Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Archives for May 2019

West Notes: Boeser, Trouba, Massie

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Vancouver Canucks are another team with a high profile forward set to hit restricted free agency for the first time, as Brock Boeser’s current deal will expire on July 1. The 22-year old sniper has 59 goals through his first 140 NHL games, and looks like he will be a key part to whatever success the Canucks experience in the future. With that said, while this summer’s negotiation is extremely important, it may also be nowhere near concluding. Irfaan Gaffar of Sportsnet reports that the Canucks and Boeser are “not close at all” at this time, but are expected to meet again soon.

Boeser’s situation isn’t exactly the same as some of the other RFA forwards this summer. While Mitch Marner, Mikko Rantanen and Brayden Point all achieved new highs this season and set themselves up for long lucrative contracts, Boeser has dealt with injury through the first two years of his career and played just 69 games this season. While still extremely effective during those years, his camp may see value in taking a short-term deal and betting that he can put himself in another category altogether with a full season.

  • Jacob Trouba’s name continues to come up in trade speculation around the league, and Darren Dreger of TSN tweets that there is “significant interest” in the Winnipeg Jets defenseman. That’s easy to understand given the season Trouba just had, scoring 50 points for the first time in his career and stepping into an increased role on the Winnipeg blue line. Still, Trouba has now completed six seasons despite being only 25 years old and has just a single year of restricted free agency left. He also has no contract, meaning anyone who acquires him runs the risk of him filing for arbitration and walking right into unrestricted free agency in 2020. That possibility is likely exactly why the Jets are even having trade discussions about him, as he has never seemed likely to sign a long-term deal in Winnipeg.
  • Defenseman Jake Massie has decided to turn pro, though nothing has been announced yet in terms of an NHL contract. Massie told his team at the University of Vermont that he would not be returning and instead will “pursue opportunities in professional hockey.” The Chicago Blackhawks own Massie’s rights after a trade with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2015, just a few months after he was selected in the sixth round. The 22-year old played three seasons at Vermont, and totaled 23 points in 95 games.

Latest On Jeff Skinner

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The biggest question of the Buffalo Sabres offseason, at least now that the head coaching vacancy has been filled, is whether or not GM Jason Botterill can get Jeff Skinner under contract. The star forward is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent this summer, and would be one of the very best available players on the open market. Buffalo has maintained since they acquired him last year that they want to re-sign Skinner long-term, but to this point nothing has been set in stone. That might be changing soon, as Bob McKenzie said on NBC Sports last night that the two sides are getting closer:

The sense seems to be that there’s optimism, but not to the point where either side is entirely comfortable with the numbers that they’re exchanging. I do expect that there is likely to be more dialogue between Skinner’s [representatives] and the Buffalo Sabres. For quite some time now I’ve been saying that I think the sweet spot for a number is an eight-year deal somewhere between $8.5MM per year and $9.5MM per year. 

Buffalo certainly wants him back, and Skinner would like to come back but they’ve just got to get the final massaging of the numbers to the point where both sides are happy. So it’s very close, but it’s not done. And until it’s done, it’s not done.

Skinner of course is coming off the best season of his career, scoring 40 goals and 63 points for the Sabres while finding instant chemistry with Jack Eichel. There is every reason in the world for the Sabres to want to retain Skinner, given how they’ve watched talented players like Ryan O’Reilly and Evander Kane sent packing in recent years but still haven’t found much success on the ice. Buffalo needs to start keeping their talent around if they ever want to stop the perpetual rebuild they’ve found themselves in for so long.

Still, an eight-year deal for any player comes with plenty of risk. While Skinner is one of the youngest free agents on the market, he also is a relatively one-dimensional player that doesn’t provide much if his goal scoring ability ever dries up. That has led to underwhelming seasons in the past, including his final one in Carolina in which he scored just 49 points in 82 games and ended up in a trade north. He only turned 27 a few weeks ago, but those 40 goals came on a likely unsustainable 14.9% shooting percentage. If that drops his career average of 11.2%, a $9MM+ contract might be a bit tougher to swallow.

David Ullstrom Returning To KHL

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Sometimes European free agents don’t work out in the NHL. That’s the case with David Ullstrom, who spent last season in the Arizona Coyotes organization but is heading back to the KHL. Ullstrom has signed a contract with Dinamo Riga, the league’s Latvian team, for 2019-20. He is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent on July 1 when his one-year deal with the Coyotes expires.

Ullstrom, 30, signed a one-year, two-way contract last spring with the Coyotes after an excellent season for HV71 in the Swedish Hockey League, but failed to crack the NHL roster. He was injured to start the season, and eventually spent the year in the minor leagues with the Tucson Roadrunners. In 29 AHL games he recorded 23 points, but will be heading back overseas after not receiving any time with the Coyotes.

Originally a fourth-round pick of the New York Islanders back in 2008, Ullstrom did play parts of two seasons in the NHL but never made a huge impact. His skating ability for a 6’4″ forward is excellent, but it has led to much more success in the KHL than in North America. That’s where he’ll continue his career, though it is not out of the question that he could look for another NHL opportunity at some point in the future if a team is willing to take a chance on him.

Oskar Sundqvist To Receive Hearing From Department Of Player Safety

at CDT | by 12 Comments

The Department of Player Safety has some work to do, as they have announced a hearing for St. Louis Blues forward Oskar Sundqvist. Late in the first period, Sundqvist hit Matt Grzelcyk behind the Boston Bruins’ net, earning himself a two-minute boarding penalty. Grzelcyk was forced from the game with an injury and taken to hospital for further evaluation.

Sundqvist has been a force for the Blues this postseason, registering nine points and (perhaps more importantly) 63 hits in the 21 games the Blues have played so far. The 25-year old forward has been part of a formidable fourth line alongside Ivan Barbashev and Alex Steen, providing a physical presence while also chipping in offensively. Given that Robert Thomas was held out of game two due to injury already, a suspension for Sundqvist could mean the entrance of Zach Sanford.

The Stanley Cup Final has already proven to be one of the most physical series of these playoffs, with two teams more than willing to engage each other and deliver some huge hits. Unfortunately for St. Louis, it looks like they’ll be forced to play without one of those physical players for game three when they travel home to try and take the early lead.

Free Agent Focus: Edmonton Oilers

at CDT | by 2 Comments

Free agency is now a little more than a month away from opening up and there are quite a few prominent players set to hit the open market while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign.  Edmonton’s core is under contract already but they have quite a few depth players in need of new deals for next season.  Here’s a closer look at their free agent situation.

Key Restricted Free Agents: F Jesse Puljujarvi – The Finnish winger isn’t on this list because he had a really strong season but for where he was drafted three years ago when he went fourth overall.  Puljujarvi underwhelmed considerably in Edmonton’s lineup but there is still optimism that he can become more of a consistent impact player.  While he has been bandied about in trade speculation going back to before the trade deadline, the likeliest scenario at this point is that he signs a one-year bridge contract and hopes that new head coach Dave Tippett can unlock some of his potential.

F Jujhar Khaira – Khaira’s never going to be a big point producer at the NHL level but he can play both center and the wing and brings a physical edge to the bottom six.  There’s still some value to that particular skill set and it’s notable that at least one team had interest in him as a sweetener to take on the final year of Brandon Manning’s contract.  Unlike Puljujarvi, Khaira is eligible for salary arbitration and should get a small raise on the $700K salary he received last season; his qualifying offer checks in at $735K.

Other RFAs: F Colin Larkin, D Robin Norell, F Ty Rattie, F Tobias Rieder, G Shane Starrett, F Tyler Vesel

Key Unrestricted Free Agents: F Alex Chiasson – Considering he needed training camp PTO deals the last two seasons, not many were expecting much from Chiasson in 2018-19.  However, he took advantage of the opportunity to spend some time in the top six and responded with a career year.  He had more goals (22) than he had points in the previous season (18) and logged just shy of 17 minutes a night.  He also was particularly strong with the man advantage, scoring eight times on the power play which is more than he had the previous four seasons combined.  That’s going to generate more interest in Chiasson than he has seen in recent years as a potential late-bloomer.  Edmonton would undoubtedly like to bring him back but it’s going to take more than the league minimum to get him to sign this time.

D Kevin Gravel – Of Edmonton’s other unrestricted free agents, Gravel was the only one to play more than a handful of games with them.  He cleared waivers at the beginning of the season but by the beginning of November, he was up on a full-time basis.  However, his playing time wasn’t as permanent.  Gravel was in and out of the lineup the rest of the way, winding up with 36 games played and an average of 14:43 per night.  That’s enough for him to get another contract but it will likely wind up being the two-way variety.

Other UFAs: F Mitch Callahan, F Brad Malone, G Al Montoya, D Alexander Petrovic, F Patrick Russell, D Ryan Stanton, G Anthony Stolarz

Projected Cap Space: Edmonton presently has a little over $72MM committed to 17 players for next season, per CapFriendly.  A good chunk of that roughly $10MM in cap room will be earmarked for a second goaltender to work with Mikko Koskinen, whose new contract worth $4.5MM per year kicks in for next season.  After that, they will once again be shopping around the bargain bin with an eye on trying to find a player or two that can do like Chiasson and produce with more of an opportunity.  Unless new GM Ken Holland can find a way to free up some cap space, the roster for 2019-20 will look a lot like the one that finished last year, just with a different cast of role players.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

West Notes: Comrie, Donskoi, Sekera

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

With Laurent Brossoit inking a one-year contract over the weekend to remain as Winnipeg’s backup goalie, prospect Eric Comrie could be made available in a trade, suggests Postmedia’s Ken Wiebe.  The 23-year-old pending restricted free agent will no longer be waiver-exempt next season and as he’s clearly third on the depth chart, there doesn’t appear to be a spot for him with the Jets either.  Comrie had a strong season with AHL Manitoba, posting a 2.69 GAA with a .917 SV% in 47 appearances and could be an intriguing pickup for a team looking for a young number two netminder.

Elsewhere out West:

  • Joonas Donskoi’s preference this summer is to re-sign with San Jose over departing in free agency, notes NBC Sports Bay Area’s Chelena Goldman. He had a career year with the Sharks, recording 37 points (14-23-37) in 80 regular season games despite averaging only 13:25 of playing time per night.  With that ability to provide secondary scoring, he should garner a fair bit of interest on the open market if he makes it there and with San Jose needing to deal with several more prominent free agents first, it’s unlikely that a new deal for Donskoi will be done for a while.
  • Oilers defensemen Andrej Sekera has been a speculative trade candidate as Edmonton looks to free up some cap space for their desired offseason spending. However, in an appearance on 630 CHED (audio link), GM Ken Holland discussed how he sees Sekera as a possible mentor for some of the young defenders that will be looking to earn a full-time roster spot next season which suggests that the odds of him being dealt may not be quite as high.  The veteran has missed big chunks of the last two seasons with injuries and with two years left on his contract at a $5.5MM AAV, Sekera’s trade value isn’t the highest at the moment.

Offseason Keys: Calgary Flames

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

With the postseason down to just two teams, many squads are now well into their offseason planning.  What storylines lie ahead around the league in what is shaping up to be a likely busy NHL offseason?  Next up in our Offseason Keys series is a look at the Calgary Flames.

Things were looking up, for the most part, this past season for Calgary.  They made a great trade at the draft to add Noah Hanifin and Elias Lindholm.  They were the second best offensive team in the league. They had one of the better defense corps in the league.  They finished first in the West, tying Boston for the most points in the league for any team not named Tampa Bay.  And after all that, they still went down in five games in the opening round.  GM Brad Treliving made some bold moves last summer; will he need to do so again?  Here are the keys to their offseason.

Sort Out The Goaltending

Despite not having the best of goalie tandems on paper, veteran Mike Smith and youngster David Rittich had a decent year all things considered.  Both had their good moments with some bad ones but on the whole, they deserve some credit for the Flames being among the top ten teams in terms of goals allowed.

Both netminders happen to be in need of new contracts as well.  Rittich is a restricted free agent with salary arbitration eligibility and will be looking at a big raise from his $800K salary in 2018-19.  Smith, meanwhile, is an unrestricted free agent and his next deal will undoubtedly check in lower than his previous $5.67MM AAV.  It’s not entirely crazy to think that the tandem could wind up around the $6.5MM mark combined for next season with the distribution between the two a lot more even.

Is that the right way to go though?  Rittich is still relatively unproven and there are still question marks as to whether or not he can be a number one goalie.  Smith is nearing the end of his career and is a stopgap measure at best.  Treliving may be better off looking to spend a little more and bring in someone that is better served to be the 1A option of a platoon to give them a bit more security at that position.  However, they’ll likely need to free up some wiggle room under the salary cap to take that approach.

Tkachuk Contract

Treliving has stated that getting winger Matthew Tkachuk signed this summer is his top priority.  That should come as no surprise after the season that he just had.  After not really progressing much in his second season, he made up for that and then some in 2018-19.  He blew past his career highs in goals, assists, and points and in doing so, established himself as a legitimate top line power forward.  There aren’t many of those types of players in the league.

Tkachuk is among the class of high-end restricted free agents that is going to be fascinating to follow.  Their agents have suggested that they don’t want their clients to be the first to sign and set the market and would rather someone else do that for them.  If Tkachuk and agent Craig Oster are also of that mindset, this could wind up being a bit of a waiting game.

Presently, the top end of Calgary’s salary scale is set by winger Johnny Gaudreau and defenseman Mark Giordano at $6.75MM apiece.  It’s safe to say that Tkachuk will jump past them and that the question is by how much.  With one high-end season under his belt, his earning power will be somewhat limited compared to the top RFAs available but he’s still going to be breaking the bank.

Deal Defensive Depth

As the old adage goes, you can never have enough defensemen.  Calgary may very well be putting that theory to the test.  They have a very strong group of established veterans.  They also have a strong collection of emerging young talent highlighted by Juuso Valimaki and Rasmus Andersson.  Those players have made a case for more ice time but, quite frankly, they’re blocked by the veterans.

The solution here isn’t to trade the youngsters but perhaps it’s time for them to cash in on some of that veteran depth, especially with the free agent market being thin in terms of impact options.  Clearing out the final year of Michael Stone’s contract ($3.5MM) would help but after missing most of the season with a blood clot, that will be tricky.

One veteran that they shouldn’t have any difficulty moving if they wanted to is T.J. Brodie.  With an expiring contract, he has been a speculative trade candidate already and as a mobile blueliner that’s capable of logging over 20 minutes a night and putting up points (he has reached 30 points in six straight seasons), there would be no shortage of suitors for his services.  Travis Hamonic, also a pending UFA, would attract a lot of interest as a reliable defensive rearguard.

With all of those players being a year away from free agency and the youth in the pipeline, they’re not all going to be around for the 2020-21 season.  If Treliving wants to make a splash this summer, expect it to come from dealing away some depth on the back end.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Latest On Anaheim Ducks Coaching Search

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Anaheim Ducks still don’t have a head coach for the 2019-20 season, even as the NHL Entry Draft is now just a few weeks away. The combine is already underway, meaning whoever does take the reins of the team next season won’t get to be part of the prospect interview process. While that obviously isn’t a devastating problem, it is somewhat uncommon, as seen by the several other vacancies that have been filled in recent weeks.

In a column today by Eric Stephens of The Athletic (subscription required) the top candidates for the job are examined, with special emphasis put on San Diego Gulls coach Dallas Eakins, and why he hasn’t yet been given the job despite many around the league expecting it to go to him since Randy Carlyle was fired mid-season. Stephens lists New York Islanders assistant coach Lane Lambert, Manitoba Moose head coach Pascal Vincent and Dallas Stars assistant Todd Nelson as other candidates that have been mentioned recently.

Bob McKenzie of TSN has also heard Nelson’s name, and reports that he will be interviewed this week for the job. It wouldn’t be the first time that Nelson has taken a job once ticketed for Eakins, as he was the coach that eventually took over when Eakins was fired in Edmonton back in 2014. Also of interest is another tweet from McKenzie, who suggests that there may be a job for former Los Angeles Kings head coach John Stevens in Dallas on Jim Montgomery’s staff. If Nelson does leave, that would provide an option for the Stars to replace him with.

The Ducks are coming off a disappointing season in which they finished 35-37-10. The core that led them to so many playoff runs is getting older—to the point where speculation of a Corey Perry buyout isn’t unreasonable—but there is help coming through the pipeline in the form of several top forward prospects. The job isn’t a full rebuild, but it also needs someone who can develop the next wave of talent quickly.

AHL Notes: Popugaev, Jevpalovs, Weinger

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

As NHL teams prepare their rosters for the pending free agent frenzy, AHL teams are doing the same. The clubs are trying to retain as much talent as possible to set themselves up for a strong 2019-20 campaign without necessarily having to rely on their parent club. With that in mind, here are some minor transactions that have taken place today:

  • The Binghamton Devils signed Nikita Popugaev to a one-year AHL deal, meaning he won’t be heading back to the KHL just yet. Popugaev came over from Russia this season and played 17 games for the Devils, recording five points and finishing a -9. The Russian winger stands 6’6″ and was an interesting prospect coming out of the CHL in 2017 when the Devils decided to use the 98th overall pick on him. His stint in the KHL went poorly from a production standpoint, but he’ll hopefully take the next step in his development for the Devils next season.
  • The Laval Rocket have agreed to terms with Nikita Jevpalovs on a one-year AHL contract. Jevpalovs went undrafted out of the QMJHL despite his 100-point campaign in 2014-15, and first signed an entry-level contract with the San Jose Sharks. Unfortunately he was not issued a qualifying offer after the 2016-17 season and decided to go overseas to the KHL. Following a disappointing season there, Jevpalovs joined the Rocket last season and recorded 25 points in 69 games.
  • The San Jose Barracuda have signed Evan Weinger to a one-year AHL contract, bringing the 22-year old forward back for another season. As a rookie in 2018-19, Weinger posted 22 points in 60 regular season games and was one of the team’s best players in a first round playoff loss. Born in Los Angeles, Weinger will get a chance to keep playing close to home next season.

San Jose Sharks Sign Jeffrey Viel

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The San Jose Sharks have decided that Jeffrey Viel has done enough to deserve an NHL deal, signing him to a two-year entry-level contract. Viel had been playing on an AHL deal for 2018-19. Sharks GM Doug Wilson released a statement on the young forward:

Jeff parlayed his first professional contract into a very successful season with the Barracuda and earned this NHL contract thanks to a mixture of hard-nosed play along with the ability to play a skilled, team-first game. He has a long track record of proven leadership qualities, having captained his team to the 2018 Memorial Cup and we are excited to watch his continued development with our organization.

Viel, 22, went undrafted through his junior career but ended up captaining the Acadie-Bathurst Titan to the Memorial Cup in 2018 after being named QMJHL playoff MVP. The physical winger was as equally effective scoring a goal as laying a hit, and seemed like a perfect fit for professional hockey. He signed with the San Jose Barracuda in 2018 and finished with 22 points and 94 penalty minutes in 68 games this season.

The Sharks will hope that Viel is a typical late-bloomer, that can develop into a legitimate bottom-six player for them at the NHL level. His first taste of professional hockey went well enough to earn an NHL contract, and now he’ll try to build on that moving forward. San Jose his always proactive in finding talent outside of the draft, and Viel is just the latest lottery ticket worth taking a chance on. He’ll be waiver-exempt to start next season, meaning he can rejoin the Barracuda right away—provided he doesn’t wow head coach Peter DeBoer in training camp.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

scroll to top