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Salary Cap Report: Metropolitan Division

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As the hockey world takes its collective breath before the World Cup, training camps, and the regular season begins, most teams have checked off their boxes and marked their ledgers. There are some teams not finished, as trades or financial meandering will be necessary due to cap crunches. Others have plenty of room.

We’ll look at the Metropolitan Division next.  Some interesting notes:

  • The Hurricanes have the most cap space of any team in the NHL.
  • The Rangers’ Henrik Lundqvist has the highest cap hit of any goalie in the NHL. The second highest is Columbus’ Sergei Bobrovsky.
  • Four of the NHL’s top ten cap hits are found in the division: (Alex Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin, Sidney Crosby, Henrik Lundqvist. Claude Giroux is 11th).

By the numbers:

Snapshots: Latest On Las Vegas, Islanders, Roussel

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Las Vegas may be held up on a nickname since it’s already taken by another hockey organization. Steve Carp of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that the London Knights of the OHL prevent the opportunity of having a “Knights” nickname in Canada, though it would work in the United States. Owner Bill Foley is also looking at hiring a team president but expects that decision to be made in October or November. Carp writes that it also appears the team is close to finalizing a deal for its proposed practice facilities, which include two rinks and the team headquarters. Foley expects groundbreaking to take place on October 1st.

In other NHL news:

  • NBC Sports Cam Tucker wonders if general manager Garth Snow and head coach John Capuano have the full confidence of the Islanders fanbase.  The Islanders are coming off a second round loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, but it was another season that saw New York advance further than the previous.  Tucker writes the Islanders posted back to back 100 point seasons, and notes that even though Capuano has been on the hot seat at times, ownership recently backed both Snow and Capuano, lauding the leadership as a reason they advanced past Florida in the first round. Though they lost Frans Nielsen, Kyle Okposo, and Matt Martin, Tucker adds that they signed Andrew Ladd to a long term deal and should still be competitive next season.
  • Mark Stepenski caught up with  with Dallas Stars forward Antoine Roussel who thinks the Stars are only going to build on last year’s successes. The addition of defenseman Dan Hamhuis is one that Roussel particularly liked, saying that “…he’s a guy that does it all and I am excited to have a guy like him on our team.” The Stars will be looking to young players for depth this season, and Roussel thinks they’ll do the job Stepenski writes.

Late Free Agent Signings Who Made A Difference

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Most of the best free agents are gone in the first few days of July, but sometimes the best value signings occur later on in the summer. There are generally at least a couple of guys who sign late, or who fight for a contract in training camp, and end up providing value for years. Here’s a list of some guys who should give you hope that your team can still make a savvy signing.

  • Clarke MacArthur – At the 2010 trade deadline, the Buffalo Sabres shipped MacArthur to the Atlanta Thrashers for third and fourth round picks in 2010. Over the full season he put up 16 goals, 35 points in 81 games, including three goals, nine points in 21 games for the Thrashers. This led to a $2.4MM, one-year arbitration award, which Atlanta rejected. The Toronto Maple Leafs then signed MacArthur to a one-year, $1.1MM deal, and he broke out for 21 goals, 62 points in 82 games that season. After signing a two-year extension, he put up another 20 goal season in 2012. MacArthur struggled the next year, never quite fitting with new Leafs’ coach Randy Carlyle. He was scratched often, before injuries forced him into the lineup in the playoffs, where he scored two goals in five games. The Ottawa Senators signed him two a two-year deal, and after a 24 goal, 55 point season, gave him a new five-year deal, worth $4.65MM per year. MacArthur’s injuries have slowed him down, but it’s hard to argue he wasn’t a great value signing.
  • Anton Stralman – At 25-years old in 2011, Stralman failed to earn a roster spot after a professional tryout with the New Jersey Devils. He’d been traded or let go of by the Maple Leafs, Flames, and Blue Jackets over the last two years, and was just looking for a job. In November, a Rangers team with a depleted defensive group decided to take a chance on him. Stralman quickly proved himself to be of value, and played in the top-four of a Rangers’ team that went to the Stanley Cup Finals. Unfortunately for the Rangers, in a cap world, you don’t always get all the benefits of your own good work, so Stralman signed a five-year, $4.5MM per year deal with the Lightning in July of 2014.
  • Teemu Selanne – It might seem weird to have Selanne here, given he’s a lock for the Hall of Fame, but it was different in 2005. Everyone was a late signing, given that the lockout pushed the start of free agency until August 1st. Still, Selanne had to wait until the 21st to get a one-year deal for low money, which many thought was about getting one last NHL season in before retirement. He was 35, had declined in his time with the Sharks, and then failed to live up to expectations in Colorado. Instead of ending his career, Selanne scored 40 goals and 90 points. The next year, he led the Ducks in scoring, winning the 2007 Stanley Cup. Selanne’s run with Anaheim, who he had previously played for from 1996 to 2001, would last not one year, but nine.
  • Dan Cleary – The salary cap coming around in 2005 was a huge problem for the Detroit Red Wings. They ended up having to buy out the contracts of Derian Hatcher, Ray Whitney, and Darren McCarty, and since the end of 2004, had to move on from Dominik Hasek, Curtis Joseph, and Brett Hull. At the time, Cleary was a former top prospect who couldn’t stick with the Blackhawks, Oilers, and Coyotes, and was just looking for work. He came to Detroit’s training camp while they were desperate to fill out a roster, and signed the day before the season started. He had only three goals, 15 points for the Red Wings that year, but the team liked him well enough to keep him, and he went on to score 2o goals, 40 points in 2007. He’d hit the 20 goal mark two more times, and stay with the Red Wings until 2015, winning the Stanley Cup in 2008.
  • Matt Moulson – Moulson was a 25 year old veteran AHL scorer when the Islanders signed him in July 2009. It wasn’t a late signing, but it was definitely overlooked. 29 games into his NHL career, all with the Kings, he was never assumed to be a future impact player. He had been taken in the 9th round by Pittsburgh, and even the articles on his signing group him in with minor leaguers. Moulson responded by making the team out of camp, playing on the top line with John Tavares, and scoring a total of 97 goals over the next three seasons. The goals haven’t come quite as easily to Moulson since he joined the Buffalo Sabres, but at 33 he’s had a strong run in the NHL. If the only free agents a team signed were the flashy ones they gave five-year deals to, he may have never been able to prove himself.

Snapshots: World Cup, Tufte, Grabovski, Penguins

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The NHL and ESPN today released the U.S. broadcast schedule for the upcoming World Cup of Hockey. The tournament runs from September 8th to as late as October 1st, should the best-of-three final go the distance. The games will be broadcast in the United States on all four ESPN channels. The Canadian broadcast schedule was previously released in May, and the games will air in Canada on Rogers Sportsnet and CBC.

Here are some more snapshots from around the league:

  • Matt Wellens of the Duluth News Tribune writes today on Dallas Stars’ first round pick Riley Tufte, who will miss the remainder of the US national junior development camp with a broken wrist. Tufte, 18, is not expected to miss time during the regular season, which he’ll play at the University of Minnesota Duluth . Tufte had 10 goals, 14 points in 27 games for the USHL’s Fargo Force last year.
  • David Holcomb of Today’s Slapshot discusses Mikhail Grabovski and the New York Islanders today. Holcomb writes that after the big financial commitment the Islanders made to Grabovski, the amount of time he’s missed through injuries is difficult to deal with. He’s played well when healthy, but he plays with a fearlessness that gets him into trouble, especially with his lack of size.
  • The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Jason Mackey reports on the Penguins’ AHL affiliates, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, have added to their coaching staff. Chris Taylor and J.D. Forrest will be join head coach Clark Donatelli. Forrest, 35, played last year in the ECHL. Taylor, 44, played 149 games in the NHL for the Bruins, Islanders, and Sabres, and spent last year as an assistant coach for the Rochester Americans.

Metro Notes: Rangers, Zibanejad, Buchnevich, Gagner, Cizikas

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Today is New York Rangers Day on the Pro Hockey Talk section of NBC Sports and they’ve got several posts up focusing on the Blueshirts. Included among them, Jason Brough lists the newly acquired Mika Zibanejad as the New York Ranger “under pressure” for the 2016-17 season.

Zibanejad was acquired from Ottawa in exchange for Derick Brassard, the Rangers leading goal scorer and second leading point producer. The expectation is Zibanejad, while perhaps not completely replacing Brassard’s offensive production, will be a more well-rounded player. Zibanejad played in all situations for the Senators, averaging 1:25 per game killing penalties and another 2:30 on the power play this past season. The Blueshirts struggled on the penalty-kill and it’s hoped Zibanejad will give the team another quality forward option when down a man.

Zibanejad was certainly the biggest name the Rangers have imported this summer after the disappointing end to their season. With hopes of returning to Stanley Cup contender status, the club will need Zibanejad to produce and play well in his first year on Manhattan.

More on the Rangers and other clubs in the NHL’s Metro Division….

  • In the same piece, Brough discusses Rangers top prospect Pavel Buchnevich and where he might fit into the lineup, assuming of course he makes the team out of camp. Despite being listed as a LW on the team’s official roster, Brough suggests the Rangers could line up the left-handed shooting Buchnevich on the RW, opposite Chris Kreider and next to Derek Stepan. Head coach Alain Vigneault is not afraid to mix and match his lines or to give the line(s) playing well more ice time. Even if on paper Buchnevich is on the 3rd line, it’s still quite possible he’ll see plenty of ice time. As long as he’s getting top-9 minutes he should be fine. What’s more important is developing chemistry with at least one other forward (Vigneault sticks to pairs when assembling his forward units) and that his minutes are sheltered to keep him away from the opponent’s best players as often as possible.
  • Staying in New York, Casey Cizikas spoke with the Islanders team website and answered questions regarding his new five-year extension, among other topics. The Islanders took a fair amount of criticism for doling out $3.35MM annually to a player who is considered primarily a 4th liner and penalty-killer. But that’s perhaps understating his actual value to the club. One, he averaged 12:41 of ice time this past season, whereas most 4th line players see about 8 – 10 minutes per game. Second, head coach Jack Capuano trusts Cizikas on the ice late in games when the outcome is undecided. Maybe we look back in a few years and see this contract as an overpay, but today, for what he brings to the club, the signing is at least defensible.
  • The Columbus Blue Jackets recently inked veteran pivot Sam Gagner to a one-year deal worth $650K. In this post by Aaron Portzline of The Columbus Dispatch, Gagner says the reason he signed with the Blue Jackets is that they offered him the opportunity to “re-establish” himself as a quality NHL player. In fact, he passed on offers from at least four other clubs to take the deal with the Jackets. Gagner, who had netted at least 40 points six different times and never previously finished with fewer than 37 points in any season, slumped to a career-worst 16 points last year, skating primarily on the 4th line for the Flyers. With head coach John Tortorella seemingly preferring to use Boone Jenner on the wing and with only the oft-injured Brandon Dubinsky a sure bet to see top-six center minutes – assuming he stays relatively healthy of course – this does present Gagner an excellent chance to rebuild his value. The Jackets boast some quality talent up front – Brandon Saad, Jenner, Scott Hartnell and Cam Atkinson come to mind immediately – so Gagner will get to play with some skilled players. By the end of the 2016-17 campaign, Gagner might prove to be the biggest bargain of free agency.

 

Arbitration Breakdown: Tyson Barrie

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Early Wednesday morning it was reported that the Colorado Avalanche and Tyson Barrie have exchanged arbitration numbers in advance of their hearing scheduled for Friday. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet tells us that the the team has offered a two-year deal worth a total of $8.25MM, while Barrie’s camp has countered with a one-year, $6MM pact.

[For more background on the arbitration process, consult Parts One and Two of our Capology 101: Arbitration series.]

Barrie has played parts of five seasons already for the Avalanche, after being selected in the third-round of the 2009 draft and putting up impressive numbers in the AHL. His offensive game has been excellent since his debut, scoring 153 points in 264 games.

Last year, Barrie saw a slight dip in point production and a huge swing in plus/minus, ending with a -16 rating, third worst on the team (behind Jarome Iginla and Erik Johnson).  There have been detractors of Barrie’s defensive game for his entire career, and it doesn’t look like it’s going to improve a ton at this point.

Barrie does, however, have solid possession stats because of his deftness with the puck. He is a breakout machine when he does recover the puck in his own end, and can anchor a powerplay on any team. His 18 assists with the man-advantage led his team by a wide margin, and put him among the league leaders.

For what it’s worth, Barrie’s name has been bandied in trade (or offer sheet) speculation all summer, with some thinking that Colorado may not want to pay him what he’ll earn in arbitration.  His $6MM ask is a big one, which would equal Erik Johnson as the team’s highest paid defenseman.

Barrie’s Stats

2015-16: 78 GP, 13 G, 36 A, 49 P, 23:12 ATOI, -17 rating
Career: 264 GP, 40 G, 113 A, 153 P, 21:06 ATOI, -7 rating

Potential Comparables

Dougie Hamilton (Calgary) – Hamilton avoided arbitration before last season by signing a huge six-year, $34.5MM ($5.75MM AAV) deal on June 30th, a deal that is surely Barrie’s target in negotiations. Hamilton had played in less games, had lower production, but was a full three years younger than Barrie is now, and had been a top-ten pick. While Hamilton’s 6’5″ frame doesn’t compare very well, the deal for a puck moving offensive d-man does.

Nick Leddy (Islanders) – Leddy is a more age-appropriate comparison, and the Islander blueliner re-signed last season for a seven-year $38.5MM ($5.5MM AAV) deal that will keep him in Brooklyn (or Queens, or Nassau) for the long-term. Leddy had more games under his belt but trailed in production, only reaching 40 points for the first time this past year. He was, however, a possession-driving force similar to Barrie, and was coming off a season which garnered him Norris votes.

T.J. Brodie (Calgary) – Brodie didn’t have the same track record when he signed his five-year, $23.25MM deal before last season, but he was coming off a year similar to Barrie’s latest. Brodie is seen as a better two-way defender, but doesn’t have quite the offensive flair, which may be why his AAV of $4.65MM comes in well under the other two examples despite still being a very valuable member of the Flames’ back-end.

Projection

With the two sides nearly $2MM apart, it’s indicative of the reported distance in negotiations thus far.  While no other player has actually reached a hearing this summer, Barrie might be the first to leave his award in the hands of an arbitrator.  If a long-term deal is struck, Barrie might consider taking something around $4.75MM per season, but if it heads to a hearing it’s hard to believe the arbitrator will award anything less than $5MM.

With Barrie ranking just outside the top-10 in defenseman scoring across the last three seasons, he’ll point to the huge deals that the rest of his comparables have signed, and demand something in-line with those contracts.  We project a one-year, $5.25MM award from the arbitrator should the sides not be able to come to an agreement.

Flyers’ Buyout Candidates For Second Window

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After signing Brandon Manning earlier Tuesday morning to a two-year deal, the Philadelphia Flyers have come to agreements with all of their restricted free agents and will now have a 48-hour buyout period (which starts Friday, three days after the final deal was struck) to clear cap room for the upcoming season.  The team currently sits less than $500K away from the cap ceiling, offering little room in which to operate.

The team used the first window earlier this summer to rid themselves of R.J. Umberger and his $4.6MM cap hit. He’ll cost them just $1.6MM on the cap this season and $1.5MM next, after contributing just 26 points over the past two years for the Flyers.

While there has been no word from the Flyers on whether they’d take advantage of this new window, there are a couple of under-achievers that could be jettisoned over the weekend to open up some more room for GM Ron Hextall to work.

Matt Read – Two years, $3.625MM AAV: Read signed a four-year, $14.5MM deal in 2013, but has never been able to replicate the 24-goal, 47-point season he put up in his rookie year. After putting up the worst season of his career in 2015-16, and climbing to the wrong side of 30, Read has seen his role with the club diminished greatly and might be the next victim of a buyout.

If he was to be bought out, the Flyers would save $2.75MM in cap space this season, and $2.25MM next. He’d then cost them $1.25MM in space from 2018-20.  Each year’s cap-hit broken down:

2016-17: $875K
2017-18: $1.375MM
2018-19: $1.25MM
2019-20: $1.25MM

Andrew MacDonald – Four years, $5MM AAV: The Flyers signed MacDonald to a six-year, $30MM deal in 2014 after he was traded from the New York Islanders mid-season. While MacDonald was coming off a 28-point season in which he logged almost 25 minutes a night, both those marks would prove to be career highs to this point, as a couple of injury-marred seasons has left MacDonald contributing just 20 points in 86 games since.

With the emergence of Shayne Gostisbehere last season, the Flyers have little use of MacDonald and his huge cap-hit going forward, especially if he can’t regain any of his form from years past.  Now 29, it’s not unbelievable that he could get some of his skills back, but it looks like he’ll never be worth the $5MM that the Flyers gave him.

If the Flyers did buy him out, they’d save a good amount of cap space for the next four years, ranging between $2.98MM (next year) and $3.98MM (2019-20), though would be paying him until 2023-24.  The cap-hit breakdown is as follows:

2016-17: $2.02MM
2017-18: $1.52MM
2018-19: $1.27MM
2019-20: $1.02MM
2020-21: $1.77MM
2021-22: $1.77MM
2022-23: $1.77MM
2023-24: $1.77MM

While both of these options seem like drastic measures, the team has a real chance of competing going forward with their young stars locked up long-term.  Claude Giroux, Jakub Voracek, Brayden Schenn, Sean Couturier and Gostisbehere are all under contract or team control until at least 2019-20, with many stretching far beyond that.  If the team is looking to push deep into the playoffs, it may need to rid itself of some of the weighty contracts it’s given out in the past.

We’ll continue to watch Hextall’s moves carefully, and follow the Flyers depth charts both here and on Roster Resource.

Latest On Possible Islanders Relocation

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After reporting yesterday that the New York Islanders are considering a move out of the Barclays Center in Brooklyn to a possible Queens address next to Citi Field, Newsday is now reporting that the team is in active negotiation that would bring them to Belmont Park in Elmont.  The New York Racing Association (NYRA) is currently “courting the Islanders” and one source was quoted as saying “This is a wonderful opportunity to bring the Islanders back home.”

The NYRA is trying to build a new stadium of some sort on a vacant 28-acre lot it has sitting close by the Belmont, and four companies (including soccer’s New York Cosmos, who intend to build a 25,000 seat venue, hotel and retail complex) have already submitted bids.

It’s clear that neither of these options have been agreed to and these are just initial discussions about the possibility of moving the team, after many fans expressed displeasure with the move to Brooklyn.  The team signed a 25-year lease agreement with the Barclays Center before last season, but Newsday reports that both parties have opt-out clauses that they could trigger following the 2018-19 season.

Neither the Islanders or Barclays have commented on the situation, but we’ll keep you informed as it develops.

Minor Transactions: 07/22/16

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Here is where we will keep track of all the day’s minor transactions:

  • The Chicago Wolves of the AHL have brought back the second-leading goal scorer in team history, as Brett Sterling returns from Europe to re-join his old club. The 32-year old former fifth-round pick of the Atlanta Thrashers once scored 55 goals in a single season for the Wolves, and has 225 in his AHL career.
  • 39-year old Eric Boulton has re-signed with the New York Islanders on a one-year, two-way deal.  The long-time enforcer has played 654 games at the NHL level and has racked up 142 fighting majors during that time.  He’ll provide a measure of protection and leadership for the young players for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the AHL.
  • After struggling to find consistent NHL playing time last season, Andre Benoit has decided to take his talents elsewhere. The veteran of 181 NHL games has signed with the Malmo Redhawks of the Swedish Elite League. Benoit played his best season in 2013-14, when he recorded 28 points in 79 games for the Colorado Avalanche.

Islanders Reportedly Considering Move To Queens

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Bloomberg’s Scott Soshnick reports today that the New York Islanders are discussing a move to Queens, with the help of Major League Baseball’s New York Mets, whose Citi Field home is also in the New York Borough.

The Islanders, who had played on Long Island since their founding in 1972, moved to the Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn, home of the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets, to begin last season. The ice conditions and obstructed seating brought complaints from players and fans alike. Soshnick reports that the move would be dependent on a new building being put up across the street from Citi Field, and would come in the event that Barclay’s Center and Brooklyn Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov refused to make upgrades to the building in order to better host hockey games.

The Islanders were sold in 2014, and their new ownership group, led by Value Retail Plc founder Scott Malkin and Jon Ledecky, was confirmed this past July 1st. Soshnick also notes that the Sterling Equities owns a share of the Islanders, and are themselves co-founded by Fred Wilpon, owner of the New York Mets.

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