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Brian Elliott

Free Agent Profile: Brian Elliott

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It would be fair to say Brian Elliott’s had a rather long and winding NHL career. Now 38 years old, he’s got quite the career resume for someone taken in the ninth round of the NHL Draft in 2003.

The Newmarket, Ontario native put up some okay numbers when he was breaking into the league with the Ottawa Senators in the late 2000s, but it wasn’t until he landed with the St. Louis Blues in free agency in 2011 that he became solidified as a more well-known NHL netminder.

He was coming off a rather conflicting 2010-11 season at the time. Despite starting a career-high 51 games between the Senators and Colorado Avalanche, his numbers were abysmal, especially for someone pegged as a starter – his .893 save percentage was well below the league average at the time, and he conceded more than 30 goals above what an average netminder would’ve allowed throughout the season.

That all changed once he landed in St. Louis, where he became a solid tandem netminder over the years with Jake Allen. While he never displayed the consistency necessary to be a high-end, full-time starter, he did earn Vezina consideration thanks to a couple of years (including his first in St. Louis) where he boasted above a .930 save percentage.

The days of Elliott being able to take over the crease like that are long gone, however. He hasn’t started more than 30 games since the 2017-18 campaign with the Philadelphia Flyers, and he’s posted a save percentage above .900 just once in the past four years.

His last season didn’t do much to inspire confidence that he could still compete at the highest level. Behind a slightly weakened but still stout Tampa Bay Lightning defense, Elliott put together a substandard season more in line with what we’ve seen from him since the Blues traded him to the Calgary Flames in 2016. In fact, he’s put together just one above-average season since departing the Blues – 2021-22 with Tampa, in which he started just 17 games but posted a respectable .912 save percentage.

There could still be some suitors for Elliott on the market. However, it’ll likely be limited to teams looking for insurance behind an injury-prone or unproven young backup. If he wants to keep lacing up the skates for an opportunity for NHL action, it’ll need to be with the understanding that a demotion to the AHL could be possible.

Stats

2022-23: 22 GP, 12-8-2, 2 SO, 3.40 GAA, .891 SV%
Career: 543 GP, 279-167-54, 45 SO, 2.57 GAA, .909 SV%

Potential Suitors

Elliott was linked to the Toronto Maple Leafs earlier this summer for a third-string role, but Toronto filled that gap on their depth chart earlier this month by signing Martin Jones to a one-year deal. While it won’t be Toronto, Elliott could still find a home for a similar type of role elsewhere.

Obviously, his most desired fit would be on a contending team looking for insurance, similar to how Jonathan Quick ended up in a Vegas Golden Knights jersey after last season’s trade deadline. He didn’t see any playoff action but was around the team and ended the season lifting his third Stanley Cup. Elliott is still looking for his first.

One of the suitors in the Eastern Conference who immediately jumps out is his old team in Tampa Bay, but it’s unlikely for a handful of reasons. First, it seems rather puzzling that Elliott would go un-signed this late in the summer only to return to Tampa, although a PTO with the Lightning could still be an option if he doesn’t have another offer by the time training camps roll around. Tampa also signed Jonas Johansson to a contract earlier this summer – prying him out of a deal in the Swedish Hockey League he’d signed prior, likely with the guarantee of NHL time behind Andrei Vasilevskiy. With the Lightning’s minor league tandem already seemingly set with Matt Tomkins and Hugo Alnefelt, Elliott’s been boxed out of the depth chart there.

The only team with playoff aspirations in the East with a glaring hole on their goalie depth chart is the New York Islanders. Their options are quite slim behind Ilya Sorokin and Semyon Varlamov, and 23-year-old Jakub Skarek is currently pegged as their third-string option without much development to showcase after four seasons in the minors. The organization’s had Cory Schneider play a veteran third-string role the past handful of seasons, and if Elliott is okay with a similar arrangement, he could see some limited playing time on the Island should a long-term injury affect either of Sorokin or the aging Varlamov.

His options open up considerably if he wanted to head to the Western Conference, however. The Golden Knights might be looking for a third-string netminder still, depending on how they feel about 24-year-old Jiri Patera being their first available call-up option behind Adin Hill and Logan Thompson. He could also be an option to return to Colorado if they don’t feel Justus Annunen is ready to take on a full-time backup role if called upon. Backup Pavel Francouz has a firm grip on the second NHL job behind Alexandar Georgiev, but he’s missed lengthy periods of time with injury since coming over to North America in 2018.

Projected Contract

Given he won’t be landing a full-time backup role anywhere, Elliott is looking, at best, at a one-year, one-way league-minimum deal for $775K with the expectation he could be placed on waivers to start the season, much like Jones in Toronto. If he does feel like he’s got enough in the tank to hold out for some more guaranteed opportunity, he could hunt for a PTO with a team in the coming days to try and compete for a backup role. This late into August, though, his options would be extremely limited as few teams are still looking to fill a bonafide backup spot on their depth chart.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Islanders Notes: Nelson, AHL Goalie Depth, Salo

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The past few seasons have been a bumpy ride for the New York Islanders, plagued by injuries and inconsistency. It’s kept them from making any deep playoff runs, something they did with relatively high frequency throughout the late 2010s and early 2020s.

One player who hasn’t let any outside noise affect him is center Brock Nelson. He’s recorded career-best offensive totals in each of the last two seasons, eclipsing the 35-goal mark for the first time in 2021-22 and the 70-point mark for the first time in 2022-23. With Nelson locked in for just two more seasons at a rather affordable $6MM cap hit, some had wondered if his name could be in trade talks with the Islanders’ roster tight to the salary cap. Today, however, The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz shut down all speculation of a move in his latest mailbag, calling any trade rumors involving Nelson “utter nonsense.”

Many people didn’t have Nelson transforming into a number-one center overnight in his 30s on their bingo cards, but that’s exactly what’s happened. He’s one of the team’s most valuable forwards, often overlooked in favor of higher-profile names like Bo Horvat and Mathew Barzal. His role next season will be to help boost the production of the team’s better secondary scorers like Kyle Palmieri and Pierre Engvall, a line that was rather effective down the stretch of the 2022-23 regular season.

More from Kurz on some pressing Islanders topics today:

  • The Islanders’ weakest position when it comes to organizational depth is inarguably goaltending. While the team boasts one of the best NHL-level tandems in Ilya Sorokin and Semyon Varlamov, their minor-league netminding leaves much to be desired, and Kurz notes the Islanders are absolutely still in the market for a veteran third-string goaltender. Currently, the starting job in AHL Bridgeport is slated for 23-year-old Jakub Skarek, who’s yet to post above a .896 save percentage throughout four seasons in the minors. Kurz names Jaroslav Halak, Brian Elliott, Martin Jones, and Alex Stalock as options with notable NHL experience still looking for a home who may have to settle for a minor-league role.
  • One player who went into last season with high expectations was defenseman Robin Salo, the team’s 2017 second-round pick. He made the Islanders out of camp but didn’t stick, recording four points in 11 games throughout the first part of the season before the team assigned him to Bridgeport permanently in January. He posted just 14 assists in 38 games with Bridgeport, though, failing to score a goal throughout the entire season. After a rough year, Kurz says he’d be surprised to see Salo make the opening night roster again next season and thinks he’s slipped pretty far down the team’s depth chart of left-shot defenders. He also went so far as to call Salo a trade candidate and that if he’s not moved, the team may not issue him a qualifying offer next offseason.

Maple Leafs Linked To Brian Elliott

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The remaining unrestricted free agent market for goaltenders isn’t exactly the deepest with the options mostly being veteran backups or third-stringers.  But it appears at least one netminder has a potential suitor as Larry Brooks of the New York Post suggests that Brian Elliott could be on his way to Toronto.

The 38-year-old is a 16-year NHL veteran and has spent time with six different teams.  Tampa Bay was the last of those squads as Elliott suited up for two seasons with them, posting a 2.96 GAA along with a .900 SV% in 41 games.  Notably, Elliott has only surpassed the .900 SV% mark once in the last four seasons.

With that in mind, the connection to the Maple Leafs might seem a bit surprising.  However, projected backup Joseph Woll is still inexperienced with just 11 career NHL regular season appearances under his belt.  Matt Murray remains in the organization for the time being but with Toronto’s salary cap situation, it’s hard to imagine that he’ll be suiting up for them in 2023-24 as things stand.

Meanwhile, among their other four goalies on an NHL contract (Dennis Hildeby, Artur Akhtyamov, Keith Petruzzelli, and Vyacheslav Peksa), none of them have played a single minute at the top level.  Only Petruzzelli (30 games) and Hildeby (two games) have played in the AHL.  Accordingly, counting on any of them to come up and serve as an injury replacement for Ilya Samsonov or Woll would be risky.

Perhaps that’s where Elliott could fit in.  While playing in the AHL seems unlikely at this stage of his career, he could be someone who is waived and officially stashed with the AHL Marlies but doesn’t actually suit up for them, instead simply skating to stay ready.  Basically, something similar to what they did with Wayne Simmonds for long stretches of last season.

A role like that might not be the most endearing but it would give Elliott a chance to sign with his hometown team and – who knows – perhaps get a few more NHL appearances under his belt.  If not Elliott, it wouldn’t be shocking to see Toronto look at another veteran to fill this type of role in 2023-24.

Tampa Bay Lightning Extend Brian Elliott

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The Tampa Bay Lightning have liked what they’ve seen from backup goaltender Brian Elliott. The two sides have agreed on a one-year contract extension for 2022-23 that will carry a salary of $900K.

When you have Andrei Vasilevskiy starting almost every game, you don’t need a lot of work from your backup. That actually makes the role harder than it looks though, as Tampa Bay netminders often go weeks without seeing any game action. Elliott, 37, has acclimated well to that role, and is 9-3-3 this season with a .921 save percentage in his 16 appearances.

A veteran of more than 500 NHL games, “Moose” has proven he can still hang at the NHL level in his reduced role. A netminder who twice led the league in save percentage–finishing fifth in Vezina voting in 2012 and ninth in 2016–Elliott appeared to be on his way out of the league before he signed in Tampa Bay. In a more substantial role for the Philadelphia Flyers he had posted two straight sub-.900 years, though he was still able to win more games than he lost during those difficult campaigns.

Now he’ll be asked to play around 20 games again in 2022-23, and offer veteran support to one of the best goaltenders in the league. At $900K he will earn the same amount as this season and comes with basically no risk for the Lightning.

While he isn’t likely to see much action, a dozen starts could easily push Elliott up into the top-50 for all-time wins. He currently sits at No. 55 on the list, just one win behind Felix Potvin and six from Kelly Hrudey and Bernie Parent, the gatekeepers of the top-50.

Lightning Place Five In COVID Protocol

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The COVID test results are in for the Lightning and the end result is that they’ll be missing several players for the next little while.  Bryan Burns of Tampa Bay’s team website relays (Twitter link) that goaltenders Andrei Vasilevskiy and Brian Elliott, center Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, defenseman Mikhail Sergachev, and assistant coach Rob Zettler have all been placed in COVID protocol.

As is the case with anyone who enters COVID protocol, they will all miss at least the next ten days.

Vasilevskiy is certainly a notable loss for Tampa Bay as he is off to another fine start to his season with a 2.14 GAA along with a .928 SV% in 24 starts.  Not having Elliott available either means that two of their AHL netminders – Maxime Lagace, Hugo Alnefelt, and Amir Miftakhov – will need to be brought up and only Lagace has limited NHL experience.

As for Sergachev, his output is quite similar to his pace from last season as he has two goals and a dozen assists in 30 games while averaging 21:57 per game, the third-highest ATOI on the Lightning.  Unless Erik Cernak is ready to return from his injury, they’ll need to recall someone from AHL Syracuse to cover his spot as well.  Bellemare is in his first season with Tampa Bay after coming over from Colorado and has chipped in with three goals and four assists in what has basically been a checking role.

As things stand, Tampa Bay is set to return to action on Tuesday against Montreal.

Brian Elliott Signs With Tampa Bay Lightning

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The Tampa Bay Lightning will bring in a new veteran backup for Andrei Vasilevskiy, signing Brian Elliott according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The one-year deal is worth $900K according to Andy Strickland of Bally Sports Midwest.

Elliott, 36, is coming off of a difficult season in Philadelphia in which he was asked to do more than expected behind a struggling Carter Hart and faltered, recording an .889 save percentage and 3.06 GAA. However, there is reason to believe that things will be much different for the veteran in Tampa. He will have a much more reduced role for the Bolts behind workhorse Andrei Vasilevskiy, arguably the best goaltender in the NHL right now. He will also be playing behind a stout Tampa defense that just won back-to-back Stanley Cups. With less responsibility and more protection, Elliott could return to form. A veteran of 502 NHL games over 14 years, Elliott has a career save percentage of .910 and GAA of 2.53.

The value of this deal works out nicely for the cap-strapped Lightning. Barring an injury to Vasilevskiy, the Lightning do not need to ask much of their backup, yet were paying Curtis McElhinney $1.3MM for numbers that were no better than Elliott’s. Filling his vacancy with a respected vet for under $1MM is a savvy move for the team, especially when backup goalies have had high price tags today.

Trade Rumors: Hall, Flyers, Panthers

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While he stopped short of stating that there is a lot of interest in Buffalo Sabres winger Taylor Hall, TSN’s Darren Dreger noted on “Insider Trading” this evening that the team is receiving different varieties of offers for the former MVP. While some teams see Hall strictly as a rental, Dreger reports that GM Kevyn Adams has also received calls from teams with interest in a trade-and-sign potential. Despite Hall’s struggles this season, it seems that there are clubs who still believe in his long-term value once he escapes Buffalo. Normally, these teams would not necessarily need to inform the opposing GM of their post-trade intentions. However, given Hall’s No-Movement Clause there seems to be more transparency from suitors in hopes that Hall would waive to come to their team. Dreger relays that Adams and Hall’s agent, Darren Ferris, recently met to discuss these offers as well as those from teams who have not yet expressed interest in an extended relationship with Hall.

GM, agent, and player will all need to be on the same page for a deal to get done, but Hall has already stated that he is open to waiving his NMC for the right move, so it seems likely that he will end up traded. Yet, don’t be surprised if the deal doesn’t happen until deadline day. Dreger believes that Adams could hold on to Hall as long as he can, allowing Hall’s pro-rated cap hit to decrease as much as possible, as a tactic to improve or at least maintain his trade value. With so many team’s facing a salary cap crunch, a cheaper Hall is a more valuable Hall. To this point, it seems teams have balked at Buffalo’s first-round price tag for Hall, but their best chance of netting that return will likely be on deadline day.

  • As young Carter Hart continues to struggle this season, it is becoming more and more likely that the Philadelphia Flyers will have to add another goalie if they want to compete for a playoff spot down the stretch. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that they are certainly considering a move, but have not made a decision yet. While the numbers for Hart as well as Brian Elliott are not appealing so far this season, bringing in a third netminder is not a simple decision. The Flyers would need to have the cap flexibility to carry three goalies and would also need to consider the mental status of Hart if they were to essentially bump the season-opening starter to a third-string role. LeBrun believes that Philadelphia will wait as long as possible to make a deal, hoping that their current tandem improves but also in order to take a realistic look at their playoff chances at the deadline and weigh whether a move in worth it. If the Flyers do opt to seek another goalie, LeBrun notes that the name they are being linked to is Detroit Red Wings veteran Jonathan Bernier.
  • It would surprise no one to hear that the Florida Panthers are looking for a defenseman in light of the season-ending injury suffered by stalwart Aaron Ekblad. However, Florida Hockey Now’s George Richards reports that the team was actually scouring the market for a top-four blue liner even before Ekblad’s injury, which only served to up their efforts. The Panthers had enjoyed strong seasons from Ekblad, MacKenzie Weegar, and Keith Yandle and had not hesitated to give considerable play time to Anton Stralman, Gustav Forsling, and Radko Gudas as well. However, the team recently waived Stralman, which just goes to show how much they value his contribution so far this season. And while Yandle and Gudas have played well, the two are somewhat of specialists, only excelling at one end of the ice. With Ekblad gone, the Panthers will have to rely on Weegar and Forsling as their most complete defensemen and neither has the experience needed to lead a contender on a deep playoff run. It is likely this concern that prompted a search even before Ekblad went down.

Philadelphia Flyers Re-Sign Brian Elliott

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Veteran goaltender Brian Elliott will be back in the Philadelphia net for a fourth season in 2020-21. The Flyers have announced a new one-year contract for Elliott, who was set to reach free agency on Friday. Elliott will play for an AAV of $1.5MM this coming season, a savings of $500K for Philly from the one-year extension he signed last off-season.

Elliott, 35, hasn’t exactly been sharp over his time with the Flyers, but he has been a great mentor to young Carter Hart, who has supplanted him as starter and should see his workload increase even more this year. Elliott avoided injury this season after missing 41 games in 2018-19 and did see a slight improvement in his goals against average. He also impressed in two postseason appearances. However, the former All-Star still recorded a lowly .899 save percentage in 31 appearances. With many options in goal on the free agent and trade markets to upgrade the backup position, admittedly at a high price with many needy teams, Philadelphia’s decision means they clearly feel comfortable with their current tandem and Hart’s ability to take on a greater role so as to limit the pressure on the aging Elliott.

Speaking to the intangibles of the veteran netminder, GM Chuck Fletcher stated the following in the team’s release: “Brian is a quality, veteran goaltender who is also an important part of our leadership group. His preparation and work ethic are exemplary. With Brian and Carter, we believe we have a strong goaltending duo who have each had success and work very well with each other.”

Snapshots: Elliott, Honka, Vancouver UFAs

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The Flyers expect backup goaltender Brian Elliott to return next season, notes Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer.  The veteran has spent three years in Philadelphia with the last two serving as the understudy to Carter Hart.  Elliott saw his save percentage dip for the fourth straight season as it went from .907 to .899 although his goals against average actually improved slightly, from 2.96 to 2.87.

Those numbers shouldn’t have him in line for a big raise on the $2MM he received this season which would fit in well to the Flyers’ salary structure which has them with nearly $72MM in commitments already for 2020-21 and several roster spots to fill with that remaining cap room.  One thing that Philadelphia could do is make Elliott’s deal incentive-laden which he’s now eligible for having turned 35 back in April as long as he signs for one year.  That would allow them some extra flexibility with bonus overages being able to be charged on the cap in 2021-22 if needed and ensure that a working tandem remains intact.

Elsewhere around the league:

  • The Stars plan to sit down with defenseman Julius Honka at the end of the playoffs to discuss his future, reports Matthew DeFranks of the Dallas Morning News. He asked for a trade last summer but it never materialized so instead, he played in Finland and had 15 points in 46 games with JYP of the SM-liiga.  Honka’s goal remains to return to the NHL so as of yet, he hasn’t signed a deal overseas and with those leagues starting up, rosters are getting filled quickly.  The 24-year-old remains a restricted free agent without salary arbitration rights.
  • The Canucks haven’t held recent contract talks with pending UFA defenseman Chris Tanev, relays Postmedia’s Patrick Johnston. GM Jim Benning noted that there were frequent discussions during the pandemic break but nothing since play resumed or their elimination from the postseason.  Tanev has made it known that he’d like to remain in Vancouver but will almost certainly need to take a dip from his $4.45MM AAV to do so.
  • Another player that would like to remain with the Canucks is winger Tyler Toffoli who told reporters, including NHL.com’s Kevin Woodley, that his number one priority is to stay with Vancouver. He joined the team in advance of the trade deadline from Los Angeles and made an immediate impact, collecting 10 points in as many games before the pandemic hit while he chipped in with four more in seven playoff contests despite missing time with a high ankle sprain.  Toffoli had a cap hit of $4.6MM on his most recent deal and could get more than that on the open market.

Cory Schneider, Ryan Miller Discuss Playing Futures

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The current pause in the NHL season has had a major effect on each and every player in the league and could have a lasting impact on careers beyond this year. However, veteran players may be influenced the most, as the past two months have provided insight as to what a life after hockey might look like. The New Jersey Devils’ Cory Schneider and the Anaheim Ducks’ Ryan Miller, two aging goalies whose futures were in question even before the pandemic, recently spoke on how they are feeling about their current circumstances and the outlook on the rest of their careers.

Schneider, 34, remains optimistic that his playing days are far from over. Schneider told NHL.com’s Mike Morreale that he is using this time to get back into “peak physical condition” and that he has not “entertained thoughts of retirement at all.” Schneider suffered a major core injury in 2015-16 and has not been the same player since. Once one of the league’s top goalies, his numbers have dropped precipitously year-to-year as he has struggled to stay healthy and to rediscover his elite form. Now passed up as the Devils’ started by young MacKenzie Blackwood, Schneider has two years left on his contract at $6MM AAV and would be a prime buyout candidate, standard or compliance, for New Jersey. However, Schneider’s hope is to remain with the team. “”I’m not naive to the business side of things,” Schneider explained, “but I feel that when I’m playing well, I can do a lot for our team on the ice and off the ice. That’s the role that I want to fill.” Schneider best chance to continue playing in a meaningful NHL role may also come with New Jersey. If he were bought out, Schneider would find himself in a free agent market this off-season that is chock-full of veteran keepers looking for one last contract and teams without much money to spend on aging backups.

Miller, 39, is part of that group. While Miller’s numbers in 2019-20 are the worst of his career, they are still palatable, especially in a backup role. Miller has in fact maintained a solid and at times stellar level of performance throughout his late 30’s. While no one would blame the former star netminder for calling it quits at his age with his resume, Miller has maintained that he would like to continue playing. Previously, the obstacles to that plan were Miller’s insistence on remaining in the California area near his family, as well as the aforementioned market, which also includes names like Mike Smith, Jimmy Howard, Craig Anderson, Corey Crawford, and Brian Elliott as older names who are past their prime and just looking for one last go-round. However, Miller recently spoke to Sportsnet’s Gene Principe and admitted that the COVID-19 pause has placed another roadblock in the way of extending his career: not wanting to leave newfound day-to-day role with his family amid the return to a “new normal” post-pandemic. “There’s a lot of talk here in California that schools are not going to be fully in session possibly into next year. That changes the dynamic around the house and what needs to happen and what’s important,” Miller stated, adding “what that means for sports and life – and wrapped up in that is family and how family is going to need to be taken care of during this time.” It remains to be seen whether remaining with the Ducks would be an option for Miller and if that would even allow him to be comfortable in his role with his family. If not, no one would blame Miller for hanging up his skates and his departure would allow for one other veteran keeper, perhaps even Schneider, to continue pursuing his career dreams.

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