Jonathan Drouin Signs Six-Year Extension
Less than three hours after being traded to the Montreal Canadiens, Jonathan Drouin has signed a six-year contract with the club. The deal will pay him $33MM, averaging $5.5MM per season through 2022-23. Drouin will be an unrestricted free agent at the conclusion of the deal. It contains a limited no-trade clause in the final two seasons, both bought out from what would have been his free agent years. Drouin had said earlier it was a dream come true for him to join his favorite childhood team, and now had this to say about the deal:
It’s quite an honor to be a member of the Canadiens. I’ve had a smile on my face for three hours straight!
Drouin was acquired for Mikhail Sergachev and a conditional second-round pick, and will now try to live up to his tremendous potential in his native Quebec. The forward is coming off a year in which he scored 53 points in 73 games and many believe he is capable of much more. He’ll be expected to be a huge part of the offense at $5.5MM, but it is reasonable enough to think that it won’t be a burden on Montreal down the line.
The Tampa Bay Lightning, who traded Drouin earlier today had expansion problems with their forwards and wanted a defenseman, but likely couldn’t go as high as $5.5MM in contract talks either. With Tyler Johnson and Ondrej Palat to sign this summer, they are cash-strapped in the short term as they try to stay under the cap but stay competitive.
Drouin’s deal makes him the second-highest paid forward on the Canadiens, amazingly ahead of captain Max Pacioretty. “Patches” is under one of the most team-friendly deals in the entire league, paying him only $4.5MM per season. The cap certainty that Montreal has gained with a long-term deal for Drouin will come in handy when trying to extend Carey Price, who is up for an extension on July 1st and will probably command the largest contract ever given to a goaltender.
The interesting things to watch in Montreal now are twofold. One, is Alex Galchenyuk destined for another team now that more depth on the left side has been acquired, and two, will it be possible to bring Alex Radulov back under the current salary structure. Those two things almost seem mutually exclusive, as Galchenyuk is also looking for a new contract as a restricted free agent and the Canadiens still need to address their defensive group and re-sign Nathan Beaulieu. If Radulov is looking for upwards of $6MM, he may prove too expensive unless another forward is moved out of town.
Vancouver Canucks Sign Erik Gudbranson
The Vancouver Canucks have re-signed restricted free agent Erik Gudbranson to a one-year contract. The deal will pay Gudbranson $3.5MM next season. That’s the same salary he was paid this season, after playing only 30 games before wrist surgery shut him down in December. 
Gudbranson, 25, was acquired by the Canucks last summer from the Florida Panthers in exchange for Jared McCann a deal that was questioned by different sides of the hockey community for different reasons. On one side, Gudbranson has performed poorly by analytical metrics since entering the league as a 20-year old, and on the other were his physicality, pedigree and intangibles that were lauded in Florida as a young player. Gudbranson was selected third overall in the 2010 draft and has made good on the promise of a big, intimidating presence on the ice.
While his offensive game still lacks any real explosiveness, Gudbranson is still young enough to potentially refine his play in the defensive end to become a true shutdown defender. If he can do that, and prove that he fits into the top-4 on a team in the league, this short contract potentially sets him up as a 26-year old unrestricted free agent next summer. This will be Gudbranson’s seventh season, making him eligible to hit free agency a year earlier.
If the team had wanted to buy out any of those free agent years, the cap-hit likely would have moved up as Gudbranson believes he can earn more on the open market. That just isn’t acceptable for the club at this point, with him still unproven in the city as a part of their future.
With many rumors flying around about Chris Tanev possibly being on the move, Gudbranson has a chance to step into a big role with the Canucks and make himself a lot of money. Should he log over 20 minutes a night again this season, he could demand a very long deal as a young right-handed defenseman on the open market.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Montreal Canadiens Acquire Jonathan Drouin
The Montreal Canadiens have pulled off the first big trade of the offseason, acquiring Jonathan Drouin and a conditional 2018 sixth-round pick for Mikhail Sergachev and a conditional 2018 second rounder. The picks are conditional on Sergachev not playing in at least 40 games (regular season and playoffs combined) for the Lightning next season, meaning if he spends more than half the season with Tampa Bay it is a one-for-one swap. 
The third-overall pick from 2013, Drouin was a restricted free agent this summer after a breakout campaign in Tampa Bay. After a dispute over playing time limited him to just 21 games in 2015-16, the extremely talented young forward scored 53 points in 73 games for the Lightning this season, showing off some of the potential that had led to his high draft selection. The 22-year old will be looking for a big contract coming off his entry-level deal, something that the Lightning were going to have trouble affording this summer.
Tampa Bay also has Tyler Johnson and Ondrej Palat hitting restricted free agency this summer, and with recent extensions to Victor Hedman, Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov and Alex Killorn, were going to be very tight to the cap. Not only will this open up some of that room, but it also helps fix some of their expansion draft worries.
Partly because of Ryan Callahan‘s no-movement clause and partly because of their impressive depth up front, the Lightning were set to lose a talented forward in the draft with many speculating it could be Vladislav Namestnikov. By moving Drouin for an expansion-exempt Sergachev, they’ve given themselves an extra slot to play with and with it the power to protect almost everyone important.
Sergachev himself is an outstanding prospect, who was selected ninth-overall last summer but likely should have gone even higher. Coming off Rookie of the Year and Defenseman of the Year honors in the OHL in 2015-16, he spent a few games at the beginning of the season with Montreal before heading back to the Windsor Spitfires to help them to a Memorial Cup victory on home ice. His play at both ends of the rink is that of a future top-pairing defenseman, though he may still be several years from filling that role for Tampa Bay.
For Montreal, this brings home a native son to try and build as the next Canadiens’ superstar. Drouin grew up a Montreal fan within driving distance of the city, and told agent Allan Walsh (who relayed the information on TSN 690):
“This is my dream come true. This is my childhood dream.”
Though Drouin doesn’t necessarily solve the problem at center, though he has played the position sparingly in the past. More than likely it gives them a potential elite scoring threat on the wing for many years, as he is still five seasons away from becoming a free agent and is already in talks on a long-term deal with the club. If he can’t switch to the middle or move to right wing, it does crowd things for the Canadiens who also currently have Max Pacioretty and Alex Galchenyuk on the left side. That would seem to point to a possible trade of Galchenyuk in the near future, something that has been rumored for a while.
In terms of the expansion draft, Montreal had room to add Drouin without losing something of real value. Their final forward protection slot looked like it would go to Charles Hudon, but even with his exemplary play at the AHL level has yet to make an impact at the top level.
No, this the negative effects of this trade will be felt more on the blue line for the future as Montreal has an aging group that was set to get a jolt of youth next season with Sergachev. They still do have Nathan Beaulieu ready to make a bigger impact, and Noah Juulsen coming quickly from the junior ranks. That said, losing Sergachev does darken the horizon on defense for the time being.
Pierre LeBrun of TSN provided details on the draft pick conditions.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Buffalo Sabres Hire Phil Housley As Next Head Coach
In one of the worst-kept secrets of the past few months, the Buffalo Sabres have hired Phil Housley as their next head coach. Housley has been linked to the Sabres ever since the team hired Jason Botterill, but they needed to wait for the Nashville Predators’ Stanley Cup run to finish before officially announcing him. Just as Housley was celebrating his 32nd wedding anniversary, he’ll head into a brand new chapter in his hockey life as a head coach for the first time. 
Phil Housley” width=”230″ height=”300″ />
Housley was drafted sixth overall by the Sabres in 1982 and immediately jumped into the NHL to outstanding success. With 66 points as an 18-year old defenseman in his rookie season he finished second in Calder trophy voting behind Steve Larmer for Rookie of the Year. He would go on to a Hall of Fame career scoring 1,232 points in 1,495 regular season games, but was hard-pressed to find any success in the playoffs. He still holds the record for the most points from an American-born defenseman, and ranks fourth among those born anywhere. His career is legendary and it returns to the place it all started almost exactly 27 years after he was first traded away (June 16th, 1997 Housley was sent to Winnipeg in a package for Dale Hawerchuk).
The 53-year old Housley has spent the last four seasons as an assistant behind the Nashville bench, helping grow and develop their defense corps into one of the best in the league. His experience and knowledge of the game is almost unmatched, though he will now have to prove he can control an entire roster of players. The Sabres need him to help them take the next step and start building some organizational confidence after a long stretch of disappointment. Even with the young talent the last few drafts have brought in, they were still a long way from competing this season.
That’s not to say he won’t have a chance at the playoffs right away, as a return to health for Jack Eichel paired with the development of other young players could turn around Buffalo’s fortune quickly. With Botterill at the helm in his first stint as a full-fledged GM and Housley installed as coach, the team is putting a lot of faith in the next wave of management to bring a new era of success to the Sabres. In their 46 seasons to date, the Sabres have only made it to two Stanley Cup final appearances, and have yet to hoist the trophy as the winning club. As something Housley can relate to, there won’t be any lack of drive to get back into contention from him or anyone else on the roster.
In terms of assistant coaches, there are rumblings that former New York Islanders coach Jack Capuano could be in the running, while Clark Donatelli remains close with Botterill and could be in contention. Other names will surely pop up as the days go on, but there is at least a name at the top of the coaching depth chart in Buffalo.
Darren Dreger of TSN was first to announce the hiring was official.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Colorado Avalanche To Buy Out Francois Beauchemin
In an expected move, the Colorado Avalanche will buy out the final season of veteran defenseman Francois Beauchemin‘s contract. This is one of the first transactions that is completely caused by the upcoming expansion draft, as the Avalanche will get no added cap space with the move. Because Beauchemin signed his current contract at age 35, the entire $4.5MM hit will stay on the ledger. They will save $1.5MM in terms of actual salary, but the big improvement is in expansion. 
Beauchemin had a no-movement clause and thus required protection in the draft. The Avalanche couldn’t allow that and watch a player like Nikita Zadorov left exposed so this was their only remaining option. We examined the ramifications of not buying out Beauchemin in the Colorado Expansion Primer, and while the team can now protect Zadorov is still vulnerable in net should they choose to protect Semyon Varlamov over Calvin Pickard.
For now though, the 37-year old Beauchemin will likely try to land somewhere else for one last kick at the can. The former Stanley Cup Champion is the epitome of a minute-munching defenseman, having logged at least 21 minutes per game in every season of his career. The third rock on the blueline for the 2006 champion Anaheim Ducks—behind hall of fame defensemen Chris Pronger and Scott Niedermayer—Beauchemin actually played over 30 minutes a night throughout the playoffs in a suffocating shutdown role.
There will be offers if he wants to continue playing, as he showed that even at his advanced age he can contribute to an NHL team. While he certainly has his detractors when it comes to the analytics community, his experience and fitness will give him a handful of third pairings to choose from around the league.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Carolina Hurricanes Sign Teuvo Teravainen
The Carolina Hurricanes have locked up an important piece, signing Teuvo Teravainen to a two-year contract. The deal will pay him $2.86MM annually. Teravainen was a restricted free agent for the first time, but this short-term deal will allow both sides to re-evaluate their position in a couple of years. 
Acquired last summer in the annual Blackhakws salary dump, Carolina massaged Teravainen out of Chicago in exchange for a pair of draft picks and taking on Bryan Bickell‘s contract. While Bickell would spend most of the season on long-term injured reserve after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, Teravainen put up his best season as a pro scoring 15 goals and 42 points. Playing both wing and center at times, he ranked sixth on the team in scoring.
The 22-year old forward is part of an extremely young crop in Carolina who appear to be headed for great things. Along with Jeff Skinner, Sebastian Aho, Elias Lindholm and Victor Rask, the Hurricanes have one of the best 25-and-under groups in the NHL. Pair that with their good young defense corps and 10 picks in the upcoming entry draft and you can easily see this team is headed in the right direction.
Carolina isn’t a cap team, or more accurately not a cap-ceiling team, as they have an internal budget that they adhere to. Recently, due to the number of young players discussed above, the team has had trouble even reaching the cap floor. While there is a bit more money to spend when they need it, don’t think that the ~$25MM they still have in cap space for next season will be used on the open market this summer. That said, a two year deal with Teravainen takes him to 24 and will leave open the door to sign a longer term contract that buys out several free agent years. $2.86MM is plenty affordable for a 40-50 point player, and may believe he can eclipse that soon.
Teravainen was the Hurricanes’ only real pressing issue when it comes to restricted free agents this summer, with only Brock McGinn needing a deal among the rest of the NHL roster. What will be interesting to watch, is whether any extensions are handed out to the large group due to become RFAs next summer. They can officially announce any such extension on July 1st.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
New York Rangers Agree To Terms With Matt Puempel
The New York Rangers have come to terms with one of their pending restricted free agents, signing Matt Puempel to to a one-year contract. The deal is worth $725K for next season. The extension will now allow the Rangers to expose Puempel and one other forward to fill their exposure requirements for the expansion draft.
Puempel was claimed off waivers by the Rangers mid-season from the Ottawa Senators and ended up playing 27 games for the club down the stretch, registering nine points. The former first round pick hasn’t impressed since being selected 24th overall, but still has time to grow into the offensive potential that he showed in the OHL. A natural goal-scorer, his shot is definitely ready for an increased role, but the rest of his game has lacked consistency to get him there. He’s clearly shown an ability at the AHL level, but has averaged only 10 minutes per night in his various NHL stints.
The Rangers will have to expose another forward who fills the 40/70 games played requirement, but this gives them several options now. Michael Grabner and Kevin Hayes both represent possibilities, and the team could also give an extension to one of several other players including Tanner Glass and Jesper Fast. It will be interesting to see if the Rangers try and push Puempel into an increased role next season, or if he is destined to play the role of 13th forward once again. Vegas could also find some use for him, as scoring ability will be hard to come by in the expansion draft. If they believe his upside is that of a 20-goal man in the NHL one day (even with his defensive deficiencies) they might take a chance to try and acquire him one way or another.
Chris Johnston of Sportsnet reported the financial details of the contract.
New York Rangers To Buy Out Dan Girardi
In a bold but perhaps unsurprising move,the New York Rangers will buy out the contract of defenseman Dan Girardi when the window opens tomorrow. For all the fans clamoring to find out why the team would not ask him to waive his no-movement clause before the expansion draft, this is an answer. Team President Glen Sather released a statement on Girardi’s time with the team:
Dan’s contributions to the New York Rangers organization have been immeasurable. He has been a role model through his relentless determination, giving everything he had to this organization both on and off the ice. He, Pam, Landon and Shaye will always be a part of the Rangers family.
The Rangers made it clear that they want to get younger on defense, and Girardi’s hefty cap hit and declining play seemed the obvious choice for a buyout or trade. Because he held a full no-move clause, the team’s hands were somewhat tied prior to the expansion draft, though it did drop to a limited no-trade clause this summer. While his $5.5MM cap-hit will no longer be on the books, the Rangers will incur a buyout cap-hit of the following:
- 2017-18: $2.61MM
- 2018-19: $3.61MM
- 2019-20: $3.61MM
- 2020-21: $1.11MM
- 2021-22: $1.11MM
- 2022-23: $1.11MM
Even though his play has dramatically declined over the past few years, Girardi has had an immense impact on the Rangers over his career. In parts of 11 seasons, he’s played 788 games and recorded 230 points. Until this season, he had averaged over 20 minutes a night in every year since his rookie season even getting to a high of 26:15 in the 2011-12 season. That year he finished sixth in Norris trophy voting as the league’s best defenseman. His Rangers have made it to the playoffs in 10 of 11 seasons, where he has logged huge minutes through his 122 contests. Even this year, perhaps knowing that it may be his last in New York, Girardi played with cracked ribs throughout part of the playoffs. 
For the Rangers, this gives them more flexibility in the expansion draft and free agency, two upcoming concerns for the club as it looks to improve and get back to the playoffs next season. With several restricted free agents looking for new contracts including Mika Zibanejad, the team was going to be pressed right up against the cap should it stay relatively flat. Now, with the almost $3MM of savings this season they could go after another player on the open market. With younger players like Alexei Bereglazov and Neal Pionk already signed this spring, the team could go for a youth movement on defense and rely on Ryan McDonagh and Brady Skeij to anchor their top two pairs. Marc Staal, another possible candidate to be moved this summer, also has a no-movement clause and impeding cap-hit.
Girardi will now look to land on his feet somewhere else, and it’s not inconceivable that he could sign a multi-year contract at a much lower salary. The soon-to-be free agent is right handed and does still provide some intangibles that are sought after on the open market, even if his performance has been critiqued for some time. Teams that want a veteran option on the bottom pair or as a depth defenseman could see him as a perfect option even at the age of 33. It will be interesting to see if he finds a home before free agency starts on July 1st, as he’ll be a free agent for weeks before that date.
Realistically, he’ll likely have to settle for a one-year contract to try and prove that he can still contribute 15-17 minutes a night in a more sheltered role. Though he’s no longer an offensive contributor, he still does provide penalty killing experience and a penchant for shot-blocking. He also comes with plenty of leadership and playoff experience, something that young teams sometimes covet on the open market.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Matt Greene Activated From LTIR, Will Be Bought Out
The Los Angeles Kings are working quickly to alleviate their cap troubles, as Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider reports that the team has activated Matt Greene from long-term injured reserve in order to buy him out when the window opens on Thursday. Greene is apparently healthy, as you cannot buy out a player who is currently injured. Greene has just one year left on his current contract worth $2.5MM, meaning the Kings will free up $1.67MM in cap space this season with this move. He’ll be on the books for $833K for the next two years.
Greene hasn’t played since mid-January, and was placed on LTIR at the end of that month after dealing with back and groin injuries for much of the season. The 34-year old defenseman missed almost all of the previous season as well after undergoing shoulder surgery, meaning his departure won’t affect the team much. What it does do, is open up some cap room for a club desperately looking for relief. After signing Tyler Toffoli and Tanner Pearson to new contracts, the Kings have just over $5MM left if the cap stays flat this summer. Though the heavy lifting is finished in terms of restricted free agents, the Kings would like to add to their current group and try to get back into the playoffs next season. Buyouts of Marian Gaborik and Dustin Brown have been discussed, but this move can be just as effective.
The Kings already have depth on defense and even if they do lose one of them to Vegas in the expansion draft should still have more than enough to head into next season. It’s up front that they need help, as the group as a whole was too slow to effectively compete in the NHL this season and had only two 20-goal scorers. With that in mind, expect more moves by the Kings in the next few weeks to give a fresh start to new coach John Stevens and his team as they try to get back to Stanley Cup relevancy.
Linus Ullmark Re-Signs With Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres have re-signed young goaltender Linus Ullmark to a two-year contract worth $750K per season. Ullmark was set to become a restricted free agent, and needed to either be signed or qualified prior to the expansion draft in order for the Sabres to fill the goaltending exposure requirement. 
With Anders Nilsson heading to unrestricted free agency this summer, the opportunity for Ullmark to move up into a role as the backup goaltender is there for the taking. Lehner will more than likely remain the starter (though he also needs a new contract). Ullmark has shown in the past that he’s up to the task, recording a .917 save percentage in 21 career NHL starts. Though the 23-year old had very little leverage, getting him under contract for two seasons at such a low cap-hit is a nice signing for Jason Botterill and the new Sabres front office. He’ll continue to be a restricted free agent when it expires in the summer of 2019.
Botterill and whoever he hires as the Sabres next head coach will try to determine whether Lehner is the long-term option in net for the club. His .920 career save percentage is great, though he has shown some inconsistency at times. Ullmark represents a possible second option for the long-term, though he’ll have to show that his weaker AHL numbers won’t carry over into the NHL when given larger role.
He does also represent an interesting option for Vegas should they choose to select a goaltender from Buffalo, though there may be other options as discussed in our Sabres’ Expansion Primer. At such a low hit, and still waivers-exempt he could provide depth at the position for Vegas as they look to slowly build up their organization. Even with the other options likely available to them, Ullmark could represent the best available asset from Buffalo.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images