Buffalo Sabres Looking To Move Vinnie Hinostroza
Buried in Elliotte Friedman’s latest 32 Thoughts blog for Sportsnet is a small note about Vinnie Hinostroza. The Buffalo Sabres are trying to find him “a place to play,” writes Friedman, which was further clarified by Lance Lysowski of the Buffalo News. The Sabres are calling around to find a new home for Hinostroza, who has been scratched repeatedly this season.
Hinostroza, 28, seemed to find a home in Buffalo last season, scoring 13 goals and 25 points in 62 games. He was a nice depth scorer for the club, but that was while they were still rebuilding and losing most nights. This season, with some added depth at forward, he finds himself regularly in the press box, having only appeared in 19 games so far.
He still has eight points during those games, but all of them have been assists. Hinostroza hasn’t scored yet, and has just 23 shots on goal.
Signed to a one-year, $1.7MM contract, it’s hard to see him fetching much on the open market. The Sabres are trying to do him a favor and it likely won’t be of much benefit to their future. At the deadline, perhaps a team adds him for a playoff run, but finding him a regular home right now would likely be limited to rebuilding clubs that want a sweetener of some sort.
With cap space so tight around the league, it’s not like teams will be lining up to grab a $1.7MM 13th forward, even if they do believe he has a bit more upside than that.
Chicago Blackhawks Recall Jaxson Stauber
Another day, another recall for Jaxson Stauber of the Chicago Blackhawks. The minor league goaltender is back up after Petr Mrazek was run out of the building on Saturday. Mrazek allowed four goals on five shots before being pulled against the Seattle Kraken.
If you want a strong signal that the Blackhawks management is focused on the first overall pick, Mrazek’s continued presence is it. The veteran goaltender has an .875 save percentage on the year, a 4.26 goals-against average, and has won just three of his 16 appearances.
Stauber’s recall could suggest that there is an injury, or perhaps that Alex Stalock isn’t ready yet. Yesterday, the coaching staff told reporters including Mark Lazerus of The Athletic that Stalock would likely start against the Buffalo Sabres. Lazerus adds that Stalock is not on the ice for morning skate. (Update: Stalock is in concussion protocol and will not play)
The 23-year-old Stauber has played 12 professional games, all of them with the Rockford IceHogs. He has an .896 save percentage in those appearances. Undrafted, he was signed out of Providence College last year.
Boston Bruins Recall Joona Koppanen
Jan 17: After Koppanen joined Wagner in the minor leagues for a few days in between, the big forward is back up with the Bruins. He’ll head out on the road with them as they prepare to face the New York Islanders and New York Rangers in a back-to-back this week.
Jan 11: The Boston Bruins have swapped a pair of depth forwards, sending Chris Wagner back to the AHL and recalling Joona Koppanen in his place. This is Koppanen’s first recall of the season.
The 24-year-old winger has never appeared in an NHL game, playing exclusively with the Providence Bruins the last two seasons. A fifth-round pick from 2016, Koppanen is on a one-year, two-way contract that he signed last summer to stay in the organization.
Though he stands 6’5″ and towers over most of his opponents, Koppanen is not overly physical and instead uses his long reach as a tool defensively, especially on the penalty kill. Interestingly enough, Mark Divver of NHL.com tweeted yesterday that Koppanen had a bit of a “disagreement” with teammate Connor Carrick at practice. Divver followed up today with some words from the Providence coaching staff, saying that the big forward had been “unbelievable” and “absolutely outstanding” in the last few games.
While he technically received a Black Aces call-up last season, this is really Koppanen’s first chance at the NHL level. Wagner played just over 12 and a half minutes on Sunday in his only appearance of the season. If Koppanen takes that role tomorrow against the Seattle Kraken, it will be his NHL debut.
Armia, Evans, Slafkovsky Placed On Injured Reserve
The Montreal Canadiens have moved three forwards to injured reserve, giving the designation to Joel Armia, Jake Evans, and Juraj Slafkovsky. All three will be out indefinitely, while additional testing is performed. In their place, Rafael Harvey-Pinard and Rem Pitlick have been recalled.
Sean Monahan has also been moved to long-term injured reserve as he continues to rehab, though the team does not he is “progressing well.”
Armia is dealing with an upper-body injury, potentially one suffered on a hit from Jacob Trouba on Sunday. The Finnish forward played over 18 minutes in the game, but now is obviously dealing with something that will keep him sidelined. Armia has just seven points so far on the season and has been a healthy scratch several times, as he struggles to reach the heights that he was playing at a few years ago.
Slafkovsky also played in that game, but saw just over nine minutes of ice time. The top prospect is dealing with a lower-body issue. It hasn’t been quite the season many expected of the big Slovak, as Slafkovsky has just four goals in 39 games. He has shown flashes of high-level scoring ability but is too often overmatched by the speed of the NHL. Several times this season he has been caught with his head down by a heavy check, something he will have to adapt to moving forward.
Evans, meanwhile, may be dealing with the worst injury of the bunch. It at least looked that way when he crumpled at center ice on Saturday, piled on after a faceoff scrum. The 26-year-old forward was playing the best hockey of his season but is now dealing with a lower-body injury that kept him out of Sunday’s game.
If you are a proponent of the “tank,” then losing three regular forwards might be time for celebration. But the Canadiens are also trying to build a culture under head coach Martin St. Louis, and losing Slafkovsky in particular doesn’t help that move forward. The team’s depth will be seriously tested, though Harvey-Pinard and Pitlick are capable replacements.
Pacific Notes: Kane, Hayden, Harrington, Martinez
While Oilers winger Evander Kane was believed to be well ahead of schedule, it was still expected that he’d be out a little while longer. However, as team reporter Jamie Umbach relays, the veteran was a full participant in practice today and is hoping to be cleared to return to the lineup on Tuesday against Seattle. Kane has missed the last 31 games after having his wrist sliced by a skate and would be a huge addition to their top six forward group.
However, the Oilers will have to make several roster moves in order to get cap-compliant to be able to activate Kane and his $5.125MM AAV from LTIR including the demotion of several players and the expected transfer of defenseman Ryan Murray to LTIR. Postmedia’s David Staples examines the list of possible candidates to be waived in order to help free up that money and suggests that veteran center Derek Ryan might be the likeliest to hit the waiver wire, a move that would free up $1.125MM on the cap.
More from the Western Conference:
- Late Sunday, the Kraken announced (Twitter link) the recall of forward John Hayden from AHL Coachella Valley. The 27-year-old has impressed in his first taste of minor league action since 2017-18, collecting 13 goals and 12 assists in 34 games for the Firebirds. With Jaden Schwartz listed as day-to-day, Hayden appears to be the insurance policy to ensure that there’s an extra forward available if needed.
- Sharks defenseman Scott Harrington left Wednesday’s game early with an upper-body injury but it appears it won’t keep him out for long. Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News notes (Twitter link) that the veteran was back at practice on Sunday. Harrington has a goal and five assists in 16 games this season with San Jose, a decent showing after attending training camp on a PTO. He wasn’t in the lineup today against New Jersey but he should be nearing a return to game action.
- The Golden Knights announced (Twitter link) that defenseman Alec Martinez suffered an undisclosed injury during tonight’s game against Dallas and did not return. Head coach Bruce Cassidy didn’t have an update on the veteran following the contest. Martinez has six assists in 40 games so far this season while chipping in with 141 blocked shots.
Salary Cap Deep Dive: Ottawa Senators
Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM. Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.
PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation for the 2022-23 season and beyond. This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.
Ottawa Senators
Current Cap Hit: $79,572,602 (under the $82.5MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
F Mark Kastelic (one year, $821.7K)*
F Shane Pinto (one year, $925K)
D Jake Sanderson (two years, $925K)
F Tim Stutzle (one year, $925K)*
*-Have already signed a second contract
Potential Bonuses
Pinto: $600K
Sanderson: $925K
Stutzle: $2.5MM
Total: $4.75MM
Pinto is healthy after missing almost all of last season due to a shoulder injury and he’s off to a decent start with ten goals already. That also has him on track to hit one of his ‘A’ bonuses worth $150K each but a small uptick in production could add to that total. With a limited track record (he had just 17 games in his first two seasons), he might be tricky to lock up long-term; a bridge deal in the high-$2MM/low $3MM range depending on the term is where he could wind up. We’ll look at Stutzle and Kastelic’s new deals later on but it’s worth mentioning that Stutzle is on pace to hit all four of his ‘A’ bonuses which are worth a total of $850K. Ottawa will need to budget room for that to hit the books after the season if they look to add a piece to help them get back into the playoff picture that pushes them closer to the cap.
Sanderson’s first professional season has gone quite well as he has very quickly become one of their most trusted blueliners. He’s someone that they’re likely going to want to sign to a long-term second contract as well and optimistically, if he follows the same path as Thomas Chabot, a deal around his $8MM might be possible. He’s tracking towards reaching all four of his ‘A’ bonuses as well.
Signed Through 2022-23, Non-Entry-Level
D Erik Brannstrom ($900K, RFA)
F Derick Brassard ($750K, UFA)
F Alex DeBrincat ($6.4MM, RFA)
F Dylan Gambrell ($950K, RFA)
D Travis Hamonic ($3MM, UFA)
D Nick Holden ($1.3MM, UFA)
F Tyler Motte ($1.35MM, UFA)
G Cam Talbot ($3.667MM, UFA)
F Austin Watson ($1.5MM, UFA)
DeBrincat was Ottawa’s first big splash this past offseason as they picked him up from Chicago on draft day. He is a bargain from a cap perspective relative to his output with the Blackhawks but that’s about to change. He’s subject to the old qualifying offer rules which means his $9MM salary this season also represents his qualifying offer. At that point, he’ll also have salary arbitration eligibility for the first time and be a year away from UFA eligibility. GM Pierre Dorion made the move with the hope that he’d be able to get the 24-year-old to commit to a long-term extension. Such a move is going to cost somewhere around that qualifier on a max-term agreement which would make him the highest-paid player on the team.
Watson hasn’t been able to get back to the goal totals he had with Nashville but he has been a regular on Ottawa’s fourth line for the past two-plus seasons while providing them with plenty of grit. He’s near the ceiling of what a player in that role can typically get on the open market but another contract around this price range is doable. Motte didn’t get the contract offers he was looking for early in free agency and had to eventually settle for this one-year deal. His production has been limited early on so instead of perhaps looking more favorably on the type of offer he turned down in July next summer, his next deal might also check in around this price point.
Gambrell is a serviceable fourth liner but he hasn’t brought much more to the table beyond the ability to cover eight to ten minutes per game. This isn’t overly pricey for someone in that role but his arbitration eligibility could work against him next summer as it’s unlikely they’ll want to give him that option. Accordingly, an early contract around this price tag like they did last offseason could happen once again. Otherwise, he’s a non-tender candidate. Brassard had to settle for a PTO, one that he got converted into a full contract. He’s giving the Senators a pretty good return on that early on but at this point of his career, he’s likely to be in the six-figure or PTO range on any future contracts.
Hamonic is no longer the core stay-at-home defender he was with the Islanders but he’s a reliable veteran in his own end that can still be effective on the third pairing and penalty kill. There’s still a role for those types of players but he’ll be hard-pressed to make this much on the open market next summer. Holden has had a much more limited role this season which is closer to the role he has had for long stretches of his career – more of a prototypical sixth defender. At 35, it’s hard to envision a multi-year agreement coming his way and teams feel that he is starting to slow down, he might have to accept a bit less than his current price tag. Brannstrom wanted a multi-year deal in the summer but it failed to materialize. It seems unlikely that they’ll get one done in 2023 as well as his playing time has been considerably more limited. With arbitration rights, he should be able to get a bit more than his $945K qualifying offer but it should be another short-term agreement since he still hasn’t been able to establish himself as a productive option on Ottawa’s back end.
Talbot was acquired from Minnesota to try to shore up the goaltending and while he got off to a bit of a tough start with injuries not helping things, he has settled in nicely as their starter. However, he’ll turn 36 just after free agency opens up and a long-earned reputation as more of a platoon player is going to still exist. There’s still some room for a small increase – a two-year deal around the $4MM range is certainly possible – but a long-term deal that makes him a concrete starter isn’t likely to happen.
Signed Through 2023-24
F Parker Kelly ($762.5K, RFA)
D Nikita Zaitsev ($4.5MM, UFA)
Kelly has become a capable fourth liner that kills penalties and plays with a physical edge and even while he doesn’t produce much offensively, he still provides a fair bit of value as someone that’s on a minimum contract. Assuming he stays in that role through next season, Kelly should be able to jump past the $1MM mark with arbitration rights but his limited production will certainly limit his earnings upside.
Zaitsev is a contract the Sens are very much interested in moving. He cleared waivers already this season and it’s likely he’ll be back on there at some point. He can still fill a limited role if need be but players like that are typically closer to the $1MM mark, not four times that amount.
Signed Through 2024-25
G Anton Forsberg ($2.75MM, UFA)
F Claude Giroux ($6.5MM, UFA)
F Mark Kastelic ($821K in 2022-23, $835K in 2023-24 and 2024-25, RFA)
Giroux opted to head home in free agency on what amounts to a bit of a team-friendly deal for someone that’s still capable of playing on the top line when needed. He has fit in nicely in a secondary scoring role and is giving them a good return so far. However, he’ll be 37 when this contract is up so his next one, if there is a next one, is quite likely to check in considerably cheaper than this one. Kastelic has become a serviceable fourth liner and having one of those that doesn’t make much more than the league minimum is always good. If he sticks in that role throughout the contract, he’ll position himself to get past the $1MM mark with arbitration rights in 2025.
Forsberg had a strong showing in 2021-22 and really gave Ottawa some stability between the pipes. He was rewarded for his efforts with this deal, one that will hold up well as long as he’s able to play in a platoon and put up reasonable numbers. Those numbers aren’t as good so far this season but relative to the rest of the league, he has been close to average which, for this price tag, isn’t a bad return. He didn’t have a long track record when he signed this contract but that should change after this one. If Forsberg does well in this role, he could add another million or more even as a platoon goalie on the open market.
Central Notes: Toews, Coyotes, Robertsson, Alexandrov
Ever since the Blackhawks started their rebuild, there has been plenty of trade speculation surrounding their two long-term veterans including captain Jonathan Toews. He acknowledged to NBC Sports Chicago’s Charlie Roumeliotis that he hasn’t sat down with GM Kyle Davidson to discuss if he’ll be willing to waive his trade protection and leave the only franchise he has played for over a 15-year NHL career. He indicated that as of yet, he hasn’t decided what’s next for him:
“… There’s a part of myself that still doesn’t really want to admit the situation and also wants to continue being a Blackhawk and finish my career here. But at the same time, there’s a part of me that sees the writing on the wall and sees that this team, this organization is trying to hit the reset button and that maybe a change for everybody is not such a bad thing, and that goes for myself as well.”
While Toews isn’t the top center he once was, he’s having a decent season with 12 goals and 12 assists in 40 games while winning nearly 64% of his faceoffs. Assuming that the Blackhawks will cover the maximum 50% of his contract ($5.25MM of a $10.5MM AAV), they’ll undoubtedly have several interested teams should Toews decide to make himself available to be traded by March 3rd’s trade deadline.
Elsewhere in the Central:
- The future of the Coyotes’ arena deal will be better known in May with a special election being held on the 16th. Sam Kmack of the Arizona Republic breaks down each of the three ballot items that will require a majority of yes votes to move forward. Tempe is the desired location for Arizona’s new arena and this is one of the hurdles that will need to be cleared for that project to continue. Even if it does pass, it will still be several years before it’s up and running so the team will continue to play out of their college arena for the foreseeable future.
- Blues prospect Simon Robertsson has had a decent season in the SHL but his time at Sweden’s top level has come to an end for the time being as Skelleftea announced that they’ve loaned the winger to Vasteras of the Allsvenskan (their second-tier league) for the remainder of the season. The 19-year-old was a third-round pick by St. Louis (71st overall) in 2021 and had five goals and two assists with Skelleftea in 16 games this season, matching his goal output from last year in a third of the games.
- Still with St. Louis, the team announced (Twitter link) that winger Nikita Alexandrov was a late scratch from tonight’s game due to an upper-body injury. The 22-year-old has played in 16 games for the Blues this season, picking up two goals and two assists while averaging just under nine minutes a night on the fourth line. Nathan Walker will suit up in Alexandrov’s place.
Vancouver Canucks, Andrei Kuzmenko Working On Extension
While most of the headlines from today’s news conference with Vancouver Canucks president Jim Rutherford will be about the “major surgery” coming up for the roster, or the lame-duck status of Bruce Boudreau, there was at least one nugget of positive news for fans.
Rutherford said that the team had started negotiations with Andrei Kuzmenko on an extension, ahead of the Russian winger becoming a free agent in July. Because he was 26 when the Canucks signed him, Kuzmenko was limited to a one-year entry-level contract last summer.
An extension will certainly come at a much higher price, given how well he has transitioned to life in the NHL. The offensive winger has 17 goals and 38 points in 42 games, while averaging just under 16 minutes a night. While there are flaws to his game, that kind of production can’t be overlooked.
Keeping a player of Kuzmenko’s caliber is certainly a positive – or at least it would be in most situations. Some might argue that for the Canucks, signing him is actually moving in the wrong direction. Rutherford himself talked today about how he hadn’t given the team enough cap-related freedom in his time there. Signing Kuzmenko certainly won’t help that, even if he is deserving of a raise.
The crux of that decision is in some of Rutherford’s other comments. He believes that the team can be competitive within the next three years, and that it has plenty of talented players already in place. Signing Kuzmenko, then, would make sense.
But there is a legitimate argument to be made that the Canucks should instead just cash in on their asset. Because he was limited to an ELC, Kuzmenko’s price tag is extremely low, relative to his production. That kind of asset would be very valuable on the trade market, especially with the possibility of an acquiring team extending him themselves.
It doesn’t look like that’s what the plan is here, given Rutherford’s explanation that the Canucks won’t be heading into a rebuild. Instead, another extension appears to be around the corner – albeit with a deserving player.
Snapshots: Three Stars, Letang, Gonchar
The NHL has released its Three Stars for last week, with Seattle Kraken goaltender Martin Jones taking top spot. The honor continues what has been an incredible run for the 33-year-old netminder. In each of the last three seasons (two with the San Jose Sharks and one with the Philadelphia Flyes), Jones has failed to eclipse 17 wins. This year, through 31 appearances, he has 21. That is despite putting up a save percentage – .895 – that is actually slightly lower than any he has posted in the past. Jones has faced more than 30 shots just five times this season.
Second and third went to two wingers at very different stages of their careers. Lucas Raymond of the Detroit Red Wings is just trying to establish himself as a consistent presence in the league, while Nikita Kucherov continues on his Hall of Fame track. Each one collected three goals and seven points in three games last week.
- The Pittsburgh Penguins are expecting Kris Letang to return to the team in the next few days. The veteran defenseman was away dealing with the death of his father, and hasn’t played since December 28. The Penguins have 40 games left in the season, and Letang needs to play in 30 of them to reach 1,000 for his career.
- Sergei Gonchar, who last coached in the NHL during the 2019-20 season, may be on his way back to join Rick Tocchet with the Vancouver Canucks, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. While Tocchet’s hiring isn’t official, Friedman seems to believe it is inevitable at this point, suggesting it could happen within the next few weeks. Today, Jim Rutherford admitted that he had been in contact with potential replacements.
Nick Robertson, Mac Hollowell Undergo Surgery
The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced that Nick Robertson and Mac Hollowell have both undergone surgery. Robertson’s procedure was to his shoulder, and will keep him out for the next six months. Hollowell had a procedure on a fractured kneecap and will be out a minimum of 12 weeks.
It’s a brutal blow for Robertson, who has not been able to stay healthy in his pro career. The undersized forward (and younger brother of Dallas Stars forward Jason Robertson) has now played just 82 total games over the last three seasons. That’s at all levels, with just 31 of them coming with the Maple Leafs.
For a player who scored 55 goals in 46 games during his post-draft year, there were huge expectations for the 2019 second-rounder. He made his NHL debut during the Maple Leafs’ 2020 bubble playoffs, and scored his first goal. But injuries have kept him off the ice since then, and inconsistent playing time has limited him to just seven NHL points.
By the time he’s ready to return next season, he’ll be 22 and quite removed from that exceptional junior season. There’s no telling whether Robertson will ever be able to live up to the potential he showed, given how much time he has missed.
Hollowell, meanwhile, made his NHL debut this season and recorded two assists in six games for the Maple Leafs. The fourth-round pick had progressed steadily through the system and appeared to have climbed considerably up the organizational depth chart.
Now, with a 12-week recovery timeline, it seems likely that he won’t get any more NHL time this season. As a restricted free agent this summer eligible for arbitration, he needs a new deal. After missing so much time, it might end up being prudent for him to accept a qualifying offer and hope to rebound from a tough injury.