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Latest On Jeff Skinner Extension Discussions

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While extension discussions have been going on throughout the season, there still isn’t a new deal in place between the Sabres and winger Jeff Skinner.  In an appearance on Sportsnet 590 (audio link), Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman noted that the issue right now appears to be the term of the deal that the 26-year old is seeking.

The pending UFA got off to a torrid start to the season but has slowed down considerably since then and has just six goals over his last 25 games.  However, he still has a good chance to reach the 40-goal mark for the first time in his career which would position him to be potentially the top scorer to hit the open market.  (San Jose’s Joe Pavelski is also in the mix for the goal-scoring lead among potential free agents.)

Meanwhile, TSN’s Bob McKenzie weighed in on the financial side of talks while appearing on TSN 690 (audio link).  He suggested that the asking price could be in the $9MM per year range which would represent a significant jump on his current AAV of $5.725MM.

However, despite how well Skinner has played alongside Jack Eichel, that type of financial commitment carries considerable risk given that there’s a chance he won’t even reach the 70-point mark; he’s at 58 through 70 games while his career high is 63.  That’s a lot to commit for someone that doesn’t have a lengthy track record of being an elite scorer.

With that in mind, McKenzie believes Buffalo is looking for something closer to $8MM per season.  That would still be a big jump but would put him a level below the recent deal that Mark Stone signed with Vegas (eight years, $9.5MM AAV) and would give them a little bit more cap flexibility with Eichel ($10MM) already on the books and a potentially big deal for rookie blueliner Rasmus Dahlin on the horizon in two years.

By all accounts, there doesn’t appear to be any animosity between the two sides as the discussions have been held close to the vest.  However, the longer Skinner goes without a deal, the temptation to wait a little longer to see what’s out there on the open market has to increase.  Accordingly, expect this to remain at or near the top of GM Jason Botterill’s to-do list over the next few months.

Extension Negotiations Expected For Jeff Blashill

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The Detroit Red Wings haven’t found a ton of success this season, but they’re not blaming the coaching staff. The rebuilding team is expected to begin extension negotiations with head coach Jeff Blashill at some point according to Bob McKenzie of TSN, as the front office is happy with the job he has done during the rebuilding year.

Blashill took over the Red Wings for the 2015-16 after former head coach Mike Babcock left for the Toronto Maple Leafs, and took them to a playoff appearance in his first year. After being eliminated in the first round in 2016, the team has now missed for three straight seasons while saying goodbye to franchise icons like Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg. With those legendary forwards out of the picture this season, the team has turned to a youth movement led by 22-year old Dylan Larkin. Larkin has taken over as the face of the Detroit franchise and is in the midst of a career season at both ends of the rink. His 62 points in 65 games easily leads the club, with second place Gustav Nyquist sold off at the trade deadline.

In fact, the Red Wings were active once again at the deadline as they look towards the future. Nyquist and Nick Jensen were both flipped for substantial assets, giving the Red Wings a loaded basket of draft picks and young players to build around. Blashill will be credited for getting the best out of Larkin, Andreas Athanasiou, Anthony Mantha and Tyler Bertuzzi, and will be tasked with the same shepherding of prospects like Michael Rasmussen, Filip Zadina and eventually Joe Veleno.

That’s not to say there hasn’t been bumps along the road. The Red Wings currently sit 30th in the league and have gone 1-9-3 in their last 13 games. While that may give them a better chance at the draft lottery next month, it certainly doesn’t inspire much confidence in this group for next season. While Blashill may be credited with getting the best out of his young players in losing seasons, there will come a point where he must get some success in the standings as well.

CapFriendly lists Blashill as earning just $800K this season, the final of a four-year deal he signed in the summer of 2015. While he’ll likely get a raise from that if the Red Wings do reach an extension, it will be interesting to see just how long of a leash they give him this time around.

West Notes: Kesler, Mitchell, Canucks

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The Anaheim Ducks are well out of the playoff race in the Western Conference, meaning they don’t need to rush players back from injury for the last bit of the season. That could mean that Ryan Kesler’s year is finished after 60 games, given his chronic hip pain and absence recently. GM Bob Murray told Elliott Teaford of the Orange County Register that he doesn’t know if Kesler will play again this season, and that if Kesler were willing to shut down for the year and start the recovery process it “would be fine.”

The veteran center broke the 1000-game threshold just this month, but is a shadow of his former self and has just eight points on the season. The 34-year old has three more years on his contract but seems like a candidate for long-term injured reserve at some point in the future, if his hip injury doesn’t improve.

  • The Chicago Blackhawks have their eye on second round pick Ian Mitchell as he progresses at the University of Denver, and Scott Powers of The Athletic (subscription required) caught up with the young defenseman to get a read on whether he would be willing to sign after this season. Mitchell wouldn’t commit to anything, but explained that a recent rumor of him not wanting to sign in Chicago wasn’t true. “I want to play for the Blackhawks as soon as I can,” Mitchell told Powers, though he is still focused on taking Denver as far as they can go this year.
  • Speaking of the college market, the Vancouver Canucks are still eyeing potential NCAA defensemen even after inking Quinn Hughes and Josh Teves over the last few days. That’s what GM Jim Benning told Ben Kuzma of The Province yesterday, explaining that they would like to sign one more defenseman out of the college ranks. It’s not clear who they have their eye on, but with names like Jimmy Schuldt still to sign there is plenty of talent to recruit over the next few days and weeks. The Canucks have a great example to point to during that recruitment process, as Troy Stetcher has found great success with the team since signing out of the University of North Dakota in 2016.

Erik Brannstrom To Make NHL Debut

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Friday: After one game, Brannstrom has been returned to the AHL. The young defenseman played just over 17 minutes for the Senators in a 2-0 win over the Blues, including being on the ice for the game-clinching empty net goal. He did not record a point or even a shot on goal in the effort, but impressed with a few stretch passes and poise with the puck.

The Belleville Senators play at home tonight and will have Brannstrom in the lineup. Both Ottawa and Belleville have games at home on Saturday.

Thursday: The Ottawa Senators aren’t going to wait until next season to show off what they received for Mark Stone. Prospect Erik Brannstrom will be recalled today and make his NHL debut against the St. Louis Blues this evening. The move comes after Thomas Chabot was listed as week-to-week with a broken toe.

Brannstrom, 19, was acquired from the Vegas Golden Knights at the deadline as the major piece coming back for Stone. The 15th-overall selection in 2017 had found great success in his first season in North America, racking up 28 points in 41 games for the Chicago Wolves of the AHL. Now after just five games (and one point) for the Belleville Senators, he’ll get a chance to show what he can do at the NHL level. The smooth skating defenseman is one of the most dynamic players in the minor leagues with the puck on his stick, able to carry it through the neutral zone with ease and create chances for himself and teammates. There are questions about his overall ability away from the puck, but with such a huge offensive ceiling still great hopes for his eventual impact at the highest level.

Interestingly, the Senators will have a few decisions to make down the stretch. The team has 12 games remaining in the regular season, meaning Brannstrom could potentially cross a pair of thresholds if he plays out the year in the NHL. First would be playing a tenth game, which would burn a year off his current entry-level contract. The 19-year old is still young enough to see his deal slide forward if he plays in nine or fewer matches. The other consideration would be making him eligible for the 2021 expansion draft and forcing the Senators to use one of their protection slots on him. Brannstrom is currently projected to be exempt from the draft, though that would change if he plays out the rest of the season.

Likely the Senators will just give him a taste of the NHL and then return him to Belleville for a shot at the Calder Cup. The AHL Senators are battling for a playoff spot and could use the talented defenseman’s help if they’re going to make any noise in the postseason.

Prospect Notes: Boka, Texier, Rasanen

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According to Mark Divver of the Providence Journal, the Iowa Wild have signed Nick Boka to an amateur tryout after his college season came to an end recently, a move that will get him into the organization quickly. Boka still does not have an NHL contract, meaning he would potentially become an unrestricted free agent this August if he can’t come to terms with Minnesota.

A sixth-round pick in 2015, Boka spent four years at the University of Michigan where he amassed 30 points in 147 games. The 21-year old defenseman is a good player in his own end but has never shown a ton of offensive upside, which may limit his potential at the professional level. Still, he’ll get a chance to show the Minnesota brass what he can do down the stretch.

  • As expected, Alexandre Texier has joined the Cleveland Monsters after finishing his season in Finland. Texier will likely get into the lineup either tonight or tomorrow for the Monsters. The 19-year old forward was second among all U20 players in scoring this season in the top Finnish league with 41 points in 55 games and easily led his club. Coming over to North America was the next step in his development track, one which has him speeding towards a Blue Jackets debut in the near future, perhaps even next season.
  • After a recent report surfaced that Eemeli Rasanen had been allowed out of his KHL contract in order to join the Toronto Maple Leafs organization, the AHL Marlies announced a professional tryout with the young defenseman today. Rasanen—and fellow PTO Joseph Duszak—will help the Marlies immensely at this point in the season given how thin their blue line has been stretched due to injury at both the NHL and AHL levels. The 20-year old defenseman was selected 59th overall in 2017 out of the OHL, but continued his development overseas this year.

New York Rangers Sign Jake Elmer

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Friday: The Rangers have announced that they have agreed to terms with Elmer on an entry-level contract.

Thursday: The New York Rangers are “closing in” on an interesting junior player, reports TSN’s Bob McKenzie. The Rangers are expected to sign forward Jake Elmer of the WHL’s Lethbridge Hurricanes to an entry-level contract. The New York Post’s Larry Brooks adds that it will be a three-year deal beginning next season. Elmer has 38 goals and 78 points in 66 games this season.

While it has been a breakout season for Elmer, it hasn’t always been so easy for the 20-year-old winger. Elmer struggled to stick in the WHL early on, playing just 20 games over two seasons with the Regina Pats while spending more time in the junior-A AJHL. A trade moved him to the Kootenay Ice ahead of the 2016-17 season where he finally found consistent play time, but still lacking production. A second deal sent him to Lethbridge last year, where he has finally grown into a consistent scorer. However, after recording just 37 points last season, no one could have predicted that he would more than double that total this year. Playing next to presumptive 2019 top-ten pick Dylan Cozens, Elmer’s game has taken on a whole new level, as he leads the Hurricanes in goals and is third in points.

Yet, Elmer is still a player with a chip on his shoulder. He will undoubtedly again face doubts as he enters the pro level, but the hard-working right wing has defied expectations to this point and will look to continue that trend. Elmer is highly likely to spend time in the minors with the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack, but there is certainly an avenue for him to see action in New York sooner rather than later. Currently, Jesper Fast is the only right-handed winger on the Rangers’ roster and none of the right-shot wings in the pipeline were drafted any higher than the fifth round besides 25-year-old Steven Fogarty. There’s an argument to be made that upon signing his ELC, Elmer will immediately become the Rangers’ top right wing prospect with the only real competition coming from another undrafted free agent, Ville Meskanen. It’s a great fit for Elmer and New York can only hope that the available opportunity only further advances his competitive nature and the upward trajectory of his development.

Columbus Blue Jackets Sign Trey Fix-Wolansky

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed another one of their 2018 draft class, this time inking Trey Fix-Wolansky to a three-year entry-level contract. Fix-Wolansky is currently playing for the Edmonton Oil Kings of the WHL, where he will remain for a playoff run.

Fix-Wolansky, 19, was selected with the 204th overall pick last June but has proven once again that he can be a difference maker at the junior level. Undrafted in his first year of eligibility, the diminutive forward recorded 89 points in 2017-18 for the Oil Kings and caught the eye of the Blue Jackets. This season has been even better, with Fix-Wolansky recording 101 points in 63 games—42 more than his nearest teammate—and battling for the title of league scoring leader.

The 5’7″ winger has some incredible hands and can pull off dazzling moves while skating at full speed, but is also willing to battle for the puck in the more physical areas. That willingness will have to come with him to the next level in 2019-20, when he is expected to make the jump to professional hockey. There are obviously still some roadblocks on the way, but seventh round picks often don’t even earn themselves NHL contracts. Fix-Wolansky is out to prove he’s more than just a junior talent and can compete at the next level.

Filip Zadina Sent Back To AHL

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The Detroit Red Wings were true to their word today, sending Filip Zadina back to the minor leagues after his nine-game stint in the NHL. Zadina would have burned a year of his entry-level contract by playing in an additional game, and could have become eligible for the 2021 expansion draft if he stayed any longer than that. Instead, he’ll rejoin the Grand Rapids Griffins for the end of the season.

Zadina recorded one goal and three points during his short time in the NHL, and will likely be back there to start the 2019-20 season. It’s been an odd year to say the least for the top prospect, who struggled at first in the AHL and couldn’t find his rhythm at the World Junior tournament that he had previously dominated. Playing better in the second half, Zadina now returns to the Griffins with 31 points in 45 games and a chance to really help them down the stretch. Grand Rapids sits firmly in a playoff spot and if the sniper can find another level could be a dangerous opponent in their quest for a Calder Cup.

Dylan Larkin is expected to return to the lineup in Zadina’s place, two names that will surely be linked for the Red Wings moving forward. The elder Larkin is now the face of the franchise and the leader of the forward group, while Zadina represents the next wave of talent and could be a potential linemate down the road. His nine-game showcase was encouraging, and given the four high picks the Red Wings feature once again in this year’s draft, the future is starting to look quite bright in Detroit.

Kristian Vesalainen Returning From KHL

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The Winnipeg Jets announced today that Kristian Vesalainen has been reassigned to the Manitoba Moose of the AHL, now that his KHL season has come to an end. Vesalainen was loaned to Jokerit earlier this season after failing to catch on as a full-time member of the Jets. Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun notes that Vesalainen is not expected to play tonight for the Moose as he is still travelling back from Finland.

Vesalainen, 19, ended up with 17 points in 31 games for Jokerit, solid production for a player his age. That came after starting the year with eight points in eight games for the Moose, and notching his first NHL point with the Jets in a short five-game stint. The 24th overall pick from 2017 figures to be a big part of the Jets down the road, but will first try to help the Moose land a playoff spot.

Part of the reason the Jets have been able to afford selling their first round selections the last two seasons is because of players like Vesalainen. As the team decides how to pay all of their young stars, the next wave of talent will have to fill the gaps on inexpensive entry-level deals. That could provide an opportunity as soon as next season for Vesalainen, whose contract is going to slide forward this season if he doesn’t suit up five more times for the Jets down the stretch. That would mean he won’t become a restricted free agent until the summer of 2022.

Minor Transactions: 03/15/19

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The NHL has six games scheduled for this Friday night and at least one of them is must-see television for those who are watching the playoff race in the Eastern Conference. The Carolina Hurricanes travel to Columbus to take on the Blue Jackets in a huge matchup that could decide their playoff fates. The Montreal Canadiens find themselves two points behind the Hurricanes and tied with the Blue Jackets for the wild card spots, meaning they have a chance to catch whichever team loses tonight. As teams prepare for the final stretch drive, we’ll be here to keep track of all the minor moves.

  • The Philadelphia Flyers will have Jakub Voracek back in the lineup against the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight, so there was no need to keep Justin Bailey up in the NHL. The young forward has been reassigned to the minor leagues, where he has eight points in 16 games for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
  • Last night, the New Jersey Devils recalled Nick Lappin and Eric Tangradi from the minor leagues once again and could have them in the lineup for tonight’s game against the Vancouver Canucks. The Devils have been decimated lately with injury, and are just playing out the string with no hope of making the playoffs this season.
  • Landon Bow has been recalled by the Dallas Stars, as the team waits to see how long Ben Bishop will be out with his latest injury. Bishop has been back at his Vezina-caliber level this season, but will need a little more to help the Stars do any damage in the playoffs.
  • The St. Louis Blues have recalled Jordan Kyrou again, his third transaction in the span of a day. The young forward will get a chance to help the Blues down the stretch and into the playoffs after a dominant season at the AHL level.
  • The Edmonton Oilers have recalled Joseph Gambardella from the minor leagues, giving them another forward option as they try to hold onto their playoff hope. Gambardella is among the league leaders in goal scoring in the AHL with 27 in 45 games, but failed to record a point in his four games earlier this season for the Oilers.
  • The San Jose Sharks have sent a pair of forwards to the minor leagues, assigning Lukas Radil and Dylan Gambrell to the San Jose Barracuda. Gambrell knows this game having been bounced up and down all year, but Radil hasn’t spent much time in the AHL this season. The team did include Radil in a paper transaction at the deadline, meaning he is eligible for AHL playoffs if the team chooses to keep him down.

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