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Ryan Ellis

Snapshots: Three Stars, EBUG, Pittsburgh

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The NHL has released their Three Stars for last week and a great story of redemption comes in at the top. Kevin Fiala, who was made a healthy scratch earlier in the year, had four multi-point games in one week and now sits at a career-high 49 points on the season. The 23-year old forward has always oozed talent, but would disappear for stretches during his time with the Nashville Predators. In eight games with new head coach Dean Evason, Fiala has six goals and 11 points.

Second place goes to a former teammate of Fiala in Ryan Ellis, whose return to the Predators lineup was a strong one after missing time with a concussion. The defenseman recorded seven points last week and now has 36 on the year. If you hadn’t realized just how well Pavel Francouz was playing for the Colorado Avalanche, how about a 3-0 week with a .946 save percentage to let the world know. The goaltender took home the third star after receiving the top honors last week.

  • It is the first day of the GM meetings in Florida, and one of the topics of conversation was the emergency backup goaltender situation. Though there were some who have voiced concerns, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports that there will be no changes to the protocol. Fans of Scott Foster and David Ayres will be relieved.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins are in a terrible slump, but might be getting some reinforcements back soon. Brian Dumoulin, John Marino and Nick Bjugstad were all participating in full at practice today, though it is not clear exactly when they will return to action. With that news, the team has returned Zach Trotman to the minor leagues.

West Notes: Tanev, Backlund, Ellis

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With the Canucks sitting at the top of the Pacific Division, it would stand to reason that Vancouver would be buyers heading into the upcoming trade deadline.  However, Postmedia’s Patrick Johnston posits that when it comes to defenseman Chris Tanev at least, the team should at least consider moving him.  The 30-year-old has long had injury troubles but has managed to play in every game this season while logging nearly 20 minutes a night.  He’s on an expiring contract with a $4.45MM cap hit and with several contenders looking for defensive help, he’d fetch a good return.  Part of the logic of holding onto him in the past has been that they’d have sold low on moving him.  This is their chance to move him for closer to market value but given the role he’s filling on a team that’s squarely in the playoff hunt, could Vancouver afford to deal him?

Elsewhere out West:

  • For the time being at least, the Flames have abandoned the experiment of using center Mikael Backlund on the wing, notes Postmedia’s Kristen Anderson. The team started out using the veteran there back in December but Backlund indicated to interim head coach Geoff Ward that he’s not the most comfortable away from the middle.  Calgary has been looking for winger help for a while now and with Backlund staying at center now, they likely won’t be able to fill that vacancy from within which was the likely impetus for trying him there in the first place.
  • Predators defenseman Ryan Ellis is with the team on their current road trip but is unlikely to play, suggests Paul Skrbina of The Tennessean. He’s working his way back from a concussion sustained back at the Winter Classic on January 1st.  With Nashville currently on the outside looking in at a playoff spot, he’d certainly be a welcome addition but if this holds true, the earliest he’ll be able to play is February 13th.

West Notes: Ellis, Sissons, Hayton, Hintz

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The Predators have slipped to the bottom of the Central Division, a place that hardly anyone would have seen them being in at the start of the season.  However, some help could be on the horizon as Adam Vingan of The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that defenseman Ryan Ellis skated today for the first time since sustaining an upper-body injury back on January 1st at the Winter Classic.  Ellis is second on the team in ice time at over 23 minutes a night while his 0.72 points per game average is the second-highest of his career.

Meanwhile, Vingan adds in a separate tweet that while center Colton Sissons won’t play tonight, he could return as soon as Thursday against New Jersey or Saturday against Vegas.  He has missed the last month due to a lower-body injury.  The Predators have an open roster spot so they won’t need to send anyone down in order to activate Sissons off injured reserve.

More from the Western Conference:

  • Coyotes center Barrett Hayton has yet to play since suffering a shoulder injury back at the World Juniors but it appears he’s nearing a return. Richard Morin of the Arizona Republic notes that the 19-year-old is skating with the team but has yet to be cleared for contact though head coach Rick Tocchet indicated that Hayton could be cleared soon.  The number five pick in 2018 has had a very limited role in Arizona this season, playing in just 14 games.
  • Dallas winger Roope Hintz is day-to-day with an upper-body injury, reports Mike Heika of the Stars’ team website (Twitter link). The injury was sustained in his first shift against Tampa Bay on Monday.  The 23-year-old has been productive in his first full NHL season; his 15 goals lead Dallas heading into Wednesday’s game against Toronto.

Central Notes: Kaprizov, Sissons, Ellis, Saad, Parayko

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In a Q&A on the KHL website, Gillian Kemmerer interviewed KHL star and Minnesota Wild prospect Kirill Kaprizov, who stated he is very interested in coming over and play in the NHL.

“I mean, what can I say? The [KHL] season is still on. I have to do my best here, but I do have a great desire to move over,” said Kaprizov. “I have to focus on the ongoing season. It’s the end of the regular season—I need to get ready for the playoffs and do well so that we win our second cup in a row. There’s still a lot to be done before I have to worry about it—such as making the World Championship team. There’s still time. I’ll think about it later.”

Kaprizov is expected to be a free agent this spring and could be a key piece in the Wild’s rebuilding effort if the team can convince him to sign an entry-level deal. The 22-year-old, who was a fifth-round pick in 2015, has been one of the KHL’s biggest stars as he has 23 goals and 45 points in 44 games this year with CSKA Moscow.

  • The Nashville Predators are hopeful that they might get a forward back into their lineup soon as head coach John Hynes said that the team hopes to get forward Colton Sissons back to practice after the all-star break, according to The Athletic’s Adam Vingan. The 26-year-old, out with a lower-body injury since Dec. 27, has been skating on his own.  Hynes also noted that the news isn’t as good on defenseman Ryan Ellis, who still hasn’t stepped on the ice. The blueliner suffered an upper-body injury after taking a hit from Dallas’ Corey Perry on Jan. 1. However, Hynes points out that Ellis, “he is on that protocol to come back,” although he did admit he didn’t know when Ellis might start skating again.
  • The Chicago Blackhawks announced they have activated Brandon Saad off of injured reserve and he is expected to play against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday. The 27-year-old has missed 12 straight games with an ankle injury and hasn’t appeared in a game since Dec. 19. Saad has 11 goals and 19 points in 36 games. The winger was considered to be out until the all-star break, but practiced fully on Friday.
  • NHL.com’s Lou Korac reports that the St. Louis Blues could have defenseman Colton Parayko back after the all-star break. The 26-year-old defenseman has been out since Jan. 2 with an upper-body injury. Head coach Craig Berube said that he is “pretty confident” that Parayko will be ready to return when the team gets back from break.

 

Central Notes: Maatta, Ellis, Sissons, Fabbro, Klingberg

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The Chicago Blackhawks worked hard at upgrading their defense last summer by trading for Calvin de Haan and Olli Maatta. De Haan fared well when healthy (he’s now out for the season after undergoing shoulder surgery). However, Maatta has struggled often and found himself often playing third-pairing minutes in his first season in Chicago and finds himself playing a career-low 17:54. The problem with Maatta is that he still has another two years on his contract at $4.08MM.

The Athletic’s Mark Lazerus (along with Scott Powers — subscription required) make several predictions for 2020 for the Blackhawks, and Lazerus believes that with new pending contracts for Alex DeBrincat, Dylan Strome and Robin Lehner, the team will have to free up some cap room. He suggests that Maatta would be a logical candidate for the team to cut loose, along with forward Zack Smith. Buying out Maatta would save the team $3.4MM over the next two years, while buying out Smith would save the team $2.1MM next season. With the expected arrival of Ian Mitchell and the continued development of prospect Nicolas Beaudin, there may be no need or even roster space for Maatta.

  • Nashville Predators head coach John Hynes said that Ryan Ellis and Colton Sissons, both on injured reserve, continue to make progress in their recovery. However, neither player is expected to travel with the team on their two-game road trip, starting on Sunday, to Winnipeg and Edmonton, according to The Athletic’s Adam Vingan. Ellis has been on IR since Jan. 3 with an upper-body injury, while Sissons has been out since Dec. 23 after suffering a lower-body injury.
  • Vingan also reports that defenseman Dante Fabbro is close to returning after practicing with the team on Satuday. Fabbro, out since Jan. 1, but found himself paired with Mattias Ekholm in practice, which suggests he may be ready to play again. Fabbro has been solid in his rookie campaign, scoring four goals and nine points in 39 games, while averaging 19:20 of ATOI.
  • NHL.com’s Mike Heika reports that Dallas Stars defenseman John Klingberg skated Saturday. The blueliner has missed three games already with a lower-body injury, but is expected to miss a few more as Heika adds that Klingberg isn’t ready to return yet.

 

Ryan Ellis Placed On Injured Reserve

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The Nashville Predators failed to protect their lead in the Winter Classic, and came out of it with a significant injury as well. Ryan Ellis has been placed on injured reserve with an upper-body injury, after taking a shot to the head from Dallas Stars forward Corey Perry early in the outdoor game. The team has recalled Alexandre Carrier from the AHL to take his roster spot.

Ellis was caught with an elbow as Perry went by him, leading to an ejection and likely suspension for the Stars forward. Even if he’s suspended for several games though, it likely won’t have the same level of impact losing Ellis will bring. The Nashville defenseman–who turns 29 today–averages more than 23 minutes a night for the Predators and has 28 points in 39 games. One of the best do-it-all defenders in the league, there are few situations where head coach Peter Laviolette can’t rely on Ellis.

Carrier, 23, has some upside as a puck-moving option but doesn’t have the same defensive polish, especially at the highest level. The fourth-round pick hasn’t played in the NHL since the 2016-17 season, though he was recently named to the AHL All-Star team for his tremendous start with the Milwaukee Admirals.

Western Notes: Tippett, Josi, Beaulieu, Simek

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The Edmonton Oilers and new general manager Ken Holland haven’t announced a new coach and while rumors have suggested that the team has settled on Dave Tippett as the team’s new head coach, nothing has been announced.

Postmedia’s Kurt Leavins reiterates that Tippett to Edmonton is a “done deal,” but the timing of the announcement has been the issue. The deal still has to get onto paper and with both the NHL Draft Combine and the Stanley Cup Finals, there is little time to get the announcement out there that the team has a new head coach. Regardless, the scribe writes that Tippett’s appointment will come in the next few days.

  • For a second year in a row, the Nashville Predators top priority will be to sign one of their star defensemen to a extension. The team locked up Ryan Ellis to an eight-year, $50MM deal last summer and must do something similar with Roman Josi, who is eligible to sign an extension on July 1. Josi, however, has made it clear he wants to stay in Nashville. However, the Predators will have to pay up as The Athletic’s Adam Vingan (subscription required) writes that they will likely have to give him the biggest contract in team history, which could overtake Ryan Johansen’s $8MM AAV.
  • The Winnipeg Jets have a number of big contracts and potential trades to deal with this offseason, but there are also smaller issues along their roster as well. The team needs to keep their defensive depth, one of the strengths of their roster in recent years, yet they only have five defensemen under contract. The Winnipeg Sun’s Ken Wiebe writes that the Jets have indicated that they would like to bring back restricted free agent Nathan Beaulieu, who the team acquired at the trade deadline for a sixth-round pick, as insurance in case they lose Jacob Trouba to a trade. However, in order to offer Beaulieu a qualifying offer, they would have to add 10 percent to his $2.4MM he made last year, which the team is unlikely to do for a bottom-pairing defenseman. The more logical approach, which Winnipeg did last year with Joseph Morrow, would be to not qualify him and then try to sign him for less as an unrestricted free agent.
  • The San Jose Sharks got some good news as The Athletic’s David Lombardi (subscription required) writes that defenseman Radim Simek, who has been out since March 12th after having his leg crushed in a collision with Winnipeg’s Andrew Copp and having surgery to repair a torn ACL, MCL and meniscus, has already returned to the ice and is skating again. “The guys who are taking care of me say that my rehab is going really fast, that it’s really unusual to only be two months removed from surgery but back on the ice, skating however I want,” Simek said.  Simek, who signed out of the Czech Republic in 2017, played one year in the AHL and made the NHL roster this season, playing in 41 games and making a significant difference before getting injured and hopes to be back for next season.

Long Negotiation With Ryan Ellis Was Watched By Oilers, Maple Leafs

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One of the biggest contracts signed this summer in the NHL was an eight-year $50MM extension handed out to Nashville Predators defenseman and associate captain Ryan Ellis. That contract was filed on August 14th, six weeks after Ellis originally became eligible to add some years on to his current situation. A deal for one of their most important players was obviously at the very top of the to-do list for GM David Poile and the rest of the Predators front office, but as Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (subscription required) details there was a ton of work involved to come to the final agreement. Interestingly, LeBrun mentions the Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers specifically when speaking about teams that were keeping a close eye on the Ellis situation, hoping it would deteriorate and he would be put on the trade market.

For the Maple Leafs, it’s easy to see why they would be interested. The Ontario-born Ellis was a superstar in the OHL before heading to Nashville, and his two-way skill from the right side would be a perfect complement to the Maple Leafs left-heavy defense group. With Morgan Rielly, Jake Gardiner and Travis Dermott locked into the left, if the Maple Leafs are going to improve the blue line—as so many believe they desperately need to do in order to contend—there aren’t many fits better than Ellis available. They would have to try to convince him to sign long-term, but some of the sticking points in Nashville like signing bonuses and trade protection haven’t been off the table so far with young GM Kyle Dubas.

The Oilers might need Ellis even more desperately though, after a wasted season near the bottom of the standings despite Connor McDavid’s outstanding play. When blue line members like Oscar Klefbom and Adam Larsson took a step backwards last season it was clear that McDavid couldn’t carry the load all by himself. Edmonton struggles at times to get the puck quickly out of their zone with any sort of control, something that Ellis excels at while also contributing offensively. They too have a need on the right side, and don’t have the cap space to acquire a very expensive asset. Ellis is earning just $2.5MM on the final year of his current contract, as one of the biggest bargains in the league.

That the Maple Leafs and Oilers were interested in Ellis—at least in passing—shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, though it does make the next few months even more interesting. With a player like Erik Karlsson still without an extension in Ottawa, and others like Tyler Myers and Nate Schmidt heading into their final years before free agency, the two teams will likely still be keeping an eye on various situations to see if they can improve.

Alexei Emelin Signs Three-Year Pact With KHL’s Avangard Omsk

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Long-time Montreal Canadiens defenseman Alexei Emelin agreed to terms this morning with Avangard Omsk, one day after the KHL team signed Kris Versteeg. The 32-year-old Emelin, who played six years in Montreal and then finished out his contract last year with the Nashville Predators, was having trouble finding work in the NHL, but opted to return to the KHL where he played parts of eight seasons.

Emelin arrived in the NHL at age 25, but almost immediately stepped into the Canadiens’ top-four and averaged close to 20 minutes a night throughout most of his NHL career. However, Montreal opted to expose Emelin and his $4.1MM contract in the expansion draft last year and Vegas took the bait, selecting him and then flipping him to Nashville for a third-round pick in the 2019 draft. The Predators brought the veteran defenseman on board to provide top-four depth while Ryan Ellis sat out for the first three months of the season after undergoing knee surgery. Emelin did that, but saw his minutes decrease significantly once Ellis returned as he was forced into the team’s third-line pairing.

Once a free agent, the 32-year-old struggled finding work as his lack of speed worked against him in a league where teams are looking to get faster. Emelin, however, showed he still has value as he managed to register 181 hits as well as blocking 109 shots last season, suggesting he should continue to fare well in the KHL. While Emelin will join Versteeg, he will also join up with two former Habs as well, including Alexander Perezhogin and David Desharnais.

Ryan Ellis Signs Eight-Year Extension With Nashville Predators

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One of the biggest extensions expected this summer has finally dropped, as the Nashville Predators today announced an eight-year, $50MM ($6.25MM AAV) contract extension for Ryan Ellis. The deal will kick in for the 2019-20 season, and keep Ellis in Nashville through the 2026-27 season. Ellis is currently carrying just a $2.5MM cap hit on the final year of his contract. The deal does not include any trade protection, meaning Pekka Rinne remains the only Predators player with a contract that includes a no-move or no-trade clause. GM David Poile released a statement explaining the contract:

Ryan is a huge part of our team on and off the ice and we are happy to have his leadership remain in our locker room for the foreseeable future. We have talked about wanting to keep the core of our team together, and this is another opportunity to help us do so while continuing to compete for a Stanley Cup. Ryan is entering his prime and is one of the reasons why we feel this team has a chance to win every time we step on the ice.

Ellis, 27, was scheduled to be one of the biggest unrestricted free agents on the market next offseason, though there was little doubt something would be worked out with Nashville at some point. The two sides had been open with their mutual interest, and this deal gives both what they were after. For Ellis, it potentially gives him the opportunity to play his entire career in Nashville after the team took a chance on him with the 11th-overall selection in 2009. At the time, undersized defensemen were not as accepted as they are today and it was obvious by some of the names taken ahead of him. Luke Schenn and Jared Cowen both ended up as top-10 picks, mostly for their size and defensive capabilities. Even Victor Hedman (2nd overall) and Oliver Ekman-Larsson (6th overall) are big enough to fulfill the height restrictions, though the offensive upside of both made them such attractive commodities. Ellis, who stands just 5’10”, was seen as a risk even despite his obvious offensive gifts and defensive potential.

That potential has paid off, and though Ellis is still regarded as an excellent offensive player it is his all-around ability that makes him so valuable. Equally capable on the powerplay and penalty kill, the former Windsor Spitfire recorded 32 points in just 44 games in 2017-18 after returning from injury and logged huge minutes for the Predators in the playoffs once again. Though he won’t begin the extension until well after his 28th birthday, he secures the Predators’ blue line as one of the best in the league for years to come.

There was more money to be made, at least on a per-year basis on the open market to be sure. A similarly aged John Carlson just received an eight-year $64MM contract from the Washington Capitals given his proximity to unrestricted free agency, and some would argue that Ellis is an even more effective player. At the very worst he’s in the same range and could have demanded at least $7MM per season, but decided to stick with the Predators long-term and keep contending for the Stanley Cup. Ryan McDonagh too recently received an extension that carries a higher cap hit, in fact according to CapFriendly the closest comparables to the Ellis contract are Cam Fowler, Erik Johnson and Johnny Boychuk. While all three are effective players, Nashville will be happy to keep one of their leaders in the room for a respectable number.

The fact that there is no trade protection shouldn’t come as a surprise, and it also shouldn’t signal that the Predators will look to move Ellis down the road. Poile is staunchly against including no-movement clauses, and has avoided giving them out in other huge extensions for players like Ryan Johansen and Kyle Turris. Ellis will earn a $7MM signing bonus on July 1st, 2019, giving him a good portion of money up front.

The Predators now have their elite four defensemen locked up for the next two years at least, with Roman Josi next on the block for an extension. His contract expires in the summer of 2020, at which point he’ll be 30 years old. Amazingly, Nashville is set up to have more than enough room to give him a heft raise from the $4MM he currently earns, meaning this group could stay together for some time. Mattias Ekholm, now the extremely underpaid member of the group, carries a $3.75MM hit for four more seasons.

This deal does carry some risk, as Ellis could deteriorate or decline in the latter portion of the contract. By then though the salary cap will have inflated and the Predators will likely have already received plenty of excess value. If he struggles to maintain his current play this season though, handing out an extension at this point could look like a huge mistake. There is pressure on the 27-year old defenseman to perform, but he’s never seemed to back away from the spotlight in the past.

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