Austin Watson

West Notes: Watson, Blues, Ducks

July 24, 2018 at 5:51 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 2 Comments

Predators winger Austin Watson pleaded no contest to his domestic violence charge today, notes Natalie Neysa Alund of The Tennessean. Watson will spend the next three months on probation and has been placed on judicial diversion. That means that if he abides by the terms set, his case will be expunged.

In the meantime, the NHL released a statement (Twitter link) indicating that they will initiate a full investigation into the matter to determine what, if any, supplemental discipline will be warranted. Unlike other leagues, the NHL does not have a blanket domestic violence policy so any discipline is determined on a case-by-case basis.

Austin Watson Charged With Domestic Assault

June 28, 2018 at 2:15 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 3 Comments

June 28: Watson’s court date has been postponed until July 24th according to Alund, who also adds some context to the arrest. Watson got into an argument with his girlfriend at a gas station in Franklin, Tennessee and admitted to pushing her to an officer that was flagged down by a witness. Alund reports that should Watson be convicted, he faces up to 11 months and 29 days in jail and up to a $2,500 fine.

June 20: Nashville Predators forward Austin Watson has been charged with domestic assault, according to a report from Natalie Neysa Alund of the Tennessean. Watson was arrested Saturday night and released Wednesday morning on a $4,500 bond. His next court date is set for June 28th. The Predators have issued this statement:

This is a matter that we are taking very seriously, and will cooperate fully with the investigation by law enforcement.

Watson, 26, was selected in the first round of the 2010 draft and became a full-time player for the Predators in the 2015-16 season. In 2017 he was involved in a public-awareness campaign with several teammates directed towards ending violence against women, which included a $500K donation from the Predators.

The details of the arrest are not public record yet, and we likely won’t know how it affects Watson’s 2018-19 season until the court process has been completed. Watson is under contract with the team for two more seasons, and carries a $1.1MM cap hit.

Injury Notes: Point, Palat, Erne, Watson, Perreault

April 29, 2018 at 11:35 am CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg Leave a Comment

After suffering a disappointing Game 1 loss at home to the Boston Bruins, the Tampa Bay Lightning are pushing the pace at practice today and is compared to a training camp style of practice, according to The Athletic’s Joe Smith. The Lightning struggled and didn’t look prepared for their first-round matchup, falling 6-2, likely forcing coach Jon Cooper to wake them up in practice today.

While the team hopes to rebound in Game 2 and even the series, the team is also without Brayden Point and Ondrej Palat, who are both absent from the practice and are considered day-to-day for Monday. Point took a hard check from Boston’s Brad Marchand in the first period, while there is no word on Palat. Point said he will be ready to go Monday, according to NHL.com’s Dan Rosen. Both missed practice because of “body maintenance.” One positive note, the Lightning have winger Adam Erne back, who is practicing in a regular jersey, not a non-contact one. He could return Monday. He last played on Mar. 26 and has been out with a lower-body injury.

The Nashville Predators could get Austin Watson back from injury for Sunday’s game. The winger left Friday’s game in the first period with an undisclosed injury, but practiced Saturday alongside linesmates Colton Sissons and Nick Bonino, according to the Tennessean’s Adam Vingan. That suggests he will be available for Game 2. His return is key as Watson, who scored 14 goals during the regular season, has come up big in the playoffs, putting up seven points in seven games so far, including four goals.
While the Winnipeg Jets are almost fully healthy, veteran winger Mathieu Perreault remains in a non-contact jersey and looks to be out for at least another game, according to Winnipeg Sun’s Ken Wiebe. Perrault has been out with an upper-body injury and has played in just one game so far in the playoffs.

Austin Watson To Face Player Safety Hearing

November 19, 2017 at 1:17 pm CDT | by Zach Leach Leave a Comment

It looks like Radko Gudas won’t be the only player speaking with the NHL Department of Player Safety today. The league has announced that Nashville Predators forward Austin Watson also has a disciplinary date today. Watson was the perpetrator of a hard check from behind on Colorado Avalanche rookie Dominic Toninato yesterday.

As you can see in the video, Watson hit Toninanto right on the numbers with some real force and may have even gotten his elbow up in Toninato’s head area as well. The hit occurred midway through the first period in what was Toninato’s NHL debut. Watson was given a five-minute major for boarding and a game misconduct, leaving his team short-handed for much of the game, though the Predators still won 5-2. Toninato missed much of the game, but did return later on in the third period.

A notably physical player, Watson has nevertheless never been suspended in his NHL career. Also, unlike Gudas, the league requested only a phone hearing with Watson, meaning that a suspension – if any – will be less than five games. It may be the first major infraction for Watson, but given the ferocity of the check and the league’s efforts to clean up the game, it seems likely that Watson will end up with a suspension of some sort.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Nashville Predators

September 10, 2017 at 4:50 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.

Nashville Predators

Current Cap Hit: $68,913,333 (under the $75MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Kevin Fiala (Two years remaining, $863K)
G Juuse Saros (One year remaining, $693K)

Potential Bonuses

Fiala: $500K
Saros: $183K

Total: $683K

A team that is designed for a Stanley Cup run probably shouldn’t have too many players on entry level contracts and the Predators have just the two. Fiala is the team’s top young potential star as the former 2014 first-rounder found himself getting called up to the Predators and logged 54 games last year, scoring 11 goals. He even managed to cement himself in the starting lineup and played in five playoff games, scoring two goals, but then broke his femur and his playoffs were cut short. Nevertheless, the team is expecting a big year from the young wing and some even have him penciled in on the team’s second line. As for Saros, the 22-year-old goalie had a pretty good showing last year, playing in 21 contests (19 starts) and putting up a 2.35 GAA and a .923 save percentage. He should be able to shoulder the load as the backup and right now looks to be Nashville’s goaltender of the future.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

D Alexei Emelin ($3MM, UFA)
F Scott Hartnell ($1MM, UFA)
F Cody McLeod ($800K, UFA)
D Yannick Weber ($650K, UFA)
D Matt Irwin ($650K, UFA)
D Anthony Bitetto ($613, UFA)
F Miikka Salomaki ($613K, RFA)

The team, already immersed in quality defenders, picked up another veteran defender in Emelin this offseason in a trade with the Vegas Golden Knights, who picked him from the Montreal Canadiens in the expansion draft. A solid veteran, Emelin, should fill in for the injured Ellis until he returns in December and then provide some veteran depth throughout the rest of the season, which should keep Nashville’s defensive corps as strong as it had always been and he will likely be allowed to move on when his contract expires next year.

Hartnell returns to Nashville after 10 years. Originally drafted in the first round by Nashville in 2000, the 35-year-old forward played six years for the Predators before being traded to Philadelphia. He has scored 314 goals, but only managed 13 in his last year in Columbus. The team hopes his presence will spark the team for another Stanley Cup run. The rest, including Weber, Irwin and McLeod

Two Years Remaining

G Pekka Rinne ($7MM, UFA)
D Ryan Ellis ($2.5MM, UFA)
F Pontus Aberg ($650K, RFA)
F Colton Sissons ($625K, RFA)

Two years from now, Rinne’s who has been with the franchise since 2005, will be 36 years old and while he’s still playing well, he’s also beginning to slow down. Do they have an heir apparent ready to take over in Saros? It’s too early to tell, but unless he’s playing out of his mind still in two years, the team will most likely have to find a replacement in net. However, the team hopes he can keep it together for another couple of years for another chance at a Stanley Cup run.

Ellis went down with a knee injury during the playoffs, but continued to play. However, after offseason knee surgery, the 26-year-old defender will be out until January. Regardless, the defenseman is an outstanding defender and was listed by NHL.com as one of the top 20 defenseman in the league last year. His offensive numbers continue to improve as well as he had career highs with 16 goals and 38 points. Even with the injury, his $2.5MM deal for two more years is a bargain.

Aberg and Sissons are both restricted, so re-signing them shouldn’t be too big of a problem. Both are depth players with potential as Aberg has had little NHL experience, but scored 31 goals last year for the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals. He then got into 15 games for the Predators, scoring two points, but took off in the playoffs, putting up two goals and five points in 16 games. Sissons had just eight goals in 58 games last year, but then put up 12 points, including six goals in the playoffs, so the 23-year-old could be a player who could have an improved year.

Three Years Remaining

F Craig Smith ($4.25MM, UFA)
D Roman Josi ($4MM, UFA)
F Austin Watson ($1.1MM, UFA)
F Frederick Gaudreau ($667K, UFA)

The 28-year-old Smith has been with Nashville from they day he was drafted in 2009 and he developed into a solid 20-goal scorer. In 2015, after scoring 47 goals in two years, he was rewarded with a five-year, $21.3MM deal. After a 12-goal season last year, his deal looks like one of the team’s worst deals. The team hopes he bounces back and returns to form. Josi, on the other hand has been one of the top defensemen in the league and is a bargain at $4MM per year. At 27 years old, Josi puts up big numbers and while last year’s numbers of 12 goals and 37 assists were below his usual standards, he made up for it with strong defense. Watson still has much to prove, but is likely to hold onto a fourth-line position this year. He only had 17 points in 77 games, but was a scorer with the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals and at age 25 has time to develop his skills.

Four Or More Years Remaining

D P.K. Subban ($9MM through 2021-22)
F Ryan Johansen ($8MM through 2024-25)
F Filip Forsberg ($6MM through 2021-22)
F Viktor Arvidsson ($4.25MM through 2023-24)
F Nick Bonino ($4.1MM through 2020-21)
D Mattias Ekholm ($3.75 through 2021-22)
F Calle Jarnkrok ($2MM through 2021-22)

Like a high-end general manager David Poile has locked up all his talent long-term with the idea of making long playoff runs the norm in Nashville. While Subban is already half-way through the eight-year, $72MM deal he signed in Montreal in 2014, he is the physical presence the team’s defense needs. He had 10 goals and 40 points, but was always there to shut down the other team’s top offensive player. Johansen just received his eight-year, $64MM deal in July and he did that with 14 goals and 47 assists last year. The team’s number one center added another three goals and 10 assists in the playoffs until he had to undergo emergency thigh surgery.

Forsberg has also been a key scorer for the team as the 23-year-old scored 31 goals last year and 90 goals in the past three seasons. A first-round pick in 2012, he is an integral piece to the team’s top scoring line along with Arvidsson, who is also locked up long-term. The 24-year-old had a breakout season last year, putting up 31 goals and 30 assists. He only had 16 points in 58 games a year ago.

The team went out and stole Bonino away from the Stanley Cup winning Pittsburgh Penguins. The 29-year-old gritty center had 18 goals and 19 assists for the Penguins a year ago, but $4.1MM a year for a 18-goal scorer seems exorbitant, assuming he even can be a second-line center. Ekholm is another quality defender on the team, who will have to pick up the slack with Ellis out, but the defensive defender is a key piece to the team. Jarnkrok’s long-term, short-money deal seems nice for a 25-year-old who has scored 31 goals combined in the last two seasons. If he can take it up one more notch, they will have themselves a steal.

Buyouts

F Viktor Stalberg ($1.17MM in 2017-18 and 2018-19)
F Eric Nystrom ($1MM in 2017-18)
D Barret Jackman ($667K in 2017-18)

Retained Salary Transactions

None

Still To Sign

None

Best Value: Josi
Worst Value: Bonino

Looking Ahead

Poile has done an excellent job of putting together a team that can make a long run at a Stanley Cup. They have the defense and the firepower to do that, as well as the fact that almost everyone is locked up for three years or more. They do have a limited time with Rinne in goal, but besides that the team should prove to be a perennial contender for the next few years.

Nashville Predators Sign Austin Watson

July 24, 2017 at 10:18 am CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

The Nashville Predators continue to lock up their young restricted free agents, this time inking Austin Watson to a three-year, $3.3MM contract. Watson was due for an arbitration hearing today and had asked for $1.4MM, but instead will have an average salary of $1.1MM for the next few years. He’ll earn just $1MM next year, $1.1MM in 2018-19 and $1.2MM in 2019-20.

Selected in the first round of the 2010 draft, Watson has had trouble reaching his potential of a middle-six power forward capable of scoring and dominating a game physically. That talent showed itself in the minors where he had three straight 20+ goal seasons, but hasn’t manifested in the NHL to this point. Fans did get a flash of his potential in the playoffs, where he recorded nine points in 22 games while being a wrecking ball in the corners and on the forecheck. He recorded 106 hits in the postseason, and seemed to always be forcing turnovers in the offensive zone because of his physical presence.

Despite the strong playoff run, Watson scored just 17 points during the season and has only registered nine goals in his entire career to this point. He needs to improve on that if he wants to earn more on the open market when he hits unrestricted free agency in three years. With the Predators’ losing James Neal and Colin Wilson this summer in various transactions, there is clearly an opportunity for Watson to help fill their roles up in the lineup. He’ll have to battle other young wingers like Pontus Aberg and Kevin Fiala for playing time in certain situations, but brings a much different play style than either of them.

Adding Watson’s $1.1MM cap hit, the Predators now have around $13.4MM left remaining under the cap and one restricted free agent still to sign. Ryan Johansen has been rumored to be asking for a deal worth as much as $8.5MM per season, but they should have more than enough room to fit that in going forward as GM David Poile has signed players to incredibly team-friendly deals over the past few years. Ryan Ellis will earn just $2.5MM in each of the next two seasons, while Calle Jarnkrok has five years remaining at $2MM per season. Watson could easily break out and be added to that group, as his relatively low salary is almost risk-free.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Which Of The RFAs Slotted For Arbitration Will Earn The Most?

July 23, 2017 at 5:56 pm CDT | by Seth Lawrence Leave a Comment

Arbitration can be a useful tool for players in a number of ways. It accelerates the contract negotiation process and puts it on a definitive timetable. It puts the player in a position where they can (theoretically) promote their own cause and posture for a greater paycheck. And in some cases, the threat of a mere one-to-two year ruling scares the team in question into handing out more term than they may otherwise have been comfortable.

With Tomas Tatar earning $5.3 MM AAV, Viktor Arvidsson earning $4.25 MM, and Colton Parayko raking in $5.5 MM all in the last few days, many players are earning longer deals with impressive cap hits before reaching their scheduled date. Only 14 names remain slotted for arbitration, but there are still a few names out there who are seeking a raise. Those players are Austin Watson, Brian Dumoulin, Mika Zibanejad, Ryan Spooner, Robin Lehner, Matt Nieto, Connor Hellebuyck, Reid Boucher, Calvin de Haan, Nate Schmidt, Nino Niederreiter, Mikael Granlund, Conor Sheary, and Nathan Beaulieu.

Keep in mind that most of the remaining names will likely come to an agreement prior to their dates, which could affect the prices. That said, who do you think ends up seeing the highest AAV on their next contract? Take our poll below!

(Mobile users, click here to vote.)

Arbitration Notes: Dumoulin, Watson, Arvidsson

July 22, 2017 at 11:40 am CDT | by Brian La Rose 2 Comments

Penguins GM Jim Rutherford has already stated that he expected to go to arbitration with restricted free agent defenseman Brian Dumoulin. Based on their arbitration filings, it’s reasonable to understand why. According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman (Twitter link), Pittsburgh has submitted a one-year proposal at $1.95MM while Dumoulin’s camp came in at $4.35MM.

Dumoulin has seen his role increase steadily over the past two seasons and has become a reliable stay-at-home player for the Penguins. In 2016-17, he played in 70 games, scoring once and added 14 assists while logging a career best 20:33 per game.

While the fact that he has become a reliable top four defender will help his case, what will work against Dumoulin in the arbitration hearing is his lack of offensive production and a fairly small track record overall as he only has two full NHL seasons under his belt. The traditional offensive statistics that often play a role in the hearings aren’t particularly strong and judging by the $2.4MM gap in the filings, it’s clear that the Penguins are banking on the lack of production being a factor.

If the two sides aren’t able to reach a deal, the arbitration hearing will take place on Monday.

Other arbitration notes:

Dumoulin wasn’t the only player whose submissions were due today as the Predators and winger Austin Watson also made their filings. The gap here is considerably less with Watson asking for $1.4MM with Nashville coming in at half of that amount, also per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman (Twitter link). Watson set career bests across the board in 2016-17 with 77 games played along with five goals and 12 assists. He also had a strong postseason run with four goals and five helpers in 22 playoff contests, something that his camp will likely be arguing as a sign that he is capable of being more of a point producer next season.
Today is the scheduled hearing between the Predators and winger Viktor Arvidsson. It appears that not enough traction has been made towards bridging the sizable gap between the two filings as of yet. Arvidsson, who tied for the team lead in scoring, filed for a one year, $4.5MM deal while Nashville asked for a two year deal with an AAV of $2.75MM.

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