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High Likelihood Of Free Agent Class Shrinking Further

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Let’s state the facts: the 2017 unrestricted free agent class is really weak. Even before the season started it wasn’t full of household names, but with Brent Burns, Patrik Berglund, and, most recently, Ben Bishop agreeing to extensions already, the list has shrunk even further. The 2017 class has few impact players available, so much so that the New York Islanders easily have single-handedly deprived the rest of the league of three of the top fifty free agents simply by re-signing the likes of Thomas Greiss, Dennis Seidenberg, and Cal Clutterbuck.

Unfortunately, the trend of teams retaining their own talent and further forecasting a dull summer may not be done. The Washington Capitals have four of the best free agent names out there in T.J. Oshie, Kevin Shattenkirk, Karl Alzner, and Justin Williams and even given their tight cap space, it is reasonable to assume that at least one or two of that group will re-up with the President’s Trophy winners. Initially, many felt that the San Jose Sharks would not bring back both of their aging stars, Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau, and possibly even neither. However, after a strong season from career-Shark Marleau, the team will likely look to retain him, and with Thornton turning 38 soon and facing significant injury questions, he simply might take a hometown discount to stay in San Jose as well. In Montreal, revelation Alexander Radulov and key veteran Andrei Markov are impending free agents, but many assume in name only as handshake agreements seem to have been made on new deals following the Expansion Draft. Anaheim Ducks trade deadline acquisition Patrick Eaves has been a great fit and has expressed an interest in extending his stay. Same goes for Drew Stafford and the Boston Bruins. Even veterans like Radim Vrbata, Mike Fisher, and Jaromir Jagr seem likely to stay put in their current homes.

This does seem to be an awful lot of deals to be made in less than two months before free agency opens on July 1st, but don’t rule it out. Many teams are wary of the Expansion Draft ramifications of re-signing their impending free agents too early and may instead act swiftly in the waning days of June. Most, if not all, of these names could be off the table by the time free agency opens. Could we be looking at a free agent class highlighted by the likes of Sam Gagner, Martin Hanzal, and Michael Del Zotto? Let’s hope not.

Notes: Stalberg, Bieksa, Vegas

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Ottawa’s Viktor Stalberg could be seeing a quick return to playoff action. Coach Guy Boucher stated that the speedy winger is “hopeful” for Game 1 of the Conference Finals series against Pittsburgh tomorrow. When he left the lineup midway through Game 6 against the New York Rangers, it was uncertain how long he would be sidelined. Stalberg has proved a solid addition to an already deep forward corps since acquired by GM Pierre Dorion at the deadline. His flexibility has been a useful asset for Boucher, who has been able to slot him up and down the lineup.  Stalberg provides solid penalty killing and has added energy to the new second line alongside Derick Brassard and Bobby Ryan.

  • Kevin Bieksa did not take the ice tonight for the Anaheim Ducks in their first game against the Nashville Predators. Bieksa has been in and out of the lineup for coach Randy Carlyle. Bieksa is obviously nursing a substantial lower-body issue, although there have been plenty of options on the blueline to replace him. He’s missed the last six games and was a potential go for this evening. The Ducks have had many of their players quickly recover from short-term injuries and return to action, leaving the likes of Korbinian Holzer and Clayton Stoner in the press box. Winger Patrick Eaves is also out with an injury for the team, as is the mobile but fragile defenseman Simon Despres.
  • Mock drafts are all the rage with the fast-approaching Vegas Golden Knights expansion draft. Plenty of moves are sure to precede the events which will start on June 18th and conclude on the 21st. TSN’s Scott Cullen provided an interesting potential squad to add to consideration. It included the likes of Brian Dumoulin, Matt Dumba, and Trevor van Riemsdyk on D, as well as forwards Lee Stempniak, Vladislav Namestnikov, and Craig Smith. It seems like potent offensive talent will be the hardest role to fill in any hypothetical Golden Knights roster, but hopefully the addition of flashy center Vadim Shipachyov can alleviate some of that need. Defense should be easy to come by, especially considering that many teams will opt to only protect three of their own. Regardless, the concern franchises will have over losing valuable pieces for nothing at all will certainly spur movement of some kind.

Teams Trying To Take Advantage Of Vegas Free Agent Window

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In a report that won’t surprise anyone, Pierre LeBrun of TSN writes that teams have considered using the free agent signing window that will be available to the Vegas Golden Knights to their own advantage. In this scenario, Vegas would sign a free agent prior to the expansion draft, only to flip that player to another team after the draft is complete. LeBrun clarifies that this sort of deal would be allowed by the league, though obviously there is no evidence one is in place just yet.

If Vegas were to agree to a deal like this, it means that they would have to relinquish their selection from the free agent’s current team. That might, as LeBrun writes, be beneficial for them if he comes from a team that doesn’t have much exposed anyway. As a purely hypothetical example, Vegas could sign Brian Boyle from the Maple Leafs in the window before the draft, only to flip him to Chicago a few days later. The Golden Knights wouldn’t get anyone else from the Leafs, but would instead collect an asset from the Blackhawks in return for the early signing of Boyle.

Teams around the league that want to speak to free agents a few weeks early may use this tactic to their advantage. No team in the league has more high profile free agents than Washington, but it has previously been expected that the Golden Knights would be interested in Philipp Grubauer, a player who they would have to pass on to use this method on T.J. Oshie, Kevin Shattenkirk or Karl Alzner. That’s also assuming that the Golden Knights themselves aren’t interested in these players, as they should be a front-runner for several sub-30 free agents this summer.

San Jose, home of a few other impressive free agents, will have several interesting defensemen available in the draft and would be a tough place to pass on a selection as well. In all, June is setting up to be one of the more interesting months in hockey transactions in recent history with hundreds of different scenarios available for each team. GMs around the league have continually said that they believe there will be tons of movement as soon as the Stanley Cup is awarded, and should continue right through the draft. This is just one more way teams can possibly get an advantage in the coming weeks.

Goaltending Decisions Looming For Detroit

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Last summer, much of the discussion around the Detroit Red Wings was about how the team would rid themselves of Jimmy Howard and his big cap hit. Petr Mrazek had clearly taken over as the starting goaltender, and earned himself a nice two-year bridge deal that would pay him $4MM per season. Howard on the other hand had put up the worst season of his career, had just turned 32 and clearly didn’t have a future with the organization. Jimmy Howard

Now, less than a year later that picture has muddied somewhat. Howard had a bounce-back season that was interrupted by injury, and Mrazek folded in the starter’s role with a weakened Red Wings team in front of him. Mrazek’s .901 save percentage was unacceptable, and the team missed the playoffs for the first time in a quarter century. The question now isn’t whether or not to protect Mrazek in the expansion draft—though it has been discussed—as he’s clearly still the more valuable piece at just 25 and still a restricted free agent following next year.

Instead, it’s what to do with Howard who still comes with a $5.3MM cap-hit but now is coming off an excellent season. His .927 save percentage put him behind only Sergei Bobrovsky, the expected Vezina winner, among goalies who started at least 20 games. He’s also been playing well at the World Championships, though that tournament comes with a large variance in opponent skill level. His season sample is rather small, but 24 games isn’t something to ignore; Scott Darling only started 27 games this season before being signed in Carolina, while other backups being considered for starting gigs Philipp Grubauer and Antti Raanta only played in 19 and 26 respectively.

Howard will be an option for Vegas, though his age and cap-hit make him an unlikely selection. With younger and cheaper options who provide close to as much upside, the Golden Knights likely will look elsewhere for their netminding in their inaugural season. So the Red Wings seem to have two options. Move Howard to a playoff-caliber team in desperate need of a goaltender—Calgary and Winnipeg immediately come to mind—or keep him around hoping a need emerges somewhere closer to the trade deadline. If Howard could duplicate the season he just had, he would likely be sought after as one of the top names on the market for anyone desperate enough for goaltending down the stretch.

One additional note is that Howard does hold a list of ten teams he cannot be traded to, though that clause expires following next season. The Wings could potentially move him anywhere when he has just a single year remaining on his deal. Either way, the Red Wings have some tough decisions to face when it comes to their long-time goaltender. After 401 career games in Motown, perhaps it’s time for him to find another place to play.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Options For Dallas Stars With Current Goaltenders

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When the Dallas Stars traded a fourth-round pick for the negotiating rights to Ben Bishop yesterday, they made it clear that their is to be a change in goaltending in Texas. The duo of Kari Lehtonen and Antti Niemi hasn’t fared well enough, and missing the playoffs again in the primes of Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn is unacceptable. Bishop still needs a new contract, but all signs point to the two sides already having some common ground. Antti Niemi

So the Stars now face another decision, what do to with Lehtonen and Niemi. Their respective cap-hits of $5.9MM and $4.5MM are both extremely high for a backup, making each of them a target for buyout or trade. While they have just one year remaining on their deals, if Dallas wants to be in contention for other free agents this summer, moving both and acquiring a cheaper backup for Bishop would be the best outcome. Let’s look at some of the ways the Stars could rid themselves of one or both goaltenders.

Trade

While neither goaltender is worth the salary he currently earns, there may be options around the league of teams willing to eat the contract for a year in order to bring in another asset. If Dallas is willing to retain some of the salary, it would open up even more of these options. Teams like Vancouver, New Jersey or even Los Angeles could take on a reduced-price goaltender along with a pick to rid Dallas of the headache. Remember that the Stars can retain up to 50% of the contract, and could technically do it with both goaltenders if they found suitors.

Though this option will definitely be explored, it still seems unlikely that the Stars will find a team willing to do it. Most potential trade partners will realize the bind that Dallas is in, and may demand too high a price just to take on the contract. It’s doubtful the Stars will want to damage their future any further when other exit plans exist.

Expansion

Perhaps the longest of shots, the Stars could use Vegas as a landing spot for one of the two goaltenders. It’s clear that the Golden Knights would not want to select either of them in the draft over some of the other available Dallas players, but like a rebuilding club could accept an asset as incentive to pick one. The biggest sticking point here is the amount of excellent goaltending options available in the draft, and whether or not Vegas sees this opportunity as more valuable than taking another one of them.

Buyouts

Should the Stars decide that a buyout is the only option, the terms would look like this (via CapFriendly).

Lehtonen:

2017-18 – Cap hit $2.57MM, Savings $3.33MM
2018-19 – Cap hit $1.67MM, Savings -$1.67MM

Niemi:

2017-18 – Cap hit $1.5MM, Savings $3.0MM
2018-19 – Cap hit $1.5MM, Savings -$1.5MM

While neither of these options are perfect, as they mean you’re paying them for an extra season it does give them immediate relief while not sacrificing an additional asset. It’s the most likely outcome of the three, with Niemi being the leading candidate for it. The first buyout window opens on June 15th, meaning that the Stars will have a couple of days to decide what to do before their expansion draft protection lists are due. Should they be unable to find a taker for one of the contracts, they might just have to bite the bullet and pay one of their current goaltenders not to play for their team.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Restricted Free Agents To Be Available In Vegas Signing Window

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It was reported months ago that the Vegas Golden Knights would be given a window before the expansion draft in which to talk to pending free agents. Should they sign one of them, the player would “count” as the selection from his former team, making them exempt from giving up an additional player in the expansion draft. Today, Pierre LeBrun of TSN tweeted that not only will that window include unrestricted free agents, but unprotected restricted ones too with no offer sheets or compensation required.

He clarified that he believes the window will take place at some point between when the teams need to submit their protection lists (June 17th) and when the Golden Knights make their picks (June 20th). The league is still working on when and how long exactly the window will be open, before announcing the picks on June 21st.

While unprotected restricted free agents were theoretically always available to Vegas through the draft itself, it does open another interesting quirk in an already extremely complicated draft for the Golden Knights. The window will likely be spent talking to many RFAs to determine the likelihood of them signing long term in Vegas before picking/signing them, not wanting to lose an asset soon after acquiring it.

With the protection lists being released, a buyout window opening, the expansion selections, NHL awards and entry draft all coming in the span of 10 days, June is shaping up to be one of the busiest months of the year in the NHL without even thinking of the Stanley Cup Finals. Make sure to stay right here with PHR for all the news right through the offseason.

Capitals Have Four Of Top Eight Unrestricted Free Agents

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The 2017 free agency class may not be the strongest, but the Washington Capitals have the most to gain (or more likely lose) if free agency doesn’t go their way. The Capitals, currently on the ropes, down 3-1, to the Pittsburgh Penguins (Game 5 tonight), have four of the top eight unrestricted free agents, according to Matt Larkin of the Hockey News, as he posts his Top-30 unrestricted free agents this summer.

Unlike previous years, Larkin writes that this year’s class falls short of firepower, which the scribe points out is bad news for the expansion Las Vegas Golden Knights, who get a 48-hour window to negotiate with any free agents before any other teams. Regardless, it’s the Capitals who will find themselves on the clock as defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk is listed as the number one free agent on the list, while winger T.J. Oshie is third. Defenseman Karl Alzner is ranked fifth, while veteran wing Justin Williams is eighth on their list.

Larkin adds that he believes the Capitals will only be able to ink two of those players and will be forced to let two go. Shattenkirk, who was acquired in a February trade from the St. Louis Blues for their playoff run, has struggled in the playoffs this year, but is listed first due to the fact that blueliners in the prime of their careers, who can play 20 minutes a night, are always rewarded. Whether Washington can keep him at a high price tag is the tough question.

The team is likely to do everything to sign Oshie, however. The 30-year-old winger has had a breakout season with Washington on the first line with Alex Ovechkin and Niklas Backstrom. He has tallied 59 regular-season goals in the two seasons he has played for the Capitals since being acquired by trade from the Blues.

The Capitals then have to look at Alzner, a rugged blueliner who at age 28, could get a large contract in a weak year of free agent defensemen, while Williams playoff success could make him a well-paid second-liner as well. The Capitals have to decide what priorities they have as it’s unlikely they can afford to keep all four players.

Montreal Canadiens veteran winger Alexander Radulov, who returned to the NHL last year after a long stint in the KHL, is ranked second on the list, although he has said he would like to resign with the Canadiens. Goaltender Ben Bishop is listed fourth on that free agent list and the 30-year-old netminder should be in high demand. Veterans Martin Hanzal (No. 6), Joe Thornton (No. 7), Radim Vrbata (No. 9) and Patrick Eaves (No. 10) round out the first ten on that list.

 

Vegas Notes: Shipachyov, Clauses, Dadonov

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Vegas Golden Knights’ GM George McPhee had a conference call with the media today, and was candid about many topics. Most of the call had to do with Vadim Shipachyov, the newest (and second) member of the Golden Knights. McPhee made it clear that Shipachyov will play in their top-six and get a lot of ice-time.

McPhee also put into words what many people have thought about the upcoming expansion draft:

He’s a skilled center iceman. They’re very, very, very hard to find.  We are going to need skill, and trying to get that position in the expansion draft would be difficult. 

While there are going to be interesting players available, finding top-line skill will be extremely rare in the expansion draft. Some may dispute if Shipachyov has that, but it’s clear he can at least keep up with top players.

  • McPhee also announced that Shipachyov’s deal doesn’t include a no-movement clause, for one simple reason: he doesn’t give those out. The GM said that he doesn’t negotiate those, but in today’s NHL where they are almost automatically included for long-term deals, he may have to soften his stance at some point in the future.
  • The Vegas GM admitted that he has been in contact with Evgeni Dadonov, but isn’t even convinced at this point that he’s coming to the NHL. It does seem like Vegas has a lot of interest if he decides to change leagues, as SinBin relays an answer regarding Dadonov: “it wouldn’t hurt to have other Russian players here.”

Snapshots: DeBrincat, Kerdiles, Vegas Goaltending

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Chicago Blackhawks prospect Alex DeBrincat was named the OHL’s Most Outstanding Player today, winning the Red Tilson trophy for 2016-17. DeBrincat follows a long line of future NHL players, including (in reverse order) Mitch Marner, Connor McDavid, Connor Brown and Vincent Trocheck. DeBrincat’s 65 goals and 127 points easily paced the league, and he’s added another league-leading 31 in the playoffs.

DeBrincat was held off the scoresheet in game one of the championship series against the Mississauga Steelheads last night, but he likely won’t be kept down for long. The OHL released a reel of every one of his goals, which provides a great example in how he seems to find open space in the slot on a consistent basis. He’ll have to keep that up at the next level, as goaltenders start to stop more of his wicked wrist shots.

  • The Anaheim Ducks have recalled Nic Kerdiles from the San Diego Gulls, likely due to the fact that Patrick Eaves and Ondrej Kase are still not skating. The young Kerdiles made his NHL debut this year with the Ducks, and is beginning to show why the team took him 36th overall in 2012. In five playoff games with the Gulls, Kerdiles has six points including goals at even strength, shorthanded and on the powerplay.
  • Matt Larkin of The Hockey News put together a list of fifteen possible options for the Vegas Golden Knights in net next season, which interestingly enough doesn’t include Ben Bishop. The Los Angeles Kings goaltender will be an unrestricted free agent this summer and likely the top option on the market. With the Golden Knights already showing they can hang with the big boys by recruiting Vadim Shipachyov, there is no reason to suspect that they couldn’t woo the former Vezina finalist on a short-term deal to show he’s still an elite goaltender. That would also let them take younger goaltenders in the expansion draft and let them develop behind Bishop for a couple of seasons.

Golden Knights Sign Vadim Shipachyov

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The Vegas Golden Knights have made their first big player acquisition, signing KHL star Vadim Shipachyov to a two-year contract.

Shipachyov will make $4.5MM per season, per the team’s media release. He joins rookie pro and former Brandon Wheat King center Reid Duke as the only two players currently under contract by the expansion Golden Knights franchise.

The 30-year-old center is a legitimate scoring threat in Russia, having scored 26 goals and 50 assists for 76 points in 50 games this season for SKA St. Petersburg. That was good for third in the KHL and second on SKA, behind only Ilya Kovalchuk. In Shipachyov’s nine-year career in the KHL, he has 137 goals and 412 points in 445 games. His points-per-game is slightly lessened by his early years; he’s scored 190 points in 153 games over the last three years. SKA has won the Gagarin Cup twice in those seasons.

Shipachyov is a highly-skilled offensive player, but isn’t a big body at 6’1, 190 lbs. Here’s how he’s described by Elite Prospects:

Shipachyov is a skilled center with excellent on-ice vision. He skates very well and with a fluid stride. Owns great offensive instincts and likes to have the puck on his stick. Could improve his all-around game. Isn’t overly efficient in physical battles.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported back in March that Vegas was exploring the possibility of signing the highly sought-after Russian star and his SKA teammate Yegveni Dadonov.

Even though this is Shipachyov’s first contract with an NHL club, he’s too old to sign an entry-level contract and will be a UFA at the expiry of the two-year deal, according to Cap Friendly. No word yet if he’ll wear his usual number 87 in the NHL. Only Sidney Crosby and Capitals minor-leaguer Liam O’Brien currently wear the number.

Shipachyov is currently with the Team Russia at the IIHF World Championships in Colonge, Germany.

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