Minnesota Wild Hope To Extend Jared Spurgeon
Of all names in trade speculation coming out regarding the Minnesota Wild, Jared Spurgeon‘s was perhaps the most surprising. While the 29-year old defenseman has just one year remaining on his current contract, he is also one of the most consistent two-way defensemen in the league and is coming off a career-high 43 points for the Wild. Spurgeon was forced to carry more of the offensive load after Matthew Dumba went down with injury, and ended up averaging more than 24 minutes a night for the third consecutive season. That kind of player is extremely hard to come by, which made it curious why his name was coming up in any speculation. Wild GM Paul Fenton put an end to that today while speaking to reporters including Michael Russo of The Athletic, indicating that he does not plan on trading Spurgeon and instead wants to sign him to an extension.
The Wild have made their fair share of trades over the last few months as Fenton tries to put his signature on the club, but trading Spurgeon may be the limit he’s unwilling to cross. After sending Nino Niederreiter, Charlie Coyle and Mikael Granlund packing in three separate trades, Jason Zucker has also been included in talks and is expected to be dealt at some point. Part of the rationale behind those moves was clearing long-term salary off the books, probably in order to do something like extend Spurgeon. Minnesota is still hamstrung by the massive contracts of Ryan Suter and Zach Parise—even if both are still fine players—and already have multi-year commitments to several other players.
It’s not just Spurgeon who will need a new deal soon however, as fellow defenseman Jonas Brodin will be looking for a raise after his current deal ends in 2021. Kevin Fiala and Joel Eriksson Ek are already restricted free agents this summer, and a decision will have to be made at some point down the road on Devan Dubnyk‘s future. Locking up Spurgeon to a long-term deal certainly keeps around a great player, but also makes everything a little tighter in terms of cap dollars available. Any extension will likely represent a big increase on the $5.19MM cap hit he carries currently, and may even push Suter and Parise for the team’s most expensive contract.
Minnesota Wild Re-Sign Matt Bartkowski
The Minnesota Wild have re-signed veteran defenseman Matt Bartkowski to a one-year, two-way contract. The deal will pay Bartkowski $700K at the NHL level.
The 31-year old Bartkowski was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, after spending nearly the entire year in the minor leagues. Through 70 games with the Iowa Wild he registered 19 points and was a valuable veteran to help the squad reach the Calder Cup playoffs for the first time in franchise history. That’s likely the role he’ll play next season as well, but the Wild will also welcome him as depth in case of injury.
Bartkowski is a product of hard work after being selected 190th overall in 2008, and has been rewarded with 255 NHL games over his career. Suiting up for the Boston Bruins, Vancouver Canucks, and Calgary Flames before joining the Wild, he has recorded 48 points in 255 games. Minnesota is in the midst of a culture change at the NHL level, but continuing their minor league success is an important part of developing the next wave of talent.
Sabres Notes: Skinner, Pominville, Trade Options
The Buffalo Sabres accomplished their biggest offseason task on Friday evening when it signed winger Jeff Skinner to a eight-year, $72MM extension. Regardless, despite being able to convince a top player to sign a long-term deal in Buffalo, there are a number of significant ramifications that go with the Sabres’ locking up the 27-year-old.
Skinner and Jack Eichel will now combine for 22.5 percent of the team’s salary cap, which is the sixth-highest number for teams’ top two players. While the Sabres have cap room to work with, the team may find themselves in trouble down the road, according to the Buffalo News’ Lance Lysowski. In fact, Buffalo general manager Jason Botterill may have trouble in a few years when he tries to sign some of the team’s other young pieces, including Sam Reinhart, Rasmus Dahlin, Brandon Montour and Casey Mittelstadt, which could give the team some issues with improving in the near future. All that for a team that didn’t come close to making the playoffs this past season.
- The Athletic’s Jon Vogl (subscription required) writes that the Sabres had no choice but to sign Skinner to long-term deal. While the scribe admits that the money is significant, the team couldn’t have handled losing their first-line winger, considering the significant amount of cap space the franchise has both this year and next and the near-impossible task of replacing him. Not signing him would have been worse than overpaying him. Regardless, this should give Botterill an extended chance to prove that he is a competent GM as he will have to assemble the rest of the team’s roster for the next few years, even if Skinner doesn’t pan out over the long haul.
- In a separate note, Lysowski also reports that the team is in discussions with forward Jason Pominville and are hoping to bring the veteran back on a cheaper deal. While no longer a top-six option, the 36-year-old Pominville has worked effectively as a bottom-six forward who can produce some offense, as he potted 16 goals last season. The Buffalo News’ Mike Harrington adds that Buffalo should offer him a one-year deal between $2-2.5MM and have him play a big role on the team’s fourth line as well as the penalty kill unit.
- Pierre LeBrun, in a notebook piece for The Athletic (subscription required), reports that Buffalo isn’t done making moves to improve its team this season. The Sabres are looking to add a second-line center and/or a top-six winger to its roster to improve its scoring for next season. LeBrun adds that one name that Buffalo has inquired on is Minnesota Wild winger Jason Zucker and he also wonders whether the team would consider taking on the contract of Kyle Turris in Nashville to fill their center void.
Latest On Jason Zucker’s Trade Market
The Minnesota Wild have tried to trade Jason Zucker multiple times. At the trade deadline this year, the Wild had a deal fall through with the Calgary Flames at the last minute while just last month they tried and failed to get a deal done with the Pittsburgh Penguins for Phil Kessel. It should come as no surprise then that Zucker comes in near the top of The Athletic’s new trade board (subscription required) or that he was the topic of discussion on TSN 1040 radio today. Host Mike Halford —who also works at The Athletic—reported that a source told him the Vancouver Canucks are interested in the Wild forward and that there are several trade proposals already on the table.
Zucker, 27, is one of the last bastions of the Minnesota forward core that former GM Chuck Fletcher built during his time there. Since taking over, new GM Paul Fenton has jettisoned Nino Niederreiter, Mikael Granlund and Charlie Coyle, bringing in some different faces to try and change their playoff outcome. Unfortunately, the Wild didn’t even make the playoffs this season and now face an uphill climb back to contention. If Fenton is trying for a long-term approach to that problem it would make sense to move Zucker’s remaining four years at a $5.5MM cap hit for future assets—though Kessel would have not been that kind of acquisition.
The Canucks however do have plenty of good young players to target, if Minnesota is interested in sending him that direction. The interest from Vancouver is obvious, given how well their young forwards performed this year and the huge amount of cap space they currently enjoy. Even though he didn’t replicate his outstanding 2017-18 season, Zucker still produced 21 goals and 42 points last year for the Wild, and is one of the fastest skaters in the league. His deal only takes him through until he turns 31, and the Canucks have a need on the left side of their top-six beside either Bo Horvat or Elias Pettersson.
Still, because of Zucker’s value the Canucks won’t be the only ones interested. That same Athletic trade board has several quotes from executives around the league wondering why the Wild would even be interested in moving him, meaning Vancouver would likely need to pay a premium to win the bidding.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Snapshots: Datsyuk, Faulk, Karlsson, Sutter
Despite some initial speculation early this off-season, it seems an NHL comeback for Pavel Datsyuk is unlikely. Speaking to Helene St. James of The Detroit Free Press, agent Dan Milstein stated that Datsyuk’s probable landing spot remains his home town of Yekaterinburg with the KHL’s Avtomobilist. A free agent after wrapping up a very successful three-year stint with SKA St. Petersburg, Datsyuk made it known that he was leaving SKA and was hoping to land somewhere more familiar to he and his family. The 40-year-old center’s NHL rights are currently owned by the Arizona Coyotes, but they expire on July 1st with the start of the new league year. As such, there was some thought that he could return to the Detroit Red Wings, where he spent all 14 years of his NHL career. Datsyuk would be joining a team now run by fellow Red Wings legend Steve Yzerman and even in his advanced age, Datsyuk would have had the chance to return to a key role for Detroit. Although he recently visited the city and reportedly spoke to Yzerman and company, Milstein maintains that Datsyuk is more likely to settle into a cushy role in Yekaterinburg. “We are meeting in the coming days to discuss options and future plans,” Milstein said, but it seems that the decision is already close to being made. “It’s very likely Pavel will live up to his promise of playing for his hometown team in Russia.”
- In an article offering up some trade suggestions over the waning days of the NHL postseason for those teams no longer in the running, USA Today’s Kevin Allen notes that teams may not want to waste their time trying to pry a defenseman out of Carolina. The Hurricanes succeeded this season largely because of their strength on the back end and GM Don Waddell appears more concerned with maintaining that depth rather than leveraging it. Allen reports that the team is engaged in extension talks with long-time stalwart Justin Faulk, whose current contract expires after next season. Allen adds that the team is not interested in dealing Faulk or any of their top-four defensemen at this time, which certainly includes Dougie Hamilton, Jaccob Slavin, and Brett Pesce, but may also include their big free agent addition from last summer, Calvin de Haan. The one defenseman who might have been dangled as trade bait is Trevor van Riemsdyk who, like Faulk, has only one year remaining on his contract. However, a long-term injury that will see van Riemsdyk on the sidelines to begin the season will probably put a damper on any trade talks. van Riemsdyk’s early-season absence will also allow youngsters Haydn Fleury and Jake Bean to see some NHL ice time, keeping all blue line parties content through another season at least.
- Offer sheets remain a rare occurrence in the NHL – the last came in 2013 – but that doesn’t stop talk from spreading every off-season that one of the top restricted free agents could finally land such an offer. One prominent RFA whose name has not been associated with an offer sheet thus far, perhaps should be, writes David Schoen of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Schoen believes that center William Karlsson is a prime candidate for an offer sheet this summer. The Vegas Golden Knights are already buried in payroll and the off-season has yet to begin. CapFriendly estimates that they are already over the projected $83MM ceiling for next season, yet still have Karlsson, Nikita Gusev, Malcolm Subban, and others to re-sign. The Knights will be forced to move out salary regardless, but a substantial offer sheet signed by Karlsson may be too much for Vegas to match. Specifically, Schoen names the Carolina Hurricanes, Ottawa Senators, Minnesota Wild, and Detroit Red Wings as potential suitors, citing cap space and need for all four teams.
- While it is not a done deal, the Los Angeles Kings don’t appear worried about losing one of their key free agents. Fox Sports’ Jon Rosen reports that the Kings are close to extending Brett Sutter, the captain of the AHL’s Ontario Reign. Sutter, 32, is a respected veteran who Rosen states is a “great conduit between the coaching staff and dressing room.” An experienced and productive minor league forward, Sutter is the type of dedicated player that all organizations like to have around and it seems he will be back with L.A. for at least one more year.
Minnesota Wild Acquire, Sign Fedor Gordeev
4:17pm: The Wild have indeed signed Gordeev to a three-year entry-level contract, meaning Toronto will now receive their 2020 seventh-round pick.
11:45am: The Minnesota Wild have acquired the rights to Fedor Gordeev from the Toronto Maple Leafs. Gordeev needs to be signed by June 1 or else his exclusive rights would expire and he would re-enter the draft. If he does sign, the Maple Leafs will receive a seventh round pick.
Gordeev, 20, was originally selected in the fifth round of the 2017 draft, but wasn’t going to sign with the Maple Leafs. The 6’7″ defenseman had a fine season in the OHL, starting out with the Flint Firebirds before joining the OHL Champion Guelph Storm at the deadline. Gordeev may not have had the offensive impact that he was hoping for in the OHL playoffs, but is still an interesting project for the Wild to try and develop. Obviously his size presents a big opportunity, given that he can also move the puck and skate well.
Minnesota must have liked Gordeev, given that they could have drafted him themselves in a few weeks had he re-entered the draft. For the Maple Leafs, getting anything for a player you were about to lose for nothing is obviously a positive, but it does represent another failed late-round pick. Outside of their early selections the Maple Leafs haven’t found much success in the last few drafts, with another 2017 pick Ryan McGregor also expected to go unsigned. With the impending cap crunch in Toronto, the team will need to start finding some organizational depth in the later rounds in order to keep their window open.
Bob McKenzie of TSN first reported the deal.
Snapshots: Kessel, Malmquist, Vladar
It’s been confirmed by many sources now that Pittsburgh Penguins forward Phil Kessel himself nixed the proposed deal that would have sent him to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for Jason Zucker, among other pieces. What was unclear is exactly why. Kessel is a native of nearby Wisconsin and played his college hockey for the University of Minnesota. It would seem that the Wild would have been a nice fit for the veteran scorer. However, as noted by the Athletic’s Michael Russo, Kessel’s reasoning for turning down the destination is quite simple: he doesn’t think the team is a contender. In fact, after talking to those close to Kessel, Russo phrases it as Kessel didn’t think the team was even “close to contending”. GM Paul Fenton certainly left a mark in his first season at the helm, trading away established veterans Charlie Coyle, Mikael Granlund, and Nino Niederreiter and on paper the team does look to be in more of a rebuild than a title window. Fenton reportedly called Kessel to try to change his mind, but to no avail. Kessel will be 32 next season and has already showed signs of slowing down, so the star winger apparently has his sights set on competing for more Stanley Cups before his playing days are over. That could make the prospect of dealing him that much harder for Penguins GM Jim Rutherford, further limiting Kessel’s trade options to contenders on his eight-team trade list that have both the means and interest in acquiring him. Meanwhile, Fenton and the Wild have to hope that other prominent players, free agents or trade targets, don’t share in Kessel’s pessimistic outlook on the team’s chances or they may have a hard time improving this off-season.
- Kessel’s home of Madison, Wisconsin is set to see another promising player make his way into town in a couple of years. Liam Malmquist, a standout high school forward from Edina, Minnesota, has announced his commitment to play his college hockey for the University of Wisconsin. However, Malmquist will not join the Badgers until 2020-21 and will play next season for the BCHL’s Penticton Vees, the team announced today. Malmquist, 18, is an undersized scoring forward, whose lack of stature and relatively weak competition level likely kept him off the radar of NHL team’s in his first time through the draft last year. However, after recording 52 points in 24 games this year, he’s entered the conversation as a possible late-round overage waiver this June. Malmquist’s older brother, Dylan Malmquist, remains unsigned but just wrapped up a strong collegiate career at the University of Notre Dame. Even if Malmquist is not drafted, he can stay in the pro picture if he is able to replicate or top his brother’s numbers while at Wisconsin. He should be surrounded by plenty of talent too, as Malmquist joins a talented Badgers team that will add top 2019 prospects Alex Turcotte, Cole Caufield, Ryder Donovan, and Owen Lindmark, as well as intriguing 2020 name Dylan Holloway next season and another top 2020 prospect in Tanner Latsch the year after.
- The Boston Bruins have already lost forward Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson and defenseman Emil Johansson to Europe this off-season – even though the team’s off-season has yet to begin – and for the good of their minor league depth hope to avoid any other such losses. However, it is worth noting that AHL goaltender Dan Vladar was the subject of a recent trade in the KHL. Vladar’s rights were acquired by contender Lokomotiv Yaroslavl from HK Sochi in exchange for 22-year-old active KHL forward Alexander Polunin, a somewhat hefty price for just a player’s rights. There has been no word as to whether Vladar has talked about jumping overseas, prompting the trade, but it certainly shouldn’t be ruled out. Vladar, a 2015 third-round pick of the Bruins, is still only 21 but has yet to make an NHL appearance in three pro seasons. Vladar played as the Providence Bruins’ backup this season, making 31 appearances to starter Zane McIntyre‘s 47. Both goalies put up just pedestrian numbers and McIntyre, a pending unrestricted free agent, is not a lock to return. With NHL backup Jaroslav Halak also signed for just one more season, it could be that Vladar remains on the fast track to start for Providence next season and one day back up Tuukka Rask. One would think that position would keep the young net minder stateside. However, he now faces a challenge from other promising young goalies in the pipeline like Kyle Keyser and Jeremy Swayman and may no longer feel that he is guaranteed to ever see time with the Bruins. Such a mindset could see Vladar off to Russia this summer.
Morning Notes: Zucker, Zaripov, Dunn
Twice now in the span of a few months the Minnesota Wild have come close to trading away Jason Zucker. Michael Russo of The Athletic (subscription required) examines the recent trade talks between Minnesota and the Pittsburgh Penguins which were focused on a Zucker-Phil Kessel swap, and details the situation that the Wild forward now finds himself in. Zucker is obviously on the block as GM Paul Fenton continues to shake things up in Minnesota, and Russo reports that the Vancouver Canucks, Arizona Coyotes, Anaheim Ducks and Calgary Flames have all expressed interest of late, while last year the Toronto Maple Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes had discussed him.
The recent trade proposal from Pittsburgh seems to have been shut down by Kessel himself, but that could change at any minute if he decides to waive his no-trade clause. Either way, it seems like Zucker is destined to play for another team in 2019-20. The 27-year old forward has four years remaining on his current deal which carries a $5.5MM cap hit, and is coming off a 21-goal, 42-point season.
- Danis Zaripov was once on the radar of NHL teams after receiving a two-year doping ban from the KHL in 2017. That ban was eventually reduced to just six months and Zaripov stayed in Russia, something he’ll be doing once again in 2019-20. The 38-year old forward has signed a one-year extension with Ak Bars Kazan, giving him a chance to add to his outstanding history in the KHL. Zaripov is a legend in Russian hockey, with five Gagarin Cup championships, five World Championship medals, and even a league title from before the KHL formed a decade ago.
- Vince Dunn took part in the morning skate for the St. Louis Blues today, wearing a regular visor instead of the full cage that he has donned the last few days to protect his injured jaw. Still, he won’t play tonight in game one of the Stanley Cup Final according to head coach Craig Berube. Dunn has developed into a key part of the Blues’ defense corps over the last two seasons, and has an impressive seven points in 16 playoff games so far. Robert Thomas, another young player making an impact for the Blues these playoffs will be in the lineup tonight, Berube confirmed.
Metropolitan Division: Kessel, Martin, Sorokin, Lee
Just a few days ago, it was leaked that the Pittsburgh Penguins were closing in on a deal to send veteran forward Phil Kessel to Minnesota in a four-player trade. However, that trade hasn’t happened yet, suggesting that Kessel, who has can choose eight teams that he cannot reject a trade to, isn’t interested in playing for the Wild.
This complication could be a major issue for Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford, according to The Athletic’s Rob Rossi (subscription required), whose goal was to move Kessel and free up some cap room as early as possible, so the team could begin reshaping its roster. Once that deal was done, Rutherford could concentrate on his checklist that includes finalizing a new contract for goaltender Matt Murray, smoothing things over with Evgeni Malkin, working towards adding more youth throughout its franchise and possibly adding more picks in the early portion of the upcoming draft.
Yet, with Kessel flashing an unwillingness to be cooperative in where he gets traded, Rutherford’s job has gotten quite a bit harder. Rossi points out that Kessel’s value takes a big hit if he has little control on where Kessel goes, which could limit the team’s ability to cut salary this offseason. On top of that, now that everyone knows that Rutherford wants to move Kessel out, it will even be harder to get a good trade in the future.
- Sticking with the Penguins, TribLive’s Jonathan Bombulie reports that after not getting the head coaching position with the Ottawa Senators or Buffalo Sabres, Pittsburgh Penguins assistant coach Jacques Martin will return for a fifth season with the Penguins. That’s good news for Pittsburgh, as he was critical in running the team’s defense and penalty kill. Martin lost out on the Ottawa job to Toronto assistant coach D.J. Smith, while Buffalo hired Ralph Krueger.
- The Athletic’s Arthur Staple (subscription required) writes that it doesn’t look like the New York Islanders will be signing goaltending prospect Ilya Sorokin out of the KHL this season. The team had hoped that Sorokin would buy out his final season of his KHL contract after he led his team to the Gagarin Cup Championships this year and come over to New York a year early. However, Staple writes that the 23-year-old netminder, who posted a 1.16 GAA and a .940 save percentage in the regular season for CSKA Moscow and was equally good in the playoffs, has chosen to finish out his contract, so the earliest New York would see him was the 2020-21 season.
- The New York Post’s Brett Cyrgalis writes that now the New York Islanders have locked up center Brock Nelson to a six-year, $36MM deal, the team must now focus their attention on captain Anders Lee, who is rumored to be seeking a seven-year deal at $7MM per season. That may be too much for general manager Lou Lamoriello, but at the same time would leave a huge hole in their lineup if they let him walk, leaving Lamoriello with the task of replacing him with either Jordan Eberle or another underwhelming option.
Mike Modano Hired By Minnesota Wild
The Minnesota Wild have officially announced the return of Mike Modano to the State of Hockey, hiring former North Stars player as an executive advisor. Modano will work with the upper management and ownership in several capacities not necessarily involved with the hockey operations. Though he doesn’t begin until September, the team is already quite excited about bringing in the Hall of Fame talent. Owner Craig Leipold released a statement:
We are extremely excited to welcome Mike Modano to the Minnesota Wild organization,. His Hall of Fame career was one of the best in the history of the NHL and we look forward to Mike helping our organization build an even greater State of Hockey.
Modano, 48, was originally selected first overall by the Minnesota North Stars in 1988. He immediately became a star upon arrival in the NHL, scoring 75 points in his first season with the North Stars and finishing second in Calder Trophy voting behind only 31-year old Sergei Makarov—an infamous decision that was quite controversial at the time. Even without that hardware, the league was put on notice that Modano could very well be a game-changing force right from the very beginning and he did not disappoint throughout his career.
Following the North Stars to Dallas in 1993, Modano became the face of hockey in the American south and went on to have a Hall of Fame career. In 1,499 career regular season games—all but 40 of which were played with one franchise—Modano recorded 1,374 points and is first among American-born scorers. In 176 playoff games he put up 146 points and helped lead Dallas to a Stanley Cup in 1999.
He held a similar position to this one with the Stars for two years but has lived in Arizona for the last several years. That will change now as he takes this opportunity with the Wild, one that he is happy to have given his history in Minnesota:
I am very thankful for this opportunity and excited to work with Craig and [President Matt Majka] to help support a number of Minnesota Wild business initiatives. I have always felt a special relationship with this community and look forward to reconnecting with all the wonderful fans in the State of Hockey as a member of the Wild organization.