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Archives for July 2017

Some AHL Players Allowed To Go To Olympics

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The Associated Press reports that players on AHL-only contracts will be allowed to play in the 2018 Winter Olympics. According to the report, the AHL sent a memo to all of its clubs articulating that players may be loaned to Olympic teams from February 5-26. The men’s ice hockey tourney runs from February 9-25.

What the memo doesn’t say, however, is whether players on NHL two-way contracts, or those players loaned to the AHL, will be eligible for the Olympics. Most signs point to no, however, as that would open up a loophole allowing teams to send its young, waiver-exempt players to the AHL for the purposes of playing in the Olympics. It would also be inconsistent with the league’s mandate that all players with NHL contracts are barred from the Olympics.

The AHL does not have a designated break during the two-week Olympic period, but the league is used to teams losing its best players as a matter of course. Players leaving for the Olympics is no different then players being recalled for two weeks. Unfortunately for national teams, however, the crop of AHL-only players may be only marginally better than those in the NCAA or Europe.

Minor Moves: Finn, Moore, Johnston

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After spending most of last season in the ECHL, Matt Finn has reached a deal with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers on a two-way AHL deal. Just like a two-way NHL contract, that means Finn will be paid different amounts between the ECHL and AHL. He will not count towards the New York Islanders’ contract limit.

Just 23, Finn has been a disappointment since being selected 35th-overall by the Maple Leafs. During his days for the Guelph Storm of the OHL, and before that in the Greater Toronto Hockey League, Finn was a dynamic two-way defenseman capable of racking up points while also shutting down the opponent’s best offensive weapons. That next-level ability disappeared in professional hockey, and he’s bounced up and down between the two minor leagues for several years.

  • The San Jose Barracuda have inked Bryan Moore and David Makowski to one-way AHL contracts, bringing them in after successful seasons with the Allen Americans of the ECHL. The pair combined for 101 points in 86 games for the club, but will now get their chance to play in the AHL. Makowski, a defenseman, is best known for his play at the University of Denver where he captained the Pioneers to a NCHC Championship in 2014.
  • The Manitoba Moose have hired Marty Johnston as an assistant coach, bringing him away from Carleton University in Ottawa. Johnston has coached there for seven seasons. A former minor league player, Johnston is an up-and-coming coach who may get a head coaching chance in the AHL at some point in the next few years. For now he’ll get the chance to work with some of Winnipeg’s top prospects, including Jack Roslovic and Kyle Connor if they don’t make the Jets out of camp.

Andrei Svechnikov To Sign With Barrie Colts

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Hockey fans in North America will get another close look at the potential 2018 first-overall pick this season, as Mike Morreale of NHL.com reports that Andrei Svechnikov will indeed sign with the Barrie Colts and play in the OHL. Svechnikov was the first pick in this year’s CHL Import Draft, and will leave the USHL for the Canadian junior squad.

Born in Russia and brought up through the Ak Bars Kazan junior system—where he once scored 53 points in just 13 games— Svechnikov came over to play for the Muskegon Lumberjacks last season and showed off his immense offensive upside. In 48 games played mostly as a 16-year old, Svechnikov scored 58 points and trailed just Buffalo Sabres prospect Casey Mittelstadt and undrafted 18-year old Zach Solow in points-per-game.

Svechnikov is already 6’2″ and strong enough to compete with players three years older than him, has excellent speed and incredible skill. Already in the conversation for the first-overall pick, he’s just scraping the surface of what he can do physically on the ice, and could easily develop into an even more dangerous power forward within a few years. He’ll head to Barrie to work with coach Dale Hawerchuk (a first-overall pick in his own right) to try and help the franchise bounce back.

After five straight winning seasons, the Colts were the very worst team in the OHL this season with just 17 wins all year. With a player like Svechnikov in tow, they will immediately be improved. Whether that’s enough to get them into the playoffs may be another story altogether.

Owen Tippett Signs Entry-Level Contract With Florida Panthers

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The Florida Panthers have agreed to terms on an entry-level contract with their top draft pick Owen Tippet, after rumors have swirled that he may make the team out of camp. The bonus structure hasn’t been released yet, but as the 10th-overall pick you can at least expect some Schedule A bonuses to be included in the deal.

PHR has been touting the value of Tippett for quite some time, and Dale Tallon has been clear with his excitement over the former Mississauga Steelhead. He released a statement on the signing today:

I’m thrilled to sign Owen to his first NHL contract. Owen is a natural goal scorer with a bright future and he already possesses NHL-ready size and speed. We’re looking forward to watching him compete for a spot on our NHL roster at training camp this fall.

Indeed, with the Panthers still only having 10 or 11 forwards penciled into their group due to their previous NHL experience, Tippett will be battling with several other prospects for the chance to break camp with the team. Scoring 44 goals last year in junior, Tippett is a budding power forward with a wicked wrist shot that already uses his body to create space for himself in the attacking zone. While he can get caught drifting around waiting for the puck instead of creating turnovers, he was one of the most dangerous players in the OHL last season with it on his stick.

So far, Florida has lost 74 goals this summer from the various departures of Jon Marchessault, Reilly Smith, Jaromir Jagr and Thomas Vanek, and will need to replace them somehow. The additions of Radim Vrbata and Evgeny Dadonov start that process, but giving Tippett a full-time role could close the gap even further. To do it, he’ll likely have to beat out prospects much older than him like Jared McCann or Henrik Haapala, not an easy task.

Kyle Okposo Will Participate In DBL

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Kyle Okposo played his last game of the season for the Buffalo Sabres on March 27th, ending up hospitalized in a neurological intensive care center before the conclusion of the season. Though Okposo would be discharged a few days later, many fans worried about his future not only with the team but in hockey at all. Since then there have been several reports of his progress, and an expectation that he will be ready for the start of the season. That idea was furthered today when Da Beauty League, a Minnesota-based amateur summer league for current and former NHL players, announced that Okposo will make his debut tonight.

The league has an incredible group of players this season, led by Minnesota-born stars like Ryan McDonagh, Dustin Byfuglien, Alex Goligoski and Paul Martin. Even top draft pick Casey Mittelstadt is there this season, playing on Martin’s team. For fans in the area, it offers a extremely inexpensive way to see some of the league’s best players up close in an unfamiliar setting. For Okposo, it will just be nice to see him back on the ice.

He’ll be expected to be a big part of the Sabres turnaround after they signed him to a seven-year, $42MM contract last summer. The deal looked pretty good in it’s first season, as Okposo put up 45 points in 68 games and was the Sabres’ All-Star participant. With more health, including from Okposo, the Sabres should be much improved. Whether they can force their way into the playoffs is still yet to be seen.

Morning Notes: Schmidt, Texier, Ikonen

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The Vegas Golden Knights have their first arbitration hearing coming up with defenseman Nate Schmidt, scheduled for August 3rd. Despite that, Steve Carp of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that the two sides have had productive talks and are positively progressing towards a deal before the hearing. Schmidt is one of the most exciting young players for the Golden Knights, with excellent speed and dynamic puck-moving ability.

He was stuck behind several other names in Washington, but it’s expected he’ll play a big role for Vegas this year as he heads into his age-26 season. If he does settle for a one-year deal through arbitration, he would still be a restricted free agent next year. That’s if the team doesn’t work out a long-term deal with him first.

  • Alexandre Texier, the 45th-overall pick from this year’s draft will be heading to Finland next year to continue his development. The French center will suit up for Liiga’s KalPa for the next two seasons, before reevaluating his position with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Texier is just 17 years old still, but has shown some tremendous raw potential in terms of skill and offensive ability. The Finnish league is notorious for creating solid two-way forwards, something the Blue Jackets will hope Texier picks up on during his time there.
  • Joni Ikonen, the Montreal Canadiens’ second-round pick will also return to KalPa according to Uffe Bodin of Hockeysverige. Ikonen played the last two seasons in Frolunda of the SHL, and showed off in the U18 World Juniors this season with 8 points in 7 games for Finland. Selected 58th-overall, Montreal is hoping he can stay at center long term. He’ll develop at home for at least one more season before they try to bring him over to North America.
  • The New York Islanders have promoted Greg Cronin from assistant to associate coach for next season, keeping him on Doug Weight’s staff for the time being. The Isles had already hired Kelly Buchberger and Scott Gomez as assistant coaches, rounding out a staff with a ton of experience either on the ice or behind a bench. Cronin has been an assistant with the Islanders and Toronto Maple Leafs, while also holding head coaching jobs in the AHL and NCAA.

Rangers Sign Goalie Alexander Georgiev

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Wednesday: The team has officially announced the contract.

Monday: The New York Rangers have made an interesting off-season move, signing Russian goaltender Alexander Georgiev to an entry-level contract. The 21-year-old keeper, who went undrafted in 2014 and 2015, was a free agent playing in the Finnish Liiga. CapFriendly reports that he’ll now head across the Atlantic to join the Rangers organization on a three-year deal worth $792.5K at the NHL level.

Although undrafted, Georgiev has begun to make a name for himself on the international stage in recent years. Unlike most promising Russian prospects, Georgiev left the country to join TPS in Finland for the 2014-15 season. His performance as the backup for the team – a 2.21 GAA in 14 games in 2014-15 and a 2.28 GAA in 10 games in 2015-16 – caught the eye of the Russian World Junior team. Not only did Georgiev make the team, he started five games at the 2016 tournament. He then took over as the starter for TPS this past season, posting a stellar 1.70 GAA and .923 save percentage in 27 games as just a 21-year-old in a men’s league. The young goalie has plenty of upside to go along with many questions about his game as well.

Yet, his current resume seems to have been enough for the Rangers to give him a shot in the AHL. With Henrik Lundqvist and the newly signed Ondrej Pavelec as a solid one-two punch at the NHL level, Georgiev will certainly head for the minors, where he can compete for starts on the Hartford Wolf Pack. After losing Magnus Hellberg to the KHL and choosing not to re-sign Mackenzie Skapski, there’s definitely room for someone to take control in Hartford. Georgiev will battle incumbent Brandon Halverson, a 2014 second-round pick who struggled in his first pro season, and Bowling Green University’s Chris Nell, who also struggled in his brief AHL showing at the end of last season. Georgiev may just end up as the AHL starter, and candidate to see NHL time, when all is said and done.

Valeri Nichushkin Will Return To NHL In 2018-19

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Though it’s been expected for some time, due to the year remaining on his contract in the KHL, the Dallas Stars have announced that Valeri Nichushkin will not return to the NHL until the 2018-19 season. Instead, he’ll play his final year for CSKA Moscow and hope for even better results.

Nichushkin, 22, signed in the KHL last fall after a falling out with then head coach Lindy Ruff but immediately hinted that he hoped to return to the Stars one day. Now, with Ruff gone and Ken Hitchcock in place the team hopes to bring him back in and nurture the immense talent he brings to the table. Selected 10th-overall in 2013, Nichushkin brings size, speed and a nose for the net but hasn’t been able to put it all together just yet. In 34 games with CSKA last season, the 6’3″ winger 24 points. Showing flashes of brilliance at times, he needs to bring more consistency to his game if he’s to fit into the rigid Hitchcock system and fulfill his potential in the NHL.

A return to the league this year would have required a buyout of his contract, but instead he’ll take the opportunity to suit up with one of the best teams in the Russian league. It will be interesting to see how he’s deployed, but North American onlookers would certainly hope he and Kirill Kaprizov could be put together to form an immensely talented duo. The pair would bring incredible youth and skill to the team, and fans in Dallas and Minnesota would be sure to get some interesting highlights to watch.

Ryan Dzingel, Ottawa Senators Submit Arbitration Figures

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Just like Colton Parayko and Tomas Tatar yesterday, Ryan Dzingel and the Ottawa Senators have exchanged figures for their upcoming arbitration hearing. Dzingel is scheduled for a hearing on Friday morning, and has asked for a $1.95MM salary according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The team has countered with a $1MM offer. The two sides still have almost 48 hours to work out a deal, and GM Pierre Dorion told Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen they would like to avoid a hearing if possible.

Dzingel took a big step forward in his first full season, scoring 14 goals and 31 points for the Senators in 81 games. His presence was felt in all situations, as the 25-year old winger uses his speed to create chances of the rush and disrupt passing lanes in the defensive zone. He’s come a long way since being a seventh-round pick in 2011.

A one year deal would leave Dzingel a restricted free agent next summer again, allowing the Senators to continue negotiations on a long-term deal. Even if the arbitrator settles on the full $1.95MM ask, it’s a fine price to pay for a solid secondary scoring option that can move up and down the lineup. With the Senators suddenly flush with center depth, it will be interesting to see who Dzingel lines up with to start the season.

Making Your Case At An Arbitration Hearing

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With the salary arbitration figures for Tomas Tatar and Colton Parayko leaking today, it is worthwhile to take a look at what actually goes on at an arbitration hearing. Salary arbitration determines a player’s salary through a hearing governed by a third-party arbitrator. The arbitrator takes all the permissible evidence into account in deciding how much a player should be paid per year. This section outlines three key elements of that process: term, permissible evidence, and the decision.

Term

The party being brought to salary arbitration chooses whether the decision is for one or two years. If a team chooses, however, they are restricted to one year if the player is eligible for unrestricted free agent the following year.

Evidence

Parties can present witnesses, affidavits (sworn written testimony), documents, statistics, and any other relevant evidence during the hearing, subject to certain restrictions (see more below). The CBA suggests the following preferred evidence:

  • the player’s overall performance in previous seasons;
  • number of games played in context of injuries or illnesses (or lack thereof);
  • length of service in the league or with the team;
  • how much a player contributed to the success/failure of his team last season;
  • special qualities of leadership or public appeal relevant to his team responsibilities (i.e. the intangibles).
  • performance of players considered comparable to the player in question by either party; or
  • compensation of players considered comparable to the player in question by either party.

As stated above, this list is subject to certain restrictions.  The CBA prohibits parties from introducing or using the following:

  • any contract signed outside restricted free agency, including one signed after a team exercises a walk-away right;
  • any contract of a player not considered a comparable by either party;
  • any contract otherwise permissible that is signed less than three hours before the hearing starts.
  • qualifying offers;
  • the negotiation history between the parties, including any offers made;
  • testimonials, videotapes, newspaper columns, press game reports, or similar materials;
  • references to walk-away rights;
  • any award issued by an arbitrator that preceded a team exercising its walk-away rights;
  • a team or NHL’s financial condition;
  • a team’s salary cap (or floor) situation;
  • any salary arbitration award issued in ’05-’06; or
  • compensation information for salary arbitration awards issued before July 22nd 2005.

There are three main takeaways from the evidentiary rules. One, the arbitrator’s decision is based largely on a player’s stats and intangibles, and the compensation received by players with similar stats and intangibles. Two, visual evidence such as highlight reels and game tape do not factor in to the arbitrator’s decision. This makes any determination strictly fact-based. Finally, if, during a players hearing, a comparable player signs an otherwise admissible contract, that contract cannot be used as evidence by either party.

Decision

The arbitrator’s decision comes within 48 hours after the hearing closes. The decision states:

  • the contract term (one or two years as mentioned above);
  • NHL salary to be paid by the team for that term;
  • whether it is a two-way contract, and how much the player is paid in the AHL; and
  • a statement explaining the decision.

Walk Away Rights

A team may reject an arbitration decision in a player-elected salary arbitration if the award is $3.9MM or more per year. That threshold increases by the same percentage rate that the average league salary increases.

A team does not have unlimited walk away rights. Rather, the number of times a team can reject a decision is tied to the number of decisions issued. A team facing up to two decisions has one walk away right. A team facing three of four decisions has two walk away rights. Finally, a team facing five decisions has three walk away rights.

The consequences of rejecting a decision depends on whether the club elected a one or two year term. If the decision is for a one year term, the player immediately becomes an unrestricted free agent. If the decision is for a two year term, the player and team enter into a one year contract for the salary awarded. The player becomes an unrestricted free agent at the end of that year.

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