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Predators Re-Sign Forsberg To Six-Year Deal

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The Nashville Predators re-signed forward Filip Forsberg to a 6-year, $36MM deal tweets Stephen Whyno.

According to the release from the Predators, the contract will run through the 2021-22 season. Forsberg was a restricted free agent, and signing the 21-year-old forward to a long extension guarantees the dynamic forward as a critical piece for the Preds to build around.

Forsberg racked up 64 points (33-31) in a full season’s worth of games. The Swedish forward was traded to the Preds in 2013 from Washington for Martin Erat, and Michael Latta. The trade is now considered a heist and one that current Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan wishes he could have “done over,” though MacLellan was the assistant general manager to then GM George McPhee.

Since joining the Preds, Forsberg was named to the NHL All-Rookie Team in 2014-15, and finished fourth in Calder Trophy voting for the league’s best rookie. Forsberg also etched his name into the Predators record book in both the regular and post season. One of his more recognized efforts was being the first Predator to register a hat trick in the playoffs, a feat he recorded in 2015 against the Chicago Blackhawks.

With the signing, Forsberg now becomes the second highest paid Predator after captain Shea Weber. The signing leaves Nashville with just over $7MM to secure their other free agents they wish to pursue. They include Calle Jarnkrok, Gabriel Bourque, Petter Granberg, Paul Gaustad, and Carter Hutton.

Andrey Makarov Signs Two-Year Deal in KHL

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In a less than surprising move, Andrey Makarov signed a two-year deal with Spartak Moskva of the KHL. Aivis Kalnins tweets that the 2-year contract is worth about $1.2MM. Kalnins also tweeted that Makarov’s role is undetermined for now.

The Hockey News wrote that Makarov had already decided that the KHL was his next destination. Quoting Makarov from a Russian source,  Makarov was displeased with his treatment by the organization, and went as far to let the Sabres know during exit interviews.  Statistically, Makarov was the better goalie in Rochester, with other goaltender options Nathan Lieuwen and Linus Ullmark posting .909 and .902 save percentages respectively.

At Rochester, Markarov posted a 9-9-2 mark with a .916 save percentage.

Free Agent Focus: Columbus Blue Jackets

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Widely picked as a sleeper team for 2015-16, the Columbus Blue Jackets wound up at the bottom of the Metropolitan Division standings instead.  Now, GM Jarmo Kekalainen must find a way to shuffle up the roster despite most of the team already being under contract for next season.

Key Restricted Free Agent: D Seth Jones – One of the biggest trades of last year involved Jones joining the Blue Jackets in exchange for C Ryan Johansen.  Jones immediately became their top defenseman, logging 24:27 a night and picked up 20 points in just 41 games with the team.

At this point, the Jackets appear to be focused on securing a long-term contract with the former 4th overall pick, reports Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch.  That’s going to be a very pricey proposition as a 6-8 year deal should come in between $6MM – $7MM per season.

While a bridge deal is also a possibility, the odds of that are tempered with the threat of an offer sheet.  Given his stature and Columbus’ cap situation (more on that shortly), Jones may be the prime target for one.  If he signs (or comes close to signing) an offer sheet, it will most likely be a long-term pact.

Other RFA’s: C Michael Chaput, D Scott Harrington, D Michael Paliotta

Key Unrestricted Free Agent: LW Rene Bourque gets the nod by default as he’s the only full time NHL player that’s unrestricted for the Jackets.  He’s coming off another disappointing campaign where he scored just 3 goals and 5 assists in 49 games while being a frequent healthy scratch.  The 34 year old may be hard pressed to find a deal early on in free agency and is a likely candidate for a training camp tryout.

Other UFA: D Justin Falk

Cap Situation: The Blue Jackets already have 12 forwards, 6 defensemen, and 2 goalies under contract for next season and have a little under $5.5 MM in cap space to work with according to Cap Friendly.  Jones’ contract will likely cost more than that on top of potentially adding another player or two to the roster.  Several players from their Calder Cup winning AHL affiliate in Lake Erie are close to being ready and the team would like to make room for some of them to play next season.

Kekalainen will have to try to move a fair bit of salary this offseason, either through buyouts (D Fedor Tyutin or RW Jared Boll are possibilities) or through trade; LW Scott Hartnell has come up in talks this offseason.  That will be their primary offseason focus instead of the free agent market.

Week In Review: 6/19/16 – 6/25/16

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Here’s a look back at what was a very busy week in the hockey world.

Draft

  • The 2016 NHL Entry Draft was held on Friday and Saturday with a total of 211 players being picked. Here is who each team selected. (Link)

Salary Cap

  • Officially set at $73MM US for the 2016-17 season. The cap floor is $54MM. (Link)

Expansion

  • Las Vegas was officially granted an expansion franchise that will begin play in the 2017-18 season. An expansion draft will be held next June.  (Link)

Awards

  • The NHL Awards were held on Wednesday. Here’s the full list of the results. (Link)

Trades

  • Sharks – Acquired C Maxim Letunov and a 2016 7th round pick from Arizona in exchange for a 2016 4th round pick and a 2017 3rd round pick. (Link)
  • Sabres – Acquired LW Jimmy Vesey’s negotiating rights from Nashville in exchange for a 2016 3rd round pick. (Link) Also acquired D Dmitry Kulikov and a 2016 2nd round pick from Florida in exchange for D Mark Pysyk, a 2016 2nd round pick, and a 2016 3rd round pick. (Link)
  • Maple Leafs – Acquired G Frederik Andersen from Anaheim in exchange for a 2016 1st round pick and a 2017 2nd round pick; signed Andersen to a 5 year, $25MM contract. (Link)
  • Panthers – Acquired the negotiating rights to D Keith Yandle from NY Rangers in exchange for a 2016 6th round pick and a 2017 conditional fourth round pick. (Link)
  • Avalanche – Acquired C Rocco Grimaldi from Florida in exchange for G Reto Berra. (Link)
  • Canadiens – Acquired RW Andrew Shaw from Chicago in exchange for two 2016 2nd round picks; traded LW/C Lars Eller to Washington for 2017 and 2018 2nd round picks. (Link)
  • Flames – Acquired G Brian Elliott from St. Louis in exchange for a 2016 2nd round pick and a conditional 3rd round pick in 2018. (Link)
  • Coyotes – Acquired C Pavel Datsyuk’s contract and a 2016 1st round pick from Detroit in exchange for C Joe Vitale, a 2016 1st round pick, and a 2016 2nd round pick. (Link) Also acquired D Anthony DeAngelo from Tampa Bay in exchange for a 2016 2nd round pick. (Link)
  • Devils – Acquired RW Beau Bennett from Pittsburgh in exchange for a 2016 3rd round pick. (Link)
  • Kings – Acquired G Jack Campbell from Dallas in exchange for D Nick Ebert. (Link)
  • Blue Jackets – Acquired D Scott Harrington and a conditional 2017 5th round pick from Toronto in exchange for LW Kerby Rychel. (Link)
  • Rangers – Acquired D Nick Holden from Colorado in exchange for a 2016 4th round pick. (Link)

Signings

Comeback Attempt

Prospect Signing

Retirement

Key Injury

Buyout

Free Agent Profile: Steven Stamkos

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In the salary cap era, it is extremely rare that legitimate star players make it to the free agent market.  It’s also very rare that high end players become unrestricted free agents in the prime of their careers.  Both of these apply to Tampa Bay’s Steven Stamkos, making his potential entry into Friday’s opening of free agency the most highly awaited in quite some time.

Last season, Stamkos played in 77 games with the Lightning, scoring 36 goals, good for a tie for the 7th most in the NHL.  He also added 28 assists for a total of 64 points which was two shy of the team lead (Nikita Kucherov had 66).  Both of those represented drops from 2014-15, where he had 72 points (43-29-72) while playing all 82 contests.

Late in the year, Stamkos was diagnosed with blood clots which cost him the final few games of the regular season as well as all but Tampa Bay’s final postseason game, a loss to the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins.  While he was able to return, there will still be some questions as to his long-term health; is this now behind him or will it have the potential to linger or recur over the course of a long-term contract?

There’s no denying that Stamkos is among the best goal scorers in the game today and in an era where goals are at a premium, that can only stand to help Stamkos and agent Don Meehan in their quest to secure a new contract.  Over the last 5 seasons, he has the second most goals in the NHL with 193, only behind Washington’s Alexander Ovechkin (224).  However, Ovechkin has played in 38 more games over that span; if you break their goal totals into a goals-per-game rate, they’re nearly identical with Ovechkin at 0.615 per game and Stamkos at 0.592.  Suffice it to say, he’s among the best at putting the puck in the net.

While Stamkos spent a big chunk of last year on the right wing, his natural position is center and that positional flexibility will certainly help his case as well.  However, he has also made it known that he sees himself as a center and would like to return to playing that position moving forward.

Potential Suitors

To quickly sum it up, anyone with around $10MM or more in cap space or close to that amount that could use a top line sniper.  If that sounds like just about every team in the league, it should, as that’s about how many will express some level of interest.

Buffalo is reportedly going to be “all in” when it comes to chasing Stamkos while Detroit now has the money to get into the bidding after shedding the retired Pavel Datsyuk’s contract over the weekend.  Toronto is also likely to try to lure Stamkos to his hometown while Tampa Bay is attempting to re-sign him as well.  Also, John Wawrow of AP reports that Boston and Vancouver expressed an interest in Stamkos over the weekend.

That’s only a shortlist of who will be courting Stamkos as well as more than half the league should make a pitch during the interview period between now and the opening of free agency on July 1st.

Expected Contract

We rated Stamkos as the top unrestricted free agent in our Top 50 list and have projected a max-term contract of eight years.  For that to happen, Stamkos must sign prior to the opening of free agency.

While we have him taking that deal with Tampa Bay, GM Steve Yzerman told TSN’s Frank Seravelli that a sign-and-trade option to get Stamkos his eight years while getting an asset in return is also a possibility.  We think he’ll take $9MM per year – less than he could get on the open market – to stick with the Lightning but if he does get to market, a cap hit in the double digit millions per year is a very realistic possibility.

Latest On Andrew Shaw’s Contract Talks

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Andrew Shaw was acquired by the Canadiens in a draft night trade with Chicago.  The pending restricted free agent was reportedly close to re-signing with the Blackhawks last week according to TSN’s Darren Dreger (via Today’s Slapshot) but the Blackhawks had to stop negotiations once the salary cap only increased by $1.6MM which ultimately led to him being traded for the 39th (Alex DeBrincat) and 45th (Chad Krys) picks in this weekend’s draft.

Picking up where the Hawks left off, Montreal is already believed to be in talks on a new deal with Shaw’s agent Pat Brisson.  Dreger suggested Saturday that the contract should be a long-term one, potentially between 5-7 years in length.

On Sunday, Marc-Antoine Godin of La Presse reported that the Canadiens have tendered Shaw a 6 year offer worth just under $4MM per season.  That would represent a sizable jump from the $2.5MM he earned in salary last year, the second of a two year bridge contract.  The Canadiens must present Shaw with a $2.5MM qualifying offer in advance of Monday’s deadline.

Last season, Shaw finished eighth in Hawks’ scoring, picking up 14 goals and 20 assists (a career high) in 78 games while averaging 14:39 in ice time.  He also added 4 goals (to lead the team) and 2 helpers in 6 postseason contests while logging 13:54 per night.

Minor Transactions: 6/26/16

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Here is where we’ll keep track of today’s minor transactions.

  • The Flyers have re-signed D Mark Alt to a one year contract, according to Cap Friendly. The 24 year old will receive $625,000 at the NHL level and $100,000 in the AHL.  He last suited up for the Flyers in 2014-15.  Last season, he had 4 goals and 15 assists in 72 games for Philadelphia’s AHL affiliate in Lehigh Valley.
  • The Wild announced that they have issued qualifying offers to seven players, including D Mathew Dumba, G Darcy Kuemper, and LW Jason Zucker. They also announced that they did not issue qualifying offers to RW Brett Bulmer, LW Raphael Bussieres, G Brody Hoffman, C Jared Knight, and RW Scott Sabourin.  Those five will become unrestricted free agents on July 1st.  The deadline for qualifying offers is Monday afternoon at 4 PM CST.
  • Boston issued qualifying offers to RW Brian Ferlin and D Chris Casto while failing to tender one to C Ben Sexton, reports Mark Divver of the Providence Journal.

2017 Draft Pick Movement

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Now that the 2016 NHL Draft is in the books, we look to 2017 and document the current status of traded draft picks for the upcoming draft.

Round 1

(none)

Round 2

  • New Jersey acquired Boston’s 2nd in a trade for Lee Stempniak on February 29, 2016;
  • Vancouver acquired Columbus’s 2nd in either 2016, 2017, or 2018 as compensation for Columbus hiring Coach John Tortorella on October 21, 2015;
  • Boston acquired Edmonton’s 2nd as compensation for Edmonton hiring GM Peter Chiarelli on April 24, 2015;
  • Buffalo acquired Minnesota’s 2nd in a trade for Chris Stewart on March 2, 2015;
  • Carolina acquired NY Rangers’ 2nd in a trade for Eric Staal on February 28, 2016;
  • Toronto acquired Ottawa’s 2nd in a trade involving Dion Phaneuf on February 9, 2016;
  • Toronto acquired San Jose’s 2nd in a trade involving Raffi Torres and Roman Polak on February 22, 2016;
  • Anaheim acquired Toronto’s 2nd in a trade for Frederik Andersen on June 20, 2016;
  • Montreal acquired Washington’s 2nd in a trade for Lars Eller on June 24, 2016.

Round 3

  • Philadelphia acquired Boston’s 3rd in a trade for Zac Rinaldo on June 30, 2015;
  • Chicago acquired its 3rd back from Carolina’s in a trade for Bryan Bickell and Teuvo Teravainen on June 15, 2016. Carolina initially acquired the pick on September 11, 2015 in a trade for Kris Versteeg;
  • New Jersey acquired Colorado’s 3rd in a trade for Eric Gelinas on February 29, 2016;
  • Arizona acquired Detroit’s 3rd via San Jose in a trade for Maxim Letunov on June 20, 2016;
  • Carolina acquired the conditional rights to New Jersey’s 3rd in a trade for Tuomo Ruutu on March 5, 2014;
  • Detroit acquired Toronto’s 3rd as compensation for Toronto hiring coach Mike Babcock on May 20, 2015;
  • Buffalo acquired Washington’s 3rd in a trade for Mike Weber on February 23, 2016.

Round 4

  • NY Rangers acquired Florida’s 4th in a trade for Keith Yandle on June 20, 2016 once Yandle signed with Florida;
  • Philadelphia acquired NY Islanders’ 4th in a draft day trade for Philadelphia’s 2016 4th;
  • Colorado acquired NY Rangers’ 4th in a trade for Nick Holden on June 25, 2016;
  • Edmonton acquired conditional rights to Vancouver’s 4th in a trade for Philip Larsen on February 24, 2016. The pick becomes a 5th if Larsen does not hit specified production thresholds.

Round 5

  • Carolina acquired Boston’s 5th in a trade for John-Michael Liles on February 29, 2016;
  • Chicago acquired Carolina’s 5th in a trade for Kris Versteeg on September 11, 2015;
  • Chicago acquired St. Louis’s 5th in a draft day trade for Chicago’s 2016 5th.

Round 6

  • Florida acquires Anaheim’s 6th in a trade involving Colby Robak on December 4, 2014. The pick would have been a 2016 4th if Robak played more games for the Ducks;
  • San Jose acquires Arizona’s 6th in a trade for Maxim Letunov on June 20, 2016;
  • Detroit acquired Florida’s 6th in a trade for Jakub Kindl on February 27, 2016;
  • Chicago acquired NY Islanders’ 6th in a draft day trade involving both teams’ 2016 4th rounders;
  • Nashville acquired NY Rangers’ 6th in a trade for Magnus Hellberg on July 1, 2015;
  • NY  Rangers acquired Vancouver’s 6th in a trade for Emerson Etem on January 8, 2016.

Round 7

  • Chicago acquired Anaheim’s 7th in a trade for Corey Tropp on February 29, 2016;
  • Pittsburgh conditionally acquired Arizona’s 7th in a trade for Sergei Plotnikov on February 29, 2016. Plotnikov must re-sign with Arizona for Pittsburgh to get the pick;
  • San Jose acquired Chicago’s 7th in a trade on March 2, 2015. The pick was conditioned on Chicago winning the Stanley Cup in 2014-15;
  • Boston acquired Florida’s 7th in a draft day trade for Boston’s 2016 7th;
  • Winnipeg acquired Montreal’s 7th in a draft day trade for Winnipeg’s 2016 7th.

Free Agent Focus: Toronto Maple Leafs

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The Toronto Maple Leafs may have finished dead last in 2015-16, but things are looking up for the boys in blue. The Leafs drafted Auston Matthews—the consensus number one pick—and have a slew of young talent waiting in the wings. The team addressed their goaltending woes by trading for pending RFA Frederik Andersen and immediately signing him to a 5 year, $25MM extension.

Cap Space: $3,765,834 (via CapFriendly). This number is smaller than the actual cap space the Leafs will have on opening night because it does not include Jared Cowen’s impending buyout and Nathan Horton and Stephane Robidas’ LTIR placements—the latter of which comes into effect on opening night.

Key UFAs: F P.A. Parenteau

Parenteau finished second in team scoring last year with 20G and 21A, and led the team in power play goals with 7. The Leafs valued Parenteau enough to avoid trading him at the deadline for draft picks, which speaks volumes for a rebuilding team. The Quebecois right winger was bought out by Montreal before last season, and signed a $1.5MM one-year deal with the Leafs. Given his recent production, Parenteau would be looking for a raise and a longer-term contract.

Other UFAs: F Brad Boyes, F Michael Grabner, D T.J. Brennan.

Key RFAs: F Peter Holland and G Garret Sparks.

Holland finished the season with 9G and 18A in 65 games with the Leafs, similar to his production last season. The Leafs expected Holland to be a prototypical power-forward center in the mould of Getzlaf or Lindros, but the RFA has not delivered so far. With Auston Matthews, Tyler Bozak, and Nazem Kadri all slated to play center next year, Holland may be the odd man out. Sparks earned some time with the big club last year in place of injured starters, and amassed a 6-9 record with a .893 SV% and 3.02 GAA. Those are not stellar numbers, but the rookie goalie showed signs of promise by posting a shutout in one of his early games. It is unclear whether the Leafs issue qualifying offers to either RFA, and as of writing have not done so. The team has until June 27th at 5pm.

Other RFAs: F Sam Carrick, D Frank Corrado, D Martin Marincin.

The Leafs are rumored to be a big player in the Steven Stamkos sweepstakes but they’ll have to move some salary to make cap room. Goaltender Jonathan Bernier is the obvious candidate now that Andersen is the presumptive starter. Bernier makes $4.5MM a year and is on the final year of his contract. If the Leafs don’t move him they will start the season with $9.5MM tied up in goaltending. Once they place Horton and Robidas on LTIR and buy out Cowen, they should have enough space to make a serious play for the top free agent target this offseason.

Radulov Signs With KHL Salavat Yulaev

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Alexander Radulov has decided to forego an NHL return and instead signs with the KHL’s Salavat Yulaev, says Sportsnet’s Elliote Friedman. The Russian winger made waves this spring by seeking to return to the NHL. A deal that met Radulov’s demands, however, never materialized. Whether or not Radulov had honest intentions of returning to the NHL—as opposed to using the NHL as a bargaining chip with KHL contract negotiations—isn’t apparent yet, and is subject to speculation.

Radulov was initially drafted by the Nashville Predators and played from 2006-2008. He managed to rack up 44G and 51A in 145 games in two seasons before bolting for the KHL’s Salavat Yulaev. His move to return to Russia was controversial because he still had one year remaining on his ELC. Radulov eventually played in the KHL until 2012, winning the KHL MVP three times. After Salavat’s season ended in 2012, Radulov made a brief return to the Predators for their playoff run. The winger, however, ran into trouble during that short stint when he was caught breaking curfew before a playoff game. The team suspended Radulov one game, and subsequently declined to extend Radulov’s contract.

After his brief stints in the NHL, Radulov once again returned to the KHL—this time signing with CSKA Moscow. Radulov thrived with his new KHL team and scored 76G and 160A in 181 games over four seasons.

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