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Eastern Notes: Callahan, Burke, Mascherin

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After undergoing two hip surgeries a year ago, veteran forward Ryan Callahan has been a key player for the Tampa Bay Lightning this season. While his defensive skills and penalty killing have been critical for the Lightning, he also contributed a goal and an assist Saturday in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals. What’s amazing, writes The Athletic’s Joe Smith (subscription required), is that Callahan admits that he thought he would need season-ending surgery back in December when he suffered a serious shoulder injury.

The 33-year-old collided with Arizona’s Oliver Ekman-Larsson in a Dec. 14 against the Arizona Coyotes in which the two players got tangled and Callahan’s shoulder vaulted into the boards. He lost three weeks of his season, rehabbing the injury, but returned in early January. Despite re-injuring the shoulder in March, he has not let up and continues to throw his body around for the Lightning in the playoffs.

“There’s no question the last three years have been tough for me,” Callahan said. “I think, for me, I appreciate this even more, especially being in the league for 12 years now too. You realize you don’t get this chance and this opportunity very often. I appreciate it and I realize how hard it is to win. And I’m trying to take advantage of it.”

  • Stu Cowan of the Montreal Gazette writes that Montreal Canadiens scout Sean Burke, who served as co-general manager with Martin Brodeur, for Team Canada at the IIHF World Championships this week, has no idea what his next step will be. Burke, who has served as a scout for Canadiens’ head coach Marc Bergevin, said he might like to return as a scout, but will wait to see if he gets a better offer. “(Marc) Bergevin has been great with me in allowing me to do both roles and gain experience here as well. So we’ll see what’s down the road, but like everybody in this business you’re looking to get better and I’ve been fortunate to work with great people,” Burke said.
  • In his most recent podcast, TSN’s Bob McKenzie talks about Florida Panthers prospect Adam Mascherin, who says he will not sign with the team and has indicated he wants to re-enter the 2018 draft. The Panthers’ 2016 second-round pick claims to have been treated poorly by the Panthers and claims to not have been offered an entry-level deal. McKenzie says the Panthers have offered him an entry-level deal, a lucrative one that compares to that of the one that the Chicago Blackhawks’ Alex DeBrincat signed. He chose not to sign, because he “wasn’t feeling the love.” McKenzie adds that Mascherin is playing a dangerous game if he re-enters the draft as most players who re-enter get drafted lower and get lesser contracts.

Coyotes Notes: Team Upgrades, Ekman-Larsson, Kruger

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With a strong second half, the Arizona Coyotes are ready to take that next step from cellar dweller to competitive team. The hope is that now that head coach Rick Tocchet has held the coaching reigns for a full season, he can help Arizona take that next step. While the importance of signing of star defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson is critical to the long-term success of the team is key (he has been rumored to be considering and eight-year extension), the team must continue to upgrade its roster.

According to Tocchet, in an interview with Arizona Sports’ Craig Morgan, the team has several key needs with center being at the top of the list, followed by another top-five defenseman and a scoring wing. The team upgraded at center a year ago when it went out and traded defenseman Anthony DeAngelo and their first-round pick in a package deal for Derek Stepan and Antti Raanta. Stepan put up solid numbers as the team’s top center, scoring 14 goals and adding 42 assists in his first year for Arizona. However, the team might want a stronger, more veteran presence for the No. 2 center spot, which was held by Christian Dvorak last season. Dvorak had just 22 assists last season.

Despite a solid nucleus on defense starting with Ekman-Larsson and Alex Goligoski as well as the strong additions of veterans Jason Demers and Niklas Hjalmarsson in the offseason and the improved play of youngster Jakob Chychrun, the team would like to add more to their defense. While the team might address that with the fifth-overall pick this year, the team wouldn’t mind adding another player to their group, which might have to come via trade.

  • Tocchet said he has worked hard to form a relationship with Ekman-Larsson over the past year. “In December, we had a really frank 30 or 40 minute talk,” said Tocchet. “I’m not a big meeting guy but we just talked about life and everything. I wanted him to have more of a voice in how we do things. What time should we have practice? Do you like the day off here? Should we travel at 2 PM? I want him to be proactive in those decisions. I want him to take responsibility and I think he understands that now that I want more from him.”
  • In the same article, Tocchet said that the addition of veteran Marcus Kruger is important due to his leadership skills. While the veteran struggled in his one year in Carolina with just six points in 48 games, Kruger did admit he played the entire year with a hernia. However, fully healed, he should give the Coyotes some grit on their fourth line. “The Chicago coaching staff loved him. I hear his hockey IQ is high and he’s a leader in the sense that he does the right things, practices hard. Since I’ve started, hockey IQ to me is bigger than I ever thought it was. When you add players with high hockey IQ, the chemistry comes quicker. He can probably help some young guys with that,” Tocchet said.

Arizona Coyotes Discussing Eight-Year Extension With Oliver Ekman-Larsson

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Many have speculated on the future of Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2019. Many pointed to the struggles of the Arizona Coyotes as a reason why the superstar defenseman would want to leave in free agency, though he has maintained all along that he loves the city and would stay if possible. Today, that possibility became a little more clear.

Craig Morgan of AZ Sports is reporting that the Coyotes are discussing an eight-year extension with Ekman-Larsson, a deal that he would be eligible to sign as early as July 1st. The contract would carry an average annual value of “slightly above $8MM,” which would be a raise on his current $5.5MM cap hit (though he is set to earn $7MM in salary next season).

One of the things that makes Ekman-Larsson such an attractive potential free agent is his youth, given that he will only turn 27 this summer. That means an eight-year deal only takes him to his mid-thirties, an age where he’ll hopefully still be effective. The fact that other teams could only offer him seven years is likely what has the defenseman interested, along with maintaining his role as the face of the franchise and helping the next wave of Coyotes prospects reach new heights.

Last summer, the team brought in several pieces that were seen as attempts to retain Ekman-Larsson. Niklas Hjalmarsson, his good friend and Swedish national team partner was acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks, while Ekman-Larsson’s younger brother Kevin was added to the Tucson Roadrunners organization.

Though there has been a lot of disappointment during his time in Arizona, there are signs that might be coming to an end. Clayton Keller broke out as a rookie and recorded 65 points, while other young players like Max Domi and Christian Dvorak put up respectable campaigns. Jakob Chychrun showed off his work ethic returning from injury and should be a big part of the defense corps for many years, while Dylan Strome is ready to explode onto the scene.

The Coyotes also hold the fifth-overall pick and will get to add another blue chip prospect to the mix this season, perhaps even one that will make an impact alongside Ekman-Larsson on the blue line in the years to come. All told, it doesn’t look as bleak in the desert as it may have a year ago.

Interestingly, there’s something to the idea that Ekman-Larsson could secure a substantially higher salary should he wait for the summer of 2019. Though teams can only offer him a seven-year deal, it’s not out of the question to think he might be able to secure an average annual value closer to $10MM. While that seems expensive given that there are only two defensemen—P.K. Subban and Brent Burns—who currently carry $8MM+ cap hits, that number will likely increase substantially in the next few years as the salary cap continues to increase. Drew Doughty and Erik Karlsson are both almost certainly going to receive more than $8MM per season when they hit free agency in 2019, and it’s not out of the question to think Ryan Ellis or Ryan McDonagh could join them depending on how the market lands and the next year plays out.

For now though it seems like Ekman-Larsson is happy to stay with the only organization he’s ever known. We won’t be able to hear about the deal officially until the summer months, but it now looks as positive as ever for the Coyotes.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Arizona Coyotes Sign David Ullstrom To One-Year Deal

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The Arizona Coyotes have signed European free agent David Ullstrom to a one-year, two-way contract. Ullstrom played this season with HV71 in the SHL, after a long stint bouncing around the KHL. The former New York Islanders forward hasn’t seen NHL action since 2012-13, but will get a chance to reinvent himself in North America next season. Coyotes GM John Chayka released a statement explaining the signing:

David is a big, strong center who is an excellent skater. He has previous NHL experience and will provide us with additional depth at the center position.

Ullstrom, 29, was first selected by the Islanders in the fourth round of the 2008 draft, and quickly made his way to the AHL. In his first season in North America he registered 41 points in 67 games and looked well on his way to making an impact at the NHL level. Unfortunately when he got there in 2011-12 that production dried up, recording just 13 points in 49 games as a part-time player across the next two seasons.

In 2013-14 he headed to the KHL, where he played for five teams across four seasons, eventually leaving for the SHL in 2017. The scoring touch seemed to return this season when he registered 30 points in 47 games, though his game had changed from the high-flying play of his youth. No longer was it just one-on-one rushes, and Ullstrom showed a willingness to pass more this time around. Perhaps that maturity to his game is what interested the Coyotes, who will hope he can prove to be a legitimate NHL player, if even in a sheltered role.

Deal Between Coyotes And Ilya Lyubushkin Not Finalized Yet

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The Wild have narrowed their search for a new general manager down to three candidates, reports Sarah McLellan of the Star-Tribune.  Paul Fenton (Nashville), Tom Fitzgerald (New Jersey), and Bill Zito (Columbus) are believed to be the ones still in the hunt for the job which takes John Ferguson Jr. and Dave Nonis, who had previously interviewed for the position, out of contention.  With Toronto promoting Kyle Dubas to their GM position on Friday, Minnesota is now the only team without one.  However, it appears that this won’t be the case for much longer as McLellan adds that the new GM should be in place by the end of the month.

More from the West:

  • While there was a report several weeks ago that the Coyotes had agreed to terms with Russian defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin, Craig Morgan of Arizona Sports reports that while the team has interest in him, no contract has been agreed upon just yet. The 24-year-old stay-at-home defender has been with Yaroslavl of the KHL since 2013-14 and would be subject to entry-level restrictions.  Morgan adds that Lyubushkin is still under contract in Russia which is something that could be delaying getting a deal officially done.
  • If the Blues wind up dealing one of their centers this summer, Jeff Gordon of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch suggests that Vladimir Sobotka is the one with the best chance of being moved. The 30-year-old has two years left on his contract at $3.5MM per season and is coming off someone of a quiet year with 31 points (11-20-31) in 81 games.  While moving Patrik Berglund ($3.85MM per year through 2021-22) would free up more long-term cap room, he was the more productive of the two and also has a modified no-trade clause while Sobotka does not have any trade protection in his contract.

Kevin Connauton To Place Priority On Playing Time In Free Agency

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Following a strong showing after being acquired at the trade deadline, the Sharks intend to try to re-sign pending unrestricted free agent winger Evander Kane this offseason, reports Paul Gackle of the Bay Area News Group.  For his part, Kane admitted that he would be open to returning but he isn’t ready to commit to anything just yet.

That won’t stop GM Doug Wilson from trying to get something done in advance, however.  He acknowledged that he intends to sit down with Kane and his agent “in the next little while”.  San Jose has plenty of cap space to work with this summer so from a financial standpoint, they should be able to be among the high bidders for his services if they want.  If the Sharks are able to re-sign him, the 2019 second-round pick they sent to Buffalo as part of the trade would instead become their 2019 first-rounder.

Elsewhere in the West:

  • Coyotes defenseman Kevin Connauton is set to become an unrestricted free agent in July and his agent, Matt Owens, told Arizona Sports’ Craig Morgan that playing time will go a long way in determining where he signs next. The 28-year-old posted a career high in goals with 11 this season but he still played a relatively sparing role, logging just over 15 minutes of ice time per game.  Oates acknowledged that there have been no discussions regarding a contract and that he is leaving it to GM John Chayka to kick-start any possible negotiations.
  • Nashville center Mike Fisher left Monday’s game due to an undisclosed injury and Thomas Willis of the Predators’ team website notes (Twitter link) that there is still no update as to the nature of the injury or how long he’ll be out. The veteran left after playing less than three minutes in total which forced the Preds to go with 11 forwards for most of the game.  If he’s unable to return, one of Miikka Salomaki or Ryan Hartman will likely draw back into the lineup.

Marcus Kruger Played 2017-18 Season With Hernia

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There is now some added context to the poor performance of recently-acquired Arizona Coyotes forward Marcus Kruger this season. Coyotes GM John Chayka revealed to TSN that Kruger played the entire 2017-18 campaign with a sports hernia. It had previously been reported that Kruger had hernia surgery last month, but the timeline of the injury had been unclear.

In speaking with TSN about the recent trade of Jordan Martinook and a fourth-round pick for Kruger and a third-rounder, Chayka expressed optimism that Kruger could return to form next season, saying “You take (the injury) into consideration… we think that’ll get the jump back in his skate and it’ll be a real useful and helpful piece to our lineup.” Kruger was not very useful or helpful to the Carolina Hurricanes this year, recording just one goal and five assists in 48 games while averaging the least ice time per game of his career. This has led many to be skeptical of Arizona’s acquisition of the veteran center – a skepticism that won’t go away, even with this news, until Kruger produces some results.

A hernia is a serious injury though and definitely impacted Kruger’s play all year. A hernia occurs when tissue pushes through the muscle wall, usually in the abdominal or groin area. The result is pain and discomfort in the area and a weakening of the muscle. In a physical, lower-body driven sport like hockey, pain and the loss of strength in the core area can absolutely attribute to a loss of ability. Montreal Canadiens prospect Jake Evans was recently diagnosed with a hernia and was given a three-month timeline to recover. Instead of undergoing such extensive rehab in-season, Kruger’s decision to play through it kept him available, but severely limited his ability. Now, he just has to hope that the decision hasn’t permanently damaged that ability.

Addition Of Kruger Could Force Richardson To Leave In Free Agency

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Arizona’s acquisition of center Marcus Kruger from Carolina on Thursday could have an impact on one of their pending unrestricted free agents.  Craig Morgan of Arizona Sports suggests that Kruger could push fellow pivot Brad Richardson to the open market.  While GM John Chayka wouldn’t confirm that, he did acknowledge that Kruger has “a similar type of profile” to Richardson and that they wanted to make sure they could get a player like that if one became available.  Richardson recorded 15 points in 76 games this season while posting a 52.1% success rate at the faceoff dot but also had a career-low shooting percentage at just 2.9%.

Elsewhere around the league:

  • Brian Gionta’s inclusion in Game Four for Boston against the Lightning could have some implications beyond this season. CapFriendly notes (Twitter link) that because he played in one game this round, he’s eligible for a $50K performance bonus if the Bruins win the series.  They finished with just over $100K in cap space at the end of the season per CapFriendly and that amount is before any performance bonuses get added in.  If Boston does indeed go over the Upper Limit due to bonuses, any overage would be deducted from their cap room for 2018-19.
  • Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski underwent shoulder surgery yesterday and he may not be the only one going under the knife. GM Jarmo Kekalainen told Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (subscription required) that at least two others could be facing surgeries in the weeks to come although he wouldn’t specify which players are in that situation.  In the meantime, they’re resting in the hopes that doing so will be enough to avoid going the surgical route.  If that doesn’t work, Werenski may not be the only player whose status heading into the start of next season could be in question.

Snapshots: Koskinen, Francouz, Kruger, Martinook

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The excitement of the Edmonton Oilers’ signing of KHL goaltender Mikko Koskinen wore off quickly. As The Athletic’s Jonathan Willis points out, Koskinen’s $2.5MM cap hit on his one-year deal now looks like a major over-payment compared to a more recent deal for an import goalie. When the Colorado Avalanche signed Pavel Francouz yesterday, they got a better goalie for considerably less. Francouz’s deal with the Avs is also for one year, but for just $690K. Yet, Francouz was the best keeper in the KHL this year with a .946 save percentage and 1.80 GAA in 35 appearances for Traktor Chelyabinsk. With no disrespect to Koskinen, who was very good as well, the new Oiler had a .937 save percentage and split time with young Igor Shestyorkin, playing in just 29 games, yet will make more than triple what Francouz does next season. In fairness, Koskinen did have superior GAA this year (1.57) and has a small amount of NHL experience, but that does not totally make up for the $1.81MM difference between the two contracts. To add another layer, Francouz is also a younger and more athletic goalie than Koskinen and likely has a brighter long-term future in the NHL. Admittedly, the Oilers signed Koskinen first, so this could me more of a case of Colorado GM Joe Sakic getting his man for below-market value, but it seems more likely that it goes along with the trend of Edmonton GM Peter Chiarelli setting his sights on a player and not considering fair value or alternative options. Past results of these decisions have not worked out well for the Oilers, but we will have to wait for next season to see how the Koskinen signing pans out.

  • In digging deeper into another recent transaction, today’s Marcus Kruger–Jordan Martinook trade has some scratching their heads. Given the team is currently operating without a GM, it is truly impressive that the Carolina Hurricanes seemingly came out on top in this deal in all aspects. Not only was Kruger available to the Arizona Coyotes for free earlier this year, but they gave up Martinook to get Kruger, who is much like a younger, better version of Kruger. The two forwards are both known for their two-way ability, but Martinook has 64 points in 239 games over the last three seasons compared to Kruger’s 44 points in 247 games over the past four years combined. At nearly 28 years old, Kruger’s career high in points is 28 with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2013-14 and he has never recorded double-digit goals, while the 25-year-old Martinook reached his career best of 25 points just last year, including 11 goals. Martinook has just as many 20+ point seasons as Kruger in only three full NHL seasons exclusively playing for the lowly Coyotes, while Kruger has spent almost his entire career with the dynastic Blackhawks. Defensively, Kruger does have the advantage of being a natural center who does well at the dot most years and is a positive possession player, but Martinook is far more physical and great along the boards, not to mention he has been the Coyotes’ best takeaways man since entering the league. Unlike past deals where the Coyotes took on a bad contract from another team in exchange for draft capital or prospects, Martinook will actually make less in salary than Kruger next season and even with the Hurricanes’ retention of a tenth of Kruger’s deal, the money essentially cancels out. So why make this deal? Arizona GM John Chayka must have a good reason, but on its face the only benefit to the Coyotes is a jump of 20-odd draft slots this June from the top of the fourth round to the middle of the third round.

Carolina Hurricanes Trade Marcus Kruger To Arizona Coyotes

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Though it’s not often you see a trade go down during the playoffs, the Carolina Hurricanes have traded Marcus Kruger and a 2018 third-round pick to the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for Jordan Martinook and a 2018 fourth-round pick. Carolina will also retain 10% of Kruger’s salary in 2018-19.

There are a few things to break down in this trade, not the least of which being that the Hurricanes made the deal despite not having a GM in place. While owner Thomas Dundon continues to search for the next person to lead his hockey club, Don Waddell is operating as interim GM, along with help from his old friend Rick Dudley who was hired recently.

The second is that the Hurricanes won’t really be saving much salary in the swap. Though Kruger carries a $3.08MM cap hit, the actual salary owed to him next season is just $2.3MM. Martinook himself is set to earn $1.8MM, and with the added 10% the two notoriously cheap teams come off spending about the same amount. Instead, from Carolina’s point of view this deal seems to be ridding themselves of a forward that they had no plans on using next season. After all, Kruger had already cleared waivers earlier this season.

That fact is another interesting thing to note in the deal, as Kruger was available to any team earlier this year when the Hurricanes waived and then sent him to the minor leagues. The 27-year old center ended up playing just 48 games for Carolina, scoring six points in the process and generally being ineffective. Some of that might have to do with the hernia that Craig Morgan of AZ Sports reports he recently had surgery on, which had been “nagging him a while.”

If Kruger can return to the 25-point depth center that he once was in Chicago, the Coyotes will have a useful player on their hands that can help the penalty kill and add some experience. If he can’t find that level, they still move their draft pick up a round in exchange for Martinook, who may have not had role with the team next season anyway.

In all, this is a swap of two contracts that didn’t have much of a future in their previous organizations. Perhaps Kruger can find his game again in Arizona alongside former teammate Niklas Hjalmarsson, and maybe Martinook can be a useful depth player. We’ll have to wait to see how the rest of the offseason shakes out to really see what each team had planned.

Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet was first to break the trade.

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