Toronto Maple Leafs Sign Ben Smith To One-Year Deal
Seconds after announcing their seven-year extension with Nikita Zaitsev, the Toronto Maple Leafs also revealed that they’ve signed forward Ben Smith to a one-year, $650K deal for next season. Smith was set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer. The Maple Leafs now have options when it comes to the expansion draft, as previously it looked like they would have had to expose Matt Martin along with Eric Fehr to fill the forward requirements. Since Smith played 40 games this season, he can be used as “fodder” to fill one of those two slots.
Smith will turn 29 this summer and has carved out an NHL existence throughout the years despite never being able to duplicate his 2013-14 season with the Blackhawks. Playing in 75 games that year, Smith scored 14 goals and 26 points while getting votes for the Lady Byng trophy. His success in the faceoff dot, combined with his perceived penalty kill acumen has earned him another contract though even the Maple Leafs rarely used him after his wrist injury this year.
In 40 games split between the Maple Leafs and Avalanche, he scored just four points and was one of the worst possession players in the league. It will be interesting to see if the new deal is a one-way contract, as the Maple Leafs likely will not have room for him on the NHL roster next season.
Nikita Zaitsev Signs Seven-Year Extension With Toronto Maple Leafs
After being rumored for weeks, the Toronto Maple Leafs have officially announced a seven-year, $31.5MM extension for defenseman Nikita Zaitsev. The deal will see Zaitsev earn an equal $4.5MM per season through 2023-24, though $11MM of it comes in the form of signing bonuses. It also includes a limited no-trade clause which comes into effect in the summer of 2019, giving Zaitsev 10 teams that he can block trades to. 
For the Maple Leafs, locking up Zaitsev was an immediate concern after his excellent rookie season. The KHL had threatened to hand him big money to return, and with the NHL’s decision to avoid the Olympics the possibility of him leaving had to be on the minds of Lou Lamoriello and company in the Maple Leafs front office. Zaitsev has made it clear from the beginning though that he wanted to stay in Toronto, and has now been rewarded with a huge deal.
The 25-year old transitioned exceptionally to the NHL, registering 36 points while leading the Maple Leafs in ice-time and playing in all 82 regular season games. A concussion sustained in the final regular season match held him out for part of the first round but he would return in game 3 and record at least 20 minutes in each of his four matches.
While seven years may seem like a few too many, it was likely needed to keep the annual salary down. The Maple Leafs were expected to keep any defenseman’s salary below that of Morgan Rielly, who last summer signed a six-year extension that sees him earn $5MM per season. Zaitsev will now slot in below that, but ahead of Jake Gardiner who has two years left at $4.05MM.
The Leafs now have six NHL defenders under contract for next season, but likely will try to upgrade that group instead of handing the bottom pairing to Alexey Marchenko and Martin Marincin. The team does have a few defensive prospects, but none of Rinat Valiev, Andrew Nielsen or Travis Dermott seem ready to take on a full-time role.
The team does have money to spend during the season, due to the expected LTIR statuses of Nathan Horton and Joffrey Lupul, but that won’t help them in the offseason. The team has to be cap-compliant as of the start of the year, and now has around $12-15MM (depending on where exactly the cap lands) to bring in a backup goaltender and come to terms on new deals with Zach Hyman and Connor Brown. After that, defense will be the first priority with players like Kevin Shattenkirk and Karl Alzner being possible (though unlikely) targets in free agency.
David Alter of The Athletic was first to provide the details of the contract.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Eastern Notes: Shattenkirk’s Struggles, Shalunov
While the Washington Capitals have received nothing but praise from the press since they made their trade deadline deal to acquire veteran defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk, his presence during the playoffs so far have been far from impressive. The veteran defenseman, who was picked up from the playoff-bound St. Louis Blues for a host of picks and players, including their 2017 first-round pick, has struggled in the playoffs with no goals and three assists in eight games this season. He also has a minus-seven rating in that span. Yesterday, he lost a race to 40-year-old Matt Cullen, which allowed the veteran to score a short-handed goal against the Capitals. Later, he took a delay of game penalty to allow Phil Kessel to score in the third period.
Coach Barry Trotz was also disappointed in the 28-year-old blueliner’s performance as he called him out this morning. “That’s not good enough for what we need in that third pairing right now. Minus-7 is hard to recover from,” Trotz said. Shattenkirk and defensive partner Brooks Orpik have struggled together as that third defensive line. In the first series against the Maple Leafs, the two allowed five goals in the series, the most of all the defensive pairings.
These mistakes have been costly enough with the Capitals now down two games and having to travel to Pittsburgh for the next two, but it also may not help him in the offseason when he is an unrestricted free agent, according to Adam Gretz of NBC Sports. While he will undoubtedly will receive a raise from his $2.592MM contract that ends this year, a good playoff performance or a long playoff run by Washington could have improved his value in the free-agency market. However, his struggles will likely not help him if things continue to stay the course.
So, if things don’t continue to improve, could Washington let Shattenkirk walk in free agency? Only time will tell.
- Chicago Blackhawks prospect Maxim Shalunov will not be coming to the NHL any time soon as the 24-year-old wing will sign a three-year contract with Sibir Novosbibitsk of the KHL, according to his agent Shumi Babayev yesterday, according to Scott Powers of The Athletic. That means the Blackhawks’ couldn’t bring Shalunov over to the U.S. before the 2020-21 season. He will, however, remain a Blackhawk as long as he stays on their resevered list. The fourth-round pick from the 2011 NHL draft is coming off a season in which he scored 19 goals for Sibir Novosbibitsk this past year. Babayev warned that Shalunov would cut off negotiations with the NHL a few weeks ago after the NHL announced that it would not restructure its season around the 2018 Olympic Games.
Latest On Swedish Defenseman Calle Rosen
Johan Svensson of Expressen in Sweden is reporting that free agent defender Calle Rosen has made his decision and will sign with the Toronto Maple Leafs after the World Championships. The 23-year old played this season for the Vaxjo Lakers, scoring 19 points in 41 games. There is no guarantee that he’ll make the Swedish roster at Worlds, though he is there practicing with them. The tournament begins on May 5th.
If the new report is accurate, Rosen would represent another free agent addition for the Maple Leafs from abroad, after they signed Nikita Zaitsev and immediately pushed him into their lineup this season. While Rosen doesn’t have the sort of experience or expected potential Zaitsev possessed, he does represent an NHL level talent that had been overlooked by the rest of the league in the past.
Earlier updates:
- On Wednesday, David Alter and Scott Powers of The Athletic teamed up to bring us the report that Chicago and Toronto were the front-runners for Rosen’s services. The pair spoke to a former coach in Klas Oten, who told them “He’s had great development the last two seasons. He’s a good skater, likes to join the rush. He has a great shot. He’s an explosive player. He’s tall and thin and needs to improve his defense and get stronger. He’s also a great person.” If the Hawks—or any other team for that matter—are still in the running, they likely hope that Rosen could step into a third-pairing role right away and contribute. For Chicago in particular, both Johnny Oduya and Brian Campbell are set to hit the open market, giving them a clear need on the back end.
Carl Grundstrom Signs With Toronto Maple Leafs
Friday: The Maple Leafs have announced the deal, inking Grundstrom to a three-year deal.
Thursday: After originally being reported in early March that the Toronto Maple Leafs and second-round pick Carl Grundstrom had reached an agreement, Darren Dreger of TSN is reporting that the two will announce a three-year entry-level contract shortly.
The Maple Leafs selected Grundstrom 57th-overall last summer and he made an immediate impact on his new Swedish team, moving from MODO to Frolunda this year. Registering 14 goals, Grundstrom scored the most by any player under 20 in the entire league. He also suited up for Sweden at the World Juniors, scoring seven points in seven games. Despite all the goal scoring, Grundstrom isn’t thought of as an elite offensive prospect. His play style is more of a physical grinding game, and can be an asset at both ends of the rink.
Grundstrom will only be 19 at the beginning of next season, but could still make his way over to the AHL if the Maple Leafs see fit. Because of his experience in professional leagues for the past three seasons, he could likely make an impact at the minor league level right away. Should the team decide to leave him in Europe for another season, he would have a good chance at another championship. Frolunda won it all in 2016, and was eliminated from the playoffs in the semi-finals this season. Brynas will take on HV71 tonight in game 6 of the final series.
Chicago Blackhawks To Sign David Kampf To Two-Year Deal
On the heels of his report that the Maple Leafs had agreed to a deal with Swedish prospect Carl Grundstrom, Darren Dreger of TSN reports that the Chicago Blackhawks have inked their own European forward. David Kampf of Chomutov Pirati in the Czech league will sign a two-year entry-level deal with the Hawks soon.
Kampf, 22, went undrafted before his breakout this season in the Czech league. The winger scored 15 goals and 31 points in 52 games, and has turned heads around the NHL. He was actually listed #36 among international skaters in 2014, but was never selected. His signing would add another young lottery ticket to the Hawks system as they continue to try and fill in the holes around their superstar core.
The Hawks were also linked recently to Calle Rosen, another international free agent and have been in on many of the NCAA names this spring. With the team having so much money locked up in Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and others they have to use every avenue available to find talent. They’ve done an excellent job of it, integrating up to six rookies at times in their lineup this season but still coming out on top of the Western Conference.
Babcock, Tortorella, McLellan Finalists For Jack Adams Award
The Score’s Josh Gold-Smith is one of many to report that the finalists for the Jack Adams Trophy are Mike Babcock, Todd McLellan, and John Tortorella. The award is given to the league’s best coach. All three choices are hardly a surprise.
After a vicious performance in the World Cup of Hockey, Tortorella was expected to be one of the first
coaches on the hot seat, especially with a Columbus club few expected to be anywhere out of last place. Instead, Torts and the Jackets responded with a 50-24-8 record, good for third in the Metropolitan Division and 108 points. The Jackets also went on a tear in December, stringing together sixteen consecutive victories and putting the NHL on notice that they were for real. Though they ended up losing to Pittsburgh in five games during the first round of the playoffs, the Blue Jackets certainly made a case for being a threat in the Met and the Eastern Conference.
Babcock left the Detroit Red Wings after the 2014-15 season and joined the Toronto Maple Leafs, an original six team searching for its first Stanley Cup since 1967 and trying to make its way out of the hockey wilderness. Though he said the rebuild would be “painful,” it was a lot shorter than anyone expected. Paced by Calder Award candidate Auston Matthews, Babcock showed why so many teams sought his services, guiding the Leafs to their first playoff appearance since 2012-13, and taking an enormous step in the rebirth of a once dominant franchise. The Leafs were recently knocked out by Washington, but they proved to be a “tough out” and will certainly be a force to reckon with in the coming seasons.
McLellan has been a consistently good coach since taking the reins in San Jose,
and after moving to Edmonton, it was expected that he would turn around a franchise seeking a playoff run after being absent for nearly a decade. After missing last season, McLellan steered the Oil into the playoffs, posting a 47-26-9 record, 103 points, and a second place finish in the Pacific Division.
It was the Oilers highest point total since 1986-87, when they had 106 points and won the Stanley Cup. He turned around a franchise annually criticized for not capitalizing on its success despite netting numerous number one draft picks. Though it won’t factor into voting, McLellan has the Oilers in the second round of the playoffs as well.
Photos Courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Minor Moves: Sharks, Team USA, Team Canada
The San Jose Sharks have sent Timo Meier and Marcus Sorensen back to the AHL for the playoff run according to Keven Kurz of NBC. The two forwards were dominant offensive players for the Barracuda this year when they weren’t playing for the Sharks, and will add a definite scoring punch to a team that has already scored eight goals through their first two games.
Meier and Sorensen combined for 31 goals and 57 points in 76 games for the Barracuda, and both will likely compete for full-time jobs with the Sharks next season. More news from the recently eliminated teams…
- Kevin Allen of USA Today reports that both Charlie McAvoy and Trevor van Riemsdyk will be joining Team USA at the World Championships. The pair add to a defense group that is becoming quite impressive and already included Noah Hanifin and Jacob Trouba. McAvoy will be joining his fifth different team of the season after spending time with Boston University, the Providence and Boston Bruins, and Team USA at the World Juniors. He’s made an impact at every level so far, and shouldn’t be overlooked as a possible star at this latest tournament.
- Team Canada will gain a young star of their own, as Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun reports that Mitch Marner will head to the tournament. After several Maple Leafs turned the tournament down—including Auston Matthews, Nikita Zaitsev and just today Morgan Rielly—Marner will head off to compete in his first international event that isn’t age-restricted. In the U20 World Juniors last year, Marner recorded six points in five games but was left off last year’s World Championships and last fall’s World Cup teams. It’s not likely that he’ll be overlooked very often in the future, after posting 61 points in 77 games as a rookie this year.
Maple Leafs, Blackhawks In Pursuit Of Calle Rosen
According to David Alter and Scott Powers of The Athletic, the Toronto Maple Leafs and Chicago Blackhawks are front-runners for Calle Rosen. The 23-year old defender has come to the attention of several NHL clubs in recent years as his play has developed in Sweden. Because of his age he’d only be able to sign a two-year entry-level deal, but likely could step into the NHL quickly.
Undersized but effective, Rosen is considered a strong two-way defenseman and would add to the left-handed depth on both teams. Toronto has Morgan Rielly and Jake Gardiner installed in their top-4, while Chicago obviously has Duncan Keith and Niklas Hjalmarsson. With the Maple Leafs watching Matt Hunwick head to free agency this season, and not completely trusting the play of Martin Marincin, Rosen could have an opportunity to make an impact.
Rosen’s 19 points in 41 games put him second among defenders on the Vaxjo Lakers in the SHL this season, though he was held pointless in six playoff matches. He’ll also likely need to improve his strength to last in the NHL, as he currently weighs in at just 176-lbs.
There are only so many avenues that big market teams can gain advantages, and the European and KHL markets are one. Even though salary is limited in the NHL, the attraction of the fan bases and possible sponsorship in the traditional hockey markets continue to be effective recruitment tools for teams like Toronto, Chicago and New York. Though it’s not clear whether Rosen will eventually land in one of them, it does seem like they are always the first ones linked to a sought-after free agent abroad.
Latest On Buffalo Sabres’ GM Search
The Buffalo Sabres have been without a General Manager for nearly a week now, and owner Kim Pegula told John Vogl of the Buffalo News that they have already “put a lot of work” into the search for a replacement. The team has started holding interviews according to John Shannon of Sportsnet, though he has been told that they’ve not yet asked permission to speak with Dean Lombardi. The Sabres would need to get the Los Angeles Kings’ permission, because of the way firings work in the NHL.
“Relieved of their duties” is the term teams use when coaches and executives are still under contract—which Lombardi was—are fired, retaining their rights around the league. It’s why often teams like Columbus and Edmonton had to give up draft pick compensation even though John Tortorella and Peter Chiarelli had both been fired by their teams. While the compensation aspect was eliminated last year, the fact that you still need to ask for permission to speak with them remains. It would be unlikely that the Kings would deny the Sabres access to Lombardi, but perhaps it signals that he isn’t on their list.
Instead, Craig Custance of ESPN and Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet made an interesting connection to Arizona’s John Chayka, who does have ties to the Niagara area after going to school at Brock University in Saint Catharines, Ontario. The Canadian college town sits about 35 minutes away from Buffalo, and is still the home of Stathletes, the advanced analytics company that Chayka founded before being plucked away by the Coyotes. The Pegulas claimed that they wanted experience in the role, and even though he’s just 27 Chayka now has a full year operating in the league.
Friedman also lists Julien BriseBois (Lightning), Chris Drury (Rangers) and Mark Hunter (Maple Leafs) as possibilities, while several other names have been floated in various reports. Our own poll here on PHR ended with Lombardi as the overwhelming favorite for the job, with former Sabres’ President of Hockey Ops Pat LaFontaine as the runner up.
It will be interesting to follow over the next week or so who Buffalo eventually installs in the position, and if he will get to pick in the top-3 during his first entry draft. On Saturday, the Draft Lottery will be held to determine the order of selections, with Buffalo holding a 7.6% chance at the top selection. Even if they were to secure another top-five pick like they have in the past, another excellent player would be added to a young stable that still has the potential to grow into a contender.