Free Agent Focus: Pittsburgh Penguins
Free agency is less than a month away and teams are looking ahead to when it opens. There will be several impact players set to hit the open market in July while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign as well. We continue our look around the NHL with an overview of the free agent situation for the Penguins.
Key Restricted Free Agents
F Drew O’Connor – O’Connor finally established himself as a full time NHLer last season after struggling to do so the two previous years. While his five goals and six assists in 46 games hardly knocked down the door, his play away from the puck was very strong. His ability to get around the ice plays very well in head coach Mike Sullivan’s up-tempo system.
O’Connor began last season in the AHL because of the Penguins salary cap issues but was quickly called up to begin the year. His AHL numbers were terrific as he was able to put up 22 points in 20 games and dominated large stretches of these games by utilizing his strong first step and large frame. Last month at the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Championship O’Connor found himself centering the second line of the United States team and was able to show some offensive prowess as he put up eight points in 10 games.
If O’Connor can find more of an edge to his game, he could be an effective bottom six forward with a power element. He will likely be looking at a one or a two-year deal at around the NHL minimum as he tries to continue to establish himself as an NHL regular.
F Ryan Poehling – Poehling battled a lot of injuries this past season and it created a lost season for the 24-year-old who came over to Pittsburgh from the Montreal Canadiens in the Jeff Petry/Mike Matheson trade last summer. Not much attention was paid to Poehling, but he was one of the few bright spots in Pittsburgh’s bottom six forward group. Poehling put up seven goals and seven assists in 53 games, and while those numbers are pedestrian, he did that in less than 12 minutes of ice time per game and spent nearly 1/3 of his ice time killing penalties.
Overall, there is a lot to like about Poehling’s game especially given that he will likely be playing on a cap hit that is less than $1MM.
D Ty Smith – Smith was in the unfortunate position of being forced into the AHL by a salary cap squeeze. He spent most of the season in the AHL where he put up seven goals and 17 assists in 39 games. Those aren’t bad numbers but given that former general manager Ron Hextall acquired Smith for John Marino, his numbers leave a lot to be desired. Smith did have a cup of coffee in Pittsburgh drawing into nine games in the NHL where he put up a goal and three assists while struggling in the defensive zone.
As it stands right now Smith will need a new contract and should start the year with the big club. The Penguins currently have a hole on the line side of their defense and could look to Smith to occupy a spot on their bottom pairing. He is still a very capable puck moving defenseman and given the fact that he is just 23 years old his best hockey is likely in front of him. Smith will probably get a two-year bridge deal for around $800K.
Key Unrestricted Free Agents
G Tristan Jarry – Tristan Jarry had arguably the worst season of his career at the most inopportune time. Jarry battled inconsistencies and injuries throughout the year and never seemed to find his footing after suffering an injury at the outdoor game in Boston. He did battle until the end of the year but couldn’t find enough consistency in his game to will the Penguins into the playoffs. Jarry went 24-13-7 on the year with a .909 save percentage and a 2.90 goals against average.
Despite his poor showing last season, he is still likely the best available option on the open market. Given his positioning it has been rumored in Pittsburgh that Jarry is looking for a contract in the range of six years with an average annual value of $6MM. The Penguins would be wise to avoid that kind of a commitment for a goaltender who has been unable to provide consistent goaltending from one year to the next.
D Brian Dumoulin – Dumoulin was a lightning rod for criticism early in the season and rightfully so, he was abysmal in November and December and was continuously put in high leverage situations despite his obvious struggles. Eventually he was demoted from the top pairing to the third pairing, and he began to find some semblance of his game as the year went on. Dumoulin was substantially better towards the end of the year, but he was still just a shell of his former self. Despite these issues, Dumoulin put up a career high 25 points and dressed in all 82 games for the first time in his career.
His free agency will be fascinating to watch as he was largely viewed by the fans in Pittsburgh as a big reason why the team couldn’t find any traction. Despite this, it is very possible an NHL team will look as his pedigree and deem him the perfect veteran compliment to a young defensive core. For this reason, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Dumoulin sign a two- or three-year contract for around $3MM annually.
F Jason Zucker – Zucker struggled with injuries and poor play during his first few years in Pittsburgh. Despite these issues he still was the heart and soul of the Penguins and one of the few forwards in Pittsburgh who was willing to engage the opponent physically. Zucker had the second-best season of his career notching 27 goals and 21 assists in 78 games while sometimes being the only spark the Penguins could find as they were falling out of playoff contention.
His free agency will also be quite interesting because he does have a history of being an inspiring player who can pick up his teammates, but on the other side of things he is injury prone and can’t drive a line. Zucker’s ask will likely be in the $5MM-$6MM range per season on a three or a four-year contract. Pittsburgh would be wise to avoid that kind of commitment but given that the team will likely be a lottery team in a few years, they might not care about the term if they can secure the player for the last few years of the Sidney Crosby/Evgeni Malkin era.
Other UFAs: F Josh Archibald, F Nick Bonino, F Danton Heinen, D Dmitry Kulikov
Projected Cap Space
Kyle Dubas was hired in Pittsburgh to get the Penguins aging core back into Stanley Cup contention. It’s a tall task given the state of the Penguins roster as currently constructed. While the team had some obvious flaws last season, there is enough cap space and flexibility available to make some significant changes. Dubas will have just over $20MM in cap space this summer with 15 players already locked into NHL money. That may seem like plenty of room, but the Penguins have a glaring need in net that could eat up a third of that cap space. The team could free up significant room with a Mikael Granlund buyout and could also move on from expensive bottom pairing defenseman Jan Rutta.
The Penguins had one of the worst bottom six groups in the NHL last season and will likely look to use some of their additional cap space to improve in this area. Dubas has always been good at finding value and given where the Penguins are at he will need to work his magic once again this summer if Pittsburgh is going to get back into the hunt for the Stanley Cup.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.
Pierre-Luc Dubois Has Requested A Trade
Pierre LeBrun of TSN Insider Trading is reporting that the agent for Winnipeg Jets forward Pierre-Luc Dubois’ has informed the club that he isn’t interested in signing any type of contract extension with the team, not even a one year deal that would take him to unrestricted free agency. The timing of the news is a little bit surprising as Gary Bettman doesn’t like these types of stories to break during the Stanley Cup final, however the news itself is one of the worst kept secrets in the NHL.
Dubois reportedly told the Jets last summer that he had no intention of signing a long-term deal to stay in Winnipeg and it appears that the 24-year-old is staying true to his word. Dubois had 27 goals and 36 assists in 73 games this season after signing a one year $6MM contract last summer. He helped lead the Jets to the postseason this year, but it appears that he would prefer his time in Manitoba come to a close sooner rather than later.
Dubois is just one year away from being free to sign with anyone. However, he is under Winnipeg’s control for next season as a restricted free agent and may have handcuffed the Jets if they were to shop him in the trade market. Winnipeg could move on and try to facilitate a trade to meet Dubois request, or they could take him to arbitration and accept a one-year deal and lose him as a free agent next summer. While neither option is great for the Jets, it could be a launching pad for a lot of movement this summer. The Jets have quite a few very talented players that are approaching unrestricted free agency and may either opt to take one more run at a cup or begin a painful rebuild.
Superstar netminder Connor Hellebuyck, former captain Blake Wheeler, and center Mark Scheifele are all unrestricted free agents next summer and with a potential exodus on the horizon general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff may decide that the more palatable option is to jump start the rebuild now and bring in a boatload of young controllable talent.
Dallas Stars Extend Alex Petrovic
In a press release this evening, the Dallas Stars announced that the team has signed defenseman Alexander Petrovic to a one-year, two-way contract extension. The deal will pay Petrovic a total of $775K at the NHL level, and $375K at the AHL level.
Petrovic has had an important role in the Stars organization over the last several seasons despite not playing a game in Dallas. In 142 games spent with the Texas Stars of the AHL, Petrovic has scored a total of 14 goals and 32 assists, providing a good level of leadership to an otherwise young roster.
Before landing in Texas, Petrovic actually had quite a consistent career spent between the Florida Panthers and the Edmonton Oilers. In the entirety of his career at the NHL level, Petrovic has played in 263 games, scoring five goals and 45 assists overall. It has been quite some time since Petrovic suited up at the game’s highest level, as his last game was with the Oilers back in 2019.
Due to the general health of the Stars’ defensemen, Petrovic hasn’t quite had the opportunity to play a game for Dallas. However, this summer, it’s expected that fellow-defenseman Joel Hanley will be leaving the Stars via unrestricted free agency, therefore giving Petrovic more of an opportunity as a potential call-up option next season.
Blackhawks Extend Andreas Athanasiou
PuckPedia is reporting that the Chicago Blackhawks have signed pending unrestricted free agent forward, Andreas Athanasiou, to a 2-year, $8.5MM contract extension. Heading into this summer, Athanasiou was one of only a few Blackhawks scheduled to hit the open market.
In a few weeks, the expectation is that Chicago will select generational prospect, Connor Bedard, with the first overall selection of the 2023 NHL Draft. With the extension of Athanasiou, one of Bedard’s linemates should already be in place.
Originally signed by the Blackhawks to a 1-year, $3MM contract last offseason, it was expected that Chicago might peddle Athanasiou at the 2023 Trade Deadline, but decided to hold onto the forward instead. In 81 games for the Blackhawks this year, Athanasiou had a solid season, scoring 20 goals and 20 assists.
Primarily being known as a goal-scorer throughout his career, Athanasiou has managed to hit the 30-goal mark once, coming back in the 2018-19 season with the Detroit Red Wings. With the prospect of playing on a line with the NHL’s next big superstar, Athanasiou should be able to build on a productive season.
Free Agent Focus: Philadelphia Flyers
Free agency is less than a month away and teams are looking ahead to when it opens. There will be several impact players set to hit the open market in July while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign as well. We continue our look around the NHL with an overview of the free agent situation for the Philadelphia Flyers.
Key Restricted Free Agents
F Morgan Frost – In a season to forget for Philadelphia, Frost was one of the few bright spots on the team. Receiving around a two-minute bump in average ice time per game under new head coach, John Tortorella, Frost became one of the better offensive players on the roster.
In 81 games played, the young forward had 19 goals and 27 assists, putting him in fourth place in team scoring. Playing in a system under Tortorella, Frost also did very well defensively, earning 37 takeaways and a Corsi For % of 51.4.
The team already kicked off the ensuing rebuild by trading Ivan Provorov to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday morning, and players like Frost, Joel Farabee, and Owen Tippett should lead the way for the next contending Flyers’ team. This summer, Frost will likely receive a short-term offer from the Flyers, given that new General Manager Daniel Briere still has plenty of work to do in cultivating a winning team.
D Cameron York – Earlier this season, York seemingly forced Philadelphia’s hand in calling him up full-time. In 20 games played for their AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, York scored one goal and 11 assists, some very good numbers for a 22-year-old.
Although not playing a full season this year in the NHL, the University of Michigan product played very well for the Flyers, scoring two goals and 18 assists in 54 games. Also, for a team that finished 23rd in the NHL in GA/G, York finished with a solid net rating of -1.
Already averaging over 19 minutes a game this season, York should only receive more playing time next year in light of Philadelphia trading Provorov. York’s youth, edgework, vision, and overall hockey sense should have the Flyers’ considering him a building block for the future.
Other RFAs: F Kieffer Bellows, F Noah Cates, F Evan Barratt, F Olle Lycksell, D Ronald Attard, D Wyatte Wylie, G Ivan Fedotov
Key Unrestricted Free Agents
F James van Riemsdyk – Almost traded to the Detroit Red Wings at the 2023 Trade Deadline, van Riemsdyk should not be expected back in Philadelphia next season. Playing out the entirety of the 5-year, $35MM contract he signed with the Flyers back in 2018, van Riemsdyk’s age should place him outside of Philadelphia’s plans moving forward.
Unfortunately, van Riemsdyk dealt with a slew of injuries under the life of this contract, and that stayed true for the 2022-23 season. Only managing to play in 61 games this year, van Riemsdyk scored 12 goals and 17 assists, most of those coming at the beginning of the season.
For potential landing spots, there are plenty of teams that will be looking for some offensive depth this summer. Interestingly enough, the most likely landing spot for van Riemsdyk will be a Metropolitan Division rival of the Flyers, the Washington Capitals. Already employing his brother, Trevor van Riemsdyk, on defense, the Capitals could surely use more offense, finishing 20th in the league in GF/G during the 2022-23 season.
F Brendan Lemieux – Acquired at the 2023 Trade Deadline from the Los Angeles Kings, Lemieux arguably played his best hockey of the season in Philadelphia. Only playing in 18 games for the team down the stretch, Lemieux scored two goals and four assists, also throwing in 52 hits as well.
Given the nature of his game and where he would fit into almost every team’s lineup, Lemieux may not be a bad option for the Flyers moving forward. Primarily playing on the fourth line, and likely getting a relatively low-priced contract on the open market, Lemieux is not a player that would be taking away minutes from Philadelphia’s younger players.
As the Flyers go through their rebuild, Lemieux is the type of player that can still provide something exciting for fans. Not a highlight reel player by any means, Lemieux did participate in six fights this season, something that will always breed excitement in NHL crowds.
Other UFAs: F Jackson Cates, F Maxwell Willman, D Louis Belpedio, G Troy Grosenick
Projected Cap Space
Entering the offseason, the Flyers have around $6.8MM in cap space available to spend. The team will likely use a majority of this to retain Frost and York but should have plenty more available when all is said and done.
Although losing $900K in the Provorov deal, more trades should be expected in Philadelphia this summer. It would not be surprising for the team to move on from some of their other higher-priced contracts, such as forwards Kevin Hayes and Travis Konecny. For their long-term cap space, Briere will have plenty of work to do in that aspect as well, as Philadelphia still has five players signed beyond the 2025-26 NHL season.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.
NHL Announces 2023 King Clancy Trophy Finalists
In just under three weeks from today, the 2023 NHL Awards show will take place at Bridgestone Arena, home of the Nashville Predators. Most of the award finalists have been announced up to this point, however; there are still some to get through.
This afternoon, the NHL announced the three finalists for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, annually awarded to the player that “best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community“. This season, the three finalists will be Mikael Backlund (Calgary Flames), Anders Lee (New York Islanders), and Darnell Nurse (Edmonton Oilers).
As in the description, this award is heavily weighted in humanitarian work off the ice, and these three players have no shortage of that. In Backlund’s case, he and his wife have raised over $400K for the ALS Society of Alberta, a disease that his wife’s mother passed away from. Aside from that, Backlund has also been heavily involved with The Kids Cancer Care, Special Olympics Calgary, and Parachutes for Pets.
For Lee, the current captain of the Islanders, the veteran forward has become involved with a non-profit called “Jam Kancer in the Kan”, which is dedicated to helping families and children dealing with cancer. Since Lee’s involvement, the company has raised well over $2MM for families dealing with the disease. Additionally, Lee has been helping college students with academic scholarships over the last several years.
Nurse’s involvement with the community has been primarily focused on diversity and inclusion in athletics. Working for “Free Play for Kids”, Nurse has helped underprivileged communities in Canada gain access to sports in a safe and accessible way. Nurse also has a scholarship of his own, setting up the Excellence Scholarship in 2021, which is given to two students pursuing post-secondary education, annually.
Regardless of who wins this award, these three players, among others, have helped their communities in pretty incredible ways. The winner will receive a $25K donation to a charity of their choice, while the other two finalists will receive a $5K donation each.
New York Islanders Sign Eetu Liukas
The New York Islanders have signed forward Eetu Liukas to a three-year, entry-level contract, the team announced today. PuckPedia reports his contract carries a cap hit of $867,500 with the following breakdown in all three seasons: $775,000 base salary, $92,500 signing bonus, $57,500 games played bonus, and a minors salary of $80,000.
One of the few power forward prospects in the league, Liukas never shies away from physical play and, at age 20, already stands at 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds. The Islanders selected him in the fifth round, 157th overall, of the 2021 NHL Draft.
Last season was Liukas’ second full pro season, spent with Liiga club HPK after many years with the TPS organization. He recorded the first double-digit goal total of his pro career, scoring 14 goals and 23 points in 58 games while also leading the league in penalty minutes with 104.
Internationally, Liukas suited up for Finland at the 2022 Men’s World Juniors, logging two assists in six appearances.
In 2021, Elite Prospects described Liukas as playing a “physical north-south game, and [he] takes to his role with a great deal of enthusiasm. He’s never seen an opportunity to play the body that was too good to pass up. He’s got a pretty heavy shot, too; his one-timer, in particular, does serious damage.”
Liukas was under contract with HPK for next season. It’s unclear whether the Islanders will bring him over to play with their AHL affiliate in Bridgeport in 2023-24 or loan him back to Finland.
Los Angeles Kings Extend Vladislav Gavrikov
The Los Angeles Kings and defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov have agreed to terms on a two-year contract extension, as per Gavrikov’s agent, Dan Milstein. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports the deal carries a $5.875MM cap hit, and will make him an unrestricted free agent in 2025. PuckPedia reports the breakdown of the contract as follows:
2023-24: $775,000 salary, $5.725MM signing bonus, full no-movement clause
2024-25: $775,000 salary, $4.475MM signing bonus, full no-movement clause
By signing Gavrikov, the Kings take one of the top pending UFA defenders off the board. They were able to make the transaction work by clearing goalie Cal Petersen‘s buried cap hit off the books, dealing him to the Philadelphia Flyers in a complex swap yesterday.
Los Angeles acquired Gavrikov, along with netminder Joonas Korpisalo, from the Columbus Blue Jackets in March in exchange for a first- and second-round pick, as well as goalie Jonathan Quick who was moved in the deal for salary cap purposes. Gavrikov fit right in with the Kings down the stretch, notching nine points in 20 games, averaging over 21 minutes a night, and posting some of the best advanced defensive metrics among Kings defenders post-deadline (and, especially, in their playoff loss against the Edmonton Oilers).
Columbus selected Gavrikov in the sixth round of the 2015 NHL Draft after he was passed over the year prior. It took another four years for Gavrikov to head to North America, signing his entry-level deal near the end of the 2018-19 campaign and making his NHL debut in the playoffs.
It’s been a strong run for Gavrikov since, who developed into Columbus’ top shutdown defender in a short time while developing solid offensive play too. The latter half of that statement was a bit of a surprise – his 33 points in 80 games with Columbus in 2021-22 was his highest total in any documented league dating back to his junior days.
But his two-way acumen was on full display in a Kings uniform, taking on more than just a defensive specialist’s role. If he can keep up his post-March play for the duration of this contract, it’s a solid bit of business by the Kings.
It is a bit of interesting business, given the short-term nature of the deal. Two-year extensions aren’t all that common for high-caliber pending UFAs, to the point where CapFriendly notes not a single highly comparable contract to Gavrikov’s has been signed dating back to 2013.
The deal also allows the Kings to make room on their blueline for their large group of young prospects, many of whom should be ready for larger roles upon Gavrikov’s expiration in 2025.
Snapshots: Panthers Injuries, Johansson, Dadonov
It appears the Florida Panthers won’t be without Radko Gudas in their lineup for too long. After leaving Game 2 (which he was already doubtful for with a separate injury) of the Stanley Cup Final after a hard hit from Golden Knights forward Ivan Barbashev, Panthers head coach Paul Maurice expects Gudas to be ready for Game 3 tomorrow night.
Both Gudas and winger Eetu Luostarinen, who hasn’t played at all in this series, were absent from Panthers practice this morning. Luostarinen isn’t expected to return for Game 3 but remains day-to-day with a lower-body injury.
Box stats say Gudas has only played a marginal role in Florida’s storybook run, playing just 17 minutes a game and registering three assists, but his physical style and game-changing hits have propelled the Panthers to some key moments in this postseason. That’s not to discount his actual defensive play — which has been, along with his partner Josh Mahura, the best of Florida’s three usual pairings.
More from around the NHL today:
- Earlier in the offseason, SHL club Färjestad BK announced they had signed pending Colorado Avalanche UFA netminder Jonas Johansson, bringing him back to his home country. Less than a month later, however, they’ve already terminated the deal, citing Johansson’s belief he could get another NHL opportunity before 2023-24 begins. While the road has been rocky for the 27-year-old Swede, Johansson had his best pro season to date in 2022-23, playing a career-high 26 AHL games after bouncing up and down between leagues and recording a .920 save percentage.
- The Anaheim Ducks attempted to acquire Evgenii Dadonov from the Vegas Golden Knights at the 2022 trade deadline but failed due to Vegas not properly handling Dadonov’s no-trade clause — which listed Anaheim as a team he could not be dealt to. The deal was nullified by the league as a result, and now the Ducks are requesting a compensatory draft pick from the league, as reported by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. He says the league is considering granting the Ducks’ request, which could likely see them gain an additional pick in this year’s draft, bringing their total number of picks to 10.
Vegas Golden Knights Have Had Extension Talks With Adin Hill
No one in or around the Vegas Golden Knights organization is thinking about anything other than tomorrow’s Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final. A strong road performance could give the team a 3-0 stranglehold on the series and send them well on their way to fulfilling owner Bill Foley’s original “Cup in six years” proclamation.
It’s never too early to start talking about the future, however, and Vegas does have some notable storylines that will dot their offseason, which begins later this month regardless of the Final’s result. One of them is their goaltending situation – breakout netminder Adin Hill is an unrestricted free agent at season’s end.
Today, The Athletic’s Joe Smith released an extensive profile piece on the 27-year-old, in which he noted Vegas made an extension offer to Hill in March after he sustained a lower-body injury that kept him out for the rest of the regular season. Smith says it was a “nice” raise above his current $2.175MM cap hit, but Hill didn’t want to begin negotiations until Vegas’ season concluded.
Hill has done more than enough to earn the commitment, rocketing himself to Vegas’ likely Conn Smythe winner despite not even seeing the ice in the first round against the Winnipeg Jets. But Vegas’ goaltending situation is one of the murkier ones in the league heading into 2023-24, and a Hill extension would likely cause a cascading effect.
37-year-old Jonathan Quick likely won’t be brought back after coming over from Los Angeles (via Columbus) at the deadline. He played well in a few appearances for Vegas down the stretch, but the pending UFA is more than likely destined for retirement.
One player who likely deserves an extension but won’t get one is 30-year-old Laurent Brossoit, who played well above his pay grade in the playoffs before getting injured in the second round against Edmonton. That’s because Vegas still has early-season Calder candidate Logan Thompson waiting in the wings after missing the past few months with a lower-body injury, and veteran Robin Lehner (who missed the entire regular season and playoffs) could be ready to go next year as well.
With a 20-player roster, CapFriendly projects Vegas with under $3.5MM in cap space for 2023-24 including a healthy Lehner.