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Central Notes: Tolvanen, Gunnarsson, Crawford, Wild

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Predators prospect Eeli Tolvanen’s European Assignment Clause allows him to decide to leave AHL Milwaukee after ten games with the team, reports Paul Skrbina of The Tennessean.  The scribe adds that if the winger opted to go back to the KHL (it’s not an automatically-triggered clause), he could not return for the rest of the season.  Given that Tolvanen was projecting to be a depth player as their roster currently stands, they opted to send him down to maximize his playing time but if he wants to force their hand, Nashville will have a decision to make about his playing future within the next few weeks.

Elsewhere in the Central:

  • Blues defenseman Carl Gunnarsson has still not been cleared for contact as he continues his recovery from offseason hip and knee surgery, notes Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Accordingly, it’s highly unlikely that the veteran will be available to start the season.  Between this and the suspension to Robert Bortuzzo yesterday, St. Louis will be down a couple of regular defenders when their season gets underway on Thursday.
  • Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville told reporters, including Jimmy Greenfield of the Chicago Tribune, that goaltender Corey Crawford is on track to practice with the team next week. While that doesn’t bode well for his odds of being available to start the season, he shouldn’t miss too much time past the opener.  In the meantime, that will allow the team to keep Anton Forsberg up to start the season instead of running him through waivers over the next couple of days.
  • Wild winger Luke Kunin will be evaluated on Tuesday to assess his recovery from offseason ACL surgery, reports Sarah McLellan of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. The initial timeline for him to be ready was seven months and that mark will be reached next week.  However, even if he gets the green light to resume full practice work, he still won’t be ready for the season opener.  Meanwhile, blueliner Gustav Olofsson has resumed skating on his own as he works his way back from a shoulder injury but there remains no timetable for his return to the lineup.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Minnesota Wild

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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 2018-19 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.

Minnesota Wild

Current Cap Hit: $77,729,424 (under the $79.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Luke Kunin (two years, $925K)
F Jordan Greenway (two years, $917K)
F Joel Eriksson Ek (one year, $894K)

Potential Bonuses:

Kunin: $500K
Eriksson Ek: $425K
Greenway: $400K

Total: $1.35MM

The team has just three entry-level players and all three will be critical to the team over the next couple of years. Their 2016 first-rounder, Kunin, suffered an ACL injury in April that required surgery. While he is close to be ready to return, he’s still being held out to allow his knee to fully heal. Regardless, the team has high expectations for him. He struggled to capture a full-time role with Minnesota last year, but scored 10 goals in the AHL in just 36 appearances there, while getting 19 games in with the NHL club. The team will need him to step into a full-time role as soon as he’s healthy. Eriksson Ek, the team’s 2015 first-rounder, got himself a full-time role, but struggled to put up points in the bottom-six, posting six goals in 75 games. A bigger role could allow him to take that next step.

The team also has big hopes for Greenway, who the team pried away from Boston University this spring. The 6-foot-6, 226-pound winger should provide the team with a solid power forward, who could jump into the team’s top-six immediately.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

F Eric Staal ($3.5MM, UFA)
F Eric Fehr ($1MM, UFA)
D Gustav Olofsson ($725K, RFA)
F Matt Hendricks ($700K, UFA)
F Matt Read ($650K, UFA)
D Nate Prosser ($650K, UFA)
G Alex Stalock ($650K, UFA)
G Andrew Hammond ($650K, UFA)

The team will have an interesting decision to make on Staal at the end of this season. Staal, who was coming off a disappointing 13-goal season a few years ago, signed a three-year, $10.5MM deal, which has been one of the team’s best signings in their history. Staal, who many thought might be slowing down, responded with 28 goals in 2016-17 and followed that up with a 42-goal season last year. Now at age 33, what will Minnesota do in a year when he’s 34 and in need of another deal? If he posts another impressive season, the Wild will have to pay up to keep his services. A disappointing year could mean the end of a thrilling ride.

The rest of the group are full of one-year deals in which the players must prove their worth. The team brought in Fehr, Hendricks and Read to shore up their fourth line, which struggled at times last year, while the team also has a pair of veteran netminders fighting for the backup goalie spot in Stalock and Hammond.

Two Years Remaining

F Mikael Granlund ($5.75MM, UFA)
F Mikko Koivu ($5.5MM, UFA)
D Jared Spurgeon ($5.18MM, UFA)
F Charlie Coyle ($3.2MM, UFA)
F J.T. Brown ($688K, UFA)

The team gave Koivu a two-year extension a year ago, but the 35-year-old is starting to fade after a 14-goal, 31-point performance last season and could be moved down a line, especially if Eriksson Ek continues to improve. Koivu still remains the all-time leader in both games played and points, however, but this could very likely be his last contract.

Granlund could also be an interesting situation. The 26-year-old has improved his game over the last two season, posting a combined 47 goals and he had a career-high in assists last year with 46. His second half was also a big success as he posted 45 points in 46 games, almost a point a game. If he can keep that production up, the Wild should look good. Fortunately, the team has two more years to monitor his success before they have to offer him a new contract. Coyle is another player, who has the ability to put up big points, yet Coyle has struggled more recently, posting just 11 goals and 37 points in 66 games. However, a broken fibula could have been a cause of his on-ice struggles. The team hopes that he can bounce back and prove he belongs in the team’s top-six.

Spurgeon has been perhaps the team’s best defenseman this season. The 28-year-old missed 21 games with a partially torn hamstring and rushed back for the playoffs, but wasn’t 100 percent. Already injury-prone, the team still has the veteran for another couple of years before they have to decide on another long-term contract.Read more

Central Notes: Trouba, Kunin, Josi

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The Jets and Jacob Trouba weren’t able to work out an agreement on a contract and wound up going through salary arbitration with him being awarded $5.5MM.  The defenseman told Postmedia’s Ken Wiebe that he’s hopeful to avoid going that route next offseason and indicated that he remains open to signing a long-term pact with the team, acknowledging that there were long-term deals discussed over the summer.  Winnipeg has several players in the final year of their contract including fellow blueliner Tyler Myers plus wingers Patrik Laine and Kyle Connor and already has nearly $52.5MM committed to just 11 players for 2019-20.  While Winnipeg may certainly be interested in giving Trouba a long-term contract, they may not be able to afford to do so without clearing out someone else to create the cap space.

More from the Central:

  • Minnesota may be without winger Luke Kunin to start the season. Speaking with reporters, including Dane Mizutani of the Pioneer Press, he noted that he has not been cleared for contact from the ACL surgery he underwent back in early April.  He’s slated to be re-evaluated in early October but even if he gets the green light, he may not be ready for the opener.  The 20-year-old split the season between the Wild and their AHL affiliate in Iowa; he had two goals and two assists in 19 NHL games plus ten goals and nine helpers in 36 minor league contests.
  • Predators defenseman Roman Josi has switched agencies, reports Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. After previously being with Maloney & Thompson Sports Management, he has joined Wasserman/Orr Hockey.  Despite the switch, it will still be a little while before the blueliner can negotiate a new contract as he’s ineligible for a contract extension until July 1st.  At that time, Josi will certainly be looking for a significant increase on his current $4MM cap hit.

Central Notes: Tarasenko, Kunin, Kamenev, Ranta

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When St. Louis Blues’ Vladimir Tarasenko separated his left shoulder on the final game of the season last year, he underwent surgery the following day and was expected to be out four to six months, which theoretically coincided with the start of the regular season if he needed the latter amount of time to recuperate.

St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Tom Timmermann writes that Tarasenko just hit the four-month date in his recovery and he expects to be ready for the start of training camp in a month. He was cleared to skate and began skating nearly a week ago, but he has yet to test his repaired shoulder.

“I need to talk about it with the doctors more,” Tarasenko told the team’s website, “but I’m cleared to skate with the group, but only with some contact right now. But I can shoot. I feel great and I feel stronger. I’m ready for the season.”

Assuming there are no setbacks, Tarasenko should be ready. With a group of new additions to the Blues this offseason, they will need the 26-year-old to be ready to go if they want a chance to compete for a playoff spot this year. Tarasenko had a bit of a down year, posting 33 goals and 66 points.

  • NHL.com’s Dan Myers writes that Minnesota Wild forward Luke Kunin still is not 100 percent after tearing his ACL five months ago against the Detroit Red Wings and undergoing surgery four months ago to repair it. However, the 20-year-old has already been skating for three or four weeks now and feels that he should be ready for training camp in September. The team’s first-round pick in 2016 hopes to make the club out of camp after appearing in 19 games for the Minnesota Wild last season. “I try not to look too far ahead, just take it week-by-week, keep getting stronger and more comfortable on the ice and just get that confidence back,” Kunin said. “It was definitely nice to sort of check that off I guess, but it’s not a goal of mine to just be up and down. I want to be there full time, I want to be there for a long time and be an impact player that’s going to help the team win.”
  • NHL.com’s Maddie Karr takes a look back at the disappointing rookie campaign of Colorado Avalanche winger Vladislav Kamenev. Considering the haul that the Avalanche received in the Matt Duchene trade from the Ottawa Senators, many people forgot about Kamenev who has become an afterthought after the team received defenseman Samuel Girard and the Senators 2019 first-round pick, which could potentially be the No. 1 pick. However, Kamenev looked to be a key piece as the team recalled him from the AHL just nine days after the trade, but the high-scoring winger instead suffered a broken arm in that first game and missed 50 games. Despite just getting into three NHL games with the Avalanche, Kamenev still has a good chance to break with the team as a bottom-six forward if all goes well. “I know that he’s a trusted defensive player, but he has a great skillset,” Colorado head coach Jared Bednar said. “He has good hands, good feet, smart player, committed on the defensive side of the puck.”
  • Another Colorado Avalanche prospect, Sampo Ranta, the team’s third-round pick in this year’s draft who is expected to attend the University of Wisconsin, may not attend there after all, reports Providence Journal’s Mark Divver. The scribe writes that Ranta has hit an admission snag at Wisconsin and suggests the 6-foot-2 winger could find himself at Boston University.

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.

Snapshots: Eaves, Bjork, Kunin

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The Anaheim Ducks look to be getting back a familiar face next season as general manager Bob Murray told a group of season ticket holders today that he expects veteran Patrick Eaves to return and play a full season, according to the Orange County Register’s Elliott Teaford.

After coming over in 2016-17 during a trade deadline deal, Eaves proceeded to ink a new three-year, $9.45MM extension that summer only to miss all but two games last season after being diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome. However, he is expected to return to the Ducks next season to add to their veteran core, although the team might now lose Ryan Kesler, who has been limited with a hip injury from last season and could miss part or even all of next season.

“I’m more confident that Patrick Eaves is going to play for the full season than I am of Ryan Kesler at the moment, although ‘Kes’ says he’s going to be fine,” Murray said during an event with Ducks season-ticket holders at Bolsa Chica State Beach.

Eaves, 34, came off a 32-goal season in 2016-17 between the Dallas Stars and the Ducks and could provide significant help to an offense that has aged quickly over the last season or two.

  • Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Hub writes that one forgotten player among the Boston Bruins is Anders Bjork, who underwent shoulder surgery in the middle of his rookie season. The 21-year-old prospect out of Notre Dame put up just four goals and 12 points in 30 games, but Anderson notes that Bjork was considered to be the team’s top prospect just a year ago behind Charlie McAvoy. Bjork will attempt to win a spot on the team’s top-six this year. “I definitely think the games I got were helpful,” Bjork said. “I learned a ton, just tried to soak it all up when I was playing those games, and even just practicing and being around, tried to soak up as much as I could. I think I’m going to use that as an advantage for going into camp next year and trying to learn from the guys I watched, especially the young guys — what worked and what didn’t.”
  • Dane Mizutani of twincities.com writes that the Minnesota Wild’s 2016 first-round pick Luke Kunin, who suffered a torn ACL injury on Mar. 4 and had surgery in April, says that he intends to lace up his skates this week, but isn’t sure he will be ready by the time training camp comes around. “I’m not going to put a timeline on it or anything like that,” Kunin said. “Obviously, I would love to be ready by training camp. That’s my goal. I want to play. That said, at the end of the day, it’s up to the doctors and what they say as far as how it’s going. It’s one of those things that I know I can’t rush. Just trying to stick with it and trust the process.” Kunin split time this season with Minnesota and the Iowa Wild. He posted two goals and four points in 19 games at the NHL level, but was likely to get brought back for the team’s stretch run at the end of the season before being injured.

West Notes: Oilers, Kunin, Trouba

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While Edmonton moved quickly to shore up their goaltending position with the addition of Mikko Koskinen on a one-year, $2.5MM deal, Postmedia’s David Staples argues that the Oilers would have been better off waiting and doing something in the regular free agency period instead.  More prominent and proven players such as Carter Hutton and Jaroslav Halak signed for similar amounts ($2.75MM each) while others like Petr Mrazek and Robin Lehner came in a fair bit cheaper ($1.5MM apiece) and have logged big workloads as well.

While it’s certainly possible that Koskinen has some legitimate upside, it’s fair to suggest that they could have benefitted from a more proven option like Halak or Hutton.  They wouldn’t have taken one-year deals like Koskinen but having that extra insurance with starter Cam Talbot being a pending UFA wouldn’t have hurt.  Had the Oilers gone with a cheaper option, it would have freed up some more cap flexibility which could have come in play with RFA defenseman Darnell Nurse instead of forcing them into a bridge deal.  We’ll soon see how Koskinen fares but in early hindsight, they may have been better off waiting instead of acting quite quickly to lock him up in May.

More from the West:

  • Wild winger Luke Kunin is hoping to skate later this week for the first time since undergoing surgery to repair a torn ACL in early April, reports Dane Mizutani of the Pioneer Press. The 20-year-old sustained the injury back in March but had to wait until the swelling went down before going under the knife.  While Kunin is hopeful that he will be ready for training camp, recoveries from ACL tears can often take closer to six months to recover which would put his availability for the start of next season in question.  If he does get the green light from team doctors by then, he has a very good chance of cracking Minnesota’s opening night lineup.
  • The Jets are expected to elect a one-year arbitration award for defenseman Jacob Trouba if the two sides are unable to come to terms before Friday, notes Postmedia’s Ken Wiebe. This was the expected outcome since a two-year pact would take him to unrestricted free agency.  Since it was Trouba who filed, Winnipeg gets to pick the term instead of the other way around.

Luke Kunin Suffers ACL Tear, Out Seven Months

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After only just being recalled for another chance at the NHL level, Minnesota Wild forward Luke Kunin will have to wait quite some time before getting back on the ice. The team announced that Kunin suffered a torn ACL in Sunday’s game which will require surgery, and faces a seven month recovery timeline.

Kunin was expected to make a big impact for the Wild this season after an impressive sophomore campaign at the University of Wisconsin, but has spent much of the year in the AHL with Iowa. At that level, the 20-year old forward has 19 points in 36 games, but has struggled at times to use his quickness to really create the separation he found in college. In 19 games in the NHL, including two since his most recent call-up, Kunin has just four points. While that performance is no cause for concern regarding his long-term future, it will go down as a disappointing rookie campaign for the first-round pick.

The Wild meanwhile will have to look elsewhere for an injection of youth and speed to the lineup, as they look to secure their playoff spot in the Central Division. Minnesota currently sits in third place with 81 points, while the Stars, Avalanche and Blues all remain within striking distance. They’ve gotten to this point without a huge impact from Kunin, but were counting on his depth down the stretch to help them into the playoffs. Players like Kyle Rau and Zack Mitchell will now need to be that depth, along with Jordan Greenway when his college season eventually ends.

Minor Transactions: 02/17/18

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Though teams made several transactions yesterday to make their younger players eligible for the AHL playoffs, the rest of the season will still be filled with call-ups to help out the NHL team. Remember, after the trade deadline that though rosters have no limits in terms of total players, teams are allowed only four non-emergency recalls.

  • The Washington Capitals have recalled Travis Boyd, who had been playing with the Hershey Bears of the AHL. For the third consecutive season, Boyd is among the scoring leaders for Hershey with 44 points in 56 games. While it’s unclear if he’s scheduled to enter the Capitals lineup right away, he can definitely give them some offensive punch if inserted down the stretch.
  • Cory Schneider was assigned to the Binghamton Devils on a conditioning stint today, but is expected to be brought back on Wednesday to rejoin New Jersey on their current road trip. While that doesn’t guarantee he’ll be back in the crease right away, it is a good sign that he’s approaching his return to the lineup.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled Tristan Jarry on an emergency loan after announcing that Matt Murray has been diagnosed with a concussion. Jarry had been sent down to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, but will now have to help Casey DeSmith with the NHL duties. DeSmith is expected to start tonight for the Penguins, but Jarry has more experience in the starting role and could be asked to take over while Murray is out.
  • The Calgary Flames announced that they have sent Andrew Mangiapane to the AHL, but the move was actually completed yesterday to make sure he was eligible for the minor league playoffs. With the addition of Chris Stewart off waivers, Mangiapane was likely looking at some healthy scratches and now can help the Stockton Heat instead.
  • The Buffalo Sabres have recalled Seth Griffith from the AHL, spending one of their recalls to bring up the 25-year old forward. Griffith has played 76 NHL games over his career and is a point-per-game player at the minor league level. The undersized forward has excellent creativity and playmaking ability, but hasn’t ever been given an extended chance in a team’s top-6.
  • As expected, the Minnesota Wild have brought Luke Kunin back up from the minor leagues. The Wild are extremely close to the cap, and needed to move out some salary at the deadline in order to bring Kunin up for the stretch run while keeping enough room to sign Jordan Greenway. Kunin has just 19 points for the Iowa Wild this season, but is a hard working two-way center that could jump right into the lineup for the Wild.
  • Ethan Bear will be one of the Edmonton Oilers’ four call-ups for the remainder of the season, and will get a chance to show what he can do after an outstanding junior career. Bear was a 70-point defenseman in his final season with the Seattle Thunderbirds, and was a huge part of their qualifying for the Memorial Cup in 2017. The undersized but super-skilled Bear has 16 points in his first professional season for the Bakersfield Condors.
  • The Anaheim Ducks have returned winger Kalle Kossila and goalie Reto Berra to San Diego of the AHL, notes Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register.  Berra’s demotion was expected with John Gibson likely to return to the lineup on Friday. As for Kossila, he didn’t get into any games after being recalled back on the 24th; he has a goal and an assist in ten contests with Anaheim from earlier this season.

Waiver Claims: Stewart, Oduya, Alt

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As is often the case on trade deadline day, there have been several waiver claims around the league.  Winger Chris Stewart has been claimed by Calgary (first reported by Michael Russo of The Athletic), blueliner Johnny Oduya is on his way to the Flyers (first reported by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman), while defender Mark Alt has been picked up by Colorado (first reported by Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic).

Stewart has put up a respectable nine goals in 47 games with Minnesota this season but has also been a frequent healthy scratch as his game-to-game consistency has been a concern, something that has been the case throughout his career.  However, he should still serve as a fourth line option for the Flames and with a $1.15MM cap hit, is certainly an affordable option to add.  Meanwhile, the Wild now free up a bit more cap space to work with which is important if they look to bring youngsters Luke Kunin and Jordan Greenway into the fold down the stretch.  Stewart will be an unrestricted free agent in July.

Oduya is no stranger to being moved around the trade deadline day although this is the first time he will do so via a waiver claim.  The veteran had been shopped by the Sens prior to him being waived but evidently there were no takers.  He has four goals and four assists in 51 games with Ottawa this season but is averaging a career-low 17:12 per night of ice time.  It’s worth noting that if Oduya plays in 14 more regular season games, the Flyers will owe him a $250K bonus plus another $250K if they hold onto a playoff position.  He also has $250K in bonuses if he finishes in the top-five and top-three in average ice time per game.

Alt has spent the majority of the season while Philadelphia’s AHL affiliate in Lehigh Valley, posting five goals and five assists in 23 games.  He also has suited up in eight games with the Flyers, being held off the scoresheet while averaging 13:26 per game.  Alt will likely be a depth blueliner for Colorado and will be eligible for Group VI unrestricted free agency at the end of the season.

The other players on waivers from Sunday all cleared.  Those players are:

Christopher Breen (Boston)
Paul Postma (Boston)
Jussi Jokinen (Columbus)
Cody Goloubef (Calgary)
Lance Bouma (Chicago)
Alexandre Burrows (Ottawa)
Jim O’Brien (Ottawa)
John Muse (Philadelphia)
Chris Thorburn (St. Louis)

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