Possible Goaltending Options For Vegas Golden Knights
When the expansion draft comes around this June, George McPhee and Kelly McCrimmon will have some tough decisions to make all over their team. They are having mock-drafts each month to prepare for the event, but there is one position that shouldn’t cause any headaches over how many solid options there are.
With each team only able to protect one goaltender, front offices around the league will have to either move a netminder before the draft, or risk losing one for nothing. While that would protect them from losing anyone else, it’s been clear this year more than maybe any other that an all-world goaltender can make your team special right from day one. Here are a few options for Vegas in net come the summer.
Pittsburgh – Marc-Andre Fleury and Matt Murray
In what will be the most interesting situation around the league, the Pittsburgh Penguins are currently required to protect Fleury over Murray due to his no-movement clause. While they’ve said time and again that they’re fine with keeping both through the year, Murray’s play at such a young age makes him a mouth-wateringly attractive asset.
It’s in Fleury’s court at this point, as he’ll have the option to waive his clause for any trade before the deadline or prior to the draft to make him eligible. If he does, it’s not certain that the Vegas team would select him, but he’d obviously be an elite option. At 31, Fleury is having one of the worst seasons of his career, but is still a two-time Stanley Cup champion with an impressive life-time record.
The Penguins must find a way to protect Murray, or he’ll surely be the pick to start in game one at the T-Mobile Center in Las Vegas.
Vancouver Canucks Recall Michael Garteig From ECHL
In a head-scratching move, the Vancouver Canucks have recalled goaltender Michael Garteig from the Alaska Aces of the ECHL for tonight’s game against the Arizona Coyotes. No word has come down on why the move was made, but Ben Kuzma of The Province suggests that a flu virus has been going around the room, and perhaps it’s struck one of the regular netminders.
Garteig was signed out of Quinnipac University this April, where he had starred for four years. Holding a 78-25-16 record, the goaltender helped his school lead the ECAC the last two years and win the championship in 2016. Off to a good start in Alaska, he’s 5-1 with a .916 save percentage.
Kuzma adds that Ryan Miller wasn’t at today’s optional skate and although that doesn’t confirm he’s the one who is ill, good money would be on Jacob Markstrom making the start tonight. The Canucks are 6-10-1 this season, but are still ahead of the Coyotes in the Pacific Division.
What’s Next For The Vancouver Canucks?
Last season the Vancouver Canucks reached their lowest point in more than fifteen years. They finished with 75 points, better than only the Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers, and missed the playoffs by a mile. As many believed that Daniel and Henrik Sedin were slowing down (as people do when they turn 35), the team looked like they should start a rebuild around some young forwards, and sell off assets for this season. After all, they were likely to get a top-three draft pick and already had Bo Horvat as a potential superstar.
Instead, they dropped to fifth in the draft and missed out on the big forwards, and then had an extremely confusing offseason period. First they traded one of their young prospects, Jared McCann for Erik Gudbranson, a still-young but much more expensive player who many in the analytics community believed was steady but mostly ineffective. McCann is off to a slow start in Florida (no points in eleven games), but still looks like he’ll eventually be a solid NHL centerman.
Next they signed Loui Eriksson, one of the summer’s biggest free agents to a huge six year, $36MM deal that will pay him through his age-36 season. Eriksson is a solid player, but hasn’t found any amount of success in Vancouver; he hasn’t scored a goal in 11 games after notching 30 last year.
Making a financial commitment of that level is usually reserved for teams looking to compete for a Stanley Cup in the near future, but Vancouver doesn’t seem like they’re poised to do that. They’re 4-6-1 this season, and are currently down 2-1 and being out-shot by those same Maple Leafs who finished lower than them last year. While Ryan Miller is having a solid year splitting time with the younger Jacob Markstrom, he’s a free agent next year (and 37 years old).
So what do the Canucks do now? Tearing down a team a few months after committing tens of millions in free agency isn’t a strong plan, but it may be what they have to do. Unfortunately for him, we’ll probably see the ousting of head coach Willie Desjardins, as is usually the case when things go downhill.
Top Ten 2017 UFAs (Part 2)
With 2016’s free agency frenzy all but over, it’s high time to start looking at next year’s free agent crop. True, some of the following may sign extensions over the course of the year, but others may want to take advantage of the period before July 1st where players can talk with other teams. Another variable in the mix is the expansion draft, and teams may want to hold off of on signing players until after the draft to maximize protection slots. Here are the second five of our top-ten 2017 UFAs:
Long-time San Jose Shark Patrick Marleau is entering his 18th season this year, and like teammate Joe Thornton, it is unclear whether the former Sharks captain will retire at its end. Unlike Thornton, however, Marleau’s numbers dropped, though he still managed 25G and 23A in 82 games—and an additional 5G and 8A in 24 playoff games.
He may not be the offensive powerhouse he once was, but Marleau still has a lot to offer. His previous contract was $6.66MM a year for three years but Marleau will most likely take a small pay cut to returns. With Brent Burns and Joe Thornton also needing new deals, however Marleau may be the odd man out in San Jose.
Karl Alzner sits as a top-three defenseman potentially available this summer, and like another potential UFA Kevin Shattenkirk, Alzner’s value is obscured by playing with other very good defenseman. The Washington Capitals have an embarrasment of riches on the blueline with John Carlson, Matt Niskanen, Dmitry Orlov (unsigned RFA), and Brooks Orpik. Alzner held his own, though, and put up 4G and 17A in 82 games while playing over 21 minutes a night.
Alzner’s last contract was for four years at $2.8MM a year. He’ll likely get a significant raise despite his low production because of his age and defensive prowess. He may have to take a hometown discount, however, if he wants to remain with the Caps—a team poised to challenge for the Stanley Cup for the foreseeable future.
Brian Elliott posted excellent numbers last year—a 2.06GAA and a league leading .930SV%—and yet he was shipped off to Calgary to make way for the younger Jake Allen. Elliott has dodged criticism his entire career that his numbers belied his true talent, but he has consistently performed in both Ottawa and St. Louis.
Now that Elliott is the clear starter in Calgary, he has an opportunity to silence his doubters and earn a large pay raise in the offseason. Elliott is in his last year of a three-year, $2.5MM AAV contract, and a strong performance this season should net him a significant raise. If Calgary is prudent they will lock Elliott up midseason if he is performing well.
Alex Steen put up above-average career numbers last season, scoring 17G and 35A in 67 games for the Blues, and an additional 4G and 6A in 20 playoff games. He may not produce like a top line forward but his two-way skills are invaluable in today’s NHL. Steen is a dependable and responsible playmaker that consistently performs.
Steen enters the final year of a three-year $5.8MM AAV contract with the St. Louis Blues and will probably take a small pay cut to stay with the team. St. Louis has enough cap room next year to re-sign both Steen and Shattenkirk, and there’s no glaring reason why the Blues would part ways with their alternate captain.
Ryan Miller may be in the twilight of his career, but the 36 year-old goaltender still has enough to offer teams looking for a one or two year stopgap veteran goaltender. Miller put up a 2.70GAA and a .916SV% in 51 games for the Vancouver Canucks—numbers similar to his dominant years in Buffalo. The Canucks will probably reduce Miller’s playing time this season to make way for future starter Jacob Markstrom, which may hamper his negotiating position come summertime.
Miller, Bishop, and Elliot represent the cream of the free agent goaltending crop next summer, so Miller should find some suitors looking for a starter or 1B goaltender. He will probably take a pay cut from his current three-year, $6MM a year contract as he will be 37 at the start of next season.
Salary Cap Report: Pacific Division
As the hockey world takes its collective breath before the World Cup, training camps, and the regular season, most teams have checked off their boxes and marked their ledgers. Some teams are not finished building their rosters, with RFAs still to sign and trades to explore. Some teams have plenty of space to maneuver with; other teams will need to get creative to stay under the cap.
We’ll continue our Salary Cap Reports by taking a look at the Pacific Division. Of note:
- The Flames have the most cap space in their division, and second-most in the league behind the Hurricanes. However they still have to sign Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan, which will likely take up most of the $14.96MM of space they currently have.
- Anze Kopitar‘s new extension will make him the highest paid player in the NHL this season. He’ll make $14MM in real dollars this season; his $10MM cap hit is second to only Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane. Kopitar will likely only enjoy the status of highest paid in the division until Connor McDavid‘s entry-level contract expires in 2018.
- The Pacific features the four highest-paid pending-UFAs in Pavel Datsyuk ($7.5MM), Joe Thornton ($6.75MM), Patrick Marleau ($6.66MM), and Ryan Miller ($6MM). However, Datsyuk has left the NHL and will not be paid by Arizona, despite counting against the cap.
By the numbers:
- Anaheim Ducks
Cap Space Remaining: $8,407,500
Greatest Cap Hit: Corey Perry: $8.625MM - Arizona Coyotes
Cap Space Remaining: $8,847,875
Greatest Cap Hit: Pavel Datsyuk: $7.5MM (inactive)/ Mike Smith: $5.666MM (active) - Calgary Flames
Cap Space Remaining: $14,969,600
Greatest Cap Hit: Mark Giordano: $6.75MM - Edmonton Oilers
Cap Space Remaining: $9,238,833
Greatest Cap Hit: Jordan Eberle/ Milan Lucic/ Ryan Nugent-Hopkins: $6MM - Los Angeles Kings
Cap Space Remaining: $1,154,773
Greatest Cap Hit: Anze Kopitar: $10MM - San Jose Sharks
Cap Space Remaining: $995,832
Greatest Cap Hit: Joe Thornton: $6.75MM - Vancouver Canucks
Cap Space Remaining: $2,771,250
Greatest Cap Hit: Henrik Sedin/ Daniel Sedin: $7MM
Also in the Salary Cap Report series: Metropolitan Division and Atlantic Division.