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Columbus To “Steer” Vegas Expansion Pick

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The Columbus Blue Jackets may have a deal in place with the Vegas Golden Knights to overlook certain Blue Jackets in the expansion draft. Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch reports that in exchange for Columbus’s first round pick and a second-tier prospect, the Golden Knights will only select one of Matt Calvert, William Karlsson, or Ryan Murray. Portzline also thinks that Vegas may take injured forward David Clarkson as well.

The deal, if true, allows Columbus to protect its core forward and defensive group, and keep an up-and-coming goalie prospect in its system.

[See PHR’s Columbus Blue Jackets Expansion Primer]

The deal essentially protects forward Josh Anderson and goaltender Joonas Korpisalo, who Columbus risked losing because they did not have enough protection slots. Anderson had 17G and 12A as a 22 year -old, and would certainly entice the Golden Knights.

The price, however, is steep. Columbus gives up the 24th pick in this summer’s draft, and because they gave up their second round pick when they hired coach John Tortorella from the Vancouver Canucks, they do not draft this year until pick 86. That being said, the team has one of the stronger youth movements in the NHL, and can afford to pause the pipeline for a year.

The price may also dissuade other teams from making a similar move. The Anaheim Ducks and Nashville Predators also face a significant loss in the expansion draft, and have to weigh whether a first round pick is worth more than the player they risk losing. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun tweeted, however, that an anonymous NHL GM thinks the Golden Knights have at least three first round draft picks so far, and more to come before the draft is over, so that decision may have already been made.

Expansion Primer: Columbus Blue Jackets

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We’re continuing to break down each team’s situation as it pertains to the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft, coming up next week: which players are eligible, and which will likely warrant protection or may be on the block. Each team is required to submit their protection lists by 4pm CDT on June 17th. The full rules on eligibility can be found here, and CapFriendly has provided a handy expansion tool to make your own lists.

The Columbus Blue Jackets surprised everybody with a 108-point finish this season, good for 4th in the NHL. Breakout seasons by Alexander Wennberg, Zach Werenski and Seth Jones propelled the team to its best finish ever, and erased any early-season doubt for embattled coach John Tortorella. Despite the strong finish, however, the Blue Jackets faced the defending (and now eventual) Stanley Cup champions in the first round, losing 4-1 to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Blue Jackets are also one of a few teams that faces significant expansion draft issues. The team will lose one significant player no matter how they structure their protection list, and how good that player may be will depend on what the Blue Jackets do with veteran forward Scott Hartnell.

Eligible Players (Non-UFA)

Forwards:

Brandon Saad, Brandon Dubinsky (NMC), Nick Foligno (NMC), Scott Hartnell (NMC), Cam Atkinson, Boone Jenner, Matt Calvert, William Karlsson, Lukas Sedlak, Zac Dalpe, Alexander Wennberg, Josh Anderson

Defensemen:

Seth Jones, Jack Johnson, David Savard, Ryan Murray, Scott Harrington, John Ramage

Goaltenders:

Sergei Bobrovsky (NMC), Joonas Korpisalo, Anton Forsberg, Oscar Dansk

Notable Exemptions

David Clarkson, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Sonny Milano, Zach Werenski

Key Decisions

The Blue Jackets will lose a significant player, that much is certain. There is too much depth in the organization and not enough protection slots. The Blue Jackets will most likely use the 7F/3D/1G protection scheme over the 8F/1G because the team will protect at least three defensemen: Seth Jones, Ryan Murray, David Savard, and Jack Johnson..

Up front, Columbus must protect Brandon Dubinsky, Nick Foligno, and Scott Hartnell. All three have NMCs, and none were asked to waive the clauses before Monday’s deadline. Assuming that none of the above are bought out (more on that later), the Blue Jackets are left with four protection slots, yet have at least seven players worthy of protection. Brandon Saad, Cam Atkinson, Boone Jenner, Matt Calvert, William Karlsson, Alexander Wennberg, and Josh Anderson are all significant enough to warrant protection, and yet three will be exposed in the expansion draft.

No-brainer protections go to Saad, Atkinson, Jenner, and Wennberg. That leaves one of Karlsson, Calvert, and Anderson available for Vegas. Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch thinks Anderson is the most valuable of the unprotected, and would almost certainly be selected by Vegas. Anderson’s 17G and 12A were a nice surprise, and the Blue Jackets will miss him.

All that may change, however, if the Blue Jackets have further plans for Scott Hartnell. The team did not ask Hartnell to waive his NMC clause, implying that the Blue Jackets either have a side deal in place with Vegas, or they plan to buy out Hartnell.

The Blue Jackets may have made a deal with Vegas so that Vegas does not select a certain player in exchange for a prospect or draft pick. If that is the case, the Blue Jackets do not have to worry about opening up a protection slot, and can leave Hartnell alone. Alternatively, the Blue Jackets may buy out Hartnell’s contract, freeing up a protection slot and $3.25MM in cap space next season. Hartnell will be 35 next year, and may not factor into Columbus’s future plans.

On defense, the Blue Jackets will most likely protect valuable young commodities Seth Jones and David Savard, exposing either Ryan Murray or Jack Johnson. Johnson may not put up gaudy numbers—5G and 18A in 82 games—but he still averaged the third most ice time during the season with over 21 minutes a night. He then ramped that up to just under 26 minutes a night in the playoffs. On the other hand, Murray is much younger—23 versus 30—and may have more potential in management’s eyes. Murray will also be an RFA next season while Johnson will be a UFA. And despite Murray’s injury history, the Blue Jackets may opt to go with potential over stability.

In goal, the Blue Jackets must protect Sergei Bobrovsky because of a NMC. That exposes one of Joonas Korpisalo or Anton Forsberg. Korpisalo just signed a two-year extension worth $900K, which allows Columbus to satisfy its goaltending exposure requirement.

Finally, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that the Blue Jackets are talking to Vegas about David Clarkson. Friedman notes that Columbus may send a first-round pick or a prospect to shed Clarkson’s salary. Clarkson’s playing career is all but over, and he will most likely spend the rest of it on LTIR. However, by moving Clarkson, Columbus has much more wiggle room in the offseason to sign key RFAs, and Vegas has help to reach the salary cap floor.

Projected Protection List

F Brandon Saad
F Brandon Dubinsky (NMC)
F Nick Foligno (NMC)
F Cam Atkinson
F Boone Jenner
F William Karlsson
F Scott Hartnell (NMC)

D Seth Jones
D David Savard
D Ryan Murray

G Sergei Bobrovsky (NMC)

What happens to Scott Hartnell is a toss-up at this point. There is no indication whether Columbus has a deal in place or plans to buy him out. Given Hartnell’s dedication to the organization, however, it may be hard for Columbus to justify buying him out to fans.

Columbus will lose something of value. The silver lining is that they will only lose one player through the draft. That means that, barring any trades, even if they cannot make room for Josh Anderson, Jack Johnson, or Joonas Korpisalo, they still retain at least two of those players through the expansion draft. The Blue Jackets will be a different team after the expansion draft, but it may not be as dire as some predict.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Scott Hartnell Not Asked To Waive NMC

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The Columbus Blue Jackets did not ask veteran forward Scott Hartnell to waive his No-Movement Clause before the NHL’s deadline today, reports the Columbus Dispatch’s Aaron Portzline. NHL teams had until 5pm EST today to ask players to waive any NMCs before the expansion draft. Because teams must use a protection slot to protect any player with an NMC, some teams may ask players to waive the clause to free up a protection slot.

The non-waiver is significant because Columbus is one of the few teams who may lose a significant piece in the expansion draft. Portzline believes that the non-move implies Columbus has either agreed to a deal with the Vegas Golden Knights, or that Columbus will buy out Hartnell’s contract.

Right now Columbus has three forward slots tied up in Brandon Dubinsky, Nick Foligno, and Hartnell. Assuming Columbus protects 7F / 3d / 1G (because of Seth Jones, Ryan Murray, and David Savard), the team only has four spots for Brandon Saad, Cam Atkinson, Boone Jenner, Matt Calvert, William Karlsson, Alexander Wennberg, and Josh Anderson. The consensus is that absent any sort of deal, Josh Anderson represents the best bet to go to Vegas. However, if Columbus and Vegas have a deal worked out, the Blue Jackets may be able to either keep Anderson, or receive some assets for him.

The other option is that Columbus buys out Hartnell, making the veteran a free agent. Buying him out would give Columbus an extra protection slot to use on one of its young forwards. According to Portzline, buying out Hartnell would save Columbus $2.5MM over two seasons, and open up $3.25MM in cap space next year. Hartnell scored 13G and 24A in 78 games this year.

Vegas Could Acquire Substantial Package To Take David Clarkson Contract

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have been rumored to be in discussions with the Vegas Golden Knights over a possible David Clarkson deal for some time, and today Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet again hinted at a possible trade between the two teams. The fact that Vegas might take on a bad contract is no surprise, but the potential return will shock many people. Friedman on Sportsnet 960:

That would seem like an extremely high price to get Clarkson’s contract off the books, seeing as how he won’t even see the ice in Vegas as his injury has virtually retired him at this point. The Blue Jackets have already moved their second-round pick this season, so moving the #24 selection would mean they would be heading to the podium for their first selection at #86. That’s a long way down for any team to wait in a draft, even one with the solid young core that Columbus has built. Since Clarkson can be placed on LTIR when the season begins, the benefit for the Blue Jackets would be almost entirely in the offseason where they could spend more money re-signing their players and dabbling in free agency. If the salary cap stays flat, the team simply must move out some salary in order to retain Josh Anderson and Alexander Wennberg, both of whom are restricted free agents this summer.

Snapshots: Foo, Gavrikov, Panthers

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Spencer Foo joined Bob Stauffer on 630 CHED today and the college free agent confirmed that he has whittled down the interest from “over 20” to “under five” teams on where to sign his first NHL contract. The Oilers remain in that group, the childhood team of Foo growing up in Edmonton. Foo also revealed that he would have been named captain of the Union College team, and his younger brother would be have been joining him this season had he stayed.

The Hobey Baker finalist scored 62 points in 38 games during his junior team before deciding to turn pro this summer, and was one of the most dynamic players in the country. He has delayed his decision so far to finish his school year, instead of signing and playing this season like other NCAA players. At 23, he should compete for a spot in the NHL right away wherever he signs.

  • The Columbus Blue Jackets have been trying to convince Vladislav Gavrikov to come over to the NHL for some time, and according to Igor Eronko of Sport-Express the young defenseman is trying to get a visa in order to come over for a medical. According to Eronko Columbus has offered him a deal with an AHL “out clause” meaning that he would be allowed to return to the KHL should they try to send him down. The report also indicates that the contract would include “full bonuses”, though it’s unclear if that means signing, performance or both. Gavrikov played quite well this season for Yaroslavl, suiting up for 54 games. He also played for Team Russia at the World Championships, logging time against top competition.
  • The Florida Panthers have signed six players to AHL contracts, inking Francois Beauchemin (not the one who plays for Colorado), Matt Buckles, Ryan Horvat, Anthony Greco, Matt MacKenzie and Evan Cowley. All six will report to the Springfield Thunderbirds next season. The biggest name may be Cowley, who finished his NCAA career with an incredible .955 save percentage as the backup at DU. The former fourth-round pick is an interesting goaltending prospect for the Panthers down the line, perhaps capable of developing into at least an NHL backup.

Columbus Signs Zac Dalpe, Dean Kukan To Two-Way Deals

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Moments after announcing a two-year extension for Joonas Korpisalo, the Blue Jackets also revealed that they have signed Zac Dalpe to a two-year, two-way contract, and Dean Kukan to a one-year, two-way deal. No financials have been released so far. Dalpe would have been an unrestricted free agent on July 1st, while Kukan was eligible for arbitration for the first time in his career.

The Blue Jackets are doing some spring cleaning in terms of contract decisions, bringing back key members of their AHL squad. Dalpe, acquired off waivers in February from the Minnesota Wild, showed his dominance at the minor league level down the stretch with 15 points in 20 games for the Monsters. The former second-round pick has only played in 128 NHL games, registering 24 points. Though he has a bunch of offensive upside, he just hasn’t been able to crack an NHL lineup with any sort of consistency and at 27 is running out of time. He’s solid depth for the club should injuries strike, but is more likely to spend the year with Cleveland.

Kukan on the other hand is an undrafted defenseman out of Swizterland who impressed this season at the AHL. Since showing his ability in the SHL as a teenager, Kukan has developed into a solid two-way defender that could find his way onto an NHL roster at some point. Just 23-years old (soon to turn 24), he led the defense in scoring for the Monsters with 29 points in 72 games and logged a ton of ice time. He’s competed at the World Championships several times for Switzerland, including the most recent one when he anchored the team’s second pair.

Joonas Korpisalo Inks Two-Year Extension With Columbus Blue Jackets

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed goaltender Joonas Korpisalo to a two-year extension that will pay him $700K this season and $1.1MM in 2018-19. That makes the average annual value and cap-hit just $900K. The deal is one-way. The 23-year old was set to become a restricted free agent this summer. Joonas Korpisalo

Korpisalo made 13 starts for the Blue Jackets this year as he bounced back and forth along with Anton Forsberg between leagues. The young netminder went 7-5-1 with a .905 save percentage in the NHL, recording one shutout and showing that he may be ready for an increased role next season. A year prior he’d performed extremely when thrust into the starter’s net, posting a .920 save percentage in 30 starts. Because he is a solid young goaltending prospect, their has been speculation that the Vegas Golden Knights would select him in the expansion draft, and this deal doesn’t necessarily prevent that.

Assuming the Blue Jackets use their goaltending protection slot on Sergei Bobrovsky, the team needed to qualify or sign one of their three restricted free agent goaltenders prior to the draft in order to fulfill the exposure requirements. A deal was never in doubt between them and Korpisalo as he did not have arbitration rights or any real leverage, meaning this deal easily covers the requirements. The team also has several other key players who could be exposed, leaving many options for the Golden Knights.

To get him locked up under $1MM for the next couple years is a solid deal for the Blue Jackets, as they decide whether he’s destined for a starting role or will settle into the backup spot for the next part of his career. With Bobrovsky’s contract expiring in two seasons, the team will be able to make a long-term commitment to one of their young goaltenders at that point if they’re showing the promise that they’ve flashed at times. Bobrovsky, earning over $7.4MM each season doesn’t allow the Blue Jackets much cap-space to spend on a backup goaltender.

Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch provided the financial details. 

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Gregory Campbell Retires, Joins Columbus Coaching Staff

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After spending this season without a team, Gregory Campbell has accepted his retirement and will join the Columbus Blue Jackets as an assistant player development coach according to Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch. The 33-year old veteran center lost his role with the Blue Jackets last fall, and after refusing a minor-league assignment, would see his contract terminated. It was somewhat surprising that no one took a chance on the veteran, as he’d been a regular in an NHL lineup for more than a decade.

In 803 career games, Campbell scored 116 points but was relied on as a solid defensive presence and contributor to the 2011 Boston Bruins Stanley Cup. His career-high in points came with Florida when he scored 32, also the year he saw the most ice time. Drafted in the third round, he made quite a nice career for himself and has now joined the development team in order to usher in the next wave of Blue Jackets prospects.

Campbell’s father Colin is the Executive Vice President and Director of Hockey Operations for the NHL, and has been with the league in some capacity for nearly twenty years. Though there is no clear path for the younger Campbell to follow in this way, there is surely a future for him in the hockey world somewhere if he wants to stay.

Derick Brassard, Brandon Dubinsky Require Surgery

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Tuesday June 6th: Brassard underwent successful labrum surgery and started in on his four to five month recovery time. While GM Pierre Dorion announced that the Senators “remain hopeful that [Brassard] will be ready for the start of the 2017-18 regular season” it’s now almost exactly four months to opening night, meaning Brassard will at least miss all of training camp.

Tuesday May 30th: Two more forwards have been revealed to have serious injuries, as both Derick Brassard of the Senators and Brandon Dubinsky of the Blue Jackets will be out several months. According to Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia, Brassard will undergo surgery to repair a torn labrum and faces a four to five month recovery, while Dubinsky has already had wrist surgery and will be out for three months. Derick Brassard

Obviously the news is worse for Brassard, whose timeline will likely cause him to miss at least all of training camp if not the start of the 2017-18 regular season. After being traded from the New York Rangers last summer, Brassard’s offensive production took a step back under notoriously defensive-minded head coach Guy Boucher. With only 39 points in 81 games, Brassard nevertheless put up an excellent possession season as the Senators #2 center.

In the playoffs, Brassard stepped up his game and scored 11 points in 19 games, tied for second on the team among forwards. He currently has just two seasons remaining on his current deal before hitting unrestricted free agency, making any loss of time next season even more painful for the Senators.

For Dubinsky, it will mean a summer nursing his wrist back to full health and trying to get ready in time for training camp. The 31-year old forward had another solid season with 41 points, and once again led the team with 248 hits. His physical style is exactly what the Blue Jackets have modeled their structure after, trying to beat up opponents with four lines of heavy bodies chasing pucks in the offensive zone. He was also the Blue Jackets’ best faceoff man, winning 51.7% of his draws this season. It will be interesting to see how he reacts in the circle next season, as wrist injuries often affect a center’s faceoff ability.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

What Market Will Markov Attract?

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The market for Andrei Markov could be lukewarm or quite heated, and no one really seems to know which. Canadiens’ GM Marc Bergevin has been tight-lipped about his impending free agents, but it’s fair to assume he’ll have some interest in re-signing the Russian defender. That said, the cap situation for Montreal is not simple, and re-signing the dynamic unrestricted free-agent Alexander Radulov will likely take priority. The Habs also need to negotiate a contract with RFA Alex Galchenyuk, attempt to dump Tomas Plekanec’s salary, survive the expansion draft, and round out their forward corps. With Jordie Benn and Jeff Petry already looking to assume larger roles next season, Markov could easily slip through the cracks.

The 38 year-old earned a hefty $5.75 MM last season, but had reasonable production with 6 goals and 30 assists. His advanced possession numbers tell a tale, however, as he took a massive leap forward from the previous season, hitting a solid 54.0% Corsi For. His ice-time saw a slight drop (2:00 less per game), but he’s still seeing top-four minutes. Markov moves the puck well and is a power-play guru with a hard, accurate shot. He’s been the assistant captain on the Canadiens for many years and has never played in a different NHL city, but he could command a sizable final contract in this year’s complete drought of top-end players. If there ever were a time to cash in, this off-season could be it.

On the free-agent market, only Kevin Shattenkirk clearly outclasses Markov in terms of raw offensive ability from the blueline. A team might want to take a risk on a struggling but younger Michael Del Zotto or Dimitry Kulikov, but ultimately, Markov is the proven commodity. Considering that Markov has never won a championship, one would assume that if he were to leave the province of Quebec, it would be for a contender. There is no shortage of teams that could show interest. He could go to a perennial competitor on the cheap, such as the Blackhawks, or could opt for a squad like the Blue Jackets who are on the cusp of true contention. Where he lands is anyone’s guess at the moment,  but it’s fair to expect he will make a positive impact wherever he does.

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