Vancouver Canucks Sign Erik Gudbranson To Three-Year Extension
After early reports that a deal was close, the Vancouver Canucks officially announced that Erik Gudbranson has signed a three-year extension worth a total of $12MM. A cap hit of $4.0MM will be a raise over his current $3.5MM, and delays his unrestricted free agency until after the 2020-21 season. The contract comes without any trade protection, and the salary is broken down as follows:
- 2018-19: $4.4MM
- 2019-20: $4.6MM
- 2020-21: $3.0MM
Gudbranson is a polarizing figure when it comes to scouting the NHL these days. While more and more small skilled defensemen are entering the league, he remains a throwback to a slower, more physical style. The third-overall pick from 2010, Gudbranson has just 53 points in 380 career games but is a big body that can be used on the penalty kill and hold his own in the defensive zone. Analytical critics may point to his bad (and declining) possession metrics as a point against him, but obviously the Canucks felt he was important enough to lock up.
It’s important to note that Gudbranson was set to be one of the youngest defensemen on the free agent market this summer, and likely would have gotten a similar deal from someone else. His draft pedigree and experience are still seen as positives for teams looking to get a bit stronger on the blue line, and there was interest in him from around the league as the deadline approached.
Unfortunately though, this takes away a potential trade asset for the Canucks in the next week. Vancouver is in the beginning stages of something of a rebuild, with Henrik and Daniel Sedin getting closer to retirement and a new wave of young talent coming through the ranks. Gudbranson could have been used to supplement that young talent with even more draft picks or prospects, though GM Jim Benning was clear that he would surround those players with experience to help them develop.
There is also an argument to be made that Gudbranson still has another level that he’s been kept from due to injury. He’s never been able to complete a full season without facing some injury, and played just 30 games in 2016-17. There are plenty of examples of defensemen taking a step forward in their mid to late twenties, and Gudbranson has only just turned 26. The deal is far from cost prohibitive for the Canucks, especially as it is front loaded and contains zero trade protection.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Boston Bruins Acquire Nick Holden From New York Rangers
The Boston Bruins have found their defensive depth, acquiring Nick Holden from the New York Rangers in exchange for a 2018 third-round pick and minor league defenseman Rob O’Gara. There is no salary retention in the trade. Boston had been sniffing around for a defensive addition, even linked to fellow Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh at one point.
In Holden, the Bruins add a legitimate NHL defender for a relatively low price. Scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, the 30-year old carries just a $1.65MM cap hit and has shown an ability to log big minutes in the past. Coming off his career-high of 34 points last season, Holden has just 12 this year while starting to show the beginning of a decline. A solid puck-mover, he nevertheless gets his team in trouble sometimes due to bad turnovers and like the rest of the Rangers defense has had trouble with defensive zone coverage this year.
Boston may be a perfect fit for the undrafted defenseman, as he’ll be able to play less significant minutes and face easier competition. The Bruins defense corps is already a good one, and just needed some depth for what looks to be a long playoff run. Where Holden will fit in is unclear, but Boston now has plenty of options on the blue line.
Getting a third-round pick for Holden is another good return for the Rangers, as it was unlikely they would retain his services in free agency. The team now has seven picks in the 2018 draft, and will likely add to that over the coming days. Rick Nash and Michael Grabner are the other big rental pieces the Rangers hold, and both are expected to be on the move before Monday’s deadline.
New York though has said that they’re looking for players, not just draft picks at the deadline. O’Gara is an interesting addition even if he hasn’t made much of an NHL impact just yet. The 24-year old has played 11 games with the Bruins over the last two years, but has shown an excellent shutdown ability in the minor leagues. The 6’4″ defenseman has a good active stick and is willing to engage physically. Whether he gets a chance in New York right away will likely depend on how active they are over the next few days, but as a restricted free agent he can stay in the organizations plans going forward.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Flyers Acquire Petr Mrazek From Red Wings
The Flyers have added some goaltending depth with the absences of Brian Elliott and Michal Neuvirth, announcing that they have acquired Petr Mrazek from the Red Wings in exchange for a conditional fourth-round pick in 2018 and a conditional third-round pick in 2019. TSN’s Bob McKenzie reports (Twitter link) that the 2018 selection will become a third-rounder if Philadelphia makes the playoffs and Mrazek wins five regular season games and will become a second-rounder if they reach the Eastern Conference Final with Mrazek winning six postseason contests. The 2019 pick will transfer to Detroit if Mrazek re-signs with the Flyers at the end of the season.
Mrazek has had an up-and-down year with Detroit. In the first three months of the season, he posted a GAA of 3.64 with a .892 SV%, numbers that are well below average. He has turned things around considerably since then. In his past 11 games, he has cut his GAA down to 2.29 and upped his SV% to a strong .925. As a result, he had started to wrestle away starts from Jimmy Howard as of late. On the season, Mrazek has a 2.89 GAA with a .910 SV% in 22 appearances.
With Elliott out for roughly another month and no word yet on how long Neuvirth will miss, the Flyers were down to Alex Lyon and Dustin Tokarski on the depth chart. (They did get some good news earlier in the day as prospect Anthony Stolarz was activated off season-opening injured reserve and was assigned to their AHL affiliate in Lehigh Valley.)
The 26-year-old is in the second and final season of a two-year, $8MM contract signed back in July of 2016. Craig Custance of The Athletic adds (Twitter link) that Detroit is retaining the maximum 50% of his deal. He has a $4.15MM salary in 2017-18 which will stand as his required qualifying offer in June. Both Elliott ($2.75MM) and Neuvirth ($2.5MM) are already signed for 2018-19 so at first glance, Mrazek may very well be a non-tender candidate but he will at least give them a boost between the pipes as they continue to battle for a postseason spot in a tight Metropolitan Division.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Michal Kempny Traded To Washington Capitals
The trade market is heating up once again, with Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Michal Kempny on his way to Washington to join the Capitals. The Blackhawks will receive a conditional 2018 third-round pick in return, the higher of the two Washington currently has (their own, and Toronto’s).
Kempny makes sense as a target for the Capitals, who don’t have much cap room for additions at the deadline. The 27-year old defenseman is earning just $900K this season, and is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in the summer.
For a team like the Capitals that is heading to the playoffs, defensive depth is a huge issue. Everyone around the league is trying to add pieces that could step into an NHL role should injuries arise, and Kempny fills that for Washington. Though he’s not really a top-4 option, he can provide a team with a stable option for a third pair that won’t be noticed much at either end. With 15 points in 81 games since coming over from the KHL in 2016, he won’t be asked to run a powerplay or contribute much offensively.
He’ll slide into the group on the left side for Washington, that also includes Brooks Orpik, Dmitry Orlov and Christian Djoos. Though he may not play every game for them down the stretch, it’s a much needed addition to a defense corps that has seen several pieces leave over the last year.
For the Blackhawks, a third-round pick is an excellent return for a player who was headed for free agency. Kempny had played just 31 games this season, and with Chicago sitting in last place in the Central Division, selling off expiring contracts is the only thing left to do. The third-rounder will help replace the two selections—second and fourth—that the Blackhawks are already missing for the upcoming draft.
Scott Powers of The Athletic was first to report the deal, after being told by Kempny himself. Bob McKenzie of TSN added the third-round pick return,
Flames Re-Sign Mikael Backlund To Six-Year Extension
One of the biggest names expected to be on the 2018 free agent market has instead decided to stay put. The Calgary Flames announced this evening that they have re-signed center Mikael Backlund to a six-year, $32.1MM extension. The deal carries a $5.35MM cap hit, while TSN’s Darren Dreger adds that the first two years of the extension carry a $2MM signing bonus, while the final four are purely salary and the deal contains a No-Movement Clause in the first three years and a Modified No-Trade Clause for the last three years.
This appears to be a very favorable deal for the Flames. Backlund, 28, has spent his entire career in Calgary after being drafted out of Sweden in the first round of the 2007 NHL Draft. Backlund has since flown under the radar, quietly becoming one of the top two-way forwards in the NHL through his 519 games for the Flames. He is also capable on offense, with 104 goals and 158 assists for 262 career points thus far, including a career-high 53 last season. He has kept up his high-level play at both ends of the ice in 2017-18, on pace for 48 points and considered a candidate for the Selke Trophy with some truly impressive possession metrics.
Backlund has proven himself to be a perfect fit as a middle-six center for the Flames and will now hold down that role into the foreseeable future. While Brian Burke, Brad Treliving, and company are surely excited about the extension, the news will leave many other teams discouraged. Backlund was ranked seventh in PHR’s Midseason Free Agent Power Rankings – and had the potential to move up – while ranking second behind only John Tavares among centers. With Tavares also expected more likely to resign than go elsewhere, teams with needs down the middle could soon see their top two targets off the board. Backlund was also set to cash in on his prime position in free agency this summer, so his reasonable extension is even further proof that he was happy to stay in Calgary long-term.
Ottawa Senators Acquire Ville Pokka From Chicago Blackhawks
After clearing waivers today, Chris DiDomenico is on his way to Chicago. The Ottawa Senators have traded the forward to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for defenseman Ville Pokka. Both players can immediately be sent to the minor leagues, since that was where they were assigned when the trade occurred.
DiDomenico was finally slipped through waivers after being claimed and then re-claimed by Tampa Bay and Ottawa earlier this season. With that came some flexibility, and Chicago has decided that was enough to pull the trigger to bring him into the Rockford picture. Whether he’ll get time at the NHL level is unclear, but he can now be moved up and down for the time being.
Pokka on the other hand has yet to make his NHL debut, and didn’t look likely to make it anytime soon for the Blackhawks. The 23-year old defenseman was selected 34th-overall by the New York Islanders in 2012, and has shown good offensive ability in the minor leagues. Unfortunately, that has come with a lot of struggles in the defensive end and a lack of any real consistency on the ice. That sort of wildcard is exactly the kind of risk Ottawa is willing to take as they try to build their club back up.
Interestingly, DiDomenico is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent this summer and won’t help the Blackhawks at the NHL level in any meaningful way unless they re-sign him (provided the team doesn’t go on an incredible hot streak and slip into the playoffs this season). Whatever value he’ll bring this season to Chicago or Rockford was apparently enough to give up on Pokka, who clearly had been passed over several times by other prospects in the organization. Pokka is a restricted free agent and could become a Group VI UFA in 2019 if he isn’t given an extended opportunity at the NHL level between now and then.
Toronto Maple Leafs Trade Nikita Soshnikov To St. Louis Blues
As we wrote yesterday, the Toronto Maple Leafs found themselves with an excess of wingers heading toward the trade deadline and today have moved on from one of them. The team has traded Nikita Soshnikov to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for a 2019 fourth-round pick. Soshnikov is technically still on injured reserve, though he has completed a conditioning stint in the minor leagues and from all accounts is ready to return to NHL action.
The Maple Leafs had been at the 50-contract limit for some time, and needed to make a trade to open up room for some flexibility into the deadline. Moving Soshnikov not only gives them that flexibility, but also an asset in exchange for a player who would have a hard time cracking the lineup. The 24-year old winger has dealt with injury for much of the last calendar year, including a concussion suffered when he collided with Zdeno Chara at the end of last season. That has clouded his future, but there remains upside for the Blues.
In Soshnikov, they’re acquiring a hard working winger capable of engaging physically and playing a few different roles on the team. Though he’s not guaranteed to score at the NHL level, he has shown that ability in the minor leagues and possesses a good shot with a quick release.
Unfortunately, two things made a departure seemingly inevitable in Toronto. First, Soshnikov lost his waiver-exempt status earlier this season and would have likely been snatched up had they tried to pass him through. Second, his contract includes a European Assignment clause, meaning he could choose to go back to Russia if sent to the minor leagues. Though Soshnikov has not made any indication he would exercise the clause, it likely played into the Maple Leafs decision.
The Blues will have to decide in the next few days whether Soshnikov is fit to return from injured reserve, and where he fits into their plan for the last part of the season. As a pending restricted free agent, his camp will surely be pushing for an opportunity to show that he can contribute in a meaningful way down the stretch.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Dion Phaneuf, Nate Thompson Dealt To Los Angeles For Marian Gaborik
After much speculation, TSN’s Darren Dreger tweets that the Ottawa Senators and Los Angeles Kings have agreed to a deal that will send Marian Gaborik and Nick Shore from LA to Ottawa for Dion Phaneuf and Nate Thompson. The deal will also see Ottawa absorb 25% of Phaneuf’s cap hit. The trade call was confirmed by the league at 9:14 CST per a tweet from TSN’s Bob McKenzie.
McKenzie tweeted out earlier that “something appears to be done,” but players involved were still competing in their respective games. McKenzie tweeted even earlier that Phaneuf had been pulled from the lineup during the Ottawa-Pittsburgh contest so the trade could get done. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman also confirmed the speculation, tweeting that the teams were working on a deal.
Phaneuf still has three years left on his 7-year, $49MM deal at the end of the season. With 25% of the deal eaten by the Senators, Ottawa will save $4MM tweets TSN’s Frank Seravalli. The Kings will see a cap hit of $5.25MM.
McKenzie was the first to report that a deal was being worked between LA and Ottawa. Dreger was the first to report the actual deal that involved Gaborik and Shore for Thompson and Phaneuf.
Florida Panthers Extend Colton Sceviour
The Florida Panthers have reached a three-year extension with forward Colton Sceviour, putting him under contract through the 2020-21 season. Bob McKenzie of TSN reports that the deal comes with a $1.2MM average annual value, giving Sceviour a slight raise on his current $900K cap hit.
Sceviour, 28, has quietly become an effective player for the Panthers over the last few years. A solid penalty killer, he has seven short-handed points over the last two seasons and chips in 20-25 total points annually. Though he isn’t going to be promoted to the top line anytime soon, he’s a relatively inexpensive option for the Panthers to use in the bottom-six of their lineup.
Florida now has 10 players signed through the 2020-21 season, including two goaltenders and three defensemen. Though things haven’t gone exactly according to plan this season, the Panthers have their core locked up for the next few years and will have to try and fix things with this group. Signing players like Sceviour, who are reliable and cheap, gives you the opportunity to pursue more expensive options to fill the other holes on the roster.
Capitals Sign Lars Eller To A Five-Year Contract Extension
The Capitals have locked up Lars Eller for the long haul as the team announced that they have signed the center to a five-year, $17.5MM contract extension. The $3.5MM cap hit on this new deal matches his AAV on his current contract.
The contract breaks down as follows, courtesy of team writer Mike Vogel:
2018-19: $4MM salary, $1MM signing bonus
2019-20: $3MM salary, $1MM signing bonus
2020-21: $2.5MM salary
2021-22: $3MM salary
2022-23: $3MM salary
Eller is in his second season with Washington after being acquired from Montreal back at the 2016 NHL Entry Draft for a pair of second-round draft picks. He has been a mainstay as their third line pivot since then and is currently is on pace for a career year. He has 11 goals and 17 assists through 53 games; his career high in points was 30 (set with Montreal in 2012-13).
In his career, the 28-year-old has played in 576 games between St. Louis (who drafted him 13th overall in 2007), Montreal, and Washington, tallying 96 goals and 113 assists. He has been quite consistent over that span, notching at least 25 points in each of the last seven seasons.
As was the case last offseason, Washington appears to be heading towards a summer where they will very little flexibility to work with. This signing now gives them more than $62MM committed to just 14 players for 2017-18, per CapFriendly. Even with the salary cap expected to increase for next season, that won’t give them a lot of room to work with to try to add to their roster.
However, Eller’s extension ensures that the Caps will have their center situation under control for at least the next two seasons as Nicklas Backstrom is signed through 2019-20 while Evgeny Kuznetsov is under contract through 2024-25. It also takes one of the more prominent middle men off the open market for free agency this summer. While Eller didn’t make the top-20 in our midseason Free Agent Power Rankings series, he did receive an honorable mention.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.