Senators Notes: Ceci, Defense, Brassard
Defenseman Cody Ceci is Ottawa’s final remaining restricted free agent but new GM Pierre Dorion expects to get a deal done within the next few weeks. Dorion and Ceci’s agent J.P. Barry have been in contact regularly, as most recently as Thursday when both sides exchanged e-mails, according to TSN’s Ian Mendes.
Part of the delay in getting a deal done is the large variety of terms that are being discussed. Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun reports that Ceci is seeking a six year deal that would carry a cap hit in the $4MM range while the Sens prefer a two year bridge contract between $2.8MM and $3MM per season. The salary cap won’t be a factor in getting a new deal done as Ottawa has just shy of $8.8MM in cap space according to Cap Friendly.
In a discussion with local media on Friday, Dorion had the following to say regarding the term of a potential new deal:
“We’ve talked multiple years and situations, whether it’s one up to six (years). Those are all things we are still looking at. But we’re keying on a certain number of years and we’ll see what happens from there.”
Ceci is coming off of the best season of his young career; he recorded 26 points in 75 games while averaging a career high 19:18 per game in ice time. It’s expected that he’ll start next season alongside veteran Dion Phaneuf on Ottawa’s second pairing.
[Related: Senators’ Depth Chart]
More news and notes regarding the Senators:
- Dorion stated that the team is currently attempting to add another veteran defenseman to bolster their NHL depth. He has reportedly been in contact with several free agents as well as some teams who may have some excess at that position. Another potential alternative would be to wait until training camp and see who hits the waiver wire as there are often NHL-caliber depth blueliners exposed by other teams.
- In a separate piece from Garrioch, Dorion also spoke on Friday about Derick Brassard, who was acquired by Ottawa last month in a package involving Mika Zibanejad. He noted that he got the ball rolling on that trade in one of his first days as GM and that the deal was close at the draft but the asking price was still a bit higher for Ottawa’s liking at that time. Many believe that the Senators could lose the deal long-term but Dorion felt that getting Brassard makes them a much better team now which was important as he believes the team can win in the short-term. The GM also said that another key element to the deal was the fact that Brassard is a left-shooting center, something the team had been seeking for a while. Brassard is expected to begin next season alongside Bobby Ryan on Ottawa’s second line.
Snapshots: Sakic, Roy, Subban, Puempel
After an unusual delay, the Colorado Avalanche have released a statement on the resignation of former head coach Patrick Roy. GM Joe Sakic wished Roy luck, and said the team will begin searching for their new coach immediately.
Here’s some more to think about as you process this surprising day:
- Staying with the Roy news, Sportsnet’s John Shannon tweeted today, further fueling talk of a rift between Avalanche GM Joe Sakic and his former coach. Shannon reports that the two weren’t even speaking during the free agency period.
- Elliott Friedman appeared on the NHL Network a few weeks ago. As transcribed by Chris Nichols for Today’s Slapshot, Friedman believes that the Canadiens made a conscious decision to trade P.K. Subban before his no-trade clause kicked in on July 1st of this year. Friedman also quotes a Canadiens player saying that the management and coaching staff believe the team is mentally and physically “soft.”
- Bob Duff at the Ottawa Citizen spoke to Senators forward Matt Puempel today. Puempel stressed his desire to play regularly in the NHL. He also discussed the organizational changes, and how that may affect his chances of making the team. Puempel, 23, was a first round pick of the Senators in 2011. He has scored four goals, six points in 39 NHL games over the last two seasons.
Roster Crunch: Atlantic Division
Over the past few days, we’ve looked at the final few spots on the roster for both the Pacific and Central divisions. This time, we’ll turn our attention to the East starting with the Atlantic. This division will be in turmoil over the next few years, with clubs like the Buffalo Sabres and Toronto Maple Leafs going through slow, deliberate rebuilds, and perennial contending squads like the Detroit Red Wings finally starting to slow down.
Florida Panthers – While the Panthers have pretty much accomplished everything they set out to do this off-season – improving the blueline with Keith Yandle and Jason Demers, getting a capable replacement for Roberto Luongo in James Reimer, and locking up their young core – they failed in one, big $5.5MM way. Dave Bolland failed his physical and therefor couldn’t be bought out. He’ll try to prove he deserves some playing time this season, but may find himself buried in the AHL to make room for Jared McCann, the prize Florida received when they dealt Erik Gudbranson to the Canucks.
Salary Cap Report: Atlantic Division
As the hockey world takes its collective breath before the World Cup, training camps, and the regular season begins, most teams have checked off their boxes and marked their ledgers. There are some teams not finished, as trades or financial meandering will be necessary due to cap crunches. Others have plenty of room.
We’ll start with the Atlantic Division, which houses the team with the greatest amount of red ink in terms of cap space–the Detroit Red Wings. Some interesting notes:
- The Canadiens inherited the Weber contract from Nashville via the Subban trade.
- The Panthers highest cap hit, Keith Yandle, was signed in June after being acquired from the New York Rangers.
- The Red Wings will place the contracts of Johan Franzen and Joe Vitale on the LTIR while the Maple Leafs do the same with Nathan Horton‘s.
- Steven Stamkos avoided a free agent bonanza when he re-upped with the Lightning prior to July 1.
The specifics are below:
- Boston Bruins
Cap Space Remaining: $6,731,666
Greatest Cap Hit: David Krejci: $7.25MM - Buffalo Sabres
Cap Space Remaining: $8,150,476
Greatest Cap Hit: Ryan O’Reilly: $7.5MM - Detroit Red Wings
Cap Space Remaining: -$4,238,712
Greatest Cap Hit: Henrik Zetterberg: $6.083MM - Florida Panthers
Cap Space Remaining: $4,329,167
Greatest Cap Hit: Keith Yandle: $6.35MM - Montreal Canadiens
Cap Space Remaining: $855,357
Greatest Cap Hit: Shea Weber: $7.86MM - Ottawa Senators
Cap Space Remaining: $8,780,833
Greatest Cap Hit: Bobby Ryan: $7.25MM - Tampa Bay Lightning
Cap Hit Remaining: $6,591,666
Greatest Cap Hit: Steven Stamkos: $8.5MM
- Toronto Maple Leafs
Cap Hit Remaining: $435,000
Greatest Cap Hit: Nathan Horton: $5.3MM
Snap Shots: Vermette, Havlat, Oilers, Vegas
Yesterday, Arizona Coyotes GM John Chayka made the somewhat surprising decision to place veteran center Antoine Vermette on waivers for the purpose of buying out the final year of his contract. By all accounts Vermette didn’t have his best season in 2015-16 but still netted 38 points, including 16 on the power play, in 76 games. But in the club’s release announcing the move, Chayka cited the desire to give opportunities to some of the organization’s young players, including perhaps top prospects Christian Dvorak and Dylan Strome.
Regardless of why he’s now available, a player with Vermette’s track record is likely going to draw a fair amount of interest from other clubs. However, the Boston Bruins should not be among those teams, at least that’s the opinion of Joe Haggerty writing for CSNNE.com.
Haggerty argues that signing the 34-year-old Vermette doesn’t mesh with the Bruins’ desire to get younger. I’d argue there isn’t much of a fit in Bean Town since the Bruins already boast Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci at the center position. The team also added David Backes as a free agent and he comes with plenty of experience in the middle. Even if they decided to play Backes on the wing, Boston lists 24-year-old Ryan Spooner as a center and he is coming off a career high 49-point season. There just doesn’t seem to be room for Vermette on this roster.
Now, more from around the league.
- The list of available free agents may increase by one as Allan Walsh, the agent for former NHLer Martin Havlat, has indicated via tweet his client is currently training with HC Kometa Brno in the Czech League with the intent of returning to the NHL next season. Havlat appeared in just two contests for the St. Louis Blues in 2015-16 before leaving the club for “personal reasons.” He had earned a job with the team after signing a PTO in October. Prior to his abbreviated stint with St. Louis, Havlat had skated in 788 NHL games, spending time with Ottawa, Chicago, Minnesota, San Jose and New Jersey. At one point Havlat was one of the league’s top young offensive players, tallying 31 goals and 37 assists for the Senators in 2003-04, playing most of the season as a 22-year-old. Those prolific scoring days are long gone and in recent seasons Havlat has produced roughly 0.5 Pts/Game. That doesn’t mean a team won’t take a flier on the talented Czech in hopes he can produce even at that level and hold down a regular spot in their top-nine on the cheap.
- The expansion Las Vegas franchise continues to assemble its front office staff with the club announcing the hiring of Kelly McCrimmon as assistant general manager. McCrimmon, has been the majority owner, GM and head coach of the Brandon Wheat Kings of the WHL. He has won the WHL’s Executive of the Year award three times since 1995. It was reported earlier this summer that Las Vegas had requested permission from Washington to interview their assistant GM, Ross Mahoney, for the same role. Of course GM George McPhee knows Mahoney well from their days together in the Capitals front office so the potential fit was obvious. It’s not known whether Washington refused permission for Vegas to speak with Mahoney or if the club just elected to go in a different direction.
- In other management news, the Edmonton Oilers are expected to name Keith Gretzky as an assistant GM, a recent rumor all but confirmed via tweet from Bob McKenzie of TSN. Gretzky is of course the brother of Wayne and has served as the director of amateur scouting for the Boston Bruins, where he worked under current Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli. Obviously Gretzky made a good impression on Chiarelli during their time together in Boston.
Atlantic Notes: Kane, Ceci, Leafs
After turning himself in for arrest on July 22nd, Evander Kane was charged with four counts of non-criminal harassment and one count of criminal trespass which, according to Kane’s attorney Paul Cambria, he plans to plead not guilty to. Now, police documents acquired by WKBW Buffalo show (via Deadspin) sworn statements from multiple women and the bouncer at the club which the incident occurred.
“He grabbed my hair. He pulled it so hard he pulled my whole head. It hurt a lot.” claims one of the women, who also says Kane tried to force her to kiss his hand. Another woman claims that this is “how he always treats women. Aggressive and disrespectful.”
Immediately after news of the incident broke, trade speculation surrounding the former fourth-overall pick heated up, with many believing that his hometown of Vancouver would be a natural destination as they look to rebuild their club. Canucks’ beat writer Jason Botchford (The Province) fanned the flames today when he told TSN 1040 “there is no doubt about it. The Vancouver Canucks are going to be in on Evander Kane. Ownership loves Kane. Jim Benning really likes Kane. Trevor (Linden) is maybe a little ambivalent, but he can be won over.” Kane has two seasons remaining at $5.25MM, and scored just 35 points last season.
- The Ottawa Senators addressed one problem today when they re-signed RFA Mike Hoffman to a four-year deal, and will now turn their attention to defenseman Cody Ceci. Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun reports what many have thought, that Ceci is amiably working towards a deal with the Sens and will work something out before camp starts. Garrioch goes on to report that the sides are working on a two-year deal at the moment, though obviously anything can change before ink goes to paper. Ceci scored a career-high 10 goals last season and is a big part of the Senators’ top four.
- Martin Marincin represents the Toronto Maple Leafs’ last remaining arbitration case after re-signing Peter Holland and Frankie Corrado on Monday. While Marincin offers some intrigue to Leaf fans because of his improved play last year as Morgan Rielly‘s partner, there is more to his signing than meets the eye. Three days after Marincin signs (or has the arbitration dispute resolved at his August 2nd hearing), the Leafs will be awarded a second buyout window which they could use to free up some more cap space. With Jared Cowen having filed a grievance over the attempted buyout from the first window (he maintains that he’s still rehabbing an injury sustained during the season, which would make him exempt from any buyout), the team may be waiting until it’s resolved in order to use the second buyout to terminate his contract. Joffrey Lupul, Milan Michalek, Colin Greening and Brooks Laich all remain as other possible options for the second buyout window, should the Maple Leafs choose to use it.
Ottawa Signs Mike Hoffman To Four-Year Deal
After a long negotiation, the Ottawa Senators have come to an agreement with restricted free agent Mike Hoffman on a four-year deal worth $5.188MM per season. Elliotte Friedman was the first to report the deal, and also gave us the financial breakdown; Hoffman will earn $3.8MM next season, and $5.65MM for the three following years.
Hoffman was set to go to arbitration on August 4th, his second time through the process. Last summer, the two sides couldn’t come to an agreement before the hearing, which resulted in a $2MM decision from the arbitrator. This will obviously be a substantial raise for the 26-year old, one he has clearly earned.
2014-15 was the first full NHL season for Hoffman, and he responded in kind, with 27 goals and 48 points, helping the Senators to an unexpected playoff berth. Last year, arbitration seemed to light an even bigger fire under him, as he improved in almost every category. 29 goals and 59 points this time for Hoffman, and he’d established himself as a top-flight scoring forward deserved of a long-term deal.
If his development continues, it won’t be surprising to see Hoffman break the 30-goal plateau this season. His new deal is strikingly similar to the one another young RFA signed recently, when Brayden Schenn took four-years and $20.5MM from the Flyers, just $250K less than Hoffman’s deal. Schenn actually has a longer track record, is almost two years younger and is coming off a higher salary last season, making his deal look even more impressive for Philadelphia, but Hoffman’s goal totals give him the edge going forward.
The Senators now find themselves down to just a single unsigned RFA in Cody Ceci, with plenty of room left under the cap (the team operates on an internal budget, and will not hit the cap ceiling). After dealing for Dion Phaneuf last season, and sending Mika Zibanejad to New York for Derick Brassard, it looks as though the Senators are trying extremely hard to make the playoffs again next year, and owner Eugene Melnyk said as much just a few months ago.
If they get off to a rough start in 2016-17, it could be a fire-sale in Ottawa, as the front office has been very critical of the players on the ice. With an all-world player in Erik Karlsson entering his prime (as if he wasn’t in it already), the team needs to focus on the next few years.
Snapshots: Versteeg, Senators, Red Wings
Darren Dreger tweets that unrestricted free agent Kris Versteeg may be leaving the NHL for the Swiss League. Versteeg is rumored to be heading to Bern and it could happen sometime this weekend. PHR listed Versteeg at #25 out of the top 50 free agents. Last season, Versteeg had 33 points (11-22) in 63 games with Carolina. While with Los Angeles after a late February trade, he had 5 points (4-1) in 14 games. In the playoffs, Versteeg registered 2 points (1-1) in five games.
In other news:
- NHL.com featured the Ottawa Senators as a team to watch in the Eastern Conference. Arpon Basu writes that with new coach Guy Boucher in the fold, the Sens look to return to the playoffs after missing out last season. Boucher’s first order, Basu writes, is to improve a team that hemorrhaged goals. Despite a younger team, general manager Pierre Dorion feels the Sens are poised to take the next step. Dorion recently added Derick Brassard in a trade with New York and believes that the Senators are “going to surprise some people.”
- MLive’s Brendan Savage writes about recently acquired forward Dylan Sadowy, and his ascent through the OHL. Sadowy was acquired by the Red Wings from the Sharks for a 2017 third round draft pick after the Sharks realized they were not going to come to terms with Sadowy. The young forward turned some heads in prospect camp when he notched a hat trick during a scrimmage. But it’s the impressive numbers he put up as a member of the Barrie Colts and Saginaw Spirit that caught the Wings attention. Between both teams last season, Sadowy recorded 70 points (45-25) in 64 games. Despite the scoring prowess, Sadowy indicates that he wants to be a two-way player. While a number of forwards are in his way, Savage writes that Sadowy still intends to do whatever it takes to make the Red Wings roster. Even though it would be a tall order with a number of forwards already penciled in, Sadowy will work hard to make his NHL dream a reality.
Arbitration Tracker
Ten days ago, the NHLPA released the schedule for player and team-elected arbitration hearings. Since then, four hearing dates have come and gone with no hearings, with eight players agreeing to contracts to avoid the unpleasant process.
Here’s an updated list of all 24 players who were scheduled for an arbitration hearing:
Player Elected Filings:
Arizona Coyotes
Michael Stone – Stone and the tough-negotiating Coyotes have a hearing set for August 4.
Colorado Avalanche
Tyson Barrie – Hearing set for July 29. Barrie has been the subject of near-constant trade rumors this summer.
Mikhail Grigorenko – Agreed to a one-year, $1.3MM contract on July 20, just two days before the scheduled hearing.
Detroit Red Wings
Jared Coreau – Agreed to a two-year, $1.25MM contract on July 6, well before any hearings were scheduled.
Danny DeKeyser – Signed a six-year deal on July 26th, locking him up long-term for the Red Wings.
Minnesota Wild
Jordan Schroeder – The Wild signed Schroeder to a one-year, two-way deal on July 23rd worth $675K in the NHL and $275K in the AHL.
Nashville Predators
Petter Granberg – Signed a two-year, two-way deal worth $575K / $175K (300K guaranteed) in the first year, and $650K / $175K in the second.
Calle Jarnkrok – Signed a six-year, $12MM deal July 27th.
New York Rangers
Kevin Hayes – Signed a two-year, $5.2MM deal Friday afternoon, hours after Kreider.
Chris Kreider – The Rangers and Kreider agreed to a four-year, $18.5MM contract Friday morning, beating the scheduled 9am arbitration meeting.
Dylan McIlrath – The massive defender signed a one-year, $800k contract last week, beating his hearing by a week.
J.T. Miller – World Cup-bound Miller and the Rangers settled on a two-year, $2.75MM contract on July 13.
Ottawa Senators
Mike Hoffman – After a long negotiation, the Senators and Hoffman agreed to a four-year, $20.75MM deal on July 27th.
Philadelphia Flyers
Brandon Manning – Manning got an unexpected second year in his two-year, $1.95MM deal he signed on July 26th.
Brayden Schenn – Schenn and the Flyers agreed to a four-year deal worth $5.125MM AAV.
Jordan Weal – Acquired by the Flyers in the Vincent Lecavalier trade, Weal signed a one-year, two-way, $650K contract the day the arbitration schedule was released.
St. Louis Blues
Jaden Schwartz – The Blues signed their young star to a five-year, $5.5MM contract last week.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Alex Killorn – The clutch playoff performer signed a long-term extension over the weekend, agreeing to $4.45MM per year for seven seasons.
Vladislav Namestnikov – World Cup-bound forward signed a two-year deal worth $1.9375MM on July 26th, three days before arbitration hearing.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Frank Corrado – Toronto signed Corrado to a one-year, one-way deal worth $600K on July 25.
Peter Holland – Holland signed a one-year deal worth $1.3MM on July 25.
Martin Marincin – The promising young shut-down defenseman is scheduled for arbitration on August 2.
Washington Capitals
Marcus Johansson – Johansson agreed to a three-year, $4.58MM contract just minutes before his hearing was set to begin.
CLUB ELECTED FILINGS:
Detroit Red Wings
Petr Mrazek – Just before his hearing on July 27th, Mrazek and the Red Wings inked a two-year, $8MM deal. With Jimmy Howard still earning $5.3MM for next season, the duo is one of the more expensive in the league.
We’ve previously explained the arbitration process as part of our Capology 101 series. Check out our Mike Furlano’s articles on eligibility and the arbitration process.
Free Agent Profile: Dan Boyle
Free agent defenseman Dan Boyle, who spent last year with the New York Rangers, is still searching for a contract. Boyle, 40, was ranked #42 on our list of the top 50 NHL unrestricted free agents this year. It seems unlikely he’ll return to the New York Rangers next year, despite the cap space they’ve cleared, given that they already have eight defensemen under contract, and four of them are right hand shots.
Still, Boyle has been a useful contributor his entire career, and remains so, despite going undrafted. Last year he put up 10 goal, and added 14 assists. His possession numbers were strong relative to a brutal possession team. Boyle won an Olympic gold medal playing for Canada in 2o10, and a Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2004. He’s on the smaller side, especially for defensemen, at 5’11”, but he’s always moved the puck well.
Potential Suitors
The Edmonton Oilers have been searching for help on the right side of their defense all summer, with just Mark Fayne and Adam Larsson there currently. The Toronto Maple Leafs bid for his services when he was last a free agent in 2014, and also look to need depth on defense, but the return of Roman Polak on the right side probably rules then out. His hometown Ottawa Senators could use right-side depth after Erik Karlsson, but it’s worth noting that they’ll likely give Cody Ceci every opportunity to fill the second pairing role. None of these teams seem especially appealing to Boyle, given their recent struggles. At his age, he’s likely to want to play for a serious contender.
That said, the Dallas Stars, winners of the Central division title, only have John Klingberg among right handed defensemen with significant NHL experience, though Stephen Johns, with 14 games played in the NHL, is under contract. The Philadelphia Flyers, who’ve been carrying many puck moving defensemen of late, may have a use for him. They have seven defensemen under contract, with Brandon Manning still to sign, but none outside of Radko Gudas play right handed, and several don’t appear to be locks for playing time.
Projected Contract
Boyle should be looking at a one-year contract at around $2MM, given that he’s still productive, but comes with a certain amount of risk as a 40 year-old defenseman. Still, he’s got enough rare qualities, his ability to carry the puck, his ability from the right hand side, that teams looking to balance their defense should seriously consider picking him up a a stop-gap option.