Nashville Predators Sign Colin Blackwell
The Nashville Predators have added even more minor league depth, signing Colin Blackwell to a two-year, two-way contract that carries a $675K cap hit in the NHL. Blackwell had been playing for the Rochester Americans on an AHL contract, but certainly did enough to deserve an NHL deal this summer.
Blackwell, 25, was originally a seventh-round pick of the San Jose Sharks in 2011 but decided to finish his degree at Harvard and spent all four years low on the depth chart at the ivy league school. After finishing his collegiate career, he played a season for the San Jose Barracuda but really broke out last year for Rochester. In 61 games he registered 45 points and was arguably their most consistent forward, and now will try to bring that newfound confidence to the Milwaukee Admirals.
Nashville has been adding plenty of talent for their minor league organization over the last few days, already signing Rocco Grimaldi, Connor Brickley and Jarred Tinordi to two-way contracts. Blackwell will just add to that depth and try to get the Admirals back on top in the AHL.
Nashville Predators Sign Zac Rinaldo
The Nashville Predators have given Zac Rinaldo another chance, signing him to a one-year two-way contract worth $650K at the NHL level. Rinaldo played 53 games for the Arizona Coyotes last season and was his usual physical self, collecting 188 hits and earning his fifth career suspension after sucker-punching Samuel Girard in December.
Rinaldo, 28, has 34 points in 328 career games but was never expected to contribute offensively. He’ll be reunited in the Nashville organization with Peter Laviolette, the head coach that gave him his first opportunity in the 2011 playoffs. He took 12 penalty minutes in those two games, a sign of things to come. One of the last real enforcer-type players in the NHL, Rinaldo will likely spend time in the minor leagues before coming up for any especially physical matchups.
Nashville Predators Sign Connor Brickley, Rocco Grimaldi, Jarred Tinordi
The Nashville Predators watched the rest of the league throw money at many of the free agents available earlier today, but now have a few signings of their own. Connor Brickley, Rocco Grimaldi and Jarred Tinordi have all signed one-year two-way contracts worth $650K at the NHL level, giving the organization several excellent minor league players that have NHL experience.
Kings To Sign Drew Doughty To Eight-Year Extension
July 1: The Kings have officially announced the contract, signing Doughty to an eight-year, $88MM contract extension. The deal will kick in for the 2018-19 season, and make Doughty the highest-paid defenseman in the league, barring an even bigger extension being signed before then.
June 29: A major impending free agent is about to be off the market, but it’s not a member of the 2018 class, but the 2019 class. When July 1st arrives and players with expiring contracts after next season are first eligible to sign extensions, Los Angeles defenseman Drew Doughty is expected to re-sign with the Kings. TSN Insider Pierre LeBrun reports that the two sides put the finishing touches on a max eight-year extension today that will be officially signed on Sunday. No financial terms have been disclosed.
The Kings are undoubtedly one of the teams that benefited the most from the massive salary cap spike this off-season. That added flexibility allowed L.A. to add much-needed scoring in the form of Ilya Kovalchuk without losing the breathing room needed to retain Doughty. For a time, many speculated that Doughty would test free agency next summer, but over the past few months the Norris Trophy-winner has made it clear that he would prefer to stay with the Kings. The team’s acquisition of Kovalchuk and continued search for talent this off-season was likely the very last boost of confidence that Doughty needed to re-up in L.A.
Doughty now joins fellow defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson of the Arizona Coyotes and center Logan Couture of the San Jose Sharks as potential superstar free agents who will instead sign on with their current teams as soon as possible. Doughty is the biggest name so far and, if previous reports prove true, will soon be the highest paid defenseman in hockey. Doughty has gone on the record as saying that he would like to be paid more than Nashville Predators blue liner P.K. Subban, who is currently the highest-paid defenseman in the league at $9MM AAV. LeBrun’s TSN colleague Darren Dreger is among many speculating that deal will land in the realm of $11MM per year over the eight years, which would make him the new top dog among defenders and the second-highest paid player in the league – at least until Erik Karlsson signs his next contract.
Free Agent Notes: Holden, Ellis, Namestnikov, Wilson
The Vegas Golden Knights already surprised a few when they reached out and stole Paul Stastny away from Western Conference rival Winnipeg. However, the Golden Knights are apparently not done as The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun reports that Vegas is the front-runner for unrestricted free agent defenseman Nick Holden.
Holden, who spent time with both the New York Rangers and Boston Bruins last season, would be a solid depth defenseman that could add to Vegas’ core. he averaged 19:00 ATOI between both clubs, but only posted four goals and 17 points on the year. However, the 31-year-old may be starting to show a decline in skills as he was a 34-point player in 2016-17 with the Rangers.
Incidentally, Holden is being pursued by two teams as the Boston Bruins are also vying for the blueliner’s services, according to Sportsnet’s Mark Spector. The Bruins, after all, gave up a third-round pick and low-end prospect Rob O’Gara at the deadline.
- LeBrun also mentions that while Nashville Predators defenseman Ryan Ellis, who will be a unrestricted free agent in one year, can sign an extension as of today. However, the scribe writes that Nashville isn’t there yet. They intend to reignite talks with Ellis and his representatives within the next one to two weeks. Nashville wants to keep Ellis in the fold at all costs as the team has put major emphasis on having a dominant four defense. The team already has P.K. Subban ($9MM AAV) and Mattias Ekholm ($3.75MM AAV) locked up for four years, while Roman Josi ($4MM AAV) is signed for another two years.
- The New York Rangers can breathe easier after the agent for restricted free agent Vladislav Namestnikov, Dan Milstein, refuted rumors that the forward was leaving for the KHL. Namestnikov, who was acquired from Tampa Bay at the trade deadline, but saw his playing time drop once he arrived in New York. After averaging 17:30 of ATOI as a Lightning, his playing time dropped to 15:43, along with his offensive production. After potting 20 goals with Tampa Bay, he managed just four points in 19 games with the Rangers. However, Milstein insists the rumors are not true and that Namestnikov believes playing in the NHL is a privilege and honor and an extension is in the works with the New York Rangers.
- Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News reports the Buffalo Sabres are currently working on re-signing winger Scott Wilson. The 26-year-old was picked up in a December trade this last season from the Detroit Red Wings and played a regular role as a bottom-six forward. After not scoring a point in 17 games with Detroit, he tallied six goals and 14 points in 49 games in Buffalo.
Zac Rinaldo To Sign A Two-Way Deal With Nashville
The Nashville Predators continue to add depth to their team as Fox Sports Andy Strickland reports that unrestricted forward Zac Rinaldo will sign a two-way deal with the Predators. Terms of a deal have not been announced.
With the team’s significant depth at forward at the NHL level, the two-way deal is significant as the team can have him play with their AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals and can then be called up to supplement the team’s depth if needed without having to pass the forward through waivers. The physical forward, who played for the Arizona Coyotes last year, re-joins Nashville head coach Peter Laviolette when both were with the Philadelphia Flyers. Rinaldo started with Philadelphia and played five season there before being traded to Boston in 2015.
The 28-year-old forward played in just 53 games with the Coyotes last season, posting five goals and seven points on the season along with 44 penalty minutes, playing the entire season at the NHL level. He is well know for controversial hits, including one last December in which he was suspended six games for punching Colorado defenseman Samuel Girard. He has been suspended five times by the Department of Player Safety over his career.
Free Agent Focus: Nashville Predators
Free agency is now just days from opening up and there are quite a few prominent players set to hit the open market while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign. Here is a breakdown of Nashville’s free agent situation.
Key Restricted Free Agents: G Juuse Saros — The goaltender of the future just burned his final year of his entry-level deal and now goes into restricted free agency. Still blocked by Vezina Trophy winner Pekka Rinne, the 23-year-old netminder has transitioned nicely into the team’s backup who can give the 35-year-old Rinne a breather once in a while. In a career-high 26 NHL games last year, Saros put up a 2.45 GAA and more importantly a .925 save percentage.
With Rinne on the last year of his current seven-year, $49MM deal he signed back in 2011, Saros time as the starting goaltender of the future could come soon, who even managed to make four appearances in the team’s abbreviated playoff run. With an AAV of $925K last season, Saros should get a nice bump up in pay next season.
F Ryan Hartman — The gritty forward was picked up at the trade deadline from the Chicago Blackhawks for their playoff run and projects as a solid and versatile bottom-six option for a deep Nashville roster. The 23-year-old posted a 31-point season between the two teams last year, including three goals and six points in 21 games with the Predators, while averaging 13:46 of ATOI. He added another two goals in nine playoff games for Nashville. After a season in which he made just $863K last season, he should get a raise, but with no arbitration rights, probably won’t cost the team too much.
Other RFA’s: F Miikka Salomaki.
Key Unrestricted Free Agents: Alexei Emelin — The team traded for Emelin last offseason as a means to bring in a potential top-four defenseman to fill in for the injured Ryan Ellis for the first half of the season. The 32-year-old posted almost the exact same numbers last year, but once Ellis returned in January, Emelin’s minutes dropped and in the end averaged a career-low in minutes with just 16:53 ATOI. He will take a major paycut after receiving $4.1MM last year in a deal he signed with Montreal back in 2013. However, with seven defensemen with NHL experience already locked up on the Predators roster, it doesn’t look like Emelin will return to Nashville next season.
F Scott Hartnell — While the 36-year-old had respectable numbers in his return to Nashville, the 17-year veteran is not expected to return to Nashville with the amount of young talent that is trying to break into the Predators lineup. Regardless, the veteran has already stated that he intends to play for another season, but almost assuredly will be looking for a new home.
Other UFA’s: F Cody Bass, F Brandon Bollig, G Anders Lindback, F Mark McNeill, G Matt O’Connor, D John Ramage, F Trevor Smith, F Harry Zolnierczyk.
Projected Cap Space: The Predators are projected to have $12MM in available cap space going into free agency and while the team does have to lock up a couple restricted free agents like Saros and Hartman, the team has money to play with. Regardless, the Predators haven’t been in on many free agent rumors so far suggesting the team might hold back and add specialty players to team that intends to challenge for a Stanley Cup this year. The team also must be ready to have the eventual cap space to lock up Ellis, who will be a free agent in the 2019-20 season.
Austin Watson Charged With Domestic Assault
June 28: Watson’s court date has been postponed until July 24th according to Alund, who also adds some context to the arrest. Watson got into an argument with his girlfriend at a gas station in Franklin, Tennessee and admitted to pushing her to an officer that was flagged down by a witness. Alund reports that should Watson be convicted, he faces up to 11 months and 29 days in jail and up to a $2,500 fine.
June 20: Nashville Predators forward Austin Watson has been charged with domestic assault, according to a report from Natalie Neysa Alund of the Tennessean. Watson was arrested Saturday night and released Wednesday morning on a $4,500 bond. His next court date is set for June 28th. The Predators have issued this statement:
This is a matter that we are taking very seriously, and will cooperate fully with the investigation by law enforcement.
Watson, 26, was selected in the first round of the 2010 draft and became a full-time player for the Predators in the 2015-16 season. In 2017 he was involved in a public-awareness campaign with several teammates directed towards ending violence against women, which included a $500K donation from the Predators.
The details of the arrest are not public record yet, and we likely won’t know how it affects Watson’s 2018-19 season until the court process has been completed. Watson is under contract with the team for two more seasons, and carries a $1.1MM cap hit.
Offseason Keys: Nashville Predators
The offseason is now in full swing with the draft now complete and free agency on the horizon. What storylines lie ahead around the league in the weeks to come? Our Offseason Keys series continues with a look at the Nashville Predators.
After making it to the Stanley Cup Final back in 2017, the Predators were hoping to take that final step and take home the title in 2017-18. However, despite some midseason additions including center Kyle Turris, Nashville instead went down in the second round at the hands of Winnipeg. With most of the team already signed for next season, Nashville’s offseason keys revolve decisions regarding their own players.
Ellis Extension
The Preds have reaped the benefits of some of their top defensemen playing for below-market value. Among those players is Ryan Ellis who is set to enter the final year of his deal that pays $3.5MM in cash with just a $2.5MM cap hit. Suffice it to say, his next contract is going to cost a whole lot more.
While he missed 38 games due to injury this past season, the 27-year-old still managed to put up an impressive 32 points, tying the second-most of his career. He also has logged more than 23 minutes a night in each of the last two seasons, averages that blueliners on the top pairing often receive. Accordingly, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Ellis seek a new deal that’s commensurate with that of a top pairing defender even though he ranked fourth on the team in ice time in 2017-18.
With the jump in his role in recent years and the expected increase in the salary cap, Ellis could push for a deal in the $7MM per season range. Fortunately for Nashville, both Roman Josi ($4MM) and Mattias Ekholm ($3.75MM) are still on below-market deals so they should be able to fit that into their payroll structure without too much difficulty. GM David Poile called this extension Nashville’s biggest priority for the offseason so expect them to try to get something done as soon as possible; no deal can be officially announced until July 1st.
Decisions In Goal
Pekka Rinne is coming off a solid regular season but an ugly showing in the playoffs. Between that and his age (35), some are wondering how much longer he’s going to be the starter in Nashville. He is entering the final year of his contract in 2018-19 with a $7MM cap hit and salary. They’ll have to decide whether or not to look into an extension or whether to ride out 2018-19 with him as the starter and then reassess the situation next offseason.
Then there’s backup Jusse Saros. He is coming off of his entry-level contract and posted a career-best .925 SV% in 26 games while faring well in relief action during the postseason. He has the potential to be a starter but at just 5’11, he’s undersized for the position which could call into question his long-term viability to play that role.
From there, he could sign a couple of different contracts. It would make sense for Nashville to push for a bridge deal (two or three years) that would give them some stability at the position with Rinne’s uncertain future. However, from Saros’ perspective, a one-year pact may make more sense as that would line up his next trip in restricted free agency with Rinne becoming a UFA while he’d also have arbitration rights at that time. If they plan to make the 23-year-old the starter beginning in 2019-20, he’d have more leverage for a bigger deal at that time. Second contracts for backup goalies usually aren’t a big deal but this is an interesting case to keep tabs on.
Re-Sign Hartman
One of Nashville’s in-season additions was winger Ryan Hartman, who the Preds dealt their first-round pick in the draft (27th overall). The move didn’t exactly pan out as well as they may have hoped for. While he played a regular role down the stretch, his playing time diminished in the postseason to less than 12 minutes per night while being a healthy scratch four times as well.
The 23-year-old has completed his entry-level deal and while things didn’t go overly well with Nashville, he is still coming off of his second straight 31-point season (with most of his 2017-18 points coming with Chicago). That should have him in line for a raise on the $833K he earned in each of the past two seasons.
Considering how he fared with his new team, a long-term deal is out of the question and it wouldn’t be surprising to see the two sides work towards a one-year pact, especially since Hartman’s availability to start next season is in question following shoulder surgery last month. Given what they gave up for him, it’s clear that Nashville sees him as part of their long-term future but a ‘prove it’ contract makes the most sense for them this summer.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Scott Hartnell Intends To Play An 18th Season
While the Nashville Predators told Scott Hartnell nearly three weeks ago that they will not bring him back, that didn’t mean the 17-year veteran’s career is over. While he admitted at the time that he would be OK if his career ended, TSN’s Frank Seravalli reports that Hartnell has indicated that he’s all in and plans to play an 18th season in the NHL next year. The unrestricted free agent just needs to find a new team now.
The veteran forward signed a one-year, $1MM deal to return to Nashville last season after being bought out by the Columbus Blue Jackets. Hartnell had a solid campaign acting as a bottom-six forward for the team who can incite energy and hustle in his play. No longer a constant 20-goal scorer, he posted 13 goals for a second year in a row to go with 24 points in 62 games this season.
Due to Nashville’s depth at forward and the youth they are bringing in, Hartnell was no longer a logical option there, but there should be other teams on the lookout for a veteran bottom-six forward. Even though he only played in four games for the Predators in the playoffs, he showed his value against the Winnipeg Jets. In three games, he produced eight hits and was instrumental in helping the Predators to a Game 4 victory. Regardless, he shouldn’t have too much trouble finding another year of work.