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New Jersey Devils, Miles Wood Agree To Four-Year Deal

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The New Jersey Devils announced they have signed restricted free agent Miles Wood to a four-year, $11MM deal with an AAV of $2.75MM. Wood is expected to report to practice tomorrow at the Prudential Center, according to NHL.com’s Amanda Stein.

Wood had a breakthrough season last year when he tallied 19 goals, 32 points and 84 penalty minutes in his second season for New Jersey, while playing in a bottom-six role. Despite losing playing time once the playoffs hit, the 23-year-old restricted free agent opted to hold out during training camp. The Athletic’s Corey Masisak reports that the Devils management and Wood went back and forth between one, two, three, and four-year contracts before finally agreeing to the four-year deal. It’s likely Wood was willing to give up term in order to get more money from the Devils. Despite the four-year deal, Wood will still be a restricted free agent when this contract ends as he’s not eligible for unrestricted free agency until 2023.

With Wood off the board, there remain just three restricted free agents remaining that have not signed a deal and are holding out, including Toronto Maple Leafs’ William Nylander, Vegas Golden Knights’ Shea Theodore and Anaheim Ducks’ Nick Ritchie.

Elliotte Friedman was the first to report Wood’s AAV.

Jake Dotchin Reported “Extremely Out Of Shape”

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Just last night, it was reported that Jake Dotchin’s recent termination by the Tampa Bay Lightning for a material breach of contract due to poor conditioning had caught the attention of the NHLPA and players across the league. Many felt that if the Lightning did not have any hard line rules in place regarding fitness, Dotchin’s termination could open a can of worms about teams’ subjective use of a player’s conditioning to cut them from the roster and could become a major bargaining point. However, if the latest news on the situation proves true, the status quo has changed considerably and Tampa Bay will have a much easier time justifying their actions.

Speaking on Sportsnet 650 in Vancouver this evening, Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman relayed some new information on Dotchin. Friedman stated that sources told him that Dotchin reported to training camp with a body fat percentage of 25%, which was described as “extremely out of shape” and “way too high for an NHLer”. BMI, or body mass index, is the percentage of an individual’s body that is made up of fat, is a commonly used measure to determine health and physical fitness. The CDC lists a 25% BMI as the beginning of the “overweight” range for adults, which – as Friedman says – is totally unacceptable for a professional hockey player. While the CDC’s BMI formula only takes height and weight into account, which would not be accurate for any athlete weighed down by lean muscle, there are different ways to determine body fat percentage in athletes, procedures that Tampa Bay’s medical team are surely aware of. If these BMI results are indeed true, few could argue that Tampa was out of line to terminate Dotchin.

Again, Dotchin played a full season of hockey last season and didn’t appear to be slowed by poor conditioning. There were also reports that Dotchin has already received ample interest from other teams, though he has yet to sign anywhere. If Dotchin is able to pass a conditioning inspection with another team and return to being a competent NHL player, he would retain a solid case if he choose to file a grievance against the Lightning. However, Tampa Bay now has an equally strong argument that – regardless of Dotchin’s performance with another team – such a high BMI was simply unacceptable to the team and a completely objective decision. It still remains more likely that the two sides come to a resolution on this manner, but this news certainly brings the Lightning’s motivations into a new light.

Edmonton Oilers Re-Sign Darnell Nurse

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After a lengthy negotiation that has led to several missed days of training camp, the Edmonton Oilers and Darnell Nurse have reached a conclusion. The two sides have reached an agreement on a two-year, $6.4MM contract. Nurse will earn just slightly more than fellow restricted free agent defenseman Josh Morrissey, who signed a two-year deal worth $6.3MM just yesterday.

Nurse, 23, is one of the most important players on the Oilers this season given their struggles on defense last year. With Andrej Sekera already dealing with a long-term injury, other options like Jakub Jerabek and Kevin Gravel not inspiring much confidence, starting the season without Nurse in the lineup could have been devastating. As it turns out, he’ll miss just a few days of training camp and be able to get into form before the season begins.

The Oilers meanwhile were almost forced into signing a bridge deal with Nurse, whether they wanted to or not. The team had approximately $3.9MM in cap space for the upcoming season, meaning they’re now down to under $1MM as we approach the year. Though there is some flexibility to be gained by moving Sekera to long-term injured reserve if they choose, signing a longer deal with Nurse would have put them in a much more difficult situation. The young defenseman broke out last season with 26 points in a full 82 game schedule, and likely would have demanded a healthy raise if he was going to sign away any of his unrestricted free agent years.

For Nurse too though, a long-term deal didn’t really make sense. Just skimming the surface of his potential as a top-four defenseman, he has the potential over the next two seasons to prove that he deserves a huge raise during the next negotiation. Just like Morrissey in Winnipeg and the still unsigned Shea Theodore in Vegas, there just isn’t a long enough track record to really demand a cap hit of $5MM or more on a long-term deal. That will certainly be possible in the summer of 2020 though, when he is a 25-year old that could potentially be the best defenseman on the Edmonton roster. When this contract ends, Nurse will have just two years of restricted free agency remaining and will have arbitration rights, something he lacked this time around.

That step towards becoming a top-pairing defenseman is what Nurse is working towards, but it’s also what Edmonton desperately needs over the length of this deal. With Connor McDavid currently one of the very best players in the world, the Oilers can’t afford to throw away seasons of his prime without an appearance in the playoffs. That’s what happened last season even while McDavid led the league in scoring, and could happen again this year without a significant bounce back from the blue line. Edmonton’s roster is much the same as it was a year ago, save for some fringe changes up front and a new backup goaltender. If the team is going to get into the playoffs, it will be on the back of an improved effort from players like Nurse.

This contract leaves just five restricted free agents left unsigned, with Theodore in Vegas already mentioned above. William Nylander (TOR), Miles Wood (NJD), Nick Ritchie (ANA) and Sam Reinhart (BUF) are the others, and will need a contract before suiting up with their respective teams this preseason. Morrissey and Nurse getting deals done might push along Theodore’s negotiations, but we’ll have to wait and see how long it takes for the others to end their holdouts.

John Shannon and Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet were first to report the contract details.

Toronto’s Dubas Isn’t Budging On Contract Standoff With William Nylander

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With still a number of restricted free agents around the league opting not to attend training camp, many people find themselves looking at the most prominent of them in Toronto Maple Leafs’ William Nylander, who still hasn’t come to an agreement with Toronto and rumor have the two sides being far apart. The 22-year-old winger, who was the eighth-overall selection back in 2014, has put up two solid 20-goal, 60-point campaigns and could be ready for a breakout season.

Regardless, negotiations seem to be at a standstill. Maple Leafs’ general manager Kyle Dubas did a Q&A with students from his alma mater, Brock University this morning and had an interesting response when asked when the team was going to sign Nylander.

“As soon as possible,” said Dubas. “If we want to sustain success here we can’t be setting any marketplace records.”

According to Kevin McGran of the Star, Dubas made it clear that the team wasn’t budging on its offer to Nylander, who is rumored to be seeking $8MM per season, while the Maple Leafs are offering around $6.5MM. Dubas also said he isn’t worried if Nylander misses some of training camp. Due to all its salary cap issues over the next several years, Dubas has to make sure not to overpay any one player, considering he still has to sign Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner to extensions as well.

While there is no confirmation of the $8MM salary demand from Nylander, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, in his most recent 31 Thoughts column, writes that he believes that Nylander is asking for Leon Draisaitl money at $8.5MM per season and is likely accurate for several reasons. He writes that agents are always high, but they are using the Draisaitl comparison since Draisaitl posted 129 points in his first two seasons, while Nylander has posted 122. Throw in the fact that Connor McDavid new contract last season pushed Draisaitl’s pricetag up, the same is likely to happen as Nylander will want to be near the salaries that Matthews and Marner will eventually get (not to mention the money that Tavares got this offseason).

Dubas and the Maple Leafs are hoping that Nylander will take a little less money being on a deep, dominant playoff team, something that other players have already done such as Tavares, Nazem Kadri and Morgan Rielly already have.

Jake Dotchin Clears Unconditional Waivers

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Saturday, 11:00am: Dotchin has cleared waivers, Smith reports.

Friday, 4:15pm: Smith reports this afternoon that the agent for Dotchin will look at any available option to appeal the decision to terminate his contract. Dotchin’s camp apparently “respectfully disagree” with the decision. There is definitely more to come in this story.

11:11am: It wasn’t so long ago that Jake Dotchin was an up and coming young defender for the Tampa Bay Lightning, with high hopes given the lack of options on the right side. Today, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, Dotchin has been placed on unconditional waivers for the purpose of terminating his contract. Joe Smith of The Athletic reports the transaction has been made due to a “material breach” of Dotchin’s contract, though doesn’t go into specifics on what has occurred. The Lightning will not comment further, though Friedman adds that the team was “unhappy with Dotchin’s conditioning at arrival” for their training camp.

Dotchin, 24, looked like he might solidify himself as Victor Hedman’s partner at the end of 2016-17, when he played 35 games in the second half of the season and saw his ice time increase to over 20 minutes a night at times. That number dropped back down last year in just 48 contests, and now Dotchin will have to find himself another job in another organization. If his contract is terminated tomorrow as expected, he will be an unrestricted free agent and able to sign with any team in the league.

There was just one year remaining on Dotchin’s contract that would have paid him $925K this season, but there wasn’t even a guaranteed role on the blue line given the additions Tampa Bay has made over the last year. Mikhail Sergachev and Ryan McDonagh are both set to eat up huge minutes this season while Dan Girardi will still be a full-time option for the club.

Early Notes: Lehner, Matthews, Nylander

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Last season went down as the worst statistical season Robin Lehner had during his time as a Buffalo Sabres goaltender, registering just a .908 save percentage while putting together a 14-26-9 record. His struggles weren’t just localized in the crease though, as the 27-year old explained in an incredibly open and honest piece for The Athletic today. Lehner revealed struggles with mental health and alcoholism that he has dealt with for some time, and only just started getting help for.

Though his departure from the Sabres at the end of the year may have been surprising given the team invested a first-round pick in him a few years earlier when they acquired him from the Ottawa Senators, Lehner explains it was anything but contentious. Sabres GM Jason Botterill has apparently stayed in touch with Lehner all offseason to make sure things were trending in the right direction for him, and the New York Islanders have embraced him as part of their squad for this season.

  • Auston Matthews doesn’t have a long-term extension with the Toronto Maple Leafs yet, but that doesn’t mean he’s not committed to being with the team for a long time. Newcomer John Tavares confirmed as much in an interview alongside Matthews, telling Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman that the young forward’s commitment was part of the selling process on Toronto. The two star centers seem comfortable with each other already and easily deflected any questions about the Maple Leafs captaincy going forward.
  • Matthews’ teammate William Nylander on the other hand is still not under contract and won’t be at the start of training camp as he continues his negotiations. Head coach Mike Babcock and GM Kyle Dubas both downplayed the situation by indicating that there are many players who go through this process around the league, but wouldn’t give an update as to when the Maple Leafs can expect Nylander on the ice. The young forward is looking for a long-term contract to secure his future in Toronto but there have been reports of a substantial gap between the two sides.

New York Rangers Acquire Adam McQuaid

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The New York Rangers have added some help on the blue line, acquiring Adam McQuaid from the Boston Bruins. The Bruins in return will receive a 2019 fourth-round pick, conditional seventh-round pick and Steven Kampfer.

In Boston there had been a log jam on defense since John Moore was signed this summer, with eight healthy NHL defensemen on the roster. The idea of sitting at least $4MM in cap space every night never seemed appealing, and by moving out McQuaid they’ve added some flexibility for the rest of the season. That doesn’t mean the move is risk free though, as we’ve seen several of the Bruins defenders deal with injury in the past and as Stanley Cup contenders they’ll need all the depth they can take. McQuaid, though not exactly an offensive dynamo, was a warrior on the ice who could bring an incredibly physical game and be counted on to stand up for his teammates. He was also incredibly well-liked among the fan base, though it was obvious he didn’t have a full-time role going forward.

For the Rangers, the team adds a respected veteran presence to the blue line to help what will be an incredibly young club over the next few seasons. McQuaid is under contract for just this season at a $2.75MM cap hit, but it wouldn’t be entirely surprising to see the Rangers re-sign him to a short-term deal before the end of the year. New York is in a clear rebuild mode, though after acquiring several impressive trade packages last year could turn things around in short order.

McQuaid is now 31 and played just 38 games last season as he dealt with a broken leg early in the season. His career-high in points, 15, is almost a decade behind him and likely out of reach moving forward. Losing his presence in Boston won’t change their outlook for the season, but he also didn’t come at much of a cost for the Rangers. Kampfer, who will return to the Boston organization that signed him as a college free agent after four years at the University of Michigan, doesn’t have a ton of NHL upside and will likely spend the season in the minor leagues. He could be depth if the Bruins find themselves dealing with multiple injuries, but there are other younger defensemen in the organization that he’ll need to battle for that right.

Erik Karlsson Refutes Report About Canadian Cities

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Yesterday, several reports surfaced that Ottawa Senators captain Erik Karlsson did not want to sign an extension in a Canadian city and preferred to have his next deal take him to the United States. Today, the superstar defenseman wanted to clear the air and reached out to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman to refute the report. Karlsson told Friedman that the report saying he is “unwilling to sign long-term with a Canadian team” is false, but wouldn’t go any further. Karlsson has been extremely quiet on the whole situation this summer, waiting until training camp to address the media.

Teams looking to acquire Karlsson from the Senators this offseason are likely asking about a extension, given that the 28-year old is heading into the final season of his current contract and is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in July of 2019. If Karlsson was truly against signing anywhere in Canada it would limit Senators GM Pierre Dorion’s options, though there’s no guarantee at this point that the defenseman is willing to sign anywhere. With Drew Doughty, Ryan Ellis, Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Ryan McDonagh all off the market after signing extensions this summer, Karlsson could find himself as the lone big ticket defensemen available in free agency.

That idea of picking your destination must be tempting, especially when you then know your new team isn’t wasting a pile of future assets to acquire you. Signing in free agency leaves the roster of a new team relatively in tact, something that no one would be able to say after trading for Karlsson. The Senators are surely looking for an enormous package in return for the face of their franchise, including roster pieces and prospects. An agreement like that is obviously affected by whether or not Karlsson is willing to sign long-term, or if Bobby Ryan is indeed strapped to him as a salary dump for the Senators.

For all the speculation that has surrounded Karlsson the last few months, the Senators captain has never said an ill word about the city of Ottawa. He and his wife live in the city and have strong ties to the community, and will likely continue to do so regardless of where he plays in 2018-19. While it doesn’t seem like a long-term extension is coming with the Senators after negotiations halted earlier this offseason, Karlsson has made it clear that he is not staunchly against playing in Canada.

The Vancouver Canucks were the Canadian team most recently linked to the Karlsson trade talks, though almost immediately came out to say they were not actively involved. Other teams that could certainly use the right-handed offensive defenseman include the Edmonton Oilers, Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens, though it’s not clear if any have even approached the Senators about a potential trade. Karlsson does also hold a 10-team no-trade list, meaning he has at least some control over who the Senators talk to.

Latest On Erik Karlsson Trade Rumors

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After Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet threw a match into the puddle of gasoline that is an Erik Karlsson trade rumor yesterday, speculation has ran wild about where the Ottawa Senators captain will start the season. Friedman was on NHL Network recently, and reiterated that he believes the Senators are ready to move on.

A few years ago Dany Heatley showed up on the first day of camp with the Senators, and the Senators were like “can we fix this?” and they realized they couldn’t. They made the [Heatley] trade right away with San Jose. I think they’ve just decided they don’t want to carry [the Karlsson situation] into the season if they can avoid it.

Karlsson has been in the news for some time, given that the Senators haven’t been able to reach an extension with their superstar defenseman. The 28-year old is scheduled to hit unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2019, leave the team with little choice but to trade him for future assets if he’s not willing to sign long-term with the club. There had been talk about Karlsson potentially discussing an extension with interested teams, which would obviously increase the value of the return for the Senators, but now there may be a hitch in those talks. Andy Strickland of Fox Sports Midwest tweets that Karlsson does not want to sign an extension with a Canadian team, which could potentially take teams like the Vancouver Canucks—who were mentioned by Friedman yesterday, but quickly denied their involvement—out of the running.

There’s no guarantee that Karlsson wants to sign an extension with anyone at present, given that he could be the big fish on the open market next summer. Now that Drew Doughty, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Ryan Ellis and Ryan McDonagh have all signed long-term deals, Karlsson projects to be the one real star defenseman available in free agency. At that point he could essentially choose his destination, as one would have to believe that almost the entire league would express some interest in him as a UFA.

For now, we’ll have to wait and see who rises as the front runner for a Karlsson trade and whether a Canadian team can wiggle their way into extension talks. The star defenseman has always spoken highly of his love for the city of Ottawa, but it doesn’t appear at this point like he’ll be spending the next portion of his career there.

Erik Karlsson Trade Talks Picking Up

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After the last few weeks have brought little in terms of trade speculation around the NHL, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet has sparked the fire again surrounding Erik Karlsson of the Ottawa Senators. Friedman tweets that trade talks involving the superstar defenseman have picked up recently, with Western Conference destinations—potentially including the Vancouver Canucks—as the most likely. West teams like the Vegas Golden Knights and Dallas Stars had previously been linked to Karlsson, though it’s unclear if they’re included in the recent discussions.

For Vancouver the acquisition of Karlsson would seem unlikely, given that the team is still rebuilding and there is no guarantee that the Senators defenseman would be open to an extension. Iain MacIntyre of Sportsnet tweets that Quinn Hughes, Brock Boeser, Elias Pettersson are all completely off the table for the Canucks, making it hard to imagine a package strong enough to beat any other contender for Karlsson’s services. Interestingly MacIntyre does not mention top prospect Olli Juolevi, though that doesn’t necessarily mean he would be available.

There are obviously dozens of other teams in the NHL who would be interested in Karlsson, though many of them won’t be able to afford an extension that could push towards Drew Doughty’s eight-year $88MM contract. Ottawa would likely receive the biggest return from a team that can immediately extend Karlsson, but that could also dramatically reduce their trading partners. The Golden Knights have the prospect capital and cap space to fit a star like Karlsson in, and the Colorado Avalanche have a trade chip that no one else in the league can match. That’s the Senators own first-round pick this season, acquired in the Matt Duchene trade from last season. After Ottawa chose to keep their 2018 pick and select Brady Tkachuk, they had to give up the 2019 pick and a potential opportunity at top prospect Jack Hughes. With the Senators expected to struggle this season—especially if Karlsson departs—the Avalanche could easily be holding a top-three pick in their pocket. For what it’s worth, Adrian Dater of BSN Denver isn’t hearing any connection with the Avalanche and Karlsson.

The Tampa Bay Lightning were the other team strongly linked to Karlsson in the past, and it’s unclear if they still pose a threat to acquire the defenseman. That would require Tampa Bay moving out other salary, but would make them an absolute powerhouse in the Eastern Conference and the favorite for a Stanley Cup Finals appearance. All of the other teams in the Atlantic Division will be hoping that the Senators’ captain heads out west and signs a long-term contract to stay out of their way.

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