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Archives for June 2019

Los Angeles Kings Contemplating Buying Out Dion Phaneuf

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With a rebuild on the horizon, the Los Angeles Kings must find a way to open up roster space as well as salary cap room to take their next step under new head coach Todd McLellan. One potential contract that has come under scrutiny recently is that of Dion Phaneuf. In fact, Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos said late Saturday night that the Kings are considering buying out the veteran defenseman:

Other options that the L.A. Kings have is buying out Dion Phaneuf. He’s got two years left at $12 million. That would get him $8 million over the next four years and a chance to get back into unrestricted free agency on July 1.

Phaneuf signed a seven-year, $49MM contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2013, but the 34-year-old saw his play take a huge drop this season as he played in 67 games with just one goal and six points for the year. He received the first healthy scratch of his career in February and saw his ATOI drop from almost 20 minutes per game to 15. At $7MM per year for another two years, the team might be ready to move on from the veteran. While the team would see significant cap relief this year with a buyout as their cap hit would only be $2.92MM, the team would still have a considerable hit at $5.42MM next season as well as a $1.42MM in both 2021-22 and 2022-23.

The Kings have a number of veterans on their blue line, including Drew Doughty, Alec Martinez and Derek Forbort, although there has been talk that L.A. may opt to move Martinez as he is likely the team’s top trade chip if they want to upgrade their team. On top of that, the Kings may be ready to give some of its younger players more significant minutes this coming season. The team has a number of interesting players who could be ready, including Sean Walker, Paul Ladue, Kurtis MacDermid, Matt Roy, Kale Clague, former college stars Daniel Brickley and Michael Anderson, as well as recently acquired Sean Durzi, who dominated at the Memorial Cup last week.

 

 

Patrick Marleau, Toronto Maple Leafs Ready To Part Ways

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A rumor several days ago suggested that the Toronto Maple Leafs would like to move on from 39-year-old winger Patrick Marleau, who is coming off a disappointing season this past season. With Toronto’s general manager Kyle Dubas trying to balance multiple players and their contracts into the team’s already full salary cap, the team was expecting more out of Marleau, who posted his worst goal totals (16) since his rookie campaign back in the 1997-98 season.

While many have squashed the rumors that Toronto was trying to send him to the Los Angeles Kings Friday, Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos reported late last night during a Headlines segment on Hockey Night in Canada that Marleau would like to leave Toronto and would prefer to be moved to a west coast team:

It sounds like Marleau and the Maple Leafs are set to part ways. The family is going to move back to San Jose. Patrick Marleau has made it clear to the Toronto Maple Leafs that he’d like to get closer to his family once again, which means moving to the west coast area.

That could make Los Angeles a legitimate candidate, despite reports to the contrary. Kypreos also mentioned the Colorado Avalanche and Arizona Coyotes as other options for Marleau, while can you never totally rule out a return to San Jose. The original belief is that with a no-movement clause, the Maple Leafs might have had a challenging time finding a trade partner considering he could reject any offer, but it now looks like Marleau will be much more willing to move on from Toronto. Marleau, who will be wrapping up the final year of the three-year, $18.75MM deal he signed back in 2017, will make only make $4.25MM next season, but does carry a $6.25MM AAV. The Maple Leafs would likely have to attach a pick or prospect to any deal to unload Marleau’s contract and might even have to retain salary to make a deal work.

The Avalanche might be one of the best options for Toronto as Colorado should have more than $37MM in available cap space, although the team has a number of important restricted free agents they must re-sign, including winger Mikko Rantanen. However, Marleau could be a veteran presence the Avalanche wouldn’t mind adding for one season. The other teams would require sending another significant contract back to Toronto, perhaps one with a lower AAV, but longer term. The Kings would have to send back a contract and while they might be willing to move on from some players such as forwards Ilya Kovalchuk (two more years at $6.25MM), Dustin Brown (three more years at $5.875MM) or defenseman Dion Phaneuf (two more years at $5.25MM), none of whom would fulfill Dubas’ desire to free up salary cap space. Arizona, which is another team that must deal with salary cap issues starting this off-season, has a few cheaper options and could be an interesting option, including forward Michael Grabner (two more years at $3.35MM) or defenseman Jason Demers (two more years at $3.94MM).

Pittsburgh Penguins Sign Goaltender Emil Larmi To Entry-Level Deal

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The Pittsburgh Penguins continue to find ways to add prospects. Having traded away their second, third, fourth and sixth-round picks in this year’s draft, the Penguins opted to grab a prospect from overseas, as they announced they have signed 22-year-old Finnish goaltender Emil Larmi to a two-year, entry-level contract. The deal has a NHL salary of $700K.

Larmi is coming off an impressive season in the Liiga, where he played 36 games for HPK Hameenlinna, posting a 1.94 GAA and a .900 save percentage, but was even more impressive in 18 playoff games as he led his team to the championships with 12 wins, a 1.72 GAA, a .930 save percentage and two shutouts in the finals. Penguins goaltending development coach Andy Chiodo, who has extensively scouted Larmi in Finland, said of the young keeper:

Emil is coming off of a fantastic playoff run with HPK, and has proved himself to be one of the best goaltenders in Liiga. He’s an athletic and mobile goaltender that reads the game well and is highly competitive. We are excited for Emil to join our organization as he transitions to life and hockey in North America.

Larmi went undrafted as teams were likely wary of his stature as he stands just 6’0″ and 185 pounds. He has spent the last three years with HPK and helped Team Finland win a gold medal at the 2016 World Junior Championship. The goaltender is also teammates with current Penguins prospect Niclas Almari. Larmi could be insurance for their AHL team if they choose to trade goaltending prospect Tristan Jarry this off-season. The team traded away goaltending prospect Filip Gustavsson at the 2018 trade deadline as well and were in need of a boost in the pipeline. The team has only one minor league prospect under contract after Jarry in Alex D’Orio, who has struggled in his two most recent campaigns in the QMJHL.

Islanders Notes: Clutterbuck, Ho-Sang, Sorokin, Prospects

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In a detailed piece for The Athletic, Arthur Staple talks to New York Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello and fills the gaps in some of the latest rumors surrounding the team. While much of the discussion is on players who could push for roles with the Isles next season, the main topic is regarding a player whose role is already a lock – if he’s healthy that is. Staple writes that veteran forward Cal Clutterbuck has already undergone off-season surgery, after revealing following the team’s playoff exit that he had been playing through several back injuries, including slipped discs, rotated vertebrae, and a stress fracture. Facing either a regiment of rest and rehab in hopes the pain would subside or instead invasive surgery for a more permanent solution, Clutterbuck chose the later and went under the knife late last month. Lamoriello states that doctors hoped the surgery would still leave Clutterbuck enough time to recuperate before training camp, but there is some doubt. One way or another, it will be close and the physical forward likely won’t be at full strength for the start of the preseason. With Andrew Ladd already expected to miss the start of next season, New York hopes to have Clutterbuck ready for the season opener and Lamoriello expects that to be the case, but it will be a process worth monitoring this summer and into the fall.

  • Lamoriello confirmed to Staple that polarizing forward Joshua Ho-Sang will be back with the Islanders next season. A restricted free agent, Ho-Sang requires a qualifying offer to remain Isles’ property and Lamoriello and company will give him just that. Beyond a QO, the GM would not guarantee anything else for Ho-Sang though. Lamoriello said that the 2014 first-round pick, who played in just ten games with New York this season, will “be in camp and like all the young players, he’ll determine his future.” If Ho-Sang refuses to sign his qualifying offer or does so and then becomes unhappy with his role again next season, he will be a prime trade candidate for the Islanders.
  • One young player who won’t be in camp and likely won’t don an Islanders jersey at all next season is Russian goaltender Ilya Sorokin. Sorokin, 23, has been dominating the KHL for four years now as arguably the best goalie in the league. There is little doubt that he will find success when he does make the jump to the NHL. However, he still has a year remaining on his contract with CSKA Moscow and Lamoriello reports that this makes it next to impossible for him to come over before the end of next season. Yet, the two sides stay in constant contact about the possibilities. “There’s certainly dialogue all the time, but he does have a contract so there are extenuating circumstances. He’s someone we’d love to have come over as soon as possible.” With Sorokin not an option for next season, the Islanders still have a tough decision to make in net, with Vezina Trophy candidate Robin Lehner hitting free agency and in search of a long-term deal.
  • Lamoriello and the Islanders are understandably excited by the development of 2018 first-round pick Noah Dobson, who just won his second consecutive Memorial Cup and Memorial Cup All-Star nod. The well-rounded defenseman seems ready for the pros and Lamoriello specifically said that he “can’t get any higher in junior hockey than he’s gotten.” Dobson will be given the chance to break camp with the Islanders, but unfortunately for him he may have a disadvantage again fellow top defensive prospect Bode Wilde. As a teenage Canadian junior player, Dobson is ineligible to play in the AHL next season and would need to be returned to the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies of the QMJHL if he does not stick with the Islanders. Wilde, a second-round pick last year, also plays Canadian junior but was drafted out of the U.S. junior system and thus faces a different set of AHL eligibility rules. If Wilde, who is also coming off a strong season, shows well in camp, he could be the preferred prospect to stick based on that two-way flexibility. With the Islanders’ depth on defense, it’s hard to see either player having a major role in New York next season regardless, but the team could opt to deal from a position of strength this off-season to open up space for either Dobson or Wilde to have a shot at regular ice time next season.

Top 2019 NHL Scouting Combine Performers

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Have you heard of Jayden Struble? No? Well you have now. The defenseman out of St. Sebastian’s School in Massachusetts put on a clinic at the NHL Scouting Combine and has asserted himself as the top athlete in the 2019 draft class. Of course, athleticism is hardly all that it takes to succeed in hockey, but Struble certainly didn’t hurt his draft stock with his incredible performance yesterday.

Among the fitness tests that the combine invitees are asked to participate in are the bench press, pull-ups, vertical jump, squat jump, standing long jump, shuttle run, grip strength test, and the now-famous Wingate test, an exercise bike endurance test. Struble ranked first in an amazing five measurements – Wingate mean output, bench press, long jump, and left and right grip strength – and finished in the top three of the other two jumps. The 6’0″, 194-lb. rearguard showed that strength and endurance are his game, more so than any other top draft prospect. It was an impressive display from the skater ranked just No. 48 in North America by NHL Central Scouting, but could now be a safe bet as a second-round selection.

Several other prospects had banner days as well. Among the names at the top of most draft boards, WHL center Dylan Cozens performed well in endurance testing, finishing in the top five of both mean output and peak output in the Wingate test. He also finished among the leaders in both right hand and left hand grip strength and the standing long jump. Undersized USNTDP sniper Cole Caufield showed that strength is relative, finishing tied for first in pull-ups with 16 reps of his 5’7″, 163-lb. frame. Caufield also placed in the top ten in the bench press and vertical jump. Fellow smaller forward Nils Hoglander also impressed, finishing alone atop the chart in peak output during the Wingate test, tied for first in pull-ups, second in the bench press, and among the leaders in the left and right shuttle run. It was a well-rounded result from the Swedish forward who projects to be a mid-to-late first-round pick. Top-ranked goaltender Spencer Knight may have put to rest any lingering concerns teams may have had about using a first-round selection on him. Knight showed that he is one of the more agile and explosive athletes among all draft prospects, not just goalies, with a top-five finish in the vertical jump, squat jump, long jump, left and right shuttle run.

Other standouts include Peyton Krebs, Raphael Lavoie, John Beecher, Henry Thrun, Samuel Bolduc, and Nicholas Robertson. For full explanations of the tests, all top-ten finishes, and the results from some of the draft’s top prospects, check out this write-up from Brandon Cain of Second City Hockey.

Ducks Expected To Interview Scott Sandelin For Head Coaching Position

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While many people believed that the Anaheim Ducks head coach position would automatically go to their AHL coach, Dallas Eakins, once the San Diego Gulls were eliminated, general manager Bob Murray has made it clear that he intends to interview a number of candidates for the job. Earlier this week, it was revealed that Murray is interested in interviewing Eakins, New York Islanders’ assistant coach Lane Lambert, Manitoba Moose head coach Pascal Vincent, and Dallas Stars assistant coach Todd Nelson.

TSN’s Pierre LeBrun adds another name to the list as he reports that the Ducks also plan to interview University of Minnesota-Duluth head coach Scott Sandelin for the job as well. Sandelin, who has taken his team to the National Championship Game three straight times and has won the NCAA title in two straight seasons, might be open to leaving Minnesota-Duluth after this run of success.

Sandelin, who played 25 games in the NHL over the course of his career with the Montreal Canadiens, Philadelphia Flyers and the Minnesota North Stars, has spent 19 seasons as head coach of Minnesota-Duluth, compiling a 369-310-87 record. He was recently named the head coach of Team USA for the 2020 U-20 World Junior Championships. However, that didn’t stop David Quinn from still accepting an NHL offer from the New York Rangers last off-season and Sandelin would be no different.

Philadelphia Flyers Expected To Be Aggressive This Offseason

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After a disappointing 2018-19 season, the Philadelphia Flyers find themselves in a situation in which they have many pieces that could make them a playoff team, but not enough to actually take that next step. The franchise, who many thought would be a playoff contender last year, instead struggled out of the gate, before both general manager Ron Hextall and head coach Dave Hakstol lost their jobs and the team limped to a disappointing finish.

The Flyers, now under the control of new general manager Chuck Fletcher, are ready to make their next move and upgrade their team for a playoff run, according to NHL.com’s Adam Kimelman. The team has $33.4MM in cap space available to them and, while they do have some restricted free agents they must sign (including Ivan Provorov, Travis Konecny and Travis Sanheim), they still should have quite a bit of cap space to make key moves. Rumors also suggest the team may be willing to move defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere in the right deal to add more scoring and a second-line center. Fletcher tells Kimelman that, one way or another, the team will be aggressive this summer:

I think we’re going to be very aggressive in the trade and free agent markets in the sense of looking into every possible situation that can help us. The unfortunate part is the vast majority of things you look into don’t work out. … So we’re going to be very aggressive in trying to fill the holes we feel we have. I don’t know if I can say we’ll be able to fill all of them.

However, Philly.com’s Sam Carchidi added today that the team would be willing to move their first-round pick, if it means filling all of those holes, and that Fletcher has already been listening to offers. “If we can get a good player at the right stage of his career and with some term left on his contract, we’d certainly look at it,” Fletcher said, while adding that if they don’t get the right offer, they’d be happy to keep the pick.

If the team cannot pull off a big trade, Fletcher has said the team would be more than willing to bring in veteran players on short-term deals. The other option would be to allow some of their top young prospects to earn their way into the lineup a little quicker than originally anticipated. The team does have a number of interesting prospects, including forwards Morgan Frost, Isaac Ratcliffe, and Joel Farabee, who will all be turning pro this season. Fletcher feels that this depth of young talent could be ready to make a difference this year, if necessary:

[The young players] certainly could be [roster options]. I think the odds would be against them making our team coming out of camp. But I don’t like cutting players before training camp. I say that because I think our expectation is we’ll find a player or two to come in. For 20-year-old kids, in Farabee’s case 19, to get some playing time in the [American Hockey League] is always a preferable option. But if they come in and they earn it, and there’s been players every year that seem to do it around the league, then certainly we won’t hold them back.

Free Agent Focus: San Jose Sharks

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Free agency is now less 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.  San Jose should have one of the busiest off-seasons, as the team has multiple key free agents to sign or otherwise may have a completely new look next season.

Key Restricted Free Agents: F Timo Meier – With so many questions concerning their unrestricted free agents this off-season, it might be easy to forget that the team must also find a new contract from one of their young stars and Meier should get quite the pay raise this year after making just $894K last season. Meier repaid the Sharks with his best season yet, scoring a career-high 30 goals and 66 points. He also posted 15 points in 20 playoff games. With the money that many restricted free agents have been getting over the past couple of years, Meier could be in for a giant payday, regardless of whether he signs a bridge deal or the team locks him up long-term.

F Kevin Labanc – It took quite a while for Labanc to work his way into San Jose’s veteran-laden lineup, but he has done quite a good job on the team’s third line and could be headed for a even larger role depending on how the off-season shakes out for the Sharks. Like Meier, Labanc has had season highs in both goals (17) and points (56) and would be a likely candidate to take a bridge deal in order to prove whether he can take his game up to another level and become a top-six option for them.

Other RFAs: D Michael Brodzinski, F Rourke Chartier, D Nick DeSimone, D Cody Donaghey, D Cavan Fitzgerald, F Dylan Gambrell, F Maxim Letunov, F Jonathon Martin, F Francis Perron, D Joakim Ryan, F Alex Schoenborn, F Antti Suomela, D Kyle Wood.

Key Unrestricted Free Agents: D Erik Karlsson – Many people expected the Sharks to lock up Karlsson to a long-term deal at the trade deadline, but when that didn’t happen, there were many questions about whether he was willing to sign a deal with the Sharks at all, as well as many people who wondered whether Karlsson was worth a long-term deal considering his injury history. After all, the 29-year-old missed most of the second half of the season with a groin injury and even when he returned for the playoffs, he wasn’t fully healthy as he had trouble keeping up with the quicker opposing forwards. It looks more like Karlsson intends to test the open market and head to a team he would like to play for long-term or take the best offer that he can get. Will it be San Jose though?

F Joe Pavelski – The 34-year-old captain has been a key figure for the Sharks throughout his career, but so far there have been few talks of giving the veteran a new deal. While it’s hard to picture Pavelski heading elsewhere, the Sharks must factor in what a new contract for the soon-to-be 35-year-old would look like for the rest of their cap structure. Pavelski is coming off a unique 38-goal season, a number that he is unlikely to equal again, and with the difficulty of long-term deals for 35+ players, the team will likely want to avoid a multi-year deal that has a large AAV attached to it, meaning the club will have to hope that Pavelski isn’t going to be asking too much.

F – Joe Thornton – It’s unlikely the team is worried about money when it comes to Thornton, as the team will bring him back on a one-year deal at a reasonable cost (he signed for one year and $5MM last offseason). However, the real question is whether Thornton is ready to call it quits. Thornton will turn 40 in July and didn’t make it clear during locker clean-out day that he will definitely return next season. He wants time to think about it.

Other UFAs: F Tim Clifton, F Joonas Donskoi, F Micheal Haley, D Tim Heed, F Gustav Nyquist.

Projected Cap Space: With a little over $58MM committed to 15 players for next season per CapFriendly, the Sharks should have some cap room to work with despite a number of high profile free agents this off-season. The team must try to bring back Karlsson and Pavelski, while trying to get reasonable deals in place for Meier and Labanc. While they may have to wait for a Thornton decision, they do have other important free agents they must consider for a deal as well, such as Donskoi and Nyquist. If all of these impending free agents are interested in a return, San Jose may be forced to move someone else with cap space at a premium. Regardless, the team may have to rely even more on younger players to fill holes in the bottom of their lineup next season.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Florida Panthers Intend To Upgrade Their Defense

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Although there is plenty of conversation when it comes to the Florida Panthers and new head coach Joel Quenneville trying to bring aboard top free agents like goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky and forward Artemi Panarin, there hasn’t been nearly as much attention put to Quenneville’s other task, which is to fix the Panthers’ defense. While there could be quite a bit of personnel changes, The Athletic’s George Richards (subscription required) writes that one thing that is certain is that the team is going to be looking for a new top-four defenseman.

Last season, the Panthers had one of the worst defenses in the league after allowing 273 goals, the fourth highest total in the league. The team also led the league in turnovers. Four goaltenders took the ice for Florida as well and all four, including starter Roberto Luongo finished with a GAA over 3.00, while James Reimer finished with the best save percentage of the bunch at .900. Even if the sloppy puck movement and poor goaltending can be remedied by other additions, much of the team’s success will rely on Quenneville putting in a new defensive system, as he has historically run a more simplified style that forces defensemen to play a stricter and tighter game and be less involved in the offense. GM Dale Tallon commented on the benefits to Quenneville’s defensive style:

We had a lot of bad habits and have a lot of things we need to change. Team defense is important, and the forwards have to buy into that as well. That’s something I think Q will definitely address. There are going to be changes made, that is for sure.

Beyond just strategic changes, Florida will need to boost their defensive personnel. The team has three top-four defensemen under contract long-term in Aaron Ekblad (six years at $7.5MM), Mike Matheson (seven years at $4.9MM) and Keith Yandle (four years at $6.35MM). All three are pretty much untradeable even if the team wanted to move them. However, the final spot in the top four is up for grabs. Mark Pysyk has failed to show he can be an effective fit in that role and now enters the final year of his contract at $2.73MM, making him an intriguing trade chip. RFA’s MacKenzie Weegar and Ian McCoshen are also unlikely to be top-four candidates. As such, the team will be forced to either look to sign a defenseman off the free agent market or could try to pull off a trade to strengthen their blue line. Tallon will likely seek a more defensive-minded veteran to fit Quenneville’s scheme.

 

Pacific Notes: Vancouver Defense, Edler, Marleau, Gusev

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The Vancouver Canucks saw some improvement with their rebuilding project last season as the team, for a while there, was scratching the possibility of a playoff spot. While that inevitably didn’t happen, the team looks like it’s ready to take that next step and force their way into the postseason picture. To do that, the team will have to add more talent, either in the free agent market or via trade.

Speaking to TSN Radio Vancouver, TSN’s Jeff Patterson said he’s talked recently with Vancouver general manager Jim Benning and believes that Benning is very likely to be active on the trade market as the NHL Draft approaches and the GM is well aware that his job could be on the line if the team can’t take that next step this upcoming season.

My main takeaway is that Benning seems open for business on the trade front. He repeatedly mentioned talking to other managers. He talked about the draft & the week leading up to the draft & how all the managers will be back together again.”

One area the team must focus on this off-season is improving their defense, which lacks significant talent. While the team does expect 2018 first-round pick Quinn Hughes to step right into the lineup, the team will need more ability on the back end and with a minimal amount of talented defenseman available on the free-agent market, the team might be best off making a trade for a defenseman.

Defense is not a position of strength for the Canucks. They can address the defense in free agency, but I got a sense talking to [Benning] and the vibe he was putting out, that he knows that he’s got to make a significant trade. And his trade record hasn’t been very good.

  • Sticking with Vancouver defensemen, Sportsnet’s Rick Dhaliwal writes that with three weeks remaining until the UFA interview window is upon them, the Vancouver Canucks haven’t made much progress with veteran defenseman Alexander Edler, who will be an unrestricted free agent on July 1. While there has been quite a bit of talk from both camps about a continued working relationship, the two sides are still far apart, according to Dhaliwal, with rumors that term is the key problem. The 33-year-old has appeared in 814 career games with Vancouver.
  • After rumors that the Toronto Maple Leafs and Los Angeles Kings were discussing a potential Patrick Marleau trade on Friday, Los Angeles Times’ Helene Elliott reported today that Marleau will not be traded to Los Angeles. The scribe wrote that once the teams started discussions, it quickly became obvious that each teams’ needs and salary cap issues wouldn’t make a trade viable. Toronto is looking to unload the final year of Marleau’s deal at $6.25MM, but will have a challenging time as he has a no-movement clause as well.
  • With June 1 hitting the calendars, the Vegas Golden Knights can officially begin negotiations with restricted free agents Nikita Gusev and Jimmy Schuldt after both players signed entry-level deals late in the 2018-19 season, according to Ken Boehlke of SinBin.vegas. Both players are expected to be made qualifying offers, but both are expected to sign longer-term deals instead. Gusev, the 2018 KHL MVP, did not make an appearance in the playoffs when he came over a in April, but is expected to play a role in the team’s top-nine next season. Schuldt, one of the top undrafted college free agents this past year, played one game for Vegas after an impressive four-year career at St. Cloud State University. Schuldt will be given the opportunity to compete for a starting role with the Knights right away.

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