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Mikael Granlund

Minor Transactions: 10/13/17

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Today’s minor news and notes from around the league:

  • The Florida Panthers have loaned forward Denis Malgin to the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds, per a team release. Malgin, 20, was not expected to play much of a role for the Panthers in 2016-17, but ended up skating in 47 games and recording 10 points. This year, however, Malgin has yet to play to suit up for any of Florida’s first three games. With 2017 first-round pick Owen Tippett in the same boat, the Panthers needed to free up some opportunity and sending Malgin back to Springfield is no surprise. The Swiss forward was nearly a point-per-game player in the minors last season and can continue honing his skills while waiting for another opportunity to arise in Florida.
  • Luc Snuggerud remains sidelined after a preseason upper-body injury, but now he’ll be sitting on the sidelines in Rockford rather than Chicago. The Blackhawks announced today that the young, offensive defenseman has been reassigned to the AHL Ice Hogs. Snuggerud is no good to the ’Hawks injured, but even if he is ready to go by the end of his original three-week prognosis, Chicago has no space in the lineup for him to play next week or any time in the near future. The Nebraska-Omaha product is in his first full pro season, but if he can produce at a similar rate in the AHL as he did in the NCAA, then Chicago will have him back up sooner rather than later.
  • After clearing waivers today, Calgary Flames beat reporter Wes Gilbertson says that Marek Hrivik is on his way to the AHL. The free agent addition will join the Stockton Heat, a squad already full of talented young forwards such as Hunter Shinkaruk, Mark Jankowksi, and Spencer Foo. Hrivek will not only have to find his place on the new club, but also show that he is more worthy of the next Calgary call-up than some of his younger, more exciting new teammates.
  • With the Minnesota Wild facing some major injury questions up front. Marcus Foligno suffered a serious blow to the face in a fight with Chicago’s John Hayden last night, while Zach Parise and Mikael Granlund are day-to-day with lingering issues and the conditions of Charlie Coyle and Nino Niederreiter are also drawing some interest. There’s no easy solution is all five of those forwards are beyond playing condition, but for now the team has announced the call-up of rookie Luke Kunin from the AHL. Defenseman Mike Reilly was demoted to AHL Iowa to make room. Kunin, Minnesota’s 2016 first-round pick, decided to leave the University of Wisconsin after just two years to pursue his pro career and will almost certainly be rewarded with his NHL debut tomorrow. An intelligent, well-rounded center, it should come as no surprise if Kunin impresses in his role as an injury replacement and manages to keep a spot on the team going forward.
  • Another Central Division team has swapped a pair of players, as the St. Louis Blues announced that forward Tage Thompson has been reassigned to the AHL’s San Antonio Rampage, with fellow forward Sammy Blais getting the call-up. The two players are about as different as can be. Thompson is a 6’5″ center from Phoenix, Arizona who was drafted by the Blues in the first round in 2016 and played the past two seasons at the University of Connecticut before jumping right into the NHL this year. Blais is a 5’10” winger from Quebec who was drafted in the sixth round in 2014 and put up outstanding numbers in the QMJHL before playing a full AHL season last year. Yet, it’s Blais getting the call after an impressive preseason and a largely invisible first four games for Thompson. As the season goes on, watch for these two to be switched in and out depending on the personnel and style needs of St. Louis.

 

Central Notes: Wild, Bishop, Zadorov, Fiala

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Though he ultimately wound up signing a one-year contract with the Wild, center Matt Cullen acknowledged to Dane Mizutani of the Pioneer Press that he originally thought he’d be retiring following his second straight Stanley Cup with Pittsburgh.  However, he recovered from the wear and tear of last season much quicker than expected which motivated him to play for one more year.  However, instead of re-signing in Pittsburgh where he could potentially have had a bigger role, he opted to sign with Minnesota for family reasons.

More from the Central:

  • Still with the Wild, the team is hoping that winger Zach Parise will be able to return to the lineup for the home opener next weekend, notes Michael Russo of The Athletic (Twitter link). The veteran has been dealing with lingering back issues that caused him to miss the entire preseason.  Also, Russo notes via Twitter that center Mikael Granlund is expected to miss tonight’s game versus Carolina.  He was spotted limping yesterday although the team hasn’t specified what his injury is.
  • Although Stars goaltender Ben Bishop left Friday’s game after being cut from a puck hitting his mask, head coach Ken Hitchcock told reporters, including Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News, that although team doctors advised him to keep his starter out for the rest of the game, he is fine and should be in uniform tonight against St. Louis. He will take part in the morning skate although Kari Lehtonen is expected to get the start.
  • After being a healthy scratch in the season opener, Colorado defenseman Nikita Zadorov will return to the lineup today against New Jersey, reports BSN Denver’s Adrian Dater. While some speculated that his benching had something to do with his contract discussions over the summer, head coach Jared Bednar had said Zadorov “had a lot of catching up to do” before being ready to step into the lineup.
  • Predators winger Kevin Fiala won’t play tonight due to an upper-body injury, the team announced via Twitter. The team has listed him as day-to-day.  Winger Pontus Aberg is expected to play in Fiala’s place which will mark his first appearance of the season after being a regular for a good chunk of their postseason run back in the spring.

Snapshots: Maple Leafs, Granlund, Shipachyov

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The Toronto Maple Leafs assigned Martin Marincin to the minor leagues earlier today, recalling Calle Rosen to take his spot. It won’t be in the press box though, as Mike Babcock told reporters that Rosen would be in the lineup for the team’s home opener tomorrow night. He’ll take young Andreas Borgman’s spot on the third pairing with Connor Carrick.

Babcock also confirmed that Dominic Moore would be inserted into the lineup as the fourth line center, taking Eric Fehr’s job on Saturday night. This early rotation shows that the Maple Leafs are willing to be fluid with their lineup early on, and also demonstrates the depth they’ve built through free agency. Though the club saw very few injuries last season, they are more prepared to replace players this year as they try to contend for the Atlantic Division crown.

  • Michael Russo of the Star Tribune reports that Mikael Granlund wasn’t at Minnesota Wild practice this morning after being spotted limping after the game last night. The Wild won lost to the Detroit Red Wings and Granlund played more than 16 minutes, but we’ll have to wait and see if he returns to the ice tomorrow morning. The Wild take on the Carolina Hurricanes on what is a three-game road trip to start the season.
  • Vadim Shipachyov isn’t with the team for the Vegas Golden Knights season opener according to SinBin.vegas, which means his $4.5MM contract will continue to be buried for the time being on the AHL roster. Shipachyov came over from the KHL this season after a long professional career, but surely wasn’t expecting to be in the minor leagues on opening night. One thing is clear though, the Golden Knights are willing to do anything to protect assets in their inaugural season. While the team continues to carry nine defensemen on the roster—Brad Hunt, Jon Merrill and Griffin Reinhart are all scratches tonight—Nick Cotsonika of NHL.com tweets that they are still looking to make a trade of some sort.

Snapshots: Coyotes, Granlund, Horvat, Heeter

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The Arizona Coyotes are excited about their offseason moves, and perhaps none more than Oliver Ekman-Larsson. The Coyotes star defenseman has gained a friend and pairing in Niklas Hjalmarsson, who has played with him on the international stage in the past. The two Swedes will team up on Arizona’s first pair this season and try to make some noise in the Western Conference. Speaking with Dave Vest of NHL.com, Ekman-Larsson spoke about his new teammate:

I’m super excited about [playing with Hjalmarsson]. He’s super easy to play with. He talks a lot and he’s a good skater and moves the puck. I would say he’s underrated.

While Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook got a lot of the national press out of Chicago, any Blackhawks fan will tell you that Hjalmarsson was an integral piece to the three Stanley Cup teams. He was a defensive rock for the club for many years, and will try to allow Ekman-Larsson to open up his game a little bit while still taking on the tough matchups.

  • Michael Russo of the Star Tribune reports that Mikael Granlund rolled his ankle in Finland and has been seen on crutches, but is still expected to be ready for training camp. It will slow down the young forward’s offseason training, but luckily he seems to have escaped serious injury. Granlund will be relied upon heavily for the Minnesota Wild this season after signing a three-year, $17.25MM contract this summer.
  • In other Granlund news, Rick Dhaliwal of NEWS 1130 reports that Markus Granlund’s wrist is fully healthy and the Vancouver Canucks forward is already skating. Granlund underwent surgery in March to correct an ongoing issue, but is “100%” and ready for training camp. Coming off a 19-goal season, he could jump onto a top-line role once again for the Canucks.
  • Granlund also told Dhaliwal that he thinks Bo Horvat’s new contract will be done soon. Horvat is still sitting as a restricted free agent even though Canucks’ GM Jim Benning has been clear he wants to lock him up long-term. The young center will likely be the new face of the franchise in Vancouver once the Sedin twins leave town, and will be looking for a contract which adequately compensates him for that.
  • The Toronto Marlies have signed a goaltender to work with Garret Sparks this year. The team announced they’ve signed Cal Heeter to a one-year AHL deal, bringing him in after a solid end of the season with the Calder Cup champion Grand Rapids Griffins. Antoine Bibeau, the previous goaltender for the Marlies was not given a qualifying offer this spring and signed with the San Jose Sharks.

Wild Did Not Push To Sign Kirill Kaprizov

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Despite rumors earlier this off-season that Kirill Kaprizov, one of the top prospects of the Minnesota Wild, was potentially looking to make to the jump to the NHL, the young Russian scorer ended up re-signing in the KHL. The 20-year-old inked a three-year deal with CSKA Moscow of the KHL, with the new contract finally being made official yesterday. The term of the deal surprised many, as – barring a player buyout – Kaprizov’s highly-anticipated NHL debut would not be until 2020. However, in an interview today with Soviet Sports (link in Russian), Kaprizov lent some reasoning to his new contract. It seems that the Wild were not all that interested in bringing him overseas this off-season after all.

When the reporter asked “Minnesota showed great interest in you?” (translated), Kaprizov replied honestly that he has not had any direct contact with the team. He stated that Wild representatives last spoke with his agent at the 2017 World Juniors, but had not reached out since. Kaprivoz’s understanding was that Minnesota was simply waiting for his arrival “one day”, which flies in the face of speculation that the team had reached out to the 20-year-old this summer. While some have opined that the negotiations were effected by outside intervention, seemingly supported by Kaprizov’s previous reluctance to confirm a new KHL contract and an assumption that he was waiting for an offer from Minnesota, Kamprizov had the chance to say as much today and failed to do so.

While Kaprizov was just only a fifth-round pick in 2015, he has already greatly outperformed his draft slot. At just 19 years old last season, Kaprizov registered 42 points in 49 games for the KHL’s Salavat Yulaev Ufa, second only on the teams to former NHLer Linus Omark, and then added another 12 points in seven games in an impressive World Junior showing. Why then did Minnesota not reach out to the high-scoring youngster? Kaprizov was asked in his interview if he had given any thought to the difficult task of breaking into a Wild top six of Zach Parise, Eric Staal, Mikko Koivu, Mikael Granlund, Nino Niederreiter, and Jason Zucker, to which he of course replied that he had not thought of since Minnesota had not yet offered him the chance to play for the team, but the reported does make a valid point. Even with Alex Tuch and Erik Haula now in Vegas, Kaprizov stood little chance of cracking that top six and may have even struggled to beat out Charlie Coyle, rookie Luke Kunin, or recent additions Marcus Foligno and Tyler Ennis for a top nine role. Rather than waste Kaprizov on a checking line role or put him in the AHL, it seems likely that the Wild would simply rather let him continue to develop in the KHL. As for the three-year term, Minnesota and Kaprizov both realize that getting out of KHL contracts is relatively easy and should a spot open up for him sooner than three years, don’t be surprised to see the two sides finally come together. Even if he does play out his contract with CSKA, the reporter notes that Kaprizov would still be only 23 years old, the same age that Artemi Panarin came over from Russia and won the Calder Trophy.

The bridge is far from burnt between Kaprizov and the Wild, but it is interesting to note that the information surrounding their relationship appears to have been way off. For now, Kaprizov will continue to be just a “prospect” of the Wild, but with a shallow pipeline of talent in Minnesota and a point-per-game player continuing to grow and develop in arguably the second best hockey league in the world, it seems likely that these two sides will be joined sooner rather than later.

Minnesota Wild Sign Mikael Granlund To Three-Year Deal

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The Minnesota Wild have signed restricted free agent Mikael Granlund to a new three-year, $17.25MM contract. Granlund was scheduled for a salary arbitration hearing on Friday, and would have exchanged figures with the team tomorrow morning. While the deal will carry a $5.75MM average annual value, it breaks down as follows:

  • 2017-18: $5.25MM
  • 2018-19: $5.5MM
  • 2019-20: $6.5MM

Mikael GranlundGranlund’s deal comes in an average of $500K more each season than fellow Wild RFA Nino Niederreiter, despite only giving up one year of unrestricted free agency. The 25-year old broke out this season after a move to the wing, scoring 26 goals and 69 points in 81 games. He followed that up by garnering both Selke and Lady Byng votes, and is a big part of one of the best two-way forward groups in the NHL.

The $5.75MM cap hit comes in fairly high for a player who only has one season with more than 45 points, though the Wild clearly believe in Granlund’s ability to repeat his performance. Ondrej Palat, who gave up four UFA seasons and has a longer track record of offensive success received just $5.3MM per season, though he doesn’t have the same versatility. At Granlund’s hit, he’ll come in as the third-highest paid forward on the Wild behind just Zach Parise ($7.54MM) and Mikko Koivu ($6.75MM). That will come with some added responsibility, and there is some risk to the deal.

Granlund enjoyed a shooting percentage almost twice as high as his previous career total, and rode that to an easy career-high in goals. Regression even to 10% (which would have still been a career-high) would have lost him nearly 10 goals. If he’s discovered a way to put the puck in the net more frequently (which is entirely possible) he’ll likely fulfill the contract with ease, but if he takes a small step backwards it could backfire. The two sides agreed upon a relatively short-term deal for likely this exact reason; Minnesota is minimizing risk, while Granlund believes he’ll be worth even more when he hits free agency.

The Wild now have just Marcus Foligno left to sign, acquired in a trade with Buffalo for Marco Scandella and Jason Pominville. While he’ll likely only command a salary somewhere between $2-3MM per season, the team is getting very close to the salary cap ceiling for the upcoming season. Even with Foligno signed they have just 11 forwards listed on their CapFriendly page, meaning they’re actually at least $650K closer to that ceiling when they bring up a young player to fill the last spot. That’s without carrying a 13th forward or 7th defenseman, either of which will put them right up against the cap—they also have a third goaltender listed currently, which won’t be there when the season begins.

Calvin de Haan and Nate Schmidt remain as the final two players scheduled for arbitration hearings, and both have exchanged figures already.

Michael Russo of the Star Tribune was first to report the contract details on Twitter. 

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Upcoming RFA Arbitrations

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Next week is the last week for scheduled RFA arbitrations. So far no team or player has managed to actually make it to arbitration. Rather, parties have settled in every arbitration case prior to the arbitration hearing date. The same fate may await the following six players who make up the final set of arbitration dates.

August 2nd: Calvin de Haan – New York Islanders
The New York Islanders defenseman had a $1.97MM cap hit last season, and put up 5G and 20A in 82 games.

August 3rd: Nate Schmidt – Vegas Golden Knights
The former Washington Capitals defenseman—selected by the Vegas Golden Knights in the NHL expansion draft—put up 3G and 14A in 60 games last season. His previous cap hit was $812K.

August 3rd: Nino Niederreiter – Minnesota Wild
The 24 year-old Wild forward had a previous cap hit of $2.66MM and scored 25G and 32A in 82 games last season. Expect a significant raise.

August 4th: Mikael Granlund – Minnesota Wild
The 25 year-old Wild forward put up even better numbers than Neiderreiter with 26G and 43A in 81 games. Expect a significant raise over his previous $3MM cap hit.

August 4th: Conor Sheary – Pittsburgh Penguins
Fresh off a career season and a Stanley Cup victory, Sheary looks for a significant raise over his $667K contract. Sheary put up 23G and 30A in 61 games last season.

August 4th: Nathan Beaulieu – Buffalo Sabres
The 24 year-old defenseman scored 4G and 24A in 74 games last season. His previous cap hit was an even $1MM.

Arbitration Dates Still To Come

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While the league continues to try and lock up their young players, several arbitration dates remain on the docket for the next few weeks. Arbitration hearings have started, but only two have actually taken place and none have resulted in an actual decision. Both Tomas Tatar and Viktor Arvidsson reached agreements after their hearing, signing for four and seven years respectively.

There are very few remaining dates scheduled, though still some big names on the docket. For more information on how the arbitration process works, check out Mike Furlano’s two part breakdown of the system from last summer.

The remaining arbitration dates are as follows:

July 27 – (none)

Originally scheduled: Marek Mazanec (Nashville) who signed a one-year, two-way, $650K contract. Robin Lehner (Buffal0) who signed a one-year $4MM contract.

July 28 – (none)

Originally scheduled: Jean-Gabriel Pageau (Ottawa) who signed a three-year, $9.3MM contract.

July 31 – (none)

Originally scheduled: Matt Nieto (Colorado) who signed a one-year, $1MM contract.

August 1 – (none)

Originally scheduled: Connor Hellebuyck (Winnipeg) who signed a one-year $2.25MM contract. Reid Boucher (Vancouver) who signed a one-year $688K contract.

August 2 – Calvin de Haan (NY Islanders)

Originally scheduled: Kevin Gravel (Los Angeles) who signed a one-year, two-way, $650K contract. 

August 3 – Nate Schmidt (Vegas), Nino Niederreiter (Minnesota)

August 4 – Mikael Granlund (Minnesota), Conor Sheary (Pittsburgh), Nathan Beaulieu (Buffalo)

Snapshots: Niederreiter, Granlund, Schultz, Barr

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The Minnesota Wild still have three very important restricted free agents to sign, and while Marcus Foligno didn’t file for arbitration and can slowly work on a deal the deadlines for Nino Niederreiter and Mikael Granlund are fast approaching. Michael Russo of the Star Tribune reports that the team is still trying to get both of them under contract for three to five years, but have only 10 days to do it. The pair go to arbitration on August 3rd and 4th respectively, with an arbitrator’s ruling coming down 48 hours after the hearing is completed.

You can still work out a deal after going through the hearing process, like Tomas Tatar and Viktor Arvidsson have already this year. That wouldn’t be ideal, but the Wild could get deals done as late as next weekend. Niederreiter has turned into an elite two-way player, while Granlund broke out and led Minnesota with 69 points last season, showing off his offensive chops after a move to the wing. The team has $15.8MM in cap space to work with for the trio of RFAs, and they’ll need most if not all of it depending on how many years of free agency they can buy out.

  • The San Diego Gulls have signed NHL veteran Jeff Schultz to a one-year AHL contract, bringing him back for another year. Schultz, 31, was once a key part of the Washington Capitals’ defense corps, but has spent the majority of the last several years in the minor leagues. In 65 games for the Gulls last year, Schultz recorded 15 points but was a big part of their 43-20 record and has taken on a sort of mentor role for many of the Anaheim Ducks young defensemen.
  • The San Jose Sharks have added an assistant coach to the mix for next season, hiring Dave Barr to be their “eye-in-the-sky.” Barr was with the Florida Panthers last season but, like Scott Allen who was just hired in Arizona, was let go at the end of the year when the Panthers cleaned house. The 58-year old coach has bounced around the NHL since 2008-09, prior to which he served as the head coach of the Guelph Storm (OHL) for four years, taking his squad to the playoff in each season. Steve Spott and Rob Zettler will be behind the bench with head coach Peter DeBoer next season.

Which Of The RFAs Slotted For Arbitration Will Earn The Most?

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Arbitration can be a useful tool for players in a number of ways. It accelerates the contract negotiation process and puts it on a definitive timetable. It puts the player in a position where they can (theoretically) promote their own cause and posture for a greater paycheck. And in some cases, the threat of a mere one-to-two year ruling scares the team in question into handing out more term than they may otherwise have been comfortable.

With Tomas Tatar earning $5.3 MM AAV, Viktor Arvidsson earning $4.25 MM, and Colton Parayko raking in $5.5 MM all in the last few days, many players are earning longer deals with impressive cap hits before reaching their scheduled date. Only 14 names remain slotted for arbitration, but there are still a few names out there who are seeking a raise. Those players are Austin Watson, Brian Dumoulin, Mika Zibanejad, Ryan Spooner, Robin Lehner, Matt Nieto, Connor Hellebuyck, Reid Boucher, Calvin de Haan, Nate Schmidt, Nino Niederreiter, Mikael Granlund, Conor Sheary, and Nathan Beaulieu.

Keep in mind that most of the remaining names will likely come to an agreement prior to their dates, which could affect the prices. That said, who do you think ends up seeing the highest AAV on their next contract? Take our poll below!

(Mobile users, click here to vote.)

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