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Los Angeles Kings Acquire Olli Maatta From Chicago

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The Los Angeles Kings announced they have traded for defenseman Olli Maatta, acquiring him from the Chicago Blackhawks for ECHL prospect Brad Morrison. The Blackhawks will also retain $750K of Maatta’s contract as part of the deal, bringing down Maatta’s salary cap number to around $3.33MM.

“Olli is a well-rounded player who will fit well with our group of defensemen,” said Vice President and General Manager Rob Blake. “He is a young player that already has a lot of valuable NHL experience, including a pair of Stanley Cups, and we look forward to having him join our organization.”

For the Kings, the team just acquired a two-time Stanley Cup champion for practically nothing besides that two year, $3.33MM AAV price tag. Maatta, who originally signed a six-year, $24.5MM contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins back in 2016. While he has struggled with his play the last few years, he still should make an immediate impact with Los Angeles, who needs as much defensive help as it can. After star defenseman Drew Doughty, Maatta likely becomes the second best defenseman on the team as most of their defense is comprised of younger, unestablished players.

Of course, Maatta hasn’t been nearly as sharp since signing that deal, especially considering the original costly $4.1MM AAV. With only two years of more than 20 points on his offensive resume, Maatta has even had some trouble dominating on the defensive side and found himself on the Penguins’ third pairing before they traded him last offseason to Chicago. His play wasn’t much better with the Blackhawks where he put up four goals and 17 points in 65 games. However, Maatta did play better in the playoffs, posting three goals and six points in nine playoff games for Chicago.

For Chicago, it’s a great deal to free up as much cap room. The team has a number of key players it must re-sign, including unrestricted free agent goaltender Corey Crawford as well as the need to work out long-term extensions with restricted free agents Dylan Strome and Dominik Kubalik, who have become top-six players recently.  Because of that, unloading Maatta’s contract was expected to occur at some point. There was some discussion that the Blackhawks had planned to buy out Maatta if they couldn’t find a trade option. With Maatta’s contract (or most of it) off the books, the team now has $11.1MM of available cap space with 16 players signed.

While the loss of Maatta takes away a veteran from the team’s defense, the Blackhawks are loaded with young defensive players who look close to NHL-ready, including Adam Boqvist, Ian Mitchell, Nicolas Beaudin and Lucas Carlsson, amongst others.

Chicago did acquire Morrison, who played 50 games at the AHL level in 2018-19, but found himself in the ECHL with the Fort Wayne Comets where he played just 17 games. A fourth-round pick of the New York Rangers in 2015, has one year remaining on his entry-level contract.

Blackhawks Have Shown Interest In Matt Murray

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Chicago’s goaltending situation appears to be in some question as the Blackhawks and veteran Corey Crawford appear to still have a notable financial gap to bridge for a deal for next season.  Meanwhile, the future of Matt Murray in Pittsburgh has been in question for a while and even more so now with today’s re-signing of Tristan Jarry.  The two teams could wind up providing the answer for each other as Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports (Twitter link) that the Blackhawks have expressed some interest in Murray.

The 26-year-old is set to become a restricted free agent with arbitration eligibility next week and in a recent column, Garrioch noted that there’s a sense that Murray’s preference may be to go through that process and become eligible for unrestricted free agency next offseason.  While the acquiring team could certainly try to sign him to a new deal, that particular approach won’t help his trade value which may not be all that high anyway given the other options available in trades and free agency.  Speaking with reporters today including Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review following Jarry’s signing, Penguins GM Jim Rutherford suggested that he expect Murray’s case to proceed towards a hearing:

I would suspect it will be an arbitration case, and we’ll just walk through it as each event comes along.

Murray is coming off the worst statistical season of his career as he managed just a .899 SV% in 38 games (all starts) which allowed Jarry to make a push for more regular playing time, earning himself an All-Star nod in the process.  Although Murray has won two Stanley Cups with the Penguins, it’s clear that the team views Jarry as their goalie of the future and with limited cap space, it will force their hand into moving Murray even though his value isn’t at its peak.

For Chicago, Murray would have the potential to represent a long-term solution between the pipes if he was willing to sign for more than one year this summer.  With Crawford being 35, he’d only represent a short-term fix if he re-signs while none of their options in the minors projects to be a starter at the NHL level.  However, Chicago has limited cap space to work with already with Dominik Kubalik and Dylan Strome likely to gobble up most of that room.  Murray will quite likely cost more than Crawford next year so bringing him in would only increase the amount of money they need to free up this offseason.  But if GM Stan Bowman thinks that Murray is part of the long-term puzzle for Chicago, it’s something that would be worth doing even with the challenges of clearing out cap room in this current environment.

Blackhawks, Corey Crawford Remain Well Apart In Contract Talks

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Both Corey Crawford and the Blackhawks have made it known that there is interest in a new deal for next season but there is a fair bit of work to be done as Ben Pope of the Chicago Star-Tribune reports that there is still a notable gap in terms of what that contract will cost.  While Chicago is believed to be offering between $3.5MM and $4MM, Crawford’s camp is seeking between $4.5MM and $5.5MM to re-up.  Both of those ranges are below the $6MM AAV he played under for the last six years.

The 35-year-old has spent the entirety of his 13-year NHL career in the Windy City and has held a few different roles in that stretch.  He has been the outright starter, the clear-cut number two, and in recent years, more of a platoon netminder.  This past season, he played in 40 games, posting a 2.77 GAA and a .917 SV% while making all nine of their starts in the playoffs.

It’s clear that Crawford can still be an impactful goalie but there are two key issues at play here.  Crawford wants to be a starter again and considering that the Blackhawks saw fit to bring in Robin Lehner last offseason, they may be hesitant to anoint him the clear-cut number one.  The other is Chicago’s cap situation.  While they have more than $7MM in cap room, they also still have winger Dominik Kubalik and center Dylan Strome to re-sign (among others).  The two of them could sign for the majority of that which wouldn’t leave much of anything for a goaltender.

That’s what makes this gap so significant, even though it could be only $500K depending where both sides’ current offers are in those ranges.  In an offseason where the cap has been held flat and many teams are trying to free up money, it’s going to be difficult to clear salary for value.  The less that they have to free up to accommodate a new deal for Crawford (or a replacement), the better.

There’s still a little less than a week before free agency opens up so there is still time for both sides to reach an agreement but as things stand, it certainly appears as if Crawford could be testing the open market for the first time in his career.

Chicago Blackhawks Loan Brandon Hagel To Switzerland

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Chicago Blackhawks forward Brandon Hagel is headed to Switzerland to get his season started. The team announced that they have loaned the young winger to HC Thurgau of the Swiss NLB, the country’s second-tier league. Hagel will be recalled for NHL training camp, where he will look to earn a spot with Chicago.

Hagel, 22, made his Blackhawks debut this season as a first-year pro. However, he appeared in just the one game versus 59 games with the AHL’s Rockford Ice Hogs. Yet, Hagel’s decent production in the minors last year combined with his 100+ point season in the WHL the year before makes him an exciting possibility to crack the NHL roster. Getting a head start in Switzerland will only help his odds of making the opening night roster.

In Thurgau, Hagel will be one of just six players without Swiss citizenship and the only one with NHL experience. He should play a major role for the team and against NLB competition he could produce at a high rate. Regardless of the quality of play, Hagel will simply benefit from playing big minutes in a key offensive role.

Chicago Blackhawks Trade Dylan Sikura

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The Chicago Blackhawks have traded Dylan Sikura to the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for a familiar face. Brandon Pirri, who started his career with the Blackhawks, will be coming back to Chicago in the one-for-one deal.

Despite strong numbers in the minor leagues, Sikura never seemed to fit into the Blackhawks plan and has played just 47 NHL games since turning pro in 2018. He’s scored just a single goal in those games and recorded 14 points, not nearly enough for a player of his offensive nature.

In Vegas, perhaps Sikura will be given a bigger opportunity to show what he can do, but that chance wasn’t going to come in Chicago. He’s heading into the final year of his current deal and can become a Group VI unrestricted free agent if he fails to play in 33 NHL games next season.

Pirri meanwhile is a much more proven NHL commodity, though he comes with warts of his own. Now 29, the Blackhawks second-round pick from 2009 has shown an aptitude for scoring goals at the highest level but not a lot else. Pirri has 72 tallies in his 275-game NHL career, but just 49 assists to go with it. In his best offensive year, he scored 22 times with the Florida Panthers and amazingly recorded just two assists.

Technically Pirri will be staying put, given he has spent the last three seasons playing most of his games with the Chicago Wolves of the AHL. The Golden Knights have changed their affiliate to Henderson, Nevada, but Pirri could very well stay in Chicago if he can make the Blackhawks roster. He comes on the final year of his contract and carries a $775K cap hit.

Free Agent Focus: Chicago Blackhawks

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With free agency now less than a month away, many teams are already looking ahead to when it opens up.  There will be several prominent players set to hit the open market while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign.  Chicago has several notable young players in need of new deals as well as a long-term veteran who is hoping to stick around a little longer.

Key Restricted Free Agents

F Dominik Kubalik – No one really knew what to expect from the 25-year-old entering his first season but even the most optimistic of guesses likely wouldn’t have had Kubalik getting 30 goals or finishing third in Calder Trophy voting.  But that’s exactly what happened even with six forwards averaging more ice time per game than him in the regular season.  He put up front line goal totals with the playing time of a fringe second liner.  Now, both sides have to find a suitable compromise at a time where there aren’t really any good comparable players out there as let’s face it, rookies that come over at his age typically don’t put up 30 goals.  That makes a short-term deal a more palatable scenario and with there being three years until he’s eligible for free agency, it’s the likeliest outcome as well.

F Dylan Strome – Strome’s second season in Chicago wasn’t quite as productive as his first as his output dipped from 51 points in 58 games to 38 in 58.  However, that’s still a 54-point pace over a full schedule which is production equivalent to a second liner which is pretty good considering he was seemingly on the outs in Arizona just two years ago.  Even so, it feels like there is still some uncertainty surrounding his upside.  Is the number three pick in 2015 a core player that should be built around or is he expendable in the right situation?  His production so far with Chicago suggests the former but when the beginning of Strome’s career gets factored in, the decision isn’t so easy.  Suffice it to say, a long-term deal probably isn’t in the cards, especially when he doesn’t have arbitration eligibility.

F Drake Caggiula – With nine goals and six assists in 40 games, Caggiula’s numbers don’t stand out but when you factor in that he averaged less than 12 minutes a night, they look a bit more impressive.  He’s an effective energy winger when healthy but staying in the lineup has been a challenge.  That, coupled with his $1.5MM qualifying offer, presents a tough call for GM Stan Bowman.  There’s no denying that Caggiula is a useful player on their roster but with limited cap room and other notable players ahead of him needing new deals, this could be a case where they non-tender him to look for a cheaper replacement (or to try to get him to take a bit of a pay cut).

Other RFAs: F Alexandre Fortin, D Slater Koekkoek, D Ian McCoshen, G Malcolm Subban, D Joni Tuulola

Key Unrestricted Free Agent

G Corey Crawford – Having moved out Robin Lehner and Erik Gustafsson at the trade deadline, Crawford is the one and only regular NHL player that’s set to hit the open market next month.  His case is a particularly interesting one.  For starters, the Blackhawks are the only organization he has been a part of since they drafted him in the second round back in 2003 and has played in 13 different NHL seasons for them.  Along the way, he became a good starter which helped him pick up a couple of Stanley Cup titles.

But in recent years, he hasn’t been able to stay in the lineup as frequently to the point where Bowman brought in Lehner in free agency just to have another reliable option.  Crawford’s year-to-year performance has varied considerably and he’s coming off of a season where his numbers were decent (2.77 GAA, .917 SV%) but not near the top of the leaderboard either.  Between that and his age (35), it’s hard to see him as the long-term solution.  A multi-year deal may even be tough to do and it seems likely that his next contract will come a bit cheaper than the $6MM AAV that he has played under for the past six years.

Crawford has said that he wants to stay in Chicago but that he also wants to be a starter which is a role he hasn’t really exclusively held for a while.  Can they find their way to a deal to keep him around or will he leave after 17 years with the organization?

Other UFAs: F Joseph Cramarossa, D T.J. Brennan, F Anton Wedin

Projected Cap Space

At the moment, Chicago has a little over $73.5MM in commitments to 17 players, per CapFriendly.  Getting all of their impact players re-signed for the $8MM difference isn’t going to happen so some trimming needs to be done, be it through a buyout, trade, or both.  While Brent Seabrook and Andrew Shaw missed significant portions of the season and didn’t suit up in the bubble, both expect to be ready to start 2020-21 which takes relying on LTIR off the table for now.  Things could change in-season but for the time being, Bowman needs to free up some cap room to keep the core of his team intact.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

NHL Announces First And Second All-Star Teams, All-Rookie Team

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Following the announcements of the final five NHL regular season awards, the league also revealed their three all-league rosters: the First-Team All-Stars, the Second-Team All-Stars, and the All-Rookie Team. Below are the 2019-20 honorees:

First All-Star Team (link)

G: Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets
D: Roman Josi, Nashville Predators
D: John Carlson, Washington Capitals
LW: Artemi Panarin, New York Rangers
C: Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers
RW: David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins

The 2020 First-Team All-Stars are a historic group, the first time since the inaugural all-league honors in 1930-31 that all six honorees are first-time members of the team. Unsurprisingly, this team also covers most of the league’s major awards with Draisaitl taking home the Hart, Ted Lindsay, and Art Ross, Josi winning the Norris, Hellebuyck winning the Vezina, and Pastrnak earning the Rocket Richard.

Second All-Star Team (link)

G: Tuukka Rask, Boston Bruins
D: Alex Pietrangelo, St. Louis Blues
D: Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning
LW: Brad Marchand, Boston Bruins
C: Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche
RW: Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay Lightning

The President’s Trophy-winning Boston Bruins finish with a league-best three players on All-Star rosters. Their division rival, and current Stanley Cup finalist, the Tampa Bay Lightning are the only other team with more than one inclusion on the all-star rosters. Noticeably absent from either all-star teams are future Hall of Famers Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals. This is just the third time since 2005-06 that at least one of the pair have not been on a postseason All-Star team, while they have both have been selected in the same year eight times in the past 15 years.

All-Rookie Team (link)

G: Elvis Merzlikins, Columbus Blue Jackets
D: Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche
D: Quinn Hughes, Vancouver Canucks
F: Victor Olofsson, Buffalo Sabres
F: Dominik Kubalik, Chicago Blackhawks
F: Nick Suzuki, Montreal Canadiens

The rookie elite, led by Calder Trophy-winner Makar, is an older group than usual. Merzlikins, Olofsson, and Kubalik, all 25 or older, played in Europe for a considerable amount of time before jumping to North America as a polished product, while Makar and Hughes each played a pair of seasons in the NCAA and Suzuki aged out of juniors before turning pro. Nevertheless, the first-year pros were all impressive and still have many  quality years ahead of them.

Blackhawks Prospect Parker Foo Leaves College, Signs In KHL

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Although Blackhawks prospect Parker Foo had one year of eligibility remaining at Union College, he won’t be playing his senior season there.  Instead, Kunlun Red Star of the KHL announced (Twitter link) that they’ve signed the winger to a two-year contract.

The 22-year-old was a fifth-round pick (144th overall) of Chicago back in 2017 following a strong season and dominant playoffs with Brooks of the AJHL.  However, that offensive prowess hasn’t carried over to the NCAA ranks as he hasn’t become a go-to scorer through his first three seasons there.  This year, Foo was limited to just 20 games due to injury where he picked up three goals and four assists.

While the contract is for two seasons, that won’t affect his timeline to be signed to an entry-level deal.  The Blackhawks will hold Foo’s rights until August 15, 2021 which means that he’ll still have a year left in China by the time he needs to sign.  At this point, he’d need a strong showing overseas to earn that contract but at the very least, he’ll get to play with his brother Spencer Foo, a former Calgary prospect as he too signed a two-year deal to remain with Kunlun.

Snapshots: Simmonds, Crawford, Wheat Kings

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Wayne Simmonds wasn’t effective this season. In 61 games with the New Jersey Devils he scored just eight goals and then was traded for a conditional fifth-round pick to a team that had no real shot at the playoffs. Simmonds ended the year with a single assist in seven games with the Buffalo Sabres, meaning his final tally was eight goals and 25 points on the season. That was his worst year since 2008-09 when he was a rookie, but he still feels like he can contribute somewhere next season. Speaking to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, Simmonds responded directly to the speculation that he could return to his hometown of Toronto:

So of course it’s crossed my mind. I know they’re in a bit of a salary cap situation and things of that nature, but you know I’m open to everything, Toronto’s got a great core of players and I think that’s definitely a team where I could go in and make an impact right away. It’s up to the teams. Whoever wants to choose me, I’ll be waiting. I’ll definitely be ready to go.

The Maple Leafs brought back hometown boy Jason Spezza this season on a league-minimum deal and may not have a lot more than that to offer to Simmonds, if the match were to be made. Even after clearing Kasperi Kapanen’s contract off the books, the Maple Leafs still have close to $74MM committed to just 16 players for 2020-21.

  • Corey Crawford isn’t the youngest goaltender among those headed to unrestricted free agency, but he still may be one of the best. The 35-year-old bounced back from some concussion issues to record a .917 save percentage in 40 appearances this season, the exact number his career percentage sits at over nearly 500 games. He’s played each of those contests with the Chicago Blackhawks and the team is discussing a new deal with him to return. Scott Powers of The Athletic reports that the Blackhawks have offered Crawford a one-year contract around $3.5MM already.
  • Vegas Golden Knights GM Kelly McCrimmon is no longer the owner of the Brandon Wheat Kings, a team he’s been affiliated with since 1988. McCrimmon has sold the WHL team to the J&G Group of Companies, ending a long, successful era that also included stints serving as head coach and GM of the team he owned. Fans of the Wheat Kings shouldn’t have any fear of relocation after the sale, however, as new owner Jared Jacobson was born and raised in Brandon and is a huge part of the city’s business community. McCrimmon will also be remaining with the organization as an alternate governor.

Snapshots: NHL Draft, Suter, Point

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The 2020 NHL Entry Draft will be held a few days earlier than expected, as Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that it has been moved up to October 6-7. The change is thanks to a playoffs that is moving along briskly, with the first game of both conference finals already in the books.

An earlier draft only makes it even more imperative for teams like the Arizona Coyotes to get a new GM in place over the next few weeks, though it’s already probably too late for a new executive to really make his mark on the draft process. Even though four teams are still working to win the Stanley Cup, the offseason is fast approaching.

  • Pius Suter is headed back to Switzerland for the time being, as expected. The 24-year old Chicago Blackhawks forward has been loaned to GCK Lions of the Swiss second league until training camp starts in North America. Suter signed a one-year deal with the Blackhawks a few months ago after winning the MVP in Switzerland’s top league.
  • Brayden Point has become one of the very best players in the entire NHL, and Chris Johnston of Sportsnet examines his early case for the Conn Smythe trophy this year. Point now has 23 points in 14 postseason games and is an obvious leader on the Tampa Bay Lightning roster, but is in just the first year of a contract that carries a $6.75MM cap hit. While he’ll still be a restricted free agent in 2022 when this deal expires, Point will be owed a $9MM qualifying offer and could easily become one of the highest-paid players in the entire league.

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