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Louis Belpedio

Minnesota Wild Issues Qualifying Offers

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The Minnesota Wild have issued qualifying offers to Louis Belpedio, Jordan Greenway, Kaapo Kahkonen and Brennan Menell, keeping them in the organization. Stepan Falkovky, Mat Robson and Hunter Warner all went unqualified, meaning they will become unrestricted free agents on Friday.

The only real surprise in the group is Robson, who was a sought after goaltending prospect out of the University of Minnesota a year ago. After a relatively successful first year in pro hockey, Robson won’t be re-signed by the Wild and instead will have to look for another opportunity elsewhere.

Of course, the Iowa Wild could potentially bring Robson back on an AHL deal, but the 24-year-old netminder can wait to see if there are any NHL offers on Friday.

Free Agent Focus: Minnesota Wild

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Free agency opens a week from today and there are quite a few prominent players set to hit the open market, while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign as well. The Wild have  few UFA’s to worry about, but there are a number of young RFA’s in need of new deals with little experience in Minnesota to go off of. Here’s a closer look at their free agent situation:

Key Restricted Free Agents: F Kevin Fiala – The lone return for center Mikael Granlund at the trade deadline, Fiala arrived in Minnesota with high expectations. Will the terms of his extension reflect that? Or will the team push for a short-term “show me” deal? That’s the question facing the former Nashville Predators top prospect, the No. 11 overall pick in 2014. Although he has 223 NHL games to his credit, Fiala played in only 19 games with the Wild and contributed just seven points. With that said, he still totaled 39 points on the year and had 48 points the season prior. Fiala is not eligible for salary arbitration yet, so does not have that added leverage, but on a long-term extension he could make a fair case for an AAV of $5MM+. A bridge deal would keep that number lower until Fiala can prove that his numbers in Nashville can be replicated in Minnesota.

F Ryan Donato – Like Fiala, Donato landed in Minnesota with much fan fare, both as the core return for Charlie Coyle and as a decorated and talked-about rookie. While Donato had struggled early on in the season with the Boston Bruins, recording nine points in 34 games and frequently being exposed defensively, he excelled right away with the Wild, adding 16 points in 22 games. While that level of production might be a lofty expectation moving forward, the team is certainly excited to have Donato and could be looking into a long-term deal. With only 68 career games played though, Donato’s value is not as high as it would be after a full NHL season and his camp will probably settle for a one- or two-year deal with a low salary number to allow him to prove his worth in time for a new contract. Donato does have arbitration rights, but it would be a surprise if he files.

F Joel Eriksson Ek – While Eriksson Ek played in 17 fewer games this season than last, he scored at a higher per-game clip, saw more ice time, and improved his defensive play. At 22, Eriksson Ek is still growing, but his production thus far leaves a lot to be desired from a recent first-round pick. Through 148 NHL games over three seasons with the Wild, Eriksson Ek has just 37 points and still has yet to really carve out an identifiable role. Minnesota won’t quit on him just yet, but they may try to sign him to his one-year, $874K qualifying offer to see if one more year helps to clarify his long-term fit and potential.

Other RFAs: F Pontus Aberg, D Louie Belpedio, D Michael Kapla, F Chase Lang, F Dante Salituro, D Carson Soucy, F Nico Sturm, D Hunter Warner

Key Unrestricted Free Agents: F Eric Fehr – The veteran Fehr did well for himself last season, returning to relevance after many had written him off following uninspiring stops in Pittsburgh, Toronto, and San Jose over the few years prior. Fehr signed a one-year, $1MM contract with the Wild last summer and proved to be a good value, recording 15 points and playing an important defensive role up front. The 33-year-old played in 72 games and, despite pedestrian minutes, still managed to finish second among all Minnesota forwards in blocked shots and sixth in takeaways. Fehr was a reliable penalty killer and an asset at the face-off dot, especially considering his team-leading 68% defensive zone starts. Age hasn’t affected Fehr’s size and defensive instincts, so he will be valued as a veteran fourth line option on the market. Still, after other recent stints did not work out so well, one has to think that Fehr may be willing to stick at or near his current price point to remain in Minnesota, where he has the best chance of continuing to play his game at the highest level.

D Nate Prosser – After Prosser failed to find a role in Minnesota last year, heading down to AHL Iowa with just 15 games and no points to show for his season to date, some wondered if he would ever end up back in the NHL. Yet, Prosser took full advantage of his minor league opportunity, recording eight points in 31 games but more importantly playing a shutdown role and showing leadership on the ice en route to a deep playoff run. The Athletic’s Michael Russo reports that the showing has done Prosser some good, as the 33-year-old has drawn “lots of attention” from prospective suitors. The only time in his career that Prosser strayed from Minnesota – a brief and failed stint with the St. Louis Blues – he wound up back with the Wild that same year. It’s fair to assume that he’ll entertain other offers this off-season though, as Minnesota already has seven defenders signed to one-way deals next season and Prosser’s opportunity to make an impact will likely be greater elsewhere.

Other UFAs: D Anthony Bitetto, F Landon Ferraro, G Andrew Hammond, F Cal O’Reilly, F Matt Read

Projected Cap Space: The Wild are in good shape financially, close to $20MM below the salary cap ceiling of $81.5MM and only Fiala among the free agents listed who could command a salary that will eat into that total very much. With that said, GM Paul Fenton and company will still need to be wise with their extensions to maximize the space they can use to explore the market and improve a roster that is going through a major overhaul.

Minor Transactions: 01/18/19

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Seven games are on tap for tonight across the NHL, including a prime time matchup between the New York Islanders and Washington Capitals. The Islanders are trying to prove all of their doubters wrong and continue to compete in the Metropolitan Division, while the Capitals are ready to contend for their second Stanley Cup. As teams prepare for tonight’s action, we’ll keep track of all the movement around the league.

  • The Nashville Predators have placed Zac Rinaldo on injured reserve, though the physical forward hasn’t played since the beginning of the month. Rinaldo has actually played 23 games for the Predators this year, more than many expected when he signed a one-year two-way deal in the summer.
  • The New York Rangers have flipped backup goaltenders once again, sending Alexandar Georgiev to the Hartford Wolf Pack and recalling Marek Mazanec. The team has been making these moves all season in order to keep their backups fresh, and the two will likely be flipped back within a few days.
  • The Minnesota Wild have recalled defenseman Louis Belpedio from Iowa of the AHL.  With Mathew Dumba on IR, Minnesota has been running with six defenders for the last little while.  Belpedio has 10 points in 40 minor league games this season and has two assists in his lone career NHL contest.
  • The Dallas Stars have brought back winger Denis Gurianov from AHL Texas.  The 21-year-old impressed in an 11-game stint earlier this season and has been quite productive in the minors with 31 points in 29 games.  Dallas has scored just three goals in the last four games so they’ll likely be hoping that Gurianov can help give them a lift offensively.

Are There More Moves Coming In Minnesota?

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On Wednesday, the Minnesota Wild did what many thought wasn’t possible when they locked up high-scoring forward Jason Zucker on a long-term deal without putting themselves in an impossible situation with the salary cap. The team somehow managed to re-sign two young stars, both Zucker and Mathew Dumba, to a combined $11.5MM cap hit as well as add free agents Greg Pateryn, Eric Fehr, Matt Hendricks, J.T. Brown, Matt Bartkowksi, and Andrew Hammond all while maintaining some semblance of cap space. The team is projected to enter the season with $1.77MM in cap space and a roster that added talent while only losing the likes of Daniel Winnik and Matt Cullen.

The question now is: is it enough? While it never hurts to return the majority of a roster from a playoff team, there is some question as to whether the Wild are keeping up in the Western Conference arms race. The team has been eliminated in the first round of the playoffs in each of the past three seasons and has still won just four playoff series in its 18-year history. Fans are clamoring for more than just regular season success and Minnesota – and new GM Paul Fenton – have instead opted to return the same team so far in an off-season where major changes were expected. Although the new contracts for Zucker and Dumba were more than fair and the team addressed needs for more physicality on the blue line with Pateryn and another option in net with Hammond, as well as adding veteran depth pieces, there will be some who are critical of an otherwise quiet summer.

With so little cap space, the Wild may find it difficult to make many additions in-season as well. As the projected 23-man roster currently stands, Minnesota does not seem to be facing many holes and will get an injection of youth in the form of full seasons for Jordan Greenway and Nick Seeler. However, after getting a glimpse of other prospects like Luke Kunin, Louis Belpedio, and Carson Soucy last season, the team will undoubtedly want to avoid leaving them in the AHL all year. The trio all carry $925K cap hits that exceed the salaries of those on the roster they are most likely to supplant and the result will be even more cap space eaten up. Without moving out some salary, Minnesota will be left hoping their young talent can make a major impact as they will otherwise struggle to add veteran difference-makers over the course of the year.

While observers will always point to the massive contracts of Ryan Suter and Zach Parise as the contracts that Minnesota could most benefit from moving (although Suter is still one of the most reliable defensemen in the league), the team has also entertained offers for Jonas Brodin and Nino Niederreiter in the past and could do so again. While Eric Staal has been a revelation for the team, they could also look to move the pending free agent if they get off to a slow start and can land a younger asset in exchange. At the end of the season, it could be that this same Wild lineup plus some free agent additions and young players is enough to reverse their postseason fortunes. However, if they fall short again or, even worse, miss the playoffs, the team will finally have to make some major changes. It’s possible that the team gets ahead of that possibility by making some moves this off-season instead.

Chicago Pro Hockey League Is Launched

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Since the success of Da Beauty League in Minnesota, a summer league featuring plenty of NHL talent during their offseason, other summer professional leagues have started to pop up. Today saw the launch of the Chicago Pro Hockey League (CPHL) which will take place in Chicago this summer and include more than 80 players from professional leagues across North America.

In their press release, the league states that Vinnie Hinostroza, Nick Schmaltz, Jordan Oesterle, Connor Carrick, Ryan Hartman, Tommy Wingels, Christian Fischer, Ryan Dzingel, T.J. Tynan, Robbie Russo, Alex Broadhurst, Garret Sparks, Christian Dvorak, Anders Bjork, Tommy Di Pauli and Louis Belpedio will all be a part of the inaugural season.

Leagues like this are often a good proving ground for junior or NCAA prospects, as well as a chance for fans to see their favorite players for a lower price. The season begins on July 11th, and tickets will cost just five dollars. Games will be held at the Chicago Blackhawks’ practice facility, and a portion of the proceeds are given to charity each week.

Minor Transactions: 04/06/18

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The NHL had some exceptional moments yesterday, as Henrik and Daniel Sedin said goodbye to the Vancouver fans in the only way they know how—an overtime powerplay goal—and Roberto Luongo played his 1,000th game with relatively little fanfare. What else would you expect from one of the most consistent goaltenders of all-time, than 26 saves and a win in the most important game of the season for the Florida Panthers.

As we bask in the romantic finishes from last night, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves around the league right here:

  • Carson Soucy has been sent back to the AHL by the Minnesota Wild, as his emergency conditions are up. Gustav Olofsson is back with the team according to Michael Russo of The Athletic, meaning Soucy is down for now. That could open a spot for Louis Belpedio to make his NHL debut, after recently signing and joining the team.
  • The Boston Bruins have returned Colby Cave to the minor leagues, after his latest two-game call-up. The 23-year old forward recorded two shots on goal, but is still looking for his first NHL point.
  • The New York Rangers have recalled Matt Beleskey and Steven Fogarty from the minor leagues in time for their final game tomorrow. Beleskey hasn’t played in the NHL since coming over at the trade deadline from the Boston Bruins in a salary dump, but might get a chance against the Philadelphia Flyers tomorrow. The former 20-goal man is a prime candidate for a buyout if the Rangers need the cap space, though in their rebuild they might be fine with him playing next season in the minor leagues.
  • Jonny Brodzinski is on his way back to the AHL, as the Los Angeles Kings prepare for the playoffs. Brodzinski was recalled just yesterday, but will head back without getting into a game.
  • The Carolina Hurricanes have recalled Nicolas Roy from the AHL, a reward for a solid rookie campaign. Roy recorded 37 points in his first professional season, following two solid years in junior. Selected in the fourth round, the 6’4″ forward has turned himself into a legitimate NHL prospect.

Minnesota Wild Sign Louis Belpedio To Entry-Level Contract

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Louis Belpedio had already been playing on an amateur tryout in the AHL, but has now officially signed his two-year entry-level contract with the Minnesota Wild and will join the team right away. That means he’ll burn the first year of the deal in 2017-18, but could make an impact for a team struggling to replace an injured Ryan Suter. Despite being only 21 currently, Belpedio was only able to sign a two-year contract because he’ll turn 22 before September 15th of this year.

Interestingly, even though Belpedio was already playing in the Minnesota system he still could have waited for free agency this summer. After playing four years for the Miami University (Ohio), the third-round pick would have been highly sought after had he waited. Instead, he’ll sign with his draft team and get through the first year of his entry-level contract right away, and could even help them down the stretch and into the playoffs. The Wild are expected to welcome back Jared Spurgeon in time for the first round, but even with his return there is a hole on the Minnesota blue line.

Belpedio is a strong right-handed puck-moving defenseman that put up 30 points in 37 games this season in the NCAA. Though obviously stepping into a playoff picture is still a long-shot, he’s done nothing but impress during his time in the AHL and should compete for an NHL job in short order. Regardless of whether he gets into a game this season, the added experience of being around the Wild for the next few weeks will be a great development tool as he enters the professional ranks.

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