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Los Angeles Kings Appoint Mike Buckley As Goalie Coach

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The Los Angeles Kings announced today that Mike Buckley has been named the team’s NHL goaltending coach. He joins the staff of head coach Todd McLellan, serving alongside assistants Trent Yawney, Jim Hiller, Derik Johnson, and video coach Samson Lee.

Buckley replaces Bill Ranford, who had held the role for nearly two decades since his hire in 2006. The Kings promoted Ranford to a director of goaltending position, giving him more oversight and responsibility for the organization’s usage and development in the position.

The 46-year-old Buckley brings a wealth of experience to the Kings but has spent the last two NHL seasons as a free agent. He did, however, spend eight seasons (2013 to 2021) with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Initially joining them as a goaltending development coach, he was later promoted to the position of head goaltending coach in 2017.

That means Buckley was a central figure in the development of Matt Murray, who helped guide the Penguins to back-to-back Stanley Cup Championships in 2016 and 2017. Murray combined for a 22-10 record, 1.95 goals-against average, .928 save percentage, and four shutouts during the playoff runs.

As the Kings note, Buckley’s track record extends beyond the NHL. He’s been recognized at the minor-league level, where the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins won three Hap Holmes Memorial Awards for the lowest regular-season goals-against average during his time in the organization.

Before his time in Pittsburgh, Buckley gained experience as a collegiate goaltending coach, first spending five seasons (2007 to 2012) with his alma mater, the University of Massachusetts, and then three years (some while already working with Pittsburgh) with the University of New Hampshire.

Free Agent Focus: San Jose Sharks

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Free agency is less than a month away and teams are looking ahead to when it opens.  There will be several impact players set to hit the open market in July while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign as well.  We continue our look around the NHL with an overview of the free agent situation for the San Jose Sharks.

Key Restricted Free Agents

F Noah Gregor – As the Sharks continue their rebuilding efforts, Gregor has quietly become a quality bottom-six option for San Jose to use throughout the season. Last year, Gregor had the best year of his career, scoring eight goals and 15 assists in 63 games. Gregor also had twice as many takeaways as giveaways and also managed to throw 118 hits for San Jose. This season, he continued much of the same, scoring 10 goals and seven assists in only 57 games.

Gregor once again made plenty of hits, and completed a good amount of takeaways, continuing to be a strong option for the Sharks given their current forward depth. Still only 24 years old, Gregor does not project to be anything more than what he currently is. There is some growth potential for a 30-point season, but Gregor may top out there offensively. As the Sharks continue their rebuild and find their way back to the Stanley Cup playoffs, Gregor has the play style that makes for a perfect deadline acquisition for a contending team in the near future.

Although he typically plays on the wing, San Jose may be able to recoup some assets in the next couple of years for Gregor should they trade him to a contending team. If they do stay course, and retain Gregor for the foreseeable future, he would be a great defensive option for the team once they do return to contention.

F Fabian Zetterlund – Unlike Gregor, Zetterlund does carry some serious offensive upside for the Sharks. Acquired in the trade that sent Timo Meier to the New Jersey Devils, Zetterlund was one of the main pieces of San Jose’s return. Before the trade, the former 63rd overall pick scored six goals and 14 assists for the Devils in 45 games played this year.

His offense did not translate as well once he touched down in the Bay Area of California, earning only three assists in the next 22 games for the Sharks. Unfortunately for Zetterlund, in San Jose, he was only able to average just under 14 minutes of ice time per night.

In the next several years, if the Sharks are able to bump Zetterlund’s playing time to over 15 minutes a night on average, Zetterlund’s offensive capabilities should thrive. He has always been known as a player with impressive speed and has always stood out as one of the more engaged players on the forecheck.

Other RFAs: F Jacob Peterson, F Evgeny Svechnikov, F Jonah Gadjovich, F Martin Kaut, G Eetu Makiniemi, G Strauss Mann

Key Unrestricted Free Agents

F Andreas Johnsson – Also acquired in the deal for Meier, Johnsson was receiving almost completely zero playing time in New Jersey. After two years prior with the Devils, Johnsson had completely fallen out of favor with head coach Lindy Ruff.

Unfortunately, much of the same continued with the Sharks since the trade. In only 11 games played in San Jose, Johnsson had three assists, losing the rest of the season to an injury. For a one-time 40-point scorer with the Toronto Maple Leafs, it has been quite a fall from grace for Johnsson.

Although Johnsson may become a quality roster filler for San Jose during their rebuild, he is unlikely to find himself back in the Bay Area. Losing seemingly an entire season before unrestricted free agency has not typically worked out well in the past, and with a youth movement expected for the Sharks, Johnsson’s roster spot is likely better spent with a younger player.

G James Reimer – During the first year of his contract spent in San Jose, Reimer was actually quite good for the Sharks. In 48 games played during the 2021-22 season, Reimer held a 19-17-10 record, posting a .911 SV% and a 2.90 GAA. With not much of a solution in the net, Reimer held a trajectory of being a great stop-gap for the Sharks as they determined their long-term options.

This year, Reimer’s numbers fell off dramatically, holding a record of 12-21-8, managing a .890 SV% and a 3.48 GAA. Already having goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen in the mix, the Sharks shouldn’t be expected to retain Reimer this offseason. Likely not finding a role as starting goaltender this summer, Reimer could be coveted as a reliable backup option for most teams.

Other UFAs: F Jeffrey Viel, F Kyle Criscuolo, F C.J. Suess, D Derrick Pouliot, G Aaron Dell

Projected Cap Space

With a mostly mild crop of both restricted and unrestricted free agents heading into this offseason, San Jose’s salary cap situation looks more than manageable. Heading into this summer, the Sharks will have around $14.1MM to spend, with little of that being used to retain both Gregor and Zetterlund.

Given the decent amount of cap space, the Sharks should have a decent enough cushion to retain salaries on any potential trades this offseason. Although it would be in their best interest to clear these salaries overall, the likes of Erik Karlsson, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, and potentially Logan Couture could all be on the block this summer.

Once a cap-strapped perennial contender every season, the Sharks’ salary cap situation is looking to open up more and more each year. As rookie General Manager Mike Grier continues to cultivate the roster for this team, the Sharks are going to have plenty of options moving forward.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.  Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.

East Notes: DeBrincat, Hurricanes, Pesce

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In recent days, the trade market for Ottawa Senators forward Alex DeBrincat has heated up, as many sources have indicated that DeBrincat has given the Senators a list of teams that he would prefer to be traded to. As the Ottawa organization prepares to go through a sale in the next couple of weeks, DeBrincat has seemed to be apathetic towards signing a long-term deal with the Senators given the cloudy ownership situation.

To throw a little bit of cold water on the idea that DeBrincat may be moved by draft day this season, Steve Warne of The Hockey News reports from a source close to the family that DeBrincat is more than happy to continue his career in Canada’s capital. To quote the article, Warne writes, “[T]he 25-year-old winger remains open to staying with the Senators, but he is looking for term and wants to make sure he gets this right“.

Behind the scenes, it isn’t easy to fully ascertain the entire thought process that DeBrincat is putting into this situation, or which way he is leaning up to this point. All news indicates that he has not decided, but the Senators have given the young forward a deadline. By the draft, General Manager Pierre Dorion needs an answer from DeBrincat, as to whether he will sign a long-term deal in Ottawa, or if the team could make a trade to recoup some resources for his services.

Other notes:

  • With plenty of serviceable goaltenders set to hit the open market this summer, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports that the Carolina Hurricanes are seeking to have their situation figured out sooner rather than later. Pagnotta did not hint to the point of anything being close, but simply that the Hurricanes are engaged in extension talks with both Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta. Realistically, Carolina will only keep around one of these netminders, likely having to determine the value proposition the team would receive from each based on their desired salary values. Having already signed Pyotr Kochetkov to a contract extension, the Hurricanes would likely be more than fine moving forward with only retaining one of these netminders.
  • Continuing on with the Hurricanes, David Pagnotta also reports that defenseman, Brett Pesce, has switched over his agent representation, joining Judd Moldaver of EVP Wasserman Hockey. Next season, Pesce will be entering the final year of a six-year, $24.15MM contract extension signed back in 2017. Over the last several seasons, Pesce’s contract has become one of the more team-friendly contracts in the NHL, and he and his agent will surely be looking for a significant raise next summer.

 

Discussions Quiet Between Los Angeles Kings, Joonas Korpisalo

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The Los Angeles Kings made a major move to clear up some cap space on Tuesday, shipping out defenseman Sean Walker and netminder Calvin Petersen to Philadelphia. However, they immediately used nearly all their savings to sign defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov to a two-year extension.

That’s not to say they don’t have any cap space left to play with, and they need to address their biggest inconsistency from the 2022-23 campaign: goaltending. However, according to sources cited by David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, there appears to be little ongoing dialogue between the Kings and goaltender Joonas Korpisalo, who is poised to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1 after coming over with Gavrikov near the trade deadline from the Columbus Blue Jackets.

As the Kings set their sights on returning to perennial deep playoff runs, goaltending stability remains the organization’s largest question mark. Including Korpisalo’s sparkling .921 save percentage after his acquisition, the team’s save percentage on the season was an abysmal .889, tied for the sixth worst in the league. 31-year-old journeyman Pheonix Copley had some capable moments, posting a .903 in over 30 games, but one can’t expect that to continue from the longtimer AHLer at this stage in his career.

Korpisalo, 29, spent his entire NHL career with Columbus up until the late-season trade. He had the strongest campaign of his eight-year career, managing to post a .911 save percentage in 26 starts on an extremely weak defensive team in Columbus. He’s shown flashes of brilliance, especially in brief postseason action, but long-term inconsistency has kept him from developing into a true starter. While a viable short-term solution for the Kings, it’s that inconsistency that would make some hesitant to hand the crease to Korpisalo.

But with free agency options somewhat limited and no bona fide prospect in the system, he might be their best option. The team is projected at just north of $7.3MM in cap space remaining this offseason, per CapFriendly, but they still have a quartet of restricted free-agent forwards to re-sign in Jaret Anderson-Dolan, Rasmus Kupari, Zack MacEwen, and Gabriel Vilardi. The impending crunch to upgrade their goalie position without any real financial resources to do so makes their decision to retain just over $2MM on Ivan Provorov’s cap hit in Tuesday’s deal puzzling.

Toronto Maple Leafs Hire Shane Doan

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June 9: Toronto has officially named Doan as a special advisor to Treliving.

June 8: The Toronto Maple Leafs are expected to name current Arizona Coyotes executive Shane Doan as an assistant to newly-hired general manager Brad Treliving, ESPN’s Kevin Weekes reports Thursday afternoon.

Doan replaces the outgoing Jason Spezza, who served as a special assistant to the GM under the previous Kyle Dubas regime. Spezza put in his resignation with the Leafs after they announced they were not re-signing Dubas to a new contract.

It is surprising to see Doan leave Arizona after spending his entire playing career with the Coyotes. However, given that the future of the club is up in the air it makes sense for Doan to move on to a high profile position in which someone he knows is at the helm. Doan becomes one of Treliving’s first hires as he begins to build out the Maple Leafs management hierarchy. The two men do have history together as Treliving served as assistant general manager during Doan’s playing days in Arizona.

Doan has always been a representation of stability through the turmoil within the Coyotes organization. He stuck around through a franchise relocation, threats of relocation, ownership changes, and financial peril. Now he finds himself in perhaps the most stable franchise in hockey with an excellent opportunity to build out his career in management.

Steve Apostolopoulos Pulls Out Of Ottawa Senators Sale Process

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Toronto-based businessman Steve Apostolopoulos, the presumptive owner of the sole $1 billion bid submitted for the Ottawa Senators, has pulled out over frustration surrounding the length of negotiations, per Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch.

Apostolopoulos’ decision marks the second bidder to walk away. As Garrioch notes, this move comes after Vancouver-born actor Ryan Reynolds and the Markham-based Remington Group also withdrew last month due to the estate over former owner Eugene Melnyk and New York-based banker Galatioto Sports Partners’ (GSP) refusal to grant an extended negotiating window with the National Capital Commission and the city of Ottawa for a new arena.

With Apostolopoulos and Reynolds out of the picture, the remaining two serious contenders are Toronto businessman Michael Andlauer and the Kimel brothers, Jeffrey and Michael, minority owners of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Although neither group has submitted a bid surpassing $1 billion, those close to Andlauer suggest he’s determined to acquire the Senators and is exploring options to bring in additional investors to bolster his bid, which is currently estimated at around $900 million.

As a part-owner of the Montreal Canadiens and a member of the NHL’s board of governors, Andlauer’s involvement in the league is seen as a positive factor by the NHL’s head office, says Garrioch. The more publicized bid led by Los Angeles-based entrepreneur Neko Sparks, including backing from Snoop Dogg and the Kitigan Zibi Anishinābeg First Nation group, still is not fully funded but remains in the running.

Meanwhile, Garrioch reports Toronto billionaire Jamie Salter has submitted a revised bid to GSP over the weekend, intensifying the competition. The franchise was officially put up for sale on November 7, and it has now been four weeks since the binding bids were submitted, which, with hindsight, seems a rather pointless exercise considering the team is barely any closer to a sale.

Columbus Blue Jackets Acquire Damon Severson In Sign-And-Trade

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The Columbus Blue Jackets are expected to acquire pending UFA defenseman Damon Severson from the New Jersey Devils in a sign-and-trade deal, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Severson’s extension will come in at eight years with a $6.25MM cap hit. Columbus would later make the deal official.

Columbus will send a third-round pick in this year’s draft, 80th overall (originally owned by Calgary), to New Jersey for facilitating the deal, says Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli. PuckPedia has the details of Severson’s max-term contract:

2023-24: $6MM salary, $2MM signing bonus, full no-trade clause
2024-25: $6MM salary, $2MM signing bonus, full no-trade clause
2025-26: $5.5MM salary, $2MM signing bonus, full no-trade clause
2026-27: $4.1MM salary, $2MM signing bonus, full no-trade clause
2027-28: $3.3MM salary, $1.8MM signing bonus, 20-team trade list
2028-29: $4.1MM salary, $1MM signing bonus, 12-team trade list
2029-30: $5.1MM salary, 12-team trade list
2030-31: $5.1MM salary, 12-team trade list

This is the second true sign-and-trade in NHL history. The Florida Panthers and Calgary Flames became the first to do it with last year’s Matthew Tkachuk blockbuster.

It’s also the Columbus Blue Jackets’ second major move on defense in the span of three days. After an injury-riddled season that saw Columbus boast the weakest ’D’ corps in the league on some nights, the team has now added a pair of top-four caliber players in Severson and Ivan Provorov to compliment youngsters like Adam Boqvist, Nick Blankenburg, David Jiricek, and Andrew Peeke.

Severson, 28, was the longest-tenured member of the Devils, drafted just weeks after their run to the Stanley Cup Final – and last playoff series win before this year – in 2012. The veteran of nearly 650 NHL games has always been a capable point producer, recording a pair of 11-goal seasons and multiple 30-point campaigns, but has also put up some strong defensive metrics, especially this season.

This season, his Corsi For percentage at even strength was 56.5%, although it came with a small reduction in his role from over 23 minutes per game in 2021-22 to just under 20 minutes in 2022-23. While he may not have the upside of his fellow new teammates, Provorov, he’s got a much more solidified track record of two-way success and can play anywhere incoming head coach Mike Babcock chooses.

To put it simply – Severson is a capable, well-rounded, minute-munching defender who plays the right side. While the last few years of the contract carry some significant risk, given he’ll be in his mid-30s, $6.25MM is a very fair price to pay for his services right now.

The move takes one of the top pending UFAs off the market, and along with Vladislav Gavrikov’s extension in Los Angeles this week, the market for defenders on July 1 is looking a lot thinner. Dmitry Orlov, Erik Gustafsson, Shayne Gostisbehere, John Klingberg, and Matt Dumba now make up the remainder of the top UFAs available at the position.

One thing is abundantly clear – Columbus isn’t willing to wait any longer for a return to postseason play. With the Severson extension in play, the team should have a little under $6MM in cap space remaining this offseason, per CapFriendly, assuming a $1MM increase is finalized. That will undoubtedly go to upgrading their group of forwards.

New Jersey Hockey Now’s James Nichols reported earlier in the week that Columbus had an interest in Severson.

Devils Notes: Severson, Graves, Haula

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The New Jersey Devils won their first playoff series in over a decade this past spring and now face the prospect of losing several key free agents in just under a month’s time. James Nichols of The Fourth Period reported today that Damon Severson’s camp isn’t sure whether the Devils want him to return or not. While it certainly doesn’t sound like the two sides are close to an agreement or even talking now, these types of agreements can be reached in a matter of days. Devils’ general manager Tom Fitzgerald has a lot of work to be done this summer and appears to have prioritized the Jesper Bratt and Timo Meier contract negotiations at this time.

Nichols reported yesterday that the Columbus Blue Jackets were interested in Severson’s services as well, and it isn’t a surprise given the players track record. Severson is sure to be in demand as he is a right defenseman coming off a season in which he put up 7 goals and 26 assists in 81 games. The veteran has spent his entire nine-year career with the Devils and could very well find himself in a different uniform come the fall.

In other Devils news:

  • Nichols also reported that defenseman Ryan Graves sounds like a player that is on his way out of New Jersey. Nichols spoke with Graves agent Allain Roy who said that New Jersey needs to figure out if they have room for his client and that a lot will have to happen before they do. Graves is another defenseman that is sure to be in demand, the 28-year-old posted eight goals and 18 assists in 78 games this past season and was a big part of a Devils penalty kill that finished fifth in the league with a success rate of 82.5%.
  • In positive news for New Jersey, Nichols reports that the Devils have engage in extension talks with Erik Haula. The left winger has stated his interest in returning to the Devils and Fitzgerald has said the Devils would like him back. While they are early in their discussions, Nichols says it would be hard to imagine them not working out a deal to bring the 32-year-old back into the fray. Haula came over from the Boston Bruins in a trade last summer and put up 14 goals and 27 assists in 80 games in his first year with the Devils.

Salary Cap Increase Could Be Larger Than Expected

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Joe Smith of The Athletic penned an interesting article today leading to speculation that the NHL salary cap could see a larger increase this summer than the $1MM that was expected. Gary Bettman seemed to temper expectations last week when he said that he still expected the increase to be just the $1MM.

Smith’s league sources say that the number which has been discussed for most of this year doesn’t appear to be final as of right now. The official figure will be announced at the NHL draft and now it appears that there are some negotiations going on behind the scenes to see if there is wiggle room to add to the increase.

Many expect the salary cap to go up between $10MM-$12MM over the next three years based on revenue, leading to a wild disparity for those who become free agents this season versus those who hit the market in 2024 or 2025. The conversation going on behind closed doors appears to be whether the increases could be more proportional starting this year to allow the group of players hitting free agency in a few weeks to have a bit more money in the market to chase.

Any additional cap increase would certainly be welcome news for teams that are currently cap strapped. The Minnesota Wild and Boston Bruins come to mind as both teams stand to lose considerable talent and don’t have much cap room to retain them. The news could also be good for the players that want to stay with their current clubs but aren’t sure the money will be there. An extra one million in cap space could be the difference that allows a player like Alex Killorn to stay with the only team he’s ever known instead of moving on with a new team.

While Smith teases the different possible cap increases over the next three years, he does end the article by stating that the likeliest outcome for next year’s salary cap is a $1MM to $1.5MM increase. This could also affect the contracts that this year’s free agents sign. Players might opt for shorter term deals with the hope that they can cash in down the road when the cap is quite a bit higher. We’ve already seen defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov sign for just two years, despite the Los Angeles Kings pushing for a longer-term arrangement. It could become a major story over the next month or so as more players sign deals for next season.

Evening Notes: Schenn, Quenneville, Senators

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CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal reported today that pending unrestricted free agent defenseman Luke Schenn likely wants to remain with the Toronto Maple Leafs and he expects the rearguard to get a well-deserved raise in pay on his next contract. Dhaliwal said this today on Donnie & Dhali The Team and added that Schenn is seeking some term on his next contract as well as some no trade protection.

It makes sense that the soon to be 34-year-old would like some stability for himself and his young family as he has bounced around the league the past few seasons and played under several contracts that have been for near the NHL minimum. Schenn is coming off one of the finest seasons of his career having put up four goals and 18 assists in 70 games split between the Maple Leafs and the Vancouver Canucks and is trying to cash in on what could very well be his last big payday in the NHL.

In other evening notes:

  • Larry Brooks of the New York Post writes that he doesn’t believe the delay in the New York Rangers search for a new coach is tied to former Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville. Brooks lists several reasons for his thinking here including the fact that general manager Chris Drury is currently in Buffalo at the scouting combine. Brooks goes on to add that he can’t see NHL commissioner Gary Bettman meeting with Quenneville before the draft to discuss reinstatement and that the Rangers would like to have someone in place before free agency begins on July 1st.
  • The final stage in the sale of the Ottawa Senators has been going on for over three weeks and according to Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia there has been no indication of who will be awarded preferred bidder status. Garrioch writes that this may be a tactic being used to keep all the groups engaged in case they need fall back options should one of the bids fall through. The belief is that the final stage has been slowed by all the back and forth between the parties involved as they try to hammer down the final details in what should be the end of a very long process. Garrioch goes on to say that is does appear that this has become a three-horse race as it looks as though the Neko Sparks group is a long shot to win ownership of the club. They are having issues putting the financing in place, but at this time, they are still in the running.

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