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Free Agent Profile: Zack Kassian

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Zack Kassian had one of the lowest-scoring seasons we’ve seen in quite some time as he put up just two goals last season in 51 games with the Arizona Coyotes. This prompted Arizona to buy out the 32-year-old forward prior to free agency in a move that made sense, given the lack of production from the former 13th overall pick. Kassian lasted just a single season in the desert and never really seemed comfortable playing on a very bad Coyotes team.

This is Kassian’s first crack at free agency and unfortunately for him he is coming off a season in which he posted career lows in many statistical categories. As mentioned earlier, he had just two points on the season, and posted a -18. His hitting was way down, which is one of the facets of the game he typically excels in. Kassian threw just 32 hits in 51 games last season, a dramatic drop from the 158 he threw the year prior with the Edmonton Oilers in 58 games. It’s not uncommon for physical players to see a decline in their 30’s, but the decline generally isn’t that steep.

Kassian deserves a ton of credit for battling several off-ice issues and resurrecting his career when it looked like it could be in trouble. At one point in 2015 Kassian bounced from Vancouver to Montreal to Edmonton in less than six months and looked like he could be out of the league. But, to his credit, he turned it around and even managed to post career highs in 2019-20 when he potted 15 goals to go along with 19 assists in 59 games. This run of good play prompted the Oilers to sign Kassian to a four-year contract extension in January 2020 worth $3.2MM annually. Unfortunately for the club and the player, Kassian struggled through the pandemic shortened 2020-21 season and hasn’t regained his footing ever since. Over the past three seasons combined Kassian has posted just 10 goals and 16 assists in 136 games, a drastic decline from his 2019-2020 numbers. The other issue that will work against Kassian is that he is strictly a 5 on 5 player. He has never been a regular contributor on the power play and hasn’t been a regular part of a penalty kill since 2018-19.

In a normal cap world, Kassian would have played out the final season of his contract with a salary that is well below his cap hit but given how poor his play was Arizona opted to move on and spread out that cost over two seasons.

Despite his struggles last season, it is still likely that Kassian will get an opportunity when training camps open in a few weeks. Teams are always looking for physical players, especially ones who can take a regular shift and will play under a reduced cap hit. Kassian checks all those boxes, which is a good indication that someone will give the Windsor, Ontario native a look to see if he still has anything to offer.

Stats

2022-23: 51 GP, 2-0-0, -18 rating, 50 PIMS, 25 shots, 37.5% faceoffs, 38.4% CF, 9:09 ATOI
Career: 661 GP, 92-111-203, -55 rating, 913 PIMS, 798 shots, 31.0% faceoffs, 48.2% CF, 12:37 ATOI

Potential Suitors

Kassian is still chasing hockey’s ultimate prize, the Stanley Cup. And after spending a dozen years in the league, he would probably prefer to spend his time chasing a championship with a Stanley Cup contender. However, given his status as a fringe NHLer at the moment, he likely won’t have the opportunity to be choosey. That doesn’t mean he won’t have a suitor, but it could mean that he would be playing on a weaker team, or a team that has a borderline chance of making the playoffs. But anything can happen, and even players that are past their best before date can catch on with good teams when it is least expected.

Let’s start out West in Edmonton. Kassian found his game almost eight years ago when it looked like his career was hanging on by a thread. It was there that he turned his intensity and physicality into effective NHL minutes on a team that was competitive for most of his run there. Kassian brought an edge that the Oilers severely lacked and gave them an option that they could plug almost anywhere in their lineup. But that was then, and this is now, and Kassian isn’t that player anymore. His body has broken down, as per normal with physical players when they hit the wrong side of 30. But Kassian could still help Edmonton, and it feels like the Oilers are always looking for bodies up front. Kassian couldn’t play in Edmonton’s top-9, but he could be a could fill-in for their fourth line if they aren’t able to find help between now and the start of the regular season.

Sticking with the West, the Colorado Avalanche were riddled with injuries last season. So much so that it looked like they might miss the playoffs entirely, however, a late-season rally secured their spot in the round of 16. But it was there that they were physically dominated by the Seattle Kraken and ousted in an exhilarating seventh game. The Avalanche were one of the lightest-hitting teams in the NHL last season, which on the surface isn’t the big of a deal given how skilled they are. However, the regular season and the playoffs are two different things and Colorado didn’t have an answer for Seattle in the postseason and really missed some of the grit they lost when Nazim Kadri departed last summer. Now, Zack Kassian is far from the answer to that problem, but he can offer Colorado something that is in short supply in their group, and it wouldn’t cost them more than a contract slot and a league minimum contract.

Finally, in the East, one team that could use a depth physical forward is the Buffalo Sabres. Coincidently, the team that took Kassian in the first round of the NHL entry draft some 14 years ago. The Sabres have a competent fourth line at the moment with Tyson Jost centering Kyle Okposo and Zemgus Girgensons, but injuries happen (see Jack Quinn), and Kassian could provide insurance to their Sabres if they were to lose any additional depth up front. The Sabres were also a team that didn’t throw the body around all that often-last year and with the talent that they have up front, they could likely place Kassian into a role that wouldn’t overextend him and could allow him to perhaps resurrect his career once again.

Projected Contract

Kassian enters free agency at a time when his free agent stock is very damaged. And while he has his shortcomings, he still offers a rare combination of physicality mixed with a bit of skill and could find success when he is sheltered in the right situation.

At this point in his career Kassian would be lucky to get a one-way contract for the league minimum of $775K. The most likely outcome for him will be a PTO with a team that is looking to add a 13th forward that offers some sandpaper and can chip in on the fourth line when a regular falls out of the lineup. A role like that would allow Kassian to play to his strengths and would offer longer windows of recovery for an aging player who has been banged up from years of throwing his body around with reckless abandon.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Buffalo Sabres Extend Kyle Okposo

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The Buffalo Sabres will have their captain back on the ice in 2023-24. Today, the team announced a one-year extension for Kyle Okposo worth $2.5MM.

2023-24 will mark Okposo’s 17th season in the NHL and his eighth in Buffalo. The 35-year-old right wing was coming off a seven-year, $42MM contract signed with the Sabres in 2016.

Named Buffalo’s captain ahead of the 2022-23 season, Okposo maintained his effectiveness in a bottom-six role, registering 11 goals and 28 points in 75 games. While injuries and inconsistencies have plagued Okposo’s tenure in Buffalo, he’s emerged as an invaluable leader among a young team on the rise. He’ll get to stay the course and aim to guide Buffalo to their first playoff appearance since 2011.

Save for a long-term absence, Okposo will play in his 1,000th NHL game next season. The Minnesota product is currently sitting at 984 NHL games, in which he’s recorded a total of 230 goals and 592 points.

Since Okposo is aged 35 or older, he’s eligible for a contract that includes performance bonuses. Per CapFriendly, Okposo will receive a $500,000 bonus if Buffalo wins the Stanley Cup in 2024.

Okposo still provides solid two-way metrics and is far from being a liability on the ice, so his leadership isn’t the only thing motivating the extension. He’ll likely play a more limited role on the team next season, however, given the emergence of their younger core and potential free-agent acquisitions.

After the extension, Buffalo still has roughly $17MM in projected cap space for 2023-24, as listed by CapFriendly.

Sabres Notes: Thompson, Tuch, Okposo, Free Agents

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Forward Tage Thompson will be taking plenty of time over the offseason to recuperate from a physically taxing end of the season, the 25-year-old sniper told reporters today. Thompson will be taking at least a month off from training during the offseason to recover from multiple injuries, including a hip pointer suffered in late March against the New Jersey Devils and some pre-existing back problems. He’s also dealing with a minor shoulder injury sustained during the team’s second-to-last game of the season against the Ottawa Senators on Thursday.

Despite those injuries, Thompson performed admirably down the stretch for Buffalo when he was healthy enough to dress. The team’s leader in goals and points notched four goals in eight games down the stretch, leading Buffalo to its first 90-point season since 2011. While the team narrowly missed the postseason this year, Thompson and his teammates have their eyes set on the playoffs in 2024 as they exit their rebuild.

Some other Sabres notes after their season drew to a close:

  • While a number of NHL players on non-playoff teams have already publically declined participation in the upcoming IIHF Men’s World Championships, Sabres winger Alex Tuch is not one of them. He told reporters today that he and his brother, Montreal Canadiens prospect Luke Tuch, will both suit up for the United States at the only major international tournament currently involving NHL players. Tuch, 26, is coming off the first point-per-game campaign in his NHL career, notching 79 points in 74 games for Buffalo in 2022-23.
  • Captain Kyle Okposo is a free agent this offseason after wrapping up a seven-year, $42MM deal with the Sabres, but isn’t certain about his playing future. The 34-year-old mentioned today that he’ll need some time to decide what’s next for him, although if he does return to NHL ice in 2023-24, it will be in Buffalo. Okposo registered 11 goals and 17 assists in 75 games this season and is less than 20 games away from the 1,000-game plateau.
  • Another pair of free agents this offseason, Zemgus Girgensons and Tyson Jost, both expressed their interest today in returning to Buffalo next season. Both players had solid seasons in bottom-six roles, and it does seem unlikely that Buffalo would opt to move on from either. Jost is still under team control as a restricted free agent, while Girgensons is the longest-tenured player on the team, amassing 625 games in a Sabres uniform. With the team on the cusp of their first playoff appearance in over a decade, it would seem odd not to have a leader such as Girgensons in the fold.

 

Erik Cernak Suspended Two Games

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4:00 pm: NHL Player Safety has suspended Cernak for two games as a result of his actions, as announced Friday afternoon. They cited his previous suspension, as well as Cernak’s deliberate shift of his elbow to target Okposo, as reasoning behind the suspension.

9:41 am: The NHL Department of Player Safety announced today that Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak will have a hearing for elbowing Buffalo Sabres captain Kyle Okposo during last night’s game.

The incident occurred late in the third period (video link) when Cernak delivered a high elbow to Okposo’s head, spinning him around and knocking him to the ice as he attempted to gain the offensive zone. Okposo was slow to get up after the collision but rejoined the action. Officials did not assess a penalty to Cernak on the play. Buffalo would win the game a few moments later on an Ilya Lyubushkin shorthanded breakaway in overtime, defeating the Lightning 6-5.

Cernak has been suspended once before in his career, also for elbowing. NHL Player Safety handed out a two-game ban to Cernak in November 2019 after he elbowed Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin, causing a concussion. With the incidents occurring more than 18 months apart, however, Cernak isn’t considered a repeat offender.

Cernak, 24, has seen his defensive metrics dip this season after multiple seasons of elite shutdown play. Offensively, he’s contributed a goal and 10 assists in 51 games, spending most of his time paired with Ian Cole. He’s locked into an eight-year, $41.6MM extension that kicks in next season.

Okposo, 33, is leading by example as the Sabres prime themselves to enter the playoff conversation for the first time in a decade. Largely in a fourth-line, shutdown role, Okposo has added seven goals and 14 assists in 49 games this season as he nears the 1,000-game plateau.

Evening Notes: Boeser, IIHF/Russia, NHLPA Leadership

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After the Bo Horvat trade yesterday, the floodgates appear to be opening on the trade front. That’s especially true for the Vancouver Canucks, who have some desirable trade assets other than Horvat that could find their way out of town by the trade deadline.

One of those is Brock Boeser, who TSN’s Darren Dreger said today continues to receive interest from around the league. However, he reported that any Boeser trade, and the corresponding interest, hinges on how much salary Vancouver is willing to retain in a potential trade. Boeser is signed to a steep cap hit of $6.65MM for the next three seasons. With so many teams already dipping into LTIR pools to stay cap-compliant, Vancouver is unlikely to find a trade partner willing to take the full brunt of the deal. The 25-year-old has nine goals and 30 points in 41 games this season. That’s a 60-point pace over 82 games.

Injury Notes: Sabres, Canucks Illnesses, Aho, Capitals

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Things haven’t necessarily gone as planned for the Buffalo Sabres to start this season, the team coming into tonight with a 14-14-2 record thus far, tying them with the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens for the bottom three positions in the Atlantic Division. There are some bright spots, such as the further breakouts of Tage Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin, or that record being partially influencex by an eight game losing streak that came with zero points, and there are reasons for the struggles, such as poor goaltending and a myriad of injury issues. Those injury issues continue to persist, but with injuries does come injury updates and the Sabres were able to provide a few of those today.

Forwards Jeff Skinner, who was suspended, and Kyle Okposo, will both rejoin the lineup tonight, reports Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News. Okposo had only missed one game, Thursday at the Colorado Avalanche, but has dealt with his share of injuries this season. Harrington adds that defensemen Owen Power and Jacob Bryson, who both missed Thursday’s game will not play this evening. Fortunately for Power, he’s only considered day-to-day, however Bryson has been shutdown for the remainder of the road trip and will be re-evaluated when the team gets home. Their road trip concludes Monday in Vegas. Lastly, per Harrington, defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin, who is currently on IR and hasn’t played since November 28th, is still not ready to return.

  • The Vancouver Canucks could be down a pair of star forwards this evening, with both Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser under the weather according to Sportsnet’s Brendan Batchelor, who spoke with head coach Bruce Boudreau. Boeser also missed Wednesday’s game with an illness and while Pettersson did not, recall that he had actually been sent home from practice on Sunday after showing up sick. Even with the turmoil surrounding Boeser and the likelihood that he ends up being dealt this season, Vancouver will need both players in the lineup with the hope that they can produce and get their season back on track going forward. Boeser has 16 points in 22 games thus far, while Pettersson appears to be taking the next step with 34 points in 29 games to date.
  • Carolina Hurricanes forward Sebastian Aho, who has been out of the lineup since December 6th with a lower-body injury will not play tonight against the Dallas Stars or tomorrow afternoon against the Pittsburgh Penguins, says Hurricanes team reporter Walt Ruff, who spoke with head coach Rod Brind’Amour prior to tonight’s game. On a positive note, Brind’Amour added that Aho was on the ice earlier today, indicating a return could be sooner rather than later. Interestingly, Carolina has done just fine without Aho in the lineup, going 3-0-0 in the process, including back-to-back shutouts of the New York Islanders and Detroit Red Wings. Obviously, the team would still prefer to get one of the NHL’s very best centers back into their lineup as soon as possible, especially considering schedule doesn’t get any easier after tomorrow, facing the New Jersey Devils and the Penguins again this week.
  • Washington Capitals forward Nic Dowd will miss tonight’s game with a lower-body injury, reports The Athletics Tarik El-Bashir. It’s unclear what exactly is ailing Dowd or how serious the injury might be, however he did leave Thursday’s game a touch early, playing just 9:39 in the game, down from his season average of 13:03. Also of note, goaltender Hunter Shepard has been ruled out of tonight’s game with an upper-body injury, which would explain the team’s earlier recall of netminder Zachary Fucale.

Injury Notes: Bryson, Lafferty, Chinakhov

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The Buffalo Sabres updated a few injuries today, with some good and bad news coming along. Kyle Okposo will be back in the lineup tonight, and Rasmus Asplund is only out day-to-day. Unfortunately, Jacob Bryson is on the shelf on a week-to-week basis after leaving Wednesday’s game with a lower-body injury.

Some Sabres fans may argue it’s no big loss, given how Bryson has played of late – his usage has been steadily declining – but losing defensive depth is never a positive. The 25-year-old was a solid piece for Buffalo last season and despite recent challenges, is still an important player to keep in the mix. The Sabres will take on the New Jersey Devils tonight, a tough task (especially after the chaos that surrounded New Jersey’s last game).

Morning Notes: Thanksgiving Standings, Sabres Injuries, Rodrigues

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A very happy Thanksgiving to all of our U.S. readers! Thanksgiving, in any country, is a date with great significance for many of the same reasons: a chance to reflect and be thankful. However, in the hockey world, Thanksgiving in the U.S. brings another note of significance: playoffs. Sure, it’s early, most teams playing somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 games, but history dictates that teams in the playoffs today are likely to be there after 82 games, and teams that are not, probably won’t be playing after their 82 are finished. In fact, Florida Hockey Now’s George Richards tweets that roughly 76% of teams in a playoff position on Thanksgiving keep it. So, it begs the question: which teams on the outside looking in today will make the playoffs?  And who might lose their spot?

In the Eastern Conference, the New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, Carolina Hurricanes, Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Detroit Red Wings hold playoff positions in their respective divisions, with the New York Rangers holding the first Wild Card spot and the Tampa Bay Lightning tied with the Pittsburgh Penguins for the second spot. In the West, the Dallas Stars, Colorado Avalanche, Winnipeg Jets, Vegas Golden Knights, Seattle Kraken, and Los Angeles Kings hold playoff positions in their respective divisions, with the Calgary Flames holding the first Wild Card spot, followed by a four-way tie for second place between the St. Louis Blues, Minnesota Wild, Edmonton Oilers, and Nashville Predators. Will the standings hold? Nick Alberga of The Leafs Nation points out, 12 of the 16 teams in playoff position this time last year ultimately clinched a berth.

  • The Buffalo Sabres should get a pair of wingers back shortly, says Bill Hoppe of the Buffalo Hockey Beat. Per Sabres head coach Don Granato, Rasmus Asplund, who’s listed as day-to-day may have been able to play last night, but given his physical style of play, it was better to let him continue to rest. Captain Kyle Okposo, who has missed the last six games with a lower-body injury, skated on his own Wednesday and is expected to join the team on Friday for their morning skate. After losing eight straight, the Sabres have now won two in a row. Getting their full lineup back on the ice should, hopefully, help them continue on this winning path.
  • Colorado Avalanche forward Evan Rodrigues left last night’s game early with what appeared to be a lower-body injury and was ultimately ruled out for the rest of the game. From Colorado Hockey Now’s Adrian Dater, Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar says Rodrigues will be further evaluated today. One of the newest members of the Avalanche, Rodrigues has fit in with Colorado nicely since coming over in free agency this summer, registering six goals and three assists in 18 games so far.

Evening Notes: Wright, Okposo, Konecny, Kochetkov

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It hasn’t been the start to his career that many thought it would be for Shane Wright. At times thought to be the consensus number one overall pick in the 2022 draft, Wright slipped to number four, selected by the Seattle Kraken. Given Seattle’s continued push to build and add more veteran scoring to the lineup and the state of Wright’s development, a return to the OHL seemed possible, if not likely, at the start of this season. Instead, the Kraken elected to keep Wright around. That decision wasn’t what has raised many eyebrows though, instead Seattle’s choice to scratch Wright in a majority of their games and give him little ice time when they have played him, has drawn some confusion from around the league.

Tonight on Hockey Night in Canada’s 32 Thoughts segment, Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek attempted to shed light on what Seattle may be planning for and what fans might be able to expect going forward. As Marek explains, the team needs to make Wright a healthy scratch five games in a row in order to be able to send him on a 14-day conditioning stint in the AHL (much like the Los Angeles Kings and Brandt Clarke are doing right now). The team tried to do this earlier in the season, but got cut off after four games due to a Jared McCann injury and needed to reset the clock, Marek believes. Tonight would mark Wright’s fifth game in a row scratched after the reset, which could allow for the forward to be sent on a conditioning stint tomorrow with the Coachella Valley Firebirds, Seattle’s AHL affiliate, where he could play in five AHL games before being recalled on December 4th. After that, Seattle has just one game before camp opens up for Team Canada for the World Junior Championships, where Seattle could opt to send Wright. This plan isn’t set in stone or even confirmed by Seattle, but is interesting logic, as Marek suggests.

  • Also from tonight’s 32 Thoughts, Marek touches on Buffalo Sabres captain Kyle Okposo, who is in the final year of a seven-year, $42MM contract he signed during the 2016 offseason. When the team named him captain just before the start of the season, both sides appeared interested in continuing their relationship with one another. Even if true, Marek says that neither side is currently in a hurry to get an extension done. That doesn’t necessarily mean a new deal to keep Okposo in Buffalo won’t happen, but could point to both sides wanting to avoid distraction, especially as the team struggles, losing their eighth game in a row tonight against the Toronto Maple Leafs, or to simply give both sides more clarity on Okposo’s specific value. Once a star in the NHL, Okposo’s production dropped off significantly over the life of this contract, but a recent bounce-back has breathed new life into Okposo’s career.
  • Marek also discussed the upper-body injury to Philadelphia Flyers forward Travis Konecny. It’s believed Konecny suffered the injury Thursday and was ruled out of tonight’s game. Losing their points leader, even for one game, was bad enough for the Flyers, but now according to Marek, Konecny is expected to miss a couple of weeks, if not longer. The Flyers, who have outperformed expectations this season, have done so in large part thanks to Konecny’s 19 points in 17 games.
  • Per ESPN’s Kevin Weekes, Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov has switched agents. The netminder will now be represented by agent Dan Milstein of Gold Star Hockey. Milstein manages a number of high-profile NHLers, but is perhaps best known for representing a large portion of the NHL’s Russian players, which would now include the exciting Hurricanes prospect. The 23-year-old has played in just five NHL games in his career, nine counting the playoffs, but is in the final year of his entry-level contract.

East Notes: Lajoie, Okposo, Zub

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The Hurricanes have brought up some extra defensive depth, announcing the recall of Maxime Lajoie from AHL Chicago.  The 25-year-old has seen NHL action in three of the last four seasons, including getting into five games with Carolina in 2021-22 although the bulk of his playing time came back in 2018-19 when he played in 56 contests with Ottawa.  This year, Lajoie has played in ten games with the Wolves, picking up four assists.  Calvin de Haan was banged up in yesterday’s matchup against Edmonton and it would seem that Lajoie will be up as some insurance in case the veteran isn’t able to play in their next game on Monday.  Dylan Coghlan is also on the roster and could be inserted into the lineup if de Haan misses any time.

More from the Eastern Conference:

  • Last night’s contest against Boston won’t be the only one that Sabres captain Kyle Okposo misses as Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News notes that the veteran is likely to miss at least a couple more games. For now, the plan is for the 34-year-old to rest for a few days and then re-evaluate him from there.  Okposo is off to a nice start to his season with nine points in his first 14 games.
  • While the Senators were hoping to have defenseman Artem Zub back by now, it appears that he’ll be out a little while longer. Speaking to TSN 1200 earlier today (audio link), head coach D.J. Smith indicated that the 27-year-old is behind schedule but that he should be able to return by the end of the upcoming week.  Zub is a pending unrestricted free agent and was averaging just shy of 22 minutes a game before sustaining an upper-body injury last month.

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