Offseason Notes: Stastny, Babcock, Kraken Hires
The Carolina Hurricanes solidified their situation down the middle with the addition of veteran center Paul Stastny on a one-year, $1.5MM deal. With the departure of Vincent Trocheck to the New York Rangers, the Hurricanes’ center corps is relatively unsettled. Armed with an eight-year, $4.82MM AAV contract, 2018 third-overall pick Jesperi Kotkaniemi will likely receive the first crack at replacing Trocheck as the Hurricanes’ second-line center. But if Kotkaniemi struggles in that role, look for Stastny to fill in and provide his usual steady production. With that possibility in mind, it seems this Stastny signing, while for a relatively cheap cap number, is actually quite important to the Hurricanes’ success next season.
It appears that Stastny understands that reality as well. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports on his 32 Thoughts Podcast that Stastny “took less money” than he was being offered from elsewhere in order to sign in Carolina. One possible suitor for Stastny that was presumably offering more money that Friedman specifically names is the Vegas Golden Knights. Stastny’s fit with the Golden Knights is less obvious, as the team already has Jack Eichel, William Karlsson, and Nicolas Roy entrenched as the top-three centers, and Chandler Stephenson waiting in the wings to play center in case of an injury. So, based on this reporting, it seems Stastny prioritized fit over maximizing his contract’s value as a free agent, which indicates how important he could be to the Hurricanes if Kotkaniemi fails to take a step forward in his development.
Now, for some other notes regarding offseason news across hockey:
- Former Detroit Red Wings, Anaheim Ducks, and Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock resigned today from his post as head coach of the University of Saskatchewan’s men’s hockey team. Babcock, who last coached in the NHL in 2019-20 and was once considered one of the top coaches in the game, spent a season under the helm for the Huskies and went 14-9. Babcock’s name last surfaced in the mix for NHL jobs in 2020, when he reportedly interviewed for the then-vacant Washington Capitals head coaching job.
- The Seattle Kraken announced some notable additions to their hockey operations staff today, hiring former San Jose Sharks head of amateur scouting Doug Wilson Jr. as an amateur scout, and former NHLer Frans Nielsen as a player development consultant. The Kraken are loaded with picks for the 2023 draft class, so adding an experienced scout like Wilson will only help in their efforts to build a contender. Additionally, Nielsen brings nearly 1,000 NHL games of experience to the Kraken’s development team and should especially help with their crop of young centers headlined by Shane Wright and Matthew Beniers.
Golden Knights Notes: Goalie Tandem, Lehner, Hague
Following last night’s signing of Phil Kessel to a one-year deal, Vegas Golden Knights GM Kelly McCrimmon spoke to the media and answered questions on a wide variety of topics. One of the most pressing topics he addressed was the team’s goaltending. As relayed by The Athletic’s Jesse Granger, McCrimmon stated that the team will run a goalie tandem of Logan Thompson and Laurent Brossoit for the entirety of next season, if possible. McCrimmon elaborated on that decision, stating that the timing of Lehner’s surgery all but made adding a goalie through free agency impossible and that the organization believes that this tandem can get them where they want to go.
For a team that is desperate to return to the playoffs next season, a Thompson-Brossoit tandem seems like a risk, at least on paper. Thompson, 25, did nearly single-handedly save the Golden Knights’ playoff hopes last spring but has just 20 NHL contests under his belt. Brossoit, 29, has served as a lightly-used backup goalie for the past few seasons, and is currently rehabbing from hip surgery. McCrimmon stated that Brossoit’s rehab has been going well and that he should be ready early next season, if he’s not ready for opening night, but even at full health this tandem is one that carries significant downside risk. With each passing day, it looks more and more likely that the Golden Knights’ hopes for next season will rest on Thompson’s shoulders.
Now, for some other notes regarding the Golden Knights:
- The goalie previously slated to be the Golden Knights’ starter, Robin Lehner, will miss the entirety of next season after undergoing hip surgery. Today McCrimmon elaborated on the nature of Lehner’s operation, stating that he is undergoing double hip surgery and has already had the procedure on one of his hips. Much has been made of the difficulties goaltenders face when recovering from hip ailments, and one has to assume that recovering from double hip surgery is even more difficult. But with all the talent Lehner possesses, his recovery from these injuries will be extremely important to the future of the Golden Knights.
- One other topic McCrimmon touched in his press conference is the status of restricted free agent defenseman Nicolas Hague. Hague is coming off of a two-year stretch where he has established himself as a quality NHLer, and is undoubtedly looking for a contract that reflects his newly-proven value. McCrimmon stated that “priority number-one” for this offseason is getting Hague under a contract, and with Lehner now set to hit long-term injured reserve he should have the necessary wiggle room under the cap to get a deal done. Given the Golden Knights’ ever-present need for salary-cap space (even with Lehner’s eventual placement on LTIR) a bridge deal could make the most sense, though one cannot rule out a long-term pact. The Golden Knights have previously shown a willingness to lock-up young blueliners to long-term pacts, as they did with Zach Whitecloud, so perhaps Hague receives a similar (albeit likely more expensive) deal.
Calgary Flames Announce ECHL Affiliation
The ECHL’s Rapid City Rush announced today that they have reached a “multi-year agreement” with the Calgary Flames organization to serve as their ECHL affiliate. This news is today’s third announcement of new NHL-ECHL affiliation agreements. Flames assistant GM Brad Pascall gave the following statement as part of the announcement:
The Calgary Flames are pleased to reach an affiliate agreement with the ECHL’s Rapid City Rush. Our organization prides itself on its ability to develop young prospects and was seeking a team with great ownership like Rapid City that shares our principles and objectives regarding player development. This affiliation with a hockey city like Rapid City, led by general manager and head coach Scott Burt, will be a great fit with the Calgary Flames.
The Flames have a new location for their AHL affiliate this season, with the new Calgary-based Wranglers coming into the fold. Now they have a new ECHL affiliate to pair with the Wranglers as part of their player development plan. The Rush spent the past three seasons as the ECHL affiliate of the Arizona Coyotes, who earlier today announced an agreement with the Atlanta Gladiators.
The ECHL is generally considered to be most relevant to NHL clubs as a place to develop goaltenders. The Flames’ goaltending situation throughout their organization is relatively clear-cut. As a result, the Rush are, at least at this point, unlikely to play a large part in the team’s player development plans for next season.
Goaltenders Dustin Wolf and Oscar Dansk are clearly entrenched as the Wranglers’ tandem, and Jacob Markstrom and Daniel Vladar are the same in Calgary. That being said, this is a multi-year agreement, per the announcement, so fans in Calgary should expect to see some prospects eventually don a Rush jersey as they look to climb the pro ladder as a member of the Flames organization.
San Jose Sharks Announce ECHL Affiliation
Another NHL team has revealed their ECHL affiliation for next season. The San Jose Sharks announced today that they have reached an ECHL affiliation agreement with the Wichita Thunder. Sharks assistant GM Joe Will gave the following statement as part of the announcement:
We’re looking forward to working with the Wichita Thunder, including Head Coach Bruce Ramsay and General Manager Joel T. Lomurno. Having a solid affiliation in the ECHL is important to our player development plan and the ECHL has a solid track record with preparing prospects for their NHL and AHL careers.
The Thunder were previously the affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers, serving in that role from 2017-2022. The Sharks have not had an ECHL affiliate since 2018, when they were in an agreement with the Allen Americans, a partnership that ran from 2015-2018.
The Sharks currently have three goalies on their projected NHL roster and four goalies that figure to be in contention for AHL minutes, meaning it’s entirely possible that a Sharks goalie prospect could spend time in Wichita next season. The Thunder went 27-36-9 and will hope that this change in NHL affiliate will help turn around the team’s fortunes for next season.
Arizona Coyotes Announce ECHL Affiliation
Another NHL-ECHL partnership has been announced, this time with the Arizona Coyotes and the Atlanta Gladiators. Per the Coyotes’ announcement, the Gladiators will serve as the team’s ECHL affiliate for the 2022-23 season. Coyotes GM Bill Armstrong gave the following statement regarding the partnership:
We are very pleased to once again partner with the Atlanta Gladiators as our new ECHL affiliate. The Gladiators are a first-class organization with a loyal and passionate fan base. We look forward to working with Gladiators President Jerry James and Head Coach Jeff Pyle this season.
This news marks the second time the Coyotes have partnered with the Gladiators as their ECHL affiliate. Atlanta was previously the Coyotes’ ECHL farm team from 2011-2015.
The ECHL isn’t a place where NHL clubs typically prefer to send their prospects to develop, but that doesn’t mean that these affiliation agreements aren’t notable. Goalies in particular most often find themselves getting game action at the ECHL level, and experienced netminders such as Philipp Grubauer and Jonathan Quick saw their first professional action in North American professional hockey’s third-tier league.
Assuming netminder Jon Gilles wins the job as backup to Karel Vejmelka in Arizona, (which is far from certain, of course) the Coyotes could opt to have 22-year-old prospect goalie David Tendeck work as the starter in Atlanta rather than see the ice less often as Ivan Prosvetov‘s backup in AHL Tucson.
Snapshots: Flames, Ryan, McKeown
The Calgary Flames have had an offseason for the ages, going from the lows of losing both Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk to the highs of adding Jonathan Huberdeau (and extending him), Mackenzie Weegar, and Nazem Kadri. It’s been evident from these moves that despite his early summer predicament GM Brad Treliving had no plans on putting the brakes on the Flames’ Stanley Cup hopes, and it seems that the Flames are still attempting to improve their competitive chances, even this late into August.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports in his 32 Thoughts Podcast that he believes that the Flames are “going to add another forward,” and names free agent Evan Rodrigues as a specific name to watch. Rodrigues, whose free agency we profiled last month, is coming off of a strong platform season with the Pittsburgh Penguins. The versatile 29-year-old forward scored 19 goals and 43 points last season and could be a fit in Calgary on the team’s third line, especially if they don’t view top prospect Jakob Pelletier as being ready for immediate top-nine duty.
Now, for some other notes from across the world of hockey:
- The Canadian National Women’s team won gold at the 2021 IIHF World Championships, and at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, and today Hockey Canada announced that they’re retaining the coach who helped that happen. Per the announcement, coach Troy Ryan has signed an extension to remain the team’s coach through the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan. Ryan’s time as the team’s bench boss has been largely successful, making this decision an easy one for all parties involved.
- Today the Philadelphia Flyers announced the hire of Ian McKeown to the newly created position of Vice President, Athlete Performance and Wellness. The Flyers state that in this new role, McKeown will “establish and oversee a comprehensive and coordinated health and wellness program for all players within the Flyers organization.” The health of Flyers players has been one of the numerous issues plaguing the team in recent years, so adding a new face in order to specifically address that issue is a good start for Philadelphia. The Flyers are desperate to return to contention after two difficult seasons, and a renewed focus on player health and wellness can do nothing but help them in that pursuit.
Vegas Golden Knights Sign Phil Kessel
Late last night, the Vegas Golden Knights announced the signing of one of the biggest names still available on the free agent market: forward Phil Kessel. Per the team announcement, Kessel signed a one-year deal worth $1.5MM. Per CapFriendly, Kessel’s contract includes a modified no-trade clause, one that allows Kessel to list 10 teams he is eligible to be traded to.
CapFriendly currently has the Golden Knights as over $7MM above the cap with these signings, but that’s with players such as Robin Lehner, Laurent Brossoit, and Nolan Patrick on regular injured reserve, rather than long-term injured reserve. Both Lehner and Patrick are expected to miss the entirety of the 2022-23 season, meaning their absences give Vegas the bandwidth under the cap to add Kessel and re-sign RFA defenseman Nicolas Hague.
Kessel, who will soon turn 35 years old, has spent the past three seasons playing for the Arizona Coyotes. In his 208-game career with the Coyotes, Kessel has posted 133 points, which is a healthy 52-point 82-game pace.
Noting an 82-game pace with Kessel’s production is especially relevant due to the fact that he is currently the NHL’s reigning “Iron Man,” meaning he has gone 982 games straight without missing a contest, a steak that dates back to November 2009.
It’s definitely possible that his steak could pose a lineup dilemma for new coach Bruce Cassidy if Kessel struggles in Vegas. Cassidy has the reputation of demanding a lot from his players, and Kessel’s notorious apathy to the defensive side of the game could land him in hot water if he’s not scoring. But even with that being said, Kessel remains a talented enough offensive player to confidently project as a contributor in Vegas next season.
While he might not be the impact scorer he was in Pittsburgh anymore, Kessel is still a quality offensive talent who can offer a team a lot of value if utilized correctly. Former head coach Peter DeBoer and his assistant Steve Spott drew significant criticism from the Vegas market for the team’s lackluster power play, so the addition of Kessel could be seen as GM Kelly McCrimmon giving his new coach a new tool to help turn the page for that unit.
Cassidy will have some options as to where to deploy Kessel, especially with former top-line winger Max Pacioretty gone. Vegas could opt to stick Kessel on Nicolas Roy‘s wing on the team’s third line, or he could prefer to put Kessel on Jack Eichel and Mark Stone‘s line, with the idea that Stone’s defensive prowess will help cover for Kessel’s defensive deficiencies.
While we might not know exactly what route Cassidy will go in terms of his deployment of Kessel, there are few coaches in the NHL with a stronger resume than the Golden Knights’ new coach. If there’s any coach that will find a way to best maximize Kessel’s unique player profile, it’s Cassidy.
The Golden Knights are under significant pressure to improve upon last season’s disappointing campaign. The signing of Kessel isn’t going to be what makes or breaks their season, but it does provide their lineup with another intriguing weapon.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Free Agent Profile: Tyler Pitlick
As the 31st overall pick at the 2010 NHL draft, Tyler Pitlick had high expectations placed on him when he was a prospect. A dominating high school player, Pitlick spent his draft year playing college hockey before spending a year in the WHL, a successful campaign that saw him post 62 points in 56 games. But unfortunately, the scoring touch he showed as a major junior player didn’t translate to the professional game, and his next three seasons in the AHL were ones of middling production. Thankfully for Pitlick, though, he was able to make enough alterations to his game to be able to survive as a bottom-six player, and that allowed him to eventually see time as a regular NHLer.
Pitlick broke into the NHL as a full-time player in the 2017-18 season with the Dallas Stars, and he immediately impressed with his work ethic, high energy level, and surprising scoring touch. Pitlick scored 14 goals and 27 points in 80 games and looked to have cemented his place as a quality up-and-coming role player. But in the following season, Pitlick struggled with injuries, inconsistency, and his scoring dried up. Pitlick was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers, and from that point took the role of a journeyman, bouncing from the Flyers to the Arizona Coyotes and then making stops with the Seattle Kraken (briefly) and Calgary Flames before being traded to the Montreal Canadiens in the middle of last season. At each stop, the package of tools Pitlick provided was largely the same.
Coaches in each stop called on Pitlick to provide energy-filled, hard-working bottom-six minutes with the physicality one would conventionally expect from a fourth-line specialist. Pitlick did just that and even saw some time as a penalty killer in his short stretch as a Montreal Canadien. The result of this four-year period where he’s been a member of six organizations is that Pitlick has become a well-known commodity. When Pitlick steps onto an NHL ice, fans and coaches know exactly what to expect. But even still, he remains without a contract for next season.
Pitlick is still just 30 years old, so it’s a bit of a surprise that he hasn’t found a landing spot as a veteran depth player. That being said, the pressures of the flat-cap world may be causing teams to seek internal options to fill the role Pitlick would typically occupy in a lineup. But even so, it’s hard to imagine that not a single team could find a use for Pitlick’s services, and it’s likely that he’ll eventually find his way into a training camp as we finish up the offseason.
Stats:
2021-22: 39GP 1G 4A 5 pts, 6 PIMs, 36 shots, 70 hits, 10:56 ATOI
Career: 325GP 48G 41A 89pts, 84 PIMs, 453 shots, 649 hits, 12:44 ATOI
Potential Suitors:
What Pitlick offers on the ice gives him a pretty clear organizational role. The best fit for a player like him, a veteran bottom-six role player, is in an organization that either is hard-pressed against the cap and wants to add some experienced, reliable depth, or an organization hoping to introduce more young players into its lineup.
It might sound a bit odd for the latter type of team to be a fit for Pitlick, but one has to remember that all NHL teams, even rebuilders, intend to be competitive outfits. No team is going to outright hand lineup spots to its youngsters, and no team wants to be forced into playing its young players on the NHL roster before those players are ready. So, with that in mind, Pitlick can help those teams by not only providing experienced camp competition for lineup spots for those young players but also providing protection for them in case those said players need some additional seasoning in the AHL, as Pitlick can be relied upon to hold down a roster spot until the player has been deemed developed enough to be in the NHL full-time.
With those two team types in mind, a few clubs stick out as possible fits for Pitlick. The Chicago Blackhawks may want to add some additional competition for less proven players such as Boris Katchouk, Taylor Raddysh, Mackenzie Entwistle, or Reese Johnson. Pitlick would provide that. One of Pitlick’s former teams, the Philadelphia Flyers, could add him in order to compete with depth players such as Max Willman, Zack MacEwen, and Isaac Ratcliffe, among others.
A cap-strapped contender such as the St. Louis Blues might prefer Pitlick to players currently projected to be in the mix for their nightly lineup such as Nathan Walker or Matthew Highmore.
The point in outlining some possible suitors is that Pitlick is the type of player that could reasonably fit at the bottom of any NHL lineup, and he could land with pretty much any NHL team and the signing could be considered a sensible move.
Projected Contract:
Pitlick played on a $1.75MM cap hit last season, but it’s virtually impossible that he makes that sort of figure next season, especially as he’s competing to sign in a similar role to a more highly-regarded bottom-sixer in Tyler Motte, whose free agency our John Gilroy profiled earlier this month. As previously outlined, a large part of Pitlick’s value to a team would come from his ability to serve as veteran training camp competition for a team’s youngsters. As a result, it’s definitely possible that a PTO is the route Pitlick takes to earn an NHL deal. That being said, a one-year contract at around the league minimum would make sense if and when he signs.
Minor Transactions: 08/24/22
We’re inching closer to the opening of NHL training camps, and most teams have finalized their offseason work. That being said, there are still some players looking for a spot for next season, especially in minor leagues and in Europe. We’ll keep track of those moves here.
- The Edmonton Oilers’ AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors, added defenseman Adam Brubacher today on a one-year, two-way (AHL/ECHL) deal, per a team announcement. Brubacher, 26, turned pro in 2020 after a four-year career at the Rochester Institute of Technology and made his AHL debut with the Manitoba Moose. Brubacher split time last season between the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks and ECHL’s Fort Wayne Komets and should add some depth to a Condors blue line that could be without valuable contributors such as Dmitri Samorukov or Vincent Desharnais for extended periods next season.
- Veteran KHL defenseman and 2010 Boston Bruins draft pick Maxim Chudinov signed a full contract with KHL club Ak Bars Kazan. Chudinov had been with the team on a tryout contract until now. Chudinov did not play in 2021-22 but was a KHL regular from 2010-2019, taking the ice for three KHL clubs.
- The Kunlun Red Star, the KHL’s Chinese franchise, signed Canadian forward Brett Pollock to a one-year contract. Some might remember Pollock as a former star winger for the Edmonton Oil Kings of the WHL and a 2014 second-round pick of the Dallas Stars. Pollock split time last season between the IceHL and the Swedish Allsvenskan and joins a Kunlun team in desperate need of help after a last-place finish in 2021-22.
- Former Chicago Blackhawks prospect and 2016 top-50 draft selection Chad Krys is headed overseas. After being traded from the Blackhawks to Toronto last season in exchange for enforcer Kurtis Gabriel, Krys played in 36 games for the Toronto Marlies and has evidently decided that Europe is the best place to continue his pro career. Krys has signed a contract with the IceHL’s Vienna Capitals and will look to help them return to the playoffs this season.
- Cedric Pare, a former Boston Bruins sixth-rounder who scored 88 points in his final QMJHL season, has signed a contract with the Wheeling Nailers of the ECHL. Pare spent 2021-22 in the AHL with the Belleville Senators, scoring 10 points in 41 games. Pare returns to an ECHL where he has had success in the past, as he scored 40 points in 67 games in his rookie ECHL season with the Utah Grizzlies.
Latest On Timo Meier
There are few players as important to the San Jose Sharks as Timo Meier. The Swiss forward led the Sharks in scoring last year, setting career highs in goals (35), assists (41), and points (76). He’s a spectacular scoring winger without many weak spots in his game, and he would be expected to lead the Sharks into their next period of contention alongside Tomas Hertl.
But speaking today at the NHL’s European Player Media Tour, Meier said he’s had no discussions yet on a contract extension with the Sharks, aside from an introductory phone call with new general manager Mike Grier on July 5. Meier is entering the final season of a four-year, $24MM contract signed in 2019.
He will again be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights next summer, meaning he’s due a qualifying offer. Meier’s actual salary in 2022-23 is $10MM, which should raise some eyebrows about the value of that qualifying offer, and rightfully so. But a change to the qualifying offer rules in the 2020 Collective Bargaining Agreement extension means that Meier can’t receive a qualifying offer greater than 120% of his previous deal’s cap hit, meaning he’s only owned a one-year, $7.2MM deal as compared to a one-year, $10MM deal from the Sharks.
Financially, for Meier, this is the most important season of his NHL career. At 26 years old next summer, he’ll undoubtedly sign a long-term deal that should take him well into his 30s, whether it’s with the Sharks or someone else. If his production takes a step back next season, though, the Sharks may very well want to settle for a one-year contract awarded through arbitration.
The Sharks, in any event, will likely need to make a cap-clearing move next summer as they turn the corner back toward competitiveness. The anchor contracts of Logan Couture ($8MM), Erik Karlsson ($11.5MM), and Marc-Edouard Vlasic ($7MM) don’t expire until 2026 and 2027, so relief from those deals won’t come for quite a while.