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Minor Transactions: 7/25/17

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For a Tuesday in late July, it’s been an especially busy day for hockey transactions, including the NHL signings of Mika Zibanejad with the New York Rangers, Robin Lehner with the Buffalo Sabres, Mark Streit with the Montreal Canadiens, and several deals by the Colorado Avalanche and New Jersey Devils. Yet, there has been a flurry of notable activity in the AHL and overseas today too, including the following:

  • The once-promising NHL career of Matt Fraser has taken another odd turn away from its original path. Fraser, still just 27 years old, has signed with Dornbirner EC of the EBEL, a lower tier European league based mostly out of Austria. The team has announced the deal, though terms have not been released. Fraser moves to the EBEL after a season in Sweden, where injuries limited him to only four games with Rogle BK. Before that, many will remember Fraser as a star in the AHL for the Texas Stars and, after the Tyler Seguin trade, the Providence Bruins. Fraser even played in 60 NHL games with the Boston Bruins and Edmonton Oilers in 2014-15 and looked to be on his way to becoming an NHL regular. However, after signing a one-year deal with the Winnipeg Jets in 2015 and failing to make the team, Fraser had the worst AHL season of his career and decided to head overseas. So far, it has not worked out, but Fraser will now try his hand at EBEL action, where he could easily be the best player for Dornbirner, who currently count another former Bruin, Jamie Arniel, as their top scorer.
  • Another player who failed to meet expectatiosn in North America and will now head to a lesser European league is Dane Fox. The former Erie Otters superstar, who scored 107 points in 67 games in his final OHL season, has not found anywhere near the same success at the pro level. A high-profile signing by the Vancouver Canucks in 2014, the undrafted forward has made his last junior season look very much like a fluke with his play since then. Fox has skated almost exclusively in the ECHL over the past three seasons, playing in only two AHL games and not even in consideration for an NHL look with the Canucks and Carolina Hurricanes. Now, Fox will head to Germany to play with the Nurnberg Ice Tigers of the DEL. Nurnberg is the likely favorite in the DEL next season and roster many players with NHL experience, including 2016-17 top scorer Steve Reinprecht and recent signee Tom Gilbert. Fox’s pro hockey career is very much up in the air right now, but if he can shine through on an experience Ice Tigers roster, perhaps he’ll get another shot in North America .
  • The AHL’s San Diego Gulls, the Anaheim Ducks’ affiliate, has re-signed forward Jordan Samuels-Thomas to a two-year minor league deal, the league announced. The 27-year-old recorded a pro career-high 24 points and +13 rating for the Gulls last year and is a fan favorite and active member of the San Diego community. The former NCAA standout was a seventh-round pick of the Atlanta Thrashers in 2009, but was never signed to an entry-level deal after spending five years in college.
  • The Chicago Wolves, now the new affiliate of the Vegas Golden Knights, have signed one of their own, inking Scooter Vaughan to a one-year deal, according to a team release. The hard-nosed defenseman worked his way up through hockey’s ranks, spending four years at the University of Michigan, three years in the ECHL, and going on four years in the AHL, with the last two spent in Chicago. The next stop could be the NHL, now that the Wolves are associated with the Knights, who obviously have the least organizational depth of any team in the league. A career-best performance in 2017-18 could earn Vaughan his first NHL contract next year.
  • A pair of AHL defenseman will change teams for the upcoming season as Paul Geiger, recently of the Rochester Americans, has signed with the Hershey Bears, the Washington Capitals’ affiliate, while the Carolina Hurricanes’ minor league partners, the Charlotte Checkers, have signed former St. John’s Ice Caps defender Josiah Didier. Both Geiger and Didier are still just 24 years old and were solid college players, at Clarkson and Denver respectively, but need big seasons with their new teams after pedestrian starts to their pro careers, that is if they want to reach the NHL someday.
  • The 2016-17 captain at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) has found his new home, and he’s in a good spot. Riley Bourbonnais, a 23-year-old center who was nearly a point per game player for RPI last year, has inked his first AHL deal with the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins, the feeder team of the two-time Stanley Cup champs. The team announced their newest addition and have high hopes that he can bring the same well-rounded game he showed in college to the pros.

Potential Ownership Interest Visits Raleigh

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For anyone trying to pay attention the Hurricanes’ ownership struggles, another chapter has been added to the ongoing saga. The team, currently owned by a group headed by Peter Karmanos, Jr., has been rumored to be up for sale for some time. The financial situation of the team is difficult, as attendance issues over the past few years have brought monetary losses and concern from other owners around the league. Still, it seems that Carolina is nowhere near the dire situation of the Arizona Coyotes, whose decade-plus-long fiasco has bewildered onlookers and hockey fans for quite some time.

Not long ago, a potential buyer for the Hurricanes, one Chuck Greenberg, supposedly offered $500 MM to acquire the franchise. This was reported by Scott Soshnick of Bloomberg and The Denver Post, and confirmed by others. Afterwards, the Karmanos group responded by saying the reports were essentially misleading, and then were called “fake news” in an article published by Forbes. Technically, it was a non-binding letter of intent and not an official offer, but that shouldn’t discount the strong possibility of an impending team sale.

[SOURCE LINK]

Dead Space: Bought-Out, Buried, And Retained Salaries For Every Team

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It’s something that often goes unnoticed, but with the cap showing minimal growth the last few years, teams are starting to feel the crunch more than ever. Buyouts have become more common, especially with players with under three remaining years on their contracts. And it’s not just the big name busts that have seen the ax lately – we’ve seen lesser names at lesser money take the fall for their respective teams, then needing to scramble for work elsewhere in the league. Additionally, salary retention in trades has become a more utilized tactic as of late. Teams with “unmovable” contracts have offered to retain part of a poor contract in order to entice a team into giving them some relief.

All this said, some teams have been better with foresight than others. Some teams have shown a track record of being entirely unable of handing out poor contracts over the past five or so seasons. Considering many teams showed some progress in being more frugal this off-season, it seems a wise time to review the dead space every team has accumulated, either due to poor management decisions or poor luck.

Colorado Avalanche – $4.83 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after current year – Francois Beauchemin buyout; Cody McLeod retained

Arizona Coyotes – $4.61 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after 2020-21 – Mike Smith retained; Mike Ribeiro, Antoine Vermette buyouts

Columbus Blue Jackets – $4.025 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after 2020-21 – Fedor Tyutin, Jared Boll, Scott Hartnell buyouts

Carolina Hurricanes – $3.71 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after 2020-21 – Eddie Lack retained; Alexander Semin, James Wisniewski buyouts

Toronto Maple Leafs – $3.28 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after 2021-22 – Tim Gleason, Jared Cowen buyouts; Phil Kessel retained

Nashville Predators – $2.83 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after 2018-19 – Viktor Stalberg, Eric Nystrom, Barret Jackman buyouts

Boston Bruins – $2.73 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved 2019-20 – Dennis Seidenberg, Jimmy Hayes buyouts

New York Rangers – $2.61 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after 2022-23 – Dan Girardi buyout

Minnesota Wild – $2.5 MM in 2017-17, issues resolved after current year – Thomas Vanek buyout

Los Angeles Kings – $2.4 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after 2023-24 – Matt Greene buyout; Mike Richards termination/recapture

Edmonton Oilers – $2.33 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after 2020-21 – Lauri Korpikoski, Benoit Pouliot buyouts

Anaheim Ducks – $2.21 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after 2023-24 – Mark Fistric, Simon Despres buyouts; Patrick Maroon retained

Vancouver Canucks – $2.13 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after 2021-22 – Roberto Luongo, Jannik Hansen retained; Chris Higgins buyout

New Jersey Devils – $2.09 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after 2023-24 – Mike Cammalleri, Devante Smith-Pelly buyouts; Ilya Kovalchuk recapture

Tampa Bay Lightning – $1.83 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after 2019-20 – Matt Carle buyout

Calgary Flames – $1.82 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after 2018-19 – Mason Raymond, Lance Bouma, Ryan Murphy buyouts

Detroit Red Wings – $1.67 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after 2020-21 – Stephen Weiss buyout

Dallas Stars – $1.5 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after 2018-19- Antti Niemi buyout

Philadelphia Flyers – $1.5 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after current year – R.J. Umberger buyout

Winnipeg Jets – $1.46 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after 2018-19 – Mark Stuart buyout

Florida Panthers – $1.33 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after 2018-19 – Jussi Jokinen buyout

Las Vegas Golden Knights – $1.1 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after current year – Alexei Emelin retained

Ottawa Senators – $350,000 in 2017-18, issues resolved after current year – Andrew Hammond buried

Buffalo Sabres – Minimal in 2017-18, increased issues ($791,00) resolved after 2022-23 – Cody Hodgson buyout

 

 

Chicago Blackhawks, St. Louis Blues, Washington Capitals, Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Islanders, San Jose Sharks,  Montreal Canadiens – No dead cap space

After compiling the list, it became clear that utilizing these options isn’t a complete hindrance to competing in the NHL. In fact, most clubs have between $1 MM and $3 MM in dead space. That said, of the teams that have not needed to utilize the buyout or retention options, there has been a great deal of success. And among the five worst offenders, the Leafs, Hurricanes, Blue Jackets, Avalanche, and Coyotes, none has moved past the first-round in multiple years. It’s hard to draw massive conclusions without taking the context of each individual situation into account, but there is something to be said for making every dollar of cap space count. Perhaps this is merely a byproduct of past success rather than an indicator of future success, but considering how amenable many managers have become to the option, it bears consideration.

(All totals courtesy of the fantastic CapFriendly.com)

Charlotte Checkers Sign Defenseman Josiah Didier

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It has been a relatively eventful day for a Monday in late July for the NHL. RFA fever and impending arbitration is occupying many general managers’ time. That said, teams have also been busy at work with their AHL rosters and reviewing their prospect situations.

The Rochester Americans, the Buffalo Sabres’ AHL affiliate, announced the signing of Daniel Muzito-Bagenda to a two-way contract. The former Missassauga Steelhead generally plays on his off wing, the right side. He’s never displayed overwhelming offensive capabilities, and did struggle slightly to adjust to the North American game after playing two seasons for MODO’s under-20 squad in Sweden. He played well for the Steelheads in their very abbreviated playoff appearance in the 2015-16, leading that team in points through their 7 games played. Last season he played in 61 games for the Amerks, tallying only 15 points.

Muzito-Bagenda has a lot to prove if he wants to push for a 4th-line call up. Still, for a 6’1 player he has decent promise and should be able to improve his output at least marginally. The only way he’ll see spot duty is if there is a mass of injuries and he leapfrogs many others. Still, at only 21, he has room to grow.

  • The Charlotte Checkers, Carolina’s AHL Affiliate, signed defenseman Josiah Didier to a two-way contract today. Didier split time between the AHL in St. John’s and the ECHL in Brampton last season. It will be interesting to see if he can solidify himself some playing time this year and earn consideration for another contract down the line. He only saw 39 games of action and tallied a meager 8 points in that time. At 24 years old, the former fourth-round pick of Montreal is certainly hoping to finally put it together. His right-handed shot is certainly intriguing, but this will have to be the year to get noiced.
  • The NHL website ran an intriguing piece on Columbus’ 3rd round selection at the 2017 Draft, goaltender Daniil Tarasov. Tarasov showcased some amazing ability at the 2016 World Juniors, but missed the year due to injury. He could prove another sneaky good selection by GM Jarmo Kekalainen, who has truly revitalized that franchise through solid scouting and prospect management. Finally getting recovering to ful health once again, Tarasov will ease himself back into the game by playing for the “junior KHL”, the MHL, for a team called Topar Ulfa. It will be interesting to see whether this gamble pays off, and how quickly Tarasov could push for a KHL position. His athleticism and poise definitely turned heads, but a year off can harm any player’s development.

Looking Ahead To 35+ Contract Situations

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In the NHL, signing players after they turn 35-years old comes with some added restrictions and capabilities. For one, those players are now eligible for one-year contracts that include performance bonuses, a way to mitigate risk for the team while still providing opportunities for previously successful players. The big restriction though, is that the cap hit of any contract signed after 35 will stay on the books regardless of what happens with the player. Whether their bought out or retire, the team will still face the full cap hit for the entire length of the deal.

This year, we saw Colorado swallow their pride and buy out Francois Beauchemin even with this extra clause, and they will face the full $4.5MM cap hit this season. Mike Cammalleri, who is now 35 himself and was similarly bought out will not fall under this rule because he signed his contract several years ago. Only if the contract is signed after 35 does it come into effect.

With that clear, let’s look at some of the players who will be under contract for the 2018-19 season and could potentially cause their teams a cap hit without actually playing for them. Here are all the 35+ contracts that will still be active after the coming season.

Patrick Marleau – Toronto Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs signed Patrick Marleau to a three-year, $18.75MM contract this offseason and took a substantial risk in doing so. Marleau turns 38 before the season starts, and though he has been known to keep his body in great shape throughout his career is clearly on the regular downward trajectory every player experiences. The Maple Leafs did an interesting thing to reduce some of their risk however, by front-loading Marleau’s contract and paying nearly the whole thing out in signing bonuses. Patrick Marleau

On July 2nd 2019, a few months before the final season of the contract begins, Marleau will have just $1.25MM left owed to him. Though he’ll be 41 for that season, and still carrying a $6.25MM cap hit, he’ll be a near-free option for a team struggling to hit the cap floor. That’s assuming he’s not still effective and the Maple Leafs want to keep him around, though they will be paying their young players like Auston Matthews a good chunk of the cap and may need the room. Marleau does have a no-movement clause, but if he’s set on retiring anyway it likely wouldn’t matter to him if his contract was traded.

Justin Williams – Carolina Hurricanes

Williams signed a two-year deal with the Hurricanes to return to the place he won his first Stanley Cup, and he comes with very little risk for the club in terms of retirement. Still a very effective scoring option, last season Williams actually registered his highest goal total since his days in Carolina a decade ago. It’s hard to see how he would fall so far in 2017-18 to make him think retirement was the only option.

That said, there is always a chance that a 35+ player could fall off a cliff production wise or just reach a point in his life that he wants to move on from hockey. If he did that next summer, the Hurricanes would be on the hook for a $4.5MM cap hit with no player to show for it. Luckily, the Hurricanes are one of those cap floor teams and an empty hit like that would pose no issue to their salary structure. They’d rather have an effective Williams in the lineup, but this deal came with almost no risk.

Ron HainseyRon Hainsey – Toronto Maple Leafs

Here come the Maple Leafs again, who handed out two multi-year deals to 35+ players this offseason. Hainsey comes fresh off a Stanley Cup victory with the Pittsburgh Penguins in his first taste of the playoffs, and will be expected to log difficult minutes in Toronto to take some pressure off their young group. His two-year, $6MM deal also comes front loaded should the team need to move him next summer.

Hainsey will be 38 when the contract expires, and some have already started to point out his deficiencies as the years roll on. With the Maple Leafs having to make decisions on James van Riemsdyk, Tyler Bozak, William Nylander and Leo Komarov next summer, any further decline from Hainsey could be a problem. With no buyout relief available, the Maple Leafs would likely have to bite the bullet and keep him around through the end of the deal.

Alex Burrows – Ottawa Senators

It took a two-year extension from the Ottawa Senators to get Burrows to waive his no-trade clause at last year’s deadline, and that number will be tough to watch for the team should he continue his rapid decline. For a player who once scored 35 goals in a season, Burrows had just 24 the last two combined. While he did show some better jump in the Ottawa lineup, the team has several young players who will deserve more playing time over the next couple of seasons.

$2.5MM isn’t the end of the world, but when you’re a team who works on a tight internal budget like the Senators every dollar can mean a lot. Without the buyout option and the risk of Burrows hanging it up, that $2.5MM could haunt them next summer. Luckily, it will expire before the team needs to shell out the dollars for Erik Karlsson, who will be eligible for extension next offseason but won’t have his expected record-breaking deal kick in until 2019-20.

Ryan Miller – Anaheim Ducks Ryan Miller

Anaheim took a risk handing out a 35+ contract to Miller, but there doesn’t seem to be any sign of him wanting to retire just yet. He’s now closer to his offseason home with actress Noureen DeWulf, and $2MM per season to backup John Gibson seems like a perfect scenario 37-year old goaltender. Even though he could suddenly turn ineffective, their faith in Gibson and his similar inexpensiveness (he’s owed just $2.3MM in each of the next two seasons) covers their back.

Derek MacKenzie – Florida Panthers

The two-year extension the Panthers gave their captain last summer was a surprising one, if only because you don’t usually see players of his stature receive a guaranteed contract a year before they’re due for one. MacKenzie signed his first 35+ contract, but it comes at such a small cost—$2.75MM total over two years—that it poses little risk. The team wouldn’t need to buy him out, and even if he were to hang up his skates next summer they would have plenty of cap room. Besides, the Panthers have had great success with 35+ contracts in the past—just ask Jaromir Jagr.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Filip Chytil, Martin Necas Sign Entry-Level Deals

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A couple of first-round picks have inked their entry-level contracts, as Filip Chytil and Martin Necas have signed with the New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes respectively. Though details on Chytil’s deal haven’t been released, Necas will earn $925K ($832.5K salary+$92.5K signing bonus each season) at the NHL level. Both deals likely contain performance bonuses as well.

Necas, the 12th-overall pick, is one of the most disputed selections in the top fifteen as he is unknown to many North American hockey fans. Though he’s played incredibly well internationally for the Czech Republic, his short career in the top Czech league wasn’t record breaking. That said, holding your own at 17 in any professional league is impressive, and Necas has immense potential as a future top line center.

Chytil on the other hand was later in the round, 21st overall as New York’s second first-round pick. He was the second Czech player selected (after Necas) and comes with incredible skating ability. Not exactly the type of puck-controlling presence Necas is, Chytil relies more on his straight line speed and ability on the forecheck. As he continues to grow, he could develop into a top line winger with a booming shot, but also has some experience in the middle.

Chuck Greenberg Signs Letter Of Intent To Buy Carolina Hurricanes

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According to multiple reports including Scott Soshnick of Bloomberg, Chuck Greenberg has signed a letter of intent to purchase the Carolina Hurricanes for $500MM. Greenberg is the former part-owner and CEO of the MLB’s Texas Rangers, and according to Soshnick he would not attempt to move the Hurricanes out of North Carolina.

The rumored $500MM price tag is the same fee that the expansion Vegas Golden Knights paid for their franchise, but more than double what Forbes valued them at in 2016 when they ranked them last among NHL franchises. Though pure value is rarely the selling price, this would be a huge investment on Greenberg’s part and one that will come to a shock to many. The current owner, Peter Karmanos said in January that he was open to selling the entire franchise and that he’d been looking for at least partial buyers for a while. It seems he may have found his man in Greenberg, who comes in with plenty of sports franchise experience.

Greenberg Sports Group currently owns three minor league baseball teams, and Greenberg himself was owned a part of the Texas Rangers along with Nolan Ryan from 2010-2011. He was also an attorney on the acquisition of the Pittsburgh Penguins by Ron Burkle and Mario Lemieux, an ownership that was examined in great detail this morning.

The Hurricanes released a statement on the offer:

Since an offer has been made to purchase the team, Mr. Karmanos intends to evaluate that offer and also will continue to evaluate his other options, including retaining his ownership of the team.

It will be interesting to see if the deal goes through, and what immediately happens to the Hurricanes. They’re currently being managed quite well in terms of hockey operations by NHL legend Ron Francis, though they still haven’t been able to find much financial success. Carolina ranked dead last in terms of average attendance last season with less than 12,000 per game, a figure that was nearly half of what the Chicago Blackhawks reported. While there are other ways to keep a sports franchise afloat financially, most of it stems from fan loyalty and excitement, something Carolina has had trouble with over the years.

Reactions To Jaccob Slavin’s Seven-Year Extension

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If you want to get a look into how poorly the Carolina Hurricanes rank in terms of national exposure, read some of the reactions from fans around the league after Jaccob Slavin signed a seven-year, $37.1MM extension with the team this morning. The question of “who?” popped up quite a few times despite Slavin’s growing reputation as one of the top young defensemen in the league. Playing in relative obscurity, he’s developed into a true top-pairing player who is now being paid ahead of similarly aged players like Morgan Rielly and Hampus Lindholm.

Writers and analysts were less confused by the deal, immediately marking it as a potential steal for the Hurricanes going forward. If Slavin’s development continues at the same rate he’ll be criminally underpaid by the time he hits the free agent years he gave away today. Here are some reactions from around the league.

  • Gord Miller of TSN calls Slavin one of the best young players in the game, noting that he’s still one of the least talked about. E.J. Hradek of the NHL Network agrees, saying he’s a “core D man” and that it’ll likely turn out to be a bargain contract.
  • Mike Kelly points out Slavin’s excellent first pass ability, saying that he’s among the league leaders in terms of successfully sending it out of his own end. Slavin’s ability to exit the zone with possession, either on his own stick or a teammate’s is one of the best parts of his game.
  • Greg Wyshynski of Puck Daddy calls him a “diamond in the rough” and agrees with Fansided’s Cardiac Canes blog reaction to the deal, comparing him to Aaron Ekblad without the reputation.
  • Chip Alexander of the News & Observer passes along a quote from GM Ron Francis, who called his own defensive group “one of the best young defense corps in the game, if not the best” and saying Slavin still has “tremendous upside.” If he still has more to give, he’ll certainly be a bargain for the Hurricanes in a few seasons.
  • Finally, Ken Campbell of the Hockey News puts it all together into a simple idea: Slavin is a steal. He finishes his piece with the same idea many are thinking about with regards to the Hurricanes roster going forward. Francis is giving the fan base every excuse to believe that their team can get back to the winning ways they saw more than ten years ago, when a surprisingly good team took home the Stanley Cup in 2006. As Campbell puts it “Nothing will bring the fans back in Carolina like winning will and the way GM Ron Francis is operating these days, the Hurricanes are giving themselves every chance to do just that.”

Carolina Hurricanes Sign Jaccob Slavin To Seven-Year Extension

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The Carolina Hurricanes have made a huge commitment to one of the best up-and-coming defensemen in the league, inking Jaccob Slavin to a seven-year, $37.1MM contract extension. The deal will kick in for the 2018-19 season, and carries an average annual value of $5.3MM. Hurricanes’ GM Ron Francis released a statement on the deal: Jaccob Slavin

Jaccob is one of the cornerstones of our team moving forward, and it was important to secure him with our organization long term. We believe he is one of the top young defensemen in the NHL today, and are thrilled that he and his wife, Kylie, have made their home in Raleigh.

Slavin, 23, has come a long way since being selected in the fourth round of the 2012 draft. He notably wasn’t even included in the NHL’s Central Scouting rankings that season, but has done nothing but succeed at every level. The prototypical NHL defenseman these days, Slavin can do it all. Skating the puck out of the zone, and contributing once in the offensive end of the rink, he registered 34 points and was nearly unbeatable in his own end.

On the last season of his entry-level deal, getting Slavin under contract long-term was obviously a priority of both sides. While the $5.3MM salary will be quite an increase next season, he seems destined to become one of the most underpaid players should his development continue. He won’t turn 24 until near the end of next season, and is already a top-pairing player. Logging over 23 minutes a night last season he played in all situations for the Hurricanes.

Going forward, Carolina will rely on their deep defense group to try and start competing with the top teams in the Metropolitan division. All of them though (save for Justin Faulk) will need new contracts sooner or later, with Noah Hanifin, Brett Pesce, Trevor van Riemsdyk and Klas Dahlbeck all set to become restricted free agents next summer. Carolina obviously won’t need to hand out this kind of extension to all of them, but the group will get expensive quickly and may need to be broken up in the near future.

With several defensive prospects knocking on the door to the NHL, Carolina remains in perfect position to move some of their depth for help up front. Though it is unclear if they’re still involved in discussions for Matt Duchene or other offensive upgrades, they certainly have the pieces to jump back into the fray at any point.

For Slavin, giving away four years of free agency may seem like he’s selling himself short, but getting a deal of this amount after just a season and a half of performance is quite a feat. There is no guarantee his play continues, and even if it does he’ll be hitting free agency still with several years of high level play remaining in his career.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Viktor Stalberg Signs With Swiss Club EV Zug

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Over the past few years, many NHL veterans have turned to the Swiss National League A when they could not find a home in the NHL. Mark Arcobello, Roman Cervenka, Drew Shore, and Dustin Jeffrey made up some of the NLA’s top players in 2016-17. Yet, thus far it has been a quiet off-season for the growing Swiss league. Only lesser-known North American pros such as Mason Raymond and Joel Vermin have made the jump overseas, instead of the regular influx of NHL veterans like in recent years.

That is, until now. EV Zug, fresh off an appearance in the NLA championship, announced this morning that they have signed NHL veteran Viktor Stalberg to a two-year deal. It has been rumored for some time that Stalberg, ranked 45th in PHR’s Top 50 Free Agents, was looking into NLA offers, but after playing well for the Ottawa Senators down the stretch and during their surprising playoff run this season, many thought he would eventually receive a suitable NHL offer instead. Perhaps that wasn’t the case, as the Swedish winger has signed on for two years in the NLA, signalling that he is taking a break from the NHL, at least for a while.

Stalberg, 31, has been committed to North American hockey for some time now and it is a bit strange to see him leave after his stock rose at the end of the 2016-17 season. Stalberg originally left home to play at the University of Vermont in 2006, the same year he had been drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs. Stalberg went on to be a key forward for the Chicago Blackhawks for a few years, posting a 20-goal season and career-high 43 points with the team in 2011-12 and helping out the Stanley Cup-winning squad in 2012-13. Since leaving Chicago, Stalberg has become more of a journeyman mercenary; a role player for teams for short periods of time. In the past three years, he has played for the Nashville Predators and their AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals, the New York Rangers, the Carolina Hurricanes, and the Senators. In those three seasons, Stalberg registered only 46 points combined, which may have lent itself to the seemingly low level of interest from other teams. Stalberg may have lost his NHL scoring touch, but he’s likely to rediscover it in the NLA. Stalberg is a great veteran addition for HV Zug, and with more than a few years of hockey left in him, Stalberg’s NHL days may not be completely over yet either.

 

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