New York Teams Leaning Away From Ilya Kovalchuk
As Ilya Kovalchuk continues to try and find a landing spot in the NHL, new reports from Igor Eronko of Sport-Express and Arthur Staple of Newsday have both the New York Islanders and Rangers out of the running. Staple goes so far as to say that both teams had little interest in the first place, as we touched on in the live chat yesterday.
Kovalchuk’s suitors seem to be dwindling by the day, as teams struggle to find room for his expected contract. If the 34-year old is to land somewhere, it would also cost the team an asset to acquire him from the Devils as he’s not allowed to sign directly with anyone else. Giving up an asset and somewhere around $5MM in cap space for a player who is four years removed from playing in the NHL. 
It’s unclear so far what the Devils would be asking for in trade, but with Ray Shero seemingly washing his hands of the situation until Kovalchuk comes with a real interested party it may drag on much deeper into the summer. No deal can be officially announced until July anyway, when Kovalchuk becomes eligible to sign a new contract with the Devils and then traded to a destination.
The other option that exists for Kovalchuk is waiting until next summer when he will be an unrestricted free agent and able to sign anywhere in the NHL. While that deal would come with restrictions due to his age—contracts signed after the age of 35 count towards the cap regardless of any actions (retirement, buyout, injury) taken—it might be easier to convince a team to take a short-term deal with him without the attached asset. That would also allow him to play in the Olympics, though the relationship between the Russian Hockey Federation and Kovalchuk has been strained for years.
The Rangers are clearly trying to get younger up front, and with Rick Nash already filling the overpriced aging left winger role, have always seemed like a long shot in the Kovalchuk sweepstakes. The Islanders on the other hand could pair Kovalchuk with John Tavares up front, but likely have a better option in Anders Lee already in house. His 34 goals are more than you could expect from Kovalchuk, and they’re already paying Andrew Ladd more than enough to provide some secondary scoring.
Despite reports that Kovalchuk wanted to stay in New York (or Florida), neither team looks like much of a fit for the Russian sniper. These reports shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, though they do take a bit of the fun out of the speculation.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Hartford Wolf Pack Signs Brenden Kotyk To AHL Deal
Chris Drury has made one of his first signings as GM of the Hartford Wolf Pack, inking college free agent Brenden Kotyk to an AHL contract. The huge defender (6’6″ 240-lbs) spent the past three years with the University of Minnesota-Duluth where he continued to develop as a defender. It’s hard to project much for Kotyk as he is already 25 years old and will turn 26 before the season starts, but perhaps he’s turned a corner and can compete professionally.
At the very least he’ll offer a big body who won’t shy away from physical play and could add a presence to the Wolf Pack penalty kill. He’s obviously already big enough to compete at the next level, but whether his skating and decision making is good enough to keep up is still up for debate. In the National Championship game against Denver this spring, Kotyk was on the ice the second Pioneers goal, in which Troy Terry and Jarid Lukosevicius exposed his ability to defend the front of the net. Though it’s just one example, it points to the part of his game that he’ll need to improve and rely upon at the next level.
- The Calgary Flames have announced a new ECHL affiliation, partnering with the Kansas City Mavericks for the 2017-18 season. Previously known as the Missouri Mavericks, the franchise had been associated with the New York Islanders but will now work with the Flames on a year-to-year agreement. The Flames were affiliated with the Adirondack Thunder last season, who will announce a new affiliation in the coming days.
- Wojtek Wolski is back in hockey, signing a two-year deal with Kunlun of the KHL. The former NHL forward suffered a career-threatening injury last year when playing with Magnitogorsk, sliding head first into the boards with an opposing player on his back. He suffered spinal cord trauma, fractured vertebrae in his neck and a concussion on the play, and was at risk of never playing again. He’ll return less than a year later, and try to reinvigorate a career that had found new life in the KHL. After several unsuccessful stints with teams in the NHL since his departure from the Colorado Avalanche, Wolski went to the KHL in 2013 and has produced quite well ever since. At 31, there is a chance he could try a comeback to the NHL after this contract expires, but we likely have seen the last of the former first-round pick.
Should The Rangers Buyout Girardi Or Staal?
The New York Rangers are a team that is likely to make a buyout this off-season on the blueline. With $22.025 MM spent on the back-end, the team has expected far better results. Long past are the days where the Rangers were among the best defensive squads in the league. Both Dan Girardi and Marc Staal have drastically underperformed, as both have been burned consistently to the net. With the team potentially looking to re-sign defenseman Brendan Smith and certainly hoping to add some offensive punch to their top-nine, it seems inevitable that one of the two will find their way out of town. The trade value for both is minimal, and GM Jeff Gorton would need to execute some serious magic to unload either without a mass of sweeteners in a deal.
The biggest argument against buying out Staal is that his contract runs for a year longer. Buyouts count as cap penalties (the amount varying depending on a multitude of factors), but always for twice the amount of years of the original contract. Staal has 4 years remaining on his contract, while Girardi only has 3 – consequently, the Rangers would take a hit in “dead space” for 8 years for the former but only 6 for the latter. That may not seem like a hugely important factor, but neither of these players is performing at an AHL level quite yet – they merely are nowhere near worth their contracts. According to CapFriendly, a Girardi buyout would be structured as $2.6 – $3.6 – $3.6 – $1.1 – $1.1 – $1.1 (in MM), whereas a Staal buyout would be structured as $2.1 – $2.1 – $3.1 – $3.9 – $1.4 – $1.4 -$1.4 – $1.4 (in MM). Many teams opt to ride out a final year with a struggling veteran than eat cap dollars for 2 whole seasons. Cap dollars truly matter, and every year you pay for a mistake is a potential lost opportunity at a deadline. Playing a player to not play whatsoever until 2025 is nothing short of drastic.
The biggest argument for buying out Girardi is, simply put, his play. His possession numbers were far worse – 44.0% vs Staal’s 46.6% Corsi For. They both had a similar number of giveaways, 47 versus 46, but Girardi had far fewer takeaways. Girardi also didn’t have what could be categorized as an anomalous season – he’s hasn’t been a positive possession player since he broke into the league. His lowest totals are also far worse than Staal’s, which implies his floor is far lower. Girardi seems slightly slower, although neither is a speedster, but he seems to take more of a physical beating on a nightly basis – which, to be fair, has a great deal to due with quality of competition. It could also easily be argued that Staal had an abysmal playoffs, which should always be a determinant factor.
Ultimately, both players are in the unenviable position of earning too much on the backend of their careers. Girardi, 33, and Staal, 30, simply aren’t in their primes as defensive defensemen. The game takes a toll on shot-blocking, physical players. There is the distinct possibility that either could rebound in a new environment, and have simply worn out their welcome in the Big Apple. But the Rangers would be unwise to gamble on both struggling players to return to their former selves. If only for cap-related reasons, Girardi would be the wiser choice to buyout.
Jesper Fast Undergoes Hip Surgery, Out Five Months
The New York Rangers will be without at least one young forward for training camp after announcing that Jesper Fast would be out for five months following hip surgery today. With just over four months before the start of the 2017-18 season, Fast will likely miss a chunk of games as he recovers.
Fast entered this season with high expectations following a 30-point sophomore effort in 2015-16, but failed to quite live up to them. The 25-year old scored just six goals and registered 21 points in 68 games. His play did pick up in the playoffs, recording six points in 12 games but overall took a slight step backwards this season. A restricted free agent, the Rangers will now have to weigh whether or not to commit to him long-term as an option for their bottom-six.
It’s a tough break for the Rangers, and possibly for Vegas who could well have been looking at Fast in the upcoming expansion draft. New York will be one of the more interesting protection lists in the league, as their forward group could be structured in several different ways. Missing the first two months of the season on a new contract would be a tough way for him to start his Vegas career, especially because they won’t know much about his health until after they select him.
New York Notes: Kovalchuk, Raanta, Lundqvist
The list of teams who are lining up to trade for the rights to winger Ilya Kovalchuk continue to increase. New York Post’s Larry Brooks writes that the Devils have multiple suitors trying to acquire the 34-year-old, including the St. Louis Blues, the San Jose Sharks, the Toronto Maple Leafs and the New York Rangers. Brooks writes that the most interesting part is that many of those teams have Kovalchuk’s old Devil teammates or personnel in their front office, including Martin Brodeur (assistant general manager for the Blues), Lou Lamoriello (general manager of the Maple Leafs), Pete DeBoer (coach of the Sharks) and Johan Hedberg (assistant coach of the Sharks). That might make it easier for Devils general manager Ray Shero to move the veteran since he has requested to play in New York or Florida, but a friendly face in San Jose, Toronto or St. Louis might change his mind.
Brooks writes that Shero would prefer to move Kovalchuk anywhere but across the Hudson River to the Rangers and no matter what, the cost to trade him to the Rangers would have to be more than for the other teams. However, he points out that Kovalchuk has some power as well. Shero only has until July 1 to get the deal done or Kovalchuk could wait one year and come back and be an unrestricted free agent in 2018. If Kovalchuk wants to play for the Rangers, Shero may have no choice.
Brooks also adds that the Rangers could offer 25-year-old center Oscar Lindberg and 30-year-old defenseman Nick Holden to get a deal done if they want Kovalchuk. Lindberg could easily become a top-six forward in New Jersey, while Holden would help aid a poor Devils’ defense.
- Brooks also writes in the same story that the Rangers are getting a lot of interest in backup goaltender Antti Raanta. While the Rangers could easily trade him, the fear is that they would then lose a quality forward to the Las Vegas Golden Knights in the expansion draft. They have made it clear they don’t want to lose Lindberg (unless they were getting Kovalchuk back), Jesper Fast or Michael Grabner. Fast, 25, showed a lot of promise in the playoffs, scoring three goals and three assists in 12 playoff games. Grabner, 29, is coming off a 27-goal season this year. So unless, the team is overwhelmed with an offer, the Rangers may just allow Raanta to go to Las Vegas.
- Brooks also writes that Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist will be rehabbing for four to six weeks due to an isolated MCL tear he got early in the IIHF World Championships. He is not expected to miss training camp, however. Lundqvist was the goaltender for Team Sweden who went on to win the championships.
Expected Extensions Prior To Expansion
Over the next few weeks, leading up to June 17th, when each team must submit their list of protected players from the Expansion Draft, there is going to be a flurry of activity. The Vegas Golden Knights are expected to make several side deals regarding the selection process, while the other 30 teams will be working through trade proposals with one another as well. Many teams will also make smaller moves, such as extensions and buyouts, to make the expansion process easier on themselves. Examples could include potential extensions by Carolina or San Jose if they decide they would like to protect Lee Stempniak or Mikkel Boedker respectively. However, there remain several teams that must re-sign a current player, following logic anyway, prior to Saturday the 17th, or else risk having to expose and possibly losing a major piece instead. Each team must expose two forwards and one defenseman that played in at least 40 games this season or 70 games over the past two seasons and also have term remaining on their contract. While meeting these quotas is not a problem for some teams, others lack the roster depth in long-term contracts to do so. No team wants to be pressured into exposing a valued player just to fill that quota, so instead they will sign another current player with the caveat that he will be left unprotected in the Expansion Draft. Such situations played out all year long, with Blackhawks’ forward Jordin Tootoo, Hurricanes’ defenseman Klas Dahlbeck, and, the most publicized of all, Flames’ defenseman Matt Bartkowksi. Yet, unsolved situations still exist. Below are some of the most dire situations and who could benefit from an extension in the near future in order for their team to comply with Expansion Draft rules:
Team: New Jersey Devils
Situation: The re-building Devils nonetheless have a solid core of forwards that they would like to keep together: Taylor Hall, Kyle Palmieri, Adam Henrique, Travis Zajac, and Mike Cammalleri. New Jersey should be within their means to protect this group, expect that it leaves only Devante Smith-Pelly as a forward meeting the 40/70 qualification. Even for those who doubt the effectiveness going forward of the oft-injured 34-year-old Cammalleri, surely the Devils could find a better player to sacrifice than he or Smith-Pelly if they so choose.
Expected Extension: As a young team, the devils are chock full of impending restricted free agents. However, not all RFAs are created equal. Beau Bennett, Jacob Josefson, and Stefan Noesen are all candidates for extension and exposure, but Bennett played a bigger role for New Jersey than even Smith-Pelly in 2016-17 and Noesen played the best hockey of his young career after a mid-season trade from the Anaheim Ducks. Josefson has shown next to no progress in six years in New Jersey. Look for the Devils to try to work out an extension with the 25-year-old center to fill the hole in their expansion plan.
Team: New York Rangers
Situation: The Devils’ cross-town rivals are in a similar situation. The Rangers have put together a core of forwards that is the envy of most teams in the league, but it could soon be torn apart. Many feel that backup goalie Antti Raanta will be Vegas’ choice, but New York doesn’t want to give them any reason not to go that route and instead steal a good young forward. The team is already reserved to the fact that 2016-17 breakout star Michael Grabner has to be exposed, but they would rather protect all five of Derek Stepan, Chris Kreider, Mats Zuccarello, J.T. Miller and Kevin Hayes, in addition to Rick Nash, whose No-Movement Clause prevents exposure, and impending RFA Mika Zibanejad. The only problem is that this protection scheme leaves only Grabner as a 40/7o forward.
Expected Extension: The Rangers are not without options for a forward to extend and expose. RFA’s Jesper Fast, Oscar Lindberg, Brandon Pirri, and Matt Puempel would all meet the quota criteria if handed a new deal, as would UFA Tanner Glass. While New York may not be eager to lose any of the four, none significantly outshine Raanta or Grabner in terms of selection value anyway, giving the team every reason to get an extension done with one or more. Fast seems certain to get a new contract from the Rangers anyway, so don’t be surprised if such a deal lands in the next week or two.
Exclusive Negotiating Rights Of 33 Players Expire
The deadline for signing draft picks has come and gone, and unless more deals come in after the fact, 33 players will see their exclusive negotiating rights expire. With it they will either re-enter the 2017 draft for the final time or become free agents, depending on their age. None of the selections were made any higher than the fourth round, though even that is an unfortunate loss for a team hoping to hit a late-round stud. Below is the full list of players:
Buffalo Sabres
Giorgio Estephan (6th round, 2015)
Gustav Possler (5th round, 2013)
Calgary Flames
Riley Bruce (7th round, 2015)
Chicago Blackhawks
Roy Radke (6th round, 2015)
Colorado Avalanche
Wilhelm Westlund (7th round, 2013)
Rangers Ready To Make Major Moves On Defense
The New York Rangers biggest need might just be acquiring a top defenseman and the Rangers are going to give a long, hard look at Washington Capitals’ blueliner Kevin Shattenkirk. The 28-year old veteran is coming off his best offensive season yet, scoring 13 goals and 43 assists for 56 points for the Capitals and Blues combined. Pro Hockey Rumors reporter Gavin Lee recently said in his PHR Chat on Thursday that he believes that Shattenkirk will end up with the Rangers.
The Rangers need a new presence on defense. They especially need a top-four defenseman who they can pair up with captain Ryan McDonough. Veteran Dan Girardi has struggled mightily of late and at age 33, isn’t likely to have a comeback year. Girardi is more likely to find himself taking a reduced role next season, which means they must acquire a top blueliner. Enter Shattenkirk, who immediately would help the Blueshirt’s power play as the veteran is second only to Ottawa’s Erik Karlsson in power play points by a defenseman.
The only question is can they afford the defenseman? Sean Hartnett of CBS New York writes that he believes that Shattenkirk will cost the team a seven-year deal of at least 6.5MM annually. The team would have trouble fitting that type of contract under their salary cap unless they looked into relieving themselves of a bloated contract, such as Girardi. The defenseman has been with the Rangers for 12 years, but has struggled lately, especially showing his shortcomings in the playoffs against the Ottawa Senators as he showed he could not keep up with their speedy forwards. His four goals and 11 assists was one of his worst seasons yet on offense. Hartnett suggests the team may look into a buyout of Girardi to free up enough money to make a run at Shattenkirk. Unfortunatey, Girardi has three years left at 5.5MM each year. However, if New York wanted to buy out Girardi, they could spread his salary out over the next six years.
The scribe also suggested the team could consider buying out 30-year-old Marc Staal instead, who could have his contract spread out over eight years as he has four years left at $5.7MM. Staal also struggled at the blueline this year and only was able to put up 10 points this season. One final suggestion to fix their aging defensive corps would be to try and trade for Winnipeg’s Jacob Trouba, but that would require a large and impressive package of talent they would have to return, so Shattenkirk might make for a better fit in New York. Either way, it looks like the Rangers will have to do something to fix up that defense.
Anton Lander, Magnus Hellberg Sign In KHL
Now that his North American season is over, Anton Lander is heading to the KHL. According to multiple reports including Igor Eronko of Sport-Express, the Edmonton Oilers forward and pending restricted free agent has signed with Ak Bars of the KHL, a team rumored to have an agreement with him since March. Magnus Hellberg, who spent this season with the Hartford Wolfpack and New York Rangers, will also be heading overseas to sign with Kunlun of the KHL according to RSport.
Lander actually spent time with the Oilers as a “Black Ace” during the playoffs, but played just 22 games for the club this season. Most of his time was spent in the AHL where he continued to be a force, scoring 55 points in 42 games. Other than a successful stint in the NHL in 2014-15 when he scored 20 points in 38 games, Lander has never been able to put it together at the top level in North America, instead bouncing back and forth between leagues. As an arbitration-eligible RFA, the Oilers would have needed to give Lander a $1.05MM qualifying offer to retain his rights, though it did not have to be a one-way deal because he cleared waivers this year.
Hellberg, who was actually set to become a Group VI free agent this summer, played in two games for the Rangers this season and actually played just fine, stopping 26 of 28 shots. His numbers in the AHL weren’t so rosy but still good enough for the team to likely want to keep him around. The 6’6″ goaltender has shown plenty of promise through his career thus far, though perhaps not enough to warrant the second-round pick Nashville spent on him in 2011. Just two years ago, the Rangers acquired him for a sixth-rounder and now will watch him head to the KHL. The 26-year old has a chance to return to North America one day if he can find more consistency.
Brendan Smith Will Test Free Agency; Radim Simek Turns Down Rangers
Brendan Smith will be an interesting free agent case to follow this summer after his successful transition from the Detroit Red Wings to New York Rangers at the deadline. The defenseman can play both sides, is only 28 and can contribute a little offensively when put into that situation. While he won’t find himself at the top of an list of available free agents, his representation does feel as though there will be lots of interest in him this summer.
Smith’s agent Anton Thun spoke to Larry Brooks of the New York Post, saying that though the Rangers are certainly in the running for his client, they won’t take a deal that doesn’t represent fair market value. While Thun may be a little hyperbolic when he mentions that 28 teams could use Smith, there does seem to be a spot for him in many lineups around the league. His ability to play in most situations while sporting a bit of physicality will be welcomed wherever it is he ends up.
- Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune reports that the Blackhawks have their sights set on Ulf Samuelsson as their new assistant coach, replacing the fired Mike Kitchen. Samuelsson spent this season coaching the Charlotte Checkers to 39-29-8 record, though they were knocked out of the first round of the playoffs. Samuelsson, a veteran of 1080 NHL games has previously worked in a coaching role with the Arizona (then Phoenix) Coyotes and New York Rangers. Samuelsson was known as a bad-tempered defender in his day, recording 2453 penalty minutes while registering just 333 points.
- As one could expect from the report yesterday, the New York Rangers did indeed make an offer to Radim Simek before he decided to go with the San Jose Sharks. There isn’t a ton of difference between possible entry-level contracts relative to the entire salary structure of a team, but perhaps the Rangers weren’t willing to guarantee the same financial commitment the Sharks were. The eventual deal earns Simek $830K in the NHL, and could still include signing and performance bonuses. The Rangers already signed Alexei Bereglazov and Neal Pionk this spring, adding some youth to their defense corps from the NCAA and European free agent ranks.