Panthers Notes: Werier, Haley, Jagr, Demers
The Florida Panthers made official this morning the firing of Assistant GM Stever Werier, as Dale Tallon continues to undo moves made by the previous administration, now including the hiring of Werier. TSN’s Bob McKenzie, who first reported the front office change, states that the order may have come down even prior to last week’s Expansion Draft, but is just now being made public. The move corresponds with Tallon’s recent hiring of Chris Pronger and Bryan McCabe to front office positions, as the old guard is being moved out and Tallon is taking the team in a new direction.
- Part of that new direction is adding more toughness to the lineup, which Tallon plans to do today with the expected signing of enforcer Micheal Haley. TSN’s Bob McKenzie confirmed that the Panthers plan to sign Haley, 31, when free agency opens. The veteran forward has only played in 130 NHL games, but skated in a career-high 58 contests with the San Jose Sharks last season, recording 12 points and 128 penalty minutes.
- Another new movement in Florida is a desire to get quicker. According to TSN’s Darren Dreger, that means that 45-year-old legend Jaromir Jagr will have to move on to yet another destination if he wishes to continue his career. Dreger’s TSN colleague Pierre LeBrun has stated that Jagr has cut ties with the Panthers and is on the hunt for a new team to give him a chance at extending his hockey playing days.
- One player sticking with the Panthers (for now) is defenseman Jason Demers. The veteran righty, a major 2016 free agency acquisition, has been on the trade block this past week, but Pierre LeBrun reports that he used his No-Trade Clause to nix a deal with the Vancouver Canucks earlier this week. Florida seems intent on moving Demers, but he seems reluctant to move. The impending impasse could prove to be an intriguing story this off-season.
- Two players the Panthers do want around are prospects Reece Scarlett and Chase Balisy. TVA’s Renaud Lavoie revealed that the young defenseman and forward have inked new deals with Florida as of this morning. Both one-year and two-way, Scarlett will make $650K at the NHL level, while Balisy will make $675K.
Maple Leafs Re-Sign Goalies Curtis McElhinney And Garret Sparks
It’s been all quiet on the Toronto Maple Leaf’s goalie front this past week, despite a need at backup to starter Frederik Andersen. However, with free agency about to open, the Leafs have announced an extension for impending UFA goalie Curtis McElhinney as well as a new deal for restricted free agent keeper Garret Sparks. The pair both inked two-year deals, with McElhinney making $850 on a one-way contract and Sparks earning $675K at the NHL level on a two-way contract in year one and $700K on a one-way contract in year two.
McElhinney was acquired by the Leafs via waivers from the Columbus Blue Jackets last January and went on to post a .914 save percentage and 2.85 goal against average in 14 appearances with Toronto. Combined with seven appearances for Columbus, 2016-17 was the best season of the journeyman goalkeeper’s career. While there may have been superior talent available on the free agent market, the Leafs appear content to stick with McElhinney as the primary backup to Andersen as he was nothing if not consistent for them down the stretch last season.
Should the 34-year-old McElhinney falter, Sparks appears poised to take over the backup job if given the opportunity. The 24-year-old did not see any NHL action last season, but appeared in 17 games for the Leafs in 2015-16. The 2011 seventh-round pick followed that up with the best minor league campaign of his career, making 31 starts for the AHL’s Toronto Marlies and posting a 2.16 goals against average and .922 save percentage. Sparks is a more than capable safety blanket in net for Toronto.
Free Agency Rumor Round-Up
Free agency is set to open in mere hours, but there are already plenty of rumors out there about deals that will become official at noon ET. Here are all of the deals expected to be made official this afternoon with the link to the original PHR article or recent report:
Anaheim Ducks expected to sign G Ryan Miller (per TSN’s Bob McKenzie)
Boston Bruins expected to sign LW Kenny Agostino
Buffalo Sabres expected to sign G Chad Johnson
Chicago Blackhawks expected to sign RW Patrick Sharp
Colorado Avalanche expected to sign G Jonathan Bernier
Dallas Stars expected to sign C Martin Hanzal (per TSN’s Bob McKenzie)
Detroit Red Wings expected to sign D Trevor Daley
Florida Panthers expected to sign RW Evgeni Dadonov
Florida Panthers expected to sign C Micheal Haley
Montreal Canadiens expected to sign D Karl Alzner
New York Rangers expected to sign G Ondrej Pavelec
Philadelphia Flyers expected to sign G Brian Elliott
Tampa Bay Lightning expected to sign D Dan Girardi
Vancouver Canucks expected to sign D Michael Del Zotto
Vancouver Canucks expected to sign G Anders Nilsson
Vancouver Canucks expected to sign C Sam Gagner (per TSN’s Bob McKenzie)
Winnipeg Jets expected to sign G Steve Mason (per TSN’s Bob McKenzie)
PHR Free Agency Live Chat Transcript: 07/01/17
The day has finally come, when all the front offices get to unwrap shiny new (or bearded old) toys like Christmas morning. Like any holiday, talking out your frustrations and anxieties is a good first step. Click here to read a special Free Agent Frenzy live chat transcript with PHR’s Gavin Lee.
Morning Notes: Sharp, Bernier, Agostino
It’s been a wild few weeks for the Chicago Blackhawks, including the departures of several key players like Niklas Hjalmarsson, Artemi Panarin, and Trevor van Riemsdyk, but the Western Conference dynasty appears to be bringing back a fan-favorite when free agency opens today to help deal with those losses. The Chicago Sun Times’ Mark Lazerus reports, as speculated, that Patrick Sharp will return to Chicago for the coming season. While details of the deal – term, salary, incentives – are not yet known, the deal is expected to be made official promptly after free agency opens at noon ET. Sharp, 35, is a three-time Stanley Cup winner with the Blackhawks and an eight-time 20-goal scorer over his impressive career. Sharp was essentially forced out of Chicago in the off-season two years ago, as the ‘Hawks could not muster the cap space to re-sign the prominent forward. The Dallas Stars could, but after a strong 55-point campaign in 2015-16, Sharp struggled with injury and inconsistency this past season, recording just 18 points in 48 games. Age and health have clearly softened Sharp’s edge, but if he is going to rejuvenate his career at this age for any team, it will be in a return to Chicago and his former teammates. Sharp will join Brandon Saad as returning Blackhawks this off-season if this deal does come to fruition this afternoon.
- Adrian Dater of BSN Denver was busy late last night, breaking the news that Jonathan Bernier is expected to sign with his Colorado Avalanche today. The Avs recently lost young backup Calvin Pickard in the expansion draft and were on the lookout for a reliable backup to Semyon Varlamov. While Bernier has been rumored to sign anywhere from the Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins to a return to the Anaheim Ducks, the fit in Colorado makes sense. One could argue that Bernier is coming off the best season of his career in 2016-17 and will have a chance to be more of a “1B” than a definite #2 with the Avalanche. Per usual, there is still no word on the details of the deal that cannot be consummated until later today.
- Dater also reported that the Boston Bruins are set to make a small, but interesting move today, as they have supposedly come to terms with AHL MVP Kenny Agostino on a short-term contract worth $850K. The high-scoring minor league left wing has seen only limited NHL action, but over the course of an 83-point season with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves last season, he also contributed a goal and two assists in seven games with the St. Louis Blues. The Bruins were known to have some concerns over the potential of Matt Beleskey and Frank Vatrano to play top-six roles on the left side next season, but were also worried about blocking up-and-coming prospects like Jake DeBrusk, Peter Cehlarik, Anders Bjork, and more. The Agostino signing would add another option at a relatively cheap price and (likely) the flexibility of a two-way contract as well. The details will be revealed a few hours from now.
- In more concrete news, the KHL’s Barys Astana has signed former Washington Capitals prospect Darren Dietz, according to European hockey insider Aivis Kalnins. Dietz was not tendered a qualifying offer by the Capitals by last Monday’s deadline and became an unrestricted free agent. Without any NHL interest, Dietz will try his hand at Russian pro hockey rather than a minor league deal to remain in North America.
Free Agency Notes: Miller, Liles, Witkowski
Beyond the top few names of the free agent period—Kevin Shattenkirk, Alexander Radulov and others—there are many depth players who will switch teams and provide quite a bit of value for their new squads. One such player is likely Ryan Miller, who even at 36 is one of the best goaltenders on the market. Though it had been previously reported that the Canucks would try to sign Miller to an incentive-laden deal, it now looks like the two sides will part ways.
Anders Nilsson is rumored to be heading to Vancouver, while another writer—this time Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register—has linked Miller to the Anaheim Ducks and their vacant backup position. As we wrote in our Top 50 Free Agent list, where Miller ranked 29th, heading to the Southern California are where he, along with wife and actress Noreen DeWulf, live in the offseason is an obvious fit. The fact that the Ducks are a competitive team with a clear role for Miller behind young goaltender John Gibson just adds to the likelihood of him ending up there by the end of the weekend.
- The Boston Bruins are likely to move on from their trio of free agents, with John-Michael Liles already being told he would not return. Both Drew Stafford and Dominic Moore are probably going elsewhere, but GM Don Sweeney wouldn’t completely close the door on circling back to them. All three will find work around the NHL should they want to keep playing.
- Ansar Khan of MLive brings up some Detroit news, indicating that the Red Wings are interested in former Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Luke Witkowski. Witkowski isn’t a big name, but could potentially log some minutes in the NHL as Detroit continues to rebuild. The team has also been linked to Trevor Daley, another potential depth defender for next season.
New York Rangers In Discussions With Ondrej Pavelec
When the New York Rangers traded Antti Raanta to the Arizona Coyotes, it was clear they’d have to enter the goaltending market in free agency. Though Magnus Hellberg played well in his very short sample with the team this year, he never seemed like a legitimate backup option for a team with an aging goaltender and eyes on a deep playoff run. He since signed in the KHL after becoming a Group VI free agent. Instead, they were likely to get a more veteran name who could step in and play a few games should Henrik Lundqvist miss any time.
Darren Dreger of TSN is now reporting that the team is in ongoing discussions with Ondrej Pavelec, the former Winnipeg Jets goaltender who spent most of the 2016-17 season in the minor leagues after clearing waivers. Pavelec does fill the experience portion of the backup requirement, but it’s been over a year now since he showed he was a capable netminder in the NHL. Perhaps at 29 the Rangers believe he can have a bounce-back season, or they think he’ll come at a relatively cheap price and invest the savings at a different position.
In eight NHL contests last year, Pavelec recorded an .888 save percentage. Beyond that his 2015-16 numbers weren’t much better, registering a .904 in 33 contests. Even in the AHL last year, where NHL backups usually perform quite well he was just average, posting a .917 save percentage and going just 8-7-2. It’s not certain that he’d struggle in the NHL again, especially behind a 100-point team like the Rangers but he’s far from the safest option on the open market.
Pavelec didn’t make it into our Top 50 Free Agents, a list that included six goaltenders at the time. From that group, Mike Condon has already re-signed with Ottawa, and both Brian Elliott and Anders Nilsson look to have already agreed to new homes. Even Keith Kinkaid, who just missed out on the list and may have placed ahead of Pavelec was retained by the New Jersey Devils to back up Cory Schneider.
Snapshots: Stone, Nilsson, Marleau
Even though the Calgary Flames acquired Travis Hamonic to round out their top four, Pierre LeBrun of TSN reports that they’re still trying hard to get Michael Stone under contract before he hits the open market tomorrow. Stone was acquired at the deadline and fit in rather well down the stretch, but was expected to be let go after the Hamonic move.
We ranked Stone #15 on our (rapidly diminishing) Top 50 Free Agent list, projecting a two-year deal worth $7.2MM for him should he hit free agency. Even with their buyouts of Lance Bouma and Ryan Murphy earlier today, it might be tough to fit Stone in at that price given they still owe contracts to Curtis Lazar, Sam Bennett and Micheal Ferland. The Flames have around $13.4MM in cap room, making it definitely possible, but it would mean going into the season with very little wiggle room.
- Andy Strickland of Fox Sports is pumping out the deal information, reporting that Steven Oleksy will likely sign a two-year deal with the Anaheim Ducks, while Anders Nilsson will sign with the Vancouver Canucks. Nilsson was among those hinted at by Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet yesterday, linking him to the Vancouver Canucks. If Nilsson does sign with Vancouver, it would mean that Ryan Miller is on the market again with a likely Southern California landing spot. With Anaheim looking for another veteran backup to help shepherd John Gibson along, Miller seems like an obvious candidate.
- Patrick Marleau has a two-year contract offer in hand from the San Jose Sharks according to Darren Dreger of TSN. Whatever Marleau decides to do will likely impact Joe Thornton, as the two remain close. That doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll head to another team together, but that Marleau re-upping in San Jose could persuade Thornton to do the same. The pair of veteran forwards are some of the biggest names on the market tomorrow, and could legitimately have the biggest impact on their new (or old) teams.
Columbus, Nashville Make Trade Offers For Matt Duchene
As the trade market heats up before free agency begins tomorrow, Darren Dreger of TSN reports that both the Columbus Blue Jackets and Nashville Predators have made offers for Matt Duchene, but Avalanche GM Joe Sakic has still not been convinced. We’ve heard of the Predators’ interest before, but this is the first real concrete connection that the Blue Jackets have made a play for the young forward.
Duchene has been on the market since partway through the 2016-17 season, but Sakic has been firm with his asking price and apparently it hasn’t been met just yet. With such a thin free agent market especially in terms of impact scoring, Duchene could be the prize of the next few weeks. Even in a down year he still scored 18 goals and 41 points, and can be reasonably expected to bounce back to his earlier level of play. At 26 he’s still young enough to help pretty much anyone, but with just two years left on his current deal it’s more likely that a contender adds him as one of the last pieces to their puzzle.
It was reported this week that the Islanders had made a play for Duchene before dealing Travis Hamonic to the Calgary Flames, and it’s doubtful that the interest has waned at all since then. The package of picks that New York received could easily be flipped in a potential deal with Colorado. That said, both Nashville and Columbus have the young defensive depth to perhaps pull it off and could each use a bit of a scoring punch. Nashville would like to replace James Neal after he was snatched in the expansion draft, and Columbus continues to try and add to their top-six even after acquiring Artemi Panarin from the Chicago Blackhawks.
Whether Duchene ends up in one of those three cities is still far from assured. There is interest from many places around the league, and could end up coming down after a few free agent dominoes fall in the first few days. If Sakic is to get the prospect, first-round pick and young defender he was rumored to be asking for at the trade deadline, it will have to include multiple teams bidding against each other.
Several Buyouts Before Deadline
The deadline to buy out players is today, and several teams have taken advantage of the option before free agency starts. The following players have been placed on waivers for the purposes of a buyout: Mike Cammalleri (NJD), Devante Smith-Pelly (NJD), Mark Stuart (WIN), Lance Bouma (CGY), Ryan Murphy (CGY), Jimmy Hayes (BOS), Jussi Jokinen (FLA). The new cap hits of each player will be as follows:
Cammalleri:
2017-18: $1.67MM
2018-19: $1.67MM
2019-20: $1.67MM
2020-21: $1.67MM
Smith-Pelly:
2017-18: $175K
2018-19: $225K
Stuart:
2017-18: $1.46MM
2018-19: $583K
Bouma:
2017-18: $667K
2018-19: $767K
Murphy:
2017-18: $100K
2018-19: $138K
Hayes:
2017-18: $567K
2018-19: $867K
Jokinen:
2017-18: $1.33MM
2018-19: $1.33MM