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Nick Shore

Nick Shore Signs In KHL

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Last we heard there was interest from several teams around the NHL in free agent center Nick Shore, but still nothing materialized before the season began last week. Now, with no contract apparent in North America, Shore will take his talents overseas. Igor Eronko of Sport-Express has confirmed with Magnitogorsk Metallurg that they’ve signed Shore to a one-year contract.

This surely won’t be the last we hear of Shore in North America, especially given the fact that he still grades out positively among analytical scouting methods and can reliably play the middle of the ice. No, he has not been a reliable scoring option at the NHL level—with only 53 points in 236 games—but there are still teams struggling to find anyone who can win a faceoff and not get filled in defensively. Shore benefits from several years playing in the Los Angeles Kings system, which traditionally boosts possession statistics, but also has shown himself to be at least capable in short stints in Ottawa and Calgary.

Still, there’s obviously a feeling of uncertainty when it comes to the 26-year old forward, given that he was included in the Dion Phaneuf–Marian Gaborik salary swap and then sold off the Flames for a seventh-round pick. It’s not clear exactly what kind of market materialized for him this offseason, but there could very well have been no one-way deals available. Heading to the KHL for a season will allow him to rebuild his value somewhat while still playing at a high level, and Magnitogorsk is off to a 11-6 record and should be competitive all season long.

Shore will join other familiar NHL names like Wojtek Wolski and Nikolai Kulemin, as well as those with equally short-lived NHL careers like Iiro Pakarinen, Victor Antipin and Roman Lyubimov.

Nick Shore Drawing Interest From Around The League

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One of the more interesting players still available on the market is 25-year old center Nick Shore, who wasn’t issued a qualifying offer at the end of the year and became an unrestricted free agent. Many believed Shore would find a home quickly as a fourth-line or depth option, but as of today he wasn’t even listed as a camp invite anywhere around the league. James Mirtle of The Athletic though reports that Shore is “getting a lot of interest” around the league and could sign a contract soon. Mirtle also adds that he doesn’t believe the Toronto Maple Leafs are one of the teams showing interest, but doesn’t go into detail on any that may be.

Shore was a third round selection by the Los Angeles Kings in 2011 out of the University of Denver, and quickly improved his stock with an outstanding sophomore season. The center put up 41 points in 43 games for DU that year and had no trouble continuing to score when he eventually moved into the minor league ranks. That’s where the offense ended though, as Shore only registered 49 points in 221 games with the Kings before being sent to the Ottawa Senators as part of the Dion Phaneuf trade in 2017-18. He didn’t spend much time in Ottawa though as Shore was quickly flipped to the Calgary Flames for a seventh-round pick just a few weeks later.

Perhaps that low return could have signaled the lack of confidence in Shore by the Flames and then the early free agent market, but the analytics community seems convinced that he could still provide some value to a team in a depth role. Even with drastically skewed defensive zone starts, Shore still put up positive shot stats in Los Angeles. That could be a byproduct of the Kings defense and system, but it seems worth it for a team to take a chance and find out. At the very worst Shore would represent an injury replacement with plenty of NHL experience, and at best he could perhaps hold down a center job full-time next season.

Poll: How Many Remaining Veteran Free Agents Will Sign?

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With just one day left in July, free agents have had a month to find employment in the NHL. Last summer, there were less than 20 unrestricted free agents signed after the end of July through the beginning of the regular season. This off-season, there are a plethora of notable names left on the market, but at this point is is unlikely that they all find a new home in the league. The question now is how many of these top names get lucky.

Rick Nash could find a landing spot if he wanted to. The six-time All-Star is currently evaluating his future in hockey versus his health after suffering yet another concussion this season. Should he decide to return, he would likely have more than a few teams interested in a short-term deal.

If Nash opts not to return, the top-scoring forward from last season left on the market is actually Mike Cammalleri. Cammalleri, 36, quietly put up 29 points last season after a hot start with the Los Angeles Kings and then a trade to the Edmonton Oilers. The former point-per-game player is not quite that kind of scorer any more, but could still contribute to a number of teams.

Benoit Pouliot was a perennial 30-point player until he turned 30 and has struggled the past two years. In the right situation, he could still make an impact. The same goes for Mark Letestu, Drew Stafford and Jannik Hansen. Ales Hemsky was highly productive before injuries derailed his career, but remains a possible high-ceiling gamble if back at 100%.

Other available forwards bring more of a two-way game such as Daniel Winnik, Scott Hartnell, Scottie Upshall, Chris Stewart, Antoine Vermette, Jussi Jokinen, Tommy Wingels, Jason Chimera, Joel Ward, Dominic Moore, Matt Stajan, and Lee Stempniak. There are also some younger options like Alex Chiasson, Nick Shore, Logan Shaw, Tomas Jurco, and Freddie Hamilton.

On the blue line, Luca Sbisa is reportedly drawing interest from several teams across the league. Although he suited up for just 30 games with the Vegas Golden Knights, he managed to register 14 points and plays a strong checking game. It would seem that Sbisa is in line for a contract at some point.

But what about Toby Enstrom? A free agent for the first time in his long career, the well-respected veteran was expected to land a contract early on but still remains unemployed. Enstrom has always been a reliable presence on the back end, but at 33 years old, he has shown signs of slowing down.

Other aging options on defense include Alexei Emelin, Johnny Oduya, Kevin Bieksa, Dennis Seidenberg, Kyle Quincey, Paul Martin, Josh Gorges, and Jason Garrison. However, experience may not be able to outweigh ability with many younger defenseman still out there. Brandon Davidson, Cody Franson, and Paul Postma seem like players who should be signed, while Justin Falk, Frank Corrado, Ryan Sproul, and Duncan Siemens are all intriguing targets as well.

In net, the options are pretty straightforward. One would think that Kari Lehtonen, Steve Mason, and Ondrej Pavelec had all done enough in their careers to earn a continued stay in the NHL, especially when there are no other legitimate goaltenders available at this point. Yet, its hard to pinpoint three teams that need another option in goal. These three keepers may need to wait until injuries strike to find work.

So, how many of these remaining free agents will sign before the season starts?

Free Agent Focus: Calgary Flames

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Free agency is now a little less than a month away from opening up and there are quite a few prominent players set to hit the open market while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign.  Here is a breakdown of Calgary’s free agent situation.

Key Restricted Free Agents: F Mark Jankowski – Heading into the 2017-18 season, there’s no question that fans were frustrated with waiting for Jankowski. He had just turned 23 and was more than five years from being drafted with just a single NHL game under his belt. Sure, he’d impressed in his first full season in the AHL but after waiting so long Flames fans wanted impact, and they wanted it now.

After starting in the minor leagues once again he was given a chance with the NHL club and didn’t look back, recording 17 goals and 25 points in 72 games. Those numbers were inflated some by the four-goal game he had at the very end of the season, but regardless Jankowski has found a full-time roll on the club going forward. The question is how much is that role worth, as the first-round pick heads into free agency for the first time. With less than a full season of games under his belt there isn’t a ton of leverage from his side, but they may not want to lock him into a long-term deal before really showing what he’s capable of. It seems like a one or two-year bridge deal is in order here, limiting the risk on both sides.

G Jon Gillies/David Rittich – The Flames have to make a decision on who their backup goaltender is going to be next season, and it might as well be one of Gillies or Rittich. Both were inconsistent when given the chance to help out at the NHL level, and have Tyler Parsons and other goaltending prospects chasing them down from behind. With Mike Smith set to come back as the starter, we’ll get a good indication of who will be behind him from the contracts that Gillies and Rittich receive. Both would become Group VI unrestricted free agents in the summer of 2019 if not given an NHL opportunity this year.

Other RFAs: F Nick Shore, F Garnet Hathaway, D Brett Kulak, F Hunter Shinkaruk, F Austin Carroll, F Morgan Klimchuk, F Hunter Smith, F Emile Poirier

Key Unrestricted Free Agents: F Kris Versteeg – The Flames lucked out when Versteeg decided to sign with them in the fall of 2016 despite being in training camp with the Edmonton Oilers, and were rewarded with a 37-point season. That earned the journeyman forward another contract for the most recent season worth $1.75MM, but he was unfortunately limited to just 24 games because of injury.

Even if Versteeg were willing to come back for a reduced price, it’s not clear if the Flames have room for him any longer. With the emergence of young players like Jankowski, Hathaway and Curtis Lazar, there might not be any reason to re-sign the 32-year old winger. Still, depending on what happens this summer they may bring him back as a veteran option to fill out their top-nine and give them a little more secondary scoring, provided he’s healthy enough to contribute.

F Matt Stajan – It’s amazing that Stajan is still just 34, despite seeming to have been in the league for two decades. The veteran pivot celebrated his 1,000th game in the NHL this season, but is clearly slowing down as he enters his mid-thirties. With just 12 points in 68 games, Stajan put up the worst offensive numbers of his career and saw the ice for fewer than 11 minutes a night. Though he’s still a positive veteran presence on a team that needs a bounce-back season, there likely isn’t much room on the roster going forward.

Whether Stajan gets another shot elsewhere in the NHL is still very much in doubt. Unfortunately he’s just slightly too young to qualify for a contract that includes performance bonuses, meaning he’ll likely be looking at offers near the league minimum. If that’s acceptable, perhaps he continues his career as a part-time fourth-line center for a contender. If it’s the end, he’ll have a long successful career to look back on even if he didn’t get to the playoffs very often.

Other UFAs: F Tanner Glass, F Chris Stewart, F Marek Hrivik, D Matt Bartkowski, F Luke Gazdic, D Tyler Wotherspoon, D Cody Goloubef, D Dalton Prout

Projected Cap Space: The Flames project to have around $17MM in cap space this summer, depending on where the upper limit lands, and without any premiere restricted free agents could go after some big fish on the free agent market. They do have to worry about extensions for Sam Bennett and Matthew Tkachuk past this season, but still should have some room to play with if they want to add.

It wouldn’t be surprising to see the team let all of their unrestricted free agents go, as none of them figure to be long-term contributors to the Flames success. Even if they do sign some of the minor ones, the biggest impact this summer will likely come through trade or big ticket shopping. Calgary struggled this season and doesn’t have a pick in the first three rounds of the upcoming draft. Things have to change, and they have to change fast for them to see any success in the near future.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Trade Deadline Recap: Western Conference

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After a month of lead up, a sprinkling of trades over the last week or so, and a wild deadline day today, NHL teams are done with transactions for the 2017-18 NHL season. Here are the deals that improved contenders in the Western Conference:

Deadline Day

Winnipeg Jets receive:
F Paul Stastny

St. Louis Blues receive:
F Erik Foley
2018 first-round pick
Conditional 2020 fourth-round pick

 

Vegas Golden Knights receive:
F Tomas Tatar

Detroit Red Wings receive:
2018 first-round pick
2019 second-round pick
2021 third-round pick

 

Nashville Predators receive:
F Ryan Hartman
2018 fifth-round pick

Chicago Blackhawks receive:
F Victor Ejdsell
2018 first-round pick
2018 fourth-round pick

 

San Jose Sharks receive:
F Evander Kane

Buffalo Sabres receive:
F Danny O’Regan
Conditional 2019 first-round pick
Conditional 2020 fourth-round pick

 

Anaheim Ducks receive:
F Jason Chimera

New York Islanders receive:
F Chris Wagner

 

Vegas Golden Knights receive:
D Philip Holm

Vancouver Canucks receive:
F Brendan Leipsic

 

Winnipeg Jets receive:
D Joe Morrow

Montreal Canadiens receive:
2018 fourth-round pick

 

Calgary Flames receive:
F Nick Shore

Ottawa Senators receive:
2019 seventh-round pick

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Nick Shore Traded To Calgary Flames

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Nick Shore has been traded to the Calgary Flames according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, after spending just a few weeks with the Ottawa Senators. Shore was part of the Dion Phaneuf–Marian Gaborik trade earlier this month, coming over from the Los Angeles Kings, but will now head west again in exchange for a 2019 seventh-round pick.

Shore, the younger brother of former Flame Drew Shore, has 16 points on the year split between two teams and is on pace for a career-high in scoring once he joins his third. The 25-year-old is also an impending restricted free agent, so Calgary does retain some control over the young forward.

Although to a lesser extent, the deal closely resembles a trade last year that saw Ottawa send 21-year-old Curtis Lazar to the Flames for a second-round pick. Lazar has been largely ineffective in Calgary, so the Flames hope for a better result from Shore.

Analysts Weigh In On Phaneuf Trade

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After the trade that sent Dion Phaneuf to the Los Angeles Kings, analysts from around the hockey world weighed in on their thoughts of the trade. The deal also brought Nate Thompson from Ottawa in exchange for Marian Gaborik and Nick Shore. Here are the thoughts of some scribes around the league.

The Los Angeles Times’ Curtis Zupke: 

Zupke sees Los Angeles benefitting from a veteran defenseman with playoff experience:

Phaneuf fills a need as a top-four defenseman with leadership and experience. He plays more than 20 minutes per game, in all situations, and he helped Ottawa reach Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals last season. Phaneuf also turns 33 in April and is signed through 2020-21, but the Kings are banking on some immediate dividends.

Bruce Garrioch: Ottawa Sun

Garrioch, like many others, looks at the financial ramification of the deal and how the rebuild is on in Ottawa.

Naturally, this is a huge deal for the Senators because they get Phaneuf’s cap hit off the books, though it does have to take Gaborik’s contract in return…This is the start of general manager Pierre Dorion’s promise to build the team back to respectability. The Senators had asked Phaneuf to waive his ‘no move’ clause in the summer so they could protect Marc Methot in the expansion draft, but couldn’t get the deal done. The move will give the Senators flexibility with the roster.

Kevin McGran: The Toronto Star

McGran also examines the financial aspect, indicating that the Sens may end up buying Gaborik’s deal in the end.

There is some cash savings, which is important for Ottawa owner Eugene Melnyk: Phaneuf is due $18.5 million in actual salary in the three years after this one. Gaborik is due $10,825. The Senators have to pay 25 per cent of Phaneuf’s salary, or $4.6 million. So they’re up to $15.4 million, a savings of $3.1 million (plus another half million for the remainder of this year) when comparing Phaneuf to Gaborik.(They’ll save on Nate Thompson, but his ultimate replacement will probably come in around the same dollar value.) One thing that makes sense is a buyout. Gaborik would cost less than Phaneuf. A Robidas Island situation is not likely. The Senators aren’t likely to spend to the cap anyway.

TSN: Ian Mendes

Mendes sees this as the beginning of sell-offs, and echoes McGran in saying that a buyout of Gaborik’s contract is likely.

Based on owner Eugene Melnyk’s recent statement – in which he announced a three-year contract extension for Dorion – it now appears as though the club has a mandate to shed salary and put more of an emphasis on developing younger talent.

The Phaneuf deal is likely the first domino to fall, as the club will save north of $5 million in real dollars over the next few seasons. Those savings could increase if the club opts to buy out the contract of Marian Gaborik this summer, although it’s unclear which route they will take at this point. We could get our first clue later this week if the Senators make Gaborik a healthy scratch for their games against Buffalo and the Rangers.

Pacific Notes: Shore, Lewis, Shipachyov, DeMelo, Boeser

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A change of coaches in Los Angeles has turned two defensive-first players under former coach Darryl Sutter into new scoring options under new head coach John Stevens. Nick Shore and Trevor Lewis have been showing off some of their offensive skills so far this season, which including a highlight reel pass and shoot goal from Shore to Lewis in Thursday’s victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The shift to Stevens’ offensive focused system was picked up quickly by the two forwards, according to Curtis Zupke of the Los Angeles Times. While the 25-year-old Shore only has one goal and two assists so far in 10 games, it’s still an improvement on last year’s six goals and 17 points that he had in 70 games. As for Lewis, the long-time King has never had more than 25 points in a season in all his years, but he might break that number this year as he already has four goals and three assists in 10 games. Both were at one time in their minor league careers considered to have some offensive talent and they feel they can show more.

“I think we’ve really put a focus on scoring more and offensive zone play,” Lewis said. “Obviously the new system we’re playing, I think starting off with Shoresy and [Kyle Clifford], we grasped it right away. I think that helps and it helps create more.”

  • With Vegas Golden Knights’ Vadim Shipachyov filing voluntary retirement paperwork rather than having his contract terminated, Sportsnet’s Eric Engels tweets that Vegas will still retain Shipachyov’s NHL rights until the veteran turns 35 years of age. Many believe, however, that the 30-year-old center has no interest in returning to the NHL.
  • Staying with the Golden Knights, the team picked up their ninth win of the season today, tying the 1980-81 expansion Winnipeg Jets, according to the Vegas Golden Knights. The team is just one win away from tying the inaugural Ottawa Senators.
  • Paul Gackle of The Mercury News writes that with the injury to veteran defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic, San Jose Sharks defenseman Dylan DeMelo will be given the opportunity to prove he belongs. After playing in the first two games of the season, the 24-year-old defenseman lost his job to Tim Heed and Joakim Ryan and has been a healthy scratch for the last 10 games. Now, the prospect who had already played 70 games with San Jose before the season even started, gets a second chance to prove he belongs.
  • Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Sun writes that the Vancouver Canucks have been working on their power play and have now moved rookie Brock Boeser to the left of the face circle on their first team in hopes to take advantage of his release. The move is supposed to unleash the talents of the highly-touted prospect who has two goals and seven assists so far this year in nine games.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Los Angeles Kings

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Navigating the Salary Cap is probably one of the more important tasks for any general manager to have. 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 2017-18 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.

Los Angeles Kings

Current Cap Hit: $68,168,560 (under the $75MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

D Oscar Fantenberg (One year remaining, $925K)

Potential Bonuses

None

This is not a very young team and the only player to have an entry-level deal is Fantenberg, who is the 25-year-old blueliner, who signed a one-year, two-way deal earlier this year. The defenseman has never played in the U.S. before, but he opened some eyes recently when he found himself on the Kings’ roster to travel to Japan for some exhibition games, suggesting he has a legitimate chance to earn a starting job on the team’s defense.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

F Mike Cammalleri ($1MM, UFA)
F Jordan Nolan ($950K, UFA)
F Nick Shore ($925K, RFA)
D Christian Folin ($800K, UFA)
D Derek Forbort ($650K, RFA)
D Kevin Gravel ($650K, RFA)
G Darcy Kuemper ($650K, UFA)
F Nic Dowd ($640K, UFA)

Have originally started his career in L.A., Cammalleri returns to his former team after a three-year stint in New Jersey, which came after a three-year stint in Calgary and after a three-year stint in Montreal. The 35-year-old wing isn’t the same guy who put up many 20-plus goal seasons, but the hope is he can fill a back-six line for the coming season at a low price. Nolan will fight for a fourth-line role, while Gravel may also have to fight for a bottom pairing on defense, especially since he is still waiver-exempt.

Shore is one of those young players the Kings hope will have a breakout year. The 24-year-old wing has not been able to put it all together yet. He finished last year with six goals and 11 assists for 17 points, but is capable of more if he can put it all together.

Forbert played on the first line a year ago and managed to play in all 82 games. The team now hopes the 25-year-old starts to cash in on the team’s promise when they drafted him in the first round back in 2010. His defensive proficiency is designed to allow others to focus on offense more. The team also hopes Folin, signed away from Minnesota this offseason, will grab one of the last couple of defensive openings. The 26-year-old played 51 games for the Wild last season, but has had trouble getting a full-time role.

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Pittsburgh’s Alternative Third-Line Center Options

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While many teams across the NHL still have holes to fill before the puck drops on the 2017-18 season, no vacancy has received more attention than the third-line center slot for the two-time defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins. In fact, we’ve already written about it once before. However, the scenario has changed over the last few weeks, as the new contracts for RFAs Brian Dumoulin and Conor Sheary have left the Pens with just over $3MM in salary cap space. Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette recently spoke with GM Jim Rutherford, who essentially stated that he does not plan to move out significant salary in a deal to acquire a new bottom-six center. What that means is that the Penguins are left with a much smaller margin to work with to acquire Nick Bonino’s replacement.

So who will it be? Who it won’t be is easier to say. The pipe dreams of Colorado’s Matt Duchene or Carolina’s Jordan Staal are now all but over, as are more reasonable targets like Toronto’s Tyler Bozak or Dallas’ Radek Faksa now seem out of reach as well. The Vegas Golden Knights have not shown any indication that they are interested in moving forwards, so strike their group of suitable centers off the list as well. With each passing day, it seems a Matt Cullen return grows less and less likely as well.

What the Penguins are left with are a group of guys who fit their needs well: young, two-way centers on affordable contracts. The most common name bandied about is Detroit Red Wings forward Riley Sheahan. Sheahan struggled mightily in 2016-17 and is relatively expensive compared to some other available names at $2.075MM this season. However, Detroit desperately needs to shed salary and may have reached the end of the line with Sheahan. It could be a good match, with Sheahan very likely bouncing back on a far more talented Penguins team. Pittsburgh’s top target may be Arizona’s Jordan Martinook, who just resigned with the team, but is part of a Coyotes forward corps that is crowded with young talent. Martinook is an underrated two-way player and would fit in nicely with the Pens, but Arizona may not be keen to move him in a deal that Rutherford stated would not included salary players. The Coyotes have had their fill of picks and prospects and might be on the lookout for only veteran contributors at this point. The Penguins could turn to the Los Angeles Kings, who have great depth at center including Nick Shore and Nic Dowd. Both would fit the need nicely in Pittsburgh and come in at under $1MM. The 25-year-old Shore would be especially nice, as the team can retain RFA rights over him beyond 2017-18, but Dowd may be easier to acquire from a Kings squad that is not any closer to returning to the playoffs. One final option, staying out west, could be San Jose Sharks center Chris Tierney. It is rumored that the two sides are on rocky grounds, with Tierney signing just a one-year extension this summer, and could be looking for a trade. Tierney has proven to be a solid defensive force in the San Jose bottom six and could play the same role in Pittsburgh. The Sharks have done nothing this off-season and could see replacing Tierney with a Penguins forward prospect as at least some kind of roster shakeup.

Obviously, the available names are not of the sexy variety. The Penguins have been spoiled with center depth through their Stanley Cup years and fans are surely hoping they can find another Staal or Bonino. However, with little cap space to play with and a reluctance to change the current roster any further, this is what Rutherford is left with. Any of these guys could be a valuable piece on another strong Penguins team, as each plays a solid two-way game, but none are gonna be the big-name acquisition that many expected. Pittsburgh will be back in the Cup race again next year even if they do nothing at all and stick someone from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton at third-line center, so maybe the better question is not who will play there, but why does everyone care so much?

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