While Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews acknowledged recently that discussions have started regarding a contract extension, there hasn’t been a similar note for winger Mitch Marner, who also is entering the final year of his entry-level deal. Ken Campbell of The Hockey News argues that the 21-year-old may be wise to wait until next summer to work out a new deal instead of doing an early extension.
Maple Leafs Rumors
Early Notes: Prospects, Moore, Matthews
The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler has released his Top-50 NHL Prospects ranking (subscription required), listing the best drafted players under the age of 23. Wheeler’s list includes a short paragraph on every single one of the ranked players, and nearly 70 honorable mention players. There are some rankings that may surprise fans, but Wheeler explains that the biggest factor in his rankings is high-end skill, not necessarily proximity to the NHL or likelihood of getting there.
Number one on his list should come as no surprise, given that Rasmus Dahlin has been termed a “generational talent” by people all around the NHL over the past few months. While Wheeler isn’t comfortable handing out that exact term, he does rave about the Buffalo Sabres prospect and his potential to become the “best defenseman in the world.” That should bring a wave of smiles to Sabres fans, who have another prospect near the very top of the list as well.
- Dominic Moore is hoping to play again in 2018-19, but he doesn’t think it will be with the Toronto Maple Leafs. After suiting up for 50 games with Toronto last season, Moore was essentially replaced by Tomas Plekanec at the trade deadline and is still waiting for an opportunity around the league. He told TSN 1050 radio that he’s just being patient, given that he’s had long offseason waits before. Moore has played nearly 900 regular season games in his NHL career, and had 12 points last season for the Maple Leafs.
- Speaking of the Maple Leafs, Auston Matthews has begun talks with the team on a contract extension according to several reports including Luke Fox of Sportsnet. Matthews is heading into the final season of his entry-level contract and became eligible to sign an extension on July 1st. The star center is likely going to command a huge contract similar to the ones Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel have signed in past seasons, though the new Maple Leafs front office will have work to do making sure everything can fit into their salary cap. The team already handed out an $11MM cap hit to John Tavares and are still in negotiations with restricted free agent William Nylander on his next deal.
Morning Notes: Miller, van Riemsdyk, Virtanen
K’Andre Miller will miss out on his next opportunity to impress the New York Rangers staff as he’s been forced off the USA Hockey World Junior Summer Showcase roster due to illness. Miller, selected 22nd-overall in June’s draft, will give up his spot to Max Gildon, a third-round pick of the Florida Panthers who attended the Showcase last summer as well.
Miller will play this season at the University of Wisconsin, and continue to develop as a defenseman after switching positions from forward just two years ago. Though he’ll need time to develop his defensive instincts further, there are already signs that Miller could grade out as a top-end option for the Rangers down the line. His length and skating ability should allow him to thrive in the NCAA right away, though the World Juniors may have to wait until next year.
- James van Riemsdyk knew that he wouldn’t be back with the Toronto Maple Leafs this season long before he signed with the Philadelphia Flyers, as his former team was up front with him heading into free agency. van Riemsdyk told media including Adam Kimelman of NHL.com that the Maple Leafs informed him they would be going in a different direction a few weeks before July 1st, and that he was grateful to them for being so honest. Interestingly, if we’re to believe that John Tavares made up his mind to go to the Maple Leafs just the night before signing, the team was prepared to let van Riemsdyk walk regardless and would have had an immense amount of cap space to go after other free agents. Signing a five-year $35MM contract with the Flyers, van Riemsdyk was arguably the second-best free agent option on the market behind Tavares.
- Jake Virtanen has a lot of pressure on him to perform up to his high draft status this season, and he’s enlisted the help of a somewhat non-traditional source. Pavel Barber, the YouTube stickhandling sensation, has been working with Virtanen this summer according to Mike Johnston of Sportsnet. Barber runs coaching camps across North America and is known for his off-ice stickhandling routines, and Virtanen apparently can already feel an improvement in his game. After struggling to carve out a top-six role for himself despite a sixth-overall draft selection, any help is appreciated by Virtanen and the Vancouver Canucks. The 21-year old forward signed a two-year contract yesterday, and has a lot of pressure on him to perform in the next couple of seasons.
Snapshots: Iginla, Kirk, Greco
The Calgary Flames announced today that Jarome Iginla will officially retire from professional hockey on Monday, though he hasn’t been an active player for a full season. Iginla, 41, did attend some AHL practices this past season and was a potential candidate for the Canadian Olympic team, but failed to actually play in any games. Monday will mark the end of a more than two decade long playing career that is sure to put him into the Hall of Fame without much delay.
Iginla ended up with 1,554 career regular season games in which he scored exactly 1,300 points. He never did raise the Stanley Cup—though Flames fans will still tell you how they deserved to win in 2004—but will still go down as one of the game’s all-time power forwards. With 625 career goals he ranks 15th on the career leaderboard, tied with Olympic teammate Joe Sakic. Iginla did win two gold medals at that tournament, and was the player who sent an incredible pass to Sidney Crosby for the “Golden Goal” in Vancouver in 2010. We’ll have more on Iginla’s retirement when it becomes official on Monday.
- Liam Kirk, the first English born and trained player to ever be drafted into the NHL, has signed on to play with the Peterborough Petes of the OHL this season. Kirk was selected 189th overall by the Arizona Coyotes in June, and will have to compete at a brand new level next season. Playing for the Sheffield Steelers last season in the EIHL, Kirk recorded just 16 points in 52 games. He’ll be asked to do more than that this season for the Petes, but will have the luxury of playing against players his own age.
- The New York Islanders have struggled for quite some time to find above-average starting goaltending, and they’ll try a different approach this season. The team has hired Piero Greco to replace Fred Brathwaite as their goaltending coach, taking him from the Toronto Maple Leafs organization where he has worked with their minor league affiliate for the past few seasons. Greco is credited for developing Maple Leafs goaltender Garret Sparks from a seventh-round afterthought into the AHL Goaltender of the Year, and will now try to turn around the careers of Robin Lehner and Thomas Greiss. Both goaltenders have shown high-level ability in the NHL, but will find some consistency if the Islanders are to compete in the Metropolitan Division this season.
Toronto Maple Leafs Have Discussed Contract With Jake Gardiner
The Toronto Maple Leafs added a huge contract to their salary structure this summer, signing John Tavares to a seven-year, $77MM deal on July 1st. That sent Maple Leafs fans everywhere scrambling to CapFriendly to see if the team could afford to re-sign their young forward core—Auston Matthews, William Nylander and Mitch Marner—to long-term extensions when the time comes, but there’s another player who could be affected by so much money going to Tavares. Jake Gardiner is heading into the final year of his current contract and is coming off the best season of his career with 52 points. The conversation on TSN radio today with guest James Mirtle of The Athletic turned to the future for Gardiner with Toronto:
I think that this new management with [Kyle] Dubas and Brandon Pridham and Laurence Gilman is going to try and not lose good players for nothing in free agency. That would mean deciding right now whether you want to sign Jake Gardiner to a contract extension or moving him and getting something back…
…I think at the very least you explore what does he want in a contract extension and are you comfortable with that, and then you also explore what is he available for in the market. If you can get something of equal value to Jake Gardiner–which might be a difficult trade to make, but if you can–then I think you’ve got to think about it. You don’t want to be taking key pieces of your team, and regardless of how poorly he played in the playoffs he is a key piece of their team, you don’t want to keep losing those for nothing.
Mirtle of course is referencing the three other key forwards that the Maple Leafs let walk into free agency this summer, losing Tyler Bozak, James van Riemsdyk and Leo Komarov to big multi-year contracts elsewhere around the league. Though it wasn’t clear if the Maple Leafs ever had much intention of bringing any of them back, signing Tavares basically guaranteed that they wouldn’t be able to. That might not be the same situation for Gardiner, as the team needs to pay someone to play defense on their team and have relied on the 28-year old to log big minutes for them. Mirtle gives another nugget of information late in the interview, reporting that the two sides have in fact met to discuss a potential extension.
I know that Gardiner’s agent Pat Brisson–the same agent as Tavares–has met with Kyle Dubas and talked about Jake Gardiner’s contract. So it’s on their radar. I’m sure that management just wants to know what he’s asking for and they can make the decision on whether they want to meet that price or not.
Again, it’s not clear if the Maple Leafs have any intention of offering Gardiner an extension or would be willing to let him walk into free agency next summer. The talented but sometimes frustrating defenseman has a penchant for both incredible breakout passes and defensive zone miscues, but has been one of the most consistent offensive producers in the league the last few seasons. Scheduled to turn 29 just a few days after he becomes an unrestricted free agent, there will be plenty of teams willing to pay for his offensive production and live with some of the struggles he can have in his own end. It’s hard to find consistent points from the blue line, and Gardiner has proven he can reliably run a powerplay and contribute at even-strength.
Still, that Tavares contract makes any extension for the Maple Leafs more difficult. Though they currently look to have more than $30MM in cap space for the 2019-20 season, much of that will be eaten up by the contracts for those three aforementioned young players including a potential $10MM+ cap hit for Matthews. Even past those three, Kasperi Kapanen and Andreas Johnsson will be looking for new deals after their first full NHL seasons and the team will have to find a replacement of some sort for Ron Hainsey as his deal is also set to expire. If Gardiner is looking for a long-term big money deal, it may not be in the cards for Toronto.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Minor Transactions: 07/23/18
While we wait for word from Brett Kulak’s arbitration hearing today, there are other minor moves happening all around the league. We’ll keep track of them right here:
- The San Diego Gulls have signed Corey Tropp to a one-year AHL contract, bringing the veteran AHL forward back for another season. Tropp scored 43 points in 50 games for the Gulls last season and actually has quite a bit of NHL experience. In 149 career games for the Anaheim Ducks, Buffalo Sabres and Columbus Blue Jackets, Tropp has registered 27 points and 133 penalty minutes. The 28-year old could easily lead San Diego in scoring this season and should be a good offensive complement to players like Sam Steel and Max Jones should they end up in the minor leagues.
- Ask any Toronto Marlies player about Rich Clune’s impact on their recent Calder Cup championship and they’ll speak highly of the veteran forward. That’s despite him not playing a single game in the AHL playoffs last season, but explains why the team has re-signed him to a two-year contract. The 31-year old has never been a big scoring threat at the professional level but is a key part of the leadership group for the Marlies and will be back to help them continue to develop young talent. His NHL days are likely behind him—meaning the 22 points in 139 career games should be what he retires with—but he’s not done with professional hockey just yet.
Maple Leafs Had Discussed Multi-Year Deals With Andreas Johnsson
- The Maple Leafs and winger Andreas Johnsson did discuss a multi-year deal before Johnsson ultimately decided to take his qualifying offer, notes James Mirtle of The Athletic (subscription required). However, given the lack of comparable players for someone who has some promise but just nine regular season NHL games under his belt, they weren’t able to settle on something that made sense for both sides. Johnsson is playing under a two-way deal once again next season but considering that he’s a lock to be claimed off waivers if Toronto tried to send him down, that provision in his contract is merely just a formality.
Snapshots: Jagr, Snowden, Golden Knights, Canada
Jaromir Jagr was on the ice today in the Czech Republic, practicing for the first time this year with Kladno, the team he owns in his home country. That doesn’t mean the 46-year old has any intention on an NHL comeback though according to NHL.com correspondent Michael Langr, who caught up with the legendary forward. Jagr simply wants to get healthy after a knee injury has kept him from the ice for the last six months. Finally, the youthful Jagr is admitting that his body can’t keep up the way it used to.
My biggest limit is age. There are things I would like to handle but I can’t do it anymore. At my age these limitations come more and more often. But I believe that when my leg and the entire body gets stronger, it will all get better and better.
Though it likely won’t be in the NHL, we might see Jagr in game action again this season. One of the all-time greats in the game of hockey, any chance to have him continue his career at this point is a welcome bonus. It would be interesting to see if Jagr is interested in suiting up for the Czech Republic next spring at the World Championships, if he is healthy enough to contribute. The tournament will be held in Slovakia next year.
- The Toronto Maple Leafs have hired John Snowden as an assistant coach for their newly crowned ECHL team the Newfoundland Growlers. Snowden had worked as an associate coach with the previous affiliate Orlando Solar Bears the last three seasons, but will now be under Ryan Clowe on the Canadian east coast. The 36-year old had a long minor league playing career that included stops in the AHL and ECHL, but never did make it all the way up to the AHL.
- The Vegas Golden Knights have come to a trademark agreement with the U.S. Army and will be allowed to continue using the “Golden Knights” name for the on-ice product and merchandise. The Golden Knights name has long been used by an army parachute team and will continue to going forward.
- Liam Foudy, Markus Phillips and Akil Thomas have all been added to Hockey Canada’s World Junior Summer Showcase roster, replacing Jordy Bellerive, Robert Thomas and Josh Brook. The latter three will be unable to take part in the camp due to injury, but are not necessarily out of the running for the roster that will head to the tournament in late December.
Maple Leafs Sign Rasmus Sandin To An Entry-Level Contract
Monday: The team has officially announced the contract.
Sunday: The Maple Leafs have signed their top pick from last month’s draft as CapFriendly reports (Twitter link) that the team has signed defenseman Rasmus Sandin to a three-year, entry-level contract. The contract carries an AAV of $925K in the NHL and does not contain any performance bonuses. The deal will pay him $70K at the AHL level, the maximum for an entry-level pact.
Sandin started last season with Rogle of the SHL but after just five games in Sweden, he was loaned to Sault Ste. Marie of the OHL. He made a big impact with the eventual league champions, collecting 12 goals and 33 assists in just 51 regular season games and followed that up with 13 points (1-12-13) in 24 postseason contests. That performance helped him get selected 29th overall by Toronto last month.
Where the 18-year-old plays next season remains to be seen. Technically, his loan from Rogle was just for last season so he could go back there but the Greyhounds still have his junior rights as well. Because he was on loan from an international team last season, he also becomes AHL-eligible. Toronto getting Sandin signed will allow them to choose where he suits up in 2018-19.
Unless Sandin plays in ten or more NHL games next season, this contract will slide back a year and still have three years remaining on it starting in 2019-20. (This also can happen a second time if Sandin doesn’t play in ten or more NHL contests the following year.)
Andreas Johnsson Accepts Qualifying Offer, Re-Signs With Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs will have another cheap roster player next season, as the team announced that Andreas Johnsson has accepted his qualifying offer and will re-sign. The deal will be a one-year two-way contract worth $788K in the NHL.
Johnsson, 23, will bet on himself by accepting the one-year deal to prove he can make an impact at the highest level. The seventh-round pick has impressed since coming to North America, including a point-per-game season and playoff MVP last year in the AHL. Johnsson led the Toronto Marlies to the Calder Cup with 24 points in 16 playoff games following a short stint with the Maple Leafs. After playing in nine games in the regular season, Johnsson played in all six of Toronto’s first-round playoff series against the Boston Bruins. His quickness and two-way ability have made him a sure bet for the Maple Leafs next season, and his offensive upside could lead to a substantial raise next summer.
If Johnsson gets regular time in the Maple Leafs’ top nine—which given his natural fit on the left side is a good bet—he could produce some impressive offensive numbers and put himself in a position for a big raise. He’ll be arbitration eligible in 2019, and could prove a necessity for Toronto moving forward. Still, taking a deal like this basically mitigates any risk for the Maple Leafs. If Johnsson performs and produces big offensive numbers, they received that production at a bargain. If he struggles, they can offer him another inexpensive deal and hope he takes the next step.