Week In Review

With free agency now just hours away, the activity around the league is about to pick up considerably.  This past week has encompassed the UFA interview period although the big news has come from the trade and retirement fronts.  Note that while some signings have already been rumored, those aren’t considered here as they’re not official yet.

Luongo Retires: While Roberto Luongo had three years left on his contract, his salary took a big dip in those seasons as part of an effort to lower the AAV down.  Accordingly, there was speculation as to whether or not he’d play again.  He put an end to those talks with the announcement of his retirement.  He leaves in third place on the all-time wins list with 489 and is a safe bet to be inducted into the Hall of Fame down the road.  He also leaves a bit of a legacy with Florida and Vancouver on the salary cap as both teams are subject to recapture penalties due to the back-diving nature of his contract.  The Panthers will carry a $1.094MM penalty for three seasons while the Canucks will be charged $3.033MM per year over that same span.

Colorado Swaps: Shortly after being eliminated from the postseason, Avalanche GM Joe Sakic said he planned to be aggressive this offseason.  He certainly has made good on that promise on the trade front after completing a pair of deals (plus a small AHL swap as well).  First, the Avs moved center Carl Soderberg to Arizona for blueliner Kevin Connauton and a 2020 third-round pick.  They then flipped that pick plus a second-rounder to Washington for Andre Burakovsky.  Burakovsky was qualified at $3.25MM so that will be the minimum that Colorado will pay him for the upcoming season; as a result, they didn’t really add or save payroll space with these moves.  No team has less in cap commitments for next season than the Avalanche so expect them to continue to be active in the coming days.

Kessel To Arizona: After weeks, months, and even a couple of years of trade speculation, the Penguins pulled the trigger on a Phil Kessel trade, flipping the winger to Arizona along with defenseman Dane Birks in exchange for forward Alex Galchenyuk and 2017 first-rounder Pierre-Olivier Joseph.  The trade reunites Kessel with former Pittsburgh assistant Rick Tocchet who he enjoyed playing for while giving the Coyotes a legitimate top-line forward that can produce on a fairly consistent basis.  Meanwhile, Galchenyuk has shown flashes of offensive upside over the years but has yet to put it all together while Joseph boosts their prospect depth on the back end.  Galchenyuk has one year left on his contract at a $4.9MM cap hit and will be UFA-eligible after the season.  That frees up a bit of short and long-term flexibility with Kessel costing $6.8MM for three more years.

Chicago Additions: A couple of months ago, the Blackhawks looked like they’d be big players in free agency.  That may not be the case anymore as they’ve instead focused on the trade route.  After bringing in Olli Maatta earlier this month, they added another piece to their back end, acquiring Calvin de Haan and prospect Aleksi Saarela from Carolina in exchange for defenseman Gustav Forsling and goalie Anton Forsberg.  All of a sudden, their defensive depth is quite strong.  After that, they brought back winger Andrew Shaw (and a 2021 seventh-round pick) from Montreal in exchange for a trio of draft picks.  Shaw is coming off of a career year and will give them a physical dimension that they’ve been lacking since they dealt him away three years ago.  The three acquisitions have added more than $12.5MM on their cap and with Alex DeBrincat and Dylan Strome each being a year away from restricted free agency, they’ll want to make sure they don’t take on many more multi-year commitments.

Vegas Cap Cuts: With all of the long-term contracts that Vegas handed out last season, some cuts were going to be required in order to get back into salary cap compliance.  Those moves were made with center Erik Haula being sent to Carolina in exchange for center prospect Nicolas Roy and a fifth-round pick.  Meanwhile, Colin Miller was dealt to Buffalo for a 2021 second-round pick and a 2022 fifth-round selection.  The swaps save the Golden Knights a little over $6.6MM in cap room but they will still be in tough to stay under the Upper Limit, especially with Deryk Engelland closing in on a new deal as well.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

The activity has started to pick up as the offseason is in full swing.  With the NHL Entry Draft now complete, the focus will soon turn to free agency as teams now know the salary cap for next season.  However, this past week had several notable trades mixed in among some key re-signings.

Subban Traded To Devils: The Predators have had a big four on the back end for a while now but as those players needed new deals and Roman Josi’s next contract on the horizon, eventually something had to give.  That came to fruition as Nashville dealt P.K. Subban to New Jersey in a cost clearing move, receiving depth defender Steven Santini, prospect Jeremy Davies, plus two second-round picks in return.  The Devils also take on the remainder of Subban’s contract which carries an AAV of $9MM for three more years.  Nashville now has some money to spend up front in free agency and some more money for Josi a year from now while New Jersey adds an impact defender at what amounts to a pretty low acquisition cost as they put their cap space to good use.

Flyers Sign Hayes: Philadelphia didn’t exactly hide their intentions when they flipped a fifth-round draft pick to Winnipeg for the negotiating rights to Kevin Hayes.  They targeted him as their number two center and were rewarded for the efforts when the two sides agreed to a seven-year, $50MM contract.  Hayes is coming off of a career season split between the Rangers and Jets but it was his only campaign where he had at least 50 points.  At this price point, that’s going to be the minimum expectation for him now.

Karlsson Re-Signs: The top defenseman is off the market before he even got there.  The Sharks re-signed defenseman Erik Karlsson to an eight-year, $92MM contract.  The deal is the richest for a defenseman in NHL history and also contains considerable bonuses, lockout protection, and a full no-move clause.  While the 29-year-old dealt with injury issues down the stretch, he’s still one of the more dynamic defensemen in the league.  The contract also ensures that San Jose will have two of the most prolific offensive threats from the back end in the fold for a long time to come as Brent Burns is signed for six more years.  San Jose will now turn their focus up front with veterans Joe Pavelski and Joe Thornton as well as impressive young winger Timo Meier are among those still in need of new deals.

Rangers Acquire Trouba: With Karlsson off the market, the Rangers wasted little time with their backup plan as they acquired defenseman Jacob Trouba from Winnipeg in exchange for the Jets’ previously-acquired first-round pick (20th overall) and blueliner Neal Pionk.  Trouba should immediately slot in as New York’s top defenseman and assuming they can get a long-term deal done, that will be another building block in place as they look to emerge from their rebuilding process.  Meanwhile, the Jets probably aren’t done trimming down the roster just yet as they look to free up enough money to re-sign RFA wingers Patrik Laine and Kyle Connor as well as take a run at bringing back pending UFA defenseman Tyler Myers.

More Draft Trades: While the first round saw nothing in terms of player movement, the second day saw more activity as Subban’s swap wasn’t the only trade of note.  Toronto paid a conditional 2020 first-round pick (top-ten protected) to get Carolina to take on the final year (and $6.25MM cap hit) of Patrick Marleau’s contract.  The Hurricanes are expected to eventually buy out that contract but as a 35+ deal, they will assume the full AAV on their 2019-20 salary cap.  Meanwhile, the host Canucks got into the fun as well, shipping first and third-round picks to Tampa Bay for J.T. Miller.  The first-rounder is lottery-protected for two years.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

A very tight Stanley Cup Final has come to an end with St. Louis needing seven games to beat Boston for their first championship.  With that now complete, the action has started to pick up off the ice already.  Several key moves highlight the top stories of the past week.

Niskanen To Flyers: It wasn’t even 24 hours after the end of the Final before the first trade was announced as the Capitals dealt Matt Niskanen to the Flyers for Radko Gudas in a swap of defensemen.  Niskanen has been a capable top-four blueliner for quite a few years now but with two years and $11.5MM left on his contract, it was more than Washington could afford.  Philadelphia also retained 30% of Gudas’ deal to help facilitate the trade.  Capitals GM Brian MacLellan wasted little time spending a big portion of his savings as he locked up winger Carl Hagelin to a four-year, $11MM deal.

Rule Change Recommendations: There have been small tweaks to the rules for several years now and it appears the trend will continue after the Competition Committee made its recommendations for next season.  The big one is expanded use of video review although no specifics were made with regards to what may be added to the list of reviewable plays.  Other recommendations made involved a change to the tie-breaking procedure at the end of the season, using regulation wins instead of regulation and overtime wins (ROW), a rule that would require players losing their helmets to leave the ice, and faceoff placements.

Eberle Re-Signs: The Islanders entered the summer with three prominent forwards in need of new contracts.  Brock Nelson re-signed quickly.  Now Jordan Eberle is off the market as well after he inked a five-year, $27.5MM extension.  The deal actually represents a small dip from the $6MM he averaged on his last contract.  Eberle is coming off the worst season of his nine-year NHL career, one that saw him record just 37 points in 78 games although he turned things around in the postseason, leading the team in scoring with nine points in eight contests.  While the 29-year-old is no longer a top-line talent, he should still be a part of New York’s second line for several more seasons.

Blackhawks Acquire Maatta: There was an expectation that changes would be coming in Pittsburgh and the first of those occurred when they shipped defenseman Olli Maatta to Chicago in exchange for winger Dominik Kahun and a fifth-round pick.  The 24-year-old Maatta is coming off of a down season that saw him spend a bit of time as a healthy scratch and with three years left on his deal at a $4.083MM cap hit, he was too expensive for the cap-strapped Penguins.  He can make a push for a top-four spot with Chicago while Kahun, who is coming off of a nice rookie season, gives the Penguins a nice boost to their middle-six group at a price tag below $1MM for next year.

Rutherford: Kessel Trade Unlikely: Speaking of the Penguins, there has been plenty of speculation that winger Phil Kessel would be on the move this summer, especially after word leaked about a deal to Minnesota that he nixed.  Now, GM Jim Rutherford stated that Kessel will now likely remain with the team for next season.  Kessel can block a trade to 22 teams and clearly, he’s shown that he’s willing to use it which means his trade market is rather limited.  Nonetheless, even with that declaration, things could certainly change quickly with the draft now less than a week away.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

With the Stanley Cup Final nearing its end, activity on the transaction front has started to pick up around the hockey world.  Here are the top stories from the past seven days.

Crawford To Chicago: The Blackhawks brought some experience to their coaching staff as they hired Marc Crawford as an assistant coach.  The 58-year-old has plenty of experience as he has over 1,100 games in the NHL as a head coach, most recently with Ottawa on an interim basis after Guy Boucher was let go shortly after the trade deadline.  Crawford will be reunited with his son who works as an assistant video coach in Chicago.  Meanwhile, with Crawford not returning to his previous role in Ottawa as an associate coach, the Senators have brought in Jack Capuano, who was let go as Joel Quenneville overhauled the coaching staff in Florida.

Flyers Acquire Hayes: Philadelphia GM Chuck Fletcher has decided to try to get a head start on his offseason shopping, acquiring the negotiating rights to pending UFA center Kevin Hayes from Winnipeg in exchange for their fifth-round pick.  Hayes is coming off of a career season split between the Jets and Rangers and is one of the top centers that’s set to be available this summer.  Winnipeg knew that they wouldn’t be able to afford to keep him so they get something instead of nothing while if Fletcher can get Hayes signed, he’ll have filled one of their biggest needs, finding a second-line center to sandwich between Sean Couturier and Nolan Patrick.

Skinner Re-Signs: Talks between the Sabres and Jeff Skinner had been going on for months but they finally reached an agreement on a new contract, one that will pay the winger $72MM over eight seasons with a full no-move clause.  The 27-year-old reached the 40-goal mark for the first time but on the flip side, he was a lot more productive in the first half of the season compared to the second.  Nonetheless, he has averaged 30 goals per year over the past six seasons and not too many forwards can say that.  The deal ensures that Buffalo has another part of their front line locked up long-term and takes what would have been one of the top free agents off the market before he even got a chance to test it.

Stars Re-Sign A Pair: Dallas decided to get some of their re-signings out of the way early.  First, they re-signed pending UFA defenseman Roman Polak to a one-year, $1.75MM contract, a $450K raise on his previous deal.  Polak logged over 19 minutes a night for the Stars and he’ll give them a veteran presence on the third pairing for at least one more season.  Hours later, they re-upped winger Mattias Janmark to a one-year, $2.3MM deal, matching his 2018-19 salary.  The 26-year-old set a new career high in assists but struggled overall, posting just six goals on the season.  This contract will take him to UFA eligibility next summer.

Ducks To Part Ways With Perry: Corey Perry has been a fixture in Anaheim’s lineup since 2005, back in the days when they were known as the Mighty Ducks.  However, it appears his tenure with the team has come to an end as the team is planning to move on from him this offseason.  Injuries limited the winger to just 31 games this past season and he struggled offensively, collecting just six goals and four assists.  He has two years remaining on his contract with a cap hit of $8.625MM and a full no-move clause.  The Ducks will try to trade him first (likely with significant retention – they can hold back up to half of his contract in a swap) but if that doesn’t come to fruition, a buyout appears to be the likely outcome by the end of the month.  Doing so would yield a cap hit of $2.625MM next season, $6.625MM in 2020-21, and $2MM in each of the following two seasons.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

While it was a fairly quiet week on the ice with only one game being played as the Blues punched their ticket to the Stanley Cup Final, there was plenty of news off the ice.  Those get the spotlight in the top stories of the week.

Smith To Ottawa: After a lengthy coaching search that saw seven candidates get an interview, the Senators have found their new bench boss as they hired Toronto assistant coach D.J. Smith, inking him to a three-year contract.  This will be his first time running an NHL bench after spending the past four years as an assistant to Mike Babcock.  Prior to that, Smith spent three years as the head coach of OHL Oshawa, winning the championship in 2014-15.  He’ll be tasked with working with a very young roster as Ottawa is in the midst of a full-scale rebuild so his experience working with younger players should be an asset.

Ownership Change Coming In Arizona: The ownership situation for the Coyotes franchise has been murky for many years now and it appears more changes are on the way.  Current majority owner Andrew Barroway will soon only have a minority stake in the team with a new, yet to be identified owner, taking on the majority stake.  Arizona’s arena in Glendale has been a contested issue over the past several years with potential new homes falling through.  It will now fall to this new owner to find a more suitable place to play in the area.

Six Years For Nelson: The Islanders have one less potential unrestricted free agent to deal with after they signed center Brock Nelson to a six-year, $36MM contract.  The deal also contains a full no-trade clause in the first two years of the deal and partial trade protection in the other four.  The 27-year-old is coming off of a career season that saw him reach the 50-point mark for the first time of his career while spending a lot of time on the front line; his ATOI of 17:58 per night was also a career best.  While the $6MM AAV may seem steep, the UFA market for top-six centers is quite thin which certainly worked in Nelson’s favor.  With this deal done, GM Lou Lamoriello will likely turn his focus to trying to get new contracts for winger Anders Lee and goalie Robin Lehner.  Winger Jordan Eberle is also a pending UFA but it’s expected that he will test the market.

Wild, Penguins Discussed Kessel Trade: After Pittsburgh bowed out quickly in the postseason, there has been an expectation for big changes.  Winger Phil Kessel has been in trade speculation for a while and that’s going to continue on as he has passed on an opportunity to be dealt to Minnesota by invoking his partial no-trade clause.  The proposed trade would have also sent defenseman Jack Johnson to the Wild while winger Jason Zucker and center Victor Rask would have gone to Pittsburgh.  This actually marks the second time that a deal involving Zucker has leaked with the other coming at the trade deadline when a move to Calgary fell through.  By all accounts, it appears that Kessel’s time with the Penguins may very well be numbered but at this time, his preference is to be moved to one of the teams on his eight-team trade list.

Voynov Suspension Reduced: Independent arbitration Shyam Das has reduced a couple of lengthy suspensions from the NHL over the past twelve months and he has done so again with defenseman Slava Voynov.  Instead of the blueliner being suspended for the entire 2019-20 campaign for a domestic violence incident from 2014, that duration has been cut in half.  The Kings, who terminated his contract at the time of the incident, still hold his NHL rights but announced that they will not be signing him.  If another team wants the 29-year-old, they will have to make a trade with Los Angeles to acquire his negotiation rights.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

As the calendar flipped to May, there was quite a bit of news around the hockey world.  The top ones are covered here in our key stories of the week.

McCrimmon Named Vegas GM: Multiple teams were believed to be interested in Vegas assistant GM Kelly McCrimmon but it turns out he won’t be leaving after all.  Instead, the team announced that McCrimmon has been promoted to the GM role with the Golden Knights with George McPhee shifting his focus to his role as president of hockey operations effective September 1st.  This means that Edmonton will be turning to a different direction in their GM search as will Seattle, who was believed to have McCrimmon high on their list.

Johnsson Turned Down Extension Offers: The Maple Leafs are going to be an interesting team to follow this summer as they navigate through a tricky salary cap situation.  It turns out that Toronto GM Kyle Dubas was trying to get some cost certainty with one of his younger players as he offered a pair of different extensions to winger Andreas Johnsson but both were rejected.  The offers were two years at a $2.1MM AAV and four years at a $2.6MM AAV.  Johnsson opted to take his qualifying offer last summer in the hopes of landing a larger payday this offseason and after collecting 43 points in 73 games, he will certainly do so.  He has been a speculative target for a potential offer sheet given the cap issues the Leafs face and with the various threshold levels being revealed, that’s likely going to continue until a deal ultimately gets done.

Rangers Get Fox: After Adam Fox had indicated that he had no intention of signing with Carolina, there was plenty of speculation that he was going to wind up with the Rangers.  That wound up being the case as New York acquired him in exchange for their 2019 second-round pick plus a conditional 2020 third-round selection.  That pick will upgrade by a round if Fox plays in 30 NHL games in 2019-20.  The Rangers then quickly signed him to a three-year, entry-level contract.  The deal will carry the maximum base salary ($925K including a 10% signing bonus) as well as $850K in performance bonuses in each season, the type of contract that is often handed to players selected in the middle of the first round.

Kelly Passes Away: Hall of Famer Red Kelly passed away at the age of 91.  He split his career between Detroit and Toronto and his story was particularly interesting.  After winning four Stanley Cups with the Red Wings as a defenseman, he wound up briefly retiring before joining the Maple Leafs where he won four more titles while playing as a center.  Overall, he wound up playing in 20 NHL seasons and won four Lady Byng Trophies along the way.  Upon retiring, he quickly transitioned to coaching and spent ten seasons behind the bench for three different teams, wrapping up with Toronto in 1977.

Women’s Boycott: Following the surprising folding of the CWHL, more than 200 of the top female hockey players announced they will be boycotting leagues in North America this season until they “get the resources that professional hockey demands and deserves”.  In the short-term, that has put the viability of the NWHL into serious question after they had plans to expand into Montreal and Toronto, a pair of cities that previously had CWHL franchises.  From a broader perspective, it would appear that the players are hoping that the NHL steps up and invests in a more lucrative league, similar to what the NBA does with the WNBA.  That could at least create the potential for a livable wage and insurance, elements that weren’t available in either of the North American leagues.

The completion of the first round of the playoffs created plenty of headlines on the ice.  There were several notable pieces of news off the ice as well which are highlighted in our top stories of the week.

Long-Term Injuries: The Sabres won’t likely have defenseman Zach Bogosian available to them at the start of next season after the veteran underwent hip surgery.  The procedure carries a recovery period of five-to-six months.  Bogosian had been a potential buyout candidate in June but that option is no longer on the table as a result of the procedure.  Meanwhile, Maple Leafs winger Zach Hyman will miss roughly the next six months after tearing his ACL midway through Toronto’s first-round series against Boston.  Hyman played three games with the injury, averaging over 18 minutes a night in those contests.

Two Teams Interested In Martin: Veteran coach Jacques Martin hasn’t come up in too many head coaching searches but that’s not the case now as both the Sabres and Senators are considering him for their current vacancies.  Both teams are looking for some structure after disappointing seasons which has been a hallmark of Martin’s teams over the years.  Interestingly enough, Martin and the Senators have some history together as the 66-year-old spent parts of nine seasons with Ottawa from 1995-96 through 2003-04.  Martin has been an assistant in Pittsburgh since 2013-14.

Penguins Likely To Trade A Defenseman: Big changes are expected in Pittsburgh this offseason after an early exit at the hands of the Islanders in the postseason.  It appears that at least one of those changes will come on the back end as GM Jim Rutherford acknowledged that the Penguins will likely have to move at least one defenseman this summer.  Over the last year, they’ve added Jack Johnson in free agency plus Erik Gudbranson and Marcus Pettersson via trades which has given them a fair amount of depth at the position.  In the postseason, it was Olli Maatta who was the odd man out and with three more years left on his contract with a $4.083MM AAV, it stands to reason that the 24-year-old could very well be involved in trade talks in the near future.

Karlsson Seeking A Long-Term Deal: Vegas has plenty of extra money on their books for next season as a result of several extensions they’ve handed out over the past several months.  Despite that, they have one more core forward left to re-sign in William Karlsson, who indicated that he’s hoping to sign a long-term deal this summer and that preliminary talks have already started.  Karlsson was a revelation in 2017-18, going from a depth player in Columbus to one of the top scorers in the league.  Given that major change, the two sides were only able to settle on a one-year, $5.25MM pact last offseason.  While Karlsson’s numbers took a bit of a step back this season, he still posted 56 points and should be still in line for a nice raise, especially since he once again has salary arbitration eligibility.

Hart Trophy Finalists Announced: The daily reveals for the award finalists came to an end on Sunday with the nominees for the Hart Trophy being announced.  The finalists are Connor McDavid (Edmonton), Nikita Kucherov (Tampa Bay), and Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh).  The trophy is awarded annually to the player deemed to be most valuable to his team.  The NHLPA also has a similar trophy in the Ted Lindsay Award for the most outstanding player in the league.  McDavid and Kucherov made the final three while Blackhawks winger Patrick Kane is the third finalist for that one.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

The first week of the postseason has created quite a few headlines both on and off the ice, some of which are highlighted in the top stories of the week.

Panthers Hire Quenneville: The Panthers are expected to make a splash this summer in free agency but they also have made one behind the bench with the hiring of Joel Quenneville.  The 60-year-old was considered by many to be the best coach available this offseason after Chicago let him go early in the regular season.  He inked a five-year deal at a rate that could be greater than the $6MM he was making with the Blackhawks depending on team performance incentives.  GM Dale Tallon is quite familiar with Quenneville having worked with him during his own time in Chicago and the two will now look to get Florida back into the playoffs.

Devils Win Again: It wasn’t a particularly successful season on the ice for the Devils after a surprising playoff appearance in 2017-18, they had the third-worst record in the league.  However, they did get some good news as they won the Draft Lottery and will select first overall in June.  They weren’t the only team moving up as the Rangers gained four spots to move up to the number two spot while Chicago jumped nine spots to pick third.  US NTDP center Jack Hughes and TPS Turku winger Kaapo Kakko are the top two prospects in this draft class.

Voynov Suspended For 2019-20: While defenseman Slava Voynov is looking to make a return to the NHL, he’ll have to wait a while yet for his opportunity to do so after the league announced that he has been suspended for the entire 2019-20 season (including the playoffs).  This stems from a domestic violence incident back in 2014, one that saw him jailed and suspended indefinitely by the league while the Kings terminated his contract.  He successfully petitioned to dismiss his conviction last summer, paving the way for him to at least attempt to get back into the NHL although Los Angeles still holds his rights.  That will have to wait at least one more year, pending a decision from an independent arbitrator after the NHLPA filed an appeal on his behalf.

Bouwmeester Stays In St. Louis: It wasn’t a great start to the season for Blues defenseman Jay Bouwmeester.  He battled hip issues and even spent some time as a healthy scratch and it looked as if his days with the team could be numbered.  However, he had a strong second half and was rewarded for his efforts as St. Louis signed the 35-year-old to a one-year, $3.25MM contract extension.  The deal represents a sizable drop from his current $5.4MM deal but is a better reflection of his expected role moving forward.  Instead of being a top-pairing player as he was several seasons ago, he’s likely best suited to play a second pairing position next season.

Late Additions: It’s rare that teams in the playoffs can add players that could very well get into the lineup but it happened on three separate occasions.  First, the Blue Jackets signed defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov to a two-year deal and with three defenders currently out of the lineup, he could suit up quickly once he joins the team.  Colorado then added top prospect Cale Makar to a three-year, entry-level deal after his college season came to an end and he could play as soon as Monday night.  Lastly, Vegas inked the top scorer in the KHL, Nikita Gusev, to a one-year ELC and he will likely play at some point in the first round.  The fact that these players were on the Reserve List of their respective teams at the trade deadline is what makes them eligible to play in the postseason and at least a couple of them could make an immediate impact.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

The final week of the regular season didn’t feature many significant headlines from NHL players but several college stars made some headlines of their own while there was plenty of coaching news around the league as well.

Schuldt To Vegas: Jimmy Schuldt, the top college defenseman made his decision, signing a one-year, entry-level deal with the Golden Knights.  The deal is worth the maximum base salary, setting up his qualifying offer this summer at just under $875K.  Schuldt, one of three finalists for the Hobey Baker Award, had 10 goals and 25 assists in 39 games with St. Cloud this past season and is viewed as a player that isn’t far away from being able to step into an NHL lineup.  However, he is not eligible to suit up for Vegas in the postseason.

Coach Firings: Three teams wasted little time making a decision to change coaches.  The Panthers let Bob Boughner go after two seasons with the team while the Sabres did the same with Phil Housley.  Meanwhile, the Kings decided to not give interim coach Willie Desjardins the full-time job.  Early speculation is that Florida is trying to get veteran bench boss Joel Quenneville as their next head coach while Los Angeles has their sights set on Todd McLellan.

Blashill Staying Put: The Red Wings will not be among the teams making a coaching change.  Instead, the team has given bench boss a two-year extension to ensure he’ll be back behind the bench in October.  While Detroit hasn’t had much success in the standings in recent seasons (they’ve missed the playoffs for three years in a row), GM Ken Holland has continually stated that he is pleased with the development of some of their younger players.  Their top four scorers to finish the season are all 24 years old or younger so there is clearly progress being made with their young core.  That said, the two-year term suggests that there is a short-term expectation for getting back into postseason contention.

Sturm Signs With Minnesota: The Wild dipped their toes into the college free agent market, landing the most coveted forward in center Nico Sturm who signed a one-year, entry-level deal.  Like Schuldt, the deal is worth the maximum base salary, setting up an offseason qualifying offer of roughly $875K.  Despite a big season with Clarkson that saw him post 45 points in 39 games, Sturm isn’t believed to be a big scorer at the NHL level but is pegged as someone that could be a regular in their bottom six group before too long.

Fox Won’t Sign With Carolina: Harvard defenseman Adam Fox was a key part of the significant draft day trade that saw Noah Hanifin and Elias Lindholm go to Calgary with Dougie Hamilton and Micheal Ferland join Carolina.  However, it appears that Fox isn’t likely to sign with the Hurricanes and the focus has shifted towards trading his rights.  He has one year of college eligibility remaining so it will be interesting to see if a team can work out a trade and convince him to sign early or if he’ll be intent on becoming an unrestricted free agent in 2020.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

With some top college teams getting eliminated, the activity on the NCAA free agent market should pick up shortly.  In the meantime, there were some other newsworthy events in the NHL over the past seven days.

Ladd Out Long-Term: Andrew Ladd’s tough season came to a premature conclusion as the Islanders winger will miss the next four-to-five months with a torn ACL.  He now has had significant injuries to both knees which certainly won’t help his mobility moving forward.  Ladd played in just 26 games this season, picking up just three goals and eight assists.  That’s hardly the return they were expecting on his $5.5MM contract, one that carries four more years after this one.

Cooper To Stay With Tampa: It took a while but the Lightning and head coach Jon Cooper were able to agree on a multi-year contract extension, ensuring he’ll be sticking around in Tampa Bay for a while yet.  He has been quite successful over his first six years with the team, compiling a 302-158-44 record with a win percentage that is only bested by legend Scotty Bowman.  The Lightning have been the class of the league by a considerable margin this season which should have Cooper in the mix for the Jack Adams Award for Coach of the Year.

Coyotes Lock Up Schmaltz: Arizona made a notable trade early in the season that saw them bring in center Nick Schmaltz from Chicago.  Clearly, they liked what they saw from him before suffering a season-ending lower-body injury in late December as they signed the 23-year-old to a seven-year, $40.95MM contract extension.  At the time of the deal, GM John Chayka believed that Schmaltz could be a long-term top-six center for them and he was certainly heading in that direction with 14 points in 17 games with the team before the injury.  Arizona has very quickly reshaped their group down the middle and they have committed to spending at that position as their top three pivots (Derek Stepan, Schmaltz, and Christian Dvorak) will cost a combined $16.8MM next year, more than double their combined cost this season ($8.26MM).

Flyers Re-Sign Raffl: Philadelphia winger Michael Raffl had some trade interest at the deadline so it was a little bit of a surprise that he wasn’t dealt.  That decision is more understandable now after he agreed to a two-year, $3.2MM extension.  The deal actually represents a bit of a decrease on his current $2.35MM AAV but considering that Raffl has spent a lot of time this season on the fourth line, it’s not too surprising.  The Flyers are the only NHL organization that the 30-year-old has played for and he has suited up for more than 400 games over his six seasons with the team.

Masterton Nominees Announced: The first finalists for an offseason award have been revealed as each team submitted their nominee for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy.  The award goes to a player who is judged to exemplify perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.  Predators center Brian Boyle won the award last season.  The field will be whittled down to the usual three finalists in advance of the NHL Awards show in June.