Eastern Notes: Williams, Canadiens Trade Options, Pettersson
With the Carolina Hurricanes season over a little quicker than they would have hoped for after a quick four-game sweep in the Eastern Conference champ, there are now a bunch of questions surrounding the Carolina Hurricanes, with one question about what to do with soon-to-be unrestricted free agent Justin Williams.
The veteran captain will turn 38 years old early on in the season next year, but he was a key piece for Carolina’s success, posting 23 goals and 53 points last season as well as four goals and seven points in 15 playoff games. The News & Observer’s Chip Alexander writes that after signing a two-year deal at $4.5MM turned out great for Carolina two years ago and believes that Williams would be willing to come back on a one-year deal at roughly the same price.
“I know how much he’s put into this and I know there’s only so much gas in the tank, Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “I’m going to make sure he takes a couple of months before he makes a decision.”
- Eric Engels of Sportsnet writes that with the top two free agent defensemen that Montreal Canadiens’ Marc Bergevin can add this offseason in Jake Gardiner and Alexander Edler (both of whom may not be worth the money it would take to sign them), the Canadiens might have to solve their need for a top-four defensemen via trade. The scribe suggests the team might have to move some of their top young prospects to improve its blueline and might have to consider moving either Nick Suzuki, Ryan Poehling, Cayden Primeau, Jesse Ylonen or Alex Romanov for help. One idea would be to try to pry Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere away with one of those top prospects as the 26-year-old could be moved to add more long-term help. Gostisbehere might immediately upgrade a defense which still needs help on their top-four. The scribe adds that Florida’s Mike Matheson could also be a candidate if the Panthers need to move out some salary to sign top free agents, which is expected.
- TribLive’s Jonathan Bombulie writes that with Jake Guentzel‘s new contract kicking in this season as his salary goes from $925K to $6MM next season, the team must be real careful in their negotiations with their five restricted free agents. The team expects that defenseman Marcus Pettersson should walk away with the biggest raise, as the team projects that Pettersson’s salary should increase from $794K to somewhere under $2MM per season. The 23-year-old defenseman established himself in Pittsburgh’s crowded defense after the Penguins acquired him in December for forward Daniel Sprong. Pettersson had two goals and 19 points in 57 games in Pittsburgh and had a plus-13 ratio on the ice.
Eastern Notes: Canadiens, Armia, Capitals’ Defense, Kadri
After a couple of down years, the Montreal Canadiens had a much more respectable season last year and with things looking up, general manager Marc Bergevin is going to want to add to his team. With close to $10MM to spend this year, the team could consider going after big-name free agents.
However, Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette writes that a second option would be for the Canadiens to go after Toronto Maple Leafs’ Mitch Marner. While offer sheets in the NHL are quite rare, that could change this offseason with so many intriguing restricted free agents out there. The team could conceivably sign Marner to an offer sheet and if the Canadiens offer a deal between $8.54MM to $10.56MM, and successfully pry him away from Toronto, the compensation would be reasonable in two first-round picks, a second-rounder and a third-rounder.
Even if Toronto matches any offer sheet, the Canadiens will have still accomplished quite a bit as the rival franchise is currently struggling with salary cap issues and a big offer would only hamper general manager Kyle Dubas‘ long-term plans.
- Sticking with the Canadiens, while one of the main reasons that the Montreal Canadiens took Joel Armia in the Steve Mason deal was that Armia was from the same hometown in Finland as last year’s top pick Jesperi Kotkaniemi. Armia has been significant in helping Kotkaniemi to transition to North America. However, while Armia’s numbers have been solid when playing next to Kotkaniemi on the ice, his numbers when playing without him haven’t been that good. The Athletic’s Marc Dupont (subscription required) writes the team needs to be cautious about signing Armia, who hits restricted free agency this summer, to a long-term contract. Armia, who tallied 13 goals as a third-liner, and probably should be signed to a short-term deal to assess for now.
- The Washington Capitals didn’t get back to the Stanley Cup Finals liked they hoped and with continuous salary cap issues to deal with, there is a good chance the Capitals’ blueline will have to be reconstructed, according to the Washington Post’s Isabelle Khurshudyan. The scribe writes that the team might be ready to move on from veteran defenseman Matt Niskanen, after the team acquired Nick Jensen at the trade deadline. Jensen is four years younger than Niskanen and has the same skillset. The team is also expected to move on from Brooks Orpik, giving more opportunity to the team’s young defensive prospects it has been amassing over the last couple of years, including Jonas Siegenthaler, Lucas Johansen, Alex Alexeyev, Connor Hobbs, Colby Williams and Tyler Lewington.
- Sam Carchidi of Philly.com writes that the Philadelphia Flyers are going to want to make some type of splash to add a big-name player either through free agency or via trade. While throwing out names like Matt Duchene and Kevin Hayes are one option, the scribe suggests that the Flyers should consider trading for Toronto Maple Leafs’ Nazem Kadri, who is coming off a career-low 16 goals. With Toronto management down on him somewhat, the Flyers could get a steal of a deal as the center has three years on his deal at a reasonable $4.5MM AAV. Kadri would make an excellent second-line center, who could slide back to the third line once Nolan Patrick is ready to move up.
Snapshots: Karlsson, Kessel, Riveters
The San Jose Sharks are focused on a potential Stanley Cup appearance this season, but in a few weeks will have some hard decisions to make about their roster. One of those is whether they can retain pending unrestricted free agent Erik Karlsson, something that Chris Johnston of Sportsnet does not believe will be easy. Johnston was on radio today and gave his thoughts on the star defenseman’s situation:
I still think Erik Karlsson is going to be this year’s John Tavares. I think he’s setting up camp—in his case his agents are based outside of Toronto at Newport Sports—and taking a few suitors, getting wooed and seeing what’s out there. I think that he’s going to leverage the market and really make a life decision for himself. I’d be surprised if he’s back in San Jose, though the caveat I think I mentioned the other night was that I don’t know if this Cup [run] has somehow changed his mind and he’s fallen in love with the place. I think it’s been tough on his family, being there with his wife being from Ottawa and some of the things that have gone on with them.
Johnston goes on to suggest that the New York Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning will both be contenders for Karlsson’s services, though it would obviously need plenty of work on the latter’s behalf to fit him into their cap situation. Karlsson was expected to get a Drew Doughty-like contract previously, but his injury history may now affect to what lengths teams are willing to go. The 28-year old has 15 points in 17 games these playoffs while averaging more than 25 minutes of ice time a night for the Sharks.
- Another star player who could be potentially on the move this summer is Phil Kessel, who debuts at the very top of Frank Seravalli’s summer Trade Bait board for TSN. Kessel was still extremely productive this season with 82 points in 82 games and led the league with ten game-winning goals, but would seem to be the first one out the door if Penguins GM Jim Rutherford really wants to shake things up this offseason. The 32-year old has three years remaining on his contract but carries just a $6.8MM cap hit thanks to the salary the Toronto Maple Leafs are still retaining.
- Another blow was struck to the NWHL today, as Emily Kaplan of ESPN reports the New Jersey Devils are dissolving their partnership with the Metropolitan Riveters. Kaplan notes that the Riveters will remain a team for now, but will have to find a new place to play. This is just the latest in what has been a disastrous few weeks for the NWHL, starting with more than 200 of the top players in the world announcing a boycott of women’s hockey. Kim and Terry Pegula, owners of the Buffalo Sabres, also recently turned control of the Buffalo Beauts over to the league, ending their run as the only privately owned and operated team in the league.
Pittsburgh Penguins Sign Kasper Bjorkqvist
The Pittsburgh Penguins have convinced Kasper Bjorkqvist to forego his senior season at Providence College and join the professional ranks. The 21-year old forward has signed a two-year entry-level contract, ending his NCAA career. Pittsburgh assistant GM Bill Guerin released a statement on the organization’s newest player:
Kasper was able to produce in big games throughout his college career, and he was fortunate to play in a lot of them. Playing for an outstanding program in Providence allowed him to go far in the NCAA Tournament each season, so he received a lot of great experience.
We were very happy with the steady progression in Kasper’s production. I know Kasper expected that improvement in his personal numbers each season. He is also a very disciplined hockey player who plays a very team-oriented game.
Bjorkqvist comes to the Penguins as a polished two-way player after three years with Providence, his North American destination following a junior hockey career in Finland. The hard working forward finished with 17 goals and 30 points in his most recent season, but still brings some question marks offensively. Those questions don’t extend to his defensive game however, where he should provide a stabilizing presence for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton or even Pittsburgh in due time.
The college market has been good to the Penguins in recent years, and Bjorkqvist should be the latest product to help the NHL team eventually. Selected 61st overall in 2016 he may not have the highest ceiling but could offer some inexpensive depth for a club looking to make some major changes this summer.
Snapshots: WHL, Keefe, Montour
The Prince Albert Raiders have won the WHL Championship, meaning they will be the final entrant into the 2019 Memorial Cup. They’ll face off against the Guelph Storm, Rouyn-Noranda Huskies and Halifax Mooseheads starting on Friday evening. The Raiders defeated the Vancouver Giants in overtime last night to take home the league title, their second in franchise history. While goaltender Ian Scott and forward Brett Leason were huge parts of the Raiders’ run and deserve praise, special attention should be placed on Vancouver star Bowen Byram, the draft-eligible defenseman who could potentially go third overall this June.
Byram was the first defenseman to ever lead the WHL in playoff scoring, tallying 26 points in 22 games for the Giants. The 17-year old had 71 points in the regular season and is the best available defenseman in this year’s draft class. His quick puck movement and elusiveness at both ends of the rink are stunning for a player of his age, and it will be up to the Chicago Blackhawks to decide whether they want to spend another high pick on a defenseman this year or let him slip to the Colorado Avalanche—who already have some impressive young players on the blue line themselves.
- Sheldon Keefe has been suggested as a potential head coach for the last few seasons as he finds success with the Toronto Marlies of the AHL, but as Luke Fox of Sportsnet writes he isn’t necessarily in a hurry to leave his minor league position. Keefe has a long history with Toronto Maple Leafs’ GM Kyle Dubas going back to their days with Sault Ste. Marie of the OHL, and could potentially be the replacement for Mike Babcock if the opportunity ever presents itself. That won’t be this season, as Dubas has already confirmed that Babcock will be back behind the Maple Leafs bench in 2019-20, but Keefe likely won’t wait around in the minor leagues forever.
- Brandon Montour was forced from Canada’s last game at the IIHF World Championship, and Darren Dreger of TSN reports that the defenseman has a lower-body injury. If Montour is unable to continue in the tournament, the Canadians will have just six healthy defensemen—and even that is assuming that Dante Fabbro can play after taking a puck to the face and leaving the game—meaning there very well could be an addition in the coming days. Canada has one additional roster spot available, and Dreger reports that they’ve circled back on some names that may have turned them down initially.
Coaching Updates: Buffalo, Edmonton, Toronto
As usual, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet has produced another edition of “31 Thoughts” that is chock full of insider information. With the postseason ongoing and free agency yet to begin (officially anyway), a considerable focus this week is on head coaching vacancies. And the coaching news is coming in fast. Less than 24 hours after initially naming Ralph Krueger as a candidate for the vacancy with the Buffalo Sabres, Friedman writes that he is now considered the favorite. The former Edmonton Oilers head coach, and most recently soccer executive, has ties to GM Jason Botterill and has the experience that the Sabres reportedly seek. Friedman also believes that Pittsburgh Penguins assistant Jacques Martin is out of the running for the Buffalo job, which may have moved Krueger up the board. He also adds that Tampa Bay Lightning assistant Todd Richards is no longer being considered.
- Long-time NHL head coach Dave Tippett is still a candidate in Buffalo, but Friedman believes that he has become the favorite in Edmonton and is more likely to take over as the Oilers’ head coach. Tippett has been working with the Seattle expansion team ownership group of late, but has been itching to get back to coaching. In 14 years of coaching, Tippett finished above .500 11 times and made the playoffs eight times. That alone is a major step up for Edmonton, who have done neither of those things in nine of the past ten years. Joining Tippett in Edmonton as an assistant could be recent Florida Panthers head coach Bob Boughner, Friedman adds. By many accounts Boughner was fired not due to his own performance, but due to Joel Quenneville‘s availability, so he would be a major addition as well.
- The Toronto Maple Leafs may not need to worry about losing highly-touted AHL head coach Sheldon Keefe. Keefe’s name has been relatively quiet on the coaching market thus far, but that could be due to the fact that Friedman believes he is unwilling to leave Toronto unless there is a better chance for him to succeed. Keefe could be in line to replace Mike Babcock as Leafs head coach when his contract ends (or sooner) and step into a talented Toronto lineup. However, assistant D.J. Smith remains a candidate in Ottawa and fellow assistant Jim Hiller has been granted permission to interview elsewhere, Friedman reports. Friedman does not expect Hiller to be back in Toronto next season and mentions the Nashville Predators as a potential landing spot. Hiller’s power play expertise could certainly help a Predator’s man advantage that was the worst in the NHL this season. The potential loss of both Smith and Hiller would hurt for the Maple Leafs and could force them to move Keefe to the NHL as an assistant.
- Friedman has no news about the vacancies in Ottawa and Anaheim. As it stands now, the Senators are considering Smith, Martin, Dallas Stars assistant Rick Bowness, Providence College’s Nate Leaman, and internal candidates Troy Mann and Marc Crawford. As for the Ducks, it appears to be Dallas Eakins, whose AHL San Diego Gulls are still alive in the Calder Cup playoffs, or bust.
Eastern Notes: Chabot, Vrana, Maenalanen, Maatta
The Ottawa Senators may have benefited long-term from trading off its expected big-name free agents at the trade deadline, but the franchise must still answer to its fans. With a number of young players on their roster, the team must prove to their fan base that it has no intention of just trading away all of their players once their contracts come up. There are rumblings that suggest the Senators are ready to commit to one such player, as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman writes in his “31 Thoughts” column that the Senators are going to attempt to lock up defensive cornerstone Thomas Chabot to a long-term extension. Chabot, who broke out with a big season in his sophomore year with 14 goals and 55 points in 70 games, would be the ideal signing for the organization to prove to its fans that they intend to compete in the future.
Friedman also writes that owner Eugene Melnyk has been humbled by his lack of success in finding a President of Hockey Operations with top candidates showing no interest to the point of refusing to even meet with the team. The hope is that Melnyk will now find a way to please the fans by rewarding one of their young players. Chabot is the most likely fit as he will be eligible for an extension on July 1 as he is entering the final year of his entry-level contract. Perhaps the move will also turn around the team’s presidential search.
- NBC Sports Brian McNally writes that while the team was thrilled that 23-year-old Jakub Vrana put up 24 goals and finally broke out as a consistent top-six winger, the team now has to pay for him. Vrana, who becomes a restricted free agent this summer, could look to sign a long-term deal as a young piece to a veteran team or opt to sign a bridge deal that could take him towards unrestricted free agency in a few years. Of course, Vrana struggled in the playoffs which could count against him, as he didn’t register a point during the team’s seven-game series to the Carolina Hurricanes. We’ll have some decisions to make,” general manager Brian MacLellan said. “We’ll find out which direction we’re going on Vrana with a term deal or a bridge deal. Some of it is money decisions. Some of it’s we need to make a couple changes.”
- The Carolina Hurricanes are ready for Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals with the Boston Bruins and while there will be no lineup changes, News & Observer’s Luke DeCock writes that the team still hopes that forward Saku Maenalanen, who has been out since Apr. 28 after having surgery on his hand, could return to the team soon as he practiced with the team Saturday in a non-contact jersey. The surgery was expected him to miss 10 to 14 days, which has already passed. While he’s tallied just one assist throughout the playoffs, the 6-foot-4 winger had given the team a physical element that it needed. The team hopes he might return later in this series
- Jonathan Bombulie of TribLive writes that while it will be Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford job to move out some defensemen, figuring out which defensemen to move could be more challenging that most might think. Looking at Olli Maatta, who is coming off a poor season, the scribe writes that while he struggled when on the ice with bottom-line centers like Derick Brassard, but was more even-keel when Evgeni Malkin was on the ice, while he was solid when playing with Sidney Crosby, suggesting that the problem may not totally fall on the team’s defense.
Atlantic Notes: Toronto’s Penalty Kill, Canadiens, Ristolainen, Acciari
Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas took the blame for many things that went wrong this year at his season-ending press conference, the most interesting of which is the team’s struggle with the penalty kill, which stopped the Boston Bruins’ power play just nine out of 16 times during the playoffs. Dubas admitted he should have had more depth. While the coaching staff should be blamed as well, Sportsnet’s Luke Fox suggests ways to fix that penalty kill for next season.
The top suggestion is that the team must use real centers to take faceoffs during the penalty kill as winger Zach Hyman took the most faceoffs last season, going 69-72, while star John Tavares took just 29 faceoffs on the penalty kill and was the 12th-most used player on the penalty kill. The team must also add some depth to this team that could lose quite a few key penalty killers whether it’s Connor Brown, who is considered trade bait; Ron Hainsey, who will be an unrestricted free agent; or Travis Dermott, who will miss six months after shoulder surgery, the team must add players who can help their penalty kill.
- One Atlantic Division challenger to the Maple Leafs could be in the running for one of their unrestricted free agents, as The Athletic’s Olivier Bouchard (subscription required) believes that the Montreal Canadiens should go after unrestricted free agent Jake Gardiner. The scribe points out that when the dust clears, Montreal general manager Marc Bergevin should have close to $11MM at his disposal and with defense being one of the team’s biggest need, Gardiner might be the perfect addition as the blueliner should be able to force defenseman Brett Kulak to a bottom-pairing role.
- Lance Lysowski of the Buffalo News writes that while the Buffalo Sabres have considered the possibility of trading defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen for a top-six forward, he believes that would be a mistake, claiming that rather than hiding his defensive weaknesses, the team keeps placing him in a role that doesn’t suit him, which is attempting to shutdown the opposing team’s players. Ristolainen, who finished the season with a NHL-worst rating of minus-41, has often been paired with defensive deficient players like Marco Scandella and Jake McCabe, while he also struggled inexplicably when paired with Rasmus Dahlin. Regardless, a new coach that can utilize Ristolainen properly might get the most out of him rather than the Sabres watch him flourish with another team.
- Joe Haggerty of NBC Sports writes that Boston Bruins forward Noel Acciari has returned to practice and while he’s not expected to play in Game 2 on Sunday against the Carolina Huricanes, he could be ready for Game 3 in Carolina. Acciari, practiced in a non-contact jersey Saturday for the first time after missing the last three playoff games with an upper-body injury. “[Acciari] won’t play tomorrow,” said Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy. “He’s doing well. He should be a full practice [participant] for Monday. We’ll see what we’re doing [as a team] that day, but he’ll be ready whatever the case may be. Hopefully, that allows him to play Tuesday and then we’ll make our decision then.”
John Tavares Out One Month With Oblique Strain
It’s already been a difficult off-season on the injury front for the Toronto Maple Leafs, who will likely not have Zach Hyman and Travis Dermott when the 2019-20 season begins following recent surgeries. So, when it was announced on Thursday that star John Tavares had suffered an injury and was forced to abandon Team Canada and the IIHF World Championships, Toronto fans were understandably worried that the team could be down another man long-term. However, that won’t be the case. The Leafs followed up on the news with an update today that Tavares suffered an oblique injury and will be out approximately one month, after which he is expected to resume his normal off-season training program.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman echoes the Leafs’ announcement, reporting that the he has heard it was an oblique strain that will require a rehab period of about four weeks. However, Friedman adds that after four weeks it is likely that Tavares will have made a “full recovery”. While the injury may cut into his preparation for next season somewhat, Tavares should be back on track by mid-June at the latest and will have more than two full months of his regular training regiment. As such, there is no concern that Tavares will be feeling any ill effects of the oblique strain by the time training camp rolls around and barring another injury will be at full strength to begin the year.
Tavares, who notched a career-high 47 goals this season while playing in every game for Toronto, is obviously a key part of a successful 2019-20 campaign for the team. However, his full health and maximum effort may be even more important next season. Beyond the injuries to Hyman and Dermott, a knee and shoulder respectively, that will keep them out likely through at least the first month of the season, several other departures could be in store for the Maple Leafs this summer. Mitch Marner, the only Leaf to outscore Tavares this season, Kasperi Kapanen, and Andreas Johnsson are all restricted free agents and Toronto will find it next to impossible to re-sign all three without trading away another core forward. The defense is also set to undergo an overhaul this summer, whether it works in their favor or not. One way or another, there will be slack to pick up next season and a healthy Tavares and his elite two-way game will go a long way to getting off to a good start.
Pittsburgh Penguins Sign Niclas Almari
The Pittsburgh Penguins have officially signed Niclas Almari to a three-year entry-level contract. The 20-year old defenseman has played in Finland’s Liiga for the last several years, but is now expected to come to North America and compete for a spot on the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Assistant GM Bill Guerin released a statement on the signing:
Since we drafted Niclas he has developed exactly how we want our prospects to progress, at a steady incline. Each year, he has continued to get better. When we drafted him, he was playing big minutes for his junior team. Niclas eventually graduated to Finland’s top league, getting his feet wet by playing a secondary role before assuming major minutes for eventual league champion HPK this year.
Now we feel he is ready to come over to North America and contribute. As is the case with any young player that we bring over, we want to manage expectations his first year and put Niclas in a position to succeed.
Almari was a fifth-round pick of the Penguins in 2016, and as Guerin points out has found more and more success each season since. This season he recorded just five points in 42 regular season games, but will leave Finland with a league title under his belt. That playoff experience will be invaluable as he tries to make the jump to the North American professional ranks, a challenge that will test his offensive ceiling. His low point totals in Finland shouldn’t necessarily discount that ability, though in order to reach the NHL he’ll have to at least be able to move the puck quickly and effectively out of his own end.
If Pittsburgh can squeeze some production out of Almari it would be a huge development for their 2016 draft class. No one has yet cracked the NHL from that group, and the one perhaps the closest, goaltending prospect Filip Gustavsson, was traded to the Ottawa Senators last season. The lack of impact draft picks for Pittsburgh over the last several years is a big part of why the team is so active in the college and international free agent markets, but it would be more helpful if they could hit on a few of these mid or late-round selections. Since 2013, Jake Guentzel and Dominik Simon are the only Pittsburgh draft picks to have suited up for at least 100 games with the Penguins. Tristan Jarry, Kasperi Kapanen (who was traded) and Daniel Sprong (also traded) are the only other players to have even played in the NHL.