Washington Capitals Sign Pheonix Copley
The Washington Capitals have signed the other part of the Kevin Shattenkirk deal, inking goaltender Pheonix Copley to a two-year contract. The deal is worth $650K per season, though will be two-way in the first year. Copley was set to be a Group VI unrestricted free agent this summer.
Copley was actually first signed by the Capitals organization, and returned as part of the package with Shattenkirk at the trade deadline. The 25-year old is one of the best goaltenders in the AHL and with Philipp Grubauer expected at the time to be at risk of selection in the expansion draft, the Capitals hedged their bets. Grubauer is still technically a restricted free agent, but is expected to sign with the Capitals and serve as the backup to Braden Holtby once again.
That will push Copley down to the AHL starter’s net, where he has excelled since signing out of Michigan Tech. In four seasons in the minor leagues, Copley has recorded a .919 save percentage and is coming off his best season yet. There’s much to like about his game, including his size and athleticism. Even if he doesn’t get a chance in the NHL this season, there is a strong possibility he’ll find work as at least a backup one day.
Washington Capitals Re-sign Brett Connolly
The Washington Capitals re-signed forward Brett Connolly to a two-year deal worth $1.5MM a year, reports TSN’s Bob McKenzie. The 25-year old was a pending unrestricted free agent this summer after the Capitals did not appear to submit a qualifying offer.
Connolly had 15G and 8A in 68 games for the Capitals this season, but went pointless in seven playoff games. The new contract is a significant raise from the $850K he was making this year on a one-year deal. Connolly struggled to stay in the lineup during the playoffs, however, and was scratched for six games.
Connolly is your prototypical depth signing, but if Connolly matches is production next season, many teams would be very happy with a $1.5MM 15-goal scorer. Connolly showed promise in the AHL, scoring 63 points and 57 points in 2012-13 and 2013-14, respectively. The Capitals hope that he can find a way to translate that production to the NHL.
Metropolitan Snapshots: Grubauer, Kovalchuk, Ryan
Not that there are a lot of starting goaltending options available, but the Washington Capitals may have to move their backup Philipp Grubauer after all. With the impending defensive losses of free agents Kevin Shattenkirk and Karl Alzner, who the team likely cannot afford after the team locked up T.J. Oshie to an eight-year deal, and the loss of 25-year-old top-four defender Nate Schmidt to the Vegas Golden Knights in the expansion draft, the team must find a way to replace their blueliners.
With cap room almost entirely used up and with several restricted free agents still to lock up, the Capitals have only two places to look to fill those holes – either from within or via trade, according to J.J. Regan of CSN Mid-Atlantic. The team still retains several key defensemen, including restricted free agent Dmitry Orlov, veterans Brooks Orpik and Matt Niskanen as well as John Carlson. From within, the team has 22-year-old Madison Bowey on hand, who might be ready to make the jump to the NHL. He was out with an ankle injury and missed a lot of the AHL season a year ago, but still had 14 points in 34 games. Still, he may not be the player you count on to jump onto a playoff team’s defensive line.
Therefore, the lack of depth on defense could easily force the team to move Grubauer, who was often talked about as an expansion candidate for the Golden Knights. However, since Grubauer has little chance to grab a starting gig in Washington and isn’t even the future of the franchise as that role likely belongs to 2015 first-round pick Ilya Samsonov. There are still several teams who need a quality, young goaltender and they may be able to offer an inexpensive blueliner to fill Washington’s needs.
- While there have been dozens of teams linked to Ilya Kovalchuk over the past two months since he announced he’d like to return to the NHL, the Columbus Blue Jackets are one team that have shown interest in the 34-year-old Russian winger. However, while that interest still exists, Columbus Dispatch’s Aaron Portzline tweets that the team, as of today, are not in full pursuit of Kovalchuk, and are currently searching for a Top-6 center to fill in the gap.
- The Carolina Hurricanes are closing in to signing Derek Ryan to one-year deal, tweets Edmonton Oilers radio analyst Bob Stauffer. Ryan, was a Masterson Trophy finalist this past year, which goes to a player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to ice hockey. At age 30, the center finally broke through into the NHL after years of playing in Europe and the AHL, finishing the season with 11 goals and 18 assists for 29 points and being credited for helping change the culture of the Hurricanes locker room. He is coming off a one-year, $600,000 contract and looks to be getting a solid raise.
New York Rangers Have Plenty Of Holes To Fill
The New York Rangers are a team with multiple holes to fill during the offseason as they have lost two key players in center Derek Stepan, who they traded to Arizona on Friday and blueliner Dan Girardi, who they waived before the expansion protection rosters were due a week ago, to protect younger players. On top of that, both proved to be among the team’s top defenders against opposing teams’ top lines. They must be able to replace that.
Both holes, not including the backup goaltending spot that was vacated after the team moved Anttii Raanta to the Coyotes as well, must be filled from without and the franchise didn’t get much immediate help in return from Arizona. The team received 21-year-old defenseman Anthony DeAngelo, who played 39 games for the hapless Coyotes. While the former 2014 first-rounder fared well in those games, putting up five goals and nine assists in that span, that doesn’t translate that he will make the roster outright with the Rangers. The other asset they received in the trade was the No. 7 pick in the 2017 draft, which turned into 18-year-old center Lias Andersson, who will likely need a few years to reach New York.
According to New York Posts’ Larry Brooks, the team should look into acquiring two veterans who can fill those roles for the next year or two until some of their younger players are ready for bigger roles. The scribe lists 37-year-old center Joe Thornton as the perfect player to take over as the team’s top center. He could play next to his friend Rick Nash and form a solid line. A second option would be to trade for New Jersey’s Ilya Kovalchuk to fill that same spot, despite the possibility that New Jersey’s general manager Ray Shero may force the team to move a quality player. If the team promotes from within, there should be a lot of pressure of 2010 first-rounder Kevin Hayes, who at 25, might be ready to take his game to the next level. Hayes has had three solid seasons with the Rangers, putting up nearly 50 points this last year and might be ready for an increased role.
On defense, the team should have close to $20MM in cap space and are expected to be players in the free agent market. They’ve already been linked to Washington Capitals’ unrestricted free agent Kevin Shattenkirk, but the team also hopes to have their own unrestricted free agent, Brendan Smith, locked up as well. Otherwise, they will have double the problems behind the line. Brooks adds the team attempted to move up from the seventh pick Friday to get Dallas’ third overall pick, likely to take top defensive prospect Cale Makar, but were not willing to pay the price for it. Makar ended up going fourth to the Colorado Avalanche.
Offseason Keys: Washington Capitals
While expansion was the early headline in what will be a busy NHL offseason, there are still several other storylines for each team in the months to come. Here is a closer look at what lies ahead for the Washington Capitals.
2016-17 was largely more of the same in Washington. They were the top team in the regular season but once again came up short in the played after being ousted by Pittsburgh in the second round. GM Brian MacLellan went all in with this group and now faces a summer where nearly half the team needs new contracts even after the re-signing of T.J. Oshie. That’s highlighted in multiple keys for their offseason.
Re-Sign The Russians
Washington has a pair of restricted free agents that have already been speculated as candidates to return home to Russia in center Evgeny Kuznetsov and defenseman Dmitry Orlov. Kuznetsov is the less likely of the two to go but he has suggested in the past that it’s something he would consider if contracts talks don’t go well at the start.
Orlov’s a more intriguing case, however. It took until late September for them to reach an agreement on a one year post-bridge contract worth $2.57MM. He responded with a career season and has arbitration rights. If he wants to secure an NHL deal, going that route seems like a logical outcome. If Orlov is considering playing in the KHL (and in the Olympics) though, this could be one that drags out for a while yet.
As for Kuznetsov, he’s also coming off his bridge deal and is lined up for a significantly larger payday than the $3.4MM salary he received in 2016-17. While his deployment was largely as a second liner thanks to Nicklas Backstrom being in front of him, he has produced like a front line player and will be looking to be paid like one; he too has arbitration rights. There’s a good chance his cap hit of $3MM from this past season will be doubled in this next deal which is something MacLellan will need to keep in mind as he plots out his other re-signings.
Decide On Remaining UFAs
Even after re-signing Oshie, the Capitals have one of the more prominent unrestricted free agents in defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk. Acquired as a rental player in advance of the trade deadline, it’s unlikely that he’ll be back.
However, beyond Shattenkirk, Washington has a couple of other veteran players who are bound to garner plenty of interest. Blueliner Karl Alzner is a top four stay-at-home player and his market will be one to watch given what happened to Kris Russell last summer. Winger Justin Williams has shown that he’s still a capable second line forward and should have several suitors as well. The Caps would undoubtedly like to keep both of them in the fold but they can’t afford to bring everyone back. MacLellan will need to have a few other plans in place depending on what the market dictates if everyone makes it to July 1st unsigned.
Add Left Side Defensive Help
Alzner has been a staple on Washington’s back end for the past seven seasons, giving them a dependable left side defender who can log top four minutes. Him leaving via free agency would create a big hole to fill. The team was hoping that Nate Schmidt would be able to step in to take that spot but he wound up being selected by the Golden Knights in the Expansion Draft so that option is off the table as well.
Presently, the Capitals have just two left shot defensemen under contract for next season in Brooks Orpik and Taylor Chorney and both of them aren’t ideal candidates for top four roles. Even if the team keeps one of their better right side players on the left, there’s still one vacancy that will need to be filled.
How MacLellan projects out the cap situation may dictate which route he goes to cover that spot. The cap hit will be pricier with a free agent signing and wouldn’t cost them any assets but would they prefer to go the trade route to get a cheaper fit even if the acquisition cost is higher? With so few players signed for next season presently, a lot is in flux with just a week to go until free agency opens up.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Washington Capitals Re-Sign T.J. Oshie For Eight Years
Washington has locked up a prized free agent for eight years. The team announced an eight-year extension for T.J. Oshie today, paying him $5.75MM per season. As we wrote earlier in regards to the Chicago Blackhawks rumored interest, it seemed far-fetched that there was ever really a chance of that. There had been clear interest from both sides between Oshie and the Capitals since the end of the season, and it came together with a cap hit and term that fills both sides needs. 
There was some concern that the Capitals might not be able to bring Oshie back when the NHLPA did not use the entire 5% salary cap escalator, but by agreeing to more years the team kept the cap hit low enough to fit into their scheme. Those years will pose a problem down the line—Oshie will turn 31 in late December—but right now keep a key player in town for a reasonable salary. The deal will be paid out like this and also includes a modified no-trade clause :
- 2017-18: $4.0MM salary, $4.0MM signing bonus, 15 team no-trade list
- 2018-19: $3.5MM salary, $4.0MM signing bonus, 15 team no-trade list
- 2019-20: $3.5MM salary, $3.0MM signing bonus, 15 team no-trade list
- 2020-21: $2.5MM salary, $2.0MM signing bonus, 15 team no-trade list
- 2021-22: $3.0MM salary, $3.0MM signing bonus, 10 team no-trade list
- 2022-23: $2.5MM salary, $2.0MM signing bonus, 10 team no-trade list
- 2023-24: $4.0MM salary, $1.0MM signing bonus, 10 team no-trade list
- 2024-25: $3.0MM salary, $1.0MM signing bonus, 10 team no-trade list
That structure gives Oshie some lockout insurance should the league have a work stoppage in 2020-21, and also makes the contract tough to buyout down the line. For example if they tried to buy him out in the summer of 2022 when he was 36, they’d only save around $1.4MM off the cap for the 2022-23 season.
Not surprisingly, Oshie turned in the best offensive season of his career (on a goal-scoring and per-game rate at least) while playing with Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom. Oshie rode a ridiculous 23.1% shooting percentage to 33 goals in 68 games and was one of the team’s best players in the playoffs. While that is expected to regress somewhat, Oshie does seem like a perfect fit for Backstrom as a go-to-all-areas winger who can bury from in tight or off the rush. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him set a career-high in points next year, as he missed 24 games due to injury and still came just four points shy of his high-water mark.
The effect a $5.75MM hit has on the Caps salary structure is palatable for now, as they will still have ~$19MM to re-sign their group of important restricted free agents. Evgeny Kuznetsov, Andre Burakovsky, Dmitry Orlov, Brett Connolly and Philipp Grubauer all need contracts, and that should eat that entire nugget if not more. Nate Schmidt, who they lost to Vegas in the expansion draft also would have needed a new contract, which they may not have been able to afford.
The free agent market just got even smaller, as Oshie figured to be one of the top-3 names on the board come July 1st. With Alexander Radulov remaining as the only real elite option at forward, his camp was just handed even more leverage in their talks with the Montreal Canadiens. Radulov is just over six months older than Oshie, and though he obviously doesn’t have as long of a track record in the NHL should still be able to argue he deserves at least five years. Whether he’d settle for the $5.75MM number that Oshie brought down is still unclear, but a $46MM deal handed out on draft day is a big win for the Radulov camp.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Snapshots: Oshie, Shattenkirk, Scandella, Kruger
On one of the most exciting days of the year for hockey fans, teams have already made blockbuster deals that include superstars and Stanley Cup champions. They’re not finished just yet, as the Entry Draft is just a few hours away. Already, a report has sprung up surrounding top free agent T.J. Oshie, with Andy Strickland of Fox Sports relaying that the Blackhawks are considering him as a replacement for Artemi Panarin on the Patrick Kane line. While Brandon Saad is expected to rejoin Jonathan Toews, Kane and Artem Anisimov are left without a winger for the time being on the second line.
It seems pretty far-fetched that Chicago would be able to fit Oshie into their salary structure as he’s heading into the offseason as one of the most sought-after scoring threats, but you easily could have said that about the team trading Panarin and Niklas Hjalmarsson earlier today. Oshie scored 33 goals last season playing with Niklas Backstrom and Alex Ovechkin, and has been in talks with the team since the end of the year. When the salary cap didn’t escalate all the way to $77MM, there entered some doubt the Capitals could fit him in, though it’s unclear where those talks currently stand. Oshie becomes a UFA on July 1st.
- It’s been previously reported that Kevin Shattenkirk would want to play in the Northeast closer to his hometown, and there had been interest from the New York Rangers at the trade deadline in acquiring him. He ended up going to the Capitals, but with the new cap space that has been opened by the Rangers by moving Derek Stepan, fans have their fingers crossed that he could “come home.” Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet poured a dash of cold water on that, saying that he thought Buffalo made more sense given the Rangers hesitation at handing out term to a similar defender in Keith Yandle last year. Yandle would end up being traded to the Florida Panthers and signed a seven-year, $44.5MM deal that would seem to be a target for Shattenkirk’s camp.
- Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports reports that the Boston Bruins are the newest team in pursuit of Marco Scandella from the Minnesota Wild. Scandella has been called the most likely defenseman to get traded out of Minnesota, and had previously been linked to the Montreal Canadiens. With the Bruins having a solid future on the right side with Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo, Scandella could fit nicely into the left-side behind Torey Krug. Scandella’s contract at $4MM for three years isn’t terrible, but Boston would have to be careful not to make things too hard on themselves with a big extension for David Pastrnak due this summer.
- Scott Powers of The Athletic is hearing that Marcus Kruger is once again likely to be traded by the Hawks. When an expansion draft trade never materialized, some believed that perhaps Kruger was safe from the salary cap ax for the time being. After the big moves today, and rumored interest in Oshie, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Kruger and his $3.1MM cap hit sent packing.
Toronto Maple Leafs Showing Interest In Nate Schmidt
According to Louis Jean of TVA Sports, the Toronto Maple Leafs have shown interest in Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Nate Schmidt. Picked from the Washington Capitals at last night’s expansion draft, Toronto had an up-close look at Schmidt in their first-round playoff series at the end of the year. 
With Toronto on the lookout to upgrade their defense corps on both sides, Schmidt would represent a substantial upgrade over Martin Marincin who is currently penciled in to battle with newly signed Calle Rosen and perhaps prospect Travis Dermott for the bottom pair. Before the draft, when George McPhee admitted that he was still talking to Maple Leafs GM Lou Lamoriello even after his self-imposed deadline, it was speculated that it could be about the acquisition of a young defender.
Schmidt fits that bill and though he’s a restricted free agent could command a similar return to the earlier-traded Trevor van Riemsdyk. TvR went for a second-round pick to Carolina, though that may have also been linked to the trade they made during the draft for certain protection assurances. Schmidt is the same age, has had very similar production and was also signed as a college free agent after three years at a top school.
An elite skater, Schmidt is a bit more dynamic than van Riemsdyk and would fit into an increasingly mobile defense group in Toronto. The team doesn’t have a ton of cap room to operate with this summer due to several LTIR-bound contracts, but as Scott Wheeler of the Toronto Star notes, Schmidt has been a long time target of the Maple Leafs. He was involved in the talks that resulted in the acquisition of Brooks Laich and Connor Carrick, the second straight time Toronto dealt Daniel Winnik.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Washington Capitals Re-Sign Christian Djoos
The Washington Capitals have re-signed young AHL standout Christian Djoos to a two-year, contract worth a total of $1.3MM. The deal is two-way in 2017-18, but turns into a one-way deal in 2018-19. Djoos was a pending restricted free agent.
Selected in the seventh-round of the 2012 draft, Djoos exploded this season in the AHL to the tune of 58 points in 66 games. That put him third among league defensemen behind only veteran AHLers T.J. Brennan and Matt Taormina. The puck-rushing Djoos has excellent skating ability and was actually touted as a fairly well-rounded if undersized defenseman coming over from Sweden. This offensive explosion puts him right into the discussion for a Capitals roster spot at some point, as the one-way second half of the contract suggests.
At just 22, he still has time to refine his game quite a bit but if it’s possible to carry over any of his offensive success to the NHL he could be a fine replacement for the outgoing Nate Schmidt. Schmidt, another smooth skating left-handed defenseman, was selected by the Golden Knights last night in the expansion draft. While Djoos has a long way to go to reach his heights, it’s not inconceivable that he could have a similar impact on the Capitals down the line.
NHL Awards Preview
Caught up in the excitement of the Expansion Draft, it’s easy to forget that there is also an awards show tonight. Yes, the best trophy in all of sports, the Stanley Cup, has already been presented to the Pittsburgh Penguins, as has the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP to their captain, Sidney Crosby. Crosby also already locked up the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy for the most regular season goals. Edmonton Oilers wunderkind Connor McDavid captured the Art Ross Trophy for the most regular season points as well. Braden Holtby locked up the William M. Jennings Trophy already too, as the Washington Capitals allowed the least amount of goals against in the regular season. Yet, all three of these players and many more still have a lot on the line tonight. Here are the nominees for tonight’s NHL Awards:
Hart Trophy – Most Valuable Player
Sergei Bobrovsky, Columbus Blue Jackets
- Star goalie helped to lead the Blue Jackets to their best record in franchise history, all while topping the league in save percentage (.931) and goals against average (2.06)
Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins
- The NHL’s leading goal-scorer and back-to-back winner of the Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe Trophy
Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
- 20-year-old phenom led the league in points and assists and took his team from the draft lottery to the second round of the playoffs
Norris Trophy – Best Defenseman
Brent Burns, San Jose Sharks
- Not only led all defenseman in scoring with 76 points, but finished ninth overall among some of the league’s most dynamic forwards. Can check with the best of them as well.
Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning
- A down year for the Bolts was a career year for Hedman, who finished just four points behind Burns with 72, and led all blue liners with 56 assists
Erik Karlsson, Ottawa Senators
- If this award had been voted on after the playoffs, it might have been a different result. The NHL’s best puck-mover may still pull it off behind a 71-point campaign and an improved defensive game