Salary Cap Deep Dive: St. Louis Blues
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.
St. Louis Blues
Current Cap Hit: $72,569,167 (under the $75MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
F Robby Fabbri (One year remaining, $894K)
F Zachary Sanford (Two years remaining, $875K)
F Ivan Barbashev (Two years remaining, $742K)
Potential Bonuses
Fabbri: $425K
Barbashev: $183K
Sanford: $50K
Total: $658K
Much of the attention of the youth will fall on Fabbri, who many are hoping will have a breakout season this year. The former 2014 first-round pick has already played two full seasons with the club and combined for 29 goals, but many people feel this might be the year where he takes that next step. He looked to be having a solid year last year, but tore his ACL in February and missed the rest of the season. Now healthy, many believe the Blues will move him to center to take control of a top line.
Sanford and Barbashev are two youngsters who many feel may also take on regular roles in St. Louis this year. Sanford, a second-round pick in 2013 by the Washington Capitals, came to St. Louis in the Kevin Shattenkirk trade at the trade deadline last season. The 22-year-old joined the Blues for the final 13 games and scored two goals and five assists and many believe he should make a solid fourth-line center as he develops his game. Barbashev is a second-round pick from the 2014 draft and got a promotion for the season’s final 30 games. The 21-year-old picked up five goals and seven assists and showed that he deserves a chance to start, but may have to settle for a wing position to start the year.
One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level
F Paul Stastny ($7MM, UFA)
G Carter Hutton ($1.125MM, UFA)
D Joel Edmundson ($1.05MM, RFA)
F Dmitrij Jaskin ($1MM, RFA)
F Kyle Brodziak ($950K, UFA)
F Magnus Paajarvi ($800K, UFA)
F Oskar Sundqvist ($675K, RFA)
F Beau Bennett ($650K, RFA)
Obviously the team has to make a decision on what it plans to do with Stastny as he’s the biggest name amongst the team’s pending free agents next season. Stastny has been a solid contributor at center, but hardly spectacular and is probably not worth the $7MM AAV that he has received from St. Louis when they signed him in 2014. Injuries have played a major role for the 31-year-old veteran as he has missed 42 games in three seasons. On top of that, he only took 112 shots, one of the lowest of his career and his 22 assists last year is his career low, not including the strike-shortened 2012-13 season. The team has put some effort into developing some of their youngsters at the center position, including Fabbri, Barbashev and Sanford likely in hopes of eventually finding a replacement for Stastny in the near future.
After Stastny, the talent level drops, but the team will have several restricted free agents who will be in line for more money next year. Edmundson, entering his third full year in the league, who has struggled with injuries in his two years. He played in 67 games in 2015-16 and just 69 games last year. He put up three goals and 12 assists last year, but should get more playing time with Shattenkirk gone and if he can stay healthy, should put up even better numbers. Sundqvist also came to St. Louis in a recent trade. Acquired from Pittsburgh in the Ryan Reaves trade, Sundqvist hopes to break camp with the Blues. He couldn’t crack the lineup in Pittsburgh, managing just 28 games over the past two years, but he did score 20 goals for the Penguins’ AHL squad this year. The center has a good chance to win a bottom six center position this year.
Jaskin has had trouble staying in the lineup for the Blues. The 24-year-old has been with the team now for four seasons, but has never been able to a steady contributor. He only managed to get into 51 games last year, for one goal and 10 assists. If he can’t put together a solid season, it may be his last in St. Louis. Bennett, who was signed as a free agent this summer, must prove he can make the team first. The 25-year-old wing scored eight goals in 65 games for the New Jersey Devils last year.
Among unrestricted free agents, the team may want to bring back Hutton, who has served the Blues well as their backup goaltender. The 31-year-old played 29 games and finished the year with a 2.39 GAA and a .913 save percentage. The 33-year-old Brodziak makes for a good fourth-line player, but this could likely be his last year in St. Louis, while Paajarvi split time between the Blues and the Chicago Wolves and also could be at the end of the line if he can’t make the team out of training camp.
Blues Notes: Tarasenko, Schenn, Tavares, Barbashev
The St. Louis Blues have high hopes for the coming season and much of those hopes hinges on the play of star player Vladimir Tarasenko, who has been the team’s top scorer and has put up impressive numbers over the past several years. However, what Tarasenko has not done is show any improvement. In scoring, he’s put up 37, 40 and 39 goals. He put up 36 assists in 2014-15, 34 assists the following year and then 36 assists again last year. His numbers are virtually identical.
At 25 years of age, the question is whether his present numbers are as good as they are going to get. Jeff Gordon of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes that his development will likely hinge on coach Mike Yeo’s coaching success. Now entering his first full year as head coach, the scribe writes that it will be Yeo’s job to push him to that elite level. Much of that will be finding the perfect linemates for him, which the team has failed to do in the past. Jaden Schwartz is a good fit with Tarasenko on the opposite wing, but who will man the center position remains up in the air.
- Gordon, in the same piece, writes that newly acquired forward Brayden Schenn has much to prove this coming season. There are many questions surrounding whether he is a true center or just a scorer. The Blues, who acquired Schenn from Philadelphia for their 2017 first-round pick and veteran Jori Lehtera, is expected to be a top-six player, but he has not proven to be a dominant center in the league so far, struggling with faceoffs and his defense. Schenn has scored 45 goals over the past two seasons.
- Don’t expect the Blues to go after John Tavares if he becomes available. With Tarasenko tied up until 2022-23, the Blues will not want to offer a $10MM per year contract and have two huge contracts on their cap. Gordon compared the situation to the Chicago Blackhawks and how difficult a time they are having keeping their team afloat with their two superstars on the roster.
- Finally Gordon suggests the two players who could take that “next step” are likely to be centers Ivan Barbashev and Zachary Sanford. Barbashev, the team’s second-round pick in 2014. He scored five goals and 12 points in 30 games at the end of last year and also scored 19 goals for the AHL’s Chicago Wolves. The 21-year-old center might be ready for a much bigger role next year. Gordon also feels that Sanford, a second-rounder in 2013, who the Blues acquired in the Kevin Shattenkirk trade, could take the next step. Between the Capitals and the Blues, he scored four goals in 39 games. The 22-year-old also tallied 11 goals for the AHL Hershey Bears.
Inactive Blues Hoping For Different Results
The St. Louis Blues were one of the most inactive teams this summer, right alongside the Edmonton Oilers and San Jose Sharks. With their relative success in a difficult Central division, it’s easy to understand why they didn’t make too many seismic transactions. Still, they had a moderate backslide in points last season despite making it to the second round. With only 99 points, they easily could have found themselves on the outside of the playoff picture looking in. The team’s only major move this off-season was trading Jori Lehtera for Brayden Schenn, by most accounts a trade they came out on top. Still, did the Blues need to be more aggressive?
The team has one of the most consistently underrated defensemen in Alex Pietrangelo, and Colton Parayko behind him is no slouch. After that, however, the pickings on defense are rather uninspiring. Jay Bouwmeester still logs substantial time on ice, with a 22:24 average, but there are signs his play is starting to slip. His last four seasons have been negative possession seasons (relative Corsi), and his offensive game has completely dried up. He only scored one goal to accompany his 14 assists last season. Furthermore, age is starting to catch up to him in terms of footspeed. He’ll be 35 this season, and that issue isn’t going to get any better in the years to come. Carl Gunnarsson only saw sheltered time last year, with just over 13 minutes a night against weaker competition. Robert Bortuzzo is a 6th defenseman at best and Joel Edmundson has work to round out his game if he wants to solidify himself as a top-four defender. Ultimately, the team needs defensive help, especially when the team will be up against the likes of the Blackhawks and Stars on a regular basis.
The offense is deep but undeniably overly reliant on Vladimir Tarasenko. Paul Stastny is looking nowhere near worth his contract, and Alex Steen has to slow down at some point in the near future. Jaden Schwartz is primed to have another solid 50+ point season, but if the bodies around him again struggle with consistency it could be an uphill endeavor. Robby Fabbri is another player to watch, as the former first-rounder looks to put together a solid, healthy campaign. The aforementioned addition of Schenn is valuable, but the team could arguably have done more to bring fresh blood in. The team is really banking on Vladimir Sobotka to prove his worth, but there is still the risk of him not producing. He’s never topped 10 goals in an NHL season, after all. Ivan Barbashev looks very promising, but he’s still somewhat of an unknown entity at this point. Ultimately, the team lacks a proven, go-to offensive threat behind Tarasenko Whereas other teams in the division have exceptional one-two punches, the Blues are still hoping to develop theirs fully.
There were available names this offseason to be had if GM Doug Armstrong was willing to make the moves. An Alexander Radulov, for example, would have done wonders to ease some of the pressure from Tarasenko. There are still names available, though, such as Thomas Vanek and Jaromir Jagr up front. On defense, not much remains at this late date. A trade would really be the only sensible option. The team is still relatively undersized up front and overtaxes the top defenders. Cap space was undoubtedly an issue, as at $72.57 MM currently there was little room to maneuver. Still, moving out a larger contract like Stastny’s or Bouwmeester’s might have cleared room to add an important piece or two. The Blues lost Kevin Shattenkirk at the deadline, and it remains to be seen how his absence will affect the team over the course of a full year. The coaching staff behind Mike Yeo did phenomenal work to bring the team back into contention, but stagnation can often cost teams who are on the bubble. It will be interesting to see if Armstrong remains quiet this off-season, or opts for an additional move before the season’s start.
Blues Snapshots: Steen, Parayko, AHL, Fabbri
Don’t be surprised if the St. Louis Blues move on from Alex Steen, eventually. While St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Jim Rutherford answered questions on the newspaper’s website, he added that while he’d be surprised to see Steen moved at this point in the offseason, he wouldn’t be shocked if the Blues were to look into trading him at the trade deadline next year or in the offseason.
The 33-year-old Steen’s new contract that he signed last offseason will be kicking in this year. He signed a four-year, $23MM contract and while his production has been consistently solid over the last couple of years (33 goals and 70 assists combined in last two years), the veteran is suddenly beginning to get in the way of the Blues massing core of young wingers, including Vladimir Tarasenko (25), Jaden Schwartz (25), Dmitrij Jaskin (24), Robby Fabbri (21 — although he could move to center next season — see below), Oskar Sundqvist (23) and Beau Bennett (25).
Rutherford adds the team still needs a veteran like Steen to provide the leadership to the youth, but there will be a point in which the team will be confident in its young wingers that it’s unlikely he’ll finish out his contract in St. Louis.
- In the same piece, Rutherford writes that he expects young defenseman Colton Parayko to step up this season for the Blues and become the star defenseman they were hoping for. While his goals scored dropped from nine to four last year, his points still went up, finishing with 35 points compared to 33 two years ago. The scribe writes that with Kevin Shattenkirk finally gone, Parayko should be able to raise his scoring numbers and develop into a No. 1 defenseman.
- Rutherford also writes that with the team agreeing to AHL agreements with the Chicago Wolves (Vegas’ affiliate) and the San Antonio Rampage (Colorado’s affiliate), the team will send prospects to either team, but are likely to have little say about playing time for their prospects. Both Vegas and Colorado will be putting a priority on their own prospects, leaving any Blues prospects to force their way into playing time.
- Former 2014 first-rounder Fabbri is currently penciled in as the team’s third-line center behind Paul Stastny and new acquisition Brayden Schenn. However, if they feel he is ready to put up a big season, Rutherford writes that it is likely he’ll be moved up to be a wing on the second line and force Steen to move to the right side.
Flyers’ Bloated Forward Contracts Becoming Issue
The Philadelphia Flyers haven’t seen the second round of the post-season since 2012, and in those 5 seasons since, missed the show entirely 3 times. For a team that spends as much on offense as the Flyers, their production has been incredibly mediocre. Many point to the seemingly never-ending goaltending carousel as the root cause of the team’s woes, and they wouldn’t be entirely incorrect. That said, over the last four seasons, their goals for per 60 minutes (GF60) is good for only 25th league-wide. That puts them above only the Vancouver Canucks, Carolina Hurricanes, Arizona Coyotes, New Jersey Devils, and Buffalo Sabres in that timeframe. In short, their offense has been remarkably underwhelming for years. And yet, the team is allocating $47.32 MM of its available $75 MM to its forward group in 2017-18, with most of that money tied up in only a handful of skaters. For comparison’s sake, that’s more than $5 MM more than their divisional rivals in Pittsburgh or Washington.
Leading the pack in terms of bloated contracts are the team’s captain Claude Giroux and last season’s team-points-leader Jakub Voracek. Neither player is detrimental to the cause – they both have tallied multiple 50+ point seasons with relative consistency. That said, their contracts are some of the most exorbitant in the league. Giroux’s $8.275 MM AAV for the next 5 seasons puts him in an elite group of forwards. So does Voracek’s $8.25 MM for the next 7 seasons. This places them 12th and 13th respectively among the highest paid players league-wide for the 2017-18 season. Giroux’s career PPG is .87, while Voracek’s is a measly .71. Excluding defensemen P.K. Subban and goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, these stats simply don’t match up to the rest of the “elite” group. Jonathan Toews‘ and Anze Kopitar both also account for around .87 PPG, but unarguably do far more on the defensive side of the puck than the simply capable Giroux. One of these bloated contracts alone would be a hindrance; two on the same roster is nearly insurmountable.
Further down the roster, you see other albatross contracts. Valtteri Filppula was acquired by the Flyers to shore up the center position and increase playmaking ability. He only scored 8 points through 20 games in Philadelphia. Thankfully for the Flyers, his $5 MM contract expires at the end of 2017-18. Jori Lehtera was acquired this off-season in a bizarre move for Brayden Schenn, who arguably saw a great deal of improvement last season. Lehtera has only two seasons remaining at $4.7 MM, but his only effective (44 points) season is two years in the past. He scored only 7 goals all last season. Then there’s Sean Couturier, who while not a total dud, has failed to progress the way the organization hoped when they drafted him with the 8th overall in 2011 acquired as part of the Jeff Carter transaction. He provides solid defensive play, but he has never broken 40 points, and seemingly regressed last season, falling out of Selke conversations. He has 5 seasons remaining at a moderate $4.33 MM AAV. Wayne Simmonds (the one true bargain on the team) and Matt Read both make over $3 MM, while Dale Weise and Michael Raffl both draw over $2 MM. For a team that truly struggles to put the puck in the net, a lot of money is being spent on marginal players.
Ultimately, the Flyers are in a difficult spot playing in the Metropolitan Division. With the high-flying, offensively-dynamic Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins competing for playoff positioning, the inclination to try and duplicate those franchises is only natural. The team did luck into a dynamic, potentially franchise, talent in Nolan Patrick, which may help alleviate some of the problems with consistent offensive production. That said, if the Flyers continue to struggle this season, look for some of the offensive big guns to find themselves on the trading block. Excluding the one year of Filppula and the incredibly valuable Simmonds, only Giroux has any sort of no-movement clause. With Ivan Provorov and Shayne Gostisbehere looking to be core pieces on the back-end for many years, the day may soon come where an offensive overhaul visits Philadelphia. GM Ron Hextall will have money moving out in the next few seasons, but he undoubtedly has decisions to make going forward, particularly if this season again falls short of a playoff appearance.
Patrik Berglund Undergoes Surgery, Out Until December
In an announcement that might explain their acquisition of Brayden Schenn even more, the St. Louis Blues have revealed that Patrik Berglund underwent left shoulder surgery yesterday and will be out until December. The injury happened during his offseason training in Sweden.
Berglund is just heading into a new five-year contract extension that will pay him $3.85MM per season, and was set to start the season as one of the centers for the Blues. Instead, he’ll miss almost the first half of the season and the Blues will scramble to fill the position. Luckily, they acquired Schenn from the Philadelphia Flyers on the weekend and have several players who can move to the middle. Alex Steen, Vladimir Sobotka, Kyle Brodziak, Zachary Sanford, Ivan Barbashev and Oskar Sundqvist all have various levels of experience in the middle, giving the Blues several options behind Schenn and Paul Stastny.
Even so, losing Berglund for that amount of time is a painful hit to a team looking to contend this year. His 23 goals were a career high and actually ranked second on the team, and he’s a responsible checker capable of providing minutes in all situations. The Blues don’t have a ton of room to spend on free agency for another fix, as the majority of their cap room is going to be eaten up by a Colton Parayko extension. They have more than enough depth to fill his role, though a lesser addition to the wing may still be in the cards for the summer.
2017 NHL Draft Trade Tracker
Along with the draft selections, NHL Draft weekend always features plenty of trades as well. Keep track of all the action right here, as we’ll update any and all deals concerning draft picks over the course of the Draft:
Round One:
Chicago Blackhawks trade a first-round pick (#26) to the Dallas Stars for a first-round pick (#29) and third-round pick (#70)
St. Louis Blues trade a first-round pick (#27), a conditional 2018 first-round pick, and center Jori Lehtera to the Philadelphia Flyers for center Brayden Schenn
Pittsburgh Penguins trade a first-round pick (#31) and center Oskar Sundqvist to the St. Louis Blues for a third-round pick (#51) and right wing Ryan Reaves
Round Two:
Arizona Coyotes trade a second-round pick (#35) to the Philadelphia Flyers for a second-round pick (#44), third-round pick (#75), and fourth-round pick (#108)
Vegas Golden Knights trade a second-round pick (#45) to the Columbus Blue Jackets for right wing Keegan Kolesar
Round Three:
Arizona Coyotes trade a third-round pick (#78) to the Edmonton Oilers for a third-round pick (#82) and a fifth-round pick (#126)
Round Four:
New York Rangers trade a fourth-round pick (#102) to the San Jose Sharks for a fourth-round pick (#123) and a sixth-round pick (#174)
Round Seven:
Montreal Canadiens trade a 2018 seventh-round pick to the Philadelphia Flyers for a seventh-round pick (#199)
Zach Leach contributed to this post (Day Two)
Philadelphia Flyers Trade Brayden Schenn To St. Louis
The Philadelphia Flyers pulled off perhaps the biggest shocker of the draft, trading Brayden Schenn to the St. Louis Blues for Jori Lehtera, the 27th-overall pick and a conditional first-round pick next year. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that if the 2018 pick happens to be in the top 10, St. Louis would have the option to push it to 2019. If they do so, Philadelphia would also gain a third-rounder in 2020.
The Flyers used the 27th pick to select Morgan Frost, son of former Maple Leafs in-house announcer Andy Frost and forward from the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhouds of the OHL. Frost put up 62 points in 68 games for the Greyhounds but is still very undersized and will need to develop his all-around game.
Lehtera is coming off an extremely disappointing season in St. Louis, in which he scored just 22 points. He’s heading into year two of a contract that pays him $4.7MM per season, a number that hopes he’s more of the 44-point player he showed in his first year. Philadelphia will hope they can turn him back into that, but with a system now flooded with centers after trading for Valtteri Filppula at the deadline and selecting Nolan Patrick tonight, it’s not clear what his role will be.
Schenn though is clearly the prize of the deal, as clearly the best player involved for the time being. Schenn scored 25 goals again last season and has developed into one of the more effective power forwards in the league. He was unstoppable with the man advantage, scoring 28 of his 55 points on the powerplay. Now traded twice before he turns 26, Schenn is locked up for three more seasons at $5.13MM and immediately fills some of the center concerns for the Blues. It was a hefty price to pay, with two firsts going the other way but he’ll help St. Louis in their quest for a Stanley Cup once again next year.
Having Schenn allows the Blues to move Patrik Berglund back down to a third-line center and keep both Vladimir Sobotka and Alex Steen on the wings. That upgrade will make their top-9 one of the best groups in the league.
Expansion Primer: Philadelphia Flyers
Over the next few weeks we will be breaking down each team’s situation as it pertains to the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft. Which players are eligible, and which will likely warrant protection or may be on the block. Each team is required to submit their protection lists by 4pm CDT on June 17th. The full rules on eligibility can be found here, and CapFriendly has provided a handy expansion tool to make your own lists.
The Philadelphia Flyers are coming off a disappointing season of Metropolitan struggles. Thankfully, with the #2 pick in the upcoming draft, they will receive an infusion a top level talent in Nico Hischier or Nolan Patrick. There aren’t a ton of success stories from this last season for the Flyers, in which Wayne Simmonds led the way up front. Many players took a noticeable step back and the younger forwards failed to produce at an impactful clip.
The Flyers are in desperate need of embracing a full youth movement. The longer they cling to players like Andrew MacDonald, the worse off their rebuild will be. This is not a team that can compete for a Stanley Cup in the near future and with the expansion draft forcing tough decisions, now is the time to embrace that organizational mentality.
Eligible Players (Non-UFA)
Forwards
Claude Giroux (NMC), Valtteri Filppula (NMC), Jakub Voracek, Brayden Schenn, Sean Couturier, Matt Read, Dale Weise, Michael Raffl, Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, Nick Cousins, Scott Laughton, Greg Carey, Colin McDonald, Taylor Leier
Defense
Andrew MacDonald, Radko Gudas, Brandon Manning, Shayne Gostisbehere, T.J. Brennan, Will O’Neill, Jesper Pettersson
Goaltender
Michal Neuvirth, Anthony Stolarz
Notable Exemptions
Ivan Provorov, Travis Konecny, Samuel Morin, Carter Hart
Key Decisions
The Flyers have to protect two players – both of whom are probably not deserving of the no movement clause they have been granted. Giroux had his second straight offensively disappointing season. At $8.275 MM a season until 2022, the Flyers have created a really difficult situation for themselves. And although previous GM Paul Holmgren was somehow able to unload Mike Richards prior to his momentous fall from grace, Giroux is already known to be an albatross. He’s still producing, with 14 goals and 58 points in his last outing, but he is struggling to be a difference maker against tough competition. Filppula only played 20 games this past season for Philadelphia, so any criticism might be premature. But the well-rounded center has only broken 20 goals twice in his career, most recently 4 seasons ago. He seems rather redundant on a team with lots of mediocre offensive talents.
Voracek might also be slightly overpaid for what he brings to the team ($8.25 MM), as his possession metrics have trended consistently downward over the course of four seasons. That said, he was Philadelphia’s leading scorer in 2016-17 and has a secure roster spot. He’s only two years removed from an All-Star appearance, but is he dominant enough to carry an offense if another key member struggles again? Simmonds is an obvious keeper for the physical edge he brings along with his consistent production. The net-front presence and leadership skills make him a prime candidate for captain if Giroux were somehow jettisoned in the near future. Both Schenn and Couturier are promising key pieces to the future of the squad, and had solid outings last season.
From here, the decision at forward gets difficult. Weal had solid underlying metrics and showed flexibility in his game. Does GM Ron Hextall believe there is there more to his game, and if so, is he worth signing as a UFA before the expansion draft, burning a protection slot? Probably not. Some believe Cousins is worth protecting, as he is still young at 23 years old, and shown potential at the AHL level. With the other players vying for the position, however, the organization would have to be incredibly high on his ability to piece it all together next season.
The three serious remaining choices – Laughton, Raffl, and Bellemare – a group which likely contains the player to be claimed by Vegas, poses a question which will be entirely decided by organizational philosophy. Laughton is the player who has the highest upside but also the greatest potential for bust. Mike Raffl is a consistent producer whose ability would guarantee a certain amount of offense on a forward corps that can really struggles over long stretches. Bellemare is your classic heart-and-soul player – his latest perfomance in the World Championships put that on display for all onlookers. In the end, based on the praise afforded him by the coaching staff and other players, as well as his assistant captainship, Bellemare could easily find himself as the final protected player. Whether that is the correct long-term decision will be a topic of great scrutiny.
On defense, there are very few players signed. Gudas and Gostisbehere will absolutely be protected, so the third choice is the only one up for debate. Many believe that MacDonald is considered the veteran savvy anchor, but his possession stats have been poor, while his turnover frequency has been disturbing. He plays over 20 minutes a night, but hasn’t performed as consistently as a top-pairing player should. Manning still has room to improve, is four years younger, and posts a positive Corsi influence (51.3%) on a corps that truly floundered all season. Neither is going to be a game breaker for Vegas, but it would seem odd that Philadelphia wouldn’t roll the dice and expose MacDonald in hopes that his $5 MM contract for three more seasons could be removed from the books.
The goaltending decision will be an interesting one for outside watchers. With Steve Mason gone, Neuvirth is obviously their tender going forward, correct? Well, perhaps not. Neuvirth’s stats (.901 SV%) really don’t justify his protection, and especially considering the forward situation, he would almost certainly not be claimed. Stolarz is the goaltender of the immediate future for the team and will see quite a bit of duty this year. The 6’6″ former London Knight is going to be relied upon to take a step forward, and his progression in Lehigh Valley has been quite promising. Exposing him could backfire in a way that leaving Neuvirth open for taking could not. If the team is serious about a youth movement, his value as an asset needs to be shielded.
After quite a few tough determinations, and trying to be realistic about the organization’s valuation of certain players, what follows is the final projection for Philadelphia.
Projected Protection List
Scheme: 7F / 3D / 1G
Forwards
Claude Giroux (NMC)
Valtteri Filppula (NMC)
Sean Couturier
Wayne Simmonds
Brayden Schenn
Jakub Voracek
Pierre-Edouard Bellemare
Defensemen
Shayne Gostisbehere
Radko Gudas
Brandon Manning
Goaltender
Anthony Stolarz
Flyers Notes: Del Zotto, Schultz, Hextall, Mason
Philadelphia’s defense is setting up to look a lot different next season as youngsters like Samuel Morin and Travis Sanheim, among others, make a push for a full-time roster spot. Accordingly, their pending unrestricted free agents, Michael Del Zotto, aren’t likely to return next season.
Del Zotto confirmed to Marc Narducci of the Philadelphia Inquirer that there haven’t been any talks about a potential contract extension. The blueliner acknowledged he has been frustrated this season after seeing his role change considerably; his average ice time is down nearly four minutes a night from last year while he has also spent time as a healthy scratch.
As for Schultz, he acknowledged to CSN Philly’s Tim Panaccio that there’s a good chance he won’t play next season. He doesn’t like the idea of moving his family to sign a one year deal while it’s unlikely that the Flyers will look to bring him back, even in the current depth role he finds himself in.
Combined, the duo accounted for a little over $6MM on Philadelphia’s salary cap this season and if they are replaced with players on entry level deals, GM Ron Hextall should have some flexibility heading into the offseason.
More from Philly:
- In a separate column, Panaccio reports that Hextall has no plans of dealing any of his core players away this summer. He highlights forwards Claude Giroux, Wayne Simmonds, Jakub Voracek, and Brayden Schenn in that group. Each of those players is signed for at least two more years beyond this one with Voracek being under contract the longest through 2023-24. As things stand, the Flyers have nearly $60MM committed for next season to 16 players which should give them enough room to add another core piece without necessarily having to take one away to free up payroll space to do so in more of a shake-up type of deal.
- On top of not negotiating with their pending UFA blueliners, no contract talks have been held with goaltender Steve Mason, notes Sam Carchidi, also of the Philadelphia Inquirer. As a result, he reports that it’s unlikely the Flyers will try to bring the pending UFA back next season. The team re-signed Michal Neuvirth to a two year extension back at the trade deadline and could opt to bring in another goalie via free agency or give intriguing prospect Anthony Stolarz a shot at full-time NHL duty. It has been a tough year from Mason, whose .908 SV% is his lowest since 2011-12 back when he was with Columbus.