Snapshots: Three Stars, Hockey Canada, Jiricek
The NHL released its Three Stars for last week, with an unlikely name leading the way. Charlie Lindgren, who stepped into a starting role for the Washington Capitals with Darcy Kuemper injured, went 4-0 with a .949 save percentage. The veteran netminder allowed two or fewer goals in all four games and has helped the Capitals claw their way back into the Metropolitan Division race. Signed to a three-year deal in the offseason, Lindgren has already nearly set a career-high in appearances for a single season.
Because of that outstanding performance, Tage Thompson‘s five-goal game was good enough for only second place. The Buffalo Sabres forward had seven points, though six of those came in one outing against the Columbus Blue Jackets, a game that saw him play a season-low 13:56 after it got out of hand early. Thompson now has 21 goals and 41 points in 28 games so far this year. The third star went to Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander, who had his own five-point effort over the weekend, taking him over a point-per-game pace on the year. The 26-year-old winger is averaging the most ice time of his career and is on pace to set career highs in basically every offensive category.
- Hockey Canada has released its nominees for a new board of directors, a group that will serve on a one-year term if confirmed by a member vote on Saturday. Among those nominated is Cassie Campbell-Pascall, a familiar name for hockey fans both for her days as a player and broadcaster. Campbell-Pascall captained Team Canada to Olympic gold twice, and won six World Championship gold medals over her decorated playing career.
- David Jiricek will be loaned to the World Juniors by the Columbus Blue Jackets to play for Czechia at the upcoming event, joining several other top prospects headed to the event. The sixth-overall pick from 2022 made his NHL debut and played two games for the Blue Jackets earlier this year. A force in the minor leagues, the 6’3″ defenseman has 13 points in 15 games for the Cleveland Monsters.
Los Angeles Kings Make Three Transactions
The Los Angeles Kings have continued their near-daily transaction train, this time recalling Rasmus Kupari and Jordan Spence from the AHL. There is a bit of a surprise among today’s moves, though, as Viktor Arvidsson has been designated as a non-roster player. That means he is away from the team for some undisclosed reason, after playing the last two nights.
With Arvidsson and Drew Doughty unavailable, the team will turn to Kupari and Spence, two young players still trying to establish themselves as full-time players in the NHL. Through 16 games this season, Kupari has registered five points while averaging just over 11 minutes a night. The 22-year-old center has been great for the Ontario Reign, but can’t seem to work his way into more minutes with the Kings.
Spence, meanwhile, has been arguably Ontario’s best player so far, racking up 21 points in 22 games and playing big minutes in all situations. The 21-year-old defenseman saw 24 games with the Kings last year in his first season of professional hockey but hasn’t cracked the lineup this time around. With Doughty out, Sean Durzi carried the load last night, playing more than 23 minutes against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Sean Walker took over powerplay duties, a role that Spence could potentially slide into if he gets a chance.
There is no word yet on how long Arvidsson will be away from the team.
St. Louis Blues Recall Alexey Toropchenko
With his two-week conditioning stint used up, Alexey Toropchenko has been recalled by the St. Louis Blues. The big winger is back on the active roster, though it’s not clear if he’ll be back in the lineup right away.
Toropchenko, 23, wasn’t even supposed to be ready for the start of the season after offseason shoulder surgery, but was ready when things opened and played 15 games for the Blues. The 6’6″ forward scored just a single goal in that time, and failed to make much of an impact, leading to this conditioning stint. During five games with the Springfield Thunderbirds, he recorded three points.
The Blues continue to struggle this season, allowing 108 goals in 28 games, easily the worst among Central Division clubs. That has resulted in a 12-15-1 record so far, including a 2-7-1 run in their last ten. Toropchenko certainly isn’t going to fix that, especially given the lack of production he has shown in the NHL. Sure, his size can be used as a fourth-line option, but the team needs a lot more than a few extra hits to turn things around.
Logan Brown, another big body, was also on the ice this morning at the optional skate, according to Lou Korac of NHL.com, but it was an appearance by Pavel Buchnevich that should excite Blues fans. Buchnevich hasn’t played since December 5, missing the last three games after a brilliant start to the year.
Blue Jackets Recall Daniil Tarasov, Joonas Korpisalo Out At Least A Week
Dec 12: The Blue Jackets have swapped, sending Greaves back down and recalling Tarasov.
Dec 10: Blue Jackets goaltender Joonas Korpisalo left last night’s game against Calgary after the first period with what was called lower body discomfort. Head coach Brad Larsen told reporters, including Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (Twitter link) that the veteran will be out for at least a week due to the injury. That designation allows him to be placed on injured reserve, creating an open roster spot for the team to recall Jet Greaves from AHL Cleveland.
Korpisalo returned to the lineup last month after missing the start of the season due to the hip surgery he underwent back in March. It’s unknown if this issue is related to that procedure but Columbus will understandably err on the side of caution here. Through his first 12 appearances, he has a 3.53 GAA along with a .903 SV% and while those numbers may not look great, they’re considerably better than what starter Elvis Merzlikins has put up so far (4.82 and .862, respectively).
At first glance, it seems a bit surprising that Daniil Tarasov wasn’t the one brought up from the Monsters. He has held his own in limited action with Columbus this season and as the presumptive backup starting in 2023-24, a chance to get him some more NHL experience at a time when the season is already well off the rails would have made some sense. Instead, they’ll prioritize the 23-year-old getting steady playing time in the minors.
This will be Greaves’ second recall of the season although this one should last a little longer than his first one. The 21-year-old undrafted free agent signing has played in 10 games with Cleveland this season, posting a 4.09 GAA with an .878 SV%. His promotion means that it should be Merzlikins’ net exclusively until Korpisalo is able to return.
Dallas Stars Recall Riley Tufte
The Dallas Stars have recalled a former top prospect, bringing up Riley Tufte from the minor leagues ahead of their game against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Tufte, 24, was the 25th overall pick in 2016, but has played just ten games in the NHL to this point. The 6’6″ forward was never able to develop much of an offensive game at the college level (though he did win two national championships) and looked completely outmatched when he turned pro in 2019-20. But slowly, things have started to turn. Tufte has 16 points in 21 games for the Texas Stars of the AHL this season, including 12 in his last 11 appearances. That offensive production is still complemented by his physical play, leading to some interesting bottom-six potential.
He did get ten games with Dallas last year, leading to his first (and only) NHL goal, but there hasn’t been any indication to this point that Tufte could hold down a full-time spot. Perhaps now, into his fourth year of professional hockey, he’ll be ready to contribute on a regular basis.
As we’ve seen before, players his size tend to take a little longer to develop. If Tufte is going to be anything for the Stars, now might be the perfect time to show it.
Ottawa Senators Recall Rourke Chartier
Ahead of their game against the Anaheim Ducks this evening, the Ottawa Senators have recalled Rourke Chartier from the AHL. The minor league veteran is in the midst of a career year, and will get a chance to continue that level of play with Ottawa (while getting at least a few days of NHL pay).
Chartier, 26, hasn’t played in the NHL since the 2018-19 season when he suited up 13 times for the San Jose Sharks. There was no denying that he earned a call-up this time though, after scoring 14 goals in 24 games with the Belleville Senators.
Still, it is a bit surprising that the team went with a minor league veteran instead of giving an opportunity to one of their young prospects. That likely shows how desperate head coach D.J. Smith is for some consistency and structure, as he tries to turn things around. Ottawa beat the Predators on Saturday but are still just 5-4-1 in their last ten and can’t seem to catch anyone in the Atlantic Division.
Chartier scored one goal in his 13-game stint with San Jose, meaning he’ll be trying for just his second NHL point if he does get into the lineup.
Five Key Stories: 12/5/22 – 12/11/22
The first full week of December is in the books and while it was rather quiet on the transactions front, there was still some news of note around the NHL which is recapped in our top stories.
Another Injury In Colorado: One of the common consequences of a long playoff run is a team that deals with an uptick in injuries the following year. When it comes to the Avalanche, that’s underselling things as they’ve been hit hard by the injury bug this year. The latest is their top star as Nathan MacKinnon will miss at least a month due to an upper-body injury. The 27-year-old was off to arguably the best start of his career, averaging a career-best 1.48 points per game including 26 assists in 23 contests. At this point, pretty much the only core Colorado forward to not suffer some sort of injury yet this season is winger Mikko Rantanen.
Three For Two: While Sabres winger Jeff Skinner is off to the best start of his career with 32 points in 27 games, his week ended on a low note. He received a match penalty for a late cross-check on Pittsburgh’s Jake Guentzel, one that gave Pittsburgh the power play they eventually scored on in overtime. The Department of Player Safety then weighed in, issuing a three-game suspension that will keep him out of the lineup until Saturday. It’s the second suspension of Skinner’s career but it will still leave him considerably lighter in the wallet as he forfeits nearly $146K in salary. Later in the day, Kraken blueliner Jamie Oleksiak also received a three-game ban for an illegal hit to the head on Capitals defenseman Alexander Alexeyev. It’s Oleksiak’s second suspension for a hit to the head and this one results in a forfeited salary of just under $75K.
Hornqvist To LTIR: The Panthers have been in LTIR all season thanks to winger Anthony Duclair being out as he works his way back from a torn Achilles tendon. However, they were in a position where they’d need to make a trade to free up salary when he returns in the coming weeks. That has changed, at least for the time being as Florida has placed winger Patric Hornqvist on LTIR, alleviating that potential problem for now. The 35-year-old is believed to have some assurances that he won’t be traded as he plays out the final year of his contract that carries a $5.3MM AAV and as long as he’s on there, the Panthers have the ability to activate Duclair when he’s ready and carry a full-sized roster which is notable considering they have played short a player on multiple occasions this season due to salary cap constraints. There is no word on how long Hornqvist will be out.
Leaves Of Absence: A pair of players have stepped away from their respective teams for the time being. Penguins prospect Samuel Poulin is taking a leave of absence for personal reasons. The 21-year-old is in his second professional season and made his NHL debut with three games between late October and early November. Meanwhile, Predators forward Michael McCarron will be out indefinitely after entering the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. The 27-year-old has played in 15 games with Nashville this season, picking up a goal and an assist.
Talks Not Going Well: One of the more prominent pending unrestricted free agents next summer is Canucks center Bo Horvat. However, while many expected a deal to be done back in the offseason, that hasn’t materialized and extension discussions aren’t progressing to the point where they might have to move him closer to the trade deadline. The 27-year-old already has 20 goals this season in just 27 games which is certainly only adding to his asking price. Of course, it looked like things were heading this way with J.T. Miller just a few months ago before they ultimately settled on an extension. However, with their cap situation, it’s possible that Miller’s contract might also help push their captain out the door.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Salary Cap Deep Dive: Montreal Canadiens
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.
Montreal Canadiens
Current Cap Hit: $93,451,094 (over the $82.5MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
F Cole Caufield (one year, $880.8K)
D Kaiden Guhle (three years, $863K)
D Jordan Harris (one year, $842.5K)
F Juraj Slafkovsky (three years, $950K)
D Arber Xhekaj (two years, $828.3K)
Potential Bonuses
Caufield: $850K
Guhle: $420K
Harris: $507.5K
Slafkovsky: $3.5MM
Total: $5.2775MM
Slafkovsky has the richest entry-level deal in league history as the ceilings got a small boost this season (and will go up again in 2024 and 2026). The first-overall pick has had a limited role so far as they ease him with a decision on whether or not to run him past the 40-game mark and accrue a season of service time still to come. If he can become the impact power forward they hope he can be in the next couple of seasons, he’s a strong candidate to bypass the bridge deal. With the limited usage, he’s unlikely to achieve any of his bonuses at this point.
Caufield’s next contract is shaping up to be an intriguing one already. He recently reached 100 career NHL regular season appearances but has been one of the top goal-scorers in the league dating back to midway through last season. If Montreal wants to sign him to a max-term agreement (which they likely do at this point), they’ll have to make him the highest-paid forward on the team (and in franchise history) while a bridge contract could run in the range of Jason Robertson’s $7.75MM with Dallas. Notably, he still is five years away from UFA eligibility so a four-year bridge deal (like Robertson’s) is a legitimate option for both sides to consider. He’s on pace to reach all his ‘A’ bonuses.
Guhle hasn’t been eased into things in his rookie season, logging more than 20 minutes a night, often on the top pairing. If he stays in that role, he’s likely to hit his two ‘A’ bonuses this season and if he continues there for the next couple of years, he’s someone GM Kent Hughes will likely want to try to lock up long term. Harris, meanwhile, already is in line for a new deal after burning his first season down the stretch last year. He’s likely heading for a bridge contract with an AAV likely checking in a bit below the $1.5MM range while he’s on pace to hit his two ‘A’ bonuses and most of his ‘B’ ones for games played. Xhekaj has gone from being an undrafted free agent signing a year ago to a regular in Montreal’s lineup on the third pairing. Having burned the first year while playing in junior last season, he’ll be hard-pressed to command a long-term second deal and is likely heading for a bridge contract himself, potentially a little above the $1.5MM mark if he remains a fixture on the third pair.
Signed Through 2022-23, Non-Entry-Level
F Paul Byron ($3.4MM, UFA)
F Evgenii Dadonov ($5MM, UFA)
F Jonathan Drouin ($5.5MM, UFA)
F Sean Monahan ($6.375MM, UFA)
F Michael Pezzetta ($750K, RFA)
Calgary had to pay a high price tag (a first-round pick in either 2024, 2025, or 2026) to dump the final year of Monahan’s deal, allowing them to sign Nazem Kadri in the process. He has recovered well from the hip issues that plagued him over the last couple of years and is at his highest point-per-game pace since 2018-19. As a capable defensive forward that can kill penalties and do well at the faceoff dot, it’s certainly not impossible to think that he could get some interest as a second-line center on the open market this summer. If that happens, there’s a good chance that Monahan could land a contract similar to this one, a scenario that not many would have thought possible at this time a year ago.
Drouin hasn’t panned out as expected when Montreal sent Mikhail Sergachev (plus a conditional second-round pick that didn’t materialize) to Tampa Bay to secure him. He has the skills to play in the top six but hasn’t been able to produce with consistency or stay in the lineup with any consistency. He’s a prime candidate for a one-year pillow value elsewhere next season to try to rebuild some value in a new situation. Dadonov was picked up from Vegas in exchange for Shea Weber’s LTIR contract with the Canadiens likely hoping that they could flip him with retention at the trade deadline. Instead, he’s off to the worst start of his career offensively. His next deal could be closer to the $2MM mark if not a bit lower and at that point, it’s possible that he could look to return to the KHL if a significant offer materializes there.
Byron’s availability to play this season is in question as he continues to battle hip trouble. If he’s able to play next year, Byron would be eligible for a one-year deal with incentives due to his injuries (even though he’s not 35); such a contract would likely have a base salary closer to $1MM before bonuses. Pezzetta is on his first career one-way contract and has had a limited role so far. Assuming that continues, even with arbitration rights, it’s unlikely he’d be able to land more than $1MM for next season.
Signed Through 2023-24
D Joel Edmundson ($3.5MM, UFA)
F Mike Hoffman ($4.5MM, UFA)
G Samuel Montembeault ($1MM, UFA)
F Rem Pitlick ($1.1MM, UFA)
D Chris Wideman ($762.5K, UFA)
Hoffman was expected to help Montreal’s power play but that hasn’t been the case over his first year and a bit with the team to the point where he was scratched earlier this season. He’ll need to produce with much more consistency in the back half of this deal to have a shot at matching this price tag in 2024. Pitlick played well after coming to the Canadiens on waivers last season, earning this two-year deal, his first one-way pact. However, some early struggles landed him on the waiver wire again this season where he passed through unclaimed. Barring a change in his production, he’ll be in tough to match let alone beat this contract two summers from now.
Edmundson has battled injury trouble this season and last but when he has been in the lineup, he has been a dependable second-pairing option that can kill penalties and play physically. There’s a ceiling for those types of players in terms of their earnings upside but a small raise closer to the $4MM mark on a multi-year agreement could be doable if he’s able to stay healthy as he’ll hit the market at 31. Wideman is on a minimum deal for the second straight season and has a very limited role. In his second stint in the NHL, he’s more of a depth player so it’s likely that his next deal will also be close to the minimum salary.
Montembeault’s first full NHL season was a rocky one with Montreal struggling mightily last season. That allowed the team to give him a low-cost two-year commitment that could be fully buried in the minors. However, he’s off to a much better start this season and is starting to push for a little more playing time. He’s making well below the league average for a backup and a decent showing the rest of the way this season and next could push him closer to the $1.75MM range at least. Otherwise, he might be looking at something closer to this deal, a lower-cost one-way pact on a cap-strapped team.
Signed Through 2024-25
G Jake Allen ($2.875MM in 2022-23, $3.85MM in 2023-24/2024-25, UFA)
F Joel Armia ($3.4MM, UFA)
F Christian Dvorak ($4.45MM, UFA)
F Jake Evans ($1.7MM, UFA)
D Johnathan Kovacevic ($766.7K, UFA)
D David Savard ($3.5MM, UFA)
Dvorak was acquired to replace Jesperi Kotkaniemi in the 2021 offseason with the hopes that he could become a legitimate second-line center. That hasn’t happened yet. Instead, he appears to be heading for another season around the 30-point mark. His defensive game and faceoff ability give him some extra value but if this type of production is indeed his ceiling, he’s going to be in tough to get more than this on the open market. A similar contract is possible but even in a pricier cap environment, it’s hard to see him pushing for $5MM.
Armia’s strong showing in Montreal’s improbable run to the Stanley Cup Final strengthened his market to the point where he was able to land this commitment. Since then, he has 16 points in 76 games. Armia can kill penalties but he’s more of a fourth liner that should have a price tag closer to half of his current one. Evans had a strong year last season with 28 even-strength points in a bottom-six role but his playing time has been more limited this year. If he can get back to pushing for 30 points in that lower spot on the depth chart, he could generate enough interest to push his AAV past the $2MM mark in 2025.
Savard is playing a much bigger role than he was used to at the end of his time with Columbus (and a brief stint in Tampa Bay) as he sits second on the team in ATOI. Right now, they’re getting some value for their buck but he’ll turn 35 early on his next deal and at that point, Savard will likely be best suited for a third-pairing role. That should push his price tag down a little bit. Kovacevic was claimed off waivers late in training camp and has played in most of Montreal’s games since then. It’s still a bit early to forecast what’s next as he’s a late-bloomer rookie but if he plays more often than not on this deal, he could have a shot at doubling his AAV on the open market. If Kovacevic turns into a full-time regular, the cost will only go up.
Allen has had some ups and downs since effectively taking over as the starter last season, a role he struggled with when he had it in St. Louis. Even with the inconsistency, what he’s making now is well below market value for a starter and on his next contract, as long as he can hold down a regular spot in the platoon, Montreal should get a reasonable return on it as well.
East Notes: Capitals, Krejci, Voronkov, Hellberg
The Capitals got some good news and bad news on their back end for tonight’s contest against Winnipeg. The good news is that after missing 16 games, defenseman Dmitry Orlov was activated off IR, relays Tarik El-Bashir of The Athletic (Twitter link). However, they also lost blueliner Erik Gustafsson to an upper-body injury, notes Samantha Pell of the Washington Post (Twitter link). The net trade-off is certainly a positive as Orlov, a long-term top-four player for them, is jumping right back onto their top pairing although Gustafsson is tied for the team lead in assists by a defender with ten.
More from the Eastern Conference:
- Prior to their game tonight against Vegas, the Bruins announced (Twitter link) that center David Krejci is out due to a lower-body injury sustained on Friday against Arizona. Fortunately for Boston, the absence is likely to be short-lived as the team hopes he’ll be ready to play in their next game on Tuesday. Krejci’s return to the NHL has been a very good one so far as the 36-year-old has 21 points in 23 games so far, the highest point-per-game average of his 16-year NHL career.
- Blue Jackets prospect Dmitry Voronkov is expected to sign with Columbus once his KHL season comes to an end, reports Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (subscription link). The 22-year-old center was a fourth-round pick by Columbus back in 2019 (114th overall) and has been a regular in the KHL since then. This season, he has 13 points in 28 games and is on pace for his best year offensively at that level. The Blue Jackets certainly could use some help down the middle and it appears they’ll get someone else to try at that position for next season in Voronkov.
- The Red Wings announced that they have recalled goaltender Magnus Hellberg from his conditioning stint with AHL Grand Rapids. The 31-year-old had a 2.50 GAA and a .932 SV% in four starts with the Griffins. He’ll be Detroit’s third-stringer so this might be the last game action he sees for a little while.
Minnesota Wild Re-Assign Andrej Sustr
On December 1st, the Minnesota Wild recalled veteran defenseman Andrej Sustr to their NHL roster. Today, the Wild announced that they’ve re-assigned Sustr to their AHL affiliate, the Iowa Wild, meaning he’ll head back to the minors without skating in an NHL game.
Sustr, 32, is as mentioned a veteran defenseman who has significant NHL experience on his resume. He broke into the league as an undrafted college free agent on the Tampa Bay Lightning and played a regular role on their 2014-15 team that made a run to the Stanley Cup Final.
Sustr would continue in his regular role in Tampa until 2017-18, when he got into just 44 games, leading to him leaving the organization altogether in the offseason. Sustr signed with the Anaheim Ducks, spending most of 2018-19 in the AHL.
That run in the AHL motivated him to look elsewhere to continue his career, leading him to sign with the KHL’s Chinese franchise, the Kunlun Red Star.
After two years in China, Sustr returned to the Lightning organization and split time between Tampa and their AHL affiliate in Syracuse before being claimed off of waivers by, you guessed it, the Ducks.
This offseason, Sustr signed with the Wild and has spent most of the year in the AHL, save for this call-up. Having not played in a single NHL game for the Wild despite spending over a week on their roster, Sustr will head back to Iowa to resume playing an important role on their blueline.