Five Key Stories: 11/27/16 – 12/3/16
The past week in the hockey world was highlighted by a move that virtually no one saw coming. Here are five key stories from the week that was.
1) Panthers Fire Gerard Gallant, Name Tom Rowe Interim Coach: While this is usually the time of year where a team or two decides to change head coaches, no one was expecting Florida to be the one to do so first. That is indeed what happened as the Panthers fired Gallant, with Rowe, their general manager taking over for the remainder of the season on an interim basis. The change was met with widespread criticism throughout the league as many felt that Florida was too quick to fire Gallant, especially given that they have been without Jonathan Huberdeau for the entire season. Given that Rowe and team ownership are heavily invested in analytics, this will surely further fuel the debate between the old and new school philosophies.
2) NHLPA Rejects ‘Olympics for CBA Extension’ Offer: As expected, the NHL Players’ Association formally rejected the owners’ proposal to guarantee Olympic participation on 2018 in Pyeongchang, South Korea in exchange for the players agreeing to waive their right to opt-out of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement. The owners haven’t been particularly enthused about the prospect of shutting down the league for two weeks midseason without any compensation and have been taking the public stance that the odds of them agreeing to go are lower than they were before. It’s believed the NHL has until next month to make a decision on participation so this is far from the end that we’ll hear about this topic.
3) Maple Leafs Hold Peter Holland Back From Road Trip: It’s quite common for players on an active roster to be shopped around on the trade market but it’s much more rare when a team takes the step of telling the player to stay home while they continue to try to trade him. That’s what has happened in Toronto, as the team told Holland to not accompany them on their Western road trip. Holland, who cleared waivers in the offseason prior to his arbitration hearing, has played a sparing role this year, suiting up in just eight games so far this season. GM Lou Lamoriello has acknowledged that Holland’s future with the team is limited and that they will continue to try to move him. If they remain unsuccessful there, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him on waivers in the not-too-distant future.
4) NHL Planning An Exhibition Game In China: In recent years, it has been suggested that the league would like to get back to playing exhibition games overseas, something that was common in the years leading up to the last lockout. While they have played in many different countries over that time, China hasn’t been one of them but there are plans to change that as the league is planning to play a preseason game in China next season. The last time games were played across the pond was back in 2011 with matchups in six countries including Germany, Slovakia, and Finland.
5) Predators Claim Reid Boucher Off Waivers: With Taylor Hall returning from injury, the New Jersey Devils needed to make a roster move to open a spot for their top forward to come back. They decided to place Reid Boucher on waivers and one day later, Nashville claimed the 23 year old. Boucher is only a year removed from collecting 19 points in 39 games and should provide the Predators with some serviceable forward depth while they deal with injuries to James Neal and Colton Sissons.
Photo Courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Five Key Stories – 11/20/16 – 11/26/16
Last week was a busy one around the hockey world. Here are five prominent stories from the week that was.
1) Brent Burns Signs Long-Term Extension: The top unrestricted free agent was taken off the market early as the Sharks inked Brent Burns to an eight year, $64MM contract extension. The contract contains a limited no-trade clause as well. The deal gives him the second highest cap hit amongst defensemen in the league behind Nashville’s P.K. Subban. As for San Jose, they’ll now turn their focus to a pair of key pending UFAs up front in Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau.
2) Las Vegas Reveals Team Name: After months of speculation, Las Vegas owner Bill Foley revealed that the expansion franchise, which will begin play in 2017-18, will be called the Vegas Golden Knights. The team also displayed their logo for the first time although their uniforms will be unveiled sometime in the new year. Shortly after that, the NHL released the list of mandatory-protected players for the expansion draft which will take place in June.
3) NHL Announces Changes To All-Star Eligibility: Following last season where fans stuffed the virtual ballot box for seldom-used enforcer John Scott (who was in the minors at the time the game was held), the league made some tweaks to their eligibility rules to prevent a situation like this from happening again. Any player who is assigned to the minors between November 1st and January 26th will not be eligible to be voted into the game. (An exception to this rule will be players on conditioning assignments.) Beyond that, however, fans can vote for any player; the list hasn’t been reduced to only top players from each division.
4) Canucks Sign Ben Hutton To A Two Year Extension: Vancouver locked up one of their core blueliners to a bridge deal that will carry a cap hit of $2.8MM for 2017-18 and 2018-19. He’s in his second NHL season and has five points in 22 games so far this season while averaging over 21 minutes per night. GM Jim Benning noted that they would like to get center Bo Horvat signed to a long-term deal next.
5) Matt Carle Retires: After clearing waivers earlier in the week, Nashville defenseman Matt Carle announced his retirement. The 32 year old finishes his career having played parts of 12 NHL seasons with the Sharks, Flyers, Lightning, and Predators, scoring 45 goals while adding 238 assists in 730 NHL games. He retires as the third highest point getter all-time among Alaskan-born players.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Five Key Stories – 11/13/16 – 11/19/16
Last week was quite a busy one around the NHL. Here are five prominent stories from the week that was.
1) Coyotes Announce New Arena Deal: After years of reports of potential relocation not to mention their arena deal in Glendale getting ripped up a couple of years back, there is finally a light at the end of the tunnel. The Coyotes announced an arrangement with Arizona State University that will see a new 16,000-plus seat arena built within the district along Tempe Town Lake with the target of being ready for the 2019-20 NHL season. In the meantime, the team is expected to come to terms on a short-term lease extension in Glendale for the next couple of years while their new facility is being built.
2) Steven Stamkos Out Long-Term: The Lightning will be without their captain for the bulk of the season after he suffered a torn meniscus on Tuesday against the Red Wings. He underwent surgery and is expected to miss at least the next four months. While Tampa Bay can conceivably place him on long-term injury reserve to open up some cap space to get a temporary replacement, this is still a big blow for Tampa Bay and Stamkos, who was off to a strong start this season with 20 points in 17 games.
3) Johnny Gaudreau Out Six Weeks: The Lightning weren’t the only team struck with the injury bug this past week as Gaudreau, Calgary’s leading scorer last season, suffered a broken finger against the Wild on Monday. He underwent successful surgery and will be out for at least the next six weeks. The injury came from a slash, one of 21 that he received against Minnesota alone.
4) Senators Waive Andrew Hammond; Clears: After reportedly declining a conditioning stint in the AHL upon being green lighted to return from a lower body injury, Ottawa placed Hammond on waivers on Saturday; he went unclaimed earlier today. He’s off to a slow start this season with a 0-1-0 record with a 4.50 goals against average and a .793 save percentage in two appearances while Mike Condon, acquired as goaltending insurance earlier, has impressed in his three games.
5) NHL Discussing Change To Draft Age: A group of representatives across the various North American hockey leagues met to discuss a new player development model. Among the discussions was the possibility of raising the minimum draft age by one year from 18 to 19. The proposal also includes an exceptional status provision, similar to one that junior teams in the Canadian Hockey League currently have. Nothing has been ratified as of yet as everything is still in the exploratory stage but this could be something to keep an eye on down the road.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Week In Review: 10/3/16 – 10/9/16
It’s officially the last week of the offseason with the first games of the new regular season slated for Wednesday. Obviously roster pare downs dominated the headlines this week but there were a few other transactions of note as well as a handful of injuries that might prompt teams to see what’s available on the open market. Without further ado, here is the roundup of this week’s top hockey stories.
Key Free Agent Signings:
- Kris Russell – Edmonton (one year, $3.1MM): It’s probably not the lucrative deal Russell was looking for at the outset of free agency but the veteran shot-blocker finally did secure a contract for 2016-17. Perhaps with a solid performance for the Oil, Russell will be in better position to pursue a multi-year pact next summer.
- Tobias Rieder – Arizona (two years, $4.45MM): It looks like the Coyotes got the player at the price they wanted. It had been reported that Rieder was looking for $5MM over two years while the club was offering $4.4MM. Clearly the 23-year-old forward gave more than he got, presumably because he wanted to get back on the ice.
- Jakub Nakladal – Carolina (one year, $600K): It will be interesting to see how the 28-year-old Nakladal fits with the Hurricanes current crop of talented blue liners. Not including Nakladal, Carolina has seven NHL-caliber defensemen on the roster, only one of whom is older than 24.
Added on Waivers:
- Martin Frk – Carolina: Carolina wasn’t the only team that put a claim in on Frk but the Hurricanes were awarded the young Czech RW. He potted 27 goals for Detroit’s AHL affiliate in Grand Rapids in 2015-16 and it was mildly surprising to see the Wings risk losing him by placing him on waivers but clearly they felt the roster spot was best committed elsewhere.
Trades:
- Edmonton trades RW Nail Yakupov to St. Louis in exchange for Zach Pochiro and a conditional draft choice (a third in 2017 can become a second in 2018 if Yakupov scores 15 or more goals).
- Montreal deals Tim Bozon to Florida for D Jonathan Racine in an exchange of minor leaguers.
Injury Report:
- Jonathan Huberdeau is expected to miss 3 – 4 months with what is being called a lower-body-injury. It will be interesting to see if Panthers management looks outside the organization in an attempt to fill the void as Huberdeau was the team’s top scorer on the LW. The team does have around $10MM in cap space if they did choose to go that route.
- Nick Bjugstad will be out for four weeks due to a broken hand. The Panthers third-line pivot tallied 34 points in 67 games last season.
- Michael Del Zotto is set to miss the next 4 – 5 weeks with the dreaded lower-body-injury.
- Again with the lower-body-injury, the Flyers will also be without C Scott Laughton for three to our weeks.
- Devils defenseman Jon Merrill is out four weeks with a broken index finger.
- Penalty-killing specialist Matt Hendricks will miss significant time, once more due to a lower-body-injury. Oilers head coach Todd McLellan indicated it would be “weeks” before Hendricks would be able to return.
Retirements:
- Defenseman Barret Jackman called it quits after a solid, 14-year NHL career. Jackman was originally chosen in the first-round by St. Louis back in 1999 and played all but one season with the Blues before finishing up in Nashville. He wraps up his career with 186 points more than 1,100 penalty minutes in 876 regular season contests.
- Dan Boyle announced his retirement following 17 seasons in the NHL. Boyle, one of the league’s top offensive blue liners throughout much of his career, recorded at least 39 points eight out of nine seasons from 2002-03 through 2011-12. He would score more than 600 regular season points in nearly 1,100 NHL games. Boyle was a member of the 2003-04 Stanley Cup champion Tampa Lightning and also spent time with Florida and San Jose before wrapping up his career playing two seasons with the New York Rangers.
Week In Review: 8/22/16 – 8/28/16
With the World Cup of Hockey and NHL training camps both set to start next month, teams are actively trying to wrap up the last of their offseason business and finalizing their rosters. This week saw a couple of late unrestricted free agent signings that look to be bargains at first glance and a major trade completed by two of the league’s more analytically inclined organizations. We’ve got that and more in this installment of Week In Review.
Notable UFA Signings
Jiri Hudler (Dallas) – Hudler’s presence on the open market this late into the summer has been a bit of a mystery. He’s averaged at least 0.64 points-per-game in each of his last three seasons; a rate good enough to prorate into a 50-point campaign in a full schedule. With plenty of clubs looking to add scoring depth this summer it is somewhat surprising that it was the league’s most prolific offensive team that added Hudler on a one-year, $2MM deal. If Hudler remains healthy and in the lineup and reaches the 40-point mark, the deal will go down as a steal for Dallas.
Brandon Pirri (New York Rangers) – Pirri, like Hudler, has been a strong offensive player who surprisingly drew little interest this summer. Based on the last three seasons, Pirri places tied for 30th in goals-per-game averaging 0.33. But concerns about his defensive play may have limited his market. Ultimately the Rangers took a calculated risk and signed Pirri to a one-year pact worth $1.1MM.
Jhonas Enroth (Toronto Maple Leafs) – Toronto finalized their one-year agreement with the veteran backstop weeks after it was initially reported to be close. Enroth should provide a reliable backup to the newly-acquired Frederik Andersen at a great rate relative to other quality #2 goalies in the league.
Notable RFA Signings
Cody Ceci (Ottawa) – The Senators finally locked up RFA defenseman Cody Ceci, signing the three-year veteran to a two-year bridge deal with an AAV of $2.8MM. He will earn $2.25MM in 2016-17 and $3.35MM in year two of the agreement. Ceci tallied a career-high 10 goals and 26 points this past season and believes he has more to offer, particularly on the power play.
Notable ELC Signings
Max Jones (Anaheim) – The Ducks agreed to terms with Jones on an ELC that will pay the 24th overall selection in June $925K at the NHL level and $70K while suiting up in the AHL. As noted, the agreement does not contain any performance bonuses; a relative rarity for first-round picks.
Trades
The Arizona Coyotes continued to convert available cap space into young talent by agreeing to take on the remaining three years and $16.5MM of Dave Bolland‘s contract while also adding Florida’s first-round pick in the 2015 draft, Lawson Crouse, in the transaction. In return, the Panthers acquired a conditional second in 2018 and a 2017 third-round choice.
Bolland is unlikely to suit up for Arizona this year and his injuries could actually spell the end of the road for the veteran forward. Consequently, the Coyotes will inevitably place Bolland on LTIR, subtracting his cap hit from their books. Meanwhile, since the contract is insured, the Coyotes will only have to pay Bolland $1.1MM in actual cash this season.
Opinions are mixed on Crouse’s potential with some thinking he profiles only as a bottom-six player who acquiring is not worth also absorbing Bolland’s deal. Others think he has top-six, power forward potential. Count Coyotes GM John Chayka among the latter as he feels players who share Crouse’s skill set are “rare to find, difficult to obtain.”
Florida, meanwhile, gains salary relief which can be reinvested in the 2016-17 product and two draft picks to help add to the team’s diminishing prospect pool.
PTOs
Rene Bourque – Bourque has been invited to attend camp with Colorado.
Brandon Prust – After a down year in Vancouver, Prust looks to latch on with the Leafs as a 4th liner who adds toughness.
Jeff Glass – With Toronto’s expected starter and backup, Frederik Andersen and Jhonas Enroth respectively, participating in the World Cup, Toronto decided to add a body to the training camp roster. Theoretically, Glass could earn a job somewhere in the Maple Leafs organization with a solid training cap performance.
Paul Bissonette – Bissonette will attempt to earn a job with the Kings but seems most likely destined for their AHL affiliate in Ontario, California.
Week In Review: 8/15/16 – 8/21/16
Less than a month away from the start of rookie camps, the NHL free agency period has slowed down nearly to a halt. However, there were a few notable things happening this past week as some noteworthy college players became unrestricted free agents. Here’s your recap of the week that was:
Notable Signings
Antoine Vermette (Ducks) – After being bought out by the Coyotes in early August, Vermette signed a two-year, $3.5MM contract with their division rivals, the Anaheim Ducks.
Radim Vrbata (Coyotes) – The former Coyote returned to the desert after a two year stint in Vancouver, where he had one very good year (31 goals and 63 points) and one very poor year (13 goals and 27 points). Vrbata signed for one season at $1MM, with a possible total of $3.25MM including performance bonuses.
Matt Cullen (Penguins) – The defending Stanley Cup Champions re-signed Cullen to a one-year, $1MM contract. Despite the cheap signing, the Penguins are still $3.9MM over the $73MM salary cap.
Sean Monahan (Flames) – The restricted free agent center signed a seven-year, $44.625MM contract. The Flames now have $8.6MM of cap space to sign their leading scorer Johnny Gaudreau.
Notable Entry-Level Contracts
John Gilmour (Rangers) – The Rangers made an early splash in the college free agent market, which would soon be overshadowed. Gilmour, the Flames seventh round pick in 2013, posted 65 points in 141 games at Providence College. Pro Hockey Rumor’s third ranked college free agent signed for two seasons worth $1.85MM.
Thomas DiPauli (Penguins) – The Penguins signed PHR’s second ranked college free agent to a two-year, $1.85MM entry-level contract. DiPauli was Capitals fourth round pick in 2012, and posted 78 points in 145 games with the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
Jimmy Vesey (Rangers) – By far the highest sought-after college free agent, Vesey surprised many and signed with the Rangers. The subject of much speculation this summer, Vesey was the Predators third round pick back in 2012 but was traded to Buffalo this spring when it was clear he wasn’t going to sign. Vesey is expected to step straight into the NHL and produce at a second or third line rate.
Logan Brown (Senators) – In non-college free agent news, the Senators signed their 11th overall pick to a three-year, $4.9MM entry-level contract. The 6’6, 220 lb center has 117 points in 115 career OHL games.
Week In Review: 8/8/16 – 8/14/16
The second week of August yielded a shocker in the hockey world as Patrick Roy stepped down as head coach of Colorado. As a result, the team will now have to react quickly to hire a new head coach with training camps set to begin a little more than a month from now. We took a closer look at some of the potential coaching options that GM Joe Sakic will be considering for his next hire.
Elsewhere, it was largely quiet but there were still a few newsworthy items around the league:
Reported Agreement
Radim Vrbata – Reportedly close to a one year deal with Arizona
Training Camp Tryout
James Wisniewski – Will attend Tampa Bay’s training camp
Re-Signings
Reid Boucher (Devils) – One year, $715K
Brian Ferlin (Bruins) – One year, $725K
There are 21 remaining restricted free agents this offseason.
Overseas Signings
Nick Spaling (Sharks UFA) – Geneve-Servette of the Swiss NLA, one year plus an option
Drew Shore (Flames UFA) – HC Kloten of the NLA, one year contract
Pending Retirement
Shawn Thornton (Panthers) – After 2016-17
Week In Review: 8/1/16 – 8/7/16
August is generally the quietest month of the entire calendar year for hockey news stories. The first week certainly reinforced that notion with little in the way of compelling story lines. Nonetheless, here’s your roundup of the week’s news.
Notable UFA Signings
Sam Gagner (Blue Jackets) – One year, $650K
Key Prospect Signings
Olli Juolevi (Canucks) – ELC – Three Years, $925K AAV with $850K in Schedule A bonuses available and $600K in Schedule B bonuses for the 2017-18 season.
Coaching/Management Hires
Former NHL players Jay Leach and Trent Whitfield were added to the coaching staff of the AHL Providence Bruins.
Las Vegas made a number of hires as they fill out their front office. Kelly McCrimmon becomes the team’s assistant GM, while Wil Nichol, formerly a scout in the Washington organization, was hired as the club’s director of player development.
Overseas Transactions
Marc-Andre Bergeron, who appeared in 490 NHL regular season games and tallied 253 points primarily filling the role of power play specialist for seven NHL clubs, was released from his contract with Zurich in the Swiss League.
Week In Review: 7/25/16 – 7/31/16
While the final week of July didn’t have much in the way of trade activity or UFA signings, it was still a busy one as many restricted free agents came to terms on new deals. Here’s a look back at the week that was.
Notable Re-Signings
Brayden Schenn (Flyers) – Four years, $20.5MM
Peter Holland (Maple Leafs) – Two years, $2.5MM
Danny DeKeyser (Red Wings) – Six years, $30MM
Vladislav Namestnikov (Lightning) – Two years, $3.875MM
Mike Hoffman (Senators) – Four years, $20.75MM
Petr Mrazek (Red Wings) – Two years, $8MM
Calle Jarnkrok (Predators) – Six years, $12MM
Connor Murphy (Coyotes) – Six years, $23.1MM
Michael Stone (Coyotes) – One year, $4MM
Mathew Dumba (Wild) – Two years, $5.1MM
Martin Marincin (Maple Leafs) – Two years, $2.5MM
Tyson Barrie (Avalanche) – Four years, $22MM
UFA Signing
Matt Carle (Predators) – One year, $700K
Coaching Contract
Bill Peters (Hurricanes) – Two year extension through 2018-19
Players Signing Overseas
Kris Versteeg – SC Bern in Switzerland
Mike Santorelli – Geneve-Servette in Switzerland
Contract Termination
David Rundblad (Blackhawks) – Link
Training Camp Tryout
Maxim Lapierre (Rangers) – Link
Key Prospect Signing
Jakob Chychrun (Coyotes) – Three year, entry-level deal
Week In Review: 7/18/16 – 7/24/16
With the excitement of free agency mostly over, NHL teams are now taking care of housekeeping items like avoiding arbitration hearings with their remaining RFAs. Here’s a look back at the week that was.
Trades
July 18 – New York Rangers acquire C Mika Zibanejad and a 2018 2nd round pick from the Ottawa Senators in exchange for C Derick Brassard and a 2018 7th round pick.
Notable Signings
Marcus Johansson (Capitals) – avoided arbitration with a three-year, $13.75MM contract.
Mikhail Grigorenko (Avalanche) – the RFA forward signed a one-year contract worth $1.3MM before his arbitration hearing.
Chris Kreider (Rangers) – agreed to a four-year, $18.5MM contract, avoiding arbitration.
Kevin Hayes (Rangers) – avoided arbitration by signing a two-year contract worth $5.2MM.
Connor Carrick (Maple Leafs) – unlike many of the weeks signings, Carrick was not eligible for arbitration. He signed a two-year, $1.5MM contract.
Luke Schenn (Coyotes) – signed a two-year, $2.5MM contract in Arizona after splitting last season between the Flyers and Kings. Schenn was ranked 30th on our Top 50 Unrestricted Free Agents List.
Waivers
Jordan Schroeder (Wild) – cleared waivers, then settled on a new one-year, $650K contract prior to his arbitration hearing.
Peter Holland (Maple Leafs) – Holland is not expected to be back with the Maple Leafs next season after clearing waivers ahead of his upcoming arbitration hearing.
Notable Prospect Signings
Auston Matthews (Maple Leafs) – three-year entry-level deal
Jack Roslovic (Jets) – three-year entry-level deal
Retirements
Brad Richards (Red Wings) – The veteran center announced his retirement on July 20. Richards scored 932 points in 1126 NHL games with the Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers, Dallas Stars, and the Tampa Bay Lightning. Richards won two Stanley Cups: 2004 with the Lightning and 2015 with the Blackhawks. Richards was the Conn Smythe Trophy winner in 2004.