Chicago Blackhawks Acquire Anthony Duclair
The Chicago Blackhawks have acquired Anthony Duclair and Adam Clendening from the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for Richard Panik and Laurent Dauphin. Dauphin returns to the Coyotes after being part of the package sent last offseason for Niklas Hjalmarsson. No salary has been retained by either side.
Duclair, 22, was reported to have asked for a trade during what has become another disappointing season. While he’s already matched his point total from last year, Duclair hasn’t been able to show the consistent offense that got him to a career-high 44 points in 2015-16. That 20-goal campaign was a breakout for the young winger, after a trade from New York brought him to the desert.
Last offseason, the Coyotes seemingly made several moves to try and bring immediate success to the franchise, acquiring players like Hjalmarsson, Derek Stepan, Antti Raanta and Jason Demers to help Oliver Ekman-Larsson and company make a push for the playoffs. It hasn’t worked out that way, with Arizona still languishing in last place in the NHL and perhaps now the attention will return to their original rebuild plan. Though Duclair is certainly not a past-his-prime asset, he is a pending restricted free agent who could file for arbitration, and would require a $1.2MM qualifying offer to retain his rights.
The Blackhawks on the other hand are in search of help both this year and in the near future. The club has struggled this season, but is still all-in salary wise with their core group of Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook. The latter of which was a healthy scratch recently, but will be back in the lineup for Chicago tonight as the dress seven defensemen in Panik’s absence.
Panik himself is part of that salary problem, after he was signed to a two-year $5.6MM contract this summer. His play has dropped off a cliff this season, recording just 16 points in 37 games and seeing his role alongside Toews disappear. Though he’s proven himself to be an NHL talent after bouncing around the league in the early part of his career, the Blackhawks can’t afford to spend close to $3MM on a player that isn’t producing as planned.
Dauphin, 22, will return to the place he made his NHL debut and try to prove once again why the team spent the 39th-overall pick on him in 2013. Obviously Coyotes’ GM John Chayka was loathe to lose him in the first place, and he gives this deal a spark of upside for the club. While he hasn’t shown a ton in his short time in the NHL, he does still have potential to be a contributing center that can provide some speed and size to the bottom-six of a lineup.
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet was first to report the deal was close, while Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reported the final details.
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Nashville Predators Sign Yannick Weber, Anthony Bitetto, Matt Irwin
The Nashville Predators have given themselves some cost certainty among their depth defensemen, signing Yannick Weber to a two-year extension worth a total of $1.35MM. Weber was set to hit unrestricted free agency this summer, but will now be with the club through the 2019-20 season. The team also announced a one-year extension for Anthony Bitetto, worth $650K. Bitetto was in the final season of a two-year deal, and would have also been eligible for unrestricted free agency this summer.
Additionally, a few minutes later, the team announced a two-year deal for Matt Irwin also worth $1.25MM. Irwin was on a one-year deal that was set to expire in the summer, and thus had to wait (like Weber) for January 1st to sign an extension.
Because the Predators have always put a hefty amount of responsibility on their top four, getting depth defensemen locked up for the minimum salary is a key part of their salary structure. Even with P.K. Subban eating a huge chunk of the cap, the team can feel now confident trying to extend Ryan Ellis before he becomes a free agent in the summer of 2019.
Weber, Irwin and Bitetto certainly don’t play huge roles on the team, but their presence as the third-pairing or extra man is still valuable. Until the Predators acquired Alexei Emelin to help cover for Ellis’ long-term injury, Irwin and Weber were the go-to pairing for around 11-13 minutes a night. The two played in all 22 games in last season’s Stanley Cup run, and can be relied upon in at least a limited capacity.
The Predators now have seven defensemen and eleven forwards signed and penciled into the NHL roster for next season, meaning that their remaining ~$12MM (depending on where the cap lands) can be used for landing a big fish on the open market or bringing in more salary in trade. GM David Poile has done a masterful job of retaining the core pieces of his team while adding through trade when necessary, and has built what looks like a sustainable winner at this point. Getting three depth pieces under contract for the league minimum is only the latest example.
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Oilers Acquire Al Montoya
The Oilers have made a move to bolster their backup goaltender position, announcing that they have acquired Al Montoya from the Canadiens in exchange for a conditional fourth-round pick in 2018. Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston notes (Twitter link) that Montoya must play in seven games with Edmonton in the regular season for Montreal to receive the fourth-rounder. If he does not, the Oilers will send a 2018 fifth-rounder instead.
It’s not surprising that Edmonton was looking to upgrade their backup goalie as Laurent Brossoit has struggled in that role so far this season. In 13 appearances, he has a 3.22 GAA and a .886 SV%, numbers that are below-average for a number two netminder. It appears likely that he will be heading for waivers once Montoya gets the green light to be activated off injured reserve.
Montoya has seen very limited action this season, making just four appearances before suffering a concussion in early November. While his numbers this year are worse than Brossoit (a 3.77 GAA with a .863 SV%), the veteran has a much longer track record of being a capable second option. In 159 career regular season games between the Coyotes, Islanders, Jets, Panthers, and Canadiens, he has a 65-47-22 record with a 2.63 GAA along with a .908 SV% and seven shutouts.
The 32-year-old carries a cap hit of $1.0625MM and is signed through 2018-19 so Edmonton is making a commitment to Montoya for more than just the second half of this season. While they have more than enough cap space to take on his deal this year, this trade now puts them with 13 players signed for next year with a combined cap charge of nearly $61MM.
As for Montreal, the trade means that the Canadiens will likely stick with Antti Niemi, who was acquired via waivers while Montoya was injured, as their backup for the time being while opening up a spot for Charlie Lindgren, who impressed in an early-season stint, to take over the backup job next season.
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Jonathan Marchessault Signs Six-Year Extension
The Vegas Golden Knights have locked up one of their key offensive contributors, announcing that Jonathan Marchessault has signed a six-year extension worth an average of $5MM per season. Marchessault is one of the best values in the league this season (and last), earning just $750K in the second of a two-year deal. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports the year-by-year salary for the new extension:
- 2018-19: $7.0MM
- 2019-20: $6.0MM
- 2020-21: $5.0MM
- 2021-22: $5.0MM
- 2022-23: $3.5MM
- 2023-24: $3.5MM
The contract also contains a modified no-trade clause, per Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston.
Marchessault came over from Florida at the expansion draft as the price paid for taking on Reilly Smith and his own long extension. Smith was about to start a five-year, $25MM deal that had been signed before Dale Tallon regained control of the Panthers, and was jettisoned to Vegas in exchange for allowing the Golden Knights to select Marchessault. It’s turned into one of the biggest parts of the Vegas success this season, as the pair rank first and third in team scoring on the second-best club in the NHL.
Amazingly, it’s not really a breakout for Marchessault this season. Last year, the diminutive forward was given a full-time role in Florida and ended up with 30 goals and 51 points. At his low price point, it was a complete shock when the Panthers allowed him to be selected, even if he was a pending unrestricted free agent.
The undrafted forward had to work hard and patiently wait for a chance to prove himself in the NHL, and will now be rewarded with a huge contract extension. The $5MM price tag, that buys out solely UFA years, is a relative steal if he keeps producing the way he has the last season and a half. Players like Mike Hoffman, Tyler Johnson, and Derick Brassard are on similar deals and are arguably less important to their respective clubs.
Marchessault also represents the first real big ticket long-term commitment by the Golden Knights. Smith and Brayden McNabb are the only other two players on the roster under contract past 2019-20, and McNabb’s extension is for only $2.5MM per season. Vegas was very conscious of taking mostly expiring contracts in the draft, that they could potentially sell off at the deadline. While the selling plan may have changed somewhat given their immediate success, they’re now poised to pick and choose the players they want as key contributors going forward.
Even with this extension, the Golden Knights will have close to $40MM in cap room next season when the ceiling climbs to somewhere between $78-82MM. We’ve discussed how they can use this cap space as a weapon in trade negotiations before, but now with the success they’ve found they could go a step further. Vegas could be a big player in free agency this summer, or save some room for the pending “Superclass” of UFAs in 2019.
The next name on their internal list is likely William Karlsson, their goal leader and pending RFA. Karlsson is earning just $1MM this season, and is another player deserved of a huge raise before next season. Just like Marchessault, Vegas has been good to him.
Bob McKenzie of TSN was first to report that the contract was close.
Doug Armstrong Signs Four-Year Extension With St. Louis
The St. Louis Blues have put an end to the speculation about GM Doug Armstrong’s future, and will announce a four-year extension according to Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic. Armstrong was one of several NHL GMs operating in the final year of his contract.
While the Blues still haven’t captured that ever-elusive Stanley Cup, Armstrong’s tenure with the team has been filled with success in the regular season. Hired as the Director of Player Personnel in 2008, Armstrong took over as club GM in 2010 and has only missed the playoffs in that first year. With a record of 337-185-56, the Blues have been a contender every year and look like one of the best teams in the league once again.
Over his time with the team, the Blues have managed to pull off several impressive trades. Just recently Armstrong made successive deals on the draft floor that brought in Brayden Schenn for future draft picks while still allowing him to select Klim Kostin at the end of the first round. Before that, Armstrong had moved Kevin Shattenkirk despite the team’s playoff hopes, giving them the resources for the Schenn trade.
Armstrong has never been afraid to move out top players for future assets. He’s traded T.J. Oshie, Brian Elliott, Ian Cole, David Perron, Kris Russell, Brad Boyes, Erik Johnson, and David Rundblad among others, continually restocking the prospect cupboards while finding relative success in the NHL.
Look no further than the World Junior Championship, where players like Kostin, Jordan Kyrou, and Robert Thomas are set to star before one day pulling on a Blues sweater. While the Stanley Cup remains just out of reach, Armstrong has positioned his club about as well as you can.
Alexander Burmistrov Retires From NHL, Signs In Russia
Wednesday: Burmistrov has signed a one-year deal with Ak Bars Kazan of the KHL, where he will continue his playing career.
Sunday: NHL player agent Dan Milstein announced that Vancouver Canucks center Alexander Burmistrov has announced his retirement. Burmistrov had recently talked about his frustration with his role with the Canucks. He was a healthy scratch last night against the Blues and only had 4:53 minutes of ice time Thursday against San Jose.
“The frustrating thing is you know you can play at this level and every day and every night you walk into the dressing room and you don’t know if you’re playing or not. You kind of want to know you’re playing or be sure to be confident in yourself and feel like you’re part of the team,” Burmistrov said. “Then you walk into the dressing room and you’re not playing and you’re thinking: ‘What is it going to be like tomorrow?’ I’m trying to work hard but this is hard.”
Sportsnet’s Rick Dhaliwal reports that Burmistrov wanted to return back home. Milstein told Dhaliwal, “He wanted to go back home. No other reason. The Canucks were more than accommodating to his request.”
The 26-year-old signed a one-year deal with Vancouver in July after splitting last year between the Winnipeg Jets and the Arizona Coyotes. He had spent five years with the Winnipeg Jets/Atlanta Thrashers organization after being the eighth-overall pick in 2010, but was waived in January by Winnipeg and Arizona claimed him. Burmistrov never lived up to the billing as his best year in the league was back in 2011-12 when he scored 13 goals and 15 assists in 76 games in the Winnipeg Jets’ first year after moving from Atlanta.
He played a total of 348 games, scoring 37 goals and 101 points. He had two goals and four assists in 24 games this season.
New York Islanders Win Bid For New Arena At Belmont Park
Wednesday: The official documents have been released, the Islanders are set at Belmont Park. The plans include the building of an 18,000-seat arena, 435,000 square feet for a retail shopping center, a hotel, offices and parking. You can see a map of the proposed build at the end of the documentation.
Tuesday: Though the official announcement won’t come until tomorrow, multiple sources including Jim Baumbach of Newsday are reporting that the New York Islanders have won the bidding on the Belmont Park development project. That would allow the Islanders to build a new arena and solidify the future of their franchise.
This is huge news for Islanders fans hoping not only for the long-term stability of the franchise, but also the chance to re-sign John Tavares this summer. The pending unrestricted free agent has made it clear in the past that he was waiting to know where the arena plans were before signing, and with an agreement to build a brand new arena, shopping area and hotel in Belmont Park it’s clear there is a path in place for the Islanders long-term health. Though there is no guarantee this makes Tavares stick around—after all, he is looking at potentially the biggest salary in the league should he hit free agency and start a bidding war—it certainly helps the Islanders’ case.
More than that, it brings the Islanders back out of Brooklyn and the Barclays Center, an arena that has caused the team nothing but problems since moving there in 2015. The Islanders have an opt-out opportunity in January to start the process of getting out of their current lease, though it’s not clear exactly when the new building would be operational.
For a team that is keeping pace in the difficult Metropolitan Division, and looks to have several of the top free agents to sign, news like this can’t come at a better time. There was worry that a decision wouldn’t come early enough for the Islanders to have time to decide what to do ahead of the trade deadline, but they should now be able to know the exact direction of the franchise before buying or selling. With Tavares, Josh Bailey, Calvin de Haan, Thomas Hickey and Jaroslav Halak all up for new contracts or free agency, the team is one of the more interesting to watch over the coming months.
Dallas Stars Trade Jamie Oleksiak To Pittsburgh Penguins
After clearing some room on the roster by dealing Josh Archibald, the Pittsburgh Penguins have now acquired Jamie Oleksiak from the Dallas Stars in exchange for a conditional 2019 fourth-round pick. Pittsburgh had just acquired Minnesota’s fourth-round pick from the Arizona Coyotes in the previous deal. Dallas will get whichever pick, Minnesota or Pittsburgh’s own, is earlier in the fourth round.
Oleksiak, 24, was a first-round pick by the Stars in 2011 but hasn’t quite had the impact expected at the time. The 6’7″ defender has had trouble staying in the lineup for Dallas, even playing forward at times just to get back in game action. At times he can look like the dominating defensive presence the Stars had hoped for, but those moments have been too few and far between for them to give him added responsibility.
In Pittsburgh, Oleksiak will get another chance to impress and prove that he’s an NHL defenseman before hitting restricted free agency again this summer. Currently on a one-year deal worth $965K, he’ll actually cost the Penguins a little more than Archibald on the year. Interestingly, Oleksiak is another left-handed defenseman for the Penguins, something they’re already full of. With Justin Schultz on injured reserve, only Kris Letang and Chad Ruhwedel hold right-handed sticks at the moment, making it unclear where Oleksiak will fit in. Kevin Czuczman has been sent to the minor leagues for the time being.
Still, it is clear that Penguins GM Jim Rutherford has decided at least a minor shakeup is needed for his club. Pittsburgh has been a disappointment this season after back-to-back Stanley Cups, and find themselves out of a playoff spot at the moment. Oleksiak isn’t the answer to all of their problems, so expect other moves to eventually come down the pipe for the Penguins, though they may have to wait until after the holiday roster freeze.
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Detroit Red Wings Trade Scott Wilson To Buffalo Sabres
The Detroit Red Wings era for forward Scott Wilson will come to a quick end, as the team has traded him to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for a 2019 fifth-round pick. Wilson was acquired by the Red Wings just this season as part of the Riley Sheahan trade, and will move on after just 17 games with the club.
Wilson, 25, is scoreless this season through 20 games but showed last year that he’s capable of adding some secondary scoring if given the chance. With 78 games in his first full season with the Pittsburgh Penguins, he scored 26 points in limited minutes and added another six in the playoffs. He played fewer than 10 minutes in all but three of his games with Detroit, but will likely be afforded more ice time in Buffalo.
With just a $625K cap hit in the second year of his current contract, Wilson will be a restricted free agent at the end of the season. Though his early play hasn’t done much to help his case, a good second half with Buffalo could put him in line for a multi-year deal as a valuable bottom-six player. With the Sabres waiving Matt Moulson today, there is clearly a change coming in Buffalo.
Wilson will be reunited with GM Jason Botterill, who previously worked with the Penguins when Wilson was working his way through the minor league system. He’ll also join Evan Rodrigues, a former teammate with the Georgetown Raiders of the OJHL. Both played in that league partly to maintain their NCAA eligibility, heading to UMass-Lowell (Wilson) and Boston University (Rodrigues). With Rodrigues just called up this morning, there’s a possibility the pair even plays together right away.
The Red Wings had sent a fifth-round pick along with Sheahan to the Pittsburgh Penguins, which they’ve now basically reclaimed with the deal to Buffalo—though, the original pick was for 2018, meaning they’ve moved back a year. For a team that was shellacked on the weekend and is beginning to show cracks in their early season success, Detroit is committed to adding future assets even as they attempt to make the playoffs.
Whether Botterill and company see Wilson as a piece long-term will be decided before next season, but there was clearly an impression made on him in the past to use an asset at this point in the year. The Sabres are almost completely out of playoff contention already, and are just looking for some consistency or improvement at this point. Wilson is nothing if not a hard worker, and could inject some energy into the team right away. Whether that translates into points is still to be seen.
Erik Karlsson Unwilling To Take Hometown Discount
Erik Karlsson‘s contract doesn’t expire until the end of the 2018-19 season and he isn’t even eligible to sign an extension yet, but when you’re the best defenseman in the NHL, everyone is focused on your future and (potential) availability. So, it’s no surprise that a question of his future was posed at practice Thursday. However, the surprise, at least for many Senators fans, was his answer, as retold by the Ottawa Citizen’s Ken Warren:
“When I go to market, I’m going to get what I’m worth, and it’s going to be no less, no matter where I’m going… That’s the business part of it. That’s the way every player has been treated ever since this league has started, and I think the players have been a little bit on the other side of things when it comes to negotiations. I think it’s time to realize that when we go to the table, it’s business on both parts, not just (owners)… “I like it here, I’m comfortable here, I’ve been here my whole career… but at the end of the day, when it comes down to it, if it’s not the right fit and it’s not going to work out business-wise, then you’re going to have to look elsewhere because that’s what (owners) are going to do, as well.”
Karlsson isn’t incorrect – it is far more frequent in all pro sports to see a star athlete take a hometown discount to stay with a team than it is for a team executive to offer a premium contract to retain such an athlete. Karlsson clearly recognizes that he is one of the best in the game and is deserving of perhaps a record-setting contract, one that should at least erase P.K. Subban‘s $9MM mark as the highest AAV ever handed to a defenseman. A Norris-caliber defenseman hitting the open market at the age of 28 is beyond rare and Karlsson is ready to cash in. However, the big question – and one that could plague the team for the next year plus – is whether the Ottawa Senators will be the club that ponies up for Karlsson’s massive promotion.