Theodore Listed As Day-To-Day; McNabb Not Dealing With Structural Issue
- The Vegas Golden Knights were missing Shea Theodore and Brayden McNabb at practice today, though neither one is considered seriously injured. Head coach Pete DeBoer told reporters including Jesse Granger of The Athletic that Theodore is day-to-day, while McNabb does not have any structural damage to his injured leg. Mark Stone, who was also dealing with a minor injury, was back at practice and “is going to be fine” according to DeBoer.
Daniil Chayka Signs Entry-Level Contract With Vegas Golden Knights
Daniil Chayka, a second-round draft pick of the Vegas Golden Knights this year, has signed his entry-level contract with the team. Per the team’s press release, it’s a three-year deal. Per PuckPedia, the details of the $925,000 average annual value deal are as follows:
2021-22: $750,000 base, $92,500 SB, $80,000 AHL (82 GP perf. bonus included)
2022-23: $750,000 base, $92,500 SB, $80,000 AHL (82 GP perf. bonus included)
2023-24: $832,500 base, $92,500 SB, $80,000 AHL
Chayka, entering the 2020-21 season, was regarded as one of the better defense prospects in the 2021 NHL Draft. He had tallied 34 points in just 56 games with the OHL’s Guelph Storm in 2019-20, suggesting that the large defensive defenseman had some offensive ceiling as well. While that may still be true, Chayka had a bit of a rough year back home in Russia in 2020-21 after the OHL’s shutdown. Bouncing between the KHL, VHL, and MHL, Chayka never played more than 11 games at any level and had some uncharacteristically concerning defensive struggles.
With Chayka returning to Guelph this season, Vegas will gain a better idea of how the 6′ 3″ defender can perform back in North America. He’s at least three or four years away from challenging for a roster spot in Vegas. But if Chayka can return to his 2019-20 level of play or even improve on it this season, his stock could rise post-draft within an already defensively sound organization.
Minor Transactions: 09/21/21
Today certainly had a flurry of big-name news, a rarity for this time of year. But even through the Kirill Kaprizov contracts and the Elvis Merzlikins extensions of the world, NHL teams have made a flurry of minor transactions today in preparation for training camps. As camps begin and rosters are announced, players still without a confirmed home for next season will pop up across the league. Here are some of today’s minor transactions:
- The expansion Seattle Kraken have added a good bit of depth on try-out deals. The team’s invited Tye Kartye and Cole Mackay of the Soo Greyhounds to camp, as well as Francis Marotte of the ECHL’s Allen Americans. Kartye and Mackay, both forwards, have been teammates with the Soo since 2018. Both haven’t played hockey since the 2019-20 season due to the OHL’s shutdown in 2020-21. They were both on the path to success, however, potting over 50 points individually. They’ll gain some valuable experience at an NHL camp. Marotte, a 26-year-old netminder, comes in after just one season of professional hockey. He impressed in the ECHL this year, boasting an 8-3-1 record and .917 save percentage.
- The Vegas Golden Knights have added a trio of their own on tryouts, headlined by defenseman Ian McCoshen. Now 26, the former second-round pick by Florida now hasn’t seen NHL action since 2018-19. He’s unlikely to see NHL ice within the Vegas organization, one of the deepest defenses in the league, but could be a solid AHL body if he ends up signing with the team. They’ve also brought in OHLers Kaleb Pearson and Daniel D’Amato. Pearson scored 52 points in 62 games in 2019-20 with the Owen Sound Attack, and he’s headed to Prince Edward Island to play collegiate hockey this season. D’Amato will suit up for his Erie Otters again this year after scoring 32 points in 63 games back in 2019-20.
Nolan Patrick Signs With Vegas Golden Knights
Late last night, the Vegas Golden Knights finalized terms with newcomer Nolan Patrick on a two-year contract. The deal will carry an average annual value of $1.2MM, paying Patrick $1MM in 2021-22 and $1.4MM in 2022-23. The young forward was a restricted free agent after being acquired from the Philadelphia Flyers.
Selected second overall in 2017, it has been anything but a smooth ride for the 23-year-old Patrick. Even before he was drafted he had dealt with serious injury, taking away a huge chunk of his final year with the Brandon Wheat Kings, and that injury-prone label has followed him to the NHL. It’s not fair, given the most serious ailment Patrick has dealt with is a migraine issue, but nevertheless, he has heard the chorus of “bust” for several years now.
After two seasons in which he recorded 13 goals and around 30 points, Patrick missed the entire 2019-20 campaign due to his migraine issue. It kept him from skating or participating in any team activity, meaning when he returned for 2020-21 there was obviously a gap in his development. This season was an absolute trainwreck, with the young forward registering just four goals and nine points in 52 games while seeing his average ice time drop significantly. That led to an offseason trade as the Flyers looked to shake up their group and go in a different direction.
Despite recent struggles, Patrick is by no means a write-off in Vegas. The 6’2″ 203-lbs forward still has all the physical tools to be an impact player in the NHL, even if his ceiling as a first-line center looks like an impossibility at this point. The Golden Knights will have to rebuild his confidence and his career, but they obviously have a strong belief in him given they gave up Cody Glass in a one-for-one deal.
The reason for that optimism? Kelly McCrimmon, the Golden Knights’ GM knows Patrick better than anyone, having drafted, developed, coached and managed him in the WHL with the Brandon Wheat Kings. That’s where Patrick turned into a star, including an outstanding 102-point campaign in 2015-16 that resulted in a WHL championship (and playoff MVP).
This two-year deal will still leave Patrick a restricted free agent in 2023, but does mean he will be arbitration-eligible. If he can get his career back on track, there will be more than $1.2MM waiting for him through that process, but more importantly, there should be a real opportunity in Vegas. The Golden Knights have long been searching for another center to complement William Karlsson in the top-six, something Patrick could still do if he can find any of the juice that made him a second-overall pick just a few years ago. Then again, perhaps the lost year has removed any chance of him fulfilling that early promise and he’ll have to settle into a depth role on the loaded Golden Knights roster.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Reid Duke Signs AHL Contract
The first player in Vegas Golden Knights history is staying with the organization, though it’s no longer under an NHL contract. Reid Duke has signed an AHL contract with the Henderson Silver Knights for the 2021-22 season.
The 25-year-old forward reached Group VI unrestricted free agency this summer after failing to play in any NHL games to this point in his career. Signed to an entry-level contract on March 6, 2017, just a few days after the Golden Knights gained official standing, he will always be the answer to an interesting piece of trivia. Unfortunately, that entry-level deal and the one-year contract that followed never really resulted in much, as Duke registered just 39 points in 114 AHL games.
Originally a sixth-round pick of Minnesota Wild, Duke never signed with that organization and instead ended up inking a deal with his former junior coach/GM Kelly McCrimmon, now GM of the Golden Knights. That WHL connection will continue, as new GM of the Silver Knights Tim Speltz should know Duke very well from his time with the Spokane Chiefs.
Patrick's Agent: No Update On Contract Talks; Jake Bischoff Expected To Miss Camp
Golden Knights center Nolan Patrick remains unsigned with training camps on the horizon. This is generally the time where talks start to pick up but Patrick’s agent, Rich Evans, told David Schoen of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, that there is no update on the status of contract discussions. Patrick was acquired by Vegas in the offseason as part of a three-team deal that saw Cody Glass join Nashville. The 2017 second-overall pick returned last season after missing all of 2019-20 with a migraine disorder but struggled, notching just nine points in 52 games which certainly limits his negotiating leverage for these discussions.
- Still with the Golden Knights, Schoen adds in a separate report (Twitter link) that defenseman Jake Bischoff is injured and isn’t expected to participate in training camp. The 27-year-old played in just seven games last season, all with AHL Chicago but also spent more than a month on the taxi squad with Vegas.
Golden Knights Re-Sign Dylan Coghlan
The Golden Knights have taken care of one of their remaining restricted free agents as they announced the re-signing of defenseman Dylan Coghlan to a two-year contract. The deal carries an AAV that’s just over the league minimum at $762.5K.
The 23-year-old made his NHL debut last season after spending the first two seasons of his professional career exclusively in the minors. He made frequent appearances in our Taxi Squad Shuffle posts as he was sent down on 23 separate occasions. Despite that, he still managed to get into 29 games with Vegas, recording three goals and three assists while logging a little more than 13 minutes per game. Memorably, all three of those goals came in the same contest back in March against Minnesota, making him the third blueliner in NHL history to score their first three goals in the same game.
Now waiver-eligible, it’s less likely that Coghlan will be sent down now which made it crucial for the Golden Knights to get him signed for as close to the minimum as possible. Vegas projects to be very tight to the cap this coming season when Alex Tuch comes off LTIR midseason so every dollar counts as they’ll be operating right near the Upper Limit once again. Vegas GM Kelly McCrimmon still has some work to do on the contract front as offseason acquisition Nolan Patrick remains a restricted free agent and he’ll now focus on getting the center signed before training camp gets underway next week.
Salary Cap Deep Dive: Vegas Golden Knights
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 heading into the 2021-22 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: $81,537,439 (over the $81.5MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
F Peyton Krebs ($863K through 2023-24)
Potential Bonuses: $412.5K
Krebs, a 2019 first-rounder, got a brief NHL look late last season and held his own. He may have to wait to get a look this coming season – there will be roster limitations again when everyone is healthy – but if their summer acquisitions to bolster their center depth don’t pan out as hoped, Krebs should get a legitimate opportunity soon after.
One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level
F Sven Baertschi ($750K, UFA)
D Jake Bischoff ($717K, UFA)
D Nicolas Hague ($792K, RFA)
F Brett Howden ($885K, RFA)
F Mattias Janmark ($2MM, UFA)
F Keegan Kolesar ($725K, RFA)
D Brayden McNabb ($2.5MM, UFA)
F Nicolas Roy ($750K, RFA)
F Reilly Smith ($5MM, UFA)
D Zach Whitecloud ($725K, RFA)
Smith has been a fixture in Vegas’ top six for the past four seasons but saw his production drop off considerably last season. His first three years provided good value for the Golden Knights but a similar showing in 2021-22 could result in his market value taking a dip. As it stands, they may have a hard time being able to retain Smith beyond this contract. Janmark was a surprise re-signing in that he was expected to get more elsewhere but instead, he opted to take a below-market deal to stay with Vegas. If Smith does leave, Janmark could be one of the beneficiaries with some of that money going to him for 2022-23 and beyond. Roy stepped into a bigger role last season and could double his current AAV next summer with a similar showing due to his arbitration rights while Howden, another center in that mix, will need to play closer to his first two seasons if he wants any kind of sizable raise. Kolesar and Baertschi are both low-cost roster pieces and Vegas will need to have a few of those beyond this season whether it’s them or someone else.
McNabb is the only defenseman remaining in Vegas that was directly selected in expansion (not a related side deal). He doesn’t put up the offensive numbers to command top dollar but solid stay-at-home blueliners have checked in over $3.5MM in recent years. That’s certainly achievable if he makes it to the open market. Hague had a nice first full NHL season on the third pairing but with their depth and cap situation, he’s probably in a similar role this coming season and looking at a cheap one-year deal next summer to preserve short-term flexibility. Whitecloud isn’t as established but unlike Hague, will at least have arbitration rights in the offseason to help him in negotiations where he could push to double his AAV. Bischoff is tied for the lowest AAV in the entire league which will have him in the mix at times as well.
Two Years Remaining
G Laurent Brossoit ($2.325MM, UFA)
F Evgenii Dadonov ($5MM, UFA)
F Max Pacioretty ($7MM, UFA)
Pacioretty eclipsed the point per game mark for the first time in his career last season while leading the Golden Knights in goals for the second straight season. As long as that’s happening, they’ll be happy with his contract. Dadonov was one of the more puzzling trades of the summer. Yes, he has helped on the power play in the past which is an area of concern but them using a big chunk of their cap space from the Marc-Andre Fleury trade on a winger who struggled last season is certainly a bit of a risk.
Brossoit has had two strong seasons out of the last three but in the middle was a particularly tough showing. In all three, playing time was limited; his career-high in games played in a single season is only 21. That led to him landing a cheaper deal than more proven backups which was necessary for cap reasons but this is going to put a lot more pressure on their starter in the process. If Brossoit picks up where he left off in Winnipeg and can play a few more games though, he’s still young enough (28) to land a bigger deal two years from now.
Three Years Remaining
F William Carrier ($1.4MM, UFA)
F Jonathan Marchessault ($5MM, UFA)
D Alec Martinez ($5.35MM, UFA)
F Chandler Stephenson ($2.75MM, UFA)
Marchessault has more than proven that his breakout year in Florida was no fluke as he has been a key piece of their attack for all four seasons. That price tag for someone playing at greater than a 50-point pace is a pretty good return. It’s not quite as good of one as having a top-six center making third line money which is what they have in Stephenson. Leaving Washington has allowed him to become a reliable two-way second liner and a core player for them in the process whose absence in the Stanley Cup Semifinal was felt. Carrier doesn’t produce a lot but is an effective role player with plenty of sandpaper and those are the fourth liners that often get paid in free agency. They could fill that spot with someone cheaper if they had to but Carrier brings an element few others up front do for Vegas.
Had he made it to the open market, Martinez would have been arguably the most sought after blueliner (knowing that Dougie Hamilton’s price inherently limited his legitimate suitors) but he opted to pass on the opportunity to command a bigger deal in both price and term to stick around with Vegas. He’s not a number one defender but slides nicely into a second or third role depending on his pairing and in either slot, he’s likely to provide strong value. Considering his next contract will come in his age-37 season, a dip in pay will be coming at that time.
Four Or More Years Remaining
F William Karlsson ($5.9MM through 2026-27)
G Robin Lehner ($5MM through 2024-25)
D Alex Pietrangelo ($8.8MM through 2026-27)
F Mark Stone ($9.5MM through 2026-27)
D Shea Theodore ($5.2MM through 2024-25)
F Alex Tuch ($4.75MM through 2025-26)
Stone has shown more of an offensive touch the last few seasons which, coupled with his elite defensive game, makes him one of the premier two-way forwards in the league. It’s hard to call a $9.5MM contract a bargain but for what he’s able to do, it’s certainly not an overpayment either. Karlsson hasn’t come close to matching his production from his first year with the Golden Knights but has been a quality top-six center since then and as contracts for that position continue to escalate quickly, having him locked in is a good thing. Tuch’s inconsistency has limited him to more of a secondary role throughout his career but the skill and size are there to make him a consistent impact player and if that happens, his deal will quickly become a bargain.
Pietrangelo came as advertised as a legitimate number one blueliner and now finds himself on a cheaper contract than others in that role have signed in recent months. It’s hard to find value in many high-priced deals but if the escalating salaries continue, that could very well happen. There is definitely value in Theodore’s contract as he has continually improved to the point where it could be argued that he is a number one in his own right (though Pietrangelo logs the most minutes). Having him signed for four more years making the type of money that some number three defenders get is a significant bargain.
Lehner was limited due to injury last season plus Fleury’s strong season but now he comes in as the undisputed starter and will be counted on to play a considerably heavier workload than he’s accustomed to. He has shown flashes of being a higher-end starter and if he can provide that for the Golden Knights, he’ll be another high-value contract on their books.
Buyouts
None
Retained Salary Transactions
None
Still To Sign
D Dylan Coghlan
F Nolan Patrick
Patrick was acquired in a swap of young underachieving centers with Cody Glass going the other way. He was able to return last season after missing all of 2019-20 due to the pandemic but struggled. That’s going to limit his earnings upside here and he’s likely only looking at a one-year deal once again. As for Coghlan, he held his own in a reserve role last season while getting into 29 games. That’s not enough for him to command much of a raise and the delay to this point may be more of trying to sort out the two-way portion of his next deal than haggling over NHL money.
Best Value: Theodore
Worst Value: Dadonov
Looking Ahead
Tuch’s LTIR placement to start the season will actually allow Vegas to afford to carry a full roster, meaning that they won’t need to be playing games below the maximum player lineup as they did on multiple occasions last season. But when Tuch comes back (and assuming no one else is on LTIR by then), the cap crunch will return where they will be basically limited to carrying a minimum-sized roster and be susceptible to day-to-day injuries that force them below 18 skaters on game day. GM Kelly McCrimmon is clearly comfortable with this situation as he opted to go this tight to the Upper Limit after seeing what happened last season and while that carries some risk, he has a pretty strong roster once again.
Beyond next season, it’s going to be more of the same for 2022-23. Yes, they have about $14MM coming off the books next summer but have half of a defense corps to re-sign plus a forward or two so that money will be spent quickly. Depending on what happens with Pacioretty and Dadonov, that could be an opportunity for Vegas to reshape their roster a little bit but even if they did that, they’d still be tight to the cap. Get used to that being the case for the Golden Knights as it’s not about to change anytime soon.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Alan Quine Signs AHL Contract
Alan Quine may be known more for his scoring prowess in the AHL than for anything else, but the veteran forward has played on an NHL contract in each of his nine pro seasons. That streak will come to an end this year, as Quine has signed a one-year deal with the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights, the team announced.
Quine, 28, played exclusively in the minors this past season while under contract with the Edmonton Oilers, the first time he had gone without an NHL appearance since 2014-15. A perennial depth asset, apart from one 61-game season with the New York Islanders, Quine is a prototypical “AAAA” player, to steal a baseball term. He possesses the skill to produce in a major way in the AHL, with a career mark of .84 points per game in 285 games, but it doesn’t translate to the NHL. Quine has just ten goals and 28 points to his credit in over 100 career NHL games for a career mark of .26 points per game, over three times less than his AHL pace. All but ten of these points also came in his one season as an NHL regular, meaning his spot starts ever since have produced few results. Quine also lacks the defensive ability to contribute in a bottom-six role, further limiting his use. The result is an offensive depth option whose lack of actual production over the years has progressively limited his opportunity to the point that he is now in the AHL full-time.
With that said, Quine’s days as an impact player are far from over. Quine spent all but seven AHL games on the Oilers taxi squad last season and never saw one game; he is surely ready to get back to work. Playing on an AHL contract, without wasting time as an NHL scratch or taxi squad member, will allow the veteran forward to focus solely on his play in the minors and helping to develop his teammates. Filling a leadership vacuum in Henderson, who saw Danny O’Regan and Dylan Sikura depart this off-season, Quine will take on a top role for the Silver Knights and will very likely return to scoring at better than a point-per-game pace. Who knows, perhaps Quine may even do enough to get another NHL look next summer. The opportunity is there to show that he is still a talented offensive asset that could bring value to an NHL club.
Henderson Silver Knights Hire Tim Speltz
The Henderson Silver Knights finally have a general manager. The Vegas Golden Knights announced today that Tim Speltz has been hired as GM of the AHL squad, after they did not have someone holding that specific title last season. Kelly McCrimmon, GM of the Golden Knights, explained exactly why Speltz was the choice:
We are very excited to have Tim join our organization. I’ve known him for a very long time, dating back to our days in the Western Hockey League, and he has an outstanding hockey mind. As our organization has developed, we believe that it is important to our staff, players and fans to have a dedicated manager who will be involved in the day-to-day business of the Silver Knights. Tim will do an incredible job leading our efforts in Henderson.
Speltz comes to Henderson from the Toronto Maple Leafs, where he had served as head of amateur scouting the previous three seasons. He and McCrimmon had plenty of battles in the WHL, as leaders of the Spokane Chiefs and Brandon Wheat Kings respectively. Speltz served for 26 years as the GM of the Chiefs, winning two Memorial Cups and the WHL Executive of the Year award twice.
There aren’t many people who are more familiar with the WHL landscape than Speltz, who originally joined the Maple Leafs as the director of western area scouting in 2016. Now he’ll be taking on a brand new role as the GM of an AHL team, but he certainly doesn’t suffer from a lack of experience in the hockey world. The Silver Knights went 25-13-1 in 2020-21, finishing first in the Pacific Division. They lost in the division’s tournament playoff final to the Bakersfield Condors, missing out on the John D. Chick Trophy.