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Coyotes To Sign Defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin

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With the KHL season over, there continue to be numerous rumors connecting foreign free agents, young and old, with interested NHL teams. Trusted European hockey insider Igor Eronko of NHL.com says that Lokomotiv Yaroslavl defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin is next up. Eronko relays the message that Lyubushkin is set to sign with the Arizona Coyotes.

While no terms of the deal have leaked yet, the 24-year-old Lyubushkin seems to be more of gamble on upside for the Coyotes rather than a player expected to start immediately without issue. The contract will most likely be for relatively little money and may even be of a two-way nature. In 2017-18, Lyubushkin tallied just nine points in 50 games, which was fifth among Lokomotiv defenseman. The stay-at-home defender was more effective in his own zone, posting a +14 rating, but even this was fourth on the team. Lyubushkin’s only noticeable lead on Yarolslavl was in penalty minutes, where he was tops by a wide margin due to his propensity for the physical side of the game.

What the Coyotes likely see in Lyubushkin is a strong, young blue liner who already has extensive pro experience, with five years with Lokomotiv under his belt. A right-shot defenseman under 25 with that much experience doesn’t hit free agency very often and Arizona likely hopes that his more conservative games translates well to the NHL. They could use him sooner rather than later, as Luke Schenn’s free agency leaves only Jason Demers as a right shot on the Arizona back end. Even in the AHL, there are no better righty options to step in than Lyubushkin, as only college free agent Jordan Gross – a similar style player to Lyubushkin – looks ready to play at the pro level. Of course, this situation could all change this off-season in free agency or if the ’Yotes land elite defenseman Adam Boqvist in the draft (though they would of course prefer lefty Rasmus Dahlin), but for now Lyubushkin looks to be a sleeper pick to fill a regular role with Arizona in the next year or so.

Snapshots: Doughty, Lehner, Myers

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There will continue to be speculation surrounding Los Angeles Kings superstar Drew Doughty until an extension is signed and filed, but it doesn’t sound like he expects to go anywhere in free agency when it rolls around in 2019. Doughty spoke today with the media and made it clear that he wants to stick around. Doughty’s comments via Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider:

It’s not that they have to show me or prove to me anything for me to sign here. I’ve always wanted to be an LA King and stay an LA King.

Doughty has been clear all along with the fact that he loves playing in Los Angeles, but like with Erik Karlsson and John Tavares, contract extensions for superstar players are tricky. Doughty will be just 29 when he hits the open market and is likely looking to become the highest paid defenseman in the league. A deal like that isn’t one you hand out easily, even to a player of his caliber. He can officially sign an extension on July 1st.

Morning Notes: Pacioretty, Ducks, Couturier

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The Montreal Canadiens had a terribly disappointing 2017-18 season, marred by constant trade speculation around their captain and star winger Max Pacioretty. The 29-year old forward escaped the trade deadline with the same address, but could still be on the move this summer. Arpon Basu of The Athletic (subscription required) examines the value Pacioretty holds on the trade market, and in a potential contract extension.

Interestingly, what happens to Pacioretty could be a domino of sorts for the Canadiens offseason. With the team unable to really begin a rebuild thanks to the huge contracts (and strong play when healthy) of Carey Price and Shea Weber, they are expected to be big players in free agency and could go after the top names this summer and next. If they do move their captain, expect a big splash to follow shortly after.

  • The Anaheim Ducks are on the brink of elimination again, and Elliotte Friedman spoke with Sportsnet Radio in Vancouver about where they are headed if they face another early exit. Friedman opines that perhaps they’ll start looking at their core forwards and consider changing things up, though points out that all three of Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Ryan Kesler have no-movement clauses. It would have seemed ridiculous to suggest the Ducks moving on from Perry a few seasons ago, but with him failing to hit the 20-goal plateau for two straight years, anything is possible.
  • Sean Couturier was injured in practice yesterday when he collided with Radko Gudas, but Philadelphia Flyers head coach Dave Hakstol says he’s a game-time decision for tonight’s matchup. While this simply could be gamesmanship by Hakstol to hide the severity of the injury, it would be a huge boost for Philadelphia if Couturier has suffered only a minor injury. If he does miss the game, Claude Giroux could slide back to center, a role he played for nearly his whole career before moving to the wing this year.

Western Notes: Coyotes Free Agency, Perron, Jarnkrok, Fowler

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With the team comfortable at both goaltending and defense, the Arizona Coyotes are expected to be add to their forward lines this offseason. Don’t be surprised if Arizona looks into the free agent market this summer and attempts to grab itself a top-six forward, according to AZCentral’s Richard Morin.

A team with ample cap space, Arizona has spent the last few years building through the draft and then this past season made multiple trades to upgrade its roster, acquiring the likes of Derek Stepan, Antti Raanta, Niklas Hjalmarsson and Richard Panik. The scribe writes the franchise, especially after an impressive second-half run, might look to dip its feet into the free agency market. While acquiring center John Tavares is not a likely scenario, the team might be able to snag an elite winger such as James van Riemsdyk, Patrick Maroon or Rick Nash. The team will have a couple of their own free agents they must sign, including veteran Brad Richardson, Zac Rinaldo, Kevin Connauton and Luke Schenn (as well as try to extend defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson), but the team should have the assets to upgrade their offense.

Morin does also admit that general manager John Chayka might also go back to the trade route as well, but at the same time, the team believes they will see an uptick in production from rookie Clayton Keller and now believe that prospect Dylan Strome is ready to handle full-time duties in the NHL.

Edmonton Oilers Re-Sign Ty Rattie

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It’s easy to forget that non-playoff teams are still hard at work behind the scenes, but the Edmonton Oilers have thrown their name into the postseason news cycle this evening. The team announced that they have re-signed forward Ty Rattie to a one-year contract extension worth $800K. Rattie was an impending unrestricted free agent, having signed a one-year deal with Edmonton last off-season.

Rattie must be relieved to have his contract situation wrapped up and to be returning to Edmonton next season. The 2016-17 experience was not an easy one for Rattie; the swift-skating right winger played in four games with the St. Louis Blues early in the season, was waived and claimed by the Carolina Hurricanes in January, was waived again a month later after just five games in Raleigh, and claimed back by the Blues who buried him in the AHL for the remainder of the season. Rattie was then not given a qualifying offer last summer, making him an unrestricted free agent. Rattie settled for a one-year, two-way deal with the Oilers, but made the most of it, scoring a career-high nine points in 14 games while also earning an AHL All-Star nod, finishing with 43 points in 53 games.

This extension will represent a substantial raise over his last deal with the Oilers. After an impressive campaign at both levels, the 25-year-old looks primed to fight for a full-time role in Edmonton next season. While he is likely happy to be back with the team that gave him the best chance to succeed thus far in his young pro career, Rattie – and the Oilers – must have known that he could have drawn some interest on the open market as well. Instead, there was clearly mutual interest in maintaining the status quo.

Blues Notes: Allen, Edmundson, Trade Targets, Fabbri

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While fans would like to see the St. Louis Blues move on from starting goaltender Jake Allen, that’s not likely to happen, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Jeff Gordon in a reader chat. The main reason Allen isn’t going anywhere is that there are no better goaltenders available in free agency and via trade this offseason. The team’s best bet is to make sure they lock up backup Carter Hutton and use that combination for one more season.

Allen’s play has declined after a strong start. In fact, his numbers have steadily declined over the last four years, putting up a 2.28 GAA in 2014-15, followed with a 2.35 GAA in 2015-16, a 2.42 GAA in 2016-17 and a 2.75 GAA this season. Gordon also points out that the answer to the team’s goalie issues is more likely to arrive in 2019-20 when Ville Husso arrives as he is most likely going to stay in the AHL for one more season developing his skills and serving as a third-string goaltender for the Blues. Husso had a 2.42 GAA and a .922 save percentage in 38 games with the San Antonio Rampage.

  • Gordon also says that general manager Doug Armstrong said that defenseman Joel Edmundson shouldn’t expect a big payday this offseason. The 24-year-old will be a restricted free agent this year, but the team is unlikely to give Edmudson a long-term offer at this point and might have to fight for a quality contract through arbitration this year. Edmundson, who made $1.05MM this season should get a raise, but the team has already handed out sizeable deals to Alex Pietrangelo (two years remaining at $6.5MM) and Colton Parayko (four years left at $5.5MM) and still must pay veteran Jay Bouwmeester one more year at $5.4MM. One year from now, however, the team could lock Edmundson up. He keeps improving, putting up a career high seven goals this year.
  • Gordon writes that Armstrong has said he wants to add a top-six forward, preferably a center to the team this offseason. With the free-agent market heavy in wingers, the Blues might have to consider a trade, suggesting the team should attempt to pry Ryan Nugent-Hopkins from Edmonton or Ryan O’Reilly from Buffalo. While the Oilers have stated they will not move Nugent-Hopkins, O’Reilly might be a different story in Buffalo.
  • While Gordon writes that there is no news on prospect Robby Fabbri, who missed the season after tearing his ACL twice in the same knee, there is plenty of concern. Because of his injuries, there is plenty of concern of whether he will ever turn out to be the prospect they hoped he would be.

Western Notes: Bennett, Murphy, Girard, Perron, Bieksa, Fowler

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The Calgary Flames have a lot of questions this offseason after a disappointing season that leaves them wondering what happened. However, the biggest question probably falls on what to do with Sam Bennett. The former fourth-overall pick in 2014 should be improving every season, but that hasn’t been the case for the 21-year-old who has seen his numbers drop every year.

After putting up 18 goals and 18 assists in a promising rookie season, he has put up only 26 points in each of the last two seasons and his goals have dropped from 13 in 2016-17 to 11 this year. The Calgary Sun’s Wes Gilbertson writes the team must decide whether he can take his game up several notches or whether to use him as trade bait. Of course, you don’t want to be the general manager that trades him away only to thrive with another team, but the team needs production out of the forward and is running out of time to figure out if he is the star they thought they drafted. He has one year left after this one at $1.95MM before hitting restricted free agency again.

  • The Chicago Blackhawks think they have found something in defenseman Connor Murphy. The 25-year-old, who was acquired in the Niklas Hjalmarsson trade last season from Arizona, struggled early on in the season with Chicago, according to Chicago Sun Times’ Mark Potash, but was one of the team’s better defensemen in the second half and the team believes he can develop into a top-four defenseman. “If you look at the way he played over the last 30 to 40 games, I think there’s reason for excitement,” said Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman.
  • The Colorado Avalanche is without defenseman Samuel Girard today as the young defenseman is out with an upper-body injury sustained in a hit from Nashville’s Filip Forsberg during Thursday’s game. The rookie defenseman is day-to-day.
  • Vegas Golden Knights winger David Perron, who has been out since Mar. 26 with an undisclosed injury, says he hopes to play before the series with the Los Angeles Kings is over, but did not give a timetable on a potential return, according to SinBinVegas.
  • The Anaheim Ducks expect defenseman Kevin Bieksa to play in Game 2 tonight against the San Jose Sharks, according to Orange Country Register’s Eric Stephens. Bieksa has been out since Mar. 12 after having hand surgery. Stephens also notes that defenseman Cam Fowler is no longer wearing a sling on his shoulder and will resume skating shortly. The blueliner has missed 13 straight games, but no timetable is set for his return.

Overseas Notes: Koskinen, Salo, Jooris

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It seems that the New York Islanders could be turning to an old friend when it comes to improving their play in net in 2018-19. The Isles gave up a league-worst 296 goals this season, a 3.61 GAA, behind the pedestrian play of starter Jaroslav Halak and dismal performance of overpaid backup Thomas Greiss. Even solid AHL keeper Christopher Gibson struggled in his eight appearances. With Halak hitting the free agent market and Gibson, a restricted free agent, having an uncertain future – not to mention the undoubted desire by some in the organization to move on from Greiss – the goalie position is in need of an overhaul this off-season. One early rumored piece to the puzzle? Former prospect Mikko Koskinen. In fact, Russian news source Sport Express reports that the two sides have already agreed to a preliminary deal and will make their reunion official on July 1st. Koskinen, 29, was a second-round draft pick by New York back in 2009 and brought with him high expectations when he crossed the Atlantic that same year. However, the hulking 6’7” Finn did not last long, playing in parts of three disappointing seasons in North America, including an .873 save percentage and 4.33 GAA in four starts with the Isles in 2010-11. Koskinen, still very young, returned home and immediately returned to dominating the Finnish Liiga before making the jump to the KHL. Since 2014-15, Koskinen has been the starter for KHL powerhouse SKA St. Petersburg and has been one of the league’s top goaltenders. Last season, Koskinen led the team to a Gagarin Cup title, only to improve his play this year with a stunning 1.57 GAA and .937 save percentage. Now, Koskinen want another shot at the big time and the Isles appear willing to give him a chance to see if his developed game can translate to the NHL. Neither the Islanders nor SKA have confirmed Koskinen’s move at this point, and may not until the deal is made official when free agency opens, but it hardly seems out of the realm of possibility. Not only does New York need a boost in net, but Koskinen is just one of several KHL goaltenders who have expressed an interest in the NHL market this summer, including Olympic standout Pavel Francouz and veteran NHLer Karri Ramo. A short-term contract for Koskinen to compete for the Isles’ starter job would come as little surprise.

  • One player who won’t be leaving Europe for the Islanders is top defensive prospect Robin Salo. Salo, New York’s second-round pick last June, has signed a two-year deal with Finnish club SaiPa, the team announced (link in Finnish). The homegrown product, who has already been applauded for his mature, well-rounded game, appears interested in further seasoning in the Liiga before joining the NHL. The SaiPa press release quoted Salo as saying “”I think I can develop the game here and move forward”, likely meaning when his new contract expires in 2020. Possibly forming an dynamic tandem with top Boston Bruins defensive prospect Urho Vaakanainen, Salo certainly could impress over the next two years. However, back in New York, the Islanders will have to look elsewhere for an immediate boost on the blue line, another sore spot of 2017-18.
  • While the Islanders’ season may be over, Josh Jooris and the Pittsburgh Penguins are still playing. Yet, that hasn’t stopped the rumor mill from turning in regards to Jooris’ potential departure form North America. Throughout the year, Jooris has been connected to teams in Europe, particularly in the Swiss NLA, after he nearly signed in the league last summer. The two-way forward could be looking for a new opportunity as his game continues to regress in the NHL. After a promising rookie year with the Calgary Flames in 2014-15, Jooris’ production has dropped off each year. This season, he bounced back and forth from the AHL and had just six points in 40 NHL games, none of which came in his nine games of action with the Penguins following a deadline deal from the Carolina Hurricanes. Jooris reportedly wants a fresh start and now a team has returned that interest. Coach and GM Chris McSorely of the NLA’s Geneve-Servette HC revealed that at the top of his shortlist of potential free agent imports is none other than Jooris. With seemingly mutual interest and a presumed lack of value for Jooris is in the NHL market, this seems to be a rumor with some legs.

Thomas Vanek & The Offense-Only Perception

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In a few months, some lucky team in the NHL will get the chance to sign a two-time 40-goal scorer coming off an excellent offensive season. He put up the third most points by any free agent forward despite making just $2MM this season. In his first taste of playoff action since 2015, he scored two points and helped his team to an overtime victory while playing 16:28. That team will likely get a chance to sign him to an extremely short-term deal with little risk involved. And then, going off of recent history, that team will say “no thanks” and pass.

That player is Thomas Vanek, who was bought out in June of 2016 because of a $6.5MM cap hit, and has been overlooked ever since. In the summer of 2016 Vanek was coming off his 11th consecutive 40+ point season, but ended up signing a one-year deal with the Detroit Red Wings for just $2.6MM. That was only $100K more than the salary handed to each of Matt Martin and Joe Colborne, who both signed for at least two seasons. It substantially shorter and cheaper than the deal Jamie McGinn signed, he of 167 career points and exactly zero 40+ point seasons (a mark he still has failed to eclipse). Darren Helm earned a five-year deal, each of which would pay him close to $4MM, after a 26-point season.

The problem with Vanek, as some would explain, was that he was a perimeter player. He didn’t play defense, work hard enough or contribute in different ways. He was one dimensional. Well, who among the group above is two dimensional? Those four combined for 38 points in 2016-17. Vanek scored 48 all by himself.

That’s right, his 12th straight 40+ season was to follow after his $2.6MM contract, even with a trade midseason to shake things up. Vanek would net the Detroit Red Wings a third-round pick at the deadline, a neat little asset for paying a relatively paltry sum.

But then, when free agency rolled around again in 2017 Vanek would have to wait. Even with his 48 points, and obvious skills on the powerplay and in the shootout, he would wait all the way until the Vancouver Canucks finally snatched him up in September. You’d think that proving himself still capable would improve the offers, but Vancouver would sign him for just $2MM this time around. The deal came with no performance bonuses, likely because who would doubt he’d hit them at this point.

Vanek once again was up to the task, and found instant chemistry with Canucks rookie phenom Brock Boeser. This time, he’d register 41 points by the time the trade deadline came around—his 13th consecutive 40+ if we’re still counting—and earning the Canucks a shiny young Tyler Motte. The now 34-year old Vanek would put up 15 points in 19 games for the Columbus Blue Jackets down the stretch, helping them secure their playoff position.

When this July rolls around, Vanek will be an unrestricted free agent once again. He’ll be entering the summer as the third-highest scoring free agent forward on the market, behind only John Tavares and David Perron—that’s right, ahead of players like Evander Kane, James van Riemsdyk, James Neal, and Paul Stastny—and he still might come with very little risk.

He’s obviously not a player that you’d hand out a long-term deal to, not anymore at least. But when one dimensional defense-only players are getting hefty contracts, teams need to start realizing that the opposite is also valuable. Even if he is a coach’s nightmare—which he’s never been described as by anyone other than outside observers—in the right situations he’s still extremely effective. Any team, even a rebuilding one, should be looking at him as an undervalued asset if his price remains low like the last two offseasons. You can bet there will be a team that wants him at the trade deadline again next year—especially if he’s in the midst of #14.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

St. Louis Blues Expected To Be Active On Trade Market

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The St. Louis Blues lost out on the playoffs on the very final day of the regular season, losing to Colorado in what was essentially a play-in game. That came after the team decided to trade away Paul Stastny at the deadline, instead of bringing in some help for a team that was struggling at the time. Though that criticism has to be leveled at the front office, they now sit in a position to prepare even more for next season.

In today’s 31 Thoughts column by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, he notes that the expectation is that the Blues will be an “aggressive trade partner” this summer. He’s not the only one who has heard that, as Lou Korac of NHL.com also tweeted yesterday that the team has made it clear they will be “active” in the offseason. Quoting GM Doug Armstrong, Korac added that acquiring the first round pick in return for Stastny “allows [the Blues] to get back in the trade market.”

That first round pick of course could replace the outgoing selection that they used to acquire Brayden Schenn at the draft last year, though it is top-10 protected should they win one of the lottery selections. The team’s potential trade assets don’t end there.

With a glut of young forward prospects, St. Louis could easily be one of the most interesting teams to watch this summer. Robert Thomas, Jordan Kyrou, Klim Kostin, Tage Thompson, Erik Foley and others could all be legitimate key pieces to dangle in trade, meaning an overhaul could be completed if they decide that 2018-19 is the year they want to “go for it.”

There is also a school of thought that would send them in the opposite direction, and rely on those young players to fill the gap after trading off some current NHL assets. Patrik Berglund and Vladimir Sobotka had disappointing seasons, while Jay Bouwmeester, Carl Gunnarsson and Robert Bortuzzo are all entering the final year before unrestricted free agency. The team could be just as “active” selling off pieces to backfill with their young prospects, and could potentially be a better team even in the short term.

Whatever the Blues do, it’s clear that Armstrong won’t sit on his hands this summer. The team is too talented, and has too many star players right in their prime to just wait around and hope for better results. While the goaltending issue is a decision that has to be made quickly, the rest of the roster isn’t far behind.

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