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Brett Kulak

Arbitration Notes: Departures, Capitals, Sabres

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It’s no secret that salary arbitration is not a friendly process. If a player does make it all the way through the hearing, that means that they’ve sat through a presentation by their own team about just how bad they are compared to other similar players. While teams and players often use the threat of the unknown of an arbitrator’s decision to move contract talks along, the potential unpleasantness of a hearing is also plenty of motivation to come to terms. Case in point: Colorado’s Sheldon Dries, who today settled on a one-year, two-way contract worth $735K. Dries’ contract comes in just $35K above the absolute worst possible outcome in an arbitration hearing, yet he opted not to argue his case in hopes of a better outcome. Why? Likely to avoid the breakdown in a relationship between he and the Avalanche if the hearing got ugly. It’s more common than it may seem – The Athletic’s Craig Custance crunched the numbers and found that the vast majority of players who go through an arbitration hearing end up leaving that team, one way or another.

Over the past ten years, 27 players have gone into a hearing. Not all of those players required an arbitrator’s award, but any resulting settlements still came after the unfortunate back-and-forth. Of those 27 players, Custance found that 14 were on new teams within a year and 21 were on new teams within three years. All of last summer’s cases – Winnipeg’s Jacob Trouba, Ottawa’s Cody Ceci, Calgary’s Brett Kulak, and Dallas’ Gemel Smith – are on new teams now. In fact, of the 27 players who have reached a hearing since 2009, no player before 2015 remains on the team that the faced off with and only four players since still remain on good terms with their club: Nashville’s Craig Smith and Viktor Arvidsson, Washington’s Braden Holtby, and Vegas’ Nate Schmidt. This all goes to show that arbitration can be a dangerous method of negotiating for teams, even if the goal is to settle before an arbitrator’s decision. The numbers convincingly imply that an arbitration hearing is the death knell for a player’s relationship with his team. As far as this off-season goes, this analysis doesn’t bode well for Andrew Copp and the Jets, Christian Djoos and the Capitals, and Evan Rodrigues and the Sabres, all of whom not only went to hearings already this summer, but whose awards all favored the team more so than the player. With ten potential cases still to go, there could be even more players who one day look back at this off-season as the beginning of the end.

  • The Capitals may very well end up back in front of an arbitrator before long, with a case against forward Chandler Stephenson scheduled for August 1st. Although the decision in the Djoos case – a $1.25MM award against a $1.35MM midpoint – favored the team, it still puts them in a difficult situation regarding the salary cap and eliminates some hope that a resolution with Stephenson could come prior to a hearing. Washington is currently more than $300K over the salary cap ceiling after signing Djoos. While young defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler can be returned to the AHL without the threat of waivers for a $714K drop to get under the cap, it would leave the Capitals with just six defensemen. All of Washington’s 14 NHL forwards, including Stephenson, would be subject to waivers, although the team would likely want to carry that many forwards anyway. It’s a difficult conundrum not made any easier by the unknown of Stephenson’s contract either. The 25-year-old forward recorded 18 points in 67 games in 2017-18 and another 11 points in 62 games this past season. He will likely seek a salary of $1MM or more, a number that Washington simply cannot palate. Asked who the team would choose if faced with a choice between trading away Djoos or Stephenson to open up cap space and roster flexibility, NBC Sports’ J.J. Regan did not hesitate to say that Stephenson would be the one dealt. Defense is in short supply for the Capitals and Djoos is a proven starter. Stephenson on the other hand would be an expendable piece in a deep forward corps. It may not matter though, as moving Stephenson alone is unlikely to be a sufficient answer to Washington’s cap troubles.
  • If you think the Capitals having two cases is bad, wait until you hear about the Sabres. Like Washington, Buffalo has already been through one hearing this summer with forward Evan Rodrigues, landing a $2MM award against a $2.075MM midpoint. It was somewhat of a surprising decision and may have given GM Jason Botterill and company some confidence moving forward. That could wind up being a problem for all parties involved, as three of the remaining ten scheduled cases are also Sabres players: forward Remi Elie, goalie Linus Ullmark, and defenseman Jake McCabe. If Buffalo goes to hearing with even one more of these players, never mind all three, it could be a bad look for the organization and could cause a breakdown in numerous player relationships. However, if the team continues to win their arbitration battles, it would be a major help this season, as the team has just over $3MM in cap space left to sign the trio. It’s a long-term risk for a short-term gain for the Sabres.

Atlantic Notes: Sabres 2020 Offseason, Heinen, Chiarot

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While the Florida Panthers received all the attention before free agency opened on July 1 due to their excessive amount of cap space and they fact that they were attracting several of the top free agents on the market, next year’s offseason will look quite a bit different. In fact, it could be the Buffalo Sabres that could be poised to take a similar role next year before free agency opens and could find themselves the team that could lock up some of the top free agents for the 2020-21 season.

The Athletic’s John Vogl (subscription required) writes that while a lot can change in a year, Buffalo has only nine key players under contract for the 2020-21 season along with six restricted free agents. The team is expected to be free of a number of contracts, including Zach Bogosian ($5.14MM), Marco Scandella ($4MM), Vladimir Sobotka ($3.5MM), Conor Sheary ($3MM), Jimmy Vesey ($2.28MM), Matt Hunwick ($2.25MM), Scott Wilson ($1.05MM) and Casey Nelson ($812K). Assuming the salary cap rises by approximately $2MM, the Sabres should have about $29.5MM of projected salary cap, and assuming general manager Jason Botterill can properly persuade them, could add a couple of top free agents.

Who could be available, assuming that some of them don’t re-sign with their teams in the next season? Taylor Hall, Nicklas Backstrom, Brayden Schenn, Chris Kreider, Mike Hoffman, Alex Galchenyuk, Torey Krug, Jake Muzzin, Tyson Barrie, Roman Josi, and Braden Holtby.

  • While it’s been assumed for some time that Marcus Johansson would not return to Boston, (he signed with Buffalo earlier today), The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa (subscription required) looked at who might replace the veteran forward this season as the third-line left wing. The problem for Boston is that the team is loaded with a number of right-shot options in Zachary Senyshyn, Karson Kuhlman or Brett Ritchie. However, general manager Don Sweeney suggested it might be best to take the third-line right wing, Danton Heinen, and move him to the left side as he possesses more versatility than the others, which could allow one of the others to move in on the right side. “I think Heinen, depending on what side you play him on,” said Sweeney when asked who could replace Johansson. “Whether it’s Karson or Senyshyn or Brett Ritchie, guys that are right shots, we could play lefty-righty and move Danton over. I think he fits into the same mold of player creative-wise.”
  • The Athletic’s Marc Dumont (subscription required) analyzes the video of the Montreal Canadiens newly signed blueliner Ben Chiarot and looks at where he might fit in their lineup. Chiarot, who told reporters that he has discussed with the coaching staff about playing on the second pairing alongside Jeff Petry. However, Dumont suggests that would be a mistake as Chiarot struggles with retrieving pucks in a timely manner, which would not work well with Petry and suggests that Brett Kulak should continue in that role like he did last season. It might be best to play him on the Canadiens’ third pairing, but that seems a waste considering his $3.5MM price tag.

 

Canadiens Re-Sign Brett Kulak To Three-Year Contract

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Brett Kulak was a pleasant surprise on Montreal’s back end this past season and he has been rewarded for his efforts.  The team announced that they have signed the defenseman to a three-year contract with an AAV of $1.85MM.  CapFriendly reports (Twitter link) that the deal breaks down as follows:

2019-20: $1.95MM
2020-21: $1.4MM
2021-22: $2.2MM

The season didn’t get off to a great start for the 25-year-old.  He cleared waivers at the end of training camp with Calgary, the second time that had happened for him after went unclaimed in advance of his salary arbitration hearing back in July.  Shortly after passing through, the Flames flipped him to the Canadiens for a pair of minor league defenders in Rinat Valiev and Matt Taormina.

Montreal opted to keep Kulak in the minors to start the season where he collected 11 points in 19 games before being recalled for good in November.  He started out on the third pairing but by the end of the season, he was frequently featured in their top four.  Overall, he played in 57 games with the team, recording 17 points (6-11-17) while averaging nearly 18 minutes a night of playing time.

The Canadiens don’t feature a lot of depth on the left side of their back end with only Kulak and Victor Mete seemingly being pencilled in for roster spots next season.  If they don’t address that weakness over the summer, it’s quite possible that Kulak will be in a top-four role for 2019-20 which would make this contract somewhat of a bargain if he can handle the extra minutes over an entire season.

Atlantic Notes: Toronto’s Penalty Kill, Canadiens, Ristolainen, Acciari

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Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas took the blame for many things that went wrong this year at his season-ending press conference, the most interesting of which is the team’s struggle with the penalty kill, which stopped the Boston Bruins’ power play just nine out of 16 times during the playoffs. Dubas admitted he should have had more depth. While the coaching staff should be blamed as well, Sportsnet’s Luke Fox suggests ways to fix that penalty kill for next season.

The top suggestion is that the team must use real centers to take faceoffs during the penalty kill as winger Zach Hyman took the most faceoffs last season, going 69-72, while star John Tavares took just 29 faceoffs on the penalty kill and was the 12th-most used player on the penalty kill. The team must also add some depth to this team that could lose quite a few key penalty killers whether it’s Connor Brown, who is considered trade bait; Ron Hainsey, who will be an unrestricted free agent; or Travis Dermott, who will miss six months after shoulder surgery, the team must add players who can help their penalty kill.

  • One Atlantic Division challenger to the Maple Leafs could be in the running for one of their unrestricted free agents, as The Athletic’s Olivier Bouchard (subscription required) believes that the Montreal Canadiens should go after unrestricted free agent Jake Gardiner. The scribe points out that when the dust clears, Montreal general manager Marc Bergevin should have close to $11MM at his disposal and with defense being one of the team’s biggest need, Gardiner might be the perfect addition as the blueliner should be able to force defenseman Brett Kulak to a bottom-pairing role.
  • Lance Lysowski of the Buffalo News writes that while the Buffalo Sabres have considered the possibility of trading defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen for a top-six forward, he believes that would be a mistake, claiming that rather than hiding his defensive weaknesses, the team keeps placing him in a role that doesn’t suit him, which is attempting to shutdown the opposing team’s players. Ristolainen, who finished the season with a NHL-worst rating of minus-41, has often been paired with defensive deficient players like Marco Scandella and Jake McCabe, while he also struggled inexplicably when paired with Rasmus Dahlin. Regardless, a new coach that can utilize Ristolainen properly might get the most out of him rather than the Sabres watch him flourish with another team.
  • Joe Haggerty of NBC Sports writes that Boston Bruins forward Noel Acciari has returned to practice and while he’s not expected to play in Game 2 on Sunday against the Carolina Huricanes, he could be ready for Game 3 in Carolina. Acciari, practiced in a non-contact jersey Saturday for the first time after missing the last three playoff games with an upper-body injury. “[Acciari] won’t play tomorrow,” said Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy. “He’s doing well. He should be a full practice [participant] for Monday. We’ll see what we’re doing [as a team] that day, but he’ll be ready whatever the case may be. Hopefully, that allows him to play Tuesday and then we’ll make our decision then.”

Atlantic Notes: Kotkaniemi, Nyquist, Pysyk, Petrovic, Kulak

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With countries releasing their preliminary rosters for the World Junior Championships, many teams must make some decisions on whether they intend to send some of their young prospects to World Juniors and interrupt their careers. The Montreal Canadiens could be one of those teams as they have a tough decision to make on Jesperi Kotkaniemi, who is on the Canadiens’ roster.

While on the surface it would be obvious the team would keep him, the team did allow defenseman Victor Mete to leave the team last year and play in the World Juniors. Mete, however, was struggling and was already losing playing time in Montreal. Kotkaniemi is in a similar boat as he started strong, but has just two points in the past eight games and has hit a “rookie wall.”

However, TSN’s Dan Robertson reports that general manager Marc Bergevin met the media this afternoon and stated that he’s 95 percent sure that Kotkaniemi won’t play in the WJC. The 18-year-old has three goals and 14 points in 29 games.

  • The impressive play the Detroit Red Wings have gotten from Gustav Nyquist causes many long-term questions. Nyquist, who is on pace for a career season as the 29-year-old already has seven goals and 26 points in 29 games is in the final year of a four-year, $19MM deal he signed back in 2015, could be looking for another big contract. The question that MLive’s Ansar Khan wonders is whether Detroit will consider bringing back Nyquist. It’s likely he will be asking for $5MM per year for three or four years. With the team in the middle of a rebuild, there is no guarantee the Red Wings will consider signing Nyquist a priority, although the team is also well known to give out money to veterans.
  • With the Seattle expansion draft on teams’ radars for the next few years, The Athletic’s George Richards (subscription required) writes that nothing worked out last time for the Florida Panthers who made a side deal to protect two defensemen by sending both Jon Marchessault and Reilly Smith to Vegas in the expansion draft. The team’s plan was to protect both Mark Pysyk and Alexander Petrovic. However, neither has been a key member of the team’s defense since then and both may not be on the roster by the time the next expansion draft rolls around.
  • After being traded from Calgary to Montreal and finding himself in the AHL, defenseman Brett Kulak could have considered his situation dire. However, Kulak has since been recalled and has found himself a key piece to the Canadiens’ defense and is paired next to Shea Weber, which looks like a perfect fit, according to Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette. “He was playing in the NHL last year, so it was not like I got a guy from the East Coast Hockey League,” said general manager Marc Bergevin. “He’s an NHL defenceman. Our scouting staff liked him because of the way the game is going. He’s a good skater.”

Victor Mete Assigned To AHL’s Laval Rocket

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After wowing as a rookie last season, Victor Mete has struggled to find the same kind of success this year for the Montreal Canadiens and has seen his ice time decreased dramatically. Today, that NHL ice time is completely gone as the Canadiens decided to assign Mete to the minor leagues. The young defenseman will get a chance to continue his development at the lower level, while Montreal inserts players like Brett Kulak into the NHL lineup.

Playing just 12:21 on Tuesday night, the second-lowest total of his young career since November of last season, the writing was on the wall on how the Canadiens were planning on deploying their defense corps going forward. The organization has big plans for Mete down the line, but with Shea Weber’s recent return the team is leaning heavily on their veteran options to turn around their recent struggles and get them back into the race for an Atlantic Division playoff spot. Mete meanwhile will likely log huge minutes for the Rocket, and his absence opens up a roster spot for the imminent return of Paul Byron.

Laval now has several defenders with recent NHL experience, as Mete joins the recently demoted Karl Alzner along with Brett Lernout on the blue line. That group will try to turn around the early struggles of the Rocket in their second season, off to an 8-12-2 start. The team released Ryan Sproul from his professional tryout today, opening up some additional playing time for Mete and the veteran Alzner, who scored a goal in his debut.

Montreal Canadiens Recall Brett Kulak

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In a somewhat surprising move, the Montreal Canadiens have recalled defenseman Brett Kulak, stating he’ll join them in Buffalo immediately. Kulak had been playing with the Laval Rocket of the AHL after being acquired from the Calgary Flames earlier this year.

The move is only surprising because of the recent reports that have surfaced that the Canadiens are looking to move out a defenseman given Shea Weber’s imminent return. Bringing Kulak up only complicates that, unless the team had already made up their minds on a trade or waivers assignment for one of the veteran options. It’s unclear if Kulak will get into the lineup right away, but there is at least some reason to believe he can help the team immediately.

Still just 24, Kulak played 71 games for the Flames last season and showed he could be relied on for at least third pairing minutes. The left-handed defenseman then filed for arbitration, which spurred Calgary to show him his real worth around the league by having him clear waivers just days before the hearing. After settling for a one-year, $900K contract, that low value was proven once again as he cost the Canadiens just two minor league players in Rinat Valiev and Matt Taormina.

In Laval though, Kulak has really impressed. With 11 points in 19 games, he ranks third on the team in scoring and has used his long frame to his advantage in the defensive end. While he certainly won’t be asked to take on huge minutes for the Canadiens right away, he does look to at least have a future in the organization, something that wasn’t clear in Calgary.

Montreal Canadiens Acquire Brett Kulak

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The Montreal Canadiens have made a swap for their minor league defense corps, acquiring Brett Kulak from the Calgary Flames in exchange for Matt Taormina and Rinat Valiev. Kulak will report to the Laval Rocket right away, given that he cleared waivers today for the second time this offseason.

The Flames are one of the deepest teams in the league on defense, even after jettisoning Dougie Hamilton this offseason. Bringing Noah Hanifin back in trade has given them another left-handed lock for the roster, and given the continued presence of Mark Giordano and T.J. Brodie it didn’t seem like there was much of an opportunity left for Kulak. Further to that, Calgary made it clear what Kulak’s market was when they waived him prior to his arbitration hearing earlier this summer and saw him go unclaimed, only to do it again yesterday. The 24-year old defenseman did play 71 games for the Flames last season, but there obviously weren’t a ton of teams knocking down the door to acquire him given that they could have done it for the small price of taking on his $900K salary.

Montreal is looking for anyone who could help their NHL defense corps down the road, and are obviously willing to take a chance on Kulak ahead of Valiev who they had just acquired last season. The former Toronto Maple Leafs prospect played two games for the Canadiens down the stretch but hasn’t developed into the kind of two-way force that some believed he could be when he was selected 68th overall in 2014. He’ll still be an effective player for the Stockton Heat, but Valiev is quite a distance from being an impact NHL player.

Taormina, the oldest player in the deal at 31, also won’t be impacting the NHL roster for the Flames anytime soon but is an elite offensive defenseman in the minor leagues and has been for a long time. The veteran scored 52 points last season in 63 games for the Rocket and will help to mentor some of the other young defense prospects Calgary has coming through the system but is currently injured and isn’t expected to return until late October at the earliest.

Sixteen Players Placed On Waivers

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With the rosters coming into shape, some bigger names are starting to make their way to the waiver wire, according to TVA’s Renaud Lavoie. Today, 16 players were placed on waivers. After everyone cleared from Saturday’s list, will someone get claimed from today’s group?

F Pontus Aberg (Edmonton)
F Kenny Agostino (Montreal)
F Michael Chaput (Montreal)
F Adam Cracknell (Toronto)
F Josh Jooris (Toronto)
D Brett Kulak (Calgary)
F Curtis Lazar (Calgary)
D Vincent LoVerde (Toronto)
D Kurtis MacDermid (Los Angeles)
D Dylan McIlrath (Detroit)
G Mike McKenna (Ottawa)
F Chris Mueller (Toronto)
F Anthony Peluso (Calgary)
F Matt Puempel (Detroit)
D Jordan Subban (Toronto)
D Luke Witkowski (Detroit)

Kulak could be one of the more interesting players who could get claimed as the 24-year-old defenseman played 71 games for the Flames last season and has proven to be a solid third-line pairing defenseman for a team that might need some depth at that position. He was made expendable with the emergency of rookies Rasmus Andersson and Juuso Valimaki in Calgary.

Aberg was also an interesting player, who never gained any trust with management in Edmonton after the Oilers acquired him from Nashville at the trade deadline. One big problem for the scoring winger is that he doesn’t really play on any special teams positions, which keeps him from being a quality role player.

The 23-year-old Lazar is another interesting option if a team needs a depth winger. Unfortunately for the Flames, they never saw significant progression after the team traded a second-round pick (which turned out to be Alex Formenton) for Lazar, who only produced two goals and 12 points in 65 games last season. With their forward depth evident in training camp this year with players like Dillon Dube and Andrew Mangiapane playing well, Lazar was expendable.

Flames Notes: Hanifin, Goaltending, Smith, Valimaki

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After the Calgary Flames traded defenseman Dougie Hamilton to Carolina for Elias Lindholm and Noah Hanifin, don’t be surprised if Calgary fans compare Hamilton and Hanifin for years to come. That could put a lot of pressure on the 21-year-old Hanifin as the restricted free agent will try to acclimate himself to the Flames this season, according to NBC Sports’ James O’Brien.

Regardless, it’s far too early to compare the two players. While Hanifin had a breakout season last year, he still has the potential to take his game up another level. While his numbers inched a bit last year from 29 points to 32, a deeper look into his numbers suggests that he’s become more comfortable on offense as he more than doubled his goal total from the year before with 10 goals last year.

However, much of the comparisons could come down to whatever salary that Hanifin walks away with after he signs. If he signs a deal for $3MM per year, then everyone will look at the swap for Hamilton, who makes $5.75MM, as a better deal. However, if Hanifin walks away with an even bigger deal that might compare to Hamilton’s deal, then expectations for the blueliner will only increase.

  • Flames beat writer Ryan Pike suggests the team could have some cap trouble with its long-term plans, especially at the goaltending position. The team will have 13 players under contract in 2019-20 that make $5MM or more. With 36-year-old Mike Smith likely moving on after his contract runs out next season, the team may not have much cap room left to sign a respectable goalie. The team may hope that its goaltending pipeline of David Rittich, Jon Gillies and Tyler Parsons might help them out, but could be forced to look for another veteran in a year if none of them is ready to take over as a starter.
  • Another big question asked by NHL.com’s Aaron Vickers is what type of performance will the Flames get from Smith. The veteran started the season well for Calgary, posting a 2.39 GAA and 20 victories in the first half of the season. Unfortunately, Smith went down with a groin injury and missed 13 games in January and February and looked a shell of himself after that, putting up a 2-6 record in his final eight appearances with a 3.44 GAA. Assuming he’s fully healthy, however, the question even then remains whether Smith can hold up for another full season.
  • In another article, Vickers looks at the team’s top prospects and suggests that top prospect Juuso Valimaki has a good chance to win a roster spot out of training camp. Valimaki, the team’s 2017 first-round pick, had a solid season with the Tri-City Americans of the WHL, but really stepped up his game in the playoffs when he tallied four goals and 17 points in 12 games. He has a tough road ahead of them, but if Calgary feels that he is better than third-pairing players like Brett Kulak and Michael Stone, Valimaki could bump either of them.
  • Pike also adds that with the buyout of Troy Brouwer, the Calgary Flames have now removed eight players from their 2017-18 opening roster, including Brouwer, Hamilton, Matt Bartkowski, Eddie Lack, Micheal Ferland, Freddie Hamilton, Matt Stajan and Kris Versteeg. While some of those moves came mid-season, the Flames needed some roster overhaul after their disastrous second half of the season.

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