Evander Kane Likely To Undergo Surgery, Start Season On LTIR
The Oilers will likely be without forward Evander Kane to start this season as he recovers from a yet-to-be-performed undisclosed surgery, according to the team’s Bob Stauffer (X link).
Kane played through a good chunk of last season with a sports hernia, he revealed to reporters in April. It plagued him through the Oilers’ run to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, holding him out of five of Edmonton’s 25 playoff games. It’s unclear if today’s news is related.
The recovery from the undisclosed surgery would likely sideline him for at least the first 10 games and 24 days of the 2024-25 campaign, meaning the Oilers can place him on long-term injured reserve. Doing so would allow them to gain temporary relief from his $5.125MM cap hit, giving new general manager Stan Bowman some much-needed financial flexibility. Edmonton’s roster currently projects to check in at more than $350K over the $88MM upper limit, per PuckPedia. Not only do the Oilers need space for day-to-day transactions, but they also still need to come to agreements with RFAs Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway.
After an underwhelming 2023-24 season, the 33-year-old Kane may have seemed like a probable trade candidate for Edmonton to clear cap space. But a full no-movement clause through July 1, 2025, meant he could have blocked any move, including a waiver placement, and the second year of term remaining on his deal makes him a tougher sell to interested teams.
In fact, it’s been an underwhelming couple of seasons for Kane after a strong initial showing in Edmonton. His 44 points in 77 games last season were especially poor production for the power forward, and his 0.57 points per game were his worst since the 2015-16 season. He didn’t fare much better in an injury-plagued 2022-23 campaign either, limited to 16 goals and 28 points in 41 games. His 0.68 points per game that year cratered from the year prior, when he put up 0.91 per game after signing with the Oilers midseason following a contract termination by the Sharks.
The two-time 30-goal scorer still finished fourth on the Oilers in goals (24) and led them in hits (250) last year, but his 16:47 ATOI was his lowest usage since his rookie season with the Atlanta Thrashers in 2009-10.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Snapshots: Draisaitl, Zegras, Lee, Preseason Schedule
Leon Draisaitl‘s recent eligibility to sign a contract extension will be one of the bigger storylines late in the offseason, but it doesn’t appear there’s much of anything new to report since Stan Bowman took over the reins as general manager a couple of weeks ago, the executive said to NHL.com’s Derek Van Diest.
“I had a good conversation (with Draisaitl’s agent Mike Liut) and we’re starting things off and the timing on that will be what it will be,” Bowman said. “I don’t have an update of where it’s going to be or the timing on that, but there is nothing negative to report, certainly.”
The initial contact between Bowman and Draisaitl’s camp reignites extension talks that began back in June with acting GM Jeff Jackson. Draisaitl’s European-based agent, Jiri Poner, told a German news outlet early last month that the ball was in Edmonton’s court to make a competitive offer. Things seem on a slow but positive track for the German superstar, who’s coming off a 41-goal, 106-point campaign in 2023-24.
Here’s more from around the league:
- Ducks forward Trevor Zegras has continued to draw trade interest from around the league this summer, and some speculated a return to his New York home could be in the cards. That doesn’t appear to be the case, though, as Arthur Staple of The Athletic said in a recent mailbag that he doesn’t “think the Rangers have ever been interested in Zegras, much as the local kid would love to be a Ranger.”
- There have been questions about Islanders captain Anders Lee‘s future with the club after a trying campaign that saw him limited to 20 goals and 37 points in 81 games, his lowest offensive output in a healthy season since 2015-16. But it appears the 34-year-old is here to stay for the final two years of his contract at a $7MM cap hit, GM Lou Lamoriello told Staple. “You’re talking about a consummate pro: high integrity, high character, team first,” Lamoriello said. “I’d say he was one of our better players in the playoffs. That should answer any questions you might have — how he responded to whatever role he was asked to play.”
- We’re just 46 days away from NHL hockey returning to laptops, radios and TVs. The league announced its complete composite preseason schedule today, which will kick off on Sep. 21 with a trio of games involving the Penguins and Sabres, the Blues and Stars, and the Wild and Jets. The Utah Hockey Club will take the ice for the first time in preseason action the following day, hosting the Blues for a neutral site game in Des Moines, Iowa. The preseason will run for two weeks, drawing to a close on Oct. 5.
Edmonton’s Cap Planning Could Be Hindered By An Offer Sheet
While offer sheets are few and far between in the NHL, all it takes is one team that decides to try to disrupt things and sign a player on a cap-strapped team to an offer sheet to change things. Looking at who is left, Edmonton is a team that would find themselves in a tough spot if one of their restricted free agents, defenseman Philip Broberg and forward Dylan Holloway, were to eventually sign an offer sheet with another team.
Even after moving out Ryan McLeod to Buffalo earlier this summer, the Oilers currently find themselves projected over the salary cap by $354K, per PuckPedia, and that’s with a 21-player roster. While there has been plenty of speculation that winger Evander Kane could be on LTIR to start the season, that’s only a short-term solution as they’d have to get back into cap compliance to activate him later on. The fact they went and moved McLeod out suggests that they don’t expect Kane to miss the entire year so they’ll have to drop below the $88MM Upper Limit at some point.
To that end, it stands to reason that Edmonton will be pushing for bridge deals with both Broberg and Holloway, perhaps as short as a one-year agreement to keep the cap charge as low as possible. It’s a route they took with Evan Bouchard last summer and did so in the past with McLeod and Kailer Yamamoto coming off their entry-level contracts. All things considered, they’ve been pretty consistent with that practice and understandably so.
But what if one or both of those players want the security of a longer-term agreement? At this point, it looks like the only way they’d be able to get one is by signing an offer sheet.
Granted, neither player has done enough at the NHL level to command the type of offer from another team that pushes the compensation threshold to the level of a first-round pick. But it doesn’t have to get that high to put Edmonton in a bind, assuming the players are willing to sign an offer sheet elsewhere.
Broberg only played 12 regular season games for the Oilers last season but the 2019 eighth-overall pick was quite productive with AHL Bakersfield. The 23-year-old then got into ten playoff games and played well enough that there will be teams that should be willing to take a multi-year flyer on Broberg at a salary that likely surpasses what GM Stan Bowman has in mind.
Holloway is in a similar situation. He also wound up spending time with the Condors and produced 16 points in 18 games there. But the 2020 14th pick has rarely had a chance to play in Edmonton’s top six, instead being deployed in limited minutes including time on the fourth line. The end result was a pedestrian nine points in 38 games. But Holloway was a bit more impactful in the playoffs, picking up five goals in 25 contests, giving him a bit of a boost heading into negotiations.
Again, they’re not going to break the bank with an offer sheet but they don’t have to sign a pricey deal in order to put Edmonton into a bind. Let’s say a team signs Broberg to an offer sheet at the top of the lowest threshold that yields compensation. That would be a $2.29MM price tag with a third-round pick going the other way. (Note that the signing team must have their own third-round selection, they can’t use another team’s.)
A one-year offer at that number is by no means a crazy gamble to take for a team looking to add some upside on the back end. That’s a more than reasonable price, both in terms of salary and draft pick compensation. It’s safe to assume that $2.29MM is a fair bit higher than what’s currently budgeted for Broberg; Edmonton might be hoping for half of that. If they match (and they almost certainly would), now their overage surpasses $2.64MM with Holloway still to sign.
Now let’s run Holloway through that same scenario, signing a one-year, $2.29MM offer sheet (with the same team after Broberg is matched or someone else). Again, that’s a more than reasonable offer to try to get a fairly recent first-round pick at a fairly low acquisition cost. And again, while they’d be a near lock to match, doing so then pushes their overage to $4.93MM.
While Kane potentially starting on LTIR would allow them to narrowly squeak under the cap to start the season, they’d be forced to carry a maximum of one extra skater for that time and then need to cut nearly $5MM upon Kane’s return. That’s a task that’s much easier said than done in-season without taking away a core player.
If Broberg and/or Holloway were to sign a multi-year offer sheet where the compensation would push into the next threshold, we’d be looking at more than $2.29MM and less than $4.58MM with the compensation being a second-round selection. We’ve already seen what offers at the lower end of that range could do, going higher would put them in more of a bind, making it harder to keep their team intact while matching the offer.
Again, this is something that is unlikely to happen and even if it did, Edmonton would almost certainly match. But if a team is looking to wreak some havoc on a rival’s cap structure, this is one way to try to do it, assuming they could get the player to put pen to paper on an offer sheet.
Stuart Skinner Changes Agents
Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner will enter the second season of a three-year bridge deal in 2024-25 on a contract that carries a $2.6MM AAV. Accordingly, he’s still a year away from becoming eligible to discuss an extension. However, that hasn’t stopped the netminder from changing representation as Alpha Hockey’s Ray Petkau announced (Twitter link) that his agency is now representing Skinner.
It has been an eventful couple of years for the 25-year-old. In his first full NHL season, Skinner made the All-Rookie team while posting a 2.75 GAA and a .913 SV% in 50 regular season games, taking over as the starter from Jack Campbell. That helped earn him the three-year deal from then-GM Ken Holland. Skinner also got the bulk of the workload in the 2023 postseason, putting him in a good position to be leaned on as the undisputed starter for 2023-24.
While Skinner played big minutes like a true starter last season, it wasn’t exactly easy. Through the first two months of the season, he posted a save percentage of just .881, resulting in Calvin Pickard starting to see regular NHL action for the first time in several years. However, he was much better when the calendar flipped to 2024, posting a .914 SV% from January on. Skinner then followed that up with a 2.45 GAA and a .901 SV% in 23 playoff starts before falling to Florida in the Stanley Cup Final.
At this point, it’s fair to suggest that Skinner has boosted his stock beyond his $3MM required qualifying offer in 2026. The goal now will be to play more consistently and show that he’s worth starters’ money (more than double his current AAV) on a long-term deal. Regardless of when discussions for that next deal start, it’ll be someone different handling the negotiations on Skinner’s end this time around.
Oilers, Draisaitl Have Not Started Extension Negotiations
- Although there have been some rumblings behind Leon Draisaitl‘s next extension with the Edmonton Oilers, it does not appear that a signing will happen anytime soon. Ryan Rishaug of TSN reports that the two sides have been in touch over the summer but negotiations on the extension have not commenced. The Oilers’ recent hiring of Stan Bowman to the general manager position may have delayed the signing. Still, the news is surprising as reports from earlier in the month indicated that Draisaitl and his agent were hoping for a deal to be done by the end of August.
[SOURCE LINK]
Draisaitl Likely To Sign Bonus-Laden Extension
One of the biggest extension narratives of the offseason has been the contract status of Edmonton Oilers’ superstar Leon Draisaitl. There is no guarantee that a deal will come to fruition this summer but all signs point to the two sides being able to work out a resolution at some point. Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal reported today that the contract could look a lot like that of star center Nathan MacKinnon, that is to say, an extremely bonus-laden deal with a low annual salary.
The request for signing bonuses in high-ticket contracts is becoming more common for star players throughout the NHL world with the likes of Connor McDavid and John Tavares having similar contract structures. Now that Draisaitl comfortably finds himself in the upper echelon of NHL talent, the Oilers should be more than happy to agree to his terms.
NHL Teams Facing Fall Cap Crunches
There’s still plenty of time for NHL teams to sort out their active rosters and salary cap pictures this summer. After all, teams can exceed the $88MM upper limit by up to 10% during the offseason, and training camps are still nearly two months away.
Still, this year’s early July rush means that all the notable contracts for this season, at least in terms of salary cap impact, have likely already been handed out. It’s left a handful of teams with projected rosters that sit over the cap or, in one very peculiar case, right at it.
These teams must use a mix of long-term injured reserve placements, trades, and waivers to become cap-compliant before opening night. Per PuckPedia, here are the teams currently pacing to boast a projected cap hit above $88MM.
Washington Capitals
($98.27MM projected cap hit, $10.27MM above upper limit)
The Capitals have been one of the league’s most active teams this summer, making a pair of impact additions up front with Pierre-Luc Dubois and Andrew Mangiapane. They also reshaped their blue line, shipping out serviceable veteran Nick Jensen as part of a package to the Senators to pick up the younger, higher-upside Jakob Chychrun while also replacing Jensen’s shutdown role in free agency with the signing of Matt Roy.
They also went for cost-effectiveness with their goaltending duo, shipping out Darcy Kuemper and his $5.25MM cap hit to the Kings in the Dubois trade before acquiring serviceable tandem netminder Logan Thompson from the Golden Knights, who carries a cap hit of just $767K.
These moves have still left them with a handful of bloated deals for their veterans. But the biggest one of them all won’t be an issue. 36-year-old Nicklas Bäckström is entering the final season of his five-year, $46MM deal with a $9.2MM cap hit, but he’s not expected to play again due to lingering hip issues.
While many teams will look to avoid using LTIR to be cap-compliant to start the season, the Caps won’t be one of them. Bäckström will remain there as he did last season, but placing him on LTIR won’t be enough on its own to bring Washington’s total projected cap hit back under $88MM.
They’d still need to clear a little over $1MM in space, which begs the question of T.J. Oshie‘s health. The 37-year-old winger is also entering the final season of his contract at a $5.75MM cap hit, and a wide variety of injuries limited him to 52 games last season. As of earlier this month, Oshie said he hasn’t found a long-term solution to his recurring back issues that would allow him to comfortably play in 2024-25.
If nothing changes between now and September, Oshie could also land on LTIR, making them cap-compliant for opening night. But Washington would need to be reasonably confident that he’ll miss the entire campaign to avoid making any other cap-shedding moves, as they’d need to have space to activate him off LTIR if he becomes healthy enough to return to play.
Vegas Golden Knights
($91.64MM projected cap hit, $3.64MM above upper limit)
Unlike the Capitals, the Golden Knights were conservative in their offseason moves. Their cap crunch forced them to walk away from key offensive contributors Jonathan Marchessault and Chandler Stephenson, among others, and their UFA pickups were limited to reclamation project-type pickups such as Victor Olofsson and Ilya Samsonov.
But like Washington, LTIR is Vegas’ only clear path to cap compliance in September. The status of 33-year-old netminder Robin Lehner remains a relative mystery as he enters the final season of his contract with a $5MM cap hit. He hasn’t played the last two seasons after undergoing hip surgery and hasn’t been seen with the team during that time.
General manager Kelly McCrimmon said in May that it’s likely Lehner will return to LTIR this fall. This would give the Knights about $1.36MM in space in an LTIR pool with a full 23-man roster, as projected by PuckPedia.
Philadelphia Flyers
($88.83MM projected cap hit, $830K above upper limit)
LTIR is a good safeguard for teams who need it to be cap-compliant, but it’s not ideal. Teams who utilize it don’t accrue cap space throughout the season, significantly limiting their flexibility come deadline day.
The Flyers have one LTIR-eligible contract in defenseman Ryan Ellis ($6.25MM cap hit through 2027). They also have Ryan Johansen signed at a $4MM cap hit next season, and his playing status is in doubt due to a hip injury that surfaced after they acquired him from the Avalanche at last year’s deadline. Unfortunately for them, if Johansen remains injured, they also can’t send him to the minors to knock $1.15MM off his cap hit. They attempted to do so last year, but it was reversed by the league after his injury came to light.
But notably, they don’t have any league-minimum contracts projected on their active roster to start the campaign, per PuckPedia. Their cheapest one is Tyson Foerster‘s entry-level contract, which boasts a cap hit of $863K. Thus, just one AHL assignment would be enough to make them cap-compliant without placing either Ellis or Johansen on LTIR. There aren’t any obvious candidates, though, as Foerster is coming off a 20-goal campaign and was one of their top two-way forwards last season.
The trade of a depth forward, such as 25-year-old pivot Ryan Poehling ($1.9MM cap hit through 2026), could be something to watch for if general manager Daniel Brière decides he wants to stay out of LTIR.
Edmonton Oilers
($88.35MM projected cap hit, $354K above upper limit)
Unlike the other teams on this list, the Oilers still have some offseason business to handle. RFAs Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway need new deals, meaning this projected cap hit is artificially low.
Also unlike the others, Edmonton doesn’t have an LTIR-bound contract next season. Considering PuckPedia’s projection above uses a roster size of 21, warranting them only one extra skater, a cap-clearing trade is coming for Edmonton sometime before the puck drops in October.
The most obvious candidate to move is defenseman Cody Ceci, who’s on an expiring contract with a $3.25MM cap hit. It would cost fewer assets to ship out than oft-injured winger Evander Kane, who’s locked in at a $5.125MM price tag for two more years. And with Ceci averaging north of 20 minutes per game for the last three seasons in Edmonton, they might be able to dump him for future considerations without attaching a draft pick to get out of his deal.
Others to watch
- The Islanders are currently at the $88MM upper limit after settling on a one-year, $1MM contract with Oliver Wahlstrom yesterday, PuckPedia projects. That figure comes using a roster size of 22, forcing international free agent signing Maxim Tsyplakov and his $950K cap hit on an entry-level deal to the minors.
- The Canucks are within just $16K of the cap after signing Daniel Sprong to a one-year, $975K contract last weekend. But that figure comes with a full 23-player roster projection, giving them a decent amount of flexibility in the case of short-term injuries. They can also place the final season of defenseman Tucker Poolman‘s $2.5MM cap hit contract on LTIR if necessary.
- The Predators are within $600K of the cap with a bare minimum 20-player roster and still have RFAs Juuso Pärssinen and Philip Tomasino to sign. After their big UFA spending spree, they’ll likely move out one of their depth defenders to open up space for an expanded roster, potentially 26-year-old Dante Fabbro (signed at $2.5MM through this season).
- The Lightning have $730K in projected cap space with one open roster spot. That’s tight, but with room for two healthy extras, they’ll probably start the season with no changes to their projected roster.
- The same can be said about the defending champion Panthers, who have $767K in space with a roster size of 22.
Evening Notes: Perunovich, Condors, Savoie
St. Louis Blues defenseman Scott Perunovich seems set up for a make-or-break season after spending the first three years of his pro career dealing with what seemed like neverending injuries. Forced absences have held Perunovich to just 73 appearances, and 23 assists through his entry-level contract. But despite what’s seemed like years of bad luck in St. Louis, Perunovich shared with Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic that he wouldn’t want to play anywhere else. He said, “I want to succeed in the league, but the team I want to succeed with the most is St. Louis… They drafted me. Every other team looked over me and they’ve always had confidence in me. This is where I want to succeed, and I’ve never not thought that for a second.”
Perunovich explained how he’s changing his approach after a hardy year with the Blues lineup, adding that he’s hoping to think less and shoot more. Those certainly seem like timely changes as Perunovich approaches his 75th NHL game, still searching for his first career goal. And while goal-scoring has never been Perunovich’s forte, he did flash much more offensive upside in college, where he seemed much more confident in skating the puck across the red line and joining the offensive rush. He’s been much more pass-first at the professional level, though he’s improved his poise in sitting with the puck and waiting for opportunities to open up.
A strong start to the year could quickly earn Perunovich top-pair minutes, with Torey Krug facing injury and little competition coming from Nick Leddy or Pierre-Olivier Joseph. That could give Perunovich the groundwork for a breakout season, though he’ll need to first win out the battle for ice time.
Other notes from around the hockey world:
- The AHL’s Bakersfield Condors have hired Adam Krug as an assistant coach and Kelly Guard as a goaltending coach. Krug has spent the last decade coaching the NCAA D-III Men’s team at Adrian College, having previously captained Adrian during two seasons of his own playing career. Krug took the team to unprecedented heights, including their first D-III championship in 2022 and a second-place finish in 2023. Adrian has developed into a powerhouse of D-III hockey and a major supporter of collegiate club hockey as a whole, with their ACHA D-II team winning a championship in 2021 and also finishing second in 2023. Meanwhile, Kelly Guard moves to Bakersfield after spending 12 years as the goalie coach of the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders. He’s overseen some impressive goalie seasons in that span – including Ian Scott’s .932 save percentage in 49 games of the 2018-19 season. He’ll look to carry that momentum into the pro level while Krug adjusts to a big jump in competition as Bakersfield makes two interesting, potentially high-impact hires.
- Former Oilers forward prospect Carter Savoie is heading overseas on a one-year contract with Liiga’s TPS, per a team announcement. Savoie, 22, didn’t receive a qualifying offer from Edmonton upon the expiration of his entry-level contract last month. The older brother of new Oilers prospect Matthew Savoie, whom they acquired via trade from the Sabres after non-tendering Carter, recorded 18 goals and 33 points in 109 games with AHL Bakersfield in parts of the last three seasons but never received an NHL call-up. Edmonton selected him 100th overall in the 2020 draft.
Oilers Hire Stan Bowman As General Manager
The Oilers have named Stan Bowman their general manager and EVP of hockey operations, the team announced Wednesday. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was the first to report.
Bowman, 51, has not worked in the league since resigning as GM and president of hockey operations of the Blackhawks in October 2021. His resignation came following an independent report detailing his “inadequate response upon being informed in 2010 of allegations that Blackhawks’ Player, Kyle Beach, had been assaulted by the Club’s video coach.” The league then moved to make Bowman, as well as former Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville and senior VP of hockey operations Al MacIsaac, ineligible to work for any NHL team.
Earlier this month, the league announced that all three had been reinstated and would be available to hire as early as July 10. The NHL supplemented the news with this statement:
While it is clear that, at the time, their responses were unacceptable, each of these three individuals (Messrs. Bowman, MacIsaac and Quenneville) has acknowledged that and used his time away from the game to engage in activities which, not only demonstrate sincere remorse for what happened, but also evidence greater awareness of the responsibilities that all NHL personnel have, particularly personnel who are in positions of leadership. Moreover, each has made significant strides in personal improvement by participating in myriad programs, many of which focused on the imperative of responding in effective and meaningful ways to address alleged acts of abuse. The League expects that they will continue this commitment in any future capacity with the NHL and/or one of our Clubs.
Upon the news of their reinstatement emerging, Bowman was immediately viewed as the top contender for Edmonton’s GM vacancy, Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reported at the time.
The Oilers were without a GM after opting not to renew Ken Holland‘s contract after five years at the helm. Jeff Jackson, who had served above Holland last season as the team’s CEO of hockey operations, took over as acting GM at the draft and during the beginning of free agency. In his weeks-long tenure in the position, Jackson was quite active, notably acquiring Viktor Arvidsson and Jeff Skinner on the UFA market and acquiring the organization’s new top prospect, 2022 ninth-overall pick Matthew Savoie, in a trade with the Sabres.
Jackson now hands the keys to Bowman, whose first year as GM in Chicago coincided with their 2010 Stanley Cup championship. He remained at the helm for their Cup wins in 2013 and 2015, all in all spending parts of 12 seasons in the role. Before being promoted to GM, Bowman served as the Blackhawks’ director of hockey operations from 2005 to 2007 and as assistant GM from 2007 to 2009.
In regards to Bowman’s hiring, Jackson issued the following statement:
I believe his vast experience and proven success in this role, together with the important work he has done in his time away from the game, fits our goal of being best in class when it comes to all facets of our organization. Through our many conversations, we share a common vision of where we are as a team and what is required to achieve another Stanley Cup title.
While Bowman did well to maintain the core built by previous GM Dale Tallon and oversee the greatest sustained period of success in franchise history, he also oversaw its downfall. The Blackhawks still haven’t advanced past the first round since winning it all in 2015 and have made the playoffs only thrice. In the final three seasons of Bowman’s tenure, the Blackhawks’ best point total was 84.
Now, much like he did in Chicago, Bowman inherits a superstar core of Evan Bouchard, Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid. He’s got less time on the clock to win, though. Draisaitl and McDavid are 28 and 27, respectively, while Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews were both in their age-21 seasons when he took over.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Does Brian Lawton Make Sense As A Potential GM Candidate?
- As the Oilers continue their GM search, David Staples of the Edmonton Journal proposes Brian Lawton as a possible dark horse candidate for the position. Lawton hasn’t worked in the NHL since 2009-10 when he was the GM of Tampa Bay but he also has several years of experience as an agent. Both perspectives certainly could be appealing to CEO Jeff Jackson, a former agent himself, who is currently serving as Edmonton’s interim GM. Jackson noted earlier this week that he’d like to have a new GM in place within the next couple of weeks.