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Minor Transactions: 08/15/18

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August is already half over and NHL training camps are just around the corner. In the meantime we’ll keep track of all the minor moves around professional hockey right here.

  • The Rockford Ice Hogs have agreed to terms with CHL undrafted free agent Connor Moynihan on a one-year AHL contract. Moynihan is an intimidating presence on the ice, standing 6’5″ and willing to engage physically when necessary. His 21-goal output for the Halifax Mooseheads last season doesn’t instill confidence he’ll ever reach the NHL, but has at least earned him a roster spot in the minor leagues.
  • New Jersey’s ECHL affiliate has added an undrafted college free agent, as the Adirondack Thunder have signed Nikolas Olsson out of Boston University. Olsson had just three points for the Terriers this season, but has been part of the team’s leadership group for the past two years. The 24-year old forward will continue his dream of playing professional hockey in the minor leagues, while trying to unlock some more offensive potential.
  • The final piece of the University of Michigan’s potent top line from last season is moving on to the pros. Dexter Dancs has signed with the ECHL’s Idaho Steelheads, the Dallas Stars affiliate announced. It may not be a coincidence that Dancs inked in the Dallas system; the team signed fellow Wolverines first-liner Tony Calderone to an entry-level deal earlier this off-season. While Dancs surely benefited from skating alongside Calderone and promising Edmonton Oilers center prospect Cooper Marody, he himself is also a very talented player. A big winger with speed and good hands who got better each year in Ann Arbor, Dancs could easily play a major role for the Steelheads and work his way into contention for an AHL contract next summer.

Over The Cap: Detroit Red Wings

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Although the St. Louis Blues are dangerously close to the salary cap ceiling and the defending Stanley Cup champs of the past three years, the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins, are within an uncomfortable distance, the Detroit Red Wings are the only team who have surpassed the NHL’s $79.5MM limit at this point in time. When the team re-signed franchise center Dylan Larkin to a five-year, $30.5MM contract last week, his $6.1MM  salary boosted Detroit’s payroll for the coming season to $82.772MM for just 21 players. The Red Wings currently sit more than $3.2MM over the salary cap with a roster that contains just six defenseman. While the NHL CBA allows teams to surpass the cap by 10% in the off-season – up to $87.45MM – the Red Wings must clear enough space to begin the season under the cap.

Once the season is underway, the salary cap is unlikely to be much of an issue. Johan Franzen, who last played in October of 2015, has been sidelined with post-concussion symptoms for the past three seasons and is almost surely not going to return to the Detroit lineup. His $3.955MM contract on the long-term injured reserve will wipe out all of the Red Wings’ cap overages. Additionally, it remains a very real possibility that captain Henrik Zetterberg may also be on the shelf this year and possibly done with his hockey career altogether, with a nagging back injury reportedly making his availability over the final two years of his contract an “unknown”.  If Zetterberg doesn’t play, his $6MM cap hit added to Franzen’s on LTIR would give the Wings more than enough space.

However, injured reserve transactions cannot be made until after the official start of the NHL season. This has previously caused teams to trade away players unlikely to ever play again due to health, with the Chicago Blackhawks’ Marian Hossa as the latest example, even though their cap hits can be absorbed. A team tight against the cap, like Detroit, may struggle to manipulate their roster enough to fit those injured players under the cap on day one. As such, the easiest way that the team could get under the cap prior to the start of the season would be to find a taker for Franzen’s contract. The Wings would have to part with a pick or prospect, but may be able to unload the deal to a team far from the cap ceiling. If Detroit is certain that Zetterberg is also done, they could do the same with his contract, although a higher cap hit means parting with greater trade capital.

Barring an injured player salary dump, the Red Wings are likely left with the reality that they must trade a roster player in the next two months. The team may be able to sneak players like Martin Frk and Luke Witkowski through waivers before the season begins, but it would not result in enough savings to make a difference. Detroit would be unlikely to expose anyone else to waivers simply to clear space briefly. As such, it appears as if someone must go. While Red Wings fans and leadership alike might like the idea of shipping an aging defenseman like Niklas Kronwall or Jonathan Ericsson away or trying to sweet talk some team into taking on the behemoth contract of Frans Nielsen or Justin Abdelkader, it would be a surprise to see any team with interest in that foursome. The likes of Danny DeKeyser and Trevor Daley may also be immovable for a team rife with poor contracts. Instead, impending free agent Gustav Nyquist or two-way center Darren Helm are the most likely candidates, while a player like Luke Glendening heading elsewhere paired with some clever waiver action could do the trick. There is also a chance that, if he proves to be healthy, some team might be interested in Zetterberg.

It’s never a great situation for a team to be forced into trading away assets simply to become cap compliant for one day, but trading away an older player would nevertheless be a step in the right direction for a team that has never truly embraced a rebuild. Opening up salary with a trade, as well as an LTIR placement for Franzen, would allow the Red Wings some flexibility to test out some young players this season while building around their established young core, headlined by Larkin. The salary cap crunch could prove to be their ally long-term, but in the short-term the team is left with little option but to make a move and hope for the best.

Ryan Ellis Signs Eight-Year Extension With Nashville Predators

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One of the biggest extensions expected this summer has finally dropped, as the Nashville Predators today announced an eight-year, $50MM ($6.25MM AAV) contract extension for Ryan Ellis. The deal will kick in for the 2019-20 season, and keep Ellis in Nashville through the 2026-27 season. Ellis is currently carrying just a $2.5MM cap hit on the final year of his contract. The deal does not include any trade protection, meaning Pekka Rinne remains the only Predators player with a contract that includes a no-move or no-trade clause. GM David Poile released a statement explaining the contract:

Ryan is a huge part of our team on and off the ice and we are happy to have his leadership remain in our locker room for the foreseeable future. We have talked about wanting to keep the core of our team together, and this is another opportunity to help us do so while continuing to compete for a Stanley Cup. Ryan is entering his prime and is one of the reasons why we feel this team has a chance to win every time we step on the ice.

Ellis, 27, was scheduled to be one of the biggest unrestricted free agents on the market next offseason, though there was little doubt something would be worked out with Nashville at some point. The two sides had been open with their mutual interest, and this deal gives both what they were after. For Ellis, it potentially gives him the opportunity to play his entire career in Nashville after the team took a chance on him with the 11th-overall selection in 2009. At the time, undersized defensemen were not as accepted as they are today and it was obvious by some of the names taken ahead of him. Luke Schenn and Jared Cowen both ended up as top-10 picks, mostly for their size and defensive capabilities. Even Victor Hedman (2nd overall) and Oliver Ekman-Larsson (6th overall) are big enough to fulfill the height restrictions, though the offensive upside of both made them such attractive commodities. Ellis, who stands just 5’10”, was seen as a risk even despite his obvious offensive gifts and defensive potential.

That potential has paid off, and though Ellis is still regarded as an excellent offensive player it is his all-around ability that makes him so valuable. Equally capable on the powerplay and penalty kill, the former Windsor Spitfire recorded 32 points in just 44 games in 2017-18 after returning from injury and logged huge minutes for the Predators in the playoffs once again. Though he won’t begin the extension until well after his 28th birthday, he secures the Predators’ blue line as one of the best in the league for years to come.

There was more money to be made, at least on a per-year basis on the open market to be sure. A similarly aged John Carlson just received an eight-year $64MM contract from the Washington Capitals given his proximity to unrestricted free agency, and some would argue that Ellis is an even more effective player. At the very worst he’s in the same range and could have demanded at least $7MM per season, but decided to stick with the Predators long-term and keep contending for the Stanley Cup. Ryan McDonagh too recently received an extension that carries a higher cap hit, in fact according to CapFriendly the closest comparables to the Ellis contract are Cam Fowler, Erik Johnson and Johnny Boychuk. While all three are effective players, Nashville will be happy to keep one of their leaders in the room for a respectable number.

The fact that there is no trade protection shouldn’t come as a surprise, and it also shouldn’t signal that the Predators will look to move Ellis down the road. Poile is staunchly against including no-movement clauses, and has avoided giving them out in other huge extensions for players like Ryan Johansen and Kyle Turris. Ellis will earn a $7MM signing bonus on July 1st, 2019, giving him a good portion of money up front.

The Predators now have their elite four defensemen locked up for the next two years at least, with Roman Josi next on the block for an extension. His contract expires in the summer of 2020, at which point he’ll be 30 years old. Amazingly, Nashville is set up to have more than enough room to give him a heft raise from the $4MM he currently earns, meaning this group could stay together for some time. Mattias Ekholm, now the extremely underpaid member of the group, carries a $3.75MM hit for four more seasons.

This deal does carry some risk, as Ellis could deteriorate or decline in the latter portion of the contract. By then though the salary cap will have inflated and the Predators will likely have already received plenty of excess value. If he struggles to maintain his current play this season though, handing out an extension at this point could look like a huge mistake. There is pressure on the 27-year old defenseman to perform, but he’s never seemed to back away from the spotlight in the past.

Minor Transactions: 8/13/18

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It was relatively quiet today on the NHL transaction front but a pair of former NHL centers find themselves in the news.

  • Capitals UFA center Zach Sill has signed a one-year contract with Sparta Praha, the Czech Extraliga team announced (link in Czech). The 30-year-old was largely an NHL regular back in 2014-15 with Pittsburgh and Toronto but has spent the bulk of his time in the minors since then.  Last season, Sill suited up in all 76 games with Hershey of the AHL, recording 22 points and 60 penalty minutes.
  • Roman Lyubimov, who remains property of the Flyers, was released by CSKA Moscow, per an announcement by the KHL (link in Russian). The 26-year-old center played in 47 games for Philadelphia back in 2016-17 but opted to go back home following the season but they still tendered him a qualifying offer to retain his rights.  Lyubimov will likely now look to land elsewhere in the KHL but if the Flyers have any interest in bringing him back to North America, they will probably be in touch with him as well.

Dylan Larkin Re-Signs With Detroit Red Wings

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The Detroit Red Wings have locked up the final piece of their team, signing Dylan Larkin to a five-year contract. Larkin had been clear recently that a contract was close to being completed, and that he was looking forward to his next chapter in Detroit. According to Craig Custance of The Athletic, the deal will carry an average annual value of $6.1MM, putting the Red Wings over the $79.5MM cap for this season. The team can go up to 10% ($7.95MM) over the ceiling during the offseason. Custance also provides us with the full salary breakdown:

  • 2018-19: $5.75MM salary + $1MM signing bonus
  • 2019-20: $7MM salary
  • 2020-21: $4.75MM salary
  • 2021-22: $6.75MM salary
  • 2022-23: $5.25MM salary

The contract also includes a full no-trade clause in the final season, as Larkin was not eligible for any trade protection prior to that. Though it certainly doesn’t have much of an impact on his deal right now, that could be a huge factor given that the forward is now scheduled to hit unrestricted free agency at the age of 26. Larkin celebrated his 22nd birthday just a few days ago, and has the potential to be the absolute top option on the UFA market down the line. The no-trade clause will limit the Red Wings if they can’t work out an extension, though that isn’t something they’ll have to worry about for some time.

Instead, the Red Wings brass will be celebrating as they lock up the new face of their franchise for at least another five seasons. Larkin led the team in scoring with 63 points this season and started to fully realize his immense potential. One of the best skaters in the entire league, Larkin’s transition to center full-time this season came with a different offensive style as he couldn’t rely on his blazing speed to get around defenders on every rush. Instead he became a top notch distributor and trailed only Connor McDavid, Mathew Barzal, Claude Giroux, Steven Stamkos and Artemi Panarin in even-strength assists. Though his speed can still give defenders trouble in a one-on-one situation, Larkin will hopefully continue to grow his offensive arsenal over the next few years.

Unfortunately for Detroit, his breakout meant that they had to pay up in this deal to keep him around. The team now projects to be more than $3MM over the cap ceiling for the upcoming season, and even with the flexibility that can be created by placing Johan Franzen on long-term injured reserve, will need to make an additional move before the offseason concludes. As we discussed in our live chat yesterday, some of the obvious candidates for trade are Gustav Nyquist, Darren Helm and Luke Glendening, though it’s not clear what the market would be for any of them. It is interesting to look at the deals handed out this summer to Thomas Vanek ($3MM AAV), Mike Green ($5.375MM AAV) and Jonathan Bernier ($3MM AAV) now that the team is in a bind financially. Though all three should help the team on the ice, Vanek and Green both received no-trade clauses and Bernier is the only goaltender signed past the upcoming season.

Detroit isn’t exactly set up to compete for the Stanley Cup in 2018-19, but they certainly shouldn’t be among the very worst in the league. Larkin, Anthony Mantha and Andreas Athanasiou headline a nice young core up front, while Bernier and Jimmy Howard should be an above-average goaltending tandem. There isn’t much upside on defense at the moment, but with more youth coming in players like Dennis Cholowski, Jared McIsaac and Gustav Lindstrom it could change quickly. There is also the wildcard of Filip Zadina, who could make the club out of camp and step right into a big offensive role. The team does have to remember that he can earn up to $850K in performance bonuses though, which would be carried over to next season if the team does not have cap space.

Today is about Larkin though, who will now be expected to take another step forward and become the player Detroit builds around. As Henrik Zetterberg and Niklas Kronwall drift off into the sunset and the last remnants of the last golden age of Detroit hockey fades away, Larkin will be the one tasked with ushering in the next competitive team.

Minor Transactions: 08/09/18

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The NHL is still waiting on a transaction this week, but other leagues are busy making moves. We’ll keep track of some of the minor dealings right here.

  • After being traded just yesterday, Sergey Kalinin has inked a four-year contract with CSKA Moscow of the KHL, likely meaning any chance of an NHL return is over for the veteran forward. Now 27, Kalinin played 121 games for the New Jersey Devils and 19 with the Toronto Marlies before returning to Russia last season, and would have to make quite the impact in order to garner any NHL interest in four years.
  • Johnny Austin has signed an AHL contract with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, after playing just a few minor league games with the Laval Rocket last season. Austin spent four years at the University of Connecticut, where he led all defensemen in scoring in 2017-18 with 19 points in 35 games. The 23-year old is undersized, but should give the AHL Penguins another powerplay option this season.
  • Matt Lane, another undersized offensive college player, has signed an AHL contract with the Milwaukee Admirals. The 24-year old forward has played the majority of the last two seasons in the ECHL, where he recorded 25 points in 59 games last year. A gold medalist at the 2012 U18 World Championships with USA Hockey, Lane is trying to get to the next level in professional hockey after a solid career with Boston University.
  • Andrew Crescenzi is headed to the EBEL next season, where he will suit up for HC Bolzano out of Italy. After playing many years in the minor leagues including the last several in the Los Angeles Kings organization, Crescenzi made his NHL debut in a two-game stint during the 2017-18 season. Unfortunately held scoreless, he’ll take his talents to Italy where he may be able to use his huge frame and physicality more effectively.

Minor Transactions: 08/08/18

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The NHL transaction wire has been quiet for a few days now, but there are still moves being made in other leagues around the world. We’ll keep an eye on any interesting happenings right here.

  • There was a trade in the KHL that included a former NHL forward, as Sergey Kalinin was sent from SKA St. Petersburgh to CSKA Moscow in exchange for Andrei Kuzmenko. Kalinin suited up for 121 games for the New Jersey Devils during the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons, but returned to Russia last year. The 27-year old forward had just 19 points in his short NHL career, and couldn’t find much consistency even at the minor league level for the Toronto Marlies. He did set a career-high with 31 points for SKA last season, but was apparently deemed expendable to get the younger Kuzmenko.
  • The Rockford IceHogs have signed Terry Broadhurst and Neil Manning to one-year AHL contracts, bringing both in to help fill out the roster. Broadhurst is returning to the place where he started his professional career, and will try to continue to produce offensively like he did for the Cleveland Monsters last season. Manning is an even more interesting addition, coming over from two years spent playing in Italy as part of the AlpsHL, a league made up of teams from several countries.
  • Danial Singer, who was included in yesterday’s OHL trade between the Niagara Ice Dogs and Erie Otters, will miss eight games at the beginning of the season for a drug suspension. The Otters, who acquired Singer as part of a package for Minnesota Wild prospect Ivan Lodnia, were aware of the incoming suspension before the trade according to Victor Fernandes of the Erie Times-News.

Minor Transactions: 08/07/18

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While the NHL takes its annual August rest, other leagues around the world are still working. The KHL preseason is underway, and junior leagues have already started shifting players around for their upcoming season. We’ll keep track of several interesting moves right here:

  • Former Toronto Maple Leafs prospect and Anaheim Ducks defenseman Jesse Blacker has signed a one-year contract with Barys Astana in the KHL, moving over after playing with Kunlun Red Star last season. Blacker was once a second-round selection of the Maple Leafs, and made his one career NHL appearance for the Ducks in 2014-15. An incredible skater, Blacker could never find enough consistency in his own end to make an impact in the NHL, and instead left the minor league grind a few seasons ago. The 27-year old could potentially return to the AHL one day, but will remain in the KHL for at least one more year.
  • Minnesota Wild prospect Ivan Lodnia has been traded from the Erie Otters to the Niagara Ice Dogs in the OHL, and could find more opportunity to show off his offensive skills with the new club. The third-round pick was recently cut from the US roster at the Summer Showcase, but is still a possibility for the World Junior team if they lose players over the next few months.
  • Charlie Sampair has signed an AHL contract with the San Antonio Rampage after his huge ECHL season in 2017-18. After recording just 14 points in 102 games at the University of Minnesota-Duluth and just 13 in his first season in the ECHL, Sampair scored 32 goals and 61 points last season for the Tulsa Oilers. That will earn him a chance at the next level, where he’ll be pushed even more to produce offense for the Rampage. The Rampage also signed Jared Thomas to an AHL deal, reuniting the former UMD forward with Sampair at the next level.
  • Former Minnesota Wild prospect Dylan Labbe failed to impress at the pro level in the five years since he was a fourth-round selection in 2013 and now the 23-year-old defenseman has been left with no option but to sign an ECHL contract. Labbe, a former standout with the QMJHL’s Shawinigan Cataractes, earned brief looks in the AHL in each of his first two post-draft years before being returned to juniors and then played full-time with the AHL’s Iowa Wild in his first pro season. However, disappointing returns led to Labbe spending the past season and a half in the ECHL. Now, with his entry-level contract expired, he is headed back to the “AA” level on a one-year contract with the Wichita Thunder, the league reported.

Shane Prince Signs In Switzerland

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Islanders unrestricted free agent winger Shane Prince has signed a two-year deal with HC Davos in Switzerland, the NLA team announced (link in German).  He was non-tendered by New York back in late June.

After putting up a career-high 18 points in 50 games in 2016-17, the team was hoping that Prince would be able to build off that performance.  However, injury troubles limited him to just 14 games (plus four in the minors on a conditioning assignment) and he didn’t make much of an impact in those contests, collecting just a single goal and an assist.

Over his career, the 25-year-old has played in 128 games between the Senators and Islanders, scoring a dozen goals while picking up 16 assists.  Given that level of production, it’s quite likely that only two-way offers were on the table for Prince so instead, he will try his luck overseas.  He’ll get the opportunity to play a top-six role with Davos and a strong showing over the next couple of years could help him get back on the NHL radar for the summer of 2020.

Minor Transactions: 08/03/18

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We got word on two arbitration decisions today and saw another settle before the hearing, taking three restricted free agents off the market in Mark Stone, Cody Ceci and Gemel Smith. Troy Brouwer replaced one of those names on the free agent list by being bought out, but other former NHL players have signed around the world. We’ll keep track of some of the minor moves right here:

  • Dwight King, a veteran of 365 NHL games, has signed in Austria for the 2018-19 season according to his agency 37 Hockey. King spent last year in the KHL where he registered 14 points in 49 games, but will try to take advantage of a lower league this time around. The 29-year old was once a 15-goal player for the Los Angeles Kings en route to a Stanley Cup, but couldn’t make much of an impact over the last few years.
  • Yannick Veilleux has signed a one-year deal with the Rochester Americans after spending last season with the Montreal Canadiens organization. Veilleux is still waiting to make his NHL debut, but will join a Rochester team that is looking to compete for the Calder Cup this season. Originally selected in the fourth round by the St. Louis Blues, Veilleux has never been quite able to fulfill his potential as an offensive power forward.
  • Chad Rau, who has spent the last two seasons in the KHL has now moved onto his fourth team in the league by signing with HC Bratislava. Rau played nine games for the Minnesota Wild back in 2011-12, but never could replicate the success he found during his time in the NCAA.

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