Headlines

  • Anze Kopitar Out Week-To-Week With Foot Injury
  • Brady Tkachuk Out 6-7 Weeks Following Hand Surgery
  • Wild Reassign David Jiricek
  • Golden Knights Sign Carter Hart To AHL Tryout
  • Jacob Markström Out “A Couple Of Weeks”
  • Panthers’ Dmitry Kulikov Out Five Months Following Shoulder Surgery
  • Previous
  • Next
Register
Login
  • MLB Trade Rumors
  • Hoops Rumors
  • Pro Football Rumors

Pro Hockey Rumors

  • Home
  • Teams
    • Atlantic
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
    • Central
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Dallas Stars
      • Minnesota Wild
      • Nashville Predators
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Utah Mammoth
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • Metropolitan
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Pacific
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • MLB/NBA/NFL
    • MLB Trade Rumors
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Nikita Kucherov

Snapshots: Toffoli, Daley, Thornton, Fines

February 2, 2019 at 12:58 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 5 Comments

Boston’s desire to add scoring depth on the wing is well-known and it appears they’re open to adding a player signed beyond this season instead of necessarily looking at a rental.  In an appearance on WGR 550 (audio link), TSN’s Darren Dreger indicated that Kings winger Tyler Toffoli is someone that the Bruins are believed to have interest in.  The 26-year-old has struggled considerably this season, scoring just eight times in 50 games despite logging a career-high 17:26 per night.  That’s not great value for a player with a $4.6MM cap hit through next season but Toffoli is also someone that certainly could benefit from a change of scenery which makes him an intriguing trade target to watch for.

Elsewhere around the league:

  • Red Wings defenseman Trevor Daley will be out another seven-to-ten days with as he works his way back from a broken foot, notes Ted Kulfan of The Detroit News. The veteran has played in just 31 games this season but a good showing in his return might give Detroit a small chance to move him and get out of the final year of his contract which carries a $3.167MM cap hit.  It’s worth noting that on February 16th, his full no-trade clause drops to a 15-team restriction.
  • Although Sharks center Joe Thornton has been playing regularly since returning from a knee infection and a broken toe, he still is not fully healthy, head coach Peter DeBoer told Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News. The 39-year-old is logging just 15:31 per game, his lowest since 1998-99.  If the issues persist, it could force San Jose to look into bringing in some extra depth down the middle between now and the trade deadline.
  • The Department of Player Safety announced (Twitter links) a pair of $5K fines for incidents from Friday night. Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov was fined for a trip on Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield while Senators center Zack Smith was hit with a fine for an elbow on Penguins rearguard Marcus Pettersson.  The amounts are the maximum allowable under the CBA.

Boston Bruins| Detroit Red Wings| Los Angeles Kings| Ottawa Senators| San Jose Sharks| Snapshots| Tampa Bay Lightning Joe Thornton| Nikita Kucherov| Trevor Daley| Tyler Toffoli| Zack Smith

5 comments

NHL Announces All-Star Skills Competitors

January 25, 2019 at 4:50 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 2 Comments

The NHL All-Star Skills Competition is scheduled for this evening, and though Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon have both pulled out due to illness and injury there are still an incredible amount of talented players taking part. Most notable however may be the final entrant in the fastest skater competition: Kendall Coyne. A member of the US Women’s National Team, Coyne will take MacKinnon’s place after the Colorado Avalanche forward suffered a foot injury this week. The Olympic gold medalist is known for her speed and posted a 14.226 yesterday during event testing according to Emily Kaplan of ESPN. Though that wouldn’t have been enough to dethrone Connor McDavid last year, it would have put her ahead of Zach Werenski, Noah Hanifin and Josh Bailey in the competition. We’ll see what Coyne can do tonight, along with the rest of the competitors:

Read more

Fastest Skater:

Cam Atkinson, Columbus Blue Jackets

Mathew Barzal, New York Islanders

Jack Eichel, Buffalo Sabres

Miro Heiskanen, Dallas Stars

Clayton Keller, Arizona Coyotes

Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers

Elias Pettersson, Vancouver Canucks

Kendall Coyne, U.S. Women’s National Team

Puck Control:

Johnny Gaudreau, Calgary Flames

Claude Giroux, Philadelphia Flyers

Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks

Gabriel Landeskog, Colorado Avalanche

Elias Pettersson, Vancouver Canucks

Mark Scheifele, Winnipeg Jets

Jeff Skinner, Buffalo Sabres

John Tavares, Toronto Maple Leafs

Save Streak:

Devan Dubnyk, Minnesota Wild

Marc-Andre Fleury, Vegas Golden Knights

John Gibson, Anaheim Ducks

Braden Holtby, Washington Capitals

Jimmy Howard, Detroit Red Wings

Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers

Pekka Rinne, Nashville Predators

Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay Lightning

Premier Passer:

Sebastian Aho, Carolina Hurricanes

Thomas Chabot, Ottawa Senators

Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers

Roman Josi, Nashville Predators

Erik Karlsson, San Jose Sharks

Ryan O’Reilly, St. Louis Blues

Mikko Rantanen, Colorado Avalanche

Keith Yandle, Florida Panthers

Hardest Shot:

Brent Burns, San Jose Sharks

John Carlson, Washington Capitals

Seth Jones, Columbus Blue Jackets

Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightning

Accuracy Shooting:

Drew Doughty, Los Angeles Kings

Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay Lightning

Kris Letang, Pittsburgh Penguins

Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs

Kyle Palmieri, New Jersey Devils

David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins

Joe Pavelski, San Jose Sharks

Blake Wheeler, Winnipeg Jets

Uncategorized Andrei Vasilevskiy| Auston Matthews| Blake Wheeler| Braden Holtby| Brent Burns| Cam Atkinson| Claude Giroux| Clayton Keller| Connor McDavid| David Pastrnak| Devan Dubnyk| Drew Doughty| Elias Pettersson| Erik Karlsson| Gabriel Landeskog| Henrik Lundqvist| Jack Eichel| Jeff Skinner| Jimmy Howard| Joe Pavelski| John Carlson| John Gibson| John Tavares| Johnny Gaudreau| Keith Yandle| Kris Letang| Kyle Palmieri| Leon Draisaitl| Marc-Andre Fleury| Mark Scheifele| Mathew Barzal| Mikko Rantanen| Miro Heiskanen| Nathan MacKinnon| Nikita Kucherov| Patrick Kane| Pekka Rinne

2 comments

PHWA Announces 2018-19 Midseason Awards

January 24, 2019 at 8:32 am CDT | by Gavin Lee 4 Comments

Though they have no bearing on the eventual winners, last season the Professional Hockey Writers Association brought back their Midseason Awards to give fans an idea of who was leading the charge around the NHL at the halfway point. Today those ballots have been tallied and the midseason trophies were given out:

Hart Trophy – Most valuable player

1. Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay Lightning
2. Johnny Gaudreau, Calgary Flames
3. Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers

Norris Trophy – Best defenseman

1. Mark Giordano, Calgary Flames
2. Morgan Rielly, Toronto Maple Leafs
3. Brent Burns, San Jose Sharks

Selke Trophy – Best defensive forward

1. Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins
2. Aleksander Barkov, Florida Panthers
3. Mark Stone, Ottawa Senators

Calder Trophy – Best rookie

1. Elias Pettersson, Vancouver Canucks
2. Rasmus Dahlin, Buffalo Sabres
3. Miro Heiskanen, Dallas Stars

Lady Byng Trophy – Sportsmanship & gentlemanly conduct

1. Aleksander Barkov, Florida Panthers
2. Morgan Rielly, Toronto Maple Leafs
3. Sean Monahan, Calgary Flames

Vezina Trophy – Best goaltender

1. John Gibson, Anaheim Ducks
2. Marc-Andre Fleury, Vegas Golden Knights
3. Frederik Andersen, Toronto Maple Leafs

Jack Adams Award – Best coach

1. Barry Trotz, New York Islanders
2. Bill Peters, Calgary Flames
3. Jon Cooper, Tampa Bay Lightning

GM of the Year Award

1. Brad Treliving, Calgary Flames
2. Doug Wilson, San Jose Sharks
3. Lou Lamoriello, New York Islanders

Rod Langway Award – Best defensive defenseman

1. Mattias Ekholm, Nashville Predators
2. Mark Giordano, Calgary Flames
3. Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning

Comeback Player of the Year Award

1. Robin Lehner, New York Islanders
2. Jeff Skinner, Buffalo Sabres
3. Zach Parise, Minnesota Wild

Barry Trotz| Bill Peters| Brad Treliving| Doug Wilson| Jon Cooper| Lou Lamoriello Aleksander Barkov| Brent Burns| Connor McDavid| Elias Pettersson| Frederik Andersen| Jeff Skinner| John Gibson| Johnny Gaudreau| Marc-Andre Fleury| Mark Giordano| Mark Stone| Mattias Ekholm| Miro Heiskanen| Morgan Rielly| Nikita Kucherov| Patrice Bergeron| Rasmus Dahlin| Robin Lehner| Sean Monahan| Victor Hedman| Zach Parise

4 comments

2019 All-Star Rosters Announced

January 2, 2019 at 5:44 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 12 Comments

The NHL has announced the four rosters for the 2019 All-Star Game today, scheduled to be held on January 26th in San Jose. Earlier today, Alex Ovechkin, who was elected captain of Metropolitan Division squad, told the league that he wouldn’t be attending and will accept the punishment of missing one game either before or after the break. Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, and Auston Matthews will represent the Pacific, Central and Atlantic respectively, as the other captains. A replacement Metropolitan captain for Ovechkin has yet to be named.

The full rosters are as follows:

Pacific Division

G John Gibson (ANA)
G Marc-Andre Fleury (VGK)

D Erik Karlsson (SJS)
D Brent Burns (SJS)
D Drew Doughty (LAK)

F Connor McDavid (EDM)*
F Johnny Gaudreau (CGY)
F Joe Pavelski (SJS)
F Elias Pettersson (VAN)
F Clayton Keller (ARI)

Central Division

G Pekka Rinne (NSH)
G Devan Dubnyk (MIN)

D Roman Josi (NSH)
D Miro Heiskanen (DAL)

F Nathan MacKinnon (COL)*
F Mikko Rantanen (COL)
F Blake Wheeler (WPG)
F Patrick Kane (CHI)
F Mark Scheifele (WPG)
F Ryan O’Reilly (STL)

Atlantic Division

G Jimmy Howard (DET)
G Carey Price (MTL)

D Keith Yandle (FLA)
D Thomas Chabot (OTT)

F Auston Matthews (TOR)*
F Nikita Kucherov (TBL)
F Steven Stamkos (TBL)
F John Tavares (TOR)
F David Pastrnak (BOS)
F Jack Eichel (BUF)

Metropolitan Division

G Henrik Lundqvist (NYR)
G Braden Holtby (WAS)

D John Carlson (WSH)
D Seth Jones (CBJ)

F Sidney Crosby (PIT)
F Taylor Hall (NJD)
F Mathew Barzal (NYI)
F Claude Giroux (PHI)
F Cam Atkinson (CBJ)
F Sebastian Aho (CAR)

*Denotes team captain

One final skater spot on each roster has yet to be announced, as it will be determined by the “Last Man In” fan ballot, a concept borrowed from Major League Baseball. The format of the current All-Star Game, which requires one representative from each team on these smaller 3-on-tournament rosters, was bound to cause some confusion with the initial selections. Seven top-twenty scorers were not selected – Mitch Marner, Brayden Point, Leon Draisaitl, Sean Monahan, Matthew Tkachuk, Phil Kessel, and Gabriel Landeskog – and several will inevitably remain out of All-Star participation even after the fan ballot additions. Morgan Rielly, the league’s top-scoring defenseman, and Mark Giordano, enjoying an elite season on both sides of the puck, are two surprising omissions on the blue line. Several of the league’s top goalies are also going to miss out, ineligible for the fan ballot, including Ben Bishop, Frederik Andersen, and Andrei Vasilevskiy. The “Last Man In” will be an intriguing new addition to the All-Star process, with nominees to be named shortly, but more than a few notable names will be left out regardless. Meanwhile, the health of players like Price and Chabot for Team Atlantic and Hall for Team Metropolitan will bear watching, as those players may opt to skip the All-Star festivities, opening up more players to selection.

NHL| Schedule Alex Ovechkin| Andrei Vasilevskiy| Auston Matthews| Ben Bishop| Blake Wheeler| Braden Holtby| Brayden Point| Brent Burns| Cam Atkinson| Carey Price| Claude Giroux| Clayton Keller| Connor McDavid| David Pastrnak| Devan Dubnyk| Drew Doughty| Elias Pettersson| Erik Karlsson| Frederik Andersen| Gabriel Landeskog| Henrik Lundqvist| Jack Eichel| Jimmy Howard| Joe Pavelski| John Carlson| John Gibson| John Tavares| Johnny Gaudreau| Keith Yandle| Leon Draisaitl| Marc-Andre Fleury| Mark Giordano| Mark Scheifele| Mathew Barzal| Matthew Tkachuk| Mikko Rantanen| Miro Heiskanen| Mitch Marner| Morgan Rielly| Nathan MacKinnon| Nikita Kucherov| Patrick Kane| Pekka Rinne| Phil Kessel| Roman Josi| Sebastian Aho| Seth Jones| Sidney Crosby| Steven Stamkos| Taylor Hall| Thomas Chabot

12 comments

Snapshots: Three Stars, Transfer Fees, Wilson

December 24, 2018 at 3:39 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

The NHL awarded their weekly Three Stars again today, this time choosing Sergei Bobrovsky as the easy recipient of the top honors. After struggling early in the season, Bobrovsky is right back to being arguably the best goaltender in the league as he posted a 4-0-0 record last week that included two shutouts. The pending unrestricted free agent has stopped 179 of the last 186 shots he has faced and now carries a .913 save percentage on the year.

Second and third went to two Atlantic Division rivals, as Morgan Rielly of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning appeared on the list. The Toronto defender added to his scoring lead among all NHL defensemen with a nine-point week, while Kucherov continued to show why he is one of the most dangerous offensive players in the league with his own nine-point effort.

  • According to the Associated Press, the NHL paid more than $35MM in transfer fees last season to sign players from around the world, as part of a continuing agreement with leagues in Sweden, Finland and other countries. The idea behind the transfer agreements is to funnel money back into the development programs all around the world, which in turn provides more diverse talent for the NHL. It has worked as planned in recent years as top talents like Rasmus Dahlin, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Miro Heiskanen and Patrik Laine have all been selected in the top three picks of the entry draft. The KHL and the Swiss NLA do not have transfer agreements with the NHL at this time, which also complicates the process of their talent coming over in the first place.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins think they have an answer to the physical play that rival Tom Wilson of the Washington Capitals provides, and he’s already in their system. Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette examines how Garrett Wilson could be brought back up after the holiday season in order to provide some leadership and toughness for the Penguins, who recently lost physical defenseman Jamie Oleksiak at the hands (or, perhaps hand) of Washington’s Wilson. Pittsburgh’s Wilson cleared waivers earlier this month and was sent down to the minor leagues a few days ago to make room for the activation of Dominik Simon.

Pittsburgh Penguins| Snapshots| Tampa Bay Lightning| Toronto Maple Leafs Morgan Rielly| Nikita Kucherov| Sergei Bobrovsky

0 comments

Snapshots: Three Stars, RFAs, Marleau

November 26, 2018 at 3:45 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 1 Comment

The NHL has released their latest Three Stars of the Week, and to absolutely no one’s surprise Patrik Laine finds himself on top. Despite plenty of other outstanding performances last week, Laine was the easy choice after scoring 11 goals in just four games including a five-goal effort on Saturday night. The young Winnipeg Jets forward set all kinds of franchise records with the outstanding performance, and joined an incredibly small group of players to post five goals in a game before their 21st birthday. Only Laine, Don Murdoch and Wayne Gretzky have ever done so; Laine will have to do it again this season to tie Gretzky with two such performances.

Coming in second and third this week are Marc-Andre Fleury and Nikita Kucherov, two players well versed in this award. Fleury earned third star honors just over a month ago, while Kucherov has been in the top three several times throughout his career. The Vegas Golden Knights goaltender and Tampa Bay Lightning forward will have to continue their strong play if they hope to compete for the Stanley Cup again this season, and may even find themselves on this list again down the road.

  • While the William Nylander situation is still unresolved, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (subscription required) looks ahead to how it could affect several other future restricted free agents. LeBrun lists a group of players including Laine, Auston Matthews, Brayden Point, Mikko Rantanen, Mitch Marner, Matthew Tkachuk, Kyle Connor, Sebastian Aho, Timo Meier and Brock Boeser that are all about to see their entry-level contracts expire, and will be watching closely to see what Nylander is eventually signed for. Speaking to several agents and executives, LeBrun puts forward the idea that this may not be the last contract negotiation we see leak deep into the regular season.
  • Patrick Marleau will play his 1,600th career game tonight when the Toronto Maple Leafs take on the Boston Bruins, becoming just the 11th player to ever do so in the NHL. Marleau hasn’t missed a game since the 2008-09 season and very well could finish the year in fifth place all-time on the games played list behind just Gordie Howe (1,767 GP), Mark Messier (1,756), Jaromir Jagr (1,733) and Ron Francis (1,731). Marleau is currently tied with Nicklas Lidstrom on the all-time point list with 1,142, and will try to take sole possession of 54th overall tonight.

RFA| Snapshots| Tampa Bay Lightning| Toronto Maple Leafs| Vegas Golden Knights| Winnipeg Jets Auston Matthews| Brayden Point| Brock Boeser| Kyle Connor| Marc-Andre Fleury| Matthew Tkachuk| Mikko Rantanen| Mitch Marner| Nikita Kucherov| Patrick Marleau| Patrik Laine

1 comment

2018-19 Season Primer: Tampa Bay Lightning

September 8, 2018 at 4:07 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg 3 Comments

With the NHL season now just a month away, it’s time to look at what each team has done this summer and what to watch for in the year to come. Today, we focus on the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Last Season: 54-23-5 record (113 points), third in the Atlantic Division (lost to Washington in the Eastern Conference Finals)

Remaining Cap Space: $2.646MM per CapFriendly

Key Additions: D Cameron Gaunce (free agent, Columbus); Kevin Lynch (free agent, Syracuse Crunch (AHL))

Key Departures: F Chris Kunitz (free agent, Chicago Blackhawks); D Andrej Sustr (Anaheim Ducks); F Matthew Peca (Montreal Canadiens); F Erik Condra (Dallas Stars); Mathew Bodie (Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod (KHL)); F Alex Gallant (Vegas Golden Knights)

[Related: Lightning Depth Chart From Roster Resource]

Player To Watch: F Nikita Kucherov – The 25-year-old superstar quietly signed a eight-year, $76MM extension this offseason and after breaking the 100-point barrier, many wonder if Kucherov takes another step this season. He broke the 100-point barrier last year as his assist totals took a jump, most likely in part because of his success playing next to center Steven Stamkos.

However, is there more that Kucherov can do to help the team capture a Stanley Cup? The winger took his game up a notch after the 2016-17 season when he jumped from 30 to 40 goals. Then last season, he took those assists up a notch, raising his assist totals from 45 to 61, while maintaining his goal-scoring prowess as he still tallied 39 goals last season.

The real question is whether the 100-point performance last season is just Kucherov scratching the surface of his potential or whether he will slip back to his 80-pont ways. No matter what, he remains one of the best plaeyrs in the NHL, but one wonders how much better he can be.

Key Storyline: General manager Steve Yzerman has never been shy of making a big trade to add talent for their Stanley Cup run. He did that at the trade deadline last year when the team went out and acquired two key pieces for their run when they got defenseman Ryan McDonagh and winger J.T. Miller, both who were critical to their playoff run. Unfortunately, they hit the Washington Capitals’ wall and failed to reach the Stanley Cup Finals, but they were extremely close.

The team didn’t make many moves in the offseason, but were rumored to be in on a potential Erik Karlsson trade and at one point it looked like it was a done deal. However, the team may not have been ready to part with talented defenseman Mikhail Sergachev at the time. However, with Karlsson still in Ottawa, don’t be shocked if the Lightning do everything it can to bring the star defenseman aboard. If the team could find itself with a top-four of Victor Hedman, McDonagh, Karlsson and Sergachev, the team’s defense might be the best in hockey.

Overall Outlook: There may be only eight teams that could be considered legitimate candidates to win the Stanley Cup this year and Tampa Bay would likely be considered among the top two or three teams this year. With their offensive success throughout their forward lines as well as a developing defense with two solid top-two defenders on the roster and the most talented young goaltender in the NHL at the moment in Andrei Vasilevskiy, the team is in good hands for the 2018-19 season.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Season Previews 2018-19| Steve Yzerman| Tampa Bay Lightning Andrei Vasilevskiy| Andrej Sustr| Cameron Gaunce| Chris Kunitz| Erik Condra| Erik Karlsson| J.T. Miller| Matthew Peca| Mikhail Sergachev| Nikita Kucherov| Ryan McDonagh| Steven Stamkos| Victor Hedman

3 comments

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Tampa Bay Lightning

September 1, 2018 at 6:55 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg 1 Comment

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 2018-19 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.

Tampa Bay Lightning

Current Projected Cap Hit: $76,853,780 (under the $79.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry Level Contracts

D Mikhail Sergachev (two years, $894K)
F Anthony Cirelli (two years, $728K)
F Brayden Point (one year, $687K)

Potential Bonuses:

Sergachev: $850K
Cirelli: $183K
Point: $183K

Total: $1.22MM

After a impressive rookie campaign, the Lightning knew they had a special player in Point, who proceeded to have a breakout year as the team’s second-line center. Point, who is good enough to be a No. 1 center, provided the team with a 32-goal, 66-point season. Now in his third year, Point could really walk away with a huge payday if he can equal or even better on that performance this year. Cirelli looks to have the third-line center spot locked down after the 21-year-old had a successful, but short stint, last season. He posted five goals and 11 points in 18 games last season and played in all 17 games of the playoffs, adding a pair of goals.

Sergachev has two years remaining on his contract and the 20-year-old defenseman had an up and down season, but still posted a nine-goal, 40-point season. He did have trouble getting regular minutes as the team often lost faith in his defensive play along with some immaturity issues. Regardless, the left-handed shot actually proved to head coach Jon Cooper that he can play on the right side, solving their depth issues on the right side. Sergachev should continue to develop his skills and also be in line for a big payday in two years.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry Level

D Anton Stralman ($4.5MM, UFA)
D Braydon Coburn ($3.7MM, UFA)
D Dan Girardi ($3MM, UFA)
F Yanni Gourde ($1MM, UFA)
F Cedric Paquette ($1MM, RFA)
D Slater Koekkoek ($865K, RFA)
D Jake Dotchin ($813K, RFA)
F Adam Erne ($800K, RFA)
F Andy Andreoff ($678K, UFA)
F Cory Conacher ($650K, UFA)

For a team known for its defensive depth on its defense, it’s a little shocking to see that they only have three players signed after the 2018-19 season. Almost all of the team’s defense become free agents, restricted or otherwise, including Stralman, Coburn, Girardi, Koekkoek and Dotchin. With the team heavily laden in long-term deals, the team might be willing to allow Stralman, Coburn and Girardi to walk at the end of the year. All three are solid players, but there might not be any cap room to extend any of them, especially if the team has to give long-term deals to both Sergachev and Point. Stralman’s situation will be the most interesting as he’s a solid defenseman that complements his partner quite well and was the veteran who mentored Sergachev last season. Coburn and Girardi are likely expendable. Koekkoek and Dotchin will only be restricted free agents, but neither got a lot of playing time with the team, especially after the team added defensive talent at the trade deadline. However, both could play bigger roles this year, or within two years.

Another interesting decision the team will have to make is Gourde, who posted a breakout season in his first full season. The 26-year-old spent many years working on his game in the AHL before finally catching on with the Syracuse Crunch in 2014. From there he worked his way up before catching the team’s eye in training camp to win a spot. The result was a 25-goal, 64-point performance and now he has to prove he can duplicate that performance this season to get a big boost in his pay. For $1MM, Gourde may be the best bargain on the team, but he could get pricey quickly.Read more

Two Years Remaining

F Ryan Callahan ($5.8MM, UFA)
G Andrei Vasilevskiy ($3.4MM, UFA)
G Louis Domingue ($1.15MM, UFA)

With the increase in salary being handed out to top goaltenders, the Lightning aren’t looking forward to Vasilevksiy’s contract negotations. Considered by many to be the top goaltender in the NHL at only 23 years old, Vasilevskiy will likely break the bank when the team signs him to a long-term deal. Montreal’s Carey Price ($10.5MM) and the eventual contract that Columbus’ Sergei Bobrovsky gets next year will likely just be the starting point for a goaltender who posted a .920 save percentage in 65 games last season.

The team should be able to salvage part of that raise from the expiring contract of Callahan (assuming they don’t trade or buy him out before then). Callahan, will be eventually missed as he’s the heart and soul of the team, but injuries have negated his presence for much of the last two years. Once his $5.8MM contract expires, the team can apply that towards a new contract for Vasilevskiy (plus quite a bit more). Callahan, 33, provides a physical presence, but he only played 67 games and he had an injured shoulder for quite a bit of that time after missing most of the 2016-17 game.

Three Years Remaining

None

Four Or More Years Remaining

F Steven Stamkos ($8.5MM through 2023-24)
D Victor Hedman ($7.8MM through 2024-25)
F Ondrej Palat ($5.3MM through 2021-22)
F J.T. Miller ($5.25MM through 2022-23)
F Tyler Johnson ($5MM through 2023-24)
F Nikita Kucherov ($4.8MM in 2018-19; $9.5MM through 2026-27)
D Ryan McDonagh ($4.7MM in 2018-19; $6.75MM through 2025-26)
F Alex Killorn ($4.45MM through 2022-23)

The team has locked up more players than most teams as they feel their core is ready to win for the next 10 years. The team started much of those signings back in 2016 when they were able to convince Stamkos to sign an eight-year, $68MM deal. Stamkos, who then got hurt in his first season and only played 17 games, bounced back with a solid season last year, posting 27 goals and 86 points. The 28-year-old posted impressive point totals, but saw his goal output drop after tallying 36 goals in 2015-16 and 43 in 2014-15 (not to mention the 60 in 2011-12). However, with Kucherov on his wing, there may not be a requirement to score as much.

Kucherov signed his eight-year, $76MM extension this offseason, as the team wanted to lock up their star winger, who many think is one of the top five players in the league. The 25-year-old posted a career-high in points, breaking 100 points this year. He also added 39 goals and now has scored 138 goals in the past four seasons.

Once the team locked up Stamkos, they immediately followed that up with an extension for Hedman, who proved he was worthy of the eight-year, $63MM deal when he won the Norris Trophy last season with a 17-goal, 63-point performance. The addition of McDonagh at the trade deadline only made Hedman’s job easier as McDonagh was able to share some of those tough minutes and help prevent Hedman from playing too many minutes in each game. The team then followed up on that by signing McDonagh to a seven-year, $47.3MM extension that will keep the veteran with the team until he’s 37 years old.

The team also locked up Palat and Johnson, two key wingers, to long-term extensions as well. The 27-year-old Palat has four years left on a five-year, $26.5MM deal. He was hampered by injuries last season, but still produced 11 goals and 35 points, but has the abilities to be a respectable 20-goals scorer year after year. The 28-year-old Johnson has six years remaining on his seven-year, $35MM contract and provided 21 goals and 50 points, providing solid top-six depth. The addition of Miller, who signed a five-year, $26.25MM deal this offseason, walked in and was an immediate fit on the team’s top line next to Stamkos and Kucherov. He combined for a career-high in goals and points as he gives the line much-needed size and style around the net.

The only player who seems to not be an impact player would be Killorn. the 28-year-old power forward, who the team handed a seven-year, $31.2MM contract back in 2016. With five years remaining at $4.45MM, Killorn still provides offense, but in a bottom-six role. He scored 15 goals and had a career-high 47 points, but $4.45MM is a lot of money for a player in that role.

Buyouts

D Matthew Carle ($1.83MM through 2019-20)

Retained Salary Transactions

None

Still To Sign

None

Best Value: Gourde (Excluding entry-level contracts)
Worst Value: Callahan

Looking Ahead

The team has done an impressive job in building a franchise winner. They need only one thing — a Stanley Cup title — but the team has the pieces, most of which are just entering their prime, to accomplish just that. The franchise that general Steve Yzerman has things they have to deal with, but it seems to be in good hands. The team got a good deal out of Kucherov, who signed for slightly below-market value (thanks in part to Florida’s lack of state tax) and while they still have a few contracts they’ll have to deal with in the near future (Point, Sergachev, Gourde and Vasilevskiy), the team is set up perfectly to compete with the best teams in the leagues for the foreseeable future. They might even have the ability to take on another major contract like an Erik Karlsson if they wanted.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Jon Cooper| Salary Cap Deep Dive 2018| Steve Yzerman| Tampa Bay Lightning Adam Erne| Alex Killorn| Andrei Vasilevskiy| Andy Andreoff| Anthony Cirelli| Anton Stralman| Brayden Point| Braydon Coburn| Carey Price| Cedric Paquette| Cory Conacher| Dan Girardi| Erik Karlsson| J.T. Miller| Jake Dotchin| Louis Domingue| Mikhail Sergachev| Nikita Kucherov| Ondrej Palat| Salary Cap

1 comment

Poll: Early Hart Trophy Favorite?

August 18, 2018 at 8:49 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 3 Comments

It may be the slowest stretch of the off-season, but the odds-makers at Bovada are staying busy. As Sports Illustrated’s Michael Blinn writes, the first odds for the NHL’s MVP Award, the Hart Trophy, for the 2018-19 season are out. Very few could have predicted that the New Jersey Devils’ Taylor Hall would have taken home the title this past season at this point last year. Is next year’s winner even on the board? Or will it be one of the heavy favorites?

To no surprise, Edmonton Oilers phenom Connor McDavid has the best odds to win the Hart for the second time in three years after being crowned in 2017. McDavid has 10/3 odds to win the award and those are actually pretty fair odds. Even last season, when McDavid was not even a finalist for the Hart, he nevertheless was the league’s leading scorer with 108 points, six more than the next-best player. It was the second season in a row that McDavid won the scoring title and that trend seems unlikely to change if he remains healthy. However, there are some who will say that McDavid’s Hart chances are tied to the success of the Oilers. The argument this past season was that he could not truly be the most valuable player in the league when his contributions still left Edmonton far from a playoff spot. With a roster that has been largely unimproved this off-season, another regular season disappointment for the Oilers could make it hard for McDavid to get back on top.

Next up is two-time Hart winner Sidney Crosby at 13/5. The face of the Pittsburgh Penguins dynasty has long been considered the best player on the planet. Yet, one would think that Crosby might actually have more than two MVP titles. Crosby has scored between 84 and 120 points in every healthy season of his career, but his impressive supporting cast detracts from the impact of those unbelievable numbers. Especially last season, when Crosby was narrowly outscored by both Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel, it would have been close to impossible for him to win the Hart. Malkin (18/1 odds) and Kessel (75/1 odds) are still Penguins and barring injuries to one or both, Crosby would have to take his game to an even higher level to get back into Hart consideration.

Maple Leafs centers John Tavares and Auston Matthews both have 10/1 odds to win the Hart, as the odds-makers clearly expect there to be plenty of offense to go around in Toronto next season. Injuries held Matthews to 63 points last season, outside the top 50 in scoring, while a healthy Tavares only managed to tie for sixteenth with 84 points for the New York Islanders. Both players will greatly need to improve their production to be Hart – and it is certainly possible now that they are playing together – yet an improvement by both could land them in Crosby/Malkin territory where they cancel each other out in the Hart race.

Reigning Stanley Cup, Conn Smythe, and Maurice Richard winner Alex Ovechkin also has 10/1 odds to take home the Hart. Ovechkin has done it three times before, more than any other active player in the league. However, Ovechkin’s 49 goals last year only came with 38 assists, as his 87 points kept him outside the top ten in scoring. At 33 years old this season, the Washington Capitals captain will have to fight both the aging process and a potential Cup hangover to improve his production if he wants a fourth Hart. Ovechkin’s 10/1 odds seem like a stretch.

At 15/1 are both the 2018 winner Hall and finalist Nathan MacKinnon, as well as Nikita Kucherov and Mark Scheifele. This is where the value lies in these early odds. The former duo greatly benefited from both excellent seasons – 97 points for MacKinnon and 93 points for Hall – but also being far and away the best players on the New Jersey Devils and Colorado Avalanche respectively. Both should again lead the way for their clubs and if they match their previous output and again sneak into the postseason, it would be no surprise to see them both back in consideration next year. As for Kucherov, he was the favorite to win the Hart for a long stretch last season as he led the league in scoring. Although his production tailed off as the season closed out, the dynamic Tampa Bay Lightning winger still managed to finish third with 100 points. Tampa will be top contenders again and promise to light up the score board with Kucherov leading the way. Perhaps this time he can seal the deal on the Hart. Scheifele is a dark horse candidate who could be the breakout star of the coming season like Hall and MacKinnon last year. The Winnipeg Jets franchise center played in only 60 games last year, but scored 60 points and continues to show flashes of brilliance. He could be a savvy pick to take home the hardware.

Among the rest of the field are some very interesting options. Los Angeles Kings star Anze Kopitar, a Hart finalist last season, has 18/1 odds and new weapon to play with in Ilya Kovalchuk (50/1 odds). Philadelphia Flyers captain Claude Giroux has 25/1 odds despite finishing second only to McDavid at the top of the scoring charts last season with 102 points. Boston Bruins winger Brad Marchand, also 25/1 odds, was arguably the most dangerous scorer in the league last season when on the ice, finishing 13th overall in scoring with 85 points in just 68 games – the only player in the top 50 to play in less than 70 games. Bargain odds belong to Artemi Panarin at 50/1. The Columbus Blue Jackets dynamo gets better each year since coming over to the NHL and could toy with 100 points in his second year with the team. That would make for an interesting off-season, as Panarin is slated for free agency next summer.

What do you think? Does Bovada have the right names at the top? Or will the Hart winner be another unpredictable upset like Hall?

Who Is The Early Favorite To Win The 2019 Hart Trophy?
Connor McDavid 32.35% (273 votes)
Sidney Crosby 12.09% (102 votes)
The Field - comment below 11.37% (96 votes)
Nathan MacKinnon 11.14% (94 votes)
Nikita Kucherov 7.58% (64 votes)
John Tavares 6.87% (58 votes)
Taylor Hall 5.09% (43 votes)
Mark Scheifele 5.09% (43 votes)
Auston Matthews 4.74% (40 votes)
Alex Ovechkin 3.67% (31 votes)
Total Votes: 844

Boston Bruins| Colorado Avalanche| Columbus Blue Jackets| Edmonton Oilers| Los Angeles Kings| New Jersey Devils| Philadelphia Flyers| Pittsburgh Penguins| Players| Tampa Bay Lightning| Toronto Maple Leafs| Washington Capitals| Winnipeg Jets Alex Ovechkin| Anze Kopitar| Artemi Panarin| Auston Matthews| Brad Marchand| Claude Giroux| Connor McDavid| Evgeni Malkin| Ilya Kovalchuk| John Tavares| Mark Scheifele| Nathan MacKinnon| Nikita Kucherov| Phil Kessel

3 comments

Poll: Can Connor McDavid Win The Art Ross Trophy For A Third-Straight Year?

August 12, 2018 at 10:59 am CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg 5 Comments

The Edmonton Oilers went from a top performing playoff team in 2016-17 to a struggling franchise that didn’t even come close to earning a playoff spot last year. Quite a difference in years. Yet among all that went wrong last season, the team got the most out of their star player Connor McDavid, who captured the Art Ross Trophy for a second year in a row.

McDavid, who enters his fourth NHL season and first as the highest paid player in the league, posted 30 goals and 70 assists in the 2016-17 season for 100 points. He easily walked away with the Art Ross Trophy as the next closest were Chicago’s Patrick Kane and Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby with 89 points. Behind them was Washington’s Nicklas Backstrom with 86, as well as Boston’s Brad Marchand and Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov who both had 85 points.

In 2017-18, despite a lesser team that struggled, McDavid’s numbers only got better as he posted 41 goals, 67 assists and 108 points, but the competition only increased as two other players broke the 100-point barrier, including Philadelphia’s Claude Giroux who had 102 points and Kucherov who went from 85 points to 100. Pittsburgh’s Evgeni Malkin (98 points) and Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon (97 points) rounded out the top five. However, while five players in 2016-17 had 85 points or more, that number altered quite a bit last year as 15 players had 85 points or more, giving McDavid even more competition.

There are several players who could compete with McDavid this year, including Kucherov who continues to improve at 24. Hart Trophy winner Taylor Hall finished the season with 93 points, while MacKinnon, who is just 22, is also a young player who can still take his game to the higher level. Or could someone else take that next step?

So the question is, can Connor McDavid lead the league in points again?

Will Connor McDavid win the Art Ross Trophy (for most points in an NHL season) for a third-straight year?
Yes 70.13% (385 votes)
No 18.03% (99 votes)
Only if the Oilers get better 11.84% (65 votes)
Total Votes: 549

Pro Hockey Rumors app users, click here to vote.

Edmonton Oilers| NHL Brad Marchand| Claude Giroux| Connor McDavid| Evgeni Malkin| Nathan MacKinnon| Nikita Kucherov| Patrick Kane

5 comments
« Previous Page
Load More Posts
    Top Stories

    Anze Kopitar Out Week-To-Week With Foot Injury

    Brady Tkachuk Out 6-7 Weeks Following Hand Surgery

    Wild Reassign David Jiricek

    Golden Knights Sign Carter Hart To AHL Tryout

    Jacob Markström Out “A Couple Of Weeks”

    Panthers’ Dmitry Kulikov Out Five Months Following Shoulder Surgery

    Canadiens Extend Jeff Gorton, Kent Hughes

    Josh Norris To Miss A Significant Amount Of Time

    Canadiens Sign Lane Hutson To Eight-Year Extension

    Blue Jackets Name Jet Greaves Opening Night Starter

    Recent

    Joel Kiviranta Out Indefinitely; Avalanche Assign Jack Ahcan To AHL

    Senators Expected To Resume Shane Pinto Extension Talks Soon

    Brandon Montour Taking Temporary Leave Of Absence From Kraken

    Canadiens Announce Multiple Injuries, Recall Owen Beck

    Kraken Place Freddy Gaudreau On Injured Reserve

    Evening Notes: Lycksell, Cooley, Zamula

    Blackhawks Activate Landon Slaggert From IR

    Ducks Recall Ian Moore

    Blackhawks Reportedly Headed Towards Kyle Davidson Extension

    Lightning’s Nikita Kucherov Out With Illness

    Rumors By Team

    Rumors By Team

    • Avalanche Rumors
    • Blackhawks Rumors
    • Blue Jackets Rumors
    • Blues Rumors
    • Bruins Rumors
    • Canadiens Rumors
    • Canucks Rumors
    • Capitals Rumors
    • Devils Rumors
    • Ducks Rumors
    • Flames Rumors
    • Flyers Rumors
    • Golden Knights Rumors
    • Hurricanes Rumors
    • Islanders Rumors
    • Jets Rumors
    • Kings Rumors
    • Kraken Rumors
    • Lightning Rumors
    • Mammoth Rumors
    • Maple Leafs Rumors
    • Oilers Rumors
    • Panthers Rumors
    • Penguins Rumors
    • Predators Rumors
    • Rangers Rumors
    • Red Wings Rumors
    • Sabres Rumors
    • Senators Rumors
    • Sharks Rumors
    • Stars Rumors
    • Wild Rumors

    Latest Rumors & News

    Latest Rumors & News

    • 2025’s Top 50 Unrestricted Free Agents
    • Rasmus Andersson Rumors
    • Erik Karlsson Rumors
    • Rickard Rakell Rumors
    • Bryan Rust Rumors

    Pro Hockey Rumors Features

    Pro Hockey Rumors Features

    • Support Pro Hockey Rumors And Go Ad-Free
    • 2025 NHL Free Agent List
    • 2026 NHL Free Agent List
    • Active Roster Tracker
    • Offseason Trade Tracker
    • PTO Tracker 2025
    • Summer Synopsis Series 2025
    • Training Camp Rosters 2025
    • Pro Hockey Rumors On X
    • Pro Hockey Rumors Polls

     

     

     

     

    Navigation

    • Sitemap
    • Archives

    PHR Info

    • About
    • Privacy Policy
    • Commenting Policy

    Connect

    • Contact Us
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS Feed

    Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

    Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

    scroll to top

    Register

    Desktop Version | Switch To Mobile Version