stephenson, Washington Capitals
Settled: One year, $1.05MM

August 2: 

Linus Ullmark, Buffalo Sabres – Team: $800K, Player: $2.65MM
Settled: One year, $1.33MM

Will Butcher, New Jersey Devils
Settled: Three years, $3.73MM AAV

August 4: 

Jake McCabe, Buffalo Sabres – Team: 1.95MM, Player: $4.3MM
Settled: Two years, $2.85MM AAV

Anton Forsberg, Carolina Hurricanes – Team: $700K/$70K, Player: $833K
Awarded: One year, $775K AAV

Sheldon Dries, Colorado Avalanche
Settled: One year, two-way $735K AAV

Rocco Grimaldi, Nashville Predators – Team: $700K/$70K, Player $1.275MM
Awarded: One year, $1MM

Joel Edmundson, St. Louis Blues – Team: $2.3MM, Player $4.2MM
Awarded: One year, $3.1MM

Calgary Has Options On Where To Move Michael Frolik

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

  • The Calgary Flames may have $7.76MM in projected cap room still, but with Matthew Tkachuk and Andrew Mangiapane still unsigned, the team will be forced to offload a contract to bring both forwards, especially Tkachuk under contract. While there has been plenty of talk of Calgary trading away a defenseman such as T.J. Brodie or Travis Hamonic, The Athletic’s Kent Wilson (subscription required) writes that another option would be Michael Frolik. The middle-six forward is still just 31 and is coming off a 16-goal season, which might make him more palatable than many of the veteran free-agent options remaining on the market. Frolik has one year remaining at $4.3MM. Wilson suggests that Ottawa might make a good fit. The Senators are way under the cap, but Frolik will actually be paid just $3MM in salary despite his cap hit number, something that the budget-focused Senators love to acquire. The scribe adds the New Jersey Devils, Columbus Blue Jackets and Philadelphia Flyers as alternative options for Calgary.
  • Sportsnet’s Luke Fox writes that Calgary Flames new goaltender Cam Talbot hopes to prove his value to his new team. Talbot, who signed on to be a veteran backup to David Rittich this summer, struggled in his final two seasons with the Edmonton Oilers before finally being traded at the trade deadline. Talbot said he hoped that a trade to Philadelphia would be the reset of his career that would allow him to bounce back. However, Talbot played just three and a half games with Philadelphia as the backup to Carter Hart and never got a chance to prove his value. Now in Calgary, Talbot said he hopes to be more than just a backup to Rittich and hopes to split time with him evenly. “[Rittich] played extremely well last year and kinda took that spot and earned his right to battle for it. I’m going in. I want to complement him,” says Talbot.

Calgary Interested In Alex Petrovic?

at CDT | by 1 Comment

  • Former Edmonton Oilers defenseman Alexander Petrovic remains unsigned, but the Edmonton Journal’s Jim Matheson writes that he’s heard that there is interest from the rival Calgary Flames for the blue liner. The team could look to add a veteran depth defenseman like Petrovic, who just bought out Michael Stone. Petrovic, acquired in December from Florida for Chris Wideman and a 2019 third-round pick, played just nine games for the Oilers, posting a minus-seven in that time.

Brad Trelviing Expects To Sign Matthew Tkachuk Before Training Camp

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Flames made a move earlier this week to free up some funds to re-sign winger Matthew Tkachuk when they bought out defenseman Michael Stone.  While they still have some work to do to in order to free up enough cap room to get a new deal done, GM Brad Treliving told NHL.com’s Aaron Vickers that he expects to get Tkachuk signed before training camp.  Calgary currently has $7.75MM in cap room per CapFriendly but also still needs to get a deal done with RFA winger Andrew Mangiapane.  With Tkachuk being one of the players at the top end of the RFA market, it’s quite possible that his new contract will exceed their current cap room so expect more movement from the Flames in the weeks to come.

Calgary Flames To Buy Out Michael Stone

at CDT | by 3 Comments

Friday: Stone has cleared waivers and was officially bought out by the Flames. He is now an unrestricted free agent.

Thursday: The Calgary Flames received a second buyout window after dealing with their arbitration cases and will use it to buy out Michael Stone. The veteran defenseman has been placed on unconditional waivers according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, which will be followed by a buyout tomorrow. Stone has one year remaining on his contract and carries a $3.5MM cap hit. The move will result in the following cap hits being applied to the Flames:

  • 2019-20: $1,166,667
  • 2020-21: $1,166,667

Stone signed a three-year $10.5MM contract with the Flames in the summer of 2017 after being acquired earlier that year from the Arizona Coyotes. The 6’3″ defenseman at that point was just a year removed from a solid 36-point campaign and looked like he could be a big part of the Flames’ blueline. Unfortunately that first full year in Calgary didn’t go according to plan and Stone was routinely limited to third-pairing duty, playing fewer than 16 minutes 40 of his 82 games. He registered just ten points on an extremely disappointing team that failed to even make the playoffs.

His second year with the team didn’t go much better, this time marred by injury and a blood clotting issue that kept him out for some time. Stone ended up playing just 14 games for the Flames all season. With the emergence of Juuso Valimaki and Rasmus Andersson as legitimate NHL options, there wasn’t a lot of room left for Stone to try and rehab his value. He’ll have to do that elsewhere.

For Calgary, a move like this was absolutely necessary in order to re-sign Matthew Tkachuk. The team currently projects to have just $4.67MM in cap space prior to a Stone buyout, leaving them little wiggle room to get the young star under contract. If they’re planning on signing Tkachuk to a long-term deal it will likely take up a huge amount of cap space and make him their highest-paid player, something that wasn’t possible without a trade or buyout of some sort.

Stone though shouldn’t have to wait around long to find work if he is truly healthy and ready for the season. The right-handed defenseman is still just 29 years old and could represent a bargain pickup if he can reclaim any of his past success. That’s obviously not guaranteed, but for cap-strapped teams looking for a defensive upgrade he may be an option.

Pacific Notes: Rittich, Bennett, Puljujarvi, Archibald

at CDT | by 2 Comments

After signing a two-year deal Saturday, Calgary Flames goaltender David Rittich is now ready to prove to Flames’ fans that he is ready to take over the full-time duties in net this year. While he more than doubled his appearances last season, the 26-year-old lost his job to Mike Smith in the playoffs as Rittich faded in the stretch run.

Rittich started the season strong last season. Before the all-star break, he had a 19-4 record in 30 games, posting a 2.47 GAA and a .918 save percentage, but saw those numbers fall off after the all-star break. Rittich instead appeared in just 15 games after the break as it looked as if he wore down, putting up a 2.85 GAA and a .898 save percentage. Rittich didn’t appear in any of the team’s playoff games after that.

The goaltender, however, has changed his workout regimen this summer with the intention of being able to endure the long season and starting even more games this season than the 45 he played in last season, according to Sportsnet’s Eric Francis. Rittich no longer has Smith to lean back on. Calgary instead brought in veteran Cam Talbot, who has struggled significantly over the past two years. The Flames need Rittich now more than ever.

“I would like to play more than last year, but it’s up to how I play,” said Rittich. “I’m working really hard so I think I can play more than 60 games.”

  • The Athletic’s Darren Haynes (subscription required) writes now that Calgary Flames forward Sam Bennett, who recently signed a two-year deal, could get an increase in minutes on the ice this year. The 23-year-old averaged just 13:17 of ATOI on the left wing, but with so many left wingers on the roster, someone may have to move over to the right side. Haynes writes that Bennett might be the perfect player who might even be able to crack the top-six this year and perhaps have the breakout season that everyone has been waiting for since Calgary selected Bennett with the fourth overall pick in 2014.
  • Kurt Leavins of the Edmonton Journal writes that the chances that Edmonton Oilers winger Jesse Puljujarvi returning to Edmonton is starting to improve. Despite the restricted free agent’s request to be traded away from Edmonton in hopes of a fresh start, a deal hasn’t happened as it’s believed that Ken Holland hasn’t received a suitable offer for Puljujarvi and with training camps already underway in Europe, his chances of returning there is lessening by the day. He writes the only place Puljujarvi can go to get decent pay at this point is with the Oilers. Still just 21 years old, Puljujarvi must show more offense no matter where he plays after finishing with just four goals in 46 games.
  • Leavins also added that he wouldn’t be surprised if recent signee Josh Archibald should play a big role throughout the Oilers lineup as new head coach Dave Tippett is quite familiar with him. Tippett, a resident of Arizona, spent quite a bit of time watching Archibald last season when he was with the Coyotes and could be an instant favorite of the coach and could see playing time up and down the lineup next season. Archibald finished with 12 goals and 22 points in 68 games, but also finished with 161 hits.

Overseas Notes: Rychel, Enstrom, KHL

at CDT | by 12 Comments

After years of trying to find his place in the NHL, former top prospect turned journeyman Kerby Rychel has decided to take his talents to Sweden. Orebro HK of the SHL announced today that Rychel has signed a one-year contract with the club. Rychel brings with him nearly 300 games worth of AHL experience, as well as 43 NHL games. The 19th overall pick by the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2013, Rychel entered the pro level with high expectations as both the son of respected former player and OHL executive Warren Rychel and as a player who had done serious damage on the score sheet at the junior level. Rychel looked to be on his way to becoming an established NHL player when he suited up for 32 games with Columbus in his second pro season, but a trade to Toronto – in exchange for current Blue Jackets defenseman Scott Harrington – altered his trajectory. Rychel never played a single game for the Maple Leafs, spending close to two full seasons with the AHL’s Marlies. He was then traded to the Montreal Canadiens at the tail end of the 2017-18 season as part of the package for rental Tomas Plekanec. Despite performing well in a brief showing with the Habs, Rychel was traded again last summer to the Calgary Flames for Hunter Shinkaruk. Even as he was enjoying the best per-game production of his AHL career with the Stockton Heat, Rychel earned just two appearances with the Flames and the team did not make him a qualifying offer earlier this summer. Putting a tumultuous NHL career behind him, Rychel will now try his hand at the SHL. Orebro struggled last season, finishing tenth out of 14 teams and will be glad to add an experienced talent like Rychel. Between he, fellow new addition Ryan Stoa, and returning top liner Shane Harper, Orebro should pack some more offensive punch next season.

  • Given the lackluster NHL free agent market this summer, it’s no surprise that few veterans who had previously made the jump to Europe have been able to find a fit back in North America. Count defenseman Tobias Enstrom among that group. The 34-year-old has re-signed with his hometown team, MODO of the Swedish minor league Allsvenkan, the club announced. It is a new one-year deal for the captain, who returned to Sweden last off-season. A career member of the Atlanta Thrashers/Winnipeg Jets franchise, Enstrom found himself without a home for the first time in 11 years last summer as a free agent without a market. He held out hope, waiting for an offer until late August, before opting to head home. In returning to MODO, the team he grew up playing for – albeit in the SHL at that time – Enstrom took on a leadership and also saw a spike in his production. MODO hopes that the strong play continues from their veteran ace, as the team looks to contend for promotion back to the SHL in the upcoming season.
  • The quiet NHL free agent market has had an overwhelmingly positive effect on the European leagues, as few players left their respective clubs while talent continues to come over from North America. While Sweden has had a strong off-season in the import business, the winner thus far in terms of NHL additions is unsurprisingly the KHL, considered to be the best of the European leagues. Among the players who have signed in the KHL this off-season are forwards Sven Andrighetto, Ty Rattie, Nikita Soshnikov, Jori Lehtera, Peter Holland, and Lukas Sedlak, defensemen Andrej Sustr, Igor Ozhiganov, Bogdan Kiselevich, and Jakub Jerabek, and goaltender Harri Sateri. It’s a valuable influx of talent for a league that is seeking better competitive balance.

Calgary Flames Re-Sign David Rittich

at CDT | by 2 Comments

After a hot start to salary arbitration season with three hearings, things have cooled off of late with a slew of contract resolutions. Add another to the list, as the Calgary Flames and goaltender David Rittich have come to terms on an extension. The team announced that the 26-year-old net minder has signed on for two years at an AAV of $2.75MM. Rittich will be an unrestricted free agent when the deal expires after the 2020-21 season.

The Flames now have their 1A goalie back under contract, as Rittich outplayed veteran Mike Smith last season, earning 42 starts to Smith’s 40. Rittich posted career-high numbers in his second season as a Calgary regular, recording a .911 save percentage and 2.61 GAA. Not only were these numbers a personal best and substantially better than Smith’s, they were also top-20 marks among goalies with appearances in at least half of their team’s games, showing that Rittich could hold his own as the Flames’ top option. Given his age and level of play, albeit in limited appearances, it still seems like Calgary got a good value on this $5.5MM pact.

Still just 26 and without a lot of tread on the tires as timeshare goalie in the Czech pro ranks for many years, Rittich has the potential to continue improving as well. He will certainly be pushed in the upcoming season, as Smith has been replaced by the younger and arguably more talented Cam Talbot. Talbot signed a one-year deal this off-season with a $2.75 AAV that matches Rittich’s. The salaries would suggest an even split in net, but the incumbent Rittich has the advantage in familiarity and longer-term investment and should get the preference early on. If he can again prove that he is the superior option to a respected veteran, Rittich could see even more appearances in 2019-20 than he did last year, and perhaps another career performance as well.

The Rittich deal, although more than fair, does add more pressure to the Flames’ salary cap conundrum. CapFriendly currently projects the team to have $4.67MM in cap space. With Matthew Tkachuk still unsigned, as well as Andrew Mangiapane, that simply won’t be enough. Since Rittich had filed for arbitration, the Flames’ second case after their recent resolution with Sam Bennett, the team will be afforded a second buyout window, a 48-hour opportunity to rid themselves of a large contract that could help them sort out their financials. However, there is no obvious candidate for such a move and the team could instead continue shopping defensemen Travis Hamonic and T.J. Brodie and forward Michael Frolik in hopes of opening up more space.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

scroll to top