Buyout Watch: Most Likely Candidates As Buyout Window Nears
At this time next week, there could already be a few notable additions to the impending unrestricted free agent class. The NHL’s buyout window is set to open on Saturday, June 15th, after which teams will have 15 days to buy out unwanted contracts before the month ends and free agency begins on July 1st. This year in particular, there seem to be a surplus of teams upset with their current salary cap position and itching to remove a contract from their books that has not yielded the expected results. Yet, at a cost of two-thirds of the remaining salary and double the remaining term (in most cases), as well as the side effects of pay and bonus structure, it may not always be the best route. The following are some of the top names that could be bought out later this month and the cost to do so:
Corey Perry, Anaheim Ducks
Contract Remaining: Two years, $8.625MM cap hit
Buyout Cost (each year): $2.625MM/$6.625MM/$2MM/$2MM
The most recent name to hit the buyout rumor mill, Perry’s contract is undoubtedly an albatross and it is difficult to see him getting back to the pace and production that initially warranted his high cap hit. A buyout would give the Ducks immediate relief this year and $2MM in years three and four is not bad. However, the 2020-21 cost is not ideal. However, it’s hard to see anyone trading for Perry’s contract with so many unknowns about his game, so this could be the only choice for Anaheim.
Dion Phaneuf, Los Angeles Kings
Contract Remaining: Two years, $7MM cap hit
Buyout Cost (each year): $2.917MM/$5.417MM/$1.417MM/$1.417MM
The Kings want to get younger and faster and want some cap space to improve. Moving Phaneuf accomplishes all of that, and L.A. has good blue line depth to fall back on in the short-term. Like Perry, this buyout hurts in year two, but is otherwise tolerable. The Kings will try to trade Phaneuf and may succeed, otherwise this is a likely buyout scenario.
Scott Darling, Carolina Hurricanes
Contract Remaining: Two years, $4.15MM cap hit
Buyout Cost (each year): $1.233MM/$2.333MM/$1.183MM/$1.183MM
One of the earliest reported buyout rumors was that of Darling, and for good reason. The former star backup has not panned out as a starter for Carolina, a team that made it to the Eastern Conference Final with a tandem of a UFA flier and a veteran waiver claim. The Hurricanes may not have any experienced goalies under contract for next season yet besides Darling, but that won’t stop them from moving on and going back to the free agent market or their talented pipeline for answers, especially with this very palatable buyout and few cap concerns.
Ryan Callahan, Tampa Bay Lightning
Contract Remaining: One year, $5.8MM cap hit
Buyout Cost (each year): $2.667MM/$1.567MM
Callahan won’t be in Tampa one way or another next season. The team is facing a difficult cap crunch and there’s no room for the veteran, who has played little role in recent years. A buyout doesn’t give the Bolts the full savings they’d hope for this upcoming season and a trade likely remains preferable, but Callahan’s stock is not high and a buyout remains the more likely resolution.
Valeri Nichushkin, Dallas Stars
Contract Remaining: One year, $2.95MM cap hit
Buyout Cost (each year): $700K/$450K
Nichushkin’s age makes his buyout fall under the second category of buyout wherein only one-third of the remaining salary is accounted for. As such, his buyout would mean almost nothing for Dallas’ cap calculations. The young winger failed to score a goal last season as a regular player and both sides would seemingly benefit from a split. It’s not certain that the Stars will move on, but should they choose to, a buyout is a painless option.
Brendan Smith, New York Rangers
Contract Remaining: Two years, $4.35MM cap hit
Buyout Cost (each year): $971K/$3.146MM/$1.146MM/$1.146MM
Smith has been a disaster in New York and certainly not the player that the Rangers saw perform well in the postseason as a deadline addition in 2016-17. It’s hard to see a fit for Smith moving forward, even more so than other unfriendly defense contracts like Marc Staal and Kevin Shattenkirk. It’s even more difficult to see him having any trade value, so the team would have to go the buyout route. It’s not a terrible option, but as frequently happens, the year one savings come back to bite with a hefty year two increase.
Karl Alzner, Montreal Canadiens
Contract Remaining: Three years, $4.625MM cap hit
Buyout Cost (each year): $1.069MM/$4.194MM/$2.194MM/$1.069MM/$1.069MM/$1.069MM
Alzner had one point in nine games with Montreal last season, which is enough to say he’s not in the Canadiens’ long-term plans. He could be on their books for a long time to come with a potential six-year buyout structure, but at a relatively low cost most years. Alzner needs a fresh start and it’s fair to assume that Montreal will give him one.
Milan Lucic, Edmonton Oilers
Contract Remaining: Four years, $6MM cap hit
Buyout Cost (each year): $3.625MM/$5.625MM/$4.125MM/$5.625MM/$625K/$625K/$625K/$625K
Loui Eriksson, Vancouver Canucks
Contract Remaining: Three years, $6MM cap hit
Buyout Cost (each year): $5.556MM/$5.556MM/$3.556MM/$556K/$556K/$556K
Lucic and Eriksson have been tied together by rumors all off-season and one more thing they share: poor buyout possibilities. As bad as Lucic’s contract is, based on his drop-off in performance, his buyout is still very expensive for four more years and then extends another four years beyond that. The Oilers would be better off continuing to search for some way to trade him, no matter how slim the chances. As for Eriksson, his front-loaded contract makes a buyout pointless. The Canucks would pay almost the same amount in each of the next two years as if he was still on the team, then would have the cap penalty for another four years after that. Vancouver and Edmonton are likely stuck with these players, unless of course they swap them for each other.
Dallas Stars Re-Sign Mattias Janmark
The Dallas Stars have been busy today. The team has announced a one-year contract for Mattias Janmark, who was scheduled to become a restricted free agent this summer for the final time. Janmark will earn $2.3MM on the new deal, the same amount he was paid last season for the Stars. GM Jim Nill released a statement on the signing:
Mattias is a relentless forward who combines his tremendous skating ability with sound positioning, making him a disruptive force. He is a versatile player that can play up and down the lineup at even strength, and was one of the key members of our penalty killing group, which was a top-five unit all season.
Janmark, 26, was originally a third-round pick of the Detroit Red Wings in 2013, but ended up as part of a package exchanged for Erik Cole in 2015. He quickly became a full-time member of the Stars after that, recording 15 goals and 29 points in his rookie season. Unfortunately, a major knee surgery forced Janmark to miss all of the 2016-17 season after he was diagnosed with osteochrondritis dissecans, a genetic disorder that can affect the cartilage in his joints. He returned with a vengeance in the fall of 2017 and had an excellent season, scoring 19 goals and 34 points, but took a step back offensively this year.
Still, even with his down year in terms of goal scoring, Janmark had value to the Stars. The speedy winger averaged more penalty killing time than any forward other than Blake Comeau and Radek Faksa, and actually provided the fourth-most even-strength assists among the forward group. His massive drop in shooting percentage was a huge culprit in his goals falling off, as he shot just 5.7%, down from his previous career number of 14%. If he can bump that back up next season there is no reason he won’t be able to provide tremendous value on a $2.3MM cap hit, especially given his defensive ability.
It is interesting that the Stars re-signed Janmark so easily, given that they were “dangling” him in trade talks just a few months ago. This one-year deal could very well lead to that happening again, given that he will be an unrestricted free agent next summer. If the Stars fall out of the race, he will be an interesting trade candidate at the deadline for a team that wants to add some more depth up front, especially given his (albeit short) history at the center position and effectiveness on the penalty kill.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Dallas Stars Re-Sign Roman Polak
The Dallas Stars are bringing back one of their free agent defensemen, inking Roman Polak to a one-year extension. The deal will pay Polak $1.75MM for the 2019-20 season, a slight raise over the $1.3MM he earned last year. Stars GM Jim Nill released a statement on the veteran defenseman:
Roman personifies what it means to be a professional and his mentorship to our younger players proved to be invaluable to our organization. His team-first attitude and physical style of play is endearing to both his teammates and the coaching staff, and we’re thrilled to have him back.
Polak, 33, has been something of a hot topic among fans over his career, as his style of play results in two extremes. On one hand, he is a huge physical presence in his own end that can bury the opposition’s best players and protect the front of his net, but on the other he spends much of his time there because he lacks the skills to get the puck out efficiently. While his possession numbers have always been poor, Polak has continuously been a favorite of his coaching staff wherever he goes as a defensive weapon at even strength and on the penalty kill.
This season, Polak suited up 77 times for the Stars and recorded just nine points, but was still given plenty of responsibility when the playoffs rolled around. Averaging more than 19 minutes a night, he led Dallas in hits and was second in blocked shots through their 13-game run.
Polak’s run in Dallas has come after stints in St. Louis, Toronto and San Jose, and will likely see him eclipse the 800-game mark during the upcoming season. For a sixth-round pick that is already excellent, but is even more impressive after the brutal injury he suffered in the 2017 playoffs. Polak was hit by Washington Capitals defenseman Brooks Orpik and broke his leg, ending his playoff run with the Maple Leafs. He would rehab diligently and eventually re-sign with Toronto for part of the 2017-18 season, playing 54 games and all seven in their postseason series that year. With that injury behind him, he can continue his career in Dallas and provide the physical counterbalance to offensive defensemen like John Klingberg and Miro Heiskanen.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Trade Rumors: Trade Bait, Panarin, Condon
For everyone but the Boston Bruins and St. Louis Blues, the off-season is already in full swing and with the NHL Draft less than three weeks away, the rumor mill is starting to heat back up. TSN’s Frank Seravalli has updated his Trade Bait list and it features a whopping ten new names out of 25 total players. Leading the way among the newcomers is talented, young Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere. Gostisbehere has emerged as a candidate to move if the Flyers can land a top-six forward in exchange, as they look to be aggressive this off-season. Also new to the list are names included in the overturned Phil Kessel-to-Minnesota trade, Jack Johnson and Victor Rask, with Jason Zucker and Kessel now long-time fixtures. Another player tied to recent rumors making his trade bait debut is the Vancouver Canucks’ Loui Eriksson, who has been linked to former teammate Milan Lucic, also on the list, and the Edmonton Oilers, but could move in any number of possible deals. As the Florida Panthers look to shake up their roster in free agency, James Reimer and Mike Hoffman have made the list as possible cap space casualties. So too have Toronto Maple Leafs teammates Nazem Kadri and Mitch Marner, even though Seravalli himself agrees that a Marner trade is a long shot. With plenty of talent filling the early off-season trade bait board, it could be a busy summer for high-profile trades, some of which could begin even before the draft kicks off on June 21st.
- A seemingly curious continued presence on the trade bait list is that of Artemi Panarin. It was one thing for Panarin to be atop the list as the trade deadline approached and the Columbus Blue Jackets were unsure whether or not they would sell the all-world forward. However, after keeping Panarin, an impending unrestricted free agent, it may seem that his trade value has now disappeared, since he is weeks away from hitting the open market. However, as a 27-year-old premiere free agent, both Panarin and his suitors will be interested in that eighth year of contract term that is only available to the incumbent team. As such, the Blue Jackets could look to squeeze the very last drops of value out of Panarin by trading his rights before the league year ends, allowing a new team to sign him to an eight-year extension rather than a seven-year free agent contract. While possible, and often valuable, acquiring UFA signing rights is not as frequent a move as one might expect. The last team to do so was the Florida Panthers in 2016, adding an expiring Keith Yandle for a a sixth-round pick and conditional fourth-round pick. That same year, the Arizona Coyotes did the same, bringing in Alex Goligoski on the tail end of his contract with the Dallas Stars for a fifth-round pick. Not since Ilya Bryzgalov in 2011 has a player’s UFA rights drawn more than a fourth-round pick at best, but Panarin is a unique player and Columbus could land a third-round pick or more in exchange for the opportunity to sign him to that one extra year – and to keep him from testing the market.
- Unsurprisingly, the extension of goaltender Anders Nilsson in Ottawa has prompted speculation that the Senators will try to move overpaid third-string option Mike Condon. The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch writes that Condon’s “days are numbered” with the team, as there’s no room for him in Ottawa behind Nilsson and Craig Anderson and he’s not wanted in Belleville with Filip Gustavsson, Joey Daccord, and possibly Marcus Hogberg in the mix. Cap space is not a problem for the Senators, but Garrioch still believes they would prefer to trade Condon and all or part of his $2.4MM salary next season rather than buy him out at the cost of $400K next year and $1MM the year after. Garrioch can only make a case that perhaps some team with weak goalie depth would be interested in Condon as a strong AHL option next season, as the 29-year-old is unlikely to be considered a regular NHL option. Perhaps after the free agent goalie market shakes out in early July, the Senators will be able to find a partner who missed out on their targets and could use Condon’s services. Otherwise, a buyout does seem to be the more likely route.
Los Angeles Kings Contemplating Buying Out Dion Phaneuf
With a rebuild on the horizon, the Los Angeles Kings must find a way to open up roster space as well as salary cap room to take their next step under new head coach Todd McLellan. One potential contract that has come under scrutiny recently is that of Dion Phaneuf. In fact, Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos said late Saturday night that the Kings are considering buying out the veteran defenseman:
Other options that the L.A. Kings have is buying out Dion Phaneuf. He’s got two years left at $12 million. That would get him $8 million over the next four years and a chance to get back into unrestricted free agency on July 1.
Phaneuf signed a seven-year, $49MM contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2013, but the 34-year-old saw his play take a huge drop this season as he played in 67 games with just one goal and six points for the year. He received the first healthy scratch of his career in February and saw his ATOI drop from almost 20 minutes per game to 15. At $7MM per year for another two years, the team might be ready to move on from the veteran. While the team would see significant cap relief this year with a buyout as their cap hit would only be $2.92MM, the team would still have a considerable hit at $5.42MM next season as well as a $1.42MM in both 2021-22 and 2022-23.
The Kings have a number of veterans on their blue line, including Drew Doughty, Alec Martinez and Derek Forbort, although there has been talk that L.A. may opt to move Martinez as he is likely the team’s top trade chip if they want to upgrade their team. On top of that, the Kings may be ready to give some of its younger players more significant minutes this coming season. The team has a number of interesting players who could be ready, including Sean Walker, Paul Ladue, Kurtis MacDermid, Matt Roy, Kale Clague, former college stars Daniel Brickley and Michael Anderson, as well as recently acquired Sean Durzi, who dominated at the Memorial Cup last week.
Ducks Expected To Interview Scott Sandelin For Head Coaching Position
While many people believed that the Anaheim Ducks head coach position would automatically go to their AHL coach, Dallas Eakins, once the San Diego Gulls were eliminated, general manager Bob Murray has made it clear that he intends to interview a number of candidates for the job. Earlier this week, it was revealed that Murray is interested in interviewing Eakins, New York Islanders’ assistant coach Lane Lambert, Manitoba Moose head coach Pascal Vincent, and Dallas Stars assistant coach Todd Nelson.
TSN’s Pierre LeBrun adds another name to the list as he reports that the Ducks also plan to interview University of Minnesota-Duluth head coach Scott Sandelin for the job as well. Sandelin, who has taken his team to the National Championship Game three straight times and has won the NCAA title in two straight seasons, might be open to leaving Minnesota-Duluth after this run of success.
Sandelin, who played 25 games in the NHL over the course of his career with the Montreal Canadiens, Philadelphia Flyers and the Minnesota North Stars, has spent 19 seasons as head coach of Minnesota-Duluth, compiling a 369-310-87 record. He was recently named the head coach of Team USA for the 2020 U-20 World Junior Championships. However, that didn’t stop David Quinn from still accepting an NHL offer from the New York Rangers last off-season and Sandelin would be no different.
Free Agent Focus: San Jose Sharks
Free agency is now less than a month away from opening up and there are quite a few prominent players set to hit the open market while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign. San Jose should have one of the busiest off-seasons, as the team has multiple key free agents to sign or otherwise may have a completely new look next season.
Key Restricted Free Agents: F Timo Meier – With so many questions concerning their unrestricted free agents this off-season, it might be easy to forget that the team must also find a new contract from one of their young stars and Meier should get quite the pay raise this year after making just $894K last season. Meier repaid the Sharks with his best season yet, scoring a career-high 30 goals and 66 points. He also posted 15 points in 20 playoff games. With the money that many restricted free agents have been getting over the past couple of years, Meier could be in for a giant payday, regardless of whether he signs a bridge deal or the team locks him up long-term.
F Kevin Labanc – It took quite a while for Labanc to work his way into San Jose’s veteran-laden lineup, but he has done quite a good job on the team’s third line and could be headed for a even larger role depending on how the off-season shakes out for the Sharks. Like Meier, Labanc has had season highs in both goals (17) and points (56) and would be a likely candidate to take a bridge deal in order to prove whether he can take his game up to another level and become a top-six option for them.
Other RFAs: D Michael Brodzinski, F Rourke Chartier, D Nick DeSimone, D Cody Donaghey, D Cavan Fitzgerald, F Dylan Gambrell, F Maxim Letunov, F Jonathon Martin, F Francis Perron, D Joakim Ryan, F Alex Schoenborn, F Antti Suomela, D Kyle Wood.
Key Unrestricted Free Agents: D Erik Karlsson – Many people expected the Sharks to lock up Karlsson to a long-term deal at the trade deadline, but when that didn’t happen, there were many questions about whether he was willing to sign a deal with the Sharks at all, as well as many people who wondered whether Karlsson was worth a long-term deal considering his injury history. After all, the 29-year-old missed most of the second half of the season with a groin injury and even when he returned for the playoffs, he wasn’t fully healthy as he had trouble keeping up with the quicker opposing forwards. It looks more like Karlsson intends to test the open market and head to a team he would like to play for long-term or take the best offer that he can get. Will it be San Jose though?
F Joe Pavelski – The 34-year-old captain has been a key figure for the Sharks throughout his career, but so far there have been few talks of giving the veteran a new deal. While it’s hard to picture Pavelski heading elsewhere, the Sharks must factor in what a new contract for the soon-to-be 35-year-old would look like for the rest of their cap structure. Pavelski is coming off a unique 38-goal season, a number that he is unlikely to equal again, and with the difficulty of long-term deals for 35+ players, the team will likely want to avoid a multi-year deal that has a large AAV attached to it, meaning the club will have to hope that Pavelski isn’t going to be asking too much.
F – Joe Thornton – It’s unlikely the team is worried about money when it comes to Thornton, as the team will bring him back on a one-year deal at a reasonable cost (he signed for one year and $5MM last offseason). However, the real question is whether Thornton is ready to call it quits. Thornton will turn 40 in July and didn’t make it clear during locker clean-out day that he will definitely return next season. He wants time to think about it.
Other UFAs: F Tim Clifton, F Joonas Donskoi, F Micheal Haley, D Tim Heed, F Gustav Nyquist.
Projected Cap Space: With a little over $58MM committed to 15 players for next season per CapFriendly, the Sharks should have some cap room to work with despite a number of high profile free agents this off-season. The team must try to bring back Karlsson and Pavelski, while trying to get reasonable deals in place for Meier and Labanc. While they may have to wait for a Thornton decision, they do have other important free agents they must consider for a deal as well, such as Donskoi and Nyquist. If all of these impending free agents are interested in a return, San Jose may be forced to move someone else with cap space at a premium. Regardless, the team may have to rely even more on younger players to fill holes in the bottom of their lineup next season.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Dallas Stars Sign Joel Kiviranta
The Dallas Stars have inked an international free agent, signing forward Joel Kiviranta to a two-year, entry-level contract. Kiviranta was most recently seen at the IIHF World Championship with Finland, winning a gold medal.
Kiviranta, 23, has played in Finland’s top league for five seasons now, steadily growing as an offensive player. This season saw him record 16 goals and 31 points before being named to the national squad, where he added another three points in nine tournament games. While undrafted, the amount of professional experience that Kiviranta brings with him is exceptional for such a young player, and he immediately adds some depth to the Dallas forward pipeline.
Though it’s not clear if he will make an impact right away, there is certainly no risk in signing a player of his ability. If he can show the same steady two-way game that the world saw in the recent tournament, Dallas has added a legitimate NHL player without spending any more than an entry-level deal. If not, he can at least help out the Texas Stars for a year or two before deciding where he wants to continue his career. The Stars organization has plenty of Finns already on the roster, including budding superstar Miro Heiskanen who would have faced off against Kiviranta multiple times.
Latest On Anaheim Ducks Coaching Search
The Anaheim Ducks still don’t have a head coach for the 2019-20 season, even as the NHL Entry Draft is now just a few weeks away. The combine is already underway, meaning whoever does take the reins of the team next season won’t get to be part of the prospect interview process. While that obviously isn’t a devastating problem, it is somewhat uncommon, as seen by the several other vacancies that have been filled in recent weeks.
In a column today by Eric Stephens of The Athletic (subscription required) the top candidates for the job are examined, with special emphasis put on San Diego Gulls coach Dallas Eakins, and why he hasn’t yet been given the job despite many around the league expecting it to go to him since Randy Carlyle was fired mid-season. Stephens lists New York Islanders assistant coach Lane Lambert, Manitoba Moose head coach Pascal Vincent and Dallas Stars assistant Todd Nelson as other candidates that have been mentioned recently.
Bob McKenzie of TSN has also heard Nelson’s name, and reports that he will be interviewed this week for the job. It wouldn’t be the first time that Nelson has taken a job once ticketed for Eakins, as he was the coach that eventually took over when Eakins was fired in Edmonton back in 2014. Also of interest is another tweet from McKenzie, who suggests that there may be a job for former Los Angeles Kings head coach John Stevens in Dallas on Jim Montgomery‘s staff. If Nelson does leave, that would provide an option for the Stars to replace him with.
The Ducks are coming off a disappointing season in which they finished 35-37-10. The core that led them to so many playoff runs is getting older—to the point where speculation of a Corey Perry buyout isn’t unreasonable—but there is help coming through the pipeline in the form of several top forward prospects. The job isn’t a full rebuild, but it also needs someone who can develop the next wave of talent quickly.
Dallas Stars Considering Buying Out Valeri Nichushkin
The Dallas Stars have quite the to-do list this offseason, but perhaps the most challenging decision it has to make will have to do with its fringe prospects. The team has a number of interesting young forwards who might be ready to take on a full-time role in Dallas, but the last thing they want to do is have some of its fringe players to slow up the development of those prospects.
One key decision the Stars must make is what to do with forward Valeri Nichushkin, who signed a two-year, $5.9MM contract last offseason to return to Dallas after bolting for the KHL earlier in his career. SportsDay’s Matthew DeFranks writes that the team must decide whether they are better off without the 24-year-old, who failed to score a goal this year in 57 games, and buy him out.
The former 10th overall pick in 2013 started his NHL career strong with a 14-goal, 34-point season as a 18-year-old. However, injuries hampered him after that as he saw his playing time cut and Nichushkin opted to return to the KHL after his entry-level deal ran out. While his numbers in the KHL weren’t exactly overwhelming (27 goals over two seasons), the Stars had hoped that bringing him back this year would put him back on course to being a top-six winger for the team. Instead he struggled terribly, putting up just 10 assists in 57 games as he saw a career-low 11:55 of ATOI and also saw him as a healthy scratch for multiple games.
At $2.95MM, Nichushkin is the sixth-highest paid forward on the team and if the team values restricted free agents Brett Ritchie and Mattias Janmark as bottom-six depth options, they may feel it’s better to allow Nichushkin to leave and return to the KHL. If the team opts to buy him out, it would only cost them $700K in 2018-19, while costing them a reasonable $450K in 2020-21. However, with some interesting prospects close to ready to make an impact such as Denis Gurianov, Jason Robertson, Ty Delandrea and Joel L’Esperance, the team needs to make a little room for one or two of them.