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More On Alex Pietrangelo’s Pending Free Agency

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The St. Louis Blues have become the target of much speculation over the last week, after issuing extensions to Sammy Blais, Mackenzie MacEachern and most notably, Marco Scandella. The latter deal ate up another $3.275MM of cap space on the back end for each of the next four years, precious real estate for a team with arguably the top pending UFA. Alex Pietrangelo, the Blues captain, and best defenseman is up for a new contract.

Over the weekend Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic wrote about a $9MM-per-season ask that may have to come down thanks to the stagnant cap and today Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet gave some similar thoughts on the radio:

I don’t think there has been a lot of dialogue on this one this year. I think there has been on again and off again negotiations. I believe that the Blues made it clear they were willing to go around [Oliver] Ekman-Larsson. Ekman-Larsson is $8.25×8, and I believe the Blues are willing to go a little bit higher because he’s their guy, he’s their captain, they won the Cup and everything. But I don’t believe they were willing to go into the [$9MM/year range] or anything more than that and that’s where they were stuck at this particular point in time.

It is important to remember some of the moves that Blues GM Doug Armstrong has made in the past with key players. At the 2017 trade deadline Armstrong traded away pending free agent Kevin Shattenkirk despite the Blues sitting in a playoff spot. They would eventually finish with 99 points and advance to the second round, only to lose to the Nashville Predators in six games (scoring just 11 goals in the series). Even though Shattenkirk was an absolutely integral part of the Blues at that point—his 42 points through the first 61 games trailed only Vladimir Tarasenko for the team lead—it was clear he was not going to sign a long-term deal before testing free agency. Armstrong bit the bullet and traded away a franchise star for futures.

In 2018 is was much the same story for the Blues. As the trade deadline approached, St. Louis was in the midst of a season-long seven-game losing streak, but still just within a few points of a playoff position. They were obviously still a strong club, but it didn’t seem to be their year (that would come soon enough). When the Winnipeg Jets came calling, Armstrong decided to trade off another star player that wouldn’t be re-signing. Paul Stastny, who sat fourth on the team in scoring through the first 63 games, was dealt for another package of futures including a first-round pick.

Make no mistake, Shattenkirk and Stastny are not Pietrangelo. The 30-year old is one of the most well-respected captains in the league, a Norris-level defenseman, and a current Stanley Cup champion. He also has been with St. Louis for his entire career and would go down as one of the best players in franchise history if he never played another game. His two-way skill is a huge part of what makes the Blues so special, which makes it easy to understand why he too wasn’t dealt away at the deadline.

But there will be a limit for the Blues and if Armstrong’s history is any indication, he won’t hesitate in moving on if he feels that’s what right for the organization. The fact that the salary cap situation is still so unclear makes the $79MM+ in commitments the team has already made for next year quite dubious, meaning they would have to move out some significant money to make room. Of course, there is still time to do that, especially if compliance buyouts or some sort of salary relief is put in place.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

North Dakota Could Be Option For Continuation Of NHL Season

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Just about every NHL fan would agree to whatever plan gets hockey back on their TV the soonest, can best make up for the original regular season and postseason schedule, and will produce a fair and valid playoffs and champion. However, it’s doubtful that anyone figured that the best way to resume the season could be to send teams to Grand Forks, North Dakota. Yet, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman writes that the college hockey hotbed has been discussed as a possible ideal location for a neutral site continuation of the NHL season.

Friedman stresses that any plan for re-starting the season is only speculation at this point, but that non-NHL locations for neutral sit games seems like a possible outcome. Whether the regular season resumes as scheduled or if there is some sort of abbreviated schedule or play-in tournament, travel time could be cut back by having teams in just a few locations and neutrality removes any undue benefit to a home team. If games proceed without any fans, another distinct possibility, a location like Grand Forks also makes sense given it houses a world-class facility minus the capacity of an NHL rink. Friedman also notes that the low population density of North Dakota could make it one of safer places to continue play without an increased risk of Coronavirus exposure, while the cold climate could mitigate the ice quality risks of summer play.

Again, nothing is imminent in terms of when and how the NHL will resume play, if they do at all, and that is not expected to change for at least another month or two. Once the league comes up with a suitable plan, the players will have to agree to the terms as well. So, for now the NHL and NHLPA are exploring their options, both in format and locale, for the day we all hope arrives when hockey can return.

 

 

Jack Ahcan To Sign With Boston Bruins

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Under both Claude Julien and now Bruce Cassidy, the Boston Bruins have largely stressed the importance of a lefty-righty balance on the blue line. However, when it comes to loading up the pipeline, that principle doesn’t seem to carry the same weight. The Bruins will continue to add talent to the left side of their defensive ranks, as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports the team is set to sign St. Cloud State standout Jack Ahcan.

Ahcan, 22, just wrapped up his senior year with the Huskies and finished his collegiate career with 103 points in 144 games, two NCHC regular season titles, and the “C” on his sweater this final season as well. Ahcan, whose younger brother Roman plays for Wisconsin while youngest brother Grant is committed to St. Cloud State, emerged as an elite talent seemingly out of nowhere as a freshman. The USHL product played his way onto the U.S. World Junior Championship squad, which won gold that year, and finished the NCAA season with 21 points in 32 games. In 2018-19, Ahcan was one of the top blue liners in all of college hockey, finishing in the top ten among NCAA defensive scoring and fifth overall in plus/minus.

Ahcan draws a remarkably close comparison to many of Boston’s existing defensive assets: Torey Krug, Matt Grzelcyk, and even AHL project Cooper Zech. At 5’8” and 185 lbs., Ahcan is a small left-handed defenseman who excels in puck movement, vision, and offensive awareness – a description that fits the whole group. Ahcan quarterbacked the power play at St. Cloud State, much as Krug does in Boston, but also like Krug he is not afraid to throw a big hit and get involved in puck battles. In fact, Ahcan’s skating ability allows him to hunt the puck and create turnovers and offensive chances. Boston has found a way to get the most out of undersized, offensive-minded defenseman and under the tutelage of Krug, Ahcan has a chance to become a special player.

Of course, Krug is set to be an unrestricted free agent, while Grzelcyk will be a restricted free agent this summer. Both are expected to be back next season, but perhaps not for the long haul. A popular projection is for Grzelcyk to be lost to Seattle in the impending 2021 NHL Expansion Draft. Boston is too deep up front to protect four defenseman and the likely group of Krug, Charlie McAvoy, and Brandon Carlo would leave Grzelcyk up for grabs. Ahcan could be groomed to be a replacement option in that case.

He will have plenty of competition though. There is no shortage of talent on left side of the blue line in Boston’s organizational depth chart. Although future Hall of Famer Zdeno Chara may not be around much longer and Krug is not yet extended long-term, the Bruins have Grzelcyk (for now), veteran John Moore, and rookie Jeremy Lauzon at the NHL level as well. In the AHL, recent first-round picks Urho Vaakanainen and Jakub Zboril will also push for promotion, with the aforementioned Zech in the mix as well. Down the road, 2019 selection Roman Bychkov could also figure into the competition. On top of all of that, the Bruins also signed Nick Wolff from the college ranks just last week. The Minnesota-Duluth defender is an entirely different style of player from Ahcan, but another name eager to show his pro chops. Consider that the right side is well-off at the top level as well with McAvoy, Carlo, Connor Clifton, and Steven Kampfer, and there are far more bodies than opportunities on the Boston blue line. Ahcan is a talented prospect and can learn from some of the best at his particular style with the Bruins, but he has his work cut out for him to be an NHL regular any time soon. If he rises to the task, Boston could look back on this signing as a game-changer.

ECHL Expected To Cancel Season

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The ECHL announced that the league will be shutting down for the rest of the season. The ECHL Board of Governors approved the cancelation of both their remaining regular season games as well as the playoffs due to the Coronavirus.

ECHL commissioner Ryan Crelin released a statement:

“The decision by the ECHL to cancel the remainder of the 2019-20 Season does not come lightly, as this is an emotional time for our Players, Coaches, Member Teams, Fans and Staff. At this point in the Season, there has been immense dedication and countless hours committed in moving towards what is traditionally the most exciting part of the hockey year.

With that said however, as each passing day raises additional concerns for the safety of those in the ECHL community and as we take precautionary measures in conjunction with our local authorities across the continent to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, it has become apparent that this is the prudent decision. Our game and our product are based on our Fans and their ability to cheer on their favorite ECHL team and Players at one of our many facilities around the continent. Without that social environment and game atmosphere, the ECHL simply isn’t the same.

“On behalf of the ECHL and our Board of Governors, we appreciate the Professional Hockey Players’ Association for their assistance during this unprecedented time and working as partners in hockey to reach this decision for the best interest of the ECHL and its Players. This decision allows our Players the opportunity to return to their homes and removes the uncertainty that currently exists.

“While we are hopeful that this period ceases and an opportunity to return to normalcy for the hockey calendar presents itself, in the interim, we ask all Fans, Players, Coaches, Officials, and Staff to continue to abide by the measures put in place by their local authorities and follow precautionary protocols for their safety, as we will begin preparations for the 2020-21 ECHL Hockey Season.”

While the AHL and NHL both currently have suspended their seasons, the ECHL is the first of the three to cancel their season. The ECHL announced on Thursday that they had suspended their season due to concerns about the COVID-19 epidemic. The ECHL is the first league in North America to have cancelled their season, although several leagues in Europe have already cancelled their seasons.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was the first to report the news.

 

 

Fredrik Handemark Drawing NHL Interest

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With European leagues finishing up (or being cancelled) over the next few weeks, plenty of interest will be shown in some of the top performers. In his latest 31 Thoughts column for Sportsnet, Elliotte Friedman writes that both the Detroit Red Wings and San Jose Sharks have shown interest in Fredrik Handemark out of the SHL.

Handemark has spent the last five seasons with Malmo, breaking out offensively in 2016-17 when he recorded 32 points in 47 games. He has been a consistent scorer for them ever since, and set a career-high in both goals (14) and points (38) this season.

Not only has Handemark produced offensively, but also represents a big body—6’4″ 209-lbs—that can play the center position. That’s the kind of player that always draws NHL attention, though it’s hard to know exactly how his game would translate to North America.

Hearing that the Red Wings and Sharks are “eyeing” Handemark shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, given their seasons so far. Both teams are near the bottom of the standings, with the Red Wings orchestrating a perfect tank season. Detroit is already eliminated from the postseason and will be looking forward to the draft lottery next month.

Troy Brouwer, Aaron Ness Clear Waivers

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Wednesday: Both Brouwer and Ness have cleared waivers and can be sent to the minor leagues.

Tuesday: Even though the season is almost over, teams are still making tweaks to their rosters. Today, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that both Troy Brouwer and Aaron Ness have been placed on waivers.

In Ness’ case, Craig Morgan of The Athletic tweets that the Arizona Coyotes are expecting Jakob Chychrun back this week. Even though teams no longer have a roster limit, Ness is eligible to play for the Tucson Roadrunners and can continue to get some game action in the minor leagues.

For Brouwer, things are a little different. The veteran forward was not recalled until after the trade deadline, meaning he is eligible for AHL playoffs, but he actually hasn’t played a single game at that level this season. It’s unclear if the St. Louis Blues would send him down to the minor leagues in the event he clears waivers.

When it comes to post-deadline waivers, it is important to remember that any claim comes with some restrictions. As CapFriendly pointed out recently, a team changing reserve lists after the deadline is not eligible to play in the regular season or playoffs for his new club. That means even if a playoff team claimed Brouwer or Ness to give them a little more depth, they could not play.

New Jersey Devils Interview Mike Gillis For GM Opening

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Many in the New Jersey community believed that the New Jersey Devils who are in need of a permanent general manager in the future, would likely just hand the reigns over to interim GM Tom Fitzgerald. After all, he did a solid job at the trade deadline, picking up a number of solid picks and prospects for several bottom-six options. However, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, on Hockey Night in Canada on Saturday, reports that the team will not just hand the team over to Fitzgerald and have already begun interviewing with former Vancouver Canucks general manager Mike Gillis.

While the Devils are likely to take their GM search into the offseason before naming one and Fitzgerald will be a highly-considered candidate, the Devils were able to get an interview with Gillis on the fact that the 61-year-old isn’t affiliated with any NHL team at the moment. Any other candidates the Devils will want to interview will have to wait until the offseason.

Gillis took over general manager duties in 2008 and stayed in that position until 2014 and was instrumental in the team reaching the playoffs in five out of those six seasons, including a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals during the 2010-11 season in which the Canucks lost in seven games to the Boston Bruins. While his tenure was successful, Gillis might be best remembered as the GM who handed goaltender Roberto Luongo a 12-year, $64MM contract that Vancouver is still paying off until 2022.

Deadline Notes: Skjei, Parise, Targets

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The Florida Panthers were perhaps the most surprising team at the NHL Trade Deadline. Still competing for a playoff spot in the Atlantic Division, the Panthers nevertheless traded away a top-six forward in Vincent Trocheck and failed to acquire a defenseman, which was considered their biggest need. As it turns out, they nearly got close on a major addition. The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun writes that the Panthers were in on defenseman Brady Skjei for much of the day on Monday. After moving Trocheck, the team had hoped to fill his departed salary commitment with a term defenseman and Skjei was the top target, made available by the New York Rangers’ extension of Chris Kreider earlier in the day. However, Florida did not want to take on all of Skjei’s contract, preferring to make a hockey deal instead. LeBrun notes that Michael Matheson would have been part of the return to New York. However, taking on salary was contrary to the Rangers’ plans, and so they went for the Carolina Hurricanes’ offer of a first-round pick instead. Skjei would have made a huge difference in Florida, arguably more than on a deep blue line in Carolina, but the Panthers could not get the deal done. Expect Florida to continue scouring the trade and free agent markets this off-season for a long-term upgrade on the blue line.

  • The biggest rumor that emerged on deadline day was a possible trade of Minnesota Wild star Zach Parise to the New York Islanders. Few expected that Parise, who at 35 years old still has five years left on his contract at over $7.5MM AAV, could be a potential trade candidate. Yet, both Parise and the Islanders’ Andrew Ladd had waived their respective trade protections and were merely awaiting the finalization of the deal. That of course never occurred, as Minnesota GM Bill Guerin stated that the deal was very complex and simply did not come together in time. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that the two teams have actually been discussing the deal for some time, but concerns over balancing salary and potential cap recapture penalties should Parise retire before his contract expires halted the deal, at least for now. Guerin stated that the two sides could revisit a possible trade in the off-season, but meanwhile Parise is back to work for the Wild. Twincities.com’s Dane Mizutani writes that Parise was relatively tight-lipped about the situation and understands that trades, actual or theoretical, are part of the business. He reaffirmed that he enjoys playing in Minnesota and in no way requested a trade; he was simply willing to waive his No-Movement Clause if the Wild felt that moving him was the best decision. It will remain an interesting topic through the remainder of the season and into the off-season how well Parise and the Wild play in light of this near-blockbuster and whether the trade finally does come to fruition.
  • Friedman writes that a number of players traded before the deadline nearly went elsewhere, while some players who stayed put were heavily pursued. Perhaps the most notable move could have been Robin Lehner to the Carolina Hurricanes. The Cane’s were anything but quiet at the deadline, acquiring Trocheck, Skjei, and Sami Vatanen, but failed to address goaltending, arguably their biggest need in light of recent injuries. Carolina has long been linked to Lehner dating back to the 2018 off-season (and could look at him as a free agent again this summer) but balked at the Chicago Blackhawks asking price for a rental. Two other teams that revisited players who they had previously pursued were the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers. Both team made notable additions as they fight for a Western Conference playoff spot, but allegedly could have done more. Friedman notes that Calgary was in on veteran winger Wayne Simmonds for the second deadline in a row, but likely could not make the salary work, whereas Edmonton kicked the tires of Patrick Marleau after courting him as a free agent this summer. Finally, two players that received considerable interest per Friedman but did not move were Detroit Red Wings forward Luke Glendening and Philadelphia Flyers forward Scott Laughton. Detroit has little to play for this season, but have always highly valued Glendening, who has another year left on his contract. A league source told Friedman that the asking price was simply too high. As for Laughton, the Flyers made only minor moves at the deadline and could not also trade away a key bottom-six piece with term remaining on his contract. It sound as though considerable interest did not sway the team into even considering offers for Laughton.

Snapshots: Post-Deadline Moves, Thornton, Lindholm

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Even though it is referred to as the trade deadline in the NHL, this Monday was not actually that. In fact, teams are still allowed to make basically any move they want, with one caveat—players switching squads will not be eligible for the postseason. With that limitation in place it almost never makes sense for a team to make a trade in the weeks following the deadline but perhaps in one specific situation this year it could.

The Toronto Maple Leafs announced earlier today that Jake Muzzin will be out a month with a broken hand, leaving them with a handful of defenders that were almost all playing in the minor leagues a few years ago. Tyson Barrie stands as the only real defenseman with any experience, at least until Muzzin, Morgan Rielly and Cody Ceci return down the road. Perhaps the Maple Leafs could break with tradition and acquire a depth defender just to help them for the next few weeks, given their precarious hold on an Atlantic Division playoff spot.

  • Speaking of Toronto, the latest edition of 31 Thoughts by Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet includes an interesting nugget regarding the Maple Leafs. When examining the Joe Thornton situation and his recent comments about being disappointed he didn’t move at the deadline, Friedman speculates that the veteran forward could find his way to Toronto should he decide the San Jose Sharks aren’t in a position to compete next season. In fact, Friedman believes that the Maple Leafs considered adding him this year, though there were obvious obstacles in the way. In the summer of 2017 when the Maple Leafs signed Patrick Marleau as a free agent there were plenty of rumors about Thornton joining him there, but will there even be an opportunity for him next season at age-41?
  • After leaving last night’s game with an upper-body injury, Hampus Lindholm wasn’t at practice today for the Anaheim Ducks according to Eric Stephens of The Athletic. Brendan Guhle has been recalled in his absence. Losing Lindholm for any length of time would really test the rest of the Anaheim defenders, perhaps even giving them a chance to see what they have in some of their younger options. The 26-year old logs more than 23 minutes a night for the team, and has 22 points in 55 games.

Barclay Goodrow Headed To Tampa Bay

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Even though the trade deadline has officially passed, the backlog of deals is still slowly leaking out. This time it’s a trade between the San Jose Sharks and Tampa Bay Lightning which will see Barclay Goodrow switch coasts. The Lightning will receive Goodrow and a 2020 third-round selection in exchange for a 2020 first-round pick and Anthony Greco.

Goodrow, 26, is a great story of hard work and dedication paying off, after going undrafted out of the OHL. After signing with the Sharks as a free agent in 2014, he quickly showed that he could compete at the NHL level even without much AHL seasoning. By the time he did spend some real time in the minor leagues he was ready to dominate, scoring 90 points in 125 games for San Jose’s affiliate. The last three seasons have been spent entirely in the NHL, where he has posted a career-high 24 points in 2019-20.

Perhaps best remembered for his overtime goal against the Vegas Golden Knights after the infamous major penalty comeback, Goodrow will give the Lightning another bottom-six center option and is signed through next season at an incredibly low number. Tampa Bay will owe him just $850K for the 2020-21 season, though his cap hit comes in slightly higher at $950K.

That inexpensive contract is the crux of this deal for the Lightning, who are about to face another cap crunch when they try to negotiate new deals with Anthony Cirelli, Mikhail Sergachev and Erik Cernak. The team wasn’t able to bring in high priced talent with any term, but landed another player they feel will be a contributor towards a Stanley Cup.

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