Restricted 2017: Checking In On The Upcoming RFA Class
As the NHL continues to skew towards younger and younger talent with players like Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews making an immediate impact, the restricted free agent classes become more and more important.
Last year we saw an impressive group, headlined by the dynamic duo in Calgary Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau, Tampa’s new sniper Nikita Kucherov and a handful of excellent defensemen like Hampus Lindholm and Jacob Trouba.
While teams have started to lock up their young talent before they even become restricted free agents – like Aaron Ekblad in Florida who signed a $60MM deal just months after his 20th birthday – this year looks like it will be one of the biggest and most expensive RFA crops ever. Glen Miller took a look back in September at this year’s crop in an excellent series of articles that really should be consumed before reading any further (parts one, two, three, four, five and six), but let’s now check in on the group and how they’re fairing this season. Well list just a few of the highlights, as the group is almost endless.
Leon Draisaitl (EDM) – 47 GP / 17 G / 23 A / 40 P
You can’t start this list without mentioning Draisaitl, who will head to restricted free agency for the first time after what looks like a 30+ goal, 70+ point season. Skating alongside McDavid for much of the year, Draisaitl is currently tied for 18th in league scoring and leads the RFA group. He won’t turn 22 until after the 2017-18 season begins, and is an important player for the Edmonton Oilers to lock up long term. Expect the team to shell out big money to buy into a few free agent years this summer.
Mikael Granlund (MIN) – 44 GP / 10 G / 27 A / 37 P
Often forgotten about across much of the league because of the relative gag-order on any Minnesota Wild news, Granlund is having an exceptional season. Playing almost 20 minutes a night and on pace to shatter his previous career high in points, the Finnish forward will get a huge deal this summer. Unlike Draisaitl, Granlund is 24 and has already been through the RFA process before, signing a two-year $6MM deal before last season. With three solid seasons and now one spectacular one, he’ll likely earn something closer to $7MM (AAV) if signed long-term.
Justin Schultz (PIT) – 44 GP / 7 G / 23 A / 30 P
Schultz is such an interesting case, because of the breakout he’s experiencing this year. With Kris Letang on the shelf for much of the season, Schultz has blossomed in Pittsburgh to the player most teams expected when he signed out of college. He’s 26 now, and will turn 27 just days after free agency opens, but will likely fetch a hefty price as an RFA. After not even receiving a qualifying offer last year, has he done enough to prove that a big-money deal is worth it?
Robin Lehner (BUF) – 29 GP / .920 SV% / 2.54 GAA
The best RFA goaltender this year is one who just blew up at his coach after getting pulled and has generally been inconsistent for the Sabres since they traded a first-round pick for him in 2015. He has all the talent in the world to be a number one goaltender in this league, but with Buffalo floundering again near the bottom of the league will he be able to put it all together and lead them back to the playoffs? He’s 25-years old now and has 136 games under his belt with an above-average .916 save percentage. If Buffalo can ice any healthy defensemen, perhaps they’d be able to finish in the top half of the league for a change.
Snapshots: Canada, Peca, Bailey
While it shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone, Team Canada is dominating at the World Juniors.
After a hard-fought win over Russia on December 26, Canada easily beat Slovakia 5-0 on Tuesday night. The Canadian goalie, Lightning prospect Connor Ingram, had a six-save shutout. Bruins defensive prospect Jérémy Lauzon, who began the tournament as Canada’s seventh defenseman, scored a goal and an assist in the second period to spark the offence and begin the onslaught.
However, another Canadian defenseman has been getting some love as an underdog story. Philippe Myers went undrafted in 2015, but earned an entry-level contract after attending Philadelphia Flyers training camp on an amateur tryout. Myers then had a 45-point campaign in the QMJHL and has 18 points in 19 games this season. The 6’5 right-handed defenseman is now playing on Canada’s top pairing with 2015 first-round-pick Thomas Chabot.
As for why Myers was passed over in the draft, with the value of right-handed defensemen at an all-time high, that’s something that Flyers GM Ron Hextall would like to know. Hextall told Postmedia’s Mike Zeisberger that he didn’t ask his scouting staff why they didn’t take him, but instead wanted to learn from the experience. With Myers tracking well, all 30 NHL teams will be wondering how Myers slipped through the draft. “I’m more trying to figure out how the hell that happened,” Hextall added.
Myers gave advice for all other undrafted players, saying “it’s all about your attitude and your mindset. If you see yourself playing at the bigger levels and you really believe it and you put the work in, everything’s possible. That’s what happened with me.”
- Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Matthew Peca (no relation to Michael) will make his NHL debut tonight at home versus the Montreal Canadiens. According to Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times, Peca centered J.T. Brown and Michael Bournival at practice this morning.The 2011 seventh-round-pick has 17 points in 28 games with the Syracuse Crunch this season. Meanwhile, Nikita Kucherov and Ondrej Palat are both considered “probable” for the Lightning after missing the past two weeks or so.
- With Zack Smith sidelined by an upper-body injury, the Senators have recalled Casey Bailey, according to Chris Johnston of Sportsnet. Smith left Tuesday night’s game against the Rangers. Bailey has 14 points in 28 games with the Binghamton Senators so far this season, but has been held pointless in two NHL games. Bailey was acquired by the Senators as part of the Dion Phaneuf trade.
Injury Updates: Crawford, Palat, Kucherov, Vatrano, Honka
Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford underwent an emergency appendectomy back on December 3rd and it was said then that he was likely to miss two-to-three weeks as a result. Thirteen days later, the 31-year-old is back on the ice skating with his team, reports Tracy Myers of CSN Chicago. Myers adds that Crawford also took some shots today and head coach Joel Quenneville is waiting to see how their #1 net minder is doing when the team returns home from their current road trip.
The team has fared pretty well in Crawford’s absence. After dropping his first two games, Crawford’s understudy, Scott Darling, has won four of his last five starts, allowing just six goals during that time. He is likely at this point to get the call in both of Chicago’s weekend games, at St. Louis on Saturday and in Chicago against the Sharks on Sunday.
Elsewhere on the injury front:
- Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times reports that the Lightning will be without forwards Ondrej Palat and Nikita Kucherov for tonight and likely for the team’s game tomorrow as well (Twitter link). Additionally, Ryan Callahan is not going to play tonight as Tampa Bay travels to Vancouver to take on the Canucks. In a follow-up tweet, Smith adds that Palat is considered day-to-day while Kucherov has not been placed on IR, suggesting he is also day-to-day. While it’s never a good thing to be without three regular forwards, even if it’s just for a game or two, a prolonged absence of Kucherov would be especially bad news for the Lightning. The fourth-year winger leads the team in both goals (13) and points (30) this season and also topped the club in scoring last season. Palat has tallied 13 points in 30 games for Tampa Bay, while Callahan has added just four points in an injury-marred campaign for the gritty veteran winger.
- Frank Vatrano, who has been out since September with a foot injury, was activated by Boston and assigned to Providence of the AHL, according to Joe Haggerty of CSNNE. Haggerty states that the young winger needs to play to get back up to speed. Vatrano exploded on the scene as a prospect last year after registering 36 goals in just 36 AHL games and earned his first call up to Boston. While not as successful in the NHL, Vatrano did net eight goals in 39 games for the Bruins, demonstrating the ability to be a solid performer at this level.
- Finally, the Dallas Stars activated defenseman Julius Honka from IR and reassigned the young Finn to Texas of the AHL, the team announced today. Honka had missed the last five games with an upper-body injury. The team’s first-round draft choice in 2014, the 21-year-old blue liner made his NHL debut this season and in eight games recorded three points. In 16 contests earlier this year with Texas, Honka tallied three goals and 12 points. Dallas already has a roster full of capable NHL defensemen, leading one to wonder when or if the team will recall Honka, as some have suggested the constant shuffling on the back end has contributed in part to the Stars struggles this season.
Roster Moves: Conacher, Witkowski, Gazdic
With just four games on the docket for tonight in the NHL, many teams are taking a long look at their rosters as they head into the Christmas break. We’ll keep you up to date on all the minor moves around the league today:
- The Tampa Bay Lightning have brought Cory Conacher back to the NHL. The veteran forward has played just one game for the NHL club this season after signing with them this summer. In 2015-16, Conacher took his game to Switzerland where he scored 52 points in 48 games, but decided to return to the North American game to play for his old club. In 18 games at the AHL level, Conacher has proven he’s still a deadly offensive force at the lower level, putting up 15 points. As Erik Erlendsson of Lightning Insider points out, Conacher is likely up as insurance after Nikita Kucherov left practice yesterday with an undisclosed injury.
- To make room, the team has sent Luke Witkowski back to Syracuse. The bruising defender has gotten into eight games with the NHL team this season, recording just one assist.
- The New Jersey Devils have recalled forward Luke Gazdic, while sending Yohann Auvitu back to Albany of the AHL. Gazdic will join the team for practice today, but it’s unclear why the Devils need another forward. While Auvitu had been healthy scratched of late, the team is now carrying only six defensemen but several extra forwards. Perhaps there is an injury that has gone unreported or the team simply wants a shakeup after losing three straight (and being outscored 14-3 in those games).
- In Nashville, they’ve flip-flopped their backup goaltender again, as Juuse Saros has replaced Marek Mazanec on the Predators roster. Both have played a handful of games for the club this season, with Saros having much (and we mean much) more success. Mazanec will head to Milwaukee for the interim.
- With the New York Rangers welcoming Rick Nash and Matt Puempel back to practice today, they have assigned Nicklas Jensen back to the Hartford Wolfpack of the AHL. Jensen got into four games with the team but was held pointless. The former first-round pick will look to continue his strong start at the lower level; he currently has 15 points in 21 games with Hartford this season.
- After giving up three goals on sixteen shots in relief of Cam Ward last night, Michael Leighton has been sent down to the Charlotte Checkers to play in tonight’s matchup with the Manitoba Moose. Leighton, a veteran of 110 NHL contests has split his time between the two levels this season.
Pacific Notes: McDavid, Marleau, Jankowski
This season, Edmonton’s Connor McDavid has been the dominant force that many predicted when he was taken first overall by the Oilers in 2015. The National Post put the results of a reader’s poll together that overwhelmingly selected McDavid to continue his torrid scoring performance and finish the season as the league’s Art Ross Trophy recipient. Through Thursday, McDavid had 27 points, (9-18), good for a three point lead over Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov who has 24 points. McDavid is averaging 1.29 points-per-game, and has been a major factor in Edmonton’s rise this season.
- San Jose’s Patrick Marleau notched a game winning goal to power his Sharks past the New York Islanders Friday night. The goal was his 94th career game winner, which moved him past Joe Nieuwendyk and tied him with Red Wings legend Steve Yzerman, who sits ninth all time. Marleau is now just 13 goals from registering 500 in his career, placing him in elite company.
- The Calgary Herald’s Wes Gilbertson reports on 2012 first round pick Mark Jankowski, who finally got the call to the big club Thursday evening. Gilbertson quotes head coach Glen Gulutzan on what the youngster brings to the Flames:
“He’s a great kid. He’s not a good kid, he’s a great kid,” said Flames head coach Glen Gulutzan of the latest arrival. “He didn’t know where to sit in the room (Friday), when the video was on. He was like, ‘Is there assigned seating?’
“The first thing I said to him is, ‘You can sit wherever you want, Janks. You don’t have to wait for everybody to sit down.’ I think he ended up sitting close to the front. It’s like going to high school, right? Nobody wants the front seat in a video session, they might have to answer a question.”
Atlantic Notes: Canadiens, Senators, Lightning, Red Wings
How are the top four teams in the Atlantic Division really doing? There have been some surprises like Montreal’s red-hot start doused by a 10-0 drubbing at the hands of the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Ottawa Senators have played great defensively. And the Detroit Red Wings will need a lot more effort wise should they want to make a 26th consecutive playoff appearance. For now, let’s take a closer look at the top four teams in the division.
- Montreal Canadiens (9-1-1; 19 points; 1st place)
The Habs have benefitted from the return of Carey Price, who has been sparkling between the pipes, registering a 6-0 record, a .964 save percentage, and a goalie point share of 2.3. Al Montoya was fine through Friday night until he surrendered 10 goals in a ghastly game against Columbus. Shea Weber has also been a bright spot, making Marc Bergevin look smart early after the blockbuster trade netted him for P.K. Subban. Weber has ten points (4-6) in 11 games, and leads the Habs in average ice time, logging nearly 26 minutes per night.
- Ottawa Senators (7-3-0; 14 points; 2nd place)
The Sens have looked strong early, riding a three game winning streak through Friday despite playing a brutal game of musical chairs in net. Craig Anderson has been tending to his wife during a health concern and has been in and out Ottawa, understandably. Andrew Hammond suffered a lower body injury that will keep him out for at least a week. Despite this, the Sens have charged on, and contribution from Erik Karlsson, Kyle Turris, and Ryan Dzingel have helped. Though some think they’ll come back to earth, Guy Boucher has done well early on.
- Tampa Bay Lightning (6-4-1; 13 points; 3rd place)
The Bolts have scored a lot of goals–but they’ve also been fishing the puck out of the net. After jumping out to a 5-1 start, the Lightning have gone 1-3-1 since and suffered from Ben Bishop looking very human with a pedestrian .891 save percentage. Though some of this can be chalked up to struggles and on the blue line, Bishop is in a contract year and isn’t doing enough to help himself–or the Bolts should they look to deal him away instead of losing him for nothing. Steven Stamkos continues to be dominant, putting up 13 points (7-6), while Nikita Kucherov is tied with him (3-10).
- Detroit Red Wings (6-5-1; 13 points; 4th place)
Sure, they’re fourth, but the Red Wings record is probably the weakest of the any team in the Atlantic. The Bruins have two games in hand, and are only a point behind while the Leafs and Panthers are two points behind, with a game in hand. The Sabres, last in the division, are only three points out of the Wings’ spot. Thomas Vanek was a bright spot until a hip injury sidelined him for 2-3 weeks, but the defense has been abysmal. Worse, the Red Wings are coughing up leads in the third period. Personnel decisions have been questionable, too. The deployment of the OMG line–Steve Ott, Drew Miller and Luke Glendening–has been lampooned by many while younger players, such as Andreas Athanasiou, continue to get limited ice time. The Red Wings can’t afford to sit back should they want to make another playoff appearance. The division–and conference–are much better.
Atlantic Division Snapshots: Anderson, Deslauriers, Conacher, Vanek
As noted earlier this week, Ottawa Senators goaltender Craig Anderson is going through a tough stretch in his personal life with the recent news of his wife’s cancer diagnosis. At his wife’s insistence, Anderson has returned from a brief leave of absence and will be pressed right back into service tonight between the pipes for the Senators, who are in Edmonton to play the red hot Oilers. Bruce Garrioch confirmed via Twitter that Anderson will get the start tonight as Ottawa attempts to snap the Oilers five-game winning streak.
Anderson has won four of his five starts this season despite a GAA approaching three and a S% just above 90%. Now in his 14th NHL season, Anderson has won 217 career games and has twice finished fourth in Vezina voting. During the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season, Anderson led the league in GAA (1.69) and S% (94.1%).
With Andrew Hammond now on IR the Senators desperately need Anderson, though it would be understandable if the veteran netminder’s focus is somewhat divided. It’s likely most everyone outside of Edmonton is going to be an Ottawa Senators and Craig Anderson fan tonight.
More from the NHL’s Atlantic Division:
- Physical winger Nicolas Deslauriers of the Buffalo Sabres left Saturday’s win over Florida after a collision along the boards in the game’s final minute, writes Amy Moritz of The Buffalo News. Later, Mike Harrington, also of the Buffalo News, revealed on Twitter that Deslauriers has a knee injury and will be out of the lineup for “weeks.” To replace the four-year veteran in the lineup, at least for the time being, the Sabres have recalled winger Nicholas Baptiste from Rochester of the AHL, once again courtesy of Harrington. Baptiste has already appeared in two games this season for Buffalo – the first NHL action of his career – and scored his first career NHL goal on October 20th.
- Cory Conacher, who was recalled on Friday to take the place of the injured Nikita Kucherov, has been returned to Syracuse of the AHL, according to Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times. Conacher played 13:26 last night for the Lightning but didn’t register a point and recorded a -1 plus-minus rating. Smith suggests the reassignment of Conacher could mean that Kucherov or perhaps even Ryan Callahan is ready to return to the lineup for tonight’s contest against the New York Rangers. As Smith also notes, it would be fitting for Callahan, who has yet to play this season following hip surgery this summer, to make his 2016-17 debut against his former team. It’s also possible head coach Jon Cooper will simply dress seven defensemen; a tactic he utilized on many occasions last season.
- Originally listed as day-to-day due to a lower-body-injury, it now appears as if Detroit forward Thomas Vanek has been downgraded to week-to-week and is expected to miss the next few games, according to Ansar Khan of MLive.com. Vanek is off to a good start in his first year in Detroit, scoring four goals and eight points in his first seven contests. Detroit was considered a fringe playoff team at best coming into the season but the Austrian winger has helped the Wings to a 6 – 3- 0 start and a second place standing in the Atlantic. His extended absence is certainly bad news for a Wings club that has overachieved to this point.
Snapshots: Injury Updates, Hamhuis
Tampa Bay Lightning right winger Nikita Kucherov spoke to the media today, and provided an update to his status after he left Thursday night’s game versus the Montreal Canadiens. Kucherov took a hit and slammed into the boards in the first period.
Kucherov says he feels better and is considered day-to-day. The Lightning have called up Cory Conacher to replace him. Kucherov is currently tied with Alex Killorn for second among all Tampa Bay players with 7 points in 7 games.
Elsewhere around the NHL:
- Julie Dobbs of Fox Sports South West provided an update about some injured Dallas Stars players. Center Jason Spezza (lower-body injury) will be a game-time decision on Saturday night, while Jiri Hudler (illness) also looks likely to play. Hudler was activated off IR on Saturday afternoon. Cody Eakin (knee), Mattias Janmark (knee), and Patrick Sharp (concussion) are all out long-term, but Ales Hemsky (groin) appears to be close to a return.
- Dobbs also noted that Dam Hamhuis appears to be out of the lineup. The 34-year-old defenseman has 2 assists in 7 games. Mike Heika of the Dallas News noted yesterday that head coach Lindy Ruff “doesn’t quite trust” Hamhuis yet. Hamhuis signed a two-year, $7.5MM contract with the Stars in July. It appears that Stephen Johns will replace Hamhuis.
Tampa Bay Lightning Recall Cory Conacher
According to Chris Johnston of Sportsnet, the Tampa Bay Lightning have recalled Cory Conacher from the AHL to fill in for Nikita Kucherov while he’s out with injury. Kucherov is listed as day-to-day after falling into the boards awkwardly last night.
Conacher last played in the NHL in 2014-15 for the New York Islanders, and since has bounced around the AHL and Swiss league. Last year for Bern of the NLA he posted 52 points in 48 games, his most productive professional season since 2011-12. The diminutive winger has never found much consistent success in the NHL, though is at least an experienced body to plug into the lineup.
For the Lightning, losing Kucherov for any length of time would be devastating, as the winger is arguably their top forward outside of Steven Stamkos and is a huge part of their offense. While at the moment it doesn’t seem serious, it’ll be interesting to see who takes his spot in the top six.
Kucherov Out With Upper Body Injury
Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov left last night’s game, a 3-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens, and did not return. Kucherov took a hard check midway through the first period and looked to have injured his left shoulder. Kucherov skated to the bench afterward, and did come out for his next shift, but did not return to the bench following the period break.
When asked about the status of the team’s leading scorer in 2015-16, The Tampa Bay Times’ Joe Smith reports that coach Jon Cooper had little to add. Other than confirming that Kucherov had not suffered a concussion, Cooper said that the nature of the injury and it’s extent were still unknown. Cooper believes that Kucherov was simply hit “the wrong way” on that check, indicating that it should not be a long-term injury.
In the meantime, if Kucherov is out for a few games, the Lightning will not be too short-handed. Ryan Callahan is nearing return to the lineup, after rehabbing from hip surgery, and may be ready to go as early as the team’s next game on Saturday. Tampa also has the luxury of experienced wingers like Cory Conacher and Erik Condra playing in the AHL with the Syracuse Crunch who could be called up as well. While no one can replace Kucherov point-for-point (he has 131 of them over the past two seasons), the Lightning are well-equipped to handle a short absence for the Russian scorer.