Salary Cap Report: Metropolitan Division
As the hockey world takes its collective breath before the World Cup, training camps, and the regular season begins, most teams have checked off their boxes and marked their ledgers. There are some teams not finished, as trades or financial meandering will be necessary due to cap crunches. Others have plenty of room.
We’ll look at the Metropolitan Division next. Some interesting notes:
- The Hurricanes have the most cap space of any team in the NHL.
- The Rangers’ Henrik Lundqvist has the highest cap hit of any goalie in the NHL. The second highest is Columbus’ Sergei Bobrovsky.
- Four of the NHL’s top ten cap hits are found in the division: (Alex Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin, Sidney Crosby, Henrik Lundqvist. Claude Giroux is 11th).
By the numbers:
- Carolina Hurricanes
Cap Space Remaining: $16,736,667
Greatest Cap Hit: Jordan Staal: $6MM - Columbus Blue Jackets
Cap Space Remaining:$3,817,857
Greatest Cap Hit: Sergei Bobrovsky: $7.43MM - New Jersey Devils
Cap Space Remaining: $13,034,404
Greatest Cap Hit: Taylor Hall/Cory Schneider: $6MM - New York Islanders
Cap Space Remaining: $3,658,524
Greatest Cap Hit: Johnny Boychuk: $6MM - New York Rangers
Cap Space Remaining:$3,425,000
Greatest Cap Hit: Henrik Lundqvist: $8.5MM - Philadelphia Flyers
Cap Space Remaining: $413,334
Greatest Cap Hit: Claude Giroux: $8.275MM - Pittsburgh Penguins
Cap Space Remaining: -$2,757,499
Greatest Cap Hit: Evgeni Malkin: $9.5MM - Washington Capitals
Cap Space Remaining: $3,454,871
Greatest Cap Hit: Alex Ovechkin: $9.54MM
Metro Notes: Rangers, Zibanejad, Buchnevich, Gagner, Cizikas
Today is New York Rangers Day on the Pro Hockey Talk section of NBC Sports and they’ve got several posts up focusing on the Blueshirts. Included among them, Jason Brough lists the newly acquired Mika Zibanejad as the New York Ranger “under pressure” for the 2016-17 season.
Zibanejad was acquired from Ottawa in exchange for Derick Brassard, the Rangers leading goal scorer and second leading point producer. The expectation is Zibanejad, while perhaps not completely replacing Brassard’s offensive production, will be a more well-rounded player. Zibanejad played in all situations for the Senators, averaging 1:25 per game killing penalties and another 2:30 on the power play this past season. The Blueshirts struggled on the penalty-kill and it’s hoped Zibanejad will give the team another quality forward option when down a man.
Zibanejad was certainly the biggest name the Rangers have imported this summer after the disappointing end to their season. With hopes of returning to Stanley Cup contender status, the club will need Zibanejad to produce and play well in his first year on Manhattan.
More on the Rangers and other clubs in the NHL’s Metro Division….
- In the same piece, Brough discusses Rangers top prospect Pavel Buchnevich and where he might fit into the lineup, assuming of course he makes the team out of camp. Despite being listed as a LW on the team’s official roster, Brough suggests the Rangers could line up the left-handed shooting Buchnevich on the RW, opposite Chris Kreider and next to Derek Stepan. Head coach Alain Vigneault is not afraid to mix and match his lines or to give the line(s) playing well more ice time. Even if on paper Buchnevich is on the 3rd line, it’s still quite possible he’ll see plenty of ice time. As long as he’s getting top-9 minutes he should be fine. What’s more important is developing chemistry with at least one other forward (Vigneault sticks to pairs when assembling his forward units) and that his minutes are sheltered to keep him away from the opponent’s best players as often as possible.
- Staying in New York, Casey Cizikas spoke with the Islanders team website and answered questions regarding his new five-year extension, among other topics. The Islanders took a fair amount of criticism for doling out $3.35MM annually to a player who is considered primarily a 4th liner and penalty-killer. But that’s perhaps understating his actual value to the club. One, he averaged 12:41 of ice time this past season, whereas most 4th line players see about 8 – 10 minutes per game. Second, head coach Jack Capuano trusts Cizikas on the ice late in games when the outcome is undecided. Maybe we look back in a few years and see this contract as an overpay, but today, for what he brings to the club, the signing is at least defensible.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets recently inked veteran pivot Sam Gagner to a one-year deal worth $650K. In this post by Aaron Portzline of The Columbus Dispatch, Gagner says the reason he signed with the Blue Jackets is that they offered him the opportunity to “re-establish” himself as a quality NHL player. In fact, he passed on offers from at least four other clubs to take the deal with the Jackets. Gagner, who had netted at least 40 points six different times and never previously finished with fewer than 37 points in any season, slumped to a career-worst 16 points last year, skating primarily on the 4th line for the Flyers. With head coach John Tortorella seemingly preferring to use Boone Jenner on the wing and with only the oft-injured Brandon Dubinsky a sure bet to see top-six center minutes – assuming he stays relatively healthy of course – this does present Gagner an excellent chance to rebuild his value. The Jackets boast some quality talent up front – Brandon Saad, Jenner, Scott Hartnell and Cam Atkinson come to mind immediately – so Gagner will get to play with some skilled players. By the end of the 2016-17 campaign, Gagner might prove to be the biggest bargain of free agency.
Why is Jiri Hudler Still A Free Agent?
When PHR set out to rank the top 50 unrestricted free agents, Jiri Hudler was ranked 18th and expected to be snapped up at a reasonable price. Though some reports have him possibly talking to the Vancouver Canucks, the interest for the 32-year-old forward is tepid.
So what gives?
Hudler came up with the Detroit Red Wings, and was a strong contributor to their Stanley Cup winning season in 2007-08, and then again in 2008-09 when they fell short of a repeat championship. After a one-year hiatus in the KHL during the 2009-10 season, Hudler returned to the Red Wings until the 2011-12 season. At a glance, his numbers looked like this:
- 2007-08: 42 points (13-29)
- 2008-09: 57 points (23-34)
- 2010-11: 37 points (10-27)
- 2011-12: 50 points (25-25)
Though the Red Wings didn’t offer him another contract following the 2011-12 season, Calgary did at a tune of four years, $16MM. Hudler remained a solid contributor, hitting his career high in 2014-15 with 76 points (31-45). A season prior, he registered 54 points (17-37).
Hudler’s performance fell off in 2015-16, notching 35 points (10-25) in 53 games with Calgary before being traded to Florida. There, Hudler had 11 points (6-5) in 19 games before only adding an assist in six playoff games. He had 46 points in 72 games but it was a far cry from his previous season. Florida chose to let him walk.
So why, despite boasting better numbers than several free agents already signed, does Hudler remain unemployed?
Is it Inconsistency?
Back in 2013, several writers debated whether the Red Wings should have re-signed Hudler instead of letting him go to Calgary, where he would go on to have some steady seasons. The offer from Detroit was less than what Calgary offered by $800K per season.
With Florida, he was never even offered a chance back. Despite producing well, and apparently fitting in well with the Panthers following their acquisition, there wasn’t even a hint of an extension.
Some of the problem might be his lack of defensive responsibility. Hudler was paid to put up points, so when the scoring decreased, so did the interest. Back in June, CSN Philly’s Greg Paone wrote that Hudler would have struggled in Dave Hakstol’s system should he have signed with the Flyers. Two weeks ago, Tal Pinchevsky argued in an ESPN article that he would provide production at a discount, and his playoff struggle in Florida shouldn’t be an indictment on his overall postseason performance, pointing out that Hudler had 8 points in 11 playoff games with Calgary in 2015.
Perhaps Kevin Allen summed up what most teams debated before free agency: Would they be getting the 76 point Hudler or the 46 point Hudler?
Summarizing the theories, it appears that Hudler’s decrease in production, his defensive deficiencies, and an underwhelming playoff performance with Florida all had a hand in his current predicament.
The Czech winger should find a landing spot somewhere, especially since Sam Gagner is close to a deal with the Blue Jackets. Gagner’s deal will certainly gauge what Hudler could expect. The only certainty is that it won’t come close to what he made a season ago.
Flyers’ Buyout Candidates For Second Window
After signing Brandon Manning earlier Tuesday morning to a two-year deal, the Philadelphia Flyers have come to agreements with all of their restricted free agents and will now have a 48-hour buyout period (which starts Friday, three days after the final deal was struck) to clear cap room for the upcoming season. The team currently sits less than $500K away from the cap ceiling, offering little room in which to operate.
The team used the first window earlier this summer to rid themselves of R.J. Umberger and his $4.6MM cap hit. He’ll cost them just $1.6MM on the cap this season and $1.5MM next, after contributing just 26 points over the past two years for the Flyers.
While there has been no word from the Flyers on whether they’d take advantage of this new window, there are a couple of under-achievers that could be jettisoned over the weekend to open up some more room for GM Ron Hextall to work.
Matt Read – Two years, $3.625MM AAV: Read signed a four-year, $14.5MM deal in 2013, but has never been able to replicate the 24-goal, 47-point season he put up in his rookie year. After putting up the worst season of his career in 2015-16, and climbing to the wrong side of 30, Read has seen his role with the club diminished greatly and might be the next victim of a buyout.
If he was to be bought out, the Flyers would save $2.75MM in cap space this season, and $2.25MM next. He’d then cost them $1.25MM in space from 2018-20. Each year’s cap-hit broken down:
2016-17: $875K
2017-18: $1.375MM
2018-19: $1.25MM
2019-20: $1.25MM
Andrew MacDonald – Four years, $5MM AAV: The Flyers signed MacDonald to a six-year, $30MM deal in 2014 after he was traded from the New York Islanders mid-season. While MacDonald was coming off a 28-point season in which he logged almost 25 minutes a night, both those marks would prove to be career highs to this point, as a couple of injury-marred seasons has left MacDonald contributing just 20 points in 86 games since.
With the emergence of Shayne Gostisbehere last season, the Flyers have little use of MacDonald and his huge cap-hit going forward, especially if he can’t regain any of his form from years past. Now 29, it’s not unbelievable that he could get some of his skills back, but it looks like he’ll never be worth the $5MM that the Flyers gave him.
If the Flyers did buy him out, they’d save a good amount of cap space for the next four years, ranging between $2.98MM (next year) and $3.98MM (2019-20), though would be paying him until 2023-24. The cap-hit breakdown is as follows:
2016-17: $2.02MM
2017-18: $1.52MM
2018-19: $1.27MM
2019-20: $1.02MM
2020-21: $1.77MM
2021-22: $1.77MM
2022-23: $1.77MM
2023-24: $1.77MM
While both of these options seem like drastic measures, the team has a real chance of competing going forward with their young stars locked up long-term. Claude Giroux, Jakub Voracek, Brayden Schenn, Sean Couturier and Gostisbehere are all under contract or team control until at least 2019-20, with many stretching far beyond that. If the team is looking to push deep into the playoffs, it may need to rid itself of some of the weighty contracts it’s given out in the past.
We’ll continue to watch Hextall’s moves carefully, and follow the Flyers depth charts both here and on Roster Resource.
Philadelphia Re-Signs Brandon Manning
According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, the Philadelphia Flyers have reached an agreement with their final arbitration-eligible player Brandon Manning on a two-year, $1.95MM deal. Tim Wharnsby of CBC breaks it down: 2016-17 $950K, 2017-18 $1MM.
After the Flyers got Brayden Schenn to sign a long-term deal, Manning was next on the docket and was headed to an arbitration hearing on August 2nd.
Manning made an impact on the Flyers lineup this season, getting into 56 games at the NHL level. The 26-year old scored seven points and logged over 16 minutes a night in his first lengthy chance with the big club.
He’ll now head to camp looking to secure a bottom-pairing job and show that he’s advanced past the AHL level – where he has been spectacular, scoring 43 points in 60 games in 2014-15.
As with the Rangers, the Flyers will now receive a 48-hour buyout window after re-signing multiple arbitration cases. The team has under $500K left under the cap, but no one left to re-sign.
Flyers Re-Sign Brayden Schenn To A Four Year Deal
The Flyers announced Monday morning that they have avoided salary arbitration with RFA forward Brayden Schenn, signing him to a four year contract. TSN’s Bob McKenzie reports that the deal carries a cap hit of $5.125MM per season making the total worth $20.5MM over the life of the contract. General Fanager adds that deal does not contain any no-trade or no-move protection.
The contract makes Schenn the third highest paid forward on the Flyers behind Jakub Voracek and Claude Giroux, who both have cap hits over $8MM.
Schenn is coming off a career year with Philadelphia. Last season, he posted career bests in goals (26), assists (33), and points (59) while averaging 16:54 of ice time per game. He also picked up a pair of assists in six postseason contests while logging just shy of 19 minutes a night.
Schenn has spent most of his career with the Flyers after being a first round pick of the Kings (5th overall) back in 2009. He was acquired by Philly back in 2011 along with Wayne Simmonds as part of the Mike Richards trade. In 354 games between Philadelphia and Los Angeles, Schenn has 84 goals and 109 assists.
The Flyers have one remaining restricted free agent to re-sign this offseason, defenseman Brandon Manning. They currently have a little over $2.25MM in remaining cap space, per Cap Friendly.
CBC’s Tim Wharnsby reports that the structure of the deal is as follows:
2016-17: $3MM salary + $3MM signing bonus
2017-18: $2.5MM salary + $2.5MM signing bonus
2018-19: $2.5MM salary + $2.5MM signing bonus
2019-20: $2MM salary + $2.5MM signing bonus
[Related: Flyers’ Depth Chart]
More On The Blackhawks, Jimmy Vesey
Kristi Loucks of Today’s Slapshot writes today on the emerging speculation surrounding Buffalo Sabres’ prospect Jimmy Vesey, who can become an unrestricted free agent on August 15th, when his draft rights expire, and the Chicago Blackhawks. We’ve discussed before the talk surrounding Vesey and the Blackhawks, and the news that Stan Bowman has been going to Foxboro, Massachusetts to watch Vesey play summer games.
Loucks mentions the Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings, Edmonton Oilers, Philadelphia Flyers, and Toronto Maple Leafs as other teams that will be in the running for Vesey’s services. In season-long speculation involving Vesey, his ties to Sabres’ forward Jack Eichel are often brought up, as are his having been raised in Boston, and the fact that his father Jim is a scout for the Leafs, and his brother Nolan is a Leafs prospect himself.
Loucks discusses the benefits available in Chicago for Vesey. Obviously they’re a legitimate contender, having won the Stanley Cup three times this decade, but they’re unique for a contender in that they offer a large amount of playing time immediately for a young player. The Blackhawks aren’t particularly deep at left wing, and assuming Calder Trophy winner Artemi Panarin stays on the second line with Artem Anisimov and Patrick Kane, Vesey could find the opportunity to play top minutes with future Hall of Fame linemates in Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa.
Salary Arbitration Updates: Schenn; Holland
Both Brayden Schenn and Peter Holland are scheduled for salary arbitration on Monday, and the offers from both the players and teams have been released.
CBC’s Tim Wharnsby reports that Brayden Schenn is asking for a one-year deal worth $5.5MM. The Flyers are offering a two-year deal worth $4.25MM in year one and $4.37MM in year two. Any decision by an arbitrator would trigger the Flyers’ ‘walk-away’ rights—the option for the team to walk away from the decision and render the player an unrestricted free agent—because an award would be above the $3.9MM threshold. Because the Flyers elected a two-year decision, using the walk away right would reduce the decision to one year and then Schenn becomes an unrestricted free agent.
Schenn scored 26G and 33A in 80 games last year for the Flyers, finishing third in team scoring. Schenn’s numbers are higher than Chris Kreider’s, who the New York Rangers signed for $4.65MM AAV prior to arbitration. Schenn’s production is also higher than Alex Killorn’s—another RFA signed before arbitration— who agreed to a long-term deal worth $4.45MM AAV. The best comparable from Schenn’s point of view is St. Louis Blues forward Jaden Schwartz. Schwartz signed a five-year deal worth $5.5MM AAV ahead of arbitration. The young Blues forward scored 8G and 14A this year in only 33 games, but potted 26G and 35A in 75 games last season. Schwartz also netted 4G and 10A in 20 playoff games this year as the Blues made it to the Western Conference Finals.
Wharnsby also reports that Peter Holland—fresh off of being waived by the Maple Leafs in a move to prove the center’s value around the league—is asking for $2.1MM. The Leafs have offered $900K. The parties are apart by $1.2MM. The center scored 9G and 18A in 65 games for the Leafs last season while sporting only a 46.5% success rate in the face-off dot. The Leafs have been patient with Holland, but expectations from management that he will flourish into a power-forward are waning.
Holland’s perception as a bottom-six forward poses a problem for accurately pinning down his worth. On one hand, Lars Eller—a center with similar stats—is making $3.5MM annually. On the other hand, Mikhail Grigorenko—also with similar stats—just signed a one-year deal before arbitration worth only $1.3MM. So much of a bottom-six forward’s value relies on how the league perceives a player, regardless of whether that perception is valid. Gritty forwards get paid more than offensive busts despite similar stats.
Arbitration Tracker
Ten days ago, the NHLPA released the schedule for player and team-elected arbitration hearings. Since then, four hearing dates have come and gone with no hearings, with eight players agreeing to contracts to avoid the unpleasant process.
Here’s an updated list of all 24 players who were scheduled for an arbitration hearing:
Player Elected Filings:
Arizona Coyotes
Michael Stone – Stone and the tough-negotiating Coyotes have a hearing set for August 4.
Colorado Avalanche
Tyson Barrie – Hearing set for July 29. Barrie has been the subject of near-constant trade rumors this summer.
Mikhail Grigorenko – Agreed to a one-year, $1.3MM contract on July 20, just two days before the scheduled hearing.
Detroit Red Wings
Jared Coreau – Agreed to a two-year, $1.25MM contract on July 6, well before any hearings were scheduled.
Danny DeKeyser – Signed a six-year deal on July 26th, locking him up long-term for the Red Wings.
Minnesota Wild
Jordan Schroeder – The Wild signed Schroeder to a one-year, two-way deal on July 23rd worth $675K in the NHL and $275K in the AHL.
Nashville Predators
Petter Granberg – Signed a two-year, two-way deal worth $575K / $175K (300K guaranteed) in the first year, and $650K / $175K in the second.
Calle Jarnkrok – Signed a six-year, $12MM deal July 27th.
New York Rangers
Kevin Hayes – Signed a two-year, $5.2MM deal Friday afternoon, hours after Kreider.
Chris Kreider – The Rangers and Kreider agreed to a four-year, $18.5MM contract Friday morning, beating the scheduled 9am arbitration meeting.
Dylan McIlrath – The massive defender signed a one-year, $800k contract last week, beating his hearing by a week.
J.T. Miller – World Cup-bound Miller and the Rangers settled on a two-year, $2.75MM contract on July 13.
Ottawa Senators
Mike Hoffman – After a long negotiation, the Senators and Hoffman agreed to a four-year, $20.75MM deal on July 27th.
Philadelphia Flyers
Brandon Manning – Manning got an unexpected second year in his two-year, $1.95MM deal he signed on July 26th.
Brayden Schenn – Schenn and the Flyers agreed to a four-year deal worth $5.125MM AAV.
Jordan Weal – Acquired by the Flyers in the Vincent Lecavalier trade, Weal signed a one-year, two-way, $650K contract the day the arbitration schedule was released.
St. Louis Blues
Jaden Schwartz – The Blues signed their young star to a five-year, $5.5MM contract last week.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Alex Killorn – The clutch playoff performer signed a long-term extension over the weekend, agreeing to $4.45MM per year for seven seasons.
Vladislav Namestnikov – World Cup-bound forward signed a two-year deal worth $1.9375MM on July 26th, three days before arbitration hearing.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Frank Corrado – Toronto signed Corrado to a one-year, one-way deal worth $600K on July 25.
Peter Holland – Holland signed a one-year deal worth $1.3MM on July 25.
Martin Marincin – The promising young shut-down defenseman is scheduled for arbitration on August 2.
Washington Capitals
Marcus Johansson – Johansson agreed to a three-year, $4.58MM contract just minutes before his hearing was set to begin.
CLUB ELECTED FILINGS:
Detroit Red Wings
Petr Mrazek – Just before his hearing on July 27th, Mrazek and the Red Wings inked a two-year, $8MM deal. With Jimmy Howard still earning $5.3MM for next season, the duo is one of the more expensive in the league.
We’ve previously explained the arbitration process as part of our Capology 101 series. Check out our Mike Furlano’s articles on eligibility and the arbitration process.
Snapshots: Brayden Schenn, O’Byrne, Giroux, Shattenkirk, The Players’ Tribune
Greg Paone of CSNPhilly writes today that a shorter term deal could be beneficial to both the Philadelphia Flyers and forward Brayden Schenn, as they look to avoid an arbitration battle. Paone argues that Schenn’s first five years as a Flyer have been marked by inconsistency, and the Flyers may not be ready to bet on him just yet. On the other hand, Schenn, coming off the best year of his career, could get a bigger deal later on, by betting on himself and going out and producing the same kind of totals he did this year. It may be worth noting that Brayden Schenn’s career points and goals per game numbers are just shy of those put up by Leafs’ forward Nazem Kadri, taken two pick after him in the 2009 entry draft, and who signed a six-year contract jut after the season, with a $4.5MM average annual value.
More news and links from around the NHL:
- Former Canadiens, Avalanche, and Maple Leafs’ defenseman Ryan O’Byrne has announced his retirement from professional hockey. O’Byrne, who is perhaps most famous for an odd arrest involving a woman’s purse, last played in the NHL in 2013, during the Maple Leafs’ infamous series with the Boston Bruins. O’Byrne played this past season for HV71 of the Swedish league.
- Joey Alfieri of NBC Pro Hockey Talk reports good news for Flyers fans. Claude Giroux skated today, a week sooner than he was expected to. Giroux, who had been expected to miss 10-12 weeks following hip surgery, scored 22 goals, 67 points in 78 games of what is actually a bit of a down year, given his normal production. That said, he was likely playing hurt for a portion of that, and was still selected to represent Canada at the World Cup of Hockey.
- Andy Graziano, an Islanders columnist for SNY in New York, notes NHL.com’s Brian Compton’s assertion that the Rangers aren’t done, and reports that talks for Blues’ defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk are “heating back up.” Shattenkirk has been tied to the Rangers repeatedly this summer, and the recent Derick Brassard trade managed to clear some cap room.
- Speaking of the Rangers, former Ranger Brian Leetch and current Ranger Dominic Moore took the The Players’ Tribune today. Moore wrote in advance of his annual charity ping pong tournament to benefit research for concussions, brain injuries, and ran cancers, and Leetch discussed the assortment of legends he got to play with in his time in New York.