Minnesota Wild, Kevin Fiala Avoid Arbitration
With an arbitration hearing just a day away, the Minnesota Wild and Kevin Fiala have come to an agreement. The two sides have settled on a one-year, $5.1MM contract almost exactly the midpoint between their two arbitration filings. Fiala had asked for a one-year, $6.25MM contract, while the team had countered with a $4MM deal. The two sides will no longer need the hearing tomorrow.
The 25-year-old Fiala will still be a restricted free agent next summer, but will require a qualifying offer equal to this $5.1MM salary in order for the Wild to retain his rights. He will also be arbitration-eligible once again, meaning a raise is actually a possibility. It was a bet on himself to sign a one-year deal, after becoming one of the most important players on the Wild roster. Over the past two seasons, Fiala has 43 goals and 94 points in 114 games while continuing to post outstanding possession numbers. Though some of that offensive success is due to the deployment the team has offered, there’s no doubting Fiala’s raw talent.
It was Paul Fenton, the oft-ridiculed former GM of the Wild who brought Fiala to Minnesota in a trade for Mikael Granlund a little over two years ago. In terms of offensive contribution, Fiala has been much more effective, yet the two will now head into next season earning almost the same salary. Granlund signed a new four-year, $20MM deal with the Nashville Predators this offseason to continue his strong two-way play, while Fiala will be relied on as the “game-breaker” that Fenton called him when defending the move.
With Kirill Kaprizov still to sign, the Wild have plenty of work to do, but they can now be certain in their financial structure. The team still has more than $13MM in cap space this season, and though things will get tight in the future when the harsh penalties from Zach Parise and Ryan Suter‘s buyouts kick in, they at least know they can fit everyone in for 2021-22. A long-term deal for Fiala would have made that more difficult, as buying out UFA years would have sent the average annual value of Fiala’s deal skyrocketing. Despite only turning 25 last month, Fiala has five seasons under his belt already, meaning he’ll be an unrestricted free agent after the 2022-23 season.
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet broke the news on Twitter
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Five Key Stories: 8/9/21 – 8/15/21
With the UFA market slowing down, the majority of the top news of the week came from the RFA side as players managed to avoid getting to an arbitration hearing.
Big Money For Goalies: Monday was a good day for goaltenders. First, Flyers netminder Carter Hart signed a three-year, $11.937MM contract, a payday that certainly reflected his performance over his first two years in the NHL over his struggles in 2020-21 that saw him post a 3.67 GAA with a .877 SV% in 27 games. Later that day, Rangers starter Igor Shesterkin landed a bigger deal, a record-breaking one even as his four-year, $22.6MM contract is the richest payday for a goalie coming off his first contract. Shesterkin has just 47 career NHL contests under his belt but has long been viewed as New York’s goalie of the future. With this deal, he’s certainly the goalie of the present as well. Shesterkin’s contract bought out two years of UFA eligibility while Hart will be RFA-eligible one final time in 2024.
Vrana Avoids Arbitration: Red Wings winger Jakub Vrana was the first to get to the point of actually having to make an arbitration submission but it never got to that point as he and the Red Wings were able to agree on a three-year, $15.75MM contract the day before the hearing was scheduled to occur. The 25-year-old was acquired from Washington at the trade deadline and had a strong finish to his year, picking up eight goals and three assists in 11 games which certainly didn’t hurt his negotiating position for this deal. The contract takes care of his two remaining RFA years plus one season of UFA eligibility.
Jets Re-Sign Two: There were questions about whether or not Winnipeg would be able to afford to re-sign both of their prominent restricted free agents and stay cap-compliant. They were able to accomplish that in the end, albeit barely. First, defenseman Neal Pionk inked a four-year, $23.5MM contract, buying out his final two RFA years plus two seasons of UFA eligibility. He nearly doubled his previous AAV in the process but deservedly so as he has put up 77 points in 125 games since joining the Jets two years ago. That meant that Andrew Copp had to settle for a one-year deal to keep his price tag as low as possible and he was able to do so at $3.64MM. If Winnipeg carries a 22-player roster instead of the maximum of 23, they should be able to stay under the cap.
Surgery For Matthews: Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews played through most of last season with a wrist injury, still managing to lead the league in goals with 41 in 52 games in spite of that. However, the rest and rehab approach wasn’t fixing the problem and after reporting some discomfort as he increased his off-ice training, it was decided that surgery was the best approach. Matthews has gone under the knife and will be out for at least the next six weeks. It’s still early enough in the summer that Matthews shouldn’t miss any regular season action (barring any setbacks) but it’s likely he will be very limited in training camp and the preseason.
Panthers Sign A Pair: The Panthers inked a pair of forwards, one in the prime of his career and the other not so much. First, they avoided arbitration with Sam Reinhart, inking their key summer acquisition to a three-year, $19.5MM contract, buying out two UFA-eligible years in the process. The 25-year-old has put up at least 40 points in each of his six full NHL seasons and has tallied between 22 and 25 goals in the last four campaigns. They then added some veteran depth with the signing of Joe Thornton to a one-year, $750K contract. The 42-year-old has seen his production dip sharply in recent years but he still managed 20 points in 44 games with Toronto last season though the bulk of that came early in the year. He’ll serve as a veteran mentor while giving them some extra depth in the bottom six.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Free Agent Profile: Nikita Gusev
A few years ago, Nikita Gusev’s stock was at an all-time high. After his third straight dominant season in the KHL, Vegas (who acquired his rights from Tampa Bay in an expansion-related trade) was finally able to bring him over to North America by burning the only year of his entry-level deal without him playing a single game. Months later, they realized they wouldn’t be able to afford him and flipped him to New Jersey for second and third-round selections.
The Devils promptly handed him a two-year, $9MM contract, a sizable commitment for someone who had never played in the NHL before. Still, it seemed like a reasonable move as they had openings in their top six so he’d have a chance to be an impact player right away. His first season was pretty good with 44 points in 66 games and while there were some bumps along the way, that’s legitimate second-line production.
Things didn’t go as well last season, however. Gusev’s role lessened to the point where he was scratched at times and after he cleared waivers and no trade partner materialized, he accepted a contract termination and signed for less money with Florida to get an opportunity down the stretch. He did well with that, notching five points in 11 games but in the playoffs, he was scratched once again.
At 29, Gusev is certainly still young enough to play in the NHL for several more years and his first season with New Jersey showed that he has the ability to produce in the NHL. That makes him an intriguing option among those still looking for a place to play in 2021-22.
Stats
2020-21: 31 GP, 4-6-10, -12 rating, 2 PIMS, 72 shots, 57.9 CF%, 14:21 ATOI
Career: 97 GP, 17-37-54, -27 rating, 14 PIMS, 230 shots, 51.5 CF%, 14:35 ATOI
Potential Suitors
Gusev could go a few different ways here, changing the potentially interested teams in the process. If he’s looking to maximize money, the options will be limited. But if he’s open to a one-year deal around the $1MM mark (similar to what he did with Florida), he becomes a low-risk option for some cap-strapped teams that are looking to make an incremental gain offensively.
In the first scenario, Buffalo makes some sense as a fit. There would be an opportunity for Gusev to play an important role, potentially in their top six where he’d have a chance to put up a level of production closer to his first season. Detroit could use him although he’d be a little lower on the depth chart; the same could be said for Nashville who could certainly benefit from an influx of offense as could San Jose. In each of these scenarios, a one-year deal would also create the possibility of trying to move him at the trade deadline. It didn’t work for New Jersey last season but with a better showing and a cheaper contract, the odds of a trade happening would be better by the 2022 deadline.
If he’s willing to sign a cheaper contract, Colorado stands out as an appealing option. The Avs are typically a high-scoring team and Gusev would add some firepower to a forward group that lost Brandon Saad (free agency) and Joonas Donskoi (expansion) this summer. Philadelphia has a shot at deploying four lines with decent offensive upside and someone like Gusev would further push them in that direction.
Projected Contract
Gusev ranked 41st on our Top 50 UFA list with a projected one-year, $2MM contract. That type of contract could be on the table closer to training camp if he wants to sign with a rebuilding team but if he wants to play on a playoff-bound team, he may need to come in closer to half of that. At that price tag, he could wind up being quite a bargain.
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Senators Notes: RFAs, Brannstrom, Strome
While many teams have been active in re-signing their restricted free agents, the Senators still have a lot of work to do on that front. They have a total of six RFAs in need of new deals, headlined by winger Brady Tkachuk. Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch notes that Ottawa has exchanged several different term and salary ideas with Tkachuk’s camp which suggests they’re not necessarily fixated on working out only a short-term or long-term deal. Matthew Tkachuk’s three-year, $21MM pact has long been speculated as a possible price tag for a bridge deal while one that buys out some UFA eligibility would be more expensive than that.
Another RFA still needing a new deal is center Logan Brown. Garrioch reports that GM Pierre Dorion is still trying to move the 23-year-old who was limited to just 14 games last season (only one of which was in Ottawa) due to injury. The 2016 first-rounder could certainly benefit from a change of scenery but Garrioch adds that the Sens are looking to make a hockey deal and not just give him away. In that context, it would appear as if they’re looking for a similar prospect that could benefit from a fresh start with another organization.
More from Garrioch’s column on the Sens:
- The team would like to add an impact forward still, likely a winger and with the free agent market pretty much bereft of those now once the Islanders make their expected signings official, Garrioch suggests that defenseman Erik Brannstrom could be dangled in trade talks. The 21-year-old was the centerpiece of the Mark Stone trade back in 2019 after being the 15th overall pick by Vegas two years earlier but has yet to really establish himself at the NHL level. Last season, he played in 30 games with Ottawa, recording two goals and 11 assists.
- The Senators are believed to be among the teams that have inquired about Blackhawks forward Dylan Strome. The 24-year-old has been a speculative trade candidate for the better part of a year now and is coming off a tough year that saw him put up 17 points in 40 games while spending time between center and the wing. Strome is young enough to still fit in as part of Ottawa’s core and his $3MM cap hit ($3.6MM salary) should keep the acquisition cost low.
Carolina Hurricanes Sign Ville Koivunen
The Carolina Hurricanes weren’t done when they signed Aleski Heimosalmi earlier today. The team has also inked fellow second-round pick Ville Koivunen to a three-year entry-level deal. Hurricanes GM Don Waddell released a short statement:
Ville is a skilled, competitive winger. He continues to improve every year, and we are excited to watch him develop as a pro.
Koivunen, selected seven picks after Heimosalmi as the team’s third 2021 second-rounder, is coming off a brilliant season with Karpat’s junior program. He scored 49 points in 38 games in the U20 league, earning Rookie of the Year honors. He signed a multi-year agreement with the professional club earlier this year and could be in line to make his Liiga debut this season.
Like his fellow draft pick, the 18-year-old Koivunen will likely continue his development overseas for at least one season, perhaps more. He was also included on Finland’s Summer Showcase roster, meaning he could potentially be among the group that participates in the next World Juniors.
It’s that brilliant offensive upside that makes him so dangerous when playing against juniors, but will be tested at the professional ranks. Undersized, he’ll need to find a way to score even against bigger, more experienced defensemen to provide real value. If he can do it in Liiga, perhaps there will be an opportunity for him to come to North America in the near future. For now, his entry-level contract will slide forward while he plies his trade overseas.
Carolina Hurricanes Sign Aleksi Heimosalmi
The Carolina Hurricanes have added to their Finnish contingent once again, this time signing draft pick Aleksi Heimosalmi to a three-year entry-level contract. Hurricanes GM Don Waddell released a short statement:
Aleksi is a highly skilled, two-way defenseman. We’re excited for him to take the next steps in his development.
Selected 44th overall in 2021, Heimosalmi is expected to make his Liiga debut this season for Assat after signing a three-year deal with the Finnish team earlier this year. With this new deal in place with Carolina, it’s not clear if the young defenseman will spend that entire time overseas, but for this season at least it is likely he continues his development in Europe.
Not only did Heimosalmi find a ton of success at the junior level for Assat, but he also dominated the U18 World Juniors, earning Best Defenseman honors for the whole tournament after racking up eight points in seven games. The smooth-skating defender has quite a way to go before he challenges for an NHL spot, but there’s no rush thanks to a strong depth chart in Carolina.
Winnipeg Jets Sign Dmitry Kuzmin
The Winnipeg Jets have inked one of their 2021 draft picks, signing Dmitry Kuzmin to a three-year entry-level contract. The deal will carry an average annual value of $866,667 at the NHL level.
Kuzmin, 18, was the 82nd overall pick in this year’s draft, selected after a strong showing at the professional level in Belarus. The young defenseman recorded 12 points in 46 games, while also playing well at the U18 World Juniors. It will be interesting to see if the Jets leave him overseas to continue his development, or perhaps bring him to North America to get some action in the CHL. Kuzmin was selected by the Flint Firebirds in the CHL Import Draft earlier this year.
Whether he’s in Europe or the junior ranks on this side of the pond, Kuzmin won’t burn the first year of his entry-level deal in 2021-22. He’s joining what is suddenly a pretty long depth chart on defense in Winnipeg, with five NHL players signed for at least three years and a good number of prospects pushing for playing time.
Kevin Fiala, Minnesota Wild Exchange Arbitration Figures
The next arbitration hearing is scheduled for Tuesday between the Minnesota Wild and restricted free agent Kevin Fiala. The two sides have now submitted figures, though they can continue to negotiate a contract up until the moment the hearing starts. According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, Fiala has filed for $6.25MM while the Wild have submitted for $4MM. Michael Russo of The Athletic notes that Fiala actually filed for a one-year term, meaning he will still be a restricted free agent next season.
It is important to remember that the two filings are meant to be the absolute limits of a negotiation, and arbitration almost always results in a contract somewhere in the middle. The midpoint of these two filings would be a $5.125MM cap hit for Fiala next season.
Given that it was the Wild who elected salary arbitration in this case, the term of the award was actually up to Fiala. He could have chosen a two-year deal to get him to unrestricted free agency, but by filing for just one he has essentially bet on himself. If say, the two sides can’t agree on a multi-year deal before Tuesday and a $5MM contract is awarded, Fiala will be owed that much as a qualifying offer again next offseason. He would then be able to file for arbitration again and earn a raise, still getting to the UFA market at the age of 26. The only real risk in this method is if the Wild decide not to qualify him for whatever reason, but unless there is a major injury or huge decline in play, that would be unlikely.
In fact, Fiala is likely worthy of a much more expensive contract after his recent performances. In 2019-20 he truly broke out, scoring 23 goals and 54 points in just 64 games for the Wild. At that point, he was still averaging just over 15 minutes a game. This year he was given more ice time and more responsibility and rewarded the Minnesota coaching staff with 20 goals and 40 points in 50 games. He posted outstanding possession statistics, even if they were helped by strong offensive deployment, and represented an outstanding one-two punch with rookie Kirill Kaprizov.
The question of course, as it will be for every contract the Wild sign over the next few years, is how they can fit in Fiala with such a huge cap penalty coming. Minnesota will face a $14.74MM cap charge in both 2023-24 and 2024-25 thanks to the buyouts of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter, making it very difficult to fit in the rest of the roster. Given the team still has Kaprizov to sign, it’s hard to know exactly how much room they’ll have. Perhaps that’s why a one-year arbitration award for Fiala isn’t the worst outcome, with the two sides restarting negotiations a year from now.
Detroit Red Wings, Adam Erne Avoid Arbitration
The Detroit Red Wings have agreed to terms on a two-year deal with Adam Erne, avoiding arbitration. The two sides had a hearing scheduled for August 21, but, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, will enter into a two-year contract that carries an average annual value of $2.1MM.
Erne, 26, is coming off the best offensive season of his career, scoring 11 goals and 20 points in just 45 games. The physical forward played a bigger role on the Red Wings, even getting some powerplay time, and rewarded the club with a pretty strong year all things considered. While he is likely never going to be a full-time top-six option on a contending team, Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman obviously sees him as a valuable piece to the puzzle at the moment.
The key here is that the deal buys out just one year of unrestricted free agency, continuing the Detroit model of not committing long-term deals to anyone in the current group. No one on the team is signed past the 2023-24 season, with only Jakub Vrana and Michael Rasmussen even inked that long. The Red Wings are maintaining cap flexibility as they build up the prospect base, and this latest deal for Erne is just another one that could potentially be traded down the line.
If the team fails to take a step forward by the 2023 trade deadline, they’ll have Erne, Dylan Larkin, Tyler Bertuzzi, Pius Suter, and others to deal as rentals. If there is a big improvement by the young core and the team is contending for the playoffs, a player like Erne can be retained as a relatively inexpensive bottom-six option.
Metropolitan Notes: Capitals, Clarke, Brylin
While the awkward silence from the New York Islanders, who are presumed to have unannounced deals in place with a number of free agents, has drawn headlines this summer, it is the inactivity from the Washington Capitals that should perhaps be gaining more attention. It seems that the oddsmakers have taken notice, even if the national media have not. The current odds from BetMGM, adjusted following the Expansion Draft, NHL Draft, and free agency rush, have the Capitals at 25-1 to win the Stanley Cup in 2021-22. While this may not seem so bad, as Washington is tied with reigning Cup finalist Montreal, they are also tied with the New York Rangers – for the fourth-best mark in the Metropolitan Division. While the Capitals are just outside the top ten league-wide in terms of championship expectations, they first need to make the playoffs to get there. The Carolina Hurricanes (14-1), Pittsburgh Penguins (18-1), and New York Islanders (20-1) top the division’s best bets, which implies that MGM believes that they will receive the automatic bids from the Metropolitan Division.
This isn’t unreasonable; this past season the ‘Canes won the Central Division, the Penguins won the East Division, and the Isles advanced to league semifinals. Meanwhile, the Capitals were easily dispatched in the first round by the Boston Bruins. The real surprise, though maybe it shouldn’t be, is that MGM feels the Rangers have drawn even with the Capitals. New York is a young, up-and-coming team while the Capitals are an older team that has lost Brenden Dillon and Michael Raffl and is listening to offers for Evgeny Kuznetsov. Yet, many would still say there is a gap between the two clubs. The oddsmakers feel differently. With three bids from the division and two wild card spots, with four Atlantic Division teams holding better odds than Washington and the Canadiens holding even, it will not be easy this season for the Capitals to even reach the postseason out of the Eastern Conference, nevertheless take home another Stanley Cup. It doesn’t help that they have made no improvements this summer.
- Capitals prospect goaltender Chase Clark has made his college commitment. The 2021 sixth-round pick out of the NCDC’s Jersey Hitmen has signed on with Quinnipiac University, the Hitmen announced. Clark will join the Bobcats for the 2022-23 season after suiting up in the USHL this year. Clark will return to the Tri-City Storm this season, where he played three games last year, before heading off to college. While the NCDC is usually more of a feeder league for the USHL, NAHL, and prep school level rather than a direct source of NHL talent, Clark did enough this season with a .935 save percentage and 1.92 GAA to earn a flier from the Capitals late in the draft. He will be a long-term project for Washington, but developing at a strong program like Quinnipiac, Clark could turn out to be a solid prospect.
- The New Jersey Devils re-located their AHL affiliate from Binghamton to Utica and now coach Sergei Brylin will make the move as well. The Utica Comets have announced that Brylin will join head coach Kevin Dineen‘s staff as an assistant, transitioning from his role as associate coach with the Binghamton Devils. Brylin, who played exclusively with the Devils in his 13-year NHL career, has been with the organization as a minor league coach since 2012, joining the former Albany Devils immediately after retiring from playing, then in the KHL. The 47-year-old is likely in line for a promotion to AHL head coach or NHL assistant coach the next time a spot opens up.