Several Teams Linked To Ilya Kovalchuk
This weekend a report surfaced that Ilya Kovalchuk was visiting the Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks. There wasn’t any indication whether those teams would eventually land the Russian sniper, but he was at least willing to speak with them ahead of his signing period that begins on July 1st. Now, in a report from Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (subscription required) the market for Kovalchuk becomes more clear.
LeBrun lists the Kings, Sharks, Boston Bruins and New York Rangers as the “top contenders” for the 35-year old sniper, with a second group of interested parties including the Detroit Red Wings, St. Louis Blues, Dallas Stars and Anaheim Ducks. Darren Dreger of TSN also believes that Detroit is in the mix, while Craig Custance of The Athletic (subscription required) has heard that the Red Wings want to bring him aboard. Custance also lists the Tampa Bay Lightning as a possibility if Kovalchuk is willing to sign a short-term deal.
Interestingly, the New York Islanders were not listed among the interested teams despite Kovalchuk’s obvious connection with GM Lou Lamoriello. Arthur Staple of The Athletic added to that when he tweeted that the Islanders were “not in the main circle of interest” something that doesn’t seem so surprising when they have their own star free agent to get under contract in the coming weeks. While no Lamoriello-run team should ever be counted out of anything because of a lack of information, the Islanders don’t appear to be the best fit for Kovalchuk, who wants to win a Stanley Cup and doesn’t have a lot of years left to do it.
Kovalchuk can agree to terms with anyone in the league right now, but will have to wait until July 1st to actually sign a contract. He’s obviously taking his time to speak with anyone interested, but it seems as though there are plenty of teams willing to take a chance on him. Remember any contract he signs will count against the cap regardless of whether he retires or not, while he can only receive performance bonuses if he agrees to a one-year deal.
Kings Sign Assistant GM Mike Futa To A Multi-Year Extension
- The Kings have signed Assistant GM Mike Futa to a contract extension, reports Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Curtis Zupke of the LA Times adds (Twitter link) that it’s a multi-year deal. Futa has been with Los Angeles since 2007, holding down a variety of positions including Director of Player Personnel, Amateur Scouting Director, and VP of Hockey Operations. He has been interviewed for several GM spots around the league in recent years including Carolina’s vacancy earlier this year (that was later filled by Don Waddell).
Western Notes: Canucks Defense, Blues, Voynov
The Vancouver Canucks will have two big holes on offense with the losses of Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin. Having been with the club since 1999, the Sedins have always been a source of offense and even though their skills had begun to deteriorate over the past few years, the two still combined for 105 points this past year at age 37. However, offense may not be the Canucks’ biggest need this season as the team has its biggest troubles on their blueline and might need to focus on that this offseason, according to Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre.
The team has a lot of question marks about the blueline with only Erik Gudbranson locked up for any length of time (three years at $4MM AAV). Top defenseman Alexander Edler is on his last season with the team and is already 32. With the team considering possibly trading veteran Chris Tanev who one of their biggest trade chips, there is little to look forward to on defense.
That isn’t the case on offense. The team might have lost the Sedins, but they have a group of prospects who are ready or close to ready to move into the lineup, including Elias Pettersson, Adam Gaudette, Kole Lind, Jonathan Dahlen and Nikolay Goldobin. However, defensive prospects are few and far between in Vancouver. The team has high hopes that 2015 fifth-overall pick Olli Juolevi might be ready to take on a major role with Vancouver next season. Taken ahead of both Mikhail Sergachev and Charlie McAvoy that year, the team has high expectations for him. The team also has the seventh overall pick in this year’s defensive-heavy draft, which should bring aboard another top defenseman to help the team out, although there is talk of the team moving that pick for a more developed pro-prospect instead, such as the rumors of the team wanting to acquire Carolina’s Noah Hanifin.
One possibility that MacIntyre suggests is instead of Hanifin would be to go out and trade for Colorado’s Tyson Barrie, who could find himself on the trade market with the team’s influx of youth on the blueline.
- After a recent report in which St. Louis Blues general manager spoke about how the team wants to acquire a top center this offseason, St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Jeff Gordon writes that offers for John Tavares are likely unrealistic, the free agent pool is few and likely to become too high-priced and prospect Robert Thomas would be better off starting as a third-line center to get his feet wet. Despite that, he writes there are several potential trade options for the team if they really wants a realistic option for a second-line center. He suggests that both Tampa Bay Lightning’s Tyler Johnson and Montreal Canadiens’ Alex Galchenyuk would make for good options, especially the latter as Montreal is in need of defense, which St. Louis has plenty of.
- Former Los Angeles Kings defenseman Slava Voynov, who has expressed interest in returning to the NHL after his contract with the Kings was terminated after pleading no contest to a charge stemming from a domestic dispute, supposedly had gained permission to cross the border to the U.S., according to KHL insider Aivis Kalnins, and look for a job in the NHL this offseason. While he is still looking for work in the NHL, NHL.com’s Igor Eronko reports that Voynov received that permission more than a year ago and traveled to the U.S. last summer. No word on whether any team is considering the former King, who played four seasons for them and the past three with SKA St. Petersburg in the KHL. Eronko adds that July 2 is the first day that Voynov can apply for a U.S. work visa.
Ilya Kovalchuk Visiting With Los Angeles Kings, San Jose Sharks
While John Tavares remains the top potential free agent this summer, Ilya Kovalchuk is still an intriguing name for many teams around the league. The 35-year old Russian sniper was once a devastating force in the NHL, and is trying to make a comeback after several years in the KHL. Though Kovalchuk had previously indicated he would favor New York or Florida as possible destinations, Darren Dreger of TSN reports that the free agent forward was in California today meeting with the Los Angeles Kings, and has a meeting scheduled for tomorrow with the San Jose Sharks.
Kovalchuk can agree to terms with any team in the NHL, though no contract can be officially signed until July 1st.
The Kings have struggled for several years to create offense with the group they have, relying heavily on Anze Kopitar and Jeff Carter. While Kovalchuk would present an opportunity to improve that offense, he also comes with a fair amount of risk.
Though eligible for performance bonuses if he signs a one-year deal, Kovalchuk is expected to be seeking a multi-year pact to return and compete for the Stanley Cup. After already “retiring” from the league once, many teams may be hesitant to commit to him for that long, especially since his contract would count against the cap regardless of what he decides to do in the future. As a 35+ player, even retirement doesn’t remove the cap hit from the books.
The Sharks lost Patrick Marleau last offseason and couldn’t quite replicate his production from the wing. They risk losing Joe Thornton this summer and have both Logan Couture and Joe Pavelski scheduled for free agency in 2019. Though Kovalchuk doesn’t offer a long-term fix, he could help crack open their window of competition in the short-term ad help them get over the hump.
Pierre Turgeon Will Not Return To Los Angeles Kings
After just one season as the team’s “offensive coordinator,” assistant coach Pierre Turgeon will not return to the Los Angeles Kings. Turgeon is leaving the club due to family reasons, though the team made no mention of starting a search to replace him immediately. A statement was included from GM Rob Blake:
Pierre has informed us that he has decided not to return to his coaching position due to family reasons and we have accepted his resignation. We thank him for his efforts with the Kings this past season and wish him nothing but the best in his future endeavors.
Turgeon was hired as an assistant for new coach John Stevens and tasked with trying to squeeze more offense out of a group that had struggled for several years. The Kings still struggled as a group, but at least part of that can be attributed to Jeff Carter missing all but 27 games up front. For Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown, it was a return to form as they recorded 92 and 61 points respectively to lead the club. Brown especially rebounded; after four straight seasons of 15 or fewer goals, the former 30-goal winger put up 28.
There’s no telling exactly what Turgeon is going through in his personal life but hopefully he’ll be able to get back to hockey in some capacity in the near future. He currently sits 32nd on the all-time points list as a player, and is a well respected figure around the league.
Draft Day Trade Rumors: O’Reilly, Hoffman, Coyotes, Maple Leafs
Given the last-place finish of the Buffalo Sabres and the comments made by veteran leader Ryan O’Reilly at the end of the season, it would come as no surprise if the team was to trade away their best player not named Jack Eichel in an effort to build around Eichel and his fellow promising young players. Earlier today, TSN’s Darren Dreger spoke on the extensive demands that Buffalo GM Jason Botterill has for any return in an O’Reilly deal and, while he admitted that a deal is beginning to seem more likely, felt that it would take a lot of work for any team to make a fair offer in Botterill’s eyes. Dreger’s TSN colleague and The Athletic reporter Pierre LeBrun seems slightly more optimistic about the likelihood of a deal. LeBrun admits that O’Reilly likely wouldn’t mind returning to Buffalo, what with Casey Mittelstadt and Rasmus Dahlin likely in the fold next year and beyond, and the Sabres may not mind keeping him. However, LeBrun opines that if John Tavares re-signs with the New York Islanders prior to the NHL Draft, the top center on the free agent market will be Paul Stastny and many teams would prefer to search the trade market instead, where O’Reilly appears to be the top prize down the middle. Given the Sabres’ desire to add young pieces – picks and prospects – to develop alongside their new, young core, the draft would be the ideal time to strike on an O’Reilly trade. LeBrun goes so far as to say that the Montreal Canadiens have already discussed such a deal.
- Another player who LeBrun feels is primed to be dealt during or around the upcoming draft is Ottawa Senators forward Mike Hoffman. Hoffman was a frequent member of the rumor mill through the most recent NHL Trade Deadline, but remained in Ottawa, at least for the time being. LeBrun says that those rumors are back in full swing and that he feels Hoffman will be traded at the draft. The Senators are not trending in the right direction and could benefit from both the multi-piece return that Hoffman would command and a reprieve from his $5.18MM salary over the next two seasons. LeBrun notes that the Los Angeles Kings and Calgary Flames were the top suitors for Hoffman at the deadline, but the St. Louis Blues and Florida Panthers were also among a plethora of teams pursuing a player who has flirted with 30 goals and 60 points for three years in a row.
- The Carolina Hurricanes and Vancouver Canucks have already been rumored to be listening on offers for their top ten picks in the upcoming draft; add the Arizona Coyotes to that list as well. LeBrun states that the team has contemplated offers and would consider moving up or down on draft day, depending on how the picks fall. LeBrun believes that GM John Chayka has already spoken with the Montreal Canadiens about a swap involving picks #3 and #5, in case the Habs feel they can get the top center in the draft, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, later on and if the ‘Yotes have a preferred choice between potential second overall picks Andrei Svechnikov and Filip Zadina. He also feels that there is a strong chance that they could trade down, given the depth of defensemen in the first round versus the desire of other teams to move up for top forwards. Look for Arizona to be busy on the draft floor later this month.
- Another team that could be making moves on draft day are the Toronto Maple Leafs. In a mailbag for The Athletic, Jame Mirtle says to expect new GM Kyle Dubas to trade down, perhaps even multiple times, during the draft. When Dubas ran the draft for the Leafs in 2015 he employed this strategy, seen far more often in the NFL than NHL. Dubas traded down twice in order to collect multiple picks in later rounds. In a draft that many feel has a significant drop-off in talent after the first 20-odd picks to a tier that encompasses the next 60 or so picks, if Toronto feels that they don’t have a surefire option at 25th overall, they could swap with a team who has a specific player in mind and potentially grab multiple player of similar caliber later on.
Poll: Superstar Defensemen On The Move
Much has been made recently about the futures of five All-Star defenseman who are slated for free agency in 2019. Drew Doughty is working toward an extension with the Los Angeles Kings. Oliver Ekman-Larsson is sitting on an offer from the Arizona Coyotes. The Nashville Predators have made re-signing Ryan Ellis their priority this off-season. Ryan McDonagh was unable to bring home a Stanley Cup for the favorite Tampa Bay Lightning after a deadline blockbuster. And all of this has somehow overshadowed the potential availability of the Ottawa Senators’ Erik Karlsson.
All five of these superstar defenders could sign extensions on July 1st. Of course, they could all be dealt away even sooner. Doughty seems closest on a deal, but has strict salary demands that could end up souring one side or the other. Ekman-Larsson has always seemed loyal to the Coyotes, but is understandably concerned about the future of the team given their struggles throughout his career. Ellis too has been a loyal soldier for the Predators and an extremely underpaid one at that. He could make far more and play a far greater role elsewhere. McDonagh was acquired for the Bolts to make a title run this year and next, but beyond that point the team may not be able to afford him. Finally, Karlsson is the ultimate prize. He has expressed a desire to get fair market value on his next deal and polarizing Ottawa owner Eugene Melnyk seems unlikely to match.
So, as the off-season gets underway and these five know that their futures will be determined in the next twelve months, the question is how many re-sign and how many move on, either via trade or free agency? Which of these stars will don the same jersey in 2019-20 as they did in 2017-18?
Doughty, Kings Progressing On An Extension
As is always the case, a much-anticipated free agent market loses many top names before it actually opens. As it currently stands, the talent level and depth of the potential 2019 class makes it one of the best the NHL has ever (hypothetically) seen. However, each player in that class can sign an extension beginning on July 1st of this year and has an entire calendar year before they become available. In that time, this epic free agent group could shrink considerably.
One of the top names already seems destined to be removed from the market. For a time, it was believed that Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty may test the open waters of free agency and could even be the final piece of the championship puzzle for his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs. However, Doughty has made it clear in recent months that his preference is to remain in L.A. Now, Sportsnet insider Nick Kypreos reports that the two sides are already closing in on an agreement to make that happen. Given that an extension offer cannot even officially be made for another month, this early progress seems to indicate that this deal will get done.
According to Kypreos, the 28-year-old Norris Trophy-winning defender will get a significant raise in his next contract over what is already a considerable cap hit at $7MM. Doughty has gone on the record as saying that he would like to be paid more than Nashville Predators blue liner P.K. Subban, who is currently the highest-paid defenseman in the league at $9MM AAV. Kypreos estimates that Doughty will land somewhere in the $10.5-11MM per year range on a long-term deal, which would make him the new top dog among defenseman – until Erik Karlsson hits the market. While it may seem overwhelming that the Kings would have two players, captain Anze Kopitar being the other, making $10MM+, a rising salary cap would make it much less of a burden than it has been on the only other team in that scenario, the Chicago Blackhawks. L.A. would have two of the league’s best players locked up long-term and would not be as strapped for space to build around them in pursuit of more championships for one the best teams in this century.
Exclusive Negotiating Rights Of 33 Draft Picks Expire
The deadline for signing draft picks has come and gone, and unless more deals come in after the fact, 33 players—the same total as last year—will see their exclusive negotiating rights expire. With it they will either re-enter the 2018 draft for the final time or become free agents, depending on their age. Adam Mascherin is the highest picked player among those who will be headed back into the draft, selected 38th overall by the Florida Panthers two years ago. Below is the full list of players:
Anaheim Ducks:
F Tyler Soy (7th round, 2016)
Arizona Coyotes:
F Anton Karlsson (3rd round, 2014)
D David Westlund (6th round, 2014)
Buffalo Sabres:
D Vojtech Budik (5th round, 2016)
F Brandon Hagel (6th round, 2016)
D Austin Osmanski (7th round, 2016)
Calgary Flames:
D Adam Ollas Mattsson (6th round, 2014)
Carolina Hurricanes:
C Hudson Elynuik (3rd round, 2016)
D Noah Carroll (6th round, 2016)
Chicago Blackhawks:
D Andreas Soderberg (5th round, 2014)
Colorado Avalanche:
G Maximilian Pajpach (6th round, 2014)
Dallas Stars:
D Miro Karjalainen (5th round, 2014)
Detroit Red Wings:
D Jordan Sambrook (5th round, 2016)
F Julius Vahatalo (6th round, 2014)
Florida Panthers:
G Hugo Fagerblom (7th round, 2014)
C Adam Mascherin (2nd round, 2016)
Los Angeles Kings:
D Jacob Friend (7th round, 2016)
Minnesota Wild:
D Pontus Sjalin (6th round, 2014)
D Brayden Chizen (7th round, 2016)
New Jersey Devils:
G Evan Cormier (4th round, 2016)
Philadelphia Flyers:
C Anthony Salinitri (6th round, 2016)
Pittsburgh Penguins:
D Connor Hall (3rd round, 2016)
San Jose Sharks:
D Mark Shoemaker (6th round, 2016)
Tampa Bay Lightning:
C Christopher Paquette (5th round, 2016)
Toronto Maple Leafs:
D Keaton Middleton (4th rond, 2016)
F J.J. Piccinich (4th round, 2014)
D Nicolas Mattinen (6th round, 2016)
Vancouver Canucks:
D Cole Candella (5th round, 2016)
F Jakob Stukel (6th round, 2016)
C Brett McKenzie (7th round, 2016)
Washington Capitals:
F Kevin Elgestal (7th round, 2014)
D Dmitri Zaitsev (7th round, 2016)
Winnipeg Jets:
C Jordan Stallard (5th round, 2016)
Poll: Impact Of The Estimated Cap Increase
Earlier this week, Commissioner Gary Bettman and Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly spoke with the media about many different league topics. Perhaps the biggest news to come out of the press conference was Daly’s estimation of the salary cap for next season. Daly believes that the salary cap will fall somewhere between $78MM and $82MM, meaning that there will be a significant increase in the salary cap. The cap limit has increased by $2MM or less in each of the past three seasons, but the low point of the estimated range would already be a $3MM increase over the 2017-18 cap number. If it ends up near the top of the range, it will likely be the largest jump in the salary cap in league history.
Whatever the result, the cap increase will undoubtedly affect this off-season. Prior to Daly’s projection, teams like the Los Angeles Kings, Pittsburgh Penguins, Chicago Blackhawks, and Tampa Bay Lightning were going to face an immense cap crunch this summer and likely would have been forced to shed salary. Those teams can now breathe easier. However, teams on the lower end of the salary spectrum who don’t spend to the cap, such as the Carolina Hurricanes and Arizona Coyotes, will find it even harder to catch up in a market that that has lessened its grip on the stronger, higher payroll teams. With a higher cap comes salary inflation, which is another struggle for small market teams. The cap increase may also allow for some of the bigger talked-about trades and free agent movement – John Tavares, Erik Karlsson, Phil Kessel, ect. – to happen. However, the flip side is that a salary cap increase gives teams incentive to add, but not subtract and could lessen the amount of total trades we see this summer.
What do you think? Is this potentially historic increase in the salary cap ceiling a good thing for the league?