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Petr Mrazek

Are Offer Sheets A Thing Of The Past?

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This summer’s restricted free agent (RFA) list is quite impressive, with nine 20-goal scorers and 13 players who scored more than 40 points last season. Forwards Sean Monahan, Johnny Gaudreau, Nikita Kucherov, Marcus Johansson, and Mike Hoffman headline the forwards; while Hampus Lindholm, Tyson Barrie, Rasmus Ristolainen, Danny DeKeyser, and Jacob Trouba are the top defensemen. Detroit’s Petr Mrazek is the only big-name RFA goalie remaining.  Most of the above players are eligible for offer sheets.

According to Elliotte Friedman, compensation for offer sheets is as follows:

  • Less than $1.239MM (average annual value of contract) – Nothing;
  • $1.239-$1.878MM – Third-round pick;
  • $1.878-$3.755MM – Second-round pick;
  • $3.755-$5.633MM – First and third-round picks;
  • $5.633-$7.510MM – First, second and third-round picks;
  • $7.510-$9.388MM – Two first, a second and third-round picks;
  • Over $9.388MM – Four first-round picks.

With this in mind, teams could target rival teams top young players, with both outcomes having their benefits to the aggressive team: either they acquire a good young player for only picks, or they mess up a rival’s salary cap by inflating the player’s salary.

The threat of an offer sheet was evident last summer, with the Blackhawks trading Brandon Saad to the Blue Jackets and the Bruins trading Dougie Hamilton to the Flames. Both players were pending RFAs and in line for a big raise before being shipped out to prevent their teams from being subjected to an offer sheet. However, this summer has been the complete opposite, with teams taking their time to sign the above-mentioned stars, apparently not overly worried about offer sheets.

Why could that be?

The last time an NHL team successfully acquired a player via an offer sheet was in 2007. Then-Oilers-GM Kevin Lowe signed Anaheim Ducks LW Dustin Penner to a 4-year, $21.5MM contract. The Ducks did not match, and the Oilers forked over their first three rounds of draft picks in 2008. Penner enjoyed varying degrees of success in three-and-a-half seasons in Edmonton before being traded to Los Angeles where he won a Stanley Cup. The Penner offer sheet is most fondly remembered by then-Ducks-GM Brian Burke and Lowe’s escalating war of words which nearly lead to a fist-fight in a rented barn in Lake Placid. Commissioner Gary Bettman was forced to have a conference call with the two GMs to get them to stop.

It’s perhaps this sort of reaction that prevents GMs from making offer sheets. Earlier this summer, ESPN and TSN reporter Pierre LeBrun quoted an unnamed GM as threatening opposing GMs with an offer sheet per year for the next ten years as retribution for a potential offer sheet. There appears to be an unspoken agreement between GMs to leave RFAs alone. There hasn’t been an offer sheet tendered since 2013 when Colorado matched Calgary’s contract with Ryan O’Reilly, saving the Flames from an embarrassing and costly mistake.

So despite several fan bases calling for offer sheets, it seems unlikely that any players will be switching sweaters this summer because of one.

Snapshots: Brent, Mrazek, Kings, Datsyuk

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Veteran forward Tim Brent has decided to retire, reports Bill Doucet of the Cambridge Times.  The 32 year old is beginning his post-hockey career in real estate in Raleigh, North Carolina, where he spent part of his career.  Brent spent parts of seven seasons in the NHL with Anaheim (who twice drafted him), Pittsburgh, Chicago, Toronto, and Carolina, where he last played in 2012-13.  Overall, he played in 207 NHL games, recording 21 goals and 27 assists.

Other news and notes from around the NHL:

  • Detroit opted to take goalie Petr Mrazek to arbitration earlier this week and as George Malik of Kukla’s Korner writes, there’s a sizable gap between the two sides at the moment. Mrazek is apparently seeking close to $6MM while the Wings are offering closer to half that amount.  Despite that, Mrazek’s camp is hopeful that they can get a deal done without going through the arbitration process.  Arbitration hearings will take place between July 20th and August 4th.
  • While the Kings were looking to make organizational changes after being ousted in the first round of the playoffs, the majority of them have come off the ice in terms of small philosophical changes, writes Josh Cooper of Puck Daddy. Given their relative cap constraints (they have just shy of $1.8MM in space according to Cap Friendly), Los Angeles has only been able to add Jeff Zatkoff, Tom Gilbert, Zach Trotman, and Teddy Purcell, only the latter of which can be viewed as a potential impact addition.
  • The widely anticipated Pavel Datsyuk contract with SKA St. Petersburg was officially announced by the KHL team today as the Coyotes have approved and signed his player transfer card. It’s a two year deal believed to be worth roughly $7.6MM US.  Though he will play in Russia and won’t be paid by Arizona, the Coyotes will still be charged for his entire cap hit of $7.5MM for 2016-17.

Wings Notes: Mrazek, Howard, DeKeyser

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When the list of 24 players who filed for arbitration was released by the NHLPA yesterday, the absence of certain names stuck out like a sore thumb. As we touched on, young Detroit netminder Petr Mrazek was among the most prominent names that were left off.

Now, Ken Campbell of The Hockey News reports in his latest column that the Red Wings are likely to take Mrazek to arbitration themselves, filing before today’s deadline of 6pm. Detroit was the only NHL team to take a player to arbitration by today’s deadline. For more on how the arbitration process works, check out the first part of our guide.  Here are more notes from Campbell’s column:

  • As Mrazek deals with his arbitration uncertainty, the other goalie in the Motor City is unsure of his future with the club as well.  Campbell tells us that Ken Holland has said trading Jimmy Howard would be “good for the organization”.  Earlier this summer, we reported that Holland has also said Mrazek will definitely be the Wings’ number one goalie this season, meaning that Howard – and his $5.3MM cap hit – may find himself playing somewhere else in 2016-17.
  • It sounds much more positive on the Danny DeKeyser front however, as Campbell reports that the star blueliner is close to a deal with the club that will pay him somewhere in the $5MM range. DeKeyser filed for arbitration yesterday, but can still negotiate with the team until his hearing. After three solid seasons in the NHL, DeKeyser is looking to sign a long-term deal with his home town team.

NHL Players Not Electing Salary Arbitration

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24 players elected salary arbitration today, which means that 48 players eligible for salary arbitration elected not to go that route. While those remaining players might still be brought to arbitration by their team via club-elected salary arbitration, teams only have until tomorrow at 5pm to do so.

Most of the 48 players refraining from player-elected salary arbitration are AHL-dwellers, but a few have NHL experience. The following is a list of players with at least 10 NHL game experience who did not elect salary arbitration.

Fredrick Claesson – OTT
Nick Cousins – PHI
Stefan Elliot – NSH
Dennis Everberg – COL
Marcus Foligno – BUF
Derek Forbort – LA
Freddie Hamilton – CGY
Joey Hishon – COL
Sergey Kalinin – NJ
Petr Mrazek – DET
Jamie Oleksiak – DAL
Dmitry Orlov – WSH
Teemu Pulkkinen – DET
Max Reinhart – CGY
Jiri Sekac – ARI
Brody Sutter – CAR

The most interesting player not electing arbitration is Detroit goalie Petr Mrazek. The Czech goaltender took over the number one role in Detroit over Jimmy Howard last season, starting 49 games and going 27-16-6 with a .921 SV% and a 2.33 GAA. Mrazek is expected to compete for the starting job next season, and represents a cheaper option for Detroit between the pipes than the veteran Jimmy Howard.

Confused about the arbitration process? See our guide on the arbitration basics.

Snapshots: Anisimov, Mrazek, Gaudreau

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The NHL released the home openers for many teams on Monday morning – Ben Whyte of The Score compiled a list of those announced. Among the highlights is the Stanley Cup Champion Penguins raising the 2015-16 banner in front of their rival Washington Capitals on October 13th. The league is set to release the full schedules for the 2016-17 season on Tuesday morning.  Here is some more news from around the league:

  • Cap Friendly reports that Artem Anisimov of the Blackhawks actually has a no-movement clause (NMC) for the next two seasons. Not only does this limit the options Chicago has this offseason, but makes Anisimov an automatic protection in next year’s expansion draft.
  • While speaking to Torie Peterson, Flames’ GM Brad Treliving intimated that he’ll eventually get deals done with top RFAs Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau. “We’ll continue to bang away at it. We’ve got to get to something that makes sense for them and for us…I have every confidence that we will.”
  • TB Times writer Joe Smith says that UFA Jonathan Marchessault “loves the place” and “wants to stay” in Tampa Bay this summer. Marchessault put up 18 points last season and is only 25.
  • Matt Brown, producer of Sportsnet’s Hockey Central @ Noon reports that Ken Holland said Petr Mrazek will be the Red Wings’ #1 goaltender coming into camp this season. Mrazek played in 54 games for the Red Wings this past year, but is sure to earn less than Jimmy Howard’s $5.29MM this season.

Free Agent Focus: Detroit Red Wings

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The 2015-2016 Detroit Red Wings were a team in transition. Jeff Blashill took over a team that on paper, looked ready to build on their performance from 2014-2015 where they nearly upset eventual Eastern Conference Champion Tampa Bay. Instead, the Red Wings were an inconsistent bunch, struggling mightily on the power play, especially in the playoffs, and searching for an identity between their storied past, and their dynamic future, which includes budding superstar Dylan Larkin. The Red Wings were bounced in five games by the Lightning in the first round, and general manager Ken Holland found himself facing a restless fanbase and crucial offseason.

Cap Space: $11,073,789 according to CapFriendly. This number will change if Pavel Datsyuk’s contract is moved to another team. Additionally, the Red Wings are looking at a number of trades to free up room. 

Key UFAs: Darren Helm. The 29-year-old center has been with the Red Wings for his entire career, first making an impact during the Wings 2008 Stanley Cup run. Helm has blazing speed and is a huge factor on the penalty kill. After having a career year in 2014-2015,  Helm posted numbers a bit below with 26 points. (13-13). The Red Wings expected Helm to show a consistency in scoring, but the lack of a scoring touch has been missing from Helm’s game, especially on breakaways. Helm has already been offered a contract, but with the emergence of speedster Andreas Athanasiou and Larkin, Helm’s loss wouldn’t be devastating should they not come to terms.

Other UFAs Forwards Brad Richards, Drew Miller, and Joakim Andersson. Defenseman Kyle Quincey.

Key RFAs: D Danny DeKeyser, and G Petr Mrazek.  DeKeyser was expected to be a top 4 defenseman in Detroit and might be paid as such. With Niklas Kronwall aging, and the core of Detroit’s defense disappointing, DeKeyser is seen as a steady presence who can log more minutes. Mrazek is a completely different case. With over $5.2MM invested in Jimmy Howard, Mrazek is widely seen as the #1 goalie in Detroit and will be compensated as such. The Red Wings have already started shopping Howard to free up money for Mrazek. The 23-year-old Czech was stellar between the pipes, and is seen as the caliber of a goalie who can steal games. In the regular season, Mrazek won 27 games and had a .921 save percentage.

Other RFAs: F Teemu Pulkkinen, D Alexey Marchenko.

For several seasons now, Ken Holland has swung and missed with trades and free agency. The Red Wings are no longer the dominant team they once were, and are clearly in transition with young players like Athanasiou, Larkin, and Anthony Mantha looking to take over. Holland vowed to make changes. His first order of business will be determining what to do with Datsyuk’s contract.  After that, the pressure is on Holland to reshape the roster into one that will bring the Red Wings back to dominance.

Pavel Datsyuk Not Returning To Detroit

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Accoring to former NHLer Aaron Ward, and confirmed by TSN’s Darren Dreger, Pavel Datsyuk will hold a press conference tomorrow to announce he will not return to the Detroit Red Wings.  Detroit will now look to move his contract to another team, in order to get out from under the $7.5MM cap-hit his contract will incur due to being signed after his 35th birthday.

Datsyuk has long been considering heading back to his home in Russia to play out his final hockey years in the KHL and be closer to family. The 37-year old has scored 314 goals and 918 points in his surely hall-of-fame career, winning two Stanley Cups along the way.  He was awarded the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy for sportsmanship four times, while collecting the Frank J. Selke, awarded to the league’s top defensive forward, three times.

Datsyuk’s departure will leave a hole not easily filled in the Detroit lineup, as even at his advanced age his presence on the ice was important.  He scored 49 points this season, a down one by his standards, but still logged over 19 minutes a night playing against the oppositions top lines.  Centres like Riley Sheahan, who recently re-signed for two seasons, and Dylan Larkin will now be relied on more heavily on game nights. Henrik Zetterberg, the last bastion of a past era of Detroit excellence will continue to lead the team, now without his longtime partner in crime.

If the Red Wings can move Datsyuk’s contract, it will give them some much needed cap relief, as the team currently sits at just over $60MM in salary for only 16 players, with notable restricted free agents Petr Mrazek and Danny DeKeyser still to sign.

Riley Sheahan Inks Two-Year Extension

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According to Ansar Khan of MLive.com, the Detroit Red Wings have given Riley Sheahan a two-year extension worth $4.15MM.  The 24-year old winger was set to become a restricted free agent this summer, after completing a two year deal signed before the 2014-15 season that saw him earn $1.9MM.

After a season in which Sheahan scored 14 goals and tallied 25 points, the former first-round pick looks to have a lock on a bottom six role on Jeff Blashill’s Red Wings. Those 14 goals actually ranked him sixth on the team, and with Brad Richards, Darren Helm, and Pavel Datsyuk all expected to leave this offseason, the Red Wings can’t afford to have a drawn out negotiation with some of their home grown talent. Sheahan put up just a single point in the Red Wings first round exit this season, and will need to continue to develop his offensive game if he’s to ever climb up the Detroit depth chart.

The Red Wings will now turn their attention to remaining RFAs Danny DeKeyser, Teemu Pulkkinen and Petr Mrazek. The 24-year old Mrazek is the most important of the three after putting up a solid season as the Red Wings number 1 goaltender. With Jimmy Howard already under contract for just under $5.3 million per season, the Wings will look to sign Mrazek to a similar low-numbered bridge deal for the next couple of seasons.

DeKeyser played a big role on the Red Wings’ back end, logging almost 22 minutes of ice time per game.  His 20 points was a disappointing total for the 26-year old, but he’s set to get a substantial raise from the $2.9 million he earned last season. With Kyle Quincey coming off the books this season, the Red Wings will probably re-invest in DeKeyser who will be looking at around $4 million per season.

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