Montreal Canadiens Extend Nick Suzuki
With their season starting tomorrow night, the Montreal Canadiens have locked up their future. Nick Suzuki has signed an eight-year extension that will carry an average annual salary of $7.875MM. The deal will start in the 2022-23 season and keeps Suzuki far away from restricted free agency and any potential offer sheet. Chris Johnston of the Toronto Star reports that the deal will include a 10-team no-trade list (which is only applicable for the final four seasons of the contract). PuckPedia tweets the full breakdown:
- 2022-23: $6.0MM salary + $4.0MM signing bonus
- 2023-24: $10.0MM salary
- 2024-25: $10.0MM salary
- 2025-26: $8.75MM salary
- 2026-27: $6.25MM salary
- 2027-28: $6.0MM salary
- 2028-29: $3.0MM salary + $3.0MM signing bonus
- 2029-30: $3.0MM salary + $3.0MM signing bonus
Suzuki, 22, is coming off a very strong season with the Canadiens and has assumed the team’s first-line center spot, an undisputed role now that both Philip Danault and Jesperi Kotkaniemi are playing elsewhere. The young forward recorded 41 points in 56 games, but it was once again his outstanding postseason that really put him on the map for many fans. In 22 games on Montreal’s quest for the Stanley Cup, Suzuki scored seven goals and 16 points while averaging almost 19 minutes a game.
That ice time is likely to only go up from here as he transitions from up-and-comer to established leader, helming the Canadiens attack every night. This extension is betting that he’ll take on that responsibility without issue, making him the team’s highest-paid skater for next season, even eclipsing Shea Weber‘s LTIR-bound contract.
Make no mistake, there is risk in a deal of this magnitude for someone so young. Suzuki’s career-high in goals is 15 and he has just 82 points through his 127-game career to this point. While those are fine totals, this deal is assuming they will increase as he enters the prime years of his career; a safe assumption, but one nonetheless.
With the deal registered, the Canadiens now have more than $84MM committed to 18 players for next season. A good chunk of that–$7.86MM–is Weber’s deal that will likely be moved to LTIR once again, but it still means that the team won’t have a ton of extra space to work with moving forward. Long-term deals for Suzuki, Brendan Gallagher, Josh Anderson, Christian Dvorak, Jeff Petry, David Savard, Jake Evans, Joel Armia, and Carey Price mean that this group is unlikely to see sweeping changes for quite some time. Even Mike Hoffman, Joel Edmundson, and Tyler Toffoli are signed for two more years after this season, meaning this is essentially the group for the next while.
No matter what, this is a contract extension that has a high probability of looking like a steal in a few years, should Suzuki continue on his current development path. At worst, he’s a little overpaid as he settles into the level he has already reached. But the Canadiens haven’t had a franchise center in some time, and certainly weren’t going to risk letting this one get poached in restricted free agency, or increase his price with a true breakout offensive campaign.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Pittsburgh Penguins Sign Brian Boyle
Oct 12: Now that we’re into the first day of the regular season, the Penguins have made a few more cap moves to fit in Boyle. The team placed Evgeni Malkin on long-term injured reserve, moved Sidney Crosby to injured/non-roster, added Zach Aston-Reese to the COVID protocol and officially signed Boyle to a one-year, $750K contract. Anthony Angello and Drew O’Connor have also been recalled.
Oct 11: The Pittsburgh Penguins are expected to sign Brian Boyle on Tuesday, according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic. Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff confirms that the one-year deal will be worth $750K when finalized. Boyle had been in Penguins camp on a professional tryout after failing to even play professional hockey in 2020-21.
Now 36, Boyle’s story is one of incredible perseverance and hard work, with this just the latest impressive chapter. The veteran forward seemed to be out of the NHL last season, but took earned himself a spot on the U.S. World Championship team, was given the captaincy and proved he could still play at a high level. Even that wasn’t enough to land him an actual contract, but his performance at Penguins’ camp on a PTO–combined with the team’s injury concerns–will be enough to get him another chance.
No one is mistaking Boyle for a top-line player at this point, but he does bring size, experience and versatility to the bottom of the lineup. The 6’6″ forward can play center or left wing, while contributing on both special teams. In 2019-20 with the Florida Panthers he recorded six goals and 15 points in 39 games, while providing a physical presence and a reliable faceoff percentage. If the Penguins, who are without Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin to start the season, get a few months of respectable performance out of Boyle, it will be well worth the one-year deal.
Snapshots: Tkachuk, Sceviour, Kane, Blackwell
While there has been a suggestion in recent days that signing bonuses have been a big part of the holdup in contract talks for Senators RFA winger Brady Tkachuk, that isn’t the case, reports Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. The scribe suggests that at this point, the biggest holdup is term and total salary in each option. Ottawa’s known preference is a max-term eight-year deal while Tkachuk’s camp appears to be leaning towards preferring a bridge deal. With Ottawa’s regular season getting underway on Thursday, time is running out to have the 22-year-old in the lineup on opening night.
Elsewhere around the NHL:
- The Oilers are believed to have offered forward Colton Sceviour a two-way contract, suggests Postmedia’s Kurt Leavins. Sceviour attended camp with Edmonton on a PTO, getting into seven of eight games while collecting three assists. The 32-year-old had 10 points in 46 games with Pittsburgh last season and is believed to be weighing his other options at the moment before making a final decision on whether or not to accept their offer.
- The Sharks have released their season-opening roster and veteran winger Evander Kane is not on it. Instead, the team indicated that the 30-year-old is “is considered a non-roster player pending completion of the NHL’s investigation”. Kane did not participate in training camp and there is some hope that the investigation will wrap up over the next few days. Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News relays (Twitter link) that their cap situation as it pertains to Kane’s absence is still to be determined.
- Kraken forward Colin Blackwell is out indefinitely with a lower-body injury, notes Marisa Ingemi of the Seattle Times (Twitter link). The 28-year-old didn’t play at all in the preseason with the injury and it doesn’t appear as if he’s close to returning. That’s another regular player that will be missing on opening night on top of the five that are currently in COVID protocol.
Islanders Register Anatoly Golyshev’s Contract
The fact that Islanders winger Anatoly Golyshev participated in training camp and was cut today suggested that a contract had been agreed upon with the restricted free agent. CapFriendly reports (Twitter link) that the team has now registered the deal with the league and it’s a one-year, one-way pact worth $750K.
The 26-year-old was a fourth-round pick of the Isles back in 2016 (95th overall) but it took nearly five years for him to sign his entry-level deal. That happened back in March once his KHL season came to an end, permitting him to burn his one-year deal without even playing a single game on it. Last season, Golyshev had 12 goals and 15 assists with Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg of the KHL, his eighth season in that league. Overall, he has 208 points in 366 career AHL contests, a decent performance overall in a low-scoring league.
While Golyshev will be starting in the minors with AHL Bridgeport to kick off his North American playing career, it’s likely that he will see some action with New York at some point this season. With their salary cap situation, a contract for the league minimum will certainly help his chances of earning a recall.
Salary Cap Deep Dive: New Jersey Devils
Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM. Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.
PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2021-22 season. This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.
New Jersey Devils
Current Cap Hit: $70,019,735 (under the $81.5MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
F Jesper Boqvist (one year, $925K)
F Jack Hughes (one year, $925K)
F Dawson Mercer (three years, $894K)
D Ty Smith (two years, $863K)
Potential Bonuses:
Hughes: $2.85MM
Mercer: $400K
Smith: $400K
Total: $3.65MM
Hughes showed some improvement in his second season but isn’t playing at the level that a recent first-overall selection is expected to. Many expect him to take a step forward this year but it’s fair to wonder if that will be enough to get him a long-term deal or whether he’d be better off with a bridge. Nico Hischier’s contract (more on that one later) would be the potential comparable but if Hughes thinks he can hit another level, his camp would be better off going for a short-term second contract. On the bonus front, the ‘A’ portions are certainly attainable ($850K in total) while the ‘B’ ones seem unrealistic for him to get to.
Boqvist, who was sent down to start the season, should earn a limited role before too long. As a result, a short-term second deal is likely. Mercer made the team out of camp but it’s too early to assess whether he’ll be able to hit some bonuses while forecasting his next contract before he plays a game isn’t really doable. There are other forwards (Tyce Thompson and Alexander Holtz) that could play their way onto the roster but they’re candidates to go back and forth which makes it unlikely their respective bonuses are hit.
Smith’s rookie season was an impressive one as he locked down a spot inside New Jersey’s top four on the back end while chipping in offensively. Lots can change over the next two years but assuming he progresses, he’s looking at a significant raise and could be a candidate for a long-term pact that buys out a few UFA years as well. His bonuses are certainly achievable as well.
One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level
F Jesper Bratt ($2.75MM, RFA)
D/F Mason Geertsen ($725K, UFA)
D Christian Jaros ($800K, UFA)
D P.K. Subban ($9MM, UFA)
F Miles Wood ($2.75MM, RFA)
F Pavel Zacha ($2.25MM, RFA)
Bratt hasn’t emerged as an impact scorer yet but the speedster has put up at least 30 points in each of his four NHL seasons, including the pandemic-shortened last two years. He eventually settled on a bridge deal just days before the regular season started although he’ll have arbitration eligibility and a $3.3MM qualifying offer (120% of the AAV) working in his favor this time around. He needs to establish himself as a bigger threat if he wants to land a considerably higher price tag than that. Wood is coming off a good season in the goal department with 17 in 55 games and has a $3.5MM qualifier coming his way. That’s on the high side for someone who hasn’t scored 20 yet but they have the wiggle room to afford that raise even if he remains more of a secondary piece. Zacha has slowly improved and quietly led the Devils in scoring last season. He has a $3MM qualifier on the horizon and while he’s basically locked in on the third line with their first-overall picks holding down the top two spots, he can still be an impact piece. A long-term deal in the $4MM range is a realistic scenario here if he’s around the 35-40-point mark again this season.
Subban is no longer the top-pairing player that he was when he signed this contract and durability has been a concern the last few years. He’s more of a role player and his next deal might not even be half of his current rate. He’ll be a candidate to be dealt between now and the trade deadline as long as New Jersey is willing to retain half of the price tag. Jaros is a depth piece, a placeholder for some of their prospects until one of them is ready to come in. Geertsen was a surprising waiver claim but with the role he’s likely to have, it’s unlikely he’ll garner much more than the minimum on his next contract.
Two Years Remaining
G Jonathan Bernier ($4.125MM, UFA)
G Mackenzie Blackwood ($2.8MM, RFA)
D Ryan Graves ($3.167MM, UFA)
F Andreas Johnsson ($3.4MM, UFA)
F Janne Kuokkanen ($1.85MM, RFA)
F Michael McLeod ($975K, RFA)
D Damon Severson ($4.167MM, UFA)
D Jonas Siegenthaler ($1.125MM, RFA)
F Yegor Sharangovich ($2MM, RFA)
F Tomas Tatar ($4.5MM, UFA)
Tatar was one of the more intriguing unrestricted free agents in the 2021 class. His production dipped a bit after two strong seasons with Montreal but what really worked against him was being a healthy scratch for most of their playoff run. That certainly hurt his value although he still managed to land a decent price tag, albeit not at the type of term he was hoping to command. If he can help elevate the production in the top six though, he’ll have a chance to land a similar contract two years from now. Johnsson was acquired as a cap dump from Toronto but didn’t come close to matching the production he had with the Maple Leafs. That contract will be difficult to move unless he rebounds.
Sharangovich had a nice rookie season buoyed by a good half-season in the KHL before the NHL season got underway. As long as he stays in their top six, he should be able to produce enough to warrant a raise on his $2.05MM qualifying offer while he’ll have arbitration rights at that time. Is he a long-term piece for them? They’ll find out over the next two years. Kuokkanen didn’t look out of place in a middle-six role last season, his first taste of regular NHL action. The price tag is a little high given his limited NHL experience but if he even stays on the third line, they’ll get a good return on it. His qualifier is at $1.95MM with arbitration rights in 2023. McLeod, a 2016 first-rounder, has had a slower development path but is now waiver-eligible, helping him secure a spot. He’ll have time to establish himself as a legitimate full-time NHL player and will need to do so if he wants to get more than his $1MM qualifier.
Severson has been miscast in a top-pairing role over the last few years so it will be interesting to see how he fares on the second pairing which is where he’s more suited to be. His contract has been a bargain considering the role and ice time he has played but now in a more optimal spot on the depth chart, he could stand out a bit more which would certainly improve his fortunes heading into free agency in 2023 where he’s already looking at a raise. Graves joins New Jersey after Colorado decided they needed to move him out for expansion considerations and he should add a stabilizing presence on the back end. If he holds down a spot in their top four as expected, he should be looking at a small raise at a minimum on his next deal. Siegenthaler hasn’t had an extended NHL look but should get one over the next couple of years. If he’s more of a depth player than an impact one, he shouldn’t get much more than this on his next contract.
Last season was a tough one for Blackwood as he was thrust into the undisputed starting role with Corey Crawford retiring at the beginning of training camp. A bout with COVID-19 didn’t help things as he struggled upon his return. He is viewed as their long-term starter but has some work to do to earn the big money contract that number one netminders get. Bernier was brought in this summer in the role that Crawford was supposed to fill – serve as a mentor to Blackwood while pushing for playing time. It’s an above-market contract for that role but they have more than enough cap room to pay the extra cost to get the player that the wanted.
Three Years Remaining
No players have expiring contracts following the 2023-24 season.
Metropolitan Notes: Penguins, Trocheck, Backstrom, Rangers
The Penguins had close to a full group at practice today with winger Jake Guentzel returning from COVID-19 protocol while center Sidney Crosby participated once again. However, head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters, including Mike DeFabo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, that those two as well as winger Zach Aston-Reese, have all been ruled out for tomorrow’s season-opener. However, Guentzel is a possibility to play on Thursday night while Crosby is unlikely to play on their road trip. An IR placement for him appears likely which could open up a roster spot for the expected signing of veteran Brian Boyle.
More from the Metropolitan:
- While Carolina placed center Vincent Trocheck on IR over the weekend, Walt Ruff of the Hurricanes’ team site notes (Twitter link) that the team remains optimistic that he will be available for their season-opener against the Islanders on Thursday. Trocheck had 43 points in 47 games last season while primarily playing on Carolina’s second line, a role he’s likely to reprise in 2021-22.
- Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom has been making progress as he works his way back from a hip injury but the team announced (Twitter link) that the veteran has been designated as injured/non-roster on their season-opening roster. Head coach Peter Laviolette told reporters, including NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti (Twitter link) that the 33-year-old has to start skating. As a result, it appears it will be a little while longer before Washington’s top pivot is in the lineup.
- While the Rangers were expected to name a captain before the season started, that is not the case. Instead, the team revealed (Twitter link) that they have named six alternates – defenseman Jacob Trouba plus forwards Barclay Goodrow, Chris Kreider, Artemi Panarin, Ryan Strome, and Mika Zibanejad.
Several Players Placed On Long-Term Injured Reserve
This afternoon, teams were required to submit a cap-compliant opening day roster to the league. This roster is not fixed and can be changed before a team actually takes the ice for their first game, meaning many players who would otherwise be considered on the team were included in a loan to the minor leagues. That “paper transaction” will not have the player actually report to the minor leagues, as he’ll be back up with the NHL team quickly.
The merit behind these transactions in many cases is to maximize long-term injured reserve relief. If necessary, a team attempts to get as close to the $81.5MM salary cap upper limit before placing a player on LTIR in order to receive the maximum benefit. This year has quite a few players hit the board already, which means they will miss a minimum of ten games and 24 days, though some are expected to miss the entire season.
Here are the players who have been placed on LTIR so far today:
D Jake Gardiner (CAR)
D Caleb Jones (CHI)
G Ben Bishop (DAL)
D Oscar Klefbom (EDM)
G Alex Stalock (EDM)
G Carey Price (MTL)
F Gemel Smith (TBL)
D Brent Seabrook (TBL)
F Bryan Little (WPG)
This post will be updated as more season-opening rosters are announced.
Brandon Sutter Out Indefinitely For Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks aren’t expecting Brandon Sutter back anytime soon. The veteran forward is dealing with long-term symptoms from COVID-19, general manager Jim Benning told reporters including Thomas Drance of The Athletic, and will be out “for a while.” The team is focused on getting Sutter back to full health before putting him on the ice.
Sutter, 32, signed a new one-year, $1.125MM contract with the Canucks this offseason to stay with the team he’s been a part of since 2015. The checking center had just nine goals and 12 points last season but is still an effective enough bottom-six option that can take some of the tough defensive matchups. Without him, the team has Nic Petan in the fourth-line center spot at practice.
Earlier this year, Sutter detailed his experience with COVID-19 to Drance after being one of the many Canucks that tested positive for coronavirus last season. He explained then that he had trouble catching his breath and experienced light-headedness. Benning explained as camp started that Sutter was experiencing “fatigue” and he has not joined the team since. The executive confirmed today that Sutter does not have myocarditis. Iain MacIntyre of Sportsnet tweets that Sutter trained for most of the offseason without experiencing issues, but the fatigue “started to become debilitating” in mid-August.
Sutter will not be listed on the Canucks active roster and it is not clear when he will be available to the team this season.
Mattias Janmark Unavailable Due To COVID Protocol
The Vegas Golden Knights kick things off tomorrow against the Seattle Kraken, the second game of the 2021-22 regular season. Unfortunately, it looks like they may be missing one of their forward options. Mattias Janmark was unavailable to the team today because he has been put in the league’s COVID-19 protocol.
As a reminder, inclusion in the protocol does not mean that a player has tested positive for Coronavirus or even that they have been confirmed as a close contact to another positive person. Included in the NHL’s list of possible reasons for someone being on the COVID Protocol Related Absences list–which actually won’t be released for the first time until tomorrow–are the following:
(1) an initial positive test which remains unconfirmed until confirmatory testing is completed pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (2) mandated isolation for symptomatic individuals pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (3) required quarantine as a high-risk close contact in accordance with the Positive Test Protocol; (4) isolation based on a confirmed positive test result and/or; (5) quarantine for travel or other reasons as outlined in the COVID-19 Protocol.
Janmark has not had a good camp with the Golden Knights, who signed him to a one-year, $2MM contract this offseason after a trade brought him to Vegas last season. The 28-year-old was playing on the fourth line recently, not exactly what was expected of a player that made such a strong impression in the playoffs and was supposed to add some valuable depth scoring to the lineup.
His addition to the protocol so close to the regular season is a reminder that there will still be lineup disruptions throughout the year, even for those players and teams that are fully vaccinated. It is not clear yet how long Janmark will be unavailable.
Nashville Predators Sign Jack Matier
The Nashville Predators have signed another prospect, inking Jack Matier to a three-year, entry-level contract. Matier was one of the team’s 2021 draft picks and is currently playing for the Ottawa 67’s of the OHL.
Matier, 18, was the 124th overall selection in this year’s draft, nabbed mostly for his size and defensive ability. The 6’4″ Sault Ste. Marie native still doesn’t have a single goal in his 58-game career for Ottawa, and registered just nine points in the 2019-20 season. Still, there’s obviously enough to like about his defensive game for the Predators to hand Matier an entry-level deal this early.
(Update: Matier scored two goals and registered an assist today for Ottawa in their afternoon tilt against the Oshawa Generals. Not a bad follow-up to signing your first NHL contract.)
As with other prospects signed this quickly, Matier’s contract will not actually kick in for this season. Instead, it will slide forward for at least one year–and likely two–meaning he won’t need to negotiate anything new for quite some time. The focus now is on his development at the OHL level and improving his skating enough so that when he’s eligible to make the jump to pro hockey, he’s ready.