West Notes: Rakell, Rattie, Gaudreau
With the World Cup of Hockey fast approaching, another unsigned restricted free agent is headed to Toronto. According to Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press (who we interviewed just yesterday on PHR) Rickard Rakell will join the Swedish club replacing the injured Alexander Steen. Steen had surgery in June on his shoulder, and is still trying to be ready for the opening of the regular season.
Rakell will be rewarded for last season’s breakout that saw him score 20 goals and 43 points in his second full season. Rakell remains one of the Ducks priorities this summer, along with fellow unsigned RFA Hampus Lindholm. The team, with only $6.6MM in cap space at the moment, may not have enough to sign both to long-term deals and may have to settle for the player-friendly bridge deal.
- Among the news at Pro Hockey Talk’s St. Louis Blues day is that Ty Rattie will be given a real chance to stick with the big club this season. Adam Gretz writes that with the team losing veteran forwards like David Backes, Steve Ott and Troy Brouwer to free agency, there is plenty of opportunities for young players like Rattie. This is in line with a similar article on NHL.com today, that quoted GM Doug Armstrong: “I think the game is getting faster, and youth is being served. I think we were going to transfer to this (youth movement) regardless.” Rattie has suited up for just 26 NHL games, but has proven his scoring ability at the AHL level with three straight 40+ point seasons.
- After signing Sean Monahan earlier today to a seven-year deal, the Calgary Flames will now turn their attention to Johnny Gaudreau. Craig Custance of ESPN thinks that his deal will come in very close to Monahan’s, as the team views the situation as similar to Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane in Chicago. The Blackhawk stars signed identical $84MM deals in July of 2014, despite Kane having more career points (493 vs. 440). Monahan also has a full season more of NHL duty under his belt than Gaudreau, despite being more than a year younger than him. If the Flames can get both on long-term deals under $7MM, they’ll be set up nicely for the future with two underpaid superstars.
The Vesey Watch Is Coming To An End
This morning one of the most trusted names in hockey journalism finally gave us what we’ve been waiting for – an end. Bob McKenzie of TSN chimed in on the Jimmy Vesey situation for the first time, to tell us that it is coming to and end today, probably. While McKenzie says it may stretch until Saturday, it will go no further than that. Andrew Gross of The Record also hears that it’ll end today, as does Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News.
Arthur Staple of Newsday gives us the latest update on the finalists; he’s heard that it’s down to the New York Rangers and Chicago Blackhawks, noting that the Islanders made a strong push but fell short.
An amazing amount of proverbial and literal ink has been spilled over the free agency of Vesey, more than most prospects get in their entire amateur careers. Now, with it coming to an end, Vesey will have to start performing immediately or risk the ire of an entire fanbase.
If the Harvard grad struggles, like many prospects before him, he’ll be met with songs of “all that for this guy?” at his home arena and “over-hyped” will be firmly entrenched beside his name in the program. But for all the hype that the media (including PHR) has created, Vesey is none to blame. He’s done nothing but exercise his rights under the current CBA, just as other players have done in the last few days.
Three things have made it into a media whirlwind though: the lack of other hockey news in August, the uncertainty of the level of college hockey in the USA when compared to other amateur leagues, and the relatively poor free agent market after its biggest name re-signed before July 1.
Obviously, as any other year, August is one of the slowest months for hockey news. Teams have built their core, and are waiting for training camp to open. While many fringe free agents remain unsigned, the meat has been almost completely stripped from the bone.
The NCAA still proves to be a hard league to create equivalents from. Because the league has such a spread of talent, and has only started to become respected as a strong development option in the last couple of decades, fans and media alike aren’t sure exactly how to examine base statistics.
In the CHL, it’s common to see top prospects crack 100 points and dominate in their draft year. But the college ranks play less games, and require more of their athletes outside of hockey – indeed, Vesey will graduate with a degree from Harvard University, and to put it in his own words: “College is an ultrastressful environment — we’re balancing school, hockey, internships, our social lives and so many other things.” The fact is that the Frozen Four isn’t as well covered as the Memorial Cup (the CHL championship) is in Canada, and that many fans have never even seen a college hockey game, and they’re just not sure what Vesey really is.
What he isn’t, though, is Steven Stamkos. When Steve Yzerman pulled the unthinkable and re-signed his superstar centerman just prior to him becoming a free agent, the summer lost its biggest story. All of a sudden the best free agent in history was off the market, and we were left with an unspectacular group (despite the amount of money that was spent on it). Vesey represents the unknown, and for at least a handful of teams (a group similar to the ones reportedly “in” on Stamkos) another chance to land the summer’s biggest fish.
Interest In DiPauli From At Least Six Teams
While everyone watches closely and awaits a decision from Harvard product and free agent Jimmy Vesey, another college name is garnering a lot of attention from teams around the league. Thomas DiPauli, the Notre Dame winger and former Washington Capitals draft pick is also a free agent, and according to Mark Divver of The Providence Journal there is currently interest from half a dozen teams, and he won’t go unsigned long.
Back in July, we profiled DiPauli after he declared his intention to test free agency, and he was recently ranked #2 on our top college free agents, behind only Vesey. DiPauli isn’t the scoring threat that Vesey is, but does profile as a solid contributor in the bottom six, with the capability of scoring 10-15 goals in the NHL. His two-way style is always sought after as teams look to roll four lines more often in today’s NHL.
Should DiPauli sign somewhere in the next few days, he’ll be added to the list of positives for that team in the Vesey sweepstakes, as the two share an agent and are both graduates of the US Development Program. One could speculate that at least some of the same teams that are after Vesey are the ones in the hunt for DiPauli as well, as teams look to get essentially “free” young talent.
The Jimmy Vesey Sweepstakes Begin
After months of speculation, Hobey Baker winner Jimmy Vesey finally has his wish and is now an unrestricted free agent. The Nashville Predators’ 66th 0verall pick in 2012 is now an unrestricted free agent as of 12:01 AM EST. However, Vesey isn’t expected to sign anywhere until later this week.
Vesey is not the only pending free agent coming out of college, but he’s definitely the biggest name on the list. He’s expected to be able to step right in to an NHL team’s top nine forwards and produce. The Hockey News’ 2016-17 Pool Guide predicted his output at 18 goals and 20 assists in 80 games. Thirty-eight points as a rookie would put him in the same neighbourhood as Sam Bennett, Joonas Donskoi, Robby Fabbri, and Nikolaj Ehlers in 2015-16.
Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, New Jersey, New York Rangers, and Toronto have all been talked about as potential landing spots. Each has certain charms that would entice Vesey. You can read Pro Hockey Rumors’ breakdown of each of those teams here.
Wherever he signs, Vesey will get the maximum allowable rookie salary $925K plus $2.85MM in bonuses for a potential total of $3.775MM per season for two seasons. This means his decision will be made based on the situation of the team, and not money.
Of course, signing college free agents hasn’t always turned out for NHL teams. When Justin Schultz signed with the Edmonton Oilers in 2012, he was expected to be the Paul Coffey of the modern Oilers. Instead, his game stagnated and he was ultimately booed out of town; he was traded to Pittsburgh where he was slotted as a bottom pairing/ depth defenseman. TSN radio host Jason Gregor penned a piece on college free agents at Oilers Nation on Monday, where he quoted an NHL scout as saying “NCAA free agents have become the most overrated and over-hyped asset in hockey”.
It’s not that they’re not good players, the scout told Gregor. It’s that “teams treat them like they are going to be stars. They get into bidding wars and pay them like they are top-three draft picks. It’s crazy,” according to the scout.
Recent college signing Kevin Hayes represents a decent comparable. His two NHL seasons of 36 and 45 points would represent a solid start for Vesey as a future top six winger. That’s an impressive total for a rookie, but not in the first-overall-pick range. Adjusting for the lockout-shortened season and Connor McDavid‘s injury-shortened campaign, the last five forwards selected first overall have scored an average of 59 points in their rookie season. Taylor Hall‘s 42 points represents the low end, while McDavid’s 87-point-pace is the high mark.
More to come…
Potential Landing Spots For Jimmy Vesey
Hobey Baker winner Jimmy Vesey is one of the better college free agents to become an unrestricted free agent (UFA) in recent years. Let’s break down the main contenders for his services, and why he would choose each of them.
Boston Bruins –
Why he’ll sign: Vesey played at Harvard, which is just outside Boston. He told Joe Haggerty of CSN that he’s been a Bruins fan his whole life; he wears number 19 for former Bruins captain Joe Thornton and is friends with Bruins forward Jimmy Hayes and defenseman Torey Krug. Despite signing David Backes, the Bruins still need help up front and could offer Vesey playing time with one of their top two centers in Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci.
Why he won’t sign: The Bruins have missed the playoffs for two straight seasons, and appear to be spinning their wheels as neither a bottom feeder nor a legit Stanley Cup contender. Read more
Top Pending College Free Agents
On Tuesday, another group of collegiate prospects will become unrestricted free agents. These are players that have played out their NCAA eligibility (or at least have gone four years since being drafted) but have not signed an NHL contract. Those teams hold their exclusive rights up to and including August 15th.
For more details about the criteria to qualify to become an August 16th UFA, take a look at our Capology 101 series.
By now, pretty much everyone knows the biggest name on this list, former Nashville 2012 third round draft pick (66th overall) Jimmy Vesey, whose negotiation rights were dealt to Buffalo in June. There are a handful of other notables among what is a very small group of players who will become unrestricted on Monday. Here is a closer look at the top five available August 16th free agents.
(This list excludes players who have inked a minor league contract with their drafting team such as Tony Cameranesi with Toronto.)
1) LW Jimmy Vesey (Buffalo) – He’s far and away the best player available as he’s expected to be able to step into a middle six role right away with whoever signs him. Vesey collected 104 points in 70 games over the last two seasons with Harvard and earned the Hobey Baker Award for the top NCAA player in 2016. He also acquitted himself well at the World Championships last May for Team USA, picking up three assists in nine games.
Unlike most August 15th free agents, Vesey is here because he chose to decline offers up to this point, not because he wasn’t tendered one which is the more common reason. It’s expected that pretty much every team will express an interest although his agent noted they have already come up with a short list of six teams to talk to. On Sunday, we took a closer look at who may be on that list. Wherever he signs, he’s expected to receive a maximum entry level contract.
2) C Thomas Di Pauli (Washington) – The Capitals fourth rounder in 2012 (100th overall) made big strides in his play over his last two seasons at Notre Dame, capping off his collegiate career with 32 points in 37 games last season. Despite the uptick in his production, he profiles as more of a bottom six forward at the NHL level and unlike Vesey, he won’t be able to step in and play right away. We took a closer look at Di Pauli last month.
One thing he has in common with Vesey is that he too spurned an offer from Washington to get to free agency although he hasn’t ruled out signing with the Caps either. He’s not going to garner anywhere near the hype or interest that Vesey will but he is still expected to have several suitors.
3) D John Gilmour (Calgary) – Gilmour has long been thought of as a blueliner with some offensive punch but before last season, hadn’t really shown it. That changed in 2016-17 as the Flames’ seventh rounder in 2013 (198th overall) had a career year with Providence, picking up 23 points in 34 games. At 5’11, he’s a bit undersized for his position which will scare some teams off but the league is trending towards more mobility and puck movement on the back end and Gilmour is strong in those areas.
4) C Quentin Shore (Ottawa) – The 2013 sixth round pick (168th overall) of the Sens has put up consistent numbers in each of the last three seasons. While at first glance that sounds nice, it also raises some concerns about his development potentially stagnating, at least at the offensive end. Shore, the younger brother of Los Angeles forward Nick Shore, likely doesn’t have the offensive skills to stick as a top six forward at the professional level but will need to work on his defensive game if he wants to make the jump to the NHL.
5) D Brian Cooper (Anaheim) – Cooper, a fifth rounder in 2012 (127th overall), didn’t have the greatest of senior seasons with Nebraska-Omaha but the Ducks saw enough in him to sign him to a tryout deal to finish last year at the AHL level. He got into five regular season games as well as eight of nine postseason contests and held his own on a third pairing role but it wasn’t enough to warrant a contract with Anaheim though. Cooper profiles as an undersized two-way bottom pairing defenseman but may have to take a minor league deal first and hope for a strong first full pro season to help him earn an NHL deal next summer.
Remaining Restricted Free Agents
At the beginning of free agency on July 1st, there were 126 restricted free agents. As we approach the middle of August, that number is down to just 20. Here is a look at who still needs to be re-signed. This list excludes RFA’s that have already signed a contract overseas or a minor league deal.
Anaheim: C/RW Rickard Rakell, D Hampus Lindholm
Arizona: RW/LW Tobias Rieder
Boston: None
Buffalo: C/LW Zemgus Girgensons, D Rasmus Ristolainen
Calgary: LW Johnny Gaudreau, C Freddie Hamilton, C Sean Monahan, D Tyler Wotherspoon
Carolina: None
Chicago: None
Colorado: None
Columbus: None
Dallas: RW Valeri Nichushkin
Detroit: C Louis-Marc Aubry, D Ryan Sproul
Edmonton: None
Florida: None
Los Angeles: None
Minnesota: None
Montreal: None
Nashville: D Stefan Elliott
New Jersey: None
NY Islanders: G Christopher Gibson, C Ryan Strome
NY Rangers: None
Ottawa: D Cody Ceci
Philadelphia: None
Pittsburgh: None
San Jose: None
St. Louis: None
Tampa Bay: RW Nikita Kucherov, D Nikita Nesterov
Toronto: None
Vancouver: None
Washington: D Dmitry Orlov
Winnipeg: D Jacob Trouba
At this point, the holdups for many of these deals can be classified into three categories: 1) Star players working on long-term deals, 2) Good players that are likely to sign short-term ‘bridge’ contracts, and 3) Depth players who are likely looking for the right balance of NHL vs AHL pay.
The deadline for signing restricted free agents is still three and a half months from now (they must be signed by 4:00pm CST on December 1st). However, the players on this list that will be participating in next month’s World Cup of Hockey may want to get their deals done before the tournament starts so that talks aren’t being held during the event. For the rest, training camps don’t open for another month so mid-September is really the first notable deadline to get something done if the hope is to have the player signed, sealed, and delivered before the first day of camp.
Training Camp Invite Tracker
Over the course of the offseason more and more players will accept invitations to join team training camps. Usually these are players trying to resurrect their career or to show that they have one or two more years left before retirement. Notable training camp invites last year included Lee Stempniak and Jonas Gustavsson.
Making a team as an invitee is harder than just being one of the top-12 forwards or top-6 defensemen. Teams are usually looking for specific needs, such as a speedy second line forward or a defenseman who can eat minutes. Teams may want to save their bottom roster spots for developing prospects, so invitees risk being cut unless they meet a team’s identified need.
Here are the notable players who have been invited to training camps thus far. The list excludes players that are attending camps but are already signed to minor league contracts or prospects who are hoping to earn a minor league deal. Check here often for updates.
Training Camp Invites
Anaheim Ducks:
Sean Bergenheim
David Booth
Yann Danis
David Jones
Arizona Coyotes:
Zach Boychuk
Boston Bruins:
Peter Mueller
Calgary Flames:
Luke Adam
Jamie Devane
Matt Frattin
Nicklas Grossmann
Chris Higgins
Lauri Korpikoski
Colby Robak
Carolina Hurricanes:
Raffi Torres
Colorado Avalanche:
Gabriel Bourque
Rene Bourque
Jiri Tlusty
Columbus Blue Jackets:
Keith Aule
Marc-Andre Bergeron
Mike Brown
Aaron Palushaj
Jarret Stoll
Edmonton Oilers:
Eric Gryba
Kris Versteeg
Ryan Vesce
Florida Panthers:
Justin Fontaine
Adam Pardy
Los Angeles Kings:
Lucas Lessio
Tom McCollum
Devin Setoguchi
Minnesota Wild:
Ryan Carter
Tomas Fleischmann
New Jersey Devils:
Brian Gibbons
Anders Lindback
New York Islanders:
Steve Bernier
Stephen Gionta
New York Rangers:
Maxim Lapierre
Ottawa Senators:
Matt Bartkowski
Philadelphia Flyers:
Corban Knight
St. Louis Blues:
T.J. Galiardi
Eric Nystrom
Chris Porter
Yan Stastny
Mike Weber
Tampa Bay Lightning:
James Wisniewski
Toronto Maple Leafs:
Jeff Glass
Raman Hrabarenka
Brandon Prust
Vancouver Canucks:
Jack Skille
Tuomo Ruutu
James Sheppard
Washington Capitals:
Drew MacIntyre
Latest On Jimmy Vesey
11:57am: Speculation is running rampant now, but Adrian Dater of Bleacher Report is hearing that the Blackhawks and Maple Leafs are the finalists for Vesey, and that Jonathan Toews will be present at the Hawks’ recruitment on Monday. He’s confirmed that Stan Bowman, the Hawks’ GM, has gone to see Vesey skate twice recently. With so many conflicting reports, the “Vesey Sweepstakes” has become the biggest story in the NHL, though he still has to prove his ability at the next level.
10:55am: Mark Divver of The Providence Journal reports that New York Islanders’ GM Garth Snow was in Foxboro yesterday to see Vesey skate. Assuming that most teams at least have some interest in the soon-to-be free agent this doesn’t come as much of a surprise, though it does add some intrigue to the next few days.
9:42am: All offseason, one of the biggest stories has been the upcoming free agency of Harvard forward Jimmy Vesey. After being selected by the Nashville Predators, Vesey would not sign and, after having his rights traded to the Buffalo Sabres a few months ago, will become a free agent on August 15th. Here’s the latest:
Today, Stephen Harris of the Boston Herald tells us that the Vesey camp has narrowed their list down to six teams that still includes Buffalo. Vesey’s agent, Peter Fish, said:
What Jimmy wants to do is see it through. He’s wanted to go to free agency and he’s going to see it through. There’s about 4-5 teams other than Buffalo that he wants to hear from. And then after that he’s going to make a decision. I think he’d love for the Bruins to be one of those teams. I assume that we will be taking a call from them.
This, obviously, stands in the face of Joe Haggarty’s report yesterday that the Bruins had become an unlikely landing spot for Vesey. Haggarty had a source that said the Blackhawks, Devils, Rangers, Leafs and Sabres had all passed Boston on the list of likely suitors leaving the Bruins to try and make up ground in the next few days.
Fish of course, was at the Beantown Summer Classic when he spoke to reporters, making the addition of the Bruins note understandable. In the Herald piece, Harris writes that one “very-well informed area NHL scout” believes that the Blackhawks, Rangers and Bruins will eventually be the finalists. Vesey will ultimately choose whichever team he wants to play for regardless of money, since each club will likely offer him the same ELC. Fish lends credence to this, with another telling quote:
We’ve looked at depth charts with some teams and talked about them. . . . There’s obviously a lot of thought that goes into it: The city, the coach, the GM, the salary structure, how a team treats their players in the second and third contracts down the road.
Whatever happens, Vesey has a huge reputation to now uphold, as he’s been the belle of the ball this summer. If he struggles – and he likely will struggle at times – fan perception could turn quickly on the 23-year old. We’ll keep an eye on the situation for the next few days, and look to bring you the news of his decision as soon as it happens – whether it be Monday or down the line.
Roster Crunch: Atlantic Division
Over the past few days, we’ve looked at the final few spots on the roster for both the Pacific and Central divisions. This time, we’ll turn our attention to the East starting with the Atlantic. This division will be in turmoil over the next few years, with clubs like the Buffalo Sabres and Toronto Maple Leafs going through slow, deliberate rebuilds, and perennial contending squads like the Detroit Red Wings finally starting to slow down.
Florida Panthers – While the Panthers have pretty much accomplished everything they set out to do this off-season – improving the blueline with Keith Yandle and Jason Demers, getting a capable replacement for Roberto Luongo in James Reimer, and locking up their young core – they failed in one, big $5.5MM way. Dave Bolland failed his physical and therefor couldn’t be bought out. He’ll try to prove he deserves some playing time this season, but may find himself buried in the AHL to make room for Jared McCann, the prize Florida received when they dealt Erik Gudbranson to the Canucks.