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Archives for July 2018

Florida Panthers Agree To Terms With Julian Melchiori

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The Florida Panthers have signed another free agent that spent last season with the Winnipeg Jets organization, agreeing to terms with Julian Melchiori on a one-year two-way contract. Melchiori will join Manitoba Moose teammate Michael Hutchinson with the Panthers (or more likely the Springfield Thunderbirds) for the 2018-19 season. No financial details have been released.

Melchiori reached free agency through Group VI status this summer after failing to secure a full-time role in the NHL once again. Stuck behind a huge number of talented defenders in Winnipeg, the 26-year old played the entire season in the minor leagues where he recorded 14 points in 49 games. Once a third-round pick of the Atlanta Thrashers and an up-and-coming defensive option, Melchiori has just 30 NHL games under his belt and hasn’t been able to consistently show his value as a reliable depth player with penalty killing abilities.

He’s headed from a stacked blue line in Winnipeg to one with a few more cracks in Florida, but there still isn’t a lot of room for Melchiori to wiggle his way into the NHL. The Panthers already have left-handed options like Ian McCoshen for their bottom pair and recently signed Bogdan Kiselevich out of the KHL. Instead, the Thunderbirds of the AHL will likely take Melchiori in and give him big minutes as a shutdown option in the minor leagues.

Joel Armia Signs One-Year Contract With Montreal Canadiens

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The Montreal Canadiens have avoided arbitration with Joel Armia, signing the restricted free agent to a one-year deal worth $1.85MM. Armia was scheduled for a hearing on July 25th, but will no longer need to travel to Toronto to negotiate with his new team. Armia was acquired earlier this offseason along with Steve Mason from the Winnipeg Jets, and will get an opportunity to prove himself with the Canadiens in 2018-19.

Armia, 25, was originally selected in the first round by the Buffalo Sabres in 2011 but only just finished his first season as a full-time player. In 79 games for the Jets last season he scored 29 points despite playing fewer than 13 minutes a night, and just ten of those were at even-strength. The big winger can contribute on the powerplay and penalty kill, and in Montreal could get an even bigger opportunity to show off his offensive skills. The Canadiens could be without both Paul Byron and Andrew Shaw to start the year, leaving ice time for other players like Armia to step into a brighter spotlight. A potential Max Pacioretty trade would only push the offensive burden even further down the lineup.

Whether Armia can handle an increased offensive role isn’t clear. Though he did perform well in Finland even as a junior-aged player in the highest league, he failed to post outstanding numbers in the minor leagues and has just 58 points in 180 NHL games. Luckily, Montreal isn’t paying him enough to demand huge offensive numbers, making a bottom-six role more than reasonable. There is obvious reward here if the 6’3″ forward can develop into a top-six option, but the risk is extremely minimal. Armia will also still be a restricted free agent at the end of the contract, keeping him under Montreal control for another year.

Arizona Coyotes Re-Sign Trevor Murphy

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Trevor Murphy has accepted his qualifying offer according to CapFriendly, meaning he’ll sign a one-year two-way contract with the Arizona Coyotes worth $715K at the NHL level. Murphy was a restricted free agent without arbitration rights, and had until July 15th to accept his qualifying offer.

Murphy, 22, came the Coyotes organization at the 2018 trade deadline and quickly made a bigger impact than he had in several years with the Nashville Predators. The undrafted defenseman made his NHL debut in March and ended up playing eight games for the Coyotes down the stretch. Recording three points in those games, Murphy showed off the quick puck moving and offensive skill that he’d exhibited in the first few seasons of his minor league professional career.

There are still holes in Murphy’s game and no one should expect him to step right into a full-time role with the Coyotes, but at the very least he should be an excellent piece for the Tucson Roadrunners in the AHL. His ability to quarterback a powerplay might not be needed in Arizona, but it will certainly be utilized by new minor league head coach Jay Varaday in Tucson.

Chase De Leo Signs With Anaheim Ducks

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CapFriendly is at it again, this time breaking the news that Chase De Leo has re-signed with the Anaheim Ducks. De Leo has agreed to a one-year two-way contract that will pay him just $650K at the NHL level. The 22-year old forward was acquired from the Winnipeg Jets just last month, in exchange for Nicolas Kerdiles.

De Leo was originally selected in the fourth round in 2014, but has proven himself to be an excellent minor league player with the Manitoba Moose. Scoring at least 32 points in each of the last three seasons, it was clear he wasn’t going to leapfrog over the glut of talented young forwards in the Winnipeg system, and would likely be a minor league player for much of his career. Things could potentially be a bit different in Anaheim, where they aren’t nearly as deep up front and especially at the center ice position.

Should the Ducks deal with injuries at the NHL level—something very possible when dealing with Ryan Kesler—there’s a chance that De Leo could get into a few games as a depth option. Unfortunately he is waiver eligible now, so even to be assigned to the minor leagues at the end of camp he’ll have to clear. That actually could hurt his chances of being an injury replacement depending on the circumstances, but we’ll have to wait to find out. Even if he doesn’t see the NHL this season, the San Diego Gulls will be happy to have him in the AHL.

Boo Nieves Re-Signs With New York Rangers

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The New York Rangers have retained Boo Nieves without a fight, as CapFriendly reports that the young forward accepted his qualifying offer and will sign a one-year two-way contract worth just over $708K in the NHL.

Nieves, 24, finally broke into the NHL this season and played 28 games for the Rangers throughout the year. The smooth skating center has size and speed on his side, but hasn’t ever really developed a scoring touch and will have to bring defensive reliability if he’s to carve out an NHL career. In the minor leagues, Nieves never registered more than eight goals in a season but did have some solid assist totals. That repeated itself in the NHL this season, where he scored just one goal but added eight assists in those 28 contests.

It will be interesting to see if he is given a chance this season with the Rangers, given that they already have plenty of NHL experience up front and top young prospects like Filip Chytil and Lias Andersson pressing for roles. Nieves is still waiver exempt for another season, but will qualify for Group VI unrestricted free agency next summer if he doesn’t see the NHL ice at least 51 more times this year. Obviously there’s no guarantee that he’d leave the organization, but if they want to keep him they may have to give him a chance.

Lucas Wallmark Re-Signs With Carolina

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The Carolina Hurricanes have locked up one of their top forward prospects, announcing a two-year deal for restricted free agent Lucas Wallmark. Wallmark’s contract is two-way next season before transitioning to a one-way deal in 2019-20. He is set to make the minimum $650K this year at the NHL level, with $100K guaranteed, and $700K the year after for a cap hit of $675K across both seasons.

Wallmark, 22, impressed with both Carolina and Charlotte last season. In the AHL, the young center registered 55 points in 45 games, leading the Checkers in both points and assists despite far fewer games played than many of his teammates. In fact, Wallmark had the highest points-per-game mark in the league among players with 10+ games played. He even managed to finish 13th in the AHL in assists with every player ahead of him having skated in at least 15 more games. Wallmark didn’t have the same success producing with the Hurricanes, managing only one point in 11 games, but displayed a strong two-way game and puck-handling skills. He plays a complete game that, if he can translate it to the top level, could make him a dangerous and affordable asset for the Hurricanes.

With Elias Lindholm and Derek Ryan both departing from Carolina this off-season, the time is now for Wallmark to win a full-time job down the middle for the Hurricanes. Victor Rask and Jordan Martinook are also options for the ’Canes, but are likely better suited for bottom-six roles. A strong camp could earn Wallmark that second-line role behind Jordan Staal. The wild card will be highly-touted 2017 first-round pick Martin Necas and how he looks early on. Armed with two full pro seasons, including 19 NHL games and terrific AHL numbers, Wallmark could have an edge but still needs to outperform Necas and overshadow the Czech pivot’s immense potential if the job comes down to the two of them.

Penguins Re-Sign Jamie Oleksiak

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The Pittsburgh Penguins had one arbitration hearing on the books this off-season and it can now be canceled. The team announced that they have agreed to terms on a new contract with defenseman Jamie Oleksiak. It is a three-year extension that carries a cap hit of approximately $2.14MM.

Oleksiak, 25, flourished in 2017-18 after a mid-season trade from the Dallas Stars. The 6’7″, 255-lb. bruiser had always been a difficulty to play against, but his offensive game developed nicely when he was given increased ice time and responsibility on the Pittsburgh blue line. In 47 regular season games with the Penguins, Oleksiak recorded 14 points; he had only managed to score 22 total points prior in 140 games with Dallas. He also took far more shots and carried the puck more often following the trade. Not only did this offensive uptick not come at the cost of defense, but Oleksiak actually improved his physical game with 138 hits with Pittsburgh – more than double his previous career high in any season with the Stars.

Oleksiak set career marks across the board with Pittsburgh and looked at home with his new team. Both sides are likely very happy with the term of this contract, while the salary is a nice bump for Oleksiak after six seasons coming in at under $1MM. The Penguins now have the bulk of their top six – Oleksiak, Kris Letang, Brian Dumoulin, Jack Johnson, and Olli Maatta – signed through 2020-21. The deal does move Pittsburgh ever closer to the cap though; the team is currently projected to enter the upcoming season with just $745K in space with their current 23-man roster. The Penguins likely aren’t done making moves this off-season.

Coaching Notes: Cronin, Rallo, Lalonde

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Greg Cronin will be the new head coach of the Colorado Eagles as they move from the ECHL to the AHL for the 2018-19 season. Cronin had served with the New York Islanders for the past four seasons, first as an assistant coach and then as an associate with Doug Weight last season. With Barry Trotz coming in and bringing in a new group, Cronin will head to the AHL where the Eagles are trying to follow up incredible ECHL success with a bang in their first year of AHL contention.

Under Aaron Schneekloth—who will remain with the team as an assistant coach—the Eagles have won two consecutive Kelly Cups in the ECHL. They’ll be trying for the Calder this year, but Schneekloth, assistant Ryan Tobler and goaltending coach Ryan Bach will still be there for the journey under Cronin’s leadership. It is experienced leadership, as Cronin has many years of experience in the NHL as well as time spent as a head coach in both the AHL and NCAA.

  • Greg Rallo won’t have to wait long for his next career to begin, as the 36-year old has been named an assistant coach with the Milwaukee Admirals. Rallo only finished his playing career recently, suiting up for 29 games with the Texas Stars in the 2017-18 season. He’ll join head coach Karl Taylor—who was an assistant coach with Texas while Rallo played there—as part of a new staff with the Nashville Predators’ AHL affiliate.
  • The Tampa Bay Lightning have nabbed a coach from the Minnesota Wild organization, hiring Derek Lalonde as an NHL assistant coach for next season. Lalonde had been the head coach of the Iowa Wild in the AHL for the last two years, and is on a fast track to being an NHL head coach one day. He’s flown quickly through head coaching roles in the USHL, ECHL and AHL with winning records at all stops, and will now join a staff in Tampa Bay that is expected to compete for the Stanley Cup. Lalonde was hired to coach the Green Bay Gamblers just a year after now-Lightning head coach Jon Cooper left that organization following a championship season, only to bring the USHL team another championship in 2012.

New York Rangers Re-Sign Cody McLeod

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The New York Rangers have decided that the added leadership and toughness that Cody McLeod provided down the stretch last season is worth another go, and have signed the veteran forward to a one-year contract. No financial details have been released yet.

McLeod, 34, has played 738 regular season games in the NHL including 25 for the Rangers last season. The team claimed him off waivers from the Nashville Predators and played him regularly down the stretch. While New York is trying to become younger and quicker, McLeod should provide at least some level of professional accountability to the inexperienced prospects as they try to develop on the fly. He also gives the team a physical presence in the bottom six and a (perhaps only perceived) measure of protection against unwanted attacks on the team’s more skilled players.

What he doesn’t offer, is any measure of offensive production. McLeod has just 126 points in his long career, and registered just four of those last season in 48 games. He’s a brutal possession player, but won’t be asked to play the puck much during his stay in New York. Instead, he’ll likely be a part-time player that is only asked to hit the ice for 7-9 minutes a game whenever he does dress.

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