Top Ten Remaining UFAs
Before NHL free agency opened up this summer, PHR published a list of the top-50 NHL UFAs. Two weeks into the offseason and the majority have signed deals—leaving 18 out of 50 still looking for a new NHL contract. Below are the top ten players still on the market:
[initial writeups credited to PHR’s Gavin Lee]
Tomas Tatar Rejects Five-Year, $25MM Contract Offer
According to Ansar Khan of MLive, Tomas Tatar and the Detroit Red Wings remain at an impasse in contract negotiations. The restricted free agent has turned down a five-year $25MM contract offer, instead wanting more term and an average salary closer to $6MM. Tatar’s arbitration hearing is on July 20th, an option that may have to be used should the two sides not agree in the next week. A one-year decision would send him to unrestricted free agency next season, something that would likely spark trade rumors immediately as Detroit would want something of value before he left town.
Tatar has a good case after scoring 25 goals and 46 points last season, showing he’s one of the most reliable offensive options on the Red Wings. While some question his all-around game, he is unquestionably a talented player who can drive possession and produce offensively. That kind of player, especially one that is just 26-years old is a much sought-after commodity on the open market and one that would drive a steep price should GM Ken Holland not be able to work out a long-term deal.
As Khan points out in his piece, Tyler Johnson, a player who was also scheduled to have an arbitration hearing on the 20th just agreed to a seven-year $35MM deal. While the two are comparable sizes, ages and have a similar level of experience Johnson has two major things going for him. He has already set a considerably higher peak of 72 points—Tatar’s career high is 56—and plays center full time, a more valued position. He got the term Tatar is after, but had to settle for a $5MM AAV.
Interestingly, Tatar comes with a recent resume of durability playing in 245 of a possible 246 games the last three seasons. If the team is truly interested in competing in the short term, they need Tatar on the wing providing offense, but it seems as though his biggest value may be on the market should he be given just a one year deal. Watching him walk away in a year for nothing would be foolish, but dedicating that kind of money to him when you have other salary cap issues all over the roster may be impossible. The Red Wings only have about $2.3MM in cap space before putting Johan Franzen on LTIR, and still another deal to finish with Andreas Athanasiou.
Detroit Red Wings Still Linked To Thomas Vanek
According to Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press, the Detroit Red Wings are still in contact with unrestricted free agent Thomas Vanek. Recently, Vanek came second in our poll of readers on who they considered the best free agent remaining, only coming in behind the legendary Jaromir Jagr who is getting some interesting offers of his own.
Vanek started last season with the Red Wings after being bought out by the Minnesota Wild, a move that was mostly because of the negative impact he had in his own end. Those same defensive questions remain this summer even after another season of good offensive performance. 48 points split between Detroit and the Florida Panthers—where he was dealt at the trade deadline—marked the 12th consecutive season (every single year of his career) that he’d recorded more than 40.
That type of offensive consistency isn’t easy to come by, and some team will be able to plug him into a sort of specialist role including lots of powerplay time and a regular turn in the shootout. It will be difficult for the Red Wings though, as St. James makes it clear that the team would need to move salary out before bringing in the 33-year old.
The interesting thing about Vanek is that he would once again be a trade candidate at the deadline should he sign with a bubble team, making Detroit a likely landing spot for just part of the season unless they drastically turn around their play from a year ago.
Tatar, Red Wings Still Far Apart On Contract
- There’s more interesting takes coming out of Detroit regarding Tomas Tatar. The curious case of his negotiations began with him saying if he only gets a year, he’s done in Detroit. General manager Ken Holland all but shrugged it off, which led many to wonder just how motivated the Red Wings were to getting a long term deal done. The Detroit Free Press’ Helene St. James reports that the Red Wings are wary of giving Tatar a seven-year deal. This is somewhat understandable in the cap era with the exception of one point–Holland has been more than happy to offer long term deals to players who haven’t exactly produced to warrant them–with Justin Abdelkader being the best example. So with Tatar, it’s curious. The Detroit News’ Gregg Krupa goes a step further, writing that it’s essentially “cap malpractice” if Detroit isn’t paying him because they’re too bloated from other contracts. St. James adds that Tatar hasn’t produced like T.J. Oshie, or Tyler Johnson, but to be fair, Tatar hasn’t been surrounded with the talent the aforementioned have. Further, as Krupa points out, that if a deal isn’t worked out, it’s more evidence of roster mismanagement. Once the model franchise of the NHL, the Red Wings decision making continues to baffle. The team isn’t much improved from last season, they’re strapped financially, and they’re fighting with their leading scorer on a deal. It will be interesting to see how ownership reacts should the Red Wings struggle out of the gate, especially with Holland making it a priority to make the playoffs.
Red Wings Notes: Blashill, Rasmussen, Sadowy
Detroit Red Wings head coach Jeff Blashill has a message for fans regarding summer hockey: temper your excitement. Blashill tells MLive’s Brendan Savage that summer hockey “isn’t real hockey” and goes to acknowledge that while it’s exciting to see hockey in July, it isn’t what it appears. From Savage:
“I used to recruit lots (as a college coach) and we’d go to tryout camps and watch them and you always had to temper it because it’s not real hockey. Again, for me, it’s just a good first glance, gives me a little better feel come main camp for most of these guys.”
Meanwhile, ninth overall pick Michael Rasmussen sat out a scrimmage due to a wrist injury from February. Savage reports that it was precautionary, and that he hasn’t indicated any issues with the injury after two days.
- A number of Red Wings blogs are at development camp and have done detailed write ups on the prospects participating. Winging It In Motown writer SlapshotGoal featured Rasmussen, specifically writing about his skating ability that many scouts, analysts, and fans were quick to criticize. The article goes on to say that it’s “baffling” how so many critique his skating, and she goes on to write an in-depth piece (with video) that reveals a skating ability that may be very underrated. Drawing comparisons to speedsters Dylan Larkin, and Andreas Athanasiou, she writes that Rasmussen is able to make adjustments “on the fly” and noting that between his speed, effortless stride, and body control, it gives him a “fluid gracefulness.” This type of analysis should quiet some critics, and give Rasmussen the benefit of the doubt in being a top ten pick.
- With a roster that needs to younger, Detroit Free Press beat writer Helene St. James writes that prospect Dylan Sadowy has impressed Grand Rapids coach Todd Nelson, despite a season that seemed to show a step back for him as a goal scorer. Nelson cautions patience because Sadowy is so young and there is a jump from the OHL to the AHL. Sadowy was told by Detroit brass to work on his conditioning, believing it will go a long way in helping his game. Sadowy spent time with the Toledo Walleye of the ECHL in addition to the Griffins, registering 10 points (5-5) in 44 games between both squads.
Lightning Re-Sign Tyler Johnson To A 7-Year Deal
The Tampa Bay Lightning and forward Tyler Johnson have agreed to a seven-year/$35MM deal. The cap hit is $5MM. Johnson had 45 points last season, 19 of those points being goals. It’s a $1.7MM AAV increase from the $3.3MM he was previously making. Johnson saw his increase thanks to his scoring prowess and clutch playoff performance.
Johnson emerged as a scoring threat during the 2014-15 playoffs when he lit up the Detroit Red Wings for six goals in the first round while finishing with 24 points (13-11) in 26 playoff games. His Conn Smythe caliber numbers turned a number of heads and made Johnson a bonafide star in Tampa. The following season, Johnson again had a dominant performance, being a point-per-game contributor in 17 playoff games.
Regular season success was strong for the 26-year-old forward who had 50 points (24-26) in his first full season during the 2013-14 year. A season later, Johnson had his career high of 72 points (29-43) and continued his torrid performance into the playoffs. Injuries since have limited his performance, and he dipped to 38 points (14-24) in 2015-16.
With the signing, the Lightning have approximately $8.88MM remaining via CapFriendly. This allows general manager Steve Yzerman to turn his attention to Ondrej Palat, who according to the Tampa Bay Times’ Joe Smith, is hoping to lock him up prior to an arbitration hearing. Smith quoted Johnson as saying he was “super excited” about the contract extension.
Tatar And Athanasiou Appear Safe For Now
- The Red Wings are not looking to make many moves at the moment, according to Michigan Live’s Ansar Khan. The Tomas Tatar negotiations are apparently not going well. Khan believes the team could look to move him later on, but both parties expect him to play the bulk of the season before that option is considered. Andreas Athanasiou would be another option to move, but again Khan believes the team will see how well it does in battling for a post-season berth before heading in that direction. GM Ken Holland seems to be relatively content with the group he has, and with few off-season moves it could be another rough year in Detroit if certain players don’t make incredible strides.
[SOURCE LINK]
NHL Snapshots: Jankowski, Chelios, Pastrnak, Dostie, Hintz
The Buffalo Sabres continue to do some management restructuring today, announcing the hiring of Ryan Jankowski to be the new director of amateur scouting. The team is also promoting Scott Crisp to be the assistant director of amateur scouting. Jankowski, who spent the last four years with Hockey Canada and served as the director of amateur of scouting there, now comes to join Jason Botterill and his new staff. He was responsible for selecting and evaluating players for Canada’s national junior team as well as under-18 and under-17 programs. He has also previously worked as a scout for the Montreal Canadiens and an assistant general manager for the New York Islanders, and had a hand in drafting current Sabres’ Kyle Okposo. Crisp, the team’s former head scout, has been scouting for 17 years, including the Calgary Flames and the Anaheim Ducks.
- About a month ago, PHR reported that Chris Chelios was leaving the Detroit Red Wings organization. The part-time assistant coach was reportedly trying to gain a position with the NHL Players’ Association. However, Chelios might not be as gone as some think. According to NBC Sports’ Cam Tucker, Chelios was recently seen at the Red Wings development camp and is still listed as an assistant coach on the team’s website. HockeyBuzz’s Bob Duff interviewed him and Chelios says he just took a leave of absence to explore a possible job with the NHLPA, but had always intended to return to the Red Wings if that didn’t come through. However, there is no indication that he did or didn’t get a position with the NHLPA yet.
- WEEI’s Ty Anderson tweets that Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said today the team has made no progress on a new contract for restricted free agent David Pastrnak. The 21-year-old first-round pick in 2014 had a breakout season last year, putting up 34 goals and 70 points. The Bruins tweeted they are negotiating with several teams about trades and haven’t closed the doors on unrestricted free agent Drew Stafford.
- The Anaheim Ducks signed 2016 fourth-round pick Alex Dostie to a three-year entry-level contract, according to Sportsnet. The 20-year-old center spent the year playing for three teams, including the Gatineau Olympiques and the Charlottetown Islanders of the QMJHL, where he combined to put up 30 goals and 41 assists between the two teams. He also played one playoff game for the AHL’s San Diego Gulls without registering a point.
- The Dallas Stars tweeted that 2015 second-rounder Roope Hintz will likely come over to the United States to play hockey this season after a breakout year for HIFK Helsinki team in Finland. The 20-year-old scored 19 goals and 11 assists in 44 games last year.
The Latest On Tomas Tatar’s Negotiations
One of the bigger names still waiting on a deal is the Detroit Red Wings’ Tomas Tatar, who is due a huge raise. All has been quiet in Detroit outside of the fact that Tatar filed for arbitration, which was suspected. But George Malik, of Kuklas Korner, found this interview that shed some light on what’s going on between Detroit and Tatar:
“Arbitration is the last option, I have to sign off, it’s just a mandatory contract. Unless I agree with Detroit, I’ll go to the court, where they’ll give me a year’s contract. That would probably be my last season in Detroit. We’ll see in a few days or weeks before it all comes together,” said Tatar.
The Athletic’s Craig Custance looks further into the issue, pointing out that should Detroit only sign Tatar to a year, it would certainly help the rebuilding process in terms of what Tatar could rein in at the deadline. At the same time, he wonders why the Red Wings, who already have an overabundance of bad contracts, would want to extend Tatar for a long time when the team is clearly not going to be anywhere near contender status in the near future. But Custance, after getting a “no comment” from general manager Ken Holland, makes a very astute point:
Put another way, only 30 NHL players have scored more goals in that three-year span than Tatar. That comes with a cost, and for an organization that was willing to pay Justin Abdelkader, Darren Helm and Gustav Nyquist market value, this would be the odd one in which to take a hard line on.
The money owed to Helm and Abdelkader alone makes this perplexing to any Red Wings fan. Both received generous offers in comparison to their ho-hum production. Tatar is a slam dunk. If the Red Wings are truly “rebuilding on the fly,” as Holland as said for has nearly been five seasons, he finds a way to extend Tatar for multiple years. But this team isn’t set up to do much. Though the Athletic’s Sean Tierney shows that the Red Wings made slight gains in goal scoring, it’s just that: slight. Detroit has the fourth oldest roster in hockey, which only pushes the notion that they should be looking to get younger.
The Red Wings, whether or not the front office wants to admit it, are a shell of what they once were. Though Holland’s goal is to make the playoffs next season, he’s returning a roster that is nearly identical to the same squad who mustered just 79 points. That seems like a farfetched goal. But if the playoffs are truly in their crosshairs, Tatar’s signing is a critical piece to returning.
Red Wings Unlikely To Move Athanasiou
- Although Detroit is likely to be right up near the upper limit when they reach a new deal with winger Tomas Tatar, they’re not likely to move their other restricted free agent of note in winger Andreas Athanasiou, notes MLive’s Ansar Khan. While the 22 year old was in and out of the doghouse at times, he still has a combination of speed and finishing ability that would be hard to give up on unless he was part of a package for a top pairing defenseman which is highly unlikely. Khan adds that the lack of cap space the Red Wings will have also plays a factor here as even if they decided to look at moving Athanasiou, they’d be restricted to trying to match money which would basically limit them to players on or near their entry-level contract, prospects, or picks.