Free Agent Focus: Pittsburgh Penguins
With free agency now just a few days away, teams are preparing for a frenzy of action. There will be several prominent players set to hit the open market while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign. The Penguins have some key decisions to make, but with a plan to keep their cap number down and their overall goals of making changes to keep their team in the playoff picture for the next few years, they may have to let some players go.
Key Restricted Free Agents
G Matt Murray – With the signing of Tristan Jarry on Saturday to a three-year deal, the Penguins are basically making it clear that they have chosen Jarry over Murray in net. While they could conceivably keep both as it is expected that the team will tender a qualifying offer, it still is more likely that Murray will be traded shortly. That’s a far fall for the “goalie of the future” three years back when they allowed Marc-Andre Fleury move on. Many teams are waiting for the huge free-agent goalie market to disseminate in the next week as Murray sounds like a cheaper option, but the 26-year-old’s lack of consistency likely worries plenty of teams. Murray finished the season with a 2.87 GAA and a .899 save percentage in 38 games, although the netminder did fare better in three postseason games as he had a 2.50 GAA and a .914 save percentage in three games.
F Dominik Simon – Hardly a top-six player, but the versatile Simon suddenly looks like he could be a cap casualty as The Athletic’s Rob Rossi reports that he could make as much as $1.25MM, a high price for a capped-strapped team. The 26-year-old played all over the lineup, but has never managed to post more than 30 points in his career. He tallied seven goals and 22 points last season in 64 games. The forward is also recovering from shoulder surgery in late April, which was expected to keep him out six to seven months.
Other RFAs: F Pontus Aberg, F Anthony Angello, F Graham Knott, F Sam Lafferty, F Sam Miletic, D John Nyberg.
Key Unrestricted Free Agents
D – Justin Schultz – The blueliner was singled out last month by general manger Jim Rutherford as one of the problems on the Pittsburgh blueline. That likely means that the team will allow Schultz to explore other offers around the league. The team did get an impressive year out of John Marino, suggesting the team can get along without him and $5.5MM cap hit that came with him. It’s highly unlikely he will get anything like that on the market anyway, but Schultz definitely struggled since signing that three-year, $16.5MM contract. Since posting a 51-point season with the Penguins and signing that deal, he has posted just 54 points combined in those three seasons and has dealt with a number of injuries that has affected his overall game.
F Conor Sheary – The Penguins re-acquired Sheary at the trade deadline from Buffalo after trading him there back in 2018. The 28-year-old winger scored 23 goals in his second year with the Penguins back in 2016-17. Those goals, however, have declined every year to 18 to 14 to 10 last season. The team has made it clear it doesn’t want to put Sidney Crosby next to lesser players like Sheary has, meaning if they held onto him, they would more likely move him down to the third line. The question is whether Sheary is affordable enough to bring back to the team.
F Patrick Marleau – The Penguins picked up the legendary winger from the Sharks for their playoff run, but he managed to scored just one goal and two points in eight games before the shutdown and was scoreless in four playoff games. It isn’t likely that the 41-year-old will return to Pittsburgh, although a return to the Sharks for one final season isn’t necessarily out of the question.
Other UFAs: F Riley Barber, F Thomas Di Pauli, F Adam Johnson, F Kevin Roy, F Phil Varone.
Projected Cap Space
Rutherford vowed to change up his roster this offseason in hopes of giving Crosby and Evgeni Malkin every opportunity to win another Stanley Cup before their time in the NHL is up. That will require some major decisions in both free agency and through trades, something that Rutherford is an expert on. The biggest problem remains the salary cap where the team has just $2.6MM in available cap space to make all these moves.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Blackhawks Have Shown Interest In Matt Murray
Chicago’s goaltending situation appears to be in some question as the Blackhawks and veteran Corey Crawford appear to still have a notable financial gap to bridge for a deal for next season. Meanwhile, the future of Matt Murray in Pittsburgh has been in question for a while and even more so now with today’s re-signing of Tristan Jarry. The two teams could wind up providing the answer for each other as Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports (Twitter link) that the Blackhawks have expressed some interest in Murray.
The 26-year-old is set to become a restricted free agent with arbitration eligibility next week and in a recent column, Garrioch noted that there’s a sense that Murray’s preference may be to go through that process and become eligible for unrestricted free agency next offseason. While the acquiring team could certainly try to sign him to a new deal, that particular approach won’t help his trade value which may not be all that high anyway given the other options available in trades and free agency. Speaking with reporters today including Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review following Jarry’s signing, Penguins GM Jim Rutherford suggested that he expect Murray’s case to proceed towards a hearing:
I would suspect it will be an arbitration case, and we’ll just walk through it as each event comes along.
Murray is coming off the worst statistical season of his career as he managed just a .899 SV% in 38 games (all starts) which allowed Jarry to make a push for more regular playing time, earning himself an All-Star nod in the process. Although Murray has won two Stanley Cups with the Penguins, it’s clear that the team views Jarry as their goalie of the future and with limited cap space, it will force their hand into moving Murray even though his value isn’t at its peak.
For Chicago, Murray would have the potential to represent a long-term solution between the pipes if he was willing to sign for more than one year this summer. With Crawford being 35, he’d only represent a short-term fix if he re-signs while none of their options in the minors projects to be a starter at the NHL level. However, Chicago has limited cap space to work with already with Dominik Kubalik and Dylan Strome likely to gobble up most of that room. Murray will quite likely cost more than Crawford next year so bringing him in would only increase the amount of money they need to free up this offseason. But if GM Stan Bowman thinks that Murray is part of the long-term puzzle for Chicago, it’s something that would be worth doing even with the challenges of clearing out cap room in this current environment.
Pittsburgh Penguins Extend Tristan Jarry
A busy morning for goalie deals continues. The Pittsburgh Penguins have announced a new three-year, $10.5MM contract with young keeper Tristan Jarry. The extension, which buys out one UFA year, keeps the 25-year-old restricted free agent under contract through the 2022-23 season at an AAV of $3.5MM. CapFriendly reports that the deal breaks down as follows:
2020-21: $2.5MM
2021-22: $3.5MM
2022-23: $4.5MM
If these numbers seem slightly familiar, they should. Matt Murray, the Penguins’ “goalie of the future” just three short years ago, signed a three-year, $3.75MM AAV contract when his entry-level deal expired. He earned the slight edge over Jarry given that he had more experience at the time and had helped the Penguins to two Stanley Cup titles, but the deal did not buy out any UFA years. Murray is now a restricted free agent as well, but the Penguins made it clear early on this off-season that they would move forward with Jarry and that Murray is on the trade block. The cap-strapped club would love to keep both young goalies, but that does not appear to be in the cards, especially with the salary that Murray expects to command.
Of course, the decision was not just about money. Jarry was clearly the superior option this season, despite it being just his second season of regular NHL action. In a career-high 33 appearances, he set new personal bests with 20 wins, a 2.43 goals against average, and a .921 save percentage. His GAA and SV% ranked among the top ten goalies in the NHL and after a few roster changes the rookie even earned an All-Star nod. He was also stellar in his one playoff appearance this year, leaving many Pittsburgh fans to wonder why Murray got the majority of starts in the team’s qualifying round upset.
Jarry appears to be the real deal, but the Penguins are not done tweaking their situation in net. First, the team will need to find a taker for Murray, who the team will likely be forced to make a qualifying offer to by Wednesday’s deadline. Next, they will likely need to evaluate the veteran backup options on the free agent and trade markets. Jarry has still never even played half of an NHL season (41 games) in a year, never mind a starter’s load. AHLer Casey DeSmith has some experience at the top level, but might not be the best backup option next season given his lack of NHL starts as well. Look for the Penguins to stay involved in the goalie market as both buyers and sellers.
Trade Rumors: Ekman-Larsson, Mrazek, Virtanen, Tampa Bay
Name a top trade target or impending free agent and they seem to be linked to the Edmonton Oilers. While the team clearly needs to help superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, they have cap constraints because of those players as well and holes to fill all over the roster. The team must be confident that they can perform some cap magic, as they have their sights set on making a big splash this off-season. TSN’s Darren Dreger backed up previous rumors today that the Oilers have been talking to the Arizona Coyotes about elite defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson. In fact, Dreger notes that discussions have been preliminary, but the interest is serious. It’s a complex situation given the cap situations in both Edmonton and Arizona, but the teams appear to be working through their options when it comes to moving Ekman-Larsson, a proven top-pair commodity. Of course, it’s worth noting that Ekman-Larsson has a full No-Movement Clause and could nix a deal to Edmonton if he chooses. Dreger adds that the Boston Bruins also remain interested; Ekman-Larsson may very well prefer landing alongside Charlie McAvoy on the top pair of a perennial contender.
- The Oilers are also known to be eyeing an addition in goal and have kicked the tires on a number of netminders on the trade block. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that the latest name on that list is the Carolina Hurricanes’ Petr Mrazek. LeBrun believes that Mrazek could be more of a fallback option if Edmonton cannot add Pittsburgh’s Matt Murray or Arizona’s Darcy Kuemper or can’t woo Jacob Markstrom in free agency. Of course, if Mrazek is even available for trade, it may mean that Carolina has already landed one of those three Oilers targets for themselves. Mrazek had a fine season for the ‘Canes, but the team is looking to upgrade at starter. Unfortunately for Edmonton, Carolina’s castoff would still be an upgrade for them.
- From GM Jim Benning‘s comments since his Vancouver Canucks were eliminated from the postseason, it should come as no surprise that he is listening to offers for restricted free agent forward Jake Virtanen, according to Dreger. Virtanen has failed to live up to the expectations of being the 2014 sixth overall pick, but is still due a significant upgrade over his expiring $1.25MM AAV. The cap-strapped Canucks have greater needs than Virtanen’s third-line scoring totals and may be able to put his cap space to greater use via trade. Dreger reports that there is plenty of interest in the 24-year-old power forward, who could still grow into the dangerous scorer that he was in junior.
- The Tampa Bay Lightning are less than a day removed from taking home the 2020 Stanley Cup title, but GM Julien BriseBois is already back at work. LeBrun speculates that Tampa must clear at least $10MM in cap space in order to re-sign RFA’s Anthony Cirelli, Mikhail Sergachev, and Erik Cernak and to rebuild a defense with numerous pending UFA’s. As such, BriseBois can’t afford to waste any time with free agency approaching. LeBrun notes that the two most talked-about names on the Lightning roster right now are forwards Tyler Johnson and Yanni Gourde. However, he notes that both players have full No-Trade Clauses and would have to accept any trade. As a result, LeBrun believes there is a growing suspicion that the Bolts may trade a player or two that no one is suspecting in order to clear cap space. That could mean one of the RFA’s themselves is dealt, or perhaps it could be a player lacking trade protection, such as Brayden Point or Andrei Vasilevskiy. One way or another, the Cup-winning roster will look very different next season.
Edmonton Discussed Matt Murray With Pittsburgh
The Edmonton Oilers could have an opening in net alongside Mikko Koskinen for next season if they decide against bringing back Mike Smith, and they’re at least poking around the league to see what the price tag is on some other options. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports that the Oilers spoke with the Pittsburgh Penguins regarding Matt Murray, who is quite publicly on the block after Tristan Jarry took over as the starter this season. According to LeBrun, the asking price was too high for Edmonton (he suggests it could have been a first-round pick) and they haven’t entirely ruled out bringing back Smith.
Murray, 26, is available after Penguins GM Jim Rutherford was clear about his need to trade one of his goalies. The two-time Stanley Cup winner’s name will likely come up connected to every franchise looking for an upgrade in net until he’s dealt, given how many boxes he ticks. Relatively young? Check. History of success? Check. Team control but not locked into a long-term contract? Check.
A restricted free agent this offseason, Murray could potentially opt for arbitration and force his way to UFA status in 2021, but there is obviously also an opportunity to work out a multi-year deal for any acquiring team. The 6’4″ netminder posted a dreadful .899 save percentage during the regular season but has been much better in years past, plus has a sparkling .921 in 51 postseason appearances. There are goalies who go their whole career without getting into 50 playoff games, but Murray won his second Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins just a few days after his 23rd birthday.
With so many goaltenders set to move around the league this fall, it could benefit a team like Edmonton to wait and see who is left out in the cold. The team doesn’t have a lot of cap space to spend and are already paying Koskinen $4.5MM in each of the next two years. With excellent tandem names like Anton Khudobin, Thomas Greiss, or even Corey Crawford on the market, paying up for Murray at this point—especially if it costs a first-round pick—would likely be a mistake.
Pacific Notes: Oilers, Toffoli, Coyotes GM Search
The Oilers are among the teams that have kicked the tires on Penguins goalie Matt Murray, reports Postmedia’s Jim Matheson. They have a vacancy to fill between the pipes with Mike Smith slated to become an unrestricted free agent. However, with the limited cap space they have and several RFAs in need of new deals including winger Andreas Athanasiou and defensemen Matt Benning and Ethan Bear, they probably won’t be able to afford the salary that Murray, an RFA himself, will likely command in the coming months. Instead, they will probably have to shop at the cheaper end of the goalie market to find Mikko Koskinen’s partner for next season.
More from the Pacific Division:
- Tyler Toffoli’s stint with the Canucks was limited between the pandemic and injuries but he was productive when he played, notching 14 points in 17 games between the regular season and the playoffs. His agent Pat Brisson told TSN 1040’s Rick Dhaliwal (Twitter link) that the winger enjoyed his time with Vancouver and that he’s open to discussing a new contract with GM Jim Benning at the appropriate time. Toffoli’s cap hit this season was $4.6MM and in a light free agent market, he should be able to get a bit more than that on his next deal.
- The Coyotes have had discussions with long-time broadcaster Pierre McGuire about their GM vacancy, reports Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston. McGuire’s name has come up periodically in the past as a GM candidate although none have offered him the job. He last worked in the NHL in 1996 as an assistant coach in Ottawa while he also was briefly Hartford’s head coach in the early 1990s as well as their assistant GM. In the meantime, Johnston notes that interim GM Steve Sullivan is fielding trade calls so it appears that he has the authority to make any moves deemed necessary while Arizona’s search continues.
Penguins Receiving Trade Interest In Their Goaltenders
It appears as if Pittsburgh isn’t wasting any time with their offseason planning. They acquired winger Kasperi Kapanen from Toronto earlier today and it appears as if they’re making some progress on another trade front as well. GM Jim Rutherford told Josh Yohe of The Athletic (subscription required) that there has been interest in both Tristan Jarry and Matt Murray and that “there’s a very, very good chance that we’re going to have to move one of them”.
Rutherford clarified that discussions aren’t in the final stages by any stretch but that he has a good understanding of what type of return could be available.
Both netminders are slated to become restricted free agents this offseason and have salary arbitration eligibility. With more than $72MM committed in payroll for next season already to only 17 players, it’s difficult to see a scenario where they can keep both goalies in the fold without making a move to free up some salary. Considering that would essentially the opposite of what they did today, that doesn’t seem too likely to happen.
Murray is likely to be the higher-priced goaltender of the two considering he comes with a $3.75MM qualifying offer and is only a year away from UFA eligibility. However, the 26-year-old isn’t coming off the best of seasons as he had a 20-11-5 record with a .899 SV% and a 2.87 GAA in 38 regular season starts and while Murray opened up their Qualifying Round series against Montreal as the starter, he wasn’t between the pipes at its completion. That certainly won’t help his market value. On the other hand, he has a good overall track record in the playoffs with a pair of Stanley Cup titles and would represent an upgrade for some teams looking for goalie help.
As for Jarry, this was his first full season in the NHL after breaking camp as the backup. He didn’t stay in that role for too long though as he got off to a great start to his year, earning an All-Star Game nod in the process. Overall, he posted a 20-12-1 record to go along with a .921 SV and a 2.43 GAA in 33 games during the regular season. His qualifying offer will be much cheaper, checking in at just $735K although he stands to earn much more than that. On the other hand, his still limited NHL track record could limit the number of suitors that would be willing to part with a sizable return.
The trade market for goaltenders could be an interesting one over the coming months as the number of starting netminders available on the unrestricted free agent market is rather limited with Jacob Markstrom, Braden Holtby, Robin Lehner, and Corey Crawford being the only ones fitting the bill. Accordingly, trading for a younger (and potentially cheaper) option could be more palatable to teams that are looking to structure their rosters to fit a flat $81.5MM Upper Limit for next season.
From that standpoint, it would seem that Pittsburgh is in good shape to make a move with a pair of marketable goalies. Goaltenders haven’t yielded significant returns in recent years but with a number of teams likely looking for improvements, this appears to be a good time to try to move one which should have Rutherford well-positioned to get a notable return.
Morning Notes: Jets, Jarry, Stamkos
The Winnipeg Jets are going home a little earlier than they had hoped after losing game four to the Calgary Flames last night. Eliminated from the playoffs, they could finally reveal what happened to Mark Scheifele and Patrik Laine, explaining to Sara Orlesky of TSN that neither one is expected to miss an extended period of time. Head coach Paul Maurice doesn’t believe there is any Achilles damage for Schiefele, who yelled in pain on the ice after colliding with Matthew Tkachuk in game one. Maurice called it “a crush” not a cut, but did admit that his top center is still undergoing further testing.
Laine meanwhile sprained his hand in the opener and couldn’t hold a stick, but Maurice believes he’ll only be out for a few weeks. Mason Appleton, who isn’t quite as important to the team as the former two, will also be out just a few weeks with a shoulder injury. The Jets will finally say goodbye to a 2019-20 season that was quite the rollercoaster, starting with Dustin Byfuglien‘s disappearance and ending with two of their offensive leaders watching from the stands.
- If the Pittsburgh Penguins are to avoid the same fate, they’ll need to stave off elimination against the Montreal Canadiens today. To do so they’ll call upon Tristan Jarry, starting him in game four over Matt Murray who has lost two of the first three. Murray did post a .914 save percentage in those games but received endless online criticism for how he played a shot from Jeff Petry, which ended up being the winning goal. After starting his career out with two Stanley Cups before his rookie status expired, Murray now has just two wins in his last 12 playoff contests. Jarry meanwhile will be making his playoff debut in an elimination game and has just 62 appearances at the NHL level under his belt.
- Steven Stamkos won’t be playing for the Tampa Bay Lightning when they face the Philadelphia Flyers tomorrow in a winner-takes-all round-robin game. The Lightning and Flyers have both won the first two round-robin contests, meaning whoever takes tomorrow’s game will be the top seed in the Eastern Conference for the duration of the playoffs. Stamkos won’t be able to help, and though he is working hard and rehabbing, head coach Jon Cooper told reporters including Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer that the captain will be out indefinitely.
Metropolitan Notes: Murray, Samsonov, Hamilton
The Pittsburgh Penguins have a choice to make in net when they head into the 24-team playoff, deciding whether to use Matt Murray or Tristan Jarry as their starter. Though he admits it is the coach’s decision, Penguins GM Jim Rutherford told Josh Yohe of The Athletic that he believes Murray will be the choice after seeing how well the more experienced netminder performed in this week’s practices.
Murray, 26, is only a year older than Jarry but has the added benefit of two Stanley Cups and 48 playoff games under his belt. The 6’4″ netminder struggled mightily this season, however, posting an .899 save percentage. Jarry meanwhile put up a .921 and was selected to the All-Star game, but has never appeared in the postseason. The Penguins will start things off with a qualification round against the Montreal Canadiens.
- There is another interesting goaltending situation to keep an eye on in the Metropolitan Division, and that’s what is happening in Washington. The Capitals still haven’t gotten a single practice out of young star netminder Ilya Samsonov, who has been “unfit to play” for the entire training camp so far. When asked, head coach Todd Reirden wouldn’t comment on whether Samsonov will be traveling with the team to Toronto in a few days as the Capitals enter the “bubble.” For now, Braden Holtby remains the default choice as starter for Washington despite his own struggles—to the tune of an .897 save percentage—this season.
- After leaving practice yesterday, Dougie Hamilton was absent again for the Carolina Hurricanes this morning. The defenseman was in “visible discomfort” when leaving yesterday according to team reporter Michael Smith, who also notes that the Hurricanes are already missing Brett Pesce thanks to his shoulder surgery in March. While Pesce hasn’t been ruled out completely from participating in the playoffs, Hamilton was expected to be back to full strength after missing the last two months of the regular season. Given the league’s policy on not giving out injury information, there’s no way of telling what exactly happened to Hamilton or how long he’ll be out.
Metropolitan Notes: Palmieri, Thurkauf, Penguins
While the Devils aren’t taking part in the NHL’s return, winger Kyle Palmieri told Nick Gantaifis of the Bergen Record that he’s hoping to resume skating at the team’s practice complex in the coming weeks. Even the facilities for teams that aren’t among the 24 coming back are allowed to be open and although there isn’t anything to necessarily be getting ready for, they’re still likely looking at another four to five months before next season gets underway so a mid-offseason conditioning camp of sorts would be a useful idea.
Palmieri also touched on his contract situation as he’s a year away from UFA eligibility. He indicated that he hasn’t given much thought to that particular situation, citing the question marks around the NHL calendar at the moment. He’s eligible to sign an extension as of July 1st under current rules but with so many questions regarding the salary cap for next season, the Devils – like many other teams – will likely hold off on talks until there is more clarity on that front.
More from the Metropolitan:
- In a newsletter on EV Zug’s website, the Swiss NLA team indicated that the Blue Jackets are interested in working on a new deal for pending RFA winger Calvin Thurkauf. The 22-year-old had a career best 26 points in 53 games with AHL Cleveland this season while getting into three NHL games with Columbus as well. Thurkauf played in Zug’s junior system before coming to North America so if he was to decide to go back overseas, that would be his likely landing spot.
- The Penguins are one of quite a few teams that will have an intriguing decision to make between the pipes for the playoffs. Head coach Mike Sullivan told Josh Yohe of The Athletic (subscription required) that he hasn’t decided yet whether Matt Murray or Tristan Jarry will get the nod to start against Montreal. Previously, GM Jim Rutherford had said his expectation was that Murray would have the first opportunity as his playoff performance over his career has been strong. However, Jarry’s numbers over the course of the regular season were considerably better. The three-week training camp and round robin seeding set of games should ultimately decide who gets to start.