West Notes: Oilers UFA Possibilities, McLeod, Rookie Faceoff
The Edmonton Oilers added a quality AHL scorer in Justin Bailey to their organization, bringing him in on a PTO and an AHL deal. That doesn’t mean they’re done adding, though, and The Athletic’s Daniel Nugent-Bowman reports via a team source that the Oilers are considering adding a forward on a league-minimum deal, similar to the contract Ryan Murray recently signed. (subscription link) Per Nugent-Bowman, the Oilers are discussing three players: Zach Aston-Reese, Riley Nash, and Jake Virtanen.
Aston-Reese, 28, is likely the name Oilers fans would most want to see on their roster out of that group of three. Aston-Reese, whose free agency our John Gilroy profiled last month, is a capable defensive winger and someone who could chip in as a safe, reliable bottom-six option. Nash, 33, represents the most experienced option, as he has over 600 NHL games under his belt. Nash split time between the Syracuse Crunch, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Arizona Coyotes last season, and managed to get into eight playoff games on the Lightning’s run to the Stanley Cup Final. The recent not guilty verdict in Virtanen’s sexual assault trial could be the reason why Virtanen’s name is coming up again for NHL opportunities after a year in the KHL. Virtanen, a former top prospect who scored 18 goals in 2019-20, is the player of the three who would likely present the most on-ice upside to the Oilers but also come with his fair share of baggage and controversy.
Now, for some other news from across the Western Conference:
- The Oilers still have restricted free agent Ryan McLeod left to sign, and Nugent-Bowman reports that the deal should come around a $975K cap hit. That’s a relatively small cost, but since the Oilers have little cap space to work with the deal hasn’t been completed yet. Per Nugent-Bowman, the “inability to make a trade” involving one of the Oilers’ higher-priced players such as Tyson Barrie, Jesse Puljujarvi, or Warren Foegele has held up the progress on finalizing McLeod’s deal.
- We recently covered how the San Jose Sharks would be hosting a tournament for prospects from six NHL teams. Today, each of those six teams (the Sharks, Kings, Ducks, Coyotes, Avalanche, and Golden Knights) announced their rosters for the camp. There are quite a few notable names to look forward to at that tournament, including first-round picks Quinton Byfield, Mason McTavish, William Eklund, Conor Geekie, Oskar Olausson, and Brendan Brisson, among others.
Offseason Notes: Hurricanes, Lundqvist, Doan
Although player transactions rightfully take up most of the attention in the offseason, a team’s additions to their coaching staff and hockey operations department can also play a significant role in whether the organization finds success. Today, the Carolina Hurricanes made three additions to their hockey operations department. The team hired Earl Schwartz as a compliance assistant, and Ellen Etchingham and Sidney Morin were named professional scouts.
Schwartz’s title may not make his role on the Hurricanes immediately clear, but based on the team’s description, it seems his work will revolve around the salary cap. The two new professional scouts the team hired, Etchingham and Morin, both have extensive experience in hockey. Etchingham, who Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek called “one of the smartest people” he’s ever met, has written about hockey since 2007, while Morin is a player for the Minnesota Whitecaps of the PHF and an Olympic Gold Medalist.
Now, for some other news from across the NHL:
- It wasn’t long ago that Henrik Lundqvist was the on-ice face of the New York Rangers, and now in retirement, he’s positioned himself to be the off-ice face of the franchise. Today the Rangers announced that Lundqvist has joined Madison Square Garden in a “unique new role that helps support business operations for each company.” Lundqvist will continue his work as a studio analyst for Rangers broadcasts on MSG Network, as well as work in various roles across Madison Square Garden ranging from alumni relations to the Garden of Dreams Foundation.
- While the Rangers’ franchise icon is doubling down on his involvement with the organization, the Arizona Coyotes’ face of their franchise is heading in a different direction. Per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, Shane Doan is taking a “step back” from his role as Chief Hockey Development Officer for the Coyotes. Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports added some context to this move, stating that Doan still “wants to be in hockey ops somewhere” but it likely won’t be with the Coyotes. Of note is the fact that Doan’s son, Josh Doan, was drafted 37th overall by Arizona at the 2021 NHL draft and is currently the captain of the Arizona State Sun Devils hockey team.
Edmonton Oilers Sign Justin Bailey To Professional Tryout
9/8/22: While CapFriendly reported that Bailey signed a PTO with the Oilers, we now have some more clarity on where Bailey will be playing hockey full-time next season.
Per a team announcement, Bailey has signed a one-year AHL contract with the Oilers’ American League affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors. So, even if Bailey is unable to earn an NHL deal out of training camp, he will remain within the larger Oilers organization and factor in likely as a scoring-line player for the Condors.
9/7/22: The Edmonton Oilers have added some veteran talent to their training camp roster, signing forward Justin Bailey to a PTO, per CapFriendly.
This move comes after we covered how the Oilers were looking for some additional depth pieces at this stage of the offseason market. After signing Ryan Murray to a one-year league-minimum deal, they have added to their forward depth by getting Bailey into the mix for a job in the preseason.
Bailey, 27, was a second-round pick of the Buffalo Sabres at the 2013 NHL draft and has spent the past three seasons in the Vancouver Canucks organization. Last year, Bailey split time between the Canucks and their AHL affiliate in Abbotsford. For Vancouver, Bailey got into 14 games and registered 12 hits, six penalty minutes, and six blocked shots in just over nine minutes of ice time per game. Bailey also spent time as a healthy scratch for the Canucks.
At the AHL level, Bailey had more success, scoring 15 goals and 27 points in just 30 games. Bailey has long been a quality AHL scorer, ever since he scored 20 goals and 45 points in his first professional season with the Rochester Americans. In 296 career AHL games Bailey has scored 111 goals and 198 points.
In Edmonton, Bailey will have a chance to compete for a spot at the bottom of the team’s lineup. He’ll likely compete with Tyler Benson, Greg McKegg, and Brad Malone for a depth role. With a strong performance in camp and in the preseason, Bailey could earn himself a two-way deal and a chance to get into games for the Oilers this season. Even if Bailey struggles, though, it’s still overwhelmingly likely that he’d have strong interest on an AHL deal.
Minor Transactions: 09/08/22
The feeling of hockey is starting to come back, as players report to team facilities to get their workouts in and new faces arrive to start familiarizing themselves with the area. In just a few weeks there will be NHL action, meaning time is running out to make those last-second roster changes. As always, we’ll keep track of any notable minor moves right here.
- The Hershey Bears have agreed to terms with Michael Kim and Matthew Strome, signing them to AHL contracts for the upcoming season. The Strome last name will certainly draw some attention, though he hasn’t been nearly as successful as his brothers when it comes to professional hockey. Selected 106th overall in 2017 by the Philadelphia Flyers, Strome has been playing in the ECHL for parts of the last few seasons, only seeing a full AHL campaign in 2021-22 for the first time.
- Alexandre Carrier (no, not that Alexandre Carrier) has signed with the Savannah Ghost Pirates for the upcoming season. This Carrier is a 31-year-old ECHL stalwart, who has made a career in the low minors without ever being much of an offensive threat. In 357 games, he has just 23 goals and 71 points but has racked up 615 penalty minutes.
This page will continue to be updated with any further transactions
Jonathan Bernier Not Expected To Be Ready For Start Of Season
The New Jersey Devils went out and got a goaltender this offseason, trading for and then signing Vitek Vanecek to a three-year, $10.2MM contract. Given that we’re now a few weeks from the start of the regular season with both Mackenzie Blackwood and Jonathan Bernier still on the roster, it was unclear exactly how the position would shake out.
In his latest for NJ.com, Ryan Novozinsky relays that a source close to the situation told him Bernier “definitely won’t be ready for the start of the season.” The veteran netminder had hip surgery in January and appears poised to start the season on the sidelines. It is not clear when he will be back, which will certainly raise some alarms over whether his career is nearing an end.
Bernier, 34, has played more than 400 games in the NHL but just 34 since the start of the 2020-21 season. Incredibly, during that long career, he has never posted a save percentage under .902 in a season in which he appeared at least five times. His .912 career number is impressive, especially when you consider some of the brutal teams he has played behind.
The 2015-16 Toronto Maple Leafs won just 29 games and finished dead last in the league, leading to the selection of Auston Matthews that summer. The team’s leading scorer (Nazem Kadri) had just 45 points. Despite that, Bernier posted a .908 save percentage in 38 appearances. In 2019-20, the Detroit Red Wings won just 17 games, finishing dead last in almost every category during a historically-bad season. Bernier, ever the stable presence, posted a .907 in 46 games.
While he has never been the best goaltender in the league, it’s been a long productive career for the 2006 11th overall pick. Hopefully, this latest injury can be resolved at some point and he can return to the ice.
For the time being, it’s Vanecek and Blackwood in the crease for the Devils, though they do have some additional depth at the position. Both Akira Schmid and Nico Daws played NHL games last season and will be needed if the team suffers another injury.
U.S. Hockey Hall Of Fame Announces 2022 Inductees
The class of 2022 has been announced for the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame. Five new hockey icons will receive the honor; Jim Johannson, Steve Cash, Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson, Monique Lamoureux-Morando, and Ryan Miller.
The induction event–the 50th anniversary of the Hall–will be held on November 30, 22 in St. Paul Minnesota. Mike Trimboli, president of USA Hockey, released a statement:
These five individuals have had a tremendously positive impact on hockey in America. They have all made countless contributions to the game throughout their impressive careers and their impact will be felt for years to come. We look forward to honoring them as the 50th class of the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in November.
There are few people who have impacted hockey as much as the late Jim Johannson, who spent nearly two decades at the top of USA Hockey and had an effect on so many of the best players to come from America. The USA Hockey College Player of the Year award was renamed to the Jim Johansson Award in 2019 after his passing, and his addition to the Hall of Fame was only a matter of time.
Cash, one of the best sled hockey players of all time, has three Paralympic gold medals and five World Championship titles. He made his debut on the international stage at the age of 16 and posted an all-time record of 129-40 with an incredible .898 save percentage over his career in goal for Team USA.
The Lamoureux twins, as they came to be known, were some of the most dominant players in the game during their time, winning six World Championship golds, an Olympic gold, and several other silver medals on the international level. Having last competed for Team USA in 2018, they were always going to go into the Hall together.
Miller, perhaps the most recognizable name to NHL fans, had one of the most successful professional careers ever from an American-born netminder. His 391 regular season wins rank 14th all-time among NHL goaltenders, and he won the Vezina trophy in 2010 as a member of the Buffalo Sabres. Internationally, Miller won an Olympic silver medal at the 2010 Olympics, where he posted a pristine .946 save percentage to lead the U.S. team within inches of gold.
It is easy to forget just how dominant Miller was at the college level, given his success in the NHL. He won the CCHA Best Goaltender award in each of his three seasons at Michigan State, posting a career .941 save percentage during his 106 NCAA games. He won the Hobey Baker in 2001 and was a first-team All-American in both his sophomore and junior campaigns. He retired in 2021 following his 18th season in the NHL.
Snapshots: Karlsson, Perreault, Kadri
The San Jose Sharks appear to be headed for a rebuild, after trading away franchise icon Brent Burns this summer, or at least a retool around some of their younger options. What that meant for Erik Karlsson, the 32-year-old defenseman with a long injury history and an $11.5MM cap hit wasn’t clear, until he spoke with Corey Masisak of The Athletic.
Karlsson was very clear that he won’t be seeking a trade out of San Jose explaining that he “committed” to the organization a long time ago. He has had some preliminary talks with Grier about the direction of the team but isn’t looking to abandon ship. Of course, while his no-movement clause allows him to decide things like that, it isn’t necessarily up to Karlsson in this case. There aren’t many teams who would be able to afford his deal even if San Jose retained part of it, especially because it still has five years left on it.
- Mathieu Perreault has retired and joined TVA Sports, according to a release they issued yesterday. While he hasn’t announced it personally, last season did seem like a farewell for the 34-year-old, who played 25 games for the Montreal Canadiens an experience that he called a “childhood dream.” Selected in the sixth round of the 2006 draft, Perreault managed to work his way through the minor leagues and put together an NHL career that spanned more than 700 games. His best season came in 2016-17 with the Winnipeg Jets, when he finished with 45 points (in just 65 games).
- Now that Nazem Kadri has signed a lucrative, long-term deal, he’s decided to give back to the place that raised him. The veteran forward has made a $1MM donation to the London Health Sciences Centre, establishing the Nazem Kadri Surgical Centre. Kadri signed a seven-year, $49MM contract with the Calgary Flames last month.
St. Louis Blues, Jordan Kyrou Working On Extension
Earlier this offseason, the St. Louis Blues locked up part of their future when they signed Robert Thomas to an eight-year, $65MM contract. The 23-year-old center exploded with 77 points in 2021-22, establishing himself as one of the best young pivots in the league. His teammate, Jordan Kyrou, may soon be getting the same treatment. Andy Strickland of Bally Sports Midwest tweets that the Blues have begun extension talks with Kyrou.
Now 24, Kyrou had his own breakout season in 2021-22, reaching 27 goals and 75 points in 74 games. He was a horse in the playoffs as well, adding seven goals in 12 games. Last year at this time, the Blues decided to go with identical two-year bridge deals for Thomas and Kyrou, contracts that carry an average annual value of just $2.8MM. It was an incredible bargain in year one and likely will give even more surplus value in 2022-23.
It will be interesting to see if another matching deal is coming, given the positional differences. While Thomas is a full-time center, Kyrou is a pure winger, something that isn’t usually quite as lucrative when it comes to long-term deals.
Importantly, the Blues have some other contracts to think about in any negotiation. Ryan O’Reilly and Vladimir Tarasenko are both set to become unrestricted free agents next summer. General manager Doug Armstrong has been more than willing in the past to move out key pieces early if they have indicated they aren’t going to re-sign, but losing O’Reilly in particular right now seems like it would set the team back significantly. If he’s to be extended, the 31-year-old will likely be looking for a deal at least as lucrative as the $7.5MM cap hit he currently carries.
For now, if contract talks with Kyrou are going “very good,” as Strickland says, the futures of O’Reilly and Tarasenko might have to wait.
Montreal Canadiens Sign Cayden Primeau
The Montreal Canadiens have finished their RFA work for the summer, signing Cayden Primeau to a new three-year contract. Interestingly enough it is a one-way contract for all three years, paying him an average annual value of $890K. Primeau will earn $770K in 2022-23, $800K in 2023-24, and $1.1MM in 2024-25.
As CapFriendly points out, the young netminder is waiver-exempt for one more season (or 56 games, should he assume full-time duties for some reason). This will give them the chance to run a tandem of Jake Allen and Sam Montembeault this season, with the former becoming an unrestricted free agent next summer (though Andy Strickland of Bally Sports Midwest tweets that extension talks between Allen and the Canadiens have begun).
Even when Primeau does become eligible for waivers, a contract like this could potentially help him slip through. It is not as if he has proven himself at the NHL level to this point. The 23-year-old netminder has an .874 save percentage in 18 appearances with the Canadiens, and despite considerable hype, has had mixed results even at the AHL level.
This is a bet on his potential and the incremental growth he is expected to experience over the next few years. At some point, the Canadiens are hoping that he takes over one of the NHL jobs and even if he doesn’t, the deal isn’t so lucrative as to negatively affect their cap situation. The entire hit can be buried in the minor leagues if necessary, and Primeau is still young enough to be a restricted free agent at its expiry.
Minor Transactions 09/07/22
We are less than three weeks away from preseason action around the league and just over a month away from the 2022-23 regular season. NHL teams have a few things left to do before getting started and minor league clubs a few more still. As always, we’ll keep track of all the minor transactions from around the hockey world.
- Veteran SHL defenseman Anton Myllari has chosen to swap leagues. Per a team announcement, Myllari signed a contract with the Lahden Pelicans of the Finnish Liiga. Myllari, 31, spent last season with Brynas of the SHL, getting into 51 games. Myllari has nearly 200 games of SHL experience under his belt and has also manned the blueline for teams in Denmark and Austria. He heads to a Pelicans team eager to improve after a mediocre 29-win 2021-22 campaign.
- ECHL teams have been making some last-minute additions in advance of next season, and one of those teams is the Cincinnati Cyclones. The team announced today that they’ve signed 21-year-old forward Dakota Betts to a one-year contract. The deal is Betts’ first professional contract, and the 21-year-old is coming off of a solid final season in the OHL In 61 games the now-21-year-old Betts registered 33 points, which ranked fourth on a poor Niagara IceDogs team.
- The Reading Royals announced that they’ve signed forward Kamerin Nault to a one-year contract. Nault, 27, has 99 games of ECHL experience on his resume and got into three AHL games in 2020-21 with the Manitoba Moose. Nault’s best ECHL season came in 2019-20 when he scored 16 goals and 32 points in 40 games for the Greenville Swamp Rabbits.
- Former Belleville Senator Andrew Sturtz has signed a one-year deal with the Orlando Solar Bears, per a team announcement. Sturtz, 27. did not play during the 2021-22 season but had a solid 2020-21 campaign with the Rapid City Rush, scoring 28 points in 33 games. Sturtz was a top scorer for the Penn State Nittany Lions in his collegiate career and will look to help the Solar Bears improve upon a 2021-22 campaign where they just missed out on a playoff berth.