Ladislav Smid Joins Edmonton Oil Kings
After playing the last several years back home in Czechia, Ladislav Smid recently announced his retirement. He’s now coming back to North America, joining the Edmonton Oil Kings of the WHL as a development coach.
Smid, 36, is very familiar with the area, having played parts of eight seasons with the Edmonton Oilers, and three more a few hours south with the Calgary Flames. The big, defensive defenseman spent his entire career in Alberta, making his NHL debut with the Oilers after a trade from the Anaheim Ducks (one that saw Chris Pronger go the other way), and playing his last game with the Flames in 2016.
He had just 72 points during his 583-game career and had the misfortune of never playing in a single postseason game. He’ll now try to help the next generation of players reach their dream, and perhaps even get a taste of some elusive playoff hockey.
The Oil Kings are off to a brutal 1-7-1 start after losing basically all of the top players that made them so dangerous last year.
Tyce Thompson Activated, Sent To AHL
The high hopes of a New Jersey Devils season are already being tested, after two bad losses to start the year. Fans may get at least a little bit of encouragement from the news today that Tyce Thompson has been activated from injured reserve, though he’ll start out in the minor leagues.
Thompson, 23, has played nine games for the Devils in his young career, but was outstanding at the AHL level a year ago. In 16 matches for the Utica Comets he had 15 points, unfortunately missing a huge part of the season with shoulder surgery. Now healthy and ready to go, he’ll have to once again prove himself as a difference-maker in the minor leagues before getting a chance with New Jersey.
Meanwhile, fans are already calling for the dismissal of head coach Lindy Ruff and pulling their hair out over the performance of the goaltending duo of Vitek Vanecek and Mackenzie Blackwood. Things could quickly get out of control in New Jersey and force the team to make changes, meaning Thompson could get an opportunity at some point.
Utica is also off to a slow start, losing their opener against the Hershey Bears. They’ll be back in action tonight against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, though it is unclear if Thompson will be in the lineup.
Anders Bjork Placed On Waivers; Sonny Milano Clears
The Buffalo Sabres have placed forward Anders Bjork on waivers, according to Chris Johnston of NorthStar Bets. The move comes after Bjork was scratched in each of the team’s first two games. Should he clear and is assigned to the minor leagues, the Sabres would receive $1.125MM in cap savings, leaving him with a charge of $475K on his $1.6MM contract.
Sonny Milano, who was on waivers yesterday, has cleared and will be assigned to the AHL’s Hershey Bears.
Bjork, 26, was given that $1.6MM cap hit by the Boston Bruins in 2020, when he signed a three-year, $4.8MM contract after his first full season. He didn’t even last the first year of the deal in Boston, before being part of the Taylor Hall trade in 2021. In Buffalo, things haven’t really gone well for the fifth-round pick. In 73 games he has just eight goals and 14 points, averaging just 12 minutes a night last season. This year he found himself on the outside looking in at a much deeper forward group, and now he very well could be on his way back to the AHL.
There’s a chance a team claims him, though it’s hard to justify passing on Milano’s $750K deal just to take Bjork’s $1.6MM cap hit. More likely he’ll have to go back to the minor leagues, a place where he has spent very little time in his professional career. After becoming a star at Notre Dame, Bjork stepped almost directly into the NHL with the Bruins, playing just 29 games at the AHL level over parts of three seasons.
The Sabres, not needing the cap room, are making this move to create room for Riley Sheahan who is about to return from injury. They are just barely over the salary cap floor as it is, even with Ben Bishop‘s contract on the books.
Nick Schmaltz Out 6-8 Weeks With Upper-Body Injury
The Arizona Coyotes don’t have a lot of offensive skill in the lineup this season, and they are going to have even less for the next several weeks. Nick Schmaltz has been ruled out for the next six to eight weeks according to Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports, after he suffered an injury in the team’s season-opening match against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Connor Timmins is also out day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
Schmaltz, 26, quietly had a very good season in Arizona last year, scoring 59 points in 63 games to finish second in team scoring behind Clayton Keller. That was a career-high on both accounts for the playmaking forward, who has been moved out of the center role and onto right wing. He managed to play just 2:26 before exiting, and now faces a long recovery timeline that will steal a good chunk of his season.
While the team isn’t trying to compete this season, it’s still not a great place to be in for either the Coyotes or Schmaltz. Like they’ve shown with the rest of their roster, the team is willing to trade anyone for the right price, and sitting on the sideline certainly won’t help Schmaltz’s market. With three more years remaining on his contract (after this one) he probably isn’t the top target for teams around the league, though if he was scoring at nearly a point-per-game again, he likely would have drawn some interest.
With their arena not yet ready to house them, the Coyotes are on a six-game road trip to start the year. After allowing 12 goals in their first two games (and 95 shots against, much to the chagrin of Karel Vejmelka), they now face the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight, before heading to Montreal, Ottawa, and Columbus. They won’t play at home until October 28, and won’t have one of their best offensive pieces in the lineup for up to two months.
It’s going to be a long season in the desert.
Rasmus Ristolainen Moved To Injured Reserve
The Philadelphia Flyers are 2-0 and they have only allowed four goals on the year. They’ve been able to do that without highly-paid defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen, who is dealing with an undisclosed injury suffered late in camp. Today, they have moved Ristolainen to injured reserve and recalled Zack MacEwen and Louis Belpedio, meaning they’ll have to keep playing without the big Finn for the next little while.
Given that the IR placement is retroactive, Ristolainen can come back basically at any point. But moving him off the roster at least suggests that he’s going to miss some more time.
Many fans of the team will be excited about the move, given it brings back tough guy MacEwen, who became a favorite last season when he was racking up 110 penalty minutes in 75 games. The 26-year-old forward gives the team another player who can skate and throw huge hits, while dropping the gloves whenever necessary.
Belpedio, meanwhile, gives the team another defensive option, though the group has looked pretty good so far. The 26-year-old has played in just four games at the NHL level in the past but is a strong two-way presence in the minor leagues and is coming off an impressive Calder Cup playoff run with the Laval Rocket.
Tyler Bertuzzi Out 4-6 Weeks With Upper-Body Injury
The Detroit Red Wings are off to a fast start this season but will be without one of their key forwards for the next month. Tyler Bertuzzi has been ruled out for four to six weeks with an upper-body injury suffered over the weekend. Bertuzzi was removed from the game on Saturday after just eight minutes and did not return. The team will also be without Jakub Vrana tonight who is away for personal reasons.
Somewhat quietly, Bertuzzi had the best season of his career in 2021-22, scoring 30 goals and 62 points in 68 games. While the Red Wings finished well out of the playoffs, he was one of the players who showed real promise, after missing almost the entire previous year due to injury. Now, approaching unrestricted free agency next summer, it was a big year for Bertuzzi, who could set himself up for a massive extension with the Red Wings or an even bigger deal on the open market.
A six-week absence certainly isn’t going to help his case, though there aren’t many players on the Red Wings roster who can replace his mix of skill and grit. In the meantime, Dominik Kubalik is getting the first crack at the first line, with Filip Zadina jumping into the second group beside Andrew Copp and David Perron. It is quite an opportunity for Kubalik, who was cut loose by the Chicago Blackhawks and signed a two-year, $5MM contract with the Red Wings. He has averaged just 12 minutes of ice time through the first two games but did score on Saturday and has shown an ability to skate with good players in the past.
As a rookie, Kubalik scored 30 goals playing mostly with Jonathan Toews. If he can find that same kind of chemistry with Dylan Larkin, perhaps he can rediscover that scoring touch on a more regular basis.
Tampa Bay Lightning Recall Nick Perbix
After signing him to an entry-level contract just a few months ago, the Tampa Bay Lightning are now giving Nick Perbix his first chance in the NHL. The sixth-round pick has been recalled today after the Lightning sent Trevor Carrick back to the minor leagues yesterday.
Perbix, 24, was drafted way back in 2017 but played a year in the USHL and then four seasons at St. Cloud State following his selection. Last year he joined the Syracuse Crunch down the stretch and played well, racking up eight points in 12 regular season games. The 6’2″ right-handed defenseman is a nice all-around depth piece for the team to be able to call on, and gives them four right-handed defensemen on the roster.
With Hayden Fleury and Philippe Myers both playing fewer than 13 minutes against the Pittsburgh Penguins over the weekend, there could be a couple of changes for the Lightning this week. Ian Cole has been reinstated following the league investigation into sexual assault allegations found no evidence, and now Perbix has been recalled after two games in the minor leagues.
Tampa Bay is 1-2 on the year and has given up 11 goals in those three games, including six against the Penguins.
No Rush To Patrick Kane Trade Talks
The Chicago Blackhawks beat the San Jose Sharks 5-2 over the weekend, bringing their record to 1-2 on the young season. Already the team has actually looked better than advertised, but that still likely won’t be enough to keep them out of the bottom of the standings. The simple fact is that they are trying to lose, and even with some encouraging early performances (especially from captain Jonathan Toews), the team’s skill and depth have been stripped as they enter a full rebuild.
That continues to lead to questions about the future of Patrick Kane, who has just one point in those three games and is playing just 19 minutes a night. In discussion with Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, Kane’s agent Pat Brisson of CAA Sports compares the situation to the one that played out in Philadelphia last season with Flyers captain Claude Giroux. The superstar forward had played his whole career with one team, but it was obvious that there would not be a future between the two sides, and the Flyers weren’t going to be competitive.
Giroux eventually accepted a deal at the deadline, and that’s exactly the way it appears to be going with Kane. Brisson says they will “probably explore things at the appropriate time” later in the year, and once again confirmed that the Blackhawks have not and will not pressure his client into waiving his no-trade clause.
While LeBrun suggests that there could be some benefit in getting Kane earlier, it is important to remember the cap effects. Every day that passes means an acquiring team has more room to pay for the star winger, meaning more contenders could potentially enter the fray. With a full no-movement clause Kane will be in charge of the destination (as Giroux was), but perhaps teams that weren’t expected to be in the mix will emerge over the next few months.
Either way, it sounds as though there is a real chance that the market has a Hall of Fame prize this year, as Kane is still one of the very best offensive pieces in the league. Last season, he scored 26 goals and 92 points in 78 games, the third-best total of his career.
There is also the question of what happens after this season is over. In Giroux’s case, he took his family back home after a short trip in the sun and signed with the Ottawa Senators. Buffalo Sabres fans will certainly like the sounds of that, given Kane is from the city. He did also live in Detroit as a teenager, and the Red Wings are another emerging club. LeBrun points to the New York Rangers and New York Islanders as two teams who will likely have interest if he hits the market as a trade piece.
Regardless, this will be an interesting few months for hockey fans to keep an eye on the Blackhawks, even if they aren’t winning very many games.
Five Key Stories: 10/10/22 – 10/16/22
The regular season is underway and while it will be fairly quiet on the trade front in the early going, there was still plenty of news around the NHL which is highlighted in our key stories.
Successful Tryouts: Several players were able to land contracts off their professional tryout agreements. Ottawa inked veteran center Derick Brassard to a one-year deal at the league minimum, giving them some extra depth down the middle. Carolina did the same with veteran Derek Stepan, giving him the same contract for what will be his second season with the Hurricanes. Michael Stone is staying with Calgary as the Flames signed him to a two-way deal worth the minimum in the NHL. Lastly, Anton Stralman’s tryout was successful as he agreed to a one-year, $1MM contract although that deal has yet to be registered with the league. Couple that with the handful of veterans that signed earlier and this was one of the more successful PTO groups in recent history when it comes to landing guaranteed contracts.
Down To One: The list of remaining restricted free agents was cut in half when the Golden Knights agreed to terms with defenseman Nicolas Hague on a three-year deal worth just under $2.3MM per season. The 23-year-old was one of the first group of Vegas draft picks and he worked his way into a regular role fairly quickly while averaging 18:40 per night. The AAV of the contract lined up well in terms of allowing Vegas to maximize their LTIR pool as the Golden Knights will be deep into that once again this season. Hague will have one year of RFA eligibility remaining after this deal and will be owed a $2.7MM qualifying offer. Senators winger Alex Formenton is the last restricted free agent in the NHL.
Staying In Philadelphia: Travis Sanheim won’t be leaving the Flyers anytime soon as the two sides worked out a maximum-term eight-year contract extension that carries a $6.25MM AAV. The deal also contains a full no-trade clause for the first four years and a 12-team no-trade clause for the final four seasons. The 26-year-old is one of Philadelphia’s top defensemen and is coming off one of his best offensive years that saw him put up 31 points in 80 games while averaging just under 23 minutes a night. If Sanheim is able to produce at a similar level during this contract and continue to log the second-most minutes on the team, the Flyers should get a good return on this deal.
Sabres Signings: While the Sabres already had Don Granato signed through the end of next season, they decided to give him an early extension, signing him to a two-year deal that keeps him signed through 2025-26. The Sabres have played to a .438 points percentage since he took over late in the 2020-21 campaign and while that might not seem great at first glance, Buffalo has been rebuilding during that stretch and the team has been considerably more competitive with him behind the bench so this move was a vote of approval of how he has the team playing.
Meanwhile, later that day, the team announced another extension as they signed defenseman Mattias Samuelsson to a seven-year, $30MM deal that begins next season. The 22-year-old was an early second-round pick in 2018 and got into 42 games in 2021-22 where he averaged 20 minutes a game. Buffalo clearly believes this is only the beginning for Samuelsson who has yet to score in his young career. However, a $4.29MM AAV for a top-four defender is certainly reasonable and it’s likely that those will be his prime years as well. The contract might seem odd on the surface but it’s a logical move for them to make since they’re convinced that he’s a part of the long-term plans in Buffalo.
Key Injuries: Montreal has a pretty thin back end when the team is fully healthy. They were already missing Joel Edmundson due to a back issue sustained in a pre-camp scrimmage and now they’ll be without another key veteran as Mike Matheson will miss eight weeks with an abdominal injury. The end result is that the Canadiens are dressing four rookie defensemen at the moment. Meanwhile, the Maple Leafs will be without their presumptive starter Matt Murray for at least a month after he suffered an adductor injury in practice on Saturday. The fact he’ll be out that long (10 games and 24 days minimum) enabled them to place him on LTIR which opened up some short-term cap space to recall some extra skaters. Those moves were made Sunday with the recalls of wingers Nicholas Robertson and Wayne Simmonds plus defenseman Victor Mete.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Salary Cap Deep Dive: Arizona Coyotes
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.
Arizona Coyotes
Current Cap Hit: $65,578,566 (under the $82.5MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
F Dylan Guenther (three years, $894K)
F Matias Maccelli (one year, $853K)
F Jack McBain (one year, $884K)
D J.J. Moser (two years, $887K)
Potential Bonuses
Guenther: $850K
McBain: $850K
Moser: $32.5K
Total: $1.7325MM
Guenther is coming off a dominant season in the WHL but is in the situation that many NHL teams don’t like for their top prospects – they might not yet be good enough to be in the NHL on a full-time basis but are too good to play in junior. Unfortunately, there aren’t other options. Expect Arizona to drag out the time to get him to nine games so they can best assess whether he’s going to stay for the season. McBain signed quickly after being acquired last season and has held his own. So far, he has had somewhat of a limited role which will likely have him heading for a bridge deal. Unless both he and Guenther get big roles, they’re unlikely to hit their bonuses. Maccelli was quite productive in the minors last season although that wasn’t the case in his NHL action. Unless that changes this year, a bridge deal – perhaps even a one-year contract – will be on its way.
Moser came up midseason last year and didn’t look back, quickly playing his way into a regular role. His usage has been quite high early on (injuries are playing a role in that) but he looks like a long-term piece of the puzzle on the second pairing. He could be a player that Arizona views as somewhat comparable to Mattias Samuelsson in Buffalo (seven years, $30MM) where they might overpay at the beginning in the hopes of having a bargain at the end when they’re emerging from their rebuild.
Signed Through 2022-23, Non-Entry-Level
F Nick Bjugstad ($900K, UFA)
F Christian Fischer ($1.126MM, RFA)
D Shayne Gostisbehere ($4.5MM, UFA)
G Connor Ingram ($733K, RFA)
F Andrew Ladd ($5.5MM, UFA)
F Nick Ritchie ($2.5MM, UFA)
D Troy Stecher ($1.2MM, UFA)
D Conor Timmins ($850K, RFA)
D Juuso Valimaki ($1.55MM, RFA)
Let’s get Ladd out of the way first. He’s expected to miss all of the season and is LTIR-eligible although Arizona has no need to put him there since they have so much cap space. Ritchie was productive after Toronto unloaded his contract, scoring 10 goals in 24 games. That’s a small sample size but if he produces at a similar level, he could actually get a raise next summer. Halfway through last season, that would have sounded crazy. Fischer is getting to the point where he’s going to become a non-tender candidate unless he can start to produce more than a handful of goals per year. He plays a physical game but players that are known mostly for hitting are strict fourth liners and it’d be difficult to see them wanting to pay much more for someone in that role. Bjugstad has been on cheap deals the last couple of years and barring a big change, he’ll stay around that price tag moving forward.
Gostisbehere struggled at the end of his time with Philadelphia to the point where they sent multiple draft picks to the Coyotes to take on his contract. He responded with one of the best seasons of his career. A similar performance will give him a chance to get more on his next deal which would be a striking turnaround for someone who cleared waivers not long ago. Valimaki was a recent waiver claim from Calgary and will get a chance to turn things around in the desert. If he doesn’t, he’s a strong non-tender candidate as he’s owed a $1.86MM qualifying offer. Stecher came over in free agency this summer as a third-pairing option and while he might have a bigger role than that at times in Arizona, his price tag next summer should check in close to this one. Timmins, if healthy, has a chance to establish himself as a key part of their back end but he will probably land a one-year deal to give both sides more time to see what he can do.
Ingram recently joined the Coyotes after being claimed off waivers from Nashville. He’ll have a chance to be a full-time backup and a decent showing could give him a chance to double his qualifying offer which could push him into the $1.6MM range next season. On the other hand, if he struggles, his next deal might be a two-way one.
Signed Through 2023-24
F Travis Boyd ($1.75MM, UFA)
D Josh Brown ($1.275MM, UFA)
F Barrett Hayton ($1.775MM, RFA)
F Zack Kassian ($3.2MM, UFA)
F Bryan Little ($5.292MM, UFA)
F Liam O’Brien ($775K, UFA)
D Patrik Nemeth ($2.5MM, UFA)
Once again, let’s get the injured forward out of the way first. Arizona absorbed Little’s contract as part of the move to land McBain but he hasn’t played since November 2019 and won’t play again. His deal is also LTIR-eligible but they won’t need the extra cap space.
Kassian came over from Edmonton this summer in a draft-day move that allowed the Oilers to clear salary. When he’s on, he’s a capable power forward but his consistency and discipline have been issues. It’s unlikely he’ll come close to this on his next deal unless those elements improve over the next two years. Hayton eventually settled for a bridge contract that ensures a higher qualifying offer ($2.13MM) while giving him time to show that he can be a top-six player. If so, he could more than double that qualifier but if not, he’ll settle in closer to the $2.5MM range. Boyd was one of the feel-good stories last season. After being more of a depth player for most of his career, he did well in a top-six role, earning him some stability and a nice raise. If he stays around the 30-point mark for the next couple of years, there’s some room for that price tag to go up a bit more. Otherwise, he should settle in closer to the $1.25MM mark.
The Rangers compensated the Coyotes for taking on Nemeth’s deal, one that looked puzzling when it was signed a year ago. He’s a serviceable player on the third pairing but is making roughly twice what someone should in that role. At this point, he could be a PTO candidate in 2024 unless he establishes himself as a regular in their lineup. Brown is a blueliner that’s on the fringes of being a regular and unless he can become one, this is about as high of a contract as he can realistically expect to get.
Signed Through 2024-25
D Jakob Chychrun ($4.6MM, UFA)
D Dysin Mayo ($950K, UFA)
G Karel Vejmelka ($2.75MM, UFA)
Chychrun has only been featured in trade speculation for about a year and a half now. Not because he’s a bad player but because he’s an impact defenseman whom the Coyotes can command a high asking price for. If he can get to a contending team and play a big role there, he should easily pass the $6.5MM mark on his next deal. If his production gets near his 2020-21 level, then the $8MM range is where his next contract should fall. Mayo had a nice rookie season that saw him log more than 20 minutes a game but it came at the age of 25 which limited his leverage. This deal gives him a bit of security but carries very little risk for the Coyotes as even if he slips to being a seventh defender, it’s still not a bad contract for them. And if he stays in that top-four role, it becomes an extremely team-friendly deal.
Vejmelka wasn’t expected to be the starter for Arizona last season. He was in his first season in North America after playing at home in the Czech Extraliga and expectations were low. He quickly played well enough to earn a longer look and not long after that, the number one job was his. This deal was signed just before the trade deadline and it’s one that gives them at least one netminder that they’re comfortable with in the remainder of their building years while he gets a lot more money than he could have expected when he signed with them. However, he’ll be hard-pressed to put up strong numbers during that time which won’t help his marketability for potential suitors in 2025.