Canadiens Likely To Part Ways With Markov
Andrei Markov is, without a doubt, the best defensive free agent still on the market. Just recently, PHR’s Brian La Rose profiled the veteran free agent. He is coming off another productive season with the Montreal Canadiens, putting up six goals and 36 assists in 62 games this past season, but has been at an impasse with the Canadiens after the 38-year-old blueliner has demanded a two-year deal. Two weeks ago, the Canadiens made it quite clear that they had made their final offers to both Markov and Alexander Radulov, who not long after opted to sign with Dallas. That just leaves Markov.
According to Stu Cowan of the Montreal Gazette, the longer the process takes, the less likely that Markov will return to Montreal. In fact, the scribe says that would be the norm for long-time Canadiens as very few of them have finished their careers in Montreal. The last Canadiens’ captain to finish their career in Montreal was Bob Gainey in 1989. He cites that Markov is currently tied for second on the Canadiens’ list for all-time points as a defenseman with Guy Lapointe with 572 career points. Only Larry Robinson is ahead of him with an unreachable 833 points. However, in both their cases, neither finished their careers in Montreal. LaPointe played for both St. Louis and Boston, while Robinson ended his career in Los Angeles.
Cowan spoke to former NHL player Sergei Berezin, who is Markov’s offseason trainer, who says that even though Markov got married recently, he only took four days off and went back to work training. The veteran hopes to play longer than two years, but his asking price is too much and while his numbers remain good, his numbers have been in decline over the last few years. Only two years ago, he put up 50 points, only to see those numbers decline each year.
Markov who is representing himself in negotiations, is asking for $6MM per year for two more seasons. According to CapFriendly, the Canadiens have more than $9MM in cap space remaining and could use some defensive depth after losing Alexei Emelin and Nathan Beaulieu this offseason and Markov says he would like to remain in Montreal. But, Cowan says that Markov’s time may be up unless Markov drops some of his demands.
Morning Notes: Jensen, Streit, Nolan
The New York Rangers won’t be signing Nicklas Jensen this summer, despite issuing him a qualifying offer a few weeks ago. The minor league forward has signed a one-year contract with Jokerit of the KHL, which also contains an option for the 2018-19 season.
Jensen was a first-round pick back in 2011, but hasn’t been able to crack the NHL on a full-time basis yet. That didn’t slow him down last year though, as he scored 32 goals in the AHL for the Hartford Wolf Pack, easily a career high. Since the qualified him, the Rangers will retain his exclusive negotiating rights for the time being.
- There is buzz around the Montreal Canadiens and free agent defenseman Mark Streit this morning, after a report from Marc de Foy of Le Journal de Montreal said that the team had offered him a one-year deal worth $1.5MM. Though he couldn’t confirm that the team had offered it, Eric Engels of Sportsnet thinks that Streit would be silly not to take that deal if presented with it. Streit will turn 40 this season, but was still a fairly effective point producing defenseman last year with both Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. His role is obviously diminished, but he can still move the puck and contribute on the powerplay.
- Ted Nolan will be heading back to the international coaching ranks, as he’s set to take over the Polish National team. Nolan previously coached the Latvian team, and has had stops as the head coach for both New York (Islanders) and Buffalo in the NHL. Nolan has had huge success coaching young players in the junior ranks, and will try to help Poland grow their team to compete on the world stage.
Montreal Canadiens Sign Charlie Lindgren
The Montreal Canadiens have signed another goaltender, this time to a much smaller deal than the one Carey Price received. Charlie Lindgren has been inked to a one-year, two-way contract for the 2017-18 season. Lindgren was a restricted free agent this summer, though did not posses arbitration rights.
The Canadiens are locked into Price for the next nine years, but Lindgren represents both a backup option or trade bait for the club. With Al Montoya‘s current deal expiring next season, Lindgren could step into an NHL role after another good season. Since signing out of St. Cloud State, he has done nothing but impress at both the NHL and AHL level. In 48 games for St. John’s this season, the 23-year old recorded a .914 save percentage and improved even more in the playoffs.
Almost guaranteed for the AHL this season, Lindgren’s three NHL games have given a small window into what might be a big-league future. Should another team come knocking, looking for good goaltending talent you can bet that Montreal will be listening. As they try to compete with Price now, in the prime of his career, they’ll use any piece necessary to build a winner around him.
Montreal Canadiens Sign Alex Galchenyuk To Three-Year Deal
Despite filing for arbitration earlier today, Alex Galchenyuk has reached a contract with the Montreal Canadiens. The deal will pay him $4.9MM per season for the next three years, taking him to unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2020. According Renaud Lavoie of TVA, the contract does not include a no-movement deal or any additional clauses. This deal buys Montreal one year of service past when Galchenyuk would otherwise have become unrestricted.
Galchenyuk has had trouble finding his role in Montreal, being shifted from wing to center and back again. There was the growing sense that Galchenyuk may have been on the outs, but with the loss Alexander Radulov his signing became a necessity. The Canadiens have been hunting for a number one center for what seems like eons, and the organization must now hope Galchenyuk will round out his game sufficiently and grow into that position. With this contract, the team receives a very productive player at a significant discount, with the extra year providing the team cap relief if he progresses.
Galchenyuk struggled with injuries as well as the aforementioned coaching decisions last year, losing 21 games to a lower body injury. He wasn’t on pace to match the 30 goals of 2015-16, but at only 23 years old, Galchenyuk still has time to develop as an NHL player. Montreal media and management were particularly down on the flashy, creative forward when he went long stretches with few points. He will likely never be a top-tier defensive forward, but he should become more capable in the other two zones under the proper direction. This contract seemingly will put a halt to the trade rumors swirling around the talented playmaker. GM Marc Bergevin had reportedly been seeking a solid hockey trade for Galchenyuk for months.
When you look at Galchenyuk’s career production, he’s very clearly an upper-echelon center, though whether he is a first or second line player is debatable. He’s averaged a .60 PPG through his career, but if we look at his 2015-16 season as a more accurate representation of his abilities, it wouldn’t be unrealistic to see him hitting 60 points nearly every year.
Galchenyuk’s contract brings the team to $65.84 MM against the cap with 13 forwards, 7 defensemen, and 2 goalies signed. The organization only has goalie prospect Charlie Lindgren (an RFA) left to sign, though they may dip into the sparse free agent pool for another depth player.
Nikita Nesterov Deciding Between Four Teams, Two Leagues
When the Montreal Canadiens decided not to qualify Nikita Nesterov, it made him an unrestricted free agent and able to sign with any team in the league. Now, agent Dan Milstein of Gold Star Hockey reports that his client’s decision is down to two NHL options and two KHL options. The young defenseman will make a final decision by Saturday.
Nesterov, 24, was never able to find a fit in Montreal after a mid-season trade from the Tampa Bay Lightning. Despite pretty solid possession statistics, neither team has been able to trust him much on a regular defensive shift, and because of it he’ll have to find his third team in a young career. You’d think rebuilding clubs would give him a look, and try to develop his two-way game into something of value.
The KHL is a clear option, as Nesterov was drafted out of Chelyabinsk in 2011 and could even have an outside chance at suiting up for Russia at the 2018 Olympics given their relative lack of defensive options. He did play one game at last fall’s World Cup, and with several defensemen—namely Dmitry Orlov, Dmitry Kulikov, Alexei Emelin, Nikita Zaitsev and Andrei Markov—all unlikely to be eligible due to the NHL’s ruling, Nesterov would be pretty high up the charts.
Montreal Canadiens Make Front Office Changes
Eeli Tolvanen, the Nashville Predators’ first-round pick from the recent draft, has signed on with Jokerit of the KHL for the 2017-18 season. The deal also includes an option for 2018-19, and will provide a landing spot for Tolvanen after his earlier issues. The Finnish winger was planning on staying in North America and joining Boston College, but failed to meet their admissions standards and was rejected.
Instead, Tolvanen will play in the KHL for at least a year before deciding where next to spend his professional career. The undersized winger spent two years in the USHL, where he put up 54 points in 52 games last season for the Sioux City Musketeers. Nashville selected him with the 30th-overall pick.
- The Tampa Bay Lightning have signed Matthew Peca to a one-year, two-way contract worth $650K at the NHL level. Peca made his NHL debut last season and spent ten games with the Lightning, scoring two points. The undersized forward had another big season with the Syracuse Crunch, and should be expected to spend the majority of 2017-18 in the AHL once again.
- The Arizona Coyotes signed Michael Latta yesterday to a similar one-year, two-way contract. Latta split last year between the Ontario Reign and Rockford IceHogs, scoring 22 points. Traded mid-season for Cameron Schilling, Latta will now try a new organization for the time being. Never able to quite duplicate the offensive prowess he showed for the Guelph Storm before being selected in the third round, Latta is now AHL depth for the Coyotes.
- Montreal has announced several front office changes, hiring Franvis Bouillon as a development coach, and moving Rob Ramage to Director of Player Development. Ramage will be replacing Martin Lapointe, who has been promoted to Director of Player Personnel, while Vincent Riendeau has moved from Assistant General Manager of the AHL team to Director of Goalie Development and pro scout.
Galchenyuk Negotiations Intensify
Alex Galchenyuk has suddenly gone from pariah to absolute necessity. In the wake of losing top scoring threat Alexander Radulov via free agency to the Dallas Stars, Galchenyuk, a restricted free agent, has seen his internal value skyrocket. Radulov, of course, signed with the Stars earlier today for 5 seasons, and the Montreal offense was already severely lacking. Galchenyuk had a respectable 44 points in only 61 games last season, but that was a marginal drop from his 30-goal, 56-point campaign the year prior.
One of the largest issues for Galchenyuk this last season was consistency in his production, and many link that to his constant switching between the center and left wing roles. Galchenyuk is a more natural center, and has stated as such on numerous occasions. His defensive play has left many fans wanting, however. Two separate coaching staffs placed him on the wing at different points, and the organization has stated pretty clearly that he isn’t ready for top-line center duties. The problem for Montreal of course, is that they don’t have anyone else nearly as capable to fill that role. Tomas Plekanec is another year older and Galchenyuk is already arguably the better player. With Radulov (a right-wing) out of the picture, it might be wise to keep Galchenyuk content and comfortable.
According to Darren Dreger, Galchenyuk’s agent Pat Brisson has been in contact with GM Marc Bergevin, who will now turn his attention primarily to this contract. If they can’t come to an agreement, arbitration is always an option that can be utilized. That said, arbitration would probably only serve to fan the flames that have surrounded this player since he was supposedly placed on the block a year ago. Those flames are still not going out until that contract has been signed, and there will always be a market for young, talented centers.
When Jonathan Drouin was acquired for the left side, it seemed as though the writing was on the wall. But now, with Radulov out of the picture, losing Galchenyuk’s top-six offensive abilities would be a massive blow to the team. Montreal finished 13th in Goals For, but only two players hit the 20 goal mark – Max Pacioretty (35) and Paul Byron (22). Losing their top assist man and second-leading point getter in Radulov, it would be entirely devastating to draw the Galchenyuk negotiations out into the season, or worse, to trade him following a down year. Galchenyuk and his agent know they have the leverage in negotiations, and there’s a strong possibility they’ll use every ounce of it to get a better deal for the 23-year-old talent. Considering his production and league wide comparisons, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to see him make well above $5 MM.
Alexander Radulov Signs With Dallas Stars
Just after the Montreal Canadiens signed a potential replacement, the Dallas Stars revealed (in the best way possible) that they’d won the battle for Alexander Radulov. The deal is for five years and $31.25MM, which comes out to a $6.25MM cap hit. $18MM of the contract will be paid out by way of signing bonuses, while it holds a full no-movement clause in the first three years, and a modified no-trade clause the final two. Radulov ranked #2 on our list of top free agents, predicting a five year deal worth $30MM (though with Montreal). 
Radulov, who turns 31 in two days, came back to the NHL last season and put up 54 points for Montreal, anchoring their top line most often with Max Pacioretty. The Russian winger put up another seven points in six playoff games, only to see the Canadiens defeated in the first round. He’ll head to Dallas where early predictions have him skating alongside Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin, on what will be one of the most dangerous lines in the NHL. Montreal of course tried to keep him, but were reportedly unwilling to offer a fifth year until after he had accepted the deal with Dallas. In a conference call, Radulov explained that he wouldn’t go back on his word with the Stars at that point. In a game of he-said-Habs-said, the team has now said to multiple sources they made the five-year offer well before July 1st.
There is quite a bit of risk in a player who doesn’t have a long track record of success in the NHL, but the Stars have put the cap on quite an offseason. After a disappointing year, it was clear that the team wanted to go in a new direction and after re-hiring Ken Hitchcock to coach the team, has brought in Ben Bishop, Marc Methot, Martin Hanzal and now Radulov to try and turn things around. That’s a lot of talent to add in a few short weeks, even if they did see Cody Eakin, Ales Hemsky and Patrick Sharp head for different teams.
Radulov’s deal comes in as the high-water mark among unrestricted free agents, matching Karl Alzner’s five-year deal in terms of length, while eclipsing everything in terms of total dollars. While many expected Kevin Shattenkirk to hold that title, the defenseman opted to sign just a four-year deal in his preferred city. Several extensions and restricted free agents have signed bigger deals, but Radulov will likely come away with the title among UFAs.
That points to a clear effort in Dallas to get back to where they were two seasons ago, when they led the NHL in goals scored and came second in terms of regular season success. Leading the entire Western Conference, they fell in the second round and saw everything go wrong last year. Four big names and some new deployments should turn things around, though it is still a lot of money committed to players on the wrong side of 30.
Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News was first to get the details of the contract, while Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports reported the various trade clause conditions.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Montreal Canadiens Sign Ales Hemsky
The Montreal Canadiens have added some scoring upside, inking Ales Hemsky to a one-year contract worth $1MM. Hemsky ranked #44 on our list of the Top 50 Free Agents, noting that he could be a candidate for bounce back player of the year.
Hemsky, 33, played just one game for the Dallas Stars last year before having surgery on his hip to repair a labral tear, an injury sustained at the World Cup of Hockey. He’d return in March for fourteen more contests, actually recording seven points in his last eleven games. It’s that offensive potential that the Canadiens are after, as their negotiations linger with fellow right winger Alexander Radulov. Hemsky represents an effective option for the team on a very inexpensive contract.
In 2015-16, Hemsky’s last full season, he scored 39 points in 75 games even in a sheltered role. Logging just 13 minutes a night he recorded nearly all of his production at even strength, something that Montreal has had trouble with in the past. The veteran winger has 572 points in 838 games, including a career-high of 77 back in 2005-06 with the Edmonton Oilers.
Canadiens Frustrated With Markov, Radulov’s Demands
With the extension of Carey Price and his eight-year, $84MM deal in the books, general Marc Bergevin spoke to the media about his other two key free agents who they are trying to sign. Bergevin said both Alexander Radulov and long-time Canadiens’ defenseman Andrei Markov are asking too much. Especially now that the team must contend with Price’s $10.5 AAV starting next year, he said it is up to them if they want to come back. “If Radulov and Markov wish to return, the door is open for them – but on the Canadiens’ terms,” said Bergevin.
LNH.com’s Arpon Basu reports that Bergevin vented frustration with both players. Markov, the 38-year-old blueliner, has been with the organization from the start of his career and has played 16 seasons for them. He is coming off a productive season in which he scored six goals and 30 assists. However, he is asking for a two-year deal. Radulov, the top remaining unrestricted free agent, is coming off a one-year “prove it” contract, and that’s what he did, scoring 18 goals and 36 assists at age 30. He had previously played overseas for eight seasons with a brief respite in the middle to play nine games for the Nashville Predators.
According to Bergevin, there is a good chance that one or both may not come back this year. “Based on their demands, I can’t say we’ll be able to bring both back,” Bergevin said at the press conference. He added that Markov’s two-year demand is not the issue, implying he is asking for too much. Bergevin added that the Canadiens have already submitted their final offers and there are no other unrestricted free agents they are interested in, which means if they cannot sign either or both, they will look to replace them from within the organization.
It’s likely that Bergevin is threatening to cut off negotiations with the hopes they will come down from their asking price. Right now, it doesn’t look as if both players will come back, especially now that they have new cap issues to worry about.