Morning Notes: Kotkaniemi, Tkachuk, Brown
The Carolina Hurricanes shot back at the Montreal Canadiens yesterday by submitting an offer sheet for Jesperi Kotkaniemi, but even if they hadn’t there was some concern over the young center’s future in Montreal. Darren Dreger of TSN tweets that earlier this summer, some close to Kotkaniemi predicted that he had already played his last game with the Canadiens. The interesting part, however, is that now he has signed an offer sheet, Montreal can’t trade him for a year even if they decide to match it.
As CapFriendly explains, it would basically mean that the young forward would get a no-trade clause for a year, meaning he’d be earning that entire $6.1MM contract in Montreal. The Hurricanes apparently tried to trade for Kotkaniemi before tendering the offer sheet, but have now tied the Canadiens’ hands in more ways than one.
- The Ottawa Senators have a restricted free agent of their own still to sign, as Brady Tkachuk still doesn’t have a deal for this season. Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia writes that though things are quiet on that front, it is believed that the Senators are trying for an eight-year contract for their young winger. There’s a brand new comparable to bring up in those talks after Andrei Svechnikov signed his eight-year, $62MM extension in Carolina. Svechnikov was selected just two picks ahead of Tkachuk in 2018 and the two forwards have very similar career stats to this point. Garrioch suggests that if Tkachuk does sign an eight-year deal, it very well may come with the captain’s “C.”
- At the very end of his piece on Tkachuk, Garrioch includes another short note about RFA forward Logan Brown. The scribe suggests that Brown “could be dealt before camp” and remains unsigned at the moment. Now 23, the 11th overall pick from 2016 has just 30 games of NHL experience under his belt, something he and his agents have expressed frustration about in the past. The 6’6″ forward has played very well at the AHL level, racking up 79 points in 94 games, but has never received a lengthy chance in the NHL. It’s hard to see exactly where he fits in now that the Senators have so many other young forwards and Brown is now eligible for waivers. A fresh start makes sense, though obviously, it remains to be seen if GM Pierre Dorion feels the same.
Hurricanes Tender Offer Sheet To Canadiens’ Jesperi Kotkaniemi
The old adage surrounding offer sheets is that if one team messes with another team’s restricted free agents, they open themselves up to attack as well. After the Montreal Canadiens tendered an offer sheet to Carolina Hurricanes star Sebastian Aho two years ago, they are now facing the consequences. The ‘Canes have returned the favor, announcing (in French at that) they have extended an offer sheet to Habs’ center Jesperi Kotkaniemi, which he has signed. The offer is for one year and $6,100,015. If you thought this wasn’t all about retribution, here is the kicker: the deal also includes a $20 signing bonus – Aho’s jersey number. Also this. The Canadiens have seven days to respond. They would receive first- and third-round picks if they elect not to match.
There are of course salary cap implication aplenty with this offer sheet. Kotkaniemi’s $6.1MM AAV would put Montreal approximately $8.38MM over the salary cap for 22 players with their expected LTIR relief from Shea Weber only coming in at $7.86MM. In order to match the offer sheet, the Canadiens will have to shed salary this season, enough to fit the overage and another player to round out the roster. Perhaps even more importantly, their starting number for negotiations with Kotkaniemi again next off-season begins with a $6.1MM qualifying offer. For a team with numerous expensive, long-term contracts, that simply may not be palatable. Of course, the Hurricanes face these same risks. The team would go approximately $1.52MM over the salary cap by adding Kotkaniemi, albeit with a full 23-man roster. They also could easily open up the space if they opt to again waive defenseman Jake Gardiner and his $4.05MM cap hit. The more pressing question then is whether Kotkaniemi lives up to his cap hit, which will also serve as his new QO. At the cost of a first and a third, Carolina will want to make sure Kotkaniemi is not just a one-year rental.
This all boils down to how much the Habs value Kotkaniemi, as the Hurricanes – while they had ulterior motives – clearly felt that the $6.1MM cap hit was warranted for the 21-year-old forward. Kotkaniemi, the third overall pick in 2018, has certainly shown flashes of star power. While his regular season numbers are unspectacular with 62 points in 171 NHL games, his playoff production has been stellar with nine goals and twelve points in 29 games. And while Kotkaniemi is still working on some of the fundamentals of the center position, he is a phenomenal possession player and is starting to fill out his frame and become a more physical presence. Kotkaniemi’s value is all about upside at his age. Both teams certainly see it, but only one team has ponied up the cost thus far (at least for one year). All but one offer sheet has been matched since the turn of the century. Will Montreal follow suit?
Though one of the most entertaining stories in roster building in recent memory, and not just in hockey, Carolina’s vicious response to Montreal’s attempted poaching of Aho two years ago is only likely to further deplete the likelihood of offer sheets, which are already considered a MacGuffin to most. Enjoy this while it last, it could be the final one for some time.
Montreal Canadiens Sign Ryan Poehling
The Montreal Canadiens have signed restricted free agent forward Ryan Poehling to a two-year contract. In 2021-22, Poehling will receive $750K at the NHL level and $225K at the AHL level. In 2022-23, he will receive $750K as the contract will be one-way.
It seems like a long time ago that Poehling burst onto the scene with a hat trick in his first NHL game. That was only at the end of the 2018-19 season after he signed out of St. Cloud State, but so much has changed in terms of the Montreal depth chart that it might as well be five years ago. Poehling now enters this season having spent the entire 2020-21 campaign at the minor league level and is certainly not a lock for NHL playing time out of the gate.
The fact that he is still waiver-exempt likely means he’s on his way back to the AHL to start the season, and given the young talent up the middle for the Canadiens it’s not clear when he’ll really get another chance. Nick Suzuki, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, and Jake Evans all have more experience at this point and figure to be on the opening day lineup, not leaving a ton of room for someone like Poehling.
That’s not to say his career in Montreal is over though. The 22-year-old forward is still exactly what they drafted him to be, a big-bodied center with some scoring upside. He had 25 points in 28 games last season for the Laval Rocket and should post strong results in that league again if he does end up in the AHL. A $750K cap hit will actually help him in his quest to earn NHL playing time as the Canadiens navigate a flat cap, but he’s still likely going to need some breaks to go his way.
Carey Price Expected To Be Ready For Training Camp
- There was a ton of speculation about the health of Carey Price this offseason, but head coach Dominique Ducharme told the media today including Marc Antoine Godin of The Athletic that the veteran goaltender will be there when the Montreal Canadiens kick off training camp next month (or at worst join just a few days into it). Price’s health was a huge topic of conversation when he was left exposed to the Seattle Kraken in the expansion process, but more important is his impact on the Canadiens lineup. When healthy and playing his best, Price is still among the top goaltenders in the world. But injury issues have been a problem in recent years and he just turned 34. Price has five seasons remaining on the eight-year, $84MM deal he signed in 2017 and will earn a total of $13MM this season through signing bonuses and salary.
Canadiens Make Front Office Changes
- The Montreal Canadiens have appointed France Margaret Belanger to the position of President, Sports and Entertainment of Groupe CH. Belanger has been with the organization since 2013 and already served as an alternate governor of the club. As Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports tweets, Geoff Molson remains the team’s owner and president, but it is Belanger who will be in charge of the day to day operations now. She is the first woman to serve on the Canadiens’ executive in its 104-year history, according to a press release.
Montreal Canadiens Avoid Arbitration With Michael McNiven
The Montreal Canadiens won’t be going to arbitration with Michael McNiven after all. The minor league goaltender has settled on a one-year, two-way contract with Montreal, which will carry an NHL salary of $750K. McNiven was scheduled for an arbitration hearing on August 11, but will no longer need it.
The 24-year-old McNiven would have been an interesting arbitration case, given he still hasn’t played a single game in the NHL. In fact, he has spent more time in the ECHL the last few seasons than anywhere else, splitting 22 games between the Adirondack Thunder, Jacksonville Icemen and Norfolk Admirals in 2019-20. This season he played 13 games for the Laval Rocket and went 7-3-3, even with a save percentage of just .895.
There have been clear signs of success for the undrafted netminder, but McNiven’s career has been marked by inconsistency both in his play and his assignment. He has never remained at a single level for a full season, including this year when he was routinely called up to the taxi squad when the Canadiens were dealing with injuries. The epitome of organizational depth at this point, it seems that he’ll be used just wherever Montreal needs him at the time.
In terms of an NHL future, McNiven is obviously behind the tandem of Carey Price and Jake Allen, but has also been passed on the depth chart by 21-year-old Cayden Primeau, who has six NHL appearances over the last two seasons.
Montreal Canadiens Sign Michael Pezzetta
The Montreal Canadiens have reached a new contract with minor league forward Michael Pezzetta. The one-year, two-way contract will pay him $750K at the NHL level and $82.5K at the AHL level.
Pezzetta, 23, is coming off his entry-level contract signed in 2018, two years after he was selected 160th overall. Over three seasons in the AHL he has scored just 10 goals and 19 points but is known much more for his fighting ability and physicality than offensive production. In his 107 career AHL games, Pezzetta has been involved in 18 fights, including four this season before a facial fracture ended his year prematurely.
Though his offensive numbers don’t suggest he should be playing in the NHL anytime soon, don’t be surprised if Pezzetta gets a few games for the Canadiens should they decide they need some added toughness in the lineup. Either way, he’ll be in the Laval Rocket lineup on a regular basis this season after signing his new deal.
Montreal Canadiens Extend Alex Burrows
The Montreal Canadiens coaching staff is in place for the next several years. After reaching new deals with head coach Dominique Ducharme and assistant Luke Richardson earlier this summer, the team has now announced a three-year extension for Alex Burrows.
Burrows was elevated from the Laval Rocket earlier this year when Ducharme took over as interim head coach, and will now stay on with the group that led the Canadiens all the way to the Stanley Cup Final. In charge of the forwards and powerplay, Burrows actually seemed to be a candidate to take over as head coach of the Rocket this year, before they hired Jean-Francois Houle.
Instead, he’ll stay with the big club, continuing to try and help young players like Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki find their way in the NHL. A veteran of nearly 1,000 NHL games, Burrows can relate to both high-scoring talent and the bottom-six grinders just trying to hold on. He was both during his career, reaching a high of 35 goals while playing with the Sedin twins in Vancouver, while also racking up more than 1,100 penalty minutes as one of the league’s most effective pests.
Canadiens Re-Sign Artturi Lehkonen
The Canadiens have re-signed one of their pending restricted free agents, announcing the re-signing of winger Artturi Lehkonen to a one-year, $2.3MM contract. He was eligible to file for salary arbitration on Sunday.
The 26-year-old has spent his entire five-year NHL career with Montreal who selected him in the second round (55th overall) back in 2013. He recorded 18 goals in his rookie campaign but hasn’t been able to duplicate that mark and was only able to tally seven goals and six assists in 47 games last season while spending some time as a healthy scratch. That continued at the start of the playoffs although he managed to get into 17 contests where he added three goals and an assist with one of those tallies being the overtime winner to send the Canadiens to the Stanley Cup Final.
The deal actually represents a lower AAV for Lehkonen whose previous cap hit was $2.4MM. However, it’s still a small boost on his $2.2MM qualifying offer which was also his salary in 2020-21. Lehkonen will still be eligible for restricted free agency next summer and while he has shown himself to be a capable checker, he’ll need a bounce-back season offensively to have a shot at cashing in with a bigger deal next summer.
Montreal now has just one NHL restricted free agent remaining in Jesperi Kotkaniemi who is coming off his entry-level contract and isn’t eligible for salary arbitration. They currently sit roughly $2.3MM over the salary cap, per CapFriendly, but with Shea Weber out for the season and Paul Byron out for the start of the year after hip surgery yesterday, they’ll be able to get back in compliance by placing them on LTIR.
Paul Byron Undergoes Hip Surgery
The Montreal Canadiens will be without Paul Byron for the start of the 2021-22 season after the veteran forward underwent hip surgery earlier this week. Though expected to make a full recovery, Byron is facing a recovery timeline of five months.
It was a difficult regular season for Byron, who was placed on and cleared waivers three separate times. The Canadiens were doing it in order to move him back and forth between the active roster and taxi squad to accrue cap space, but he was still technically available to the rest of the league for nothing. Instead of changing addresses, he remained with the Canadiens and played in 46 of the team’s 56 regular season games, scoring five goals and 16 points. His role on the team at even-strength has diminished, but Byron was still a regular on the penalty-kill, providing speed and fearlessness at the bottom of the lineup.
On Montreal’s underdog run to the Stanley Cup Finals, he averaged 14:35 through 22 games. He scored two game-winning goals, including an incredible short-handed effort from his knees at the very beginning of the postseason.
Now, as he works his way back from major surgery, it’s unclear if there will even really be a spot waiting in the Montreal lineup. The team added Mathieu Perreault and Cedric Paquette in free agency for the bottom-six, not to mention Mike Hoffman taking a spot somewhere. Cole Caufield should be with the team from the start of the regular season, meaning it’ll be a crowded group upfront. Perhaps injuries will have taken their toll by the time Byron is ready to return, but he could find himself on waivers once again.
Of course, Byron’s $3.4MM cap hit is what protects him from being nabbed off waivers, especially since it extends through the 2022-23 season. The Canadiens will actually be able to move him to long-term injured reserve for the early part of the year, giving some added flexibility, but would need to have that much cap room left when he’s healthy enough to continue his career.