- Columbus Blue Jackets forward Brandon Dubinsky was back on the ice doing some puck drills this week, a little over three months since he underwent wrist surgery. Tom Reed of The Athletic spoke with Dubinsky, who explained the injury has bothered him since 2015-16. He’s not sure if he’ll be ready for the start of the season, which would give even more of a chance to youngsters like Pierre-Luc Dubois and Sonny Milano, depending on how coach John Tortorella decides to deploy his other forwards. An interesting thing to watch will be how Dubinsky’s faceoffs are affected, as wrist surgery often hurts a player’s efficiency in the dot after his return. The 31-year old has long been one of the better faceoff men in the league, never losing more draws than he’s won in a season.
Blue Jackets Rumors
Latest On Matt Duchene & Colorado Avalanche Camp
The hockey world perked up their ears again yesterday when they heard that Matt Duchene was not at the first voluntary on-ice session for the Colorado Avalanche, the only missing forward outside of Nathan MacKinnon (who is on a press tour with the NHLPA). Frank Seravalli of TSN spoke with Duchene’s agent Pat Brisson, who said that Duchene was still skating in Toronto but would not comment on whether he would report to training camp when it opens in just over a week.
Duchene was also a topic when Elliotte Friedman joined Sportsnet 590 this morning in Toronto, saying that he believes there is some renewed interest in trading the forward, mentioning Columbus and Carolina as possible destinations. Friedman doesn’t know of anything that is pressing, but we’ve heard the Blue Jackets and Hurricanes in connection to Duchene before. Both could use some help down the middle, and both have young defensemen who would be of interest to the Avalanche.
While nothing seems to be about to break in Colorado, the continued rift between the two sides seems like something that can only end poorly. If Duchene doesn’t report, it takes even less leverage away from Avalanche GM Joe Sakic, and might force him to just sit on his hands until the player returns to the ice. The worst thing that could happen is Duchene sitting out a large portion of the season because something couldn’t get done, especially with only two years left on his contract. Every game that ticks by his value is reduced, as a buying team wouldn’t have any guarantee he’d be around past the 2018-19 season. For a player who was once seen as a potential franchise piece, it has quickly turned.
Eastern Notes: Toronto’s Defense, Prospects, Butcher
The Toronto Maple Leafs have received plenty of attention this offseason with their moves, including the surprising signing of San Jose veteran Patrick Marleau to a three-year deal. Add Marleau to the young cast of offensive weapons the team already has like Auston Matthews, Nazem Kadri, James van Riemsdyk, William Nylander and Mitch Marner, the team has hopes of making a run towards a Stanley Cup Finals this season.
However, Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun is quick to point out that the Maple Leafs need to emphasize defense too. He writes that many people have forgotten that the team finished 22nd in goals against last year. Every team that finished behind them didn’t make the playoffs. And when you look at the moves the team made, very little of it was to help the defense. The team did sign 36-year-old Ron Hainsey, but how much will that help? He’s 36 years old.
Simmons writes that Toronto leadership knows the importance of defense. Coach Mike Babcock, who has won a Stanley Cup in 2008 with the Detroit Red Wings, had a team that was first in goals against that year. General Manager Lou Lamoriello won his last Stanley Cup with the New Jersey Devils in 2003, they were also first in goals against.
However, the team’s defense should be stronger. The team boasts a number of young, developing defensemen like Nikita Zaitsev, who is just 25 years old. Morgan Rielly is only 23 years old. Jake Gardiner is 27. Martin Marincin is 25 as well, while Connor Carrick is 23. That’s a young defense and maybe a major reason why the team brought Hainsey in. However, even with a year of development, how much better can this defense be?
- With rookie camps just a week away for many teams, Fanrag’s Craig Morgan put together a detailed list of rookies who could make an impact on the team. While it has the usual candidates like Nico Hischier, Nolan Patrick and Clayton Keller, there are quite a few lesser known ones as well. Players like Washington’s Jakub Vrana, New York Islanders’ Ryan Pulock and Columbus’ Pierre-Luc Dubois are players rarely mentioned who could make an impact this year.
- Sports Illustrated featured New Jersey Devils Will Butcher after he chose the Devils last weekend. Butcher claims he sees similarities in his game to three NHL players including Chicago’s Duncan Keith, Boston’s Torey Krug and New Jersey’s Andy Greene. ”If I was fortunate to make the big team, he would be a great mentor to me, just because he does everything,” Butcher said of Greene. ”He penalty kills, power play, all situations. He is a smart player, not necessarily the biggest guy, but he uses his abilities to defend well and play the game of hockey.”
Jack Skille Expected To Sign In KHL
Running out of time to find an NHL contract before the puck drops on the 2017-18 season, another veteran has taken the quiet off-season as a sign to move on. TSN’s Darren Dreger reports that free agent forward Jack Skille is expected to sign with Dinamo Minsk of the KHL in the coming days. The 30-year-old’s decision to continue his career overseas comes a decade after making his NHL debut in 2007.
Skille was selected #7 overall by the Chicago Blackhawks in 2005 and made the jump to the NHL two years later after a short stint with the University of Wisconsin. Although Skille has never lived up to his draft slot, the two-way winger has nevertheless found an NHL contract in each of the last ten seasons. After three seasons in Chicago, spent mostly with the AHL’s Rockford Ice Hogs, Skille was traded to the Florida Panthers in 2011 and there developed into a bona fide NHLer. Skille has only played in 22 AHL games since his trade to Florida, instead spending parts of three seasons with the Panthers, two seasons with the Columbus Blue Jackets, and most recently a year apiece with the Colorado Avalanche and Vancouver Canucks. Through 368 NHL games, Skille registered 84 points, including a career-high eight goals with the Avs just two years ago, but made his name not by his offense, but by his grit and toughness, his ability to win battles along the boards, and his quickness and tendency to always be in position to make a defensive play. Skille’s impressive ability to find an NHL gig as a reliable depth player is over for now, but may not be over for good, depending on his play in Europe.
With Minsk, Skille steps into a position where he will be relied on more for offense than any other time in his pro career and could also fill a leadership role. He also won’t be alone in Belarus though; he joins a squad with several NHL veterans such as Rob Klinkhammer, Quinton Howden, Justin Fontaine, Marc-Andre Gragnani, and new starting goalie Jhonas Enroth. The team is set to make some moves this season and Skille adds yet another talented contributor to the mix. If Minsk makes a leap up the standings in 2017-18 with Skille leading the charge in all three zones, there is little doubt that he will again draw interest from NHL teams next summer and beyond as a dependable and versatile depth option.
Salary Cap Deep Dive: Columbus Blue Jackets
Navigating the Salary Cap is probably one of the more important tasks for any general manager to have. Teams that can avert total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.
PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2017-18 season. This will focus more on those players who are integral parts of the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.
Columbus Blue Jackets
Current Cap Hit: $67,012,975 (under the $75MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
F Oliver Bjorkstrand (One year remaining, $656K)
D Gabriel Carlsson (Three years remaining, $894K)
F Pierre-Luc Dubois (Three years remaining, $925K)
F Sonny Milano (Two years remaining, $863K)
D Markus Nutivaara (One year remaining, $818K)
D Zach Werenski (Two years remaining, $925K)
Potential Bonuses
Bjorkstrand: $133K
Dubois: $2.5MM
Milano: $400K
Werenski: $850K
Total: $3.883MM
Bjorkstrand was expected to be an important player last year after a strong finish to his rookie campaign but he instead split 2016-17 between the NHL and AHL. He should be able to lock down a regular role this time around but given his small track record so far, he looks like a candidate for a bridge deal next summer. Dubois, the third overall selection just a year ago, didn’t have a great year at the junior level but should get a long look at training camp. Milano spent most of his first pro season in the minors and was productive and should also get a long look. There’s room for both top youngsters potentially to make the lineup.
On the back end, Werenski had a fantastic rookie season that saw him finished third in Calder Trophy voting for Rookie of the Year. He set a team record for rookie scoring while finishing 13th league-wide in points by a blueliner with 47. He maxed out on his Class A performance bonuses and assuming he stays healthy, he should be able to do so again in 2017-18 without too much difficulty. He’s trending towards landing himself a significant second contract if he can keep this up for the next two years; already a bridge deal doesn’t seem likely.
Nutivaara wasn’t expected to land a roster spot but he wound up playing somewhat of a regular role on the third pairing. He’ll likely find himself in that sixth or seventh role once again which wouldn’t have him in line for any sort of notable raise. Carlsson played more with the Blue Jackets in the playoffs than he did during the regular season which will have him in the mix for a spot in training camp.
One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level
F Cam Atkinson ($3.5MM, UFA)
F Matt Calvert ($2.2MM, UFA)
F Boone Jenner ($2.9MM, RFA)
D Jack Johnson ($4.36MM, UFA)
D Ryan Murray ($2.825MM, RFA)
Atkinson has quickly blossomed into a reliable goal scorer and set a new career mark with 35 tallies last season. If he comes close to those numbers once again, he’s going to set himself up to be one of the top forwards in free agency and it’s going to take a big raise to keep him around. Jenner’s production dipped from 30 goals to 18 while he also spent more time on the wing than in previous years. He’s still poised to see a pay bump in his next contract but it may not be as high as it may have seemed a year ago. Calvert saw his role decrease last year and if he stays in the bottom six (a likely scenario), there’s a good chance he’ll be let go after the season to save a bit of cap space as they’ll likely look to fill his spot with a cheaper player.
Johnson hasn’t lived up to his high draft billing (third overall in 2005) but is still a legitimate top-four defender. However, his offensive production has dropped quite a bit over the past two seasons which could hurt his leverage if he gets to the open market. As things stand, a new deal for him should come in somewhat close to his current one. Murray is another player who has yet to live up to his draft status (second overall in 2012) and is coming off a season where his average ice time dipped to career lows. As a result, his name has been involved in trade speculation and that’s probably not going to change. If he doesn’t have a rebound year in 2017-18, it might be tough to find the right fit on a long-term deal next summer.
Columbus Blue Jackets Sign Alexander Wennberg
So much for digging in their heels. The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed Alexander Wennberg to a six-year, $29.4MM contract, ending what has been a long negotiation this summer. The 22-year old was a restricted free agent without arbitration rights, coming off his entry-level contract. The deal will pay him an average of $4.9MM each season, though it is slightly back-loaded:
- 2017-18: $3.5MM
- 2018-19: $4.5MM
- 2019-20: $5.35MM
- 2020-21: $5.35MM
- 2021-22: $5.35MM
- 2022-23: $5.35MM
Wennberg posted career highs in nearly every statistical category last season, registering 13 goals and 46 assists for 59 points. That number put him second in team scoring on the Blue Jackets behind only Cam Atkinson, and solidified his reputation as a number one center for the team. Selected 14th-overall in 2013, Wennberg has quickly overcome any doubts in his ability to rack up points at the NHL level. Through 217 games, he has totaled 119 points and could easily set new career highs once again this season.
At first glance this contract seems like a fairly large bargain for the Blue Jackets. Wennberg comes in well below Jonathan Drouin’s recent six-year extension, despite the Montreal forward having less experience in the league and scoring fewer points last season. While you can point to Drouin’s draft pedigree and dynamic offensive upside, contracts are usually handed out based on actual in-game production which Drouin only leads slightly in a per-game basis. The Blue Jackets will be quite pleased with contract that comes in under $5MM, and it will help them keep their entire core together down the road.
Over the next two summers, Columbus has contracts to give out to players like Atkinson, Artemi Panarin, Boone Jenner, Zach Werenski, Ryan Murray and several more, while a deal for Josh Anderson is still on the table this offseason. Getting a key member of your forward group like Wennberg locked up for a reasonable number is a huge part in keeping your salary structure possible. He’ll actually come in as just the fourth-highest paid forward on the team this season, behind Panarin, Brandon Dubinsky and captain Nick Foligno.
Wennberg isn’t a perfect player. 21 of his assists came on the powerplay this season, and he needs to do a better job generating shots while at even strength. Though his defensive game has potential to be good enough to lock down opposing top lines, it’s not yet at the level of some of the elite centers in the league. He’ll never be an overly physical player, but his size does allow him to work capably in the corners and in front of the net. Success in the faceoff dot should be expected down the road, though the team will obviously live with his shortcomings in that area in order to get him on the ice as much as possible.
It will be interesting to see if Wennberg gels with newcomer Panarin, who plays a much different game than the outgoing Brandon Saad but could form a near-unstoppable trio along with Atkinson should they see time together. The three are all gifted offensive players, but could be spread out among the top two lines in order to work with more physical players like Jenner or Dubinsky. Either way, it will be one of the most dangerous forward groups in the league, capable of beating teams in several different ways.
This contract has ramifications outside of Columbus as well, as David Pastrnak and Bo Horvat look for similar long-term contracts. Both players are in similar situations coming off their entry-level contracts, though have different offensive profiles. Pastrnak put up much higher scoring numbers last year, but plays the wing and is 20 months younger than Wennberg, while Horvat has a better two-way game and has a higher draft pedigree. Pastrnak has been looking for a contract that would far outpace this deal, while Horvat’s negotiations have spanned everything from a two-year bridge deal to an eight-year pact.
Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reported the financial details of the contract.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Latest On Columbus Blue Jackets’ RFA Talks
Even as the calendar turns over into September and NHL training camps are just around the corner, the Columbus Blue Jackets remain locked in important negotiations. Alexander Wennberg and Josh Anderson, two core restricted free agents, remain unsigned. As Aaron Portzline of The Athletic writes (subscription needed), it doesn’t look like anything is close. The Blue Jackets aren’t willing to give in to contract demands for players who are pre-arbitration, while agents look to continuously press the average salaries higher and higher.
Anderson apparently will begin skating in Switzerland to stay in shape, if the contract talks aren’t finished in the next few weeks. He’s coming off his first full year in the NHL, in which he scored 17 goals and showed off his versatility. Wennberg remains the team’s first-line center, and will likely be one of the three most important forwards on the team this year. Missing training camp would be a step back, though there is clearly no animosity between the two sides.
It’s business after all, something that is being seen all around the league this year. David Pastrnak, Bo Horvat and Andreas Athanasiou remain unsigned among many others, and even though there are often late-summer RFA signings, it’s still a scary proposition for fans to wait this long. Columbus still has plenty of cap space to sign both long-term if they so choose, but with big extensions coming up for the 2018-19 season—Cam Atkinson in particular—they’ll have to be very careful with how they spend their dollars.
Columbus Blue Jackets Hopeful Brandon Dubinsky Can Start Season
While the Columbus Blue Jackets introduced Artemi Panarin to the media today, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic adds that GM Jarmo Kekalainen remains hopeful that Brandon Dubinsky will be ready for the start of the season. Dubinsky had wrist surgery back in May and was originally given a three month timeline. That date has come and gone, and Dubinsky is still likely to miss most if not all of training camp.
If Dubinsky were to miss the first few weeks of the season, there would be an interesting opportunity in Columbus. Top prospect Pierre-Luc Dubois, who went through an up-and-down season in the QMJHL last year, could see his contract slide one more year if sent back to junior before playing 10 games in the NHL. They could potentially let Dubois start the year and see what they have in him at the highest level, with little risk in wasting a contract year.
There is also Tyler Motte, another piece the Blue Jackets acquired from Chicago. Motte didn’t play center while up with the Blackhawks last season, but does have experience there and could log some minutes in the middle. He’s a completely different player than Dubinsky, but does provide some depth at the position.
If Dubinsky is healthy and ready to go to start the year, the Blue Jackets will have one of the deepest forward groups in the league once again. Even after losing Sam Gagner, Brandon Saad and William Karlsson, the team should be able to roll four effective lines on any given night.
No Extension Talks Between Nash, Rangers
In the latest piece from Aaron Portzline of The Athletic—a perfect example of why their subscription is worth it—Rick Nash’s tenure with the Columbus Blue Jackets is examined, and how it makes sense for the two sides to come together at the end of his career for a sort of homecoming. While Portzline doesn’t expect that to happen for another few years, he does report that there have been “no substantive discussions” to keep Nash in New York after his current contract expires next summer. The entire piece is worth a read (especially for one little snippet at the end). 
It’s been expected for a while that Nash wouldn’t return to New York, but a lot of that comes from the relative disappointments his last two seasons have been. Though he has still scored 74 points in 127 games—a 0.58 points per game average, which puts him above players like Patrick Marleau, Jaromir Jagr and Daniel Sedin last year—it’s a considerable step backwards from the lofty heights we’re used to. Nash scored 42 goals in 2014-15 (the third time he’d broken the 40 mark in his career) leading the league in even strength markers. At his best, he’s been one of the very best goal scorers of his generation, with 416 in 989 games.
While he’s unlikely to eclipse 40 ever again, even at 33 he represents a solid secondary scoring option that can be relied upon for 20 or more. He’s never been the most physical player, but his size does still wear on defenders trying to contain him and he’s even earned Selke votes a time or two as one of the league’s best defensive forwards. As Portzline suggests, Nash will certainly get a multi-year contract on the open market next summer.
The Rangers are trying to get younger, and want to give more responsibility to players like Pavel Buchnevich and Jimmy Vesey, but they will have to think long and hard about letting Nash walk. If they’ve already decided that they won’t try to bring him back, he’ll likely be a leading trade candidate at the deadline when there will only be a few million left to pay. He has a 12 team no-trade list, and his contract is actually back-loaded ($8.2MM this season), but with salary retention he could still bring back an asset from the right team.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Cleveland Signs Pair Of Undrafted Free Agents
The Cleveland Monsters signed a pair of undrafted junior players today to AHL contracts, inking Ivan Kulbakov and Bobby MacIntyre to one-year deals. Both players are now 20 years old and will be leaving their respective junior leagues for 2017-18.
Kulbakov is coming out of the USHL after an impressive rookie season with the Youngstown Phantoms, where he went 30-16-1 and recorded a .919 save percentage. The Belarussian goaltender went undrafted even after a relatively impressive showing at the 2015 World Juniors, where he had a standout performance against the Czech Republic, stopping 44 of 48 shots to keep the game close. His height likely held him back as a goaltending prospect, as he stands just 6’0″ tall, well under the average NHL goaltender.
MacIntyre on the other hand is a forward who’s coming off a huge season with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the OHL. Registering 80 points in 63 games, MacIntyre easily paced his club and ranked 15th in the league. Size is the culprit once again, as MacIntyre stands just 5’9″ and would have trouble adapting to the more physical NHL game. That said, he does possess some solid offensive upside and the move to Sault Ste. Marie in 2015 seemed to spark something in him. While there is still a long way to go to crack the Columbus Blue Jackets’ roster, there is definitely a place for him on the AHL squad as a tenacious offensive player.