Pacific Notes: Puljujarvi, Tanev, Glass
With a recent report that New York Rangers’ Lias Andersson is not interested in returning to the team for the upcoming postseason and prefers to stay in Sweden. Now another unhappy lottery pick could be following the same path as Edmonton Oilers forward Jesse Puljujarvi is believed ready to sign a one-year extension with Karpat of Liiga, according to the Edmonton Journal’s Kurt Leavins.
The fourth-overall pick in 2016 has struggled to establish himself in the NHL and chose to sign a one-year contract with Karpat last season. He had a solid season, scoring 24 goals and 53 points in 56 games this past season, but there remains doubt by many that Puljujarvi will eventually return to the NHL and become a dominant player.
What’s interesting is recent comments in which he referenced a willingness to consider returning to Edmonton when he was quoted last week as saying, “never say never.” Leavins, however, wonders if Puljujarvi made the statement in hopes of raising his trade value, especially since there is a belief that the one-year extension would likely include an NHL opt-out clause.
- The Province’s Ben Kuzma writes that the Vancouver Canucks could have a tough decision to make with pending unrestricted free agent Chris Tanev. While the team is expected to be capped out this offseason and the team has a number of free agents, including Jacob Markstrom and Tyler Toffoli along with several restricted free agents, Tanev might seem like a player who could easily replaced, especially with a number of young blueliners near NHL ready, including Brogan Rafferty, Guillaume Brisebois, Olli Juolevi and the possible return of Nikita Tryamkin. However, the 30-year-old has made it clear that he wants to stay in Vancouver and considering how well he paired next to rookie Quinn Hughes and his leadership skills, the team might have to seriously consider keeping him over others. “It’s a very tough situation because nobody knows where the cap is going to be,” said Tanev. “But I want to stay in Vancouver. I love it here and it’s sort of my new home. I love the guys on the team and we’re trending in the right direction.”
- Justin Emerson of the Las Vegas Sun writes that Vegas Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon is still working on who might fill the team’s extra spots on their expanded roster for the upcoming 24-team tournament playoffs. However, one name that won’t be on that list is rookie Cody Glass, who underwent knee surgery in March and is not expected to be ready for the delayed playoffs. Glass had a difficult rookie season in which he struggled on the team’s third line with just five goals and 12 points in 39 games.
Micheal Ferland Resumes Skating
Canucks winger Micheal Ferland has resumed skating as he continues to work his way back from concussion issues, reports Rick Dhaliwal of TSN 1040 and The Athletic (Twitter link). He suffered a concussion back on October 30th where he missed a little more than a month. He tried to come back in December but was shut down in his second game. He made a second comeback attempt in February but was pulled from his first game on a conditioning assignment as the symptoms came back once again.
At that time, he was ruled out for the season but with play not resuming until into the summer, there’s now a possibility that Ferland could return while having the benefit of a full training camp to show that he has indeed recovered. If healthy, he can make a difference in the bottom six for the Canucks, bringing them a physical presence with some offensive upside after recording at least 40 points in each of the previous two seasons.
Mutual Contract Termination May Make Sense For Loui Eriksson
Near the trade deadline, the Sabres waived and sent Zach Bogosian to the AHL. However, instead of reporting, Bogosian opted for a contract termination with an eye on resuming his NHL career and wound up in Tampa Bay shortly thereafter. Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre posits that the Canucks may attempt to go down a similar path with winger Loui Eriksson. Part of that ill-fated group of big free agent signings in 2016, Eriksson’s numbers went down as soon as he signed with Vancouver and had 72 points in his first three years combined after putting up 63 in Boston in his final year with them. His output dipped even further this year to just six goals and seven assists in 49 games, hardly a good return on his $6MM price tag. Once his upcoming $3MM signing bonus is paid, Eriksson will be owed just $5MM in salary over the final two years of the deal which might be enough to walk away from if he thinks he can land an opportunity with a bigger role elsewhere.
Nikolay Goldobin Signs In The KHL
June 18: It took more than two months but the deal is now official, as CSKA Moscow announced that Goldobin has indeed inked a two-year contract with the club.
April 11: After spending the majority of this season in the minors, it appears that Canucks winger Nikolay Goldobin is heading overseas. Sport-Express’ Igor Eronko reports (Twitter link) that Goldobin is expected to sign a two-year deal with CSKA Moscow of the KHL. TSN 1040’s Rick Dhaliwal relays (via Twitter) a quick statement from Goldobin who confirmed that he is signing in the KHL (but didn’t specify which team) and that he’s looking forward to trying the NHL again at the expiration of his deal.
The 24-year-old cleared waivers at the beginning of the season and aside from a single NHL game in late November, Goldobin spent the entire year with AHL Utica. He was quite productive with the Comets, recording 50 points in 51 games. It was just a year ago that he spent an entire season with Vancouver as the 2014 first-round pick had 27 points in 63 contests back in 2018-19 but that wasn’t enough to generate any interest on the waiver wire or the trade market.
The Canucks can retain Goldobin’s NHL rights by issuing a qualifying offer. However, it’s at least worth noting that Goldobin told Dhaliwal that Vancouver had no interest in re-signing him for 2020-21, suggesting that a non-tender was probably coming. However, as he won’t be eligible for unrestricted free agency at the expiration of his KHL contract, they’re now likely to tender him the qualifying offer now in case he breaks out overseas. He’ll still count against the 90-player reserve list in that instance but every team is well below that particular threshold.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
West Notes: Tarasenko, Canucks UFAs, Coyotes Black Aces
Many may have forgotten already, but when the NHL 24-team tournament hits the ice later this summer, the St. Louis Blues would be doing everything it can to defend their Stanley Cup title and try to win a second straight. That might have been somewhat more challenging for the Blues who played much of the season without star scorer Vladimir Tarasenko who underwent shoulder surgery on Oct. 29.
While he was close to coming back before the NHL season was suspended from COVID-19, there was no guarantee how ready Tarasenko would be for the upcoming playoffs. However, with the delay of the playoffs due to the pandemic, Tarasenko should be more than ready to help the Blues this summer, according to head coach Craig Berube on The Athletic’s We Went Blues podcast with Jeremy Rutherford (subscription required).
“He’s good,” said Berube. “Before we stopped, he was ready to come back the next week and play, so, he did a great job of getting himself back. He did a great job with his rehab, along with the training staff, and he kept himself in great shape. He actually came back in better shape than he came to camp (in September) … He’s been on the ice and doing things right now, so he’s ready to go.”
A healthy Tarasenko would be a huge boost to the team’s playoff chances. The team was faring quite well without him though as they have the second-best record in the league and sit at the top of the Western Conference with a 42-29-10 record. The 28-year-old Tarasenko appeared in just 10 games before being injured, posting three goals and 10 points. He was given a five month timetable, which should make him more than prepared to take on a major role whenever play resumes.
- TSN’s Rick Dhaliwal writes that if the Vancouver Canucks want to sign all of their top three unrestricted free agents in Jacob Markstrom, Tyler Toffoli and Chris Tanev, the team will likely have to make some roster moves and send off some of their more expensive contracts (with sweeteners) to free up some cap space. The team is currently right up against the cap and with no other major contracts freeing up in the offseason, the team will have to move someone out. One option would be to find a trade partner for forward Loui Eriksson, who still has two more years at $6MM AAV. A compliance buyout is a possibility that could solve that problem if they become available, but otherwise the Canucks would have to find a taker willing to move some of its cap room to take on Eriksson, who scored just six goals and 13 points in 49 games last season.
- Craig Morgan, formerly of The Athletic, reports a list of the Arizona Coyotes’ players who will be attending training camp as Black Aces. It was recently reported that the team will be bringing in their 2019 first-round pick Victor Soderstrom to serve as a Black Ace. He will be joined by forwards Brayden Burke, Hudson Fasching, Michael Chaput, defenseman Aaron Ness, Kyle Capobianco, Jordan Gross and goaltenders Adin Hill and Ivan Prosvetov.
Canucks Prospect Petrus Palmu Expected To Play Overseas Again Next Season
Canucks prospect Petrus Palmu has spent the last year and a half playing overseas and it doesn’t appear as if that will be changing for 2020-21. Rick Dhaliwal of TSN 1040 and The Athletic reports that as a result of Vancouver’s decision to renew the contract of AHL Utica head coach Trent Cull creates a situation where both the team and Palmu’s agent Todd Diamond will agree that it’s best that the 22-year-old remains in Europe for next season.
Palmu was a sixth-round pick (171st overall) of Vancouver in 2017 in his final year of draft eligibility after a dominant showing with Owen Sound of the OHL. He returned to his native Finland the following year before signing an entry-level deal with Vancouver in 2018.
However, things didn’t go well in Utica. Palmu didn’t see much action with the Comets and eventually secured a loan agreement that allowed him to go back to TPS Turku of the Finnish SM-liiga. On his way out, he spoke to Dhaliwal about his lack of playing time, saying “Honestly, I didn’t get the reason why I didn’t get the ice time, nobody really talked to me.” That quote certainly didn’t sit well with Vancouver.
This season, Palmu moved on to JYP Jyvaskyla and had a strong season, notching 13 goals and 22 assists in 47 games to rank fifth on the team in scoring while the playoffs were wiped out due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Palmu actually has one more year left on his entry-level contract so the Canucks will need to agree to loan him out again and a return to JYP certainly makes some sense coming off the year he had. In the 2021 offseason, he’ll be a restricted free agent and Vancouver will have to make a call at that time about issuing him a qualifying offer to retain his NHL rights or non-tender him, allowing him a shot to potentially catch on with another organization.
Pacific Notes: Markstrom, Vancouver, Calgary
Without an official start date announced for the expanded NHL postseason, it is nearly impossible to guess when the Stanley Cup might be awarded this year and when the off-season may begin. All that Vancouver Canucks GM Jim Benning cares about is that by the time the off-season does arrive, goaltender Jacob Markstrom is back under contract. “He’s an important guy for us,” Benning told Ben Kuzma of The Province, adding “My intent is to figure out something that works for him and us. I’m hoping to get him signed.” Markstrom is part of a trio of key free agents for Vancouver that includes defenseman Chris Tanev and forward Tyler Toffoli, but the All-Star netminder appears to be Benning’s priority. The GM has been working to extend Markstrom all year, while Markstrom himself has said multiple times that he would like to remain in Vancouver. All that is left is for the two sides to meet on money in the confines of a potential flat salary cap and the Canucks’ hefty payroll. Markstrom enjoyed a career year in 2019-20 and could still boost his stock even further with a strong playoff performance. If the Canucks don’t pay him, someone else undoubtedly will.
- The city of Vancouver is hoping to have a first-hand look at the coming postseason. The province of British Columbia has put together a formal proposal, designed and approved by its top healthcare professionals, that recommends Vancouver as one of the two “hub cities” for the NHL’s makeshift playoff format. Per the Canadian Press, this proposal will be presented to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for approval and then finally to the NHL. Vancouver was already on the shortlist of possible locations that the league was considering, but are now taking steps to be a front runner for the event. Whether or not the NHL would allow the Canucks to play at home or instead send the Eastern Conference teams to Western Canada remains to be seen.
- Working against Vancouver’s odds of hosting a postseason tournament is Canada’s continued insistence on a 14-day quarantine for anyone entering the country. If this policy is still in place once the postseason is ready to commence, it would present a holdup that the NHL cannot afford. Before it even reaches that possible breaking point, the quarantine rule is already impacting training camp plans. Calgary Flames GM Brad Treliving tells TSN’s Ryan Rishaug that the organization already has a plan in place to hold their July training camp in the U.S. if the quarantine rule is not lifted or an exception is not made. “I don’t want guys coming back to Calgary and sitting on their butts for two weeks,” Treliving stated, “It may make more sense for us to have camp in the U.S. so we can have guys together quicker and being productive. The quarantine issue is a big one.” There is no word yet on where exactly this fallback training camp would take place, but hockey-centric cities relatively close to Calgary include Spokane, Washington and Grand Forks, North Dakota.
New Jersey Devils Trim Head Coach Search To Four
The New Jersey Devils got off to another disappointingly slow start in 2019-20. After missing the playoffs in three of their first four seasons under head coach John Hynes, the team decided not to continue a fifth campaign with their bench boss. Hynes was fired on December 3rd with the Devils 9-13-4 on the season, a points percentage of .423. Assistant Alaine Nasreddine took over as head coach and the team did improve over the rest of the season, finishing with a .493 points percentage and just one win shy of a .500 record. However, the question is whether that improvement of .07 percentage points is enough for Nasreddine to keep his job. Or will the Devils focus more on their last-place finish in the Metropolitan Division and look elsewhere for a new head coach?
According to TSN’s Pierre LeBrun, Nasreddine is at least still in the mix for the position. Although New Jersey is facing down a very long off-season as one of the seven teams not to qualify for the expanded postseason (ironically Hynes’ Nashville Predators qualified), they are moving quickly in their coaching search. LeBrun reports that the Devils have spoken with eight to ten candidates for the position, but have whittled it down to just four finalists, one of which is Nasreddine. Who the remaining three names might be is unknown, but Gerard Gallant was one of the first to interview and has to be considered a front-runner given his recent success with the Vegas Golden Knights. Other big names available on the coaching market include Peter Laviolette, Mike Babcock, Bruce Boudreau, John Stevens, and Mike Yeo.
Potentially complicating the hiring process could be the status of the GM position. Tom Fitzgerald, like Nasreddine, is another assistant who was promoted but handed an interim tag this season. He has done an admirable job thus far, but his status remains in limbo. The team has reported talked to some outside candidates, including former Canucks GM Mike Gillis, and may be waiting to make a call on head coach until they know who is leading the organization as GM. However, they have plenty of time ahead of them to make these decisions, even though they appear to be making progress on their hunt for a head coach.
West Notes: Canucks, Kaprizov, Karlsson
While many NHL teams will be opening up their practice facilities to players as part of Phase 2 in small groups as soon as Monday, the Vancouver Canucks will not be doing that. Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre reports that with just three Canucks’ players in the area, each who has access to their own independent ice rinks, there is no reason to open up their training facilities, at least until Canada’s 14-day quarantine for foreigners is solved.
The three Canucks’ players, defensemen Alexander Edler, Chris Tanev and Troy Stecher all choose to stay in Vancouver during the shutdown along with injured forward Josh Leivo. More than half the roster reside outside of Canada. Of course, Phase 2 is voluntary and the Canucks cannot order their players back at this point, so most of their players aren’t necessarily eager to return to Canada yet.
- The Athletic’s Michael Russo (subscription required) writes that while the NHL has been insistent that unsigned players like Kirill Kaprizov will not be eligible for the upcoming tournament, the NHLPA is working on that issue since the league is technically changing a long-standing collective bargaining rule. That could be a big bonus for the Minnesota Wild if the NHLPA can reverse the NHL’s stance on that. The scribe writes that if the team feels Kaprizov could help immediately, he could push someone like Victor Rask or Ryan Donato out the lineup and make Minnesota’s squad even more interesting. “If we feel that (Kaprizov’s) ready to go then I don’t think it’ll be an issue whatsoever,” interim coach Dean Evason said. “It’s no different than a player popping in and out or sitting out or coming in and taking over for an injured guy. So no, we don’t feel that would be a problem at all and obviously (it’d) be very exciting for us in the organization if we can get him going right away.”
- Kevin Kurz of The Athletic (subscription required) writes that the team has a number of interesting free agents coming up this offseason, but perhaps the most interesting situation to watch will be that of forward Melker Karlsson, who is an unrestricted free agent and hasn’t always been a fan favorite of Sharks’ fans. While he has proven to be a solid fourth-line player and a quality penalty killer, many of his advanced metric statistics aren’t that impressive. However, after already losing a top penalty killer in Barclay Goodrow recently, losing a second player on a top-rated unit might not be the way to go, making it a very interesting scenario. The scribe writes that Karlsson’s agent said there was mutual interest in getting a deal done, but there have been no talks since play was suspended. His $2MM contact for the past three seasons might require him to accept a pay cut if he wants to stay.
Chris Tanev Suggests That Many UFAs Will Seek One-Year Deals This Offseason
- Canucks defenseman Chris Tanev is a pending unrestricted free agent that will be heading into a constricted open market due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Accordingly, he told Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre that he thinks a lot of players could sign a one-year contract this offseason in the hopes that the financial situation will improve from where it is now. The 30-year-old has spent his entire 10-year NHL career in Vancouver and has stated his preference to stay several times although with more than $63MM in commitments already for next season to just 14 players, they may not be able to retain all of their veterans with a salary cap that will likely be at or near the $81.5MM it was at this season. If he does stay, he may very well need to take a one-year deal.