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Andre Burakovsky

Colorado Avalanche Acquire Andre Burakovsky

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The Colorado Avalanche have added some more skill and youth to their team, acquiring Andre Burakovsky from the Washington Capitals in exchange for a 2020 second-round pick, a 2020 third-round pick (previously acquired from Arizona in the Carl Soderberg deal) and minor league forward Scott Kosmachuk. Burakovsky is set to become a restricted free agent, and Kosmachuk is actually set to become a Group VI unrestricted free agent in a few days.

Burakovsky could potentially accept his $3.25MM qualifying offer as well, given that his development hasn’t quite gone the way the Capitals hoped the last few seasons. In fact, the 24-year old forward has now posted two 25-point years in a row, a far cry from the 17-goal 38-point sophomore season that looked like his coming out party. Armed with plenty of speed and skill, Burakovsky was the 23rd-overall pick in the 2013 draft and quickly made his way to the NHL.

In Colorado, he will likely receive a bigger offensive role on the left wing where the Avalanche needed some more depth. A change of scenery may be the key to unlocking his full potential, something the Avalanche will hope for after giving up a not-insignificant package for him. Those two draft picks plus the potential $3.25MM salary is a fair amount of assets for a 25-point player, so he will have pressure on him to perform with his new team.

For Washington, trading Burakovsky was basically inevitable after extending the qualifying offer. The team didn’t have enough cap space to afford him this season and he just wasn’t providing the necessary offense for their championship goals. With a new contract due for Jakub Vrana and potential extensions on the horizon with Nicklas Backstrom and Braden Holtby, moving Burakovsky was an obvious choice. Getting two relatively high draft picks out of the move is a win, though GM Brian MacLellan had tried to secure another young player during the most recent season and wasn’t able to.

At the very least, Washington now has some more ammunition for a potential trade deadline acquisition. Depending on where Vrana falls they could also potentially circle back to 20-goal forward Brett Connolly, who is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent on Monday and was previously too expensive for the team to retain.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Capitals Notes: Burakovsky, Draft, Kempny, Oshie

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The Capitals are listening to offers on winger Andre Burakovsky, reports Brian McNally of NBC Sports Washington.  His case is one of the more intriguing ones heading into Monday’s qualifying offer deadline.  While the 24-year-old has shown flashes of top-six potential, he spent a good chunk of 2018-19 mired on the fourth line.  He has to be qualified at his salary from this past season, $3.25MM and Washington’s cap space is quite limited.  There’s no doubt that there will be teams with interest but can they be persuaded that it’s worth giving him that money or would they be better off trying to get him in free agency instead?  That will limit his trade market over these next few days.

More news around the Capitals:

  • GM Brian MacLellan told reporters, including Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post, that they’re likely to draft a forward with the 25th pick tomorrow night. Washington has drafted several defenders in recent years and have a decent group of prospects on the back end but it has come at the expense of their forward group.  MacLellan indicated that unless a defenseman on the board is rated significantly higher than the next forward on their list, they’d lean towards picking the forward.
  • While there was some question about whether or not defenseman Michal Kempny would be ready for training camp, MacLellan told J.J. Regan of NBC Sports Washington that he expects the blueliner to be ready when camp gets underway in September. Kempny underwent surgery in April to repair a torn hamstring, a procedure that carries a typical recovery time of four-to-six months.  Fortunately for the Caps, it appears the recovery for Kempny will be on the shorter side.  Winger T.J. Oshie (fractured clavicle) is also expected to be ready for the start of camp.

Metropolitan Notes: Available Draft Picks, Hayes, Orpik, Burakovsky

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With the NHL Entry Draft fast approaching later this week, there are plenty of teams looking to make trades or even better, looking to move up in the draft, especially in the first round. The trick is finding a team who would be willing to move their first-round selection.

The Athletic’s Craig Custance (subscription required) looks at the entire first round and identifies team that might be open to trading their first-round pick and it doesn’t take long to notice that there are plenty of Metropolitan Division teams on his list of teams. The New York Rangers, already picking at the No. 2 position, also have the 20th pick in the draft, acquired from Winnipeg for Kevin Hayes, and might be willing to move that to further hasten their rebuild. In fact, it’s already been rumored to be sent back to Winnipeg as part of a package to acquire Jacob Trouba. The Philadelphia Flyers could be a team that might be willing to move the 11th overall pick as they are also looking to make changes to get them back into the playoff discussion.

Custance adds that you can’t count out either Pittsburgh (#21) or Carolina (#28) as well. The Penguins might be more open to moving the pick as they want to get one more chance at the title before the Sidney Crosby era ends, while Carolina wants to continue with the success they had last year and wants to continually build its core.

  • NHL.com’s Bill Meltzer writes that the Philadelphia Flyers are still working on a new contract for Hayes, according to general manager Chuck Fletcher. The team traded a fifth-round pick to acquire Hayes’ rights recently in hopes they could begin negotiating early and convince him to sign before other teams could be allowed to speak to him. “We’ve had some very good, constructive dialogue with Kevin. We’re continuing to work with his representation. We’ll see how things play out, but so far it’s been a positive process,” Fletcher said.
  • NBC Sports’ J.J. Regan writes that when the Washington Capitals acquired Radko Gudas from Philadelphia for Matt Niskanen, it likely ended the team’s relationship with veteran Brooks Orpik as well. The Capitals already had six defensemen under contract and restricted free agent Christian Djoos would make seven once they re-sign him. That would make Orpik the team’s eighth defenseman and with plenty of cap issues, it would be highly unlikely the team would consider bringing him back. Orpik said he would decide later this offseason whether he would retire or come back for one more year, but if he does want to come back, it’s likely going to be with another team.
  • NBC Sports’ James O’Brien also adds that with the signing of Carl Hagelin to a new four-year extension, that leaves little money left for the rest of their roster. The team already has committed $72.26MM committed to 17 players, leaving them with approximately $10.7MM in cap space to fill out their roster, assuming the salary cap will be set at $83MM this year, which is not a certainty. The team still has a number of key unsigned players, included unrestricted free agent Brett Connolly and restricted free agents Jakub Vrana and Andre Burakovsky. O’Brien wonders whether the Hagelin deal could mean the team considers moving Burakovsky’s rights. The Capitals and Burakovsky have had issues with each other at times, but the 24-year-old might be worth something as he still has quite a bit of talent left in him.

Washington Capitals Re-Sign Carl Hagelin To Four-Year Extension

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The Washington Capitals have re-signed one of their top unrestricted free agents as the team announced that it has inked forward Carl Hagelin to a four-year, $11MM extension. The deal will give him a $2.75MM AAV.

According to TSN’s Pierre LeBrun, the contract is as follows:

2019-20: $2.5MM salary, $1MM signing bonus
2020-21: $2.7MM salary, $2MM signing bonus
2021-22: $2MM salary, $1MM signing bonus
2022-23: $1.8MM salary

“We are pleased to have signed Carl to a new four year contract,” said Washington general manager Brian MacLellan. “Carl is a versatile player who can play on any line and is an excellent penalty killer. He is a proven winner and provides great leadership to our team.” Hagelin came over to Washington at the trade deadline when the team acquired the speedy forward in exchange for a 2019 third-round pick to give the team some added depth for a playoff run. While they were eventually eliminated in the first round of the playoffs to the Carolina Hurricanes, the team was real happy with his production as he scored three goals and 11 points in 20 regular season games and proved to be a good fit in the team’s middle-six as the veteran is a two-time Stanley Cup Champion when he was with the Pittsburgh Penguins. The trade to Washington seemed to renewed the 30-year-old forward as he struggled with Pittsburgh to start the season, then was traded to Los Angeles in November for Tanner Pearson, but did little to impress them. He finished the season with a combined five goals and 19 points between the three teams. However, in Washington, he fared much better and also played a big role on the Capitals’ penalty kill, averaging 2:21 per game on that unit, first on the team.

One issue was whether the Capitals would have the cap space available to sign Hagelin as the team was very tight against the cap. However, after Saturday’s trade that sent defenseman Matt Niskanen to Philadelphia for Radko Gudas, Washington freed up $3.4MM in cap space, which allowed the team to lock up Hagelin. That won’t be it for changes with Washington as the Capitals still must find some money to lock up restricted free agents Jakub Vrana and Andre Burakovsky. It also suggests the team is likely to allow forward Brett Connolly, who is an unrestricted free agent, to walk away.

Atlantic Notes: Kapanen, Johnsson, Ristolainen, Krejci

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While the Toronto Maple Leafs know what to expect when it comes to the future contract for Mitch Marner, it isn’t as straight forward for their other two key restricted free agents in Kasperi Kapanen and Andreas Johnsson. Some of the reason for that is that young forwards with little experience who post an impressive season, often don’t get rewarded when they hit restricted free agency and that could easily be the case for the Maple Leafs, according to The Athletic’s Ian Tulloch (subscription required).

Kapanen, who hits restricted free agency for the first time, had an impressive season last year as he put up 20 goals and 44 points as a full-time player. However, before that, he had played a combined 55 games (and tallying just 10 points) over three separate seasons. Johnsson posted very similar numbers as he tallied 20 goals and 43 points in 73 games last season, but has played just 82 games in two years.

There are a number of comparables, however, including Ondrej Kase, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Phillip Danault, Anthony Mantha, Andreas Athanasiou, Teuvo Teravainen and Andre Burakovsky. All of them opted to sign a bridge deal with the hopes to prove to their respective teams that they can score like that consistently, suggesting that each of them may make anywhere from $2.7MM to $3.3MM AAV if they follow suit.

Of course, the problem could come down to offer sheets as both players would likely be prime candidates to sign offer sheets with other teams that could be closer to $4MM with a less risky compensation (just a second-round pick) which could cause quite a bit of havoc to Toronto’s salary cap situation.

  • Despite multiple rumors that the Buffalo Sabres are considering dealing defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen, who has never been able to take that next step and become a star defenseman like the team thought would happen when he joined the franchise six years ago, TSN’s Darren Dreger (while appearing on WGR 550) said he doesn’t believe that the Sabres will entertain the notion of trading him. Dreger said he doesn’t believe it’s a move the team feels is critical, but general manager Jason Botterill is still open to listening to offers. Of course, one fear of moving him is that Ristolainen could take that next step wherever he gets traded to, which the Sabres would prefer to avoid.
  • NHL.com’s Eric Russo writes that the Boston Bruins have been without center David Krejci for the past few days as the center has been out with an illness. He missed Thursday’s scrimmage and skipped practice on Saturday although head coach Bruce Cassidy said he hopes to have Krejci back on Sunday. “Precautionary,” said Cassidy. “I suspect we’ll see him tomorrow. That is the plan. If he’s not out tomorrow, now there’s a little bit of worry there. But right now, I believe he’ll be practicing tomorrow.”

East Notes: Burakovsky, Skinner, Lee

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Washington’s salary cap situation doesn’t leave them a lot of wiggle room to work with this summer.  Restricted free agent winger Andre Burakovsky is arguably their most intriguing player in need of a new contract.  His qualifying offer checks in at $3.25MM which is on the pricey side for a forward who has scored a dozen goals in each of the last three seasons but at the same time, he’s only 24 and has shown flashes of considerable upside.  Despite that, NBC Sports Washington’s J.J. Regan posits that their $1.15MM bonus overage from 2018-19 (bonuses for fellow RFA Jakub Vrana and UFA blueliner Brooks Orpik) could ultimately force Brian MacLellan to non-tender him next month.  It’s rare that a player with some track record of NHL success becomes available on the open market so if he was to become available, there would undoubtedly be considerable interest in him despite his struggles.

Elsewhere out East:

  • Contract talks between the Sabres and winger Jeff Skinner are expected to resume this week at the Draft Combine, reports Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic (Twitter link). Talks between the two sides have gone back several months but they’ve yet to find an agreement just yet.  Complicating matters is that Skinner had a torrid start that saw him score 30 goals in his first 44 games.  However, he had just ten in 38 contests the rest of the way.  It’s plausible to think that Skinner will want to be paid for reaching the 40-goal mark while Buffalo GM Jason Botterill will be looking for a cheaper deal given his late struggles and concussion history.
  • With Brock Nelson now locked up for six more years, the Islanders will likely shift their focus to captain Anders Lee, notes Brett Cyrgalis of the New York Post. There is mutual interest in getting a deal done but the issue continues to be the term of the deal.  The winger will turn 29 in July so a near max-term pact will certainly carry some risk; Cyrgalis suggests the Isles may not want to go more than four years.  However, he’s a big part of their attack and one of the top wingers on the open market so GM Lou Lamoriello will likely have to compromise and give him a longer-term contract to keep Lee in the fold.

Andre Burakovsky Hopes To Stay In Washington

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Over the last several seasons the Washington Capitals have been navigating a tricky cap situation, regularly sitting right at the upper limit with very little flexibility. As the 2019 offseason gets underway they have some tough decisions about how to keep their group competitive without overspending. Players like Brett Connolly may end up as cap casualties after earning raises, while others may find themselves on the trade block to free up some room. One of the examples of the latter is Andre Burakovsky, whose restricted free agent situation was examined today by Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post.

Khurshudyan breaks down how the Capitals in the past have decided not to issue qualifying offers only to continue negotiations anyway, even using Connolly himself as an example from a few years ago. That’s the tactic she expects the team to use in Burakovsky’s case, given the expensive $3.25MM offer the team would need to extend. Still, it’s not like the young forward wants to go anywhere else:

I love Washington, I love my teammates, I love everyone around — everything, the organization. My goal is to stay, and hopefully I will be able to.

Burakovsky, 24, recorded just 25 points in 76 games this season, the worst scoring rate of his career so far. Originally selected 23rd overall in 2013, he has never seemed to find the offensive production that he experienced in junior. In fact, with a career high of just 38 points through five seasons there is reason to doubt he’ll ever really fully reach his potential.

The Capitals are still in a window of Stanley Cup contention while the core is in tact, but need to find a way to surround Alex Ovechkin and company with a better supporting cast. Connolly, Carl Hagelin, Devante Smith-Pelly and Brooks Orpik are all scheduled to become unrestricted free agents, leaving some relatively substantial holes on the depth chart. With a new contract for Jakub Vrana the biggest priority of the offseason—except perhaps extensions for Nicklas Backstrom and Braden Holtby—the team has plenty of work to do over the next few weeks.

Still, if Burakovsky could be retained on a more inexpensive contract he would be a very valuable asset. Leaving him without a qualifying offer is obviously a risk, given that it would make him an unrestricted free agent, but if he is committed to the organization it may be the savvy move by GM Brian MacLellan. Teams have until June 25th to submit qualifying offers.

Washington Capitals Not Likely To Bring Back Devante Smith-Pelly

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Although the Washington Capitals have their affairs in order with most of their impact players after an early-round exit in the playoffs this year, the franchise still has a number of smaller contracts that it will have to deal with in the coming months. The contracts of restricted free agents Jakub Vrana and Andre Burakovsky and unrestricted free agents Carl Hagelin and Brett Connolly need to be dealt with, among others.

One contract the Capitals aren’t likely to deal with this summer is unrestricted free agent Devante Smith-Pelly, who likely will not be returning to Washington next season, according to NBC Sports J.J. Regan. While there was speculation that the team might consider bringing back one of the team’s key players in their Stanley Cup Championship run last season under the right conditions, Regan notes that changed after comments from general manager Brian MacLellan. “Internally we had a couple of issues we had to work through,” MacLellan said of Smith-Pelly, which was not exactly a vote of confidence.

Many have claimed that those “issues” stemmed from conditioning issues and they are likely the reason that the Capitals intend to move on from Smith-Pelly. The big winger struggled this season after scoring seven playoff goals last spring, including several timely ones. Even though Smith-Pelly had more lucrative offers last summer, he opted to sign a one-year, $1MM deal to remain with the Capitals. However, the season didn’t go as planned as he tallied just eight points in 54 games before the team placed him on waivers, sending him to the AHL. He was recalled after T.J. Oshie was injured in the playoffs, but played sparingly. Regan asked Smith-Pelly about his conditioning, which he flatly denied, but did admit he was forced to change his off-season workout plans due to the shortened break:

The summer was different for a lot of guys. I mean, very short. Guys are hurt going into the summer so obviously you don’t have the same routine as you’ve had in years past to get ready. I guess that just affected me more than some other guys. You try to get your footing and stuff happens.

With the team right up against the salary cap and key decisions to make about Burakovsky, Vrana, Hagelin, and Connolly, as well as defensive veteran Brooks Orpik, the team does need several cheap contracts on the book, but it looks like they might be ready to look elsewhere for that talent.

Trade Rumors: Johansson, Canucks, Sharks, McQuaid

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The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun writes that New Jersey Devils center Marcus Johansson could prove to be one of the best bargains at the trade deadline. LeBrun notes that Johansson’s stock has dropped due to his recent injury history, but has been back on the rise due to his recent production. Johansson has seven points in his past six games and buyers have taken notice. LeBrun reports that Johansson’s five-team no-trade list should not hinder a deal and Devils GM Ray Shero will pull the trigger, sooner rather than later, if he gets a fair offer. However, LeBrun believes there is a chance Shero will keep Johansson and try to re-sign him if he receives only low-ball offers. Sportsnet’s Elliott Friedman echoes that Johansson is for sale, but that Shero will be aggressive in the sale as he was with Brian Boyle. Friedman names the Columbus Blue Jackets, Edmonton Oilers, San Jose Sharks, and Vancouver Canucks as teams that have already checked in on Johansson, but that will hardly be the extent of the interest by the time the deadline rolls around.

  • Friedman believes that the Canucks, who seem like an outlier among the buyers interested in Johansson, are looking to replace the production of the injured Sven Baertschi as they try to keep pace in the Western Conference playoff race. Although few expect Vancouver to be major buyers, they are still just one point out of the final wild card spot and could make some minor tweaks to stay involved. Friedman adds that Washington Capitals forward Andre Burakovsky is another forward that the Canucks have looked into. Burakovsky makes for an interesting fit in Vancouver, as the Capitals seek a replacement forward in return and the Canucks have their own talented, but underwhelming young forward on the block in Nikolay Goldobin. A deal centered around the duo seems like a possibility.
  • As for the Sharks, Friedman believes that they intend to add forward depth before the deadline. While Johansson seems to be of interest, Friedman notes that a very different style of player could also be in their sights. He believes that a reunion with Eric Fehr, currently with the Minnesota Wild, could be in store. The Wild appear to be sellers now and Fehr, who fit in well as a deadline addition for the team last year, is a logical target for both the team’s cap situation and need to strengthen their defensive play up front. Meanwhile, The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz feels that San Jose needs to target a goaltender before the deadline. The Sharks have received poor results from Martin Jones and Aaron Dell this season – the team has the worst even strength save percentage in the league – and last nights’s game, in which Jones allowed six goals on 20 shots against the Boston Bruins could be the last straw. While Kurz comes to the conclusion that an addition in net is unlikely, he hopes the team considers all of their options.
  • Appearing on TSN 1050 in Toronto yesterday, Bob McKenzie stated that New York Rangers defenseman Adam McQuaid is very likely to be moved before the deadline. The impending UFA defender was acquired from the Boston Bruins this off-season for a fourth-round and seventh-round pick, as well as fellow blue liner Steven Kampfer, and McKenzie feels that the Rangers will move him for any package wherein they can recoup those picks or better. Friedman says similar, writing that there has been “traction” on McQuaid move. The Toronto Maple Leafs have been frequently linked to McQuaid, but the tough, stay-at-home righty should have a significant market.

Colorado Avalanche Could Be Ideal Destination For Andre Burakovsky

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After another loss last night, the Colorado Avalanche are win-less in their last eight games. Normally, this would send a team plummeting down the standings, but in this season’s Western Conference “turtle derby”, the Avs are tied for tenth-place in the West and just four points back of a wild card spot with a game in hand on the Minnesota Wild. Colorado doesn’t have the best odds of making the playoffs – The Athletic model puts them at 32% – but they certainly still have a chance. It puts GM Joe Sakic in a difficult position as the NHL Trade Deadline approaches; he knows that his team, which held a playoff spot for much of the first half, has the talent to make the postseason, but he also lacks the confidence in the current standings to be a true buyer. Sakic stated last week that he would not move first-round picks or top prospects at the deadline, but without a win since then, he may have ruled out giving up any trade capital of value for a rental.

Where a move does still make sense for the Avalanche is in acquiring a forward with term or team control. The lack of secondary scoring that has plagued the team this season is not going to magically correct itself next year, so it makes sense for Sakic to target forwards that could help down the stretch this year and moving forward. The best case scenario would be a deal where the Colorado does not have to give up futures to acquire such a player. Few of these opportunities exist, but the Avs are reportedly looking into one of them. Appearing on TSN 1050 in Toronto yesterday, Pierre LeBrun reported that the Avalanche are in on young Washington Capitals forward Andre Burakovsky. Burakovsky, 24, has fallen out of favor in Washington and has been on the trade block for much of the season. The talented winger is an impending restricted free agent this summer and due a qualifying offer of $3.25MM, but Colorado has both the cap space and the need for depth to accommodate a contract extension. Burakovsky, who is on pace for 24 points this season behind a drop-off in ice time and shooting percentage, has otherwise scored at a half point-per-game clip and logged strong possession numbers in his previous four years with the Caps. He could be the exact type of buy-low, high upside forwards that Sakic and company need. With a change of scenery, Burakovsky could make an impact this year and become a core piece for the Avs next season and beyond.

Yet, what makes Colorado and Washington ideal trade partners is what the Capitals want in return. Like many contenders who are willing to move a young roster player, Washington will need a replacement. According to The Athletic’s Scott Burnside, the asking price for Burakovsky is another top-nine forward who can out-perform him in his stead this season. Washington GM Brian MacLellan has very little cap room to work with at the deadline – approximately $1.1MM in salary – and is almost exclusively looking to upgrade via hockey trade as a result. The Capitals’ best chance of improving at the deadline is likely in their return for Burakovsky. So what do the Avalanche have to offer as the centerpiece of a package for Burakovsky? Colin Wilson, an impending free agent with a cap hit just under $4MM, makes a lot of sense. Wilson has out-produced Burakovsky this season and brings an added element of experience and a hard-working style that would be a major boost to the Capitals’ bottom six. Matthew Nieto is another option; the 26-year-old has similar numbers to Burakovsky albeit with less potential, but does carry a team-friendly $1.975MM hit through next season. If the Avs are really high on Burakovsky, they may even consider swapping out one of their own RFA scorers in Alexander Kerfoot or J.T. Compher. Perhaps the most intriguing option though, and one that could likely up the price on the Capitals’ side, is veteran forward Carl Soderberg. After two down years, Soderberg is again on pace for a 50-point season and would be a major addition for the Caps. He does have a $4.75MM cap hit through next season that would require some retention on the part of the Avalanche, but if MacLellan is willing to sweeten the offer beyond just Burakovsky, Sodeberg could be a difference maker for the team. With good potential fits on both sides and rumored mutual interest, a Burakovksy-to-the-Avs trade could be coming down the line in the next twelve days.

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