Teams Currently Without Captains
The Nashville Predators are the latest team to join the ranks of the uncaptained, after Mike Fisher officially announced his retirement from the NHL this morning. They’ll now have to make a decision on whether or not to give one of their current players the “C”, or wait until a leader emerges at some point down the road. Perhaps one of their young stars will show enough this year to deserve it, if they don’t immediately give it to one of their stud defensemen. Much of the chatter among fans has been about Roman Josi or Ryan Ellis taking on the mantle, though nothing is clear just yet.
There are five other teams who have yet to name a captain for the upcoming season, and though some may go through the year with three alternates instead, there are several options to take up the leadership and stitch that curved letter to the front of their jersey.
Buffalo Sabres
Brian Gionta wore the “C” for the past three seasons, but it seems as though the team might go in a different direction this year. Gionta remains unsigned, and though a return is still a possibility it seems remote. Gionta himself gave some options for the next captain next year, listing Ryan O’Reilly, Kyle Okposo and Jack Eichel as obvious possibilities. O’Reilly does seem to be the most logical choice right now, after playing as an alternate last season and generally being regarded as one of the team’s best players. It will be hard to deny Eichel of it though, who was drafted as the face of the franchise and will likely one day lead the team.
An outside chance could be Josh Gorges for a season, as he finishes his current contract. The 32-year old defenseman has been part of the leadership group since coming over from the Montreal Canadiens in 2014, and could prove to be a nice buffer for another season before handing it over to Eichel.
Carolina Hurricanes
The Hurricanes haven’t had a captain since Eric Staal was moved at the 2016 trade deadline to the New York Rangers, instead using Jordan Staal, Justin Faulk, Jeff Skinner and Victor Rask as their leadership group. There isn’t any indication on whether the Hurricanes will name a captain before the season, but any of those four could be successful options.
There is also the possibility of the newly extended Brett Pesce and Jaccob Slavin, both of whom are quite young but figure to be huge parts of the franchise for many years. It will be interesting to see who is picked to lead the young group, as the core is set to stay together for quite some time.
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Maple Leafs have always held their captaincy as a sacred role, and after the ugly exit that was Dion Phaneuf‘s departure may wait a little longer to embroider their next jersey. Auston Matthews is the obvious option, but it’s clear the team doesn’t want to put too much on his shoulders right away. Morgan Rielly has developed into a leader on the blueline, and is still young enough to grow with the rookies and help the Maple Leafs find glory once again.
Leo Komarov, Tyler Bozak and Matt Hunwick also wore letters last season, but the latter is already in Pittsburgh and the former two are free agents at the end of the year. It will likely be a whole new leadership group in 2018-19.
Arizona Coyotes
After parting ways with their long-time captain Shane Doan, the Coyotes have yet to announce the next captain of their team. Though it’s not official yet, many believe that role will go to Oliver Ekman-Larsson in part as an attempt to sway him to re-sign next summer. OEL has just two years left on his contract before becoming one of the highest-paid defensemen in the league, and is clearly Arizona’s best player.
This summer the team brought in a friend and former teammate Niklas Hjalmarsson to try and prove to Ekman-Larsson that they’re ready to take a step forward, and if he’s there long-term he would undoubtedly have a “C” sewn on.
Vegas Golden Knights
The Golden Knights haven’t announced any of their captains as of yet, and it will be a very interesting decision when they do. Only three active players are signed for more than two years, and you would think the expansion franchise would want a stable leader to grow with the team for some time. That said, announcing a captain would be a big marketing play for an organization that is trying to connect with fans.
Deryk Engellend was brought in because of his ties to the Las Vegas community, but he’s only under contract for a single season and is already declining rapidly in effectiveness. Marc-Andre Fleury is likely the face of the franchise for now, but isn’t signed long-term and can’t officially have the “C” as a goaltender. Reilly Smith—one of the only players signed for more than two years—did captain his college team once upon a time, and could potentially grow into that role with his new club. They could also wait and hope Cody Glass or Nick Suzuki make an immediate impact in the NHL, and give the role to one of them in a few years.
Mike Fisher Retires From NHL
It was either play for Nashville for one more season or call it quits, and Mike Fisher has decided on the latter. The free agent forward announced his retirement today, penning a letter to the fans of the Nashville Predators, thanking them for everything they’ve turned that city into over the past few years.
This is the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make, but I know I’ve made the right one. I’ve decided to retire from the NHL.
A thank you here isn’t enough to say goodbye with, but all those memories, like the moments in the locker room before Game 6, cherishing those is what I hope will keep me, this team and the city intertwined forever.
Fisher has spent parts of seven seasons with the Predators, captaining them all the way to the Stanley Cup final last year in what was a resurgent offensive season. On a team that lacked center depth throughout the year, Fisher recorded 18 goals and 42 points while playing the same hard-nosed defensive game he’s been known for his whole career.
Drafted in the second round by the Ottawa Senators in 1998, Fisher will end his career after 1,088 games and 585 points, the model third-line center. His steady presence and high effort level made him into a fan favorite in both Ottawa and Nashville, while his community involvement will keep him attached to both cities for a long time.
In Ottawa, Fisher was chair of Roger’s House, a children’s palliative care center—a role that was taken over by Chris Neil and his wife upon Fisher’s departure—while in Nashville he was involved in several charities like Room In The Inn, a homeless shelter and the Vanderbilt children’s hospital. In 2012 he was awarded the NHL Foundation Award for his charitable work, even releasing a children’s book of which all the profits were donated.
On the ice, he was a huge part of both franchises. Fisher will go down in the top-15 for both franchises in games played, while ranking sixth all-time in goals for the Senators and fourth for the Predators.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Ryan Johansen Signs Eight-Year Contract With Nashville Predators
The Nashville Predators have signed Ryan Johansen to a new contract. The deal is for eight seasons, worth $64MM and interestingly does not contain any no-trade or no-movement clauses. Johansen was a restricted free agent for the second time, and coming off a three-year $12MM deal he signed before being traded to the Predators. He was eligible for salary arbitration but chose not to file, instead working out a long-term extension with the team. 
Johansen, 24, was acquired by the Predators from the Columbus Blue Jackets in early 2016 in exchange for defensemen Seth Jones. In a swap of fourth-overall picks, Johansen immediately filled a gaping hole on the Predators as a big number one center, while Jones joined one of the deepest defense corps in the league in Columbus.
Armed with a solid offensive group around him in Nashville, Johansen put up his fourth straight 60-point season and was a huge part in the Predators going all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals. Unfortunately he wasn’t able to see it to the end, as he was injured in the Western Conference Finals on what seemed to be a pretty innocuous play, and would require immediate surgery.
Already this summer the Predators have seen Viktor Arvidsson locked up for the next seven years, while Filip Forsberg signed a long-term deal just a year ago. Those three form the core of what is an impressive forward group, that will get Nick Bonino, Scott Hartnell and several young players added this year. While James Neal has gone to Vegas, and Mike Fisher hasn’t yet made a decision on a comeback, the present and future looks very bright in Smashville.
The $8MM average annual value of the deal puts Johansen tied for the 15th-highest paid player in the league next season, and eighth among centers right alongside Joe Thornton, who signed a one-year deal to return to San Jose. This deal’s biggest comparable may just be Evgeny Kuznetsov, who signed an eight-year deal of his own just a few weeks ago. Kuznetsov will get $7.8MM per season, but also has considerably less experience in the NHL (though they are just a few months apart in age).
The Predators’ top line of Johansen, Arvidsson and Forsberg is now under contract for a total of $18.25MM for the next five seasons, and are all still under the age of 25 currently. The trio is as dominant a group as you can find in the NHL, though as GM David Poile joked in his press conference, Johansen also has plenty of experience (and success) playing with Hartnell from their days in Columbus. It will be interesting to see the deployment next season, and if head coach Peter Laviolette breaks up his dynamic young line to spread out some of the offense.
For all the things Johansen does well, it’s important to note that he’s not without flaws. For all the offense he can create, he has been criticized in the past for a perceived lack of effort at times and has scored just 14 goals each of the last two seasons. While both those years came with relatively low shooting percentages, he doesn’t generate as many shots as some of the other premiere centers in the league and could stand to use his size to his advantage a bit more.
That said, when lined up with natural goal scorers his playmaking ability can mesh and be disastrous for opponents to handle. His defensive acumen and work in the faceoff dot is exemplary, and should only improve as he enters his prime. Like Thornton in San Jose and Ryan Getzlaf in Anaheim, those skills can be more than enough to make an outstanding career.
Adam Vingan of the Tennessean first had the deal.
Minor Transactions: 07/27/17
While the whole league considers their options now that the Montreal Canadiens have announced Andrei Markov will not return, teams will continue to make minor changes and signings to finalize the fringes of their roster before training camp. Here we’ll keep track of all the minor signings of the day.
- The New York Islanders have signed Connor Jones according to Arthur Staple of Newsday, inking the 26-year old forward to a one-year two-way contract. Jones got into four games for the Islanders this season, his first taste of NHL action. A graduate of Quinnipac University, Jones has had a hard time replicating any offensive success in the professional ranks, and was held scoreless in his short NHL stint last year.
- The Milwaukee Admirals, the AHL affiliate of the Nashville Predators, inked former Detroit Red Wings goalie prospect Jake Paterson to a minor league contract today, per a team release. A 2012 third-round pick from the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit, the 23-year-old keeper was one of the best goalies in the ECHL last year. Not only did he lead the league in wins with 34, but he posted an impressive 2.28 GAA and .918 save percentage as well. This is the second season in a row that Paterson had dominated the ECHL and has likely earned a shot at regular AHL time. However, he joins a crowded pipeline in Milwaukee that includes Marek Mazanec, Matt O’Connor, and veteran Anders Lindback fighting for time in net. Barring an injury or two, Paterson will likely be back in the ECHL next year. Yet, Paterson was still one of the top free agent goalies remaining on the market before the Admirals scooped him up.
- If Paterson had stayed in the Red Wings organization, he would have faced a similar roadblock to AHL play time behind Calder Cup hero Jared Coreau, the recently re-acquired Tom McCollum, and Czech import Matej Machovsky. However, Pat Nagle appears to be up for the challenge. The 29-year-old minor league veteran has signed on with Detroit’s AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins, on a minor league deal, the team announced. The Michigan-native has played with Grand Rapids before – a two-game stint on loan from the ECHL’s Fort Wayne Komets in 2014-15 – and was loaned again to the Griffins last season, but did not see any action. Now officially part of the team, the veteran keeper will look to earn a permanent spot in Grand Rapids, but faces an uphill battle against both the trio of goalies ahead of him on the depth chart and his own age in inferior play at the AHL level.
Predators To Carry Eight Defenseman In 2017-18
When the Nashville Predators acquired former Montreal Canadiens defenseman Alexei Emelin at the NHL Draft from the Vegas Golden Knights, who had just selected him in the Expansion Draft days earlier, it was clear that the team would have a logjam on the blue line entering 2017-18. The roster already boasts a top four that can rival any in the league in Roman Josi, P.K. Subban, Ryan Ellis and Mattias Ekholm, and adding yet another prominent name to the mix meant another regular for the Western Conference champs could be pushed out.
Instead, GM David Poile told Adam Vignan of The Tennessean that the Predators will carry eight defenseman, at least to start the year. With Josi, Subban, Ellis, Ekholm, and Emelin locked into regular roles – and making up only a modest $22MM of cap space – the final spot in the starting six will belong to one of Yannick Weber, Matt Irwin, or Anthony Bitetto. Weber and Irwin were the team’s bottom pair for much of the 2016-17 season and each signed an extension during the year, while the younger Bitetto skated in 29 games and helped to make up for the loss of Subban while he was sidelined. There’s no clear choice between the three, but by carrying the entire trio, Poile and coach Peter Laviolette have the flexibility to mix and match until they find the best fit.
Making this decision easier are the cap hits for Weber, Irwin, and Bitetto. Despite being regular contributors to a team that nearly won the Stanley Cup, Weber and Irwin are both journeyman veterans who have had up-and-down careers and thus settled for one-year extensions worth the league minimum of $650K. Bitetto, who had only just completed his first real NHL season in 2016, signed a two-year, 1.225MM contract, which will pay him $612.5K in 2017-18, even less than Weber and Irwin. Thus, the entire trio will cost Nashville under $2MM, making the decision to keep a fourth pair all the more simple. How everything shakes out on the Predators’ blue line remains to be seen, but their eight-man group will surely be the envy of most teams in the NHL this season.
Mike Fisher Set To Make Decision Next Week
With Ryan Johansen and Calle Jarnkrok returning, the position could quickly turn from a weakness into a considerable strength for the Stanley Cup finalists, with Fisher grading out as one of the best fourth line players in the league. He should come back at a reasonable price, but the Predators still have to get Johansen under contract and make sure they don’t put themselves in too tight a position heading into the season.
Dead Space: Bought-Out, Buried, And Retained Salaries For Every Team
It’s something that often goes unnoticed, but with the cap showing minimal growth the last few years, teams are starting to feel the crunch more than ever. Buyouts have become more common, especially with players with under three remaining years on their contracts. And it’s not just the big name busts that have seen the ax lately – we’ve seen lesser names at lesser money take the fall for their respective teams, then needing to scramble for work elsewhere in the league. Additionally, salary retention in trades has become a more utilized tactic as of late. Teams with “unmovable” contracts have offered to retain part of a poor contract in order to entice a team into giving them some relief.
All this said, some teams have been better with foresight than others. Some teams have shown a track record of being entirely unable of handing out poor contracts over the past five or so seasons. Considering many teams showed some progress in being more frugal this off-season, it seems a wise time to review the dead space every team has accumulated, either due to poor management decisions or poor luck.
Colorado Avalanche – $4.83 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after current year – Francois Beauchemin buyout; Cody McLeod retained
Arizona Coyotes – $4.61 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after 2020-21 – Mike Smith retained; Mike Ribeiro, Antoine Vermette buyouts
Columbus Blue Jackets – $4.025 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after 2020-21 – Fedor Tyutin, Jared Boll, Scott Hartnell buyouts
Carolina Hurricanes – $3.71 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after 2020-21 – Eddie Lack retained; Alexander Semin, James Wisniewski buyouts
Toronto Maple Leafs – $3.28 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after 2021-22 – Tim Gleason, Jared Cowen buyouts; Phil Kessel retained
Nashville Predators – $2.83 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after 2018-19 – Viktor Stalberg, Eric Nystrom, Barret Jackman buyouts
Boston Bruins – $2.73 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved 2019-20 – Dennis Seidenberg, Jimmy Hayes buyouts
New York Rangers – $2.61 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after 2022-23 – Dan Girardi buyout
Minnesota Wild – $2.5 MM in 2017-17, issues resolved after current year – Thomas Vanek buyout
Los Angeles Kings – $2.4 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after 2023-24 – Matt Greene buyout; Mike Richards termination/recapture
Edmonton Oilers – $2.33 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after 2020-21 – Lauri Korpikoski, Benoit Pouliot buyouts
Anaheim Ducks – $2.21 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after 2023-24 – Mark Fistric, Simon Despres buyouts; Patrick Maroon retained
Vancouver Canucks – $2.13 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after 2021-22 – Roberto Luongo, Jannik Hansen retained; Chris Higgins buyout
New Jersey Devils – $2.09 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after 2023-24 – Mike Cammalleri, Devante Smith-Pelly buyouts; Ilya Kovalchuk recapture
Tampa Bay Lightning – $1.83 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after 2019-20 – Matt Carle buyout
Calgary Flames – $1.82 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after 2018-19 – Mason Raymond, Lance Bouma, Ryan Murphy buyouts
Detroit Red Wings – $1.67 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after 2020-21 – Stephen Weiss buyout
Dallas Stars – $1.5 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after 2018-19- Antti Niemi buyout
Philadelphia Flyers – $1.5 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after current year – R.J. Umberger buyout
Winnipeg Jets – $1.46 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after 2018-19 – Mark Stuart buyout
Florida Panthers – $1.33 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after 2018-19 – Jussi Jokinen buyout
Las Vegas Golden Knights – $1.1 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after current year – Alexei Emelin retained
Ottawa Senators – $350,000 in 2017-18, issues resolved after current year – Andrew Hammond buried
Buffalo Sabres – Minimal in 2017-18, increased issues ($791,00) resolved after 2022-23 – Cody Hodgson buyout
Chicago Blackhawks, St. Louis Blues, Washington Capitals, Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Islanders, San Jose Sharks, Montreal Canadiens – No dead cap space
After compiling the list, it became clear that utilizing these options isn’t a complete hindrance to competing in the NHL. In fact, most clubs have between $1 MM and $3 MM in dead space. That said, of the teams that have not needed to utilize the buyout or retention options, there has been a great deal of success. And among the five worst offenders, the Leafs, Hurricanes, Blue Jackets, Avalanche, and Coyotes, none has moved past the first-round in multiple years. It’s hard to draw massive conclusions without taking the context of each individual situation into account, but there is something to be said for making every dollar of cap space count. Perhaps this is merely a byproduct of past success rather than an indicator of future success, but considering how amenable many managers have become to the option, it bears consideration.
(All totals courtesy of the fantastic CapFriendly.com)
Nashville Predators Sign Austin Watson
The Nashville Predators continue to lock up their young restricted free agents, this time inking Austin Watson to a three-year, $3.3MM contract. Watson was due for an arbitration hearing today and had asked for $1.4MM, but instead will have an average salary of $1.1MM for the next few years. He’ll earn just $1MM next year, $1.1MM in 2018-19 and $1.2MM in 2019-20. 
Selected in the first round of the 2010 draft, Watson has had trouble reaching his potential of a middle-six power forward capable of scoring and dominating a game physically. That talent showed itself in the minors where he had three straight 20+ goal seasons, but hasn’t manifested in the NHL to this point. Fans did get a flash of his potential in the playoffs, where he recorded nine points in 22 games while being a wrecking ball in the corners and on the forecheck. He recorded 106 hits in the postseason, and seemed to always be forcing turnovers in the offensive zone because of his physical presence.
Despite the strong playoff run, Watson scored just 17 points during the season and has only registered nine goals in his entire career to this point. He needs to improve on that if he wants to earn more on the open market when he hits unrestricted free agency in three years. With the Predators’ losing James Neal and Colin Wilson this summer in various transactions, there is clearly an opportunity for Watson to help fill their roles up in the lineup. He’ll have to battle other young wingers like Pontus Aberg and Kevin Fiala for playing time in certain situations, but brings a much different play style than either of them.
Adding Watson’s $1.1MM cap hit, the Predators now have around $13.4MM left remaining under the cap and one restricted free agent still to sign. Ryan Johansen has been rumored to be asking for a deal worth as much as $8.5MM per season, but they should have more than enough room to fit that in going forward as GM David Poile has signed players to incredibly team-friendly deals over the past few years. Ryan Ellis will earn just $2.5MM in each of the next two seasons, while Calle Jarnkrok has five years remaining at $2MM per season. Watson could easily break out and be added to that group, as his relatively low salary is almost risk-free.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Nashville Predators Next Goal Is Locking Up Johansen
The Nashville Predators got a major roadblock out of the way yesterday when they signed 24-year-old wing Viktor Arvidsson to a seven-year deal. The $29.75MM signing locks up another franchise cornerstone at a reasonable price. General manager David Poile has successfully worked out similar deals in the past that have locked up others like Filip Forsberg, Roman Josi, Mattias Ekholm and Ryan Ellis. In fact those five cornerstones on a Stanley Cup finalist team, will only cost them a $20.5MM cap hit combined next season, tweets LNH.com’s Arpon Basu.
However, the work doesn’t end there, according to NBC Sports Cam Tucker, who says the team now must turn their attention to No. 1 center Ryan Johansen. The 24-year-old center had a big year for Nashville, putting up 14 goals and 61 points. If it hadn’t been for a thigh injury in the playoffs, he could have shown his value to the team even more, although he still played in 14 playoff games, putting up 13 points. Despite that injury, Johansen should get quite a raise from a year ago.
Johansen, who was acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets in early 2016 for Seth Jones, signed a three-year bridge deal at $4MM per season while with Columbus. Now, he should be up for an even bigger deal. The Predators should have more than $14.5MM to spend (according to CapFriendly), so money shouldn’t be an issue for Poile.
Viktor Arvidsson Signs 7-Year Extension With Nashville
First reported byElliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, and then confirmed by Adam Vingan of the Tenessean, Nashville has secured a long-term deal to lock up their restricted free agent Viktor Arvidsson, forgoing the need for an arbitrator’s ruling. The crafty forward’s contract is good for 7 seasons, at an AAV of only $4.25 MM.
Arvidsson’s arbitration hearing took place earlier today, and the figures that were being thrown out earlier nearly assured that Nashville was bound to get a solid deal. Arvidsson asked for only one year at $4.5 MM whereas the team opted for two years at a mere $2.75 MM. Arvidsson was the team’s leading goal scorer, and one of the biggest surprises of the season. His offensive explosion helped carry the team to the Stanley Cup Final, and at only 24 should be a huge part of the team’s future for a long time. His advanced statistics, in addition to his 30+ goal season, really make the player attractive league-wide. His 55 % Corsi For puts him in elite company among top-six wingers facing similar level of competition.
Getting a 61-point winger on a cost-controlled contract for the next 7 years is truly impressive work for GM David Poile. It should be kept in mind that there is a small element of risk here, as this was a total breakout season after a mediocre first pro year which saw him score only 16 points through 56 games. if Arvidsson can maintain anywhere near last season’s level of productivity, though, he will be incredibly cost-effective. His remarkable progression basically made James Neal expendable in the expansion draft, and now it seems that Poile is confident enough to lock the player down for the foreseeable future. At only 5’9, the player has faced doubters who question his long-term value, but he is now unquestionably a core piece in Tennessee.
When taken in reference another of this year’s RFAs, Tomas Tatar was awarded earlier today with a deal worth $5.3 MM AAV. Granted, Tatar had three consecutive 50+ point seasons which led to that figure. Arvidsson may only continue to progress, securing himself as a truly elite winger. By extending Arvidsson for such a long period, Nashville managed to bring a potentially more productive player than Tatar in at a figure far less cumbersome.