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Archives for July 2019

Free Agent Profile: Ben Hutton

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The free agent defense market has been slow-moving with Jake Gardiner not signing yet.  That has a lot to do with the fact that Ben Hutton remains unsigned despite being one of the top blueliners still available.

The 26-year-old had a disastrous 2017-18 campaign.  He went from being a top-four defender to someone that was a healthy scratch with some regularity while failing to score in 61 games.  He looked like a sure fire non-tender candidate at the expiration of his contract in 2019.

However, Hutton really turned things around last season.  He worked his way back into the top four and often spent time on the top pairing as he averaged a career-best 22:21 per night while chipping in with 20 points in 69 games.  Despite that, the Canucks still declined to qualify him as his eventual arbitration award would have greatly affected their cap room.

While there are teams that may be concerned about his consistently poor plus/minus (he has been -21 or worse in three of his four seasons), Hutton still is a player that could serve as an upgrade for quite a few teams.  He’s also a strong skater at a time where teams are placing a greater emphasis on mobility on the back end which also helps increase his value.

Potential Suitors

Don’t mistake the fact that he remains unsigned as a sign that there wasn’t been much interest.  Hutton’s agent, Andy Scott, indicated earlier this month that there are plenty of offers on the table already and that there’s no question that he’ll be signed before training camp.  Speculatively, his camp may be waiting for Gardiner to sign in the hopes that once he’s off the market, offers for Hutton will only get higher.

While he’s not an ideal option on the top pairing, Hutton would represent a strong upgrade on the third pairing for a lot of teams and would fit in on the second pair on quite a few as well.

In the East, the Canadiens have been looking for help on the left side and while they’ve already added Ben Chiarot, Hutton would give them another potential upgrade.  Toronto has a need for defensive help but with their salary cap situation, that’s probably not a realistic fit at this time unless there’s a trade in place to shed salary beforehand.  Detroit has already added Patrik Nemeth this offseason but with several other blueliners in the final year of their respective contracts, some insurance would certainly be handy while he’d immediately become one of their younger rearguards.

Out West, the Kings have been linked to him going back to the start of free agency and they haven’t really replaced Jake Muzzin who was dealt to Toronto last season.  Hutton could plausibly fit in their top four and if they are indeed looking to rebuild, he’s someone that could plausibly be dealt for future assets close to the trade deadline.  The Jets have been hit hard on the back end this summer with the departures of Chiarot, Tyler Myers, and Jacob Trouba and while they need to leave a lot of money earmarked for RFA wingers Patrik Laine and Kyle Connor, there should still be enough wiggle room for them to add someone like Hutton who could push for a top-four spot there as well.

Projected Contract

Hutton was rated 38th on our Top 50 UFA list with a projected contract of two years at $2.75MM per season.  While he remains unsigned, there’s still a good chance that he winds up with a deal like that (although a one-year pact is also certainly an option).  Once Gardiner signs, there should start to be some movement on Hutton and with demand outweighing supply at this point when it comes to capable blueliners, he’ll be poised to capitalize on that.  He may just have to wait a few more weeks for that to come to fruition.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Team Canada Announces Roster For Hlinka-Gretzky Cup

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One of the tournaments that has a huge impact on draft position is the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup, held each year in August for the best U18 players in the world. Many of these players will be eligible for selection in the following draft, though some are even younger than that. It gives many fans a first chance to see some of the top stars that they’ll hear about for the coming season and an inside look at the prizes they’re competing for in the first round.

Today, Hockey Canada released its 22-player roster for the tournament, which starts on August 5th in the Czech Republic. Among the names are some spectacular talents, including Quinton Byfield who took home the 2019 CHL Rookie of the Year award and is projected to go very near the top of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. Plenty of other talent like Cole Perfetti, Hendrix Lapierre and Jamie Drysdale have made the team, giving Canada a very exciting crop to keep an eye on.

Below is the full roster:

F Theo Rochette
F Ozzy Wiesblatt
F Justin Sourdif
F Jean-Luc Foudy
F Ridly Greig
F Connor McClennon
F Will Cuylle
F Hendrix Lapierre
F Quinton Byfield
F Jake Neighbours
F Cole Perfetti
F Mavrik Bourque
F Seth Jarvis

D Daemon Hunt
D Lukas Cormier
D Jamie Drysdale
D Jeremie Poirier
D Kaiden Guhle
D Donovan Sebrango
D Ryan O’Rourke

G Tristan Lennox
G Dylan Garand

Snapshots: Kreider, Hextall, Gusev

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The New York Rangers have had quite the offseason, scoring Artemi Panarin in free agency, acquiring Adam Fox and Jacob Trouba through trade and drafting Kaapo Kakko second overall. The team looks ready to take the next step towards contending, but still do have several expiring contracts on the books. Most notable is Chris Kreider, who remains an effective power forward option but is heading towards unrestricted free agency next summer. Kreider’s name has been involved in trade speculation for months, and Larry Brooks of the New York Post tweeted today that multiple sources told him the 28-year old’s name “is out there everywhere.”

After signing Panarin and Trouba to huge long-term contracts the Rangers actually find themselves with a bit of a cap problem. They currently project over the $81.5MM ceiling and have until tomorrow evening to decide whether they want to buy out one of their contracts to relieve some pressure. Kevin Shattenkirk and Brendan Smith have been listed as the most likely, though a trade of Kreider could also get the Rangers to a tenable cap situation. The forward carries a $4.625MM cap hit this season and holds an 11-team no-trade clause.

  • Immediately after the news broke that Paul Fenton had been fired by the Minnesota Wild, reports surfaced over who may be considered as a replacement. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that the Wild have already reached out to the Philadelphia Flyers for permission to speak with Ron Hextall. The former Flyers’ GM was relieved of his duties last November and is still technically under contract, though it seems unlikely that they would stand in the way of him taking the Minnesota job. Interestingly the man who replaced Hextall in Philadelphia, Chuck Fletcher, is the same GM who was fired in Minnesota only to be replaced by Fenton.
  • Though it was the New Jersey Devils who eventually landed Nikita Gusev from the Vegas Golden Knights, there was another team involved in the pursuit of the Russian winger. Vegas executive George McPhee admitted as much to Jesse Granger of The Athletic (subscription required), telling him that two teams made offers for Gusev and the Golden Knights went “back and forth for probably a couple weeks.” Granger was told that team was the Columbus Blue Jackets, but his Athletic colleague Arthur Staple also reports that the New York Islanders were “in the mix” for Gusev but didn’t like the contract terms he was looking for. Gusev eventually signed a two-year, $9MM contract with the Devils.

Minor Transactions: 07/30/19

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As July comes to a close and we get closer to the end of arbitration hearings and contract holdouts, teams continue to fill our their organizational depth charts. Here are some minor moves from around the league. We’ll keep updating as more come in:

  • Former Cornell standout and Bridgeport Sound Tigers goaltender Mitch Gillam has signed a one-year contract with the Wichita Thunder of the ECHL. The Edmonton Oilers affiliate will bring in the 26-year old to solidify the crease after he posted .925 and .906 save percentages through his first two years in the ECHL.
  • Casey Bailey is back in North America on a professional tryout with the Hershey Bears after spending last season in the KHL. The Penn State product signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2015 out of school and ended up playing 13 NHL games between them and the Ottawa Senators, but spent most of his professional career in the AHL. The 27-year old has good size and strength but never could quite find a way to elevate his game to the NHL level on a consistent basis.
  • Former AHL All-Star Mark Mancari has decided to retire after parts of four seasons in Germany. The 34-year old has taken a job as an assistant coach with the Niagara IceDogs of the OHL. Mancari played 42 games in the NHL over the years but was a standout at the AHL level, recording 558 points in 692 regular season games.

Snapshots: Hughes, MacKenzie, Dwyer

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Jack Hughes hasn’t played a game in the NHL and Quinn Hughes has played just five, but already some are looking ahead to another member of the family. Young Luke Hughes, a 15-year old defenseman who will join the USNTDP next season is on the radar as a potential top pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft and was recently profiled by Ryan Dixon of Sportsnet.

Hughes has the same exceptional skating ability as his older brothers, but already stands 5’11” and has plenty of time to grow. Even if he never becomes a hulking defenseman there seems to be a good chance the trio will all be in the NHL at the same time down the road. The young prospect is currently committed to the University of Michigan for 2021-22, the same school that Quinn went to for two seasons before signing his entry-level deal with the Vancouver Canucks a few months ago.

  • The CHL has hired former NBA executive Dan MacKenzie as the league’s first full-time president, responsible for growing the junior leagues and “enhancing the player and fan experience.” All three commissioners—David Branch of the OHL, Gilles Courteau of the QMJHL and Ron Robison of the WHL—will stay in their current positions and work with MacKenzie, who has spent the last eight years as managing director of NBA Canada.
  • The Carolina Hurricanes have hired Patrick Dwyer as an assistant coach for the Charlotte Checkers. Dwyer only just finished his playing career after suiting up for a season with the Belfast Giants, but is very familiar with the Hurricanes organization. The 36-year old played 416 NHL games, all with Carolina and recorded 93 points. He’ll join new Checkers head coach Ryan Warsofsky in trying to replace the success delivered by Mike Vellucci before he left for the Pittsburgh Penguins organization earlier this summer.

Colorado Avalanche Sign Vladislav Kamenev

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The Colorado Avalanche have come to terms with another one of their restricted free agents, signing Vladislav Kamenev to a one-year contract. Adrian Dater of Colorado Hockey Now reports the deal is worth $750K. Kamenev was not arbitration eligible and played just 23 NHL games last season. He will still be an RFA at the conclusion of the contract.

Kamenev, 22, was one of the more unheralded parts of the original Matt Duchene trade in 2017, coming over from the Nashville Predators alongside Samuel Girard. He may have had a bigger impact if he hadn’t broken his arm in his first game for the team and dealt with several other injuries since. In fact, the young forward has played just 35 games at any level in almost two full seasons in the Avalanche organization, unable to make an impact in the AHL or NHL.

That will all hopefully change this year as the 2014 second round pick is healthy and ready to compete for a spot in training camp. That spot may be difficult to grab however, given the improved depth the Avalanche have added this summer. The team brought in Nazem Kadri, Joonas Donskoi, Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and Andre Burakovsky to lengthen out their forward group, which may mean Kamenev finds himself on the outside looking in. Unfortunate for Colorado, the young forward is no longer waiver exempt and would be at risk of claim if they tried to send him down.

When still in the Nashville organization, there was plenty of hype that Kamenev could establish himself as a solid third-line center in the NHL one day. He had good success in the minor leagues and was a polished defensive option. That path has been derailed at this point and he’ll need to find some consistent playing time in order to get back on that development trajectory. Where that playing time comes is unclear at this point.

Paul Fenton Fired By Minnesota Wild

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The Minnesota Wild have fired GM Paul Fenton after just one season according to Michael Russo of The Athletic (subscription required). The move is obviously a stunning development this far into the offseason, especially after Fenton has made sweeping changes to the roster by trading players like Nino Niederreiter, Mikael Granlund and Charlie Coyle while also committing a long-term contract to Mats Zuccarello this offseason. Russo expects assistant GM Tom Kurvers to take over in the interim as the team conducts a search for Fenton’s replacement.

Fenton’s time with Minnesota ends 14 months after it started when he was hired away from the Nashville Predators in May, 2018. The decision was made after a lengthy interview process by Wild owner Craig Leipold which included other highly touted assistants like Tom Fitzgerald and Bill Zito as well as more experienced names like John Ferguson Jr. and Dave Nonis. Fenton had been with the Predators since the beginning of their franchise, working with Leipold who was the team’s original owner. He was heralded as a solid replacement for the outgoing Chuck Fletcher, who had taken the Wild to the playoffs consistently but struggled to get them deep into the tournament.

Amazingly, the biggest free agent contract given out by Fenton was completed just a few weeks ago when he signed Zuccarello to a five-year, $30MM deal. That matched the extension he’d handed Mathew Dumba in 2018 and just eclipsed the one he signed Jason Zucker to. Less than a year after signing Zucker to that five-year extension, Fenton tried to trade the speedy winger multiple times, first to Calgary at the deadline and recently to the Pittsburgh Penguins in an eventually nixed Phil Kessel deal.

Very recently, team leader Zach Parise spoke out about how at his age he isn’t ready for a rebuild and has started to wonder about his decision all those years ago to sign with the Wild—though he stated clearly that he didn’t regret it. That kind of an interview, in which Russo also reported that Fenton had explored if teams had interest in Parise, likely only stoked the flames for Leipold, who needs to get the organization back on track. He has a huge task before him now to find the right man for the job and quickly get the Wild back to a playoff contender or commit to a rebuild.

Ottawa Senators Acquire Ryan Callahan

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The Tampa Bay Lightning won’t be placing Ryan Callahan on long-term injured reserve after all. The Lightning have traded the contract of the injured forward along with a 2020 fifth-round pick to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for Mike Condon and a 2020 sixth-round pick. Callahan was diagnosed with a degenerative back disease and will not play again. He has one year left on his contract that carries a $5.8MM cap hit.

Like many trades involving the Senators recently, this deal is about saving money. While Callahan is owed $4.7MM this season much of that will likely be covered by insurance thanks to the career-ending injury. Condon meanwhile has a $3MM salary this season and the Senators did not plan on using him in the NHL given the re-signing of Anders Nilsson as the backup for Craig Anderson. The team also has several young goaltenders that need playing time in the minor leagues.

That situation also seems to be the case in Tampa Bay however, as the team now has four goaltenders on one-way contracts making at least $1.15MM. Curtis McElhinney is the presumed backup after signing a two-year $2.6MM deal in free agency, but now Condon and Louis Domingue are also in the fold. The Lightning also have Scott Wedgewood and Spencer Martin under contract for the minor leagues. The team will have to sort out who is going where to start the year, meaning more moves may be coming for the Lightning.

None of that however is the real issue being addressed for Tampa Bay. The team still has Brayden Point sitting as a restricted free agent (along with Adam Erne) but had very little cap space to get him signed. Though the team can go over the salary cap ceiling by up to 10% during the offseason, if they wanted to take full advantage of long-term injured reserve for Callahan’s cap hit they would have had to be compliant by the start of the season before designating him for LTIR. This transaction will remove that cap hit entirely giving the Lightning a good deal more flexibility to sign Point.

Tampa Bay now projects to have just under $9MM in cap space to get Point in and will obviously be burying at least two of their goaltenders before the start of the year if they are still with the organization. Fitting Point in even at a salary approaching $10MM wouldn’t be a problem, though it is still unclear how the two sides are going to approach his next contract. With Nikita Kucherov, the Lightning agreed to a three-year bridge deal after his entry-level contract expired which gave them a little more flexibility before locking him up long-term. They could do the same with Point, though the restricted free agent market has changed considerably since Kucherov signed his bridge deal in 2016.

Chris Kunitz Announces Retirement

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A four-time Stanley Cup champion has hung up his skates. Chris Kunitz announced his retirement as a professional hockey player today after 15 seasons and will now be joining the Chicago Blackhawks organization as a player development adviser. Kunitz released this statement:

I feel very fortunate to have been a part of four amazing organizations over the last 15 years. First and foremost I’d like to sincerely thank the Anaheim Ducks, the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Chicago Blackhawks. Every one of these organizations was the ultimate example, not only to me, but to my children, on what true professionalism should be.

Kunitz, 39, played last season with the Blackhawks and registered ten points in 56 games. It was actually his fifth organization as he suited up twice for the Atlanta Thrashers in his early career as well. Mostly though, the veteran winger will be remembered for his time in Pittsburgh where he played a total of 695 games and won three Stanley Cups. Never the superstar, Kunitz instead played integral secondary roles wherever he went, adding some physicality and a relentless forecheck to some nice offensive skills. He recorded 619 points in his 1,022 regular season games including a career-high 35 goals and 68 points in 2013-14.

One of the most memorable moments of his career came in the 2017 Eastern Conference Finals, when Kunitz scored the winning goal in overtime to lift the Penguins past the Ottawa Senators. Game-winning goals were old hat at that point, having scored 45 in his career (he would end up with 49).

An undrafted forward out of Ferris State University, Kunitz was exactly the type of hockey player that every team in the league was after throughout his long career. Willing to do anything at either end of the rink while also fitting in anywhere from the first to fourth line. Kunitz was given a chance to play with some outstanding talents over the last decade and a half, but many have spoken highly of his contributions and chemistry. That chemistry—with Sidney Crosby in particular—is what led the Canadian Olympic team to choose Kunitz for their 2014 team. He would only score a single goal in the tournament but the Canadians would end up taking home gold.

Quite simply, Kunitz experienced more team success than almost anyone else in the modern NHL. Though he was rarely the face of those victories, he contributed all the same. It’s hard to imagine many players who wouldn’t trade their careers for his at this point.

Mitch Marner Deal Holding Up Other Restricted Free Agents

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If the Toronto Maple Leafs’ negotiations with Mitch Marner last as long as they did with William Nylander last season, many other NHL teams are going to be in trouble. According to The Athletic’s Joe Smith, many other agents are waiting to see how Marner’s deal shakes out before finalizing terms for their own top restricted free agent forwards. A surprising number of prominent RFA forwards remain unsigned and could stay that way until the Marner deal sets the market.

Writing specifically about the Tampa Bay Lightning, a team facing their own RFA conundrum with breakout center Brayden Point, Smith states that the team expects Point to be ready for camp in September, but agent Gerry Johansson is content with the “slow process”. The agents for Mikko Rantanen, Matthew Tkachuk, Kyle Connor, Brock Boeser, Patrik Laine, and Travis Konecny likely feel the same way and are apparently waiting to see where Marner, the best of the group, ends up before moving forward. In fact, Sportsnet’s Rick Dhaliwal also added today that things are very quiet around Boeser’s camp and he acknowledges that the process has been slow for most big-name RFA’s.

So what will be the first domino to fall? Will Marner really sign first and set the stage for everyone else? Or will another unsigned star finally budge and give the market a much-needed comparable? While Marner, who recorded 94 points in 82 games last year, is the most established player and considered the top RFA who would be the ceiling for the market, he was actually quite comparable to Rantanen and Point last season. However, the rest of the group could benefit from any of the group signing a contract to use as a point of comparison. At this point in the summer, the odds are high that at least one of these negotiations will last into the regular season. But if the reports are true that the market waits on Marner, those teams with top unsigned RFA forwards better hope that Toronto and their star winger are closer than it seems.

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