Kasperi Kapanen Trying To Crack NHL Roster
- Toronto prospect Kasperi Kapanen will wear #24 this season just like his father Sami Kapanen wore for twelve years in the NHL, but as he told Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star he’s just focused on making the Maple Leafs’ lineup. Kapanen turned some heads during a late season call-up and playoff appearance, but will still be fighting for a depth role on the team due to Toronto’s glut of wingers. Nikita Soshnikov and Josh Leivo will be his primary competition fighting for the right wing spot on the fourth line, though Ben Smith and Eric Fehr are also still around as veteran options. Kapanen is waiver-exempt still, and could be forced to start the year with the Toronto Marlies should they not want to stifle his growth as an offensive player with limited playing time.
More Russian Talent On Maple Leafs’ Radar
The Toronto Maple Leafs clearly think there is unmined talent in the KHL. In consecutive drafts they’ve selected players that seemed “off the board”—Yegor Korshkov and Nikolai Chebykin in 2016 and Vladislav Kara in the most recent draft—and signed Nikita Zaitsev away from CSKA Moscow last summer. Zaitsev showed he could be a solid NHL contributor in his first year, and signed a seven-year, $31.5MM extension exactly a year later.
So now, when reports surfaced that both Mike Babcock and Lou Lamoriello traveled to Russia to meet with CSKA defenseman Igor Ozhiganov people take notice. The report appeared on Sovsport, before the Maple Leafs confirmed that Babcock and Lamoriello were in the country to various outlets (but not that they’d met with the defenseman). The pair completed a similar recruitment meeting with Zaitsev a year before he signed in the NHL, which could suggest the same is about to happen with Ozhiganov.
The 24-year old’s contract ends with CSKA in April, and he’s already played parts of seven years in the Russian professional league. The 6’2″ 216-lbs defender is not as offensive as Zaitsev (although he does have highlights like this), but comes with considerable defensive acumen and is also right-handed. For the Maple Leafs, who are looking everywhere to improve their defense corps, Russia seems like fertile land.
Early Notes: Iginla, Doan, Polak
Hockey Canada once again told the Canadian Press that they would consider veteran options like Shane Doan and Jarome Iginla for their upcoming Winter Olympic squad, but reiterated that the pair would need to be playing somewhere to make the team. Because of the high-level still expected even in the absence of NHL stars, Team Canada GM Sean Burke won’t be taking players off the couch to Pyeongchang. Doan and Iginla are still trying to find work around the NHL, but could play for a few months in Europe or the KHL if they want to suit up for the Olympics. Both have experience there before and would lend some star power to the team. Whether they’re better than the AHL or college forwards that they would replace is still uncertain.
- Roman Polak is skating again and agent Allan Walsh told the Toronto Sun that he expects his client to sign with an NHL team very soon. Polak is working his way back from a broken fibula but looked fine in the video posted yesterday of his skating drills. The 31-year old was seen in Maple Leafs gear, but it’s unclear if Toronto would have any interest in a return. With the free agent market fairly devoid of defensive talent, Polak could be snapped up as soon as he’s medically cleared.
- Another former Maple Leafs player Matt Frattin has signed with Barys Astana of the KHL. The contract covers just one year for the veteran AHLer, and will be the first time he plays outside of North America. Last year for the Stockton Heat Frattin put up 36 points in 54 games, a pace he’s shown for several years in the minor leagues. Armed with a hard shot and power game, Frattin was never able to establish himself as a full-time NHL player, and will try to prove that he can be a valuable forward at a high level. He’ll have someone familiar in the lineup, as former Stockton teammate Linden Vey also signed with Astana this offseason.
Roman Polak Skating Again, Rehab On Track
After suffering a broken fibula in the playoffs for the Toronto Maple Leafs, there hadn’t been many updates on free agent defender Roman Polak. Today that changed when agent Allan Walsh of Octagon Hockey tweeted out a video of his client completing a skating drill. The interesting part is that Polak is skating in Maple Leafs gear, despite being unsigned at present. Toronto has a history of allowing rehabbing players to train at their facilities, but it could point to Toronto being an eventual destination for the 31-year old.
Polak has already played for the Maple Leafs in two different stints, and there has been speculation since his injury that a spot would be held for him when he eventually returns. A favorite of head coach Mike Babcock during his time there, he was the team’s lead penalty killer and provided some toughness to a blueline mostly occupied by more offensive options. While this is obviously no guarantee that he would return, it’s good to see him on the ice again and healthy.
The right-shot defenseman has played 634 games in the NHL over his career, recorded 115 points and 504 penalty minutes. While possession stats rate his overall impact poorly due to a below-average ability to skate or pass the puck out of his own end, he does draw rave reviews from teammates and coaches for his work ethic on and off the ice. He’s coming off a one-year, $2.25MM contract with the Maple Leafs and would surely have several suitors should he be healthy enough to play at some point this year.
Connor Brown Still Unsigned As Training Camp Approaches
The NHL season looms ever closer, but a key part of the Toronto Maple Leafs youth movement remains unsigned, reports the Toronto Star’s Kevin McGran. Breakout player Connor Brown is still an unsigned restricted free agent after finishing his ELC this past season.
Expect Brown to get a significant raise from his three-year ELC playing him $2.775MM over three years. In his first full season, Brown put up 20G and 16A in 82 games. The problem is that the Leafs are hard up for cap space. The team had to use the rarely-invoked offseason LTIR to fit in all their contracts. They should have some space come puck drop, but every dollar is important going forward for this organization.
Brown is not alone, however. Forwards David Pastrnak, Alexander Wennberg, and Bo Horvat all remain unsigned. Many pundits assumed that all parties were waiting for the Edmonton Oilers to come to terms with Leon Draisaitl to set the market. Now that Draisaitl is locked up—8 years at $8.5MM a year—more RFAs should sign with their teams.
Salary Cap Deep Dive: Toronto Maple Leafs
Navigating the Salary Cap is probably one of the more important tasks for any general manager to have. Teams that can avert total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.
PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2017-18 season. This will focus more on those players who are integral parts of the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Current Cap Hit: $77,479,167 (over the $75MM Upper Limit and using offseason LTIR)
Entry-Level Contracts
F Mitch Marner (Two years remaining, $894K)
F Auston Matthews (Two years remaining, $925K)
F William Nylander (One year remaining, $894K)
Potential Bonuses
Marner: $850K
Matthews: $2.85MM
Nylander: $850K
Total: $4.55MM
To put it lightly, this is quite the formidable group of top youngsters that have already established themselves as high quality NHL players with more improvements expected. It’s great news for their current cap situation as those bargains have allowed the team to keep the rest of the previous core together while having those three under control for at least five more years each through restricted free agency makes them the envy of many teams around the league.
However, the inevitable downside to this is that all three players will be in line for massive raises at the expiration of their current deals. The prospect of all of them hitting their bonuses is very much realistic which creates the potential of having to use the bonus cushion once again and eat the cap charge in 2018-19. They’re doing this now for 2016-17’s bonuses to the tune of over $5MM.
It wouldn’t be surprising at all to see GM Lou Lamoriello try to at least sign one of them to an early extension. Of the three, only Nylander is eligible to do so now as Matthews and Marner can’t sign until next July. ‘Cost certainty’ is viewed by some as an evil term in the NHL given how often it was uttered during the 2004-05 lockout but Toronto undoubtedly needs to have a sense of how much these three will cost in the years to come to know what they can and can’t do with some of their other players.
One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level
F Tyler Bozak ($4.2MM, UFA)
D Connor Carrick ($750K, RFA)
F Eric Fehr ($2MM, UFA)
F Joffrey Lupul ($5.25MM, UFA)
F Leo Komarov ($2.95MM, UFA)
F Josh Leivo ($613K, RFA)
D Martin Marincin ($1.25MM, RFA)
F Dominic Moore ($1MM, UFA)
F Ben Smith ($650K, UFA)
F Nikita Soshnikov ($737K, RFA)
F James van Riemsdyk ($4.25MM, UFA)
Lupul is one of two players that are likely LTIR-bound (they haven’t said which one was already placed there in July). It’s safe to say he won’t be back. Fehr was added in a deal that basically bought Toronto a fourth round pick and he’s not in their long-term plans. After that though, things get interesting. Van Riemsdyk is coming off of a career year and if he can even come close to repeating that production this coming season, he’ll likely be one of the most coveted forwards in free agency next summer. Bozak has settled in nicely as a quality second line center and he too will be in line for a raise. Komarov has shown that he can play a rugged checking game and chip in offensively. He too will attract plenty of interest if he hits the open market. Leivo played sparingly last year but made an impact when he was in the lineup; it will be interesting to see if they can find more of a regular spot for him this season. Soshnikov could be up-and-down thanks to his waiver exemption and his next contract shouldn’t be a big jump while Moore and Smith are likely one year placeholders.
On the back end, if Marincin stays healthy for the full season and continues to hold his own averaging around 18 minutes a night, he’ll be in better shape to command a bigger deal with arbitration eligibility. Carrick rates well in some of the advanced stats but unless he takes a step forward in terms of his production, he’ll likely have to settle for another fairly cheap deal next summer.
Zach Hyman Could Move Down Lineup, Happy To Have Marleau
- Zach Hyman knows that he could be pushed down the lineup in Toronto after the Maple Leafs signed Patrick Marleau, but he’s okay with that. Speaking with Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun, Hyman made it clear that he’s just dedicated to winning and is happy to have even more depth on the wing. After a season in which he faced plenty of crisiticm for his perceived lack of “finish”—Hyman scored just 10 goals and 28 points despite playing with Auston Matthews for every game—he was signed to a four-year contract this summer. A clear favorite of Mike Babcock, Hyman sounded like a future coach when he told Hornby that “it’s good to have this problem.” The 25-year old will likely spend more time in a bottom-six role this year, where he could thrive chasing down weaker defenders in the offensive zone.
Morning Notes: Matthews, Boqvist, Vancouver
While the Edmonton Oilers lock up Connor McDavid and the Buffalo Sabres prepare an extension for Jack Eichel, the Toronto Maple Leafs have their own young phenom to start worrying about. Auston Matthews will be eligible for an extension on July 1st 2018, and James Mirtle of The Athletic was on TSN Radio this morning to discuss the general parameters.
Mirtle disagreed with the idea that players are upset at McDavid for taking less than the maximum, but did admit that it will set a sort of ceiling on any contract coming out of an entry-level deal. He suspects Matthews will earn around $11MM per season on his eventual deal. While the Maple Leafs are currently playing games with long-term injured reserve just to stay under the cap, they’ll have plenty of room by 2019 when Matthews (and Mitch Marner) are due for huge raises. The team has just six active skaters signed for that year, and could easily have some prospects still working through their ELC to help balance the check book.
- Grant McCagg of Recrutes.ca released his latest “Grant’s Slant” piece today, discussing the emerging draft stock of Adam Boqvist and how he could challenge Rasmus Dahlin as the top option out of Sweden next year. Boqvist played extremely well at the Ivan Hlinka tournament and McCagg points at recent examples—Oliver Kylington and Timothy Liljegren in particular—of Swedish defenders falling rapidly in their draft year. It doesn’t look like Dahlin will give up his spot at the top of most draft boards next spring, but it would be silly to sleep on Boqvist who will be a top prospect in his own right.
- Rick Dhaliwal of News 1130 in Vancouver has been all over the Alex Kerfoot situation, and now reports that the NCAA free agent will visit the Canucks today. That will be his first visit, but it won’t be his only one as “several teams” have been in contact with his camp. The former Harvard captain did not sign with the New Jersey Devils before the deadline, and has been linked to his hometown Canucks for some time. The undersized forward has a nice skill set but like many other college free agents could have limited upside in the long-term.
NCAA Notes: Butcher, Toninato, Clifton
Today is finally the day that graduating NCAA draft picks shed their former teams and become unrestricted free agents, and Will Butcher has already been linked to a half dozen teams. One team he won’t be talking to? Tampa Bay, who according to Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times are “not among the early suitors” for the reigning Hobey Baker award winner.
Butcher is expected to sign within the next week, and all along has said he’s open to starting the year in the AHL if it meant coming aboard with a franchise with recent success or at least trending towards a championship. Whether that holds true in the face of an opening day NHL role in places like New Jersey and Buffalo is still to be seen.
- Dominic Toninato is another name to keep an eye on, after he went unsigned by the Toronto Maple Leafs because of their contract squeeze. Matt Wellens of the Duluth News Tribune reports that the Maple Leafs did in fact offer Toninato an entry-level contract last spring after his junior season, but found themselves without any room this summer. Toninato could be one of the first names off the board, since he was given permission to speak with other teams early. The 6’2″ forward isn’t the usual undersized offering from the college ranks, and has considerable potential in a bottom-six role.
- Among other names to watch from the college ranks is Connor Clifton, who didn’t sign with the Arizona Coyotes after four years at Quinnipiac. The in-your-face defender took a slight step backwards this year on a worse team, but could still provide some depth on the blueline for a club around the league. He’s still just 22, relatively young for a college free agent, and plays about as physical as you can for a 5’11” 175-lbs player.
Alexey Marchenko Heads To KHL, Wants NHL Return Eventually
Yesterday Alexey Marchenko was placed on unconditional waivers by the Toronto Maple Leafs ahead of a mutual contract termination, with many suspecting he’d return to the KHL for the upcoming season. That has been confirmed by his agent Dan Milstein, who also reports that Marchenko would like to return to the NHL at some point in the future. Milstein didn’t confirm which team Marchenko would play for, though it’s widely believed that CSKA Moscow will be his destination. Igor Eronko of Sport-Express reports that it will be a three-year deal. The Maple Leafs will gain a contract slot and $1.45MM in cap space for this season, the same amount Marchenko was due in the final year of his contract.
Both the cap space and contract slot are huge assets for the Maple Leafs, who remain over the $75MM salary cap and now have 48/50 players under contract. That’s not including Connor Brown, who is a restricted free agent but expected to sign before the start of training camp. Brown and Maple Leafs GM Lou Lamoriello have expressed no concern over negotiations, and likely wer waiting for transactions like this in order to free up some room.
The Maple Leafs could also now be players in NCAA free agency tomorrow, when Will Butcher and Alex Kerfoot will headline a group of players that also includes former Toronto draft pick Dominic Toninato. Toninato has said that there wasn’t room for him in Toronto in the past, which could have just changed with the termination of Marchenko. Still, Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News listed the Maple Leafs as a possible destination for Butcher, though another left-handed defenseman seems unlikely for a team already loaded with them.
A final possibility is now free agency for the Maple Leafs, as they previously couldn’t have added another player without risking their not being room for Brown to sign. With several useful names still out there, the upstart Toronto team could add some more veteran presence to one of the youngest squads in the league.