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Curtis McElhinney

Atlantic Notes: Backes, Montembeault, Domingue, Alzner

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The discussion of whether the Boston Bruins could get out from under the contract of veteran center David Backes has been ongoing for some time. It’s been determined that Backes, who has seen his numbers drop significantly in the last year while the team still owes him two more years at $6MM AAV, would be almost impossible to move, especially after the Toronto Maple Leafs unloaded Patrick Marleau and his one-year at $6.25MM to Carolina and was forced to include a first-round pick.

However, NBC Sports Boston Joe Haggerty re-analyzes the situation after the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers completed a swap of what many thought to be untradeable contracts. The problem once again for Boston is that trading Backes for another bad contract doesn’t help the Bruins as Backes only has two years left on his deal, while most of the other bad contracts have quite a bit more time remaining. Vancouver’s Loui Eriksson has the exact same contract and might even provide a slight more offense than Backes can, but any kind of one-on-one deal would require Boston to take an extra year of his contract as Eriksson still has three years remaining at that salary, hardly solving the team’s problem.

Unless the can find an unusual fit, it seems like Boston will be stuck with Backes for at least one more year.

  • Despite making moves this summer to turn their team in a bonafide playoff team by bringing in head coach Joel Quenneville as well as signing star goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, the Florida Panthers aren’t expected to be looking to sign a veteran goaltender to back the goalie up. The Athletic’s George Richards (subscription required) writes that Florida believes that 22-year-old Sam Montembeault is ready to be the backup and the job is his to lose. The youngster made 11 appearances late in the season last year and while his numbers weren’t overwhelming (3.04 GAA, .894 save percentage), he had moments where he looked like he was ready. The scribe reports, however, he will receive a battle from Chris Driedger, who looked sharp in 32 appearances with the Springfield Thunderbirds of the AHL.Because of Driedger, who the team re-upped earlier this summer, it’s unlikely the team brings in a veteran in case Montembeault isn’t ready for a NHL job yet.
  • Mari Faiello of the Tampa Bay Times writes that one of the main reasons the Tampa Bay Lightning went out and signed prized backup goaltender Curtis McElhinney to a two-year, $2.6MM deal on July 1 was because they were concerned about the fact that current backup Louis Domingue was going to be an unrestricted free agent next summer and would likely expect a raise. Domingue, who has been solid at $1.15MM, might cost too much to re-sign, but a chance to get the veteran McElhinney at $1.3MM AAV was too much to pass up. The team will likely wait to move Domingue until training camp when teams start realizing they need goaltending help.
  • The Athletic’s Sean Gordon (subscription required) writes that with the signing of forward Charles Hudon Friday, the team opened up a two-day buyout window that starts on Monday and the team could opt to buy out defenseman Karl Alzner if they wanted to. Alzner, who has three years remaining at $4.63MM AAV, isn’t a certain candidate, however, as the Canadiens could have bought him out during the first buyout period and didn’t. However, the team could free up a little more money to sign another free agent such as Jake Gardiner, who still is without a contract this summer.

Lightning Ink Goalies Wedgewood And Martin, Forward Mueller

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Even more reason to believe that last year’s backup, Louis Domingue, is on the trade block? After signing his replacement, Curtis McElhinney, the Tampa Bay Lightning have added two more goalies to the mix in Scott Wedgewood and Spencer Martin. The team has also signed forward Chris Mueller. The trio have all agreed to one-year, two-way contracts.

Lightning Sign McElhinney, Will Look To Trade Domingue

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The Tampa Bay Lightning emerged this morning as the surprise favorite to land veteran backup goalie Curtis McElhinney and a deal is now done. The team has announced a two-year contract with a $1.3MM AAV for the 35-year-old, strengthening their depth behind young starter Andrei Vasilevskiy. 

However, the team was not expected to be in the running for a goalie, as Louis Domingue performed well last season and looked comfortable as the backup. While it’s possible that the team sees Domingue, signed through next season at $1.15MM, as better suited for a third-string role, The Athletic’s Joe Smith reports that Tampa will also work on trading the understudy.

In McElhinney, the Bolts add a backup who is an upgrade both statistically and in terms of experience. McElhinney appeared in 33 games for the Carolina Hurricanes last season and made several more appearances in the postseason while posting strong numbers. Should injury befall Vasilevskiy, McElhinney would be ready to take over the starter role temporarily and Tampa Bay obviously felt more comfortable paying slightly more to have McElhinney in case of emergency rather than Domingue.

Curtis McElhinney Linked To Tampa Bay

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While the Lightning don’t have an obvious vacancy to fill between the pipes, they appear to be the front-runner to sign goaltender Curtis McElhinney, reports Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic (Twitter link).  A deal is not believed to be finalized just yet.

The 36-year-old is coming off of a strong season with Carolina, who claimed him off waivers from Toronto at the end of training camp.  While he was originally intended to serve as a stopgap option with Scott Darling not being fully healthy to start the season, he quickly became a key part of their tandem alongside Petr Mrazek with Darling eventually being sent to the minors.

Overall, McElhinney set a new career high in wins (20) while posting a 2.58 GAA and a .912 SV% in 33 starts with Carolina last season.  He also got into five postseason games when Mrazek was injured, compiling a 2.01 GAA with a .930 SV%.  That performance has vaulted him from being a run of the mill backup to someone who entered the market as one of the more intriguing options available.

If Tampa Bay does indeed sign him, it calls into question the future of current backup Louis Domingue, who had a decent performance in 2018-19.  An injury to Andrei Vasilevskiy forced him to play more than expected as he wound up playing in 26 games, compiling a 2.88 GAA with a .908 SV%.   The 27-year-old is signed for one more season at $1.15MM, almost all of which would come off their books if he was sent to the minors.  Alternatively, he could become a trade option depending on how the rest of the goaltending market shakes out.

Snapshots: Duchene, Donskoi, Vrana, Engelland, McElhinney, Berglund

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While speculation has center Matt Duchene likely signing a long-term deal with the Nashville Predators, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman writes that the Montreal Canadiens aren’t out of the running yet. While Nashville may still be the favorite to land the star center, Friedman writes that one of his sources says that it’s not locked in and Montreal still is in the race.

Duchene, who grew up a fan of the Canadiens, would be a big addition for the Canadiens if they can land him. Duchene would likely become their top center in hopes of vaulting Montreal back into a playoff spot.

  • TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that while things are still in the works, he believes that the Colorado Avalanche and an unidentified team are the finalists to sign unrestricted free agent forward Joonas Donskoi. The 27-year-old scored 14 goals and 37 points last season and could provide the team with a solid middle-six option for the Avalanche. While LeBrun notes that he doesn’t know who the other team is, he believes that Buffalo and Edmonton are not in the running anymore.
  • The Washington Capitals managed to trade off one of their key restricted free agents in Andre Burakovsky Friday in hopes of saving some cap room, but even being free of that contract, the money is tight in Washington. In fact, Washington general manager Brian MacLellan said that because the NHL salary cap was lower than expected ($81.5MM), the team will likely be forced to sign restricted free agent Jakub Vrana to a short-term deal, according to NHL.com’s Tom Gulliti. Washington had initially planned to lock up Vrana to a long-term deal when the team had expected the cap to be set at $83MM, but with the number being lower than expected, the MacLellan doesn’t believe the team has the money to sign him long-term.
  • Vegas Golden Knights President of Hockey Operations George McPhee confirmed that the team is close to signing veteran unrestricted free agent defenseman Deryk Engelland, according to Las Vegas Review-Journal’s David Schoen. The 37-year-old had a down season last year, but the veteran who actually played in Vegas in the ECHL before the Golden Knights came about, has been a community leader there. He is likely expected to take a bottom-six role next season and could find himself more in a 6th/7th role on defense.
  • TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that the Montreal Canadiens are among three teams that are interested in signing veteran goaltender Curtis McElhinney. The 36-year-old had a great season in Carolina after the Hurricanes claimed him off waivers from the Toronto Maple Leafs at the beginning of the year. He finished the season with a 2.58 GAA and a .912 save percentage in 33 appearances. LeBrun also adds that it doesn’t look like Toronto is one of the other two teams.
  • Former NHL player Patrik Berglund, who walked out on the Buffalo Sabres in the middle of last season, is exploring a return the the NHL and has several teams interested, according to Fox Sports Midwest’s Andy Strickland. Berglund, who was packaged to Buffalo in the Ryan O’Reilly trade last offseason, didn’t like it in Buffalo and finally requested that his contract to be terminated after playing just 23 games in a reduced role. The 31-year-old scored 17 goals in the 2017-18 season, but scored just twice before walking away this year.

UFA Notes: Carpenter, Connolly, McElhinney, Johansson

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Ryan Carpenter is an unrestricted free agent that hasn’t generated a lot of attention so far but the center is on the radar of a few teams at least.  Mark Lazerus of The Athletic reports (subscription required) that the 28-year-old center is on the radar of the Blackhawks, Bruins, and Avalanche and is likely deciding which of those three teams to sign with.  Carpenter joined Vegas back in 2017-18 on waivers and wound up playing a regular role for them down the stretch.  He followed that up with a career year offensively this past season, recording 18 points in 68 games while winning 52.6% of his faceoffs.  Teams are always looking to upgrade down the middle and Carpenter could certainly slot in as a fourth line piece on each of those teams.

More news from the open market which is less than 48 hours away from officially opening up:

  • While Washington created a little bit more salary cap flexibility with yesterday’s trade of Andre Burakovsky to Colorado, don’t expect them to re-sign winger Brett Connolly. Capitals GM Brian MacLellan told Tom Gulitti of NHL.com (Twitter link) that he expects Connolly’s price to be too high for them to be able to afford to re-sign him.  Connolly enters the open market coming off of a career year that saw him score 46 points, 44 of which came at even strength.  MacLellan indicated that they plan to try to fill Burakovsky’s roster spot through a UFA signing.
  • Hurricanes GM Don Waddell provided an update to reporters, including Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer, regarding their goaltending situation. The team remains in frequent discussions with Petr Mrazek but Waddell indicated that Curtis McElhinney will be “going somewhere else”.  If Carolina can’t re-sign Mrazek, they’ll go shopping for a new starter in free agency with one of Alex Nejdelkovic or the recently-acquired Anton Forsberg pushing for the backup role.
  • More than ten teams have checked in on Bruins UFA Marcus Johansson, reports TSN’s Darren Dreger (Twitter link). Sportsnet 650’s Rick Dhaliwal adds (via Twitter) that the Canucks are among those teams.  While he had a quieter year offensively during the regular season with just 30 points in 58 games between New Jersey and Boston, he had a strong showing in the playoffs in a supporting role which appears to have caught the attention of a lot of teams.  He made $4.583MM on his last contract and should be well-positioned to surpass that on the open market.

Carolina Hurricanes “Leaning Toward” Scott Darling Buyout

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June 25: The start of the buyout period came and went without Darling’s name on waivers, but today Carolina GM Don Waddell told reporters including Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer that he is “leaning toward” buying out the veteran goaltender. He would not rule out a trade, but it still sounds like Darling’s time in Carolina is over.

May 19: The Carolina Hurricanes felt they were finally getting the starting goaltender it needed to take the team into the playoffs in 2017 when they traded for immediately signed the Chicago Blackhawks’ backup goalie Scott Darling to a four-year, $16.6MM contract. After two long and disappointing years, it looks like the Hurricanes are ready to pull the plug on the deal as David Pagnotta of the Fourth Period reports that Carolina intends to buy out the netminder when the buyout period opens.

If the Hurricanes do follow through with a buyout, the buyout cap hit would break down like this (according to CapFriendly):

2019-20: $1.233MM
2020-21: $2.333MM
2021-22: $1.183MM
2022-23: $1.183MM

Darling, who was the backup to Corey Crawford during the Blackhawks’ successful playoff runs, was acquired for a third-round pick in 2017. In his final season in Chicago, he posted a 2.37 GAA and a .924 save percentage in 32 games played, but had never served as a starting goalie. However, nothing went right once Darling hit the ice in Carolina. He struggled in his initial season in 2017-18 when he 3.18 GAA and a .888 save percentage in a career-high 43 games. Despite talk during the summer that Darling was committed to conditioning and getting back on track, the Hurricanes choose to claim goaltender Curtis McElhinney off waivers, giving them three goaltenders alongside Darling and Petr Mrazek. The three played in tandem, but Darling only made eight appearances, struggling even more. He finished with a 3.34 GAA and a .884 save percentage, eventually being placed on waivers and sent to the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL in hopes of him regaining his confidence. Instead, he continued to struggle, putting up a 3.40 GAA and a .882 save percentage in 14 appearances there, prompting the goaltender to take a leave of absence in which he never returned.

If the Hurricanes do buyout Darling, it will have to sign another goaltender before July 1 as teams need to have three goaltenders under contract, according to the CBA. At the moment, the team only has two goaltenders under contract, including Jeremy Helvig and Callum Booth, neither of which are in their 2018-19 plans. McElhinney and Mrazek are both slated to become unrestricted free agents, while AHL star Alex Nedeljkovic will be a restricted free agent this summer.

Mrazek, McElhinney Not Expected To Re-Sign In Carolina

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Thursday: Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic tweets that the Edmonton Oilers have asked the Hurricanes about acquiring Mrazek’s rights, but Carolina is still trying to sign the goaltender if possible. Oilers’ GM Ken Holland has been clear over the past few weeks that he is looking for another goaltender to help Mikko Koskinen next season.

Wednesday: At the end of the Carolina Hurricanes’ impressive playoff run, GM Don Waddell expressed an interest in bringing back his goaltending tandem. Both Petr Mrazek and Curtis McElhinney played well for the Hurricanes when few believed in them, and set themselves up for new contracts this summer. Unfortunately, those contracts may not come in Carolina. Waddell spoke with Tom Gulitti of NHL.com and explained that both goaltenders may hit the open market in a few weeks:

We’re trying to sign them, but it doesn’t look like we’re going to get either signed. So, if not, we’ll go to the market and see what’s out there for July 1.

Sometimes guys test the market and then you find where we’re at. We’d like to have both guys back. I’ve publicly said that. But right now, we don’t have deals done with them.

Mrazek, 27, was the lead dog for Carolina this season after seeing his career crumble in Detroit and Philadelphia the last few seasons. He turned things around dramatically for the Hurricanes, posting a .914 save percentage in 40 games. He was the starter when the playoffs opened and helped Carolina all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals, but eventually struggled to keep up with his Boston counterpart. Earning just $1.5MM on a one-year deal last season, Mrazek is likely looking for a multi-year pact to give him some stability.

McElhinney, 35, is in a different situation entirely. A career backup, he was snapped up by Carolina off waivers from the Toronto Maple Leafs before the season but made a positive impact on the Hurricanes. Through 33 appearances he posted a .912 save percentage, and was actually excellent in his short playoff stint. Still, it would be difficult for any team to commit to him for anything longer than a year, given that his contract will be of the 35+ variety. Interestingly, that would make McElhinney eligible for a bonus-laden deal, which could be a way for him to guarantee a raise if he ends up playing in a large amount of games once again.

There are several interesting options on the free agent market this season, though some may be re-signed before July 1 rolls around. Currently Sergei Bobrovsky, Robin Lehner and Semyon Varlamov are all scheduled to become unrestricted free agents, while other names like James Reimer have been tossed around as trade options. It’s important to note the Hurricanes still have Scott Darling under contract for another two years, and 23-year old Alex Nedeljkovic coming off an outstanding season in the AHL.

Central Notes: Binnington, Zuccarello, Avalanche

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The St. Louis Blues have spent the afternoon celebrating at their downtown parade, but soon will have to deal with eight unrestricted free agents and another 12 restricted free agents. While there are few major deals the team must negotiate, there is one unique case in Jordan Binnington, who will be a restricted free agent this summer.

In fact, The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun (subscription required) writes that it’s quite a unique case. The 25-year-old walked onto the scene midway through the season and immediately became a sensation, putting up 1.89 GAA and a .927 save percentage in 32 regular season games and then led the Blues to the Stanley Cup with a 2.46 GAA and a .914 save percentage. All this while making $650K last season, while his backup, Jake Allen, makes $4.35MM.

However, with a half-year of experience, how much does he deserve to get? He has only two years before he becomes an unrestricted free agent, so term is critical as a short-term deal could cause even more problems. However, if he can’t repeat his amazing season, the team could be stuck with him if they sign him to an expensive long-term deal.

  • On his 31 Thoughts article, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman notes that there is mutual interest between the Dallas Stars and winger Mats Zuccarello to get a deal done. Dallas acquired Zuccarello at the trade deadline for a 2019 second-round pick and a 2020 conditional third-round pick, which would turn into a first-round pick if Dallas signs the 31-year-old to a new deal. Zuccarello only played two regular-season games after suffering an arm injury after one game, but was an integral piece to the team’s playoff run, when he tallied four goals and 11 points in 13 games. Friedman writes that the negotiations are taking its time, but there is a good chance that Dallas ends up keeping Zuccarello who made quite a difference to the team’s second line.
  • The Colorado Avalanche aren’t expected to retain unrestricted goaltender Semyon Varlamov this offseason as the team intends to annoit Philipp Grubauer as the team’s No. 1 starter next season. However, the Denver Post’s Mike Chambers writes the team might choose to sign a veteran backup, even though they have AHL all-star, Pavel Francouz, signed to a one-year, $950K guaranteed deal. Due to his lack of NHL experience (two games), Chambers writes it wouldn’t be surprising if the team goes after veteran Curtis McElhinney or former No. 2 Calvin Pickard for next year.
  • Sticking with the Avalanche, A.J. Haefele of BSN Denver reports that the Avalanche will not be buying out anyone this week. That’s not a big surprise, considering the team has few long-term deals with few veteran players making too much money. The team also has $37MM in cap room to work with even though they have to sign several key restricted free agents, including forward Mikko Rantanen, J.T. Compher and Alexander Kerfoot.

UFA Notes: Duchene, Smith, Simmonds, Vanek

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Speaking about the impending unrestricted free agent class on Sportsnet’s “31 Thoughts Podcast“, Elliott Friedman updated the statuses of several prominent UFA’s-to-be. Of course, few names will draw as much attention (and money) as Matt Duchene. Following a 70-point season and point-per-game postseason, there is little doubt the Duchene is the best available center and will soon cash in on a contract worth upwards of $60-70MM. What remains is simply who has the means and the interest to make that offer to Duchene. Although they would have to move out salary, Friedman echoes the sentiment that the Nashville Predators should not be counted out of the Duchene sweepstakes until a deal is done. The mutual interest between the two sides is well-documented, but the hurdles of clearing the necessary space remain. As such, Friedman also mentions that the Montreal Candiens are expected to be one of the front-runners for Duchene. The Habs have approximately $11.7MM in projected cap space with almost their entire 2018-19 roster locked up and are simply looking to add pieces to help them get into the playoffs after narrowly missing out this season. Duchene is the top center they need and fortunately can afford and Friedman hears that there is interest.

  • Friedman believes that the goalie market will be more active than many realize. With the growing trend of having a 1A-1B tandem or at least a well-rested starter, the value of backup goalies is going up and Friedman feels a veteran player like Mike Smith could be a beneficiary. Smith, 37, endured one of the worst seasons of his career in 2018-19, but played much better in the postseason despite the Calgary Flames’ early exit. There is still a chance that Smith could stay in Calgary and continue his tandem with David Rittich. However, the Flames are reportedly considering an upgrade. Yet, Smith could be of value to many other teams looking for an established veteran to be their backup. Smith is no longer a 50-game or maybe even 40-game goaltender, but Friedman feels he still has the pedigree to land a significant deal. Of course, if the goalie market is active, that means others like Semyon Varlamov, Brian Elliott, Cam Talbot, or Curtis McElhinney will be in the running for those priority backup jobs as well.
  • Another player whose market may be greater than once expected is power forward Wayne Simmonds. Simmonds had a dreadful year, recording just 30 points on the season, his lowest total since his rookie campaign. Just three of those points came after he was traded to the Nashville Predators and then Simmonds missed a chance at redemption as injury kept him out of all but two of the Predators’ postseason games. With his stock at its lowest, many were reasonably expecting Simmonds to draw considerably less interest this off-season than he may have just one year ago. However, Friedman warns that the performance of a player like the St. Louis Blues’ Pat Maroon may change that. Maroon has shown that hard-nosed, physical forwards still have a place in the game, particularly in the playoffs. Friedman feels Maroon – who is also a UFA – has reinvigorated the market for similar players, such as Simmonds or an experienced two-way forward like Derick Brassard, who himself had a down year. Simmonds is still unlikely to get the kind of contract he would have just a year or two ago, but he won’t be unemployed for very long despite his poor season.
  • Friedman wonders what the market will be like for veteran forward Thomas Vanek. After back-to-back seasons of being a valuable trade deadline commodity, Vanek finally stayed put this year with the Detroit Red Wings after requesting not to be dealt. Yet, Vanek finds himself on the move again as a free agent. The 35-year-old saw a major drop-off in production this year and is unlikely to be a fit back in Detroit. In fact, Friedman doesn’t see an obvious fit anywhere for Vanek, who has played for eight different teams in his long and successful NHL career. A veteran “hired gun” who also isn’t keen on moving is a tough player to fit and Friedman says there’s a chance that Vanek is done.

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