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Atlantic Notes: Zaitsev, Johansson, Condon, Luongo

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The Toronto Maple Leafs don’t have to, but if the team wants to move on from defenseman Nikita Zaitsev, it might be beneficial to trade him before July 1 when his 10-team no-trade clause kicks in. While Zaitsev has requested a trade as well, making it easier for Toronto to unload the five years remaining on his contract at $4.5MM, there are likely to be several teams interested in acquiring the 27-year-old.

In fact, The Athletic’s James Mirtle (subscription required) looks into what teams would be the most likely to acquire the blueliner and the Edmonton Oilers find themselves at the top of the list. Zaitsev could be paired with one of Toronto’s forwards, either Connor Brown, Kasperi Kapanen or Andreas Johnsson to acquire either Matt Benning or even Adam Larsson in the right deal.

The Vancouver Canucks and Anaheim Ducks round out the top three teams who would make the best bets, but there are quiet a few other candidates as well.

  • Boston Globe’s Nick Kelly writes that Boston Bruins forward Marcus Johansson was non-committal Friday when asked about whether he wanted to return to Boston next season. An unrestricted free agent and a key contributor throughout the playoffs (four goals and 11 points in 22 games), the 28-year-old may have priced his way out of Boston. However, Johansson said he did enjoy his time with the Bruins and will speak to them first before looking at his other options.
  • Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun writes that even though the Ottawa Sentators locked up backup goaltender Anders Nilsson to a tw0-year, $5.2MM extension which many thought would be the end for Mike Condon. The 29-year-old, who lost the backup job early last season, still has one year remaining on his contract at $2.4MM and seemed like a prime buyout candidate. However, general manager Pierre Dorion said the team will not buy him out and intend to bring him in to camp in the fall before determining what to do with him. Condon made just two appearances, allowing eight goals and had a .800 save percentage. He was sent to Belleville of the AHL for one game before he opted to sit out the rest of the year with hip inflammation. He hopes to be healthy for training camp.
  • Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman notes that he spoke recently to Florida Panthers general manager Dale Tallon, who told him that he expects goaltender Roberto Luongo to make a decision about his future soon, in fact, before the draft next Friday. The team needs an idea on whether Luongo intends to come back next year. Florida is expected to sign one of the top goaltenders on the market with Sergei Bobrovsky on the top of their list. However, if Luongo opt to return (he still has three years remaining at $4.53MM AAV), the team will have to find a way to move out James Reimer.

Pacific Notes: Donskoi, Eakins, Phaneuf, McDavid

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The San Jose Sharks and general manager Doug Wilson have a lot on their plate this offseason as they have a number of key free agents they must deal with, including Erik Karlsson, Joe Pavelski and Joe Thornton. One name that is often forgotten is free agent forward Joonas Donskoi, who has been a solid contributor as a middle-six forward the last few years.

The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz reports that it looks like Donskoi is leaning towards going onto the open market to see what offers he might receive and could wait to see if a team comes calling when the interview period opens on June 23. Donskoi could receive quite a bit of attention as he has scored 14 goals in each of his last two seasons and had 37 points this year. While that’s hardly amazing numbers, the speedy wing is a good defender and could provide value for a lesser price tag, considering he only made $1.9MM last year.

  • While it looks like the Anaheim Ducks are moving rather slowly in naming their head coach, it looks like there are only two candidates remaining in the race in Dallas Eakins and University of Minnesota-Duluth coach Scott Sandelin, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Eakins remains the favorite, but the team is doing quite a bit of research on him, including interviewing some of the veterans on his AHL squad.
  • Jordan Samuels-Thomas of The Athletic (subscription required) writes that with Dion Phaneuf being bought out, the most likely destination for the veteran blueliner would be a young team that’s several years away from truly competing. The scribe writes that the decline in the 34-year-old’s play would likely have playoff teams looking elsewhere for veteran depth, but Phaneuf’s leadership and his ability to mentor young players would make him more valuable to a lottery team. On top of that Phaneuf could help team’s penalty killing and can provide a physical presence a young team might lack.
  • At a gathering for 500 season ticket holders, Edmonton Oilers general manager Ken Holland said he has already met with star center Connor McDavid twice in the last 10 days, including visiting him as he was working out, according to Terry Jones of the Edmonton Journal. He reports that McDavid is doing well and is expected to ready for the start of training camp. The 22-year-old suffered a small PCL tear in his knee on the final game of the regular season, but the injury didn’t require surgery.

Tippett: Preference Is To Add Forward Depth This Offseason

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  • Oilers head coach Dave Tippett is hoping to see his new team prioritize forward depth over blueline depth this offseason, notes Postmedia’s Terry Jones. Production from the wing was a big area of concern in 2018-19 and while recent signing Joakim Nygard has some upside, it will be tough to ask him to step in and play an important role right away.  Edmonton has over $73MM in payroll commitments for next season already so while they need depth, they won’t be able to shop at the top end of the market to get some.

Latest On Nikita Zaitsev’s Trade Market

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The Toronto Maple Leafs are doing their best to accommodate a trade request from Nikita Zaitsev, and even with his long-term contract in tow they are getting interest from around the league. It was recently reported that the Vancouver Canucks had checked in on the Russian defenseman, and now Darren Dreger of TSN tweets that the Edmonton Oilers may have some interest as well. Rick Dhaliwal of Sportsnet has heard the same, though notes that both Vancouver and Edmonton have not yet made offers.

Zaitsev, 27, likely would have been on the trade block even without a request this summer. The Maple Leafs need to clear some cap space for the incoming Mitch Marner, Kasperi Kapanen and Andreas Johnsson contracts, and Zaitsev’s five remaining years at a $4.5MM cap hit was one of the more obvious moves the team could make. Moving the right-handed defenseman would leave an even bigger hole on the blue line for the Maple Leafs, but his play hasn’t warranted his contract over the last two seasons.

It’s those relative struggles that makes the Oilers’ interest somewhat questionable at best. Edmonton already has four defensemen earning at least $4MM per season and none of them are truly outproducing their salary. In fact, they have young players coming up through the system that will need bigger roles before long. Adding a player like Zaitsev may bring about some stability, given only Oscar Klefbom is signed for more than two seasons, but he would also reduce the opportunity someone like Evan Bouchard may need next season.

That is of course unless the team is looking to move out other names. The Oilers and Maple Leafs had been rumored to be discussing a trade at the deadline revolving around Connor Brown, and perhaps those talks have resurfaced along with Zaitsev. Even if Toronto does move Zaitsev and Patrick Marleau, they may still feel like they need a little more room. Brown’s $2.1MM cap hit is fine for most teams, but perhaps not the salary-squeezed Maple Leafs if he’s to continue playing on the fourth line.

It is important to note that Zaitsev will earn a $3MM signing bonus on July 1, but will also see his modified no-trade clause kick in. That clause blocks deals to ten teams around the league, and if he hasn’t already submitted the list he could very well use the rumored interest to give himself even more leverage. The two sides are apparently working together on a deal after the request, but Zaitsev could control his fate a little more if a deal isn’t done in the next few weeks.

Draft Notes: Knight, Caufield, Oilers

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There have been just two goaltenders selected in the first round over the last five drafts, and none higher than 22nd overall. That’s where Ilya Samsonov went to the Washington Capitals in 2015, with Jake Oettinger following two years later at No. 26. Spencer Knight is set to break that mark this season as arguably the highest touted goaltending prospect since Andrei Vasilevskiy in 2012. Knight is drawing plenty of interest, and Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider tweeted today that the Kings are high on the American goaltender.

The Kings are one of five teams with two first round picks this year, but their second selection—22nd overall—may be too late to grab Knight. It’s also very unlikely that they use the fifth-overall pick on him, meaning if they are set on bringing him into the organization they would likely need to make a trade of some sort.

  • There hasn’t been a bigger draft riser of late than USNTDP sniper Cole Caufield, and his name was mentioned today by Matt Larkin of The Hockey News in an informal Q&A on Twitter. Larkin suggested that if the Kings really wanted to make a bold move in the draft they could snap up Caufield at No. 5, though he believes they are more likely to go with someone else. Caufield had 72 goals all told over this year of hockey, breaking records basically wherever he went. The 5’7″ forward is going to bring excitement wherever he ends up, and could very well be off the board higher than many believed just a few months ago.
  • The Edmonton Oilers know they have to start hitting on their high picks, and with the eighth selection this season the pressure is on for new GM Ken Holland. He spoke to reporters at the scouting combine in Buffalo, explaining that there are arguments for both defense and forward where he’ll pick. Perhaps in the most telling line however, Holland noted that “there’s some good defensemen there, but there’s some really good forwards.” The only defenseman consistently ranked above the eighth spot is Bowen Byram, who is usually followed by a run of forwards sometimes ten names long.

Edmonton Oilers Extend AHL Coach Jay Woodcroft

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Though there have been many changes since Ken Holland took over as Edmonton Oilers GM, one won’t be happening behind the minor league bench. The organization announced today that Jay Woodcroft has signed a three-year extension to remain head coach of the Bakersfield Condors.

Woodcroft took the Condors to a level that they had never seen before, setting a franchise record with 42 wins and getting to the Calder Cup playoffs for the first time. The group also completed an incredible 17-game winning streak in early 2019, tying the second longest streak in AHL history. Despite a long career as an assistant in the NHL, this was Woodcroft’s first head coaching job at the professional level.

Holland is familiar with Woodcroft from his days in Detroit, where he started his coaching career as a video assistant after retiring as a player in 2005. Todd McLellan was on that staff, and is someone Woodcroft has basically followed around the league since, spending more than a decade as his assistant in San Jose and Edmonton. That led to some speculation that he might be heading to Los Angeles to rejoin him, but after experiencing so much success with the Condors and being a positive influence on the development of Edmonton’s young players, it makes sense for Holland and the Oilers to keep him around.

Canucks Notes: Free Agency Targets, Edler, Eriksson

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Vancouver GM Jim Benning continues to be honest and open with the media this off-season about the direction of the team and his plans moving forward. In a media session yesterday, the veteran executive spoke on a number of topics, including the positions he will try to fill in free agency. Per NHL.com’s Kevin Woodley, Benning was happy to reveal who he may target:

Going forward now, if we are going to add through free agency, we want to try to add top-four defensemen or top-six forwards, so I think our needs in that way have changed. I haven’t been shy about stating that we would like to improve our defense. There are different avenues to try to do that, so we’re looking at all those avenues.

The “change” that Benning is referring to is in contrast to last off-season, when the Canucks spent on bottom-six depth in free agency, targeting Jay Beagle, Antoine Roussel, and Tim Schaller. This year, the names that the team will seek will be more high-profile. Up front, Vancouver has already been linked to Marcus Johansson, while British Columbia-native Brett Connolly will also likely be in consideration. On the back end, Jake Gardiner is known to be a free agent target, although Benning’s comments make it seem as though the Canucks could also scour the trade market for a top-four defenseman as well. One way or another, it seems this summer will be more exciting than the last for Vancouver.

  • That “top-four target” could also come internally, as Benning acknowledges that the team is still working through contract talks with long-time stalwart Alex Edler. Edler is an impending free agent and asked not to be traded at the trade deadline this past season in hopes of an extension with Vancouver. Months later, a deal has not yet been signed. It appears that term and trade protection appear to be the sticking points, especially as the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft looms. Edler would like protection from a possible Seattle selection, but Benning and the Canucks would rather use one of their limited slots on a key young piece. Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre relays some honest words from Benning on the subject:

I think it’s fair to say we don’t have the appetite to do that. We had to do that last time with Daniel and Henrik Sedin. But we’re going to have some good young players that we need to protect or we’ll lose them.

  • Edler could be gone if talks don’t improve, and so could another veteran, Loui Eriksson. Benning spoke to Eriksson’s comments to a Swedish newspaper earlier this off-season, when he stated that he did not trust or get along with head coach Travis Green. Benning said that he has plans to talk with Eriksson soon, but that those comments are a true cause for concern and a trade could be a real possibility. This isn’t the first we’ve heard of Eriksson trade rumors, with many linking him to the Edmonton Oilers and former head coach Dave Tippett in a possible swap for fellow expensive and under-performing forward Milan Lucic. However, Benning’s comments would imply that a trade could happen even if it isn’t with Edmonton. The team may have trouble finding a taker for the remaining three years and $6MM AAV on Eriksson’s contract, but if it’s a matter of team chemistry, the team may have to do whatever it takes to move the seasoned winger.

Competition Committee Submits Rules Recommendations

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The NHL and NHLPA released a joint statement this evening outlining the changes recommended by the Competition Committee, which wrapped meetings today. The players’ side, led by NHLPA Special Assistant Mathieu Schneider, included Ron Hainsey, Connor Hellebuyck, Connor McDavid, John Tavares, and James van Riemsdyk. The league side, led by NHL Senior Vice President of Hockey Opertations Colin Campbell, included Craig Leipold, David Poile, Ken Holland, Doug Wilson, and Steve Yzerman. Together, the group came up with some intriguing ideas for consideration.

The most notable suggestion, as well as the most expected one, was expanded access to video review and coach’s challenges. Few details were disclosed as to the specifics of expanded review, other than allowing referees to use video review to review calls on the ice. However, after a postseason in which incorrect calls has drawn so much media scrutiny, it’s fair to assume that changes are coming to review procedures to help remedy that situation.

Another suggested rule change bound to draw some attention is a change to the the tie-breaking procedures used to determine final regular season rankings. While the joint release did not outline the proposed changes, Sportsnet’s Elliott Friedman believes that the preference of the Competition Committee is to use simply regulation wins rather than “ROT”, regulation and overtime wins, as the primary tie-breaker. If adopted, this rule change could very well see more teams looking to end games in regular time as opposed to playing for overtime, especially late in the season in a tight playoff race.

Other suggestions included changes to face-off locations based on icing, pucks out of bounds, power plays, intentionally knocking the net over, and goalies unnecessarily freezing the puck, as well as a rule that would require players to leave the ice if their helmet is knocked off during play.

These rules suggestions still need to be approved by both the NHL’s Board of Governors and the NHLPA’s Executive Board, and many of the proposed changes will require more detailed presentations, as well as considerable discussion. After suggestions are adopted, the language will be formalized and they will officially be indoctrinated into the NHL rule book. Stay tuned for further updates on these possible rule changes when these governing bodies meet later this summer.

West Notes: Canucks, Wheat Kings, Perry

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The Vancouver Canucks will not be signing Linus Karlsson or Toni Utunen this summer, according to Rick Dhaliwal of Sportsnet. Both prospects will stay in Europe for at least one more season to continue their development. Karlsson, acquired from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Jonathan Dahlen, was a third-round pick last June and spent this season in the Swedish second league, where he put up 18 points in 52 games. Utunen meanwhile played the season in Finland’s top league after being a fifth-round selection by the Canucks last year. Vancouver will retain both their exclusive draft rights.

Dhaliwal also notes that the team may re-sign restricted free agent Reid Boucher, but no decision has been made at this point. Boucher played just a single game with the Canucks last season, but was a force at the minor league level with 62 points in 56 games. The 25-year old is arbitration eligible however, meaning that if the team issues him a qualifying offer he could file and force a potential one-way deal. Boucher has 42 points through 133 NHL games.

  • If you thought your job was complicated, imagine what it must be like for Kelly McCrimmon. The newly promoted Vegas Golden Knights GM is also still the owner of the WHL’s Brandon Wheat Kings, and today announced that the team will not be bringing back head coach David Anning. This comes after McCrimmon also relieved Wheat Kings’ GM Grant Armstrong of his duties last month, leaving huge gaps in management for next season. While his junior club is searching for a coach and GM, McCrimmon also has to navigate the upcoming NHL draft in which the Golden Knights hold five picks in the first three rounds.
  • Darren Dreger was on TSN radio today discussing potential buyout candidates, and noted that Corey Perry will have a market around the league if he finds himself an unrestricted free agent suddenly later this month. Perry looks like he will be leaving the Anaheim Ducks one way or another this offseason, and Dreger suggests the Edmonton Oilers as a team that may kick the tires on him as a veteran leader to help Connor McDavid turn things around. Perry currently has two years remaining on his current contract that carries a $8.625MM cap hit, but could be an attractive option at a much lower number if he happens to be bought out.

Oilers Notes: Gretzky, Hawkey, Samorukov

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The Edmonton Oilers have decided to retain Keith Gretzky despite not giving him the job as general manager. The team announced today that Gretzky will remain with the organization as an assistant GM, taking over control of the Bakersfield Condors. Gretzky served as interim GM for the Oilers when Peter Chiarelli was fired, and was a finalist for the job before it eventually went to Ken Holland.

Gretzky, 52, has been with the Oilers since 2016 when he came over from the Boston Bruins, but has long been a respected scout in the NHL. His plan is likely still in place for the upcoming draft, given Holland’s relative inexperience with the Edmonton organization, though it will obviously be tweaked by the former Detroit boss. More notes on the Oilers:

  • Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal reports that the Oilers won’t sign Hayden Hawkey given their numurous goaltending prospects already in the system. Hawkey was acquired from the Montreal Canadiens last summer in exchange for a fifth-round pick, but returned to Providence College for his senior season. The 24-year old posted a .921 save percentage for Providence this season and will become an unrestricted free agent in August. The Oilers, with Shane Starrett, Dylan Wells and Stuart Skinner already under contract, likely didn’t have a place for Hawkey to play next season and thus not much to offer him in terms of opportunity.
  • Matheson also tweets that the Oilers are excited about third-round pick Dmitri Samorukov, and quotes Gretzky who believes that the young defenseman will be on a second pair in the NHL one day. Still just 19, Samorukov had an incredible playoffs with the Guelph Storm of the OHL, recording 28 points in 24 games and being a driving force in their Memorial Cup run. The team signed Samorukov to his entry-level deal way back in 2017, but it slid twice and will now run through the 2021-22 season.

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