Injury Notes: Scheifele, Brouwer, Boychuk
Mark Scheifele will return to the Winnipeg Jets lineup tonight for the first time in 2018, more than six weeks since his last NHL game. During that time, the Jets have continued to win and find themselves tied with the Nashville Predators for first place in the Central Division with 73 points.
Scheifele’s return will once again make the Jets forward group one of the most fearsome in the league, now armed with the added knowledge that Blake Wheeler can handle center responsibilities and still perform at an elite level. Winnipeg will take on St. Louis in a key divisional matchup that could bring the two teams within two points of each other once again.
- Troy Brouwer is week-to-week in Calgary after suffering a facial fracture last night, but isn’t expected to be out long-term. Brouwer actually returned to the game but will have to take a seat for at least a little while, opening another opportunity for some of the young Flames forwards. Brouwer was playing better of late, but still has just 15 points on the season in the second year of his $18MM contract.
- The New York Islanders are starved for defensive help, and they’ll get some tonight as the team activated Johnny Boychuk off injured reserve. Boychuk hasn’t played since December 27th, but is expected to be back in the lineup against the Detroit Red Wings. If the Islanders think they can truly reach and then compete in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, they’ll need to greatly improve their defensive play—Boychuk is a good first step.
Which Teams Would Have Flexibility In Another Expansion Draft?
Midway-through the 2017-18 NHL season, it is nearly impossible to predict what rosters could look like following the 2019-20 season, more than two years away. Trades, free agency, and much more shape teams often in ways that no one sees coming. With that said, it seems like another Expansion Draft is coming to add the league’s 32nd team, the Seattle __________, and the timeline most are suggesting is a June 2020 draft date. Like it or not, the general managers of the other 31 NHL need to be keeping that in the back of their mind with each move they make over the next two seasons.
However, it could be that some have already made decisions that could impact their roster protection plans more than two years from now. The structure of the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft will the remain the same, allowing for teams to protect seven forwards, three defensemen and one goalie or eight skaters regardless of position and one goalie from being selected. The one caveat that threw more than a few teams for a loop last June was that all players with No-Movement Clauses (NMC) in their contracts had to be protected, unless the players voluntarily chose to wave them i.e. Marc-Andre Fleury. So, with that one aspect of the expansion process in mind, it is possible to look ahead at certain long-term contracts to see, assuming those players don’t waive them ahead of time, who could be locked in for protection in 2020 or which teams will have more flexibility without any such players:
Total Flexibility
Arizona Coyotes (0) – The only NMC players on the Coyotes are defensemen Alex Goligoski and Niklas Hjalmarsson. Hjalmarsson will be a free agent in the summer of the projected Expansion Draft and Goligoski’s clause will have shifted to a Modified No-Trade Clause. Arizona will likely have complete flexibility.
Buffalo Sabres (0) – Kyle Okposo‘s NMC expires after this season and Jason Pominville‘s contract expires after next season. Buffalo won’t have any restrictions on their protection scheme as of now.
Calgary Flames (0) – There is no one on the roster with a NMC and no one that will predictably get one by the end of the 2019-20 season. Kudos to GM Brad Treliving.
Los Angeles Kings (0) – Kings’ captain Anze Kopitar in their only NMC player right now and even his clause will have shifted to No-Trade by 2020. L.A. is free and clear.
Nashville Predators (0) – GM David Poile does not seem to be a fan of NMC’s in his recent long-term deals and in the new NHL expansion era, that’s a good thing.
New Jersey Devils (0) – see Calgary Flames
New York Islanders (0) – The Andrew Ladd and Johnny Boychuk contracts already look bad for the Isles. They would be much worse if their NMC’s didn’t expire soon. With John Tavares and Josh Bailey both candidates for NMC’s should they re-sign in New York and a defense that needs a re-haul, the Islanders could lose some flexibility, but they should be fine.
Toronto Maple Leafs (0) – The Leafs have no NMC players under contract beyond 2019-20 right now. That could easily change with Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander in need of extensions, but Toronto should still be in a good spot. After all, those are players that would protected regardless.
Vancouver Canucks (0) – Loui Eriksson‘s NMC shifts to a No-Trade Clause following this season and will be an afterthought by 2020. It’s fortunate, as Eriksson’s tenure in Vancouver has not gone according to plan.
Vegas Golden Knights (0) – The Golden Knights didn’t sign or trade for any players with NMC’s and only drafted two – Marc-Andre Fleury and David Clarkson – who already had them and they both expire before the Knights would be set to become the NHL’s second-newest team. With that said, the current Knights’ roster will see a lot of turnover in the next two years and they may struggle to avoid NMC’s completely.
Washington Capitals (0) – GM Brian MacLellan has avoided NMC’s in any of his recent mega-deals. If he can do it again this summer in his attempt to re-sign (or replace) John Carlson, then the Caps will be in good shape for another round of expansion drafting.
Winnipeg Jets (0) – The NMC in Bryan Little‘s contract will both kick in and expire between now and June 2020. The Jets should be left with a fully flexible lineup.
Some Flexibility
Boston Bruins (2) – There’s little concern that Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron will still be playing at a high level in two years. Their NMC’s should be a non-factor for Boston. If David Krejci and, especially, David Backes still had their NMC’s too at that time, there would be a real logjam up front. However, both will have shifted to Modified No-Trade Clauses by then, potentially saving the Bruins from making tough decisions about their many talented young forwards.
Carolina Hurricanes (1) – As important a job as he’s had in Carolina, Jordan Staal will never be the star forward that finally puts them over the top. If his NMC causes a problem in 2020, he could easily be traded to a contender to play a complementary role. The Hurricanes need to retain as many promising young forward assets as they can in hopes of one day finding that true superstar.
Colorado Avalanche (1) – There are mixed opinions on Erik Johnson, but he has a leadership role for the Avalanche and will be key in grooming a strong crop of up-and-coming defensive prospects. The Avs won’t lose sleep about having to protect him in expansion, especially if he’s still one of their top-pairing guys in two years.
Columbus Blue Jackets (1) – The Blue Jackets were one of the biggest losers in the most recent Expansion Draft. They might be smart to sell off Nick Foligno if there’s any risk that history repeats itself.
Dallas Stars (3) – Call it optimism about his play in his first season in Dallas, but the NMC for Alexander Radulov doesn’t seem like it will be a major issue even after a couple more years. Of course, Jamie Benn‘s NMC will also be a non-factor. Ben Bishop on the other hand may not be the goalie the Stars would prefer to keep in two years. As of now, there’s no immediate competition though.
Detroit Red Wings (1) – Detroit only has one NMC player who will still be under contract in 2020-21 (and another season after that), but it’s Frans Nielsen, who has been a major disappointment for the team since coming over from the New York Islanders. He could throw a wrench in their plans if he continues his downward trend over the next two seasons.
Minnesota Wild (2) – The Ryan Suter and Zach Parise mega-deals will still be making an impact in 2020, but with most of the core locked up throughout that season and no other NMC contract likely on their way, Minnesota should be okay in the Expansion Draft.
Montreal Canadiens (2) – Even if the Canadiens continue to struggle through two more seasons, there will be few Habs fans that blame superstar goalie Carey Price. His NMC won’t be an issue because the team would never dream of leaving him exposed. Jeff Petry on the other hand could be a problem. Luckily (?), it doesn’t look like Montreal will have many defenders worth protecting even in the next couple of seasons.
Ottawa Senators (2) – Some things never change. The NMC’s for Bobby Ryan and Dion Phaneuf were problems for the Senators in this past Expansion Draft and they’ll likely be problems again next time around. If Phaneuf is traded between now and then, that alleviates some concern for Ottawa. Good luck moving the Ryan contract though.
Philadelphia Flyers (1) – Only Claude Giroux has and predictably will have an NMC come June 2020. That’s a pretty safe situation for Philly.
San Jose Sharks (1) – Marc-Edouard Vlasic plays a confident, stay-at-home defensive game that often ages nicely. He looks to be the only NMC in San Jose in 2020, which shouldn’t cause a stir.
St. Louis Blues (1) – Patrik Berglund will be on the wrong side of 30 and still under a NMC when the potential 2020 draft rolls around, but with the rest of their core signed long-term without NMC’s, the Blues should be pretty safe.
Tampa Bay Lightning (2) – Steven Stamkos and Victor Hedman may be the two safest NMC contracts in the NHL. Fortunately, Ryan Callahan‘s otherwise-problematic NMC expires just prior to projected 2020 Expansion Draft.
Little Flexibility
Anaheim Ducks (3) – Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf, and Ryan Kesler will all be 35+ and still be NMC-protected in 2020. That’s a large chunk of your protected forwards to dedicate to players in the twilight of their careers. Some up-and-coming young talent could leave Anaheim again in this next Expansion Draft a la Shea Theodore.
Chicago Blackhawks (4) – The downside to signing all of your core players to long contracts with NMC’s could hit the Blackhawks hard in the next Expansion Draft. Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews will be well past 30 and Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith will be in their mid-to-late 30’s during the 2020-21 season, but all four will need to be protected ahead of that season, which could force other promising younger players out of Chicago’s protection scheme. At least they’ll narrowly avoid having an issue in net with Corey Crawford‘s contract expiring prior.
Edmonton Oilers (2) – Milan Lucic and Kris Russell. Each two years older than they are now. Those aren’t exactly players that a team wants to be forced to keep. It’s foreseeable that one or both could have a negative impact on the team’s protection plan.
Florida Panthers (3) – The Panthers probably won’t mind having three players locked up come Expansion 2.0. The team knew what they were doing when they signed Keith Yandle long-term. Even in his mid-30’s, Yandle will be a reliable player and a leader for the young Florida defensive core. Sure, they considered asking him to waive his NMC this past June, but they never actually did. Yandle won’t be a major issue in two years unless his play falls off considerably. There should be no concern whatsoever over Jonathan Huberdeau and Aleksander Barkov, whose NMC’s kick in later on in their contracts. The same might not be true about Evgeni Dadonov, whose been somewhat underwhelming so far in Florida, but luckily his contract runs out just prior the probable draft date.
New York Rangers (4) – Although they will have near total control over their forwards, outside of Mika Zibanejad, the Rangers could be in a tough position with their protection schemes in net and on the blue line in 2020. Then-38-year-old Henrik Lundqvist will require protection, as will underachieving defensemen Kevin Shattenkirk and Marc Staal. New York is apparently readying themselves for somewhat of a rebuild, which could mean some of those players are traded beforehand. Otherwise New York could face quite the dilemma.
Pittsburgh Penguins (4) – It seems unlikely, even years from now and in their mid-30’s, that the NMC’s for Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, or Phil Kessel would cause trouble for the Penguins. Injury-prone defenseman Kris Letang could be different though. Being forced to protect him after another two seasons of hard minutes could be difficult to swallow. Pittsburgh also has some work to do filling out the forward corps between now and 2020. GM Jim Rutherford would be well-served to avoid acquiring or handing out any further NMC’s.
Help Wanted: Islanders’ Defense Corps
In his most recent 31 Thoughts column for Sportsnet, Elliotte Friedman notes that the New York Islanders need help on defense as they deal with injuries to Calvin de Haan and Johnny Boychuk. Brock Nelson, a pending restricted free agent, is listed as a possible trade chip whose name is “starting to creep out there” though Friedman provides no further details other than noting that the Islanders are in a desperate win-now mode.
That’s mostly because of the continued intrigue around John Tavares and his potential free agency, but it’s not just him that could walk this summer. Josh Bailey, Thomas Hickey, Jaroslav Halak and de Haan are all set to become unrestricted free agents, which could result in a very different Islanders team taking the ice next season. If they’re to compete with this group, it has to happen now.
If the Islanders are to put Nelson up for sale, he would certainly garner interest despite his down year. Coming off three consecutive 20+ goal, 40+ point seasons, Nelson has just 14 points on the season this year playing reduced minutes behind Tavares and Mathew Barzal. His ability and size are still attractive attributes for teams looking to upgrade down the middle, especially when they come with just a $2.5MM cap hit. Most teams in the league could afford to add a contract like that, especially if a defenseman is headed back the other way.
Defense isn’t the only thing Friedman mentions in regards to the Islanders, as he sneaks in a thought about their goaltending situation and a potential interest in Robin Lehner of the Buffalo Sabres. This doesn’t seem to be based on any inside information, but just seems like a logical fit from his point of view—for what it’s worth, Joe Yerdon of NHL.com has considered this idea before as well.
The Islanders could use an upgrade in net, and with Lehner heading towards restricted free agency once again this summer with an increasing price tag, the Sabres might consider moving him for the right price. After all, they do have Linus Ullmark waiting in the minor leagues for his chance in the NHL and a team that has holes all over the roster.
The biggest takeaway perhaps from Friedman’s notes is that the Islanders are indeed a team to watch as the trade deadline approaches next month. With a lot riding on this season to show Tavares where their future lies, and their current position in last place in the Metropolitan Division, we could see some fireworks before long.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Islanders Find Themselves In Precarious Position
Just a few weeks ago, the New York Islanders seemed to be a solid team on the upswing, who were in a good position to land a playoff spot, and convince soon-t0-be restricted free agent John Tavares to re-sign with their franchise. Oh, and they fixed that whole stadium issue too.
Suddenly, the team has lost five straight and are at the bottom of the Metropolitan Division. Granted, they are just two points out of a playoff spot, but they are one of five teams competing for those final two spots. One has to wonder how Tavares will look at re-signing with the team if the Islanders find themselves out of the playoffs again? In fact, in his Sunday column, Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch writes the team is getting nervous about Tavares future. And since Tavares’ camp doesn’t want to talk about an extension during the season, the Islanders more and more, find themselves in a tough predicament. The scribe writes that as long as the team is within striking distance of a playoff spot, the Islanders and general manager Garth Snow won’t consider trading Tavares. But what if the team continues to slip? Can they really allow Tavares to walk away for nothing?
While the team have some key injury issues on defense, much of the issue falls on New York’s goaltending tandem of Jaroslav Halak and Thomas Greiss, who have truly struggled. In 13 of the last 17 games, the tandem have allowed four or more goals. Their .8913 save percentage is 30th in the league (only behind Arizona), leading The New York Post’s Larry Brooks to point to poor decision making by Snow. Might the team have miscalculated on its defensive strength before they traded Travis Hamonic to Calgary? Why haven’t they upgraded their goalies after they struggled last year? Greiss has really struggled this year with a 3.89 GAA in 20 games this year, while Halak has been the star (sarcasm intended) with a 3.22 GAA in 26 appearances.
Injuries have also plagued the team who lost three more players Friday in their 4-0 loss to Pittsburgh, including wingers Josh Bailey and Andrew Ladd along with defenseman Ryan Pulock. Bailey is out for today’s game. However, offense hasn’t been the problem. The team still is ranked among the best offensive teams, as they are currently tied for third for goals scored at 3.31. It’s the defense that hasn’t fared well. They are last (or first) in goal allowed as they’ve allowed an average of 3.64 goals against and by a wide margin. Arizona is second in goals against at 3.44. Granted two of their better defenders, Johnny Boychuk and Calvin de Haan have been injured. Boychuk has missed five games so far and might still miss a couple more, while De Haan is likely to miss extensive time and will be an unrestricted free agent himself.
Nevertheless, the team decided to stick with Snow last year after not reaching the playoffs and likely won’t make any major decisions until the Tavares dilemma is settled, according to Arthur Staple of Newsday. The scribe writes that while Snow’s job should be unstable, the team probably won’t want to have the look of “starting over” when trying to make their franchise look as good as possible for their 27-year-old superstar. What the team, however, needs to do is to utilize the assets they got from the Hamonic trade and add some defense as quick as possible before their season and next few years falls apart.
Minor Transactions: 12/28/17
The roster freeze is over and we’re on to the next part of the season. With the trade deadline less than two months away, rumors and speculation will begin to heat up around the league. We’ll be here to sort through all the noise and bring you the most accurate, reliable information. Like always, we’ll also keep track of all the minor transactions of the day.
- The New York Rangers have recalled Vinni Lettieri from the AHL, perhaps due to the injury Chris Kreider suffered last night. Kreider didn’t come back to the bench for the second period, and is out with an upper-body injury. Lettieri, 22, was signed out of the University of Minnesota last season and would be making his NHL debut if he gets into a game. Lettieri has 21 points in 31 games for the Hartford Wolf Pack this season, and can play both center and wing.
- The Minnesota wild have officially sent Zach Parise down to the minors for his conditioning stint. We heard yesterday that it might just be for one day, while the Iowa Wild play Rockford.
- The Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled defenseman Frank Corrado, after going without Kris Letang last night. The Penguins would end up winning the game in a shootout, but had to play with just five defenseman after Chad Ruhwedel left the game early. Corrado could get a chance right away with the Penguins heading to Carolina for a game tomorrow night.
- With Johnny Boychuk headed to injured reserve, the New York Islanders have recalled Sebastian Aho from the minor leagues. No, not the forward who stars in Carolina but the defenseman who was a fifth-round pick in June. Aho was passed over in three drafts before finally being taken, and has made an immediate impact for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers this season with 20 points in 29 games. The smooth-skating, undersized defenseman would be making his NHL debut if he makes it into the lineup.
- As expected when he was claimed back off waivers, Nathan Walker has been assigned to the minor leagues by the Washington Capitals. Walker spent some time in the Edmonton Oilers organization, but is now back with the Hershey Bears where he has made such an impact over the last few years.
- The Colorado Avalanche have recalled Andrei Mironov from the minor leagues in time for their game tomorrow against the Maple Leafs. The team had just six defensemen up with the club, but will now have another option should one be fighting a minor injury.
- Arizona, Toronto’s opponent tonight, also recalled Mario Kempe ahead of their matchup. Kempe has played 18 games with the Coyotes this season in his return to North American hockey, scoring four points. The 29-year old has spent the last three years in the KHL.
Metropolitan Notes: Capitals Rookies, Oshie, Hunwick, Boychuk
One of the more thrilling moments for rookies in the NHL is when the team tells them to move out of the hotel and find a place of their own to live. As Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post notes, the Capitals have told three of their four rookies just that as defensemen Madison Bowey and Christian Djoos, as well as center Chandler Stephenson, got the news that they’ll be sticking around for the foreseeable future with the big club.
Interestingly enough, the lone rookie who did not receive that notification is Jakub Vrana who has played in all but one of Washington’s games so far this season and sits fourth overall on the team with eight goals. However, given that the Capitals have very limited cap room and Vrana remains exempt from waivers, perhaps they will look to send him back and forth a bit as the season progresses to free up a bit more space.
More from the Metropolitan Division:
- Still with the Capitals, winger T.J. Oshie resumed skating for the first time since suffering an upper-body injury on December 4th, reports Tarik El-Bashir of NBC Sports Washington. However, he has already been ruled out of their game on Monday as he did not make the trip to Brooklyn where they will play the Islanders; a team spokesperson told El-Bashir that Oshie remains listed as day-to-day.
- Although he joined the Penguins in free agency, defenseman Matt Hunwick had received an offer from his former team in Toronto, Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock told Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun. While Babcock didn’t specify what had been offered, his comments suggested the three-year term that Pittsburgh gave him was more than what Toronto was offering. Hunwick has three goals and an assist with the Penguins this season while averaging slightly more ice time than he had in 2016-17 (18:27 versus 17:59).
- Islanders defenseman Johnny Boychuk is improving as he recovers from a lower-body injury sustained on Tuesday but his status remains questionable for Monday’s game against Washington, notes Newsday’s Arthur Staple. He has missed the last two games with the issue.
Salary Cap Deep Dive: New York Islanders
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.
New York Islanders
Current Cap Hit: $72,015,833 (under the $75MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
F Anthony Beauvillier (Two years remaining, $894K)
D Ryan Pulock (One year remaining, $863K)
F Joshua Ho-Sang (Two years remaining, $863K)
F Mathew Barzal (Three years remaining, $863K)
Potential Bonuses
Pulock: $500K
Barzal: $400K
Beauvullier: $213K
Ho-Sang: $213K
The team had to be pleased with the first-year production from Beauvillier after he put up nine goals and 15 assists in 66 games. Granted, it could have been better, but for the former 2015 first-round pick who wasn’t even expected to make the team out of training camp last year, this was a solid start. He didn’t get off to much of a start early in the season, but by the end of the year, he put together a solid string of games along with linemates Ho-Sang and Lee. He will likely find himself on the team’s third line along with Ho-Sang to start the year.
Pulock, the team’s first-round pick in 2013, was one of the main reasons behind the offseason trade of Travis Hamonic. The talented defenseman was traded away for a first and two second-round picks with the idea of implementing Pulock into the team’s plans. Rumors are they intend to put Pulock onto the team’s power play and showcase his hard slapshot. He only played one game for New York last year and broke his foot after playing just 3:57 of ice time, but he showed off his skill with the AHL’s Bridgeport Sound Tigers, putting up 15 goals and 46 points in just 55 games.
Ho-Sang, the team’s first-round pick in 2014, only played 21 games last year for the Islanders, putting up four goals and six assists in that span. A full 82-game season should be able to demonstrate his long-term value to the franchise. Barzal still must make the team out of training camp, but is considered to be one of the top prospects in the game and should have every opportunity to win one of the center jobs, which is not a position of depth on the team. Barzal did see two games for the Islanders last year, but played most of the year for his junior team.
One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level
F John Tavares ($5.5MM, UFA)
G Jaroslav Halak ($4.5MM, UFA)
F Nikolai Kulemin ($4.19MM, UFA)
F Josh Bailey ($3.3MM, UFA)
D Calvin de Haan ($3.3MM, UFA)
F Brock Nelson ($2.5MM, RFA)
F Jason Chimera ($2.25MM, UFA)
D Thomas Hickey ($2.2MM, UFA)
D Dennis Seidenberg ($1.25MM, UFA)
F Shane Prince ($850K, RFA)
F Stephen Gionta ($650K, UFA)
D Scott Mayfield ($625K, RFA)
F Alan Quine ($613K, RFA)
Obviously, the team’s future seems to hinge on where Tavares’ contract situation ends up. The team has high hopes they can re-sign their star forward, who has scored 235 goals for the franchise over eight season and is just about to turn 27 years old. The team that has watched several of their top players walk away in past years need to lock him up or, at the very least, trade him off for some talent in return. Losing Tavares would likely set the team back significantly and could play a role on whether some of the other pending free agents will come back next year.
The team will be forced to decide what they want to do with some of their regulars, including Bailey, de Haan and Hickey. Bailey, a first-round pick from 2008, has been around for nine years and while he consistently averages between 10 and 15 goals, he hit a personal high in assists last season, picking up 43 to put together a big season while playing with Tavares on the first line. With the addition of Eberle who is expected to play with Tavares, the team will likely demote Bailey to the second or even possibly the third line, which could suggest the team may not mind if he moves on in one year.
De Haan has proven to be a solid top-four presence on the blueline, but after signing a one-year deal this offseason, setting up unrestricted free agency next year, the team may decide to move on from him at some point, while Hickey hasn’t worked his way into the team’s top four. So it may be that many of the pending free agents will be allowed to leave to free up cap space, including Kulemin, Chimera and Seidenberg, along with some of the others above. That could free up a lot of cap room.
The team also will likely allow Halak to walk unless the veteran goaltender can produce a bounce-back season. After a couple of respectable seasons for New York, the 32-year-old’s production took a hit as he posted a 2.80 GAA in 27 games and then was demoted to finish the season in the AHL. He is back, but no one is quite sure what to expect for the veteran.
Perhaps the most important free agent (besides Tavares) will end up being from restricted free agent Brock Nelson, who should be asking for a big raise after three 20-goal seasons. Their 2010 first-round pick had 20 goals and 25 assists for the team last year, a career-high.
Islanders’ Perplexing Side-Deal With Vegas
As I briefly mentioned in a previous article, the New York Islanders decided to travel a very perplexing road with their protection list. They shielded only 3 forwards, and protected 5 defensemen, allowing a whole host of forwards to be claimed. These include Brock Nelson, Ryan Strome, Casey Cizikas, Nikolai Kulemin, and Josh Bailey at the upper end of the spectrum. Defenseman Calvin de Haan, who has reportedly has had difficulty coming to a deal with management on a new contract, is also left at Vegas’ disposal
What complicates matters is that Arthur Staple of Newsday has been insinuating that the Islanders have a deal in place to protect Nelson, Strome, and de Haan, while others, such as Darren Dreger, believes the deal only applies to forwards. NHL Numbers stated today that the protection agreement would protect only Bailey and Cizikas, which is easily the most disastrous deal of the group. From a pure value standpoint, Nelson, de Haan and Strome have far more value than either player. Staple believed yesterday evening that the Islanders were going to trade their 15th overall selection in order to push Vegas in a favorable direction. Even still, it doesn’t explain the particulars of the players protected.
John Tavares is an obvious keeper, and Andrew Ladd helped the offense in a big way after a rocky start. Anders Lee is coming off a phenomenal 34 goal season in only his 3rd full outing. The defense revolves around Nick Leddy and Travis Hamonic, and despite his steps backward Johnny Boychuk is a big minute eater for the team. You could have made a case for Ryan Pulock over Boychuk, and made that quite convincingly, but it seemed inevitable that team would lose a defender no matter what. Boychuk did have an NMC, which complicated that matter. Considering that the team was 17th in goals against this past season, that wasn’t exactly a worst-case scenario.
Instead of taking the orthodox 4-4 route and protecting Nelson or Strome as well as Pulock or de Haan, or protecting all but one forward in a 7-3 scheme, the Islanders chose instead to protect a relative no-name in Adam Pelech. Pelech had a solid season, to be sure, but he is a bottom-pairing defenseman and doesn’t project as a difference maker. By opting to leave these players exposed, they take a large aspect of the decision making out of their own hands. GM Garth Snow sacrificed a first round pick and a certain degree of autonomy to protect two forwards, when they could instead have done that on their own. If the end goal was to entice Vegas into selecting Thomas Hickey, they could have done so without the bizarre protection structure. This isn’t even delving into the insanity of surrendering a first-round selection to protect one mid-level player over another.
All in all, the Islanders and GM Garth Snow have stolen the show today for most bewildering decision. Unless the deal with Vegas is far more encompassing than it appears at the moment, they are looking to lose a solid contributor and a 1st-round pick when both could have been avoided.
The original article incorrectly linked Dylan Strome.
More Players Not Asked To Waive NMCs
Newsday’s Arthur Staple reported that the New York Islanders did not ask forward Andrew Ladd or defenseman Johnny Boychuk to waive their NMCs, and the New York Post’s Larry Brooks reported that the New York Rangers did not ask defensemen Dan Girardi or Marc Staal to waive theirs either.
Ladd just finished his first season on his new $5.5MM AAV contract with the Islanders, and was unlikely to be exposed at the expansion draft, despite a underwhelming season. While Ladd scored 23 goals, he only added 8 assists for 31 points in 78 games. Boychuk finished second in average ice time, and was one of the Islanders’ better defenders all year. His protection, however, means that unless the Islanders trade Travis Hamonic, both Calvin de Haan and Ryan Pulock will be left unprotected.
[Check out the Islanders Expansion Primer here]
The Rangers’ non-moves were expected as well. Girardi finished the season averaging 19:06min a game, and Staal with 19:11. Neither had stellar production, but both are mainstays on the Rangers blueline. No word on whether John Tavares or Rick Nash were asked to waive their NMCs, though those scenarios are very unlikely.
Deadline Approaches To Ask Players To Waive No-Movement Clauses
On the heels of yesterday’s report that both Keith Yandle and Dion Phaneuf had been asked to waive their no-movement clauses in order to be exposed for the upcoming expansion draft, speculation is running rampant around the league on who else will be asked. Below is the full list of players who currently require protection due to their clauses. The deadline to submit a request to a player is 4pm CDT today, while the player must inform the team of his decision by the same time on Friday June 16th. Because the Stanley Cup Finals ended last night, Nashville and Pittsburgh will not receive an extension and will need to submit their requests at the same time as every other team.
Elliotte Friedman was on Sportsnet radio today and mentioned that the Anaheim Ducks have spoken with Kevin Bieksa about possibly waiving his clause, something examined at length in our recent Ducks Expansion Primer.
Anaheim (4)
Kevin Bieksa — Expected to be asked.
Ryan Getzlaf
Ryan Kesler
Corey Perry
Arizona (1)
Alex Goligoski
Boston (4)
David Backes
Patrice Bergeron
Zdeno Chara
David Krejci