Overseas Notes: Holm, Ramage, Lindgren
Just as NHL teams have started to snap up European free agents to join them for next season, some North American players will also start heading overseas despite not technically being free agents yet. Many fringe players who are heading towards free agency will have spoken to their team and know whether or not they have a chance to re-sign, giving them some advance notice in order to find a job for 2019-20. There’s also the case of NHL prospects re-upping with their international clubs, instead of coming to North America just yet. Here are some notes from overseas:
- John Ramage is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent this season after spending 2018-19 with the Binghamton Devils, but instead of re-signing with the New Jersey organization he’s headed to Germany to play in the DEL. Ramage signed a two-year deal with Berlin, ending his run in North America for the time being. The 28-year old defenseman has won at nearly every level, taking home gold medals at the U18 and U20 World Juniors and championships in both the ECHL and AHL levels.
- Arvid Holm was selected in the sixth round by the Winnipeg Jets in 2017, but isn’t yet ready to make the trip overseas. Holm has signed a one-year deal with Farjestad in the SHL in order to continue his development in Sweden. The 6’4″ goaltender put up a .907 save percentage in the Swedish second league last season, but may get a chance at the highest level in 2019-20.
- Jesper Lindgren has done the opposite, coming to North America now that his season has ended in Finland. The Toronto Maple Leafs have assigned Lindgren to the AHL after he took home the Liiga championship with HPK. The right-handed defenseman is just 21, but already signed his entry-level contract last spring. The right-handed defenseman is another prospect they hope can develop and help out the NHL defense down the road, but he needs some more development time in the minor leagues.
Snapshots: Free Agents, Jost, Kakko
There are now 27 NHL teams eliminated from Stanley Cup contention, and with that comes a new focus. Free agency is right around the corner and plans are starting to formulate on who to retain or who to pursue in order to improve for next season. Once considered a “Super class” of unrestricted free agents, the group for 2019 has dwindled considerably as teams are hesitant to give up their top players. Still, there is plenty of talent without a contract for next season and Frank Seravalli of TSN released an early ranking of those players today.
As expected, Artemi Panarin, Erik Karlsson and Sergei Bobrovsky occupy the top three spots, all superstars at their respective positions. The trio could change the face of any franchise in the league, but will each cost a fortune to obtain. Beyond those three though there are other impressive names on the list like Matt Duchene, Anders Lee and even Joe Pavelski. While it may no longer be the best class of free agents in history, teams are still hoping the next seven weeks pass quickly.
- With John Tavares out of the IIHF World Championship due to an oblique injury, Team Canada suffered a defeat at the hands of Finland today 3-1. The forward group was quite unimpressive except perhaps for a few opportunities by Jonathan Marchessault and Anthony Mantha, and may have trouble creating offense at even strength in the tournament. Canada has three extra spots to add other players, and one of those will be used on Colorado Avalanche forward Tyson Jost according to Darren Dreger of TSN. Jost competed last year for the Canadians and recorded six points in nine games, and also took home a World Junior silver medal for them in the past. Update: The team will also be adding Columbus Blue Jackets forward Pierre-Luc Dubois.
- While the Canadians struggled to create any offense, the Finnish squad had no problem thanks to the presence of top draft-eligible prospect Kaapo Kakko. The 18-year old opened the scoring on a breakaway and finished it off with an empty net goal after winning a loose puck from Marchessault while defending the lead. Kakko and fellow potential first-overall pick Jack Hughes are both competing in the tournament against other NHL stars, and have a chance to really show the New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers what kind of impact they can have from day one.
Dallas Notes: Zuccarello, Spezza, Hintz
The Dallas Stars were eliminated from Stanley Cup contention by the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday, and today held their final media availability. For one player at least, the focus was on his pending free agency and whether he would be open to return. Mats Zuccarello was acquired at the trade deadline and made quite the impact on the Stars lineup, and now the team must decide if he’s worth extending. One of the conditions on the trade was that a 2020 third-round selection will upgrade to a first if the diminutive forward re-ups with Dallas, another variable that needs to be taken into account.
For his part, Zuccarello expressed to reporters including Sean Shapiro of The Athletic that he was happy the Stars showed faith in him with the trade. He even told Matthew DeFranks of the Dallas Morning News that he likes knowing “when someone believes in you and wants you.” The 31-year old recorded three points in his two regular season games with the Stars, and 11 in 13 postseason contests.
- Jason Spezza is another pending free agent up front, and will turn 36 before he hits the open market. Two years in a row Spezza was unable to hit the 10 goal or 30-point threshold during the regular season, but after being made a healthy scratch early was actually quietly effective in the playoffs. Spezza dismissed any notion of retirement today when he told Shapiro that he plans on playing next season. The veteran forward noted that free agency will be a new experience for him, given the long-term deals he has signed in the past.
- Roope Hintz, who is far from an unrestricted free agent after emerging as a rookie sensation down the stretch and into the playoffs, revealed that he played game seven with a broken foot. Hintz had been spotted in a walking boot earlier in the week, but incredibly logged nearly 24 minutes of ice time in the marathon double-OT game. The 22-year old forward looks like he will be a mainstay in the Dallas top-six for many years after his performance, which resulted in eight points in 13 games and some memorable defensive efforts.
Vancouver Canucks Not Expected To Qualify Brendan Gaunce
Though he doesn’t quite qualify for Group VI status, it looks like Brendan Gaunce will get to unrestricted free agency a bit earlier anyway. Rick Dhaliwal of Sportsnet reports that the Vancouver Canucks are unlikely to issue Gaunce a qualifying offer this offseason, meaning he will join Derrick Pouliot in looking for a new home.
Gaunce, 25, is another first-round pick that hasn’t worked out for the Canucks. Selected 26th overall in 2012, his offensive game stagnated in junior and he never quite grew into the top-end power forward they had hoped for. In 117 games at the NHL level, Gaunce has recorded just six goals and 15 points playing in a mostly fourth line role. While the results in the AHL have been considerably better—111 points in 189 games—he hasn’t shown enough for the Canucks to risk getting locked into a contract through arbitration.
If he does not receive a qualifying offer, Gaunce will be free to sign a contract with any team in the NHL and hope a fresh start will get his career back on track. An analytically-minded front office might believe there is some potential still there given his solid possession metrics in the NHL, but given his limited production it seems unlikely he will be able to land a one-way contract.
Morning Notes: Flyers, Nutivaara, Duchene
The Philadelphia Flyers will have an entirely new look behind the bench next season, with head coach Alain Vigneault and assistants Michel Therrien and Mike Yeo. Vigneault explained today to reporters including Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer how the assignments will be divided, indicating that Therrien will handle the powerplay and forwards while Yeo will construct a penalty kill and run the defensemen.
That leaves Ian Laperriere, who was retained from the previous staff, as the “eye-in-the-sky.” Laperriere will no longer coach the Flyers’ penalty killing unit, which has not performed very well under him in the past. The last three seasons the Flyers have ranked 22nd, 29th and 26th in the league a man down, never cracking the 80% mark.
- Markus Nutivaara is dealing with a torn left oblique, suffered when Nikita Kucherov hit him in the first round. Kucherov received a one-game suspension for hitting Nutivaara from behind into the boards while he was already down, but the defenseman would not return to playoff action. Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch reports that it is normally a four to six week recovery time for this type of injury, which would obviously allow Nutivaara to be ready for training camp later in the summer.
- Sticking with the Blue Jackets, Matt Duchene was once again asked about his pending free agency today and explained to team reporter Jeff Svoboda that he will explore his options but keep Columbus involved. Duchene experienced more playoff action this season than his entire combined career previously, but it still wasn’t enough to get a real sniff of the Stanley Cup. With 727 regular season games now under his belt, the 28-year old has suited up just 18 times in the playoffs.
Snapshots: Blue Jackets, Barber, Davidsson
The Columbus Blue Jackets went all-in at the trade deadline this season by adding several pending unrestricted free agents in Matt Duchene, Ryan Dzingel, Adam McQuaid and Keith Kinkaid. The reasoning was likely in part due to the fact that Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky, two of the team’s best players, are also heading to free agency and had already turned down extension talks. GM Jarmo Kekalainen knew this was his last shot with those two on the roster and took it, but now faces an offseason where he will watch several top names depart. If Panarin, Bobrovsky, Duchene and others do leave, he’s not losing sleep over it. In conversation with Tom Reed of The Athletic (subscription required) Kekalainen explained what he’s looking for out of his players:
I think it’s important moving forward that we have guys who are proud to be Blue Jackets, proud to be living in Columbus and loving it here. It’s really important that they bleed blue or whatever you want to call it. … Guys who want to be here are going to be here and the guys who don’t want to be here — good luck.
Kekalainen admitted that he would “do it in a second again” but the Blue Jackets now face the reality that their team will look very different come September. That might not be the end of them though, as there are several bright spots still on the roster. Seth Jones and Zach Werenski still represent two of the game’s top young defensemen, and players like Pierre-Luc Dubois and Alexandre Texier have proven they are capable of providing real contributions at the NHL level. Not to mention the likes of Boone Jenner, Josh Anderson and Oliver Bjorkstrand who are still in their mid-twenties and under contract for reasonable amounts. As always, Kekalainen and the Blue Jackets will be one of the most interesting teams in the league to watch this offseason as they try to move on from this chapter of their history.
- Speaking of moving on, Washington Capitals forward Riley Barber appears to be ready to do just that. Barber spoke to J.J. Regan of NBC Sports Washington, and explained that given his lack of opportunity in Washington he isn’t likely to return to the organization next season. The 25-year old is set to become a Group VI unrestricted free agent this summer after playing just three NHL games since signing with the team in 2015, but is coming off an impressive 60-point season in the AHL.
- Marcus Davidsson was selected 37th overall by the Buffalo Sabres in 2017 but they have been happy so far to let him continue to develop in Sweden. That doesn’t appear to be changing, as Davidsson has signed a two-year deal to remain in the SHL, this time with the Vaxjo Lakers. The 20-year old center could actually become an unrestricted free agent if the Sabres don’t sign him by June 1st, 2021.
Islanders Notes: Free Agency, Lehner, Offense, Lambert
After a tough sweep at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round, right after they impressed everyone by sweeping the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round, there remain many questions surrounding the New York Islanders and in what direction general manager Lou Lamoriello will go this off-season. They have multiple key free agent forwards that could hit the open market in July, including forwards Jordan Eberle, Anders Lee and Brock Nelson.
Newsday’s Andrew Gross makes his predictions on who is staying or going and is quick to point out that it’s likely that Lamoriello may only keep one of their three top-six free agent forwards. The question is whether he can get Lee to agree to take a little less to remain with the team. Gross believes that Lee would ask for six years at $6MM per, which Lamoriello might agree to, but both Eberle and Nelson could ask for similar amounts and if one of them opts to take less, that may be who ends up staying.
The scribe also adds that some of their other free agents could get re-signed, especially Valtteri Filppula and Tanner Fritz to smaller, shorter-term deals.
- With tons of cap space and multiple key free agents of their own, the team must decide whether they intend to re-sign some of those players as well as whether they intend to dip into free agency and go after some bigger fish. What the team needs to do is find a way to sign Robin Lehner to cement their goaltending situation, according to Emily Kaplan and Chris Peters of ESPN (subscription required). Lehner, who has become a fan favorite in New York after an incredible season, is needed in New York with Thomas Greiss down to his last year on his contract. Lehner and Greiss combined to win the Jennings Trophy, while Lehner is also a finalist for the Vezina Trophy after putting up 25 wins, a 2.13 GAA, and a .930 save percentage during the regular season. Despite many who feel that Lehner failed in the playoffs, his numbers were still even better in the playoffs, posting a 2.00 GAA and a .936 save percentage. He was a bargain at $1.5MM, but will need a big raise this summer if the Islanders want to keep him.
- Brett Cyrgalis of the New York Post writes that what Lamoriello needs to find this summer is more high-impact scorers who can help with head coach Barry Trotz‘s grinding defense. Like in Washington, Trotz’ defensive system relies on high-end forwards who can get opportunistic goals, which the team struggled to do in the second round of the playoffs. Trotz, however, believes there is talent in their system, which might be ready to supplement the team. “We knew that we were a little bit lean in some of the high-skill positions, but we have some good kids coming,” Trotz said.
- With the Islanders eliminated, that could open up some coaching opportunity for associate coach Lane Lambert, according to The Athletic’s Scott Burnside (subscription required). The 54-year-old Lambert has been a long-time assistant to Trotz and might be one of the top assistant coaches ready to make the transition to the head coaching position. He has been key to game planning and practices and has been a critical part of the team’s penalty kill unit.
Flames Notes: Yelesin, Smith, Neal, Stajan
In his latest “31 Thoughts” column, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman needed just one “thought” to drop several pieces of interesting information about the Calgary Flames. The insider begins with KHL defenseman Alexander Yelesin. Friedman follows up on his initial report about the Flames’ interest in the Russian rearguard by saying that the question is not “if” but “when” when it comes to a deal getting done. KHL free agency opened today, so it’s only a matter of time before a contract becomes official it seems. The 23-year-old is undersized and not overly productive, but that hasn’t stopped NHL teams from toying with the idea of signing him for several years due to his skating and dependable defensive play. Calgary will finally be the team to pull the trigger, despite their depth on the blue line. As of now, Yelesin would be behind Mark Giordano, Noah Hanifin, Travis Hamonic, and T.J. Brodie and competing for ice time with youngsters Rasmus Andersson, Juuso Valimaki, and Oliver Kylington. That’s a lot of capable defensemen in the mix and trade rumors will no doubt swirl this off-season about the Flames moving one of this group.
- Next, Friedman mentions that the Flames have not yet closed the door on a return for veteran goaltender Mike Smith. The 37-year-old UFA netminder split starts with David Rittich this season, who also needs a new contract as a restricted free agent. Friedman doubts that a new deal to keep Smith in Calgary would be longer than a year, but the team could opt to go with the tandem that led them to the best record in the West this season for one more go-round. Smith put up pedestrian numbers in the regular season – an .898 save percentage and 2.72 GAA – but was significantly better in 2017-18 and could have another strong campaign in him. The postseason showed that, as Smith was arguably the Flames’ best player in their unexpected first-round loss. There will be other options available to Calgary on the free agent market and via trade, but if they are unable to add any of their top options, don’t be surprised to see them go with the devil they know.
- Finally, Friedman writes that the problematic James Neal is not yet at the point that GM Brad Treliving would entertain attaching a high pick to make a move. After signing a five-year, $28.75MM contract with Calgary last summer, Neal responded with far-and-away the worst season of his career, recording just 19 points in 63 games (his previous low had been 37). It wasn’t just a case of poor PDO for the 31-year-old forward either; Neal often looked slow and lethargic in all three zones all season long and even more so in the playoffs. There’s no telling whether Neal can bounce back next year or whether this is only a sign of things to come, but the Flames will at least wait to find out if a fair trade doesn’t come around this summer. With just late first- and third-round picks in the first 100 selections of this year’s draft, it is no surprise that the team is unwilling to move a high pick this year or next year to rid themselves of Neal’s contract before giving the respected veteran scorer another chance to prove himself.
- In non-Friedman news out of Calgary, long-time Flames forward Matt Stajan has announced his retirement. Stajan wrapped up a 16-year NHL career split between Calgary and the Toronto Maple Leafs when he departed for Europe last season at age 35. Stajan was actually very productive this season for German club EHC Munchen, registering 33 points in 52 games en route to a finals appearance, but it wasn’t enough to keep him in the game. Munchen released a statement today that named Stajan as one of several players leaving the team by way of retirement. Also hanging them up is fellow long-time NHLer and leading scorer John Mitchell and captain Michael Wolf, as EHC has their work cut out for them this off-season. Stajan leaves the game with more than 1000 NHL appearances to his credit, along with over 400 points and his reputation as a reliable two-way winger. Don’t be surprised to see Stajan end up back in hockey in another capacity before too long, perhaps even with the Flames.
Why Tampa Bay’s Defense Will Look Much Different Next Season
While recency bias has hockey fans looking back on the Tampa Bay Lightning’s season as a failure due to their shocking early playoff exit, in reality the team was historically good, winning 62 games en route to 128 points and an easy President’s Trophy win. In general, most teams who enjoy that level of success would look to change as little as possible, even with the postseason disappointment. Last year’s Stanley Cup-winning Washington Capitals have become the standard for staying the course and, by all accounts, the Lightning expect to follow in their footsteps and avoid the temptation to make sweeping changes.
However, it’s not that simple. As Joe Smith of The Athletic writes, the Bolts will have to undergo a major makeover on their blue line. Tampa Bay is already committed to over $73MM for 16 players next season. That list includes top defensemen Victor Hedman and Ryan McDonagh, as well as most core forwards like Nikita Kucherov, Steven Stamkos, Ondrej Palat, Tyler Johnson, J.T. Miller, and Yanni Gourde and starting goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy. However, it does not include half of the eight defensemen used regularly by the Lightning this season: Anton Stralman, Braydon Coburn, Dan Girardi, and Jan Rutta. More importantly, it also doesn’t include sophomore breakout forward Brayden Point. Even with the salary cap expected to climb north of $80MM this off-season, re-signing Point will eat up most of that space and extending fellow RFA forwards Cedric Paquette and Adam Erne will add up as well. Without a considerable cap dump, it would seem re-signing even one of those UFA defensemen, nevertheless most of them, will be incredibly difficult.
So what does Tampa do about this situation? The aforementioned cap dump seems a near certainty, as veteran forward Ryan Callahan is expected to be traded or bought out this summer. A buy out could give the Lightning the wiggle room to re-sign one of the four pending UFA’s, while a trade could either open up cap space or allow the team to bring in a blue liner with a bad contract like Callahan’s. Yet, Callahan alone is not the only move that the Bolts could make before next season. Smith mentions Miller as the easiest forward to trade away, as his trade protection does not kick in until the new league year on July 1st. Johnson, Palat, and Alex Killorn all have full or limited No-Trade Clauses, making them harder to deal, but still expendable regardless. In moving any of those four valuable forwards – or even Point if negotiations reach an impasse – the Bolts would likely be able to land a talented defenseman in return.
Outside of Callahan though, the Lightning do not have to make other trades to form a capable defense. Internally, they already have a promising top-four in veteran stars Hedman and McDonagh and promising young rearguards Mikhail Sergachev and Erik Cernak. AHL standout Cal Foote will also challenge for a job in camp, while the team will almost certainly target a defenseman with the 27th overall pick in the first round this year, who could push for an NHL spot right away if they’re lucky. Moving Callahan, if salary does not come back in return, could enable the team to re-sign Rutta, likely the cheapest option of the four, or perhaps Coburn or Girardi on hometown discounts. It is hard to imagine Stralman being within their price range or any two returning. Yet, affordable options will also exist on the free agent market, as many players may be willing to sign for less for a shot at the Cup in Tampa Bay. Veteran UFA options who could come in under $2MM or so include Michael Del Zotto, Adam McQuaid, Ben Lovejoy, and Roman Polak, among others.
The only certainty when it comes to Tampa’s defense this season is that it will not look the same as it did last year. There is simply no financial way for the team to maintain the depth and balance on the blue line that this unit had, but some savvy moves this off-season could still keep the defense just as strong. How the team handles Point, Callahan, and the free agency and trade markets will be one of the more intriguing story lines this summer and could dictate whether the Bolts are able to follow the Capitals’ model and stay the course toward a championship following postseason disappointment.
Andreas Johnsson Turned Down Extension Offers At Deadline
The Toronto Maple Leafs are heading into quite the summer in terms of contract negotiations, with Mitch Marner set to be “priority one” over the next few months. Beyond their young star though there are several other players who need new deals including Kasperi Kapanen and Andreas Johnsson. The latter of the two is eligible for arbitration since he is already 24 years old, and apparently has already turned down multi-year extension offers from the Maple Leafs. Darren Dreger was on TSN radio this morning speaking about the cap crunch that Toronto will be facing, and indicated that the team had offered Johnsson a two-year deal worth $4.2MM (total) and a four-year deal worth $10.4MM at the trade deadline.
Johnsson, the Calder Cup MVP in 2018 with the Toronto Marlies, had an excellent rookie season with the Maple Leafs and recorded 20 goals and 43 points in 73 games. The speedy left winger played on a line with Auston Matthews for much of the season and throughout the playoffs, and showed he could keep up and score timely goals for the club. That kind of depth is exactly what the team will need if they want to finally get over the hump and advance to the second round of the playoffs, but with Matthews, John Tavares and Marner taking up something around $30MM moving forward the team will have to decide carefully how to spend their finances.
If Johnsson does go to arbitration he would be able to receive a one or two year deal, and potentially could earn more than the $2.1-2.6MM average annual value offered by the Maple Leafs at the deadline. That would get him even closer to unrestricted free agency—currently scheduled for the summer of 2022—while also giving him the chance to prove he can take another step offensively and deserve an even bigger payday.
There’s no reason to think that their is any animosity between the two sides, in fact it simply may have been a case of not wanting to negotiate during the season. But the Maple Leafs have some tough decisions to make this offseason on how to build their roster around the core of stars, given the lack of playoff success so far.