Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Archives for July 2016

Mike Santorelli Reportedly Signing in Switzerland

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Unrestricted free agent Mike Santorelli has reportedly signed with Geneve-Servette of the Swiss League today, according to Swiss radio host Patrick Andrey. Santorelli last played for the Anaheim Ducks, scoring 9G and 9A in 70 games last year before becoming a healthy scratch in the Ducks first round playoff loss.

The journeyman forward played for Nashville, Florida, Winnipeg, Vancouver, Toronto, Nashville (again), and Anaheim. He peaked in his first full NHL season, amassing 20G and 21A for the Florida Panthers. Santorelli had a minor resurgence in his one-year deals with Vancouver and Toronto, but could never parlay that into consistent success. Most former NHLers who sign overseas negotiate out-clauses in their contracts that allow them to return to the NHL if they receive a deal. It is unclear right now if Santorelli has one, but given that he is only 30, a return to the NHL is still a possibility.

This is Santorelli’s second stint overseas. He played with Tingsryds AIF in Sweden’s second highest league during the 2012-13 lockout. Santorelli is the second player signing in Switzerland today as earlier Kris Versteeg signed with SC Bern. Geneve-Servette is no stranger to former NHLers—Taylor Pyatt, Alexander Picard, Matt D’Agostini, and Yannick Weber have all played for the Swiss club.

Blue Jackets Re-Sign Harrington, Two Others

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Columbus Blue Jackets announced the re-signing of three players today, forwards Alex Broadhurst and T.J. Tynan, as well as defenseman Scott Harrington, the latter acquired at the draft from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for Kerby Rychel. All three contracts are one-year, two-way deals. Harrington signed for $632,500 (NHL) / $70K (AHL), Tynan for $600K / $70K ($100K guaranteed), and Broadhurst for $600K / $70k ($85,000 guaranteed)—all according to General Fanager.

The defenseman, the only of the three to have played in NHL games, was originally a second round pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2011. After 10 games with the Penguins in 2015, he was traded to the Maple Leafs as part of the Phil Kessel trade, where he played 15 games before a demotion, and then injury, derailed his season. The 23-year old now requires waivers to be demoted, and as part of the trade for Rychel, should he be demoted and then claimed this season, the Blue Jackets would then receive a 2017 fifth round draft pick from Toronto.

Broadhurst, 23, was originally a seventh round draft pick of the Chicago Blackhawks, and was dealt to the Blue Jackets as part of the trade for Brandon Saad. He scored 10 goals, and 36 points in 60 games for the Calder Cup champion Lake Eerie Monsters this past season. Tynan, 24, was a third round pick of the Blue Jackets in 2011, and had six goals, 46 points in his 76 games with the Monsters. Both Broadhurst and Tynan are natives of Orland Park, Illinois.

Breaking Down Team Roster Crunches

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

In mid-summer, exact roster sizes and cap figures are rarely exactly what they’ll be on opening night. Cuts will be made in training camp, and some teams will still have trades to make. Here’s a run down of some teams that have tough decisions to make.

Team roster sizes are per GeneralFanger:

  • Arizona Coyotes (12F, 8D, 2G): Rebuilding team are a trend in oversized roster, as they look to acquire what amount to lottery tickets, with last-chance veterans and any prospect they can get their hands on being invited to show their worth. The current Arizona roster is missing three restricted free agents, Tobias Rieder, Michael Stone, and Connor Murphy, and doesn’t take into account the number of strong prospects the Coyotes may be looking to graduate this year, like Christian Dvorak. The Coyotes will mostly be looking to create space on their backend, and if you consider the recently signed defensemen, or those who’ve played regularly in the NHL for years, to be relative locks, that should leave Murphy, Kevin Connauton, Jarred Tinordi, Jamie McBain, and Klas Dahlbeck fighting for the final couple of spots.
  • Detroit Red Wings (18F, 5D, 1G): Once the Red Wings re-sign restricted free agents Danny DeKeyser and Petr Mrazek, they’ll be more or less set outside of the forward group. After that, they’ll have to cut five forwards. Joe Vitale missed almost all of last season, and will likely spend the year on long-term injured reserve, but it gets competitive after that. While it’s impossible to assume the recently signed Steve Ott is a lock for a spot, given how much he played last year, it still looks likely that younger players like Andreas Athanasiou, Teemu Pulkkinen, and Anthony Mantha will have to earn their spots in the lineup, rather than be given them for pre-designed holes.
  • Toronto Maple Leafs (14F, 6D, 1G): The Maple Leafs are only at 21 players on the roster, but that number doesn’t count the still unsigned RFA defenseman Martin Marincin, top prospect Mitch Marner, a backup goalie, the recently acquired Kerby Rychel, who wanted out of Columbus due to a lack of opportunity, or players like Nikita Soshnikov, Brendan Leipsic, Josh Leivo, Connor Brown, Rinat Valiev, Zach Hyman, and Connor Carrick, who became contributors in the NHL down the stretch last year, and who many observers assume to be significant parts of Toronto’s future. Unable to carry 31 players on a roster, the Leafs are going to have to make some decisions at camp over which players are forcing their way onto the roster, and which veterans they’re willing to humble with a demotion. The number counts Joffrey Lupul, who GM Lou Lamoriello has said he’s unsure of the future of, and Tobias Lindberg, who it’s hard to imagine playing over several of the aforementioned players. Still, given the sheer quantity of players, this may be the last chance for players like Leivo, Peter Holland, and Byron Froese to demand their long-term roles with the team.
  • Winnipeg Jets (17F, 7D, 2G): The Jets’ situation is difficult because they’ve had a pretty good group of skaters stuck in place for a few years, and also have one of the NHL’s best prospect pools. It’s hard to imagine them not using second overall pick Patrick Laine right away, and so with a 26-man roster, and Jacob Trouba still to sign, there are going to be some younger players who feel ready for their shot, and end up disappointed, and even a guy like Quinton Howden, who came to a new organization after a similar glut of talented young players forced him out of Florida, may not be able to lock down a spot. This number doesn’t even count a lot of the Jets best prospects, like Kyle Connor, Nic Petan, or Josh Morrissey, so even veterans on one-way deals, like Brian Strait and Anthony Peluso, should be looking over their shoulders.

Minor Transactions: 7/25/16

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

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

  • The Lightning announced the re-signing of center Yanni Gourde to a one year, two-way contract. Cap Friendly tweets that the deal is worth the league minimum $575K in the NHL, $100K in the AHL, and has a total guarantee of $125K.  Gourde made his NHL debut with Tampa Bay last season, picking up an assist in two games.  He also added 14 goals and 30 assists in 65 games with their AHL affiliate in Syracuse.
  • Florida has signed 2015 4th pick Denis Malgin to a three year, entry-level deal according to a team announcement. The 103rd pick in that draft class, Malgin recorded 17 points in 38 games with Zurich of the Swiss NLA.  He was the second youngest player on his team last season, behind the first overall pick last month in Auston Matthews.
  • Panthers UFA John McFarland has signed a one year deal with SaiPa of the SM-liiga, the Finnish team announced (link in Finnish). McFarland made his NHL debut with Florida last season, being held pointless in three games.  He also added 14 goals and 10 assists in 56 AHL contests.  He was not given a qualifying offer by the Panthers last month.
  • Vancouver has loaned prospect defenseman Anton Cederholm to Rogle of the SHL for next season, according to a report from Hockey Sverige in Sweden (link in Swedish). Cederholm began his playing career in Rogle’s organization at the junior levels before going to play major junior hockey in Canada after the Canucks drafted him in the fifth round in 2013.  Cederholm spent all of last season with Vancouver’s ECHL affiliate in Kalamazoo, picking up three goals and 14 assists in 69 games.
  • Boston UFA forward Brandon DeFazio has signed a one year deal with Texas of the AHL according to the AHL’s website. DeFazio played 71 games with the Bruins’ AHL affiliate in Providence last season, recording 22 goals and 21 assists.  The 27 year old has two games of NHL experience under his belt with Vancouver back in 2014-15.

Toronto Re-Signs Frank Corrado

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Maple Leafs announced that they have avoided arbitration with restricted free agent defenseman Frank Corrado and have signed him to a one year contract.  Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports it’s a one-way deal worth $600K.  It’s the second time today that they have reached a settlement before arbitration after agreeing to terms on a one year, $1.3MM deal with Peter Holland earlier in the day.

Corrado joined Toronto in early October of last season after they claimed him off of waivers from Vancouver.  He seldom played in the early going and was a healthy scratch most nights but worked his way into the lineup towards the back half of the season.  Overall, he wound up playing in 39 games for the Leafs, picking up a goal and five assists while averaging 14:27 per game.  Corrado also played in seven games with the AHL Marlies on a conditioning stint, recording three assists.

The 23 year old blueliner was originally a fifth round pick of the Canucks (150th overall) in 2011.  He made a name for himself early on in his career, playing for Vancouver as a 19 year old in their first round playoff exit.  However, he never really gained much traction after that and spent the bulk of the next two seasons in the minor leagues.  Overall, he has suited up in 67 career NHL games between the Canucks and Maple Leafs, scoring three goals while adding five assists.

Toronto still has one arbitration-bound player to deal with in fellow defenseman Martin Marincin.  His hearing isn’t until Tuesday, August 2nd.  The Leafs now have eight blueliners on one-way contracts for next season (soon to be nine with Marincin).  Included among those are Stephane Robidas and Jared Cowen, whose health statuses are in the air.

[Related: Toronto’s Depth Chart]

Arbitration Breakdown: Petr Mrazek

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Red Wings and goaltender Petr Mrazek have exchanged their arbitration numbers in advance of Wednesday’s scheduled hearing and suffice it to say, there is quite a gap between the two sides.  Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that Detroit has submitted a two year offer worth $2.7MM in year one and $3.15MM in year two.  Meanwhile, Mrazek has countered with a two year pact worth $5MM in both seasons.

[For more background on the arbitration process, consult Parts One and Two of our Capology 101: Arbitration series.]

Last season was a career year for the 24 year old Mrazek.  He became Detroit’s starting goalie for most of the year, playing in 54 games.  He compiled a 27-16-6 record with a 2.33 GAA and a .921 SV% with four shutouts.  Mrazek ranked in the top half league-wide in terms of wins (T-13th), GAA (13th), and SV% (T-10th) among goalies that played at least 30 games which filters out most backup netminders.

Mrazek doesn’t have a whole lot of NHL experience under his belt in his career though as he has just a total of 94 career appearances.  That makes this a particularly intriguing case as Mrazek is looking to earn starters money while being a #1 for basically just one full season.  It also has a lot to do with the sizable gap in the two offers.

While it has no bearing on the arbitration case itself, it’s worth noting that the Red Wings have Jimmy Howard under contract for three more years at a cap hit just shy of $5.3MM.  Their willingness or lack thereof to have both goalies on big money, multi-year deals could very likely impact contract negotiations.

Of the players in this process, Mrazek was the only player to not file for arbitration.  Instead, Detroit opted to take him to arbitration.  Players can only be subject to club-elected arbitration once in their careers so the Wings cannot pursue this route again in future offseasons.

Mrazek’s Stats

2015-16: 54 GP, 27-16-6 record, 2.33 GAA, .921 SV%, 4 shutouts
Career:  94 GP, 49-27-6 record, 2.29 GAA, .920 SV%, 9 shutouts

Potential Comparables

Jake Allen (St. Louis) – Four years, $17.4MM ($4.35MM AAV) – commencing in 2017-18

2015-16: 47 GP, 26-15-3 record, 2.35 GAA, .920 SV%, 6 shutouts
Career:  99 GP, 57-26-7 record, 2.34 GAA, .915 SV%, 11 shutouts

Frederik Andersen (Toronto) – Five years, $25MM ($5MM AAV) – commencing in 2016-17

2015-16: 43 GP, 22-9-7 record, 2.30 GAA, .919 SV%, 3 shutouts
Career:  125 GP, 77-26-12 record, 2.33 GAA, .918 SV%, 6 shutouts

Corey Crawford (Chicago) – Three years, $8MM ($2.67MM AAV) – from 2011-12 to 2013-14

2010-11: 57 GP, 33-18-6 record, 2.30 GAA, .917 SV%, 3 shutouts
Career as of ‘10-‘11:  65 GP, 34-21-7 record, 2.33 GAA, .917 SV%, 5 shutouts

(The salary cap is $9.7MM higher now than it was at the time the deal was signed.  In 2011, Crawford’s deal was 4.5% of the cap.  4.5% of the current salary cap is roughly $3.3MM.)

Devan Dubnyk (Edmonton) – Two years, $7MM ($3.5MM AAV) – from 2012-13 to 2013-14

2011-12: 47 GP, 20-20-3 record, 2.67 GAA, .914 SV%, 2 shutouts
Career as of ‘11-‘12:  101 GP, 36-43-13 record, 2.85 GAA, .910 SV%, 4 shutouts

(The salary cap is $13MM higher now than it was at the time the deal was signed.  In 2012, Dubnyk’s deal was 5.8% of the cap.  5.8% of the current salary cap is roughly $4.25MM.)

Jaroslav Halak (St. Louis) – Four years, $15MM ($4.25MM AAV) – from 2010-11 to 2013-14

2009-10: 45 GP, 26-13-5 record, 2.40 GAA, .924 SV%, 5 shutouts
Career as of ‘09-‘10:  101 GP, 56-34-7 record, 2.61 GAA, .919 SV%, 9 shutouts

(The salary cap is $13.6MM higher now than it was when the deal was signed.  In 2010, Halak’s deal was 6.3% of the cap.  6.3% of the current salary cap is roughly $4.6MM.)

The above players are at least somewhat comparable both in terms of their platform (most recent) season as well as their career numbers.  One other short-term contract comparable doesn’t have the ideal platform year to compare to but the career numbers are quite similar.

Tuukka Rask (Boston) – One year, $3.5MM – for the 2012-13 season

2011-12: 23 GP, 11-8-3 record, 2.05 GAA, .929 SV%, 3 shutouts
Career as of 2011-12:  102 GP, 47-35-11 record, 2.20 GAA, .917 SV%, 11 shutouts

(The salary cap is $13MM higher now than it was at the time the deal was signed.  In 2012, Rask’s deal was 5.8% of the cap.  5.8% of the current salary cap is roughly $4.25MM.)

Projection

The submissions show the difference in where each side feels Mrazek is.  Detroit appears to want Mrazek to take more of a ‘prove it’ contract at a rate closer to that of a platoon goalie.  Meanwhile, Mrazek and his reps feel that after a couple of years of above average goaltending (one as a starter, the other as more of a backup) that he’s worthy of the bigger ticket contract.

The comparables seem to favor Mrazek here.  Goalies with basically one year as a starter and roughly 100 games of career NHL experience are getting sizable contracts in their post-bridge deals so it’s conceivable that Mrazek will get one here too.  It’s going to be a two year contract at Mrazek’s request (since it was club-elected arbitration) and we project he’ll receive a deal that will line up with many of the comparables here.  We project a contract where he’ll earn $4MM in year one and $4.25MM in year two for a cap hit of $4.125MM.

Kris Versteeg Signs in Switzerland

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Left winger Kris Versteeg has officially signed in the NLA, inking a one year deal with SC Bern on Monday, the Swiss team announced.  (Link in German.)  TSN’s Darren Dreger reported earlier this month that a deal with Bern was close.  Bern wasn’t the only Swiss team that was interested in signing Versteeg as HC Biel was also reported to have been in contact with him early in free agency.

Last season, he played in 77 regular season games split between Carolina and Los Angeles (after being added as a trade deadline acquisition), collecting 15 goals and 23 assists while averaging 15:23 per contest.  As a result, it’s somewhat surprising that Versteeg wasn’t able to secure an NHL contract as 38 points is lower end second line production and with teams always looking to add offensive help, it was expected that he’d have had NHL suitors.  We him ranked 34th on our Top 50 UFA list.

Versteeg has played in 550 games for six different teams over his NHL career.  In that span, he has 131 goals and 182 assists.  At just 30 years of age, it’s not inconceivable to think that he could return to the NHL for 2017-18 if he has a productive year in the Swiss league.

Wild Sign RFA Jordan Schroeder

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

July 25: The Wild have officially announced the signing.  Schroeder will make $650K in the NHL ($25K less than originally reported) and $275K in the AHL.

July 23: The Minnesota Wild have reportedly signed RFA Jordan Schroeder to a one-year, two-way deal, according to CBC’s Tim Wharnsby. Schroeder will get $675K at the NHL level, $275K in the AHL, and $300K in guaranteed salary.  Schroeder and the Wild were set to go to salary arbitration on July 27th.

Schroeder has yet to produce at the NHL level, amassing only 11G and 16A in 107 games with the Vancouver Canucks and the Wild. The homegrown forward has, however, put up decent production in the AHL. Last season Schroeder put up 14G and 20A in 40 Games with the Iowa Wild, Minnesota’s AHL Affiliate.

The core of the dispute between parties centered around whether Schroeder deserves a one-way contract. A one-way contract ensures that Schroeder receives full NHL pay if he is sent down to the minors, whereas a two-way contract significantly decreases his pay if the Wild demote him.

The Wild put Schroeder on waivers last week as a bargaining tool to show both a future arbitrator and Schroeder’s camp how much the forward is worth on the open market. Any team could claim Schroeder for a $15,000 waiver fee, and if he goes unclaimed—the fourth time in one year—it significantly weakens Schroeder’s position that he deserves a one-way contract. And as Michael Russo points out, the Wild did this in 2008 with RFA Stephane Veilleux. The Wild may have started a trend as the Maple Leafs waived Peter Holland yesterday in an attempt to achieve a similar result.

Leafs Re-Sign Peter Holland

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Maple Leafs and center Peter Holland have agreed on a one year, $1.3MM contract according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.  As a result, the sides avoid salary arbitration.  In their arbitration filings on Saturday, Toronto had submitted a one year offer for $900K while Holland had countered with $2.1MM.

In what looked to be a move to boost their leverage with the arbitrator, the Leafs ran Holland through waivers with him clearing on Saturday.  It’s safe to suggest the move helped as the settlement comes in a couple hundred thousand shy of the filing midpoints.

Last season, Holland posted a career high in points with 27 (nine goals and 18 assists, the latter also being a career best).  He logged 14:40 of ice time per game, primarily in a third line role.

The former first round pick of the Ducks (15th overall in 2009), the 25 year old Holland has played in 195 career NHL games between Toronto in Anaheim.  He has 30 goals and 39 assists in those contests.

It’s likely that Holland will once again be battling for bottom six ice time in 2016-17 and he may have to shift to the wing as he currently sits behind incumbents Nazem Kadri and Tyler Bozak as well as top pick Auston Matthews on the depth chart.

With the contract, Toronto has a pair of remaining restricted free agents to re-sign in blueliners Frank Corrado and Martin Marincin.  The team has roughly $1.7MM in remaining cap space according to Cap Friendly but their actual amount of space in-season should be considerably higher with the health issues for both Nathan Horton and Jared Cowen.

Flyers Re-Sign Brayden Schenn To A Four Year Deal

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Flyers announced Monday morning that they have avoided salary arbitration with RFA forward Brayden Schenn, signing him to a four year contract.  TSN’s Bob McKenzie reports that the deal carries a cap hit of $5.125MM per season making the total worth $20.5MM over the life of the contract.  General Fanager adds that deal does not contain any no-trade or no-move protection.

The contract makes Schenn the third highest paid forward on the Flyers behind Jakub Voracek and Claude Giroux, who both have cap hits over $8MM.

Schenn is coming off a career year with Philadelphia.  Last season, he posted career bests in goals (26), assists (33), and points (59) while averaging 16:54 of ice time per game.  He also picked up a pair of assists in six postseason contests while logging just shy of 19 minutes a night.

Schenn has spent most of his career with the Flyers after being a first round pick of the Kings (5th overall) back in 2009.  He was acquired by Philly back in 2011 along with Wayne Simmonds as part of the Mike Richards trade.  In 354 games between Philadelphia and Los Angeles, Schenn has 84 goals and 109 assists.

The Flyers have one remaining restricted free agent to re-sign this offseason, defenseman Brandon Manning.  They currently have a little over $2.25MM in remaining cap space, per Cap Friendly.

CBC’s Tim Wharnsby reports that the structure of the deal is as follows:

2016-17: $3MM salary + $3MM signing bonus
2017-18: $2.5MM salary + $2.5MM signing bonus
2018-19: $2.5MM salary + $2.5MM signing bonus
2019-20: $2MM salary + $2.5MM signing bonus

[Related: Flyers’ Depth Chart]

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

scroll to top