Snapshots: Dermott, Larkin, Bozak, Oshie
While Maple Leafs defenseman Travis Dermott has been in trade speculation over the past week or so, he doesn’t seem to be worried about it, telling TSN’s Mark Masters that he’s not too worried about it, referencing it’s not the first time he has been in speculation. Part of the rationale behind the idea he could move was for salary cap purposes although the injury to Petr Mrazek – which will keep him out long enough to be LTIR-eligible – lessens the need to make a move to free up cap room in the short term.
Elsewhere around the NHL:
- Red Wings center Dylan Larkin has returned to the team after missing the last three games due to unspecified personal reasons, relays Ted Kulfan of The Detroit News. The 25-year-old is a welcome return having averaged a point per game through his first eight games while averaging nearly 18 minutes a night and playing in all situations.
- With Blues center Tyler Bozak suiting up tonight Anaheim, he triggers a $750K bonus in his contract, notes Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Twitter link). Those are supposed to be charged in the year they’re earned but a team can go over the cap with bonuses and take the charge the following season. Considering their current cap situation, the latter could be the case with Bozak, who still has three other bonuses in his deal, per CapFriendly.
- Capitals GM Brian MacLellan told Samantha Pell of the Washington Post that although winger T.J. Oshie is currently in a walking boot, he is expected to return to the ice in some capacity this week. That would certainly be welcome news for Washington which has been hit hard on the injury front with center Nicklas Backstrom and Anthony Mantha also out of the lineup at the moment.
Maple Leafs Notes: Campbell, Dermott, Mrazek
With Morgan Rielly locked up, the most important pending free agent for the Toronto Maple Leafs is Jack Campbell. The 29-year-old is currently in the second season of a two-year deal signed with the Los Angeles Kings in 2019 and carries a $1.65MM cap hit. Given his performance since arriving in Toronto–a .922 save percentage in 36 regular season appearances–he’s likely in line for a substantial raise.
Nick Kypreos of Sportsnet reported yesterday that extension talks have begun between Campbell and the Maple Leafs, hours before he posted his fifth career shutout in a 4-0 dismantling of the Vegas Golden Knights (or at least some of them). Campbell was asked after the game whether this report was accurate, and said he didn’t even know. The netminder did express a desire to stay in Toronto, however, explaining how much he loves playing for the Maple Leafs.
- On The Jeff Marek Show today, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet suggested that the Maple Leafs have let teams around the league know that one of their defensemen is available and speculated that it could be Travis Dermott. Dermott suffered an injury last night blocking a shot and though it was determined he didn’t break any bones, the young defenseman was missing from practice today. Once again, the Maple Leafs coaching staff has shown that they don’t trust Dermott to play big minutes, as he’s averaged just 14 through the first nine games of the season. The 24-year-old signed a two-year deal in July that carries an average annual value of $1.5MM.
- Petr Mrazek is still not full healthy according to head coach Sheldon Keefe, but is good enough to serve as a backup for Campbell tomorrow night. The biggest question about Toronto’s goaltending heading into the year was would they be able to stay healthy, and Mrazek gave the team a scare when he failed to even make it through his first start without suffering a groin injury. The team has very little depth behind their oft-injured tandem–Michael Hutchinson is the team’s third option–so keeping both healthy this season is a top priority.
Toronto Maple Leafs Sign Travis Dermott
The Toronto Maple Leafs have locked up one of their key restricted free agents, signing Travis Dermott to a new two-year contract. The deal will carry an average annual value of $1.5MM. PuckPedia reports that it will pay Dermott $1.25MM in 2021-22 and $1.75MM in 2022-23.
Dermott, 24, was eligible for arbitration this summer but has decided to forego that process in favor of a little contract security. The $1.5MM represents a nice raise from the $874K qualifying offer he signed last year and makes him an affordable NHL option for the Maple Leafs. The question now is whether Toronto will even be able to keep the young defenseman, as the looming expansion draft could end up putting him on a plane to Seattle.
The Maple Leafs currently have Jake Muzzin, Morgan Rielly and T.J. Brodie to protect in the draft, meaning both Justin Holl and Dermott are at risk of selection. That is of course unless the team decides to go the eight-skater protection route, though that would still leave at least one of them on the table given the “core four” at forward that will need to be protected.
Of course, having valuable assets is never a bad thing, and Dermott still brings plenty of upside to the table. The 2015 second-round pick has shown an ability to step into the top-four at times, though the opportunity to do that has been rare, and with improved depth for the Maple Leafs, this season saw his average ice time decline to just over 13 minutes.
If that’s the role the Maple Leafs have penciled in for him next season, losing him to Seattle certainly wouldn’t be the end of the world. The team has top prospect Rasmus Sandin ready to step into the NHL and could even replace 13 minutes a night rather easily on the open market. It’s the growth that Dermott still may experience that is the real value here, especially if the team parts ways with Rielly at some point. The 27-year-old franchise pillar is an unrestricted free agent at the end of next season and has drawn some trade speculation over the last few weeks, given the Maple Leafs’ tight cap situation. Retaining Dermott would give them some added depth to replace Rielly if they did move him this summer, though it would certainly be a downgrade for the team.
Though they do still have a few minor league names that will reach restricted free agency, Dermott was the only real pressing negotiation this summer. Now the attention will turn to pending unrestricted free agents like Zach Hyman and Frederik Andersen.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
North Notes: Dubois, Ryan, Dermott
The wait is almost over for Pierre-Luc Dubois – to practice, that is. As NHL.com’s Tim Campbell notes, Dubois’ quarantine ends on Saturday, paving the way for him to join the Jets for practice on Sunday. While he is healthy and clearly itching to get into the lineup, it’s important to note that he hasn’t been on the ice since his trade nearly two weeks ago. While he has been working out on his own in a hotel room and doing video work, there may be a bit of rust when he hits the ice but despite that, the center is hoping to be in Winnipeg’s lineup for his first available game on Tuesday against Calgary. Failing that, he should be good to go for the start of a two-game set versus Ottawa on Thursday.
More from the North Division:
- Flames center Derek Ryan suffered a finger injury while blocking a shot against Winnipeg on Thursday night, relays Postmedia’s Wes Gilbertson (Twitter link). The veteran has been sent to the taxi squad a whopping ten times already this season but has been recalled to play in all 10 of their games so far this season, recording an assist while logging just shy of 10 minutes a night. Ryan would need to clear waivers again before being able to go back to the taxi squad but that can’t be done until he gets the green light to play. He will be evaluated by a specialist but Gilbertson notes the team is optimistic that the injury isn’t as bad as they initially thought.
- Maple Leafs defenseman Travis Dermott will be out of Toronto’s lineup on Saturday due to a charley horse, reports Joshua Clipperton of the Canadian Press (Twitter link). The blueliner was injured on his first shift on Thursday, forcing Toronto to play with only five rearguards the rest of the way although it hardly seemed to affect them in a 7-3 win. Mikko Lehtonen will replace Dermott who is listed as day-to-day.
Atlantic Notes: Sabres, Stuetzle, Dermott
With quite a few changes having been made to the Buffalo Sabres roster this offseason, including the additions of Taylor Hall and Eric Staal into their top six, Buffalo News’ Lance Lysowski writes that the team is done upgrading their roster, but a possibility of a trade still exists as the team is overloaded on defense.
The scribe writes that the Sabres could look to find a taker for either Colin Miller or Brandon Montour for a draft pick, which would open up a spot for 23-year-old William Borgen, a highly touted St. Cloud State player who has played just four NHL games so far after two years in the AHL.
- Ottawa Senators newly-drafted forward Tim Stuetzle might have trouble joining the Senators for the upcoming 2020-21 due to his contract with Alder Manheim in Germany. The European rule is that a player with a valid cannot sign an NHL contract after Aug. 15. While that rule doesn’t make as much sense considering the draft was on Oct. 6, the rule still applies, according to deputy commissioner Bill Daly. The Athletic’s Hailey Salvian (subscription required) writes that Mannheim’s general manager Jan-Axel Alavaara said the only way Stuetzle could play for the Senators this season is if Mannheim releases him from his contract, which would then freely allow the 18-year-old to join Ottawa when the 2020-21 season begins. That would also require the German Federation to sign off on it. Salvian notes that no decision has been made on whether Mannheim would allow Stuetzle out of his contract, but the third-overall pick is still recovering from a fractured hand that he suffered on Oct. 13 and was given a six to eight-week recovery time. Of course, neither the DEL or the NHL have started their seasons with the DEL season having been postponed twice already with a current timetable of a December return. Regardless, expect general manager Pierre Dorion to continue to negotiate with Mannheim.
- After being forced to accept a one-year pact with the Toronto Maple Leafs, defenseman Travis Dermott will have to bet on himself to benefit from a better deal next season. The blueliner will have to fight for a spot on the Maple Leafs’ blueline, according to Jonas Siegel (subscription required), who adds that Dermott will be fighting for playing time with Justin Holl, Zach Bogosian, Mikko Lehtonen and Rasmus Sandin for the final three spots on Toronto’s defense and easily could be forced to play on his off-hand in order to earn minutes.
Travis Dermott Re-Signs With Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have re-signed restricted free agent Travis Dermott to a one-year contract. Dermott, who was not eligible for arbitration, has signed for his qualifying offer amount of $874,125.
This always seemed the likely outcome for the Maple Leafs, given how tight their cap situation is this offseason. The team had all the leverage in a negotiation with the young defenseman and benefit most from pushing any multi-year talks down the road. Dermott, 23, will be arbitration-eligible next offseason and able to command a bigger salary after playing in 157 games through his first three NHL seasons.
Though he hasn’t quite turned into the top-four defenseman the Maple Leafs envisioned when they selected him 34th overall in 2015, Dermott has been a quality contributor for the team and figures to be that once again in 2020-21. Even with several new additions on the right side, Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas even told reporters that Dermott would likely move to his off-side. Where that puts him in terms of the depth chart isn’t clear, though at such a low cost he can now be kept around even if he’s not in the lineup every night.
The Maple Leafs now sit just a little more than $1MM over the salary cap ceiling, though that CapFriendly projection has them at a full roster of 23 players. The team can easily send players like Rasmus Sandin down to the AHL to get under that $81.5MM threshold and have only Joey Anderson (who is also waiver-exempt) to sign as a restricted free agent.
It may have cost them Kasperi Kapanen and Andreas Johnsson to do it, but the Maple Leafs appear to have basically completed their offseason goals while staying cap compliant—something that seemed extremely difficult just a few months ago. Time will tell whether the team has actually improved and how head coach Sheldon Keefe will deploy his new players.
Atlantic Notes: Montreal Injuries, Dermott, Senators, Coburn
While it looked as if Canadiens winger Paul Byron was nearing a return to the lineup as he was taking a regular turn on the fourth line in Friday’s practice, the team announced (Twitter link) that he will not play tonight and will not join them on their upcoming four-game Western Canada road trip. Byron was initially slated to miss four weeks and had he returned tonight, he would have returned in that timeframe but it appears he’ll miss longer than originally anticipated. The team also announced that Jesperi Kotkaniemi (concussion) and Victor Mete (lower body) will be on the upcoming trip, suggesting that they’re nearing returns from their respective injuries.
More from the Atlantic Division:
- Maple Leafs defenseman Travis Dermott acknowledged to Sportsnet’s Luke Fox that there haven’t been any discussions about a potential contract extension. The pending restricted free agent is still working his way back into form after missing the start of the season due to shoulder surgery and is averaging less than 15 minutes a night which is lower than his averages over his first two seasons. As a result, Dermott doesn’t appear to be too worried about a new deal just yet, saying that he has “a million other things to worry about”.
- While the Senators have several quality prospects that are making a push for some NHL time, GM Pierre Dorion told Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch that they don’t intend to bring them up until there’s a chance for them to make a regular impact. While some teams see value in giving their prospects a taste of the top level, Dorion believes that sending them back and forth can be more detrimental to their development.
- Tampa Bay defenseman Braydon Coburn is likely out until after the Christmas break, reports Bryan Burns of the Lightning’s team website (Twitter link). The veteran is dealing with a lower-body injury and last played on November 29th.
Scratch Notes: Dermott, McCann, Fiala
The Toronto Maple Leafs surprised many by sending Rasmus Sandin back to the minor leagues recently, but the decision might not have been only because of the youngster’s development as they said. Travis Dermott, who is working his way back from offseason shoulder surgery, shed his no-contact sweater at practice and is getting closer to a return.
Dermott, 22, was a big part of the Maple Leafs’ defense last season before his shoulder injury, logging more than 17 minutes a night and posting excellent possession numbers. The second-round pick plays an extremely aggressive style that can quickly disrupt rushes but also leaves him out of position at times. If he can learn to pick his spots a little more selectively, there’s a good chance the Maple Leafs have a future top-four option on their hands.
- Another day, another injury up front for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Jared McCann missed practice today and has been listed as day-to-day, leaving the team without another one of their key forwards for the time being. Amazingly, the Penguins have scored 14 goals over their last two games even with their banged up forward group, but have the high-flying Colorado Avalanche coming into town tomorrow.
- It’s not an injury keeping Kevin Fiala out of the lineup, but he’ll be out all the same when the Minnesota Wild take on Toronto tonight. The team will make Fiala a healthy scratch just a few months after acquiring him from the Nashville Predators and touting him as a core member of their team going forward. The Wild have now scratched Fiala, Ryan Donato and Victor Rask this season, the three main acquisitions last season by former GM Paul Fenton.
Toronto’s Barrie Expected To Demand $8MM Next Year
Although the Toronto Maple Leafs have plenty of obstacles still to deal with this offseason still, including working out a contract with restricted free agent Mitch Marner, the team may have even more problems approaching them a year from now.
While the Maple Leafs forwards should be in good shape next season as the team will have few to no free agents to worry about, the newly reconstructed defense will be an entirely different story as only one of their defenseman, Morgan Rielly, is signed beyond the 2019-20 season. The team has five unrestricted free agents blueliners and another two restricted free agents defenders, which could create quite a bit of unrest next summer.
However, to make matters worse, the Toronto Sun’s Steve Simmons writes that newly acquired Tyson Barrie is expecting to cash in on his next contract next summer and could be looking to demand an eight-year deal at $8MM per season next year. The 27-year-old has been incredibly consistent over the last few years, putting up 14 goals and a career-high 59 points last season and has averaged 49 points over the past six seasons. He is finishing up a four-year, $22MM contract at $5.5MM, but because Colorado retained half his salary, the team is only on the hook for a $2.75MM AAV this season. However, an $8MM contract could force the Maple Leafs to allow the blueliner to walk away for nothing.
The team will likely have to make some tough decisions as Jake Muzzin and Cody Ceci will also be unrestricted free agents. Much of those decisions will likely depend on how well they play next season and how their salaries can fit into their tight salary cap situation. The team has a few other lesser free agents, including Justin Holl and Martin Marincin, but they also may have to give significant raises to restricted free agents Travis Dermott and Ben Harpur. The team will get a small break next season when the contract of Nathan Horton and his $5.3MM finally expires, which should help, but that isn’t likely to solve all those problems either. There will be little money available to help the team out without more cost-cutting moves.
John Tavares Out One Month With Oblique Strain
It’s already been a difficult off-season on the injury front for the Toronto Maple Leafs, who will likely not have Zach Hyman and Travis Dermott when the 2019-20 season begins following recent surgeries. So, when it was announced on Thursday that star John Tavares had suffered an injury and was forced to abandon Team Canada and the IIHF World Championships, Toronto fans were understandably worried that the team could be down another man long-term. However, that won’t be the case. The Leafs followed up on the news with an update today that Tavares suffered an oblique injury and will be out approximately one month, after which he is expected to resume his normal off-season training program.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman echoes the Leafs’ announcement, reporting that the he has heard it was an oblique strain that will require a rehab period of about four weeks. However, Friedman adds that after four weeks it is likely that Tavares will have made a “full recovery”. While the injury may cut into his preparation for next season somewhat, Tavares should be back on track by mid-June at the latest and will have more than two full months of his regular training regiment. As such, there is no concern that Tavares will be feeling any ill effects of the oblique strain by the time training camp rolls around and barring another injury will be at full strength to begin the year.
Tavares, who notched a career-high 47 goals this season while playing in every game for Toronto, is obviously a key part of a successful 2019-20 campaign for the team. However, his full health and maximum effort may be even more important next season. Beyond the injuries to Hyman and Dermott, a knee and shoulder respectively, that will keep them out likely through at least the first month of the season, several other departures could be in store for the Maple Leafs this summer. Mitch Marner, the only Leaf to outscore Tavares this season, Kasperi Kapanen, and Andreas Johnsson are all restricted free agents and Toronto will find it next to impossible to re-sign all three without trading away another core forward. The defense is also set to undergo an overhaul this summer, whether it works in their favor or not. One way or another, there will be slack to pick up next season and a healthy Tavares and his elite two-way game will go a long way to getting off to a good start.