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Free Agency Notes: Krejci, Andersen, Jensen

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While some attention has been on the future of teammate Tuukka Rask of late, the Boston Bruins have another major impending free agent in center David Krejci. Like Rask, Krejci is reaching the end of a long-term, big-money contract and while he won’t get another at 35 years old by next season, Krejci does not appear to be done. The career Bruin matched a career-high 73 points in 2018-19 and last season was a top-five scorer for Boston and trailed only David Pastrnak in shooting efficiency. He capped off the campaign by reminding everyone of his career-long knack for playoff success with a team-best 12 points in 13 games. Krejci looks poised to extend his career beyond this season, likely in Boston, but there has been little public talk of an extension thus far. The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta provides an explanation, reporting that Krejci’s camp opted not to open talks this off-season. Krejci’s preference was to hold off on negotiations through the brief off-season as well as through training camp. However, the two sides are expected to begin talks once the season begins. If and when a resolution is reached, the extension could also remain as a handshake agreement, as many might this season given the Expansion Draft ramifications of signing would-be UFA’s. With that in mind, Boston fans should not be discouraged that Krejci is entering his fifteenth Bruins season without a new contract, nor should they worry if a deal is not done during the season; talks will be ongoing and the likelihood of an extension is strong.

  • Unlike Krejci, Toronto Maple Leafs starting goaltender Frederik Andersen does not appear likely to negotiate an extension during this season. The impending free agent, likely to be one of the best names available in the 2021 goalie market, did not have any extension talks with Toronto this off-season, reports TSN’s Pierre LeBrun. And now that the season is about to begin, LeBrun does not expect those talks to finally occur until next off-season. LeBrun notes that Andersen’s agent, Claude Lemieux, prefers not to discuss contracts in-season due to the distraction it may cause his clients. Obviously, any number of factors could shift the status quo and force the two sides to come together during the year, but it is unlikely. As such, Andersen is expected to head into the summer without a new contract and the Maple Leafs will have a small window of time to review the season and work out an extension before their starter becomes a free agent.
  • Andersen’s fellow countryman and former NHLer Nicklas Jensen was set to be a free agent this off-season but no more. The skilled Danish forward has signed a two-year extension with the KHL’s Jokerit, the club announced. The move comes as a bit of a surprise, as Jensen has re-signed with his current club in-season for the second year in a row, never allowing for NHL teams to make an offer during the off-season. Jensen has shown that he is worthy of a second chance in North America, too. The 27-year-old power forward, a 2011 first-round pick of the Vancouver Canucks, may not have found much success in the NHL last time around, but now a more mature player, Jensen has been a prolific scorer in the KHL. Jensen led Jokerit and finished fourth in the league in points per game in an injury-shortened 2019-20 with 25 points in 27 games and has never scored below .69 points per game through four KHL seasons, including his current campaign. A capable scorer with size and speed who has established himself in the KHL and previously flashed immense potential in the AHL, Jensen would seemingly be an intriguing target for an NHL team. A two-year extension taking him into his thirties does not completely eliminate the chance of an NHL comeback for Jensen, but makes it all the more unlikely.

Snapshots: 2021 UFAs, Ontario, Hoglander

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The NHL season is almost here, but with just 56 games and a condensed schedule, it will be over before you know it. Perhaps that doesn’t mean we should look past it already, but it didn’t stop Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic from taking a quick look at the 2021 unrestricted free agent field and giving his thoughts on a few of the top names. There are several elite players included, but like he does when he’s on the ice, Alex Ovechkin steals the spotlight of the piece. That doesn’t mean he’s leaving Washington though, as LeBrun’s colleague Tarik El-Bashir points out:

I’m going to cut to the chase: There’s a 0.00-percent chance of Ovechkin signing with another team, in my opinion. He wants to be a Washington Capital for life, and management and ownership have voiced a similar desire. The big question is how much longer does he want to play? To me, it makes a lot of sense for Ovi to sign an extension that lines up with the one Backstrom inked a year ago. Backstrom’s deal expires after the 2024-25 season.

Among the other players examined are winners of the Hart Trophy, Vezina Trophy, and Stanley Cup, making the entire thing a valuable read for those looking ahead to next offseason. It seems like a long way away right now, but it’ll be here before you know it.

  • Though we’re just a few days away and the schedule has been set, there was technically still some dispute over whether the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators would actually be allowed to host NHL games in their facilities given provincial restrictions. This afternoon, Lisa MacLeod, Ontario’s Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Minister released an official ruling allowing those North Division matches to take place. Of course, fans will not be allowed to attend those matches, a restriction that Ian Mendes of The Athletic points out is very unlikely to be relaxed at any point this season.
  • If you took a guess at who was turning heads in Vancouver Canucks camp, Elias Pettersson or Quinn Hughes may come to mind first. But perhaps the most interesting performance has been that of Nils Hoglander, who has routinely flashed his brilliant skill while lining up beside captain Bo Horvat and Tanner Pearson. Iain MacIntyre of Sportsnet highlights that Hoglander performance in his latest piece and suggests that the young forward may just make the NHL out of camp. Selected 40th overall in 2019, Hoglander only turned 20 a few weeks ago but has already wowed the hockey world on multiple occasions with his lacrosse goals.

Vancouver Canucks Sign Carson Focht

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The Vancouver Canucks have signed Carson Focht to a three-year, entry-level contract. The fifth-round pick has played parts of the last two seasons with the Calgary Hitmen of the WHL and before that suited up for the Tri-City Americans.

Focht, 20, scored 56 points in 61 games for the Hitmen last season and was a sort of utility knife for the team, used in all situations. Though his offensive numbers aren’t as impressive as some other forward prospects, his versatility and polish suggest he may find success at the professional level. That should start this season with the Utica Comets, as he is of age to play in the AHL regardless of whether the WHL starts up or not.

The Canucks are up to 44 contracts for the year, meaning they still have some extra room to add should they feel more depth is required. Focht’s deal will kick in this season but he will be waiver-exempt.

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.

NHL Will Not Require Blanket Quarantine Period For AHL Recalls

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Alongside the news of three teams opting out, four teams temporarily relocating, and realigned divisions for the coming season, more information continues to emerge following today’s AHL Board of Governors meeting. Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston reports that NHL clubs and their AHL affiliates have been informed that there will be no blanket quarantine period for player recalls and reassignments this season. Instead, quarantine measures will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis considering the totality of the circumstances. This will include team protocols, travel logistics, and accordance with local COVID-19 health guidelines.

As Johnston notes, this will make AHL recalls much easier for those teams whose affiliates share a city or even a state or province. Short, safe travel ability and uniform local policies will allow for much shorter quarantine periods. Teams in this situation may even ask their affiliate to maintain the same NHL-level of day-to-day quarantine protocols to make recalls even easier, perhaps even without any quarantine. The Toronto Maple Leafs, Winnipeg Jets, Vegas Golden Knights, and San Jose Sharks (if and when the team returns home from Arizona) all share a city with their AHL affiliate, as do the New Jersey Devils temporarily. The Anaheim Ducks, Arizona Coyotes, Boston Bruins (temporarily), Buffalo Sabres, Chicago Blackhawks, Colorado Avalanche, Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings, Ottawa Senators, Montreal Canadiens, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins all have their AHL affiliates within state or provincial lines as well.

For those teams with some distance between themselves and their minor league clubs, recalls could remain difficult. Especially for those Canadian teams whose affiliates remain in the U.S. – the Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, and Vancouver Canucks – quarantine logistics will be a struggle. Johnston points out that for these teams and the American clubs with affiliates elsewhere in the country, travel will be a major obstacle. The one blanket policy for all NHL and AHL players this season is that a seven-day quarantine period is required following a commercial flight. This could also stand to effect any team on a long-term road trip that is desperate enough to make a recall.

However, while this policy will help a great number of teams, it is important to remember that  taxi squads were established for this season to reduce the reliance on AHL recalls, at least as a frequent measure. Regardless of each NHL team’s location relative to their AHL affiliate, most teams will largely use their six-man taxi squad for emergency substitutions and will have options in the meantime should they decide to recall a player who must quarantine.

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 Sign Travis Hamonic To PTO

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The Vancouver Canucks announced that they have signed one of the top remaining unrestricted free agents, defenseman Travis Hamonic, to a player tryout contract. Much like the PTO that Mike Hoffman signed last week with St. Louis, it’s expected that Hamonic will likely sign a one-year deal once Vancouver clears out some money. The blueliner is expected to travel to Vancouver today and begin a seven-day quarantine before joining the team at training camp.

The 30-year-old Hamonic was one of those free agents who normally would have received a long-term deal on the free-agent market. However, with the pandemic and a flat $81.5MM salary cap, Hamonic struggled finding a long-term deal that he was hoping for. Like many others already, Hamonic will bet on himself this season and hope to find that long-term deal next offseason when hopefully, the NHL’s financial outlook will look more promising.

Hamonic, who spent the last three years with the Calgary Flames, was second on the team last year in ice time. The blueliner averaged 21:11, and while he’s never been an offensive presence on the ice (three goals, 12 points in 50 games), Hamonic has been a solid defensive presence, which included 110 blocked shots.

The defenseman should provide Vancouver with another top-four presence on their blueline after the team lost Chris Tanev to the Flames during the offseason, which almost makes it a one-for-one move. The Canucks also lost Troy Stecher, leaving an opening on right defense. With Quinn Hughes, Tyler Myers and Jordie Benn already on the roster from last year, plus the addition of Nate Schmidt from Vegas, the Canucks roster looks completely rebuilt. Hamonic should be able to provide the team an outstanding penalty killer, bolstering the Canucks chances of challenging among the better teams in the new North Division after the team lost a number of top free agents, including Tanev, goaltender Jacob Markstrom and Tyler Toffoli.

To get Hamonic under contract in the next few weeks, it looks like Vancouver just needs to wait until it can place Micheal Ferland on LTIR at the start of the season and the team can officially ink the blueliner.

Brendan Gaunce Signs With Vaxjo Lakers

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After a long off-season waiting for an NHL opportunity, forward Brendan Gaunce will have to settle for a season overseas. The 26-year-old forward has signed with the SHL’s Vaxjo Lakers, the team announced. The release quoted Gaunce as stating that his motivation to join the Lakers, who are currently third in the SHL, was the chance to win a Swedish championship, which of course wouldn’t hurt his chances of finding his way back to the NHL next year.

Gaunce may have only played in one NHL game in 2019-20, but the lack of NHL interest is still somewhat surprising. After all, Gaunce was playing for the President’s Trophy-winning Boston Bruins, a club with more than enough depth and talent that didn’t need the veteran forward’s services. Gaunce did record a point in his lone appearance with Boston though and added 37 points in 52 AHL games. He had a similarly impressive output in the minors in 2018-19 and again scored at a point-per-game pace in limited action with the Vancouver Canucks. The 2012 first round pick played in 114 games with Vancouver in the three seasons prior.

A two-way power forward with equally strong offensive and defensive instincts, Gaunce may not have produced points as a regular in the NHL, but has been an effective scorer in the AHL and in his limited NHL opportunities over the past two years. Whereas he likely deserved another shot in the NHL, instead he will head to Sweden where the talent level is arguably even lower than it is in the AHL. Joining Vaxjo, Gaunce will be playing alongside fellow NHL veterans like Christian Folin, Joel Persson, and Viktor Fasth and NHL prospects like Jack Drury and Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson. Gaunce’s addition to an already talented roster could boost the Lakers up to the SHL’s top spot in the standings and makes them a favorite to win the title this season.

Snapshots: Dubois, Ferland, Girardi

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The headlines were already dominated today by Pierre-Luc Dubois news, but even with the new two-year bridge deal, it doesn’t appear like the conversation is over. Aaron Portzline of The Athletic joined TSN Radio in Vancouver this afternoon, explaining that even though the contract is inked, Dubois’ desire to stay in Columbus isn’t.

I think there is a desire from the player, I don’t think it is an imminent move, but it appears—Pierre LeBrun the first to report this—that there is a desire by the player to move on, to have a change of scenery. Which is a nice way of saying get the heck out of town, he wants to play somewhere else. My first inclination was, I’m sure like yours, that this was just a ploy to move things along here and get this done so the young man could enjoy some bubbly and not have to worry about his contract tonight, but I think this is bigger than that. I think he wants a short-term contract in Columbus, I think he’s willing to let Jarmo Kekalainen to have some time to make a deal, because it is certainly going to be a major trade if it includes Pierre-Luc Dubois. But it is a short-term deal too because apparently unless something changes, there is a feeling with Pierre-Luc Dubois is that he does not want to be locked down in Columbus, Ohio long-term. 

For now, Dubois is signed and part of the Blue Jackets family. But his situation is obviously still one to keep an eye on as things continue, especially given how expensive he will likely become after this bridge deal expires. In 2021-22 he will already carry a heavy salary on his back-loaded contract, a number he will probably be looking to eclipse on any long-term deal.

  • Micheal Ferland will not be in Vancouver Canucks training camp when it starts in a few days, as his agent Jason Davidson told Rick Dhaliwal of TSN that the veteran forward is still at home trying to work through his post-concussion symptoms. Ferland played two games for the Canucks in the postseason but was forced out of the bubble due to his health complications. Though everyone is hoping that he will recover enough to play hockey again, moving Ferland’s $3.5MM cap hit to long-term injured reserve would help the Canucks get out of the tricky situation they find themselves in as the season approaches.
  • The Buffalo Sabres will be hiring Dan Girardi in a player development role, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The 36-year-old played 927 regular season games in the NHL over a long career, quite the impressive total for a player who was never drafted. Add in 143 postseason games and Girardi has a wealth of knowledge that he can pass off to Sabres prospects and players.

Snapshots: Vatanen, Ho-Sang, Raska

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As the NHL free agent market continues to thin out in a second wave of signings, veteran defenseman Sami Vatanen still stands out as one of the top available names. PHR’s No. 14-ranked UFA, Vatanen is a veteran of more than 400 NHL games averaging over 21 minutes per outing and at 29 still has plenty of gas left in the tank. Although he hasn’t been the healthiest player in recent years, Vatanen has continued to produce when on the ice. Yet, perhaps it is that lack of reliability that has left him in the lurch this off-season, even if his talent is unquestioned. With that said, teams have been kicking the tires on Vatanen – at this point surely for an affordable one year deal – and the Vancouver Canucks have been confirmed as one of the interested parties. TSN’s Rick Dhaliwal reports that the team has checked in on Vatanen, but to this point there has only been casual talks. Should the Canucks ultimately land the veteran, which would take some salary cap acrobatics, Vatanen could certainly serve a role on the team. Vancouver currently has just one right-shot defenseman slated for the NHL roster. They also have just two defenseman who scored at a higher clip than Vatanen last season. The skilled blue liner can score at even strength and could also help to elevate the Canucks power play to one of the best in the league. He checks a number of boxes, but it remains to be seen if the two sides share a mutual interest in a deal and, if so, can make the numbers work.

  • When New York Islanders training camp opens next week, it will do so without Josh Ho-Sang. The Athletic’s Arthur Staple reports that Ho-Sang has not been invited to NHL camp, despite re-signing with the Islanders in October. The polarizing prospect, a 2014 first-round pick, has played exclusively in the AHL in each of the past two season after seeing significant NHL action in each of his first three pro seasons. It now seems as if Ho-Sang could be headed back to full-time AHL duty again judging by his absence from NHL camp. Ho-Sang has been the topic of trade speculation for some time and this new development implies that the relationship between player and team has not improved. The future of Ho-Sang with the Islanders remains a mystery.
  • When his time at the World Juniors is over, Adam Raska will not return to the Czech Republic nor will he compete for a roster spot with the San Jose Sharks. Instead, Raska will report to his QMJHL club, Rimouski Oceanic, the team announced. Raska spent last season with Rimouski, but had been playing in his native Czech Republic with HC Ocelari Trinec so far this season leading up to the WJC. The hard-working winger, who was selected in the seventh round by San Jose this year as an overage prospect, will look to take on a greater offensive role with Rimouski this season.

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