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Trade Rumors: Ekman-Larsson, Mrazek, Virtanen, Tampa Bay

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Name a top trade target or impending free agent and they seem to be linked to the Edmonton Oilers. While the team clearly needs to help superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, they have cap constraints because of those players as well and holes to fill all over the roster. The team must be confident that they can perform some cap magic, as they have their sights set on making a big splash this off-season. TSN’s Darren Dreger backed up previous rumors today that the Oilers have been talking to the Arizona Coyotes about elite defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson. In fact, Dreger notes that discussions have been preliminary, but the interest is serious. It’s a complex situation given the cap situations in both Edmonton and Arizona, but the teams appear to be working through their options when it comes to moving Ekman-Larsson, a proven top-pair commodity. Of course, it’s worth noting that Ekman-Larsson has a full No-Movement Clause and could nix a deal to Edmonton if he chooses. Dreger adds that the Boston Bruins also remain interested; Ekman-Larsson may very well prefer landing alongside Charlie McAvoy on the top pair of a perennial contender.

  • The Oilers are also known to be eyeing an addition in goal and have kicked the tires on a number of netminders on the trade block. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that the latest name on that list is the Carolina Hurricanes’ Petr Mrazek. LeBrun believes that Mrazek could be more of a fallback option if Edmonton cannot add Pittsburgh’s Matt Murray or Arizona’s Darcy Kuemper or can’t woo Jacob Markstrom in free agency. Of course, if Mrazek is even available for trade, it may mean that Carolina has already landed one of those three Oilers targets for themselves. Mrazek had a fine season for the ’Canes, but the team is looking to upgrade at starter. Unfortunately for Edmonton, Carolina’s castoff would still be an upgrade for them.
  • From GM Jim Benning’s comments since his Vancouver Canucks were eliminated from the postseason, it should come as no surprise that he is listening to offers for restricted free agent forward Jake Virtanen, according to Dreger. Virtanen has failed to live up to the expectations of being the 2014 sixth overall pick, but is still due a significant upgrade over his expiring $1.25MM AAV. The cap-strapped Canucks have greater needs than Virtanen’s third-line scoring totals and may be able to put his cap space to greater use via trade. Dreger reports that there is plenty of interest in the 24-year-old power forward, who could still grow into the dangerous scorer that he was in junior.
  • The Tampa Bay Lightning are less than a day removed from taking home the 2020 Stanley Cup title, but GM Julien BriseBois is already back at work. LeBrun speculates that Tampa must clear at least $10MM in cap space in order to re-sign RFA’s Anthony Cirelli, Mikhail Sergachev, and Erik Cernak and to rebuild a defense with numerous pending UFA’s. As such,  BriseBois can’t afford to waste any time with free agency approaching. LeBrun notes that the two most talked-about names on the Lightning roster right now are forwards Tyler Johnson and Yanni Gourde. However, he notes that both players have full No-Trade Clauses and would have to accept any trade. As a result, LeBrun believes there is a growing suspicion that the Bolts may trade a player or two that no one is suspecting in order to clear cap space. That could mean one of the RFA’s themselves is dealt, or perhaps it could be a player lacking trade protection, such as Brayden Point or Andrei Vasilevskiy. One way or another, the Cup-winning roster will look very different next season.

Islanders Notes: Injuries, RFAs, Barzal

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New York Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello spoke to the media today, giving his thoughts on several topics. As Andrew Gross of Newsday tweets, that included an update on several injured players. Casey Cizikas, Adam Pelech, and Tom Kuhnhackl have all undergone successful surgeries and are expected to be ready for the start of the 2020-21 training camp (whenever that takes place).

While Cizikas and Pelech are heading into the last year of their respective contracts, Kuhnhackl will actually become an unrestricted free agent next month. The 28-year-old forward suited up in three postseason games for the Islanders and could potentially be brought back as a depth option next season.

  • While Kuhnhackl is one of several unrestricted free agent decisions the team has, there are even more to be made on restricted free agents. While players like Mathew Barzal and Ryan Pulock are obviously going to get qualifying offers, that may not be the case for some of the Islanders minor league players. In fact, Lamoriello expects that there will be one or two RFAs not qualified. That may be the case in many organizations around the league as teams navigate their new financial situations.
  • For Barzal though, Lamoriello isn’t worried about the upcoming negotiation. When asked about the danger of an offer sheet, Lamoriello told Gross that he is confident the team will get their players signed. The 23-year-old center is coming off another excellent season and showed he could be a postseason performer as well with 17 points in 22 games.

Robert Hagg Signs With Philadelphia Flyers

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After a report surfaced this morning that Shayne Gostisbehere is available for trade, the Philadelphia Flyers have moved to lock up one of their other defensemen. Robert Hagg has signed a new two-year contract that will carry an average annual value of $1.6MM. Hagg was scheduled for restricted free agency next month and was arbitration-eligible. He will now be under contract through the 2021-22 season, after which he will be an unrestricted free agent.

Hagg, 25, was a second-round pick of the Flyers back in 2013 but spent several years in the minor leagues polishing his game. By the time he reached the NHL in 2017, he was a strong, punishing defender that offered a new look for the organization. In fact, over the last three seasons, Hagg has recorded 632 hits, fourth among all NHL defenders and tenth among all skaters. Over the same period, he has blocked 337 shots, a number that puts him only behind Ivan Provorov on the Flyers and still among the league’s best.

No, hits and blocked shots aren’t everything, but with so many other talented puck-moving defensemen in the Flyers system, Hagg’s physical profile fits in well. He offers a different look for opposing teams, while actually taking relatively few minor penalties. At $1.6MM per season, he will still represent an inexpensive option that can be deployed on the third pairing nightly.

For the Flyers, that leaves Philippe Myers and Nolan Patrick as the two biggest restricted free agents left to sign. Justin Braun is also a free agent—though the unrestricted variety—but there are other young options for Philadelphia if they choose to let him walk.

Free Agent Focus: Columbus Blue Jackets

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With free agency now just a couple weeks away, teams are looking ahead to when it opens up.  There will be several prominent players set to hit the open market while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign. While the Columbus Blue Jackets have no UFA’s of note, they still have their work cut out for them with a laundry list of RFA’s, including several core players.

Key Restricted Free Agents

F Pierre-Luc Dubois – Getting Dubois, 22, locked up long-term is the core objective of the Blue Jackets’ off-season. Over the three seasons of his entry-level contract, Dubois totaled 158 points in 234 games, including a 61-point campaign in 2018-19 and a 57-point pace this season. He also wrapped up his contract on a high note, recording ten points in ten playoff games this year. For a team that is lacking in center depth and elite scoring talent, Dubois is critical to the short-term and long-term success of the Blue Jackets.

The problem is balancing Dubois’ long-term potential and dollar value with the team’s limited cap space for next season With no unrestricted free agents departing the lineup, the Blue Jackets have limited funds to work with against the flat cap. Yet, they also don’t want to settle for a more affordable short-term contract and risk Dubois continuing to improve and increasing his price on a new contract. Negotiations are already underway and the goal stated by both sides is to stick with a lengthy term and to get the deal done before free agency opens to provide the club with some cap clarity.

If a long-term extension can be reached, don’t be surprised to see an AAV of upwards of $8MM or more. If the two sides instead opt for a short-term deal given the fiscal constraints of the current NHL economy, Dubois is still likely set to make $6.5MM or more against the cap on his next deal.

F Josh Anderson – It’s difficult to know where the status quo lies between the Blue Jackets and Anderson. The last time that these two sides sat down to negotiate a contract, it was a contentious affair that ended in a late-summer, below-market contract that left Anderson unhappy and fueled trade rumors. Those flames were stoked by a 27-goal, 47-point season for Andersson in 2018-19 in which the young power forward greatly outplayed his contract. Yet, the tables turned again this season, as Anderson missed much of the year due to injury and was unproductive even when active. The season tanked Anderson’s trade value and at least some of his bargaining power and left his future with Columbus up in the air.

The latest twist in this saga was Anderson’s recent proclamation that he hopes to sign long-term in Columbus. This runs counter to his previous sentiment, but could end up working in the Blue Jackets’ favor. Given their cap crunch this off-season, the team could benefit from deflating the AAV on an Andersson extension by extending the term. Anderson could also return to form and again be a bargain for the club. The risk of course is that his injury troubles persist or he is unable to rediscover his scoring touch. Given the uncertainty of this off-season and Andersson’s health and performance, this seems like a case that is more likely to be settled in salary arbitration than with a long-term deal. While a one-year arbitrator’s decision might risk Andersson leaving as an unrestricted free agent next summer, the Blue Jackets would likely be happy to get an affordable deal done for Anderson and to have another year to consider whether they want to re-sign or trade the big winger.

D Vladislav Gavrikov – Since joining Columbus in the 2019 playoffs, Gavrikov has done nothing but prove that he is a solid two-way defenseman. While his lack of NHL experience makes it difficult to project his long-term value, Gavrikov has at least earned a raise and some security in his next contract. It’s unclear what the expectations are for Gavrikov’s new deal, but the Blue Jackets have all of the leverage. Due to his limited experience, Gavrikov falls under Section 10.2(c) of the CBA as a restricted free agent who is not eligible to sign an offer sheet. Barring a trade, Columbus is the only NHL team that Gavrikov can play for and they can more or less dictate the terms of the next contract. With that said, Gavrikov has proven to be a reliable top-four defenseman and the Blue Jackets are not going to play games. Expect the team to work out a short-term deal with Gavrikov and potentially trade one of their other seven one-way defensemen to cement his role as a core piece on the blue line.

Other RFAs: F Paul Bittner, F Marko Dano, F Maxime Fortier, F Jakob Lilja, F Ryan MacInnis, F Justin Scott, F Devin Shore, F Kole Sherwood, F Calvin Thurkauf, D Gabriel Carlsson, D Ryan Collins, D Michael Prapavessis, G Matiss Kivlenieks

UFAs: D Dillon Simpson, D Doyle Somerby

Projected Cap Space

CapFriendly lists the Blue Jackets as having 22 of 23 roster spots already filled for next season, including 19 one-way contracts. As a result, it should not be a surprise that their cap space is limited, with CapFriendly projecting just over $7MM to spare. The concern though is that Dubois and Gavrikov – at the very least – will be on the roster and should combine for well over $7MM. And that is not even including any free agent or trade additions for a team that has vowed to be active on the forward market. Fortunately, the team will get a bit of a break in the form of Brandon Dubinsky, who is not healthy enough to play again. Dubinsky’s $5.85MM cap hit will be wiped out, bringing Columbus’ true cap space total to around $13MM. While most of that will still be taken up by RFA signings, it will give the club some more flexibility to change up the roster if they so desire.

Overseas Notes: Lagesson, Sproul, Martinsen, Koppanen

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Edmonton restricted free agent defenseman William Lagesson has signed a contract, but not with the Oilers. Lagesson has inked a one-year contract with HC Vita Hasten of the Allsvenskan, the Swedish second tier league. The team announced the contract and emphasized that the deal covered the entire 2020-21 season, but don’t expect the promising young defender to follow through on that commitment. PuckPedia reports that the contract contains an NHL Out Clause, allowing Lagesson to leave Vita Hasten once the NHL season begins, assuming he has a contract. By all accounts, the Oilers are planning to re-sign the 24-year-old RFA, who played in eight games in Edmonton last season. A standout in the Swedish junior ranks and at the University of Massachusetts, Lagesson doesn’t project as a top-four defenseman for the Oilers, but is a valuable, two-way depth option. Expect Lagesson’s contract with Vita Hasten to essentially act as a loan, with the defenseman in Edmonton camp as soon as it opens.

  • Long-time Detroit Red Wings prospect Ryan Sproul left North America last off-season to sign with the KHL’s Chinese contingent, the Kunlun Red Star. The puck-moving defenseman had a strong season and was seeking a contract back home this summer, but has now opted to return to Kunlun. The Red Star announced a new one-year deal with Sproul, retaining yet another of their numerous former NHLers. Playing on a roster that is chock full of fellow North Americans, Sproul will continue to play a familiar style alongside his peers, all in the hopes that another good year can earn him more attention among NHL clubs the next time around.
  • Former NHL grinder Andreas Martinsen is headed home. The big forward has signed a one-year deal back in his native Norway with Lillehammer, the team with which he has played the most games in his pro career. Lillehammer was excited to announce the homecoming of the iconic Norweigian forward, who is one of just five from his country to play in 100+ NHL games. Martinsen, who last played in the NHL in 2018-19, spent the first half of this past season in the AHL before departing for the Swiss NLA. At 30, it is unclear if Martinsen’s return to Norway could mark a retirement phase of his career or if he is simply most comfortable back home given the many repercussions of the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic.
  • The Boston Bruins have loaned prospect forward Joona Koppanen to KOOVEE of the Finnish minor league Metsis, the team announced. As the press release details, Koppanen’s opportunity has been limited in North America, which begs the question whether this loan could extend beyond NHL training camp unlike most others. Koppanen, a 6’5″, 200-lb. forward who plays center and wing, showed improvement in his second full season in North America in 2019-20, recording 18 points in 43 games with AHL Providence. Yet, he was not a full-time player and saw time in the ECHL for the second straight season. With the 2016 fifth-rounder’s entry-level contract expiring after the coming season, the Bruins may prefer to see how Koppanen performs as a top-line forward in the Metsis rather than a part-time bottom-six forward in the AHL.

Pittsburgh Penguins Extend Jared McCann

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have come to terms on a new contract with one of their pending restricted free agents. The team has announced that forward Jared McCann has signed a two-year extension with a $2.94MM AAV. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman adds that the contract carries a $2.5MM salary in year one and a $3.38MM salary in year two. McCann will be a restricted free agent again when the deal expires after the 2021-22 season.

McCann, 24, is coming off of a career year and appears to have finally found a long-term NHL home. A 2014 first-round pick, McCann was traded first by the Vancouver Canucks after his first pro season and then again by the Florida Panthers midway through his fourth pro season. While those teams felt McCann was falling short of high expectations, the Penguins have gotten the most out of him. Since arriving in Pittsburgh in February 2019, McCann has recorded 52 points in 98 games, including 35 points this season, a career-high in points per game. McCann also ranks sixth among Penguins skaters in points during that span. If he continues to improve offensively and scores at a top-six level for the club, McCann’s extension will prove to be a major bargain for the Penguins.

The challenge though is where to place McCann in the lineup. While he has the versatility to play both wing and center, the Penguins have been unhappy with his performance when slotted down the middle. McCann’s record at the face-off dot leaves much to be desired, as does his ability to drive offense down the middle of the ice. If McCann is not a fit as the Penguins’ third line center, that position remains a major hole in their lineup while McCann becomes yet another of the team’s numerous wingers. Pittsburgh is unlikely to have re-signed McCann if they also planned to move him, but this deal makes it even more likely that the team could look to move another winger in order to improve elsewhere.

With McCann signed, the Penguins have just over $6MM in cap space with their situation in net still to resolve – Matt Murray and Tristan Jarry are both unsigned RFA’s – and two other RFA forwards in Dominik Simon and Sam Lafferty in need of new deals. This doesn’t leave GM Jim Rutherford much room to explore the free agent market unless another trade is still on the way.

Qualifying Offer Deadline Set For October 7

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Given the added pressure applied by the flat salary cap, restricted free agent negotiations will take on even greater importance this off-season. That process is set to begin in just over four weeks, as TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that the deadline for teams to submit qualifying offers to their restricted free agents has been set for 4pm CT on Wednesday, October 7.

In order for any team to retain their rights to a restricted free agent, the team must submit a qualifying offer. This value is based on the RFA’s expiring contract; a base salary greater than or equal to $1MM is only owed a matching offer, while a base salary less than $1MM is owed a qualifying offer of 105% of the base (a base salary less than $660K is owed 110%). New this year is also a rule pertaining to those contracts signed after July 10 for the purpose of burning an entry-level contract. Those players may receive a qualifying offer up to 120% of their base salary.  A qualifying offer must also be a one-way contract if the player has played in at least 171 NHL games over the past three seasons combined and at least 51 NHL games in 2019-20, and did not clear waivers this season.

Those RFA’s who do receive qualifying offers are then able to sign those offers when the new league year begins at 11am CT on Friday, October 9. Those offers expire on Sunday, October 18 at 4pm CT. Even if a player does not sign their QO, the issuing team maintains the player’s rights simply by making the offer. A restricted free agent can only be signed to a new team by way of an offer sheet.

As for those RFA’s who do not receive qualifying offers, they become unrestricted free agents and join the open market on October 9. Given the cap crunch that many teams are facing, this has a chance to be an unprecedented year when it comes to the RFA market. Teams will have to seriously think about the opportunity cost of extending or in some cases increasing the salaries of some of their current young players. It will be interesting to see what happens when the deadline approaches on October 7.

L.A. Kings Re-Sign Sean Walker

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The Los Angeles Kings have come to terms on a long-term extension with one of their more under-rated contributors. Defenseman Sean Walker has signed a four-year extension with the club after completing just his first full NHL season. The contract carries a $2.65MM AAV, all in base salary, with the following salary breakdown:  $2MM in 2020-21, $2.25MM in 2021-22, $3MM in 2022-23, and $3.35MM in 2023-24. When the contract expires in 2024, Walker will be an unrestricted free agent.

Walker, 25, played in all 70 games for the Kings this year, logging more ice time than all defensemen but Drew Doughty. Walker’s five goals and 24 points also trailed only Doughty among club defenders. Walker is also a capable checker and shot-blocker, but his true talent lies in moving the puck and creating offense. A standout at Bowling Green State University who made an immediate impact in the AHL with the Ontario Reign as well, Walker showed in 39 games with L.A. last season that he was already ready to help at the NHL level as well. However, a major boost in per-game scoring and possession led to an increase in ice time and a role that few expected for Walker in his first full NHL season. The Kings are ow hoping that he can continue to improve and take on more responsibility over the course of his next extension.

With Walker signed long-term, avoiding arbitration, the Kings’ greatest RFA hurdle of the off-season is already complete. Only the likes of Nikolai Prokhorkin, Matt Luff, and Sheldon Rempal remain meaningful RFA’s in need of a new contract. On defense, Doughty and the Kings’ young core are all signed through at least next season. The team will have to make a call on UFA’s Ben Hutton and Joakim Ryan, but could instead opt to search the free agent and trade markets for another impact veteran to complement Walker and company.

Sabres Coaches Declined Pay Cut, Team Considering Internal Salary Cap

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It should not surprise anyone that NHL teams across the league are hurting financially. A shortened regular season, a postseason without any ticket revenue, and no idea when fans may be able to return to games has every franchise scrambling to cut costs wherever possible. For some, that has included asking coaches and staff members to take pay cuts or forego bonuses. For others, it means reduced spending on player salaries this coming season – an internal salary cap. As TSN’s Frank Seravalli writes, these difficult decisions do not lie only with the NHL’s small or non-traditional markets either. The Pittsburgh Penguins are reportedly considering a lower internal salary cap for 2020-21, while the Jack Adams-winning head coach of the Boston Bruins, Bruce Cassidy, and his staff declined playoff bonuses. In total, Seravalli reports that 17 teams have made some sort of meaningful pay cut to their coaching or front office staffs, while several others will be forced to cut player salaries this off-season.

However, a team can only ask so much and now the Buffalo Sabres and owners Terry and Kim Pegula are getting push-back from key members of their club. The Pegulas did not pull any punches when it came to cost cutting earlier this summer. The team fired 22 hockey operations staffers back in June, including then-GM Jason Botterill, and reduced their front office staff to a skeleton crew. Yet, even before that they had cut the pay of head coach Ralph Krueger and his staff by 20% from April 1 to July 13. Seravalli reports that at the end of that period, the team requested that the coaches take a 25% pay reduction for another extended period of time; they declined. While most coaching staffs have been willing to take a pay cut to prevent other personnel losses in the front office, Krueger and company sat and watched as their hockey operations staff was decimated even as they sacrificed a significant portion of their pay. As a result, they refused to do it a second time, perhaps knowing there were no more hockey jobs left for the Pegulas to cut. Seravalli notes that this is the first reported instance of a coaching staff rejecting a voluntary pay cut.

While the Buffalo coaches and front office may be safe, the need for further budget cuts is likely to affect how much talent they have to work with next season. Seravalli reports that the team is now planning to enforce an internal salary cap in the low $70MM range, potentially putting payroll $10MM under the $81.5MM salary cap ceiling. On paper, this may not seem too bad for the Sabres, who have just over $48MM committed to their 2020-21 roster. However, that amount covers just ten players, as Buffalo counts seven unrestricted free agents and six restricted free agents among their regulars from this past season. The team is looking at as little as $22MM or so on their internal salary cap to fill 13 roster spots, and new contracts for RFA’s Sam Reinhart, Victor Olofsson, Brandon Montour, and Linus Ullmark are bound to eat up the vast majority of that space. While every team in the NHL is struggling due to the impact of COVID-19, the Sabres had already been struggling for a lot longer than most and there does not appear to be an end in sight.

Joni Tuulola Signs In Finland

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When the Chicago Blackhawks go to sign their restricted free agents this offseason, they’ll have to convince at least one to return from Europe. Joni Tuulola has signed a one-year deal with KooKoo in Finland, but the deal includes an NHL out-clause should he reach a new agreement in North America.

Tuulola, 24, has spent the last two seasons with the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL, recording 22 points in 110 games. The 6’3″ defenseman was a sixth-round pick of the Blackhawks in 2015 and was part of the 2016 gold medal-winning Finnish team at the World Juniors.

As his entry-level deal is just coming to an end, Tuulola is scheduled to be an RFA this offseason and is arbitration-eligible. In order to retain his rights, the Blackhawks would need to extend him a qualifying offer. For now, he’ll spend his days playing in Europe and continuing his development.

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