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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.

Sabres Acquire Jeff Skinner

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The Sabres have added to their forward group, announcing that they have acquired winger Jeff Skinner from Carolina.  In return, the Hurricanes receive prospect winger Cliff Pu, a 2019 second-round pick, a 2020 third-round pick, and a 2020 sixth-rounder.

Skinner spent his entire eight-year career with Carolina and had been one of their more consistent scoring threats during that time.  He had scored at least 20 goals in six of those seasons (and one of the years he didn’t was the lockout-shortened 2012-13 campaign).

He is, however, coming off of bit a quieter year by his standards.  Last season, he played in all 82 games, tallying 24 goals and 25 assists which ranked him fourth in team scoring.  That production was down considerably from 2016-17 when he posted a career-best 63 points.

It was a bit surprising how much the Hurricanes seemed to be interested in moving Skinner but with Don Waddell now at the helm of the franchise instead of former GM Ron Francis who was much more methodical, Carolina has been trying to shake up their roster this summer.  This is the second significant move they’ve made this offseason with the other seeing defenseman Noah Hanifin and forward Elias Lindholm shipped to Calgary for a package highlighted by blueliner Dougie Hamilton.

The Sabres likely will envision their new acquisition playing alongside Jack Eichel on a new-look top line.  Eichel hasn’t had someone like Skinner to play with thus far in his career and the same can be said for Skinner not quite having someone like Eichel as his center.  That combination should have Buffalo fans more enthusiastic heading into the season and if the two click, Skinner should be in line for quite the season as free agency approaches.

Buffalo is taking on Skinner’s full $5.725MM cap hit (with a $6MM salary).  The winger also waived his no-move clause to facilitate a deal, something that Luke DeCock of the Raleigh News & Observer reported earlier this week was complicating their efforts to move him.

As for Pu, Carolina is bringing in a quality prospect who has been a productive OHL scorer since being drafted in the third round (69th overall) two years ago.  He split last season between London and Kingston, combining to score 29 goals and 55 assists in 65 games.  Pu is now signed to his entry-level deal and will likely start next season with Charlotte of the AHL.

It will be interesting to see if the Hurricanes look to replace Skinner outside of the organization now that they have some payroll freed up.  Alternatively, they could look to second-overall pick Andrei Svechnikov to step in and play a top-six role right away.  Either way, Carolina is going to look quite different when the puck drops on the new season in October.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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.

Tampa Bay May Still Be Looking For More Defense

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With the current high demands from Ottawa in a possible Erik Karlsson trade making it less and less likely that anything will happen, the Tampa Bay Lightning must choose whether they should be content with their defense or need to find another fit.

On paper, the team seems more solid than most as the team boasts Victor Hedman, Ryan McDonagh to go with promising Mikhail Sergachev and a host of solid blueline depth, including Anton Stralman, Dan Girardi, Braydon Coburn, Jake Dotchin and Slater Koekkoek. Yet when looking a step further, their elite defensemen are all left-handed. Hedman, McDonaugh and Sergachev are all left-handed, leaving Stralman, Dotchin and Girardi on the right, which isn’t nearly as solid. While Sergachev has proven he can play on the right side, that isn’t ideal for the Lightning, which was another reason why the team was intent on adding the right-handed Karlsson.

In a mailbag segment, The Athletic’s Joe Smith (subscription required) suggests the team needs to continue looking for a right-handed defenseman to even out both sides, suggesting the team should monitor the Jacob Trouba situation in Winnipeg since the stud defenseman refuses to sign a long-term deal with the Jets. Trouba, who received a one-year, $5.5MM deal from an arbitrator last week will have to go through the same process next year as he will be a restricted free agent again. If the two sides can’t reach long-term agreement then, he will be an unrestricted free agent in 2020-21 and might force his way out of Winnipeg.

Another option, Smith writes, would be prying Justin Faulk away from the Carolina Hurricanes. The right-shot defenseman has two years remaining on his contract at $4.83MM AAV, but with the acquisition of Dougie Hamilton and Calvin de Haan and the plethora of young defensive talent on the roster, including Jaccob Slavin, Brett Pesce, Haydn Fleury and Jake Bean, the team is expected to move Faulk for more help in other areas.

One final option and perhaps the cheapest would be to trade for Vancouver Canucks’ Chris Tanev. The 28-year-old stay-at-home defender has been solid for the Canucks, but is being overpaid at $4.45MM for the next two seasons. The right-handed defenseman would be a reliable presence.

Regardless, the team needs to shake up their defense. Coburn and Girardi, who have played bigger roles in the past, are better off as third-pairing defenders, while Sergachev played the best hockey of his career during the playoffs, suggesting he’s likely going to move into the top-four. Dotchin and Koekkoek are also both likely going to fight for time in the top-six, so something needs to change.

 

Hurricanes Expect Martin Necas And Andrei Svechnikov To Be Impact Players Next Season

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  • The Hurricanes envision a pair of youngsters playing key roles for them next season. Head coach Rod Brind’Amour told NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti that they expect center Martin Necas and winger Andrei Svechnikov (drafted second overall last month) to not only make the team but be impact players.  In the case of the latter, that may be part of the reason that they continue to solicit offers on winger Jeff Skinner as it appears that they envision Svechnikov to move into that role and be productive right away.

The Contract Each Team Would Most Like To Trade: Part I

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Nearly every team has one of those players: a top talent they were excited to sign and never thought could do anything but help them. In hindsight, history shows that more often than not, expensive, long-term free agent contracts don’t work out. It may look good at first (or it may look bad right away to the outside observer), but players struggle to make their value last throughout a lengthy contract. Those contracts come back to bite teams and are hard to get rid of. As teams begin to finalize their rosters at this point in the off-season, many are struggling to make everyone fit under the salary cap and are regretting these past signings that exasperate a cap crunch that can be tough for even a mistake-free club. Here are the contracts that each team would most like to trade, from Anaheim to Dallas:

Anaheim Ducks: Corey Perry – three years, $25.875MM remaining

Corey Perry is no doubt a fan favorite in Anaheim. The big winger is a career Duck who has always played with an edge and a knack for finding the back of the net. However, the former 50-goal scorer has just 19 and 17 in the past two years respectively to the tune of $8.625MM per year. His lack of speed is apparent to even the most inexperienced hockey fan and he has drawn criticism from both GM Bob Murray and coach Randy Carlyle for the drop-off in his skating ability and production. The Ducks aren’t quite up against the salary cap just yet, but have three restricted free agents still unsigned and some big decisions on the horizon. Things are about to get tight in Anaheim and, as much as Ducks fans may not want to hear it, trading Perry away in the right deal would be the easiest solution.

Arizona Coyotes: None

The Coyotes trade for bad contracts, as the perennial salary cap floor dwellers rarely sign or acquire an expensive, long-term deal with an actual asset who may not be worth it.

Boston Bruins: David Backes – three years, $18MM remaining

On July 1st, 2016, it was leaked that Boston would sign David Backes to a one-year, $6MM contract and the Bruins were praised for bringing the veteran forward in as a hired gun. That celebration was short-lived, as the report was soon corrected to being a five-year deal with the same yearly salary and many questioned adding a 32-year-old with 727 games to his credit on a contract of that length and value. Two years later, the doubters have been proven right for the most part. Backes has not been bad in Boston (71 points in 131 games) and injuries have certainly affected his game, but it appears that his 50-point upside and Selke-caliber high-energy play are a thing of the past. Backes doesn’t have a defined role with the Bruins going forward and, as a team that doesn’t need the extra leadership and locker room presence and does need as much cap space as it can get, Boston would be better off if Backes were elsewhere.

Buffalo Sabres: Zach Bogosian – two years, $10.286MM remaining

The Sabres are finally trending in the right direction and have even used other teams’ bad salary cap situations to bring in some nice players this off-season. Buffalo themselves are in fine shape with the cap. However, there is still one contract that is bringing them down and that is Zach Bogosian. If Bogosian was fully healthy, his cap hit of just over $5.1MM would not be too bad. The 28-year-old defenseman has been a very capable two-way player in his career. Unfortunately, he just hasn’t been healthy enough during his time in Buffalo to be worth that salary. Bogosian played in only 18 games last year due to injury – and when he did play it showed that he wasn’t 100% – and has never topped 64 games in a season with the Sabres. The team has several young defenseman that could use as much ice time as possible and a beat up Bogosian isn’t helping anyone in Buffalo. Chances are the Sabres could still get a good return for the rearguard if he does show signs of being back at full-strength.

Calgary Flames: Troy Brouwer – two years, $9MM remaining

Calgary is in a really difficult salary cap situation with little space as is and five restricted free agent situations still to sort out. The team simply can afford to be paying Brouwer $4.5MM in each of the next two years for what he brings to the table. Many were skeptical of the Brouwer contract when signed and they were correct. The veteran power forward has only 25 and 22 points respectively in his first two years in Calgary, including just six goals last season, and at 32 years old he is unlikely to improve. Brouwer has even lost some of his trademark physical edge and recorded a career-low average time on ice last season when he was simply a non-factor in most games. With multiple players filing for salary arbitration, the Flames have been awarded an extra buyout period and it would not come as a shock to see Brouwer fall victim to it.

Carolina Hurricanes: Scott Darling – three years, $12.45MM remaining

The argument here is not that the Hurricanes should trade Darling because they need the cap space but that they should trade Darling because they need a better starting goaltender. Carolina is in fine salary cap shape, but so long as Darling is making more than $4MM per year, the team is likely to stick with him as the top guy. They have already committed to giving him another chance as the starter next season. Unfortunately, Darling’s first season in Raleigh hardly convinced anyone that this contract would work out. Moving from backup to starter, Darling seemed to crumble under the pressure even behind a stout defense, posting an .888 save percentage and 3.18 GAA as one of the worst keepers in the NHL. Perhaps his play will improve in year two, but the Hurricanes can’t be happy with the early results.

Chicago Blackhawks: Brent Seabrook – six years, $41.25MM remaining

When the Blackhawks made Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews the highest paid players in the league back in 2014, who would have figured that a different contract would be causing the team problems? Brent Seabrook’s eight-year, $55MM extension is already a nightmare for Chicago with the bulk of the contract still to come. Seabrook is a fine defenseman, but that doesn’t cut it when you’re paid like one of the top defenseman in the league, but your play is slipping and your team is finishing last in the division. This past season especially, it was clear that Seabrook has lost a step. Both his scoring and checking have diminished and he no longer resembles the player who was regularly posting 40+ points and garnering Norris Trophy votes. Seabrook will turn 34 later this season and it seems guaranteed that this contract only gets worse unless the team finds some way to trade him.

Colorado Avalanche: Erik Johnson – five years, $30MM remaining

The Avalanche have one of the lowest payrolls in the league with superstar Nathan MacKinnon locked up long-term at a reasonable rate. Their distance from the cap ceiling this season makes egregious contracts with just one year remaining – like streaky starter Semyon Varlamov and invisible forward Colin Wilson – somewhat tolerable. However, several major contributors are set to be restricted free agents after next season, Colorado will need to add another goaltender, and could still stand to add another difference-maker up front. Things could get tighter for the Avs moving forward and the one contract that could become a problem is Erik Johnson. Johnson eats up minutes and plays a defensively sound game, but the veteran defenseman is injury prone and does not create enough offense to warrant a $6MM cap hit. If the Avalanche were offered a reasonable deal for Johnson today they may not take it, but this time next year that same deal will be far more attractive.

Columbus Blue Jackets: Brandon Dubinsky – three years, $17.55MM remaining

The Blue Jackets pay Brandon Dubinsky like a second-line center and last season got fourth-line production from the veteran. Yes, Dubinsky has had his fair share of injuries, but a consistent 40+ point scorer dropping to just 16 points on the year was alarming. Columbus is no longer a small market team still figuring things out; the Jackets are a contender and like most contenders are close to the salary cap limit. The team can’t afford to have Dubinsky continuing to produce at this level while costing them $5.85MM against the cap. They hope that he bounces back this year, but even a slow start could have Columbus taking their best offer.

Dallas Stars: Martin Hanzal – two years, $9.5MM remaining

It may be too early to judge last summer’s Martin Hanzal contract, but if Dallas was offered a re-do right now, they would take it. Hanzal’s first season with the Stars was a disaster. Injuries limited him to just 38 games and even when active he contributed only ten points –  a 22-point pace over a full season – and somehow finished with the second-lowest plus/minus rating on the team. If Hanzal gets healthy, which is a big if, he could return to form next season, but if not the Stars could be quick to deal him away. The team desperately needs to bounce back from a devastating slump that cost them a playoff spot and have been rumored to be interested in big (expensive) names all off-season. That plan doesn’t mix well with a $4.75MM player who brought almost nothing to the team last year.

Keep an eye out for Part II of this three-part series coming soon…

 

Coaching Notes: Kowalsky, Grier, Warsofsky

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The New Jersey Devils have hired Rick Kowalsky as an assistant coach, adding him to John Hynes’ staff for the upcoming season. Kowalsky had been the head coach of the Binghamton (and Albany) Devils, winning Coach of the Year in the AHL for the 2015-16 season. Hynes had this to say about the addition:

Rick will be a great addition to our team and this is well-deserved. He and I have had a strong relationship over the past three seasons and he’s done an excellent job in developing our young players. Rick is a high-energy, hard-working coach, great communicator and a tactician who has a great mind for the game.

The hiring leaves the AHL Devils without a head coach for the time being, but adds a knowledgeable voice to the NHL group and one with plenty of first-hand experience with some of their young players. New Jersey didn’t add much this offseason, which should give some of their minor league standouts a chance to crack the NHL roster in training camp. Kowalsky will be a big part of making that transition a smooth one, and helping New Jersey remain deep enough to compete in the Metropolitan Division.

  • It won’t just be Kowalsky though, as the Devils also announced that Mike Grier has been hired as an assistant coach with the NHL club. Grier, a long-time NHL player with over 1,000 regular season games under his belt, has been working as a pro scout for the Chicago Blackhawks but will now get his first professional coaching experience. The 43-year old was actually teammates with Hynes back at Boston University in the mid-’90s, which likely led to this opportunity with the Devils.
  • The Carolina Hurricanes have given an up-and-coming coaching prospect his next opportunity, hiring Ryan Warsofsky as an assistant coach for the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers. Warsofsky is only 30 years old, but was the successful head coach of the South Carolina Stingrays of the ECHL the past two seasons. He took that team to the Kelly Cup Finals in 2017, and posted an 88-44-12 record during his time behind the bench. Expected to quickly climb the hockey coaching ladder, Warsofsky actually may have to coach against his brother David Warsofsky who is in the Colorado Avalanche organization and expected to spend the majority of the year in the AHL.

Jeff Skinner, Max Pacioretty In Trade Market “Holding Pattern”

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Over the last few months, two names have come up most often when you discuss scoring wingers that could be available for trade. Max Pacioretty and Jeff Skinner are both expected to be dealt by their respective clubs before the season begins, but after initial speculation on where they could end up things have dramatically quieted down. Perhaps that’s because of the existence of both, as teams are trying to make sure they get the best deal of the two options. Elliotte Friedman joined NHL Network today to talk about both players and indicated that some of the suitors for one may be the same as those for the other:

I think there’s another player that we haven’t mentioned yet who is similar to Pacioretty, and I think they’re kind of in the same holding pattern. That player is Jeff Skinner from Carolina. I think teams are kind of sitting there saying ’okay, Montreal’s got this asset they want to deal, Carolina’s got this asset they want to deal’ and I think teams are kind of saying ’okay, which one can we get a better fit.’

I think for example Pittsburgh is a team that has interest in Jeff Skinner, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they’ve checked in hard on him. But I think those two players are kind of similar in a lot of ways and teams are trying to out wait Montreal and Carolina to see if they can get a better deal. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Penguins are taking a long look at Skinner, maybe more than Pacioretty.

Indeed Skinner and Pacioretty have both been excellent offensive producers throughout their careers, and each have just one year remaining on their current contracts. While Pacioretty is three and a half years older than Skinner and is coming off a worse offensive season, he has shown to have a higher playmaking upside with four seasons of 30 or more assists and 60 or more points. Skinner has just one season like that, and it came way back in his rookie season in 2010-11.

Still, both would bring instant offense to almost any team in the league and could fit into most team’s salary structure for the 2018-19 season. Pacioretty comes with just a $4.5MM cap hit on one of the better bargains in the NHL, while Skinner is at just $5.725MM this season. It’s important to note that Skinner also has a no-movement clause, but as we’ve seen many times in the past those can be worked around given enough time and the right situation.

Friedman also notes Chicago as a possible destination for Pacioretty, though in a completely speculative nature given their recent trade of Marian Hossa’s contract. Chicago had been previously rumored to be interested in defenseman Justin Faulk from the Hurricanes, but don’t look to have any imminent trades pending. Skinner or Pacioretty could certainly help the Blackhawks as they try to compete again in 2018-19, but whether they would be interested in a long-term extension for either is unclear.

So we wait for the “holding pattern” to end at some point, and perhaps that will be decided by the deadline that another scoring winger has placed upon his own team. Artemi Panarin told the Columbus Blue Jackets that he wants all business finished by September 13th, the start of training camp, giving the team incentive to move him now if they’ve decided to cash in their asset. Any team acquiring Panarin would want some time to work out an extension, something that would certainly be true of Skinner or Pacioretty as well.

Hurricanes Name Dean Chynoweth Assistant Coach

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  • The Hurricanes announced that they have hired Dean Chynoweth as an assistant coach. He replaces Steve Smith, who resigned to join Buffalo’s coaching staff last week.  Chynoweth spent last season as an associate coach with Vancouver of the WHL but has three seasons of NHL experience behind the bench with the Islanders from 2009-10 to 2011-12.  He rounds out a new-look coaching staff with Rod Brind’Amour taking over for Bill Peters as head coach and Jeff Daniels, who was hired as their other assistant earlier this summer.

Elias Lindholm Signs Six-Year Contract With Calgary Flames

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The Calgary Flames wanted to get Elias Lindholm under a long-term contract as soon as they acquired him from the Carolina Hurricanes, and today they’ve accomplished their goal. The team has signed Lindholm to a six-year deal worth $29.1MM ($4.85MM AAV). The deal will not include any trade or movement protection. Lindholm was scheduled for an arbitration hearing on August 1st, but will obviously no longer need to negotiate for a settlement.

Immediately after the Flames acquired Lindholm, speculation exploded about a potential fit for him next to star forwards Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan. Micheal Ferland, who was part of the package sent to Carolina in exchange for Lindholm and defenseman Noah Hanifin, had found success playing on the team’s first line but doesn’t possess the same level of skill as the former Hurricanes forward. This long-term deal only strengthens the idea that Lindholm will be inserted as a key part of the offensive group, and relied upon as a big contributor for the next several seasons. He immediately becomes the team’s fifth highest-paid forward, only behind Gaudreau, Monahan, Mikael Backlund and the recently signed James Neal.

Only 23, the Flames are expecting big things from Lindholm. Selected fifth overall in 2013, he jumped almost immediately to the NHL and has already played 374 games in his young career. With four consecutive seasons of at least 39 points, it’s not hard to expect him to fit in nicely alongside the forwards already in Calgary and develop into the kind of dominant two-way player many believe he can be. Lindholm has plenty of experience at center and could also be used in that role at times given his handedness—Monahan and Backlund are both left-handed centers, while Lindholm and newly signed Derek Ryan give the team a pair of right-handed options in the circle.

Though he does seem to be a perfect fit for the Calgary offense, it’s not like they’re signing a risk-free deal. After playing five seasons already, Lindholm was on track to hit free agency as a 25-year old, meaning that four of the years covered by the new deal are based on what he could earn as a unrestricted free agent. Unfortunately that has pushed the average annual value up to a point where should Lindholm struggle to improve on his career numbers he actually could be fairly overpaid. 40-point centers are extremely valuable in the NHL, but wingers with the same level of production are much less so. If Lindholm is moved out of the middle and can’t improve, the Flames may find themselves with a relatively overpriced asset.

That’s obviously a risk they’re willing to take though, and one that seems prudent given their competitive window. The Flames want to compete for the Stanley Cup right now and for the next several years, using the prime years of Gaudreau and Monahan to their full effectiveness. Both players are signed to team-friendly contracts at the moment, but will be looking for huge raises in a few seasons. The team also has an aging group on defense with Mark Giordano (34) the only one under contract for more than two seasons. Hanifin represents a big part the future on the Calgary blue line, but there’s no guarantee the other young prospects can handle the same load as players like Giordano Travis Hamonic and Troy Bodie do right now. The Flames are going for it, and need to bounce back from an extremely disappointing 2017-18.

For Lindholm, this is an excellent contract and one that will allow him to still hit the open market before his 30th birthday if he so chooses. He’ll be reunited with head coach Bill Peters who has also moved from Carolina to Calgary, and could get a chance with some of the most talented players he’s ever played with. It’s been an exciting summer for him already, but now he’ll have to prove he’s worth nearly $5MM per season going forward.

Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet broke the news on Twitter, including both length and AAV.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

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