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Pacific Notes: Foo, Tanev, Treliving

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The Union College standout Spencer Foo looks to be closing in on a decision as to where he will sign in the NHL. The right-winger netted an impressed 62 points in 38 games as a junior. An Edmonton native, he appears to be closing in on signing with the Edmonton Oilers, per Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal. He has also been linked to the Flyers, where he would almost certainly see a more favorable landscape when it concerns openings in the top-12 forward group. Foo, leading scorer of the Dutchmen, was announced as one of the 10 semi-finalists for the Hobey Baker award. The forward plays a gritty, greasy game and already appears to have embraced the physicality of an adult game. He has enough offensive upside to easily grow into a top-9 role.

  • Dallas is still on the hunt for a defenseman to aid newly acquired Ben Bishop, and according to Matheson have interest in Vancouver’s Chris Tanev. He only played 53 games last season, and struggled a bit alongside the rest of his Canuck teammates. Matheson ponders whether Dallas would be willing to move the #3 pick if more pieces were added, but this is difficult to imagine unless the addition is a far bigger get, probably including the Canucks’ own #5 selection. Second pairing defenseman are generally worth 2nd or 3rd rounders, whereas Dallas will have the opportunity to draft a real difference maker at their current position, conceivably standout defensive prospect Cale Makar. Dallas wants to compete now but the decision ultimately lies in Vancouver’s court.
  • Calgary has a large decision ahead of them, and it seems as though they could be the icebreaker on the goalie front. GM Brad Treliving has tough work ahead – the Flames seem intent on letting Brian Elliott go after his post-season struggles, and he’s arguably the best free agent goalie available. The team has been linked (with varying degrees of certainty) in trade talks to New York’s Antti Raanta and Pittsburgh’s Marc-Andre Fleury, and Arizona’s Mike Smith is a name that has been widely mentioned as available. Treliving will likely want to sort the situation out before July 1st when the pickings will get far slimmer. Peter Budaj and Mike Condon are options, but there will be other teams lobbying for their services.

Evening Notes: Flames, Sound Tigers, Rinaldo

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The Calgary Flames have opted to go with the 7 F/ 3 D / 1 G protection scheme, per Kristen Odland. With the team having both Dennis Wideman and Michael Stone hitting unrestricted free agency, this seems like a no brainer. Still, it is worthy of note that the team will not opt to protect any but the likely three of Mark Giordano, Dougie Hamilton, and T.J. Brodie. As mentioned by PHR’s own Gavin Lee, Troy Brouwer seems the most likely candidate for a claim, though a smart move on Vegas’ part would be to opt for underrated prospect Hunter Shinkaruk.

  • The Bridgeport Sound Tigers have inked two players to amateur tryout contracts. A 5’9″ winger from Boston College, Matt Gaudreau is most notable for being the younger brother of Calgary’s Johnny Gaudreau. Matt is more of a depth player, potting only 8 goals in his senior year. By comparison, Johnny Gaudreau scored 36 goals to accompany his 45 assists in his junior year at the same school. John Stevens also has an NHL tie-in, as he is the son of the L.A. Kings head coach of the same name. Stevens (the player) is far safer of a bet to make an impact, as he had showed offensive growth before being sidelined by an injury his senior year at Northeastern. His advantage in size should also give him an edge, as he has 5 inches in height and 35 pounds on the younger Gaudreau.
  • Boston’s Zac Rinaldo will not be extended an offer to re-join the team, per Andy Strickland. Rinaldo will become an unrestricted free agent, as he is 26, although the market for him will essentially be non-existent. Of note is the fact that Boston GM Don Sweeney traded a 3rd-round draft selection to Philadelphia to acquire his services in the summer of 2015. Rinaldo was waived and played no games for the team in 2016-17 after being suspended  for a combined 10 games in the NHL and AHL the year prior. He only competed in 29 contests in Providence this season. The Bruin fanbase certainly hasn’t been enthusiastic about the organization’s asset management and this will only add fuel to that fire.

Expansion Primer: Calgary Flames

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We’re continuing to break down each team’s situation as it pertains to the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft, coming up next week: which players are eligible, and which will likely warrant protection or may be on the block. Each team is required to submit their protection lists by 4pm CDT on June 17th. The full rules on eligibility can be found here, and CapFriendly has provided a handy expansion tool to make your own lists.

The Calgary Flames came into this season with a new head coach, a new starting goaltender and a familiar goal: get back to the playoffs. They’d missed in 2015-16 for the sixth time in seven seasons, but had added a good young player in Matthew Tkachuk who would provide more than anyone expected of him as a teenager, and had signed the duo of Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan long-term.

The goaltending tandem of Brian Elliott and Chad Johnson had what you would call a roller coaster season, struggling at times before catching fire to get the team into the playoffs. As with any up there must come a down, and down it came in the first round as Elliott posted just an .880 save percentage and was yanked after just one goal in the deciding fourth game. The Flames will lick their wounds and try to find a different option in net this summer, while being at little risk of losing anything of value in the expansion draft.

Eligible Players (Non-UFA)

Forwards:

Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan, Troy Brouwer, Michael Frolik, Mikael Backlund, Matt Stajan, Lance Bouma, Emile Poirier, Hunter Shinkaruk, Freddie Hamilton, Sam Bennett, Alex Chiasson, Micheal Ferland, Linden Vey, Curtis Lazar

Defensemen:

Mark Giordano, Dougie Hamilton, T.J. Brodie, Matt Bartkowski, Ryan Culkin, Tyler Wotherspoon, Brett Kulak

Goaltenders:

Tom McCollum

Notable Exemptions

Matthew Tkachuk, Daniel Pribyl, Dillon Dube, Josh Healey, Nick Schneider, Tyler Parsons, Jon Gillies, Oliver Kylington

Key Decisions

The Flames have put themselves in a fairly enviable position when it comes to the expansion draft, making savvy moves like signing Matt Bartkowski during the season to fill the defensive exposure requirements. Recently, GM Brad Treliving spoke about the difficulties some teams will have when deciding on their protection lists, and how Vegas will be hard-pressed to find NHL-caliber centers in the draft. That problem is emulated perhaps best by the expected protection on the Flames. They will likely choose the 7-3-1 protection scheme, allowing them to keep their depth down the middle. Troy Brouwer

Up front, the Flames have just a few decisions to make on the back end of their list, as their five-man core (including three centers, Monahan, Mikael Backlund and Sam Bennett) are easy to point out. In the final two spots, the team will juggle some combination of Troy Brouwer, Curtis Lazar and Micheal Ferland, with the latter two likely earning the slots. Leaving Brouwer exposed is a tough decision to make just one year removed from signing him to an $18MM contract, but after a career-worst 25 points this season his contract may be all the protection he needs. After all, Treliving believes the Golden Knights will be acquiring assets instead of building a team, and Brouwer holds much less value than either of the other two young forwards.

Lazar, acquired at the deadline is another (part-time) center that will be unavailable to Vegas, even though he scored just four points in 37 games this season. The Flames gave up a second-round pick to get him from the Ottawa Senators, and still have big plans for his future in Calgary. The 22-year old was the 17th-overall pick in 2013, and will need a new contract this summer.

Ferland, a former fifth-round pick who has overcome a tremendous amount of personal struggle to even be in the NHL, found success alongside Gaudreau and Monahan at times and showed promise to become similar to what Brouwer has been throughout his career; a physical middle-six winger capable of adding some secondary scoring. While his 25 points are nothing to write home about, he is only 25 years old and showed that he may be capable of a 20-goal season at some point in his career.

There is the possibility Calgary could surprise and protect one of Hunter Shinkaruk or Alex Chiasson, both of whom are former high picks (24th and 38th respectively) that have shown either potential or performance at times throughout their career and are still young enough to contribute to Vegas. Both are long-shots, but could present some value for the Golden Knights if left available.

Matt BartkowskiOn defense, there isn’t much debate on the three who will be protected. Mark Giordano, Dougie Hamilton and T.J. Brodie are easy choices, and the reason Bartkowski was acquired in the first place. None of the other potential unprotected defensemen fulfill the requirement of a player who is signed through 2017-18 and played either 40 games this season or 70 the last two combined.

In net, the team actually only has Tom McCollum among non-UFA goaltenders, and signed him earlier in the year in order to fulfill the goaltending requirements. That means they could potentially re-sign Johnson or Elliott before the draft, or acquire another goaltender that would need protection. Marc-Andre Fleury, who has waived his no-trade clause in order to go to Vegas but is still an option for Calgary, as are several of the elite backups around the league. The Flames could go after Antti Raanta, Philipp Grubauer, Aaron Dell or Calvin Pickard in order to provide some value to a team afraid of losing them for nothing, but with such a strong goaltending pipeline may look to the free agent market instead for a shorter term option.

The Flames do have one interesting name when it comes to a free agent Vegas may be interested in: Michael Stone. The 27-year old defenseman is right-handed and has logged big minutes for Arizona in the past. His two-way game fit in quite well with the Flames, but they’ll have to wait to re-sign him until after the draft which gives Vegas an opportunity to talk with him in their exclusive window. If the Golden Knights thinks a long-term deal with Stone is worth more than one of the forward cast-offs, perhaps he is a target for them next week.

It’s worth mentioning that Linden Vey, who may have deserved protection a few years ago is set to play in the KHL next season and will likely be off the radar of both the Flames and Golden Knights. Calgary is expected to qualify him in order to retain his rights for the time being, but will not get to see him in the lineup this year.

Projected Protection List

F Johnny Gaudreau
F Sean Monahan
F Michael Frolik
F Mikael Backlund
F Sam Bennett
F Micheal Ferland
F Curtis Lazar

D Mark Giordano
D Dougie Hamilton
D T.J. Brodie

G Chad Johnson

The Flames are in a good spot for the next few days, able to calmly assess the goaltending market and perhaps help a team out of a jam by taking an asset off their hands. When one of the worst things the team can lose is an overpaid 31-year old year old winger with three years left on his deal, you know you’ve done good work setting yourself up for the draft. It will be interesting to see which forwards fill out the last few spots, and even more interesting to see who Vegas decides to go with for their selection. Will it be a veteran player who can add leadership to an expansion franchise, or a lottery ticket from the minors who could develop into something under the right coaching?

In all, the team can look ahead to a summer filled with tougher tasks like RFA negotiations, rebuilding the bottom half of their defense and finding an answer in net. Some of those may be answered in the next few days, but more likely will stretch into July. With ample cap space and several vacant positions, Calgary will be one of the most interesting teams to follow in free agency.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Goalie Market Far Too Crowded

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Although the expansion draft and entry draft are the immediate matters on the minds of those not involved with the Finals, there is still ample reason to speculate on the UFA class. After all, the ability for teams to start signing players is less than a month away. In a particularly weak free agent class, however, one factor sticks out quite prominently. There are 10 goaltenders who played regularly for their teams this season, who will be vying for far fewer NHL roster spots. Only two teams are truly desperate for a starter, those being the Calgary Flames and Winnipeg Jets.

None of the available goaltenders even cracks my top 25 free agents, which should indicate how poor some of the tenders’ seasons have been. That said, these 10 names combined have played thousands of NHL games. By my estimation, still leading the pack should be former Calgary Flame Brian Elliott. Elliott’s career stats are decent, and he’s only one season removed from a 38 win, .930 save percentage year with the Blues. However, he melted down in grand fashion this off-season en route to a sweep at the hands of the Anaheim Ducks. It may not be fair, but that will absolutely impact his perceived value around the league. His one-year contract gamble, which looked wise at the time, may cost him now. Also in the “top tier” of goaltenders available are Peter Budaj, who had a career year in Los Angeles, Mike Condon, who is one of the most valued backups league-wide, and Jonathan Bernier, who had 21 wins and a respectable .923 save percentage in the regular season before being totally usurped by John Gibson.

Then there is the “middle tier” of goaltenders who likely won’t see a ton of interest, but could easily serve backup duty, some only on a severely reduced contract. These include Ryan Miller, Chad Johnson, and Steve Mason. Ryan Miller is nearly 37 years old, and although he may still have a bit left in the tank, it’s impossible to imagine a team opting to make him their starter. Complicating matters is that Miller will likely want a multi-year agreement to bring him security. Chad Johnson will likely find work, but it could be a long while waiting. Teams will more than likely scour the field for the bigger names first, and only circle back to him as a security backup. Steve Mason is an interesting reclamation project, especially when you consider that his stats weren’t totally horrendous (.908 SV%, 2.66 GAA). However, his career numbers just aren’t that solid, and the absolute fury he invoked from the Flyers fanbase didn’t boost his confidence or stock. Mason will need to come to terms with the fact that he is no longer a number one goalie, nor will he be paid as one – he earned $4.1 MM on his last contract and he’ll see nowhere near that this time around.

Rounding out the “bottom-most” group is Ondrej Pavelec, Jhonas Enroth, and Curtis McElhinney. Out of these, McElhinney seems the only with a solid hope of finding a gig. He only played in 21 games this past year between Columbus and Toronto, but performed decently. His .917 save percentage, well up from his .905 career, might be just enough to negotiate a contract, perhaps in the event of an injury. Pavelec has been nothing short of a disaster in Winnipeg, with his only good statistical year being 2014-15. He played just 8 games last season, with a .888 SV%. He may be forced to look overseas for employment. Enroth hasn’t fared any better – he’s only played 17 games in the last two seasons, not even tallying a win in 2016-17.

Essentially, none of these goalies will be highly sought after. Condon could realistically see a starting role next season, as could Budaj, which would have been unthinkable in the not-so-distant past. Teams have many options when it comes to goaltending, but none of them are particularly awe-inspiring. The prices on contracts will likely be diminished substantially due to the abundance of available players, and agents could see this situation extend deep into the summer months.

 

Flames Perspective On Expansion Draft

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Calgary Flames GM Brad Treviling spoke to Sportsnet 960 radio yesterday and opined about how the team is addressing the expansion draft. At the outset, Treviling acknowledges that the Flames—alongside 20 or so teams—do not have any major expansion issues, and only those teams with potential significant losses are the focus of the Vegas Golden Knights right now.

Treviling also thinks that Vegas will approach the expansion draft to accumulate assets rather than try to build the perfect team. He predicts that Vegas will have strong goaltending and good defenseman. It will be harder, Treviling intimates, to find quality forwards at a good price, and will be very difficult to find good centers.

And because Vegas takes 30 players, those extra players may be flipped to other teams for draft picks. Unlike other teams, Vegas does not have a farm system in place yet. That means it might be more valuable to take a player and then trade him for numerous lower round draft picks. Vegas may value quantity over quality in the short term.

The Flames have run at least three mock drafts so far, and update monthly its lists of who they think teams will protect. Treliving points out that it is a difficult process given the positional restrictions and many moving parts.

Calgary Closer To Arena Deal

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Despite Calgary Flames president of hockey operations Brian Burke’s comments earlier this week, the city of Calgary and the Calgary Flames are close to a deal for a new arena. First reported by the Calgary Sun’s Eva Ferguson, Calgary city councillors told the Sun that a deal will be revealed soon.

Councillor Diana Colley-Urquhart stated that a deal will be made public in the “next few weeks,” and said while she loved Burke, he could be a “hothead and a blowhard.” The negotiations between the team and city revolved around two competing arena locations, and the amount the city would pay. Councillor Ward Sutherland said that both sides are “close to settling on a compromise.”

The city councillors are on a potential deadline to get a deal done before Calgary’s October municipal elections. Some councillors may lose their seat, and new councillors will have to be brought up to speed. Moreover, Flames president and CEO Ken King told the Sun that if both sides reach a deal before the fall, a new arena can be built within four years.

Brian Burke Ignites Calgary Relocation Threats

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Outspoken Calgary Flames President of Hockey Operations Brian Burke stirred controversy yesterday by telling a local business luncheon that the Calgary Flames will relocate if the team does not receive significant public funding to build a new arena.

Burke told attendees that “[w]e’re not going to make the threat to leave. We’ll just leave.” He then doubled-down, sarcastically adding that while other central and western Canadian cities publicly fund stadiums and arenas, “our little city is a little smarter than all those people and we’re not going to do it.”

Calgary’s Mayor—Naheed Nenshi—barely batted an eye. According to Calgary’s 660 News, Nenshi referred to Burke’s comments as part of the dance teams do whenever they want a new arena, and stood his ground on disagreeing with the models the Flames have so far proposed.

Flames President and CEO Ken King immediately distanced the team’s official stance from Burke’s comments, stating that while Burke runs Hockey Operations for the Flames, he is not the team’s spokesman on the matter.” It is possible that Burke was only stating his personal views on the topic, but as a prominent member of the organization, his statements carry more weight than the average Flames fan. Moreover, Burke’s statements echo word for word what King stated during an interview with Bob McCown on the Sportsnet Fan 590 show Primetime Sports.

The Flames do play in the oldest arena in the NHL, as the Scotiabank Saddledome was built in 1983. The Detroit Red Wings formerly held that title until moving to a new arena for this upcoming season. Madison Square Gardens, home of the New York Rangers, is technically older, but has over $1 billion in renovations during the past ten years. Burke’s statements, however, are familiar to those who follow pleas for publicly funded stadiums. Teams make a show of threatening to leave before most (but not all) cities acquiesce with a favorable deal. Calgary seems to be standing tall at the moment, but an upcoming municipal election in October could change that.

 

Calgary Flames Announce Kansas City Mavericks As New ECHL Affiliate

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Potential Elliott Extension Comes With A Price

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Calgary Flames GM Brad Treliving was on Sportsnet radio today and confirmed the previously reported details on the Brian Elliott trade from last summer. Should the Flames reach a new contract with the goaltender this summer, they would have to send an additional third-round pick to St. Louis. Though the Flames have previously considered an extension for Elliott, that extra asset obviously makes it harder.

Elliott had a terrible start to the season, holding an .898 save percentage through his first 30 games. He would raise that number to .910 by the end of the year, including an outstanding streak to help the Flames into the playoffs. It ended poorly, being pulled after just a single goal in the deciding game against the Anaheim Ducks. Even so, Elliott likely remains on the Flames list as a potential option for next season.

With Ben Bishop and Scott Darling already locked up, the goaltending options for a non-expansion team seem to be dwindling quite quickly. As reported yesterday, Mike Smith and Marc-Andre Fleury remain possibilities for the team, though may each come with a higher price than the 2018 third-round pick that Elliott would cost. Should the team want to make a short-term investment in order to bridge the gap to their young prospects—Jon Gillies and Tyler Parsons among them—any of these three could fit. Smith and Fleury both have two years remaining on their current contracts at $5.67MM and $5.75MM respectively.

Elliott at age-32 is still one of the more experienced options on the market for any team this summer, with 338 starts under his belt. His .913 career save percentage compares favorably to many of the other choices, including Steve Mason (.911 career save percentage), Ryan Miller (.915) and Jonathan Bernier (.915). He’s coming off a contract that carried just a $2.5MM cap hit.

Mike Smith Submits No-Trade List; Coyotes Listening To Potential Offers

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Pierre LeBrun of TSN in both Insider Trading and on Twitter that the Arizona Coyotes are indeed listening to offers on goaltender Mike Smith, despite calling him their “rock” recently. LeBrun reports that at least three teams, including the Calgary Flames, have already made inquiries. Smith, who has a no-trade clause that allows him to block deals to eight teams has recently submitted his new list.

All season, GM John Chayka has spoken about how he isn’t keen on trading Smith as he considers solid goaltending to be part of the development process. That said, he’s willing to admit that if someone offers them something substantial for the goaltender he’d have to listen. The Coyotes, who will likely want to stop rebuilding and contend for the playoffs in the very near future, have to decide whether Smith can be effective when they’re ready to do just that. Already 35-years old, Smith is coming off an All-Star season and has two years remaining on his contract. He may still have some substantial value, especially to teams like Calgary who think they can contend for the Stanley Cup with some improvement in net.

Smith has been in Arizona for six seasons, putting up a solid .916 over that time and even garnering Vezina votes in 2012. If he were moved, the goaltending torch could be passed to Louis Domingue, though it’s not clear he has the ability to be an above average starter in the league. The Coyotes also have Adin Hill on the way, but it will still be several years until he’s ready for an impact role with the team.

On Calgary in particular, LeBrun mentions that he thinks their first choice would be Marc-Andre Fleury. There have been many reports that Fleury is already ticketed for Vegas, but perhaps the Flames could come in and offer even more for him at the last minute. When Ben Bishop and Scott Darling were traded for and signed by Dallas and Carolina respectively, it removed two other options from the Flames’ board, leaving players like Smith as a sort of back-up plan should they be unable to land anyone else.

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