Kyle Clifford To Test Free Agency
Just yesterday we profiled the Toronto Maple Leafs free agent situation, and our Brian La Rose wrote this in regards to pending UFA Kyle Clifford:
There’s mutual interest in a new contract but it’s worth noting that Los Angeles paid down half of his $1.6MM price tag in the move. If Clifford wants a similar contract – and he should be able to get that even in a depressed market – he will almost certainly price himself out of the range that the Maple Leafs can afford to pay.
The suggestion that Clifford will be a bit too pricey for the Maple Leafs has been confirmed today, as his agent told Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun that Clifford will test the open market. Not only will the 29-year-old forward be looking for more than the Maple Leafs can likely pay a fourth-line forward (that is, the league minimum), but his re-signing was also tied to a draft pick condition from his trade in February. Had the Maple Leafs re-signed Clifford, the 2021 third-round pick they surrendered in the trade with the Los Angeles Kings would be upgraded to a 2021 second-round selection.
It’s easy to see Clifford as just a forgettable depth forward after the Maple Leafs used him so sparingly, but it’s also important to remember that he has two Stanley Cup championships with the Kings and actually scored 11 goals in 2018-19 despite averaging just over ten minutes of ice time a night. The physical forward can skate well enough to keep up with today’s game and has actually helped drive strong possession numbers at times.
While he won’t be jumping into any team’s top-six next season, it makes sense that Clifford and his representatives want to test the open market to see what kind of contract he can secure. Coming off a five-year $8MM deal with the Kings, it will be interesting to see if he can land close to that $1.6MM AAV on his next deal.
For the Maple Leafs, letting Clifford reach free agency always seemed like the likely outcome because of the pick condition, but the team also has some other players pushing for roster spots. Top prospect Nicholas Robertson came in and showed off some of his skill in the postseason, while older forwards like Alexander Barabanov, Egor Korshkov, and Adam Brooks will all be in the mix for NHL roster spots. There’s also free agent Jason Spezza, who has indicated his desire to return to the team next season and newcomer Evan Rodrigues who is a restricted free agent but could work out a deal with the team as a bottom-six option.
Snapshots: Kitchen, Edmundson, Soucy
The Florida Panthers are expected to part ways with assistant coach Mike Kitchen, according to Frank Seravalli and Darren Dreger of TSN. The decision comes after an alleged physical altercation with a player on the bench that happened in Minnesota on January 20. Kitchen opted out of the return to play postseason with the full support of the organization, saying at the time “it was a difficult decision to say the least, but the right decision for me and my family.”
Kitchen has been an assistant of Joel Quenneville at several stops and joined him in Florida for the 2019-20 season. The 64-year-old coach has three decades of coaching experience in the NHL dating back to the 1989-90 season with the Toronto Maple Leafs. The team has not yet made an official statement about his status with the organization.
- The Montreal Canadiens acquired the rights to Joel Edmundson over the weekend and now have just a few weeks to convince him to sign with the team before hitting unrestricted free agency. Nick Alberga of Sportsnet tweets that there is a “high chance” that Edmundson signs, with a two-year deal being discussed. The 27-year-old defenseman spent the 2019-20 season with the Carolina Hurricanes where he registered a career-high 20 points in 68 games. His one-year, $3.1MM contract set to expire in October was awarded through arbitration with the St. Louis Blues before a deal took him to Carolina just over a month later.
- The Minnesota Wild made big news by extending Jonas Brodin earlier today, but could end up signing another defenseman to a new deal before long. Wild GM Bill Guerin told reporters including Michael Russo of The Athletic that he would like to keep Carson Soucy, though admitted they have had only initial conversations with his representatives. Soucy, 26, actually qualifies for Group VI UFA status despite playing in 55 games for the Wild this season and could hit the open market next month at a relatively young age.
Braden Holtby Expected To Test Free Agency
Though it doesn’t come as much of a surprise at this point, Washington Capitals GM Brian MacLellan confirmed today that he expects Braden Holtby to reach free agency according to Tarik El-Bashir of The Athletic. Holtby is set to become an unrestricted free agent next month and seems to be an unlikely candidate to return to Washington.
For one thing, the 30-year-old netminder is coming off his worst season as a professional. While he still posted a 25-14-6 record thanks to a strong Capitals team, his individual numbers—.897 save percentage, 3.11 goals-against average with zero shutouts in 48 appearances—were drastically below his career norms.
Partly because of those struggles, the door was opened this season for young phenom Ilya Samsonov to step into the spotlight in Washington and show he’s ready for a starter role. In 26 games the rookie goaltender registered a .913 save percentage and looked the part of a future star. One of the best goaltenders in the KHL for the last few seasons, the 2015 first-round pick was always going to challenge for the starting role in Washington eventually.
Interestingly though, Samsonov was unable to join the team in the postseason bubble due to injury giving Holtby one last chance to prove himself before hitting the open market. He actually did perform better than his regular season, but still not nearly well enough to force the Capitals to rethink their future at the goaltending position.
Again, Holtby does have a long history of success to remember. A Vezina Trophy in 2016 as the league’s best goaltender was followed by a second-place finish the following year, while 2018 brought the Stanley Cup to Washington for the first time. After Philipp Grubauer actually started the playoffs for the Capitals that year, Holtby quickly took the net back and led the team to the finish line with a .922 save percentage in 23 appearances. That was actually lower than his career .926 postseason number, which is still an impressive total to consider for teams looking to add goaltending this offseason.
The question now is just how expensive will Holtby be on the open market. A year ago Sergei Bobrovsky signed a seven-year $70MM deal with the Florida Panthers and some immediately pointed to it being a possible target for Holtby. After all, while Bobrovsky had won the Vezina twice in his career, his overall regular season numbers were eerily similar and he didn’t have nearly the same playoff resume.
Now, after a hugely disappointing year from Holtby, the COVID-19 pandemic squeezing finances and an unusually deep goaltending market, it’s hard to imagine the Capitals netminder securing anything close to that $70MM deal. In fact, he may have to settle for a shorter deal in order to rebuild his brand and navigate a unique free agent market.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Adin Hill Signs With Arizona Coyotes
The Arizona Coyotes have reached an agreement with one of their organizational goalies, signing Adin Hill to a one-year, one-way contract. The financial details were not released by the team, but Pierre Lebrun of The Athletic quickly reported the contract is worth $800K. Hill was scheduled to become a restricted free agent with arbitration rights, but will now kick the free agency can down the road a year.
Hill, 24, appeared to be the goalie of the future at one point for the Coyotes when they used the 76th overall pick in 2015 to select him out of the WHL. As the team moved to Antti Raanta and Darcy Kuemper, both All-Star options, Hill has been somewhat pushed onto the back burner, but he still represents an interesting option for the Coyotes.
In fact, with Raanta entering his final season under contract and Kuemper down to just two years left on his deal, there has been near-constant rumors swirling that the Coyotes will look to move one of them this offseason. That would save money for a team in turmoil, while also providing Hill with an opportunity to show what he can do at the NHL level once again.
Every time he’s been asked, he’s responded to this point. In 30 NHL appearances, Hill has a .907 save percentage but showed he had taken a step forward this season when he posted a .918 in 13 games while the team dealt with injuries to their regular starters. He played his best hockey at the minor league level as well, posting a 15-5 record in 20 games with the Tucson Roadrunners.
As with any goaltending signing these days, the upcoming expansion draft also may play a role. The Coyotes can only protect one goaltender from selection in the 2021 Seattle Kraken draft, but also need to leave at least one that is signed through 2021-22 unprotected. Kuemper is the only goaltender who currently fills that requirement, while Hill may be the better option to protect anyway if they believe he can be a long-term option in the NHL.
At $800K, he certainly represents an inexpensive option if they do move one of their two other goaltenders this offseason.
Latest On Alex Pietrangelo’s Free Agency
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
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
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
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
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
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.