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Toronto Notes: Six, Murray, Robertson

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The NWHL has a new franchise in one of the biggest hockey markets in the world. Today the Toronto Six were announced as the sixth team in the expanding women’s professional league, revealing their colors and logo in the process. The NWHL quickly started plans for expansion into Toronto last year after the dissolution of the CWHL.

The new Toronto team already has more than a dozen players under contract, but that doesn’t include Jaycee Gebhard who they selected sixth overall in the recent draft. Gebhard decided a few days ago to sign with Brynas IF in Sweden’s SDHL after captaining Robert Morris University.

  • Even though the Toronto Maple Leafs aren’t playing right now, they continue to make news as media members speculate about the future. That speculation has landed on Frederik Andersen this week, and whether or not the team will go out to acquire a different goaltender as he approaches free agency. Matt Murray, who has a connection to Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas and head coach Sheldon Keefe from their time with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the AHL has been suggested as a possible replacement. Murray is also in a situation with the Pittsburgh Penguins that may lead to a breakup, given the strong play and relative cost of Tristan Jarry. Luke Fox of Sportsnet addresses the Murray speculation in his latest mailbag, writing that he’s not convinced that the Pittsburgh netminder would be an upgrade on Andersen. The staff here at PHR gave our own takes on what Pittsburgh should do with Murray and Jarry recently.
  • One player that is hoping to play in Toronto regardless of who is in net behind him is young forward Nick Robertson, who told Joshua Kloke of The Athletic (subscription required) that his focus is “on the NHL right now.” It’s hard to have a better post-draft season than the 18-year old Robertson, who scored 55 goals and 86 points in just 46 games for the Peterborough Petes, while also starring for Team USA at the World Juniors. The 5’9″ forward fell all the way to 53rd overall in last year’s draft, but will already be pushing for an NHL roster spot come training camp. For what it’s worth, Dubas has already said he’ll give Robertson “every opportunity” to make the team next season.

Dominik Simon Recovering From Shoulder Surgery

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If the playoffs do resume at some point this summer, the Pittsburgh Penguins will be without the services of Dominik Simon. The team announced today that Simon actually underwent surgery on April 29th to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder. He had originally suffered the injury in late February missing the last few games before the season was shut down.

Simon is expected to be out for six to seven months. Normally that would mean missing the start of next season, but given the uncertain start date that can’t be assumed at this point.

The 25-year old forward had seven goals and 22 points for the Penguins in 64 games this season, even spending some time alongside Sidney Crosby on the top line. With an injury ruling him out for any playoffs, the focus can now move to his next contract.

On the second season of a two-year contract with the Penguins, Simon carries just a $750K cap hit. Given that he is eligible for arbitration that number will surely increase, though just how much is still unclear. The fifth-round pick has been a useful depth piece, but still only has 19 goals in his 173-game NHL career.

Snapshots: Penguins, Toronto, AHL

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The Pittsburgh Penguins still have their sights set on a Stanley Cup if the season ever resumes, but there are tough decisions coming at some point with regards to their goaltending situation. The writing staff at PHR gave our takes on what the team should do moving forward with Matt Murray and Tristan Jarry, but Josh Yohe of The Athletic (subscription required) asked Penguins GM Jim Rutherford directly.

Well, I’ll say this: If we are going to keep both of them, we’d have to move a few things around on our team. There is a way to do things and to make that work, yes. There are some very, very tough decisions ahead.

Jarry and Murray are both scheduled for restricted free agency when the season ends and with a stagnant salary cap there won’t be a ton of money lying around. With Jarry outperforming Murray all season long but not having the track record of his Stanley Cup-winning partner, a 2020 playoff run might be the deciding factor. Rutherford isn’t committing either way, but he hasn’t been shy about moving on from key players in the past.

  • Ontario’s premier Doug Ford has discussed the idea of Toronto being a host city for the rest of the NHL season with Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment, according to Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia. Edmonton and Vancouver had previously been discussed as possible host cities in Canada, although Justin Holl of the Toronto Maple Leafs had some interesting thoughts on returning to his team’s country. The Minnesota native told reporters on a conference call today that “the general consensus amongst American players is that we’ll wait until we have a concrete plan before we go back. Because you never know if you go back there and then you’re sitting around for another month or two.”
  • The AHL has a conference call set for Friday afternoon according to Patrick Williams of NHL.com, which could be when the league announces that they have canceled the rest of the season. The minor league generates a huge amount of their revenue from ticket sales, something that won’t be gathered if fans aren’t allowed to attend the event. As Williams points out, if the AHL does cancel the playoffs, it would be the first time since 1937 that the Calder Cup has not been awarded.

Pittsburgh Penguins Sign Radim Zohorna

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have added some size to the organization, signing huge forward Radim Zohorna to a one-year entry-level contract. The deal comes on Zohorna’s 24th birthday and represents his first opportunity in North America.

Undrafted, the 6’6″ 233-lbs Zohorna has played at the highest level in the Czech Republic for the last six seasons, scoring 22 points in 46 games during his most recent campaign. Penguins GM Jim Rutherford explained why they are bringing him over now:

Radim is a smart player with good hockey sense that uses his big size to his advantage. His ability to play all three forward positions will help provide depth to our forward group.

While there’s no guarantee that he makes the NHL roster, Zohorna represents another depth option that the Penguins are adding for nothing more than a contract slot. That strategy of mining the college and European free agent ranks for depth players has proven effective for Pittsburgh over the years, allowing them to keep a rotation of inexpensive options rolling through the bottom-six.

PHR Panel: What Happens Between Pittsburgh’s Pipes?

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We’re now more than a month into an NHL postponement and there is still no clear timeline on when professional hockey will return. While fans of the sport have received small tidbits of news over that time, including college signings and contract extensions, the thirst for discussion has rarely been quenched.

With that in mind, we’re happy to continue our new feature: The PHR Panel. Three times a week, our writing staff will give our individual takes on a question many hockey fans have been wondering about. If you’d ever like to submit a subject for us to discuss, be sure to put it in the comments. This series will run each Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

To catch up on the previous edition, click here.

Today, we’ll each give our thoughts on the Pittsburgh goaltending situation.

Q: Which goalie should Pittsburgh commit to as their long-term starter?

Brian La Rose:

In the short term, I don’t think GM Jim Rutherford should necessarily be deciding on that just yet. While Seattle’s expansion draft is coming up, it’s still a year away. I’d be looking to do one-year deals with both Matt Murray and Tristan Jarry and let them battle out for who to keep and who goes to Seattle then.

While Jarry has played quite well this season, I don’t think he has accomplished enough to build back some of the value he lost over the last couple of years. Yes, he played like a capable ’goalie of the future’ this season but he still has all of 62 career NHL games. Teams aren’t going to part with a top asset with that little experience so they may as well hold onto him.

As for Murray, he hasn’t had a great year (an .899 SV% isn’t ideal) so his value isn’t at its peak either. I wouldn’t be shocked if they could get more for him than Jarry at this point but it’s still not enough to justify moving one. Going with an above-average tandem in 2020-21 is Plan A in my books.

Looking ahead, if Jarry performs at a similar level next season, I’d lean towards going with him as the one to keep. He’s a year younger and should be a little cheaper than Murray on his next couple of deals and with their salary cap situation, every dollar is going to count.

Holger Stolzenberg:

The Penguins are in a tough position with both their young goaltenders hitting restricted free agency. The biggest problem is which goalie they should commit to long-term. I’ve always considered Murray to be the starter since he supplanted Marc-Andre Fleury and they allowed him to go to Vegas. Murray has been highly inconsistent over the years, but at age 25, I’m not sure if he will ever develop into the star goaltender that the team envisioned years ago.

Murray nosedived last year with a 2.87 GAA and a .899 save percentage in 38 games and basically, lost his job to Jarry, suggesting the team might want to move on. You can’t really even blame the Pittsburgh defense for his struggles this season despite the number of injuries their blueline sustained, because Jarry was so much better. He had a 2.43 GAA and a .921 save percentage in 33 appearances.

Personally, I have to wonder if Murray is capable of getting past his inconsistency. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean that Jarry is the answer. One good year doesn’t mean he’s their goaltender of the future. However, I think it might be better to give Jarry every opportunity to win the job and maybe even trade Murray to a team that is in need of a young goaltender, who might be able to turn his career around.

Zach Leach:

Few goalies in NHL history have gotten off to a better start in their careers than Murray, who posted stellar numbers in his first two years, particularly in the postseason, and took home back-to-back Stanley Cups. Many Penguins fans felt that he was the heir apparent and the team seemingly agreed, giving up assets to the Vegas Golden Knights ahead of the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft to ensure that Fleury was selected instead of Murray.

How quickly things change though. Over the past three years, Murray’s numbers have been inconsistent, his playoff performance has been poor, and his health continues to be an issue. Heading into a potential arbitration hearing this summer, Murray lacks the most important piece of leverage in the negotiation: recent results. Jarry unquestionably outplayed Murray this season, who was a replacement-level goalie at best. By all accounts, Murray still feels he is worth a major raise and extensive term on his next contract, but does not have the numbers in recent years to back up that claim. Jarry, who lacks the same experience but is younger, healthier, and honestly better right now, will likely be the superior performer and the cheaper option over the next few years.

If I were the Penguins, I would give Jarry a contract similar to Murray’s expiring pact and see if he can succeed in maintaining a high level of play unlike his predecessor. I would trade Murray, who still has name value but is not worth the money nor the injury trouble. And I would take advantage of a free agent market that is rife with talented veterans to add an established older name to play second fiddle to the young Jarry.

Gavin Lee:

It’s hard to get all four of us to agree on something, but Murray’s recent struggles have obviously dulled his shine a bit. My choice is simple and it’s not because of anything particular I see when I watch them.

I’ve been advocating for quite some time that NHL organizations need to start thinking more about the excess value a contract can provide, and with that in mind Jarry is the easy answer. Murray’s next contract, if the Penguins were to commit to him as their full-time starter, would leave little room for him to outperform it. Sure, he could become the best goaltender in the league and give you a little excess value, but it’s far more likely that he gives you a performance you could buy on the free agent or trade market for the same kind of money (or, alternatively he continues to struggle and becomes a financial anchor).

Take Jake Allen’s contract for instance. At the time he signed his current four-year, $17.4MM deal he was a young promising goaltender that looked to be the Blues long-term starter. They let Brian Elliott leave and handed Allen the reins, but how much could he have really been expected to outperform that deal? As it turned out he had a few off years—but none as bad as the one Murray just experienced—and likely could have been acquired at any point by a team looking for goaltending.

Jarry on the other hand has a ton of room for excess value still, given he’s coming off a league-minimum deal and doesn’t have the track record to demand a huge raise in arbitration. If he can even perform at a league-average rate the Penguins would be getting back more than they’re putting in. Those little bits of excess value are exactly how you win in this league.

Pittsburgh Penguins Sign William Reilly

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have convinced one of their college draft picks to sign a two-year entry-level contract, inking William Reilly before he had the opportunity to become an unrestricted free agent later this summer. Reilly recently finished his senior season at RPI, where he served as captain. Penguins GM Jim Rutherford released a short statement on his newest defenseman:

Will had an impressive year in 2019-20 after continuing to improve during his four years at RPI. His commitment to working hard and improving his conditioning has paid off. We are happy to add another young player, increasing our organizational depth on defense.

Originally selected in the seventh round of the 2017 draft, Reilly has steadily developed through his four years at college and now stands as a legitimate prospect. In 2019-20 the 22-year old defenseman recorded 22 points in 34 games, while also being a leader in his own end.

Named a finalist for the ECAC Best Defensive Defenseman this season, Reilly shouldn’t be overlooked as a potential option down the line for the Penguins. The team has perhaps the most impressive history in the league of working with late-round or undrafted college players and turning them into NHL assets, something they’ll try to do again with Reilly.

Snapshots: Palve, Nakladal, Christensen

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The venture into North American hockey appears as if it will be short-lived for veteran Finnish forward Oula Palve. Palve initially signed a one-year deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins this summer, finally making the jump after a career year in the Liiga. However, he never made it to Pittsburgh, recording a paltry eight points through 37 games with AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. The Penguins opted to move him to the Dallas Stars in January for defenseman John Nyberg, after which he recorded just five points through 23 games with AHL Texas. Palve’s time in the minors has indicated that it is unlikely he will make it to the NHL, so the speculation is now that he will return to Europe. Only this time, he is set to sign in the Swedish Hockey League, reports national news source Expressen Sport. Palve is expected to be a hot recruit for SHL teams, with Rogle and Farjestad expected to be the top suitors. At 28, Palve’s first season in North America is likely to be his last, especially if he signs a long-term deal in Sweden.

  • Former NHL defenseman Jakub Nakladal is making a career change. Nakladal, 32, spent parts of two seasons in the NHL with the Calgary Flames and Carolina Hurricanes and was considered by some to be underappreciated in his time. Nakladal joined the KHL’s Lokomotiv Yaroslavl midway through the 2016-17 campaign and has been one of their top defensemen ever since. He also shined at the 2018 Olympic Games with the Czech Republic. Despite this success, Nakladal has decided to return home to continue his playing career. Lokomotiv issued a press release thanking the free agent while acknowledging that he has decided to return to the Czech Extraliga, where he last played in 2011-12. There is no indication yet exactly where Nakladal might be headed, but the safe bet is that he will return to HC Pardubice, the organization he grew up in.
  • Over the past few years, American International College has emerged as the star of Atlantic Hockey, which is otherwise the weakest conference in the NCAA. Their leader through this climb has been forward Blake Christensen, who has been nothing if not consistent with 20+ points in each of his four years. Last season, Christensen was a Hobey Baker candidate with 47 points in 41 games. Now that his college career is over, Christensen will look to prove that he can continue to produce in the pros despite what some may think about his Atlantic competition over the past four years. The AHL’s Bakersfield Condors will give him that chance, announcing a one-year deal for the undersized but skilled winger. Christensen could be an intriguing player to watch next season in the minors.

Snapshots: NHL Draft, Ovechkin, Crosby, Guentzel

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Yesterday, the NHL postponed the 2020 NHL Draft, which had been set to take place in Montreal on June 26-27. The league did not however indicate what the plan was to make up the event, which must occur in some form or fashion prior to the 2020-21 season. However, Pierre LeBrun writes for The Athletic that there are three possible solutions for the draft make-up. The least likely would be that the draft is simply postponed to a later date and takes place in Montreal as initially planned. LeBrun does not believe that a full draft, complete with teams, prospects, and fans alike in attendance, is a realistic option. Slightly more likely would be a scaled-down version, which LeBrun compares to the post-lockout draft in 2005, that still takes place in Montreal but with far less fanfare, but even this seems unlikely. The outcome most see occurring, falling in line with what junior leagues have decided for their own drafts, would be a virtual NHL Draft, wherein teams make their picks live from their individual war rooms. LeBrun mentions the possibility of a centralized location, in Montreal or elsewhere, with team reps and top prospects in attendance to react to the virtual selections.

If the draft does move to a virtual format, LeBrun reports that the league has promised Montreal that they will receive either the 2021 or 2022 NHL Draft. He adds that the NHL may even consider combining the NHL Entry Draft and NHL Expansion Draft into one week-long event in Montreal next summer. Given the rabid fan base of the city, it would be as good a location as any – barring Seattle itself maybe – to hold the Expansion Draft. If Montreal were to lose the draft this year only to gain two drafts next year, that would be quite the consolation prize.

  • Count arguably the two biggest names in hockey as supporters of calling the regular season and jumping right into the playoffs. On a conference call today among representatives of each of the Metropolitan Division teams, Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby and Washington’s Alex Ovechkin lobbied for the NHL to skip the remaining regular season games and resume play with the first round of the postseason, in whatever format they choose. Crosby opined that playing as many regular season games as possible would be best for the integrity of the season, but he “wouldn’t mind starting right at the playoffs.” Ovechkin was more direct, saying that he is “bored” with the league’s current pause and that his Capitals “don’t want to play those extra games” and would “rather start the playoffs right away.” Unsurprisingly, Carolina’s Jordan Staal, whose Hurricanes are safely in the postseason right now, agrees with Ovechkin and Crosby, while brother Marc Staal of the New York Rangers, who were hot before the league postponed its action, would rather resume the regular season in hopes of getting in. Curiously though, Columbus’ Nick Foligno, whose Blue Jackets would be in the standard playoff structure by total points but not by points percentage, the likely determinant of qualification, supported a jump right to the postseason, while the New York Islanders’ Anders Lee, whose team is in the opposite situation, preferred to finish the regular season. Opinions are sure to change based on the length of the league’s pause, the options for returning to action, and the potential format of postseason play, but for now there is major support behind surrendering the regular season in favor of an immediate postseason of some sort.
  • There are few NHL stakeholders who are benefiting from the current indefinite break in action. One of the only exceptions is Crosby’s teammate, Jake Guentzel. Guentzel suffered a shoulder injury in late December and was given a four-to-six-month recovery window following surgery. In a normal league year, that likely meant that Guentzel would be lucky to play again this season, only able to return for the playoffs, and almost certainly wouldn’t be able to get back to full strength. However, given the delay of the current pause, the status quo has shifted. Chris Adamski of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review relays word from GM Jim Rutherford that Guentzel’s rehab is going well and the team is optimistic that he will play again if the season resumes. Especially considering the strong likelihood that the NHL will need a mini training camp for teams to get back to game speed, Guentzel may even be back at full strength before a potential resumption of the regular season or start of the postseason in June or July. Guentzel recorded 43 points in 39 games playing with an injury-depleted forward corps prior to his own injury and would be a major asset for the Penguins, who would be the No. 3 seed in the Metropolitan Division if the playoffs began based on the current standings.

Maple Leafs Likely To Have Greater Cap Issues Due To Cononavirus

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The Toronto Maple Leafs knew they would have some issues with their cap for many years in the future when they signed John Tavares to a seven-year, $77MM ($11MM AAV) contract and then locked up their three future star forwards (Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander) to a combined $29.5MM per season.

General manager Kyle Dubas was already hard-pressed last year when he was forced to send a first-round pick to Carolina to get rid of Patrick Marleau’s final year of his contract. The team also sent off popular center Nazem Kadri to Colorado in hopes of adding some much-needed defense. The team already knew it was going to have to make some tough decisions this offseason even with estimates that the salary cap could increase from $81.5 to anywhere from $84-88.2MM. However, the Maple Leafs’ cap situation may have gotten worse, according to Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun, who writes that with the financial impact that is expected to hit the NHL, that salary cap could flatline and remain at $81.5MM next season.

If that’s the case, then the Toronto Maple Leafs plans may require some major changes as they currently have $77MM committed to just 17 players with a number of restricted free agents they must deal with, including Ilya Mikheyev, Travis Dermott, Denis Malgin and Frederik Gauthier. Both Mikheyev and Dermott each should get significant raises, while the team will want to being back Gauthier. Malgin is a different question. On the unrestricted free agent market, the team was likely going to let Tyson Barrie and Cody Ceci walk anyway, there would be no room to keep either one if they wanted to bring one back. The team must also find some room for Jason Spezza and Kyle Clifford, who have become valued veterans.

With so much salary, the scribe believes that Dubas will guaranteed be forced to trade at least one of their younger top-six forwards, including Kasperi Kapanen ($3.2MM AAV), Andreas Johnsson ($3.4MM) or Alexander Kerfoot ($3.5MM), each of which make more a significant amount of money and likely could bring back a significant package of cheap roster players.

Of course, much of that is dependent on what happens in the next few weeks/months, but the more time that passes is likely worse in Toronto. Throw in the fact that the team must also deal with Frederik Andersen’s contract in two years and they have even more trouble ahead.

Cam Lee Signs With Pittsburgh Penguins

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The season may be suspended, but it’s not a vacation for NHL front offices. The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed college free agent Cam Lee to a two-year, entry-level contract that will kick in for the 2020-21 season. Penguins’ GM Jim Rutherford released a statement on the signing:

Cam is a good-skating, offensive-minded defenseman that fits the current style of play in today’s NHL. This signing adds more young depth at defense for us. We’re excited to have Cam as a member of the Penguins organization.

PuckPedia reports that the deal will carry a $925K average annual value and includes up to $425K in performance bonuses for the 2021-22 season.

Lee recently finished his senior season at Western Michigan University, where he recorded 85 points in 137 games. The 23-year old is actually the nephew of former goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere and has been on NHL radars for quite some time. Lee had previously attended development camp with the Montreal Canadiens and represents another potential addition to the Penguins defense corps, one that has been rebuilt almost entirely through trades or free agency.

This is also just the latest example in a long history of the Penguins combing the college free agent ranks, which also led them to Drew O’Connor just a week ago. For a team that is always trading away draft picks to compete for the Stanley Cup, the college system has become a pipeline of sorts for Rutherford and his staff.

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