Patrick Marleau, Toronto Maple Leafs Ready To Part Ways
A rumor several days ago suggested that the Toronto Maple Leafs would like to move on from 39-year-old winger Patrick Marleau, who is coming off a disappointing season this past season. With Toronto’s general manager Kyle Dubas trying to balance multiple players and their contracts into the team’s already full salary cap, the team was expecting more out of Marleau, who posted his worst goal totals (16) since his rookie campaign back in the 1997-98 season.
While many have squashed the rumors that Toronto was trying to send him to the Los Angeles Kings Friday, Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos reported late last night during a Headlines segment on Hockey Night in Canada that Marleau would like to leave Toronto and would prefer to be moved to a west coast team:
It sounds like Marleau and the Maple Leafs are set to part ways. The family is going to move back to San Jose. Patrick Marleau has made it clear to the Toronto Maple Leafs that he’d like to get closer to his family once again, which means moving to the west coast area.
That could make Los Angeles a legitimate candidate, despite reports to the contrary. Kypreos also mentioned the Colorado Avalanche and Arizona Coyotes as other options for Marleau, while can you never totally rule out a return to San Jose. The original belief is that with a no-movement clause, the Maple Leafs might have had a challenging time finding a trade partner considering he could reject any offer, but it now looks like Marleau will be much more willing to move on from Toronto. Marleau, who will be wrapping up the final year of the three-year, $18.75MM deal he signed back in 2017, will make only make $4.25MM next season, but does carry a $6.25MM AAV. The Maple Leafs would likely have to attach a pick or prospect to any deal to unload Marleau’s contract and might even have to retain salary to make a deal work.
The Avalanche might be one of the best options for Toronto as Colorado should have more than $37MM in available cap space, although the team has a number of important restricted free agents they must re-sign, including winger Mikko Rantanen. However, Marleau could be a veteran presence the Avalanche wouldn’t mind adding for one season. The other teams would require sending another significant contract back to Toronto, perhaps one with a lower AAV, but longer term. The Kings would have to send back a contract and while they might be willing to move on from some players such as forwards Ilya Kovalchuk (two more years at $6.25MM), Dustin Brown (three more years at $5.875MM) or defenseman Dion Phaneuf (two more years at $5.25MM), none of whom would fulfill Dubas’ desire to free up salary cap space. Arizona, which is another team that must deal with salary cap issues starting this off-season, has a few cheaper options and could be an interesting option, including forward Michael Grabner (two more years at $3.35MM) or defenseman Jason Demers (two more years at $3.94MM).
Free Agent Focus: San Jose Sharks
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.
Sharks Could Follow Recent Pattern Of Bridge Contracts With Timo Meier
While bridge contracts for impact players have been utilized less and less lately, the Sharks are among the teams that still use them with players like Logan Couture and Tomas Hertl being among those to get one. In discussing the future of RFA winger Timo Meier, GM Doug Wilson noted to Chelena Goldman of NBC Sports Bay Area that they’ve had a lot of success with that strategy, hinting that they could do so again with Meier:
With the Sharks also needing to get defenseman Erik Karlsson and Joe Pavelski re-signed this summer and over $58MM in commitments on the books already, a bridge deal for Meier would likely be a necessity if the two veterans are brought back. If not, it seems as if Wilson may still pursue a short-term contract with the 22-year-old who had a breakout third season with 66 points in 78 games.
Zachary Emond Signs With San Jose Sharks
The San Jose Sharks have signed Zachary Emond to a three-year, entry-level contract. The young goaltender recently captured the 2019 Memorial Cup with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies of the QMJHL, and will now sign his first professional contract just a few days later. Sharks’ GM Doug Wilson had this to say about his new prospect:
Zach’s overall development and growth improved immensely this season, recording seven shutouts and an unprecedented 24-0-1 record. He had the opportunity this season to learn under the Huskies veteran goaltender Samuel Harvey and head coach Mario Pouliot during the team’s Memorial Cup run. We’re excited to watch him take over the helm in the crease next year and build on his impressive performance from the previous campaign.
You didn’t read that wrong, Emond was a near perfect 24-0-1 in the regular season for the Huskies and those seven shutouts led the entire QMJHL. The same can be said about his goals against average of 1.73 and save percentage of .932, making it quite the historic season for the young goaltender. That performance must have Wilson and his scouting staff smiling from ear to ear after they used a sixth-round pick to select Emond last June despite his 9-10-1 record in 2017-18, caused by an .897 save percentage and 3.26 goals against average. That kind of improvement is obviously unexpected, but pushes the 18-year old right to the forefront of goaltending prospects in the Sharks’ system.
Because he’s so young, Emond is expected to return to the QMJHL next season as a 19-year old, allowing his entry-level deal to slide forward a year. He wouldn’t be allowed to play in the AHL anyway because of his age, meaning the Huskies very well could have the top goaltender in the league once again.
Joonas Donskoi Hopes To Remain With Sharks
- Joonas Donskoi’s preference this summer is to re-sign with San Jose over departing in free agency, notes NBC Sports Bay Area’s Chelena Goldman. He had a career year with the Sharks, recording 37 points (14-23-37) in 80 regular season games despite averaging only 13:25 of playing time per night. With that ability to provide secondary scoring, he should garner a fair bit of interest on the open market if he makes it there and with San Jose needing to deal with several more prominent free agents first, it’s unlikely that a new deal for Donskoi will be done for a while.
AHL Notes: Popugaev, Jevpalovs, Weinger
As NHL teams prepare their rosters for the pending free agent frenzy, AHL teams are doing the same. The clubs are trying to retain as much talent as possible to set themselves up for a strong 2019-20 campaign without necessarily having to rely on their parent club. With that in mind, here are some minor transactions that have taken place today:
- The Binghamton Devils signed Nikita Popugaev to a one-year AHL deal, meaning he won’t be heading back to the KHL just yet. Popugaev came over from Russia this season and played 17 games for the Devils, recording five points and finishing a -9. The Russian winger stands 6’6″ and was an interesting prospect coming out of the CHL in 2017 when the Devils decided to use the 98th overall pick on him. His stint in the KHL went poorly from a production standpoint, but he’ll hopefully take the next step in his development for the Devils next season.
- The Laval Rocket have agreed to terms with Nikita Jevpalovs on a one-year AHL contract. Jevpalovs went undrafted out of the QMJHL despite his 100-point campaign in 2014-15, and first signed an entry-level contract with the San Jose Sharks. Unfortunately he was not issued a qualifying offer after the 2016-17 season and decided to go overseas to the KHL. Following a disappointing season there, Jevpalovs joined the Rocket last season and recorded 25 points in 69 games.
- The San Jose Barracuda have signed Evan Weinger to a one-year AHL contract, bringing the 22-year old forward back for another season. As a rookie in 2018-19, Weinger posted 22 points in 60 regular season games and was one of the team’s best players in a first round playoff loss. Born in Los Angeles, Weinger will get a chance to keep playing close to home next season.
San Jose Sharks Sign Jeffrey Viel
The San Jose Sharks have decided that Jeffrey Viel has done enough to deserve an NHL deal, signing him to a two-year entry-level contract. Viel had been playing on an AHL deal for 2018-19. Sharks GM Doug Wilson released a statement on the young forward:
Jeff parlayed his first professional contract into a very successful season with the Barracuda and earned this NHL contract thanks to a mixture of hard-nosed play along with the ability to play a skilled, team-first game. He has a long track record of proven leadership qualities, having captained his team to the 2018 Memorial Cup and we are excited to watch his continued development with our organization.
Viel, 22, went undrafted through his junior career but ended up captaining the Acadie-Bathurst Titan to the Memorial Cup in 2018 after being named QMJHL playoff MVP. The physical winger was as equally effective scoring a goal as laying a hit, and seemed like a perfect fit for professional hockey. He signed with the San Jose Barracuda in 2018 and finished with 22 points and 94 penalty minutes in 68 games this season.
The Sharks will hope that Viel is a typical late-bloomer, that can develop into a legitimate bottom-six player for them at the NHL level. His first taste of professional hockey went well enough to earn an NHL contract, and now he’ll try to build on that moving forward. San Jose his always proactive in finding talent outside of the draft, and Viel is just the latest lottery ticket worth taking a chance on. He’ll be waiver-exempt to start next season, meaning he can rejoin the Barracuda right away—provided he doesn’t wow head coach Peter DeBoer in training camp.
San Jose Sharks Hire Bob Boughner
Bob Boughner wasn’t out of a job long. The former Florida Panthers head coach has landed on his feet in San Jose, where the Sharks today announced his hiring as an assistant coach. Boughner was hired out of San Jose in the first place to take the job in Florida, meaning this should be a seamless transition back onto Peter DeBoer‘s staff. His replacement at that time was Rob Zettler, who will now not be returning to the Sharks’ staff in 2019-20.
A former NHL defenseman that played in 630 regular season games, Boughner was a hugely successful coach with the Windsor Spitfires after retirement, leading the team to consecutive championships before taking his first NHL coaching position in Columbus for the 2010-11 season. Those Windsor teams were powerhouses led by Taylor Hall, Ryan Ellis, Cam Fowler, Adam Henrique and others, but Boughner was credited for building a program that those talented youngsters could thrive in. When he eventually left Windsor a second time for San Jose, he was tasked with getting the most out of Brent Burns, something that may have helped him get the job in Florida given their young developing core.
Though it didn’t work out for Boughner with the Panthers, he’ll return to and organization that he is extremely familiar with to continue his coaching career. It will be interesting to see how the assignments are divided though, as the Sharks shuffled the coaching responsibilities in December and put Steve Spott—who seems to be remaining in San Jose—in charge of the defense.
San Jose Sharks Sign Lean Bergmann
The San Jose Sharks were apparently impressed enough with Lean Bergmann‘s play at the IIHF World Championship to offer him a contract. The team announced today that Bergmann has signed a three-year entry-level contract. GM Doug Wilson released a statement on his new prospect:
Lean has consistently evolved and improved his speed and offensive capabilities, to go along with his power-forward style play, during his time in Swedish juniors, the USHL, and most recently the DEL in Germany, where he was the youngest player to score 20 or more goals this season. We like his compete level and work ethic and the physical nature of his game should translate well to how we like to play. We’re excited to add him to our organization.
Bergmann, 20, was never drafted, but ended up playing on the German national team at the recent tournament because of how well he debuted in the DEL. As Wilson notes, his 20 goals were quite the feat for such a young player and actually tied him for tenth in the entire league in scoring. While he didn’t record a point in his five games at the Worlds, he’s obviously a worthwhile prospect to add for the small risk of an entry-level contract.
Interestingly, just a few months ago Adler Mannheim announced they had signed Bergmann to a two-year deal starting in 2019-20. It’s unclear if that means that the Sharks will allow him to continue to develop in Germany next season, or if he will be joining one of their minor league affiliates instead. The 6’2″ winger has played in North America before, recording 53 points in 130 games during parts of three seasons in the USHL.
Playoff Notes: Marchand, Dunn, Thomas, Chara
Boston Bruins fans got a scare Sunday when star forward Brad Marchand was missing from practice as Karson Kuhlman took his place in practice, according to NHL.com’s Matt Kalman, making many wonder if Marchand would be made available for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals, which start on Monday.
“He had a maintenance day today, so that’s all, he’ll be ready to go tomorrow,” Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said about Marchand.
There was some concern that Marchand, who leads the Bruins with 18 points (seven goals and 11 assists) in 17 games, injured his left hand in Thursday’s scrimmage when he bumped into Connor Clifton and returned to the bench at one point, favoring his left hand. However, he continued playing in the scrimmage.
“I’ve been trying to get out of practice every day this week,” Marchand joked. “It’s just been dragging out here, so we’re excited for it to start tomorrow and it should be fun.”
Kalman also writes that David Krejci, who has been out with a fever the last couple of days, practiced today and is expected to be ready for Monday’s game as well.
- St. Louis Blues defenseman Vince Dunn, who has missed three straight games after taking a puck to the head during Game 3 against the San Jose Sharks, has traveled with the team to Boston and skated with the team Sunday, wearing a plastic face guard around his entire face, according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He is still considered doubtful for Game 1 as he practiced with the extra defensemen. Head coach Craig Berube said there is a chance that Dunn returns at some point in the playoffs. “That was the best he’s looked, which is a good sign. He’s pretty close,” Berube said.
- Thomas also posts that St. Louis Blues forward Robert Thomas (undisclosed injury) did not skate among the regulars during practice on Sunday. He came out later in practice and worked on his own. However, Berube said that Thomas was “a go” for Monday and is expected to play in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Robby Fabbri filled in for Thomas on the third line.
- In an in-depth piece on Boston Bruins 42-year-old defenseman Zdeno Chara, the Boston Globe’s Christopher L. Gasper writes that Chara expressed an interest to play until he’s 45, a claim very similar to the ones made by fellow New England athlete Tom Brady with the New England Patriots. “Obviously, I’m signed for next year. I’m planning to play. I want to compete and still play. I’ll be 43. I’m not, obviously, that far away. I’m taking it one year at a time,” Chara said. “I think you have to respect that things could change. It could go from my end, ‘Hey, I just don’t feel like it.’ Or it could be, ‘Hey, I still love it. I still have so much passion for it. I want to keep going.’ But I want to play until I can still be contributing to the game and still be effective. At the same time, you’ve got to realize that when there is a time there is a time. At this point, I’m still hungry. I still love the game. I have so much passion for it.”