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Central Notes: Maroon, Predators, Kruger

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The St. Louis Blues had one of the best offseasons in the league when they managed to acquire Ryan O’Reilly, Tyler Bozak, David Perron with in the first few days of the start of free agency. The fact they were able to add those players without mortgaging their future prospects, make their offseason that much more successful. However, when the team signed winger Patrick Maroon to a one-year, $1.75MM deal, the team really looked at their offseason as a roaring success.

Maroon, who opted to give up both money and term so he could sign with his home-town Blues, could easily have gotten both elsewhere. Maroon, who made $2MM last year, has scored 44 goals in the past two years, making the 6-foot-3 physical forward an excellent, inexpensive addition. However, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Jeff Gordon writes don’t be surprised if Maroon gets an extension before the 2018-19 season ends. It’s likely the team will give him that deserved money and term when the team’s salary cap situation improves next season.

A lot of that will depend on how Maroon plays next season. The 30-year-old will likely find himself on the team’s third line, which could prove challenging to put up big numbers in. However, with his experience and ability to play along with top-line talent like he did alongside Connor McDavid in Edmonton, Maroon could easily find himself in a top-six role if injuries develop or lines don’t produce like the team hopes.

  • In a mailbag segment, the Tennessean’s Adam Vingan writes that he wonders whether the Nashville Predators insistence on not including no-movement clauses is what’s hurting the team from signing top free agents to their team. In fact, the scribe wonders whether the team can keep that policy up when it comes to re-signing defenseman Ryan Ellis. The problem with refusing to include no-movement clauses into contracts is that players will often take less money to stay with the Predators due to the lack of a state tax in Tennessee. However, the issue that many players have is that if the team trades them and the player then doesn’t receive the tax benefits. Only goaltender Pekka Rinne has a no-movement clause.
  • Mark Lazerus of The Chicago Sun-Times writes that despite the team lack of success when bringing back former Stanley Cup Champions to their lineup, the acquisition of Marcus Kruger is a minimal risk. The veteran forward, who was acquired in the Marian Hossa deal with the Arizona Coyotes, is in the last year of a three-year, $9.25MM deal in which he will only cost them $2.775MM against the cap. The forward struggled in Carolina last year, posting just six points in 48 games and played some time in the AHL as well. However, it turns out he played most of the season with a sports hernia injury. At just 28 years of age, the team should be thrilled if they can get some quality minutes out of him on the team’s fourth line.

 

Blues Plan To Pick Up Contract Talks With Joel Edmundson Next Week

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After being active in the early stages of free agency, the Blues will be turning their focus to re-signing their own players now.  The most notable of those is RFA defenseman Joel Edmundson.  GM Doug Armstrong told reporters, including Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, that they have had initial talks with him so far but plan to really pick up negotiations next week.

Edmundson is coming off of the best season of his brief career, one that saw him collect seven goals and ten assists in 69 games while averaging over 20 minutes per game for the first time.  He also led the Blues in blocked shots per game.  Edmundson filed for arbitration last week and his case has been set for July 25th which gives the two sides two weeks to hammer out a deal before going to the hearing.

New Jersey Devils Pursued Patrick Maroon, James Van Riemsdyk

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The New Jersey Devils have signed just one forward—Kurtis Gabriel—in free agency, but it hasn’t been for lack of trying. GM Ray Shero spoke to media today including radio play-by-play announcer Matt Loughlin and admitted that the team had pursued James van Riemsdyk and Patrick Maroon, before they both ultimately signed elsewhere. Maroon specifically was offered more money to stay in New Jersey than he received from the St. Louis Blues, but made the decision to return to his hometown and play closer to his young son.

New Jersey has an incredible amount of cap space this summer, but can’t seem to find any free agents to spend it on after trying and failing with a few forwards. Michael Grabner, who also was acquired at the trade deadline like Maroon, signed a three-year deal with the Arizona Coyotes. The Devils have a good young group of players and a superstar in Taylor Hall they have to start thinking about an extension for—Hall has two years remaining on his current deal—but could still afford to add a few names and salary before the beginning of the year. They made the playoffs in 2017-18 somewhat surprisingly and should try to continue that level of play going forward.

There’s plenty of work to do for the Devils, who have seven restricted free agents still to sign, but it is surprising there hasn’t been more announced so far. There is obviously opportunities to use that cap space as an asset, similar to the way they took Marcus Johansson off the hands of the Washington Capitals last year for a discounted price. If more situations like the reported Erik Karlsson-Tampa Bay negotiations—ones that have apparently included a search for a third team to take on salary—arise this summer you can bet the Devils will be involved.

Still, it is disappointing for a fan base that was hoping for some substantial additions in free agency. Maroon fit in quite well with the team after coming over from the Edmonton Oilers, scoring 13 points in 17 games for them down the stretch and adding some size up front. van Riemsdyk too could have given them an elite net front presence and added goal scoring, something they could use as they try to support Hall and Nico Hischier going forward. There isn’t much left on the open market, meaning they might have to wait until next season to really take part in the free agent frenzy.

Dominik Bokk Signs Entry-Level Contract With St. Louis Blues

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The St. Louis Blues have been one of the busiest teams in the league recently, and today they completed a little more offseason work. Dominik Bokk, the team’s first-round selection from the June draft, has signed his three-year entry-level contract. The contract will almost certainly slide at least one season since Bokk is scheduled to play in Sweden this year, and might not even come into effect until the 2020-21 season.

The Blues were scheduled to select 29th this season with the pick acquired from the Winnipeg Jets for Paul Stastny, but moved up to 25 when Bokk was still available. The German winger was rated even higher by some publications, and for good reason. His 41 points in the Swedish junior league put him among the league leaders in points per game, and he even got a taste of the SHL with Vajxo for 15 games.

St. Louis can take their time with Bokk and turn him into more than just the dazzling puck-handler he is currently, given their exceptional forward depth in the NHL and prospect ranks. With one of the higher ceilings of the first round, if he does develop fully it would be another tremendous draft pick for the team.

Patrick Maroon Officially Signs With St. Louis Blues

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6:16 PM: The contract contains an eight-team no-trade clause, reports TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie (Twitter link).

3:00 PM: Though there were a few hiccups along the way, Patrick Maroon is finally heading home. The big winger has officially signed a one-year contract with the St. Louis Blues that will pay him just $1.75MM. This deal was reportedly close on the weekend, but Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes an agent switch that Maroon recently went through could have slowed things down. Maroon’s new agent, Ben Hankinson, told reporters Sunday night that his client was still looking at other options, despite St. Louis being a heavy favorite. Well the betting odds came through, and Maroon will be heading back to his hometown for at least one season.

Maroon, 30, likely left money on the table to go back to St. Louis and be closer to his son and other family. Playing in front of them has long been an obvious motivator for Maroon, who rebuilt his career in Edmonton the last few seasons and was a very effective player down the stretch for the New Jersey Devils. We listed him as the 12th-best free agent in our Top 50 UFA Rankings, but believed he would garner a much longer and much more lucrative contract. That may have been possible, but as Blues GM Doug Armstrong explains it was a clear goal for Maroon to return home:

We’re excited to add Pat Maroon to our group. Things picked up over the last few days, and last night about 10:30 p.m. I got a call from him and his representative saying they’d like to be part of the St. Louis Blues.

This is a one-year opportunity for him to come back, hopefully play with some really good centermen and get back to that 27-goal performance he had in Edmonton, or close to it. We think he can help our team. I talked to some of our players about him, competing against him, and they spoke very highly about how hard he was to play against, how difficult he was to move in those high traffic areas. It’s just another player we add to our group that makes us a little better than we were yesterday.

The $1.75MM price tag is extremely reasonable for the Blues, who have overhauled their roster this summer and are looking to compete for the Stanley Cup in 2018-19. With the additions of Tyler Bozak, Ryan O’Reilly, David Perron and now Maroon, their forward group will look very different come October. There is still likely some work to be done though, as the team now has just over $3.2MM in cap space with contracts to come for restricted free agents Joel Edmundson and Jordan Schmaltz. Some of that could be taken care of by just waiving a few forwards, since they currently have 15 that project as NHL options, but that would put assets at risk before the season begins. Instead, there could be another trade coming to clear out some cap space now that Maroon is in the fold on such a reasonable deal.

For the player, the one-year deal is a bet on himself for at least a few months. There have been reports that the Blues will offer an extension to Maroon quickly after the January 1st threshold, which could be for a multi-year term at a higher cap hit. Doing it this way allowed them to keep the cap hit down for this season when things are tight, and allows them a period of evaluation for the powerful winger. There’s no guarantee that he’ll be able to produce like he did in Edmonton and New Jersey, as Maroon has struggled in the past. Still, at the price he’s signed for right now he doesn’t need to be much more than a big body that contributes occasionally and can wear down an opposing defense.

St. Louis Blues Expected To Sign Patrick Maroon

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Monday: Despite a source telling Rutherford that Maroon would sign in St. Louis, several teams remain in the mix for the power winger. His agent, Ben Hankinson, told Rutherford last night that the Blues are a “strong option” while Andy Strickland of Fox Sports reports that the Arizona Coyotes and New Jersey Devils had shown interest. Lou Korac of NHL.com though has heard that a one-year deal worth $1.7MM with the Blues has been agreed to, and the two sides will negotiate an extension in January.

Sunday: Just two days ago, The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford reported that the St. Louis Blues were interested in local product and one of the top unsigned free agents, Patrick Maroon. Now, Rutherford has confirmed his speculation, writing that the big winger will indeed return home to St. Louis and sign with the Blues. Rutherford hears from a source that this is a done deal that could be announced as early as this afternoon, but no details on the salary or term agreed upon have been revealed as of yet.

Maroon, 30, is coming off a career year in which he recorded a career-high 43 points in 74 games split between the Edmonton Oilers and New Jersey Devils. In 2016-17, he also recorded a career-high 27 goals and was one of the team’s top scorers in the postseason. If Rick Nash is indeed set on retirement, or at least taking time off from hockey, Maroon was the top available player on PHR’s Top 50 Free Agents list at No. 12.

Despite rumors that Maroon was interested in a return to either Edmonton or New Jersey, the St. Louis native emerged early as a target of the Blues. However, St. Louis has been busy this off-season, signing David Perron, Tyler Bozak, and Chad Johnson, not to mention several of their own restricted free agents, and then trading for Ryan O’Reilly. Accounting for their official moves to date, the Blues have little more than $5MM in cap space and still need to sign RFA defensemen Joel Edmundson and Jordan Schmaltz to new contracts. As such, many felt that the pairing of Maroon and St. Louis was no longer feasible. Yet, Rutherford reports that the Blues put the “full-court press” on Maroon in recent days, including meeting with him in person and having several members of the team call and convince him to join. It seems that GM Doug Armstrong and the Blues’ front office have a plan for working around St. Louis’ cap crunch.

Maroon is currently rehabbing from off-season back surgery, but is expected to be at full strength for the start of the season. A healthy Maroon is a major boost for St. Louis, even after adding several other impact pieces up front. The 6’3″, 225-lb. forward plays a physical game and is strong on the puck, something that the Blues lacked at times last year. He also adds significantly to their depth at left wing and has a finishing ability that should pair well with many play-makers on the Blues’ offense. While the salary terms will further clarify just how good of a signing this is, it stands to reason that Maroon – who made only $2MM per year on his last contract – is not earning so much as to make the Blues’ salary cap situation irreparable, meaning that he could be a great value for the team moving forward.

St. Louis Blues Sign Dmitrij Jaskin To One-Year Deal

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The St. Louis Blues have announced they have signed restricted free agent Dmitrij Jaskin to a one year deal worth $1.1MM. The team has been working hard locking up their restricted free agents. The team signed Oskar Sundqvist to a one-year, $700K Friday as well as inking Robby Fabbri and Mackenzie McEachern Tuesday, which now leaves the Blues with just three restricted free agents remaining, including defensemen Joel Edmundson, Jordan Schmaltz and Petteri Lindbohm.

Jaskin played in a career high in games last season for the Blues. The 6-foot-2 bruising winger played in 76 games last season as he’s had trouble earning a full-time role with the team. However, the bottom-six forward seemed to have gotten a foothold into St. Louis’ lineup this past season and has even seen some extra time this past season on the power play. The bottom-six forward has some skill and a touch of speed, but it hasn’t translated into offense, however, as he tallied six goals and 11 assists for 17 points, while averaging 12:27 of ATOI.

The new deal is a slight raise for the 25-year-old as he will make $100K more than last season when he finished up a two-year, $2MM deal that he signed in 2016. With the signing, the Blues have just a bit more than $5MM in remaining cap room after the team added Ryan O’Reilly via trade ($7.5MM AAV over next five years) and also signed veterans Tyler Bozak ($5MM AAV over three years) and David Perron ($4MM AAV over four years) to long-term deals. Edmundson’s deal could also take up a significant amount of the remaining cap room, suggesting the team could be close to done unless it can move out some salary.

 

Blues Interested In Patrick Maroon

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Even though the Blues have been big spenders this summer, they are making a push to sign UFA winger Patrick Maroon, reports Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic (Twitter link).  However, Maroon’s camp is staying patient and there doesn’t appear to be any particular rush to get a deal done.

The 30-year-old is coming off of a season that saw him record a career-high 43 points between Edmonton and New Jersey.  While he has seen an uptick in his offense as of late, he is still a very physical winger as well which makes him one of the few true power forwards available on the open market.

Maroon underwent surgery to repair a herniated disc in his back in May but it’s not expected to cost him any time next season as he is expected to resume skating in advance of training camp.

As is often the case when notable players remain unsigned after the first few days of free agency, one of the questions that Maroon will have to decide on is whether or not he should continue to pursue a long-term deal.  While the security would certainly be nice, he may have to take less than his asking price to do so.  However, he could look for a one-year pact instead in the hopes that another strong season offensively will only boost his negotiating leverage on the open market next summer.

While the Blues could certainly use Maroon in their middle six group of forwards, given their remaining cap space (roughly $6MM per CapFriendly) and having three regulars still to re-sign including defenseman Joel Edmundson, they would likely have to clear out a contract before they could realistically bring in the St. Louis native.  Speculatively, that cut would need to come from the back end with blueliners Jay Bouwmeester and Carl Gunnarsson entering the final year of their deals.  However, both players are still recovering from significant injuries (a hip issue for Bouwmeester and knee surgery for Gunnarsson) which could potentially complicate things.

Maroon ranks 12th on our Top 50 free agent list and is the second-highest player still unsigned.  It appears that he may be on the open market for a little while yet.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Beau Bennett Signs In KHL

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The deadline came and went yesterday without Beau Bennett’s name on the list of players filing for player-elected salary arbitration, and now we know why. Igor Eronko of Sport-Express reports that Bennett has signed a one-year contract with Dinamo Minsk in the KHL, meaning there was no need for arbitration with the St. Louis Blues.

Bennett, 26, has never been able to fulfill his first-round draft pick status and spent almost all of last season in the minor leagues. With 64 points in 200 NHL games, Bennett’s offensive ability—quite apparent at every other level of hockey—hasn’t ever shown itself. He’ll try another league, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him find great success overseas. The KHL often rewards players exactly like Bennett, who are obviously talented but have failed to really take advantage of the opportunities given to them in the NHL.

You can bet he’ll be back on the North American radar after a year in Russia, especially if he finds success playing for Minsk. There are 31 AHL teams who would likely welcome Bennett into the fold, but it’s obvious that he wants to play at the highest level possible. He’ll join Sergei and Andrei Kostitsyn on the KHL club, along with Jhonas Enroth and other former NHL players.

St. Louis Blues Sign Oskar Sundqvist, Jordan Binnington

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The St. Louis Blues have avoided arbitration with one of their restricted free agents, signing Oskar Sundqvist to a one-year contract worth $700K. Sundqvist had filed for arbitration yesterday, but won’t need to have a hearing now. Sundqvist will be eligible for Group VI unrestricted free agency at the end of the deal should he fail to play in 10 games this season.

Sundqvist, 24, has just nine points in his 70 career NHL games and hasn’t been able to secure a full-time role. It’s unclear where he would fit in best in an NHL lineup, as he’s been a good power forward in the minor leagues but doesn’t possess a ton of high-end skill. Sundqvist was part of the trade that send Pittsburgh Ryan Reaves, but wasn’t as important as the first round pick that came along with him. In fact, he played just 42 games for the Blues last season and wasn’t given much of an opportunity to play an offensive game.

He’ll likely play much of the same role for the Blues, coming in and out of the lineup when necessary in 2018-19. Still, with the added depth up front that the team has added there’s no clear path to playing time for Sundqvist. A deal just slightly over league minimum is a reasonable amount of risk for the Blues, and doesn’t guarantee anything for the young Swedish forward.

The team has also signed goaltender Jordan Binnington to a one-year, two-way contract. Binnington didn’t file for arbitration yesterday after spending another season in the minor leagues, but will be rewarded anyway with a quick deal. The 24-year old had an excellent season for the Providence Bruins, spending the year on loan given the Blues didn’t have a primary AHL affiliate of their own. With a .926 save percentage during the season, he showed once again that he could be a backup NHL option at some point. That won’t come in St. Louis anytime soon though with Chad Johnson’s addition and the continued presence of Jake Allen and Ville Husso, which may lead to him becoming a free agent next summer. Binnington will qualify for Group VI UFA status in 2019 if he fails to play in 30 games this season.

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