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Trade Rumors: Georgiev, Sharks, Canadiens

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On Sportsnet’s “Saturday Headlines” segment last night, Elliotte Friedman made it very clear that trade talks are heating up and teams have begun issuing league-wide statements on where they stand ahead of next month’s trade deadline. The top story belongs to the New York Rangers, who have informed their competitors that they are willing to listen to offers for young goaltender Alexandar Georgiev. The team’s stance has changed in just a matter of days since recalling top goalie prospect Igor Shesterkin from the AHL, who proceeded to win his first two starts, including a 46-save performance on Thursday. Shesterkin, though an older prospect at 24, was actually an established superstar in the KHL before coming over this season and looks like the heir apparent to Henrik Lundqvist. Georgiev, still only 23, has performed well in three seasons with the Rangers, but doesn’t project to be the type of player that Shesterkin is, making him expendable. Both Lundqvist and Shesterkin are under contract through next season and the team cannot continuing carrying three goalies that whole time. Additionally, the Rangers have Adam Huska playing well in the AHL in his first pro season, Tyler Wall dominating the NCAA in his senior year at UMass Lowell, and 2018 second-round pick Olof Lindbom waiting in the wings in Sweden. It’s an embarrassment of riches in net for the Rangers’ organization and Georgiev looks like the odd man out.

With that said, New York will not give him away. Friedman reports that the asking price for Georgiev is a young roster forward or a pro-ready forward prospect. The Rangers are looking to add young building blocks up front and feel they can land one young asset by trading away another. Friedman stressed that the Rangers are just listening right now and will wait for a deal to their liking before moving Georgiev. The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reports that the Toronto Maple Leafs, New Jersey Devils, and San Jose Sharks are the teams rumored to be most interested in Georgiev, but are they willing to pay the asking price?

  • When it comes to the Sharks, the answer may be no. Friedman reports that the Sharks have let it be known that they are not willing to move any core pieces this season. Friedman cites the 2014-15 campaign, when San Jose last missed the playoffs, as management resisted a tear-down in that year as well and ended up going to the Stanley Cup Final the next season. The Sharks have many good pieces in place and believe they can be contenders again in 2020-21, so they will only entertain trade offers for impending free agents this season. Defenseman Brenden Dillon is a name that is very much in the rumor mill, while fellow blue liners Tim Heed and Radim Simek and forward Melker Karlsson will also be for sale. It remains to be seen whether the Sharks would be willing to move future Hall of Famers Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau or backup goalie Aaron Dell. Moving forward, the Sharks will have to address their issues in net, so perhaps the one exception to their rule about only moving rentals this season could be a deal a top prospect for a new goalie, but they could wait until the off-season to make a move.
  • Fans of the Montreal Canadiens don’t want their team to wait any longer to make a trade. The Habs are 2-7-1 in their past ten games and currently in 13th in the Eastern Conference, seven points back of a playoff spot with more games played than all but one of the teams ahead of them in the wild card chase. It seems like all hope is lost for this season, but Friedman reports that the team won’t be making a move any time soon. GM Marc Bergevin is being careful with his next steps, especially when his job could be on the line. He has told potential trade partners that he will wait until after the team’s pre-All-Star break meetings to make a move. Meanwhile, the Canadiens are about to play four games in six nights, during which suitors can see more from potential trade chips, but with those players exposed to the risk of potential injury as well. Montreal will have their “bye week” leading up All-Star weekend, giving Bergevin and company plenty of time to discuss their options, but there is no telling how the trade market could change in the meantime. Eventually, the team will make a decision on their direction in the coming weeks, but there is no expectation as to what that might be. Some have speculated that they could play it safe, opting to deal expiring contracts like grinders Nate Thompson, Dale Weise, and Matthew Peca and recent additions Ilya Kovalchuk and Marco Scandella. Others believe that the team is eyeing a complete rebuild and could move Tomas Tatar, Jonathan Drouin, or Jeff Petry or even ask Carey Price and Shea Weber if they would like to move on. Only time will tell, but that time will come a little bit later than some have hoped.

Snapshots: Williams, Marleau, Miller

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Free agent winger Justin Williams has resumed skating, reports TSN’s Frank Seravalli.  The 38-year-old announced last month that he was ‘stepping away’ from the game as he wasn’t quite ready to decide on his playing future at the time.  While this certainly doesn’t mean he’s coming back, it at least suggests that he’s open to the possibility.  Williams is believed to have spurned overtures from several teams over the summer and the belief at this time is that if he does return, it would only be with Carolina.  While the Hurricanes don’t have enough cap room to pay anywhere near the $4.5MM AAV he had on his last contract, they would be able to structure it with achievable performance bonuses that could be applied on their cap next season when the buyout of Patrick Marleau is off the books.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • Speaking of Marleau, Toronto head coach Mike Babcock suggested to reporters, including Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News (Twitter link) that the 40-year-old’s goal is to break the all-time NHL record in games played. That mark is currently held by the late Gordie Howe, who suited up in 1,767 regular season NHL contests.  Marleau enters play tonight 104 games shy of matching that mark so if he does intend to break that record, he’ll have to stick around for another season after this one.  Considering it took him until into the season to land a contract, that’s not a guarantee to happen though Marleau is off to a strong start with six points in as many games.
  • The Rangers will decide at the end of the season whether or not they want to turn defense prospect K’Andre Miller pro or leave him in college, notes ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski. The 22nd pick in 2018 had a very strong freshman campaign with Wisconsin and is off to a good start in his sophomore year as well which could potentially put him in the mix for a spot in the New York lineup down the stretch if the team decides that Miller foregoing his final two years of college eligibility is best for his development.

Pacific Notes: Marleau, Sorenson, Eakin, Crouse

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The San Jose Sharks lost a key piece of their core this offseason when veteran Joe Pavelski signed with the Dallas Stars. The Sharks were looking to bring in some of their young prospects to fill the gaps on their team. However, it didn’t take long for San Jose to realize that those pieces might not be ready yet.

The team rectified that issue when it went out and inked former Sharks’ veteran Patrick Marleau to a one-year deal. The veteran immediately made quite an impact, scoring two goals in his return to the franchise. However, ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski writes that head coach Peter DeBoer felt that was a major need.

“One hundred percent. You’re not replacing Pav. But he’s definitely of that ilk,” said DeBoer, who said he had several conversations with general manager Doug Wilson after he was bought out by the Carolina Hurricanes this summer. “There was a commitment here to give the young guys an opportunity. The reality is sometimes it takes a bit longer.”

  • Sticking with the Sharks, Curtis Pashelka of the Mercury News reports that forward Marcus Sorensen, who has been out for the past two games with an undisclosed injury after taking a collision into the boards, could be ready to return to the lineup on Sunday against the Flames. Sorensen scored 17 goals last season and could help the struggling Sharks get back into the win column. The scribe also reported that defenseman Tim Heed is also close to returning, but likely won’t be available Sunday.
  • Vegas Golden Knights have activated center Cody Eakin as the team expects to insert the veteran into their lineup tonight, according to Las Vegas Review Journal’s David Schoen. The team is expected to have him step onto the third line with youngster Cody Glass moving to the wing. Eakin had a career-year last year, scoring 22 goals and 41 points last year. The 28-year-old has been out with an undisclosed injury that he sustained during the preseason.
  • NHL.com’s Alex Kinkopf writes that Arizona Coyotes forward Lawson Crouse remains day-to-day with an upper-body injury. The 22-year-old forward is expected to play today against Colorado. Crouse finished last season with 11 goals, 25 points and 288 hits.

 

San Jose Sharks Sign Patrick Marleau

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Wednesday: The team has officially filed the Marleau contract, meaning his iron man streak was not broken last night. Marleau was at practice today for the Sharks alongside Logan Couture and Timo Meier, indicating he’ll be asked to play a big role right from the start with the struggling club.

Tuesday: It was inevitable after all. Patrick Marleau has signed with the San Jose Sharks, returning after a two-year absence to the city where he spent most of his career. A deal was hinted at earlier today by Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, who noted that several teams had recently reached out to the veteran forward. The deal will be a one-year contract that pays a league-minimum salary of $700K.

Marleau, 40, left the Sharks as an unrestricted free agent in 2017 to sign a lucrative three-year deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs, but didn’t finish it. Instead, after two seasons with in Toronto, Marleau was shipped off to the Carolina Hurricanes in order to facilitate a buyout of the final year of his contract. The Hurricanes were happy to eat the $6.25MM cap hit in exchange for a first-round pick, meaning Marleau could decide exactly where he wanted to play this season. There seemed to be an obvious fit in San Jose, but things didn’t materialize through the summer as the Sharks dealt with a cap crunch thanks to their hefty defensive contracts and restricted free agent deals.

Now, with the Sharks suffering multiple injuries (however minor) up front, the time was right for Marleau to rejoin his old squad. Originally selected second overall in 1997, Marleau jumped into the NHL right away and played 74 games with the team in 1997-98. That would turn out to be the fewest games of his career in a single non-lockout-shortened season, as he proved to be a pinnacle of health. In fact, Marleau has played in at least 81 games in 14 different seasons and hasn’t missed a single game in ten years.

Even though his iron man streak is something to behold, there are questions about how effective Marleau can be at this point in his career. His play dropped off last season for the Maple Leafs as he scored just 16 goals and 37 points—both the lowest totals he’s had in a full season since his rookie year—while even his previously elite skating ability seemed to slow somewhat. While Sharks’ teammate Joe Thornton still believes Marleau can skate well enough for the NHL, that doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll be an effective option for the Sharks on a nightly basis.

Still, for a team like San Jose that has struggled out of the gate and is looking for reinforcements up front, you could do worse than a player who has scored 551 goals in his NHL career. Marleau currently sits fifth on the all-time games played list, and needs 77 to pass both Ron Francis and Jaromir Jagr. With 79 games left in the Sharks season it is certainly possible, especially for a player who hasn’t sat one out in a decade.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Patrick Marleau Market “Heating Up”

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When the Toronto Maple Leafs traded Patrick Marleau to the Carolina Hurricanes who subsequently bought him out earlier this summer, it wasn’t expected to end his career. The 40-year old forward made it clear that he wanted to continue playing, but the season eventually started without a contract being signed. Marleau has continued to skate hoping something would come up however, and Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic tweets that things are “heating up” with regards to a potential offer. LeBrun reports that multiple teams including the San Jose Sharks have reached out to Marleau’s camp.

Any contract for Marleau now would obviously qualify as a 35+ deal, meaning it comes with certain restrictions and benefits. For one, it would mean that if the veteran forward retired at any point or was bought out, the entire cap hit would remain on the books. However it also allows a team to include performance bonuses in a one-year deal, something that could limit the risk involved with adding a player of his age after the season has already started.

For the Sharks, who are dealing with some injuries up front (Marcus Sorensen is now listed as day-to-day according to Kevin Kurz of The Athletic), would have to send down or waive one of their other forwards in order to even bring Marleau on board, and it would need to be for a near-minimum salary in order to fit in under the cap ceiling. The team would have to worry about potential bonuses being carried over to next season, though obviously there are infinite ways to structure the contract at this point.

There has been a prevailing though that Marleau would prefer the end up on the west coast, but at this point perhaps other teams are reaching out to see if he’ll consider somewhere else. Former Sharks teammate Joe Thornton just this morning told Kurz that Marleau “should be playing somewhere,” indicating that his old friend can still skate well enough to be in the league. Marleau scored 16 goals and 37 points in 82 games with the Maple Leafs last season, and hasn’t missed a game due to injury since the 2008-09 season.

Snapshots: Pietrangelo, Ho-Sang, Marleau

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Sportsnet’s “Saturday Headlines” segment was filled with interesting information this week, headlined by negotiations between the defending champion St. Louis Blues and No. 1 defenseman Alex Pietrangelo. The status quo has shifted dramatically over the last two weeks in terms of extension talks between the two sides, as the Blues first acquired Justin Faulk from the Carolina Hurricanes and handed him a seven-year, $45.5MM extension and then signed another impending free agent, Brayden Schenn, to an eight-year, $52MM extension. The team would obviously still like to re-sign their captain, but they have significantly more future salary committed now, as well as more security on the blue line in Faulk if Pietrangelo does leave. How that affects contract talks remains to be seen. Elliotte Friedman reports that GM Doug Armstrong plans to meet with Pietrangelo’s Toronto-based Newport Sports agents when the Blues visit the Maple Leafs this week to open up the conversation. Friedman adds that St. Louis’ preferred contract would be similar to that of Arizona Coyotes top defender Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who signed an eight-year, $66MM extension in 2018. Friedman implies that Pietrangelo would likely be able to beat an $8.25MM salary on the open market. However, a proportional contract to Ekman-Larsson’s based on either this year’s salary cap or next year’s projected salary cap would place that number between $8.5-8.75MM at least, which could be enough to keep Pietrangelo. The real question is whether the Blues can afford that, with nearly $74MM already committed to 17 players next season.

  • Joshua Ho-Sang isn’t opposed to playing in the AHL, just doing so any longer for the New York Islanders. At least that’s what Friedman reports that his camp is telling other NHL teams. Ho-Sang has requested a trade from the Islanders and the club is trying to oblige, giving him permission to talk to other teams. Ho-Sang is letting them know that he is willing to do “whatever it takes” to find a regular NHL role, even if that means starting the process in the AHL. This could potentially broaden the level of interest in the disgruntled winger, who may not have the best reputation but honestly seems in search of a fresh start.
  • Chris Johnston reports that Patrick Marleau remains “confident” that he will find a home in the NHL this season. The respected veteran had the final season of his contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs bought out following a trade to the Carolina Hurricanes this off-season, but so far hasn’t been able to find an ideal fit to continue playing. Much of the speculation had him returning to the San Jose Sharks, with whom he played much of his Hall of Fame career with, but the team was not as receptive to a comeback as expected. Marleau maintains that he would like to stay close to his family in San Jose, making Pacific Division rivals like the Los Angeles Kings, Anaheim Ducks, Arizona Coyotes and Vegas Golden Knights the likely targets. However, given the Sharks’ 0-3 start and early scoring woes, perhaps the team will come calling after all. Marleau continues to work out and stay optimistic for whenever an opportunity does arise.

Snapshots: Marleau, Morrissey, Flyers

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When Patrick Marleau accepted a trade from the Toronto Maple Leafs to the Carolina Hurricanes earlier this offseason, the writing was on the wall. Marleau would be bought out by the Hurricanes and would be free to return to the San Jose Sharks to finish his career where he was a franchise icon. Not so fast, as Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that Marleau’s agent Pat Brisson says there is no fit with the Sharks at this time and that his client will pursue other NHL opportunities.

Where exactly those opportunities may lie isn’t clear. The prevailing thought is that Marleau would rather spend his remaining time in the NHL near the west coast to be closer to his family that has moved back to San Jose, but there isn’t a clear fit with any of the California teams. The Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks are trying to get younger, not bring in a soon-to-be 40-year old winger who just experienced his worst offensive season since 1997-98. The Edmonton Oilers were recently suggested as a potential landing spot, though it is not clear at this point. As Kevin Kurz of The Athletic points out, Marleau continues to suit up with the Sharks during informal skates in his old Maple Leafs’ gear.

  • With the Winnipeg Jets still focused on their two unsigned star forwards, it’s easy to forget that next summer they will have another tough negotiation. Josh Morrissey, who has developed into a legitimate first-pairing option for the Jets over the last few years is entering the final season of a two-year deal signed last September and will be an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent next summer. Ken Wiebe of The Athletic caught up with Morrissey today to ask him about any potential negotiations and the young defenseman explained that there has been preliminary talks about a potential long-term extension. Morrissey told Wiebe, “I would love to play [in Winnipeg] throughout my career” but that he’s focused on the upcoming season. The 24-year old had 31 points in 59 games for the Jets last season.
  • The Philadelphia Flyers have made a few changes to their front office, promoting Ian Anderson to Director of Hockey Analytics and Jacob Hurlbut to Lead Developer in the department. The team has also hired Tom Minton as Director of Hockey Information/Video and Matthew Karliner as an Analyst. GM Chuck Fletcher has obviously chosen to invest in the team’s analytic department moving forward, hoping to find any edge possible.

Poll: Which UFA Is The Most Attractive PTO Candidate?

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It’s now September and, other than a handful of cases, unrestricted free agents who are still unsigned are likely going to have to earn an NHL contract in training camp. While the major storyline around the league remains unsigned RFA’s, there is still plenty of talent available on the open market. Some players are simply sitting on offers though, waiting to make a decision. For example, decorated veterans like  Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, and Niklas Kronwall and perhaps even Dion Phaneuf and Thomas Vanek are not playing on PTO’s. Neither are players rumored to have considerable interest, such as Jake Gardiner and Ben Hutton. That still leaves a lot of ability still searching for NHL employment though.

The best part of a PTO is that it mitigates risk. A player on a tryout is not (yet) taking up a roster spot or salary cap space and their injury history doesn’t matter as much, without any commitment beyond training camp. The tryout process simply allows players to show what they can bring to a team during practices and preseason games on the off chance that their performance in fact warrants a contract. Some teams may lean toward inviting a veteran, both to provide some leadership during camp but also to see what he has left in the tank. Others will invite a younger, prime-age player coming off of a down season, doing their due diligence on whether he might be worth a second chance. There’s also the frequent case of some teams simply checking available players against internal options when it comes to establishing depth for the season. With that in mind, which player would you most like your favorite team to take a look at on a PTO?

Veteran Forwards: Brian Boyle, Troy Brouwer, Drew Stafford, Jamie McGinn, Micheal Haley

Prime Forwards: Riley Sheahan, Magnus Paajarvi, Tobias Rieder, Devante Smith-Pelly, Rourke Chartier

Veteran Defensemen: Dan Girardi, Adam McQuaid, David Schlemko, Eric Gryba

Prime Defensemen: Michael Stone, Joe Morrow, Fredrik Claesson

Goaltenders: Scott Darling, Chad Johnson

Of these players, which one is most worthy of a risk-free look in camp in hopes of finding a surprise contributor for the 2019-20 season?

Mobile users, click here to vote.

Snapshots: Marleau, Puljujarvi, Sheahan, Gardiner

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The Edmonton Oilers are still in need of depth on the wing and remain in the hunt for players that could help fill a need. Edmonton Journal’s Kurt Leavins, in his Sunday column, writes that one option that he’s hearing is that veteran winger Patrick Marleau has shown some interest in potentially signing with the Oilers.

The 39-year-old Marleau was traded to Carolina in a salary dump and the veteran asked the Hurricanes to buy him out with the intention of returning to San Jose and signing with his old team. While that still seems the likely outcome for Marleau, the Sharks have not signed the veteran to a contract yet and the veteran may be looking at other West Coast options. Edmonton could be attractive to him as the team needs help to fill out its top three lines, something the veteran could help with. While his skills have eroded some, Marleau still posted 16 goals and 37 points last season in a crowded Maple Leafs forward group.

  • Leavins, in the same article, adds that with little trade interest brewing for disgruntled Oilers forward Jesse Puljujarvi, the most likely scenario right now if he doesn’t want to return to Edmonton, which he has said numerous times, will be to accept at $200K contract in Finland this season and try to prove himself as a star in the Liiga and then can generate more trade interest next summer. In fact, the Boston Globe’s Kevin Paul Dupont writes that with nothing even close to being lined up in Finland, the 21-year-old winger may have no choice but to return to Edmonton despite all of his agents’ demands.
  • The Athletic’s Allan Mitchell (subscription required) writes that the Edmonton Oilers remain in search for a third-line center and he believes that unrestricted free agent center Riley Sheahan might be a good fit with the team. PHR’s Brian La Rose looked at Sheahan’s free-agent status Saturday and noted that Edmonton could be a suitor for the UFA. It’s unlikely that the team will split their top three players at center in Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, but at the moment, their next best option would be Swiss center Gaeton Haas, which makes most people uncomfortable. With five full seasons under his belt at just 27 years old, the Oilers might be willing to take a chance on him.
  • The Toronto Sun’s Steve Simmons writes that he believes that general manager Kyle Dubas is hoping to work out a way to sign Mitch Marner and unrestricted free agent Jake Gardiner. While that scenario would seem to be unlikely considering the state of Toronto’s cap situation, Simmons writes that the team could decide to sign Marner to a bridge deal, which could give the team some extra room to retain Gardiner who has been sitting unsigned on the free-agent market. The hope is that Gardiner would slot in as a third-line defenseman. However, that scenario remains unlikely as locking up Marner to a long-term deal is the team’s top priority this summer.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Carolina Hurricanes

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Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM. Teams that can avert total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2019-20 season. This will focus more on those players who are integral parts of the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.

Carolina Hurricanes

Current Cap Hit: $79,004,791 (under the $81.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Andrei Svechnikov (two years, $925K)
F Martin Necas (three years, $863K)
D Jake Bean (two years, $863K)
F Warren Foegele (one year, $747K)

Potential Bonuses:

Svechnikov: $2.65MM
Necas: $538K
Bean: $500K
Foegele: $20K

With a system full of top prospects, the Hurricanes got an impressive rookie season from Svechnikov, drafted with the second-overall pick in 2018, last season and now will have a top-six option for another two years at an entry-level cost. At 18 years old, he tallied 20 goals and 37 points and should be in line for more playing time and bigger numbers this season as a 19-year-old and could eventually become the franchise winger the team needs long-term. The Hurricanes also have high hopes for Necas to step in and take big role next season at the center position. The 2017 first-rounder had an impressive season for the Calder Cup Champion Charlotte Checkers of the AHL and could provide Carolina with some cheap talent.

Bean, the team’s first-rounder in 2016, has only made two appearances for Carolina, but could get a chance to take a much bigger role after a strong season with Charlotte, which saw his skills take that next step. The 23-year-old Foegele began to show off his offensive skill over the course of the season in Carolina. He scored 10 goals and 15 points during the regular season, but was even more impressive in the playoffs with five goals and nine points in just 15 games. If he can take his game up a notch, the Hurricanes could have an even more impressive offense next season.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

D Justin Faulk ($4.83MM, UFA)
F Erik Haula ($2.75MM, UFA)
D Trevor van Riemsdyk ($2.3MM, UFA)
D Gustav Forsling ($874K, RFA)
D Haydn Fleury ($850K, RFA)
F Brian Gibbons ($725K, UFA)
F Clark Bishop ($700K, RFA)
F Lucas Wallmark ($675K, RFA)

There were rumors that suggested that talks between Carolina and Faulk were no where close on a potential extension and others that said negotiations were promising, however, Faulk could be a legitimate trade candidate if the team can’t eventually work out an extension. The 27-year-old Faulk had a solid season both defensively as he was finally in the positive on his plus/minus for the first time in his career, while also adding 11 goals and 35 points. However, with a number of young defensemen who are waiting for a chance to get an opportunity in Carolina, it wouldn’t be shocking to see Carolina unload him at the trade deadline.

Haula is an interesting acquisition. The 28-year-old was coming off a 29-goal season in Vegas’ inaugural season, but then suffered a gruesome knee injury and never returned. In the end, he played just 15 games, although he was close to returning late in the season with many believing that he would have been available had the Golden Knights had gotten deeper into the playoffs. If he can prove to be healthy, Haula might prove to be one of the best acquisitions of the year. Whether the Hurricanes will re-sign him will obviously depend on how he fares next season.

The team might be ready to move on from van Riemsdyk, who has served as a bottom pairing defenseman, but probably makes too much at $2.3MM to keep around long term, especially since Fleury hasn’t really had a true chance to prove himself and could be a better option at his price.

Two Years Remaining

D Dougie Hamilton ($5.75MM, UFA)
G James Reimer ($3.4MM, UFA)
F Ryan Dzingel ($3.38MM, UFA)
G Petr Mrazek ($3.13MM, UFA)
F Brock McGinn ($2.1MM, UFA)
F Jordan Martinook ($2MM, UFA)
G Alex Nedeljkovic ($738K, RFA)

The team has a number of interesting contracts with two years left, including their entire goaltending situation. The team has Mrazek, who put together a stellar season after years of inconsistency, and new backup Reimer as the new tandem with their top prospect in Nedeljkovic close to ready to step into the lineup. All three will likely stay this season as Nedeljkovic is waiver exempt and likely will just stay in the AHL. However, if he can prove in training camp that he’s ready for the back-up role, few would be surprised if the team found a way to unload Reimer, who had a terrible season last year in Florida.

Despite hearing constant rumors that Carolina was shopping Hamilton around this offseason, it looks like the Hurricanes will have the veteran defenseman for another season. He put up solid numbers, scoring 18 goals an 39 points and is solid defensively, but he could eventually be a trade candidate, perhaps as early as the trade deadline if the team struggles and can’t reproduce the same success it had a season ago. The team also hopes that they can get Dzingel to provide the same type of offense he was producing in Ottawa, rather than his struggles in Columbus. However, he should provide solid value at his pricetag and fit in nicely as a middle-six option.

Three Years Remaining

F Nino Niederreiter ($5.25MM, UFA)

It might have been the trade of the year when the Hurricanes acquired Niederreiter from Minnesota for Victor Rask. While Rask struggled in Minnesota, Niederreiter’s season took off when he arrived, scoring 14 goals and 30 points in 36 games and he slotted in nicely on the first line. If he can produce anything close to that, the team has a steal of a deal for the next three years. If his production drops back to what it was in Minnesota earlier in the year (nine goals and 23 points in 46 games) then the team has a contract that could be a burden for some time.

Four Or More Years Remaining

F Sebastian Aho ($8.45MM through 2023-24)
F Jordan Staal ($6MM through 2022-23)
F Teuvo Teravainen ($5.4MM through 2023-24)
D Jaccob Slavin ($5.3MM through 2024-25)
D Brett Pesce ($4.03MM through 2023-24)

The Montreal Canadiens did Carolina a favor when they shocked the NHL by signing Aho to an offer sheet that didn’t look difficult to match. While five years likely isn’t ideal, the Hurricanes still now have their top franchise player signed until 2024 and can figure out its plans after that, but now are one of the few teams that have locked up their franchise restricted free agent already, with the rest still waiting to sign a contract. That should provide Aho, who had another breakout season with 30 goals and 83 points, with plenty of time to be ready for training camp and see if he can take his game to another level once again.

His linemate in Teravainen is another key piece of Carolina’s future who keeps producing better and better numbers. The 24-year-old produced 21 goals and a career-high 76 points and is locked up for another five years as well, giving Aho a solid winger to work with. The team, however, may not be as thrilled with the four years it still has in Staal, who produced one of his worst seasons although injuries did play apart. The 30-year-old still has four years at $6MM from a 10-year, $60MM deal he signed back in 2012. After posting just 11 goals and 28 points in 50 games, the team hopes he can bounce back.

One thing the Hurricanes did was locking up its young defenders. The team has seen Slavin develop into a top-line defenseman in the last year and to have him locked up at just $5.3MM for six more years will likely be one of the team’s biggest bargain for a long time. He has been averaging more than 22 minutes per game for three of his four seasons in the league. Pesce has also seen his game increase and is also a steal with the rising cost of young defensemen lately. Pesce saw his minutes break 20 minutes for a second straight season, while his offense increased by 10 points.

Buyouts

F Patrick Marleau ($6.25MM in 2019-20)
F Alexander Semin ($2.33MM through 2020-21)

Retained Salary Transactions

None

Salary Cap Recapture

None

Still To Sign

F Justin Williams (UFA)
F Saku Maenalanen (RFA)
D Roland McKeown (RFA)

One question that is still up for grabs is whether Williams will return to the team. The 37-year-old winger has been told he can take as much time as he wants to determine whether he wants to return to hockey. He’s made it clear it’s either Carolina or retirement, but after putting up a solid campaign last year of 23 goals and 53 points, it’s hard to believe that the veteran leader is ready to hang it up if he still is capable of producing as a top-six forward. While he may eventually have to slide down to the third line, the veteran was critical to the team’s deep playoff run and Carolina hopes he will come back.

While McKeown might have a hard time finding playing time in Carolina’s stacked defense, the team will need to get Maenalanen signed at some point. The 6-foot-4 bottom-six winger stepped into the lineup late in the season and was a solid contributor, posting four goals and eight points in 34 games, while skating for just 9:26 of ATOI. He provided some physical play and if he can steal a spot on the fourth line, could be valuable.

Best Value: Slavin
Worst Value: Staal

Looking Ahead

The Carolina Hurricanes have done an impressive job of drafting well, developing their talent and adding veteran talent at reasonable prices. With most of their core already locked up long-term and plenty of talent still on entry-level contracts, the Hurricanes should be able to keep their team competitive for years and keep getting better as the team continues to develop.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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