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Snapshots: Claesson, Talbot, Abbandonato

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The deadline to extend qualifying offers to impending restricted free agents arrives on Tuesday, and another intriguing name can be added to the list of those likely not receiving an offer and hitting the open market. The New York Post’s Larry Brooks reports that Rangers defenseman Fredrik Claesson will not receive a qualifying offer from the team. Brooks cites roster space as the reason that New York has opted not to retain the 26-year-old, who played in 37 games in his first – and now only – season with the Rangers. The team only would have merely had to offer Claesson a two-way contract worth $735K to hold on to his RFA rights, but apparently are content to let him leave. With four veteran blue liners already signed, recent acquisition Jacob Trouba as well as Anthony DeAngelo as restricted free agents, and top prospects Adam Fox and Libor Hajek pushing for ice time, the Rangers do have plenty of depth without Claesson. Nevertheless, the former Ottawa Senators starter should draw plenty of attention as a new addition to the UFA market. Claesson joins a growing list of talented players not expected to receive qualifying offers, including Vancouver’s Derrick Pouliot, Los Angeles’ Nikita Scherbak, and Edmonton’s Ty Rattie and Tobias Rieder. 

  • At 35 years old, veteran Max Talbot is calling it a career. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun revealed that Talbot has decided to retire and end his playing days, but will stay involved with the game as a development adviser for CAA, a top hockey agency. Talbot may have spent his twilight years overseas, playing the past three seasons in the KHL, but few will forget his accomplishments in the NHL. Talbot spent eleven season in the league, making a name for himself as a top two-way player. Talbot received votes for the Selke Award as the league’s best defensive forward in four different seasons and was one of the most dangerous shorthanded specialists in the league during the prime of his career. Talbot spent the first six seasons of his career with the Pittsburgh Penguins, helping the team to a 2009 Stanley Cup title, and made stops in Philadelphia, Colorado, and Boston before heading for Russia in 2016.
  • As one pro career ends, another begins. QMJHL leading scorer Peter Abbandonato has signed with the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch, per TVA’s Mikhail Lalancette. It’s a two-year minor league deal for Abbandonato, who needs time to develop despite his impressive junior numbers. Abbandonato was a late-blooming forward, an undrafted and slightly undersized center who broke out this season in his final year of junior eligibility. The 21-year-old had a phenomenal season, though; he recorded 111 points in 68 games, including 82 assists, which also led the league and by a wide margin. Abbandonato then added 27 points in just 15 playoff games to help the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies to a QMJHL title. Like fellow undrafted top junior scorer Justin Brazeau of the OHL, Abbandonato had no other option but to sign a minor league deal and show that his skill set is pro-ready. If he can do that, Abbandonato should earn an entry-level contract, perhaps even before his AHL contract expires.

 

Free Agent Notes: Salary Cap, Marner, Gusev, Duchene, Dillon

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With rumors of the 2019-20 salary cap possibly being lower than the $83MM that teams initially expected, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that an NHLPA spokesperson told him that there should be an announcement on the salary cap this evening.

With talks that the salary cap could be as low as $81.5MM, LeBrun writes that the NHLPA is taking their time to weigh that number. That number is expected to have a significant effect on teams, especially on those that are tight to the cap as that leaves them even less room to work with and could force teams to dump salaries even more than ever.

  • LeBrun also tweets that the agent for Toronto Maple Leafs winger Mitch Marner, Darren Ferris, is expecting to hear from other teams on Wednesday, the day the RFA speaking period begins. With plenty of talks of high demands and a suggested willingness to sign an offer sheet, Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas has his hands full. Dubas and Ferris did not meet this week in Vancouver and Ferris is expected to leave the draft for home, although there is plenty of time for both Dubas and Ferris to meet next week.
  • While many fans of the Vegas Golden Knights have been looking forward to seeing KHL star forward Nikita Gusev play this season, TSN’s Darren Dreger suggests that the restricted free-agent may not end up getting the chance. With plenty of cap concerns, Vegas may not have enough money to sign the 26-year-old winger, and the Golden Knights may opt to trade him to relieve some of those cap issues. Dreger adds that multiple teams have inquired about Gusev, who currently would be penciled in on their third line and could be expendable for the right price. Gusev signed a one-year deal, $925K in April of this year, but he didn’t appear in a game for the Golden Knights. He won the KHL MVP award in 2018 and has scored 63 goals in the last three season for SKA St. Petersburg.
  • The Athletic’s Craig Custance reports that he has heard there won’t be any deal between the Columbus Blue Jackets and unrestricted free agent center Matt Duchene before the speaking period opens on Sunday. While that isn’t a major surprise, of all the Blue Jackets’ big-named free agents, Duchene was their best hope to re-signing. However, especially after the recent P.K. Subban deal, it is believed that Nashville has become the front-runner for Duchene’s services.
  • Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun reports that the San Jose Sharks would be open to moving defenseman Brendan Dillon for the right price. Dillon, who is currently slated to play on the top defensive pairing next to Brent Burns is making $3.27MM, but with significant cap issues coming this offseason, the team could use the extra cap room to try and make sure it can sign all of its top free agents, including restricted free agent Timo Meier, as well as unrestricted free agents Joe Pavelski, Joe Thornton, Joonas Donskoi and Gustav Nyquist, although the latter two are less likely to return.

Senators Notes: No. 19 Pick, Paajarvi, Hogberg

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Perhaps excited by the extension of Anthony Duclair and the additional second-round pick added by the Erik Karlsson contract, both occurring earlier today, Ottawa Senators GM Pierre Dorion was very positive and open when speaking with the media today. Per The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch, Dorion began by discussing the team’s plans for the upcoming NHL Draft. The Senators will travel to Vancouver tomorrow to begin meetings ahead of the round one of the draft on Friday night, but Dorion has already had many conversations with rival GM’s. Dorion states that he has already spoken with multiple teams about possibly moving up in the first round from No. 19. The Senators are without their own first-rounder, owed to the Colorado Avalanche from last year’s Matt Duchene trade, but the team was fortunately able to recoup a top pick from the Columbus Blue Jackets in their own sale of Duchene. With that said, No. 19 is not exactly where a rebuilding team would like their first pick to be, even though Ottawa already has a deep, talented pipeline. Following the Karlsson news, CapFriendly reports that the Senators now have 28 picks in the next three drafts, including 16 in the top three rounds. That is plenty of ammunition if Dorion decides that he wants to move up the board on Friday. Teams like the Philadelphia Flyers and Vancouver Canucks have hinted at their willingness to move back, while the Colorado Avalanche may also be open to moving their second pick in the round, No. 16. If Dorion is intent on moving up, he should be able to find a taker.

  • Dorion also made the somewhat surprising reveal that the Senators are not pursuing a contract extension with free agent forward Magnus Paajarvi. Paajarvi, 28, has spent the past season and half with Ottawa after coming over from the St. Louis Blues on waivers in 2017-18. Although the 2009 tenth overall pick has never been able to live up to his draft stock nor his rookie year production, Paajarvi has grown into a solid two-way player and enjoyed the best season since his first in Ottawa this past year. Paajarvi seemed like a safe bet to stay with the Senators, especially given his key role on the penalty kill, but Dorion has other plans. He did say that talks continue with fellow UFA’s Oscar Lindberg and Brian Gibbons, both of whom performed well after deadline trades, as well as RFA defenseman Cody Ceci. As for Paajarvi, he’ll likely land on his feet elsewhere in the league once free agency opens.
  • Finally, Dorion announced that a contract resolution with RFA goaltender Marcus Hogberg is imminent. Hogberg is expected to sign with the team this week after rumors emerged early this off-season that he was considering a move to Europe. It remains possible that Hogberg could still be loaned elsewhere, as his signing only adds to a logjam of keepers in both Ottawa and AHL Belleville. The Senators expect to enter next season with a tandem of veteran Craig Anderson and returnee Anders Nilsson. As of now, Mike Condon will also be in the mix. In the minors, the team hopes to give top goalie prospect Filip Gustavsson, college standout Joey Daccord, and now Hogberg the time in net they need to develop properly. If that is going to be impossible, even with a likely Condon departure, Hogberg is the top candidate to be loaned away, despite his advantage in pro experience.

Free Agent Focus: New York Rangers

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Free agency is now less than a month away from opening up and there are quite a few prominent players set to hit the open market while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign.  The Rangers have a lot of options when it comes to the upcoming free agency period, but don’t have as much to concern themselves with when it comes to their own free agents. New York does have a few restricted free agents they must worry about, but few players to concern themselves among unrestricted free agents.

Key Restricted Free Agents: F Pavel Buchnevich — The Rangers must be thrilled with the continued improvements of their 24-year-old forward, who has continually taken his game up a notch in all three years, scoring eight goals as a rookie, 14 goals last season and moving into a permanent top-six role in 2018-19 with a 21-goal campaign. That number was more impressive considering he only played 64 games due to a broken thumb and some issues with head coach David Quinn, although he eventually developed a solid relationship with the coach. His 15:10 ATOI was lower than a number of lesser forwards as he ranked ninth in that area among forwards, but should increase significantly next season. Now that his entry-level deal is up, New York must pay him significantly more than the $925K he was previously making. However, with his development, it’s more likely the team will seek a bridge deal in hopes that his progress continues to improve.

F Brendan Lemieux — The Rangers didn’t get a lot of time to evaluate Lemieux, who the team acquired at the trade deadline as part of the Kevin Hayes trade. While not a key piece to the deal, New York hoped that the 23-year-old would give them a key bottom-six winger for a number of years as he had proved to be an agitator in his 53 games played in Winnipeg. Lemieux started his tenure in New York off well as he provided that grit the team needed, but after averaging 7:25 of ATOI with the Jets, his minutes jumped to 12:50 with the Rangers, and he quickly wore down, suggesting he lacked conditioning. In 19 games, he accumulated six points, 64 penalty minutes and two misconducts, which is a lot of penalties. Regardless, it’s likely the Rangers will seek a short-term deal so that Lemieux can prove himself.

D Neal Pionk — After showing off impressive skills in a trial during the 2017-18 season, the 23-year-old blueliner didn’t fare as well in his first full season with the Rangers. Pionk finished the season with six goals and 26 points but also saw his plus/minus drop to minus-16, but found himself in Quinn’s doghouse quite often in the second half of the season and was often a healthy scratch as he tallied just one point and seven points in his final 37 games. With a number of young defenseman close to ready for a regular NHL role, general manager Jeff Gorton will have to decide whether Pionk should stay with the defense or whether the team should move on from him. Expect him to get a short-term or even more likely a one-year deal on a “prove it” contract.

Other RFAs: D Julius Bergman, D Chris Bigras, D Fredrik Claesson, D Anthony DeAngelo, G Brandon Halverson, F Vinni Lettieri, G Chris Nell

Key Unrestricted Free Agents: D John Gilmour — Yes, Gilmour, who played a total of five games for the Rangers this past year, is the team’s top unrestricted free agent. The Group 6 free agent played 28 games during the 2017-18 season, but found himself playing a full season for the Hartford Wolf Pack in the AHL where he dominated, scoring 20 goals and 54 points and was named to the AHL All-Star team. However, he has been passed over on the prospect chart by Ryan Lindgren and Libor Hajek and doesn’t seem to be a major part of the team’s long-range plans although he could be a cheap 6/7th defensive option for the Rangers if they want a low-cost option.

Other UFAs: F Connor Brickley, D Rob O’Gara, G Dustin Tokarski

Projected Cap Space: With a little less than $64MM in commitments for next season (per CapFriendly), the team has room to make changes, but it’s unlikely the team will make any long-term commitments in house this offseason. The team is far more likely to go with multiple short-term deals and focus on fast-tracking their rebuilding efforts as they will likely attempt to bring in a top free agent to supplement its young players.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Overseas Notes: Tomek, Johansson, Avangard

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A difficult and winding developmental path will now take Philadelphia Flyers prospect Matej Tomek back to his native Slovakia. The 22-year-old goaltender, a third-round pick in 2015, has had a tough go of it in North America. Initially selected out of the NAHL, after dominating the second-tier U.S. junior league in his first season, Tomek has since struggled to find his place. Tomek first spent two seasons at the University of North Dakota, but made zero appearances as a freshman and had just two poor outings as a sophomore. He opted to leave the program in search of more opportunity, spending the following season with the USHL’s Waterloo Blackhawks, where he regained some confidence but still left scouts wanting more. Tomek made his return to the college ranks this past season, playing for the University of Nebraska-Omaha. Yet, again Tomek fell into a backup role and disappointed with an .845 save percentage and 4.73 GAA in five games. Likely the smart move, Tomek has decided to take a break from North American hockey for a while and HK Dukla Trencin of the Slovak Extraliga has announced a one-year contract with the young, local product. Although 22 already, Tomek’s rights belong to the Flyers until August of 2021, so one or two good seasons in Slovakia could keep his NHL hopes alive despite his recent struggles.

  • The Swedish Hockey League regular season champs are watching as their core is dismantled this off-season by NHL signings. Farjestad BK, who surprisingly lost in the semifinals despite dominating the regular season, have already seen their top two scoring forwards, Oskar Steen and Joakim Nygard, sign with Boston and Edmonton respectively, prospect Fabian Zetterlund join New Jersey, and goaltender Adam Werner inked with Colorado. Now, a fifth name could also depart for North America. Hockey News SE reports that two-way center Linus Johansson has been drawing NHL attention and at least one unnamed team has made a concrete offer. The big 26-year-old forward is expected to make his decision in the coming days. Johansson is actually not a stranger to North America, having played a season in the NAHL back in 2011-12. The late-blooming forward was never considered an NHL prospect coming up through junior hockey and only debuted in the SHL in 2016. However, he has impressed in three seasons as a well-rounded player and physical force and now must decide if he wants to try taking his game to the highest level.
  • Give the KHL’s Avangard Omsk some credit; the team is not short on confidence as they approach this off-season. Insider Igor Eronko writes for Sport-Express that free agent targets include veteran UFA Jason Spezza, as well as RFA’s Sven Andrighetto, Teddy Blueger, and Zemgus Girgensons, and recent Calder Cup winner, Tomas Jurco. While there has been some speculation that the Colorado Avalanche may not qualify Andrighetto, it’s hard to imagine that he wouldn’t be able to find an NHL opportunity if that is his priority. There has been nothing to imply that either Blueger or Girgensons are looking to leave their respective teams. Spezza, while coming off a disappointing stint with the Dallas Stars, is a former standout NHL center who easily remains top-50 free agent this summer. Jurco may be the only realistic name on the list, but kudos to Omsk for putting those names out there and being aggressive on the NHL free agent market. We’ll soon see how that works out for them.

Free Agent Focus: Columbus Blue Jackets

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Free agency is now less than a month away from opening up and there are quite a few prominent players set to hit the open market while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign. Columbus does have a few important restricted free agents, but it’s the unrestricted free agents that have dominated the press over the last year.

Key Restricted Free Agents: D Zach Werenski – The defenseman wraps up his entry-level deal and now is expected to get quite a pay raise after making $1.775MM last season. The top pairing defenseman may not have the accolades and numbers that partner Seth Jones carries, but with the way the market has been rising, the 21-year-old blueliner could seriously cash in this summer and could conceivably make even more than Jones’ current $5.4MM per year deal. Regardless, Werenski had a solid season for the Blue Jackets, posting 11 goals and 44 points and has scored 38 goals over three seasons, an impressive feat for a young defenseman. Werenski also added a goal and six points in 10 games during Columbus’ playoff run this season.

D – Ryan Murray – Other than playing 82 games back in 2015-16, Murray’s biggest problem has been staying healthy. Other than that one season, the most games the 25-year-old has played was 66 and that was back in his rookie campaign. The talented blueliner played in 56 games this past season, but was hampered with a back injury for quite some time as well. This is Murray’s last year as a restricted free agency as he could become an unrestricted free agent in 2020-21 and could opt to depart. Although Murray has shown talent, Columbus might have a problem handing the former second-overall pick in 2012 a long-term deal if he can’t stay healthy. That’s why Murray could be a solid trade candidate, most recently to Chicago.

Other RFAs: D Adam Clendening, F Markus Hannikainen, D Scott Harrington, G Joonas Korpisalo, F Ryan MacInnis, F Sonny Milano, F Eric Robinson, F Justin Scott, F Lukas Sedlak, D Doyle Somerby, F Sam Vigneault

Key Unrestricted Free Agents: F Artemi Panarin – The 27-year-old has been everything that Columbus had hoped for when the Blue Jackets traded for him two years ago. Panarin scored 55 goals and 114 points over those two seasons, but it became apparently clear that he had little interest in signing any sort of extension and wished to move on when he hit unrestricted free agency. Rather than trade him away, the team chose instead to hold onto him and bulk up for the playoffs, which did allow Columbus to advance to the second round of the playoffs for the first time ever. Unfortunately, the team has no chance to sign him as he has quickly become the most sought-after free agent, most likely to sign a deal with either Florida or the New York Rangers.

G Sergei Bobrovsky – Unfortunately for Bobrovsky, the team is in the exact same pickle that they are with Panarin. The long-time goaltender has been one of the faces of the franchise for years in Columbus and while many initially thought he just was holding out for a Carey Price-like contract, it has been quite clear that he too intends to leave the Blue Jackets and sign elsewhere with many people believing that he might choose to sign with Florida as well. Regardless, Bobrovsky becomes the most highly-touted goalie on the free-agent market. While his regular season numbers took a minor dip with a 2.58 GAA and a .913 save percentage, the 30-year-old netminder finally showed some skill in the playoffs with a 2.41 GAA and a .925 save percentage in 10 appearances.

F – Matt Duchene – If there is one big-name free agent that Columbus might be able to retain, it will be Duchene, who is at least considering staying with the Blue Jackets. Unfortunately, there are also a large number of teams that are interested in signing him as well, which could make a signing tough. Acquired at the trade deadline from Ottawa for several prospects and their 2019 first-round pick, Duchene added a second-line center presence that helped solidify the team’s top six and between the two teams combined for 31 goals and 70 points. The down side of signing him is the team would lose their 2020 first-rounder as well, making it even more of a challenging decisions for the franchise.

Other UFAs: G Jean-Francois Berube, D Tommy Cross, F Ryan Dzingel, G Keith Kinkaid, F Mark Letestu, D Adam McQuaid

Projected Cap Space: Cap space is definitely not an issue in Columbus as the team is projected to have more than $32MM in cap room. The problem is the team is likely to lose all four of their top unrestricted free agents and must find a way to attract other free agents without having to overpay them. However, that will be a challenge for general manager Jarmo Kekalainen, who has done an excellent job in recent years to compete in a small market. Regardless, the team must find a way to add a top talent and hope that its prospect depth can keep the team above water for the next couple of years.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Latest On Jesse Puljujarvi

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An early morning report that Jesse Puljujarvi was headed to the KHL has been shot down by his agent, with Markus Lehto speaking to several reporters including Mark Spector of Sportsnet and saying that the NHL is still the top priority. Puljujarvi will be a restricted free agent this summer and needs a new deal, but hasn’t exactly thrived in his first few seasons in the Edmonton Oilers organization. That’s exactly why trade speculation is now bubbling to the surface once again, with Lehto even telling Spector that “maybe it is best for [the] team too.” Darren Dreger of TSN has also heard trade chatter around Puljujarvi from his sources.

Puljujarvi, 21, only has 37 points in 139 NHL games since he was selected fourth overall in 2016, and hasn’t even spent much time in the minor leagues to continue his development. The big winger was actually expected to go third in the draft before Columbus Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen shocked the room with his selection of Pierre-Luc Dubois. In a timely piece, Scott Wheeler of the Athletic examined the 2016 draft today and put Puljujarvi 19th in his re-draft.

Still, the Oilers have an entirely new regime in town after GM Ken Holland and head coach Dave Tippett were brought in to change things. Perhaps those fresh eyes have new plans for the young forward, and can start to pull the best out of him at the NHL level. All of that will be dependent on a new contract however, one that will require a negotiation neither side expected when he was first selected. While Auston Matthews enjoys his massive deal and Patrik Laine and Matthew Tkachuk prepare to sign theirs, Puljujarvi will have to ink something that allows him to prove he is an NHL-caliber player before ever cashing in on the type of money high picks usually receive.

Snapshots: Datsyuk, Faulk, Karlsson, Sutter

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Despite some initial speculation early this off-season, it seems an NHL comeback for Pavel Datsyuk is unlikely. Speaking to Helene St. James of The Detroit Free Press, agent Dan Milstein stated that Datsyuk’s probable landing spot remains his home town of Yekaterinburg with the KHL’s Avtomobilist. A free agent after wrapping up a very successful three-year stint with SKA St. Petersburg, Datsyuk made it known that he was leaving SKA and was hoping to land somewhere more familiar to he and his family. The 40-year-old center’s NHL rights are currently owned by the Arizona Coyotes, but they expire on July 1st with the start of the new league year. As such, there was some thought that he could return to the Detroit Red Wings, where he spent all 14 years of his NHL career. Datsyuk would be joining a team now run by fellow Red Wings legend Steve Yzerman and even in his advanced age, Datsyuk would have had the chance to return to a key role for Detroit. Although he recently visited the city and reportedly spoke to Yzerman and company, Milstein maintains that Datsyuk is more likely to settle into a cushy role in Yekaterinburg. “We are meeting in the coming days to discuss options and future plans,” Milstein said, but it seems that the decision is already close to being made. “It’s very likely Pavel will live up to his promise of playing for his hometown team in Russia.”

  • In an article offering up some trade suggestions over the waning days of the NHL postseason for those teams no longer in the running, USA Today’s Kevin Allen notes that teams may not want to waste their time trying to pry a defenseman out of Carolina. The Hurricanes succeeded this season largely because of their strength on the back end and GM Don Waddell appears more concerned with maintaining that depth rather than leveraging it. Allen reports that the team is engaged in extension talks with long-time stalwart Justin Faulk, whose current contract expires after next season. Allen adds that the team is not interested in dealing Faulk or any of their top-four defensemen at this time, which certainly includes Dougie Hamilton, Jaccob Slavin, and Brett Pesce, but may also include their big free agent addition from last summer, Calvin de Haan. The one defenseman who might have been dangled as trade bait is Trevor van Riemsdyk who, like Faulk, has only one year remaining on his contract. However, a long-term injury that will see van Riemsdyk on the sidelines to begin the season will probably put a damper on any trade talks. van Riemsdyk’s early-season absence will also allow youngsters Haydn Fleury and Jake Bean to see some NHL ice time, keeping all blue line parties content through another season at least.
  • Offer sheets remain a rare occurrence in the NHL – the last came in 2013 – but that doesn’t stop talk from spreading every off-season that one of the top restricted free agents could finally land such an offer. One prominent RFA whose name has not been associated with an offer sheet thus far, perhaps should be, writes David Schoen of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Schoen believes that center William Karlsson is a prime candidate for an offer sheet this summer. The Vegas Golden Knights are already buried in payroll and the off-season has yet to begin. CapFriendly estimates that they are already over the projected $83MM ceiling for next season, yet still have Karlsson, Nikita Gusev, Malcolm Subban, and others to re-sign. The Knights will be forced to move out salary regardless, but a substantial offer sheet signed by Karlsson may be too much for Vegas to match. Specifically, Schoen names the Carolina Hurricanes, Ottawa Senators, Minnesota Wild, and Detroit Red Wings as potential suitors, citing cap space and need for all four teams.
  • While it is not a done deal, the Los Angeles Kings don’t appear worried about losing one of their key free agents. Fox Sports’ Jon Rosen reports that the Kings are close to extending Brett Sutter, the captain of the AHL’s Ontario Reign. Sutter, 32, is a respected veteran who Rosen states is a “great conduit between the coaching staff and dressing room.” An experienced and productive minor league forward, Sutter is the type of dedicated player that all organizations like to have around and it seems he will be back with L.A. for at least one more year.

Edmonton Oilers Re-Sign Brad Malone, Shane Starrett

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The Edmonton Oilers have inked a pair of minor league free agents, signing Brad Malone and Shane Starrett to one-year extensions. Malone was set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, while Starrett was headed for RFA status and was eligible for arbitration.

Malone, 30, has been part of the Edmonton organization for the past two seasons, spending the majority of his time in the AHL with the Bakersfield Condors. He has been an integral part of the AHL squad, and showed his experience with 13 points in 10 playoff contests this year. Though he amazingly has exactly zero points in 23 NHL games for the Oilers, Malone will serve as inexpensive center depth for the club while almost certainly seeing regular action in the minors.

Starrett meanwhile is a 24-year old goaltending prospect that joined the Oilers in 2017 after finishing his sophomore season at the Air Force Academy. The 6’5″ 220-lbs netminder posted a .918 save percentage in 42 appearances for Bakersfield, recording a tidy 27-12-2 record during the regular season. Starrett’s re-signing is a testament to the Edmonton development team, as he is an ECHL alumni finding success at the higher level.

Still, it is not exactly clear where Starrett will land when the season rolls around. The Oilers also have the younger Stuart Skinner and Dylan Wells in the organization, who both spent considerable time in the ECHL this season and may need a bigger challenge. Both represent mid-round picks that the team needs to continue to develop, while there is also the oncoming Olivier Rodrigue who will finish his junior career after the upcoming season. Edmonton is looking for an NHL upgrade instead of just a backup to Mikko Koskinen, meaning there is likely no room in the NHL for Starrett at this point. At the very least, the team can be happy they’ve created some legitimate prospect depth at the goaltending position.

Free Agent Focus: San Jose Sharks

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Free agency is now less than a month away from opening up and there are quite a few prominent players set to hit the open market while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign.  San Jose should have one of the busiest off-seasons, as the team has multiple key free agents to sign or otherwise may have a completely new look next season.

Key Restricted Free Agents: F Timo Meier – With so many questions concerning their unrestricted free agents this off-season, it might be easy to forget that the team must also find a new contract from one of their young stars and Meier should get quite the pay raise this year after making just $894K last season. Meier repaid the Sharks with his best season yet, scoring a career-high 30 goals and 66 points. He also posted 15 points in 20 playoff games. With the money that many restricted free agents have been getting over the past couple of years, Meier could be in for a giant payday, regardless of whether he signs a bridge deal or the team locks him up long-term.

F Kevin Labanc – It took quite a while for Labanc to work his way into San Jose’s veteran-laden lineup, but he has done quite a good job on the team’s third line and could be headed for a even larger role depending on how the off-season shakes out for the Sharks. Like Meier, Labanc has had season highs in both goals (17) and points (56) and would be a likely candidate to take a bridge deal in order to prove whether he can take his game up to another level and become a top-six option for them.

Other RFAs: D Michael Brodzinski, F Rourke Chartier, D Nick DeSimone, D Cody Donaghey, D Cavan Fitzgerald, F Dylan Gambrell, F Maxim Letunov, F Jonathon Martin, F Francis Perron, D Joakim Ryan, F Alex Schoenborn, F Antti Suomela, D Kyle Wood.

Key Unrestricted Free Agents: D Erik Karlsson – Many people expected the Sharks to lock up Karlsson to a long-term deal at the trade deadline, but when that didn’t happen, there were many questions about whether he was willing to sign a deal with the Sharks at all, as well as many people who wondered whether Karlsson was worth a long-term deal considering his injury history. After all, the 29-year-old missed most of the second half of the season with a groin injury and even when he returned for the playoffs, he wasn’t fully healthy as he had trouble keeping up with the quicker opposing forwards. It looks more like Karlsson intends to test the open market and head to a team he would like to play for long-term or take the best offer that he can get. Will it be San Jose though?

F Joe Pavelski – The 34-year-old captain has been a key figure for the Sharks throughout his career, but so far there have been few talks of giving the veteran a new deal. While it’s hard to picture Pavelski heading elsewhere, the Sharks must factor in what a new contract for the soon-to-be 35-year-old would look like for the rest of their cap structure. Pavelski is coming off a unique 38-goal season, a number that he is unlikely to equal again, and with the difficulty of long-term deals for 35+ players, the team will likely want to avoid a multi-year deal that has a large AAV attached to it, meaning the club will have to hope that Pavelski isn’t going to be asking too much.

F – Joe Thornton – It’s unlikely the team is worried about money when it comes to Thornton, as the team will bring him back on a one-year deal at a reasonable cost (he signed for one year and $5MM last offseason). However, the real question is whether Thornton is ready to call it quits. Thornton will turn 40 in July and didn’t make it clear during locker clean-out day that he will definitely return next season. He wants time to think about it.

Other UFAs: F Tim Clifton, F Joonas Donskoi, F Micheal Haley, D Tim Heed, F Gustav Nyquist.

Projected Cap Space: With a little over $58MM committed to 15 players for next season per CapFriendly, the Sharks should have some cap room to work with despite a number of high profile free agents this off-season. The team must try to bring back Karlsson and Pavelski, while trying to get reasonable deals in place for Meier and Labanc. While they may have to wait for a Thornton decision, they do have other important free agents they must consider for a deal as well, such as Donskoi and Nyquist. If all of these impending free agents are interested in a return, San Jose may be forced to move someone else with cap space at a premium. Regardless, the team may have to rely even more on younger players to fill holes in the bottom of their lineup next season.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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