Columbus Blue Jackets Sign Elvis Merzlikins
Just that quickly, the Columbus Blue Jackets have their goaltending tandem locked up. After extending Joonas Korpisalo last week it was Elvis Merzlikins‘ turn today. The Blue Jackets have announced a two-year extension for Merzlikins. Columbus GM Jarmo Kekalainen gave an explanation:
We’ve believed for several years that Elvis Merzlikins was the best goaltender outside the NHL while he was playing in Switzerland and this year he has shown that he has the ability and drive to be a very good goaltender in this league. He is quick, athletic and driven to succeed and we are excited to see what the future holds for Elvis and our hockey club.
Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports that the deal will pay Merzlikins $3MM in 2020-21 and $5MM in 2021-22 ($4MM AAV). He will be an unrestricted free agent at its conclusion.
The Blue Jackets have now locked up their future in net, for at least the next two seasons, at a reasonable $6.8MM total. That’s still considerably less than the amount former Columbus goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky landed in free agency and with the way Merzlikins and Korpisalo performed it looks like the team may have dodged a bullet.
It’s hard to explain just how successful the 26-year old Merzlikins was in his first year with the Blue Jackets. After starring in Switzerland for several seasons he came over and almost immediately became one of the best goaltenders in the league, recording a .923 save percentage in 33 appearances, including five shutouts.
Even though Merzlikins is making more than Korpisalo, there’s no guarantee that he gets the majority of starts next season. Kekalainen told reporters that the decision will be up to the coach, meaning John Tortorella has the final say on which netminder backstops his club next year.
Columbus Blue Jackets Extend Joonas Korpisalo
Who needs Sergei Bobrovsky anyway? The Columbus Blue Jackets did just fine with their unproven goaltending tandem this season, with Joonas Korpisalo and Elvis Merzlikins both performing at All-Star levels when they were called upon. That success requires payment however and both goaltenders were scheduled for restricted free agency this summer. You can check at least one name off the to-do list, as Korpisalo has signed a two-year extension with the Blue Jackets today. Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports that the deal will carry an average annual value of $2.8MM and keeps Korpisalo under contract through the 2021-22 season. Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen explained just why he decided to offer the contract:
Joonas had the opportunity to play a lot of games for us early in the season before he was injured and responded by playing at an All-Star level. He is a young, talented goaltender with a great work ethic and desire to succeed and we are very excited to see his continued development and improvement moving forward.
Korpisalo, 26, was given 37 starts for the Blue Jackets this season and recorded a .911 save percentage in those games—nearly equalling Bobrovsky’s numbers from a year ago. That performance earned him a selection to the All-Star game, though an injury kept him from attending. Injuries will be the question moving forward and likely will play a role in deciding which of the team’s netminders gets the majority of the games.
Having Korpisalo sign at such a low number will allow the team to keep both, assuming that the negotiation with the arbitration-eligible Merzlikins goes smoothly. Even with a stagnant salary cap the Blue Jackets should have more than enough room to operate with this tandem in place, and the fact that Merzlikins is not eligible for the Seattle expansion draft means the team could have their goaltending positions solved for some time.
It is important to remember however that even though Korpisalo may be new to the net, he will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of this contract. The number may be low but the team bought out only one UFA year.
Winnipeg Jets, Dustin Byfuglien Terminate Contract
The Winnipeg Jets and Dustin Byfuglien have finally officially parted ways, with the league announcing that his contract has been terminated. The two sides have “mutually resolved” the grievance filed by Byfuglien that followed his team suspension earlier this year. Effective immediately, Byfuglien is now an unrestricted free agent.
Frank Seravalli of TSN reports that Byfuglien will not receive any of the $14MM he was owed for the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons, while Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic notes that he will not be allowed to sign with a team should this season resume. Though it is hard to know exactly what the future holds for Byfuglien, John Shannon tweets that several of his sources are suggesting that the veteran defenseman’s career is over and that he “has no interest in playing.” His entire $7.6MM cap hit will be removed for the Jets.
Notably, Byfuglien decided—without consulting the Jets organization—to get ankle surgery in late October. That injury was the basis of his grievance, as his camp argued that it was hockey related and would have allowed him to be placed on long-term injured reserve. In that case he would have still been able to collect his remaining salary, though that outcome is obviously off the table now.
It’s hard to really encapsulate what kind of impact Byfuglien had on the ice when healthy. As the game continued to move towards smaller skilled players, the Jets defenseman was a throwback to a much more physical brand of hockey. Basically always the biggest and strongest player on the ice, fans will remember countless times “Big Buff” would throw around smaller opponents with ease.
But his physical prowess wasn’t the whole story with Byfuglien. An eighth-round pick by the Chicago Blackhawks in 2003, he played both defense and forward with that organization and won the Stanley Cup in 2010. A talented offensive player, he recorded at least 45 points in seven different seasons and currently has 525 points in 869 career games.
Now 35, you can bet Byfuglien’s name will still come up in the future as a potential addition for a contender looking to shore up their defensive group. Whether he ever plays again is up to him, but it won’t be in Winnipeg.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Marco Scandella Agrees To Four-Year Extension
The St. Louis Blues are taking care of business. After extending Sammy Blais yesterday, the team has announced another new contract, this time for Marco Scandella. The veteran defenseman has signed a four-year extension that will carry an average annual value of $3.275MM. Scandella was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season after being acquired from the Montreal Canadiens earlier this year.
Because of the extension, the Canadiens will receive an additional draft pick—the Blues’ 2021 fourth-round selection—from the trade to go with the original 2020 second-round pick St. Louis gave up. That deal came just a few weeks after sending a 2020 fourth-round pick to the Buffalo Sabres for Scandella, making this flip quite the impressive transaction for Montreal GM Marc Bergevin.
Scandella, 30, is coming off a five-year, $20MM deal he signed with the Minnesota Wild in 2014. At that point he was considered a rock-solid defensive partner that could play in a lot of situations, but his stock fell considerably over the last few years in Buffalo. In St. Louis, that kind of stay-at-home presence is exactly what will be asked of him after he spent most of his short stint alongside young star Colton Parayko. At a $3.275MM cap hit he essentially replaces Jay Bouwmeester, who is still contemplating his playing future after his cardiac episode but is scheduled for unrestricted free agency.
Any extension for a defenseman in St. Louis will come with other questions though, as free agency also looms for captain Alex Pietrangelo. The team now has five NHL defensemen locked up through next season, for a total of more than $18MM. Pietrangelo would increase that total quite substantially, something that might not be possible given the expected salary cap stagnation coming from the current pause.
Oilers Forward Colby Cave Passes Away
Oilers forward Colby Cave has passed away at the age of 25. The family released the following statement today:
It is with great sadness to share the news that our Colby Cave passed away early this morning. I (Emily, his wife) and both our families are in shock but know our Colby was loved dearly by us, his family and friends, the entire hockey community, and many more. We thank everyone for their prayers during this difficult time.
Oilers GM Ken Holland and team chairman Bob Nicholson also issued the following statement:
On behalf of the Edmonton Oilers Hockey Club and the Bakersfield Condors, we wanted to express our deepest condolences to the family and friends after the passing of our teammate Colby Cave earlier this morning. Colby was a terrific teammate with great character, admired and liked everywhere he played. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife Emily, his family and friends at this very difficult time.
Cave was placed in a medically-induced coma on Tuesday after suffering a brain bleed overnight and underwent emergency surgery to remove a colloid cyst that was causing pressure on his brain soon after. While the procedure was successful, he remained in a coma until his passing today.
Cave played in 67 career NHL games over parts of three seasons between Boston who signed him as an undrafted free agent back in 2015 and Edmonton who claimed him off waivers in January of 2019. Earlier this week, his agent Jason Davidson indicated that Cave’s situation did not appear to be linked to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The entire staff at PHR joins the rest of the hockey world in sending our condolences to Cave’s family and friends.
A Second Senators Player Tests Positive For COVID-19
For the second time this week, the Senators have announced that one of their players has tested positive for the coronavirus (COVID-19). The announcement did not name the player but noted that he took part in their recent California road trip through San Jose, Anaheim, and Los Angeles.
A total of 52 people were on that trip including players, coaches, support staff, and broadcasters. Of those, 44 are currently showing no symptoms. On top of the two players that have tested positive, there are six other people that have been tested between Wednesday and Friday after showing symptoms and the team is waiting for the results.
At the time, these are the only two known NHL players that have tested positive for the virus. The Kings and Ducks announced earlier in the week that no one was exhibiting symptoms just yet while the Sharks had a part-time SAP Center employee test positive.
Everyone that was on that trip was told to go into self-isolation on March 13th and the announcement indicated that those people continue to be quarantined.
IIHF Officially Cancels Men’s World Hockey Championship
It’s a decision that has been expected for a while and is now official. The IIHF announced that they have cancelled the upcoming Men’s World Hockey Championship that was slated to take place in Switzerland in May due to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. IIHF President Rene Fasel released the following statement:
This is a harsh reality to face for the international ice hockey family, but one that we must accept. The coronavirus is a global problem and requires major efforts by government bodies to combat its spread. The IIHF must do all it can to support this fight. We have to set sport aside for now and support both the government bodies and the ice hockey family.
The annual tournament featured numerous NHL players whose teams were eliminated from the playoffs early as well as a mixture of the some of the top international talents around the world that haven’t made it to the NHL yet. 16 countries had been slated to participate including Belarus and Kazakhstan who were promoted from Division 1-A following the 2019 event.
It may be a while before Switzerland gets another opportunity to host the tournament as host cities for the Worlds have already been named through 2025.
Ottawa Senators Player Tests Positive For COVID-19
The NHL could only escape for so long. Tonight the Ottawa Senators have announced that one of their players has tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) and is in isolation. The player is experiencing mild symptoms.
According to Hailey Salvian and James Mirtle of The Athletic (subscription required), several Senators players are dealing with symptoms and awaiting test results. The report notes that the Senators team played at the Staples Center in Los Angeles just before the NHL shutdown, which had just hosted the Brooklyn Nets of the NBA, who have had four players test positive for COVID-19 in recent days.
The Senators announced that the team is now notifying anyone who has had close contact with the player in question—whose identity has not yet been revealed—and that the rest of the team has been asked to stay isolated.
This is the first NHL player to test positive for the disease.
If it was contracted in the Staples Center facilities, it shows just how important it was for both leagues to quickly suspend play. After the Senators played on March 11th, there was due another team—be it NHL or NBA—in one of the visiting locker rooms for each of the next 11 days. The Nets, Houston Rockets, Anaheim Ducks, New Orleans Pelicans, Denver Nuggets, Dallas Mavericks, Montreal Canadiens, Utah Jazz, Boston Bruins, Phoenix Suns, Vancouver Canucks and Arizona Coyotes were all on the schedule from March 12th through 22nd, not to mention the Los Angeles Kings, Clippers and Lakers who would all be sharing the playing surface.
NHL Temporarily Suspends 2019-20 Season
After a call with their board of governors, the NHL has temporarily suspended the 2019-20 season. In a press release, the league explained their decision:
In light of ongoing developments resulting from the coronavirus, and after consulting with medical experts and convening a conference call of the Board of Governors, the National Hockey League is announcing today that it will pause the 2019‑20 season beginning with tonight’s games.
The NHL has been attempting to follow the mandates of health experts and local authorities, while preparing for any possible developments without taking premature or unnecessary measures. However, following last night’s news that an NBA player has tested positive for coronavirus – and given that our leagues share so many facilities and locker rooms and it now seems likely that some member of the NHL community would test positive at some point – it is no longer appropriate to try to continue to play games at this time.
We will continue to monitor all the appropriate medical advice, and we will encourage our players and other members of the NHL community to take all reasonable precautions – including by self-quarantine, where appropriate. Our goal is to resume play as soon as it is appropriate and prudent, so that we will be able to complete the season and award the Stanley Cup. Until then, we thank NHL fans for your patience and hope you stay healthy.
Last night, the NBA took a similar step after Utah Jazz player Rudy Gobert tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19). The Jazz and several other NBA teams that had recently played them were instructed to self-quarantine, but there are also concerns that it could spread to the NHL given that teams in several cities use the same arenas for both basketball and hockey. Since then another Jazz player, Donovan Mitchell, has also tested positive.
This morning, the league issued a directive to all teams to cancel practices and media availability until a decision was made. That came after the Columbus Blue Jackets and San Jose Sharks had both already announced they would hold home games without spectators. Major League Soccer also suspended their season for 30 days, along with several other college cancellations.
It is important to note that the league has not cancelled, but suspended the season. That means it does plan on resuming at some point, though it is not clear if they will play out the rest of the regular season, move straight into playoffs or some other combination of the two. In fact, with no real understanding of how the next weeks and months will play out, there is no guarantee that the 2019-20 season even does resume.
There is plenty of uncertainty in the entire sporting world, but the NHL obviously felt it could not proceed due to the public health risk. The AHL is expected to follow the NHL’s lead and suspend the minor league season, meaning no high level professional hockey will take place in North America for the time being.
The NHLPA released a statement agreeing with the decision, noting that it is the “appropriate course of action.”
NHL Cancels Practices, Will Issue Update On Season Status
The NHL has issued a directive for teams to cancel all practices, morning skates and media availability today while they continue to work through their response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. The league’s board of governors is scheduled to have a conference call at noon according to Darren Dreger of TSN, after which there will likely be an announcement.
Last night, the NBA suspended their season indefinitely after Utah Jazz player Rudy Gobert tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19). The Jazz and several other NBA teams that had recently played them were instructed to self-quarantine, but there are also concerns that it could spread to the NHL given that teams in several cities use the same arenas for both basketball and hockey. Since then another Jazz player, Donovan Mitchell, has also tested positive.
The AHL and ECHL have also not made an announcement yet, but are expected to follow the NHL’s lead.
Brett Cyrgalis of the New York Post has tweeted that teams around the league have been told the season will be suspended, while Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic has heard that on-ice officials have been told to book flights home.