Sharks Acquire Letunov From Coyotes
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
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
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.