Snapshots: Crosby, Morrissey, Cech
Will Pittsburgh Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby be Captain Canada once more this year? The Athletic’s Rob Rossi believes that Hockey Canada has already tipped their hand prior to an official announcement. Rossi notes that as the organization begins to promote the upcoming 2022 Winter Olympic Games, Crosby has been participating in commercial shoots, print ad shoots, and today an actual in-person promotional appearance with the “C” on his jersey. Now, Crosby did serve as the captain in his last appearance at the Olympics with Canada in 2014, which could explain the “C”. However, it is also just as much evidence that he could serve as captain again, especially he also captained the 2015 World Championship team and 2017 World Cup team in last two international appearance. One of the best all-time, it would be no surprise if Crosby remains Canada’s captain until his playing days are over. To this point, that role is not official for the 2022 Winter Games, but all signs point in that direction.
- Mike McIntryre of the Winnipeg Free Press writes that perhaps Jets fans should lighten up on their criticism of top defenseman Josh Morrissey. Morrissey is coming off of a disappointing 2020-21 season after signing a lucrative long-term deal last off-season, leading many to call the blue liner out for taking his foot off the pedal now that he has his money. However, that may not be the situation at all. Morrissey’s father recently passed away from brain cancer and it was revealed that Morrisey was battling with that difficult personal issue all season. While professional athletes are expected to perform regardless of off-ice/field problems, it is only human for those things to weigh on them. Morrissey is a hard-working, two-way defenseman who has been a positive player that excels in all three zones for every season up until this past campaign. There is no reason to believe that the 26-year-old won’t bounce back this year, especially with the Jets bringing in some extra support on the blue line in Nate Schmidt and Brenden Dillon.
- Former all-world soccer goalkeeper Petr Cech is back for another run at hockey. After retiring from soccer, Cech made a highly-publicized transition to hockey in 2019-20, signing with the Guildford Phoenix of the NIHL second-tier league in England while concurrently working as an advisor to his long-time Premier League soccer club Chelsea. Cech played in six games with the Phoenix, recording two shutouts and a .934 save percentage – not bad for a 37-year-old rookie. After a year off, Cech is ready to get back in net (on the ice). The Phoenix have announced that they have signed Cech to a one-year contract as he continues to play out his lifelong dream of playing hockey, even after a historic career in soccer. Cech will remain employed by Chelsea in the meantime as well. The legend of the star Czech athlete continues to grow.
Minor Transactions: 08/28/21
The Jesperi Kotkaniemi offer sheet aside, it has been a quiet stretch for NHL transactions and even for minor moves as the summer wears on. However, there are still plenty of notable names available and looking for work. Here are some recent signings from around the hockey world.
- Former Philadelphia Flyer Taylor Leier is staying in Germany, at least for one more year. Leier left North America ahead of the 2020-21 season after playing on an AHL deal the year prior. He initially signed on with HC Ocelari Trinec in the Czech Republic, but shortly after jumped to Adler Manheim in the DEL. Leier played well, recording ten points in 20 games and contributing in the post season. He seemingly caught the eye of a rival, as the Straubing Tigers have announced a one-year deal with the forward. Leier will jump right into the action, as Straubing has preseason games beginning this week. Leier, who recorded seven points in 55 games with the Flyers, will join other former Philly NHLers Jason Akeson and Brandon Manning on the Tigers roster.
- Justin Brazeau, who received considerable attention as an undrafted free agent out of the OHL back in 2019 but ended up signing an AHL contract, is looking for a fresh start after two quiet seasons to begin his pro career. After joining his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs (the parent organization at least), Brazeau will now jump to an arch rival. The New England Hockey Journal’s Mark Divver reports that Brazeau has signed a one-year deal with the Providence Bruins. The big winger plays a physical brand of hockey that meshes well with the Bruins’ historical preferences, but his skating issues have limited him from transforming into a true power forward, at least in the AHL thus far. In his final year in the OHL, Brazeau recorded 61 goals and 113 points in 68 games with the North Bay Battalion and in his first pro season with the ECHL’s Newfoundland Growlers, he notched 27 goals and 55 points in 57 games. Yet, he only has five points in 22 career AHL games. Playing at a level where just being 6’5″ and 220 lbs. is not enough (even for the Bruins who walked away from a similar style of NHL player in Nick Ritchie this summer, who ironically signed in Toronto), Brazeau will need to work on the finer points of his skill game in order to make an impact in Providence.
- Veteran forward Stephen Harper continues to climb the pro ranks. A former OHL first-round pick and once considered a likely NHL draft pick, Harper’s production and development flatlined over his junior career and he ended up going the collegiate route and playing four years at Acadia University. However, he signed on with the ECHL’s Fort Wayne Komets last year and recorded 31 points in 43 games. It was enough to catch the eye of the AHL’s Chicago Wolves, who have signed him to a one-year deal. Harper will look to repeat those numbers in the AHL if he can and hopefully continue to elevate to that next level.
Hurricanes Tender Offer Sheet To Canadiens’ Jesperi Kotkaniemi
The old adage surrounding offer sheets is that if one team messes with another team’s restricted free agents, they open themselves up to attack as well. After the Montreal Canadiens tendered an offer sheet to Carolina Hurricanes star Sebastian Aho two years ago, they are now facing the consequences. The ‘Canes have returned the favor, announcing (in French at that) they have extended an offer sheet to Habs’ center Jesperi Kotkaniemi, which he has signed. The offer is for one year and $6,100,015. If you thought this wasn’t all about retribution, here is the kicker: the deal also includes a $20 signing bonus – Aho’s jersey number. Also this. The Canadiens have seven days to respond. They would receive first- and third-round picks if they elect not to match.
There are of course salary cap implication aplenty with this offer sheet. Kotkaniemi’s $6.1MM AAV would put Montreal approximately $8.38MM over the salary cap for 22 players with their expected LTIR relief from Shea Weber only coming in at $7.86MM. In order to match the offer sheet, the Canadiens will have to shed salary this season, enough to fit the overage and another player to round out the roster. Perhaps even more importantly, their starting number for negotiations with Kotkaniemi again next off-season begins with a $6.1MM qualifying offer. For a team with numerous expensive, long-term contracts, that simply may not be palatable. Of course, the Hurricanes face these same risks. The team would go approximately $1.52MM over the salary cap by adding Kotkaniemi, albeit with a full 23-man roster. They also could easily open up the space if they opt to again waive defenseman Jake Gardiner and his $4.05MM cap hit. The more pressing question then is whether Kotkaniemi lives up to his cap hit, which will also serve as his new QO. At the cost of a first and a third, Carolina will want to make sure Kotkaniemi is not just a one-year rental.
This all boils down to how much the Habs value Kotkaniemi, as the Hurricanes – while they had ulterior motives – clearly felt that the $6.1MM cap hit was warranted for the 21-year-old forward. Kotkaniemi, the third overall pick in 2018, has certainly shown flashes of star power. While his regular season numbers are unspectacular with 62 points in 171 NHL games, his playoff production has been stellar with nine goals and twelve points in 29 games. And while Kotkaniemi is still working on some of the fundamentals of the center position, he is a phenomenal possession player and is starting to fill out his frame and become a more physical presence. Kotkaniemi’s value is all about upside at his age. Both teams certainly see it, but only one team has ponied up the cost thus far (at least for one year). All but one offer sheet has been matched since the turn of the century. Will Montreal follow suit?
Though one of the most entertaining stories in roster building in recent memory, and not just in hockey, Carolina’s vicious response to Montreal’s attempted poaching of Aho two years ago is only likely to further deplete the likelihood of offer sheets, which are already considered a MacGuffin to most. Enjoy this while it last, it could be the final one for some time.
PHR Mailbag: Sabres Rebuild, Rangers, Eichel, Sorokin, Predators, Breakout Candidates, Remorseful Moves, Dzingel
Topics in this edition of the PHR Mailbag include Buffalo’s rebuilding process, the pursuit of Jack Eichel from the Rangers and if Detroit should be in the mix, a proposed offer sheet, Nashville’s underwhelming summer, under the radar breakout candidates, moves that general managers may one day wish they had a mulligan on, and where Ryan Dzingel landed in free agency. If your question doesn’t appear here, watch for it in next weekend’s mailbag.
LarryJ4: What Adams has done with the Sabres roster seems to be geared towards clearing out the losing mentality of certain players would you agree? Complete reset so to speak and hear up a rebuild what he feels is the right way. The previous 2 GMs failed to bring in players that their character properly fit the “retool/rebuild” mode of a team. Granted the last one was brought in by Adams, being Taylor Hall, but that seems like a knee jerk reaction by Adams facing pressure from Ownership that appears clueless.
Second question is do you think Adams has the invisible “handcuffs” off of him this go around?
I don’t know if I’d go as far as saying the rebuild is built on trying to clear out anyone with a losing mentality. Everyone on the Sabres for an extended period has been through plenty of losing so it could be suggested they all have had that particular mentality ingrained in them over the years.
This feels like a situation where they finally realized that they’re not just a player or two away from becoming contenders and trying to add that piece each year becomes futile after a while. Their captain isn’t coming back anytime soon, if at all, further pushing them in that direction. In that case, selling off the players who were nearing unrestricted free agency was the logical next step. Rasmus Ristolainen and Sam Reinhart probably weren’t signing new long-term deals with Buffalo so they pretty much had to go.
As for the handcuffs, that’s always difficult to speculate on as owners have differing levels of involvement throughout the league but this is the type of rebuild that requires ownership signing off on. The fact that GM Keyvn Adams has made the moves he has made suggests he has received the commitment and green light to see this process through.
CoachWall: Now that we know Eichel is going to miss the first month or so, have the Rangers pivoted to re-upping Z-dad?
In the context of this question, I’m going to say no. Not having Eichel available for the start of next season shouldn’t drastically affect how much they want him. He has five years left on his deal so missing 15-20 games at the start of that span shouldn’t discourage them from going after him when the potential for four-plus years of a number one center is still there.
At this point, GM Chris Drury should be working both fronts. He can keep inquiring on Eichel to see if the price will eventually change while at the same time doing his due diligence in terms of what it will cost to keep Zibanejad around; Eichel not being ready to start the year shouldn’t push Drury down a path he should already be on. Both aren’t going to be doable but it doesn’t mean discussions can’t be done for both options at the same time so that the Rangers can make one of the two moves when the time is right.
gowings2008: The Red Wings lack a true number one center, is it possible they are secretly in on Eichel? He fits their core group in terms of age and the Wings have the cap space to fit him in. I know the Red Wings have rarely leaked any rumors under Yzerman, but this is an opportunity that rarely presents itself and they have the pieces, I would think, to make it work.
You make a very reasonable case for Detroit to go down this path and I agree that they probably have the assets to make a trade work. But the timing doesn’t feel right to me.
GM Steve Yzerman’s offseason was all about adding bridge pieces. Nick Leddy is someone that could be flipped later in the year, Alex Nedeljkovic only received a two-year deal that walks him to UFA eligibility (and there are questions about whether or not he can be an NHL starter) while up front, Pius Suter was the only addition of note, also receiving a two-year deal that takes him back to UFA status. To drastically shift towards trying to win now runs counterintuitive to what they’ve done the last few months.
I’ll put it this way. If Detroit was in on Eichel, making a move before the draft would have been the right time to do it. Then they’d have been more aggressive in terms of trying to add more proven win-now talent via trade and free agency and really emerge from the rebuild. But if Yzerman still thinks they’re a couple of years away from doing that (and his activity the last two months suggests that’s the case), then the high cost to acquire Eichel would be a little harder to justify since he alone wouldn’t make them a playoff team and there aren’t any notable free agents left that they could try to add after landing Eichel.
I actually quite like the idea of Eichel in Detroit but I think the right time for that was two months ago, not now.
Robert Evans Jr.: Why doesn’t Buffalo just offer sheet Sorokin for $4.11 million a year for five or six years to be the goalie of the future??
I’m glad you mentioned five or six years in the question as it gives me a chance to highlight a rule that often gets missed. For offer sheet purposes, the maximum divisor is five, even if the term of the contract is longer. Accordingly, while a five-year offer sheet at $4.11MM per year would yield a second-rounder, the six-year term would actually push him up a tier to the first-rounder plus a third-rounder. The total compensation for that offer would be $24.66MM with the maximum divisor at five. That means for offer sheet compensation purposes, his AAV would be $4.93MM (even though the AAV of the contract is still $4.11MM).
With that said, there are a couple of reasons that Ilya Sorokin won’t sign that contract. First, he would actually have to want to sign that deal to go to Buffalo and with the direction the Sabres are going, they’re not exactly going to be a desirable destination for a little bit. The second is that he probably has already agreed to terms with the Islanders as GM Lou Lamoriello has a whole bunch of deals done that haven’t been announced yet. The fact that Sorokin didn’t file for arbitration feels like a strong sign that his contract is among those in place that we’ll officially find out about at some point in the next six weeks.
Gbear: Rhetorical question, but how does subtracting Viktor Arvidsson and Calle Jarnkrok and adding Philip Tomasino and Cody Glass to an already paltry offense in Nashville improve their goal-scoring output?
Rhetorical or not, I’ll answer anyway. It really doesn’t help them although with the way David Poile has built his team this summer, it sure looks like they’re a team that’s looking at some short-term pain (and salary savings) for long-term gain.
If they kept their core intact and still brought Glass in, we’d be talking about him playing in the minors and waiting for a recall. By moving Arvidsson to the Kings and losing Jarnkrok to Seattle, now there’s a defined spot on the third line for Glass for him to get a more consistent chance that he had with Vegas last season. Considering Nashville’s long-standing need for help down the middle, it only made sense to add someone like Glass if they had a chance to play him.
Tomasino looks like he’s ready to contribute based on his play as an underager in the AHL last year. I’m not as bullish on them seemingly keeping a roster spot for him as a 20-year-old but it certainly feels like they want to get his NHL experience started quickly in the hopes of expediting his development.
Are the Predators better now than they were last season? Certainly not. So if they’re going to be rebuilding, they might as well get the youngsters some playing time in a role where they’ll have a chance to succeed right away. If the development of Glass and Tomasino (among other youngsters) next season is bolstered, the long-term improvement should outweigh the short-term drop in production that is certainly coming.
Snapshots: Krejci, Lundqvist, Chabot
When David Krejci announced he was leaving the NHL to play at home in the Czech Republic this season, he left the door open to an NHL return. However, that return won’t come this season after the Extraliga season comes to an end. In an interview with iROZHLAS earlier this week, the veteran indicated that he would not return to the NHL to join Boston for the stretch run but wouldn’t rule out playing back in the NHL in 2022-23. Krejci would have to clear waivers in order to sign that late in the season anyway and it’s unlike that Boston or any other team would have been able to get him through unclaimed.
Elsewhere around the hockey world:
- How close was Henrik Lundqvist to attempting to return to Washington last season? In an interview with Goteborgs-Posten (translated by the NHL’s website) the veteran netminder was only three days away from flying out to rejoin the Caps before being diagnosed with pericarditis, ending those comeback hopes in the process. Lundqvist opted to retire earlier this summer and mentioned that he will need another surgery on his heart at some point in the future.
- After finishing behind only Drew Doughty in average ice time per game, it appears that Senators defenseman Thomas Chabot will have a slightly lighter workload next season. Head coach D.J. Smith told Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch that his intention is to have the 24-year-old carry a lighter workload; the scribe pegs that target around 23 minutes per game. That would be a sizable drop from the 26:17 he logged last season; in fact, the only time that he has averaged below 23 minutes a game was his rookie season in 2017-18.
Free Agent Profile: Jason Demers
In his prime, Jason Demers was a capable second pairing defenseman that was reliable in his own end and could contribute a little bit offensively. Those days have come and gone but the veteran can still make a case to be brought in as a serviceable option on the third pairing.
Unfortunately, the 33-year-old will be relying on his track record over his career to make that claim, not his performance last season. There’s no sugar coating it – 2020-21 wasn’t pretty. Demers slipped down the depth chart to the third pairing, averaged his lowest ice time in nearly a decade, and eventually found himself scratched with some frequency down the stretch with Arizona well out of playoff contention.
But while it’s certainly reasonable to consider that this is a sign of things to come, Demers was in a top-four role as recently as 2019-20 where he was a fixture on Arizona’s penalty kill and logging more than 20 minutes per game. It’s unlikely he’ll get back to that form but players don’t often drop from being a top-four blueliner to borderline unplayable quite that quickly. A small bounce-back season is certainly doable.
What also helps Demers is that he’s a right-shot defender which is a position of some scarcity around the league and certainly among the remaining rearguards on the open market. While handedness isn’t as big of a factor for some coaches as it is for others, being a righty should open up some extra opportunities.
Stats
2020-21: 41 GP, 0-4-4, -4 rating, 26 PIMS, 44 shots, 49.6 CF%, 17:14 ATOI
Career: 699 GP, 45-169-214, +31 rating, 407 PIMS, 884 shots, 51.7 CF%, 19:10 ATOI
Potential Suitors
Who needs low-cost roster depth? Plenty of teams will be searching for an extra low-cost defender in the weeks to come to give them some extra insurance heading into training camp while those with weaker depth on the right side could have more interest in someone like Demers.
In the East, Demers would serve as an upgrade in Pittsburgh on Chad Ruhwedel or Mark Friedman, veterans who have primarily been AHL or reserve options in recent years. Montreal’s third right-shot blueliner is Chris Wideman, a veteran who hasn’t seen NHL action the last two seasons so Demers would at least serve as some insurance on that front. Demers would also be an upgrade in Columbus who could view Demers as someone that could play early on to allow a younger player like Andrew Peeke or Gabriel Carlsson to spend a bit more time in the minors before flipping Demers midseason.
Out West, the Blues could stand to add some veteran depth with the departures of Vince Dunn and Carl Gunnarsson while Robert Bortuzzo, a righty like Demers, has typically been used in a platoon role over playing in every game. Calgary’s right side is thin behind Rasmus Andersson and Christopher Tanev while Chicago could use someone like Demers if they feel Ian Mitchell is better served playing top minutes in Rockford over the third pairing with the Blackhawks.
Projected Contract
Demers’ tough season put him on the outside looking in for our Top 50 UFA list and his value has certainly dropped as well. At this point, it wouldn’t be surprising if he had some PTO offers on the table but he still has some time to try to land a guaranteed deal. A one-year deal at or near the league minimum of $750K may be all he can land at this point and if last season was just an aberration and not a sign of a quick decline, whoever gets him could wind up with a bit of a bargain.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
West Notes: Canucks, Thomas, Skinner
There’s an expectation that one of Canucks RFAs Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes will have to take a short-term contract this summer in order for Vancouver to be cap-compliant for next season. Speaking with Vancouver Hockey Now’s Rob Simpson, Pat Brisson, the agent for both youngsters, indicated that there’s no indication yet as to which player could wind up with which type of contract. Simpson suggests that Pettersson, who has offer sheet eligibility, could be the likelier player to sign first since Hughes doesn’t have that right although the odds of the center receiving an offer sheet worth signing at this stage is highly unlikely. No discussions are expected over the coming days with GM Jim Benning taking a quick summer break before training camp, something many general managers around the league are likely doing.
More from the Western Conference:
- Blues RFA forward Robert Thomas is believed to be seeking a higher AAV than the $2.8MM that Jordan Kyrou received earlier this season, reports Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic (subscription link). The 22-year-old is coming off a tough injury-riddled season that saw him post just a dozen points in 33 games but with 75 points in 136 contests over his first two seasons, he has enough of a track record to try to get that on a bridge deal. Louis doesn’t have that much cap space but with Oskar Sundqvist headed for LTIR to start the season, that would give them enough of a buffer to get Thomas under contract although they’d need to get cap-compliant by the time Sundqvist returns.
- Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner has been Edmonton’s top goalie prospect basically since they drafted him back in the third round in 2017. However, as Postmedia’s David Staples notes, they’ve never really shown much confidence in him, evidenced by the acquisition of veterans in recent years including Alex Stalock who presently sits ahead of him for the third spot on the depth chart. With some of their other prospects now in the minor pros (Ilya Konovalov and Olivier Rodrigue), time is running out for Skinner to establish himself as a viable option for Edmonton. If that doesn’t happen soon, it’s possible that he’ll become a trade candidate if one of those other prospects is ready for a bigger role in Bakersfield.
Salary Cap Deep Dive: Winnipeg Jets
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.
Winnipeg Jets
Current Cap Hit: $87,297,979 (over the $81.5MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
F David Gustafsson (one year, $818K)
D Ville Heinola (three years, $863K)
F Kristian Vesalainen (one year, $894K)
Potential Bonuses:
Gustafsson: $57.5K
Vesalainen: $850K
Total: $907.5K
Vesalainen has yet to live up to his first-round draft billing but he spent most of last year up with Winnipeg either on the active roster or the taxi squad while also getting into four playoff contests. Unless they need to fill his roster spot with a minimum-salaried player, he should have an opportunity at a full-time roster spot, albeit on the fourth line which won’t help his odds of reaching any of his incentives. Gustafsson hardly played with Winnipeg last season but with the departure of many of their depth players, they’ll need to fill some of those spots from within which gives him an opportunity for a regular spot in the lineup. Heinola is likely on the outside looking in to start the year but he has impressed in the minors and could push his way into a regular role as the season progresses.
One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level
D Nathan Beaulieu ($1.25MM, UFA)
G Eric Comrie ($750K, RFA)
F Andrew Copp ($3.64MM, UFA)
F Pierre-Luc Dubois ($5MM, RFA)
F Jansen Harkins ($725K, RFA)
F Riley Nash ($750K, UFA)
D Sami Niku ($725K, RFA)
F Paul Stastny ($3.75MM, UFA)
Last season was one to forget for Dubois. After settling for a two-year bridge deal, he very quickly played his way out of Columbus with the Jets parting with both Patrik Laine and Jack Roslovic to bring him in, shoring up their center depth in the process. However, he struggled relative to expectations with Winnipeg, notching just 20 points in 41 games and was quiet in the playoffs with just three assists in seven contests. A year ago, it seemed like his 2022 contract was going to be the big one that pushed him comfortably past the $7MM AAV mark, especially with his qualifying offer being $6.65MM. But if he doesn’t have a much-improved 2021-22 season, that qualifying offer may be his best-case scenario.
Copp is coming off a career year but basically was forced into taking the one-year deal earlier this month to keep Winnipeg as close to cap-compliant as possible. A repeat performance should push his AAV over the $4MM mark. Stastny stayed in the top six for most of last season with Dubois often lining up on the wing and his price tag is a little below market value for a top-six center, especially compared to some of the other deals out there. He’ll be going year to year from here on out and the Jets may need to use his money to re-sign Copp next summer. Nash and Harkins will be role players and with their cap structure, the spots they occupy will need to be filled by minimum-salary players down the road whether it’s those two or other options.
The two defensemen in this category appear to be the possible cap casualties to free up the little bit of extra space to get cap compliant once LTIR is factored in (more on that later). Beaulieu can hold his own on the third pairing but his spot could be filled by someone cheaper. Niku, on the other hand, has been in trade speculation for a couple of years now. They don’t want to lose him on waivers but with such limited recent action (he played just six games last season), they may have to settle for that if something doesn’t materialize over the next couple of months.
Comrie has bounced around on waivers the last couple of years but has hardly seen any NHL action. That will change next season as their cap situation necessitated a minimum-salaried backup and he will get the first shot at being that player. A good showing would certainly bolster his case heading into his final arbitration-eligible year but at the same time, he could potentially price his way out of Winnipeg if he did well enough to earn a sizable jump.
Two Years Remaining
D Logan Stanley ($900K, RFA)
F Dominic Toninato ($750K, UFA)
You could basically put any minimum-salaried forward into Toninato’s slot and perhaps there’s a signing or waiver claim to come that pushes him out. In the meantime, the fact he received a two-year deal last month that includes a one-way second year suggests Winnipeg believes he can lock down a regular spot on the roster.
Stanley really improved his stock last season, going from someone who looked like he’d be on the outside looking in at a spot in the lineup to a player who was in more often than not, albeit in a limited role. The small track record allowed the Jets to get him on a cheap bridge deal, one that won’t be very hard to out-perform.
Three Years Remaining
D Dylan DeMelo ($3MM, UFA)
D Brenden Dillon ($3.9MM, UFA)
G Connor Hellebuyck ($6.166MM, UFA)
F Bryan Little ($5.292MM, UFA)
F Mark Scheifele ($6.125MM, UFA)
F Blake Wheeler ($8.25MM, UFA)
Let’s get Little out of the way first. He hasn’t played since early November 2019 and is still trying to recover from a perforated eardrum. GM Kevin Cheveldayoff has suggested the expectation is that Little won’t be able to return. He’ll head for LTIR, allowing Winnipeg to exceed the cap by up to his full cap hit (the cost of their active roster at the time of placement will determine exactly how much they can go over).
Very quietly, Scheifele has performed at a point-per-game average or better for each of the last five seasons, becoming a legitimate star in the process. Considering centers with similar production have been getting considerably more, this is a contract that is well below market value. The same can’t be said for Wheeler. He still has been productive but his per-game output has declined the last couple of years and as he’s about to turn 35, there probably isn’t another 91-point season in his future.
Dillon was brought in just before free agency to shore up a back end that had yet to really recover from the 2019 exodus. As long as he can log 20 minutes a game on the second pairing and provide his usual physicality and strong defensive presence, he’ll provide good value on his deal. DeMelo is someone that they hoped could play on the second pairing last year when they signed him to that contract but he is better off on the third pairing with more sheltered minutes. That makes the deal an overpayment which is why he was made available to Seattle in expansion.
Hellebuyck has been the NHL’s workhorse goaltender over the last four years. He has faced the most shots in each of the last three seasons and led the league in minutes played four years ago. He makes a bit more than most starters but the small premium is certainly justified and it allowed the Jets to go with a low-cost backup in Comrie knowing that he will once again handle a significantly higher workload than most starters will.
Central Notes: Tarasenko, Klingberg, Predators
There has been an expectation of a trade involving Vladimir Tarasenko for several months now with both sides admitting that a change of scenery would be beneficial. However, between his $7.5MM AAV and his injury history, the interest hasn’t been strong and the veteran remains with the Blues. Benjamin Hochman of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch suggests that at this point, St. Louis may be better off just holding onto the 29-year-old in the hopes that a good start to next season would boost his value around the league and remove some of the question marks surrounding his health. That would be an outcome that is better than moving him with retention and/or taking a minimal return just to grant Tarasenko his wish to play elsewhere even though there could be some awkward moments given how public his trade request is.
More from the Central:
- With Miro Heiskanen’s deal now done, Dallas has shifted their focus towards an extension for fellow blueliner John Klingberg. Mike Heika of the Stars’ team website notes that the negotiations could be tricky with Klingberg’s offensive production (only eight blueliners have more total points than Klingberg over his seven-year career) potentially allowing him to command a sizable raise on his current $4.25MM AAV. He’ll be 30 when his next deal kicks in which makes it difficult to command a max-term contract and the team already has nearly $18MM tied up in their other three top-four defenders for next season and beyond; adding another big-ticket contract could put them among the highest-spending teams on the back end.
- The Predators recently announced an affiliation extension with the ECHL’s Florida Everblades. Nashville has been with them since 2019-20 with Tanner Jeannot and Cole Smith being the players who suited up for the Everblades that have since seen NHL action. The duration of the extension was not announced.
Minor Transactions: 08/27/21
The NHL offseason grinds toward September training camps, as other leagues around the world continue to fill out their rosters. As always, we’ll keep track of all the notable minor moves right here.
- The San Jose Barracuda have re-signed Evan Weinger to a one-year AHL contract, bringing the forward back for his fourth season with the team. The 24-year-old was an undrafted free agent signing out of the WHL and had eight points in 28 games for the Barracuda last season.
- The Texas Stars have signed Spenser Young to a one-year AHL contract, giving him a chance to make the leap to professional hockey. The 24-year-old defenseman played four seasons with Providence College, but actually didn’t suit up anywhere in 2020-21. The last time he was on the ice during the 2019-20 season his offense had dried up completely, as Young recorded just three points in 32 games.
- Rob Klinkhammer, who has been a staple in the KHL for years now, has signed a one-year deal with Dynamo Moscow for this season. Klinkhammer captained Dinamo Minsk in 2020-21, scoring 26 points in 31 games. The 35-year-old has had quite the hockey career, playing nearly 200 games in the NHL, scoring a Gagarin Cup-winning goal, and suiting up for Canada at the 2018 Olympics.
- The Athletic’s Darren Hynes reports that the Stockton Heat have signed a goalie duo to two-way AHL contracts. Andrew Shortridge and Matt Greenfield will be joining the organization for 2021-22. Shortridge, a 26-year-old Alaska native, actually spent last year in the Heat organization, mostly at the ECHL level. He still put up a .952 save percentage in three appearances with Stockton, though, and could be a legitimate option at that level. Greenfield spent the entirety of last year with Kansas City in the ECHL, posting an 11-9-4 record and .916 save percentage.
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