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Alex Burrows

Atlantic Notes: Skinner, Henrique, Panthers, Burrows, Korpikoski

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Adam Henrique and Jeff Skinner both ended up in Canada in free agency, joining the Oilers on cheap short-term deals. It was a not entirely unexpected reunion for the former, but the latter was a late addition to the UFA market after getting bought out by the Sabres.

But Edmonton wasn’t the only northern club looking to pounce on their services. The Maple Leafs had demonstrated significant interest in both, especially Skinner, TSN’s Chris Johnston said on SDPN’s “The Chris Johnston Show.” He didn’t say how competitive the offers were compared to the $3MM AAV the duo both landed in Edmonton on two-year and one-year deals, respectively.

In talks with the Leafs, Skinner was told he’d be given a chance at top-line minutes alongside Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, per Johnston. That’s similar to the situation he’ll have in Edmonton, where he’s likely to suit up as their second-line left wing alongside Leon Draisaitl with another free-agent addition, Viktor Arvidsson, on his right flank. It projects to be the best group of secondary scorers the Oilers have iced in the Draisaitl/Connor McDavid era.

While Toronto was active on the back end, adding defensemen Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Jani Hakanpää and Chris Tanev, they’ve made no notable changes to a forward group that averaged a horrid 1.57 goals per game against the Bruins in their first-round loss, other than losing Tyler Bertuzzi to the Blackhawks.

Other updates from the Atlantic:

  • Add the Panthers to the list of teams departing the Bally Sports family of regional sports networks. Much like the Coyotes and Golden Knights last season, they’ll be partnering with Scripps Sports to facilitate the local broadcast of their games next season and beyond, per a team announcement yesterday.
  • The Canadiens won’t have Alexandre Burrows back behind the bench as an assistant coach next season, but he’s not departing the organization. He’s instead been assigned to a player development role at his request, VP of hockey operations Jeff Gorton said yesterday. They’ve also added longtime NHLer Lauri Korpikoski as their player development coach in a Europe-based role. Korpikoski last suited up in the NHL for the Blue Jackets in 2017 but was active overseas up until 2022-23.

Montreal Canadiens Extend Alex Burrows

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The Montreal Canadiens coaching staff is in place for the next several years. After reaching new deals with head coach Dominique Ducharme and assistant Luke Richardson earlier this summer, the team has now announced a three-year extension for Alex Burrows.

Burrows was elevated from the Laval Rocket earlier this year when Ducharme took over as interim head coach, and will now stay on with the group that led the Canadiens all the way to the Stanley Cup Final. In charge of the forwards and powerplay, Burrows actually seemed to be a candidate to take over as head coach of the Rocket this year, before they hired Jean-Francois Houle.

Instead, he’ll stay with the big club, continuing to try and help young players like Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki find their way in the NHL. A veteran of nearly 1,000 NHL games, Burrows can relate to both high-scoring talent and the bottom-six grinders just trying to hold on. He was both during his career, reaching a high of 35 goals while playing with the Sedin twins in Vancouver, while also racking up more than 1,100 penalty minutes as one of the league’s most effective pests.

Alex Burrows Announces Retirement

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The Ottawa Senators bought out the final year of Alex Burrows’ contract recently, and it will unsurprisingly mark the end of his long professional career. Burrows has announced his retirement from playing hockey at the age of 37, ending a 13-year NHL career. Quickly though, the Laval Rocket—the AHL affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens—named Burrows an assistant coach for the upcoming season.

Burrows has had quite the playing career. Undrafted because no one even knew who he was, he didn’t even play in the QMJHL until 19. Fighting his way onto a roster and developing into one of the best players for a Shawinigan team that included Jason Pominville and Zbynek Michalek, he earned himself a chance in the ECHL. It didn’t take long for him to climb the ranks in the minor leagues and eventually break in with the Vancouver Canucks. Just a few seasons into his NHL career he was playing on the top line, and scoring 117 goals over a four-season span between 2008-12. That 35-goal campaign in 2009-10 would never be replicated, but Vancouver fans will never forget his accomplishments in the regular season and contributions in the playoffs.

It wasn’t all success for Burrows though, who was well known for his over-the-line play at times. He racked up 1,134 penalty minutes in his NHL career, and even faced a ten game suspension in the most recent season. He was also involved with an infamous “biting” incident with Patrice Bergeron during the Stanley Cup Finals, though was never suspended for it.

In all, there’s a lot to like for the Canadiens in adding Burrows to their coaching staff. There are few players that had to fight as hard as he did to carve out an NHL career, and those who have were rarely met with his level of success. Who better to teach the young prospects and minor league players what is required to make it at the highest level, though perhaps some of the antics will be left out of those discussions. For Burrows, it is the end of a 913-game NHL career; one that has been among the most interesting and entertaining—one way or another—of his generation.

Alex Burrows Placed On Unconditional Waivers, Buyout Expected

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The Ottawa Senators have admitted their mistake and today placed Alex Burrows on unconditional waivers for the purpose of a buyout. Burrows was acquired from the Vancouver Canucks in 2017 and immediately signed to a two-year contract extension. That extension though came after Burrows’ 35th birthday, meaning the buyout will have no effect on his 2018-19 cap hit. The Senators will still carry his $2.5MM contract on their books, but will be required to pay only two thirds of that amount, spread over the next two seasons.

The Canucks received budding prospect Jonathan Dahlen in the deal, while the Senators were hoping that Burrows experience and feisty on-ice play would help them in a season they felt they could contend for the Stanley Cup. While Burrows did play well down the stretch and the team came within one goal of reaching the Finals, he took a huge step backwards in 2017-18 and registered just 14 points in 71 games. He obviously didn’t have much more to give, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him file retirement papers after the buyout is completed.

It’s a tough move for the Senators to make, but if you forget about the price they paid for him it is one they had to do. The team has several younger players ready to spend some time in the NHL, and Ottawa is desperate to not finish at the bottom of the standings. As much as some believe there is nothing they can do to stop that from happening, GM Pierre Dorion is trying his best to put together a roster that is competitive. They don’t have the benefit of picking early should they finish out of the playoffs, since their first-round selection belongs to the Colorado Avalanche, meaning their goal is development and competitiveness this season. Burrows wasn’t playing a positive impact on either of those things, meaning he needed to be shipped out somehow.

The cap hit won’t really hurt the Senators, as the team has nearly $20MM in room and aren’t expected to come anywhere close to the ceiling this season. Operating on an internal budget, it seems likely that they’ll be closer to the cap floor than its ceiling by the end of the summer.

Alex Burrows Suspended Ten Games

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When Alex Burrows was invited to a in-person hearing with the NHL Department of Player Safety, it became known that the Ottawa Senators forward could be suspended more than five games. While the Senators squared off with the New Jersey Devils last night, Burrows got tangled up with Taylor Hall and seemed to intentionally and maliciously knee Hall in the head repeatedly. Player Safety saw the play the same way and tonight handed down a ten-game suspension for Burrows. Player Safety summed up the altercation as follows:

“In short, for the sole purpose of retribution, Burrows drags an unwilling opponent to the ice, punches him several times, then uses his knee pad to violently inflict more punishment on his opponent’s head… This is a dangerous and unjustifiable attack that runs the risk of severe injury and such plays will not be tolerated by the Department of Player Safety.”

This ten-game ban, more than 12% of the 82-game season and exactly one third of Ottawa’s remaining games, is the longest suspension of the season in the NHL. It’s no surprise that Burrows is the culprit, as the veteran forward has one of the more tarnished reputations in the league when it comes to dirty play. (Remember he bit Patrice Bergeron in the 2011 Stanley Cup Final). In fact, Burrows has already been fined $5,000 earlier this season for roughing, though that’s nothing compared to the $135,000 he is now set to lose.

Burrows does have the right to appeal the suspension, first to commissioner Gary Bettman and then to a neutral arbitrator, but such challenges are rare in the NHL and even more so is unlikely to be successful, given the clear graphic nature of the offense. Burrows will have to sit for ten game, unable to return to the Ottawa lineup until March. For the bottom-dwelling Senators, Burrow’s absence won’t mean the difference between making the playoffs or not. However, it does make last year’s trade, in which the Sens gave up promising prospect Jonathan Dahlen, that much harder to swallow.

 

Alex Burrows Waives Right To In-Person Hearing

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Alex Burrows had been offered an in-person hearing with the Department of Player Safety to defend his actions in last night’s Ottawa-New Jersey game, but has decided to decline that option and instead will speak over the phone. Because they offered him the in-person meeting, the NHL retains the right to suspend Burrows for more than five games.

Burrows was involved in an incident in front of the Ottawa net last night when he was tangled up with Taylor Hall. When the two players ended up on the ice, Burrows seemed to try and land blows with his knee to Hall’s head.

The 36-year old forward has been suspended and fine by the league before, and has a reputation of playing close to the line of legality. The telephone hearing will be held this afternoon.

Looking Ahead To 35+ Contract Situations

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In the NHL, signing players after they turn 35-years old comes with some added restrictions and capabilities. For one, those players are now eligible for one-year contracts that include performance bonuses, a way to mitigate risk for the team while still providing opportunities for previously successful players. The big restriction though, is that the cap hit of any contract signed after 35 will stay on the books regardless of what happens with the player. Whether their bought out or retire, the team will still face the full cap hit for the entire length of the deal.

This year, we saw Colorado swallow their pride and buy out Francois Beauchemin even with this extra clause, and they will face the full $4.5MM cap hit this season. Mike Cammalleri, who is now 35 himself and was similarly bought out will not fall under this rule because he signed his contract several years ago. Only if the contract is signed after 35 does it come into effect.

With that clear, let’s look at some of the players who will be under contract for the 2018-19 season and could potentially cause their teams a cap hit without actually playing for them. Here are all the 35+ contracts that will still be active after the coming season.

Patrick Marleau – Toronto Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs signed Patrick Marleau to a three-year, $18.75MM contract this offseason and took a substantial risk in doing so. Marleau turns 38 before the season starts, and though he has been known to keep his body in great shape throughout his career is clearly on the regular downward trajectory every player experiences. The Maple Leafs did an interesting thing to reduce some of their risk however, by front-loading Marleau’s contract and paying nearly the whole thing out in signing bonuses. Patrick Marleau

On July 2nd 2019, a few months before the final season of the contract begins, Marleau will have just $1.25MM left owed to him. Though he’ll be 41 for that season, and still carrying a $6.25MM cap hit, he’ll be a near-free option for a team struggling to hit the cap floor. That’s assuming he’s not still effective and the Maple Leafs want to keep him around, though they will be paying their young players like Auston Matthews a good chunk of the cap and may need the room. Marleau does have a no-movement clause, but if he’s set on retiring anyway it likely wouldn’t matter to him if his contract was traded.

Justin Williams – Carolina Hurricanes

Williams signed a two-year deal with the Hurricanes to return to the place he won his first Stanley Cup, and he comes with very little risk for the club in terms of retirement. Still a very effective scoring option, last season Williams actually registered his highest goal total since his days in Carolina a decade ago. It’s hard to see how he would fall so far in 2017-18 to make him think retirement was the only option.

That said, there is always a chance that a 35+ player could fall off a cliff production wise or just reach a point in his life that he wants to move on from hockey. If he did that next summer, the Hurricanes would be on the hook for a $4.5MM cap hit with no player to show for it. Luckily, the Hurricanes are one of those cap floor teams and an empty hit like that would pose no issue to their salary structure. They’d rather have an effective Williams in the lineup, but this deal came with almost no risk.

Ron HainseyRon Hainsey – Toronto Maple Leafs

Here come the Maple Leafs again, who handed out two multi-year deals to 35+ players this offseason. Hainsey comes fresh off a Stanley Cup victory with the Pittsburgh Penguins in his first taste of the playoffs, and will be expected to log difficult minutes in Toronto to take some pressure off their young group. His two-year, $6MM deal also comes front loaded should the team need to move him next summer.

Hainsey will be 38 when the contract expires, and some have already started to point out his deficiencies as the years roll on. With the Maple Leafs having to make decisions on James van Riemsdyk, Tyler Bozak, William Nylander and Leo Komarov next summer, any further decline from Hainsey could be a problem. With no buyout relief available, the Maple Leafs would likely have to bite the bullet and keep him around through the end of the deal.

Alex Burrows – Ottawa Senators

It took a two-year extension from the Ottawa Senators to get Burrows to waive his no-trade clause at last year’s deadline, and that number will be tough to watch for the team should he continue his rapid decline. For a player who once scored 35 goals in a season, Burrows had just 24 the last two combined. While he did show some better jump in the Ottawa lineup, the team has several young players who will deserve more playing time over the next couple of seasons.

$2.5MM isn’t the end of the world, but when you’re a team who works on a tight internal budget like the Senators every dollar can mean a lot. Without the buyout option and the risk of Burrows hanging it up, that $2.5MM could haunt them next summer. Luckily, it will expire before the team needs to shell out the dollars for Erik Karlsson, who will be eligible for extension next offseason but won’t have his expected record-breaking deal kick in until 2019-20.

Ryan Miller – Anaheim Ducks Ryan Miller

Anaheim took a risk handing out a 35+ contract to Miller, but there doesn’t seem to be any sign of him wanting to retire just yet. He’s now closer to his offseason home with actress Noureen DeWulf, and $2MM per season to backup John Gibson seems like a perfect scenario 37-year old goaltender. Even though he could suddenly turn ineffective, their faith in Gibson and his similar inexpensiveness (he’s owed just $2.3MM in each of the next two seasons) covers their back.

Derek MacKenzie – Florida Panthers

The two-year extension the Panthers gave their captain last summer was a surprising one, if only because you don’t usually see players of his stature receive a guaranteed contract a year before they’re due for one. MacKenzie signed his first 35+ contract, but it comes at such a small cost—$2.75MM total over two years—that it poses little risk. The team wouldn’t need to buy him out, and even if he were to hang up his skates next summer they would have plenty of cap room. Besides, the Panthers have had great success with 35+ contracts in the past—just ask Jaromir Jagr.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Injury Updates: Penguins, Senators, Fisher, Eaves

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The hits just keep on coming to Pittsburgh’s blueline.  Already missing Kris Letang (neck) and Justin Schultz (upper body), the Penguins lost Chad Ruhwedel in Game Four against the Senators last night.  Following the game, head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters, including Sam Werner of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, that Ruhwedel has been diagnosed with a concussion and will re-evaluated later today.

Ruhwedel has played in six games so far in the playoffs in a third pairing role after seeing action in 34 games during the regular season.  If Schultz isn’t able to suit up tomorrow, that will open up a spot for Mark Streit to return to the lineup.  Streit saw action in Game Three of this series but has been a healthy scratch the rest of the postseason so far.  GM Jim Rutherford puzzled some when he added both Streit and Ron Hainsey at the deadline but with all of the injuries they’ve suffered, they’ve needed every bit of that extra depth.

Sullivan noted to NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti that the team hasn’t ruled out Schultz or injured forwards Tom Kuhnhackl, Patric Hornqvist, and Bryan Rust from returning to the lineup on Sunday.  All remain listed as day-to-day.

Other injury notes from around the league:

  • Senators winger Alex Burrows skated today and could be ready to return to the lineup for Game Five tomorrow, reports Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston (Twitter link). He missed last night’s game with a leg injury.  If he is able to go, winger Tommy Wingels could be the odd man out after playing just 5:18 on Friday night.  Johnston also notes that defenseman Mark Borowiecki may also be ready to return after suffering a leg injury of his own in the first round against Boston.  He would likely take the place of Fredrik Claesson in the lineup.
  • After losing Ryan Johansen for the rest of the playoffs yesterday, the Predators may also be without their second line center in Mike Fisher tonight in Game Five. Joe Rexrode of The Tennessean calls Fisher’s situation grim in the short-term which doesn’t bode well for his potential availability tonight.  He left Thursday’s game after taking a knee to the face from Anaheim defenseman Josh Manson, drawing blood immediately.  The team has yet to reveal who is expected to draw into the lineup to replace Johansen and possibly Fisher as well.
  • Anaheim winger Patrick Eaves skated today as he continues to test his lower body injury, notes Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register (Twitter link). Eaves has been out of the lineup since Game Four of the second round against the Oilers.  There remains no timetable for his return to game action.

Vancouver Canucks Sign Jonathan Dahlen To Three-Year Contract

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The Vancouver Canucks have locked up one of the prizes of this year’s trade deadline, inking Jonathan Dahlen to a three-year entry-level deal. Dahlen was the prospect the Canucks received from the Ottawa Senators in exchange for Alex Burrows. The deal will obviously begin in 2017-18, and the Canucks include that he will be at training camp in the fall.

The 19-year old Dahlen is a supremely talented stickhandler who put up 44 points in 45 games this year for Timra’s Allsvenskan team, the level just below the Swedish Hockey League. His name might be familiar to fans who remember his father Ulf Dahlen, who played almost 1000 games in the NHL and scored 655 points (the 15th most from a Swedish-born player). The younger Dahlen wasn’t drafted quite as high as his father—who went seventh-overall to the Rangers in 1985—but was the Senators’ second pick last summer at #42 overall.

Dahlen won the “Golden Cage” award this season, given to the top junior player in the league. It wasn’t a surprise, as he finished tied for fourth in total league scoring and easily paced the U20 players. Dahlen was teammates with Elias Pettersson, who is expected to go in the first round of this year’s draft, perhaps even in the top 10. Even though he’s been playing against men, Dahlen is likely ticketed for the AHL next season where he can continue to develop. Listed at 5’11” 176-lbs, he’ll need to adjust quickly to the more physical game in North America.

Friedman’s Latest: Review Limit, Salary Cap, Concussion Protocol

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In his latest 30 Thoughts column, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet dishes on the latest information coming out of the recent General Manager meetings in Boca Raton. It’s always a great read from one of the most connected men in hockey.

  • While the GMs have decided not to change the offside rule, they are looking at instituting a time limit on reviews to prevent five-plus minute delays to the game. The MLB recently changed their rules around reviews, giving managers just :30 to call for a review and umpires have two minutes to make the final decision. Friedman suggests the NHL would look at something similar. One change that has been agreed upon is the referees will no longer discuss/ explain the call with both coaches after announcing the ruling. That should dramatically cut down on the time delays.
  • The salary cap is expected to increase by several million dollars, potentially as high as around $76MM. That would be a $3MM increase from this season. Of course, that would require the Players Association to use their cap escalator, which increases both the cap and their escrow payments. Friedman cites some anonymous sources as not being sure that the PA would do that, however they usually do approve it in the end. Whether or not the players choose to increase the cap will greatly affect the contracts thrown around in July. It’s also important to remember that last March the cap was expected to be $74MM, but only reached $73MM, so it’s not a sure-thing just yet.
  • There is some concern among play0ff-bound teams that concussion protocols will be abused in the post-season. After Mike Smith was removed from the third period of a game last month, he wondered what is stopping a fourth-liner from running a star goaltender to gain an advantage against a cold goaltender. Friedman doesn’t believe the NHL will make changes to the rule, as it would reflect negatively on them to “move backwards” on concussion awareness; however he does believe this will be something to watch for in the playoffs.
  • Some were surprised at the high price that Ottawa gave up to acquire Alex Burrows at the trade deadline, but Friedman sheds some light on why: there were eight or nine teams who made “legit offers” for Burrows. That’s a lot of interest for a player who was nearly bought out last summer, but also demonstrates the high cost of veterans at the deadline. Ottawa also stepped up to offer Burrows a two-year extension, which tipped the scales in their favor.
  • After his head coach ripped him apart in the media, Friedman believes the Hurricanes will look to move Eddie Lack this summer. Lack had a solid 0.917 SV% during his two seasons in Vancouver, but that number has fallen to 0.898 in Carolina. He has just 15 wins in 45 games as a member of the Hurricanes. Friedman says Lack, a happy-go-lucky person, was initially crushed by Bill Peters’ comments; he doesn’t believe the arrangement will last beyond this season.
  • Finally, after some unnecessary controversy about Islanders rookie Josh Ho-Sang wearing number 66 in honor of Mario Lemieux, Friedman commented that if Wayne Gretzky’s 99 wasn’t retired league-wide, players would “be spearing each other in competition for it.” Number 99 is the only number that’s off-limits on every team, so expect a few-year-long reprieve from rookies wearing their birth year as their number. After Jesse Puljujärvi chose number 98, we likely won’t see any rookies until the 2002-birth year hits the NHL in 2020.

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