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Scratch Notes: Seabrook, Gusev, Fiala

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The Chicago Blackhawks are sitting one of their franchise icons in the press box again tonight, as Brent Seabrook waits his turn to get back into the lineup. That obviously isn’t what the 34-year old was hoping for at this point in his career, and he made it clear to Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports that he believes he can still play:

I don’t think I need rest. I think I feel great, I’m 34, you guys seem to want to write articles about my age and my speed. I feel like I still got a lot to offer in this league and still be a good player for somebody.

The most interesting part of the Seabrook quote may be the very last word, as he didn’t specify the Blackhawks. There has been a contingent of Chicago fans hoping to get rid of Seabrook’s hefty contract for years now, but it still remains one of the toughest deals to make in the league. While the quote might suggest that he’d be willing to waive his no-movement clause in order to get back on the ice, Seabrook carries a $6.875MM cap hit through the 2023-24 season, something no team wants to take on.

  • The New Jersey Devils will be sitting Nikita Gusev in the press box tomorrow night when they take on the Tampa Bay Lightning. Gusev will get a chance to sit with Devils legend Patrik Elias for the game and pick his brain, something head coach John Hynes hopes will help down the road. Gusev has four points through his first nine NHL games, but has recently seen his minutes drastically reduced.
  • Kevin Fiala will be a healthy scratch for the Minnesota Wild once again tonight, with head coach Bruce Boudreau telling reporters including Michael Russo of The Athletic “we expect more” from the talented forward. Fiala has played in just seven games this season and has a lone assist, after being acquired from the Nashville Predators by former GM Paul Fenton. The 23-year old signed a new two-year, $6MM contract in September but has yet to show that high-end offensive skill that made him such an attractive trade target.

Wild Make Three Forwards Available

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Wild GM Bill Guerin is still getting a sense for his team but it appears there are some players he’s open to moving on from.  Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports that Minnesota has made forwards Ryan Donato, Joel Eriksson Ek, and Kevin Fiala available.

Two of those players were fairly recent acquisitions of former GM Paul Fenton who brought them in through a pair of trades back in February in advance of the trade deadline.  However, those acquisitions were questioned at the time and neither player is off to a particularly strong start this season.

Donato just became waiver-eligible on Thursday when he played in his 80th career NHL game (regular season and playoffs).  He has shown flashes of being able to contribute in the NHL both early in his time with Boston as a rookie and Minnesota last season.  However, the results haven’t been too strong in between.  Nonetheless, given that he’s only 23 with a manageable contract at $1.9MM per season for two years, he should have some suitors around the league.

As for Eriksson Ek, he hasn’t lived up to his draft billing that saw him go 20th overall back in 2015.  While he is a capable defensive center, the production hasn’t been there as he has just 38 points in 155 career regular season games.  He’s currently on injured reserve due to a lower-body injury but did skate with the team on Friday so it appears he’s close to returning.  Eriksson Ek is also on a bridge contract that carries a $1.4875MM AAV through 2020-21.

Fiala, meanwhile, was Fenton’s most notable acquisition as he parted with Mikael Granlund to get him at the deadline.  Unfortunately for Minnesota, Fiala hasn’t rewarded their faith in him.  He had just seven points in 19 games down the stretch last year and has just a single helper in seven contests so far this season.  He’s not far removed from a 48-point campaign in 2017-18 though so the asking price will justifiably be high.  Fiala is in the first season of a two-year deal with a $3MM cap hit.

Interestingly enough, these players are all among Minnesota’s youngest with no one being older than 23.  For a team that looks like they need to try to rebuild in the near future, players of this age are typically the ones that teams in this situation look to acquire, not trade away.  Guerin is believed to be willing to listen on pretty much everything and with these players available, he should have some interesting trade scenarios presented to him.

Trade Rumors: Wild, Hurricanes, Ristolainen

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The Minnesota Wild finally picked up their first win of the season on Monday. Yet, they immediately followed that up with a loss on Tuesday and are on their way to another loss tonight. The Wild will likely head home from their Canadian road trip with a 1-6-0 record on the year and their only points coming against the Ottawa Senators. Combine that with last season’s “big” trade acquisitions of Kevin Fiala, Ryan Donato, and Victor Rask all having been healthy scratches at least once and free agent centerpiece Mats Zuccarello being held scoreless through four games prior to an injury, and it is easy to see why the situation in Minnesota this season is already so bleak. Thus, it should come as little surprise that Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports in his “31 Thoughts” column that Minnesota will “listen on everything.” New GM Bill Guerin is likely eager to make his mark on the team and hopeful that he can right the wrongs of his much-maligned predecessor, Paul Fenton. As one might expect from the level-headed Guerin, Friedman writes that he is not willing to rush into anything just for the sake of making a move, despite such a poor start. However, should the opportunity present itself to make a move that he feels is right for the team, Guerin won’t be afraid to pull the trigger and shake things up. Friedman feels that team’s biggest need is to add right-handed forwards. Currently, the team has just two: Ryan Hartman and Luke Kunin. If one exists on the trade market, a young, natural right wing or righty center could be a good long-term investment for Minnesota. However, the Wild are likely to be in more of a seller mode than buyer in the immediate future. Much of their roster is signed long-term, but Jonas Brodin, Eric Staal, Marcus Foligno, and perhaps even captain Mikko Koivu, an impending free agent, could be on the block.

  • The Carolina Hurricanes hoped to land an NHL forward when they traded away defenseman Justin Faulk, but a potential deal with the Anaheim Ducks that would have brought Ondrej Kase to Raleigh fell through and the team settled for defenseman Joel Edmundson and promising, but raw forward prospect Dominik Bokk.  Now, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that the search for a top-nine forward continues for Carolina, despite their red-hot start. Neither of the two names mentioned by LeBrun as players that the ‘Canes have kicked the tires on should come as any surprise. The first is disgruntled young Edmonton Oilers forward Jesse Puljujarvi, who is currently playing overseas. This matches up with a recent report that the Oilers continue to pursue NHL-ready Carolina prospect Julien Gauthier, but turned down a one-for-one offer for Puljujarvi this summer. With both Edmonton and Carolina playing well and wanting immediate help, it could be that the trade now makes more sense for both sides. The second player named is Joshua Ho-Sang, another frustrated young forward who is currently sitting at home waiting to be traded by the New York Islanders, who instructed him not to report to the AHL after he failed to make the team. Both Puljujarvi and Ho-Sang are behavioral question marks, but bring both upside and roster flexibility should reigning GM of the Year candidate Don Waddell decide to make a deal.
  • LeBrun also reports that Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen is likely no longer on the trade block. While at one point both sides had agreed that a change of scenery was a good idea, the Sabres are off to a strong start this season and Ristolainen recently spoke about how much he is enjoying playing for new head coach Ralph Kreuger and his happiness with being in Buffalo. LeBrun doubts that the team wants to upset their early momentum, while noting that trade talks this summer did not bear any fruit anyway. Ristolainen can still be a key contributor for the team and they seem content to maintain the status quo so long as they continue to accumulate points.

Scratch Notes: Dermott, McCann, Fiala

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The Toronto Maple Leafs surprised many by sending Rasmus Sandin back to the minor leagues recently, but the decision might not have been only because of the youngster’s development as they said. Travis Dermott, who is working his way back from offseason shoulder surgery, shed his no-contact sweater at practice and is getting closer to a return.

Dermott, 22, was a big part of the Maple Leafs’ defense last season before his shoulder injury, logging more than 17 minutes a night and posting excellent possession numbers. The second-round pick plays an extremely aggressive style that can quickly disrupt rushes but also leaves him out of position at times. If he can learn to pick his spots a little more selectively, there’s a good chance the Maple Leafs have a future top-four option on their hands.

  • Another day, another injury up front for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Jared McCann missed practice today and has been listed as day-to-day, leaving the team without another one of their key forwards for the time being. Amazingly, the Penguins have scored 14 goals over their last two games even with their banged up forward group, but have the high-flying Colorado Avalanche coming into town tomorrow.
  • It’s not an injury keeping Kevin Fiala out of the lineup, but he’ll be out all the same when the Minnesota Wild take on Toronto tonight. The team will make Fiala a healthy scratch just a few months after acquiring him from the Nashville Predators and touting him as a core member of their team going forward. The Wild have now scratched Fiala, Ryan Donato and Victor Rask this season, the three main acquisitions last season by former GM Paul Fenton.

Central Notes: Crawford, Dach, Fiala, Stars Prospects

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After two concussion-plagued seasons that Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford has gone through, much doubt has been cast on whether the two-time Jennings Trophy winner might be able to bounce back and become the team’s No. 1 goaltender again. The Blackhawks even took another step to insure themselves against another injury this summer when it signed Masterson and Jennings Trophy winner Robin Lehner to share the net. However, NHL.com’s Chris Kuk writes that Crawford said he feels great and is ready to continue his career.

“You kind of have an idea if you’ve been injured enough of what he’s feeling and just the constant, over and over and over,” Crawford said. “That’s what it is. You have to have that will to battle back and go through it again during those tough days. So, right now, I still have that will to keep pushing and get back to where I need to be.”

The Blackhawks will wait and see how Crawford fares this season before deciding on his long-term future. His six-year, $36MM deal will expire at the end of this season and with Lehner also signed to a one-year deal, Chicago will likely choose between the two netminders next summer. Regardless, Crawford says he is eager to play in the future.

“I would like to keep playing,” Crawford said. “This is like the first time for me to be in this situation and I haven’t really thought about it that much to be honest. It’s just kind of, play the next game. I think my play and my health will probably determine my future here, for sure, like it always has. If you’re not at the right level and the team feels like you’re not helping then the chances are you won’t stay here. That’s good. I’ve always been a competitive guy, confident in what I can do. It’s another challenge.”

  • The Chicago Tribune’s Jimmy Greenfield writes that Chicago Blackhawks first-round pick Kirby Dach (third-overall) made his on-ice debut Friday in training camp after having to sit out with a concussion that he sustained in the final game of the NHL Prospect Tournament. While there was no guarantee that Dach would have made the opening night roster anyway, it would seem more challenging now. However, Chicago head coach Jeremy Colliton said that Dach is still being considered for a roster spot even though he missed a week of training camp and four preseason games. If he doesn’t make the team, the Blackhawks will have to return him to his junior team in the WHL.
  • Michael Russo of The Athletic (subscription required) writes that Minnesota Wild forward Kevin Fiala, who finally signed his deal on Sept. 11, finally arrived in training camp Saturday after spending this whole time filling out paperwork so he can work in North America. He is expected to undergo medical tests and will fly with the team in Colorado where head coach Bruce Boudreau will determine whether he plays Sunday or whether he will wait to put Fiala into the lineup next Thursday in Dallas.
  • The Dallas Stars have two top prospects in similar situations who have impressed in training camp in Ty Dellandrea and Thomas Harley. Both players are likely ready for the next step in their development, but the both must either make the Dallas squad or be returned to their junior team as the AHL is not an option for the two. However, NHL.com’s Mike Heika writes because of that, he would be surprised if Dallas keeps either on the roster.

 

 

 

West Notes: Simek, Ducks, Fiala, Pateryn

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Sharks defenseman Radim Simek may not be ready to start the season due to the torn ACL and MCL he sustained back in March, head coach Peter DeBoer told Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News.  The blueliner underwent surgery shortly thereafter but it typically carries a minimum recovery time of six months.  Simek has been skating on his own for the past few weeks and is hopeful to resume skating with the team soon.  However, given that he may not be able to get into any preseason action, it may be safer to have him start on IR for the first little bit of the season and ease his way back into things.  Doing so would also allow for one of their prospects to break camp with the team and have a spot inside their top six to start the season, giving San Jose a bit more of an evaluation opportunity.

Elsewhere in the West:

  • The Ducks’ extension offer to defenseman Justin Faulk was believed to be a seven-year pact worth just under $7MM per season, reports Elliott Teaford of the Orange County Register. That came back when they were working with Carolina on a trade but it doesn’t appear as if Faulk has interest in taking that offer at this time which has left discussions up in the air as a result.
  • Wild winger Kevin Fiala’s immigration paperwork has finally been finalized, paving the way for him to rejoin the team today, the team announced (Twitter link). He signed a two-year bridge deal back on September 11th but has still wound up missing the first week of training camp.
  • Still with the Wild, there is no timetable for defenseman Greg Pateryn to return from his lower-body injury, notes Rachel Blount of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. He has yet to play in the preseason as he deals with what head coach Bruce Boudreau is classifying as a minor but persistent lower-body issue.

West Notes: Palmu, Tryamkin, Fiala, Ducks

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Several veteran players are still looking for a place to play but so is one of Vancouver’s prospects.  Winger Petrus Palmu has spent the last two seasons with TPS Turku in Finland (aside from a brief stint with AHL Utica last year) but his agent Todd Diamond told Postmedia’s Patrick Johnston that the 22-year-old is hoping to catch on with a team in the SHL this season to play at a higher level of competition.  Returning to the AHL doesn’t appear to be an option for Palmu at this time although he could join them or the Canucks at the completion of his season overseas.

Meanwhile, Diamond also reiterated that blueliner Nikita Tryamkin remains open to the idea of one day rejoining the Canucks.  That almost certainly won’t happen this season as he’s under contract with Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg of the KHL and they’re unlikely to release him from his deal early.  Vancouver holds his NHL rights through the 2021-22 season.

Elsewhere around the Western Conference:

  • While Wild winger Kevin Fiala recently signed his bridge contract, he has yet to join the team at training camp. Sarah McLellan of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune notes that the 23-year-old is currently awaiting his work visa.  The team is hopeful that he’ll be able to join them early next week although it’s likely that this will keep him out of the first couple of preseason games.
  • The Ducks announced (via Twitter) that center Ryan Kesler and winger Patrick Eaves will indeed miss all of the upcoming season. Kesler’s diagnosis was expected but Eaves, who has been dealing with post-viral syndrome since 2017, had not been ruled out for its entirety before now.  He will become an unrestricted free agent next summer while Kesler is signed through 2021-22 at $6.875MM.  Both players will be placed on LTIR if Anaheim needs to free up additional cap space for the upcoming season although they currently sit well under the Upper Limit for the time being.

Minnesota Wild Sign Kevin Fiala

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Apparently Bill Guerin’s offer to Kevin Fiala was good enough after all. The Minnesota Wild have re-signed the restricted free agent forward to a two-year, $6MM contract. The deal carries a $2.5MM salary in 2019-20 and a $3.5MM salary in 2020-21. Fiala will still be an RFA when the deal expires.

Fiala, 23, had been in negotiations with former Minnesota GM Paul Fenton when he was fired earlier this offseason, meaning things were put on hold for a time as the team conducted its search for a new leader. Guerin, hired in late August, can now wash his hands of the RFA market after signing Fiala, his last remaining player without a contract. The young forward will now be able to participate in training camp, though as Michael Russo of The Athletic pointed out yesterday, may miss a day or two as he waits for a work visa.

Originally selected 11th overall in 2014, Fiala started his career with the Nashville Predators organization (under Fenton, who was serving as the GM of the Milwaukee Admirals at the time) and quickly made an impact. After dominating the minor leagues he graduated to the NHL and showed that he could be a regular in the top-six and contribute offensively, scoring 23 goals and 48 points in his sophomore season. Last year after getting off to a slower start he was targeted by Fenton at the deadline and acquired by the Wild in exchange for Mikael Granlund. Though he registered just seven points in 19 games for Minnesota down the stretch, he will be expected to be a huge part of the offense going forward.

Even under new management, Fiala’s importance to the team is obvious. If the Wild are to find any success transitioning from their old core to the new group, the 23-year old needs to be front and center as a goal scoring threat. A $3MM salary is proof that they believe he can do that, especially coming off a 13-goal, 39-point year.

For the Wild this deal may seem a tad expensive given how Fiala performed last season, but it at least gets him into camp and will keep him under team control. Unlike some of the other restricted free agents signed this summer, he’ll still be two years from unrestricted free agency at the end of the contract. While his back-heavy deal does guarantee a qualifying offer of $3.5MM in 2021, that is not nearly as prohibitive for the team as some of the other deals. Even after inking Fiala the Wild have some excess cap room to work with this season and could potentially be involved in another transaction at some point before the season begins.

Snapshots: Malkin, Kase, Fiala

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Evgeni Malkin has been the target of trade rumors for years now, but after they perked up again following a disappointing 2018-19 season he’s hoping to put them behind him. In an incredible piece that delves into Malkin’s home life and the relationship he has had with teammates (including a spotlight on Phil Kessel) and coaches, Rob Rossi of The Athletic (subscription required) also got an idea of what the big Pittsburgh Penguins forward hopes his future holds:

It’s (a) huge next three years. I still want to play 100 percent — and sign (for) three more years with Pittsburgh.

Malkin’s current contract is set to expire in the summer of 2022, when he will be 35 (turning 36). That would mean another contract would be of the 35+ variety, adding some risk for the Penguins should Malkin decide to retire at any point during it. While that’s a long way away, you can bet GM Jim Rutherford has already contemplated his actions down the road in regards to the franchise icon.

  • With a Justin Faulk trade still being discussed between the Anaheim Ducks and Carolina Hurricanes, Sara Civian of The Athletic confirms previous reports that Ondrej Kase would be involved. That news has surprised some other teams around the league according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, who reports that Kase was unavailable in trade talks for a long time and suggests his new availability may be linked to health concerns. Kase has never played a full 82-game season in the NHL and actually has just 149 games to his name at this point in his career. Still, the 23-year old forward has shown an ability to score goals at a strong rate and could be a nice addition for the Hurricanes.
  • Kevin Fiala remains unsigned, but Minnesota Wild GM Bill Guerin hopes his talented young forward is in town for training camp when it starts in a few days. Guerin told The Athletic (subscription required) that the team has made a “fair offer” to Fiala and that the 23-year old is now deciding. Fiala came to the Wild from the Nashville Predators last season and put up seven points in 19 games down the stretch, but has shown flashes of top-line offensive potential in the past and could be a huge part of the turnaround in Minnesota.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Nashville Predators

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Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM. 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 2019-20 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.

Nashville Predators

Current Cap Hit: $80,165,476 (under the $81.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

D Dante Fabbro (two years, $925K)
F Rem Pitlick (one year, $925K)
F Eeli Tolvanen (two years, $894K)

Potential Bonuses

Tolvanen: $2.85MM
Fabbro: $850K

The team has a few players with entry-level contracts who could make an immediate impact. Fabbro is the obvious one, especially after the team traded away P.K. Subban to New Jersey in a cap-saving move. Fabbro, the team’s first-round pick in 2016, finally signed in late March after three seasons at Boston University, playing in four regular season games, followed by six playoff games, combining for one goal and two points in amongst those 10 games. Now with Subban gone, the team has to hope that Fabbro will be ready to immediately take over the open top-four spot in the team’s defense. If not the team could have some issues at that spot. The team also inked Pitlick, the team’s third-rounder in 2016, after three years at the University of Minnesota. After tallying 47 goals in three years, the team hopes that Pitlick can make his mark on the team immediately.

Tolvanen, who dominated in the KHL at 18 years of age, failed to make the Predators team last year and spent most of his season with the Milwaukee Admirals in the AHL, scoring 15 goals and 35 points in 58 games and will try to force his way into the Predators lineup this year with a good training camp.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

F Mikael Granlund ($5.75MM, UFA)
F Craig Smith ($4.25MM, UFA)
D Roman Josi ($4MM, UFA)
D Dan Hamhuis ($1.25MM, UFA)
F Austin Watson ($1.1MM, UFA)
F Rocco Grimaldi ($1MM, UFA)
F Miikka Salomaki ($750K, UFA)
F Daniel Carr ($700K, UFA)
D Matt Irwin ($675K, UFA)
D Yannick Weber ($675K, UFA)
F Frederick Gaudreau ($667K, UFA)

The most well documented story is the Predators’ desire to lock up Josi to a long-term deal. The 29-year-old has proven to be an excellent defensive blueliner, but has also shown off quite a bit of offense, putting up 40 or more points for the past six seasons, including a 56-point performance last year. Josi has indicated that he wants to stay in Nashville, but evidently is waiting to see how the restricted free agent market pans out before signing any deal.

With significant cap issues coming up over the next few years, the Predators will have to make key decisions on what they want to do with Granlund and Smith. Nashville acquired Granlund at the trade deadline last year, swapping a younger Kevin Fiala for the 27-year-old, who will be a free agent at the end of the season. Granlund, who scored 47 goals in his two previous seasons, stepped back last year, scoring just 16 goals last season and only one of those in 16 games with Nashville. If Granlund can return to his 25-goal ways, the Predators are likely to find a way to keep him in the future, but another poor season could end their relationship early. Smith is a different situation. He’s been a 20-goal scorer for five of his last six seasons, but will be 31 when he signs his next deal. The question is whether the team wants to lock him up when he’s on the wrong side of 30.

Most of the other players listed here are depth options, with a number of bottom-pairing forwards and defensemen.

Two Years Remaining

G Pekka Rinne ($5MM, UFA)
F Nick Bonino ($4.1MM, UFA)
G Juuse Saros ($1.5MM, UFA)
D Steven Santini ($1.42MM, RFA)

The next two years could be the final two for Rinne, who will be 38 at that time. The veteran goaltender and Vezina Trophy winner put up another impressive season last year with a 30-19-4 record and a .918 save percentage. He will likely carry the load for the next two years, but Saros, the team’s goaltender of the future, will likely see more and more games before taking over as the Predators’ No. 1 goaltender in 2021-22. Saros played 31 games last season and while posting a 2.62 GAA, he did sport a .915 save percentage and should eventually get an extension.

Bonino was brought in from Pittsburgh to be the team’s third-string center and jumpstart the team’s bottom-six. He has done that, but also has found himself dropped down to the fourth line in the meantime and at $4.1MM, that’s a lot of money to be paying a bottom-line player. The only long-term hope, is that room is made so that Bonino, who posted 17 goals and 35 points last season, can return to his third-line role eventually.

Three Years Remaining

F Filip Forsberg ($6MM, UFA)
D Mattias Ekholm ($3.75MM, UFA)
F Calle Jarnkrok ($2MM, UFA)

The team has a solid bargain going with Forsberg making just $6MM per season. The Predators have gotten impressive production out of the winger, who posted 28 goals and 50 points last season (surprisingly his worst season of his career so far) and there is still hope that the 25-year-old may take his game up another notch and return to his 30-goal, 60-point mark that he has reached twice in his career or even take his game even further. However, the skilled winger remains an impressive player at a reasonable price for the next three years.

Ekholm may be the biggest bargain of the lot as the 29-year-old is one of the most underrated players in the league, showing off great defensive skill as well as posting 40 points for the first time in his career last year. Ekholm scored eight goals and 44 points last year and at under $4MM, the team has a cheap top-four player for quite a few years to come. Jarnkrok also gives the team a discounted player as the depth winger is a solid value at just $2MM per year.

Four Or More Years Remaining

F Matt Duchene ($8MM through 2025-26)
F Ryan Johansen ($8MM through 2024-25)
D Ryan Ellis ($6.25MM through 2026-27)
F Kyle Turris ($6MM through 2023-24)
F Viktor Arvidsson ($4.25MM through 2023-24)
F Colton Sissons ($2.86MM through 2025-26)

The team had to finally pay out to get themselves the No. 2 center that they desired. They thought they did that a few years ago when the traded for Turris and extended him, but so far that match hasn’t been what the team hoped for. However, after moving out Subban, the team had enough cap room to replace him on the roster with their biggest need, which will be filled by Duchene, who should be the perfect top-six center the team has coveted for year. Duchene is coming off a 31-goal, 70-point season and if he can continue to post numbers like that should be a solid value as well at $8MM per year. Turris, on the other hand, now moves down to the third-line center position and the team has high hopes that the 30-year-old will rebound from a seven-goal, 23-point disappointment last year. However, after a solid showing at the World Championships this summer, the team hopes he can rebound.

It’s hard to believe that people talk about the Nashville defense constantly, but only one of them is signed longer than three years. However, Ellis signed his long-term deal, which looks like a bargain for the team. The 28-year-old broke 40 points for the first time in his career and with his exceptional defense, is going to be a key member of their blueline for a long time.

Johansen’s goals have been down since coming over from Columbus, but he continues to be a dominant passer and put up a career high in assists this year with 50 as well as 64 points, the second-best of his career. The 27-year-old should only get better. Arvidsson is also locked up long-term as the 26-year-old scored a career-high 34 goals last season and has proven to be a top-line winger and even looks like a bargain at $4.25MM. Sissons also was just recently signed to a long-term, seven-year contract at a low price as the team believes he should be part of their bottom-six for a long time.

 

Buyouts

None

Retained Salary Transactions

None

Still To Sign

None

Best Value: Ekholm
Worst Value: Turris

Looking Ahead

The Nashville Predators have been put together impressively, using their no-tax situation to their advantage as players have made it clear that they want to stay in Nashville. The team has a solid core, but after a disappointing playoffs, the team must prove that they can return to their old dominance, especially in a challenging division like the Central, and continue to be one of the top teams in the league. Adding another top-six center should help and if they can get the most out of their players, the Predators should be a dominant team for years, but if head coach Peter Laviolette can’t get some of his players to take the next step in their development, they may be in trouble too.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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