Penguins Hire Sergei Gonchar As Assistant Coach
- The Pittsburgh Penguins have added another former player to their coaching staff full-time, bringing Sergei Gonchar in as an assistant. Gonchar had already been working as a part-time development coach for the club, but will join Mark Recchi and Jacques Martin as assistants next year. Even after losing Rick Tocchet to the Arizona Coyotes, the Penguins have an extremely experienced staff that should be able to fill the roles quite well. Gonchar, 43, is only a few years removed from an outstanding playing career that saw him suit up for over 1300 games.
Flyers Sign Scott Laughton To Two-Year Extension
The Philadelphia Flyers have agreed to terms on a new deal with an important albeit under-performing depth piece, inking young forward Scott Laughton to a two-year, one-way extension. According to Flyers beat writer Dave Isaac, the contract pays Laughton $875K for 2017-18 and $1.05MM for 2018-19. That comes out to a cap hit of $962.5 for the length of the deal.
Laughton, 23, has been somewhat of an enigmatic player for the Flyers since being drafted 20th overall in the 2012 NHL Draft. Laughton has played in 109 NHL games in his four pro seasons, but skated in just two NHL games last season. Unlike the progression of most young players, Laughton’s role and production increased in the first three years of his career, culminating in a career-best 71 games and 21 points in 2015-16, and then he lost his roster spot entirely last season. Laughton seemed to be developing into a stable bottom six center, but coach Dave Hakstol and the Flyers seemed to quit on him last year. Yet, he has signed a two-year deal that is one-way no less and appears to have his job back.
Even when he was a regular for the Flyers, Laughton was still only given a modest 11 minutes of ice time on average. When sent down to the AHL, Laughton scored at a greater clip, but still nothing overly impressive or anywhere near his junior totals. It’s clear that Laughton is far from the first-round caliber player the Flyers though he was, at least at this point in time. Yet, GM Ron Hextall and company must have a plan for the young center; one that allows him to get NHL ice time and experience while playing in a lineup that has also added well-rounded veteran centers Valtteri Filppula and Jori Lehtera in recent months. Where Laughton thrives is in the two-way checking game and on the penalty kill. If this new contract is going to work out for either side, it seems Laughton will have to embrace his best attributes and dominate as a fourth-line skater and short-hand specialist, or else he could be facing waivers.
Pittsburgh Names Mark Recchi As Assistant Coach
If there was any evidence that the Rick Tocchet-to-Arizona talks had been all but done for a while now, it was that the Penguins announced within minutes of the Coyotes’ official announcement that Mark Recchi would be replacing him as one of Mike Sullivan‘s assistant coaches. Recchi had already been working within the organization the past three years, so his hire was internal and clearly an easy decision for owner and former teammate Mario Lemieux and the Penguins.
Although Recchi has no coaching experience, there is little doubt that he will fit in well on the Penguins’ staff. Recchi will take over Tocchet’s exact same duties: working with the forwards and power play units. The recently-named Hockey Hall of Fame inductee knows those two areas as well as anyone. Recchi is a member of two elite NHL clubs, having scored over 500 goals and 1500 points in his career. 200 of those goals also came on the power play. An extremely intelligent and versatile player with 22 seasons of NHL experience, as both a top-line scorer and role player, 198 playoff games and Stanley Cups with three different teams, Recchi is one of the most knowledgeable people in hockey. While he hasn’t spent any time coaching, that’s also due to the fact that he played right up until the age of 42 in 2010-11, walking away after helping the Boston Bruins to a Stanley Cup. The perks of playing that long is that Recchi can both relate to the Penguins’ aging veterans, having been one himself, as well as their young players, having skated alongside the likes of Brad Marchand and Tyler Seguin just over six years ago.
A fun fact about this announcement is that it is not the first time that Tocchet has been traded for Recchi. However, the first time it was Pittsburgh losing Recchi and gaining Tocchet. After leading the Penguins in scoring, and to a title, in 1990-91, young Recchi was traded at the 1992 Trade Deadline to the Philadelphia Flyers alongside Brian Benning and a first-round pick for Tocchet, who was in his prime at the time, Kjell Samuelsson, Ken Wregget, and a third-round pick. Recchi went on to have the better playing career, but we’ll have to wait and see which guy ends up on top in their coaching career. Tocchet certainly has a leg up, already on his second head coaching gig, but if Recchi stands for anything, it’s don’t count out the little guy.
Rick Tocchet Set To Become Next Head Coach Of Arizona Coyotes
UPDATE (7/11): The Coyotes have made it official. Tocchet has signed a multi-year contract to become the 18th head coach in franchise history.
7/6: After Darren Dreger of TSN tweeted a connection between the Arizona Coyotes and Pittsburgh Penguins assistant coach Rick Tocchet this morning, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet now reports that the two sides are working on a four-year deal to bring him in as the next head coach of the team. 
With the team recently moving on from long-time head coach Dave Tippett, they moved quickly to fill the vacancy. Tocchet has strong ties to the Coyotes, having played for them for three years as an assistant captain, and even worked as an assistant coach in the past alongside Wayne Gretzky.
Of course, Tocchet’s time with the the Coyotes was marred by a legal scandal that eventually ended with him pleading guilty to conspiracy and promoting gambling. He was sentenced to two years of probation and was banned from hockey for a time.
With that behind him, Tocchet returned to hockey and was eventually installed as the head coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning after a mid-season firing of Barry Melrose. Tocchet would last just one more full season with the team before seeing the door himself, only to have to wait several years before getting another job with the Penguins in 2014.
For the past three seasons he’s worked with Mike Johnston and Mike Sullivan in Pittsburgh, winning the Stanley Cup in back to back years. He’ll now get a chance to bring a disappointing team back to grace, and try to help save a franchise that has an uncertain future. The Coyotes, led by now sole-owner Andrew Barroway and 28-year old GM John Chayka, have made clear “win now” moves this summer by bringing in Niklas Hjalmarsson, Derek Stepan and Antti Raanta. Moving on from their old guard, this season represents a chance in philosophy and expectations.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Penguins Sign Defenseman Kevin Czuczman
Last off-season, the Pittsburgh Penguins went on a signing spree, inking a whole bunch of defenseman with even the slightest NHL experience to two-way deals in hopes that bolstering their defensive depth would pay off. The 2016 names included Chad Ruhwedel, Cameron Gaunce, Steve Oleksy, David Warsofsky, Stuart Percy, and Tim Erixon. After a season where their NHL defensive corps suffered injury after injury and the AHL depth was constantly called upon, even earning Ruhwedel a new contract, the Penguins are back at it again this summer. New additions already include Zach Trotman, Jarred Tinordi, Chris Summers, and an extension for Trade Deadline acquisition Frank Corrado as well.
Add another name to the list, as the Penguins announced today that they have signed Kevin Czuczman to a one-year, two-way deal worth the $650K minimum at the NHL level. Czuczman spent the 2016-17 season with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose on a minor league contract, but posted the best scoring numbers of his entire hockey career, with 32 points in 76 games. The former Lake Superior State standout has NHL experience as well, as he signed with the New York Islanders out of college in 2014 and played in 13 games down the stretch with the team, recording two points. Since, Czuczman bounced around the Islanders’ minor league affiliates and then moved to Manitoba, establishing himself as a good defensive defenseman and a locker room leader along the way. Czuczman will provide some solid stay-at-home depth for a team that often lacks that type of player.
Will Czuczman see any NHL action in 2017-18 though? Probably not. The Penguins’ top six of Kris Letang, Brian Dumoulin, Justin Schultz, Olli Maatta, Ian Cole, and newcomer Matt Hunwick is well-established and Ruhwedel has likely earned the #7 spot. Down in Wilkes-Barre, Corrado and Derrick Pouliot will push for roster spots and, assuming they fall short, will certainly be the first call-ups. Trotman, who played in large chunks of the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons with the Boston Bruins, and Tinordi, who was a spot starter for the Montreal Canadiens for years, are then next up on the depth chart. That would make Czuczman approximately 12th on the Pittsburgh organizational depth chart. With all that said, if any team is gonna blow through eleven defenders this season, it’s the injury-prone Penguins. Czuczman chose his new home wisely.
PHR Originals: 7/3/17 – 7/9/17
Here’s a look back at some of the original content from PHR last week.
- Holger writes about how the Rangers may want to figure out how to pay Ryan McDonagh as he’s only a couple years away from free agency. Currently playing for the Rangers at a bargain, McDonagh may be off to another spot should the Blueshirts not have the cap room to pay him.
- What else could a back-to-back champion need in order to three-peat? Brian offers the Penguins scouts the Pens as to what they should be looking for to keep their dynasty running into a third consecutive season.
- Zach wonders if the San Jose Sharks need to make another move to bolster a roster now missing mainstay Patrick Marleau.
- Seth profiled Jaromir Jagr to see what a team would be getting with the 45-year-old who still appears to have a little bit left in the tank.
- Mike showed how many players are still being compensated by their former team who paid them to go away.
- In addition to hosting his weekly chat, Gavin asked our readers which available free agent was the best choice for teams seeking help.
- Finally, I looked to see if both the qualitative and quantitative data really show that the Chicago Blackhawks’ window is closing. Though some of the numbers are harsh, I think that things are not as grim as many want to believe.
PHR Mailbag: Duchene, Kessel, Hurricanes, Bruins
We’ve been taking your off-season inquiries over the weekend in the comments and using #PHRMailbag on Twitter. Here are some questions and answers to ponder:
Conorsoxfan: Is Matt Duchene still going to be moved? What about Landeskog? Are the Avs waiting for the right offer or are they holding on to all their assets for now?
We received several questions about Matt Duchene and for good reason. The Avalanche have been speaking with teams since the Trade Deadline about moving the talented forward and Duchene himself is on record as saying that he is open to a move, but months later he is still in Colorado. It seems that GM Joe Sakic has a very specific (and lofty) return in mind and is hesitant to move Duchene without getting exactly what he wants. That return certainly includes a young, proven defenseman, which is not exactly a commodity that most teams are eager to move. The Columbus Blue Jackets and Carolina Hurricanes seem like they have the best chance of meeting Sakic’s demands, as both teams are loaded with young, NHL-ready defenseman. However, the rumor that Colorado rejected a deal for Travis Hamonic that included Duchene makes you wonder if Sakic is searching for a caliber of player that is simply unavailable. It would be best for Duchene, the Avs, and the rest of the NHL trade market if a deal would get done sooner rather than later, but don’t be surprised if Duchene is still a talking point at the next Trade Deadline.
As for Gabriel Landeskog, rumors of his deaparture have definitely been on the back burner this summer after he too was hot topic at the Trade Deadline. Although the Avalanche are coming off a historically bad season, they seem to be playing it safe with their rebuild. They have not sold off all of their veteran pieces, nor have they operated like a team that’s pushing for a playoff spot. Their only major additions this season are a backup goaltender, Jonathan Bernier, and a low risk-high reward gamble, Nail Yakupov. They got potentially the best player in the draft at #4 overall in defenseman Cale Makar, but he is at least two seasons away from seeing NHL ice time. It seems that Sakic is content with keeping his roster intact and slowly adding in younger players and moving out older pieces. That type of status quo strategy would seem to indicate that Colorado isn’t keen on losing its captain unless the return could truly change the course of the franchise. Especially if Duchene does end up traded, don’t expect Landeskog to follow. He’s likely to remain in Colorado for the time being.
@Wings16Canes13: When and will Pittsburgh trade Kessel? Or does another coach have to go first?
It always seems like there’s some controversy surrounding Phil Kessel. This question alludes to rumors coming out of Pittsburgh that the uber-talented winger and head coach Mike Sullivan don’t see eye-to-eye on many things. Moreover, it’s been said that assistant Rick Tocchet acted as go-between for the two these past two seasons, and with Tocchet likely headed to Arizona as the head coach of the Coyotes, the relationship between Kessel and Sullivan could get worse. However, the Pittsburgh Penguins are also back-to-back Stanley Cup champs, with both Kessel and Sullivan playing major roles in each title. Neither is likely to be on the move any time soon, especially not because they dislike each other. It may not be the most comfortable locker room, but the two will learn to live with each other and any struggles for the Penguins in 2017-18 will be attributed to Stanley Cup hangover, not a feuding coach and player. With that said, Kessel has a $6.8MM cap hit for five more years, which could cause cap trouble down the road for the Penguins, while the team has also shown a willingness to move on from head coaches after just a down season or two. Both Kessel and Sullivan could be gone in a few years, but it’s impossible to know which first and when, only that it’s highly unlikely to be this year.
mikedickinson: Hurricanes are loaded on defense and have three kids who can play in the AHL as well. They aren’t trading any of their top 4. Can they trade from their strength to address a weakness (center)? Also, JVR to Raleigh to play with his brother?
The Carolina Hurricanes boast one of the youngest, deepest, and most talented defensive corps in the entire league. All-Star Justin Faulk leads a group that includes 2015 #5 pick Noah Hanifin, 2012 fourth-rounder Jaccob Slavin, 2013 third-rounder Brett Pesce, 2014 #7 pick Haydn Fleury, 2014 second-rounder Roland McKeown, and now the recently-acquired Trevor van Riemsdyk, not to mention dependable depth defender Klas Dahlbeck and 2016-17 AHL surprise Jake Chelios. There’s also 2016 first-rounder Jake Bean to consider as well, though he remains in juniors. That group has one thing in common: none of them are more than 26 years old. When the Hurricanes acquired van Riemsdyk from the Vegas Golden Knights last month, many felt that the move indicated that Faulk, the team’s top right-shot defenseman, would be on the move. After all, the team has been linked to Matt Duchene as well as others as they try to bring their forward depth up to the same level as their defense. However, GM Ron Francis has stated since that he wants to keep his starters together. It also seems unlikely that he’s keen to move talented teenager Bean, leaving promising, but slowly developing players like Fleury, McKeown, and Chelios as his top trade chips from the blue line. None of those players will get a Duchene or similar-caliber player, but don’t be surprised if the ‘Canes use them to add some depth forwards this off-season or along the way next season. If Francis is posturing, then yes any of Faulk, Hanafin, Slavin, or Pesce could be used to bring in a big fish.
As for James van Riemsdyk, it is an interesting development to have his brother in Carolina, an up-and-coming team (like the Maple Leafs) that’s in need of an impact forward. JVR is entering the final year of his contract and it seems unlikely that Toronto will re-sign him, considering the expensive extensions coming down the line for Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander. The question then becomes whether or not the Leafs are interested in moving him this off-season and whether the Hurricanes are willing to pay the price for his services this year when they can sign him next summer for free. If the Leafs look to deal him, Fleury or McKeown as the centerpieces likely won’t cut it. The Leafs are on the hunt for a top-pair right-shot to pair with Morgan Rielly and Faulk certainly fits the bill, but that’s a high price to pay for an impending free agent. I think you’re on to something with JVR and TVR teaming up in Carolina, but I think it could come at a lower price toward the Trade Deadline or via free agency next off-season.
mpfallon: Will the bruins make some big offseason moves?
This depends on your definition of “big”. Despite rumors that the Bruins have been looking into acquiring a top-four left-handed defenseman and a top-six winger, GM Don Sweeney has also made it clear that he doesn’t want to acquire players that will block Boston’s talented young prospects. College star Anders Bjork, 2015 first-rounder Jake DeBrusk, Peter Cehlarik, who got a taste of the NHL last year, and possibly even Danton Heinen and Jesse Gabrielle will all compete with Frank Vatrano, Matt Beleskey, and recent signing Kenny Agostino for a top-nine spot on the left side, and Ryan Spooner could join the mix if the B’s prefer rookie Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson at third line center. The left wing battle could spill over to the right side as well, where top forward prospect Zach Senyshyn will also look to make the team. On the blue line, Rob O’Gara, Jakub Zboril, and Jeremy Lauzon will all fight for the final spot on the left side, and the recent signing of Paul Postma could indicate that the team is okay with moving Kevan Miller to the left side to free up a spot for Adam McQuaid to continue to be a starter with Postma as the seventh man.
There is more than enough depth in Boston that the Bruins may make no moves for the rest of the off-season. Odds are that they do something, but likely not anything “big”. A trade for a left-shot defenseman, possibly a Nick Holden or Jonathan Ericsson, or the signing of a stopgap winger, like Drew Stafford, Thomas Vanek, or Alex Chiasson seems possible, but anything bigger could be a long shot. So the short answer to your question is no, they won’t make “big off-season moves”. They could make a small, but significant move or two, but chances are a big trade would come closer to the Trade Deadline after they give the kids a shot first.
Leafs’ Cap Woes Not Yet Fatal
Much has been made by the Toronto media in recent months regarding the team’s future cap situation. Currently, they sit at $3.929 MM over the cap ceiling. That issue is relatively unimportant considering the players that will end up on long-term injured reserve, but the sudden pressure of being “in the red” has started to make analysts nervous about the team’s future. The man source of concern surrounds the three star youngsters, Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander, who will all need contracts before 2019-20. The 21 year-old Nylander’s RFA year is 2018-19 so his contract will be the first domino to fall.
Recently, Howard Berger penned an article proposing the necessity of moving on from one of Marner or Nylander due to impending budget restraints, and he ultimately advocated for the movement of the latter. The Toronto Star’s Damien Cox takes a more comprehensive look at the situation, but ultimately comes down with a fatalistic view of the situation – that it can only be rectified by abandoning one of these players in their primes. The author postulates that an approximate “37 percent of Toronto’s payroll” could be sacrificed to just that trio, estimating that the cap will rise only moderately (likely true).
There’s a very solid possibility that Toronto is overvaluing their own players’ worth a tad. There is also the incredible probability that one of the three may have a setback year, at least points-wise, which will bring a contract back down into reasonable territory. Matthews may not even make $10 MM on his first deal, and Marner and Nylander look to be only slightly more valuable collectively contract wise than say, Tyler Johnson and Ondrej Palat. Will the contracts be expensive? Absolutely. But will the three earn $30 MM combined? Not likely.
Ultimately, Toronto has difficult decisions ahead. Cox was correct in his assessment that Toronto is “going for it” now – the Patrick Marleau and depth player signings confirm that the team wants to compete in the short-term. But the long-term prospects probably don’t include sacrificing any of these players. With a combined cap devotion of slightly above 30%, the situation is entirely manageable. The go-to example for star-power, of course, should be the Pittsburgh Penguins who have successfully shuffled accessory pieces out as they begin to become overpaid. Their big three – Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang account for $25.45 MM of the team’s salary, a solid 34.8% of the allowable cap last season. Toronto fans shouldn’t start hitting the panic button, and internally the course ahead financially is likely already plotted. The team will need to find players on cheap contracts and hunt for bargains, while moving out older expensive pieces as the core group matures. Adding Marleau for a third season also wasn’t particularly helpful as 2019-20 will be the tightest fit. That said, Marner and Nylander shouldn’t start packing their bags just yet.
Offseason Keys: Pittsburgh Penguins
While expansion and the beginning of free agency were the early headlines in what will be a busy NHL offseason, there are still several other storylines for each team in the months to come. Here is a closer look at what still lies ahead for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Last offseason, the Penguins were able to keep the bulk of their Stanley Cup winning team together and it paid dividends as they once again took home the title in 2016-17. However, there have already been several changes to the roster as this time the salary cap has necessitated some departures. While some moves have already been made, GM Jim Rutherford still has some work to do. Here are their remaining offseason keys.
Fill Out Their Bottom Six Centers
At first glance, it seems hard to believe that a team that features Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin as their top two centers could have a bit of an issue down the middle. However, the depth they have behind those two is lacking.
This past season, Nick Bonino and Matt Cullen were their third and fourth pivots respectively. Bonino, as expected, left in free agency, inking a four year, $16.4MM deal with the Predators. As for Cullen, he remains a free agent and hasn’t decided if he wants to return for another season. If he does decide to play, the Wild are another team that has already shown an interest in his services.
In terms of internal options, rookie standout Jake Guentzel has spent some time down the middle but he’s probably better served on Crosby’s wing. Carter Rowney played as the fourth center at times last season but at the age of 28, he has yet to establish himself as an NHL regular. Rutherford suggested last weekend that he’s more likely to go the trade route to replace Bonino. As for Cullen, they will probably have to wait for him to decide about his future before they can look to fill that spot.
Re-Sign Dumoulin, Sheary
Of the 28 players that have filed for arbitration and have yet to sign new deals, Pittsburgh has a pair of notable ones in defenseman Brian Dumoulin and winger Conor Sheary. Dumoulin is coming off his bridge deal while Sheary has finished his entry-level contract and both players will be in line for sizable raises.
Dumoulin’s case would be an interesting one if it was to go to arbitration. He doesn’t stand out in terms of the traditional statistics that typically come up in a hearing (he has one goal over the last two regular seasons) but he logged over 20 minutes a game and established himself as a top four player. In each of the last two postseasons, he has seen his role increase even more which will be something his representatives certainly bring up in contract talks. He earned just $800K in each of the last two years which made him one of the better bargains on the back end. That won’t be the case when he signs this next contract.
Sheary signed as an undrafted free agent just two years ago but fit in nicely alongside Crosby in the 2016 postseason and for big chunks of 2016-17. He finished fourth in team scoring (behind their big three up front) with 53 points in 61 games; his 0.87 points per game mark ranks him third best among all restricted free agents league-wide. While playing with Crosby undoubtedly contributed to his success, that type of production is bound to earn him a significant raise over the $667K he made the past two seasons.
Add Winger Depth
If Rutherford does make a trade for a center, there’s a good chance that one of their wingers will be on the move and if that happens, they will likely look to replace the one they deal. Even if that isn’t the case, they could still stand to add a bit more veteran depth on either side.
As things currently stand, the Penguins will be counting on quite a few young players in their bottom six. While it’s nice to have some youngsters in the wings, having at least one veteran in there (a winger version of Cullen, for example) that could move up the lineup in a pinch would be beneficial as a lot of their current options fit best on a fourth line.
Fortunately for the Pens, this is an area where supply typically outweighs demand and they certainly have some marketability in terms of having won two straight titles plus the potential to play with Crosby or Malkin at times. As the offseason progresses, there are typically bargains to be had on the wing on one year deals and assuming that they don’t spend all of their remaining cap space filling the first two keys, they should be well positioned to land one of those bargains as we get closer to training camp.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Pittsburgh Penguins Sign Adam Johnson
After attending their development camp last week, Adam Johnson has earned himself a two-year entry-level contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins. The undrafted center just finished his sophomore season with UMD.
Johnson broke out for his college team this year, scoring 37 points in 42 games for the Bulldogs. Though he’s over-aged and undersized, he stood out at the development camp as a potential addition to the professional ranks. He’ll get that chance now, as the 23-year old will be ticketed for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to start the year.
Before heading to UMD, Johnson dominated the Minnesota highschool ranks and the USHL, but was always overlooked as a relatively small forward without any standout tools. If there is a development system that is a perfect fit for that type of player it’s Pittsburgh, who have had recent success turning undrafted prospects into solid NHL contributors.