Update On Kris Letang
The Pittsburgh Penguins have been possibly the most successful team of the salary cap era. Their core of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang has brought the team three Stanley Cups and has kept them competitive for an entire generation of hockey. But as that core continues to age deeper into their thirties, there are more and more questions about how much longer the three can remain together as Penguins. Recently, there has been a focus on Letang specifically and his future with the team, given that he is a pending unrestricted free agent. According to Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff, Letang’s future in Pittsburgh is unclear.
Seravalli reports that there are “big gaps” between the team and the player, with the major sticking point being the term on Letang’s next contract. According to Seravalli’s sources, Letang’s representation is seeking a five-year deal with an average annual value beginning at $7MM, and the Penguins are “simply not willing” to even consider Letang on an extension that takes him to the point where he is nearing 40 years old. Letang is currently 34 and will be 35 by the time next season starts, meaning any extension for him carries a significant risk of becoming an albatross, despite how good Letang still is at the NHL level. For a Penguins team that is navigating which direction to go as a franchise long-term, it is understandable for their relatively new management team of Brian Burke and Ron Hextall to be wary of signing Letang to such a massive extension.
The Penguins expect to compete for a Stanley Cup this season, and that’s a very reasonable expectation. Coach Mike Sullivan has been brilliant, leading the squad to a safe position near the top of the Metropolitan Division standings. Letang has been a crucial part of this team’s success, as he typically has been. He has 49 points in 54 games, third on the team behind Crosby and Jake Guentzel, and those 49 points rank just outside the top-5 in defensive scoring league-wide. Letang is also averaging nearly 26 minutes of ice time this season and is the Penguins’ most important defenseman by a mile. Replacing Letang would be extremely difficult for the Penguins to do, and if they have any intentions of competing for a Stanley Cup for the rest of Crosby’s contract (expires after 2024-2025) they will need to have a defenseman like Letang. So those on-ice factors combined with Letang’s importance to the Pittsburgh hockey market in general (he is nearing his 1000th NHL game and has spent his entire career with the Penguins) make his contract situation an incredibly tricky one for Burke and Hextall to navigate. But if Seravalli’s report is any indication, some major changes could be coming to a Penguins’ core that has been the heart of the franchise for a generation of fans.
The MLB Lockout Is Over
The MLB lockout is finally over! That means we’re about to experience an unprecedented free agent and trade frenzy leading up to Opening Day on April 7. Head on over to MLB Trade Rumors (@mlbtraderumors on Twitter) to keep up with all of the action!
There are still many big-name free agents who will have to sign new contracts soon, from Carlos Correa to Freddie Freeman to Kris Bryant and many more.
The trade market will be active too! Matt Olson of the A’s is the top name expected to be on the move. The A’s, Reds, and Mets will likely be in the thick of it.
Check out MLB Trade Rumors for all of the latest hot stove action! Just before the lockout began, it was one of the wildest flurries of offseason activity in recent memory, and the post-lockout frenzy might take it up a notch! Follow the action on Facebook and Twitter.
Dallas Stars Sign Remi Poirier
The Dallas Stars have added a little more goaltending depth to the system, signing Remi Poirier to a three-year, entry-level contract. The young goaltender was a sixth-round pick of the team in 2020 and currently plays for the Gatineau Olympiques of the QMJHL, where he will remain for the rest of the season.
It’s not always so easy to stock a prospect pipeline with goaltending talent, but the Stars appear to be set for the immediate future. Jake Oettinger is already showing he’s ready for the starting gig at age-23, Adam Scheel is making the transition from the college ranks nicely, and now Poirier–selected 185th overall–is a front-runner for the QMJHL goaltender of the year award.
In 29 appearances, Poirier leads all qualified netminders with a .919 save percentage and 2.24 goals-against-average while sitting third in wins with 17. The 6’2″ goaltender has been on a steady development path since entering the CHL in 2018, posting better and better numbers each season. If that kind of progression can continue, he could very well be challenging for the starting role with the Texas Stars as soon as next season.
That’s when his contract will kick in, meaning he’s now signed through 2024-25 on his entry-level deal.
Edmonton Oilers Extend Markus Niemelainen
The Edmonton Oilers have reached a two-year contract extension with Markus Niemelainen, one which will keep him signed and on an average annual value of just $762K. The first year of the extension, 2022-23, is a two-way contract, while 2023-24 will be a one-way deal.
Niemelainen, 23, has split this season between the Oilers and the Bakersfield Condors of the AHL, providing some valuable size and depth whenever Edmonton is dealing with injuries. The 6’6″ defenseman is averaging just over 13 minutes in those NHL appearances–and even less in his most recent few–but has flashed a defensive ability that isn’t all that common among the rest of the team’s young options. He’s actually fourth on the team in hits despite playing in just a third of the games, and his length suggests he could have a substantial role on the penalty kill down the road.
This deal represents a bet from the Oilers that he can provide some more NHL minutes over the next couple of seasons and comes with basically no risk. The cap hit means he’s earning league-minimum in both years (and should actually be $762.5K for this reason) so even if he’s just an extra defenseman on the roster, it’s worth it. Notably though, Niemelainen still won’t be eligible for waivers next season, meaning he can continue to bounce up and down without worry of claim. That is of course unless he establishes himself as a regular at some point before 2023-24 and manages to get into 43 more games.
Either way, this is a little bit of work done for general manager Ken Holland and his staff ahead of the trade deadline, when things will get really interesting in Edmonton.
Alexandre Texier Granted Leave Of Absence
The nightmare season for Alexandre Texier continues. The young forward has been granted an indefinite leave of absence from the Columbus Blue Jackets for personal reasons. Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen explained:
Recently, Tex has experienced personal losses of people very close to him and our priority right now is to support him in every way possible. We are going to give him the time he needs and look forward to welcoming him back to the Blue Jackets family when he is ready.
Texier, 22, hasn’t played since January because of a fractured finger, which stopped a successful season in its tracks. He had 11 goals 20 points in 36 games before the injury took him out of the lineup, with still no clear date for his return. Now, with this personal loss, it’s completely unclear when Texier will hit the ice again for the Blue Jackets.
The young French forward has scored 22 goals and 39 points in his 123-game NHL career to this point, after bursting onto the scene as a teenager in 2019. Signed through 2022-23 at a $1.525MM cap hit, he has also been included in some trade speculation, though the team has never seemed eager to move him. Something like this should put all of that speculation on pause, as the Blue Jackets and the rest of hockey support Texier while he goes through this period.
Corey Andonovski Signs With Pittsburgh Penguins
March 10: Dreger reports that Andonovski has chosen the Pittsburgh Penguins for his NHL home. The Penguins are notorious for bringing players out of the college ranks and giving them a real opportunity at the NHL level. The team has officially announced the two-year contract, noting that it will begin in the 2022-23 season. He’ll join the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on an amateur tryout for the time being.
March 7: As the NCAA season comes to a close for many programs, NHL teams will be desperately trying to sell their organization as the best place for an undrafted talent to take the next step. That’s what is happening in the case of Corey Andonovski, who according to Darren Dreger of TSN “continues to mull over multiple NHL offers” and could make a decision this week.
Andonovski, 22, just finished his third season (and fourth year) at Princeton, scoring 22 points in 31 games. Technically he could go back as he had an extra year of eligibility due to the lost 2020-21 season–when Ivy League schools did not participate in hockey due to COVID restrictions–but that appears not to be the case. Princeton was ousted from the ECAC first round by Union over the weekend, with Andonovski scoring the lone goal for the Tigers in the deciding game.
Since the beginning of this month, NHL teams have been able to sign undrafted prospects to entry-level contracts that start in 2022-23, though that may not necessarily be the case here. Andonovski would be signing a two-year deal either way, meaning if a team really wants to win the battle for his services, they could offer him a contract that starts in 2021-22 instead, get him directly into professional hockey and closer to restricted free agency.
Signing his first NHL contract will be a big step for the former BCHL forward, but there’s potentially another big moment coming up soon as well. On March 16, the Hobey Baker Top-Ten Finalists will be announced, and Andonovski was one of the original nominees. His is a long shot, given how many other outstanding college players there are around the country, but even being nominated is obviously a nice honor in his final season with Princeton.
Ryan Getzlaf, Jakob Silfverberg Moved To Injured Reserve
With the Anaheim Ducks scuffling on the ice, falling in the standings, and heading toward a trade deadline that could determine the direction of the franchise for years to come, there’s a lot to consider when looking at any transaction. Today, the club moved captain Ryan Getzlaf and forward Jakob Silfverberg to injured reserve, recalling Danny O’Regan, Vinni Lettieri, and Buddy Robinson in their place.
It’s not that a move like this is akin to throwing in the towel–if players get injured there’s not really another option–but losing Getzlaf and Silfverberg does certainly raise some questions about the Ducks’ ability to compete in the Pacific Division race. While he’s not the dominating two-way presence he was earlier in his career, Getzlaf is still an effective player for Anaheim with 31 points in 47 games. Never a huge goal scorer, he has only found the back of the net three times, but there’s a reason why he still plays nearly 19 minutes a night and takes more faceoffs than anyone else in the lineup.
Silfverberg meanwhile has also seen his goal-scoring numbers plummet in recent years. After posting at least 17 in five consecutive seasons, he had just eight last year and just five through 53 games this season. While he still has 21 points and is a positive defensive player, he’s not the dynamic offensive threat he once was.
Still, losing both puts a strain on the depth of the Ducks, especially if they were to trade names like Rickard Rakell and Nicolas Deslauriers at the deadline. The team is already using many of their top prospects in the lineup, though this would likely be good news for someone like Max Comtois, who has found himself on the outside looking in despite leading the Ducks in scoring last season.
At any rate, the team will have to make do for the next little while without the services of two veteran forwards. It is not clear how long either will be out, though they must serve seven days on injured reserve from their last game played. For Getzlaf, that’s March 4 after missing the last couple, but Silfverberg played (and scored) on Tuesday.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Lightning Place Boris Katchouk In COVID Protocol
March 10: Katchouk has been loaned to the AHL on a conditioning assignment, suggesting he’s now out of the protocol and can play some games at the minor league level to get back up to speed.
March 6: While there has been a significant reduction of players entering COVID protocol since the All-Star break, there are a handful of players that have been put in there in recent weeks. The latest is Lightning winger Boris Katchouk as Joe Smith of The Athletic relays (Twitter link) that the youngster has entered COVID protocol.
The 23-year-old made his NHL debut in mid-October and has been able to hold onto a spot on the roster all season. Katchouk has played in 37 games this season, picking up two goals and four assists along with 25 penalty minutes while averaging 9:48 per game.
Since the All-Star break, testing is generally only required if a player is symptomatic. However, it’s also needed to cross into Canada (where the Lightning are heading on Monday) so the whole Tampa Bay team was tested with Katchouk being the only one to test positive. As a result, he’ll be out for at least the next five games – tonight’s contest against Chicago plus the four-game trip in Western Canada. Katchouk should be able to return on March 16th.
Tampa Bay is able to take Katchouk off their active roster but it’s unlikely they’ll do so as they don’t have enough cap space to bring anyone up from AHL Syracuse. Instead, they’ll have to make do with only one extra skater on their road trip.
Miro Heiskanen Out Indefinitely With Mononucleosis
The Dallas Stars will be without young defenseman Miro Heiskanen indefinitely after he was diagnosed with mononucleosis. Heiskanen has been placed on injured reserve retroactive to his last game played on March 2, meaning he will be able to be activated whenever he is ready to return.
Just 22, Heiskanen has taken over as arguably the most important player on the Stars roster, averaging nearly 25 minutes a night while playing in all situations. Without him, the Stars played last night with almost just four defenders, giving Joel Hanley and Thomas Harley fewer than ten minutes each. The top four of Ryan Suter (28:51), Jani Hakanpaa (25:32), John Klingberg (23:36), and Esa Lindell (22:56) all played huge minutes in a losing effort against the Nashville Predators in one of the most important games of the year.
It’s Klingberg’s status that is so interesting now that Heiskanen is out. The pending free agent defenseman had been expected to be traded before the deadline, but over the last three games his ice time has exploded with the team desperately needing his offensive ability. If Dallas remains in the playoff run, it’s hard to justify trading Klingberg away until they have a more definite timeline on Heiskanen’s return.
Dallas now sits fifth in the Central Division, one point behind the Predators but still holds the second wild card spot in the west. The Edmonton Oilers, Vancouver Canucks, and Anaheim Ducks are hot on their heels, and without Heiskanen in the lineup, it will be all the more difficult to stay in that spot.
AHL Shuffle: 03/10/22
After a quiet Wednesday, the NHL is practically overflowing with games tonight as 26 of the league’s 32 teams are in action. That includes Jack Eichel‘s return to Buffalo to take on the Sabres for the first time since their messy divorce last year. Eichel reflected on his time with Buffalo and the way the two sides parted yesterday, suggesting that the team was “toying” with him by the end of it. You can bet his return to the ice will bring some mixed emotions from Sabres fans and a surge of adrenaline for the Golden Knights center. As those teams and others prepare for action, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves right here.
Atlantic Division
Metropolitan Division
- The Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled forward Valtteri Puustinen from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Puustinen was the team’s 2019 7th round pick (203rd overall) and finally made the jump to North America this season. After posting 41 points in 51 games for HPK Hameenlinna in Finland, the 22 year old winger is set to potentially make his NHL debut after a successful rookie season in the AHL, where he has 34 points in 53 games so far.
Central Division
- Reese Johnson has been activated from long-term injured reserve by the Chicago Blackhawks and assigned to the minor leagues. The 23-year-old forward has been out for months with a broken collarbone, and has four points in 18 NHL games this season. While he’ll likely get his legs under him in the AHL, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Johnson back with the Blackhawks at some point.
Pacific Division
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