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Julius Honka

RFA Notes: Honka, Perlini, Boeser

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The Dallas Stars are still expected to move on from young defenseman Julius Honka at some point, it’s just not clear when that will be. The 23-year old spoke to Sean Shapiro of The Athletic (subscription required) and explained that he is trying to stay positive about the next chapter of his hockey career, despite not knowing exactly where that will be.

Honka is unsigned, one of the large group of restricted free agents still without a contract for the upcoming season. The Stars meanwhile have their defensive group filled out for 2019-20 thanks to the emergence of Miro Heiskanen and solid contributions from depth options like Roman Polak, Jamie Oleksiak and newcomer Andrej Sekera. With a lack of opportunity there have been trade rumors floating around Honka for quite some time, though it’s not clear when a move will actually be made.

  • One other young RFA that is expected to sign soon is Brendan Perlini of the Chicago Blackhawks, who continue to discuss a new contract according to Scott Powers of The Athletic. Powers relays news from a source that says a deal will get done “over the next week or so.” Perlini is the final restricted free agent left to sign for GM Stan Bowman, who has rebuilt the Blackhawks roster over the last several months by bringing in names like Andrew Shaw, Zack Smith, Olli Maatta and Calvin de Haan.
  • Though a deal for Perlini is imminent, that doesn’t sound like the case for Vancouver Canucks forward Brock Boeser. Iain MacIntyre of Sportsnet tweets that Canucks GM Jim Benning won’t have anything new to say about Boeser when he speaks to the media today about his own extension. Boeser is one a dozen high profile restricted free agents waiting for the market to be set by someone else—with most pointing to Mitch Marner or Brayden Point as the flag bearers for the class.

Central Notes: Girard, Dach, Honka, Robertson

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The seven-year, $35MM contract that Samuel Girard signed with the Colorado Avalanche earlier this week as a sign that the team has found an heir apparent for recently traded Tyson Barrie. While the team has a ton of talent in Cale Makar, as well as the 2019 fourth-overall pick in Bowen Byram, the Avalanche believe they have a top-four defenseman in their 21-year-old.

In fact, The Athletic’s Scott Burnside (subscription required) writes that he believes that general manager Joe Sakic believes strongly that the 162-pound Girard is ready for a full-time role this season as their top defender, which is a big task to take on. Barrie averaged 24:11 in the playoffs last year, while Girard averaged almost five minutes below that. However, the team believes he will take his game up a notch and make his seven-year deal a steal of a signing in the future.

  • Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports Chicago writes in a mailbag column that he wonders whether the Chicago Blackhawks will seriously consider keeping 2019 third-overall pick Kirby Dach on the roster entering the season. Last year, the top four draft picks in the 2018 draft made their respective teams in the NHL, and Chicago does have an opening for a third-line center which could be a perfect match. Of course, much of that decision will come down to how Dach performs at training camp as well as how many minutes he might play as Dach is used to being a top-minutes player on his junior team.
  • In his latest mailbag, Sean Shapiro of The Athletic (subscription required) writes that the Dallas Stars may have trouble moving defenseman Julius Honka, who the team was expected to move this offseason. Shapiro believes the team is hoping to get a fourth-round pick for the 2014 first-rounder who has fallen out of favor in Dallas, but he writes that many teams believe that they can just get the blue liner off of waivers at the start of the season as its highly unlikely that Dallas will keep Honka on their roster.
  • Sticking with the Stars, Matthew DeFranks of SportsDay writes in a mailbag column that he believes that while Jason Robertson could be an excellent addition to the Dallas Stars team, he doubts that Robertson will play more than a handful of games with the Stars next season. The 20-year-old is turning pro this season after Dallas selected him in the second round of the 2017 draft and saw him net 48 goals and 117 points in 62 games in the OHL last season. Franks writes that Robertson will spend most of next season in the AHL with the Texas Stars as he learns to adjust to the pro game.

Tampa Bay, Dallas Among Teams Facing Contract Limit Crunch

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The Tampa Bay Lightning are not only up against the NHL’s $81.5MM salary cap upper limit, but also the league’s 50-contract limit. They’re not alone either; in addition to the Bolts, the Dallas Stars, Los Angeles Kings, Ottawa Senators, and Anaheim Ducks each have 48 players already signed to contracts next season as well. Six other teams have 46 or 47 players signed. The closer a club gets to 50, the less roster flexibility they have during the season. When it comes to making trades, claiming players on waivers, or signing college or junior free agents, teams without room can be hamstrung and forced to either pass up on possibilities or make desperation moves to free up roster space. It’s not an ideal situation and could force more than a few teams to make a move or two as the summer wears on.

Tampa Bay is in the worst position of all, as not only do they have just two contract slots available, but they also have two NHL regulars who remain unsigned restricted free agents in need of contracts – Brayden Point and Adam Erne. It’s hard to imagine that the Lightning, who also need to open up considerable cap space, don’t move out a player or two to help clear things up in both regards. One other possible saving grace could be sending 2019 first-round pick Nolan Foote or fellow prospect forward Gabriel Fortier back to their respective junior teams. Even if under contract, 18- and 19-year-old junior players who are still slide-eligible do not count against the 50-contract limit once returned to the junior level. If Foote and/or Fortier don’t crack the Tampa lineup, they would additionally clear up some room. A surefire contender, who also could use some affordable support where they can get it, the Bolts will definitely be a player on the trade and waiver markets this upcoming season, assuming they have the means to do so.

Dallas is in a similarly difficult situation. With just two contract slots available, the Stars need to re-sign (or do something with) defenseman Julius Honka. If the team signs Honka or trades him for another signed player or prospect, they are down to just one open space. Fortunately, unsigned RFA Niklas Hansson is expected to spend the season in Sweden and will not need a contract to become Dallas’ 50th man. Junior forwards Ty Dellandrea and Riley Damiani would also no longer count against the contract limit if sent back to their respective teams, although many in Dallas would like to see Dellandrea push for a spot on the roster.

L.A. has just one unsigned RFA remaining, promising forward Adrian Kempe, so they aren’t in danger to hit 50 at this time. The Kings also have a number of young players under contract who will battle for roster spots, which could force Akil Thomas back to juniors for one more year, removing his contract from the mix. L.A. has been a highly active team on the college free agent market of late and will want some contract room later in the season for potential additions.

Similarly, Ottawa has just Colin White left to sign, so barring further additions are not at risk of hitting 50 contracts. However, the Senators are just narrowly over the league’s salary cap floor, which could prompt them to add another contract so that they don’t have to risk falling below the floor during the year due to a trade. Right now, only Jonathan Gruden is a candidate to go back to junior and remove his contract from limit calculations, so if Ottawa does make another addition, they’ll likely look to make a subtraction or two as well to remain flexible in-season.

The final team at 48 contracts is the Ducks. Fortunately for them, Anaheim has no one left to sign and by all accounts are not looking to make any other moves this off-season. They should be safe, but may look to move a contract just in case the opportunities present themselves to add on during the season.

One team who isn’t at all worried about the contract limit: the New Jersey Devils. New Jersey currently has just 39 players under contract, third least behind Carolina and Winnipeg, but also have just two unsigned RFA’s in need of contracts while the Hurricanes and Jets each have a handful. The Devils project to enter the season with the fewest players under contract, as well the smallest payroll other than Ottawa. That could change though, as the team continues to be included in rumors pertaining to many of the top unsigned UFA’s and top trade targets this summer.

Dallas Is Looking To Trade Julius Honka

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Julius Honka hasn’t fit in with Dallas as well as he or the team had hoped.  It now appears that the Stars are ready to move on from him.  Matthew DeFranks of the Dallas Morning News reports that Dallas is trying to trade the defenseman.

While it appeared that the 2014 first-rounder would get a chance to establish himself as a full-time NHL player with Stephen Johns’ concussion ultimately costing him the entire season, the exact opposite happened.  He was in and out of the lineup early on and never really got much going.  Eventually, head coach Jim Montgomery decided that he’d seen enough and Honka was made a healthy scratch for the final 35 games of the regular season as well as all 13 postseason contests.

Although it’s certainly possible that they could carry eight defensemen next season and keep the 23-year-old on the roster to avoid losing him for nothing, the more ideal scenario for both sides is likely a clean break, much like they did a few years ago when Jamie Oleksiak was in a similar situation.  He got more of a chance in Pittsburgh and GM Jim Nill ultimately made a trade to bring him back last season.

While Honka’s trade value is far from at its peak, he’s still likely viewed as someone with some upside and while he’s a restricted free agent, his contract shouldn’t come in much higher than his $874K qualifying offer.  The fact that he’s a right-handed shot should also help his value.  There won’t be a huge market for his services but getting something for him now over sitting him for long stretches or risk losing him for nothing on waivers is probably the lesser of two evils for Nill and the Stars at this point.

Gavin Bayreuther Re-Signs With Dallas Stars

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The Dallas Stars have to be happy about taking a waiver on a little-known college free agent out of St. Lawrence University two years ago. Gavin Bayreuther has proven to be a more than capable pro, successfully translating his game from NCAA level. After back-to-back strong AHL campaigns, as well as 19 NHL games this past season, Bayreuther has been rewarded with a new contract. Dallas has announced a one-year, two-way extension with the blue liner. Financial terms have not been disclosed.

Bayreuther, 25, is a New Hampshire native and the cousin of former Stars teammate Ben Lovejoy, who also grew up in New England. An undrafted prospect out of The Holderness School, Bayreuther played on season in the USHL before enrolling at St. Lawrence, where he immediately became a force on the blue line for the Saints. Over four seasons, Bayreuther compiled 111 points in 142 games and twice led the team in scoring. His play caught the attention of Dallas, who signed him to a two-year entry-level contract after graduation. It paid off immediately, as Bayreuther continued to dominate as a puck-moving defender, recording 32 points in his first pro season to lead all defenseman in scoring for AHL Texas, proving he was an NHL asset. He added another 25 points in just 53 AHL games this year, but also added five NHL points over 19 games with Dallas.

The challenge moving forward for Bayreuther is no longer to prove he belongs in the NHL, but to prove that he is more worthy of starts and ice time than his many competitors. The Stars are deep on the blue line, led by the likes of John Klingberg, Esa Lindell, and Miro Heiskanen. Veterans Roman Polak and Andrej Sekera will also have a leg up in the position battle, as will the re-acquired Jamie Oleksiak. That potentially leaves one roster spot available for Bayreuther, Taylor Fedun, injured Stephen Johns, and still-unsigned restricted free agents Julius Honka and Dillon Heatherington to fight over. It won’t be easy for Bayreuther to crack the NHL roster or even ensure that he spends considerable time at the top level this year, but if he continues to produce regardless of the level, the Stars may be left with little choice but to give the young rearguard a regular role.

Central Notes: Zuccarello, Honka, Perlini, Fabbro

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Despite earlier rumors that the Dallas Stars and unrestricted free agent Mats Zuccarello have mutual interest to get a deal done, it looks like it might not be as easy as it seemed. Dallas general manager Jim Nill said that Zuccarello has decided he wants to test the open market before deciding, according to NHL.com’s Mike Heika.

That doesn’t mean a deal will come about as both sides could be interested in what Zuccarello could fetch on the open market. At 31 years of age, the Stars may be hesitant to give him anything more than a four-year deal, but if both teams are truly interested in staying together, they could just be looking to see what other teams offer him first.

“We’ve talked a little bit with his agent, but he wants to test the free-agent market and he’s got that right,” Nill said. “So they going to look into the market and see what else is out there and then we will swing back and see where he’s at. We’ve got an interview period that starts Sunday, so we’ll start talking to other people and he’ll do the same thing and we’ll see where things go.”

Zuccarello came to Dallas in a trade deadline deal with the New York Rangers for a 2019 second-round pick, which turned out to be defensive prospect Matthew Robertson, and a conditional first-round pick, meaning if Dallas does sign Zuccarello to an extension, the Stars would give the Rangers a 2020 first-rounder. If not, they would give New York a third-round pick instead. However, Zuccarello looked to be a good fit, helping Dallas fill out its second line. Despite suffering a broken arm in his first game with the Stars and only playing two regular season games, the 31-year-old scored four goals and 11 points in 13 playoff games before the Stars fell to the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Blues.

  • Sticking with the Stars, The Athletic’s Sean Shapiro (subscription required) writes that the trade value of Dallas defenseman Julius Honka has increased since the NHL announced the salary cap to be set at $81.5MM for the 2019-20 season. Despite the struggles that Honka has had in finding a role with the Stars, several teams should be looking for an inexpensive defenseman with potential. Honka, a restricted free agent, requires a qualifying offer of $874K, and could be valuable to teams such as the Toronto Maple Leafs and the San Jose Sharks, who might need some solid depth options on their defense. Shapiro, however, indicates, that the return for Honka still wouldn’t be that significant.
  • Mark Lazerus of The Athletic reports that Chicago Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman confirmed the team will give a qualifying offer to forward Brendan Perlini. The 23-year-old struggled after initially coming over from Arizona in November, but started to improve late in the season, finishing with 12 goals and 15 points in 46 games with the Blackhawks. Bowman did admit that the Blackhawks might let some of their restricted free agents walk, although newly acquired John Quenneville will be signed as well.
  • The Tennessean’s Paul Skrbina writes that one reason that Nashville Predators general manager David Poile felt comfortable trading defenseman P.K. Subban Saturday was because of the play of Dante Fabbro. The 21-year-old, the team’s first-round pick from 2016, signed with Nashville after completing his junior season at Boston University and played in four regular season games, as well as six playoff games, scoring one goal and one assist in those 10 combined games. Fabbro is the likley candidate to take over Subban’s minutes next season.

 

Central Notes: Laine, Predators Prospects, Gunnarsson, Honka

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With teams worrying about players’ second contracts more than ever, the Winnipeg Jets may have one of the most challenging tasks this summer when they have to lock up star forward Patrik Laine, who hits restricted free agency on July 1. While many may ask why not offer him what he wants, the Jets have two other serious issues, including an already full salary cap as well as the fact that Laine has proven to be wildly inconsistent so far in his early career.

While Laine still tallied 30 goals this past season (his lowest total of his career), 18 of those goals came in November with Laine scoring no more than four goals in any other month. Regardless, The Athletic’s Murat Ates (subscription required) writes that while a long-term deal could net Laine close to $9MM per season, he might even get more if he opts to take a bridge deal and bank on the potential to get back to 40 goals in the next two years. With the potential to hit his peak within that time, he could really hit payday if he waits. However, that could be an even bigger problem to the team’s long-term salary outlook.

  • The Athletic’s John Glennon (subscription required) writes that while the Nashville Predators have been ranked near the bottom when it comes to the franchise’s prospect cupboard, the Nashville Predators have some hope. The team does have a team in the AHL, the Milwaukee Admirals, who have slowly developed players that are ready to compete for spots on the NHL roster such as Eeli Tolvanen, Anthony Richard and Yakov Trenin, while the team has added some college depth to bolster their depleted group of prospects. Much of the team’s problems is that they have traded many picks to add talent over the last few years, but Glennon adds that the team has drafted well with the picks it has had whether they are in college, in juniors or playing overseas.
  • The St. Louis Blues will be missing a defenseman Saturday when they open up Game 1 against the Dallas Stars as NHL.com’s Chris Pinkert writes that Carl Gunnarsson will sit out after suffering a lower-body injury in Game 7 against the Dallas Stars in the second round. Veteran Robert Bortuzzo is expected to replace him in the lineup. Gunnarsson, a third-pairing defenseman, saw his playing time decrease somewhat in the second-round series.
  • SportsDay’s Matthew DeFranks writes that one offseason task that the Dallas Stars must look at is what to do with defenseman Julius Honka, who has been a healthy scratch for the final four months of the season as he hasn’t played a games since Jan. 15. The former first-round pick in 2014 has fallen down the depth chart as he has slipped behind Jamie Oleksiak, Ben Lovejoy, Taylor Fedun, Joel Hanley, Gavin Bayreuther and Dillon Heatherington. “We’re going to sit down over the summer now and we’re going to decide is he a part of this group or is he an asset to go get something else?” said Dallas general manager Jim Nill. “That’s what we’ve got to figure out.”

Central Notes: Honka, Gustafsson, Hayden, Seabrook

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With a trade already completed earlier today, the Dallas Stars are continuing to look for help at the forward position. To do that, and with the addition of Ben Lovejoy today, Dallas may be ready to part ways with defenseman Julius Honka who has worn out his welcome, according to The Athletic’s Sean Shapiro (subscription required).

The team has lost faith in the play of both Honka and Connor Carrick, who both were considered inconsistent and with the fact that the team has shown they would give more minutes to Gavin Bayreuther and Joel Hanley, both currently in the NHL, moving Honka would make sense. The 23-year-old was a first-rounder in 2014 and was highly-touted before arriving to the NHL, but he has struggled adjusting to the NHL, especially with his confidence. Regardless, many teams might be willing to give up a scorer to get their hands on a project like Honka.

Shapiro writes that while the Stars have some room under the salary cap and could acquire a player who makes up to $2.05MM, the team has a number of players who could be placed on long-term injured reserve, which could open up close to $8MM in cap room if needed due to the injuries of Martin Hanzal, Stephen Johns and Tyler Pitlick.

While general manager Jim Nill said that there are seven or eight forwards the team is looking at, there is no word who those might be, although Shapiro believes that the New York Rangers’ Mats Zuccarello is near the top of Dallas’  list.

  • The Chicago Blackhawks have made it clear to inquiring teams they have no intention of moving defenseman Erik Gustafsson, according to Scott Powers of The Athletic (subscription required). The team has been impressed by his offensive skills as he has 43 points in 59 games this season. He’s also tied for second among all NHL defensemen with 11 primary assists in 5-on-5 play and tied for seventh among all defensemen with 20 primary assists in all strengths. However, the team is still trying to trade John Hayden, who has played less than 10 minutes in 17 of his last 19 games.
  • Sticking with the Blackhawks, The Athletic’s Mark Lazerus writes that defenseman Brent Seabrook, who has been out since Feb. 16 with a abdominal strain, could potentially return Sunday. The 33-year-old still averages 19:47 in ATOI this year and has five goals and 23 points for Chicago this year. Marcus Kruger, who is out with a foot injury, remains day-to-day.

 

Western Notes: Davidson, Puljujarvi, Honka, Hanzal

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The Chicago Blackhawks placed veteran Brandon Davidson on injured reserve on Nov. 16 with little description other than a lower-body injury. Today, more than a week later, the Blackhawks announced that Davidson will undergo surgery on Tuesday for his right knee. No timetable will be announced until after the procedure.

Davidson signed a one-year, $650K deal with Chicago on Sept. 27, but has appeared in only seven games this year. With the development of some of their younger players such as Henri Jokiharju and Gustav Forsling finding their way into the lineup, Davidson has had trouble cracking the lineup. He had similar trouble last year, but still managed to appear in 51 games, albeit with three different teams. That included raising his stock while in Edmonton that allowed them to trade him to the New York Islanders for a 2019 third-rounder.

  • There was some surprise earlier today when the Edmonton Oilers recalled struggling forward Jesse Puljujarvi from Bakersfield of the AHL after just four games. However, the Oilers’ new head coach Ken Hitchcock accepted responsibility as he wants to further Puljujarvi’s development himself. “I wanted responsibility for his development,” Hitchcock said (via Oilers’ Jack Michaels). “I didn’t just want to be watching him play in AHL. I feel this is type of player we need to win in the Western Confernce. I asked (general manager Peter Chiarelli) if he’d bring him up for practice today.”
  • The Dallas Stars hoped this would be the year that defenseman Julius Honka might break out and develop into that top-four defenseman they’ve been waiting for. That didn’t happen. Then when John Klingberg went down, the team hoped that Honka would take that next step in replacing him. So far that doesn’t look to be happening either after sitting out as a healthy scratch Friday and seems to have been a healthy scratch often for AHL callups. So far Honka has just three assists in 18 games and isn’t the offensive force many felt that he would become, writes The Athletic’s Sean Shapiro (subscription required). “We’d like to see more consistency,” head coach Jim Montgomery said Friday. “Reading rushes defensively, puck pressure down low, gets caught watching, and he’s not the only one.”
  • SportsDay’s Mike Heika reports that injured forward Martin Hanzal intends to travel with the team for their upcoming road trip, but the veteran is still a couple weeks away from returning. The 31-year-old, who signed a three-year, $14.25MM deal last summer has played in just 38 games so far and hasn’t played at all this year after undergoing spinal fusion surgery in June.

Injury Notes: Kulikov, Pesce, Carrick, Arvidsson

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The Winnipeg Jets recalled top prospect Sami Niku this weekend as a replacement for the injured Dmitry Kulikov, and he might get a longer than expected opportunity in the NHL. Kulikov has been moved to injured reserve and is out for at least four weeks according to Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun. The veteran defenseman suffered an upper-body injury, and will now have to fight his way back on the roster in a month’s time.

Kulikov had appeared in just six games this season for the Jets, averaging fewer than 11 minutes per game. That’s a far cry from the expectations placed on him when he signed a three-year $13MM deal in the summer of 2017, one that has not aged well given the rest of the big contracts Winnipeg needs to give out. The team has plenty of cap space at the moment, but will need to hand out deals to Patrik Laine, Kyle Connor, Jacob Trouba and several other restricted free agents this summer.

  • Brett Pesce’s absence at Carolina Hurricanes practice may have set off some alarm bells given the recent speculation about the team’s interest in William Nylander, but Michael Smith of NHL.com reports the defenseman is working through a minor lower-body injury. Pesce won’t play tonight for the Hurricanes, but is listed as just day-to-day for now.
  • Meanwhile in Dallas, Stars’ defenseman Connor Carrick will miss at least three more weeks with his lower-body injury according to broadcaster Bruce LeVine. The Stars are without John Klingberg as well, leaving a lot of the puck-moving responsibility to young defensemen Miro Heiskanen and Julius Honka. Carrick has four points in nine games for the Stars since being acquired just prior to the beginning of the season. Importantly, that trade included a condition that would change the seventh round pick to a sixth round pick for Toronto if Carrick plays in 50 games. An injury like this puts that 50 game threshold very much in doubt.
  • Viktor Arvidsson had just returned from a stint on injured reserve, but is headed back to the shelf after leaving the Nashville Predators recent game against Dallas. Arvidsson has been placed on injured reserve once again, meaning he’ll miss at least a week with his upper-body injury.

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