2018 has been quite a busy year in the hockey world. There have been several big trades and free agent signings, plenty of changes behind the bench, and much more. Over the coming days, PHR will take a look back at the top stories from around the game on a month-by-month basis. Next up is a look back at March, a much quieter month around the league with the trade deadline having passed.
Surgery For Hanzal: Martin Hanzal’s first season in Dallas was nothing short of a disaster. He had frequent minor injuries and when he was healthy, he wasn’t productive. Things came to a head after he underwent spinal fusion surgery, ending his season prematurely. The initial timeline was a six-to-seven month recovery but it ultimately kept him out until earlier this month. Unfortunately for him and the Stars, the 31-year-old appears to be dealing with another back injury once again.
MacLellan Extension: Just days after the trade deadline, the Capitals announced that they had given GM Brian MacLellan a multi-year contract extension. The reward was well-deserved after he reshaped the team and had the team in contention at the time despite losing several core veterans from the previous season due to salary cap reasons. The move looks even better now after Washington went on to win the Stanley Cup back in June. Some eyebrows were raised when Barry Trotz didn’t receive an extension at the same time and we all know how that ultimately turned out.
One More Year For Chara: Just days after he turned 41, Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara decided that he wasn’t finished with the NHL just yet. He inked a one-year, $5MM extension, a salary that actually represented a $1MM raise on his salary from the 2017-18 season. The contract also carries $1.75MM of performance bonuses, $1.25MM of which have already been achieved (he can also earn $250K if Boston makes the playoffs and another $250K if he wins the Stanley Cup). The veteran has missed the last six weeks with a knee issue but prior to getting injured, he was still logging over 21 minutes a night and providing a steadying presence on Boston’s back end.
Francis Out As GM: It didn’t take too long for new Hurricanes owner to start making changes as Ron Francis was relieved of his duties as Carolina’s GM and ‘promoted’ to President of Hockey Operations. This started a bizarre and highly public search for a replacement before candidates started withdrawing from consideration as the month progressed. Dundon ultimately decided to take a step back from the process which didn’t wind up resolving itself until May.
Four Years For Nutivaara: Blue Jackets defenseman Markus Nutivaara had a nice breakout year in his second NHL season and was rewarded for his efforts, signing a four-year, $10.8MM extension. The 24-year-old is still playing a third pairing role most nights in Columbus but showed himself to be capable of moving up when injuries struck and is currently on pace for a new career high points as well as ice time per game.
On top of these, there was a frenzy of college players signing including drafted prospects putting pen to paper to burn the first year of their entry-level contract right away. Notable players in this situation included Henrik Borgstrom (FLA), Ryan Donato (BOS), Adam Gaudette (VAN), Jordan Greenway (MIN), Casey Mittelstadt (BUF), Dylan Sikura (CHI), and Troy Terry (ANA).
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.