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Lightning’s Maxim Groshev Signs KHL Extension

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The Tampa Bay Lightning’s impressive forward depth was one of if not the main reason they took home the Stanley Cup this year. However, as the team faces down salary cap doom this off-season not to mention an Expansion Draft next summer, that depth is bound to take a significant hit. Sooner rather than later, the Lightning will need reinforcements up front.

Cross 2020 draft pick Maxim Groshev off the list of possibilities, at least through 2022-23. The recently-selected power forward has signed a two-year contract extension with SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL, the team announced. Groshev was recently acquired by SKA from Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk for a monetary cost, but required a new deal with his current contract expiring. SKA is not a team that usually invests in the development of young players, so they clearly have high hopes for Groshev and had a long-term plan when they acquired him.

Groshev, 18, recorded seven points in 36 KHL games last year and has two points in 18 games thus far in 2020-21. While those offensive totals are meager, the fact that he is even getting meaningful play time at his age speaks to his ability. The 6’2″, 200-lb. winger can hold his own against veterans in the KHL and when it does finally come time for him to make the jump to North America, the Lightning will at least know that he is pro-ready.

Daly: Tampa Bay Being Considered For Hub City If One Is Needed Next Season

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Back in the summer, Tampa Bay was ruled out as a possible host for one of the hub cities as the NHL worked to return to hold their playoffs.  That may not be the case when it comes to next season, however, as Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly told Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times that the city will garner consideration this time around if the NHL opts to use bubble cities for at least part of next season:

In terms of the boxes that need to be checked and the things that we’re looking for, certainly Tampa is an attractive possibility on a host of levels, including the fact that I think players would enjoy Tampa as a base for operations as opposed to some other cities.

Certainly, if we went that direction — and I’m not suggesting that we’re going that direction — but if we end up deciding to go that direction, certainly Tampa would be strongly considered.

As things stand, there are no firm plans in place for next season’s schedule but the possibility of using short-term hubs where a team plays several games in a short stretch before returning home for a little while has been discussed.  It certainly seems like Tampa Bay will be looked at more favorably than it was for the playoff hubs.

More from the East:

  • While the Panthers were able to avoid arbitration with defenseman MacKenzie Weegar last week, things weren’t always headed in that direction. Speaking with reporters today including David Dwork of WPLG (Twitter link), the blueliner acknowledged that he had heard from his agent a couple of times to advise that a trade may be in the works.  Weegar had acknowledged his frustration with the status of talks although in the end, they were able to agree on a three-year deal worth $9.75MM in total that bought out two years of UFA eligibility.
  • The new arena for the Islanders remains on track to open for the 2021-22 season despite a two-month delay due to the pandemic, notes Allan Kreda of the New York Times. Despite everything going on and the fact that puck drop is at least another year away, the facility has already sold roughly half of its inventory for club seats and suites.

Long List Of RFAs Still To Sign In Tampa Bay

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You can forgive the Tampa Bay Lightning for taking their time this offseason. The team is celebrating the second Stanley Cup championship in franchise history and first for this super-talented core that has been so dominant for the last several years. Since Jon Cooper’s first full season as head coach of the team in 2013-14, the Lightning have put up a record of 343-172-47, reached the playoffs in six of seven years, and made it to at least the Eastern Conference Finals in four of those. Now, after finally getting over the hump and raising that silver chalice over their heads, GM Julien BriseBois and his front office staff have a ton of work to do.

In fact, there is no one with more restricted free agents still to get under contract in the entire league. And it’s not just quantity over quality in Tampa Bay, the players still without contracts are key members of the team now and for the future.

Anthony Cirelli, the unheralded third-round pick that has turned himself into one of the best two-way centers in the league, just finished fourth in Selke Trophy voting for a season played at age-22. He scored 44 points in 68 games and saw his minutes skyrocket, becoming the most important forward on Tampa Bay’s penalty kill. While he may not get the fanfare of some of the other superstars on the roster, BriseBois and his staff know exactly how important Cirelli is to the team’s future. It is likely why they were trying to move Tyler Johnson and his $5MM cap hit early in the offseason, even waiving the veteran forward at one point.

But it’s not just Cirelli that will command a substantial raise if the Lightning want to sign multi-year contracts with their young free agents. Mikhail Sergachev also sits waiting for a new contract after his best year in the NHL, one which saw him turn from sheltered offensive piece to full-fledged top-four powerhouse. Sergachev, acquired from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Jonathan Drouin in 2017, has seen his average time on ice increase dramatically each of his three seasons in Tampa Bay. In 2019-20 he averaged more than 20 minutes a night, seeing more than anyone not named Victor Hedman at even-strength. In a season completed while he was still 21, Sergachev still put up excellent offensive numbers—ten goals and 34 points in 70 games—but became a player the team can rely on much more heavily and in many more situations.

It doesn’t end there. Erik Cernak and his nearly three minutes of nightly short-handed ice time is also an RFA. For two seasons the 23-year-old has been a versatile, physical presence that counterbalances some of the team’s more skilled defenders, and was a fearless shot-blocker in the playoffs. In 25 games he recorded 52 blocks, a total that beat out even veteran warrior Ryan McDonagh for the team lead. Even though Cernak doesn’t have the offensive chops of Sergachev, he’ll still need a considerable raise after his early-career performance.

Even past those three, several other depth options are still waiting on new deals. Mathieu Joseph and Alexander Volkov, who each suited up at various times this season and will likely be asked to do the same in 2020-21, are RFAs with no arbitration rights. Neither one has a lot of leverage in talks, but their negotiations are still work to be done before the start of training camp. Dominik Masin was also issued a qualifying offer, but the 24-year-old defenseman is currently playing in the KHL.

Sure, these contracts could come together quickly and at any moment, but the Lightning can’t just sign them all and call it a day. By CapFriendly’s count, the team has less than $3MM in cap space with a roster of 18 players, meaning substantial raises for the three big names isn’t possible without moving other players out. Johnson has been the name thrown around most, but even if his $5MM cap hit is shed completely that still may not give them enough room to sign everyone.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Red Wings Still Open To Further Off-Season Additions

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The Detroit Red Wings are firmly in a rebuild following the worst season by an NHL team since the turn of the century in 2019-20. The club has accumulated a mass amount of talent in the pipeline over the past few years and still has an impressive array of future draft selections as well. They are committed to improving internally and grooming a new core to take over down the road.

With that said, savvy GM Steve Yzerman is not one to turn away from opportunity. With the flat salary cap impacting top teams far more than bottom feeders, the Red Wings have had the room to make a number of free agent additions so far this off-season. Following a recent call with the media, The Detroit News’ Ted Kulfan writes that Yzerman has expressed that he may not be done making deals either. Detroit still has more than $9.5MM in cap space based on CapFriendly’s current projection of a 22-man roster.

Already, the Red Wings have added considerable veteran talent ahead of next season. The team signed a new (starting?) goalie in Thomas Greiss, a pair of young defensemen in Troy Stecher and Jon Merrill, and experienced, versatile forwards Vladislav Namestnikov, Bobby Ryan, and Sam Gagner. They also acquired reliable blue line leader Marc Staal (and a second-round pick) at no cost from the New York Rangers. Not only is this a massive influx of talent for 2020-21, but expiring contracts like Ryan, Gagner, Staal, and Merrill could also turn into more draft capital at the trade deadline.

Not only have the Red Wings succeeded in adding a number of capable players, but most have come at a great value as well. So too have their RFA re-signings; Anthony Mantha signed a long-term deal well below what many were expecting, Robby Fabbri was handed an affordable extension, and the team took Tyler Bertuzzi to arbitration just to save more money. All of this value means that Detroit can keep adding if they want. There are still holes throughout the lineup currently slated for underwhelming veterans. While some of these will be kept open for prospects, at least one or two could be filled via free agency or trade if Yzerman can find the right fit:

There are a lot of players still on the free agent market. We have a lot of bodies right now. I do think there’s room potentially to add, and I would consider it as we go along, or when we get closer to knowing when we’re going to start. As far as the trade market… it’s pretty quiet around the league. Certainly we’d be open to listening.

Minor Transactions: 11/07/20

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There have only been four unrestricted free agent signings so far in the month of November, as the NHL market has been stagnant in light of the flat salary cap despite considerable talent still available. However, the impact of delayed season starts continues to result in a number of loans, both at the pro level in Europe and the junior levels in North America. Loans have also begun to displace other players, as a number of notable names are on the move. With some minor moves carrying over from Friday and more expected today, keep track of all of these transactions here:

  • 2020 Tampa Bay Lightning second-rounder Jack Finley will get his season started outside of the WHL, but close to home. The Kelowna, BC native has been loaned by his club, the Spokane Chiefs, to the BCHL’s West Kelowna Warriors, the league announced. Finley is one of a large number of western junior players who will get some time in down a level before the WHL opens up next month. A hulking, 6’5″ center, Finley will be a lot to handle for BCHL competition over the next few weeks.
  • Goalie Jan Bednar, a recent fourth-round pick of the Detroit Red Wings, was expected to open up this season with his North American debut with the QMJHL’s Acadie-Bathurst Titan. Instead, he has been loaned back to his pro club in the Czech Republic, HC Energie Karlovy Vary, for the time being, the team announced. While the Titan have not been one of the Quebec clubs who have lost games due to COVID-19, Bednar still has not joined the team yet this season. After spending the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 CHL Import Draft on the netminder, Acadie-Bathurst hopes to have Bednar soon and Vary’s announcement implies that he will only play for the team until that point that he decides to finally head overseas.
  • Seeking more ice time in the SHL, Carolina Hurricanes’ 2020 second-round selection Noel Gunler has been loaned out for the remainder of the season. Lulea HF announced that Gunler has been loaned to Brynas IF after requesting a move. The team hoped to keep Gunler on the roster, but understood his desire for a greater opportunity. Considered by many to have fallen in the draft, making him a potential steal for the Hurricanes, Gunler is an exciting player to watch who may finally produce at a high level in Sweden now that he has a greater role.
  • Also on the move in Europe, although unknown where they will end up at this point, are former NHL defensemen Julian Melchiori and Raman Hrabarenka. The KHL’s Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk has terminated the contracts of both players, the league announced. Hrabarenka had two points in nine games to open up the season, whereas Melchiori had not yet played. With rumors surrounding Neftekhimik and former non-qualified Washington Capitals free agent defenseman Colby Williams, it could be that these departures were made in anticipation of another addition by the team.

Detroit Red Wings Sign Anthony Mantha

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The Detroit Red Wings have reached an agreement with Anthony Mantha on a new four-year contract. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that the deal is worth an average annual value of $5.7MM. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic provides the full breakdown:

  • 2020-21: $4.5MM
  • 2021-22: $5.3MM
  • 2022-23: $6.5MM
  • 2023-24: $6.5MM

This multi-year contract locks up a core piece of the Red Wings forward group and actually becomes the longest deal on the books for GM Steve Yzerman. Mantha is the only player in the organization currently signed through the 2023-24 season, with even Dylan Larkin expiring a year earlier. That term and security likely bought Detroit some cap savings on the deal, given how effective Mantha has been in his last few seasons.

A first-round pick in 2013, it took a few years for the power forward to fill out and reach the NHL. When he did though, he brought the instant goal scoring that he had provided at every other step of the way, scoring 17 in his first full season in Detroit. Mantha followed that up with 24 goals in his sophomore campaign and 25 in just 67 games in 2018-19, showing how easily he would be able to reach the 30-goal threshold at some point.

Unfortunately, after scoring 12 goals and 24 points in his first 29 games of 2019-20, Mantha was injured when he was tossed to the ground by Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Jake Muzzin. He would miss more than six weeks of the season, making his return to the lineup in mid-February. Perhaps even more effective down the stretch, Mantha put up 14 more points in 14 games before the season was halted, bringing his totals to 16 goals and 38 points in just 43 games this year.

That kind of per-game production, especially for a player that is still squarely in his prime, is usually rewarded with even more money than Detroit committed here. The deal buys out two years of unrestricted free agency and could look like a steal if Mantha can get healthy enough to play every night, finally reaching that 30-goal mark.

For the Red Wings, who are still in their rebuilding phase, this represents a relatively low-risk investment in a core player. Without any other long-term commitments, the team has ample cap space over the next few years to develop and sign their young talent. Names like Darren Helm, Valtteri Filppula, Luke Glendening, Marc Staal, Patrik Nemeth, and Jonathan Bernier are all on contracts that expire after this season, opening up the playbook for Yzerman to build the squad as he sees fit.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Prospect Notes: Wiesblatt, Neighbours, Groshev, Stillman

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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.

 

Negotiation Notes: Ekman-Larsson, Bertuzzi, Gushchin

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While the Oliver Ekman-Larsson trade rumors dominated the pre-free agency headlines, the Arizona Coyotes’ star defenseman ultimately stayed put. Now, the ’Yotes captain tells AZ Central’s Jose Romero that this was the result that he had hoped for:

I have a clause in my contract, a no-trade, no-move clause. At the same time, I did not want to stand in the way if the organization felt otherwise. That’s how I am as a person. It was more that if they wanted to remove me, I set up the two clubs as an alternative, but, as I said, I wanted nothing better than to continue in Arizona so it feels good that it turned out the way it did.

Ekman-Larsson didn’t stand in the Coyotes’ way of making a trade per say, but the longest-tenured Coyote provided as little flexibility as he could while seeming open to a deal. Ekman-Larsson provided Arizona with just two teams he would accept a trade to, the Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks, and also set a deadline of October 9 for a deal to be completed. While the team reportedly had talks with both Boston and Vancouver, no deal could be reached in time and Ekman-Larsson stayed put. While he admits that even being available on his own terms was uncomfortable, Ekman-Larsson feels happy to still be a Coyote and has moved past the whole situation. Arizona meanwhile will have to find another way to solve their current salary cap crisis.

  • While there is a negative correlation between reaching a salary arbitration hearing and the number of seasons that player spends with his team after the fact, Tyler Bertuzzi remains on good terms with the Detroit Red Wings, according to Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press. Bertuzzi tells James that all is well, even after the player was critically examined by his own team in front of an arbitrator, who seemingly agreed with an award closer to where the Red Wings filed. Bertuzzi went so far as to say the process “went smoothly” and stated that it was “nothing personal at all.” Congratulations are due to Detroit and GM Steve Yzerman on not only winning the arbitration battle, but maintaining such good terms with the subject. Bertuzzi’s experience with an arbitration hearing is far from the norm.
  • Daniil Gushchin, selected in the third round by the San Jose Sharks earlier this month, had previously signed with the OHL’s Niagara Ice Dogs this summer after the team picked him fourth overall in the 2020 CHL Import Draft. This seemingly marked the end of his consideration of going the collegiate route as well as his time in the USHL. Yet, with the OHL season delayed, Gushchin’s USHL club, the Muskegon Lumberjacks, have revealed that their star forward is still very much in the mix for the 2020-21. It is possible that the Ice Dogs have negotiated a loan of Gushchin to the Lumberjacks until OHL training camps open, but it also may be that the skilled forward has simply found himself a place to play. So long as Gushchin stays in the USHL this season and does not suit up in the OHL, he would maintain his NCAA eligibility and could still wind up joining a college program, many of whom had interest before he committed to Niagara.

Tampa Bay Re-Signs Pat Maroon, Luke Schenn

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October 29 (UPDATE): Maroon may have settled for a below-market deal to stay in Tampa Bay, but he did get some added assurances that he won’t be leaving the Bolts any time soon. CapFriendly reports that Maroon’s contract contains a full No-Trade Clause in 2020-21 and a 16-team trade list in 2021-22. It is worth noting that a full NTC is not equivalent to a No-Movement Clause, so Maroon will not be automatically protected in the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft.

October 29: Weeks after this news broke, the Lightning have officially announced the contracts for both Maroon and Schenn. As originally reported, Maroon has signed a two-year deal with an average annual value of $900K, while Schenn re-ups for one year and $800K. Tampa Bay reportedly waited to formalize the contracts until after the deadline for restricted free agents to accept their qualifying offers, after which the team re-gained some salary cap space. The Bolts still have yet to move out any of the considerable amount of salary they must be rid of in order to sign those RFA’s.

October 9: The Tampa Bay Lightning may end up bringing back some of their Stanley Cup depth, as Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports they are close to re-signing both Pat Maroon and Luke Schenn. Frank Seravalli of TSN tweets that Maroon will sign a two-year deal worth a total of $1.8MM while Schenn will be back on a one-year, $800K deal.

Maroon has been looking for a multi-year deal over the last few offseasons and finally will get a little bit of stability in his career. After winning back-to-back Stanley Cup championships with two different teams, Maroon will stay put in Tampa Bay. His salary though will stay extremely low, giving the Lightning a veteran depth piece for close to the league minimum.

Schenn too is a depth piece that showed he could still fill a certain role, especially for such an inexpensive contract. With Tyler Johnson on waivers and the team looking to trade Braydon Coburn, a little bit of cap space has been freed up to sign these depth players and the Lightning restricted free agents.

Tampa Bay Loans Alexei Lipanov To The KHL

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At least one more Lightning prospect will be playing in the coming weeks as Dynamo Moskva of the KHL announced that Tampa Bay has loaned Alexei Lipanov to them.  However, unlike many of the players that have been loaned overseas while they wait for training camps to open, this one is for the duration of the season.

The 21-year-old was a third-round pick (76th overall) back in 2017 but his first full professional season didn’t go as planned.  Lipanov played in just four AHL games with Syracuse and instead spent the majority of the year with ECHL Orlando.  Unfortunately for him, he wasn’t the most productive with the Solar Bears either, notching just nine goals and seven assists in 37 games.

This won’t be Lipanov’s first stint in Dynamo’s system as he spent parts of three years in that system before coming to the OHL after being drafted.  Perhaps a return home will be enough to get him going offensively again.

Lipanov still has two years left on his entry-level deal with Tampa Bay.  As he’s no longer junior-aged, the contract will not slide a year as a result of this loan so assuming he returns for the 2021-22 season, he’ll have some work to do to secure a qualifying offer.

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