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East Notes: Leafs, Hamilton, Ovechkin

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After the conclusion of today’s 2021 NHL Draft, there’s a variety of news and notes from post-draft press conferences emerging quickly. NHL.com’s Mike Zeisberger reports from general manager Kyle Dubas’ presser today that the Toronto Maple Leafs are still interested in retaining both Alex Galchenyuk and Frederik Andersen. Now 27, it’s been a long road for Galchenyuk, who was drafted third overall in 2012. After playing for five teams over the past three seasons, Galchenyuk caught what seemed like a new wind after his mid-season acquisition from the Ottawa Senators, scoring 12 points in 26 games with the Leafs. Consistently playing among the Leafs’ top-six forward core, Galchenyuk displayed solid complementary ability when surrounded by better talent. The Leafs will likely hope that he can bring affordable depth scoring again to the team in a middle-six role this time around, hopefully adding another top-end talent in the offseason. And while the team has interest in retaining Andersen in goal, it may not be mutual. Andersen, in any scenario in which he returns, takes a significant cut in both pay and games played, serving behind Jack Campbell. But if Andersen is willing to accept a backup role, the offseason could allow him to return to full health and be a crucial contributor to next year’s Toronto roster.

  • Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that the Carolina Hurricanes are still trying to re-sign defenseman Dougie Hamilton, but that they’ll need an answer on a deal by the start of free agency on July 28th. TSN’s Darren Dreger follows up, saying that Hamilton is looking at an average annual value between $8MM and $9MM on his next deal. It’s interesting to note here that Hamilton isn’t looking for more money, especially considering the eight-year, $9.5MM AAV extension handed out yesterday to Seth Jones. Hamilton is on a five-year run of receiving Norris Trophy votes, including a career-high fourth-place finish this season. That’s in stark contrast to Jones, who’s coming off a weak season on both sides of the puck. Hamilton’s consistently posted better play-driving and defensive numbers throughout his career, as well. Regardless, Hamilton, who’s part of an elite class of defenders to hit unrestricted free agency in recent years, shouldn’t have any trouble getting his desired compensation, whether it be from Carolina or somewhere else.
  • The Athletic’s Tarik El-Bashir reports that Washington Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan hopes to have a contract extension with captain Alex Ovechkin finalized by the opening of free agency on Wednesday. It’s once in a blue moon that we see a new contract for one of the best players in NHL history, but this offseason will surely see one for the 35-year-old Ovechkin. What’s not for certain is that Ovechkin sees a raise on his previous deal, one that was paying him $9.5MM per season. Despite still being one of the best goal-scorers in the league, Ovechkin’s now finished under a point-per-game pace in two straight seasons and missed significant time with injury this season for the first time since 2009-10. A decent comparable could be the contract handed out to teammate Nicklas Backstrom, who makes $9.2MM per season. While it likely won’t be as long of a term as Backstrom’s five years, a similar cap hit could be in line for ’Ovi’ this offseason.

Zach Hyman Meeting With Edmonton Oilers

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The Toronto Maple Leafs gave pending free agent Zach Hyman permission to speak with other teams around the league, and today he is in Edmonton meeting with the Oilers, according to Jason Gregor of TSN. The Oilers have had rumored interest in the Maple Leafs forward for a while, and Chris Johnston of Sportsnet tweets that there is still a possibility of a sign-and-trade agreement between the two teams, which would open up the possibility of an eight-year contract for Hyman. Only the Seattle Kraken, who had a 48-hour window which is now closed, and the Maple Leafs were eligible to offer Hyman an eight-year deal this summer.

Now 29, Hyman has been a heart-and-soul player for the Maple Leafs the past six seasons. He reached a career-high of 21 goals and 41 points in the 2018-19 season, but easily would have eclipsed those totals in either of the past two years had the schedule had not been shortened or had he not suffered injuries. In 2019-20 he scored 21 goals and 37 points in 51 games, while this year he tallied 15 goals and 33 points in 43 games. He has received Selke Trophy votes in three of his five full seasons, including one fourth-place vote this year. A contributor at both ends, Hyman has experience on the powerplay and is one of the top penalty-killers in the NHL.

Still, there is plenty of risk to the pending free agent. Not only would a lengthy contract take him well into his thirties, but Hyman has dealt with knee injuries over the last few years, even undergoing major surgery in 2019. There is no one who doubts Hyman’s effort—the fifth-round pick has worked extremely hard for every opportunity he’s been given at the NHL level—but it’s hard to see how he’ll continue to produce at a high level several years from now. His playstyle relies heavily on his speed and forechecking ability, as well as his willingness to absorb contact to win back or protect a puck. If any of those attributes decline, his effectiveness could be drastically reduced.

Even with that apparent risk, there seems to be a clear market for Hyman’s services. The Oilers are not the only team that has been linked to the free agent forward; the St. Louis Blues, Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, and Seattle Kraken have been attributed interest at least, though it’s not clear how many of these or other clubs Hyman has actually met with. Any deal will have to wait until tomorrow when the NHL transaction freeze opens up, and even then it would only occur if a trade with the Maple Leafs was worked out. Otherwise, Hyman will have to wait until July 28 like the rest of this year’s free agent crop.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Nick Foligno Likely To Sign With Minnesota Wild

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When Nick Foligno left the Columbus Blue Jackets at the NHL Trade Deadline this season, traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs, many expected that he could return to the team this off-season. The Columbus captain since 2015, Foligno has strong ties to the organization and the city, enough that there was an expectation that the veteran forward would re-sign with the rebuilding club. While Foligno is technically the property of the Maple Leafs until July 28 and is now able to negotiate with the Seattle Kraken after being exposed in the Expansion Draft, this was the anticipated path of his off-season and the expectation remained that it would end back in Columbus.

Not so fast, says Bally Sports Andy Strickland. If there was any other team the could seduce Foligno from Columbus, it would be the Minnesota Wild, where his brother Marcus Foligno is a core player and signed long-term, not to mention protected from the Expansion Draft. That appears to be exactly what he is thinking. Strickland reports that there is a “strong possibility” that Foligno joins his brother in Minnesota when the free agent market opens next week.

Foligno, 33, is a gritty, hard-working forward who wins puck battles and creates offense in front of the net. Even as he has gotten older, Foligno’s offense has remained consistent throughout his career, scoring between 0.4 and 0.65 points per game in 12 of his 13 full NHL seasons (the one exception was a .92 PPG aberration in 2014-15). Foligno is also a smart, experienced leader, both in the locker room and on the ice. Foligno could help to make up for the recent departures of long-time Wild leaders Ryan Suter and Zach Parise, even replacing Parise’s middle-six winger role. The fit makes sense for a Minnesota team that is looking to take a step forward this coming season after a major turnaround in 2020-21.

Toronto Hires Spencer Carbery As Assistant Coach

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have plucked one of the top coaches from the AHL ranks to take over their vacancy at assistant coach. The team has announced that Hershey Bears head coach Spencer Carbery has been hired to join Sheldon Keefe’s staff. Carbery replaces Dave Hakstol, who left to become the inaugural head coach of the Seattle Kraken.

Even as a minor league coach, Carbery should be a recognizable name for many. The 39-year-old is the reigning AHL Coach of the Year, named the recipient of the Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award after leading Hershey to a 24-7-2-0 record. Carbery only just completed his third season as an AHL head coach, but in that time the Bears went 104-50-9-8 for a .658 points percentage that was among the AHL’s best in that span. Carbery previously won the ECHL Coach of the Year Award as well, taking home the honor in his third of five seasons spent as the head coach and Director of Hockey Operations for the South Carolina Stingrays. He is no stranger to Ontario either, spending one season as the head coach of the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit.

Carbery is a well-regarded head coach and should be a natural fit with a Toronto staff that is young and innovative, much like the culture of the team. There could be an adjustment period, seeing as Carbery has no NHL experience to this point, but having fellow young coaches around who went through the same transition not long ago will help the process. Meanwhile, Carbery’s loss will be felt in a major way in Hershey and the Washington Capitals must now work quickly to find a new bench boss for their AHL affiliate.

Toronto Maple Leafs Acquire Jared McCann

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The Toronto Maple Leafs were not expected to be a pre-Expansion Draft buyer given what appeared to be some difficult protection list decisions. However, they have made quite a splash with a deal filed just before the roster freeze set in. As first reported by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, Toronto has acquired Jared McCann from the Pittsburgh Penguins, who had long been expected to protect McCann before rumors in recent days suggested otherwise. In exchange, the Penguins receive just a 2023 seventh-round pick and forward prospect Filip Hallander, who the team initially drafted and then dealt to the Maple Leafs last summer in the Kasperi Kapanen trade.

This is a savvy pickup by the Maple Leafs, adding an affordable forward coming off of a career year. McCann, who has always possessed great ability but has struggled with inconsistency, put it all together for Pittsburgh this season with 14 goals and 32 points in 43 games – an 82-game pace of 27 goals and 61 points. If he can replicate those number joining another skilled forward group in Toronto, McCann will be a beloved bargain at $2.94MM. With the ability to play center or wing and solid defensive tendencies, McCann can be utilized throughout the Maple Leafs’ lineup.

One concern for McCann is his lack of playoff scoring in three trips to the postseason. That should be especially alarming for a Toronto team that struggles under playoff pressure as it is. However, it never hurts to add a talented player and hope that his postseason luck turns. Eventually, something has to give for Toronto, right?

In Pittsburgh, this trade has to sting. The rumors swirling around the team suggest that they could be making some unorthodox expansion protection choices and this trade suggests that McCann was not going to be protected, despite a very strong season and a comfortable fit with the team. It also seems like GM Ron Hextall could have gotten more for McCann than a throwaway pick and a recycled prospect. Hallander, a 2018 second-round pick, is not a bad investment by any means, especially after a career year in Sweden. However, he also was deemed expendable by the last Penguins administration and now is back and still not likely to be considered a top-three forward prospect for the team. Yes, Pittsburgh needed to clear salary this off-season, but McCann’s affordable contract seems like the least of their worries and the return does not adequately justify the move.

Maple Leafs Re-Sign Joseph Woll

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The Maple Leafs have taken care of one of their pending restricted free agents, announcing the re-signing of goaltender Joseph Woll to a one-year, two-way contract.  The deal will carry an NHL salary of $750K.

Toronto selected the 23-year-old back in the third round of the 2016 draft (62nd overall).  He spent three years with Boston College before foregoing his senior season to turn pro, signing with Toronto back in 2019.  He fared well with the Eagles, posting a 2.51 GAA along with a save percentage of .916 over 101 career NCAA appearances but that success hasn’t carried over to the pros.  This past season, Woll posted a 3.54 GAA with a .892 SV% in 15 appearances with the AHL’s Marlies, numbers that were only slight improvements on his rookie season in the minors.

Woll is exempt from the upcoming expansion draft so this isn’t a move with any implications on that front as some recent goalie signings have been.  As things stand, he is now one of four signed goaltenders that are likely ticketed for the minors while the Maple Leafs will need to either re-sign or replace Frederik Andersen to serve as their second netminder alongside Jack Campbell.

Latest On Zach Hyman

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The Toronto Maple Leafs and Zach Hyman appear to be parting ways this summer, but it could potentially even happen before free agency opens later this month. Darren Dreger of TSN reports that the Maple Leafs have granted Hyman’s agent permission to speak with other clubs, opening the door for a trade of his rights before the open market. Dreger adds that there is “considerable interest” league-wide, but some would have to wait until the expansion draft passes to actually sign the pending UFA forward.

Last night, Pierre LeBrun explained on TSN that there was a “pretty sizable gap” in negotiations between Hyman and the Maple Leafs front office, noting that he believes on the open market Hyman could receive between $5.5-6MM (AAV) on the open market. That’s just isn’t possible for Toronto to hand out, especially on a long-term deal to a player that recently turned 29 and has dealt with major knee injuries over the past few seasons. There’s no doubt that Hyman could help the team, but with so much cap tied up in the team’s top forwards, paying him what he’ll receive elsewhere doesn’t make much sense.

Andy Strickland of Bally Sports Midwest believes that no team will get Hyman to sign a contract of fewer than seven years, and lists the St. Louis Blues, Edmonton Oilers, Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames and even the Seattle Kraken as potential teams of interest. The Maple Leafs are the only team that can currently offer him an eight-year deal, but could potentially work out a sign-and-trade with one of the other clubs. The Kraken would get a chance to speak with him ahead of the expansion draft as well and could offer an eight-year deal, though that would mean forfeiting their pick from the Maple Leafs roster.

Hyman has been an excellent player for the Maple Leafs the last several years, scoring at a high rate in shortened seasons. After returning from ACL surgery in 2019-20, he scored 21 goals and 37 points in 51 games before the season was shut down. This year, he had 15 goals and 33 points in 43 games, but again fell victim to a knee injury that kept him out for part of the season. He did return in time for the playoffs, but registered just a single goal in seven games against the Montreal Canadiens, despite averaging nearly 23 minutes of ice time.

The Maple Leafs are likely saying goodbye to several pending free agents this summer, but getting back an asset out of a Hyman trade would certainly lessen the blow. The team has one of the lowest values in the league in terms of 2021 draft capital, with just three picks to make this year. With a healthy free agent market and rumors swirling about Tyler Bertuzzi, Hyman could be replaced, though it remains to be seen how taking one of the league’s best forecheckers out of the lineup will affect the rest of their highly-paid forwards.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Maple Leafs Notes: Hyman, Andersen, Bogosian

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have a few key free agents scheduled to hit the open market later this month, with no one more important than Zach Hyman. The Toronto native has turned himself from a fifth-round afterthought into a legitimate top-six option, able to play both wings and score at a high rate. Hyman had 15 goals and 33 points in 43 games this season while also being a key member of the team’s top penalty-killing unit. That success should lead to a big raise this summer, but it appears as though the Maple Leafs and Hyman’s camp aren’t close on a number that works for both sides.

Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic tweets that there is a “sizeable gap in positions,” suggesting that Hyman will indeed hit the open market on July 28. The 29-year-old will likely be one of the top options for many teams looking for forward help because of his versatility, but that will also leave a pretty sizable hole in the Maple Leafs lineup. Of course, as with any of the free agents Toronto is dealing with, any contract before the expansion draft would put the team in a tough situation protection-wise.

  • LeBrun also tweets out that there have been talks between the Maple Leafs and free agent netminder Frederik Andersen, but no contract offer to this point. Obviously, Toronto wouldn’t want to sign Andersen before the expansion draft, but it does appear as though he will at least test the market even though there is mutual interest for a reunion. The Maple Leafs frankly just don’t have the cap space to commit much money to Andersen if Jack Campbell is penciled in as the team’s starter, meaning he very well could be looking at a much more lucrative offer on the open market.
  • While Hyman and Andersen represent core pieces that have been in Toronto for a while, there are many other unrestricted free agents on the Toronto roster who could be brought back as depth pieces. One of those is Zach Bogosian, who brought some stability to the third pairing for the Maple Leafs last season and is now a free agent once again at the age of 30. Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun reports that though there have been talks between the two sides, it seems likely that Bogosian will test the open market as well, which makes a lot of sense for a player that earned just $1MM on his one-year deal in Toronto. Bogosian is still young enough to earn a multi-year deal, is coming off a Stanley Cup with the Lightning and a strong campaign with the Maple Leafs, and is that always-enticing mix of physical and right-handed. For a Maple Leafs team that can’t overspend on the margins, he may be priced out of their reach.

Toronto Maple Leafs Hire Dean Chynoweth

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have found a replacement for Dave Hakstol, who recently left the organization to become the first head coach of the Seattle Kraken. Toronto has hired Dean Chynoweth as an assistant coach after he spent the last three seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes. Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe released a short statement:

After spending time with Dean, it became clear that his knowledge, passion and personality would make him the right fit. We’re fortunate to add someone of his quality and experience to our staff.

Chynoweth, 52, has a long history in the WHL, as a head coach, general manager and even franchise owner. He also served in the NHL with the New York Islanders for three seasons and has experience as a head coach in the AHL. All of that coaching experienced followed a long playing career, which included stops with the Islanders and Boston Bruins. The tough-guy defenseman racked up 667 penalty minutes in his 241-game career.

It’s the defense that he’ll be responsible for in Toronto, given he is replacing Hakstol on the staff. The team has taken a few big steps forward in that regard over the last few seasons with the additions of T.J. Brodie and Jake Muzzin, but will obviously need to continue to develop their young options to fill out the depth chart.

Leafs Notes: Hyman, Bertuzzi, Assistant Coaches

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While this offseason promises intrigue no matter what, the Toronto Maple Leafs are undoubtedly going to bring an added element of excitement for hockey fans over the coming weeks. After a fifth straight first-round playoff loss, general manager Kyle Dubas will be under immense pressure this month to bring in names to help the team perform at a higher level throughout the regular season and playoffs. Many details are starting to emerge about Toronto’s plans for next season and how their roster may look. One thing that’s becoming apparent is that Zach Hyman likely isn’t part of the Maple Leafs’ future, as Elliotte Friedman’s 31 Thoughts column notes that an extension for the forward is unlikely to happen. Hyman’s received interest from both the Edmonton Oilers and Detroit Red Wings, both teams who can and likely will offer him more money and term than Toronto is willing to offer. The absence of Hyman leaves a hole in the team’s top-six forward group that will need to be filled. It appears as though the Leafs already have some ideas about how to approach this:

  • In a Saturday radio hit from Friedman, he mentions that the Leafs are circling back with the Detroit Red Wings about winger Tyler Bertuzzi. Bertuzzi, who missed all but nine games this season with a back injury, carries some financial uncertainty as he’s a pending restricted free agent. With him missing the past season due to injury, however, it’s likely that Bertuzzi only signs a one-year deal whether he’s dealt or not, taking him through his final year of RFA eligibility. It would keep the cost down for the Maple Leafs, who’ll continue to look to add at all positions this offseason.
  • There’s little surprise that after such a disappointing end to the season, Toronto would look to shake up their coaching staff. An unbelievably poor power-play unit left a nasty streak on what was otherwise a successful regular season, prompting potential changes among head coach Sheldon Keefe’s associates. Friedman also reports in 31 Thoughts that the team may bring in former Arizona Coyotes bench boss Rick Tocchet as an assistant. While his time in the desert didn’t yield too much success, Tocchet’s garnered a solid track record as an assistant, especially during his time working with the Pittsburgh Penguins – in which he won back-to-back Stanley Cups. Friedman also mentioned Montreal Canadiens assistant Luke Richardson as a possible hire, but it’s unlikely the team would let him go. Richardson was a large part of Montreal’s playoff run, stepping in as the interim head coach while Dominique Ducharme missed the majority of their series against the Vegas Golden Knights due to COVID protocol.

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