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Snapshots: Galchenyuk, Shinkaruk, Costantini

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While it should not come as much of a surprise, seeing as he was viewed as a throw-in rental in the trade that brought him to Minnesota rather than a core, long-term piece of the return, Alex Galchenyuk is not expected to return to the Wild next season. GM Bill Guerin told the media this evening, including the Star Tribune’s Sarah McClellan, that the impending free agent forward is unlikely to return to Minnesota this off-season. Galchenyuk was acquired by the Wild from the Pittsburgh Penguins in February – his third trade in two years – alongside prospect defenseman Calen Addison and a first-round pick in exchange for veteran forward Jason Zucker. Although Galchenyuk, a 26-year-old with two 50+ point seasons on his resume, was far from a useless addition for the Wild, it was Addison and the first-rounder that were the real prizes for the club. Given Galchenyuk’s expiring contract and the downward trajectory of his career, few expected Galchenyuk to stick long-term in Minnesota. Galchenyuk seemingly peaked early in his career, setting career highs in goals and points in 2015-16 and points per game in 2016-17, at the ages of 21 and 22 respectively, with the Montreal Canadiens. In each year since,  his final season in Montreal and stops with the Arizona Coyotes and Penguins, his per-game scoring has dropped off, reaching a career-low this year. Although his seven points in 14 games with the Wild was better than his overall rate for the year, it wasn’t enough to convince the club that he was worthy of an extension. Galchenyuk will hit the open market as an intriguing player, one of the younger UFA’s and certainly the most accomplished for his age, but also stuck in a downward spiral for the past few seasons. He needs a fresh start and would benefit from some long-term security, if he can find it. If Galchenyk can return to 50-point form, he could be one of the best bargains available this off-season.

  • One young player who won’t be returning to the NHL altogether next season is Hunter Shinkaruk. Another former Canadien, although best remembered as a long-time prospect of the Calgary Flames, Shinkaruk has opted to re-sign with the KHL’s Kunlun Red Star for another year, the league announced. After he was not qualified by Montreal last summer, Shinkaruk did not find another NHL home and eventually signed with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers. However, he left the team mid-season to join Kunlun. He recorded nine points in 19 games, which was among the team leaders in per-game production. Playing on a Red Star roster that is loaded with NHL and AHL veterans, Shinkaruk can play a greater role than he would likely find in North America, while continuing to play a familiar style with peers from whom he can learn. While Shinkaruk, 25, can no longer qualify as an NHL prospect, he has a better chance than most to find his way back to the league one day given his age and ability.
  • One legitimate NHL prospect who is headed to a new home is forward Matteo Costantini. A 2020 NHL Draft prospect gearing up to hear his name called in a few weeks, Costantini has also revealed where he will be headed in 2021-22 and beyond. Costantini, who is committed to the BCHL’s Penticton Vees for the coming season, will then take his talents to the University of North Dakota, the Vees announced Tuesday. Constantini, who hails from Ontario but has been playing with the Buffalo Jr. Sabres for the past few years, has appeared on a number of draft boards this year. Most notably, Constantini was given a third-round draft grade by TSN’s Craig Button, who has him ranked No. 77 in his final draft board. The goal-scoring center will be a nice addition for North Dakota, a top NCAA program with several current and future NHL prospects on their roster right now and committed for next year.

Buffalo Sabres Acquire Eric Staal

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The Buffalo Sabres have traded Marcus Johansson to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for Eric Staal. No salary will be retained by either team. Though both players hold partial no-trade clauses, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports that neither one had their new team blocked.

This deal represents a swap of two players scheduled for free agency in 2021, though Johansson is nearly six years younger than Staal. The former Buffalo forward heads to Minnesota after experiencing arguably the worst offensive season of his career, scoring just nine goals and 30 points in 60 games. Johansson never really found his footing in Buffalo and couldn’t manage the move back to center ice, a position he hadn’t routinely played since his second season in the NHL. If he stays in Minnesota, it will be interesting to see where he fits into the lineup since the Wild have made it clear they are looking for an upgrade down the middle. They recently acquired Nick Bjugstad who can also play center, though he wasn’t used there full-time in Pittsburgh.

For Staal, this trade apparently took him by surprise. Russo tweets that the veteran forward is “stunned” though he’ll have some familiar faces in Buffalo to greet him. Kevyn Adams, who will mark his first trade as Sabres GM with this deal, was a teammate of Staal’s with the Carolina Hurricanes, winning a Stanley Cup together in 2006. Perhaps more notably though is the connection with Sabres forward Jeff Skinner, who played several years with Staal in Carolina and is coming off a dreadful 23-point season after signing a huge $72MM extension.

There’s no doubt that Staal represents an upgrade down the middle for the Sabres, as even at the age of 35 he was still effective this season. In 66 regular season games with Minnesota, he recorded 47 points, a total that would have put him third on the Sabres behind only Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart. The fact that he comes at a discount—Staal is owed just $3MM and carries a cap hit of $3.25MM for next season, compared to $4MM and $4.5MM for Johansson—makes this seem like an easy win for the Sabres, as long as his play doesn’t drop off a cliff next year.

Still, there is a chance that Johansson can find his “MoJo” in Minnesota. Remember that this is a player who scored 24 goals and 58 points as recently as 2016-17 and will only turn 30 next month. He also played quite well for the Boston Bruins in last year’s playoffs, scoring 11 points in 22 games as a depth option. That postseason performance is exactly what earned him the two-year $9MM deal with the Sabres last summer.

For the Wild, the acquisitions of Johansson and Bjugstad over the last few days have added a pair of players on expiring deals that will both be looking to rebuild their value before free agency. Either one could be potential trade chips at the deadline should the 2020-21 season go sideways, or potential extension candidates if they can get back on track. For Buffalo on the other hand, Staal’s acquisition is much more about starting to turn the team in the right direction and providing some backup for Eichel upfront. Saving $1MM in salary may also be important for a team that has been rumored to be looking at an internal budget this season due to reduced revenues.

Darren Dreger of TSN was first to break that Johansson had been traded from Buffalo, while Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reported it is a one-for-one deal. 

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Wild Shopping Matt Dumba

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Following a quiet season, Wild defenseman Mathew Dumba’s name was already coming up in trade speculation.  One of him or Jonas Brodin seemed to be candidates to be moved with Ryan Suter and Jared Spurgeon already locked up long-term.  Brodin’s chances of being dealt dropped considerably today following the announcement of a seven-year, $42MM extension that now puts them in a situation of having four blueliners making at least $6MM for 2021-22.  That’s a lot of defensive spending and it’s not likely a long-term recipe for success.

GM Bill Guerin is certainly aware of this.  Michael Russo of The Athletic reports (subscription required) that Minnesota is receiving plenty of calls on Dumba’s availability but also that the 26-year-old was being actively shopped prior to Brodin’s contract getting done.

Two seasons ago, it looked as if Dumba had turned the corner offensively after putting up 14 goals and 36 assists while playing in every game.  He was on pace to beat those numbers in 2018-19 with 12 goals and 10 helpers in just 32 contests before suffering a ruptured pectoral muscle in a fight which ended his season prematurely.  The good news this season is that Dumba was able to play in all 69 games before the pandemic hit but the bad news is that he managed just six goals and 24 points, numbers that were well below his expectations.

Nevertheless, there should still be a sizable market for the most recent King Clancy Trophy winner.  He is signed through 2022-23 at a $6MM price tag, a rate that is manageable for someone that has logged at least 22:30 per game over each of the last three seasons and his past offensive prowess.  On top of that, the fact that he’s a right-shot player (which is often in high demand and short supply) should help Minnesota receive a strong return for him if he indeed winds up being on the move.

Guerin hasn’t hidden the fact that the Wild are in dire need of an impact player down the middle.  Even with the recent acquisition of Nick Bjugstad, their depth at center is weak.  Veteran Eric Staal is entering the final year of his contract as is checker Joel Eriksson Ek while Victor Rask, a speculative buyout candidate, has two years remaining.  There isn’t much help in free agency so if they plan to make an impact addition at that spot, it will have to come via the trade market.

Dumba seems like an ideal candidate to try to use to fill that spot.  While impact centers are hard to acquire, so too are top-four right-shot defenders with multiple years of control at a reasonable rate so there is bound to be some notable pivots made available to try to secure Dumba’s services.

It’s also worth noting that Dumba is now the only one of Minnesota’s core four on their back end without any sort of active trade protection.  He has a 10-team no-trade clause that is set to kick in for 2021-22 but for now, he can be moved anywhere without his approval.

And, of course, there is also Seattle’s expansion draft to keep in mind.  The most common protection is seven forwards, three defensemen, and a goalie.  If they followed that scheme, Dumba would unprotected by default as Suter, Spurgeon, and Brodin all have no-move clauses.  While it’s possible to protect more than three blueliners by going to eight skaters and a goalie, that would mean they’d risk losing a better forward to the Kraken.  Moving Dumba now would alleviate that future concern.

During his press call today to discuss the Brodin deal, Guerin indicated that they don’t have to move a defender and that he’s happy with his group as currently constructed.  But even with Dumba coming off of a quieter season by his standards, his trade value should still be quite strong.  With that in mind and today’s Brodin deal, it certainly wouldn’t be surprising to see Dumba on the move in the coming weeks.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Florida Panthers Announce Changes To Hockey Operations

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The Florida Panthers have made sweeping changes to their front office and coaching staff as they search for a new direction under GM Bill Zito. The team has named Rick Dudley and Paul Fenton senior advisors to the GM, Gregory Campbell vice president of player personnel and development, Blake Geoffrion the assistant to the general manager and added P.J. Fenton to the team’s scouting staff.

They have also announced that Mike Kitchen will not return as assistant coach, which follows a report earlier today that Kitchen allegedly physically assaulted a player on the bench in January. The team did not comment on the report. AHL assistant coach Doug Janik will not be joining the new affiliation in Charlotte.

Fenton’s name had surfaced in connection with the Panthers previously and he has a history with Zito from their time with the Columbus Blue Jackets. The former Minnesota Wild GM was perceived as a strong talent evaluator during his time in Nashville, though the stint in Minnesota obviously didn’t go well.

Dudley meanwhile has been serving as senior vice president of hockey operations with the Carolina Hurricanes and has nearly a half-century of experience in professional hockey.

Campbell, 36, only ended his playing career in 2016 but has served as a development coach since then with the Blue Jackets. His familiarity with Zito obviously led him to this position with the Panthers and given his 803 career NHL games as a depth forward, he should have a unique perspective to add to the development side.

The Panthers made a clear change when they parted ways with legendary executive Dale Tallon earlier this year and installed rookie GM Zito in the position.

Snapshots: Kitchen, Edmundson, Soucy

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The Florida Panthers are expected to part ways with assistant coach Mike Kitchen, according to Frank Seravalli and Darren Dreger of TSN. The decision comes after an alleged physical altercation with a player on the bench that happened in Minnesota on January 20. Kitchen opted out of the return to play postseason with the full support of the organization, saying at the time “it was a difficult decision to say the least, but the right decision for me and my family.”

Kitchen has been an assistant of Joel Quenneville at several stops and joined him in Florida for the 2019-20 season. The 64-year-old coach has three decades of coaching experience in the NHL dating back to the 1989-90 season with the Toronto Maple Leafs. The team has not yet made an official statement about his status with the organization.

  • The Montreal Canadiens acquired the rights to Joel Edmundson over the weekend and now have just a few weeks to convince him to sign with the team before hitting unrestricted free agency. Nick Alberga of Sportsnet tweets that there is a “high chance” that Edmundson signs, with a two-year deal being discussed. The 27-year-old defenseman spent the 2019-20 season with the Carolina Hurricanes where he registered a career-high 20 points in 68 games. His one-year, $3.1MM contract set to expire in October was awarded through arbitration with the St. Louis Blues before a deal took him to Carolina just over a month later.
  • The Minnesota Wild made big news by extending Jonas Brodin earlier today, but could end up signing another defenseman to a new deal before long. Wild GM Bill Guerin told reporters including Michael Russo of The Athletic that he would like to keep Carson Soucy, though admitted they have had only initial conversations with his representatives. Soucy, 26, actually qualifies for Group VI UFA status despite playing in 55 games for the Wild this season and could hit the open market next month at a relatively young age.

Jonas Brodin Signs Seven-Year Extension

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The Minnesota Wild have taken care of some pressing business, locking up a key member of their roster for the next several years. Jonas Brodin has signed a seven-year extension with the team that will carry an average annual value of $6MM. Since he still has one year left on his current deal, Brodin will now be under contract through the 2027-28 season. The full salary breakdown is as follows (via Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic):

  • 2021-22: $4.0MM
  • 2022-23: $5.0MM
  • 2023-24: $8.0MM
  • 2024-25: $8.0MM
  • 2025-26: $7.5MM
  • 2026-27: $5.5MM
  • 2027-28: $4.0MM

First and foremost, this locks up one of the best pure defenders in the league for the better part of a decade at a reasonable cap hit. But that won’t stop the speculation machine from exploding in coming weeks and months, given that Minnesota now has four defensemen scheduled to earn at least $6MM in the 2021-22 season. The quartet of Brodin, Jared Spurgeon, Ryan Suter and Mathew Dumba will combine for a cap hit of more than $27.1MM that season, though obviously things can change rapidly before then.

For now, this is just a move from GM Bill Guerin to retain the services of an exceptional defenseman in Brodin. The 27-year-old had 28 points this season in 69 games but made his money on the other side of the puck, constantly shutting down the opponent’s best forwards and logging big minutes on the penalty kill. He finished the year with an average ice time of 21:33 and led the team with 112 blocked shots. His 23 even-strength assists actually put him second on the entire roster, behind only Ryan Suter’s 24.

There’s little doubt that the Wild believe Brodin to be a key part of the future, but this extension does bring up countless questions about the future of Dumba, who now seems likely to depart in one fashion or another. Not only are the cap implications of four players earning that much difficult to deal with, but the Seattle Kraken expansion draft is also right around the corner. Both Spurgeon and Suter have no-movement clauses in their contracts meaning they have to be protected (unless they decide to waive those clauses for the draft) and you are only allowed to protect three defensemen in the regular format. The Wild could potentially choose the eight-skater protection route if they wanted to include all four star defensemen, but that would leave several names at risk upfront. (UPDATE: Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports that Brodin’s contract also includes a no-movement clause that kicks in immediately, meaning he will also require automatic protection in the expansion process.)

Dumba’s name has been in the rumor mill for years and has just three years left on his current deal. The youngest of the four, he also could potentially represent the easiest name to trade off the back end should the Wild decide to go in that direction.

For Brodin, he now will tie several other players for the 26th highest cap hit among defensemen in 2021-22 and could have even more responsibility heaped upon him as the years go on.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Minnesota Wild Acquire Nick Bjugstad

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8:00pm CT: The terms of this trade have now been revealed by Sarah McLellan of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune and certainly seem to tilt the favor even more toward Minnesota. First, the Penguins will retain half of Bjugstad’s salary this year, the final season of a six-year, $24.6MM deal. As a result, Pittsburgh will only dump $2.05MM in cap salary while the Wild get a full year of Bjugstad at a bargain price. Second, the Penguins will only receive the conditional seventh-round pick if Bjugstad plays in at least 70 games or scores at least 35 points this season. Otherwise, the team does not receive any return. If this trade is indication, shedding salary this off-season is going to be easier said than done.

7:00pm CT: Nick Bjugstad, one of the most well-regarded prospects to come out of the Minnesota high school ranks this century, is headed home. The Minnesota Wild announced that they have acquired the 28-year-old center from the Pittsburgh Penguins. In what is all but a salary cap dump, the Penguins only received a conditional 2021 seventh-round draft pick.

Bjugstad is a polarizing player, but certainly one worth risking a late pick and one year of term on. Named Mr. Hockey in 2010 as the best player in Minnesota high school, Bjugstad went on to be drafted in the first round by the Florida Panthers later that year. After starring for the of Minnesota for three years, Bjugstad joined Florida and  immediately became a contributor. He recorded 38 points as a rookie, even garnering Calder Trophy votes, and totaled 191 points in 394 games with the Panthers over parts of seven seasons. While these were solid numbers, they weren’t exactly what Florida was hoping for from one of their core players. In 2018-19, Bjugtad was traded alongside Jared McCann to the Penguins for Derick Brassard, Riley Sheahan, and three draft picks. His time in Pittsburgh has been forgettable, marred by injury and inconsistency that left him with just 16 points in 45 games to show for a season and a half.

Yet, Bjugstad is healed and expected to be fully healthy for the start of the 2020-21 season for Minnesota. No one will blame Pittsburgh for dumping Bjugstad’s $4.1MM cap hit (and $5.25MM salary) as they face a stiff cap crunch, but the Wild could easily wind up with the better side of this deal if Bjugstad can return to form back at home in the Twin Cities and produce 40-50 points as he has several times before. As the Wild look to replace the experience and two-way ability of Mikko Koivu down the middle this season – and quite possibly Eric Staal next season – Bjugstad is a prime candidate. At 6’6″ and 215 lbs., Bjugstad is a menacing presence on the ice and has the proven ability to take the puck with both brute force and finesse. After a pair of down seasons, Bjugstad may not be the most exciting name, but he could be primed for a major comeback this year with the Wild and could potentially earn himself a long-term extension with his hometown team in the process.

 

Snapshots: King Clancy Trophy, Kucherov, Bishop, Holzapfel

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Now that the NHL has reached the conference championship phase of the playoffs, so too can the NHL awards, which are expected to be handed out day-by-day over the next couple of weeks. First up is expected to be the King Clancy Trophy, awarded to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community. The trophy will be awarded this evening before the start of Game 1 between the Vegas Golden Knights and the Dallas Stars. The three finalists for the awards are Minnesota Wild’s Matt Dumba, New York Rangers’ Henrik Lundqvist and New Jersey Devils’ P.K. Subban.

Dumba has been committed to racial and social justice and the Hockey is for Everyone initiative and helped form the Hockey Diversity Alliance with seven current and former NHL players. Lundqvist supports several different initiatives, including aid for children’s health, education, underprivileged youth, Hockey Fights Cancer and the Make a Wish Foundation. Subban also supports several groups, including initiatives for underprivileged youth, medical support and promoting racial and social injustice.

  • Despite the bad news that the Tampa Bay Lightning will have to go through the Eastern Conference Finals without Steven Stamkos, the team did get some good news, however, on the injury front. The Athletic’s Joe Smith reports that first-line forward Nikita Kucherov is expected to be available Monday for the Lightning’s first game against the New York Islanders. Kucherov was forced to leave Game 5 against the Boston Bruins with an undisclosed injury, but has had almost a week to recover. The 27-year-old has been quite effective in the playoffs so far with four goals and 16 points in 13 games.
  • The Dallas Stars will be without starting goaltender Ben Bishop once again as The Athletic’s Sean Shapiro reports that Bishop and defenseman Taylor Fedun remain “unfit to play.” Both skated today, but neither appear ready to play. The scribe did add that forwards Andrew Cogliano and Mattias Janmark are both expected to be game-time decisions today. Bishop has appeared in just three games during the playoffs and hasn’t made an appearance since Aug. 31 against Colorado when he allowed four goals in 13 minutes before being replaced. The team will rely on Anton Khudobin once again, who is 8-5 with a .909 save percentage in 14 games during the playoffs.
  • Former AHL forward Riley Holzapfel announced his retirement after spending his four years with the Vienna Capitals of the Austrian League. Holzapfel was a second-round pick of the Atlanta Thrashers in 2006 and five season in the AHL before opting to play overseas in 2013, playing three seasons in the SHL before joining Vienna in 2016. He was never able to break into the NHL, however. The 32-year-old was still productive with Vienna, scoring 18 goals and 46 assists in 48 games.

Snapshots: Dubnyk, Ritchie, Wagner, Rakell

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The Minnesota Wild have an interesting offseason approaching with little cap room and little roster space. While general manager Bill Guerin is expected to make changes to the roster, there is the question of whether the team will consider buying out a player or two.

The Athletic’s Michael Russo (subscription required) writes that one player who is a candidate for a buyout is goaltender Devan Dubnyk. The scribe adds that if Minnesota opts to buyout Dubnyk, it likely would be to open up a roster space as opposed to saving on cap space. Dubnyk was the starting goaltender at the beginning of the year, but struggled immensely this season in 30 appearances with an 3.35 GAA and a .890 save percentage. Granted, the veteran still has one more year at $4.3MM. However, more importantly, the team may want to move on from Dubnyk with Alex Stalock taking over the starting role. They also have AHL Goaltender of the Year in Kaapo Kahkonen ready as well as the potential to go out and get a goaltender such as Braden Holtby or trade for Matt Murray.

  • The Athletic’s Joe Smith reports that the Department of Player Safety took a look at the hit from Boston Bruins forward Nick Ritchie on Tampa Bay’s Yanni Gourde during Game 3 Saturday. There will be no suspension as the hit was timed at .6 seconds from the time the puck was released. Gourde was clearing a puck during the second period when he was hit from behind by Ritchie in a shoulder-to-back hit, sending Gourde flying forward into the boards where he hit his head. However, the league rarely suspends players for hits at .6 seconds, especially ones that don’t include head contact.
  • The Bruins won’t have it easy as they face elimination on Monday against the Tampa Bay Lightning, down 3-1. The Associated Press’ Stephen Whyno reports that fourth-line forward Chris Wagner won’t be available for Game 5 due to an undisclosed injury. Wagner missed Sunday’s practice along with Ritchie, while Sean Kuraly did skate with the team after missing two games. Both Ritchie and Kuraly are day-to-day, but Wagner is definitely out, according to Bruins’ coach Bruce Cassidy. Wagner played quite well in the round-robin series scoring two goals, but has not tallied a point in the Tampa Bay series and boasts a minus-five plus-minus.
  • The Athletic’s Eric Stephens (subscription required) took a look at players destined to stay with the Anaheim Ducks and those who could find themselves elsewhere next year. One interesting observation is the inclusion of 27-year-old forward Rickard Rakell, a two-time 30-goal scorer. Of course, Rakell’s last two seasons have been quite disappointing with just 33 goals in his last 134 games and he could find himself being the scapegoat for the past two years of losing. On top of that, Rakell would be quite an attractive trade chip for playoff teams that could offer him more talent up front to work with.

Brennan Menell Signs In KHL

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The Minnesota Wild have lost a promising young prospect, at least for the time being. Michael Russo of The Athletic reports that Brennan Menell has signed a one-year contract with Dinamo Minsk of the KHL. In a follow-up tweet, Russo explained that Russo is “likely gone for good” even though the Wild can retain his rights temporarily by issuing him a qualifying offer. Menell is scheduled to become a restricted free agent when his three-year entry-level contract expires later this fall.

The 23-year old was an undrafted free agent signing in 2017 and quickly became one of the most dynamic defensemen in the AHL. Menell recorded 47 points in 57 games for the Iowa Wild this season and even made his NHL debut, suiting up five times for Minnesota. Named to the First All-Star Team in the AHL this season, it looked like the young defenseman was on a path directly to the NHL at some point in the future.

Now, he’ll head to the KHL where he could very well find even more success. You can bet you’ll hear his name again in the future as a potential signing, but cross him off the list of potential roster players for Minnesota in 2020-21. Even with Menell’s situation resolved, Wild GM Bill Guerin has a long list of restricted free agents to deal with this summer, including Luke Kunin, Jordan Greenway and AHL Goaltender of the Year Kaapo Kahkonen. We recently examined the upcoming offseason and the biggest needs that Guerin faces.

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