Coyotes Acquire No. 11 Pick From Flyers
In the midst of a wild first round, the Arizona Coyotes have decided to move up three spots. The Coyotes have landed the No. 11 pick from the Philadelphia Flyer for two other 2019 selections, Nos. 14 and 45. Arizona used the pick to select defenseman Victor Soderstrom out of Brynas IF of the Swedish Hockey League.
The Flyers were rumored to be interested in moving back and did well for themselves with this deal. In a deep draft class, Philadelphia only slides back three spots in the first, but picks up a mid-second selection as well. The Flyers will now pick 14th in the first and second round.
As for the ‘Yotes, the team clearly wanted to get ahead of a potential run on defenseman by selecting Soderstrom. The SHL defender already has experience playing against pro competition and is one of most gifted skaters among defensemen in the draft class. Defense was not necessarily a major need for Arizona, but they add another quality prospect to a talented blue line group.
Flyers Sign Kevin Hayes To Long-Term Contract
June 19: The contract has been officially announced by the Flyers, matching the financial details originally reported. GM Chuck Fletcher released this statement:
We are very happy to sign Kevin to a long term contract. He plays a smart, two-way game and is just entering the prime of his career. Kevin will add size and skill to our line-up.
The deal will include a no-movement clause for the first three years and a 12-team no-trade clause the remaining four.
Per CapFriendly, the contract breaks down as follows:
2019-20: $4MM base salary, $5MM signing bonus
2020-21: $3.75MM base salary, $3.75MM signing bonus
2021-22: $9MM base salary
2022-23: $3.75MM base salary, $3.75MM signing bonus
2023-24: $6.5MM base salary
2024-25: $4MM base salary, $1.25MM signing bonus
2025-26: $4MM base salary, $1.25MM signing bonus
June 18: As soon as the Philadelphia Flyers acquired Kevin Hayes‘ negotiating rights from the Winnipeg Jets, they became the favorites to sign the two-way center. However, talks had not been going as expected until a recent report that progress was finally being made toward a contract resolution. Now, TSN’s Bob McKenzie reports that a deal is imminent. He expects the contract to be worth $50MM over seven years.
Hayes’ reported $7.14MM AAV, a raise of more than $2MM over his latest contract, puts him in the top 20 among NHL centers and continues an off-season that appears to be a players’ market. For a player with just five seasons of pro experience who has averaged less than 20 goals and 50 points per year, this may seem like a high cap number. While centers are paid a premium and Hayes’ defensive effectiveness needs to be taken into account, it is likely that some will be skeptical of this deal. Nevertheless, the Flyers did what they needed to to lock up a top young free agent and fill a major need down the middle. Now the team must hope that Hayes can continue on his upward trajectory set by a career-high 55 points this past season.
Hayes joins Erik Karlsson and Jeff Skinner as top impending free agents that have now re-signed for more than many expected. In comparison, this contract makes the New York Islanders’ extensions of Brock Nelson and Jordan Eberle look very team-friendly, but may make extending Anders Lee more difficult. Besides Hayes, the major beneficiary of this contract is Matt Duchene, who is considered the top free agent center and has a strong argument to make substantially more than Hayes. Lee can also fairly make that case. Marcus Johansson and Gustav Nyquist additionally stand to benefit, as they have similar per-game numbers to Hayes, albeit are older and not natural centers.
Hayes now joins fellow new Flyers Justin Braun and Matt Niskanen on a re-tooled roster that has undoubtedly gained the imprint of new GM Chuck Fletcher. And it’s only June. Where else Philadelphia goes this summer remains to be seen, but the team will certainly have a different look when they take the ice next season.
Jay O’Brien Commits To BCHL
June 19: Jeff Cox of the New England Hockey Journal reports that O’Brien will be heading to Boston University after his season in the BCHL. Eligible to return to the NCAA for the 2020-21 season, the Flyers first-round pick will join another powerhouse hockey program at BU.
June 6: It’s not very often you see a first-round pick leave college for anything but the professional ranks, and even rarer to see them end up in a junior league other than the CHL. That’s exactly what has happened to Philadelphia Flyers prospect Jay O’Brien, who has committed to the Penticton Vees of the BCHL after leaving Providence College earlier this year.
O’Brien was the 19th-overall pick in last June’s draft and headed to the NCAA ranks to continue his development. Through 25 games with the Providence Friars, the 19-year old forward recorded just five points and looked extremely overmatched at times. Even playing at the 2019 World Juniors, where he was competing against players his own age, O’Brien looked out of sorts and was held scoreless through seven games on the silver medal-winning Team USA.
While he won’t be competing in college or the CHL, the BCHL is still a solid development league. Many top prospects hone their skills there before heading to college, as their NCAA eligibility is maintained as opposed to if they play in the CHL. That may be exactly why O’Brien chose the BCHL, as he could potentially return to the NCAA after waiting out his year of ineligibility thanks to the transfer rules. There’s always the chance that he develops enough to earn an NHL contract as well, though expecting him to handle the AHL in 2020-21 may be a reach at this point.
The legendary Penticton program in particular has developed many NHL talents including Ryan Johansen, Troy Stecher, Tyson Jost and Dante Fabbro, and has a history with names like Paul Kariya, Duncan Keith and Brett Hull.
San Jose Sharks Trade Justin Braun
After inking Erik Karlsson to a huge extension, the San Jose Sharks were going to need to move out some salary. Today they’ve done just that, as Justin Braun and his $3.8MM cap hit is on his way to the Philadelphia Flyers. The Sharks will acquire a 2019 second-round pick and a 2020 third-round pick in exchange for the veteran defenseman. Braun is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent next summer.
Braun becomes the second defenseman the Flyers have acquired this month, after flipping Radko Gudas to the Washington Capitals in exchange for Matt Niskanen. More changes very well could be coming for Philadelphia, who now have six defensemen on one-way contracts with Ivan Provorov and Travis Sanheim still to sign. For now though, the acquisition of Braun gives the team another more experienced player to pair with some of their younger defensemen and give them quality minutes on the back end.
The 32-year old just completed his sixth consecutive season averaging more than 20 minutes a night with the Sharks, serving as a counterbalance to some of the team’s more offensive blue line options. Braun recorded more defensive zone starts than any other defenseman on the San Jose roster, and logged more short-handed ice time than anyone not named Marc-Edouard Vlasic. That kind of play responsible effort will be welcomed, though there are certainly warning signs of decline from Braun. After reaching a career-high in points during the 2017-18 season with 33, the veteran defenseman dropped back down to just 16 in 2018-19. That included just two goals and poor possession statistics, something the Flyers will hope he rebounds from when given a different opportunity in Philadelphia.
For San Jose, this was a necessary move to open enough room for their summer plans. After inking Karlsson to an eight-year, $92MM contract yesteday the team found itself with $26.5MM of cap space dedicated to just three defensemen. Something needed to go in order to have room to sign restricted free agents Kevin Labanc, Timo Meier and Joakim Ryan. Getting a pair of draft picks, one of them relatively high, was an ideal outcome for a team that needed to dump salary somewhere. Obviously Braun isn’t a worthless player, but the team was in a tricky situation and had to decide how to wiggle their way out before getting into real negotiations.
There is also the presence of Brenden Dillon, who is heading into the final year of his current contract and may be a candidate for an extension at some point. Dillon is just 28 and seemed to fit in well alongside Karlsson during the 2018-19 season, registering a +19 rating and matching a career high with 22 points. If the Sharks had to pick one of Braun or Dillon to keep around, it made sense to retain the left-handed, younger player.
Free Agency Notes: Edler, Hayes, Pavelski, Krug
When Alex Edler asked Vancouver not to move him at the NHL Trade Deadline, many assumed it was precursor to an extension between the long-time Canuck and his team. Yet, as the weeks have passed and no resolution has emerged, that expectation grew less and less certain. Now, after a month or so of reports that term and expansion protection were coming between the two sides, it seems the deal is dead and Edler will hit the open market. Sportsnet’s Rick Dhaliwal reports that it does not sound like the Canucks and Edler will get a deal done by July 1st. This does not entirely rule out a return to Vancouver, but it will be substantially harder to convince him to come back after he’s tested the waters and likely found teams willing to give him the desired term and No-Movement Clause. This especially rings true today, as Erik Karlsson‘s extension leaves a thin defense market even weaker and D-needy teams will have little choice but to meet the demands of Edler and fellow top free agents like Jake Gardiner and Tyler Myers. It would not be surprise to now see Vancouver make a hard push for one of those two as well, as they seek an upgrade on the blue line but were not willing to give the 33-year-old Edler a long-term deal or risk losing young players to protect an aging veteran in the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft.
- It’s been a roller coaster of reports on Kevin Hayes since the moment his negotiating rights were acquired by the Philadelphia Flyers from the Winnipeg Jets. The Flyers obviously became the favorite to sign the free agent center given their early access, but there have since been reports followed by other conflicting reports about how talks have been going between the two sides. Finally, trusted Flyers source Frank Seravalli of TSN has chimed in and he has only good news for Philly fans. Seravalli reports that the two sides have made good progress and that talks are trending toward a contract. He stops short of guaranteeing a deal gets done, but believes that it will. This would remove yet another major name from the free agent market, following Karlsson, Jeff Skinner, and Jordan Eberle. And like those three, reports of a deal being close have so far been proven true this off-season.
- The sheer magnitude of Karlsson’s new contract with the Sharks has surprised many and has reinforced the narrative that San Jose will have to lose other key free agents to re-sign the talented defenseman. While he wouldn’t speak specifically about talks with those players, GM Doug Wilson did warn not to make assumptions when asked about Joe Pavelski, per The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz. Wilson says that nothing has been ruled out, making a Pavelski return a possibility. He also spoke to the importance of getting Karlsson under contract “well before July 1st”, specifically so that the team can plan around their new salary cap paradigm. It still remains a long-shot barring trades to remove salary from the current roster, but until Pavelski, a career Shark, puts pen to paper elsewhere, he remains a possibility for San Jose.
- Boston defenseman Torey Krug will not be a free agent until next summer, but he has already proven that he is worth a significant raise in his next contract. The Bruins’ power play magician is fifth among all NHL defensemen in regular season scoring over the past three years and second only to Erik Karlsson in playoff scoring. Karlsson’s new extension, along with the contracts of players like John Carlson and Victor Hedman, raise the bar for what Krug might be looking for in his next deal. Even though he has some struggles defensively, it is fair to assume that his current $5.25MM cap hit will not cut it. This leaves the Bruins in a difficult spot, as they must first re-sign elite young defensemen Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo this summer. Those moves will leave Boston with little cap space this off-season and not much more the following year when Krug needs a new contract. Yet, speaking with the media today, GM Don Sweeney made it clear that his intent is not to trade the mobile defender, nor to let him leave after next season:
If somebody blew us away (with a trade offer for Krug), every player has to be looked at in that way. When you’re an organization, you just have to, you’re doing a disservice if you don’t. But it would take a pretty unique opportunity for us to part with Torey. We think he’s a big part of the fabric of our group. He’s kind of that next wave of leadership that we talk about.
Flyers Have Held Trade Talks For A Backup Goaltender
While many teams will be turning to the free agent market in a couple of weeks to shore up their goaltending situation, it appears as if the Flyers may be going in a different direction. GM Chuck Fletcher told reporters, including Dave Isaac of the Cherry Hill Courier-Post, that they’ve had trade talks with multiple teams about finding a backup netminder for Carter Hart.
Philadelphia has four pending UFA goalies on their current roster in Cam Talbot, Brian Elliott, Michal Neuvirth, and Mike McKenna. While they acquired Talbot before the trade deadline in what appeared to be an audition for that role, he wound up hardly playing for them down the stretch and struggled in the few appearances he had. Elliott was more effective but has had injury issues over his two seasons with the Flyers while the other two were already not expected to return.
With the number of goalies that are set to hit free agency, the trade market for backups isn’t particularly robust. Florida is shopping James Reimer but his $3.4MM price tag for two more years would be a lot to take on. Toronto is open to moving Garret Sparks but he has yet to establish himself at the NHL level.
As for other possible trade options, Montreal’s Charlie Lindgren has drawn interest over the last couple of years but with Antti Niemi gone, they could be planning to use him as a full-time backup for 2019-20 and it’s not as if he’s proven in the NHL either. Youngsters Tristan Jarry (Pittsburgh) and Eric Comrie (Winnipeg) are waiver-eligible which could make them trade chips but once again, neither have proven themselves in the NHL. With a still relatively-untested Hart between the pipes, having another young goalie to partner with him carries some risk.
Fletcher didn’t rule out the possibility of eventually looking to free agency to find a backup goalie but for now, it appears that he’d like to have Hart’s backup in place before the calendar flips to July.
Metropolitan Notes: Available Draft Picks, Hayes, Orpik, Burakovsky
With the NHL Entry Draft fast approaching later this week, there are plenty of teams looking to make trades or even better, looking to move up in the draft, especially in the first round. The trick is finding a team who would be willing to move their first-round selection.
The Athletic’s Craig Custance (subscription required) looks at the entire first round and identifies team that might be open to trading their first-round pick and it doesn’t take long to notice that there are plenty of Metropolitan Division teams on his list of teams. The New York Rangers, already picking at the No. 2 position, also have the 20th pick in the draft, acquired from Winnipeg for Kevin Hayes, and might be willing to move that to further hasten their rebuild. In fact, it’s already been rumored to be sent back to Winnipeg as part of a package to acquire Jacob Trouba. The Philadelphia Flyers could be a team that might be willing to move the 11th overall pick as they are also looking to make changes to get them back into the playoff discussion.
Custance adds that you can’t count out either Pittsburgh (#21) or Carolina (#28) as well. The Penguins might be more open to moving the pick as they want to get one more chance at the title before the Sidney Crosby era ends, while Carolina wants to continue with the success they had last year and wants to continually build its core.
- NHL.com’s Bill Meltzer writes that the Philadelphia Flyers are still working on a new contract for Hayes, according to general manager Chuck Fletcher. The team traded a fifth-round pick to acquire Hayes’ rights recently in hopes they could begin negotiating early and convince him to sign before other teams could be allowed to speak to him. “We’ve had some very good, constructive dialogue with Kevin. We’re continuing to work with his representation. We’ll see how things play out, but so far it’s been a positive process,” Fletcher said.
- NBC Sports’ J.J. Regan writes that when the Washington Capitals acquired Radko Gudas from Philadelphia for Matt Niskanen, it likely ended the team’s relationship with veteran Brooks Orpik as well. The Capitals already had six defensemen under contract and restricted free agent Christian Djoos would make seven once they re-sign him. That would make Orpik the team’s eighth defenseman and with plenty of cap issues, it would be highly unlikely the team would consider bringing him back. Orpik said he would decide later this offseason whether he would retire or come back for one more year, but if he does want to come back, it’s likely going to be with another team.
- NBC Sports’ James O’Brien also adds that with the signing of Carl Hagelin to a new four-year extension, that leaves little money left for the rest of their roster. The team already has committed $72.26MM committed to 17 players, leaving them with approximately $10.7MM in cap space to fill out their roster, assuming the salary cap will be set at $83MM this year, which is not a certainty. The team still has a number of key unsigned players, included unrestricted free agent Brett Connolly and restricted free agents Jakub Vrana and Andre Burakovsky. O’Brien wonders whether the Hagelin deal could mean the team considers moving Burakovsky’s rights. The Capitals and Burakovsky have had issues with each other at times, but the 24-year-old might be worth something as he still has quite a bit of talent left in him.
Free Agent Focus: Philadelphia Flyers
Free agency is now less than a month away from opening up and there are quite a few prominent players set to hit the open market while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign. The Flyers have a number of both restricted and unrestricted and will likely have to use quite a bit of their cap space to lock up all of them in the coming weeks.
Key Restricted Free Agents: D Ivan Provorov — Only a year ago, Provorov’s name was being bandied about as one of the top young defensemen in the league and while that hasn’t necessarily changed, Provorov struggled in his third season. After tallying 17 goals in 2017-18, the 22-year-old saw those numbers drop to just seven goals this season and pick up a career-low 26 points and saw his defense take a step back. The team expects Provorov to have a bounce-back season, but have already gone out and added Matt Niskanen, who is expected to be paired with Provorov next season to give him a veteran partner in hopes of developing him into the franchise defenseman they believe he is. The one thing that has been consistent is how much the Flyers have been using him as he played a career-high 25:07 in ATOI. Provorov should get a significant raise from the $1.74MM he made last year.
F Travis Konecny — After scoring 48 goals over the past two seasons, Konecny is expected to score a big raise. The 22-year-old put up almost the exact same number two years ago and has proven to be a valuable piece in the team’s top-six. On top of that, Konecny has shown himself to be an agitator on the ice (despite his smaller frame) which became even more apparent after the team traded away Wayne Simmonds at the trade deadline. Considering how young he is, the team may want to sign him to a long-term deal now in hopes that he continues to improve and get better as all signs suggest he could become a top-line scorer for the franchise. He made $1.1MM last season, but should get quite a bit more.
D Travis Sanheim — After a solid rookie season, Sanheim took his game up a notch in his first full year as he played all 82 games, averaging 19:34 minutes on the ice and nine goals and 35 points, suggesting that the first-round pick from 2014 is finally developing into the top-four blueliner that the team had hoped. You could make the case that he was the most improved player on the team last year. After making $1.26MM last season, however, the 23-year-old should get a significant raise as well.
Other RFAs: F Nicolas Aube-Kubel, F Justin Bailey, D Jacob Graves, F Ryan Hartman, F Scott Laughton
Key Unrestricted Free Agents: F Kevin Hayes — Hayes hasn’t played a game for Philadelphia ever, but he might be the most significant of their free agents. The team sent Winnipeg a fifth-round pick to acquire Hayes’ rights, a rare move by teams, with the hope that they could begin negotiating with Hayes now and convince him to sign a deal before other teams can begin communicating with him. The 27-year-old has been a solid centerman for two seasons now with the New York Rangers. However, when the Rangers decided he wasn’t a part of the team’s long-term plans, they traded him to Winnipeg. Hayes didn’t have the effect on the Jets’ second line that they had hoped and were happy to get something for Hayes’ rights. Regardless, the Flyers need a second-line center to take over for the next couple of years until Nolan Patrick is ready to move into that role. However, with rumors that Hayes could be asking for $7MM or more, that’s a steep price and so far the Flyers haven’t had much luck in getting Hayes to sign early.
G Cam Talbot — There are a number of goaltenders on the team hitting unrestricted free agency, but what the team is looking for is a veteran goaltender that can help mentor young star Carter Hart. Talbot could be that top candidate as the 31-year-old was acquired at the trade deadline in hopes he could be that guy. Unfortunately he struggled in four appearances, but he remains a candidate to be brought back, especially at a heavily discounted price, although the team could just as easily find another player to fill those shoes.
Other UFAs: F Cole Bardreau, F Greg Carey, G Brian Elliott, F Byron Froese, F Tyrell Goulbourne, G Mike McKenna, G Michal Neuvirth, F Phil Varone, F Mike Vecchione
Projected Cap Space: With a little more than $49MM in commitments for next season (per CapFriendly), the team has plenty of money to make changes and moves. With a cupboard of top prospects fast approaching and a number of tradeable players, the Flyers are likely to look quite differently. However, much of the team’s success this summer will be in trying to find a second-line center. The team still hopes it can be Hayes, but if not, the Flyers will have to find another candidate either through free agency or trade. Regardless, some of that $33.8MM in projected cap space will have to go to their young restricted free agents and hopefully, they can lock all of them up to long-term deals now, but there are lots of possibilities in Philadelphia this season.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Flyers Place Andrew MacDonald On Unconditional Waivers
Sunday: MacDonald has officially cleared waivers and will officially be bought out, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
Saturday: Today is the first day teams can begin the process of buying out players and the first casualty is Flyers defenseman Andrew MacDonald. The team announced (Twitter link) that they have placed the blueliner on unconditional waivers for the purposes of terminating his contract.
The move doesn’t come as too much surprise as his contract has been on the high side for quite a few years as he failed to make the type of impact the team had hoped for after they signed him to a six-year, $30MM deal back in 2014. With that contract having just one year remaining on it, the buyout route is much more palatable now and they are wasting little time going down that path.
The cost of the buyout on Philadelphia’s salary cap is as follows:
2019-20: $1.117MM
2020-21: $1.917MM
Considering he had a $5MM AAV, the buyout will save the Flyers roughly $3.833MM for next season which certainly isn’t an insignificant amount given that they are trying to sign recently-acquired Kevin Hayes as well as RFAs Travis Sanheim, Ivan Provorov, and Travis Konecny, among others.
After playing a mostly regular role in Philadelphia’s lineup over the past couple of seasons, that changed in 2018-19. While he missed six games due to a lower-body injury, he was also scratched 29 times and didn’t make much of an impact when he was in the lineup, averaging a career-low 16:24 of ice time per game.
The 32-year-old was once a capable stay-at-home defenseman but as the league has transitioned to more mobile and offensive-minded defenders, his value has diminished. Nonetheless, with the UFA market not being particularly deep, MacDonald could still garner a look from a few teams in free agency in a depth role but it will have to come at a significant pay cut from what he made during his time with the Flyers.
Washington Capitals Trade Matt Niskanen
The Washington Capitals have cleared some much needed cap space, trading Matt Niskanen to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for Radko Gudas. The Flyers will be retaining 30% of Gudas’ remaining contract, which leaves Washington responsible for just $2.345MM for the 2019-20 season. Niskanen meanwhile has two years left on his deal which carries a $5.75MM cap hit.
This deal has plenty of layers to it, but the most obvious one for the Capitals is how it gives them more operating space this summer. The team is dealing with a very tight cap situation thanks to some big contracts they’ve handed out over the last few seasons, and are carrying a $1.15MM bonus overage as well. With new contracts needed for players like Jakub Vrana and Andre Burakovsky there was always someone that would be a cap casualty. If it had to happen, Niskanen was perhaps the most obvious choice given the acquisition of Nick Jensen last season and his subsequent extension. The Capitals can move Jensen—or Gudas, if they choose—into the top four for a much lower price tag.
While he may come with a reputation as a player who sometimes crosses the line, Gudas has also been relatively underrated throughout his career. The physical right-shot defenseman is an excellent player in his own end and can effectively get the puck out of the zone. His possession numbers have been strong for years, and he has tallied more than 20 points three times in his career despite never seeing consistent powerplay time. While he may not be as experienced or as effective as a healthy Niskanen, he’s certainly not just a throw in for the Capitals.
For the Flyers though, a move like this is to get an experienced reliable veteran to help guide their young blue line over the next two seasons. Niskanen has averaged more than 20 minutes a night for the last seven seasons and has taken on all kinds of different roles throughout his career. Sometimes a powerplay quarterback, sometimes a shutdown defender, the 32-year old will come to Philadelphia with something to prove after a down season. Niskanen recorded just 25 points in 80 games, his lowest total since the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season. The Flyers will hope that’s not the first sign of a rapid decline, as he’ll likely be asked to play a huge role for them in 2019-20.