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2019 Midseason UFA Power Rankings: Best Of The Rest

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With the halfway point of the season now behind us and the trade deadline fast approaching, the All-Star break seemed like the perfect time to take a preliminary look at the UFA Class of 2019. These rankings are based on votes from writers Gavin Lee, Brian La Rose, Zach Leach and Holger Stolzenberg. We ran the top-10 yesterday, and spots 11-20 a few days ago.

Today, we’ll look at those names that just missed the cut but will still be interesting options this summer. All of these players were included on at least one ballot, but did not accumulate enough points to crack the top 20.

Mats Zuccarello, New York Rangers — Included on two of the four ballots and sitting as high as 15th, Zuccarello would probably make it into the top-20 most years. Unfortunately he hasn’t really been able to take advantage of the increased opportunity in New York this season, recording just 24 points in 35 games through the first part of the year. The versatile forward has always been a reliable presence in the Rangers’ attack, but he hasn’t looked the part of a 20-goal scorer for several years and this year has just 13 even-strength points. A foot infection has come at the worst time for both player and team, as Zuccarello was working on a five-game point streak through the middle of January and was improving his trade stock greatly. A strong finish on a playoff contender could certainly help his free agent market.

Alex Edler, Vancouver Canucks — It’s hard to vote for Edler as a free agent, given how adamant both sides have been about the potential of the veteran defenseman ending his career in Vancouver. Still, he made it onto one ballot all the way up at #14 earning him a place on our honorable mentions. The oft-injured Edler has been good again this year when in the lineup, but is about to turn 33 and has been clear about his desire to stay with the Canucks. If they can’t find a middle ground, there will be teams hoping Edler can find a way to stave off his decline a few more years—look for a deal similar to the ones Ron Hainsey and Trevor Daley signed in 2017.

Robin Lehner, New York Islanders — 15-7-4, .931 save percentage and a 2.02 goals against average. Still only good enough to get Lehner onto a single ballot. The former Buffalo Sabres starter has turned heads this year, but given that he’s only played in 27 games there should still be plenty of doubt over whether he can handle the load. If Lehner continues to find success down the stretch and leads the Islanders back to the playoffs—and perhaps a series win—someone will find the room to make him a starting goaltender offer in the summer. Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello is notorious for finding a premiere goaltender to start as frequently as possible. Whether he believes Lehner can be that is still to be seen.

Derick Brassard, Pittsburgh Penguins — Hard to believe that last season Brassard was one of the most sought after assets at the trade deadline, and now can’t even get on more than a single ballot. A year in Pittsburgh has not been good for the veteran center, as he has recorded just 27 points in 66 games including a dismal performance in the playoffs.  Brassard is obviously not a fit in Pittsburgh, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be interest in him should he reach free agency. The question is how many years is a team willing to offer for a player who will be 32 before the 2019-20 season begins and is likely coming off his worst season in the NHL.

Jimmy Howard, Detroit Red Wings — On just a single ballot, Howard is another player overshadowed by the talent available at his position. A warrior for the Red Wings for parts of the last 13 seasons, it’s hard to imagine that a team will be willing to pay up for a 35-year old goaltender. Re-signing in Detroit as a part-time starter might make the most sense, especially since they obviously value him quite highly. Howard is still playing well enough to take a team to the playoffs, but betting he’ll be able to do that again going forward is a pretty risky gamble.

Anton Stralman, Tampa Bay Lightning — Overlooked for basically his whole career, Stralman was another who received just a single vote. Despite seeming like he’s been in the league for decades, the veteran defenseman won’t turn 33 until August and is still playing excellent hockey for the best team in the NHL. Sure, his game has slowed a bit since he was a 30+ point defenseman, but teams are always looking for right-handed depth on the blue line and Stralman brings over 100 games of playoff experience. If the Lightning can bring home a Stanley Cup it would only further cement his place as a viable free agent option for any contender.

Brandon Pirri, Vegas Golden Knights — It’s not often that a player who has spent much of the season in the minor leagues receives a vote as one of the top free agents, but Pirri has been an unusual case for his entire career. The simple fact is that he can flat out score, has shown by his eight goals and 13 points in 14 games for the Golden Knights this year. No one is going to be handing out a long-term big money deal, but Pirri has done enough work to improve his game away from the puck that there will be interest. That is, if the Golden Knights don’t extend him themselves.

NHL Announces All-Star Skills Competitors

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The NHL All-Star Skills Competition is scheduled for this evening, and though Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon have both pulled out due to illness and injury there are still an incredible amount of talented players taking part. Most notable however may be the final entrant in the fastest skater competition: Kendall Coyne. A member of the US Women’s National Team, Coyne will take MacKinnon’s place after the Colorado Avalanche forward suffered a foot injury this week. The Olympic gold medalist is known for her speed and posted a 14.226 yesterday during event testing according to Emily Kaplan of ESPN. Though that wouldn’t have been enough to dethrone Connor McDavid last year, it would have put her ahead of Zach Werenski, Noah Hanifin and Josh Bailey in the competition. We’ll see what Coyne can do tonight, along with the rest of the competitors:

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Asking Price Remains High For Jimmy Howard, Gustav Nyquist

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Back in December, it was reported that the Detroit Red Wings were seeking a first-round pick as part of any return for impending free agent goalie Jimmy Howard. Howard had been enjoying a hot start to the season and looked like the top keeper on the trade market, but a first-rounder still seemed like a chance. Since then, Howard has continued to play well, but the market has changed. Teams continue to drop out of the playoff race earlier than usual, with some contenders also proclaiming a lack of interest in the rental market, creating a strong buyer’s market. The situations surrounding other impending free agent goalies like Columbus’ Sergei Bobrovksy, Colorado’s Semyon Varlamov, Calgary’s Mike Smith, and Edmonton’s Cam Talbot have also continued to deteriorate and Howard no longer seems to be the clear cut top starter on the market. Statistically, he is still the best option to this point in the season, but the lofty goal of a first-round return seems less likely than ever.

Don’t tell that to Red Wings GM Ken Holland. Ansar Khan of MLive.com reiterates that the team is holding out for a first-round pick for Howard and would rather continue negotiating an extension with their longtime netminder than trade him away for anything less. However, Khan now adds that forward Gustav Nyquist is being given the exact same treatment. Despite Detroit’s struggles this season – the team is currently sixth in the Atlantic Division and 13 points out of an Eastern Conference wild card spot – Howard has played very well while backup Jonathan Bernier has faltered and Nyquist has been the team’s second-best forward  behind Dylan Larkin by a wide margin over the rest of the team. The Red Wings certainly have plenty of reason to want to retain both players moving forward, hence the high asking price to give up on those aspirations.

However, a first-round pick for Nyquist may not be so outlandish. With 40 points on the year, Nyquist is tied for fifth among impending free agent forwards. Of those around him, San Jose Sharks center Joe Pavelski is not going anywhere and Columbus Blue Jackets star Artemi Panarin seems unlikely to move as well. Both the Ottawa Senators and Buffalo Sabres would prefer to re-sign Mark Stone and Jeff Skinner respectively as well. This means that Nyquist could potentially be one of the top rental forwards available alongside the likes of Matt Duchene, Ryan Dzingel, Kevin Hayes, and Micheal Ferland. Such a label could be enough to garner a first-rounder for the Red Wings, if they’re still willing to move him. At this point, it seems more likely that Detroit extends both Nyquist and Howard than trades both, but as long as the team stays open to moving them at the right price, the fluctuating market could always change those plans.

Snapshots: Prospects, Howard, Pettersson

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We’re several months into the first post-draft season for the 2018 class and already several names have established themselves as full-time NHL players. The likes of Rasmus Dahlin, Andrei Svechnikov, Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Brady Tkachuk will never really be considered prospects as they have already graduated to the highest level. The rest though were ranked today along with the rest of the NHL prospect landscape by various outlets including Corey Pronman at The Athletic (subscription required) and Craig Button at TSN.

Pronman is especially high on Vancouver draft pick Quinn Hughes, who will likely sign his entry-level contract after Michigan University’s season ends. There’s little doubt that Hughes will be an NHL player immediately, but his absolute ceiling is still yet to be determined. Button meanwhile has a much different view of Hughes, dropping the undersized defenseman to eighth on his board. A pair of Russian forwards lead the way as New York Rangers prospect Vitali Kravtsov and Florida Panthers pick Grigori Denisenko come in on top.

  • Jimmy Howard’s name has been in the rumor mill for quite some time, with the Detroit Red Wings apparently asking for a first-round pick in exchange for the veteran goaltender. Speculation is likely to continue all the way up to the trade deadline, unless of course the team can come to an agreement in order to keep the pending free agent in town even longer. That’s what Howard is hoping for, as he told John Niyo of The Detroit News that it would be “an absolute honor” to finish his career with the Red Wings and that he feels like he and his family “belong” in Detroit.
  • Elias Pettersson skated this morning and is now considered day-to-day, with Vancouver Canucks head coach Travis Green not ruling him out for Wednesday’s game against the Edmonton Oilers. Pettersson hasn’t played since getting tangled up with Kotkaniemi in a game against Montreal nearly two weeks ago, but is also supposed to attend the All-Star game at the end of the month. The dazzling forward has 42 points in 38 games and was running away with the Calder Trophy when he went down.

San Jose Sharks Could Pursue A Goaltender

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The San Jose Sharks are hot right now. The team has won three straight and 12 of 17 dating back to December 1st. They are within striking distance of the Pacific Division and Western Conference lead, just three points back of the Calgary Flames. After a slow start, both Brent Burns and Erik Karlsson are playing Norris-caliber hockey and the offense is among the best in the league. Everything appears to be going well.

Yet, one can’t help but notice that the Sharks continue to get poor results from their goaltending. As they countdown to the Trade Deadline next month, TSN notes that San Jose could certainly be in the market for another goalie. San Jose is dead last in even strength save percentage and starter Martin Jones is among the worst starting goaltenders in the NHL statistically this season. Jones has an .899 save percentage and 2.82 goals against average in 32 games so far, while backup Aaron Dell has struggled even more, holding an .890 save percentage and 3.10 goals against average. Both keepers are fortunate to be playing in San Jose, where the Sharks allow a league-low 28.1 shots per game, but against superior competition – such as in the postseason – Jones and Dell will be exposed if they don’t improve.

The current trade market, unquestionably a buyer’s market, is likely to feature many legitimate goalies for the Sharks. Even if the team doesn’t want to meet the price for a keeper like Detroit’s Jimmy Howard or Colorado’s Semyon Varlamov, the options are aplenty. Cam Talbot (EDM), Craig Anderson (OTT), Keith Kinkaid (NJD), Petr Mrazek and Curtis McElhinney (CAR), and Brian Elliott and Michal Neuvirth (PHI) should be available for the Sharks to scoop up. While Jones and even Dell may have been better than the majority of this group in recent years, the season is more than halfway over and the Sharks keepers’ numbers speak for themselves. San Jose won’t be the only buyer in the goalie market, but they are seemingly guaranteed to land another keeper if they want one and the cost shouldn’t be too high. The team will have close to $4MM in cap space available at the trade deadline and would just have to find a way to carry three goaltenders for the rest of the season while staying cap compliant.

The more interesting question is whether the Sharks will also look into a more long-term solution, either ahead of the deadline or in the coming off-season. Jones and Dell, both 29 years old, each played well last season and were superb in 2016-17. However, if the team is losing faith in the duo, they may try to move Jones – in the first season of a six-year, $34.5MM deal – and replace him via trade or with a top free agent, such as Sergei Bobrovsky or even Los Angeles Kings rival Jonathan Quick. The team may also opt to simply upgrade his backup, moving on from Dell, who is signed through next season, in favor of a superior veteran option. So long as the Sharks play to their current level, that of a real Stanley Cup contender, GM Doug Wilson and company will have to do everything they can to give the team a shot at its first title.

2019 All-Star Rosters Announced

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The NHL has announced the four rosters for the 2019 All-Star Game today, scheduled to be held on January 26th in San Jose. Earlier today, Alex Ovechkin, who was elected captain of Metropolitan Division squad, told the league that he wouldn’t be attending and will accept the punishment of missing one game either before or after the break. Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, and Auston Matthews will represent the Pacific, Central and Atlantic respectively, as the other captains. A replacement Metropolitan captain for Ovechkin has yet to be named.

The full rosters are as follows:

Pacific Division

G John Gibson (ANA)
G Marc-Andre Fleury (VGK)

D Erik Karlsson (SJS)
D Brent Burns (SJS)
D Drew Doughty (LAK)

F Connor McDavid (EDM)*
F Johnny Gaudreau (CGY)
F Joe Pavelski (SJS)
F Elias Pettersson (VAN)
F Clayton Keller (ARI)

Central Division

G Pekka Rinne (NSH)
G Devan Dubnyk (MIN)

D Roman Josi (NSH)
D Miro Heiskanen (DAL)

F Nathan MacKinnon (COL)*
F Mikko Rantanen (COL)
F Blake Wheeler (WPG)
F Patrick Kane (CHI)
F Mark Scheifele (WPG)
F Ryan O’Reilly (STL)

Atlantic Division

G Jimmy Howard (DET)
G Carey Price (MTL)

D Keith Yandle (FLA)
D Thomas Chabot (OTT)

F Auston Matthews (TOR)*
F Nikita Kucherov (TBL)
F Steven Stamkos (TBL)
F John Tavares (TOR)
F David Pastrnak (BOS)
F Jack Eichel (BUF)

Metropolitan Division

G Henrik Lundqvist (NYR)
G Braden Holtby (WAS)

D John Carlson (WSH)
D Seth Jones (CBJ)

F Sidney Crosby (PIT)
F Taylor Hall (NJD)
F Mathew Barzal (NYI)
F Claude Giroux (PHI)
F Cam Atkinson (CBJ)
F Sebastian Aho (CAR)

*Denotes team captain

One final skater spot on each roster has yet to be announced, as it will be determined by the “Last Man In” fan ballot, a concept borrowed from Major League Baseball. The format of the current All-Star Game, which requires one representative from each team on these smaller 3-on-tournament rosters, was bound to cause some confusion with the initial selections. Seven top-twenty scorers were not selected – Mitch Marner, Brayden Point, Leon Draisaitl, Sean Monahan, Matthew Tkachuk, Phil Kessel, and Gabriel Landeskog – and several will inevitably remain out of All-Star participation even after the fan ballot additions. Morgan Rielly, the league’s top-scoring defenseman, and Mark Giordano, enjoying an elite season on both sides of the puck, are two surprising omissions on the blue line. Several of the league’s top goalies are also going to miss out, ineligible for the fan ballot, including Ben Bishop, Frederik Andersen, and Andrei Vasilevskiy. The “Last Man In” will be an intriguing new addition to the All-Star process, with nominees to be named shortly, but more than a few notable names will be left out regardless. Meanwhile, the health of players like Price and Chabot for Team Atlantic and Hall for Team Metropolitan will bear watching, as those players may opt to skip the All-Star festivities, opening up more players to selection.

Metropolitan Notes: Flyers Goaltending, Boychuk, Nieves

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When Chuck Fletcher took over general manager duties of the Philadelphia Flyers, he made it clear the one of the top priorities the team needed was some stability in net. Except suddenly things have changed. In the meantime, the team has gotten solid play from rookie Carter Hart which already brings into question whether the team intends to add a goalie to their depleted ranks.

The team’s starter, Brian Elliott, is undergoing medical tests and isn’t expected to be back any time soon. Anthony Stolarz is a few weeks away, while Michal Neuvirth is healthy, but extremely injury prone. However, with Hart performing well in three games so far, Philly.com’s Sam Carchidi writes that Fletcher now has more time to decide if Hart is the real deal and could find himself dealing from strength when the trade deadline comes around.

The scribe writes that Fletcher had a number of interesting goaltending options in front of him with rumors that Edmonton’s Cam Talbot, Los Angeles’ Jonathan Quick and Detroit’s Jimmy Howard (now injured) were available. However with Hart suddenly showing some early success (today’s loss notwithstanding) might allow Fletcher to re-think his plans. Of course, Hart may not be able to keep up his success for a long period of time and may still not be ready to be an NHL caliber goaltender, which could send Fletcher back to Plan A.

  • While it hasn’t been confirmed, Newsday’s Andrew Gross writes that New York Islanders defenseman Johnny Boychuk will likely miss Sunday’s game against Dallas. The veteran blueliner left the team after Thursday’s game against Vegas to return home to be with his wife for the birth of their third child and with a three-day Christmas break after Sunday’s game, the scribe writes it wouldn’t be surprising if he sat out Sunday’s game which could give Devon Toews a chance to make his NHL debut.
  • Newsday’s Colin Stephenson writes that while Boo Nieves, who returned to the Rangers’ lineup earlier this week after suffering his third registered concussion during the preseason tries not to worry about suffering another concussion and knows he can’t let that affect him when playing. “No, because that’s too much hesitation, and hesitation is what’s going to get you hurt,’’ he said. “So you have to just go into the game like you normally would, and you can’t worry about other things that are out of your control, like guys in your peripheral, and things like that. Things are going to happen, and you just have to be ready for them.’’

Detroit Seeking First-Round Pick In Package For Jimmy Howard

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While the latest “31 Thoughts” of Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman mentioned several major names as speculative trade targets, the insider buried the lede with his knowledge of the price of a more concrete trade block name. Friedman writes that Detroit Red Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard is in fact available, as expected. However, he also notes that GM Ken Holland and company have “made it clear (they) want at least a first-round pick” in return.

Howard, 34, has had his fair share of struggles over the year, with one strong season for every one off season over his ten years as a regular in Detroit. However, the impending free agent picked a good season to be on an upswing. Howard has a .923 save percentage thus far, a top ten rate in the NHL, as well as a 2.67 GAA in 22 games. The veteran has thoroughly outplayed free agent pickup Jonathan Bernier, who has struggled greatly in 13 appearances and has settled into a backup role.

Yet, Bernier signed a three-year deal in Detroit this off-season while Howard’s contract is set to expire and is time with the Red Wings is ending. The team has little hope of contending for a playoff spot this season, making Howard an identifiable trade option to teams around the league. Detroit seems ready to oblige the demand of the market, but they won’t give Howard up for nothing. A first-round pick “at least” could be seen as a lofty expectation for a goaltender at the trade deadline, as few teams generally in the playoff race need a starter and are hesitant to overpay for a backup. However, unless Sergei Bobrovsky or another yet unknown big name hits the trade market, Howard is the top available name and by a wide margin. Friedman tabs 37-year-old Craig Anderson as another option, but doesn’t endorse the Ottawa Senators veteran as an ideal pickup and casts doubt on the availability of young Montreal Canadiens keeper Charlie Lindgren. The likes of Michal Neuvirth and Anders Nilsson are also likely to be available, but may wind up on waivers for free as well. Depending on how their respective team’s seasons go from here on out, Cam Talbot and Brian Elliott could potentially hit the market as well, but not until the deadline at the earliest. Howard is and will likely remain the top name on the rumor mill and if the Red Wings want to hold out for a package including a first-rounder, odds are they will eventually receive just that.

Florida Panthers Seeking Upgrade In Goal

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Entering the season, the Florida Panthers’ goaltender trio of Roberto Luongo, James Reimer, and Michael Hutchinson seemed like one of the deepest in the league. As the second month of the season wraps up, the Panthers currently hold the second-worst goals against average in the NHL and their play in the net has been the team’s greatest weakness. As a result, The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun reports (subscription required) that, despite their considerable depth, Florida is looking for an upgrade behind the injury-plagued Luongo.

Injuries have limited Luongo, 39, to just nine appearances, but even when healthy he has not looked like himself. Luongo holds a 3.07 GAA and a .902 save percentage that, if the season were to end today, would be his career-low. It could be that Luongo’s play is reflective of his poor health, especially considering his strong performance just last year. However, between his injury issues and inconsistent results, Luongo simply can’t be relied upon as a bona fide starter. Of course, that was the reasoning behind the Panthers initially signing Reimer three years ago. Reimer looked the part in his first season in 2016-17, with perhaps his best NHL campaign. Yet, his numbers tailed off last season as he too struggled with injuries and now this year Reimer looks far from a starting option. The 30-year-old leads the Panthers with 14 appearances, but has just four wins, tied with Luongo despite five more showings. His performance has been bleak, with an .895 save percentage and 3.39 GAA. Yet, the injury concerns and inconsistency of Luongo and Reimer is exactly why Florida signed Hutchinson this summer. That has quickly proven to have been a mistake, as the AHL veteran has been out of his depths in four NHL games, sporting a brutal .839 save percentage and 4.17 GAA. Hutchinson has struggled to even perform at an average level in the minors this season.

Nothing has worked out according to plan in Florida, so the team needs to make a move to improve in net. The problem with that plan, as LeBrun points out, is that Reimer still has two years remaining on his contract at $3.4MM. That contract could prove very difficult to move. Luongo is also signed long-term, with three years remaining, but it appears that the team would prefer to hold on to him despite his current struggles, even if they were able to find a take. As such, a long-term solution in net may be difficult to find, unless the team is also able to move Reimer. Nearly any established goalie signed beyond this season would put too much strain on the Panthers’ payroll, which is already close to $2MM from the salary cap. An expensive rental, such as Detroit’s Jimmy Howard, would also be difficult to manage. Cheap rentals, such as New Jersey’s Eddie Lack, Carolina’s Petr Mrazek, Edmonton’s Al Montoya, and recent waiver placement Calvin Pickard, are readily available, but would be unlikely to shift the status quo substantially. The Panthers could make a play for a young, affordable goalie lacking opportunity, such as Montreal’s Charlie Lindgren, Vancouver’s Thatcher Demko, Los Angeles’ Cal Petersen, or Pittsburgh’s Tristan Jarry, but it would come at a cost. The Panthers may want to upgrade their goalie depth, but such a move won’t come easy for the team this season.

Detroit’s Jimmy Howard Drawing Trade Interest

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The Detroit Red Wings are in the midst of a rebuild. Whether or not they’re willing to admit that fact or continue to try and push for a playoff spot this season, it is clear that the team is not set up for Stanley Cup contention as presently constructed. They do have plenty of good young talent in the NHL and on the way, but there just aren’t enough elite players to really push them into the upper echelon of the Atlantic Division, let alone the Eastern Conference. With that in mind, the Red Wings may very well see this season’s trade deadline as an opportunity to gather more assets for the future and continue building towards an eventual competitive window. One of the players who is already drawing interest from around the league is goaltender Jimmy Howard, who is having another excellent season and is in the final year of his current contract.

Recently, Darren Dreger of TSN reported that the St. Louis Blues had shown interest in the Detroit netminder given the struggles of both Jake Allen and Chad Johnson and today Frank Seravalli of TSN writes that the Pittsburgh Penguins also have interest. Seravalli notes that the Penguins have a first -round pick to “dangle” in front of the Red Wings, something that the Blues do not have after giving it up for Ryan O’Reilly this offseason. Howard comes with a $5.3MM cap hit this season but wouldn’t represent a long-term investment for any acquiring team.

Interestingly, in the same piece Seravalli also lists Penguins goaltender Matt Murray as a potential trade candidate due to his growing injury concerns and struggles this season. If the Penguins were to be pursuing someone like Howard, it would make some sense that they’d need to send one of their young netminders elsewhere. Pittsburgh has Casey DeSmith and Tristan Jarry manning the crease while Murray deals with his latest injury, a tandem that certainly doesn’t have the experience someone like Howard has.

From these reports it doesn’t seem like anything is close, but the fact that the Penguins would show interest in a veteran goaltender is something to keep an eye on. GM Jim Rutherford isn’t shy with in-season moves to improve his club, and Pittsburgh still believes they can compete this year. With the return of Sidney Crosby recently, the Penguins are now 10-8-5 on the season and just three points out of a Metropolitan Division playoff spot.

The Red Wings meanwhile now have Jonathan Bernier under contract through 2020-21 and little reason to not trade Howard before the deadline, unless they plan on re-signing the veteran netminder. The two sides have definitely discussed a multi-year extension, but if Detroit is offered a big enough package in return it will be hard to turn down.

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