Laurent Brossoit

Snapshots: Hakstol, Svechnikov, Backup Goaltenders

December 4, 2017 at 8:12 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

The Philadelphia Flyers have now lost 10 games in a row, and find themselves at the bottom of the Metropolitan Division. With just eight wins and 23 points on the year, they sit only ahead of Buffalo and Arizona in the overall standings and are nearly at a breaking point in terms of playoff contention. Despite all that the team is not considering a coaching change, as Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. GM Ron Hextall told Carchidi that Dave Hakstol would be coaching for the rest of the season “and beyond,” ending any speculation that he may be on the chopping block.

This is Hakstol’s third season as head coach of the Flyers, and after getting knocked out in the first round in 2015-16 the team missed the playoffs entirely last year. They were lucky enough to move up in the draft lottery and get the chance to draft Nolan Patrick, but have once again been a disappointing team this year. Brian Elliott, brought in to try and stabilize the goaltending situation has been less than what was hoped for and the team has scored just 70 goals all season. Whatever Hextall says, heat from the Philadelphia fan base will continue if they can’t turn their streak around soon.

As the World Junior tournament approaches—Canada and the USA will release their potential rosters over the next couple of days—Andrei Svechnikov is about to get back onto the ice. A potential first-overall pick in 2018, Svechnikov has missed the last six weeks with a hand injury. Bob McKenzie of TSN reports that he’s expected back in the Barrie Colts lineup on Friday, and will almost certainly be named to the Russian roster soon after that. Team Russia released a list of players that will compete for the final roster, but only included those playing in Russia at the moment. Those skating in North America will still be added over the next week.
The Edmonton Oilers are actively looking for a backup goaltender according to Frank Seravalli of TSN, and the scribe details potential options around the league. With Cam Talbot on the shelf for at least two more weeks and Laurent Brossoit struggling in the starting role, the Oilers could be forced to make a move or watch their playoff chances slip away. Chad Johnson, a player who the Buffalo Sabres have already received interest in, tops the list and could be an option for the Oilers over the next few days. There’s no guarantee he’d be an upgrade though, as Johnson has struggled this season in his return to Buffalo.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Edmonton Oilers

October 1, 2017 at 6:24 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg Leave a Comment

Navigating the Salary Cap is probably one of the more important tasks for any general manager to have. 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 2017-18 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.

Edmonton Oilers

Current Cap Hit: $65,647,000 (under the $75MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

D Matt Benning (One year remaining, $925K)
F Drake Caggiula (One year remaining, $925K)
F Connor McDavid (One year remaining, $925K)
F Jesse Puljujarvi (Two years remaining, $925K)
F Anton Slepyshev (One year remaining, $925K)
F Kailer Yamamoto (Three years remaining, $925K)
D Darnell Nurse (One year remaining, $863K)

Potential Bonuses

McDavid: $2.85MM
Puljujarvi: $2.5MM
Nurse: $850K
Slepyshev: $600K
Caggiula: $425K
Benning: $300K
Yamamoto: $230K

Total: $7.755MM

Believe it or not, McDavid is still on the list as the Art Ross Trophy winner, Hart Memorial Trophy winner, and Ted Lindsay Award winner is on the last year of his entry-level deal. McDavid will also be listed later in the story under four year and more as McDavid signed his eight year, $100MM extension this summer and will be locked up long term regardless. More on him later …

The Oilers have high expectations for both Benning and Nurse to take that next step. With injuries mounting, both should be vaulted into bigger roles than they were last year. The 23-year-old Benning played in 62 games last year and played solidly while filling in for injured players. The 22-year-old Nurse also had a solid showing in 44 games this year. Both may be asked to jump onto top-four pairings on defense throughout the year.

Slepyshev, who suffered an ankle injury in the offseason looks close to being ready. He had 10 points in 41 games a year ago, but also scored three goals in the playoffs for Edmonton last year and many feel the 23-year-old is ready to take that next step. Caggiula, a big college player from the University of North Dakota, had seven goals and 18 points in 60 games a year ago in his first year with Edmonton and is also thought to be a player ready to make a jump.

Both Yamamoto and Puljujarvi (Edmonton’s 2017 and 2016 first-round picks, respectively) went head-to-head and battled it out for a final roster spot this training camp with Yamamoto getting the edge and Puljujarvi getting sent to Bakersfield, but don’t be surprised if Puljujarvi is back up at some point during the season.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

D Mark Fayne ($2.6MM, UFA – team saved $1.025MM in cap relief by sending him to AHL)
F Ryan Strome ($2.5MM, RFA)
F Mark Letestu ($1.8MM, UFA)
F Patrick Maroon ($1.5MM, UFA)
F Jussi Jokinen ($1.1MM, UFA)
G Laurent Brossoit ($750K, RFA)
F Iiro Pakarinen ($725K, RFA)

Perhaps the most interesting player the team must focus on will be Maroon, who had a breakout year playing next to McDavid. The 29-year-old wing scored 27 goals and has proven to be one guy who seems to play well next to McDavid. He is a presence in front of the net and a physical force for the team.

Letestu, is another player the team will have to consider. Likely to be the team’s fourth-line center, Letestu put up 16 goals last year, although that was a career high and he’s already 32 years old. Jokinen, who signed a one-year deal this offseason, put up 11 goals last year in Florida, but at 34 years old is likely not a priority to the team.

As for restricted free agents, the team will take a long look at Strome, who the team acquired in the Jordan Eberle deal. The 24-year-old center has had an inconsistent career with the New York Islanders, but put up 13 goals and 30 points last year. The Oilers hope he can keep improving on those numbers. Brossoit will get his first chance to be Talbot’s backup. The 24-year-old looked promising in eight appearances last year.

Two Years Remaining

G Cam Talbot ($4.17MM, UFA)
D Eric Gryba ($900K, UFA)
F Jujhar Khaira ($675K, RFA)

Obviously, the key is to lock up Talbot, who has proven to be a solid goaltender. The team has been thrilled with his performance over the last two years since he’s become a full-time starter. He played in an absurd 73 games last year and finished with a 2.39 GAA and a .919 save percentage. Assuming, his play doesn’t drop off, he could receive a big payday, even at 32. Gryba, a bottom-line veteran defenseman, and Khaira, a 23-year-old draft pick from 2012, just fill out the roster.

Three Years Remaining

F Zack Kassian ($1.95MM, UFA)

The fourth-line bruiser scored seven goals and added 17 assists, 201 hits and 101 penalty minutes in a full season last year and should continue aiding the team. The 26-year-old adds a physical presence at 6-foot-3, 209 pounds, which the team desperately needs and is critical to the team’s bottom line.

Four Or More Years Remaining

F Connor McDavid ($12.5MM through 2025-26)*
F Leon Draisaitl ($8.5MM through 2024-25)
F Milan Lucic ($6MM through 2022-23)
F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins ($6MM through 2020-21)
D Andrej Sekera ($5.5MM through 2020-21)
D Oscar Klefbom ($4.17MM through 2022-23)
D Adam Larsson ($4.17MM through 2020-21)
D Kris Russell ($4MM through 2020-21)
* McDavid’s extension doesn’t kick in until 2018-19.

As said earlier, McDavid signed a eight-year extension this summer, but that $12.5MM AAV won’t kick in until next year and the team will have to deal with that next offseason. However, when you look at this Edmonton team, they have a lot of young talent that is locked up long-term, meaning that Edmonton should be a really good team for many years. Having both McDavid, 20, and Draisaitl, 21, make for two franchise changing players and they have them together for another eight years. McDavid and Draisaitl combined last year for 59 goals and 118 assists and both should only get better.

Lucic is a solid contributor, who put up 23 goals and 50 points and likely to play next to Draisaitl on the team’s second line. Consistency is his game as he has put up solid numbers over the past six or seven years. The 29-year-old’s productivity is essential after the two centers. Nugent-Hopkins, is a different matter. The former first-overall pick in 2014, Nugent Hopkins inked a seven-year, $42MM deal in 2013 when he was just starting to scratch the surface of his career. Instead his offense had stagnated as he’s never scored more than 56 points in a season. Still just 24 years old, his defense is excellent, but for $6MM a year, that’s a lot of money for little offense.

Despite a knee injury that will keep him out for a few months, Sekera is a key component to the team’s blueline efforts. He will be badly missed, but he is expected to anchor that defense for many years. The team has its top-four defense locked up long term as well. Klefbom played a complete 82-game season last year, putting up solid numbers (12 goals) and solidifying himself as one of the team’s top defensemen. Both Larsson and Russell have settled in as the defense’s second line and should be there for some time as well. Larsson, the former fourth-overall pick they acquired in the Taylor Hall deal, is a key defensive defenseman just like the 30-year-old veteran Russell.

Buyouts

F Lauri Korpikoski ($1MM through 2017-18)
F Benoit Pouliot ($1.33MM through 2020-21)

Retained Salary Transactions

None

Still To Sign

None

Best Value: McDavid
Worst Value: Nugent-Hopkins

Looking Ahead

As said earlier, this team has been very well constructed as the Oilers have made it clear they are building around their youth as they have their top two superstars locked up for eight years together (nine years for McDavid). The defense is locked in for another four years as well and the Oilers have a bright future ahead of them. The team will have to keep an eye on the salary cap once McDavid’s contract kicks in, hence why the team traded Eberle this offseason. However, to go with their young stars, the team has a large amount of young forwards who could also step up and carry this team even further. Their depth looks ready to compete at a high level for a long time.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Deadline Primer: Edmonton Oilers

February 21, 2017 at 8:17 pm CDT | by Brett Barrett 2 Comments

With the trade deadline now just weeks away, we’re going to start taking a closer look at each team. Where do they stand, what do they need to do, and what assets do they have to fill those needs?

For the first time in years, the Edmonton Oilers are legitimate buyers at the trade deadline. NHL leading scorer Connor McDavid and Cam Talbot have lead the way thus far, and have the Oilers comfortably in second place in the Pacific Division. Despite the fact that the Oilers are a top-ten team in the NHL, GM Peter Chiarelli is on record as saying he isn’t “heavily interested” in the rental market, but did say the team deserves some tinkering because they’re “in the conversation.”

Record

32-19-8, 2nd in the Pacific Division

Deadline Status

Cautious buyer

Deadline Cap Space

Current cap space: $17.811MM
Deadline cap space: $21.375MM
48/50 contracts, via CapFriendly

Draft Picks

2017: EDM 1st, STL 3rd*, EDM 3rd, EDM 4th, VAN 5th**, EDM 5th, EDM 6th, EDM 7th
2018: EDM 1st, EDM 2nd, EDM 3rd, EDM 4th, EDM 5th, EDM 6th, EDM 7th

A carryover from the now defunct compensation rule, the Oilers will need to surrender their 2nd round pick to Boston for hiring Chiarelli as GM back in April of 2015.

* The Oilers will receive either St. Louis’ third in 2017 or their second in 2018 in exchange for Nail Yakupov. The conditional pick becomes the second if Yakupov scores 15 goals this season; because Yakupov has just three goals so far this season, it’s likely to be a third.
**The Oilers will receive either a fourth or fifth round pick from Vancouver for defenseman Philip Larsen. It’s not known what the performance conditions are, but with Larsen sitting at one goal and six points in just 20 games, it’s safe to assume he won’t hit the required production thresholds.

Trade Chips

While the Oilers don’t have many forward prospects, they’re fully-stocked with blue-liners. When healthy, the Oilers have 10 or 11 legitimate NHL options. They could move one of Brandon Davidson or Kris Russell for help up front. Davidson is a likely candidate to be claimed in the expansion draft and is the Oilers most notable trade chip. with the emergence of Matt Benning, there’s an outside chance that pending-UFA Russell could be traded once the Oilers get Darnell Nurse back.

The Oilers don’t have much in the forward prospect cupboard, with just Jesse Puljujärvi and Tyler Benson showing promise as legitimate NHL scoring forwards. On the back-end, Ethan Bear and Caleb Jones are dominant in the WHL, and Markus Niemeläinen is a bright spot on a bad Saginaw Spirit team in the OHL. Over in Russia, potential seventh-round steal Ziyat Paigin has played well above his draft slot.

While some teams could be willing to move first-round picks in a somewhat-weaker draft class, the Oilers are without a second round pick and therefore won’t be likely to deal their first. Despite their successful season, they’re still a building team and will look to stock up on forwards. Don’t expect the Oilers to deal prospects or high picks for rentals; if a notable asset is moved then the return will likely be a long-term solution.

Player To Watch

D Brandon Davidson

Team Needs

1) Right-handed scorer – The Oilers’ biggest need is a right-handed top-nine forward who can shoot the puck. Center Leon Draisaitl has had success playing on the right side with McDavid, but both men produce at the same level when separated. That gives Chiarelli the option of acquiring either a center or right-winger. A center would allow Draisaitl to play on the wing, while a right-winger would allow McLellan to keep his two leading scorers on separate lines. Some players who could be of interest include Martin Hanzal, Radim Vrbata, Patrick Sharp, Patrick Eaves, Thomas Vanek, Brian Boyle, and Tyler Johnson. The initial asking price for lefty centers Hanzal and Boyle is out of Chiarelli’s stated price range, while the others are simply players who fit the Oilers’ needs and are on the market.

2) Backup goaltender — The signing of Jonas Gustavsson has not worked out for Chiarelli. The veteran backup is buried in the AHL after a horrific start to the year, and prospect Laurent Brossoit is currently serving as backup to the busiest starter in the NHL in Talbot. As of this writing, Brossoit is playing for Edmonton as they face the Tampa Bay Lightning on the first night of a back-t0-back. If Brossoit can show his worth, then perhaps Chiarelli holds off on spending an asset on a backup. However, an injury to Talbot would be catastrophic to the Oilers. Two players of interest could be Jaroslav Halak and Michal Neuvirth; both men have struggled in the NHL this season, but have histories as solid options in the NHL and could be had for cheap. Halak is dominating in the AHL, but makes $4.5MM this season and next. If the Islanders are willing to take back Benoit Pouliot or Mark Fayne to make the salaries work, then Halak could be an option. Neuvirth has struggled in a tandem with Steve Mason, and could be acquired as a rental for a low cost, perhaps one of the Oilers’ third rounders.

Oilers Send Gustavsson To AHL, Recall Laurent Brossoit

January 11, 2017 at 5:05 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

After waiving backup goaltender Jonas Gustavsson on Monday, the Oilers have sent him to the AHL today. In his place, the team will recall Laurent Brossoit, their top goaltending prospect and AHL starter.

Brossoit has played in 21 games at the AHL level this season but isn’t posting his regular stellar numbers. Carrying only a .908 save percentage into the call-up, the 23-year old netminder has taken a step backwards from last year. He does have six games of NHL experience under his belt over the past two seasons, but has yet to record a win. Part of that is the bad Oilers teams he’s played for, but some of it is the ugly .896 save percentage in those games.

For Gustavsson, this might be end of his run in Edmonton. As we wrote yesterday, head coach Todd McLellan didn’t trust him when he was with the team, allowing him to see the ice just seven times. For a once highly regarded prospect, Gustavsson has never been able to put it together in the NHL.

It’s an interesting move for the Oilers, who clearly need to give Cam Talbot some more rest. The starting goaltender is on pace to play 74 games (a top-20 all-time mark for goaltenders) and with the Oilers looking at a possible playoff spot he’ll be needed past the regular season.

A possibility is that the Oilers also put in a claim on Curtis McElhinney, but were beaten by the Maple Leafs who claimed him yesterday. They’ll now turn to their young netminder to give the team a real backup goaltender, at least until they can find an answer somewhere else.

The Edmonton Oilers’ Backup Situation

December 11, 2016 at 11:28 am CDT | by Brett Barrett 7 Comments

Following the Oilers spectacular 6-5 loss on Thursday night, much digital ink has been spilled about their backup goaltending. Jonas Gustavsson allowed six goals on 31 shots as the Oilers blew a pair of two-goal leads.

GM Peter Chiarelli signed Gustavsson on July 1 to a one-year, $800K contract to serve as backup to Cam Talbot. While Gustavsson is thought to be a good guy on the bench, his career numbers (0.902 SV%, 2.87 GAA) are well below league-average. His numbers through six appearances this season are even worse: his 0.893 SV% and 2.90 GAA rank fifth-last among goaltenders who have played at least six games. Gustavsson has just one win this year, back in early November in his first start with the club.

OilersNation writer Jonathan Willis wrote that the Oilers should quickly move on from Gustavsson, pointing out that “if he’d made one extra save last night—and given the number of bad goals he surrendered, it’s easy to imagine that… That would work out to [his career] save percentage of 0.902.”

Based on his usage of Talbot and Gustavsson, it’s clear that coach Todd McLellan has little faith in his backup. Talbot has played two more games than any other goalie in the NHL at 26. He’s on pace to start 71 games, which would be the highest since Braden Holtby started 73 back in 2014-15. Meanwhile Gustavsson has only started four games, all of which were part of back-to-back situations.

Willis wrote that the best defense of the signing was that the Oilers have faith in their minor league starter, Laurent Brossoit. Brossoit has progressed very well in his three seasons as their AHL starter. His save percentage has risen from 0.918 to 0.920 to a sparkling 0.927 this season. The only concern that the Oilers may have about Brossoit is the expansion draft. Because Brossoit is eligible to be selected, bringing him to the NHL and showing him off may prompt Vegas to pick him. However, this would mean the Oilers would be able to keep Brandon Davidson, the most likely player to be taken by the Golden Knights. As well, the Oilers have another AHL goalie, Nick Ellis, who has played very well in his eight games with a 0.931 SV% to take over the mantle in Bakersfield.

If not Brossoit, the Oilers could possibly take a look at Reto Berra, who’s buried behind Roberto Luongo and James Reimer in Florida, or even swap struggling backups with Leafs and see if a change of scenery helps Jhonas Enroth.

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