Mike Smith

West Notes: Smith, Wild, Evason

March 17, 2020 at 8:58 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 2 Comments

When Mike Smith signed with Edmonton in free agency, the move raised some eyebrows. He was coming off a season that saw him post the lowest save percentage of his career and with Mikko Koskinen having several question marks, some were expecting the Oilers to add a more proven goaltending option. Instead, he has rebounded quite nicely and has posted the second-highest point total among NHL netminders since January while helping Edmonton get into second place in the Pacific Division. As a result, Sportsnet’s Mark Spector suggests that the soon-to-be 38-year-old has done enough to warrant another one-year deal for next season. Despite the strong record since the turn of the calendar to 2020, his overall numbers on the season (2.95 GAA, .902 SV%) aren’t the best so the Oilers may be able to get him cheaper than his current price tag of a $2MM base salary plus another $1.75MM in performance bonuses ($500K of which have been reached so far).

Poll: Who Will Be The Chicago Blackhawks’ Starting Goalie In 2020-21?

March 1, 2020 at 5:51 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 13 Comments

One of the most surprising moves of the trade deadline was the Chicago Blackhawks dealing goaltender Robin Lehner to the Vegas Golden Knights. While the 28-year-old Lehner signing a one-year deal in Chicago this summer was strange in the first place, it was beginning to look like it was merely the first step in a long-term relationship between the two sides. Lehner, although splitting time evenly with Corey Crawford, was enjoying a good season and looked like he could be the team’s starter moving forward with the 35-year-old Crawford also on an expiring contract. Instead, he was traded away for backup Malcolm Subban, a prospect, and a second-round pick. His recent comments about his time in Chicago make it all but certain that Lehner will not be playing for the Blackhawks again.

Chicago’s situation in net is now more unclear than any other team in the NHL. Yet, even without any potential long-term solution in place, GM Stan Bowman told the Chicago Sun Times’ Ben Pope that the team will definitely have a “proven NHL goalie signed for next year.” The question is who?

Bowman specifically named Crawford, Subban, Collin Delia, and Kevin Lankinen as internal options for next season. However, any of those names would come as a disappointment to ‘Hawks fans as next season’s starter. The veteran Crawford is in the final season of a six-year, $36MM contract, over the course of which he has gone from elite to replacement-level and has missed significant time to boot. Crawford can no longer be relied upon as an NHL starter, at least not for a playoff team, and giving him an extension would not be well received by many of the team’s supporters. With that said, he would still be the best option if the team stays internal. None of Subban, Delia, or Lankinen could possibly fit Bowman’s description of “proven”; Subban and Delia have a combined 83 NHL appearances and Lankinen has yet to make his on-ice debut in the league. Subban struggled in his role as primary backup to Marc-Andre Fleury in Vegas, forcing the aging netminder to take on a heavy workload, while Delia also had a difficult time in the role for a brief time last season. Neither appears to be NHL starter material at the very least and Lankinen is completely unproven. So are any of the current Blackhawks keepers really candidates to be Bowman’s starter?

If the Blackhawks want to return to relevance in the NHL, they must bring in an outside candidate to take the starter’s job next season. However, the open market also doesn’t offer any obvious fits. With Lehner presumably off the table, the top candidates who could be available in free agency are Braden Holtby, Jacob Markstrom, Anton Khudobin, Jaroslav Halak, Thomas Greiss, and Mike Smith.

Holtby is undoubtedly the top available name and the best fit as a true workhorse starter for the Blackhawks, but with nearly $72MM committed to just 15 players for next season, Chicago would have to work some magic on the cap to make space to sign Holtby. Even with room to sign him, they would also need to take into account that Holtby is also on the wrong side of 30 and has struggled this season with the Washington Capitals.

Next in line would be Markstrom, who from an ability, age, and cost perspective makes a lot of sense for Chicago. The problem is that he also makes a lot of sense to the Vancouver Canucks, who are expected to re-sign him. If Markstrom is out there, expect the Blackhawks to be one of a number of interested suitors, but potentially the leader of the pack.

Based on recent results, the trio of Khudobin, Halak, and Greiss would be the next level down. All three veterans have been stellar over the past two years albeit playing in backup roles. Any of them could improve the Blackhawks’ results when in net, but the problem is that they would likely leave upwards of 35-40 games for the likes of Delia, Subban, or Lankinen (assuming the latter two RFA’s are qualified) to handle. This does not exactly sound like a fix for Chicago, but it could be better than nothing. All three would be relatively inexpensive additions who have a track record of getting the job done, given adequate rest. Khudobin has been the best of the three this season, while Halak is the most experienced and Greiss’ role with the New York Islanders in recent years has most closely resembled a starter.

Smith is another strong candidate, assuming he is available. Like Markstrom, there is a good chance that Smith could re-sign with his current team, the Edmonton Oilers. There is also the possibility that the 38-year-old could retire. If not though, Smith checks a number of boxes. While serving as more of a split-time goalie this season, Smith has been a starter for much of his career, dating back to the late 2000’s. His numbers are not fantastic – in fact, Crawford has been better this season – nor is he a long-term plan, but Smith would provide a change in net and stable if unspectacular play. His price should not be high and his market should not be overwhelming. If the Blackhawks are simply looking for a fresh face and a stopgap while they wait for superior options, Smith could be the guy.

Of course, the team could also go the trade route this summer. The New York Rangers could be selling either superstar Henrik Lundqvist or young Alexandar Georgiev, either of whom would provide and upgrade in the Chicago net. Struggling starters Martin Jones of San Jose and Pekka Rinne of Nashville could become available, as could former starters who have been replaced such as Arizona’s Antti Raanta or Pittsburgh’s Matt Murray. The signings of Holtby, Lehner, and others could also displace other names. It’s hard to predict the off-season trade market at this point, but given the lack of obvious options in free agency, it is safe to assume that Bowman will kick some tires. But will cap constraints and lacking trade capital limit their ability in this market as well?

What do you think? Who will be the Blackhawks’ starting goalie in 2020-21?

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Trade Deadline Primer: Edmonton Oilers

January 26, 2020 at 3:00 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg 3 Comments

With the trade deadline now less than a month away, we will be taking a closer look at the situation for each team over the coming weeks. Where do they stand, what do they need to do, and what assets do they have to fill those needs? Next up is a look at the Edmonton Oilers.

After two disastrous seasons, there was little hope that the Oilers might be able to compete for a playoff spot, especially considering the fact that new general manager Ken Holland didn’t make major changes to the team. They added James Neal and brought in a few overseas players in hopes of filling in the holes in their middle six, but instead, the Oilers have risen to the challenge under new head coach Dave Tippetts, holding the top spot in the division at several points in the season and still remain near the top of a competitive Pacific Division.

Record

26-18-5, tied (with three other teams) for second in the Pacific Division

Deadline Status

Buyer

Deadline Cap Space

$5.851MM in a full-season cap hit (using LTIR), 1/3 used salary cap retention slots, 48/50 contracts per CapFriendly

Upcoming Draft Picks

2020: EDM 1st, EDM 2nd, EDM 3rd*, EDM 4th, EDM 5th, EDM 6th, EDM 7th
2021: EDM 1st, EDM 2nd, EDM 3rd, EDM 4th, EDM 5th, EDM 6th, PIT 6th, EDM 7th

*- Calgary will receive Edmonton’s third-round pick as part of the Neal/Lucic swap if Neal scores 21 or more goals and Lucic has at least ten goals less than him at the end of the season. Neal is currently at 19 so he will likely get to 21 while Lucic is at four goals.

Trade Chips

With a number of young defensemen already in Edmonton and several others not far off, the Oilers would love to unload a defenseman, preferably someone who has a big contract such as Adam Larsson or Kris Russell. Whether they can convince anyone to take either of those is a whole different question. The team does have a few other third-pairing options it could move, including William Lagesson and Keegan Lowe, but the team has made it clear that top prospects Evan Bouchard and Philip Broberg are off the table in trade talks. Perhaps a team could pry away Dmitri Samorukov.

While the team many NHL options, Holland still has a full complement of draft picks, minus the team’s third-rounder, which is likely to change hands to Calgary. The team’s first-round pick could easily be in play for the right piece.

Five Players To Watch For: F Sam Gagner, D William Lagesson, D Adam Larsson, D Kris Russell, D William Lagesson, D Dmitri Samorukov

Team Needs

1) Scoring Help: The team still has holes in its top-nine. While the Oilers seem to have recently found some success on their second line with Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Kailer Yamamoto, Edmonton still has holes on its first line and third line and could, without a doubt, use one more significant scoring piece at the trade deadline. While there was plenty of talk about acquiring Taylor Hall back in December, that was quite unrealistic considering their cap situation. However, there are a number of options that could interest them, including a third-line center on the market — Ottawa’s Jean-Gabriel Pageau. He would fill a significant need on the third line or, if needed, could step into a top-six role on the wing. Another option would be adding Los Angeles’ Tyler Toffoli, whose name has been thrown around trade rumors quite a bit the last month or two. Toffoli might be a cheaper option, who could fill a top-nine role for the team and prove to be a better player than Alex Chiasson or Joakim Nygard.

2) Goaltending Depth: Yes, the team has Mikko Koskinen and Mike Smith, but the 37-year-old Smith hasn’t been that consistent this season and often sees his second-half numbers decline. The team has already used Smith quite a bit this year (26 appearances) and could use a more impactful player that can be used in tandem with Koskinen. Smith currently has a 2.96 GAA and a .901 save percentage, numbers that could be replaced if they wanted to go out and acquire an Alexandar Georgiev or swap Smith for a more consistent option.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Edmonton Oilers Recall Stuart Skinner

December 1, 2019 at 2:16 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

The Edmonton Oilers announced several changes to the lineup tonight, including the emergency recall of goaltender Stuart Skinner. Mike Smith is out on a day-to-day basis, meaning Skinner will serve as backup for Mikko Koskinen tonight. Zack Kassian is also out for tonight with a back injury, while Kris Russell has left the team to attend the birth of his second child.

The Oilers take on the Vancouver Canucks this evening with both teams in very different situations than a year ago. Edmonton currently leads the Pacific Division with a 16-9-3 record, while the Canucks could retake a divisional playoff spot tonight with a win. Both Canadian franchises have struggled to find any real success in recent years, but have their eyes set on a postseason position.

Skinner, 21, is a third-round pick of the Oilers that spent the majority of last season in the ECHL, but has struggled during his short time in the AHL. The former WHL star is an interesting prospect, but there’s little reason to believe he could handle an NHL role if forced into it.

Morning Notes: Three Stars, Sabourin, Gusev

November 4, 2019 at 11:56 am CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

The NHL has released their Three Stars for last week and at the top of the heap is the reigning Calder Trophy winner. Elias Pettersson had nine points in four games for the Vancouver Canucks—one of which he was held scoreless entirely—and now sits sixth in the entire league in scoring. The 21-year old is a huge part of the turnaround in Vancouver that has the Canucks sitting in third place in the Western Conference with a 9-3-2 record.

Second and third went to Jakub Vrana and Mike Smith respectively, an impressive resurgence for the 37-year old goaltender especially. Smith struggled last season with the Calgary Flames but has found new life with their rival Edmonton Oilers, posting a .931 save percentage through his first nine games. The Oilers are one of the only teams ahead of the Canucks in the west, thanks in large part to the goaltending tandem that has been excellent so far.

There is more good news for Scott Sabourin, who has been released from hospital and is now back in Ottawa recuperating. The 27-year old appears to have avoided major injury after a scary collision with Boston Bruins’ forward David Backes on Saturday night that left him unconscious for several minutes on the ice.
Nikita Gusev is expected to return to the lineup for the New Jersey Devils when they take on the Winnipeg Jets tonight, but is still someone to keep an eye on as the season progresses. Gusev was made a healthy scratch the last three games by head coach John Hynes, but will now get a chance to play thanks to an injury to Jesper Bratt. Bratt will not be traveling with the team to Winnipeg according to team reporter Amanda Stein, but could join them later on their Western Canada road trip.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Edmonton Oilers

August 10, 2019 at 7:31 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg 1 Comment

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 2019-20 season. This will focus more on those players who are integral parts of the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.

Edmonton Oilers

Current Cap Hit: $79,066,999 (under the $81.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Joakim Nygard (one year, $925K)
F Cooper Marody (two years, $925K)
F Kailer Yamamoto (two years, $894K)
D Evan Bouchard (three years, $894K)
F Tyler Benson (two years, $808K)
D Caleb Jones (one year, $720K)
D Ethan Bear (one year, $720K)

Potential Bonuses

Bouchard: $850K
Yamamoto: $230K
Marody: $75K
Jones: $70K
Bear: $20K

The team have a number of young players on entry-level deals, but so far while there is a ton of potential here, not one player has stepped up and established themselves as a full-time player on the Oilers roster. Yamamoto, the team’s 2017 first-rounder, was expected to provide the speed that the team needed to develop a fast-paced offense, but after 26 NHL games, he’s provided just one goal and four assists. Marody has appeared in six games with no points, while Benson, despite quite a bit of success in the AHL, hasn’t gotten a chance at the NHL level, although that’s likely to change this season. The team also has high hopes in Nygard, who is a speedy winger, who is coming off a 21-goal campaign in the SHL, but remains a mystery.

On defense, the team might get their 2018 first-round pick, Evan Bouchard, to make the team and contribute quickly, but he also must prove to the team that he’s ready for that opportunity. However, Bouchard already has seven games of experience with the Oilers (scoring one goal), while posting three goals and eight points for the Bakersfield Condors of the AHL in eight playoff games. Other defenseman might also be ready, including Bear and Jones. Bear has played two seasons now in the AHL, while Jones got 17 games with the Oilers last season and might be the most NHL-ready.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

D Darnell Nurse ($3.2MM, RFA)
F Sam Gagner ($3.15MM, UFA)
D Brandon Manning ($2.25MM, UFA)
G Mike Smith ($1MM, UFA)
F Zack Kassian ($1.95MM, UFA)
D Matt Benning (1.9MM, RFA)
F Markus Granlund ($1.3MM, UFA)
F Kyle Brodziak ($1.15MM, UFA)
F Josh Archibald ($1MM, UFA)
D Joel Persson ($1MM, RFA)
F Tomas Jurco ($750K, UFA)
F Colby Cave ($675K, RFA)

The bulk of the Oilers contracts seem to be one-year deals, which means that many players will have to prove to the Edmonton front office that they deserve a new contract. The team will likely unload the contracts of both Gagner and Manning after this season, which should free up $5.4MM of cap space. The Oilers traded for the veteran Gagner near the trade deadline and he contributed five goals and 10 points in 25 games for Edmonton, but he likely will take a bottom-line role with Oilers this season, while Manning has never been a good fit after being acquired from the Blackhawks in December last season. Smith is another veteran the Oilers have high hopes for, but the team will reassess its goaltending situation at the end of the year and whether to bring the then 38-year-old back for another season. The same can be said for players like Archibald, Granlund and Jurco.

The team will have pay up next season for Nurse, a restricted free agent, who put up career-high numbers last season with the Oilers. The 24-year-old put up 10 goals and 41 points and averaged 23:49 of time on the ice. He also blocked 146 shots, while adding 162 hits as well, making him a solid all-around player despite seeing his plus-minus drop from a plus-15 in 2017-18 to a minus-five last year. The team must decide whether to keep Benning, who will also be a restricted free agent. Benning saw his playing time drop by almost three minutes since the previous year and might lose his job to some of the team’s young defensive prospects.

The team also have a number of veteran players, who will hit unrestricted free agency, including Kassian, who saw career highs in ATOI (14:48) and goals (15) and also put up 191 hits as a bottom-line forward for the team. At 28, he could be considered an important keeper for the Oilers. Unfortunately, Brodziak’s success in Edmonton wasn’t as impressive as the veteran center averaged just 11:42 of ATOI, while scoring career low six goals and nine points.

Two Years Remaining

F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins ($6MM, UFA)
D Adam Larsson ($4.17MM, UFA)
D Kris Russell ($4MM, UFA)
F Alex Chiasson ($2.15MM, UFA)
F Jujhar Khaira ($1.2MM, RFA)

This could be an interesting year for Nugent-Hopkins, who has always been an excellent defensive player, but now has established himself as a solid offensive player as well with a career-high 28 goals and 69 points. However with his contract coming up in two years, the Oilers might want to decide whether he is worth handing a long-term, expensive deal to. If they aren’t ready to lock him up, the Oilers might get the most value for Nugent-Hopkins at the trade deadlines. After all, top-six centers rarely come available and considering that any team that trades for him automatically gets another full season out of him, he might become quite a valuable trade chip.

The Oilers must also decide what they want to do with two of their highly-paid defensemen in Larsson and Russell. Both blueliners receive more than 20 minutes a night, but neither provides much offensive talent and haven’t been that helpful lately on defense either and between the two of them, the Oilers are giving them $8.17MM. Larsson put up comparable offensive numbers last year, but saw his defensive numbers drop as his minus-28 plus-minus was his lowest in his career by far. Russell also had comparable numbers from the last couple of years and kept his plus-minus in the positive, but the team may look to find a taker for either of them at the trade deadline.

Chiasson earned his two-year deal after posting a career-high 22 goals last season after winning a job in training camp on a PTO. The team hopes that the 28-year-old can duplicate that season. Khaira scored just three goals last season and will have to prove that he belongs on the roster next season.

Three Years Remaining

G Mikko Koskinen ($4.5MM, UFA)

Edmonton surprised many when former general manager Peter Chiarelli signed Koskinen to a three-year, $13.5MM extension last season despite a small sample size as an NHL goaltender. Koskinen didn’t fare that well in the second half of the season after signing the extension, putting up a 3.07 GAA and a .902 save percentage, which could make this a rocky relationship if Koskinen can’t prove to Edmonton that he is a No. 1 goaltender. The 31-year-old goaltender has spent most of his career in the KHL and may not be the answer that the Oilers were hoping for.

Four Or More Years Remaining

F Connor McDavid ($12.5MM through 2025-26)
F Leon Draisaitl ($8.5MM through 2024-25)
F James Neal ($5.75MM through 2022-23)
D Oscar Klefbom ($4.17MM through 2022-23)

The team has a couple of stud players in McDavid and Draisaitl and most would suggest that they are worth their contracts and they might even be bargains considering how well they were playing. Both have proven to be top-line players and they both broke the 100-point barrier last season and combining for 91 goals. The fact that both are locked up for at least another six years (seven for McDavid) shows that Edmonton already has a base of two franchise players and just need to fill out the rest of their roster with solid players who can fill out the rest of the team.

Neal is an interesting gamble by new general manager Ken Holland. The team was looking for a way to unload the untradeable contract of Milan Lucic, but managed to get the long-term deal of Neal, who is coming off 10 straight seasons of 20 goals or more, before his seven-goal performance last year in Calgary. The team hopes that the 31-year-old can prove that last year’s egg was just a fluke and the veteran can bounce back and provide some scoring on the wing for a team that really needs it.

Klefbom is another interesting defenseman, who the team hopes can improve, especially offensively. The 26-year-old managed 38 points back in the 2016-17 season, but has hasn’t been able to break 30 points since then. While his minutes are impressive, Edmonton needs to get more from one of their defensemen, who they signed assuming he would develop into a top-line defender.

Buyouts

D Andrej Sekera ($2.5MM in 2019-20 & 2020-21; $1.5MM in 2021-22 and 2022-23)
F Benoit Pouliot ($1.33MM per year through 2020-21)
D Eric Gryba ($300K in 2019-20)

Retained Salary Transactions

F Milan Lucic ($750K per year through 2022-23)

Still To Sign

F Jesse Puljujarvi

Much has already been written about the impasse between the Oilers and Puljujarvi, who has demanded to be traded because he believes he can’t become a top forward in Edmonton. Holland has received no viable offers from other NHL teams and it looks likely that Puljujarvi might have to stay overseas for a season and hope that he can develop his game overseas with Karpat of the Finnish League and come back in a year with a new sense of purpose. However, nothing has happened yet and there’s always a possibility that he opts to come back to Edmonton and tries it again. The only problem: he’s not waiver exempt anymore, meaning he must stay on Edmonton’s roster or be placed on waivers and undoubtedly would be claimed by another team.

Best Value: Draisaitl
Worst Value: Koskinen

Looking Ahead

The team has its franchise players and with plenty of cap space freeing up next season, the team might have a way to add even more talent. However, what Edmonton needs more than anything is to see some of their young talent take that next step and begin making some major improvements. The Oilers have a dearth of talent on defense that should slowly be trickling in over the next few years, but more than anything Edmonton needs scoring. While McDavid and Draisaitl cost the franchise a great deal, the team must find the wingers that can get the team back into the playoffs.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Oilers Notes: Offseason Plans, Nugent-Hopkins, Koskinen, Petrovic

August 3, 2019 at 4:32 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg 1 Comment

Despite quite a bit of struggles over the past couple of years, the Edmonton Oilers didn’t make a significant amount of changes this offseason. Sure, the team did acquire James Neal in a swap of bad contracts, sending off Milan Lucic, but little else was done. Much of that could be due to new general manager Ken Holland who wants to see more of his team before trading pieces away carelessly.

The Athletic’s Allan Mitchell (subscription required) writes that Holland should be quite busy over the next seven months as there are plenty of opportunities to upgrade. One obvious option is to pick up a free agent or two before training camp begins. The team already signed forward Josh Archibald a few weeks ago, but could add even more talent to their bottom-six. There are several significant names still available, including Derick Brassard, Thomas Vanek, Riley Sheahan, Magnus Paajarvi and Oscar Lindberg all as possibilities.

Mitchell also points out the Oilers could look to signing some players to PTO’s as well. The team got lucky last year when it signed Alex Chiasson to a PTO and eventually signed him as he scored 22 goals last season in a breakout campaign. There are a number of interesting players out there as well that might be willing to sign a PTO, including Valeri Nichushkin, Dmitrij Jaskin and Nicolas Kerdiles.

In the same article, Mitchell also notes that the team could find itself shopping a pair of their own players at the trade deadline as both Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Adam Larsson will be free agents after the 2020-21 season. If the team has little interest in handing either of them long-term deals, Holland might be better served trading them in February if the team is out of the playoff race, giving a buyer a chance to get a player who can help for their playoff run, but also a full year next season. The 26-year-old Nugent-Hopkins is coming off a career-high 28 goals and 69 points last season and could generate a solid return if the Oilers opted to move him at the trade deadline. Larsson, also 26, struggled last season with a minus-28 rating, but could still prove to be a solid defensive depth addition to a playoff team.
While Mikko Koskinen is being paid more than twice the amount of veteran backup Mike Smith, new head coach Dave Tippett says that he intends to split the minutes up between his two goaltenders equally, according to Edmonton Journal’s Derek Van Diest. The 31-year-old Koskinen was originally signed to take over full-time duties last season and will begin the first year of a three-year, $13.5MM deal, but still hasn’t proven to the team, fans or coaching that he deserves to be the team’s No. 1. “I hope they both play a similar amount of games and they’re both really good every one of them,” Tippett said at the Sixth Annual Mark Spector Golf Classic at the Quarry Golf Course on Wednesday. “Last year, I thought Koskinen looked tired. If you watch the last 20 games, he played a lot and mentally and physically, he looked tired.”
Former Edmonton Oilers defenseman Alexander Petrovic remains unsigned, but the Edmonton Journal’s Jim Matheson writes that he’s heard that there is interest from the rival Calgary Flames for the blue liner. The team could look to add a veteran depth defenseman like Petrovic, who just bought out Michael Stone. Petrovic, acquired in December from Florida for Chris Wideman and a 2019 third-round pick, played just nine games for the Oilers, posting a minus-seven in that time.

Calgary Flames Re-Sign David Rittich

July 27, 2019 at 8:59 am CDT | by Zach Leach 2 Comments

After a hot start to salary arbitration season with three hearings, things have cooled off of late with a slew of contract resolutions. Add another to the list, as the Calgary Flames and goaltender David Rittich have come to terms on an extension. The team announced that the 26-year-old net minder has signed on for two years at an AAV of $2.75MM. Rittich will be an unrestricted free agent when the deal expires after the 2020-21 season.

The Flames now have their 1A goalie back under contract, as Rittich outplayed veteran Mike Smith last season, earning 42 starts to Smith’s 40. Rittich posted career-high numbers in his second season as a Calgary regular, recording a .911 save percentage and 2.61 GAA. Not only were these numbers a personal best and substantially better than Smith’s, they were also top-20 marks among goalies with appearances in at least half of their team’s games, showing that Rittich could hold his own as the Flames’ top option. Given his age and level of play, albeit in limited appearances, it still seems like Calgary got a good value on this $5.5MM pact.

Still just 26 and without a lot of tread on the tires as timeshare goalie in the Czech pro ranks for many years, Rittich has the potential to continue improving as well. He will certainly be pushed in the upcoming season, as Smith has been replaced by the younger and arguably more talented Cam Talbot. Talbot signed a one-year deal this off-season with a $2.75 AAV that matches Rittich’s. The salaries would suggest an even split in net, but the incumbent Rittich has the advantage in familiarity and longer-term investment and should get the preference early on. If he can again prove that he is the superior option to a respected veteran, Rittich could see even more appearances in 2019-20 than he did last year, and perhaps another career performance as well.

The Rittich deal, although more than fair, does add more pressure to the Flames’ salary cap conundrum. CapFriendly currently projects the team to have $4.67MM in cap space. With Matthew Tkachuk still unsigned, as well as Andrew Mangiapane, that simply won’t be enough. Since Rittich had filed for arbitration, the Flames’ second case after their recent resolution with Sam Bennett, the team will be afforded a second buyout window, a 48-hour opportunity to rid themselves of a large contract that could help them sort out their financials. However, there is no obvious candidate for such a move and the team could instead continue shopping defensemen Travis Hamonic and T.J. Brodie and forward Michael Frolik in hopes of opening up more space.

Pacific Notes: Eriksson, Ritchie, Smith, Dillon

July 14, 2019 at 2:12 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg 5 Comments

With so many forwards now on their roster, the Vancouver Canucks coaching staff should have their hands full when training camp begins. The team now has 14 forwards under contract with two restricted free agents still to sign in Brock Boeser and Nikolay Goldobin. That’s a lot of players for just 12 spots in the lineup.

One player who should find himself highly scrutinized is Loui Eriksson, who has made it clear he wouldn’t mind a change of scenery as he has stated he isn’t a big fan of Travis Green and his coaching staff. Unfortunately, a trade might be challenging as Eriksson still has three years remaining at $6MM AAV. When Vancouver Sun’s Patrick Johnson asked general manager Jim Benning about the possibility of sending Eriksson to the Utica Comets of the AHL, Benning was slow to answer.

“I don’t have a direct answer for that right now,” he admitted.

Eriksson’s agent said he doesn’t expect his client to be waived or re-assigned to Utica. Not sure if Benning feels the same way.

With a large number of young wingers and recent two-way acquisitions this summer, the writing could be on the wall for winger Nick Ritchie, who still has two years remaining at a very reasonable $1.49MM. The 23-year-old hasn’t developed into the scoring power forward the team hoped for when they drafted him 10th overall in 2014 and he might be a perfect trade candidate, according to Eric Stephens of The Athletic (subscription required). Ritchie will have to fight for one of the left wing openings or he could find himself on a new team shortly.
Edmonton Journal’s Kurt Leavins writes that while many people are questioning the Oilers decision-making in signing veteran goaltender Mike Smith after a disappointing campaign last year in Calgary, the numbers may tell a different story. While the 37-year-old goaltender finished with less than stellar numbers: 42 games, 2.72 GAA and a .898 save percentage, he did finish strong at the end of the season. In his seven of his last 10 regular-season games, Smith finished with a .923 save percentage or higher. He also did the same in three of the five playoff games he appeared in. He could bounce back in a big way.
The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz (subscription required) looks at the Sharks salary cap situtation in 2020. The team should have $10.3MM in available salary cap space, but that doesn’t include an expected long-term deal for Kevin Labanc. However, the scribe notes that no matter what, the team will probably have to let defenseman Brenden Dillon go despite his value to the team’s blueline. However, if Radim Simek continues to get top-four minutes, Dillon would be only a third-pairing defenseman and wouldn’t be worth the $3.27MM he currently makes anyway, especially if he’s looking for a raise.

Cam Talbot Signs With Calgary Flames

July 1, 2019 at 12:53 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 2 Comments

As has been rumored for some time, the Calgary Flames have pegged former rival goaltender Cam Talbot as the newest addition to their goalie tandem. The team has announced a one-year deal worth $2.75MM for the former starter, who should compete for the same role in Calgary. With Mike Smith headed to the Edmonton Oilers, it only seems fitting that Talbot land with the Flames to share the net with David Rittich.

Talbot, 31, isn’t necessarily coming in to steal the starting role for the Flames, but GM Brad Treliving has tried to have competition in the net for the last several years. Rittich will almost surely get the first crack at the job, though given he only has 58 NHL starts under his belt the team needed to bring in a little more experience just in case. Talbot will be that experience but he too has something to prove coming off a dreadful season with the Oilers and Philadelphia Flyers. In 35 appearances he recorded a .892 save percentage, easily the worst number of his career.

Even if Rittich is the starter heading into the season, the Flames would obviously love to see Talbot rediscover his game and become the goaltender that finished fourth in Vezina Trophy voting in 2017. That season he went 42-22-8 for the Oilers and posted a .919 save percentage, starting an incredible 73 games. With a reduced load and better defensive unit, perhaps he can get back to that level again and help the Flames as contenders in the West.

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