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Evening Notes: Devils, Svechnikov, Hill

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TSN’s Pierre LeBrun recently shared that New Jersey Devils defenseman Dougie Hamilton could be out through the end of the regular season, after undergoing surgery to repair a pectoral injury. The Devils would gain $9MM in cap space if they moved Hamilton to long-term injured reserve, money that LeBrun says would put the Devils in a position to be aggressive at the Trade Deadline.

The Devils have come back into their own, winning seven of their last 10 games after a more-than-slow start to the year. LeBrun added that the Devils would be in the market for roster pieces, including looking for a new goaltender. New Jersey was rumored to be closely attached to former Vezina Trophy-winner Connor Hellebuyck this off-season but weren’t able to get a deal done before the netminder signed a seven-year extension with the Winnipeg Jets. Hellebuyck’s new deal carries a cap hit of $8.5MM – just under the Devils’ available cap. The deal also carries a no-movement clause for its first three seasons and a modified no-trade clause for the last four.

There’s no doubting the Devils’ need for a goaltender. The team has scored the eighth-most goals in the league through the first half of the year but they’ve allowed the tenth-most goals-against, with both Vitek Vanecek and Akira Schmid boasting save percentages below .900.

More notes from around the league:

Vegas Golden Knights Recall Jonas Røndbjerg, Jiří Patera

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The Vegas Golden Knights have recalled forward Jonas Røndbjerg and goalie Jiří Patera in advance of their game tomorrow against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Additionally, Sin Bin Vegas reports that defenseman Kaedan Korczak has been placed on injured reserve. Korczak suffered a lower-body injury in the Golden Knights’ game on December 10th, and has not played since. Korczak has played in 15 games this season and has scored seven points, averaging 16:29 time-on-ice per game.

Røndbjerg last played in the NHL on November 14th, while Patera got the start in the Golden Knights’ victory over the San Jose Sharks a little over a week ago. Patera was actually reassigned to Vegas’ AHL affiliate, the Henderson Silver Knights, late last night, but today’s move has reversed that original decision.

Save for his one start against the Sharks, Patera has spent the year as the number-one goalie in Henderson. He’s currently sporting a 6-6-2 record with a .900 save percentage. Last season, he played 31 games with the Silver Knights and went 14-15-1 with a .911 save percentage. He’s now relatively established as Vegas’ third goalie, and will fill in on the NHL roster whenever a member of the team’s Adin Hill – Logan Thompson tandem is unavailable.

Røndbjerg is the team’s call-up at the forward position, and he’s a relatively experienced depth player for the Golden Knights. He has 49 career NHL games on his resume, all coming with Vegas over the last three seasons. The six-foot-two, 200-pound Danish forward has experience playing both center and the wing, though he has been preferred as a winger at the NHL level. He’s been a solid scorer at the AHL level (he has 11 points in 16 games this season) and has contributed offense sporadically in the NHL. So far this season, he has three points in six NHL games.

Sin Bin Vegas has indicated that forward Keegan Kolesar “may be ailing,” and therefore may be the player Røndbjerg replaces in the lineup if he does indeed dress for a game. That’s not an official confirmation of any unavailability for Kolesar, though, and it’s worth noting that the 11:19 time-on-ice he registered in last night’s game is right around his average ice time on the year.

Metropolitan Notes: Penguins, Sanheim, Svechnikov, Wahlstrom

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The Pittsburgh Penguins tweeted today that forwards Rickard Rakell, Noel Acciari, as well as defenseman Chad Ruhwedel will all be game-time decisions when the Pittsburgh Penguins take on the Minnesota Wild this evening. The news was announced by Pittsburgh head coach Mike Sullivan who has been trying to manage a litany of injuries up and down the Penguins lineup.

Pittsburgh has been mired in a cycle of inconsistent and sloppy play that has been a constant throughout the first third of the NHL season. They are currently sitting in seventh place in the Metropolitan division and are five points out of a wild card position.

The Penguins put forward Bryan Rust on IR just a few days ago, which left them with two big holes in their top 6, however, with the potential return of Rakell it seems likely that he will have an opportunity to fill one of those holes. Rakell has been practicing on a line with Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel and given his history with the duo it seems likely he return to that spot either tonight or later this week.

Acciari had been centering the Penguins’ fourth line before his injury and seems likely to take up that spot if and when he does return, while Ruhwedel will likely get a look on the Penguins’ third defensive pairing, presumably with youngster John Ludvig who has emerged on the backend for Pittsburgh in recent weeks.

In other Metropolitan Division notes:

  • Kevin Kurz of The Athletic is reporting that Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Travis Sanheim was back at practice today and should be good for tomorrow night’s game against the New Jersey Devils. Sanheim was dealing with an undisclosed illness and missed Saturday’s game against the Detroit Red Wings. The 27-year-old had been heating up before getting sick as he had posted two goals and three assists in his previous five games. Sanheim has been a huge part of the Flyers’ surprising start to the season as his 21 points in 29 games has him second in team scoring behind Travis Konecny.
  • Carolina Hurricanes reporter Walt Ruff is reporting that Hurricanes forward Andrei Svechnikov was a full participant in today’s practice and even was seen taking power play reps with the team. Ruff goes on to add that the 23-year-old could be back in the lineup as soon as tomorrow night against the Vegas Golden Knights. Svechnikov has missed the last six games with an upper-body injury and struggled the week prior to getting hurt. On the season, the former second-overall pick has just a single goal in 16 games, although he does have 10 assists as well. Carolina has underperformed so far this season but currently sits in the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. Getting Svechnikov healthy and productive once again could be a big boost for Carolina as they close in on the mid-way point of the season.
  • Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News is reporting that New York Islanders forward Oliver Wahlstrom missed practice today with an illness. The 23-year-old was unlikely to play in tomorrow night’s game even if healthy as he has been a healthy scratch for the Islanders in seven straight games. Wahlstrom has just two goals and three assists in 17 games this season and has been averaging less than 12 minutes of ice time a game when he has been in the lineup.

Pacific Notes: Spence, Hoffman, Markstrom, Golden Knights

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Kings defenseman Jordan Spence has changed agents and is now represented by Quartexx, PuckPedia reports (Twitter link).  The 22-year-old is in his first full season at the NHL level, appearing in all but one of 26 games for Los Angeles so far.  A prominent point producer in the minors with 87 points in 102 games with AHL Ontario, Spence has had a bit of a harder go hitting the scoreboard in the NHL although he does have nine assists while averaging just shy of 15 minutes a night.  Spence is set to become a restricted free agent for the first time this summer and will be owed a qualifying offer worth a little over $813K.

More from the Pacific Division:

  • Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch suggests Sharks winger Mike Hoffman could be a name to keep an eye on when it comes to the trade front. After getting off to a slow start, the 34-year-old is up to eight goals in 28 games, just one off the team lead.  A pending UFA with a $4.5MM cap hit, the asking price for Hoffman likely won’t be very high but he could be a useful addition to a team looking to add a bit of firepower to their bottom six.
  • Flames goaltender Jacob Markstrom practiced on Wednesday with their AHL affiliate, relays Postmedia’s Wes Gilbertson. The 33-year-old has been out for the last week and a half with a finger injury but Gilbertson pointed out that Markstrom didn’t seem to be limited at all which suggests the netminder could be nearing a return.  Calgary has a full roster at the moment although that can easily be addressed by returning top prospect Dustin Wolf back to the Wranglers.
  • Golden Knights goaltender Adin Hill is expected to accompany the team on their road trip next week, notes Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Sun (Twitter link). The 27-year-old has missed the last week and a half with a lower-body injury after getting off to a stellar start; he leads the NHL in GAA (1.87) and SV% (.935) over his first 14 starts.  Meanwhile, Webster adds that defenseman Kaedan Korczak will miss some time due to a lower-body injury of his own.  Korczak has a goal and six assists in 15 games with Vegas so far this season.

Pacific Notes: Golden Knights, Ferraro, Flames, Amadio, Kane

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Earlier this week, news coming out of the Board of Governors meetings indicated a sizeable increase in the salary cap for next season, with most estimations projecting a $4.2MM increase, the largest increase in the last five seasons. One team that will benefit most from this salary cap increase will undoubtedly be the defending Stanley Cup Champion Vegas Golden Knights, who are pressed tightly against the cap.

Heading into next summer, the Golden Knights have four players set to hit restricted free agency, and another six hitting unrestricted free agency, including Jonathan Marchessault, Chandler Stephenson, and Alec Martinez. If the cap were to remain flat next year, Vegas would have only around $18.39MM to retain 10 players, but will now have around $22.59MM, giving them much more breathing room to keep their core.

In an article in The Athletic by Jesse Granger, Golden Knights General Manager Kelly McCrimmon was quoted saying, “We are hopeful with a bump in the salary cap that we’ll be able to keep this core together. We like our team a lot.” For the core specifically, it is reasonable to expect raises given to both Marchessault and Stephenson given their production over the last several seasons, however, Vegas may even have the financial flexibility to improve their team next offseason.

Other notes:

  • With only three months away from the 2023-24 NHL trade deadline, the league is quickly separating itself into buyers and sellers. One seller, the San Jose Sharks, has been receiving plenty of interest in defenseman Mario Ferraro, as reported last week. However, in an article published today by Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now, Ferraro gave indication he has no desire to leave San Jose, saying, “I feel like I have unfinished business here. This organization has done so much for me, right? I feel like I still owe them and the fans.“
  • Per a team announcement, the Calgary Flames announced that forwards Martin Pospisil and Walker Duehr were out of the lineup tonight with both suffering from the flu. Inching their way back into the playoff conversation, Pospisil and Duehr have been effective depth forward options for the Flames this season, scoring five points and four points in 15 games, respectively.
  • A notable missing piece from the Golden Knights lineup tonight was forward, Michael Amadio, who is out due to personal reasons (X Link). Typically, a bottom-six forward is not a large missing piece in any lineup, but with five goals and 15 points in 27 games this season, Amadio sits sixth on Vegas in scoring, while sitting 19th in ATOI.
  • After his hit last night on Jonas Brodin of the Minnesota Wild, Edmonton Oilers’ forward Evander Kane was given a warning by the Department of Player Safety (X Link). It as an interesting decision by the league, as replay evidence shows that Kane finished his check on Brodin even with Brodin’s back turned to him.

Golden Knights Activate Isaiah Saville From SOIR, Assign Him To AHL

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Golden Knights prospect goaltender Isaiah Saville was placed on season-opening IR back in September with an undisclosed injury.  Now, it appears as if he has been cleared to return as Vegas has activated him and assigned him to their affiliate in Henderson, per the AHL’s transactions log.

The 23-year-old was a fifth-round pick by Vegas back in 2019 (135th overall).  Last season was his first full professional campaign after leaving the University of Nebraska-Omaha following his junior year; Saville signed in March 2022, immediately burning the first season of his three-year, entry-level deal.  He is now in the final season of that agreement.

Saville spent most of last season at the ECHL level with Savannah, posting an impressive .920 SV% in 33 games with the Ghost Pirates.  That helped him get into ten games with the Silver Knights as well where he had a 3.21 GAA with a .902 SV%.  He spent some time with Vegas during the playoffs as a Black Ace as well.

With Jiri Patera currently up with the Golden Knights covering for the injured Adin Hill and prospect Jesper Vikman injured, there’s a spot on the Silver Knights’ roster for Saville to fill for the time being, giving him a good opportunity to make a case to secure a qualifying offer in June.

West Injury Notes: McTavish, Markstrom, Lindholm, Golden Knights

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Heading into the Anaheim Ducks’ two-game road trip this week, it was largely expected that Mason McTavish would be able to join the team, even after suffering an upper-body injury in the team’s loss last week to the Colorado Avalanche. However, earlier today, Derek Lee of The Sporting Tribune reported that McTavish will not be making the trip with the team, and will likely be available for the team’s game against the Winnipeg Jets next Sunday.

Last season, McTavish produced at a solid clip, scoring 17 goals and 43 assists in a disappointing offensive season for the Ducks. His work at the center position left a lot to be desired in the faceoff dot specifically. Still, McTavish’s offensive production and his defensive attributes were good enough to see him finish seventh in Calder Memorial Trophy voting by season’s end.

This year, if he continues on the same pace, McTavish will pass his point production from last season a little past the halfway mark of this year. He’s gotten off to an incredible start with Anaheim, scoring 10 goals and 21 points in 24 games, currently sitting second on the team in scoring. His work in the faceoff dot has also improved significantly, winning 57.0% of his 337 draws this year, a year-on-year improvement of 14.7%.

Other injury notes:

  • During practice today, Pat Steinberg of Sportsnet reported that the starting goaltender of the Calgary Flames, Jacob Markstrom, left practice early, and is being evaluated for a hand injury. At this time, there have been no other updates to the injury status of Markstrom, but the team may look to recall top prospect Dustin Wolf, since their AHL affiliate, the Calgary Wranglers, do not play until the end of the week.
  • Sticking in Southern Alberta, one member of the Flames who missed the entirety of the team’s practice today was forward Elias Lindholm. The team announced that Lindholm was out with an illness for today’s practice, and his status is unknown as to whether or not he will be in the team’s lineup tomorrow night.
  • Out in Vegas, the expectation is that goaltender Adin Hill (who has been out since December 2nd) and defenseman Alec Martinez (who has been out since November 22nd) will not be able to make the team’s upcoming two-game road trip (X Link). In the crease specifically, Logan Thompson will take over the crease for the most part, but with back-to-back games this weekend, Jiri Patera may have to make a start if Hill is not able to return by Sunday.

Injury Notes: Theodore, Nieto, Rakell, Zadina, Barabanov

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Undergoing surgery only a few days ago, the Vegas Golden Knights have moved defenseman Shea Theodore from the injured reserve to the long-term injured reserve, according to CapFriendly. His placement on LTIR (which should be retroactive to November 25th) would keep him out of the lineup until the team’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes on December 19th.

Injuries have been a concern for Theodore since coming to Vegas, but when healthy, he has regularly been one of the best defensemen on the team. Especially this season, Theodore has four goals and 14 assists in 20 games, sitting fourth on the team in scoring. Accumulating a lot of powerplay minutes as well, Theodore has shown the ability to do it all for the Vegas defensive core.

In his absence, however, the powerplay may suffer a bit, as it currently sits at 14th in the NHL, operating at a 21.35% success rate. Aside from Theodore and Alex Pietrangelo, the Golden Knights do not currently have a third defenseman that the team should be comfortable with in quarterbacking either of the current powerplay units.

Other injury notes:

  • After missing last night’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers with an undisclosed injury, Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports is reporting that the Pittsburgh Penguins will place forward Matthew Nieto on the injured reserve. In his absence, forward Joona Koppanen was able to replace Nieto in the lineup last night, making his debut with the Penguins, skating in just over seven and a half minutes of last night’s matchup.
  • On a more positive note with the Penguins, team beat writer, Dave Molinari shared that forward Rickard Rakell has resumed skating. Due to the requirements on players currently on LTIR, Rakell will not be able to return to Pittsburgh’s lineup until their December 16th game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Nevertheless, if Rakell has already resumed skating in individual on-ice workouts, he should be healthy enough to return on that date.
  • Max Miller of The Hockey News is reporting that San Jose Sharks forward, Filip Zadina, is back on the ice for practice. It is unclear if he will be able to play in the team’s game tonight or Tuesday, as Miller points out the Sharks are looking for his return against his former team, the Detroit Red Wings. Zadina has been out of San Jose’s lineup for a little over a week with an upper-body injury.
  • One player for San Jose who is likely making his return to the ice tonight is forward Alexander Barabanov (X Link). Having not played since late October, Barabanov has been on the injured reserve recovering from an injury to one of his fingers. Being one of the highest-scoring players on the Sharks roster last season, San Jose could certainly use his help, as they continue to struggle as a team on offense.

Golden Knights Recall Jiri Patera

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Golden Knights goaltender Adin Hill exited Thursday’s victory with an undisclosed injury with Logan Thompson taking over for the third period.  Now, prior to their game tonight against Washington, the team announced (Twitter link) that Jiri Patera has been recalled from AHL Henderson.

The 24-year-old is in his fourth professional season, the bulk of which has been spent with the Silver Knights.  Patera did get into a couple of NHL games last year, stopping 65 of 70 shots in a pair of victories.  This season, he has struggled a bit with Henderson, posting a 3.17 GAA with a .900 SV% in his first 14 appearances.

Patera signed a one-year deal worth the league minimum this summer coming off his entry-level deal.  He will be a restricted free agent with salary arbitration rights in July and will be eligible for waivers for the first time next season.

Vegas does not have an open spot on its 23-man roster so two things could happen here.  The first is they place a player on IR or send a waiver-exempt player (Kaedan Korczak is their lone option) to open a spot for Patera.  Alternatively, they can use the Goaltender Exemption provision in the CBA, allowing for a 48-hour recall without needing to take someone off the active roster.  However, that option can only be used twice in a season.  At this time, it’s not yet known which option they will utilize.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Vegas Golden Knights

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Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM.  Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful.  Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation for the 2023-24 season.  This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL.  All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.

Vegas Golden Knights

Current Cap Hit: $89,210,531 (over the $83.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

D Kaedan Korczak (one year, $789.1K)

Potential Bonuses
Korczak: $82.5K

Korczak has bounced back and forth between Vegas and AHL Henderson this season and that will likely continue.  He’s someone who could be a candidate for taking less than his qualifying offer in exchange for a one-way salary.  Meanwhile, his bonuses are games played-based and while it’s unlikely he’ll top out, he should reach at least some of that amount which, thanks to them being in LTIR, will result in a bonus carryover penalty for next season.

Signed Through 2023-24, Non-Entry-Level

F Michael Amadio ($762.5K, UFA)
F William Carrier ($1.4MM, UFA)
F Pavel Dorofeyev ($825K, RFA)
D Ben Hutton ($850K, UFA)
F Jonathan Marchessault ($5MM, UFA)
D Alec Martinez ($5.25MM, UFA)
D Daniil Miromanov ($762.5K, RFA)
F Chandler Stephenson ($2.75MM, UFA)

Marchessault had a strong showing last year with 57 points and followed that up with a Smythe-winning performance to help Vegas win the Stanley Cup.  Accordingly, some expected that he’d be a strong candidate for an early extension but the veteran acknowledged that there weren’t talks in the summer as GM Kelly McCrimmon tends to wait before handing out new deals.  That hesitation might be wise on the part of the Golden Knights as the 32-year-old is off to a slower start.  He’s still in line to get a multi-year deal but it might wind up coming closer to this AAV in the end whereas in the summer, he likely could have pushed for $6MM or more on a long-term agreement.

Stephenson has been one of the better bargains around the NHL in recent years; his trade from Washington certainly sparked his offense, making him a quality two-way center.  He’s also off to a quieter start this season but his recent track record will be good enough for some teams to view him as a second-line fit.  Accordingly, he should reach (or even surpass) the $5MM mark on the open market.  Carrier, one of the few remaining original expansion picks, hasn’t really moved up the depth chart over his now seven seasons in Vegas but remains an every-game fourth liner that brings plenty of physicality.  The open market isn’t always great for players in that role but after his good playoff showing, he could be one of the exceptions and push for closer to $2MM.

Dorofeyev is in his first full season with Vegas although a good chunk of that has been in a reserve role.  While he’s arbitration-eligible next summer, he also doesn’t have enough of an NHL track record to command much more than his $866K qualifying offer.  As for Amadio, he has become one of the better recent waiver claims around the league, going from a fringe player to a full-time bottom-six piece who has produced at a pretty good rate after notching 16 goals last season.  If he stays on the pace he’s on now for this year, he could easily double this AAV on the open market.

At the time Martinez’s deal was signed, the belief was that the final season could be a bit of a drag for the Golden Knights.  Unfortunately, injuries struck in the first year and since then, his minutes have been closer to the 19-minute mark compared to the 21 or 22 minutes he has been at in the past.  Effectively, he has gone from being a number two blueliner to a fourth option.  Given his age (36), that’s not entirely surprising.  His next deal, if there is one, is likely to be a one-year agreement closer to half this price point and could also contain some games played incentives.

Hutton is a serviceable seventh defender who can hold his own on the third pairing when needed.  It’s hard to see him commanding much more than this on the open market while the Golden Knights need to keep this roster spot as close to the league minimum as possible.  Miromanov lands on here due to his LTIR presence as he has yet to play this season.  When healthy, he’ll likely return to AHL Henderson and is another candidate to sign for less than his qualifier in exchange for a one-way deal in the summer.

Signed Through 2024-25

D Nicolas Hague ($2.294MM, RFA)
G Adin Hill ($4.9MM, UFA)
F Brett Howden ($1.9MM, UFA)
F Keegan Kolesar ($1.4MM, UFA)
G Robin Lehner ($5MM, UFA)
D Brayden McNabb ($2.85MM, UFA)
D Brayden Pachal ($775K, RFA)
D Shea Theodore ($5.2MM, UFA)
G Logan Thompson ($766.7K, UFA)

Howden wound up accepting what amounts to a third bridge deal over the summer, settling after filing for arbitration.  His production dropped last season and is at a similar clip this year although he plays an important role on the defensive side of things.  That said, unless his offense comes around, he’ll be in tough to get much more than this in free agency, even as a 27-year-old at that time.  Kolesar is in a similar situation as Carrier, just without quite as long of a track record.  He’s a true fourth liner which limits his earnings upside but some team is going to look at him playing a regular role in the playoffs last year and use that to justify an above-market offer that could also push him into the $2MM range.

Theodore showed plenty of promise but was a little inconsistent early in his time with the Golden Knights, understandable given his age at the time.  That has changed now as he has become an all-around all-situations player who can log big minutes on the top pairing.  His offensive game has blossomed to the point where he could make a case for number one money if he gets to the open market.  Not to the top-end level, mind you, but a long-term deal in the $9MM range could be doable.  It might be tough for Vegas to match that price point, however, so if he wants to stay with them, Theodore might have to leave a bit of money on the table to do so.

McNabb has turned into a reliable second-pairing shutdown defender over his tenure with Vegas.  He’s being paid at the level of a higher-end depth piece so this contract has certainly worked in their favor.  The offense is limited which hurts to an extent but we’ve seen shutdown blueliners go well past $4MM in recent years.  It seems reasonable to think McNabb will land there as well.

Hague was basically limited to a bridge deal in 2022 with Vegas not having enough cap room to entertain a longer-term agreement.  However, his play has largely leveled out since then, slotting in as a fourth or fifth defender most nights.  This is still a good value contract but perhaps a long-term next summer might cost less than it could have if Vegas had the ability to offer one last time out.  He’ll be owed a $2.7MM qualifier and should land more than that with arbitration rights but his cap might be in the $4MM range if he stays at this level.  Pachal is waiver-eligible this season which has helped keep him on the NHL roster.  He’s in a depth role at the moment and until he can lock down a full-time spot on the third pairing, it’s hard to see him getting much more than this even with arbitration rights.

Lehner missed all of last season after undergoing hip surgery and remains on LTIR now.  At this point, it’s reasonable to suggest that he might be on there for all of next season as well, especially based on what they did with Hill this summer.

Speaking of Hill, he certainly benefitted from his strong playoff performance, earning a deal that few would have seen coming just a few months earlier.  It’s a deal they could afford thanks to Lehner’s LTIR.  So far, he has been even better this season.  It’s early but if he can maintain that level, he could push closer to the $6MM range on a long-term agreement.  If he goes back to his level of play before his time in Vegas, he’s still on the upper end for platoon players so he could still come close to this contract.

As for Thompson, his first full season was quite good, earning an All-Star nod while finishing second on the All-Rookie team.  Hill’s playoff run largely took away from that but Thompson remains an above-average NHL netminder with a cap hit below the league minimum, making him one of the top bargain deals in the league (and one I missed in a recent mailbag when discussing value deals).  Even if he stays in a platoon through the end of this contract, he could also push past the $4MM mark, especially if multiple teams see him as a true starter.  If that happens, $5MM or more becomes doable.

Signed Through 2025-26

F Paul Cotter ($775K, RFA)
F Jack Eichel ($10MM, UFA)

Vegas landed their long-coveted top center when they acquired Eichel and while no one can say that his contract is well below market value, they’re getting a decent return value-wise.  Last season, he was close to a point-per-game player and is near that mark again this year.  Accordingly, given the demand for centers, if he was on the open market today, he’d get pretty close to this, perhaps even a bit more.  He’ll be 30 when he hits free agency and while there could be a cheaper year or two at the end on a max-term agreement, a small raise could still be doable.  Cotter has become a quality fourth liner who can move up in a pinch.  Three years for that at the minimum is a nice piece of business.  If he can stay as a regular throughout the deal, he could have a shot at doubling this in free agency.

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