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Matt Nieto

Avalanche And Sharks Complete Four-Player Trade

January 25, 2023 at 8:27 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 5 Comments

Ryan Merkley’s trade request has been granted as the Sharks have traded the defenseman to the Avalanche along with winger Matt Nieto in exchange for winger Martin Kaut and defenseman/winger Jacob MacDonald.

Merkley was a first-round pick by San Jose back in 2018 (21st overall) and showed plenty of offensive upside during his junior career in the OHL where he had 269 points in 248 games in four seasons.  However, that hasn’t really translated into much offensive success in the minors as he has just two career goals in the minors, neither of which came this season.  Merkley made his NHL debut in 2021-22, getting into 39 games with the Sharks but he hasn’t had a chance to suit up at the top level this year which resulted in the trade request.  He has 14 assists in 30 games with the Barracuda this season.  He’s in the final year of his entry-level contract with a $863K cap hit and will be a restricted free agent this summer.

Nieto, meanwhile, is no stranger to Colorado as he spent parts of four seasons with them between 2016-17 and 2019-20.  During that stretch, he was a serviceable provider of depth scoring, notching 34 goals and 47 assists in 251 games.  The 30-year-old is producing at a similar clip this season, tallying eight goals and seven assists in 45 games with the Sharks while logging a career-high 15:39 per game.  He won’t see that type of ice time in his second go-round with the Avs but with them in need of reliable options in the bottom six, Nieto should still be called upon to play an important depth role.  He’s also in the final year of his contract with a $850K cap hit and will be eligible for unrestricted free agency this summer.

Kaut was also a first-round pick in the 2018 draft, going 16th overall to the Avalanche.  However, while he impressed in the minors as an 18-year-old and earned an NHL stint at 19, he hasn’t had much success at the top level.  So far, he has played in just 47 career NHL contests, 27 of which have come this season where he has just a goal and two assists to his credit while averaging 9:08 per night.  Kaut has also played in ten AHL games this season where he has five goals and three helpers and is currently in the minors having been sent down last week.  The 23-year-old is also in the final year of his entry-level deal, one that carries an AAV of $863K.  He should get an opportunity to see some regular minutes for San Jose down the stretch in the hopes of him developing into a regular in the bottom six down the road.

MacDonald came up as a defenseman but has logged a lot of action on the wing this season with Colorado searching for bottom-six options as they’ve dealt with injuries all year long.  The 29-year-old has suited up 33 times so far in 2022-23, picking up a pair of assists along with 29 hits.  He has made 74 appearances with the Avs over the last three seasons, comprising the bulk of his NHL action (aside from a two-game stint with Florida in 2018).  MacDonald is in the first year of a two-year, two-way contract that pays the minimum salary in the NHL (a $762,500 AAV) and will be an unrestricted free agent in 2024.  He’s likely to play a similar depth role with the Sharks, filling in at both positions when necessary.

Cap space is limited for the Avalanche and it’s worth noting that they are adding a little less than $100K on their books with this swap.  However, they get a more proven forward in Nieto that should bolster their bottom six and an interesting wild card in Merkley.  If he’s able to develop into a regular defender down the road, this will be a nice pickup for GM Chris MacFarland.  If it doesn’t pan out, all it will cost them is a couple of depth options so it’s a low-risk move that could carry a fair bit of upside as they look to hold onto a playoff spot in the tight Central Division.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Colorado Avalanche| Jacob MacDonald| Martin Kaut| Matt Nieto| Ryan Merkley| San Jose Sharks| Transactions

5 comments

San Jose Sharks Activate Matt Nieto, Place Luke Kunin On IR

December 18, 2022 at 5:33 pm CDT | by John Gilroy Leave a Comment

Just ahead of their game tonight at home against the Calgary Flames, the San Jose Sharks announced they have activated forward Matt Nieto off of IR. To create space for Nieto, the team has also placed forward Luke Kunin on IR.

Nieto has been out nearly two week dealing with an undisclosed injury, last playing on December 4th. It’s unclear exactly how Nieto sustined the injury, the winger playing a not-out-of-the-ordinary 15:51 that game. A longtime member of the Sharks and Colorado Avalanche, Nieto is having himself another solid season with six goals and five assists through 28 games while chipping in on the penalty kill.

Kunin, 25, had been off to a solid start in his first season in San Jose, putting up 13 points in 31 games to date, but suffered a lower-body injury that forced him out of the game early back on December 13th. Kunin hasn’t played since and as of right now, a timetable is unclear. San Jose has three games at home this week, starting tonight, before the Christmas break.

Injury| Luke Kunin| Matt Nieto| San Jose Sharks

0 comments

West Notes: Mrazek, Nieto, Meyers

November 2, 2022 at 7:52 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

While Chicago was forced to convert Dylan Wells’ minor league agreement to an NHL deal earlier today, it seems like he won’t be around for long.  Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times notes that Petr Mrazek might be a week away from returning to the lineup and it’s a light rest of the week for the Blackhawks.  He has been dealing with a groin injury for the last couple of weeks but with Alex Stalock and Arvid Soderblom both doing alright, there was no immediate need to try to rush him back and risk a recurrence which has plagued him in the past.  However, Mrazek indicated that the injury wasn’t as bad as last season which certainly is a good sign as he looks to re-establish himself after a tough showing with Toronto last year.

More from the West:

  • With the Sharks believed to be open to moving just about anyone, Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News examines a handful of veterans that could be on the move. One candidate that might fly under the radar is winger Matt Nieto.  The soon-to-be 30-year-old has four points in 12 games so far this season while holding his own in a top-six role.  He wouldn’t have that role on a contender but a veteran making just $800K that can move up and down the lineup could be intriguing to some cap-strapped teams.  Accordingly, Pashelka posits that San Jose could do a little better than the fifth-rounder they received for Andrew Cogliano who was moved at the deadline last season.
  • The Avalanche sent Ben Meyers down to the minors a couple of weeks ago to get some playing time after having a very limited role with the big club earlier in the season. However, as Bennett Durando of The Denver Post relays (Twitter link), the 23-year-old suffered a lower-body injury in his second game with the Eagles.  He’s hoping to get back on the ice within a week but this certainly isn’t helping his development in his first full professional season.

Ben Meyers| Chicago Blackhawks| Colorado Avalanche| Matt Nieto| Petr Mrazek| San Jose Sharks

0 comments

2022 King Clancy Trophy Nominees Announced

May 4, 2022 at 11:10 am CDT | by Gavin Lee 4 Comments

The NHL has announced the 31 nominees for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, annually presented to “the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community.” Last year’s winner was Pekka Rinne of the Nashville Predators.

Each team submits one nominee. This year’s are:

Anaheim Ducks: Ryan Getzlaf

Arizona Coyotes: Andrew Ladd

Boston Bruins: Nick Foligno

Buffalo Sabres: Jeff Skinner

Calgary Flames: Mikael Backlund

Carolina Hurricanes: Jordan Staal

Chicago Blackhawks: Connor Murphy

Colorado Avalanche: Nazem Kadri

Columbus Blue Jackets: Jack Roslovic

Dallas Stars: Jason Robertson

Detroit Red Wings: Alex Nedeljkovic

Edmonton Oilers: Darnell Nurse

Florida Panthers: Aleksander Barkov

Los Angeles Kings: Cal Petersen

Minnesota Wild: Matt Dumba

Montreal Canadiens: Jake Allen

Nashville Predators: Luke Kunin

New Jersey Devils: P.K. Subban

New York Islanders: Anders Lee

New York Rangers: Chris Kreider

Ottawa Senators: Nick Holden

Philadelphia Flyers: Scott Laughton

Pittsburgh Penguins: Bryan Rust

San Jose Sharks: Matt Nieto

Seattle Kraken: Jaden Schwartz

St. Louis Blues: Ryan O’Reilly

Tampa Bay Lightning: Victor Hedman

Toronto Maple Leafs: Wayne Simmonds

Vancouver Canucks: Bo Horvat

Vegas Golden Knights: Max Pacioretty

Washington Capitals: Garnet Hathaway

Winnipeg Jets: Josh Morrissey

Aleksander Barkov| Alex Nedeljkovic| Anders Lee| Andrew Ladd| Bo Horvat| Bryan Rust| Cal Petersen| Chris Kreider| Connor Murphy| Darnell Nurse| Garnet Hathaway| Jack Roslovic| Jaden Schwartz| Jake Allen| Jason Robertson| Jeff Skinner| Jordan Staal| Josh Morrissey| Luke Kunin| Matt Dumba| Matt Nieto| Max Pacioretty| Mikael Backlund| Nazem Kadri| Nick Foligno| Nick Holden| P.K. Subban| Ryan Getzlaf| Scott Laughton| Victor Hedman| Wayne Simmonds

4 comments

Pacific Notes: Gibson, Viveiros, Nieto, Hanifin

October 29, 2021 at 9:20 am CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

With the Ducks fully engaged in their rebuild, it stands to reason that some of their veterans could be trade candidates as the season progresses.  On the surface, one of those would be goaltender John Gibson, a veteran that has been a capable starter in the past and has struggled a bit behind scuffling Anaheim teams in recent years.  However, NHL.com’s Dan Rosen argues otherwise, suggesting that their turnaround should be complete over the next few years and at that point, they’ll still need a starting goalie and Gibson is signed through 2026-27 so it’s quite possible he would still fit their target timeline for contention.  The 28-year-old has said he’s tired of losing – he actually led the league in losses the next two years – but if Ducks GM Bob Murray feels the same way as Rosen, Gibson may have to stick it out a while yet.

More from the Pacific:

  • Henderson head coach Manny Viveiros revealed (Twitter link) that his medical leave of absence at the beginning of the season was due to a prostate cancer diagnosis. Viveiros, who is in his second season at the helm of the Golden Knights’ AHL affiliate, will be able to return behind the bench for the time being before needing to take another leave of absence in mid-December to undergo surgery.
  • Sharks winger Matt Nieto is listed as day-to-day due to a lower-body injury, relays Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now (Twitter link). The injury stems from a blocked shot on Thursday in Nashville.  The 28-year-old had suited up in all six games for San Jose in the early going this season, collecting one assist.
  • Flames defenseman Noah Hanifin is dealing with an upper-body injury, the team announced (Twitter link). He’s listed as day-to-day and was not in the lineup against Pittsburgh on Thursday night.  Michael Stone made his season debut in Hanifin’s absence while Nikita Zadorov remained a healthy scratch.

Anaheim Ducks| Calgary Flames| John Gibson| Matt Nieto| Noah Hanifin| San Jose Sharks| Vegas Golden Knights

0 comments

San Jose Sharks Re-Sign Matt Nieto

June 21, 2021 at 3:35 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 6 Comments

The San Jose Sharks are bringing back another one of their free agent forwards, re-signing Matt Nieto to a two-year contract. The deal not only lets the team retain a valuable depth piece but also solves one of their expansion issues. Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News reports that the contract will carry an average annual value of $850K. Sharks’ GM Doug Wilson released a short statement on the deal:

Matt brings a consistent, veteran presence to our line-up, and his speed and defensive awareness have made him a valuable part of our penalty-killing unit. Additionally, his ability to chip in offensively gives our coaching staff a versatile option in crafting our line-up from night to night.

Nieto, 28, is on his second stint with the Sharks, coming back to the team in 2020 after parts of four seasons with the Colorado Avalanche. He ended up playing just 28 of the team’s 56 games, but did add five goals and seven points in a limited role. Averaging exactly 14 minutes a night, he became a key part of the team’s 14th-ranked penalty kill and chipped in a little offensively.

More importantly, perhaps, is the fact that Nieto also fills an exposure requirement for the upcoming Seattle Kraken draft. Every team must leave at least two forwards exposed that have played a certain number of games and are signed through the 2021-22 season. Up to this point, only Logan Couture, Evander Kane, Timo Meier, Tomas Hertl, and Kevin Labanc met that threshold, meaning there needed to be a pair of contracts issued by Wilson and his staff. One of them is Nieto, who will certainly be left unprotected next month. Of the other candidates—Dylan Gambrell, Marcus Sorensen, Patrick Marleau and Ryan Donato all meet the criteria—expect at least one more to be signed in the next few weeks.

The two-year term suggests that this wasn’t purely for the expansion draft though, as the Sharks obviously believe that Nieto can be an NHL player. While he did set a career-high of 15 goals just a few seasons ago, it seems more likely that he’ll be battling for a spot at the bottom of the roster in 2021-22.

Matt Nieto| San Jose Sharks| Transactions

6 comments

San Jose Interested In Re-Signing Matt Nieto

April 28, 2021 at 3:38 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 4 Comments

Do you know the way to San Jose? Matt Nieto sure does. The depth forward found his way back to the San Jose Sharks as an unrestricted free agent last offseason, signing a one-year, $700K deal with the team that drafted him in 2011. Now Nieto is approaching UFA status once again and may end up staying where it all began. Kevin Kurz of The Athletic tweets that though the 28-year-old may not play again this season due to injury, the Sharks are interested in bringing him back “if the price is right.”

Even if he signs for the league minimum again Nieto would be getting a raise, as that number increases to $750K for the 2021-22 campaign. It hasn’t been a particularly productive season, with just five goals and seven points in 28 games, but when healthy he was a big part of the penalty kill. Nieto led all Sharks forwards in average shorthanded ice time this season at 2:46, just a few seconds behind team-leading Brent Burns (2:57). A reliable penalty killer for the league minimum is valuable, even if it doesn’t bring much excitement.

There is still some offensive upside in the veteran of 500 NHL games too. Nieto has recorded at least 21 points in five of his seven seasons before this shortened year and reached a career-high of 15 goals during 2017-18 with the Colorado Avalanche. This year’s goal-scoring rate would have actually taken him very close to that mark if kept up over 82 games, meaning he could be a bargain depth option for the Sharks come next season.

They’ll need that kind of bottom-of-the-lineup production if San Jose is to be competitive in 2021-22, as their cap continues to be strangled by expensive long-term contracts for aging veterans. If GM Doug Wilson is unable to shed any of those big-ticket deals, there isn’t a whole lot of change he can make to the roster. The Sharks already have nearly $68.5MM committed to next season for just 13 players and the salary cap is not expected to go up from the $81.5MM it was this year.

Matt Nieto| San Jose Sharks

4 comments

Expansion Draft Issues: Several Teams Have Moves To Make Before July 17

April 22, 2021 at 9:33 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 26 Comments

The trade deadline may have come and gone, but that doesn’t mean that there won’t be any more trades over the courses of the remainder of the league year. The NHL Expansion Draft is right around the corner, with protection lists due on July 17, ahead of the draft on July 21. By that time, all 30 participating teams must be able to submit a protection list that complies with the exposure requirements of the draft. As a reminder, teams may protect seven forwards, three defensemen, and a goalie or eight skaters and a goalie. However, they must also expose two forwards and one defenseman signed beyond this season and who have played in 27 NHL games this season or 54 games over the past two seasons, as well as a goaltender under team control beyond this season.

For many teams, this is easier said than done though. Long-term forwards and defensemen with considerable games played who are also deemed expendable are not all that common. With the trade deadline completed, teams are stuck with the group that they have unless they decide to make a trade in the time between their regular season end or postseason elimination and the week of the draft. Some can solve their problems internally, while others may be more hard pressed. Based on their most likely protection scheme, here are the teams with work to do:

Calgary Flames

Problem Area: Forward

Internal Solutions: The Flames may be having a difficult season, but they have a talented top-six who are all signed long-term. Except, that’s where the term forwards end. If Calgary cannot convince Milan Lucic to waive his No-Movement Clause, the team will be missing both of their required forwards for exposure by protecting Looch and the top-six. Even if Lucic does waive, the team will need to make another forward available to Seattle. RFA Dillon Dube meets the games played criteria, but the team is likely to protect the young forward or, if not, will not do anything to make him more attractive to the Kraken. That leaves fellow RFA Dominik Simon and impending UFA’s Derek Ryan, Josh Leivo, and Joakim Nordstrom, as well as Brett Ritchie with six more games played, as other names who could earn extensions due to otherwise meeting the exposure criteria.

Likelihood of a Trade: Medium. With so many affordable, bottom-six role players that the team could hand new one-year deals, the Flames have options. However, if Lucic does not waive and the team feels pressured to re-sign two of those players, they may look for outside help rather than bring back too much of a forward corps that has underachieved this year.

Colorado Avalanche

Problem Area: Forward

Internal Solutions: As one of the top scoring team’s in the NHL, the Avalanche will want to keep as much of their forward corps as they can and with the likes of Gabriel Landeskog and Brandon Saad heading to free agency and not in need of protection, the team can do just that. However, if Colorado does protect their top nine scoring forwards minus Landeskog and Saad, that leaves them with, at best, one forward to expose and zero if they choose to protect both Valeri Nichushkin and J.T. Compher. If the Avs do choose to protect the duo, that should leave RFA Tyson Jost unprotected, who they could extend in order to meet the exposure requirement. However, Jost has arbitration rights and may not rush into a new deal. Other candidates to re-sign would be UFA’s Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, Carl Soderberg, or Matt Calvert. Fortunately, the Avalanche have an even easier internal fix and that is simply playing Logan O’Connor five more times before the end of the season.

Likelihood of a Trade: Low. Between playing O’Connor and exposing one of Nichushkin or Compher, Colorado may not have to make any move at all. If they do, they have options. Who wouldn’t want to re-sign in Colorado right now, even if its only for the purpose of being expansion draft fodder.

Columbus Blue Jackets

Problem Area: Forward

Internal Solutions: It’s easy to guess six forwards that the Blue Jackets will protect, but the seventh is a bit trickier. Do they expose star Gustav Nyquist, who has missed the whole season due to injury and is on a substantial contract and on the wrong side of 30? Or do they expose Eric Robinson, who has been a hard-working depth presence this season but has limited upside? Well, if they choose to protect either one, it only leave the other as meeting exposure criteria. Only if both are exposed is Columbus good to go and that scenario seems unlikely. However, the only forward currently meeting the requirements other than term is RFA Kevin Stenlund, though UFA Mikhail Grigorenko requires only two more games played (and a new contract).

Likelihood of a Trade: High. The Blue Jackets surely want to bring Stenlund back, but he has arbitration rights and may not be keen to sign quickly just to help with expansion requirements. If a Stenlund deal can’t be reached sooner rather than later, Columbus may not have a choice but to bring someone in from the outside. A Grigorenko extension seems unlikely, as does exposing both Nyquist and Robinson.

Dallas Stars

Problem Area: Forward

Internal Solutions: The Stars’ protection scheme at forward is fairly obvious, as they have seven core forwards who stand out above the rest. However, those seven are also the only regular forwards with term on their contracts. Of all other expansion-draft eligible forwards for Dallas, only Joel L’Esperance has additional time on his current deal and he cannot reach the games played requirement. As a result, the Stars must find two forwards to expose, whereas most of these other problematic teams can at least scrounge up one forward. Among the options to re-sign are veteran UFA’s Blake Comeau and Andrew Cogliano or younger UFA’s Tanner Kero and Justin Dowling. However, it may be easier to re-up an RFA like Jason Dickinson or, with three more games, Nicholas Caamano. 

Likelihood of a Trade: Medium. The Stars have a number of options, many of whom will likely re-sign at some point anyhow or else Dallas will have to rebuild their bottom-six from scratch. However, with two slots to fill there is always a chance that acquiring a player could be easier than negotiating a pair of early extensions.

New Jersey Devils

Problem Area: Forward

Internal Options: A rebuilding Devils team has a number of regular forwards who are ineligible for the draft and many others, protected or not, who are restricted free agents. What they lack is many term forwards, especially of the the expendable variety. While New Jersey could go in a few different direction with their protected list, the reality is simply that they have only five draft-eligible forwards who are signed beyond this season and at least four of those are locks to be protected. The x-factor is Andreas Johnsson. The first-year Devil has fallen well short of expectations and it would not be a surprise to see him exposed, leaving the team with just one spot to fill to meet the quota. However, if they are determined to give Johnsson a second chance and not lose him for nothing, then that becomes two slots that must be filled. The other problem in New Jersey is that the team doesn’t want to give Seattle any added incentive to steal some of their promising young players. Michael McLeod, Janne Kuokkanen, Yegor Sharangovich, and Nathan Bastian would all meet the exposure criteria if extended, but it’s safe to assume that the Devils will protect two or three of that group and may not be too excited to lose any of the others. Nick Merkley, who requires seven more games played and a new deal, could be seen as more expendable and may be okay with accepting a quick extension, even if it just for expansion purposes.

Likelihood of a Trade: High. With the possibility that New Jersey could protect Johnsson and, in any scenario, will want to steer the Kraken away from their young forwards if at all possible, the Devils seem like a prime candidate to bring in some outside help with meeting exposure criteria.

San Jose Sharks

Problem Area: Forward

Internal Options: Much like the Stars, the Sharks are not an elite team right now, but possess a solid group of top-six forwards who will all be protected. Also like Dallas though, the team has complete lack of long-term commitment to any forward outside of that group. The only other eligible forward signed beyond this season is Jayden Halbgewachs, who has not played a single NHL game, nevertheless enough to meet the requirement. There is not a great list of internal options to re-sign either. Of the players who would meet exposure criteria with an extension, Patrick Marleau is likely to retire, Marcus Sorensen seems to need a fresh start in free agency, and one of Rudolfs Balcers and Dylan Gambrell is likely to be the seventh forward protected. That really leaves UFA Matt Nieto as the lynchpin. If the Sharks can re-up Nieto and whoever they don’t protect between Balcers and Gambrell, they are good to go. If Nieto isn’t keen to re-sign and if Balcers or Gambrell wish to pursue arbitration, the Sharks will be stuck without any forwards to expose.

Likelihood of a Trade: High. The Sharks are in as tough a position as any team on this list. If left exposed, Washington native Gambrell seems like a very likely pick by Seattle, but San Jose needs to meet the exposure quota all the same. That could involve bringing in one if not two forwards before the draft. There simply aren’t many other options on the roster.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Problem Area: Forward OR Defense (Scheme-Dependent)

Internal Options: It should come as no surprise that a team build entirely on a small, expensive core group and veterans on affordable, one-year deals is not well-prepared for the expansion draft. Of the ten Toronto skaters who currently meet the exposure criteria, four are forwards that will be protected in any scenario and three are defensemen that will be protected in any scenario. This leaves Alex Kerfoot at forward and Justin Holl on defense(with Pierre Engvall as the odd man out will likely be exposed regardless); only one can be protected and the other is the most likely Leaf to be selected. If the Maple Leafs value Holl more than Kerfoot, they will go with eight skaters in their protection list. In this scenario, they will not have any defensemen who meet the exposure criteria. Fortunately, any of RFA Travis Dermott or UFA’s Zach Bogosian or Ben Hutton could re-sign and fill that role. Alternatively, if the team values Kerfoot more than Holl, they will go with the standard 7-3 protection scheme. This would allow them to protect Kerfoot as well as extend and protect others like Zach Hyman, Joe Thornton, or Jason Spezza. Those three would all meet exposure requirements as well with a new deal, but Toronto will not offer them up to Seattle. Wayne Simmonds, Riley Nash, or Alex Galchenyuk could be more likely though. Unfortunately, these are all unrestricted free agents and not as easy to re-sign before the off-season as a restricted free agent. The Leafs could find themselves in a bind as a result.

Likelihood of a Trade: Low. There is still so much to be determined about the Leafs’ approach to the draft and they have options either way and player who would likely be eager to re-sign. It’s not a straightforward situation by any means, but they should be able to figure it out without taking the risk of adding salary that they can’t spare by making a trade.

Winnipeg Jets

Problem Area: Forward

Internal Options: The Jets are known for their depth at forward and eight of their top-nine meet the exposure criteria as a result, with RFA Andrew Copp not fitting the bill but almost certain to be protected anyway. The decision for the seventh and final protection slot is likely between the recently-extended Adam Lowry and upstart Mason Appleton. Whoever isn’t protected fills one of the two exposure roles. However, no one else is currently eligible. Extension candidates include UFA’s Mathieu Perreault, Trevor Lewis, and Nate Thompson, but Winnipeg may not necessarily want to commit further to any of those three. The solution: Jansen Harkins is signed through next season and requires just four more games to meet exposure level.

Likelihood of Trade: Low. Just play Harkins and move on. The list of teams in trouble is already long enough.

 

Adam Lowry| Alex Galchenyuk| Andreas Johnsson| Andrew Cogliano| Andrew Copp| Arbitration| Ben Hutton| Blake Comeau| Brandon Saad| Brett Ritchie| Calgary Flames| Carl Soderberg| Colorado Avalanche| Columbus Blue Jackets| Dallas Stars| Derek Ryan| Dillon Dube| Dominik Simon| Dylan Gambrell| Eric Robinson| Expansion| Free Agency| Gabriel Landeskog| Gustav Nyquist| Injury| J.T. Compher| Jason Dickinson| Jason Spezza| Joakim Nordstrom| Joe Thornton| Josh Leivo| Justin Holl| Kevin Stenlund| Mason Appleton| Mathieu Perreault| Matt Calvert| Matt Nieto| Michael McLeod| Mikhail Grigorenko| Milan Lucic| Nate Thompson| New Jersey Devils| NHL| Nick Merkley| Patrick Marleau| Pierre Engvall| Players| RFA| San Jose Sharks| Seattle| Toronto Maple Leafs| Winnipeg Jets

26 comments

West Notes: Garland, Nieto, Avalanche

April 21, 2021 at 6:50 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 1 Comment

Losing a top point producer is never ideal but especially so in the midst of a playoff race.  However, it appears that the Coyotes are in that situation as Craig Morgan of AZ Coyotes Insider reports that winger Conor Garland suffered a knee injury at practice on Tuesday and that there is internal concern that he will miss significant time.  The 25-year-old is tied for second on Arizona in scoring with 10 goals and 22 assists in 45 games while logging over 17 minutes a night so any extended absence would significantly hurt their chances of snagging the last playoff spot in the West Division; they sit one point up on St. Louis but the Blues have three games in hand.  Garland isn’t playing tonight and the team should know more about his status over the next day or two.

More from the West Division:

  • Sharks winger Matt Nieto could return this season, or not. That’s certainly an odd way to update the status of a player but head coach Bob Boughner told Curtis Pashelka of the Mercury News (Twitter link) that it’s possible that Nieto can play next week but at the same time, “it might be a marginal call whether he goes back in or not”.  Nieto has been dealing with a lower-body injury for the last month and it appears that they are going to ere on the side of caution when he is cleared and if there isn’t enough time left in the year (or they fall out of the playoff race entirely), he could just be shut down.  Nieto has five goals and two assists in 28 games this season.
  • While Bowen Byram is now off the CPRA list, he will not accompany the Avalanche on their three-game road trip to St. Louis, reports Peter Baugh of The Athletic (Twitter link). The 19-year-old rookie has played in 19 games so far this season, recording a pair of assists while logging 17:31 on the back end.  Assuming he’s able to suit up after this trip, he’ll have a couple of weeks to work on his conditioning before the playoffs get underway.  Meanwhile, Baugh adds that winger Logan O’Connor, who suffered a lower-body injury at the end of March, is on the trip.  Initially an injury fill-in, O’Connor has three goals and two assists in 22 games this season.

Arizona Coyotes| Bowen Byram| Colorado Avalanche| Conor Garland| Logan O'Connor| Matt Nieto| San Jose Sharks

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Salary Cap Deep Dive: San Jose Sharks

November 29, 2020 at 1:01 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg 8 Comments

Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM.  Teams that can avert total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful.  Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2020-21 season.  This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL.  All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.

San Jose Sharks

Current Cap Hit: $79,146,667 (under the $81.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

D Mario Ferraro (two years, $925K)
F Danil Yurtaykin (one year, $925K)
F Lean Bergmann (two years, $837K)
F Fredrik Handemark (one year, $793K)
F Noah Gregor (one year, $768K)
F Alexander True (one year, $763K)
F Joachim Blichfeld (one year, $737K)

Potential Bonuses:

Ferraro: $213K
Bergmann: $133K
Handemark: $133K
Gregor: $65K
True: $20K
Blichfeld: $20K

Total: $584K

The Sharks are overloaded with plenty of prospects on entry-level deals. The team sampled many of those players last year in hopes of finding some bottom-six depth, but very few players were able to make their mark last year. The most obvious success was the play of Ferraro, who established himself as an NHL defenseman after spending two years at the University of Massachussets-Amherst playing alongside Cale Makar, and now will battle for a top-four spot in the Sharks’ lineup this year. While his offense is still coming around, the defenseman is a hard-worker and impressive locker room presence already after one season and should only get better.

Another player who should get a legitimate opportunity at center for San Jose is Handemark. The 27-year-old SHL veteran has been solid presence in Sweden for years and now will bring his talents over to San Jose in hopes of adding to the team’s bottom-six depth. Handemark had career highs of 14 goals and 38 points in 52 games and should replace the spot formerly held by Joe Thornton. The rest are less likely to make the squad unless one of them can prove they can handle a bottom-six role.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

G Devan Dubnyk ($2.17MM, UFA)
F Ryan Donato ($1.9MM, RFA)
F Marcus Sorensen ($1.5MM, UFA)
F Stefan Noesen ($925K, UFA)
F Patrick Marleau ($700K, UFA)
F Matthew Nieto ($700K, UFA)
F Antti Suomela ($700K, UFA)
F Dylan Gambrell ($700K, RFA)

*- Minnesota is retaining an addition $2.17K of Dubnyk’s cap hit and salary

One of the most interesting acquisitions this offseason was bringing in both Dubnyk and Donato from Minnesota. Both be free agents in a year, although Dubnyk will be an unrestricted free agent. The team brought in the long-time Wild starter with the hopes that the 34-year-old might push for the starting goalie spot next season. Dubnyk is coming off one of his worst seasons in Minnesota after many solid seasons. The team hopes he can bounce back and solidify a weak position last year. The other piece to the trade with Minnesota was Donato, a highly-touted college prospect who is already on his fourth team in just three years. The Sharks hope that dropping him into a top-six situation might set the young forward off after scoring 14 goals last season.

For a minimum deal, the team will bring back Marleau, who has the opportunity to pass Gordie Howe for first place in the NHL in games played this season. Sorensen and Noesen should establish themselves in the bottom six. Sorensen looked on the verge of joining the top six after a 17-goal season in 2018-19, but came down to earth instead, scoring just seven goals. Noesen scored 13 goals in 2017-18 with New Jersey, something that San Jose hopes he can re-create this season. The same sentiment goes for veteran Matt Nieto signed out of Colorado.

Two Years Remaining

F Tomas Hertl ($5.63MM, UFA)
F Joel Kellman ($750K, UFA)
D Jacob Middleton ($725K, RFA)

Not much went right in San Jose last year and a major injury to Hertl, who tore his ACL and MCL in his left knee in January and had surgery in February to repair them. However, when healthy, Hertl was one of the team’s top players. He made the all-star game after posting 16 goals and 36 points in 48 games before the injury and was coming off a 35-goal season the previous year. If the team can get him healthy and have him bounce back in 2020-21, the team should be in good shape and have two seasons to observe his play before having to make a decision on a long-term deal.

Three Years Remaining

F Timo Meier ($6MM, RFA)

The 24-year-old forward has proven to be a solid, dependable goal scorer for the Sharks as he posted 22 goals and 49 points in 70 games last year. That’s a touch less than the 30 goals and 66 points he had in 78 games in 2018-19, but considering the type of season that San Jose had, he is still one of the core pieces for the next three years.Read more

Four Or More Years Remaining

D Erik Karlsson ($11.5MM through 2026-27)
F Logan Couture ($8MM through 2026-27)
D Brent Burns ($8MM through 2024-25)
D Marc-Edouard Vlasic ($7MM though 2026-27)
F Evander Kane ($7MM through 2024-25)
G Martin Jones ($5.75MM through 2023-24)
F Kevin Labanc ($4.73MM through 2023-24)
D Radim Simek ($2.25MM through 2023-24)

This is where the Sharks have failed, locking up all their aging veterans and the team is only beginning to feel the effects of all these long-term deals, many of which are on the wrong side of 30.

Karlsson hasn’t looked like the dominant blueliner they thought they acquired from Ottawa two years ago. Karlsson, now 30, has dealt with continual injuries in his two years in San Jose and despite solid numbers (six goals, 40 points in 56 games), the team was hoping for a game-changing player when they brought him aboard and signed him for an $11.5MM AAV. Burns is no different. The team has another five years of the 35-year-old blueliner, who saw a major drop off in points last season. After posting an 83-point campaign in 2018-19, Burns managed just 45 points last season and is starting to look his age. Don’t forget that the team also is investing seven more years in Vlasic, already 33 years old, who also has seen his game diminish on the ice.

On the forward end, Couture, 31 years old, is locked up for seven more years and the captain also dealt with injuries and posted just 16 goals last season in 52 games. The Sharks have to hope that he can bounce back this season or that contract too, could look like a mistake. The team also has to look at itself in the mirror after handing a four-year, $18.9MM deal to Labanc after a disappointing season where he scored just 14 goals and 33 points after scoring 17 goals and 56 points the previous year. A risky move after struggling last season. Kane was one of the few players that posted solid results for a second straight year. The 29-year-old did see his points total drop a bit, but Kane posted 26 goals in 64 games after scoring 30 goals the previous year in 75 games.

However, the biggest question mark has been the play of Jones in net. The 30-year-old has posted two straight subpar seasons with the exact same save percentage of .896 and continues to struggle. The team hopes that a new goalie coach and the addition of Dubnyk can change the outlook of Jones’ career, who the team still has four more years invested in.

Buyouts

None

Contract Terminations

None

Retained Salary Transactions

None

Still To Sign

F Jonathan Dahlen (RFA)
D Tony Sund (RFA)

Looking Ahead

The Sharks are hoping that several of their veteran players can get back on track in 2020-21 as most of their team struggled to one of their worst seasons of their franchise, a year when they thought they could challenge for the Stanley Cup. With so much money invested in a group of veterans, there is little money to provide significant depth, both in the top-six as well as in the bottom-six. To make matters worse, the team has quite a bit of young talent, but very few of them are ready to help the NHL club this coming season, leaving the team in a tough place if the veterans can’t return to form.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Antti Suomela| Brent Burns| Devan Dubnyk| Dylan Gambrell| Erik Karlsson| Evander Kane| Jacob Middleton| Joachim Blichfeld| Joel Kellman| Kevin Labanc| Logan Couture| Marc-Edouard Vlasic| Marcus Sorensen| Martin Jones| Matt Nieto| Patrick Marleau| Salary Cap Deep Dive 2020| San Jose Sharks

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