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Free Agent Focus: Chicago Blackhawks

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Free agency is now just a couple of weeks away from opening up and there are quite a few prominent players set to hit the open market while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign.  The Blackhawks have most of their team under contract with only a few depth players needing new deals.  Here’s a closer look at their free agent situation.

Key Restricted Free Agents: F Brendan Perlini – While he didn’t get quite the attention that Dylan Strome did in the trade that brought them over from Arizona, the winger quietly put up a dozen goals in 46 games following the move despite not getting much in the way of power play opportunities (or ice time as he averaged less than 11 minutes a game in Chicago).  Consistency is a concern but he’ll be given a chance to carve out a bigger role next season.  Perlini is coming off of his entry-level contract and isn’t eligible for salary arbitration.  A bridge deal (one or two years) is almost certainly going to be the end result here.

D Gustav Forsling – This past season was a tough one for the blueliner.  He had an opportunity to grab hold of a regular spot in the lineup but instead missed time with three separate injuries and could never really get going.  As a result, there are some questions about whether or not he still has a future with Chicago, especially after they went and added Olli Maatta last weekend.  The upside is still there and at the very least, there will be some trade interest if the Blackhawks decide to move on.  Either way, a one-year bridge contract is likely.

Other RFAs: F Victor Ejdsell, G Anton Forsberg, D Blake Hillman, F Luke Johnson, F David Kampf, F Anthony Louis, F Dylan Sikura, F Spencer Watson

Key Unrestricted Free Agents: G Cam Ward – Chicago brought Ward in to give them a veteran backup behind Corey Crawford.  They were hoping that he’d be able to rebound with a change of scenery after some tough years with Carolina.  It didn’t happen.  Instead, he had his worst goals-against average since his rookie season and the lowest save percentage of his career and he didn’t provide much stability when Crawford was felled by a concussion once again.  The Blackhawks indicated their intentions with Ward a while back when they signed Collin Delia to a three-year deal so it’s clear that the 35-year-old will be hitting the open market.  There are quite a few teams in need of a new backup this summer but Ward will need to take a significant pay cut on the $3MM he made in 2018-19 to have a shot at another deal.

F Marcus Kruger – His second stint with the Blackhawks didn’t go as well as his first.  He spent most of the season on the fourth line and had the lowest full-season point total of his career.  Kruger’s days of being an impact checker appear to be done but teams looking for extra depth down the middle could check on him as the offseason goes on.  Any new deal he gets will be at a much lower price tag than the $3.083MM AAV he had on his last contract.

Other UFAs: D Andrew Campbell, D Brandon Davidson, F Chris Kunitz, F Andreas Martinsen, F Tyler Sikura

Projected Cap Space: Chicago is in a spot they haven’t been in a long time.  They actually have considerable cap space to work with this summer with only $65.7MM in commitments for next season so far, per CapFriendly.  Without any prominent players in need of new deals, GM Stan Bowman has some room to shop this summer but with new deals for Strome and winger Alex DeBrincat on the horizon a year from now, some of that activity is likely going to be of the one-year variety.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Kings Hire Trent Yawney As Assistant Coach

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New Los Angeles Kings head coach Todd McLellan has put the finishing touches on his coaching staff. After opting to retain veteran goalie coach Bill Ranford and up-and-coming coach Marco Sturm, McLellan still needed to add a defensive mind and found one in former colleague Trent Yawney. The Kings have announced that Yawney will join McLellan’s staff as the final assistant coach.

Yawney, 53, just wrapped up a stint as an assistant with the Edmonton Oilers, a hire made by McLellan before he was fired. Prior to that, Yawney served as an assistant with the Anaheim Ducks for four years. He also worked as an assistant for the San Jose Sharks from 2008 to 2011, again under McLellan. Yawney has also spent several years as an AHL head coach. However, what many may recognize Yawney for his playing career, spent mostly with the Chicago Blackhawks, and his brief stint as the head coach of the team from 2005 to 2007, when he was replaced mid-season by Denis Savard.

As the Kings’ release points out, Yawney has worked closely with a number of top defenses and elite defensemen, including Norris Trophy winners Chris Chelios, Doug Wilson, Phil Housley, Rob Blake, and Duncan Keith. In L.A., Yawney will have the opportunity to work with another elite talent in Drew Doughty, but also a deep group of young defensemen who are ready to break out with the right system and proper guidance. Yawney could prove to be a key figure in what the Kings’ hope is a return to relevance sooner rather than later.

Ottawa Senators, Anthony Duclair Agree To Extension

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The Ottawa Senators landed an additional second-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft when former star Erik Karlsson reportedly agreed to an extension with the San Jose Sharks earlier today. They have now made the most of another one of their big trades from this past season. Anthony Duclair, acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets in the Ryan Dzingel trade, has agreed to a one-year contract extension, the team announced. The deal will pay Duclair $1.65MM next season, which could prove to be a bargain for the Senators. Duclair had been set for restricted free agency and held arbitration rights, but has opted to take Ottawa’s offer in hopes that he can re-establish his value next season.

Duclair, 23, has had an up-and-down career and has already made many stops since breaking into the NHL at 19. The New York Rangers draft pick failed to impress as a rookie and was traded to the Arizona Coyotes in 2015. He broke out that same year, recording 20 goals and 44 points. However, when his output dropped to just 15 points in 2016-17, the Coyotes did not hesitate to trade him the following season to the Chicago Blackhawks. The Blackhawks opted not to qualify Duclair, who signed as an unrestricted free agent with the Columbus Blue Jackets last summer. Although Duclair was on pace for a bounce back season with Columbus, the team decided to move him at the deadline as part of their “all in” approach. Fortunately, he caught on quickly in Ottawa, registering 14 points in just 21 games.

The Senators hope that Duclair will again take advantage of the opportunity afforded to him on the young, inexperienced Ottawa roster. If he can keep up his scoring pace from late last season over the course of this next year, he could reach or even surpass his previous career high of 44 points. At just $1.65MM, that would be a tremendous value for the Sens. GM Pierre Dorion certainly likes what he sees, as the team’s press release states:

We were pleased with what Anthony was able to add to our lineup after his acquisition. This signing improves our team speed and scoring depth up front. Anthony’s speed and skill can be dynamic and at only 23 years old, we feel he has the chance to grow into a really consistent contributor.

Pittsburgh Penguins Trade Olli Maatta To Chicago

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have traded defenseman Olli Maatta to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for Dominik Kahun and a 2019 fifth-round pick, according to TSN’s Darren Dreger.

With a surplus of defensemen on their roster, the Penguins were going to have to make a move and unload one of their defensemen as the team already had Kris Letang, Justin Schultz, Brian Dumoulin, Erik Gudbranson, Jack Johnson, Chad Ruhwedel and Marcus Pettersson on the NHL roster. Maatta was a prime candidate to be moved after a so-so season in which the 24-year-old went from a seven-goal, 29-point season in 2017-18 to a one-goal, 14-point season this past year. Injuries have also plagued Maatta as he missed six weeks with an upper-body injury late in the season.

It looks like Pittsburgh got good value in return for Maatta, however, as they team picks up Kahun, who had an impressive rookie season for Chicago. The 23-year-old signed a two-year entry-level deal out of Germany and immediately proved his worth by making the Blackhawks’ squad out of training camp and showed off his versatility by being able to play any forward position. He contributed 13 goals and 37 points, but with the number of NHL forwards that Chicago has on its roster, the team had the luxury of trading one away to bolster its defensive core. Kahun should bolster the team’s middle-six, providing offense on whatever line the team needs. Pittsburgh general manager Jim Rutherford spoke highly of the new addition:

He is a speedy, versatile player capable of playing all three forward positions. He also saw time on Chicago’s power-play and penalty killing units. We are very excited for him to join our team.

While adding Kahun, perhaps the biggest plus to the trade was freeing up some cap space. By moving his three years and $4.08MM contract and acquiring the cheaper Kahun ($925K), the Penguins have added $3.16MM in cap space this season. The Penguins also add a coveted draft pick for this year, even if it’s in the fifth round. Pittsburgh had already traded away its second, third, fourth and sixth-round picks for this draft, so adding a second fifth-rounder helps make up for those lost picks.

For Chicago, with $19MM in projected cap space this offseason, adding Maatta’s contract wasn’t a problem and the team still is expected to have more than $17MM in cap space to make more moves this offseason. The team needed to add some experienced depth to its team and it likely was going to do it via trade. The fact that Maatta is left-handed, however, will have him battling with a group of left-handers for playing time, including Duncan Keith, Erik Gustafsson, Slater Koekkoek and Carl Dahlstrom.

 

Snapshots: Blue Jackets, Sharks, Avalanche

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GM Jarmo Kekalainen and the Blue Jackets knew what they were getting into when they held on to top impending free agents Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovksy, despite substantial hints that both planned to depart, and then went out and added another valued UFA in Matt Duchene at the NHL Trade Deadline. Columbus went all in, and while they didn’t win or even reach the Stanley Cup, they did succeed in winning the franchise’s first ever playoff round. Now, as they get set to potentially watch several star player walk away as free agents, Kekalainen and company are going to either squeeze every last drop out of those UFA’s or at least won’t make it any easier for them to jump to rival teams. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that the Blue Jackets have declined to give Panarin and Bobrovksy permission to talk to other teams about a sign-and-trade possibility. They have also kept the price of acquiring their negotiating rights high; LeBrun speculates the team is asking for a second-round pick. As the June 23rd UFA negotiation period approaches, and not long after it the start of free agency on July 1st, it seems Panarin and Bobrovsky are likely to remain Blue Jackets until the very last minute, unless a team ponies up. As for Duchene, the Blue Jackets remain interested in re-signing him, so similar rumors haven’t started yet, but don’t expect the deadline addition to be treated any differently if it comes to that.

  • Columbus has likely lost hope of re-signing their top free agents, but San Jose is still holding out when it comes to Erik Karlsson. Karlsson is set to be the top defenseman on the market, but the Sharks would like him to skip that opportunity in favor of remaining with the team. The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz writes that the two sides continue to work on an extension, with terms rumored to be close to the eight-year, $88MM contract signed by Drew Doughty of the rival Los Angeles Kings. Barring a trade in the coming weeks, only San Jose can offer Karlsson that eighth year, which may be even more valuable to the veteran defenseman given his recurring injury issues this season. Kurz agrees that the market may have cooled for Karlsson, so a long-term offer from the Sharks will very likely be the best deal he gets. This makes his decision less about salary and more about whether San Jose is where Karlsson wants to potentially spend the rest of his career.
  • Misinformation is very common in draft and free agency season, so it should come as little surprise that one Denver source says the Avalanche are interested in drafting defenseman Bowen Byram just days after another said they weren’t. Byram is undoubtedly the best defenseman in the draft class, so no team with the chance to draft him is going to totally ignore him. The WHL product could go as early as No. 3 to the Chicago Blackhawks, but likely won’t get any farther than No. 6 to the Detroit Red Wings. Colorado falls squarely in the middle there at fourth overall and will surely consider Byram. But if Mike Chambers of The Denver Post is to be believed, the Avs will take the “best player available” route with their first of two first-round picks and would select Byram if he’s there. We won’t know for sure how it all plays out for just over one more week.

Blackhawks Unlikely To Re-Sign Anton Forsberg

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  • The Blackhawks aren’t likely to re-sign goaltender Anton Forsberg this summer, reports Jimmy Greenfield of the Chicago Tribune. The 26-year-old was once viewed as Chicago’s backup of the future but struggled when in that role, resulting in them signing Cam Ward last July and pushing Forsberg back to the minors in the process.  With the emergence of Collin Delia as a potential number two to Corey Crawford and Kevin Lankinen showing that he’s ready for a larger workload in the AHL, there doesn’t appear to be room for Forsberg moving forward.
  • Speaking of Chicago goalies, Blackhawks goalie prospect Wouter Peeters has inked a tryout deal with Tappara, the Finnish team announced (Twitter link). The 2016 third-round pick has not progressed as hoped and will need a big year in 2019-20 to have a shot at getting an entry-level contract.  Chicago holds his rights until June 1st, 2020.

Avalanche Notes: Hayes, No. 4 Pick, Knight

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The Colorado Avalanche made history on this day in 1996, winning the Stanley Cup in their inaugural season after moving to Denver. The eight-seed Avs came surprisingly close to getting back the Cup Final this year, upsetting the Calgary Flames in the first round and taking the San Jose Sharks to Game Seven in the second round. Colorado is closer to being a legitimate contender than some may have thought and are hoping to add some veteran pieces this off-season to improve their odds. GM Joe Sakic, a member of that ’96 team, is planning to be aggressive this summer, but his plan took an unexpected early hit when the Philadelphia Flyers acquired the negotiating rights of Kevin Hayes, expected to be one of Colorado’s top targets.

However, it’s already been a week since that trade was made and the Flyers and Hayes have not come to terms on a new contract. Talks are still reportedly progressing, but there’s less certainty that Hayes will end up signing with the team. In fact, BSN Denver’s AJ Haefele states that talks may not be going as well as Philadelphia would like fans to think, after surrendering a draft pick for the right to negotiate with Hayes. Haefele says that “things with Hayes and Philly haven’t really gone great so far”, adding that there’s still optimism but the clock is ticking toward the opening of free agency. If Hayes doesn’t come to terms with the Flyers and hits the open market, the Avalanche would have to be considered the favorite to land the two-way center given the many sources that have linked the two sides.

  • Haefele had another intriguing note for Avs fans tonight regarding the first of the team’s two first round picks, the No. 4 overall selection. Haefele believes, based on discussions with several sources, that Colorado will be targeting a forward with the pick, and that’s regardless of whether or not Bowen Byram is available. Byram, the top defenseman in the draft by a wide margin, is considered by many to perhaps be the third-best prospect overall. However, given the considerable draft capital that the Chicago Blackhawks have used on defensemen in recent years, they may pass on Byram at No. 3. It seems the Avalanche would do the same, opting to focus on their need for secondary scoring rather than adding a top young defenseman, with Cale Makar and Conor Timmins already in the fold. This should come as good new for the Los Angeles Kings, who could desperately use a blue chip defensive prospect. As for the Avs, Dylan Cozens, Trevor Zegras, and Kirby Dach are among the top forward prospects who could be available in this scenario.
  • There were clues to Colorado’s focus on a forward with their first pick before Haefele’s report, too. The team was curiously one of the few not to interview a number of projected late first-round forwards at the NHL Scouting Combine, leading many to assume that they would target a forward early and look elsewhere with their second pick, No. 16. The other explanation is that the Avalanche have already zeroed in one one specific player for that slot: top goaltender Spencer Knight. Although many are in agreement that Knight is a first-round caliber goalie, it’s easier for a team to stomach selecting a keeper that early if they have two picks in the round. Colorado is just one of five teams to pick twice in the first round this year, but they are the first team to use their second pick. Barring an unforeseen selection by a lottery team, the Avs could get ahead of the rest of the pack by selecting Knight at No. 16 and adding their goalie of the future. This is far from a guarantee, but certainly an idea that carries some merit.

Snapshots: Edmonton, Blackhawks, Smith

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The Edmonton Oilers have hired Tom Anselmi as President and Chief Operating Officer, while moving Bob Nicholson to a new position as Chairman. Anselmi is the latest change in management for the organization and comes to the Oilers after serving previously with both the Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs. The experienced executive was a huge part in getting the Air Canada Centre and surrounding area built in Toronto, and will likely be tasked with similar projects around the new Rogers Place in Edmonton.

Some other notes from around the league:

  • The Chicago Blackhawks have plenty of cap space this summer, but Mark Lazerus of The Athletic (subscription required) examines the roster crunch they are in as the draft and free agency approach. The team already has 17 full-time roster players under contract, and three restricted free agents that should be in the mix as well. That doesn’t leave a lot of room for graduating prospects or free agent signings, meaning the team may be active on the trade market over the next few months. Lazerus spoke to GM Stan Bowman, who explained that there are other teams in the situation the Blackhawks used to find themselves in—having to move a talented player out just to fit in someone else. Chicago is now in a position to capitalize on those situations, instead of shedding talent every year like they did for several seasons not too long ago.
  • Jeremy Smith has signed a two-year contract in the KHL with Kunlun Red Star, taking him out of contention for any minor league jobs. The 30-year old goaltender played this season with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the AHL, but will see his one-year deal with the New York Islanders expire on July 1. A veteran minor leaguer who has spent time with the Milwaukee Admirals, Cincinnati Cyclones, Springfield Falcons, Providence Bruins, Iowa Wild, San Antonio Rampage, Charlotte Checkers and Sound Tigers, he’ll now take on a new challenge overseas.

Chicago, Columbus Discussed Ryan Murray Trade

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The Chicago Blackhawks are on the hunt for a defensive upgrade, and Scott Powers of The Athletic (subscription required) reports on at least one name they have inquired about. In a new column on all things Blackhawks, Powers notes that the team recently spoke with the Columbus Blue Jackets about Ryan Murray though it “doesn’t appear a deal is getting done.”

While they may not end up with Murray, the talks are just another indication that Chicago will be trying to find a solution to their blue line problems this summer. The team allowed the second most goals in the NHL last season with 291—only behind the Ottawa Senators’ 301—and failed to get a ton of offensive production from anyone other than Erik Gustafsson and Duncan Keith. While Gustafsson’s 60-point season was obviously a huge and welcome surprise, the team obviously needed an upgrade if they want to get back to playoff contention.

Some of that will come from within, but there also may be some effective defensemen on the market this summer. The team is finally in a position where they aren’t squeezed too tightly by the salary cap, and can add some skill on the back end to help take some pressure off the aging Keith and Brent Seabrook.

Murray, 25, might be exactly what the Blackhawks are after. Originally selected second overall in 2012, Murray has shown a strong ability at both ends of the rink but hasn’t been able to stay healthy the last several seasons. In 2018-19 he recorded 29 points in 56 games, which would have put him third on the Blackhawks blue line even with the shortened year. Powers suggests that draft picks and prospects might be enough to get a deal done with Columbus given their lack of future assets after going all-in this season, but nothing seems imminent at this point.

Chicago Blackhawks Hire Marc Crawford

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Marc Crawford won’t be staying in Ottawa, as the veteran coach has been hired on by the Chicago Blackhawks as an assistant coach. Crawford joins a very young group led by head coach Jeremy Colliton, giving them plenty of experience to lean on this season. Crawford’s son Dylan Crawford serves as the team’s assistant video coach.

Crawford, 58, brings nearly two decades of head coaching experience to the side of Colliton, including a Stanley Cup title with the Colorado Avalanche in 1996. He had taken over as head coach of the Ottawa Senators when Guy Boucher was fired during the season, but after D.J. Smith was brought in as the next bench boss, Crawford needed a new gig. That will be in the Central Division, a place Crawford will feel quite familiar with given his time in Colorado and Dallas. He’ll come in under a head coach which he has already spoken highly of:

Jeremy has an extremely bright and innovative mind and I am totally impressed by his presence and enthusiasm. I know we will have a terrific relationship and my experience should benefit the entire coaching staff.

Not only has Crawford “seen it all” in terms of success and failure in the NHL, he also will be able to relate to the 34-year old Colliton as he tries to turn things around in Chicago. Crawford was the youngest head coach to ever win the Jack Adams Trophy when he took it home in 1995—the same age Colliton is now. He had just taken a Quebec Nordiques team that finished with 76 points the year previous to the playoffs, and won the Stanley Cup just a year later. While that kind of turnaround will be difficult to replicate, his experience in the same situation will be invaluable to the young Blackhawks head coach.

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