Snapshots: Harding, Expansion Rules, Saad
Josh Harding knows exactly what Bryan Bickell is going through.
The retired 32-year-old goaltender was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) back in 2012 during the last lockout. Harding told ESPN‘s Scott Burnside that he considered keeping his diagnosis private, but didn’t because he have to take time away from the game for treatment, and he felt that going public would do some good. Harding says having MS is nothing to be ashamed of.
Harding returned to the NHL that season, playing five regular season games and five playoff games. He won the Masterton Trophy for dedication to hockey. He played 29 games the next season, posting a remarkable 0.933 SV% and a 1.65 GAA. Unfortunately, that was the end of his hockey career. As Harding told Burnside, “when the doctors say enough’s enough, you kind of have to listen to them.”
Now that Bickell has been diagnosed with MS, he and Harding have been in contact about their awful common illness. Harding has told Bickell what treatments worked for him and shared strategies for dealing with the incurable disease. However, Harding can’t tell him for sure that he’ll play in the NHL again. He told Burnside that “if there was a blueprint for what you have to do, I really think I’d still be in the league.”
While Harding was only able to play for 39 more games after his diagnosis, he says he’s rooting for Bickell and hopes that his experience with the disease will be different than Harding’s. Harding says he’s at peace with his career path, and enjoys spending time with his two children as well as helping coach a local high school team.
Another former goalie with MS, Jordan Sigalet plans to be in touch with Bickell to offer their support.
- There has been much talk about expansion at the NHL GM meetings. The rules for which players need to be protected have been finalized, and the GMs are receiving guidelines about all possible ways of circumventing the rules and why they’re not allowed. Some GMs are concerned about the exclusive free agency window, where Las Vegas GM George McPhee will be able to meet with pending free agents. Could the something Knights make a handshake deal with a free agent to sign on July 1, but not sign them then in order to select another player from that team? No. Can other teams make “wink, nudge” deals with McPhee to not select a certain player? No. All trades will have to be done through a trade call to the NHL and documented. The penalties for trying to circumvent the rules are going to be stiff, possibly a first round pick. As Devils GM Ray Shero pointed out to Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston, all deals will have “pass the smell test with the league.”
- In his weekly “30 Thoughts“, Elliotte Friedman wondered if the Blue Jackets would be interested in parting ways with Brandon Saad. Columbus acquired him from the Chicago Blackhawks in June of 2015 and promptly signed him to a six-year, $36MM contract. Saad has been a solid performer for the Blue Jackets, but the cap-strapped team may want to move his $6MM salary. There appears to be some disconnect between Saad and the club, as he’s fifth in both team scoring and ice-time, but was almost a healthy scratch last week. Friedman reported the Blackhawks looked into re-acquiring Saad last season, but couldn’t make it work. The Blackhawks could certainly use Saad back, with his chemistry with Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa on the downswing. It’s not clear how they could make it work salary-wise, though. There’s always a market for a 30-goal scorer, especially one who is just 24.
Snapshots: Vegas, Eriksson Ek, Shootouts
Las Vegas owner Bill Foley is hoping to accelerate the final expansion payment to the league by the beginning of March, reports Sports Illustrated’s Alex Prewitt (Twitter link). Until the payment is made in full, the pending expansion team (whose named will be officially revealed one week from today), the team is not permitted to be represented at any league events such as the Board of Governors meetings or GM meetings, including the one taking place today in Toronto.
The reason for the March 1st deadline is to allow the team to get approval from the league to pursue undrafted college free agents. Many of their seasons end towards the end of March but they want to ensure they’re all set well before then so that they can get into the bidding process. As they have to essentially build an entire farm system in the span of a few months between the expansion draft, free agency, and trades, it’s likely that Las Vegas will be extremely active in the college UFA market this year.
Other news from around the league:
- Although the Wild can assign 19 year old center Joel Eriksson Ek to either the AHL or the SHL if they decide to not burn the first year of his entry-level deal, GM Chuck Fletcher tells Michael Russo of the Star-Tribune that their preference would be to have him play in Sweden and at the World Juniors next month. Eriksson Ek has played nine games so far which means that the next game will officially begin his entry level contract. The team will hold him out of the lineup tonight for the second straight game to further ponder the route they’ll take.
- One topic that was discussed during the GM meetings that will be carried over to their meeting in March is potentially changing to international shootout rules, reports Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston (Twitter link). In international shootout rules, players can shoot as many times as a team likes after the first set of three shooters make their attempts. The thought process behind this might be to better showcase the elite shootout players while hoping to avoid some of the longer shootouts that see players further down the roster forced to take shots.
LeBrun’s Latest: GMs To Discuss Rule 48, Expansion
ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun writes that in a brief one-day meeting in Toronto, general managers will be discussing several issues affecting the league. Thought the meeting will only be tomorrow, LeBrun reports that one major topic for discussion will be blindside hits, such as the one delivered by Nazem Kadri on Daniel Sedin. The argument? It should be included in Rule 48 which focuses on illegal checks to the head. Rule 48 stipulates:
- 48.1 Illegal Check to the Head – A hit resulting in contact with an opponent’s head where the head was the main point of contact and such contact to the head was avoidable is not permitted. In determining whether contact with an opponent’s head was avoidable, the circumstances of the hit including the following shall be considered:
- (i) Whether the player attempted to hit squarely through the opponent’s body and the head was not “picked” as a result of poor timing, poor angle of approach, or unnecessary extension of the body upward or outward.
- (ii) Whether the opponent put himself in a vulnerable position by assuming a posture that made head contact on an otherwise full body check unavoidable.
- (iii) Whether the opponent materially changed the position of his body or head immediately prior to or simultaneously with the hit in a way that significantly contributed to the head contact.
LeBrun quotes Nashville general manager David Poile as one who believes the language in the rule needs to be tightened further. Additionally, Poile points out that along with many other league executives, there needs to be a determination between what is a “good legal hit versus what is a punishable, suspendible hit.” Poile adds that it’s not anyone’s fault, but it is something that needs a closer look.
Other issues on the docket:
- LeBrun wonders what will be decided when it comes to free agency and the expansion draft. After talking to a Western Conference executive, LeBrun wrote this:
In particular, he had this question for me: what if Vegas agrees to terms with a pending UFA in that 48-hour window but doesn’t actually sign him until July 1 (wink, wink) in order to snag another player off that team’s roster in the expansion draft? The rules state that if Vegas signs a free agent from a team in that 48-hour June window, that team no longer can lose a player in the expansion draft.
- LeBrun also thinks that the five-day bye weeks will be discussed as it’s been a point of contention with some general managers. In addition to this, LeBrun said that Las Vegas general manager George McPhee could not attend meetings since the team does not have “franchise rights” until the spring.
West Notes: Kane, Zatkoff, Las Vegas
While it doesn’t appear that talks are currently ongoing, the Minnesota Wild and Buffalo Sabres have held trade discussions regarding left winger Evander Kane, Michael Russo of the Star-Tribune notes in a reader mailbag.
Kane has had an adventurous last few seasons both on and off the ice. When it comes to his on ice performance, he has shown signs of stardom but hasn’t been able to deliver that with any sort of consistency since before the last lockout. He’s in his second year in a Buffalo uniform but has only played once after being injured in the season opener.
Off the ice, he was charged with four counts of non-criminal harassment, one count of disorderly conduct, and one count of misdemeanor trespass after an incident back in June but it was announced last week that those charges will be dropped as long as he stays out of any legal trouble between now and March 30th.
Kane has two years remaining on his contract with a cap hit of $5.25MM and a salary of $6MM in each season. For any deal to work the Wild, who will be back into LTIR this week after they make a pair of recalls before their next game, would have to send matching salary Buffalo’s way.
More news from the West:
- The Los Angeles Kings have activated goaltender Jeff Zatkoff off of injured reserve and assigned goalie Jack Campbell to Ontario of the AHL as first reported by Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider. Zatkoff started the season as the backup to Jonathan Quick but was thrust into the starting job after Jonathan Quick suffered a long-term groin injury that will still have him out for another 2-3 months. However, Zatkoff had a groin issue of his own come up in practice, forcing veteran Peter Budaj into the starting job. There’s no word on when Zatkoff will make his next start but with the Kings on a lengthy Eastern road trip, he should see some game action soon. He has an 0-3 record so far this year with a 4.38 GAA and a .839 save percentage.
- The expansion Las Vegas franchise will officially unveil their team name and logo at a press conference on November 22nd, the team announced in a press release. It’s believed that the team colors will be available at that time as well although the actual look of the uniforms are expected to be revealed at a later date.
Sunday Review: The Top Five Posts This Week
Did you miss any important NHL transaction news this week? Don’t worry, because PHR has you covered. Here are the top five news stories of the week:
UFA Christian Ehrhoff signs with Germany’s Kolner Haie
Unrestricted free agenct Christian Ehrhoff signed a one-year deal with the DEL’s Kolner Haie. The defensman failed to find a satisfactory fit this offseason after trying out for the Boston Bruins on a PTO. The Bruins offered Ehrhoff a contract, but Ehrhoff refused when he learned he would be starting the season as a scratch.
RFA Hampus Lindholm re-signs with Anaheim Ducks
Hampus Lindholm and the Anaheim Ducks came to terms this Thursday and ended months of negotiating. Lindholm was the second-to-last remaining RFA unsigned this season, and he took a six-year deal worth $5.25MM a year. It is understood that Lindholm’s camp acquiesed as its leverage shrunk the closer they got to December 1st.
Las Vegas given free agency head start
The Las Vegas Expansion team will have a 48-hour window prior to the Expansion Draft to negotiate with any unprotected UFAs and RFAs. This is to prevent situations where Las Vegas selects a player unwilling to then sign with the team. The rule also allows Las Vegas to sign any unprotected free agent it wants during the exclusive negotiating window.
Craig Anderson’s wife diagnosed with cancer
Craig Anderson’s wife Nicholle Anderson has been diagnosed with cancer. Anderson initially took personal leave from the Ottawa Senators to be with his wife, but rejoined the team when backup Andrew Hammond went down with injury. The return comes with his wife’s blessing, and it is unclear how long Anderson will stay with the team before returning home.
Isles shopping Jaroslav Halak
The New York Islanders are reportedly shopping goaltender Jaroslav Halak. This comes on the heels of tweets from Halak and fellow Isles goaltender Jean-Francois Berube’s agent Allen Walsh expressing anger over the Islanders three-man goaltending situation. Walsh complained that no goalie was getting adequate practice time, and that a three-man unit was hurting his clients.
PHR Originals
Here’s a roundup of all of Pro Hockey Rumors original content for the week:
- Zach Leach examined the precarious position the Pittsburgh Penguins may find themselves in ahead of the expansion draft with Marc-Andre Fleury‘s NMC requiring the team to protect him and therefore leaving open the possibility Matt Murray might be available for Las Vegas to choose should the team not find another alternative.
- Brett Barrett looks at the rookie players currently in the NHL who could see their entry-level contracts slide should they be returned to their respective Junior teams.
- Gavin Lee posts the latest in the Franchise Faceoff series, comparing the Anaheim Ducks and Chicago Blackhawks.
- Zach Leach ponders whether goalie Malcolm Subban, Boston’s first-round pick in 2012, is on the verge of being labeled a bust.
- Brian La Rose continued with PHR’s 2005 Draft Take Two series, asking who the New York Islanders should select if they had a chance to do it all over again.
Las Vegas Will Be Given Free Agency Head Start
In an article by ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun, he reveals that sources have confirmed that the Las Vegas expansion team will be given a head start in free agency. With revamped, pro-team Expansion Draft rules, as well as the ability to make trades (drafts picks, Expansion Draft exceptions) earlier than ever, Las Vegas will now have the benefit of the first shot at the 2017 free agent class.
According to LeBrun, the ____ Knights will have a 48-hour window prior to the Expansion Draft on June 21st, 2017 to negotiate with free agents left unprotected by their respective teams. This includes both unrestricted and restricted free agents. The purpose of this rule is that if Las Vegas is going to use an Expansion Draft selection on a player no longer under contract, they would first want to be sure that this player is willing to sign with the team. In those 48 hours, Las Vegas can negotiate with any unprotected free agent and sign any that they choose to.
The interesting implication that this has on the Expansion Draft is that any team who has an unprotected free agent signed during this head start window can no longer have a player selected in the draft. For GM George McPhee, this adds a whole new layer to draft and free agency preparation. If there is a team with an unprotected free agent that Las Vegas would like to sign as well as an unprotected signed player they would like to draft, it makes no sense to use the window to sign that free agent. It is likely that they will get a shot on July 1st anyways and do not want to have their opportunity to select a player under contract foreclosed on. The loophole that McPhee will likely exploit, rather than signing numerous free agents prior to the draft, will be to establish negotiations with several impending unrestricted free agents rather than sign them right away, so as to give Las Vegas a leg up on the competition come July 1st and the league-wide beginning of free agency. The team will also be able to avoid RFA holdouts or arbitration battles by speaking with the unprotected players before selecting them, instead of using a pick on a player who wants to be overpaid.
The expansion process continues to become more and more intensive and strategic, and for fans, exciting. Las Vegas will be one of the NHL’s main story lines this season, before the team even takes the ice, all culminating in the Expansion Draft next June. Stay tuned.
LeBrun’s Latest: Lindholm, Fowler, Murray, Fleury, Condon
Earlier today we referenced an item regarding the status of the Jacob Trouba trade discussions in Pierre LeBrun’s recent Rumblings column on ESPN.com. As it turns out, LeBrun covered a number of other worthwhile topics in his piece, which should naturally be read in its entirety. But in the meantime, we’ve got several of the highlights for your reading pleasure.
- There’s been a lot of talk of late regarding the potential availability of Ducks defenseman Cam Fowler, in large part due to the team’s need to re-sign RFA Hampus Lindholm and Anaheim’s precarious salary cap situation. As it stands, the Ducks have less than $400K in space according to Cap Friendly. With Lindholm expected to receive in excess of $5MM annually on a new deal the team certainly has their work cut out for them. Dealing Fowler would clear $4MM in cap space, assuming of course they don’t take an NHL contract back in any trade. Anaheim also has Brandon Montour and Shea Theodore, both of whom appear to be NHL-ready, or close to it, and that could step into the vacancy should the club move Fowler – or any other defenseman for that matter. LeBrun, however, doesn’t believe trading Fowler is a “front-burner issue” and believes the club could keep Fowler. He suggests Anaheim could create some salary cap space and buy more time by placing Simon Despres on LTIR. Despres has been out since leaving the team’s first game with what is believed to be a concussion. Despres accounts for $3.7MM against the cap so the Ducks would likely have to make at least one more move to create enough space once Lindholm is re-signed.
- Speaking of Lindholm’s contract talks, LeBrun believes the two sides continue to move closer on a new pact, with the defenseman likely using the recent extensions inked by Seth Jones and Rasmus Ristolainen – six years, $5.4MM AAV – as a comparable and the Ducks possibly countering with Morgan Rielly – six years, $5MM AAV. A six-year deal would buy out two of Lindholm’s potential free agent seasons, whereas the Jones and Ristolainen contracts only bought out one. That likely serves as justification for Lindholm’s pursuit of something more than $5.4MM annually.
- Matt Murray‘s recent extension with Pittsburgh shines the light on the decision the team will have to make ahead of next June’s expansion draft. LeBrun notes the team believes Marc-Andre Fleury‘s NMC will force the Penguins to protect him, assuming he’s still on the roster. Assuming the Penguins decide Murray is their long-term answer between the pipes, the team would still have several options, as LeBrun writes. In addition to the NMC, Fleury’s contract contains a modified no-trade clause which allows him to list 18 teams to which he would accept a trade. The Penguins could attempt to move him to one of those clubs to whom the goalie would agree to go to. Or the Penguins could buy out Fleury’s contract after the season. Pittsburgh also might try to work out a separate deal with the Las Vegas franchise ensuring they don’t select Murray if the team is required to protect Fleury. The scribe did say he doesn’t believe the team has decided on a course of action as of yet. Whatever they decide, however, LeBrun believes the team will make sure Fleury is on board as they “greatly respect” their longtime #1 netminder.
- Once Murray returns from injury, the team is likely to waive goalie Mike Condon with the intent of sending him down to the AHL. LeBrun believes he could be claimed and one interested party could be the Kings. With Jonathan Quick out for up to three months, Los Angeles may eventually look for a short-term upgrade between the pipes and they might conclude Condon fits the bill. Condon’s contract expires at the end of the season and currently makes just $575K. LeBrun suggests that Pittsburgh could call up the Kings and offer Condon in a trade with the idea that adding a late round draft pick would be better than losing the young goalie for nothing on waivers.
Atlantic Division Snapshots: Maple Leafs, Babcock, Andersen, MacArthur, Howard
The Toronto Maple Leafs have won just one of their first three contests but by virtue of two overtime/shootout defeats, the team has accumulated four of a possible six points. As Mark Masters of TSN writes, Leafs bench boss Mike Babcock is “relatively pleased” with where his team sits in the standings.
“We’ve had an opportunity, I believe, to be 3-0. We’ve got four out of six points, which if you told me that before this started I would’ve said, ‘That’s fine,’ but we could’ve had more and I’m a bit greedy and so are the guys.”
Toronto is one of the youngest teams in the league, with six rookies – Auston Matthews, William Nylander, Zach Hyman, Connor Brown, Mitch Marner and Nikita Zaitsev – skating regular shifts for the Leafs. With that much youth it’s likely the team will understandably have plenty of ups and downs during the season. Babcock noted that the team’s top line, for example, which consists of Matthews, Nylander and Hyman, has some room to grow based on Wednesday’s performance against the Jets:
“I thought it was really dangerous offensively and not very good defensively.”
Toronto may or may not be ready to challenge for a playoff berth this season, but the arrow is certainly pointing up for a Leafs team that boasts a ton of young, high-end skill and talent.
Elsewhere in the Atlantic Division:
- Also from the Masters piece, goaltender Frederik Andersen has struggled out of the gate as the Leafs new #1 goalie, posting a 3.61 GAA and a Save % of just 87.6% in three starts, but Andersen is not yet worried. “If you just look at stats it doesn’t look pretty, but I thought I played pretty well. Obviously, some small things I got to clean up and me and Stevey (goalie coach Steve Briere) got to work today in practice so small fixes. I’m not too worried.” The Leafs paid a steep price to land Andersen from the Ducks – a 2016 first-round pick and a 2017 second-round pick – then rewarded the Danish netminder with a five-year, $25MM contract with the belief he would solve the team’s longstanding issues in goal. It’s a small sample size of course, but so far Andersen has not lived up to expectations in Toronto.
- Veteran forward Clarke MacArthur, concussed during Ottawa’s initial intrasquad practice in training camp, is expected to join the Senators on their three-game, Western Canadian road trip beginning this weekend, writes Ken Warren of the Ottawa Citizen. MacArthur is still not close to playing and may have only recently started skating but the news is still encouraging. This is the fourth documented concussion within the last 18 months for the 31-year-old winger. The hope for the Senators, according to head coach Guy Boucher, is that just having MacArthur around the team on the trip will be good for him: “Obviously, he’s not going to play. We’re talking about being with the guys, being part of the routine. It would be good for him mentally, but we still haven’t 100% decided that.”
- For six seasons, Jimmy Howard was the #1 goalie for the Detroit Red Wings before losing the job to Petr Mrazek last season. Howard struggled in the backup role in 2015-16 but coming into the season knowing Mrazek would again be the starter has helped the veteran netminder adapt, according to Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press. Said Howard: “I think I know how to handle the situation a lot better now. Last year I didn’t quite understand how to be the backup, never had been it before. So I fully understand the role now and how to stay mentally sharp in between starts.” Howard qualifies as an expensive backup with a contract that runs through the 2018-19 season and that calls for a cap hit of nearly $5.3MM per. Detroit was rumored to be looking to trade the 32-year-old goalie this summer and could do so again this offseason, assuming he isn’t claimed in the expansion draft by Las Vegas.
Pittsburgh Content To Keep Both Murray and Fleury For Time Being
Once Matt Murray capped off an impressive postseason run by helping the Pittsburgh Penguins to the 2015-16 Stanley Cup championship, it appeared Marc-Andre Fleury‘s days in Western Pennsylvania might be numbered. That belief was further cemented with Murray signing a three-year extension this week, tying him to the Penguins through the 2019-20 campaign. The Penguins will be able to protect only one goalie for the upcoming expansion draft and Fleury has a NMC, meaning unless he waives it at some point to facilitate a move, Pittsburgh could be forced to leave Murray exposed. While it seemed a forgone conclusion the team would at some point approach Fleury about waiving his NMC so they can trade him – and consequently protect Murray in the expansion draft – GM Jim Rutherford is focused on winning a second Stanley Cup and keeping his goaltending duo together “helps with that objective,” writes Sam Werner of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Fleury’s late-season concussion opened the door for Murray in the first place and keeping the pair together guards against an injury to one possibly derailing the Penguins Stanley Cup hopes. The fact Murray was forced to start the 2016-17 season on the shelf due to an injury he suffered playing in the World Cup, serves as a valuable reminder that having two quality options between the pipes is essential in today’s NHL.
Werner also points out that Rutherford believes he’ll be able to address the situation prior to the expansion draft and is therefore in no hurry to make a deal now: “Our focus this year is winning, and we’ll deal with the expansion draft at the appropriate time. This signing of Matt doesn’t go hand-in-hand with any of that.”
However, Pittsburgh will eventually have to convince Fleury to waive his NMC and commit to Murray for the long haul. Murray, 22, is nine years Fleury’s junior and has the potential to be a franchise goalie at least for the next decade. He’s also now slated to make $3.75MM per season from 2017-18 through 2019-20, while Fleury has two years remaining beyond 2016-17 on a contract with an AAV of $5.75MM. Not only can one make the argument Murray is better than Fleury right now, he will undoubtedly be substantially cheaper over the next three seasons and comes with more team control.
If Pittsburgh cannot move Fleury and leaves Murray exposed in the expansion draft, Las Vegas will jump at the chance to add a 23-year-old franchise goalie just coming into his prime. He would represent a strong foundation piece at a key position and at a price too good to pass up. It’s simply impossible to fathom the Penguins allowing that scenario to play out.
Ultimately, when push comes to shove, the Penguins will almost certainly find a way to keep Murray even if that means they have to trade Fleury during the season to do so. As Werner notes, Pittsburgh is usually right up against the cap ceiling and the $5.75MM the team would save against the cap by moving Fleury might well prove to be as valuable to the organization as any asset or assets they could acquire in return for their long-time goalie.