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Latest On Matt Duchene, Nashville Predators

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The Nashville Predators cleared a whole ton of cap space over the weekend, sending star defenseman P.K. Subban to the New Jersey Devils without taking any notable salaries back. That sets them up to be players in free agency once again, and most expect them to focus on Columbus Blue Jackets forward Matt Duchene. Duchene has long been a target of Predators GM David Poile, and Chris Johnston of Sportsnet has faith that the team will eventually get a deal done. Speaking on the 31 Thoughts podcast, Johnston nearly guaranteed that Duchene will go to Nashville in free agency:

100%. I will admit that I’m putting myself out there a bit because it would be foolish to say that he might not hear something in free agency that could change his mind, that someone might call him or his agents at CAA and offer an amount of money that obviously I don’t think Nashville is willing to give him. But this has been such a long dance between him and the Predators. No secret of his love of country music, of that city itself where he owns a home I believe. The Preds have had their eye on him and were involved in the trade discussions with Colorado going back a couple of years when he ended up in Ottawa. To me, I really don’t see this playing out any other way–but there is the occasional surprise in our business.

Duchene, 28, can now speak with any team during the unrestricted free agent interview period and assess his market for this summer. The veteran center is coming off a career-high 31 goals and 70 points in 2018-19 despite splitting that time between the Ottawa Senators and Blue Jackets. His performance in the playoffs for Columbus was exceptional, laying to rest some of the doubt that has followed him throughout his career. Despite playing in 727 regular season games over ten seasons, Duchene has now suited up just 18 times in the NHL playoffs.

With Kevin Hayes setting the UFA market at center with a seven-year, $50MM earlier this month, Duchene can look forward to a huge payday wherever he signs. Though he is almost a year older, Duchene represents such a huge upgrade on the offensive side of the puck that he very well could be looking at a deal worth millions more per season. That kind of deal was impossible for the Predators before moving Subban, and still may require them to move out another contract or two at some point down the road. Kyle Turris is the obvious candidate to go, especially if the team is bringing in Duchene to take over that second-line center role.

Central Notes: Zuccarello, Honka, Perlini, Fabbro

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Despite earlier rumors that the Dallas Stars and unrestricted free agent Mats Zuccarello have mutual interest to get a deal done, it looks like it might not be as easy as it seemed. Dallas general manager Jim Nill said that Zuccarello has decided he wants to test the open market before deciding, according to NHL.com’s Mike Heika.

That doesn’t mean a deal will come about as both sides could be interested in what Zuccarello could fetch on the open market. At 31 years of age, the Stars may be hesitant to give him anything more than a four-year deal, but if both teams are truly interested in staying together, they could just be looking to see what other teams offer him first.

“We’ve talked a little bit with his agent, but he wants to test the free-agent market and he’s got that right,” Nill said. “So they going to look into the market and see what else is out there and then we will swing back and see where he’s at. We’ve got an interview period that starts Sunday, so we’ll start talking to other people and he’ll do the same thing and we’ll see where things go.”

Zuccarello came to Dallas in a trade deadline deal with the New York Rangers for a 2019 second-round pick, which turned out to be defensive prospect Matthew Robertson, and a conditional first-round pick, meaning if Dallas does sign Zuccarello to an extension, the Stars would give the Rangers a 2020 first-rounder. If not, they would give New York a third-round pick instead. However, Zuccarello looked to be a good fit, helping Dallas fill out its second line. Despite suffering a broken arm in his first game with the Stars and only playing two regular season games, the 31-year-old scored four goals and 11 points in 13 playoff games before the Stars fell to the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Blues.

  • Sticking with the Stars, The Athletic’s Sean Shapiro (subscription required) writes that the trade value of Dallas defenseman Julius Honka has increased since the NHL announced the salary cap to be set at $81.5MM for the 2019-20 season. Despite the struggles that Honka has had in finding a role with the Stars, several teams should be looking for an inexpensive defenseman with potential. Honka, a restricted free agent, requires a qualifying offer of $874K, and could be valuable to teams such as the Toronto Maple Leafs and the San Jose Sharks, who might need some solid depth options on their defense. Shapiro, however, indicates, that the return for Honka still wouldn’t be that significant.
  • Mark Lazerus of The Athletic reports that Chicago Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman confirmed the team will give a qualifying offer to forward Brendan Perlini. The 23-year-old struggled after initially coming over from Arizona in November, but started to improve late in the season, finishing with 12 goals and 15 points in 46 games with the Blackhawks. Bowman did admit that the Blackhawks might let some of their restricted free agents walk, although newly acquired John Quenneville will be signed as well.
  • The Tennessean’s Paul Skrbina writes that one reason that Nashville Predators general manager David Poile felt comfortable trading defenseman P.K. Subban Saturday was because of the play of Dante Fabbro. The 21-year-old, the team’s first-round pick from 2016, signed with Nashville after completing his junior season at Boston University and played in four regular season games, as well as six playoff games, scoring one goal and one assist in those 10 combined games. Fabbro is the likley candidate to take over Subban’s minutes next season.

 

Nashville Predators Will Not Bring Back Wayne Simmonds

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The Nashville Predators may have opened up some cap space earlier today when they moved out defenseman P.K. Subban and his $9MM contract over the next three years. However, even with that extra cap space, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that Nashville general manager David Poile said that the team will not be bringing back unrestricted free agent Wayne Simmonds this offseason. The Tennessean’s Paul Skrbina adds that Poile also said that the team has no intention of bringing back Zac Rinaldo or Cody McLeod either.

Poile also notes that the team is still interested in bringing back unrestricted free agent Brian Boyle.

Simmonds was one Nashville’s biggest trade-deadline acquisition as they traded winger Ryan Hartman and a 2020 fourth-round pick in order to get the 6-foot-2 power forward in hopes of adding more physicality and scoring to their middle-six lines. However, Simmonds struggled once he joined Nashville, scoring one goal and three points in 17 games and then going scoreless in two playoff games. The 30-year-old Simmonds was a big-time scorer while with the Philadelphia Flyers, potting more than 20 goals six times and even reaching 30 goals twice. However, he tallied a combined 17 goals last season and his 30 points is one of the fewest of his career.

The 29-year-old Rinaldo spent most of the season with Nashville, but spent much of that time in the press box, playing a total of 23 games with one goal, three points and 20 penalty minutes. The 34-year-old McLeod came over in a deadline deal as well, this one with the New York Rangers. He played seven games for Nashville and didn’t register a point. Boyle, on the other hand, scored five goals in 26 games after being picked up for a second-round pick at the trade deadline. He also added two assists in three playoff games.

 

 

P.K. Subban’s Name “Floating Around” As Nashville Tries To Clear Salary

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The Nashville Predators have been linked to free agent Matt Duchene and need to sign an extension with captain Roman Josi, but they’ll have to clear some cap space to accomplish either one. That’s drawn plenty of speculation about who the team could move out this summer, with Kyle Turris’ name leading the way after a disappointing season. Bob McKenzie of TSN however tweets that’s not the only Predator out there, as he’s heard P.K. Subban’s name “floating around” as well. McKenzie makes sure to clarify that there is no guarantee of a Subban trade, and that makes sense given the complexity of any deal for the star defenseman.

Subban, 30, is one of the league’s highest paid defenseman and comes with a $9MM cap hit for the next three seasons. That includes $10MM in actual salary this year, a contract that many teams wouldn’t be able to afford given the cap struggles throughout the league. Still, Subban was traded once before while carrying that cap hit even when the ceiling was lower, and his offensive upside is still likely an attractive proposition for teams looking to contend. Though he played just 63 games for the Predators in 2018-19, the Norris-winning defenseman recorded 31 points and averaged close to 23 minutes a night. Subban has been criticized his whole career for playing dangerously, but still drives possession at an elite rate and can be a game-changing force on the right side.

It is important to note that though Subban once held a full no-movement clause, the Predators did not honor it after he waived it to come to Nashville in the first place. That means the veteran has zero trade protection in his contract at all and would have to accept a deal anywhere in the league. The Predators currently project to have around $6MM in cap space for this summer, but will need to open more room if they plan on being big spenders in free agency.

GM David Poile has never shied away from making big trades, but finalizing a deal including Subban does seem difficult given the league has not officially decided on the salary cap ceiling for next season. Though front offices around the league are generally aware of where it might land, it is not expected to be finalized until Saturday, during the second day of the draft. Acquiring a contract like Subban’s would require careful financial consideration for most teams, perhaps limiting the chance of something going down on day one.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Competition Committee Submits Rules Recommendations

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The NHL and NHLPA released a joint statement this evening outlining the changes recommended by the Competition Committee, which wrapped meetings today. The players’ side, led by NHLPA Special Assistant Mathieu Schneider, included Ron Hainsey, Connor Hellebuyck, Connor McDavid, John Tavares, and James van Riemsdyk. The league side, led by NHL Senior Vice President of Hockey Opertations Colin Campbell, included Craig Leipold, David Poile, Ken Holland, Doug Wilson, and Steve Yzerman. Together, the group came up with some intriguing ideas for consideration.

The most notable suggestion, as well as the most expected one, was expanded access to video review and coach’s challenges. Few details were disclosed as to the specifics of expanded review, other than allowing referees to use video review to review calls on the ice. However, after a postseason in which incorrect calls has drawn so much media scrutiny, it’s fair to assume that changes are coming to review procedures to help remedy that situation.

Another suggested rule change bound to draw some attention is a change to the the tie-breaking procedures used to determine final regular season rankings. While the joint release did not outline the proposed changes, Sportsnet’s Elliott Friedman believes that the preference of the Competition Committee is to use simply regulation wins rather than “ROT”, regulation and overtime wins, as the primary tie-breaker. If adopted, this rule change could very well see more teams looking to end games in regular time as opposed to playing for overtime, especially late in the season in a tight playoff race.

Other suggestions included changes to face-off locations based on icing, pucks out of bounds, power plays, intentionally knocking the net over, and goalies unnecessarily freezing the puck, as well as a rule that would require players to leave the ice if their helmet is knocked off during play.

These rules suggestions still need to be approved by both the NHL’s Board of Governors and the NHLPA’s Executive Board, and many of the proposed changes will require more detailed presentations, as well as considerable discussion. After suggestions are adopted, the language will be formalized and they will officially be indoctrinated into the NHL rule book. Stay tuned for further updates on these possible rule changes when these governing bodies meet later this summer.

Nashville Predators Hire Dan Lambert

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The Nashville Predators have hired Dan Lambert as an assistant coach, adding him to Peter Laviolette’s group for the 2019-20 season. Lambert spent the last two seasons as head coach of the Spokane Chiefs of the WHL, where he amassed a record of 81-46-13. Predators GM David Poile had this to say about his new coach:

Dan is an experienced, passionate coach and will nicely round out our coaching staff in 2019-20 and beyond. Having enjoyed a lengthy career as a player and now a coach, he has had success at every level running the power play, and we look forward to adding his knowledge and insight in this area to the organization.

Lambert, 49, was named to the Hockey Canada Program of Excellence last month and was set to serve as head coach for the 2019 Hlinka-Gretzky Cup. It’s not clear if he’ll still take on that role, but it goes to show just how he is perceived as an up-and-coming coach in the hockey world. Finishing a long professional career in 2009, he jumped right onto the bench of the Kelowna Rockets as an assistant, only to take over as head coach a few years later and win a WHL Championship. He jumped to the NHL after that with the Buffalo Sabres, and took over as head coach of the Rochester Americans of the AHL in 2016-17.

As a player, Lambert put up huge point totals in his career including a 102-point season in the WHL and an 87-point season in the IHL. As a coach with the Rockets, he helped develop NHL defensemen like Damon Severson, Madison Bowey, Josh Morrissey, and Tyson Barrie. That’s the exact type of development he’ll likely be asked to accomplish in Nashville, where the team already has an incredible defense corps but also a player like Dante Fabbro who the organization expects big things of. Lambert is also known as a powerplay specialist, something the Predators have struggled with for some time.

Nashville Predators To Pursue Matt Duchene

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All that talk about not making too much of Matt Duchene’s property in Nashville? Forget about it, apparently. Pierre LeBrun writes for The Athletic that the Predators are expected to enter the bidding for the best center on the free agent market. The team would have to shed some salary to do so, but that appears to be a hurdle they are willing to take on to add a top offensive talent.

Not only does Duchene have connections to the city – as well as a love for country music – but Nashville GM David Poile tried to acquire Duchene from the Colorado Avalanche last year (he settled to be third team in on the doomed deal with the Ottawa Senators) and is likely to take another run in free agency. The only problem with the free agency route is that no salary will move out the other way. Duchene is expected to command a maximum-term contract worth upwards of $9MM per year. Currently, the Predators have only $7MM in available cap space with 21 players signed. That doesn’t even include anticipated extensions for RFA forwards Colton Sissons and Rocco Grimaldi, and Nashville must also consider the raise that No. 1 defenseman Roman Josi is owed on his next contract. It would be impossible for the Predators to sign Duchene without making other significant moves.

Fortunately, as LeBrun notes, Poile has built a roster that is completely free of any trade restrictions. Any Nashville player could be on the move this summer, whether that’s dynamic, but expensive defenseman P.K. Subban, disappointing recent extension Kyle Turris, or underwhelming deadline addition Mikael Granlund. The Predators have long been searching for a surefire second line center and Duchene behind Ryan Johansen would give Nashville an elite one-two punch. If it costs them any of the aforementioned players, or even a combination of depth players like Craig Smith, Nick Bonino, or Calle Jarnkrok, it would likely be worth it. The real question is whether Poile can get the requisite deals done, or at least in place, by July 1st so that he can approach talks with Duchene with the confidence of knowing he’s not putting his team in an impossible cap position.

It is still a stretch to consider Nashville the likely landing spot for Duchene. It would take considerable effort and roster re-organization to make the star center a fit for the Predators, whereas many other teams in need of a top pivot also have the cap space to do so easily. Yet, if Nashville truly has interest in making it work, combined with Duchene’s own interests in the city, there is certainly a potential fit that could shift the balance of power in the Western Conference.

West Notes: Kubalik, Heat, Predators

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If you’ve been watching the IIHF World Championship closely, you may have noticed a young winger lighting the lamp for the Czech Republic whose name has never been uttered in an NHL game. 23-year old Dominik Kubalik has nine points in six games for the Czechs, and is tied for the team lead in shots with 19. The young forward’s NHL rights were traded in January to the Chicago Blackhawks, who according to Igor Eronko of Sport-Express have now agreed to terms with Kubalik.

Kubalik played with Blackhawks forward Dominik Kahun in the OHL several years ago, but returned home after two seasons in junior. Selected in the seventh round by the Los Angeles Kings, the talented winger put up 57 points in 50 games in the Swiss NLA last season and could be a potential NHL option as soon as 2019-20 for the Blackhawks. The will of course need to get him under contract, but perhaps they are close to doing just that after his excellent tournament.

  • The Stockton Heat have signed Mason Morelli to an AHL contract for 2019-20, getting another impressive young player to agree to a minor league deal. Morelli recorded 34 points in 36 games as a senior with the University of Nebraska-Omaha, and then jumped right into the AHL with three goals and four points in nine games down the stretch. The 23-year old was undrafted but will try to take the next step in his development for the Heat and earn himself an NHL contract down the road.
  • The Nashville Predators are dealing with a disappointing exit from the playoffs this season and know they have work to do in order to get themselves back to legitimate Stanley Cup contenders. GM David Poile spoke with Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (subscription required) about his priorities this offseason, and secondary scoring came up as a big need. Outside of the top line of Ryan Johansen, Filip Forsberg and Viktor Arvidsson, the Predators didn’t have a single forward crack the 40-point threshold this season while deadline additions like Wayne Simmonds (3 points in 17 games) and Mikael Granlund (5 points in 16 games) never seemed to find their footing. Kyle Turris, who was extended immediately upon his arrival in Nashville during the 2017-18 season, also experienced one of his worst seasons as a professional, recording just 23 points in 55 games. Nashville will be a team to watch in the free agent and trade market over the next few months as they try to find an answer to those secondary scoring woes.

Snapshots: Bobrovsky, Duchene, Webber

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When NHL players buy property in a city, particularly free agents, it is often blown out of proportion. Many players have ties to cities throughout the league, but may not necessarily have any intention of signing with the local team. However, when players sell property in the city they played in, that carries some more weight. An impending free agent usually has enough on his plate without house hunting, unless it’s part of a move to a new team. So, when Sergei Bobrovsky put his place on the market today, most Blue Jackets fan saw it as the last piece of evidence pointing to his departure. The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline reports that Bobrovsky’s $3MM condominium in downtown Columbus has been put up for sale, likely ruling out a possible return for the superstar goalie. Bobrovksy has hinted for more than a year now that he was likely to leave Columbus as a free agent, but there were surely some fans holding out hope that the team’s postseason run may have changed his mind. His real estate move today would suggest otherwise. Bobrovsky, who is undoubtedly the best netminder on the free agent market and arguably the best player overall, will be donning a different jersey next season.

  • Speaking of ties to a city, Bobrovsky’s Blue Jackets teammate Matt Duchene was again spotted in Nashville this week, writes Paul Skrbina of The Tennessean. However, Skrbina is quick to note that Duchene was joined by several other teammates who were all in town to celebrate Riley Nash’s 30th birthday. This is not the first time that Duchene has been linked to the home of the Predators, though. In fact, the country music fan owns property in the area and many Nashville fans have hoped he would one day call the city home. The Predators were the third team in on the now-infamous trade that sent Duchene to Ottawa last year, but only because they were initially interested in acquiring Duchene himself. While they settled for Kyle Turris instead, that was a decision that didn’t play out so well this season, as Turris missed 27 games due to injury and contributed only 23 points on the year. The Predators find themselves in need of scoring again this off-season, but is Duchene a realistic target? Skrbina notes that GM David Poile recently commented that he feels the team has the flexibility to add up front in free agency, but Duchene is the top center on the free agent market and is likely to command at least than $9MM annually on his next deal. Having just acquired Mikael Granlund and handed Turris a major extension, it seems unlikely that Nashville will be willing to make the commitment in dollars and term that it would take to land Duchene, even if he does enjoy the city.
  • One player who knows for sure where he’s playing next season is draft-eligible prospect Cade Webber. Webber, a hulking defenseman out of The Rivers School in Massachusetts, has signed on with the Penticton Vees of the BCHL for next season, the team announced. Webber had previously committed to Boston University as part of the 2020 recruiting class, but there was uncertainty about whether he would return to Rivers or play elsewhere in the upcoming season. With Penticton, Webber will have the opportunity to face tougher competition but also to develop in a program that has turned out plenty of talent in recent years, including another BU defenseman in Dante Fabbro. At 6’6″ and nearly 200 lbs., Webber is about as big as they come at 18 years old. However, he does not let his size define his game; Webber is a strong skater and isn’t afraid to carry the puck and get involved in the offensive end. He recorded 12 goals and 26 points in just 29 games for Rivers this season and also featured for Team USA at the 2018 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. Recently ranked No. 87 among draft-eligible North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting, Webber is a candidate to be drafted as early as the third-round in June and teams could be tempted to reach for a player with size you can’t teach. After that, the Vees will get a major boost next season from the talented blue liner before he joins the Terriers a year later and likely jumps to the pro level not long after that.

Trade Rumors: Predators, Avalanche, Henrique, Ferland

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The Nashville Predators made a splash yesterday when they acquired both Brian Boyle and Cody McLeod to strengthen their bottom-six. However, many continue to speculate that the Preds are not done and in fact remain one of the top players for the market’s most valued rentals forwards. That may not be so, though. NHL.com’s Dan Rosen cites an interview with GM David Poile on 104.5 The Zone in Nashville today in which he spoke about the additions of Boyle and McLeod, the return from injury for center Kyle Turris, and his hope of improvement from young winger Kevin Fiala. “If those guys can do it, we’re probably not making any more moves,” Poile stated. It seems that the veteran executive is willing to wait on pulling the trigger on another trade before he can see if the team improves internally. Poile has never been afraid to make a move at the deadline, but is also a careful dealer. “It’s a little bit of an arms race these couple weeks before the trade deadline and I don’t want to say I would react to what another team does. I mean, first and foremost, you’ve got to take care of your own team,” Poile continued, but did add that “nothing is out of the realm of possibilities… I’m making calls. I’m receiving calls. I’m just looking for an opportunity to improve our team. If that comes our way between now and Feb. 25, I’m all in.”

  • One team that will play it safe at the deadline, and understandably so, are the Colorado Avalanche. The Avs have lost four games straight and eight of their last ten and have fallen out of a playoff spot, all the way to 10th-place in the Western Conference, behind both the Vancouver Canucks and St. Louis Blues for the final wild card slot. Colorado still has the talent to right the ship and reach the postseason, but their total lack of secondary scoring and their inconsistent goaltending have put them in a tough spot. GM Joe Sakic is not about to mortgage the future at the trade deadline when his team may has such serious needs and may not even make the playoffs. Sakic told The Denver Post’s Mike Chambers that he believes the team can get back into playoff position and he may look at some minor trades to help them along, but Colorado’s top trade capital is off the table. This includes both of the team’s first-round pick in 2019, their own and the Ottawa Senators’, the latter of which has strong odds of being the No. 1 overall pick. Also included in the untouchables are top defensive prospects Cale Makar and Conor Timmins and top forward prospects Shane Bowers and Martin Kaut. As such, any sellers dealing with Sakic and company should not expect an overwhelming offer for their rental players and, as a result, Avs fans should not expect fireworks at the deadline.
  • The Anaheim Ducks are desperate for a shake-up. The team has just two wins in their last 19 games, including a current five-game losing streak, and have plummeted to 14th in the Western Conference. The team also has more cap space committed to their roster for next season than any other team in the NHL and are equally desperate for help alleviating that cap crunch. The result is that Ducks players not previously thought to be available are popping up on the rumor mill. It seems almost anyone on the Anaheim roster could be had in the right deal, but Adam Henrique is currently the most talked-about name. TSN’s Frank Seravalli recently moved Henrique up to No. 15 on the Trade Bait List; he had previously been off the board completely. Henrique signed a five-year extension with the Ducks back in July and will carry a $5.825MM cap hit beginning next season. Although Henrique is second in scoring for Anaheim, his 27 points through 54 games is significantly behind his production rate from last season after coming over from the New Jersey, as well as his scoring pace in most seasons with the Devils. With the Ducks in search of both re-shaped roster and a lesser payroll, the underacheiving Henrique could be on his way out of Anaheim before ever playing a full season with the team.
  • TSN’s Trade Bait List also reflects another intriguing change on the trade market. Carolina Hurricanes winger Micheal Ferland, once though to be as good as gone, has fallen down the board to No. 9 overall. While still a high ranking, Seravalli notes that trade talks surrounding Ferland have cooled as the ’Canes may prefer to hold on to him. Colleague Darren Dreger recently reported the same thing, believing Carolina could use Ferland as their “own rental”. The Hurricanes are currently three points behind the Columbus Blue Jackets in pursuit of the final Eastern Conference wild card spot, and have played one more game than Columbus and the Buffalo Sabres. However, when your team has holds a league-worst nine-year playoff drought, you jump on any chance you have to get back to the postseason. Ferland is now looking increasingly likely to stay in Carolina as the team tries to make the most of their stretch run and secure a playoff berth, but their play leading up to the deadline will be the deciding factor when it comes to Ferland’s future this season.

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