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Chandler Stephenson

Snapshots: Perry, Stephenson, Fantilli

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Corey Perry was pretty close to not even being around for this Montreal Canadiens postseason run. The veteran forward’s agent Pat Morris told Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic that he personally called three teams when Perry was placed on waivers at the beginning of the season, asking them not to put in a claim and let him stay with Montreal. Two of those teams apparently told Morris they would have if he hadn’t called, but decided to “respect his career” and leave him with the Canadiens.

Perry ended up clearing, giving the Canadiens flexibility to bounce him back and forth from taxi squad to active roster, saving cap space in the process. He ended up playing in 49 regular season games and became one of the team’s most important forwards, playing a huge role in the postseason. The 36-year-old has three goals and eight points in 15 playoff games, including the game-winner in game seven against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

  • Chandler Stephenson is a game-time decision for the Vegas Golden Knights tonight against Perry and the Canadiens. The 27-year-old has developed into a top-line center with the Golden Knights this season, scoring 35 points in 51 regular season games, usually skating between Mark Stone and Max Pacioretty. Though he has failed to score a goal in 14 playoff games so far, he does have six points and has been excellent in the faceoff circle. Stephenson of course won the Stanley Cup with the Washington Capitals in 2018 (defeating the Golden Knights) and would be a welcome addition to the lineup for this evening’s match.
  • Though there had been some speculation that Adam Fantilli could leave the USHL next season, the top prospect will be back with the Chicago Steel for 2021-22 according to Corey Pronman of The Athletic. The 16-year-old is not eligible for the NHL draft until 2023 but is already turning heads after a 36-point campaign with Chicago this season. His eight goals in the playoffs were enough to Clark Cup MVP, helping the Steel secure the trophy for the second time. Fantilli, who is from Nobleton, Ontario, was actually drafted 18th overall by the Saginaw Spirit of the OHL in 2020 but would not be eligible for the NCAA if he decided to play in the CHL.

West Notes: Stephenson, Bunting, Dahlen

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There has been very little information regarding the absence of Golden Knights center Chandler Stephenson who has missed the last two games with an undisclosed injury.  SinBin.Vegas reports (Twitter link) that Stephenson is dealing with concussion-like symptoms from a hit from Ben Chiarot in the first game of the series and that he is not with the team in Montreal.  The 27-year-old had a career year this season with 35 points in 51 games (plus six assists in 14 playoff contests) and while they did get Tomas Nosek back on Friday, Stephenson’s absence will be a tough one to fill.  As is the case with any type of concussion symptoms, it appears as if there’s no timetable for his return.

Elsewhere in the West:

  • While Coyotes winger Michael Bunting will have an opportunity to test the open market as a Group Six unrestricted free agent, he told Jose M. Romero of the Arizona Republic that his preference is to remain with Arizona. The 25-year-old cleared waivers in January and was in the minors until late March but after being recalled, he potted an impressive 10 goals in 21 games down the stretch, earning a spot on Canada’s entry at the World Championships in the process.  That should give him a decent market if he gets to free agency but while he’s unsure if talks with the Coyotes have started yet, he’s hoping he won’t have to shop around his services.
  • While the Sharks gave Jonathan Dahlen a one-way contract to bring him back, San Jose Hockey Now’s Sheng Peng feels that the deal doesn’t pencil him into a lineup spot in San Jose next season. The 23-year-old dominated in Sweden’s second-tier Allsvenskan the last two years but that’s at a level that’s well below the NHL.  Peng cites concerns from several scouts about Dahlen’s ability to adapt to the NHL game.  Nevertheless, they’ll get a much better look at him with the one-way deal than watching him from afar in Sweden.

Chandler Stephenson Suspended Three Games

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The Department of Player Safety has come down hard on Vegas Golden Knights forward Chandler Stephenson, issuing him a three-game suspension for elbowing Los Angeles Kings defenseman Tobias Bjornfot last night. As the accompanying video explains:

It is important to note that while we accept Stephenson’s arguement that he did not attempt to hit Bjornfot in the head, this is not a case where a blow to an opponent’s torso or shoulder rides up and makes subsequent or glancing contact with his head. This is a direct and forceful elbow to an opponent’s head which caused an injury.

Bjornfot did not return to the game and is doubtful for the Kings game tomorrow. Stephenson has not been fined or suspended previously in his career and did receive both a major penalty and a game misconduct for the incident, but was still given a hefty ban today.

He’ll miss games against the Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues over the next few days, two teams chasing the Golden Knights in the West Division standings.

Chandler Stephenson To Have Hearing With Department Of Player Safety

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The Department of Player Safety has another big day ahead of them. Not only is Nathan MacKinnon’s helmet throw likely being looked at for supplementary discipline, but Chandler Stephenson of the Vegas Golden Knights will also have a hearing today to determine his suspension for a high hit.

The incident occurred late in the second period of last night’s game against the Los Angeles Kings with the Golden Knights down 4-1. Stephenson tracked Tobias Bjornfot into the corner and after the puck had already been passed away, delivered a high hit that injured the Kings defenseman. After the referees huddled to decide his fate, Stephenson was given a five-minute major for elbowing and a game misconduct. Bjornfot would leave the game.

The Vegas center will likely have to face a suspension of at least one game, taking him out of the team’s match tomorrow against the Minnesota Wild. A ruling should come down later this evening.

Vegas Golden Knights Re-Sign Chandler Stephenson

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6:05 PM: The team officially announced the signing, confirming the four-year, $11MM terms.

2:07 PM: The Vegas Golden Knights have reached a new contract with restricted free agent Chandler Stephenson according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The new four-year deal will carry an average annual value of $2.75MM. PuckPedia reports the full breakdown:

  • 2020-21: $1.625MM
  • 2021-22: $3.025MM
  • 2022-23: $3.125MM
  • 2023-24: $3.225MM

Stephenson, 26, ended up in Vegas last December through a trade with the Washington Capitals and cost the team just a fifth-round pick. Despite winning a Stanley Cup with the Capitals in 2018, Stephenson still hadn’t really shown his full potential. That’s exactly what happened in Vegas though, as he finally got a chance to line up at center on a regular basis and ended up scoring eight goals and 22 points in just 41 games.

This contract keeps him in the lineup at a reasonable cost, but the Golden Knights do have some cap issues to deal with in the coming days. The team is trying hard to move Marc-Andre Fleury, but are well over the $81.5MM cap with spots on the roster to fill and improvements to be made.

Golden Knights Acquire Chandler Stephenson

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Tuesday: The deal has official gone through. Vegas acquired Stephenson in exchange for a 2021 fifth-round pick.

Monday: The Capitals and Golden Knights appear to be nearing an agreement on a trade involving Washington center Chandler Stephenson, according to reports from David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period (Twitter link) and TSN’s Darren Dreger (Twitter link).

Stephenson is in his third full season as an NHL player but his hold on a roster spot has been tenuous at best.  He has played in 24 games with the Caps this season, recording three goals and an assist while averaging just shy of 12 minutes per night.  With a $1.05MM cap hit, he costs a fair bit more than the players making the $700K league minimum and with the Capitals being extremely tight to the salary cap, a prorated few hundred thousand can make a big difference.  Winger Carl Hagelin is nearing a return from LTIR which is providing an impetus to make a move to free up a bit of cap room.

As for what may interest Vegas in the 25-year-old, center Cody Eakin is out week-to-week with an upper-body injury, creating an opening on the penalty kill which is an area that Stephenson can help in as he regularly kills penalties with Washington.  The Golden Knights are currently in action so any move won’t likely be announced until after the conclusion of their game.

Evening Notes: Kempe, Capitals, NHLOA Talks

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Some progress appears to be getting made when it comes to contract talks between the Kings and RFA center Adrian Kempe.  GM Rob Blake told reporters last week (including Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider) that things are getting close while Lisa Dillman of The Athletic adds (Twitter link) that it will wind up being a short-term bridge deal.  The 22-year-old saw his output dip last season from 16 goals and 37 points to just 12 and 26 respectively so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Los Angeles isn’t ready to commit a long-term contract to him just yet.  While he’s currently unsigned, there will be at least one Kempe in training camp for the Kings after they signed his brother Adrian Kempe early in free agency this summer.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • Capitals GM Brian MacLellan stated last week that they’ll likely have to make a trade for salary cap reasons. With that in mind, J.J. Regan of NBC Sports Washington examined some of the potential cost casualties.  Considering they’re firmly in win-now mode, it’s unlikely that they’ll part with a core player which limits their options.  He lists defenseman Christian Djoos, center Chandler Stephenson, and center Travis Boyd as potential trade options though the latter makes just over the league minimum so the savings from moving him could be limited.  They’ll have to trim more than $1MM off their payroll and with so few options to deal from, it may take multiple moves to get there.
  • While the CBA between the NHL and NHLPA is attracting the headlines at the moment with the league opting to not opt out and the players having until the middle of the month to decide, there’s another contract that’s being worked on. Sports Illustrated’s Michael Farber reports (Twitter link) that the deal between the league and the NHL Officials’ Association expired on Saturday without a new agreement in place.  However, the hope is that a new deal will be agreed on by the start of the season.  The officials will be reporting to their own training camp this weekend.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Washington Capitals

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Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM. Teams that can avert total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2019-20 season. This will focus more on those players who are integral parts of the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.

Washington Capitals

Current Cap Hit: $82,864,294 (over the $81.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

G Ilya Samsonov (two years, $925K)
F Jonas Siegenthaler (one year, $714K)

Potential Bonuses

Samsonov: $550K
Siegenthaler: $83K

The one failing of the Washington Capitals and their dominance of their run over the years has been their inability, lately, to develop young talent that can step in. Again there are few players on entry-level contracts who can help ease the Capitals’ salary cap. However, the team believes that they might be close to bringing in their top prospect in Samsonov. The talented Russian goaltender finally arrived in North America last season and had mixed results in his first year in the AHL. However, Samsonov is likely to get a long look in training camp this season and even if he doesn’t make the team, he’s due to make his NHL debut at some point this season. After all, the Capitals must figure out quickly whether they have their future No. 1 netminder.

Siegenthaler finally looks ready to step into a permanent role on the Capitals’ blueline. The 22-year-old showed promise last year in 26 regular season games and even saw some playoff action with four games last season. The defensive defenseman is a perfect addition to a defense that is still dealing with injuries.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

F Nicklas Backstrom ($6.7MM, UFA)
G Braden Holtby ($6.1MM, UFA)
D Radko Gudas ($2.35MM, UFA)
D Christian Djoos ($1.25MM, RFA)
F Chandler Stephenson ($1.05MM, RFA)
F Travis Boyd ($800K, RFA)
F Brendan Leipsic ($700K, RFA)

Washington will have a big decision to make next offseason as they have two of their core pieces who will become unrestricted free agents and with serious cap issue for several years coming, the team will almost assuredly have to make a tough decision and are likely to lose at least one of them for nothing next summer. Neither is likely to be traded considering the team is strong enough to compete for a Stanley Cup, but the team just can’t afford both. The most likely scenario is the team finds a way to retain Backstrom, but will be forced to let Holtby go, considering that top goaltenders have been cashing in and the Capitals likely won’t have the money to keep him around. Of course much could change, but considering that Washington does have a top goaltending prospect who is almost ready for the NHL, losing Holtby might be an easier blow to take than losing Backstrom.

The remaining group will have to prove their worth. The most interesting player could be Gudas, who is considered a likeable locker room guy, but the Capitals will have to wait and see how well the veteran blueliner fits in with their defense and what the cost of retaining him in the future will be.

Two Years Remaining

F Alex Ovechkin ($9.54MM, UFA)
F Jakub Vrana ($3.35MM, RFA)

While it’s hard to imagine a Capitals team without their star in Ovechkin seems highly unlikely, Washington will have to see whether they can convince their star to re-sign. He’ll be 36 years old by the time he signs his next contract, which means he has quite a few options and while re-signing with Washington is the most likely possibility, the veteran has a number of options which could include returning to Russia to finish his career. Signing with Washington also could hinge on how the Capitals will look in two years. If the team looks like an aging team that has little real chance at winning a title, Ovechkin could also look elsewhere in the NHL for a last chance for a Stanley Cup. The Athletic’s Jesse Granger suggested a while back that Ovechkin might be a good fit with Vegas in a couple of years, suggesting that his relationship with George McPhee could be enough to bring him over there.

The team needs Vrana to continue his development. A player who struggled and was a big question mark at this time a season ago, Vrana answered a lot of questions last year with a 24-goal, 47-point season. If he can continue that success and be a consistent top-six player, the team will likely have hand him a long-term deal in two years.

Three Years Remaining

D Michal Kempny ($2.5MM, UFA)
G Pheonix Copley ($1.1MM, UFA)
F Nic Dowd ($750K, UFA)

The team lacks many major contracts here, but if Kempny continues to prove to be a solid defensive presence on Washington’s blueline, the team may have to hand out a significant contract. While the defender will be out for the start of the season and remains an unknown after a season-ending hamstring injury, he has proven to be quite reliable since the Capitals acquired him back at the trade deadline in 2018. Copley, who posted solid numbers as a full-time back-up goalie, likely will hold down his job, but will be challenged by Samsonov, who the team hopes will be their goalie of the future.

Four Or More Years Remaining

D John Carlson ($8MM through 2025-26)
F Evgeny Kuznetsov ($7.8MM through 2024-25)
F T.J. Oshie ($5.75MM through 2024-25)
F Tom Wilson ($5.17MM through 2023-24)
D Dmitry Orlov ($5.1MM through 2022-23)
F Lars Eller ($3.5MM through 2022-23)
F Carl Hagelin ($2.75MM through 2022-23)
F Richard Panik ($2.75MM through 2022-23)
D Nick Jensen ($2.5MM through 2022-23)
F Garnet Hathaway ($1.5MM through 2022-23)

The bulk of the team’s contracts are here with plenty of money being dedicated to the team between the next four to seven years. Many of these players will likely not be worth the money they are paying for them by that time and much will depend on whether Washington can supplement the team with young, cheap talent. However, the core of the team comes down to Carlson, Kuznetsov, Oshie and Wilson, all of which are currently key to the team’s status as threats to capture another Stanley Cup in the next few years. Carlson, who hits 30 at midseason, put up another phenomenal numbers last year, scoring 13 goals and a career-high 70 points. Kuznetsov had a slight down year, but could be a candidate for a big bounce-back season. Oshie continues to put up solid numbers, 25 goals last season, but will turn 33 during the season and will be 39 before his contract expires, which could go bad quickly. Wilson’s contract doesn’t look nearly as bad, especially after posting career highs in goals (22) and points (40).

Orlov saw his goal-scoring numbers drop, but he still has been a key figure on the team’s defense. Although he saw his ATOI drop by a minute in a half, the team still believes that Orlov is a top-pairing defender. The team hopes that Jensen might provide the same value at a much cheaper price. Jensen, acquired from Detroit and immediately extended for four years, gives Washington even more depth on the team’s blueline. He only averaged 17 minutes in his 20 games with Washington, but he could return to the 20 minutes he was averaging when he was with the Red Wings.

Washington has started to put more effort into bringing in cheaper players, who they think can contribute to the team long-term such as Hagelin and Panik, who were both locked up as the team believes both can contribute as middle-six players for a number of years.

Buyouts

None

Retained Salary Transactions

None

Still To Sign

None

Best Value: Wilson
Worst Value: Oshie

Looking Ahead

The Capitals are a team that have made it clear years ago that they were going for it. They succeeded finally, winning a Stanley Cup after the 2017-18 season. However, they looked just as formidable last year, despite a first-round exit in a grueling seven-game series against the Carolina Hurricanes. However, expectations continue to be high that this veteran laden club can continue to be one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference. With a number of their players already in their 30’s, the question will end up being how long can they keep this up? The team is capped out and will be for years to come, so they could lose quite a bit of talent over the next few years and with one of the weakest group of prospects in the league, the team will have to be quite clever with the cap to keep the team relevant.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

2019 Arbitration Figures And Results

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August 6th: All arbitration cases have now been completed. In total, six cases were decided by an arbitrator’s award this year. That number, though seemingly not many, actually presents a 50% increase over last summer and more than the past two off-seasons combined. Of those six decisions, the teams and players received the favorable decision an even three times apiece, and each award landed within $150K of the midpoint. All things considered, there were few surprises in arbitration, even though there were more awards than expected. Now the question is where the relationships between those teams and players go from here.

Originally published on July 19th: Friday marked the start of the arbitration season in the NHL, with Brock McGinn first scheduled for his hearing with the Carolina Hurricanes. The appointments will come fast and furious after that, with 23 cases left on the books. When we asked our readers how many would actually get to the hearing stage more than 36% of voters thought 3-4 was reasonable, the same number that reached last year.

We know now that at least one will, as Andrew Copp’s agent Kurt Overhardt told Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Free Press that their camp will “look forward to” the hearing scheduled for Sunday. Copp and the Jets exchanged figures earlier today. It is important to remember that the two sides can actually work out a deal in the short period after the hearing and before the actual decision is submitted by the arbitrator. For every case except Ville Husso, who the St. Louis Blues took to arbitration, the team involved will be allowed to choose the duration of the contract awarded. They can choose either one or two years, unless the player is only one year away from unrestricted free agency, at which point only a one-year deal is available.

Here we’ll keep track of all the hearings still on the books and the figures submitted. This page will be updated as the numbers come in:

July 20:

Brock McGinn, Carolina Hurricanes – Team: $1.75MM AAV, Player: $2.7MM AAV
Settled: Two years, $2.1MM AAV

July 21:

Andrew Copp, Winnipeg Jets – Team: $1.5MM AAV, Player: $2.9MM AAV
Awarded: Two years, $2.28MM AAV

July 22: 

MacKenzie Weegar, Florida Panthers
Settled: One year, $1.6MM AAV

Zach Aston-Reese, Pittsburgh Penguins
Settled: Two years, $1.0MM AAV

Ville Husso, St. Louis Blues (team-elected)
Settled: One year, two-way, $700K AAV

Christian Djoos, Washington Capitals – Team: $800K, Player: $1.9MM
Awarded: One year, $1.25MM AAV

July 23: 

Evan Rodrigues, Buffalo Sabres – Team: $1.5MM, Player: $2.65MM
Awarded: One year, $2.0MM AAV

July 24: 

Oskar Sundqvist, St. Louis Blues
Settled: Four years, $2.75MM AAV

Neal Pionk, Winnipeg Jets
Settled: Two years, $3.0MM AAV

July 26: 

Colton Sissons, Nashville Predators
Settled: Seven years, $2.86MM AAV

July 27: 

Sam Bennett, Calgary Flames
Settled: Two years, $2.55MM AAV

July 28: 

Mirco Mueller, New Jersey Devils
Settled: One year, $1.4MM AAV

July 29: 

David Rittich, Calgary Flames
Settled: Two years, $2.75MM AAV

Pavel Buchnevich, New York Rangers
Settled: Two years, $3.25MM AAV

August 1: 

Remi Elie, Buffalo Sabres
Settled: One year, two-way $700K AAV

Chandler Stephenson, Washington Capitals
Settled: One year, $1.05MM

August 2: 

Linus Ullmark, Buffalo Sabres – Team: $800K, Player: $2.65MM
Settled: One year, $1.33MM

Will Butcher, New Jersey Devils
Settled: Three years, $3.73MM AAV

August 4: 

Jake McCabe, Buffalo Sabres – Team: 1.95MM, Player: $4.3MM
Settled: Two years, $2.85MM AAV

Anton Forsberg, Carolina Hurricanes – Team: $700K/$70K, Player: $833K
Awarded: One year, $775K AAV

Sheldon Dries, Colorado Avalanche
Settled: One year, two-way $735K AAV

Rocco Grimaldi, Nashville Predators – Team: $700K/$70K, Player $1.275MM
Awarded: One year, $1MM

Joel Edmundson, St. Louis Blues – Team: $2.3MM, Player $4.2MM
Awarded: One year, $3.1MM

Capitals Re-Sign Chandler Stephenson

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7/27: Washington has confirmed the terms of the contract, highlighting his strong play in the postseason this year in their press release. This could be to build up excitement for a player the team feels still has room to grow into a regular contributor or, as some have speculated, could be a sales tactic for a player who may be on the chopping block for the cap-strapped Capitals.

7/26: The Capitals have avoided salary arbitration with winger Chandler Stephenson.  CapFriendly reports that Washington has signed him to a one-year, $1.05MM contract.  He was previously scheduled to go for his hearing on August 1st.

The 25-year-old was once again in Washington’s rotation of fourth line players last season.  He played in 64 games, recording five goals and six assists while averaging 12:07 per night.  Stephenson was a fixture on their penalty kill when he was in the lineup, logging 1:46 per game, good for the fourth-most among Capital forwards.  He also suited up in six of their seven postseason contests where he was held off the scoresheet.

With the Caps losing a bit of depth over the summer, Stephenson should have a chance to compete for a full-time roster spot in training camp which would go a long way towards boosting his value for next summer where he will once again be a restricted free agent with salary arbitration rights.

Washington now has some work to do when it comes to the salary cap.  They presently sit roughly $1.3MM over the Upper Limit (per CapFriendly) though they could cut into that deficit by carrying a roster size less than the maximum of 23.  As Stephenson was their final arbitration case, they’ll have a 48-hour buyout window open up on Monday although with the minimum salary requirement for a buyout being $3.45MM, it’s quite unlikely that they’ll be going that route.  Instead, GM Brian MacLellan will likely look to try to make a small trade to free up some cap room over the next couple of months.

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