Pacific Division Notes: Coyotes, Daly, Marleau, Goldobin
After acquiring Dave Bolland and Pavel Datsyuk in separate trades this summer, the Arizona Coyotes could be in a position to conceivably carry nearly $18MM – once Chris Pronger‘s $4.935MM cap hit is added – on their salary cap for three players who won’t be suiting up for the this year. All told, the Coyotes will pay out just $1.675 in actual salary for those players (Pronger is set to earn $575K in the final season of a long-term arrangement he originally signed with Philadelphia, while the insurance policy on Bolland’s contract will cover all but $1.1MM once he is placed on LTIR). These maneuverings have allowed Arizona to easily cross the salary cap floor while at the same time limiting the actual salary obligations; not an unimportant factor for a small market, budget team.
In a piece appearing on Today’s Slapshot, Craig Morgan asked NHL deputy commissioner if Arizona’s handling of the salary cap was a growing concern for the league. Surprisingly, Daly indicated the league did not feel the Coyotes were exploiting a “loophole,” in the CBA while still leaving open the possibility the NHL could look to address the matter in future bargaining with the player’s union.
“I would say that it’s a matter that we monitor, like all other areas of the CBA (collective bargaining agreement), and if we believe it starts to be abused in a way that is inconsistent with how the system is designed to work, at that point, we would try to correct it in collective bargaining with the union. I would say we aren’t at that point on this issue — we do not view it as the loophole that some describe it as.”
While most teams utilize their available cap space to sign or trade for players from other organizations, or to extend their own players, Coyotes GM John Chayka is using Arizona’s as a method to add more quality young talent to what is already considered a strong group of prospects. It’s simply good business and soon enough Chayka’s talent-acquisition strategies will start paying off on the ice for the Coyotes.
Elsewhere in the Pacific Division…
- Patrick Marleau has spent the entirety of his excellent 18-year NHL career with the San Jose Sharks; a career which has seen the forward tally 481 regular season goals and 1,036 points. Marleau’s name has shown up in trade rumors on more than one occasion during his time in the Bay Area, most recently last season, but nothing has ever come of it. Yet, as Joey Alfieri of Pro Hockey Talk writes, the 2016-17 campaign will, in all probability, be the final one of Marleau’s storied Sharks career. As Alfieri points out, Marleau is in the final year of his contract and the team has several younger options on the LW – Mikkel Boedker, Tomas Hertl and Nikolay Goldobin – under team control for the next several seasons. Even if Marleau is willing to take a discount on the $6.66MM he is earning this season, the Sharks are far more likely to prioritize re-signing Brent Burns and Joe Thornton, both of whom are also scheduled to reach free agency next summer.
- The Calgary Flames recently reached agreement with one of their top players, Sean Monahan, inking the restricted free agent to a monster seven-year deal worth $44.6MM. That’s quite an investment for a player just coming off his ELC but as the Calgary Sun’s Kristen Odland writes, Monahan is already well worth the financial commitment. She points out that he has produced more offense than other pivots comparable in age and who have also recently signed extensions. As good as Monahan is he may not even be the best player on his team. That distinction might belong to winger Johnny Gaudreau, a restricted free agent who remains unsigned. Inevitably the Flames will also get Gaudreau under contract but it will be interesting to see how his contract compares to that of Monahan’s.
Snapshots: Keith Gretzky, Quebec Expansion, Couture
In an article appearing on Today’s Slapshot – a division of The FanRag Sports Network – Craig Morgan, who also covers Arizona for AZSports.com, discusses several topics that relate in some way to the Coyotes. Interestingly, Morgan writes about Keith Gretzky, who was recently hired as an assistant GM in Edmonton and who was the director of amateur scouting for the Coyotes from 2007 – 2011 and oversaw the team’s drafts during that time. Gretzky was hired by the Oilers in part due to his scouting experience and success running the drafts for Arizona and more recently Boston. But Morgan says Gretzky’s successes at the draft may be overstated.
Despite success in the first round, where the Coyotes selected the likes of Kyle Turris, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Mikkel Boedker and Connor Murphy, the team has struggled to find NHL talent in the lower rounds. According to Morgan, new Coyotes GM John Chayka has said a team’s ability to draft is measured in the later rounds. Clubs need to be able to identify and develop prospects outside of the draft’s first round in order to sustain on-ice success.
During his tenure with the Coyotes, the team selected 29 players in rounds two through seven, according to the article. Of that group, only four have made it to the NHL and just two are still in the Coyotes organization.
Teams typically need to draft and develop two or three NHL contributors every year in order to keep the pipeline of affordable young talent flowing. Even if your first-round pick pans out, clubs need at least one more of their selections to hit for the draft to be considered fruitful. If you aren’t hitting on your draft choices then it’s likely the team will have to go the free agent route to flesh out its roster and consequently put themselves in a salary cap bind. Teams like the Coyotes simply can’t afford to do that.
Now Morgan does go on to say Gretzky’s track record with Arizona does not necessarily have anything to do with the job he did in Boston. Nor is it an indicator of how he’ll perform as the assistant GM in Edmonton.
For more from Morgan and elsewhere in the NHL:
- Even though they were not awarded an expansion franchise for 2017-18, the group behind the Quebec bid is not giving up on bringing an NHL franchise to Quebec City. Quebec likely will eventually get a franchise, though it may not be via expansion. I believe the league wants to also place a team in Seattle and that would probably be through expansion. Quebec would then be in a position to take in a club looking to relocate. Most of the teams that have been recently linked to relocation currently reside in the East. In order to gain balance between the two conferences, expanding from 15 – 16 clubs in the West is the simplest solution, while keeping Quebec as a fallback in the event of relocation.
- In a piece for The Players Tribune, San Jose forward Logan Couture lists the six defensive players he considers the toughest to match-up against. Not surprisingly, all of his choices reside with him in the Western Conference, including one who also suits up for the Sharks. It’s hard to argue with any of his choices and it’s easy to understand the apparent western bias since he sees the guys in his own conference at least two times more often during the regular season, to say nothing of the playoffs. Brent Burns and Duncan Keith are elite players who impact the game in all three zones. Roman Josi is rapidly developing into one of the top blue liners in the NHL. Mark Giordano – Couture has a funny story about the Flames standout – might be a late-bloomer but he is undoubtedly a quality player. Finally, Anze Kopitar and Jonathan Toews may well be the best two-way pivots in the game today.
NHL Award Recipients
The NHL Awards were given out tonight in Las Vegas, with a little bit extra fanfare due to the upcoming expansion team. Here is the full list of winners, with the top two runners-up in each category:
Calder Trophy (top rookie)
Ted Lindsay Award (most outstanding player as voted by the players)
General Manager of the Year
- Jim Rutherford
- Brian McClellen
- Jim Nill
Masterton Trophy (perseverance and dedication to hockey)
- Jaromir Jagr
- Mats Zucarello
- Pascal Dupuis
Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award
Norris Trophy (top defenceman)
Selke Trophy (forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game)
Jack Adams Award (top head coach)
- Barry Trotz
- Gerard Gallant
- Lindy Ruff
Lady Byng Trophy (player best combining sportsmanship and ability)
Vezina Trophy (top goaltender)
Hart Trophy (most valuable player to his team)
Congratulations to all the winners, and the teams who employ them.
2016 Stanley Cup Finals: Conn Smythe Award
With the Stanley Cup Final heading back to San Jose for Game 6, the Penguins will have a second chance to close out the Sharks. If they are able to, the only remaining question will be who wins the Conn Smythe Award as the playoff MVP. If Pittsburgh is able to win tonight, there are a handful of Penguins who can take home the hardware, with these three leading the charge:
Sidney Crosby– The Penguins captain hasn’t produced at the point per game consistency he usually does but he has still been very productive with 17 points in 23 games. Crosby’s top-notch puck protection and vision have allowed him to control the play in the offensive zone. Not only has he dominated offensively, but Crosby has played a consistent 200 foot game. Crosby’s calming presence in the defensive zone has helped stabilize what was thought to be a below average defense, especially after the injury to Trevor Daley.
Phil Kessel– The addition of Kessel and his monster cap hit before the season seemed questionable, especially after Pittsburgh started the year as one of the lowest scoring teams in the league. Don’t look now but Kessel has been the Penguins leading scorer these playoffs. Kessel has one of the quickest releases in the NHL and he hasn’t been afraid to shoot the puck, boasting a league leading 95 shots (for reference teammate Patric Hornqvist is second in the playoffs with only 77 shots). Kessel has been incredibly consistent, being held scoreless in just 7 of 23 games.
Matt Murray– No one expected 21 year-old Matt Murray to be in this conversation, let alone between the pipes in the Stanley Cup Final for the Penguins. Murray has been an absolute revelation for Pittsburgh since he was called upon in game 3 of the first round against the New York Rangers. Murray has posted a 2.14 Goals Against Average and .923 Save Percentage since being named the starter. Without Murray stepping up, Pittsburgh would be in huge trouble. Back up goalie Jeff Zatkoff was pulled for Murray after playing poorly in the first series and Marc-Andre Fleury struggled mightily after returning from injury.
If the San Jose Sharks are able to take care of business at home, the series will return to Pittsburgh for a winner-take-all Game 7. If they can take down the Penguins, there are plenty of Sharks who deserve the Conn Smythe. These are the three at the top of the list:
Logan Couture– Logan Couture leads the league in scoring these playoffs with 29 points in just 23 games. Couture’s playmaking ability has been a nightmare for opposing defenseman, setting up linemates Patrick Marleau and Melker Karlsson. The second line combination has worked wonders for coach Peter Deboer, forcing opponents to play a game of pick-your-poison when deciding to play its top pairing against either Couture’s line or the first line of Joe Pavelski, Joe Thornton, and Joonas Donskoi.
Brent Burns– Burns leads all defenseman in playoff scoring with 23 points in 23 games. Penguins defenseman Kris Letang is second with just 14 points. Burns has been dominant on the offensive side of the puck. He is uncommonly poised handling the puck on the blue line, and is a force joining the rush and carrying the puck into the offensive zone. Where Burns is typically criticized is in his own zone, but he has been terrific there as well. He is second in the playoffs in plus/minus at 11, only trailing teammate Marc-Edouard Vlasic.
Martin Jones– Martin Jones is the reason the Sharks are still alive playing in a game 6. In game 5 Jones stood on his head, stopping 44 of 46 shots. The Sharks were severely outplayed but Jones time and again bailed out his team with terrific pad work. Jones has posted a 2.16 Goals Against Average and a .922 Save Percentage.
My picks: If the Penguins win, Sidney Crosby. If San Jose pulls it out, Martin Jones.