Snapshots: Chychrun, DeAngelo, Sharks
After being at the forefront of trade speculation for most of last season, Coyotes defenseman Jakob Chychrun hasn’t been mentioned in trade talk as much in recent weeks. At this point, it doesn’t seem as if he’ll be on the move as GM Bill Armstrong told Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports that there hasn’t been much movement on the trade front when it comes to the 24-year-old. Arizona’s asking price before the trade deadline was reported to be in the range of three first-round picks (or equivalent assets) or slightly more than that and evidently, no one came in with a big enough offer to get him. Chychrun, who has three years left on his deal with a team-friendly $4.6MM, is coming off a bit of a down year and while the Coyotes will certainly listen to offers at the draft, they may be better off seeing if he has a strong start in 2022-23 to try to bolster his value.
Elsewhere around the hockey world:
- Ethan Bear isn’t the only pending Hurricanes RFA blueliner that is being allowed to speak to other teams in the league as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that defenseman Anthony DeAngelo has been granted permission to shop his services. The 26-year-old was one of the biggest bargains in the league in 2021-22, picking up 51 points in 64 games with just a $1MM AAV. DeAngelo is arbitration-eligible this summer and with Carolina having a lot of key players to re-sign, there may be a price point that’s too rich for them to agree to. Allowing DeAngelo to speak to other teams will give everyone a better understanding of what his market could be this summer.
- ESPN’s Kevin Weekes reports (Twitter link) that former Montreal assistant GM Scott Mellanby no longer appears to be in the running for the GM position with the Sharks. Interim GM Joe Will indicated on Friday that the plan is for the team to hold three to five in-person interviews with the hope of making their choice soon after. Rangers’ Hockey Operations Coordinator Mike Grier and Ray Whitney (who currently works for the Department of Player Safety) are believed to still be in the mix for the position.
Free Agent Focus: Dallas Stars
Free agency is now less than two weeks away and many teams are already looking ahead to when it opens up. There will be several prominent players set to hit the open market in mid-July while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign as well. Next up is a look at the Dallas Stars.
Key Restricted Free Agents:
F Jason Robertson – The first full season of Robertson’s career established him as a key member of the Stars’ offense and earned him a quality pay-day at the end of his ELC. Robertson’s second full season, however, established him as a superstar in the NHL and not only gave him a shot at a big contract, but gave the hockey world an intriguing offseason storyline. Robertson amassed an outstanding 41 goals and 38 assists in just 74 games this season, leading the team in goals and helping put Dallas back in the playoffs. Now an RFA and soon to be 23-year-old, Robertson will have some leverage in negotiations, with Dallas presumably looking to lock him up long-term. A deal with term isn’t out of the question for Dallas, but it’ll come at a premium, as recent contract given to Andrei Svechnikov ($7.75MM AAV), Jack Hughes ($8MM AAV), and Brady Tkachuk ($8.2MM AAV) likely set the baseline for Robertson in negotiations, with the possibility to push for even more.
G Jake Oettinger – Robertson wasn’t the only one to significantly boost his value this season, as Oettinger too turned an impressive debut into an outstanding sophomore campaign. After a .911 save-percentage and 2.36 goals-against average in 29 games in 2020-21, Oettinger posted a .914 save-percentage and 2.53 goals-against average in 48 regular season games in 2021-22 before an incredible playoff performance that saw him record a .954 save-percentage and 1.81 goals-against average in a seven-game series against the Calgary Flames. Like Robertson, Oettinger should have some control of his destiny, namely the term of the contract. One comparable, at least as a base, could be Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Carter Hart, who signed a three-year deal worth $3.979MM per season following the 2020-21 season, which included two comparable seasons to Oettinger, followed by a poor 2020-21.
F Jordan Kawaguchi, F Alexey Lipanov, F Marian Studenic, D Ben Gleason, G Colton Point
Key Unrestricted Free Agents:
F Vladislav Namestnikov – A solid contributor, Namestnikov doesn’t have the star power of a Robertson, but has frequently found himself as a deadline-day asset in recent years. Coming off a season where he scored 16 goals to go with 14 assists in 75 games between Dallas and the Detroit Red Wings, Namestnikov is a proven commodity to provide secondary scoring for a competitive team. With the Stars’ need to lock up a couple of core pieces, he may be a luxury they can’t afford, but if they can replicate the two-year, $2MM AAV that just expired, an extension may be hard to pass up.
F Michael Raffl – Much like Namestnikov, Raffl isn’t going to compete for the Hart Trophy, but does provide a valuable service to a competitive team. The two-way forward is coming off a 16 point season in 76 games with a career-worst minus-19 rating, but the veteran did line up in his own end more than 70% of the time, showing the Stars’ reliance on Raffl’s defensive ability. The Austrian has never earned more than $2.35MM in a season, most recently making $1.1MM on a one-year pact, an affordable rate for his services and one, like Namestnikov, could return at the right price as a role-player in Dallas.
D John Klingberg – Perhaps the least likely to return of all players on this list, Klingberg is a well-regarded puck moving defenseman who will assuredly find term and salary on his next deal. Given the Stars cap situation with the contracts that are due, they may be priced out. Even so, the transition away from Klingberg will allow the team to give elevated minutes and responsibility to Miro Heiskanen and Thomas Harley. Still, it wouldn’t be completely accurate to say that Klingberg is absolutely on his way out, with both sides indicating a mutual desire for a reunion, but with a player like Torey Krug earning a seven-year, $45.5MM contract two offseasons ago, an extension with Klingberg may be tough to justify.
F Blake Comeau, F Joel L’Esperance, F Alexander Radulov, D Andrej Sekera, G Braden Holtby
Projected Cap Space:
Dallas will head into the offseason with a comfortable $18.56MM in salary cap space, plenty to work with, but with what figures to be two expensive RFAs. If, for argument’s sake, Robertson was to sign an $8MM AAV contract like Hughes and Oettinger a $4MM AAV just above Hart, Dallas would be left with $6.56MM in cap space. If they want to keep Klingberg, it may take letting a few names, like Raffl and Namestnikov, walk and likely another move too. On the other hand, they could bring back most players, including those two, allowing Klingberg leave, and find themselves at or just below the cap ceiling, but with little room or opportunity to improve.
Their first round defeat at the hands of Calgary was a rather impressive showing, but if the franchise wants to take another step forward, while losing Klingberg, there will need to be some improvements. One way to create additional space would be to deal goaltender Anton Khudobin, who has one more year at $3.33MM on his contract. A trade of Khudobin may cost Dallas an asset or two, but the team has all but its seventh to offer out of its 2022 class of draft picks. If Dallas can bring in a player or two, they still must be weary of their cap situation, with a raise to Roope Hintz and his $3.15MM cap hit due after this coming season.
Looking Ahead At The Islanders’ Offseason Plans
The New York Islanders began their offseason work while they were still playing games, signing two players thought to be trade-bait, Cal Clutterbuck and Zach Parise, to extensions on trade deadline day. After the conclusion of the season, the team announced the firing of legendary Head Coach Barry Trotz and soon after, the hiring of new Head Coach Lane Lambert, Trotz’s longtime assistant. Since then, things on Long Island have been rather quiet, perhaps due in part to General Manager Lou Lamoriello’s tight-lipped approach and partly due to the Islanders only having one major contract to workout this offseason: an extension for RFA defenseman Noah Dobson.
In his latest 32 Thoughts article, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman touches on the Islanders’ offseason plans, keying in on three players that have been tossed around as possible trade candidates: goaltender Semyon Varlamov and forwards Anthony Beauvillier and Josh Bailey. On Varlamov, Friedman believes the team prefers to keep the veteran goaltender, who is heading into the final year of a four-year, $20MM contract. Seeing the Islanders lean towards keeping Varlamov is a bit surprising, given his status as a trade deadline target this year, and a goaltending market that seems to have unusually high demand as compared to its supply. But, seen at a different angle, the Islanders presumably still view themselves as a playoff team, so having a complimentary piece to Ilya Sorokin in net may be more valuable than any return they could get.
Friedman says he believes the Islanders could also be a “stealth candidate” for impending UFA Johnny Gaudreau, but adds that if they want Gaudreau and an extension with Dobson, they would have to perform cap surgery to make it happen. The sorts of moves it might take to create the amount of cap room to add an impact forward like Gaudreau and extend Dobson, not to mention add one or two defensemen, with just three under contract for next year plus Dobson, could be difficult. For one, the team has already shed the contract of Andrew Ladd, which cost significant assets and merely allowed them to sign forward Kyle Palmieri and traded steady defenseman Nick Leddy away to create more space. Further, the offseason prior, they traded Devon Toews to the Colorado Avalanche for cap reasons, but suffered the consequence of Toews breaking out into a Norris-caliber defenseman.
The most likely options for the Islanders to make room would be to deal at least one of Varlamov, Beauvillier, or Bailey. Considering the likelihood, or lack thereof, of the team moving Varlamov, that leaves Beauvillier and Bailey. Beauvillier carries a $4.15MM cap hit for the next two seasons, but brings with him an inconsistent track record. Just 25 years old, if the team were to move on from Beauvillier, they may be able to obtain an asset for the forward, but the deal could be more akin to the trade of Toews as opposed to Ladd or Leddy if Beauvillier turns a corner with his new franchise.
Bailey may fall into the category of a salary-cap-dump with two years at $5MM per season left on his contract and soon to be 33-years-old, however the veteran has been a productive player, compiling a 14 goal and 30 assist 2021-22 campaign, spread over 74 games and has had as many as 71 points in a season, coming back in 2017-18. Still, Bailey sits at 993 career games played, all with the Islanders, and given Lamoriello’s track record of loyalty towards his players, a trade of the longest-tenured Islander, especially this close to a milestone like that, may be unlikely.
Beyond the names Friedman mentions, there isn’t much room to move for the Islanders. Palmieri, Anders Lee, Brock Nelson, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Ryan Pulock, and Adam Pelech, all of whom are signed for multiple years at reasonably significant cap hits, represent the franchise’s core players. Though Dobson is the only major piece to be signed this offseason, looking ahead to next offseason, the team also needs to extend dynamic center Mathew Barzal and reliable defenseman Scott Mayfield, who is currently making a team-friendly $1.5MM in 2022-23.
Offseason Notes: Flyers, Canadiens, Canucks, Coyotes
When Johnny Gaudreau signed his six-year, $40.5MM contract with the Calgary Flames ahead of the 2016-17 season, talks immediately began swirling that when the contract expired in 2022, he’d return to his roots and sign with his hometown Philadelphia Flyers. Nearly six years later, those rumors are as prevalent as ever. However, in his latest 32 Thoughts article, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman wonders if the most prudent path for the Flyers, given the uncertainty surrounding Ryan Ellis‘ health, is to pursue several medium-sized pieces as opposed to one big one, believing those conversations have at least happened. Friedman adds that the Flyers are a team who generally tries to go big in their moves, noting that they have tested the market on many of their players and have made a real pitch for Chicago Blackhawks’ forward Alex DeBrincat, more than simply kicking the tires.
The comments and speculation from Friedman provide some new perspective on how the Flyers may choose to pursue this offseason given how their previous few seasons have played out. Philadelphia has made the postseason just once in the previous four seasons and has only made it out of the first round once since 2011-12, which featured a first round win over the Montreal Canadiens and a second-round loss to the New York Islanders in the bubble. Coming off the heels of a 61 point season that included trading franchise icon Claude Giroux, it would seem that the team might look to take a step back and rebuild, but whether the rumor is a big splash or several smaller pieces, it does not appear a rebuild is in the cards. With several quality players signed long-term, including Sean Couturier, Kevin Hayes, Travis Konecny, Joel Farabee, Cam Atkinson, Ivan Provorov, Rasmus Ristolainen, and promising young goaltender Carter Hart, as well as Ellis, it would make sense why the organization may try to simply push forward.
More from Friedman’s 32 Thoughts:
- One team who may move on from some of its core veterans is the Montreal Canadiens, who Friedman says have been testing the market on Christian Dvorak, Jeff Petry and perhaps Josh Anderson. He adds that some teams believe they are not looking to trade Jake Allen as they do want to try to be more competitive, so it’s unlikely they will strip away all of their assets. In fact, the team was interested in Ottawa Senators forward Colin White prior to the trade deadline, with Friedman believing those talks may materialize again, adding that Canadiens’ GM Kent Hughes was White’s agent prior to Hughes joining Montreal’s front office. Once one of the game’s top prospects, White had a strong breakout campaign in 2018-19, putting up 41 points in 71 games, enough to earn him a six-year, $28.5MM contract. Unfortunately, the contract hasn’t worked out as hoped by either side, with White tallying just 51 points in 130 game since the start of the deal, now with three more years at $4.75MM per season left.
- Moving out west, Friedman looks at the Vancouver Canucks in light of the Brock Boeser extension, believing the two sides having a deadline played a role in the deal. He adds that there should be a path to a Bo Horvat extension as well, but a J.T. Miller trade is still likely. Though an extension with Miller isn’t impossible, Friedman believes it’s too difficult and Vancouver will try to get more than what the Minnesota Wild received in exchange for Kevin Fiala: the 19th overall pick in the 2022 draft and prospect Brock Faber. That package may not be hard to eclipse for a player like Miller, who has taken off since arriving in Vancouver, recording 217 points in 202 games. However, it’s worth noting that Fiala was an impending RFA while Miller has one more year at $5.25MM before becoming a UFA and is a little over three years older than Fiala.
- Lastly, the Arizona Coyotes, who own picks 3, 27, and 32 in the first-round of this year’s draft are prepared to use “all available options” to try to acquire another high pick in the draft, says Friedman. By selecting third overall, Arizona is guaranteed one of Shane Wright, Juraj Slafkovsky, or Logan Cooley, though it’s unlikely they will get to choose which. It’s unclear exactly how far up the organization would like to find an available pick, but with news that the Montreal Canadiens are seeking an additional top-10 pick, there could be some competition for one of the coveted draft picks. The Coyotes do have in addition to the 27th and 32nd overall selections, four second-round picks and a third, fifth, and seventh-round pick in this year’s draft, on top of plenty of prospect capital.
Winnipeg Jets Hire Rick Bowness
July 3: The Winnipeg Jets have made it official via a release and Twitter announcement, naming Rick Bowness the eighth coach in Winnipeg Jets history and third since the team relocated from Atlanta. According to The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun, the contract is for two seasons at $2.5MM per season (link).
July 1: While one coaching vacancy was suddenly created today when San Jose parted ways with Bob Boughner, it appears another is about to close. TSN’s Darren Dreger reports (Twitter link) that the Jets are in the process of finalizing an agreement with Rick Bowness to become their next head coach.
It will be a return to where it all began for the 67-year-old as his first NHL coaching job actually came with the original Jets franchise (now the Coyotes) all the way back in 1988-89 when he took over midseason. Since then, Bowness has a long track record of coaching, both as a head coach and an assistant and Dreger notes that his experience was a big factor in Winnipeg’s choice. Of course, they were previously linked to Barry Trotz, an experienced bench boss who ultimately declined their offer to take over so GM Kevin Cheveldayoff was clearly looking for someone that has run an NHL bench in the past.
Bowness most recently was head coach of Dallas where he spent parts of three seasons at the helm. This past season, the Stars posted a 46-30-6 record, good for a points percentage of .598, their best since the 2015-16 campaign. That was enough to get them into the playoffs as the top Wild Card seed in the Western Conference where they made it to the seventh game against Calgary in the opening round. Despite that, the team saw fit to make a change behind the bench, ultimately installing Peter DeBoer as their new head coach after Bowness and the team mutually agreed to part ways.
Over his career, Bowness has a 212-351-76 record as an NHL head coach with stints with the Jets, Bruins, Senators, Islanders, Coyotes, and Stars. It’s worth noting that his four seasons with the then-expansion Sens played a considerable role in making that mark as poor as it looks as Ottawa only won 39 of 235 games under his tutelage.
Assuming the contract does get finalized, Bowness will be taking over a Winnipeg team that was among the biggest underachievers in the league last season. There is a strong forward core in place but Blake Wheeler, Mark Scheifele, and Pierre-Luc Dubois have all been in trade speculation in recent weeks with the expectation that Cheveldayoff is looking to shake up his core. Meanwhile, Connor Hellebuyck is coming off a tough year but is still only two years removed from winning the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s top goalie. By going for an experienced head coach, it’s clear that there will be win-now expectations for Bowness and the Jets, no matter what winds up happening with their roster over the coming months.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Nashville Predators Acquire Ryan McDonagh
Per their Twitter, the Tampa Bay Lightning confirmed that they have traded defenseman Ryan McDonagh to the Nashville Predators. In exchange, the Lightning receive defenseman Philippe Myers and forward Grant Mismash from Nashville. It doesn’t appear that any salary has been retained in the trade. With the Lightning needing to make some tough salary cap decisions if they wanted to keep a majority of their core together, one name that was rumored to be on the move was McDonagh, and GM Julien BriseBois was able to make it happen. McDonagh carries a cap hit of $6.75MM for each of the next four seasons.
In McDonagh the Predators acquire a sturdy shutdown defenseman and veteran of 783 career regular season NHL games, in addition to 185 playoff games, including Stanley Cup Championships with the Lightning in 2020 and 2021. Originally the twelfth-overall pick in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft by the Montreal Canadiens, McDonagh was traded to the New York Rangers two years later in the Scott Gomez deal. The defenseman went on to play in 516 regular season games for the Rangers, captaining the team from 2014-15 until his trade to the Lightning during the 2017-18 season. After the trade, the Predators still project to have just over $18.1MM in available salary cap space this offseason, which should be more than enough to make necessary moves and extend franchise-icon Filip Forsberg.
According to TSN’s Chris Johnston, it doesn’t appear the Lightning plan to buyout Myers’ contract (link). By keeping Myers in the fold, the Lightning still free up $4.2MM. With the departure of fellow right-shot defenseman Jan Rutta possible, Myers could serve as a replacement, having just one year left on his contract as opposed to unpredictable term and salary for Rutta. In speaking to the media, including The Athletic’s Joe Smith, BriseBois said that if the league wasn’t in a flat-cap situation, he would have never even thought of making the deal and asking McDonagh to wave his no-trade clause. Speaking of that clause, McDonagh currently carries a full no-trade clause, meaning the Lightning had to specifically seek his permission in order to make this trade, an experience BriseBois told Smith was not a pleasant one. As to replacing McDonagh, BriseBois told Eduardo Encina of the Tampa Bay Times that the plan is to elevate the role of defenseman Mikhail Sergachev and continue to fill out the defense corps. Though a different handedness, that would seem to be in line with the choice to keep Myers rather than buy him out.
With the trade, Tampa Bay ships out a left-handed defenseman for a right-handed one in Myers, however he may not be with the team for long, as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman points out, the team can buyout Myers’ contract and actually receive a cap credit of $617K this season, then owe just $633K in 2023-24. Right now, Myers is under contract through the 2022-23 season at $2.5MM. Though Myers’ cap hit is certainly not bad, it is somewhat high for a team fighting for every dollar to stay under the cap ceiling. Another option for the Lightning could be to trade Myers, avoiding his cap hit this year, but if they see value in having the cap credit this year with the cap hit next year, they may be inclined to simply buy him out now. With the credit, the Lightning would in effect pick up $7.13MM in cap space they did not have at this time yesterday (link).
Last, but certainly not least, is Mismash, who was a second-round pick, 61st overall, by Nashville in 2017. The forward played four seasons at the University of North Dakota, where he had 71 points in 117 college games before turning pro last season. In 57 games with the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL last season, Mismash had six goals and six assists.
Matt Tennyson Clears Unconditional Waivers
July 3: Per TSN’s Chris Johnston, Tennyson has cleared unconditional waivers and will have his contract terminated.
July 2: The Predators will be parting ways with one of their defensive depth pieces as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that they’ve placed defenseman Matt Tennyson on unconditional waivers for the purposes of terminating his contract.
The 32-year-old was set to enter the second and final season of a two-year, two-way contract that pays the NHL minimum of $750K in the NHL and $325K in the minors. Tennyson got into eight games with the Predators this past season, recording three assists while averaging nearly 13 minutes a night. He spent most of the year with AHL Milwaukee, recording 14 points in 53 games along with 44 penalty minutes.
PuckPedia clarifies (Twitter link) that Tennyson’s placement is for termination purposes, not a buyout. That certainly makes sense as going that route won’t result in any salary cap charges for next season whereas a buyout would have put $250K on Nashville’s salary cap for each of the next two seasons and cost more in salary dollars than the $325K he’d be owed in the minors. In the meantime, with Tennyson requesting a contract termination, it will be interesting to see what opportunity he has lined up elsewhere assuming he passes through waivers unclaimed on Sunday.
Snapshots: Trocheck, Kaprizov, Dach
While the Boston Bruins will be dealing with injuries to major players for the start of the 2021-22 season, a new head coach and the potential return of captain Patrice Bergeron on an extension provides optimism for the Bruins’ 2022-23 outlook. One major need the team needs to fill is their second-line center spot. Erik Haula filled the role with moderate success this past season, scoring 44 points in 78 games, but his production in the playoffs (three points in seven games) and overall inability to factor in as a true difference-maker has left many with the belief that the Bruins will need a stronger second-line center in order to return to cup contention. The Bruins had long relied on David Krejci as the consistent second center behind Bergeron, but with Krejci now out of the picture GM Don Sweeney may need to find an upgrade on Haula this summer.
This summer’s free-agent market is not without options for the Bruins, and one player they are now specifically connected to is Carolina Hurricanes center Vincent Trocheck. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that the Bruins are “believed to have interest” in Trocheck, who has spent most of his career playing for the Bruins’ division rival, the Florida Panthers. Trocheck’s pure offensive production would be a sure upgrade over Haula’s (94 points in 128 games over the last two seasons compared to Haula’s 65 in 129) and Trocheck may even reach new offensive heights when paired with former Hart Trophy winner Taylor Hall. Trocheck would surely cost more than the $2.375MM the Bruins owe to Haula, but since the Bruins’ old second-line center, Krejci, cost $7.25MM against the cap for many years, one has to assume that the Bruins are willing to pay up in order to get a higher quality player. Boston will have to compete with other teams vying for Trocheck’s services, but at the very least they should be in the mix for the established top-six centers that are set to hit the market.
Some other notes from across the NHL:
- Some eyebrows were raised on social media a few days ago when Russian winger Kirill Kaprizov was tagged in a social media post from what appeared to be a Russian doctor wishing him, per the translation, a “speedy return to the ice.” The Athletic’s Michael Russo calmed any fears of any major unannounced injury issues for Kaprizov, clarifying that the post was about a “minor procedure” that Kaprizov had undergone and that he would be “ready well in advance of camp.” That’s certainly a relief for any worried Wild fans because the team will need Kaprizov to hit the ground running next season. Kaprizov led the Wild with 108 points in 81 games in 2021-22 and figures to be the Wild’s most important player for the foreseeable future.
- The Chicago Blackhawks have made it no secret that they will be embarking on a scorched-earth rebuild under new GM Kyle Davidson. Nearly every player on their roster has seen his name surface in trade rumors, including star winger Alex DeBrincat. One player less frequently mentioned is 2019 third-overall pick Kirby Dach, likely because as a 21-year-old highly-drafted center most believe that Dach is the player a rebuilding club should hold on to, not deal. But per Friedman, a Dach trade might not be fully out of the question, and there is reportedly “a lot of research being done” on Dach by teams interested in acquiring him. Dach, who is still just 21 years old, has had an up-and-down NHL career thus far. He showed flashes in an injury-filled 2020-21, scoring 10 points in 18 games, but his past year was a disappointment (nine goals 26 points in 70 games) and there are some who look at him as a player in need of a change of scenery. Whether or not that’s true is still yet to be determined, although we now know that there are teams preparing for the possibility of Dach becoming available in a trade.
Extension Notes: Larkin, Olofsson, Deslauriers
While many players who are just a year away from trips to unrestricted free agency, such as J.T. Miller or David Pastrnak have seen their names floated in various degrees of trade rumors, Detroit Red Wings fans have not had to face a similar degree of speculation regarding their own prominent 2023 free agent: Dylan Larkin. That’s because Larkin, 25, was born only 45 minutes outside of Detroit, played at the University of Michigan, and now captains the NHL team he grew up rooting for. He’s been attached by the hip to the Red Wings for most of his life, either as a fan or player, and many have assumed that his relationship with the team would endure through any potential contract hiccups.
That seems to be what’s most likely to happen. Per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, the Red Wings “are believed to be working on an extension” for Larkin and GM Steve Yzerman has in the past communicated a desire to get Larkin signed to a new long-term deal. Larkin had a career year 2021-22, setting a career-high in points-per-game and effectively bouncing back from what was a miserable, 23-point 2020-21 campaign. Larkin has had his bouts of inconsistency, but at his best he’s a near point-per-game top-six center. In a market where a center with a weaker offensive resume like Kevin Hayes can earn above $7MM on a long-term extension and comparable centers such as Tomas Hertl are making $8MM or more on their own deals, expect a decent raise for Larkin from the $6.1MM cap hit he’s played on for the past few seasons.
Now, for some other notes regarding extension business this offseason:
- As part of his 32 Thoughts blog, Friedman reported on quite a few extension situations across the NHL, touching on Larkin as well as Buffalo Sabres winger Victor Olofsson. Olofsson, who turns 27 this month, played 2021-22 on a $3.05MM cap hit and could be looking for a raise after a strong offensive season. Olofsson’s negotiation is an important one for the Sabres and GM Kevyn Adams, as Olofsson is an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent who is precariously close to a trip to unrestricted free agency. A native of Ornskoldsvik, a Swedish hockey hotbed, Olofsson scored 20 goals and 49 points in 72 games this past season and also has an impressive 42-point 54-game rookie campaign. Per Friedman, the Sabres “are making progress” on an extension with Olofsson, and have “boatloads of cap space” to get it done. All indications point to the talented sniper remaining in Buffalo for the foreseeable future.
- One pending free agent situation where an extension might not be possible is with Minnesota Wild winger Nicolas Deslauriers. Per Friedman, the Wild want to keep Deslauriers, and GM Bill Guerin “would already have Deslauriers re-signed” if it were possible. But unfortunately for the Wild, the cap constraints imposed by the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts could keep the Wild from being true contenders in what is expected to be a “hot market” for Deslauriers. As a result, Friedman believes the Wild “won’t be able” to retain the winger they surrendered a 2023 third-rounder to acquire. Deslauriers 31, had only 13 points in 81 games in 2021-22, although that likely won’t stop him from having a solid amount of interest once he hits the open market on the 13th.
Metropolitan Notes: Laine, Husso, Brunette
While the Winnipeg Jets have a situation on their hands with Pierre-Luc Dubois and his reported desire to test free agency in two years, the Columbus Blue Jackets aren’t facing a similar issue with the main player they received in the Dubois trade: Patrik Laine. According to Aaron Portzline of The Athletic, Laine’s camp and the Blue Jackets “communicate every few days” in “amicable” negotiations focused on finding a long-term deal for Laine. (subscription link) While Portzline does note that the negotiations aren’t “anywhere close,” and that negotiations “may take a while,” there is a desire from both parties to get a long-term extension done regardless of where the exact negotiations might be at this point in time.
For the Blue Jackets, their desire to extend Laine is entirely understandable. When he was healthy, Laine was a dynamic offensive force the type of scorer the Blue Jackets haven’t had in their lineup since Artemi Panarin‘s two-year stay in Columbus. Laine had 26 goals and 56 points in 56 games in 2021-22 and showed the kind of elite scoring ability that got him drafted second overall in 2016. Perhaps most importantly, Laine produced at a point-per-game rate without having an elite center to rely on, highlighting his abilities as a play-driving winger and helping dispel the notion that he is simply a streaky, perimeter-shooting passenger winger. The Blue Jackets clearly believe they have a player to build around in the 24-year-old Laine and getting him inked to any sort of remotely reasonable long-term extension would be a major win for Jarmo Kekalainen’s front office.
Now, for some other notes regarding Metropolitan Division teams:
- The New Jersey Devils hold the number-two pick at next week’s draft, but that’s not where they’re devoting all of their offseason focus. The team’s biggest need this summer is to add to their goaltending, and one could make the argument that it was the single biggest factor that kept the team from playing meaningful games last spring. Many have speculated that the Devils would go after this summer’s biggest names in net, such as Darcy Kuemper, Jack Campbell, or even John Gibson, and we now know a more specific name the Devils could be targeting. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet writes in his latest 32 Thoughts blog that the Devils are “expected to be in” the conversation for pending free agent goaltender Ville Husso. Friedman notes that the Devils’ goalie coach, Dave Rogalski, knows Husso well from his time in a similar role for the AHL’s old San Antonio Rampage, and that connection could be the Devils’ key to landing the 27-year-old goaltender, who impressed enough in 2021-22 to earn a third-place Vezina Trophy vote.
- One area of less pressing need for New Jersey is behind the bench, where they have veteran coach Lindy Ruff set to enter his third season as the Devils’ head coach. Per Friedman, the Devils are believed to be “among the teams interested in” former Florida Panthers head coach and Jack Adams Award finalist Andrew Brunette in an assistant coaching role for next season. One assistant on the Devils’ staff, Alain Nasreddine, was recently named to Peter DeBoer’s Dallas Stars staff, leaving a vacancy that could be filled by Brunette. Ruff, 62, has a combined 46-76-16 record coaching in New Jersey. If he enters 2021-22 on the hot seat, the Devils adding Brunette to their coaching staff could be seen as GM Tom Fitzgerald preparing for an eventual succession plan in order to secure the next coach for his young, ascending Devils squad.