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Latest On Bo Horvat’s Contract Situation

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With the Vancouver Canucks losing Nikita Tryamkin to the KHL today, GM Jim Benning met with media to discuss several topics. One of those was the upcoming negotiations with Bo Horvat on a new deal that would keep him in Vancouver long-term. Benning said that they’ve been in contact with Horvat’s camp and will meet “in the next little while” to start hammering out what his next contract will look like. He didn’t seem at all worried about it getting done, and said that there would be no deadline placed on it and could even take “all summer”.

Horvat’s next deal has long been a focus of the front office, and after another step forward in his development this year he looks in prime position to be awarded a long-term deal. With 20 goals and 52 points, the 22-year old center has shown that he is the future in Vancouver and the key piece for Benning and the rest of the front office to build around. In January, Ben Kuzma of the Province suggested that Vincent Trocheck’s six-year, $28.5MM extension would be a nice comparable, but with Horvat finding even more consistency through his first three years he may eclipse that.

The Vancouver Center doesn’t have quite the lofty statistics that Sean Monahan had when he inked his seven-year, $44.63MM deal last summer, and may find himself land somewhere in between. Depending on how many years of free agency he gives up, his deal could break $5MM per season, making him the fourth highest paid player on the Canucks, behind only the Sedins and Loui Eriksson. For a player that must reach his potential if the Canucks are to make their rebuild successful, Horvat’s contract negotiations will be the most interesting story of the summer for Vancouver fans—that is, other than the entry draft and the chance to pair Horvat with one of Nolan Patrick or Nico Hischier down the middle for the next decade.

Canucks Extend Jayson Megna

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The Vancouver Canucks announced this evening that they have reached an agreement on a one-year, one-way deal with forward Jayson Megna. The extension carries a $675K cap hit for the 2017-18 season and provides some job security for the hard-working veteran forward.

In the team’s press release, GM Jim Benning describes Megna as a players whose “character and professionalism” are valued by the organization. As a bottom-six depth forward, it’s the intangibles that make a major difference for a player like Megna and the Canucks clearly have enjoyed having him around in his first season with the team. The Florida native had spent much of his early pro career with the Pittsburgh Penguins organization, playing mostly in the AHL, and again skated in mostly minor league games after signing with the New York Rangers last year. In Vancouver, Megna has apparently finally found a full-time NHL home. Megna has played in 53 games for the Canucks in 2016-17, versus just four with the AHL’s Utica Comets, and has recorded four goals and four assists in that span, one point shy of his career high. Megna also does the non-flashy things well, such as checking, blocking shots, and winning battles along the boards.

However, like many minor signings this season, the Canucks are likely just posturing that this signing is for need and fit and not just for the upcoming Expansion Draft. After trading Jannik Hansen to the San Jose Sharks at the Trade Deadline, Vancouver put themselves in a position where they needed to add another body that qualifies for exposure – having played 40 games this season or 70 games over the past two seasons and having term on his contract – or else risk losing a good, young forward. With an extension signed, Megna now qualifies for sacrifice to the Vegas Golden Knights. However, don’t expect the 27-year-old grinder to be the pick. Megna appears to have found a unique fit in Vancouver, but has previously been an AHL-caliber player for all intents and purposes. The Knights will inevitably end up with quite a few players of similar talent levels, but will likely choose to go younger than the likes of Megna.

 

Vancouver Canucks Sign Jalen Chatfield To Three-Year ELC

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The Vancouver Canucks have dipped into the 20-year old CHL free agent market, signing Jalen Chatfield from the Windsor Spitfires to a three-year, entry-level contract. The defenseman will stay with the Spitfires through their Memorial Cup run—the team is hosting the tournament this year and will get automatic entry. GM Jim Benning had this to say about his newest prospect:

Jalen is a good two-way defenceman that sees the ice well and makes good decisions in all three zones. He moves the puck well and can join the rush. Jalen is another addition to our young prospect pool and we look forward to his continued development playing in Windsor.

Indeed, Chatfield can contribute at both ends of the rink and he trails just (first-round pick) Mikhail Sergachev and (exceptional status) Sean Day in points among Spitfires defenders. The right-handed defenseman doesn’t have any standout skill, but plays a solid all-around game that will likely transition well to the AHL. He’s most definitely not a lock for the NHL, but does add another name to a prospect cupboard that is suddenly finding itself more full than expected.

After acquiring Nikolay Goldobin and Jonathan Dahlen at the deadline and looking like they’ll get another top-10 pick in this year’s draft, the Canucks rebuild could be off to a very quick start. Filling in the cracks with CHL free agents will help, and don’t count them out of the college sweepstakes either. Just today, Bob McKenzie linked them to Zach Aston-Reese, arguably the top prize among the college ranks this year.

Drew Shore Returns From Europe, Signs With Canucks

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Monday: According to CapFriendly, Shore has cleared waivers and is now eligible to play though it’s not yet clear when he would debut.

Sunday: Former-NHLer Drew Shore is a current-NHLer once again. Shore is on entry waivers today and has signed with the Vancouver Canucks for the remainder of the season, per a team announcement. Shore makes his way back from Europe after playing this season with EHC Kloten of the Swiss National League A (NLA).  It is because he played overseas this year while not being on Vancouver’s reserve list that he has to clear waivers before he can join the team.

Rarely does leaving the NHL work out as well for one’s hockey career as it has thus far for Shore. A second-round pick of the Florida Panthers back in 2009 and the brother of the L.A. Kings’ Nick Shore, Kings’ minor-leaguer Quentin Shore, and 2017 draft-eligible Baker Shore, a lot was expected of the eldest of a talented hockey family out of Denver, Colorado. However, Shore struggled to find his footing in the NHL early on, scoring just 20 points in 67 games with the Panthers over the course of his first two pro seasons. In 2014-15, Shore had not played a single NHL game by mid-January, when he was dealt to the Calgary Flames. The trade made matters worse, as Shore was only given 13 games with Flames in a season and a half with the organization and scored only four points in that time. Tired of the minors and his lack of production at the highest level in North America, the 26-year-old center signed with Kloten in Switzerland this summer. In the NLA, Shore seemed to finally find his game, recording 24 goals and 24 assists in 50 games. His 24 goals ranked third in the league, while his 48 total points finished sixth. Shore achieved these numbers on a team that was significantly less talented than most of its competition and featured only one other former NHL forward, James Sheppard. Shore carried the squad and helped them to avoid relegation.

Now that Shore has re-established his game, at least in what many consider the second-best hockey league in Europe, he is going to try his hand at the NHL once more. His signing with Vancouver is yet another shrewd move to add to the recent streak of GM Jim Benning. Shore is still young and spent the last year dominating talented competition and developing the open, offensive European game that the Canucks try to implement. The team is out of playoff contention – though Shore would not have been eligible to compete anyway – but can still take the rest of the season to assess their new asset for his future fit. Gambling on Shore is a low-risk, high-reward investment for Benning as well as something for disheartened Vancouver fans to follow for the remainder of the season. Little downside for the team, fans, or player in this scenario.

Trade Deadline Summary: Winners & Losers Of The Pacific Division

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The NHL Trade Deadline has come and gone, and while it wasn’t the most exciting deadline day in recent memory, there were quite a few notable moves. Here are the winners and losers of the upstart Pacific Division:

Winners

Anaheim Ducks:

The Ducks had one real need at the deadline and that was another top six winger. By getting ahead of the market and making the deal for Eaves earlier this week, Anaheim was already a winner at the deadline. The conditional second-rounder, which can become a first, is a steep price. However, given that Eaves is having a career year, the market value had yet to be set, and the Ducks desperation had grown due to the Antoine Vermette suspension, they were right to swing a deal when they had the chance. It was a quiet deadline day in Anaheim, but this is still a team that could make a lot of noise down the stretch.

Arizona Coyotes:

The Coyotes messed up by not trading Radim Vrbata (and might have been able to get more for Stone), but put that aside and what they were able to get from the Minnesota Wild is pretty extraordinary. The team wanted to re-sign Hanzal, but when talks fell apart, it became a foregone conclusion that he would be moved. Yet, that inevitability never drove the prices down and the Wild ended up offering an amazing deal for the career Coyote. The Avalanche should take note because this is how you work the trade deadline as one the league’s worst teams. In exchange for impending free agents who were not coming back in Hanzal and Stone, Arizona ends up with five picks and two prospects (assuming, as it often does, that “future considerations” means nothing) and the team has suffered almost no loss. If GM John Chayka has decided to deal Vrbata, he likely would have added another pair of good picks to that mix, but as it stands, the Coyotes still did pretty well.

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Shattenkirk “More And More Likely” To Be Dealt As A Rental

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We’ve now seen four trades made in the past week as the trade market picks up before next Wednesday’s trade deadline. On the latest edition of Insider Trading, TSN’s Bob McKenzie, Darren Dreger, and Pierre LeBrun dropped some tidbits about potential trade activity.

The main topic of discussion was the consensus best player available in St. Louis Blues defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk. McKenzie believes that the likelihood of Shattenkirk being dealt as a rental is becoming “more and more likely” as the days pass. Beginning with the Edmonton Oilers last June, three teams have had trades fall through because Shattenkirk wasn’t willing to sign long-term. The most recent team to have a deal in place was offering a seven-year, $42MM contract, according to McKenzie.

That’s a hefty price to pay for Shattenkirk, taking into account the acquisition cost. Blues GM Doug Armstrong is not wavering on his asking price of a first round pick, a top prospect, plus “something else.” While some teams may balk at that cost, Dreger reports that teams will continue to kick tires until the deadline. Dreger believes the Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers, and Tampa Bay Lightning have already been in touch but have concerns about the price.

While Shattenkirk may view himself as a rental, that’s not to say a team couldn’t acquire Shattenkirk with the intention of pitching him on staying beyond this year. As we reported earlier today, TSN’s Frank Seravalli believes that Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli should be confident in his ability to pitch his team to Shattenkirk, as they appear poised to be a top-ten team in the NHL for the next decade.

In other notes from the TSN insiders, the Minnesota Wild, Florida Panthers, and Chicago Blackhawks are all interested in bolstering their forward cores before the trade deadline. Minnesota and Chicago are likely pretty happy with their rosters as they sit atop the Western Conference. While neither team will be looking at making a big splash, both would like to add a depth forward. Specifically, the Blackhawks would like a player with a low cap hit who could be acquired with just a draft pick. That’s not likely to be a high draft pick, however, as Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman wants to keep picks for the upcoming draft, which will be held in Chicago. The suddenly hot Panthers aren’t necessarily buyers, despite winning eight of their last 10 games. If they do make a move, LeBrun believe they would be interested in adding a top nine forward in a rental capacity.

Those three teams will likely have interest in Dallas Stars winger Patrick Eaves. With 21 goals in 59 games and a $1MM cap hit, Eaves is drawing plenty of interest from around the NHL. There are as many as 10-12 teams inquiring about the gritty winger according to Dreger.

[Related: PHR’s profile of Patrick Eaves]

Another forward likely on the move is Martin Hanzal; LeBrun reports that most of the teams inquiring about the 6’6 center are from the Western Conference, but Montreal is one of the most interested clubs. Despite missing nine games this season, Hanzal already has 15 goals, which is one off his career-high from 2010-11. The Coyotes would like to move Hanzal by the end of the weekend, according to LeBrun. Of course, that’s depending of the offers available to rookie GM John Chayka.

[Related: PHR’s profile of Martin Hanzal]

The Vancouver Canucks are among the growing group of sellers, but the player drawing the most interest from rival teams is not a rental. Jannik Hansen has one year left at $2.5MM and has lots of teams interested in acquiring him. However, the Canucks aren’t looking for a draft pick in return; GM Jim Benning is asking for a top prospect or young NHLer in return for the long-time Canuck. That’s a steep price for a middle-six player who’s never scored more than 39 points in a season.

Canucks Notes: Virtanen, Miller, Burrows, Hansen

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Although Canucks right winger Jake Virtanen has struggled once again this season, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman noted in an interview with Sportsnet 960 in Calgary (audio link) that he doesn’t expect the team to give up on the former first rounder just yet (transcription via Fan Rag’s Chris Nichols):

“But it’s looking to me right now that the Vancouver Canucks and Jake Virtanen – for whatever reason it’s oil and water right now. It’s not a mix. They probably should have sent him down last year. But you’re not giving up on a guy who is a first-round pick after two years. You’re still going to keep it, even though he’s devalued a bit.”

Virtanen made the NHL roster out of training camp but struggled early on, collecting just a single assist in ten games.  He was then sent to the minors in November in the hopes that he would rediscover his scoring touch but that has yet to happen as well as he has just five goals and five assists in 39 minor league contests.  However, he’s still just 20 years old so it’s far too early to sell low on him (which they would be doing by moving him now) just yet.

Other notes out of Vancouver:

  • While the team remains within striking distance of a playoff spot (they’re just five points out of a Wild Card position), Sportsnet’s Mark Spector argues that the Canucks need to be in full seller mode. He cautions about what goaltender Ryan Miller would fetch in a possible trade as many playoff-bound teams already have their goaltending in place and that he’d be more of an insurance policy than an upgrade.  He also notes Alex Burrows as someone who would be attractive to teams and suggests that New Jersey’s return for Vernon Fiddler from the Predators (a fourth round pick) could be around what they should expect to get for him.
  • Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Province notes that GM Jim Benning will talk to some of the players with some form of no-trade protection about potentially waiving those clauses as the team gets set to begin their CBA-mandated bye week on Monday. That list is a long one as Daniel Sedin, Henrik Sedin and Loui Eriksson all have no-move clauses, Burrows, Miller, Brandon Sutter, and Alex Edler all have full no-trade clauses while Jannik Hansen can block a trade to 21 teams.  Kuzma also suggests that the Canucks may have some extra motivation to try and move Hansen in particular as he may be a player the team considers leaving unprotected in June’s expansion draft.

Matt Bartkowski Expected To Sign With Calgary

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The strange career arc of Matt Bartkowski continues. The Providence Journal’s Mark Divver reported this morning that Bartkowski has been released from his minor league contract with the AHL’s Providence Bruins. Bartkowksi had two goals and eight assists in 34 games for the P-Bruins, and had been somewhat underwhelming at both ends of the ice. Just when you think that maybe that’s it for the 28-year-old’s pro hockey career, there’s this follow-up tweet from Divver: Bartkowski will sign with the Calgary Flames. Divver adds that deal is expected to be a two-year, two-way contract. However, the Flames have since announced that (for now) Bartkowski is just on a professional tryout.

If you don’t know much about Bartkowski you’re not alone. After all, he was on a minor-league contract this season. Yet, just a few years ago, Bartkowski’s career was trending in a very different direction. A seventh-round selection of the Florida Panthers in 2008, Bartkowski’s rights were traded to the Boston Bruins along with Dennis Seidenberg at the 2010 Trade Deadline. Bartkowski left Ohio State University after the 2009-10 season to join his new organization. In his first three pro seasons, Bartkowski was an impressive two-way threat in the AHL for the Providence Bruins, and each year would earn some play time in Boston as well. In 2013-14, Bartkowski finally earned a role with the Bruins and somewhat burst on to the scene with 18 assists and a very solid +22 rating in 64 games. Bartkowski appeared to have the makings of a top-six NHL defenseman, and Bruins Assistant GM Jim Benning thought so too. After another year in Boston with a reduced role and less production, Bartkowski became an unrestricted free agent and bolted for Vancouver, where Benning had taken over as GM of the Cancuks. Bartkowski played in a career-high 80 games with the Canucks in 2015-16, going from zero career goals to six by the end of the season and adding 12 assists along the way. However, the uptick in offense came with a bit of a breakdown in defense. While still a physical player, he became somewhat of a liability in his own end, finishing the season at -19 and losing ice time as the year progressed. Vancouver chose not to re-sign Bartkowski this summer and the blue liner saw little interest before returning to his roots with a PTO-turned-contract with the Providence Bruins.

Now, in a wild twist, he’ll be back in the NHL. Bartkowski was reportedly on the ice for Flames practice this morning and ready to begin his PTO. Calgary isn’t exactly desperate for defense with Mark Giordano, T.J. Brodie, Dougie Hamilton, Dennis Wideman, and Deryk Engelland in the fold, but what they don’t have is anyone they’re willing to lose in the upcoming Expansion Draft. If Divver is right, and Bartkowski’s PTO is a front for an eventual two-year contract, that is a very strategic move by GM Brad Treliving. As we recently discussed, the Flames would have to expose one of Giordano, Brodie, and Hamilton if they made no further moves before June 21st to meet the quota of having one defenseman available to the Vegas Golden Knights that has term on his contract and 40 NHL games played this season or 70 NHL games over the past two years. Bartkowski presents a very rare opportunity; he was on a minor league contract and could be acquired without having to give anything up in a trade and he played in 80 games just last year, fulfilling the games played requirement. If the Flames hand Bartkowski a two-year deal as Divver suspects, he immediately qualifies to be exposed even if he doesn’t play a single NHL game this season. This could be a genius maneuver by Treliving and is worth following over the next week or two.

Canadiens Eyeing Alex Burrows

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With a loss earlier today to the Boston Bruins, the Vancouver Canucks are falling further and further out of postseason contention. The Canucks sit six points behind the Nashville Predators and Los Angeles Kings for a wild card berth in the Western Conference. They also have just one win in their last six games face powerhouses like the Pittsburgh Penguins and San Jose Sharks in their upcoming games leading to the NHL Trade Deadline on March 1st. Though in many ways Vancouver has exceeded expectations in 2016-17, they are trending more toward being sellers at the deadline than buyers.

One of Vancouver’s top trade pieces is none other than career-Canuck Alexandre Burrows. The agitating forward is still a strong two-way contributor, but his offensive production has been tailing off for years. A rebuilding Canucks squad seems unlikely to re-sign Burrows yet again, and would be especially willing to move on if they can get something in return. A destination may already be in mind: the Montreal Canadiens. As The Province’s Ben Kuzma writes, Burrows and teammate Jannik Hansen could command a good return for Vancouver if the GM Jim Benning only asks them to waive their no-trade clauses.

We here at PHR have already connected Hansen to Montreal, but according to Kuzma, the Canadiens have been heavily scouting the Canucks and may have interest in Burrows as well, if not more. While the first item on Montreal’s wish list is a top-six center, they have also made it known that they are in the market for other forward help. In fact, many expect the Canadiens to be one of the biggest players in what otherwise could be a quiet deadline market. In Burrows, Montreal would receive a gritty forward who is able to win battles along the boards, make his presence felt around the net, and, more than anything, help out on the penalty kill and in improving the team defense. The Quebec native seems like a suitable fit for a team whose GM and coach, Marc Bergevin and Michel Therrien, have emphasized two-way play from their forward corps in recent years, so look for the Canucks to pull the trigger on a deal if it develops.

Latest From Insider Trading: Coaches, Jets, Canucks

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The all-star reporter panel at TSN comprised of Darren Dreger, Bob McKenzie and Pierre LeBrun took to the air again today with their latest segment of Insider Trading. They touched on both Claude Julien and Ken Hitchcock, two of the big coaching names that have been fired recently, saying both will likely wait until the summer to take another job. McKenzie said that Hitchcock would consider a move to a long-term situation if he finds a fit, but wouldn’t “come out of the bullpen” so to speak.

It will be interesting to see what this means for the Vegas club, which now has a very established list of coaches to try to bring in if they choose to go that way. It’s been said before that Vegas likely wants a big presence for their first coach to try and make a splash in the market, and it’s not clear if Julien, Hitchcock or even Gerard Gallant would fit that mold.

  • LeBrun insisted again that the Chicago Blackhawks sound like they’ll be very quiet at the deadline this year because of their cap issues. As much as Stan Bowman keeps saying that the Hawks won’t make another bold move at the deadline, it’s hard to believe that they won’t try to make at least a slight upgrade for another run. They still need help on the wing and remember that they do have three extra (albeit late round) draft picks for this season in hand.
  • The Vancouver Canucks are falling out of the picture after a successful middle stretch of the season, and will now start to field questions for their top players. McKenzie relates that even though GM Jim Benning said prior to the season that he would not ask any players to waive their no-trade clauses, he now admits that he would got to them with options if teams were calling on them. Goaltender Ryan Miller and forward Alex Burrows were mentioned specifically, but remember that Alex Edler and Brandon Sutter also have NTCs and would bring back solid returns in trade should the Canucks decide to completely tear it down.
  • After the Jets got some terrible news on the defensive front with Tyler Myers undergoing another surgery, Dreger says they’ll be hard pressed to find a replacement. GM Kevin Cheveldayoff had already been looking around for some depth on the blueline, and now has even more problems to try and fix. It will be interesting to see where the Jets are in another two weeks and whether they need to add to try and make a deep playoff push or sell off some expiring assets.
  • LeBrun does also mention the past reports that the Ottawa Senators kicked the tires on both Matt Duchene and Gabriel Landeskog, but says that it didn’t get very far. Ottawa isn’t willing to part with the kind of package that the Avalanche are currently asking for, though would be open to negotiation should it fall. Both Avalanche forwards seem like tough bets to move in-season, but if the team is committed to shaking up the core, Ottawa could come back to the table in the summer.

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