Which Players Could Make The Most Money These Playoffs?
Every year, there are players who step up their games in the postseason, provide big memories and are rewarded with even bigger paychecks. From Alex Killorn‘s playoff dominance helping him land a seven-year deal, to Dave Bolland turning Stanley Cup magic into a huge contract with the Florida Panthers a few years later. Some work out fine, while others aren’t quite worth it (sorry Dave).
With that said, there is always money to be made with a solid playoff run and this year is no exception. Let’s take a look at some of the players who could give themselves some leverage this summer, should they pay off this spring.
T.J. Oshie, Washington Capitals – Oshie obviously is going to be one of the most sought after free agents this summer regardless, and along with Alexander Radulov and Joe Thornton won’t have a tough time finding a job no matter what. But after a season in which he broke out and scored 30 goals for the first time, he could make himself indispensable for the Capitals by helping them get over their playoff stumbles. For a player who historically didn’t perform all that exceptionally in the postseason with St. Louis, Oshie upped his game in his first go-round with the Capitals last year scoring 10 points in 12 games. If he shows that he’s the answer to the struggles Alex Ovechkin and Niklas Backstrom have had taking this team to the finals, the team might just have to find a way keep him around for the foreseeable future. It’s just too bad that NHL playoffs don’t go to shootouts, or Oshie would have it locked up. 
Matt Hunwick, Toronto Maple Leafs – With Nikita Zaitsev out for at least the first game of their series, the Maple Leafs are going to lean on veteran defender Hunwick to log important minutes alongside Morgan Rielly. At 31, Hunwick is an unrestricted free agent this summer and is playing for his NHL future. Since Zaitsev was the Leafs’ leader in ice time this season, there will be plenty of minutes to go around—especially with the obvious distrust between Mike Babcock and Martin Marincin, who will draw into the lineup. If the Leafs could ever find a way to get past the Capitals in the first round, it would likely be because of a Herculean effort from Hunwick on the top pairing.
Patrick Eaves, Anaheim Ducks – Is Eaves really a 32-goal man? Many teams likely don’t think so, and as we examined a few weeks ago maybe they shouldn’t. With a solid postseason, continuing the absolute tear he has been on since he joined the Ducks—he scored 11 goals in 20 games for the team, including seven in his final eight games—he could legitimately turn this dream season into a multi-year deal. Eaves has always been considered a good defender, and if he can convince a team that he can be an offensive contributor when the games get harder and the powerplays fewer, he’ll easily break his current record of $1.4MM in a single year.
Martin Hanzal, Minnesota Wild – For years, people have been waiting for Hanzal to put it all together and become a top-line center in the NHL. He’s 30 now, and most of us have moved on from that idea and come to see him as the solid middle-six player that he is. But all it takes is a little spark—like 13 points in 20 games down the stretch for the Wild—for all that potential to come rushing back into people’s minds. If he’d finished the year out with Arizona, he would have been looking at a solid but unspectacular deal in the offseason. Instead, if he can take the Wild deep into the playoffs he may be looking at a career-making contract. After playing 21 minutes in the Wild’s heartbreaking loss in game 1, he needs to step it up even further if he wants to cash in.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Central Notes: Tootoo, Hossa, Hanzal, Benn
Even though right winger Jordin Tootoo signed a contract extension just before the trade deadline (primarily for expansion draft purposes), he wasn’t expected to be a big factor for Chicago down the stretch. However, with some strong play in his last few outings, the veteran may be playing himself back into the picture when it comes to seeing time in the postseason, suggests Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times. Head coach Joel Quenneville noted that Tootoo has been much better as of late:
“He’s really improved his game. He brings that element of pace, and he did a nice job in the physicality department, as well. He brings us some sandpaper, some toughness. It looks like he’s got patience with the puck, in handling it, and having it a little bit more. He’s making some good plays offensively. I like the progression.”
Tootoo has just a single goal and an assist on the season in 42 games but as the games get tougher in the latter stages of the season and into the playoffs, his energy could give him an edge on a spot in the lineup depending on the matchup.
Elsewhere in the Central:
- Also from Lazerus, the Blackhawks will be without right winger Marian Hossa tonight against the Leafs. He suffered a lower body injury on Thursday in Ottawa. Quenneville noted the injury isn’t serious and that he shouldn’t miss much time. The 38 year old is tied for third in goals on the Hawks with 22 in 64 games despite averaging his lowest ice time per game since his rookie season back in 1998-99.
- The Wild are expected to have center Martin Hanzal back in the lineup tonight against the Rangers, notes Michael Russo of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Hanzal has missed the last three games while dealing with strep throat. Minnesota’s prized deadline acquisition has skated in seven games with the team, collecting four assists while logging 15:57 per night, well off the 18:35 he was averaging with Arizona prior to his trade in late February.
- Dallas is anticipating that left winger Jamie Benn will be ready for their next game against San Jose, head coach Lindy Ruff told Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News. Benn took a glove to his eye in a skirmish with Vancouver’s Nikita Tryamkin on Thursday and didn’t play against Calgary on Friday. Ruff noted that Benn only suffered a scratch and no serious damage on the play. While the captain won’t be reaching the 80 point plateau for the third straight year, he’s still having a productive season with 63 points in 66 games.
Snapshots: Doan, Graovac, Hellberg
Shane Doan will be on all the blooper reels for the next while. The Arizona Coyotes captain is fine after colliding hard with Jakob Chychrun in warm up last night, and missing most of the first period. According to Dave Vest of NHL.com, he team had checked him for a concussion, but ruled that he had just had the wind knocked out of him.
I didn’t know it was him that hit me. I was looking back at [Oliver Ekman-Larsson] and got hit. I had no idea who it was that hit me … I haven’t been hit that hard in a long, long time.
The Coyotes ended up winning a 1-0 game over the Colorado Avalanche in a battle between the worst teams in the NHL. It couldn’t have started in a way more fitting to what was to come, with the next wave of the Coyotes literally checking the old guard out of the way.
- As expected, the Minnesota Wild have officially recalled Tyler Graovac from Iowa of the AHL. After Michael Russo of the Star Tribune reported yesterday that Martin Hanzal was sick with the flu and wouldn’t be with the team for the next two games, Graovac was the easy call up. As Russo points out, it will be interesting to see if Graovac figures into the lineup immediately for one of Jordan Schroeder or Ryan White or if he’s just there for insurance.
- The New York Rangers have sent Magnus Hellberg back to the AHL despite not having two healthy goaltenders at the NHL level. With Henrik Lundqvist out two to three weeks, Hellberg is expected to be the backup behind Antti Raanta for the next little while. The Rangers are off until Friday, but so are the Hartford Wolfpack which makes this move very interesting. It may be just a paper transaction to save Hellberg’s NHL salary for a few days, but either way it will be answered later this week when they make a move to bring someone up.
Minor Moves: Varone, Graovac, Shore
The Ottawa Senators have decided they no longer have a use for Phil Varone, after the news that Kyle Turris should return to the lineup. Monday afternoon they announced that Varone has been re-assigned to the AHL. The 26-year old Varone only received just five minutes of ice time in Saturday’s win over the Colorado Avalanche, and is more useful in the AHL where he currently leads the baby-Sens in points. With 42 points in 51, Varone has continued his minor-league dominance this season, part of a longer trend. In his six seasons of professional hockey, he has scored at least 35 points in each of them with a career high of 61 in 2013-14.
Obviously Varone isn’t in the Senators’ current NHL plans, but perhaps he’ll get a chance somewhere else next season. The former fifth-round pick is an unrestricted agent this summer, and will likely be looking for an opportunity at the highest level.
- According to Michael Russo of the Star Tribune, the Minnesota Wild are set to recall Tyler Graovac from Iowa. The 23-year old forward was waived a month ago but has spent most of the season in the NHL, playing in 49 games for the Wild. The massive Graovac is an effective bottom-six player who can play center or wing when needed. With Martin Hanzal out with the flu, Graovac is likely just up as insurance for the rest of the road trip. If the team wants a shake up, they could insert him into the fourth-line center spot, currently occupied by Jordan Schroeder.
- After signing this weekend and clearing waivers today, Drew Shore will indeed make his debut for the Vancouver Canucks tonight against the Boston Bruins. The former second-round pick will compete to prove that he deserves another look in the NHL next season. “I want to show the Canucks I can be part of their future,” Shore said today to the media. The Canucks will also get Mikael Grandlund back into the lineup, skating alongside the Sedins.
Central Division Notes: McKenzie, Hanzal, Blues
The Dallas Stars decision to ink Curtis McKenzie to a one-year contract extension has obvious expansion draft implications in that it gives the team another forward that meets the minimum requirements making him eligible for exposure in the draft and allowing Dallas to protect someone else instead. However, as Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News writes, the Stars would prefer to hang onto the 26-year-old left wing rather than lose him to the Golden Knights.
Several players the Stars believed would play key roles up front (Ales Hemsky, Patrick Sharp, Mattias Janmark and Jiri Hudler among them) have missed significant portions of the season and McKenzie has proven invaluable by filling a number of roles for the team. He adds grit and penalty killing while sliding up and down the lineup as needed. McKenzie has tallied only four goals and 11 points in 43 games this season but that production is solid for a versatile, defensively responsible bottom-six forward. At a salary of just $700K for 2017-18, McKenzie represents a relative bargain, whether for Dallas or Vegas next season.
- As is often the case with players joining a new team at the trade deadline, Martin Hanzal has struggled to find his way since being acquired by Minnesota from Arizona for a package of draft choices. But as Michael Russo of the Star Tribune notes, if anyone understands the difficulties of adjusting to a new team and new systems, it’s Wild bench boss Bruce Boudreau, who played for 17 different pro hockey clubs over the course of a 20-year career. Since joining Minnesota, Hanzal has had a rotating cast of linemates, a situation that complicates his adjustment but also one that allows Boudreau to figure out how best to ultimately deploy the veteran pivot. The coach’s patient handling of Hanzal may be starting to pay off. The 30-year-old had his best game as a member of the Wild in Minnesota’s 7 – 4 win over Florida Friday night. Hanzal recorded an assist, finished with three shots on goal and adding five hits. It’s that type of performance that made the 6-foot-6 pivot an attractive trade option at the deadline and if he can continue that level of play throughout the postseason the Wild will be pleased.
- Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch hosted his regular chat yesterday and covered a variety of Blues related topics. As usual, the entire piece is well worth the read but one item of particular interest was a look back at a March 2, 2015 trade which saw defenseman Ian Cole shipped by St. Louis to Pittsburgh in exchange for fellow blue liner Robert Bortuzzo and a 2016 seventh-round draft pick. Since joining the Penguins, the 28-year-old Cole has developed into a quality regular on the team’s back end. The seven year veteran is enjoying the best season of his career in 2016-17, registering four goals and 21 points in 63 contests while posting a +23 plus-minus rating. Meanwhile, Bortuzzo has failed to make much of an impact with his new club and has been a healthy scratch often. While the scribe understands the criticism of the deal in hindsight, he also believes that Cole wouldn’t have evolved into a legitimate top-four blue liner had he remained with the Blues. Rutherford believes that Cole simply didn’t mesh well with the Blues at the time. He goes on to write that the team needed more physicality and got that in the form of Bortuzzo. Ultimately, if they had it to do all over again, Rutherford isn’t sure St. Louis would pull the trigger on that deal.
Poll: Which Team Had The Best Trade Deadline?
The trade deadline came and went with something of a whimper yesterday, with most of the heavy lifting done in the days prior. Martin Hanzal, Kevin Shattenkirk, Brian Boyle and Patrick Eaves were all among players moved days ahead of the deadline, and Pierre LeBrun of TSN believes that may have actually been a mistake. In his latest column, he discusses the low prices teams paid on deadline day as very few big names entered the market. Obviously, it may have been a completely different story had those names made it to the last few minutes, but we’ll never know.
Our own Zach Leach broke down the deadlines for each of the different divisions (Atlantic, Metropolitan, Pacific and Central), but who was the biggest winner of them all?
Vancouver finally decided to move out some aging veterans and received two fairly well established prospects, something the team has seemed to lack for years. Tampa Bay moved out Valtteri Filppula‘s contract to save them a huge headache at the expansion draft and when re-signing their restricted free agents. Washington added the best player available to an already dominant squad, and perhaps more importantly blocked their rivals from doing the same.
So which team did have the best trade deadline overall? For this question we’ll include the moves made prior to the day itself. Make sure to leave us a comment down below explaining your choice.
Which team had the best trade deadline?
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Washington Capitals 29% (179)
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Other (comment below) 16% (98)
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Chicago Blackhawks 13% (82)
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Detroit Red Wings 12% (71)
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Vancouver Canucks 11% (67)
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Tampa Bay Lightning 6% (40)
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Montreal Canadiens 5% (30)
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Los Angeles Kings 4% (23)
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Dallas Stars 2% (15)
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Ottawa Senators 2% (12)
Total votes: 617
(Mobile users click here to vote!)
Trade Deadline Summary: Winners & Losers Of The Pacific Division
The NHL Trade Deadline has come and gone, and while it wasn’t the most exciting deadline day in recent memory, there were quite a few notable moves. Here are the winners and losers of the upstart Pacific Division:
Winners
Anaheim Ducks:
- Acquired Patrick Eaves from Dallas Stars for conditional second-round pick
The Ducks had one real need at the deadline and that was another top six winger. By getting ahead of the market and making the deal for Eaves earlier this week, Anaheim was already a winner at the deadline. The conditional second-rounder, which can become a first, is a steep price. However, given that Eaves is having a career year, the market value had yet to be set, and the Ducks desperation had grown due to the Antoine Vermette suspension, they were right to swing a deal when they had the chance. It was a quiet deadline day in Anaheim, but this is still a team that could make a lot of noise down the stretch.
Arizona Coyotes:
- Acquired 2017 third-round pick and conditional 2018 fifth-round pick from Calgary Flames for Michael Stone
- Acquired 2017 first-round pick, 2018 second-round pick, conditional 2019 fourth-round pick, and Grayson Downing from Minnesota Wild for Martin Hanzal, Ryan White, and 2017 fourth-round pick
- Acquired Teemu Pulkkinen from Minnesota Wild for “future considerations”
- Acquired Joe Whitney from Colorado Avalanche for Brandon Ranford
The Coyotes messed up by not trading Radim Vrbata (and might have been able to get more for Stone), but put that aside and what they were able to get from the Minnesota Wild is pretty extraordinary. The team wanted to re-sign Hanzal, but when talks fell apart, it became a foregone conclusion that he would be moved. Yet, that inevitability never drove the prices down and the Wild ended up offering an amazing deal for the career Coyote. The Avalanche should take note because this is how you work the trade deadline as one the league’s worst teams. In exchange for impending free agents who were not coming back in Hanzal and Stone, Arizona ends up with five picks and two prospects (assuming, as it often does, that “future considerations” means nothing) and the team has suffered almost no loss. If GM John Chayka has decided to deal Vrbata, he likely would have added another pair of good picks to that mix, but as it stands, the Coyotes still did pretty well.
Trade Deadline Summary: Winners & Losers Of The Central Division
The NHL Trade Deadline has come and gone, and while it wasn’t the most exciting deadline day in recent memory, there were quite a few notable moves. Here are the winners and losers of the “wild” Central Division:
Winners
Chicago Blackhawks:
- Acquired Tomas Jurco from Detroit Red Wings for 2017 third-round pick
- Acquired Johnny Oduya from Dallas Stars for conditional 2018 fourth-round pick and Mark McNeill
Of course the Blackhawks are winners on deadline day. Did you expect any less? Although they didn’t make any major moves, Chicago brought in two players via trade that can help them immediately. Oduya, a former Blackhawk, is still familiar with the system and has played with many of the current players. Oduya should be able to step in right away, play major minutes, and form a shutdown pair with Niklas Hjalmarsson (when he’s healthy). Just like the good ‘ol days. Meanwhile, like nearly any forward, Jurco has a skill set that will fit in well with Chicago’s star forwards and for just the cost of a third-rounder, could represent a long-term fit with the Blackhawks.
Dallas Stars:
- Acquired conditional 2017 second-round pick from Anaheim Ducks for Patrick Eaves
- Acquired 2017 fourth-round pick and Greg Pateryn from Montreal Canadiens for Jordie Benn
- Acquired conditional 2018 fourth-round pick and Mark McNeill from Chicago Blackhawks for Johnny Oduya
- Acquired Dillon Heatherington from Columbus Blue Jackets for Lauri Korpikoski
The Stars are a tough team to place at the 2017 deadline. They are in the midst of an unforeseen epic collapse of a season and have done well to trade their impending free agents. If Patrick Sharp, Ales Hemsky, and Adam Cracknell weren’t all hurt, Dallas would be a deadline loser for not moving them. As it stands, they did hold on to Jiri Hudler, but traded their three other healthy upcoming UFAs. Eaves earned them great value in return and Korpikoski, a late off-season addition, nets a promising young defenseman in Heatherington. Even McNeill and a fourth-rounder for Oduya is a pretty good deal. So for those three moves anyway, GM Jim Nill did well. With that said, the Benn trade was ill-timed and doesn’t make your team better. Benn still had term on his contract and was the team’s best defensive defenseman and, of course, captain Jamie Benn‘s older brother. Dallas will likely regret that move. The Stars are teetering on the edge of winner and loser, but they’ve been through enough this season, so we’ll call them winners.
Trade Candidates: Radim Vrbata
With the trade deadline now just days away, we’re wrapping up our profiles of several players whose names are still on the trade block and are likely to be dealt by March 1st.
The Arizona Coyotes are 22-32-7 for 51 points, good enough for last place in the Pacific Division and second from the bottom in the NHL. They are in the bottom five in the league in both goals for and goals against, giving them a 29th-ranked -48 goal differential. The team is in a complete rebuild and has needs at every position. GM John Chayka has already dealt away young defenseman Michael Stone and just last night career-Coyote center Martin Hanzal.
So anyone who notices that the Coyotes’ top scorer is 35 years old and on a one-year, $1MM deal is right to assume that he is also on his way out of town. Radim Vrbata has returned to Arizona with a bang this season, leading a club that has been desperate for goals with a team-high 31 assists and 46 points and is second only to Hanzal with 15 goals and Oliver Ekman-Larsson in power play production. For a guy past his prime who scored only 27 points last season, Vrbata has had an excellent 2016-17 campaign and, like his other productive veteran teammates, has probably earned himself a ticket out of town.
Contract
Vrbata signed a one-year deal with Arizona this summer that carries $1MM base salary. However, there are some tricky bonus features to it, especially for contenders who are tight against the cap. Vrbata can earn an additional $2.25MM in performance bonuses, and in fact has already met several benchmarks. Vrbata is already owed $500K for playing in 30 games and another $500K for scoring more than 40 points. The remaining $1.25MM is tied to postseason performance, which he is guaranteed to miss out on if he remains with the Coyotes but would almost surely cash in on if traded to a contender. If Vrbata is traded, the new team will have to account for the salary cap repercussions beyond his $1MM cap hit – pro-rated to about $225K by Wednesday’s deadline – for the remainder of the year.
2016-17
The myth surrounding Vrbata has always been that he doesn’t perform outside of Arizona. Just a quick look at his career numbers shows that is untrue. Vrbata has had strong seasons, dating all the way back to the beginning of career, in Colorado, Chicago, and most recently Vancouver. However, there is no doubt that he has enjoyed the majority of his best seasons with the Coyotes. After struggling in 2015-16, the second year of a two-year deal with the Canucks, Vrbata returned home to the desert on a one-year deal in search of comeback season. He certainly found it, as his 46 points through 61 games put him on pace to come close to his career-high 63 point total from two years ago. Yet, he’s accomplished this on one of the worst teams in the league. What leaves many teams deep in thought is whether that scoring would continue on a superior team in contention for a title or whether it is a product of the situation and system.
Season Stats
61 GP: 15 goals, 31 assists, 46 points, -14 rating, 186 shots, 17:01 ATOI
Suitors
After their three biggest competitors in the Atlantic Division acquired help today, many have begun to doubt whether the Boston Bruins can hold true to their plan to stand pat at the Trade Deadline and not risk losing picks or prospects for no reason as they did last year. Count the Boston Globe’s Kevin Paul Dupont as one of those proponents, and he believes that Vrbata would be the perfect fit for the Bruins to add another scoring threat, specifically with Ryan Spooner and Frank Vatrano on the team’s third line, now that coach Bruce Cassidy has his more offensive-minded system in place. Despite the high prices right now, Dupont speculates that a second-round selection and another pick or prospect could get the job done. The Bruins are also one of only a few contenders that doesn’t have to worry much about the cap implications of acquiring Vrbata.
However, if the price for Vrbata is what Dupont suggests it may be, teams will worry about Vrbata’s cap hit and outside-Arizona consistency later. As more and more teams make additions, other will grow more interested in one of the top scoring threats on the market. Name a contender, and they will have likely put a call in to Chayka by Wednesday’s deadline, whether it be the Washington Capitals, who could use some more speed; the Pittsburgh Penguins or Columbus Blue Jackets, who both need some depth; the San Jose Sharks, who are still sorting out their top lines; or even the Chicago Blackhawks, who seem to always be in the mix and have history with Vrbata.
Likelihood Of A Trade
After moving on from Hanzal and Stone, both of whom are younger and have spent more time with the organization in recent years, it would be odd if the Coyotes didn’t part ways with Vrbata. Besides, there is nothing stopping them from re-signing him this summer if he wants, and Vrbata seems to be one of the few NHL players, along with teammate Shane Doan, who really enjoy playing in Arizona. Despite their immense depth in prospects, the Coyotes still have needs throughout the lineup and are in no position to hold on to trade-able assets for no reason. This team is still in full rebuild mode and will almost surely take whatever picks and prospects they can get for Vrbata, a fitting end to a rewarding one-year deal in 2016-17.
Wild Acquire Martin Hanzal From Coyotes
The rich just got richer in Minnesota, as the Wild have reached an agreement with the Arizona Coyotes on a trade to bring in talked-about deadline target Martin Hanzal. The Wild are “all-in” this season, as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that Minnesota will send a first-round pick, second-round pick, and conditional pick that can go as high as another second-rounder to Arizona. The deal has since been confirmed as a 2017 first-rounder, 2018 second-rounder and 2019 conditional pick for Hanzal, Ryan White, and a 2017 fourth-rounder. The condition for the pick is as follows: if Minnesota wins one playoff round this year, it becomes a third-rounder and if they win two, it becomes a second-rounder. TSN’s Bob McKenzie adds that minor leaguer Grayson Downing will also head to Arizona and that the Coyotes will also retain 50% of Hanzal’s salary cap hit in the deal.
Hanzal is a big addition for the Wild, who have been so dominant this season that many did not expect them to make a major move at the deadline. Instead, GM Chuck Fletcher adds Hanzal to a lineup that already has Mikko Koivu and Eric Staal down the middle. One of the top names on the market, Hanzal could have slotted into the first line on a team like the Montreal Canadiens, who were long rumored to be his likely destination, but will likely skate on Minnesota’s third line, showcasing the depth that this team has. Hanzal was leading the Coyotes in goals this season with 16 and is coming off a 41-point campaign in 2015-16. A big pivot who can crash the net and play a hard-nosed game, Hanzal will add a physical element that has sometime been missing for the Wild.
The cost for the career Coyote center is a steep one though. Not many people expected the Wild to be where they are in 2016-17; they have 84 points and have a significant lead in points and games on the Chicago Blackhawks for the top spot in the Central Division and Western Conference. With that in mind, the Wild brass have clearly bought in to the Stanley Cup hype this season. To acquire Hanzal, a mere 26-point scorer this season, they have mortgaged the future with first, second, and to-be-determined selections. Granted, the Wild’s first-rounder this season will likely be somewhere between #26 and #31 and their second-round selection next season could be pretty far down as well, but it is still a steep price to pay, especially considering Minnesota was already without a second-round pick in 2017 due to their acquisition of Chris Stewart. More than anything, the deal has also set the bar for the forward market as we approach the deadline. If you already considered this to be a quiet trade season, the Hanzal deal has set a market price that could silence quite a few more deals between now and Wednesday.