- Maple Leafs prospect Kalle Loponen won’t be returning to Sudbury of the OHL next season. Ben Leeson of the Sudbury Star reports (Twitter link) that the Wolves have dropped his rights in advance of next week’s CHL Import Draft and instead will protect Sabres prospect Matej Pekar and Canadiens prospect Frederik Dichow. Loponen was a seventh-round pick of Toronto back in 2019 and posted six goals and 18 assists in Sudbury this season, a respectable showing for a defenseman in his first year of major junior. The 19-year-old is expected to return to Karpat’s system in Finland.
Maple Leafs Rumors
Auston Matthews Tests Positive For COVID-19
Earlier today, reports surfaced that Tampa Bay wasn’t the only team that had a player test positive for COVID-19. It appears that is indeed the case as Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun reports that Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews has tested positive for the virus and has gone into quarantine at his home in Arizona. The team later released the following statement:
Per the National Hockey League protocol with respect to COVID-19, the Toronto Maple Leafs will not be commenting on reports surrounds testing for any of the club’s players or staff. A person’s medical information in this regard is private. The club will defer to the NHL’s policy on handling the disclosure of positive tests results, in that the league will provide updates on a regular basis with aggregate totals of the numbers of tests conducted and number of positive tests reported without disclosing either the identities of affected clubs or players.
Simmons notes that Matthews has been skating with several Coyotes players, some of which have tested positive as well although the names of those have not yet been released. Maple Leafs goaltender Frederik Andersen had been living with Matthews for part of this extended break in the schedule but is no longer in Arizona; Simmons adds that he has not tested positive.
There has been a spike in positive COVID-19 tests in several states in recent days and while NHL teams are able to resume training, there are no quarantine restrictions in place at this time as there will be if play resumes as planned later this summer.
One Trade The Islanders Would Like To Have Back
While we await the return of the NHL, it’s a great time to look back at some of the influential transactions in NHL history. Yesterday we looked at the Capitals ill-fated midseason acquisition of winger Martin Erat. The deal cost them Filip Forsberg, who has developed the way Nashville hoped he would, while Erat provided little value at all during his short stay in Washington. But if we’re going to look at trades that helped shape our current era of NHL hockey – for better or worse – we should start at the top (or the bottom).
For trades worth second-guessing, there are very few as satisfying as the deal made between the Islanders and Senators way back in 2001. The deal sent Zdeno Chara to Ottawa along with Bill Muckalt and a 1st-round pick in exchange for Alexei Yashin. It’s frankly amazing that a deal from 2001 would include players still contributing in the NHL today, some nineteen years later, but that speaks to the impact of this transaction.
To find where the Islanders went wrong, there’s no better place to start than with Chara. Lots must go right for a player to reach his full potential, but that’s exactly what happened after Chara went to Ottawa. The deal came after Chara spent parts of four seasons in Long Island, and the then-23-year-old hadn’t really taken off. He was coming off a season in which he played in 82 games, but managed only 9 points and a plus/minus of -27. The Islanders weren’t a playoff team, finishing the 2000-2001 season in fifth place with 52 points.
Of course, things went much better for Chara from that point forth, as the hulking blueliner earned six Norris nominations (one win), seven All-Star honors, and he won a Stanley Cup with the Bruins in 2011. He’s also the NHL’s active leader in Plus/Minus (288) and Defensive Win Shares (99). The Senators only got four seasons from Chara, but they were among the best regular-season teams in the NHL during those years, making the playoffs each of those four seasons, and even managed to beat the Islanders in the first round of the 2002-2003 playoffs.
To make matters worse, Chara wasn’t the only piece the Islanders sent out on that ill-fated day in 2001. Bill Muckalt also went north in that deal, though the right-winger is at least one piece Islanders’ fans don’t have to lose sleep over. He played just one season in Ottawa, and he would be out of the league not two years later.
There’s one final piece. The Islanders sent the 2nd overall selection in the draft to the Senators, a pick that turned into center Jason Spezza. Spezza starred in the middle for eleven years in Ottawa, making two All-Star teams as one of the game’s stellar goal creators. He’s 91st all-time in the NHL now in Adjusted Points (1015) and 92nd all-time in Assists (599). At age-37, he’s a veteran presence on a Toronto Maple Leafs team that will look to enter the playoff field with a win against Columbus whenever play resumes.
Considering the Senators nabbed two all-timers from New York, this has to qualify as a pretty good deal for them. But there’s a give-and-take to every good deal right? Perhaps not so much. The Senators sent Alexei Yashin to the Islanders. Yashin was a fine player, just a year removed from a second-place finish for the Hart Trophy, but they gave up a lot to get him. To make matters worse, the Islanders doubled down and gave him a 10-year, $84MM contract less than three months after the trade, a contract that would have paid Yashin through his age-37 season. For examples of players remaining viable that deep into their careers, we need not look any further than Chara and Spezza. Unfortunately, the Islanders bet on the wrong horse. Yashin wouldn’t come close to recouping the value the Islanders poured into him. They bought him out after the sixth year.
Kenny Agostino Will Be On Toronto's Expanded Postseason Roster
- While Kenny Agostino didn’t spend any time with the Maple Leafs this season, he will be on Toronto’s expanded roster for the play-in round and postseason, notes Sportsnet’s Luke Fox. He signed a two-year deal with them last summer after playing in 63 NHL games between Montreal and New Jersey but wound up spending all of 2019-20 with the AHL Marlies where he had 49 points in 53 games. While the exact allowable roster size is still to be negotiated as Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic noted (Twitter link) earlier today, the current proposal from the league would see teams being allowed to carry 28 skaters.
Playoff Notes: Drouin, Domi, Robertson
Not only did the Montreal Canadiens luck out by even making the NHL’s expanded playoff field, but they already may be winning the injury battle with their play-in opponent, the Pittsburgh Penguins. While the Penguins announced today that forward Nick Bjugstad suffered a setback in his recovery from a herniated disc and required season-ending surgery, the Habs got the opposite news. GM Marc Bergevin revealed today that core forward Jonathan Drouin will be healthy and active for the team’s playoff series. Drouin only saw 27 games this season due to a litany of injuries, so the team will receive a major boost that they did not enjoy for most of the year. In a healthy 2018-19 season with Montreal, Drouin recorded 53 points and in his last playoff experience with the Tampa Bay Lightning, he was a force with 14 points in 17 games. The Canadiens need Drouin to be at his best if they hope to beat the Penguins, but have to be excited at the mere idea that he could be 100% and ready to contribute to their unlikely postseason run.
- Of course, the Habs also have a serious question to face in the availability of Max Domi. Bergevin spoke to media and noted that the team will put health above all else. What that means is that Domi, a diabetic, may not be able to play if team doctors determine it is unsafe for him to do so. Coronavirus in those with diabetes can cause complications, with WebMD estimating that diabetics are 25% more likely to require hospitalization. Domi has had no prior issues with his Type 1 diabetes during his NHL career, but Montreal will not risk his health regardless. They will need their medical staff to ensure that all necessary measures are being met to make to keep Domi and his teammates safe from infection.
- An Atlantic Division rival of the Canadiens is anticipating an exciting addition to their lineup. Toronto Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas announced today that 2019 top pick Nick Robertson will join the team for their playoff run. Dubas had previously stated that he was excited for Robertson to fight for a spot next season, but that timeline has moved up with the talented prospect earning his way onto the team’s expanded postseason roster. Robertson, 18, is coming off a season in which he recorded 86 points in 46 games for the OHL’s Peterborough Petes and also starred for Team USA at the World Juniors. Whether or not Robertson actually plays for Toronto in the playoffs, his inclusion on the roster will be an interesting glimpse into the future for the Leafs.
Snapshots: Ozhiganov, Veilleux, Saganiuk
Standout KHL defenseman Igor Ozhiganov has secured some consistency in his career, at least for a little while. Ozhiganov initially left the KHL and CSKA Moscow after eight years following the 2017-18 season to sign in the NHL with the Toronto Maple Leafs. After a good but not great debut season with Toronto, Ozhiganov opted to return home to Russia, signing with Ak Bars Kazan. However, Kazan traded the top defender for fellow NHL vet Viktor Tikhonov early in the season. Ozhiganov headed to SKA St. Petersburg, where he enjoyed one of the best stretches of his KHL career with 12 points in 35 games. Elite blue liners are often hard to come by in the KHL and SKA has decided not to let Ozhiganov go. The club has announced a new two-year extension that will keep Ozhiganov in St. Petersburg until the 2022 off-season. At that time, Ozhiganov will still be just 29 years old, but an NHL comeback seems unlikely. However, if he continues to perform at a high level with one of the top clubs in the KHL, that could certainly change.
- The AHL’s Laval Rocket got lucky this season when a midseason tryout turned into one of their more productive players. Quebec native Yannick Veilleux, who had previously played with Laval in 2017-18, re-joined the club mid-year after playing in the ECHL and proceeded to record 12 goals and 20 points in 26 games. It was the 27-year-old forward’s best AHL season by far and has now earned him a second chance. The Rocket have announced a one-year, one-way extension for Veilleux, who finished second only to Riley Barber in per-game scoring for Laval this season. The team hopes he can replicate that success next year, while Veilluex himself hopes another strong season could lead to an NHL contract.
- The next stage of 17-year-old USNTDP forward Colby Saganiuk’s developmental path will still take place in Pennsylvania, but now with a different team. Saganiuk, who calls Pittsburgh home, was drafted by the nearby Erie Otters last year but was also being pursued by Penn State University as well. Earlier this season, Saganiuk made the decision to join the NCAA rather than the OHL when he committed to Penn State. However, he has now reversed that decision. The Otters have announced that Saganiuk has signed his OHL contract and will join the club next season. While it is possible for a college player to leave for the Canadian juniors, the opposite is not allowed, meaning Saganiuk has given up the option of the NCAA route. This change of decision is likely tied to Saganiuk’s poor 2019-20 season. Considered one of the top players on the USNTDP U-17 squad, Saganiuk instead saw limited action and struggled to produce. Rather than stick with the developmental program for another year before joining the Nittany Lions, it seems Saganiuk has opted for a change of scenery sooner rather than later by committing to Erie. Whether he is able to bounce back next season and revive his draft stock remains to be seen, but Saganiuk will be an interesting player to watch in the junior ranks next season.
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.
Toronto Notes: Six, Murray, Robertson
The NWHL has a new franchise in one of the biggest hockey markets in the world. Today the Toronto Six were announced as the sixth team in the expanding women’s professional league, revealing their colors and logo in the process. The NWHL quickly started plans for expansion into Toronto last year after the dissolution of the CWHL.
The new Toronto team already has more than a dozen players under contract, but that doesn’t include Jaycee Gebhard who they selected sixth overall in the recent draft. Gebhard decided a few days ago to sign with Brynas IF in Sweden’s SDHL after captaining Robert Morris University.
- Even though the Toronto Maple Leafs aren’t playing right now, they continue to make news as media members speculate about the future. That speculation has landed on Frederik Andersen this week, and whether or not the team will go out to acquire a different goaltender as he approaches free agency. Matt Murray, who has a connection to Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas and head coach Sheldon Keefe from their time with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the AHL has been suggested as a possible replacement. Murray is also in a situation with the Pittsburgh Penguins that may lead to a breakup, given the strong play and relative cost of Tristan Jarry. Luke Fox of Sportsnet addresses the Murray speculation in his latest mailbag, writing that he’s not convinced that the Pittsburgh netminder would be an upgrade on Andersen. The staff here at PHR gave our own takes on what Pittsburgh should do with Murray and Jarry recently.
- One player that is hoping to play in Toronto regardless of who is in net behind him is young forward Nick Robertson, who told Joshua Kloke of The Athletic (subscription required) that his focus is “on the NHL right now.” It’s hard to have a better post-draft season than the 18-year old Robertson, who scored 55 goals and 86 points in just 46 games for the Peterborough Petes, while also starring for Team USA at the World Juniors. The 5’9″ forward fell all the way to 53rd overall in last year’s draft, but will already be pushing for an NHL roster spot come training camp. For what it’s worth, Dubas has already said he’ll give Robertson “every opportunity” to make the team next season.
Jeremy Bracco Won't Be On Toronto's Post-Pandemic Recall List
- It has been a tough year for Maple Leafs prospect Jeremy Bracco. The 23-year-old was second in the AHL in scoring last season but has yet to get an NHL opportunity with Toronto. His output dipped this year to just 34 points in 44 games and the team was not able to find a new home for him after his midseason trade request. Sportsnet’s Luke Fox notes that an exit interview was conducted with him following the cancellation of the AHL season which means he will not be among Toronto’s ‘Black Aces’ for the stretch run and playoffs. Bracco is slated to be a restricted free agent this summer and it seems as if a change of scenery could very well be in the cards given how he has dropped on the depth chart.
Snapshots: LTIR, Burdasov, Cohen
The Toronto Maple Leafs are one of the most financially-powerful organizations in the league, backed by multi-billion dollar companies with one of the strongest markets in North America. They’ve used that financial might in past decades to buy up expensive, high-profile talent from around the league but have little to show for it in terms of team success. Since the salary cap was introduced they’ve tried to find creative ways to get an advantage, most notably with their use of long-term injured reserve and acquiring players like Nathan Horton and David Clarkson who were never expected to play again.
Now with Clarkson and Horton’s contracts expiring, Frank Seravalli of TSN suggests that the Maple Leafs could be on the lookout for some new dead money to give them extra cap flexibility next season. He breaks down five options the team might go after but notes that Ryan Kesler’s contract may be the most suitable. Kesler underwent major hip surgery last year and is unlikely to play again, but still has two years remaining on his contract with the Anaheim Ducks. As Seravalli reports, 80% of the salary owed to Kesler is covered by insurance but the veteran forward still carries a cap hit of $6.875MM.
- For the last several years there has been talk of Anton Burdasov considering a transition to the NHL, with the Russian forward even signing a professional tryout with the Edmonton Oilers last summer. Burdasov was apparently only interested in a one-way deal, something that he didn’t receive with the Oilers at the time. It looks like that opportunity won’t be coming anytime soon, as the 29-year old just signed a new two-year contract in the KHL.
- After a report surfaced earlier this week that Ahron Cohen had left the Arizona Coyotes, the team officially announced their “mutual” parting today. Cohen was the team’s president and CEO but was hired long before new owner Alex Meruelo took over the organization. The announcement includes that the Coyotes “will immediately begin a search to fill the role of president and CEO.”