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Anaheim Ducks Sign Jani Hakanpaa

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The Anaheim Ducks officially announced their contract with Anthony Stolarz today, but also had some more news for their fans. Jani Hakanpaa has signed a one-year contract with the team marking his return to North America after four years with Karpat of the Finnish Liiga. Eric Stephens of The Athletic reports the deal is for $850K and is a one-way contract.

Originally a draft pick of the St. Louis Blues, Hakanpaa played three years in the minor leagues between 2012-15 but failed to catch on in the NHL. After returning to Finland though, the 27-year old continued his development and last season recorded 11 goals and 23 points in 52 games. Most notably, he was part of the gold medal-winning team at the most recent World Championship, showing that he could defend well against NHL players from around the league.

The 6’5″ defenseman has led Liiga in plus/minus for two consecutive seasons, and was a huge part of Karpat going to back-to-back league championships (winning once). While he doesn’t provide a ton of upside, the Ducks needed to add some depth for this season as they had just nine defensemen under contract in the whole organization. Only two of those names were right-handed, meaning Hakanpaa actually might have a good shot at cracking the roster out of camp if no further NHL additions are made.

Chris Butler Announces Retirement

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What’s better than going out in style? After a long professional career, Chris Butler has decided to retire after finally lifting the Stanley Cup above his head. Though he didn’t play in the postseason for the Blues, he was on the ice to celebrate their win after appearing in 13 games during the regular season. The 32-year old released a letter to fans about his journey and hopes to inspire the next generation of players from the St. Louis area.

Butler served as captain of the San Antonio Rampage this season, playing 51 games in the AHL to close out his career. A fourth-round pick from 2005, he went to the University of Denver and developed into a reliable two-way presence who quickly made the transition to the professional level. Suiting up for the Buffalo Sabres, Calgary Flames and Blues over parts of 11 NHL seasons, he totaled 407 games played and recorded 86 points. On three different occasions he averaged more than 20 minutes a night for an entire season, but was never the lead offensive weapon from the blue line.

In his letter, he explains that lifting the Stanley Cup was never even his dream, he never got that far:

I could say the last five years being a member of the Blues organization was a dream come true but that would be a lie. It was a dream that never existed for me. Growing up in St Louis, as a hockey player, my dream was to someday be able to get a college scholarship and help my parents by paying for my education, that was it.

Butler did a lot more than that, earning close to $8MM in his career according to CapFriendly. Happy retirement, Chris.

Notable AHL Signings: 7/1 & 7/2

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It’s not uncommon to see many players coming off NHL contracts, including those who have found success in the AHL, opt to sign minor league contracts early in July. As the new league year begins, many unrestricted free agents find that the market for their services at the top level does not develop. Rather than hold out hope for a two-way NHL contract further into the off-season, many are content to accept AHL contracts, which don’t rule out the possibility of signing in the NHL but provide some certainty about the coming season. Through the first two days of free agency, more than a few familiar names have settled for minor league pacts:

  • Tyler Sikura has signed a one-year deal with the AHL’s Rockford Ice Hogs, remaining in the Chicago Blackhawks organization. Sikura has been a key contributor for Rockford the past two years, even earning a one-year contract with Chicago this past season, but did not make an NHL appearance. He was likely content to stay with organization anyway, as he can continue to play with younger brother Dylan Sikura.
  • After playing a key shutdown role for the Charlotte Checkers en route to a Calder Cup championship, defenseman Josiah Didier has signed a one-year deal with the Providence Bruins. Providence has several top prospects on their blue line, but are lacking depth and Didier should again play an important role for his team next season.
  • The San Antonio Rampage have signed former Detroit Red Wings prospect and second-round pick Zach Nastisiuk to an AHL contract, as well as fellow forwards Cameron Darcy and J.J. Piccinich. The trio will have to fight for ice time in the minors, as the St. Louis Blues have signed quite a few depth players already over these past two days.
  • The Lehigh Valley Phantoms went big game hunting among AHL veterans yesterday, signing five-time AHL All-Star Cal O’Reilly to a two-year deal and bringing back their own All-Star, Greg Carey. O’Reilly, 32, has been on an NHL contract in each of the past five seasons, but had to settle for a step down this year despite another strong campaign. The center was a point-per-game scorer for the Iowa Wild, notching 67 points in 67 games to finish in the top ten in the AHL in scoring. It was his sixth AHL season with 60+ points. Carey, 29, saw his contract with the Philadelphia Flyers expire, but remains in the organization, where he has recorded three straight 50+ points seasons. The Phantoms also signed another Iowa forward, Gerry Fitzgerald, and defenseman Eric Knodel to one-year contracts.
  • A trio of familiar names have joined the Hartford Wolfpack: goalie Thomas McCollum, forward Harry Zolnierczyk, and defenseman Vincent LoVerde. All three players are coming off of NHL contracts but will have to work their way back into relevance at the top level. McCollum and Zolnierczyk both have played in the NHL, albeit not in several years, and LoVerde is a two-time AHL All-Star and Calder Cup champ. It’s quite a haul for Hartford.
  • Sam Vigneault left Clarkson University early to join the Columbus Blue Jackets, but his play in the minors tailed off over the past two years and his entry-level contract expired without an NHL experience. However, he’s content to stay in the organization, as Vigneault has signed a one-year deal with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters.
  • Former top goalie prospect Zach Fucale has had a tough go of it in the pros. A second-round pick of the Montreal Canadiens in 2013, Fucale has been relegated to the ECHL for much of the past three seasons. He managed to find an AHL contract with the Syracuse Crunch, but considering the depth in net for the Tampa Bay Lightning after signing three goalies yesterday, Fucale is likely headed back to the ECHL.
  • Cole Schneider has been a force in the AHL for years, recently wrapping up his sixth straight season of 50+ points. However, the 28-year-old has been unable to translate that offense to the NHL. Although he still had enough value to warrant a trade to the Nashville Predators this season, Schneider never made an appearance for the team. That hasn’t stopped him from sticking with the organization though. The Milwaukee Admirals have brought back the talented forward on a one-year deal.

St. Louis Blues Sign Derrick Pouliot, Five Others

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The NHL’s only Australian is on the move. Nathan Walker is set to sign a two-year, two-way deal with the defending champion St. Louis Blues. They didn’t stop there though, as the Blues have announced two-way contracts with five other players—Derrick Pouliot, Mike Vecchione, Nick Lappin, Jake Dotchin and Evan Polei.

Even though they were relatively quiet today, deciding to keep their Stanley Cup group together instead of bringing in any top names, the Blues have done well to add real depth to the organization on inexpensive deals. Pouliot especially was expected to get a more lucrative contract than this, even though the Vancouver Canucks had decided to not issue him a qualifying offer. The 25-year old even landed on our Top 50 UFA list, though admittedly he didn’t have a ton of leverage after a 12-point season.

Several of the others have legitimate NHL experience though, meaning the Blues will be able to pick and choose who starts the year on the NHL roster and who goes to the AHL as injury insurance. The team knows just how much of a grind it is to get all the way to the championship and will be well prepared in case of injury.

St. Louis Blues Re-Sign Sammy Blais

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The St. Louis Blues have decided to sign one of their own restricted free agents, inking Sammy Blais to a one-year contract. The deal will pay the young Blais $850K for the 2019-20 season, and will keep him a restricted free agent next summer.

Blais, 23, was a sixth-round pick of the Blues back in 2014 but has made quite a name for himself in his young professional career by blending a sneaky scoring touch with a big physical presence. The 6’2″ forward put that physicality on display for the Blues in the playoffs where he forced opponents to keep their heads up at all times and registered 70 hits in just 15 games. Though the offense hasn’t materialized at the NHL level he is a fine option in a fourth-line role already and may be given an even bigger role next season.

The question will be what kind of opportunity will be available on the Blues, given the continued development of several other young forwards. The team has four restricted free agents still to sign up front in Ivan Barbashev, Robby Fabbri, Zach Sanford and Oskar Sundqvist, all who can play in the bottom-six. There is also the group of Jordan Kyrou, Erik Foley, Dominik Bokk and Klim Kostin that will be pushing for NHL ice time before long, meaning Blais will need to fight for every chance he can get.

Offseason Keys: St. Louis Blues

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With the postseason and draft now finished, the activity is really about to pick up with free agency now just hours away from officially opening.  What storylines lie ahead around the league in what is shaping up to be a busy NHL offseason?  Next up in our Offseason Keys series is a look at the St. Louis Blues.

What a strange season it was for St. Louis.  They were a team that was believed to be on the way up following the offseason acquisition of Ryan O’Reilly.  Instead, they were in the basement around the halfway point of the year.  A relative unknown was brought up as their backup goalie at this time and the team took off.  They worked their way up to second in the division and then got it done in the postseason as they won the Western Conference crown before defeating Boston in the Stanley Cup Final.  As a result, their offseason to-do list isn’t as big as some other teams.  Here’s what will be on the horizon for them.

Schenn Extension Talks

While Brayden Schenn took a step back offensively after a career year in 2018-19 (O’Reilly’s addition was a big factor), the center was still a big part of their attack.  He eventually settled in on their second line and the potential is there for that to be a nice one-two punch down the middle for a while.

However, the 27-year-old is entering the final year of his contract and is slated to hit the open market next summer.  We’ve seen the going rate for second-tier centers go up considerably in recent years and as someone who at the very least is a capable second liner, Schenn is going to be in that mix.  Accordingly, he should be looking at a minimum of a $2MM increase on his current $5.125MM AAV.

Will he be seeking more than O’Reilly’s $7.5MM?  Will GM Doug Armstrong be using that as sort of a hard cap for as high as he’s willing to go?  (It’s worth noting that Vladimir Tarasenko also sits at $7.5MM.)  As is always the case at this time of year, it’s not a pressing need but for certainty moving forward, expect the Blues to at least get a sense of what the parameters of a new deal for Schenn will be.

New Contract For Binnington

Jordan Binnington’s rise from being a goalie that got loaned to Boston’s farm team in 2017-18 after he blocked an ECHL demotion to anchoring their second-half turnaround and helping lead them to the Stanley Cup was certainly fascinating.  From a contract standpoint, what’s to come could be just as interesting to follow.

What is the going rate for a Cup-winning goalie that has a grand total of 33 career regular season games under his belt (all but one of which came in the same season)?  Simply put, there isn’t one.  There isn’t anything close to one so this is uncharted territory here.  He’s also arbitration-eligible which just adds another wrinkle to the equation.

At the very least, given how he took over for Jake Allen down the stretch and in the playoffs, Binnington’s camp will likely be seeking a price tag that’s equal to or greater than the $4.35MM AAV that Allen carries.  But how much higher is justifiable?  He has basically had one good season so he’s not going to be able to command top dollar or even the type of money that a proven multi-year starter could fetch.

The other question the two sides will have to work through is the term.  There’s risk here for both sides.  If the Blues commit long-term and he falters, it will be a tough contract to get out from under it.  On the other hand, if Binnington fares well, he could wind up leaving a lot of money on the table by locking in now.  A short-term deal could be safer for the Blues but riskier on Binnington’s end.  There’s a lot to work through here.  They’ll get a contract done but the process of how they get there is going to be worth following.

Add Defense Prospects

While the Blues have some short-term work to do to get their bottom-six forward group re-signed, they have a longer-term concern that they may be looking to address.  Their NHL defense corps is basically set once RFA Joel Edmundson re-signs.  However, there isn’t much depth behind that group in the minors which is something they’ll likely look to address on the open market with some two-way contracts and get a player or two that can be recalled in a pinch when injuries hit.

Beyond that, their prospect pipeline is fairly thin at that position beyond 2018 draft pick Scott Perunovich.  Depending on what they’re able to do in free agency, a forward or two could eventually be squeezed out and if that’s the case, expect Armstrong to try to target defense prospects in any trades they try to make over the coming months.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Eastern Notes: Francis, Payne, Johansson, Reimer, Lehner, Mastrosimone

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One name that hasn’t gotten quite a bit of attention the last year has been that of former Carolina Hurricanes general manager Ron Francis. The former GM has spent the last few months on a management team that put together the roster for Canada at the recent World Championships. Sportsnet’s John Shannon points out that today is the last day that he is under contract with Carolina and could be free to sign with an other NHL team. According to Shannon, His work with Hockey Canada has increased his desire to return to the NHL.

Fox Sports Midwest’s Andy Strickland adds that Francis name has come up for a while as a strong candidate for the general manager position in Seattle. Francis help build the Hurricanes roster that eventually eliminated the former Stanley Cup Champion Washington Capitals last year and reached the conference finals.

  • Ottawa Senators new head coach D.J. Smith will add another key assistant to his staff. After bringing in Jack Capuano to be his associate head coach, the Senators announced today that they have also added former St. Louis Blues head coach Davis Payne as an assistant coach for the 2019-20 season. The 48-year-old Payne spent the past two years in Ottawa’s division as the associate coach for the Buffalo Sabres and Phil Housley. Before that he spent five years as an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Kings and helped lead the team to the 2014 Stanley Cup Championship. As head coach in St. Louis, he spent parts of three seasons there between 2009 and 2011, finishing with a 67-55-15 record.
  • TSN’s Darren Dreger writes that unrestricted free agent forward Marcus Johansson is talking to a number of teams today, but he is no longer talking to the Boston Bruins. The 28-year-old was acquired by Boston at the trade deadline for their playoff run, but reports indicate that his price tag is more than Boston wants to pay. Dreger adds that Boston is totally out of the picture now.
  • News & Observer’s Luke DeCock reports that while the Carolina Hurricanes acquired goaltender James Reimer earlier today, his stay in Carolina could be short. The scribe writes that Carolina isn’t necessarily planning on keeping the goaltender as the team continues to look to make more deals ahead of the opening of free agency on Monday. If they can find a taker, the team may try to flip him to another team.
  • The Athletic’s Arthur Staple adds that the Reimer trade suggests that the Florida Panthers are the leading candidates to sign Sergei Bobrovsky, which means the Islanders could find themselves without a top goalie. He points out there is plenty of time to re-connect with Robin Lehner. The two sides weren’t close in negotiations, but the Islanders may have no choice to change their stance in discussions.
  • The Detroit Red Wings got some bad news Saturday when they learned that recent draft prospect Robert Mastrosimone, the team’s second-round pick this year, suffered broken right ankle during development camp last week, according to the Detroit Free Press’ Helene St. James. The injury will require four to six weeks of rehab. Mastrosimone scored 31 goals for the USHL Chicago Steel last season.

St. Louis Blues Re-Sign Carl Gunnarsson

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The St. Louis Blues will be keeping one of their depth defensemen around a while longer, announcing a two-year extension for Carl Gunnarsson. The deal comes with a $1.75MM cap hit, a substantial decrease from the $2.9MM average annual value his last contract carried. Gunnarsson was set to become an unrestricted free agent.

In an offseason where the free agent market for defensemen seems to be shrinking daily, a player like Gunnarsson may have been considered quite valuable on the open market. The veteran returned from 2018 offseason hip and knee surgeries but dealt with several other injuries during the year that limited him to just 25 games played for the Blues. He nearly matched that total in the postseason however, suiting up 19 times and scoring a memorable game two overtime winner against the Boston Bruins. A solid option whenever he entered the lineup, Gunnarsson could be relied upon for safe minutes beside one of the team’s more active right-handed stars.

Playoff success and steady defensive play is usually rewarded in free agency, but the 32-year old obviously valued the stability of the Blues organization where he has spent the last five seasons. Originally selected in the seventh round back in 2007, Gunnarsson has worked hard for every opportunity in his NHL career and will stick around with the team that just took him to a championship. Whether he plays a big role on the St. Louis blue line in 2019-20 is still to be determined, but he’ll be valuable depth for the team as they look to repeat.

Calgary Flames Showing Interest In Patrick Maroon

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A year ago, Pat Maroon decided to take less money in order to head home to St. Louis and play hockey closer to his son. That decision, based entirely on his personal life, ended up having huge ramifications on his professional one as Maroon was an integral part of the Blues’ first Stanley Cup in franchise history. The power forward scored just three goals in 26 playoff contests but had perhaps the most memorable one of the entire postseason when he chipped in a loose puck in double overtime against the Dallas Stars to send the Blues to the third round.

Now, as free agency approaches again, Maroon has another decision to make on whether to pursue a contract elsewhere. The 31-year old is an unrestricted free agent once again after his one-year deal with the Blues expires, but has “several teams” looking into him according to Ryan Rishaug of TSN. The Calgary Flames are one of those, which would represent a return to the Pacific Division for the former Anaheim Ducks and Edmonton Oilers forward.

How Calgary would afford Maroon without him taking another healthy discount isn’t clear. The team currently projects to have close to $13MM in cap space for next season, but still has plenty of work to do with their own restricted free agents. Not only do solid players like Sam Bennett and David Rittich need new deals, but young star Matthew Tkachuk is part of the league-wide group of players coming off their entry-level deals that may be demanding huge raises. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic isn’t sure how well the initial conversation between Tkachuk and the Flames went, and Eric Francis of Sportsnet recently detailed how that negotiation is slowing down everything else Calgary is trying to do.

There is undoubtedly going to be interest in Maroon, who can be a physical force and still chip in a little offense when required. While he may never replicate the 27-goal campaign he had in 2016-17, postseason success is almost always rewarded on the open market.

Free Agent Focus: St. Louis Blues

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Free agency opens in five days and there are quite a few prominent players set to hit the open market, as well as restricted free agents that still need to be re-signed. St. Louis is still enjoying their Stanley Cup victory, but they’ll soon have to get to work, with more than a few key players in the title run in need of extensions. Here’s a closer look at their free agent situation:

Key Restricted Free Agents: G Jordan Binnington – In an off-season highlighted by so many high-profile restricted free agents, perhaps no case is more intriguing that Binnington’s. Both sides (and potentially an arbitrator) face the very difficult task of trying to quantify the value of a 26-year-old rookie who has accomplished so much in so short a time. Binnington is one of the stranger cases in recent memory; a player who toiled in the minors through much of a standard NHL career only to emerge as one of the best goalies in the league in the second half and lead his team to a Stanley Cup. Binnington may want a short-term deal to further cement his value prior to a longer extension, but he may also want a long-term deal to maximize the value established this season. Similarly, the Blues may want to lock Binnington up long-term before his value can rise over a full NHL season, but they know there’s risk involved there. However, a short-term deal that could see Binnington soon leave as UFA is equally as treacherous. There’s really no way to know what will happen here, but it bears watching.

D Joel Edmundson – Edmundson is a tricky case as he’s played four full seasons with the Blues, without ever playing in 70 or more games in a season. Offense is also not the hallmark of his game, as he consistently finishes in the 10-20 point range despite considerable ice time. Edmundson’s job is simply to play defense, and he plays the role well with physicality and awareness. Edmundson has been one of the Blues’ leaders in hits and blocked shots each of the past three years, even as he missed double-digit games, and that is where his value lies. However, shutdown defensemen can be hard to quantify and St. Louis may have concerns about a long-term commitment to an injury-prone player who lacks offensive upside.

Other RFAs: F Ivan Barbashev, F Sammy Blais, F Robby Fabbri, G Ville Husso, D Mitch Reinke, F Zach Sanford, F Oskar Sundqvist

Key Unrestricted Free Agents: F Patrick Maroon – Maroon took a hometown discount last summer, signing in St. Louis for one year and $1.75MM following back-to-back 40+ point seasons. At first it looked like Maroon was actually a mistake rather than a bargain after a very quiet first half of the season. However, as Maroon went, so did the Blues. His play improved in the second half to the tune of 28 points by the end of the year and then his gritty, physical style came up clutch in the postseason and was a key piece of the Stanley Cup run. Maroon single-handedly has reignited interest in veteran crash-the-net forwards, but he himself likely won’t cash in on the market demand. There was likely a handshake agreement between both sides when Maroon took a deal well below market value last summer and after coming up big and establishing himself as a leader and fan favorite, it would be a major surprise if the Blues didn’t hold up their end of the bargain with a raise and multi-year extension.

D Carl Gunnarsson – Gunnarsson was little more than a part-time player for the Blues this season, skating in a career-low 25 games. He also recorded just seven points and saw his ice time cut back. However, when injuries struck in the postseason and Gunnarsson was called upon, he played very well in 19 games. Gunnarsson may not be an exciting player, but he’s a sound depth piece with experience. He’s the type of No. 7 defenseman that contenders like to have. Signs point to the Blues being that contender again, but with little wiggle room against the cap, if the market for Gunnarsson gets to high, St. Louis will have to say goodbye.

Other UFAs: F Conner Bleackley, D Chris Butler, G Jared Coreau, D Michael Del Zotto, F Nikita Soshnikov, F Chris Thorburn, D Tyler Wotherspoon

Projected Cap Space: The Blues have approximately $17.2MM in cap space. Looking at the players they need to re-sign the sheer number of contracts is a bigger problem than any individual salary. With seven to ten of the listed free agents likely to be back in St. Louis and on the NHL roster next year, the team likely has just enough space to re-sign each to a smart deal and that’s it. Don’t expect the defending champs to be active on the free agent market this summer.

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