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James Wisniewski

Tampa Bay Trims Roster By 24

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The Tampa Bay Lightning trimmed their roster by 24 players today according to the team’s website, and now have 28 players remaining. Below are the players who were sent down or cut:

Forwards 

Cameron Darcy
Adam Erne
Yanni  Gourde
Mike Halmo
Brian Hart
Henri Ikonen
Pierre Letourneau-Leblond
Tye McGinn
Jeremy Morin
Matt Peca
Tanner Richard
Mitchell Stephens
Jonne Tammela

Defensemen

Dylan Blujus
Adam Comrie
Jake Dotchin
Dominik Masan
Matt Taormina
Ben Thomas
Daniel Walcott
James Wisniewski (Released)

Goalies

Nicola Riopel
Adam Wilcox

Veteran defenseman James Wisniewski was released from his professional tryout and will be on the move again. Adam Gretz writes that Wisniewski admitted it was difficult to adjust to Tampa’s system. Though he’s coming off of a major injury, Wisniewski could add value to a depleted blue line should he be able to shake the rust off and stay healthy.

Atlantic Notes: Wisniewski, Girgensons, Marner

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Despite plenty of postseason success the last two seasons resulting in two trips to the Eastern Conference Finals and a Stanley Cup Finals berth in 2015, the Tampa Bay Lightning have ultimately come up short of reaching their goal. Returning almost entirely the same roster for 2016-17, the Lightning should again be among the best teams in the east and one certainly capable of winning the Stanley Cup. And despite not adding much impact talent from outside the organization this summer, a minor addition might be the “missing piece” in the Lightning’s championship puzzle, opines Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times.

Right-handed defenseman James Wisniewski, who missed all but one shift of the 2015-16 season because of an ACL tear, was signed by Tampa to a PTO and has an excellent chance of making the team out of camp. As Smith notes, the Lightning ranked 28th in the NHL in power play efficiency and that’s an area Wisniewski specializes in. The 11-year-veteran has tallied more than half of his 53 career goals on the man-advantage and has twice recorded seven in a single season.

The Lightning do list Anton Stralman, Braydon Coburn and Andrej Sustr as right-side defenders, though as a left-handed shooter, Coburn could potentially play on either side. Tampa also re-signed RFA Nikita Nesterov, another starboard-side shooter, further congesting that side of the blue line depth chart. But, as Smith writes, when GM Steve Yzerman reached out to Wisniewski, he indicated the team had been looking for a right-handed shot on the blue line who could help out on the man advantage and that should improve his chances of finding playing time in Tampa Bay.

Elsewhere in the NHL’s Atlantic Division:

  • After a down year in 2015-16, Zemgus Girgensons is ready to turn the page and hopeful a consistent role with the Sabres will help him get back on track, writes John Vogl of The Buffalo News. Girgensons had a strong sophomore season in 2014-15 recording 15 goals and 30 points in 61 games. But under new head coach Dan Bylsma and moving back-and-forth from center to wing, Girgenson netted just seven goals and 18 points in 71 contests this past season. Bylsma is prepared to start the season with the  22-year-old Latvian at center with the hope it will allow him to rebuild some of his confidence. Girgensons inked a new one-year deal worth $1.15MM as a RFA and is banking on a much better season in 2016-17.
  • Mitch Marner, selected fourth overall in 2015 by Toronto, is not a sure bet to make the Maple Leafs roster to open the 2016-17 campaign but if he keeps performing as he did Monday night, his chances look good. According to Rob Longley of the Toronto Sun, Marner was “electric” on the ice and generated several quality scoring chances for the Leafs. Marner finished with two assists in the Ottawa Senators 6 – 3 win over Toronto but the 19-year-old pivot was the best player on the ice for either team and took a great first step in convincing the Leafs he is ready for the NHL.

Atlantic Notes: Florida Goalies, Wisniewski, Tanguay

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The Florida Panthers will be heading into training camp next week with somewhat of a logjam between the pipes.  Joining incumbent Roberto Luongo are June trade acquisition Reto Berra and free agent signing James Reimer.  At the time Berra was acquired, it was expected that he would replace Al Montoya (who later signed with Montreal) as their backup goalie.

Their decision to pursue Reimer caught many by surprise, including Reimer himself.  Speaking with George Richards of the Miami Herald, Reimer commented on his initial surprise when he was approached by the Panthers shortly after their acquisition of Berra:

“I didn’t know what their intention was. They called, and we got to talking and there was interest there. We pursued it, and it looks like a good fit.”

As it turns out, GM Tom Rowe was viewing Berra (who actually played in two more games in the AHL last year, 16 AHL to 14 NHL games) primarily as an insurance policy for Luongo as it was unknown if he would be ready to start the season following offseason hip surgery.  However, the 37 year old has been skating for a month and appears to be on track to start Florida’s season opener on October 13th.

If that is the case, the Panthers plan to try to send Berra to the minors.  He will have to pass through waivers to get there and if he clears, he will still partly count against Florida’s salary cap to the tune of $500K (his cap hit of $1.45MM minus [$375K plus the minimum salary of $575K]).

More from the Atlantic:

  • After being bought out by Carolina in late June, James Wisniewski was targeting two teams in free agency. One of those teams was Tampa Bay, he told Bryan Burns on the Lightning’s website.  Wisniewski played only a single game last season with Carolina as he tore his ACL on his first and only shift with the team and signed a PTO with the Bolts last month.  However, he’s only two years removed from a 51 point season with Columbus and could be a low risk, high reward pickup if he’s able to make the opening night roster.
  • While he expressed a desire to return to Montreal earlier this offseason, the Canadiens do not have interest in signing free agent left winger Alex Tanguay, Richard Labbe of La Presse reports (link in French). Tanguay played one season for his hometown team back in 2008-09.  He’s the highest remaining point getter among UFA’s after putting up 35 points in 70 games with Colorado and Arizona last season.  It was reported earlier this month that Tanguay has a handful of tryout offers on the table but that he is still seeking a guaranteed deal.

Wisniewski To Try Out For Tampa

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A difficult NHL off-season has claimed yet another victim. With many veteran players being forced into cheap contracts or overseas ventures, James Wisniewski was unable to even land a guaranteed contract. Once considered a top puck-moving defenseman, the 32-year-old is now in PTO territory, signing a tryout deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning, according to James Mirtle of The Globe and Mail.

Mirtle adds that Wisniewski’s injury concerns likely led to this outcome. “The Wiz” did not have a very magical stint with the Carolina Hurricanes last season, tearing his ACL in his first game with the team and missing the remainder of the season. He was promptly bought out this summer. It seems as though the injury is lingering and no team felt comfortable giving Wisniewski a guaranteed contract for the 2016-17 season. Tampa Bay will get to give him a look in training camp and during the preseason now, without having to make the decision without knowing the full extent of the injury.

Should he look healthy and effective and then be willing to agree to the GM Steve Yzerman’s terms, Wisniewski is capable of having a successful season with the Bolts. The season before last, he put up 34 points split between the Columbus Blue Jackets and Anaheim Ducks, and the previous season, 2013-14, he had 51 points in 75 games to finish second on the Jackets in scoring. Wisniewski is a very capable puck-moving defenseman who, when healthy, can play top pair minutes and quarterback a power play. While those attributes were seemingly not enough to earn him a guaranteed contract this off-season, they should be enough to see him play somewhere in 2016-17. A tryout contract does not guarantee the Lightning exclusive rights to Wisniewski, and with their depth and cap struggles, it seems more likely than not that he won’t play in Tampa this season, but a strong preseason should see him end up with a legitimate NHL contract elsewhere at the very least. However, a poor showing due to his bad left knee and ACL could mean the end of a once-promising career.

Top Five Remaining Unrestricted Free Agents

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Back in June, we posted our Top 50 Unrestricted Free Agents. Since then, we’ve seen 38 of our top 50 have signed in the NHL, Brad Richards and Dan Boyle retired, and Kris Versteeg signed in Europe. There are nine players from our list still unsigned.

Let’s take a look at the Top Five UFAs still unsigned:

1. Jiri Hudler (18) – PHR originally predicted a four-year, $16MM contract with New Jersey. While 46 points is still solid for a 32-year-old, Hudler is two years removed from a 76-point, Lady Byng-winning campaign, so the perception is that he’s on the decline. Meanwhile, the Devils traded for Taylor Hall and therefore weren’t looking for another scoring winger. Hudler still offers value for teams looking for a possession positive, offensive winger. Teams have to decide if they’re acquiring the 46-point Hudler, or the 76-point one. Look for a one-year contract in the range of $1MM.

2. James Wisniewski (NR) – Back on June 21 when we posted the original Top 50, Wisniewski was still a member of the Carolina Hurricanes. He was bought out by the Hurricanes on June 30 after playing just 0:47 seconds with them after tearing his ACL on his first shift. We profiled Wisniewski further here. He’s an offensively skilled, right-handed defenseman which has value, but teams will be wary of giving him anything more than a tryout at training camp or one year for cheap.

3. Brandon Pirri (NR) – Similar to Wisniewski, Pirri was not on our original list because he was property of the Anaheim Ducks. However, the Ducks chose not to offer Pirri a qualifying offer, despite him being an offensively talented winger; the budget Ducks likely wanted to avoid heading to arbitration. Pirri is an interesting player, and two years removed from a Cy Young caliber season with 22 goals and 2 assists. He could be an option for teams like the Oilers to upgrade on Nail Yakupov. Look for him to get a one or two year deal in the $1-2MM range, depending on the situation.

4 . Radim Vrbata (27) – Vrbata is coming off a terrible season with just 27 points in 63 games. However, like Hudler, he’s two years removed from a tremendous season, putting up 31 goals and 63 points. Some talk was made around the trade deadline about the Canucks not getting a single concrete trade offer for Vrbata. We originally predicted a one-year, $3.7MM contract with the Avalanche. At this point, if Vrbata is going to get any offers, look for similar terms as Wisniewski: PTO or cheap one-year contract in the Sam Gagner range.

5. Alex Tanguay (33) – We predicted Tanguay signing a one-year, $2.5MM contract with Arizona, where he finished last season. Tanguay is getting up there in age (he’ll turn 37 in November), but has shown the ability to perform in a scoring role. He’s not particularly skilled on the defensive or physical sides of the game, but Tanguay would be a decent fit for a team looking for either a short-term upgrade or a bridge player until a prospect is ready. At this point, expect him to attend a training camp on a PTO.

Free Agent Profile: James Wisniewski

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Perhaps no 2016 NHL free agent is as perplexing as James Wisniewski. “The Wiz” has had a roller coaster career; his strong offensive production and possession ability have often been overshadowed by his defensive deficiencies, an inability to stay on the ice, and a knack for being traded. The journeyman defenseman finds himself as an afterthought on the free agent market thus far, and was not even included on our Top 50 Free Agents list, despite being just 32 years old and only two years removed from the best season of his career. However, with the demand for right-handed defenseman being as high as it has ever been, Wisniewski won’t be unsigned for long. The only question is whether he is able to command a market-value multi-year contract or if instead some team will get him on a short, inexpensive deal.

When Wisniewski broke into the league during the ’05-’06 season, he was one of the most talked-about prospects in hockey. Despite being selected by the Chicago Blackhawks in the fifth round of the 2002 NHL draft, the former Plymouth Whalers captain excelled in his later years in junior hockey. Following an ’03-’04 season in which he scored 70 points in only 50 games, Wisniewski was awarded the Max Kaminsky Trophy as the most outstanding defenseman in the Ontario Hockey League in 2004, and then also took home the title of CHL Defenseman of the Year and First Team All-Star.

After two seasons in the AHL, Wisniewski debuted with the Blackhawks in ’05-’06, but his season was cut short by a torn ACL. It would be the beginning of an injury-riddled career. Wisniewski played well in his early seasons with the Blackhawks, even playing with a toughness and grit (103 PIM in ’07-’08) that has been missing from his game in recent years, but it was not enough to keep him in Chicago. He was dealt to the Anaheim Ducks at the trade deadline in 2009. Despite scoring 30 points in 69 games for the Ducks the following season, after just a year and a half in Anaheim, Wisniewski was traded again, this time to the New York Islanders. Only 32 games into the 2010 season, Wisniewski was traded for a third time, being sent to the Montreal Canadiens for the remainder of the year. Between New York and Montreal, he scored a career high 10 goals in the ’10-’11 season and totaled 51 points in 75 games. Wisniewski finally had the chance to choose his own destination that off-season, and cashed in on his success with a six-year, $33MM deal to play for the Columbus Blue Jackets. As a leader on the ice and in the locker room on a young Columbus team, Wisniewski finally had a long-term home with the Blue Jackets. In ’13-’14 he matched his career high with 51 points in 75 games, and then started hot again the next season, with 29 points through 56 games. He was playing so well, that Columbus decided to trade him at the deadline, and Wisniewski returned to Anaheim for a second stint with the Ducks.

Going into last season, things were looking good for James Wisniewski. He had put up strong numbers in back-to-back seasons and hadn’t been hampered by injuries the past few years either. He even had a new home, as the Ducks dealt him to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for goalie Anton Khudobin at the 2015 draft. However, on opening night, just 47 seconds into his first shift as a member of the Hurricanes, Wisniewski tore his ACL again and did not play a single for the rest of the season. Carolina made his absence permanent recently, buying out the final year of his contract and making him a free agent.

Wisniewski now finds himself as one of more polarizing players available to teams looking for defensive help. One view point is that he is a dominant offensive defenseman, who has averaged close to 40 points in every season that he has played over 50 games and who consistently has the possession numbers of a top pairing defenseman. The other viewpoint is that in ten NHL seasons, he has played on average in only 55 games per season and has done so on six different teams, indicating that not only does he have trouble staying on the ice, but perhaps teams don’t want him on the ice either. Wisniewski has little leverage, as he is coming off of a serious injury, and is likely to sign a short-term deal for much less money than he’s used to. However, if the former opinion proves to be true, then “the Wiz” could end up as the steal of the off-season as a short-term solution for a D-needy team like the Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings, Edmonton Oilers, or New Jersey Devils and then make his money next off-season. If the latter opinion proves to be true, then the team can always just trade him. He’s used to it by now.

Best Of The Rest: Defense

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We’ve already seen over half a billion dollars given out to free agents since July 1st, and many of the top names are off the board.  34 of our Top 50 Free Agents have already signed with teams, many of them to long-term deals.  With the summer months still looming ahead of us, we’ll take a look at who is left on the market.  Here are the best of the rest for defensemen on the open market:

(number in parentheses indicates ranking on PHR’s Top 50)

  1. Kris Russell (12) – There were many reports of Russell allegedly turning down a $17MM offer from the Maple Leafs this weekend, but agent Allain Roy made it clear that they were false.  While he’s clearly been affected by the analytical approach many teams are employing, he’ll still likely get a large contract as teams miss out on other blueline opportunities.
  2. Luke Schenn (30) – How far has Schenn fallen, from being a top-5 pick in the draft, to being traded straight up for James van Riemsdyk.  Now it’s hard to see him demand much more than $3MM a season to fill a bottom pair role. His age does help him however, as at just 26 he’s one of the youngest available free agent defenseman.
  3. Kyle Quincey (44) – Quincey was once an integral part of the Red Wings’ blueline, but after seasons plagued with injury and ineffectiveness he’s now looking to rebuild value on a one-year deal.  Quincey is a pretty good bet as a bounce-back candidate on a bottom pair, and will probably be on the market again in 2017.
  4. Justin Schultz (NR) – Schultz wasn’t given a qualifying offer from the Penguins last month, and became an unrestricted free agent for the second time before his 26th birthday (which happens to be today). The former University of Wisconsin Badger signed with Edmonton after college but still hasn’t found his footing in the NHL. Still with huge upside, teams may look at him similarly to Michael Del Zotto from a few years ago.
  5. James Wisniewski (NR) – After a knee injury destroyed his entire 2015-16 season, Wisniewski was bought out by the Hurricanes last week. While he’s now 32-years old, the “Wiz” was once heralded as a borderline top pairing defenseman, and might still have some relevant hockey left in him.  As the prices steadily increase for right-handed shots, Wisniewski might be a reasonable option for a team on a budget.

Free Agency Snapshots: Best Remaining Players

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As of 11:30pm, Jason Demers signed a five-year deal with Florida. This article was written prior to that contract being signed. 

A variety of analysts weighed in on who they thought the best remaining free agents were on the unrestricted free agent market. USA Today’s Kevin Allen writes that defensemen Jason Demers, Kyle Quincey, Kris Russell, James Wisniewski and Justin Schultz are all names that should find a new (or possibly the same) home. Allen still believes that Demers was the best free agent defenseman on the market, but that his reported $5MM pricetag may be scaring teams away. Allen also lists forwards Jiri Hudler, Sam Gagner, P.A. Parenteau, and Matt Cullen as other intriguing options. Allen believes that although Hudler has shown a goal scoring knack, his age (32) may be a factor in his inability to land a deal.

  • NHL.com listed their best of the rest, with many mirroring Allen’s list. However, they listed Patrik Elias, Tomas Fleischmann, Roman Polak, Brad Richards, Luke Schenn, Alex Tanguay, and Radim Vrbata as other options. Most intriguing was the inclusion of Elias, who at 40 years of age, is still looking to play. Though they listed Coyotes captain Shane Doan, it was speculated yesterday that he would be returning to the desert, and that a contract was close.
  • Sportsnet’s Luke Fox also had a similar list to the aforementioned,  though he added Brandon Pirri, and Dennis Seidenberg as two additional options. On Pirri, Fox believes that his 29 points along with his young age (25) makes him a smart addition. Fox calls Seidenberg a dependable stay at home defenseman, but one that won’t “wow” any potential suitors.
  • Finally, Greg Wyshynski writes that any team who signs Russell is making a puzzling acquisition. Wyshynski wonders if Russell could get $5MM for blocking shots–and not much more. Last season, Russell had 19 points (4-15) in 62 games with Calgary and Dallas.

Hurricanes Buy Out James Wisniewski

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The Hurricanes announced that they have bought out the remainder of D James Wisniewski’s contract.  As he had a full no-move clause, he did not have to go through the waiver process like six other players did earlier today.

Wisniewski played in just one game with the Hurricanes after being acquired last offseason for G Anton Khudobin.  He tore his ACL in that contest (in his second shift, playing just 47 seconds) and missed the remainder of the season recovering from knee surgery.  In order for him to be bought out, Wisniewski must have received a clean bill of health from team doctors.

He was due a salary of $3MM in 2016-17 with a cap hit of $5.5MM.  Instead, the Hurricanes will pay Wisniewski $2MM in salary over the next two seasons and will incur a cap charge of $3.5MM in 2016-17 and $1MM in 2017-18.

Wisniewski has played in 552 career NHL games between the Blackhawks, Ducks, Islanders, Canadiens, Blue Jackets, and Hurricanes, collecting 53 goals and 221 assists.  He could be an intriguing third pairing option for teams looking for blueline help in free agency.

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