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Alex Goligoski

Matt Dumba To Be Healthy Scratched

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With just a few weeks left before the trade deadline, an interesting wrinkle has appeared in Minnesota. The Wild are going to make Matt Dumba a healthy scratch tonight, according to Michael Russo of The Athletic. The “hockey decision” is based on his play, notes Sarah McLellan of the Star-Tribune, though head coach Dean Evason refused to get into specifics.

Alex Goligoski will enter the lineup for the Wild, but a decision like this will certainly raise eyebrows around the league. Dumba’s name has entered the rumor mill lately (if it ever left), as he approaches the end of his contract with Minnesota.

Now 28, Dumba has averaged more than 21 minutes a night this season, his lowest total since 2016-17. The right-shot defenseman is in the final season of a five-year, $30MM contract that was signed by Minnesota’s former management group, and holds a 10-team no-trade clause. Reports have emerged recently explaining that while general manager Bill Guerin will listen, he’s focused on winning this season and won’t be selling Dumba off to the highest bidder unless there is a return that is going to help his team.

That’s a hard trade to make at the deadline, as contenders try to load up by handing off draft picks and futures. But a scratch right now, with no obvious reason, will certainly draw questions about his trade availability. The Wild may be protecting an asset as they head into Carolina to take on the Hurricanes. Even if it is a legitimate scratch for performance, it could mean that Minnesota has decided that their future is one without Dumba in the lineup.

Minnesota is a team to watch in the coming days and weeks. The team is now 6-2-2 in their last ten and has climbed within striking distance of the Central Division crown.

Minnesota Wild Extend Alex Goligoski

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March 30: The contract is now official. A two-year deal that will carry a cap hit of $2MM.

March 29: When the Minnesota Wild signed Alex Goligoski to a one-year, $5MM contract in the offseason, it came with the expectation that the team would offer him another extension at a much-reduced cost. That would allow the team to spend a little bit more this season when they have some extra cap space, and less in the coming years when they have to deal with hefty buyout penalties due to Zach Parise and Ryan Suter.

That’s exactly what is about to happen, as Kevin Weekes of ESPN reports the two sides will soon announce a two-year extension. Michael Russo of The Athletic confirms the deal, and adds that it will carry an average annual value of $2MM.

If seen as a three-year, $9MM deal, it certainly makes sense from the Minnesota side of things, as they will pay a little bit less in the tight 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons. But Goligoski has also been a healthy scratch of late after the acquisition of Jacob Middleton at the deadline and will turn 37 this summer. That means this extension comes with some risk, even if it does carry a relatively low cap hit.

The veteran defenseman has been asked to do a lot less this year than usual, averaging just 19 minutes a night for the Wild, a sharp drop from the 23 he saw in Arizona the last two seasons. In fact, over the first 900+ games he played before coming to Minnesota, Goligoski averaged 22:39, while racking up 429 points in the process. That puck-moving ability hasn’t left him just yet, as his offensive performance has still been strong for the Wild with 28 points in 58 games, which is actually tied for the team lead among defensemen, but Goligoski isn’t the kind of do-it-all option he once was.

Still, as a solid contributor on a good team, there’s reason to believe this might still end up a win for Minnesota. They have phenomenal depth on the blueline for this season and even if Goligoski takes a step back in the coming years, his cap hit is low enough that it shouldn’t drastically affect the team’s fortunes.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

West Notes: Hayton, Gostisbehere, Wild, Sharks

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Coyotes center Barrett Hayton is expected to undergo hand surgery that will keep him out for the next five to eight weeks, reports Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports (Twitter link).  It has been a disappointing season for the 21-year-old who has been given a much bigger role than he had under Rick Tocchet but it hasn’t materialized in more production as he has just two goals and four assists in 26 games despite playing over 16 minutes a night.  His entry-level deal expires this summer and being out for this long certainly won’t help him build any value for his next contract.

Elsewhere in the Western Conference:

  • Still with Arizona, Shayne Gostisbehere is a player whose fortunes have changed for the better since being dealt to the desert. After Philadelphia had to part with a pair of draft picks to get the Coyotes to take on the rest of his contract, the 28-year-old has picked up 23 points in 32 games to sit second on the team in scoring.  Despite that, GM Bill Armstrong indicated in an interview with Arizona Sports (audio link) that they’re not particularly anxious to move him even though they may be able to get some value for him.  Gostisbehere is signed through 2022-23 with a $4.5MM AAV.
  • The Wild may soon be getting some more bad news on the injury front as Michael Russo of The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that defenseman Jonas Brodin’s upper-body injury is believed to be serious enough to be a long-term issue. He was injured while blocking a shot against Boston on Thursday and leads all Minnesota players in ice time at 23:35 per game.
  • Minnesota should get some good news soon when it comes to their ever-growing injury list, however, as Russo adds in a separate tweet that center Joel Eriksson Ek is ahead of schedule in his recovery from his upper-body injury and could return as soon as Friday. His IR placement earlier today was retroactive and he will still be eligible to play in that game.
  • Meanwhile, as part of a long list of players not playing tonight, the Wild revealed (Twitter link) that defenseman Alex Goligoski has been placed in COVID protocol. He joins Brandon Duhaime and Jordan Greenway as those currently unavailable and if his placement was for a confirmed positive test, he’ll be out for at least the next five days.
  • The Sharks announced (Twitter link) that they’ve added center Nick Bonino along with assistant coach John MacLean to the COVID protocol list. They join center Logan Couture and forward Lane Pederson as those that aren’t available for the time being.

Alex Goligoski, Evan Rodrigues Receive Maximum Fines

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The NHL Department of Player Safety is keeping busy today. After announcing a suspension hearing for Nashville Predators defenseman Mark Borowiecki earlier, the league has now issued a pair of fines. Minnesota Wild defenseman Alex Goligoski and Pittsburgh Penguins forward Evan Rodrigues have been dinged for infractions in their respective Saturday night contests.

Goligoski has received a maximum $5,000 fine for high-sticking Seattle Kraken forward Jordan Eberle. While high-sticking is usually an incidental penalty, incurred due to negligence rather than maliciousness, sometimes a dangerous high stick can rise to the level of supplemental discipline. This is the case for Goligoski, whose high stick actually went unnoticed and uncalled as well, which likely added to the fine decision.

Rodrigues has received a maximum $2,500 fine for tripping Ottawa Senators forward Zach Sanford. Called a “trip”, Rodrigues actually used his stick to buckle Sanford’s knee in a net-front scrum, which is a dangerous play. Like Goligoski, Rodrigues’ penalty also went uncalled but was reviewed by Player Safety after the fact to the effect of a fine. In a nine-goal game, in which Rodrigues and Sanford combined for three tallies, there was enough going on that the the referees missed the call.

Central Notes: Avalanche Injuries, Goligoski, Neighbours

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Avalanche goaltender Pavel Francouz is about a week away from returning from his lower-body injury, notes Mike Chambers of the Denver Post.  The 31-year-old hasn’t played since the 2019-20 campaign and with Darcy Kuemper not getting off to a particularly strong start this season with a .904 SV% in his first seven starts, Francouz’s return would be a welcome addition if he can find the form he had before his injuries.  Meanwhile, Chambers adds in a separate column that winger Martin Kaut is listed as week-to-week after suffering a shoulder injury on Wednesday versus Columbus.  The rookie is averaging just under nine minutes a game through six appearances so far this season.

More from the Central:

  • Minnesota hopes to have defenseman Alex Goligoski back in the lineup tonight after he missed the last three games due to an upper-body injury, relays Sarah McLellan of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. The 36-year-old is in his first season with his hometown Wild and has been a steadying presence on their second pairing while chipping in with three assists.  Despite the injury, Goligoski has remained on the active roster so they won’t need to make a roster move to get him in the lineup.
  • The Blues could be slow-playing their pending decision on winger Jake Neighbours until Oskar Sundqvist is able to come off LTIR, suggests Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The 19-year-old has played in seven games this season, two away from the decision on whether or not to burn the first year of his entry-level deal.  Neighbours has held his own so far with a goal and an assist in those seven contests while averaging nearly 10 minutes a night but more time in the WHL may be best for him in the long run.

Minnesota Wild Place Jordan Greenway On Injured Reserve

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The Minnesota Wild placed winger Jordan Greenway on injured reserve Friday afternoon, recalling Adam Beckman from the Iowa Wild in his place, per a team release.

Greenway suffered a lower-body injury during Thursday night’s game against the Seattle Kraken after taking a hit from Kraken captain Mark Giordano.

The Athletic’s Michael Russo expands on the nature of a recent injury bug that’s hit the Wild, stating defenseman Alex Goligoski is out one to two weeks with an upper-body injury while Dmitry Kulikov is day-to-day with a lower-body injury.

If Beckman draws into the lineup, it will be his NHL debut. The 75th overall pick in 2019 has seen his stock rise sharply and now finds himself mentioned in a trio of skilled forward prospects in Minnesota’s system, along with Marco Rossi and Matthew Boldy. Beckman has three points in four AHL games this season.

Greenway’s had somewhat of a rough start to the season with just two assists in seven games. He was expected to be a major contributor in the team’s top-six forward group after scoring a career-high 32 points in 56 games last season.

Beckman could certainly get a look playing directly in Greenway’s spot with Ryan Hartman and Marcus Foligno, but head coach Dean Evason could also shuffle the team’s line combinations to put Beckman in less of a checking role.

Minnesota Wild Sign Alex Goligoski

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Veteran defenseman Alex Goligoski is going home – and being well-compensated to do so. The Grand Rapids, Minnesota native, who turns 36 on Friday, has signed a one-year, $5MM contract with the Minnesota Wild. Goligoski will replace the experience, leadership, and stable presence of Ryan Suter on the left side of the Wild blue line.

There might not be a more natural fit in free agency than Goligoski heading to his hometown team to take over as a veteran leader in place of Suter. Even at his age, Goligoski continued to play massive minutes, provide stout defense, and contribute about 30 points a year over the last few years with the Arizona Coyotes. He has showed no signs of slowing down and there is no reason to believe that he won’t keep producing, especially joining a deeper and more talented roster in Minnesota.

The contract is a bit strange, but not unreasonable. Goligoski had a $5.475MM AAV on his contract in Arizona, making the value of his one-year pact very similar. However, Goligoski was eligible for performance bonuses, which could have helped the club keep his cap hit lower.  Goligoski also could have negotiated another year or two of term give his consistency, which also may have resulted in a lower AAV, but opted for just the one year. Goligoski is still more affordable than what what Suter was scheduled to make, but it does no favors for the Wild’s salary cap situation.

The 2021 NHL Trade Deadline Deals That Didn’t Happen

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The 2021 NHL Trade Deadline came and went with relatively little fanfare. Deadline day saw just 17 trades made (a new 8-year low) that involved only 26 players (a new 20-year low). The obvious downside to a quiet deadline is that it’s not very exciting to follow and doesn’t create the same number of stretch run storylines to follow. The upside? With so little news to cover, nothing slipped through the cracks. Insiders, such as Elliotte Friedman, have come out with more “almost-trades” than in most years and they have been compiled below. Enjoy reveling in what could have been:

Nicolas Deslauriers to the Pittsburgh Penguins

The Penguins and Anaheim Ducks came so close on a trade for Deslauriers that an article was published on the topic. Friedman reported that a deal was done, but then backtracked as talks fell apart. Pittsburgh ended up adding experience to their bottom-six from another West Division source, adding Jeff Carter from the Los Angeles Kings.

Jamie Oleksiak to the Edmonton Oilers

In the middle of the deadline day chaos, several pundits reported that Dallas Stars defenseman Oleksiak was on his way to Edmonton. Yet, as time ticked by and there was no announcement, it became clear that a deal had not been completed. Oleksiak had been linked to both Edmonton and the Toronto Maple Leafs but stay put, with the speculation now being the the Stars hope to re-sign him. The Oilers, who also missed out on Patrik Nemeth, ended up finding their stay-at-home defenseman in the New Jersey Devils’ Dmitry Kulikov.

Alex Goligoski, Vladislav Gavrikov, or Nikita Zadorov to the Winnipeg Jets

One of the biggest misses of the deadline was the Jets’ failure to add an impact defenseman. Winnipeg did add Jordie Benn late, but that hardly fills their gaping hole in the top-four. In retrospect, the mistake may have been focusing too much on defensemen who weren’t truly available. Friedman believes that the team tried to acquire either Gavrikov or Goligoski, or perhaps even both. Gavrikov would have been a very nice addition for the Jets, but by all accounts the young Columbus Blue Jackets defender was not really for sale. And while the Arizona Coyotes were expected to listen to offers for their expiring contracts, they ended up standing pat and not moving the veteran Goligoski. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that the Chicago Blackhawks were at least listening to offers for RFA blue liner Zadorov as well and the Jets made a push, but to no avail.

Taylor Hall to the New York Islanders or Vegas Golden Knights

Friedman began his post-deadline “31 Thoughts” by confirming the suspicions that Hall left the Buffalo Sabres little choice but to trade him to the Boston Bruins, stating that Hall had decided that was where he wanted to go and used his No-Movement Clause to make it happen. However, two other teams made a strong push and that was the Islanders and the Golden Knights. Hall was even open to joining New York, but once they acquired Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac he turned his focus to Boston even though the Isles maintained interest. The Sabres were seemingly very interested in making a deal with Vegas, as Friedman notes that multiple teams were contacted about acting as a salary cap broker for a potential deal. In the end, Hall preferred Boston and that is all that mattered.

Daniel Vladar or Jeremy Swayman to the Buffalo Sabres

Many have been critical of the Sabres’ return for Hall – a Boston second-round pick and forward Anders Bjork – but they tried their best to get more. Friedman reports that Buffalo asked Boston about moving one of their promising young keepers, as both Vladar and Swayman have shown NHL ability in recent weeks as the injury replacements in the Bruins net. However, once Boston knew that Hall wanted to go there and could control the decision, they held all the leverage. The team easily declined moving either talented netminder.

Conor Garland to the Toronto Maple Leafs or Vegas Golden Knights

While the team ended up acquiring Nick Foligno instead, Friedman notes that the Toronto Maple Leafs did express interest in affordable Arizona Coyotes forward Garland. Garland would have fit nicely under the cap, but would have been expensive to require and near impossible to re-sign for the cap-strapped Leafs. The team thus went in a different direction. The Golden Knights were also linked to Garland, but could not make a deal work with their division rival. Garland remaining with the Coyotes could be what is best for both parties in the long run anyhow.

Ryan Getzlaf to the Vegas Golden Knights or Montreal Canadiens

The Golden Knights just missed out on seemingly everyone, huh? Friedman notes that the team was close to adding Anaheim captain Getzlaf and the career Duck was open to the nearby move. However, Vegas allegedly was unwilling to meet the trade demands for the veteran center. For the same reason, the Canadiens likely missed out. Friedman notes that they had serious interest, but talks never got far. Dan Kingerski of Pittsburgh Hockey Now adds that the Penguins kicked the tires on Getzlaf as well, but never made a serious offer. Anaheim clearly put a high price tag on the face of the franchise and never even approached him about waiving his No-Movement Clause.

Travis Zajac to the Pittsburgh Penguins

While it’s easy to lose track of when trades were made and talks were had around the deadline, per Friedman it seems the Penguins had their sights first set on Zajac from New Jersey, then Getzlaf, and finally Carter. The Kings veteran is not a bad acquisition for a third choice. The Penguins do have to face Zajac on a fellow East Division contender the rest of the way though and surely hope that Carter proves to be the superior player head-to-head.

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Trade Candidate: Alex Goligoski

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With the trade deadline quickly approaching, we continue our closer look at some of the players who have a good chance of being on the move between now and April 12th.

For more than a decade, Alex Goligoski had been one of the more consistent secondary offensive blueliners.  From 2009-10 through 2019-20, the 35-year-old had just one year below 30 points while averaging more than 20 minutes of ice time per game.  It was reasonable to expect the same from him coming into this season.

However, that hasn’t been the case at all which hasn’t helped an Arizona attack that wasn’t the strongest to begin with.  Now, the Coyotes find themselves out of a playoff spot with several veterans set to become unrestricted free agents.  If they wind up selling, he will be a name to keep an eye on.

Contract

Goligoski is in the final season of a five-year, $27.375MM contract ($5.475MM AAV) with a $4MM salary.  Per CapFriendly, his deal contains an eight-team no-trade clause.  He will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.

2020-21

Goligoski had an assist in Arizona’s season opener and since then, he has just one assist in a 30-game stretch.  This type of offensive drought is simply unprecedented for him and has certainly come at an inopportune time both in terms of trying to help his market value for free agency and his trade value for the Coyotes.

It’s not all negative, however.  He has been an anchor on Arizona’s top penalty killing unit, one that is well above the league average; it’s that element that may be the most appealing to teams looking to upgrade on the back end.  He also has been more disciplined than usual with just four minor penalties despite logging more than 22 minutes per night so far.

Is that a great return on such a high price tag?  Certainly not but the fact remains that Goligoski is still a capable defender but this season, he has been more of a shutdown option than the two-way player he had been for so long.  Who knows, perhaps a change of scenery would help revive his offensive game as well?

Season Stats

31 GP, 0 goals, 2 assists, 2 points, -1 rating, 8 PIMS, 36 shots, 22:24 TOI, 46.6 CF%

Potential Suitors

Quite a few teams will be on the lookout for defensive upgrades although Goligoski’s season and contract will have him a little lower on the wish list at this time.  However, as other options are either dealt or pulled off the market, they could pivot to him closer to the April 12th trade deadline.

In the Central, Chicago is a possible fit.  They have the cap space with Brent Seabrook (and others) on LTIR which makes them one of the few potential playoff teams that can make a move without requiring Arizona to retain money.  They’ve had varying degrees of success from their youngsters but if they are serious about trying to make the postseason, adding someone like Goligoski would upgrade their third pairing and penalty kill without costing much in terms of future assets.

Among East Division teams, Boston has been hit hard by the injury bug and has been going with a by-committee approach for most of the season.  Goligoski would give them a stable option on the third pairing at a minimum with the potential to move up if needed.  At this point, they’re probably setting their sights higher in terms of a rental to pursue but if those don’t pan out, they could pivot to Goligoski and depending on who returns between now and then, they may not need an offset as well.  A similar case can be made for Philadelphia who is believed to have interest in him if other moves don’t pan out.

In the North, Winnipeg has a definite need to add to their back end, particularly on the left side.  However, they’re already into LTIR and don’t have enough room in there to absorb his full cap hit.  Unlike regular cap room, it doesn’t accrue on a daily basis either so some sort of offset would be needed.  Montreal has a void to fill with Ben Chiarot out for six-to-eight weeks but with minimal cap space, making such a move work would be difficult.

As for the West, there isn’t a great fit unless Los Angeles was to go on a bit of a run over the next few weeks to pull themselves into the race.  If that happened, they could benefit from a veteran like Goligoski on the back end and have more than enough cap space to bring him in.  If that doesn’t happen though, Arizona will have to look outside the division for a trade partner.

Likelihood Of A Trade

Simply because of his contract, a Goligoski trade can’t be pegged as a certainty.  There will be cheaper options to choose from (the Coyotes have several other veteran rentals with lower cap hits) and there is a possibility that by the time the dust settles, contenders opt for those lower-priced players and there isn’t a fit for him.  However, Goligoski is better than quite a few of the other rentals out there even with the season he’s having which is important.  A lot will depend on their willingness to retain salary and/or take a contract back to offset some of the money and if that happens, there’s a better chance than not that he moves.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Flyers Believed To Have Some Interest In Alex Goligoski

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With the trade deadline now a month away, teams are starting to set their list of potential targets.  For the Flyers, that list is believed to include Coyotes defenseman Alex Goligoski, reports Pierre LeBrun in his latest piece for The Athletic (subscription link).

That Philadelphia is looking to add help on the back end should come as no surprise.  Matt Niskanen’s retirement came as a surprise last offseason and the team never really properly replaced that role.  They added Erik Gustafsson but he is more of an offensive-minded blueliner with a much different skill set than what Niskanen brought to the table.

Goligoski isn’t quite the same type of player as Niskanen either but he’d be able to replace some elements, particularly on the penalty kill front.  The 35-year-old is logging 3:25 per night on Arizona’s back end when shorthanded, second-most on the team.  Considering that the Flyers have a success rate of 73.7% (25th in the league), adding someone that could conceivably jump onto their top penalty kill unit would be a nice addition.

However, Goligoski also isn’t someone who provides much in the way of offense like he used to.  He has averaged 35 points over the last seven seasons but this year, he has just two assists in 26 games despite still logging over 22 minutes a night.  He also carries a $5.475MM cap charge, something that the Flyers wouldn’t be able to afford right now without either sending money the other way or Arizona retaining some salary.

Those two factors will likely keep Goligoski’s trade value a little lower, presenting a situation where GM Chuck Fletcher could conceivably keep this on the back burner for the time being and turn back to it if more desirable options don’t pan out.  But at the very least, something like this – a small upgrade on a back end that’s in need of improvement at a reasonable acquisition cost – is something that Philadelphia would be wise do to over the next month.

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