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Matt Dumba

Wild Notes: Dubnyk, Vezina Finalists, Yeo

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It was a tough day for the Wild’s Devan Dubnyk tweets Sportsnet’s John Shannon, who allowed the game-winning overtime goal to Magnus Paajarvi in today’s Game 5. The veteran goaltender, who is coming off a great 2016-17 season, yielded four goals in what turned out to be their season-ending game. To make matters worse, Dubnyk, who was a candidate to be a finalist for the Vezina Trophy this year, was not selected. The NHL announced their finalists today as Washington Capitals’ Braden Holtby, Columbus Blue Jackets’ Sergei Bobrovsky and Montreal Canadiens’ Carey Price.

Still, the 30-year-old Dubnyk remains a cornerstone for the franchise after finishing the season, having played 65 games with a 2.25 GAA and a .925 save percentage. He is also locked up contractually until the 2020-21 season.

The team should be expected to contend for another few years as they also have the core of their team locked up for the next few years behind veterans Mikko Koivu, Zach Parise, Jason Pominville and defenseman Ryan Suter. The team’s youth is also ripening with solid seasons from Mikael Granlund, Nino Niederreiter and defenders Jared Spurgeon, Mathew Dumba and Jonas Brodin.

The team may have some tough decisions for the upcoming expansion draft. The veteran team is sure to lose a quality player, and must contend with the No Movement Clauses of Koivu, Pominville, Parise and Suter. That leaves only a handful of spots left, depending on which path the Wild chooses to take. Tough decisions will have to be made about several players, including Jason Zucker, Erik Haula, Chris Stewart as well as veteran Eric Staal, who went down during Game 5. Even young defensemen like Brodin and Dumba could be exposed as well.

The team only has a handful of unrestricted free agents, namely Martin Hanzal and Ryan White, both acquired at the trade deadline from Arizona to help with their playoff run. The team must decide if they want or able to being one or both veterans back to the team next season.

  • One consequence to the Wild’s ouster in the playoffs will benefit the Arizona Coyotes. When Minnesota traded for Hanzal and White at the trade deadline, the team sent their 2017 first-round pick, a 2018 second-round pick and a conditional fourth-round pick in 2019 as well as prospect Grayson Downing. To the Wild’s benefit, that 2019 conditional fourth-rounder will remain a fourth-rounder. However, the series loss will allow the Coyotes to get a better pick than they had expected. The Wild at the time of the trade had the top record in the Western Conference and many figured that the pick would land in the high 20’s. Now the Wild could be handing a pick as early as No. 23 to the Coyotes for Hanzal and White, who are both unrestricted free agents in the offseason.
  • Blues head coach Mike Yeo said he has no special feelings about beating the Wild, the team that fired him during the 2015-16 season. “It’s not about me. I’ve been sincere when I’ve said that. I don’t think that what I’m feeling right now would be any different if it was any other team.”

Minnesota Wild Sign UMD Defenseman Carson Soucy

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The Minnesota Wild have wrapped up an immensely successful regular season and have turned their attention toward preparing for the postseason, but the front office is still working hard to prepare for the future. The Wild announced this evening that they have inked 2013 fifth-round pick Carson Soucy to a two-year entry-level contract that will begin in 2017-18. Soucy will join the AHL’s Iowa Wild for the remainder of the season.

Soucy is coming off a strong season playing for NCAA runner-up, the University of Minnesota-Duluth. The 6’4″ 22-year-old defenseman was a dominant force skating on the Bulldogs’ top pairing as they fought for the top spot in the nation all season long. Soucy, who wore the “A” in his senior season, was a model of defensive responsibility and physical play for four seasons in Duluth. Although he lack much offensive upside, with a career-high 15 points this season, he makes up for it in a solid stay at home game.

Although the Wild are known for having one of the deepest defensive units in hockey, their strength is also their weakness in the upcoming Expansion Draft. Able to protect only three or four defenseman, Minnesota faces a conundrum with five defenseman on the roster that would be very attractive to George McPhee and the Vegas Golden Knights. Ryan Suter must be protected, but it seems likely that only two of Jared Spurgeon, Jonas Brodin, Marco Scandella, and Matt Dumba will join him. One of the other two is prime for the picking. With that in mind, the Wild have begun stockpiling young depth options like Gustav Olofsson, Mike Reilly, and now Soucy. Assuming Minnesota is out a defenseman this summer, Soucy has a chance to make his NHL debut next season if his defensive game translates to the next level.

Bruins Scouting Ducks-Wild Game

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It would be a surprise to no one that the Boston Bruins’ brass are out watching other teams. While the Bruins are still clinging to a playoff spot in the Atlantic Division, currently tied with the Ottawa Senators for second with 52 points, that position is only temporary. The Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs, just two points behind, have six games in hand on Boston. They are currently doing battle with each other, which could result in a three-way tie with a Toronto win, a drop to third in the division with a Senators win, or the worst-case scenario, a Leafs OT-win in which both results would occur. Regardless, the Bruins are not going to be able to hang on to their spot long with the way they have been playing. Boston has lost three straight, including shutouts by the Chicago Blackhawks and New York Islanders and a crushing 6-5 shootout defeat to the Detroit Redwings wherein they blew two three-goal leads. The Bruins have only won six of their last sixteen games and those six wins have come against four teams that are struggling as much or more than they are: the Philadelphia Flyers, St. Louis Blues, Florida Panthers (twice), and Buffalo Sabres (twice). Beyond just wins and losses, there are rumors about coach Claude Julien, reported turmoil in the front office surrounding president Cam Neely, injuries on defense to Kevan and Colin Miller, a 16-game goal-less streak for early-season superstar David Pastrnak, and ongoing issues with line chemistry. The Bruins need a shake-up to save their season, and everyone knows it.

So, when Minnesota Wild beat writer Michael Russo reported that Bruins GM Don Sweeney was on the press box list at tonight’s game, with the Wild hosting the Anaheim Ducks, it came as no surprise. Both teams are known for their immense lack of talented depth on defense, something that Boston would definitely be interested in. While the team has been shut out three times this month, their scoring has actually been trending upward. Patrice Bergeron has begun to shake off his early struggles, Frank Vatrano has been a shot in the arm since his return from injury, and Brad Marchand and Torey Krug have remained on fire. The recent return of Matt Beleskey should help to add some scoring and balance out the forward lines (much-needed), while the AHL’s Providence Bruins, who won 9-1 tonight, have been explosive and could potentially offer support up front. That’s not to say that the Bruins, who will have about $17MM in cap space by the time the NHL Trade Deadline rolls around, won’t still look to add an impending free agent forward with some finish, but despite appearances, the offense should be able to figure itself out in the short-term. The defense is a different story. While the Bruins are loaded with defensive talent in the system, none of it is on its way this year and maybe not next year either, and the Bruins need some help now. Krug has four goals and 25 assists, but has also had his issues in his own end. His pair mate Adam McQuaid has had a nice bounce-back season, but offers little in the way of puck movement and offense. Same goes for the top pairing of Zdeno Chara and Brandon Carlo, who have been one of the better shutdown duos in the league this season, but are slowing down as a 39-year-old and a rookie respectively. John-Michael Liles, an impending free agent, has just recently returned from injury and has yet to make a major difference. Colin Miller, though he has upside, was in and out of the lineup even before his injury, and Kevan Miller, also injured, is likely better suited as an extra man. The Bruins need a legitimate top-four defenseman for this year and for the near future, and both the Wild and Ducks provide intriguing trade partners.

As it stands right now, Anaheim and Minnesota are both guaranteed to lose a top-four caliber defenseman in the upcoming NHL Expansion Draft, if the Vegas Golden Knights choose to select that player. A team can either protect seven forwards and three defenseman or eight skaters total, allowing them to protect a fourth defenseman. Neither situation works out particularly well for either team. The Ducks will be forced to protect veteran Kevin Bieksa, due to his no-movement clause, and will likely choose to protect young cornerstone blue liners Hampus Lindholm, Sami Vatanen, and Cam Fowler as well, even if it means leaving a promising forward like Jakob Silfverberg exposed. However, Vegas could choose to instead take another good young defenseman in Josh Manson or potentially Simon Depres. Similarly, the Wild too are expected to protect four defenseman, selecting from Ryan Suter (a veritable lock), Jared Spurgeon, Jonas Brodin, Marco Scandella, and Matt Dumba. One way or another, one of those d-men will be exposed and almost certainly scooped up by the Golden Knights. So, with both teams fighting for position atop the Western Conference and with their eye on a Stanley Cup, Anaheim and Minnesota also have to be thinking about trading a defenseman. They would much rather get something in a trade rather than nothing in the draft, even if that means dealing away talent in a Cup-contender season. Armed with a deep prospect system and quality forwards they may willing to part with, such as David Krejci, Ryan Spooner, and Jimmy Hayes, the Bruins would be an interesting suitor for either team. With Don Sweeney in attendance, watching two teams that are facing a difficult situation and may feel like pressured to make a move, an important shake-up trade could be on the horizon in Boston. Could it be the revitalized Fowler? The youngster Dumba? A more Bruin-like player like Scandella or Manson? Only time will tell, but the connection between the Bruins and these defense-deep teams will be something to keep an eye on as we head toward the Trade Deadline in just over a month.

Wild Re-Sign Matt Dumba

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The Minnesota Wild announced today that they have re-upped restricted free agent defenseman Matt Dumba to a two-year, $5.1MM contract. The young blue liner, who just turned 22 a few days ago, is already entering his fourth year in the NHL and had a career high 26 points last season.

The two-year extension, which pays Dumba $2.35MM is 2016-17 and $2.75MM in 2017-18 for a cap hit of $2.55, for all intents and purposes is a textbook bridge deal. Rather than agreeing to a long-term, expensive extension, which has become the norm around the league, the sides have agreed to a further evaluation period at a reasonable salary. If Dumba continues to develop into the top-pairing defenseman he has been projected as, then he will cash in big after this new contract expires. However, the Wild mitigate some risk giving Dumba a short-term deal that will still leave him as a restricted free agent at its conclusion, rather than committing to a long-term deal at a much higher price for an asset that they are still evaluating.

The signing of Dumba signals the likely end of any further off-season moves for Minnesota. While Dumba’s name, as well as the names of fellow defenseman Jonas Brodin and Marco Scandella, have been tossed around as rumored trade candidates, the Wild seem to be set going into the season with a full roster that is under the salary cap and has the makings of a playoff team.

The contract could also set the bar for many other unsigned restricted free agents whose teams would prefer bridge deals over long-term commitments. Examples include Winnipeg’s Jacob Trouba, Ottawa’s Cody Ceci, and Anaheim’s Hampus Lindholm. With Dumba now extended and off of the market, the trade stock of those players will also increase. Keep an eye on that trio as the regular season continues to get closer and closer.

Central Notes: Nichushkin, Wild, Redden

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Dallas GM Jim Nill met with the media on Friday following the Jamie Benn extension.  While most of the talk naturally was focused on the new contract, Nill was also asked about current restricted free agent Valeri Nichushkin and the status of their contract talks.  Nill didn’t provide much of an update other than to say both sides are going through the process but had this to say when asked if he was concerned that Nichushkin could look for a deal in the KHL instead; quote courtesy of Mike Heika of the Dallas News:

“No, I don’t think so. Val’s over here training and I don’t think there’s that issue. Val wants to be in the NHL and he wants to have a good year this year, so I don’t think that’s possible.”

Nichushkin struggled in his second full NHL season after missing most of 2014-15 with a hip injury.  The 2013 first round pick had nine goals and 20 assists with the Stars last season while averaging 13:56 per game.  He was less of a factor in the postseason, collecting just a single assist in ten games.  He received a qualifying offer of $874K last month but that offer expired on Friday.

Other news and notes from the Central Division:

  • Minnesota GM Chuck Fletcher spoke with Mike Russo of the Star-Tribune and provided a small update on their free agent situation as well as several top prospects at their development camp. On the free agent side, Fletcher noted that assistant GM Brent Flahr is handling talks with RFA defenseman Mathew Dumba and that he doesn’t anticipate any problems getting a deal done.  Fletcher also acknowledged that the team is still talking with some of the free agents left on the market but that they’re in no hurry to add anyone right now.  Russo notes that Matt Cullen has some interest in signing with the Wild.  The 39 year old spent three seasons with Minnesota from 2010-11 to 2012-13.
  • Former NHL defenseman Wade Redden is beginning his post-hockey career as the assistant director of player development for Nashville. As Jonas Siegel of the Canadian Press writes, there’s already a connection to his playing days in one of the players he’s mentoring.  Rem Pitlick was a third round pick of the Predators in last month’s draft and is the son of former NHL’er Lance Pitlick, Redden’s roommate and blueline partner in the mid-to-late 1990’s.

Free Agent Profile: Kyle Quincey

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One of the best remaining defensive options available on the open market, Kyle Quincey is somewhat of a tragic tale.  After being selected in the fourth round by Detroit, he slowly crawled towards the NHL but could never establish himself on the Red Wings’ blueline. It took a waiver claim by Los Angeles – then a bottom-feeder of the NHL – to give him his chance, and he ran with it.

Playing in 72 games for the Kings that year, Quincey put up what would turn out to be a career-high 38 points, including a whopping 25 assists on the powerplay. Though he wasn’t considered an excellent offensive defenseman, the Kings just didn’t have many other options then – a 19-year old Drew Doughty was still learning the game, and Jack Johnson was injured for much of the season.

In July of that year, still rehabbing a herniated disc that cut short his season, Quincey was the centerpiece in a deal with the Avalanche for Ryan Smyth, a key member in the turnaround the Kings experienced a year later. In joining Colorado, Quincey – still just 24 – was on his third team already in his young career.

Colorado wouldn’t keep him around very long either, as they dealt the young blueliner back to his original Detroit Red Wings mid-season in 2011-12 (via Tampa Bay, who received a first-round pick in the transaction).  He was back with the team who wouldn’t give him a chance in the first place, and immediately saw his numbers plummet again.  He’d see the ice 36 times in the lockout-shortened 2012-13 campaign, but only logged three points all season.

Still, the Red Wings thought of him enough to hand him a two-year, $8.5MM deal on July 1st of 2014, even though he qualified as an unrestricted free agent and could have chosen anywhere else (that would have him).

Now, with that deal expired, the Red Wings have shown no interest in keeping Quincey around, and have moved on to other options.  He now represents one of the best options left available, if you believe his early career success can be replicated in any way.

Potential Suitors

Before free agency started, we had Quincey on our Top 50 UFA list going to the Minnesota Wild, and it still seems to be a fit, though there has been no discussion about the 30-year old thus far in the media. Having given deals to both Eric Staal and Chris Stewart as they try to rebuild there value, it’s clear the team is willing to try and re-energize former stars on short-term deals.

Another possibility would be that of the Edmonton Oilers, despite already bringing in Adam Larsson and Mark Fraser. Though they look to have too many (luke-warm) bodies already, expect a few of them to be shipped out by the start of the season. If the team is committed to rebuilding a blueline that was horrible last year, Quincey could be a nice option on a bottom pairing to help some of the youngsters (Darnell Nurse, Jordan Oesterle or Brandon Davidson) develop into legitimate NHL defensemen.

Expected Contract

Needing to rebuild his value, Quincey will probably take a fairly low number on a short-term deal to prove that he’s still an effective NHL blueliner.  With advanced metrics disliking his play the last few seasons, he looks to be in the same boat as fellow unsigned free agent Kris Russell, in that teams are moving towards possession-based metrics, especially for their defense.

The thing that Quincey has going for him, is that he was once regarded positively in this manner, and with a change of scenery and correct role he could be again.  Only 30 years old, he’ll try to secure as much as Roman Polak did for the Leafs (one year, $2.25MM), but – amazingly – might not even get that.

Snapshots: Islanders, Dumba, Fischer, Penguins

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The Islanders are likely finished with their free agent shopping this offseason, reports Newsday’s Arthur Staple.  The team still has to re-sign Ryan Strome, Alan Quine, and Scott Mayfield which should pretty well eat up the remainder of the roughly $4.9MM they have in cap space, as per Cap Friendly.

Still from Staple, he notes that the Islanders currently have a bit of a goalie logjam with Jaroslav Halak, Thomas Greiss, and J-F Berube all on one-way contracts.  That situation isn’t likely to be resolved until training camp and further throwing a wrench into that battle is the fact that Halak and Greiss are two of the three netminders for Team Europe at the upcoming World Cup and won’t be with the team most of the preseason.  That should allow Berube to see a lot of exhibition action for the Isles.

More news and notes from around the league:

  • In a radio interview this morning and transcribed by Chris Nichols of Today’s Slapshot, Minnesota GM Chuck Fletcher characterized discussions with RFA defenseman Mathew Dumba as fine and that they will “be able to come up with a deal here sometime in the next few weeks”. The 21 year old Dumba had 10 goals and 16 assists in 81 games with the Wild last season.
  • Arizona prospect Christian Fischer could pose an interesting dilemma for the Coyotes this coming season, writes Craig Morgan of ArizonaSports.com. Fischer made a strong impression at development camp and if he doesn’t crack Arizona’s roster, the 19 year old has the option of being assigned back to junior or to the AHL as he wasn’t drafted out of the CHL and there are certainly pros and cons to each route.
  • Pittsburgh has spent $1.65MM in guaranteed money for seven depth offseason additions, a trend that reflects the rising AHL salaries across the league, writes Jonathan Bombulie of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Of course, the trade-off for giving those players a higher minor league salary is the willingness for them to take an NHL salary for $575K, the league minimum which provides teams like the Penguins greater salary cap flexibility with the players towards the end of their rosters.

Free Agent Focus: Minnesota Wild

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The Minnesota Wild made the playoffs, kicking and screaming. They lost 5 in a row to end the season before losing their first round series versus the Dallas Stars in 6 games. Head Coach Mike Yeo was fired in February, replaced by John Torchetti.

Cap space: $7.56MM, 15 players under contract

Key RFAs: Defenceman Matt Dumba – The 7th overall pick in 2012 broke out this season, scoring 10 goals and 16 assists in 81 games. He averaged just under 17 minutes per game. Dumba was also solid for Canada’s gold-medal-winning squad at the World Championships. The Wild should be able to get him under contract for a bridge deal and let him prove himself before committing to a longer term deal.

Other RFAs: G Darcy Kuemper, C Jordan Schroeder, W Jason Zucker, and C Zac Dalpe

Key UFAs: None

Other UFAs: RW David Jones, RW Justin Fontaine, C Jarret Stoll, LW Ryan Carter, LW Chris Porter

Outlook: Bruce Boudreau is taking over the head coaching job. The former Ducks and Capitals coach has had tremendous success in the regular season, but has been unable to translate that to a Stanley Cup. The former member of the WHA’s Minnesota Fighting Saints has lead his teams to 8 division titles in 10 seasons as a head coach.

The Wild may look to trade or buy out inconsistent winger Thomas Vanek this summer. Vanek is entering the last year of his contract, worth $6.5MM per season. A buyout would cost the Wild $1.5MM this season and $2.5MM next season. Vanek was a healthy scratch at times last season, but did score 41 points last season. The Wild may want to keep their powder dry and hope he bounces back.

Minnesota will look to add some more offence this off-season. Possible targets include big center David Backes or St. Paul-native Kyle Okposo.

The Wild have 4 selections in the 2016 draft, and two of them are 7th round picks. Besides the 15th overall pick, the Wild have their own fourth and seventh round picks and the Panthers seventh from the Sean Bergenheim trade.

Rugged winger Alex Tuch, the team’s 18th overall pick in 2014, is leaving Boston College and will begin playing pro. He’ll likely see time with the Iowa Wild in the AHL.

 

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