Extension Candidates: 2017 Restricted Free Agents
After Artemi Panarin signed a two-year extension earlier today that will pay him $6MM per season and take him right up to unrestricted free agency, the RFA pool for this summer got a little bit smaller. Other extensions that have already been signed include Aaron Ekblad (Eight years, $60MM), Jake Allen (Four years, $17.4MM) and Victor Hedman (Eight years, $63MM).
Even though these big names are already locked up long-term, there are a ton of other restricted free agents that will be negotiating extensions between now and July 1st. Here are a few big names who become RFAs this summer.
Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton: The former third-overall pick who once scored 192 points in 29 German junior-league games, has broken out this season with 31 points in 36 games. Already coming off a 50 point season, this 70 point pace puts him in elite territory up front. Only 21 years old, the Oilers will be looking to lock him up long-term to ride shotgun with Connor McDavid well into their peak years.
Alex Galchenyuk, Montreal: Another third-overall pick who put up a 50+ point season a year ago, Galchenyuk was off to a brilliant start before going down with injury early this month. Because he’ll be out for another month at least, Galchenyuk won’t rush into a contract that may not be representative of his development. This one might head into the summer, but if he comes back strong perhaps the two sides can come together before what looks like a long playoff run.
David Pastrnak, Boston: Not quite the same situation faces Pastrnak, who before this year showed promise but hadn’t played a full season in the NHL. With 26 points already he’s about to set his career-high and has a chance at a 40-goal season. Boston has a lot of money already tied up long-term in their forward group, with David Krejci, Patrice Bergeron, David Backes and Brad Marchand all under contract through at least 2020-21. They may not be able to afford buying out UFA years this summer, meaning a one or two year pact is more likely.
Blackhawks Notes: Anisimov, Hossa, Goalies, Gilbert
The Chicago Blackhawks announced via Twitter that they have activated center Artem Anisimov from IR while placing winger Marian Hossa on IR retroactive to December 20th. Hossa is expected to miss the first half of the team’s upcoming road trip which runs from December 27th through January 2nd, according to Scott Powers of The Atlantic. Powers adds that Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville hopes to have Hossa back for the Winter Classic game against St. Louis.
Hossa, who will turn 38 on January 12th, is having a resurgence of sorts with 16 goals and 23 points in 34 contests. Last season, the gifted two-way winger posted the lowest offensive numbers since his rookie campaign in 1998-99, tallying 13 goals and 33 points in 64 games.
Anisimov, who has been out of action since December 17th, is in the midst of a career season with 14 goals and 27 points through 32 contests. His previous best output came during the Russian pivot’s second full campaign when Anisimov registered 18 goals and 44 points in 82 games.
In other Blackahwks news:
- Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times hosted a mailbag segment addressing a number of Blackhawks items, including the team’s goaltending situation. With Artemi Panarin set to hit restricted free agency this summer and the team short on available cap space, one scenario that has been suggested to clear salary is moving starting goaltender Corey Crawford and his $6MM cap charge. While acknowledging Scott Darling‘s solid play this season in relief of Crawford and arguing the pending unrestricted free agent will be in the position to look for a starting job, Lazerus argues that job will have to be elsewhere. As Lazerus points out, Darling is already 28 and time is running short for him to find either an outright starting job or at least a timeshare. Also, Crawford is among the best netminders in the league, as Lazerus opines, and the Blackhawks would be best served keeping him between the pipes.
- Scott Powers, writing for The Atlantic, tells the story of defenseman Dennis Gilbert, an unheralded third-round draft pick in the 2015 draft who is quietly developing into one of the team’s top prospects (subscription required). As Powers notes, Gilbert first came to the attention of Chicago evaluators at the behest of Hall of Fame head coach Scotty Bowman, whose son Stan is the Blackhawks GM. Gilbert is currently in his sophomore season patrolling the blue line for Notre Dame and has contributed six assists in 17 games.
Allen’s Latest: US Juniors To Watch, 2017 Predictions
USA Today’s Kevin Allen writes a bit about the five must watch players for the US team as the World Junior Championships kick off today. Those on his watch list include Charlie McAvoy, Luke Kunin, Clayton Keller, Tage Thompson, and Colin White. Allen writes that White is versatile and expected to be a boon for the American squad as a difference maker. Thompson, according to Allen, is a younger version of Blake Wheeler, while Keller is the “gamebreaker” who has the potential to be a dynamic player someday in the NHL. Captain Kunin, according to USA general manager Jim Johannson, is the “engine” of the team. McAvoy is a physical presence, and according to bench boss Bob Motzko, wants to “knock you on your rear end and score a goal on the same shift. He is going to be a guy we lean on heavily in all situations.” The Americans will look to build on their bronze medal finish from last year’s tournament.
- Allen also lists his 10 bold predictions in 2017. Some of the bolder ones include Patrik Laine outscoring Alex Ovechkin this season and that the Blackhawks will pay Artemi Panarin $7MM to remain in Chicago. Allen expects Ralph Krueger to be back in the NHL, and that the Canucks will finally embrace a much needed rebuild. Allen writes:
It’s past time. The Canucks will be first class and ask the Sedin twins how they want the organization to handle their future. They have always loved living in Vancouver. If they wait until the summer, they might be able to trade them both to one team. Maybe the Sedins would be comfortable mentoring a young team.
Finally, Allen believes that Kevin Shattenkirk will head to free agency and be pursued by the Red Wings, Bruins, Rangers, and Lightning. In the same vein, he expects John Tavares to get the “Stamkos treatment” with his impending free agency. Whether it’s a monster contract from the Islanders or a pricier offer from another team, Allen believes it to be one of the main storylines in 2017.
Blackhawks Notes: Panarin, Crawford, Tootoo, Krys
Despite only being in his second year in the NHL, Artemi Panarin has rapidly developed into one of the Chicago Blackhawks most important players. After netting 30 goals and 77 points as a rookie, Panarin is producing at a point-per-game rate and currently ranks fifth in the league in scoring as a sophomore. Set to become a restricted free agent in the summer, Panarin is poised to cash in and score a substantial long-term contract from Chicago.
Given Chicago’s current salary cap situation, the team is going to have to make some difficult decisions to make in order to free up enough space to fit Panarin’s next pact under the cap ceiling. As it stands today, the Hawks have roughly $60.6MM in salary cap commitments to 14 players in 2017-18. Depending on exactly where the cap ceiling falls, that would leave Chicago with somewhere between $13MM and $15MM in available space. Unless the team makes other moves to shed salary, the Blackhawks will have a tough time fleshing out their roster if they sign Panarin to a market-value extension.
As they’ve had to do often in the past, it’s likely the club will end up moving some veteran talent to free up space. With backup goalie Scott Darling performing well in Corey Crawford‘s recent absence, some have speculated Chicago could look to move the latter and his $6MM cap charge. However, Chris Hine of the Chicago Tribune opines that moving Crawford is not the solution to the Blackhawks Panarin question.
While acknowledging that the team and their fans are likely tired of seeing some of their top young talent traded away due to salary cap concerns – Brandon Saad, Teuvo Teravainen and Andrew Shaw are a few of the players Chicago has drafted and developed only to see them moved elsewhere because of financial considerations – Hine believes any notion of dealing Crawford ignores the goalie’s importance to the team. Hine argues that Crawford has established himself as an elite netminder and his contributions to two Stanley Cup championships should not be ignored.
Additionally, Crawford has a modified NMC and there is little reason to believe he would waive it to facilitate a trade. While the specifics of the NMC are unknown, at the very least it would serve to limit Crawford’s market and complicate any potential trade. Further impacting the veteran goaltender’s hypothetical market is his $6MM cap charge. Few teams currently need a goalie and even fewer are in the position to take on that type of commitment.
Ultimately the Hawks will find a way to get a deal done with Panarin. He’s simply too talented and important to Chicago for them to let him get away. Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman will inevitably have to make a tough decision or two to free up the necessary cap space but moving Crawford likely won’t be one of them.
In other Blackhawks news:
- Despite being on the smaller side – 5-foot-9, 195 pounds – Jordin Tootoo has carved out a lengthy NHL career playing a tough, physical style and often fighting players much larger than himself. After a nine-point season with New Jersey in 2015-16, Tootoo hit free agency at a time when more teams are moving away from employing one-dimensional tough guys. Fortunately for the diminutive winger, Chicago found themselves in need of a veteran presence willing to work at or near the league minimum and inked the 33-year-old to a one-year deal worth just $750K. Tootoo recognizes the situation he now finds himself in and is willing to do whatever it takes to help his new team, as Scott Powers of The Athletic writes in a Q & A piece. Tootoo has yet to register a point on the season and is averaging just 6:44 of ice time per contest, but has done quality work as Chicago’s resident agitator and enforcer.
- Just days after Chicago forward prospect Alex DeBrincat was cut from Team USA’s WJC entry, fellow Blackhawks prospect Chad Krys was announced as the team’s final cut, CSN Chicago’s Charlie Roumeliotis reports. Krys, who represented Team USA last year in the same tournament, is in the midst of his freshman season at Boston University after the Hawks selected the defenseman in the second-round of the 2016 draft.
Western Conference Notes: Maurice, Blues, Jankowski
Despite a talented roster led by #1 center Mark Scheifele (31 points in 33 games), team captain Blake Wheeler (26 points), rookie phenom Patrik Laine (19 goals) and big blue liner Dustin Byfuglien (22 points), the Winnipeg Jets have a disappointing 16 – 17 – 3 record and are three points out of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. It’s perhaps not surprising that reports began circulating suggesting the job of veteran bench boss Paul Maurice could be in jeopardy, but as Paul Wiecek of the Winnipeg Free Press writes, there is simply nothing to those rumors.
Wiecek points out that the Jets ownership is “loyal to a fault,” and references former head coach Claude Noel as an example of that loyalty. Noel served as the team’s head coach for their first two-and-a-half seasons in Manitoba but mustered just a record of 80 – 79 – 18 and failed to lead the Jets to the postseason before being dismissed during the 2013-14 season. Wiecek believes the team kept Noel around “long after it had become readily apparent to everyone else that an AHL coach was all Noel was ever going to be.”
The scribe also suggests the team still believes Maurice is the right coach to turn “a room full of young talent and inexperience into the kind of club that can compete night in and night out with the best in the league.”
Finally, in response to the belief the Jets have under-performed, Wiecek takes the position that the team has performed exactly as should be expected; like a young team with plenty of peaks and valleys.
It should also be noted that the Jets play in a tough division, one that sent five teams to the postseason a year ago. While the Central may not be as strong this season as the Metro Division, an argument can certainly be made that they could easily boast five playoff squads again this spring
Elsewhere in the West:
- Jeremy Rutherford hosted his weekly chat with readers of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch recently and tackled several issues related to the Blues. Naturally much of the talk was about how the Blues can improve their roster and while there may not have been much in the way of concrete trade rumors, Rutherford acknowledged the team desperately wants to add both speed and a proven top-six center ahead of the deadline. Of course the one asset St. Louis might be able to move to address their needs is defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk, who is set to hit unrestricted free agency next summer. Though as appealing as Shattenkirk might be to other teams, his value is limited unless any team looking to acquire the puck-moving blue liner has an indication they might be able to extend the pending free agent. It’s also not certain the Blues will be too interested in dealing Shattenkirk if they are in possession of a playoff berth at the deadline. Last season, GM Doug Armstrong held onto David Backes and Troy Brouwer, both of whom would leave the team after the season and demonstrating the veteran GM will only sell off an expiring asset if it improves his chances to win today.
- The Calgary Flames surprised some when they went off the board to select center Mark Jankowski in the first round of the 2012 draft. While most teams weren’t sold on Jankowski, then-Flames GM Jay Feaster called him the best player in the draft and compared the pivot to former Calgary star Joe Nieuwendyk. It took four years but Jankowski finally made his NHL debut earlier this season, and as Kristen Odland of the Calgary Herald reports, he is looking forward to working his way back into the league and earning a permanent position. But first, Jankowski, in his first full season as a pro, knows he has to dominate at the AHL level: “Obviously it was a good experience to get up there to see what it’s all about and play my first game, to see what type of game it is,” he said. “It’s a lot faster and guys are bigger and stronger. They’re all just a bit more skilled. Coming back to Stockton, it’s huge motivation for me to see what it’s like if I want to be there full-time.I have to come down here and dominate and play my game.”
Ben Bishop Out 3-4 Weeks With Lower-Body Injury
Following our report that Ben Bishop had left the Tampa Bay game last night with an apparent right leg injury, the Lightning have announced that he’ll be out for three to four weeks with a lower-body injury. The team had already recalled Kristers Gudlevskis from Syracuse to replace him.
Even taking the optimistic timeline of three weeks means Bishop will be unavailable for the team’s next nine games, placing an even heavier burden on Andrei Vasilevskiy. The young netminder has already made 12 starts this year, well on his way to break his career high of 21 set last season. Though Bishop was still technically the starter, the three-year extension that Vasilevskiy signed this summer indicated that the team is ready to hand him the reins.
For Bishop, this is just another hit to his upcoming free agency that was already being affected with his play. Last year’s Vezina runner-up was having the worst season of his career, carrying a mediocre .909 save percentage into Wednesday. While he’s likely to bounce back somewhat, being on the wrong side of 30, enduring injury and seeing a downward trend in performance are three pretty big red flags.
It’ll be interesting to see what the Lightning do over this stretch, as it contains two back-to-back situations. Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times wouldn’t be surprised to see Adam Wilcox get a chance in one of those games, as the 24-year old is dominating at the AHL level.
Jackets Place Campbell On Unconditional Waivers
Today happens to be Gregory Campbell‘s 33rd birthday and the Columbus Blue Jackets may have just given him a welcome present. According to Aaron Portzline of The Columbus Dispatch (Twitter link), the Blue Jackets have placed the veteran center on unconditional waivers. Per Portzline, assuming Campbell clears, as he likely will, he would become an unrestricted free agent.
Earlier this season, Columbus waived Campbell with the intent of sending him down to their AHL affiliate in Cleveland. However, once he cleared waivers, the 12-year veteran informed the club he would not report to Cleveland and he was suspended by the Blue Jackets without pay. Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen had tried to trade Campbell prior to placing him on waivers but was unable to find a taker.
Since refusing assignment to Cleveland, Campbell has been working out on his own and waiting for his next opportunity. It now appears as if is that opportunity could be near at hand.
Campbell was in the final season of a two-year deal he inked with the Jackets in the summer of 2015. He was slated to make $1.3MM in salary and would have accounted for $1.5MM against Columbus’ cap had he not been suspended. If a team should place a claim on the 33-year-old center, they would assume the prorated portion of his salary.
Prior to joining Columbus, Campbell played five seasons for the Bruins, where he developed a reputation as a solid fourth-line pivot and quality penalty killer. It’s possible a club looking for depth in its bottom-six and/or some help on the penalty kill will take a chance on Campbell once he officially reaches free agency.
Campbell scored three goals and 11 points while suiting up for all 82 games with Columbus in 2015-16. For his career, he has registered 187 regular season points in 803 games and another 13 in 59 postseason contests. He won a Stanley Cup while with Boston in the 2010-11 campaign.
Another Look At What’s Gone Wrong In Florida
It’s been nothing if not trying for the Florida Panthers in 2016-17. Expected to contend for a second consecutive division title following an offseason spending splurge, the Cats have instead underachieved, resulting in the removal of 2015-16 Jack Adams finalist Gerard Gallant as the team’s head coach. That step has yet to pay off, with the Panthers winning just three of 11 since the change behind the bench.
The turmoil doesn’t end with the head coaching situation. Last year the team promoted former GM Dale Tallon to the role of president of hockey operations. Though it was referred to as a “promotion,” in effect it reduced the veteran executive’s influence within the organization, according to industry sources. Tom Rowe was promoted to take over the general manager spot and other organizational moves apparently were made to highlight the greater use of analytics in the player personnel department. With Rowe replacing Gallant behind the bench, it appears as if owner Vinny Viola has gone back to Tallon, offering at least some of the decision-making authority back to the respected hockey man.
It’s been a difficult start to 2016-17 in Florida, to say the least, and while the disconnect between the front office and Gallant certainly played some role in the early-season struggles of the team, Adam Gretz of Fan Rag Sports Network identifies three other factors which are also responsible in part for Florida’s failings.
Number one on Gretz’s list is the departure of veteran puck-moving blue liner Brian Campbell. Campbell spent five seasons skating primarily on the top pair in Florida and helped mentor former top overall draft selection Aaron Ekblad. Gretz argues that the loss of Campbell has been understated and overshadowed in some circles by the losses of Erik Gudbranson and Willie Mitchell. It may be easy to point the finger at the new, analytically-driven front office for allowing Campbell to leave while doling out huge free agent bucks to Keith Yandle and Jason Demers, But the 37-year-old blue liner returned to Chicago in the offseason on a well below-market, one-year deal worth $2.25MM (with a games-played bonus included), suggesting Campbell may have had little interest in coming back to Florida.
Gretz also points out that the goaltending simply hasn’t been good enough. The team added veteran backstop James Reimer in free agency to pair with Roberto Luongo between the pipes and while the strategy was sound the results simply haven’t been good enough. Reimer has a GAA of 2.77 and a Save % of 0.904, numbers that rank outside the top-30 among qualified goalies in the league. Luongo, meanwhile, started off the campaign strong but has scuffled of late. He has allowed 18 goals in his last five games and has won just one of his last six starts.
Lastly, injuries to key players have contributed to the team’s poor start. Top-line left wing Jonathan Huberdeau, who reached the 20-goal plateau for the first time in his career in 2015-16, has yet to play a game this season. Nick Bjugstad missed the first six weeks and has just one point in 13 games since he returned. Finnish forward Jussi Jokinen, who finished second on the team last season with 60 points, missed 11 contests earlier in the campaign and has just five points.
Needless to say, much has gone wrong for Florida this season, and no matter who has final say in the front office, they’ll be an interesting team to watch leading into the trade deadline.
Shark Notes: Mueller, Injuries, Grosenick
The San Jose Sharks have got to be playing a trick. Just a day after his latest assignment to the AHL, Mirco Mueller has been recalled by the team. This marks the defenseman’s third call up in the past week as the team plays ping-pong with his contract. The amazing thing is that he still hasn’t played in a single game for the Sharks, while dressing 18 times for the Barracuda between callups. The 21-year old former first-round pick has fallen victim to the waivers game since he is the Sharks best option that is exempt from the process. With seven points in his AHL games the big puck moving defender is off to a nice start despite all the up and downs.
- Mueller will again possibly see some NHL action this week as both David Schlemko and Marc-Edouard Vlasic are considered day-to-day with lower body injuries. According to Curtis Pashelka of the Mercury News, Vlasic didn’t skate with the team Sunday (though it was only a half-hour optional practice) and is unsure of his status for Tuesday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs. While not clear even when it happened during the Carolina game on Saturday night, he’s literally taking it day by day: “I’m thinking today and today I’m trying to get better. We’ll see tomorrow and it’s going to be the same thing.”
- Schlemko, out the last three games is closer to returning, but still isn’t 100% either. He took part in the optional Sunday skate, but will likely be a game-time decision on Tuesday night. Dylan DeMelo has been filling in for Schlemko, but is right-handed and may not be able to fill in for Vlasic should he miss the upcoming games; Mueller does play the left side, and would be a natural replacement if much less experienced than the elite shutdown defender.
- Pashelka also tells us that Troy Grosenick has been chosen as the AHL player of the week. The netminder amazingly stopped all 64 shots he faced this week after coming back from injury to rejoin the Barracuda. The 27-year old undrafted pro has a 1.98 goals against average this year and is holding a steady .928 save percentage. Grosenick made his NHL debut in 2014-15 with the Sharks, playing in two games and allowing just three goals. While last year was a bit of a disaster for the veteran AHLer, it’s not inconceivable for him to get a look as an NHL backup at some point down the road if he can keep up this excellence. He’ll hit unrestricted free agency for the first time this summer, and would be an interesting option for a team looking for a cheap option in net.
Early Returns On Summer Blockbusters
Typically, free agency items dominate hockey headlines in the latter days of June. However, the events of June 29th changed that dynamic in the 2016 offseason. First, the marquee name available in free agency, Steven Stamkos, agreed to remain with the Tampa Bay Lightning, inking an eight-year extension with the team and effectively ruining the offseason plans of several other NHL clubs. Second, a pair of rare, player-for-player blockbuster trades were completed, shocking all who follow and cover the league.
Desperately searching to upgrade the team’s blue line, Edmonton GM Peter Chiarelli agreed to ship top-line left wing Taylor Hall to New Jersey for Swedish defenseman Adam Larsson. Not long after that deal was announced, the Nashville Predators dealt team captain and four-time Norris Trophy finalist Shea Weber to Montreal for the electric P.K. Subban.
While it’s too early to make any definitive judgments as to which teams may have come out ahead in their respective exchanges, it is possible to analyze the early returns and see how much each club has benefited from the transactions.
Montreal – While there is no question P.K. Subban is a supremely skilled player, as the 2015-16 season played out it appeared as if head coach Michel Therrien and GM Marc Bergevin had grown weary of the defender’s high-risk, high-reward playing style. In Weber they get a veteran blue liner who boasts the league’s hardest shot and one who has long been a stalwart for Team Canada in numerous international events. Weber has also had a productive start to his Habs career, with eight goals and 18 points through 27 games.
Nashville – The team may have lost the longtime face of their franchise but they did add a dynamic talent who is four years Weber’s junior and has perhaps a more favorable contractual situation. While Subban’s cap hit is more than $1M higher annually through the 2021-22 campaign, his contract expires four years earlier than Weber’s and does not come with the likelihood of a cap recapture penalty. Subban is slowly growing more comfortable in his new home and has produced nearly identical numbers to his counterpart, tallying seven goals and 17 points through 26 contests.
Verdict – With Montreal currently sitting in the top spot in the Eastern Conference it’s hard to argue the trade hasn’t paid off exactly as Bergevin hoped. Weber plays a more conservative style of hockey which Therrien clearly prefers and he is still an impact player at both ends of the ice. On the flip side Subban gives the Nashville market a huge personality and a bankable star. He has quickly endeared himself to the Predators fans off the ice and is still producing on the ice. This deal has worked out for both clubs about as well as could have been hoped.
New Jersey – After ranking dead last in goals scored in 2015-16, the Devils desperately needed an infusion of skill and that’s exactly what they got in Hall. In 19 games this season, Hall is averaging better than a point-per-game for his new team and gives the Devils a legitimate, goal-scoring threat they haven’t had since Zach Parise resided in Jersey.
Edmonton – Larsson doesn’t contribute much in the offensive end of the ice – just six points in 30 contests this season – but has at least provided steady play on the back end for Edmonton. Chiarelli perhaps could have pursued a more dynamic player to address his team’s dire need on the blue line but Larsson came with the cost-certainty that RFA options like Mathew Dumba and Jacob Trouba did not. The Oilers will soon have to consider extensions for Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl – neither of which will come cheap – and getting Larsson in the midst of a long-term deal with a manageable cap hit carries additional value.
Verdict – Hall is clearly the better and more valuable player, both today and into the future. But to Chiarelli’s credit, he knew his team needed to improve on the back end and was willing to lose the trade to make his team better. It’s probable the Oilers GM simply was not content maintaining the status quo and made the best deal available to upgrade the blue line. With the Oilers at the top of the Pacific Division standings, Chiarelli is likely pleased with how this deal has worked out for Edmonton.