Expansion Primer: Columbus Blue Jackets
Over the next few weeks, we will be breaking down each team’s situation as it pertains to the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft. Which players are eligible, who will likely warrant protection, and which ones may be on the block to avoid the risk of losing them for nothing? Each team is required to submit their protection lists by 4:00 PM CDT on July 17th. The full eligibility rules can be found here, while CapFriendly has an expansion tool to make your own lists.
The Blue Jackets were one of the biggest victims of the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft, trading a first-round and second-round pick to the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for the team selecting William Karlsson and taking on David Clarkson‘s contract. Karlsson has blossomed into the best center in Vegas’ young franchise history, while the Blue Jackets now have a hole down the middle and could have used those high draft picks to help fill it.
The team has seemingly spent the past four years making sure that history would not repeat itself this year. The Blue Jackets can protect all of their core players, leaving next to nothing of value for Seattle, and the only deal that they will make with the Kraken would have to be mutually beneficial.
Eligible Players (Non-UFA)
Forwards:
Cam Atkinson, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Max Domi, Boone Jenner, Patrik Laine, Gustav Nyquist, Cliff Pu, Eric Robinson, Jack Roslovic, Kole Sherwood, Kevin Stenlund, Calvin Thurkauf
Defense:
Gabriel Carlsson, Vladislav Gavrikov, Scott Harrington, Seth Jones, Dean Kukan, Zach Werenski
Goalies:
Notable Unrestricted Free Agents
Notable Exemptions
F Emil Bemstrom, F Yegor Chinakhov, F Josh Dunne, F Liam Foudy, D Mikko Lehtonen, G Elvis Merzlikins, D Andrew Peeke, F Alexandre Texier
Key Decisions
Kudos to GM Jarmo Kekalainen, who has taken most of the decision-making out of his team’s expansion process. The Blue Jackets may have taken a step back this season and looking to re-tool in the off-season, but at least they will not lose any players of great value.
Well, that’s not entirely true. By all accounts, Columbus will lose star defenseman Jones, but it will be on their own terms. While it may seem like a waste, the Blue Jackets are very unlikely to deal Jones before the Expansion Draft and thus must protect him so that they can make a deal later on this off-season.
Fortunately, Jones is not exactly stealing a protection slot from a top player. Fellow blue line standout Werenski and the reliable Gavrikov can still be protected in the 7-3 scheme, while future starters Peeke and Lehtonen are exempt, leaving only the likes of depth defenders Kukan, Harrington, and Carlsson exposed.
The decision in goal is even easier. With one half of their top tandem exempt in Merzlikins, the Blue Jackets simply protect the other side in Korpisalo, leaving untested Johnson exposed.
At forward, things are a little trickier – but not by much. Career Blue Jackets and locker room leaders Atkinson, Jenner, and Bjorkstrand are most importantly all productive scorers and will be safe. Despite down seasons to begin their Columbus tenures, there is no way that the team exposes Laine or Domi. On the flip side, Roslovic’s first season with the team was perhaps the highlight of the campaign and he is also not going anywhere.
This leaves just one protection slot open up front with three realistic candidates: Nyquist, Robinson, and Stenlund. This may seem like an easy decision to the casual onlooker, as Nyquist is a well-known name whereas Robinson and Stenlund have only recently established themselves as NHL assets. However, Nyquist is far from a lock due to the fact that he missed the entire season following off-season shoulder surgery. He will be 32 before next season and is a year removed from game action. Can the Blue Jackets really commit to $11MM over the next two seasons for an aging player whose return to form is uncertain?
They can, and the going theory is that they will. It isn’t a knock on Robinson or Stenlund, who both proved themselves to be valuable to Columbus this season, but the upside of Nyquist is simply much higher. In 2019-20, his first season with Blue Jackets, Nyquist was second on the team in scoring a key piece on special teams, all areas that struggled this year in his absence. With 40+ points in each of his seven full NHL seasons, including a 60-point campaign just two years ago, Nyquist is nothing if not consistent and reliable and would be a difficult player for the Blue Jackets to lose as they look to right the ship.
Of course, Nyquist’s age and contract are still a concern, even if he is able to bounce back. However, the Blue Jackets are not in any salary cap trouble and could use the veteran presence as they look to push more young talent onto the roster. Seattle may not be in the same boat; the Expansion Draft could yield far more well-paid veterans of value than affordable youngsters and the Kraken may not be keen to take an older, expensive player like Nyquist given his injury concerns and uncertain future. If the Blue Jackets decide to bank on this possibility, Robinson or Stenlund could be protected. They each made a good case this season; Robinson played in all 56 games and recorded career highs in goals and points, while Stenlund has recorded ten points in 32 games in back-to-back seasons, a26-point full-season pace. Either bottom-six forward could continue to provide value to Columbus, but at least one must be exposed if not both.
Projected Protection List
F Cam Atkinson
F Oliver Bjorkstrand
F Max Domi
F Boone Jenner
F Patrik Laine
F Gustav Nyquist
F Jack Roslovic
D Vladislav Gavrikov
D Seth Jones
D Zach Werenski
Skater Exposure Requirement Checklist
When Vegas had their expansion draft, a minimum of two forwards and one defenseman had to be exposed that were under contract and played either 40 games in the most recent season or 70 over the past two combined. Due to the pandemic, those thresholds have been changed to 27 games played in 2020-21 or 54 in 2019/20 and 2020-21 combined. In creating our expansion list for each team in this series, we will ensure that these criteria are met.
Forwards (2): Eric Robinson, Kevin Stenlund
Defensemen (1): Dean Kukan
Regardless of which players they choose to protect, the Blue Jackets will only expose the bare minimum required, likely by design. After all, Stenlund was just signed to a one-year extension last month with the Expansion Draft in mind. Barring an extension or outside addition, only the designated two forwards and one defenseman will be exposed among those meeting the requirements, as none of the other eligible players – Pu, Sherwood, Thurkauf, Carlsson, Harrington – are worth protecting.
Columbus leaves little for the Seattle Kraken if they protect Nyquist, which seems likely. It is a group of exposed players lacking in NHL experience or considerable upside. Robinson and Stenlund offer physical play and 25-point upside as bottom-six forwards, but at 26 and soon-to-be-25 respectively, there may not be much room for improvement. Kukan, 27, has had a hard time staying in the lineup in Columbus and looks to be best suited as a No. 7 defenseman on a good team. Harrington, also 27, was used even less, was less productive, and has more tread on his tires. Carlsson, though younger and bigger than Kukan and Harrington, was unable to unseat them with the Blue Jackets and would have much more competition with the Kraken. Unless Seattle GM Ron Francis has a special affinity for one of these players, Columbus seems like a prime team for a pick-and-trade, moving their selection to a contender seeking depth.
With all of that said, the Blue Jackets do still remain a fascinating candidate to make a side deal with the Kraken. With three first-round picks, including No. 5 overall, and a need at center that they would love to address with the top forward prospect in the draft, Columbus has the means and the desire to land the No. 2 pick from Seattle if they are open to moving it. The new franchise could certainly benefit from an extra first round pick if they move back and may even be able to change the Blue Jackets’ protection plan as part of the deal.
Snapshots: Blue Jackets, Sabres, Buyouts, DeAngelo
Between new head coach Brad Larsen, promoted from his previous role as assistant, and newly hired assistants Pascal Vincent and Sylvain Lefebvre, the Blue Jackets will have a combined 15 seasons as NHL assistants, 13 seasons as AHL head coaches, 11 seasons as a junior head coaches, six seasons as AHL assistants, and over 1,200 NHL games played worth of experience behind the bench. The one thing they don’t have? Any experience as an NHL head coach. As Aaron Portzline writes for The Athletic, there is zero NHL head coach experience in the entire Columbus organization right now and while GM Jarmo Kekalainen isn’t worried, he also isn’t above addressing that issue. Kekalainen is at least considering adding an advisor to the coaching staff; a veteran NHL head coach to help guide Larsen and company through their first season with a the re-tooling Blue Jackets. Portzline believes that one name who could certainly be in the mix is Jacques Martin, as the 68-year-old with 16 seasons as an NHL head coach is believed to be looking for this type of role. Other candidates will also surely emerge if and when Columbus decides that they are officially looking to fill the position.
- Did Buffalo Sabres GM Kevyn Adams tip his hand in a recent interview with Pierre LeBrun for The Athletic? Discussing his team’s rebuilding plans, Adams stated the following:
(Rasmus) Dahlin, (Dylan) Cozens, (Casey) Mittelstadt, these are very, very young players… And I’ve been energized about this young core of Sabres we have that are hungry and they want to be part of the solution. … These guys are proud to be Buffalo Sabres, they want to fix this and get this right, they want to move forward together. So that’s the young core that we’re working to build around.
Sure, these are all key pieces for the Sabres in their rebuild. However, Adams did not mention the likes of Jack Eichel, Sam Reinhart, or Victor Olofsson, who are only marginally older than that group. His use of the words “proud to be Buffalo Sabres” and “want to be part of the solution” also feels purposeful, as if there are others on the team who are not and possibly that is why they are no longer part of the rebuild plans. While rumors have been swirling around Eichel and to some extent Reinhart as well, perhaps this is a real indication that Buffalo will be making major changes this summer.
- The NHL’s buyout window opens 24 hours after the Stanley Cup is awarded, which could be as early as later tonight. In anticipation, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli lists ten names (and some honorable mentions) who could be buyout candidates. While much of this is educated speculation, Seravalli does have a scoop on his No. 1 name on the list, New York Rangers defenseman Anthony DeAngelo. Seravalli reports that the Rangers officially finalized a plan to buyout DeAngelo last week, a move that has been a long time coming since he was placed on leave in January for off-ice conduct. What remains to be seen is when exactly the buyout will be executed. The Rangers don’t need DeAngelo for the upcoming Expansion Draft, with Anthony Bitetto meeting exposure criteria and not expected to be protected, however New York may want to leave him in case they are able to tempt the Seattle. Even if the Kraken don’t bite, DeAngelo’s skill is enough to make him an intriguing free agent this summer following his buyout, even after a year off and some character concerns.
Boston Bruins Sign Cameron Hughes, Joona Koppanen
The Boston Bruins have reached one-year extensions with both Cameron Hughes and Joona Koppanen for the 2021-22 season. Both contracts will be two-way and carry an NHL salary of $750K.
Hughes, 24, was outstanding for the Providence Bruins this season, scoring 21 points in 25 games. He only got into one NHL game (taking his career total to two) but should get a chance to compete for a bottom-six spot in 2021-22. The Bruins have been trying for years to get some additional offense out of the bottom of the lineup, and though Hughes doesn’t scream difference-maker, he may be a useful piece to move in and out.
Even if he does get that NHL opportunity, this is likely the last season before unrestricted free agency for Hughes. Unless he plays in 78 games with Boston, he’ll qualify as a Group VI UFA next summer as a 25-year-old. That means this is an important year for the former Wisconsin star, and could lead to a potential one-way deal next time he hits the open market.
In Koppanen’s case, things are a little different. A fifth-round pick in 2016, he split this season between two levels in Finland and Providence, recording just six points in his 21 AHL games. A depth piece at this point, he does bring some size and upside, but more likely for a minor league role. He will be a restricted free agent again next summer.
Anaheim Ducks Bring Back Newell Brown
The Anaheim Ducks have brought back a familiar face, hiring Newell Brown as an assistant coach for the 2021-22 season. This will be Brown’s third tenure with the organization, going back to when they were still the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.
It’s hard to find an assistant with more NHL experience than Brown, who has been behind a bench somewhere in the league since 1996. Most recently, he served as an assistant with the Vancouver Canucks for four seasons, but will go back to the place where he won the Stanley Cup in 2007. That was as part of Randy Carlyle‘s staff, but this time Brown will be joining Dallas Eakins‘ group as they try to get the rebuild turned in the right direction.
The Canucks moved in a different direction this year, bringing in Brad Shaw after he parted ways with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Brown had been responsible for the powerplay in Vancouver, which at times was among the best in the league; in 2019-20, Vancouver ranked fourth in the league with the man advantage, cashing in 24.2% of the time.
It’s not yet clear what role he will serve with the Ducks, but is certainly a welcome addition to a group that has missed the playoffs for three straight years. In those three seasons, the powerplay has ranked 31st, 30th, and 24th, suggesting that Brown could have an immediate effect if he can simply get the team to the middle of the pack.
Jay Varady Returns To Tucson Roadrunners
After spending the 2020-21 season on the Arizona Coyotes bench, Jay Varady will return to the AHL. The organization announced today that Varady has signed a new three-year contract as head coach of the Tucson Roadrunners. Bill Armstrong, GM of the Coyotes, released a short statement:
Jay is an excellent coach who led the Roadrunners to a Pacific Division title. Over the past three years, he has done a tremendous job developing our prospects and we are thrilled to have him back as our head coach in Tucson.
The Coyotes of course have a new head coach in Andre Tourigny, who replaces the outgoing Rick Tocchet who parted ways with the team at the end of the season. Tourigny will be able to bring in his staff but the team will not lose Varady as an asset, moving him back to the AHL to continue working with the team’s prospects.
Now 43, Varady has had plenty of success as a head coach, starting in France where he led the Ducs d’Angers to a 21-2-3 record in 2012-13. He then joined the Sioux City Musketeers, eventually taking the USHL program to the finals. One year in the OHL with the Kingston Frontenacs finished with a third-round berth, while the Roadrunners have a 70-45-11 record under Varady’s watch.
Slowly, it seems, the Coyotes are sorting out their organizational structure under Armstrong. Just yesterday they brought in a new director of pro scouting and have made several other hires over the last few months.
Free Agent Focus: Nashville Predators
Free agency is now just under a month away and many teams are already looking ahead to when it opens up. There will be several prominent players set to hit the open market in late July while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign as well. A Predators legend is a UFA, but there are other, perhaps more important names for the Nashville front office to focus on.
Key Restricted Free Agents
F Eeli Tolvanen – After dominating the KHL in 2017-18, many expected Tolvanen to step into the NHL as a superstar. That wasn’t even close to the case as the young sniper failed to even make the team the following season, spending two full years at the minor league level. In 2020-21 though, the Predators started to see a return on their investment, with Tolvanen eventually taking over a spot in the top-six. His development made Viktor Arvidsson expendable and should mean he is in line for even more responsibility next season. Now comes a negotiation and if GM David Poile is known for anything, it’s locking up players he believes are core pieces to long-term deals right away. Ineligible for arbitration, the only real leverage Tolvanen has is the threat of the KHL, meaning he should come back for a reasonable price unless the team starts buying out UFA time on a max-term deal.
D Dante Fabbro – Will Fabbro even be negotiating a contract with the Predators? Nashville will need to go the eight-skater protection route in the expansion draft in order to keep him away from Seattle, unless another deal is worked out in the next few weeks. If they do find a way to keep the 23-year-old defenseman, he’ll need a new contract this summer as an arbitration-eligible RFA. Fabbro is only coming off his entry-level deal, but since he signed as a 21-year-old and played ten games in his first season (including his six playoff games) he has already completed the three professional years that arbitration required.
G Juuse Saros – Don’t forget about Saros, who is also an RFA after taking complete control of the starting role this season. The 26-year-old netminder posted a .927 save percentage and finished sixth in Vezina Trophy voting, truly establishing himself among the league’s elite goaltenders. That kind of performance certainly came in a timely fashion for Saros, who is scheduled for unrestricted free agency next summer and could be in for a huge payday this year. If the Predators want to lock him up long-term, he’ll be getting much more than the $1.5MM he has earned in each of the last three years. If he decides to go to arbitration, a one-year deal would walk him right to the open market.
Other RFAs: F Mathieu Olivier, F Michael McCarron, F Anthony Richard, F Rem Pitlick, F Josh Wilkins, F Tanner Jeannot, F Lukas Craggs, F Cole Smith, D Ben Harpur, D Frederic Allard, D Jeremy Davies, D Josh Healey
Key Unrestricted Free Agents:
F Mikael Granlund – The veteran forward entered the UFA market last offseason as a top name, but ended up settling for just a one-year deal in Nashville after seeing the limited flat-cap market. He still earned a solid paycheck at $3.75MM, but is now another year older and enters free agency with more question marks. Granlund has never seemed to fit perfectly in Nashville, unable to reach the offensive heights that he found in Minnesota, and now has just 62 points in 130 games since arriving in 2019–he scored 47 goals and 136 points over his best two-year period with the Wild. Is his time as a play-driving top-six talent gone? Can he still play center on a full-time basis? It will be tough for a team to offer a long-term deal without knowing the answers to those questions, but it doesn’t really make sense for Nashville to bring him back unless it’s on another reasonable short-term contract.
D Pekka Rinne – 683 regular season games. 19,225 shots faced. 369 wins. 60 shutouts. These are all franchise records that Rinne holds for the Predators after 15 years with the organization, but a tough decision will be coming for Poile and the Nashville front office. Rinne is now 38 and has a .900 save percentage over his past two seasons. He had a losing record this year and isn’t the Vezina-winning goaltender he once was. Some would expect that means it’s the Predators or retirement, but when their season ended Rinne explained that he didn’t “want to close any doors.” Seeing the veteran netminder in any other colors would certainly be shocking, but at some point, the Predators are going to have to move on, whether he’s ready to call it quits or not.
Other UFAs: F Brad Richardson, F Erik Haula, F Sean Malone, F Michael Carcone, D Erik Gudbranson, D Luca Sbisa, D Tyler Lewington
Projected Cap Space
After moving Arvidsson’s contract the Predators have nearly $23MM in cap space to work with this summer, but a lot of that could be eaten up just by their restricted free agents. The expansion draft could provide some additional cap relief depending on who the Kraken decide to take, but it will be tough to really dole out a ton of money on the open market.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.
Carolina Hurricanes Sign Jack Drury
The Carolina Hurricanes have added another top prospect to the organization, signing Jack Drury to a three-year entry-level contract. The deal will carry an average annual value of 925K. Hurricanes GM Don Waddell released a short statement:
Jack is an outstanding two-way forward who perfectly fits our system and plays the right way. We expect him to be an important piece for the Hurricanes in the very near future.
Drury, 21, was the 42nd overall pick in 2018 and spent two seasons at Harvard, becoming a star for the school in 2019-20 with a 39-point season. This year though, Drury followed an unusual path to the professional ranks. He left Harvard but didn’t sign with Carolina, taking his talents to Sweden to play for Vaxjo HC instead. It guaranteed him a full season of development after the Ivy League school announced they wouldn’t play and the AHL was still in flux.
That decision turned out to be a good one, as Drury scored 30 points in 41 regular season games, 11 more in 14 playoff matches en route to a league championship and finished second in the SHL Rookie of the Year voting. That performance landed him a spot on the U.S. World Championship squad, where he took home a bronze and got his first taste of playing against NHL competition.
Now, he signs his entry-level deal with the potential to step directly into the Carolina lineup next season. The nephew of New York Rangers GM Chris Drury, he isn’t quite the same player as his uncle but still has a commitment to the defensive end that is sometimes difficult to find from such talented offensive players. His ceiling may not be quite as high as some of the other young players already on the Hurricanes roster, but he should quickly become a valuable piece to plug into a lineup that continues to improve.
Minor Transactions: 07/07/21
The Montreal Canadiens lived to fight another day, but they’ll need that same level of desperation to win game five and continue the series tonight. While all eyes are on Tampa to see what happens, the rest of the hockey world prepares for next season. As always, we’ll keep track of any notable minor moves right here.
- Phil Varone has signed a one-year contract with Lausanne HC in Switzerland, continuing his overseas career after playing with Barys Nur-Sultan of the KHL last season. The 30-year-old forward suited up 97 times in the NHL and won the AHL MVP in 2018. In 42 games last season, he scored 25 points.
- Martin Gernat, once a fifth-round pick of the Edmonton Oilers, will also be heading to Lausanne, after spending the last few seasons in the Czech Republic. The 28-year-old defenseman hasn’t played in North America since the 2015-16 season, but did impress for Slovakia at this year’s World Championship.
- Michael Krutil will sign another AHL contract with the Rockford IceHogs after spending the 2020-21 season with them. The 19-year-old defenseman was a fourth-round pick last fall, but ended up going straight to the AHL where he recorded three points in 21 games. He has still not signed his entry-level contract but there is no rush, as the Blackhawks will hold his rights until 2024.
- The AHL’s Iowa Wild have lost a pair of players to Europe. Forwards Tyler Sheehy and Jarrett Burton are each leaving North America behind for the first time in their careers after combining for just 14 AHL points this season. Sheehy, 25, has signed with the Nurnberg Ice Tigers of Germany’s DEL on a one-year deal with an option for second year. Burton, 30, will join Norway’s Stavanger Oilers on a one-year deal.
- Cole Schneider will spend another season without an NHL contract despite strong returns in the minors. The former Buffalo Sabre, who has also spent time under contract with the Ottawa Senators and New York Rangers, was impressive again this season in the AHL, recording 28 points in 36 games with the Texas Stars and earning the club’s captaincy. It was Schneider’s second consecutive season on an AHL deal even after recording 46 points in 54 games with the Milwaukee Admirals in 2019-20. Schneider will not wait for the NHL market to open later this month and has instead opted to return to Milwaukee, as the team announced a one-year-deal for the 30-year-old forward.
Free Agent Focus: Minnesota Wild
Free agency is now just under a month away and many teams are already looking ahead to when it opens up. There will be several prominent players set to hit the open market in late July while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign as well. Minnesota has been busy in recent days with some re-signings but still has two impact RFAs and several veteran UFAs in need of new contracts.
Key Restricted Free Agents
F Kirill Kaprizov – Technically speaking, Kaprizov doesn’t even qualify for restricted free agency as he doesn’t have enough service time to qualify to be tendered an offer sheet but he needs a new deal nevertheless. Minnesota is believed to have already made a long-term offer to the 24-year-old but such a contract doesn’t appear to be to Kaprizov’s liking. Something shorter-term that sets him up for a new deal in a more favorable cap environment while being in the prime of his career would be preferable on his part though not for the Wild. With Kaprizov not having arbitration rights either, his leverage is limited to stalling in the hopes of getting a better offer from Minnesota so this is a deal that could be slow-played longer into the summer. Regardless of how long it takes, he will make substantially more than the $925K base salary (which includes the signing bonus) he made on his entry-level deal this season.
F Kevin Fiala – Despite the last two seasons being shortened by the pandemic, the winger has reached the 20-goal mark each time for only the second and third time of his career. Fiala has settled in nicely with the Wild after being acquired back at the 2019 trade deadline in exchange for Mikael Granlund. The 24-year-old has arbitration eligibility for the first time and is two years away from reaching unrestricted free agency. If a long-term deal is worked out that buys out some of those UFA-eligible years, Fiala may have a shot at doubling the $3MM AAV he had on his bridge contract. Worth noting, his qualifying offer stands a little higher than that at $3.5MM.
Other RFAs: F Will Bitten, F Brandon Duhaime, F Mason Shaw
Key Unrestricted Free Agents
F Nick Bonino – Statistically speaking, Bonino had a similar season on a points per game basis compared to his time with Nashville (who traded him to Minnesota last fall). At this stage of his career, he’s best served as a third-line center and as someone who is routinely above average at the faceoff dot, he should have considerable interest on the open market. However, spending on the bottom six dried up last summer and with the cap staying flat, that’s likely to continue this summer. Accordingly, it would be surprising to see the 33-year-old match the $4.1MM AAV he got from the Predators in his last trip to free agency back in 2017.
F Marcus Johansson – Last season didn’t go well for Johansson as he managed just six goals and eight assists in 36 games. However, he had two straight 30-point seasons before that and going back to his time in Washington, he had five seasons of 44 or more points. There’s a track record of offensive success in the right environment. He was patient two years ago and landed a two-year, $9MM contract from Buffalo but he won’t have a shot at that this time around. However, he’s an intriguing middle-six option out there, especially if he’s open to a one-year contract to try to boost his value and show he has something left in the tank.
D Ian Cole – The veteran was acquired early in the season to stabilize their third pairing and he did just that, logging nearly 16 minutes a night over 52 games while providing plenty of physicality. Cole should have a decent-sized market this summer but it will be in that limited capacity, not as a top-four player which is how he was able to sell himself three years ago in free agency when he managed to land a $4.25MM price tag. Half of that may be the ceiling this time around.
Other UFAs: D Matt Bartkowski, D Louis Belpedio, F Joseph Cramarossa, F Gabriel Dumont, G Andrew Hammond, D Brad Hunt, F Luke Johnson, D Ian McCoshen, D Dakota Mermis, F Kyle Rau
Projected Cap Space
Minnesota finds themselves with just under $16MM in cap space which may sound like a lot at first but a significant chunk of that will need to be allocated to Kaprizov and Fiala. By the time they fill out their roster with some depth players, that will basically be it for summer spending. As a result, if GM Bill Guerin wants to add a significant piece to his roster, that will likely have to come via the trade route. If that doesn’t happen, it could be a relatively quiet summer for the Wild.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.
Offseason Checklist: Toronto Maple Leafs
The offseason is in full flight with only two teams still standing. We continue our series which examines what those eliminated teams need to accomplish over the coming months. Next up is a look at Toronto.
Things didn’t quite go according to plan for the Maple Leafs this season. Yes, they won the North Division as expected but it didn’t result in much playoff success. Instead, they were ousted in the opening round once again, this time by Montreal. GM Kyle Dubas indicated after the season that he doesn’t intend to move any of his four highly-paid forwards so they will be looking to make smaller moves to try to upgrade this summer. Here is what they should be working on this offseason.
Add A New Assistant Coach
Seattle’s decision to hire Dave Hakstol as their first head coach caught many by surprise but it also created a vacancy on Toronto’s bench that will need to be filled. With head coach Sheldon Keefe still relatively inexperienced at the NHL level and Manny Malhotra not having any head coaching experience, bringing in a replacement who has been an NHL head coach would be a nice addition to the bench although Paul MacLean is also on the staff and could be elevated to a larger role. Bruce Boudreau was speculated as a possible addition last offseason and could make sense this summer as well.
Re-Sign Or Replace Hyman
Zach Hyman has worked his way up Toronto’s depth chart from a depth piece at the start to a key member of their top six and had a strong season offensively with 15 goals and 18 assists in 43 games. Of course, offense is only a piece of what he brings to the table as he’s an effective checker and a strong complementary piece on the top line. This has him well-positioned to land a significant contract in free agency later this month, even with a flat salary cap in a free agent environment that wasn’t kind to most wingers back in the fall.
But is that a contract they will be able to afford? They have over $70MM in commitments for next season already to 16 players and another high-priced deal would force them into even more low-cost depth pickups to stay cap compliant while filling out the roster. On the other hand, can they afford to lose him? Yes, he’s a complementary player on their number one line but he has logged more than 19 minutes a game the last two years while leading the way in penalty kill ice time among forwards as well. If he goes elsewhere, it’d be a big loss.
But if he winds up outpricing himself from what Toronto can realistically afford, Hyman’s departure would allow them to shop in the free agent market for a replacement. They’ve been linked to Nashville’s Mikael Granlund before and someone in his projected price range is what the Maple Leafs can more realistically afford while filling out the rest of their roster. Their preference would undoubtedly be to keep Hyman but if that doesn’t happen (and at this point, it sure sounds like the asking price is too high for their liking), the ability to dangle a spot alongside Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner could make them a team to watch for in free agency.
Rielly Extension Talks
Morgan Rielly has been a fixture on Toronto’s back end for the last eight years, often being their number one option over the last several seasons. His current contract – one that carries an AAV of $5MM – has turned into quite a bargain along the way. However, that deal is up a year from now which means that the 27-year-old is eligible to sign a contract extension as soon as the calendar flips to the 2021-22 league year on July 28th.
It’s safe to say that he will be landing a sizable raise and could push past the $7MM mark as long as he has a strong final year on his contract. If he gets to the open market, he’ll be one of the more sought-after players in the 2022 free agent class. And with over $57MM in commitments to just nine players for 2022-23 (which doesn’t factor in a new deal for Hyman or a replacement), there will come a time where they won’t be able to keep all of their core players.
But James Mirtle of The Athletic recently reported (subscription link) that Rielly is willing to take a discount to remain with the Maple Leafs. If that’s the case, Dubas would be wise to try to get a new deal for Rielly done this summer, giving them some extra certainty in terms of what their cap picture looks like for 2022 and beyond. If the framework of an extension was in place before free agency started, it’d give them some better clarity on what they can afford long-term on a Hyman re-signing or replacement as well as one other need that will have to be filled.
Platoon Partner For Campbell
That need is finding a second goaltender to team up with Jack Campbell next season. Frederik Andersen is set to become an unrestricted free agent and while he has expressed an interest in returning, he’d also like to have chance at being a starter again. That probably won’t come with Toronto with the way that Campbell played down the stretch and in the playoffs.
Campbell may not be the undisputed starter but he could very well be on the stronger side of the platoon which would be a good situation for him as he heads into the final year of his contract before being eligible for unrestricted free agency for the first time.
The good news for the Maple Leafs is that there are several goalies who fit as possible platoon partners. The bad news is that those netminders still carry a notable price tag with deals for them in recent years hovering in the $3MM range. They have the room to afford that for next season but it will undoubtedly cut into what they can afford in Hyman’s slot.
If there’s an opportunity to do what they did when they acquired Campbell and bring in a lower-cost netminder with team control beyond next season, that may very well be the more desirable route even though it would cost them an asset or two versus free agency where it’s just money. That would give them more flexibility on the cap and some certainty with Campbell’s deal being up next summer barring an extension over the summer.
Either way, through trade or a free agent signing, Toronto will need to add another goaltender over the next few weeks.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.