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Snapshots: Appleby, Skinner, Knights

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Goaltender Ken Appleby will have to settle for an AHL contract again this season. The 24-year-old has signed a one-year deal with the Milwaukee Admirals, affiliate of the Nashville Predators, the team announced. Appleby spent much of last season on a minor league contract with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose, but was signed to an NHL deal at the trade deadline to serve as a depth option for the Winnipeg Jets. Appleby will hope that his play earns him another NHL contract, during this season or next summer.

Appleby continues to be a tough keeper to nail down. A standout with the OHL’s Oshawa Generals, Appleby earned a three-year entry level contract with the New Jersey Devils as an undrafted prospect. In his first pro season in 2015-16, Appleby largely played in the ECHL, but put up good numbers and performed well in limited AHL action. The next year, he again dominated in ECHL to begin the year but quickly was called up to play a key role in the AHL and put up good albeit unspectacular numbers. In the final year of his ELC, Appleby’s AHL performance slipped somewhat, but he made three NHL appearances and was stellar, posting a .945 save percentage and 1.45 GAA. Yet, Appleby inexplicably failed to garner NHL attention last summer and, after signing with Manitoba, struggled greatly in the AHL and ended up back down in the ECHL. It’s unclear what to expect from the roller coaster goaltender, but at the very least the Admirals add an experienced netminder who has shown flashes of brilliance.

  • New York Rangers prospect Hunter Skinner is shifting his development plan. A fourth-round pick out of the USHL last month, Skinner was expected to play one more year of junior before heading to Western Michigan University. That all changed today when Skinner signed with the OHL’s London Knights, effectively ruling out the NCAA route. London used a fifth-round pick on Skinner in the 2017 OHL Draft and have made good on that gamble by convincing Skinner to change lanes and play major junior. However, it comes as a bit of a surprise that the Michigan native backed out of his WMU commitment. A big right-handed defenseman who is ahead of the game physically but still raw in his skill and IQ, the Rangers reached for Skinner in the fourth round. It’s not a stretch to think that they used that leverage to influence this decision, perhaps preferring to see Skinner play against stronger competition sooner rather than later to start developing those abilities. The Broncos are definitely disappointed to lose a promising prospect, but Skinner is in good hands in London, a premiere NHL feeder program led by Dale and Mark Hunter.
  • Speaking of which, former London Knight Will Lochead has signed his first pro contract with the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds. Lochead actually began classes at the University of Western Ontario last year and had intended to continue there, but after a breakout season opted to pursue the pro route. The aggressive defenseman recorded a career-high 17 points in 54 games for the Knights and continued to show that he is not afraid to throw his body around and play a fast-tempo game. The Thunderbirds are taking a chance on a young, undrafted player without much production to show for in his junior career, but who brings room for growth and an exciting style.

Rangers May Need To Use The Second Buyout Window

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The fact that Rangers winger Pavel Buchnevich and defenseman Jacob Trouba filed for salary arbitration yesterday isn’t particularly noteworthy in itself.  However, them doing so opens up a second buyout window later this offseason and it certainly appears as if GM Jeff Gorton is going to need to use it.

As things stand, New York has a little over $8MM in cap space, per CapFriendly.  Most, if not all of that, will be earmarked to Trouba.  Buchnevich is looking at a sizable raise on the $925K he made on his entry-level deal.  Meanwhile, defenseman Anthony DeAngelo and winger Brendan Lemieux are also restricted free agents in need of raises on their new contracts but weren’t arbitration-eligible this summer.  There’s no way all four sign new deals without the Rangers going over the $81.5MM Upper Limit.

There are two prominent buyout candidates on their roster in defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk and Brendan Smith.  Both have two years left on their contracts and have been shopped around the league with no takers thus far.  Buying one (or both) blueliners out would give Gorton some much-needed cap space to work with.

A buyout for Shattenkirk would free up over $5MM alone for next season.  However, given the front-loaded nature of the contract, the savings would drop to just $567K for 2020-21 while adding an extra $1.433MM on the books for two years after that so there would be some long-term pain for that short-term gain.  Smith’s deal was also slightly front-loaded but doesn’t have as extreme of year-to-year variances in the buyout cost.  Buying him out would save $3.379MM next season and $1.2MM in 2020-21 while adding $1.145MM for two seasons after that.

Back when the first buyout window closed, Gorton didn’t know whether or not he’d be able to land the big fish on the free agent market in Artemi Panarin.  That wound up happening with the winger signing for over $11.6MM per season so their financial situation is a lot different now than it was just a week ago.  They didn’t need to buy anyone out then.  Unless they decide to start trading a couple of players away for future assets, they may need to this time.

The window will open up once both Buchevich and Trouba are under contract, something that could still take a month or more to happen depending on where they’re slated on the arbitration schedule.  As a result, it may be a while before Gorton is forced to make a decision on how to free up that extra cap room but he certainly still has some work to do to get the team cap compliant for October.

Snapshots: Panarin, McGinn, Greening

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It was hard to miss Artemi Panarin’s free agency decision on Monday, as an all-world player landed in the largest market in North America. However, what wasn’t clear right away was how Panarin’s new seven-year, $81.5MM contract with the New York Rangers was structured. CapFriendly has cleared that up, revealing the terms of the monster deal. To no surprise, the details continue to favor the star forward. While Panarin’s contract carries an $11.643MM cap hit, he will in fact make a salary of just $1MM each year. What this means is that Panarin’s deal includes nearly $75MM in signing bonuses, making the contract virtually buyout-proof. The bonuses role out in descending order, beginning with a $13MM bonus this season down to a $7MM bonus in 2025-26. Also unsurprisingly, Panarin’s deal includes a full No-Movement Clause. The investment in the 27-year-old Panarin, who has topped 70 points in each of his four NHL seasons, is pretty safe, which is lucky for the Rangers since is contract is all but immovable.

  • The deadline to file for salary arbitration is coming up, and the first name to file has been revealed. Speaking with media, including the Raleigh News & Observer’s Chip Alexander, Carolina Hurricanes GM Don Waddell noted that forward Brock McGinn has filed for arbitration. McGinn, 25, has emerged as a regular contributor for the ’Canes over the past two years, missing only two games and posting back-to-back seasons of 25+ points. He additionally contributed six points in 15 playoff games during the run to the Eastern Conference Final this year. McGinn is also one of Carolina’s most physical forwards and plays a role on the penalty kill. Yet, his ice time is still somewhat limited, particularly playing sheltered minutes to do some turnover tendencies. The Hurricanes will try to support their filing number by pointing out McGinn’s relatively minor role and lack of overall career results, while the player side will emphasize the recent climb in scoring and ice time and his platform year being arguably his best season to date and coinciding in a return to the postseason for Carolina. Waddell, who recently joked that the Sebastian Aho offer sheet had freed up his summer due to a lack of contract negotiations, is not out of the woods yet, with McGinn filing, Trevor Carrick, Anton Forsberg, and Saku Maenalanen eligible to file, and several other restricted free agents in need of extensions.
  • Veteran forward Colin Greening has called it a career reports Toronto Marlies reporter Jacob Stoller. Although Greening has played solely for the Marlies over the past three seasons, he logged close to 300 NHL games with the Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs, including a 37-point season in 2011-12. Greening’s NHL production certainly declined as his career went on, but as he transitioned to a minor league leadership role, Greening ended up being both a reliable source of scoring and a key locker room presence. Greening will likely be remembered most for captaining the Marlies to the 2018 Calder Cup, as well as his dominant college career at Cornell University.

New York Rangers Sign McKegg, O’Regan

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The New York Rangers have already locked up the top free agent on the market, and now they’ve signed some depth forwards as well. Greg McKegg and Daniel O’Regan have both agreed to terms with the Rangers.

While they won’t be bringing the same impact as Artemi Panarin, McKegg and O’Regan still represent two options for the Rangers to use at the bottom of the NHL lineup. McKegg especially has turned himself into a legitimate fourth-line player, suiting up 41 times for the Hurricanes last season and scoring 11 points. With so few players signed past this season for the Rangers, McKegg might find himself waiting for a trade to get a real opportunity but should see some playing time in the NHL. The 27-year old has 24 points in 132 career games split between the Toronto Maple Leafs, Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Pittsburgh Penguins and Hurricanes.

O’Regan meanwhile was actually a relatively interesting prospect at one point for the San Jose Sharks and was part of the deal that landed them Evander Kane two seasons ago. A star at Boston University for four seasons, he jumped into the professional ranks in 2016 and dominated immediately, scoring 58 points in 63 games with the San Jose Barracuda of the AHL. He’s done well since then in minor league appearances, but can’t seem to carve himself out a role in the NHL. In New York he’ll have to fight for any opportunity he can get but could very well be ticketed for the Hartford Wolf Pack.

Buffalo Sabres Ink John Gilmour To One-Year Deal

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The Buffalo Sabres won the sweepstakes for defenseman John Gilmour, who attracted a surprising amount of interest on the open market this week. The former New York Rangers blueliner signed a one-year, one-way deal worth $700K, according to TSN’s Frank Seravalli.

Gilmour looked to be on the verge of cracking the Rangers’ lineup a couple of years ago after signing with New York after four years at Providence College. After two full years in the AHL, Gilmour appeared in 28 games during the 2017-18 season, but saw his stock drop this year as multiple defensive prospects passed him on the Rangers prospect chart. He appeared in just five games with New York this year, despite having an impressive season with the Hartford Wolf Pack, scoring 20 goals and 54 points.

Seravalli reported a week ago that Gilmour was receiving significant interest around the league, suggesting that as many as 13 teams had expressed interest in the 26-year-old. In Buffalo, Gilmour will likely provide some depth for the Sabres, but the key will be his one-way deal, which should keep him on an NHL roster for the season.

Artemi Panarin Signs With New York Rangers

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After the Columbus Blue Jackets, New York Islanders, Florida Panthers and Colorado Avalanche all made huge pitches to try and convince Artemi Panarin to join their squads, it ends up being the New York Rangers who will acquire his services moving forward. The Rangers have agreed to terms on a seven-year, $81.5MM deal with Panarin.

Panarin, 27, was the consensus No. 1 in our Top 50 UFAs this season, and will immediately become the highest-paid winger in the entire NHL. His cap hit is will be more than $1MM higher than Patrick Kane’s $10.5MM from several years ago and well ahead of the recent market set by Nikita Kucherov and Mark Stone at $9.5MM. Part of that is the fact that he actually got to unrestricted free agency, but there is good reason to think he will be able to perform at a high level for quite some time.

In the four years he has played in North America, the originally undrafted Panarin has only gotten better. Setting a career-high with 87 points last season in just 79 games, he proved that he could create offense with any type of linemate and established himself as a legitimate superstar in the NHL. That’s exactly what the Rangers were waiting for and have now had quite the summer. They had already traded for both Adam Fox and Jacob Trouba to improve their blue line, and drafted Kaapo Kakko second overall. Panarin’s contract is extremely expensive, but also puts the Rangers in line to compete for the playoffs as soon as next season.

This is a team that just over a year ago sent a letter to fans explaining that they were going to have to trade some “familiar faces, guys we all care about and respect” but were committed to building a Stanley Cup contending team. In such a short time the team has dealt away Ryan McDonagh, J.T. Miller, Jimmy Vesey, Rick Nash, Nick Holden, Adam McQuaid, Mats Zuccarello, Neal Pionk, Kevin Hayes and Michael Grabner in order to set themselves up with an almost unmatched prospect pipeline and a great chance of success in the future.

Now, after finishing near the bottom of the league and picking second overall, the rebuild is finished in New York. Panarin’s deal ushers in the next phase that will include competing for the playoffs. That doesn’t necessarily mean they’re finished trading though, as Chris Kreider and Vladislav Namestnikov remain just a year away from unrestricted free agency and may not be considered key parts moving forward.

Buffalo Sabres Acquire Jimmy Vesey

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The Buffalo Sabres have acquired Jimmy Vesey (again), this time sending a 2021 third-round pick to the New York Rangers. Buffalo had previously traded for Vesey’s negotiating rights in 2016 from the Nashville Predators—coincidentally sending a third-round pick that time too—but he decided not to sign with them and became a free agent after his college career. Vesey currently has just one year remaining on his current contract which carries a $2.275MM cap hit and is scheduled to become a UFA once again in the summer of 2020.

While obviously this will immediately spark more speculation about the Rangers’ pursuit of Artemi Panarin, Buffalo has been chasing Vesey for some time. The Rangers already had enough cap space to fit in the top free agent if they wanted, meaning this is likely just cashing in on an expiring asset. New York have several young forwards ready to step into bigger roles and Vesey was obviously not part of the long-term plan.

Now 26, Vesey hasn’t had quite the impact many hoped he would coming out of Harvard University but is still a solid offensive contributor. Scoring at least 16 (and at most 17) goals in each of his three seasons, he should add a bit of depth scoring to the Sabres as they try to push for a playoff spot this season. Buffalo is now missing their third-round picks for each of the next two seasons, but after adding some more young talent at the draft this year they are ready to start competing instead of rebuilding.

Mark Letestu Linked To New York Rangers

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In any successful NHL organization, minor league development systems are incredibly important. Some of that is based on the coaching staff and playing opportunity, but many believe that some level of success is also required to prepare young players for the next level. That’s why teams go out and sign veteran minor league options on day one of free agency, even if bigger names are still out there. That’s exactly what might happen with Mark Letestu, who is looking for a two-way contract and has now been linked to the New York Rangers by both Larry Brooks of the New York Post and Aaron Portzline of The Athletic. Letestu plans on playing somewhere this season as he comes off his first minor league season in a decade.

Now 34, Letestu suited up 72 times for the Cleveland Monsters of the AHL last season and was their best player on many nights. The veteran center ended up with 50 points in the regular season and another five in the playoffs, showing that he certainly isn’t finished just yet. There was a time not too long ago that Letestu was a solid depth option for the Columbus Blue Jackets and Edmonton Oilers, routinely scoring double-digit goals and somewhere around 30 points. His transition to the minor leagues would only help the Hartford Wolf Pack, who finished dead last in the Atlantic Division last season with a 29-36-11 record.

Letestu obviously has a connection with new Rangers president John Davidson, who joined New York after years building the Blue Jackets into a solid organization from top to bottom. Brooks suggests that the team could offer the pending free agent forward a minor league guarantee between $400-500K given there is no salary cap at that level, a strategy that he believes may be brought up in the next CBA talks.

Boston Bruins Re-Sign Steven Kampfer

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Tuesday: The Bruins have officially announced the contract, confirming the duration and salary reported by Seravalli.

Monday: Defensive depth proved to be key for a Boston Bruins team that struggled with injuries on the blue line throughout the regular season and into the postseason. All but one the 12 different defenseman that took the ice for the Bruins this season were under team control moving forward, either under contract or as restricted free agents. But the team has worked quickly to rectify the situation with that lone outlying unrestricted free agent. TSN’s Frank Seravalli reports that Boston has re-signed Steven Kampfer to a two-year deal worth $800K annually.

Kampfer, 30, began his second stint with the Bruins last summer, when he was traded by the New York Rangers in the deal that landed Adam McQuaid. Kampfer began the year as Boston’s eighth defenseman, but as a bevy of injuries plagued the team all year, particularly fellow veteran righty Kevan Miller, Kampfer ended up playing in 35 games and was the only Bruins defenseman who began the year on the NHL roster that did not miss time due to injury. Kampfer proved to be an optimal extra man, as his experience and sound defensive play made him a great plug-and-play option. While not much of an offensive contributor, Kampfer is valued for his ability to step in and play a smart, safe defensive game, rarely looking out of place when he filled in.

The two-year term on Kampfer’s new contract is telling for multiple reasons. First, it means that the Bruins see Kampfer as more than just a year-to-year investment and the future of the team’s blue line is far less certain beyond next season. Two of Boston’s biggest injury concerns on defense, 41-year-old Zdeno Chara and accident-prone Kevan Miller, are also not signed beyond next year. So while the team is very deep on the back end next year, there is a chance that they could lose some of that depth a year from now and Kampfer could be even more important then than he is next season. Additionally, Seravalli reports that there has been interest in Kampfer from other teams. That news plus the two-year term makes it a safe assumption that this is a one-way deal for Kampfer. Such a contract won’t be as appealing on waivers if the Bruins do need to move Kampfer to the minor leagues. Although John Moore will not be ready to start the season due to recent major surgery, at some point during the year the team could hypothetically have Kampfer, Moore, Chara, Miller, Charlie McAvoy, Brandon Carlo, Torey Krug, and Matt Grzelcyk all healthy, which could make Kampfer the odd man out if there is a roster crunch.

A team-friendly contract for a familiar and reliable player on a cap-strapped team would seem to be good news all around for the Bruins. However, barring a trade or another year of rampant injuries, Kampfer’s extension does not bode well for promising prospects like Connor Clifton, Urho Vaakanainen, Jakub Zboril, and Jeremy Lauzon. All four got into the Bruins’ lineup this season, but the odds of a return appearance just took a hit. The circumstances are especially troubling for Clifton, who played in 19 regular season games and 18 playoff games this year and looked ready to take on Boston’s first man up role next year. After getting so close to a Stanley Cup title this year, Kampfer’s extension is clearly a sign of a team focused on winning now, even if that means burying their budding prospects for another year or two.

Snapshots: Claesson, Talbot, Abbandonato

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The deadline to extend qualifying offers to impending restricted free agents arrives on Tuesday, and another intriguing name can be added to the list of those likely not receiving an offer and hitting the open market. The New York Post’s Larry Brooks reports that Rangers defenseman Fredrik Claesson will not receive a qualifying offer from the team. Brooks cites roster space as the reason that New York has opted not to retain the 26-year-old, who played in 37 games in his first – and now only – season with the Rangers. The team only would have merely had to offer Claesson a two-way contract worth $735K to hold on to his RFA rights, but apparently are content to let him leave. With four veteran blue liners already signed, recent acquisition Jacob Trouba as well as Anthony DeAngelo as restricted free agents, and top prospects Adam Fox and Libor Hajek pushing for ice time, the Rangers do have plenty of depth without Claesson. Nevertheless, the former Ottawa Senators starter should draw plenty of attention as a new addition to the UFA market. Claesson joins a growing list of talented players not expected to receive qualifying offers, including Vancouver’s Derrick Pouliot, Los Angeles’ Nikita Scherbak, and Edmonton’s Ty Rattie and Tobias Rieder. 

  • At 35 years old, veteran Max Talbot is calling it a career. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun revealed that Talbot has decided to retire and end his playing days, but will stay involved with the game as a development adviser for CAA, a top hockey agency. Talbot may have spent his twilight years overseas, playing the past three seasons in the KHL, but few will forget his accomplishments in the NHL. Talbot spent eleven season in the league, making a name for himself as a top two-way player. Talbot received votes for the Selke Award as the league’s best defensive forward in four different seasons and was one of the most dangerous shorthanded specialists in the league during the prime of his career. Talbot spent the first six seasons of his career with the Pittsburgh Penguins, helping the team to a 2009 Stanley Cup title, and made stops in Philadelphia, Colorado, and Boston before heading for Russia in 2016.
  • As one pro career ends, another begins. QMJHL leading scorer Peter Abbandonato has signed with the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch, per TVA’s Mikhail Lalancette. It’s a two-year minor league deal for Abbandonato, who needs time to develop despite his impressive junior numbers. Abbandonato was a late-blooming forward, an undrafted and slightly undersized center who broke out this season in his final year of junior eligibility. The 21-year-old had a phenomenal season, though; he recorded 111 points in 68 games, including 82 assists, which also led the league and by a wide margin. Abbandonato then added 27 points in just 15 playoff games to help the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies to a QMJHL title. Like fellow undrafted top junior scorer Justin Brazeau of the OHL, Abbandonato had no other option but to sign a minor league deal and show that his skill set is pro-ready. If he can do that, Abbandonato should earn an entry-level contract, perhaps even before his AHL contract expires.

 

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