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Brent Burns

Senators Notes: Karlsson, Ryan, Anderson

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Though it looked earlier this season like Brent Burns had locked up the Norris trophy by Christmas, Erik Karlsson has been pushing to make sure voters don’t forget about him. Mentioned by both Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet and Travis Yost of TSN today in their latest columns, people have noticed that Karlsson is now just eight points behind Burns and ready to burst into the NHL’s top-10 sooner or later. The defenseman is having another unbelievable season offensively but as Friedman notes, is also doing something else better.

Karlsson leads the NHL in blocked shots this season by a wide margin, easily outpacing his own career-high from last season. Though he may not be producing at quite the same rate offensively—though 62 points in 67 games shouldn’t be shrugged off—his defensive ability has seemingly improved once again. Blocked shots aren’t a very stable result, and shouldn’t simply be taken as evidence of an improved defensive game. But when combined with an increased +/- rating, decreased rate of minor penalties, and increased short-handed play, even the most “old-school” hockey fan should appreciate his defensive improvements.

  • Bobby Ryan and Kyle Turris will both return to the lineup tonight, giving Ottawa a nice boost to their top-six after several weeks with uncertainty at the top. Ryan has been out since February 18th with a broken finger, and is having the worst season of his career. With five more seasons on his contract at $7.25MM per year, the Senators need him to turn things around as quickly as possible. Ryan will turn 30 on Friday, and has just 12 goals this season. If he doesn’t produce down the stretch, the Senators might even decide to leave him exposed and hope Vegas takes him off their hands in the expansion draft.
  • After Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun reported that Craig Anderson wasn’t on the ice at this morning’s practice, thoughts immediately turned to his personal problems that have taken him away from the team several times this season. Turns out, it’s just a lower-body injury for Anderson who will be replaced by Chris Driedger tonight on the bench behind Mike Condon. There is no timetable on Anderson’s return as Garrioch reports, after head coach Guy Boucher said the team would be “checking it out further” later.

Friedman’s Latest: Dallas, Colorado, Flyers, MVP

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Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman made his weekly appearance on Edmonton radio, and commented on a few topics from around the NHL.

Friedman broke down some potential sellers, saying he could see “a lot of teams throwing themselves at Johnny Oduya” out of Dallas. The Stars have lost six of their last seven games, and are now seven points out of the final wildcard spot. Other names out of Dallas include pending UFAs Patrick Eaves and Patrick Sharp, and “maybe” Ales Hemsky. The latter was expected to be done for the season, but will play again this season according to Mike Heika of the Dallas News.

One of the few clear sellers, the Colorado Avalanche, has set a “very high price” for their players, according to Friedman. However, there may be a wider market than many realized. Friedman listed Pittsburgh among others as unexpected teams calling GM Joe Sakic. Citing GM Jim Rutherford’s willingness to win now and “sort things out” in the offseason, Friedman speculated that the Penguins could consider moving Olli Maatta as part of a package for Matt Duchene. To be clear, Friedman isn’t suggesting the Penguins have made an offer, simply that they’re interested and Maatta is the kind of player that the Avalanche would be interested in. Another potential suitor for Duchene could be Montreal, but GM Marc Bergevin “doesn’t like the price.”

Former Canadiens forward and Flyers UFA signing Dale Weise will be a healthy scratch in Edmonton tonight; he has just two goals and five points in 46 games after signing a four-year contract worth $2.35MM per season. Friedman pointed out that many players struggle in their first year with a new team, but the Canadiens won’t be interested in re-acquiring Weise at his current term.

Staying in Philadelphia, Friedman said it’s not just Shayne Gostisbehere who “doesn’t look like himself.” The whole team is looking for answers; after their ten-game winning streak earlier this season, they’ve won just eight games of their last 25. Friedman told Oilers Now host Bob Stauffer that several teams scouted Gostisbehere “to death” over the summer, and he hasn’t been able to adjust his style.

It remains to be seen what will happen in the next couple weeks, as the GMs are all playing “one big poker game” leading up to the deadline, according to Friedman.

Trade deadline aside, Friedman chatted about the MVP race this season. With Brent Burns sitting between Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby at the top of the scoring race, Friedman predicted a scoring title would guarantee an MVP title for Burns. However, he also said that if Edmonton makes the playoffs, then Friedman “doesn’t know how [he’s] not going to vote for Connor McDavid.”

Another consideration is goal scoring. Both Burns and Crosby are outscoring McDavid considerably, but Friedman pointed out that McDavid has clearly put the Oilers on his shoulders and elevated them to a playoff team.

Snapshots: Ivan Hlinka Tournament, Three Stars, Staal, And More

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The Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup is making its way from Europe to North America. Hockey Canada announced today that the premiere under-18 hockey tournament will be hosted by Edmonton, Alberta in 2018, 2020, and 2022. Named after Czech legend Ivan Hlinka, the tournament has been operated by the Czech Ice Hockey Association and the Slovak Ice Hockey Federation since 1991. Traditionally held in August, the eight-nation summer tournament brings together the best of the best in teenage hockey players, as well as fans from around the world. Canada has won the tournament 20 times and will now get it’s first chance to take home the title in front of a home crowd.

In other league news:

  • The NHL named it’s 3 Stars of the Week today, pegging Ottawa Senators goalie Craig Anderson, New Jersey Devils winger Mike Cammalleri, and San Jose Sharks defenseman Brent Burns as first, second, and third respectively. Anderson continues to play well this season, despite dealing with the difficult news of his wife’s cancer diagnosis in October. He improved to 12-4-1 this week, including wins over Eastern Conferences forces Montreal, Boston, and the New York Rangers. Returning from injury, Cammalleri potted four goals and added four helpers as well, as the Devils continue to defy expectations. The veteran scorer leads the team with seven goals, despite missing six games. Fresh off of a major long-term extension, Burns contributed six points in four games for the Sharks, including an impressive goal from about center ice.
  • Jordan Staal suffered a concussion in the Carolina Hurricanes’ game against the Florida Panthers yesterday, reports ’Canes beat writer Chip Alexander. GM Ron Francis has yet to issue any more information, and there is currently no timetable for the return of the Carolina star.
  • The Colorado Avalanche have a bug going around the locker room. Just a few days after forward Rene Bourque missed practice with an illness, defenseman Erik Johnson has fallen victim to what is believed to be the same sickness, but the team is hopeful that he will be ready for the Avs’ game tomorrow night. Terry Frei of the Denver Post spoke with coach Jared Bednar who said “it’s been going through our team a little bit, but we’ve contained it and it’s only been a 24-hour thing, so (Johnson) should be able to go tomorrow.”
  • The Anaheim Ducks have recalled forward Chris Wagner and defenseman Shea Theodore from the San Diego Gulls of the AHL. Wagner was just sent down recently and has yet to even play an AHL game. In 19 games in Anaheim thus far, the energy-liner has contributed two goals. Theodore, a 2013 first-round pick, has played in eight games with the Ducks this season, but was demoted as a result of the Hampus Lindholm resolution. With the extraordinary defensive depth of the Ducks, Theodore’s trip to Anaheim may be a short one.

PHR Originals: 11/20/16 – 11/26/16

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While we already looked at the five key hockey stories of the week, here’s some of the original material produced by Pro Hockey Rumors from last week:

  • Glen Miller took a look at the 2016 UFA all bargain team, a list that included the likes of Eric Staal, Jonathan Marchessault, Brian Campbell, and Chad Johnson. 
  • Brian La Rose investigated some defenseman who could garner attention in the trade market, which of course, included Kevin Shattenkirk.
  • Gavin Lee compiled a list of goaltenders who would be great additions to the Vegas Golden Knights roster should they be available during the expansion draft.
  • Zach Leach conducted a deep dive into the post-Brent Burns free agent market heading into the 2017 offseason.
  • Finally, I was able to interview the Athletic’s Scott Powers who gave us his thoughts on Chicago’s play with a quarter of the season in the books.

Saturday Injury Roundup: Niskanen, Edler, Vlasic

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It was a tough night to be a blue liner in the NHL last night as three, top-four defensemen went down with injury last night.

Matt Niskanen of the Washington Capitals suffered a lower-body-injury last night and did not return, according to the team’s official Twitter account. Capitals head coach Barry Trotz offered no further details after the game, only saying the 30-year-old blue liner would be reevaluated today. Niskanen comprises one-half of the team’s shutdown duo with Karl Alzner. He has posted nine points, all assists, in 21 games this season.

The Vancouver Canucks lost Alexander Edler last night after the 11-year vet blocked a shot during the team’s 3 – 2 shootout win over Colorado. Iain MacIntyre of the Vancouver Sun tweeted that Edler would undergo x-rays on his hand and added that Canucks bench boss Willie Desjardins that it “doesn’t look good for Edler.” Edler provides the Canucks with a steady, veteran presence on the blue line, particularly with Chris Tanev out of the lineup. On the season, the 30-year-old defenseman has three points and has a -8 plus-minus rating in 21 games.

Finally, Marc-Edouard Vlasic left the Sharks game against the Ducks last night after the second period and did not return. Curtis Pashelka, who covers the team for the San Jose Mercury News, added later via Twitter that the team’s head coach, Peter Deboer, provided no update on Vlasic after the game. Losing Vlasic for any length of time would be a blow to the Sharks. The 29-year-old defender is second on the team behind Brent Burns in average ice time and often lines up against the opposition’s top players.

Vegas Notes: Exempt List, Salary Retention, Minority Owners

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Earlier today, the full list of players who require protection from the expansion draft due to no-movement clauses was released, and it’s an interesting study to be sure. Out of the 66 names on the list, four teams are fully unhindered by the clauses. Calgary, San Jose, St. Louis and Washington are free to protect their full compliment of players, having not given out a single NMC that would fall under automatic protection. Even Brent Burns’ new mega-deal doesn’t contain the clause, even though he would already be an obvious protection candidate.

While some of the information may be news to fans, each individual franchise likely had a good understanding of who would be on this list and shouldn’t be shocked by the release today. That doesn’t stop the speculation however, that teams like the Anaheim Ducks and New York Rangers will be looking to make a move to ensure they get something in return a young player instead of exposing him to the draft.

  • Alex Prewitt of SI gave some interesting info today about the possibility of salary retention on selected players. Though the new franchise will be able to include salary in pre and post draft trades like any other club, they will not be able to reach a salary retention agreement with any selected player. This likely could have been used as a loophole to make deals with the Vegas club, something that the NHL wants to stop as much as possible. This draft is supposed to be as above-board as possible, with the league even saying everything will have to “pass the smell test”.
  • Despite rumors circulating today that MLB free agent Jose Bautista and NFL star Rob Gronkowski were among those who held a minority stake in the Vegas hockey club, Prewitt reports that there is in fact no investors of any kind other than Bill Foley and the Maloof family. While Prewitt admits that there is a group of investors looking to form an LLC to invest in the Golden Knights, nothing has been submitted or approved by league offices, a required step for any investment.

The Post-Burns Free Agent Market

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Unlike the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Steven Stamkos saga of this past summer, the San Jose Sharks have spared hockey fans the drama and re-signed the top free agent on the market well before the trade rumors or free agency speculation could begin. Brent Burns inked an eight-year, $64MM extension earlier today, removing one of hockey’s most dynamic players from play next summer. So where does that leave the rest of the market?

With the Las Vegas expansion team joining the NHL this year by way of an expansion draft and some special free agency privileges, the 2017 off-season was already shaping up to be unique and unpredictable. However, the one constant that many agreed upon was that if Burns hit the open market, he would be the most sought after player this summer. The Sharks put an end to that potential narrative early on and what’s left is a free agent market filled with mostly question marks.

Regardless of Burns availability, the forward market was already lacking in excitement. Burns’ San Jose teammates Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau are likely the biggest names available, but both are way past their prime at 37 years old. Jaromir Jagr and Jarome Iginla qualify for the “future Hall of Famer with little upside” group as well, and Patrick Sharp and Radim Vrbata may as well join the old-timers too. With Burns gone, is it possible that T.J. Oshie is now up for best player available?

Perhaps goalie Ben Bishop now claims the title of top free agent. He was the only one who could realistically give Burns a run for his money, and now faces little competition. The 30-year-old Tampa Bay keeper is set to hit free agency with his team seemingly committed to the young Andrei Vasilevskiy. With one less player out there to command a top contract, Bishop will now likely cash in with a deal close to the $8.5MM yearly pact given by the New York Rangers to Henrik Lundqvist. Without another all-world player like Burns available for teams to weigh against Bishop, expect him to be signed early, leaving money and interest open for the likes of Brian Elliott, Thomas Greiss, Steve Mason and potentially this season’s early surprise star, Peter Budaj.

Where the Burns signing really makes an impact is among the free agent defenseman. Suddenly Kevin Shattenkirk has been thrust into the position of best available blue liner and will be able to command whatever salary he likes. However, reports this past summer indicated that Shattenkirk only had eyes for the Eastern Conference, specifically Boston and New York. So where do the other 28 teams look? Like the majority of big-name forwards, Andrei Markov presents limited upside at 37 years old, and Mark Streit even more so at 38. Brian Campbell, Johnny Oduya, Ron Hainsey: same thing. Burns absence from open competition is likely to instead benefit some younger defenseman who have yet to establish themselves as bona-fide top pair guys. Dmitry Kulikov, who was traded from Florida to Buffalo this summer, has yet to score a point for his new team but may just end up being the most sought-after defenseman. Injury-prone risk/reward players like Michael Del Zotto and Michael Stone will also draw more interest. Even players who have struggled for a couple seasons now, like Dennis Wideman or Cody Franson, could be in a position for a pay day this summer.

What it boils down to is this: take a weak free agent market and remove it’s best player and things are likely to get messy. With the expansion process removing talent from every NHL roster, the 2017 off-season will be one where nearly every team has a need to address. The re-signing of Brent Burns just changed the free agency market dynamics completely and teams will likely be scrambling to make additions (with several overvalued contracts guaranteed). With a dearth of talent available to sign, there will likely be an active trade market this summer as well. This off-season was already going to be crazy, but the San Jose Sharks just took it to the next level with their massive extension for the best impending free agent.

Sharks Sign Brent Burns To An Eight Year Extension

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The San Jose Sharks announced that they have signed an eight year extension with defenseman Brent Burns.  ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun was first to report that the deal was done (Twitter link).  LeBrun also adds that the deal is believed to carry a cap hit of $8MM.  Earlier today, it was reported that that the two sides had made considerable progress towards a new deal.  In a follow-up tweet, LeBrun notes that the deal is front loaded and contains signing bonuses.  He also will not have a no-move clause but will have a limited no-trade clause.  Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston reports (via Twitter) that Burns has a three-team trade list.

The breakdown of the contract is as follows, per CapFriendly:

2017-18: $3MM salary, $7MM signing bonus
2018-19: $4MM salary, $6MM signing bonus
2019-20: $5MM salary, $5MM signing bonus
2020-21: $2MM salary, $8MM signing bonus
2021-22: $4MM salary, $3.5MM signing bonus
2022-23: $3MM salary, $3.5MM signing bonus
2023-24: $3MM salary, $2MM signing bonus
2024-25: $3MM salary, $2MM signing bonus

GM Doug Wilson issued the following statement as part of San Jose’s announcement:

“Brent is one the most dynamic players in the National Hockey League and we’re very excited to get this deal done.  He has worked extremely hard to be an elite defenseman and at six-foot-five, 230-pounds, his abilities on this ice are unique and rare. I also want to thank Hasso Plattner and our entire ownership group for their commitment to our franchise and the fans in San Jose by stepping forward and making this commitment to Brent.”

Burns has evolved into one of the NHL’s elite defensemen after being converted back to the back end following the 2013-14 season.  Two years ago, he posted a career high of 60 points and then followed that up with a 75 point campaign last season, the second highest point total among NHL defenders.  That earned him a nomination for the Norris Trophy for the top defenseman in the NHL; he finished third in the voting.

"MarThe 31 year old is off to another strong start this season with seven goals and nine assists in 19 games to lead all NHL blueliners in scoring.  In 815 career NHL games, Burns has 437 points (147 goals and 290 assists) along with 535 penalty minutes.

While the cap hit of $8MM per season isn’t too surprising, him getting eight years may catch some by surprise.  He’ll now be paid through his age 40 season and it’s very rare for defensemen to remain elite into their early 40’s.  However, as is often the case with long-term deals for veteran players, the Sharks are likely content with the risk knowing that Burns is currently in the prime of his career.  Back in September, we took a closer look at his contract situation and projected a seven year extension with an AAV of $7.875MM.

His $8MM cap hit places him second in the NHL among defensemen behind Nashville’s P.K. Subban ($9MM) and just ahead of Montreal’s Shea Weber ($7.857MM).

The deal takes the best blueliner (and arguably the best pending unrestricted free agent period) off of the market next summer.  Kevin Shattenkirk (St. Louis), Dmitry Kulikov (Buffalo), Andrei Markov (Montreal), and Michael Stone (Arizona) are among the prominent pending UFAs on the back end at the moment.

The Sharks can now turn their focus to their two other prominent pending UFAs up front in forwards Joe Thornton ($6.75MM) and Patrick Marleau ($6.67MM).

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Snapshots: Burns, Ramo, Pouliot, Steen

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The Sharks and pending unrestricted free agent defenseman Brent Burns are making progress on a contract extension, reports ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun (Twitter link).  He does, however, note that the deal is not yet done.  LeBrun also adds in a follow-up tweet that there are still some deals to be ironed out but that lots of progress has been made.  Speculatively, one of the areas that likely would be getting worked on is the amount of no-trade or no-move protection and how it may vary – if at all – over the life of the contract.

Last season, Burns finished second in points among all NHL defensemen with 75 while he averaged just shy of 26 minutes per game.  He’s off to another strong start this season with seven goals and nine assists in 19 games; his 16 points lead all blueliners.

Back in September, we took a closer look at his contract situation and suggested that he could be in line for a seven year extension with an AAV of $7.875MM.

Other news from around the league:

  • Unrestricted free agent goaltender Karri Ramo is close to receiving the green light from doctors to return to game action, reports Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston (Twitter link). Ramo is currently skating with the Maple Leafs but does not have a contract, similar to UFA left winger Brandon Prust.  While the goalie market has been quiet as of late with Andrew Hammond passing through waivers, Ramo could draw some attention as potentially a cheaper option for teams.  He could also take a minor league deal to get in some game action and showcase himself to potential teams that way.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins have assigned defenseman Derrick Pouliot to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL on a conditioning stint, the team announced. The former first round pick has spent the bulk of the season on injured reserve with a lower body injury and last played on October 21st, his lone game of the season.  The Penguins plan to play him in three minor league contests and then be re-evaluated by team doctors next week.
  • Blues forward Alex Steen is not with the team on their two-game road trip although the team hasn’t ruled him out of playing the second game on Wednesday in Washington, writes Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.  He has missed the last two games with concussion-like symptoms (though the team is stressing that it’s not a concussion).  Steen has two goals and eight assists through 17 games this season.

San Jose Sharks Snapshots: Burns, Labanc

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Brent Burns and his potential free agency next summer is already a hot topic and will only continue to grow more popular as the season progresses with no contract extension between the blue liner and the San Jose Sharks. There is no doubt Burns is set to cash in whether he re-signs with the Sharks or heads to the open market and as Adam Gretz of FanRag Sports Network argues, Burns will be well worth every penny on his next contract.

Gretz speculates that given what similar defenseman have received, Burns should have no trouble finding a deal worth anywhere between $7MM and $8MM annually. That would place him easily among the highest paid blue liners in the game as only P.K. Subban has a contract with an AAV in excess of $8MM. But as Gretz points out, since becoming a full-time blue liner in 2014-15, Burns has more goals than anyone else at the position with 50.

Further, Burns ranks behind only Erik Karlsson in points with 149 and has more shots on goal than any other defender with 673.

Of course it’s easy to rationalize paying Burns or any other defenseman $8MM-a-year based on his current production level; the real question is how he is going to fare the longer his contract runs.

At 31, Burns is likely to get the seven-year max contract – eight if he re-signs with San Jose – which will take him well into his late 30’s. Naturally, Burns’ performance will decline as he ages and whoever signs the 6-foot-5, 230-pound defenseman will have to hope it’s a slow decline rather than a sudden one.

Assuming Burns finishes the current campaign strong he has a strong chance to join an accomplished group of defenders who have averaged 0.80-points-per-game or better between their age 29 and 31 seasons. According to Gretz, just 16 others have done that and many of those played during the 1980’s when scoring was significantly higher than it was in any other era. Gretz takes it further, noting that those blue liners saw on average a 19% decrease in point production over the four years following that stretch between 29 and 31. If Burns follows that same trend he would still be a 50-point scorer in year four of his next contract.

Granted, Gretz’s analysis does leave open the likelihood that Burns’ performance will decline further in years five through seven. In fact, he may well not be worth what he will be paid during those seasons but that’s a risk every team that signs a big money, long-term deal accepts. The hope is to get enough surplus value in the first half of the pact to offset the losses likely to be seen in the back half.

In other San Jose Sharks news:

  • An unlikely top prospect, Brooklyn-born Kevin Labanc, who was selected by the Sharks in the sixth round of the 2014 entry draft, made his NHL debut last week. In five contests since joining San Jose, Labanc only has one point. But the rookie winger had his best game so far, as Kevin Kurz of CSN Bay Area reports, playing on a line with Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski in Thursday’s loss to St. Louis. Labanc notched his first NHL goal and nearly had another later in the game. The Sharks are going to need more games like that from the youngster as they may be without the services of Tomas Hertl for a while.

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