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Salary Cap Report: Pacific Division

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As the hockey world takes its collective breath before the World Cup, training camps, and the regular season, most teams have checked off their boxes and marked their ledgers. Some teams are not finished building their rosters, with RFAs still to sign and trades to explore. Some teams have plenty of space to maneuver with; other teams will need to get creative to stay under the cap.

We’ll continue our Salary Cap Reports by taking a look at the Pacific Division. Of note:

By the numbers:

Also in the Salary Cap Report series: Metropolitan Division and Atlantic Division.

Mitch Marner Has “Good Chance” At Cracking NHL Roster

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While speaking to TSN’s Brent Wallace, Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock revealed his thoughts about top-prospect Mitch Marner, and his chances at breaking camp with the NHL team:

Well I sure think he has a good chance. Mitch has been working with our guys and really training hard. He’s eating right and doing everything he can to get stronger. To say Mitch has got to put on a bunch of weight is ridiculous. All you have to do is get stronger – you are who you are, be the best Mitch you can possibly be. He’s got a lot of summer here left, and he’ll keep working at it, but he’ll have a real good chance to make the Leafs.

Babcock is referring to the overwhelming opinion that has been floated around since his draft, that Marner is too small to play in the NHL. Standing at 5’11”, 164lbs he’s always been a light player, and while he’s been working diligently to put on weight, he’ll never be a bruising forward.  Opponents of the “he’s too small” camp use examples like Patrick Kane (5’11” 177lbs) and Johnny Gaudreau (5’9″ 157lbs) as reasons why Marner will succeed at the next level, given his elite offensive ability and hockey IQ.

While Marner played center in junior with the London Knights of the OHL, and was drafted as such, these smaller players often find the most success on the wings in the NHL and his role at the current National Junior Evaluation Camp may give credence to the idea that Marner is destined to move. He suited up today on the wing of Dylan Strome, top prospect of the Arizona Coyotes, for their game against Sweden (which they lost 4-1).  The Maple Leafs have multiple options down the middle for next season, with Nazem Kadri, Tyler Bozak and Peter Holland returning, while number-one choice Auston Matthews has been added to the fold. William Nylander, another top prospect who showed off his offensive ability in a short NHL stint last season, is also a center by trade, though some think he’s also destined for the wing long-term.

Babcock also talked about the huge number of young players in Leafs camp this season.  When asked if it was too many, he said he’d thought about that himself:

I’ve spent a lot of time on that. Obviously I have our lineup built out with three teams for camp, two teams for exhibition, and then you get down to one. They have to solve it themselves, it’s not up to me, they decide who’s on the team. When I go through it, we have some good men, we’ve acquired good men, we have good people in our leadership group so I think we can handle some kids. Obviously we had a lot of them last year, and having a few more this year – especially high-end ones – won’t hurt us.

The Maple Leafs have built quite a prospect pool to draw from going forward, with players like Nikita Soshnikov, Zach Hyman, and Kasperi Kapanen all making their NHL debuts last season. This year will be more of the same, as Marner and Matthews try to break in.

Snapshots: Shinkaruk, Yamamoto

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Just prior to the trade deadline in February, the Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks executed an interesting, challenge-type trade. The Flames dealt C Markus Granlund, a player they originally selected in the 2nd round of the 2011 draft, to the Canucks for their 2013 1st round pick, Hunter Shinkaruk.

Granlund had failed to earn a regular role with the Flames and at the time of the deal didn’t seem to be considered much of a prospect anymore. As a more recent draft selection, Shinkaruk still had the look of a solid prospect, even if there may be more risk associated with his development.

Nevertheless, Shinkaruk now gets to suit up in his hometown playing for the team he grew up rooting for and is intent on earning a regular role on the wing in Calgary, according to this piece from the team’s website. Given the talented young pivots the Flames have – Sean Monahan and Sam Bennett specifically – Shinkaruk should have an excellent opportunity to not only make the club but to produce as well.

Calgary Depth Chart

Now, more from around the NHL, focusing particularly on prospects.

  • The Anaheim Ducks have signed their 2015 3rd round pick, RW Deven Sideroff to an ELC. According to General Fanager, Sideroff’s contract will max out at an AAV of $925,000 should he earn his performance bonuses. Sideroff was chosen 84th overall out of Kamploops in the WHL and finished his junior career with 39 goals and 109 points in 141 games. He also appeared in one contest with Anaheim’s AHL affiliate, the San Diego Gulls, and will likely spend much of the upcoming season there.
  • Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News has an interesting piece on 2017 draft prospect Kailer Yamamoto, who some scouts “cautiously” compare to Johnny Gaudreau. Yamamoto, grew up in the Spokane, Washington area and was taught to skate by the mother of Tampa Bay Lightning forward Tyler Johnson. Yamamoto is close with Johnson and considers the Lighting sniper to be a “role model”. While it’s premature and probably unfair to compare Yamamoto to any established NHL player, much less one of Gaudreau’s caliber, it does seem quite possible we’ll hear his name called early on during the 2017 draft.

Snapshots: Unsigned Restricted Free Agents, Trouba, Hudler

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The list of Restricted Free Agents has some serious star power on it, despite the calendar turning to August. Between Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan, Hampus Lindholm, Rasmus Ristolainen, Nikita Kucherov, and Jacob Trouba, there are a handful of elite franchise building blocks without a contract. If you’re keeping count at home, that’s two legit number one defenseman, a possible number one in Trouba, and three high-end first line forwards. Quality players like Ryan Strome and Cody Ceci are also waiting to get contracts, having passed on their qualifying offers.

Here are some other snapshots from around the hockey world:

  • On That’s Hockey, TSN’s Gary Lawless reported that things are very quiet between Trouba and the Winnipeg Jets, saying the two sides are far apart on “everything… they’re apart on term, they’re apart on money, they’re apart on usage”. Trouba finds himself behind Dustin Byfuglien and Tyler Myers on the right side, and according to Lawless he feels he should be playing with one of the team’s top defenders. A trade involving Trouba is unlikely according to Lawless.
  • Also on TSN, Travis Yost made a strong case for UFA winger Jiri Hudler, arguing that while he’s past his prime scoring days, Hudler still has a very positive effect on his teammates. Hudler raises his team’s shooting percentage by 2.44 per cent when he’s on the ice. That ranks fourth in the NHL since 2010, behind superstars Sidney Crosby, Steven Stamkos, and the now-retired Martin St. Louis. We ranked Hudler 18th on our Top 50 Free Agents list back in June, and estimated a four-year, $16MM contract. Look for him to sign a much less expensive one-year pact with a goal-hungry team to prove he’s still got it.

Snapshots: Marchand, Kreider, Monahan, Gaudreau

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Joe Haggerty reports that the Bruins and forward Brad Marchand are inching closer to a deal and that all signs point to something getting done sooner rather than later. While on Boston’s 98.5 The Sports Hub with Toucher and Rich, Haggerty indicated that while the asking price is hefty, Marchand and the Bruins have a strong mutual interest in one another. He points to Marchand’s recruitment of David Backes, as a paramount reason Marchand is in no hurry to leave Boston. Further, Haggerty writes that the Bruins wouldn’t want to let go of a player who plays in any situation on the ice and is still in his late 20’s. He also points out his knack for goal scoring as 37 of his 61 points last season ended up in the back of the net. While he won’t come cheap, Haggerty expects the B’s to pony up.

In other news around the league:

  • Larry Brooks reports that Chris Kreider is approaching the 2016-17 season with a new mindset–one that will get him more on the scoresheet and less into his own head.  Brooks writes that Kreider says he “knows the type of player he wants to be.” Brooks recalls a NY Post article last season where Kreider lamented his inability to play well on a given night, revealing a bruised psyche.
    Too often, Brooks reports, Kreider was not on the scoresheet and failed to play with “authority,” on the ice. Brooks points to the crease crash with Carey Price during game one of the 2014 Eastern Conference Finals as a possible turning point in Kreider’s net presence. Kreider injured Price on the play when he slammed into the goaltender after being tripped on a breakaway. Brooks wonders, as he puts on his amateur psychologist hat, if that moment scared Kreider away from driving harder to the net.
    Despite the psychological concerns, Kreider didn’t fall off in goal production (21) and only slightly fell below his 2014-15 numbers, where he had 46 points (21-25) compared to his 43 points (21-22) in 2015-16. Perhaps the four-year, $18.5MM investment the Rangers made with him could serve as another buoy to Kreider’s confidence.
  • The Calgary Flames are still trying to put deals together for restricted free agents Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan writes NBC’s Joey Alfieri. Calgary general manager Brad Treliving says that there is “no real update there” and that the Flames will keep plugging away to get a deal done. Both forwards are considered the foundation of the Flames offense and will not come at a cheap price, though Monahan did indicate he would take a discount from the fair market price. What should excite Flames fans is that both Monahan and Gaudreau are seeking long term deals–guaranteeing a pairing of high scoring forwards in the Calgary fold for years to come.

Boston Bruins Depth Chart

New York Rangers Depth Chart

Calgary Flames Depth Chart

 

 

 

 

 

Flames Notes: RFAs, Injuries, Tuulola

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Calgary Flames GM Brad Treliving spoke to reporters today and gave some insight into a few situations, including the ongoing negotiations with star restricted free agents Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau. Darren Haynes of the Canadian Press tells us that with a grin, Treliving said “the only hold-up is term and money“.

Despite the tongue-in-cheek joke from Treliving, Flames fans are getting nervous about their two young forwards; the duo combined for 57 goals and 141 points last season, and are both still under the age of 23. After the youngsters were benched earlier this year for being late to practice, both are looking for long-term deals that would let them become the professionals they hope to be, and stay in Calgary together for at least a decade.

  • On the health front, Treliving reports (via Haynes), that Ladislav Smid is nearing a decision on playing status for next season, after lingering neck issues have put his 2016-17 in jeopardy.  Smid underwent surgery in February of this year.  Daniel Pribyl, a Czech prospect signed earlier this year, is progressing well in his ACL recovery. The big-bodied winger underwent surgery to repair the ligament after signing with the team in late April.  Jyrki Jokipakka, part of the return for Kris Russell in February, is still nursing an injured hip and his place on team Finland in the upcoming World Cup is up in the air.
  • Eetu Tuulola, the Flames sixth-round pick from this year’s draft will be heading to the WHL for 2016-17, Treliving confirms.  Previous reports had the Finnish winger joining the Silvertips for the upcoming season, where he’ll find himself under the tutelage of former NHL head coach Kevin Constantine.

Calgary Notes: Monahan And Gaudreau

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Restricted free agent (RFA) center Sean Monahan says contract talks with Calgary are “getting there”.

Monahan told TSN’s Gino Reda “I definitely want to be there for a long time”, adding he wants to play in Calgary for the rest of his career. He said his preference is a long-term deal, but noted that’s not up to him. The Flames are currently in negotiations with both Monahan and fellow RFA (and leading scorer) Johnny Gaudreau, but will need to be careful with regards to the salary cap.

Currently, the Flames have over $14MM in cap space before signing Gaudreau and Monahan. They should get some relief next summer, with pending UFAs Dennis Wideman, Ladislav Smid, and Deryk Engelland freeing up $11.66MM. However, newly-acquired starting goalie Brian Elliott and young forward Sam Bennett will need new contracts. The Flames also need to improve their team, following their fifth place finish in the Pacific Division.

When asked about the possibility of taking a hometown discount to help build a contender, Monahan agreed that it was part of his thought process, saying “if you’re a high-end player and you’re playing somewhere at a young age, that’s where your heart is and where you want to win.”

Monahan says he’s been in contact with Gaudreau and was scheduled to meet with him Monday night to “have a little chat”. The two are good friends and not battling about salary negotiations, according to Monahan.

“Our goal is to bring the Stanley Cup to Calgary… if we can bring other players in and have a little extra money… to help us be a better team, that’s the idea.

Monahan is coming off back to back 60-plus point seasons, while Gaudreau has scored 64 and 78 points in his first two NHL seasons.

Are Offer Sheets A Thing Of The Past?

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This summer’s restricted free agent (RFA) list is quite impressive, with nine 20-goal scorers and 13 players who scored more than 40 points last season. Forwards Sean Monahan, Johnny Gaudreau, Nikita Kucherov, Marcus Johansson, and Mike Hoffman headline the forwards; while Hampus Lindholm, Tyson Barrie, Rasmus Ristolainen, Danny DeKeyser, and Jacob Trouba are the top defensemen. Detroit’s Petr Mrazek is the only big-name RFA goalie remaining.  Most of the above players are eligible for offer sheets.

According to Elliotte Friedman, compensation for offer sheets is as follows:

  • Less than $1.239MM (average annual value of contract) – Nothing;
  • $1.239-$1.878MM – Third-round pick;
  • $1.878-$3.755MM – Second-round pick;
  • $3.755-$5.633MM – First and third-round picks;
  • $5.633-$7.510MM – First, second and third-round picks;
  • $7.510-$9.388MM – Two first, a second and third-round picks;
  • Over $9.388MM – Four first-round picks.

With this in mind, teams could target rival teams top young players, with both outcomes having their benefits to the aggressive team: either they acquire a good young player for only picks, or they mess up a rival’s salary cap by inflating the player’s salary.

The threat of an offer sheet was evident last summer, with the Blackhawks trading Brandon Saad to the Blue Jackets and the Bruins trading Dougie Hamilton to the Flames. Both players were pending RFAs and in line for a big raise before being shipped out to prevent their teams from being subjected to an offer sheet. However, this summer has been the complete opposite, with teams taking their time to sign the above-mentioned stars, apparently not overly worried about offer sheets.

Why could that be?

The last time an NHL team successfully acquired a player via an offer sheet was in 2007. Then-Oilers-GM Kevin Lowe signed Anaheim Ducks LW Dustin Penner to a 4-year, $21.5MM contract. The Ducks did not match, and the Oilers forked over their first three rounds of draft picks in 2008. Penner enjoyed varying degrees of success in three-and-a-half seasons in Edmonton before being traded to Los Angeles where he won a Stanley Cup. The Penner offer sheet is most fondly remembered by then-Ducks-GM Brian Burke and Lowe’s escalating war of words which nearly lead to a fist-fight in a rented barn in Lake Placid. Commissioner Gary Bettman was forced to have a conference call with the two GMs to get them to stop.

It’s perhaps this sort of reaction that prevents GMs from making offer sheets. Earlier this summer, ESPN and TSN reporter Pierre LeBrun quoted an unnamed GM as threatening opposing GMs with an offer sheet per year for the next ten years as retribution for a potential offer sheet. There appears to be an unspoken agreement between GMs to leave RFAs alone. There hasn’t been an offer sheet tendered since 2013 when Colorado matched Calgary’s contract with Ryan O’Reilly, saving the Flames from an embarrassing and costly mistake.

So despite several fan bases calling for offer sheets, it seems unlikely that any players will be switching sweaters this summer because of one.

Pacific Notes: Bernier, Gaudreau, Yakupov

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Goaltender Jonathan Bernier was surprised to learn he had been traded but was quite pleased to learn of the deal, he told reporters on a conference call on Friday.  As Eric Stephens of the OC Register writes, the fact that the Ducks decided to pass on many of the other backup goalies that went elsewhere in free agency is a sign that they think Bernier is a class above them.

Bernier has played in at least 38 games in each of the last three seasons which would be of particular interest to them given that their starting netminder, John Gibson, has a career high of just 40 games in a single NHL campaign.  The fact that Bernier can handle closer to a starters workload would certainly have been appealing to Ducks GM Bob Murray.

With Anaheim, Bernier will be reunited with his first head coach with the Leafs, Randy Carlyle.  Interestingly enough, the 27 year old played his best hockey with Toronto under Carlyle, posting a 2.70 GAA and a .922 SV% in 55 games in 2013-14.  The Ducks undoubtedly are hoping the change of scenery and former bench boss will help Bernier reignite his game.

More from the Pacific Division:

  • Flames RFA winger Johnny Gaudreau provided a brief update on his contract talks in an interview with SportsRadio 914WIP on Friday, transcribed by Darren Haynes on his From 80 Feet Above blog. Gaudreau classified talks as “inching along” and noted that Calgary’s GM Brad Treliving had been busy with the World Championships, the draft, and free agency.  He anticipates that talks should pick up as the summer progresses.  There is no real rush or risk for either side here as Gaudreau is ineligible for arbitration, nor can he receive an offer sheet as he doesn’t have the required amount of pro years of experience to be eligible for one.  In 2015-16, Gaudreau posted 30 goals and 48 assists in 79 games, good for a tie for sixth overall in league scoring.
  • While many anticipate Edmonton winger Nail Yakupov will eventually be moved this offseason, David Staples of the Edmonton Journal argues that the former first overall pick should receive one more chance before the Oilers move him. Yakupov’s practice habits were called into question last season which is partly to blame for his career low 23 points in 60 games last season but he also spent a third of his ice time alongside Mark Letestu, who is more of a fourth liner than a third liner at this stage of his career.  Staples suggests that the spurts of strong offensive production could become more common if he can find the right centre to play with and that the Oilers may as well try to make it work with him since they haven’t found a taker for him yet.

Snapshots: Hedman, McRae, Predators

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Even with the recent decision in the NBA of Kevin Durant heading to the Golden State Warriors to create a ’super-team’, it’s still not very often that you see superstars take less money to stay in a place they feel comfortable. That’s what happened the past two weeks, as both Steven Stamkos and Victor Hedman re-signed for eight years (and considerably less money than expected) with the Tampa Bay Lightning, in part because of their personal bond. When talking to Pierre LeBrun of ESPN, Stamkos said just as much:

“Victor and I are extremely close friends. We came up in this organization as 18-year-old kids. To say that we’re going to be together for the long run, and on one team, that’s something special. A big reason why both of us stuck around is because of the relationship that we have as teammates and as friends as well.”

To see two superstars leave some money on the table and not even hit free agency is a rare one indeed in today’s sporting world, but we may be about to catch it again in Calgary.  Pending RFAs Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan have expressed a similar sentiment, and hope to be together for ’the next ten years’. Here’s more from around the league:

  • The Columbus Blue Jackets have brought in former London Knight general manager Basil McRae to become their director of player personnel, according to a team release. After capturing the 2016 Memorial Cup, McRae will return to the club he worked for in 2013-14 this time in a more advanced role. With the signing, the Blue Jackets have also announced two promotions, Ville Siren moves from pro scout to director of amateur scouting, and Josef Boumedienne moves from pro scout to director of European scouting.
  • After being knocked out in the second round by the San Jose Sharks, the Nashville Predators came into the offseason with the plan to get faster on the back end. Buying out Barret Jackman after just his first year with the club was the first move towards that end, and bringing in Yannick Weber to replace him was the next. For what it’s worth, Weber seems to have turned down more money in Europe to stay in the NHL, according to Adam Vignan of the Tennessean.  Weber took a minimum deal of $575K to secure an NHL job with Nashville.
  • Flyers prospect Philippe Myers underwent hip surgery on Wednesday, and will not be participating in the Philadelphia development camp, according to GM Ron Hextall.  Myers went undrafted out of Rouyn-Noranda in 2014-15, but exploded onto the scene last season with 45 points from the back end. He’ll now try and work his way back from surgery to return to the Flyers’ future plans.
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