Toronto’s Kyle Dubas Meets With William Nylander’s Agent In New York
In the final restricted free agent negotiation in the NHL this season, there has been little to report for some time. The Toronto Maple Leafs and William Nylander have been quiet in their negotiations, save for a face to face meeting between the young forward and GM Kyle Dubas in Switzerland recently. When the Maple Leafs GM was spotted at a recent New York Rangers-Calgary Flames game in New York, rumors exploded that he may be discussing a trade. Instead, he was in the city to speak personally to Nylander’s agent Lewis Gross, meetings that have kept the dialogue “open” according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic.
Nylander meanwhile had been practicing in Austria with a professional team trying to stay sharp, but was not with them today according to former player Carlo Colaiacovo and Darren Dreger of TSN. While that absolutely does not guarantee a contract is imminent, it’s all that Maple Leafs fans have to go on given the relative silence surrounding the negotiation.
These talks continue as the Maple Leafs have hit a rough patch on the season. Without Nylander in the lineup, teams have begun to figure out how to stop Auston Matthews at even strength and take advantage of their defensive group. That’s resulted in just one goal from Toronto over their past two games, and two losses at the hands of the Pittsburgh Penguins and St. Louis Blues. Nylander’s game is a possession one, and ends up helping the Maple Leafs at both ends of the rink given his ability to protect the puck and create offense.
There’s reason to believe that a contract is coming soon, if only because of the deadline of December 1st that is fast approaching. If Nylander does not sign by that date he will be ineligible to play at all this season, something that does not benefit either side. As James Mirtle of The Athletic (subscription required) wrote recently, it is starting to look like the eventual contract will have to be a bridge deal, but how long and for how much is still up in the air. For now, Dubas and Gross will have to keep working towards a solution that fits both parties, or risk losing out on an entire season of earning potential and NHL experience.
Frank Corrado Signs AHL Contract With Toronto Marlies
Some may remember Frank Corrado from his time with the Toronto Maple Leafs, patiently waiting for a turn in the lineup that never seemed to come. Corrado was in the Maple Leafs organization for nearly two full seasons, but only played 41 games with the club and routinely sat in the press box as the extra instead of even getting playing time at the minor league level. Dealt to the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2017, he at least was given the chance to suit up more often for their AHL affiliate, though still didn’t receive much NHL playing time.
Corrado is now heading back to that Maple Leafs organization, as the now 25-year old defenseman has signed an AHL contract with the Toronto Marlies to try and get his professional career back on track. Coming off a major knee injury, he’ll try to work his way into the defending Calder Cup champions lineup and show he still has enough left to challenge for an NHL role.
Corrado was originally selected by the Vancouver Canucks in 2011, but has played in just 76 NHL games and 175 regular season AHL contests over parts of seven seasons. That’s an impressively low total for a defenseman who has shown at times to be a quality puck-mover and capable of handling himself at both ends of the ice. Though the NHL is now several steps away, he’ll be given another opportunity at the AHL level.
Bridge Contract Likely For William Nylander
While the mutual preference of both the Maple Leafs and winger William Nylander would be to get a long-term deal done, Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston reports that this no longer appears to be an option. He notes that there isn’t an AAV that is high enough for Nylander’s liking that fits in with Toronto’s salary structure for 2019-20 and beyond.
With that in mind, the Leafs are basically down to two options – either sign him to a bridge contract or trade him and by all accounts, the latter route is something they have no interest in going at this point nor has Nylander requested a move.
Accordingly, the bigger question now is how long the bridge deal will be. Although the 22-year-old has gone through his entry-level contract, only two of those seasons qualified as counting towards UFA status as he failed to play in 40 games back in 2015-16. As a result, Nylander is still five years away from being able to become an unrestricted free agent. That gives Toronto the opportunity of pursuing a three-year bridge pact instead of the standard two while still leaving him with a couple of arbitration-eligible seasons at the end of the deal. In doing so, they’d also have a much better idea of what they can afford long-term as by then, both winger Mitch Marner and center Auston Matthews will be locked up as well.
As most core players coming off of their entry-level deals sign long-term deals, there aren’t many comparable contracts in recent years to work with. One that would be close is Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov. Following two straight seasons of over 60 points (same as Nylander), the Russian inked a three-year, $14.3MM contract. That took up 6.53% of the salary cap at the time; that percentage of the current cap today would work out to an AAV of just over $5.19MM which would seemingly represent the ceiling of a Nylander bridge deal. A contract like that could very well be back-loaded as well to yield a higher qualifying offer at its expiration.
Toronto GM Kyle Dubas has stated on many occasions that he believes that he can keep the core of the team together even after bringing in John Tavares this offseason. Given the state of where things are, it appears that he’ll have to settle for giving Nylander a short-term deal to make that happen.
Central Notes: Dano, Kamenev, Blackhawks, Bouwmeester
It’s been six days since winger Marko Dano was claimed by the Colorado Avalanche and the 23-year-old forward finally got an opportunity to practice with the team Sunday, but no one is quite sure when he may make his Avalanche debut, but it could come as early as Monday, according to NHL.com’s Callie Parmele.
Dano already has some familiarity with the team, especially with head coach Jared Bednar and assistant coach Nolan Pratt, who both were on the Springfield Falcons coaching staff during the 2013-14 season when Dano made his North American debut in the AHL for the team’s final 10 games. Bednar was promoted to head coach the following year where he had even more time with Dano.
“We had a good run in Springfield, and it’s always good when you know the coach,” Dano said of his relationship with Bednar. “We haven’t seen each other for a long time, and I am excited to work with him and I appreciate the chance they have given to me.”
- Still with the Avalanche, the team likes what it sees in Vladislav Kamenev, who received the most ice time of his career on Thursday when he skated 12:36 against the New Jersey Devils. Although he hasn’t turned that extra time into offense (he has no points in five games this season), he is building trust in his head coach. “We feel like from watching him work in practice in that area, we can give him those minutes,” Bednar said Friday. “We trust him with those minutes. He’s done a nice job in the games so far. I think he’s getting better and better as he feels more comfortable and feels like he belongs, which is normal. I just want him to keep pushing himself and try and be a difference maker every night.”
- While Chicago Blackhawks Stan Bowman hardly can admit victory in his offseason trade a year ago when he traded Artemi Panarin to Columbus for Brandon Saad and Anton Forsberg, he knew that the Panarin’s contract situation would be a problem for the Blackhawks too had they chosen to hold onto him, according to Mark Lazerus of The Athletic (subscription required), who analyzes who won last year’s trade. Saad has struggled in his return to Chicago and is struggling on the bottom-six, while Forsberg hasn’t fared any better in net for the team, but Bowman knew there were going to be problems with Panarin, who has shown little to no interest in signing an extension in Columbus and has put the team in a tough position as he plays out the final year of his contract while they are trying to compete for a playoff spot. “They’re in a tough spot now,” Bowman told The Athletic on Saturday night. “What do you do with him? I saw that coming as a challenge.”
- Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes that considering how well the St. Louis Blues defense played on Saturday, he doubts whether the team will put defenseman Jay Bouwmeester back on the ice for Monday’s game against Winnipeg. The veteran was scratched for the first time in his career Saturday as his play hasn’t been up to his usual standards. The Blues put forth one of the best games of the season, defeating the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-1.
St. Louis Assigns Nikita Soshnikov To AHL For Conditioning Stint
The St. Louis Blues have activated forward Nikita Soshnikov from LTIR and have announced they have loaned him to the San Antonio Rampage of the AHL for a five-game LTI conditioning stint.
Soshnikov, who suffered a concussion in the preseason after taking a puck to the ear, will try to regain his form over those five AHL games and could be eligible to return to the Blues for their Nov. 1 game at home against Vegas.
The 25-year-old was acquired by St. Louis in a mid-season trade from Toronto last season in exchange for a 2019 fourth-round pick. Soshnikov, who couldn’t crack the Maple Leafs’ lineup last season, did appear in 12 games for the Blues once he arrived, posting a goal and an assist. He did play in 56 games for Toronto during the 2016-17 season, posting five goals and nine points. Upon his return, he should compete for bottom-six minutes with the team.
Soshnikov’s agent, Dan Milstein, first announced the transaction.
Minor Transactions: 10/19/18
The Pittsburgh Penguins showed the Toronto Maple Leafs what center depth was really about, and the Edmonton Oilers squeaked out their home opener in front of a rabid fan base. Last night was a good one in the NHL, and there are three more prime matchups for this evening. We’ll keep track of all the minor moves teams make to get ready for the weekend right here:
- The Ottawa Senators have recalled Nick Paul from the AHL, as they get ready for their matchup tomorrow night. With Brady Tkachuk the latest to be put on injured reserve, the Senators were down to just 12 healthy forwards and needed to recall at least one more. The team actually still only has 21 players on the roster, and could make additional moves before taking on the Montreal Canadiens tomorrow.
- Kristian Vesalainen has been sent down by the Winnipeg Jets, meaning he could potentially see his contract slide once again. Vesalainen has played in five NHL games so far, meaning he’d need another five in order to burn the first season of his entry-level deal. If the Jets let him play in the minor leagues instead, they’ll save a year of cheap production.
Crawford, Murray, Andersen, Quick All Set To Return From Injury
The goaltending position will get a little stronger today, as three top options return to their respective teams. Matt Murray and Frederik Andersen will both be back in the net as the Pittsburgh Penguins and Toronto Maple Leafs face off, while Jonathan Quick has been activated in Los Angeles. Still, the biggest news of the day lies in Chicago. Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford will make his first start since December 23, 2017 when he takes on the Arizona Coyotes at home. Luke Johnson has been sent to the minor leagues by the Blackhawks in order to activate Crawford to the roster.
Getting Crawford back is a huge step for the Blackhawks, who have looked unlike their championship selves since their starting goaltender went down. The veteran netminder was dealing with a concussion and related symptoms for months, but appeared in training camp hopeful he could return to action quickly this season. That’s about to happen, and it will be an exciting moment for teammates and fans alike. Crawford holds a career .919 save percentage and actually was in the midst of one of the best seasons of his career when he suffered the injury. The team has not received quality goaltending from Cam Ward after signing him this offseason to a one-year, $3MM deal, and may end up waiving Anton Forsberg if Crawford can re-take ownership of the net.
For Toronto getting Andersen back is extremely important, given the lack of goaltending depth they suddenly find themselves with. Kasimir Kaskisuo, the default third stringer since Curtis McElhinney and Calvin Pickard were claimed off waivers, suffered a serious injury recently with the Toronto Marlies and will be out for a fair amount of time, while minor league backup Jeff Glass is on an AHL deal. That meant young Eamon McAdam was the backup recently and just one more injury from being the stater for the Maple Leafs.
Quick and Murray both represent returns to normalcy for their respective teams, but both of their replacements did well in their absence. Jack Campbell in Los Angeles posted a .922 save percentage in his five games, while Casey DeSmith did the same in his three starts for Pittsburgh. There’s no reason to think Quick or Murray will suffer another injury quickly, but if they do the team at least knows there are capable backups behind them.
Toronto Maple Leafs, William Nylander Meeting In Switzerland
In all war-time negotiations, both sides usually like to find a neutral meeting place for any peace negotiations to limit the leverage for one group or the other. It’s apparently no different in contract talks, as Lance Hornby of Postmedia reports that the Toronto Maple Leafs and William Nylander‘s camp will meet in Switzerland today. Though there’s little indication of what exactly will take place at the meeting, just the fact that the two sides are getting together has to be a positive sign in what has turned into quite a lengthy contract negotiation.
Nylander of course remains without a contract while the Maple Leafs roll through opponents, off to a 6-1 start by scoring the league’s most goals. Kasperi Kapanen has taken Nylander’s usual spot on the right side of Auston Matthews and looked like a star himself, though he’s adamant that he isn’t trying to replace his good friend. The Maple Leafs would obviously like to have Nylander back in the lineup, but at their price given the upcoming contract negotiations with Matthews and Mitch Marner. The team has to worry about getting everyone signed and under the cap, something that assistant GM Brandon Pridham will have worked out various scenarios for.
Though there have been reports of the Maple Leafs offering a long-term contract in the low $6MM range and Nylander’s camp countering with something approaching $8MM per season, Nick Kypreos of Sportsnet added recently that the team had made a four-year offer as well. That deal would see Nylander’s cap hit drop to somewhere between $4-5MM, and keep him a restricted free agent at its conclusion. Hornby and his source have no information on whether the Switzerland meeting is to work out a deal like that, or just to touch base with a player who is still important to the organization.
Frederik Andersen's Knee Issue Pertains To Swelling, Not An Injury
- Maple Leafs goaltender Frederik Andersen provided an update to reporters, including Mark Zwolinski of the Toronto Star, regarding the knee issue that kept him out of Monday’s game. It’s not an actual injury that he’s dealing with but rather some excess swelling. Andersen left practice early today and when asked about his availability for Thursday night, he was non-committal. Toronto is currently carrying three goaltenders (the third being Eamon McAdam on recall from the ECHL) under emergency conditions but those will only last until Wednesday as there is a 48-hour limit. At that time, the Leafs will either have to make a roster move to create a roster spot for McAdam or send him back down.
Snapshots: Doughty, Nylander, Altybarmakyan
The Toronto Maple Leafs ended up landing the biggest fish of free agency in John Tavares, but long before the Tavares sweepstakes even began, the team was linked to Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty. Doughty, a Toronto area native, ended up signing an eight-year, $88MM extension early this off-season, ending any thoughts that he might be a free agent in the summer of 2019. So where did the homecoming rumors come from? Doughty has now admitted, via TSN, that he never seriously considered moving on from L.A. Instead, he floated the idea of departing the Kings for the Maple Leafs as a negotiation tactic. Doughty negotiated his latest deal without an agent and, in order to ensure he wasn’t taken advantage of, made sure he had some leverage on his side. The rumors that he might leave if able to test the free agent market surely encouraged the Kings to give him what he wanted on his latest extension, the largest contract for a defenseman in NHL history.
- Another player who has no interest in signing with the Maple Leafs, at least not at their current offer, is restricted free agent forward William Nylander. Toronto and their young forward seem to be at an impasse in contract negotiations and the December 1st deadline, after which Nylander would be prohibited from playing in the NHL this season, is starting to look like a real possibility. Should that come to fruition, Nylander would likely turn to the KHL for his paycheck this season. Nylander’s rights are held by Avangard Omsk, currently led by former NHL head coach Bob Hartley, who recently spoke to TSN about his excitement about the possibility of having Nylander on the roster this season. Avangard already added Cody Franson, Alexei Emelin, David Desharnais, and Kris Versteeg this off-season and could really make waves in the KHL by adding Nylander to the mix. Nylander is currently skating in his native Sweden and could make the short trip over to Russia rather than the trip back across the Atlantic this season, if talks continue to go poorly with the Maple Leafs.
- Staying in the KHL, Chicago Blackhawks prospect Andrei Altybarmakyan is on the move. The 20-year-old winger was traded today, swapped by SKA St. Petersburg to HK Sochi for fellow young forward Ivan Larichev, the league reports. Both Altybarmakyan and Larichev are fringe KHLers with limited experience at the highest level, but Sochi appears to be the long-term winner in this deal, acquiring the 2017 third-round pick. There has been no indication that Altybarmakyan is heading over to North America any time soon and could continue to develop into a bona fide starter for Sochi down the road.