Free Agency

Latest On Alex Pietrangelo’s Free Agency

September 14, 2020 at 10:23 am CDT | by Gavin Lee 19 Comments

While an early look at the free agent pool each year often results in wild speculation and amazement at the talent potentially available, by the time the offseason actually rolls around there isn’t a lot to actually choose from. Top names are given huge extensions to stay put or dealt to a contender at the deadline who uses their three-plus months to re-sign the star. That’s why it has always seemed like Alex Pietrangelo’s availability was a bit of a pipe dream for every team other than the St. Louis Blues.

The captain of the reigning Stanley Cup champions, in his prime at age-30, coming off a season where he logged more than 24 minutes a night. It was hard to imagine the Blues letting that go in free agency, but as we now stand in mid-September, Pietrangelo doesn’t have a contract for next season.

Speaking to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, Pietrangelo called it “a little disappointing” that nothing had been done to this point, and explained “there hasn’t been much in terms of progress” on a new contract. While neither side has ruled anything out—LeBrun even suggests that the Blues will be making another offer soon—the star defenseman has already discussed next steps with his wife should he end up on the open market in a few weeks.

There is no doubt that Pietrangelo is still a game-changing force in the NHL. The Blues captain scored double-digit goals (16) for the fourth straight season and registered 52 points in 70 games. Those 24 minutes a night included more than three on the powerplay and almost two on the penalty kill, coming in as one of the most effective players on the team in both situations. His playoff track record is outstanding, with a league-leading 16 assists last year and another strong performance in the 2020 restart. While he may not be running around hitting opponents, his 6’3″ frame is still more than enough to battle physically when required.

There is a lot to like in Pietrangelo, but that all-around game will also deserve a hefty paycheck wherever he lands. That is likely the sticking point in St. Louis, given the flat salary cap and the fact that the team has already committed $76MM to next season’s roster. Expensive extensions for Justin Faulk and Brayden Schenn have eaten up a lot of the room left by Pietrangelo’s expiring contract, though there are obvious ways to create enough money to bring the captain back, if they want to.

Instead, it seems more and more likely by the day that Pietrangelo will be a free agent on October 9th, with LeBrun speculating that the Toronto Maple Leafs, Vegas Golden Knights, and Florida Panthers could all be in the mix given their respective situations. The connection to Toronto has been discussed constantly (Pietrangelo is from King City, just north of Toronto and once played minor hockey with John Tavares), but the Maple Leafs would have to battle a long list of suitors for the 30-year-old’s services.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

GM Quotes: Sakic, Rutherford, Benning

September 12, 2020 at 2:09 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 3 Comments

Although many will blame goaltending performance for the Colorado Avalanche loss in the Western Conference semifinals, GM Joe Sakic is not so quick to blame his netminders, Philipp Grubauer and Pavel Francouz. Both goaltenders were injured in the seven-game series against the Dallas Stars, leaving Michael Hutchinson to fend for himself. Grubauer also missed time due to injury in the regular season and many felt his play was affected. Overall, the pair played well this year and both are signed through at least next season at a valuable rate. While many have speculated, including Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek, that the club could still use their considerable cap space to bring in a new starting goalie for next year, Sakic says otherwise. Speaking with Mike Chambers of the Denver Post, Sakic offered support for his tandem and stated that he does not plan to bring in another keeper for next season:

They both had good years. Unfortunately, they both got hurt at the wrong time, but neither of those injuries are injuries you have to worry about. Train hard in the summer and make sure it doesn’t happen again. You can’t predict injuries, but no, they both had good stretches and we expect that next year.

Sakic revealed that Francouz was already dealing with an injury when he replaced the injured Grubauer in the postseason and tried to battle through the pain as long as he could. Fortunately, he stated that both goalies – and in fact all injured Avs – are expected to be back at full strength for next season. As a result, Sakic does not anticipate chasing a new goalie on the free agent or trade markets, as he is content with his duo’s performance, blaming only the poor timing of their injuries.

Pittsburgh Penguins GM Jim Rutherford made yet another major trade on Friday, his second already since his team was eliminated in the qualifying round, when he dealt Nick Bjugstad to the Minnesota Wild in a salary cap dump. Talking to The Athletic’s Josh Yohe about a deal that on paper seemed to net Pittsburgh little in return – a conditional seventh-round pick and only half of Bjugstad’s 2020-21 cap hit ($2.05MM) – Rutherford made it clear that he is simply doing what he can to create enough cap space as to allow the Penguins to be active in free agency:

Well, I’d really like to be able to get there, to be at the point where we can do something in free agency, but we aren’t there yet… I want to be able to be active on that day, but it’s going to be difficult to get to that point… You’ve got to realize that teams don’t know how much money they’ll be making next season and moving forward. Plus, teams all thought the salary cap for next season was going to be anywhere between $3 million and $6 million higher than what it is. So, everyone is in a pretty difficult situation, and that includes us… First things first, we need to get to a point where we are comfortable that we’ll be compliant with the cap. We’ll see what happens between then and now.

If there has been any one theme to Vancouver Canucks GM Jim Benning’s comments all season long, it has been that he would like to keep as many of his current players on the team as possible, including his pending unrestricted free agents. While much of that focus has been on a trio of top players in Jacob Markstrom, Chris Tanev, and Tyler Toffoli, Benning has thrown his support behind role players as well. The latest name that Benning hopes to squeeze back on the roster next season is Josh Leivo, who lost much of his season to a fractured knee cap but was working his way back into game shape when the Canucks were eliminated in the Western Conference Semifinals. Benning knows what Leivo can do when healthy and in an interview with TSN Radio 1040 he stated that he hopes to give him another chance in Vancouver:

He played well for us. We haven’t ruled out re-signing him… He’s a big body, shoots the puck well, is a smart player… His rehab has gone well… he’ll be ready to play next year for us.

NHL Announces Official Dates And Times For 2020 Draft, Opening Of Free Agency

September 11, 2020 at 11:52 am CDT | by Zach Leach Leave a Comment

With the 2020 postseason proceeding ahead of schedule, there has been reporting and considerable speculation that the league would move up the dates of the delayed 2020 NHL Entry Draft and the beginning of the new league year and opening of free agency. The NHL has followed through on that speculation, officially announcing today the new dates for these events. The Draft will take place on October 6-7, and the new league year will commence on October 9.

The first round of the NHL Draft will begin at 7pm ET on Tuesday, October 6, a departure from its usual Friday night slot. Similarly, the second day of the draft, comprising rounds 2-7, will take place on Wednesday, October 7 rather than it’s typical Saturday placement. Otherwise, the structure of the draft stays the same. One key difference though is that all draft operations will take place virtually.

As for the start of free agency, the July 1 unofficial holiday will instead take place on Friday, October 9. Other than a delay of more than three months, the opening of free agency will not be much different; at 12pm ET, the signing window will open and free agents will be free to speak with teams and sign contracts. What may be very different however is the pace at which players will sign. While there is usually a massive rush of contracts when free agency opens, there are factors working against a fast-paced market. First, the NHL’s new CBA has eliminated the free agent contact period, meaning teams and available players cannot formally communicate until after free agency officially opens. Second, the flat salary cap will force the majority of NHL teams to be very careful with their roster operations this off-season, potentially prioritizing re-signing their own restricted free agents before throwing money at unrestricted free agents. This combination could produce an abnormally slow start to free agency, but October 9 will be an intriguing day league-wide nonetheless.

Mark Borowiecki Expected To Test Free Agency

September 10, 2020 at 10:17 am CDT | by Gavin Lee 4 Comments

After more than a decade in the organization and endless work in the community, Mark Borowiecki appears to be headed for a breakup with the Ottawa Senators. The veteran defenseman is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason and as Hailey Salvian of The Athletic reports, he’ll be “testing the waters” and is expected to go in a different direction.

Borowiecki, 31, always seemed like he would be a Senator for his whole career, given the obvious connection he had with ownership and the comments made by GM Pierre Dorion just a few months ago. After Borowiecki was not dealt at the trade deadline, Dorion told TSN radio that he wanted the depth defenseman to be a “Senator for life.” Unfortunately, even then it was easy to be skeptical about those comments given how the team had treated other core players over the years.

It’s not just the fact that Borowiecki has been a hard-nosed defenseman with 375 games under his belt for the franchise, but he has become something of a folk hero in the community. While his robbery-foiling happened in Vancouver, there are countless other stories of him helping people in Ottawa in one way or another. His wife, Tara Borowiecki, is actually on the board of directors for the Ottawa-Gatineau Youth Foundation, a charitable organization that used to be known as the Sens Foundation before it split from the franchise.

Borowiecki is coming off a two-year contract that totaled $2.4MM and it’s hard to see him earning a lot more than that moving forward. Even though he’s been a regular in the Ottawa lineup, he still does have poor possession stats and doesn’t contribute much at the offensive end. For a team looking to add some bite to their lineup, he could be an option. Borowiecki has recorded more than 1,500 hits in his 375 games and blocked 120 shots this season for the Senators.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Free Agent Focus: Boston Bruins

September 9, 2020 at 5:19 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 6 Comments

While the official start date of free agency remains in flux depending on when the playoffs end (the later of October 9th or a week after the completion of the Stanley Cup Final), many teams are already looking ahead to when it opens up. There will be several prominent players set to hit the open market while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign. Boston’s core is aging but the Bruins were still the best team in the regular season and will be looking to return as Stanley Cup contenders.

Key Restricted Free Agents

F Jake DeBrusk – Which DeBrusk are the Bruins signing this offseason? The 27-goal sophomore star that was the team’s most important weapon behind the top line in 2018-19, or the 19-goal depth scorer who put up only 35 points in 2019-20? It looked for a while like DeBrusk was heading towards a huge payday on his second contract, but after more than 200 games in the NHL it’s still not exactly clear what the Bruins have. There’s no doubt he’s an important part of the roster but he was included in a group of names that GM Don Sweeney “has to listen” on in Fluto Shinzawa’s latest for The Athletic. Though Shinzawa ultimately lists the likelihood of a DeBrusk trade as low, his pending free agency and the Bruins cap situation still keeps it a possibility.

D Matt Grzelcyk – There are few defensemen in the NHL that are playing fewer minutes than they deserve. Usually, because of the lack of quality options, blueliners are skated to their last breath, ridden until the wheels fall off. In Grzelcyk, the Bruins appear to have one of the rare defensemen ready to take on more responsibility. The 26-year-old averaged just over 18 minutes a night this season but could be in for a huge increase, especially with the man-advantage. Grzelcyk is an in-house replacement for Torey Krug, who will be featured below, and could be a bargain given he’ll be negotiating this summer on three relatively unproductive NHL seasons. In 197 games Grzelcyk has managed to score just 54 points, a number that could nearly double if given the reins to PP1 in 2020-21 (although, Charlie McAvoy may have something to say about that assignment).

Other RFAs: F Brett Ritchie, F Zachary Senyshyn, F Karson Kuhlman, F Brendan Gaunce, F Peter Cehlarik, D Jakub Zboril, D Wiley Sherman

Key Unrestricted Free Agents

D Zdeno Chara – There isn’t much to say about the 43-year-old Bruins captain. Chara wants to return and is willing to work with the team on a salary that fits their financial situation. Even if he’s not the perennial Norris Trophy contender he was in his prime, Chara is still a useful option for the Bruins and was their leading penalty killer in 2019-20. An irreplaceable leader on the blueline, he’ll likely be back on another one-year deal.

D Torey Krug – Krug is where the real focus will be, given how well he has played for the team and his status as one of the best free agents on the market. Over the last five seasons, only five defensemen have scored more points than Krug. Three of them are up for the Norris this season and the other two are Brent Burns and Erik Karlsson. The 2020-21 cap hits of those five names: $11.5MM, $9.06MM $8MM, $8MM, $7.875MM. You can bet that Krug’s representatives will bring those names up in the negotiations, though given Sweeney’s comments today the two sides may still be far apart.

Other UFAs: F Joakim Nordstrom, D Kevan Miller, F Ryan Fitzgerald, D Alexander Petrovic, G Maxime Lagace

Projected Cap Space

The Bruins actually have some money to spend this offseason, with just $66MM committed to the 2020-21 season, but will have to tread very carefully with long-term deals. That’s because even bigger negotiations are right around the corner with McAvoy and fellow defensive rock Brandon Carlo, while a decision will have to be made in net at some point. Both Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents in 2021.

David Pastrnak also has just three years remaining on his below-market contract, though by the time he’s up the team will have said goodbye to some of their more troublesome deals. Still, it’s not like the team can go out and splash seven-year deals across the headlines with the league’s top free agents unless they’re willing to say goodbye in other areas.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Goaltending Notes: Lehner, Lundqvist, Free Agency

September 9, 2020 at 9:46 am CDT | by Gavin Lee 9 Comments

Robin Lehner has shutout another opponent, blanking the Dallas Stars last night to even the Western Conference Finals at a game apiece. That was Lehner’s fourth shutout of the postseason, raising his overall save percentage to .924 and lowering his goals-against-average to a measly 1.84. The big trade acquisition has been outstanding for the Golden Knights since arriving, which makes it easy to see why the team is trying to keep him around long-term.

Jesse Granger of The Athletic writes that talks have already begun between the Golden Knights and Lehner on a long-term extension, though it’s not clear exactly what price tag a new contract would come with. A move of that nature however would likely spell the end of Marc-Andre Fleury’s time in Vegas, if only because it would be too expensive to keep them both on the roster. Fleury, who has also performed well in his lessened role this postseason, has two more years on his contract at a $7MM cap hit and holds a 10-team no-trade clause.

Another legendary goaltender may be getting pushed out this offseason, as Rick Carpiniello of The Athletic writes that Henrik Lundqvist’s career with the New York Rangers is coming to an end as the team “must buy him out and they know it.” Lundqvist has just a single year left on his contract but has been passed by two different young goaltenders in New York. A buyout would save the Rangers just $3MM of his $8.5MM cap hit in 2020-21 and force a $1.5MM penalty onto the books for 2021-22.
If Lehner re-signs with the Golden Knights, and the Vancouver Canucks manage to bring back Jacob Markstrom as they indicated yesterday, the free agent pool for goaltenders suddenly doesn’t look quite as impressive. Sure, there are still plenty of names available like Thomas Greiss, Anton Khudobin, and Cam Talbot, but if Markstrom and Lehner both re-up with their current teams it is going to leave Braden Holtby as the only UFA starter that isn’t already in his mid-thirties. That can only help Holtby’s market, but it also could lead more teams to consider the trade route with options like Matt Murray and Frederik Andersen both potentially on the market.

Snapshots: Simmonds, Crawford, Wheat Kings

September 8, 2020 at 4:40 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 6 Comments

Wayne Simmonds wasn’t effective this season. In 61 games with the New Jersey Devils he scored just eight goals and then was traded for a conditional fifth-round pick to a team that had no real shot at the playoffs. Simmonds ended the year with a single assist in seven games with the Buffalo Sabres, meaning his final tally was eight goals and 25 points on the season. That was his worst year since 2008-09 when he was a rookie, but he still feels like he can contribute somewhere next season. Speaking to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, Simmonds responded directly to the speculation that he could return to his hometown of Toronto:

So of course it’s crossed my mind. I know they’re in a bit of a salary cap situation and things of that nature, but you know I’m open to everything, Toronto’s got a great core of players and I think that’s definitely a team where I could go in and make an impact right away. It’s up to the teams. Whoever wants to choose me, I’ll be waiting. I’ll definitely be ready to go.

The Maple Leafs brought back hometown boy Jason Spezza this season on a league-minimum deal and may not have a lot more than that to offer to Simmonds, if the match were to be made. Even after clearing Kasperi Kapanen’s contract off the books, the Maple Leafs still have close to $74MM committed to just 16 players for 2020-21.

Corey Crawford isn’t the youngest goaltender among those headed to unrestricted free agency, but he still may be one of the best. The 35-year-old bounced back from some concussion issues to record a .917 save percentage in 40 appearances this season, the exact number his career percentage sits at over nearly 500 games. He’s played each of those contests with the Chicago Blackhawks and the team is discussing a new deal with him to return. Scott Powers of The Athletic reports that the Blackhawks have offered Crawford a one-year contract around $3.5MM already.
Vegas Golden Knights GM Kelly McCrimmon is no longer the owner of the Brandon Wheat Kings, a team he’s been affiliated with since 1988. McCrimmon has sold the WHL team to the J&G Group of Companies, ending a long, successful era that also included stints serving as head coach and GM of the team he owned. Fans of the Wheat Kings shouldn’t have any fear of relocation after the sale, however, as new owner Jared Jacobson was born and raised in Brandon and is a huge part of the city’s business community. McCrimmon will also be remaining with the organization as an alternate governor.

Canucks Notes: Markstrom, Virtanen, Trades

September 8, 2020 at 3:47 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 1 Comment

The Vancouver Canucks went further in the 2020 playoffs than many expected, coming within a single game of the Western Conference Final. GM Jim Benning and head coach Travis Green spoke with the media today (audio via TSN radio) about where the team goes from here, with Jacob Markstrom’s future front and center. The goaltender is a pending free agent who is coming off an excellent season but was injured in the second round leading to Thatcher Demko’s coming-out party. Even with Demko’s performance, Benning was clear about his desire to bring back the more veteran goaltender:

We’re going to try and figure out a way that makes sense for us and makes Jacob and his agent happy. Try and figure out a deal to get him signed. We want him back. We’re going to start working on that this week.

Markstrom, who could potentially hit the free agent market as the best available goaltender depending on some other situations, is coming off his best season in the NHL. Through 43 appearances he went 23-16-4 with a .918 save percentage, a performance that made Benning call him the team’s MVP. Demko is signed for next season at just a $1.05MM cap hit and Benning pointed out multiple times the fact that the Canucks believe they need two strong goaltenders to handle the tough travel schedule of the Western Conference.

As for another pending free agent, Jake Virtanen, Benning was a lot less impressed. The 24-year old forward is going to be a restricted free agent for the second time as his two-year bridge deal comes to an end, but failed to make much of an impact in the postseason for Vancouver. Virtanen had his best regular season performance with 18 goals and 36 points in 69 games but scored just three points in 16 postseason matches. Benning was on Sportsnet radio and explained that he was expecting more from Virtanen in the playoffs. Add that to the GM saying that he might have to move on from some young players this offseason in order to recover some draft picks and you can see why the speculation regarding Virtanen’s future in Vancouver instantly exploded.
In terms of creating salary cap room, Benning won’t be moving draft picks to do get rid of some of the more onerous contracts on the books. Vancouver is already without their first and second-round picks this year and it’s clear the front office wants to add, not subtract ahead of the draft in early October. Remember, though they have quite a bit of cap room for next season, the Canucks are staring down a 2021 offseason that will see Elias Pettersson, Quinn Hughes and Demko hit restricted free agency all at the same time.

Mikael Granlund To Test Free Agency

September 7, 2020 at 4:40 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

While many teams will be using these next few weeks to try to reach new deals for their pending unrestricted free agents, that won’t be the case for the Predators and forward Mikael Granlund. Instead, his agent Todd Diamond told Adam Vingan of The Athletic (subscription required) that they intend to test the open market when it opens up next month. Diamond wouldn’t rule out a return to Nashville but they will see what other options are out there first.

Granlund’s time with the Preds has been littered with its ups and downs. Acquired at the 2019 trade deadline for Kevin Fiala, the 28-year-old had just a single goal in 16 regular season games down the stretch with his new team and only had a goal and an assist in their first-round exit at the hands of Dallas. Things didn’t get off to a great start this season either.

However, once John Hynes took over from Peter Laviolette as head coach, things started to turn around for Granlund. He led the team with 11 goals in 27 games under Hynes while his ice time jumped to over 19 minutes per game as well, numbers that Diamond will surely be emphasizing to potential suitors. His usage was similar in their Qualifying Round series against Arizona as well as he logged 18:43 per game although he only managed a single assist in four games.

Granlund is one of the more intriguing names in what is a fairly soft market for forwards. He’s only two years removed from back-to-back 20-plus goal/65-plus point seasons and at his age, it’s quite possible that he could get back to those numbers in the right environment. He also has experience at center although he has largely played on the wing in recent years; that versatility will also be attractive.

Having said that, two quieter years offensively undoubtedly won’t help his leverage, especially if he’s seeking a long-term contract. While he will be one of the top forwards on the market, the flattened salary cap will reduce how many teams are willing to pay big money for a long-term deal at a rate close to the $5.75MM he made on his most recent contract. As a result, he’s one that might be better off looking for a short-term pact in a better offensive environment that would give him a chance to restore some value before hitting the market again where there is more certainty surrounding the economics. Either way, he’ll be hearing what his options are no matter what with an early contract with Nashville now being ruled out.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Free Agent Focus: Arizona Coyotes

September 7, 2020 at 12:18 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 1 Comment

While the official start date of free agency remains in flux depending on when the playoffs end (the later of October 9th or a week after the completion of the Stanley Cup Final), many teams are already looking ahead to when it opens up. There will be several prominent players set to hit the open market while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign. Arizona has been in constant turmoil for two decades and now face an offseason with incredible challenges.