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Snapshots: Playoffs, Hoffman, Schedule, Travel, 2021-22 Season

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With the agreement between the NHL and NHLPA official now in the books after both sides have voted to approve it, teams would play their entire season within their own conference (altered conferences can be found here). From there, the playoffs will not alter from the regular season too much as the top four teams in each division will play against each other with 1 vs. 4 and 2 vs. 3 for the first two rounds, according to NHL.com’s John Shannon. Each division winner gets a spot in the Stanley Cup semifinals, seeded by their regular season points percentage.

  • With the rumors and now agreement on a 56-game season, the Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch reports that there is plenty of talks heating up around the top unrestricted free agent still available on the market in Mike Hoffman. The 31-year-old is coming off a 29-goal season last year in 69 games and had a 36-goal campaign the previous year. Garrioch reports that as many as six teams are in on him. However, most teams are already tight against the salary cap, which has complicated his status and why he has waited this long. Hoffman has been talked about in a number of situations, including Nashville, Boston and Columbus with several other teams in the mix.
  • Garrioch also notes that a schedule is expected to be released mid-week this week once the NHL comes to an agreement with the Canadian provinces. While most of the talk between the NHL and the Canadian provinces are centering around the Canucks and B.C., there still hasn’t been an agreement with the province of Ontario either regarding whether the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators will be able to play in their own rinks. It is believed that an agreement with Ontario should be easier to finalize, however, than with B.C. Garrioch adds that even if there is a province-wide lockdown, it shouldn’t affect Ottawa’s training camp, although access to the training facility would be really limited.
  • While restrictions should be better for players as they no longer will be forced into a bubble like during the playoffs, the travel restrictions for teams that go on the road will not be much better, according to TSN’s Frank Seravalli. Players and staff will be restricted to the game rink, practice rink or the hotel. No exceptions, including food.
  • Seravalli notes that NHL players have the right to opt out of the 2020-21 season, but the league “may investigate any circumstances … that these provisions were intentionally used to, or had the effect of, circumventing the CBA” for salary cap purposes.
  • Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston reports that the NHL intends to return to a traditional season for 2021-22, which is expected to start in October. The league had initially hoped to get an 82-game season in this year, but instead will shorten the 2020-21 season in hopes of finishing their season in mid-July.

Restart Notes: NHL Calendar, Canucks, Entry-Level Slide, Training Camps

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With the date set for a Jan. 13 agreement by the NHL and NHLPA, more dates have started filling into the NHL’s calendar for the upcoming season and beyond, according to The Athletic’s Scott Burnside (subscription required).

Training Camps Open (for seven non-playoff teams): Dec. 30

Training Camps Open (for everyone else): Jan. 3

Regular Season Begins: Jan. 13

RFA Signing Deadline: Feb. 11 (normally Dec. 1)

Contract Extensions: March 12 (normally Jan. 1 to sign extensions for 2021-22)

Trade Deadline: April 12

End of Regular Season: May 8

Seattle Expansion Draft: July 21

NHL Draft: July 23-24

Free Agency Begins: July 28

  • The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reports that the NHL continues to talk to all of Canada’s province’s, but is still working with B.C. and its health officials to try to get the Canucks to play in Vancouver. Pagnotta did say that a league source did say that if negotiations aren’t successful that the Canucks could still play in another city, maintaining an all-Canadian division. All options remain on the table. Like the San Jose Sharks begin training camp in Arizona, the Canucks may be forced to do the same thing, especially with Jan. 3 being not far away. Vancouver was a finalist to have one of the playoff bubbles last season, but the province of B.C. added extra restrictions at the last minute that forced the NHL to move its preparations to Edmonton.
  • Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that the NHL has prorated entry-level slides for the upcoming shortened season. Up until now, an entry level could slide up to two years, but if the player appeared in 10 NHL games during one of those two years, their contracts officially begin. That number now changes to seven games, which could be significant as many younger players may find themselves on taxi squads and could find themselves getting into games. That also means that if a young player appears in more than six games, their contract officially begins. Those rules could have an effect on players such as Los Angeles’ Quinton Byfield, Winnipeg’s Cole Perfetti, Toronto’s Nick Robertson and Vegas’ Peyton Krebs, who may not have played this season, but could find playing time now, especially with the state of the junior league seasons in jeopardy.
  • In a separate tweet, Friedman also notes that NHL training camps will allow 36 skaters and an unlimited amount of goaltenders.

Vancouver Canucks Re-Sign Justin Bailey

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The Vancouver Canucks have signed another one of their restricted free agents, inking Justin Bailey to a new one-year, two-way contract. Bailey was eligible for salary arbitration this offseason but did not file. Thomas Drance of The Athletic reports that the deal will pay Bailey $750K at the NHL level and $225K in the AHL.

Though Drance also reports that Bailey had been holding out hope for a one-way deal, he’ll have to settle for a two-way deal in this depressed financial climate. A veteran of 65 NHL games, the 25-year-old power forward lit up the minor leagues last season, scoring 28 goals and 47 points in just 53 games for the Utica Comets. Standing 6’4″ and with a nose for the net, there’s a lot to like about Bailey’s game.

Given his relative lack of NHL experience, Bailey could qualify for Group VI unrestricted free agency after this season if he fails to play in 15 games with the Canucks. It will be interesting to see how they handle him to start the year, as Bailey could be the perfect candidate for an NHL taxi squad, given he’s already proven himself in the minor leagues.

With the deal, the Canucks have now signed all of their eligible restricted free agents and are ready for the season to begin.

Snapshots: Canucks, Tolvanen, Trenin, Zavgorodniy

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The Vancouver Canucks appear to be over the cap as the season approaches, but with Micheal Ferland likely to move to long-term injured reserve at some point in the near future, they actually may have some flexibility. Thomas Drance and Rick Dhaliwal of The Athletic examine exactly how much space the Canucks could potentially create with several roster moves and weigh in on the recent report that Vancouver is interested in Travis Hamonic.

The pair of insiders have also heard of the Vancouver interest in Hamonic, though they believe there has been “no recent momentum” between the two sides. They also note that there was interest in Erik Haula, though have not spoken to his camp recently either. Of course, things can change at the drop of a hat in today’s market so the Canucks are a team to keep an eye on in the weeks leading up to training camp next month.

  • With those camps coming quickly, players from all over the world continue to head back to North America. Today, Eeli Tolvanen and Jokerit have terminated their agreement, allowing the young forward to return to the Nashville Predators for the upcoming season. Tolvanen, 21, is in the final year of his entry-level contract but has still yet to establish himself at the NHL level. Even his KHL numbers were disappointing so far, with just five goals and 13 points in 25 games. The last time Tolvanen was in the KHL, during the 2017-18 season, he scored 19 goals and 36 points in 49 games.
  • Also returning from the KHL are Yakov Trenin and Dmitry Zavgorodniy, who have been recalled from loan with SKA St. Petersburg. Trenin signed a new two-year deal with the Predators in September and will be competing for an NHL roster spot at training camp, while Zavgorodniy is going to start his North American professional career after playing the last few seasons in the QMJHL. The Calgary Flames prospect is on his entry-level deal but has already impressed much more than a seventh-round pick usually does.
  • SKA also announced a trade of Winnipeg Jets goaltending prospect Mikhail Berdin back to HC Sochi. Berdin is also expected to return to North America in time for the 2020-21 season, though the SKA release does not actually include that news.

Latest On Travis Hamonic

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It’s been a long time since Travis Hamonic’s name was in the news, partly because of his own decision and partly because of the complete standstill of the free agent market. The veteran defenseman opted out of the NHL’s return to play this summer citing family reasons but was also injured before the original pause, meaning his last competitive game was way back on February 8 of this year. It’ll be almost a full year before he hits the ice again but at just 30 years old could still be an effective part of any team’s blueline.

While there hasn’t been much to speculate on, Hamonic’s name did come up in conversation today on TSN radio in Vancouver, when Bob Marjanovich explained he had heard that both the Vancouver Canucks and Calgary Flames were interested. Both teams are currently dealing with cap crunches, so would need to move money out before signing Hamonic to a one-year deal, according to Marjanovich.

The idea of a one-year deal for Hamonic seems likely at this point, given how cash-strapped so many teams around the league are, but it does seem difficult for either Vancouver or Calgary to fit him in. The interesting part of the Canucks connection is that he would essentially be there to replace the outgoing Chris Tanev, who took his job as a defensively-minded right-handed defenseman in Calgary this free agency. But Vancouver is already over the cap ceiling and though they may be able to get some relief if Micheal Ferland can be moved to long-term injured reserve, it’s not like they have much money to throw around at free agents.

In Calgary, bringing Hamonic back could make some sense given the familiarity there after three seasons together, but he struggled at times in 2019-20 and again, was replaced by Tanev on the open market. The Flames also have Rasmus Andersson signed and ready to take on more responsibility, not leaving very much chance for Hamonic to really boost his value for a bigger contract next season.

There likely would be better fits for Hamonic elsewhere, including with the Winnipeg Jets, where the Manitoba native played his minor hockey. If any of those family concerns remain, perhaps a Canadian team would be the only place he would consider for the shortened season, given the division realignment and border protocols. The Toronto Maple Leafs were linked to him several years ago but added former teammate T.J. Brodie in free agency and don’t have much money, while the Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators don’t really have obvious openings either.

Like the other high profile free agents remaining, Hamonic’s career is at something of a crossroads thanks to the COVID-affected market. He should be a sought-after commodity given his experience—Hamonic has averaged more than 20 minutes a night in each of his ten NHL seasons—but not faces a difficult search for playing time that he can use in the next offseason negotiations.

Vancouver Canucks Sign Tyler Graovac To One-Year Deal

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The Vancouver Canucks announced they have brought back unrestricted free agent Tyler Graovac and signed the veteran to a one-year, two-way deal. The 27-year-old bounced between Vancouver and the Utica Comets of the AHL last season and likely will do the same again this year.

Graovac spent most of the season injured last year after suffering a lower-body injury. He did appear in eight games with the Canucks, scoring two goals, while also appearing in 11 games for Utica, posting two goals and three points. He was with the Canucks in the playoff bubble, but did not appear in a game.

The 6-foot-5 forward has appeared in just 70 NHL games over his career with most of those coming in 2016-17 when he played 52 games for the Minnesota Wild. However, he struggled to gain a full-time role after that and was traded to Washington where he spent most of that next season with the Capitals’ AHL team. He signed with the Calgary Flames in the 2018 offseason, but never played a game for them, scoring a career-high 24 goals with the Stockton Heat instead. Graovac signed last offseason with the Canucks then.

 

Vancouver Canucks Re-Sign Jalen Chatfield

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The Vancouver Canucks have re-signed defenseman Jalen Chatfield to a one-year, two-way contract for the 2020-21 season. Chatfield was a restricted free agent that was eligible for arbitration but had decided not to file. PuckPedia reports that the deal is worth $700K at the NHL level and $125K in the minor leagues.

Chatfield, 24, was an undrafted free agent signing by the Canucks in 2017 and has spent the last three seasons in the minor leagues with the Utica Comets. He’s been recalled a few times to the NHL but hasn’t actually gotten into a game yet with Vancouver, something that he’s obviously hoping to change this year. The former Windsor Spitfires defenseman has shown basically no offensive ability at the professional level, recording just 18 points in his AHL career, but could still be an injury replacement or taxi squad member this season.

As we discussed earlier today, there remains a group of restricted free agents that aren’t expected to draw huge contracts but still aren’t signed for whatever reason. Like Chatfield, who now at least knows he will be employed in the 2020-21 season, many of those unsigned players can’t know for sure where they will be playing given the uncertainty surrounding the AHL campaign. Several of these short-term two-way deals will likely be signed over the next few weeks, even perhaps for players who have more experience and success than the Canucks defenseman.

Latest On 2020-21 Schedule And Rosters

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Nothing is official between the NHL and NHLPA on a format for the 2020-21 season, but progress is being made. As reported earlier today, financial negotiations – including a proposal of compliance buyouts – have been put to rest and the two sides will move forward with the terms agreed upon in the CBA. There is still work to be done on an agreement of numerous other details for the season, but both sides seem optimistic about a January 13 start date and some players, like New Jersey’s Nico Hischier, are already planning their returns to North America in preparation.

As for what comes next in the planning process, TSN’s Frank Seravalli, Darren Dreger, and Pierre LeBrun spoke at length about possible roster changes for the coming year in the latest edition of “Insider Trading”. Given the risks associated with the potential for a Coronavirus breakout in a locker room, as well as the health complications of adding players to the roster via recall, it seems likely that rosters will be expanded and taxi squads may be implemented for this season. Seravalli specifically notes that active rosters could grow to 26 and taxi squads of four could bring the total group of available players for each team to 30. There is also the possibility that the Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, and Vancouver Canucks could be given an exception for larger taxi squads, as their AHL affiliates play outside of Canada and adding to the roster would be a long and involved process. He mentions that the other Canadian teams do not share this problem, as their AHL teams play in Canada and are expected to have their own division this season. The group did not address the salary cap implications that an expanded roster may have, but expect that taxi squad members will be paid AHL salaries but receive NHL benefits.

Regardless of the safeguards that the league puts in place with rosters as well as travel and gameplay, it seems inevitable that there will be cases of Coronavirus among NHL players and personnel this season. As the NFL season has shown, that can cause quite the confusion when it comes to scheduling. So while many expected the 2020-21 season to be condensed due to the delayed start, TSN’s insiders report that the schedule will actually have numerous off days built in to accommodate make-up games.

For now, each side continues to discuss all options internally – the NHLPA Executive Board met today and the NHL Board of Governors is set to meet later this week – while negotiating with one another. As noted earlier today, the new target date to begin play is January 13 with training camps for all teams likely to begin on January 3 and almost certainly a uniform period of quarantine for all prior to arrival at camp (Dreger believes eight days of isolation will be required). As such, the clock is ticking and the hope is that the two sides can have all the details hammered out sooner rather than later now that their financial debate has been resolved.

Maxim Lapierre Announces Retirement

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Maxim Lapierre, who played 614 games over his NHL career for five different teams, has announced his retirement, according to a report from NHL.com.

The 35-year-old forward played 10 seasons with the Montreal Canadiens, Anaheim Ducks, Vancouver Canucks, St. Louis Blues and Pittsburgh Penguins. He was known as a  physical bottom-six player who spent his first five seasons with the Canadiens. His best season was back in 2008-09 when he scored 15 goals. He was a major factor in the playoffs for the 2010-11 Vancouver Canucks team. He was acquired at the trade deadline and produced three goals and 66 penalty minutes to help the Canucks come within one game of winning a Stanley Cup Championship. His last NHL season was with the Penguins during the 2014-15 season. In total, Lapierre scored 65 goals and 139 points and 586 penalty minutes.

After his contract in Pittsburgh ran out, Lapierre, a Montreal native, signed a one-year deal to play for Modo in the SHL overseas. He then followed that up playing four years for Lugano of the NLA. Last season, he joined the Berlin Polar Bears in the DEL. He did help Team Canada to the bronze medal in the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics.

Benning: Canucks Attempted To Trade Loui Eriksson This Offseason, Talks Ongoing For Travis Green Extension

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Loui Eriksson’s tenure with the Canucks has certainly been a rocky one through the first four seasons.  In an interview with Sportsnet 650 (audio link), GM Jim Benning acknowledged that he did try to move the winger this offseason but they weren’t able to find a taker.  With two years left on his deal that carries a $6MM cap hit, that’s not too surprising.  As things stand, the veteran will enter training camp hoping to land a spot on the fourth line although he is a candidate to be waived and sent to the minors to free up $1.075MM in cap room.

Benning also acknowledged that talks continue with head coach Travis Green about a contract extension.  He has been behind the bench for the Canucks since the 2017-18 season and is entering the final year of his contract.

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