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Archives for June 2017

Montreal Canadiens Sign Jacob De La Rose

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The Montreal Canadiens have signed one of their most interesting prospects, Jacob De La Rose, to a one-year, one-way contract for 2017-18. The deal will be worth $725K next season. De La Rose was set to become a restricted free agent this summer.

De La Rose, 22, was selected 34th-overall in 2013 and has had a very up and down career thus far. Splitting time between the Canadiens and their AHL affiliate, De La Rose hasn’t been able to make a huge impact at either level. While the one-way contract doesn’t guarantee he’ll be playing in the NHL, it’s a good sign that Montreal believes he can make an impact next season. In 64 games at the top level so far, he has just six points.

The interesting thing about De La Rose is that he may be able to make an impact without registering many points. His defensive acumen has always been his calling card, and size and defensive ability down the middle is something the Canadiens desperately need. Though he still hasn’t shown much ability to create offense on his own, the Canadiens find themselves full of talented offensive wingers who could use someone to take some of the defensive pressure off. While he won’t be put on the top line right away, he still has a chance to develop into a top-six player that leans more defensively but can chip in when surrounded by the right linemates.

CHL 2017 Import Draft Results

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The CHL is holding its annual import draft today, where teams from across the Canadian junior leagues get to select the rights to players around the world. Often these are recently drafted prospects, or those seen to have good chances at next year’s draft. Being selected has no guarantee that the player will actually ever suit up for the team, as Klim Kostin (the 31st-overall pick in this year’s NHL entry draft) has made very clear. Kostin was selected first-overall in the import draft last year, but has said that he has no intention of ever playing for the Kootenay Ice, instead hoping to play in the AHL or NHL next season.

Sometimes though, you can get an immense talent. Nico Hischier was selected sixth-overall by Halifax last season, and quickly rose to the first-overall pick in the 2017 Entry Draft. Mikhail Sergachev was also selected sixth in the 2015 draft before eventually being the return for Jonathan Drouin this summer. To be sure, there will be a name or two out of this year’s draft to make a huge impact in the NHL. Each team can only carry two import players on the roster, meaning many will pass on the opportunity to select another one. The results are below (including the NHL team that drafted them this weekend):

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Washington Capitals Sign Pheonix Copley

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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.

Boston Bruins Sign Noel Acciari To Two-Year Deal

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Noel Acciari has signed a two-year one-way deal with the Boston Bruins that will pay him and average of $725K each season. Acciari was coming off his entry-level deal and was a restricted free agent.

Signed out of Providence College in 2015, Acciari has 48 games for the Bruins over the past two seasons. His contributions, limited as they are have apparently earned him a two-year deal. With arbitration rights, Acciari received a qualifying offer and could have taken the team to a hearing though this is likely better than any settlement would have been. Whether he plays a bigger role with the team is still to be seen, but he’ll be in contention for a role all season.

In those 48 games, Acciari has just six points and has been given very little ice time. That changed in the playoffs this year, when he stepped into a much bigger role in four games against Ottawa and even logged 28 minutes during a double overtime game that David Krejci suffered an injury when he collided with Chris Wideman. Though the Bruins would be eliminated from the series, perhaps that showed a look into the role Acciari will see next year under Bruce Cassidy.

The Bruins still have several RFAs to sign, with David Pastrnak leading the way. With $12.7MM in cap space, it still seems likely that Ryan Spooner will be moved out instead of re-signed. If the Bruins want to be players in free agency, they’d need to move money out as Pastrnak and Spooner alone would take up the majority of the remaining cap space.

Edmonton Expected To Sign Connor McDavid To Eight-Year Extension

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Edmonton Oiler fans, breathe, Connor McDavid will be around a while. Though it had been rumored that the young superstar would possibly only take a five year deal to get an even bigger payday at a younger age, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet is hearing that the two are closing in on a deal that will pay him something around $13.25MM per season for the next eight years. McDavid is eligible for an extension on July 1st, and has one year remaining on his current entry-level contract. The extension would kick in for 2018-19. Connor McDavid

Getting McDavid in for eight more seasons is important, as it buys out some extra free agent years. Had he signed for just five, he would have hit the open market at just 26 and likely been in line for an even bigger deal.  Not that there has ever been a bigger deal, as this extension would easily top the largest contracts in the NHL. Currently, Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews share the top cap hit at $10.5MM, though certain players do earn more on various individual years of their deals. Anze Kopitar for instance will be paid $14MM this season in real salary, though his cap hit comes in at $10MM.

McDavid is easily the most important young player in the league, fresh off an Art Ross, Hart Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award. His 100 points easily paced the league and at just 20-years old he’s arguably the best player in the world. That said, a deal of this magnitude has ripples all over the league. For his own team, it locks one player into nearly 18% of the current cap and if it stays relatively flat for the next few seasons the Oilers could be in huge trouble. With a big extension due for Leon Draisaitl as well, the team could find themselves in a situation similar to Chicago, who have had to move good young players out consistently in order to keep Toews and Kane on the books.

Elsewhere, teams like the Toronto Maple Leafs are probably pulling their hair out at the news as Auston Matthews will be due an extension next summer. Though he’s not quite the player McDavid is, he actually put up a better rookie season because of health issues and could be in line for a similar deal should he eclipse 40 goals again next season. That’s something that would be tough for any team, but with the Maple Leafs needing to sign Mitch Marner and William Nylander at the same time, money will get short fast.

This is part of a growing trend that is taking hold in the NHL, to lock up your young stars to long-term deals with big cap hits right away. You can see the effects in the free agent market this year, that is littered with players in their mid to late thirties or those that have underperformed for years. It’s why when players like Steven Stamkos get even a sniff of free agency, the entire league goes crazy. We’ll have to see when the final number comes in for McDavid, but rest assured that we won’t see him on the open market for quite some time.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Girardi Drawing Interest After Buy-Out

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Although he was just bought out by the New York Rangers due to meager performance relative to his pay, multiple NHL teams have shown interest in signing the 33 year-old. Detroit, who is supposedly in the middle of a rebuild, seem compelled to inquire, according to The Athletic’s Craig Custance. The Grand Rapids Griffins championship run will provide an infusion of youth who have won at the professional level, and yet the defense remains a primary concern for GM Ken Holland. Missing the playoffs for multiple seasons may not be palatable to an organization so accustomed to success. It’s uncertain as to where Girardi would slot if he did sign in Detroit. The Wings have 7 defenseman on the roster (when you include RFA Xavier Ouellet), and 4 of those have no-trade clauses.

Also heavily rumored are the Tampa Bay Lightning. Elliotte Friedman stated that the team reached out to the defender, and that it is unknown how that conversation went. Newsday’s Steve Zipay made the connection to current Bolt Ryan Callahan, himself an ex-New York Ranger, with whom Girardi has close ties. Tampa GM Steve Yzerman does seem to like the old-school defensemen, and the team does have only 4 blueliners under contract while they negotiate terms with Slater Koekkoek. The team was already linked to Kevin Shattenkirk via the Tampa Bay Times’ Joe Smith, and players such Brendan Smith and Karl Alzner could find a decent fit on a second pairing. There are certainly more marquee names available out there, but perhaps the prices will become too steep for Yzerman’s liking. Girardi would almost certainly come cheap, and Tampa seems destined to make a push in the Atlantic after a down season – so it’s not an undesirable location.

The market that has surfaced for Girardi is quite remarkable considering his circumstances. Girardi has had three consecutive poor possession seasons which crescendo-ed this year with an 8th-worst Corsi 5-0n-5 finish among all defenders. In a league which is heading in the direction of deeper, more encompassing analytics, Girardi seems to buck every trend out there. He is probably still an NHL defender, but his immobile brand of defense is losing effectiveness fast and his shot-blocking may be beginning to take a toll on his body. His skating is sub-par and his offensive capabilities are very limited. He’s a good penalty killer, but at even strength is generally a net-negative regardless of how sheltered his minutes are. Still, as a veteran on a cheap contract, he might be worth a flier to regain form on a short-term deal. With such a poor UFA offering, it seems he has some value left and should be able to find a new contract with little pain.

Snapshots: Gagner, Condon, Hamonic

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The Blackhawks are linked to Columbus UFA Sam Gagner, by way of a report from The Athletic’s Scott Powers. The parties have reached out to one another and expressed “mutual interest”. Gagner could be a good fit in Chicago, as he could jump-start an oddly sluggish powerplay, which finished 24th in the league last season. As always, an issue with signing in the Windy City is available cap dollars. Even after parting with Scott Darling, Artemi Panarin and Niklas Hjalmarsson, the team is $2.99 MM over the cap ceiling, Luckily the team doesn’t have any free agents that absolutely need to be re-signed, so they are free to prune a few forwards from the roster to get within acceptable range. Adding another mid-tier contract could complicate matters. The team has already been rumored to move on from center Marcus Kruger, who only makes $3.083 MM himself. Gagner will be looking for a figure around there after his career season, so his acquisition would mean more shuffling from GM Stan Bowman.

Judging by the fan reaction to the Panarin and Hjalmarsson moves, further shuffling might only serve to further shake confidence in the team’s direction. This isn’t even taking into account the Marian Hossa Long-Term Injured Reserve (LTIR) drama, which alone should make for an interesting summer. For what it’s worth, Sportsnet’s Mark Spector believes Gagner will not return to Edmonton, so that eliminates a potential landing spot. Still, there are few available centers with his skill-set and offensive output, so I wouldn’t be shocked to see Chicago out-bid on this particular player.

  • The Flyers are not comfortable with an Anthony Stolarz and Michael Neuvirth tandem heading into 2017-18, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Sam Carchidi. Carchidi goes through the entire UFA selection, including former Flyer Steve Mason, Brian Elliott, Jonathan Bernier, Ryan Miller, and even Keith Kinkaid. Bernier could be a fit, but with his inconsistency I don’t see it being a good one. Mason endured a good deal of fan blame this season, and while a short-term deal is not impossible, it’s a fair assumption he searches for a role in another town. If the Flyers wanted to run a tandem, Neuvirth with Condon could work quite well. The author doesn’t believe that Condon is much of an upgrade over Stolarz, but at 23 and with 2 career wins, Stolarz is simply not at the same level. It’s rare to see a goalie that young be able to take a 40 game (or more) NHL workload with total success. Considering the Flyers’ developing defense, it might be a wise decision on GM Ron Hextall’s part to shelter him in the AHL for another season. Stolarz is definitely their future, and they will look to find a one to two year agreement with whatever stopgap they decide on.
  • A fascinating piece from Newsday’s Arthur Staple details what can only be described as an odd non-deal. The Islanders apparently offered Travis Hamonic and a 1st round pick to Colorado for Matt Duchene, which was subsequently declined by GM Joe Sakic. Isles GM Garth Snow proceeded to move Hamonic for picks while acquiring Jordan Eberle in a separate transaction. Duchene remains in Denver, and apparently his agent Pat Brisson is not happy with the turn of events. Duchene has been linked to trade rumors since nearly the start of the season, which saw his Avalanche finish with an abysmal 48 point dead-last league finish. Sakic was rumored to have a heavy asking price, and this apparent rejection only solidifies those rumblings. Hamonic himself ended up fetching a 1st and two 2nds from Calgary, which is a sizable haul for the Isles. Islanders faithful can’t be too disappointed by the alternative route Snow traversed.

Free Agent Focus: Florida Panthers

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The free agent period is now less than one week away from opening up and there are several prominent players set to hit the open market while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign.  Here is a breakdown of the Florida Panthers’ free agent situation.

Key Restricted Free Agents: D Alex Petrovic only had 1 goal and 13 assists last season, but his possession stats were remarkably solid among his peers at 50.8% Corsi For. He earned $1.05 MM on his last contract, and he is due at least a slight raise. His size (6’4″) and physicality is an important asset to round out the bottom pairings of the defensive corps, even if management isn’t expecting him to light the world on fire. D Mark Pysyk, also 25 years old, has shown a bit more potential. He has less of a shutdown presence, but makes up for it by contributing to the offense on occasion. He moves the puck well with a solid if unremarkable first pass – which in today’s possession-centric NHL tends to increase value. Pysyk still hasn’t put it all together, but he’ll be a useful cog for Florida going forward. Interestingly enough, Florida’s defense is so sparse that both Pysyk and Petrovic were protected.

Other RFA’s: G MacKenzie Weegar.

Key Unrestricted Free Agents: F Jaromir Jagr. Jagr is certainly on the downside of his career, but he still can produce points at a decent clip. He’s been a mainstay of the Panthers offense for the last two-and-a-half seasons. He only netted 16 goals, but added 30 assists to reach a reasonable 46 points. However, his contract was a tad overpriced for a 45 year old, at a $4 MM cap hit. Management apparently wants the veteran back on the squad next season according to a report by the Miami Herald’s George Richards. Richards states that the price would need to come down, but there is a solid chance he could get last year’s salary from another team desperate for production. If Florida truly wants to bring back the battle-tested winger (who sits 3rd in all-time goals), they will need to find room within their internal cap structure. His speed is certainly becoming an issue, and it remains to be seen how integral he is perceived internally.

F Thomas Vanek doesn’t look likely to make a return to the Sunshine State, as he is quite arguably the 4th best winger available after Alexander Radulov, Justin Williams, and Patrick Marleau. The chances of seeing Vanek seeing a contract similar to his $6.5 MM earned the last three seasons are almost completely non-existent, but he could easily fetch near $5 MM offer for multiple years from an offense-starved squad. Vanek did net 48 points last season, but he has the potential to do more. Vanek will almost surely find his kindest offers elsewhere. He only netted two goals in 20 games after being acquired from the Detroit Red Wings.

Other UFA’s: F Micheal Scarbossa, D Jakub Kindl, G Sam Brittain, F Kyle Rau, F Brody Sutter, G Adam Wilcox, F Chase Balisy, F Graham Black, F Paul Thompson, D Reece Scarlett, G Colin Stevens, F Steven Hodges, D Brent Regner.

Projected Cap Space: The Panthers do have slightly over $20 MM in cap space if they were to re-sign no one, but they are almost certain to re-sign Pysyck and Petrovic to short-term deals. Weegar has also been extended a qualifying offer, but it will likely be a two-way deal. Assuming they make a combined $4 MM, GM Dale Tallon will likely have about $16 MM in space with 16 roster players accounted for.  His main concern has to be solidifying the defense so a repeat of last year doesn’t happen. However, with Jon Marchessault and Reilly Smith inexplicably shipped to Vegas, and likely one of Jagr and Vanek headed to other destinations, Tallon needs to add solid secondary scoring. It’s expected that Florida will be active on July 1st and into the Summer, especially with so many expiring organizational contracts – they only have 26 of the allotted 50 as of today. The organization has tried to revamp on the fly, but they will need a remarkably successful summer to re-coup all that is being lost especially in light of the meager talent available in the UFA pool. The biggest money constraint is whatever ownership places the internal cap at, which is unbeknownst to the league at large.

Flames To Sign Spencer Foo

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One of the biggest college free agent prizes has decided on his NHL destination, according to TSN’s Bob McKenzie. Union forward Spencer Foo will sign with the Calgary Flames. The 6’0″, 180 pound right winger scored 26 goals and added 36 assists in his Junior season with the Union Dutchmen. He was known in NCAA circles for being the motor behind the highest scoring line in college hockey, alongside Mike Vecchione, who ended up in Philadelphia.

Foo was previously linked to other teams, most seriously those same Flyers. However, Foo decided to change course, as he and his agent were pursued by other teams with more glaring holes at the winger position. Although details are scarce as to the rationale, one has to imagine that he was looking to have a serious opportunity on the right side. Calgary is weak on the right side, and only two players are under contract that naturally slot there: Troy Brouwer and Michael Frolik. The Flyers, by comparison, have multiple flexible core players who can slot on that side, including mainstays Claude Giroux, Wayne Simmonds, and Jakub Voracek, with Matt Read and Dale Weise also getting looks. In Calgary, he is almost certain to have a crack at the top-9 on the roster, with the ability to play with creative talents Johnny Gaudreau and Sam Bennett.

Foo is tough for his size and has good skating ability. He has been lauded for his exceptional work ethic and conditioning, which at 23 will provide a decent opportunity to smoothly transition. The odds are against him to make an immediate offensive impact, as many college signings still take time to develop. For the re-building Flames, however, the signing is a perfect fit. Foo will be allowed to blossom alongside the young core that is already present, without worrying too heavily about internal competition for ice time on the wing.

Terms will not be revealed until that July 1st date, when the Unrestricted Free Agency signing period starts. Flames Nation’s Ryan Pike expects the deal to be a two-year entry level contract, at somewhere near the maximum $925,000 per year.

Snapshots: Daley, Hainsey, Cannone

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Several reports from around the league have teams in hot pursuit of Trevor Daley, including Detroit and Boston according to Craig Custance of The Athletic and Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald respectively. Daley was ranked #23 in our annual free agent rankings, and while Pittsburgh seemed a likely destination for him to return to it was easy to see why there would be interest from elsewhere.

The veteran puck-moving defenseman continues to log big minutes and put up respectable point totals. While not exactly an offensive defenseman who will contribute a ton of goals, he can move the puck quickly and accurately out of the zone and carry it through the neutral zone. That ability, combined with his extensive playoff experience the last couple of years winning back-to-back Stanley Cups, will seem pretty appetizing on the open market on Saturday.

  • In terms of other Red Wings free agent notes, Custance and Ansar Khan of MLive both link the team to fellow Stanley Cup champion Ron Hainsey. Khan also lists Dan Girardi and Brian Campbell as options, as the Red Wings continue to look at veteran options to help their blueline. While Detroit isn’t expected to compete next season, Ken Holland has been clear about his desire to return to the playoffs as soon as possible. Adding any of the above defenders won’t do that on their own, but they could potentially be flipped at the trade deadline for a younger asset.
  • In addition to all the love that Patrick Marleau is feeling on the open market, Andy Strickland of Fox Sports reports that the San Jose Sharks have apparently made a two-year offer for their long-time forward. It will be interesting to see if the 37-year old is able to secure a third year from a competing team, and what the cap hit would be on it.
  • The Minnesota Wild have re-signed Patrick Cannone to a one-year two-way deal. The minor league forward made his NHL debut this year getting into three games with the Wild, but was held scoreless and is still looking for his first NHL point. A dynamic AHL player, Cannone was set to be an unrestricted free agent but will come back for $650K in the NHL and $225K in the AHL next season.

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