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Kris Russell

Best Of The Rest: Defense

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We’ve already seen over half a billion dollars given out to free agents since July 1st, and many of the top names are off the board.  34 of our Top 50 Free Agents have already signed with teams, many of them to long-term deals.  With the summer months still looming ahead of us, we’ll take a look at who is left on the market.  Here are the best of the rest for defensemen on the open market:

(number in parentheses indicates ranking on PHR’s Top 50)

  1. Kris Russell (12) – There were many reports of Russell allegedly turning down a $17MM offer from the Maple Leafs this weekend, but agent Allain Roy made it clear that they were false.  While he’s clearly been affected by the analytical approach many teams are employing, he’ll still likely get a large contract as teams miss out on other blueline opportunities.
  2. Luke Schenn (30) – How far has Schenn fallen, from being a top-5 pick in the draft, to being traded straight up for James van Riemsdyk.  Now it’s hard to see him demand much more than $3MM a season to fill a bottom pair role. His age does help him however, as at just 26 he’s one of the youngest available free agent defenseman.
  3. Kyle Quincey (44) – Quincey was once an integral part of the Red Wings’ blueline, but after seasons plagued with injury and ineffectiveness he’s now looking to rebuild value on a one-year deal.  Quincey is a pretty good bet as a bounce-back candidate on a bottom pair, and will probably be on the market again in 2017.
  4. Justin Schultz (NR) – Schultz wasn’t given a qualifying offer from the Penguins last month, and became an unrestricted free agent for the second time before his 26th birthday (which happens to be today). The former University of Wisconsin Badger signed with Edmonton after college but still hasn’t found his footing in the NHL. Still with huge upside, teams may look at him similarly to Michael Del Zotto from a few years ago.
  5. James Wisniewski (NR) – After a knee injury destroyed his entire 2015-16 season, Wisniewski was bought out by the Hurricanes last week. While he’s now 32-years old, the “Wiz” was once heralded as a borderline top pairing defenseman, and might still have some relevant hockey left in him.  As the prices steadily increase for right-handed shots, Wisniewski might be a reasonable option for a team on a budget.

Snapshots: Russell, Vesey, Forsling

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After rumors swirled the past two days indicating that the Maple Leafs had offered a contract to free agent defenseman Kris Russell, agent Allain Roy took to Twitter to set the record straight:  “Reports of Kris Russell turning down any offer from the Maple Leafs are false. Simply rumors…”  The former member of the Dallas Stars is still available as of Sunday evening, and ranked 12th on our Top 50 UFA list last month.  Here is some more news from around the league:

Free Agent Profile: Kris Russell

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After Friday’s spending frenzy, D Kris Russell is the most prominent player left on the open market.  Because of the contrasting interpretation of his skill set, his free agency case is certainly interesting to follow.

Russell, though quite undersized for his position at just 5’10, has carved out a niche for himself in recent years as one of the preeminent shot blockers in the entire league.  He has recorded at least 201 blocked shots in each of the last three seasons with a career high of 283 in 2014-15, more than 70 blocks more than the next highest player.  Last year, his total dipped to 210 but that was still good enough for second highest in the league behind Colorado’s Francois Beauchemin.

How that stat is interpreted is what makes his particular case so intriguing.  On the one hand, teams value players who are willing to put their body on the line to keep shots from getting through to the net.  Those players have been handsomely rewarded in the past.  On the other hand, the fact that Russell is on the ice for so many shots against can be interpreted as an indictment of his defensive play; if he was better in that regard, he wouldn’t have so many shots to block.  Any GM who looks at it that way will either offer him less money or stay away from offering him a deal altogether.

Further complicating his value is Russell’s step back offensively compared to 2014-15.  That season, he collected 30 assists and 34 points but last year, he had just 15 and 19, respectively.  At 34 points, he can be classified as a two-way defender but under 20, that’s no longer the case.  Russell’s agent may try to sell him as a two-way player but it’s not likely that he’ll get much traction there.

Potential Suitors

Toronto and Montreal were both linked to Russell on Friday but neither of them has the cap space to sign him outright (before taking any projected LTIR-bound players into consideration).  Vancouver also was believed to have some interest but may not have a roster spot for him.  Boston has the cap space and roster vacancy to fit him in, as do the Stars, where Russell finished last season.  If Russell’s asking price drops, that will open up a few other landing spots as well.

Projected Contract

Russell is ranked 12th on our Top 50 UFA list and is the highest of the unsigned players on there.  We project a four year, $18MM contract for the 29 year old.

Free Agency Snapshots: Best Remaining Players

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As of 11:30pm, Jason Demers signed a five-year deal with Florida. This article was written prior to that contract being signed. 

A variety of analysts weighed in on who they thought the best remaining free agents were on the unrestricted free agent market. USA Today’s Kevin Allen writes that defensemen Jason Demers, Kyle Quincey, Kris Russell, James Wisniewski and Justin Schultz are all names that should find a new (or possibly the same) home. Allen still believes that Demers was the best free agent defenseman on the market, but that his reported $5MM pricetag may be scaring teams away. Allen also lists forwards Jiri Hudler, Sam Gagner, P.A. Parenteau, and Matt Cullen as other intriguing options. Allen believes that although Hudler has shown a goal scoring knack, his age (32) may be a factor in his inability to land a deal.

  • NHL.com listed their best of the rest, with many mirroring Allen’s list. However, they listed Patrik Elias, Tomas Fleischmann, Roman Polak, Brad Richards, Luke Schenn, Alex Tanguay, and Radim Vrbata as other options. Most intriguing was the inclusion of Elias, who at 40 years of age, is still looking to play. Though they listed Coyotes captain Shane Doan, it was speculated yesterday that he would be returning to the desert, and that a contract was close.
  • Sportsnet’s Luke Fox also had a similar list to the aforementioned,  though he added Brandon Pirri, and Dennis Seidenberg as two additional options. On Pirri, Fox believes that his 29 points along with his young age (25) makes him a smart addition. Fox calls Seidenberg a dependable stay at home defenseman, but one that won’t “wow” any potential suitors.
  • Finally, Greg Wyshynski writes that any team who signs Russell is making a puzzling acquisition. Wyshynski wonders if Russell could get $5MM for blocking shots–and not much more. Last season, Russell had 19 points (4-15) in 62 games with Calgary and Dallas.

Dan Hamhuis Signs With Dallas

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After Dallas Stars’ defensemen Jason Demers and Kris Russell both decided to test out free agency, the Stars have replaced their outgoing performance by inking Dan Hamhuis to a two-year, $7.5MM contract, as reported by Bob McKenzie.

Hamhuis has spent the last six seasons in Vancouver where he has slowly seen his role and offensive performance decline as he heads into his mid-thirties. The former Predator and Norris trophy nominee will now join a blueline that has been torn apart over the last few weeks.  In addition to Demers and Russell both heading to free agency, Dallas traded Alex Goligoski to the Coyotes just weeks before he also would have become an unrestricted free agent.

Now Hamhuis will join Johnny Oduya as the veterans in a group headlined by John Klingberg, the last bastion of the Stars’ young group from last season. For a team who is looking to contend this season, before many of their talented forwards reach free agency (including superstar captain Jamie Benn and sniper Patrick Sharp) Hamhuis is just the first step in rebuilding their back end.

Snapshots: Schedule, Shattenkirk, Salary Cap, Coyotes, Red Wings, Malkin, Dallas Defense

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The NHL released their 2016-17 schedule on Tuesday.  Here are some of the important dates:

Wednesday, October 12: Regular season begins
January 27-30: All-Star Break
Tuesday, February 28: Trade deadline
Sunday, April 9 Final day of the regular season

Elsewhere around the league:

Mirtle’s Latest: Chayka, Demers, Yandle

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The busiest time of the year is starting over the next few weeks, with the Entry Draft and July 1st free agency. Rumors are swirling already about almost every player in the league and James Mirtle of the Globe and Mail mentions that the salary cap isn’t going to rise much more than $1.5MM even if the NHLPA exercises their 5% bump.  That’ll give a lot of teams pause about locking in long-term to free agents, while their own cap situation isn’t settled. Here’s more from Mirtle:

  • Youngest GM in NHL history John Chayka (only 27-years old) has already begun to make an impact on the Arizona Coyotes, moving to acquire the rights to Alex Goligoski last week, and Mirtle believes he’s aiming at a return to the playoffs as soon as next season.  Martin Hanzal, his biggest trade chip has been dangled recently and doesn’t look like a long-term option in the desert.
  • Jason Demers, one of three exceptional Dallas blueliners that are reaching free agency this summer has apparently priced himself out of the Stars’ market, asking for an annual value close to $5.5MM. Demers, along with Goligoski and Kris Russell are three of the top five defense options this offseason.
  • Number 1 on that list, Keith Yandle is believed to be seeking a seven-year deal on the open market, Mirtle suggests. The Avalanche are an option for the Rangers’ blueliner, as they look to add to their team coming off a disappointing 39-39-4 season.
  • Mirtle mentions that despite the Jets best efforts to re-sign restricted free agent Jacob Trouba, teams around the league still believe he is available for the right price.  The former 9th overall pick has been a steady presence on the Jets back-end and is only 22.

Free Agent Focus: Dallas Stars

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After a season that saw the Dallas Stars lead the Western Conference with 109 points, and be one of only two teams to record 50 wins, they have a long offseason in front of them if they’re to keep the strong core in tact. On the backs of superstars Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin, they easily led the NHL in goals, hitting the twine 267 times in 2015-16. Here is a look at their upcoming offseason:

Key Restricted Free Agent: RW Valeri Nichushkin – Unfortunately for the Stars, it’s not the restricted free agents that are going to cause them headaches this summer it’s the eight UFAs they’ll see leave them. They do, however have one very important RFA in Valeri Nichushkin, the Russian powerhouse selected in the first round (10th overall) of the 2013 entry draft.

After putting up 14 goals and 34 points as an 18-year old after being drafted, the winger missed almost all of 2014-15 with a hip injury that needed corrective surgery.  This season the now 21-year old was back on a strong development path, putting up 29 points coming off injury. His 6’4″, 205 pound frame is a scout’s dream when it comes with at least average skating ability, and Nichushkin has shown he can keep up in the NHL. While the idea of him hitting the ice alongside Benn and Seguin might still be another year away, he played well when paired with Jason Spezza this season, and will look to continue his development into a top-flight power forward in the league.

Other RFAs: Jamie Oleksiak

Key Unrestricted Free Agents: D Alex Goligoski, D Jason Demers, D Kris Russell – Somehow the Stars have three excellent defenders 30 or under hitting free agency this offseason, and are expected to lose at least two of them if not all three.  They still have John Klingberg and Johnny Oduya under contract for next season at $4.25MM and $3.75MM respectively, but might not be able to keep up with the bidding war that the trio will command.  Other than Keith Yandle in New York, these three represent the best young defense options on the market this summer.

With Jamie Benn set to become a UFA in 2017, the Stars will be trying to keep some room under the cap to extend him long-term. He’ll be looking to jump from his current $5.25MM salary to somewhere around $10MM, and with Patrick Sharp and Ales Hemsky becoming UFAs at the same time, the Stars might not have the room to commit long term to more than one of the d-men.

Other UFAs: Vernon Fiddler, Patrick Eaves, Jordie Benn, Colton Sceviour, Travis Moen

Projected Cap Space: $13.75MM, 16 players under contract.

Overall, the Stars have a little bit of money to play with but have to be very careful where they put it, as the mentioned names are coming up next season.  With Jason Spezza earning $7.5MM a season over the next three years, the team will have over $20 million locked into three players if they indeed extend Benn. With the cap looking like it will hold steady for at least a couple of seasons, putting almost a third of your budget in three players is a risky proposition – just ask the Chicago Blackhawks who had to give up Teuvo Teravainen earlier today because of their cap mismanagement.

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