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Los Angeles Signs Three RFAs

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The LA Kings announced today that they have signed forward Nic Dowd and goalie Jack Campbell to new contracts, while confirming the reported  signing of defenseman Derek Forbort. The three players were restricted free agents and all signed two-year two-way contracts.

Dowd, a 26-year-old forward from the notorious hockey town of Huntsville, Alabama, reportedly signed his second contract with the Kings for $640K per year at the NHL level. Dowd got his first taste of NHL action last season, playing in five games for the Kings. He enters his third pro season in 2016-2017, having split the majority of the past two seasons between the King’s new AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign, and their former AHL affiliate, the Manchester Monarchs (now ECHL affiliate), where he helped the team win the 2015 Calder Cup.

Campbell, 24, is new to the Kings organization after coming over from Dallas in a draft day exchange for defenseman Nick Ebert. Campbell was the first goalie selected in the 2010 NHL Draft, as the stars took him 11th overall. However, his career has not turned out as either party planned, leading to the recent trade. Campbell has played in just one NHL game, a start in which he allowed six goals on the way to a loss. He has spent the majority of his career with the AHL’s Texas Stars, but has also spent a significant amount of time down at the ECHL level with the Idaho Steelheads. Campbell is expected to resume AHL play with the Ontario Reign next season, and the Kings hope that the change of scenery will help to get him back to his 1st round-caliber form. If he work his way back into the NHL, he will make a reported $612.5K, and could end up being a great value acquisition by Los Angeles.

 

 

Zach Sanford Signs With Caps, Continuing BC Exodus

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The Washington Capitals announced today that they have signed prospect Zach Sanford to an entry-level contract. The contract is for a reported 3 years at $875K per year. Sanford, who was set to be a junior at Boston College this year, will instead enter his first pro season with the Capitals, who drafted him 61st overall in the 2013 NHL Draft. Sanford is the seventh player to depart early from Boston College this off-season, and collegiate hockey players continue to trend towards leaving school early to pursue their pro careers.

Sanford joins defenseman Steve Santini and forward Miles Wood, both New Jersey Devils property, forwards Alex Tuch and Adam Gilmour, both Minnesota Wild prospects, Vancouver goalie Thatcher Demko, and Florida defenseman Ian McOshen as Eagles who will no longer be a part of the Boston College ’16-’17 season, to the surprise of many in the program. The change is evident in Chestnut Hill, as BC men’s hockey will not have a single junior player on this year’s team.

Boston College is not alone in their struggles, as Michigan has lost five players early, including star prospects Kyle Connor (Winnipeg) and Zach Werenski (Columbus), and the defending National Champions, North Dakota, have lost five and counting as well. Many other programs are still reeling from the early exits of one or two of their star student-athletes as well.

However, Boston College has become the face of this trend. With seven underclassmen players leaving this summer to go along with many that preceded them over the past few seasons, the Eagles know all too well of this worrisome trend and the harsh effects it can have on a program’s ability to compete. The rise of NCAA hockey has been very apparent over the past decade and has been imperative to the continued growth of both grassroots hockey in the United States and a growing American fan base. But with key players now departing earlier than expected, college programs may have to go back to the drawing board in a recruiting sense, changing the ways that they analyze players and build teams based on the likelihood that those recruits will stay or leave. While a storied program like Boston College can replace even a talented prospect like Zach Sanford with relative ease, many programs could be left damaged for years following the early exit of a centerpiece player. It is an issue that will continue to draw attention in the college ranks and throughout hockey.

Sharks Sign David Schlemko

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The San Jose Sharks have signed defenseman David Schlemko to a four-year deal worth $2.1MM per year, as first reported by Pierre LeBrun. It’s an affordable deal for a player coming off a breakout year in New Jersey.

Schlemko, 29, found himself almost out of the NHL in 2014-15 as he bounced through three teams. Last season he turned a $625K contract with the Devils into an excellent season, and has been rewarded with his $8.4MM deal today.

Schlemko put up 19 points while logging over 18 minutes a night on a bad Devils team, but will move to the Stanley Cup finalist Sharks and slot into the bottom pairing on a deep (but unheralded) defense corps.  His $2.1MM cap hit actually is the lowest of the group, coming in over a million less than Brenden Dillon’s $3.27MM.

 

Campbell Returns To Chicago

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After five seasons with the Florida Panthers, defenseman Brian Campbell will reportedly sign with the Chicago Blackhawks, the team with which he played for from 2008 to 2011 and helped to lead to the 2010 Stanley Cup championship.

Ironically, Campbell signed his last contract with the Blackhawks, an eight-year $57MM deal on this day in 2008, but he was traded to Florida in June of 2011 to serve out the remainder of that mammoth contract. Now that it has expired, Campbell will sign quite a different deal with Chicago, as John Shannon of Sportsnet first reported that the opening of free agency will make official a one-year, $2MM contract for Campbell, who is likely looking for another championship with the talented, but cash-strapped Blackhawks.  Campbell is also eligible for performance incentives on a one year deal.

Last season, Campbell played in all 82 games with Florida, scoring six goals and 25 assists.  He also added an assist in six postseason contests.  In his career, he has played in 1,002 games , scoring 82 goals and adding 405 assists.

Yesterday, Campbell indicated that his preference was to rejoin the Hawks and that he would be willing to take a cheaper deal to get it done to help accommodate Chicago’s cap concerns.

 

Sabres Sign Casey Nelson To Two-Year Extension

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The Buffalo Sabres signed rookie defenseman Casey Nelson to a two-year extension today worth $650,000 a year. The Sabres initially signed Nelson to an entry-level deal in March after playing three seasons in the NCAA for Minnesota State University.

Nelson made his Sabres debut on March 26, 2016. He performed admirably in his short time with the club, potting 4P in 7G. In college he managed 60P in 99 games—winning the WCHA defensive player of the year in his final year.

Nelson will be competing for a bottom-pairing role with the Sabres, as most experts pencil in Kulikov, Franson, Bogosian, and Ristolainen in the top 4.  The Wisconsin native (though born in Minnesota) is waiver-exempt, however, so he can be shuttled back and forth from the AHL without risk. His opportunity to make the big club out of camp will also depend on if the Sabres sign any UFA defensemen.

Capology: Restricted Free Agents (Part I)

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Restricted Free Agents can sign with any team once their SPC expires, but the player’s prior club can either match the new contract—called an offer sheet—or receive compensatory draft picks from the RFA’s new team. It allows a young player the opportunity to experience free agency while giving teams a exclusive chance to match any offer their player may receive.

Who is Eligible to be an RFA?

A player generally becomes an RFA after his first contract expires. Essentially, RFA status is tied to a player’s age* when he signed his first SPC:

18-21 when signing ELC: RFA after 3 years of pro experience
22-23 when signing ELC: RFA after 2 years of pro experience
24+ when signing ELC: RFA after 1 year of pro experience

Age is defined as the players age on September 15th of the year he signed his first SPC. Professional experience however, depends on a player’s age. For players 18 and 19, professional experience is 10+ games in the NHL. For players 20+, professional experience is merely 10+ games in any professional league.

Just because a player is eligible to be an RFA, however, does not automatically bestow RFA status. As explained below, a team must either make the player a Qualifying Offer (QO) or elect to take the player to salary arbitration. If a team does neither, the player becomes a UFA.

Flowchart Illustraing NHL RFA Timeline

 

What is a Qualifying Offer?

A qualifying offer (QO) is an offer of a one year SPC by a player’s team. The CBA requires that the SPC meet certain terms and conditions:

Salary

An SPC’s minimum salary is determined by a player’s previous year’s NHL Salary

  • If a player’s previous year’s NHL salary was $660,000 or less, the SPC must offer a minimum of 110% of the player’s previous year’s salary;
  • If a player’s previous year’s NHL salary was greater than $660,000 but less than $1,000,000, the SPC salary must be at least 105% of the player’s previous salary but cannot exceed $1,000,000; or
  • If a player’s previous year’s NHL salary was equal to or greater than $1,000,000, then the SPC salary must be 100% of the player’s previous salary.

One-way and Two-way

Most QOs are two-way (meaning that the player receives a minor league salary if he is sent down). A QO must be one-way, however, if the player meets the following conditions:

  1. played at least 180 NHL games in the previous three NHL seasons;
  2. played at least 60 NHL games in the previous season; and
  3. did not clear waivers during the regular season waiver period.

Qualifying offers sheets are predominantly a formality. Teams are required to make an offer so they can retain a player’s RFA rights. Players can reject a team’s QO—something they usually do. Once the QO expires, both the team and the player will negotiate a more lucrative deal.

When Does a Team Make a Qualifying Offer?

A team seeking to retain its rights in RFA players (and not electing arbitration) must tender the QO by the later of June 25th or the first Monday after the NHL Entry Draft. That means that a player must receive the offer by that date. A late QO is insufficient, and the player immediately becomes a UFA.*

When Can a Player Accept a Qualifying Offer?

Even though a QO must be offered in June, a player cannot accept a QO until July 1st. The QO is open for two weeks until it expires on July 15th.

What if a Team does not Make a Qualifying Offer?

If a team does not make a Qualifying Offer by the CBA-imposed deadline, the RFA-eligible player immediately becomes an unrestricted free agent.

So an RFA either receives a QO, or becomes a free agent. If they receive a QO, they can still sign with another team, but their original team has right of first refusal. This process is called the offer sheet process. See our forthcoming post on offer sheet soon.

* in 2010, the Chicago Blackhawks tendered their QOs late, and their RFA-eligible players became UFAs

 

Free Agent Profile: Frans Nielsen

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When you talk about free agents from Long Island this offseason, the conversation immediately goes to Kyle Okposo, the 28-year old winger who tied Steven Stamkos in points last season, or to Matt Martin, the bang-and-crash bottom six guy who everyone seems to want to add. Mostly forgotten, there is another UFA coming out of New York who should be commanding some attention.

Frans Nielsen has always been overlooked, perhaps because of his slender frame, or his Danish heritage – Denmark isn’t known for a flood of NHL players, though there have been some excellent ones – starting on draft day when he was selected deep into the third round. Nielsen has never earned more than $2.75MM in a single season, choosing to re-sign with the team who drafted him well before he became an unrestricted free agent in 2012.

He shouldn’t be overlooked any longer, as the 32-year old has put together an excellent career and comes into this offseason as a top-5 free agent, now that Stamkos and Yandle have both signed.

Potential Suitors

With, perhaps fittingly, almost no news coming out about Nielsen speaking with teams other than the Islanders, it’s a bit of a mystery where the Dane will finally end up.  There are however a few teams who seem to fit with his ability and position perfectly.

In our UFA piece we had Nielsen going to the Red Wings, and after Stamkos re-signed this afternoon that seems even more a possibility.  The club already has a young, up and coming center in Dylan Larkin who may be ready for the top line as soon as next season, so may not want to commit to the long-term deal that the other top option, David Backes, is surely to command.

While the Minnesota Wild have a young group of forwards who have shown the ability to play in the top six, they’ve also experimented with both Charlie Coyle and Mikael Granlund on the wing. If they think they’re more suited there, Nielsen makes a good choice as a steady veteran to put between them on the second line.

Expected Contract

Nielsen will be overlooked no more, as he hits this summer looking for one last big deal to finish his career on. If Backes goes early and the rest of the league views him as the next best option down the middle (which they should), he’ll look for a four or five year deal somewhere between $4.5 and $5MM per season.  If he settles for a shorter term, he might be able to push just above that $5MM mark, but it would be very surprising to see him get close to $6MM.

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