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Nikita Zaitsev Helping Maple Leafs’ Russian Recruitment

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Mike Babcock and Lou Lamoriello of the Toronto Maple Leafs spent some time in Russia recently, where they met personally for dinner with Igor Ozhiganov in an early attempt at recruiting the KHL defenseman. The pair had completed a similar visit a year prior to bringing Nikita Zaitsev over, and many believed they were attempting to do the same thing. Now Zaitsev himself has admitted to helping the Maple Leafs recruitment efforts, telling Sovsport (via Andrey Osadchenko) that he was even present at the dinner:

Igor asked my opinion. I told him he should sign with the Leafs. Actually, I was with him at one of the dinners he had with the Leafs representatives. I was even his interpreter. That’s just being a part of the Leafs organization. Not only do you play in the NHL and build your career, but you also help others.

Ozhiganov remains under contract for one more season with CSKA Moscow, but it would be hard for the 24-year old to ignore the advice of a former teammate. Zaitsev was signed to a seven-year, $31.5MM extension after just one season in Toronto, giving him some financial and personal stability as he continues his hockey career. Both players were undrafted because of the relative obscurity they played their youth hockey in, but have turned into capable professional defensemen in recent years.

The NHL and KHL don’t actually have a transfer agreement, but normally respect each other’s contracts. The Maple Leafs are being quite bold by meeting a player under contract still, but will wait to see if Ozhiganov comes over next season to give them another almost free asset. Like Zaitsev, he’d be signing just a one-year entry-level contract if he does and be able to cash in on a good performance right away.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: New York Islanders

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Navigating the Salary Cap is probably one of the more important tasks for any general manager to have. Teams that can avert total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2017-18 season. This will focus more on those players who are integral parts of the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.

New York Islanders

Current Cap Hit: $72,015,833 (under the $75MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Anthony Beauvillier (Two years remaining, $894K)
D Ryan Pulock (One year remaining, $863K)
F Joshua Ho-Sang (Two years remaining, $863K)
F Mathew Barzal (Three years remaining, $863K)

Potential Bonuses

Pulock: $500K
Barzal: $400K
Beauvullier: $213K
Ho-Sang: $213K

The team had to be pleased with the first-year production from Beauvillier after he put up nine goals and 15 assists in 66 games. Granted, it could have been better, but for the former 2015 first-round pick who wasn’t even expected to make the team out of training camp last year, this was a solid start. He didn’t get off to much of a start early in the season, but by the end of the year, he put together a solid string of games along with linemates Ho-Sang and Lee. He will likely find himself on the team’s third line along with Ho-Sang to start the year.

Pulock, the team’s first-round pick in 2013, was one of the main reasons behind the offseason trade of Travis Hamonic. The talented defenseman was traded away for a first and two second-round picks with the idea of implementing Pulock into the team’s plans. Rumors are they intend to put Pulock onto the team’s power play and showcase his hard slapshot. He only played one game for New York last year and broke his foot after playing just 3:57 of ice time, but he showed off his skill with the AHL’s Bridgeport Sound Tigers, putting up 15 goals and 46 points in just 55 games.

Ho-Sang, the team’s first-round pick in 2014, only played 21 games last year for the Islanders, putting up four goals and six assists in that span. A full 82-game season should be able to demonstrate his long-term value to the franchise. Barzal still must make the team out of training camp, but is considered to be one of the top prospects in the game and should have every opportunity to win one of the center jobs, which is not a position of depth on the team. Barzal did see two games for the Islanders last year, but played most of the year for his junior team.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

F John Tavares ($5.5MM, UFA)
G Jaroslav Halak ($4.5MM, UFA)
F Nikolai Kulemin ($4.19MM, UFA)
F Josh Bailey ($3.3MM, UFA)
D Calvin de Haan ($3.3MM, UFA)
F Brock Nelson ($2.5MM, RFA)
F Jason Chimera ($2.25MM, UFA)
D Thomas Hickey ($2.2MM, UFA)
D Dennis Seidenberg ($1.25MM, UFA)
F Shane Prince ($850K, RFA)
F Stephen Gionta ($650K, UFA)
D Scott Mayfield ($625K, RFA)
F Alan Quine ($613K, RFA)

Obviously, the team’s future seems to hinge on where Tavares’ contract situation ends up. The team has high hopes they can re-sign their star forward, who has scored 235 goals for the franchise over eight season and is just about to turn 27 years old. The team that has watched several of their top players walk away in past years need to lock him up or, at the very least, trade him off for some talent in return. Losing Tavares would likely set the team back significantly and could play a role on whether some of the other pending free agents will come back next year.

The team will be forced to decide what they want to do with some of their regulars, including Bailey, de Haan and Hickey. Bailey, a first-round pick from 2008, has been around for nine years and while he consistently averages between 10 and 15 goals, he hit a personal high in assists last season, picking up 43 to put together a big season while playing with Tavares on the first line. With the addition of Eberle who is expected to play with Tavares, the team will likely demote Bailey to the second or even possibly the third line, which could suggest the team may not mind if he moves on in one year.

De Haan has proven to be a solid top-four presence on the blueline, but after signing a one-year deal this offseason, setting up unrestricted free agency next year, the team may decide to move on from him at some point, while Hickey hasn’t worked his way into the team’s top four. So it may be that many of the pending free agents will be allowed to leave to free up cap space, including Kulemin, Chimera and Seidenberg, along with some of the others above. That could free up a lot of cap room.

The team also will likely allow Halak to walk unless the veteran goaltender can produce a bounce-back season. After a couple of respectable seasons for New York, the 32-year-old’s production took a hit as he posted a 2.80 GAA in 27 games and then was demoted to finish the season in the AHL. He is back, but no one is quite sure what to expect for the veteran.

Perhaps the most important free agent (besides Tavares) will end up being from restricted free agent Brock Nelson, who should be asking for a big raise after three 20-goal seasons. Their 2010 first-round pick had 20 goals and 25 assists for the team last year, a career-high.

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New York Islanders Hire Chris Terreri As Goaltending Development Coach

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  • Chris Terreri has joined the New York Islanders organization as a Goaltending Development Coach, and will also serve as Goalie Coach for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the AHL. Terreri had previously been with the New Jersey Devils for sixteen years. While the Islanders have struggled to find consistency in their NHL netminders the past few seasons, they do have some of the most interesting prospects in the league in Ilya Sorokin and Linus Soderstrom. If either come over to North America in the next few seasons, Terreri will be tasked with unlocking their full potential.

More Russian Talent On Maple Leafs’ Radar

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The Toronto Maple Leafs clearly think there is unmined talent in the KHL. In consecutive drafts they’ve selected players that seemed “off the board”—Yegor Korshkov and Nikolai Chebykin in 2016 and Vladislav Kara in the most recent draft—and signed Nikita Zaitsev away from CSKA Moscow last summer. Zaitsev showed he could be a solid NHL contributor in his first year, and signed a seven-year, $31.5MM extension exactly a year later.

So now, when reports surfaced that both Mike Babcock and Lou Lamoriello traveled to Russia to meet with CSKA defenseman Igor Ozhiganov people take notice. The report appeared on Sovsport, before the Maple Leafs confirmed that Babcock and Lamoriello were in the country to various outlets (but not that they’d met with the defenseman). The pair completed a similar recruitment meeting with Zaitsev a year before he signed in the NHL, which could suggest the same is about to happen with Ozhiganov.

The 24-year old’s contract ends with CSKA in April, and he’s already played parts of seven years in the Russian professional league. The 6’2″ 216-lbs defender is not as offensive as Zaitsev (although he does have highlights like this), but comes with considerable defensive acumen and is also right-handed. For the Maple Leafs, who are looking everywhere to improve their defense corps, Russia seems like fertile land.

Poll: Where Will Alex Kerfoot Sign?

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Last night Darren Dreger of TSN reported that NCAA free agent Alex Kerfoot had reduced his list of potential teams to five. Those he listed were the New York Rangers, New York Islanders, Vancouver Canucks, San Jose Sharks and Colorado Avalanche. Arthur Staple and Steve Zipay of Newsday believe it’s even less than that, mentioning the Rangers and Sharks as the two finalists.

Kerfoot is from Vancouver, but could fit in as a depth center on many teams around the league. His senior season at Harvard went extremely well, registering 45 points in 36 games while taking over the captaincy from Jimmy Vesey. The New Jersey Devils were unable to sign him before the deadline, and he now has a chance very few young players are afforded: choose where to make your professional debut.

So where do you think he’ll land? There have been reports he could make his decision as soon as today, but it shouldn’t last much longer than a few days. If you believe a dark horse will swoop in at the last minute, make sure to leave it in the comments below.

Where will Alex Kerfoot sign?
New York Rangers 38.97% (311 votes)
Colorado Avalanche 30.45% (243 votes)
Vancouver Canucks 11.65% (93 votes)
San Jose Sharks 8.65% (69 votes)
Other 6.14% (49 votes)
New York Islanders 4.14% (33 votes)
Total Votes: 798

[Mobile users click here to vote!]

Alex Kerfoot Down To Five Teams

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NCAA free agent and former New Jersey Devils prospect Alex Kerfoot has been expected to make a decision in the near future, and Darren Dreger of TSN has reported his “final five.” The Vancouver Canucks, New York Rangers, San Jose Sharks, New York Islanders and Colorado Avalanche are the finalists for the Harvard forward. Arthur Staple of Newsday adds that he’s heard it’s just between the Sharks and Rangers.

Kerfoot became a free agent last week when the Devils were unable to sign him, and there were as many as 10 teams interested in signing him to an entry-level contract. Many believed his hometown of Vancouver would be his final destination, but other teams also provide interesting options. Former teammate Jimmy Vesey followed a similar path and signed with the Rangers last offseason, while the Sharks and Islanders both have their eye on the playoffs and could be losing key centers—Joe Thornton and John Tavares—after this season.

The Colorado connection is an interesting one, as the team could easily give Kerfoot a role right away on the struggling NHL team but does have several young centers that seem locked in for the long-term. Even if Matt Duchene is moved eventually, Nathan MacKinnon, Tyson Jost and J.T. Compher are all expected to stay in the middle which would likely require a move to the wing for Kerfoot.

It’s not clear exactly where Kerfoot’s priorities lie, as he hasn’t been as vocal as fellow free agent Will Butcher on what he’s looking for in his first professional opportunity. Kerfoot is expected to make a decision within the next few days, at which point he will have to sign a two-year entry-level contract.

Islanders Pressured To Return To Nassau Coliseum

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The New York Islanders are being pressured by Mikhail Prokhorov—owner of the Isles’ current home the Barclays Center—to play more games at Nassau Coliseum, reports Josh Kosman of the New York Post. The Islanders moved from Nassau Coliseum to the Barclays Center after the 2014-15 season.

The reason for the pressure is that the previous owner of Nassau Coliseum promised local officials that a hockey team would play in the arena. Despite new ownership, the town of Uniondale, N.Y. could hold Nassau Coliseum in default of its obligations.

When the Islanders left Nassau Coliseum the arena only held around 13,000 people, and it is doubtful whether it has significantly increased capacity. The Islanders do have a pre-season game in the arena this year, but nothing else is scheduled so far.

Complicating matters is that the Islanders are in negotiations with Prokhorov over its tenancy at the Barclays Center. Prokhorov wants to reduce the amount he pays the team for its games, and the team wants more flexibility to opt out of any contract.

Columbus Blue Jackets Sign Doyle Somerby

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have dipped into the NCAA free agent market, signing Doyle Somerby to a two-year entry-level contract. Somerby became an unrestricted free agent when the New York Islanders failed to sign him by last week’s deadline. Details on the ELC have not been released.

Somerby, 23, is a huge bruising defender who has played the last four seasons for Boston University and captained the team last year. Selected in the fifth round by the Islanders in 2012 out of a New Hampshire high school, he’s grown into the defensive defenseman they envisioned. As recently as last week the Islanders were still trying to sign him, but he’ll join an organization that already has impressive defensive depth, but not many players who are as “stay-at-home” as Somerby tends to be.

Scoring just 27 points in his entire collegiate career, he was relied upon for big minutes against the other team’s top opponents while more skilled players like Jack Eichel, Clayton Keller and Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson handled the offensive load. If he does ever make the NHL, it will likely be in a purely defensive and penalty killing role. For now he’ll almost certainly head to Cleveland to start his professional career in the AHL.

What Edmonton Really Got In Eberle Trade

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Cap space might be the first word that would come to mind when hearing the question, “What did the Edmonton Oilers get for Jordan Eberle?” The 27-year-old wing, while solid, has never been able to show consistency for a team over his seven-year NHL career. His 34-goal sophomore season is something he’s never really been able to duplicate, although he has put up at least 20 goals in four of the past five seasons. Yet his $6MM salary over each of the next two years was too much for an Oilers’ team that had plans to sign superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl to extensions. Sure enough, the team will be paying them both $21MM per year starting next year. (Draisaitl’s $8.5MM per year does start this year, but McDavid’s extension doesn’t kick in until 2018-19.)

Yet despite clearing out cap room, the Oilers did come away with promising center Ryan Strome. The 24-year-old, once the fifth-overall pick in the 2011 draft, has a tremendous upside, but has yet to take that next step into a impact player. Even Strome’s best season of 17 goals and 33 assists in the 2014-15 season doesn’t compare to Eberle’s disappointing 2016-17 in which he put up 20 goals and 31 assists. David Staples of the Edmonton Journal writes that Strome has quite a few positive points that should have the team excited for next season, including his ability to be that “glue” guy that teams are always looking for.

One of Strome’s attributes that stands out is his size. While Eberle was just 5-foot-11, 181 pounds, Strome stands in at 6-foot-1, 200 pounds. He can take a hit much better than Eberle ever has been able to and should provide that grit the team needs. He should be able to withstand physical defenders better and provide consistent checking. He has good “on-ice” IQ and has the ability to know when to hold onto the puck and when to get rid of it. Strome doesn’t make many mistakes and seems to know when to dump the puck and where to be on defense. Staples also adds that his passing is outstanding, which is why he found himself on the Islanders’ power play quite often last year.

On the downside, Strome lacks speed and has struggled defending against quicker defenders. While general manager Peter Chiarelli has spoken about Strome’s slapshot, Staples has found little proof that it is as good as advertised. His lack of agility might also force the center to move to the wing, although its too early to know if the team plans to make that change.

Staples adds that Strome is a better choice to have on the team than Eberle as he is a better fit. The downside to Strome also is that his cheap $2.5MM deal expires at the end of the year, which means he will be a restricted free agent already next year and depending on his performance n

Tavares To Toronto Highly Unlikely

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Although it seems to occur every time a high-profile free-agent could hit the market, Toronto media have once again conjured a dream of landing a superstar. John Tavares is experiencing major difficulty in coming to terms with the New York Islanders, primarily because of the uncertainty of their arena situation. The team needs to prove that they are both competitive and can secure a home for the foreseeable future. Enter Toronto, who believes that the contract negotiation difficulty automatically propels them into a top-3 competitor for Tavares’ services. If this story may sound familiar, that’s because it occurred just last off-season when Steven Stamkos was stalling his new deal with Tampa Bay.

Toronto inarguably is in a far superior negotiating position than they were in 2016. They’ve made the playoffs and took the Washington Capitals to their limits, and flaunt a young core who established itself as dominant quite before most believed possible. Given another season of success, the Leafs could be serious contenders for any UFA on the market. That said, a Tavares signing would be absurdly difficult and ultimately impractical for a multitude of reasons. The Leafs’ fanbase is already (rightfully) fretting over the difficulty of keeping Mitch Marner, Auston Matthews, and William Nylander together while staying under the cap ceiling. Each player will command hefty money on long-term deals, and the best case scenario (cap-wise) is that one of the three might have a “down” statistical year.

Even ignoring those future contracts, Toronto already made matters more complicated by signing Patrick Marleau to a 3-year contract worth $6.25 MM AAV. Assuming that the team keeps one or two of James van Riemsdyk, Leo Komarov, and Tyler Bozak (all UFAs in 2018), they will have precious room to devote to Tavares beyond 2018-19. After that point, Matthews and Marner will both be on new deals with heavy cap hits. Craig Button of TSN suggests that the Leafs could offer Tavares a one-year deal, but there is little to no security in such an arrangement. If the Islanders are unable to move Tavares or simply fall short of securing a new contract, Tavares will be likely seek a long-term arrangement. His primary stated concern at present is security, and a one-year contract elsewhere certainly doesn’t achieve said goal.

By signing Marleau, the writing for Toronto fans should have been clear and visible. Still, the Tavares hope persists. It’s not impossible that Tavares could sign a long-term contract in Toronto, but it would take a major roster overhaul to achieve. One of Marner or Nylander would necessarily need to depart, and the amount of money spent on the offense would only increase further. It seems likely that GM Lou Lamoriello will simply build upon the core that has been so successful without gutting the progress made. It would be unrealistic to expect Lamoriello to not at least inquire about Tavares if he indeed hits unrestricted free agency, but it would require a major organizational commitment without any real certainty in the matter. Tavares will receive a long-term contract, whether it is from New York or another franchise, but as of now the Leafs are not in a position to extend such an offer.

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