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Central Notes: Gustafsson, Boqvist, Turris

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Despite his impressive development over the past two years, the Chicago Blackkhawks could find themselves in trouble with defenseman Erik Gustafsson. The 27-year-old has developed far better than they hoped. After a couple years in the AHL, he established himself with solid half-season in 2017-18 and then followed it up with a dominant year last season. If he continues on that course, unfortunately, the team might not be able to afford him when he becomes a free agent at the end of the season.

Gustafsson, signed out of Finland four years ago, posted an impressive year in 2018-19, scoring 17 goals and posting 60 points and has quietly established himself as a top-line defender for the Blackhawks. In a mailbag column, The Athletic’s Mark Lazerus (subscription required) writes that if Gustafsson continues his success, the team may be forced to trade him at the trade deadline as they likely wouldn’t have the money to pay a top-line defender with their salary cap. Chicago has little money freeing up next year besides their goaltending combination of Corey Crawford and Robin Lehner and they will have to replace that. On top of that, the have a pair of restricted free agents who each should command significant contracts in Alex DeBrincat and Dylan Strome. Regardless, if he commands a significant contract, that could cause a problem if Chicago finds itself in a playoff run.

It might be an easy decision if Chicago is out of the playoff race early and the Blackhawks might be able to nab a first-round pick in exchange for him as Lazerus points out that many teams would be willing to move a late first-round pick for a high quality defenseman.

  • Sticking with the Blackhawks, NBC Sports’ Charlie Roumeliotis writes that perhaps the most impressive player in Chicago’s development camp was defenseman Adam Boqvist, the team’s eighth-overall pick in 2018. According to Chicago’s player development coach Brian Campbell, Boqvist was impressive for a young player, who just turned 19, but the young blueliner still needs time to develop. “Yeah, I was impressed,” Campbell said. “Obviously, he’s come a long way in a year from last development camp. There’s no pressure being put on him. He’ll develop at his time. If he pushes for a spot, great, but I just don’t want people to get away. There’s a lot to keep learning and he wants to learn, which is the greatest thing. His teammates love him: great thing. He wants to do extra and learn the game: great thing. He is preparing himself days before, even in development camp, he’s preparing himself days before. So all great things and he’s on the right path.”
  • In an interview with Nashville Predators general manager David Poile, The Athletic’s Joe Rexrode (subscription required) writes that the GM strongly believes that center Kyle Turris just had a bad season last year. The 30-year-old Turris played in just 55 games, scoring just seven goals and 23 points, not good numbers for a team playing him $6MM for another five seasons. Poile believes that he played impressively for Team Canada at the World Championships and should have a bounce-back season. “I think he’s very happy here,” Poile said. “I don’t think he’s, and I hate speaking for him, but he’s not happy with either how we’re using him or how he’s played. And those are both tied in to each other. So we have to hope and believe after all the conversations and our knowledge of him over many years of success in the National Hockey League, that he’s going to come back and we’ll just chalk this up to a bad year. … That is the question. We want the Kyle Turris that we first traded for. And that’s both on him and on us.”

 

Evening Notes: Ristolainen, Pastrnak, Andersson

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Just a week ago, Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen implied that he might be better off on another NHL team in an interview with a Finnish newspaper. However, Sabres general manager Jason Botterill has made it clear that the franchise expects Ristolainen in training camp next month, according to Buffalo News’ Mike Harrington.

Botterill said while his discussion with Ristolainen are private, the team has worked hard to put the 24-year-old in the best situation possible for success in the future.

“We’re continuing to try to set this team up where we’re putting ’Risto’ in positions to have success,” Botterill said. “Yeah, he wants to win. We also want to put him in a situation where he plays very well, and that’s what we’ve tried to do with some of the acquisitions, add depth to our defense, add competition to our defense.”

The Sabres do have options in front of them as the team has an overload of defensemen on the right side and a dearth of scoring options on the forward lines, suggesting that a trade could solve problems for both the Sabres and Ristolainen, who finished the season with 43 points, but also with an NHL-worst minus-41 plus/minus.

  • Boston Bruins President Cam Neely said that while Bruins forward David Pastrnak seemed to lose confidence late in the playoffs on their Stanley Cup Finals run, he isn’t worried that it will be a long-term issue, according to NBC Sports’ Joe Haggerty. Pastrnak, who still held the team lead tied for nine goals and 19 points in 24 playoff games, but wasn’t dominant in the playoffs like he was during the regular season. Neely believes that Pastrnak should only benefit from his struggles and become a better player. “Then you get to the conference final and the finals and it’s tough hockey out there,” said Neely. “I look at Pasta and he’s grown from the first playoff experience to this last one, and I expect even more growth out of him moving forward. I understand losing confidence, but I don’t understand losing confidence and not shooting. That’s what I’d talk to him about.”
  • The Athletic’s Darren Haynes (subscription required) writes that while the Calgary Flames lost a lot when Juuso Valimaki was injured after tearing his ACL during offseason training, the team does have some young players who are ready to take that next step to fill in the holes that they lost. The scribe writes that Rasmus Andersson might be ready to move into a more permanent top-four role. Andersson started taking minutes away from veteran T.J. Brodie last year and even has seen some power play time. Youngster Oliver Kylington also has shown that he’s ready for a bigger NHL role despite some of his defensive deficiencies.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Vegas Golden Knights

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Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM. Teams that can avert total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2019-20 season. This will focus more on those players who are integral parts of the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.

Vegas Golden Knights

Current Cap Hit: $80,474,999 (under the $81.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

D Zach Whitecloud (one year, $925K)
F Cody Glass (three years, $863K)
D Nicolas Hague (three years, $791K)

Potential Bonuses:

Whitecloud: $850K
Glass: $850K
Hague: $133K

While there is no guarantee that any of these three will be on the roster when the season begins, all three are expected to see time with the Golden Knights this season and could find themselves with significant roles depending on how things shake out. Glass, the team’s biggest prospect, is finally turning pro and while the organization has said in the past that Glass needs a full year of AHL work, he may have proved himself after his junior season ended last year. The sixth-overall pick from the 2017 draft, tallied five points in six AHL regualar season games, but was also one of the team’s top players throughout the AHL playoffs as he helped lead the team to the Calder Cup Finals. He tallied seven goals and 15 points in 22 playoff games. That play suggests that he might be ready and will compete for an immediate chance on the team’s third line.

Hague and Whitecloud are expected to challenge for a spot on one of the open spots in Vegas’ defense. Both players had impressive seasons with the Chicago Wolves last season and might be ready to make an impact. The 20-year-old Hague scored 13 goals in his rookie campaign, while the defensive Whitecloud showed off some offensive potential in his first full season in the AHL.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

F Cody Eakin ($3.85MM, UFA)
F Ryan Reaves ($2.78MM, UFA)
D Nick Holden ($2.2MM, UFA)
D Jonathon Merrill ($1.38MM, UFA)
F Tomas Nosek ($1MM, UFA)
G Malcolm Subban ($850K, RFA)
G Garret Sparks ($750K, RFA)
F Curtis McKenzie ($750K, UFA)
F William Carrier ($725K, RFA)
D Deryk Engelland ($700K, UFA)
F Valentin Zykov ($675K, RFA)

With their cap room extremely tight, there remains a legitimate possibility that the team may still make a trade and if that does happen, the player is likely to come from this list of players. Eakin, Reaves and Holden are not likely to return in a year and could be trade bait. Eakin is coming off a career-best season with 22 goals and 41 points, but assuming the team is healthier this year, will likely settle into a third-line center role this year unless Glass beats him out. However, with Eakin’s value at its highest, the team might be able to get the best return if they move him and his $3.85MM contract.

Reaves has become a fan favorite in Vegas, giving the team highlight reel hits and become a popular locker room presence. He also posted 305 hits for the Golden Knights. However, Reaves makes quite a bit of money for a player who produced nine goals and 20 points last season. With some young fourth-line players closing in on potentially replacing him, the team could find a taker in Reaves and his $2.78MM deal.

The team has been impressed with the development with Merrill, who was initially only looked at as an emergency defenseman, but really took that next step last season and has earned himself a full-time role with the possibility of even earning top-four minutes next season. Holden would be another option for the team free up cap room as the team signed him last summer to a two-year deal, but the veteran struggled to get consistent playing time and is on the outside looking in. The team might hope it can send Holden to a defense-needy team, but may be forced to bury him in the AHL if he can’t prove he belongs on the Golden Knights roster and with Engelland likely taking a lesser role at the bottom of the defense next season, it might be hard to win a spot.

The Golden Knights also have an interesting battle in net for the backup goalie spot after acquiring Sparks during the offseason from Toronto. While Subban is the likely candidate to keep the position, Sparks could provide some much needed depth in goal for the future if the Golden Knights managed to hold onto him. Sparks was a top prospect goaltender just a season ago, but struggled in his first full season in Toronto. However, the Golden Knights hope he can bounce back quickly.

Two Years Remaining

F Paul Stastny ($6.5MM, UFA)
F Brandon Pirri ($775K, UFA)

The team has been set up to provide a number of short-term deals at higher cost and Stastny is one of those who signed a three-year deal at a high AAV. Injuries limited the veteran to just 50 games last season, but when he played, he provided excellent playmaking on the team’s second line, scoring 13 goals and 42 points. If the 33-year-old can stay healthy this season, he could center one of the strongest lines in the league as he is one of the best playmakers who historically makes his line mates even better.

Pirri is an interesting addition. The 28-year-old showed off his scoring touch after being called up midway through the season. In just 31 games, he tallied 12 goals and 18 points, including a string of goals. Most expected the UFA to find a team that could offer him more playing time this summer. Instead he opted to remain and may get that playing time after the team decided to move KHL star Nikita Gusev to New Jersey this summer. Gusev had been penciled into the third line which now could fall to Pirri, who the team hopes can continue his scoring ways.

Three Years Remaining

G Marc-Andre Fleury ($7MM, UFA)
F Reilly Smith ($5MM, UFA)
D Brayden McNabb ($2.5MM, UFA)

While Fleury has been a stud since arriving from Pittsburgh in the expansion draft, the veteran goaltender is now 34 years old and has three years remaining on his deal. The Golden Knights have to hope that Fleury can continue playing at a high level for that time as they do not have a suitable replacement in the system at all yet and could find themselves in trouble in a few years if they can’t find a suitable player to step in and help take the burden from the netminder. With little faith early in the season in Subban, Fleury played in 61 regular-season games last season, his highest total since 2014-15. Subban did improve somewhat and played better in the second half, but it’s likely that Fleury will take on another significant load this season as well.

While 53 points may not be the type of numbers the team was hoping for from Smith, the Golden Knights know that Smith has proven to be a valuable commodity who is a key on the team’s penalty kill and is an excellent playmaker, especially when playing with the top line. McNabb has also been a key player under a cap-friendly deal who is playing solid minutes in the top-four, while providing excellent defense along with 200 hits last year.

Four Or More Years Remaining

F Mark Stone ($9.5MM through 2026-27)
F Max Pacioretty ($7MM through 2022-23)
D Nate Schmidt ($5.95MM through 2025-26)
F William Karlsson ($5.9MM through 2026-27)
D Shea Theodore ($5.2MM through 2025-26)
F Jon Marchessault ($5MM through 2023-24)
F Alex Tuch ($4.75MM through 2025-26)

It’s hard to believe, but after just two years, the team has its core in tact and locked up for a long time and should be Stanley Cup contenders for the next few years. Stone’s value has only increased in the last year as he completed the team’s quest to have two dominant lines. While the Golden Knights could alter their lines this season, Stone is expected to be a big piece and eventually the face of the franchise in Vegas after being acquired from Ottawa at the trade deadline and then signing a eight-year extension immediately after the trade and at $9.5MM, he may prove a bargain as the 28-year-old posted 33 goals and 73 points during the regular season, but really took off in the playoffs, putting up six goals and 12 points in seven playoff games.

While all the long-term deals look solid, if there is one to scrutinize even closer, it’s the four-year extension that Vegas signed Pacioretty to a year ago. That extension is kicking in this year, but the 30-year-old didn’t bounce back to his 30-goal ways that he had in Montreal in previous seasons. Pacioretty, who scored 30 goals five times in six straight years in Montreal, scored just 22 goals and 40 points in his first year in Vegas, but the team hopes they can get more out of him this year. He did show off more offense in the playoffs as well as he tallied five goals and 11 points in seven games.

The Golden Knights finally locked up Karlsson to a long-term deal, something both sides were hoping for and getting the forward to sign for under $6MM is impressive for the franchise. While the 24-year-old Karlsson saw his goal totals drop from 43 to 24 last season, a drop off was expected and the team believes that with two impressive lines, Karlsson should get more chances to score with less pressure from just top-line defenders.

Schmidt and Theodore should continue to develop and provide top-four defense for many years to come. Theodore in particular is only 24 years old and could break out and develop into a dominant defenseman in the next few years. Tuch took a solid step in his development, scoring 20 goals and 52 points in his second year and if the 23-year-old keeps improving, could be quite the bargain under $5MM in the future.

Buyouts

None

Retained Salary Transactions

F Tomas Tatar ($500K through 2020-21)

Salary Cap Recapture

None

Still To Sign

D Jimmy Schuldt (RFA)

The team might have to free up just a little extra to finally get Schuldt locked up for a number of years, but the top collegiate free-agent this offseason opted to sign with Vegas and could begin his career immediately. With attention from 29 of the 31 teams, many believe that Schuldt will get every opportunity to win a spot on the Golden Knights’ defense and could make his impact right away. After four years at St. Cloud State, he still will have to prove that he can beat out Whitecloud and Hague, but once the RFA signs, he could end up being a big piece to the team’s defensive outlook.

Best Value: Karlsson
Worst Value: Pacioretty

Looking Ahead

The Golden Knights general manager combo of George McPhee and Brad McCrimmon have done an amazing job of putting a team together quickly that is ready to compete immediately and have a chance to compete for many years. At the moment, the team has done a good job of locking up its core and while the team is right up against the cap, it does have a number of players making quite a bit of money while on short-term deals, which could allow the team to continue to upgrade to the team after those deals expire. Throw in a number of younger players who are getting closer and closer to being able to contribute, the team should be in solid shape for quite a while.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Free Agent Profile: Andrew MacDonald

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The Philadelphia Flyers had to make a tough decision earlier this summer when it opted to buy out veteran defenseman Andrew MacDonald. The veteran has been a key piece in the Flyers’ locker room, but the team felt it had to make a change. Regardless of the buyout, there should still be a place for the 32-year-old defenseman in the NHL. He just needs to find it. The blueliner may not be putting up big numbers on offense, but he could easily provide depth as a bottom-line defender for plenty of teams

MacDonald was acquired by Philadelphia back in 2014 from the New York Islanders and was promptly signed to a long-term extension, signing a six-year, $30MM deal a month after the trade. While the defenseman provided solid defense when on the ice, the veteran was often injured and slowly has seen his play decline as his $5MM AAV became a target of criticism for fans. The buyout was largely expected, but many Flyers praised the veteran for his leadership skills.

That ability to lead could give MacDonald an advantage as teams with a young defense might gravitate towards a player who could help lead. Unfortunately, perhaps the main reason that he hasn’t been signed yet is the fact that he has dealt with injuries and has slowed down a bit and certainly wasn’t worth the $5MM AAV that he signed years ago.

Potential Suitors

A possible return to the New York Islanders could always be a possibility. MacDonald played his best years here and could serve as a veteran who could fill in as a 6/7th blueliner and another veteran who could help out with a bunch of up-and-coming defensive prospects such as Noah Dobson and Bode Wilde. However, the team does have several veterans already and likely wouldn’t show a significant interest unless some of those players went down with injuries.

Although they have been mentioned often in regards to blueline free-agents, the Winnipeg Jets will be expected to add a few blueliners to fill out its depth eventually after the team locks up restricted free agents Patrik Laine and Kyle Connor. The veteran could also look to return to Canada and find a home there, but again teams like Montreal, Toronto and Ottawa may not be in need of a veteran blueliner as they all have quite a bit of depth.

In the end, however, MacDonald will likely just have to wait until teams lose a player to injury.

Projected Contract

MacDonald will never get anything near $5MM and likely at this point will have to accept a minimum salaried deal. Considering that he is still getting quite a bit from Philadelphia, that money should make it easier to accept any deal that might come along for him.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Atlantic Notes: Drouin, Red Wings Front Office, Miller

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The Montreal Canadiens seem to be a team on the rise last season as the team finished just two points out of a playoff spot behind the Columbus Blue Jackets. In the end, if the team just could have pulled off a late win, the season could have been looked at differently. The Montreal Gazzette’s Brendan Kelly also wonders whether forward Jonathan Drouin could have made that difference as well.

The winger, who was converted to center to start last season and then quickly moved back to wing after seeing that experiment failed, Drouin struggled throughout the year, especially in the final third of the season. The 24-year-old prized forward the team acquired two summers ago, hasn’t developed into the elite forward the Canadiens had hoped for. But his final 26 games resulted in just one goal and six assists. Had he played better, who knows what might have happened to Montreal?

Kelly writes that much of the Canadiens’ hopes for this season will fall on Drouin, who can be the difference-maker the team needs. Kelly believes Drouin has what it takes to be a star, but needs better coaching to take his game to the next level after looking lost in the final third of last season. The stress of being the savior to the franchise could also be having an effect, but his success could be the most critical element to the team’s season.

  • The Detroit News reports that Detroit Red Wings executive Kris Draper has been promoted to director of amateur scouting. Draper, a former assistant to former general manager Ken Holland, replaces Tyler Wright whose contract wasn’t renewed three weeks into current general manager Steve Yzerman’s tenure. Detroit also announced a few other front office additions as the team hired two amateur chief scouts in Ryan Rezmierski (formerly with Nashville) and Jesse Wallin (formerly with St. Louis). The team also added two more scouts in Bryce Thoma and Rob Rassey as well as bringing over former Tampa Bay Lightning goaltending scout Phil Osaer, who has been named head of goaltending scouting and development.
  • Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe writes that Boston Bruins defenseman Kevan Miller still hasn’t started skating yet in his recovery from his twice-fractured right kneecap. The 31-year-old played just 39 games last season and didn’t make an appearance after Apr. 4 due to the injury. Millar was actually close to being ready to return for the Stanley Cup Finals when he fractured that kneecap a second time, ending any hope of returning. The blueliner said, however, that the kneecap has healed through twice-a-day workouts over six days so far this offseason and he hopes to begin skating in the next few weeks. He doesn’t expect to be ready for drills in training camp and can’t confirm if he’ll be ready for the start of the season either.

Minor Transactions: 8/17/19

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While it’s unlikely that there will be much in the way of notable player movement today aside from Carolina’s early signing, there will still be some minor moves around the hockey world.  We’ll keep tabs on those here.

  • Blackhawks UFA winger Spencer Watson is sticking around the organization but not on an NHL deal. Their ECHL affiliate in Indy announced that they have signed the 23-year-old to a one-year contract.  Watson was acquired from Los Angeles in a midseason trade and has spent the bulk of his pro career in the ECHL.  While he has averaged nearly a point per game at that level, it wasn’t enough to get him a qualifying offer back in June.
  • Arizona State University announced that winger Christopher Grando has transferred from Boston University. The 20-year-old had a strong freshman year in 2017-18 but saw his production and role decrease in his sophomore campaign which led to the transfer.  He’ll have to sit out the upcoming season but he’ll still have two years of NCAA eligibility remaining with the hopes of getting onto the NHL radar.

PHR Mailbag: Rangers, Backes, Surprise Teams, Trade Candidates, Senators

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Topics in this edition of the mailbag include what’s next for the Rangers, David Backes’ future in Boston, teams that could surprise, possible trade candidates over the next month, and Ottawa’s lack of spending.  If your question isn’t covered here, check back with last week’s column.

met man: Now that the dust has settled, do the Rangers trade or extend Chris Kreider?  What about Namestnikov?

It’s probably the status quo for the time being when it comes to Kreider.  The team has indicated that they expect him in training camp which was a subtle way to say let’s stop with the trade speculation.  That probably won’t happen though.  They’re going to have a hard enough time fitting him under the Upper Limit this season at his current $3.625MMMM rate.  Add a couple million to that on a long-term extension and the big penalty from the Kevin Shattenkirk buyout and it’s very difficult to see them being able to fit Kreider in a year from now even if the salary cap goes up a little bit.  That’s always going to keep him trade speculation.

I don’t expect a quick resolution to his case though.  They’ll find a way to get under the cap for 2019-20 without needing to move him and they’ll see how things play out.  If they get back into playoff contention, they’ll certainly consider holding on to him and try to use that as a case for why he should take a bit less than he could get elsewhere to stick around.  If they’re a bubble team or out of the postseason picture though, then a trade near the deadline becomes the likeliest outcome where he’d be one of the more prominent players available.

As for Namestnikov, they’ve been trying to move him for a while now with no takers.  I happen to think there’s still some potential upside with him – he’s only 26 and one year removed from a 22-goal, 48-point season.  Sure, it hasn’t worked out too well for him in New York but a change of scenery could get him back closer to 15 goals and 35 to 40 points.  Is that great value for $4MM?  Not really but he’d still be a useful player.  If the Rangers are open to retaining some of his contract, they could find a taker for him although the return wouldn’t be a strong one.  But that might be enough to get them back in cap compliance for next season so it may be a hit worth taking.

pitmanrich: Considering the moves the Rangers have made this summer and the high draft picks they’ve used over last two drafts is the rebuild over? And if so, how much pressure will coach Quinn be under to get results this season?

I don’t think it’s fair to say that the rebuild is entirely over.  This is still a team that’s going to be icing a lot of youngsters in prominent roles and with that, there will be inevitable growing pains, even with the additions of Artemi Panarin and Jacob Trouba.  This is a team that should certainly be improved and I don’t think I’d be overly shocked if they got into the playoff mix as there isn’t going to be a lot of separation between the third-place team in the Metropolitan and one that finds itself on the outside looking in at the postseason picture.  Accordingly, I would say that their rebuild has been accelerated but it’s still a year too early to call it over.

With that in mind, expectations shouldn’t be too high on David Quinn.  The priority for this season should be getting steady development out of players like Kaapo Kakko, Vitali Kravtsov, Filip Chytil, Lias Andersson, Brett Howden, and Adam Fox.  That’s the eventual young nucleus of this team with their high-priced veterans helping to give them enough of a push to get them over the top.  At least that’s the plan.  If their youngsters show signs of improvement towards living up to their draft billing, it’s a successful season regardless of where they finish in the standings.  Those are the results in which Quinn should be evaluated on.

mcase7187: Could the Bruins package a deal like David B?

It all depends on what the package includes.  Is it possible that Backes could be traded?  Sure.  If Milan Lucic (whose contract is twice as long) can be dealt, then Backes certainly could as well.  The question becomes, what is Boston going to part with to entice a team to take him?

With several teams needing to free up cap room in the coming weeks, it’s not a great time to be trying to move Backes.  Boston has a good core of young players to work with but GM Don Sweeney has been hesitant to move them out.  That’s certainly understandable but if he’s not willing to attach a sizable sweetener, it certainly complicates things.

With Backes now being able to be sent to the minors (his no-move clause converts to a partial no-trade now), it’s possible that Boston just opts to send him down and free up $1.075MM in cap room if they don’t bring someone up to replace him.  If not, about the only way that I could see him moving is if they are open to taking another bad contract in return.  Unless that contract carries a lesser cap hit, I have a hard time thinking a trade will happen.

Mr. Mark: Your way too early prediction of a team who could be better than most are anticipating and your team who won’t be as good as most are anticipating.

I think New Jersey is a team that could turn it around pretty quickly and they haven’t received a lot of attention this summer.  They’re only a year removed from being a playoff team and a healthy Taylor Hall will be huge.  P.K. Subban represents a big upgrade on the back end.  Jack Hughes should make an impact this season and Wayne Simmonds, though on the downside of his career, should still help as well.  Nico Hischier should continue to improve.  Cory Schneider finished up better down the stretch and fared well at the Worlds, a sign that he’s now fully recovered from his hip issues.  Add all of these elements together and you have a team that’s quietly poised to make some noise.

On the flip side of it, I could see this being the year that Pittsburgh starts to slide.  They were vulnerable last season and it’s fair to suggest that they’ve taken a step back this summer in terms of talent.  Their core is getting up there in age and I have concerns about Matt Murray being the type of goalie that can carry a team if need be.  I wouldn’t be shocked if they finished in a top-three spot in the Metropolitan Division (it’s hard to bet against Sidney Crosby) but at the same time, missing the playoffs entirely is something that I could certainly see happening.

jdawglasalle: Who do you believe are the biggest trade candidates that will likely be traded before pre-season starts?

Beyond Namestnikov, Pittsburgh’s Nick Bjugstad stands out as a good trade candidate.  The Penguins need to free up some money and he didn’t have a big impact after being acquired from Florida.  He’s still young enough and only a year removed from a career season.  Although his $4.1MM AAV is on the higher side, I think some team will take a chance on him.

As for an under-the-radar candidate, I’ll pick Buffalo’s Zemgus Girgensons.  The Sabres could stand to free up a bit of room and he basically has had the same year the last four seasons.  A change of scenery could do him some good and I think Sabres could still get a bit of value for him.

Originally, I had T.J. Brodie pegged as a likely candidate but with Juuso Valimaki out long-term, that’s the end of that.  They still need to free up some cap room for a Matthew Tkachuk contract so I’d put the odds of Michael Frolik moving a bit higher now.  He’s a useful player, albeit at a fairly high price tag ($4.3MM) and with his limited usage last season, it’s hard to imagine him invoking his partial no-trade clause if a trade was to present itself.  I don’t know if it’ll get done before the start of the exhibition season but if not by then, probably soon after.

melkor77: What happens to all the RFA’s waiting for Marner to sign when he holds out the remainder of 2019?

First, I don’t see Mitch Marner opting to sit out the entire season.  That would be too much money to leave on the table.  They’d get a one-year deal done before it comes to that.  Having said that, I think it’s very possible he’s unsigned when the puck drops on regular season action (and he won’t be the only one).

It’s a waiting game right now but eventually, someone’s going to blink.  That will probably come close to the start of training camp when one or two sign.  A couple more will go at some point during the preseason.  That will leave probably three-to-five unsigned into the season.  It’s easy to say let’s wait for Marner as he’ll likely top the market in mid-August.  It’s a lot harder to do so once the games are being played.

ThePriceWasRight: I know the talk was that the league would not step in on the Sens ownership situation as long as cheques were not bouncing, but seeing as that it’s quite likely the ACTUAL dollars he is paying significantly is less than the floor, when does the PA step in to say that this could limit future player earnings.

I don’t think the NHLPA would have a leg to stand on here.  It’s not as if Ottawa’s low spending is going to negatively affect the salary cap as that’s based on total league revenues, not actual cap spending.  I think their decision to keep players like Marian Gaborik and Clarke MacArthur around will actually help future player earnings when it comes to the Senators.  Young players that wouldn’t be getting the playing time if they were actually trying to be competitive will get better numbers than they otherwise would have which will yield better second contracts.  (At least it should, in theory.)

Sure, it’s possible that other teams could be motivated by Ottawa’s thriftiness but it’s hard to think they’d be willing to go to quite this extreme.  The PR from doing so is quite negative and while bad press is something that the Senators aren’t too worried about, most owners are.  If others did follow suit, then it’d become something that would come up in CBA discussions a year from now, perhaps by shrinking the gap between the floor and the midpoint.

It’s not a pretty situation in Ottawa at the moment but as long as they spend the minimum that they’re required to, there isn’t much the league or the NHLPA can do about it.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Hurricanes Sign Chase Priskie

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The top player in the mid-August free agent class is off the board as the Hurricanes announced that they have signed defenseman Chase Priskie to a two-year, entry-level contract.  The deal will pay him the maximum $925K at the NHL level (including signing bonuses) and $70K in the minors, also the max for an entry-level pact.  GM Don Waddell released the following statement:

Chase was one of the best defensemen in college hockey last season.  We believe he has a bright future in the NHL, and we’re thrilled that he has chosen to come to Carolina.

Priskie was a sixth-round pick of Washington (177th overall) back in 2016 following his freshman campaign at Quinnipiac.  The Capitals made an effort to sign him following his junior year in 2017-18 but the 23-year-old opted to return for his senior season instead.  It turned out to be a wise decision as he posted career highs across the board offensively with 17 goals and 22 assists in just 36 games, making him one of the higher scoring defenders at the Division I level.  He was also among the ten finalists for the Hobey Baker Award.

Washington was right up against the 50-contract limit last season which took away any chance of them signing Priskie and burning the first year of his deal right away as an enticement.  Not surprisingly, he elected to wait a little longer and opted to become a free agent which only was made official on Friday.  The signing gives Carolina a capable replacement for Adam Fox, a former prospect who indicated he had no intention of signing with them, resulting in the Hurricanes trading him to the Rangers earlier this offseason.

It’s believed that Priskie was looking to sign somewhere where an NHL opportunity would present itself fairly quickly.  On the surface, Carolina doesn’t appear to have that situation as the team already has Dougie Hamilton, Brett Pesce, Justin Faulk, and Trevor van Riemsdyk as right-hand shots like Priskie is.  It’s certainly possible that Carolina could opt to trade one of those defenders (a move that could free up some cap room to re-sign winger Justin Williams if the veteran decides to play another year) but as things stand, it appears that Priskie will have to wait a little while before getting an NHL opportunity.

Morning Notes: Islanders, Wild GM Search, Lovejoy

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The Islanders still have three restricted free agents in wingers Anthony Beauvillier, Michael Dal Colle, and Joshua Ho-Sang.  However, GM Lou Lamoriello told Newsday’s Andrew Gross that the team has already reached an agreement with two of them but the contracts have yet to formally be signed and registered with the league.  He declined to indicate which two players had agreed.  Lamoriello also expressed his confidence in getting the third player signed without much difficulty so it appears they’ll have their full squad intact for training camp.

The GM also provided injury updates on a pair of veteran wingers.  Cal Clutterbuck (back surgery) has resumed skating and should be ready for the start of the season.  Meanwhile, Andrew Ladd (ACL surgery) has also started skating but will likely start the season on the Islanders injured reserve list.

Other early news and notes from around the league:

  • Bill Guerin isn’t the only Minnesota GM candidate to get a second interview thus far. Fox Sports Midwest’s Andy Strickland reports (Twitter link) that Montreal assistant GM Scott Mellanby has also had a second interview with the Wild.  Tom Kurvers, who is currently battling cancer, is currently serving as their interim GM but does not appear to be under consideration for the full-time role.
  • Stars team reporter Mike Heika noted via Twitter that it’s unlikely that defenseman Ben Lovejoy will return to the team. While he played a regular role for them down the stretch and in the postseason, the team believes that fellow blueliner Stephen Johns will be ready to go after missing all of last season due to a concussion.  His presence would basically fill the spot that Lovejoy would otherwise be able to potentially occupy.

Poll: Which GM Will Be Fired Next?

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Despite missing the playoffs in each of the last four seasons, the Vancouver Canucks decided to extend GM Jim Benning today. The reasons for that are complicated—and obviously do not hinge entirely on his postseason record—just as they were when the Minnesota Wild made the decision to fire Paul Fenton just 14 months into his tenure with the team. The inner workings of an NHL front office are almost never made public (unless there is an intrepid reporter like Michael Russo of The Athletic who gets the incredible story), and it is hard to see why some decisions are made.

Still, even the most casual fan can see the seat of specific executives and coaches heating up. When the Edmonton Oilers decided to move on from Peter Chiarelli during another disappointing season, it didn’t come as much of a surprise. On the other hand, it was easy to see why the Carolina Hurricanes recently locked up Don Waddell after he interviewed for another job.

Looking around the league, who is next? Which GM will be let go, either this year or next summer?

It might be easy to look at the teams that have struggled recently, but many of them have replaced their top hockey operations executive over the last few seasons. The Oilers brought in Ken Holland to change the culture in Edmonton, while Steve Yzerman returned to the Detroit Red Wings to bring a new voice to a stagnant team. Florida has gone through quite a bit of turmoil in the front office since their ownership changed but Dale Tallon now seems to be entrenched as a veteran leader.

There are others though that may not be so lucky. The Ottawa Senators are heading in a new direction after shedding their previous core, but if the young talent doesn’t develop as hoped Pierre Dorion could be held responsible. John Chayka was the youngest GM in history when he took over the Arizona Coyotes in 2016, but they still haven’t made the playoffs under his watch and now have new ownership of their own. Jason Botterill was expected to have success in Buffalo after finding so much of it in Pittsburgh, but the Sabres haven’t been able to build a full roster around Jack Eichel despite some outstanding individual players.

Nothing is certain when it comes to front offices however. Cast your vote below and explain just why you think they’ll be the first to go!

[Mobile users click here to vote]

*We’ve used Kelly McCrimmon as the Vegas GM, though he won’t officially take that title from George McPhee until September

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