Dallas Stars Sign Stephen Johns To Three-Year Deal
Stephen Johns is headed back to Texas. The Dallas Stars have re-signed Johns to a three-year contract that will carry an average annual value of $2.35MM. Johns was scheduled to become a restricted free agent this offseason, and will now be heading to unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2021.
Johns took a major step forward in 2017-18 with career highs offensively and defensively. The 25-year-old blue liner registered 15 points on the year, including eight goals, which tied John Klingberg as best among all Dallas defensemen. John’s +10 rating was also among the best on the Stars, tied for seventh among all skaters. In his own zone, John’s shutdown game garnered league-wide attention this season. His 201 hits and 155 blocked shots were both the top marks in Dallas and top-25 in the NHL. Johns plays a fast, physical style and can be used in many different situations.
At just over $2MM per year through the next three years of the prime of Johns’ career, Stars GM Jim Nill got a great deal on this extension. Dallas has struggled at preventing goals in recent years and the team’s defense is not without significant blame for those issues. However, the Stars began to turn that around this year and the improvement in Johns’ game is a major reason why. If Johns continues to develop a strong two-way game, his contract will be a bargain that allows the Stars to build their roster knowing that they have a dependable veteran on the back end.
Nichushkin Reaches Two-Year Deal With Dallas Stars
June 22: GM Jim Nill has confirmed that he will sign Nichushkin to a two-year deal on July 1st, and Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports that it will be worth around $2.95MM per season.
June 9: While the rumor of his return has been out there for a while, the Dallas Stars and Valeri Nichushkin have agreed to a new two-year contract, according to R-Sport, a Russian news outlet (translation required). The deal cannot become official until July 1 and there is no word on the specifics of the contract.
Nichushkin, the team’s 10th overall pick back in 2013, played three years in Dallas after he was drafted and put up a solid rookie season of 14 goals and 34 points. However, after suffering a hip injury in 2014-15 that cost him all but eight games that season, he had trouble returning to form and wasn’t happy with the lack of playing time the following year when he averaged just 13:56 of ATOI. He tallied just nine goals and 20 assists in 2015-16.
He returned to Russia as a restricted free agent to continue his development with CSKA Moscow, playing two years in the KHL. He tallied 27 goals and 24 assists in those two years, including a 16-goal season this past year. The winger was expected to play for Russia during the Olympics, but was one of five players banned by the IOC and was forced to watch the games instead. Nichushkin, whose contract with CSKA Moscow expired on April 30, had always intended to return to Dallas and continue his NHL career.
At 6-foot-4, 205 pounds, the 23-year-old should be able to step right into Dallas’ lineup to add both scoring and physicality to the team and should give the Stars another talented young player to build around. He will be given every chance to claim a spot on the team’s second line in training camp. The Stars have finished sixth in the Central Division three of the last four years and have made the playoffs just once in that span.
Stars Finalizing A Deal With Rick Bowness To Make Him An Assistant Coach
The Stars are finalizing a deal with Rick Bowness to make him one of their new assistant coaches, reports Sportsnet’s John Shannon (Twitter link). The veteran coach has received plenty of interest since being let go by Tampa Bay following their playoff elimination with Shannon noted that at least three teams made offers to him. He will join a new-look Dallas staff including first-time head coach Jim Montgomery and assistant Todd Nelson.
Minor Transactions: 6/18/18
Former Dallas Stars defenseman Andrew Bodnarchuk won’t wait until July 1st to decide on his future in free agency. The 29-year-old veteran will make his first foray into international play, as EHC Munchen of the German DEL have announced that he is set to join the team. Bodnarchuk has played in 42 games in the NHL over his career, but has largely played a regular role in the AHL with more than 600 games to his credit. Most recently, he spent the entirety of his two-year contract with Dallas as the alternate captain and defensive leader of the Texas Stars, who fought all the way to Game Seven of the Calder Cup Final this year. Bodnarchuk will now take that same leadership and ability on the back end to Munich, where he will join a talented team that already employs several former AHLers like Keith Aulie, Ryan Button, and Derek Joslin on the blue line.
- Also heading overseas is former top prospect Patrice Cormier. The 28-year-old forward and captain of the AHL’s Manitoba Moose has signed with Barys Astana, per a report from the local Kazakhstan sports news source Shaiba. Cormier is a major addition for Astana, a team that has struggled in recent years and recently watched top scorers Nigel Dawes and Linden Vey depart in free agency. Cormier, a second-round pick of the New Jersey Devils in 2008 and the star prospect in the return for Ilya Kovalchuk in 2010, has never quite reached his lofty expectations. However, in 49 NHL games and another 400+ AHL game, all with the Atlanta Thrashers/Winnipeg Jets organization, Cormier has proven to be a capable player in all three zones who can show finesse around the net as well as physicality along the boards. Cormier seems like a player primed to break out in the KHL.
- Cormier may also be joined by another impressive AHL forward in Curtis Valk. The Florida Panthers restricted free agent is also expected to sign with Barys Astana according to sources at Shaiba. Valk, 25, led the Springfield Thunderbirds with 62 points in 73 games this season and finished among the top ten in the AHL in scoring. Nevertheless, the undersized forward was only given one game at the NHL level to show himself. Perhaps upset with his lack of opportunity despite solid minor league results in his four-year pro career, Valk is eyeing a move of his own and could become a dynamic one-two punch with Cormier up front for Barys.
- The Calder Cup champion Toronto Marlies already lost captain Ben Smith to Europe and aren’t keen to lose any of the other contributors to their title any time soon. The team announced today that they have re-signed veteran forward Colin Greening to a one-year, AHL contract. Greening, 32, was previously acquired by the Toronto Maple Leafs as part of the return from the Ottawa Senators for defenseman Dion Phaneuf. Even on a relatively pricey NHL contract, Greening served almost exclusively in the AHL with the Marlies over the past three years. Although some speculated he could challenge for at least a two-way contract this summer, it is expected that on his new deal with Toronto that Greening could be named the new captain of the Marlies and is likely content to remain in Toronto for as long as he can to close out his career.
- On the other end of the spectrum, the Marlies announced the first AHL contracts for several college players who had joined the team on amateur tryout deals during the stretch run and postseason: Robert Morris’ Brady Ferguson, Holy Cross’ Scott Pooley, Alabama-Huntsville’s Josh Kestner, and Niagara’s Derian Plouffe. They also inked Matt Bradley, an unsigned free agent from the WHL’s Regina Pats, to a one-year AHL deal as well.
Snapshots: Buffalo’s Other Picks, Faulk, Draisaitl, Honka
While their first-round pick in next week’s NHL Entry Draft is a no-brainer, there is still a lot of decision-making in Buffalo. One key change that Buffalo Sabres general manager Jason Botterill has said he needs to make is the improvement of their drafting, most particularly, the drafting of players later in the draft, especially from the third-round and on, according to the Buffalo News’ Mike Harrington.
The main reason for that is the team’s inability to get players drafted in the third round or later to contribute to the Sabres’ team. Since 2010, the Sabres have had seven goals from any player drafted in the third round or later — all from 2013 third-round pick Nicholas Baptiste.
“Those later picks show the importance of having a strong organization across the board,” Botterill said. “When you’re dealing with mid-round picks and later-round picks, it’s making sure your amateur staff brings in the right people and then having a strong developmental model.”
The team has already seen some success in Botterill’s first draft last season when he selected Casey Mittlestadt in the first round, which looks to be a solid pick. However, it’s some of their other picks that already seem to be working out as second-rounder Marcus Davidsson and third-round pick Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen are getting solid reviews after their first season since being drafted.
- While Carolina Hurricanes’ defenseman Justin Faulk has been linked to the Edmonton Oilers many times since the NHL season ended, the Edmonton Journal’s David Staples writes that his value shouldn’t be as high as many project Faulk to hold. The scribe writes that while the Oilers would be interested in acquiring the 26-year-old blueliner, his minus-26 rating and 12 even-strength points don’t suggest that the Oilers should be giving up a top talent or a high draft pick for him.
- Sticking with the Oilers, rumors suggesting that the Oilers are considering trading center Leon Draisaitl are erroneous, according to Edmonton Journal’s Jim Matheson. The scribe writes there is no way Edmonton would trade Draisaitl, who the team signed to an eight-year, $68MM contract a year ago, not even for Ottawa’s Erik Karlsson. The 21-year-old has scored 54 goals and 147 points in the past two seasons.
- In a separate tweet, Matheson writes that the Oilers could be interested in acquiring Dallas Stars defenseman Julius Honka, who could find himself without a spot in Dallas’ crowded defense. However, the scribe writes that Honka isn’t worth the No. 10 pick in next week’s draft. He suggests the team offer their second-round pick in hopes of acquiring the 22-year-old right-shot defenseman. Despite looking early in training camp last season as a key youngster to make the team, Honka found himself on the outside looking in as he had trouble breaking in to the team’s lineup. In 42 games last season with the Stars, the 2014 first-rounder played 13:01 of ATOI and posted just four points in limited action.
Dallas Stars Will Not Buy Out Jason Spezza
After a disappointing season there has been plenty of speculation about how the Dallas Stars will go about changing their roster for next year, but one veteran name won’t be cast aside so quickly. Chris Johnston of Sportsnet reports that though his name had been mentioned repeatedly, Jason Spezza will not be bought out by the team and instead play out the final year of his contract. The buyout window opened today, and with Spezza’s $7.5MM cap hit many had speculated about him as a possibility.
Unfortunately, Spezza wasn’t able to maintain his career production this season. Seeing his minutes slashed considerably, he recorded only eight goals and 26 points in 78 games, easily the worst full season of his career. Up until this point Spezza had been one of the most consistent offensive players in the league, registering at least 50 points in 12 straight seasons (not counting the lockout-shortened year in which he played just five games), and at least 20 goals in nine of those. Once a 90-point player in his prime with the Ottawa Senators, he was limited to fourth line duty for much of the 2017-18 campaign.
At 35 a full rebound for Spezza is unlikely. There is probably not a 50-point player still around, as he heads into the twilight of his career. That said, there is some cause for optimism. Facing weaker competition, Spezza’s possession numbers were actually a positive this season and his career-low 5.8% shooting percentage is bound to improve next year. A career 13.0% shooter, anything even approaching that would have resulted in a much better season. Though that can’t be counted on, excitement with a new coaching staff under Jim Montgomery and Todd Nelson should give Spezza every opportunity to at least be an important part of the team.
The decision to not buy out his contract makes sense, even without a bounce-back season. Though the team would experience a $5MM cap reduction this season, it would keep $2.5MM on their books for the 2019-20 season when they need every dollar they can save to re-sign Tyler Seguin. Just as John Tavares is commanding a near $100MM contract this summer, the Stars could be in a similar situation with Seguin if they can’t get a deal done with him this time around. He’s eligible for an extension as of July 1st, but using any cap space on a Spezza buyout would only weaken the Stars position.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Toronto Marlies Win 2018 Calder Cup
And just like that, hockey season is officially over. The Toronto Marlies, AHL affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs, finished off the last of the major North American hockey leagues with a Game Seven win over the Texas Stars, AHL affiliate of the Dallas Stars, to win the Calder Cup. The Marlies controlled the game and held a 3-0 lead late into the third before a flurry of action produced a 6-1 final.
This is the first Toronto hockey championship since 1967 and could be a positive sign of things to come for the Maple Leafs. It also marks a strong start to Kyle Dubas‘ tenure as GM in Toronto, as the young executive has long had oversight over the Marlies.
Leading the top performers for Toronto was Playoff MVP Andreas Johnsson, who posted 24 points in 16 games and showed no fatigue after skating with the Maple Leafs in Round One. Goaltender Garret Sparks was also electric all spring, including several clutch saves in the deciding Game Seven. Not to be forgotten is captain Ben Smith, who now adds a Calder Cup title to his Stanley Cup win with the Chicago Blackhawks and NCAA Championship with Boston College.
A big win for the city of Toronto will surely be met with much excitement and the Marlies deserve every bit of the spotlight. However, the expectations are now higher than ever for the Maple Leafs to follow suit with a Stanley Cup in the coming years.
Several Teams Linked To Ilya Kovalchuk
This weekend a report surfaced that Ilya Kovalchuk was visiting the Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks. There wasn’t any indication whether those teams would eventually land the Russian sniper, but he was at least willing to speak with them ahead of his signing period that begins on July 1st. Now, in a report from Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (subscription required) the market for Kovalchuk becomes more clear.
LeBrun lists the Kings, Sharks, Boston Bruins and New York Rangers as the “top contenders” for the 35-year old sniper, with a second group of interested parties including the Detroit Red Wings, St. Louis Blues, Dallas Stars and Anaheim Ducks. Darren Dreger of TSN also believes that Detroit is in the mix, while Craig Custance of The Athletic (subscription required) has heard that the Red Wings want to bring him aboard. Custance also lists the Tampa Bay Lightning as a possibility if Kovalchuk is willing to sign a short-term deal.
Interestingly, the New York Islanders were not listed among the interested teams despite Kovalchuk’s obvious connection with GM Lou Lamoriello. Arthur Staple of The Athletic added to that when he tweeted that the Islanders were “not in the main circle of interest” something that doesn’t seem so surprising when they have their own star free agent to get under contract in the coming weeks. While no Lamoriello-run team should ever be counted out of anything because of a lack of information, the Islanders don’t appear to be the best fit for Kovalchuk, who wants to win a Stanley Cup and doesn’t have a lot of years left to do it.
Kovalchuk can agree to terms with anyone in the league right now, but will have to wait until July 1st to actually sign a contract. He’s obviously taking his time to speak with anyone interested, but it seems as though there are plenty of teams willing to take a chance on him. Remember any contract he signs will count against the cap regardless of whether he retires or not, while he can only receive performance bonuses if he agrees to a one-year deal.
AHL Success Found On Different Paths For Toronto, Dallas
The AHL Calder Cup Finals could be determined tomorrow night as Toronto takes a 3-2 series lead into the final game in Texas. The Marlies are coming off a powerful 6-2 victory in Game 5, and will count on goaltender Garrett Sparks to try to take them home with a league championship. The Stars could easily be up in the series if a few more bounces had gone their way, showing just how close the two teams are.
Interestingly though, they are built very differently. While Toronto is relying on youth and inexperience to create wave after wave of attack, Texas is squeezing some incredible hockey out of some veteran talent. The Marlies (and the whole league) for instance, are led in scoring by the 23-year old Andreas Johnsson who has 20 points in 14 playoff games after re-joining the team following the Maple Leafs’ first-round exit. The seventh-round pick has developed into an elite offensive player at the minor league level, and is expected to take a full-time role on the Maple Leafs next season.
On Johnsson’s top line is the 24-year old AHL rookie Miro Aaltonen and 20-year old Carl Grundstrom, who has now played more minor league playoff games than regular season contests. Both have 12 points in 18 games, but have looked even more dangerous since Johnsson’s return. Second in Marlies scoring is Trevor Moore, the 23-year old NCAA signing that has suddenly turned from AHL afterthought to postseason sensation. It seemed unlikely that Moore had much of an NHL career path, but the Maple Leafs may have to reconsider after an outstanding playoffs.
The Stars on the other hand are using their veteran experience to keep the series close. Captain Curtis McKenzie is second in playoff scoring with 19 points in 20 games, and leafs all players with 10 goals. The 27-year old has been a part-time NHL player for Dallas the past few seasons, but has always found great success in the minor leagues. He’s joined near the top of the leaderboard by 27-year old Justin Dowling, 29-year old Brian Flynn and 34-year old Travis Morin, all former NHL players who have plenty of experience in the minor leagues. The Stars were extremely well prepared for the Marlies when the series started, and have caught their young defense corps several times playing a little overly aggressive.
It’s not like the Stars don’t have youth on their roster, or that the Marlies don’t have experienced AHL players. But there is a clear divide in the top producers from each club, something that will be interesting to follow as the series gets back underway tomorrow night. If anyone can stay calm and stave off elimination, a group of veteran players who have seen it all would be a good bet. McKenzie and his club will have a tough test corralling the youth of the Marlies though, as the NHL has learned with the Maple Leafs young group over the last few seasons.
Free Agent Focus: Dallas Stars
Free agency is now a little 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. Here is a breakdown of Dallas’ free agent situation.
Key Restricted Free Agents: F Mattias Janmark — No one was sure how Janmark would respond after missing the 2016-17 season with a knee injury, but the 25-year-old took that next step in his development with a solid season for the Stars this season. No longer hampered by a degenerative knee condition, Janmark put up 19 goals and 34 points this season and found himself on the team’s second line by the end of the season.
The question is what is the young forward worth after a bounce-back season? A quality two-way forward, he has forced his way up the lineup this year, often playing big units for a struggling offense. However, with the season he’s had, don’t be shocked if Janmark has some leverage going into negotiations this summer.
F Devin Shore — Considered to be a key piece for the Stars youth movement, Shore had a solid season as a bottom-line forward as he saw his ice time increase by over a minute between the last two years. The 23-year-old put up 11 goals and 32 points last year, but also had 125 shots and 71 hits on the year. The only down side about Shore’s season is his minus-30 plus-minus ratio, way down from a year ago on a team that was better offensively this season.
Other RFA’s: F Jason Dickinson, G Philippe Desrosiers, F Remi Elie, D Dillon Heatherington, D Stephen Johns, F Gemel Smith, F Cole Ully.
Key Unrestricted Free Agents: D Greg Pateryn — Despite a career so far serving as a team’s seventh defensemen, Pateryn found a full-time role with Dallas in 2017-18. The 27-year-old blueliner found his way into the Stars packed defensive lineup and earned the key role as a shutdown defender alongside Dan Hamhuis and often led the team in minutes played. While just posting 13 points in 73 games, Pateryn was quite invaluable and likely can get a big raise as an unrestricted free agent next season.
However, would Dallas consider bringing him back? A favorite of Ken Hitchcock doesn’t necessarily mean that Jim Montgomery would be willing to give him the same role. On top of that, Dallas has more young defenders than ever with John Klingberg, Esa Lindell, Johns, Julius Honka and the addition of last year’s first-round pick Miro Heiskanen. Is there a full-time role for Pateryn or would he be better off looking for a bigger role elsewhere?
Other RFA’s: D Andrew Bodnarchuk, F Brian Flynn, D Dan Hamhuis, G Kari Lehtonen, G Mike McKenna, F Curtis McKenzie, D Andrew O’Brien, D Brent Regner, F Antoine Roussel, D Reece Scarlett.
Projected Cap Space: With $17.6MM in available cap space (not including the possibility of the cap increasing), the Stars have some cap space and few major commitments to their own free agents. After wading deep into the free agent market a year ago when they signed Alexander Radulov and Martin Hanzal, which had mixed results, the team could consider making another run at another forward as that is where the team needs the most depth.
Of course, the Stars top priority will be to extend star Tyler Seguin this offseason, which will have a huge impact on the team’s future. However, the team could use a quality winger such as James van Riemsdyk, James Neal or David Perron on their second line, which the team needs to rebuild for the coming season.