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Snapshots: Shaw, Fowler, Red Wings

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Mark Lazerus tweets that the possibilities of the Blackhawks shuttling Marcus Kruger increase because Andrew Shaw may cost too much to keep both. Further, Shaw may price himself out of Chicago altogether. Lazerus believes that Kruger is tougher to replace than Shaw, but that losing either player hurts the Hawks’ depth. Lazerus indicated that Shaw may be looking for a deal in the neighborhood of $4.5MM, and it might be too rich for a Blackhawks team that just got out from under the Bryan Bickell deal. He also listed Florida as a possible destination for Shaw should the Hawks try to move him. Lazerus also penned a piece on how the Blackhawks current cap headache is a product of their own making.

Other news as the draft approaches:

  • Helene St. James writes that the Red Wings should seriously consider Anaheim defenseman Cam Fowler.  The 24-year-old defenseman has been linked with a number of teams, namely Buffalo. But the Wings, according to St. James, have the assets to pull off a deal should they dangle their 16th overall pick and possibly top prospect Anthony Mantha. St. James comments that while it would be a steep price, it’s one with tremendous upside as Fowler could become the top pairing defenseman the Red Wings have lacked since the retirement of Nicklas Lidstrom. Detroit also has a glut of younger scoring forwards in Gustav Nyquist, Tomas Tatar, and Dylan Larkin. Other top prospect Evgeny Svechnikov waits as another option for the Wings.
  • In other Red Wings news, Brian Manzullo reports that prospect Vili Saarijarvi has been traded from the Flint Firebirds to the Mississauga Steelheads. The defenseman played last season with Flint, which included a tumultuous situation that included their coaching staff being fired twice, and the OHL stepping in to strip Rolf Nilsen of any control over hockey operations.

Snapshots: Blackhawks, Avalanche, Canucks

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Chicago Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman shrugged at Evgeni Malkin rumors reports Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune. Bowman touched on a number of subject while speaking to the media on a conference call. Bowman confirmed that while he has been in talks with Andrew Shaw’s agent, no progress has been made. A source revealed to the Tribune yesterday that both Shaw and possibly Marcus Kruger could be moved if need be. Regarding the Malkin rumors, Bowman indicated he wouldn’t comment on individual player rumors. The noise regarding Shaw and Kruger’s availability only intensified the speculation that Chicago was truly investigating a trade for Malkin. Speculation, Bowman insists, is just that and that discussions will be ongoing during a time where general managers are working in close quarters.

Other news around the NHL:

  • The Denver Post provides insight as to what to expect when the Avalanche select at 10th overall during tomorrow’s draft. Possibilities at forward include Alexander Nylander, Michael McLeod, Tyson Jost Clayton Keller, Max Jones, or Logan Brown. On defense, the Post lists Olli Juolevi,   Mikhail Sergachev, and Jakob Chychrun as possibilities. Director of Amateur Scouting Alan Hepple was quoted as saying that they don’t believe any goalies are worthy of a Top 10 pick.
  • Ed Willes of The Province writes that Milan Lucic has to be at the top of Vancouver’s wish list. Yesterday, Lucic and the Kings broke off negotiations, enabling Lucic to hit the open market. While the winger is expected to have a number of teams after him, the former Vancouver Giant indicated that he was keeping his options open once July 1 hits.

Rumors Swirl About Hawks’ Kruger, Shaw

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After trading Teuvo Teravainen and Bryan Bickell earlier this month to free up cap space, Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune reports that the Chicago Blackhawks are shopping center Marcus Kruger and initiating conversations about restricted free agent Andrew Shaw.

Kruger, 26, was given a three-year extension in March that will see him earn just over $3MM per season. The former fifth round pick has been a big part of the bottom-six and penalty kill for the Blackhawks in recent years but was limited to just 41 contests in 2015-16 after dislocating his left wrist. Never a big scoring threat Kruger has chipped in 88 points in career 328 contests.

The biggest news is that Shaw might be on the move, as most expected him to be re-signed after sending Bickell out. GM Stan Bowman was less than forthcoming on the topic however: “I realize everyone wants an answer to that question, but it’s just too hard to make guesses at this point…Signing Shaw is on the list of things we will look at once we figure out what the salary cap number is.” 

Perhaps, with the news that the cap will increase just $1.6MM to a total of $73MM for the upcoming season, Bowman has decided that Shaw will be too expensive to keep around. The 24-year old is coming off a year that saw him post 34 points and be one of the Hawks’ best players in the post-season despite their early exit. He’ll likely be looking for close to $4MM per season, something that Chicago might not be able to stomach with only $6MM left under the cap this year and Artemi Panerin (the reigning rookie of the year) due for an extension next summer.

Snapshots: Lucic, Campbell, Rasmussen, Red Wings

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ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that the Kings and forward Milan Lucic have broken off negotiations which means the 28-year-old winger is headed to free agency. LeBrun states that the Kings’ lack of salary cap room, and Lucic’s financial expectations were too far apart. Though he wanted to remain in Los Angeles, Lucic now will become a coveted free agent. PHR listed him as the #3 ranked UFA on our Top 50 Free Agent list. Ian McLaren listed his top three spots where Lucic would likely land with Vancouver topping the list.

In other NHL news:

  • The Chicago Tribune’s Chris Kuc indicates that former Chicago Blackhawk defenseman Brian Campbell is interested in coming back to the Windy City. The longtime Florida Panther is an unrestricted free agent, and has not re-signed with the Panthers. PHR listed him as the 14th best free agent out of the Top 50 UFAs.  Campbell would take a significant pay cut, however, as the Blackhawks still have a number of players to bring back into the fold with Andrew Shaw leading the pack.
  • The Blackhawks re-signed forward Dennis Rasmussen tweets CSN Chicago’s Tracey Myers. The deal is for one-year and approximately $600,000 according to CapFriendly. The 25-year-old forward had 9 points (4-5) for the Blackhawks in 44 regular season games.
  • Pierre LeBrun writes that the Red Wings and Hurricanes have had conversations about Pavel Datsyuk’s contract. Detroit has been looking for a suitor to take the heavy $7.5MM cap hit off its books after Datsyuk bolted for the KHL. LeBrun indicates that the Wings have been reluctant to move the contract because of the high asking price.  LeBrun also states that holding onto the contract doesn’t necessarily eliminate the Wings from going after unrestricted free agent Steven Stamkos should he hit the market. Conversely, he points out that dealing the contract away with high draft picks or prospects without knowing if Stamkos hits the market is very risky. Finally, he adds the Red Wings to a list of teams interested in the services of Lucic.
  • The Grand Rapids Griffins have signed forward Jack Barre to an AHL contract, according to the team site.  The 6’2″ 215 pound winger enjoyed a breakout senior season for the Dartmouth Big Green of the ECAC, tallying 26 points in 29 games – more than he had scored in his first three years combined.  Not thought of as an offensive force, perhaps the Connecticut native has found something to build upon in the coming years.

Snapshots: Anisimov, Mrazek, Gaudreau

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The NHL released the home openers for many teams on Monday morning – Ben Whyte of The Score compiled a list of those announced. Among the highlights is the Stanley Cup Champion Penguins raising the 2015-16 banner in front of their rival Washington Capitals on October 13th. The league is set to release the full schedules for the 2016-17 season on Tuesday morning.  Here is some more news from around the league:

  • Cap Friendly reports that Artem Anisimov of the Blackhawks actually has a no-movement clause (NMC) for the next two seasons. Not only does this limit the options Chicago has this offseason, but makes Anisimov an automatic protection in next year’s expansion draft.
  • While speaking to Torie Peterson, Flames’ GM Brad Treliving intimated that he’ll eventually get deals done with top RFAs Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau. “We’ll continue to bang away at it. We’ve got to get to something that makes sense for them and for us…I have every confidence that we will.”
  • TB Times writer Joe Smith says that UFA Jonathan Marchessault “loves the place” and “wants to stay” in Tampa Bay this summer. Marchessault put up 18 points last season and is only 25.
  • Matt Brown, producer of Sportsnet’s Hockey Central @ Noon reports that Ken Holland said Petr Mrazek will be the Red Wings’ #1 goaltender coming into camp this season. Mrazek played in 54 games for the Red Wings this past year, but is sure to earn less than Jimmy Howard’s $5.29MM this season.

Chicago Blackhawks Sign Nick Schmaltz

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UPDATE 5:00 PM CST: The Blackhawks have offically announced the signing.

1:17 PM CST: Hine updates, saying that the Teravainen deal helped push Schmaltz from North Dakota. More minutes available for the similarly built player.

12:42 PM CST: Chris Hine of the Chicago Tribune adds that it’s a three-year entry level deal for Schmaltz.

10:53 AM CST: According to Craig Morgan of Arizona Sports, the Chicago Blackhawks have signed North Dakota forward Nick Schmaltz. Schmaltz was drafted by the Hawks 20th overall in 2014, but took his talents to the NCAA where he has excelled.

In two seasons at North Dakota, Schmaltz put up 72 points in 75 games, including a whopping 46 (11-35) this season. The Fighting Hawks won the National Championship this season, out-dueling Quinnipiac in the final Frozen Four game 5-1.

The 20-year old Schmaltz will now move into a competition up front for the Blackhawks, who recently sent out Teuvo Teravainen and Bryan Bickell and have a number of pending unrestricted free agents. Chicago continues to fill their ranks with talented youngsters, despite losing many excellent players in cap-crunches over the past few years.

Free Agent Focus: Carolina Hurricanes

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After a season which many fans and front office types would consider a success, the youthful Carolina Hurricanes came closer to a playoff spot than many believed they would. With a blue line that was built for today’s NHL, the ’Canes were quick and resilient, leading to 86 points and many encouraging signs.

The team even pulled the trigger on what was once considered an unthinkable trade, dealing long-time captain and face of the franchise Eric Staal to the New York Rangers months before he became an unrestricted free agent.  The return of that deal – two second round draft picks – has already been used to acquire another good young player, taking Teuvo Teravainen off the Blackhawks’ hands in return for paying Bryan Bickell this season.

The Hurricanes are a cap-floor team, meaning they will not spend the entire $71 million allowed this season.  They are, however poised for another season of growth, with Justin Faulk and Noah Hanifin leading from the back end.

Key Restricted Free Agent: C Victor Rask – Among the talented young forward group, Victor Rask stands out. His rise from second round pick to twenty-goal man has come quicker than many expected, eclipsing the mark in just his second NHL season. After what was an excellent rookie year (33 points), Rask proved he could skate with the big boys in 2015-16, racking up 48 points and tying $6MM dollar man Jordan Staal for second on the team.

While his possession numbers dipped playing against stronger competition, Rask is still only 23 and finding his footing among his NHL peers. Grouped with Jeff Skinner, Elias Lindholm and now Teravainen, he could be part of an excellent core going forward for the ’Canes.

Expect him to get something similar to the two-year, $5.4MM extension Lindholm received last summer. While Rask has slightly better production than Lindholm had at the time, he trails a bit in the pedigree department – Lindholm was drafted fifth overall in 2013 and broke in as a 19-year old.

Other RFAs: LW Brendan Woods, D Michal Jordan, D Ryan Murphy

Key Unrestricted Free Agent: F Riley Nash – Just a few days ago the ’Canes key UFA would have been long-time goaltender Cam Ward, but after re-signing him to a two-year $6.6MM deal, they have almost no one of importance headed out on the market.

Nash represents the best of the group, and after another underwhelming but effective season as a bottom six forward should get plenty of interest on the market. Nash will never be an offensive dynamo, but plays a smart possession game against some tough opponents. While it might be a bit disappointing given his first-round pick status, he’ll play for a long time in the NHL with this style.

He’s coming off a year in which he earned $1.15MM and chipped in with 22 points, seeing his ice-time drop off with the emergence of the other young forwards.  If Carolina doesn’t bring him back, look for him to get another deal around the league for somewhere under $2MM per season.

Other UFAs: F Nathan Gerbe, F Ryan Malone, W Chris Terry

Projected Cap Space: $22.5MM, 19 players under contract.

As stated above, Carolina won’t be spending up to the cap and are focused on the slow burn of rebuilding. That being said, they did have a cap hit of $61 million last season, and could have some money to spend this year.  After seeing Staal and his big contract shipped out, it would be surprising to see him back, but if they have concerns about James Wisniewski’s surgically repaired knee, they might go after one of the younger defensemen on the market.

Also watch for them to eat salary in return for assets like they did with Bickell, including being a destination for the $7.5MM cap-hit of Pavel Datsyuk after his retirement from the NHL.

Snapshots: Read, Salary Cap, Brown, Hawks Overage, Affiliations

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Flyers winger Matt Read underwent minor surgery on his shooting hand on Wednesday, writes CSN Philly’s Tim Panaccio.  GM Ron Hextall acknowledged that the procedure was a clean-up and that the rehab period should be 4 weeks.  Read played in 79 games with the Flyers last season, posting 11 goals and 15 assists.

Elsewhere around the league:

  • James Mirtle of the Globe and Mail reports that the NHL will set its salary cap figure by the middle of next week and that it should be in the $73MM range. That would represent a small increase from the $71.4MM cap in 2015-16.
  • Despite his recent struggles and removal of the captaincy, the Kings are not currently considering buying out Dustin Brown’s contract according to Helene Elliott of the LA Times. Brown has six years left of a frontloaded eight year deal carrying a cap hit of $5.875MM per season but has failed to crack the 30 point mark since 2011-12.
  • Chicago will be facing a significant cap crunch as a result of a $3.07MM bonus overage from last season, writes Scott Powers of The Athletic. The overage consists of bonuses being hit by Artemi Panarin, Michal Rozsival, and recently-traded Teuvo Teravainen.
  • Speaking of the Blackhawks, they announced an extension of their affiliation agreement with the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs. The extension is for five years and will commence following the 2016-17 campaign.  Chicago has been affiliated with the IceHogs since 2007.
  • The Vancouver Canucks have announced a one year affiliation agreement with the ECHL’s Alaska Aces for the 2016-17 season. They did not have an ECHL affiliate last season.

Blackhawks Notes: Re-Signing Shaw, Panarin

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After yesterday’s trade that sent Bryan Bickell and Teuvo Teravainen to the Carolina Hurricanes for a couple of draft picks, more in the media are reporting how the move was made to secure restricted free agent Andrew Shaw. But it also appears to be a move made to keep another important winger in the fold.

CSN Chicago’s Tracey Myers reports that not only are the Blackhawks keen on getting a deal done with Shaw by the end of the NHL Draft, but they are also looking ahead at re-signing  Artemi Panarin once they can begin in July (per CBA rules). Chicago Tribune writer Chris Hine also tweeted that Shaw’s agent will meet with the Blackhawks at the draft to nail down a contract.

The interesting point in all of this is that while Panarin had an unbelievable season, general manager Stan Bowman is still moving with caution. Bowman had a tough year with trades as moves for Trevor Daley, and Andrew Ladd didn’t pan out the way he anticipated. Ladd, while effective, didn’t bring the goal scoring or production Bowman hoped for when he traded for the winger in February. Daley never meshed with the Blackhawks after a trade that surrendered fan favorite Patrick Sharp and top prospect Stephen Johns. Sharp helped the Stars to a Central Division title while Johns became a contributor near the end of the season and into the playoffs. Daley was dumped to the Penguins for veteran Rob Scuderi in a move widely seen as a way to move salary and give Daley the opportunity to play somewhere else. It worked for Daley–he played a major role in the Pittsburgh Penguins’ Stanley Cup run before succumbing to an ankle injury in the Eastern Conference Final. Scuderi, meanwhile, was flipped for Christian Ehrhoff, who rarely played in Chicago.

Bickell’s albatross of a contract will also remain a cautionary tale for anything Bowman chooses to do in the future. Bickell cashed in on his unbelievable performance in the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs. At the time, Bickell was rumored to get anywhere from $5MM-$6MM on the open market. The deal sealed by Bowman at the time was seen as a tremendous discount.

Regardless, most pundits will give Bowman the benefit of the doubt when it comes to offering Shaw a new contract because the organization has won 3 Stanley Cups under his watch. The Shaw move is seen as a way to acknowledge the wishes of head coach Joel Quenneville who called Shaw “irreplaceable” back in April. Whether Shaw is as irreplaceable as Jonathan Toews or Patrick Kane remains to be seen, but Shaw’s presence has been noted during Chicago’s run of success.

Panarin, on the other hand, put up dizzying numbers in his first NHL season. Once negotiations can begin in July, it will be another test on Bowman’s part in giving him a contract he deserves, but keeping the contract reasonable. Rookies scoring 30 goals in a season doesn’t happen often and the Hawks know that. Bowman will show prudence, but few will question him if it’s Panarin, and not Shaw, who benefits more from the departure of Bickell and Teravainen.

Free Agent Focus: Chicago Blackhawks

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It’s going to be another painful summer in Chicago, but this time, there’s no Stanley Cup to soothe fans. On Tuesday, the Blackhawks traded promising young forward Teuvo Teravainen to Carolina to dump the salary of Bryan Bickell.

It was a mixed-bag of a season in the Windy City. The team’s Championship defence started out with star forward Patrick Kane under investigation for allegedly raping a woman at his New York home. The charges were later dropped. Kane teamed up with rookie Artemi Panarin to score a career-high 106 points and win the Art Ross Trophy. Panarin, in his first NHL season after six years in the KHL, finished in the top 10 scorers in the league. The Blackhawks finished third in the tightly-contested Central Division and lost to rival St. Louis Blues in 7 games.

Projected Cap Space: $8.4MM, 16 players under contract.

Key Restricted Free Agents: Andrew Shaw – the pesky forward scored 34 points this season, the second highest total of his career. He’s coming off a controversial playoffs where he was suspended for using a homophobic slur towards a referee after making an inappropriate hand gesture. Shaw has been a favourite of coach Joel Quenneville, but was doubtful to return before Tuesday’s trade. Chicago Sun-Times writer Mark Lazerus reported that the Blackhawks fully expect to be able to re-sign Shaw. Expect the deal to be for 3 or more years north of $3MM per.

Other RFAs: Dennis Rasmussen 

Key Unrestricted Free Agents: Andrew Ladd, Dale Weise – the pair of wingers were acquired at the trade deadline as the Blackhawks loaded up for a Cup run. Both players are expected to test the open market as Chicago doesn’t have cap space to sign either at close to their market-value.

Other UFAs: Christian Ehrhoff, Tomas Fleischmann, Michael Leighton, Brandon Mashinter, Michal Rosival.

Outlook: The Blackhawks need at least 5 forwards, a couple defensemen, and a third string goalie. Don’t expect any of those players to have a salary above $1MM.

With $48.78MM invested in their 7-player core of Jonathon Toews, Kane, Brent Seabrook, Duncan Keith, Marian Hossa, Niklas Hjalmarsson, and Corey Crawford, money is going to be tight to re-sign Shaw, round out their roster, and prepare for Panarin’s new contract next season.

With regards to the expected expansion draft next summer, the Blackhawks do not have much to worry about, as they will be able to protect all their important pieces. Chicago does not have a first round pick in the upcoming draft.

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