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Pacific Notes: Sutter, Karlsson, Talbot, Stone, McPhee

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Much of the attention that has come towards the Vancouver Canucks this offseason either fell to their plethora of prospects, many of which seem to be ready to contribute next season, or their highly criticized signings of Jay Beagle, Antoine Roussel and Tim Schaller on the first day of free agency (not including the resignation of Trevor Linden). Regardless, The Athletic’s J.D. Burke (subscription required) writes that forgotten man Brandon Sutter’s stock is definitely heading up this season.

The 29-year-old forward has provided the Canucks with a physical and defensive presence, but hasn’t been required to show his offensive skills. Suddenly, with scoring becoming a great team need and the addition of players like Beagle, Roussel and Schaller, the opportunity to play a more offensive role is suddenly in front of him.

One suggestion is to have Sutter center the team’s second line with Elias Pettersson playing next to him to start the season. Then once, Pettersson has adjusted to North American play, allow the two to switch places.

  • After signing a one-year deal for $5.25MM this morning, Vegas Golden Knights center William Karlsson remained positive about staying in Las Vegas long-term, according to Jesse Granger of the Las Vegas Sun. He hopes he can duplicate the 43-goal season from last year, which should hand him the long-term deal he wants when he goes through restricted free agency again next season. “In an ideal world I would’ve liked a long term deal, but I like to bet on myself and that’s what this is. Now I can go prove myself,” Karlsson said.
  • The Edmonton Sun’s Robert Tychkowski interviewed Edmonton Oilers goaltender Cam Talbot about the team’s signing of Mikko Koskinen to a one-year, $2.5MM deal. Koskinen is likely to take a much bigger role than the 15 games that Talbot didn’t play in. That signing likely had something to do with Talbot’s on-ice struggles as he went from a 2.39 GAA and a .919 save percentage in 2016-17 to a 3.02 GAA and a .909 save percentage. However, Talbot welcomes the challenge. “I like the competition,” Talbot said. “I enjoy it. It pushes everyone to be better. Maybe it will take a little bit of the starts away from me and I can be at the top of my game.”
  • The Athletic’s Kent Wilson (subscription required) writes that the Calgary Flames made a poor move last offseason when they signed defenseman Michael Stone to a three-year, $10.5MM deal. The veteran defenseman was thought to be a top-four defenseman, but once the team added Travis Hamonic via trade, Stone was sent to the team’s third pairing and truly struggled last year. Now, with $7MM remaining on his deal over the next two years, Stone stands in the way of multiple young defenseman, including Rasmus Andersson. With little trade value, things could get ugly at some point in the next year.
  • In another tweet, Granger interviewed Vegas Golden Knights general manager George McPhee about the talent at the forward position. The team added center Paul Stastny, but lost two quality players in James Neal and David Perron. Despite the losses, the team has several in-house candidates like Alex Tuch and Tomas Tatar ready to step up. “I like where we are, but if there’s an opportunity to upgrade at the forward position at any time over the next year we will,” McPhee said.

Snapshots: Faulk, Skinner, Hanifin

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The Carolina Hurricanes traded Jeff Skinner yesterday, and many immediately jumped to a conclusion that they would be dealing Justin Faulk in the coming weeks. Faulk’s name has been listed just behind Skinner’s as potential trade bait for months, and with the extremely deep Carolina blue line there was an assumption someone would have to be moved. That might not necessarily happen just yet, as GM Don Waddell told reporters including Luke DeCock and Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer:

We never said we wanted to trade Justin Faulk. People assumed when we picked up Dougie Hamilton that was the direction we were going to go, but we don’t feel that same way. We feel if we do stay status quo, we’re going to have one of the best defensive corps in the league. Saying that, if some team steps up to the plate for him or another of our players we’re going to continue to look at that.

Faulk has two years left on his current contract and is a talent puck-moving defenseman, but currently projects out as the Hurricanes third option on the right side behind Hamilton and Brett Pesce. While it’s not clear exactly how the team will deploy their big crop of defensemen, with other teams in the league starved for right-handed blue line help you would think some offers have been brought to Waddell already. Interestingly though Waddell revealed that Faulk has a 16-team no-trade clause, something that hadn’t previously been reported.

  • Skinner meanwhile had a conference call of his own today, and explained why he waived his no-movement clause to go to the Buffalo Sabres. Joe Yerdon of The Athletic passes on that Skinner is excited about the young core in Buffalo, and that he’s looking forward to playing with Jack Eichel if he gets the chance. The Hurricanes meanwhile didn’t bring any other offers to him to try to get him to waive his clause, though Waddell told DeCock and Alexander that there was a “very limited” list of teams the young forward would have considered. The Sabres will now get a chance to convince Skinner to re-sign, given that his contract will expire in the summer of 2019.
  • A former Hurricane was the subject of conversation on Sportsnet 960 radio today, when Calgary Flames GM Brad Treliving joined The Big Show with Rob Kerr and Pat Steinberg. Treliving said that the team is working with Hanifin on a new contract and that they’re heading in a “positive” direction, admitting that the arbitration cases were their priority for most of the summer. With arbitration finished, the Flames have just Hanifin and Hunter Shinkaruk still to sign as restricted free agents.

Troy Brouwer Bought Out By Calgary Flames

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As expected, Troy Brouwer has been bought out by the Calgary Flames after clearing unconditional waivers today. The 32-year old forward had two years remaining on his contract, meaning the Flames will now carry a $1.5MM cap hit for the next four seasons. Brouwer is now free to sign with any other team as an unrestricted free agent.

Brouwer came to the Flames on July 1st, 2016 during a day which many teams around the league have come to regret. The free agent market that season was relatively weak, but several complementary players were given big dollars and term. Milan Lucic, Loui Eriksson, David Backes, and Andrew Ladd have all been including in trade speculation since, while others like Kyle Okposo and Frans Nielsen have been somewhat disappointing for their respective clubs. Brouwer, who was 31 by the time he played his first game in Calgary, actually looked like he might be a perfect fit for Calgary during his first game when he scored a short-handed goal and recorded three hits. The team had wanted to get more physical and bring some experience and defensive responsibility to their lineup, and Brouwer had a history of each.

Unfortunately, the offense would dry up for long stretches of 2016-17 and Brouwer would end up with just 13 goals and 25 points. Last season was even worse, as the veteran forward registered just six goals in 76 games and saw his playing time reduced to the lowest it has been his entire career. The writing was on the wall, and when the Flames went out and brought in James Neal, Derek Ryan, Austin Czarnik and Elias Lindholm to bolster their forward group, someone had to go. The team has plenty of young forwards ready to push for those limited minutes on the fourth line, just waiting for an opportunity to show what they can do at the NHL level.

More importantly perhaps than the roster spot is the $3MM in cap space created, which now allows the Flames to discuss a long-term extension for Noah Hanifin if they so choose. Before getting rid of Brouwer’s contract, the team might not have had the money to buy out several UFA seasons from Hanifin and likely would have needed to go with a bridge deal to keep the cap hit reasonably low. Now, with over $7.5MM in cap space they could lock up their young defender for many years to come and make sure he’s a part of the future. Hanifin remember already has three years under his belt, meaning he’ll become a UFA after four more seasons at the age of 25.

The cap space will also allow Calgary to be more flexible during the season, and perhaps be players once again on the trade market come February. After a disappointing 2017-18 season in which they missed the playoffs completely, the team should be at least competing for the postseason this time around. With a deeper forward corps and talented defensive group, they’ll have to hope for a healthy season from Mike Smith or for one of David Rittich or Jon Gillies to step up and show they can be a starter at the NHL level.

Brouwer meanwhile will likely land somewhere else quickly, as even with his reduced offensive impact he’s still well respected around the league as a bottom-six player. With what will now be an extremely reduced price tag, the veteran forward could sign a one-year deal to prove he can still be effective. He has played some center before, though his natural position is on the wing, and has a long history of penalty killing. His extremely low goal total can also at least somewhat be attributed to the huge drop in shooting percentage he experienced last season. After scoring on an above average 14.2% of his shots through the first decade of his career, Brouwer registered just a 7.6% shooting percentage this season. Though his shot creation numbers also fell dramatically, he could still be relied upon for somewhere around 10 goals and 25 points next season, a fine total for a fourth-line player—as long as he’s not making $4.5MM.

Troy Brouwer Placed On Unconditional Waivers, Will Be Bought Out

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The Calgary Flames earned a second buyout window after wrapping up their arbitration cases, and are going to take advantage of it. The team has placed Troy Brouwer on unconditional waivers for the purpose of a buyout, something that we suggested might happen when Garnet Hathaway settled on Monday. Brouwer has two years remaining on his current deal, and carries a $4.5MM cap hit.

Because Brouwer’s contract has no signing bonuses remaining and was not front-loaded, the Flames will save a considerable amount over the next two years. They will now carry just a $1.5MM cap hit for the next four seasons, giving them plenty of flexibility for 2018-19. Not only will the team now have around $7.5MM in cap space with only Noah Hanifin and Hunter Shinkaruk left to sign, but they also will gain a roster spot for some of their younger forwards. Hathaway, Curtis Lazar, Dillon Dube and Spencer Foo will all be battling for playing time in training camp, as the Flames try to get quicker and more skilled on their fourth line.

That lack of skill and speed was the downfall of Brouwer, who plays a physical, bruising game. While he put up consistent offensive numbers throughout a good portion of his career, those numbers dropped off dramatically since signing a four-year $18MM contract with Calgary in 2016. It was a scary contract right from the outset given Brouwer was already 31 when he played his first game in a Flames uniform, and those fears came true almost immediately. In 2016-17 he recorded just 13 goals, his lowest total since his rookie season and followed it with just six last year in a diminished role.

A diminished role is exactly what he might find elsewhere this season, as there will surely be teams lined up to sign him for a lower salary. Teams looking for leadership, physicality and plenty of experience on their fourth line will be interested in a cheap Brouwer, who can sign as soon as the Flames officially buy him out.

Negotiation Notes: Arbitration Hearings, Nylander, Islanders

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Two more players sat down for arbitration hearings today, as Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston reports that neither the Ottawa Senators and Cody Ceci nor the Dallas Stars and Gemel Smith were able to come to terms beforehand. Both situations bear watching over the next 48 hours, as they must agree to a deal in that window or else get stuck with the arbitrator’s award. Ceci’s case is similar to that of the Winnipeg Jets’ Jacob Trouba, which went through to a decision earlier this off-season. Both Ceci and Trouba filed at a number that shares few reasonable comparisons – Trouba at $7MM and Ceci at $6MM. While Trouba’s side likely tried to use several recent cases of offensive-minded defenseman who settled for $5.5MM and then argue that he is the superior defensive player, Ceci does not have the comparable offense to make as strong a case. As such, he is unlikely to get the $5.5MM award that Trouba landed, the midpoint of his case. Instead, look for Ceci to get somewhere in the $4-4.5MM range. Smith’s is a much different scenario, similar to another previously decided case this summer, that of Calgary Flames defenseman Brett Kulak. In both cases, the team offered only a minimum, two-way contract while the player filed at a higher value for a one-way deal –  Kulak at $1.15MM and Smith at $900K. While Kulak was able to land a $850K one-way deal from the arbitrator, he also played in 71 games in the platform year, while Smith only suited up for 46. Smith faces a far tougher argument that he is a bona fide NHL player at this point in his career.

  • Restricted free agent William Nylander continues to negotiate with the Toronto Maple Leafs, but the explosive young forward is not interested in a short-term bridge deal. Sportsnet’s Luke Fox suggests that Nylander is only talking about a long-term deal right now. While the Leafs might be trying to play it safe, with both Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner also in need of extensions next summer (along with the majority of their roster), Nylander doesn’t seem willing to take a bridge deal only to watch his fellow budding stars sign long-term contracts instead. Nylander may have hit restricted free agency earlier than Matthews and Marner, but the trio all have similar games played and points since Nylander only played in 22 games with Toronto in his first season before the other two joined the squad. All three have been remarkably consistent early on and, given their similarities, it is hard to blame Nylander for wanting a long-term deal when he knows that Matthews and Marner are likely to get them.
  • While it makes sense that the New York Islanders have focused on adding forwards and a new goaltender this season, after losing superstar center John Tavares and starting goalie Jaroslav Halak to free agency, Newsday’s Andrew Gross thinks it’s strange that the team has not added to the blue line at all. The team re-signed Thomas Hickey and Ryan Pulock, but have added no one else while losing Calvin de Haan and opting not to bring back Brandon Davidson and Dennis Seidenberg. Gross notes that recently re-signed center Brock Nelson, an impending free agent, could be used as a trade chip to add to a blue line that struggled greatly last season. There are certainly teams out there with a plethora of defensemen who could use Nelson up front. The Carolina Hurricanes, Boston Bruins, and Winnipeg Jets are clubs that fit the bill, but Nelson would not be nearly enough to land a Justin Faulk, Torey Krug, or Jacob Trouba and an expendable piece that he might fetch, like a Trevor van Riemsdyk, Adam McQuaid, or Tucker Poolman might not be enough to fix the Islanders blue line. New York may have to up the ante beyond Nelson to land a difference-maker on the back end.

Jarome Iginla Officially Retires From Professional Hockey

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One of the greatest power forwards to ever play in the NHL has officially called it quits today, as Jarome Iginla hangs up his skates for the last time as a member of the Calgary Flames. Though he hadn’t played professionally in over a year, today still marks the end of what has been an incredibly productive career for the 41-year old, who will finish up with 1,554 regular season games and 1,300 career points.

Though many remember him most as a young player for the Flames, Iginla was actually originally drafted by the Dallas Stars in 1995. Before he ever suited up in a professional game, he was already included in a deal for Hall of Fame forward Joe Nieuwendyk, who had won a Stanley Cup with the Flames but was embroiled in a contract dispute. Nieuwendyk would go on to help the Stars to another Cup in 1999, while Iginla would become one of the greatest Flames of all-time. In his first season during the 1996-97 season he scored 21 goals and was the runner-up to Bryan Berard—the first-overall pick from 1995—for the Calder Trophy as the league’s best rookie. Those 21 goals were a sign of things to come, as Iginla would go on to score 504 more  in a Calgary uniform (532 including playoffs) and 625 (662) in his entire career.

Scoring goals was a huge part of Iginla’s game, but there was so much more to the Calgary forward. A physical specimen who seemed to never tire, Iginla would continually punish defenders with his physical play and protect the puck all over the ice. Willing to drop his gloves to protect a teammate or spark his club, the eventual captain of the Flames was feared for his hands whether they had a stick in them or not. Even in a sport that has had an incredible history of tough players, Iginla was unique in his approach. He twice led the NHL in goal scoring, and won the Art Ross trophy as the league leader in points in 2001-02. He would be named a Hart Trophy finalist multiple times, and was the Flames MVP for more than a decade.

Outside of his on-ice accomplishments though, Iginla was a beloved player off the ice as well. Though opponents would not ever want to face him, he was almost universally respected by the hockey world and extremely popular among fans all over the world. Countless former teammates have told stories over the last few days about Iginla’s generosity towards fans, recalling times when he would be still signing autographs long after the rest of the team had left. In Canada, a country for who Iginla won two Olympic gold medals, he was one of the faces of a generation of hockey players that took over after the Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux years. That was no more apparent than when he set up Sidney Crosby for the “Golden Goal” in the Vancouver 2010 Olympics, once again battling physically in the corner to retrieve a puck and get it to a teammate in a dangerous location.

In the latter part of his career, Iginla bounced around the league trying to find a fit and bring home a Stanley Cup. Playing for Pittsburgh, Boston, Colorado and Los Angeles, Iginla would continue to find a way to score goals but never did bring home the elusive chalice. Though he’ll go down as one of the best players in NHL history to never win a Stanley Cup, he did find success at so many other levels. In addition to the two Olympic gold medals, Iginla won two Memorial Cups, and gold at the World Juniors, World Championships and World Cup.

There are few players who can truly be called unique in the game of hockey, and Jarome Iginla is one of them. Today he finished his professional career with the Calgary Flames and it won’t take long for him to get into the Hall of Fame.

Garnet Hathaway Avoids Arbitration

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Garnet Hathaway and the Calgary Flames were scheduled to hold an arbitration hearing today in Toronto, but will avoid the process and sign a one-year contract worth $850K. Hathaway had filed for $975K, while the team had countered with a league minimum $650K.

Hathaway, 26, will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of this contract and finds himself in another battle for an NHL spot this fall. Undrafted, the big winger has played 99 regular season games for Calgary over the past three seasons and contributed 13 points in 2017-18. Now after the team has added players like Elias Lindholm, James Neal, Austin Czarnik and Derek Ryan, there may be even less opportunity for depth players like Hathaway to really make an impact at the highest level. If he does find himself on the NHL roster out of camp, it will likely be battling with someone like Curtis Lazar for playing time on the fourth line.

The Flames have now resolved all of their arbitration cases for this offseason, meaning a second buyout window will open for them later this week. The team still does have restricted free agent Noah Hanifin (and minor league player Hunter Shinkaruk) to re-sign, and only around $4.5MM in cap space. Should the team want to free up any with a buyout, really only Troy Brouwer would be a potential candidate though the team still seems to value his experience and physical presence.

Calgary is desperate to get back to the playoffs after an extremely disappointing 2017-18 season, and players like Hathaway will have to step up if the team faces injury this season. With other younger options like Dillon Dube and Spencer Foo pushing hard for a chance at the NHL level, it may be the last chance for Hathaway to show what he can do for the organization.

Flames, Garnet Hathaway Exchange Arbitration Filings

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With their salary arbitration hearing scheduled for Monday morning, the Flames and RFA winger Garnet Hathaway have exchanged their filing figures.  Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston reports (Twitter link) that Calgary has offered a one-year deal at the league minimum $650K salary while Hathaway is seeking $975K.  Both offers are one-way contracts.

The 26-year-old split last season between the Flames and their AHL affiliate in Stockton.  He was quite productive at the minor league level, collecting 11 goals and eight assists in just 18 games.  However, that production wasn’t carried over to Calgary.  While Hathaway got into a career-high 59 NHL contests, he collected just four goals and nine helpers while logging 11:32 per night.

Hathaway spent most of last season in the bottom six and will likely reprise that role once again in 2018-19, especially with some of the additions they made to shore up their existing bottom six in center Derek Ryan and winger Austin Czarnik.

While the $325K difference may seem relatively inconsequential, Calgary projects to be fairly tight to the salary cap next season.  They currently sit with just shy of $5.4MM in cap room per CapFriendly but still have RFA defenseman Noah Hanifin to lock up.  He will take up the bulk of that remaining cap space so the Flames will be trying to save whatever they can with Hathaway in an effort to leave themselves with a little bit of flexibility heading into the year.

Pacific Notes: Canucks, Campbell, Hathaway

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The situation in Vancouver surrounding the sudden resignation of President Trevor Linden continues to be murky at best. Francesco Aquilini and the ownership continue to avoid prying questions, while GM Jim Benning and coach Travis Green continue to be on the hot seat instead. Many would like to know what led to the departure of a young executive with deep loyalties to the organization, but answers have been few and far in between. Mike Johnson of Sportsnet talked to Benning and Green, but found out little. Benning spoke highly of Linden, but said “I don’t know all the reasons why (he resigned) and it’s not my place to comment on it.” Johnson suggests, as many have, that Linden’s departure may not have been as independent as it appears and that he may have been forced out due to conflicts with the ownership. For his part, Benning says that he never noticed any discourse and says that nothing has changed about the team’s vision and direction. Green added that he thought the best of Linden, but that his departure won’t change the organizations game plan. However, that could change and so could the dynamic of the team’s front office. Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre reports that Benning has been told that the Canucks are not searching for a replacement for Linden, implying that Benning would absorb some of the responsibilities that he has been given already in Linden’s absence. However, that directly contradicts another report that former Los Angeles Kings GM Dean Lombardi has already been connected to the vacancy. It seems that there is still a lot to be revealed about both the past and future conditions of Vancouver’s leadership.

  • The Athletic’s Lisa Dillman wonders if Los Angeles Kings backup goalie Jack Campbell will be the second coming of Martin Jones for the team. Campbell, who endured a bust label for years as a Dallas Stars first-round pick in 2011 who struggled to find success early on as a pro, finally looked like a legitimate NHL goaltender in five appearances with the Kings last season in his second year since being traded away by Dallas. Campbell started four games and made one relief appearance, posting a save percentage of .924 and a goal against average of 2.48 and also played well in the AHL. Dillman reports that this performance has L.A. expecting Campbell to be the primary backup to Jonathan Quick next season, despite the presence of veteran Peter Budaj and promising prospect Cal Petersen. The Kings hope that by committing to the young keeper that they could end up with another reliable asset like Jones. Jones also struggled to stick out in his early pro seasons, albeit as an undrafted free agent, before putting up stunning numbers as Quick’s backup for two seasons once he was given a real shot. The Kings have Campbell locked up for two more years – and Quick for five – so they would love to get a repeat performance of Jones, with Campbell providing elite play as the backup until the point that they can trade him away. This time they just hope that he won’t get flipped back into the division like the Boston Bruins did with Jones, who now frustrates the Kings on a regular basis as the starter for the San Jose Sharks.
  • The Calgary Flames received the salary arbitration award for defenseman Brett Kulak on Wednesday and also agreed to terms on extensions with forward Mark Jankowski and goalie David Rittich in the past 48 hours, avoiding arbitration, yet they still aren’t done. The next scheduled arbitration hearing is none other than another Flame: forward Garnet Hathaway. Hathaway and his side are set to sit down with Calgary and an arbitrator on Monday if nothing can be agreed upon by then. With the Flames preoccupied working out three other contracts over the past two days, it would be no surprise if the two sides at least exchange briefs and filing numbers over the next day or two which could perhaps speed up negotiations. Hathaway played in only 59 games with Calgary last season and has less than 100 NHL games total to date, so it would be a surprise to see the fourth liner actually go through the arbitration process without a deal. However, most would have made a similar argument about Kulak, whose case was actually farther apart in terms of perceived value than many would have thought given his somewhat minor role. Garnet could be the same way, as their has been little talk of an agreement, and the Flames could be destined for yet another hearing.

David Rittich Re-Signs With Calgary Flames

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The Calgary Flames have avoided arbitration with another restricted free agent, this time signing David Rittich to a one-year $800K contract. Rittich was scheduled for an arbitration hearing on July 28th, but has settled on a one-way contract with the Flames that could potentially take him to Group VI unrestricted free agent status next summer. The 25-year old goaltender is heading into his third professional season in North America, and would need to play in at least 13 games (for 30 minutes or more) to become ineligible for Group VI status.

There’s no guarantee Rittich gets that many games, as he’ll be battling Jon Gillies for the right to backup starter Mike Smith. Still, he should have an inside track in that fight given Gillies’ waiver-exempt status and two-way contract. If Rittich does get the NHL backup role, he’ll be trying to improve on the .904 save percentage he posted last season and show that he belongs in this league for the next chunk of his career. The undrafted goaltender signed with the Flames out of the Czech Republic in 2016, but hasn’t found much consistency at the NHL or AHL levels.

The Flames still have three restricted free agents to sign, but are down to just Garnet Hathaway as an arbitration-eligible player. His hearing is scheduled for Monday July 30th, after which the team can focus on extending Noah Hanifin. Getting Rittich, Hathaway, Brett Kulak and Mark Jankowski out of the way has taken a good chunk of the offseason, but the team still has plenty of time to find common ground on a long-term deal with Hanifin.

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