Lowered Salary Cap Could Aid Blues' Attempt To Keep Alex Pietrangelo
- While the salary cap not increasing like originally anticipated would seem like a problem for the Blues when it comes to re-signing defenseman Alex Pietrangelo, Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch posited in a recent chat that it could actually work to their advantage. A lower Upper Limit means there will be fewer teams with significant cap space that could put together a top dollar offer to try to lure him away. If that causes the offers to come in lower than anticipated, the captain re-signing with St. Louis becomes more of a possibility. Nevertheless, the 30-year-old is in line for a notable jump on his current $6.5MM AAV.
Chris Thorburn Officially Retires From NHL
It’s been more than two years since Chris Thorburn played meaningful minutes in an NHL game, but the veteran forward is officially hanging up his skates, per Sean O’Leary of The Score. The NHLPA sent along their congratulations to Thorburn via Twitter.
Thorburn, 37, got to go out in style, winning the Stanley Cup in his second year with the St. Louis Blues in 2019. The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford chronicled Thorburn’s final season when he spent most of the year mentoring younger players for the Blues’ AHL affiliate. The longtime enforcer appeared in 50 games for the Blues in 2017-2018 for 7:02 ATOI as a 34-year-old, finishing the year with seven points.
The veteran winger was never an All-Star, topping out usage-wise with 13:48 ATOI during the Thrashers final season in Atlanta (2010-2011). He nonetheless carved out a role as a professional skater for 14 seasons. After Buffalo made him the 50th overall selection of the 2001 entry draft, Thorburn suited up for the Sabres, Penguins, Thrashers/Jets, and Blues, totalling 53 goals and 134 points.
West Notes: Tarasenko, Canucks UFAs, Coyotes Black Aces
Many may have forgotten already, but when the NHL 24-team tournament hits the ice later this summer, the St. Louis Blues would be doing everything it can to defend their Stanley Cup title and try to win a second straight. That might have been somewhat more challenging for the Blues who played much of the season without star scorer Vladimir Tarasenko who underwent shoulder surgery on Oct. 29.
While he was close to coming back before the NHL season was suspended from COVID-19, there was no guarantee how ready Tarasenko would be for the upcoming playoffs. However, with the delay of the playoffs due to the pandemic, Tarasenko should be more than ready to help the Blues this summer, according to head coach Craig Berube on The Athletic’s We Went Blues podcast with Jeremy Rutherford (subscription required).
“He’s good,” said Berube. “Before we stopped, he was ready to come back the next week and play, so, he did a great job of getting himself back. He did a great job with his rehab, along with the training staff, and he kept himself in great shape. He actually came back in better shape than he came to camp (in September) … He’s been on the ice and doing things right now, so he’s ready to go.”
A healthy Tarasenko would be a huge boost to the team’s playoff chances. The team was faring quite well without him though as they have the second-best record in the league and sit at the top of the Western Conference with a 42-29-10 record. The 28-year-old Tarasenko appeared in just 10 games before being injured, posting three goals and 10 points. He was given a five month timetable, which should make him more than prepared to take on a major role whenever play resumes.
- TSN’s Rick Dhaliwal writes that if the Vancouver Canucks want to sign all of their top three unrestricted free agents in Jacob Markstrom, Tyler Toffoli and Chris Tanev, the team will likely have to make some roster moves and send off some of their more expensive contracts (with sweeteners) to free up some cap space. The team is currently right up against the cap and with no other major contracts freeing up in the offseason, the team will have to move someone out. One option would be to find a trade partner for forward Loui Eriksson, who still has two more years at $6MM AAV. A compliance buyout is a possibility that could solve that problem if they become available, but otherwise the Canucks would have to find a taker willing to move some of its cap room to take on Eriksson, who scored just six goals and 13 points in 49 games last season.
- Craig Morgan, formerly of The Athletic, reports a list of the Arizona Coyotes’ players who will be attending training camp as Black Aces. It was recently reported that the team will be bringing in their 2019 first-round pick Victor Soderstrom to serve as a Black Ace. He will be joined by forwards Brayden Burke, Hudson Fasching, Michael Chaput, defenseman Aaron Ness, Kyle Capobianco, Jordan Gross and goaltenders Adin Hill and Ivan Prosvetov.
Scott Perunovich Wins Jim Johannson Award
The only way Scott Perunovich‘s season could get any better at this point is if the NHL allows him to sign and play with the St. Louis Blues this season. The talented young defenseman has added another trophy to his wall, winning the Jim Johannson College Player of the Year Award. Perunovich previously won the Hobey Baker and agreed to join the Blues organization.
University of Minnesota-Duluth head coach Scott Sandelin explained just why Perunovich was so important to his team:
He was a go-to guy for us, who played a ton of minutes. He’s always been a really talented offensive player with great vision, but I saw the development and how he has grown over the years here. It’s a great honor and the accolades he’s getting are certainly well deserved.
Perunovich, 21, acknowledged his teammates in his acceptance statement, but there is no doubt that he was the leader on UMD. With 40 points in 34 games he led the team in scoring despite playing defense, and was seemingly on the ice for every second shift all season long.
The second-round pick will now have to wait and see whether the NHLPA can convince the league to allow new contracts for 2019-20 so that he can help the Blues in a playoff run. So far the NHL has not budged, meaning Perunovich most likely will have to wait until 2020-21 to make an impact.
While undersized, there’s no doubting Perunovich’s talent with the puck and ability to find open teammates for scoring chances. There could be a period of adjustment at a higher level, but Blues fans are excited for him to get the opportunity.
Potential Compliance Buyout Candidates: Part III
As the current Coronavirus crisis wears on, it seems more and more likely that the NHL will not be able to complete the full remaining regular season schedule and talk of an expanded playoff field might indicate that there will be no return to the regular season at all. That lost revenue is expected to impact the 2020-21 salary cap, likely keeping the current $81.5MM upper limit in place. Given that teams expected an increase, initially projected to be between $84-88.2MM, this stagnation could have a harsh impact on a number of clubs’ cap situations. As such, many expect that compliance buyouts will return in some form or fashion to ease that pain. These buyouts, which do not count against the salary cap, would allow for teams to open up space that they otherwise expected from a cap increase.
After taking a look at teams 1-10, then 11-20, here is a breakdown of the names that the final 11 clubs could use a compliance buyout on, if they opt to use one at all:
Ottawa Senators: Bobby Ryan
While the oncoming cap crunch caused by COVID-19 will not impact the Senators, who have sat at or near the bottom of the league’s salary ranks in recent years, owner Eugene Melnyk is not one to miss out on an opportunity to save money. In the case of Ryan, that would mean casting off a player who has overcome the adversity of addiction to resume his career, but don’t expect that to stop the Senators from moving on. Ryan’s remaining two years and $15MM in actual salary represents a large chunk of what Ottawa owes its current roster. Ryan has not played at a level becoming of a $7.25MM player at any point over the course of his time with the Senators, but especially over the past four years in which he has failed to crack 50 points in any season. At 33 years old, Ryan’s best days are behind him and Ottawa won’t hesitate to but him out and face the potential public relations backlash.
Philadelphia Flyers: Shayne Gostisbehere
The Flyers are right up against the salary cap and will have to create some space if the upper limit does not move this off-season as had been expected. The team has been trying to trade Gostisbehere in the midst of a down year, but to no avail. It may seem counter-intuitive for a contender to give away a 27-year-old regular defenseman for free via buyout, but Gostisbehere is trending in the wrong direction and has three years at $4.5MM AAV remaining on his deal. If Philly cannot find a trade, which obviously would be the more ideal solution, they may not have a better alternative to clear space without buying out a more impactful player. Some may point to last summer’s Kevin Hayes mega-contract as a worse deal to consider moving, but it seems highly unlikely that the team would move on from Hayes this soon after signing him, especially since his production this season has been on par with his career numbers.
Pittsburgh Penguins: Jack Johnson
It was pretty obvious right from the start that Johnson was not going to be a value player for the Penguins. Many were skeptical of his 2018 signing right from the start and he has done little to prove those critics wrong. A minus player whose offensive ceiling now sits in the mid-teens, Johnson is 33 and his best days are well behind him. The Penguins are another team that needs as much cap space as they can create to keep their roster together. Can they really afford to pay Johnson $9.75MM against the cap over the next three years to be a bottom pair defenseman who is more often a liability than an asset? Pittsburgh has the depth on defense to make up for the loss and could desperately use the cap flexibility elsewhere.
San Jose Sharks: Martin Jones
Entering an off-season with a deep goalie market, which could grow even deeper with compliance buyouts, few teams would be happier to have a get-out-of-jail-free card than the Sharks. Goaltending, and their starter Jones in particular, has been at the heart of San Jose’s struggles over the past two years. Once seen as a safe bet to be a solid long-term starter, Jones has been unable to produce even passable numbers in the past couple of seasons. However, with four years and $23MM remaining on Jones’ deal – a $5.75MM AAV, it seemed hopeless for the team improve in net without either an expensive buyout, a painful trade, or a very overpriced backup. This scenario would be exactly what the team needed and there is little doubt that they would move on swiftly from Jones, re-focusing his cap space on improving the roster, most important of which would be finding his replacement(s).
St. Louis Blues: Alex Steen
Steen may be a respected veteran coming off of a championship season, but he is also one of the Blues’ few reasonable candidates for a buyout. St. Louis does not have many long-term contracts and has arguably no bad long-term contracts. Steen, 36, is also one of only three players over 31 signed through this season. Without many bad deals or regressing veterans to compete with, Steen’s final year at $5.75MM looks ugly, especially since his production has dropped off immensely in each of the past two seasons to just 17 points this year. Perhaps the only other buyout option for St. Louis would be backup goaltender Jake Allen if the determine that Steen’s experience and versatility is of greater value. However, Allen is younger and cheaper and coming off a bounce-back season in which he was one of the best backups in the NHL. Steen seems like the more reasonable selection.
Tampa Bay Lightning: Tyler Johnson
Tampa Bay was always going to have to blow up its core to accommodate its young players. However, a flat cap not only ensures that this time has come this off-season, it also makes the situation much worse. In order to sign a number of key restricted free agents, the Bolts must move out a considerable amount of salary this summer. Normally, players like Johnson, Yanni Gourde, and Ondrej Palat would have enough value to garner a nice trade return rather than needing a buyout. However, in an off-season where most teams could be up against the cap, acquiring a $5MM+ player will be easier said than done. Making it even harder is that all three hold No-Trade clauses and may not be willing to accept a deal to the types of team that can afford to acquire them. Of this trio, the Lightning are most likely to keep Palat; although he is the most expensive, he is also the most valuable. Gourde is slightly more expensive than Johnson’s $5MM AAV, but is also slightly younger and has largely outplayed Johnson over the past few years. Gourde is a more valuable asset than Johnson, which could mean he is easier to trade or it could mean that Tampa tries to find a way to keep him. Johnson seems like the odd man out. An undersized forward whose numbers fell off considerably this season to just 31 points and who is signed for four more years, Johnson is a trade risk, especially in a cap-strapped market. The odds are that some team would find a way to take him via trade – if he agrees – but if the Lightning get desperate they may have to buy him out. He’s their most reasonable candidate if it comes to that.
Toronto Maple Leafs: None
The Toronto Maple Leafs really don’t have any need for a compliance buyout at this point in time. The team is very young, many players have been extended recently, and arguably none have fallen so short of expectations that they warrant a buyout. Unless the Leafs trade for a bad contract simply to use their compliance buyout, it would be a surprise to see the club get in on the action this off-season.
Vancouver Canucks: Loui Eriksson
The Canucks have wanted to get rid of Eriksson for some time and with a compliance buyout they would be free to do so. The veteran forward has been one of Vancouver’s highest paid players since he joined the club in 2016, yet he has never recorded more than 30 points in a year through four seasons with the Canucks. At odds with coaches and severely underperforming relative to his $6MM AAV, Eriksson has worn out his welcome in Vancouver. However, he still has two years remaining on his contract. The team would be quick to erase that from the books. This buyout is a no-brainer; what is more interesting is whether Eriksson can return to his status as a valuable two-way forward with another team.
Vegas Golden Knights: None
Like the Maple Leafs, the Golden Knights simply don’t have any obvious candidate for a buyout. They have done well with their long-term contracts and have a roster constructed of players who they want in the lineup, including several who they have recently re-signed. That includes Nick Holden, who may be the only player who could have been considered an odd man out but recently took a pay cut to re-sign for two more years with Vegas. No one else jumps out as a player that the club would entertain giving up for free.
Washington Capitals: Nick Jensen
As good as the Capitals are and have been, this one is a toss-up because there are a number of players who could go. T.J. Oshie was brought in to win a Stanley Cup and has accomplished that task. He is still producing at a high level, but could the team cut ties with the 33-year-old while they have the chance rather than face the remaining five years and $28.75MM left on his contract? Lars Eller and Carl Hagelin, both on the wrong side of 30 and both signed for three more years, are in a similar boat. Their scoring is fine relative to their cap hit, but will it continue to be through the length of their contracts? Depending on how much room the Capitals may need to clear, any of these three could be a candidate for a buyout. However, Washington can impact their performance and their locker room far less by opting for Jensen instead. In his first full season with the team, Jensen has not been bad, but he has drawn his fair share of criticism. Jensen’s offense, though not typically a hallmark of his game, has been non-existent and he has been prone to turnovers and blown assignments. If the Capitals need to use a compliance buyout, they can likely find a better use for $7.5MM over the next three years.
Winnipeg Jets: Mathieu Perreault
The Jets have great depth at forward an nearly everyone carries the weight of their contracts. Perreault is an exception. The 32-year-old’s point totals have fallen in each of the past three seasons to just 15 points in 49 games this year. At a cap hit of $4.125, Perreault is not doing enough. He’s not the answer at second-line center and he’s overpaid to play in the bottom-six. There’s no place for Perreault and the team would likely be willing to move on a year early. While Bryan Little has also shown signs of slowing down and his signed for far longer and for more than Perreault, his lack of impact in 2019-20 is tied to injury. Even if injury issues persist, Little’s cap hit does not cause a problem when he is not active, so Perreault still makes more sense a buyout candidate.
West Notes: Engelland, Canucks, Steen
The Vegas Golden Knights already have a roster full of defensemen, including six NHL players already under contract with another four defensemen in Nicolas Hague, Jimmy Schuldt, Dylan Coughlan and Jake Bischoff all waiting to get their chance to break out with the franchise.
That leaves a big question question mark for soon-to-be UFA and team leader Deryk Engelland. SinBin Vegas’ Ken Boehlke suggests that the writing is on the wall that the veteran defenseman’s time with the team could be over soon. The scribe points out that Engelland hasn’t been a favorite of new head coach Peter DeBoer since he took over on Jan. 16. He has only played in five games under the new coach and was scratched in the team’s last 12 games and 17 of the team’s previous 18 games.
DeBoer did recently praise Engelland’s dedication to the team:
To a man they all want to win the Stanley Cup, that’s their number one motivation,” said DeBoer. “They are willing to do whatever they have to do to be a part of it. I look at Deryk Engelland as an example of that. Tough situation, veteran guy, we had to scratch him some games here recently before the pause. The messaging to me was ‘I just want to be a part of this. When you need me, let me know, and I’ll be ready to go.’ You can’t have enough of that and that’s what makes groups like this special.”
However, it’s quite obvious that the team may be looking beyond Engelland in the future despite the veteran’s intent on continuing his playing career. He currently has a goal and six points in 49 games, while averaging his lowest ATOI (17:33) in his time with Vegas. With a number of blueliners waiting for their chance in the AHL, Vegas may have seen the last of him.
- TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that while many teams are against the NHL’s recent memo that is suggesting the league have the NHL Entry Draft in June, the Vancouver Canucks are a team that is likely going to be in favor of the deal. The Canucks traded their first-round pick last offseason to Tampa Bay (now owned by New Jersey) and would rather give the Devils a non-lottery pick this year, rather than an unprotected one for the 2021 draft. The Canucks are currently in the playoffs as of this moment. However, if play does resume with a October/November draft, the Canucks could slip out of the playoffs and be forced to move a lottery pick then.
- Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes that while there is a lot of talk of the St. Louis Blues buying out veteran forward Alex Steen in the offseason next year in order to make room for UFA Alex Pietrangelo, the scribe believes that’s an unlikely scenario. The scribe says it’s more likely that Steen, one of the most popular players on the team and a leader as well, is more likely to retire at the end of this season. That could solve a tough issue of being forced to buy him out, which the team might hesitate to do after the years of service both on and off the ice.
More On Alex Pietrangelo’s Pending Free Agency
The St. Louis Blues have become the target of much speculation over the last week, after issuing extensions to Sammy Blais, Mackenzie MacEachern and most notably, Marco Scandella. The latter deal ate up another $3.275MM of cap space on the back end for each of the next four years, precious real estate for a team with arguably the top pending UFA. Alex Pietrangelo, the Blues captain, and best defenseman is up for a new contract.
Over the weekend Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic wrote about a $9MM-per-season ask that may have to come down thanks to the stagnant cap and today Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet gave some similar thoughts on the radio:
I don’t think there has been a lot of dialogue on this one this year. I think there has been on again and off again negotiations. I believe that the Blues made it clear they were willing to go around [Oliver] Ekman-Larsson. Ekman-Larsson is $8.25×8, and I believe the Blues are willing to go a little bit higher because he’s their guy, he’s their captain, they won the Cup and everything. But I don’t believe they were willing to go into the [$9MM/year range] or anything more than that and that’s where they were stuck at this particular point in time.
It is important to remember some of the moves that Blues GM Doug Armstrong has made in the past with key players. At the 2017 trade deadline Armstrong traded away pending free agent Kevin Shattenkirk despite the Blues sitting in a playoff spot. They would eventually finish with 99 points and advance to the second round, only to lose to the Nashville Predators in six games (scoring just 11 goals in the series). Even though Shattenkirk was an absolutely integral part of the Blues at that point—his 42 points through the first 61 games trailed only Vladimir Tarasenko for the team lead—it was clear he was not going to sign a long-term deal before testing free agency. Armstrong bit the bullet and traded away a franchise star for futures.
In 2018 is was much the same story for the Blues. As the trade deadline approached, St. Louis was in the midst of a season-long seven-game losing streak, but still just within a few points of a playoff position. They were obviously still a strong club, but it didn’t seem to be their year (that would come soon enough). When the Winnipeg Jets came calling, Armstrong decided to trade off another star player that wouldn’t be re-signing. Paul Stastny, who sat fourth on the team in scoring through the first 63 games, was dealt for another package of futures including a first-round pick.
Make no mistake, Shattenkirk and Stastny are not Pietrangelo. The 30-year old is one of the most well-respected captains in the league, a Norris-level defenseman, and a current Stanley Cup champion. He also has been with St. Louis for his entire career and would go down as one of the best players in franchise history if he never played another game. His two-way skill is a huge part of what makes the Blues so special, which makes it easy to understand why he too wasn’t dealt away at the deadline.
But there will be a limit for the Blues and if Armstrong’s history is any indication, he won’t hesitate in moving on if he feels that’s what right for the organization. The fact that the salary cap situation is still so unclear makes the $79MM+ in commitments the team has already made for next year quite dubious, meaning they would have to move out some significant money to make room. Of course, there is still time to do that, especially if compliance buyouts or some sort of salary relief is put in place.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
West Notes: Pietrangelo, Talbot, Gagner
The season isn’t even over yet, but the St. Louis Blues have been busy adding talent to their future with two signings on defense. The team extended defenseman Marco Scandella, while agreeing to term with collegiate Scott Perunovich on a contract. That leaves quite a bit of depth on the Blues’ blueline and leaves even more questions on whether St. Louis intends to sign pending unrestricted free agent Alex Pietrangelo to a long-term deal.
In his most recent mailbag, The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford (subscription required) writes that he believes the Blues continue to prioritize signing Pietrangelo and believes that his $9MM AAV asking price might now be too high and he might have to accept less or a short-term deal as the NHL deals with the effects of COVID-19. Regardless, the Blues will likely have to unload some contracts to make a deal possible as Rutherford suggests the team is likely going to have to move backup goaltender Jake Allen or buying out forward Alex Steen. Allen, in particular, could have some value after posting a 2.15 GAA and a .927 save percentage in 24 appearances, and could attract some teams looking for help in net as he will have one year remaining next year at $4.35MM.
- Speaking of goalies, Calgary Flames veteran Cam Talbot, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, told Sportsnet’s Eric Francis, that he is looking for one more chance to be a starting goaltender again and that will be his basis for signing with a team. “I wouldn’t rule out coming back, but, obviously, my goal coming here was to show the rest of the League that I still have it in me to be a starting goalie and I think I accomplished that,” Talbot said. The 32-year-old had a bounce-back season in Calgary after signing a one-year deal with the Flames with a 2.63 GAA and a .919 save percentage in 26 appearances as the backup to David Rittich.
- In his most recent mailbag, Sportsnet’s Mark Spector suggests that there is a strong likelihood that the Edmonton Oilers will re-sign fourth-line center Sam Gagner to another short-term deal. He believes that Edmonton general manager Ken Holland looks at Gagner as a future member of his front office in the same way he looked at Dan Cleary, Kris Draper and Kirk Maltby when he was with the Detroit Red Wings. On top of that, Gagner is likely looking for a one-year deal at under $1MM, a contract that a team like Edmonton would value considering how top-heavy the team is in expensive contracts. Edmonton is also Gagner’s family’s home, suggesting that is where he would prefer to stay.
Mackenzie MacEachern Signs Two-Year Extension
The St. Louis Blues aren’t on holiday. After extending both Sammy Blais and Marco Scandella earlier this week, the team has announced a new two-year contract for Mackenzie MacEachern. It’s a one-way contract for the depth forward, that will carry an average annual value of $900K and take him through the 2021-22 season.
Interestingly, MacEachern was scheduled to become a restricted free agent at the end of the season after playing in exactly 80 NHL games through the first part of his career. That’s the threshold he needed to meet to be ineligible for Group VI unrestricted free agency, meaning the Blues may have dodged a bullet by having him in the lineup just before the season was suspended.
The 26-year old forward has recorded 10 goals and 15 points in those 80 games, seeing fewer than nine minutes of ice time on average. MacEachern will serve as some inexpensive depth for the Blues as they head into next season trying to squeeze a talented roster into a stagnant salary cap, something that will be made even more difficult if they try to bring back captain Alex Pietrangelo.
MacEachern’s new contract leaves just two more pending restricted free agents on the Blues roster—Jacob De La Rose and Vince Dunn.
Marco Scandella Agrees To Four-Year Extension
The St. Louis Blues are taking care of business. After extending Sammy Blais yesterday, the team has announced another new contract, this time for Marco Scandella. The veteran defenseman has signed a four-year extension that will carry an average annual value of $3.275MM. Scandella was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season after being acquired from the Montreal Canadiens earlier this year.
Because of the extension, the Canadiens will receive an additional draft pick—the Blues’ 2021 fourth-round selection—from the trade to go with the original 2020 second-round pick St. Louis gave up. That deal came just a few weeks after sending a 2020 fourth-round pick to the Buffalo Sabres for Scandella, making this flip quite the impressive transaction for Montreal GM Marc Bergevin.
Scandella, 30, is coming off a five-year, $20MM deal he signed with the Minnesota Wild in 2014. At that point he was considered a rock-solid defensive partner that could play in a lot of situations, but his stock fell considerably over the last few years in Buffalo. In St. Louis, that kind of stay-at-home presence is exactly what will be asked of him after he spent most of his short stint alongside young star Colton Parayko. At a $3.275MM cap hit he essentially replaces Jay Bouwmeester, who is still contemplating his playing future after his cardiac episode but is scheduled for unrestricted free agency.
Any extension for a defenseman in St. Louis will come with other questions though, as free agency also looms for captain Alex Pietrangelo. The team now has five NHL defensemen locked up through next season, for a total of more than $18MM. Pietrangelo would increase that total quite substantially, something that might not be possible given the expected salary cap stagnation coming from the current pause.