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Offseason Keys: Calgary Flames

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With the postseason down to just two teams, many squads are now well into their offseason planning.  What storylines lie ahead around the league in what is shaping up to be a likely busy NHL offseason?  Next up in our Offseason Keys series is a look at the Calgary Flames.

Things were looking up, for the most part, this past season for Calgary.  They made a great trade at the draft to add Noah Hanifin and Elias Lindholm.  They were the second best offensive team in the league. They had one of the better defense corps in the league.  They finished first in the West, tying Boston for the most points in the league for any team not named Tampa Bay.  And after all that, they still went down in five games in the opening round.  GM Brad Treliving made some bold moves last summer; will he need to do so again?  Here are the keys to their offseason.

Sort Out The Goaltending

Despite not having the best of goalie tandems on paper, veteran Mike Smith and youngster David Rittich had a decent year all things considered.  Both had their good moments with some bad ones but on the whole, they deserve some credit for the Flames being among the top ten teams in terms of goals allowed.

Both netminders happen to be in need of new contracts as well.  Rittich is a restricted free agent with salary arbitration eligibility and will be looking at a big raise from his $800K salary in 2018-19.  Smith, meanwhile, is an unrestricted free agent and his next deal will undoubtedly check in lower than his previous $5.67MM AAV.  It’s not entirely crazy to think that the tandem could wind up around the $6.5MM mark combined for next season with the distribution between the two a lot more even.

Is that the right way to go though?  Rittich is still relatively unproven and there are still question marks as to whether or not he can be a number one goalie.  Smith is nearing the end of his career and is a stopgap measure at best.  Treliving may be better off looking to spend a little more and bring in someone that is better served to be the 1A option of a platoon to give them a bit more security at that position.  However, they’ll likely need to free up some wiggle room under the salary cap to take that approach.

Tkachuk Contract

Treliving has stated that getting winger Matthew Tkachuk signed this summer is his top priority.  That should come as no surprise after the season that he just had.  After not really progressing much in his second season, he made up for that and then some in 2018-19.  He blew past his career highs in goals, assists, and points and in doing so, established himself as a legitimate top line power forward.  There aren’t many of those types of players in the league.

Tkachuk is among the class of high-end restricted free agents that is going to be fascinating to follow.  Their agents have suggested that they don’t want their clients to be the first to sign and set the market and would rather someone else do that for them.  If Tkachuk and agent Craig Oster are also of that mindset, this could wind up being a bit of a waiting game.

Presently, the top end of Calgary’s salary scale is set by winger Johnny Gaudreau and defenseman Mark Giordano at $6.75MM apiece.  It’s safe to say that Tkachuk will jump past them and that the question is by how much.  With one high-end season under his belt, his earning power will be somewhat limited compared to the top RFAs available but he’s still going to be breaking the bank.

Deal Defensive Depth

As the old adage goes, you can never have enough defensemen.  Calgary may very well be putting that theory to the test.  They have a very strong group of established veterans.  They also have a strong collection of emerging young talent highlighted by Juuso Valimaki and Rasmus Andersson.  Those players have made a case for more ice time but, quite frankly, they’re blocked by the veterans.

The solution here isn’t to trade the youngsters but perhaps it’s time for them to cash in on some of that veteran depth, especially with the free agent market being thin in terms of impact options.  Clearing out the final year of Michael Stone’s contract ($3.5MM) would help but after missing most of the season with a blood clot, that will be tricky.

One veteran that they shouldn’t have any difficulty moving if they wanted to is T.J. Brodie.  With an expiring contract, he has been a speculative trade candidate already and as a mobile blueliner that’s capable of logging over 20 minutes a night and putting up points (he has reached 30 points in six straight seasons), there would be no shortage of suitors for his services.  Travis Hamonic, also a pending UFA, would attract a lot of interest as a reliable defensive rearguard.

With all of those players being a year away from free agency and the youth in the pipeline, they’re not all going to be around for the 2020-21 season.  If Treliving wants to make a splash this summer, expect it to come from dealing away some depth on the back end.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

AHL Notes: Milner, Whitney, Ollas Mattsson

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Goaltender Parker Milner provided the Washington Capitals with some depth in net this season, but the organization is content to move forward with him on an AHL contract instead of continuing his short-term NHL pact. Milner, 28, signed his first NHL contract back in February to close out the 2018-19, simply to serve as emergency depth as Washington pushed toward the playoffs. Milner has mostly played in the ECHL in his pro career after coming out of Boston College as a well-regarded prospect, but has settled in with the Capitals organization, splitting the past three seasons between the AHL’s Hershey Bears and and the ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays. The Bears announced today that they have re-signed Milner to a one-year contract, bringing him back for yet another year. Between potential future starter Ilya Samsonov and another promising young keeper in Vitek Vanecek, Milner is not guaranteed starts in Hershey again next season, but has shown that he is more than willing to spend time in the ECHL if asked.

  • The Bears have also signed forward Steven Whitney to a one-year extension. Whitney is a long-time teammate of Milner’s, as the 28-year-old also played at Boston College and has spent the past two years with South Carolina and Hershey, respectively. Whitney stands just 5’7″, but like brother and former NHLer Joe Whitney, he doesn’t let his size (or lack thereof) prevent him from being a difference maker. Despite heading toward the latter part of his career, Whitney had arguably his best pro season in the AHL last year and will continue to be a valued forward for Hershey.
  • As expected, Adam Ollas Mattsson is headed back home to Sweden. The SHL’s Malmo Redhawks have announced a two-year contract with the promising 22-year-old. Ollas Mattsson was a sixth-round pick by the Calgary Flames back in 2014 and, while it took some time, he broke out this year, skating in 65 games on an AHL contract with the Stockton Heat, recording 18 points and +22 rating. Yet, the depth on the blue line in Calgary made it unlikely that Ollas Mattson would be in the NHL ice time conversation any time soon. Rather than even wait to see if he was offered an NHL contract, Ollas Mattson is set to depart, as was reported earlier in the month. The former junior star in Sweden will switch teams, jumping from Djurgardens to Malmo, who are very excited to add the big defender.

Free Agent Focus: Calgary Flames

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Free agency is now a little more than a month away from opening up and there are quite a few prominent players set to hit the open market while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign.  While Calgary doesn’t have a lot of notable UFAs, they have several important RFAs to get under contract.  Here’s a closer look at their free agent situation.

Key Restricted Free Agents: F Matthew Tkachuk – Tkachuk is among the class of high-end restricted free agents that will be coming off their entry-level contracts in July.  After not progressing a whole lot in his sophomore year, he had a breakout campaign in 2018-19, recording 34 goals and 43 assists in 80 games while establishing himself as a legitimate top line power forward.  Those players tend to get paid the big bucks and as a result, he will almost assuredly surpass the $6.75MM AAV mark that Johnny Gaudreau and Mark Giordano have (the highest on the team).  Tkachuk is not eligible for salary arbitration.

G David Rittich – Rittich was one of the more pleasant surprises for the Flames in 2018-19.  He didn’t fare too well the year before in his first extended look in the NHL and to no one’s surprise, he inked a one-year, prove it deal.  He certainly proved that he can play at the NHL level, posting a respectable 2.61 GAA with a .911 SV% over 45 regular season appearances and went from the surefire backup to actually leading Calgary in goalie games.  While there are still questions as to whether or not he can be a legitimate starting netminder, Rittich’s 2018-19 performance should still have him in line for a considerable raise over the $800K he made, especially with him being eligible for arbitration.

F Sam Bennett – Two years ago, Bennett signed a bridge contract as there were some question marks as to whether or not he could become a legitimate top-six forward to justify his fourth overall selection in 2014.  Fast forward to today and there are still plenty of question marks.  He has been quite consistent offensively over the past three seasons, picking up 26 or 27 points in each campaign.  However, he was also their best performer in the postseason and seems to be finding his niche as more of a physical player than a scorer.  There’s still some value in that and with the flashes of upside he has shown over parts of his career, it’s likely that Calgary would like to give the arbitration-eligible winger another chance.

Other RFAs: F Spencer Foo, D Josh Healey, F Curtis Lazar, F Ryan Lomberg, F Andrew Mangiapane, G Mason McDonald, F Brett Pollock, F Alan Quine, F Kerby Rychel, D Rinat Valiev

Key Unrestricted Free Agents: G Mike Smith – The other half of Calgary’s goalie tandem, Smith was rather inconsistent in 2018-19.  He lost the starting role to Rittich for a while but recovered it in time for the postseason and bore the brunt of their defensive struggles against Colorado.  Now 37, Smith will be hard-pressed to land a starting role for next season but for teams looking for a veteran that can handle a larger workload that a typical backup, he’ll certainly be considered.  A return to the Flames in that role shouldn’t be ruled out.

F Garnet Hathaway – After being more of a depth player in 2017-18 (and a minor league recall before that), Hathaway established himself as a regular on the fourth line and provided a reasonable scoring touch in that role, picking up a career-best 11 goals in 76 games while leading the team in hits by a significant margin as well.  That type of combination will garner him some interest on the open market if the Flames can’t strike a deal to keep him around before then.

Other UFAs: D Oscar Fantenberg, F Tyler Graovac, F Anthony Peluso, D Dalton Prout, D Matt Taormina

Projected Cap Space: As things stand, the team has roughly $68.5MM committed to 19 players for next season, per CapFriendly.  Depending on what the increase to the Upper Limit is, they’re going to have roughly $13MM to $15MM to work with.  That’s the good news.  The bad news is that re-signing their own restricted free agents will eat up most of that before even looking towards adding another goalie.  As a result, GM Brad Treliving is going to need to make a trade or two to try to free up a bit of cap space over the next month or so.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Pacific Notes: Perry, Bennett, Smith, Clarkson

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One major decision that the Anaheim Ducks must make is decide what to do with longtime star Corey Perry, who has struggled with injury and a decline in play recently. The former superstar scorer saw his totals drop to 19 goals in 2016-17; 17 goals in 2017-18; and just six goals, albeit in 31 games last season. With two years remaining at $8.625MM, the team must decide whether to keep him around or buy him out.

Eric Stephens of The Athletic (subscription required), in a mailbag piece, writes that the team might be better off challenging the 34-year-old to attempt a comeback rather than a buyout. If the team attempts to buy him out, it would save quite a bit of money this season, but still leave them with a $6.625MM cap hit for next season, all for paying him not to play for them. The team has to hope that Perry can bounce back with a 20-goal campaign and make his contract look acceptable. Unfortunately, Perry’s six goals and 10 points over 31 games last year only would have translated to 16 goals and 23 points over a full season. Probably not the return, the would like.

  • Sportsnet’s Eric Francis writes the Calgary Flames should be worried about losing forward Sam Bennett to an offer sheet. The scribe writes that Bennett, who will be a restricted free agent this summer, is the type of player who wouldn’t cost too much in compensation for other teams as a contract between $1.82MM and $3.65MM would only cost a team a second-round pick. Considering the salary cap issues that the Flames are in with the need to re-sign Matthew Tkachuk, several other restricted free agents and two starting goaltenders, the team might not be willing to spend $3.65MM to retain the 22-year-old Bennett, who scored 13 goals and 27 points last season. Francis writes that the Vancouver Canucks could be the perfect team to attempt to sign Bennett to an offer sheet.
  • In a separate piece, Francis writes the Flames must also make a decision on whether to bring back goaltender Mike Smith, who struggled for much of the season until the end when he played much stronger for the Flames in the stretch run of the season. Smith, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, has indicated a willingness to return next season, but would there be better options? While Robin Lehner, Sergei Bobrovsky and Petr Mrazek would all likely be out of Calgary’s price range, the team could consider trading for a goalie such as Jake Allen or attempt to sign Semyon Varlamov, who at 31, might come at a reasonable price.
  • Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, in his 31 Thoughts column, writes that the Vegas Golden Knights are likely to explore trading away the contract of David Clarkson. If the Golden Knights can find a team that would be willing to take on his $5.25MM cap hit, it could seriously ease some of Vegas’ salary cap concerns as the team is already projected to be above the salary cap for next season with just 19 players under contract so far. One benefit is that Clarkson is due only $3.25MM in cash, which could make him easier to trade to a team with extra cap room along with either a prospect and/or pick.

Calgary Flames Will Likely Have To Move Out A Veteran

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In the next few months, the Calgary Flames and their general manager Brad Treliving will have quite a few decisions to make as they must sign restricted free agent Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Bennett and Andrew Mangiapane as well as sign two goaltenders for their NHL roster, all with just $14.5MM to work with.

The challenge will come with Treliving’s most important challenge as Tkachuk’s next contract could take up more than half of that money. Sportsnet’s Eric Francis writes that the 21-year-old power forward could net himself a contact that could compare with Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl’s eight-year, $68MM contract that he signed in 2017 at $8.5MM AAV. And that number could even be higher as Tkachuk’s numbers are even better than Draisaitl’s was as Tkachuk has 21 more goals and 37 more points after three seasons.

At that cost, Francis writes, the team will undoubtedly have to move either Michael Frolik and/or defenseman T.J. Brodie to free up enough cap room to accomplish the other tasks on their offseason to-do list. Frolik would be an obvious choice as he was a candidate to be traded earlier this year at the trade deadline as the 31-year-old forward hasn’t been happy with his lack of playing time under head coach Bill Peters. While his numbers, 16 goals and 34 points, weren’t that off his usual totals, his ATOI dropped to his lowest levels in years at 13:22. He also was a healthy scratch at several points during the season, prompting both he and his agent to request a trade. Frolik is entering his final year, but at $4.3MM next season, the team might find it challenging to unload a bottom-six player at that cost without taking back a similar contract.

Another candidate for a trade could be Brodie. Despite playing his entire career in Calgary and often working on the team’s top pairing alongside Mark Giordano, the team suddenly has a surplus of both veteran defensemen as well as three intriguing young players who are going to push for playing time in Rasmus Andersson, Juuso Valimaki and Oliver Kylington. That could make Brodie, the Flames’ most intriguing asset on the team as he enters the final year of his contract at $4.65MM, a reasonable cost for a team looking for a top-four defenseman.

Edmonton Oilers Sign Joakim Nygard

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Back in March, a report surfaced from Darren Dreger of TSN that several teams around the NHL were pursuing SHL forward Joakim Nygard. At the time, the Calgary Flames and Ottawa Senators were listed as two of the potential destinations for the speedy winger. Now that the SHL season is over, Nygard is free to sign with whoever he chooses and both of those teams are out of the running. The free agent has signed a one-year entry-level deal with the Edmonton Oilers instead.

Nygard, 26, put up another excellent season with Farjestads in the SHL, posting 21 goals and 35 points. In fact, those 21 goals were good enough for second in the entire league behind only Columbus Blue Jackets top prospect Emil Bemstrom’s 23. That kind of offensive production is nothing new for Nygard, who has posted at least 29 points—a solid total in the 52-game SHL season—in three consecutive years.

If there is one thing that stands out in Nygard’s game, it is his incredible skating ability. Easily one of, if not the, best skaters in the SHL, he has drawn countless comparisons to Washington Capitals forward Carl Hagelin. While Hagelin is also scheduled to become a UFA this summer and is available to the whole league, he’s also going to turn 31 this summer and will likely come at a relatively higher price tag. Nygard however may be able to jump right into an NHL lineup on a cheap contract and provide some forward depth next season.

While Calgary was involved the whole way with Nygard, there is an obvious fit with the Oilers. Edmonton has been trying desperately to increase their team speed in order to keep up with Connor McDavid, and have a distinct lack of scoring options on the wing. Perhaps a chance to play with a back-to-back (and potential three-peat) Ted Lindsay Award winner was enough to turn the scales in Edmonton’s favor.

Pacific Notes: Boeser, Brodie, Schmaltz

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While the names of Mitch Marner, Sebastian Aho, Brayden Point and William Karlsson are popular names brought up amongst the multitude of upcoming restricted free agents this summer, one name that often gets missed is Vancouver Canucks winger Brock Boeser. The 22-year-old has been a key figure with the Canucks the past two years as he’s combined for 51 goals and 111 points in the last two seasons, making him quite an interesting figure, considering Vancouver needs to lock him up.

The Athletic’s Harman Dayal (subscription required) analyzes what it might take for the Canucks to sign Boeser this summer. While the Canucks have the cap space to be generous to their young forward, the scribe writes they need to be cautious as both Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes will be watching as they will also be looking for new record-breaking deals in the next two years, but when noting that it took Boeser a couple of years to break into the league before his entry-level deal kicked in, the best comparisons are Filip Forsberg and Jordan Eberle. With those numbers in mind, the scribe says that a rough estimate puts Boeser at approximately $7.25MM with Boeser likely asking for $8MM, while the Canucks hoping to keep it as close to $7MM as possible.

However, with no eligibility for arbitration or a potential offer sheet to use as leverage, Boeser isn’t exactly in the prime situation to force the Canucks to pay $8MM unless he wants to hold out.

  • While there has been talk that the Calgary Flames might be ready to move on from defenseman T.J. Brodie with their influx of talented blueliners ready to take bigger roles in the near future, The Athletic’s Kent Wilson (subscription required) does an in-depth look at Mark Giordano as well as his impact on Brodie. The scribe notes that Brodie, who looked to be on the decline a year ago, had an improved year when paired with Giordano, but when he wasn’t playing with the star defenseman, Brodie’s numbers were extremely mediocre, even more suggesting that Calgary might be best served in moving Brodie now before his value slips even more. The 28-year-old will be in a contract-year at $4.65MM, which might make him even more valuable to other NHL teams.
  • Craig Morgan of The Athletic (subscription required) writes that Arizona Coyotes forward Nick Schmaltz, who the team acquired last November but only appeared in 17 games before going down with a season-ending meniscus injury, is changing his diet in hopes of being in the best shape of his career. With a history of eating burgers and cheese curds, the team has asked him to start eating healthier this summer. “I have never really cooked in my life,” he said. “It was always easier to go out or order something, but learning how to cook healthy food is a big step, and you can really focus on that in the summer.”

Prospect Notes: Comrie, Ollas Mattsson, Praplan

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Less than two weeks after acquiring his WHL rights, the Kelowna Rockets have convinced defenseman Sean Comrie to leave the college level and join the junior ranks. The Rockets announced that the 19-year-old has signed on with the team beginning next season, leaving behind the University of Denver. Comrie, an Edmonton native, has always been a well-regarded prospect. He was initially drafted by the Brandon Wheat Kings in the second round of the 2015 WHL Bantam Draft. However, he opted to go the college route and committed to Denver instead of the WHL. Prior to heading to school, Comrie had a breakout campaign with the AJHL’s Spruce Grove Saints in 2017-18, recording 34 points in 54 games. Many scouting sources projected Comrie to be a late-round draft pick last year, but he was surprisingly passed over. Joining the Pioneers as a freshman, the young blue liner likely hoped a strong NCAA campaign could get him back on the draft radar this year. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out that way; Comrie was used sparingly at Denver and did little with the ice time he did get, recording one lone point in 18 games. Looking to get his development back on track, it is no surprise that Comrie has decided to leave the college game to try his hand in juniors instead. The Rockets clearly still believe in his potential, as they moved back five spots in the first round of the WHL Draft earlier this month to acquire his rights. The next question now is whether an NHL team still sees enough in him to take a chance in the draft this season despite a down year.

  • Adam Ollas Mattsson seemingly did enough this season to finally earn an NHL contract from the Calgary Flames. Instead, he is back in his native Sweden visiting the Malmo Redhawks and is expected to sign, reports Swedish news source Kvalls Posten. Ollas Mattsson, 22, was a sixth-round pick by the Flames back in 2014 and stands out on the ice at 6’5″ and nearly 220 lbs. However, concerns about his skill level and skating led Calgary to refrain from signing him to an entry-level contract. Instead, Ollas Mattson chose to prove himself by signing an AHL contract with the Stockton Heat in 2016. After two seasons of being a little-used depth option, Ollas Mattson broke out this year, skating in 65 games for Stockton and recording 18 points and +22 rating. Not only was this campaign a career best across the board for Ollas Mattson, it was among the best seasons for any Heat players. The big Swede led the team in plus/minus by a drastic margin, led all defenseman in games played, and finished third among defensemen in scoring. Admittedly, even a season like that was unlikely to push Ollas Mattson into the NHL ice time conversation on a crowded Calgary blue line, but it should have at least earned him an NHL contract. Whether he made the choice to return to Sweden willingly or felt the Flames and their NHL competitors had no interest, Ollas Mattson heads back to his homeland a much better player who may still yet draw NHL interest down the road. The former Djurgardens junior standout will switch teams, joining a Malmo squad that will get a big boost from the big defender.
  • Swiss forward Vincent Praplan is at least considering following in Ollas Mattson’s footsteps. The Florida Panthers prospect, who is a restricted free agent, has been linked to SC Bern of the Swiss NLA already this off-season, after just one season in the NHL. Praplan, 24, signed a one-year entry-level contract with the San Jose Sharks last summer and hoped to compete for a roster spot. Instead, he played exclusively with the AHL’s Barracuda until a deadline deal that sent him to the Panthers for only “future considerations”. Florida also sent Praplan to the AHL, where he finished out the season with the Springfield Thunderbirds. Now, Swiss news site Berner Zeitung writes that he is prepared to return to Switzerland if he does not receive a qualifying offer, or perhaps even a guarantee of NHL action, from the Panthers. Given the Panthers’ deep forward corps and their willingness to be active in free agency this summer, odds are Praplan plays in more games in Bern next season than in Sunrise.

Calgary Flames Sign Defenseman Alexander Yelesin

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Where there’s smoke, there’s fire, especially when it comes to the Flames. After weeks of speculation, Calgary has officially announced that they have signed Russian defenseman Alexander Yelesin to an entry-level contract. It is a two-year, maximum ELC for the 23-year-old blue liner, who is expected to compete for a starting job immediately next season in Calgary.

Back in April, following the Flames’ unexpectedly early exit from the postseason, head coach Bill Peters spoke vaguely about several expected import players that he believed could be factors for the team in 2019-20. NHL insiders quickly identified goaltender Artyom Zagidulin and Yelesin as two of those players. While Zagidulin had already signed, Yelesin had yet to put pen to paper on a contract, fueling the anticipation of this pact. The two sides finally got that deal done today, with Yelesin being cut from Team Russia at the IIHF World Championships likely playing a role.

In Yelesin, the Flames are adding a KHL All-Star from this past season, considered one of the most reliable defensemen in the league. Yelesin is not a flashy player by any means – his offense is modest and his size is average – but he is nothing if not consistent. The 5’11”, 195-lb. defenseman was a force on the back end on a regular basis for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl this season, playing strong, safe defense and leading all defensemen in games played, while also contributing ten points. Yelesin, who is also a valued right-shot defender, hopes that he can bring that same reliable defensive game to Calgary. If there’s a knock on Yelesin though, it is that he can get into penalty trouble, which he will have to work on as he transitions to the faster, stronger NHL.

With Yelesin in the fold now, Calgary has incredible depth on the blue line already – and the off-season hasn’t even begun. If anything, expect the Flames to potentially shed a defenseman this summer rather than add. Without any further moves, Yelesin would have to compete for a roster spot with veteran Michael Stone and fellow European youngsters Rasmus Andersson, Oliver Kylington, and Juuso Valimaki just to get play time on the bottom-pair behind a top-four of Mark Giordano, T.J. Brodie, Travis Hamonic, and Noah Hanifin. That’s likely more competition than the Flames would like to enter camp with, although too much depth never hurt anyone.

Calgary Flames Sign Carl-Johan Lerby

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The Calgary Flames have signed defenseman Carl-Johan Lerby to a two-year entry-level contract. Lerby was an undrafted international free agent, who has played in the SHL the last several seasons and will remain there for the 2019-20 campaign. The Flames expect Lerby to come to North America in 2020-21.

Adding Lerby, 21, while still leaving him in Sweden to develop for another season is a play right out of the Edmonton Oilers handbook. The team did the same thing with Joel Persson last year, and extended him with a one-year $1MM deal in January after he continued to develop. That’s the same outcome the Flames are likely hoping for with Lerby, who broke out this season after finally getting some consistent playing time in the SHL.

The left-handed defenseman has apparently grown in recent years and is now listed at 6’0″ 182-lbs, removing any real concerns about his size at the next level. He recorded 21 points in 47 games this season with the Malmo Redhawks and will likely play an even bigger role for the team next year. That will mean the Flames don’t have total control over his development and deployment, but they will be able to get their hands on him in 2020-21 at which point he should be ready for North American professional hockey.

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