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Thomas Vanek

Red Wings Notes: Shootouts, Kronwall, Zetterberg, Smith

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MLive’s Ansar Khan answers a number of Red Wings questions from readers as the regular season inches closer. Khan begins by analyzing the Red Wings’ dismal shootout record over the past four seasons (13-29), a record that included shootout wizard Pavel Datsyuk. With the Magic Man and Brad Richards gone, Khan figures that Frans Nielsen, Thomas Vanek and Gustav Nyquist will be the ones to step up and score the timely goals. Nielsen is a sparkling 52.6% in his career during shootouts while Vanek and Nyquist are 48.4% and 33% lifetime respectively. Khan adds Tomas Tatar and Andreas Athanasiou as other possible options for the shootout. Other topics Khan covers:

  • When asked about the future of Swedish stalwarts Henrik Zetterberg and Niklas Kronwall, Khan predicts that both have a couple seasons left in them. Further, Khan writes, he doubts the two would retire early, causing the Wings salary cap recapture penalties. Khan throws out a couple figures should both retire early: Kronwall at a tune of $2.125MM for two seasons and Zetterberg’s figure would near $3MM for four straight seasons. Khan believes the LTIR is a more likely scenario should both players truly hang up their skates for injury purposes.
  • Khan also touches on Little Caesars Arena, reporting that the sight lines will be good for fans while the slope of the stands will make it feel as if they are over the ice, pumping up the noise level. As for the fate of the Joe Louis Arena, Khan cites an article stating that the Joe will be demolished and most likely replaced by a residential high rise.
  • Ryan Kennedy of the Hockey News writes all about Detroit’s 2016 second round Givani Smith, who quoting Wayne Simmonds, calls Smith a “tank.” Simmonds goes on:

“He skates well, he shoots well, he thinks the game the right way. Detroit got a great pick there in the second round. He’s sure of himself but not cocky. That’s good for a young kid.”

Though his days in Detroit may still be down the road, Smith has earned a reputation as a tough forward who isn’t afraid to drop the gloves when he’s not scoring goals. With Guelph last season, Smith had 42 points in 65 games (23-19). Kennedy writes that the 18-year-old winger believes he can be a top six or bottom six forward, depending on what the Red Wings need.

Red Wings Snapshots: Vanek, Cholowski

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Though many blasted the term and money used to re-sign Darren Helm, and the idea to bring Steve Ott into the fold, there were some who appreciated the Detroit Red Wings signing of Thomas Vanek. While the Red Wings addressed a need by signing center Frans Nielsen to a six-year deal, the signing of Vanek was one that many labeled as a low risk, high reward. Vanek, who was bought out by Minnesota, inked a one-year, $2.6MM contract and is expected to boost a moribund Red Wings power play that struggled throughout the season and into the playoffs.

There is also a faction of the Wings fan base that believes Vanek prevents a young forward, namely Andreas Athanasiou or Anthony Mantha, from getting a full time spot on the roster. To answer this question and others, MLive’s Tom Mitsos quantified Vanek’s performance and possible future performance by using advanced stats. Mitsos found that as many have pointed out, Vanek appears to be on the downside of his career. Besides the obvious slide in goals, points, and being bought out by his previous team, the advanced measures of his ability don’t bode well for the 32-year-old forward.

Mitsos lists Vanek’s Corsi For percentage as the first indicator. Vanek registered a CF% of 45.45, which is considered below average in terms of puck possession metrics.  Further, Mitsos reveals a similar comparison when looking at it from a three year glance. Mitsos also points out that current forward Tomas Tatar, who has been speculated as a possible trade target, has Vanek beaten in almost every major category.

That’s not good, especially since the Red Wings are looking to move pieces to acquire a #1 defenseman, something the team has lacked for nearly five seasons. Moving a player who outpaces another who looks to be a one-year rental hardly helps the long term health of a franchise.

Mitsos concludes that should Vanek tally 20 goals this upcoming season, it would go a long way in justifying the signing. But a deeper statistical dive shows exactly what many suspected: Vanek’s better years are far behind him.

Other Red Wings news:

  • 2016 first round draft pick Dennis Cholowski has a lot to like about him writes MLive’s Brendan Savage. The Red Wings front office labeled him an “elite thinker” on the ice, and also spoke highly of his puck possession and offensive abilities. Cholowski is headed to St. Cloud State where he’s expected to develop into a top four defenseman the Red Wings can rely on to produce points. While Ken Holland cautioned fans that the Wings would take their time developing Cholowski, there’s no question their eyes are glued to the young defenseman as a future solution to their current woes on the blue line.

Red Wings’ Pulkkinen Out 4-6 Months

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Red Wings forward and restricted free agent Teemu Pulkkinen is out four to six months following shoulder surgery writes Navin Vaswani. MLive’s Ansar Khan tweeted that the surgery was in early June while Vaswani indicates that the winger will definitely not be ready for the season.

It’s an interesting wrinkle in that the Red Wings are trying to acquire a defenseman via a trade and Pulkkinen’s name has been one linked as possibly being moved. This could also hurt Pulkkinen as the Red Wings are overwhelmed with forwards after signing Frans Nielsen, Thomas Vanek, and Steve Ott. Not returning until possibly December could make Pulkkinen the odd man out, or all but guarantee a chance of him being packaged in a deal for a #1 or #2 defenseman. The injury only casts more doubt on where Pulkkinen fits in with Detroit.

Last season, Pulkkinen had 12 points (6-6) in 36 games, but ended up being a healthy scratch despite a booming slapshot and a dizzying scoring performance in the 2015 Calder Cup playoffs with the Grand Rapids Griffins. Pulkkinen had 14 goals in 16 playoff games, and while expected to have a better chance to compete with Jeff Blashill as the Wings bench boss, Pulkkinen never saw the ice time many thought he would.

Red Wings Sign Thomas Vanek To One-Year Deal

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Per Darren Dreger, the Detroit Red Wings signed forward Thomas Vanek to a one-year, $2.6MM deal.

Vanek was recently bought out by the Minnesota Wild. The 32-year-old winger never lived up to his $6.5MM AAV deal in Minnesota and was expected to get a shorter, cheaper deal. Red Wings general manager Ken Holland needed scoring help, and Vanek could be a bargain if he returns to the form that paid him handsomely.

Last season, Vanek had 41 points (18-23) in 74 games and is still a threat in the offensive zone. While his defense has continued to decline, perhaps Red Wings’ coach Jeff Blashill can guard him enough to maximize his scoring ability while minimizing his defensive impact.

Expect some movement out of Detroit over the next few months, as after the signings of Vanek, Frans Nielsen and Steve Ott they now have 17 forwards expected to compete for for NHL playing time.

Snapshots: Ladd, Blues, Brouwer, Lucic, Staal, Eriksson, Avalanche, Vanek

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Thursday is the final day of the free agent interview period before the craziness begins on Friday.  The Islanders have brought left winger Andrew Ladd in for a visit, reports Newsday’s Arthur Staple.  Ladd picked up 25 goals last season split between Winnipeg and Chicago and will be one of the most sought after forwards to hit the market on Friday.

Other free agent news and notes:

  • The Blues will likely look to add a couple of forwards and a backup goaltender in free agency, suggests Fox Sports Midwest’s Andy Strickland. Louis has a pair of key forwards heading to market in David Backes and Troy Brouwer that will need to be replaced if they don’t re-sign.  The team expects Vladimir Sobotka back, but he is more likely to be a bottom six piece while the other two are top six forwards.
  • Speaking of Brouwer, he met with the Flames earlier this week and is building an offseason home there, reports ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun. In that same piece Brouwer notes that he has also been in talks about returning to the Blues.
  • Milan Lucic met with representatives from Dallas, including owner Tom Gaglardi, on Wednesday, reports TSN’s Frank Seravelli.
  • Eric Staal has received interest from the Predators, writes Adam Vingan of The Tennessean. Vingan adds that Nashville has reached out to Ladd as well as Loui Eriksson.
  • The odds of Eriksson and Boston getting a deal done by Friday unless things change drastically, writes WEEI’s D.J. Bean. Eight teams have reportedly shown interest in the 30 year old, including the Canadiens.
  • James Mirtle of The Globe and Mail suggests Colorado “has something big brewing”.  No further specifics are known at this time.
  • Michael Russo of The Star Tribune reports that Los Angeles, Arizona, Chicago, and Vancouver are among the teams that have reached out to the recently bought out Thomas Vanek.

Snapshots: Blackhawks, Lightning, Vanek, Higgins

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The Blackhawks may no longer be in salary cap hell, but they are certainly thinner up front writes the Chicago Sun-Times Mark Lazerus. With Andrew Shaw being dealt to Montreal, both Bryan Bickell and Teuvo Teravainen off to Carolina, and Andrew Ladd hitting free agency, the Hawks have a number of open spots to shore up. While Chicago can now collectively breathe under the repressive Cap that has had them selling off parts since the summer of 2010, the casualties have come in the way of losing skill players. Lazerus has the Blackhawks possibly bringing back Brian Campbell, who could carry a $2MM/yr cap hit. Meanwhile, the bottom six forwards would look very different than the pedigree most Hawks fans are accustomed to. Lazerus lists Dale Weise and Tomas Fleischmann as potential candidates to return, while naming P.A. Parenteau or Sam Gagner as possible options to add in free agency.

In other league news:

  • The Lightning have tendered qualifying offers to Yanni Gourde, Kristers Gudlevskis, Alex Killorn, Nikita Kucherov, Tye McGinn, Vladislav Namestnikov, and Nikita Nesterov tweets Erik Eriendsson. In the meantime, general manager Steve Yzerman has a number of decisions to make as the free agency window opens on Friday. Steven Stamkos is still the top priority as teams are lining up to make their pitch. But the equally intriguing angle is what to do with goaltender Ben Bishop. Entering the final year of a contract with a $5.95MM cap hit, Bishop was reportedly working on contract specifics after the Flames were given permission to do so. That was scrapped as soon as the Flames acquired Brian Elliott from the Blues.
  • Jason Brough reports that both the Canucks and Rangers may have interest in free agent Thomas Vanek. Though Vanek would be a backup plan to the higher tier free agents, namely Milan Lucic and Loui Eriksson, he could be a decent pickup at a reasonable price for both teams seeking scoring help. Vanek had 41 points (18-23) and will see a much lower offer than the three-year/$19.5MM offer he received from Minnesota, who bought him out last week.
  • Elliotte Friedman tweets that Canucks winger Chris Higgins was placed on waivers for the purposes of being bought out. According to CapFriendly, the cap hit would be $833,333 through the 2017-18 season. CBS Sports listed Higgins as one of their buyout candidates, and the Vancouver Sun reported the Canucks actively shopping Higgins back in January. Higgins had 4 points (3-1) in 33 games last season.

Wild To Buy Out Thomas Vanek

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Per  a tweet from Michael Russo, the Minnesota Wild will in fact buy out Thomas Vanek’s contract. CapFriendly tweeted the financial implications, which would include a $1.5MM cap hit in 2016-2017, and a $2.5MM hit in 2017-2018. Russo also reported that the deal would save the Wild $5MM next season and gives them about $14MM in total cap space. TSN’s Bob McKenzie tweeted yesterday that a buyout was very possible.

Vanek’s numbers dipped a bit in the past season, getting 41 points (18-23) in 74 games. Vanek, once a two-time 40 goal scorer with Buffalo, has seen his production fall after signing a 3 year/$19.5MM deal with the Wild prior to the 2014-2015 season. Vanek was counted on to provide consistent goal scoring for Minnesota but only mustered 39 total goals in two seasons. The additional cap room will assist the Wild in trying to find someone to take the role Vanek was expected to fill.

Latest On Vanek, Wild

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The Minnesota Wild appear to be leaning towards buying out winger Thomas Vanek.  TSN’s Bob McKenzie reports that the probability of buying him out over the next couple of days is quite high although nothing has been formalized as of yet.

Vanek struggled in 2015-16, his second year with the Wild.  He had just 41 points in 74 games last year, equalling the lowest output of his career (he also had 41 points in 2012-13 but played just 38 games that year).  Vanek is owed $7.5MM in salary for 2016-17 with a cap hit of $6.5MM.

If he is bought out, the Wild would have to pay him $5MM over the next two years while carrying cap charges of $1.5MM next season and $2.5MM in 2017-18.  The Wild have just over $9MM in cap space according to Cap Friendly and have several restricted free agents to re-sign.

In other Wild news:

  • Michael Russo of the Star Tribute reports that GM Chuck Fletcher has been involved in contract talks with pending RFA’s Tyler Graovac and Jason Zucker. He adds that the team intends to sign a veteran goaltender with NHL experience to a two-way deal to start with their AHL affiliate in Iowa.
  • Also from McKenzie, the Wild are fielding offers for some of their young defensemen. He suggests a trade of one of their blueliners for a forward is a possibility but isn’t guaranteed.

Wild Notes: Kuemper, Centers, Granlund

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After losing in the first round to the Dallas Stars, the Minnesota Wild have turned their attention to next year and the attempt to getting back into the playoffs. Today, GM Chuck Fletcher spoke to reporters and gave some interesting information.  In a series of tweets, Chad Graff of the Pioneer Press reports:

  • Fletcher was impressed by what he saw from Mikael Granlund on the wing this season, and might go that way again next season.  Up until now, Granlund had always been regarded as a center and had performed well in that role. With Charlie Coyle’s emergence, and Mikko Koivu’s continued strong play perhaps a slide to the wing is the best fit for the 24-year old playmaker.
  • He adds that Granlund’s fit on the wing has prompted a search for a third center, with Fletcher being quoted: “If we can find a guy, we’ll do it.” Presumably this would be in a third line role, something that could probably be found on the cheap in this year’s free agency.
  • The team has already begun fielding calls on restricted free agent Darcy Kuemper, though Fletcher admits he’s “a little hesitant” to trade the 26-year old goaltender. Kuemper has performed admirably as the Wild backup for the last few seasons, logging a career .912 save percentage and 2.47 GAA in 84 games.
  • Asked about the possibility of buying out Thomas Vanek – something we profiled here on PHR yesterday – Fletcher said “Everything has to be on the table after the season we had.”. Vanek is owed $7.5MM ($6.5 cap-hit) for 2016-17.
  • Michael Rand of the Star Tribune adds that while they’ve already had calls on many of their young defencemen, new coach Scott Stevens would love to keep them all. Fletcher seems open to the idea of trading one, saying “We would certainly look at trading from our strength — our defense — for a forward”

Buyout Candidates: Higgins, Nystrom, Vanek

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The NHL buyout window is now open but so far only two players have been added to the pending free agent market, Jared Cowen and R.J. Umberger, formerly of Toronto and Philadelphia respectively.  As we get closer to the June 30th deadline, several more will join them.  Here are a trio of players that are prime candidates to receive a buyout:

Chris Higgins (Vancouver): Higgins had a disastrous year with the Canucks.  He followed up a 36 point campaign in 2014-15 with just three goals and an assist in 33 games last year before clearing waivers and being demoted to the American Hockey League.  He fared a bit better down there, collecting 13 points in 22 contests but that still comes nowhere close to justifying a $2.5MM contract.  Vancouver would only receive $950,000 in cap savings if they were to bury his contract in the minors again next season but would save over $1.6MM this season if they buy him out.  Of course, they’d be saddled with a small cap charge in 2017-18 as well.

Buyout Cap Charges: $833,333 in both 2016-17 and 2017-18.

Eric Nystrom (Nashville): Predators GM David Poile has already acknowledged that a buyout is possible for the 33 year old winger if they can’t find a trade for him in the coming days.  Nystrom has scored just seven goals in each of the last two seasons (after scoring 15 in his first year with Nashville) and is entering the final year of a four year deal signed back in 2013.  If he is bought out, he could still potentially catch on in a fourth line/depth role with another team but it would be at a considerable pay cut from the $3MM in salary (and $2.5MM cap hit) he’s owed for 2016-17.

Buyout Cap Charges: $500,000 in 2016-17 and $1MM in 2017-18.  This is due to the back loading of salary in his contract.

Thomas Vanek (Minnesota): Vanek had a down year by his standards last season, picking up 41 points in 74 games with the Wild, equalling the lowest output of his career (he previously had 41 points in 2012-13 but played just 38 games that year).  He’s owed $7.5MM in salary with a $6.5MM cap charge for 2016-17, a sum that could be deemed too pricey, especially if GM Chuck Fletcher has eyes on making an impact signing in free agency.  Minnesota is fairly tight to the cap and has several important restricted free agents which makes Vanek a candidate to fall victim to their cap situation.

Buyout Cap Charges: $1.5MM in 2016-17 and $2.5MM in 2017-18.  This is due to the back loading of salary in his contract.

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