Tobias Rieder Agrees To Terms With Arizona
One down, six to go.
The Arizona Coyotes and restricted free agent Tobias Rieder have agreed on a two-year, $4.45MM contract, according to Elliotte Friedman. The contract will pay Rieder $2MM this season and $2.45MM in 2017-18.
Rieder scored 14 goals and 37 points in 82 games last season. He’s developed nicely for a fourth round pick, growing into a dependable two-way top-nine forward with upside.
We reported earlier today that Friedman believed Rieder was close to publicly asking for a trade after several months of tough negotiations. Rieder’s agent had also recently stated he believed a trade would be in both sides’s best interest.
The Coyotes acquired Rieder from the Edmonton Oilers back in 2013 for fellow 2011-fourth round pick Kale Kessy. The Oilers did not qualify Kessy this summer; he’ll suit up for the ECHL’s Tulsa Oilers this season.
There are now six high-profile RFAs remaining on the market: Hampus Lindholm and Rickard Rakell in Anaheim, Rasmus Ristolainen in Buffalo, Johnny Gaudreau in Calgary, Nikita Kucherov in Tampa Bay, and Jacob Trouba in Winnipeg.
Training Camp Cuts: 10/2/16
The cuts continue to roll in, with several teams reducing their rosters by massive amounts as the regular season draws closer. Here are today’s cuts thus far:
Arizona Coyotes (Via AHL Team Release)
C Zach Boychuk (released from PTO)
LW Michael Bunting (assigned to Tuscon, AHL)
RW Craig Cunningham (assigned to Tuscon, AHL)
RW Conor Garland (assigned to Tuscon, AHL)
C Tyler Gaudet (assigned to Tuscon, AHL)
D Justin Hache (assigned to Tuscon, AHL)
G Adin Hill (assigned to Tuscon, AHL)
C Ryan MacInnis (assigned to Tuscon, AHL)
G Marek Langhamer (assigned to Tuscon, AHL)
D Dysin Mayo (assigned to Tuscon, AHL)
C Chris Mueller (assigned to Tuscon, AHL)
LW Brendan Perlini (assigned to Tuscon, AHL)
LW Garret Ross (assigned to Tuscon, AHL)
RW Henrik Samuelsson (assigned to Tuscon, AHL)
LW Eric Selleck (assigned to Tuscon, AHL)
D Kyle Wood (assigned to Tuscon, AHL)
Boston Bruins (Via Team Release)
D Linus Arnesson (assigned to Providence, AHL)
D Josh Atkinson (released to Providence, AHL)
LW Anton Blidh (assigned to Providence, AHL)
D Chris Breen (released to Providence, AHL)
D Chris Casto (waivers -> Providence, AHL)
C Colby Cave (assigned to Providence, AHL)
RW Peter Cehlarik (assigned to Providence, AHL)
D Tommy Cross (waivers -> Providence, AHL)
LW Jesse Gabrielle (returned to Prince George, WHL)
G Matt Ginn (released to Providence, AHL)
D Alex Grant (waivers -> Providence, AHL)
D Matt Grzelcyk (assigned to Providence, AHL)
LW Colton Hargrove (assigned to Providence, AHL)
RW Justin Hickman (assigned to Providence, AHL)
D Jeremy Lauzon (returned to Rouyn-Noranda, QMJHL)
G Zane McIntyre (assigned to Providence, AHL)
RW Peter Mueller (released from PTO)
F Mark Naclerio (released to Providence, AHL)
D Alex Roach (released to Providence, AHL)
RW Zach Senyshyn (returned to Sault Ste. Marie, OHL)
G Dan Vladar (assigned to Providence, AHL)
F A.J. White (released to Providence, AHL)
D Jakub Zboril (returned to Saint John, QMJHL)
Calgary Flames (Via Wes Gilbertson)
C Luke Adam (released from PTO)
D Rasmus Andersson (assigned to Stockton, AHL)
F Austin Carroll (assigned to Stockton, AHL)
D Roman Dyukov (assigned to Stockton, AHL)
LW Ryan Lomberg (assigned to Stockton, AHL)
LW Andrew Mangiapane (assigned to Stockton, AHL)
G Tyler Parsons (returned to London, OHL)
RW Hunter Smith (assigned to Stockton, AHL)
Montreal Canadiens
[reported earlier]
Tampa Bay Lightning
[reported earlier]
Injury Updates: September 29, 2016
Many players are nursing off-season, World Cup, or training camp injuries as we get closer to Opening Night. Below are today’s updates for injured players in camp:
- Arizona Coyotes defenseman Kevin Connauton‘s recovery timeline remains the same, reports AZ Central’s Sarah McLellan, but he has been skating on his own throughout the recovery period. Connauton suffered a lower body injury during an informal skate early this month before training camp started. The Coyotes do not see the defenseman missing much time despite failing his physical.
- Arizona Coyotes defenseman Michael Stone is still recovering from surgery in April that repaired his left ACL and MCL. Stone has not been cleared to practice yet, and will most likely miss the season opener. According to Sarah McLellan, Stone is at home with his wife as they are expecting twins soon.
- Ottawa Senators forward Clarke MacArthur continues to rehab following a concussion sustained in a training camp scrimmage on September 25. MacArthur has a history of concussions, suffering four of them over an 18 month period, including one that sidelined him for most of last season. Despite concerns, however, reports indicate that MacArther does not plan on retiring.
- Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Mark Alt is out indefinitely with an upper body injury suffered in camp. Alt scored 4G and 15A in 72 games for the Flyers’ AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
Roster Crunch: Arizona’s Defense Corps
With training camps well underway, there are plenty of interesting battles for roster spots throughout the league. One of the more intriguing ones is happening in Arizona as the Coyotes now find themselves with a plethora of defensemen battling for a spot on their back end. Here’s a closer look at their blueline battle.
Locks
Oliver Ekman-Larsson – He is undoubtedly their number one defenseman and will be used in all situations. He’s also on a cap friendly deal for a top rearguard coming in with an AAV of just $5.5MM for the next three years.
Alex Goligoski – New GM John Chayka wasted little time with the former Dallas Star. He acquired his negotiating rights and quickly inked him to a five year, $27.375MM contract to be another anchor for their back end.
Connor Murphy – The former first rounder has seen his ice time increase each season and he surpassed the 20 minute average last year. He also signed a long-term deal this offseason, getting an average of $3.85MM over the next six years.
Zbynek Michalek – After rejoining the Coyotes last offseason, Michalek spent most of the year in a third pairing role, one he’s likely to reprise this season. While he could potentially be deemed expendable, he carries a cap hit of $3.2MM which may be difficult to unload in the current market and it’s unlikely that they would bury his contract in the minors given their status as a low-budget team.
Luke Schenn – Chayka brought the 26 year old in on a two year deal this offseason with a decent value at $1.25MM per year. While he projects as a third pairing player, it’s unlikely he’s going to get pushed off the roster so quickly after signing with the team.
Michael Stone – Stone had a career year last season and spent a lot of time on Arizona’s top pairing. While he may not have as big of a role this year, he’s a sure fire bet to start in their top four.
That’s six blueliners that are pretty much locks to start the season with the Coyotes, leaving them one or two (at most) spots to fill from a group of six other defensemen who could conceivably make a run at one of those positions.
Training Camp Cuts: 9/29/16
There were more training camp cuts today as teams continue to pare down their rosters. Here is today’s list of players that have been cut so far and where they have been assigned to:
Anaheim Ducks (Via Team Release)
D Josh Mahura (Red Deer, WHL)
RW Deven Sideroff (Kamloops, WHL)
C Tyler Soy (Victoria, WHL)
C Sam Steel (Regina, WHL)
Arizona Coyotes (Via Team Release)
D Brandon Burlon (Tuscon, AHL)
C Mark Olver (Tuscon, AHL)
C Matia Marcantuoni (Tuscon, AHL)
Carolina Hurricanes (Via Team Release)
C Janne Kuokkanen (London, OHL)
C Nicolas Roy (Chicoutimi, QMJHL)
Rieder’s Agent Wants Client Traded
The Arizona Coyotes have played hardball with their restricted free agent (RFA) Tobias Rieder all off-season, and now it appears that the two sides won’t be coming to an agreement.
In an email to Craig Morgan of ArizonaSports.com, Rieder’s agent Darren Ferris said the young winger is “really disappointed” with the team, adding he thinks “it would be best for both parties if they just traded him.”
As Pro Hockey Rumors reported earlier today, Rieder is looking for a two-year, $5MM contract, while the Coyotes won’t budge from their two-year, $4.4MM offer. Ferris called the team’s lack of negotiation “unfortunate.”
Coyotes GM John Chayka said the team was originally interested in signing Rieder long-term, but the two sides couldn’t establish any common ground so they moved on to a bridge deal. Chayka told Morgan there isn’t a lot of “wiggle-room or creativity involved” when limited to comparables. The new GM insists Rieder will not be traded. If that’s the case and the two sides cannot come to terms, then the KHL is likely Rieder’s next option. Ferris said they have received a couple of offers from clubs in the KHL, which he will turn his attention to in the coming week.
Rieder is currently in Toronto, where he’s suiting up for Team Europe in the World Cup of Hockey Finals versus Canada. Coyotes head coach and executive VP of hockey operations Dave Tippett was also taking part as an assistant coach for Team North America. Morgan reports the two men had dinner together earlier in the tournament, but could not make any progress on a deal.
The 23-year-old Rieder scored 14 goals and 37 points in 82 games last season.
RFA Notes
It’s been an unusual off-season in the NHL, with seven high profile Restricted Free Agents (RFAs) remaining a week into training camp. Compared to last off-season, when teams moved quickly to sign or trade players to avoid the threat of offer sheets.
In a series of tweets, TSN’s Bob McKenzie sent out the latest in negotiations from across the league.
Anaheim Ducks – Hampus Lindholm and Rickard Rakell – The Ducks are using Morgan Rielly and Seth Jones as comparable contracts, while Lindholm’s camp is pointing to Aaron Ekblad‘s $7.5MM AAV. McKenzie clarifies that Lindholm isn’t asking for $7.5MM, more in the $6MM-plus range. McKenzie hasn’t been able to determine the range of numbers from the Rakell negotiations yet.
Arizona Coyotes – Tobias Rieder – The two sides are less than $500K apart. Rieder is currently looking for two years at $2.5MM per season, while the Coyotes aren’t budging on their offer of two years in the low $2MM range. Rieder does have KHL offers to consider, or McKenzie suggests he could ask for a trade or hold out.
Buffalo Sabres – Rasmus Ristolainen – The Sabres and Ristolainen are in the same situation as the Ducks and Lindholm, according to McKenzie. The two sides are at least $1MM apart, with each side standing firm with their comparables.
Calgary Flames – Johnny Gaudreau – This is likely the most fascinating case, as Gaudreau isn’t technically an RFA because he falls under the 10.2(c) CBA clause. Because Gaudreau hasn’t accrued three years experience, he isn’t eligible for an offer sheet and therefore has basically no power, other than holding out. McKenzie believes the Flames want Gaudreau to sign in the same range as Sean Monahan (six-years, $6.375MM per) and no higher than captain Mark Giordano ($6.75MM per), while Gauderau is looking for more than $8MM per season. The two sides have not negotiated recently, according to McKenzie, who called the situation “bit of a Cold War”.
Tampa Bay Lightning – Nikita Kucherov – If not Gaudreau, then Kucherov is definitely the most complex RFA situation due to the Lightning’s cap issues. While Kucherov has a long list of comparable contracts in the six-year, $36MM range, that’s not possible in the Lightning’s current state. They’ll need to move someone to accommodate another $6MM; McKenzie believes Ben Bishop will be traded sometime this season, but expects he’ll start the season in Tampa.
Winnipeg Jets – Jacob Trouba – There has been plenty of digital ink spilled on Trouba‘s trade request, but the only new information from McKenzie was that Trouba is not interested in signing an offer sheet, because the Jets would not be allowed to trade him for a calendar year, should they match. That defeats the purpose of wanting to be traded.
It is still early in the season, but there is a firm deadline coming up: December 1st. Should an RFA not be signed by then, then he will be ineligible to play for the remainder of the season.
This is likely only a consideration for Trouba, with the Jets’ habit of slow-playing trade requests and waiting out poor trade offers.
Training Camp Cuts: 09.28.16
We’re now nearly a week into training camps, and with the first few exhibition games played, expect to see more rounds of cuts as teams narrow down roster hopefuls.
Here are the cuts for today:
New York Islanders (per team Twitter account):
D David Quenneville (to Medicine Hat, WHL)
D Mitchell Vande Sompel (to Oshawa, OHL)
D Parker Wotherspoon (to Tri-City, WHL)
Philadelphia Flyers (per Dave Issac):
G Mark Dekanich (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
C Chris McCarthy (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Maxim Lamarche (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
G Martin Ouellette (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Jesper Pettersson (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
RW Steve Swavely (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
C Kevin Sundher (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
Pittsburgh Penguins (per team release):
F James McEwan (to Guelph, OHL)
D Brandon Crawley (to London, OHL)
D Connor Hall (to Kitchener, OHL)
St. Louis Blues (per Jeremy Rutherford)
F Jordan Kyrou (to Sarnia, OHL)
F Filip Helt (to Sarnia, OHL)
F Adam Musil (to Red Deer, WHL)
Ottawa Senators (per team release):
D Maxime Lajoie (to Swift Current, WHL)
F Logan Brown (to Windsor, OHL)
F Filip Chlapik (to Charlottetown, QMJHL)
Minnesota Wild (per team Twitter):
D Gustav Bouramman (to Sault Ste. Marie, OHL)
Arizona Coyotes (per team release):
D Kyle Capobianco (to Sudbury, OHL)
D Cam Dineen (to North Bay, OHL)
C Lane Pederson (to Swift Current, WHL)
D Jalen Smereck (to Oshawa, OHL)
Edmonton Oilers (per team Twitter):
D Ben Betker (to Bakersfield, AHL)
RW Greg Chase (to Bakersfield, AHL)
LW Braden Christoffer (to Bakersfield, AHL)
C Josh Currie (AHL contract, assigned to Bakersfield, AHL)
LW Ryan Hamilton (AHL contract, assigned to Bakersfield, AHL)
C Kyle Platzer (to Bakersfield, AHL)
RW Patrick Russell (to Bakersfield, AHL)
C Ryan Vesce (released from PTO)
Vancouver Canucks (per team news release)
LW Darren Archibald (AHL contract, assigned to Utica, AHL)
G Kevin Carr (released from PTO, invited to Utica, AHL)
C Cole Cassels (assigned to Utica, AHL)
LW Derek Hulak (assigned to Utica, AHL)
LW Yan-Pavel Laplante (assigned to Utica, AHL)
D Evan McEneny (assigned to Utica, AHL)
LW Danny Moynihan (released from PTO, invited to Utica, AHL)
D John Negrin (AHL contract, assigned to Utica, AHL)
C Marc-Olivier Roy (released from PTO, invited to Utica, AHL)
D Mackenze Stewart (assigned to Utica, AHL)
C Curtis Valk (AHL contract, assigned to Utica, AHL)
Calgary Flames (per team release)
C Mikkel Aagaard (assigned to Stockton, AHL)
C Mike Angelidis (assigned to Stockton, AHL)
C Matt Bailey (assigned to Stockton, AHL)
D Riley Bruce (assigned to North Bay, OHL)
LW Jamie Devane (assigned to Stockton, AHL)
C Dillon Dubé (assigned to Kelowna, WHL)
D Stepan Falkovsky (assigned to Stockton, AHL)
D Keegan Kanzig (assigned to Stockton, AHL)
G Mason McDonald (assigned to Stockton, AHL)
C Brett Pollock (assigned to Stockton, AHL)
RW Eetu Tuulola (assigned to Everett, WHL)
Columbus Blue Jackets (per Aaron Portzline)
RW Vitali Abramov (assigned to Gatineau, QMJHL)
LW Francis Beauvillier (released from tryout)
G Jeremy Brodeur (released from tryout)
D Stephen Gibson (released from tryout)
D Sam Ruopp (assigned to Prince George, WHL)
RW Kole Sherwood (assigned to London, OHL)
LW Calvin Thurkauf (assigned to Kelowna, WHL)
Montreal Canadiens (via team Twitter)
RW Giovanni Fiore (assigned to Cape Breton, QMJHL)
Theo Peckham Signs With ECHL Rapid City Rush
Former Edmonton Oilers defenseman Theo Peckham signed an ECHL deal with the Rapid City Rush. Rapid City is the ECHL affiliate for the Arizona Coyotes and AHL Tuscon Roadrunners. Peckham last played in the NHL in 2012-13 for the Edmonton Oilers.
Peckham started out as the 75th selection in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, but could not hold a roster position in Edmonton. He bounced between the NHL club and its AHL affiliate the Springfield Falcons before finally playing a full season in Edmonton in 2010-11. There he scored 3G and 10A in 71 games, and racked up an impressive 198 PIM.
Since then, the hard-nosed defenseman has played in the AHL, ECHL, Slovakia, and Denmark before returning to the ECHL Wichita Thunder last season. The season did not go as expected as Peckham did not register a point in 16 games.
‘Yotes Notes: Rieder, Camp Cuts, OEL
Sarah McLellan of AZCentral gives us a number of interesting tidbits from the Arizona Coyotes training camp, including one from Tobias Rieder‘s agent Darren Ferris. The restricted free agent remains unsigned, and Ferris says that he will not report to camp without a deal.
Rieder is currently at the World Cup as part of the Cinderella Team Europe, but will not report after the tournament ends. There has been much discussion this offseason, though a deal does not seem close. Rieder scored 14 goals and 37 points last season, but has considered a move to the KHL if something cannot be worked out with the Coyotes.
- In an expected move, the Coyotes have trimmed their roster at training camp, releasing Austin Lotz, Olivier LeBlanc and MacKenzie Braid. Head coach Dave Tippet says there will be more cuts on Wednesday and next weekend. Braid is the son of the Coyotes skating coach Dawn Braid, and had only been brought to camp a few days ago out of Wilfred Laurier University in Ontario.
- Oliver Ekman-Larsson of the recently eliminated Swedish World Cup team, will not be travelling back to the club today, and isn’t expected to get into an exhibition game until sometime next week. Larsson is set to begin his seventh season with the club, despite only being 25 years old. After back to back twenty-goal seasons from the back end, ‘OEL’ is one of the most dangerous weapons on any team’s blueline, and is set to become a free agent after the 2018-19 season (when he’ll still only be 27, at least for a few more days).