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Matthew Tkachuk

Poll: Which Star RFA Is Most Likely To Miss Games?

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We’re now exactly two weeks from the start of the 2019-20 NHL regular season and eight* restricted free agents are still without contracts. While a few of those names represent depth or role players, five names stand out as potentially disastrous situations. Brayden Point, Mikko Rantanen, Matthew Tkachuk, Kyle Connor and Patrik Laine have all shown superstar ability in their short careers and would be huge talents to leave on the sideline when the season begins. All five forwards scored at least 30 goals last season, with Laine registering the fewest points (50) and Point the most (92).

It’s hard to know exactly when any of them will finally break down the barrier and report to camp at this point. Rantanen and Laine are skating in Switzerland, Tkachuk is with his old OHL team and there have been reports about nearly all of them that things still aren’t close. Just a few days ago Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic tweeted that last offer from the Tampa Bay Lightning to Point was a three-year deal that carried just a $5.7MM average annual value. That would represent a much lower number than someone like Mitch Marner signed for, but Tampa Bay has long maintained the philosophy of low-cost bridge deals for their star players coming out of the entry-level system.

It seems likely then that at least one of these five will miss games at the start of the season. Preseason games have already started without them in training camp and opening night is quickly approaching. But who is the most likely to be without a contract on October 2nd? Cast your vote below and make sure to explain your thoughts in the comment section.

[Mobile users click here to vote]

*There are actually several other RFAs that do not have NHL contracts, but they have already signed elsewhere around the globe to play in other leagues.

West Notes: Tkachuk, Krebs, McDavid

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While Mikko Rantanen and Patrik Laine have joined a European team to continue their training while waiting on a new contract, Matthew Tkachuk has taken a different route. The Calgary Flames restricted free agent has started skating with the London Knights according to Ryan Pyette of the London Free Press, taking the ice with some former teammates in Ryan Rupert and Matt Rupert.

Tkachuk spent just one season with the Knights before being drafted by the Flames in 2016, but formed one of the most dominant lines the OHL has seen in many years alongside Mitch Marner and Christian Dvorak. The trio each totaled more than 100 points that season en route to a Memorial Cup championship. Both Marner and Dvorak have signed long-term extensions with their respective NHL teams, but for the Flames to do the same with Tkachuk might be tricky. The team currently projects to have just over $6.3MM in cap space and would likely have to make an additional move of some kind before signing the star winger to any deal buying out unrestricted free agent years.

  • Speaking of impressive junior players, Vegas Golden Knights first-round pick Peyton Krebs has been named captain of the Winnipeg Ice for their first season after the recent relocation. Krebs served in that role last season when the team was still located in British Columbia as the Kootenay Ice, and scored 68 points in 64 games. The 18-year old forward was expected to go even higher than his eventual draft position of 17, but suffered an Achilles injury just a few weeks before the draft and ended up falling out of the first half of the round. The Golden Knights certainly weren’t disappointed to get a player of his caliber that late, and they’ll be keeping a close eye on him in Winnipeg this season.
  • Edmonton Oilers GM Ken Holland told reporters he is “pretty optimistic” that Connor McDavid will be fully recovered from his knee injury in time to suit up for opening night, and that there is a chance that he gets into at least one preseason game. While it hasn’t been officially decided, having McDavid in the lineup to start the year is huge for an Oilers team that needs every point they can get this season as they look to try and get back into the playoffs. The Pacific Division is packed with teams that believe they can represent the division in the postseason this year, and the Oilers will have to get off to a strong start if they want to keep pace.

Morning Notes: Seattle, Matthews, Tkachuk

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The Seattle expansion franchise have announced few new employees including GM Ron Francis, but fans across the hockey world are waiting for another kind of announcement–the team’s name. That might be coming sooner than you think, as CEO Tod Leiweke explained on a Facebook Live broadcast yesterday (via NHL.com):

We’re working on it every day. I think it’ll be the first quarter of next year, perhaps around the All-Star Game (Jan. 24-26 in St. Louis) when there’s a reveal.

I had names a year ago that if pressed into launching in 2020, we would have been ready. But we’re so much better positioned because we’re now learning not just what we are, but what we’re not, and that’s really going to inform the name.

The team’s nickname has been a constant question from readers here at PHR, with suggestions like Kraken, Metropolitans and Sockeyes all thrown around. We’ll have to wait just a little longer to find out who will be hitting the ice in 2021 alongside the league’s other 31 teams.

  • Auston Matthews is ready to take over as captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs if the team decides to offer it to him, but he’s happy if someone else is the choice. The Maple Leafs center spoke with Craig Morgan of The Athletic (subscription required) while practicing at home in Arizona and noted that there are several excellent options to be the next Toronto captain. The team has operated without one since trading away Dion Phaneuf in 2016, but now that their young core has a little more experience in the NHL it may be time to sew on the “C.” Among other things, Matthews also explains that his biggest goal for this season is staying healthy and playing in all 82 games, something he has failed to do the last two years.
  • Speaking with TSN at the Hockey Night In Brampton event this week, Calgary Flames forward Sean Monahan gave his thoughts on the ongoing Matthew Tkachuk negotiations. Monahan says he’s “not too concerned” about the fact that Tkachuk is unsigned and believes that the young forward won’t want to miss any of training camp. The 21-year old Tkachuk exploded offensively last season, racking up 77 points in 80 games while still being the irritating physical presence he has become known for.

Latest On Matthew Tkachuk, Calgary Flames

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Among the unsigned restricted free agents, Matthew Tkachuk of the Calgary Flames may not be getting enough headlines. While many are focused on Mitch Marner, Brayden Point and Mikko Rantanen as the premier names still without contracts, Flames fans are holding their breath hoping that something can be finalized with their pesky star forward. After stepping right into the league after the 2016 draft and showing he perhaps should have gone higher than sixth overall, Tkachuk broke out last season and scored 34 goals and 77 points in 80 games. Those totals are made even more incredible when you realize that he did it without the benefit of playing alongside Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan.

The Flames have worked all summer to try and get themselves in a position where they can afford to sign Tkachuk, and it sounds like his side has simply waited for them to clear that room. Speaking with media including TSN at a charity golf tournament, Tkachuk’s agent Don Meehan of Newport Sports explained that they “set a position” quite some time ago and have stuck to it:

We took an approach where by we would be very proactive and progressive with Calgary. We started early, and we set a position. We didn’t really have to wait. We formulated a position that we thought would be fair and we gave that to Calgary probably in the early part of June.

So we’re involved in negotiations right now, but as far as I’m concerned it’s not a waiting game. We made a decision in terms of what we think is fair and relevant for the player and we’re working with Calgary now.

Even with his outstanding offensive production it might be hard to find a direct comparable for Tkachuk. There is so much more to the 21-year old forward’s game than just his scoring, including the innate ability to get under an opponent’s skin and get them to take bad penalties. In fact, Tkachuk has been involved in several altercations throughout his career that have ended in suspensions for the other team. Players like Marner and Rantanen don’t have that same impact, though they do affect the game in other ways.

For Calgary, getting Tkachuk signed and in training camp is obviously the best case scenario. But with just over $73.7MM committed to just 20 players and razor thin depth on defense since Juuso Valimaki suffered a long-term injury, the team has to be careful how much money they offer the young forward. A long-term deal could easily see him become the highest paid player on the team—an honor currently bestowed upon Gaudreau and captain Mark Giordano who carry $6.75MM cap hits—and put the Flames in an even tighter financial situation for the next few years. Still, while a bridge deal might make more sense for the Flames right now there’s no way to know if Tkachuk would even contemplate such a short contract. His camp obviously has a number and length in mind and the two sides will have to try and work out something close to that in the next few weeks.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Snapshots: Brodie, Marner, Staal

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The Calgary Flames still need to shed some more salary in order to fit in what is expected to be a big contract for Matthew Tkachuk, and Sportsnet’s Eric Francis suggests on radio that T.J. Brodie might have to be the one to go. The defenseman has been involved in trade speculation for some time and as Francis notes, the team has two up-and-coming options in Rasmus Andersson and Juuso Valimaki (not to mention Oliver Kylington, who is also pushing for an NHL spot.)

The Flames already shed themselves of some money by buying out Michael Stone recently, but project to have just over $7.75MM in cap space to sign both Tkachuk and Andrew Mangiapane. The 29-year old Brodie has just one year left on his current contract with a $4.65MM cap hit and is still an effective offensive option from the blueline. Francis worries that the Flames may have to part with another player to find a fit for Brodie after a deal earlier this offseason fell apart with the Toronto Maple Leafs thanks to Nazem Kadri’s no-trade clause. With just a month left before training camps open, Flames GM Brad Treliving still has plenty of work to do.

  • Speaking of the Maple Leafs, they too have an unsigned restricted free agent holding things up. Mitch Marner still doesn’t have a contract for the 2019-20 season, but linemate John Tavares doesn’t seem worried. Speaking with TSN this weekend, Tavares explained that “there’s still some time” for the contract to be worked out and is hopeful that Marner is there on the first day of training camp. The Maple Leafs currently project over the salary cap for the upcoming season but have more than $10MM tied up in Nathan Horton and David Clarkson who will be placed on long-term injured reserve at some point.
  • Jared Staal has been hired by the ECHL’s Orlando Solar Bears as an assistant coach, transitioning to a new role in professional hockey. The younger brother of Eric Staal, Jordan Staal and Marc Staal played two games for the Carolina Hurricanes in 2012-13 but had spent most of his career in the minor leagues. His playing days ended after suiting up for the Edinburgh Capitals of the EIHL in 2016-17. The 28-year old was originally drafted in the 2008 second round, but couldn’t quite climb to the same heights as his brothers. Perhaps he’ll get to that level as a coach, something he’s obviously getting an early start on.

RFA Notes: Tkachuk, Perlini, Pettersson

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The Flames made a move earlier this week to free up some funds to re-sign winger Matthew Tkachuk when they bought out defenseman Michael Stone.  While they still have some work to do to in order to free up enough cap room to get a new deal done, GM Brad Treliving told NHL.com’s Aaron Vickers that he expects to get Tkachuk signed before training camp.  Calgary currently has $7.75MM in cap room per CapFriendly but also still needs to get a deal done with RFA winger Andrew Mangiapane.  With Tkachuk being one of the players at the top end of the RFA market, it’s quite possible that his new contract will exceed their current cap room so expect more movement from the Flames in the weeks to come.

More notes from restricted free agency:

  • The Blackhawks and winger Brendan Perlini appear to be about $500K apart in contract talks. Scott Powers of The Athletic reports (subscription required) that Chicago is offering roughly $1MM while Perlini is seeking closer to $1.5MM.  While that’s far from an insurmountable difference, the team does want to keep some salary cap flexibility for in-season movement so it’s unlikely they’ll move too much off of their current offer for a little while.  Perlini has scored at least 14 goals in each of his three seasons but also spent considerable time in Chicago’s bottom six last season.
  • The Penguins and defenseman Marcus Pettersson both prefer to get a multi-year deal done this summer, GM Jim Rutherford told Mike DeFabo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Pettersson’s agent stated last month that the blueliner doesn’t intend to sign until Pittsburgh makes a trade to free up some cap room although Rutherford indicated if they had to, they could push the 23-year-old to simply accept his one-year qualifying offer of just over $874K.  Pettersson had 25 points in 84 games last season between Anaheim and Pittsburgh (which allowed him to play more than the standard 82) while he logged nearly 18 minutes a night with the Penguins.

Mitch Marner Deal Holding Up Other Restricted Free Agents

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If the Toronto Maple Leafs’ negotiations with Mitch Marner last as long as they did with William Nylander last season, many other NHL teams are going to be in trouble. According to The Athletic’s Joe Smith, many other agents are waiting to see how Marner’s deal shakes out before finalizing terms for their own top restricted free agent forwards. A surprising number of prominent RFA forwards remain unsigned and could stay that way until the Marner deal sets the market.

Writing specifically about the Tampa Bay Lightning, a team facing their own RFA conundrum with breakout center Brayden Point, Smith states that the team expects Point to be ready for camp in September, but agent Gerry Johansson is content with the “slow process”. The agents for Mikko Rantanen, Matthew Tkachuk, Kyle Connor, Brock Boeser, Patrik Laine, and Travis Konecny likely feel the same way and are apparently waiting to see where Marner, the best of the group, ends up before moving forward. In fact, Sportsnet’s Rick Dhaliwal also added today that things are very quiet around Boeser’s camp and he acknowledges that the process has been slow for most big-name RFA’s.

So what will be the first domino to fall? Will Marner really sign first and set the stage for everyone else? Or will another unsigned star finally budge and give the market a much-needed comparable? While Marner, who recorded 94 points in 82 games last year, is the most established player and considered the top RFA who would be the ceiling for the market, he was actually quite comparable to Rantanen and Point last season. However, the rest of the group could benefit from any of the group signing a contract to use as a point of comparison. At this point in the summer, the odds are high that at least one of these negotiations will last into the regular season. But if the reports are true that the market waits on Marner, those teams with top unsigned RFA forwards better hope that Toronto and their star winger are closer than it seems.

Calgary Flames, Matthew Tkachuk Taking Time To Get Deal Done

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The Calgary Flames have many offseason tasks they must deal with this summer, but the No. 1 priority of the team is locking up their top restricted free agent, Matthew Tkachuk. However, with a number of big-name restricted free agents cashing in on mega contracts in the last couple of years, the negotiations are expected to take a while. In fact, The Fourth Period reports that the two sides are in no rush to get a deal done quickly.

Both Calgary and Tkachuk have already had initial discussions, but negotiations aren’t expected to pick up again until later this month, most likely after the NHL Entry Draft. Much of the initial discussions likely dealt with the type of deal that Tkachuk is looking for as he could either sign a short-term bridge deal or a long-term deal. If the team isn’t ready to shell out an expensive long-term deal, they could offer a three-year bridge deal in hopes of seeing whether Tkachuk is worthy of such a deal that would take him to his final year of restricted free agency.

Several restricted free agents have cashed in recently, especially in Toronto as Auston Matthews signed a five-year, $58.2MM contract ($11.63MM AAV) in February, while William Nylander signed a six-year, $45MM deal ($6.96MM AAV) in December after holding out. There are quite a few key restricted free agents this offseason and Tkachuk might want to wait some of them out to see what the market sets at, including Toronto’s Mitch Marner, Carolina’s Sebastian Aho, San Jose’s Timo Meier and Winnipeg’s Patrik Laine and Kyle Connor amongst others.

Tkachuk is coming off a breakout season in the final year of his entry-level deal as he potted 35 goals and picked up 77 points this season, something they were hoping for after they drafted him sixth overall in 2016. A physical, menace-type player, Tkachuk is critical to the team’s long-term plans, but with plenty of cap concerns approaching, the team could opt to give him a little less money if he accepts a shorter-term deal. However, a long-term deal might be the preferred outcome in case Tkachuk continues to take steps forward in his development, which is quite possible considering he’s still only 21 years old.

The Flames are projected to have more than $14MM in cap space this offseason, giving them the room to lock up Tkachuk to a long-term deal, although the team still has other key restricted free agents in Sam Bennett, Andrew Mangiapane and goaltender David Rittich to sign. The team also must decide on whether to bring back unrestricted free agent Mike Smith in net to pair with Rittich. If not, the team will have to find a goaltender on the free agent market to replace him. That could take up a significant amount of cap room, although there have been rumors the team could move one of their veteran defenseman, either T.J. Brodie or Travis Hamonic, to open up some more cap space and free up a defensive roster spot for some of their upcoming defensive prospects. General manager Brad Treliving might also attempt to trade forward James Neal and his bloated $5.75MM AAV contract, although finding a taker might prove to be a challenge considering he has four more years remaining on his contract.

Pacific Notes: Perry, Bennett, Smith, Clarkson

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One major decision that the Anaheim Ducks must make is decide what to do with longtime star Corey Perry, who has struggled with injury and a decline in play recently. The former superstar scorer saw his totals drop to 19 goals in 2016-17; 17 goals in 2017-18; and just six goals, albeit in 31 games last season. With two years remaining at $8.625MM, the team must decide whether to keep him around or buy him out.

Eric Stephens of The Athletic (subscription required), in a mailbag piece, writes that the team might be better off challenging the 34-year-old to attempt a comeback rather than a buyout. If the team attempts to buy him out, it would save quite a bit of money this season, but still leave them with a $6.625MM cap hit for next season, all for paying him not to play for them. The team has to hope that Perry can bounce back with a 20-goal campaign and make his contract look acceptable. Unfortunately, Perry’s six goals and 10 points over 31 games last year only would have translated to 16 goals and 23 points over a full season. Probably not the return, the would like.

  • Sportsnet’s Eric Francis writes the Calgary Flames should be worried about losing forward Sam Bennett to an offer sheet. The scribe writes that Bennett, who will be a restricted free agent this summer, is the type of player who wouldn’t cost too much in compensation for other teams as a contract between $1.82MM and $3.65MM would only cost a team a second-round pick. Considering the salary cap issues that the Flames are in with the need to re-sign Matthew Tkachuk, several other restricted free agents and two starting goaltenders, the team might not be willing to spend $3.65MM to retain the 22-year-old Bennett, who scored 13 goals and 27 points last season. Francis writes that the Vancouver Canucks could be the perfect team to attempt to sign Bennett to an offer sheet.
  • In a separate piece, Francis writes the Flames must also make a decision on whether to bring back goaltender Mike Smith, who struggled for much of the season until the end when he played much stronger for the Flames in the stretch run of the season. Smith, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, has indicated a willingness to return next season, but would there be better options? While Robin Lehner, Sergei Bobrovsky and Petr Mrazek would all likely be out of Calgary’s price range, the team could consider trading for a goalie such as Jake Allen or attempt to sign Semyon Varlamov, who at 31, might come at a reasonable price.
  • Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, in his 31 Thoughts column, writes that the Vegas Golden Knights are likely to explore trading away the contract of David Clarkson. If the Golden Knights can find a team that would be willing to take on his $5.25MM cap hit, it could seriously ease some of Vegas’ salary cap concerns as the team is already projected to be above the salary cap for next season with just 19 players under contract so far. One benefit is that Clarkson is due only $3.25MM in cash, which could make him easier to trade to a team with extra cap room along with either a prospect and/or pick.

Calgary Flames Will Likely Have To Move Out A Veteran

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In the next few months, the Calgary Flames and their general manager Brad Treliving will have quite a few decisions to make as they must sign restricted free agent Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Bennett and Andrew Mangiapane as well as sign two goaltenders for their NHL roster, all with just $14.5MM to work with.

The challenge will come with Treliving’s most important challenge as Tkachuk’s next contract could take up more than half of that money. Sportsnet’s Eric Francis writes that the 21-year-old power forward could net himself a contact that could compare with Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl’s eight-year, $68MM contract that he signed in 2017 at $8.5MM AAV. And that number could even be higher as Tkachuk’s numbers are even better than Draisaitl’s was as Tkachuk has 21 more goals and 37 more points after three seasons.

At that cost, Francis writes, the team will undoubtedly have to move either Michael Frolik and/or defenseman T.J. Brodie to free up enough cap room to accomplish the other tasks on their offseason to-do list. Frolik would be an obvious choice as he was a candidate to be traded earlier this year at the trade deadline as the 31-year-old forward hasn’t been happy with his lack of playing time under head coach Bill Peters. While his numbers, 16 goals and 34 points, weren’t that off his usual totals, his ATOI dropped to his lowest levels in years at 13:22. He also was a healthy scratch at several points during the season, prompting both he and his agent to request a trade. Frolik is entering his final year, but at $4.3MM next season, the team might find it challenging to unload a bottom-six player at that cost without taking back a similar contract.

Another candidate for a trade could be Brodie. Despite playing his entire career in Calgary and often working on the team’s top pairing alongside Mark Giordano, the team suddenly has a surplus of both veteran defensemen as well as three intriguing young players who are going to push for playing time in Rasmus Andersson, Juuso Valimaki and Oliver Kylington. That could make Brodie, the Flames’ most intriguing asset on the team as he enters the final year of his contract at $4.65MM, a reasonable cost for a team looking for a top-four defenseman.

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