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Overseas Notes: Lundestrom, Vesalainen, Free Agents, Paille

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While the Anaheim Ducks finalized an entry-level contract with newest first-round pick Isac Lundestrom yesterday, don’t expect to see him donning a Ducks jersey right away. Beat writer Eric Stephens reports that Lundestrom is expected to remain in Sweden for at least one more year to finish out his contract with the SHL’s Lulea. This would line up with the specifics of Lundestrom’s contract, which contains a European Assignment Clause for next season. After that, Lundestrom’s future is more of a mystery, but the high-ceiling center is still relatively raw and likely a few seasons away from an NHL debut.

  • Another prospect in limbo between the NHL and Europe is the Winnipeg Jets’ 2017 first-rounder, Kristian Vesalainen. The 19-year-old power forward had a breakout campaign last year, recording 43 point in 49 games between HPK and Karpat of the Liiga, the top pro league in his native Finland, and impressing at the World Juniors. However, Vesalainen’s contract in Finlad has expired and he remains an unsigned – and highly sought-after – free agent across the continent, having now spent time in both Sweden and Finland. Yet, Vesalainen may be holding out for a spot with the Jets this season. The budding young star has yet to sign his entry-level contract, but may be hoping that he can somehow work his way in to a loaded forward corps in Winnipeg. Otherwise, one would think that he would have already signed with another team in Europe.
  • Speaking of European free agents, Vesalainen is not the only recognizable name still available who played overseas last season. After a point-per-game season with SC Bern of the Swiss NLA, Mason Raymond still remains unsigned, perhaps hoping for NHL interest. Raymond, offensive defenseman Bobby Sanguinetti, and capable two-way forward Nick Spaling highlight NLA players awaiting jobs, while Brandon Gormley and Jonathon Blum are puck-moving defenders still looking for a contract after playing in the SHL and KHL respectively last year. In Finland, veteran defenseman Henrik Tallinder has remained productive well into his late thirties but is still looking for another shot, while consistent forward Jesse Saarinen, a top 20 per-game scorer in the Liiga, also remains unemployed.
  • Joining the list of European free agents today is long-time NHL checking forward Daniel Paille. Paille, 34, spent 11 years with the Buffalo Sabres, Boston Bruins, and New York Rangers before departing for Sweden in 2016. Paille signed a three-year deal with Brynas IF of the SHL and played well in his first season. However, injuries limited the two-way forward to just 14 games last season and Brynas decided to move on. The team announced today that both they and Paille have mutually agreed to terminate the final year of the contract, allowing Brynas to get out from under the contract and allowing Paille to focus on getting healthy. At this point, it is unclear if Paille will be actively looking for work this season or if he is leaning toward taking the year off or perhaps hanging up the skates for good.

 

Team Canada Announces Olympic Roster

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Though we’ve already heard that one young player has turned down an offer to play for Canada at the upcoming Olympics, many others wouldn’t dream of passing on this chance. Today, Hockey Canada announced their roster for the Games, including many familiar NHL faces. The full roster can be found below:

G Justin Peters
G Kevin Poulin
G Ben Scrivens

D Stefan Elliott
D Chay Genoway
D Cody Goloubef
D Marc-Andre Gragnani
D Chris Lee
D Maxim Noreau
D Mat Robinson
D Karl Stollery

F Rene Bourque
F Gilbert Brule
F Andrew Ebbett
F Quinton Howden
F Chris Kelly
F Rob Klinkhammer
F Brandon Kozun
F Maxim Lapierre
F Eric O’Dell
F Mason Raymond
F Derek Roy
F Christian Thomas
F Linden Vey
F Wojtek Wolski

Olympic Preview: Hockey Canada Announces Karjala Cup Roster

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The roster for the Karjala Cup has been announced for Team Canada, and it represents a sneak peek at who will likely suit up for the country at the upcoming 2018 Winter Olympics. Canada has joined the tournament—held November 8th-12th in Finland—as a sort of tune-up for the Olympics, and their roster is littered with former NHL players.

Perhaps the most interesting name though is Dylan Sikura, the Chicago Blackhawks prospect who returned to the college ranks this season for his final year. Chicago was willing to sign him this spring after his junior year, but Sikura instead returned to try and win a national championship with Northeastern. A sixth-round pick, Sikura could become a free agent next summer, but is almost guaranteed to sign with the Blackhawks when his year ends. His addition could be big for Chicago down the stretch, as he represents another talented offensive threat.

The full roster can be found below

F Wojtek Wolski
F Mason Raymond
F Derek Roy
F Brandon Kozun
F Eric O’Dell
F Gilbert Brule
F Rene Bourque
F Matt Ellison
F Quinton Howden
F Dylan Sikura
F Andrew Ebbett
F Matt Frattin
F Christian Thomas
F Rob Klinkhammer

D Karl Stollery
D Zach Whitecloud
D Chay Genoway
D Chris Lee
D Maxim Noreau
D Simon Despres
D Jesse Blacker
D Geoff Kinrade
D Mat Robinson

G Ben Scrivens
G Justin Peters

Mutual Terminations And Their Value To Players

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Over the last three seasons in particular, we’ve seen a number of so-called “mutual terminations”. In fact, we’ve seen more mutual terminations over this period than buyouts. They are just as they sound – when a player and team decide their prior arrangement is no longer agreeable, the teams cut ties entirely. The benefit for the team is that the cap hit of the player is cancelled out entirely. The benefit for the player is that they then have the opportunity to seek employment with a different franchise or a different league. Unfortunately for players, such an agreement may not be totally in their favor.

In the 2016-17 season, there were exactly 10 mutual terminations. Most of them flew under the radar, even for the most avid of hockey fans. The players concerned were David Rundblad (Chicago), Ben Johnson (New Jersey), Mason Raymond (Anaheim), Calle Andersson (New York Rangers), Nicklas Grossmann (Calgary), Axel Blomqvist (Winnipeg), Matt Carle (Nashville), Matia Marcantuoni (Arizona), Gregory Campbell (Columbus), and Jonathan-Ismael Diaby (Nashville). Not a single one of these players competed in another NHL game last season. That’s a success rate of exactly 0% on the player end. Regardless of one’s opinions of these particular players’ hockey abilities, the likelihood of them seeing game action prior to termination was much higher. (It should be noted that Carle announced his retirement, while Johnson was incarcerated, so it’s more like 0-for-8)

Rundblad was forced to return to the Swiss-A League, where he found moderate success with Zurich HC. Andersson also made a return appearance in the Swiss League, playing 26 games as a depth forward. Grossman played 28 games in the Swedish Hockey League with the lowly Orebro, while Blomqvist played only 7 contests for the SHL’s Sodertalje. Campbell, luckily, was employed by the Jackets as a player development coach. Raymond was an interesting case, as he refused to report to the San Diego Gulls due to family issues, which made the arrangement less “mutual” than the others. He signed a contract with SC Bern in June.

Each of these players struggled to find meaningful employment elsewhere while two didn’t find any whatsoever (Marcantuoni & Diaby). It’s understandable as to why a player would want to stay in game action, considering that every player subject to mutual termination is necessarily under the age of 35. Maintaining the physical standards of a pro hockey player is difficult, and being benched for the majority of a season can be crippling to future success. Still, there are solid hockey players on this list who saw marginal benefits from negating the remainder of their contracts. Seven contests for Sodertalje doesn’t really qualify as meaningful. And the story from past seasons is much the same. If you look through the 2015-16 list, most are essentially out of hockey at this point. None have played over 40 contests in a season for a serious foreign league outside of Petr Zamorsky for the SHL. Most terminated players don’t even see over 20 games total after this arrangement.

In the negotiations for a new CBA, this sort of maneuvering might become an issue of contention. Management loves this loophole, as it allows cap and total contract space with no repercussions to the organization. Still, there is an element of strong-arming to this arrangement, one in which the player rarely, if ever, comes out on top. Unless the player has a prior arrangement already in place, it’s a risky proposition. It will be interesting to see how often this strategy will be utilized in 2017-18.

Dead Space: Bought-Out, Buried, And Retained Salaries For Every Team

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It’s something that often goes unnoticed, but with the cap showing minimal growth the last few years, teams are starting to feel the crunch more than ever. Buyouts have become more common, especially with players with under three remaining years on their contracts. And it’s not just the big name busts that have seen the ax lately – we’ve seen lesser names at lesser money take the fall for their respective teams, then needing to scramble for work elsewhere in the league. Additionally, salary retention in trades has become a more utilized tactic as of late. Teams with “unmovable” contracts have offered to retain part of a poor contract in order to entice a team into giving them some relief.

All this said, some teams have been better with foresight than others. Some teams have shown a track record of being entirely unable of handing out poor contracts over the past five or so seasons. Considering many teams showed some progress in being more frugal this off-season, it seems a wise time to review the dead space every team has accumulated, either due to poor management decisions or poor luck.

Colorado Avalanche – $4.83 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after current year – Francois Beauchemin buyout; Cody McLeod retained

Arizona Coyotes – $4.61 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after 2020-21 – Mike Smith retained; Mike Ribeiro, Antoine Vermette buyouts

Columbus Blue Jackets – $4.025 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after 2020-21 – Fedor Tyutin, Jared Boll, Scott Hartnell buyouts

Carolina Hurricanes – $3.71 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after 2020-21 – Eddie Lack retained; Alexander Semin, James Wisniewski buyouts

Toronto Maple Leafs – $3.28 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after 2021-22 – Tim Gleason, Jared Cowen buyouts; Phil Kessel retained

Nashville Predators – $2.83 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after 2018-19 – Viktor Stalberg, Eric Nystrom, Barret Jackman buyouts

Boston Bruins – $2.73 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved 2019-20 – Dennis Seidenberg, Jimmy Hayes buyouts

New York Rangers – $2.61 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after 2022-23 – Dan Girardi buyout

Minnesota Wild – $2.5 MM in 2017-17, issues resolved after current year – Thomas Vanek buyout

Los Angeles Kings – $2.4 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after 2023-24 – Matt Greene buyout; Mike Richards termination/recapture

Edmonton Oilers – $2.33 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after 2020-21 – Lauri Korpikoski, Benoit Pouliot buyouts

Anaheim Ducks – $2.21 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after 2023-24 – Mark Fistric, Simon Despres buyouts; Patrick Maroon retained

Vancouver Canucks – $2.13 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after 2021-22 – Roberto Luongo, Jannik Hansen retained; Chris Higgins buyout

New Jersey Devils – $2.09 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after 2023-24 – Mike Cammalleri, Devante Smith-Pelly buyouts; Ilya Kovalchuk recapture

Tampa Bay Lightning – $1.83 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after 2019-20 – Matt Carle buyout

Calgary Flames – $1.82 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after 2018-19 – Mason Raymond, Lance Bouma, Ryan Murphy buyouts

Detroit Red Wings – $1.67 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after 2020-21 – Stephen Weiss buyout

Dallas Stars – $1.5 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after 2018-19- Antti Niemi buyout

Philadelphia Flyers – $1.5 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after current year – R.J. Umberger buyout

Winnipeg Jets – $1.46 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after 2018-19 – Mark Stuart buyout

Florida Panthers – $1.33 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after 2018-19 – Jussi Jokinen buyout

Las Vegas Golden Knights – $1.1 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after current year – Alexei Emelin retained

Ottawa Senators – $350,000 in 2017-18, issues resolved after current year – Andrew Hammond buried

Buffalo Sabres – Minimal in 2017-18, increased issues ($791,00) resolved after 2022-23 – Cody Hodgson buyout

 

 

Chicago Blackhawks, St. Louis Blues, Washington Capitals, Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Islanders, San Jose Sharks,  Montreal Canadiens – No dead cap space

After compiling the list, it became clear that utilizing these options isn’t a complete hindrance to competing in the NHL. In fact, most clubs have between $1 MM and $3 MM in dead space. That said, of the teams that have not needed to utilize the buyout or retention options, there has been a great deal of success. And among the five worst offenders, the Leafs, Hurricanes, Blue Jackets, Avalanche, and Coyotes, none has moved past the first-round in multiple years. It’s hard to draw massive conclusions without taking the context of each individual situation into account, but there is something to be said for making every dollar of cap space count. Perhaps this is merely a byproduct of past success rather than an indicator of future success, but considering how amenable many managers have become to the option, it bears consideration.

(All totals courtesy of the fantastic CapFriendly.com)

Viktor Stalberg Signs With Swiss Club EV Zug

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Over the past few years, many NHL veterans have turned to the Swiss National League A when they could not find a home in the NHL. Mark Arcobello, Roman Cervenka, Drew Shore, and Dustin Jeffrey made up some of the NLA’s top players in 2016-17. Yet, thus far it has been a quiet off-season for the growing Swiss league. Only lesser-known North American pros such as Mason Raymond and Joel Vermin have made the jump overseas, instead of the regular influx of NHL veterans like in recent years.

That is, until now. EV Zug, fresh off an appearance in the NLA championship, announced this morning that they have signed NHL veteran Viktor Stalberg to a two-year deal. It has been rumored for some time that Stalberg, ranked 45th in PHR’s Top 50 Free Agents, was looking into NLA offers, but after playing well for the Ottawa Senators down the stretch and during their surprising playoff run this season, many thought he would eventually receive a suitable NHL offer instead. Perhaps that wasn’t the case, as the Swedish winger has signed on for two years in the NLA, signalling that he is taking a break from the NHL, at least for a while.

Stalberg, 31, has been committed to North American hockey for some time now and it is a bit strange to see him leave after his stock rose at the end of the 2016-17 season. Stalberg originally left home to play at the University of Vermont in 2006, the same year he had been drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs. Stalberg went on to be a key forward for the Chicago Blackhawks for a few years, posting a 20-goal season and career-high 43 points with the team in 2011-12 and helping out the Stanley Cup-winning squad in 2012-13. Since leaving Chicago, Stalberg has become more of a journeyman mercenary; a role player for teams for short periods of time. In the past three years, he has played for the Nashville Predators and their AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals, the New York Rangers, the Carolina Hurricanes, and the Senators. In those three seasons, Stalberg registered only 46 points combined, which may have lent itself to the seemingly low level of interest from other teams. Stalberg may have lost his NHL scoring touch, but he’s likely to rediscover it in the NLA. Stalberg is a great veteran addition for HV Zug, and with more than a few years of hockey left in him, Stalberg’s NHL days may not be completely over yet either.

 

Canada’s Spengler Cup Roster Announced

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Each year Canada fields a team for the Spengler Cup—an invitational tournament hosted by HC Davos—made up of Canadians playing overseas and in non-NHL/AHL leagues. Last year the Canadian entry won the tournament so this year’s team has some pressure built-in before they have even taken the ice.

The full roster is below:

Goaltenders
Drew MacIntyre
Jordon Cooke
Zach Fucale

Defensemen
Daniel Vukovic
Mark Flood
Chay Genoway
Brandon Gormley
Shaone Morrisonn
Shaun Heshka
Maxim Noreau
Blake Parlett

Forwards
James Sheppard
Chris DiDomenico
Cory Emmerton
Gregory Campbell
Andrew Ebbett
Colby Genoway
Dustin Jeffrey
David McIntyre
Jacob Micflikier
Marc-Antoine Pouliot
Mason Raymond
Nick Spaling

Many are former NHLers or junior players that either could not make the NHL, or could not stay in the NHL.  Most notable are Gregory Campbell, Mason Raymond, and Nick Spaling. Campbell and the Columbus Blue Jackets parted ways on Sunday after the Blue Jackets placed Campbell on unconditional waivers before terminating his contract. Campbell had been sent down to the AHL in October but declined to report. Raymond made the Anaheim Ducks out of training camp but lasted just four games before being reassigned to the AHL’s San Diego Gulls. Like Campbell, Raymond refused to report, and the Ducks terminated his contract. Nick Spaling also played in the NHL last year (Toronto/Nashville) before joining Geneve-Servette HC of the Swiss hockey league NLA.

This post has been updated to reflect the five returning Spengler Cup players that were previously omitted from the original story.

Ducks Notes: Raymond, Larsson, Fowler

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The Ducks made official what has been rumored for the last couple of days, that Mason Raymond has been released from his contract and is now a free agent. After Raymond cleared waivers, he didn’t report to the AHL San Diego Gulls citing personal reasons, and has now worked out a mutual termination with the Ducks.

Raymond signed a two-way deal in the summer, meaning at one point he had thought a move to the AHL was possible, though obviously something must have happened in the interim. A one time 20-goal man with the Vancouver Canucks, Raymond has never been able to make it back to that mark, coming closest in 2013-14 with the Maple Leafs. We wish him all the best with whatever is affecting his personal life, and will watch for where he signs on next.

  • The Ducks have also returned Jacob Larsson to Frolunda of the Swedish Hockey League, an expected move. Larsson was one of the players we wrote about when discussing the NHL’s slide-rule regarding young professionals. Playing in four games for each the Ducks and Gulls, Larsson recorded two points but was a dreadful -7. The first-round pick will go back to compete in the highest league in Sweden and develop his all around game.
  • Despite a lot of chatter over the past few months on Cam Fowler and his status as trade bait by the Anaheim Ducks, perhaps fans should think again about him moving. After another excellent start to the season, the former 12th overall pick has eight points in eleven games, including four goals already. His career high of ten, coming back in his rookie season, seems easily obtainable for the 24-year old. His stellar start will only elevate his trade value, making it even tougher for teams to provide a reasonable offer. With Simon Despres out indefinitely (and with his career seemingly at risk), perhaps the Ducks will hold onto their young defenseman a bit longer.
  • One last note from Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register, is that Shea Theodore has been sent back down to the AHL. This isn’t the first, and it won’t be the last time Theodore gets on a bus to San Diego this season, as he’s already been ping-ponged back and forth between the two levels.

Western Conference Snapshots: Ducks, Preds, Duchene

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The Ducks have been busy making moves the last couple of days, according to Eric Stephens of The Orange County Register, though none included the highly anticipated re-signing of top defenseman Hampus Lindholm. Off to just a 1 – 3 – 1 start out of the gates, Anaheim demoted Mason Raymond – who recently cleared waivers – forward Nick Sorensen and blue liner Jacob Larsson. All three will report to San Diego of the AHL.

Meanwhile, the Ducks have recalled forwards Joseph Cramarossa and Michael Sgarbossa, along with defenseman Shea Theodore. Theodore was partnered with veteran defender Kevin Bieksa in practice and appears poised to make his 2016-17 debut for Anaheim.

The Ducks will also insert one of Cramarossa or Sgarbossa into the lineup for the first time this season. For the soon-to-be-24-year-old Cramarossa, an appearance would also represent his NHL debut. Cramarossa has played in 164 AHL games in the Anaheim organization since being drafted in the third-round of the 2011 draft, and has netted 17 goals and 31 points.

Additionally, the team also placed defenseman Simon Despres on LTIR as we noted earlier.

Whether these moves will spark the team and help shake the Ducks out of their early season doldrums or not remains to be seen. If not, and given the team just brought back head coach Randy Carlyle, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the team make a trade or two to help try to right the ship.

More from around the Western Conference:

  • Nashville is another team that has had a busy weekend with regards to making transactions. With the team ravaged by food poisoning, the Predators were forced to recall five players from the AHL just to field a full lineup for Staurday night’s showdown against Pittsburgh. Team captain Mike Fisher, wing Craig Smith and goaltender Pekka Rinne all missed the game, which Nashville somehow managed to win despite the depleted lineup. Today the club announced that they’ve sent three of the call-ups back to Milwaukee of the AHL. Juuse Saros, who made his NHL debut in goal and earned the win, joins forwards Frederick Gaudreau and Trevor Smith in returning to the minors.
  • It might be hard for some to believe but 25-year-old Matt Duchene appeared in the 500th NHL game of his career in last night’s loss to Florida, as Terry Frei of The Denver Post writes. Afterwards, Duchene said, “it’s the first real milestone game that made me feel a bit old.” Duchene is the third player from the 2009 draft class to reach the 500-game mark, joining the top overall pick, John Tavares, and former Colorado teammate Ryan O’Reilly. For his career, Duchene has scored 159 goals and 382 points in his eight seasons with the Avalanche.

Mason Raymond On Waivers

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Oct. 18: Raymond has cleared waivers.  Eric Stephens notes via Twitter that remains with the big club for the time being.

Oct. 17: The Anaheim Ducks have place veteran winger Mason Raymond on waivers, according to TVA Sports reporter Renaud Lavoie.

Raymond was brought in to Anaheim on a one-year, two-way contract worth $675K. He made the team out of training camp, but was held pointless in three games with a -2 rating. The Ducks are 0-2-1 so far this season.

The speedy Raymond played six seasons with the Vancouver Canucks before signing with Toronto in 2013. He had a successful 45-point season with the Maple Leafs, which earned him a three-year, $9.45MM contract from the Calgary Flames in 2014. He’s scored 28 points in 89 games since then.

Raymond was bought out of the final year of his contract by the Flames in June.

Speaking of the Flames, newly-signed depth goaltender Tom McCollum has cleared waivers and has been assigned to the Stockton Heat of the AHL.

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