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Are There More Moves Coming In Minnesota?

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On Wednesday, the Minnesota Wild did what many thought wasn’t possible when they locked up high-scoring forward Jason Zucker on a long-term deal without putting themselves in an impossible situation with the salary cap. The team somehow managed to re-sign two young stars, both Zucker and Mathew Dumba, to a combined $11.5MM cap hit as well as add free agents Greg Pateryn, Eric Fehr, Matt Hendricks, J.T. Brown, Matt Bartkowksi, and Andrew Hammond all while maintaining some semblance of cap space. The team is projected to enter the season with $1.77MM in cap space and a roster that added talent while only losing the likes of Daniel Winnik and Matt Cullen.

The question now is: is it enough? While it never hurts to return the majority of a roster from a playoff team, there is some question as to whether the Wild are keeping up in the Western Conference arms race. The team has been eliminated in the first round of the playoffs in each of the past three seasons and has still won just four playoff series in its 18-year history. Fans are clamoring for more than just regular season success and Minnesota – and new GM Paul Fenton – have instead opted to return the same team so far in an off-season where major changes were expected. Although the new contracts for Zucker and Dumba were more than fair and the team addressed needs for more physicality on the blue line with Pateryn and another option in net with Hammond, as well as adding veteran depth pieces, there will be some who are critical of an otherwise quiet summer.

With so little cap space, the Wild may find it difficult to make many additions in-season as well. As the projected 23-man roster currently stands, Minnesota does not seem to be facing many holes and will get an injection of youth in the form of full seasons for Jordan Greenway and Nick Seeler. However, after getting a glimpse of other prospects like Luke Kunin, Louis Belpedio, and Carson Soucy last season, the team will undoubtedly want to avoid leaving them in the AHL all year. The trio all carry $925K cap hits that exceed the salaries of those on the roster they are most likely to supplant and the result will be even more cap space eaten up. Without moving out some salary, Minnesota will be left hoping their young talent can make a major impact as they will otherwise struggle to add veteran difference-makers over the course of the year.

While observers will always point to the massive contracts of Ryan Suter and Zach Parise as the contracts that Minnesota could most benefit from moving (although Suter is still one of the most reliable defensemen in the league), the team has also entertained offers for Jonas Brodin and Nino Niederreiter in the past and could do so again. While Eric Staal has been a revelation for the team, they could also look to move the pending free agent if they get off to a slow start and can land a younger asset in exchange. At the end of the season, it could be that this same Wild lineup plus some free agent additions and young players is enough to reverse their postseason fortunes. However, if they fall short again or, even worse, miss the playoffs, the team will finally have to make some major changes. It’s possible that the team gets ahead of that possibility by making some moves this off-season instead.

Minor Goalie Signings: Sateri, Hutchinson, Hammond, Wedgewood

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Among the flurry of signings this morning are a quartet of goaltenders that are likely to be third stringers with their new organizations.  Here are those moves:

  • The Red Wings have agreed to terms with Harri Sateri, reports Fox Sports Midwest’s Andy Strickland (Twitter link).  The 28-year-old spent most of last season with Florida’s AHL affiliate in Springfield, posting a stellar .927 SV% with a 2.30 GAA in 29 games.  He got into nine games with the Panthers down the stretch, going 4-4-0 with a 2.92 GAA and a .911 SV%.
  • Replacing Sateri with Florida will be Michael Hutchinson, once again per Strickland on Twitter.  He lost the number two spot in Winnipeg last year after they brought in Steve Mason although Mason’s frequent time on IR allowed Hutchinson to get into a handful of games with the Jets.  He played in 26 games with AHL Manitoba, posting a sterling .935 SV% along with a 2.08 GAA.  With 103 NHL games under his belt, the Panthers should be comfortable using him should one of Roberto Luongo or James Reimer get hurt.
  • On top of adding Carter Hutton shortly, the Sabres are set to add Scott Wedgewood as well, reports Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman (via Twitter).  The 25-year-old cleared waivers with New Jersey at the start of the year but was flipped to Arizona where he served as their backup for a big chunk of the season.  He got into 20 games with the Coyotes where he put up a 3.45 GAA and a .893 SV% before being moved to the Kings as part of the Darcy Kuemper deal where he was once again waived and sent to the minors.
  • Minnesota is set to have a competition for their number two spot as Michael Russo of The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that the Wild have agreed to terms with Andrew Hammond.  The 30-year-old spent most of the season with Ottawa’s AHL affiliate in Belleville (even after his NHL rights were moved to Colorado as part of the Matt Duchene trade) but he did get into three postseason games with the Avalanche after their top two goalies went down with injuries.  He will battle with Alex Stalock to back up Devan Dubnyk next year.

Free Agent Focus: Colorado Avalanche

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Free agency is now a little less than a month away from opening up and there are quite a few prominent players set to hit the open market while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign.  Here is a breakdown of Colorado’s free agent situation.

Key Restricted Free Agents: F Matthew Nieto — The 25-year-old, who was picked up off of waivers from the San Jose Sharks has found a home in Colorado after the team rewarded him a year ago with a $1MM contract as a restricted free agent, posting a career high in goals with 15 and forcing his way to some second-line action. Primarily used as a fourth-line defensive option, Nieto has started to show his potential.

One key to Nieto’s success has been getting regular playing time. After playing in a career-low 59 games between two teams last year, he got into 74 games and averaged almost 15 minutes a game. Now with his game improving and the potential to earn a second or third-line role with the team next year, Nieto looks to get a raise from his deal a year ago.

D Patrik Nemeth — After years of not being able to find a full-time role with the Dallas Stars, Nemeth, like Nieto, seems to have found a home with the Avalanche. The 26-year-old blueliner was claimed off waivers at the beginning of the season and immediately made an impact on the Avalanche’s defense. Often teamed with Tyson Barrie on the first line, Nemeth has developed into a solid shutdown defender, although he doesn’t provide much offense (3 goals, 15 points in 68 games). After signing at $945K last season, Nemeth should get himself a significant raise as well.

Other RFA’s: D Mason Geersten, F Felix Girard, D Jesse Graham, D Ryan Graves, G Spencer Martin, F Reid Petryk, D Duncan Siemens, F Nail Yakupov.

Key Unrestricted Free Agents: G Jonathan Bernier — The Avalanche goaltending combination of Semyon Varlamov and Bernier was just OK, but the combination was good enough to vault the team to the playoff for the first time in years. Bernier, who finished the season with a 19-13-3 record with a 2.85 GAA and a .913 save percentage in 37 starts, had moments where he dazzled, including a stretch of nine consecutive wins between Dec. 31 and Jan. 22. Due to a Varlamov injury, Bernier was forced to start in all playoff games and struggled against a good Nashville team, allowing 14 goals in four games as well as being pulled once.

The team must decide whether Bernier is the answer to their goaltending problems as the team needs a backup who can fill in long-term for the injury-prone Varlamov. The team could opt to look at a Carter Hutton, but that might cost the team too much, while the team’s top goaltending prospects are still a year or two away, although the team could turn to streaky UFA Andrew Hammond, who performed well in the playoffs against Nashville in three appearances.

F Blake Comeau — The 32-year-old veteran continues to produce in a bottom-line role for the Avalanche and after another solid season which puts him at 13 goals and 34 points, Comeau is another key veteran who provides a young Colorado team with that leadership the team needs. He has had quite an effect on players like Nieto and J.T. Compher and after finishing up a three-year, $7.2MM deal at $2.4MM AAV, he may want a similar deal to finish out his career.

Other UFA’s: G Joe Cannata, F Joe Colborne, F Rocco Grimaldi, G Andrew Hammond, F Trent Vogelhuber.

Projected Cap Space: With more than $22MM in cap space to work with, depending where the upper limit lands. That should give the team the possibility of going after a free agent or two, but with the team still developing its team through youth, Colorado hasn’t been a major talking point, yet anyway, for unrestricted free agents. However, the idea of the team going after James van Riemsdyk and placing him next to Nathan MacKinnon wouldn’t be a bad look either.

Regardless, the team also must use some of that cap space toward possible extension as the team may want to lock up promising star Mikko Rantanen as soon as possible, which he can do on July 1.

Snapshots: Stars Goaltending, Guentzel, Kane, Shalunov

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Armed with a new head coach, the Dallas Stars can begin to get to work to fixing their team after the team failed to qualify for the playoffs despite a flurry of offseason moves last year. While, the team has many issues to deal with, one key area of need is finding a quality back-up goaltender.

The team is finally released from a five-year, $29.5MM deal it gave to eventual backup Kari Lehtonen. However, the $5.9MM AAV for a player who produced a 2.56 GAA and a .912 wasn’t worth it. On top of that, at age 34, the team needs a backup that can take over the workload for oft-injured starter Ben Bishop.

SportsDay’s Mike Heika writes there are several potential options for Dallas, but the best-case scenario would be for the Stars to chase Carter Hutton, who backed up Jake Allen last year. Hutton, who could easily fill in full-time in case Bishop gets hurt, could also be expensive as the 32-year-old veteran may hope to land a starting job somewhere. He was 17-7-3 last year with a 2.09 GAA in 32 games this past year in St. Louis. Other options would consist of Jonathan Bernier, Andrew Hammond, Michael Hutchinson and Anton Khudobin.

  • While it may not come as a surprise, the Washington Post’s Isabelle Khurshudyan reports that the NHL Department of Player Safety does not intend to have a hearing with Pittsburgh Penguins Jake Guentzel, who hit John Carlson during Saturday’s game against the Washington Capitals. Despite complaints from Capitals head coach Barry Trotz, Khurshudyan the league felt it was a full-body hit.
  • With the season on the line, The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz (subscription required) writes that while San Jose Sharks’ trade deadline acquisition Evander Kane has been highly successful since coming over from Buffalo, that hasn’t been the case during the team’s second-round series against the Vegas Golden Knights. Kane has scored just one point in the series and the team will need them to pull off a two-game sweep to advance to the conference finals. Kurz wonders whether Kane’s health has been an issue as he has skipped the morning skate for both of the team’s last two games.
  • Chicago Blackhawks prospect Maxim Shalunov has been improving steadily in the KHL and the 2011 fourth-round prospect is looking more interesting, but The Athletic’s Scott Powers (subscription required) writes that the 25-year-old is still two years away from reaching Chicago after he signed a three-year extension to remain in the KHL last offseason. As Shalunov has developed in Russia, he’s also received more attention recently from the Russian national team and while he didn’t get the invitation to the Olympics that he was hoping for, he did get the invite to play in the World Championships.

Colorado Avalanche Sign Pavel Francouz To One-Year Deal

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The Colorado Avalanche have an interesting situation brewing in goal, as both Jonathan Bernier and Andrew Hammond are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents, while Jeremy Smith will become a restricted free agent this summer. Semyon Varlamov also has just one season left on his current deal, leaving a lot of uncertainty moving forward.

Enter Pavel Francouz, who was signed by Colorado to a one-year contract today. The 27-year old goaltender has dominated the KHL for several years, and is now apparently ready to start his North American career. Adrian Dater of BSN Denver reports that the contract is worth $690K, and is a one-way deal.

Francouz posted a .946 save percentage in 37 starts this season in the KHL, which was actually a step backwards from the incredible .953 mark he registered in 2016-17. To say that he’s been good is an understatement, and he’ll finally get his chance to prove that he can do it at the NHL level. The reason he hasn’t gotten that chance before now is very simple—he’s tiny.

Listed at 6’0″ by the Avalanche—but 5’11” at other times—he doesn’t have the usual size of an NHL goaltender, who routinely measure in at 6’2″ or taller. That obviously gives them an advantage, one that he’ll have to overcome if he’s to make an impact at the highest level.

Colorado might be the best place to do it, as they have recent experience with Bernier who usually ranks in as one of the league’s smallest netminders. Whether Bernier will be retained is unclear at this point, but Francouz offers them a talented goaltender who could potentially be an upgrade on what they currently have.

Evening Notes: Hammond, Wild

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The USA Today’s Jace Evans is one of many to write about Colorado netminder Andrew Hammond’s 44-save performance last night that kept the Avalanche alive for another day. Hammond was called into duty after Colorado goalie Jonathan Bernier was lost to injury after Game Four. Hammond burst onto the scene two seasons ago when he backstopped the Ottawa Senators to an unexpected playoff performance after going 20-1-2 in 24 games and boasting a .941 save percentage during that stretch. The Sens were bounced in the first round and Hammond couldn’t replicate that performance following 2014-15, leading to a demotion and eventual trade to Colorado as part of the Matt Duchene deal. Evans quotes the “Hamburglar” as saying you never know when you’re going to get a second chance, and with that bonus opportunity, Hammond turned a lot of heads.

  • The Sporting News’ Brandon Schlager continues, calling it “perfect serendipity” for Hammond to rescue the Avalanche after falling down 3-1 to the defending Western Conference champion Nashville Predators. Schalger uses clips from the game intertwined with description to break down some of Hammond’s biggest saves in the game, and adds that the NHL playoffs are well known for “red-hot” goalies stealing games against teams that should otherwise win in convincing fashion. The Tennessean’s Mike Organ includes a few quotes from Nashville’s Mike Fisher, who thinks it’s as simple as putting the puck where Hammond isn’t in order to break through. While there doesn’t seem to be much worry on Nashville’s side, one has to wonder if the Hamburglar still has some games left to steal.
  • For a litany of reasons, the Minnesota Wild are out of the first round for a third straight season. Chief among them: they didn’t show up for a crucial game five. CBS Sports’ Pete Blackburn cites the poor showing in the deciding game as a reason the Wild need to make serious changes this offseason. Teams are judged by their play when their backs are against the wall, and Blackburn charges the Wild as a squad that “produced a nice, wet, stinky turd.” In addition, the Jets relentless attack, some bad luck, and the strong play of  Connor Hellebuyck doomed the Wild in the series.

Andrew Hammond To Start Game 5 For Colorado Avalanche

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The Colorado Avalanche are down 3-1 in their series with the Nashville Predators, but fans can take solace in the fact that they haven’t looked completely overmatched. Even if they lose the series, it’s a huge step forward for a team that recorded a historically bad 2016-17 campaign. If they could win, it would be a tremendous upset.

That upset seems even further away now, as the team announced today that Andrew Hammond would start Game 5 after Jonathan Bernier suffered a lower-body injury. The Avalanche were already without Semyon Varlamov, meaning third-string Hammond will have to be the savior if a comeback is in store.

Hammond was acquired from the Ottawa Senators in the Matt Duchene deal, but was called a salary dump at the time. The 30-year old goaltender didn’t even change AHL affiliations right away, instead staying with the Belleville Senators for most of the season. That won’t matter now, as he will have the fate of the Colorado organization in his hands (or pads?) in his first playoff experience since 2015. That’s when made his presence known in the NHL with an outstanding run for the Senators down the stretch, earning him a third-place Vezina vote and even a few more for the Hart Trophy.

He played just two playoff games that season and lost both, meaning he’ll be looking for his first postseason win on Friday night.

Minor Transactions: 03/28/18

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Tonight’s games are the first time the NHL situation room will have control over goaltender interference reviews, which will undoubtedly come up at some point in the four games on tap. If it does, we’ll get to see the first instance of what should be a more consistent decision-making process. Hopefully, all the kinks will be ironed out before the playoffs start in a few weeks.

As always, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves around the league heading into tonight’s action. Check back throughout the day for more updates.

Minor Transactions: 3/11/18

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With a busy 11-game schedule Saturday, the NHL has a lighter schedule today with just four games. With all the injuries, many teams will look to make moves to shore up their roster for the upcoming week.

  • The Arizona Coyotes announced they have assigned defenseman Andrew Campbell to Tucson of the AHL. Strome, the Coyotes third-overall pick in the 2015 draft, has had trouble finding a role with the Coyotes so far as he has just one goal and no assists in 11 NHL games, but has been dominant with the Roadrunners. He has 22 goals and 27 assists in 44 games with Tucson. Campbell was recalled last Sunday as an emergency while defenseman Alex Goligoski was with his wife, waiting for the birth of their child. He did not appear in a game.  Center Dylan Strome was recalled on an emergency basis at the same time but later in the day, the team announced that that recall was cancelled.
  • The St. Louis Blues have announced they have assigned goaltender Ville Husso, forward Samuel Blais, and defenseman Chris Butler to the San Antonio Rampage of the AHL. Husso had been recalled on Thursday as an emergency replacement for goaltender Carter Hutton, who injured his neck, but Husso did not see any playing time. Butler was recalled Saturday as an emergency defenseman, but wasn’t needed. Blais, who has been out with a concussion, skated Thursday and might be ready to play with San Antonio. The 21-year-old has three points in 11 games with St. Louis.
  • The Buffalo Sabres announced they have assigned forwards Justin Bailey and Daniel O’Regan to the Rochester Americans of the AHL. Both players, who have been shuttled back and forth recently between the two teams, are likely being sent down with a four-game break coming up for the Sabres. Buffalo doesn’t play again until Thursday against Toronto. Bailey, the team’s second-round pick in 2013, scored a goal in Saturday’s game against Vegas, but only picked up 8:39 minutes of ice time. O’Regan, acquired in the Evander Kane trade at the trade deadline, has not picked up a point yet in two games with San Jose. The 24-year-old only got 10:19 of ice time Saturday.
  • As reported yesterday, the Colorado Avalanche officially assigned forward Vladislav Kamenev to the San Antonio Rampage of the AHL last night, according to CapFriendly. Kamenev, who came over to the Avalanche from Nashville in the Matt Duchene trade, broke his arm on his first game with Colorado. He is ready to get some playing time in San Antonio and could be recalled once he’s back in game shape.
  • As reported yesterday, the Calgary Flames officially announced they have activated goaltender Mike Smith and have assigned goaltender Jon Gillies to the Stockton Heat of the AHL. Smith has been out of the lineup since Feb. 11 with a groin injury and has been listed as day-to-day for weeks. However, he is expected to start today. The return is critical for Calgary who is fighting for a playoff spot. Smith, an all-star this year, has a 2.53 GAA, but more importantly, a .921 save percentage in 47 games for the Flames. The 24-year-old Gillies struggled in limited playing time for Calgary as he played in seven games, putting up a 2.78 GAA and a .904 save percentage.
  • The Colorado Avalanche announced they have recalled goaltender Spencer Martin from the San Antonio Rampage of the AHL to serve as an emergency backup after Jonathan Bernier was hit in the head with a puck during Saturday’s game. He had already missed several weeks due to concussion symptoms. Martin has had to fill in due to multiple injuries to both Bernier and Andrew Hammond. Martin hasn’t appeared in a game for Colorado, but has a 3.05 GAA and a .895 in 31 appearances with the Rampage.
  • The Carolina Hurricanes have recalled winger Valentin Zykov, per a team release.  He has yet to play with the ’Canes this season but has been productive at the AHL level with 30 goals in 57 games which leads their affiliate in Charlotte.

Evening Notes: Flames, Hammond, Valiev, Blues

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While the Flames had a pretty quiet trade deadline day with their only pickups being depth moves (winger Chris Stewart off waivers from Minnesota and center Nick Shore in a trade with Ottawa), Postmedia’s Eric Francis reports that Calgary had kicked the tires on several prominent forwards.  He notes that Canadiens winger Brendan Gallagher was among those the team inquired about, a group that also included Montreal’s Max Pacioretty, Ottawa’s Mike Hoffman, and Evander Kane, who was eventually moved to San Jose.

GM Brad Treliving acknowledged that he also looked into the goaltending market but that the potential moves “just didn’t make any sense”.  With Mike Smith out with a groin injury, the Flames are currently running with rookies David Rittich and Jon Gillies as they look to hold onto a playoff spot in the tightly-contested Pacific Division.

Other notes from around the league:

  • It turns out Penguins goalie Matt Murray isn’t the only goalie to be diagnosed with a concussion after the deadline. BSN Denver’s AJ Haefele reports (Twitter link) that Avalanche netminder Andrew Hammond is now in concussion protocol, joining Jonathan Bernier in that situation.  As a result, Spencer Martin has been recalled from San Antonio of the AHL.
  • Defenseman Rinat Valiev was part of the swap over the weekend between Montreal and Toronto that saw Tomas Plekanec head to the Maple Leafs. The blueliner acknowledged to LNH.com’s Anthony Marcotte that he had requested to be traded.  Toronto has had several other young rearguards move ahead of Valiev on the depth chart over the last little while so his preference was to head to a team that didn’t have as many players potentially blocking his path to an NHL roster spot.
  • While on the surface, the Blues’ trade of center Paul Stastny yesterday suggests that St. Louis was in selling mode, GM Doug Armstrong told reporters, including Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, that he was involved in trade talks that would have seen the first-round pick they acquired in that swap flipped for a more proven player. However, they weren’t able to find a match, nor were they willing to part with their top prospects to bring in someone that would help for just the next 12-18 months so instead, they will look to try to get back on track without any additions outside the organization.

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