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Brock Boeser, Vancouver Canucks To Discuss Extension Next Week

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Though a ton of the focus in Vancouver this offseason has been on the somewhat odd additions they made in free agency, or the performance of top draft pick Quinn Hughes at the World Junior Summer Showcase, there is still plenty of work to be done to keep the organization on the tracks of their rebuild. One of those things is negotiating an extension with star forward Brock Boeser, who is already heading into the final year of his entry-level contract despite having just one full season under his belt in professional hockey.

Since Boeser was already 20 when he signed his first contract out of the University of North Dakota, he burned the first year of his ELC in just those nine games at the end of the 2016-17 season. He’s been eligible to sign an extension since July 1st, and according to Ben Kuzma of The Province the two sides had preliminary discussions last month. They also plan on talking again next week, though GM Jim Benning isn’t putting a deadline on anything:

We haven’t got down to talking term. We plan to circle back and I’m not sure where it’s going to go, but we want to see if we can get somewhere. There’s no time frame on it.

Brock is going to see the best matchup line and best defensive pair, but I don’t expect a drop-off. He has pushed himself hard to pick up where he left off and there are other contracts coming up in the league in the next six months that could drive up the price — I understand that part of it.

Benning is right about the fact that there are several potential extensions coming up around the league that could change the price tag for Boeser. Though he likely won’t quite match up with the mega contracts that Auston Matthews and Patrik Laine are headed for in their negotiations, there is a big group of other players that find themselves in a similar situation to Boeser after performing well early in their careers. Kyle Connor, Sebastian Aho, Matthew Tkachuk, Mikko Rantanen and Mitch Marner are all wingers who have found incredible success in their first few seasons, and are scheduled for restricted free agency in 2019.

All of them will be looking at other contracts signed by players like David Pastrnak, Nikolaj Ehlers and soon William Nylander as potential starting points but could eclipse the $6-7MM range that each of those players will fall into. Boeser could be the same, especially if he can prove he’s back to full health and can get back on a 40-goal pace to start the season.

There is little worry here that the two sides won’t be able to eventually come to some agreement, but the question is will the Canucks get any sort of discount by betting on Boeser before he’s shown his ability for a second season. With added pressure and tougher defensive matchups, there is always a real possibility that his numbers decline this season. Boeser did after all shoot 16.2% in 2017-18, though the eye test would lead you to believe that he’ll post above-average shooting percentages for his entire career. If that number drops significantly though, the Canucks might be able to parlay a down year into a better deal for themselves. The two sides are in a game of poker at the moment, wondering when to push all their chips to the middle. Whether that happens this summer or much further down the road still is yet to be seen.

Dean Lombardi Connected To Vancouver Canucks

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Friday: Friedman cleared things up today when he reported that Lombardi, who has been working with the Philadelphia Flyers under GM Ron Hextall, recently signed a three-year deal and is committed to his current organization. Lombardi will not be the next team president for Vancouver, a position that might not even be filled by anyone given Benning’s recent comments.

Thursday: The Vancouver Canucks made a big splash yesterday when they announced that they had parted ways with team president Trevor Linden, and immediately speculation has exploded about who could potentially replace the outgoing executive. Brian Burke was asked on Sportsnet radio if he’d be interested, given his past ties to the organization, but responded that isn’t a possibility. Instead, another experienced option has surfaced today as Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet has heard Dean Lombardi’s name as a “serious contender” for the vacancy. Lombardi was fired by the Los Angeles Kings just over a year ago, but has a long history of success in the NHL including two Stanley Cup championships.

It’s not clear if the Canucks would quickly move to hire a replacement for Linden, but Lombardi certainly has his supporters around the league. Jim Benning is still currently operating as the GM of Vancouver while taking on the responsibilities of team president, but there’s no guarantee he would stay on if a different executive was brought in above him. As we saw with the recent hiring of Lou Lamoriello with the New York Islanders, new management often wants to clean house when they inherit a franchise.

The Canucks have built quite the pool of prospects over the last few years, but made some head-scratching moves this summer when they handed out multi-year contracts to depth players like Antoine Roussel, Jay Beagle and Tim Schaller. While all three bring a certain style of play that Vancouver may have been lacking, it’s surprising that the first two were able to secure four-year contacts from anyone given their limited upside—not to mention the modified no-trade clauses they both received. There is plenty to be excited about in Vancouver though, as Brock Boeser is one of the league’s top young players and others like Elias Pettersson, Adam Gaudette, Olli Juolevi and Quinn Hughes will soon be making their marks.

Bringing in a new voice is always risky, but Vancouver could be simply trying to insulate Benning from some of the more high-level franchise decisions and allow him focus on the on-ice product and scouting the next generation of Canucks’ players. The organization needs to find some success at some point, after missing the playoffs in five of the last six seasons and not winning a playoff round since 2013.

Pacific Notes: Canucks, Campbell, Hathaway

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The situation in Vancouver surrounding the sudden resignation of President Trevor Linden continues to be murky at best. Francesco Aquilini and the ownership continue to avoid prying questions, while GM Jim Benning and coach Travis Green continue to be on the hot seat instead. Many would like to know what led to the departure of a young executive with deep loyalties to the organization, but answers have been few and far in between. Mike Johnson of Sportsnet talked to Benning and Green, but found out little. Benning spoke highly of Linden, but said “I don’t know all the reasons why (he resigned) and it’s not my place to comment on it.” Johnson suggests, as many have, that Linden’s departure may not have been as independent as it appears and that he may have been forced out due to conflicts with the ownership. For his part, Benning says that he never noticed any discourse and says that nothing has changed about the team’s vision and direction. Green added that he thought the best of Linden, but that his departure won’t change the organizations game plan. However, that could change and so could the dynamic of the team’s front office. Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre reports that Benning has been told that the Canucks are not searching for a replacement for Linden, implying that Benning would absorb some of the responsibilities that he has been given already in Linden’s absence. However, that directly contradicts another report that former Los Angeles Kings GM Dean Lombardi has already been connected to the vacancy. It seems that there is still a lot to be revealed about both the past and future conditions of Vancouver’s leadership.

  • The Athletic’s Lisa Dillman wonders if Los Angeles Kings backup goalie Jack Campbell will be the second coming of Martin Jones for the team. Campbell, who endured a bust label for years as a Dallas Stars first-round pick in 2011 who struggled to find success early on as a pro, finally looked like a legitimate NHL goaltender in five appearances with the Kings last season in his second year since being traded away by Dallas. Campbell started four games and made one relief appearance, posting a save percentage of .924 and a goal against average of 2.48 and also played well in the AHL. Dillman reports that this performance has L.A. expecting Campbell to be the primary backup to Jonathan Quick next season, despite the presence of veteran Peter Budaj and promising prospect Cal Petersen. The Kings hope that by committing to the young keeper that they could end up with another reliable asset like Jones. Jones also struggled to stick out in his early pro seasons, albeit as an undrafted free agent, before putting up stunning numbers as Quick’s backup for two seasons once he was given a real shot. The Kings have Campbell locked up for two more years – and Quick for five – so they would love to get a repeat performance of Jones, with Campbell providing elite play as the backup until the point that they can trade him away. This time they just hope that he won’t get flipped back into the division like the Boston Bruins did with Jones, who now frustrates the Kings on a regular basis as the starter for the San Jose Sharks.
  • The Calgary Flames received the salary arbitration award for defenseman Brett Kulak on Wednesday and also agreed to terms on extensions with forward Mark Jankowski and goalie David Rittich in the past 48 hours, avoiding arbitration, yet they still aren’t done. The next scheduled arbitration hearing is none other than another Flame: forward Garnet Hathaway. Hathaway and his side are set to sit down with Calgary and an arbitrator on Monday if nothing can be agreed upon by then. With the Flames preoccupied working out three other contracts over the past two days, it would be no surprise if the two sides at least exchange briefs and filing numbers over the next day or two which could perhaps speed up negotiations. Hathaway played in only 59 games with Calgary last season and has less than 100 NHL games total to date, so it would be a surprise to see the fourth liner actually go through the arbitration process without a deal. However, most would have made a similar argument about Kulak, whose case was actually farther apart in terms of perceived value than many would have thought given his somewhat minor role. Garnet could be the same way, as their has been little talk of an agreement, and the Flames could be destined for yet another hearing.

Vancouver Canucks Extend Darren Archibald

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A fan-favorite enforcer is staying in Vancouver. The Canucks announced this evening that they have re-signed forward Darren Archibald to a one-year, two-way contract extension. The Province’s Ben Kuzma reports that the deal is worth the minimum $650K at the NHL level.

Archibald made headlines this past season when the Canucks rewarded his hard work and leadership at the AHL level by giving him an NHL contract and promoting him to Vancouver. Archibald had previously played in the NHL for the Canucks in 2013-14, but was midway through his third season on a minor league deal with the organization when he was called up last year.

The 28-year-old winger is 6’3″ and 209 lbs. and know first and foremost for his physical style and checking game, but he also recorded a career-high 47 points in 76 games with the AHL’s Utica Comets in 2016-17 and managed to post nine points in 27 games down the stretch for Vancouver last season. While the team appreciates his work ethic, experience, and defensive presence on the ice, he is also capable of modest offense as well. Vancouver GM Jim Benning called Archibald “a big, physical forward who has been a good professional throughout his career” with a “terrific work ethic that our younger players can follow” in the team’s press release.

Vancouver continues to focus on adding hard-working, hard-nosed two-way forwards this season, as Archibald’s extension was preceded by a trio of free agency additions on July 1st that play a similar style: Jay Beagle, Antoine Roussel, and Tim Schaller. 

Sven Baertschi Signs Three-Year Contract With Vancouver Canucks

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The Vancouver Canucks have signed restricted free agent Sven Baertschi to a three-year contract that carries an average annual value of $3.367MM. Baertschi, 25, will be eligible for unrestricted free agency at the end of the deal. GM Jim Benning included a statement regarding his young winger along with the press release:

We’re very pleased to sign Sven to an extension. He’s a talented offensive player. We look forward to seeing Sven further develop his complete game and become a consistent contributor to our success.

Tim Schaller Signs With Vancouver Canucks

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The Vancouver Canucks have added some bottom-six players in Antoine Roussel and Jay Beagle already, and now will continue that trend with a deal for Tim Schaller. The former Boston Bruins forward has inked a two-year, $3.8MM contract with the Canucks. GM Jim Benning released a statement regarding his newest forward:

Tim adds size to our forward group and can play throughout our line-up. He’s responsible defensively and last year showed he can make regular offensive contributions as well. We’re excited to welcome him to the Vancouver Canucks.

Schaller provides the Canucks with both size (he’s 6-foot-2, 210 pounds) and penalty killing skills as he led all Bruins in short-handed time on the ice. While he’s versatile, he primarily played left wing for the Bruins on their fourth line, but has the versatility to move to center if needed. Schaller signed a two-year deal with the Boston Bruins last season and thrived there, most especially this season when he played in all 82 games this season, totaling a career-high 12 goals and 22 points.

Canucks Sign Jay Beagle And Antoine Roussel

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The Vancouver Canucks have decided to add some veteran leadership to the bottom-six, signing  Antoine Roussel and Jay Beagle to matching four-year, $12MM contracts. The pair will carry an average annual value of $3MM each, while both will get some level of trade protection.

Roussel, 28, recorded five goals and twelves assists in 73 games last year for the Dallas Stars, though he totaled 25+ points in each of the four seasons prior. Beagle, 32, if fresh off of a Stanley Cup title with the Washington Capitals and remains one of the top face-off men in the league and set a career-high with 30 points a year ago.

Vancouver GM Jim Benning is clearly investing in bottom-six experience and two-way ability, targeting both players and doing whatever took to bring them in. Both players drew ample attention and the Canucks reportedly had to beat out competitors in a tight bidding war for each contract.

Free Agent Rumor Round-Up: Roussel, Calvert, Hickey, Rieder, Perron, And More

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The Vancouver Canucks are closing in on an agreement with one of their top free agent targets. After Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman revealed that the Canucks were talking to two-way winger Antoine Roussel, colleague Rick Dhaliwal did some digging and discovered that the two sides were close on a long-term deal. Dhaliwal expects Roussel to sign a four-year deal worth more than $3MM per year with Vancouver. The former Dallas Stars brings grit and energy to the Canucks and has previously teased 30+ point potential. If the 28-year-old Frenchman can reach those levels of production while maintaining his notorious physical game, this could be a great signing by GM Jim Benning. However, it is well above what many would have expected Roussel to sign in both term and salary and could just as well be a disaster for Vancouver. Roussel is ranked 38th on PHR’s Top 50 Free Agents list with an estimated contract of two years and just over $2MM AAV.

[RELATED: PHR’s 2018 Top 50 NHL Unrestricted Free Agents]

  • Friedman has also linked the Colorado Avalanche and forward Matt Calvert. TSN’s Darren Dreger is among a few sources who have also heard about that pairing. Calvert, 28, has played his entire career for the Columbus Blue Jackets, but Dreger seems convinced that he is definitely on the move. The versatile, two-way winger would be a nice fit as a bottom-six regular who can fill gaps in the top-six, much like the role that Blake Comeau played for the team.
  • Dreger also reports that interest is high in defenseman Thomas Hickey. A shallow defense market is likely boosting the value of the serviceable defenseman, who is a tough defensive match-up and a dangerous off-the-puck play-maker, but prone to mistake when moving play. Many speculated that the Islanders would turn their attention to re-signing Hickey once the John Tavares situation had sorted itself out, but with Tavares dragging his feet and Hickey in talks with numerous teams, New York may not get that chance. We predicted that Hickey would land with the Montreal Canadiens on a multi-year deal in PHR’s Top 50 Free Agents list.
  • Another player getting a lot of attention is winger Tobias Rieder and the status of his suitors is changing quickly as the price rises. Just earlier today, the Vancouver Canucks were the first team confirmed to be in on Rieder and by now that list has increased dramatically. TSN’s Ryan Rishaug reports that the Calgary Flames, Montreal Canadiens, and Ottawa Senators are also in the running and that the price has gotten so high as to drive the Edmonton Oilers out of the bidding. The Athletic’s Craig Custance confirms the interest from the Canucks, Flames, and Habs and adds the New York Rangers and Florida Panthers to the list of interested parties. All this for a player that the Los Angeles Kings deemed unworthy of a qualifying offer.
  • As expected, David Perron is also one of the hottest names on the free agent market and his former team, the Vegas Golden Knights, are seemingly out of the running. Friedman calls it “very unlikely” that Perron returns to Las Vegas, where he set a career high with 66 points this season. For an idea on the price for Perron, he landed at #5 on the PHR Top 50 Free Agents list with a projected six-year, $32MM contract, which could be a conservative guess.
  • One team that is somewhat surprisingly in talks with Perron is Arizona. Craig Morgan of Arizona Sports details the off-season so far from the Coyotes and lists Perron, James van Riemsdyk, and Michael Grabner as Arizona’s top targets. Morgan also says that the team has not ruled out bringing back veteran forward Brad Richardson as well.
  • The Boston Bruins are moving on from Anton Khudobin and reportedly working fast to find his replacement. Beat writer Matt Kalman and The Boston Globe’s Kevin-Paul Dupont both hear that the team is very interested in Kari Lehtonen as the new backup to Tuukka Rask. With many talented goalies on the market, Lehtonen has flown under the radar somewhat despite incredibly comparable numbers to Khudobin in more starts and superior numbers to the likes of Jonathan Bernier, Cam Ward, Robin Lehner and others. Lehtonen also had the highest Quality Start rate of any of that group in 2017-18. Even here at PHR we may have underestimated Lehtonen, making him our sixth-best goalie among the Top 50 free agents.
  • Unsurprisingly, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun notes that the Washington Capitals have checked in with defenseman Brooks Orpik. A veteran leader and key contributor to their Stanley Cup run, the Capitals faced little choice but to trade Orpik away earlier this off-season in order to clear cap space to maintain their championship roster. Now that he has subsequently been bought out by the Colorado Avalanche, Orpik is fair game and could return to D.C. at a much more affordable rate. However, LeBrun warns that other teams are also in the running and Orpik may not take a discount rate in Washington over more legitimate offers.

 

Pacific Notes: Flames, Lindholm, Oilers, Hughes

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The Calgary Flames did more than just swap some players earlier today when they traded Dougie Hamilton, Micheal Ferland and prospect Adam Fox in exchange for Elias Lindholm and Noah Hanifin. The team finally made the changes it had said it would after a dismal second half of the season. Despite starting a solid 25-16-4 through Jan. 14, the team instead fell apart, putting up a 13-23-6 second half in which the team looked disinterested and forced the Flames to make changes.

The Calgary Sun’s Eric Francis suggests that this is just the beginning of changes for Calgary and suggests that moving Hamilton was the start of it. The scribe reports that Hamilton’s apathy was an issue in the clubhouse, so just moving on from him is a positive step in fixing the Flames’ issues. The Flames also rid themselves of Fox, currently playing for Harvard University and who was unlikely to sign with Calgary as they are deep in blueline prospects. Postmedia’s Kristen Anderson interviewed Flames GM Brad Treliving, who added that Ferland’s unrestricted free agent status next season was a key reason the team moved him. “Michael is a warrior and has one year left on his contract and will be a UFA. That always comes into consideration,” Treliving said.

  • Sticking with the Flames, Sportsnet’s Pat Steinberg reports that Lindholm is likely to be given a much bigger role than he had in Carolina as he is expected to start the season on the team’s first line playing the wing alongside Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan. The former fifth-overall pick in 2013 has put up solid numbers, but hasn’t had a breakout season yet. He finished last season with 16 goals and 44 points. Lindholm, who is a restricted free agent, along with Hanifin, both need to be signed as they rejected initial offers from Carolina, which prompted the trade.
  • The Edmonton Oilers announced they have extended qualifying offers to restricted free agents Darnell Nurse, Ryan Strome and Anton Slepyshev. Not offering them a qualifying offer would allow them to become unrestricted free agents. Nurse was one of the few bright spots on Edmonton’s defense. He had a career year, averaging 22:15 of ice time and scored six goals and had 26 assists on the year. Strome, who came over from the New York Islanders last offseason, had a quiet year with his new team, putting up 13 goals and 34 points, while Slepyshev continued in his struggles to break out in the NHL as he potted just six goals in 50 games played. All three, however, still are considered promising players. The only restricted free agent who was not mentioned as receiving a qualifying offer was Iiro Pakarinen, who has already signed a deal to return to the KHL next season.
  • Jason Botchford of the Vancouver Sun writes that there is belief around the Canucks that defenseman Quinn Hughes, the team’s first-round pick in the draft, might be ready to contribute to the Canucks immediately. The scribe writes that general manager Jim Benning feels that Hughes is close to ready now. “I just look at that world championship and he was playing against NHL players,” Benning said. “He didn’t look out of place at all. He’s never going to run guys over but he has a good stick. He understands angles.” Hughes, who might be the best skater to come out of this draft, is the perfect compliment to coach Travis Green’s system, according to Botchford.

West Notes: Blackhawks, Karlsson, Canucks

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The Blackhawks have expressed an interest in moving up from the eighth spot in Friday’s NHL Entry Draft, reports Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times.  However, GM Stan Bowman admitted that given the uncertainty of who will be picked starting at the number three selection, teams thus far have been hesitant to move down.  He also acknowledged that the team is “looking at our options” when it comes to possibly trading the contract of winger Marian Hossa.  While his career is over, he isn’t filing his retirement papers yet so he remains on the salary cap.  While Chicago can just put him back on LTIR for next season (and beyond), a team looking to stay at the cap floor while spending less in actual dollars may have some interest, similar to what Arizona did a couple of years ago with the additions of Pavel Datsyuk and Dave Bolland.

Elsewhere out West:

  • The Golden Knights have not yet started contract discussions with pending RFA center William Karlsson, reports David Schoen of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The Lady Byng winner is coming off of a career year where he tallied 43 goals and 35 assists; for perspective, his previous career-best in points was 25.  Accordingly, he figures to be one of the more fascinating RFA cases in recent memory.  Karlsson stated that his preference is to get a long-term deal done this summer.
  • If the Canucks decide to move the seventh selection tomorrow night (something they are open to doing), they’re expected to covet a 20-23-year-old player in return, notes Jason Botchford of the Vancouver Province. That player wouldn’t necessarily need to already be established in the NHL but it seems to be clear that they’re targeting that particular age bracket to line up with their younger core.  If they decide to keep the pick, GM Jim Benning admitted that he’s leaning towards picking a defenseman.

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