Final Group Of Six Will Wait For Decision From John Tavares
The free agent interview period is supposed to drum up intrigue around dozens of names that will undoubtedly change teams on July 1st, but all eyes this year have been on pitch meetings taking place at the CAA headquarters in Los Angeles. Those meetings are meant to woo John Tavares, who would arguably be the best free agent to ever hit the market in the salary cap era. The Toronto Maple Leafs and Tavares’ current team the New York Islanders presented on Monday, with the Boston Bruins and San Jose Sharks meeting with the superstar center and his representatives on Tuesday. Wednesday is blocked off for the Dallas Stars and Tampa Bay Lightning, after which, according to Chris Johnston of Sportsnet, Tavares will shut down all communication with other teams. There were previous reports that some teams, namely the Vegas Golden Knights and Nashville Predators, were in the running through phone conversations, but that doesn’t appear to be the case any longer.
So six teams—New York, Toronto, Boston, San Jose, Dallas and Tampa Bay—will wait patiently tonight after Tavares hears the final pitches, and await word of whether he’ll be leaving for a new address this summer. The Islanders of course are the only team that can offer Tavares an eight-year deal, and the other teams are not currently allowed to discuss contract details, only express interest. If Tavares reaches Sunday without a contract, the Islanders lose their advantage and become like any other team able to sign him to seven years. Should that happen, it seems unlikely that he’d be heading back to the Islanders, meaning the countdown is on for New York.
Of course there are different strengths and weaknesses from each market, and TSN has released a calculator to show off the differences surrounding state (or provincial) taxes. The Lightning and Stars have a huge advantage in this way, though it is obviously not the only determining factor. Even with a no-movement clause, there is no guarantee that a player spends his whole career in a certain state, meaning there likely won’t be any discounts for the teams which have the best tax rates.
Tampa Bay Lightning Re-Sign J.T. Miller To Five-Year Deal
The Tampa Bay Lightning have decided that J.T. Miller is a good long-term fit for the team, signing the RFA forward to a five-year, $26.25MM contract. Miller will carry a $5.25MM cap hit for the next half decade, after fitting in tremendously following a midseason trade from the New York Rangers. The deal contains no signing bonuses, and is broken down as follows:
- 2018-19: $5.25MM
- 2019-20: $6.0MM
- 2020-21: $4.5MM
- 2021-22: $6.0MM
- 2022-23: $4.5MM
Miller, 25, came over from the Rangers in a package that also included Ryan McDonagh, and ended up being a huge part of the Tampa Bay success down the stretch. With 18 points in 19 regular season games, he took to his role beside Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov with aplomb. Ten goals including five on the powerplay in those 19 games gave him 23 on the season, a new career high and his third consecutive season above 20. Unfortunately, that goal scoring dried up in the playoffs when Miller was able to record just two tallies in 17 games. That postseason performance will have to improve as he heads into the prime of his career if this contract is going to be worth it, as the Lightning aren’t waiting around for their next chance at a Stanley Cup.
Amazingly, the Lightning are one of the teams scheduled to sit down with pending free agent center John Tavares this week, despite having just over $5MM in cap space after re-signing Miller. The team already has expensive long-term contracts with five forwards, and that doesn’t include the mega extension that Nikita Kucherov is eligible to sign on July 1st. Kucherov has just one season remaining on his current contract at a criminally low cap hit of just under $4.8MM. Kucherov should become one of the highest paid wingers in the league on his next contract, after breaking 100 points this season and leading the Lightning in scoring for the third consecutive season.
With Miller now under contract for several seasons, Lightning GM Steve Yzerman can turn his attention to issues like re-signing Kucherov, McDonagh, Brayden Point and Anton Stralman, all who see their deals expire next summer. The wizard-like GM has convinced franchise players to stay for less than market value before, and will need to work some more magic to fit everyone in. Miller’s $5.25MM cap hit certainly isn’t unreasonable for a 50-60 point player, but it’s also not a huge bargain for the team. If he’s destined to stay on the wing in Tampa Bay—which is far from guaranteed—he’ll have to really keep producing offensively to reward the team for making such a big investment in his career.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Tampa Bay Lightning Sign Ross Colton
The Tampa Bay Lightning have signed NCAA forward Ross Colton to a two-year, entry-level contract, ending his collegiate career after just two seasons. Colton will join the Lightning organization and add another highly skilled forward prospect to a Syracuse Crunch team that was already loaded.
Colton, 21, led the University of Vermont last season with 23 points in 36 games, including 16 goals for one of the weaker teams in H-East. Vermont went just 10-20-7, which could have hidden some of the talent that Colton brings to the table. Selected in the fourth round of the 2016 draft—his second year of eligibility—Colton exploded in the following season in the USHL, scoring 35 goals and 66 points in 55 games. His ability to put the puck in the net shouldn’t be overlooked, especially now as he joins an organization who specializes in developing overlooked, undersized talent.
Puck protection is Colton’s best attribute, using his relatively low center of gravity and good balance to shield the puck in the offensive zone and work a cycle before taking it to the net. He’ll try to bring those skills to the professional ranks, where the competition for spots on the Crunch will be tough.
More Than Five Teams Still In The Mix For John Tavares
Though we’d heard reports about several teams that were expected to get meetings with superstar free agent John Tavares, the entire situation wasn’t clear. Now, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic and Darren Dreger of TSN report at nearly the same moment that the Dallas Stars, Boston Bruins, San Jose Sharks, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Tampa Bay Lightning all have sit down meetings scheduled over the next few days, while two or three other teams will have discussions over the phone. LeBrun notes that those phone conversations could turn into face-to-face meetings, while the Islanders obviously remain in the mix for their captain.
Interestingly, Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports reports that the Montreal Canadiens attempted to get a meeting with Tavares, but were refused. The Canadiens are not part of the current discussions.
Tavares would arguably be the best unrestricted free agent to hit the market in the salary cap era if he remains unsigned on July 1st, but it’s not like that is a guarantee at this point. In fact, it may still be incredibly unlikely for the 27-year old center to leave the Islanders but after waiting this long it made sense to at least listen to the other offers. We saw this same song and dance two years ago with Steven Stamkos, before the Tampa Bay Lightning—or perhaps an overt-the-top pitch from another team—eventually convinced their captain to stay put.
We’ve already seen John Carlson, the consensus second-best pending free agent re-sign with the Washington Capitals for huge money, and Tavares could be next. If he does end up staying in New York, it would mean only good things for Paul Stastny who would likely become the next best option by default. Tyler Bozak, Derek Ryan and others are also available at center, but Stastny would be the only real prize left down the middle. If the rest of the NHL is closely watching the meetings in Los Angeles, Stastny may be camped outside the CAA offices waiting for his big opportunity.
Snapshots: Karlsson, Thornton, Talbot, Brodziak
While the free agent market is slimming more and more after John Carlson opted to re-sign with the Washington Capitals, the trade market has barely gotten active as teams wait to see how the free agent market shakes out. Regardless that could change in the next few days. While there were a few trades this weekend during the draft, one name that stayed put is Ottawa Senators’ defenseman Erik Karlsson.
According to Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun, general manager Pierre Dorion was fielding phone calls all the way up to the Senators picked at No. 4, but still hasn’t found the right deal as he’s looking for a big haul of players and picks considering that Karlsson is a franchise player.
As expected, Garrioch writes that the Vegas Golden Knights were at the forefront in trying to make a deal and Vegas was prepared to take the contract of Bobby Ryan, who still has four years at $7.25MM AAV remaining on his contract, but other teams are also trying to get into the Karlsson sweepstakes, including the Carolina Hurricanes, Tampa Bay Lightning, San Jose Sharks and the Washington Capitals. No word on whether the other teams are willing to take on Ryan’s contract. While the Capitals are likely out of the running now that they’ve signed Carlson, the Carlson signing may force other teams to press harder to acquire Karlsson.
- David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports that there is mutual interest between Joe Thornton and the San Jose Sharks to return to the team, regardless of whether the team signs John Tavares or not. Thornton, who suffered a season-ending torn MCL in January, would have to come back at a lower salary than the $8MM he made last year, but at 38 years old, he can still be a productive player even if he is forced to play on a lower line. Thornton put up 13 goals and 23 assists in 47 games, but “Jumbo Joe” is well past the days of putting up 82 points in 2015-16.
- Pagnotta also commented on Edmonton Oilers goaltender Cam Talbot as he says both the Oilers and Talbot have agreed to hold off on extension talks until the start of the new season. The 30-year-old Talbot had been a major piece to the team’s success up until this past year. After posting 2.39 GAA and a .919 save percentage two years ago, he struggled this season, posting a 3.02 GAA and a .908 save percentage. The team likely wants to ensure that Talbot bounces back to form before offering him an extension.
- Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic writes that the St. Louis Blues and center Kyle Brodziak both have interest in an extension. The 34-year-old center put up his best season since 2011-12 as a fourth-line center. He tallied 10 goals and 33 points last season. While the Blues have bigger concerns at the moment, Rutherford points out that neither party is in a big rush.
Metropolitan Notes: Tavares, Hamilton, Rask, Rangers
In a follow-up story about New York Islanders and John Tavares upcoming free agency, The Athletic’s Arthur Staple (subscription required) writes that the Islanders’ Lou Lamoriello left the draft to fly to Los Angeles to be nearby while Tavares meets with the teams that he and his representatives have invited to speak with him. Lamoriello will meet with Tavares last in hopes of keeping the superstar in the fold.
As reported earlier, it is believed that he will meet with the Toronto Maple Leafs, San Jose Sharks, and Dallas Stars and possibly the Tampa Bay Lightning, Vegas Golden Knights and the Montreal Canadiens, although that isn’t too clear so far. However, Staples writes that an earlier rumor today that the Islanders made an eight-year, $88MM deal may not be accurate. He believes in the end, whether offered by the Islanders or another team, that Tavares will be making $12MM per year, which Lamoriello has said that ownership has said that money is no object.
- Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston reported that the Carolina Hurricanes intend to keep defenseman Dougie Hamilton, who the team acquired in the five-player trade earlier today. The scribe said the team had no intention of flipping the blueliner for more assets. Hamilton should provide the team with a No. 1 defenseman to go with their core of young blueliners. The six-year veteran is only just 25 years old and put up 17 goals and 44 points last season.
- Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (subscription required) writes that the Carolina Hurricanes were supposedly close on sending winger Victor Rask to the Montreal Canadiens, but the asking price of two second-round picks in this draft (including the No. 35 pick) was too much for the Canadiens. The 25-year-old winger still has four years at $4MM AAV and seems to have regressed somewhat since a 21 goal season back in 2015-16.
- The New York Rangers had three first-round picks in this latest draft with much speculation wondering if general manager Jeff Gorton would use those picks as assets to either acquire a pro-ready player or even to move up in the draft. Instead, the Rangers used all three picks (albeit, they traded up late in the first-round). NHL.com’s Dan Rosen reports that Gorton said he was never close to making a deal this weekend. Gorton said he was ready to change his draft strategy if he got a trade offer he liked, but never got one. “I would say there was probably less conversations than I anticipated,” Gorton said.
2018 Draft Results By Team
The 2018 NHL Entry Draft is now complete. Check out how each team did with accruing talent and filling needs with each of their selections this weekend:
Anaheim Ducks
1-23. F Isac Lundestrom, Lulea (SHL)
2-54. F Benoit-Olivier Groulx, Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL)
3-79. F Blake McLaughlin, Chicago Steel (USHL)
3-84. G Lukas Dostal, HC Kometa Brno (Czech Republic-Jr.)
4-116. F Jack Perbix, Elk River HS (USHS)
5-147. G Roman Durny, Des Moines Buccaneers (USHL)
6-178. D Hunter Drew, Charlottetown Islanders (QMJHL)
Arizona Coyotes
1-5. F Barrett Hayton, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL)
2-55. D Kevin Bahl, Ottawa 67’s (OHL)
3-65. F Jan Jenik, HC Benatky nad Jizerou (Czech Republic-2)
3-73. D Ty Emberson, U.S. National Development Program (USHL)
4-114. G Ivan Prosvetov, Youngstown Phantoms (USHL)
5-142. D Mitchell Callahan, Central Illinois Flying Aces (USHL)
5-145. D Dennis Busby, Flint Firebirds (OHL)
6-158. G David Tendeck, Vancouver Giants (WHL)
7-189. F Liam Kirk, Sheffield Steelers (England)
Boston Bruins
2-57. D Axel Andersson, Djurgardens IF (SuperElit)
3-77. F Jakub Lauko, Pirati Chomutov (Czech Republic)
4-119. F Curtis Hall, Youngstown Phantoms (USHL)
6-181. D Dustyn McFaul, Pickering Panthers (OJHL)
7-212. F Pavel Shen, Mamonty Yugry (MHL)
Buffalo Sabres
1-1. D Rasmus Dahlin, Frolunda HC (SHL)
2-32. D Mattias Samuelsson, U.S. National Development Program (USHL)
4-94. F Matej Pekar, Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL)
4-117. D Linus Lindstrand Kronholm, Malmo Redhawks (SuperElit)
5-125. D Miska Kuukonen, Ilves (Jr.-Liiga)
7-187. D William Worge Kreu, Linkoping (SuperElit)
Calgary Flames
3-105. F Martin Pospisil, Sioux City Musketeers (USHL)
3-108. F Demetrios Koumontzis, Edina HS (USHS)
4-122. F Milos Roman, Vancouver Giants (WHL)
6-167. F Mathias Emilio Pettersen, Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL)
7-198. F Dmitri Zavgorodny, Rimouski Oceanic (QMJHL)
Carolina Hurricanes
1-2. F Andrei Svechnikov, Barrie Colts (OHL)
2-42. F Jack Drury, Waterloo Blackhawks (USHL)
4-96. F Luke Henman, Blainville-Boisbriand Armada (QMJHL)
4-104. F Lenni Killinen, Espoo Blues (Jr.-Liiga)
6-166. D Jesper Sellgren, MODO (Allsveskan)
7-197. G Jake Kucharski, Des Moines Buccaneers (USHL)
Chicago Blackhawks
1-8. D Adam Boqvist, Brynas IF Gavle (SHL)
1-27. D Nicolas Beaudin, Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL)
3-69. F Jake Wise, U.S. National Development Program (USHL)
3-74. F Niklas Nordgren, HIFK Helsinki (Jr.-Liiga)
4-120. F Philipp Kurashev, Quebec Remparts (QMJHL)
5-139. F Mikael Hakkarainen, Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL)
6-162. G Alexis Gravel, Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL)
7-193. F Josiah Slavin, Lincoln Stars (USHL)
Colorado Avalanche
1-16. F Martin Kaut, Dynamo Pardubice (Czech Republic)
3-64. G Justus Annunen, Karpat (Jr.-Liiga)
3-78. F Sampo Ranta, Sioux City Musketeers (USHL)
4-109. F Tyler Weiss, U.S. National Development Program (USHL)
5-140. F Brandon Saigeon, Hamilton Bulldogs (OHL)
5-146. D Danila Zhuravlyov, Irbis Kazan (MHL)
6-171. F Nikolai Kovalenko, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (MHL)
7-202. G Shamil Shmakov, Sibirskie Snaipery Novosibirsk (MHL)Read more
Louis Domingue Signs Two-Year Contract With Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning have re-signed Louis Domingue to a two-year $2.3MM contract ($1.15MM AAV). Domingue was scheduled to become a restricted free agent, but will now remain with the Lightning and presumably have the inside track to be Andrei Vasilevskiy‘s backup given the team’s recent trade of Peter Budaj.
Domingue, 26, came over from the Arizona Coyotes in November of last season and made quite the impression on his new team. With a .919 save percentage in 18 games with the Syracuse Crunch, and a .914 in 12 appearances with Tampa Bay, Domingue showed himself to be quite capable to back up Vasilevskiy for the foreseeable future.
He’ll receive just a slight raise on the two-year $2.1MM contract he signed with the Coyotes in 2016, and remain an almost risk-free proposition for the Lightning. Even if Domingue falters, almost all of his cap hit can be buried in the minors without trouble. If he can provide the same excellent play going forward, he’ll look like one of the better goaltending contracts in the league.
It’s important that the Lightning locked up a suitable back up goaltender, as Vasilevskiy admitted late in the season that he was feeling fatigued from taking over the full-time starting duties. The 23-year old goaltender played in a career-high 65 games last season, a huge number for any netminder. Adding in another 17 playoff starts and there was a clear need to bring in someone who could spell Vasilevskiy for somewhere around 20-25 games, and Domingue will be asked to be that player.
The team does have Connor Ingram on his way, but he’ll still need at least a few years of development before he’s ready to jump to the NHL. It might work out perfectly, as Domingue will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of this deal.
Tampa Bay Lightning Name Jeff Halpern Assistant Coach
The Tampa Bay Lightning have promoted from within, naming Jeff Halpern an assistant coach. Halpern had been working with the Syracuse Crunch staff and will be starting his first coaching job in the NHL. The former Lightning forward retired in 2014.
Halpern, 42, was never an outstanding offensive player in the NHL, but nevertheless carved out a 976-game NHL career and was even named captain of the Washington Capitals for a season coming out of the lockout. Respected for his work ethic and responsible defensive play, he was quickly welcomed back into the Lightning organization after retirement and named full-time assistant coach for the Crunch in 2016.
Not only will Halpern bring a wealth of NHL experience to the bench beside Jon Cooper, but his familiarity with the prospect development side of the organization will only help the NHL club utilize their young players to the fullest. Though Tampa Bay is led by a core of veteran players, they also have names like Mikhail Sergachev, Brayden Point and Anthony Cirelli all expected to play big roles going forward.
Tampa Bay Lightning Will Not Re-Sign Chris Kunitz
The Tampa Bay Lightning will not bring back Chris Kunitz for the 2018-19 season. That’s what Lightning GM Steve Yzerman told reporters today when asked, though he noted that the 38-year old forward still wishes to continue his career and is not currently considering retirement. Kunitz is coming off a one-year $2MM contract with the Lightning, that also included $1MM in performance bonuses.
Kunitz is best known for his Stanley Cup heroics, including the overtime-winning goal against the Ottawa Senators to send the Pittsburgh Penguins to the finals in 2017. He has four cups under his belt, and was brought to Tampa Bay to provide some veteran leadership and experience to a group that was relatively unproven in the playoffs. The Lightning though have just too many young players ready to compete for roster spots, meaning Kunitz will have to look for employment elsewhere.
Even with his diminished effectiveness, there will likely be several suitors. Kunitz recorded 29 points this season but did it in just under 12 minutes a night and with almost zero powerplay time to speak of. That’s not exactly the 35-goal man he was with the Penguins a few seasons ago, but with his ample playoff experience and generally well-regarded locker room presence another team on the cusp of contention may bring him in to give their squad a boost next season. Willing to play in that diminished role, another performance bonus-laden contract seems appropriate.
One would have to wonder if the Penguins themselves would consider bringing him back on a reduced salary, as the team requires cheap, effective players to work within the constrains of the salary cap. Kunitz’ familiarity with the leadership group in Pittsburgh would only help his case there, though at this point nothing can be said about any potential Penguins interest.
A veteran of 966 regular season games, Kunitz has recorded 609 points and been to the playoffs every season since his rookie year in 2003-04. That kind of experience isn’t easy to come by, even among players who are at his age. It won’t be surprising to see someone snatch him up on July 1st.