Snapshots: Chiasson, Sabres, Jurco
Alex Chiasson is the most prominent unrestricted free agent that the Oilers have to re-sign but it doesn’t appear as if they’re in a big hurry to get a deal done. His agent Pat Morris told Postmedia’s Jim Matheson that they’ve spoken but that there haven’t been serious discussions just yet. The winger is coming off of a career season that saw him score 22 goals, more than he tallied in the previous two years combined. That will certainly have him in line for a raise after making the league minimum in 2018-19 but with his previous track record and Edmonton’s cap situation, finding the right price point could be tricky. Matheson suggests a deal similar to that of Zack Kassian’s (three years with a $1.95MM AAV) could make sense but is new GM Ken Holland going to be comfortable paying that to someone who has needed training camp PTOs to get contracts the last two seasons?
Elsewhere around the NHL:
- The re-signing of winger Jeff Skinner should change their focus in free agency, suggests Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News. Instead of looking to shop at the top end of the market, GM Jason Botterill may instead look to shore up their depth, an area that was a concern this past season. As things stand, the Sabres have a little over $62.5MM in commitments for next season, per CapFriendly and several RFAs in need of new deals still. However, depending on how much the salary cap goes up, Botterill could still have enough money to try to add an impact piece this summer.
- Winger Tomas Jurco has drawn interest from several NHL teams about a deal for next season, reports John Dietz of the Daily Herald. As he’s currently only on a minor league contract, he’s free to talk to teams now and doesn’t have to wait for the interview period to open up after the draft. The 26-year-old, who has over 200 NHL games under his belt, has been quite productive for Charlotte in the AHL playoffs, averaging over a point per game so far. The Checkers can put an end to the Calder Cup Finals later tonight as they’re up 3-1 in their best-of-seven series against Chicago.
Snapshots: Draft Rankings, Skinner, Sustr
It’s draft season, and the final rankings from several of the hockey world’s leading scouts are starting to come out. Today marked the release of Corey Pronman’s first 2019 mock draft for The Athletic (subscription required), and Craig Button’s top-31 prospects for TSN. Pronman’s mock details some of the rumblings he has heard at the draft combine and elsewhere, and interestingly notes there is still no consensus on who the Chicago Blackhawks will be taking at third overall.
While Pronman lists Alex Turcotte there hesitantly, Button has CHL defenseman Bowen Byram as the third best prospect available. More notable than that even is Button’s ranking of Cole Caufield, who has continued to fly up boards as we close in on the draft later this month. The diminutive forward climbs to fourth on the TSN list, with even more lauding of his ability to put the puck in the net.
- Bob McKenzie of TSN will release his final draft rankings a little later in the month, but he did tweet out a note regarding Buffalo Sabres forward Jeff Skinner today. McKenzie notes that it is “crunch time” in the negotiations between Buffalo and Skinner, and expects either a deal will get done in the next few days or the sniper will wait until unrestricted free agency. The TSN insider expects an eight-year deal worth $72MM, or something thereabouts. Skinner, 27, is coming off a 40-goal season and has made it clear he does enjoy playing with the Sabres. Still, a $72MM price tag is awfully expensive for any team.
- A report out of Russia has Andrej Sustr signing a one-year deal with Kunlun Red Star of the KHL, though there has been no formal confirmation at this point. The 28-year old defenseman is set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1 after his current deal expires, and spent last season almost entirely in the minor leagues. Sustr was once a full-time member of the Tampa Bay Lightning blue line, but fell out of favor and never found his footing in the Anaheim Ducks organization.
Snapshots: Capuano, Roslovic, Tryamkin
New Ottawa Senators head coach D.J. Smith was given full control over hiring his staff, has yet to make any additions. However, a familiar name could be on the way. The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch reports that former New York Islanders head coach Jack Capuano is in talks to join the team. Capuano spent seven years as the Isles’ head coach and was an assistant for the Florida Panthers over the past two years. However, he became a free agent when new Panthers’ hire Joel Quenneville decided not to retain his services. A former AHL head coach as well, Capuano brings experience, but also a familiarity with working with young players, of which the Senators have plenty. Garrioch adds that GM Pierre Dorion stated today that the team hopes to have some assistants in place before the upcoming NHL Draft, meaning Capuano’s official addition could be imminent.
- The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline reports that Winnipeg Jets forward Jack Roslovic has fired long-time agent Ken Robinson. Roslovic was a first-round pick of the Jets in 2015, but has been buried on the team’s organization depth chart and unable to break out. Roslovic has reportedly requested a trade out of Winnipeg several times and he remains unhappy with his current role, despite finally playing a full NHL season last year. With a number of difficult decisions to make this off-season up against the salary cap, the Jets may not be eager to move an affordable piece like Roslovic. Unfortunately, the young forward’s move to a new agent likely implies he wants someone to put more pressure on them to make a move than his last agent did. If Roslovic hits the trade market, expect his hometown Columbus Blue Jackets to be interested.
- The Vancouver Canucks may have lost prospect defenseman Nikita Tryamkin to the KHL two years ago, but they remain interested in bringing him back. The Province’s Patrick Johnston reports that GM Jim Benning is keeping tabs on the big blue liner and looks forward to hopefully having him back with the team down the road. Tryamkin has one year remaining on his contract with Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg, so the reunion won’t be coming this off-season. However, talks have already begun with agent Todd Diamond about a future deal. Tryamkin initially left the team over frustration with role in the season-and-a-half he spent in North America. However, the 2014 third-round pick has improved his play in Russia and has also developed into a locker room leader for Avtomobilist. He would likely play a much larger role for the Canucks in his second time around.
Snapshots: Trade Bait, Free Agency, Canucks
Despite the Stanley Cup Final still being at least two games from completion, trade news has exploded in recent days around the hockey world. Players like Jacob Trouba, Nikita Zaitsev and Phil Kessel are all expected to be moved at some point this summer, and Craig Custance of The Athletic (subscription required) writes that the rest of the trade market is expected to be quite active. Custance breaks down his top-20 players who could be on the move, and includes Trouba right at the top after speaking with executives and scouts around the league.
There are other interesting notes in the list though, including the fact that the San Jose Sharks showed interest in New York Rangers forward Vladislav Namestnikov at the trade deadline before acquiring Gustav Nyquist. Namestnikov hasn’t quite found his touch with the Rangers since being part of the deal that sent Ryan McDonagh to Tampa Bay, and is heading into the final year before unrestricted free agency. The 26-year old has shown flashes of immense offensive potential in the past, but scored just 31 points in 78 games last season for the Rangers.
- The Winnipeg Jets have re-opened talks with pending unrestricted free agent Tyler Myers according to Frank Seravalli of TSN. In his latest Free Agent Frenzy column, the scribe notes that with an understanding of the trade market for Trouba, GM Kevin Cheveldayoff has circled back to Myers to see what it would take to bring him back to Winnipeg. The 28-year old defenseman still ranks seventh on the TSN free agent list, but could disappear entirely if the Jets are able to re-sign him before the interview process starts on June 23.
- The same could be said about both Luke Schenn and Alexander Edler, who continue to discuss new contracts with the Vancouver Canucks according to GM Jim Benning on a Sportsnet radio appearance today. Benning also shot down any rumors that the team and RFA Brock Boeser are far apart on contract talks, noting that contract negotiations have “gone in the right direction.” The Canucks GM could not comment directly on the recent Zaitsev report, but is having lots of trade conversations to see if there is a way to improve the team.
Snapshots: Datsyuk, Faulk, Karlsson, Sutter
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.
Snapshots: CBA, Johansson, Canucks
In September, both the NHL and NHLPA hold opt out clauses for the current Collective Bargaining Agreement, which could eventually lead to another work stoppage in 2020. A stoppage would be a nightmare for fans, but apparently is also not what either side is hoping for this time around. John Shannon of Sportsnet was on 630 CHED in Edmonton today discussing the upcoming negotiations, and told host Bob Stauffer that he is confident a deal will get done:
There will be no work stoppage. There will be no strike. There will be no lockout. Both sides have done too well with this last CBA. What we’re talking about now is tweaks, we’re talking about improving the plight of both sides—and I’m being a little facetious when I say “plight.” This is one where the owners would be thrilled to continue to have this CBA, but they realize that in order to get some harmony with the players they’re going to have to give up a little bit, and in turn the players are going to have to give up something.
Shannon goes on to explain that there will be no compliance buyouts in the next agreement, given that there will be no work stoppage this time. He also suggests the length of contracts may be limited even further, perhaps down to even a five-year cap. While none of this is certain at this point, we’ve been hearing for months that there has been good progress made towards a new agreement.
- Marcus Johansson has rebuilt his free agent value according to a new piece by Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (subscription required) which examines the potential market for the Boston Bruins trade deadline addition. LeBrun notes that the Bruins have “begun to discuss the merits of bringing him back” and speaks to both Washington Capitals forward Nicklas Backstrom and New Jersey Devils GM Ray Shero, who both explain that they love the person as much as the player. Johansson has played just 87 regular season games over the last two seasons thanks to injury, but has been a real contributor to the Bruins playoff success and is set to hit the open market at just 28 years old.
- The Vancouver Canucks have been rumored to be in the market for a defenseman this offseason, and now Rick Dhaliwal of Sportsnet tweets out a few potential options. The reporter has heard that the team will go after Jake Gardiner or Tyler Myers, obviously depending on what happens with the two over the next month. Gardiner and Myers are two of the top options available on the free agent market this season, but provide different skill sets. Myers is a huge right-handed blue liner who recorded his best offensive season—48 points—a decade ago and hasn’t come close since, while Gardiner is just one year removed from a 52 point season from the left side.
Snapshots: Blues Injuries, Marleau, Berglund, Gretzky, Quartexx
After a forgettable performance in their first home Stanley Cup Finals game since 1970 on Saturday, the St. Louis Blues might get back a key player for Monday’s Game Four. Defenseman Vince Dunn was seen as a full participant in their optional practice on Sunday, according to NHL.com’s Lou Korac. While he’s still day-to-day, it’s extremely possible he may be ready to go on Monday.
The injury news may not be as promising for forward Robert Thomas, who has now missed two games with an undisclosed injury, although it is now believed it’s a wrist injury that the 19-year-old has suffered. Thomas practiced at Sunday’s optional skate, but NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti reports that he didn’t handle any pucks and was following Robby Fabbri in drills, suggesting he’s not ready to return to the lineup.
- With continued rumors surrounding Toronto Maple Leafs forward Patrick Marleau and his interest in moving to a west coast team, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that the Maple Leafs have already had discussions with the Arizona Coyotes, one of the three teams that Marleau is reportedly interested in playing for next season. LeBrun reports that Arizona didn’t show significant interest and he senses that the Coyotes would require a premium prospect sent along with Marleau if the team is willing to take Marleau’s contract off of Toronto’s hands.
- After walking away in December from millions of dollars, former Buffalo Sabres forward Patrik Berglund said on the Hockey Sense Podcast with Andy Strickland that he doesn’t regret leaving the Sabres and now that he’s had a chance to recuperate, intends to return to the ice next season. Berglund, who would have had three years remaining on the contract he signed back in 2017, choose not to report to the team in December and was suspended and then given his unconditional release and had his contract terminated. “I’m doing really well, back home in Sweden and just kind of hanging out right now, getting back to work through working out and doing all that and I’m looking forward to playing hockey next year somewhere, so it’s all good,” Berglund said. No word on whether he intends to return to the NHL or play overseas.
- The Edmonton Journal’s Kurt Leavins writes that while there has been no official word, it looks like Edmonton Oilers former interim general manager Keith Gretzky is likely to stay within the organization and could fill a dual role. He is expected to return to his old role of assistant general manager with an emphasis on the amateur side, while also having a bigger role with Edmonton’s AHL franchise, the Bakersfield Condors, which was the same role that Craig MacTavish held before he left the organization.
- In agent news, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that the player agency Quartexx is merging with Darren Ferris and DHG Sports Agency to form an even bigger agency. Among the players that DHG brings over to Quartexx are Toronto’s Mitch Marner, New Jersey’s Taylor Hall, and Detroit’s Andreas Athanasiou and Filip Zadina. Friedman adds that the merger shouldn’t have any effect on any negotiations.
Snapshots: Edmonton, Sedlak, Blackhawks
The Edmonton Oilers will not be bringing back Trent Yawney or Manny Viveiros as assistant coaches next season, according to Jason Gregor of TSN. It’s not a totally unexpected move given the changes in leadership behind the bench and in the front office for the Oilers, but now means that head coach Dave Tippett will get to put together his own staff. The early speculation is that Yawney could re-join Todd McLellan‘s staff, this time in Los Angeles. Assistant Glen Gulutzan will remain and run the Oilers’ powerplay next season.
While both Yawney and Vivieros can hardly be blamed entirely for what happened last season in Edmonton, it makes sense to wipe the slate (mostly) clean and start anew. Edmonton must get it right this time with GM Ken Holland and Tippett on board, or risk wasting more prime seasons of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.
- Lukas Sedlak has signed in the KHL, inking a two-year deal with Traktor Chelyabinsk. The Columbus Blue Jackets forward was set to become a restricted free agent this summer, but according to team reporter Brian Hedger, was looking for a bigger opportunity and more money. Sedlak played just 47 games for the Blue Jackets last season in a depth role, and made $850K in the second year of a two-season contract signed back in 2017.
- The Chicago Blackhawks are on the clock third in June’s draft, and are taking a close look at the prospects taking part in this week’s scouting combine. Mark Lazerus spoke with Blackhawks scouting director Mark Kelley, who told him that the team has narrowed their list to six potential players to pick with the third-overall selection, though he wouldn’t specify. Lazerus has heard though that Bowen Byram, Alex Turcotte, Cole Caufield and Trevor Zegras are among them.
Snapshots: Eriksson-Lucic, Markov, NWHL
The rumor that just won’t go away early this off-season is a potential swap between Western Canada rivals Vancouver and Edmonton of Loui Eriksson for Milan Lucic. Originally thought to just be a hypothetical deal – one that readers were split over – it turns out that the possible exchange of bad contracts has actually been discussed. TSN’s Jason Gregor reports that sources within the Canucks organization say that GM Jim Benning and company did actually sit down with the Oilers to discuss a trade centered around the two former Boston Bruins. However, Gregor notes that these talks took place in April and May and does not specify whether new Edmonton GM Ken Holland has been involved in any of those discussions. On paper, there is a discrepancy between the term and contract structure of Lucic and Eriksson, making Eriksson the lesser of two bad contracts. Yet, Lucic has been slightly more productive and brings a consistent physical edge. Eriksson arguably has the higher ceiling though, if he is able to stay healthy. Any deal between the two sides would likely have to provide an additional benefit to the Canucks, beyond just bringing home the Vancouver native Lucic, likely in the form of a pick or prospect. But the idea that the two sides have actually had talks about a trade takes this rumor from a convenient hypothetical talking point to an actual trade that could, and may even be likely, to go down this summer.
- A rumor that did go away has surprisingly resurfaced. TSN’s Andrew Zadarnowski reports that former Montreal Canadiens defenseman Andrei Markov is drawing considerable attention on the open market. Markov, 40, is a free agent after his two-year deal with the KHL’s Ak Bars Kazan expired and he is considering all of his options. No sooner did Markov leave for the KHL than did word get out that he was eyeing an NHL return, but nothing came of it. Now, Zadarnowski states that he has already received three NHL offers, as well as a KHL offer, while Kazan has publicly stated that they would be open to re-signing the veteran leader. The NHL interest may come as a surprise, but Markov has stayed productive even in his older age, recording 47 points over two seasons in the KHL and 36 points in 62 games in his final season with Montreal in 2016-17. Surely no team in North America is willing to offer Markov a multi-year deal at age 40, but a one-year flier may work out well in the right situation.
- “Unless there is a change of heart soon”, don’t count on women’s professional hockey in Canada in 2019-20. After the Canadian Women’s Hockey League folded earlier this spring, the National Women’s Hockey League announced a planed expansion into the Canadian market with teams in Toronto and Montreal. However, with 200 of the game’s best female players on strike, the Associated Press reports that the NWHL is likely to hold off on expansion talks until next year. The league will continue operating with five American teams and will keep working toward a resolution that is best for the game of women’s hockey.
Snapshots: Kessel, Malmquist, Vladar
It’s been confirmed by many sources now that Pittsburgh Penguins forward Phil Kessel himself nixed the proposed deal that would have sent him to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for Jason Zucker, among other pieces. What was unclear is exactly why. Kessel is a native of nearby Wisconsin and played his college hockey for the University of Minnesota. It would seem that the Wild would have been a nice fit for the veteran scorer. However, as noted by the Athletic’s Michael Russo, Kessel’s reasoning for turning down the destination is quite simple: he doesn’t think the team is a contender. In fact, after talking to those close to Kessel, Russo phrases it as Kessel didn’t think the team was even “close to contending”. GM Paul Fenton certainly left a mark in his first season at the helm, trading away established veterans Charlie Coyle, Mikael Granlund, and Nino Niederreiter and on paper the team does look to be in more of a rebuild than a title window. Fenton reportedly called Kessel to try to change his mind, but to no avail. Kessel will be 32 next season and has already showed signs of slowing down, so the star winger apparently has his sights set on competing for more Stanley Cups before his playing days are over. That could make the prospect of dealing him that much harder for Penguins GM Jim Rutherford, further limiting Kessel’s trade options to contenders on his eight-team trade list that have both the means and interest in acquiring him. Meanwhile, Fenton and the Wild have to hope that other prominent players, free agents or trade targets, don’t share in Kessel’s pessimistic outlook on the team’s chances or they may have a hard time improving this off-season.
- Kessel’s home of Madison, Wisconsin is set to see another promising player make his way into town in a couple of years. Liam Malmquist, a standout high school forward from Edina, Minnesota, has announced his commitment to play his college hockey for the University of Wisconsin. However, Malmquist will not join the Badgers until 2020-21 and will play next season for the BCHL’s Penticton Vees, the team announced today. Malmquist, 18, is an undersized scoring forward, whose lack of stature and relatively weak competition level likely kept him off the radar of NHL team’s in his first time through the draft last year. However, after recording 52 points in 24 games this year, he’s entered the conversation as a possible late-round overage waiver this June. Malmquist’s older brother, Dylan Malmquist, remains unsigned but just wrapped up a strong collegiate career at the University of Notre Dame. Even if Malmquist is not drafted, he can stay in the pro picture if he is able to replicate or top his brother’s numbers while at Wisconsin. He should be surrounded by plenty of talent too, as Malmquist joins a talented Badgers team that will add top 2019 prospects Alex Turcotte, Cole Caufield, Ryder Donovan, and Owen Lindmark, as well as intriguing 2020 name Dylan Holloway next season and another top 2020 prospect in Tanner Latsch the year after.
- The Boston Bruins have already lost forward Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson and defenseman Emil Johansson to Europe this off-season – even though the team’s off-season has yet to begin – and for the good of their minor league depth hope to avoid any other such losses. However, it is worth noting that AHL goaltender Dan Vladar was the subject of a recent trade in the KHL. Vladar’s rights were acquired by contender Lokomotiv Yaroslavl from HK Sochi in exchange for 22-year-old active KHL forward Alexander Polunin, a somewhat hefty price for just a player’s rights. There has been no word as to whether Vladar has talked about jumping overseas, prompting the trade, but it certainly shouldn’t be ruled out. Vladar, a 2015 third-round pick of the Bruins, is still only 21 but has yet to make an NHL appearance in three pro seasons. Vladar played as the Providence Bruins’ backup this season, making 31 appearances to starter Zane McIntyre‘s 47. Both goalies put up just pedestrian numbers and McIntyre, a pending unrestricted free agent, is not a lock to return. With NHL backup Jaroslav Halak also signed for just one more season, it could be that Vladar remains on the fast track to start for Providence next season and one day back up Tuukka Rask. One would think that position would keep the young net minder stateside. However, he now faces a challenge from other promising young goalies in the pipeline like Kyle Keyser and Jeremy Swayman and may no longer feel that he is guaranteed to ever see time with the Bruins. Such a mindset could see Vladar off to Russia this summer.