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Justin Williams

Snapshots: Williams, Tryamkin, Sorenson, Luukkonen

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The Carolina Hurricanes are close to getting their former captain back as Justin Williams is expected to return to the ice on Sunday against the New York Islanders, according to News & Observer’s Chip Alexander. While head coach Rod Brind’Amour did state that Williams will go through pre-game warmups before he made a decision on whether to play Williams, the scribe writes that everyone, including Brind’Amour believes that Williams will make his debut on Sunday.

“I’m nervous before every game I play so I’m going to have nerves,” Williams said. “But the one thing you never question is your ability and that’s one thing I’m never going to question. I’m going to go out there and work my tail off and let my instincts take over.”

The 38-year-old Williams signed a one-year deal 11 days ago and has been working with the team trying to get into game shape. Williams is coming off a solid season in which he scored 23 goals and 53 points last season and likely will take a bottom-six role to start.

  • The Vancouver Canucks still remain hopeful they can bring back defenseman Nikita Tryamkin, who left the team three years ago after his dissatisfaction with his playing time and refusal to play in the AHL. The Canucks have hoped to bring back the 6-foot-7, 265-pound blueliner back after several successful seasons in the KHL. The 25-year-old might be open to coming back, according to his agent, Todd Diamond (via TSN’s Rick Dhaliwal. “It’s very much on the table, the goal and desire is to sign in Vancouver, that’s what we have had discussions about,” said Diamond. “I don’t want to disrupt his season. There is plenty of time to talk when his season is over.”
  • San Jose Sharks head coach Bob Boughner changed up the lines of his team, which also included listing forward Marcus Sorensen as a healthy scratch. Boughner used the word “message” when addressing the media, according to The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz, suggesting he needs more “relentlessness” and for him to play “more on the inside.” After a 17-goal campaign, the 27-year-old is struggling this season with just five goals and has just one point in the last 19 games.
  • Buffalo Sabres goaltending prospect Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made his season debut in the AHL Saturday, stopping 24 of 27 shots in the Rochester American’s 4-3 shootout loss to the Cleveland Monsters. The Buffalo News’ Bill Hoppe writes that the plan has been to allow Luukkonen to stay with the team for a week before they return the top prospect to the ECHL, where he will play in their all-star game. The team may give him one more start before sending him back.

Snapshots: Williams, Granlund, Cousins

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When Justin Williams decided to go back to the Carolina Hurricanes after his semi-retirement, it was on a minimum salary of $700K (prorated for the rest of the season). That deal comes with plenty of potential performance bonuses however, and Chris Johnston of Sportsnet broke them down today. Williams can earn:

  • $150K for 10 games played
  • $100K for 20 games played
  • $250K if team makes the playoffs
  • $100K for each round team wins in round 1-3
  • $250K if team wins the Stanley Cup
  • $250K if Williams wins the Conn Smythe

Those bonuses are cumulative, meaning Williams could earn an extra $1.3MM if things go (extremely) well. Not a bad payday for a player who hasn’t seen any action since last spring when the Hurricanes lost in the Eastern Conference Finals.

  • Though Mikael Granlund wasn’t included in Craig Custance’s trade board today for The Athletic, colleague Adam Vingan was quick to point out on Twitter that the forward has not had any contract negotiations with the Nashville Predators yet. Granlund is in the final season of a three-year, $17.25MM deal signed when he was still with the Minnesota Wild, and will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
  • While the Department of Player Safety considers the punishment for Ryan Lindgren, they’ve handed out a $2,688.17 fine (the maximum allowable amount) to Nick Cousins for his boarding incident last night. The Montreal Canadiens forward pushed Detroit Red Wings defenseman Mike Green from behind and sent him hard into the boards. Though he won’t be suspended for the incident, Cousins will see harsher punishments in the future thanks to the fine.

Hurricanes Sign Justin Williams To A One-Year Contract

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There had been plenty of speculation in recent days that the Hurricanes and Justin Williams were closing in on a deal but it’s now official.  The team announced that they’ve signed the winger to a one-year contract.  He will receive a base salary of the league minimum $700K (pro-rated) plus up to $1.3MM in potential performance bonuses based on individual and team play both in the regular season and playoffs.

GM Don Waddell released the following statement on the signing:

We’ve been in frequent contact with Justin over the last few months regarding his status. We’re thrilled that he has decided to return to playing, and we’re confident that adding him to our group will help us both on and off the ice.

The 38-year-old served as Carolina’s captain last season before “taking a break” from the game back in early September before training camps open.  However, he continued to skate and was believed to have increased his training in recent days with talks intensifying towards a new contract.

Williams was rather productive for the Hurricanes a year ago when he collected 23 goals and 30 assists while playing in all 82 regular season games; his 53 points were good enough to rank third on the team in scoring.  While it would be unreasonable to expect him to come in and produce at a similar rate down the stretch this season, he should still be able to be a useful secondary scorer on a team that is already in the top ten in goals scored.

For his career, Williams has 312 goals and 474 assists in 1,244 games between four teams.  His 786 points have him in the top 200 in all-time NHL scoring.

The structure of the contract, though a little odd, isn’t much of a surprise.  As a result of the Patrick Marleau acquisition and buyout back in June, the Hurricanes are carrying his full $6.25MM deal on the books this season.  Add to that the summer signings of winger Ryan Dzingel and defenseman Jake Gardiner (who combine for a $7.425MM price tag) and Carolina is a team that’s relatively tight to the cap.  Structuring the deal to be bonus-laden minimizes the potential cap effects this season while also not taking too much away from their current cap room.  If the bonuses ultimately push them over the Upper Limit, the overage penalty would be applied in 2020-21 when Marleau’s deal is off the books and they have more flexibility to absorb it.

Considering that he hasn’t played all season, it will be interesting to see if Williams jumps in right away for their next game on Friday against Arizona or if he will need some more time to get into playing shape.  Either way, what has already been a pretty deep attack this season just got deeper.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Latest On Justin Williams

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8:00pm: Williams was in attendance at PNC Arena on Tuesday night and it seems he was doing more than just taking in the Hurricanes-Flyers game. LeBrun reports that Williams has tentatively agreed on a contract with Carolina, with an official signing and announcement likely to arrive on Wednesday.

4:20pm: Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic tweets that the Toronto Maple Leafs also “made a pitch” to Williams this week, while confirming Boston’s interest.

1:35pm: Last night, while the the hockey world was focused on Connor McDavid’s wizardry and Peter Laviolette’s unemployment, John Shannon of Sportsnet provided an update on the situation involving Justin Williams and Carolina Hurricanes. There have been various reports over the last few weeks that suggested Williams’ semi-retirement could be coming to an end, but nothing has yet been finalized with the league.

Shannon tweets that the Hurricanes made a final offer to Williams yesterday to return to the team for the rest of the season, but also notes that if the veteran forward doesn’t sign in Carolina, the Boston Bruins, Washington Capitals and Tampa Bay Lightning will “try and sign” him.

Luke DeCock of the Raleigh News & Observer however reported this afternoon that negotiations between the Hurricanes and Williams are ongoing, with the team “pushing for resolution in next 24 hours.”

Whatever that resolution is, there’s no guarantee that Williams will even be much help to an NHL team this season. The 38-year old forward has always come up big in important games, earning him the nickname “Mr. Game 7” but now hasn’t played any meaningful hockey in nearly eight months. Who knows how long it would take him to get up to speed, even if he was an effective option for the club last season.

In 82 contests during the 2018-19 campaign, the eighth consecutive season he has missed two or fewer games, Williams recorded 23 goals and 53 points. That included five game-winners to take his career total to 42 in the regular season (50 overall).

East Notes: Hurricanes, Zaitsev, Raffl, Murray

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While he still hasn’t officially decided whether or not he will return this season, unrestricted free agent winger Justin Williams has been in contact with the Hurricanes in recent weeks, reports Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic in the latest Insider Trading (video link).  There’s no denying the obvious fit with Williams having had plenty of success with Carolina in recent years.  However, cap space is limited in Carolina and LeBrun suggests that the veteran would be open to playing elsewhere if it comes to it.  One possible solution would be to put easily achievable performance bonuses in the deal with a base salary close to the league minimum.  That would allow them to defer some of the bonus cap charge until 2020-21 when Patrick Marleau’s $6.25MM buyout comes off the books.

More from the East:

  • Senators defenseman Nikita Zaitsev is expected to be out until after the Christmas break, notes Postmedia’s Ken Warren. Head coach D.J. Smith noted that the blueliner was banged up after blocking several shots over the past few games so it appears that they’re opting to give Zaitsev some rest over him trying to play through a lot of pain.
  • Flyers winger Michael Raffl has resumed skating as he works his way back from a finger injury sustained two weeks ago, reports Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News (Twitter link). The team is hopeful that he’ll be able to return early in their post-Christmas road trip.
  • Staying healthy has been an issue for Blue Jackets defenseman Ryan Murray and he is on the shelf once again. Aaron Portzline of The Athletic notes (Twitter link) that the blueliner is listed as week-to-week due to a lower-body injury.  Murray is someone that Columbus has held trade talks for earlier in the season but his inability to stay in the lineup consistently certainly has hurt his value.

Snapshots: Williams, Marleau, Miller

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Free agent winger Justin Williams has resumed skating, reports TSN’s Frank Seravalli.  The 38-year-old announced last month that he was ‘stepping away’ from the game as he wasn’t quite ready to decide on his playing future at the time.  While this certainly doesn’t mean he’s coming back, it at least suggests that he’s open to the possibility.  Williams is believed to have spurned overtures from several teams over the summer and the belief at this time is that if he does return, it would only be with Carolina.  While the Hurricanes don’t have enough cap room to pay anywhere near the $4.5MM AAV he had on his last contract, they would be able to structure it with achievable performance bonuses that could be applied on their cap next season when the buyout of Patrick Marleau is off the books.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • Speaking of Marleau, Toronto head coach Mike Babcock suggested to reporters, including Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News (Twitter link) that the 40-year-old’s goal is to break the all-time NHL record in games played. That mark is currently held by the late Gordie Howe, who suited up in 1,767 regular season NHL contests.  Marleau enters play tonight 104 games shy of matching that mark so if he does intend to break that record, he’ll have to stick around for another season after this one.  Considering it took him until into the season to land a contract, that’s not a guarantee to happen though Marleau is off to a strong start with six points in as many games.
  • The Rangers will decide at the end of the season whether or not they want to turn defense prospect K’Andre Miller pro or leave him in college, notes ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski. The 22nd pick in 2018 had a very strong freshman campaign with Wisconsin and is off to a good start in his sophomore year as well which could potentially put him in the mix for a spot in the New York lineup down the stretch if the team decides that Miller foregoing his final two years of college eligibility is best for his development.

Snapshots: Hurricanes, Krebs, Suzuki, Poehling

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Justin Williams has left the door open to return to the Carolina Hurricanes at some point during the upcoming season, but the team can’t rely on that possibility as part of their identity moving forward. For that reason, the team will replace him as captain, at least at some point. “Be perfectly clear on it”, head coach Rod Brind’Amour told the Associated Press, “He’s not part of the group. We’re moving on as if he’s not going to be here. If he comes to us in January or February and says, `Maybe I want to come back’… it’s not going to catch us by surprise. He’s earned the right to make that decision”. Veteran forward Jordan Staal echoed the sentiment, saying “as of now, we’re moving on from Willie as our captain and we’ll see where it takes us.”

Of course, Staal was on of two co-captains in Carolina in the season prior to Williams’ arrival, alongside defenseman Justin Faulk. Before that there had been no captain since the departure of the face of the franchise, Eric Staal, in 2016. It doesn’t appear as though these Hurricanes will let the captain role lie dormant in Williams’ wake as they did Staal, but Brind’Amour did say that it may take some time to name a replacement. The younger Staal and Faulk are both strong candidates to take over again. Top young players Jaccob Slavin and Sebastian Aho are also top options. For his part, Staal believes there are actually a number of possible players who can fill the role: ”I think as a core, as a group, we’ve got a lot of good kids and a lot of good leaders. ’Usually, as a captain, there’s a lot of guys beside him that are helping him out. I think Willie was a great leader, but as a core, I think there were a lot of great guys that showed up every day ready to work.”

  • On ability alone, Peyton Krebs should not have been the No. 17 pick in the 2019 NHL Draft. The talented young forward out of the WHL’s Winnipeg Ice (formerly Kootenay) was talked about as a possible top-five and certainly top-ten pick last season. However, Krebs tore his Achilles tendon during off-season training prior to the draft and teams became fearful of how it might affect his development. Krebs tumbled down the draft board until the Vegas Golden Knights felt his skill was too attractive to pass up. It seems the team already has a plan in place to best manage the injury as well. The Athletic’s Jesse Granger received word from GM Kelly McCrimmon that Krebs will remain in Las Vegas under the supervision of the team’s medical staff and conditioning team for as long as the Knights deem necessary. The club wants to keep a close eye on their new top prospect’s progress rather than send him back to junior and hope for the best. In fact, Krebs will not re-join the ice until he is game-ready. Early expectations were that Krebs could miss the entire 2019-20 season, so it could be that he doesn’t return to WHL action until this time next year. But if that’s what it takes to ensure that Krebs’ injury doesn’t further set his development back by taking the ice too soon, both team and player should be amenable to the arrangement.
  • Rookies Nick Suzuki and Ryan Poehling are undoubtedly aiming to make the Montreal Canadiens roster out of training camp. Both are high draft picks with considerable skill who should be ready for the highest level. However, head coach Joel Bouchard of the Canadiens’ AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket, feels they should at least begin the year in the minors. He tells Sportsnet’s Eric Engels that, while his main objective is to graduate players to the NHL, he thinks the duo could benefit from a stint in the AHL and has spoken to both about the possibility. Bouchard lays out the difference between the two levels and why two players that Montreal hopes will be core forwards at some point may be better off starting in Laval, especially in a season where the Canadiens feel they can be playoff contenders:

The NHL is a performance league, it’s not a development league. We’re not making decisions for the same reasons. For Claude (Julien), everything is about now… Claude can’t do what we do. He doesn’t have the time. I put players in situations where they’re 100 per cent going to fail, face-offs on their wrong side just so they can learn. Claude can’t do that. It’s not like I’m doing it all the time like I want to lose the game… but at the end of the day, it’s about development.

Poll: Which UFA Is The Most Attractive PTO Candidate?

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It’s now September and, other than a handful of cases, unrestricted free agents who are still unsigned are likely going to have to earn an NHL contract in training camp. While the major storyline around the league remains unsigned RFA’s, there is still plenty of talent available on the open market. Some players are simply sitting on offers though, waiting to make a decision. For example, decorated veterans like  Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, and Niklas Kronwall and perhaps even Dion Phaneuf and Thomas Vanek are not playing on PTO’s. Neither are players rumored to have considerable interest, such as Jake Gardiner and Ben Hutton. That still leaves a lot of ability still searching for NHL employment though.

The best part of a PTO is that it mitigates risk. A player on a tryout is not (yet) taking up a roster spot or salary cap space and their injury history doesn’t matter as much, without any commitment beyond training camp. The tryout process simply allows players to show what they can bring to a team during practices and preseason games on the off chance that their performance in fact warrants a contract. Some teams may lean toward inviting a veteran, both to provide some leadership during camp but also to see what he has left in the tank. Others will invite a younger, prime-age player coming off of a down season, doing their due diligence on whether he might be worth a second chance. There’s also the frequent case of some teams simply checking available players against internal options when it comes to establishing depth for the season. With that in mind, which player would you most like your favorite team to take a look at on a PTO?

Veteran Forwards: Brian Boyle, Troy Brouwer, Drew Stafford, Jamie McGinn, Micheal Haley

Prime Forwards: Riley Sheahan, Magnus Paajarvi, Tobias Rieder, Devante Smith-Pelly, Rourke Chartier

Veteran Defensemen: Dan Girardi, Adam McQuaid, David Schlemko, Eric Gryba

Prime Defensemen: Michael Stone, Joe Morrow, Fredrik Claesson

Goaltenders: Scott Darling, Chad Johnson

Of these players, which one is most worthy of a risk-free look in camp in hopes of finding a surprise contributor for the 2019-20 season?

Mobile users, click here to vote.

Justin Williams “Taking A Break” From Hockey

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Those waiting on a decision from Carolina Hurricanes captain Justin Williams finally have one, although it’s not so much a “yes” or “no” answer on coming back for another season. The Hurricanes have announced on Williams’ behalf that the 37-year-old is “taking a break” from playing hockey and will not begin the 2019-20 campaign with the team:

This is the first time in my life that I’ve felt unsure of my aspirations with regards to hockey. For as long as I can remember, my whole off-season until this point has been hockey and doing what was necessary to prepare for the upcoming season. Because of my current indecision, and without the type of mental and physical commitment that I’m accustomed to having, I’ve decided to step away from the game. It’s important to me that the focus of attention is on the current, very talented group the Carolina Hurricanes have assembled, as they prepare to build on the momentum and growth we established last season.

It is important to note that neither Williams nor the team have used the word “retirement” in discussing this announcement or his future plans. It very well could be that Williams will contemplate calling it a career officially during this break, but more likely he is keeping his options open for a reunion later in the season. The situation is very similar to that of Mike Fisher and the Nashville Predators in 2017-18. Following a run to the Stanley Cup Final, Fisher opted to extend his off-season and maximize his rest and rehab before re-joining the team in February for the stretch run and postseason. The same scenario could be in the cards for Williams, whose comments make it clear that he is still committed to the Hurricanes as Fisher was to the Predators.

Of course, if this is it for Williams, he has certainly done enough in his decorated career. A three-time Stanley Cup champion with the Hurricanes and Los Angeles Kings, “Mr. Game Seven” is one of the most clutch postseason performers in NHL history and has a Conn Smythe Trophy to show for it. He’s also transformed into an iron man of sorts late in his career, missing just three regular season games since the end of the 2010-11 season. Williams is also one of the NHL’s quintessential leaders; a respected presence on the ice and in the locker room wherever he plays. A hard-working and dedicated player, if Williams feels 786 points in 1244 games and three titles isn’t enough, he will definitely be back. But he doesn’t owe the hockey world anything and could easily hang up his skates and move into a coaching or front office role with the Hurricanes if he so chooses.

Williams’ next step remains to be seen, but for now Carolina will have to enter the season without him and lean on the young core that the captain speaks so highly about. The Hurricanes have less than $2.5MM in projected cap space per CapFriendly and would have needed to get creative to re-sign Williams prior to the start of the season. His decision will allow the team to re-focus their efforts into re-signing forward Saku Maenalanen and defenseman Roland McKeown, who remain unsigned restricted free agents. As Carolina stockpiles some cap space over the course of the season, they should be more than capable of adding Williams back to the roster if his passion for the game returns in time for another shot at the Cup.

 

East Notes: Williams, Petrovic, Bemstrom

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While the Hurricanes would certainly like to have winger Justin Williams return for one more season, they are currently approaching things as if he will retire, head coach Rod Brind’Amour told Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer.  The 37-year-old is coming off a strong season that saw him pick up 23 goals and 30 assists in 2018-19 so he could certainly still contribute to Carolina.  However, if the veteran does decide to come back, his contract will need to be structured differently from the $4.5MM AAV on his previous deal.  With the team being fairly tight to the Upper Limit already, Williams will need to accept a bonus-laden pact if he ultimately decides to return.

Elsewhere in the East:

  • While defenseman Alex Petrovic will be attending training camp with the Bruins, the defenseman told Postmedia’s Jim Matheson that he did have multiple two-way offers over the course of the offseason. However, he wasn’t prepared to accept a deal like that just yet and will instead try to squeeze out a spot on a fairly deep defensive group in Boston even factoring in that Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo remain restricted free agents.  However, if that falls through, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him snap up a two-way deal assuming that option is still available.
  • While winger Emil Bemstrom is expected to contend for a roster spot with the Blue Jackets this season, he won’t be suiting up for them in their upcoming prospect tournament, notes Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch. He’s dealing with a facial injury although the team is hopeful that he’ll be ready for the start of training camp.  The 2017 fourth-round pick led the SHL in goals last season and will likely be part of a big youth movement that’s upcoming following the departure of several veterans this summer.

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