Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Devils Rumors

Snapshots: Markstrom, Chayka, Hockey East

at CDT | by 1 Comment

One of the more talked-about free agent negotiations this season has been between the Vancouver Canucks and starting goalie Jacob Markstrom, who has been stellar in net this season. Markstrom had a career-best season this year, recording a .918 save percentage and 2.75 GAA. As he heads toward free agency, the Canucks have prioritized keeping him in Vancouver if at all possible. The two sides have been talking throughout the league pause and GM Jim Benning even noted that they spoke again on Tuesday. However, Benning told NHL.com that all negotiations will be put on hold until after the playoffs. “We’re going to get something figured out for him,” Benning said with confidence, but added “We both decided let’s just wait until after the playoffs are done.” How long that postseason run might last remains to be seen. The No. 7 seed out West, the Canucks are set to face the No. 10-seed Minnesota Wild in the qualifying round next week. If they emerge victorious, talks with Markstrom will stay on the back burner for a while longer, but if the Canucks fall to the Wild, they could approach talks very soon. Perhaps they will even be armed with the No. 1 overall pick to help make their case for a long-term extension.

  • As the John Chayka saga continues to unravel, Howie Kussoy of the New York Post has confirmed previous reports that Chayka was interested in a move from the Arizona Coyotes to the New Jersey Devils. It doesn’t end there though. Kussoy writes that Chayka lied to ‘Yotes ownership about having an interview with the Devils ownership, who also own the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers and are a suitor for the MLB’s New York Mets. While this was not a GM position with the Devils, which Arizona had previously denied another NHL team from interviewing Chayka for, he was nevertheless deceptive about his intentions. According to Kussoy, this left his relationship with owner Alex Meruelo “irrevocably damaged” and led to the swift separation between the two sides.
  • Over in the college game, the Hockey East Conference offered some hope for NCAA fans yesterday. The historic hockey conference announced their intention to have a 2020-21 season for both men and women. Due to the convenient geography of the New England-based conference, teams will play conference-heavy schedules that will limit travel and, as a result, potential COVID-19 exposure. As many of their member institutions have seen their primary athletic conferences cancel or postpone fall sports, while other hockey schools – like those Ivy League members of the ECAC – have had all fall competition canceled, Hockey East hopes to start in the fall. They have yet to announce schedules and may delay the start of the season and play a shortened campaign, but college hockey seems to be returning next season after the Coronavirus pandemic ended the season in the midst of conference tournaments and before an NCAA champion could be crowned. The hope is that other conferences can also find a way to follow in the footsteps of Hockey East.

Morning Notes: Chayka, Coaches Poll, SKA

at CDT | by 3 Comments

The wild John Chayka situation in Arizona continues, with more details emerging daily. This time it’s from Greg Wyshynski of ESPN, who confirms the previous speculation that it was the New Jersey Devils ownership group that offered Chayka a position. Josh Harris and David Blitzer also own the Philadelphia 76ers, Crystal Palace FC, and are potential contenders to purchase the New York Mets.

As Wyshynski and other reporters have explained, the situation is expected to be dealt with by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman at some point before Chayka takes a new position.

  • Craig Custance and Michael Russo of The Athletic published their coaches poll today, with some interesting results. The NHL coaches that were asked feel as though the Pittsburgh Penguins are the team that most benefited from the break, while others pointed out Nathan MacKinnon’s ability to carry his team to the Stanley Cup. The entire poll provides good insight into how those intimately involved feel about the return to play tournament.
  • The Vancouver Canucks have their sights set on the ultimate prize this summer, but their prospect pipeline continues to be an interesting subject of conversation. Vasily Podkolzin, selected tenth overall last year, isn’t even signed by the team yet but could be a difference-maker in the future. Unfortunately, Rick Dhaliwal of TSN reports that Podkolzin’s team, SKA St. Petersburg in the KHL, has temporarily shut down training camp due to COVID-19 concerns. Podkolzin has not tested positive.

Devils UFA Julian Melchiori Signs In The KHL

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

After spending the last three seasons exclusively in the minors, Devils defenseman Julian Melchiori has decided not to wait for another crack at the NHL free agent market.  Instead, he has decided to head overseas as Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk of the KHL announced (Twitter link) that they have signed Melchiori to a one-year contract.

The 28-year-old spent most of this season on a minor league deal with New Jersey but did well enough that the Devils converted Melchiori to an NHL contract just before the trade deadline to give them the option to recall him down the stretch.  However, the pandemic put an end to those plans.  Overall, he played in 61 games with Binghamton this season, picking up a career-best 17 points (6-11-17).

Melchiori has played in parts of three NHL seasons over his career with Winnipeg, the franchise that drafted him back in the third round (87th overall) back when they were in Atlanta.  But with just 30 games with the Jets being all of his experience over eight professional seasons, his decision to take a guaranteed deal overseas seems like a sound one over testing the NHL market a few months from now.

Devils Loan Yegor Sharangovich To The KHL

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

With the pandemic delaying the start of the 2020-21 season, some teams are trying to make arrangements for their prospects to play elsewhere.  The Devils are one of those as Dinamo Minsk of the KHL announced that they have reached an agreement with New Jersey that allows prospect Yegor Sharangovich to start next season with them.

The winger is no stranger to the Belarusian program as it is his hometown team and he spent a season with them in 2017-18.  He did well enough with them to convince New Jersey to use a fifth-round pick on him (141st overall) to secure his NHL rights in the 2018 draft.

The 22-year-old has spent the last two seasons with their AHL affiliate in Binghamton where his offensive progression has been limited.  Sharangovich managed 10 goals and 15 assists in 57 games this season which represented an improvement on his 17 points (9-8-17) in 68 contests in his rookie year.  However, he’ll need to take a big step forward on the final year of his entry-level deal to get an NHL opportunity.

Going this route certainly won’t hurt his chances.  Sharangovich will get the opportunity to get into playing shape during the KHL season which should give him the chance to hit the ground running when AHL training camp eventually opens as Minsk has already committed to allowing him to return to North America.  If the AHL season winds up starting around the same time the NHL is projected to start, he’ll have more than two months worth of games under his belt by then.

Overseas Notes: Andrighetto, Berglund, Morrow

at CDT | by 1 Comment

It was a bit of a surprise when forward Sven Andrighetto bolted for Europe last summer. The 27-year-old had shown flashes of great ability over the years, and while he failed to score consistently, he still had developed into a serviceable depth forward. Andrighetto had recorded 83 points in 216 NHL games with Montreal and Colorado and had played in a career-high 64 games in 2018-19. Yet, when the Avalanche declined to extend him a qualifying offer, Andrighetto left North America entirely, signing a two-year deal with the KHL’s Avangard Omsk. A year later, he clearly has no regrets. Andrighetto has made a major career decision that puts a future NHL career in doubt. The ZSC Lions of the Swiss NLA, the same club who Andrighetto played for during his early developmental years, announced that they have brought their homegrown product back on a stunning five-year deal. The final year of Andrighetto’s deal with Omsk has been terminated and he is now under contract with ZSC through the 2024-25 season. Should he play out that entire contract, Andrighetto would be well into his 30’s by the next time he is a free agent. While he has the potential to put up big numbers with the Lions, filling the shoes of the departed Pius Suter under the tutelage of head coach Rickard Gronberg, it may not be enough to drum up interest in a 32-year-old who is six years removed from NHL action. If Andrighetto is to play in the NHL again, it would likely mean he has to break his contract with his hometown club to return within the next five years. That seems unlikely at this point, which could mean we have seen the last of a talented, capable forward in the NHL ranks.

  • The same goes for NHL veteran Patrik Berglund. Hinted at earlier this month with reports that he was negotiating with the SHL’s Brynas IF, Berglund seemingly had no intention of a return to the NHL this off-season after abandoning the Buffalo Sabres midway through the 2018-19 season. That has now been confirmed, as Berglund has signed a two-year deal with Brynas per a team release. Berglund, 32, spent this year with Djurgardens IF and found great success; the long-time St. Louis Blue recorded 31 points in 49 games for one of the best per-game scoring seasons of his pro career. He now moves to Brynas, who did not make the SHL playoffs this year despite the efforts of star forward Anton Rodin. The team could desperately use some veteran leadership and Berglund hopes that he can fill that role and that he and Rodin can turn the team back into a contender. With his efforts clearly focused on making an impact at home in Sweden, Berglund is unlikely to be back in the NHL again.
  • A wild ride continues for defenseman Joe Morrow. Morrow, 27, who earned a contract extension and 41 games with the Winnipeg Jets just two years ago, has been in a whirlwind ever since. Morrow was unable to find an NHL contract last off-season and attended training camp with the New York Rangers, only to earn a contract offer from the rival New Jersey Devils. However, after months with the Devils without seeing any NHL action, Morrow’s contract was terminated and he departed for the KHL, signing a two-year deal with Dynamo Minsk. This was amazingly the first multi-year deal of Morrow’s pro career since his entry-level deal had expired and it looked like Minsk might be a good place for the veteran to rebuild his stock as a top player for the club. Instead, Morrow was a bust in Minsk, managing just three assists and a -8 rating in 22 games. Perhaps not so surprisingly, the two sides have now gone their separate ways, with the second year of Morrow’s contract terminated according to the team. What’s next for the veteran defenseman remains a mystery at this point.

Mike Futa And Lawrence Gilman Also Considered For GM Job

at CDT | by 1 Comment

While the Devils ultimately opted to give Tom Fitzgerald the full-time GM role, at least two other executives received strong consideration for the position.  Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that Leafs assistant GM Laurence Gilman and former Kings assistant GM Mike Futa received multiple interviews for the role and were considered serious candidates for the position.  Meanwhile, Fitzgerald noted in a conference call with reporters that current assistants – including now-former interim head coach Alain Nasreddine – will have an opportunity to speak to Ruff about whether or not they’ll stick around, relays ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski (via Twitter).

Devils Hire Lindy Ruff As Head Coach, Remove Interim Tag From GM Tom Fitzgerald

at CDT | by 14 Comments

The Devils had been using their extended offseason to conduct a thorough search simultaneously for their new head coach and GM.  In the end, they’ve decided to change the coach and keep the team as the team announced in a pair of press releases that they have hired Lindy Ruff as their new head coach and removed the interim title from Tom Fitzgerald who now is their full-time general manager.

Managing partners Josh Harris and David Blitzer released the following statement about Fitzgerald’s promotion to the full-time role:

When Tom took over the role of GM in January, we were committed to moving the organization in a new direction. Having gone through the process of interviewing various candidates, including Tom, and reviewing his work in the interim, we feel that he is the best fit for the New Jersey Devils moving forward. Our decision was solidified by his ability to stabilize the organization, get solid returns at the trade deadline, make impressive plans for player development and hire a new coach in Lindy Ruff. We are very optimistic about our future and know we have great deal of talent, both on and off the ice. Together, we are excited to start a new chapter and are committed to becoming a consistent contender, which our fans deserve.

Meanwhile, Fitzgerald said the following regarding his decision to hire Ruff:

We are proud and excited to have Lindy Ruff join our organization as Head Coach. He is one of the most successful and respected coaches in the NHL, not only today, but in League history. His personality, experience, knowledge, work-ethic and focus will provide a calm presence in our locker room. He is the right coach at the right time for our organization. Lindy has a proven track record of getting the absolute best out of his players across the board- stars, role players and everyone in between. His teaching ability, and communication skills will be well-suited for our team, especially our young, developing players. Throughout his career, his teams have been greater than the sum of their parts. I look forward to working together with Lindy as the organization moves forward.

Ruff takes over from Alain Nasreddine who had previously held the interim title behind the bench.  Unlike Nasdreddine, who was a first-time bench boss in the NHL, Ruff comes to the team with plenty of experience.  He spent parts of 15 seasons as the head coach of the Sabres from 1997-18 through 2013-14 before being replaced by Ron Rolston mid-season, a move that has sparked a flurry of coaching turnover in that organization since then.  Ruff didn’t wait too long before getting another job though as in 2013, as he was named the head coach of the Stars, a role he held for four seasons.

Since being let go from Dallas in 2017, the 60-year-old has served as an assistant coach with the Rangers, a division rival of New Jersey so he’ll have some familiarity with the Devils.  While it was first thought that Ruff would finish up his contract with New York as they’re set to participate in the play-in round against Carolina, that will not be the case.  Instead, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that Gord Murphy, the associate coach at AHL Hartford, will join New York for their run and that Ruff’s departure is immediate.

Beyond Ruff and Nasreddine, three other veteran coaches were in consideration for the position.  Peter Laviolette, John Stevens, and Gerard Gallant were believed to be the other finalists.

As for Fitzgerald, it is hard to argue that the former player and veteran executive did not deserve the official GM role. A former Assistant GM for the Pittsburgh Penguins who has spent the past five years in the same role with the Devils, Fitzgerald was bumped to interim GM for New Jersey back in January went the team surprisingly parted ways with Ray Shero. In the weeks following, leading up to the trade deadline, Fitzgerald dealt impending free agents Sami Vatanen, Andy Greene, and Wayne Simmonds in separate deals for second-, fourth-, and fifth-round draft picks and prospect Janne Kuokkanen and in his biggest move landed prized prospect Nolan Foote and a 2020 first-round pick for forward Blake Coleman. Fitzgerald maximized the value of his expendable assets and showed he is a worthy deal-maker.

Whether Fitzgerald finds the same success with his first coaching hire however remains to be seen. There will be some that are critical of his choice to recycle Ruff, especially with the caliber of available coaches on the market, but judgement should be reserved until the product can be seen on the ice. Fortunately, Ruff, Fitzgerald, and company have a long offseason ahead of them and should be well-prepared by the time next season rolls around.

Kevin Weekes of the NHL Network was the first to report (via Twitter) the Ruff hiring and Fitzgerald’s promotion to the full-time role.

Zach Leach also contributed to this post.

Offseason Keys: New Jersey Devils

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The offseason has arrived for at least seven teams that were not invited to take part in the play-in round that’s slated to begin in early August.  With that in mind, it’s time to kick off our Offseason Keys series.  There was one team that wasn’t covered in our Stretch Run Storylines series as New Jersey had already been ruled out of returning to play.  Accordingly, let’s begin this series with a closer look at the Devils.

After finishing last in the Metropolitan Division in 2018-19, the hope in New Jersey was that they’d start to turn things around.  They added P.K. Subban and Wayne Simmonds to give them a boost and a good finish to that year from Cory Schneider was cause for optimism that he had fully recovered from his lingering injury woes.  That didn’t happen.  Schneider struggled as did just about everyone else and as a result, New Jersey finds themselves in the same spot now as they were a year ago – hoping things can only go up from here.  Here’s what to watch for them this offseason.

Determine Coach And GM

New Jersey has been taking advantage of this extended time off to do a thorough coaching search.  On the surface, this makes a lot of sense but interim GM Tom Fitzgerald is heading that up while ownership has been interviewing candidates for Fitzgerald’s role.  Normally, it would make sense to have a permanent GM in place before deciding on the coach but it seems like the opposite may happen here which suggests that even if Fitzgerald isn’t the GM when all is said and done, he’ll still have a prominent front role in the front office.

That certainly wouldn’t be a bad idea on their part.  He has certainly worked his way up the ranks slowly but surely and has been an assistant GM since 2009 so he has paid his dues.  On top of that, he has navigated the trade market well, garnering an impressive return for Blake Coleman (essentially two first-round picks) that few saw coming.

As for their coaching situation, they are down to five candidates including interim bench boss Alain Nasreddine who the team performed reasonably well in front of (19-16-8) after he took over compared to their start to the season.  Veterans Gerard Gallant, Peter Laviolette, Lindy Ruff, and John Stevens are believed to be the others in the mix.

They have plenty of time as we’re still basically three months away from free agency so this isn’t a situation that needs to be rushed.  They’re effectively the only team with a vacancy although, at the end of the day, it’s quite possible that there winds up being no vacancy at all if the team decides to stick with their current options in the end.

Palmieri Resolution

Since joining New Jersey, winger Kyle Palmieri has blossomed into an underrated consistent scoring threat, tallying at least 24 goals in each of his five seasons with the team.  The Devils have been benefitting from one of the more under the radar bargains over that time as he has carried a $4.65MM AAV over the past four seasons and will for 2020-21 as well whenever it gets up and running.  However, next season will be the final year of his contract and he’ll be slated for unrestricted free agency after that.

It usually takes until players are officially in the final league year of their contracts to be able to sign an extension.  Normally, by now, we’re in that situation but that has changed due to the pandemic.  However, instead of making those players wait until November (the projected start of the 2020-21 league year), players like Palmieri will be in a position where they can officially sign an extension as early as next week.  Accordingly, contract talks should soon be on the horizon.

The Devils shouldn’t put themselves into a position where Palmieri’s fate is unknown heading into next season.  Barring a seismic turnaround of fortunes, they seem likely to be outside the playoff picture again next season which presents a potential trade as a rental situation.  However, the tightening salary cap picture is going to make it even more difficult than usual to move money in-season.  Normally, Palmieri would garner a significant return as a rental player but so many teams are going to be cap-strapped next year to the point where attempting to go that way will be risky.  Plan A from New Jersey’s standpoint should be an extension.  If they can’t agree on one in the coming months though, Plan B – a trade – should get early consideration as well.

Utilize Cap Space

The salary cap first came to the NHL back in 2005.  Since then, there has been an annually-increasing usage of the phrase ‘cap space is a weapon’ or something similar to that.  Prepare to see it a lot more over the coming months as more teams than ever will be in situations where they need to clear out money in a hurry.  For teams that have cap room and are willing to spend it, they’ll be in great shape.

It just so happens that New Jersey has cap space.  Plenty of it.  They’ve also shown a willingness to try to spend in past years but haven’t had a lot of success trying to lure players on the open market.  The stretch between mid-October and the beginning of November presents them with a terrific opportunity to leverage that room to add some players that can help now and add assets for down the road.

Just how much space do the Devils have?  They have just over $55MM in commitments for next season, per CapFriendly with 13 players signed.  There are no prominent players in need of a new deal – RFA defenseman Mirco Mueller has the biggest qualifying offer at just $1.4MM while goalie Mackenzie Blackwood is arguably the most notable.  That leaves them some space to add some impact players.

Even if the trade market falls short, they should have more success in free agency this time around as the big-money deals are going to be few and far between beyond the top players at each position.  A one-year pillow contract similar to the one that Simmonds signed last summer is something that more players may be considering this time around.  Fortunately for New Jersey, if that’s what it comes to, they’re in the best position to hand them out and whoever is the one signing the deals – Fitzgerald or someone else – will be poised to benefit.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Pair Of New Jersey Devils Prospects Depart For Europe

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

New Jersey Devils forward prospects Nikita Popugaev and Ludvig Larsson will be playing outside of the organization next season. Each has signed a contract in Europe and are unlikely to have a role with the Devils in 2020-21. The immediate impact of their departures will be minimal, as the duo were known more by name than for their accomplishments in the minors this year.

Popugaev, 21, was a fourth-round pick of the Devils in 2017. However, he was considered a potential first-round pick early in the draft process due to his 6’6” stature and physical and technical gifts. His stock dropped once questions of his hockey IQ and work ethic began to overshadow is ability. Unfortunately, those questions have materialized into real problems for Popugaev early in his pro career. Following his junior career in the WHL, Popugaev returned home to Russia but failed to produce in the KHL. He finished the 2018-19 season with the AHL’s Binghamton Devils and his five points in 17 games were not enough to convince New Jersey that he was worthy of an entry-level contract. Instead, they signed him to an AHL contract, an unusual move for a drafted player. Rather than take this as a sign that he needed to work harder and improve, Popugaev instead spent this entire season in the ECHL and still only produced moderate numbers. With concerns from both team and player on what is in store for his future with the Devils, Popugaev has opted to return to the KHL, as his agent announced that he has signed a try-out deal with Dynamo Moscow. Popugaev is expected to either land an actual contract with Moscow or another KHL club once his try-out has been completed. This does not rule out the potential for a continued relationship between Popugaev and the Devils, but the team has until June 1, 2021 to sign him to an entry-level deal or else surrender his rights.

As for Larsson, his time with New Jersey and quite possibly North America is over. A former college standout who recorded back-to-back 20-point seasons with Merrimack College and Penn State University in his final two years in the NCAA, Larsson looked like he had the chops for the pro game. A versatile player who played forward and defense in college and was an excellent skater, Larsson certainly needed some seasoning in the minors but an NHL future was not impossible. However, perception was not reality for the 24-year-old. Larsson recorded two points in seven games for AHL Binghamton to close out the 2018-19 season on an amateur tryout, but after signing a one-year minor league deal he contributed only two more points this season in 19 games with Binghamton and spent just as much time in the ECHL as the AHL. Larsson has decided to return home to Sweden, as Allsvenskan club Mora IK per a team announcement. Barring an incredible turnaround in which Larsson’s play in the Allsvenskan lands him a contract in the SHL or another elite European league after next season and he continues to produce at a high level there as well, his time in North America is likely over.

East Notes: Sabres Draft Pick, Kreider, Haley, Devils

at CDT | by 6 Comments

The Buffalo Sabres have been drafting in the lottery for their ninth straight season, having been held out of the playoffs for that entire stretch of time. Fan frustration has been at an all-time high and new massive firings throughout the organizations hasn’t helped much. However, the team does have a number of options with the No. 8 overall pick in a deep upcoming draft.

The Buffalo News’ Mike Harrington feels that there is only one option to get the Sabres over the hump and back into the playoffs — trade the pick.

The scribe makes it clear that developing prospects takes time, often two years for a solid prospect, which is what they would be getting. Even then, you aren’t expected to get that much out of that player’s third year anyway. With that type of timetable and frustration of the team’s lack of success increasing, trading the pick for a ready-now talent would make quite a bit of sense. With the expected belief that the top 10 or 11 picks are expected to be top-level players at some point, the pick would be quite valuable to teams looking to rebuild. After all, who knows how long Jack Eichel will want to continue the team’s losing ways.

  • The New York Rangers are expected to get back two forwards to their team for the upcoming 24-team tournament as Newsday’s Colin Stephenson writes that forwards Chris Kreider and Micheal Haley are both healthy and ready to return to action next month. Kreider broke his foot on Feb. 28, not long after signing a new seven-year, $45.5MM contract. He has been skating in small groups for the last few weeks at their training facility in Greenburgh. Haley, who had surgery to repair a torn abdominal muscle, is also expected to join the team for the tournament. He has been out since early February.
  • There has been plenty of chatter around the coaching situation in New Jersey and while the Devils should be in no rush to hire a new head coach with the start of the 2020-21 season potentially not starting for six months, The Athletic’s Corey Masisak (subscription required) writes in his most recent mailbag that he wouldn’t be surprised if New Jersey hires a coach sooner than later. One reason for that is there are many voices suggesting that the seven non-playoff teams might get a chance to potentially play in a mini-tournament before the start of the 2020-21 season, and New Jersey would want their coach in place before any potential team gathering.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

scroll to top