- Although he is 21 and now on his entry-level deal, Columbus prospect Jonathan Davidsson will not play at the AHL level if he fails to make the Blue Jackets’ opening roster next season, notes Craig Merz of NHL.com. Instead, he would return to Djurgardens of the SHL where he played a key role for them last year with 31 points in 52 games. It was his performance last year that has him on the NHL radar despite being selected in the sixth round (170th overall) just one year ago.
Blue Jackets Rumors
College Notes: Meyer, Fensore, Rule Changes
Carson Meyer’s luck has finally turned. The Ohio native and Columbus Blue Jackets draft pick was hoping to make it the Buckeye State trifecta by transferring to Ohio State for his junior year collegiate season. Meyer struggled this past season at Miami University, fighting health issues and fatigue to record only ten points despite reaching 26 as a freshman and 51 in his final junior season in the USHL. Meyer later discovered that the “sickness” impacting his play was actually a 25-inch tapeworm. Wanting to put that experience past him, Meyer transferred to OSU only to be told that he would likely have to sit for a year due to NCAA transfer rules. However, the university has announced that the NCAA has approved their submitted waiver for Meyer to participate immediately this year. Now back at full health and joining a team that reached the Frozen Four last year, the quick winger could be in store for a breakout campaign.
- Boston University has received a commitment from U.S. National Development Team defenseman Dominick Fensore, beginning in the 2019-20 season. The young rearguard took to Twitter to announce the decision himself. While Fensore clearly has enough talent to play in the exclusive development program, he brings the undersized defensemen trend to a new level. The 16-year-old stands 5’6″ and is listed at just 141 pounds. While the teenage blue liner surely has more growing to do, that is incredibly small for any hockey player, never the less a defenseman. Luckily, BU has excelled in recent years with developing smaller defensemen, such as the Boston Bruins’ Matt Grzelcyk and current NHL prospects Chad Krys (CHI) and David Farrance (NSH). After another year with the USNTDP, playing alongside top 2019 defensive prospect and future Boston College rival Cam York, Fensore should be ready to join the Terriers and make an impact at the college level.
- The rules for overtime in the NCAA will be a bit different going forward and how different they are will depend on the conference. The NCAA approved a proposal this week that gives each conference autonomy in deciding how best to handle overtime out of three options. If the score is tied after regulation, there will continue to be a mandatory five-minute, five-on-five overtime. After that, the new rule allows for a) the game to end in a tie, b) a shootout, or c) a five-minute, three-on-three overtime followed by a shootout. Non-conference games and postseason games will continue to use their previous overtime formats. Another new rule also provides each time with an additional timeout if the game goes to overtime. Other approved rule changes include using video replay to review ejection-worthy penalties, new definitions for slashing and legal substitution, and – perhaps most interesting – allowing teams to dress 19 players rather than the typical 18 players for each game.
Liam Foudy Signs Entry-Level Contract With Columbus Blue Jackets
The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed their 2018 first-round pick, announcing a three-year entry-level contract for Liam Foudy. Foudy is still expected to return to the London Knights for the 2018-19 season, which would allow his contract to slide forward one year.
Foudy, the 18th-overall selection this year, is an incredibly talented athlete that still has work to do to reach his full potential. Not expected to be drafted so high early in the year, Foudy kept climbing up draft boards and impressed at the NHL Scouting Combine where he won several events and performed well in nearly all the others. Though he had just 40 points for the Knights, he showed enough to make a believer out of Blue Jackets’ GM Jarmo Kekalainen, who is known to take big risks in the draft for players he thinks can be top-end NHL talents.
That’s the ceiling for Foudy, who will try to take the next step on a London team that should be a contender for the Memorial Cup this season. If he’s given more offensive responsibility, he could find another level of production and prove the Blue Jackets right. At the very least the team will continue to work with him and try to turn his outstanding athleticism into outstanding hockey performance.
Snapshots: Dallas Trades, Milano, Armia
The Dallas Stars have been deep in talks with the Ottawa Senators for the right to trade for Erik Karlsson this offseason, although negotiations seems to have died down after Ottawa supposedly insisted on Dallas including top defensive prospect Miro Heiskanen in the deal. However, Dallas, who has been rather quiet this offseason looks to be still working the phones on adding talent through the trade market, according to NHL.com’s Mark Stepneski.
The scribe writes that general manager Jim Nill said in an interview that he is still talking to teams about potential trades.
“I can’t name things, but there is still lots out there,” Nill said. “We’re talking to teams. There is still a lot of movement happening within the business. I can’t say there is anything happening overnight, but there is a lot of dialogue still.”
Nill has said that he likes the team, which has added former first-rounder Valeri Nichushkin, Heiskanen, Blake Comeau and backup goaltender Anton Khudobin. However, with many big names still available in trades, it wouldn’t be surprising if Dallas was looking to make one more big move.
- The Hockey Writers’ Mark Scheig writes that if the Columbus Blue Jackets must part with Artemi Panarin, the team will likely have to look in their own organization for a potential replacement player who can take that next step on offense for them — namely Sonny Milano. While a year ago, the fans were ready to move on from the prospect after two long years in Cleveland with the AHL, Milano is the team’s best left wing offensive talent who could step in and replace Panarin. However, the scribe writes that the problem is that his defense has been holding him back, but if Milano shows that he can improve on that aspect of his game, he might thrive in a top-six role. The 22-year-old averaged just 11:39 ATOI per game last year and still managed to score 14 goals. If he could find better minutes, he might be the breakout player many thought he would be years ago.
- With a new team and new opportunities in front of him, NHL.com’s Matt Cudzinowski interviews Joel Armia, who was acquired by the Montreal Canadiens a month ago from the Winnipeg Jets. The 25-year-old Armia said while his goal is to always improve on the season before, he is concentrating his training on improving his speed. “I’ve been working a lot more on my skating and speed,” Armia said. “I think that’s going to help me more and more on the ice. The game is getting faster every year, so skating and speed have been the main focus. I’m training with a couple of guys in Pori who play pro in Finland. I’ve also been working in Helsinki with Teuvo Teravainen and Esa Lindell, and a couple of young guys who’ve been drafted. In Helsinki, they have some good skating coaches. That’s where I go every other week to work. I’ll spend about three days there at a time. I also get my off-ice workout programs there and train in Pori.”
The Contract Each Team Would Most Like To Trade: Part I
Nearly every team has one of those players: a top talent they were excited to sign and never thought could do anything but help them. In hindsight, history shows that more often than not, expensive, long-term free agent contracts don’t work out. It may look good at first (or it may look bad right away to the outside observer), but players struggle to make their value last throughout a lengthy contract. Those contracts come back to bite teams and are hard to get rid of. As teams begin to finalize their rosters at this point in the off-season, many are struggling to make everyone fit under the salary cap and are regretting these past signings that exasperate a cap crunch that can be tough for even a mistake-free club. Here are the contracts that each team would most like to trade, from Anaheim to Dallas:
Anaheim Ducks: Corey Perry – three years, $25.875MM remaining
Corey Perry is no doubt a fan favorite in Anaheim. The big winger is a career Duck who has always played with an edge and a knack for finding the back of the net. However, the former 50-goal scorer has just 19 and 17 in the past two years respectively to the tune of $8.625MM per year. His lack of speed is apparent to even the most inexperienced hockey fan and he has drawn criticism from both GM Bob Murray and coach Randy Carlyle for the drop-off in his skating ability and production. The Ducks aren’t quite up against the salary cap just yet, but have three restricted free agents still unsigned and some big decisions on the horizon. Things are about to get tight in Anaheim and, as much as Ducks fans may not want to hear it, trading Perry away in the right deal would be the easiest solution.
Arizona Coyotes: None
The Coyotes trade for bad contracts, as the perennial salary cap floor dwellers rarely sign or acquire an expensive, long-term deal with an actual asset who may not be worth it.
Boston Bruins: David Backes – three years, $18MM remaining
On July 1st, 2016, it was leaked that Boston would sign David Backes to a one-year, $6MM contract and the Bruins were praised for bringing the veteran forward in as a hired gun. That celebration was short-lived, as the report was soon corrected to being a five-year deal with the same yearly salary and many questioned adding a 32-year-old with 727 games to his credit on a contract of that length and value. Two years later, the doubters have been proven right for the most part. Backes has not been bad in Boston (71 points in 131 games) and injuries have certainly affected his game, but it appears that his 50-point upside and Selke-caliber high-energy play are a thing of the past. Backes doesn’t have a defined role with the Bruins going forward and, as a team that doesn’t need the extra leadership and locker room presence and does need as much cap space as it can get, Boston would be better off if Backes were elsewhere.
Buffalo Sabres: Zach Bogosian – two years, $10.286MM remaining
The Sabres are finally trending in the right direction and have even used other teams’ bad salary cap situations to bring in some nice players this off-season. Buffalo themselves are in fine shape with the cap. However, there is still one contract that is bringing them down and that is Zach Bogosian. If Bogosian was fully healthy, his cap hit of just over $5.1MM would not be too bad. The 28-year-old defenseman has been a very capable two-way player in his career. Unfortunately, he just hasn’t been healthy enough during his time in Buffalo to be worth that salary. Bogosian played in only 18 games last year due to injury – and when he did play it showed that he wasn’t 100% – and has never topped 64 games in a season with the Sabres. The team has several young defenseman that could use as much ice time as possible and a beat up Bogosian isn’t helping anyone in Buffalo. Chances are the Sabres could still get a good return for the rearguard if he does show signs of being back at full-strength.
Calgary Flames: Troy Brouwer – two years, $9MM remaining
Calgary is in a really difficult salary cap situation with little space as is and five restricted free agent situations still to sort out. The team simply can afford to be paying Brouwer $4.5MM in each of the next two years for what he brings to the table. Many were skeptical of the Brouwer contract when signed and they were correct. The veteran power forward has only 25 and 22 points respectively in his first two years in Calgary, including just six goals last season, and at 32 years old he is unlikely to improve. Brouwer has even lost some of his trademark physical edge and recorded a career-low average time on ice last season when he was simply a non-factor in most games. With multiple players filing for salary arbitration, the Flames have been awarded an extra buyout period and it would not come as a shock to see Brouwer fall victim to it.
Carolina Hurricanes: Scott Darling – three years, $12.45MM remaining
The argument here is not that the Hurricanes should trade Darling because they need the cap space but that they should trade Darling because they need a better starting goaltender. Carolina is in fine salary cap shape, but so long as Darling is making more than $4MM per year, the team is likely to stick with him as the top guy. They have already committed to giving him another chance as the starter next season. Unfortunately, Darling’s first season in Raleigh hardly convinced anyone that this contract would work out. Moving from backup to starter, Darling seemed to crumble under the pressure even behind a stout defense, posting an .888 save percentage and 3.18 GAA as one of the worst keepers in the NHL. Perhaps his play will improve in year two, but the Hurricanes can’t be happy with the early results.
Chicago Blackhawks: Brent Seabrook – six years, $41.25MM remaining
When the Blackhawks made Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews the highest paid players in the league back in 2014, who would have figured that a different contract would be causing the team problems? Brent Seabrook’s eight-year, $55MM extension is already a nightmare for Chicago with the bulk of the contract still to come. Seabrook is a fine defenseman, but that doesn’t cut it when you’re paid like one of the top defenseman in the league, but your play is slipping and your team is finishing last in the division. This past season especially, it was clear that Seabrook has lost a step. Both his scoring and checking have diminished and he no longer resembles the player who was regularly posting 40+ points and garnering Norris Trophy votes. Seabrook will turn 34 later this season and it seems guaranteed that this contract only gets worse unless the team finds some way to trade him.
Colorado Avalanche: Erik Johnson – five years, $30MM remaining
The Avalanche have one of the lowest payrolls in the league with superstar Nathan MacKinnon locked up long-term at a reasonable rate. Their distance from the cap ceiling this season makes egregious contracts with just one year remaining – like streaky starter Semyon Varlamov and invisible forward Colin Wilson – somewhat tolerable. However, several major contributors are set to be restricted free agents after next season, Colorado will need to add another goaltender, and could still stand to add another difference-maker up front. Things could get tighter for the Avs moving forward and the one contract that could become a problem is Erik Johnson. Johnson eats up minutes and plays a defensively sound game, but the veteran defenseman is injury prone and does not create enough offense to warrant a $6MM cap hit. If the Avalanche were offered a reasonable deal for Johnson today they may not take it, but this time next year that same deal will be far more attractive.
Columbus Blue Jackets: Brandon Dubinsky – three years, $17.55MM remaining
The Blue Jackets pay Brandon Dubinsky like a second-line center and last season got fourth-line production from the veteran. Yes, Dubinsky has had his fair share of injuries, but a consistent 40+ point scorer dropping to just 16 points on the year was alarming. Columbus is no longer a small market team still figuring things out; the Jackets are a contender and like most contenders are close to the salary cap limit. The team can’t afford to have Dubinsky continuing to produce at this level while costing them $5.85MM against the cap. They hope that he bounces back this year, but even a slow start could have Columbus taking their best offer.
Dallas Stars: Martin Hanzal – two years, $9.5MM remaining
It may be too early to judge last summer’s Martin Hanzal contract, but if Dallas was offered a re-do right now, they would take it. Hanzal’s first season with the Stars was a disaster. Injuries limited him to just 38 games and even when active he contributed only ten points – a 22-point pace over a full season – and somehow finished with the second-lowest plus/minus rating on the team. If Hanzal gets healthy, which is a big if, he could return to form next season, but if not the Stars could be quick to deal him away. The team desperately needs to bounce back from a devastating slump that cost them a playoff spot and have been rumored to be interested in big (expensive) names all off-season. That plan doesn’t mix well with a $4.75MM player who brought almost nothing to the team last year.
Keep an eye out for Part II of this three-part series coming soon…
Atlantic Notes: Panarin, Donato, Red Wings, Canadiens
With so many of their rivals attempting to take that next step to guarantee the top spot in the Atlantic Division, the Boston Globe’s Kevin Paul Dupont writes that the Boston Bruins should definitely do everything they can to acquire the services of Columbus Blue Jackets’ star forward Artemi Panarin. With an impressive city for a young, talented forward to establish himself in, the scribe writes that Boston would be the perfect landing place for the star, except for the fact that the team has no Russians on it.
Regardless Panarin, who will be a unrestricted free agent after next season, could be the team’s next Brad Marchand and provide the team with two of the best left wingers in the league. Panarin’s addition to the team’s second line would also be a huge boost for veteran center David Krejci who might be the perfect complement for him. Dupont suggests the team could make a deal that centers around Jake Debrusk and defenseman Brandon Carlo, two big hits to the team, but a deal that could prove to be worth it down the road.
- After an impressive performance with the Bruins at the end of the season, Ryan Donato has been working hard this summer to ensure there will be a place for him in the Bruins lineup, according to The Athletic’s Joe McDonald (subscription required). The 22-year-old arrived after wrapping up his third year at Harvard University and posted five goals and nine points in 12 games, but saw little playoff time as Bruins’ coach Bruce Cassidy opted to play veterans over him instead. Now, Donato has been training with Edge Performance System along with other NHL players in hopes of locking up a spot on Boston’s third line alongside veteran David Backes and he is open to either playing on the left wing or fighting for the center position.
- In a mailbag segment, the Detroit Free-Press’ Helene St. James writes that while she believes that propsects Michael Rasmussen, Filip Zadina, Filip Hronek and Dennis Cholowski all should be on the Red Wings roster at some point during the 2018-19 seasons, However, she believes that only Rasmussen and Hronek are likely to make the team out of training camp with Zadina and Cholowski expected to see more time with the Grand Rapids Griffins in the AHL. Zadina, at his size and age, might need more time getting experience playing against older competition in the AHL before joining up with Detroit, while Cholowski has played just two games at the AHL level in his career, suggesting he might need a little more time.
- Brendan Kelly of the Montreal Gazette writes about the Montreal Canadiens’ Geoff Moulson and Marc Bergevin who have been talking for weeks about their plan to turn around the franchise. He writes that the team’s plan was a two-word plan, called John Tavares, which was a longshot at best, which made it look even worse when they missed out on veteran Paul Stastny as well. He believes the team is rebuilding now because they have no choice as he examines the team’s offseason moves and where the team stands.
Latest On Artemi Panarin Extension Talks
The Columbus Blue Jackets are busy trying to overcome the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals to become the top dog in the Metropolitan Division, and the recent decision of Artemi Panarin to avoid extension negotiations has put them in a tough spot. While Panarin doesn’t want to sign a long-term deal with the Blue Jackets at the moment, the team has to make a decision about whether he’s more useful to them as a trade asset or a potential expiring contract next summer. The superstar forward could fetch quite a price on the trade market, but is also an integral piece of the Blue Jackets’ attack. We may get a little more clarity soon enough though, as Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (subscription required) now reports that Panarin has set a date of September 13th a deadline for any “business matters.”
That’s the first day of training camp for the Blue Jackets, making a deadline like this not all that unreasonable for a player to demand. Many before Panarin have told their respective teams that they don’t want to negotiate during the season, this time is only different because he also doesn’t seem to want to negotiate right now. Panarin is less than a year away from becoming an unrestricted free agent, and may not want to give that chance up.
A deadline of this sort definitely affects the trade market though, as any team who would want to extend Panarin would seemingly have to both acquire and negotiate in less than two months. While that’s certainly possible, every day that goes by makes it tougher for Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen to get full value back for his offensive dynamo. Whether he even wants to move him is still unclear, but the biggest return would surely come if Panarin was willing to work out an extension prior to the deal.
The trade market in the NHL seems quiet right now, with things having calmed down on both Max Pacioretty and Erik Karlsson in the last week, but Panarin’s future could change that in a moment. If he is ever truly put on the block there will be 30 teams calling Kekalainen to find out what it would take to get him, especially given his reasonable $6MM cap hit this season. $2MM of that has already been paid out as a signing bonus, making him one of the biggest bargains in the league in terms of offensive production. If he’s made available this summer, even teams that are on the playoff bubble would be after him knowing they could flip Panarin at the deadline if necessary. The 26-year old forward holds no trade protection in his current deal.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Columbus Blue Jackets, Arizona Coyotes Complete Minor Trade
The Columbus Blue Jackets have sent Jacob Graves and a conditional 2019 sixth-round pick to the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for 22-year old forward Ryan MacInnis. If MacInnis plays 20 NHL games this season, the Coyotes would receive a 2020 fifth-round pick instead. Graves and MacInnis are both on the final years of their entry-level contracts and will be restricted free agents next summer.
Columbus has been notoriously thin down the middle for the last few seasons while having a surplus of young defenders, making this deal just a move to secure some depth for the organization. MacInnis was originally selected in the second round by the Coyotes in 2014, but hasn’t been able to find any of the scoring touch he showed in junior and had slipped down the depth chart in the minor leagues. The son of legendary NHL defenseman Al MacInnis will try to find new heights after getting a fresh start with the Blue Jackets organization.
Graves—who bears no relation to NHL All-Star Adam Graves—has been in the Columbus organization since signing his entry-level deal in 2016 fresh off winning a Memorial Cup with the London Knights. The defensive defenseman has split his minor league seasons between the ECHL and AHL and is unlikely to ever make an impact at the NHL level, but had to be included for the Blue Jackets to keep some contract slots open for other signings. The Coyotes are in a tougher boat when it comes to that, as they are currently at the 50-contract limit with Marek Langhamer still to sign. They will be able to create some room by sending players back to junior, but are still in a complicated roster position.
Artemi Panarin Meets With Columbus Blue Jackets, Still No Extension Progress
One of the most interesting emerging storylines of this offseason has been the future of Columbus Blue Jackets forward Artemi Panarin. The 26-year old forward told the team he was not interested in signing a long-term extension right away, instead needing some time to decide where he wants play and live for the next several years. Today, Panarin met with Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen in Nice, France to discuss the situation, but didn’t come out with a resolution. Aaron Portzline of The Athletic spoke with Panarin’s agent Dan Milstein after the meeting, who told him there was still “no contract progress at this time.” Igor Eronko of Sport-Express was also told that Panarin is still not willing to sign a long-term deal right now, despite the 45-minute meeting.
Panarin’s contract talks are such a big story in the NHL because there are some who believe the Blue Jackets would consider trading their superstar if they can’t get the security of an extension over the next few months. If it becomes clear that he is going to head to unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2019, there is likely an urgency to receive something of value for him before long. The recent departure of John Tavares from New York likely only strengthens the idea of trading Panarin, as the Islanders weren’t able to cash in on their expiring asset, believing that he would eventually re-sign. A Panarin trade would demand a huge return for the Blue Jackets after another outstanding season in which he recorded 82 points in 81 games and found some nice chemistry with Pierre-Luc Dubois.
To be clear, there is no guarantee that Panarin won’t eventually sign with the Blue Jackets. Milstein has made it clear in the past that his client loves the Columbus organization and has been treated extremely well during his time there, but just isn’t currently willing to commit to living there for the next huge chunk of his career. That’s his right as a pending unrestricted free agent, and should he hit the market he’ll have no shortage of suitors willing to spend big on him. Panarin is a legitimate offensive superstar, able to create scoring almost at will and proved this season that he can drive a line himself. Just as Tavares was a huge boost for the Toronto Maple Leafs this summer, Panarin could vault almost any playoff team into serious contender status. The fact is that he does that too for the Blue Jackets, making it an incredibly tough decision for Kekalainen as his team attempts to contend for the Stanley Cup this season.
Metropolitan Notes: Panarin, Oleksiak, Skjei
With the team’s work with their restricted free agents now complete, Columbus Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen now has time to work on more important projects for the team. The GM’s top priority is to attempt to talk to star Artemi Panarin and try and talk him into signing a long-term deal. Now, NHL.com’s Igor Eronko reports that Kekalainen intends to meet with Panarin in France on Monday.
Panarin, who will be an unrestricted free agent next season, could become the headline superstar available to teams like John Tavares was this offseason. The 26-year-old originally signed with the Chicago Blackhawks and was traded a year ago to Columbus to alleviate salary cap issues. He posted excellent numbers with the Blue Jackets in the first season, putting upu 27 goals and a career-high 82 points. He has already stated that he isn’t willing to discuss an extension “as of now,” and it has been suggested by his agent Dan Milstein that the Blue Jackets might be better off trading him now.
Kekalainen obviously hopes that he can either convince Panarin to consider signing an extension soon or be convinced that he will have to make a trade to get Panarin to a team that he wants to play for.
- The Pittsburgh Penguins locked up defenseman Jamie Oleksiak to a three-year, $6.4MM deal a few days ago, but it shows how far the 6-foot-7, 255-pound blueliner has come, according to Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Unable to break into the Stars’ lineup throughout the first five years of his career, he found himself traded to Pittsburgh where assistant coaches Jacques Martin and Sergei Gonchar altered his entire game like the franchise has done in the last few years with other blueliners such as Justin Schultz, Ian Cole and Chad Ruhwedel. Using film, they have worked on his defensive skills, penalty killing, his shot and his stickhandling to start and have high expectations for him next season. His offense has already started as in 47 games with Pittsburgh he posted four goals and 14 points.
- Shayna Goldman of The Athletic (subscription required) breaks down the New York Rangers restricted free agency dilemma, especially looking at what to do with defenseman Brady Skjei in regards to giving the blueliner a bridge deal or long-term deal. The scribe looks back to forward Kevin Hayes, also a restricted free agent, who received a two-year bridge deal, but now will cost the team quite a bit of money. Skjei, who is coming off a down year, might be better off with a bridge deal to see what kind of player he becomes over the next two seasons. However, a long-term deal might also be quite beneficial because it would come at a lower cost. Even if he doesn’t become more than a third-pairing defenseman, a low-cost long-term deal has quite a bit of trade value as well.