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Morning Notes: MacArthur, Jagr, Darling

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Ottawa’s Clarke MacArthur is day-to-day following an injury sustained in the second period of Game 2 versus the New York Rangers. MacArthur took a rather routine, if tough, hit from New York captain Ryan McDonagh. MacArthur appears to have gotten his hands up to absorb some of the high body check, but with MacArthur’s recent history, another concussion is always the fear. MacArthur missed the bulk of this and last season (8 games combined) to lingering concussion symptoms, and would likely have been a finalist for the Masterton had he not been on the same squad as goalie Craig Anderson. The 32 year-old left winger had dealt with quality-of-life issues and was forced to even contemplate retirement. Although coach Guy Boucher did not express major concern, Senators fans will certainly be holding their breath in hopes that nothing serious was sustained. As Boucher said, “it’s something he had last game and he aggravated today” – whatever it was, he had already played through once. It’s difficult to see a coach taking chances with concussion symptoms in this day and age, with this player – even in the playoffs. Whether he returns for Game 3 or at all this series is up in the air.

  • As expected, the Carolina Hurricanes organization will attempt to sign Scott Darling to a contract as soon as they are able. The Hurricanes took a bit of a gamble in acquiring an impending UFA for a 3rd-round draft pick. Certainly they have the inside track with regard to signing the goaltender, but there is every possibility he could choose to test the market. His phenomenal season as the backup in Chicago would certainly attract a few suitors, and by heading to July 1st, he only improves his leverage. Carolina was already in a pickle as to which goaltender they would protect. If Darling signs before June 18th, the team would expose both Cam Ward and Eddie Lack in the expansion draft, which could be quite financially beneficial. If they cannot sign him before that date, they could choose to leave Darling unprotected. It’s unlikely that Vegas would opt to choose a UFA who is seemingly holding out (considering they would have a limited negotiation period), but he might be one of the few UFAs that would be intriguing enough for them to roll the dice.
  • Jaromir Jagr’s agent is expected to meet with Florida Panthers management in hopes of negotiating a new contract. The 45 year-old future Hall of Famer has played for 8 separate franchises, but has spent his last 3 seasons in the sunshine state. Dale Tallon, newly re-instated, has nothing but praise for the tough, creative winger. This season, however, Jagr showed signs of slowing down, literally and figuratively. He posted a career low 16 goals and personally substandard 46 points. The totals were still good for 4th on the team, behind youngsters Vincent Trocheck, Aleksander Barkov, and Jonathan Marchessault. Jagr has repeatedly expressed his desire to keep playing until his body fails him, even proclaiming the goal of playing until the age of 60. Jagr will likely be able to find a fit for next season in Florida if his salary demands aren’t too excessive.

Pacific Notes: Horvat, Nieto, Thornton

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In Vancouver, a recent surge has many fans thinking playoffs once again. The team is just three points out of a wildcard spot, after winning their last four games and going 6-3-1 in their last ten. Pierre LeBrun thinks that adding a rental doesn’t make sense for the team. It’s true, that adding a veteran likely won’t improve the Canucks chances of winning a Stanley Cup, but as Vancouver attendance and revenues have fallen over the past few years it may be a mandate from ownership to try and earn some playoff income.

Ben Kuzma of The Province says that the focus from the front office remains on Bo Horvat and locking him up long term. It’s much more important to their future to get Horvat under a reasonable contract, and the longer they wait the more he’ll likely demand. Horvat is already deep into a career season and on pace to blow last year’s 16 goals and 40 points out of the water. Kuzma compares Horvat to Florida’s Vincent Trocheck, who received a six year, $28.5MM deal this summer. Trocheck was coming off a similar season to Horvat but was older and didn’t have nearly the pedigree that the former ninth-overall pick does.

As Horvat turns just 22 this April, he’s already set to take a crack at a similar deal that escalates through the years. If the Canucks want to lock him up even further into his free agent seasons, it will likely cost them upwards of $5MM.

  • David Staples of the Edmonton Journal suggests that the Edmonton Oilers should take a swing at the recently waived Matt Nieto. Staples thinks that since Jesse Puljujarvi isn’t getting regular minutes or linemates, the team should send him down to the AHL to play on their top line, and fill his spot (or that of Benoit Pouliot) with the 24-year old Nieto. Even though he only has two points this season, and 17 last, he did score 24 and 27 points in his first two seasons in the NHL. Perhaps he could find a new home in Edmonton and add to their young core.
  • LeBrun went on to talk about Joe Thornton and his upcoming free agency. Thornton will turn 38 a day after free agency opens, and is apparently looking for a three-year deal. While that seems ridiculous in a vacuum, a closer look at his numbers may lend credence to the idea. Thornton scored 82 points last season, his highest mark since 2009-10 and is on pace for another 50+ season despite an unsustainably-low shooting percentage. He remains an elite set-up man and is still among the league leaders in assists. As Darren Dreger adds on Twitter, he hasn’t heard much chatter from either side on a Thornton extension.

Nick Bjugstad Out Four Weeks With Broken Hand

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According to George Richards of the Miami Herald, Florida Panthers centerman Nick Bjugstad has broken his hand and will be out at least four weeks. With the season beginning in less than a week, the young Panther will miss at least a few games with the injury.

Bjugstad, 24, is one of the core of young forwards the Panthers have locked up over the past two years, joining Aleksander Barkov, Vincent Trocheck, Jonathan Huberdeau and Reilly Smith in signing at least through the 2020-21 season. These five, when joined by the likes of Aaron Ekblad, Keith Yandle and Jason Demers on the back end, will be the foundation on which the Panthers operate for the future.

After three solid seasons with Florida, Bjugstad is looking to take the next step and move from the 30-40 point two-way center to a legitimate offensive force capable of scoring 25 goals and 50 points each year. While this injury is a setback, he’ll likely only miss around 10 games and should be able to contribute after that.

The Panthers made a few cuts this morning and are now down to 26 (not including Bjugstad) in camp. The team can only take 23 with them when the season begins, meaning there are still a few tough decisions to be made.

Panthers Reach Six-Year Extension With Jonathan Huberdeau

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The Florida Panthers have locked up another young forward.  The team has come to a six-year extension with Jonathan Huberdeau that will pay him $35.4MM ($5.9MM AAV). Currently under contract for one more season, Huberdeau is earning $3.25MM in 2016-17, and would be an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent next summer. Jonathan Huberdeau

The 23-year old was once the third overall pick by Florida in the 2011 draft, and has done nothing but score in his short NHL career. In 272 career games, the former Saint John Sea Dog has 172 points, including a career-high 59 last season. Skating mostly alongside Aleksander Barkov and Jaromir Jagr, the trio formed one of the more dominant lines in the Eastern conference last season, combining for 184 points.

Florida has quickly locked up much of their future this summer, signing extensions with Reilly Smith (Five years, $25MM), Vincent Trocheck (Six years, $28.5MM) and Aaron Ekblad (Eight years, $60MM) while signing free agents Keith Yandle (Seven years, $44.45MM), Jason Demers (Five years, $22.5MM) and James Reimer (Five years, $17MM) to long-term deals.

With it, the team has created cap certainty in a world where that’s very valuable from year to year, and has built a core that is easily a playoff contender every season. With no one cracking $8MM per season (Ekblad comes the closest at $7.5MM) they’ve also ensured that they won’t have too much money tied up in a single player or pair like many of the other cup contenders around the league.

Bob McKenzie of TSN was first to report the sides were close, and Chris Johnston of Sportsnet reported it was done.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. 

Sean Monahan Withdraws From World Cup; Vincent Trocheck To Replace

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Another player has fallen to the injury bug and has to withdraw from the World Cup.  Sean Monahan has suffered a back strain in training and will be unable to play in the upcoming tournament, according to the team twitter. Monahan is expected to have recovered in time to participate in the team training camp, and should be ready for the start of the season. Tom Gulitti of NHL.com reports that Vincent Trocheck will be his replacement on Team North America.

“It’s definitely disappointing”, said Monahan in the release, also noting that because the tournament is in Toronto, about a thirty-minute drive from his hometown of Brampton, he was looking forward to playing for friends and family that don’t get to see him very often.

Monahan though, is just too important to the Flames to risk any further injury at what is from their perspective a meaningless tournament.  He put up another 60+ point season last year and is still just 21-years old.  Just signed to a whopping seven year, $44.625MM extension, Monahan is the present and future of the Flames organization alongside still-unsigned Johnny Gaudreau.

East Notes: Hall, Trocheck, Radulov, Gibson

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New Jersey left winger Taylor Hall met with local media for the first time since being acquired from the Oilers in June for blueliner Adam Larsson.  NHL.com’s Cristina Ledra had a chance to sit down for a one-on-one with the 24 year old.  Despite there being speculation dating back several years that one of Edmonton’s top young forwards would need to be moved, Hall didn’t expect it would be him that would get dealt away:

“There were definitely rumors, but you don’t actually think it’ll happen.  You get attached to a team and to a city, and I’m sure the same thing will happen here, I’ll have the same connection to this team in a matter of months, but it was just shocking to hear those words and to be traded, but once you get over that and once you start looking at the team and the city and the situation, you get pretty excited, and that’s where I’m at now.”

Hall is expected to be the centerpiece of New Jersey’s attack in 2016-17 after putting up a 26 goal and 65 point campaign with the Oilers last season.  He will likely form a line with junior teammate Adam Henrique and Kyle Palmieri to start next year, a trio that each had at least 50 points in 2015-16.

More from the East:

  • Panthers center Vincent Trocheck has accepted an invite to be an alternate forward for Team North America at next month’s World Cup of Hockey, reports Harvey Fialkov of the Sun Sentinel. The North American squad is comprised of Canadian and American players aged 23 and under.  Trocheck will only be able to play if one of the current members of the team gets injured before the beginning of the tournament.
  • Canadiens right winger Alexander Radulov sat down with Alexey Shevchenko of Sport-Express to discuss his offseason (link in Russian).  Among the highlights, courtesy of Igor Eronko of Sport-Express (all Twitter links), Radulov turned down more money to stay with CSKA Moscow of the KHL to take an NHL contract.  He also noted that Detroit and Florida were other realistic options he considered while he also spoke with the Devils.  Radulov was seeking a long-term deal but teams weren’t willing to take a risk on that at this time.
  • The Islanders announced the re-signing of goaltender Christopher Gibson to a one year, two-way contract. Financial terms were not disclosed.  Gibson made his NHL debut last year, getting into four games with the Isles, posting a 1-1-1 record with a 3.40 GAA and a .882 SV%.  He also played in 42 games with their AHL affiliate in Bridgeport, going 19-11-6 with a 2.70 GAA, a .909 SV%, and two shutouts.

Panthers Extend Reilly Smith For Five Years

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Clearly the biggest players in free agency this year, the Florida Panthers are close to another move to lock up their young core. Gary Lawless of TSN was first to report that the team was close to an extension with forward Reilly Smith that would pay him $5MM a season for an additional five years.  The team has since confirmed the length of the deal, though not the financial details.

In just the past few weeks, the team has traded for then signed Keith Yandle, dealt away Dmitry Kulikov, given extensions to Aaron Ekblad and Vincent Trocheck, signed free agents Jason Demers and James Reimer, and pretty much owned the hockey world.

Smith, 25, had an excellent season last year with the Panthers, scoring 25 goals and 50 points. The former third round pick has had quite a start to his career, putting up at least 40 points in each of his first three full seasons. The talented young winger came over to Florida in the deal that saw them take on Marc Savard’s cap-hit from the Bruins, one that they recently dealt to New Jersey for some cap relief of their own.

The Panthers have been on quite a clear path lately, trying to push past the first round of the playoffs for the first time since 1996, the year they lost in the Cup finals to Colorado. After being knocked out by the New York Islanders last season, the team has made clear upgrades to their defensive group, and should have one of the better top pairings in the league with Ekblad and Yandle signed long-term.

Smith is still under contract for next season at a $3.43MM cap hit, meaning that a five-year extension would take him through the 2021-22 season.  Perhaps not coincidentally, that is also when Trocheck and Aleksander Barkov will hit free agency, giving the team a chance to re-tool if they need to at that point.

If the financials are true, it would mean the Panthers have four young forwards under contract long-term for less than $6MM apiece in Barkov, Trocheck, Smith and Nick Bjugstad. All 25 or under, that quartet scored 93 goals last season. Next on the to-do list would be Jonathan Huberdeau, the former third overall pick who put up 20 goals of his own last season.  He’s due $3.25MM next year before becoming an arbitration-eligible RFA next summer.

Panthers Extend Vincent Trocheck

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The Florida Panthers are nearing an extension with C Vincent Trocheck, reports Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.  Friedman adds in a separate tweet that the deal will be for six years and carry a cap hit of $4.75MM.  This would mark the fourth big contract the Panthers have committed to in recent days, the others being Keith Yandle, Aaron Ekblad, and Jason Demers, who just signed earlier today.

2015-16 was a breakout campaign for Trocheck.  In his first full season as an NHL regular, the 22 year old played in 76 games, scoring 25 goals while adding 28 assists while averaging 17:46 per game.  His 53 points ranked 5th on the Panthers.

This deal ensures that Florida’s center situation is solidified for many years to come.  Aleksander Barkov, their 20 year old top pivot, begins a new six year deal with a cap hit of $5.9MM in 2016-17 while Nick Bjugstad, who has 39 goals over the last two years, has another five years left on his deal at a cap charge of $4.1MM.  At 23, Bjugstad is the oldest of Florida’s top three centers.  Trocheck likely slots in as the second line pivot for the Panthers next season.

With the deal, Florida has just over $3.7MM in cap space according to Cap Friendly.

Friedman’s Latest: Hartnell, Eriksson, Barrie

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Although the Montreal Canadiens failed to move up in the lottery last month, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that they may try to make a deal to improve on their ninth overall pick.  After picking late in the first round the last three seasons, Montreal will try to replicate the success they’ve had with their last couple of top-10 picks.  In 2012 they selected Alex Galchenyuk third overall, and nailed Carey Price at number five way back in 2005. If Montreal wants to get back to the playoffs and have any chance at contention, they’ll have to improve through the draft.  Here’s more from Friedman’s latest 30 thoughts:

  • The Columbus Blue Jackets interviewed quite a few players ahead of selecting third overall in the upcoming draft. With rumors swirling that they are already getting offers for the pick, perhaps they’re just covering their bases before one of these deals blows them away.
  • Still with Columbus, Friedman hears that there are trade rumblings around Scott Hartnell and that he is willing to waive his no-movement clause for several teams. Hartnell has three seasons at $4.75MM left on his deal, but put up another 20-goal season in 2015-16 and is a near-lock for 40 points at least for the immediate future.
  • On Loui Eriksson, Friedman says that Boston will take one final run at re-signing the winger before he becomes a free agent on July 1st.  If he makes it that far, expect a long list of suitors for the 30-year old after putting up an excellent 63 point campaign. He’s coming off a contract that earned him $4.25MM a season, and will look to improve on that number.
  • It seems certain that Avalanche defenceman Tyson Barrie will be on the move this summer, but perhaps not until Colorado secures some help on the back-end.  Their top target is Winnipeg Jets’ Jacob Trouba, who has played well since being drafted in 2012 and would take a fairly large ransom to pry away from GM Kevin Cheveldayoff.
  • After acquiring Marc Savard’s cap hit on Friday, the New Jersey Devils are no longer a landing spot for the Pavel Datsyuk dilemma should he decide to go back to Russia.  According to Friedman this leaves only Carolina and Arizona as potential takers for the $7.5MM cap-hit he’ll incur since he signed his deal after he turned 35.
  • Since Florida now has some room following the jettison of Savard’s hit, they’ve turned their attention to extending Vincent Trocheck. The 22-year old is a restricted free agent this summer, and is coming off an impressive 53 point season.  With extensions for Aaron Ekblad and Reilly Smith due next year, Florida will have to keep Trocheck’s hit as low as possible if they’re to fit in all their young talent.
  • Arizona is reluctantly looking at options with C Martin Hanzal as he nears free agency.  While the Coyotes would like to re-sign him before he hits the market next summer, they are considering moving him and have asked for his list of teams he would accept a trade to.

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