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Elias Lindholm

Remaining 2018 Arbitration Dates

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As usual, arbitration hearings scheduled for later this month have been getting cancelled every day as teams lock up their restricted free agents. Hearings are scheduled each year between July 20th and August 4th, but we’ve already seen 18 players that filed for player-elected salary arbitration reach a settlement with their respective teams. Those players are listed below, with their contract details:

Elias Lindholm (CGY) – 6 years, $4.85MM AAV
Trevor van Riemsdyk (CAR) – 2 years, $2.3MM AAV
Matthew Nieto (COL) – 2 years, $1.98MM AAV
Devin Shore (DAL) – 2 years, $2.3MM AAV
Joel Armia (MTL) – 1 year, $1.85MM AAV
Phillip Danault (MTL) – 3 years, $3.08MM AAV
Blake Coleman (NJD) – 3 years, $1.8MM AAV
Stefan Noesen (NJD) – 1 year, $1.73MM AAV
Jimmy Vesey (NYR) – 2 years, $2.28MM AAV
Taylor Leier (PHI) – 1 year, $720K AAV
Alex Lyon (PHI) – 2 years, $750K AAV
Jamie Oleksiak (PIT) – 3 years, $2.14MM AAV
Dmitrij Jaskin (STL) – 1 year, $1.1MM AAV
Oskar Sundqvist (STL) – 1 year, $700K AAV
Colin Miller (VGK) – 4 years, $3.88MM AAV
Liam O’Brien (WSH) – 1 year, $650K AAV
Connor Hellebuyck (WPG) – 6 years, $6.17MM AAV
Tomas Nosek (VGK) – 1 year, $962.5K AAV

The remaining arbitration schedule looks like this:

July 20

Chris Tierney (SJS)
Jacob Trouba (WPG)

July 22

Adam Lowry (WPG)

July 23

Brett Kulak (CGY)
Mathew Dumba (MIN)

July 24

Brandon Montour (ANA)

July 25

Joel Edmundson (STL)
Brandon Tanev (WPG)

July 27

Mark Jankowski (CGY)

July 28

David Rittich (CGY)
Jason Zucker (MIN)

July 29

Troy Stecher (VAN)

July 30

Garnet Hathaway (CGY)
MacKenzie Weegar (FLA)
Marko Dano (WPG)

July 31

Brady Skjei (NYR)

August 1

Cody Ceci (OTT)
Gemel Smith (DAL)

August 2

Miikka Salomaki (NSH)
Kevin Hayes (NYR)

August 3

Mattias Janmark (DAL)
Mark Stone (OTT)
Brock Nelson (NYI)

August 4

Ryan Spooner (NYR)
Patrik Nemeth (DAL)
William Karlsson (VGK)

Elias Lindholm Signs Six-Year Contract With Calgary Flames

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The Calgary Flames wanted to get Elias Lindholm under a long-term contract as soon as they acquired him from the Carolina Hurricanes, and today they’ve accomplished their goal. The team has signed Lindholm to a six-year deal worth $29.1MM ($4.85MM AAV). The deal will not include any trade or movement protection. Lindholm was scheduled for an arbitration hearing on August 1st, but will obviously no longer need to negotiate for a settlement.

Immediately after the Flames acquired Lindholm, speculation exploded about a potential fit for him next to star forwards Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan. Micheal Ferland, who was part of the package sent to Carolina in exchange for Lindholm and defenseman Noah Hanifin, had found success playing on the team’s first line but doesn’t possess the same level of skill as the former Hurricanes forward. This long-term deal only strengthens the idea that Lindholm will be inserted as a key part of the offensive group, and relied upon as a big contributor for the next several seasons. He immediately becomes the team’s fifth highest-paid forward, only behind Gaudreau, Monahan, Mikael Backlund and the recently signed James Neal.

Only 23, the Flames are expecting big things from Lindholm. Selected fifth overall in 2013, he jumped almost immediately to the NHL and has already played 374 games in his young career. With four consecutive seasons of at least 39 points, it’s not hard to expect him to fit in nicely alongside the forwards already in Calgary and develop into the kind of dominant two-way player many believe he can be. Lindholm has plenty of experience at center and could also be used in that role at times given his handedness—Monahan and Backlund are both left-handed centers, while Lindholm and newly signed Derek Ryan give the team a pair of right-handed options in the circle.

Though he does seem to be a perfect fit for the Calgary offense, it’s not like they’re signing a risk-free deal. After playing five seasons already, Lindholm was on track to hit free agency as a 25-year old, meaning that four of the years covered by the new deal are based on what he could earn as a unrestricted free agent. Unfortunately that has pushed the average annual value up to a point where should Lindholm struggle to improve on his career numbers he actually could be fairly overpaid. 40-point centers are extremely valuable in the NHL, but wingers with the same level of production are much less so. If Lindholm is moved out of the middle and can’t improve, the Flames may find themselves with a relatively overpriced asset.

That’s obviously a risk they’re willing to take though, and one that seems prudent given their competitive window. The Flames want to compete for the Stanley Cup right now and for the next several years, using the prime years of Gaudreau and Monahan to their full effectiveness. Both players are signed to team-friendly contracts at the moment, but will be looking for huge raises in a few seasons. The team also has an aging group on defense with Mark Giordano (34) the only one under contract for more than two seasons. Hanifin represents a big part the future on the Calgary blue line, but there’s no guarantee the other young prospects can handle the same load as players like Giordano Travis Hamonic and Troy Bodie do right now. The Flames are going for it, and need to bounce back from an extremely disappointing 2017-18.

For Lindholm, this is an excellent contract and one that will allow him to still hit the open market before his 30th birthday if he so chooses. He’ll be reunited with head coach Bill Peters who has also moved from Carolina to Calgary, and could get a chance with some of the most talented players he’s ever played with. It’s been an exciting summer for him already, but now he’ll have to prove he’s worth nearly $5MM per season going forward.

Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet broke the news on Twitter, including both length and AAV.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Calgary Flames Sign Morgan Klimchuk To One-Year Deal

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The Calgary Flames announced they have signed restricted free agent Morgan Klimchuk to a one-year, two-way deal with a $700K AAV.

Klimchuk, the team’s 2013 first-round pick, has played in just one NHL game, but been able to post solid numbers while he’s been developing his game with the Stockton Heat the last few years. The 23-year-old has put up two 19-goal seasons in the AHL. With Calgary adding several forwards to their team this offseason, including James Neal, Elias Lindholm, Derek Ryan, Alan Quine and Austin Czarnik, Klimchuk, a Calgary native, is not likely to break camp with the Flames and is likely to return to Stockton for another season.

The signing leaves the Flames with eight more restricted free agent contracts to deal with, including Lindholm, Mark Jankowski, Garnet Hathaway, Noah Hanifin, Brett Kulak, David Rittich, Hunter Shinkaruk and Jon Gillies.

Lucas Wallmark Re-Signs With Carolina

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The Carolina Hurricanes have locked up one of their top forward prospects, announcing a two-year deal for restricted free agent Lucas Wallmark. Wallmark’s contract is two-way next season before transitioning to a one-way deal in 2019-20. He is set to make the minimum $650K this year at the NHL level, with $100K guaranteed, and $700K the year after for a cap hit of $675K across both seasons.

Wallmark, 22, impressed with both Carolina and Charlotte last season. In the AHL, the young center registered 55 points in 45 games, leading the Checkers in both points and assists despite far fewer games played than many of his teammates. In fact, Wallmark had the highest points-per-game mark in the league among players with 10+ games played. He even managed to finish 13th in the AHL in assists with every player ahead of him having skated in at least 15 more games. Wallmark didn’t have the same success producing with the Hurricanes, managing only one point in 11 games, but displayed a strong two-way game and puck-handling skills. He plays a complete game that, if he can translate it to the top level, could make him a dangerous and affordable asset for the Hurricanes.

With Elias Lindholm and Derek Ryan both departing from Carolina this off-season, the time is now for Wallmark to win a full-time job down the middle for the Hurricanes. Victor Rask and Jordan Martinook are also options for the ’Canes, but are likely better suited for bottom-six roles. A strong camp could earn Wallmark that second-line role behind Jordan Staal. The wild card will be highly-touted 2017 first-round pick Martin Necas and how he looks early on. Armed with two full pro seasons, including 19 NHL games and terrific AHL numbers, Wallmark could have an edge but still needs to outperform Necas and overshadow the Czech pivot’s immense potential if the job comes down to the two of them.

Full 2018 Arbitration Hearing Schedule

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Almost four dozen players decided to file for salary arbitration this summer, and while some of them have already been signed to contracts many others now know when their hearing will take place. The NHLPA released the full schedule of hearings, spread out from July 20th to August 4th.  Remember that players can sign up until an arbitrator awards a contract, including in the short window after the hearing. Most of these names will end up under contract before their scheduled meeting.

July 20

Chris Tierney
Jacob Trouba

July 22

Adam Lowry

July 23

Brett Kulak
Mathew Dumba

July 24

Brandon Montour

July 25

Joel Edmundson
Brandon Tanev

July 27

Mark Jankowski

July 28

David Rittich
Jason Zucker

July 29

Troy Stecher

July 30

Tomas Nosek
Garnet Hathaway
MacKenzie Weegar
Marko Dano

July 31

Brady Skjei

August 1

Cody Ceci
Gemel Smith

August 2

Miikka Salomaki
Kevin Hayes

August 3

Mattias Janmark
Mark Stone
Brock Nelson

August 4

Ryan Spooner
Patrik Nemeth
William Karlsson

Pacific Notes: Ducks, Lindholm, Dauphin

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The Ducks haven’t been overly active so far in free agency and that’s probably not going to change.  In his latest 31 Thoughts podcast (audio link), Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that Anaheim’s focus at this stage of the summer is to lock up a pair of key players to extensions.  Goalie John Gibson and center Adam Henrique are both entering the final years of their respective contracts and the team clearly wants to lock both up long-term.  Gibson will be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights next summer while Henrique will be an unrestricted free agent.

Meanwhile, while the Ducks probably won’t be active in unrestricted free agency the rest of the summer, they still have some work to do with their own players.  Defensemen Brandon Montour and Andy Welinski, as well as wingers Nick Ritchie and Ondrej Kase, are all in need of new contracts.

Elsewhere in the Pacific Division:

  • The Flames are prioritizing signing newly-acquired forward Elias Lindholm to a long-term deal, GM Brad Treliving told Sportsnet 960’s Pat Steinberg (Twitter link). Treliving added that Lindholm’s camp is open to that type of contract as well.  Calgary acquired Lindholm back at the draft after his contract talks with Carolina failed to yield a new deal.  As things stand, he’s a candidate to fill their long-standing vacancy on the right wing of the top line next season.
  • Coyotes center Laurent Dauphin suffered a setback in his rehab from a knee injury that has put his availability for the start of next season in question, reports Craig Morgan of Arizona Sports. Arizona reacquired the 23-year-old back in January as part of the Anthony Duclair trade with Chicago but he spent most of last season in the minors.  However, given that he’s now waiver-eligible, he’d have likely got a long look at a roster spot with the big club in training camp, something that doesn’t appear to be an option now.

Hurricanes Notes: Free Agents, Darling, Skinner, Tavares

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The Carolina Hurricanes have already made some noise this off-season, acquiring Dougie Hamilton, Micheal Ferland, and Adam Fox from the Calgary Flames for Noah Hanifin and Elias Lindholm, but what else the team plans to do this summer remains a mystery. In speaking with Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer, GM Don Waddell indicates that they may simply stick with the status quo for now. Waddell confirmed that the team is not pursuing contracts with pending unrestricted free agents Cam Ward, Derek Ryan, and Lee Stempniak and expect all three to hit the open market on July 1st. Ward, the Hurricane’s long-time goalie, is rumored to be headed to the Chicago Blackhawks, while Ryan is expected to re-join former Carolina coach Bill Peters and his recently-traded teammates in Calgary. Stempniak’s name has not drawn much attention so far this off-season, as the veteran struggled in 2017-18 with nine points in 37 games. Waddell did not discuss recently non-qualified free agent forward Joakim Nordstrom, likely implying that they are moving on from him as well. Waddell also did not offer any updates on negotiations with restricted free agents Trevor van Riemsdyk, Lucas Wallmark, and Valentin Zykov.

  • Waddell did state that the team has no plans to move goalie Scott Darling and are committed to having him on the roster moving forward. The 29-year-old struggled in his first year with Carolina after signing a long-term contract last summer, but the team hopes that his second season as a starter will go smoother. However, Carolina is looking to add a goalie in free agency and have spoken to upwards of six candidates already. The question remains what type of goalie they are looking to bring in. A starter to compete with Darling could look like Robin Lehner, Kari Lehtonen, or Jaroslav Halak, while a steady backup could be Ondrej Pavelec, Chad Johnson, or a reunion with Anton Khudobin.
  • As of now, there is no imminent trade involving forward Jeff Skinner. Skinner’s name has been one of the hottest on the rumor mill and many speculated that the Los Angeles Kings signing Ilya Kovalchuk could be the domino that would lead Skinner to being dealt to a team that missed out on the sharp-shooting veteran. Instead, Waddell says that talks with other teams have been ongoing and they have seen some good offers, but haven’t been “comfortable” with accepting any of them. One has to wonder that if they could pull off a trade as big as the one during draft weekend but aren’t comfortable with “good” offers for Skinner, if they are even looking to trade the talented winger at all.
  • For any ’Canes fans out there still holding out hope that Carolina was a secret seventh team in on the John Tavares sweepstakes, Waddell confirmed that he has had no contact whatsoever with Tavares’ camp. The Hurricanes do have more than enough cap space to add a Tavares though, so perhaps Waddell will be active in free agency after all, but focused on other big names.

Pacific Notes: Flames, Lindholm, Oilers, Hughes

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The Calgary Flames did more than just swap some players earlier today when they traded Dougie Hamilton, Micheal Ferland and prospect Adam Fox in exchange for Elias Lindholm and Noah Hanifin. The team finally made the changes it had said it would after a dismal second half of the season. Despite starting a solid 25-16-4 through Jan. 14, the team instead fell apart, putting up a 13-23-6 second half in which the team looked disinterested and forced the Flames to make changes.

The Calgary Sun’s Eric Francis suggests that this is just the beginning of changes for Calgary and suggests that moving Hamilton was the start of it. The scribe reports that Hamilton’s apathy was an issue in the clubhouse, so just moving on from him is a positive step in fixing the Flames’ issues. The Flames also rid themselves of Fox, currently playing for Harvard University and who was unlikely to sign with Calgary as they are deep in blueline prospects. Postmedia’s Kristen Anderson interviewed Flames GM Brad Treliving, who added that Ferland’s unrestricted free agent status next season was a key reason the team moved him. “Michael is a warrior and has one year left on his contract and will be a UFA. That always comes into consideration,” Treliving said.

  • Sticking with the Flames, Sportsnet’s Pat Steinberg reports that Lindholm is likely to be given a much bigger role than he had in Carolina as he is expected to start the season on the team’s first line playing the wing alongside Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan. The former fifth-overall pick in 2013 has put up solid numbers, but hasn’t had a breakout season yet. He finished last season with 16 goals and 44 points. Lindholm, who is a restricted free agent, along with Hanifin, both need to be signed as they rejected initial offers from Carolina, which prompted the trade.
  • The Edmonton Oilers announced they have extended qualifying offers to restricted free agents Darnell Nurse, Ryan Strome and Anton Slepyshev. Not offering them a qualifying offer would allow them to become unrestricted free agents. Nurse was one of the few bright spots on Edmonton’s defense. He had a career year, averaging 22:15 of ice time and scored six goals and had 26 assists on the year. Strome, who came over from the New York Islanders last offseason, had a quiet year with his new team, putting up 13 goals and 34 points, while Slepyshev continued in his struggles to break out in the NHL as he potted just six goals in 50 games played. All three, however, still are considered promising players. The only restricted free agent who was not mentioned as receiving a qualifying offer was Iiro Pakarinen, who has already signed a deal to return to the KHL next season.
  • Jason Botchford of the Vancouver Sun writes that there is belief around the Canucks that defenseman Quinn Hughes, the team’s first-round pick in the draft, might be ready to contribute to the Canucks immediately. The scribe writes that general manager Jim Benning feels that Hughes is close to ready now. “I just look at that world championship and he was playing against NHL players,” Benning said. “He didn’t look out of place at all. He’s never going to run guys over but he has a good stick. He understands angles.” Hughes, who might be the best skater to come out of this draft, is the perfect compliment to coach Travis Green’s system, according to Botchford.

Carolina Hurricanes Trade Elias Lindholm, Noah Hanifin To Calgary Flames

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The Carolina Hurricanes have made their first big trade, reportedly sending Elias Lindholm and Noah Hanifin to the Calgary Flames in exchange for Dougie Hamilton, Micheal Ferland and Adam Fox. The deal was officially announced on the draft floor.

Luke DeCock of the Raleigh News & Observer tweets that both Hanifin and Lindholm had recently rejected contract offers from the Hurricanes, as both are scheduled to be restricted free agents this summer. Both will be reunited with Bill Peters, who resigned as coach of the Hurricanes earlier this spring to take a job in Calgary. They also will change the look of the Flames significantly, adding some more young talent to a team that already had Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan and Matthew Tkachuk leading the way.

It’s not the first time Hamilton has been involved in a blockbuster deal. The pick that was used to select him by the Boston Bruins was one sent to them by the Toronto Maple Leafs for Phil Kessel, and Hamilton himself was dealt to Calgary just a few years later. He’ll be on his third team already despite just turning 25 last week, and could represent the best individual player in the deal. He’s coming off a 17-goal campaign with the Flames, and will bring another exceptional defender to the Hurricanes.

Ferland and Fox too can’t be overlooked. The former has proven that he can handle playing alongside star talent, sliding in beside Monahan and Gaudreau for large stints. That resulted in a 21-goal season in 2017-18, while bringing his normal physical style to the ice. Fox is a top defensive prospect in his own right that is headed back to Harvard for his junior season, but could jump directly to the NHL after his NCAA season. He’ll join some other impressive defense prospects in Carolina, including Haydn Fleury and Jake Bean.

Speculation immediately exploded around Justin Faulk, another right-handed puck-moving defenseman that now appears redundant for the Hurricanes. With Hamilton in the fold, Faulk could be moved in the next few days to bring in even more talent up front or in goal for Carolina. Faulk has just one season left on his current contract, and according to Bob McKenzie of TSN has a no-trade clause that kicks in on July 1st.

Elias Lindholm Generating Interest For Carolina Hurricanes

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Friday: LeBrun reports that the meeting between Lindholm and the Hurricanes front office today did not go well, leaving the two sides still far apart on a contract decision. The 23-year old forward is now a real possibility according to LeBrun.

Thursday: Though most eyes are on Jeff Skinner and Justin Faulk, the player generating the most interest in Carolina is Elias Lindholm according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (subscription required). LeBrun qualifies the trade speculation by saying the Hurricanes’ first priority is to re-sign the restricted free agent, but that his name continues to be brought up in negotiations with other teams. Yesterday LeBrun mentioned talks between the Calgary Flames and Carolina, and today he expands on that notion saying that even Noah Hanifin and Dougie Hamilton were discussed before things went south.

Lindholm, 23, has been an exemplary player for the Hurricanes since being drafted fifth overall in 2013, Spending time at both center and wing, he has at least 39 points in each of his four full seasons and should be in for another raise on the $2.7MM cap hit he carried the last two years. While not an elite offensive player, he continues to be a positive in the faceoff circle and a reliable two-way player capable of anchoring a middle-six group. With teams so desperate for help at center, it’s no surprise that his name continues to be brought up.

While Skinner has just one season remaining on his contract and Faulk two, Lindholm is a restricted free agent this summer and could be signed to a long-term deal. There are hurdles to jump to do that though, as even his youth won’t keep the price tag down on a multi-year contract. Lindholm already has five seasons under his belt in the NHL, and is scheduled to hit unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2020 at the age of 25. That means any long-term deal is buying out several free agent seasons and likely driving the price upwards. It also means that a two-year bridge deal is no longer an option, as that would take him right into the waiting arms of the open market as one of the youngest players to ever reach free agency.

Any acquiring team would have to consider this, and likely discuss the contract with Lindholm’s representatives first. If they can get him signed long-term for a reasonable cap hit, he would bring back a considerable package to the Hurricanes. If not, it might not be worth it for Carolina to send out one of their more reliable young players before his 24th birthday.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

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