Evgeny Kuznetsov

Eastern Notes: Smith-Pelly, Andersen, Fedun

October 28, 2017 at 5:26 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg Leave a Comment

A few days ago, Washington Capitals head coach Barry Trotz hinted that bottom-six winger Devante Smith-Pelly might be nearing a promotion to a better line. Well, NBC Sports’ Tarik El-Bashir writes that tonight will be that promotion as the 25-year-old has been moved onto the team’s top line alongside Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov in their game against the Edmonton Oilers.

Smith-Pelly, who came to Washington this offseason, has had a very inconsistent career, starting when he was a highly-touted prospect and was drafted in the second round in 2010 by the Anaheim Ducks. Despite his junior success and his success at the AHL level, the winger had trouble figuring things out at the NHL level and quickly found himself bouncing around different teams. He signed a one-year, $650K deal with Washington this offseason after a one-year stint in New Jersey a year ago in which he tallied just nine points in 53 games.

Now, with the Capitals, he has started to show some of his skills and has earned the trust of Trotz. While he’s yet to score a goal, the belief is that his talents might be a perfect fit alongside Ovechkin and Kuznetsov. Smith-Pelly will replace Jakub Vrana, who moves to the team’s second line next to T.J. Oshie and Niklas Backstrom, who is returning after missing a game due to illness.

“He deserves it. He’s put in the work. His game is such that he needs to move up in the lineup,” Trotz said on Smith-Pelly’s promotion.

Washington Worried About Filling Out Its Defense

September 23, 2017 at 5:39 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg 1 Comment

Decimated by losses this offseason, the Washington Capitals are focusing on rebuilding their team as quickly as possible so they can contend once again, but while there is some progress on the offense as some young players have stepped up, there hasn’t been that infusion of new talent on the Capitals’ blueline, writes Washington Post’s Isabelle Khurshudyan.

After a disappointing playoff run which ended in the second round to the eventual champion Pittsburgh Penguins, the team endured multiple losses, including Kevin Shattenkirk, Karl Alzner, Justin Williams, Marcus Johansson, Nate Schmidt and Daniel Winnik. All of the losses were due to the fact the team was up against the cap, but the team instead focused on re-signing some of their core, including extending stars Evgeny Kuznetsov, Dmitry Orlov and T.J. Oshie.

While the offense seems to have found replacements for their top lines in youngsters like Andre Burakovsky and Jakub Vrana, fixing the defense might be a totally different story, according to Khurshudyan. The scribe writes that Washington head coach Barry Trotz said that no defenseman has stood out so far into training camp to claim the final two spots in the team’s top six. Even with the losses of Shattenkirk, Alzner and Schmidt, the team still has a solid top four in Matt Niskanen, Brooks Orpik, Orlov and John Carlson. However, the team must fill in those final two spots.

Amongst those defensemen attempting to win one of those two spots is Taylor Chorney, who has been the team’s extra defenseman for the past two years. The team also brought in two of their solid AHL defenseman in Madison Bowey and Christian Djoos, who the team hopes will be ready to take on a new challenge. The team also has several others ready to take a spot, including 2016 first-rounder Lucas Johansen, Aaron Ness, Tyler Lewington, and Connor Hobbs.

Chorney has spent the last two years on the Capitals roster, but has managed to get into 73 games in those two years and just 18 last season. The 30-year-old defenseman accululated 11 points in those two years, but is trying to break the label of journeyman.

Much of their defensive hopefuls come from their AHL affiliate, the Hershey Beras. Bowey, 22, is coming off an injury-shortened season in the AHL after suffering a gruesome ankle injury with the Hershey Bears. He managed to play only 34 games, but has lost 12 pounds and is skating faster than he did a year ago. Many people thought Djoos, 23, had the best shot to make the team’s roster this year as he had a great season for Hershey a year ago. He scored 15 goals and 45 assists for 66 points for them last year. Ness has also been in the Washington system, playing the last two years in Hershey. He also managed to get called up and get into 10 games over the past two years. A quality skater, he has played a total of 39 NHL games over the course of his career. Lewington, 22, played 72 games for the Bears last season, compiling 142 penalty minutes to go with 17 points.

Johansen,19, was the 28th overall pick in the 2016 draft and many feel he might be ready to step into the team’s lineup, while Hobbs, the team’s fifth-round pick in 2015 had a breakout year with his junior team. The 20-year-old prospect, known for his hard shot, had 31 goals and 54 assists with the WHL Regina Pats.

With the team right up against the cap, a trade would seem unlikely to aid the defense. So, the team hopes that two of these defensemen will step up soon to solidify the Capitals defense.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Washington Capitals

August 20, 2017 at 4:16 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 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.

Washington Capitals

Current Cap Hit: $70,910,107 (under the $75MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Jakub Vrana ($863K, two years remaining)

This is where the Capitals have gotten themselves into trouble. Playing to win it all for the last couple of years has taken a toll on the depth of the team’s roster as they have chosen to go with veterans rather than allow youngsters to work their way into the lineup. Now that those contracts have become too much and the team has had to purge a number of free agents to stay under the cap, suddenly there is no depth to look to when they really need it.

Vrana, a former 2014 first-rounder returned to his team in Sweden after being drafted, but signed at the end of the 2015 season and joined the AHL Hershey Bears for three games, tallying five assists. He then added six points in 10 playoff games to establish himself as a top prospect. He scored 35 goals over the next two seasons in Hershey before being promoted to Washington last year. In 21 games, he tallied three goals and three assists and appears ready to step in to a bottom line role this year.

There are a number of minor leaguers that may be ready to step into the lineup such as defenders Madison Bowey and Christian Djoos, but none have seen any NHL action so far in their careers and there is no guarantee they will make the team out of training camp.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

D John Carlson ($3.96MM, UFA)
F Lars Eller ($3.5MM, UFA)
F Tom Wilson ($2.0MM, RFA)
F Jay Beagle ($1.75MM, UFA)
G Philipp Grubauer ($1.5MM, RFA)
D Taylor Chorney ($800K, UFA)
F Devante Smith-Pelly ($650K, RFA)

The team has already lost several key defenseman in the past few months, including Kevin Shattenkirk, Nate Schmidt and Karl Alzner. Could Carlson be next? While the team still has several veteran remaining on their roster, the team might be hard-pressed to avoid losing another veteran defenseman. Currently penciled in to play next to Orlov, at 27 years old, he would be a big loss if the team is unable to bring him back. However, the team will be paying Orpik, Niskanen and Orlov, more than $16MM combined next year. Will Washington find the money for Carlson?

Wilson is a player who the Capitals have high hopes for. The 23-year-old wing is a former 2012 first-rounder and has played four years with the team already, usually among the bottom-tier lines. However, with smoe of the team’s losses on offense, including Marcus Johanson and Justin Williams, this might be the year that Wilson breaks out. He is currently penciled in on the team’s second line and while he managed just seven goals a year ago, he did put up three playoff goals, showing he might be ready for an enhanced role. As a restricted free agent in 2018, the team will have some control on managing his salary.

Perhaps one of the more interesting decisions the team must make is what they plan to do with their backup goalie. Grubauer is considered to be one of the top-young goaltending prospects and while he was not chosen by the Vegas Golden Knights in the expansion draft, many feel that he could be a solid starting goaltender. However, with Holtby in front of him and locked up for three more years, that role would not likely be given to Grubauer in Washington. With minor leaguer Pheonix Copley looking ready to become the team’s backup and the presence of 2014 second-round prospect Vitek Vanacek and 2015 first-round prospect Ilya Samsonov, the team is loaded with goaltending talent. It seems far more likely the team will move Grubauer at some point, maybe at the trade deadline next season to add much needed depth.

Eller is at best a third line center, who averages between 10 and 15 goals per season. Barring a breakout year and he’s already 28 years old so that seems unlikely, Eller at $3.5MM might be too expensive to bring back in a year, but it’s too early to tell. Beagle did have a career year last year and should challenge Eller for that third-line center job with the loser likely to man the fourth line. Beagle, a faceoff specialist, scored 13 goals last year. If the team can bring them back on relatively cheap deals, they might be able to retain them.

Chorney was used primarily as an extra defenseman last year and only managed 18 games last season. With the team’s lack of depth after their top four, Washington may have no choice but to give Chorney a chance to win one of the last spots. The 30-year-old did manage to get into 55 games a year ago. Smith-Pelly, a quiet free agent acquisition this offseason, scored four goals in 55 games for New Jersey last year. Their futures will be decided by whether they make the team and how they perform.

Two Years Remaining

D Brooks Orpik ($5.5MM, UFA)
F Andre Burakovsky ($3MM, RFA)
F Brett Connolly ($1.5MM, UFA)

At 36 now and 38 years old when his contract expires, Orpik’s days could be numbered. While he’s never been a major offensive presence, his defense has helped anchor a Capitals team for several years since coming over from Pittsburgh, but his skills are already beginning to diminish and this deal is considered by many to be one of the worst deals the Caps have made over the last few years.

The player to keep an eye on is Burakovsky, who many believe might have a breakout season now that the team has lightened their forward depth. Burakovsky, a first-round pick in 2013, has 38 goals and 95 points in three seasons and is currently expected to move onto the team’s second line. In two years, he should be a restricted free agent and could ask for quite a contract if he can put together a couple of big seasons for the Capitals. Connolly is another player for the team to keep their eyes on. While the 25-year-old wing had a career year with Washington this year (15 goals, 23 assists), but the team will need to see what he does over the next two before awarding him another deal.

Three Years Remaining

F Nicklas Backstrom ($6.7MM, UFA)
G Braden Holtby ($6.1MM, UFA)

Both players would seem like obvious candidates to be brought back in three years, but there are a lot of factors that determine that. Backstrom will be 33, while Holtby will be 30, so both should still be in their prime. Backstrom’s 23 goals and more importantly, 63 assists were critical to the Capitals success this last year, while Holtby is the cornerstone in goal. There is no guarantee that any youth will step in and supplant them although the Capitals are strong in goaltending depth.

Four Or More Years Remaining

F Alex Ovechkin ($9.54MM through 2020-21)
F Evgeny Kuznetsov ($7.8MM through 2024-25)
F T.J. Oshie ($5.75MM through 2024-25)
D Matt Niskanen ($5.75MM through 2020-21)
D Dmitry Orlov ($5.1MM through 2022-23)

The Capitals have a great core and the team has obviously planned to put most of their money and years towards Kuznetsov, Oshie and Orlov as well as Ovechkin and Niskanen.

The team’s success has revolved around Ovechkin since the day he was drafted and little will change. He is locked up for another four seasons and no one would be surprised if they brought him back after that at age 35. Even though there was some trade chatter about moving on from their star, Washington will likely do everything it can over the next four years to compete for a championship. However, Ovechkin didn’t fare as well this year. After three 50-goal seasons, the 31-year-old wing dropped to a 33-goal season. Still great, but not his usual standard. Can he take his game back to that previous level?

The team then inked three of their stars to long-term deals this offseason. Kuznetsov is just 25 and should be solid for years, but was he worth $7.8MM per season? That’s a lot of money for good, but not great production. He suffered a down year compared to his 2015-16 season, but he’s coming off a 19 goal, 40 assist season, the Capitals have to hope he can take his game to the next level and fill in the offense they will lose this year. Otherwise that’s a lot of money spent on an average center.

Orlov also was extended this offseason. The 26-year-old defenseman signed a six-year, $30.6MM deal to remain with Washington. He finished the season with six goals and 33 points and may be ready to take over the defensive reigns. Many people thought Oshie would leave during free agency due to the Capitals’ cap issues, but the team found a way to keep the 30-year-old forward, signing him to an eight-year extension at $5.75MM. Whether he will be worth that much in his late 30s is unknown, but his 33 goals last year was a career high.

Niskanen remains solid on defense and will be needed even more with some of the offensive losses. The 30-year-old defenseman put up another solid season, scoring five goals and 34 assists for 39 points.

Buyouts

None

Best Value: Backstrom
Worst Value: Kuznetsov

Looking Ahead

The Capitals are a well-run franchise that has done an excellent job of spending money on their core of stars, while drafting well enough to have talent ready to go. They may have overreached themselves this past year as they lost quite a bit of talent and have several gaping holes on defense, but the team seems to have put together a great team that just has not been able to get themselves to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Ovechkin still has a number of years left, so expect the Capitals to be aggressive and make moves to add more scoring and more defense over the next year or two. Don’t be shocked to see a goaltender get moved to make room for their prospects, but also to find new talent they can plug into their lineup.

Kucherov Will Be Next To Receive McDavid-Like Money

July 30, 2017 at 9:13 am CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg Leave a Comment

With the eight-year, $100MM extension of Edmonton Oilers’ Connor McDavid already in the rearview mirror, many people have been speculating on the next big contract in the NHL. There are some who are looking at teammate Leon Draisaitl to break the bank, others at Auston Matthews in Toronto. Nashville’s Ryan Johansen just picked up $8MM per year, while Washington Evgeny Kuznetsov picked up $7.8. However, Larry Brooks of the New York Post, points the finger at Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov who should be getting a huge extension in two years.

Kucherov is going into his second season of a three-year deal where he will be making $4.76MM, but when his contract is up in two years, expect there to be a major payday. The big-scoring winger will be just hitting his prime at age 26 when his contract is up and Tampa Bay’s Steve Yzerman will have a tough time from keeping Kucherov’s next contract from doubling, according to Brooks.

The 24-year-old winger took another major step this year, putting up career highs in both goals and assists, scoring 40 goals and 45 assists for 85 points. Kucherov has come a long way in just a short time. Originally drafted as a second round pick in 2011, he stayed in Moscow for one year before coming over and playing junior hockey, before finally reaching the AHL in 2013-14 season. After 17 games, he was quickly promoted to Tampa Bay where he put up nine goals and nine assists in 51 games, but broke out the following year. He put up consistent numbers the next two years, combining for 58 goals and 72 assists, before taking the next step this past year.

While his 30 goals and 66 points in the 2015-16 season was still outstanding, Kucherov had little negotiating room when he hammered out this three-year deal. According to Brooks, Kucherov did not threaten to return to the KHL and had little recourse but to accept the three-year deal offered to him as a restricted free agent without arbitration rights. However, everything will change in two years when he can dangle his unrestricted free agency tag. His improved performance should only increase his pricetag. Add in the fact that Kucherov went out and got a new agent in Daniel Milstein of Gold Star Sports and expect that Kucherov should break the bank unless Yzerman can prove that he can lock up another great player to a team-friendly deal.

Friedman’s Latest: McDavid, Duchene, Kuznetsov

July 13, 2017 at 12:15 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

In his final “30 Thoughts” column for the summer, the venerable Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet left us with some interesting tidbits from around the league. First off, he launches into a long explanation of how Connor McDavid’s eight-year, $100MM contract will affect the rest of the league. It’s clear that the shockwaves of the deal will make future deals with stars like Erik Karlsson, Auston Matthews and Jack Eichel even more expensive, but by just how much is still yet to be seen.

Friedman confirms a report that McDavid himself was the one who went after less money after an original verbal agreement put his deal at $13.25MM per season, saying he felt “skittish about the reaction to the original number” before settling on $12.5MM. Though that $750K per season won’t have a huge effect on the Edmonton Oilers salary cap, it’s a substantial amount ($6MM over the course of the contract) to leave on the table. It will be interesting to see if other superstars will be willing to take a similar cut.

Matt Duchene is still on the market, but Friedman is clear that it’s now possible he starts the year in Colorado. That would be an unsatisfying ending to a saga that has been burning on the hot stove for months now, with seemingly half the league connected at one point or another to the Avalanche center. While obviously Duchene doesn’t lose all his value the day the season opens, the Avalanche do need to be careful here. Though he has two years left on his deal, a serious injury or another disappointing season could drastically lower his value and leave them trying to find any deal available before losing him in the summer or 2019. Duchene scored just 41 points last season, and Colorado looks like one of the worst teams in the league once again.
Evgeny Kuznetsov was locked into a huge contract by the Washington Capitals, and part of it is because of the real threat the KHL posed. Even without the attraction of playing for Russia at the Olympics, Friedman writes that there were rumors of a $10MM per season contract for Kuznetsov a huge number to turn down. Losing Kuznetsov in a year when Kevin Shattenkirk, Karl Alzner, Justin Williams and Nate Schmidt have all found new homes would have been one of the hardest offseasons imaginable for the Capitals.

East Notes: Kuznetsov, Spooner, Athanasiou, Melanson

July 8, 2017 at 3:48 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 3 Comments

Last weekend, the Capitals wasted little time locking up center Evgeny Kuznetsov to an eight year, $62.4MM deal and flipped Marcus Johansson to New Jersey to free up some cap space. Newsday’s Arthur Staple reports that part of the reason that the Kuznetsov contract came together so quickly was the potential for an offer sheet. Although there’s no word on which team may potentially have been sniffing around, it’s still interesting that even the possibility of one impacted the timetable for Kuznetsov.

Other notes from around the league:

Bruins forward Ryan Spooner was among the players to file for arbitration earlier this week. He’s coming off a contract that had a cap hit of just $950K and despite a bit of a down season compared to 2015-16, he still should be in line for a notable raise. CSN New England’s Joe Haggerty suggests that a one year deal between $2-3MM seems to be a likely outcome given his 39 point season. Spooner has long been the subject of trade speculation and if he is still in play, it may be more wise for GM Don Sweeney to try to move him before the hearing comes up.
Although Detroit is likely to be right up near the upper limit when they reach a new deal with winger Tomas Tatar, they’re not likely to move their other restricted free agent of note in winger Andreas Athanasiou, notes MLive’s Ansar Khan. While the 22 year old was in and out of the doghouse at times, he still has a combination of speed and finishing ability that would be hard to give up on unless he was part of a package for a top pairing defenseman which is highly unlikely. Khan adds that the lack of cap space the Red Wings will have also plays a factor here as even if they decided to look at moving Athanasiou, they’d be restricted to trying to match money which would basically limit them to players on or near their entry-level contract, prospects, or picks.
The Devils announced the hiring of Roland Melanson as their new goaltending coach, replacing Chris Terreri. Melanson has previously served in that role with Montreal and Vancouver and will be reunited with one of his former netminders with the Canucks in Cory Schneider; he was Schneider’s coach for three seasons. The team also noted that Terreri will remain with the organization in a yet-to-be-determined capacity.

KHL Notes: Sorokin, Kuznetsov, Lyubimov

July 3, 2017 at 10:23 am CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

The New York Islanders have some of the top goalie prospects in the world, but will have to wait a few more years at least to see Ilya Sorokin on North American ice. The Russian goaltender has reached a three-year extension with CSKA Moscow. He was under contract for the 2017-18 season already.

Sorokin is one of the best goaltenders in the KHL, winning Goaltender of the Year two seasons ago age-20. Should he ever decide to come to North America the Islanders would welcome him with open arms, but it still doesn’t seem like he’s considering it. Back in May, he told reporters after the World Championships that he would be focused on the 2017-18 season, but an extension will keep him overseas even longer.

The Washington Capitals re-signed Evgeny Kuznetsov to an eight-year, $62.4MM contract yesterday, and GM Brian MacLellan met with the media today to discuss it and other offseason moves the team has made so far. To Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press, he explained that the threat of Kuznetsov going back to Russia was real, and pushed the contract higher than they’d hoped. The decision was “do we let Kuznetsov walk to Russia and become a UFA in 2 years or do we trade Marcus [Johansson]?”
Agent Dan Milstein of Gold Star Hockey announced today that Roman Lyubimov has signed with CSKA Moscow in order to try his hand at the 2018 Olympics, something he hinted at back in April. Lyubimov is a restricted free agent with the Philadelphia Flyers after playing 47 games with the club last season. The 25-year old scored just six points, and didn’t make the impact they’d hoped for.

Capitals Re-Sign Evgeny Kuznetsov To Eight Year Deal

July 2, 2017 at 6:08 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 4 Comments

The Capitals have locked up one of their core players for the long haul, announcing the re-signing of restricted free agent center Evgeny Kuznetsov to an eight year, $62.4MM contract ($7.8MM AAV). Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post adds (Twitter link) that the deal contains a modified no-trade clause in the final six years of the contract; he is ineligible to receive one in the first two due to his age.

Kuznetsov has spent the past four seasons with Washington and was a first round pick (26th overall) of the team back in 2010. GM Brian MacLellan had the following to say about the 25 year old in a team release:

“Evgeny is a premier center in the NHL and we are pleased that he will remain in Washington for at least the next eight years. It is difficult to find a player of his caliber, who is in his prime and makes his teammates better. Evgeny plays with a tremendous skill, speed and tenacity needed to win in the NHL.”

Last season, Kuznetsov saw his production dip a little although he still posted a solid 19 goals and 40 assists while playing in all 82 games for the second straight season. He followed that up with a strong postseason effort, collecting five points and five helpers in 13 playoff contests. That came off the heels of a career year in 2015-16 where he posted 77 points (20-57-77), a career high.

The deal makes Kuznetsov the second highest paid player on the team, only behind captain Alex Ovechkin. Nicklas Backstrom is their top pivot and plays ahead of Kuznetsov but he still has three years left on his deal with a cap hit of $6.7MM.

MacLellan will have plenty of work to do to stay under the $75MM salary cap. They currently have $4.6MM in cap space per CapFriendly and only have 15 players under contract. Among their notable restricted free agents that still need to be re-signed are winger Andre Burakovsky and goaltender Phillip Grubauer.

Mike Vogl of the Capitals’ team website reports that the contract breaks down as follows:

2017-18: $5MM salary, $5MM signing bonus
2018-19: $5MM salary, $5MM signing bonus
2019-20: $3.4MM salary, $5MM signing bonus
2020-21: $3MM salary, $2MM signing bonus
2021-22: $3MM salary, $5MM signing bonus
2022-23: $3MM salary, $2MM signing bonus
2023-24: $6MM salary, $2MM signing bonus
2024-25: $6MM salary, $2MM signing bonus

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Offseason Keys: Washington Capitals

June 24, 2017 at 2:05 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

While expansion was the early headline in what will be a busy NHL offseason, there are still several other storylines for each team in the months to come. Here is a closer look at what lies ahead for the Washington Capitals.

2016-17 was largely more of the same in Washington. They were the top team in the regular season but once again came up short in the played after being ousted by Pittsburgh in the second round. GM Brian MacLellan went all in with this group and now faces a summer where nearly half the team needs new contracts even after the re-signing of T.J. Oshie. That’s highlighted in multiple keys for their offseason.

Re-Sign The Russians

Washington has a pair of restricted free agents that have already been speculated as candidates to return home to Russia in center Evgeny Kuznetsov and defenseman Dmitry Orlov. Kuznetsov is the less likely of the two to go but he has suggested in the past that it’s something he would consider if contracts talks don’t go well at the start.

Orlov’s a more intriguing case, however. It took until late September for them to reach an agreement on a one year post-bridge contract worth $2.57MM. He responded with a career season and has arbitration rights. If he wants to secure an NHL deal, going that route seems like a logical outcome. If Orlov is considering playing in the KHL (and in the Olympics) though, this could be one that drags out for a while yet.

As for Kuznetsov, he’s also coming off his bridge deal and is lined up for a significantly larger payday than the $3.4MM salary he received in 2016-17. While his deployment was largely as a second liner thanks to Nicklas Backstrom being in front of him, he has produced like a front line player and will be looking to be paid like one; he too has arbitration rights. There’s a good chance his cap hit of $3MM from this past season will be doubled in this next deal which is something MacLellan will need to keep in mind as he plots out his other re-signings.

Decide On Remaining UFAs

Even after re-signing Oshie, the Capitals have one of the more prominent unrestricted free agents in defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk. Acquired as a rental player in advance of the trade deadline, it’s unlikely that he’ll be back.

However, beyond Shattenkirk, Washington has a couple of other veteran players who are bound to garner plenty of interest. Blueliner Karl Alzner is a top four stay-at-home player and his market will be one to watch given what happened to Kris Russell last summer. Winger Justin Williams has shown that he’s still a capable second line forward and should have several suitors as well. The Caps would undoubtedly like to keep both of them in the fold but they can’t afford to bring everyone back. MacLellan will need to have a few other plans in place depending on what the market dictates if everyone makes it to July 1st unsigned.

Add Left Side Defensive Help

Alzner has been a staple on Washington’s back end for the past seven seasons, giving them a dependable left side defender who can log top four minutes. Him leaving via free agency would create a big hole to fill. The team was hoping that Nate Schmidt would be able to step in to take that spot but he wound up being selected by the Golden Knights in the Expansion Draft so that option is off the table as well.

Presently, the Capitals have just two left shot defensemen under contract for next season in Brooks Orpik and Taylor Chorney and both of them aren’t ideal candidates for top four roles. Even if the team keeps one of their better right side players on the left, there’s still one vacancy that will need to be filled.

How MacLellan projects out the cap situation may dictate which route he goes to cover that spot. The cap hit will be pricier with a free agent signing and wouldn’t cost them any assets but would they prefer to go the trade route to get a cheaper fit even if the acquisition cost is higher? With so few players signed for next season presently, a lot is in flux with just a week to go until free agency opens up.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Early Expansion Protection News: Capitals, Kings, Flames, Predators, And More

June 17, 2017 at 7:58 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 4 Comments

The 2017 NHL Expansion Draft is an exciting process. If you’re too riled up to wait until the lists are officially submitted in the morning, you’re in luck. As could be expected, information leaks are flooding in on who was and wasn’t protected by their teams ahead of the deadline this afternoon. This list will be updated all night long as more news comes in:

Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post was the first reputable source to release her team’s protection list, as she confirmed the Washington Capitals’ names not long after the 5:00 PM ET deadline. The lists includes the expected names: Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Andre Burakovsky, Marcus Johansson, Lars Eller, Tom Wilson, Matt Niskanen, John Carlson, Dmitry Orlov, and Braden Holtby. While not surprising, the list does not include long-time Jay Beagle, promising young players Nate Schmidt and Brett Connolly, and a oft-rumored target of the Golden Knights, backup goaltender Philipp Grubauer.

L.A.-based hockey writer John Hoven got the list of protected players for the Los Angeles Kings, which confirms that they will indeed protect eight-skaters, including four defenseman, rather than the 7/3 protection scheme. Among the safe are Anze Kopitar, Jeff Carter, Tyler Toffoli, Tanner Pearson, Drew Doughty, Jake Muzzin, Alec Martinez, and the key decision, Derek Forbort. Star goalie Jonathan Quick was also obviously protected. While the Kings succeeded in protecting the most valuable players on the roster, they still have left defenseman Brayden McNabb and a large assortment of forwards including Trevor Lewis, Nic Dowd, and Nick Shore open to selection.

Sportsnet’s Eric Francis, who covers the Calgary Flames, has some key names for his team as well. Francis confirmed that the Flames did not protect 2016 free agent acquisition Troy Brouwer, but did opt to save younger assets like Sam Bennett, Micheal Ferland, and Curtis Lazar. Although Francis stops there, the rest of Calgary’s list is somewhat self explanatory with newly-acquired goalie Mike Smith, defensive core of Mark Giordano, T.J. Brodie, and Dougie Hamilton, and cornerstone forwards Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan, Michael Frolik, and Mikael Backlund as obvious choices.

One not so obvious choice has been made in Nashville. Adam Vingan of The Tennessean answered a question on the minds of many, reporting that the Predators did in fact protect forward Calle Jarnkrok. With the rest of the eight-skater list all but set in stone with goalie Pekka Rinne, defensemen Roman Josi, P.K. Subban, Ryan Ellis, and Mattias Ekholm, and star forwards Filip Forsberg, Ryan Johansen, and Viktor Arvidsson, the final forward spot came down to Jarnkrok, signed long-term, or James Neal, an elite scorer with just one year remaining on his contract. It seems that Neal will be open for selection, alongside names like Colton Sissons, Colin Wilson, and Craig Smith. Vignan adds that no deal has been struck between Vegas and the Predators to protect any of those players, with Nashville especially liking to retain Neal and Sissons.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that, interestingly enough, young Detroit Red Wings defenseman Xavier Ouellet was not protected by his team. This is the first real surprise of the expansion process and the first protection news that doesn’t match up with PHR’s Expansion Primer projections. The 23-year-old skated in 66 games this season for Detroit, third most among defenseman, and his 12 points tied that of top-pair man Danny DeKeyser. Yet, Ouellett will not join DeKeyser and Mike Green in protection, instead beaten out by another teammate. GM Ken Holland, who has gotten the reputation of perhaps being too loyal, possibly chose aging veteran Niklas Kronwall over Ouellet. Hopefully that doesn’t come back to bite the rebuilding Red Wings.

Another name confirmed to be unprotected is young Vancouver Canucks center Brendan Gaunce. Vancouver sports anchor Rick Dhaliwal was told that that Gaunce, a 2012 first-round pick, did not make the protection list for the Canucks, expected to be a 7/3 format, meaning that the team saw him as outside the top seven forwards on the team. The 23-year-old two-way specialist has upside, but after registering just five points in 57 games last season, no one will blame Vancouver for that choice.

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