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Trevor Daley

Red Wings Notes: Cholowski, Svechnikov, Daley

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The Detroit News’ Gregg Krupa ranks the Red Wings prospects, indicating that the franchise objective right now is to stockpile young talent. Krupa goes by position, placing defenseman Dennis Cholowski as his #1 defensive prospect and Evgeny Svechnikov as his #1 forward prospect. Though he expects Cholowski to be slow to develop, he writes that the wait could be well worth it as the slick skating, puck moving defenseman could be a top pairing for the Wings in a few seasons, something the team hasn’t boasted since Nicklas Lidstrom’s retirement in 2012. Svechnikov is the prospect many Red Wings fans are desperately waiting for in Detroit, especially after he scored an electrifying shootout goal back in April. Krupa predicts the 20-year-old Russian to see close to a full season in the NHL, especially if the Red Wings struggle to put up points and choose to hand the team over to the kids.

  • Fan Rag’s Franklin Steele believes that Trevor Daley will be an “invaluable” pickup for the goal-scoring starved blue line. While Steele doesn’t see Daley producing more than twenty points, it’s his value on the ice with skating and production as well as his value within the locker room that justifies his signing. Daley is expected to mentor several of the younger players on the team, including Cholowski, who was told by Wings brass to “watch” Daley’s every move. The Daley signing, however, is still a curious one as the Red Wings are in quite the roster flux. Steele points out that between a myriad of bad contracts, Petr Mrazek’s inability to be the #1 goalie, and the Wings hope that Dylan Larkin can play well at center, Daley is about the only certainty in terms of what he’s bringing to the roster–leadership and speed. If that doesn’t work out, Steele offers advice to the organization as to how to proceed next.

The Prettiest And Ugliest Contracts Of July 1

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Although hindsight is usually the only way to be certain as to when a deal flops, it seems reasonable to make an immediate assessment as to what deals will backfire or pay dividends. Today was a far more reserved July 1st than the league has accustomed itself to, but there are still a few contracts that stick out – for better or for worse.

 

Pretty: Patrick Sharp – Chicago Blackhawks – $800,000, 1 year.

This doesn’t seem fair. Chicago has been trapped in cap jail, and suddenly, here arrives a productive asset at nearly no cost. Sharp, coming off an injury-filled season, is coming back to the Windy City at a dirt-cheap rate. If he can even find half of the production he had during his last outing, this is a monumental steal. There’s no risk here, and a ton of upside. He still has the hands and hockey IQ to contribute.

Ugly: Steve Mason – Winnipeg Jets – $4,1 MM per, 2 years

Winnipeg was seemingly the last team standing when the music stopped playing. With a goaltending market that inspired no one, the Jets decided today to place their faith in Steve Mason. Coming off a .908 save percentage year, it’s hard to see him doing much worse. But behind the Winnipeg defense, it’s hard to see him doing much better. The pricetag is what really seals this as poor value relative to play. Luckily, if things don’t pan out, it’s only for two seasons. Connor Hellebuyck better prepare himself just in case. Taken in tandem with the highly questionable Dmitry Kulikov contract, GM Kevin Cheveldayoff maybe should have taken the day off.

Pretty: Radim Vrbata – Florida Panthers – $2.5 MM per, 1 year

Vrbata is absolutely a top-six winger, and he was signed for bottom-six money. He can assist a powerplay, and slot up and down a lineup as needed. Florida desperately needed to re-coup some scoring on the cheap after letting so many of their top point-getters walk or be lost to Vegas. With bonuses added in, this becomes a good prove-it deal for Vrbata as well. Solid value was found here for both parties and for a 20 goal, 55 point player, Florida will happily run away from this one.

Ugly: Trevor Daley – Detroit – $3.18MM per, 3 years

Daley was bereft of ice time in these playoffs, and he was competing with some really underperforming defensemen. It’s not like he had a good regular season either – his Corsi For % fell off a proverbial cliff (53.7 to 46.1), and the eye test certainly agreed. He put up decent points, 5 goals and 14 assists through 56 contests, and he can still skate well enough. But long are the days where he can make a difference on special teams or drive an offense with confidence. His turnover rate and inconsistency are not what Detroit needed to stabilize the back-end, and Daley will be 36 at the conclusion of the deal. The last time Daley cut a lucrative free agent deal, Chicago had to offload him due to poor play.

Pretty: Kevin Shattenkirk – New York Rangers – $6.65MM per, 4 years

The money could end up being a slight overpayment, but at the moment it is solid value. Shattenkirk finished 4th in points among defensemen last season and St. Louis never looked the same after he left. He could instantly and single-handedly transform the Rangers’ defense from the jumbled mess they were last season. He will reliably feed the puck to the forward group, and be the quarterback of the Ranger powerplay. What makes this a beautiful deal, however, is the term. If Shattenkirk has a bad year or doesn’t fit the system, New York is not on the hook for eternity. One of the biggest pitfalls in free agency with the bigger names is offering far too many years on contracts. Time and time again, it burns teams who were looking to attract a big fish. GM Jeff Gorton deserves credit here for not going insane with the length, although he was helped by Shattenkirk’s strong desire to return home.

Ugly: Dan Girardi – Tampa Bay – $3 MM per, 2 years

Nothing about this deal makes sense. Girardi earned his buyout from New York through brutal play and horrible possession numbers. Of all the NHL defensemen who played more than 40 games, only Rasmus Ristolainen of Buffalo and Luke Schenn of Arizona had worse Corsi Against per 60 minutes – Girardi finished with 65.11 (versus a 51.67 CF60). By no metric other than shot blocks was he an effective player. He might be worth a flier in hopes of regaining form, but he’s not worth much more. This agreement is made even worse by the fact that Girardi will be stealing valuable playing time from a solid young defenseman like Slater Koekkoek or Jake Dotchin. Combined with the Chris Kunitz signing, this is a team that didn’t get any younger, or any better.

Red Wings Sign Trevor Daley To Three-Year Deal

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The Detroit Red Wings inked defenseman Trevor Daley to a three year/$9.534MM deal.  TSN’s Bob McKenzie confirmed that the AAV was $3.178MM.

This move has been rumored for days, putting the bidding between the Red Wings and the Bruins. Detroit apparently won the bidding war for the two-time Stanley Cup champion, though it comes at a steeper price than others would have paid. PHR had Daley as the 23rd best free agent.

The 33-year-old defenseman is a puck mover Detroit craves and had 19 points (4-15) in 56 games last season. The Athletic’s Craig Custance wrote on Friday that Daley is a good locker room presence and quoted one general manager as saying he’s a “fourth forward.”

But he doesn’t come without concern. The Red Wings continue to talk about wanting to make the playoffs, despite clearly finishing behind the pack last season with only 79 points. While Daley adds some skill to the blueline, it seems like more of a band-aid move than a deal for the long term build of the team. Regardless, Detroit general manager Ken Holland has reiterated that his goal is to return to the playoffs, and the signing of Daley indicates this strategy.

 

Free Agency Rumor Round-Up

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Free agency is set to open in mere hours, but there are already plenty of rumors out there about deals that will become official at noon ET. Here are all of the deals expected to be made official this afternoon with the link to the original PHR article or recent report:

Anaheim Ducks expected to sign G Ryan Miller (per TSN’s Bob McKenzie)

Boston Bruins expected to sign LW Kenny Agostino

Buffalo Sabres expected to sign G Chad Johnson

Chicago Blackhawks expected to sign RW Patrick Sharp

Colorado Avalanche expected to sign G Jonathan Bernier

Dallas Stars expected to sign C Martin Hanzal (per TSN’s Bob McKenzie)

Detroit Red Wings expected to sign D Trevor Daley

Florida Panthers expected to sign RW Evgeni Dadonov

Florida Panthers expected to sign C Micheal Haley

Montreal Canadiens expected to sign D Karl Alzner

New York Rangers expected to sign G Ondrej Pavelec

Philadelphia Flyers expected to sign G Brian Elliott

Tampa Bay Lightning expected to sign D Dan Girardi

Vancouver Canucks expected to sign D Michael Del Zotto

Vancouver Canucks expected to sign G Anders Nilsson

Vancouver Canucks expected to sign C Sam Gagner (per TSN’s Bob McKenzie)

Winnipeg Jets expected to sign G Steve Mason (per TSN’s Bob McKenzie)

East Notes: Smith, Daley, Kunitz

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When it came down to it, Brendan Smith felt no one else could beat what the Rangers offered. NHL.com’s Dan Rosen writes that the 28-year-old defenseman felt the Rangers provided the best opportunity after hearing other teams out:

“I think I could be a big part of that team,” Smith said. “I kind of like the niche that the Rangers have. They’re a little bit younger. I noticed that we are ahead of what I expected the Rangers to be with all these young guys.”

Smith was acquired from the Detroit Red Wings for a 2018 second round pick and a 2017 third round pick, but it wasn’t as if the Rangers didn’t benefit, either. Smith shifted into a more prominent role with the Blueshirts, whereas in Detroit, he found himself a healthy scratch or in the opinion of some fans, “misused” in terms of deployment. In nearly half as many games, Smith nearly matched his production with Detroit and saw a 90 second jump in average ice time. Smith alluded to the trade being a better fit and the stats show, especially after an impressive performance in the playoffs.

  • The Red Wings, meanwhile, appear to be closing in on signing Trevor Daley to a contract. Surprisingly, Daley seems to have left the Pens out, which is odd since he nabbed two Stanley Cups in as many years with the Penguins. The Score’s Josh Gold-Smith writes that the Bruins and Red Wings were the front runners for Daley’s services while Elliott Friedman tweeted that the Red Wings were more than likely to sign him. Sean Tierney of the Athletic analyzed some of the defensemen Detroit should target and Daley, though on the list, doesn’t measure up statistically with some of the other options out there. Tierney used an advanced metric, Goals Above Replacement, which measures a “single-measure stat that sums up the contributions a player makes during the course of a game.” Measured that way, Daley doesn’t appear to be one of the more attractive options. But should the deal come at an affordable price, it could be something that bolsters the Red Wings blueline, or help the Red Wings out at the trade deadline should they want to acquire more draft picks.
  • Chris Kunitz might find himself on the outs with the Penguins writes Fanrag’s Dave Holcomb. With a glut of forwards and specifically wings, Kunitz might find himself on the outside looking in with so many younger players filling the roster. Holcomb gauges that after the Pens bring back Matt Cullen and Nick Bonino, Kunitz may have a better idea of if he’ll be back.

Trevor Daley, Dan Girardi Close To New Deals

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According to the venerable Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, two deals that seem close as we head into free agency are Trevor Daley heading to the Detroit Red Wings and Dan Girardi heading the Tampa Bay Lightning. While Friedman mentions other potential connections, these are the two he seems surest of, even indicating they could potentially already be done. While Daley can’t sign until July 1st, Girardi is technically already a free agent after being bought out by the New York Rangers.

The pair ranked 23rd and 37th on our top 50 free agent list, expecting Daley to receive an extra year on the open market. Whether the deals are done or not, it shows that there has been fierce interest for both depth defensemen. Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette chimes in, saying that Daley isn’t done but has narrowed his field to two or three teams (with Pittsburgh not one of them). Despite not being allowed to talk contract details in their pre-July 1st meetings, it’s assumed that basic structures are agreed upon since deals come fast and furious as soon as free agency period commences.

Daley and Girardi may not be the most exciting additions, but they could both provide a nice value for what should be relatively little money. Both players are heading into the twilight of their careers, and as we saw with Girardi’s buyout are too risky to commit big money or term to. It will be interesting to see if either one can lock down a third season, or will have to settle for one or two year deals at age 33.

Snapshots: Daley, Hainsey, Cannone

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Several reports from around the league have teams in hot pursuit of Trevor Daley, including Detroit and Boston according to Craig Custance of The Athletic and Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald respectively. Daley was ranked #23 in our annual free agent rankings, and while Pittsburgh seemed a likely destination for him to return to it was easy to see why there would be interest from elsewhere.

The veteran puck-moving defenseman continues to log big minutes and put up respectable point totals. While not exactly an offensive defenseman who will contribute a ton of goals, he can move the puck quickly and accurately out of the zone and carry it through the neutral zone. That ability, combined with his extensive playoff experience the last couple of years winning back-to-back Stanley Cups, will seem pretty appetizing on the open market on Saturday.

  • In terms of other Red Wings free agent notes, Custance and Ansar Khan of MLive both link the team to fellow Stanley Cup champion Ron Hainsey. Khan also lists Dan Girardi and Brian Campbell as options, as the Red Wings continue to look at veteran options to help their blueline. While Detroit isn’t expected to compete next season, Ken Holland has been clear about his desire to return to the playoffs as soon as possible. Adding any of the above defenders won’t do that on their own, but they could potentially be flipped at the trade deadline for a younger asset.
  • In addition to all the love that Patrick Marleau is feeling on the open market, Andy Strickland of Fox Sports reports that the San Jose Sharks have apparently made a two-year offer for their long-time forward. It will be interesting to see if the 37-year old is able to secure a third year from a competing team, and what the cap hit would be on it.
  • The Minnesota Wild have re-signed Patrick Cannone to a one-year two-way deal. The minor league forward made his NHL debut this year getting into three games with the Wild, but was held scoreless and is still looking for his first NHL point. A dynamic AHL player, Cannone was set to be an unrestricted free agent but will come back for $650K in the NHL and $225K in the AHL next season.

Penguins Will Have Lots Of Offseason Decisions To Make On ‘D’

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The Pittsburgh Penguins are just one win away from capturing their second straight Stanley Cup title with Game 6 tonight, but they’ve done it throughout the playoffs with one of the most unheralded defensive corps possible. With two-time all-star Kris Letang out for the season with neck surgery he underwent on Apr. 13, the team has played without a star defenseman and it showed early in this series when the Predators dominated in Games 1 and 2. However, the defense held together and took things a step further the other day in Game 5 when the defense dominated on both offense and defense. They got two goals and three assists during that victory.

That defense, made up of Olli Maatta, Ian Cole, Trevor Daley, Ron Hainsey, Brian Dumoulin and Justin Schultz, has held tough and just might be increasing their stock as the offseason approaches for them in the next few days. The Penguins may have a few offseason issues to deal with in the upcoming weeks when it comes to their defense. While Letang is locked up until 2021-22 ($7.5MM), only two others are officially under contract for next year. The 22-year-old Matta is also under contract until 2021-22 ($4.083MM) and Cole has one more year left at $2.1MM. The rest are all free agents with Daley and Hainsey listed as unrestricted free agents, while Dumoulin and Schultz are both restricted free agents who should command more than they made this past year.

Daley played a much stronger game in Game 5 and was able to move the puck much more quickly in that performance. He is completing a six-year deal ($3.3MM) and the Penguins must decide if they want to bring the 33-year old back next season. He played in just 56 games and had 5 goals and 14 assists for 19 points, but has had a goal and five assists in the playoffs, including a key assist in Game 5. Hainsey came over as a rental from Carolina at the trade deadline. The 36-year-old is finishing up a three-year deal in which he was getting $2.833MM per season. Hainsey finished the season with four goals and 13 assists, but has proven valuable in the playoffs which could net him a solid offer next year. The veteran has put up two goals and six assists during the playoffs despite struggling to keep up with the top line.

The Penguins must also make key decisions on the restricted front. Dumoulin is wrapping up his second full season with Pittsburgh. The 25-year-old has played solidly and should get quite an increase from the $800,000 he is currently making. Dumoulin, a gifted young defender, scored one goal and added 14 assists this season, while adding a goal and five assists in the playoffs this year. He’s even been mentioned as a possible expansion candidate if the team trades backup goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury. Finally, Schultz is coming off a breakout year. After taking a paycut last year from $3.9MM in 2015-16 to $1.4MM this year, the 26-year-old will be looking for a long term deal after putting up 12 goals and 39 assists this past year. His playoff performance should also improve his stock with four goals and eight assists so far.

The Penguins should have plenty of questions to answer once they reach the offseason.

Morning Notes: Krueger, Penguins, Leafs

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Though Ralph Krueger had been linked as recently as this week to the vacant Buffalo Sabres head coaching job, it seems as though he’s doing just fine in his role as the chairman of the Southampton Football Club, and has no plans to leave. Talking to NBC’s ProSoccerTalk, Krueger revealed that he’d already been offered two jobs in the NHL but that he’d turned down both.

It was nice and honorable that I was offered two NHL jobs post-season and I was happy they didn’t forget about me but I turned them down. It just feels like we’ve only just got started here and especially with the management re-organization we just did, there is kind of like there’s something here where we are going to take it to another level.

Krueger doesn’t actually say that the jobs were head coaching positions, but many believe that he was on the short-list for the Vancouver Canucks vacancy before it was filled by Travis Green, and Vegas may have reached out to him before hiring Gerard Gallant.

  • The Pittsburgh Penguins had Bryan Rust and Patric Hornqvist skating this morning, but unfortunately it was without the rest of the team. The pair took the ice to work before the practice began, and will likely not be available tonight when the team takes on the Ottawa Senators. Trevor Daley, however, did participate with the main group meaning there is a possibility he returns tonight.
  • The Maple Leafs’ addition of Calle Rosen and Andreas Borgman yesterday were the fourth and fifth entry-level deals the team has given out this spring. Miro Aaltonen, Jeremy Bracco and Carl Grundstrom also all inked contracts, adding to the impressive young pipeline the Maple Leafs are building. The influx of another group of 19-23 year-olds should continue to build the long-term success that President Brendan Shanahan and head coach Mike Babcock have spoken often of. Mining the European ranks for talent seems to be a growing trend in the NHL as teams look for every advantage.

Snapshots: Hedman, Capitals, Daley

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Tampa Bay Lightning fans can breathe now, after Victor Hedman’s eye has been declared safe following his visor exploding at the World Championships today. Aftonbladet out of Sweden has photos of his laceration (*WARNING: GRAPHIC*), which needed four stitches to sew back up. Apparently it was the actual visor that cut him, after a shoulder or elbow broke the protective shield.

Hedman is an important part of the Swedish defense, but is perhaps even more important to the Lightning’s chances over the next few years. The Norris trophy finalist will be entering an eight-year extension in 2017-18 which will pay him $63MM over the duration. His point total exploded this season while his defensive play is as steady as ever.

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