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Free Agent Rumor Round-Up: Roussel, Calvert, Hickey, Rieder, Perron, And More

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The Vancouver Canucks are closing in on an agreement with one of their top free agent targets. After Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman revealed that the Canucks were talking to two-way winger Antoine Roussel, colleague Rick Dhaliwal did some digging and discovered that the two sides were close on a long-term deal. Dhaliwal expects Roussel to sign a four-year deal worth more than $3MM per year with Vancouver. The former Dallas Stars brings grit and energy to the Canucks and has previously teased 30+ point potential. If the 28-year-old Frenchman can reach those levels of production while maintaining his notorious physical game, this could be a great signing by GM Jim Benning. However, it is well above what many would have expected Roussel to sign in both term and salary and could just as well be a disaster for Vancouver. Roussel is ranked 38th on PHR’s Top 50 Free Agents list with an estimated contract of two years and just over $2MM AAV.

[RELATED: PHR’s 2018 Top 50 NHL Unrestricted Free Agents]

  • Friedman has also linked the Colorado Avalanche and forward Matt Calvert. TSN’s Darren Dreger is among a few sources who have also heard about that pairing. Calvert, 28, has played his entire career for the Columbus Blue Jackets, but Dreger seems convinced that he is definitely on the move. The versatile, two-way winger would be a nice fit as a bottom-six regular who can fill gaps in the top-six, much like the role that Blake Comeau played for the team.
  • Dreger also reports that interest is high in defenseman Thomas Hickey. A shallow defense market is likely boosting the value of the serviceable defenseman, who is a tough defensive match-up and a dangerous off-the-puck play-maker, but prone to mistake when moving play. Many speculated that the Islanders would turn their attention to re-signing Hickey once the John Tavares situation had sorted itself out, but with Tavares dragging his feet and Hickey in talks with numerous teams, New York may not get that chance. We predicted that Hickey would land with the Montreal Canadiens on a multi-year deal in PHR’s Top 50 Free Agents list.
  • Another player getting a lot of attention is winger Tobias Rieder and the status of his suitors is changing quickly as the price rises. Just earlier today, the Vancouver Canucks were the first team confirmed to be in on Rieder and by now that list has increased dramatically. TSN’s Ryan Rishaug reports that the Calgary Flames, Montreal Canadiens, and Ottawa Senators are also in the running and that the price has gotten so high as to drive the Edmonton Oilers out of the bidding. The Athletic’s Craig Custance confirms the interest from the Canucks, Flames, and Habs and adds the New York Rangers and Florida Panthers to the list of interested parties. All this for a player that the Los Angeles Kings deemed unworthy of a qualifying offer.
  • As expected, David Perron is also one of the hottest names on the free agent market and his former team, the Vegas Golden Knights, are seemingly out of the running. Friedman calls it “very unlikely” that Perron returns to Las Vegas, where he set a career high with 66 points this season. For an idea on the price for Perron, he landed at #5 on the PHR Top 50 Free Agents list with a projected six-year, $32MM contract, which could be a conservative guess.
  • One team that is somewhat surprisingly in talks with Perron is Arizona. Craig Morgan of Arizona Sports details the off-season so far from the Coyotes and lists Perron, James van Riemsdyk, and Michael Grabner as Arizona’s top targets. Morgan also says that the team has not ruled out bringing back veteran forward Brad Richardson as well.
  • The Boston Bruins are moving on from Anton Khudobin and reportedly working fast to find his replacement. Beat writer Matt Kalman and The Boston Globe’s Kevin-Paul Dupont both hear that the team is very interested in Kari Lehtonen as the new backup to Tuukka Rask. With many talented goalies on the market, Lehtonen has flown under the radar somewhat despite incredibly comparable numbers to Khudobin in more starts and superior numbers to the likes of Jonathan Bernier, Cam Ward, Robin Lehner and others. Lehtonen also had the highest Quality Start rate of any of that group in 2017-18. Even here at PHR we may have underestimated Lehtonen, making him our sixth-best goalie among the Top 50 free agents.
  • Unsurprisingly, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun notes that the Washington Capitals have checked in with defenseman Brooks Orpik. A veteran leader and key contributor to their Stanley Cup run, the Capitals faced little choice but to trade Orpik away earlier this off-season in order to clear cap space to maintain their championship roster. Now that he has subsequently been bought out by the Colorado Avalanche, Orpik is fair game and could return to D.C. at a much more affordable rate. However, LeBrun warns that other teams are also in the running and Orpik may not take a discount rate in Washington over more legitimate offers.

 

Rangers Interested In Ryan Reaves

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The Rangers are interested in signing rugged winger Ryan Reaves, reports Larry Brooks of the New York Post.  New York is planning to run with a younger team, especially up front so it’s not surprising that they’d have interest in someone who could be tasked with helping to protect those players.

Reaves started this past season with Pittsburgh after they had acquired him from St. Louis back at the 2017 NHL Entry Draft.  He didn’t fare particularly well with them as his playing time dipped to just 6:45 per game, his lowest since 2011-12.  He wound up being dealt to Vegas as part of the Derick Brassard swap where he received more playing time during the rest of the regular season at 9:45 per night.  On the year, he wound up with ten points, 94 penalty minutes, and 236 hits in 79 games.

The 31-year-old started the playoffs as a healthy scratch but as the rounds progressed, he started to make his way into the lineup and actually scored in back-to-back games including the game winner in the series-clinching game against the Jets.

Reaves is coming off of a contract that carried a $1.125MM cap hit and while the demand for enforcers is quite low at the moment, it’s still fair to project a raise.  Term will obviously also be a factor and Brooks notes that the Rangers are looking to cap their commitments at no more than two years.

New York isn’t the only team with some level of interest in Reaves.  Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic adds (Twitter link) that the Blues have been in contact with Reaves’ camp but noted that nothing came out of those discussions.

Rangers To Meet With Vitali Kravtsov's Agent To Discuss Ending His KHL Deal

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  • The Rangers plan to meet with the agent for first-round pick Vitali Kravtsov later this week to explore possible options to get the winger out of the final year of his KHL contract, notes Justin Tasch of the New York Daily News. The ninth-overall selection back on Friday has already publicly indicated that his preference is to play in North America in 2018-19 and although he’s still just 18, he would be eligible to play at the AHL level next season.

Tampa Bay Lightning Re-Sign J.T. Miller To Five-Year Deal

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The Tampa Bay Lightning have decided that J.T. Miller is a good long-term fit for the team, signing the RFA forward to a five-year, $26.25MM contract. Miller will carry a $5.25MM cap hit for the next half decade, after fitting in tremendously following a midseason trade from the New York Rangers. The deal contains no signing bonuses, and is broken down as follows:

  • 2018-19: $5.25MM
  • 2019-20: $6.0MM
  • 2020-21: $4.5MM
  • 2021-22: $6.0MM
  • 2022-23: $4.5MM

Miller, 25, came over from the Rangers in a package that also included Ryan McDonagh, and ended up being a huge part of the Tampa Bay success down the stretch. With 18 points in 19 regular season games, he took to his role beside Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov with aplomb. Ten goals including five on the powerplay in those 19 games gave him 23 on the season, a new career high and his third consecutive season above 20. Unfortunately, that goal scoring dried up in the playoffs when Miller was able to record just two tallies in 17 games. That postseason performance will have to improve as he heads into the prime of his career if this contract is going to be worth it, as the Lightning aren’t waiting around for their next chance at a Stanley Cup.

Amazingly, the Lightning are one of the teams scheduled to sit down with pending free agent center John Tavares this week, despite having just over $5MM in cap space after re-signing Miller. The team already has expensive long-term contracts with five forwards, and that doesn’t include the mega extension that Nikita Kucherov is eligible to sign on July 1st. Kucherov has just one season remaining on his current contract at a criminally low cap hit of just under $4.8MM. Kucherov should become one of the highest paid wingers in the league on his next contract, after breaking 100 points this season and leading the Lightning in scoring for the third consecutive season.

With Miller now under contract for several seasons, Lightning GM Steve Yzerman can turn his attention to issues like re-signing Kucherov, McDonagh, Brayden Point and Anton Stralman, all who see their deals expire next summer. The wizard-like GM has convinced franchise players to stay for less than market value before, and will need to work some more magic to fit everyone in. Miller’s $5.25MM cap hit certainly isn’t unreasonable for a 50-60 point player, but it’s also not a huge bargain for the team. If he’s destined to stay on the wing in Tampa Bay—which is far from guaranteed—he’ll have to really keep producing offensively to reward the team for making such a big investment in his career.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Metropolitan Notes: Tavares, Hamilton, Rask, Rangers

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In a follow-up story about New York Islanders and John Tavares upcoming free agency, The Athletic’s Arthur Staple (subscription required) writes that the Islanders’ Lou Lamoriello left the draft to fly to Los Angeles to be nearby while Tavares meets with the teams that he and his representatives have invited to speak with him. Lamoriello will meet with Tavares last in hopes of keeping the superstar in the fold.

As reported earlier, it is believed that he will meet with the Toronto Maple Leafs, San Jose Sharks, and Dallas Stars and possibly the Tampa Bay Lightning, Vegas Golden Knights and the Montreal Canadiens, although that isn’t too clear so far. However, Staples writes that an earlier rumor today that the Islanders made an eight-year, $88MM deal may not be accurate. He believes in the end, whether offered by the Islanders or another team, that Tavares will be making $12MM per year, which Lamoriello has said that ownership has said that money is no object.

  • Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston reported that the Carolina Hurricanes intend to keep defenseman Dougie Hamilton, who the team acquired in the five-player trade earlier today. The scribe said the team had no intention of flipping the blueliner for more assets. Hamilton should provide the team with a No. 1 defenseman to go with their core of young blueliners. The six-year veteran is only just 25 years old and put up 17 goals and 44 points last season.
  • Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (subscription required) writes that the Carolina Hurricanes were supposedly close on sending winger Victor Rask to the Montreal Canadiens, but the asking price of two second-round picks in this draft (including the No. 35 pick) was too much for the Canadiens. The 25-year-old winger still has four years at $4MM AAV and seems to have regressed somewhat since a 21 goal season back in 2015-16.
  • The New York Rangers had three first-round picks in this latest draft with much speculation wondering if general manager Jeff Gorton would use those picks as assets to either acquire a pro-ready player or even to move up in the draft. Instead, the Rangers used all three picks (albeit, they traded up late in the first-round). NHL.com’s Dan Rosen reports that Gorton said he was never close to making a deal this weekend. Gorton said he was ready to change his draft strategy if he got a trade offer he liked, but never got one. “I would say there was probably less conversations than I anticipated,” Gorton said.

2018 Draft Results By Team

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The 2018 NHL Entry Draft is now complete. Check out how each team did with accruing talent and filling needs with each of their selections this weekend:

Anaheim Ducks

1-23.  F Isac Lundestrom, Lulea (SHL)
2-54. F Benoit-Olivier Groulx, Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL)
3-79. F Blake McLaughlin, Chicago Steel (USHL)
3-84. G Lukas Dostal, HC Kometa Brno (Czech Republic-Jr.)
4-116. F Jack Perbix, Elk River HS (USHS)
5-147. G Roman Durny, Des Moines Buccaneers (USHL)
6-178. D Hunter Drew, Charlottetown Islanders (QMJHL)

Arizona Coyotes

1-5. F Barrett Hayton, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL)
2-55. D Kevin Bahl, Ottawa 67’s (OHL)
3-65. F Jan Jenik, HC Benatky nad Jizerou (Czech Republic-2)
3-73. D Ty Emberson, U.S. National Development Program (USHL)
4-114. G Ivan Prosvetov, Youngstown Phantoms (USHL)
5-142. D Mitchell Callahan, Central Illinois Flying Aces (USHL)
5-145. D Dennis Busby, Flint Firebirds (OHL)
6-158. G David Tendeck, Vancouver Giants (WHL)
7-189. F Liam Kirk, Sheffield Steelers (England)

Boston Bruins

2-57. D Axel Andersson, Djurgardens IF (SuperElit)
3-77.  F Jakub Lauko, Pirati Chomutov (Czech Republic)
4-119. F Curtis Hall, Youngstown Phantoms (USHL)
6-181.  D Dustyn McFaul, Pickering Panthers (OJHL)
7-212. F Pavel Shen, Mamonty Yugry (MHL)

Buffalo Sabres

1-1. D Rasmus Dahlin, Frolunda HC (SHL)
2-32. D Mattias Samuelsson, U.S. National Development Program (USHL)
4-94. F Matej Pekar, Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL)
4-117. D Linus Lindstrand Kronholm, Malmo Redhawks (SuperElit)
5-125. D Miska Kuukonen, Ilves (Jr.-Liiga)
7-187. D William Worge Kreu, Linkoping (SuperElit)

Calgary Flames

3-105. F Martin Pospisil, Sioux City Musketeers (USHL)
3-108. F Demetrios Koumontzis, Edina HS (USHS)
4-122. F Milos Roman, Vancouver Giants (WHL)
6-167. F Mathias Emilio Pettersen, Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL)
7-198. F Dmitri Zavgorodny, Rimouski Oceanic (QMJHL)

Carolina Hurricanes

1-2. F Andrei Svechnikov, Barrie Colts (OHL)
2-42. F Jack Drury, Waterloo Blackhawks (USHL)
4-96. F Luke Henman, Blainville-Boisbriand Armada (QMJHL)
4-104. F Lenni Killinen, Espoo Blues (Jr.-Liiga)
6-166. D Jesper Sellgren, MODO (Allsveskan)
7-197. G Jake Kucharski, Des Moines Buccaneers (USHL)

Chicago Blackhawks

1-8. D Adam Boqvist, Brynas IF Gavle (SHL)
1-27. D Nicolas Beaudin, Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL)
3-69. F Jake Wise, U.S. National Development Program (USHL)
3-74. F Niklas Nordgren, HIFK Helsinki (Jr.-Liiga)
4-120. F Philipp Kurashev, Quebec Remparts (QMJHL)
5-139. F Mikael Hakkarainen, Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL)
6-162. G Alexis Gravel, Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL)
7-193. F Josiah Slavin, Lincoln Stars (USHL)

Colorado Avalanche

1-16. F Martin Kaut, Dynamo Pardubice (Czech Republic)
3-64. G Justus Annunen, Karpat (Jr.-Liiga)
3-78. F Sampo Ranta, Sioux City Musketeers (USHL)
4-109. F Tyler Weiss, U.S. National Development Program (USHL)
5-140. F Brandon Saigeon, Hamilton Bulldogs (OHL)
5-146. D Danila Zhuravlyov, Irbis Kazan (MHL)
6-171. F Nikolai Kovalenko, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (MHL)
7-202. G Shamil Shmakov, Sibirskie Snaipery Novosibirsk (MHL)Read more

Ottawa Senators Trade 22nd Pick To New York Rangers

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The Ottawa Senators have traded the 22nd pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft to the New York Rangers in exchange for the 26th and 48th pick. While this isn’t a blockbuster deal, it does allow the Rangers to move up and take the player they feel has dropped down the board.

That player is K’Andre Miller, a defenseman from the US Development program that has only been playing the blue line for two seasons but has taken to it immediately. Miller can absolutely dominate a game when he’s playing his best, but that’s something he’ll have to do more often moving forward.

Obviously the Rangers believed he wouldn’t make it all the way to the 26th selection, and were willing to give up a second-round pick to secure their guy. New York is trying to rebuild a franchise that has had a lot of regular season success but hasn’t been able to get over the hump in the postseason, and are looking for dynamic, elite skaters. Miller is that, but also provides length and an impressive set of instincts in the defensive end.

For Ottawa, adding value anywhere at this point is a bonus. The team has struggled the last few months dealing with several off-ice incidents, and may not be able to re-sign Erik Karlsson this summer. If they weren’t married to selecting Miller, moving down a few spots for a second-round pick is more than worth it.

Sergey Zborovskiy Clears Unconditional Waivers

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Wednesday: Zborovskiy has cleared waivers and will likely see his contract terminated.

Tuesday: The New York Rangers have placed Sergey Zborovskiy on unconditional waivers for the purpose of mutually terminating his contract. Zborovskiy, a third-round pick by the Rangers in 2015, signed his entry-level contract in the summer of 2016 but spent most of this season in the ECHL. After clearing waivers he will now be able to return to Russia and join the KHL, though he would also technically become an unrestricted free agent eligible to sign with any NHL club.

Zborovskiy, 21, is a big, physical defenseman who put up some fine point totals while in the WHL playing for the Regina Pats, but was always a long shot for the NHL. His skating stride needed work when the Rangers selected him, and apparently hasn’t come far enough for the team to fight to keep him in the organization. This doesn’t necessarily preclude a reunion at some point down the road, but allowing him to go home to compete for minutes in the KHL could be best for his development.

This isn’t the first Russian defenseman the Rangers have lost in this way, after allowing Alexei Bereglazov out of his contract earlier this spring. It’s a tough result for a third-round pick, especially one that was made just two years ago. We’ll see if this affects the way New York targets Russian players in the draft moving forward.

Eastern Notes: Kovalchuk, Marner, Smith, Rasmussen

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Could the Boston Bruins be the front-runners for Russian free agent and former NHL superstar Ilya Kovalchuk? Evidently, the Sports Hub’s Ty Anderson thinks so.

As reported by NBC Sports, Anderson appeared on Toucher & Rich on 98.5 and said he believes the Bruins are currently the leading candidates to get the 35-year-old winger due to the Bruins cap space. While the Bruins are listed by CapFriendly as having just $6.5MM in available cap space, the team has few free agents of their own to deal with and a loaded roster, including multiple talented veterans such as Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron and a core of youth of which many had solid rookie years last season.

Kovalchuk, who tallied 31 goals for SKA St. Petersburg in the KHL has been touring NHL cities, looking for a new home. While his preference has been to stay on the East Coast, especially either New York or Florida, he’s broadened his search this year including a trip to Los Angeles and San Jose as he’s made it clear that he wants to win a Stanley Cup as soon as possible.

  • Kevin McGran of The Star interviewed Mitch Marner about multiple topics, but the 21-year-old star said that there has been no discussion yet with management about a potential contract extension. The fourth-overall pick from the 2015 draft will be eligible for a contract extension on July 1 along with teammate Auston Matthews, but there is no word on whether Marner will sign an extension this year or will have to wait until next year. “Nothing has been said yet, but nothing you can do,” said Marner. “If nothing happens, you still have a year to play under your rookie contract. Just go out there and try to prove you can make the team better.”
  • While the New York Rangers are looking for defense, the New York Post’s Larry Brooks writes that veteran defenseman Brendan Smith has stayed in New York following the season and has been working with fitness trainer with Ben Prentiss to get into better shape. Smith, who was placed on waivers on Feb. 9, after signing a four-year, $17.4MM contract in the offseason, came into camp out of shape and struggled on the Rangers’ blueline all season long. The scribe writes that the Rangers not only expect him to compete for a job at training camp, but they expect him to return to the status of the player they handed that contract to.
  • Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press writes she believes it looks promising that 2017 first-round pick Michael Rasmussen makes the Detroit Red Wings team out of training camp this year. The ninth-overall pick last year put up 31 goals and 58 points for the Tri-City Americans of the WHL and even got some time at the wing position during the season because Detroit would likely like for him to start at the wing if he makes the team next season. What’s more impressive is that he scored 16 goals and 33 points in just 14 playoff games, suggesting he might be ready for Detroit. If he doesn’t make the team, he will have to return for one more year to Tri-City.

 

Rangers Likely To Trade A Center This Offseason

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With many teams in the league looking for center help this offseason and seeing few options on the free agent market, the trade market seems to be the best way to fill that heavily in-demand. Just earlier this week, the Montreal Canadiens traded Alex Galchenyuk, who failed to succeed at the center position for the team in previous years, to Arizona. The Coyotes have already stated they intend to move him back to center in hopes that he can make the conversion and fill their No. 2 center hole.

The New York Rangers seem to be in a unique situation. Despite the franchise suddenly finding themselves in rebuilding mode, the one thing the Rangers have plenty of is reliable centers. In fact, the team has eight potential centers currently on the roster, including Mika Zibanejad, Kevin Hayes, Lias Andersson, Filip Chytil, Vladislav Namestnikov, Ryan Spooner, Boo Nieves and Brett Howden. While some of those eight will be forced to move to the wing position, there is also a strong possibility that the team will move at least one of those centers during the offseason, and very possibly, before next week’s draft.

Larry Brooks of the New York Post writes that while the team has a solid combination of Zibanejad, Chytil, Hayes and Andersson currently penciled in as their top four centers next season, that’s a logjam at that position that likely would not aid the development of Chytil and Andersson, two teenagers who need as much playing time as possible at the NHL level. Andersson especially, last year’s No. 7 pick in the 2017 draft, needs time on the ice and a fourth-line role isn’t going to cut it.

The scribe writes that Hayes may be available after quietly putting up a career-high 25 goals while playing center for New York last year. The restricted free agent is in line for a potential five-year deal worth about $4.5MM per year based on his success last season and there is no guarantee that Hayes would earn the No. 2 center spot with all this depth. Regardless, Hayes would be a highly coveted commodity for many teams who are in desperate need for help at that position.

The key for the Rangers is to trade him straight out for help on their blueline, according to Brooks, who adds that New York is unlikely to use Hayes as part of a package to move up in the draft. The team’s biggest need is at defense and there are many teams that could use a center and have defense to trade, including the Calgary Flames who might be ready to move Dougie Hamilton.

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