Western Notes: Stars, Wiercioch, Parayko, Fabbri
The Dallas Stars have won three and a row and host the equally impressive Carolina Hurricanes, who have won their last two, but the Stars feel that the have momentum on their side, writes Scott Burnside of NHL.com. The team’s top line of Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn and Alexander Radulov have combined for nine goals on the season, while the remainder of the team has managed to put up 10 goals combined. Seguin’s five goals and two assists in seven games has been solid, while Benn has added three goals and four assists. Radulov has a goal and two assists.
The Stars hope that the trio remains hot, but also feel they need more offense from their middle lines. The team feels that the line of Radek Faksa, Tyler Pitlick and Antoine Roussel have picked up the slack in the last three games as Faksa has scored two goals, but the team still has quite a few players who haven’t scored a goal, including Jason Spezza, Devin Shore, Brett Ritchie and rookie Remi Elie. After beating the likes of the Colorado Avalanche and the Arizona Coyotes twice, the Stars will need more from their other lines if they hope to continue their winning streak.
- The Vancouver Canucks announced they have sent defenseman Patrick Wiercioch to Utica of the AHL today. He was called up yesterday as an extra defenseman for last night’s victory against Buffalo with defenseman Erik Gudbranson missing the game due to a one-game suspension. Veteran Alex Biega, already called up, played instead to fill in for Gudbranson. The 27-year-old Wiercioch has already played two games for Utica and has one goal.
- Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post Dispatch writes that St. Louis Blues defenseman Colton Parayko is expected to play tonight against the Vegas Golden Knights. The 24-year-old blueliner was questionable after taking a puck to his left hand early in the third period of Thursday’s game against the Colorado Avalanche. He was removed from the remainder of the game. However, Timmermann writes he practiced today and coach Mike Yeo gave him a clean bill of health. Entering his third season, Parayko might be needed against the 5-1 Golden Knights. He has a goal and two assists in eight games.
- The St. Louis Post Dispatch’s Jeff Gordon responds to fan questions in his column and addresses Robby Fabbri‘s impending restricted free agency this offseason. The young star, who is out for the year after re-injuring his surgically repaired knee, will be in a tricky situation since he hasn’t played since Feb. 4. Gordon suggests the team sign him to a short term and low AAV deal to see how he responds to his recovery. If he bounces back, then give the 21-year-old a long-term deal.
Erik Gudbranson Suspended One Game
The Department of Player Safety has handed out another suspension, this time to Erik Gudbranson of the Vancouver Canucks. Gudbranson has been given a one-game ban for hitting Frank Vatrano from behind last night. The Boston Bruins’ forward would initially leave the game, but would find his way back to the bench later on. Gudbranson was immediately confronted by Tim Schaller in a fight, but would also be given a five minute major for boarding. Boston would get some measure of revenge by scoring three times during the ensuing powerplay, but the league has issued even more punishment.
As the video explanation states:
From the moment Vatrano gains possession of the puck behind the net, Gudbranson sees nothing but Vatrano’s numbers. While Vatrano shifts slightly as he attempts to move the puck to his teammate, he makes no sudden movements just prior to contact that turn this from a legal hit into an illegal one.
Gudbranson has never been suspended by the DoPS before, but has toed the line of legality quite a few times. He’s previously been involved in borderline hits, and was reported to have yelled threats towards Matt Martin after an incident in Toronto last year. Still, having no recorded history of discipline helped him keep the suspension to just one game. Going forward he’ll have to exercise a bit more caution, or else face stiffer penalties.
Salary Cap Deep Dive: Vancouver Canucks
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 2017-18 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.
Vancouver Canucks
Current Cap Hit: $73,012,499 (under the $75MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
F Brock Boeser (Two years remaining, $925K)
F Jake Virtanen (One year remaining, $894K)
Potential Bonuses
Boeser: $850K
Virtanen: $850K
Boeser is one of the Canucks hope for the future. The team’s 2015 first-round pick has been playing exceptionally well in camp and looks ready to take a major role on the team. After two years at the University of North Dakota, Boeser managed to play in nine games for Vancouver last year, putting up four goals and an assist in that span and averaged 2.78 shots per game as well. Virtanen, on the other hand is just trying to cement a starting role on the team. The sixth overall pick in the 2014 draft, Virtanen has been disappointing and has had trouble finding a role with the club, playing 55 games two years ago and then settling for just 10 games last year. A solid camp so far suggests, he might have turned it around as he looks to take his game to the next level.
One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level
F Daniel Sedin ($7MM, UFA)
F Henrik Sedin ($7MM, UFA)
D Erik Gudbranson ($3.5MM, UFA)
F Thomas Vanek ($2MM, UFA)
F Sven Baertschi ($1.85MM, RFA)
D Troy Stecher ($925K, RFA)
F Markus Granlund ($900K, RFA)
F Alexander Burmistrov ($900K, RFA)
F Anton Rodin ($700K, UFA)
F Reid Boucher ($688K, RFA)
D Patrick Wiercioch ($625K, UFA)
On a positive note, there are many contracts that are set to expire next year, which could give the Canucks quite a bit of cap space. What the team will do with the Sedin brothers, long-time franchise players, is still up in the air. Rumors that they have no interest in going to a contender to finish out their careers suggest that they may choose to retire or sign up for a much shorter, much cheaper deal with Vancouver. While both have been leading the franchise, their numbers have begun to decline now that they are 36 years old with Daniel Sedin putting up just 15 goals and 44 points a year ago, while brother Henrik also just putting up 15 goals and 51 points.
There are very few potential unrestricted free agents that are critical to the team’s building of the future. While Gudbranson is just 25 years old, the team has shown a willingness to move on from the defenseman and has been talked about in trade rumors all offseason. The former third-overall pick in 2010 didn’t fare well in his first year in Vancouver, suffering a wrist injury and playing in only 30 games. The team may want to move on before they lose him. Vanek, signed late in the offseason, is also likely a trade chip at the trade deadline.
As for restricted free agents, the team still has high hopes that Baertschi will continue to improve. After struggling to break into the Calgary Flames starting unit, Vancouver picked him up and got 15 goals in 2015-16 and another 18 last year. The 24-year-old could easily wind up on the team’s second line and have a big year. Granlund, 24, is another youngster who stepped up a year ago, putting up 19 goals as a full-time starter. Stecher will also be a free agent. The 23-year-old undrafted free agent had a solid rookie season after coming to the Canucks from the University of North Dakota. He is penciled in as a first-line defender. The team also has high hopes they can turn around Burmistrov’s career. The former top-10 pick in 2010 was signed away from Arizona with the hopes he can fill a need in the bottom six.
Snapshots: Gudbranson, Cammalleri, Jagr
Once you get past the obvious, such as Colorado’s Matt Duchene and the entire Vegas Golden Knights’ roster, The Hockey News’ Matt Larkin has several interesting players who he lists as Top 10 trade candidates for the upcoming season, including Vancouver’s Erik Gudbranson, Los Angeles’ Mike Cammalleri and New Jersey’s Drew Stafford to name a few.
Gudbranson is a perfect trade candidate for the Canucks at the trade deadline. With young defensemen like Ben Hutton and Troy Stecher already on board to go with veteran Chris Tanev, he is not as critical of a keeper for a team looking to rebuild over the next few years. Add in the influx of young defensive prospects in their system, including Olli Juolevi (fifth overall pick in 2016), Guillaume Brisebois (third-rounder in 2015), Jordan Subban (fourth-rounder in 2013) and Jalen Chatfield, the team won’t miss Gudbranson too badly.
Cammalleri is a solid candidate. Larkin does not believe the Kings are going to succeed at making a playoff run and the 35-year-old wing could be that veteran “glue guy” for a team needing one piece for a Stanley Cup run, if Cammalleri can stay healthy, which is not something he has done often lately. Stafford would also make sense as a rental player at the deadline. After being traded at the deadline from Winnipeg to Boston last March and just signing a one-year deal with New Jersey this year, it’s very likely he’ll be on the move again if he can put up some points as a Devil.
To see the full list of 10 candidates, go here.
- The Athletic’s Scott Powers tweets that Chicago Blackhawks prospect Andrei Altybarmakyan made his KHL debut today with St. Petersburg SKA. At just 19 years old, Powers writes, that’s a big deal and should develop into a promising prospect. The wing was a third-round pick in the 2017 draft two months ago.
- San Francisco Examiner’s Paul Ladewski writes that the San Jose Sharks really need to sign a veteran to help out general manager Doug Wilson. Citing Wilson’s non-interest in being patient with young players, he points to 45-year-old Jaromir Jagr as an excellent player who could fill the void of Patrick Marleau. He cites Jagr’s work ethic, which could help light a fire under an aging team that’s running out of time. Jagr had 16 goals and 30 assists last year for Florida. The scribe suggests a one-year, $4MM deal would be perfect. NBC Sports Kevin Kurz tweets that he wouldn’t be surprised if the Sharks sign one veteran before camp starts, but doesn’t name Jagr.