Prospect Notes: Wiesblatt, Neighbours, Groshev, Stillman
The St. Louis Blues’ and San Jose Sharks’ recent first round picks are on the move, at least for the time being. Jake Neighbours and Ozzy Wiesblatt have been loaned by their WHL teams, Edmonton and Prince Albert respectively, to the AJHL’s Brooks Bandits, the team announced. The loans carry a pre-determined end date of December 20, allowing Neighbours and Wiesblatt to get a head start on the coming season. The WHL announced in October that they had postponed the start of the 2020-21 season to January 8, while the AJHL is set to kick off their season on November 13. Neighbours and Wiesblatt will have more than a month of game action with the Bandits before heading to training camp with the Oil Kings and Raiders. The top prospects, who have both already signed their entry-level contracts, have landed in one of the best possible spots when it comes to being loaned to an inferior league. Brooks is a powerhouse program, whose current roster includes a 2021 first round hopeful in Corson Ceulemans and a number of NCAA commitments. The team just got much more dangerous with the addition of these two elite young forwards, at least for the next month.
- Another recent draft selection has also been moved, but in a more permanent fashion. Tampa Bay Lightning third-rounder Maxim Groshev has been traded in the KHL, though “sold” is the more accurate verb. Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk has dealt their homegrown product to SKA St. Petersburg, per a team release. The return is merely “monetary compensation” but it is believed the young forward cost 40 million rubles. A big winger who was deemed ready for KHL last season at 17, Groshev recorded seven points in 36 games last year and has two points in 17 games thus far in 2020-21. SKA is an elite KHL team and not exactly known to spend time developing young players when they can attract prime talent, so the team must see considerable potential in Groshev as well as feel he has several years left in the KHL before taking his talents to North America.
- The OHL’s postponement of their 2020-21 start to February, as well as questions about the quality of the competition once play resumes, is going to result in considerable player movement, which has already begun. In the latest notable move, potential 2021 first-round pick Chase Stillman has been loaned to Demark by his club, the Sudbury Wolves, until the OHL season begins. The Sudbury Star’s Ben Leeson reports that Stillman has already departed, and is set to join the Esbjerg Engery. Stillman, the son of former NHLer Cory Stillman, should find Denmark to be an interesting developmental adventure; it is his first pro experience but also not considered a top tier pro league by any means. If Stillman dominates in Denmark, he may have to make a difficult decision about returning for a shortened OHL season that may not include checking versus seeing his pro season through. For a highly regarded draft-eligible prospect, it’s a call that could impact his draft stock.
RFA Notes: Hintz, Dunn, Lagesson
With new contracts done for fellow restricted free agent forwards Radek Faksa and Denis Gurianov, the Dallas Stars have just one more name to check off the list. Roope Hintz is the lone remaining RFA for the Stars and after two straight solid seasons to begin his NHL career, the young forward is due a sizeable raise from his entry-level contract. However, Dallas is running low on salary cap space. CapFriendly currently projects the club to have just $3.4MM in space for a 22-man roster. While that currently includes nine defenseman, which is not realistic, swapping a blue liner for another forward from the AHL roster will essentially cancel out. This means the Stars have approximately $3.4MM to offer Hintz in terms of AAV, and that is if they don’t plan to make any other additions to a forward corps that lost Mattias Janmark and has not re-signed Corey Perry. However, GM Jim Nill is not worried. He tells The Dallas News’ Matthew DeFranks that the team expects to get Hintz under contract “in the next week or two.” Nill claims that the two sides have had “great discussions” and are close to an extension. If Hintz signs a short-term deal similar to the two-year, $5.1MM pact signed by Gurianov, the Stars will remain under the cap ceiling and may even have room for another addition. If the two sides instead decide that a long-term deal is the better route, the AAV could climb above that of Faksa’s $3.25MM on his five-year deal, which would put Dallas right up against or over the cap. Nill seems confident that a deal will be made one way or another and that the team can sort out the rest.
- One team that would have to go over the salary cap to sign a key RFA are the St. Louis Blues. In fact, the Blues are already over the cap’s upper limit and are more accurately dealing with the off-season limit on spending over the cap. Yet, defenseman Vince Dunn needs a new contract and right now that seems like an impossibility for St. Louis. However, GM Doug Armstrong believes that it will all work out. Speaking with Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post Dispatch, Armstrong stated that two sides are content to wait until closer to the start of the season to finalize and extension. The team may even need to wait until after the season officially starts, when they can place Vladimir Tarasenko and/or Alex Steen on Long-Term Injured Reserve. Once those players’ cap hits are removed from the calculation, St. Louis will have plenty of room to re-sign Dunn and more. The young rearguard has developed into a reliable top-four option for the Blues and will be due a major pay increase, but that will pale in comparison to the potential $13.25MM vacancy created by Tarasenko and Steen hitting LTIR.
- There may not be much in the hockey news cycle right now, but the Edmonton Oilers made an odd choice to fill the gap by pumping the tires of a player they have yet to re-sign. The Oilers recently released a piece touting the overseas accomplishments of defenseman William Lagesson, who is still seeking a new contract for next season. Lagesson has seven points through nine games with HC Vita Hasten of Sweden’s Allsvenskan and is already looking forward to competing for a regular NHL role this season. Lagesson played in eight games with Edmonton last year, but failed to record a point. He still has a history of solid two-way play in the NCAA and AHL and if Edmonton is agreeing that he is NHL-ready, that could come in handy in contract negotiations. Of course, “NHL-ready” and NHL opportunity are not the same and Lagesson has an uphill battle to crack the Oilers’ roster that already includes five one-way defensemen (not including the injured Oscar Klefbom), a more established RFA in Ethan Bear in need of a new deal, and younger, more elite prospects like Evan Bouchard and Philip Broberg clamoring for a chance.
Latest On Mike Hoffman
Mike Hoffman, ranked No. 4 among PHR’s Top 50 UFA’s this off-season, is undoubtedly the best player still available on the open market. The topic of almost daily speculation, everyone wants to know where the top goal scorer on the free agent market will end up. Well, the waiting may continue for a quite a while longer. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that Hoffman and his camp are willing to be patient and wait for a deal that measures up to the veteran forward’s ability. Just how long will they wait? Potentially until after the season begins, currently projected for early January.
LeBrun notes that there are a number of potential suitors for Hoffman’s services who may “circle back” on Hoffman once they are able to place current players on Long-Term Injured Reserve. That would allow for teams to open up the cap space required to add Hoffman. Among the teams mentioned as potential landing spots in this scenario are the Boston Bruins, Edmonton Oilers, and St. Louis Blues. The Blues and Oilers do not have nearly the space to afford Hoffman currently, but will gain space with Vladimir Tarasenko and Oscar Klefbom, respectively, potentially out for the year. The Bruins have the room to sign Hoffman right now, but still need to re-sign restricted free agent forward Jake DeBrusk and may still address the left side of the blue line. However, they can open up more space and start accruing some cap savings with David Pastrnak likely to miss a month or two.
Meanwhile, LeBrun states that the Florida Panthers, Hoffman’s most recent club, and the Nashville Predators continue to call about Hoffman. It would seem that neither team has been willing to ante up to land the six-time 20-goal scorer, otherwise a deal would be done. If they were to up their offers, Hoffman could certainly sign sooner than January.
Suspiciously absent from LeBrun’s report are the Columbus Blue Jackets, who cleared cap space earlier this off-season and stated their intent to add a top free agent forward. So far, they have not done that. Columbus could be waiting until new contracts are sorted out with RFA’s Pierre-Luc Dubois and Vladislav Gavrikov, but one would think that the team will jump into the mix for Hoffman at some point if they have not done so already.
For now, Hoffman is content to wait out the market. The 30-year-old may wind up settling for a one-year deal and hitting the market again next summer, but he does not seem willing to take a discount on his next contract, regardless of the term. In an off-season that has been filled with team-friendly deals given the ramifications of the flat cap, Hoffman is hoping to be an exception.
NHL Postpones 2021 Winter Classic, All-Star Weekend
The NHL has officially postponed both the 2021 Winter Classic and 2021 All-Star Weekend due to the lack of fan participation and attendance that will be possible. The league has not changed their previous target of January 1 as a potential start date for the upcoming season, though that is obviously still not confirmed at this point.
The Winter Classic was scheduled to be held at Target Field in Minneapolis and was to feature the Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues. The Florida Panthers were set to host the All-Star Weekend at the end of January. The league intends to return to both locations for the respective events “in the near future” and lists 2022 as a target.
In the release, they included this statement from NHL chief content officer Steve Mayer:
Fan participation, both in arenas and stadiums as well as in the ancillary venues and events that we stage around the Winter Classic and All-Star Weekend, is integral to the success of our signature events. Because of the uncertainty as to when we will be able to welcome our fans back to our games, we felt that the prudent decision at this time was to postpone these celebrations until 2022 when our fans should be able to enjoy and celebrate these tentpole events in-person, as they were always intended. We are also considering several new and creative events that will allow our fans to engage with our games and teams during this upcoming season.
It was always very unlikely that either event would be able to proceed as planned given the delayed start and condensed schedule that next season will have to work under.
St. Louis Blues Sign Austin Poganski, Mitch Reinke
The St. Louis Blues announced they have signed restricted free agents Austin Poganski and Mitch Reinke to one-year, two-way deals. CapFriendly reports that Reinke’s deal is worth $750K with a $100K AHL salary. No terms have been released on Poganski’s contract.
The 24-year-old Poganski was a fourth-round pick of the Blues back in 2014, but opted to go the college rout, playing four years at the University of North Dakota. He signed with the Blues after his collegiate career ended, joining the San Antonio Rampage in the AHL. He has been a solid contributor there for two seasons, posting 10 goals and 30 points last season in 56 games last season and he made his NHL debut last season, playing in one game for the Blues. He likely will continue a similar track next season as an AHL veteran and solid penalty killer with the hope to fill in as an emergency replacement for the Blues.
Reinke, also 24, made his only NHL appearance back in the 2017-18 season and since has found himself developing his skills with San Antonio. He posted a solid 12 goals and 45 points in 76 games back in 2018-19, breaking a Rampage rookie record for a defenseman. However, he saw some of those offensive numbers dip this past year as he posted five goals and 22 points in 46 games. He has been recalled at different points, but hasn’t had a chance to see any game action for St. Louis.
With two more restricted free agents signed, the Blues have two restricted free agents to deal, included defenseman Vince Dunn and Jake Walman still unsigned.
Blues Sign Jake Neighbours To An Entry-Level Deal
The Blues haven’t wasted any time getting pen put to paper on a deal with their top pick from last week’s draft as they announced the signing of winger Jake Neighbours to a three-year, entry-level contract. Financial terms were not disclosed.
The 19-year-old was selected with the 26th pick of the first round following a strong season with Edmonton of the WHL. After being a role player in his first couple of years with the Oil Kings, Neighbours broke out offensively, potting 23 goals and 47 assists in 63 games to finish second on the team in scoring.
While he may get an opportunity to participate in training camp with St. Louis, it’s likely that Neighbours will be heading back to junior hockey for next season; the WHL is targeting a start date of January 8th to kick off their 2020-21 campaign. If that happens, Neighbours’ deal will slide which would mean that he’d still have three years on his contract after next season at a slightly lower cap hit.
Mathias Laferriere's QMJHL Rights Traded
- Blues prospect Mathias Laferriere has been traded in the QMJHL as Blainville-Boisbriand announced that they’ve acquired the 20-year-old in exchange for a third-round pick. Laferriere was a sixth-round pick of St. Louis (169th overall) in 2018 and has already signed his entry-level contract. With QMJHL play set to resume later this month, Laferriere will have a chance to get some game action before NHL and AHL training camps get underway.
Vegas Golden Knights Closing On Deal With Alex Pietrangelo
The Vegas Golden Knights are rumored to be close to signing the top unrestricted free agent on the market in defenseman Alex Pietrangelo, according to The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford, who says a deal could be completed as early as tonight. Fox Sports Andy Strickland confirms that the Golden Knights and Pietrangelo are working towards finalizing a contract.
The deal could also coincide with a trade as the Golden Knights, who have already moved out Paul Stastny, are also a likely candidate to move out defenseman Nate Schmidt and his contract, which includes five more years at $5.95MM AAV. It’s likely both moves could be done in tandem with the belief that the Winnipeg Jets might again be part of that package, which would include restricted free agent Jack Roslovic. Even that trade could prove to be complicated as the Jets might be forced to move out a contract in order to take on Schmidt’s contract.
For the Golden Knights, bringing in Pietrangelo would finally give the franchise its first clear cut No. 1 defenseman. The team had tried to pry away Erik Karlsson several years ago at the trade deadline, but failed to pull that trade off. This time, the team is trying to juggle its finances to fit Pietrangelo into their salary cap, which is quite a daunting task.
Pietrangelo has been a stabilizing force the last 11 seasons with the Blues and is coming off an impressive season last year. The 30-year-old had 16 goals and 52 assists in 70 games and another six points in nine playoff games for the Blues, but is probably best known for his defensive abilities, something that could only help Vegas in their quest to win a Stanley Cup in the next couple of years. Vegas also has a major need for a right-handed blueliner as the only right-hander on the team is Zach Whitecloud.
The Golden Knights still have to move out goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury and his $7MM AAV contract for the next two years, but with little movement on that front over the last week, the team might be more likely forced to move out one of their pricier defensemen with Schmidt’s salary being the largest at the moment.
St. Louis Blues Sign Kyle Clifford To Two-Year Deal
The St. Louis Blues have added some much-needed forward depth as the team announced that it has signed forward Kyle Clifford to two-year, $2MM contract with a $1MM AAV. Here’s a full breakdown from CapFriendly:
2020-21: $700k
2021-22: $1.3M
The Blues could be without Vladimir Tarasenko and Alex Steen for some of next year and depth will be critical, so adding Clifford as a fourth-line option makes plenty of sense for a team that is only a year removed from winning the Stanley Cup. In fact, the team could end up placing both on LTIR to start, which would free up some cap room for the team to add some players, including Clifford.
The 29-year-old spent 10 years with the Los Angeles Kings franchise before being traded at the trade deadline to the Toronto Maple Leafs. While the 6-foot-2, 210-pound forward doesn’t offer much offense, he does provide plenty of grit, something Toronto thought would be a big bonus for the playoffs. He finished between the two clubs with seven goals and 17 points in 69 games, including 133 hits. However, he was replaced in Toronto by free agent Wayne Simmonds instead.
TSN’s Darren Dreger was the first to report the signing.
Blues Sign Sam Anas
The Blues continue to build up their minor league depth, announcing via Twitter that they’ve signed winger Sam Anas to a two-year, two-way contract. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed but TSN’s Frank Seravalli reports that the deal carries a $725K AAV in the NHL and pays $300K in the AHL next season and $350K at that level in 2021-22.
The 27-year-old is coming off of a career year in the AHL in Minnesota’s system where he led not only Iowa in scoring but the entire league with 20 goals and 50 assists in 63 games, coming close to doubling his output from the year before. However, despite the uptick in production, Anas has yet to have a chance to play in an NHL game.
It will be interesting to see if he gets that opportunity with St. Louis. If not, he’ll be expected to be a top producer with AHL Springfield, assuming he makes it through waivers next season. With the year he just had, that isn’t a guarantee.