Snapshots: Czechia, Columbus, Landeskog
The Czech Foreign Ministry has told the San Jose Sharks and Nashville Predators that they will not welcome Russian-born players into the country for the Global Series games, scheduled to be held on October 7 and 8 in Prague. A report from the Associated Press confirms that a letter has been sent to the NHL explaining that visas are not to be issued to Russian players because of the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
However, deputy commissioner Bill Daly has expressed “no concern” to the AP about players traveling to Czechia, and Sharks general manager Mike Grier told reporters including Corey Masisak of The Athletic that the NHL is handling the situation. Grier also explained that his position is “we all go or we don’t go,” suggesting he will not take the Sharks to Prague if Alexander Barabanov and Evgeny Svechnikov, the team’s two healthy Russian players, are not allowed to participate.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets have made several changes in their hockey operations department, naming Trevor Timmins assistant director of amateur scouting, and hiring Marshall Davidson, Dale Derkatch, and Roman Polak (previously reported) as scouts. Zac Urback has been promoted to director of hockey analytics, and Mike Eaves, formerly the head coach of the Cleveland Monsters, will now serve as a pro scout.
- Gabriel Landeskog “won’t skate anytime soon” according to Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar, who told reporters including Peter Baugh of The Athletic that the captain is still dealing with an injury from last season. Landeskog is expected to miss the start of the year.
Colorado Avalanche To Sign Alex Galchenyuk To PTO
Not quite as big as signing Nathan MacKinnon to a massive eight-year extension but the Colorado Avalanche are bringing another high draft pick to camp. Alex Galchenyuk will sign a PTO with the Avalanche according to Peter Baugh of The Athletic.
Galchenyuk, 28, was the third overall pick in 2012 and would be joining his seventh NHL team should he earn a contract with Colorado. Last season he played with the Arizona Coyotes – his second stint with the club – scoring six goals and 21 points in 60 games. Once a 30-goal scorer with the Montreal Canadiens, Galchenyuk’s inconsistency and defensive struggles have left him scrambling for a job at this point in his career.
It’s not a lack of effort in this case, but things just haven’t clicked for Galchenyuk in the last several years. Given chances next to great talents like Evgeni Malkin and John Tavares, he hasn’t been able to produce at a high enough level to remain in a top-six role. With a limited defensive repertoire and little penalty-killing experience, a bottom-six role doesn’t seem to suit him well.
Still, there is skill and versatility in Galchenyuk, who can play center as long as his deployment is managed. In Colorado, perhaps he can find a home as a depth option that gets to play with talented teammates in offensive situations, and he can experience a nice little bounce-back season. That is of course only if he earns an actual NHL contract, something that is far from guaranteed with a PTO.
It wouldn’t be the first time that the Avalanche have taken a player previously written off and given them new life in a limited role – just ask Stanley Cup champions, Jack Johnson or Darren Helm – so perhaps they can work a little more magic with Galchenyuk this season.
Nathan MacKinnon Signs Eight-Year Extension
Nathan MacKinnon isn’t going anywhere. The Colorado Avalanche superstar has signed an eight-year extension to stay in Denver through the 2030-31 season. The deal will pay MacKinnon an average of $12.6MM per season, meaning he will be the highest-paid player in the league, just eclipsing Connor McDavid‘s $12.5MM AAV.
The deal, which kicks in for the 2023-24 season, will double his current cap hit of $6.3MM, a deal that has become one of the greatest bargains in the entire league. MacKinnon signed the seven-year deal in 2016 when he was still putting up an average of just 50 points per season. Things have certainly changed since then, with three appearances as a Hart Trophy finalist and a Stanley Cup this past spring.
There are few players in the league that can impact a game as much as the 27-year-old center. MacKinnon’s incredibly powerful skating stride can separate him from defenders in an instant, his offensive instincts are among the best in the world, and his shot creation results in plenty of opportunities for himself and his linemates. Since 2017-18, his first true superstar campaign, his 442 points trail only McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, while his points-per-game are behind only McDavid and Nikita Kucherov.
Incredibly, if MacKinnon didn’t already have nine seasons of NHL action under his belt, he wouldn’t have even reached unrestricted free agency this summer, having only turned 27 at the start of September. That means the extension will span his age 28-35 seasons, and that the Avalanche won’t be on the hook for a big number as he enters his late-thirties. While it remains a huge number to carry, it is likely still a bargain for the next couple of seasons while MacKinnon remains an elite player. If the salary cap takes a big jump, it could remain one for the majority of the extension.
There is no short-changing MacKinnon here though. The superstar will receive $85.34MM of the $100.8MM deal in the form of signing bonuses, and a full no-movement clause will kick in right away and last throughout the entire extension. CapFriendly gives the full details:
- 2023-24: $775K salary + $15.725MM signing bonus
- 2024-25: $775K salary + $15.725MM signing bonus
- 2025-26: $800K salary + $15.25MM signing bonus
- 2026-27: $9.15MM salary + $3.0MM signing bonus
- 2027-28: $990K salary + $8.91MM signing bonus
- 2028-29: $990K salary + $8.91MM signing bonus
- 2029-30: $990K salary + $8.91MM signing bonus
- 2030-31: $990K salary + $8.91MM signing bonus
It’s a massive commitment from the Avalanche, though one that is very much deserved. Not only is MacKinnon one of the best players in the league but he also has been through the worst the franchise has to offer, when Colorado was putting up historically-bad results. In 2016-17 the team won just 22 games, finishing dead last and more than 20 points behind the next worst. They would go on to lose the draft lottery as well, though that ended up inn their favor, as the fourth-overall pick was Cale Makar.
While the Conn Smythe this year went to Makar it could have easily been MacKinnon to take home the playoff MVP, after leading the postseason with 13 goals in 20 games. For his career, he has performed at an incredibly high level when the games matter most, scoring 41 goals and 93 points in 70 career playoff games.
With this deal, along with extensions already worked out for Makar, Gabriel Landeskog, Valeri Nichushkin, and Artturi Lehkonen, the team’s competitive window remains wide open for the foreseeable future. It also likely leaves some money on the table, which will help out when Devon Toews and Mikko Rantanen need extensions down the road (2024 and 2025 respectively).
MacKinnon may end up playing his entire career with Colorado, given how long this new deal extends. His potential free agency is now something Avalanche fans won’t have to think about for a very long time.
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Extension For Nathan MacKinnon “Pretty Close”
The Colorado Avalanche and Nathan MacKinnon are “pretty close” to an extension, according to the superstar forward who spoke with reporters including John Matisz of theScore at today’s NHL Player Media Tour. MacKinnon explained that the deal will be fair but “not going to be a single digit.”
One can only assume he means the average annual value will be at least $10MM, though even that would be a discount for the Stanley Cup champion.
MacKinnon, who just turned 27 two weeks ago, is headed into the final season of a seven-year, $44.1MM contract signed in 2016 that has become one of the league’s biggest bargains. For $6.3MM against the cap, the Avalanche have received a three-time Hart Trophy finalist, Lady Byng winner, and one of the most dominant two-way centers in the league.
Since the start of the 2017-18 season, only Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl have outscored MacKinnon’s 442 points, and both of them have played more games than the Colorado phenom. His 167 goals during that stretch put him seventh in the league, while his +88 rating (seventh-highest over that span) gives a glimpse of just how dominant the Avalanche have been whenever he is on the ice.
There’s a real chance that MacKinnon – if he chooses to – could become the highest-paid player in the league on his next contract. That title currently goes to McDavid and his $12.5MM cap hit. At the very least, one would expect MacKinnon to join the select group of players that earns at least $11MM per season, which includes McDavid, Artemi Panarin, Auston Matthews, Erik Karlsson, John Tavares, and Drew Doughty for 2022-23 season.
Amazingly, the Avalanche do currently project to have the room to keep him, even at a price that high. The team has set up many of their contracts to expire at the end of this season, with Erik Johnson, J.T. Compher, Evan Rodrigues, Andrew Cogliano, and Darren Helm all coming off the books (if they choose to let them go). While there are other players – like star defenseman Devon Toews – to re-sign in the coming years, MacKinnon’s contract will certainly take precedence.
In fact, it has been somewhat surprising that an extension hasn’t been announced already, given he has been eligible for more than two months. Perhaps the team was allowing him and the rest of the Avalanche time to enjoy their celebratory offseason after finally breaking through and winning the Stanley Cup.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Colorado Avalanche Sign Evan Rodrigues
It appears as though patience has paid off for Evan Rodrigues, who suddenly finds himself in an excellent situation. The free agent forward has signed a one-year, $2MM contract with the Colorado Avalanche, joining the reigning Stanley Cup champions just a few weeks before the season begins.
The Avalanche were one of the deepest forward groups in the lineup by the time the playoffs rolled around, but have watched the likes of Nazem Kadri, Andre Burakovsky, Nico Sturm, and Nicolas Aube-Kubel all depart in free agency. While the team is driven by an outstanding group of defensemen and a handful of star forwards, it was that depth that made them so difficult to play against, as they iced four lines that could compete.
Rodrigues, 29, comes in at a relative discount after scoring 43 points last season and can help lengthen out that lineup again this season. The versatile forward can play center or wing, and while he likely can’t replace the offense that Kadri brought, he does enter a situation that may see him continue his breakout.
Last season the undrafted forward scored 19 goals while playing in all 82 games for the first time in his career, and while he did play a good chunk of his even-strength minutes with Sidney Crosby, that’s actually not where his production came from. In fact, Rodrigues didn’t score a single goal during the 318 5v5 minutes he played alongside the Penguins’ captain, instead doing much better with the likes of Kasperi Kapanen and Danton Heinen.
If he can continue to play that type of strong secondary scoring presence while a little further down the Colorado lineup, the Avalanche will continue to have that impressive depth that took them so far. It should be noted, however, that Rodrigues’ previous career-high was nine goals and 29 points – likely why teams weren’t willing to offer him a long-term contract this summer.
Colorado Avalanche Announce Rookie Tournament Roster
- We recently covered how the San Jose Sharks would be hosting a tournament for prospects from six NHL teams. Today, each of those six teams (the Sharks, Kings, Ducks, Coyotes, Avalanche, and Golden Knights) announced their rosters for the camp. There are quite a few notable names to look forward to at that tournament, including first-round picks Quinton Byfield, Mason McTavish, William Eklund, Conor Geekie, Oskar Olausson, and Brendan Brisson, among others.
Snapshots: Dach, Sharks Rookie Tournament, Stadium Series
After being originally reported by Sportsnet’s Eric Engels last week, his colleague Elliotte Friedman confirmed the original report today on the 32 Thoughts podcast. Echoing the fact that the Canadiens and Dach are close to signing Dach to a four-year contract, he added that the team is likely working on other moves before making the deal official.
Cap implications aside, the team will likely need to trade a forward (or two) just to have space for Dach in the lineup. With the addition of Sean Monahan into the fold for next season, Dach will likely shift to wing. He has the most experience there out of Montreal’s five natural centers in their top 12 forwards. With Cole Caufield, Mike Hoffman, Josh Anderson, Jonathan Drouin, Evgenii Dadonov, and Brendan Gallagher all in the fold, there’s just not enough room in Montreal’s NHL lineup to have Dach play an appropriate role to continue developing. Cap implications are certainly a part of that, though, as a $3.5MM cap hit as surmised by Friedman and Engels would still put Montreal dangerously close to the salary cap even with Carey Price‘s $10MM cap hit on long-term injured reserve.
- The San Jose Sharks are hosting this year’s 2022 Rookie Faceoff, a voluntary tournament for teams’ rookie camp rosters to get some game experience against each other. The Anaheim Ducks announced their participation today, noting that the Arizona Coyotes, Colorado Avalanche, Los Angeles Kings, and Vegas Golden Knights will also participate. The tournament will feature nine games in total across four days from September 16 through September 19. Anaheim has not lost a rookie tournament game in regulation since 2016, going 11-0-2 in the process.
- The Athletic’s Sean Shapiro reports that American coverage of the 2023 Stadium Series game will be on ESPN after TNT/Turner Sports hosted coverage last season. ESPN will broadcast the Carolina Hurricanes’ first-ever outdoor game as they host the Washington Capitals at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh on February 18, 2023. Shapiro also adds that the full slate of American national TV games is expected to come out later this week as the regular season approaches.
Tyler Weiss Could Sign Pro Contract
- Brad Elliott Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald reports that Colorado Avalanche draft pick Tyler Weiss is likely moving on to a pro career after not registering for classes at the University of Nebraska Omaha. Weiss’ signing rights are still held by the Avalanche, so after scoring 33 points in 36 games last season in Omaha, Weiss will likely sign within the organization before the start of the season.
Colorado Avalanche Sign Shane Bowers
Late last night, the Colorado Avalanche re-signed restricted free agent Shane Bowers to a one-year, two-way contract. The deal is worth $750K at the NHL level, and $100K in the minor leagues, according to PuckPedia.
This is something of a show-me season for the young forward, who was selected in the first round five years ago and has still yet to make a real impact at the professional level. While not reaching the NHL by now might not be the end of the world, Bowers hasn’t even been very productive at the AHL level, scoring just 13 goals and 18 points over the last two seasons combined.
Still, there is at least some hope that with a few tweaks he can become at least a regular bottom-six contributor, because of his strong skating ability and NHL size. He’ll likely get that chance at training camp this season as he is now eligible for waivers, meaning if the Avalanche want to send him to the Colorado Eagles again, he’ll be available for any other team in the league.
Waiver status often forces a player into the NHL, but it doesn’t often keep them there. Bowers will have to show that he can bring something to the table every night, or even a claiming team will soon be sending him back to the AHL. Still a restricted free agent at the end of this season, his chances are running out.
Free Agent Profile: Paul Stastny
When the Colorado Avalanche won the Stanley Cup this year, they did so without a player who many thought a decade ago would be a long-term franchise cornerstone. That player is Paul Stastny, who, now 36 years old, remains a free agent almost a month after the signing period opened this offseason. After falling to the second round in the 2005 NHL Draft, Stastny blew the doors off the Avalanche franchise with three out of four 70-point seasons to begin his NHL career in 2007, 2008, and 2010.
While he never replicated that offensive success, largely due to a variety of injuries, Stastny remained a capable top-six two-way center for years to come. Now a veteran of over 1,000 games, though, Stastny is coming off his second full season with the Winnipeg Jets and remains without a Stanley Cup. He may be somewhat of a forgotten name as his best seasons are behind him, but Stastny’s still managed 74 points in 127 games over the last two seasons while averaging over 17 minutes per game. It’s fair to say that while the end of the road for Stastny may be near, it’s not here yet.
Stastny’s 16-year resume with Winnipeg and Colorado in addition to time with the St. Louis Blues and Vegas Golden Knights still make him a valuable asset to teams looking to add cohesiveness in their locker room as they vie for a championship. He hasn’t been a name that’s popped up in many rumors, but he should certainly be on the radar of teams as the offseason slogs on.
Stats
2021-22: 71 GP, 21G, 24A, 45 pts, +14 rating, 14 PIMs, 141 shots, 17:47 ATOI
Career: 1072 GP, 284G, 516A, 800 pts, +50 rating, 484 PIMs, 2246 shots, 18:53 ATOI
Potential Suitors
Poetically enough, a reunion with the team that drafted him shouldn’t be out of the question. If the Avalanche can’t manage to re-sign Nazem Kadri this late in the game, they have more than enough cap space to accommodate a reasonable one-year deal for Stastny. Providing a little more offensive upside than J.T. Compher and more experience than Alex Newhook, Stastny could be a strong short-term solution to Colorado’s open spot at center on the second line.
Another team that could look to acquire Stastny to fill the same role to shelter a younger player is the Carolina Hurricanes. While Jesperi Kotkaniemi will get paid a decent chunk of change next year, he hasn’t really done much to earn that dollar value with his performance. With a team like Carolina that’s so close to winning, Stastny could be a desirable veteran backup to Sebastian Aho, and, with Carolina’s depth on the wing, he’d have a lot of offensive support. The team would likely need to shed cap to make room for him, however.
Projected Contract
Stastny is coming off a one-year $3.75MM contract with Winnipeg. With a decent performance last season, too, there will be a team out there able and willing to pay him more than the league minimum. While he likely won’t replicate that dollar value, a contract in the $1.75MM-$2.5MM range could be there for Stastny in the coming days.
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