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Atlantic Division Offers Scoring, Depth Players

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The Atlantic Division was arguably the weakest in the league, but Vegas should be happy to know that they can claim two previous 30-goal scorers from the group. Some teams offer very little, such as Buffalo, because of their lack of depth, and Toronto, because of good planning. But others, such as Montreal and Detroit, will provide interesting options at multiple positions.

The Boston Bruins have one of the weakest lists of the lot, but there are still a few names which could help the Golden Knights organization. Vegas could opt for the overpaid but serviceable Matt Beleskey in hopes of his return to form as a solid 3rd-line piece. They might instead select a defenseman, either the puck possession defender in Colin Miller or physical presence in Adam McQuaid – but there may be better defenseman available elsewhere. A very probable scenario is that they opt for a project player in defenseman Joe Morrow or goalie Malcolm Subban. The Toronto Maple Leafs probably released one of the best lists today. Veteran Brooks Laich is an option, but McPhee may opt for 25 year-old Martin Marincin in hopes that he can build upon his last two seasons. Neither loss would impact the team’s ascendance in the slightest. Something to keep an eye out for is the perennially injured Joffrey Lupul – it’s certainly possible GM Lou Lamoriello will use Vegas to take his contract off the books. It wouldn’t take much of a sweetener.

The Montreal Canadiens left veteran defenseman Alexei Emelin exposed, which some predicted – but it could still set their defense back in the short-term. GM Marc Bergevin did well to utilize that final forward protection spot, trading for Jonathan Drouin and locking him up long-term. A potential player to watch is Alexander Radulov and whether Vegas will pursue the unrestricted free agent in the next few days. They do have a head-start, and he would be a potent addition. The Detroit Red Wings made what I consider to be a very surprising move in exposing goalie Petr Mrazek over Jimmy Howard. It could pay dividends if Vegas opts to go in a different goaltending direction, but it seems quite likely they will go the best player available route. Xavier Ouellet is also left exposed, which could decimate their defensive hopes. Unfortunately for Wings fans, Ken Holland very well will pay extortion-level prices for not being more aggressive in the trade market when he had the opportunity.

The Ottawa Senators will contribute one of the top three players to Vegas, regardless of his very hefty $7 MM contract. Bobby Ryan is bound for Nevada unless something unforeseen happens – he’s a former 30 goal scorer, is coming off a hot playoff, and an overpaid contract won’t break this team off the start. They could opt to speak with Mike Condon or go the less expensive route and take the veteran Marc Methot, but neither seems likely. Losing Ryan might hurt the Senators’ depth in the short term but is a solid cap-centric decision. The Buffalo Sabres will not lose much at all. Vegas could take a chance on the surprisingly available young forward William Carrier, or claim an average defenseman in Josh Gorges or Zach Bogosian. Vegas fans who were banking on a Tyler Ennis jersey will have to re-think their potential first purchase.

The Florida teams took completely different approaches to their expansion lists, and its clear that Tampa took the wiser route. Although they lost Jonathan Drouin, they re-couped a solid defenseman and made certain they didn’t lose an asset for nothing. Instead of losing Vladislav Namestnikov, they will instead look to probably surrender one of Cedric Paquette or J.T. Brown. There are a lot of mid-tier options available for Vegas, and I wouldn’t count out Cory Conacher as a darkhorse UFA signing considering his dominant performance in the Calder Cup playoffs. The Florida Panthers produced an inexcusably bad list. They will almost certainly lose their top scorer by not protecting the undersized Jonathan Marchessault. He had a breakout season with 30 goals in 75 games and his loss up front could really sting next season. Also of note is the decision to leave Roberto Luongo unprotected, although nothing likely will come of it.

Ultimately, the Atlantic division has a few players that will provide offensive punch to the Golden Knights, and a couple interesting decisions. McPhee could opt for safer veteran options, or take some gambles – only time will tell.

 

The original article had mistakenly replaced Collin Miller’s name on the protection list with Kevan Miller.

Expansion Notes: Phaneuf, McPhee, Final Decisions

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TSN’s Pierre LeBrun tweets that nothing changed on Ottawa defenseman Dion Phaneuf’s decision to waive his no-movement clause prior to the 5pm deadline today. This doesn’t mean, however, that he won’t be traded. Phaneuf is definitely in the mix to be dealt as Ottawa agonizes over who to protect and who to leave exposed as lists are due tomorrow at 5pm. Phaneuf has been the subject of trade rumors, and it was confirmed by general manager Pierre Dorion that he’s received calls about the 32-year-old defenseman. Some pundits thought Phaneuf might waive his NMC before the 5pm deadline, but with that now passed, it will be interesting to see if he’s one of many players shuttled to another team to ease the restrictions on the list.

  • The USA Today’s Kevin Allen writes that Vegas general manager George McPhee has encouraged his staff to catch up on their sleep prior to the weekend as all NHL teams will have their protected lists submitted tomorrow. Noting that he only has 72 hours to put a team together, McPhee told Allen that teams have been straightforward with McPhee as to what they’re thinking and that it’s been in line with what McPhee and his staff expected. Allen reports that McPhee plans on informing each team who they plan on taking, so they can circle back to see if another deal can be worked out. Further, McPhee indicates that they are trying to build a balanced squad that can compete right away. He adds that they also want to acquire as many draft picks as possible to “expedite their building process.” McPhee also told Allen that even though he’s in his office at 6am Vegas time, his phone has been ringing non-stop with colleagues looking to make deals.
  • On the other side of McPhee’s phone line are 30 general managers wrangling with what they’re going to do in anticipation of the draft. The AP’s Stephen Whyno spoke with general managers who are also losing sleep over the draft, albeit for different reasons. Minnesota’s Chuck Fletcher told Whyno that he often reminds himself at 3am that he can “only lose one player–go back to sleep.” Florida’s Dale Tallon remarked that “everyone’s a little nervous, a little reluctant” in anticipation of what will happen. Tampa general manager Steve Yzerman already responded by trading Jonathan Drouin to Montreal while New York and Colorado bought out the contracts of Dan Girardi and Francois Beauchemin respectively. Meanwhile, LeBrun tweets that deals could go down to the wire after speaking with Fletcher while  Tampa Bay Times beat writer Joe Smith tweets that he sees Tampa Bay in potential talks with Fletcher since the Wild have a logjam at defense.

Expansion Primer: Ottawa Senators

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We’re continuing to break down each team’s situation as it pertains to the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft; which players are eligible, and which will likely warrant protection or may be on the block. Each team is required to submit their protection lists by 4pm CDT on June 17th. The full rules on eligibility can be found here, and CapFriendly has provided a handy expansion tool to make your own lists.

The Ottawa Senators came into this season with a new coach, a new second line center and a dream that getting back to the Conference finals for just the third time in their history might be a possibility. All season people wrote them off as a weak team piggy-backing on the dominant play of their captain and best player, Erik Karlsson. With some extra help from an outstanding goaltending duo, the team shattered expectations and came within one game of the Stanley Cup Final, a successful year to be sure.

Ottawa is now looking to reload for another playoff run next season, with youngster Colin White and blue-chip prospect Thomas Chabot in tow. Their future looks quite bright, even if they did trade away some assets in questionable trade deadline deals. Just like any Cup contender, Ottawa isn’t in the best shape when it comes to the expansion draft and were dealt a further blow when Dion Phaneuf decided to not waive his no-movement clause. As protection lists are due tomorrow evening, the Senators have to make up their mind fast (if they haven’t already) and make some tough decisions.

Eligible Players (Non-UFA)

Forwards: 

Bobby Ryan, Mike Hoffman, Derick Brassard, Clarke MacArthur, Mark Stone, Kyle Turris, Zack Smith, Alexandre Burrows, Mike Blunden, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Ryan Dzingel

Defensemen:

Dion Phaneuf (NMC), Erik Karlsson, Marc Methot, Cody Ceci, Mark Borowiecki, Chris Wideman, Fredrik Claesson, Patrick Sieloff

Goaltenders:

Craig Anderson, Andrew Hammond, Chris Driedger

Notable Exemptions

Colin White, Logan Brown, Chris Didomenico, Thomas Chabot, Ben Harpur

Key Decisions

The first decision any team must make is whether to protect seven forwards, three defensemen and one goalie (7-3-1) or eight skaters and one goalie (8-1). The Senators are no different, as they have several interesting defensemen that project to go unprotected should they use the former, but will likely go with the latter due to their distinct lack of forward depth. Jean-Gabriel Pageau

Up front the Senators can’t afford to lose a player like Jean-Gabriel Pageau for nothing, as they learned this year when several key forwards went down to injury at the same time. Even though they play a defensive, trapping scheme, their secondary scoring depth isn’t good enough to sustain losses and with Pageau coming off an outstanding playoff run he’s a lock to be protected in a 7-3-1 format.

Mike Hoffman, Derick Brassard, Mark Stone and Kyle Turris are the others who should feel comfortable, and even with his extremely inflated salary, Bobby Ryan may have played his way back into the team’s good books with a strong playoff run. So, decisions at forward generally come down to Clarke MacArthur, Zack Smith and Ryan Dzingel of which the team can only protect one. MacArthur is an emotional leader of the team after returning from concussion problems late in the year, but Smith and Dzingel offer more for the relatively low price tags.

Fredrik ClaessonOn defense is where it gets really tight for the Senators, as Phaneuf’s NMC and Karlsson’s no-brainer leave them with just one spot to protect Marc Methot, Cody Ceci, Mark Borowiecki, Chris Wideman and Fredrik Claesson. That’s a lot of names to decide between, and all of them deserve protection to some degree. Ceci, for all the hate he gets at times logged the second-most minutes on the team and combined with Phaneuf on a relatively solid second pair, while Methot was the yin to Karlsson’s yang all season.

Neither of those two hold a candle possession-wise to Wideman, while Borowiecki was the clear physical leader of the team, even leading the NHL in hits. Claesson is the real wildcard in the group, as even though he’s suited up for just 49 NHL games he showed he could handle himself in the playoffs and perhaps move up alongside Karlsson at some point in the future. At just 24 he would be another interesting option for the Golden Knights.

In net Anderson will get the call, unless the team comes to a long-term extension with Condon before the deadline. The only reason to do that would be if they think Vegas could swoop in and sign him out from under them, though that would also cause them to forfeit their selection. In terms of other free agent options there isn’t much to see on Ottawa.

Projected Protection List

F Bobby Ryan
F Mike Hoffman
F Derick Brassard
F Mark Stone
F Kyle Turris
F Zack Smith
F Jean-Gabriel Pageau

D Dion Phaneuf (NMC)
D Erik Karlsson
D Cody Ceci

G Craig Anderson

In the end, Ceci offers too much due to his age and cheap contract to let walk for nothing. At just 23, and signed for only $2.8MM this season he still exists as an excellent asset, if not a perfect fit for the Senators system. He could easily used in a trade, or improve next season and beyond as he heads into his prime. Leaving the other defensemen unprotected though isn’t a move GM Pierre Dorion wants though, which is likely why Phaneuf’s name has been floating around in trade speculation for the last couple of days.

Ultimately the Senators could probably stand to trade two of their defensemen before the draft just to avoid losing them for nothing, but it’s more likely that they’ll just bite the bullet and lose a player of value. There is also the possibility of making a side-deal with Vegas in order to take someone else, but there has been no indication so far that Dorion has been pursuing that idea.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Details On Dion Phaneuf Trade List

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Dion Phaneuf submitted a new 12-team trade list to the Ottawa Senators recently, blocking deals to all but a dozen clubs around the league. Pierre LeBrun of TSN was first to announce that he’d sent it in to the Sens, and now gives us some details on who is on the “yes” list. The Los Angeles Kings, Montreal Canadiens and Edmonton Oilers all could acquire Phaneuf without the Senators asking his permission. Dion Phaneuf

Trade lists are usually about leverage for the player, trying to block teams that he think could want to acquire him. That gives him the ability to pick and choose where his next destination is, and not just be uprooted without warning. In this case, it seems more to do with geography than anything else as both the Canadiens and Oilers could theoretically use a player like Phaneuf.

The 32-year old has never played outside Canada, suiting up for Calgary, Toronto and Ottawa over his career. He’s made it clear he enjoys playing in his home country, making Edmonton and Montreal easy destinations. Los Angeles on the other hand may have more to do with his wife, Elisha Cuthbert and her television and film career. Cuthbert’s current show “The Ranch” films in Burbank, California making Los Angeles an easy landing spot for the pair.

The Kings would likely be uninterested in Phaneuf, and it would be hard to see either Edmonton or Montreal pony up the money for him over the next several years. Phaneuf incurs a $7MM cap hit for the next four seasons. As Darren Dreger of TSN spoke about this morning, Ottawa will have to retain some of his salary in order to facilitate a move, should they be serious about trading the defenseman. It would be much easier to sell a team on a $4.5-5MM Phaneuf for the next few years, but that would require a hefty investment from the Senators.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Morning Notes: Doughty, Portland, Granato

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Start your engines Toronto Maple Leafs fans, because the speculative signings are about to get crazy. Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty was on TSN 1050 radio today and dropped a quote that will be shared all over the internet:

I think all of us Southern Ontario players, we secretly want to play for the Leafs, you know, we all have that kind of soft spot.

Doughty would go on to explain that he’s not sure how he would react to being that big of a “celebrity” in the city and said that’s the issue a lot of players have when deciding whether to sign with Toronto. Doughty of course plays in Los Angeles where he’s a small fish, but would become a megastar should he ever return to Ontario. The 27-year old defenseman has two years remaining on his current contract, and is set to become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2019.

  • The people of Portland, Maine will be getting a professional hockey team soon enough, as the parent company of the Philadelphia Flyers has purchased the defunct Alaska Aces of the ECHL and will move them to the northeastern city according to Dave Isaac of the Courier-Post. The team is still unnamed and will hope to have an NHL affiliation before long.
  • Don Granato will indeed join the Chicago Blackhawks coaching staff for the upcoming season, working with Joel Quenneville and the also-announced Ulf Samuelsson among others. It was reported last week that Granato was in the running for an assistant coaching job, after working with the University of Wisconsin this season.
  • Shelley Anderson spoke to the Pittsburgh Penguins today as they cleaned out their lockers, and shared a ton of interesting information. Not the least of which was that Matt Murray’s injury sustained in the warm up of game 1 of the playoffs was a torn hamstring, making it impossible for him to play through it.
  • Ottawa Senators GM Pierre Dorion is looking at all options when it comes to the draft, willing to move up or down in the first round according to Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia. Ottawa currently holds the 28th overall pick, but could potentially deal it for the right addition to their squad after going deep into the playoffs this season. With Erik Karlsson only under contract for another two seasons, they may feel pressure to go after a Cup run right now.

Latest On Dion Phaneuf

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When it was reported earlier this week that Dion Phaneuf would not waive his no-movement clause in order for the Ottawa Senators to protect a different player from expansion, it cause quite the rift among fans. Some defended his decision, saying that he earned the clause and has the right to use it, while others called Phaneuf selfish for not wanting to help his team and hoped he would be shipped out of town. Well, the latter half may be getting their wish as Darren Dreger of TSN reported this morning that there is trade interest in Phaneuf around the league.

While Phaneuf has four years at a $7MM cap hit remaining on his contract, the actual salary drops to just $5.5MM by the final season. His modified no-trade clause has a list of twelve teams he can be dealt to, and as Pierre LeBrun of TSN confirmed today he has re-submitted it for this season. Who is on that list remains a mystery, but it still would likely leave at least a handful of options for the Senators should they really be interested in moving him.

The Senators of course wanted Phaneuf to waive the clause in order to protect three other defensemen, and are likely willing to at least listen on trade offers because of his refusal. Cody Ceci, Marc Methot, Chris Wideman, Mark Borowiecki and Fredrik Claesson all have various cases for protection, but only one of them will be if Phaneuf isn’t moved before the lists are submitted on Saturday.

Though he has fallen quite far from the lofty heights of his early career, when he was a high-flying offensive defenseman who would jump into rushes constantly and unleash a howitzer from the point on the powerplay, Phaneuf still could help teams in a more sheltered support role, as he did in Ottawa. His cap hit is that of a first pairing all-star, but if it were balanced out by taking a bad (but not as bad) cap hit back it would be palatable for many teams around the league.

Erik Karlsson Undergoes Surgery, Given Four Month Timeline

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As expected, the Ottawa Senators announced today that captain Erik Karlsson underwent surgery to repair torn tendons in his left foot, and will now face a recovery period of four months. While the team states they are “hopeful that Erik will be fully recovered and healthy to start the 2017-18 regular season,” his training camp and season opener are seriously in doubt. A full four months would put his return in the middle of October, likely a few days after the start of the season.

Luckily, the superstar defenseman should be healed for Ottawa’s journey to Sweden during next season. The team will face off against the Colorado Avalanche in mid-November, games which Karlsson was extremely excited about when announced. More importantly maybe for the Senators, is that he won’t miss a bigger chunk of the season. He’s clearly their top player, and his absence is extremely noticeable when he’s not in the lineup.

The 27-year old Karlsson is a finalist for the Norris trophy once again as the league’s top defenseman, an award he has already won twice in his relatively short career. The runner-up last season, he is up against Victor Hedman and Brent Burns this year, both of whom eclipsed him in total points. Karlsson also amazingly got a third place vote for the Conn Smythe trophy as playoff MVP, despite his team being eliminated in the Conference Finals and playing with the torn tendons.

With just two years remaining on his current contract, Karlsson’s name will highlight next offseason as the Senators attempt to keep him for his entire career. A record-setting extension among defensemen isn’t out of the question, as he’ll be just 29 when he’s due for free agency and likely still one of the best players in the league.

Ottawa Senators Will Not Re-Sign Chris Neil

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After nearly two decades with the Ottawa Senators organization, Chris Neil has been told he will not be returning to the team next year according to Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen. He does want to play another season, meaning he’ll have to find work on the open market when he becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1st. It was clear that there is no frustration between the two sides, mutually agreeing to part ways. Chris Neil

Neil, 37, was drafted by the Senators 161st-overall in 1998 as a tough kid with some scoring chops out of the OHL, and quickly made a name for himself in the IHL after turning pro. With more than 300 penalty minutes in both of his minor league seasons, Neil also showed he could chip in on the score sheet and proved it in the NHL with 10 goals as a rookie in 2001-02. Over his career he turned into the prototypical enforcer for the new NHL, able to skate and play well enough to contribute more than just a 30-second bout and five minute major each night. In 1,026 career regular season games, Neil registered 250 points and 2,522 penalty minutes.

When he becomes an unrestricted free agent, it will be interesting to see how many teams would be willing to bring him aboard. He suited up for 53 games for the Senators this season, registering four points and seeing the fewest minutes of ice time in his whole career. He can still get under the skin of an opponent with the best of them, but didn’t fit into Guy Boucher’s stifling defensive trap well enough to deserve any real role on the team. Somewhere else, he may find a spot adding some veteran leadership and experience while “protecting” a young lineup. Steve Ott’s one-year deal with the Red Wings could be a good place to start as a comparison, which earned the aging pest $800K last season.

If he can’t find a role, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Neil move into some sort of coaching role eventually as many “tough guys” do. Garrioch writes that there has even been talk between Neil and the Senators about a role in the past, though it’s unclear if there would still be interest. Neil and his family have made a big impact on the Ottawa community, including taking over as co-chairs of Roger’s House, a children’s palliative care center, after Mike Fisher was traded to Nashville. Whether or not he’s ever connected to the Senators organization again, his impact on the people there will last much longer than his playing career.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Dion Phaneuf Not Expected To Waive NMC

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Even though he was asked to waive his no-movement clause in order for the Ottawa Senators to protect a different defenseman, Bob McKenzie of TSN reports that Dion Phaneuf is expected to refuse the request. He will not waive, and thus will require automatic protection in the expansion draft should he remain on the roster when the protection lists are submitted on Saturday evening.

Phaneuf is one of the most interesting cases among players asked to waive, as his contract only contains a limited no-trade clause that allows him to block deals to all but ten teams. That’s how the Maple Leafs executed the previous deal that sent him to Ottawa, and how the Senators could potentially move him again in order to protect someone else. Currently, the team will have to choose between Marc Methot and Cody Ceci for the final defensive slot if they go with the 7-3-1 protection method, with Chris Wideman and Mark Borowiecki having cases of their own.

Ottawa could go with the eight skater protection method, but that would leave several interesting forwards available. Obviously the team hoped that Phaneuf would waive the clause, assuming his contract would be protection enough against selection. As we discussed back in February when it was first suggested that the team would ask him, there is no guarantee that Vegas would pass up a former Norris finalist and Maple Leafs captain even with his hefty cap hit. The 32-year old Phaneuf comes with a $7MM cap hit for the next four seasons, but his actual salary drops to $5.5MM by the final season.

The Senators will now have to figure out which direction they take. Do they move Phaneuf (if they can) and take whatever asset they can get for him, or risk watching another good defenseman walk out the door for free. There is always the option of making a side-deal with Vegas, something that many teams around the league may have to do.

Keith Yandle, Dion Phaneuf Asked To Waive No-Movement Clauses

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With the Expansion Draft fast approaching, many players are expected to be approached themselves about waiving the No-Movement clauses attached to their contracts as their teams look to strategically navigate the strict expansion process. In his weekly “30 Thoughts” article posted this afternoon, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman states that he has heard that two big-name defenseman, Dion Phaneuf and Keith Yandle, have already been asked for such a waiver by their respective teams.

The news on Phaneuf is not unexepected; in fact many people have suspected all season long that the Ottawa Senators may ask the veteran to waive his No-Movement clause. The Senators have too much forward depth to apply the eight-skater protection scheme for the Expansion Draft and must instead use the 7-3 scheme. Thus, only three Ottawa defenseman can be protected. All-world blue liner Erik Karlsson is an obvious lock and presumably the other two spots would go to shutdown two-way man Marc Methot and young Cody Ceci if Phaneuf does choose to waive. If he doesn’t, the Sens would face a difficult choice between the two or would be forced into striking a trade over the next week. Phaneuf’s situation is interesting in that he actually outscored Ceci and Methot combined in 2016-17 and he has was more or less a complete success in his first full season in Ottawa, capped off by a strong playoff. The ideal scenario for Ottawa is to retain all three defenseman, but after the season that Phaneuf had, as well as his status as a well-known player, it could entice the Golden Knights and a waiver could mean the Senators end up losing their second-best defenseman. On the other hand, exposing Ceci, and to some extent Methot, would almost ensure losing either of them as well.

The situation with Yandle is a much bigger story. The Florida Panthers acquired Yandle’s negotiating rights from the New York Rangers around this time last year and inked him to a massive seven-year, $44.45MM contract. Yandle bypassed free agency and potentially more money to become the long-term partner of Calder-winner Aaron Ekblad and, at age 30, seemed poised to be a Panther for the rest of his career. Now it seems that might not be true. After just one year, Florida appears open to moving on from Yandle. The Panthers face a difficult expansion scenario on defense with, like the Senators, too many promising forwards to protect four defenseman. Even if they could, Florida would really like to protect five: Ekblad, Yandle, Jason Demers, another 2016 free agency splurge, and young play-makers Alex Petrovic and Mark Pysyk. All five defenseman meet the number of games needed (40 this past season or 70 over the past two seasons) to qualify for the one-defenseman exposure quota, but Petrovic and Pysyk are impending restricted free agents and the other half of the exposure criteria is term remaining on a contract. Thus, only Ekblad, Yandle, or Demers could fill the quota, unless Petrovic, Pysyk, or Jakub Kindl were re-signed just to be exposed. With Ekblad untouchable and Yandle having a No-Movement clause, at this time Demers is the only choice to be the sacrificial lamb. Vegas will surely have some interest in the 28-year-old righty, whether it be to lead their own defense or to flip to another suitor. However, by asking Yandle to waive his clause, it appears that Florida is instead leaning toward keeping Demers to themselves. Why? In his first season with Florida, Yandle did play in all 82 games and recorded 41 points, a good season by any measure, but it was in fact the worst production of any full season to date for the 11-year veteran. The Panthers may be worried that, at 30-years-old, Yandle is already on the decline, while Demers and his cap hit of nearly $2MM less for four more years may be a better investment. It will be interesting to see whether Yandle indeed waives his clause or not, but make no mistake: like Demers, if Yandle is exposed he will be an easy choice for Vegas to select to either highlight their blue line or trade to a contender.

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