Canucks Open To Dealing Pick Seven, Would Seek 20-23-Year-Old Player In Return
- If the Canucks decide to move the seventh selection tomorrow night (something they are open to doing), they’re expected to covet a 20-23-year-old player in return, notes Jason Botchford of the Vancouver Province. That player wouldn’t necessarily need to already be established in the NHL but it seems to be clear that they’re targeting that particular age bracket to line up with their younger core. If they decide to keep the pick, GM Jim Benning admitted that he’s leaning towards picking a defenseman.
Vancouver Canucks Sign Richard Bachman To Two-Year Deal
The Vancouver Canucks have brought back a veteran minor league goaltender, signing Richard Bachman to a two-year, two-way contract. Sportsnet’s Rick Dhaliwal reports (Twitter link) that the deal pays $675K at the AHL level and $275K in the minors while containing an annual guarantee of $300K per season. Bachman was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent this summer after spending the year with the Utica Comets of the AHL.
Bachman, 30, has played mentor to top Vancouver prospect Thatcher Demko the last few seasons, and helped the Comets to an impressive 38-26-12 record this year despite their obvious shortcomings on offense. He and Demko will probably return as the AHL tandem next season, unless Vancouver decides to move out one of their NHL goaltenders.
In that role, Bachman is perfect for the Canucks going forward. The team isn’t sure when exactly they’ll be contending for the Stanley Cup, and need every positive influence they can on their next wave of talent. Demko especially looks like he’s destined for great things in the NHL, and will hopefully take another step forward in his development next year. Though Bachman does have 47 NHL games under his belt, he won’t be asked very often to fill that role for the next couple of years.
Minor Transactions: 6/19/18
While many fringe NHL players and veteran minor leaguers have already begun to look overseas for their next contract, others are lucky enough to have found a reliable workplace here in North America. Journeyman goalie Richard Bachman is one of that fortunate group. Sportsnet’s Rick Dhaliwal reports that the Vancouver Canucks are engaged in extension talks with Bachman and it appears likely that the two sides will come to an agreement on a new contract. Although Bachman did not make an NHL appearance last season and has not been a regular at the NHL level since 2012-13, he has nonetheless carved out a nice role for himself as a mentor for the Canucks with their AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets. Undersized and on the wrong side of 30, Bachman is no longer a legitimate threat to make a difference in Vancouver, but is a good locker room presence, a teacher for the likes of Thatcher Demko and soon Michael DiPietro, and if necessary an experienced backup option. He also comes cheap; Bachman’s $650K salary at the NHL level last season was the league minimum and it was also the highest salary of his seven-year pro career. The Canucks clearly appreciate the role that Bachman plays for the organization and may be willing to re-sign him to one-year deals in perpetuity until he himself calls it quits.
- The captain of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms is staying put. However, Colin McDonald had to take an AHL contract to do so. With his contract with the Philadelphia Flyers about to expire, McDonald has chosen familiarity over possibility and has opted to skip free agency and simply re-sign with Lehigh Valley. The Phantoms announced a one-year contract for the 33-year-old forward earlier today. McDonald did not see any NHL action with the Flyers this season and lost some minor league games and production to injury, but looked strong in the postseason and ready to continue leading the Phantoms. The Flyers have had a plethora of draft picks over the past two years and have used a large proportion on forwards. They also have another nine picks this year to keep adding on. With an onslaught of young forward soon entering the system, having an experienced and well-rounded veteran in the AHL ranks to help their prospects along is a good move for Philadelphia.
- Rich Clune may not be the captain of the Toronto Marlies yet, but he will certainly be in consideration next year. The 31-year-old forward emphatically announced his return for next season at the celebration for the Calder Cup champions. Clune has played for the Marlies for the past three years, the last two on AHL contracts while also still collecting on his buyout from the Nashville Predators. Clune is not one to contribute much offense, but plays a heart-and-soul, bottom-six energy role for the Marlies and it is clear that he means a lot to the team. With captain Ben Smith moving to Europe, Clune is one of several leaders on the defending champs who could fill his shoes next year.
Reid Boucher Signs One-Year Contract With Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks got their man, and did it on their terms. Reid Boucher has signed a one-year contract with the Vancouver Canucks, and despite rumors that he wouldn’t accept it, the contract is a two-way deal. Boucher played 20 games for the Canucks last season but was a dominant presence in the minor leagues, a place he’ll try to avoid if possible during the 2018-19 season. Rich Dhaliwal of Sportsnet reports that Boucher will make $725K at the NHL level, but will be well-compensated in the AHL at $300K, with a total salary of $400K guaranteed.
Boucher, 24, recorded 46 points for the Utica Comets in 2017-18, leading the team in scoring despite playing in just 45 games. The rest of the season was spent with the Canucks, were he added five points in limited minutes but recorded some good possession statistics. Those numbers can be misleading though given that Boucher only spent 20 games in the NHL, and if he wants to remain their long-term he’ll have to take another step forward in his development.
He’ll turn 25 before the beginning of next season, but despite never playing in more than 39 games in a single season has enough to make him ineligible for Group VI UFA status next summer. That means the Canucks will retain his rights as a restricted free agent until the 2021 offseason, though they’ll need to keep qualifying him to do it. This is a huge season in Boucher’s career, and will likely determine if he’s an NHL or AHL player going forward. The Canucks are looking for more young players to help the turnaround, and should be more than willing to entertain Boucher’s attempt to lock down a roster spot in camp. If he can’t, Utica could get back one of the AHL’s very best offensive players if the team can slip him through waivers.
Pittsburgh Made Rust, Sheary, Simon Available In Max Domi Negotiations
Josh Yohe of The Athletic has some of the best sources inside the Pittsburgh Penguins, and in a piece (subscription required) detailing the potential availability of Phil Kessel this summer—something Yohe confirms is possible, though takes the Arizona Coyotes out of the running for financial reasons—he reports some of the players made available in GM Jim Rutherford‘s recent pursuit of Max Domi. The Penguins were willing to talk about Bryan Rust, Conor Sheary and Dominik Simon, though what the exact offer for Domi was is unclear. The Coyotes would eventually trade Domi to the Montreal Canadiens instead for Alex Galchenyuk.
Rutherford is known as an executive willing to trade, and there has been no denying that he’d like to improve his club. As soon as Domi was rumored to be available many reports linked him to the Penguins, but it was never clear what kind of value the team would put on him. Now it’s clear, as all three of the mentioned players are important pieces to the Pittsburgh attack.
Rust may be the most interesting name, after a 38-point season that saw him become one of the most versatile and effective forwards on the roster. Contributing on the powerplay and penalty kill while putting up some of the team’s best possession numbers, Rust is a perfect fit for a club that wants to spread offense across three lines. He can play both wings and has bounced between several groups over the last two seasons. He also is 26 and a restricted free agent however, meaning he’s due for a raise and is closing in on UFA status. After earning an average of $640K in each of the last two seasons, he’ll cost the Penguins a lot more this time around. Any multi-year deal is buying out unrestricted free agent years, and should send his cap hit skyrocketing despite his pedestrian goal totals.
Sheary on the other hand is already signed for two more seasons at a $3MM cap hit, but could be replaceable for the team if they can find offense somewhere else. The 25-year old saw his ice time drop to under 14 minutes a night this season and without anything to offer on the penalty kill his role is limited to an offensive presence. That point production dropped significantly from the 2016-17 season, and while Sheary still scored 18 goals this year he recorded just 30 points.
Simon lands somewhere else on the value chart, as he’s both a restricted free agent this summer and hasn’t yet shown he can handle the NHL on a full-time basis. The 23-year old was good this year in his 33-game stint, scoring 12 points and recording solid possession numbers, but with just 38 NHL games under his belt since being drafted in 2015 it’s not clear yet what he can really become.
When presented with the choice of these players or Galchenyuk, it makes sense that Arizona would take Montreal’s offer. We don’t know though how the negotiations took place exactly, and instead can only take from this report that the Penguins would be willing to move each of the three for the right return. While that’s not very surprising given their GM’s propensity for trade, it gives us an idea of what to expect from Pittsburgh in the coming weeks.
Pittsburgh Re-Signs Tobias Lindberg
Tuesday: The team has officially announced the signing, confirming that it is a two-way deal worth $650K at the NHL level.
Monday: It’s easy to forget that Derick Brassard was not the only player acquired by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the three-team blockbuster that brought him over from the Ottawa Senators through the Vegas Golden Knights. The Penguins also added minor league forward Tobias Lindberg as compensation for sending an extra draft pick to Vegas. However, Lindberg remained with the Knights’ AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves, for the remainder of the season and has yet to really be associated with the Penguins organization.
That is, until now. TVA’s Renaud Lavoie reports that the Penguins have signed Lindberg to a one-year, two-way extension worth the league minimum $650K at the NHL level. In terms of adding the affordable depth and upside that GM Jim Rutherford is looking for, this deal is right on track. Lindberg, 22, already has six NHL games and 164 AHL games under his belt in three pro seasons. A fourth-round pick of the Ottawa Senators in 2013 out of Djurgardens of the Swedish Hockey League, Lindberg has experience playing – and producing – at several different levels already.
His next challenge will be fighting for his place in the Penguins organizational pecking order when he joins the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins next season. It would be a stretch to assume that Linberg would earn a spot in Pittsburgh out of camp, especially with fellow youngsters like Daniel Sprong and Zach Aston-Reese having been promised increased roles next year, but Lindberg should be among the group of primary call-up candidates at the AHL level. Not only did Lindberg get a taste of the NHL with six games with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2016-17, but he also has experience playing on both wings and playing both scoring and checking roles. That versatility is extremely valuable as a minor league depth option. Rutherford has been honest that some of the Penguins’ restricted free agents may not be re-signed this off-season, so Lindberg’s speedy extension would seem to indicate that the team envisions a role for him moving forward.
Rutherford Eyeing Trade Market To Improve Penguins
Changes are coming in Pittsburgh this off-season, but GM Jim Rutherford is “not even really thinking about free agency right now”. Speaking with Josh Yohe of the Athletic, Rutherford admits that “we won’t really have the cap space to do anything anyway. We’re going to re-sign some of our restricted free agents. And at that point, we’re around the cap.” The Penguins need to re-sign RFA’s Bryan Rust, Riley Sheahan, Daniel Sprong, Jamie Oleksiak and more and even with the expected increase to the salary cap limit will only have $8-12MM maximum to work with. The team could make a couple additional minor moves here and there on the unrestricted free agent market, but Rutherford is correct that team is strapped for the cap space to make any significant signings this summer, at least as things stand now.
As a result, it is the trade market that Rutherford is more interested in. The team has already stated that they don’t plan to buy out any of their current players, but they could look to move them via trade. Atop that list are likely wingers Carl Hagelin and Conor Sheary and defenseman Matt Hunwick. In fact, the blue line appears to be the most likely area for a player to be traded away, as the team enters next season with six veterans under contract and Oleksiak and Frank Corrado as restricted free agents. Rutherford stated to Yohe that defenseman Brian Dumoulin is the most untouchable player on the back end due to his invaluable defensive play, and also expressed his fondness for Oleksiak and Olli Maatta as well. Rutherford said that the front office is optimistic that Kris Letang and Hunwick will perform better next year and were happy with the play of Justin Schultz and Chad Ruhwedel as they made up for Letang’s and Hunwick’s shortcomings respectively this season. However, Rutherford added that his comfort with this group doesn’t mean that won’t make a change.
The goal in making any deal is to improve the depth and youth of the Penguins’ forward corps. This explains why the team was connected to Max Domi recently, before he was traded to the Montreal Canadiens last week. The team is seeking versatility and upside up front and are willing to move substantial assets to get it, but Rutherford wasn’t willing to part with the Alex Galchenyuk-level ask from the Arizona Coyotes for Domi. Rutherford knows that even if he does nothing this summer, Pittsburgh will still be a contender, and as such he does not need to overpay in any trade. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are not going anywhere and Rutherford has already confirmed that he is not shopping Phil Kessel. It’s safe to assume that young winger Jake Guentzel and new acquisition Derick Brassard are also safe. That is already shaping up to be a solid group yet again and the internal addition of younger players should add energy and potential. However, Rutherford’s preference still is to add depth and even more youth if he can to combat the injuries and fatigue that hurt his aging roster last year. Those are the moves he is looking to make this summer and it seems inevitable that at least one such transaction will be made by the expert executive. They may not be three-peat champions, but the Penguins are going to re-stock and be dangerous again in 2018-19.
Western Notes: Trouba, Kovalchuk, Canucks
While the Winnipeg Jets are coming off an exemplary season in which it reached the Western Conference Finals with a young, talented team, now comes the hard part. The team is full of key restricted free agents which could start taking up what was once an ample amount of cap space. The team has already all but said they don’t intend to re-sign trade deadline acquisition Paul Stastny and for good reason. The team must lock up a number of key players, including all-star goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, Adam Lowry, Joel Armia, Marko Dano, Tucker Poolman, Josh Morrissey, Joseph Morrow, and oh, Jacob Trouba.
Two years ago, the contract negotiations between Trouba and the Jets went south, as Trouba ended up holding out for an entire month of the season before coming back and signing a below-value two-year bridge deal. Now, with Trouba’s stock sky-high as one of the top defensemen on the team, things could get even more dicey, according to Winnipeg Free Press’ Paul Wiecek. Trouba and his agent are expected to ask for about $7MM per year, while the Jets hope to keep it between $5MM and $6MM. The question is whether the Jets can afford to give him a big, long-term contract, considering that his offense isn’t even close to his defense after posting three goals and just 24 points on the year.
The team not only has to lock up these younger players, but must eventually lock up captain Blake Wheeler as well as pay youngster Kyle Connor in one year. The money will start to dry up soon. The scribe suggests the team consider moving Trouba now to save some of that money, considering his value is at a premium. Bringing back a big haul could save the team some cap space and fill some of its holes in one swoop.
- While there was a rumor mentioned by Pierre LeBrun recently about the St. Louis Blues’ interest in Ilya Kovalchuk, NHL.com reports that general manager Doug Armstrong confirmed the team’s interest in the veteran KHL winger. “There’s certainly intrigue there because he’s been such a dominant player internationally and he was a hell of a player when he left [the NHL],” Armstrong said. Kovalchuk, who has played in Russia for the past five seasons is looking for a new home and has already visited the Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks, while other teams like the Boston Bruins have expressed interest in the 35-year-old veteran, who has tallied 417 goals in 816 NHL games with the Atlanta Thrashers and the New Jersey Devils.
- Mike Halford of The Athletic (subscription required) writes that the Vancouver Canucks, who have always been adept at mining organizations to get quality players, need to continue to do that more than ever with the retirement of Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin. With a lineup full of holes, the scribe writes that the team needs to continue mining other organizations for their unwanted, forgotten or unfulfilled talent like in previous years. Over the last few years, the team has picked up several key players such as Sven Baertschi, Markus Granlund, Nikolay Goldobin, Derrick Pouliot and Brendan Leipsic. The scribe goes on to point out three players the team should look into during the offseason and pry them away for late picks include Winnipeg’s Nic Petan, Columbus’ Sonny Milano and the New York Islanders’ Michael Dal Colle. All three are on the outside looking in within the organization and might need a franchise to give them a new chance.
Vancouver Canucks, Markus Granlund Discussing Short-Term Deal
When the Vancouver Canucks traded Hunter Shinkaruk in 2016 in exchange for Markus Granlund, most saw it as an immediate win for the Calgary Flames. Shinkaruk was a recent first-round pick and was in the midst of an excellent season for the Utica Comets, with 21 goals in 45 games. A year later, things weren’t as rosy. Granlund went on to score 19 goals and 32 points for the Canucks in 2016-17, and looked like a key piece for the team going forward. Shinkaruk played in seven games for the Flames recording a single point. Now, another year later, things aren’t so lopsided.
Granlund recorded just 12 points in 53 games this season, battling injury and putting up wildly inconsistent performances. His possession statistics fell off a cliff thanks to new head coach Travis Green giving him tough defensive assignments, while his powerplay time saw a huge decline and penalty kill time a huge increase. He had been forced into a new role, one that didn’t afford him much success offensively. Meanwhile, Shinkaruk played the entire season at the AHL level and posted his worst offensive season since his rookie year.
Still, the Canucks have the player contributing in the NHL and now are faced with a decision this summer. Granlund is scheduled to become a restricted free agent, and at age-25 is getting closer and closer to UFA status. Rick Dhaliwal of Sportsnet spoke with agent Todd Diamond, who claims the team has spoken to him about a short-term deal for his client. A two-year contract would take Granlund to unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2020, but also might be all the Canucks are willing to commit to a player that doesn’t have a role that suits his game at the moment.
Any deal will likely be a raise on the $900K cap hit Granlund has carried the last two seasons, but it might not be that substantial of one. With the team building around other pieces like Brock Boeser, Adam Gaudette and Elias Pettersson, there’s no clear future for Granlund unless he can turn things around next season. To do that, he’ll have to prove that he can either be an effective checking-line player, or contribute more offensively with the opportunity he’s given.
Olli Juolevi To Undergo Microdiscectomy
4:25pm: Though there has still been no official word from the team, Iain MacIntyre of Sportsnet reports that it will be just a four to six week recovery for Juolevi. Breathe deep Canucks fans, as that gives him plenty of time to be ready for the start of training camp.
12:22pm: The Vancouver Canucks have revealed that top prospect Olli Juolevi will undergo a microdiscectomy to correct a problem in his back, and will update on his recovery timeline afterwards. Zach Parise underwent a similarly-named surgery earlier this year, and was given a timeline of eight to ten weeks. He returned to the Minnesota Wild lineup exactly ten weeks later, which—if this surgery does not prove to be more intensive—should give Vancouver fans a sigh of relief as Juolevi prepares to try and make the team in 2018-19.
Juolevi went back to Finland this season to continue his development after being selected fifth-overall in 2016, but faced a bit of inconsistency for his club team. Not quite as dominant as he had been in the OHL, the young defenseman still performed well at the World Juniors and was expected to push for a spot on Vancouver’s blue line this year. Now he’ll have to deal with an injury that could rob him of most of the summer, affecting his training and potentially keeping him out of the team’s development camp entirely.
The Canucks aren’t expected to push for the playoffs next season but as Daniel and Henrik Sedin move on from their playing careers, the torch will be passed on to the next generation. Bo Horvat, Brock Boeser, Troy Stecher and others will carry that torch, but it’s unclear if Juolevi will get a turn this year. Injury isn’t starting it off well, but if he can prove he’s healthy and ready for training camp in September there’s no reason to think he couldn’t be in the lineup come opening night.