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Free Agent Profile: Cam Ward

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Since the unrestricted free agency rush of July 1st subsided, just two NHL goaltenders have been signed off the open market: Anthony Stolarz with the Anaheim Ducks and Jared Coreau with the New York Islanders. That’s two goalie signings in 33 days, making it easily the quietest position of this off-season, despite a major re-shuffling of UFA starters early on and several RFA extensions as well.

Unsurprisingly, several notable names remain available – Scott Darling, Chad Johnson, Mike McKenna, Al Montoya – while Michal Neuvirth has already accepted a PTO. However, one name sticks out above the rest for both his career accomplishments and his meaningful role in 2018-19.

Cam Ward, 35, ventured outside of Carolina last season for the first time in his 14-year NHL career. Ward signed a one-year, $3MM contract with the Chicago Blackhawks last summer and proceeded to play a major tole for the team this past season. Dealing with ongoing issues with starter Corey Crawford, Ward ended up playing in 33 games to Crawford’s 39 and Collin Delia’s 16. Although Ward’s .897 save percentage and 3.67 GAA were the worst among the trio, it was only a marginal gap. The Blackhawks struggled defensively and no goalie was safe, as all three finished with a save percentage below .910 and GAA above 2.90.

Still, Ward cannot have been happy with his results last year. A Stanley Cup winner and former All-Star, Ward was rock solid for the Hurricanes for several years. He thrived early on as a workhorse, including a 2010-11 campaign in which he posted a career-high .923 save percentage in a league-best 74 appearances. He then settled nicely into a timeshare role, posting back-to-back seasons with a 2.40 GAA while playing in around 50 games each year from 2014 to 2016. Even as he continued to age and his numbers slipped slightly, no one could have predicted his pedestrian performance last season. It was a sharp decline from his career numbers that could have been an outlier or could be signaling the end of his career.

One thing that is certainly working against Ward finding work this off-season is the now well-established narrative that he does not play well as a backup. Over his career, Ward has played in four seasons, including last year in Chicago, in which he did not make at least half of his team’s starts. In those three seasons combined, Ward is 49-38-13, with a a save percentage of .895 and a GAA of 3.37. In all of his other seasons combined, Ward has a record of 285-218-75, with a save percentage of .911 and a GAA of 2.63. It is extremely clear that Ward does his best work with regular appearances and any team looking to make the most of signing him will want to offer that opportunity. But does such a landing spot exist?

Potential Suitors

The honest answer is that the team likely to sign Ward, if any, isn’t aware of the need just yet. Ward could very well be a veteran option that a team turns to in case of injury or poor performance that can be a temporary starter. While it’s impossible to project injuries, the New York Rangers have a starter who is even older than Ward and have very little depth behind him. A Henrik Lundqvist injury could certainly turn the Blueshirts on to Ward as an option to step in at starter during a season that brings high expectations to New York. The same could be said for the Vegas Golden Knights, whose 34-year-old starter Marc-Andre Fleury has dealt with injury issues before. Vegas is in better shape with their depth in net and could handle a short absence from Fleury, but without a proven NHL goalie elsewhere on the depth chart, a long-term injury could send them on the hunt for a solution. Despite having both John Gibson and Ryan Miller, the Anaheim Ducks are far from safe when it comes to injury risk and could be an option for Ward if disaster strikes. The Philadelphia Flyers shuffled through goalies like no other team in NHL history last year, so another issue with Brian Elliott could easily have the Flyers intrigued in Ward.

As for teams who risk needing a starter due to poor play, no team jumps out more than the Columbus Blue Jackets. It’s perhaps even fair to call them the most likely landing spot for Ward, as they are sure to go through some bumpy times with their young tandem of former backup Joonas Korpisalo and unproven import Elvis Merzlikins. The team only has more untested foreign talent in the minors as well. The Blue Jackets have ample cap space, so if there was a bidding war for Ward at any point, Columbus would be the favorite to beat out any other team in need of an emergency starter.

If Ward is intent on signing before the season begins though, rather than wait for a need-based market to develop in-season, there are a couple of teams who could still be looking for a backup. Again, that isn’t the ideal role for Ward, but it is one that the respected veteran would likely be willing to try his hand at again. The Florida Panthers spent big on Sergei Bobrovsky this summer, but 22-year-old Samuel Montembeault is slated to be the primary backup heading into next year. He is waiver-exempt still and could head to the AHL without issue if the team opted to look at a veteran backup. However, this doesn’t seem extremely likely, considering their investment in Bobrovsky, who they likely expect to make 65 starts. In Colorado, the Avalanche seemed hesitant to give last year’s third-string, Pavel Francouz, an extended look despite strong numbers in the NHL and AHL. He is now the likely backup to Philipp Grubauer, who himself is still finding his footing as a true starter. The Avs have almost no depth in net and could look to add another name to the mix in Ward.

Projected Contract

Ward has made at least $3MM in each of the past four seasons and more than $6MM on the contract prior to that. Those days are now over. Regardless of the impact that his role or the team’s defense had on his 2018-19 performance in Chicago, Ward has lost his leverage to command a sizable salary after such a poor season. If he is settling in to a backup role before the season, he will almost certainly land somewhere between $1MM and the league minimum of $700K. If he is signing mid-season to take over as a starter or at least in a timeshare, that number could go up, but not much higher. If Ward feels like he has several years left, he will be looking at this season as an investment in future earnings; he will accept a cheap deal to go to the right place where there is the potential to succeed, so as to hit the market next summer with some more bargaining power. The only question is whether that right fit exists, now or down the road after the season begins. Ward could call it a career if no such opportunities arise by the end of the calendar year.

A.J. Greer Signs With Colorado Avalanche

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The Colorado Avalanche have completed another bit of business, signing A.J. Greer to a one-year two-way contract worth $735K at the NHL level. Greer was a restricted free agent but will not be eligible for arbitration until after this contract is completed. The Avalanche have now signed all of their restricted free agents except for Mikko Rantanen.

Greer, 22, isn’t on quite the same level as Rantanen when it comes to restricted free agents, but he is still an interesting piece for the Avalanche. Selected 39th overall in 2015 with a pick acquired from the Buffalo Sabres in the Ryan O’Reilly deal, Greer actually ended up leaving Boston University partway through his draft+1 season to join the QMJHL. After finding huge success with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies in the second half of the 2015-16 season—the Huskies won the QMJHL title thanks in huge part to Greer’s 22 points in 20 playoff games—he jumped to the professional ranks in 2016-17 and fit in well at the AHL level. That led to some opportunity in the NHL, that unfortunately so far has not gone exceedingly well.

In 37 games with the Avalanche over the last three seasons Greer has totaled just six points, but has shown enough in the minor leagues to believe that he can be a contributor down the line. Still just 22 until December he has a chance to grow into a legitimate NHL power forward that can chip in a little bit of offense and provide a physical presence on the forecheck.

The question now is when will that opportunity present itself, given Colorado GM Joe Sakic’s work to add depth up front this summer. Nazem Kadri, Joonas Donskoi, Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and Andre Burakovsky are all now penciled into substantial roles on the team while others like Vladislav Kamenev, Shane Bowers and Martin Kaut should be battling for spots in the near future. Greer will need to clear waivers in order to be sent to the minor leagues which could give him a leg up, but he’ll need to show he belongs in order to stay in the NHL.

Samuel Girard Signs Seven-Year Extension

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The Colorado Avalanche have locked up one of their young defensemen before he ever gets close to restricted free agency. Samuel Girard has signed a seven-year extension which will keep him under contract through the 2026-27 season. Girard is on the final year of his entry-level contract currently. PuckPedia reports that the deal will carry a $5MM salary in each year with no signing bonuses, and includes a nine-team no-trade clause the final three seasons.

While it is easy to see how much skill Girard possesses, this contract does come with its fair share of risk for the Avalanche. The 21-year old defenseman was acquired as part of the Matt Duchene trade in 2017 and has played 150 games for Colorado so far in his young career. He has just 47 points in those games including 27 last season despite getting ample powerplay time and averaging close to 20 minutes a game. The undersized puck-mover has tremendous skating ability and offensive upside, but hasn’t quite been able to reach the lofty expectations put on him when he came over from the Nashville Predators.

Still, there’s reason to be excited for the Avalanche. He turned 21 just over two months ago and has already proven he can at worst be a capable middle-pairing defender on a playoff team. If the offense does ever click or if he continues to develop in his own end a $5MM cap hit could be a bargain down the line. The deal buys out three unrestricted free agent seasons and takes him to age-29, essentially covering his entire prime at a fixed salary. That kind of cost certainty is valuable, especially for a team like Colorado that has so much uncertainty still to come. Mikko Rantanen is still unsigned and could be looking at a huge contract, while others like Cale Makar and Tyson Jost will need new deals down the line. Even captain Gabriel Landeskog only has two years remaining on his current contract, meaning the Avalanche needed some locked in numbers to build around moving forward.

That $5MM cap hit will give Girard something to live up to however and put even more pressure on the young defenseman. With Erik Johnson and Ian Cole out with injuries to start the season there will be huge responsibility placed on Girard and fellow youngster Makar. For a team that expects to compete for the Stanley Cup this season they need Girard to take another step forward in his development.

The contract gives the Avalanche 11 players signed to one-way contracts for the 2020-21 season. They have committed more than $48MM in those deals.

Colorado Avalanche Sign Vladislav Kamenev

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The Colorado Avalanche have come to terms with another one of their restricted free agents, signing Vladislav Kamenev to a one-year contract. Adrian Dater of Colorado Hockey Now reports the deal is worth $750K. Kamenev was not arbitration eligible and played just 23 NHL games last season. He will still be an RFA at the conclusion of the contract.

Kamenev, 22, was one of the more unheralded parts of the original Matt Duchene trade in 2017, coming over from the Nashville Predators alongside Samuel Girard. He may have had a bigger impact if he hadn’t broken his arm in his first game for the team and dealt with several other injuries since. In fact, the young forward has played just 35 games at any level in almost two full seasons in the Avalanche organization, unable to make an impact in the AHL or NHL.

That will all hopefully change this year as the 2014 second round pick is healthy and ready to compete for a spot in training camp. That spot may be difficult to grab however, given the improved depth the Avalanche have added this summer. The team brought in Nazem Kadri, Joonas Donskoi, Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and Andre Burakovsky to lengthen out their forward group, which may mean Kamenev finds himself on the outside looking in. Unfortunate for Colorado, the young forward is no longer waiver exempt and would be at risk of claim if they tried to send him down.

When still in the Nashville organization, there was plenty of hype that Kamenev could establish himself as a solid third-line center in the NHL one day. He had good success in the minor leagues and was a polished defensive option. That path has been derailed at this point and he’ll need to find some consistent playing time in order to get back on that development trajectory. Where that playing time comes is unclear at this point.

Arbitration Notes: Departures, Capitals, Sabres

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It’s no secret that salary arbitration is not a friendly process. If a player does make it all the way through the hearing, that means that they’ve sat through a presentation by their own team about just how bad they are compared to other similar players. While teams and players often use the threat of the unknown of an arbitrator’s decision to move contract talks along, the potential unpleasantness of a hearing is also plenty of motivation to come to terms. Case in point: Colorado’s Sheldon Dries, who today settled on a one-year, two-way contract worth $735K. Dries’ contract comes in just $35K above the absolute worst possible outcome in an arbitration hearing, yet he opted not to argue his case in hopes of a better outcome. Why? Likely to avoid the breakdown in a relationship between he and the Avalanche if the hearing got ugly. It’s more common than it may seem – The Athletic’s Craig Custance crunched the numbers and found that the vast majority of players who go through an arbitration hearing end up leaving that team, one way or another.

Over the past ten years, 27 players have gone into a hearing. Not all of those players required an arbitrator’s award, but any resulting settlements still came after the unfortunate back-and-forth. Of those 27 players, Custance found that 14 were on new teams within a year and 21 were on new teams within three years. All of last summer’s cases – Winnipeg’s Jacob Trouba, Ottawa’s Cody Ceci, Calgary’s Brett Kulak, and Dallas’ Gemel Smith – are on new teams now. In fact, of the 27 players who have reached a hearing since 2009, no player before 2015 remains on the team that the faced off with and only four players since still remain on good terms with their club: Nashville’s Craig Smith and Viktor Arvidsson, Washington’s Braden Holtby, and Vegas’ Nate Schmidt. This all goes to show that arbitration can be a dangerous method of negotiating for teams, even if the goal is to settle before an arbitrator’s decision. The numbers convincingly imply that an arbitration hearing is the death knell for a player’s relationship with his team. As far as this off-season goes, this analysis doesn’t bode well for Andrew Copp and the Jets, Christian Djoos and the Capitals, and Evan Rodrigues and the Sabres, all of whom not only went to hearings already this summer, but whose awards all favored the team more so than the player. With ten potential cases still to go, there could be even more players who one day look back at this off-season as the beginning of the end.

  • The Capitals may very well end up back in front of an arbitrator before long, with a case against forward Chandler Stephenson scheduled for August 1st. Although the decision in the Djoos case – a $1.25MM award against a $1.35MM midpoint – favored the team, it still puts them in a difficult situation regarding the salary cap and eliminates some hope that a resolution with Stephenson could come prior to a hearing. Washington is currently more than $300K over the salary cap ceiling after signing Djoos. While young defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler can be returned to the AHL without the threat of waivers for a $714K drop to get under the cap, it would leave the Capitals with just six defensemen. All of Washington’s 14 NHL forwards, including Stephenson, would be subject to waivers, although the team would likely want to carry that many forwards anyway. It’s a difficult conundrum not made any easier by the unknown of Stephenson’s contract either. The 25-year-old forward recorded 18 points in 67 games in 2017-18 and another 11 points in 62 games this past season. He will likely seek a salary of $1MM or more, a number that Washington simply cannot palate. Asked who the team would choose if faced with a choice between trading away Djoos or Stephenson to open up cap space and roster flexibility, NBC Sports’ J.J. Regan did not hesitate to say that Stephenson would be the one dealt. Defense is in short supply for the Capitals and Djoos is a proven starter. Stephenson on the other hand would be an expendable piece in a deep forward corps. It may not matter though, as moving Stephenson alone is unlikely to be a sufficient answer to Washington’s cap troubles.
  • If you think the Capitals having two cases is bad, wait until you hear about the Sabres. Like Washington, Buffalo has already been through one hearing this summer with forward Evan Rodrigues, landing a $2MM award against a $2.075MM midpoint. It was somewhat of a surprising decision and may have given GM Jason Botterill and company some confidence moving forward. That could wind up being a problem for all parties involved, as three of the remaining ten scheduled cases are also Sabres players: forward Remi Elie, goalie Linus Ullmark, and defenseman Jake McCabe. If Buffalo goes to hearing with even one more of these players, never mind all three, it could be a bad look for the organization and could cause a breakdown in numerous player relationships. However, if the team continues to win their arbitration battles, it would be a major help this season, as the team has just over $3MM in cap space left to sign the trio. It’s a long-term risk for a short-term gain for the Sabres.

Sheldon Dries Re-Signs With Colorado Avalanche

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The Colorado Avalanche have avoided arbitration with Sheldon Dries, signing the forward to a one-year contract. Dries was scheduled for a hearing on August 4th, but obviously won’t need that now. Dries was the only arbitration case left on the books for the Avalanche. According to Mike Chambers of the Denver Post, the deal is a two-way contract worth $735K at the NHL level.

Dries, 25, was an undrafted free agent coming out of Western Michigan University in 2017 and latched on with the Texas Stars on an AHL contract. That season he impressed the entire hockey world by scoring ten goals in the Calder Cup playoffs, helping the Stars reach the finals (which they would ultimately lose). He earned himself a one-year entry-level deal with the Avalanche and a chance to suit up for 40 games in the NHL during the 2018-19 season. Though he had just six points during those games, he established himself as a legitimate depth option that was deserving of another deal.

Whether Dries will see any more time in the NHL this season is still unclear. The Avalanche have improved their forward group tremendously with additions like Nazem Kadri, Joonas Donskoi and Andre Burakovsky, not leaving a lot of room for players like Dries to compete. Still he could very easily see some games as an injury replacement, especially given he is waiver-exempt and can be moved up and down without an issue.

Colorado Avalanche Sign Anton Lindholm

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Anton Lindholm decided not to file for arbitration earlier this month and he didn’t need to. The young defenseman has re-signed for two years with the Colorado Avalanche. CapFriendly reports the contract is a two-way deal and worth an average annual value of $742,500 at the NHL level.

Now 24, Lindholm’s career to a slight step backwards last season when he spent nearly the entire year in the minor leagues. After a 2017-18 campaign where he played 48 games with the Avalanche, he suited up just twice in the NHL and instead played 57 games with the Colorado Eagles. Now with an incredibly crowded NHL blue line he’ll be in a tough spot once again.

The Avalanche do have both Erik Johnson and Ian Cole on the shelf to start the season, but with Kevin Connauton, Cale Makar, Calle Rosen and Bowen Byram all competing (or already taking) NHL roles there isn’t a ton of room for Lindholm. Instead, he’ll probably serve as some injury insurance and anchor the minor league group. That would require waivers however, making him a possible target for teams looking for defensive depth at the end of training camp.

Lindholm will actually be a Group VI unrestricted free agent at the end of the deal if he doesn’t play in another 18 games. Otherwise, he’ll still be a restricted free agent in 2021.

Snapshots: Maroon, Rantanen, Ryczek, Puutio

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Defending Stanley Cup champion Patrick Maroon tells NHL.com’s Lou Korac that “it’s tough right now” for veterans to find a contract. Given the meager increase of the salary cap and the immense number of restricted free agents still unsigned, there has been a considerable break in unrestricted free agent signings over the past week or two. 14 of PHR’s Top 50 Unrestricted Free Agents still remain available, including Maroon, with little chatter pertaining to any of them. Maroon at least offers a glimmer of hope for his own situation, also informing Korac that he has had discussions with GM Doug Armstrong about a return to his hometown St. Louis Blues, saying that they’ve “had good conversations.” However, the Blues still have four RFA’s to sign, including three potential arbitration cases in Joel Edmundson, Oskar Sundqvist, and Ville Husso. Maroon will also be looking for fair value from St. Louis after taking a hometown discount last summer and becoming a key contributor for the team down the stretch and in the postseason. An extension won’t come easy for either side, but both parties and fans would surely like to see Maroon back in town next season. He and other unsigned veterans may just have to wait a while longer for offers to finally come through.

  • On the off chance that RFA Mikko Rantanen and the Colorado Avalanche cannot come to terms on an extension this summer, his KHL rights holder is preparing their pursuit. However, it’s not exactly a Godfather offer. Sport Express’ Igor Eronko reports that Ak Bars Kazan is willing to offer Rantanen a one-year, $4MM contract. While Eronko notes the lower tax rate in Russia and lack of escrow concerns, it’s still a very underwhelming number for a 22-year-old star forward coming off back-to-back 80+ point seasons. The Avalanche would be happy to top that salary, even taking the differences in tax and escrow into consideration. Rantanen is well within his right to be seeking a long-term contract with an AAV of $10MM+ or at least a bridge deal in the $8MM range, so Ak Bars’ offer is unlikely to move the needle toward a return to Europe.
  • Chicago Blackhawks prospect Jake Ryczek will have to prove himself in the AHL before earning an entry-level contract. The 21-year-old defenseman has signed a one-year deal with Chicago’s affiliate, the Rockford Ice Hogs, the team announced. Ryczek was a 2016 seventh-round pick, expected to be a long-term project developing at Providence College. Instead, Ryczek left the Friars midway through his freshman year and joined the QMJHL’s Halifax Mooseheads. The problem now is that Ryczek has aged out of the junior level with just a year and half of QMJHL experience and is still a raw prospect. Rather than use a limited roster spot to sign an unproven commodity, the Blackhawks will see what he can do in the AHL for the time being. Ryczek remains Chicago’s exclusive property until June 1st of next year.
  • The first overall pick in the CHL Import Draft has signed. Finnish defenseman Kasper Puutio, taken at No. 1 by the WHL’s Swift Current Broncos in June, has officially joined the team. Puutio began turning heads this past season when he was called up to the top level of Finland’s junior ranks at the age of 16 and performed well to boot. Draft source Future Considerations ranks Puutio as the No. 67 prospect for the 2020 NHL Draft in their early initial rankings, but some have called him a first-round caliber player, and that was before he joined the Canadian junior ranks. If he can continue to grow and produce in the more competitive WHL as a very young prospect, he could easily climb into the top 31 picks next year. Either way, the Broncos hope that they can take advantage of his puck-moving ability and competent defensive game for several years to come.

Bowen Byram Signs Entry-Level Contract

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The Colorado Avalanche have signed top prospect Bowen Byram to a three-year entry-level contract. The deal will only kick in for the 2019-20 season if Byram plays in more than nine games at the NHL level.

The fourth-overall pick in June’s draft, Byram was the top defenseman selected and is coming off an incredible season with the Vancouver Giants of the WHL. Playing this season at just 17 years old, Byram recorded 71 points in 67 games and led all players—defensemen or otherwise—in playoff scoring with 26 points. His upside as a puck-mover is unquestioned, but he’ll have to prove himself at Avalanche training camp before they hand him a full-time role in the NHL.

If he had been selected by another team, Byram’s chances at playing in the NHL for the entire 2019-20 season may have been higher. Colorado has built quite an impressive blue line over the last several years, and even after trading Tyson Barrie to the Toronto Maple Leafs still have eight or nine legitimate roster options. Ian Cole and Erik Johnson are expected to miss the start of the season with injuries, but that still leaves Cale Makar, Nikita Zadorov, Samuel Girard, Kevin Connauton, Mark Barberio, Calle Rosen and even Ryan Graves as possibilities, not to mention Conor Timmins if he can prove he’s healthy enough to contribute.

Though playing more than nine games would start Byram’s contract, teams around the league are worrying less and less about that threshold and more about the 40-game mark. That’s when the season would count towards his eventual unrestricted free agency status, meaning there is a scenario where the young defenseman plays more than nine and still returns to junior eventually. The team could potentially keep him until Cole or Johnson (or both) are set to return, and then potentially even send him to the World Juniors in December to delay the junior decision even further. Once they return him to the Giants they can’t recall him, making it an even tougher decision.

Even if Byram does return to the CHL at the beginning of the season, he represents another high-end piece for the Avalanche to build around. With Nathan MacKinnon still just 23 and Mikko Rantanen 22, there are good times coming in Colorado.

Morning Notes: Kelly, Rantanen, Penguins

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The Boston Bruins have hired former NHL forward Chris Kelly as a player development coordinator. The 38-year old was with the Ottawa Senators last season as a development coach, and is only just removed from a professional playing career that spanned 17 years, including an appearance at the 2018 Olympics for Team Canada. Kelly suited up 288 times in the regular season for the Bruins, and was part of the team that won the Stanley Cup in 2011. The team has also hired long-time pro scout Andrew Dickson, who was most recently with the Detroit Red Wings.

More notes from around the league…

  • The KHL rights for Mikko Rantanen have been traded, as the league prepares for the possibility of a potential NHL work stoppage. Even though Rantanen still doesn’t have a contract with the Colorado Avalanche, the acquisition by Ak Bars Kazan should not be considered an indication that he is heading overseas. Rantanen has developed into one of the premiere offensive wingers in the entire world, and should a work stoppage actually occur in the coming years teams all over the world will be scrambling for his (temporary) services.
  • Josh Yohe of The Athletic (subscription required) still believes that the Pittsburgh Penguins will make another trade before the end of the offseason, and has updated his look at the likelihood of that for each roster player. Yohe continues to list Nick Bjugstad, Bryan Rust and Tristan Jarry in the “favorite” category, though examines everyone else thoroughly (okay, Sidney Crosby’s blurb is anything but thorough). The Penguins re-signed Teddy Blueger recently and are now have less than $1MM in cap space remaining with Zach Aston-Reese and Marcus Pettersson still sitting as restricted free agents. While there is certainly some ways to wiggle around the cap issue, the team would still be pushed right to the ceiling all season and limited to what they can do to improve the club. A trade to free up some more cash does seem likely, though how long it will take for that to happen is unclear.

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