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Reactions To The Artemi Panarin Signing

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While many expected that Artemi Panarin would land a new contract between $6MM-$7MM, the fact that he only got two years was a bit of a surprise.  Speaking with Chris Hine of the Chicago Tribune, Panarin’s agent, Tom Lynn, noted that Panarin was willing to take a small discount to stay on a short-term deal but wasn’t willing to on a long-term pact:

“We both, in a friendly way, recognized a long-term deal wasn’t feasible (and) not only moneywise. He’s two years away from getting no movement clauses. … that wasn’t feasible to give up unrestricted years on a discounted deal. At the same time neither side was into a one-year deal, just putting off the same conversation (until next year).”

Talks between the Blackhawks and Panarin had been ongoing since the summer; he had been eligible to sign an extension as of July 1st.

Hine suggests that center Marcus Kruger (with a cap hit of just under $3.1MM) could become one of the cap casualties and that he’s a prime candidate to be left unprotected in the upcoming Las Vegas expansion draft.  He also notes that Rob Scuderi’s retained cap hit of just over $1.1MM will be off the books next season but that may still not be enough to squeeze in Panarin’s $6MM cap hit beginning next year.

More notes on the deal:

  • USA Today’s Kevin Allen argues that the signing is a compromise in which neither side is happy but both sides are pleased with. While it’s not the long-term signing that both sides would have liked to get done, it at least gets him locked in for two more years alongside Patrick Kane as one of the most dynamic duos in the league and buys GM Stan Bowman more time to find a way to make room for him as a long-term fixture in a couple of years.  Finding a way to fit him in on UFA money could be a challenge though as Allen suggests that Panarin could be worth upwards of $9MM when he hits the open market in the summer of 2019.
  • One of the keys towards being able to fit in Panarin on his next deal will be the state of the Canadian dollar, writes Mark Lazarus of the Chicago Sun-Times. It has been trending downwards in recent years which has played a big role in the cap largely stagnating.
  • While the smaller than anticipated cap hit provides a sliver of optimism that Bowman may be able to keep the entire core intact, it’s still an unlikely proposition, suggests Charlie Roumeliotis of CSN Chicago. Instead, it’s likely that they will have to further rely on young players on their entry-level deals to round out the roster such as defenseman Ville Pokka or winger Alex DeBrincat, who was a second round pick of the Blackhawks back in June.

Brian Campbell To Play In Chicago Or Retire Next Season

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Chicago defenseman Brian Campbell hasn’t yet decided if he wants to play next season but if he does, it would only be with the Blackhawks, he told John Dietz of the Daily Herald:

“I don’t want to go anywhere else. One hundred percent. … I even mentioned to (general manager) Stan (Bowman) last summer — it would be a case of I’d like to come back here and I don’t see myself going anywhere (else). If I can keep playing and you still want me here, then I don’t plan on going anywhere else.”

This past summer, Campbell declined a sizable offer from Florida believed to be two years and a total of $8MM to take a one year deal worth a guaranteed $1.5MM from Chicago, plus another potential $750K in games played bonuses which he met when he played his tenth game of the season.  That said, he noted that money will still play a role in his decision for next season:

“…Money obviously plays a part in everything because you’ve got to want to get up and do your job every day and do it to the highest of your ability.

I’ve always said if it was for a lot less (than $2.25 million), I don’t think I would have made the sacrifice to come back here. … That’s where the money aspect comes in. You’ve got to get up and want to do it for what you’re being paid.”

Campbell’s numbers are down considerably this year as he has been asked to take on a lot less of a load than he had with the Panthers.  He has played in all 37 games this season (but may be scratched tonight, snapping a 423 game ironman streak, reports Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times), recording ten points (3-7-10).  However, his average ice time (18:59) is down more than three minutes per night compared to last season as he has settled into a role on the second pairing.

Finding a way to fit Campbell into Chicago’s payroll next season could be quite the challenge though, especially if he’s hoping for a contract somewhat close to the one he has right now.  Following the extension for Artemi Panarin, the Blackhawks already have over $66MM committed to just 15 players for next season, per CapFriendly.  That amount could increase depending on what their bonus overage is for this year as well.  Suffice it to say, if Campbell does decide to return for next season, he and Bowman may have a tough time finding a number that fits for both sides.

Blackhawks Officially Announce Panarin Extension

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The Chicago Blackhawks officially confirmed left winger Artemi Panarin’s two-year extension on Thursday morning.

While the club did not reveal any of the financial details regarding the new contract, we reported on Wednesday that several hockey insiders, including Bob McKenzie, Elliotte Friedman, and Scott Powers, have all pegged the value at $6MM per season with a little more than half coming in the form of signing bonuses.

The 25-year-old Panarin is in his second season with the Blackhawks after playing the previous seven seasons in the KHL. He scored 77 points in 80 games as a rookie playing alongside Patrick Kane and Artem Anisimov, winning the Calder Trophy. Panarin and Kane showed especially strong chemistry, as Kane hit a career-high 110 points last season.

Panarin is the Blackhawks leading scorer so far this season, with 37 points in 37 games. That’s good for fifth in the NHL, behind only Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Vladimir Tarasenko.

Panarin is the final season of his two-year entry-level contract, which carries a cap hit of just $925K.  Unfortunately for the Blackhawks, he has over $2.5MM of potential bonuses. He’s currently on pace to max out those bonuses for the second straight year. That represented a major part of Chicago’s cap overage of more than $3MM this season. Panarin is one of six players on the Blackhawks who have performance bonuses in their contract, adding up to a possible total of over $4.4MM which could be added to their cap. They currently have just over $427K in cap space.

With Panarin’s extension signed, GM Stan Bowman will once again have to get creative this summer to keep the band together in Chicago.

Blackhawks Agree To Terms On Contract Extension With Artemi Panarin

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The Chicago Blackhawks and left winger Artemi Panarin have agreed to terms on a contract extension, reports Scott Powers of The Athletic.  The scribe notes that the deal was finalized earlier today and is expected to be announced on Thursday morning.  Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that it’s a two year deal with a cap hit of $6MM.  He will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the contract while TSN’s Bob McKenzie adds via Twitter that more than half of the money in the deal will be in the form of a signing bonus.

Panarin, last year’s Calder Trophy winner for Rookie of the Year, is Chicago’s leading scorer this season with 37 points (15-22-37) in 37 games and sits fifth in scoring league-wide.  He’s in his second year with Chicago and recently became only the 27th player in NHL history to record his first 100 points in 110 games.

Panarin is in the second and final season of his entry level contract that carries a cap hit (before bonuses) of just $925K.  However, he has over $2.5MM of potential Schedule A and B bonuses that he maxed out on last season, which helped contribute to Chicago’s bonus overage this year that’s greater than $3MM.  If he continues his current pace, he’ll likely max out of them again which will result in another overage for the Blackhawks next season given that the team is quite tight to the salary cap and already have a $750K bonus achieved by defenseman Brian Campbell.

Fitting in this contract may be a challenge for Chicago next year as they already have over $60MM committed in payroll, per CapFriendly before factoring in Panarin.  It has been speculated that if they were to get him signed, they would have to move one of their core players in order to stay under the cap for next season.  With the deal now done, GM Stan Bowman now knows exactly how much space he’ll have to try to free up between now and next October.

Blackhawks Notes: Anisimov, Hossa, Goalies, Gilbert

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The Chicago Blackhawks announced via Twitter that they have activated center Artem Anisimov from IR while placing winger Marian Hossa on IR retroactive to December 20th. Hossa is expected to miss the first half of the team’s upcoming road trip which runs from December 27th through January 2nd, according to Scott Powers of The Atlantic. Powers adds that Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville hopes to have Hossa back for the Winter Classic game against St. Louis.

Hossa, who will turn 38 on January 12th, is having a resurgence of sorts with 16 goals and 23 points in 34 contests. Last season, the gifted two-way winger posted the lowest offensive numbers since his rookie campaign in 1998-99, tallying 13 goals and 33 points in 64 games.

Anisimov, who has been out of action since December 17th, is in the midst of a career season with 14 goals and 27 points through 32 contests. His previous best output came during the Russian pivot’s second full campaign when Anisimov registered 18 goals and 44 points in 82 games.

In other Blackahwks news:

  • Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times hosted a mailbag segment addressing a number of Blackhawks items, including the team’s goaltending situation. With Artemi Panarin set to hit restricted free agency this summer and the team short on available cap space, one scenario that has been suggested to clear salary is moving starting goaltender Corey Crawford and his $6MM cap charge. While acknowledging Scott Darling’s solid play this season in relief of Crawford and arguing the pending unrestricted free agent will be in the position to look for a starting job, Lazerus argues that job will have to be elsewhere. As Lazerus points out, Darling is already 28 and time is running short for him to find either an outright starting job or at least a timeshare. Also, Crawford is among the best netminders in the league, as Lazerus opines, and the Blackhawks would be best served keeping him between the pipes.
  • Scott Powers, writing for The Atlantic, tells the story of defenseman Dennis Gilbert, an unheralded third-round draft pick in the 2015 draft who is quietly developing into one of the team’s top prospects (subscription required). As Powers notes, Gilbert first came to the attention of Chicago evaluators at the behest of Hall of Fame head coach Scotty Bowman, whose son Stan is the Blackhawks GM. Gilbert is currently in his sophomore season patrolling the blue line for Notre Dame and has contributed six assists in 17 games.

Western Conference Notes: Campbell, Hawks, Avalanche

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It was evident after being eliminated in the first-round of last spring’s Stanley Cup tournament that the Chicago Blackhawks needed a boost on the blue line before seriously challenging for their fourth championship since 2010. The Hawks options would of course be limited by their lack of salary cap space. Fortunately veteran blue liner Brian Campbell, who spent three seasons with the Hawks earlier in his career and was part of the 2010 Stanley Cup championship roster, was willing to sign a deeply discounted deal to return to the Windy City to provide added versatility to Chicago’s defense corps. That versatility has proven to be vital given the way head coach Joel Quenneville utilizes and and assembles his defense pairs, as Chris Hine of the Chicago Tribune writes.

As Hine notes, Campbell has filled in as both a right and left side defender and has played with everyone from veterans Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith to rookie Gustav Forsling. The biggest difference between playing with experienced blue liners and younger players, according to Campbell, is communication.

“You have to be a little more assertive (with younger defensemen),” Campbell said. “Seabrook talks a lot and he expects you to talk a lot on the ice. Some guys are a little bit quieter. Young guys coming into the league are a little intimidated, but you need them to help you out as much as you’re hopefully helping them out.”

Niklas Hjalmarsson, who is also able to slide over to his off side, has spent a lot of time in his career opposite Keith, and the two have developed a rapport that enables them to keep each other on point. Hjalmarsson believes that relationship sets a standard that should apply across the blue line.

“(Keith and I) kind of know exactly what we get from each other night in and night out,” Hjalmarsson said. “It’s not too often we get on each other’s case, but we rely on each other to bring our best every night.

“That’s the standard for how it should be, and if you play with a first-year guy, you want to be talking more and be more active that way and help him out on the ice.”

While Campbell isn’t the offensive force he has been in the past, his addition gives Quenneville a multitude of options when it comes to his defense pairings and it allows the coach to spread out the minutes a little bit better than in the past. The Hawks still rely heavily on Keith – sixth in the NHL averaging better than 26:00 per game – and might prefer to scale back a bit on his ice time as the season wears on. The continued development of Forsling and Trevor van Riemsdyk may allow Quenneville to do just that.

Elsewhere in the Western Conference on this quiet evening:

  • Mike Chambers of The Denver Post compares the Colorado Avalanche to the Blackhawks, both in terms of how the clubs were constructed and their current salary cap situations. Chambers points out that both teams have had the advantage of multiple high lottery draft picks – Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane for Chicago and Nathan MacKinnon, Matt Duchene and Gabriel Landeskog for Colorado –  with which to build the foundation of their respective clubs. Additionally, as Chambers further argues, the two have invested heavily in keeping their core groups intact. The Hawks have more than $38MM allocated to just five players – Toews, Kane, Keith, Seabrook and Corey Crawford, while Colorado has more than $35MM annually tied up in their core – MacKinnon, Duchene, Landeskog, Erik Johnson, Tyson Barrie and Semyon Varlamov. The large investments in their core players limits how much each team has to spend on complementary pieces while also pushing them close to the cap ceiling. However that’s where the similarities end. While Chicago has been one of the league’s top teams since 2010, Colorado has been to the playoff just once in the last six seasons and this year is last in the NHL in goals scored, goals allowed and currently sit 30th in the league in the standings. Clearly where Chicago has excelled in putting the right pieces together on the ice, the Avalanche have failed to find the right mix. At some point the Avalanche is likely going to make a move or moves to change their core.

Allen’s Latest: US Juniors To Watch, 2017 Predictions

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USA Today’s Kevin Allen writes a bit about the five must watch players for the US team as the World Junior Championships kick off today. Those on his watch list include Charlie McAvoy, Luke Kunin, Clayton Keller, Tage Thompson, and Colin White. Allen writes that White is versatile and expected to be a boon for the American squad as a difference maker. Thompson, according to Allen, is a younger version of Blake Wheeler, while Keller is the “gamebreaker” who has the potential to be a dynamic player someday in the NHL. Captain Kunin, according to USA general manager Jim Johannson, is the “engine” of the team. McAvoy is a physical presence, and according to bench boss Bob Motzko, wants to “knock you on your rear end and score a goal on the same shift. He is going to be a guy we lean on heavily in all situations.” The Americans will look to build on their bronze medal finish from last year’s tournament.

  • Allen also lists his 10 bold predictions in 2017.  Some of the bolder ones include Patrik Laine outscoring Alex Ovechkin this season and that the Blackhawks will pay Artemi Panarin $7MM to remain in Chicago. Allen expects Ralph Krueger to be back in the NHL, and that the Canucks will finally embrace a much needed rebuild. Allen writes:

It’s past time. The Canucks will be first class and ask the Sedin twins how they want the organization to handle their future. They have always loved living in Vancouver. If they wait until the summer, they might be able to trade them both to one team. Maybe the Sedins would be comfortable mentoring a young team.

Finally, Allen believes that Kevin Shattenkirk will head to free agency and be pursued by the Red Wings, Bruins, Rangers, and Lightning. In the same vein, he expects John Tavares to get the “Stamkos treatment” with his impending free agency. Whether it’s a monster contract from the Islanders or a pricier offer from another team, Allen believes it to be one of the main storylines in 2017.

Poll: 2005 NHL Draft Take Two: Twenty-Sixth Overall Pick

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Hindsight is an amazing thing, and allows us to look back and wonder “what could have been.” Though perfection is attempted, scouting and draft selection is far from an exact science and sometimes, it doesn’t work out the way teams – or players – intended. For every Patrick Kane, there is a Patrik Stefan.

We’re looking back at the 2005 NHL Draft, which kicked off the salary cap era and ushered in many of the current NHL superstars. The question we’re looking to answer is knowing now what we didn’t know then, how different would this draft look now with the benefit of hindsight?

Here are the results of our redraft so far:

1st Overall: Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins)
2nd Overall: Carey Price (Mighty Ducks of Anaheim)
3rd Overall: Anze Kopitar (Carolina Hurricanes)
4th Overall: Jonathan Quick (Minnesota Wild)
5th Overall: Kris Letang (Montreal Canadiens)
6th Overall: Tuukka Rask (Columbus Blue Jackets)
7th Overall: Bobby Ryan (Chicago Blackhawks)
8th Overall: Marc-Edouard Vlasic (San Jose Sharks)
9th Overall: Ben Bishop (Ottawa Senators)
10th Overall: James Neal (Vancouver Canucks)
11th Overall: T.J. Oshie (Los Angeles Kings)
12th Overall: Keith Yandle (New York Rangers)
13th Overall: Paul Stastny (Buffalo Sabres)
14th Overall: Marc Staal (Washington Capitals)
15th Overall: Patric Hornqvist (New York Islanders)
16th Overall: Niklas Hjalmarsson (Atlanta Thrashers)
17th Overall: Anton Stralman (Phoenix Coyotes)
18th Overall: Jack Johnson (Nashville Predators)
19th Overall: Matt Niskanen (Detroit Red Wings)
20th Overall: Justin Abdelkader (Florida Panthers)
21st Overall: Martin Hanzal (Toronto Maple Leafs)
22nd Overall: Andrew Cogliano (Boston Bruins)
23rd Overall: Kris Russell (New Jersey Devils)
24th Overall: Darren Helm (St. Louis Blues)
25th Overall: Cody Franson (Edmonton Oilers)

Now we move forward to the 26th pick, which was held by the Calgary Flames.

To recap how this works:

  • We will go through the 2005 NHL Draft and have our readers select, through a voting process, who they think should have been taken with the selection.
  • The entire first round will be redrafted, spanning picks one through thirty. The new selection is chosen by the majority of votes.

Back in 2005, the Flames took defenseman Matt Pelech from the Sarnia Sting. Since being drafted, Pelech played a total of 13 games in the NHL, tallying four points (1-3). Of those 13 games, Pelech spent five with the Flames and the other eight with San Jose. During the 2013-14 season, Pelech spent time in the ECHL with the Utah Grizzlies after playing for both San Jose and its AHL affiliate Worcester. A season later, Pelech recorded 39 games with the Rochester Americans. Last season, Pelech appeared in 49 games for the Schwenningen Wild Wings in the DEL (Germany) and has played the current season with Graz EC in the Austrian league.

With the 26th pick of the 2005 NHL Redraft, who should the Flames select?  Cast your vote below! Mobile users, you can vote here!

With the 26th overall pick, the Calgary Flames select...
Benoit Pouliot 27.96% (144 votes)
Devin Setoguchi 20.00% (103 votes)
Vladimir Sobotka 15.53% (80 votes)
Mason Raymond 8.54% (44 votes)
Steve Downie 7.57% (39 votes)
Sergei Kostitsyn 6.60% (34 votes)
Jakub Kindl 5.83% (30 votes)
Nathan Gerbe 2.72% (14 votes)
Jared Boll 2.14% (11 votes)
Jack Skille 1.75% (9 votes)
Gilbert Brule 1.36% (7 votes)
Total Votes: 515

 

 

Blackhawks Notes: Panarin, Crawford, Tootoo, Krys

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Despite only being in his second year in the NHL, Artemi Panarin has rapidly developed into one of the Chicago Blackhawks most important players. After netting 30 goals and 77 points as a rookie, Panarin is producing at a point-per-game rate and currently ranks fifth in the league in scoring as a sophomore. Set to become a restricted free agent in the summer, Panarin is poised to cash in and score a substantial long-term contract from Chicago.

Given Chicago’s current salary cap situation, the team is going to have to make some difficult decisions to make in order to free up enough space to fit Panarin’s next pact under the cap ceiling. As it stands today, the Hawks have roughly $60.6MM in salary cap commitments to 14 players in 2017-18. Depending on exactly where the cap ceiling falls, that would leave Chicago with somewhere between $13MM and $15MM in available space. Unless the team makes other moves to shed salary, the Blackhawks will have a tough time fleshing out their roster if they sign Panarin to a market-value extension.

As they’ve had to do often in the past, it’s likely the club will end up moving some veteran talent to free up space. With backup goalie Scott Darling performing well in Corey Crawford’s recent absence, some have speculated Chicago could look to move the latter and his $6MM cap charge. However, Chris Hine of the Chicago Tribune opines that moving Crawford is not the solution to the Blackhawks Panarin question.

While acknowledging that the team and their fans are likely tired of seeing some of their top young talent traded away due to salary cap concerns – Brandon Saad, Teuvo Teravainen and Andrew Shaw are a few of the players Chicago has drafted and developed only to see them moved elsewhere because of financial considerations – Hine believes any notion of dealing Crawford ignores the goalie’s importance to the team. Hine argues that Crawford has established himself as an elite netminder and his contributions to two Stanley Cup championships should not be ignored.

Additionally, Crawford has a modified NMC and there is little reason to believe he would waive it to facilitate a trade. While the specifics of the NMC are unknown, at the very least it would serve to limit Crawford’s market and complicate any potential trade. Further impacting the veteran goaltender’s hypothetical market is his $6MM cap charge. Few teams currently need a goalie and even fewer are in the position to take on that type of commitment.

Ultimately the Hawks will find a way to get a deal done with Panarin. He’s simply too talented and important to Chicago for them to let him get away. Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman will inevitably have to make a tough decision or two to free up the necessary cap space but moving Crawford likely won’t be one of them.

In other Blackhawks news:

  • Despite being on the smaller side – 5-foot-9, 195 pounds – Jordin Tootoo has carved out a lengthy NHL career playing a tough, physical style and often fighting players much larger than himself. After a nine-point season with New Jersey in 2015-16, Tootoo hit free agency at a time when more teams are moving away from employing one-dimensional tough guys. Fortunately for the diminutive winger, Chicago found themselves in need of a veteran presence willing to work at or near the league minimum and inked the 33-year-old to a one-year deal worth just $750K. Tootoo recognizes the situation he now finds himself in and is willing to do whatever it takes to help his new team, as Scott Powers of The Athletic writes in a Q & A piece. Tootoo has yet to register a point on the season and is averaging just 6:44 of ice time per contest, but has done quality work as Chicago’s resident agitator and enforcer.
  • Just days after Chicago forward prospect Alex DeBrincat was cut from Team USA’s WJC entry, fellow Blackhawks prospect Chad Krys was announced as the team’s final cut, CSN Chicago’s Charlie Roumeliotis reports. Krys, who represented Team USA last year in the same tournament, is in the midst of his freshman season at Boston University after the Hawks selected the defenseman in the second-round of the 2016 draft.

Snapshots: Joseph, Hartley, Blackhawks

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The Tampa Bay Lightning announced the signing of prospect winger Mathieu Joseph to a three year, entry-level contract.  Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Joseph was Tampa’s fourth round pick (120th overall) in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.  He is in his fourth season at the junior level, with Saint John of the QMJHL.  Through 29 games this season, Joseph has 25 goals (tied for the league lead) and 20 assists along with a +23 rating.  He will be participating in the World Juniors for Team Canada which begins on Monday.

Unless Joseph plays in ten or more games with Tampa Bay this season which is quite unlikely, his contract will slide a year and begin in the 2017-18 season.

Other notes from around the league:

  • While coach Bob Hartley recently agreed to coach the Latvian national team, he is not viewing the opportunity as a long-term option, he told Sportsnet’s Mark Spector. Hartley will be behind the bench for the World Championships in May but intends to pursue another NHL position this summer.  Spector notes that Hartley has declined offers from Switzerland and the KHL but wouldn’t rule out extending his one year deal in Latvia for a second season if he’s unsuccessful in finding a spot back in North America.
  • If Chicago wants to find a way to re-sign left winger Artemi Panarin beyond this season, the Blackhawks will likely have to shake up their core to find the salary cap space to do so. While many have speculated that one of their skaters would have to go, ESPN’s Craig Custance suggests an alternate route in a reader mailbag (Insider required).  He opines that moving Corey Crawford and re-signing Scott Darling to go with a cheaper goalie tandem may be the best way to go.  Darling is still largely unproven at the NHL level with only 65 games under his belt including the playoffs but fared relatively well as the starter in ten games while Corey Crawford was out following an appendectomy, going 6-3-1 with a 2.12 GAA and a .930 SV% during that span.

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