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San Jose Signs Tomas Hertl To Two-Year Deal

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According to Bob McKenzie of TSN, the San Jose Sharks have come to terms with pending RFA Tomas Hertl.  He’ll receive a bridge deal worth $6MM total for the next two seasons. Pierre LeBrun, also of TSN, adds that Hertl will receive $2.8MM in 2016-17 and $3.2MM in 2017-18.  The Sharks have almost no long-term deals up front, and this will allow them to stay flexible in the future.

Hertl has been an excellent performer for the Sharks through his first three seasons, racking up 102 points in 200 games. Last season he set career highs in goals (21), assists (25), plus/minus(+16), blocked shots (60) and at least partially moved back to his natural center ice position.

Going forward the 22-year old will continue to build towards becoming a legitimate top-line player for San Jose, as they prepare for life after Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau.  The two long-time Sharks (and potential Hall of Famers) are both headed into their final season under contract and are both 36 years old. Hertl represents the next wave of Shark and will try to seamlessly continue their regular season dominance, and perhaps change their (until recently) lackluster playoff performances.

Full List of Players Who Did Not Receive a Qualifying Offer

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The deadline to make a qualifying offer to a restrict free agent ended at 5pm today. Below is a list of players who did not receive an offer and sorted by team for easy reference. Any player that did not receive a qualifying offer is eligible to be an unrestricted free agent on July 1st.

(as of writing the Toronto Maple Leafs were the only team not to confirm which players received QOs)

Anaheim Ducks

F Matt Bailey, F Brandon Pirri, F Charles Sarault, D Kevin Gagne, and D Martin Gernat.

Arizona Coyotes

F Sergei Plotnikov, , D Philip Samuelsson, F Christian Thomas, D Kevin Connauton, D Jarred Tinordi, D Klas Dahlbeck, and G Niklas Treutle

Boston Bruins

F Landon Ferraro and F Brett Connolly.

Buffalo Sabres

F Alex Guptill, F Colin Jacobs, F Jack Nevins, and Nathan Lieuwen.

Calgary Flames

F Kenny Agostino, F Bill Arnold, F Joe Colborne, F Turner Elson, F Josh Jooris, F Drew Shore, F Bryce Van Brabant, G Joni Ortio, and Kevin Poulin.

Carolina Hurricanes

F Zach Boychuk, F Anthony Camara, F Dane Fox, F Carter Sandlak, F Justin Shugg, D Danny Biega, D Michal Jordan, D Rasmus Rissanen, and G Rasmus Tirronen.

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Snapshots: Kane, Shattenkirk, Sharks

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In some startling news, WCVB news reports that Boston Bruins’ legendary defenceman Ray Bourque was arrested on Friday night on driving while intoxicated charges after a collision occurred in the Andover area. No one was seriously injured, and Bourque was released on bail.  Here are some more stories from around the league:

  • Another player no stranger to legal trouble, Evander Kane’s name was in the headlines again in Buffalo following an alleged incident involving the physical harassment of two women at a downtown bar.  The Associated Press was told that Kane “grabbed the woman by the arm or shoulder early Friday morning.” For Kane, this is the second incident this year involving the police, after a three-month investigation into an alleged sexual assault concluded in March without any charges been filed. The Buffalo News spoke to GM Tim Murray on Saturday about it and he seemed frustrated with the situation: “If it’s true, then we have to deal with it the way we have to deal with it. If it’s false again, then I guess we have to come up with a different plan of attack on how to make sure that these accusations that may not be true, how we stop them.”
  • In other news, St. Louis Blues’ defenceman Kevin Shattenkirk was shocked to leave Buffalo without having been traded. Craig Custance of ESPN spoke to Shattenkirk’s agent Jordan Neumann about the 27-year old’s future: “Based on the conversations we had leading into this weekend with St. Louis, we did expect Kevin to have been traded this weekend. We are a bit surprised to be leaving here without having a deal done.” The veteran blueliner has one year left on his deal at $4.25MM and is widely expected to be traded soon.

Sharks Acquire Letunov From Coyotes

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1:35pm: General Fanager gives us this great little tidbit about the trade: Arizona can now fulfill a condition of the previous Sam Gagner–Nicklas Grossmann deal from 2015. Since they’ve acquired a 2016 fourth round pick, they can now choose to send Philadelphia that one instead of the original 2017 third rounder that was originally included.

1:25pm: Craig Morgan of AZ Sports gives us a quote from 27-year old Arizona GM John Chayka: “Signing an NCAA player with lots of development still left is always a concern. That becomes compounded when you have depth at center like we do with our prospects. It’s a good fit for San Jose.”

1:06pm: According to Chris Johnston of Sportsnet, the San Jose Sharks have acquired Maxim Letunov from the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for a 2016 fourth round pick (120th overall), and 2017 third rounder.  San Jose will also be sending back a sixth round pick in 2017.

Letunov, 20, was a former second-round pick of the St. Louis Blues back in 2014 and was dealt to the Coyotes in the Zbynek Michalek deal last year’s deadline.  He put up a huge season in 2015-16 for the University of Connecticut with 40 points in 36 games as a freshman. The 6’2″ winger possesses an outstanding shot can score from anywhere in the offensive zone.

With the deal, Arizona will replace the fourth round selection that they dealt with Keith Yandle to the New York Rangers this past season. They’ll now have eight selections this weekend.

For the Sharks, they’ve added another young forward prospect and dealt away draft currency. The team will now have only five selections at this weekend’s draft, including only one in the first three rounds (60th overall).

Free Agent Focus: San Jose Sharks

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The San Jose Sharks fell just a bit short of winning their first ever Stanley Cup title as they lost the championship series in six games to Pittsburgh.  It was still their most successful postseason in their 25 year franchise history as they made it to the final for the first time.

With less than three weeks until the beginning of free agency, GM Doug Wilson will have to put together his offseason plan in a hurry.  One area that won’t need to be looked at is the coaching staff as Wilson confirmed today that all coaches would return next season.  Here is a closer look at their free agent outlook.

Key Restricted Free Agent: W Tomas Hertl – Hertl had the best year of his NHL career in 2015-16, picking up 21 goals and 25 assists in 81 regular season games while adding six goals and five helpers in 20 postseason contests before missing most of the Stanley Cup Final with a right knee injury (that will not require surgery).  He is coming off his entry-level contract which saw him earn $925,000 per year plus another potential $425,000 per season in bonuses.  Wilson will have to decide whether or not to lock Hertl up long-term or to pursue a short-term bridge contract instead.

Other NHL RFA’s: D Dylan DeMelo, W Matt Nieto

Key Unrestricted Free Agents: The Sharks acquired D Roman Polak and G James Reimer in separate deals from Toronto in the days leading up to the trade deadline.  Polak played a regular role down the stretch and in the postseason, bringing some physicality and shot blocking to the table on the third pairing.  Reimer, meanwhile, provided more reliable insurance in goal behind starter Martin Jones and gave them someone capable of taking over should Jones get hurt or struggle.  San Jose has already added youngster Mantis Armalis this offseason but may still prefer a veteran behind the 26 year old Jones.

Other NHL UFA’s: C Nick Spaling, D Matt Tennyson, W Dainius Zubrus

Cap Space: Just over $10.5 million, according to Cap Friendly (estimates based on the 2015-16 salary cap).  San Jose must add at least three more forwards and one more goaltender to meet the NHL’s roster minimums.

Pittsburgh’s Salary Cap Situation And Stanley Cup Final Notes

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Now that the Pittsburgh Penguins have captured the Stanley Cup for the fourth time in team history, the NHL offseason officially kicks off with the NHL draft just two weeks away and free agency right around the corner. Some news and notes as the city of Pittsburgh basks in the glow of Lord Stanley’s chalice.

  • The Penguins find themselves facing a different type of opponent as they look to defend their title. The Washington Post’s Mike Hume reports that the Penguins face a difficult question as the offseason kicks off: what to do with Marc-Andre Fleury. While the salary cap is expected to rise to $74MM, it’s the likelihood of an expansion draft that threatens the Penguins’ continued dominance. Matt Murray, who backstopped the Pens to the Cup, has forced Pittsburgh’s hand with former #1 overall pick and franchise goalie Fleury.  Murray’s cap friendly contract keeps him under team control while Fleury’s $5.75MM cap hit makes him an expensive backup. Should the expansion draft take place, Fleury’s no-movement clause eliminates him from being taken off their hands. Instead, it would be Murray exposed to the expansion draft. Moving Fleury would be tricky as well since he has final say over any trade, and teams looking for goaltending, such as the Calgary Flames, are not a favorite to win the Stanley Cup anytime soon.
  • The signing of Phil Kessel paid huge dividends for the Penguins writes ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun. The former Maple Leafs star notched 22 points in 24 games with 10 of those points being goals. The interesting part of Kessel’s resurgence is his cap friendly contract. Though his cap hit should be $8MM, Toronto agreed to pay $1.2MM of his contract when they traded the star winger to Pittsburgh last summer. The core of Kessel, captain Sidney Crosby, and star Evgeni Malkin remains intact for at least another few seasons thanks to savvy financial work.
  • The Stanley Cup runner up San Jose Sharks had a great run thanks to the solid play of Martin Jones. Jones, obtained from Boston for a first round pick last June, kept the Sharks in the Final and would have been a top pick to take the Conn Smythe Trophy had the Sharks fortunes been different. Strong goaltending was always a weakness for San Jose, but Jones’ inexpensive $3MM cap hit keeps him with the Sharks until the 2018-2019 season. Backup goalie James Reimer is an unrestricted free agent and could fetch a number of offers from teams looking for a strong goalie tandem.

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