Snapshots: Blues, Trade Targets, Radulov
St. Louis Blues beat writer Norm Sanders analyzed the situation the Blues find themselves in as the draft and free agency approaches. After signing both Scottie Upshall and Dmitrij Jaskin, the Blues still have a number of decisions facing them. Sanders writes that Jaden Schwartz will be signed first as he’s been dubbed a “priority signing” by general manager Doug Armstrong. He also names defensive Kevin Shattenkirk as a candidate to be traded since he’s approaching the final year of his contract. Sanders also makes note that his name has constantly been floated as being moved to another team. As for captain David Backes, Sanders writes that unless an agreement is had, Backes would be a much sought after free agent.
- Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury must feel like he’s either back in high school or in a hockey soap opera. Fleury has been the subject of trade rumors ever since the emergence of Matt Murray during the 2016 Stanley Cup playoff run. Interesting then that his name only comes up as #14 on Frank Seravalli’s TSN Top Trade Bait mentions. Fleury’s name was all over the hockey world as being moved to Calgary until Pittsburgh general manager Jim Rutherford announced that he wasn’t aggresively shopping the former #1 overall pick. Seravalli put the aforementioned Shattenkirk as his #1 target to be dealt while Pavel Datsyuk‘s contract sits at #2. The Edmonton Oilers stand as having the most targets likely to be moved with Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Nail Yakupov, Jordan Eberle, and their 4th overall pick in this year’s draft being tagged.
- NBC Sports Pro Hockey Talk’s Ryan Dadoun scouted free agent Alexander Radulov and what it would take to land him. Dadoun writes that Radulov is purportedly looking for a 2-year/$15MM deal but that might not happen for a player who left the NHL for the KHL and was reported to be a locker room liability. Most teams are comfortable with a 1-year deal to see if Radulov’s KHL successes transfer across the ocean. PHR ranked Radulov as the 11th best free agent on the market and predicted that he would land with Capitals for just over $5MM.
Pittsburgh’s Salary Cap Situation And Stanley Cup Final Notes
Now that the Pittsburgh Penguins have captured the Stanley Cup for the fourth time in team history, the NHL offseason officially kicks off with the NHL draft just two weeks away and free agency right around the corner. Some news and notes as the city of Pittsburgh basks in the glow of Lord Stanley’s chalice.
- The Penguins find themselves facing a different type of opponent as they look to defend their title. The Washington Post’s Mike Hume reports that the Penguins face a difficult question as the offseason kicks off: what to do with Marc-Andre Fleury. While the salary cap is expected to rise to $74MM, it’s the likelihood of an expansion draft that threatens the Penguins’ continued dominance. Matt Murray, who backstopped the Pens to the Cup, has forced Pittsburgh’s hand with former #1 overall pick and franchise goalie Fleury. Murray’s cap friendly contract keeps him under team control while Fleury’s $5.75MM cap hit makes him an expensive backup. Should the expansion draft take place, Fleury’s no-movement clause eliminates him from being taken off their hands. Instead, it would be Murray exposed to the expansion draft. Moving Fleury would be tricky as well since he has final say over any trade, and teams looking for goaltending, such as the Calgary Flames, are not a favorite to win the Stanley Cup anytime soon.
- The signing of Phil Kessel paid huge dividends for the Penguins writes ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun. The former Maple Leafs star notched 22 points in 24 games with 10 of those points being goals. The interesting part of Kessel’s resurgence is his cap friendly contract. Though his cap hit should be $8MM, Toronto agreed to pay $1.2MM of his contract when they traded the star winger to Pittsburgh last summer. The core of Kessel, captain Sidney Crosby, and star Evgeni Malkin remains intact for at least another few seasons thanks to savvy financial work.
- The Stanley Cup runner up San Jose Sharks had a great run thanks to the solid play of Martin Jones. Jones, obtained from Boston for a first round pick last June, kept the Sharks in the Final and would have been a top pick to take the Conn Smythe Trophy had the Sharks fortunes been different. Strong goaltending was always a weakness for San Jose, but Jones’ inexpensive $3MM cap hit keeps him with the Sharks until the 2018-2019 season. Backup goalie James Reimer is an unrestricted free agent and could fetch a number of offers from teams looking for a strong goalie tandem.
2016 Stanley Cup Finals: Conn Smythe Award
With the Stanley Cup Final heading back to San Jose for Game 6, the Penguins will have a second chance to close out the Sharks. If they are able to, the only remaining question will be who wins the Conn Smythe Award as the playoff MVP. If Pittsburgh is able to win tonight, there are a handful of Penguins who can take home the hardware, with these three leading the charge:
Sidney Crosby– The Penguins captain hasn’t produced at the point per game consistency he usually does but he has still been very productive with 17 points in 23 games. Crosby’s top-notch puck protection and vision have allowed him to control the play in the offensive zone. Not only has he dominated offensively, but Crosby has played a consistent 200 foot game. Crosby’s calming presence in the defensive zone has helped stabilize what was thought to be a below average defense, especially after the injury to Trevor Daley.
Phil Kessel– The addition of Kessel and his monster cap hit before the season seemed questionable, especially after Pittsburgh started the year as one of the lowest scoring teams in the league. Don’t look now but Kessel has been the Penguins leading scorer these playoffs. Kessel has one of the quickest releases in the NHL and he hasn’t been afraid to shoot the puck, boasting a league leading 95 shots (for reference teammate Patric Hornqvist is second in the playoffs with only 77 shots). Kessel has been incredibly consistent, being held scoreless in just 7 of 23 games.
Matt Murray– No one expected 21 year-old Matt Murray to be in this conversation, let alone between the pipes in the Stanley Cup Final for the Penguins. Murray has been an absolute revelation for Pittsburgh since he was called upon in game 3 of the first round against the New York Rangers. Murray has posted a 2.14 Goals Against Average and .923 Save Percentage since being named the starter. Without Murray stepping up, Pittsburgh would be in huge trouble. Back up goalie Jeff Zatkoff was pulled for Murray after playing poorly in the first series and Marc-Andre Fleury struggled mightily after returning from injury.
If the San Jose Sharks are able to take care of business at home, the series will return to Pittsburgh for a winner-take-all Game 7. If they can take down the Penguins, there are plenty of Sharks who deserve the Conn Smythe. These are the three at the top of the list:
Logan Couture– Logan Couture leads the league in scoring these playoffs with 29 points in just 23 games. Couture’s playmaking ability has been a nightmare for opposing defenseman, setting up linemates Patrick Marleau and Melker Karlsson. The second line combination has worked wonders for coach Peter Deboer, forcing opponents to play a game of pick-your-poison when deciding to play its top pairing against either Couture’s line or the first line of Joe Pavelski, Joe Thornton, and Joonas Donskoi.
Brent Burns– Burns leads all defenseman in playoff scoring with 23 points in 23 games. Penguins defenseman Kris Letang is second with just 14 points. Burns has been dominant on the offensive side of the puck. He is uncommonly poised handling the puck on the blue line, and is a force joining the rush and carrying the puck into the offensive zone. Where Burns is typically criticized is in his own zone, but he has been terrific there as well. He is second in the playoffs in plus/minus at 11, only trailing teammate Marc-Edouard Vlasic.
Martin Jones– Martin Jones is the reason the Sharks are still alive playing in a game 6. In game 5 Jones stood on his head, stopping 44 of 46 shots. The Sharks were severely outplayed but Jones time and again bailed out his team with terrific pad work. Jones has posted a 2.16 Goals Against Average and a .922 Save Percentage.
My picks: If the Penguins win, Sidney Crosby. If San Jose pulls it out, Martin Jones.
Expansion Notes: No-Movement Clauses, 40/70, Protection Limits
With the official announcement about the upcoming NHL expansion to Las Vegas coming on June 22nd, some information about the rules associated with an expansion draft has started to disseminate. The draft would be held at some point after the 2016-17 Stanley Cup Final, but before the July 1st free agency period. Here’s what we know thus far:
- Eligibility is determined by how many professional seasons, as outlined by the CBA, a player has completed. Anyone with two or fewer seasons will be exempt from the draft. This includes seasons in the American Hockey League, and means that any third-year professionals are eligible to be selected.
- Each team will be allowed to protect seven forwards, three defencemen and one goaltender from the draft.
- Players holding no-movement clauses that do not expire until after the 2017-18 season are automatically protected, and count against the totals. Teams however will be allowed to ask a player to waive a NMC prior to the draft, making them eligible. If the clause expires after the 2016-17 season (like in the case of Calgary’s Dennis Wideman) they will not be guaranteed protection even though the draft will take place prior.
- Each team must expose at least two forwards and one defenceman who has played in at least 40 NHL games the prior season, or a combined 70 games in the previous two. These players must also be under contract for the first expansion season.
- Clubs have to expose at least one goaltender who is under contract for the first expansion season.
- At least twenty of the expansion team’s thirty selections must be under contract for the first expansion season, and though they can trade anyone following the draft, a player may not return to the team he was selected from until January 1st.
- There are going to be stiff penalties for any team who does not meet the requirements, in the form of picks or players.
- Each team can only lose a maximum of one player, should there be just a single expansion team. The new team has to select a certain number of players at each position, including a minimum of three goaltenders.
- The new team cannot buy-out any player selected until after the first expansion season.
For teams like Pittsburgh, who have one goaltender with a NMC and another leading the team to the Stanley Cup Finals, some tough decisions will have to be made over the next year. Marc-Andre Fleury at the moment would force protection due to his no-movement clause, while playoff superstar Matt Murray will be eligible after what would be his third professional season.
In Winnipeg, both Toby Enstrom and Dustin Byfuglien have NMCs that will run through 2017-18 taking up two of their three defenceman slots. This means the Jets will have to expose one of their young defenders like Tyler Myers or Jacob Trouba if a deal isn’t struck between now and then. Losing either of them would be a disaster for the Jets, as Myers was a big part of the return for Evander Kane and Zach Bogosian, while Trouba was the 9th overall pick in 2012. Rumors have already started to swirl around Trouba, perhaps because of the issue facing Winnipeg down the road.
Situations like this present themselves all over the NHL, and though each team will only lose a single player, many will make moves to make sure their most prized assets remain untouchable. Here on Pro Hockey Rumors we’ll continue to breakdown potential draftees over the next year, giving you the inside scoop on who is available and who Las Vegas will select when they step to the podium for that draft next season.