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Oilers Re-Sign Defenseman Keegan Lowe

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The Edmonton Oilers risked losing 25-year-old defender Keegan Lowe this off-season, but have worked quickly to rectify the situation. CapFriendly reports that the Oilers have signed Lowe to a two-year extension. It is a two-way deal that pays the veteran defenseman $650K/$150K in year one and $700K/$225K in year two (NHL/AHL).

While it is relatively uncommon for a player of Lowe’s age to reach unrestricted free agency, the 2011 third-round pick had achieved Group 6 free agent status as a 25-year-old with more than three pro seasons under his belt but less than 80 NHL games played. It was this same situation that allowed Lowe to sign with Edmonton in the first place last off-season. Lowe would have again been free to sign with any team in the league on July 1st.

Instead, the son of former Oilers star defenseman Kevin Lowe will remain in the city where his father made his mark and where he himself played his junior hockey with the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings. Lowe was originally drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes and even played in two games with the team as a second-year pro, but was unable to work his way into a regular role in Raleigh. He was traded to the Montreal Canadiens in 2017 before signing with the Oilers last summer. Lowe got back into the NHL last year with a pair of games, but will most likely continue to serve as an AHL mentor and emergency depth option. This extension simply affords him security and the ability to continue playing for an organization with close ties to his family. For a reliable and high-character albeit low-ceiling player like Lowe, that is often enough.

Overseas Notes: Shirokov, Plotnikov, Volchenkov, Boychuk

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One of the KHL’s top scorers is on the move. The league announced that Sergei Shirokov has signed a two-year deal with Avangard Omsk. Shirokov, 32, finished third in scoring this season for SKA St. Petersburg, the KHL regular season champs, with 41 points in 49 games. He was a top ten finisher in the league in goals per game and plus/minus among the top twenty in overall goals and points. He now takes those talents to Omsk, a team that has been a popular destination so far this off-season. Since hiring head coach Bob Hartley, the team has theoretically fixed its goaltending and scoring issues with additions of Karri Ramo and Igor Bobkov in net and Shirokov and young Denis Zernov up front. Shirokov, a sixth-round pick of the Vancouver in 2006, may not have impressed in his two NHL seasons with the Canucks, but has enough talent to turn Avangard into a true contender.

  • On the other hand, SKA seems to be bleeding assets. Shirokov joins leading scorer Ilya Kovalchuk (in theory), long-time star Vadim Shipachyov, and starting goaltender Mikko Koskinen in departing St. Petersburg and there is still a chance that star forward Nikita Gusev and top defenseman Slava Voynov could eye a jump to the NHL this summer. Fortunately, Sergei Plotnikov isn’t going anywhere any time soon. Despite a bounce back season that had some thinking he might take another shot at the NHL, Plotkinov has signed a four-year extension with SKA per a team release. Plotnikov will now be looked upon as a top scorer for St. Petersburg alongside Gusev and won’t be able to disappear for long stretches as he was known for during his brief stay in the NHL with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Arizona Coyotes. The team’s continued place as a top contender in the KHL may depend on it.
  • Anton Volchenkov is gearing up for his 18th season of pro hockey. The 36-year-old defenseman has signed a one-year deal with Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod, the KHL announced. The Russian veteran was cut from his team, Admiral Vladivostok, in early February and there was speculation that it would be the end of his career. However, the menacing blue liner will live to skate another day. Admittedly, Volchenkov’s play has slipped since he left the NHL after the 2014-15 season. The long-time Ottawa Senator was a first-round pick of the team in 2000 and played close to 700 games with the Sens, New Jersey Devils, and Nashville Predators. He previously played with Torpedo during the work stoppage that shortened the 2012-13 season and likely used those connections to return to Novgorod. Never much of an offensive threat, Volchenkov can still play a leadership role and will bring his aggressive possession game to the team.
  • It appears Zach Boychuk will put off any attempt at returning to North America for at least another year. The former Carolina Hurricanes top prospect has signed a one-year deal with Severstal Cherepovets, the team revealed today. This marks the third season for Boychuk in the KHL after failing to find NHL employment in 2016. Boychuk, the 14th overall pick in 2008 and the cousin of Johnny Boychuk, had high expectations when entering the NHL. Despite a solid, two-way game, Boychuk never provided the offensive pop that justified his early selection or that could keep him in the league full-time. He still has only production overseas. After spending years mostly buried in the AHL, it remains unknown if Boychuk will ever try to make the jump back across the Atlantic when he continues to land more lucrative contracts in the KHL.

Klas Dahlbeck Signs In KHL

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June 1st: The contract is now official, as CSKA announced the signing this afternoon. It is a one-year deal for Dahlbeck, opening the door to an NHL return in the near future if his season goes well in Moscow. For their part, CSKA seems excited for the potential that the veteran defender brings in their efforts to strengthen the blue line next year.

May 22nd: According to Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer, Carolina GM Don Waddell has confirmed Dahlbeck’s departure to the KHL.

April 27th: It was a forgettable 2017-18 season for Klas Dahlbeck. The 26-year-old defenseman re-signed with the Carolina Hurricanes expecting an expanded role, only to lose his job to rookie Haydn Fleury. Dahlbeck proceeded to suit up for just 33 games, spending much of his time watching from the press box. In what little action he saw, Dahlbeck recorded just five points and had the worst possession numbers of any Hurricanes defenseman. It was a disappointing campaign for the 2011 third-round pick and former AHL standout who at one time carried much promise.

Now it seems Dahlbeck is looking to move on the next stage of his hockey career. According to the Sports Business Gazette out of Russia, Dahlbeck is preparing to sign in the KHL this season (link in Russian). Dahlbeck won’t be joining just any team, but one of the league’s most elite organizations, CSKA Moscow. CSKA is fresh off the second-best regular season record in the KHL and an appearance in the Gagarin Cup final. They’ve been collecting displaced NHLers in recent years, including the likes of Valeri Nichushkin, Mikhail Grigorenko, Nikita Nesterov, and Alexey Marchenko, and the Swedish-born blue liner Dahlbeck appears to be next in line.

While the contract has yet to be signed and neither CSKA nor Carolina have confirmed the move, this is a deal that seems logical and likely to happen. Dahlbeck has shown capable two-way play in the past and will likely step in and be a solid presence on the CSKA back end. Meanwhile, it’s no loss for the Hurricanes, who have one of the most talented young defensive corps in the league, with six bona fide starters under 27, and could still add to that group with top prospect Jake Bean next season.

Exclusive Negotiating Rights Of 33 Draft Picks Expire

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The deadline for signing draft picks has come and gone, and unless more deals come in after the fact, 33 players—the same total as last year—will see their exclusive negotiating rights expire. With it they will either re-enter the 2018 draft for the final time or become free agents, depending on their age. Adam Mascherin is the highest picked player among those who will be headed back into the draft, selected 38th overall by the Florida Panthers two years ago. Below is the full list of players:

Anaheim Ducks:

F Tyler Soy (7th round, 2016)

Arizona Coyotes:

F Anton Karlsson (3rd round, 2014)
D David Westlund (6th round, 2014)

Buffalo Sabres:

D Vojtech Budik (5th round, 2016)
F Brandon Hagel (6th round, 2016)
D Austin Osmanski (7th round, 2016)

Calgary Flames:

D Adam Ollas Mattsson (6th round, 2014)

Carolina Hurricanes: 

C Hudson Elynuik (3rd round, 2016)
D Noah Carroll (6th round, 2016)

Chicago Blackhawks:

D Andreas Soderberg (5th round, 2014)

Colorado Avalanche:

G Maximilian Pajpach (6th round, 2014)

Dallas Stars:

D Miro Karjalainen (5th round, 2014)

Detroit Red Wings:

D Jordan Sambrook (5th round, 2016)
F Julius Vahatalo (6th round, 2014)

Florida Panthers:

G Hugo Fagerblom (7th round, 2014)
C Adam Mascherin (2nd round, 2016)

Los Angeles Kings:

D Jacob Friend (7th round, 2016)

Minnesota Wild:

D Pontus Sjalin (6th round, 2014)
D Brayden Chizen (7th round, 2016)

New Jersey Devils:

G Evan Cormier (4th round, 2016)

Philadelphia Flyers:

C Anthony Salinitri (6th round, 2016)

Pittsburgh Penguins:

D Connor Hall (3rd round, 2016)

San Jose Sharks:

D Mark Shoemaker (6th round, 2016)

Tampa Bay Lightning:

C Christopher Paquette (5th round, 2016)

Toronto Maple Leafs:

D Keaton Middleton (4th rond, 2016)
F J.J. Piccinich (4th round, 2014)
D Nicolas Mattinen (6th round, 2016)

Vancouver Canucks:

D Cole Candella (5th round, 2016)
F Jakob Stukel (6th round, 2016)
C Brett McKenzie (7th round, 2016)

Washington Capitals:

F Kevin Elgestal (7th round, 2014)
D Dmitri Zaitsev (7th round, 2016)

Winnipeg Jets:

C Jordan Stallard (5th round, 2016)

Poll: Impact Of The Estimated Cap Increase

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Earlier this week, Commissioner Gary Bettman and Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly spoke with the media about many different league topics. Perhaps the biggest news to come out of the press conference was Daly’s estimation of the salary cap for next season. Daly believes that the salary cap will fall somewhere between $78MM and $82MM, meaning that there will be a significant increase in the salary cap. The cap limit has increased by $2MM or less in each of the past three seasons, but the low point of the estimated range would already be a $3MM increase over the 2017-18 cap number. If it ends up near the top of the range, it will likely be the largest jump in the salary cap in league history.

Whatever the result, the cap increase will undoubtedly affect this off-season. Prior to Daly’s projection, teams like the Los Angeles Kings, Pittsburgh Penguins, Chicago Blackhawks, and Tampa Bay Lightning were going to face an immense cap crunch this summer and likely would have been forced to shed salary. Those teams can now breathe easier. However, teams on the lower end of the salary spectrum who don’t spend to the cap, such as the Carolina Hurricanes and Arizona Coyotes, will find it even harder to catch up in a market that that has lessened its grip on the stronger, higher payroll teams. With a higher cap comes salary inflation, which is another struggle for small market teams. The cap increase may also allow for some of the bigger talked-about trades and free agent movement – John Tavares, Erik Karlsson, Phil Kessel, ect. –  to happen. However, the flip side is that a salary cap increase gives teams incentive to add, but not subtract and could lessen the amount of total trades we see this summer.

What do you think? Is this potentially historic increase in the salary cap ceiling a good thing for the league?

How Do You Feel About The Estimated NHL Salary Cap Increase?
It is good for the league - it allows strong teams to stay together and allows big names to move freely 62.87% (430 votes)
No opinion - the cap increases every year and the estimated limit will not have a major impact 23.98% (164 votes)
It is bad for the league - it hurts small market teams and competitive balance and may hinder the trade market 13.16% (90 votes)
Total Votes: 684

Latest On Noah Hanifin, Carolina Hurricanes

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Last week Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet piqued quite a bit of interest with his inclusion of the Vancouver Canucks as a “stealth team” for Noah Hanifin, and this morning he was asked about his thoughts on the subject. Hanifin is scheduled to become a restricted free agent this summer but had previously been considered off limits thanks to his high draft pedigree and solid young career. Friedman’s comments though—as relayed by Sportsnet 650’s Rick Dhaliwal on Twitter—bring up the idea that a big package has been thrown around to try and pull the defenseman away from the Carolina Hurricanes:

I believe that the Canucks have shown interest in Hanifin, and I believe that whatever they’ve talked about the Hurricanes haven’t discounted it. 

Look, I know this is going to go bananas. I’m just going to say this is my guess. My guess is it involves the seventh overall pick, but I don’t know that for sure.

Obviously these statements leave plenty of room for speculation and shouldn’t be taken as a new report, but Friedman’s continued belief that the two have had discussions only raises new questions on the availability of Hanifin in the first place. Since new ownership took over the Hurricanes have been clear about their desire to make changes to the club before next season and could see their 21-year old defenseman as their best trade chip. Jeff Skinner and Justin Faulk have also had their names floated in trade rumors, though nothing concrete has surfaced yet.

For Vancouver, targeting Hanifin makes a lot of sense. The team is building a young core around players like Brock Boeser and Elias Pettersson, but needs to put together an effective blue line to experience any real success. With top prospect Olli Juolevi still yet to make his debut, and young players like Ben Hutton and Troy Stecher already getting expensive through restricted free agency, landing another top-4 option with plenty of club control could improve them dramatically.

Speculating about what the package would be is a fool’s errand at this point, as Friedman can’t even definitively report that the two have had negotiations. Still, it’s something to keep an eye on as the Hurricanes approach the June 22nd draft holding the second-overall pick and plenty of trade currency. It could be a very interesting few days for GM Don Waddell, as he looks to make his mark on the Hurricanes.

Carolina Hurricanes Re-Sign Trevor Carrick

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The Carolina Hurricanes have brought back one of their best minor league players, re-signing Trevor Carrick to a one-year two-way contract worth $700K in the NHL. Carrick was scheduled to become a restricted free agent this summer. In the release, new GM Don Waddell explained that Carrick might not be a minor league player for long:

Trevor had another solid season in the AHL and continued to be a steady leader for the Checkers. We expect to have a competitive training camp, and he will be among the players who have opportunities to step up and earn time on the NHL level.

Selected in the fourth round in 2012, the 23-year old Carrick has become an outstanding puck-moving threat for the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL. Posting seasons of 32, 42 and 44 points in his three seasons not affected by injury, the left-handed defenseman has earned a bit of attention from the NHL club. In three career NHL games, Carrick has zero points, but he could push for a bigger role if the Hurricanes trade some of their defensive depth this summer.

If not, Carrick will likely find himself in another leadership role on the Checkers. He wore an “A” as an alternate captain the last two seasons and if his future lies in the AHL long-term he may end up as captain one day. Luckily for the Hurricanes, Carrick was born on July 4th and won’t qualify for Group VI unrestricted free agency until the summer of 2020.

Snapshots: Canadiens’ Center Search, Huska, Carrier

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With the Montreal Canadiens looking to fill their holes at the center position this offseason and little immediate value at that position with their No. 3 pick in the 2018 draft, Montreal could find themselves looking long and hard to find a quality center to fit into their lineup this offseason. Assuming they don’t get star John Tavares to bite on July 1, the team might have no choice but to make a deal for a center to fill their need.

The Athletic’s Arpon Basu (subscription required) writes that there are two legitimate possibilities for the Canadiens on the trade market, including Ryan O’Reilly of the Buffalo Sabres and Elias Lindholm of the Carolina Hurricanes. The scribe writes that after recent end-0f-the-season comments he made about being more accepting of losing, O’Reilly is trying to force his way out of Buffalo and might be a perfect fit in Montreal. While he would likely make a better No. 2 center, O’Reilly is very talented and the team might be able to package together a combination of picks and young forwards to take on O’Reilly’s contract of $7.5MM over the next five years. The 27-year-old still put up some of the best numbers in his career this year with 24 goals and 61 points.

With the Carolina Hurricanes open for business, Lindholm might be a player the Canadiens take a chance on. The restricted free agent has had a promising start to his career, but also an inconsistent one, but likely would get a big payday after a 16-goal, 44-point season. If Carolina would like to avoid handing Lindholm a big contract, Montreal might be able to step in and give them an alternative as a combination of Lindholm and Jonathan Drouin would give them a solid young core up the middle for years.

  • Eric Francis of the Calgary Sun writes that the Calgary Flames are on the verge of announcing their assistant coaches that will aid new head coach Bill Peters this season after the team let assistants Paul Jerrard and Dave Cameron go when they fired Glen Gulutzan on April 17. While he didn’t have any specifics other than the announcement will come some time next week, Francis did speculate that the team might be leaning towards promoting Stockton Heat head coach Ryan Huska.
  • The Vegas Golden Knights are likely to get one of their players back from injury for the Stanley Cup Finals as William Carrier practiced today in a non-contact jersey, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s David Schoen. In fact, Schoen writes that head coach Gerard Gallant announced that he expects Carrier to be available for the Stanley Cup Finals. Carrier didn’t play in the Western Conference Finals due to an undisclosed injury has been a key member of the team’s fourth line.

Latest On Carolina Hurricanes Trade Rumors

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The Carolina Hurricanes are expected to be big players this summer as they try to change their fortunes in 2018-19. With a new owner in Tom Dundon, new GM in Don Waddell and new coach in Rod Brind’Amour, changes have already occurred throughout the organization. On the ice, rumors have surfaced around players like Jeff Skinner and Justin Faulk, with Waddell clearly wanting to shake things up. One name that is often included in trade speculation, but usually avoids being mentioned by anyone associated with the team, is Noah Hanifin.

The fifth-overall pick from 2015 stepped right into the NHL a few months after his draft, and is now three seasons deep in what has been an impressive young career. Just 21, Hanifin is now a restricted free agent for the first time and could be dangled as trade bait to try and land an even bigger fish. The Hurricanes have plenty of good options on defense, and even more coming with the likes of Haydn Fleury, Jake Bean and Roland McKeown. Still, it was hard to believe that the team would move on from Hanifin after taking another step forward offensively and looking like he could be a long-term core piece of the team. That’s why it was so interesting when Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet noted in his latest 31 Thoughts column that the Vancouver Canucks could be a “stealth team” in pursuit of the young defenseman. Friedman didn’t expand on it at all, obviously not wanting to reveal whatever made him observe the potential fit.

On the surface, it’s not clear what fit there would be. The Hurricanes are looking for scoring help up front, and other than Bo Horvat and Brock Boeser—both of whom aren’t expected to be dealt any time soon—there isn’t a lot of high-end talent on the Canucks forward roster. Top prospect Elias Pettersson is surely off limits, and Adam Gaudette isn’t enough on his own to land Hanifin.

An interesting thought though could be Waddell’s recent comments on the goaltending situation in Carolina. The Hurricanes struggled in net last season, with Cam Ward feeling the effects of age and Scott Darling not able to reproduce his success from Chicago. Though the latter is still under contract, it’s not clear where the answer is for the Hurricanes in the short or long-term. Vancouver could present an answer to that, as goaltending prospect Thatcher Demko is considered ready for the NHL and is expected to be of starting caliber for his career. The 22-year old is stuck behind Jacob Markstrom and Anders Nilsson for the time being, but many believe he is the Canucks’ goaltender of the future. Interestingly though, the team also has Michael DiPietro in the system, who starred in the OHL again and even got to be part of Team Canada at the World Championship. Though he didn’t play for the team, his selection as the third goaltender just shows how highly he is regarded as a prospect. There’s no guarantee DiPietro even finds success at the AHL level, but so far he’s done nothing to show that he’s not deserving of the third-round selection Vancouver used last summer.

Even if Vancouver doesn’t land Hanifin, the idea that Friedman would need to reveal them as a “stealth” team lends credence to the idea that the young Hurricanes defenseman is available, at least for the right price. Though that return would have to be hefty, some team could land themselves quite the prize if there is a deal to be made. Hanifin should get a substantial raise this summer, but as a legitimate top-4 option that is still only 21-years old, it would be hard to find a team that wouldn’t accept him into their dressing room.

Hurricanes Open To Retaining Salary In Trades

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  • With the report last week that the Hurricanes are open for business when it comes to player movement, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman noted during a segment with Sportsnet 960 (audio link) that they will be willing to retain on contracts to improve their return, particularly with winger Jeff Skinner. They already have one of their three retention slots used up when they held back 10% of center Marcus Kruger’s contract in the trade with Arizona earlier this month.  He also suggested that while winger Sebastian Aho may be considered the lone untouchable off the active roster, center Martin Necas, their 2017 first-round pick, also has that distinction and that teams have been calling regarding his availability.

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