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Alex Galchenyuk

Atlantic Notes: Sheahan, Ullmark, Lightning, Galchenyuk

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While many are keeping an eye on Detroit’s pending unrestricted free agents as potential players to be moved as rentals by Wednesday’s trade deadline, center Riley Sheahan is drawing some interest from Toronto, reports Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos (video link).  It’s not entirely surprising that the Leafs have some interest as head coach Mike Babcock is certainly familiar with Sheahan from his days behind Detroit’s bench.

To say that Sheahan has underachieved this season would be a big understatement.  Through 58 games, the 25 year old is still looking for his first goal while he has collected just nine assists.  Needless to say, the Wings would be selling low if they were to move Sheahan and there’s no indication they’re willing to do so just yet.  The center has one year left on his contract after this one with a cap hit of $2.075MM.

More from the Atlantic Division:

  • The Sabres announced that they have recalled goaltender Linus Ullmark from Rochester of the AHL. It’s the fifth time this season that Buffalo has summoned him but he has yet to see NHL action so far.  At the minor league level, he has a 20-20-2 record with a 2.90 GAA and a .910 SV% in 42 appearances.  It’s believed he’ll dress as the backup in place of Robin Lehner who was shaken up against the Avalanche on Saturday.
  • A trio of young Tampa Bay forwards in Vladislav Namestnikov, J.T. Brown, and Cedric Paquette are all wild cards heading into the deadline for the Lightning, suggests Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times. He notes that all three are unlikely to be protected for June’s expansion draft as things stand and as a result, GM Steve Yzerman could elect to move one to avoid the possibility of losing that player for nothing to Vegas.  Doing so would also free up a bit more money for next season as each player is already under contract for 2017-18 and every dollar will count for Tampa in the offseason with key players such as forwards Jonathan Drouin, Tyler Johnson, and Ondrej Palat all needing new deals.
  • One player who is likely to benefit from Montreal’s recent coaching change is center Alex Galchenyuk, Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe opines. The scribe notes how new head coach Claude Julien was able to improve the defensive game of several Bruins forwards and if he can do the same here, the youngster should have a chance to play more down the stretch.  Despite being second on the Canadiens in points per game, Galchenyuk has actually seen his ice time cut compared to the last two seasons, in part due to his struggles at the defensive end.  The 23 year old is slated to be a restricted free agent with arbitration eligibility in the offseason and will likely seek a long-term deal, a strong finish to the year would go a long way towards landing that contract.

Alexander Radulov Seeking Long-Term Deal

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On Hockey Night In Canada between the second and third periods in the Ottawa-Toronto game, Nick Kypreos of Sportsnet reported that Montreal Canadiens forward Alexander Radulov is seeking a long-term deal that could be up to as many as six years. The Canadiens don’t necessarily want to go that long, but may do it if the AAV drops a bit. Alexander Radulov

Kypreos mentioned the possibility of a short-term deal with a much higher salary, even as much as $7MM on a three-year deal. We listed Radulov at #2 on our ranking of the Top Midseason Free Agents, and it’s clear that he would have multiple suitors should he hit the open market again this summer.

For what it’s worth Washington Capitals head coach Barry Trotz, who maintains a friendship with Radulov from his days in Nashville, recently said that he would be “shocked” if Montreal and the Russian forward didn’t come to some sort of an agreement. Trotz said that Radulov loves it in Montreal, and if he is looking for a long-term deal he may be there for a while yet.

Montreal has a few contracts coming off the books next year, including David Desharnais and Andrei Markov but also will need to re-sign Alex Galchenyuk this summer. While he’s had a very up and down season, hit by injuries and inconsistency, Galchenyuk should get a very substantial upgrade to his current $2.8MM hit, especially if he gives up several free agent years.

Assigning upwards of $6MM per season to a soon-to-be 31-year old for more than five years would be a risky proposition regardless of his excellent production this year. The Canadiens already have Shea Weber on the wrong side of 30 earning a ton of money for a long time (nine more years in fact) and Jeff Petry signed until he’s 34.

It does seem like there is a deal to be worked out between the two sides, after Montreal convinced Radulov to come back from the KHL, but how long and for how many millions is still very much up in the air.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Friedman’s Latest: Galchenyuk, Gionta, Fowler, Boyle

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On top of today’s coaching change, Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin may have a decision to make sooner than later regarding center Alex Galchenyuk, writes Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman in his latest 30 Thoughts column.  The 23 year old is set to become a restricted free agent at the end of the season (with a $3.1MM qualifying offer) and has two years of team control remaining before he’s eligible for unrestricted free agency.

However, despite a strong season so far with 29 points in 37 games, the team doesn’t appear to be set in thinking that he can be a full-time center.  He has just a 42.3% success rate at the faceoff dot which isn’t ideal for a top line quality forward.  Could the team be persuaded to move him for someone that they feel is a better fit down the middle?  If Bergevin hasn’t made that decision already, he will need to soon.

As always, the full column is well worth a read but are a handful of the highlights:

  • Sabres captain Brian Gionta has asked the team to not move him. The 38 year old is in the final season of a three year, $12.75MM deal he signed back in 2015.  He has had a nice season with Buffalo, posting 27 points in 56 games and has a good chance at surpassing the 33 points he put up last season which made him a player that many expected to go as a rental in the coming weeks.  Worth noting is that Gionta’s trade protection only allows for him to be dealt to five teams; he can block a deal to the other 24.
  • Although he has been thought of as a strong candidate to be dealt dating back to the draft back in June, the belief around the league is that the Ducks will look to strike a long-term extension with Cam Fowler. The blueliner is well on his way to a career year with 30 points in 57 games and will undoubtedly get a nice raise from the $4MM cap hit he currently has.  Teams can’t sign any extensions until there is one year remaining on the contract meaning that July 1st is the earliest anything could be done.
  • Edmonton, Columbus, and Toronto are among the teams interested in Tampa Bay center Brian Boyle. He’s in the final year of his deal with a very manageable cap hit of $2MM which will make him particularly attractive to some cap-strapped teams as well.  In a radio interview earlier, Friedman suggested that a first round pick (which doesn’t carry as much value this year due to a weaker draft class) could wind up being what it costs to secure Boyle, who is set to be a UFA at the end of the season.  We took a closer look at Boyle last week as part of our Trade Candidates series.

Barry Trotz Thinks Alexander Radulov Will Re-Sign In Montreal

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After signing for a relatively modest one-year contract this summer with the Montreal Canadiens, Alexander Radulov has returned to the NHL with a vengeance. The former Nashville Predators forward came back from the KHL for $5.75MM, and has performed exceptionally well. 41 points in 52 games and the question has now become where will he sign this summer when he becomes an unrestricted free agent once again.

While Pierre McGuire was speaking to Mitch Gallo on TSN 690 in Montreal, he related a conversation he had with Washington Capitals head coach Barry Trotz. “I would be shocked if Radulov doesn’t sign with Montreal, he loves it there” said Trotz, making it clear he things the Russian playmaker will stay long-term in the French-Canadian city. Trotz likely has a bit of inside information on Radulov, as the two spent parts of three seasons together in Nashville after Trotz and the Predators drafted him 15th overall in 2004.

For Montreal, signing Radulov would be a big boost to their offensive production going into next season. With Tomas Plekanec slowing down considerably, and David Deharnais looking like a shadow of his former 50-point self, the Habs have serious question marks up front for next season. Radulov has looked like the elite player many believed he was during the short time he was in the NHL, skating mostly beside Max Pacioretty and Phillip Danault – though when Alex Galchenyuk is healthy, he is an obvious fit for the top line.

We ranked Radulov second among our mid-season free agents, stating that he had already done enough to warrant a long-term deal with someone. Be advised Montreal fans, that just because Trotz knows he loves it there, doesn’t mean he will definitely re-sign. If we’ve come to learn anything about professional athletes (and really anyone in general) it’s that money dictates where they go. If the Canadiens don’t offer Radulov the best (or close to the best) offer, he’ll be taking his talents somewhere else. The KHL is always an option, though it seems as though he’s made a decision to come and try to win in North America for the time being.

Canadiens Notes: Radulov, Beaulieu, Galchenyuk

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While many have taken notice of how much of an impact Alexander Radulov has had with the Canadiens on the ice, he has also been a major positive in the dressing room, writes Sportsnet’s Ryan Dixon.

In what many termed one of the riskier deals of the offseason, GM Marc Bergevin inked Radulov, who hadn’t played in the NHL since 2012, to a one year, $5.75MM contract.  The perception was that he wasn’t a great teammate with some attitude problems, a reputation he started to garner in his time with Nashville.

Instead, he has become one of Montreal’s more dominant forwards, posting 35 points (10-25-35) in 46 games to sit second in scoring behind captain Max Pacioretty.  Several teammates have also lauded his enthusiasm on and off the ice, praising his ability to be a leader on the team despite it being his first year with the team.

Last summer, some questioned the decision to sign him.  Now, the question has turned to how much will it be to keep him?

More out of Montreal:

  • Defenseman Nathan Beaulieu went into last offseason knowing other teams were calling about him and vowed to get in the best physical condition of his career. As Stu Cowan of the Montreal Gazette writes, he has been rewarded with a career year so far, collecting 17 points in 42 games while averaging nearly three minutes per night more than last season at a touch over 20 minutes per night.  The timing couldn’t be any better for him as second half that’s comparable to his first half should have him in line for a healthy raise as a pending restricted free agent with arbitration rights this July.
  • Despite just returning to the lineup, center Alex Galchenyuk will not suit up tomorrow night against the Flames, the team announced via Twitter. The 22 year old slightly re-aggravated his previously-injured knee on Saturday night against Buffalo although he didn’t leave at any time due to the injury.  The Canadiens noted (Twitter link) that he is listed as day-to-day.  Galchenyuk sits fifth in team scoring despite already missing 18 games because of that knee injury with 27 points in 30 games.

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