Metro Notes: Vesey, Lambert, Penguins, Flyers
The Metropolitan Division seems like ground zero for the Jimmy Vesey sweepstakes. The free agent forward out of Harvard has reportedly received interest from the Devils, Penguins, Islanders, Rangers, Blue Jackets, Hurricanes, and Flyers. Reading through the links, you’ll see that the Flyers and Blue Jackets are not believed to be serious contenders for Vesey, while the Penguins in particular made a strong impression. The Devils have long been considered one of the favorites to sign him, while the Islanders brought along captain John Tavares for the recruitment.
Vesey is said to be holding out until at least Friday to make his final decision. Other teams reportedly pushing for Vesey include the Maple Leafs, Bruins, and Blackhawks. For all our coverage on Vesey’s decision, click here. For more notes from around the Metropolitan Division, keep reading here.
- Sportsnet’s John Shannon reports that Capitals assistant coach Lane Lambert is among the candidates to take over the Colorado Avalanche head coaching job. Lambert has spent the last two years in Washington under head coach Barry Trotz, and was previously his assistant for four years in Nasvhille.
- The Wheeling Nailers have signed on for two more years as the Penguins’ ECHL affiliate. The Nailers, based out of West Virginia, appeared in last year’s Kelly Cup Finals, before losing in six games to the Allen Americans. Strangely enough, the Americans are affiliated with the San Jose Sharks, who the Penguins beat in last year’s Stanley Cup Finals.
- The Flyers have hired Dr. Ben Peterson as their Director of Sports Science. SB Nation’s Flyers site has a rundown of Peterson’s credentials, as obtained from his Linkedin page. It’s some pretty heavy stuff, and given his experience, he appears to go far beyond the data-based analysis that’s easily found online.
Off-Season To Date: Metropolitan Division
The NHL has entered its seasonal lull where teams are done signing free agents and will wait until training camp to make major roster moves. We have already documented the off-season moves of Atlantic Division teams, and now we take a quick look at the Metropolitan Division.
Carolina Hurricanes
Key Additions: Lee Stempniak, Teuvo Teravainen, Viktor Stalberg, Bryan Bickell
Key Departures: Riley Nash, Nathan Gerbe, James Wisniewski
Unsigned RFAs: None
Cap Space: $16,736,667
Projected Roster Size: 23
Notes: Carolina got paid Teravainen to take Bickell’s contract by Chicago this summer, and added a top-ten free agent in Stempniak. The offense improved, but the defense remains an issue outside of Justin Faulk. In a stacked Metropolitan, the Hurricanes did not appear to do enough to challenge for a playoff spot.
Columbus Blue Jackets
Key Additions: Sam Gagner
Key Departures: Jared Boll, Fedor Tyutin, Justin Falk
Unsigned RFAs: None
Cap Space: $3,817,857
Projected Roster Size: 20
Notes: Despite finishing last in the Metropolitan, the Blue Jackets are up tight against the cap, and did little to alleviate their situation. The cap situation prevented the Blue Jackets from making any major additions, but the team was expected to deal some higher-paid underperformers. Without any major changes, Columbus seems destimed to miss the playoffs once again.
New Jersey Devils
Key Additions: Taylor Hall, Beau Bennett, Vernon Fiddler, Ben Lovejoy, Marc Savard
Key Departures: Adam Larsson, Jiri Tlusty, Patrik Elias, Tuomo Ruutu, David Schlemko
Unsigned RFAs: None
Cap Space: $12,319,404
Projected Roster Size: 23
Notes: The Devils made a blockbuster trade this offseason, landing Taylor Hall in exchange for Defenseman Adam Larsson. They also added two ex-Penguins in an effort to stay competitive in the Metropolitan. Elias is still deciding whether to retire, but if he returns, he says it will only be for the Devils.
New York Islanders
Key Additions: Andrew Ladd, P.A. Parenteau, Jason Chimera
Key Departures: Frans Nielson, Kyle Okposo, Matt Martin, Marek Zidlicky
Unsigned RFAs: Ryan Strome, Christopher Gibson
Cap Space: $3,658,524
Projected Roster Size: 24
Notes: The Isles’ forward corp received a shakeup this offseason, with their 2nd and 3rd leading scorers signing elsewhere as free agents. The team signed Ladd and Chimera to plug those holes, but only time will tell if those additions allow the Islanders to build off of their rare playoff success.
New York Rangers
Key Additions: Mika Zibanejad, Nathan Gerbe, Michael Grabner, Josh Jooris, Nick Holden, Adam Clendening, Maxim Lapierre (PTO)
Key Departures: Derick Brassard, Eric Staal, Viktor Stalberg, Keith Yandle, Dominic Moore, Dan Boyle
Unsigned RFAs: None
Cap Space: $3,425,000
Projected Roster Size: 23
Notes: The Rangers let Yandle and Staal walk this summer but did not make any signing splashes of their own. They acquired Zibanejad from the Senators in a deal for Derick Brassard, a trade many view as a slight downgrade. New York’s window with Lundqvist is closing as he gets older, so it was a surprise to see the Rangers abstain from any big acquisitions this summer.
Philadelphia Flyers
Key Additions: Boyd Gordon, Dale Weise
Key Departures: Ryan White, Sam Gagner, R.J. Umberger
Unsigned RFAs: None
Cap Space: $413,334
Projected Roster Size: 24
Notes: The Flyers are right up against the Cap and could not make any major additions this summer. It’ll be up to GM Ron Hextall to find creative solutions for improving the team if the Flyers make a playoff push.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Key Additions: None
Key Departures: Beau Bennett, Matt Cullen, Ben Lovejoy, Jeff Zatkoff
Unsigned RFAs: None
Cap Space: -$2,757,499.
Projected Roster Size: 24
Notes: The Penguins could not do much after winning the Stanley Cup given that they are over the cap by almost $3MM. Pittsburgh will alleviate some of that pressure by putting Pascal Dupuis on LTIR once the season starts, but the cap is harsh to Stanley Cup winners. The Penguins will have get used to shedding salary and picking up new parts on the cheap—something the Chicago Blackhawks have experienced more than once.
Washington Capitals
Key Additions: Lars Eller, Brett Connolly
Key Departures: Jason Chimera, Mike Richards
Unsigned RFAs: Dmitry Orlov
Cap Space: $3,454,871
Projected Roster Size: 21
Notes: The Caps tweaked their roster after losing to the eventual Stanley Cup champions in the 2nd round. They added Eller in exchange for draft picks, and let Chimera and Richards walk so that the team had cap room for Orlov. Orlov still isn’t signed, and a strong showing at the World Cup of Hockey for the Russian defenseman could force the Capitals to pay more than they expected.
Retained Salary in 2016-17: Metropolitan Division
As a new season fast approaches, it’s always nice to look back and reminisce on years and players gone by. Unfortunately for most NHL teams, those feelings of nostalgia are usually cut short by the realization that some of those past players are still on the team’s payroll. Retained salary is a fact of life in the National Hockey League, as buyouts have become commonplace and retaining a portion of an outgoing player’s cap hit is often a deal-breaker in many trades. Retained salary can last long past the playing days of a former player (see Rick DiPietro) or can simply be for just one year. One way or another nearly every NHL team has at least one guy who’s still being paid without having to perform. Below is a list of all the retained salary in the Metropolitan Division in 2016-17:
Carolina Hurricanes
- Alexander Semin ($2.33MM cap hit from 2016-17 to 2020-21): The Hurricanes first signed Semin in the summer of 2012 to a one-year, $7MM “show me” deal. While they were paying Semin a good amount of money, they were not prepared to commit long-term to a player know to be one-dimensional and streaky. However, Semin responded with a point-per-game campaign in 44 contests. The Hurricanes bought in, renewing Semin’s $7MM price tag with a five-year, $35MM extension. Semin put up another 40+ point season in 2013-14 season, but then, inexplicably, the wheels fell off. In 57 games in 2014-15, Semin only managed to score 19 points while contributing little else for Carolina. The Canes had no choice but to get rid of him, and the only route was through a buyout. With $21MM over three years left on his contract, they were saddled with a six-year, $14MM settlement, and still have five years left to go.
- James Wisniewski ($3.5MM cap hit in 2016-17, $1MM in 2017-18): Carolina did not have much better luck with Wisniewski. After trading Anton Khudobin to the Anaheim Ducks last summer to get the puck-moving defenseman, the Hurricanes got to watch him skate for just 47 seconds in the regular season opener before he tore his ACL and missed the rest of the year. Wisniewski had one year remaining on a six-year, $33MM deal he signed in Columbus in 2011, but faced with the prospect of a $5.5MM cap hit for a defenseman coming off a serious knee injury, Carolina decided instead to cut and run. While the buyout hit of $3.5MM in 2016-17 is tough, it’s already better to pay Wisniewski that for not playing this season since they already payed him $5.5MM for less than a minute last season. Recent events imply that the Hurricanes may have been correct to distance themselves from Wisniewski, as the once top-pair defenseman had enough trouble locking down a guaranteed contract that he committed to a professional tryout deal with Tampa Bay last week.
Columbus Blue Jackets
- Fedor Tyutin ($1.2MM cap hit in 2016-17, $1.96 in 2017-18, $1.46MM in 2018-19 and 2019-20): Dissapointed in the sharp decline of long-time defenseman Tyutin, the Blue Jackets made the tough call to cut ties with the 33-year-old this off-season rather than continue paying him $4.5MM over the next two seasons. Tyutin failed to make much of a difference for Columbus last season, and though paying him into retirement is not favorable, the Jackets could not afford another three-point season frought with defensive lapses at that price. Things have turned out alright for Tyutin though; he signed a one-year, $2MM pact with the Colorado Avalanche and is set to continue his NHL career.
- Jared Boll ($567K cap hit in 2016-17 and 2017-18): Like Tyutin, the rebuilding Blue Jackets did not see a future with Boll and bought out the final year of his contract this summer. A grinder without much offensive upside who struggled with injuries in 2015-16, Boll didn’t fit with the young and fast core being built in Columbus, and at $1.7MM was simply an inconvenience. Unlike Tyutin, who had been a solid presence on the Blue Jackets’ blue line for a long time, Boll’s presence will likely not be missed and the sub-$1MM buyout hit won’t make much of a difference for Columbus. Boll has moved on anyways, signing a two-year $1.8MM deal with the Anaheim Ducks.
New Jersey Devils
- Ilya Kovalchuk ($250K cap hit from 2016-17 to 2024-25): In one of the more outrageous contracts in NHL history, Kovalchuk hit the open market for the first time in 2010 and the Devils signed him to a 15-year, $100MM contract. The league initially rejected the offer for too obviously circumventing the salary cap, but even after it was fixed, it was still ridiculous. The contract, which would have had the Russian star playing in New Jersey until he was 42, held only a $6.67MM cap hit. However, Kovalchuk was to be paid over $11MM in salary in years three through eight. After that, the salaries began to plummet. In fact, over the course of the 15-year deal, the salary ranged in value from a mere $1MM to a whopping $11.8MM (ironically in 2016-17). Thus, the Devils knew that the contract carried a very big threat of recapture penalties if Kovalchuk retired early. As we all know, Kovalchuk retired very early, heading home to Russia following the 2012-13 season. In a weird twist, the Devils were actually saved by Kovalchuk retiring very early, before the front-loaded salaries started to pile up. Had he retired nine or ten years into the deal instead of just three, New Jersey could have been facing over $4MM in recapture penalties each year, instead of just $250K. While having a chunk of cap space taken off each year for 12 years is a harsh reminder of a rogue superstar, Kovalchuk’s departure may have been a blessing in disguise for New Jersey.
- Anton Volchenkov (no cap hit): Following the negotiation of the past NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement, in both 2013 and 2014 all teams were able to use a “compliance buyout” on contracts signed prior to the 2012-13 season. The compliance buyouts would still be used to make payments to players, but it would not count against the salary cap. The Devils used such a buyout on Volchenkov in 2013, who was no longer worth anywhere near the value of the six-year, $25.5MM deal he had signed with the team in 2010. Rather than keep him and his $4.25MM cap hit for the three years remaining or buy him out and face six years worth of buyout hits, the Devils took the opportunity for a “do-over” and used their compliance buyout. The teams still pays Volchenkov over $1.4MM every year, but it has no effect on the rest of the team. Volchenkov played one season in Nashville after departing the Devils, but had similar results and has been out of the NHL since.
New York Islanders
- Rick DiPietro (no cap hit): In the most obvious compliance buyout of all-time, the Islanders were able to rid themselves of Rick DiPietro’s infamous 15-year contract. Signed in 2006 after the 24-year-old goalie had shown signs of potential stardom, it was the longest NHL contract to date and carried a combined cap hit of 67.5MM. While 4.5MM per year for the entire career of a star goalie sounds pretty good, DiPietro had one more good year in him and then started to decline drastically and struggle year in and year out with injuries. In the five years leading up to his buyout, he played in 50 games total and had a save percentage under .900. Armed with the unique chance to avoid eight more years of the same without having to pay the price in cap space, the Isles jumped at the chance for a compliance buyout. Though they still pay the steep price of $1.5MM to DiPietro every year, and must do so until 2029, it has no effect on the current team and can be more or less forgotten.
New York Rangers
- Brad Richards (no cap hit): Not to the same extent of their cross-town rivals and their “franchise goalie”, but the Rangers were also very happy to get a chance at a compliance buyout when it came to Richards. While Richards would go on to have a couple of successful seasons with the Blackhawks and Red Wings after leaving New York, his production was not really worthy of what the Rangers would have paid him. In 2011, Richards was the “must-have” free agent of the summer, coming off back-to-back seasons of over a point-per-game with the Dallas Stars. The Rangers won the bidding, giving him a nine-year $60MM contract. The deal, like many long-term deals at that time, was very front loaded. It paid Richards $12MM in each of the first two seasons and only $1MM in each of the last three. The cap hit of $6.67MM was manageable for the Rangers at first, as Richards put up good numbers, but he was also showing decline and the threat of a big cap hit for an aging player and monstrous recapture penalties led to decision to use a compliance buyout on Richards. In retrospect, it was very smart, as Richards announced his retirement earlier this summer after two more years of declining production. New York paid Richards over $3MM each of the past two years in accordance with the buyout settlement and are set to pay a little more than $5MM in 2016-17 before settling in to a payment of just north of $1MM each year until 2025-16. Luckily for them, none of it touches the salary cap for a team that is constantly in a cap crunch.
Philadelphia Flyers
- Ilya Bryzgalov (no cap hit): The Flyers make a trio of Metro teams that used their compliance buyouts wisely, as Philadelphia was able to escape from a nine-year, $51MM contract they gave to the eccentric Russian goalie Bryzgalov. After back-to-back stellar seasons for the Phoenix Coyotes, the Flyers jumped on Bryzgalov in free agency in 2011, giving him a monster contract. However, as it so often goes in Philadelphia, the goalie didn’t work out and after just two years, the Flyers were ready to dump his $4.65MM cap hit. Though a 14-year buyout plan with annual payments of $1.64MM is not fun, the Flyers were able to move forward with new goalies and no negative impact on the salary cap.
- R.J. Umberger ($1.6MM in 2016-17 and 2017-18): A recent buyout victim, Umberger simply stopped producing. After starting his career off strongly in Philadelphia, Umberger was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets, where he became a star. The Jackets rewarded him with a five-year, $23MM deal in 2012, but then watched his number gradually decrease each year. With three years left on his contract, he was traded back to the Flyers, but the homecoming did not lead to many points. After two brutal seasons, Philadelphia decided to let Umberger and his $4.6MM cap hit go before the final year of his contract. They’ll pay for it over the next two seasons with significant cap hits, but it’s worth it considering their tight cap space entering 2016-17. Meanwhile, Umberger’s career appears likely to be over.
Pittsburgh Penguins
- Rob Scuderi ($1.125MM in 2016-17): In one of the funnier circumstances of the 2015-16 season, the Penguins held on to one third of Scuderi’s contract when they traded him to the Chicago Blackhawks for fellow underperforming defenseman Trevor Daley. Then, the Blackhawks held on to another third of Scuderi’s contract when they traded him to the Los Angeles Kings for yet another underperforming defenseman, Christian Ehrhoff. Now going into 2016-17, the final year of four-year $13.5MM deal he signed when he returned to Pittsburgh, the Penguins, Hawks, and Kings will all pay $1.125MM of his contract. Maybe Scuderi will return to form this season and at least avoid being traded more than once.
Washington Capitals
- NONE. Right? The reigning Presidents’ Trophy winners will not pay anyone this season who isn’t on the ice for them. Cap efficiency, that’s the key to NHL success.
Roster Crunch: Metropolitan Division
We’ve taken a look at three out of the four divisions now, and the decisions they’ll have to make come training camp. The Pacific’s depth on defense, the changes coming up front in the Central, and the mass of young talent set to break through in the Atlantic. Now, we’ll take a look at the what many considered the best division in hockey last year, with four 100-point teams and both the President’s Trophy winner and Stanley Cup Champions.
Washington Capitals – There is probably no team with fewer uncertainties going into the season than the Washington Capitals. After running away with the regular season points lead, the Capitals couldn’t even make it to the Stanley Cup final, but they’ll head into next season with largely the same group. They brought in Lars Eller, whose possession numbers should help the third line, and allowed Jason Chimera and Mike Richards to walk (though the latter remains unsigned). Basically the only battle in camp will be for a fourth line or 13th forward spot; can Brett Connolly do enough to make the squad over Stanislav Galiev? Exciting stuff.
Snapshots: Price, Boucher, Elias, Sharks, Flyers
Guillaume Lefrançois, writing in Montreal’s La Presse, wrote today about the recovery of Canadiens goaltender Carey Price, who missed all but 12 games last year with an injury to a right knee ligament. The article is in French, but reading through Google translate, there were several points of interest.
Price, who turns 29 next week, missed all but 12 games last year due to a strained ligament in his right knee. Price has now ended three of his last four seasons with injury, meaning the Canadiens will exercise some level of caution. Still, goaltending coach Stephane Waite tells Lefrançois that the team expects Price to play between 60 and 65 games this season. Before his most recent injury, Price’s two most recent seasons saw him play 59 and 66 games.
Some have expressed concern over Price being named to play for Team Canada in September’s World Cup of Hockey. Waite, who will also be working with Team Canada, dismissed these concerns, pointing out that if not for the World Cup, he’d be risking injury playing in the NHL’s pre-season games.
Continuing throughout the NHL:
- NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti reports that the New Jersey Devils have re-signed restricted free agent forward Reid Boucher to a one-year contract. Boucher, who turns 23 in September, was originally a fourth round pick of the Devils in 2011. In 73 games over the last three seasons in New Jersey, Boucher has 11 goals, and 27 points. He’ll receive $715K in the NHL and $70K at the AHL level.
- Gulitti also responded to a Twitter question about the status of free agent forward Patrik Elias. Gulitti suggests that the Devils will wait to see how their former captain’s injury rehab goes before committing to re-signing him. Elias turned 40 in April.
- The San Jose Sharks unveiled new uniforms and a new logo today. Included was a third jersey, that says “Los Tiburones.” This is the Spanish translation for “Sharks,” and has served as a local nickname for the club.
- The Philadelphia Flyers announced today that Chris Pryor has been promoted to assistant general manager and director of player personnel. Pryor has been with the Flyers the last sixteen seasons, and most recently worked as director of scouting. Before working with the Flyers, he played 82 games over six NHL seasons with the Islanders and North Stars.
East Notes: Pryor, O’Dell, Prior
The Philadelphia Flyers have promoted long-time scout Chris Pryor to assistant general manager, and director of player personnel. Pryor has been with the organization for the past 17 years, joining the club first as a US amateur scout in 1999. He’s held many positions since then, director of hockey operations and director of scouting among them over the years.
He’ll join general manager Ron Hextall and president Paul Holmgren in the Flyers brain-trust trying to improve on their first-round exit last season. Since Pryor became the director of hockey ops in 2006, the Flyers have had a fairly successful draft history, hitting on top picks like Claude Giroux and James van Riemsdyk, and unearthing superstar rookie Shayne Gostisbehere with the 78th overall pick (2012).
- While the exodus to Switzerland’s top hockey league is in full effect, another former NHL player will be taking his talents to Russia instead. Eric O’Dell, who played last season with the Rochester Americans of the AHL has signed on with Sochi (Russian translation) for 2016-17. O’Dell has played in 41 NHL games, all with the Winnipeg Jets, scoring eight points.
- The Washington-Las Vegas pipeline continues, as George McPhee has hired long-time Capitals goalie coach Dave Prior, according to Stephen Whyno. Prior spent ten years with Washington, before being let go before the 2014-15 season. He’ll join a organization who has poached former employees of Washington almost exclusively since McPhee came on board.
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.