Vancouver Canucks Acquire Francis Perron From San Jose Sharks
5:27: The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz reports that the Sharks have no interest in Pyatt as the only reason Pyatt was included in the deal was because Vancouver already had the maximum number of 50 contracts and needed to send a player back to the Sharks.
4:30: The Vancouver Canucks announced they have acquired prospect Francis Perron and a 2019 seventh-round pick from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for the rights to unrestricted free agent Tom Pyatt and a 2019 sixth-round pick.
Perron, acquired last offseason along with Erik Karlsson from Ottawa, had a breakout year with the San Jose Barracuda in the AHL, posting 18 goals and 47 points in 63 games after putting up just 10 combined goals over the two previous years, but with a tremendous amount of young talent coming into the AHL this season in Ivan Chekhovich, Sasha Chmelevski, Noah Gregor and Joakim Blichfield, Perron was expendable. The 23-year-old has a better chance to cracking Vancouver’s lineup in training camp than he would have in San Jose.
The 32-year-old Pyatt is expected to be an unrestricted free agent on July 1. No word on whether San Jose wants to sign the veteran forward. He played 37 games with the Ottawa Senators last season, tallying no goals and two assists, but then was traded along with goaltender Mike McKenna to Vancouver in the Anders Nilsson trade in January. He was immediately sent to the Utica Comets after the trade and played 36 games there, scoring six goals and 19 points there. Whether San Jose might want him as a cheap bottom-line option with the Sharks or potentially as a veteran leader for their top prospects is still up in the air.
Vancouver Canucks Acquire Tampa Bay’s J.T. Miller
With salary dumps starting off the day after both Patrick Marleau and P.K. Subban were traded earlier, TSN’s Bob McKenzie reports that the Vancouver Canucks are closing in on a deal to acquire forward J.T. Miller and the four years remaining at $5.25MM from the Tampa Bay Lightning. Vancouver trades goaltender Marek Mazanec, a 2019 third-round pick (goaltender Hugo Alnefelt) and a conditional first-round pick in 2020, reports NHL.com’s Dan Rosen. If the Canucks do not make the playoffs, the 2020 first-rounder will be conveyed in 2021.
With plenty of salary cap issues, the Tampa Bay Lightning had to move out some salary, especially with restricted Brayden Point expected to get a big raise this summer. Miller seemed to make the most sense as the forward struggled last season in his first full year with the Lightning. After posting more than 20 goals for three straight years, Miller saw his goal-scoring numbers drop to just 13 last season. With a no-trade clause kicking in on July 1, the team had to make a move sooner rather than later.
For Vancouver, Miller should provide some much needed offense as Miller can play all three positions and still is just 26 years old and should find a role somewhere in the team’s top six. If he continues to struggle like he did last year, he could always take over the third-line center duties. The Canucks have the cap space to take in the deal, but Miller’s four year’s at $5.25MM is pretty reasonable had the team tried to land a player of Miller’s success on the free-agent market.
It wasn’t a long stay for Miller, who the team acquired as part of the Ryan McDonagh trade back at the trade deadline in 2018. He looked sharp for the team’s stretch run that year, tallying 10 goals and 18 points in 19 games. The team then signed him to a five-year, $26.25MM contract last offseason, but now decided to move on from him. The team got solid value for him as they expect to get either the team’s 2020 first-rounder (assuming the Canucks make the playoffs) or the team’s 2021 first-rounder. They also added a third-round pick in this year’s draft, while also getting Mazanec. While it looks like it would fill their hole in the net in Syracuse, the team only picked up Mazanec’s rights as he has already signed a contract in the Czech League for two years. The team already lost both of Syracuse’s goaltenders from last year as Eddie Pasquale has already signed with Barys Nur-Sultan in the KHL, while they traded Connor Ingram to Tampa Bay for a future seventh-round pick.
Morning Notes: Barrie, Subban, Penguins
For all the anticipation that the NHL Entry Draft creates, fans were left somewhat disappointed last night when not a single player was traded. All the viewers got from the floor in Vancouver was the Arizona Coyotes moving up three spots and the Philadelphia Flyers adding a second-round pick. The kind of movement that had been hinted at all day never materialized, perhaps thanks to the still-not-finalized cap ceiling. The league is expected to release the final number today, hopefully kicking the market into gear.
Nevertheless, here are some notes from last night’s show:
- The player most rumored to be on the move yesterday may have been Tyson Barrie, who was linked several times to the Vancouver Canucks. The offensive defenseman’s name came up even more when the Colorado Avalanche selected Bowen Byram fourth overall, but GM Joe Sakic wants everyone to calm down. Sakic told A.J. Haefele of BSN Denver that there is no truth to the idea that Barrie is already traded, and Adrian Dater of Colorado Hockey Now that the rumors are “news to him.” Even with the apparent denials, Barrie’s name will continue to float around in trade speculation until he has a new deal with the Avalanche or is moved. The 27-year old is entering the final year of his current contract and carries a $5.5MM cap hit.
- Another defenseman drawing plenty of speculation is Nashville Predators star P.K. Subban who is apparently on the market as the team tries to clear cap space. Subban has three years remaining at a huge $9MM cap hit, but Darren Dreger of TSN suggested that the Predators may be willing to retain up to $3MM of that. If that’s true, there will likely be teams lined up to take on the Norris-winning defenseman.
- After a disappointing season from the Pittsburgh Penguins and some frustrated comments from GM Jim Rutherford, some expected the team to make a huge move and send one of their superstar talents packing this summer. While the team did try to move Phil Kessel to the Minnesota Wild, they won’t be dangling Evgeni Malkin or Kris Letang. Rutherford spoke to Jonathan Bombulie of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and told him it’s “highly unlikely” that either one is moved and that there was never an intention to have a ton of roster turnover in Pittsburgh.
Canucks To Retire The Numbers Of Henrik And Daniel Sedin
Commissioner Gary Bettman opened the 2019 NHL Entry Draft in Vancouver by inviting former Canucks superstars Henrik and Daniel Sedin on to the stage. He proceeded to announce that Vancouver would honor the twins by retiring their numbers next season. The Canucks have since clarified that the numbers will be raised into the rafters during the team’s 50th anniversary celebration in February.
As many might have expected, Nos. 22 and 33 will never again be worn in Vancouver. As soon as the Sedins were selected at second and third overall in 1999, they became the faces of the franchise for the Canucks. The duo each played in more than 1,300 games and recorded more than 1,000 points as members of the Canucks over 17 seasons. Both brothers appeared in three All-Star games, won and Art Ross Trophy, and won at least one King Clancy Trophy. Henrik was additionally the 2009-10 Hart Trophy winner, while Daniel won the Ted Lindsay Award in 2010-11.
Since retiring after the 2017-18 season, the Sedin’s have remained involved in Vancouver, but on the ice have left a new core of young players to lead the Canucks. Fellow Swede Elias Pettersson took the reins and posted 66 points en route to the Calder Trophy. Pettersson and company will hope to continue emulating the Sedins, future Hall of Famers, as the Canucks look to get back to relevance next season, which would be the real celebration in the team’s 50th season.
Latest On Tyson Barrie
It seemed relatively surprising when a report surfaced that Colorado Avalanche defenseman Tyson Barrie was “in play” this weekend, but his name has now popped up in a couple of other locations as well. Darren Dreger of TSN tweeted last night that “Barrie trade consideration seems to have amplified” and listed Carl Soderberg as another player whose name had come up. Dreger was then on WGR550 in Buffalo this morning and connected both the Vancouver Canucks and Arizona Coyotes to the defenseman. Then, Adrian Dater of Colorado Hockey Now tweeted that he’d heard “chatter” about the Canucks offering Jake Virtanen and a 2020 first-round pick for Barrie, though obviously nothing has been confirmed yet.
Barrie, 27, is coming off an outstanding offensive season with the Avalanche in which he recorded 59 points in 78 games, but has just a single year left on his current contract and is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent next summer. Add that to the potential emergence of Cale Makar on the right side and the powerplay for the Avalanche and the team seems to be at least listening on their top defenseman.
Still, this chatter doesn’t mean that the team is set on moving Barrie. He is after all an extremely important part of the team and GM Joe Sakic has fought strongly in favor of him in the past. Barrie signed a four-year, $22MM deal with the Avalanche in 2016 and carries a $5.5MM cap hit for this season.
Alex Edler Re-Signs With Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks and Alexander Edler have finally agreed upon a new deal. The veteran defenseman has re-signed with the Canucks on a two-year contract worth a total of $12MM. GM Jim Benning released a statement on the signing:
Alex is important to our team and has played as the cornerstone of our defence throughout his career. He’s a leader with tremendous experience, plays important minutes and contributes to every part of our team game. We’re very pleased for Alex and his family that he’ll continue his career as a Vancouver Canuck.
After reports had surfaced yesterday that the two sides had finally found a solution on the biggest sticking point—Edler did not want to be exposed in the upcoming Seattle expansion draft—many expected the deal to be three or four years in length but not include a no-movement clause. Instead, the two sides have come to an agreement that will see the veteran defenseman hit the open market in 2021. While that technically leaves him open to being selected in the draft—expansion clubs are allowed to take a certain number of pending free agents—he would never have to actually play for Seattle if he didn’t want to.
By keeping the term short, Benning did need to offer a fair amount of money. Edler will actually get a raise on the $5MM cap hit he carried for the past six years, and once again becomes the most expensive defenseman on the Canucks roster. In fact, his $6MM cap hit matches Loui Eriksson as the highest on the team, though restricted free agent Brock Boeser may have something to say about that in the coming days.
Unlike Eriksson though, Edler is still an effective piece for the Canucks moving forward. While he has deal with injuries in almost every season of his career, he still is an excellent puck-moving option for the team that can log huge minutes in all situations. Through 56 games last season the 33-year old had 34 points, a pace that would have seen him set a new career high. If that same player returns to the team next season Edler will be perfect insulation as the young Quinn Hughes gets his feet wet in the NHL.
The deal does however once again weaken what is a razor thin free agent defense group. Beyond Tyler Myers and Jake Gardiner there are very few legitimate top-four options, with older players like Anton Stralman, Ron Hainsey and even Niklas Kronwall leading the way. That kind of shallow pool is another reason why the trade market has been so active and will likely continue to be, with players like Justin Braun, Olli Maatta, Radko Gudas, Matt Niskanen and Jacob Trouba already changing hands. Vancouver was expected to be involved in that trade market, but retaining Edler at least guarantees that one of their top spots will be filled by someone they can rely on next season.
Decision On Playing Future Coming Soon From Roberto Luongo
The Florida Panthers have been linked to Sergei Bobrovsky since he made his intention to hit free agency known, but with Roberto Luongo and James Reimer still under contract it didn’t seem possible without an additional transaction. Recently a report surfaced that the Panthers are trying to find a trade for Reimer, but Luongo’s future still was unclear. Today, Frank Seravalli of TSN tweeted that a decision is expected to come from Luongo over the next few days on what he plans to do this season: play, retire, or start the year on long-term injured reserve.
Luongo, 40, has a lingering hip issue that has limited him in recent seasons and theoretically end his career if he decided not to push it further. That could be a solution for the Panthers, who could put his contract on long-term injured reserve for some additional cap flexibility or potentially trade it to a team looking to hit the cap floor. Luongo currently has three years remaining on his current deal, but is owed just over $3.6MM in actual salary on his extremely front-loaded deal. That structure is why retirement is a terrible option for the Panthers (and Vancouver Canucks, who signed the deal in the first place and are retaining some of the salary).
Deals like Luongo’s 12-year contract were outlawed in the latest CBA negotiations, with a cap recapture penalty being put in place for any player that retires early. The idea was to punish teams for adding years to a contract that were never meant to actually be played just to reduce the average annual value. Though there is no consensus currently on the exact numbers, Seravalli tweets that if Luongo were to retire right now the Canucks would face a $3.03MM cap recapture penalty for the next three years, while the Panthers would face a $1.09MM penalty for the same duration.
Still, there is always the option of playing again. While Luongo wasn’t his usual self last season due to the injury, he’s only one year away from a season in which he posted a .929 save percentage, his best since 2004. If the team can find a way to move Reimer, perhaps in a reduced role he could still be an effective option even at his high price tag.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Vancouver Canucks Closing In On Deal With Alex Edler
The Vancouver Canucks have finally found some common ground with defenseman Alexander Edler. After months of negotiating and things coming close to a breaking point recently, the two sides are closing in on a three-year deal according to both David Pagnotta of the Fourth Period and Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Friedman also notes that the deal will not include a no-movement clause that would guarantee protection from the upcoming expansion draft, a sticking point in the negotiations that was resolved recently. Rick Dhaliwal of Sportsnet however notes that the deal isn’t quite done yet, and questions the accuracy of the three-year term. He does however note that he expects something to be completed eventually.
Edler, 33, was set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer but will remain with the only NHL organization he’s ever known. Selected in the third round of the 2004 draft, he became one of four players from that Vancouver draft class to have long NHL careers. Cory Schneider (26th overall), Mike Brown (159th) and Jannik Hansen (287th) also made it to the league, an impressive achievement from the Canucks scouting group at the time.
In Edler, they found more than just a fringe NHL player. The Swedish defenseman quickly made his presence felt in Vancouver, and by his first full year in the NHL he was already averaging more than 21 minutes a night. He’s maintained that level of responsibility throughout his entire career, even averaging more than 24 minutes in each of the last four seasons. Unfortunately those four seasons—and several before that—have been marred by injury, limiting him to just 246 games played since the start of the 2015-16 season. The puck-moving defenseman still recorded 109 points during that time, but has been unavailable for long stretches. If he’s to help the Canucks get back to the playoffs in the coming years, he’ll have to find a way to stay on the ice.
Even with Quinn Hughes ready to emerge as a top option for the Canucks, the team is looking for help on the blue line and would have faced an even bigger hole had Edler left this summer. The veteran is a leader on the team and will allow Hughes to face some more favorable matchups as he continues to get his feet wet in the NHL.
Snapshots: Edler, Hiller, Grabovski
The Vancouver Canucks may not be parting ways with Alexander Edler after all. Several reports including Rick Dhaliwal of Sportsnet have surfaced today that the two sides are making positive progress on a new deal, and Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that the biggest hurdle has been resolved. That would be Edler’s availability for the upcoming expansion draft, something that was a major sticking point in early talks. The Canucks previously had not wanted to give Edler a no-movement clause that would make him automatically protected in the draft, through Friedman doesn’t go into detail on how the two sides have resolved the problem.
Edler, 33, is coming off a six-year, $30MM deal with the Canucks and is still arguably their most important defenseman. While that may change soon with the emergence of Quinn Hughes, losing him would create a huge 24-minute-a-night hole on their blue line. Even in a season limited by injury Edler still managed to record 34 points in 56 games and would be a top option on the free agent market if left unsigned.
- The Toronto Maple Leafs won’t be bringing back either of their assistant coaches this season, as Friedman tweets that Jim Hiller is heading to re-join Lou Lamoriello with the New York Islanders. The team had already watched D.J. Smith take the head coaching position with the Ottawa Senators, meaning Mike Babcock will need to find a few new faces to join him behind the bench in 2019-20. Hiller ran the Maple Leafs’ powerplay which despite ranking eighth in the entire league at 21.8%, was still seen as a relative disappointment given the talent they had to offer. Still, he’s a very experienced coach that joins another excellent staff under Barry Trotz in New York.
- Though Mikhail Grabovski hasn’t suited up for a professional game since the 2015-16 season, only today did he officially announce his retirement. The 35-year old was forced out of the game due to concussion issues, but was actually still under contract through the 2017-18 season. In fact, Grabovski will still earn a paycheck for the next two years from a 2013 buyout at the hands of the Maple Leafs. In 534 career games, the shifty center recorded 296 points playing for the Maple Leafs, Islanders, Montreal Canadiens and Washington Capitals.
Latest On Rasmus Ristolainen
For some reason, Rasmus Ristolainen can’t seem to escape trade rumors. Seemingly every summer there is some sort of report that has his name in trade talks, and this year has been no different. Today, Ristolainen popped up in reports from two different reporters on opposite sides of the continent. First, Rick Dhaliwal of Sportsnet tweeted that the Vancouver Canucks are speaking with the Buffalo Sabres about a defenseman, and suggested that it was either Ristolainen or Bogosian. Then, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (subscription required) wrote that not only have the the Tampa Bay Lightning shown interest in the Buffalo defender once again this offseason, but they are “far from the only team.”
While LeBrun notes that the Sabres “aren’t going to deal [Ristolainen] unless the package is absolutely right” it is interesting that his name is out there at all. The 24-year old has three years left on a contract that carries a $5.4MM cap hit, and has carried a heavy load for the Sabres over the last few seasons. While the team did go out and add Brandon Montour last season, it’s not like Buffalo is overflowing with capable defenders ready for more minutes. In fact, three of their veteran defensemen—Bogosian, Marco Scandella and Matt Hunwick—are under contract for just the 2019-20 season, meaning the team will need to find replacements before long.
The Sabres are in a tricky spot, trying to take the next step in their rebuild and contend for a playoff spot. From the massive contract they recently handed Jeff Skinner, it’s obvious that they want to stop selling off top assets just for future potential, but perhaps a Ristolainen trade could work out for both sides. After all, even with all of his offensive upside, Ristolainen has been anything but a lock-down defender during his time in Buffalo. While plus-minus obviously has its flaws as a metric, it’s still hard to overlook the -41 mark that Ristolainen recorded last season or the -143 he has for his six-year career.