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North Notes: Benning, Baertschi, Murray

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It hasn’t been a good start to the season for the Canucks who have won just six of 17 games so far which has Vancouver on a six-game losing streak and in sixth place in the North Division.  Between that and a tough offseason, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period suggests that ownership is not pleased with the situation and are pondering replacing GM Jim Benning in a move that could happen sooner than later if the struggles continue.  Benning has been at the helm for Vancouver since 2014 and has two more years left on his deal after this one so letting him go would certainly be costly from a financial perspective.  The Canucks are back in action on Saturday for the second game of a four-game stint.

More from the North Division:

  • Still with Vancouver, teams in Switzerland are calling regarding winger Sven Baertschi, his agent Andre Rufener confirmed to Rick Dhaliwal of The Athletic (Twitter link). With the veteran having cleared waivers once again, a loan overseas to play out the season closer to home before becoming an unrestricted free agent this summer makes sense in theory but the plan remains for him to stay with AHL Utica and try to earn a midseason recall.
  • The Senators will be without starting goalie Matt Murray for tomorrow’s game against Winnipeg, the team announced (Twitter link). He left Thursday’s contest after two periods with an upper-body injury and is listed as day-to-day.  Marcus Hogberg will get the start in Murray’s absence.  Filip Gustavsson is on the taxi squad and will be recalled to the active roster on Saturday.

North Notes: Benning, Dubois, Puljujarvi

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The Vancouver Canucks disappointing 2-5 start to begin the season isn’t a good sign, especially in a shortened season. The team’s record is bad, but the team hasn’t looked good in the process. While Canucks’ fans have always had a poor relationship with general manager Jim Benning over the last seven years, things have gotten worse, according to The Athletic’s Harman Dayal and Thomas Drance (subscription required).

Benning has found himself on the hot seat with criticism coming from Hockey Night in Canada’s Brian Burke, who described Benning as being under “tremendous pressure.” Despite the team’s early struggles to the season, much blame has been placed at Benning’s feet, which includes the team’s choice to not retain any of their three top free agents last offseason: Jacob Markstrom, Chris Tanev and Tyler Toffoli, as well as the fact that the team’s salary cap is critical, especially considering the bloated contract of Loui Eriksson (two years at $6MM AAV).

  • While nothing specific was said about the matter, new Winnipeg Jets center Pierre-Luc Dubois, during a press conference with reporters, was asked whether he would consider signing with the Jets long-term. “It already feels good to be here,” Dubois said as part of a long answer which also included lots of praise for Winnipeg and the organization, via The Athletic’s Murat Ates. Dubois said that his father, who works for the AHL’s Manitoba Moose, has been a big ambassador for the city. Dubois has two years to make a decision after signing a two-year, $10MM deal just before the season started.
  • With little production coming from the Edmonton Oilers’ first line, the team has moved first-line regular Zack Kassian to the third line and promoted Jesse Puljujarvi to the first line in hopes of shaking up the team’s offense, according to David Staples of the Edmonton Journal. The 22-year-old hasn’t done much on the third line with just an assist in six games, but the scribe writes that he hasn’t fit well next to center Kyle Turris, who is struggling offensively, suggesting a move next to McDavid makes sense.

J.T. Miller And Jordie Benn Unavailable To Canucks To Begin Season

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Right after the NHL shares good news in the form of low positive testing numbers during training camp, COVID-19 rears its ugly head yet again. And in a major way for the Vancouver Canucks. GM Jim Benning announced this evening that forward J.T. Miller and defenseman Jordie Benn will not be available to the Canucks for the start of the new season as they comply with COVID-19 protocols. Benning did not provide a timeline as to when the pair will re-join the team, but promised more information will be shared soon

Benning did say that this is a reality that his team and many other will have to accept this season. Yet, it is still a harsh blow at the very outset of the new campaign. This may not be a matter of a few games’ absence, either. TSN’s Matthew Sekeres hears that Miller and Benn could miss a couple of weeks while quarantining. He adds that Miler has been staying with Benn which is likely how the two were exposed. GlobalBC’s Richard Zussman was told that one player has had a series of contradicting results and the other is considered a close contact.

Miller, 26, was Vancouver’s best player last season. He led the Canucks with 27 goals and 72 points and his presence was felt even when he wasn’t scoring as he posted a team-leading 59.2% face-off rate and 123 hits in 2019-20. Miller even led all forwards in ice time with over 20 minutes per night and it is easy to see why. The all-around power forward is a major loss for the Canucks as the hope to get off to a hot start. Benn, 32, plays more of a depth role for the Canucks but was to be relied upon to help acclimate rookies Olli Juolevi and Jack Rathbone to the NHL level. Other veterans will need to take on a greater role in his absence.

 

 

Evening Notes: Canucks, Stars, Reign

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The Vancouver Canucks entered Monday over the NHL’s salary cap upper limit. Yet, when waivers are completed tomorrow, the team will be in near-perfect shape regardless of the results. Spotted among the many names on waivers today were two veteran forwards from Vancouver: Loui Eriksson and Sven Baertschi. While any Canucks fan would like to see both claimed off waivers, there is almost no chance that either one will be moving elsewhere. Eriksson and his $6MM cap hit have failed to live up to expectations for four years now and no other team is likely to be willing to take a chance on the former All-Star. Baertschi and his own $3.37MM price tag were up for grabs on waivers multiple times last season and no one took a chance, leaving him buried in the AHL for much of the year. However, neither player needs to be claimed for the Canucks to benefit. Once both wingers clear waivers, they can be moved to the AHL or – more likely – the taxi squad. Their cap hits will thus be reduced by $1.075MM apiece for a total savings of $2.15MM. As CapFriendly points out, that is not only enough to get Vancouver back in the black relative to the cap ceiling; it will also leave them enough room to add a player on a minimum $700K salary back to the active roster. This is important, as it will bring the cap payroll as close to the upper limit as possible, allowing the team to take close to full advantage of Micheal Ferland’s Long-Term Injured Reserve placement. The savings of nearly $3.5MM will be used to sign defenseman Travis Hamonic and to replace one or two of the forward slots abandoned by Eriksson and Baertschi. Whether anticipated or not, it’s some impressive salary cap magic by GM Jim Benning and company.

  • The Canucks were also back at practice today after a COVID-19 scare on Sunday. Vancouver canceled all team activities yesterday in response to a possible exposure, but fortunately no players or staff have tested positive, per Sportsnet. The team is back on track and there are no further issues expected from this specific case of potential exposure.
  • Meanwhile, the Dallas Stars are still dealing with their Coronavirus issue. After six players and two staff members tested positive before Friday’s practice, the team shut down their facilities over the weekend and were not able to open back up today.  Their first three games of the season, on the road against the Florida Panthers twice and the first of two against the Tampa Bay Lightning, have already been postponed but the hopes is that their new opener, set for January 19 in Tampa, will go on as scheduled. NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly tells Matthew DeFranks of The Dallas News that the league is prepared to do what needs to be done, but that they do feel the Stars are “at the end of that outbreak” and are now focused on how it occured initially. Daly added that medical personnel would decide when it is safe to re-open the facility and that all parties feel the 19th remains a fair goal for Dallas to be both healthy and well-prepared. DeFranks has since reported that Dallas will indeed return to practice on Tuesday, though all further camp sessions will be closed to the media.
  • The Ontario Reign, AHL affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings, have announced the hiring of Craig Johnson as an assistant coach for the club. The Reign already have a new head coach in John Wroblewski and now add another new face in Johnson, who is actually a familiar name to Kings fans who remember him from his seven season playing with the team in the late 90’s and early 00’s.  Johnson’s coaching experience is somewhat limited, serving as a head coach for local youth and high school teams in Southern California. However, he has also served as a development coach for the Kings over the past two seasons and briefly worked for the Reign previously in the ECHL back in 2010-11.

Vancouver Canucks Plan To Sign And Play Vasili Podkolzin Later This Season

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With top prospect Vasili Podkolzin currently impressing on the international stage as the captain of Team Russia, the Vancouver Canucks want to assure their fans that it is only a matter of time before he’s doing the same for them. Speaking with Jon Abbot of TSN 1040 in Vancouver, GM Jim Benning reveals that the club expects to sign Podkolzin during this season and plans to play him in the NHL lineup immediately. Benning reports that Podkolzin’s KHL contract expires on April 30, at which time the team will look to sign him and bring him overseas.

While late April is typically the middle of the Stanley Cup Playoffs and not exactly an ideal time to introduce a teenage prospect to the NHL, the 2020-21 season is of course an exception. The playoffs do not begin until May 11 at the earliest this year, allowing Podkolzin nearly two weeks to settle in. Travel and quarantine could come into play, but the hope is that Podkolzin could see some regular season game action before the Canucks hopefully move on to the postseason.

The 2019 tenth overall pick also has the advantage of being very pro-ready. Podkolzin is already in his third season of seeing at least some KHL action, playing almost exclusively with SKA St. Petersburg so far this year. He also has pro size at 6’4″ and over 200 lbs., not to mention a developed offensive game. Once Podkolzin arrives in Vancouver, it may not take long for him to get up to speed.

Knowing they have Podkolzin in their back pocket for later this season, the Canucks may not feel the need to make any other roster additions this season, at least up front. If Podkolzin actually joins the team on April 30, that would be just over two weeks after the Trade Deadline on April 12. Vancouver may be hesitant to give up trade capital to add a forward with reinforcements on the way not long after. In fact, Benning stated that the team is “done for now” in terms of transactions (outside of a Travis Hamonic PTO becoming a contract), so Podkolzin may very well be the next notable addition that the team makes this season.

Vancouver Canucks Intend To Extend Travis Green

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While no contract has been signed yet, Vancouver Canucks general manager Jim Benning told Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre that the team is working to extend head coach Travis Green to a new contract, keeping him in the fold.

“Travis has done an excellent job coaching this group of players. I think, from a development standpoint, our young players have continued to get better under him every year. We think he’s the right fit for this group and our group moving forward,” Benning said during a press conference Sunday as the Canucks opened training camp. “We want to kind of take a look at the financial landscape of the whole business here as we keep moving forward, but our intention is to sign Travis to an extension so he’s part of our group here moving forward.”

Green, whose contract expires at the end of the 2020-21 season, has been quite successful since being hired in 2017. He has posted a 102-103-28 record, which may not be the most impressive record over three seasons. However, the team has made significant progress each season, placing seventh in 2017-18, fifth in 2018-19 and then in third place in the Pacific Division last year, including a deep run into the playoffs, almost ousting the Vegas Golden Knights in the process.

Benning does have other significant negotiations to work out as well, including new deals for soon-to-be restricted free agents Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes as well as goalie Thatcher Demko.

Vancouver Canucks Re-Sign Adam Gaudette

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The Vancouver Canucks have re-signed Adam Gaudette to a one-year contract that will carry a cap hit of just $950K. Gaudette was a restricted free agent but was not eligible for arbitration this offseason. Vancouver GM Jim Benning released a statement regarding his young forward:

Adam has been an excellent young player for us and we are happy to have him continue his progress for another year in Vancouver. We look forward to his intensity and compete level continuing to be a great source of energy for our team.

Gaudette, 24, was a fifth-round pick of the Canucks back in 2015 but shot up the prospect depth chart with his incredible collegiate performance in 2017-18. The Northeastern University star led the entire country in scoring with 30 goals and 60 points, winning the Hobey Baker Award as the nation’s best player. He stepped nearly immediately into the NHL and has spent the majority of his career there, suiting up for 120 games over parts of three seasons.

Unfortunately, Gaudette’s scoring touch didn’t immediately follow him to the NHL, with his first 61 games resulting in just five goals and 12 points. The recent season was much better, however, with the young two-way forward racking up 12 goals and 33 points in just 59 games. He was blanked in 10 postseason appearances but should return as a valuable bottom-six player for the Canucks next season.

Whether he can ever climb his way further up the lineup isn’t clear, but at $950K he doesn’t really need to. Gaudette will be arbitration-eligible next offseason as a restricted free agent.

Vancouver Canucks Re-Sign Zack MacEwen

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The Vancouver Canucks have re-signed one of their restricted free agents, inking Zack MacEwen to a new two-year contract. The deal will carry an average annual value of $825K. Canucks GM Jim Benning released a short statement on the deal:

Zack is a physical two-way forward whose game complements our roster. He’s a talented young player with a high compete level and we’re excited to have him continue to develop his career as a member of the Vancouver Canucks.

MacEwen, 24, is a good example of what hard work and dedication can do for a player even if they are overlooked on draft day. Not only did MacEwen fail to hear his name called in an NHL draft, but he also didn’t even get picked in the QMJHL draft. Undeterred, MacEwen became a star in junior and then a star in the AHL before finally establishing himself as an NHL player this season. In 17 games with the Canucks he recorded five goals and six points, lending his size and scoring touch to the fourth line.

Now, after signing this new contract, he’ll look to lock down an roster spot from training camp and play his first full season in the NHL. The 6’4″ winger gives Vancouver an inexpensive option to play in the bottom-six as they get ready to watch Tyler Toffoli and Josh Leivo potentially leave in free agency and have to move up some of their other forwards.

Trade Rumors: Ekman-Larsson, Mrazek, Virtanen, Tampa Bay

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Name a top trade target or impending free agent and they seem to be linked to the Edmonton Oilers. While the team clearly needs to help superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, they have cap constraints because of those players as well and holes to fill all over the roster. The team must be confident that they can perform some cap magic, as they have their sights set on making a big splash this off-season. TSN’s Darren Dreger backed up previous rumors today that the Oilers have been talking to the Arizona Coyotes about elite defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson. In fact, Dreger notes that discussions have been preliminary, but the interest is serious. It’s a complex situation given the cap situations in both Edmonton and Arizona, but the teams appear to be working through their options when it comes to moving Ekman-Larsson, a proven top-pair commodity. Of course, it’s worth noting that Ekman-Larsson has a full No-Movement Clause and could nix a deal to Edmonton if he chooses. Dreger adds that the Boston Bruins also remain interested; Ekman-Larsson may very well prefer landing alongside Charlie McAvoy on the top pair of a perennial contender.

  • The Oilers are also known to be eyeing an addition in goal and have kicked the tires on a number of netminders on the trade block. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that the latest name on that list is the Carolina Hurricanes’ Petr Mrazek. LeBrun believes that Mrazek could be more of a fallback option if Edmonton cannot add Pittsburgh’s Matt Murray or Arizona’s Darcy Kuemper or can’t woo Jacob Markstrom in free agency. Of course, if Mrazek is even available for trade, it may mean that Carolina has already landed one of those three Oilers targets for themselves. Mrazek had a fine season for the ’Canes, but the team is looking to upgrade at starter. Unfortunately for Edmonton, Carolina’s castoff would still be an upgrade for them.
  • From GM Jim Benning’s comments since his Vancouver Canucks were eliminated from the postseason, it should come as no surprise that he is listening to offers for restricted free agent forward Jake Virtanen, according to Dreger. Virtanen has failed to live up to the expectations of being the 2014 sixth overall pick, but is still due a significant upgrade over his expiring $1.25MM AAV. The cap-strapped Canucks have greater needs than Virtanen’s third-line scoring totals and may be able to put his cap space to greater use via trade. Dreger reports that there is plenty of interest in the 24-year-old power forward, who could still grow into the dangerous scorer that he was in junior.
  • The Tampa Bay Lightning are less than a day removed from taking home the 2020 Stanley Cup title, but GM Julien BriseBois is already back at work. LeBrun speculates that Tampa must clear at least $10MM in cap space in order to re-sign RFA’s Anthony Cirelli, Mikhail Sergachev, and Erik Cernak and to rebuild a defense with numerous pending UFA’s. As such,  BriseBois can’t afford to waste any time with free agency approaching. LeBrun notes that the two most talked-about names on the Lightning roster right now are forwards Tyler Johnson and Yanni Gourde. However, he notes that both players have full No-Trade Clauses and would have to accept any trade. As a result, LeBrun believes there is a growing suspicion that the Bolts may trade a player or two that no one is suspecting in order to clear cap space. That could mean one of the RFA’s themselves is dealt, or perhaps it could be a player lacking trade protection, such as Brayden Point or Andrei Vasilevskiy. One way or another, the Cup-winning roster will look very different next season.

Latest On Vancouver’s Pending Free Agents

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The Vancouver Canucks have one of the more precarious salary cap situations in the league as they enter the offseason. While they project to have close to $14.3MM in space for next season, things are going to get a lot different in a year. That’s when Elias Pettersson, Quinn Hughes and Thatcher Demko will all hit restricted free agency at the same time, potentially eating up a huge chunk of the salary cap as the team’s young core.

With that expensive offseason right around the corner, Canucks GM Jim Benning will have to play his cards quite carefully next month to make sure he doesn’t back himself into a corner. That includes UFA negotiations with Chris Tanev, Tyler Toffoli, and perhaps most importantly, starting goaltender Jacob Markstrom.

Rick Dhaliwal was on TSN radio today talking about the Canucks pending free agents, even expressing awe that the team has still not worked something out with Markstrom:

This has not been an easy negotiation. We’re 15 months into this and now he’s 17 days away from walking and leaving. The two-time MVP of this team, he’s 17 days away from walking away from this team. They’ve been negotiating for 15 months–think about that for a second–and they’re not closer. There is still tons of work to do before they get a deal done.

Dhaliwal suggested again that the goaltender is looking for a deal with a cap hit of around $6MM, but stressed how challenging the negotiation has been so far. Markstrom, 30, is coming off his second straight year receiving Vezina Trophy votes, actually finishing fourth this season after putting up a .918 save percentage in 43 appearances. His market will be strong should he reach unrestricted free agency, something that Benning explained he was trying to avoid at his end of season press conference:

We’re going to try and figure out a way that makes sense for us and makes Jacob and his agent happy. Try and figure out a deal to get him signed. We want him back. We’re going to start working on that this week.

The question still comes back to that future cap situation though, especially given what Demko did in the playoffs with Vancouver. Though he’s not nearly as proven—Demko has just 37 regular season appearances under his belt—the Canucks could potentially hand the starter role to him next seaosn and take their chances with him on a full-time basis. They could also go after another free agent netminder instead, with Dhaliwal bringing up the names of Braden Holtby, Thomas Greiss and Cam Talbot as potential options.

In terms of Tanev, Dhaliwal explains that while Markstrom and Toffoli are the focus for Vancouver, the veteran defenseman hasn’t even received a contract offer from the Canucks at this point. Tanev, who will turn 31 in December, was the focus of a report today from Rob Rossi and Josh Yohe of The Athletic, which indicated that the Pittsburgh Penguins will be after him should he hit the open market. Tanev is the older brother of Penguins forward Brandon Tanev, who was given a long-term deal by Pittsburgh GM Jim Rutherford last summer.

Even though he is not an effective offensive weapon, Tanev has logged big minutes whenever healthy over the last decade in Vancouver. He registered 20 points in 69 games this season while still logging more than three minutes of short-handed ice time every night.

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