Daniel Brickley

L.A. Kings To Loan Jacob Moverare To Sweden

May 20, 2019 at 6:12 pm CDT | by Zach Leach Leave a Comment

Los Angeles Kings defensive prospect Jacob Moverare is on the move, again. A fourth-round pick in 2016, the Swedish prospect signed his entry-level contract almost immediately after being selected. After the deal slid for two seasons while Moverare was paying for the OHL’s Mississauga Steelheads, the Kings felt Moverare still was not prepared for North American hockey last season. Rather than send him to AHL Ontario, the team instead loaned the young defender to the Swedish Hockey League’s Frolunda HC in the first year of his contract. Apparently, they still feel the same way. Swedish newspaper Goteborgs Posten reports that Frolunda has already received word that Moverare will re-join the team next season.

While it is not out of the ordinary to see a loan of this kind for a young foreign player, it is rare to see it done twice. Moverare will have burned two years off of his entry-level contract before ever playing in a professional game in North America, seemingly just because of L.A.’s depth in minor league defensemen. While a top-four NHL defender is one of the Kings’ most glaring needs this off-season, they do have considerable depth in fringe NHL talent. Sean Walker, Paul LaDue, and Kurtis MacDermid are all signed through next season while Matt Roy and Daniel Brickley are restricted free agents. All five of those young defensemen suited up for the Kings this season, but barring major roster changes, only two or three will win spots in L.A. to begin next season. Then there is an influx of talent from the college and junior ranks, as Mikey Anderson, Markus Phillips, and Sean Durzi will also be in play in Ontario. There simply isn’t room for Moverare to play meaningful minutes in the AHL next season, but when will there be?

Another loaned season should not be seen as an indictment of Moverare’s play. A highly productive player at the junior level, Moverare showed in the SHL last season that his pro game is likely to skew more toward the defensive strengths in his game rather than offensive. However, he could still be a very solid stay-at-home option. Moverare is a right-shot defenseman who plays a strong, competitive game and is known for his hockey IQ. At 6’3″ and 200 lbs., Moverare can hold his own defensively, but also skates well and compensates for some lacking skill with great vision and positioning. Just a victim of the numbers game for L.A., the Gotenborgs report indicates that the Kings simply feel that Moverare’s development would be better served remaining in Sweden, but another year abroad doesn’t mean that he won’t play for the Kings one day.

Pacific Notes: Edler, Burns, Grabner, Veronneau, Hathaway

March 3, 2019 at 12:57 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg Leave a Comment

A week ago, longtime Vancouver Canucks defenseman Alexander Edler refused to waive his no-trade clause and accommodate a team that was considering moving their veteran defenseman. Edler, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, has made it clear that he wants to remain in Vancouver for the rest of his career. The 32-year-old will be tested as the team will likely expect Edler to take less money after signing a six-year, $30MM contract ($5MM AAV) in 2013, according to Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre.

“I’ve been fortunate to have very good contracts with money,” he said. “But there are other things, too. It’s different when you have a family. There are a lot of factors you have to take into consideration. Those things are important.”

With plenty of cap room and the need for a solid veteran defensemen who could continue aiding the play of young future defenseman like Quinn Hughes and Olli Juolevi, the Canucks might want to bring him back too, but with an upcoming expansion draft, the team doesn’t want to be placed in a situation where they will have to protect Edler and lose a more talented young player, which likely could be the key to negotiations.

Despite rumors that he might miss a game, the Mercury News’ Paul Gackle reports that San Jose Sharks defenseman Brent Burns will play Sunday against Chicago. Burns was rumored to be questionable as he had been suffering from the flu and missed a practice. That means that he won’t jeopardize his iron man status of 454 straight games played.
The Athletic’s Craig Morgan (subscription required) writes that the Arizona Coyotes may get another player back soon as winger Michael Grabner could be back within the week. Grabner hasn’t played in a game since suffering a serious eye injury on Dec. 1. He has been fitted with a new contact lens, which is helping him eliminate his remaining vision issues, although the scribe adds that his return date could still be altered.
Mark Divver of the Providence Journal writes that the Los Angeles Kings are considered the frontrunners to sign Princeton University forward Max Veronneau, who will be an unrestricted free agent once his college team is done playing next weekend. Veronneau, a four-year player, has 13 goals and 36 points this season and has tallied 52 goals in his four-year career. Los Angeles has a history of dipping into the college free agent market, grabbing defenseman Daniel Brickley and forward Sheldon Rempal last year, while signing goaltender Calvin Petersen two seasons ago.
The Athletic’s Michael Russ reports that Calgary Flames forward Garnet Hathaway will not receive any supplementary discipline from the Department of Player Safety for driving Minnesota Wild’s Luke Kunin into the boards Saturday in the second period. Hathaway was given a match penalty and a game misconduct, but the league obviously didn’t feel the hit was intentional.

Deadline Primer: Los Angeles Kings

February 9, 2019 at 8:56 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg 10 Comments

With the trade deadline fast approaching, we will be taking a closer look at the situation for each team over the coming weeks. Where do they stand, what do they need to do, and what assets do they have to fill those needs? Next up is a look at the Los Angeles Kings.

It’s been a rough season for the Kings who had high hopes before the season started. The team had a very successful season a year ago as they had a 45-29-8 season and even though they were the fourth seed, many teams expected them to dominate in the playoffs. Unfortunately, while they played the Vegas Golden Knights well, the team was swept out of the playoffs as Vegas’ speed overwhelmed the slower-moving Kings. The team tried to re-stock in the offseason when the signed Ilya Kovalchuk to a three-year, $18.75MM deal to add even more offense.

Then everything fell apart when the season commenced as the team struggled out of the gate and by early November, the team fired head coach John Stevens and replaced him with interim coach Willie Desjardins. The team found itself at the bottom of the standings throughout the league and have already began to fix their team as the team has already moved out forward Tanner Pearson to Pittsburgh and more recently when it sent defenseman Jake Muzzin to Toronto for a first-rounder and a pair of prospects. With the deadline just weeks away and the Kings looking to rebuild their aging franchise, the team may be making a number of moves to upgrade their team.

Record

23-27-5, seventh in the Pacific Division

Deadline Status

Seller

Deadline Cap Space

$7.608MM in a full-season cap hit, 0/3 used salary cap retention slots, 46/50 contracts per CapFriendly

Upcoming Draft Picks

2019: LAK 1st, TOR 1st, LAK 2nd, LAK 3rd, LAK 4th, LAK 5th, ARZ 5th, LAK 6th, LAK 7th
2020: LAK 1st, LAK 2nd, LAK 3rd, LAK 4th, LAK 5th, LAK 6th, LAK 7th

Trade Chips

The team has several trade options if they want to totally rebuild the franchise. The Kings already moved Muzzin, but with a group of young defensemen, including Sean Walker, Daniel Brickley and Kale Clague waiting for their chance, Los Angeles could move Alec Martinez for a similar return that they got for Muzzin. Martinez has been a solid top-four defenseman with the Kings for years and will be highly sought after, especially in a market where there are so many buyers.

It might be hard to believe, but the Kings may also be ready to move on from their superstar goaltender Jonathan Quick. However, the 33-year-old has struggled with both injuries and hasn’t had his usually impressive season as he has a 2.99 GAA and a disappointing .902 save percentage in 28 games. While starting goaltenders are rarely moved at the deadline as most playoff teams already have a starting goaltender, this is an unusual year as a team like the Columbus Blue Jackets could conceivably move the unhappy Sergei Bobrovsky and could conceivably be looking to add a replacement goaltender. The Kings have Jack Campbell and rookie Calvin Petersen, who could take over and start the rebuilding process in net if L.A. decides to go that route.

Ilya Kovalchuk has also come up as a potential trade chip for the Kings. The 35-year-old winger has struggled with injuries and production slumps, but the veteran winger has 11 goals this year and could score even more on productive playoff team. Whether a team is willing to take on his $6.25MM salary for another two years after this is a whole different question, considering he’ll be 37 years old in the final year of his contract. When the team acquired Carl Hagelin in the Pearson deal, the main purpose of the trade was to free themselves of Pearson’s two extra years on his contract. Hagelin, however, will be an unrestricted free agent and could easily be flipped at the deadline for a pick or prospect. Unfortunately, Hagelin only has two goals and eight points this season in 33 games, but still could provide a franchise with a quality middle-six rental for a low cost.

Five Players To Watch For: F Carl Hagelin, F Ilya Kovalchuk, D Alec Martinez, G Jonathan Quick, F Nate Thompson

Team Needs

1) Youth: With numerous aging veterans already locked up for the next three to five years with no way to escape from those deals, what Los Angeles needs more than anything are young talent that they can build on. The team already picked up a pair of interesting prospects from Toronto in Carl Grundstrom and Sean Durzi, but the more young talent and picks they can acquire to expedite the team’s rebuild the better.

2) Forwards: The team needs more offense. While they have a number of interesting defensive prospects, there are only a handful of scorers that the team has ready to step into their lineup with the possible exception of Gabriel Vilardi, who has been injured all season. There are other prospects, but the Kings need to start focusing on bringing in as much offensive talent to fix the team’s lack of speed and offensive woes.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Minor Transactions: 12/28/18

December 28, 2018 at 10:49 am CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

We’re back to regular roster rules in the NHL, and with that teams will be making several moves to address their needs. A pair of teams, Boston and Dallas, used the holiday freeze to go over the 23 man roster limit and will need to come back down, while others were just waiting to send some underperforming forwards down to the minor leagues. As always, we’ll keep track of all the movement around the league right here.

Rourke Chartier is on his way back up to the San Jose Sharks, recalled by the team after their win over Anaheim last night. Chartier has played 13 games for the Sharks this season, but is looking to make a bit more of an offensive impact if he gets back into the lineup. The 22-year old has just a single point—his first NHL goal—in those 13 contests.
Though the Los Angeles Kings have normally been moving trios of players up and down to save cap space, that may not be the plan with Daniel Brickley who today was assigned to the AHL by himself. Dion Phaneuf resumed skating yesterday, meaning Brickley’s opportunity at the NHL level could be over for the time being.
John Stevens has been on season-opening injured reserve for the first part of the year, but today was assigned to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. That likely means that Stevens is ready to resume his playing career, one that will likely keep him in the New York Islanders minor league system for the rest of the season.
The St. Louis Blues have assigned Zach Sanford to the AHL, giving them room on the roster to activate Robby Fabbri from injured reserve. Sanford has already set a career high with nine points in 23 games this season, but will have to continue to hone his skills at the minor league level for now. The 6’4″ forward hasn’t quite established himself as a full-time NHL player, but there is certainly still potential to grow into a reliable middle-six winger.
Chad Ruhwedel has been sent to the AHL on a conditioning stint, but he’ll remain on the Pittsburgh Penguins 23-man roster. The 28-year old defenseman has played in just 11 games this season, and with Jamie Oleksiak returning to practice in full there wasn’t room to get him into the lineup.
Lias Andersson hasn’t adapted to life in the NHL quite as well as some had hoped, and today the New York Rangers sent the top prospect back to the AHL. The 20-year old center has just four points in 21 games this season, but is such a huge part of the Rangers future they must put him in the best situation to succeed. Andersson did have 12 points in 14 games with the Hartford Wolf Pack earlier this year, a pace he’ll hopefully return to now that he’s back in the minor leagues.
With John Gibson dealing with an injury, the Anaheim Ducks have recalled goaltender Kevin Boyle from the minor leagues to fill in for now. The team is already without Ryan Miller, meaning Chad Johnson will have to hold the crease for the time being.
Alan Quine has been sent back to the minor leagues by the Calgary Flames, ending a three week run with the team. Quine has played nine games for the Flames this season, recording four points. He cleared waivers before the season began, and would have had to again if he played another game with the team.

Minor Transactions: 12/24/18

December 24, 2018 at 8:43 am CDT | by Gavin Lee 2 Comments

Though teams cannot technically complete any minor transaction today given the full roster freeze for Christmas, some moves from last night are still coming through the wire. Teams have cleared off any players that they can in order to bank extra cap space, given that they won’t be playing again until Thursday at the earliest. We’ll keep track of all those minor moves right here:

John Quenneville has been sent down to the minors by the New Jersey Devils, and it will be interesting to see if he returns to them after the freeze is lifted. Seeing limited minutes with the Devils, the 22-year old still hasn’t been able to carve out a specific role for himself. It’s now been nearly two years since his last NHL point, a frustrating notion for both Quenneville and the Devils who invested a first-round pick in him several years ago.
The Los Angeles Kings have sent Michael Amadio, Daniel Brickley and Sean Walker to the minor leagues to bank cap space, something they’ve been doing all season long. The Kings are using long-term injured reserve space to stay cap compliant, but with Carl Hagelin expected back at some point in the new year the team is going to have to clear some salary eventually.
Clark Bishop and Janne Kuokkanen have been sent down for a similar reason, though in the Carolina Hurricanes case it’s more to save actual money than cap space. Both players earn a significantly lower salary while in the minor leagues on their two-way deals, something the fiscally conscious Hurricanes have to be aware of.
Brandon Pirri was returned by the Vegas Golden Knights, something that certainly isn’t because of his play. The offensive-minded Pirri has three goals and four points in his first three Golden Knights games, and saw 16 minutes of ice time on Sunday night against the Kings. He’ll likely be recalled at some point to inject some more offense, though it’s important to note that Vegas still did lose two of those three games.
Michael Bunting and Adin Hill are going down to the Tucson Roadrunners, another salary saving move by the Arizona Coyotes. Hill’s season is very interesting, given his solid performance and the goaltending situation in Arizona. The team still has Darcy Kuemper and Calvin Pickard, but still seems to want to keep Hill in the mix at the NHL level. The 22-year old goaltender will likely be back up before long.
The Toronto Marlies have a game on Boxing Day, and could very well have one of their best forwards back in the lineup. The Maple Leafs have sent Trevor Moore back down for the time being, though with Zach Hyman and Tyler Ennis out he’ll likely be back up before long.

Minor Transactions: 12/12/18

December 12, 2018 at 7:30 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

There has already been quite a few moves this morning from teams welcoming back or saying goodbye to key players, but with the NHL heading towards the middle of the season there will be many more. As always we’re here to keep track of all the minor moves:

The Chicago Blackhawks have recalled Dylan Sikura and Carl Dahlstrom from the minor leagues while assigning Alexandre Fortin to the Rockford IceHogs. The team also placed Artem Anisimov on injured reserve while he deals with a concussion. Sikura, a standout at Northeastern University over the last several seasons, is off to a great start in his rookie season in the AHL, scoring 18 points in 26 games.
Rourke Chartier is on his way back up to the San Jose Sharks, recalled today from the AHL. The 22-year old forward has played 13 games for the Sharks this season, recording his first NHL goal but failing to register another point. The fifth-round pick has found some early success in the minor leagues, but will have to continue to prove himself if he wants a full-time role in the NHL.
Jordan Kyrou has been assigned to the AHL’s San Antonio Rampage, leaving the St. Louis Blues after a short call-up. Kyrou, a top prospect in the Blues’ system, has yet to prove that he belongs at the highest level despite some prime opportunities. The young forward will continue his development in the AHL for the time being, while St. Louis gets Jaden Schwartz back into the lineup.
The Los Angeles Kings have moved Alec Martinez to injured reserve, while recalling Daniel Brickley from the minor leagues. Brickley signed as an undrafted free agent out of Minnesota State University-Mankato last spring, has just 22 professional games under his belt so far, all but one coming at the minor league level. The 6’3″ defenseman needed an opportunity to show what he could do at the NHL level, and Martinez’ injury may just be that chance.
Paul Carey is on his way down to the AHL, as the Ottawa Senators announced that they have reassigned the veteran to Belleville. The free agent addition was only recalled on Sunday and did not see the ice with the Sens. Carey has only five NHL games to his credit this season, all back in October, and no points to show for it either. The two-way forward has been close to a point-per-game player for Belleville in 20 games, but Ottawa seems hesitant to give him much of an opportunity just yet.
The Columbus Blue Jackets will take another look at veteran forward Zac Dalpe, who they have recalled from the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters. Dalpe has been with the club for more than two years and played in twelve games with Columbus last year, but has only one NHL appearance so far this season. Dalpe has been remarkably productive in Cleveland, with 25 points in 24 games, but has struggled to translate his production to the top level throughout his nine year career. The Blue Jackets will see if he can be more than just a body on this most recent promotion.
After adding Chad Johnson on waivers, the Anaheim Ducks have sent goalie Jared Coreau back to the AHL, the team announced. In exchange, they have called up rookie defenseman Josh Mahura from the San Diego Gulls. Mahura has already logged six games with the Ducks in his first pro season and could see more opportunity on this latest recall.

Kings Loan Jacob Moverare To SHL’s Frolunda HC

September 24, 2018 at 9:30 am CDT | by Zach Leach Leave a Comment

Los Angeles Kings defensive prospect Jacob Moverare is on the move. After being cut from Kings camp and assigned to Ontario of the AHL on Saturday, the Swedish Hockey League’s Frolunda HC announced today that the 20-year-old blue liner will join their team for the remainder of the season. Moverare has played the past two seasons in North America with the OHL’s Mississauga Steelheads, but will now return to his native Sweden for the foreseeable future.

While it is not out of the ordinary to see a loan of this kind for a young foreign player, the circumstances are somewhat unique. Moverare is not a stranger to the SHL, skating in four games at the top level as a teenager in 2015-16; however, he was brought up in the developmental system of HV71. By now joining Frolunda, it seems likely that Moverare and his agent were given permission to negotiate a new contract in SHL, rather than simply re-joining his old squad. In Frolunda’s press release, Moverare acknowledges that he worked out with the team this summer and felt comfortable skating with the squad this year.

Moverare’s loan should not be considered any indication that he won’t be back in North America in the future. The 2016 fourth-round pick has shown considerable ability and is simply a victim of the numbers game for L.A. Moverare, a right-shot, puck-moving defenseman, plays a strong, competitive game and is known for his vision and positioning on the ice. In Mississauga, Moverare was a productive player who often paired with Vegas Golden Knights prospect Nic Hague to form a formidable duo. However, after missing time last season due to injury, the Kings made the decision that the best thing for his development this year would be guaranteed ice time, which may have been hard to come by with Ontario. Los Angeles has 16 other defensemen under contract, and even with seven or eight slated for L.A., it would have left at least nine in Ontario prior to Moverare’s loan. Rather than compete for ice time with NHL-ready prospects like Daniel Brickley, Kale Clague, and Alex Lintuniemi or veterans such as Kurtis MacDermid and Paul LaDue, it makes more sense for Moverare to spend the season with Frolunda, where he will likely have a regular top-six role.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Los Angeles Kings

August 18, 2018 at 5:59 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg 2 Comments

Navigating the Salary Cap is probably one of the more important tasks for any general manager to have. 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 2018-19 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.

Los Angeles Kings

Current Cap Hit: $77,345,227 (under the $79.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Alex Iafallo (one year, $925K)
F Sheldon Rempal (one year, $925K)
F Gabriel Vilardi (three years, $925K)
D Daniel Brickley (one year, $925K)
F Adrian Kempe (one year, $894K)

Potential Bonuses

Rempal: $850K
Brickley: $850K
Vilardi: $500K

With a franchise filled with veteran contracts, the team has been forced to slowly integrate some youth onto the team. What the team has recently done successfully is signing several undrafted collegiate free agents, including Iafallo, Brickley and Rempal. Iafallo made the Kings’ team out of training camp after four years at the University of Minnesota-Duluth and even started on the team’s top line, posting nine goals and 25 points. This year, the team has the same hopes for Brickley and Rempal, two of the top college free agents, who each signed earlier this year and have solid chances to make the club out of training camp.

The team also have high hopes that Kempe can continue to develop into a top-six forward after finally breaking into a full-time role with the Kings this year. The 21-year-old 2014 first-round pick posted 16 goals and 37 points last year and could be primed to take that next step next season. Vilardi, the team’s 2017 first-rounder, might have made the L.A. team last year if he hadn’t suffered a back injury at the end of the 2016-17 season. He missed half of last season, but still posted solid numbers in junior on his return, posting 22 goals and 58 points in just 32 games. He could easily win a bottom-six role immediately and work his way up the depth chart as the season rolls on.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

F Nate Thompson ($1.65MM, UFA)
G Peter Budaj ($1.03MM, UFA)
F Jonny Brodzinski ($650K, RFA)
F Zack Mitchell ($650K, RFA)
D Oscar Fantenberg ($650K, UFA)

The team has few contracts that they have to worry about among non-entry level deals. Fantenberg may be the most intriguing of the bunch as the 26-year-old defenseman showed some offensive potential in limited action after coming over from the KHL last year. While he played in just 27 games last season, he posted 13 points and managed to play a significant role in their four-game playoff series with the Vegas Golden Knights. Other than Mitchell, who came over from Mitchell, all are unrestricted free agents and will have to prove their value to get a new contract in the future.

Two Years Remaining

F Tyler Toffoli ($4.6MM, UFA)
D Jake Muzzin ($4MM, UFA)
D Derek Forbort ($2.53MM, UFA)
F Trevor Lewis ($2MM, UFA)
F Kyle Clifford ($1.6MM, UFA)
D Kurtis MacDermid ($675K, RFA)
G Jack Campbell ($650K, UFA)

Toffoli posted solid numbers for the fourth straight year, putting up 24 goals and 47 points as he enters the second year of a three-year, $13.8MM deal. The 26-year-old flashed some offensive potential two years ago when he scored 31 goals. Hoping that he might build on that number, Toffoli has scored just 40 goals in the past two years, so the team hopes he can return to an elite level soon. Muzzin is a solid top-four defenseman on a team that is loaded in defense and proved his value by putting up a career-high in points with 42, despite missing eight games last seasons.

Three Years Remaining

F Ilya Kovalchuk ($6.25MM, UFA)
D Dion Phaneuf ($5.25MM, UFA)
D Alec Martinez ($4MM, UFA)
F Tanner Pearson ($3.75MM, UFA)

The majority of the team’s significant contracts are three years and above and the team added a critical addition in the offseason when they won the Kovalchuk sweepstakes as he chose Los Angeles over a number of other teams to sign a contract with. Many believe that Kovalchuk only signed with L.A. because they were the only ones to offer three years to the 35-year-old winger, but Kovalchuk adds a new element to the team’s top line as he made it clear that he wanted the opportunity to play next to a top-line center. Kovalchuk, might not produce the type of numbers he did five years ago when he was with New Jersey, but Kovalchuk is still expected to post at least a couple of 20-goal seasons for the Kings. He did score 63 goals in his last two seasons in the KHL, so his abilities remain high.

While the Kings took on the contract of Phaneuf in order to unload Marian Gaborik, the team may have got an overpaid player in Phaneuf, but they have a player who can play in the top-four still and immediately provided the team with some quality defensive play upon joining the team. He may no longer have the elite skills of a top-pairing defenseman, but he’s still good enough to provide important depth. Martinez has also been one of the team’s top defenders even if his offensive output went down this year. After two season with at least 30 points, he dropped to just 25 points last year. However, his defensive presence and more importantly his shot-blocking skills have been key for the Kings. He blocked a career-high 206 shots last season.

The Kings handed Pearson a four-year, $15.MM deal after last season when he had a breakout season, scoring 24 goals in the 2016-17 season. Before that he had just 27 goals over his first two years. However, he regressed last year, finishing the season with just 15 goals. The team will need more out of the 26-year-old if they want to keep their success going.

Four Or More Years Remaining

F Anze Kopitar ($10MM through 2023-24)
D Drew Doughty ($7MM next season; $11MM through 2026-27)
F Dustin Brown ($5.88MM through 2021-22)
G Jonathan Quick ($5.8MM through 2022-23)
F Jeff Carter ($5.27MM through 2021-22)

Kopitar, who inked an eight-year, maximum extension back in 2016, continues to prove his value to his contract as he posted up career numbers last year. The 30-year-old who once posted 81 points for the Kings back in the 2009-10 season, finally broke that career-high this year with a 92-point season, including a career-high 35 goals. While few people believe that Kopitar can repeat that type of success a second straight year, Kopitar should be good for 70-80 points and is likely going to be playing with Kovalchuk at his side, which can’t hurt his numbers.

Doughty just signed an extension of his own this summer. While he’ll make a solid $7MM next season, that number bumps up to a team-high $11MM for the next eight years after that. The extension came at the right time as the 28-year-old posted a career-high of 60 points last year, but an eight-year deal now will run until he’s 36 years old, which could hurt the team’s long-term outlook.

The 33-year-old Brown finally had a big season for the club. He scored 28 goals. However, Brown hasn’t tallied that many goals since the 2010-11 season. In fact, his goal numbers have decreased since then as he went from 28 to 22 to 18 to 15 to 11 to 11 and then to 14 in the 2016-17. To assume that Brown, who is in the middle of an eight-year, $47MM deal, can repeat those goal numbers after five years of mediocrity is unlikely. Carter, however, may be the opposite. The 33-year-old suffered a severe cut to his left leg that forced him to miss all, but 27 games of the season last year. He still managed to score 13 goals upon his return, but Carter should return to his standard numbers this season as he’s tallied at least 24 goals over the previous five seasons.

Quick bounced back after an injury-plagued 2016-17 season. As goaltender salaries continue to rise in the NHL, Quick is proving to be one of the best deals in the NHL at $5.8MM, which is right in the middle of NHL goalie salaries. Quick posted a 2.40 GAA and more importantly a .920 save percentage in 64 games. The team is so confident in his health that they traded solid backup Darcy Kuemper to Arizona and are using Campbell as their backup. The team even has a top goalie prospect in the wings in Cal Petersen, but it’s unlikely that Quick will give him an opportunity to do more then eventually be a backup.

Buyouts

D Matt Greene ($833K in 2018-19)

Retained Salary Transactions

None

Salary Cap Recapture

F Mike Richards ($1.32MM through 2019-20)

Still To Sign

None

Best Value: Quick
Worst Value: Brown

(Excluding entry-level contracts)

Looking Ahead

The Kings are obviously hoping that the addition of Kovalchuk will push the Kings from a playoff team into a Stanley Cup contender, but they are also battling with time as much of the team is over 30 years old now. Even Kopitar has hit 30, suggesting that time is not on their side for very long. Add in that many of those mid-30 players are on long-term deals and the team will have some trouble adding too much more help, which will force them to look at youth. With a little luck a player like Vilardi or one of those college free agents can help, but so far they have had little help.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Rosters Announced For Rookie Showcase, All-American Prospect Game

August 17, 2018 at 3:47 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

The NHLPA hosts a Rookie Showcase every season for the players recognized as the most likely to make an impact at the NHL level in the near future. Some of these names have already played a few games in the league, but many are still waiting for their first opportunity to suit up as professionals. This group is not a ranking of the top prospects in the league and is missing several names that would be included in such a list. Still, it gives a glimpse at the next generation of NHL stars.

The game will be held on August 26th at Mastercard Center in Toronto, and is used mostly as a marketing tool for some of the league’s young stars. The full roster is as follows:

G Carter Hart (PHI)
G Ilya Samsonov (WSH)

D Evan Bouchard (EDM)
D Daniel Brickley (LAK)
D Travis Dermott (TOR)
D Miro Heiskanen (DAL)
D Timothy Liljegren (TOR)
D Juuso Valimaki (CGY)

F Vitaly Abramov (CBJ)
F Rasmus Asplund (BUF)
F Rudolf Balcers (SJS)
F Drake Batherson (OTT)
F Kieffer Bellows (NYI)
F Henrik Borgstrom (FLA)
F Ryan Donato (BOS)
F Dillon Dube (CGY)
F Adam Gaudette (VAN)
F Jordan Greenway (MIN)
F Jordan Kyrou (STL)
F Casey Mittelstadt (BUF)
F Michael Rasmussen (DET)
F Dylan Sikura (CHI)
F Nick Suzuki (VGK)
F Robert Thomas (STL)
F Gabriel Vilardi (LAK)
F Filip Zadina (DET)

In a different event, the seventh USA Hockey All-American Prospects Game will be held on September 19th at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota. 42 US-born players that are eligible for the 2019 NHL Entry Draft will face off, with star center Jack Hughes leading the way. The group this year includes an incredible amount of talent though, and likely will include several future first-round picks. The full roster is below:

Pacific Notes: Neal, Montour, Brickley, Reaves

July 21, 2018 at 5:30 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg 2 Comments

The Calgary Flames have been extremely active this offseason after last year’s second-half collapse. The team went out and traded defenseman Dougie Hamilton for a pair of younger talents in Noah Hanifin and Elias Lindholm. They also added center depth with the addition of Derek Ryan. However, the key addition was the signing of veteran goal scorer James Neal.

The Athletic’s Kent Wilson (subscription required) looks into the five-year contract that Neal received, which was worth $28.75MM. At 31 years old, the Flames are taking a big risk that the deal will eventually drag the team’s salary cap situation down when he no longer is productive. However, with the Vegas Golden Knights as well as other teams moving up the Pacific Division race, Calgary feels that a goal scorer who has tallied at least 20 goals for the past 10 seasons is worth the risk as well as the fact that Neal has a history of making the players around him better.

Eric Stephens of The Athletic reports that Anaheim Ducks general manager Bob Murray told season ticket holders today that he is flying to Toronto for defenseman Brandon Montour’s arbitration hearing, which is scheduled for Tuesday. However, Murray said he is interested in locking up his 24-year-old blueliner to a bridge deal before that, if possible. The two sides gave up on a long-term extension and are hoping to come to an agreement before the hearing. Montour is an interesting case as he has only played for one and a half seasons for Anaheim, but already has arbitration rights, which makes this a more challenging deal to get completed.
The Los Angeles Kings will be in desperate need for blueline depth this season and they have high hopes in Minnesota State University-Mankato star Daniel Brickley. The Athletic’s Josh Cooper (subscription required) writes that the 23-year-old defenseman has taken an unusual route to get to the NHL, but might be heavily needed this coming year with no veterans signed for depth purposes. He signed with the Kings in March and with his size (6-foot-3, 203 pounds) and abilities (95 mph shot), he has a good chance to make the team, which is quite possible as the team is known for taking talent and inserting it into their lineup immediately. Last season, the Kings placed forward Alex Iafallo on the first line for a large chunk of the season.
Ken Boehlke of the SinBin writes that enforcer Ryan Reaves, who procured a two-year, $5.55MM deal, played a great game of poker with the Vegas Golden Knights this offseason when the team gave him three years of money, but with only a two-year term. While the deal gives Vegas more flexibility with just a two-year term and the fact that they have extra money after not acquiring Erik Karlsson and Bobby Ryan in a big offseason trade, the move doesn’t look so bad, but Reaves made the most out of his situation. He was evidently offered a one or two year deal after the season, but Reaves believed he could garner a three or four year deal. A team offered the 6-foot-1, 225-pounder a three year deal and Vegas general manager George McPhee offered equal value, but refused to go past two years, eventually adding the third year in money, but not in term. Regardless, it was a well-played hand by Reaves.

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