Alexander Burmistrov

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Vancouver Canucks

September 24, 2017 at 4:20 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg Leave a Comment

Navigating the Salary Cap is probably one of the more important tasks for any general manager to have. Teams that can avert total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2017-18 season. This will focus more on those players who are integral parts of the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.

Vancouver Canucks

Current Cap Hit: $73,012,499 (under the $75MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Brock Boeser (Two years remaining, $925K)
F Jake Virtanen (One year remaining, $894K)

Potential Bonuses

Boeser: $850K
Virtanen: $850K

Boeser is one of the Canucks hope for the future. The team’s 2015 first-round pick has been playing exceptionally well in camp and looks ready to take a major role on the team. After two years at the University of North Dakota, Boeser managed to play in nine games for Vancouver last year, putting up four goals and an assist in that span and averaged 2.78 shots per game as well. Virtanen, on the other hand is just trying to cement a starting role on the team. The sixth overall pick in the 2014 draft, Virtanen has been disappointing and has had trouble finding a role with the club, playing 55 games two years ago and then settling for just 10 games last year. A solid camp so far suggests, he might have turned it around as he looks to take his game to the next level.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

F Daniel Sedin ($7MM, UFA)
F Henrik Sedin ($7MM, UFA)
D Erik Gudbranson ($3.5MM, UFA)
F Thomas Vanek ($2MM, UFA)
F Sven Baertschi ($1.85MM, RFA)
D Troy Stecher ($925K, RFA)
F Markus Granlund ($900K, RFA)
F Alexander Burmistrov ($900K, RFA)
F Anton Rodin ($700K, UFA)
F Reid Boucher ($688K, RFA)
D Patrick Wiercioch ($625K, UFA)

On a positive note, there are many contracts that are set to expire next year, which could give the Canucks quite a bit of cap space. What the team will do with the Sedin brothers, long-time franchise players, is still up in the air. Rumors that they have no interest in going to a contender to finish out their careers suggest that they may choose to retire or sign up for a much shorter, much cheaper deal with Vancouver. While both have been leading the franchise, their numbers have begun to decline now that they are 36 years old with Daniel Sedin putting up just 15 goals and 44 points a year ago, while brother Henrik also just putting up 15 goals and 51 points.

There are very few potential unrestricted free agents that are critical to the team’s building of the future. While Gudbranson is just 25 years old, the team has shown a willingness to move on from the defenseman and has been talked about in trade rumors all offseason. The former third-overall pick in 2010 didn’t fare well in his first year in Vancouver, suffering a wrist injury and playing in only 30 games. The team may want to move on before they lose him. Vanek, signed late in the offseason, is also likely a trade chip at the trade deadline.

As for restricted free agents, the team still has high hopes that Baertschi will continue to improve. After struggling to break into the Calgary Flames starting unit, Vancouver picked him up and got 15 goals in 2015-16 and another 18 last year. The 24-year-old could easily wind up on the team’s second line and have a big year. Granlund, 24, is another youngster who stepped up a year ago, putting up 19 goals as a full-time starter. Stecher will also be a free agent. The 23-year-old undrafted free agent had a solid rookie season after coming to the Canucks from the University of North Dakota. He is penciled in as a first-line defender. The team also has high hopes they can turn around Burmistrov’s career. The former top-10 pick in 2010 was signed away from Arizona with the hopes he can fill a need in the bottom six.

Two Years Remaining

D Alexander Edler ($5MM, UFA)
D Michael Del Zotto ($3MM, UFA)
D Ben Hutton ($2.8MM, RFA)
G Anders Nilsson ($2.5MM, UFA)
F Derek Dorsett ($2.65MM, UFA)
F Brendan Gaunce ($750K, RFA)

Edler has been a solid defender and a franchise player, having played his entire career in Vancouver. He is still effective, but his offense has slowed down over the last few years as he has had 22 or less points in four of his last five years. The team will have to decide whether to keep the 31-year-old blueliner when his contract is up, but that will likely have more to do with how he plays over the next two years. As for Del Zotto, the team signed him away from Philadelphia this offseason to fill a hole in the defense. Whether or not he can stay healthy is another matter. Hutton continues to develop his offensive game, but has time to do that.

Nilsson was also signed this offseason to challenge for playing time in goal. The 27-year-old was a solid backup in Buffalo, but is hoping for more playing time in Vancouver. As for Gaunce, the 23-year-old has yet to establish himself. He played in 55 games last year, but no goals and five assists will not cut it.

Three Years Remaining

D Chris Tanev ($4.45MM, UFA)
G Jacob Markstrom ($3.67MM, UFA)
F Sam Gagner ($3.15MM, UFA)

Tanev, a stay-at-home defenseman is a solid presence on a weak defense. The 27-year-old has established himself as a great defensive player and is well worth the money he is getting. Markstrom must prove he can handle being a starter. He only played 27 games as a backup, but must now prove he can hold off Nilsson and show he can be a starter in this league. If not, then he is just an expensive backup. Gagner came over from Columbus where he had a solid season, including 18 goals and 50 points.

Four Or More Years Remaining

F Loui Eriksson ($6MM through 2021-22)
F Bo Horvat ($5.5MM through 2022-23)
F Brandon Sutter ($4.38MM through 2020-21)

The team is in good shape in that it has few bad contracts that it must deal with on the long-term. However, the team did hand Eriksson a six-year, $36MM deal a year ago as he was coming off a 30-goal season with the Boston Bruins. However, the deal doesn’t look as good after the 32-year-old put up 11 goals in 65 games one year later and the team still owes him quite a bit of money. Horvat, however, is one of the new wave of young stars for Vancouver as the 22-year-old put up a 20-goal, 52 points season a year ago. The team hopes an even bigger breakout may be coming in his third year. Sutter is another one who the team hopes can become more consistent. The 28-year-old wing had 17 goals and 17 assists last year, but injuries have kept him in and out of the lineup, depending on the year.

Buyouts

F Chris Higgins ($833K in 2017-18)

Retained Salary Transactions

G Roberto Luongo ($800K through 2021-22)
F Jannik Hansen ($500K in 2017-18)

Still To Sign

None

Best Value: Tanev
Worst Value: Eriksson

Looking Ahead

The Canucks are in a position to build a solid roster after this season. The team should be able to make a big free-agent splash if it wants and begin to build a winner. What this teams seems to lack is young talent, especially on offense. Horvat and Boeser should be great and there are a few others, but the team seems to lack those top young players who will turn the franchise around. That’s because several of their first-rounds like Gaunce, Virtanen haven’t panned out yet, which leaves a gaping hole of talent on the roster. Nevertheless, the team did a solid job bringing in solid role players for reasonable and short deals, which should only make them stronger.

Prospect Notes: Boeser, Puljujarvi

August 12, 2017 at 4:50 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg Leave a Comment

Offensive improvement is a major need in Vancouver. With the decline of Henrik Sedin and Daniel Sedin, the Vancouver Canucks offense struggled last year as the team finished 29th out of 30 teams in goals scored (2.17). Add in the fact that they also finished dead last in shots attempted, the team has some work to do.

Their top young players, 22-year-old Bo Horvat and 24-year-old Sven Baertschi have talent and while the team suffered through numerous injuries a year ago, there is a lot of hope for youngster Brock Boeser, according to NHL.com’s Kevin Woodley. The Canucks 2015 first-round pick (23rd overall) played two seasons for the University of North Dakota and after his team lost in the NCAA championships to Boston University, he signed an entry-level contract and joined the Canucks for the final nine games of the season. The 20-year-old thrived, scoring four goals in that span for five points.

Boeser, known for his great passing and offensive skills, played well with Horvat and Baertschi on the second line at the end of the year and also had a good showing on the power play with the Sedin twins. However, according to Woodley, the team will not just give him a roster spot for this coming season. Boeser must earn it and to prove that, Vancouver still made him attend his third-straight development camp. He must also compete with new free agent acquisitions Sam Gagner and Alexander Burmistrov if he wants playing time.

The Edmonton Oilers also have high hopes for their top pick a year ago. Jesse Puljujarvi, the fourth-overall pick in 2016, broke camp last year with the team, but struggled with the speed of the game as well as the language barrier and eventually found himself scratched in 10 out of 18 games. He was sent down to the AHL where he played 39 games for the Bakersfield Condors. He scored 12 goals and added 16 assists for 28 points there. The hope is that Puljijarvi can take the next step and make the rotation this year, according to NHL.com’s Tim Campbell. His combination of size (6-foot-4) and speed would be welcome with Edmonton’s young team.

Free Agent Notes: Cullen, Burmistrov, Doan, Witkowski, Mazanec

June 30, 2017 at 9:42 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

While the Wild aren’t expected to be too active in free agency, they have expressed an interest in signing center Matt Cullen, reports Michael Russo of the Star-Tribune. The 40 year old is from the area and has played there before, suiting up for Minnesota from 2010-11 through 2012-13.

However, Cullen has yet to make a decision on his playing future, although Russo notes that he is intrigued by the idea of going back to Minnesota. That said, the thought is that he has been leaning towards retiring as a Stanley Cup champion.

If he does decide to play another season, Cullen should still be able to provide a team with quality bottom six production. He picked up 13 goals and 18 assists in 72 games with the Penguins this past season while surpassing the 50% mark at the faceoff dot for the seventh straight season.

Other news and notes from the free agent market which officially gets going on Saturday:

The Canucks are showing interest in center Alexander Burmistrov, reports Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman (Twitter link). The 25 year old is on the open market after Arizona failed to tender him a qualifying offer earlier this week. Burmistrov started this past season with Winnipeg but struggled mightily, recording just two assists in 23 games before the Jets placed him on waivers. The Coyotes picked him up and he fared quite a bit better, scoring five goals while adding nine assists in 23 games while seeing his ice time jump to over 15 minutes per night. He could represent a buy low candidate that’s capable of playing a third line offensive role in the right situation.
Four teams have expressed an interest in signing unrestricted free agent winger Shane Doan, notes Craig Morgan of Arizona Sports (Twitter link). His agent, Terry Bross, said that a decision won’t come quickly. The 40 year old has spent the entirety of his 21 year NHL career with the Coyotes (and original Winnipeg Jets) organization but the team announced earlier this month that they would not be offering him a new contract. Doan is coming off his lowest full-season output since 1998-99 after collecting just six goals along with 21 helpers in 74 games.
The Red Wings are interested in blueliner Luke Witkowski, reports MLive’s Ansar Khan. The 27 year old split the season between Tampa Bay and their AHL affiliate in Syracuse. In 39 NHL games, he had four assists and 39 penalty minutes while logging 9:52 per night. He added five assists and 59 PIMS in 19 minor league contests. Detroit is believed to be looking for some grit on their back end and head coach Jeff Blashill is familiar with the Michigan native who coached Witkowski back at Western Michigan in 2010-11.
Although he received a qualifying offer on Monday, goaltender Marek Mazanec will not return to the Predators next season, GM David Poile told reporters, including Adam Vingan of the Tennessean (Twitter link). The netminder spent most of the season at the minor league level despite beginning the season as the backup to Pekka Rinne. In 47 games with AHL Milwaukee, he had a 27-17-1 record with a 2.67 GAA and a .912 SV%. However, he struggled in his four games with the Preds, posting a 4.72 GAA with a .839 SV%.

Arizona Coyotes Not Expected To Retain Alexander Burmistrov

June 23, 2017 at 4:11 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

In a surprising turn after today’s Arizona dealings, Craig Morgan of AZ Sports reports from a scrum with GM John Chayka to not expect the Coyotes to retain Alexander Burmistrov. The young center is a restricted free agent, so presumably Morgan means that the team will not extend him a qualifying offer. The Coyotes have acquired both Derek Stepan and Nick Cousins to fill out their center position, though Burmistrov did show off his potential down the stretch last season.

After being selected off waivers from the Winnipeg Jets, Burmistrov scored 14 points in 26 games for the Coyotes and seemed to fit in as well as one could expect. He would unfortunately miss almost a month after a hit from the Bruins’ Colin Miller caused him to have to leave the ice on a stretcher. The eighth-overall pick of the 2010 draft has been a disappointment thus far in his NHL career, reaching a high of 28 points in 2011-12.

Though he played center for much of his time in Arizona, Winnipeg had nearly given up on him at that position. With a career faceoff winning percentage of 42.3%, and a still unrefined defensive game Burmistrov is a risky fit in the middle of the ice. That’s not to say he couldn’t improve, but as he turns 26 this fall it seems unlikely. He still possesses an ability to make highlight reel passes, and shows flashes of game-altering skill, but has never been able to do it on a consistent basis even in a single game. With a clear mandate from ownership to compete this season, the Coyotes can no longer waste time trying to develop failed prospects.

Free Agent Focus: Arizona Coyotes

June 7, 2017 at 6:49 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 1 Comment

The free agent period is now less than one month away from opening up and there are several prominent players set to hit the open market while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign. Here is a breakdown of Arizona’s free agent situation.

Key Restricted Free Agents: F Anthony Duclair – 2016-17 was a tough season for the 21 year old. After putting up 20 goals and 44 points in 81 games in his first season in the desert, he had just five goals and 15 points in 58 NHL contests this season. He was also sent to the AHL where he managed just a single tally in 16 games. Given the success he had prior to this past season, he could still make a case that he’s worthy of a decent raise coming off his entry-level deal. His struggles have led to some speculation that he could be dealt during the offseason. If he’s not, a one year contract would be a likely outcome to see if he gets back to his sophomore season form before giving him a sizable pay jump.

F Alexander Burmistrov – The Russian center made a pretty good impression after being picked up off the waiver wire from Winnipeg, collecting 14 points in 26 games while seeing his ice time jump to over 15 minutes per game. However, he is due a qualifying offer of $1.6MM which may be a bit too high for Arizona’s liking considering how much he struggled with the Jets. GM John Chayka will have a decision to make as to whether he’s worth that qualifier or whether they’d be better suited to not tender him one and then try to negotiate a cheaper deal later on.

Other RFAs: F Grayson Downing, F Tyler Gaudet, F Peter Holland, F Josh Jooris, G Marek Langhamer, F Jordan Martinook, F Jeremy Morin, F Mitch Moroz, F Teemu Pulkkinen, F Branden Troock

Key Unrestricted Free Agents: F Shane Doan – While he’s coming off a down season, there’s no doubting that Doan remains the face of the franchise in Arizona. The 40 year old has suggested in the past that he wouldn’t likely go elsewhere in free agency (although he was reportedly open to moving as a rental player at the trade deadline if the perfect situation were to come up). If he were to sign on for another season, it would likely come at a rate below the $3.86MM base salary (before performance and signing bonus deferred payments) he earned this past season.

F Radim Vrbata – Vrbata is coming off a resurgent season after returning to the desert on a one year, incentive-laden contract last offseason. With 55 points, he’s the second highest point producer that’s slated to hit the open market; only Washington’s T.J. Oshie (56) had more. The soon-to-be 36 year old has had success in each of his three stints with the Coyotes but has been inconsistent when he’s with other organizations. Despite that, the weak free agent market should help him land a lot more than the $1MM in guaranteed money he settled for last summer.

Other UFAs: D Jamie McBain, D Zbynek Michalek, F Chris Mueller, F Garret Ross, D Jarred Tinordi, F Joe Whitney

Projected Cap Space: After finishing the season in LTIR with zero cap space having taken on several large contracts for players who weren’t playing for them, Arizona has just over $47MM committed to 17 players per CapFriendly, giving them plenty of room to work with under the cap. However, they’re a lower budget team so it’s not likely that they’ll be adding big ticket deals in free agency but it wouldn’t be surprising to see them try to take on a cumbersome deal for a player who’s out long-term in exchange for a younger asset, something Chayka has already done in his brief stint as GM.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Man On Wire: Checking In On The Waiver Claims

February 6, 2017 at 7:00 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 3 Comments

In the new NHL where trades between cap-strapped clubs are so difficult, many teams look to the waiver wire to make small but potentially valuable additions to their club. That bottom pairing defenseman or fourth line center you just can’t seem to find may be available when another team has a roster crunch due to injury or poor play.

Since October 8th when teams made their final cuts before the season opener, there have been 26 players claimed on waivers. Many of these are duplicates as teams claim, then waive a player hoping to slip him through and down into the minors. Here we’ll check in on how they’ve done with their new clubs.

Martin Frk:
CAR from DET – 2 GP, 0 G, 0 A (returned to Detroit and sent to minors)

Mike Condon:
PIT from MTL – 1 GP, 0.00 GAA, 1.000 SV% (traded to Ottawa for a 5th round pick)

Seth Griffith:
TOR from BOS – 3 GP, 0 G, 0 A
FLA from TOR – 21 GP, 0 G, 5 A (returned to Toronto and sent to minors)

PHR Originals: 01/30/2017 – 02/05/2017

February 5, 2017 at 1:29 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 2 Comments

As we get closer to the NHL trade deadline, PHR has been pumping out the original pieces. Here is a look at the past week:

The Trade Candidate pieces came fast and furious this week, with our staff taking a closer look at the cases for: Jannik Hansen (link), Cody Franson (link), Shane Doan (link), Teddy Purcell (link), Ben Bishop (link), Jimmy Howard (link), Michael Del Zotto (link), Jaroslav Halak (link), and Curtis Lazar (link).
Yesterday Zach Leach took a look at the expansion draft and the problems it is giving teams on the back end and in net. Calgary, Carolina and Philadelphia were specifically analyzed for some issues they will face. Stay tuned for part two this week.
I hosted our very first live chat on Thursday, and the questions came in bunches. The Maple Leafs and Anaheim Ducks seemed especially intriguing, as the two teams seem to match up on paper for a deal.
Brian La Rose took questions in his weekly mailbag feature, including addressing some concerns about Red Wings head coach Jeff Blashill.
Brian also completed the first round of his 2005 re-draft series. Amazingly, Steve Downie was the consensus 30th pick. It goes to show how first-round picks aren’t a lock, as Downie only scored 196 points in his 434 career games.
Late Wednesday night I took a look at some smaller deals that paid off at last year’s trade deadline, and the value you can find in the margins of an NHL roster. It’s not always the blockbuster that makes the biggest impact, just ask the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Glen Miller wrote about how Alexander Burmistrov is filling a much-needed role at center in Arizona. The former top pick was selected off waivers early last month.
And finally, just today I examined Peter Budaj’s renaissance and the other players around the league who have made a huge comeback this season.

Snapshots: Burmistrov, Canucks, Ducks

January 11, 2017 at 6:55 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 4 Comments

Since being selected off waivers on January 2nd, Alexander Burmistrov has still yet to make it to Arizona due to work visa issues. Now, according to Dave Vest the team’s director of news content, Burmistrov has his visa and is just waiting to get his passport back from the government. As soon as he does, he’ll fly out to Arizona and join the team.

The Coyotes hope he’ll be ready to play on Friday, when they’ll begin to evaluate what they have. The former top-10 draft pick has just two points this season and hasn’t developed into the dominant two-way center the Jets had hoped for when they selected him. The Coyotes will use the rest of this year to determine if they can find some use for him going forward, or if he’s just another busted prospect.

Pierre LeBrun says the Vancouver Canucks will not trade away draft picks for a short-term gain to get them into the playoffs. That would jive with what Frank Seravalli said earlier today when he said that gaining draft picks would probably be the priority for GM Jim Benning. LeBrun does say that if they could acquire a young player capable of contributing for the next few years they’d be open to it, but realistically who wouldn’t?
There’s a nasty flu going around the Anaheim Ducks room, reports Adrian Dater of Bleacher Report. That’s not good as starting tomorrow night the team has five games in eight nights and are fighting the San Jose Sharks for the first seed in the Pacific division. Luckily, they’ll face the hapless Avalanche twice during those games, with another one against the Coyotes to boot.
Dylan DeMelo will be out a couple of weeks, according to Kevin Kurz of CSN. The defenseman was seen in a cast tonight before the team’s game against the Calgary Flames. With DeMelo out, Tim Heed may work his way in on the bottom pairing at some point.

Coyotes Notes: Hanzal, White, Burmistrov

January 5, 2017 at 9:23 am CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

There are currently no contract talks between the Arizona Coyotes and center Martin Hanzal at the moment, reports Sarah McLellan of the Arizona Republic. Hanzal is set to become an unrestricted free agent in July if no deal is reached and he has commonly been suggested as one of the top rental players available on the trade market. Despite the fact the sides aren’t currently talking, there have been talks dating back to before the season started and Hanzal himself is on record saying he would like to stay and that he remains open to further discussions on a new deal.

The 29 year old Hanzal is having a quiet ‘walk’ year with just eight goals and six assists through 33 games this season. However, he’s coming off a career-best 41 point campaign in 2015-16 and at 6’5, he is the type of big presence down the middle many teams would covet for their middle six. It also helps that Hanzal is a consistently strong player at the faceoff dot, winning at least 54% of his draws the last four seasons.

GM John Chayka told McLellan that so far he has yet to receive a serious offer for Hanzal and provided an update on the situation.

“There’s not a lot going on. But at the same time, it’s one of those things where we kind of know where the player is at. The player knows where we’re at. If there was an opportunity to do something, I don’t think it would take too long. But still collecting information and working through the process.”

Waiver Claims: Burmistrov, Boucher

January 2, 2017 at 11:36 am CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

Elliotte Friedman reports that the Arizona Coyotes have claimed Alexander Burmistrov from the Winnipeg Jets. The former eighth-overall pick hasn’t found his footing in Winnipeg (or Atlanta) since his draft, and will now open a new chapter.

Reid Boucher, the other player currently on waivers, is heading back to New Jersey after a short stint in Nashville. Boucher played just three games with the Predators, scoring one goal.

Burmistrov has long been expected to turn into a top-six forward, but has never turned into it. After two fairly successful seasons in the KHL, he returned to North America last year and only registered 21 points, despite playing in 81 games. Obviously, with his upside, the Coyotes will gladly take a risk on the 25-year old. Their team isn’t destined for anything big this season, and Burmistrov is still an RFA this summer. If he can find success in the desert, he could be a nice addition to that team.

For Boucher, he’ll head back to the only other franchise he’s ever known after a month away. The former fourth-round pick has had much success during his time in the Devils organization, and even scored 19 points in just 39 games last year for the Devils.

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