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Snapshots: Mattheos, McDavid, Rantanen

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Carolina Hurricanes prospect Stelio Mattheos will not be taking part in the team’s training camp this year, as he instead will be completing treatment for testicular cancer. Mattheos was diagnosed in June and has already undergone surgery and multiple courses of chemotherapy. He is expected to return to full health. The 20-year old forward released a statement through the team:

I’d like to thank everyone who reached out to offer support and well wishes since the diagnosis. I’ve had amazing support from my friends, family, teammates, coaches and all of the hockey organizations I’ve been a part of, including the Hurricanes, Checkers and Brandon Wheat Kings.

I owe a debt of gratitude to my surgeon, Dr. Sabeer Rehsia, and all of the staff at Grace Hospital, as well as Dr. Piotr Czaykowski at Cancer Care Manitoba and all of the nurses on the chemotherapy ward.

The third-round pick from 2017 got his first taste of professional hockey earlier this year when he joined the Charlotte Checkers for their stretch drive and playoff run that eventually ended in a Calder Cup championship. The former WHL standout was expected to compete for a bigger role with Charlotte this season but will obviously be taking care of his health first.

  • Speaking of missing part of training camp, alarm bells went up today when Connor McDavid decided not to take part in the annual BioSteel camp in Toronto. Edmonton Oilers fans can breathe however as McDavid explained to reporters including Mark Masters of TSN that he has not suffered any setbacks in his recovery from a knee injury suffered late in the season. The Oilers star has been on the ice for the last couple of months and is working towards his goal of being on the ice at the beginning of training camp next month.
  • Mikko Rantanen doesn’t have a contract yet and will likely not be attending Colorado Avalanche training camp without one, but that doesn’t mean he’s not on the ice. The Storhamar Dragons in Norway tweeted today that Rantanen has been skating with them. Unsigned restricted free agents often find a place to skate and train while their contracts are negotiated, like we saw with William Nylander throughout the first part of last season. Mitch Marner recently was connected to the Zurich Lions, and many of the other names on the RFA list will likely follow suit if their deals aren’t completed soon.

Poll: Who Will Be The First Top RFA To Sign?

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It’s the question on everyone’s mind. When will these restricted free agents sign? The workday on the second last Friday of August has almost come to an end and there is still a huge list of unsigned stars with no real progress being made. Whether they are all waiting on Mitch Marner or Brayden Point to set the market or not, we’re starting to get closer and closer to the start of training camp and real contract holdouts beginning. We’ve already heard one player has contacted a European squad to give them a place to train, and there will undoubtedly be more.

So who breaks the dam? When Colin White signed earlier this week there was hope that things were finally progressing, but instead there has been deafening silence around the league. Even with small tidbits of information coming out from situations surrounding Zach Werenski and Brock Boeser, there still doesn’t seem to be any movement. Boston Bruins GM Don Sweeney explained today that things with Brandon Carlo and Charlie McAvoy are going “not as fast as everybody would like” but that he’s confident they will be with the organization for a long time.

It’s not even just the top players that are still out there without a contract. Names like Kevin Fiala, Brendan Perlini and Adrian Kempe are still without deals for one reason or another and may still be waiting on the high-profile players to be finished first. That’s a tough place for any young player to be in, especially when you’re not quite as established as someone like Point or Marner. Missing training camp would be a huge detriment to their careers, meaning they’re likely watching the news wire just as closely.

When will things change? Who will finally decide that the waiting game is taking too long? Cast your vote below and make sure to explain why in the comments. We’ve included the top names, but feel free to explain why another player may be the one to kick things off.

Who will be the first top RFA to sign?
Brock Boeser 18.56% (173 votes)
Mikko Rantanen 12.34% (115 votes)
Brayden Point 12.23% (114 votes)
Matthew Tkachuk 10.62% (99 votes)
Zach Werenski 10.09% (94 votes)
Mitch Marner 9.55% (89 votes)
Travis Konecny 7.62% (71 votes)
Kyle Connor 7.19% (67 votes)
Charlie McAvoy 5.04% (47 votes)
Patrik Laine 3.65% (34 votes)
Ivan Provorov 3.11% (29 votes)
Total Votes: 932

[Mobile users click here to vote]

Remaining Unsigned Restricted Free Agents

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Originally published on August 9th

The NHL is extremely quiet today with just one transaction, the one-year two-way contract for Hunter Warner. That’s the way it has been on the restricted free agent market for some time, with very few non-arbitration deals coming down the pipe. In fact with just over a month before training camps open, 46 restricted free agents remain unsigned for the upcoming season. Among them are some of the most impressive young talents in the game and several others who are still promising prospects. Still more of the players are those who will play overseas in 2019-20 and were qualified in order for a team to retain their exclusive negotiating rights.

The full list of unsigned restricted free agents is as follows:

Anaheim Ducks:

(none)

Arizona Coyotes:

F Emil Pettersson – Will not sign, playing in SHL

Boston Bruins:

F Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson* – Will not sign, playing in SHL
D Charlie McAvoy*
D Brandon Carlo

Buffalo Sabres:

(none)

Calgary Flames:

F Matthew Tkachuk
F Andrew Mangiapane
F Spencer Foo – Will not sign, playing in KHL

Carolina Hurricanes:

F Saku Maenalanen
F Roland McKeown

Chicago Blackhawks:

F Brendan Perlini
F Victor Ejdsell – Will not sign, playing in SHL

Colorado Avalanche:

F Mikko Rantanen
D Sergei Boikov – Will not sign, playing in KHL

Columbus Blue Jackets:

F Lukas Sedlak – Will not sign, playing in KHL
D Zach Werenski

Dallas Stars:

D Julius Honka
D Niklas Hansson – Will not sign, playing in SHL

Detroit Red Wings:

G Patrik Rybar – Will not sign, playing in Liiga

Edmonton Oilers:

F Jesse Puljujarvi

Florida Pantherss:

F Maxim Mamin – Will not sign, playing in KHL
F Juho Lammikko – Will not sign, playing in Liiga
F Denis Malgin

Los Angeles Kings:

F Adrian Kempe

Minnesota Wild:

F Kevin Fiala
F Joel Eriksson Ek – Signed for two years, $2.975MM
D Louie Belpedio

Montreal Canadiens:

(none)

Nashville Predators:

(none)

New Jersey Devils:

F Pavel Zacha

New York Islanders:

F Anthony Beauvillier
F Joshua Ho-Sang – Signed for two years, $1.4MM
F Michael Dal Colle – Signed for one year, two-way, $874K

New York Rangers:

F Brendan Lemieux
D Anthony DeAngelo

Ottawa Senators:

F Colin White* – Signed for six years, $28.5MM

Philadelphia Flyers:

F Travis Konecny
D Ivan Provorov

Pittsburgh Penguins:

D Marcus Pettersson

San Jose Sharks:

(none)

St. Louis Blues:

F Ivan Barbashev

Tampa Bay Lightning:

F Brayden Point
F Adam Erne – Traded to DET, signed for one year, $1.05MM

Toronto Maple Leafs:

F Mitch Marner

Vancouver Canucks:

F Brock Boeser*
F Nikolay Goldobin

Vegas Golden Knights:

D Jimmy Schuldt*

Washington Capitals:

(none)

Winnipeg Jets:

F Kyle Connor
F Patrik Laine
G Eric Comrie

*Not eligible for offer sheet

Ottawa Senators Sign Colin White

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The restricted free agent market might finally be showing some cracks. The Ottawa Senators have signed RFA forward Colin White to a six-year contract. The contract will carry an average annual value of $4.75MM and breaks down as follows:

  • 2019-20: $4.0MM
  • 2020-21: $4.0MM
  • 2021-22: $4.75MM
  • 2022-23: $4.75MM
  • 2023-24: $4.75MM
  • 2024-25: $6.25MM

White, 22, was one of the players ineligible for an offer sheet this summer and will lose just a single year of unrestricted free agency with this deal. At $28.5MM it will however take the title of the largest contract Senators GM Pierre Dorion has ever given out, eclipsing the four-year, $20.75MM deal he signed Mike Hoffman to in 2016 (the Senators would pay out just $9.45MM before trading Hoffman).

The team’s trade history when it comes to expensive players will be the first thing coming to mind for many Senators fans, but there is no doubt that this contract is a step in the right direction for the franchise. White, selected 21st overall in 2015, broke out last season with 14 goals and 41 points in 71 games during his first full NHL season. That production will only likely increase in the coming years as White takes on more and more responsibility for the Senators as their presumptive first-line center.

A $4.75MM cap hit ties White as the second highest paid player on the Ottawa roster, behind only Bobby Ryan and right alongside goaltender Craig Anderson—as long as you don’t count the injured Ryan Callahan and Marian Gaborik contracts. It means there will be plenty of pressure on the young forward to continue his development as a top-line player and puts a good chunk of the offensive burden squarely upon his shoulders.

With White signed, the team can start to look towards their next big name inching closer to free agency—Thomas Chabot. The 22-year old is heading into the final year of his entry-level contract and is already one of the premier defensemen in the league. If Ottawa is truly committed to retaining their stars and building a competitive roster in the next few years, signing Chabot to a long-term deal is key.

Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet was first to report the two sides were close.

Islanders Re-Sign Michael Dal Colle, Josh Ho-Sang

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The New York Islanders have done some damage to their list of unsigned restricted free agents today, inking two of the three in forwards Michael Dal Colle and Josh Ho-Sang. The announcement was expected after GM Lou Lamoriello mentioned last week that two unnamed RFA’s had come to terms on new contracts. It is a two-year deal for Dal Colle and a one-year deal for Ho-Sang, leaving only Anthony Beauvillier still in need of a new extension. CapFriendly reports that Dal Colle signed for the minimum $700K AAV, but on a one-way deal, while Ho-Sang signed his qualifying offer, a two-way pact worth $874K at the NHL level.

Dal Colle, 23, earns a multi-year deal despite the fact that he is still struggling to prove he is an NHL-caliber player. The 2014 fifth overall pick entered the pro ranks with enormous expectations but has fallen very short to this point. Dal Colle has just 32 NHL games to his credit, along with seven total points. In the AHL, his production has been good, but far from elite, although he was a point-per-game player in limited action this past season. Currently trending to be just a part-time depth player for the Islanders, it is far from what the team expected when he was drafted before the likes of William Nylander, Nikolaj Ehlers, and Dylan Larkin in the first round five years ago.

Ho-Sang, also 23, was drafted in that same first round, 23 picks after Dal Colle in 2014. Unlike Dal Colle, he had been a productive depth player for New York, recording back-to-back seasons of double-digit points in less than 25 games to begin his NHL career. However, he took a step back in 2018-19, spending most of the year in the AHL and recording just two points in ten NHL games. Ho-Sang’s role moving forward thus remains a mystery just like Dal Colle’s, though he has one less year to prove he’s worthy of a continued commitment.

RFA Notes: Honka, Perlini, Boeser

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The Dallas Stars are still expected to move on from young defenseman Julius Honka at some point, it’s just not clear when that will be. The 23-year old spoke to Sean Shapiro of The Athletic (subscription required) and explained that he is trying to stay positive about the next chapter of his hockey career, despite not knowing exactly where that will be.

Honka is unsigned, one of the large group of restricted free agents still without a contract for the upcoming season. The Stars meanwhile have their defensive group filled out for 2019-20 thanks to the emergence of Miro Heiskanen and solid contributions from depth options like Roman Polak, Jamie Oleksiak and newcomer Andrej Sekera. With a lack of opportunity there have been trade rumors floating around Honka for quite some time, though it’s not clear when a move will actually be made.

  • One other young RFA that is expected to sign soon is Brendan Perlini of the Chicago Blackhawks, who continue to discuss a new contract according to Scott Powers of The Athletic. Powers relays news from a source that says a deal will get done “over the next week or so.” Perlini is the final restricted free agent left to sign for GM Stan Bowman, who has rebuilt the Blackhawks roster over the last several months by bringing in names like Andrew Shaw, Zack Smith, Olli Maatta and Calvin de Haan.
  • Though a deal for Perlini is imminent, that doesn’t sound like the case for Vancouver Canucks forward Brock Boeser. Iain MacIntyre of Sportsnet tweets that Canucks GM Jim Benning won’t have anything new to say about Boeser when he speaks to the media today about his own extension. Boeser is one a dozen high profile restricted free agents waiting for the market to be set by someone else—with most pointing to Mitch Marner or Brayden Point as the flag bearers for the class.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Carolina Hurricanes

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Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM. Teams that can avert total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2019-20 season. This will focus more on those players who are integral parts of the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.

Carolina Hurricanes

Current Cap Hit: $79,004,791 (under the $81.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Andrei Svechnikov (two years, $925K)
F Martin Necas (three years, $863K)
D Jake Bean (two years, $863K)
F Warren Foegele (one year, $747K)

Potential Bonuses:

Svechnikov: $2.65MM
Necas: $538K
Bean: $500K
Foegele: $20K

With a system full of top prospects, the Hurricanes got an impressive rookie season from Svechnikov, drafted with the second-overall pick in 2018, last season and now will have a top-six option for another two years at an entry-level cost. At 18 years old, he tallied 20 goals and 37 points and should be in line for more playing time and bigger numbers this season as a 19-year-old and could eventually become the franchise winger the team needs long-term. The Hurricanes also have high hopes for Necas to step in and take big role next season at the center position. The 2017 first-rounder had an impressive season for the Calder Cup Champion Charlotte Checkers of the AHL and could provide Carolina with some cheap talent.

Bean, the team’s first-rounder in 2016, has only made two appearances for Carolina, but could get a chance to take a much bigger role after a strong season with Charlotte, which saw his skills take that next step. The 23-year-old Foegele began to show off his offensive skill over the course of the season in Carolina. He scored 10 goals and 15 points during the regular season, but was even more impressive in the playoffs with five goals and nine points in just 15 games. If he can take his game up a notch, the Hurricanes could have an even more impressive offense next season.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

D Justin Faulk ($4.83MM, UFA)
F Erik Haula ($2.75MM, UFA)
D Trevor van Riemsdyk ($2.3MM, UFA)
D Gustav Forsling ($874K, RFA)
D Haydn Fleury ($850K, RFA)
F Brian Gibbons ($725K, UFA)
F Clark Bishop ($700K, RFA)
F Lucas Wallmark ($675K, RFA)

There were rumors that suggested that talks between Carolina and Faulk were no where close on a potential extension and others that said negotiations were promising, however, Faulk could be a legitimate trade candidate if the team can’t eventually work out an extension. The 27-year-old Faulk had a solid season both defensively as he was finally in the positive on his plus/minus for the first time in his career, while also adding 11 goals and 35 points. However, with a number of young defensemen who are waiting for a chance to get an opportunity in Carolina, it wouldn’t be shocking to see Carolina unload him at the trade deadline.

Haula is an interesting acquisition. The 28-year-old was coming off a 29-goal season in Vegas’ inaugural season, but then suffered a gruesome knee injury and never returned. In the end, he played just 15 games, although he was close to returning late in the season with many believing that he would have been available had the Golden Knights had gotten deeper into the playoffs. If he can prove to be healthy, Haula might prove to be one of the best acquisitions of the year. Whether the Hurricanes will re-sign him will obviously depend on how he fares next season.

The team might be ready to move on from van Riemsdyk, who has served as a bottom pairing defenseman, but probably makes too much at $2.3MM to keep around long term, especially since Fleury hasn’t really had a true chance to prove himself and could be a better option at his price.

Two Years Remaining

D Dougie Hamilton ($5.75MM, UFA)
G James Reimer ($3.4MM, UFA)
F Ryan Dzingel ($3.38MM, UFA)
G Petr Mrazek ($3.13MM, UFA)
F Brock McGinn ($2.1MM, UFA)
F Jordan Martinook ($2MM, UFA)
G Alex Nedeljkovic ($738K, RFA)

The team has a number of interesting contracts with two years left, including their entire goaltending situation. The team has Mrazek, who put together a stellar season after years of inconsistency, and new backup Reimer as the new tandem with their top prospect in Nedeljkovic close to ready to step into the lineup. All three will likely stay this season as Nedeljkovic is waiver exempt and likely will just stay in the AHL. However, if he can prove in training camp that he’s ready for the back-up role, few would be surprised if the team found a way to unload Reimer, who had a terrible season last year in Florida.

Despite hearing constant rumors that Carolina was shopping Hamilton around this offseason, it looks like the Hurricanes will have the veteran defenseman for another season. He put up solid numbers, scoring 18 goals an 39 points and is solid defensively, but he could eventually be a trade candidate, perhaps as early as the trade deadline if the team struggles and can’t reproduce the same success it had a season ago. The team also hopes that they can get Dzingel to provide the same type of offense he was producing in Ottawa, rather than his struggles in Columbus. However, he should provide solid value at his pricetag and fit in nicely as a middle-six option.

Three Years Remaining

F Nino Niederreiter ($5.25MM, UFA)

It might have been the trade of the year when the Hurricanes acquired Niederreiter from Minnesota for Victor Rask. While Rask struggled in Minnesota, Niederreiter’s season took off when he arrived, scoring 14 goals and 30 points in 36 games and he slotted in nicely on the first line. If he can produce anything close to that, the team has a steal of a deal for the next three years. If his production drops back to what it was in Minnesota earlier in the year (nine goals and 23 points in 46 games) then the team has a contract that could be a burden for some time.

Four Or More Years Remaining

F Sebastian Aho ($8.45MM through 2023-24)
F Jordan Staal ($6MM through 2022-23)
F Teuvo Teravainen ($5.4MM through 2023-24)
D Jaccob Slavin ($5.3MM through 2024-25)
D Brett Pesce ($4.03MM through 2023-24)

The Montreal Canadiens did Carolina a favor when they shocked the NHL by signing Aho to an offer sheet that didn’t look difficult to match. While five years likely isn’t ideal, the Hurricanes still now have their top franchise player signed until 2024 and can figure out its plans after that, but now are one of the few teams that have locked up their franchise restricted free agent already, with the rest still waiting to sign a contract. That should provide Aho, who had another breakout season with 30 goals and 83 points, with plenty of time to be ready for training camp and see if he can take his game to another level once again.

His linemate in Teravainen is another key piece of Carolina’s future who keeps producing better and better numbers. The 24-year-old produced 21 goals and a career-high 76 points and is locked up for another five years as well, giving Aho a solid winger to work with. The team, however, may not be as thrilled with the four years it still has in Staal, who produced one of his worst seasons although injuries did play apart. The 30-year-old still has four years at $6MM from a 10-year, $60MM deal he signed back in 2012. After posting just 11 goals and 28 points in 50 games, the team hopes he can bounce back.

One thing the Hurricanes did was locking up its young defenders. The team has seen Slavin develop into a top-line defenseman in the last year and to have him locked up at just $5.3MM for six more years will likely be one of the team’s biggest bargain for a long time. He has been averaging more than 22 minutes per game for three of his four seasons in the league. Pesce has also seen his game increase and is also a steal with the rising cost of young defensemen lately. Pesce saw his minutes break 20 minutes for a second straight season, while his offense increased by 10 points.

Buyouts

F Patrick Marleau ($6.25MM in 2019-20)
F Alexander Semin ($2.33MM through 2020-21)

Retained Salary Transactions

None

Salary Cap Recapture

None

Still To Sign

F Justin Williams (UFA)
F Saku Maenalanen (RFA)
D Roland McKeown (RFA)

One question that is still up for grabs is whether Williams will return to the team. The 37-year-old winger has been told he can take as much time as he wants to determine whether he wants to return to hockey. He’s made it clear it’s either Carolina or retirement, but after putting up a solid campaign last year of 23 goals and 53 points, it’s hard to believe that the veteran leader is ready to hang it up if he still is capable of producing as a top-six forward. While he may eventually have to slide down to the third line, the veteran was critical to the team’s deep playoff run and Carolina hopes he will come back.

While McKeown might have a hard time finding playing time in Carolina’s stacked defense, the team will need to get Maenalanen signed at some point. The 6-foot-4 bottom-six winger stepped into the lineup late in the season and was a solid contributor, posting four goals and eight points in 34 games, while skating for just 9:26 of ATOI. He provided some physical play and if he can steal a spot on the fourth line, could be valuable.

Best Value: Slavin
Worst Value: Staal

Looking Ahead

The Carolina Hurricanes have done an impressive job of drafting well, developing their talent and adding veteran talent at reasonable prices. With most of their core already locked up long-term and plenty of talent still on entry-level contracts, the Hurricanes should be able to keep their team competitive for years and keep getting better as the team continues to develop.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Latest On Kyle Connor Contract Talks

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While much of the ink this offseason has been spilled about Mitch Marner, there are plenty of other extremely talented restricted free agents still unsigned as we get closer to training camp. There is just a month left before the Winnipeg Jets will get together to prepare for the season but both Patrik Laine and Kyle Connor are still without contracts. In fact, the Jets only have seven forwards signed to one-way contracts for the upcoming campaign meaning any negotiations that leak into the regular season would put a lot of pressure on their already thin depth chart.

When asked by media including TSN whether he hopes to have a deal done before training camp starts, Connor was clear that would be his preference:

Yeah that’s definitely the plan. A player never wants to miss time in training camp, it’s tough always coming in and not getting that preparation, time with the teammates and practice. So that’s definitely a goal for sure.

I don’t think it’s anything to press the panic button on. It’s just kinda how these things do—take a little bit of time.

Connor wouldn’t comment on whether his representatives or the Jets are waiting on a player like Marner to set the market, something that has been speculated on for some time. The young forward also didn’t have much to say about any offer sheets coming his way, something that is still technically a possibility for many of the top names. After Sebastian Aho signed a sheet with the Montreal Canadiens on the first day of free agency—one that was quickly matched by the Carolina Hurricanes—the league seems to be back to normal concerning the RFA tactic (that is to say, there have been no others signed.)

While Laine has stolen many of the headlines the last several seasons in Winnipeg, it’s Connor who has established himself as a legitimate first line option at even-strength. The 22-year old former Michigan Wolverine has consecutive 30+ goal seasons in his first two full years in the NHL and put up 66 points in 2018-19. Laine meanwhile has continued his incredible goal scoring, but saw his overall performance drop to just 50 points in 82 games last season.

It’s that even-strength production for Connor that arguably makes him a more valuable player for the Jets moving forward, though both are obviously going to get huge raises coming off of their entry-level contracts. How exactly the team plans on fitting them into their current salary structure is unclear however, given they already have so much money tied up in a handful of other forwards. CapFriendly currently projects the Jets to have a little less than $17.6MM in cap space, but that is for a 17-man roster. That number starts to shrink as you add names from the minor leagues to fill out the forward ranks, and the pair of restricted free agents could easily eat up a combined chunk around $15MM depending on term. That financial crunch may end up forcing the Jets to go with a shorter contract for at least one of them, though nothing seems imminent at this point.

Latest On Mikko Rantanen’s Contract Talks

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Avalanche winger Mikko Rantanen is among the group of top-level restricted free agents that appear to be holding up much of the remaining offseason activity.  While he’s also in the group that appears to be waiting for other players to sign first, GM Joe Sakic told NHL.com’s Rick Sadowski that they are open to doing a short-term deal although their preference is to get something longer done.

Despite that preference, it doesn’t appear as if much has been done in an effort to secure a long-term contract.  Colorado Hockey Now’s Adrian Dater reports that there have been no discussions between Colorado and Rantanen’s agent Mike Liut dating back to an informal discussion back at the draft.

While daily discussions certainly aren’t a requirement in these types of negotiations, both sides typically check in from time to time to see if progress can be made.  On the surface, this report would suggest that there is a sizable gap to bridge and both sides are waiting for the other to make the first move towards a compromise.

Rantanen is coming off of a career year that saw him collect 87 points despite missing the final eight games of the regular season due to an upper-body injury.  It was the second straight year that he eclipsed the 80-point plateau which has him in line to be one of the top-paid RFAs in this class.  A deal in the $9MM to $10MM range is likely at this point unless he winds up with a bridge contract that doesn’t buy out any UFA eligibility.  However, Liut’s track record would suggest a short-term agreement isn’t likely.

With still a month to go before the start of training camps, there’s still plenty of time to get something done although the lack of substantive discussions thus far is a little surprising.  At the very least, the Avs won’t have any issue fitting Rantanen into their salary cap as they currently sit with more than $16MM in cap room, per CapFriendly.  That mitigates the risk of an offer sheet (as minor as that risk may be) but it appears that there’s a long way to go to get a deal done.

Columbus GM “Confident” Zach Werenski Contract Is Coming

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The Columbus Blue Jackets are just like a dozen other teams at this point in the offseason: waiting for something to happen in the restricted free agent market. The Blue Jackets have yet to sign star defenseman Zach Werenski for the upcoming season but as GM Jarmo Kekalainen puts it to Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (subscription required) the high profile RFAs are “waiting for somebody else to go first.” That doesn’t mean things haven’t progressed with Werenski though, as Kekalainen explained that the team is still confident things will get done before the start of training camp.

Werenski, 22, was the eighth overall selection in 2015 out of the University of Michigan and after returning for his sophomore season in the NCAA became an immediate success in the NHL. Recording 47 points as a rookie in 2016-17 he finished behind only Auston Matthews and Patrik Laine in Calder Trophy voting and even earned himself a handful of Norris Trophy votes. In the two years following he has only increased his role on the team, averaging close to 23 minutes a night for the Blue Jackets in 2018-19.

Unlike Charlie McAvoy who is another restricted free agent defenseman waiting on a contract, Werenski has completed three full seasons in the NHL and is eligible for an offer sheet. That is obviously very unlikely at this point, but it puts his negotiation in a slightly different category. Werenski is four years away from unrestricted free agency meaning any contract longer than that will push the average annual value substantially higher. Portzline reports the two sides have discussed several different scenarios including three and five-year deals.

The Blue Jackets may look very different next season without Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky in the lineup, but still aren’t a team to completely give up on in the Metropolitan Division. That’s in large part due to the stud duo of Werenski and Seth Jones on defense, who are both still young enough to experience even further development.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

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