Prospect Notes: Lafreniere, Gildon, Whelan, Richter Award
The announcement this afternoon that the NHL would be postponing the 2020 NHL Draft means that top prospect Alexis Lafreniere will have to wait a while longer to presumably be selected first overall. Yet, with his QMJHL season already canceled, the young forward has little else to focus on. The same can be said for a number of NHL teams who already know that they won’t be making the postseason regardless of the format the league chooses if and when they return to action. No team has more to gain from the coming draft than the Ottawa Senators. If the NHL Draft Lottery were to be held without any further changes to the regular season standings, the Detroit Red Wings would have the best singular odds of winning, 18.5%, but the Senators in both second and third, given their ownership of the San Jose Sharks’ pick, would actually have much better odds at a combined 25%. Naturally, the question was asked by TSN today of the Quebec native Lafreniere how he would feel about playing in Canada’s capital. “It would be fun. It would be special,” Lafreniere said, “It’s a great place to play and it would be an honor [to be selected.]” While the Senators have not exactly been a top free agent destination in recent years, the club is building up quite a talented group of prospects and Lafreniere would be a great fit to lead the team into the future, especially alongside whoever else the team selects early in the first round.
- One existing NHL prospect who may soon be joining his pro home is Florida Panthers pick Max Gildon. Gildon, who just wrapped up his junior season at the University of New Hampshire, is close to signing an entry-level deal reports New England hockey insider Mark Divver. Divver expects the two sides to come to terms on a deal within a week. Gildon was a 2017 third-round pick out of the U.S. National Team Development Program, but has outplayed his draft slot over three productive years on the UNH blue line. He also pairs a big frame, physical play, and ability to play in all situations with his considerable skill and vision. Joining a Florida team with a pretty thin pipeline of defensive talent, Gildon could be in the NHL sooner rather than later.
- Quinnipiac University forward Alex Whelan has found his first pro destination, as the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack announced a contract with the nearby product or the 2020-21 season. Whelan, who just finished his fourth and final year with Quinnipiac, was nothing if not consistent in his NCAA career. However, his 24 points this season came in just 29 games as opposed to 25 in 38 last year. On a per-game basis, he was the Bobcats’ second-best scorer on a team that was within reach of an NCAA Tournament berth. A power forward who looks prepared for the pro game, Whelan is a nice pickup for Hartford and will likely bring some Quinnipiac fans along with him.
- The NCAA announced the ten semifinalists for the Mike Richter Award for top goaltender on Tuesday, with several NHL prospects on the list. Maine’s Jeremy Swayman, who recently signed his entry-level deal with the Boston Bruins, heads up a list that also includes 2019 top goalie draft pick Spencer Knight of Boston College and the Florida Panthers, as well as UMass Lowell’s Tyler Wall, whose rights are owned by the New York Rangers but could be headed for unrestricted free agency. However, the favorite for the award is likely an undrafted product, Minnesota State’s Dryden McKay, who led the nation in wins, save percentage, and GAA. McKay and Swayman are the only Richter semifinalists who are also Hobey Baker finalists. Other standouts include Cornell’s Matthew Galajda, Michigan’s Strauss Mann, and Bemidji State’s Zach Driscoll. The three finalists will be announced at a later date.
Extension Notes: Donovan, Svedberg, Leksands
While Matt Donovan would undoubtedly rather remain under contract with the Nashville Predators, he will settle for staying in familiar territory and continuing his relationship with the organization. The Predators’ AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals, announced today that they had signed Donovan to a two-year AHL contract, an extension of sorts for the veteran defenseman. While Donovan only played in two games with Nashville last season and zero this season, he has been crucial piece for Milwaukee in both campaigns. An experienced two-way defenseman who has spent time in the New York Islanders organization as well as in Sweden and in the NCAA with the University of Denver, Donovan is known as a possession defenseman who can jump up into the play but can also be relied upon for physicality and defensive awareness. A top-pair defenseman for the Admirals, Donovan will continue to play a major role for the team while he sets his personal sights on playing his way back onto an NHL contract.
- A move that flew under the radar recently – as fans hold out hope for a continued NHL season and are not thinking ahead to free agency just yet – is goaltender Niklas Svedberg resigning in Sweden. The 30-year-old netminder, and former member of the Boston Bruins and Minnesota Wild, was one of the best goalies in the SHL this season. Yet, despite what could be a weak goalie market this summer, Svedberg has opted to re-up with Djurgardens IF rather than test the NHL waters again. The team announced a new two-year deal with Svedberg, retaining one of their most valuable assets for a while longer. Svedberg would be 33 before he could have the chance to suit up once again in North America, which could mean that his NHL days are over. The talented keeper never quite found the right time to break into a consistent NHL role, despite strong numbers at both the NHL and AHL level – including an AHL All-Star nod in 2012-13 – as well as some stellar seasons in the KHL and SHL. It seems the veteran goalie is simply content to stay in his native country and continue to be one of Sweden’s best at his position.
- Staying in Sweden, Leksands IF has a lot to look forward to as they have retained two young standouts in Alexander Lundqvist and Nils Aman. The team announced two-year contract extensions with both exciting young pieces, who each made their SHL debut this season. Lundqvist, 19, is the nephew of Hall of Fame defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom and a budding puck-moving defenseman in his own right. Undrafted in 2019, Lundqvist will be up for grabs again this year and should draw more attention following a 24-point campaign in the SuperElit and an eight-game stint in the SHL. At 6’2”, 183 lbs. and lauded skating ability, Lundqvist projects as a solid two-way defenseman and should step into a regular SHL role next year. Aman, 20, has a similar stature to Lundqvist but plays up front and has the numbers to prove it. Aman posted 47 points in 30 games in the SuperElit and made the most of his own eight-game stint in the SHL with three points. Aman looks ready for the top level and should slot into a consistent role next year as well. A youth movement could be coming to Leksands, who need all the help they can get after only missing the relegation game due to the league’s recent cancellation.
College Notes: Dhooghe, Rathbone, Flames, UFA’s
When college hockey returns next season, standout defenseman Sean Dhooghe will be donning a different jersey. Dhooghe, 21, announced on his personal Twitter account this afternoon that he will be leaving the University of Wisconsin to play his fourth and final NCAA season with Arizona State University. While this may seem like a downgrade at first glance, Wisconsin was more bark than bite this season, falling incredibly short of their preseason title as national championship contenders. Additionally, the program has lost two of its best players to the NHL in recent weeks in the L.A. Kings’ Alex Turcotte and the New York Rangers’ K’Andre Miller. Meanwile, Arizona State again exceeded expectations this season and was likely to qualify for the NCAA tournament for a second year in a row, despite being the most recent addition to Division I college hockey. Dhooghe will have a better chance to stand out and to shake off a down year by his standards by joining an ASU roster that is not as deep as Wisconsin on paper, but he also may have better odds at NCAA postseason glory as well.
Dhooghe, who jumped straight from the U.S. National Team Development Program to the college ranks, is a skilled forward who has been a fixture for the U.S. at international camps and events over the years. He plays a smart game with great vision and skating and excels in space. Why then might you not have heard of him? Dhooghe makes “undersized” look like an understatement, standing at 5’3” and 150 lbs. His size wasn’t a factor in junior and he hasn’t let it affect his game at the college level too much, but it is fair to have serious doubts about his pro potential. He hopes to silence his critics with a big first – and last – season at Arizona State next year, which he hopes is followed up by a pro contract.
- Harvard University is still waiting to see if they will have a top defenseman back next season, while on the other side the Vancouver Canucks are waiting to see if they could have yet another elite rookie on the back end next season. Blue liner Jack Rathbone, a 2017 fourth-round selection, told TSN 1040 radio in Vancouver today that with everything going on right now, he and his family will continue to take some time to make a decision. There is no hurry for the talented defender to make a call and he wants to be sure to make the right one. A superstar at the prep school level with Dexter, Rathbone still was not expected to take the giant steps that he has at Harvard in just two seasons, developing into one of the stronger all-around defenseman in all of college hockey. However, he still has another two years left of NCAA eligibility and may want to wait for a more secure role in the NHL with Vancouver. With plenty of other talented prospects on the roster, Harvard hopes that Rathbone returns to lead the team to the NCAA Tournament next year.
- The Calgary Flames are using their time off wisely, making a major splash today by signing arguably the top two UFA college defenders on the market: Minnesota State’s Connor Mackey and North Dakota’s Colton Poolman. Yet, they still aren’t done. Sportsnet’s Pat Steinberg reports that the team is still “working hard” on college free agent forward. While Calgary is not exactly weak in the pipeline, they somehow have become a top landing spot for NCAA talent this spring.
- If the Flames really want to cash in on college free agency, that unnamed forward prospect that they are negotiating with would be Jordan Kawaguchi, North Dakota teammate of Poolman and a top candidate for the Hobey Baker Award. Kawaguchi, while only a junior, is expected by many to forego his senior season and sign in the NHL. After posting 45 points in 33 games to finish second in the NCAA scoring race and lead one of the best team’s in the nation, Kawaguchi doesn’t have much left to prove at the college level. While somewhat small, the cousin of Devin Setoguchi plays a similarly skilled and instinctual offensive game. Whether it be Calgary of another team, whoever lands Kawaguchi will land an intriguing prospect with a high ceiling. Joining Kawaguchi on the list of undrafted underclassmen worth watching on the open market are Minnesota State goalie Dryden McKay, the NCAA’s top keeper this season, and UMass forward Mitchell Chaffee, who is coming off another point-per-game season and has all the making of an effective pro.
College Players Restricted To Signing Future Contracts
One of the common things to watch for normally at this time of year is college free agency. Undrafted players that have been eliminated from the NCAA postseason quickly sign with NHL teams. Some sign a contract that begins in the next season while in recent years, more teams have shown a willingness to sign players to a contract that begins in the current season and therefore quickly pass through one of the salary-restrictive entry-level years. Teams have even shown an openness to doing so with their own drafted prospects such as Cale Makar last year or Charlie McAvoy and Brock Boeser back in 2017.
However, that option won’t be available to teams during the current suspension of the schedule. Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that while teams can sign college players to contracts now, they can only do so if the contract becomes effective on July 1st, meaning for the start of the 2020-21 season. Deals that begin now are off the table due to the uncertainty surrounding the schedule in the immediate future.
This means that over the days and weeks ahead, there should still be some activity on the college UFA market. While there is a chance that some players could be granted an extra year of eligibility, that would be restricted to tournament-bound teams, not ones that were already eliminated. As a result, there will still be some players on teams that wouldn’t have made the top-16 playdowns that will be seeking NHL contracts. Only this time, the playing field will be more levelled out with this current restriction of future contracts being the only ones allowed.
Pittsburgh Penguins Sign Drew O’Connor
Tuesday: The Penguins have officially announced the signing of O’Connor to a two-year entry-level contract that will not begin until the 2020-21 season. O’Connor will join the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for the rest of the season on an amateur tryout. GM Jim Rutherford had this to say about his newest prospect:
Drew is a powerful skater with good hands, which helped him have a very good year at Dartmouth. We are very happy Drew has joined the Penguins as we feel he can help our NHL club sooner rather than later.
Monday: With several college teams finishing their seasons, the wire will soon be filled with news of NHL contracts being handed out. Undrafted free agents could be the first to go, and a familiar team seems ready to jump into the fray. Frank Seravalli of TSN reports that the Pittsburgh Penguins have agreed to a contract with Drew O’Connor, who just finished his sophomore season at Dartmouth.
The 21-year old O’Connor scored 21 goals and 33 points this season for Dartmouth, playing both the wing and center while using his 6’3″ frame to the best of its abilities. He was nominated for the Hobey Baker and Seravalli previously reported that there was “no shortage of NHL interest” in the power forward.
If Pittsburgh does make the signing official, it won’t be the first time that they’ve mined the college ranks to add talent to the organization. Players like Zach Aston-Reese, Conor Sheary, Chad Ruhwedel, Adam Johnson and Casey DeSmith were all undrafted college free agents that have helped team this season.
Even if O’Connor never develops into a top scoring threat, the Penguins have shown an ability to turn almost anyone into an effective option next to Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. As they continue to move out draft picks to add depth at the deadline, securing players through places like college free agency is extremely important.
Four Players Remain Eligible To Avoid Group VI Free Agency
With the end of the season quickly approaching, we now have clarification on most of the players that are eligible for Group VI unrestricted free agency this offseason. The full list can be found here along with the breakdown of the criteria to reach this status. However, there are four players that could still avoid being in this situation which will be worth watching for over the last few weeks.
Colby Cave (Edmonton) – A year ago, it didn’t look like Cave would be in this situation. He spent the majority of 2018-19 in the NHL, getting into 52 games between Boston and Edmonton but failed to earn a regular role with the Oilers this season. Instead, he has played in 43 games with their AHL affiliate in Bakersfield this season and just 11 with the big club. That leaves him 13 games shy of remaining RFA eligible. While he won’t get there with regular season games, playoff games count as well and he’s likely to be up with them for their playoff run. With AHL Bakersfield well out of playoff contention, he’s someone they could recall right away if they wanted to knock some games off before the postseason starts.
Mackenzie MacEachern (St. Louis) – Of the four, this is the likeliest one to get to 80 and remain a restricted free agent as long as he doesn’t get injured in the near future. MacEachern has spent the entirety of the season in St. Louis, albeit in a limited role as he has averaged less than nine minutes a night in 48 games while spending a lot of time as a healthy scratch. Nonetheless, he’s just two NHL games shy of 80 and with the Blues comfortably in a playoff spot, they can afford to toss him on the fourth line a couple more times to secure his rights for another season.
Michael McCarron (Nashville) – The 2013 first-round pick saw NHL action in each of his first three pro campaigns but hasn’t since then. Instead, he has played a more limited role in the minors and a midseason trade from Montreal to Nashville hasn’t changed his fortunes much although he has nine goals in 26 games with AHL Milwaukee. He’s ten NHL games shy of 80 but barring a rash of injuries, he’s unlikely to make it back to the NHL this season or at least play enough to reach the threshold.
Boo Nieves (NY Rangers) – This is another one that didn’t seem likely a year ago. Nieves played in 43 games with New York in 2018-19 and did well enough that they gave him an early one-way contract extension to avoid him hitting the UFA market as a Group VI player last season. However, he has played in just four NHL contests this year which leaves him four shy of reaching 80. With the Rangers’ fourth line seeing limited minutes, it’s not crazy to think that they could bring Nieves up for a week or so to give him another look and ensure they keep his rights for next season.
If any of these players get to 80 total NHL games, they will be eligible for restricted free agency with salary arbitration eligibility this summer.
Radim Simek Signs Four-Year Extension
March 9th: The Sharks have officially signed Simek to a four-year extension. GM Doug Wilson released a statement on the deal:
Radim has been an integral piece of our team defense for the last two seasons. His style of play blends a sound defensive game, coupled with a heavy physical ingredient and good puck-moving skills. His impact on our club when he is in the lineup is undeniable and we’re pleased he will be part of our team’s core moving forward.
Kevin Kurz of The Athletic reports that the deal is for $9MM total, an average annual value of $2.25MM
March 2nd: When the San Jose Sharks didn’t trade pending unrestricted free agent Radim Simek at the deadline, it was easy to wonder if they planned on re-signing him instead. Well that seems to be the case, as a report has emerged out of the Czech Republic that the depth defenseman has agreed to terms on a four-year extension worth around $8MM. Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News reports that though the deal has not yet been signed, the framework is in place.
Simek, 27, is in his second NHL season after originally signing with the Sharks organization in 2017. The Czech defenseman was undrafted but grew into an incredibly reliable presence in his own end, something that has carried over to his time with the Sharks. Though he has only played in 84 games, people around San Jose will tell you just how important he was last season giving the team a defensive anchor to allow some of their more offensive players to be creative. Obviously things haven’t gone quite as well this season in San Jose, but there is reason to believe he can bounce back.
Given that the Sharks have a few other defensemen headed for unrestricted free agency, it makes sense to keep Simek around. But handing out raises to players still has to be done carefully. San Jose has more than $25MM locked up in Erik Karlsson, Brent Burns and Marc-Edouard Vlasic, meaning they’ll always need to have some bargains on the back end of their defense.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
The Unleashed 2020: Potential Group VI Unrestricted Free Agents
Though most players have to wait until after their 27th birthday to become an unrestricted free agent, able to sign with any team in the league without compensation, there are a few other ways to get to the open market. Players that complete seven full seasons in the NHL are eligible for UFA status, as are restricted free agents that do not receive qualifying offers. There is another way however, offered to those players who don’t get a long opportunity in the NHL but have put in several years at the professional level: Group VI unrestricted free agency.
Earlier this month, CapFriendly compiled a complete list of players on track to become free agents early. To refresh your memory on how a player qualifies for Group VI free agency, they must meet three requirements:
- The player is 25 years or older (as of June 30th of the calendar year the contract is expiring).
- The player has completed 3 or more professional seasons – qualified by 11 or more professional games (for an 18/19 year old player), or 1 or more professional games (for a player aged 20 or older). This can include NHL, minor league, and European professional league seasons played while under an SPC.
- The player has played fewer than 80 NHL games, or 28 NHL games of 30 minutes or greater for a goaltender.
The entire list of players at risk can be found below, but make sure you check out CapFriendly for more detailed information on how they could avoid the designation this summer.
*Indicates that the player could still play in enough games this season to become ineligible for Group VI free agency
Anaheim Ducks
Andrew Poturalski
Justin Kloos
Arizona Coyotes
(none)
Boston Bruins
Buffalo Sabres
(none)
Calgary Flames
Ryan Lomberg
Rinat Valiev
Jon Gillies
Carolina Hurricanes
(none)
Chicago Blackhawks
(none)
Colorado Avalanche
Columbus Blue Jackets
Dallas Stars
Gavin Bayreuther
Dillon Heatherington
Detroit Red Wings
(none)
Edmonton Oilers
Florida Panthers
Los Angeles Kings
(none)
Minnesota Wild
Montreal Canadiens
Laurent Dauphin
Gustav Olofsson
Nashville Predators
New Jersey Devils
New York Islanders
New York Rangers
Boo Nieves*
Vinni Lettieri
Danny O’Regan
Nick Ebert
Ottawa Senators
Philadelphia Flyers
Pittsburgh Penguins
Riley Barber
Thomas Di Pauli
Adam Johnson
San Jose Sharks
St. Louis Blues
Mackenzie MacEachern*
Andreas Borgman
Tampa Bay Lightning
Daniel Walcott
Patrick Sieloff
Spencer Martin
Toronto Maple Leafs
Vancouver Canucks
Vegas Golden Knights
Washington Capitals
Liam O’Brien
Colby Williams
Tyler Lewington
Winnipeg Jets
Atlantic Notes: Kotkaniemi, Zadina, Sabres
Jesperi Kotkaniemi hasn’t had the sophomore campaign that he had hoped for. After an impressive rookie season in which the Montreal Candaien scored 11 goals and 34 points, the 19-year-old was hoping to improve on those numbers. Instead it’s been one disappointment after another, which includes a slow start, demotion to the AHL and now a spleen injury.
The Laval Rocket, the Canadiens’ AHL affiliate, announced (translation required) that Kotkaniemi suffered a spleen injury and spent Friday night in the hospital. He has been released, but there is no word on how long the young center will be out.
Kotkaniemi started the 2019-20 season with just six goals and eight points in 36 games, prompting the team to send him to Laval in hopes of getting increased playing time there as well as to find his confidence. So far through 13 games, Kotkaniemi has one goals and 13 points.
- While the playoffs are out of reach for the Detroit Red Wings, the team’s main focus will be on developing their youth. That’s expected to include forward Filip Zadina, who has been out since Feb. 1 with a fractured ankle. MLive’s Ansar Khan reports that Zadina returned to practice Saturday and should be ready to return soon. “I just want to get stronger and get better and get back in the lineup,” Zadina said. “I just need to be a little more patient and get healthy 100 percent, get myself in shape and feel ready to go. Right now, I just want to (spend) most of the time on the ice and in the gym to get stronger.” Head coach Jeff Blashill said it won’t be Sunday, however.
- The Athletic’s John Vogl (subscription required) looks into the future possibilities this summer when the Buffalo Sabres hit free agency. The scribe breaks down the team’s potential salary cap situation, cautiously estimating that Buffalo should have $21.5MM in available cap room. The team is in need of a second-line center, two right wingers and a left wing. With the right wing market likely to be the strongest at free agency, the team could focus on a player like Mike Hoffman or Tyler Toffoli to fill a need, but the team is unlikely to find help at the other two positions without making trades.
Josh Archibald Signs Two-Year Extension
The Edmonton Oilers have signed Josh Archibald to a two-year extension, keeping him under contract through the 2021-22 season. Archibald was scheduled for unrestricted free agency after the season ended, but will now stay in Edmonton earning an average salary of $1.5MM per season.
Archibald, 27, actually found his footing last season with the Arizona Coyotes, recording 12 goals and 22 points in 68 games, but failed to get a qualifying offer from the team at the end of the year. As a free agent he decided to take a one-year, $1MM deal with the Oilers that has proved a smart financial decision.
Though he still hasn’t blown the doors off the league offensively, Archibald has contributed another dozen goals in limited minutes while being the same little fireball of energy every single night. The 5’10” 176-lbs forward actually leads the Oilers in hits with 160 on the season, one shy of last year’s total.
Though he’s obviously a valued contributor, the Oilers have to consider carefully every dollar they allocate as they try to surround Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl with a championship team. $1.5MM means that Archibald will have to continue to produce, even if at a bottom-six level, as he’s now locked into a roster spot for the next two years.