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Free Agent Profile: Cam Ward

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Since the unrestricted free agency rush of July 1st subsided, just two NHL goaltenders have been signed off the open market: Anthony Stolarz with the Anaheim Ducks and Jared Coreau with the New York Islanders. That’s two goalie signings in 33 days, making it easily the quietest position of this off-season, despite a major re-shuffling of UFA starters early on and several RFA extensions as well.

Unsurprisingly, several notable names remain available – Scott Darling, Chad Johnson, Mike McKenna, Al Montoya – while Michal Neuvirth has already accepted a PTO. However, one name sticks out above the rest for both his career accomplishments and his meaningful role in 2018-19.

Cam Ward, 35, ventured outside of Carolina last season for the first time in his 14-year NHL career. Ward signed a one-year, $3MM contract with the Chicago Blackhawks last summer and proceeded to play a major tole for the team this past season. Dealing with ongoing issues with starter Corey Crawford, Ward ended up playing in 33 games to Crawford’s 39 and Collin Delia’s 16. Although Ward’s .897 save percentage and 3.67 GAA were the worst among the trio, it was only a marginal gap. The Blackhawks struggled defensively and no goalie was safe, as all three finished with a save percentage below .910 and GAA above 2.90.

Still, Ward cannot have been happy with his results last year. A Stanley Cup winner and former All-Star, Ward was rock solid for the Hurricanes for several years. He thrived early on as a workhorse, including a 2010-11 campaign in which he posted a career-high .923 save percentage in a league-best 74 appearances. He then settled nicely into a timeshare role, posting back-to-back seasons with a 2.40 GAA while playing in around 50 games each year from 2014 to 2016. Even as he continued to age and his numbers slipped slightly, no one could have predicted his pedestrian performance last season. It was a sharp decline from his career numbers that could have been an outlier or could be signaling the end of his career.

One thing that is certainly working against Ward finding work this off-season is the now well-established narrative that he does not play well as a backup. Over his career, Ward has played in four seasons, including last year in Chicago, in which he did not make at least half of his team’s starts. In those three seasons combined, Ward is 49-38-13, with a a save percentage of .895 and a GAA of 3.37. In all of his other seasons combined, Ward has a record of 285-218-75, with a save percentage of .911 and a GAA of 2.63. It is extremely clear that Ward does his best work with regular appearances and any team looking to make the most of signing him will want to offer that opportunity. But does such a landing spot exist?

Potential Suitors

The honest answer is that the team likely to sign Ward, if any, isn’t aware of the need just yet. Ward could very well be a veteran option that a team turns to in case of injury or poor performance that can be a temporary starter. While it’s impossible to project injuries, the New York Rangers have a starter who is even older than Ward and have very little depth behind him. A Henrik Lundqvist injury could certainly turn the Blueshirts on to Ward as an option to step in at starter during a season that brings high expectations to New York. The same could be said for the Vegas Golden Knights, whose 34-year-old starter Marc-Andre Fleury has dealt with injury issues before. Vegas is in better shape with their depth in net and could handle a short absence from Fleury, but without a proven NHL goalie elsewhere on the depth chart, a long-term injury could send them on the hunt for a solution. Despite having both John Gibson and Ryan Miller, the Anaheim Ducks are far from safe when it comes to injury risk and could be an option for Ward if disaster strikes. The Philadelphia Flyers shuffled through goalies like no other team in NHL history last year, so another issue with Brian Elliott could easily have the Flyers intrigued in Ward.

As for teams who risk needing a starter due to poor play, no team jumps out more than the Columbus Blue Jackets. It’s perhaps even fair to call them the most likely landing spot for Ward, as they are sure to go through some bumpy times with their young tandem of former backup Joonas Korpisalo and unproven import Elvis Merzlikins. The team only has more untested foreign talent in the minors as well. The Blue Jackets have ample cap space, so if there was a bidding war for Ward at any point, Columbus would be the favorite to beat out any other team in need of an emergency starter.

If Ward is intent on signing before the season begins though, rather than wait for a need-based market to develop in-season, there are a couple of teams who could still be looking for a backup. Again, that isn’t the ideal role for Ward, but it is one that the respected veteran would likely be willing to try his hand at again. The Florida Panthers spent big on Sergei Bobrovsky this summer, but 22-year-old Samuel Montembeault is slated to be the primary backup heading into next year. He is waiver-exempt still and could head to the AHL without issue if the team opted to look at a veteran backup. However, this doesn’t seem extremely likely, considering their investment in Bobrovsky, who they likely expect to make 65 starts. In Colorado, the Avalanche seemed hesitant to give last year’s third-string, Pavel Francouz, an extended look despite strong numbers in the NHL and AHL. He is now the likely backup to Philipp Grubauer, who himself is still finding his footing as a true starter. The Avs have almost no depth in net and could look to add another name to the mix in Ward.

Projected Contract

Ward has made at least $3MM in each of the past four seasons and more than $6MM on the contract prior to that. Those days are now over. Regardless of the impact that his role or the team’s defense had on his 2018-19 performance in Chicago, Ward has lost his leverage to command a sizable salary after such a poor season. If he is settling in to a backup role before the season, he will almost certainly land somewhere between $1MM and the league minimum of $700K. If he is signing mid-season to take over as a starter or at least in a timeshare, that number could go up, but not much higher. If Ward feels like he has several years left, he will be looking at this season as an investment in future earnings; he will accept a cheap deal to go to the right place where there is the potential to succeed, so as to hit the market next summer with some more bargaining power. The only question is whether that right fit exists, now or down the road after the season begins. Ward could call it a career if no such opportunities arise by the end of the calendar year.

Anaheim Signs Anthony Stolarz

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After standing pat on day one of free agency, the Anaheim Ducks have come alive today with their third signing. Goaltender Anthony Stolarz, a Group 6 unrestricted free agent, has signed with the team, reports TVA’s Renaud Lavoie. It is expected to be a two-year, one-way contract for Stolarz worth $750K.

After parts of five seasons in the Philadelphia Flyers organization to begin his pro career, Stolarz finally got a change of scenery when he was dealt to the Edmonton Oilers in February for Cam Talbot. Stolarz was immediately considered a likely backup candidate for Edmonton moving forward, but failed to impress in six appearances with the team down the stretch and by all reports the Oilers made no attempt to keep him.

Stolarz now joins yet another team in Anaheim and hopes he can get his career back on track. Stolarz was a second-round pick in 2012 and injuries have prevented him from playing up to the expectations of his high draft price. Still just 25 though, Stolarz still has upside and his underlying numbers, in both the NHL and AHL, have been good when healthy.

Managing their depth in net could be tricky for the Ducks, however. Anaheim re-signed Ryan Miller to a one-year deal and may see Stolarz as the future backup to John Gibson after that deal expires, but in 2019-20 the team will either have to carry all three goalies or risk losing Stolarz on waivers. How it all plays out will be interesting to watch.

Anaheim Ducks Re-Sign Three Players

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6:07pm: Miller’s deal checks in a little higher than anticipated.  Eric Stephens of The Athletic reports the contract is worth $1.125MM.

5:40pm: The Ducks have made all three contracts official. Each player has been signed for one year.

9:53am: The Anaheim Ducks cleared a fair amount of cap space yesterday when they waved goodbye to one of their franchise icons in Corey Perry, and are now hard at work filling out their depth chart for next season. Elliott Teaford of the Orange County Register reports that the team is expected to announce new deals for Ryan Miller, Derek Grant and Korbinian Holzer today. Miller’s deal is expected to be a one-year, $1MM contract to keep him in net behind John Gibson.

You basically can’t ask for a better backup goaltender than the 38-year old Miller, who has a .921 save percentage over his two years with the Ducks while making just $2MM per season to this point. That salary will actually be cut in half in order for the veteran to stay in California, the only place he wanted to be given his wife Noureen DeWulf’s acting career. While he hasn’t been the absolute picture of health, Miller doesn’t need to play a ton to be effective behind a workhorse like Gibson. Now just 12 away from 400 for his career, the American-born goaltender will likely eventually be in the Hall of Fame as he now sits 16th all-time in wins.

Grant, 29, hasn’t had quite the same Hall of Fame career, but is still a valuable depth piece for the Ducks. The center ended up playing 31 games for them after a trade from the Pittsburgh Penguins and will serve as a veteran option down the middle as they transition to a new forward group. With Ryan Kesler, Corey Perry and Patrick Eaves all out of the way, the Ducks will have plenty of youngsters in the line up every night.

Holzer, 31, has been that depth player for the Ducks for several years now. Never playing in more than 32 games in a single season for the club, the defenseman has nevertheless been an important part of the puzzle for the team as an injury replacement. He suited up 22 times in 2018-19 recording four points, and could very well serve as the seventh or eighth defenseman on the roster once again in 2019-20.

Anaheim Ducks Interested In Ryan Miller Return

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The Anaheim Ducks are interested in bringing back Ryan Miller for another year, according to Andy Strickland of Fox Sports Midwest. Strickland suggests it would be a bonus-laden contract, meaning it could only be for one season. Miller is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent this summer after his current two-year, $4MM deal expires.

Players are only eligible to receive performance bonuses in certain situations, but a one-year deal for Miller would qualify given his age. The 38-year old goaltender is coming off a year in which he suited up just 20 times, his fewest games played in a single season since 2003-04. The veteran still put up a .912 save percentage in those appearances, but dealt with a sprained MCL that limited his action.

Miller has been clear in the past that he only wants to play in California at this point, given his wife Noureen DeWulf’s career as a Hollywood actress. With Anaheim still relying on John Gibson to carry the majority of the load, Miller might still be the best backup option available. As recently as 2017-18 he recorded a .928 save percentage and a 12-6-6 record for the Ducks, and a bonus-laden deal would be of little risk to the team. Miller is currently making just $2MM, but had strong trade protection in order to ensure he controlled his playing destination.

The question now will be simply if he wants to suit up again, as Miller can clearly still contribute when healthy. The Ducks are hoping for a better season with whoever they install as head coach, and a tandem of Gibson and Miller would certainly help them accomplish whatever goals they set for themselves.

Ducks Activate Ryan Miller; Place John Gibson, Chad Johnson On IR

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Talk about a reshuffling in net. Anaheim Ducks GM and now head coach Bob Murray announced today that starting goalie John Gibson and backup Chad Johnson have been placed on the injured reserve. The Athletic’s Eric Stephens adds that Kevin Boyle will make his first NHL start tonight as the Ducks face the Vancouver Canucks and will be backed up by Ryan Miller, who has been activated from the injured reserve.

Gibson, the Ducks’ Vezina-caliber keeper, missed Anaheim’s last game with an undisclosed upper-body injury suffered in his previous game. Murray provided some more clarity on that situation, describing Gibson’s injury as head, neck, and back soreness from being “whacked a whole bunch on one play”. The Ducks’ release noted that Gibson is improving, but the team still opted to place him on IR. Gibson should return to action when the requisite ten days have passed.

As for Johnson, this move seems just as much about moving Miller off of IR as it does the current backup’s status. Officially, Johnson is out with a head injury, but as Stephens notes, he took a puck up high yesterday in practice and was suffering from a headache. While all head injuries should be taken seriously, an IR stint may be considered overkill in this situation. However, the Ducks do not want to carry three goalies for the rest of the season, so have put off the decision – possibly in hopes of solving the problem via trade – by deactivating Johnson and activating Miller, who seemingly has been deemed the better option to backup Boyle in the short term. It remains to be seen if Miller is actually ready to take the net again for Anaheim. He has been sidelined with a knee injury since early December and was not expected back for another few weeks. Hopefully, Boyle can follow up a pretty good NHL debut with a strong start (or several).

Anaheim Ducks Claim Goaltender Chad Johnson

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Anaheim Ducks goaltender Ryan Miller suffered an injury on the weekend, and the team has quickly made a move to fill his role behind starter John Gibson. The Ducks today claimed Chad Johnson off waivers from the St. Louis Blues, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Miller is expected to be out around six weeks, giving Johnson the opportunity to show that he can still be an effective goaltender in the NHL.

While Johnson brings a good amount of NHL experience to Anaheim, the move does come with a substantial amount of downside for the Ducks. The team is already using long-term injured reserve in order to stay below the salary cap, and will take on Johnson’s entire $1.75MM contract by claiming him. That amount can’t even be fully buried in the minor leagues, meaning he’ll remain on their books even after Miller returns unless someone else claims him at that point. He also represents the team’s 50th contract, putting them at the limit and restricting any other potential moves they can make. The Ducks now can’t make another waiver claim without removing a contract, nor can they sign a college or European free agent. That problem can be fixed later on with a trade, but it does limit their flexibility for the time being.

All that in mind, the team certainly needed to find an answer in net. While Gibson is an outstanding starter, he does have a history of injury and the team didn’t have much NHL experience behind him. Jared Coreau is up with the team at the moment, and has just 21 mostly unsuccessful appearances under his belt. Johnson has played in 183 NHL games, starting his career back in 2009-10 with the New York Rangers.

Still, it’s been some time since Johnson was considered a premier backup in the league. Last season for the Buffalo Sabres he recorded a 10-16-3 record while posting a .891 save percentage, and those numbers have only gotten worse this year in St. Louis. While there may be reason to believe he can turn things around in Anaheim, the 32-year old is certainly no guarantee. If he does struggle with the Ducks, it seems unlikely that he would be claimed again on waivers, meaning Anaheim might be stuck with his contract for the entire season.

Ducks Sign AHL Coach Dallas Eakins To A Multi-Year Extension

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After failing to land any of the vacant NHL coaching jobs, Dallas Eakins has decided to stick around with Anaheim.  The Ducks announced (Twitter link) that they have signed their AHL bench boss to a multi-year contract extension.  Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Eakins has spent the past three seasons with the San Diego Gulls.  The team finished second in the Pacific Division in each of his first two years there but struggled a bit more this past season, posting a 36-28-3-1 record; their 76 points were tied for fourth but the Gulls missed the postseason on a tiebreaker.  Overall, the team has posted a 118-71-10-5 record under his leadership.

The 51-year-old has also spent time as the head coach for the AHLs Toronto Marlies as well as the Edmonton Oilers.

While Eakins will be remaining with the Gulls, one of his assistants won’t be.  In a separate tweet, the Ducks announced that assistant coach Marty Wilford has been promoted to the big club after spending the past three years with San Diego.  This will be his first foray into coaching in the NHL after also spending time as an assistant with Syracuse and Norfolk of the AHL.

Meanwhile, the team also revealed via Twitter that goaltender Ryan Miller underwent surgery on Friday to remove a bone fragment in his wrist.  The expected timeline for recovery is six weeks so he should be ready in time for training camp in September.

Minor Transactions: 02/21/18

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After a busy night in the NHL, the league has just three games on tap for today. Instead, teams might use their time off to cement their status for the trade deadline and make inquiries around the league. All the minor moves we’ll keep track of right here. Refresh the page throughout the day to make sure you stay up to date on all the comings and goings.

Minor Transactions: 11/24/17

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With no games on the schedule on Thursday, Friday is a busy day in the NHL with all but three teams in action.  Here’s where we’ll keep tabs on today’s minor roster moves.

  • The Anaheim Ducks announced they have assigned defenseman Jaycob Megna and goaltender Reto Berra to the San Diego Gulls of the AHL. Megna, who was placed on waivers Thursday and cleared this morning, will indeed, be sent to the Gulls. Now that Cam Fowler was healthy, the team had to make a move to reduce their number of defensemen. Berra will also return to San Diego as backup Ryan Miller is expected to return after being out for the past week with a lower-body injury. The team didn’t have to put Berra on waivers as the goaltender had been placed on waivers on Nov. 4 and cleared. Since he wasn’t up for 10 games or 30 days, he doesn’t have to pass through waivers again.
  • The Vancouver Canucks announced they have reassigned defenseman Philip Holm to the Utica Comets of the AHL. The 25-year-old defenseman was recalled on Monday, but did not see any action. Holm has two goals and eight assists in 15 games for Utica. He was sent down after the team activated defenseman Troy Stecher off injured reserve.
  • Dallas Stars prospect Nick Caamano has been dealt from the Flint Firebirds to the Hamilton Bulldogs tweets NHL.com’s Sean Shapiro. Caamano has 21 points in 23 games and was highlighted during training camp as a player who continues to rise through the organization. Within that article, The Dallas Morning-News’ Mike Heika writes that he would return to Flint “as a face” to specifically sell Firebird hockey. Now, he’s off to Hamilton where he will be reunited with former Flint coach John Gruden.

Earlier updates:

  • The Capitals announced that they have recalled center Tyler Graovac from his long-term conditioning loan with Hershey of the AHL. He got into four games with the Bears during that stretch, recording a goal and an assist.  Those loans typically only last three games but Graovac agreed to the extension.  The 24-year-old played in three games with Washington early in the season before suffering an upper-body injury back on October 17th.
  • Buffalo has reassigned defenseman Casey Nelson to AHL Rochester per a team release. That suggests that Rasmus Ristolainen is ready to return to the lineup after missing the last three weeks with an upper-body issue.  While Nelson was recalled back on November 16th, he didn’t get into any action with the Sabres.  In 14 minor league games this season, he has a goal and three assists.
  • Tampa Bay has recalled forward Cory Conacher according to an announcement from their AHL team in Syracuse. Conacher leads the Crunch in scoring this season with 13 points (6-7-13) in 17 games.  While this will be his first NHL stint in 2017-18, the 27-year-old did relatively well in his NHL action with the Lightning last year when he recorded a goal and three helpers in 11 contests.  GM Steve Yzerman told Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link) that a couple of forwards are dealing with minor injuries so Conacher’s recall is insurance as the team heads into back-to-back games.
  • Calgary has brought up goaltender David Rittich from Stockton of the AHL, reports Wes Gilbertson of the Calgary Sun (Twitter link). The Flames were expected to bring up a goaltender following their decision to waive Eddie Lack on Thursday.  The 25-year-old is off to a solid start with the Heat, posting a 2.17 GAA and a .931 SV% in six minor league appearances so far this season.
  • The Canadiens announced that they have assigned defenseman David Schlemko to Laval of the AHL on a conditioning stint.  This marks the second time this season that this has happened; he played in one game the first time and then went back on injured reserve with the same hand injury.  He has yet to play in Montreal after being acquired from Vegas shortly after the Expansion Draft.

Ryan Getzlaf Leaves Game With Facial Injury

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The already injury-riddled Anaheim Ducks have yet another health concern and possibly the most worrisome to date. The latest casualty was none other than captain Ryan Getzlaf, who took a shot to the face from his long-time partner in crime, Corey Perry, in the opening seconds of tonight’s game versus the Carolina Hurricanes. Getzlaf was evaluated for an “upper body injury” before eventually being declared out for the game by the team.

Initially, the injury seemed far from serious (video). Getzlaf seemed only stunned by the shot, which lost much of its momentum after a deflection by the ’Canes Sebastian Aho. There was no blood nor any exaggerated reaction and Getzlaf skated off the ice without issue. However, when he did not return, things became somewhat more daunting for the Ducks. Getzlaf, without a doubt, is the leader of the Anaheim forward corps and plays an invaluable role for the team. Fortunately, the injury still does not have the appearance of anything major and Getzlaf’s absence could be purely precautionary. At worst, a facial injury – even a bone break – tends to be a short-term loss. The Minnesota Wild’s Marcus Foligno for example missed only a week with a facial fracture suffered in a fight earlier this season.

Yet, in the context of Anaheim’s mounting losses, any extended absence for Getzlaf could be problematic. Ryan Miller finally made his ducks debut tonight and Hampus Lindholm and Ondrej Kase re-joined the team this week as well, but that still leaves an injured reserve that features Ryan Kesler, Patrick Eaves, Cam Fowler, and Kevin Bieksa and an active Sami Vatanen who still seems unprepared to resume play. The Ducks already have Korbinian Holzer and Jaycob Megna playing key roles on the blue line; the team can’t afford the same lack of depth up front, particularly at center, where a long stretch with 35-year-old Antoine Vermette as the top option down the middle could spell disaster for the team. The Ducks need to get healthy, and suddenly that starts with avoiding any sidelining of Getzlaf (if possible).

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