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P.K. Subban

Free Agent Notes: Holden, Ellis, Namestnikov, Wilson

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The Vegas Golden Knights already surprised a few when they reached out and stole Paul Stastny away from Western Conference rival Winnipeg. However, the Golden Knights are apparently not done as The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun reports that Vegas is the front-runner for unrestricted free agent defenseman Nick Holden.

Holden, who spent time with both the New York Rangers and Boston Bruins last season, would be a solid depth defenseman that could add to Vegas’ core. he averaged 19:00 ATOI between both clubs, but only posted four goals and 17 points on the year. However, the 31-year-old may be starting to show a decline in skills as he was a 34-point player in 2016-17 with the Rangers.

Incidentally, Holden is being pursued by two teams as the Boston Bruins are also vying for the blueliner’s services, according to Sportsnet’s Mark Spector. The Bruins, after all, gave up a third-round pick and low-end prospect Rob O’Gara at the deadline.

  • LeBrun also mentions that while Nashville Predators defenseman Ryan Ellis, who will be a unrestricted free agent in one year, can sign an extension as of today. However, the scribe writes that Nashville isn’t there yet. They intend to reignite talks with Ellis and his representatives within the next one to two weeks. Nashville wants to keep Ellis in the fold at all costs as the team has put major emphasis on having a dominant four defense. The team already has P.K. Subban ($9MM AAV) and Mattias Ekholm ($3.75MM AAV) locked up for four years, while Roman Josi ($4MM AAV) is signed for another two years.
  • The New York Rangers can breathe easier after the agent for restricted free agent Vladislav Namestnikov, Dan Milstein, refuted rumors that the forward was leaving for the KHL. Namestnikov, who was acquired from Tampa Bay at the trade deadline, but saw his playing time drop once he arrived in New York. After averaging 17:30 of ATOI as a Lightning, his playing time dropped to 15:43, along with his offensive production. After potting 20 goals with Tampa Bay, he managed just four points in 19 games with the Rangers. However, Milstein insists the rumors are not true and that Namestnikov believes playing in the NHL is a privilege and honor and an extension is in the works with the New York Rangers.
  • Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News reports the Buffalo Sabres are currently working on re-signing winger Scott Wilson. The 26-year-old was picked up in a December trade this last season from the Detroit Red Wings and played a regular role as a bottom-six forward. After not scoring a point in 17 games with Detroit, he tallied six goals and 14 points in 49 games in Buffalo.

Nashville Predators Will Not Trade P.K. Subban

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Somehow P.K. Subban is always the subject of trade rumors. Despite another good season for the Nashville Predators that has him as a finalist for the Norris Trophy, there has still been speculation about whether the team would move on from their superstar defenseman, mostly to ensure enough cap room to lock up Ryan Ellis before he becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2019. GM David Poile spoke with The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun (subscription required), and explained how silly any Subban rumors are:

You see tweets from different places, but, that’s not happening. 

Nobody has even called me about him. P.K. played terrific this year. He played really well. He’s a really good player. He’s one of the three candidates for the Norris Trophy. I really don’t know where this comes from.

If you’re feeling like you’ve heard this before, that’s because Montreal Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin made similar comments before shipping Subban out to Nashville in exchange for Shea Weber in the summer of 2016. Even with that history though it doesn’t seem like the 29-year old defenseman is on the way out. Subban is a huge part of the Predators success, logging big minutes and providing a huge offensive boost from the blue line. Even with Ellis needing a new contract and Roman Josi up for an extension after that, there’s little doubt Subban will begin the 2018-19 season in Nashville.

In fact, it seems likely that Subban will play out the rest of his contract with the Predators. Signed for just four more years, the Norris-caliber defenseman will be just 32 when his current mega-deal expires and should still be an effective player. Unless his performance takes a sharp downward turn, or some off-ice incident prompts a move, his $9MM cap hit doesn’t seem impossible for Nashville to hold on to. Poile has done an excellent job locking up his homegrown talent to reasonable contracts, with players like Viktor Arvidsson and Mattias Ekholm still set to earn way less than market value for the next several years. The team will have close to $13MM in cap space this summer depending on where the upper limit lands, and plenty of room to extend Ellis and Josi when the time comes.

Doughty, Kings Progressing On An Extension

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As is always the case, a much-anticipated free agent market loses many top names before it actually opens. As it currently stands, the talent level and depth of the potential 2019 class makes it one of the best the NHL has ever (hypothetically) seen. However, each player in that class can sign an extension beginning on July 1st of this year and has an entire calendar year before they become available. In that time, this epic free agent group could shrink considerably.

One of the top names already seems destined to be removed from the market. For a time, it was believed that Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty may test the open waters of free agency and could even be the final piece of the championship puzzle for his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs. However, Doughty has made it clear in recent months that his preference is to remain in L.A. Now, Sportsnet insider Nick Kypreos reports that the two sides are already closing in on an agreement to make that happen. Given that an extension offer cannot even officially be made for another month, this early progress seems to indicate that this deal will get done.

According to Kypreos, the 28-year-old Norris Trophy-winning defender will get a significant raise in his next contract over what is already a considerable cap hit at $7MM. Doughty has gone on the record as saying that he would like to be paid more than Nashville Predators blue liner P.K. Subban, who is currently the highest-paid defenseman in the league at $9MM AAV. Kypreos estimates that Doughty will land somewhere in the $10.5-11MM per year range on a long-term deal, which would make him the new top dog among defenseman – until Erik Karlsson hits the market. While it may seem overwhelming that the Kings would have two players, captain Anze Kopitar being the other, making $10MM+, a rising salary cap would make it much less of a burden than it has been on the only other team in that scenario, the Chicago Blackhawks. L.A. would have two of the league’s best players locked up long-term and would not be as strapped for space to build around them in pursuit of more championships for one the best teams in this century.

Snapshots: Trouba, Worlds, Subban

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Jacob Trouba was a big hockey story in the summer of 2016, when he held out on the Winnipeg Jets and asked for a trade. Trouba wouldn’t sign a new contract as a restricted free agent until November 7th of that year, missing a month of the season before settling on a two-year $6MM deal. The prevailing thought at that point was that Trouba wasn’t happy with his role or future on the team since the Jets already had Dustin Byfuglien and Tyler Myers locked in on the right side, but things seemed to have changed in the years since.

Today, Jim Toth of TSN 1290 reported that Trouba has told his agent he wants to be with Winnipeg long-term, meaning signing a new contract this summer when he’s scheduled to become a restricted free agent once again. The 24-year old defenseman has developed into quite the player for the Jets, and has logged the second-most minutes in the postseason for them (behind only Byfuglien, who is averaging a ridiculous 26:15 through 14 games). Signing Trouba long-term would certainly be a win for the Jets, but the team has to be careful with how much money they hand out this offseason, as there are even more extensions—namely Patrik Laine and Kyle Connor—coming down the road.

  • The quarter-final matchups are set for the IIHF World Championships, with Sweden facing Latvia, Russia facing Canada, the Czech Republic matched up with the USA and Switzerland taking on Finland. The games will be held on Thursday, with Saturday and Sunday holding the semi-final and medal rounds. Denmark, the hosts of this year’s tournament, were dramatically eliminated in the final game against Latvia despite winning three games in the preliminary round. That included a 3-2 upset of Finland, who ended up winning the group.
  • Though it never had much merit in the first place, any rumors surrounding a trade of P.K. Subban out of Nashville were summarily shut down today by the club. As Joe Rexrode of the Tennessean writes, despite never having a full guarantee that a player won’t be traded, the Predators are about as far from dealing their Norris-trophy finalist as they ever have been. The relatively early exit at the hands of Winnipeg notwithstanding, the Predators had an outstanding season and Subban was a big part of that. He’ll almost assuredly be back in a Predator uniform to start next season.

Poll: Should The Predators Consider Moving On From Pekka Rinne?

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While it’s only been two days since the were eliminated and a reactionary rumor rarely makes sense, there is a lot of talk in Nashville that the team should consider trading goaltender Pekka Rinne now.

At first glance, that would seem insane. Rinne is the leading candidate to win the Vezina Trophy for the best goaltender in the regular season, but after a disappointing performance in the playoffs in which he was yanked quicker than any other goaltender in Game 7 playoff history, one has to look deeper. Rinne, who put up a 2.31 GAA and a .927 save percentage in 59 regular season games, definitely struggled once the postseason began, posting a 7-6 record with a 3.07 GAA and a .907 save percentage in 13 games. And at age 35, with one year left on his contract for $7MM AAV, this might be the best time to trade him. With several teams in need of a quality veteran goaltender such as the New York Islanders, Buffalo Sabres or the Philadelphia Flyers, the team might be able to get back a quality player, while freeing up needed cap room.

Nashville has other needs they need to consider as well. The team has the opportunity to extend the contract of star defenseman Ryan Ellis on July 1. The Tennessean’s Adam Vingan reports that the 27-year-old is open to playing out his career Nashville. However, it will likely take quite a bit more than the $2.5MM he is currently making, so cap room is essential. Add to the fact they will have to re-sign restricted free agent forwards Ryan Hartman and Miikka Salomaki. That’s extra money as well as the team’s need to sign restricted free agent goaltender Juuse Saros to a new deal.

On top of that, that extra $7MM could help the team make a big free agent splash to help them for their run next season, whether they attempt to add another top-four defenseman such as John Carlson, make an attempt to land John Tavares or go in a different direction.

Many feel that Saros might be ready to make that transition from backup to starter. The 23-year-old has been solid as the team’s backup for the past two years, putting up a 2.45 GAA and a .925 save percentage in 26 games this season. While only managing 114 minutes in four playoff games, Saros still performed admirably with a 1.06 GAA and a .952 save percentage in the playoffs. Considered the goalie of the future, why not now? Ideally, giving Saros one more year with Rinne as the starter makes sense, but if the team has to give Saros a lot of money in a bridge deal, the team might be paying close to $10MM for their goalie tandem, which is way too much.

Of course, making a move like this would be extremely risky, but The Hockey News’ Matt Larkin writes that if any team and general manager would consider trading a Vezina Trophy candidate as well as one of the best players in franchise history, David Poile would be the one. Back in June of 2016, Poile and the Predators did the unthinkable of sending star defenseman Shea Weber to Montreal in exchange for P.K. Subban. While the deal was somewhat shocking, the move looks better and better every day while Weber’s play has declined due to injury and age.

What do you think: Do you think the Predators should move forward and give the starting job to Saros or keep everything the same and try again next season?

Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.

Poll: Who Should Win The 2017-18 Norris Trophy?

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There was much debate in the hockey world yesterday when the NHL released their three finalists for the Norris Trophy. The award, given to the best defenseman in the league, always stirs up controversy of some sort over who was snubbed. This year, that honor could go to John Carlson who scored more points than any other blueliner in the league but didn’t have his name mentioned in the final group.

P.K. Subban. Drew Doughty. Victor Hedman. Who should be taking home the trophy this season? Don’t vote on who you think will win, but who should win after the season they put up. We’ll list the finalists and some of the other common nominees to see if our readership would have selected the same three nominees.

Make sure to explain your reasoning in the comment section!

[Mobile users click here to vote!]

NHL Announces Norris Trophy Finalists For 2017-18

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After announcing the Vezina and Selke finalists over the last two days, the NHL continued their award nominations with the Norris Trophy for best defenseman. Drew Doughty, Victor Hedman and P.K. Subban are the three finalists for the 2017-18 season.

As always, the Norris brings with it heated debate over how the finalists are selected. Some fans feel as though offensive performance is weighted too heavily, but this year may change that perception some. The top four point leaders among defensemen—John Carlson, Brent Burns, John Klingberg and Shayne Gostisbehere—are all absent, though all three of the finalists had at least 59 points. Subban especially will be questioned because of his notoriety and offensive production, as even on his own team there was another potential candidate in Roman Josi (who recorded 53 points in just 75 games).

All three are no stranger to Norris voting, with Doughty and Subban each having won in the past. Hedman finished third in voting last season, and could have the best shot at it this year. Not only did he lead the candidates in scoring, but finished with the best +/- rating, registered the most hits and fewest giveaways. There has also been speculation that voting tends to lean towards star players that haven’t won it yet, which would give Hedman the edge, if only slightly.

There were several other candidates that could have been selected. Many will point to Seth Jones in Columbus, as he and Zach Werenski formed one of the most dynamic pairs in the league. He will certainly finish with some votes and is on a strong development path towards winning the award one day. Alex Pietrangelo was one of the leaders through the first part of the season, but faltered as the Blues did in the second half. His game isn’t nearly as flashy or noticeable, which likely contributes to him fading into the background of the race.

Never to be forgotten is Erik Karlsson, who got off to a horrendous start but played well down the stretch for the Ottawa Senators. Finishing with 62 points in 71 games, Karlsson registered more than 50 assists for the fifth time in his career. Had there been more team success, he certainly would have been in more conversations for best defenseman.

We won’t know who took home the 2017-18 Norris until the NHL Awards ceremony in Vegas on June 20th, but we’ll continue to find out the finalists for other awards over the next few days. Tomorrow is the Lady Byng, for “sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability.”

All-Star Skills Competition Assignments Released

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With the All-Star game one day away, many NHL fans often get more excited for the 2018 GEICO NHL All-Star Skills Competition, which will be tonight. The NHL released the list of who will be participating in each of the six competitions with the winner of each receiving $25K.

Enterprise NHL Fastest Skater – Each skater is timed for one full lap around the rink.
Brayden Point (Tampa Bay Lightning)
Zach Werenski (Columbus Blue Jackets)
Rickard Rakell (Anaheim Ducks)
Noah Hanifin (Carolina Hurricanes)
Josh Bailey (New York Islanders)
Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche)
Jack Eichel (Buffalo Sabres)
Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers)

Dunkin Donuts NHL Passing Challenge – Requires three skills over one round, including Target Passing (making four passes to a target that light up randomly), Give-and-Go (must complete four successful passes through a course in the neutral zone) and Mini Nets (must complete four passes over barricades and into mini-nets).
Nikita Kucherov (Tampa Bay Lightning)
Claude Giroux (Philadelphia Flyers)
Brayden Schenn (St. Louis Blues)
Oliver Ekman-Larsson (Arizona Coyotes)
Eric Staal (Minnesota Wild)
Alex Pietrangelo (St. Louis Blues)
Kris Letang (Pittsburgh Penguins)
Drew Doughty (Los Angeles Kings)

GEICO NHL Save Streak – Goalies attempt to win by making the most consecutive saves against an opposing division on a minimum of nine shots.
Henrik Lundqvist (New York Rangers) vs. Central Division
Connor Hellebuyck (Vancouver Canucks) vs. Pacific Division
Pekka Rinne (Nashville Predators) vs. Metropolitan Division
Marc-Andre Fleury (Vegas Golden Knights) vs. Atlantic Division
Andrei Vasilevskiy (Tampa Bay Lightning) vs. Central Division

Gatorade NHL Puck Control Relay – A timed event that involves three skills, including Stickhandling (where a skater must control a puck through a series of eight pucks in a straight line), Cone Control (where a skater controls a puck through a series of eight cones in a zig-zag formation) and Gates (where a skater must shoot or choose to guide the puck through a lighted rung of a gate).
Johnny Gaudreau (Calgary Flames)
Aleksander Barkov (Florida Panthers)
Erik Karlsson (Ottawa Senators)
John Tavares (New York Islanders)
Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers)
Auston Matthews (Toronto Maple Leafs)
Tyler Seguin (Dallas Stars)
Patrick Kane (Chicago Blackhawks)

PPG NHL Hardest Shot – Over two rounds, each player will attempt two shots measured in miles per hour with the highest speed recorded.
John Klingberg (Dallas Stars)
Alex Ovechkin (Washington Capitals)
P.K. Subban (Nashville Predators)
Brent Burns (San Jose Sharks)
Steven Stamkos (Tampa Bay Lightning)

Honda NHL Shooting Accuracy – A timed event in which a skater is positioned 25 feet behind the goal line and must shoot at five LED targets in the goal. A target will light up and the players has three seconds to hit it.
Brian Boyle (New Jersey Devils)
Blake Wheeler (Winnipeg Jets)
James Neal (Vegas Golden Knights)
Brock Boeser (Vancouver Canucks)
Brad Marchand (Boston Bruins)
Anze Kopitar (Los Angeles Kings)
Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins)
Steven Stamkos (Tampa Bay Lightning)

2018 All-Star Rosters

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The NHL released the rosters for this year’s All-Star game in Tampa Bay, leading to an inevitable onslaught of discussion over who missed out and who didn’t deserve to go. The event will take place on January 27-28th. The full rosters can be found below:

Atlantic Division:

F Steven Stamkos – Tampa Bay Lightning (captain)
F Nikita Kucherov – Tampa Bay Lightning
F Auston Matthews – Toronto Maple Leafs
F Aleksander Barkov – Florida Panthers
F Brad Marchand – Boston Bruins
F Jack Eichel – Buffalo Sabres
D Victor Hedman – Tampa Bay Lightning
D Erik Karlsson – Ottawa Senators
D Mike Green – Detroit Red Wings
G Andrei Vasilevskiy – Tampa Bay Lightning
G Carey Price – Montreal Canadiens

Head Coach: Jon Cooper

Metropolitan Division:

F Alex Ovechkin – Washington Capitals (captain)
F Taylor Hall – New Jersey Devils
F Sidney Crosby – Pittsburgh Penguins
F Josh Bailey – New York Islanders
F John Tavares – New York Islanders
F Claude Giroux – Philadelphia Flyers
D Seth Jones – Columbus Blue Jackets
D Noah Hanifin – Carolina Hurricanes
D Kris Letang – Pittsburgh Penguins
G Henrik Lundqvist – New York Rangers
G Braden Holtby – Washington Capitals

Head Coach: Barry Trotz

Central Division:

F Patrick Kane – Chicago Blackhawks
F Nathan MacKinnon – Colorado Avalanche
F Blake Wheeler – Winnipeg Jets
F Brayden Schenn – St. Louis Blues
F Eric Staal – Minnesota Wild
F Tyler Seguin – Dallas Stars
D P.K. Subban – Nashville Predators (captain)
D Alex Pietrangelo – St. Louis Blues
D John Klingberg – Dallas Stars
G Pekka Rinne – Nashville Predators
G Connor Hellebuyck – Winnipeg Jets

Head Coach: Peter Laviolette

Pacific Division:

F Connor McDavid – Edmonton Oilers (captain)
F Johnny Gaudreau – Calgary Flames
F Brock Boeser – Vancouver Canucks
F James Neal – Vegas Golden Knights
F Rickard Rakell – Anaheim Ducks
F Anze Kopitar – Los Angeles Kings
D Drew Doughty – Los Angeles Kings
D Brent Burns – San Jose Sharks
D Oliver Ekman-Larsson – Arizona Coyotes
G Jonathan Quick – Los Angeles Kings
G Marc-Andre Fleury – Vegas Golden Knights

Head Coach: Gerard Gallant

NHL Reveals Coaches For Upcoming All-Star Game

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The NHL announced the coaches for the 2018 NHL All-Star game in Tampa Bay on Jan. 28, as Tampa Bay Lightning’s Jon Cooper, Vegas Golden Knights’ Gerard Gallant, Washington Capitals’ Barry Trotz and Nashville Predators’ Peter Laviolette will coach their respective divisions.

For the third straight season, the all-star game will feature a 3-on-3, three-game tournament, showcasing each division. Each divisional team will have six forwards, three defensemen and two goaltenders. The coaching selections were based on the team that had the highest point percentage as of Jan. 6, the halfway point of the season.

Cooper earned his first trip to the all-star game in six years as an NHL coach. Tampa Bay has the best record in hockey at 29-9-3. Gallant has earned the invite by taking a first-year expansion team and given them the second-best record in hockey at 28-10-2. It is his second all-star selection in seven years of NHL coaching. Trotz will make his third NHL all-star appearance in 19 years of coaching. The Capitals boast a 25-13-3 record. Laviolette will make his second appearance in 16 seasons as a coach. The Predators have a 25-11-6 record, tied for second in the Central Division, but have a slightly higher points percentage than Winnipeg Jets coach Paul Maurice, who has one more overtime loss.

Full all-star rosters will be released Wednesday. The all-star captains were already named by fan votes as Edmonton’s Connor McDavid (Pacific), Washington’s Alex Ovechkin (Metropolitan), Tampa Bay’s Steven Stamkos (Atlantic) and Nashville’s P.K. Subban (Central) were voted in.

 

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