Mirtle’s Latest: Chayka, Demers, Yandle
The busiest time of the year is starting over the next few weeks, with the Entry Draft and July 1st free agency. Rumors are swirling already about almost every player in the league and James Mirtle of the Globe and Mail mentions that the salary cap isn’t going to rise much more than $1.5MM even if the NHLPA exercises their 5% bump. That’ll give a lot of teams pause about locking in long-term to free agents, while their own cap situation isn’t settled. Here’s more from Mirtle:
- Youngest GM in NHL history John Chayka (only 27-years old) has already begun to make an impact on the Arizona Coyotes, moving to acquire the rights to Alex Goligoski last week, and Mirtle believes he’s aiming at a return to the playoffs as soon as next season. Martin Hanzal, his biggest trade chip has been dangled recently and doesn’t look like a long-term option in the desert.
- Jason Demers, one of three exceptional Dallas blueliners that are reaching free agency this summer has apparently priced himself out of the Stars’ market, asking for an annual value close to $5.5MM. Demers, along with Goligoski and Kris Russell are three of the top five defense options this offseason.
- Number 1 on that list, Keith Yandle is believed to be seeking a seven-year deal on the open market, Mirtle suggests. The Avalanche are an option for the Rangers’ blueliner, as they look to add to their team coming off a disappointing 39-39-4 season.
- Mirtle mentions that despite the Jets best efforts to re-sign restricted free agent Jacob Trouba, teams around the league still believe he is available for the right price. The former 9th overall pick has been a steady presence on the Jets back-end and is only 22.
Rumor Roundup: Bogosian, Kulikov, Trouba
Rumor season is alive and well as we head towards the NHL Entry Draft and free agency. While fans salivate at the possibilities, and reporters fight for any scrap of information, here are some of the rumors that are floating around the league right now:
- In an offseason that will be spent trying to find a number one (not to mention two, three, and four) defenceman, David Staples of the Edmonton Journal hears that the Oilers are interested, at least somewhat, in Buffalo Sabres blueliner Zach Bogosian and have been since last season. While it doesn’t seem likely that the former third overall pick would be on the move to Edmonton due to his no-movement clause, Buffalo may try to get him to waive it in order to move his contract.
- Joe Haggerty of CSNNE.com hears that the Boston Bruins have interest in Florida defenceman Dmitry Kulikov and have at least been kicking the tires on a possible trade. The 25-year old has just one year remaining on his contract at $4.3MM before he would become a (much sought after) UFA. The Panthers have a lot of young players that they need to get signed over the next year and a half, with Aaron Ekblad, Jonathan Huberdeau, Reilly Smith and Alex Petrovic all restricted free agents after next season.
- After rumors swirled this week about the Colorado Avalanche’s interest in Jets’ defenceman Jacob Trouba, Mike Chambers of the Denver Post asked GM Joe Sakic about it: “There’s a lot of speculation out there. All I can tell you is we’ve had conversations with different teams and we want to try to improve our crop.”. Trouba is sure to be sought after by many teams if the Jets do indeed make him available this summer. The 22-year old is a former ninth overall pick, is an RFA for the first time this summer and has performed well in his three NHL seasons.
Andrew Ladd Turned Down $36MM Offer Before Season
Per TSN’s Darren Dreger, via Chris Nichols, the Winnipeg Jets offered Andrew Ladd a six-year deal worth $36MM before the start of the 2015-16 season. Ladd apparently pushed for $6.5MM a season, eventually breaking off talks. Dreger also thinks that the Jets wouldn’t come close to that amount now in either dollars or years. Ladd is an unrestricted free agent as of July 1st.
After being dealt to the Chicago Blackhawks mid-season, the 30-year old Ladd is headed out to free agency as a five-time twenty goal scorer well known for his leadership on and off the ice. The Thrashers/Jets captain from 2010-11, Ladd has two Stanley Cups under his belt, in 2006 with Carolina and 2010 with Chicago. He came back to the Blackhawks to pursue another championship, after it seemed clear he and the Jets weren’t going to come to terms. Winnipeg instead sunk their money into Dustin Byfuglien, betting on the big defenceman to stay elite for a few more seasons.
Ladd will have plenty of suitors this offseason, even if $6.5MM is a little out of reach. His size and scoring ability fits nicely as a complimentary player on the wing, able to play any kind of role in the top three lines.
Expansion Notes: No-Movement Clauses, 40/70, Protection Limits
With the official announcement about the upcoming NHL expansion to Las Vegas coming on June 22nd, some information about the rules associated with an expansion draft has started to disseminate. The draft would be held at some point after the 2016-17 Stanley Cup Final, but before the July 1st free agency period. Here’s what we know thus far:
- Eligibility is determined by how many professional seasons, as outlined by the CBA, a player has completed. Anyone with two or fewer seasons will be exempt from the draft. This includes seasons in the American Hockey League, and means that any third-year professionals are eligible to be selected.
- Each team will be allowed to protect seven forwards, three defencemen and one goaltender from the draft.
- Players holding no-movement clauses that do not expire until after the 2017-18 season are automatically protected, and count against the totals. Teams however will be allowed to ask a player to waive a NMC prior to the draft, making them eligible. If the clause expires after the 2016-17 season (like in the case of Calgary’s Dennis Wideman) they will not be guaranteed protection even though the draft will take place prior.
- Each team must expose at least two forwards and one defenceman who has played in at least 40 NHL games the prior season, or a combined 70 games in the previous two. These players must also be under contract for the first expansion season.
- Clubs have to expose at least one goaltender who is under contract for the first expansion season.
- At least twenty of the expansion team’s thirty selections must be under contract for the first expansion season, and though they can trade anyone following the draft, a player may not return to the team he was selected from until January 1st.
- There are going to be stiff penalties for any team who does not meet the requirements, in the form of picks or players.
- Each team can only lose a maximum of one player, should there be just a single expansion team. The new team has to select a certain number of players at each position, including a minimum of three goaltenders.
- The new team cannot buy-out any player selected until after the first expansion season.
For teams like Pittsburgh, who have one goaltender with a NMC and another leading the team to the Stanley Cup Finals, some tough decisions will have to be made over the next year. Marc-Andre Fleury at the moment would force protection due to his no-movement clause, while playoff superstar Matt Murray will be eligible after what would be his third professional season.
In Winnipeg, both Toby Enstrom and Dustin Byfuglien have NMCs that will run through 2017-18 taking up two of their three defenceman slots. This means the Jets will have to expose one of their young defenders like Tyler Myers or Jacob Trouba if a deal isn’t struck between now and then. Losing either of them would be a disaster for the Jets, as Myers was a big part of the return for Evander Kane and Zach Bogosian, while Trouba was the 9th overall pick in 2012. Rumors have already started to swirl around Trouba, perhaps because of the issue facing Winnipeg down the road.
Situations like this present themselves all over the NHL, and though each team will only lose a single player, many will make moves to make sure their most prized assets remain untouchable. Here on Pro Hockey Rumors we’ll continue to breakdown potential draftees over the next year, giving you the inside scoop on who is available and who Las Vegas will select when they step to the podium for that draft next season.