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Poll: Should Pittsburgh Have Traded For Derick Brassard?

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With the Eastern Conference Finals set to continue on Monday between the Washington Capitals and the Tampa Bay Lightning, one team that hasn’t been sitting around for the last couple of years is the Pittsburgh Penguins. Entering the playoffs red-hot after a key trade deadline acquistion, many people thought that the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Penguins might make their third-straight trip to the Stanley Cup. Instead, they were ousted by the Capitals, who are fighting for their life.

The Penguins felt they hit the jackpot after making a big three-way trade between the Ottawa Senators and the Vegas Golden Knights to acquire that second-line center they desperately needed in Derick Brassard. While he seemed to be a good fit early during the final part of the regular season when he put up eight points in 14 games, Brassard suffered through an undisclosed “difficult injury,” near the end of the season and struggled throughout the playoffs. He managed just one goal and four points in 12 playoff games.

“I don’t know if we ever got there, to the comfort level where we know he’s capable of being the player he is,” said head coach Mike Sullivan following the season.

In exchange for Brassard, the Penguins gave up quite a bit to the Ottawa Senators and Vegas Golden Knights, including defenseman Ian Cole (who was subsequently flipped to Columbus), goaltending prospect Filip Gustavsson, enforcer Ryan Reaves, a 2018 first-round pick, a 2019 third-round pick and the Vancouver Canucks’ 2018 fourth-round pick.

Cole fit in nicely with Columbus and became a key piece to the Blue Jackets’ defensive core and his gritty play and leadership may have been missed from the Penguins lineup, although defenseman Chad Ruhwedel did a solid job replacing him. While many won’t miss Reaves, his size and leadership also may have been underestimated as he eventually was a key figure in the Vegas Golden Knights’ playoff run, scoring the game-winning goal to clinch the team’s first trip to the Stanley Cup. And while the Penguins are overloaded in prospects, Gustavsson finished his season, came over to the U.S. and already on the Senators’ AHL roster getting valuable playing time.

That doesn’t include the picks that the Penguins have given up, not including the fact that Pittsburgh will have drafted in the first round just once in the past six years (and Kasperi Kapanen was traded not long after to Toronto).

On a positive note, the Penguins have one more year to show that Brassard was worth the haul they gave up. He still has one more year at $3MM (after Vegas retained some of his salary) suggesting he’s on a very affordable contract.

So, did the Penguins make the right decision in trading for Brassard?

Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.

Toronto Maple Leafs Lead Bonus Overages List

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It looks like the Toronto Maple Leafs are at the top of at least one list. CapFriendly released a list of teams with Bonus Overages for this year, which result from players on their entry-level contracts hitting their standard bonuses. Nine teams’ performance bonuses went over the salary cap with the Maple Leafs leading with $2.55MM, which will now count against their 2018-19 cap. The bonus overages range from Toronto’s $2.55MM to the Minnesota Wild’s $25K.

The Maple Leafs’ bonuses came from just three players from the entry-level contracts of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander which totaled the $2.55MM. Since the team had no remaining cap room in 2017-18, it pushes over to the following year. Most of the nine teams were at the cap threshold, while others like the Vancouver Canucks, St. Louis Blues and the Tampa Bay Lightning had some cap room to take a part of the bonus hits.

Two teams bonuses could still go up as Boston’s Jake Debrusk and Tampa Bay’s Mikhail Sergachev could each receive bonus if they are named to the All-Rookie Team.

Here is the nine-team list:

Toronto Maple Leafs: $2,550,000
Chicago Blackhawks: $1,232,500
Vancouver Canucks: $852,847
Boston Bruins: $774,000
Detroit Red Wings: $755,000
St. Louis Blues: $150,988
Tampa Bay Lightning: $142,947
Washington Capitals: $82,500
Minnesota Wild: $25,000

Eastern Notes: Backstrom, Burakovsky, Sabres Goaltending, Schneider

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With Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals approaching in a few hours and deadlocked at 2-2, the Washington Capitals will make a few lineup changes, according to NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti. The scribe writes that head coach Barry Trotz said he intends to return center Nicklas Backstrom to his second line to join T.J. Oshie and Chandler Stephenson. Backstrom, who finally returned for Game 4 against the Tampa Bay Lightning, played well in his return after a four-game absence. While he didn’t score any points, he played 18:51 of ice time and won six of nine faceoff attempts.

Gulitti also reported that Trotz said he will switch out Andre Burakovsky with the bigger, more physical Alex Chiasson on the team’s fourth line. Burakovsky has been back for four games after missing time with an injury. However, in those four games, he’s failed to score a point and only has had two shots on goal. In the last two games, he’s played just 7:26 and 8:30, respectively. Chiasson has one assist in three playoff games against the Lightning.

  • The Buffalo News’ Mike Harrington writes that the prevailing belief is that the Buffalo Sabres do not have a No. 1 goalie within their organization, meaning the team will have to find one through free agency or via trade to join Linus Ullmark. Harrington writes its very likely the team has seen the last of Robin Lehner and Chad Johnson, last year’s goalie tandem. The 26-year-old Lehner will be a restricted free agent and is not expected to receive an offer, while Johnson will be unrestricted.
  • After New Jersey Devils goaltender Cory Schneider listed his New Jersey house on the market recently, there was some speculation that he might be moving on, but NJ.com’s Chris Ryan writes that he’s not going anywhere as he’s just buying another house in the area. A career dominating goaltender, Schneider has struggled the past two years due to poor team defense and injuries. After putting up a 2.82 GAA and a .908 save percentage in the 2016-17 season and a 2.93 GAA and a .907 save percentage in the 2017-18 season, Schneider underwent surgery to repair cartilage in his left hip and is expected to miss training camp and possibly the start of the season. The 32-year-old has four years remaining on his deal at $6MM AAV.

Washington Capitals Re-Sign Tyler Lewington

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The Washington Capitals have re-signed Tyler Lewington to a two-year two-way contract, that will carry an average annual value of $675K in the NHL. Lewington has spent the last three seasons in the minor leagues, after finishing up his junior career with the Medicine Hat Tigers in 2015.

Known mostly for his physical style, Lewington once again led the Hershey Bears in fighting majors and penalty minutes this past season. The right-handed defenseman had 11 points in 71 games, but totaled a career-high 149 penalty minutes. It seems unlikely that Lewington would be destined for the Capitals anytime soon, but there is more to his game than just fighting. What he lacks in high-end mobility he can usually make up for in quick decisions, and isn’t a detriment to the Bears at even-strength.

The Capitals have a deep group of defensemen currently, but are scheduled to lose Michal Kempny, Jakub Jerabek and John Carlson to unrestricted free agency this summer. If none of the three are retained and the team finds themselves short on depth in the coming years, it’s not out of the question that Lewington could find himself up in the NHL in the case of injury. For now, he’ll continue to develop his all-around game in the minor leagues, while not losing the physical edge that got him here.

Capitals Interested In Retaining Michal Kempny

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  • While his acquisition largely flew under the radar, Capitals blueliner Michal Kempny has been a key addition to their back end, argues Matthew Paras of the Washington Times. He has worked his way into a regular role (something that wasn’t the case in Chicago) and Washington is allowing three fewer shots a game with him in the lineup compared to earlier in the season.  GM Brian MacLellan has expressed an interest in re-signing him although given their cap constraints, they may not be able to offer much more than the $900K he’s currently making.

Morning Notes: Backstrom, Mironov, Comets

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Nicklas Backstrom was present at the Washington Capitals morning skate today, but rotated in and out of the regular lineup. Head coach Barry Trotz wouldn’t give any indication whether the star playmaker would return tonight, calling him a game-time decision once again. Interestingly though as Tom Gulitti of NHL.com points out, Trotz revealed that Backstrom has not been medically cleared, something that was not previously known.

The Capitals are in good shape against the Tampa Bay Lightning as they head into game four up 2-1 in the series. Though the Lightning were able to avoid falling down 3-0 by winning game three, they have a lot of work to do to topple the Capitals. Backstrom’s return would make that even more difficult, especially if he can jump start the Washington powerplay once again.

  • Andrei Mironov has signed a three-year deal back in the KHL after being released by the Colorado Avalanche in March. The 23-year old defenseman never did fit into the Avalanche organization, playing just 10 games for the NHL squad this season. Mironov is technically an unrestricted free agent now that he agreed to a mutual termination with Colorado, meaning we may see him back in the NHL one day. That day will have to wait for now, as he returns to the KHL for Dynamo Moscow.
  • The Vancouver Canucks have signed Tanner MacMaster and Jagger Dirk to one-year AHL contracts, bringing them in after amateur tryouts coming out of college. MacMaster played 18 games for the Utica Comets including five postseason contests, scoring 11 points in the process. The 22-year old forward was a dominant player at Quinnipiac University this season, and will try to prove he can keep up the early performance in his first full season of professional hockey.

Nicklas Backstrom Returns To Practice, Questionable For Game Four

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Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom took an important step in his recovery as he works to return to Washington’s lineup.  Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post notes that after taking part in a pair of optional skates earlier this week, Backstrom returned to regular practice on Wednesday.  However, his status remains up in the air for Game Four against Tampa Bay on Thursday.

Given that he’s dealing with a hand injury, taking faceoffs would be a challenge for Backstrom.  However, head coach Barry Trotz stated that he would still use the center in the lineup even if he isn’t 100% recovered, citing that there are many other areas he could contribute in even if he can’t take the draws.  Backstrom is one of three Capitals forwards averaging more than a point-per-game this postseason and he will certainly make a big impact whenever he gets the green light to return.

Aaron Ness Re-Signs With Washington Capitals

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The Washington Capitals have re-signed Aaron Ness to a one-year, two-way contract that will see him earn $650K at the NHL level. Ness was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, after spending most of the season in the AHL with the Hershey Bears.

Ness, 27, has never been able to make the impact many expected of him when he was selected 40th-overall in 2008 by the New York Islanders. Always a solid point producer at the AHL level, he has only suited up for 47 NHL games across seven professional seasons. Eight of those came this year with the Capitals, in which he recorded just a single point.

The talented but undersized defenseman is likely destined to spend much of next year in the minor leagues, but is certainly a nice depth piece to have for a team that expects to contend for the Stanley Cup. Any contender needs dynamic players with NHL experience waiting in the minor leagues, and Ness will be no different.

Impressively, he secured a $425K minor league salary for the second season in a row, a relatively high amount for AHL players. That salary could come with a bigger leadership role, something he previously held with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. Ness served as captain in 2014-15, when he registered 45 points in 74 games, his best professional season to date.

Snapshots: D.C. Metro, Backstrom, MacKinnon

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In one of the stranger hockey-adjacent stories in recent memory, fans attending Thursday night’s Game Four match-up between the Capitals and Lightning in Washington via public transportation are getting some help from a small Middle Eastern country. The Washington Post reported this evening that the D.C. Metro subway and bus system will stay open for an extra hour on Thursday night, until 12:30 a.m. ET, to accommodate fans attending the game which will begin at 8:00 p.m. ET and the decision comes courtesy of Qatar. The country recently invested in the development of Washington’s City Center and now will support that investment with an additional $100K to keep public transportation operating late tomorrow night. The same extended hours are in effect tonight for Game Three, due to a similar fee paid by the Exelon and Pepco companies, but the investment by Qatar is certainly more intriguing. Perhaps Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the country’s monarchical head of state, has his eye on a Stanley Cup ring if the Capitals go all the way this postseason.

  • For those attending Game Three tonight in Washington, they will again be missing out on Nicklas Backstrom. The Caps announced that Backstrom would not play tonight, making it his fourth missed game in a row, dating back to the final game of the Penguins series. Backstrom continues to be sidelined with a hand injury and while the Capitals have three convincing wins thus far without him, his absence is a growing concern. If Backstrom’s hand injury keeps him out for the remainder of the playoffs, Washington may find it difficult to close out the Eastern Conference finals or come away with the Stanley Cup in the next round. The star center would be a major boost to the team if he were to return and we will continue to monitor the situation.
  • Draft-eligible defenseman Will MacKinnon announced his commitment to the University of New Hampshire today. The Ohio native is set to join the Wildcats next season. MacKinnon is an intriguing prospect out of the USHL. Prior to this season, MacKinnon was considered a likely mid-round pick after showing his defensive ability with the U.S. National Development U-17 team last season, but his transition to the Des Moines Buccaneers this year has not produced the anticipated boost in scoring and most of his hype has dried up. At this point in his development, MacKinnon appears to be a low-offense, defensive-minded defender, but at just 5’11” it is fair to question if he can play that style at the next level. MacKinnon could very well wind up in a situation where he goes undrafted this year, but improves his draft stock for 2019 with a strong freshman season at UNH. MacKinnon also has be benefit of being the son of experience NHL executive Dan MacKinnon, who is currently the Sr. Director of Player Personnel for the New Jersey Devils. Perhaps New Jersey or one of the elder MacKinnon’s past stops – the Pittsburgh Penguins and Nashville Predators – could take a late flier on the college-bound rearguard this season. Drafted or not, look for MacKinnon to provide an immediate boost to a Wildcats team that struggled this season and for him to potentially pair up with Florida Panthers draft pick Max Gildon.

The Impact On The NHL Of The U.S. Supreme Court Decision On Legalized Gambling

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In perhaps the most influential decision regarding sports in recent memory, the U.S. Supreme Court today held that prohibiting the states from deciding for themselves on whether or not to legalize sports gambling was an unconstitutional practice. Until now, the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA) had limited legalized sports betting to just four grandfathered states – Delaware, Montana, Oregon, and of course Nevada – under a federal ban. However, the decision in Murphy v. NCAA now empowers each state to move forward with sports gambling legislation if they so choose. It is a monumental shift in the spectator sports paradigm and not a decision that came easily. As Sports Illustrated’s Michael McCann writes, the Supreme Court was split 7-2 in the decision and even in the majority opinion Justice Samuel Alito states that this the issue of sports gambling is and will continue to be a topic that is up to the individual to decide on and the Supreme Court’s decision does not condone gambling, so much as it acknowledges the states’ rights to allow it. It was the court’s belief that the U.S. Constitution gave the federal government no specific power in this area and that PAPSA operated to command the state governments on how they must function, also known as commandeering, which is not allowed.

So what impact will this decision have on the NHL? The NHL, as well as the other three major North American sports leagues and even the Department of Justice, joined the NCAA in this case against the state of New Jersey. All of these parties are likely reeling after this decision, which had previously been found in their favor at both the district court and appeals court levels. The main argument in defense of PAPSA is to protect the integrity of sport based on the belief that an increased access to sports gambling could hurt the product or at least its image due to corruption. However, the other side of that specific argument is that legalized gambling – controlled, safeguarded, and monitored by the states – may actually serve to remove many illegal, behind-the-scenes gambling influences.

The leagues also stand to benefit substantially from “integrity fees”, writes McCann in a second piece. Practicing some gambling of their own, the leagues hedged their bet on the result of the case by developing the plan to demand fees from betting operations for the use of their product and information. These fees would help to make up for the risk the league’s feel is associated with an increase in gambling. While McCann opines that some operations and even some states are likely to fight these fees, the legislative process to get legalized gambling up and running in each state will be arduous enough that the fees will likely be paid to avoid yet another roadblock. These fees will then need to be incorporated into each league’s revenue-sharing scheme to divvy up the proceeds between owners and players alike.

So, while Philadelphia Flyers GM Ron Hextall believes that today’s decision will not affect NHL players, per beat writer Sam Carchidi, it seems likely that the rise of legalized gambling will actually serve to benefit the players. Where Hextall is correct is that it is unlikely to have much of an effect on the integrity of the game or how players handle themselves due to the aforementioned shift of gambling from out of the shadows and into a controlled environment. Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis, who also owns the NBA’s Washington Wizards, said something to the same effect, as Carchidi writes that Leonsis feels legalized gambling ensures “integrity can be guaranteed and consumers can be better protected.” Leonsis adds that the decision will “change the face of sports fandom for the better” and “bring fans closer to the game”. The increase in revenue from “integrity fees” and an increase in attention paid to hockey by gambling accessibility appears primed to actually benefit players and teams alike, despite the league’s stance in opposition.

For their part, the NHL has stated that “the Supreme Court’s decision today paves the way to an entirely different landscape – one in which we have not previously operated. We will review our current practices and policies and decide whether adjustments are needed… (there will be) no immediate impact on existing league rules relating to sports wagering, and particularly, wagering involving NHL games.” The league will have to be flexible in dealing with the rise of sports gambling, especially in each of the 16 states that house NHL teams and do not already have sports betting laws in place (all except Nevada (VGK) and New Jersey (NJD)), but it seems that in all likelihood this decision could be good for the league. As Justice Alito wrote in the decision, gambling is at its essence a personal decision and opinions vary greatly, but a controlled, legalized gambling system is on its way in the U.S. states and the NHL appears to be a potential beneficiary.

 

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