Atlantic Notes: Marner, Matthews, Ozhiganov, Stempniak
With the Toronto Maple Leafs enduring their drawn-out negotiations with restricted free agent William Nylander, it was suggested recently that Toronto try to negotiate deals with future restricted free agents, Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, during the season to avoid similar holdouts next season.
Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston on Saturday Headlines, reported that while Marner’s camp sounds uninterested in discussing a contract extension in-season, Matthews camp is open to a deal.
“There were discussions throughout the summer with both Auston Matthews’ camp Mitch Marner’s camp with their extensions. They could’ve done that July 1, but some of those discussions are off,” Johnston said. “Mitch Marner and his camp have called a moratorium on talks throughout the season. They don’t want to see that distraction. I get the sense that Auston Matthews would be willing to work on his extension throughout this season.”
Matthews would be in line for a major contract pay raise as he is likely looking for pay that may even exceed the $11MM that Tavares received this summer. The 21-year-old posted 40 goals in his rookie campaign. That number dropped a little last year when he tallied 34 goals, but Matthews also missed 20 games due to injury last season.
Marner, on the other hand, hopes to get similar money to that of Matthews and The Athletic’s James Mirtle (subscription required) believes that Marner is ready to take his game to another level and believes he will easily manage to average a point-per-game after impressing in Saturday evening’s game against Ottawa. If he has an 80-point season, Marner will have posted 210 points in his three entry-level seasons, which the scribe compares to numbers of Jack Eichel, who signed an eight-year, $80MM ($10MM AAV) deal a year ago. That could prove to be quite costly for the Maple Leafs as well.
- In a competitive defensive training camp battle, the Toronto Maple Leafs determined that defenseman Igor Ozhiganov was a keeper earlier than most. However, what does Toronto have in the 25-year-old defender who came over from the KHL this summer. The Athletic’s Ian Tulloch (subscription required) breaks down the play of the 6-foot-2 defender, who moves the puck extremely well, although there remain questions on his defense. While many KHL imports have struggled with moving the puck, Ozhiganov has had quite a bit of success so far, albeit in limited time, giving hope that he could develop into a solid blueliner. However, he does have Justin Holl breathing down his neck as a potential replacement.
- NBC Sports’ Joe Haggerty, in a mailbag piece, writes that Lee Stempniak, who signed a PTO with the Boston Bruins, continues to remain with the team hoping for a chance to work his way into the team’s lineup. The scribe writes that if youngsters Ryan Donato or Danton Heinen fail to impress in their top-six auditions, the team is keeping Stempniak around as insurance. The 35-year-old, who played 37 games for Carolina last season, said that he would prefer to stay in Boston with his family and will continue to practice with the team for now.
Jamie McGinn Undergoes Back Surgery, Out Indefinitely
The Florida Panthers are a trendy pick to make a run at the Stanley Cup playoffs this year, but have started camp off on a sour note. Jamie McGinn has undergone back surgery and will be out indefinitely.
McGinn, 30, was a nice surprise for the Panthers last season after acquiring him from the Arizona Coyotes. The return for Jason Demers, who was shipped to the desert due to his heft cap hit, McGinn ended up scoring 13 goals and 29 points while continuing his physical brand of hockey. Though he’s certainly not a top line option for the team, he did provide some nice depth on the wing and could fill in higher up when injuries happened.
The Panthers are considerably deeper up front this season after acquiring Mike Hoffman, Troy Brouwer and Frank Vatrano to round out their forward group and even expect younger players like Henrik Borgstrom and Owen Tippett to make an impact before long. That depth will allow them to deal with an injury to McGinn without much problem, but it does put pressure on the veteran upon his return. McGinn is in the final season of his current contract and hasn’t been able to match the 22-goal campaign that earned him $10MM over three years. If he wants anything close to that $3.33MM salary going forward he’ll have to get back to full health and start contributing right away.
William Nylander “Not Too Stressed” About Contract Talks
The Toronto Maple Leafs have been in and out of the news all offseason, first for convincing John Tavares to sign with them long-term and recently regarding contract talks starting between the team and Auston Matthews. While Tavares, Matthews and a potential extension for Mitch Marner have received quite a bit of attention, another key forward is still without a deal. William Nylander is a restricted free agent for the first time this offseason, and is still currently unsigned as we head into August. That certainly isn’t bothering Nylander though, who was asked by TSN recently whether he’d be willing to sign a shorter bridge deal with the team.
That’s between my agent and Kyle [Dubas], I mean they’re talking about it. I’m not really into that right now. Once it gets closer to the season I think I’ll be more dialed [in]. Kyle says it’s going to take some time so I’m not too stressed about it.
That lack of stress appears to be all over the Maple Leafs roster as they head into next season excited about what it could bring. After ending up in last place in the NHL just a few years ago, the Maple Leafs have made it to the playoffs in back-to-back seasons. Unfortunately those postseason episodes both ended with early exits, something they hope to change this year.
After signing Tavares the team has certainly improved their forwards and now boasts one of the deepest center group in the NHL, but many have wondered how they’ll fit everyone into the salary cap with an added $11MM contract on the books. Matthews and Marner are entering the final seasons of their entry-level deals, while Nylander should get quite a substantial raise at some point this summer. Dubas, the young GM who took over the hockey operations from Lou Lamoriello earlier this offseason, seemed awfully confident that he could keep the group together when he appeared on Sportsnet’s 31 Thoughts podcast earlier this summer. He also gave some insight onto why the negotiations with a player like Nylander may take a little longer than many expect:
It might go a little bit slower than some people would like but that would be on me to continue to be patient with it and make sure that these guys are not just signing because it’s a long-term contract and it’s obviously a nice pay increase for them, but they want to be here as part of the long-term, they know where we’re going and they’re a full part of that rather than sign a deal and then a year later wonder what the vision is for the program and whether they want to be part of it.
Obviously there will still be some anxious Maple Leafs fans waiting to see what Nylander agrees to, but for now he seems completely removed from the situation as his representation works with the Toronto front office to figure out some common ground. Whether that comes in the form of a bridge deal that will allow them to save some cap space over the next few years, or he’s locked into a long-term deal at an much higher cap hit is the biggest question mark. A hold out doesn’t seem to be a possibility at this point.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Poll: What Kind Of Extension Is Predators’ Ryan Ellis Worth?
With top defensemen getting locked up to big, long-term deals everywhere, one only has to look around the league to see who is next. The most obvious target would be Nashville’s Ryan Ellis, who will be wrapping up the final year of his five-year, $12.5MM deal. Ellis, who is one of the core of Nashville’s talented back end, is one of the most underpaid blueliners in the league at $2.5MM AAV, should be in line for a great extension. After all, many of his defensive teammates are already well-paid, including P.K. Subban ($9MM for four more years), Roman Josi ($4MM for two more years), and Mattias Ekholm ($3.75MM for four more years).
Nashville claims that locking up the 27 year old is the team’s top priority this offseason. Yet little has happened. However, how much is he worth, asks Adam Vingan of the Tennessean? While two of the most significant extensions went to Los Angeles’ Kings Drew Doughty (eight years, $11MM AAV) and Arizona Coyotes’ Oliver Ekman-Larsson (eight years, $8.25MM AAV), Ellis likely doesn’t fit into that category. Therefore, Vingan writes that Nashville must compare Ellis’ play with several other tiers of defenseman that have recently signed new deals. The most likely comparables for Ellis will come down to the recent contracts signed by Washington Capitals’ John Carlson (eight years, $8MM AAV) and Tampa Bay Lightning’s Ryan McDonagh (eight years, $6.75MM AAV). However is he as good as those two?
The next tier would be contracts handed out a few years ago that could compare, such as Pittsburgh Penguins’ Kris Letang (eight years, $7.25MM AAV), Erik Johnson (seven years, $6MM AAV) and Anaheim Ducks’ Cam Fowler (eight years, $6.5MM AAV). Ellis’ stats are challenging to look when attempting to compare to any of those defensemen. Offensively, he’s never put up 40 points in a season yet, coming close once with 38 points (16 of those were goals). However, after missing the first half of this past season after undergoing knee surgery in the offseason, Ellis’ stats took a jump when he put up 32 points in 44 games, suggesting that his offense is starting to emerge. With his defense never under question, the Predators must come up with a number soon.
So what range should Ellis fall into?
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Tavares Notes: Toronto, San Jose, Boston
While reports suggest that John Tavares and his representation are speaking to five teams in Los Angeles, there is some confusion of which teams Tavares’ camp is speaking to. It was reported that the Toronto Maple Leafs, San Jose Sharks and the Dallas Stars are three teams that are definitely meeting with him, while other teams such as Vegas and Tampa Bay have been suggested as possibilities.
The Maple Leafs have been interested in signing Tavares for a long time, years in fact. However, with the state of their salary cap in the coming years with contracts of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander on the books, there are a lot of questions whether the Maple Leafs are really true candidates to bring Tavares on board, especially after the team splurged a season ago when they pried Patrick Marleau away from San Jose.
The Athletic’s James Mirtle (subscription required) writes that trying to add a contract that at the moment is linked at $11MM per year for Tavares (possibly $12MM) might be challenging, but not totally impossible. Unlike two years ago, when they tried to sign Steven Stamkos when they were a struggling franchise, things are much different. For one, Tavares gets to come home, he can immediate play for a top team which has a legitimate chance to win a Stanley Cup, and lots of cap space in the first year of a contract, which is where the discussion ends.
Mirtle suggests one rumor that has been going around for week is to offer Tavares a one-year max deal, which would be worth $15.9MM. Then the team could attempt to lock him up to an eight-year deal after that. However, that could also be construed as cap circumvention as well as dangerous if Tavares gets injured in that first year. Another offer Toronto could add to the package is the captaincy, but that would also be an issue considering that Matthews has been in line for that role.
- David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period confirms that the San Jose Sharks were the second team to speak with Tavares and his representatives. He writes that the Sharks are all-in on Tavares and the entire organization is on board to bring Tavares in. With more than $18MM in cap space, the Sharks have the money even after locking up winger Evander Kane to a seven-year, $49MM extension last month. With their defense and goaltending, alongside Tavares, Kane, Logan Couture, Joe Pavelski as well as a bunch of talented younger players that are ready to break out, the Sharks would look like a perennial Stanley Cup contender.
- Joe Haggerty of NBC Sports writes that while there is no word yet, the scribe gets the sense that the Boston Bruins haven’t been told yet whether they are one of the five teams that Tavares will meet with, but Boston definitely wants a meeting with the center. Boston has almost $12MM of cap space available and a team that is full of both veterans and young stars in which the addition of Tavares could take them to that Stanley Cup level as well.
CHL Announces Top Players Awards for 2017-18
The CHL announced their top player awards Saturday with Alex Barre-Boulet garnering the Sportsnet Player of the Year Award. The 21-year-old who played for the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada of the QMJHL, tallied 53 goals and 116 points to capture the award, beating out Everett Silvertips goaltender Carter Hart and the Sarnia Stings forward Jordan Kyrou. The 5-foot-9 Barre-Boulet, who went undrafted, signed an entry level contract in March with the Tampa Bay Lightning and will likely report to their AHL franchise next year.
While Hart fell short of winning the Player of the Year award, he didn’t walk away without one as the Philadelphia Flyers prospect won the Vaughn Goaltending of the Year award for the second time. The 19-year-old who starred for Team Canada at the World Juniors as well, blew the competition away with a 1.60 GAA in 41 games and putting up an impressive .947 save percentage. He beat out Windsor Spitfires Michael DiPietro and Rouyn-Noranda Huskies’ Samuel Harvey.
The Vegas Golden Knights picked up another award as prospect Nicolas Hague won the Superstore Defenseman of the Year award. The second-round pick in 2017 from the OHL’s Mississauga Steelheads totaled 35 goals and 78 points in 67 games last season. He beat out Moose Jaw Warriors Kale Clague and Acadie-Bathurst Titan’s Olivier Galipeau.
Andrei Svechnikov of the Barrie Colts won the Sherwin Williams Top Prospect Award as the Barrie Colts winger put up 40 goals in his rookie year in the OHL. Svenchikov is considered by many to be the second player to come off the board in the 2018 NHL Draft. He beat out Spokane Chiefs defenseman Ty Smith and Halifax Mooseheads Filip Zadina.
Here is a list of all the CHL award winners:
Player of the Year: Alex Barre-Boulet
Defenseman of the Year: Nicolas Hague
Goaltender of the Year: Carter Hart
Rookie of the Year: Alex Lafreniere
Coach of the Year: Drew Bannister
Scholastic Player of the Year: Alexandre Alain
Humanitarian of the Year: Garrett McFadden
Sportsman of the Year: Aleksi Heponiemi
Top Scorer: Jayden Halbegwachs
Top Prospect of Year: Andrei Svechnikov
Multiple Players Placed On Waivers
With today being the last day to place players on waivers, many teams have placed players on waivers in hopes of adding some roster flexibility for the remainder of the season. According to Bob McKenzie, many players have been placed on waivers, including defensemen Christopher Breen and Paul Postma of the Boston Bruins, forward Jussi Jokinen of the Columbus Blue Jackets, defenseman Cody Goloubef of the Calgary Flames, forward Lance Bouma of the Chicago Blackhawks, forward Chris Stewart of the Minnesota Wild, forwards Alexandre Burrows and Jim O’Brien and defenseman Johnny Oduya of the Ottawa Senators, defenseman Mark Alt and goaltender John Muse of the Philadelphia Flyers and forward Chris Thorburn of the St. Louis Blues.
McKenzie adds that New York Rangers forward cleared waivers today.
Of teams that are still in the playoff race, the New York Islanders will likely get the first shot on many of these players if the team is looking to add more depth after trading for defenseman Brandon Davidson Saturday.
While several of these players are AHL players who aren’t seeing time, there are several veteran players who are affected by the moves. Two of the most obvious are Burrows and Oduya. The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch writes that the team failed to find anyone interested in trading for either players, so the hope is a team might be willing to claim them without having to give anything up.
Burrows is one of those the team would like to close the book on. Acquired at the trade deadline a year ago for prized prospect Jonathan Dahlen, the team then made it worse by signing him to a two-year extension, worth $2.5MM per season. While he scored 15 goals between Vancouver and Ottawa last year, Burrows has struggled, having tallied just three goals in 51 games. Oduya was signed in the offseason and the veteran could be a solid candidate to be claimed by a team that needs some defensive depth.
Another player who is likely to be claimed is Stewart, who the Minnesota Wild placed on waivers as the team wants to make room for adding 2016 first-rounder Luke Kunin or if the team signs Boston University star Jordan Greenway. The veteran is an excellent locker room presence, has quite a bit of experience and can score as he has nine goals in 47 games this year. Jokinen who has already been on waivers this year returns to it and could be claimed if a team wants some depth to their forward line. Chicago’s Bouma is another who could be claimed as he has fallen out of the Blackhawks lineup, but provides forward depth that could be useful for a team making a playoff run. He’s played in 53 games this year, totaling three goals, six assists and +1 plus/minus ratio.
Other players like Alt and Postma are likely just heading to the AHL to join their playoff rosters. Alt has played just eight games in Philadelphia, spending most of his season in Lehigh Valley. Postma has been with the Bruins all year and might be heading to the Providence Bruins to help the team with their playoff push. He has appeared in just 12 games all season for Boston.
Both Breen, O’Brien, Muse and Goloubef each signed two-way contracts in the last 24 hours and had to be passed through waivers in order to assign them to their respective NHL teams. O’Brien signed a two-way contract today, while Goloubef signed yesterday. FlamesNation’s Ryan Pike reports that Muse signed a two-way deal today.
Evening Snapshots: Blackhawks, Rangers, Smith
Are major changes really necessary for the Chicago Blackhawks? Chicago Sun-Times reporter Mark Lazerus thinks it all starts on the ice, moving the speedy Alex DeBrincat onto a more skilled line instead of letting him languish on a grinder line. Further, any talk of letting head coach Joel Quenneville go doesn’t jive with Lazerus. Aside from trying to find a better coach than Quenneville, who has three Cups with the Hawks, Lazerus reasons that if the locker room is already lost, who is going to be better than the coach who has the second most wins in league history? It begins with changes on the ice and as long as the big guns start playing as they have in the past, maybe then their fortunes will surely turn around.
- Larry Brooks reports that the consistency in the Rangers game has been a major contributor to their six-game winning streak. Brooks writes that head coach Alain Vigneault has been pushing all the right buttons and that the Rangers’ comfort has been showing on the ice. It’s been the “stable defensive pairings,” that Brooks points to as making the most sense and bringing the team onto a new level of comfort.
- Speaking of defense, Brooks adds that the “Brendan Smith situation” needs to be addressed as the re-signed defenseman has been a healthy scratch over the past five games. Smith inked a four-year, $17.4M deal after being traded from the Detroit Red Wings last season. Smith responded with four points in 18 games after arriving in the Big Apple. In the playoffs, he added another four assists in 12 games. But what the frustrated the Red Wings with his inconsistency, and often baffling play, it never came with the price tag attached now. At an AAV of $4.35M, the deal isn’t looking very good as Smith has only appeared in 11 games this season. While he isn’t the most expensive defenseman on the roster, it’s still looking like a shaky investment for a player who’s watching more than playing.
Five Key Stories: 8/13/17 – 8/20/17
Another slow week during the August NHL doldrums. Most experienced hockey insiders use this time to vacation without worrying about breaking news. Nevertheless, PHR is here to report on all the news, all the time. Despite the doldrums, the hockey world saw one of the most anticipated summer signings, injuries, NCAA free agents, and a new AHL team. Check out the five most important stories below:
Leon Draisaitl Signs 8-Year / $68MM Contract with the Edmonton Oilers
Leon Draisaitl, a restricted free agent this summer, agreed to an eight-year, $68MM contract with the Edmonton Oilers. That deal will pay Draisaitl an average of $8.5MM a year. The contract makes Draisaitl one of the highest paid players in the league, coming in tied for the 10th-highest cap hit in the league next season.
KHL Signings: Alexey Marchenko, Marek Mazanec, and Dwight King
This week saw three NHLers sign KHL deals. Marek Mazanec goes from the Nashville Predators to HC Slovan Bratislava. The signing was unusual because Nashville and Mazanec agreed to a two-way, $650K contract earlier this summer. Dwight King signed with Avtomobilist after finishing last season with the Los Angeles Kings and Montreal Canadiens. Finally, former Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Alexey Marchenko is rumored to have signed with CSKA Moscow after being unconditionally waived by the Maple Leafs.
Injuries: NYI Shane Price and NJD Travis Zajac Out for Months
The Metropolitan Division lost two players to significant injuries this week. The New York Islanders lost forward Shane Prince for four-to-six months after Prince underwent ankle surgery. Prince was poised to step up this season after showing elite offensive ability in the AHL. Across the state line, the New Jersey Devils lost star forward Travis Zajac to a torn pectoral muscle. Zajac underwent surgery this week and will also be out four-to-six months. This is a huge blow to a team looking to build on drafting the first overall pick.
Will Butcher Becomes NCAA Free Agent
As expected, Will Butcher declined to sign with the Colorado Avalanche—the team who drafted him—and became an unrestricted free agent. Butcher most recently won the Hobey Baker award for best men’s NCAA hockey player. While Butcher will not garner as much attention as Jimmy Vesey and Justin Schultz, he has already met with numerous teams seeking his services.
Matt Cullen Signs with the Minnesota Wild
Stanley Cup-winning Matt Cullen signed a one-year deal worth $1MM (plus $700k in performance bonuses) with the Minnesota Wild. Cullen had been reportedly deciding between the Wild and Penguins, but eventually decided to return home to Minnesota and forego his shot at a “three-peat” with Pittsburgh. 2017-18 will mark his 20th season in the NHL, and he remains a very effective two-way center. Despite playing some of the lowest minutes of his career, he registered more than 30 points for the 13th time, and continued his career-long streak of winning more than 50% of his draws. He’ll likely slot into the fourth-line role in Minnesota, but will provide ample depth behind the star-studded forward group.
Montreal May Be Heading In Wrong Direction
As a team like the Edmonton Oilers attempt to build their team of the future by locking up their top young forwards, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl to long-term deals to be the centerpieces of the franchise, there are other teams who are building in different ways. The Montreal Canadiens locked up star goaltender Carey Price to an eight-year, $84MM deal that starts next year and will keep him locked up until he hits 40-years old. While few dispute the fact that he is one of the top goaltender in the NHL if not the best, there are questions about whether it was smart to invest so much money into a 30-year-old goalie. In fact, if you also factor in the nine years remaining at $7.86MM per year for defenseman Shea Weber, the Canadiens have its core as well.
Starting next year, the Canadiens will be giving those two 30-something players a combined $18.36MM. That’s comparable to the $21MM that McDavid and Draisaitl will make next year. However, Brendan Kelly of the Montreal Gazette writes that investing all your money in a defenseman and a goalie is not the right way to build a winner. He looks at the blueprints for both the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Chicago Blackhawks, two teams who have put together winning formulas and suggests that in neither case was the goaltender the star of the franchise. Neither was the top two players a defenseman and a goalie. Both franchises won based on superstar forwards, one great defenseman and a solid goalie.
Add in the fact that both players are on the wrong side of 30 and are locked up until the 2025-26 season, both could bring down the franchise with all that much money that will be locked into two players who eventually be in their late 30s. The other problem is with that much invested in those two, there will be little money to focus on offense. All great teams always have a number one center and can Montreal pay for one?
Kelly also adds that while he does believe that Price is the best goalie in the world, Price has not been as dominating in the playoffs and certainly has not single-handedly won the team many playoff series. He cites only two Habs’ goaltenders who have worked playoff “magic” in the last 25 years, including Jose Theodore‘s dominance in 2002 against the Boston Bruins and Jaroslav Halak‘s 2010 playoff performance against Washington and Pittsburgh. Price has not done that yet although he has nine years still to accomplish this.
Price was unable to be a difference-maker against the New York Rangers team in the playoffs this past year, Kelly said. And while the team didn’t lose the series because of Price, the team just wasn’t good enough to beat an average Rangers squad. How will the rest of the team improve when there is little to no money to bolster their offense?