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Archives for September 2018

Carolina Hurricanes Name Justin Williams Captain

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The Carolina Hurricanes have named a captain for the upcoming season, doing away with the “co-captain” they had last season. This time around, Justin Williams will wear the “C” on his sweater, with Justin Faulk and Jordan Staal serving as alternates.

Williams, 36, was the player many expected to take on the role this season after the Hurricanes struggled again last year. The veteran forward has never worn a “C” before in his professional career, but has a ton of experience in the league and can help his young teammates try to find a winning culture. A three-time Stanley Cup champion—including 2006 with the Hurricanes—and outstanding playoff performer, Williams actually finished third on the team in scoring last season despite his advanced age. Registering 51 points in 82 games, he finished ahead of other key forwards like Staal, Elias Lindholm and Jeff Skinner. The latter two have been traded since then and while Staal remains with the team he’s struggled to keep up with the “first line center” moniker that had been placed upon him.

New head coach Rod Brind’Amour, who was Williams’ teammate and captain during that 2006 Cup run, has a huge task in front of him to motivate this group enough to get back into the playoffs. The team has missed the postseason tournament for the past nine seasons, and worked their way through three coaches during that time. The Metropolitan Division will be a meat grinder again this season, and if the Hurricanes are to compete they’ll need to take a substantial step forward.

Erik Karlsson Traded To San Jose Sharks

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The San Jose Sharks missed out on several of their trade targets this offseason, but will come out with arguably the best available player. Ottawa Senators captain and superstar defenseman Erik Karlsson has been traded to the Sharks. In exchange the Senators will receive a 2020 first-round pick, a 2019 second-round pick, Chris Tierney, Josh Norris, Rudolfs Balcers and Dylan DeMelo. The Senators will also receive a 2021 second-round pick if Karlsson re-signs with the Sharks and an additional first-round pick no later than 2022 if the Sharks trade Karlsson back to an Eastern Conference team. That 2021 second would also upgrade to a first if San Jose reaches the Stanley Cup Final next season. Francis Perron will also be going to the Sharks with Karlsson.

After months of speculation and rumor, the Senators have finally moved Karlsson to the highest bidder. The deal does not come with a pre-arranged contract extension, but will avoid the distraction of Karlsson suiting up for the first on-ice session of training camp tomorrow. The 28-year old defenseman did however finally address the media, and made it clear that he and his family will be living in Ottawa for the rest of his life despite the trade. Karlsson explained that he had at one point believed that he would spend his entire career in Ottawa, and was fighting back tears as he said goodbye to the room full of media.

For San Jose, the acquisition of Karlsson immediately jumps their defense group to one of the best in the NHL. Already loaded with talent like Brent Burns and Marc-Edouard Vlasic, the team can now match just about any line in the league with a pair of defenders capable of driving play. That’s very important in the Pacific Division, where several teams were all competing for playoff spots without any real standout contenders. The Sharks have now become that expected favorite for the division, and should rival the Nashville Predators and Winnipeg Jets in the Western Conference. That’s assuming that Karlsson can quickly become assimilated into the group and is fully recovered from the ankle injury that derailed the first part of the 2017-18 season.

In a league where good right-handed defensemen are rare, Karlsson and Burns are arguably—along with Drew Doughty—two of the top three options in the NHL. At both even-strength and on the powerplay, the Sharks should be incredibly dangerous and haven’t given up a ton from their current roster.

Tierney, 24, is the biggest NHL piece and should help a Senators forward group that is expected to struggle offensively. Last season playing down in the lineup, Tierney recorded 17 goals and 40 points and just started to show what he was capable of. The two-way center was selected 55th-overall in 2012, and hadn’t cracked 15 goals or 30 points in his previous seasons. In Ottawa, there is a good chance that he could be given a much bigger opportunity—especially given the news that Jean-Gabriel Pageau could miss significant time—and take on some real responsibility in the top six.

DeMelo too should see increased playing time in Ottawa after his solid 2017-18 season in San Jose. Exposed to the expansion draft but passed over by the Vegas Golden Knights, he played in a career high 63 games with the Sharks and recorded 20 points in limited minutes. That total would have been good for third on the Senators last year behind only Karlsson and Thomas Chabot, meaning there’s a very real chance that DeMelo sees powerplay time and a big jump in ice time. Whether he can parlay that into improved production is unclear, especially when moving to an Atlantic Division that has some of the league’s best forward lines.

Though Tierney and DeMelo will likely both play significant roles on the Senators this season, it is in Norris and Balcers that the trade value really lies. The former was selected in the first round in 2017 and had a very good freshman season at the University of Michigan, while the latter turned in an outstanding rookie year in the AHL and could potentially make the jump to the NHL right away. Balcers scored 48 points in 67 games for the San Jose Barracuda, proving that he is worth much more than the fifth-round selection the Sharks used to get him in 2015.

Norris isn’t currently signed and poses some risk as a collegiate prospect, but given that he is best friends with new Senators prospect Brady Tkachuk and still only entering his sophomore season there’s still little doubt that he will eventually be signed to his entry-level deal. His development will be an absolute key to this trade providing much value for the Senators, as some have projected Norris as a legitimate two-way force at center ice.

While the Senators did get some real value, it’s hard to not be ecstatic if you are a fan of the San Jose Sharks. The team has added one of the very best players in the entire world and can now legitimately say they are a Stanley Cup contender going into 2018-19. Getting Karlsson signed to a contract extension is a real must given that they’ve almost completely rid themselves of high draft picks the next few seasons—the team still owes the Buffalo Sabres their 2019 first for re-signing Evander Kane—but at this point GM Doug Wilson has decided to “go for it” while Burns, Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski are still capable players.

One important thing to note following this trade is the position of the Colorado Avalanche, who own the Senators first-round pick for this season. With Karlsson gone and Mark Stone and Matt Duchene possibly following at some point, many are expecting the Senators to end the season near the very bottom of the standings. The Senators recently decided to keep their 2018 fourth overall pick and select Tkachuk instead of handing it to the Avalanche, and could potentially end up giving up the top selection next June. That still is to be determined given that even last place in the league has less than an 20% chance at selecting first with the current odds of the draft lottery, but Avalanche fans can look forward to another top prospect entering the organization before long.

Oliver Ekman-Larsson Named Arizona Coyotes Captain

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Though it had been expected since the day he signed his long-term extension with the team, Oliver Ekman-Larsson will finally have a new letter sewn onto his sweater this season. The Arizona Coyotes have officially named their star defenseman team captain, becoming just the fourth player to hold the honor since the franchise moved from Winnipeg. Keith Tkachuk, Teppo Numminen and Shane Doan now have company in the exclusive group. Coyotes GM John Chayka released a statement about his new captain:

Oliver is a tremendous player and person. On the ice, he leads by example and is one of the game’s premier defensemen. Off the ice, he is greatly admired and respected by his teammates, coaches and training staff and is also one of our most active players in the community. He is loyal, the consummate professional and a fierce competitor and I’m confident that he’ll be an excellent captain for the Coyotes for many years to come.

Ekman-Larsson will move into the role just as the Coyotes start to believe they can compete for a playoff spot, with an exciting young core headlined by star rookie Clayton Keller. Though now 27, the Swedish defenseman will be in Arizona for quite some time after signing an eight-year extension this offseason. That sort of stability is huge for a leadership role of this magnitude, and deserved by a player who has found success even while the team struggled at the bottom of the standings.

Scoring 14 goals in 2017-18 wasn’t a surprise for Ekman-Larsson, who is regularly near the top of the leaderboard in scoring among NHL defensemen and has posted five straight double digit goal seasons. His career high came in 2014-15 when he scored 23, and he already sits just six goals behind Numminen for the franchise lead. The biggest test now for Ekman-Larsson will be getting the Coyotes back to the playoffs, something he hasn’t experienced since his first full season in the league.

Victor Rask Out Indefinitely After Hand Surgery

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If the Carolina Hurricanes plan on contending in the Metropolitan Division this season, they aren’t off to a very good start. The team announced today that Victor Rask is out indefinitely following surgery on his right hand. The injury was sustained “while slicing food in his kitchen.”

Rask, 25, is a very important player for the Hurricanes this season after they traded away Elias Lindholm and Jeff Skinner while failing to bring in any additional center help. Selected in the second round seven years ago, Rask reached a career high in 2015-16 with 21 goals and 48 points but has taken steps backwards ever since. While the Hurricanes have other young players like Andrei Svechnikov and Martin Necas ready to make an impact up front, this is already a big hit to their offensive group.

There’s no clear timetable for Rask, but with camp starting and the regular season just a few weeks away there is cause for concern in Carolina. The new coaching and management group will have more than just this injury to deal with this season, but it’s an unfortunate way to start things off. The team has struggled to compete for the playoffs for several years, and with an unproven tandem in net and now more uncertainty up front we’ll have to wait and see just what head coach Rod Brind’Amour can pull off early in the year.

Tyler Seguin Signs Extension With Dallas Stars

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The Dallas Stars have signed superstar center Tyler Seguin to an eight-year contract extension that will carry an average annual value of $9.85MM. Seguin was headed into his final year under contract and scheduled for unrestricted free agency next summer, but will now remain with the Stars through the 2026-27 season. The contract is heavily front-loaded, and also contains a no-movement clause that will also cover the upcoming season. The full breakdown:

  • 2019-20: $13.5MM
  • 2020-21: $9.0MM
  • 2021-22: $13.0MM
  • 2022-23: $13.0MM
  • 2023-24: $8.45MM
  • 2024-25: $8.0MM
  • 2025-26: $7.1MM
  • 2026-27: $6.75MM

Seguin, 26, has established himself as one of the very best players in the league in recent seasons, and took that to a whole new level in 2017-18. Along with an improved defensive game, Seguin tallied a career high 40 goals and broke 70 points for the fifth consecutive season. While the Stars disappointed and didn’t make the playoffs, Seguin and linemate Jamie Benn were still devastating in all situations and are the core of a team that should rebound this season. This deal likely means that Seguin will play out the rest of his career in Dallas, but is still in his prime and should be a Hart Trophy candidate going forward.

The fact that the Stars got him locked up for under $10MM per season is a testament to how much Seguin truly wanted to stay in Dallas. Though he was clear in his disappointment earlier this summer, he never did waver from the fact that he would like to stay with the organization moving forward and was hoping something would get done. Easily compared to John Tavares who reached unrestricted free agency this year and has had a similar career path, Seguin likely could have made close to (or even more than) the $88MM contract handed out by the Toronto Maple Leafs just a few months ago.

Dallas now has more than $55MM committed to just 13 players for the 2019-20 season, but with Benn, Seguin, Alexander Radulov, John Klingberg and Ben Bishop locked up can feel happy with their core moving forward. Jason Spezza’s $7.5MM cap hit will come off the books in less than a year, giving them more flexibility moving forward to lock up their other young talents.

Though long-term deals always come with some risk, the Stars have done well to limit it in this contract. The salary cap will likely increase at least somewhat in the next few seasons, and by the time Seguin starts to experience a decline in performance the actual salary left on the deal will have started to decline appropriately. For now, they have locked up a top talent for considerably less than he would have received on the open market and set their franchise up for success.

This deal continues a trend of 2019 UFAs signing long-term extensions, and takes another one of the potential superstars off the market. Seguin, Max Pacioretty, Ryan Ellis, Ryan McDonagh, Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Drew Doughty were all scheduled to hit unrestricted free agency next summer but have instead signed lengthy deals to stay with their (sometimes new) teams. Teams hoping to get their hands on the remaining players may have to pay up quickly or risk them being unavailable for years to come.

Dallas Stars Sign Ben Gleason To Entry-Level Contract

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Dallas Stars fans may be waiting on a very different piece of news, but for the meantime they’ll have to deal with another new prospect. Defenseman Ben Gleason has signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Stars after standing out at the recent prospect tournament. Gleason is an undrafted free agent who spent last season with the Hamilton Bulldogs of the OHL.

Gleason, 20, was a huge part of the OHL Champion Bulldogs this season, leading their defense corps in scoring with 48 points in 63 games and adding another 18 in the playoffs. His five points also led the entire Bulldogs team in the Memorial Cup, and put him behind only Josh Mahura and Noah Dobson among defensemen in the short tournament. Though there are a lack of standout skills for Gleason, he moves the puck quickly and efficiently and has experience logging big minutes in junior. That should help him transition to the professional ranks for the Texas Stars, where he’ll try to prove that teams overlooked him in the draft.

He was actually ranked 58th among North American skaters in 2016, his first eligible draft year, but never did see his name up on the board. That’s likely because of his size—or lack thereof—which still limits him today. The Stars obviously saw enough to give him a professional contract, and hope he can be the next great undrafted player to make it all the way to the NHL.

Erik Karlsson Trade Watch Continues

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After a report yesterday that things were getting closer to a resolution on the Erik Karlsson situation in Ottawa, we have another hockey insider saying trade talks are picking up on the Senators captain. Bob McKenzie of TSN tweets that there has been a “decided increase” in trade talks over the last day or two, and adds that he believes the Western Conference is still the likely destination.

The Dallas Stars and Vegas Golden Knights have both been connected to Karlsson in the past, though there was some doubt in Dallas’ ongoing involvement yesterday. Beyond the Golden Knights there are countless teams that could use a player of Karlsson’s stature, though at this point it is hard to predict who would step up and hand over the immense package that the Senators are looking for. A team like the Edmonton Oilers would obviously love to have a star right-handed defenseman like Karlsson come in, but given their current cap situation it’s not surprising that they haven’t yet been publicly linked. That issue isn’t unique to the Oilers though, as Karlsson carries a substantial $6.5MM cap hit for this season and is likely looking for somewhere around $11MM on a long-term extension.

Karlsson for his part did show up at the Senators golf tournament yesterday and though he still avoided speaking to media, is expected to take part in all of training camp if a trade is not finalized. The Senators are taking medicals this morning and will start the on-ice portion tomorrow—though, as of this writing Karlsson still has not checked in. McKenzie notes that the the “obvious goal” is to try and get something done before those on-ice sessions begin.

Early Notes: Lehner, Matthews, Nylander

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Last season went down as the worst statistical season Robin Lehner had during his time as a Buffalo Sabres goaltender, registering just a .908 save percentage while putting together a 14-26-9 record. His struggles weren’t just localized in the crease though, as the 27-year old explained in an incredibly open and honest piece for The Athletic today. Lehner revealed struggles with mental health and alcoholism that he has dealt with for some time, and only just started getting help for.

Though his departure from the Sabres at the end of the year may have been surprising given the team invested a first-round pick in him a few years earlier when they acquired him from the Ottawa Senators, Lehner explains it was anything but contentious. Sabres GM Jason Botterill has apparently stayed in touch with Lehner all offseason to make sure things were trending in the right direction for him, and the New York Islanders have embraced him as part of their squad for this season.

  • Auston Matthews doesn’t have a long-term extension with the Toronto Maple Leafs yet, but that doesn’t mean he’s not committed to being with the team for a long time. Newcomer John Tavares confirmed as much in an interview alongside Matthews, telling Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman that the young forward’s commitment was part of the selling process on Toronto. The two star centers seem comfortable with each other already and easily deflected any questions about the Maple Leafs captaincy going forward.
  • Matthews’ teammate William Nylander on the other hand is still not under contract and won’t be at the start of training camp as he continues his negotiations. Head coach Mike Babcock and GM Kyle Dubas both downplayed the situation by indicating that there are many players who go through this process around the league, but wouldn’t give an update as to when the Maple Leafs can expect Nylander on the ice. The young forward is looking for a long-term contract to secure his future in Toronto but there have been reports of a substantial gap between the two sides.

Snapshots: Gaborik, Ritchie, Pavelski

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Senators winger Marian Gaborik was widely expected to be bought out this summer but he wasn’t in June during the buyout window nor was he released during the post-arbitration window either.  GM Pierre Dorion told reporters, including Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch, that the veteran has not yet received medical clearance after undergoing surgery to repair a herniated disc late last season.  He’s not expected to be with the team at the start of training camp as he is currently in Los Angeles visiting with a back specialist.  Dorion even acknowledged that there’s a chance that he may not play at all in 2018-19 which means the majority of his $4.875MM salary would be covered by insurance.

Elsewhere around the league:

  • Ducks winger Nick Ritchie has somewhat flown under the radar compared to some of the more notable remaining restricted free agents. In an interview on Sportsnet 650 (audio link), Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that it has been a “tough negotiation” between him and Anaheim thus far.  Ritchie was the tenth overall pick back in 2014 but has yet to make a significant impact offensively.  Last season, he had just 10 goals and 17 assists in 76 games while averaging just over 13 minutes of playing time per night.  Unlike some of the more prominent remaining RFAs, the 22-year-old is almost certainly heading for a bridge contract.
  • The Sharks have had discussions regarding a potential contract extension with center Joe Pavelski, GM Doug Wilson told Kevin Kurz of The Athletic (subscription required). The 34-year-old has seen his point production drop in each of the last two years but he still put up a solid 66 points (22-44-66) in 82 games last season.  Pavelski has also been quite durable, missing just one game over the last five years which should help bolster his case for a new deal.   He’s slated to earn $6MM in 2018-19 and should be in line for a small raise on his next contract.

2018-19 Season Primer: Pittsburgh Penguins

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With the NHL season now less than a month away, it’s time to look at what each team has done this summer and what to watch for in the year to come. Today, we focus on the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Last Season: 47-29-6 record (100 points), second in the Metropolitan Division (lost to Washington in the second round of the playoffs, beat Philadelphia in the first round)

Remaining Cap Space: $1.02MM per CapFriendly

Key Additions: F Matt Cullen (free agent, Minnesota), F Derek Grant (free agent, Anaheim), F Jimmy Hayes (free agent, New Jersey), D Jack Johnson (free agent, Columbus)

Key Departures: D Matt Hunwick (trade with Buffalo), F Tom Kuhnhackl (free agent, NY Islanders), F Carter Rowney (free agent, Anaheim), F Conor Sheary (trade with Buffalo)

[Related: Penguins Depth Chart From Roster Resource]

Player To Watch: F Derick Brassard – In an effort to strengthen their depth down the middle leading up to the deadline, Pittsburgh swung a three-way trade to bring Brassard in.  In doing so, they gave themselves a legitimate top-six center on the third line which they hoped would really bolster their attack.  Unfortunately for them, that didn’t go as planned as Brassard struggled with his reduced role.

There is certainly cause for optimism to think that a full training camp and regular season would help in this regard but they do have another option that they’re going to try, moving him to the wing.  Doing so would allow him to play in the top six like he has been accustomed to.

Teams are certainly going to be keeping close tabs on him as Brassard is slated to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.  If he fares well on the wing, the extra versatility will certainly strengthen his case on the open market and he’ll give the Penguins another prominent offensive weapon.

On the flip side, if he struggles, he could conceivably become a trade candidate by the deadline as salary cap space will once again be at a premium.  GM Jim Rutherford likes to try to make a big addition each season and if Brassard isn’t getting the job done, it’s certainly possible that he’d be part of a return going the other way or flipped to create the cap space to make that addition.  Suffice it to say, there’s a lot at stake for Brassard heading into 2018-19.

Key Storyline: For the last few years, Pittsburgh has been tweaking their defense corps but now, with all of their top-six options locked up for at least two seasons (five of them for three or more), there is now the potential for a bit more stability at that position.

The addition of Johnson and extension for Jamie Oleksiak gives them a third pairing that can log more ice time than a typical number three unit if need be which should allow them to scale back minutes for someone like Kris Letang if they so desire.  It also gives them a bit more insurance in case of injuries.

While their offense justifiably gets most of the attention, the back end has had some incremental improvements.  However, it still remains a question mark.  Is this group good enough to get the job done or will Rutherford need to continue to make changes?

Overall Outlook: The Penguins have been contenders for quite a while now and they should be one once again with the majority of their roster from last year returning for another season.  The Metropolitan Division projects to be quite tight once again so they may not walk away with first place but they’ll undoubtedly be in the mix once the postseason arrives.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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