Red Wings Seeking To Fill Familiar Roles
According to The Athletic’s Craig Custance, the Detroit Red Wings have special interest in four unrestricted free agents: goaltender Robin Lehner, center Valtteri Filppula, winger Thomas Vanek, and defenseman Mike Green. What all four of these players have in common is that the Red Wings have a very specific role in mind for each player. Detroit is seeking to replace, or in some case retain, players who had success in a certain organizational role.
Lehner, 26, appears to be a priority for the Red Wings. The former Buffalo Sabres starter reportedly visited Detroit today to meet with the Red Wings’ front office and coaching staff. Custance points out that Lehner is still young enough that he could get his game back on track and step into the starter role if and when 34-year-old Jimmy Howard leaves when his contract expires after next season. This was the exact role that the team had planned for Petr Mrazek, ironically the other big-name non-qualified goaltender. Mrazek was ahead of schedule and took Howard’s job for much of 2015-16 and 2016-17, but a drop-off in his performance eventually ran him out of town. The Wings seem to now see Lehner as a second chance at their plan, replacing Mrazek in hopes of landing a young heir apparent behind Howard.
Filppula is a name that Red Wings’ fans are familiar with. The veteran pivot was drafted by the team back in 2002 and spent eight seasons in Detroit. Who better than a wise, capable long-time Red Wing to replace a wise, capable long-time Red Wing? Custance writes that Detroit is worried that injuries may keep Henrik Zetterberg from returning this season and pursuing Fippula gives them a back-up option if their seasoned leader isn’t around. Both players are versatile, two-way centermen who can help the team in many ways. Even if Zetterberg is healthy, Filppula’s return to Detroit could help to groom some of their younger talent.
Vanek and Green are interesting targets in that the Red Wings want them back to avoid having to find another way to replace them. Vanek scored 38 points in 48 games with Detroit in 2016-17, but was traded to the Florida Panthers at the deadline. Almost immediately it was rumored that the Red Wings hoped to bring him back as a free agent. Instead, Vanek signed with the Vancouver Canucks and again was a deadline acquisition, this time by the Columbus Blue Jackets. While Vanek registered 56 points in 80 games, Detroit struggled to make up his production. They are now back in the running for his services this off-season in hopes that he can again provide a spark on offense. They are also trying to avoid losing Green and, like Vanek, immediately regretting the loss due to a difficulty in replacing his ability. Green is the lone high-end offensive defenseman on the free agent market and Detroit is far from the only team in the running. Custance reports that they are willing to match salary, but won’t seem to budge on a maximum two-year term. If the Red Wings were to lose Green to free agency, they would surely have a hard time making up his 30+ points and more than 22 minutes of ice time per game over the past two seasons.
The Red Wings have not been a strong team for the past few years, but there have been some facets of their game play that have worked out well. Detroit is hoping to continue, replace, or revive those successful pieces in hopes of finally returning to a complete, competitive team. Are Lehner, Filppula, Vanek, and Green the right moves? Or should the Red Wings forget about past successes and move on to a new, younger strategy?
Canucks Re-Sign Defenseman Derrick Pouliot
Yet another example of a restricted free agent not receiving a qualifying offer only to sign an extension with his team anyway, the Vancouver Canucks have announced a new deal with defenseman Derrick Pouliot. The contract is for one year and worth $1.1MM. While this is a great deal for the Canucks, it is also well above the value of Pouliot’s would-be qualifying offer, showing that the offer’s absence was just a formality of ongoing negotiations.
Pouliot, 24, finally landed a full-time NHL role last year in his fifth pro season. The eighth overall pick in 2012 had struggled to find his spot with the Pittsburgh Penguins for years, leading the two-time defending champs to trade him away last summer for the relatively underwhelming package of Andrey Pedan and a fourth-round pick. Pouliot arrived in Vancouver eager to show that he was better than the part-time player he was in Pittsburgh. He did just that, skating in 71 games for the Canucks and recording 22 points along the way. Pouliot trailed only Alexander Edler in terms of points and assists among Vancouver defenseman and was not only the best possession player on the blue line, but behind only Daniel and Henrik Sedin in Corsi.
This is why many were surprised when it was reported that the Canucks had not extended a qualifying offer to Pouliot yesterday. The young rearguard is clearly a key piece for Vancouver and likely a part of GM Jim Benning‘s long-term plan. Pouliot’s extension may only be for one more year, as the team continues to evaluate his overall game and work on improving problem areas, but it stands to reason that Pouliot could bridge the gap between Edler, a 2019 free agent, and top prospects Quinn Hughes and Olli Juolevi as the primary puck-mover and offensive catalyst on the Vancouver’s back end.
Free Agent Rumor Round-Up: Maroon, Grabner, De Haan, Rieder
Teams are free to speak with impending free agents prior to the official opening of free agency on Sunday, July 1st. As usual, that has produced a flurry of rumors regarding which teams and how many teams are talking to each of the biggest names. Here is an update on some of those rumors:
- Unsurprisingly, winger Patrick Maroon has been linked to his hometown St. Louis Blues. Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic reports and Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch confirms that the Blues have reached out to Maroon’s camp in hopes of bringing him back to where his hockey aspirations first began. Maroon is coming off a career-high 43-point season and especially looked strong after a Trade Deadline deal from the Edmonton Oilers to the New Jersey Devils. Blues beat reporter Andy Strickland adds that Maroon has not closed the door on a return to either Edmonton or New Jersey, but that the Blues are one of at least six other teams who are pursuing the power forward.
- The Boston Bruins were busy making their pitch to John Tavares today, but that doesn’t mean that they weren’t also thinking a few steps ahead. Mark Divver of the Providence Journal says that the Bruins have “checked in” on two-way speedster Michael Grabner, another Devils deadline acquisition. Not only do the Bruins need another veteran right-shot forward and want to continue to add quickness to the roster, but it also might not be a coincidence that Grabner spent years playing alongside Tavares with the New York Islanders.
- In a shallow class of top-four defenseman, Calvin de Haan is drawing a lot of interest despite missing most of the season with the New York Islanders due to injury. The 27-year-old former first-round pick is one of the more reliable and younger options among defenders on the market and is set to cash in as a result. Kings beat writer Dennis Bernstein reports that Los Angeles is the latest team to show interest in de Haan, bringing the speculated total number of teams interested in the blue liner into the double-digits.
- When the Kings declined to offer Tobias Rieder a qualifying offer yesterday, it was only a matter of time before teams came calling on the new UFA. Sportsnet’s Rick Dhaliwal states that the Vancouver Canucks are one of those interested teams, but that four or five other suitors have already emerged. The two-way winger is one of the youngest and most versatile options available on the market.
Jack Johnson In Talks With Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins are always one of the teams to watch in trade season and free agency, at least with Jim Rutherford in the GM chair. The veteran executive is no stranger to salary cap gymnastics and horse trading, and usually finds unexpected ways to improve his roster. One of those ways may now come in the form of Jack Johnson, who according to Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has had very positive talks with the Penguins as we get closer to free agency opening on July 1st. Johnson is a good friend of Sidney Crosby and would give Pittsburgh another veteran option on the blueline to help on another Stanley Cup run in 2018-19.
The cost of a Johnson contract isn’t clear. The Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman earned $5MM on the last season of his seven-year, $30.5MM contract in 2017-18, but lobbied for a trade in order to try and secure a better contract on the open market. The 31-year old was involved in a very public bankruptcy case in 2014, and simply wanted to ensure a healthy deal this summer knowing it may be his last multi-year deal in the NHL. He ended up staying with Columbus all season, but faced being a healthy scratch down the stretch—in part, somewhat ironically, because of the Blue Jackets’ acquisition of Penguins defenseman Ian Cole at the deadline—and didn’t suit up for a single playoff game.
Where his market currently sits is unclear, but the Penguins can’t be paying huge sums to a defenseman in their current cap situation. After re-signing Bryan Rust earlier today, Pittsburgh has around $5MM in cap space with Jamie Oleksiak and others still to sign. Though they can go up to 10% over that during the offseason, signing Johnson to a hefty multi-year deal would make it awful tricky going forward. Rutherford has made it clear that they will send out some salary at some point this season, but even trading Phil Kessel‘s $6.8MM cap hit doesn’t create much room if a good chunk of it is taken up by a Johnson signing.
Bryan Rust Re-Signs With Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins have locked up one of their most versatile forwards, re-signing Bryan Rust to a four-year contract. The deal carries an average annual value of $3.5MM, and will carry Rust to unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2022. Rust was scheduled to become a restricted free agent with arbitration rights, but will now be locked into a contract with Pittsburgh until just after his 30th birthday.
Rust, 26, has moved up and down the Penguins lineup for the last few years, often riding shotgun with Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin. With that, he set a career-high with 38 points this season and saw the ice in every situation. A reliable defensive winger who can play both sides, he’s a useful piece for the Penguins to move around when needed. That said, this deal now brings with it some extra responsibility and expectations.
The Penguins are paying for UFA years in this contract, as Rust had just one year of restricted free agent status left and could have easily taken the team to arbitration for a hefty raise on the $640K cap hit he’s carried the last two seasons. The team is betting that he would have attracted several suitors, and offered him enough to make it worthwhile for him to sign away some of his free agent seasons. They should have a good indication of who would be interested, since they recently made Rust available in trade in at least negotiations over Max Domi. Whether GM Jim Rutherford would be open to trading Rust for other players isn’t clear, but with a cap crunch and improvements needed it would come as no surprise.
Rust’s deal leaves the Penguins with just over $5MM in projected cap space, but still some decisions to be made about roster players. Jamie Oleksiak was given a qualifying offer and is an RFA, but Riley Sheahan and Tom Kuhnhackl are both unrestricted free agents after going unqualified yesterday. The team could retain any number of them, but will have to be careful how much cap space is allocated to each. There is of course the chance that Phil Kessel and his $6.8MM cap hit is dealt in the coming weeks, but otherwise the Penguins look to be cash-strapped as free agency approaches. Rust’s deal does give them some level of cost certainty, but also complicates the cap situation for this summer.
Austin Czarnik, Daniel Carr Receiving Major Free Agency Interest
Who is the biggest the free agent name on the market that you may have never heard of? That would be Boston Bruins forward Austin Czarnik. Czarnik, 25, signed with the Bruins as an undrafted free agent out of Miami University in 2015 and qualified for Group 6 unrestricted free agency after just three pro seasons. During that time, Czarnik skated in 59 NHL games and recorded 17 points. However, only ten of those games came in 2017-18, as Czarnik was pushed out of the Boston lineup by superior play from young players like Jake DeBrusk, Danton Heinen, and Anders Bjork.
Czarnik spent almost the entire season in the AHL with the Providence Bruins, where his 69 points in 64 games was good enough for third in overall league scoring and second-best among all players with more than 45 games played. In both Boston and Providence, Czarnik has shown ability and versatility. He has elite puck possession skills, high-end skating and quickness, and strong offensive instincts, can play center or wing, plays a smart two-way game, and can contribute on the power play and penalty kill – at least that is what he has displayed in two full AHL seasons and a partial NHL season.
The Bruins obviously kept tabs on Czarnik and value his ability, but couldn’t find room for him on the roster down the stretch to get him over the requisite games to avoid Group 6 free agency. As such, Boston has the same chances as every other team at signing Czarnik and it’s shaping up to be quite a fight. The Providence Journal’s Mark Divver spoke with Czarnik’s agent, Brian Bartlett, who stated that there has been “overwhelming interest” in Czarnik so far and that he has heard from more than two-thirds of the league in regards to his client. Czarnik is largely unproven in the NHL and his smaller stature could be a concern, but his upside and potential to be an offensive asset in a bottom-six role has most teams vying for his consideration. The only real risk in pursuing Czarnik is if this turns into a bidding war, with the winner inking the young forward to an above-market contract for a player who has yet to prove he can produce at a high level in the NHL.
Bartlett has also been busy fielding calls on another unexpectedly popular client, Daniel Carr. The Montreal Canadiens forward was set to be a restricted free agent this summer, but was not made a qualifying offer today ahead of the deadline. As such, Carr is now an unrestricted free agent. According to TVA’s Renaud Lavoie, the Canadiens declined to make a qualifying offer to Carr after he first declined an initial offer worth $700K per year. Bartlett reportedly came armed to negotiations with an offer from the KHL worth far more than the Habs’ offer and they will look for a similar or superior deal in free agency. Lavoie says that Bartlett feels initial talks with other teams indicate that they will easily surpass the Canadiens’ last best offer on the open market.
Carr, like Czarnik, was an undrafted NCAA free agent out of Union College who has played a part-time role for Montreal over the past three seasons. Carr has posted 34 points in 94 games for the Canadiens while usually playing left wing in the bottom six. Carr also spent ample time watching the Habs play from the press box. However, he still managed to suit up for 20 games with the AHL’s Laval Rocket this season and contributed 19 points. Carr’s exposure has been limited, but the hard-working forward has done enough to impress scouts from the KHL and likely scouts from the NHL as well. He will remain an interesting name to watch this off-season.
Minnesota Notes: Free Agent Targets, No-Trade Lists, Rau, Mittelstadt
In a loaded article for The Athletic today, Michael Russo addresses the Minnesota Wild’s plans for the off-season with new GM Paul Fenton through his first draft and ready for free agency. While Russo speculates that the Wild could look more toward the trade market than the UFA market this summer, he does name a few player who he feels the team has interest in and are likely to be good fits. Among those named are top-six scorers – and two of the biggest names on the market – James Neal and David Perron of the Vegas Golden Knights, as well as two-way contributors Michael Grabner and Jay Beagle. Russo also adds that the team is likely to take a look at upgrading the backup goalie position. Perhaps the deepest free agent position group this summer is at #2 netminder, where some of the league’s best backups from last season, several veteran former starters, and a few young keepers in need of a change compose a large group of possibilities. The Wild used Alex Stalock as their primary backup in 2017-18 and he performed well enough, but the veteran still has a year left on a two-way contract and the team could easily stash him in the AHL if they can woo a superior option to Minnesota.
- While the following information could frighten fans of the Wild, particularly given the team’s interest in exploring the trade market, don’t be too alarmed. Russo reports that Fenton has requested updated No-Trade lists from starting goaltender Devan Dubnyk, top-pair defenseman Jared Spurgeon, and top scorer Eric Staal. However, Russo believes that this is just a formality that the new GM wanted to get out of the way. With Minnesota expected to be a playoff team again next season, it is very unlikely that any of these three star players are likely to be traded any time soon.
- Russo believes that fan-favorite local product Kyle Rau is unlikely to test the free agent market is instead close on a two-year extension with the Wild. There has been no official word on the contract, but Russo believes it is a done deal. A former “Mr. Hockey”-winning Minnesota high school phenom and a star at the University of Minnesota, Rau signed as a free agent with the Wild last summer after two years with the Florida Panthers. Although he only played in three games with Minnesota this season, he was an offensive force with AHL Iowa, posting 50 points in 69 games. The 25-year-old forward would likely draw some interest on the open market, but seems more inclined to re-sign and fight for a roster spot with the Wild
- Over at Rau’s alma mater, the University of Minnesota, the Gophers hope that they have two more future stars on the way. John and Luke Mittelstadt, the younger brothers of former Gopher and top Buffalo Sabres’ forward prospect Casey Mittelstadt, have announced their commitments to the university. John, 16, is a forward who produced well in his first season at Eden Prairie High School and Luke, 15, is a defenseman who will be a freshman at Eden Prairie in the fall. Like brother Casey, the Mittelstadt’s are undersized and not elite athletes, but make up for it with tremendous skill and hockey sense. They will arrive at Minnesota in 2020 and 2021, respectively, and will join the likes of Blake McLaughlin, Bryce Brodzinski and others on a top program that has been gaining some major commitments over the past few months.
List Of Players Who Will Not Receive A 2018 Qualifying Offer
The deadline to issue a qualifying offer to pending restricted free agents comes down at 4pm today, making any player who has not received one eligible to become an unrestricted free agent, though it does not stop them from re-signing with the team for a different amount. Below are the players who will not be issued a qualifying offer. This page will continue to update as more teams release their lists:
Anaheim Ducks
Arizona Coyotes
F Freddie Hamilton, G Sean Maguire
Boston Bruins
Buffalo Sabres
F Victor Antipin, G Robin Lehner, F Scott Wilson
Calgary Flames
F Austin Carroll, F Emile Poirier, F Daniel Pribyl, F Nick Shore, F Hunter Smith
Carolina Hurricanes
F Phil Di Giuseppe*, F Joakim Nordstrom, F Sergey Tolchinsky, D Klas Dahlbeck, D Tyler Ganly, D Keegan Kanzig
Chicago Blackhawks
D Adam Clendening, F Anthony Duclair, F Tomas Jurco, F Michael Chaput – unofficial (not disclosed)
Colorado Avalanche
D Duncan Siemens, F Nail Yakupov, F Reid Petryk, F Felix Girard, D Jesse Graham
Columbus Blue Jackets
Dallas Stars
Detroit Red Wings
D Dan Renouf, F Zach Nastasiuk – unofficial (not disclosed)
Edmonton Oilers
F Iiro Pakarinen, D Ben Betker, F Kyle Platzer
Florida Panthers
D Edward Wittchow, F Gregory Chase
Los Angeles Kings
F Tobias Rieder, F Justin Auger, D Jordan Subban
Minnesota Wild
D Ryan Murphy*, G Steve Michalek, D Dylan Labbe, F Adam Gilmour, G Adam Vay
Montreal Canadiens
F Logan Shaw, F Daniel Carr, F Jeremy Gregoire, D Tom Parisi, G Zach Fucale
Nashville Predators
(none)
New Jersey Devils
G Ken Appleby, F Mario Lucia
New York Islanders
F Alan Quine, F Shane Prince, D Brandon Davidson, F Kyle Schempp
New York Rangers
F Adam Tambellini – unofficial (not disclosed)
Ottawa Senators
D Fredrik Claesson, F Nick Moutrey, G Chris Driedger
Philadelphia Flyers
Pittsburgh Penguins
D Frank Corrado, F Riley Sheahan, F Tom Kuhnhackl, F Vincent Dunn
San Jose Sharks
St. Louis Blues
F Justin Selman, D Thomas Vannelli
Tampa Bay Lightning
Toronto Maple Leafs
(none)
Vancouver Canucks
D Derrick Pouliot, F Cole Cassels, D Anton Cederholm, F Griffen Molino, D Mackenze Stewart
Vegas Golden Knights
Not Disclosed
Washington Capitals
F Devante Smith-Pelly, G Adam Carlson, F Adam Chapie, F Tim McGauley
Winnipeg Jets
D Joseph Morrow, D Jan Kostalek, F Jimmy Lodge, G Jamie Phillips
* – re-signed by team
Blake Comeau Will Not Return To Colorado
Fans of Colorado forward Blake Comeau will be sorry to hear that his days with Avalanche are reportedly over. According to Adrian Dater of BSN Denver, the Avs have decided not to offer a contract to the veteran forward. Comeau will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1st and will be free to sign anywhere, except in Denver apparently.
Comeau, 32, is considered to be an intriguing name in a relatively shallow free agent market this summer. There are not many top-six options available as unrestricted free agents and Comeau should be able to cash in on his elevated value. Perhaps GM Joe Sakic and the Avalanche anticipated this market effect and after initial conversations with Comeau decided that they weren’t willing to bid against the field to retain an older player.
This would be a rational reason why Colorado wouldn’t otherwise want to retain Comeau. The two-way right winger is coming off of his best season with the Avalanche over the course of his three-year deal with the team. Comeau registered 34 points in 79 games and was one of only four regular forwards to finish the season with a positive rating. He also provided sound defensive play, as one of the team’s top checkers and oft-relied upon presence in key defensive zone situations. Comeau was a versatile a dependable presence for the young Avs squad and it is somewhat of a surprise that they will not reportedly not pursue an extension with him. Colorado’s loss is someone else’s gain however; the multi-talented forward is bound to find another good fit in no time on the free agent market.
Joe Thornton Still Expected To Re-Sign In San Jose
The San Jose Sharks have cleared quite a bit of cap room in the recent weeks, and with that are expected to be big players in free agency. They have been confirmed as one of the teams granted a sit down meeting with John Tavares this week, and are considered by some to be the front runner if the superstar center decides to leave the New York Islanders. Even if they do land a big fish on the open market though, the team is still expected to re-sign veteran center Joe Thornton for at least one more year. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic tweets that there is “no hurry” to get Thornton’s contract signed, and it will be dependent on what else the Sharks do. That’s a nice luxury for GM Doug Wilson to have, especially given the relatively thin market at center among free agents.
Thornton will turn 39 on July 2nd, is coming off another major knee injury, and played just 47 games last season. That said, when healthy he was still a dominant playmaking force and can still help any team in the league. If the Sharks can get him on a final team-friendly contract, he could become one of the most valuable assets around the league. Last season’s $8MM cap hit will surely come down significantly, and it will likely be just for one season if he stays in San Jose.
If Tavares or another free agent center comes to the Sharks over the next few days, Thornton would likely be pushed down the lineup. The team has plenty of options at center already, but is committed to improving their club this summer and taking another run at the Stanley Cup. Many believe Logan Couture will be extended quickly once he’s eligible next week, but the core of the team isn’t getting any younger. Joe Pavelski will be an unrestricted free agent next summer, while Brent Burns and Marc-Edouard Vlasic are both signed deep into their thirties. The time to win is now in San Jose, and Thornton clearly wants to be a part of it.