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Archives for September 2019

Philadelphia Flyers Agree To Terms With Travis Konecny

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The Philadelphia Flyers have locked up their final restricted free agent, this time agreeing to terms with Travis Konecny. The young forward will sign a six-year contract that will carry an average annual value of $5.5MM. Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher released a short statement on the deal:

We are happy to have Travis under contract for the next six seasons. Travis has shown progression in each of his three seasons and is an integral part of our group of young forwards. His speed, skill and tenacity sets him apart in today’s NHL.

Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic—who accurately suggested Bo Horvat’s six-year $33MM deal was a comparable this morning—provides the full breakdown:

  • 2019-20: $1.0MM salary + $3.0MM signing bonus
  • 2020-21: $3.0MM salary + $2.0MM signing bonus
  • 2021-22: $5.25MM salary
  • 2022-23: $3.75MM salary + $2.0MM signing bonus
  • 2023-24: $6.0MM salary
  • 2024-25: $4.0MM salary + $3.0MM signing bonus

Konecny, 22, was the 24th overall pick in the 2015 draft but quickly acclimated himself to the NHL level. Playing a full season in 2016-17 he showed off some impressive playmaking skills, and has now posted consecutive 24-goal campaigns over the last two years. The talented forward still hasn’t been able to break 50 points in a single year, but at least some of the reason for that is a simple lack of opportunity. Konecny averaged just over 15 minutes of ice time last season which was actually a career-high, and wasn’t a regular member of the first powerplay unit.

There’s no real guarantee that the man-advantage opportunity will increase for Konecny this season, but he should see more time at even-strength. He now slides in as the fifth-highest paid forward on the team, and with a huge investment in him the Flyers should be giving him every chance to succeed. If they do, that $5.5MM cap hit could become a bargain very quickly, especially compared to some of the other numbers his 2015 draft-mates are starting to pull in.

For the Flyers, they now have several pieces of their offense locked in long-term, but will have one more key negotiation coming up next summer with Nolan Patrick. Konecny joins Jakub Voracek, Kevin Hayes, Ivan Provorov, Shayne Gostisbehere and James van Riemsdyk with deals that carry through at least the 2022-23 season, while Sean Couturier and Claude Giroux still have three years each on their respective contracts.

Still, the team doesn’t have much cap space as they head into the season. Currently projected at just over $80.3MM in salary commitments for 21 roster players, the team may have to move players up and down regularly to accrue any additional room.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

NHLPA Formally Declines CBA Opt-Out Clause

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Just like the NHL did a few weeks ago, the NHLPA has now formally declined their option to reopen the CBA following the 2019-20 season. That means the current agreement will remain in effect until September of 2022, avoiding any work stoppages during that time. The NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr released this statement:

While players have concerns with the current CBA, we agree with the league that working together to address those concerns is the preferred course of action instead of terminating the agreement following this season. We have been having discussions with the league about an extension of the CBA and expect those talks will continue. 

When combined with the league’s decision, this is a very positive step that guarantees labor peace for at least three more years. The two sides will have a much longer runway to approach any CBA extension discussions, though by no means are those talks settled. The players and league both indicated in their announcements that they are not fully satisfied with the way the agreement is currently structured, meaning there will surely be some tense negotiations in the future. Topics like rising escrow levels, contract structuring and international competitions are some of the hot-button topics, though there are sure to be more brought up in the next few years.

Still, this can be celebrated by hockey fans that were dreading another work stoppage at the end of this season. The league has frustratingly gone through several over the last few decades, including the most recent one during the first half of the 2012-13 season. With this announcement, the hockey world can enjoy this season without the feeling of impending doom that has so often accompanied the sport.

Snapshots: Draft Rankings, Konecny, Laine

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With training camp underway and the 2019-20 regular season just around the corner, Bob McKenzie of TSN has released his annual preseason draft rankings. This list is compiled from the opinions of ten active scouts around the league and given context by McKenzie, who will update throughout the year. It comes as little surprise to find Alexis Lafreniere leading the group, though none of them listed him as “in a class by himself.”

That may raise some eyebrows after Lafreniere took home the CHL Player of the Year award following his 105-point season with the Rimouski Oceanic, but it speaks to the strength of the players behind him. Those nipping at Lafreniere’s heels? They include power forwards, pure goal scorers, talented playmakers and even a potential franchise goaltender.

  • After the trio of high profile restricted free agents all signed contracts over the past week, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (subscription required) examines what that will mean for next year’s crop. Mikhail Sergachev and Thomas Chabot are the focus of his musing, each in very different situations in Tampa Bay and Ottawa. LeBrun also gives an update on the ongoing negotiations with Philadelphia Flyers Travis Konecny, noting that there is “at least a path ahead” and giving a potential comparable of Bo Horvat’s $5.5MM average annual value. Horvat signed a six-year, $33MM deal in September 2017 following his first 20-goal campaign.
  • Patrik Laine has begun practicing with SC Bern of the Swiss NLA as expected, explaining that he knew the coaching staff and thought it was a perfect place to stay in shape. The team’s head coach is Kari Jalonen, who had Laine on the Finland World Championship roster in 2016 where they won a silver medal. Laine was named the Most Valuable Player of that tournament, scoring seven goals in ten games.

More On Mitch Marner’s Negotiation

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Mitch Marner is back at the Toronto Maple Leafs training camp after signing a six-year deal worth more than $65MM last week. The young forward was one of the biggest stories of the offseason as his representatives and the team went back and forth on term and salary, threatening to miss time like his teammate William Nylander last year. This morning, Marner’s agent Darren Ferris told Sportsnet radio that two offer sheets were presented to his client during the offseason but that they never considered accepting them, instead wanting to get a deal done with the Maple Leafs. Marner himself confirmed it, explaining his decision to Kristen Shilton of TSN:

As soon as Darren mentioned [offer sheets], I told him right away I don’t want to explore that option. But I didn’t want to miss training camp…or any games this season, so that’s why I really forced the issue with Kyle [Dubas] to get something done and get me here.

While Marner may have immediately turned down the offer sheets, it does raise some questions about which teams tried them and how much they were willing to pay. Former NHL forward Matthew Barnaby believes they were from the Columbus Blue Jackets and Minnesota Wild, though Marner and Ferris obviously wouldn’t confirm. If they had been equivalent to the deal that Marner eventually got from the Maple Leafs, the teams would have had to give up the maximum RFA compensation of four first-round picks. That’s a tough price for any team to pay, and one that would have forced the Maple Leafs to at least consider the option.

Now though, Toronto can focus on their upcoming preseason schedule with the whole group signed and in training camp. Marner, Auston Matthews and John Tavares now make up three of the seven highest-paid forwards in the league and will need to prove they can have more than just regular season success. With players like Jake Muzzin and Tyson Barrie coming off the books or demanding raises next summer as unrestricted free agents, this season may be one of the team’s only shots with the current group.

Five Key Stories: 9/9/19 – 9/15/19

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With training camps getting underway, the expectation was that this past week was going to be full of big contracts getting done.  That’s exactly what happened.  Here are the top stories from the past seven days.

Bridge Deals: The movement began when Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski agreed to a three-year, $15MM contract.  Worth noting is that the salary is heavily back-loaded with a $7MM payout in 2021-22 that will also represent his qualifying offer that offseason.  It’s not the first time that GM Jarmo Kekalainen has gone this route as former Columbus center Ryan Johansen played on a similarly-structured deal before being traded to Nashville.  That structure also helped pave the way for Charlie McAvoy to get a deal done with Boston as he signed for three years and $14.7MM.  His qualifying offer in 2022 will be $7.3MM, well above his $4.9MM AAV.

Provorov Skips The Bridge: The other prominent blueliner that was still unsigned was Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov.  Instead of doing what the others did, he instead opted for a six-year, $40.5MM contract as we projected earlier this month.  He’s coming off a down season offensively but still logged over 25 minutes a night as a core part of Philadelphia’s back end.  If he can get back to the 40-point mark as he did in 2017-18, this could be a bargain before too long.  Provorov will be eligible for unrestricted free agency as a 28-year-old in the 2025 offseason.

Marner Signs: Mitch Marner’s case was the one that many were waiting to see how it played out.  Would he hold out into the season as teammate William Nylander did or would he find a way to get a deal done before the puck dropped on the regular season in October?  The two sides came to terms on a six-year, $65.538MM contract, the largest AAV given to a winger coming out of his entry-level deal in league history.  With the deal, Toronto now has more than $40MM tied up in their top-four forwards for the next five seasons.  That’s an unprecedented amount in a top forward group so many will be interested to see how GM Kyle Dubas navigates the salary cap over the years to come.  In the short-term though, they’re certainly happy that the deal is done while others around the league will see if this contract helps move the needle on some of the other RFA forwards.

Defense Extensions: A pair of key defensemen opted to sign a year earlier than they needed to.  First, the Jets inked an eight-year, $50MM extension with Josh Morrissey which will nearly double his current AAV when it kicks in next season.  Winnipeg lost three blueliners this offseason so getting Morrissey locked up long-term gives them some much-needed stability on their back end.  Meanwhile, Minnesota handed Jared Spurgeon a seven-year deal that carries a $7.575MM AAV, the largest cap hit in franchise history.  The 29-year-old is coming off a career season and has become a valuable top pairing blueliner in recent years.

Stone Back To Calgary: In the grand scheme of things, Michael Stone signing a contract for the league minimum with Calgary shouldn’t typically move the needle.  However, when it comes mere weeks after the Flames bought him out, then it raises some eyebrows.  It’s the first move of its kind since buyouts were instituted and now with one happening, it will be interesting to see if other teams consider following suit down the road.  The only type of signing after a buyout that is prohibited in the CBA is from compliance buyouts, the cap-exempt ones that teams could use on up to two players following the signing of the last agreement.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

RFA Profile: Mikko Rantanen

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Avalanche winger Mikko Rantanen is now the top remaining restricted free agent following the signings of quite a few players around the league over the past few days.  While it’s possible that those moves could get the ball rolling on a new deal for him, the likelier scenario at this point is that it doesn’t.  Here is a look at Rantanen’s situation.

The 22-year-old is coming off his second straight season with over 80 points, a feat that not many players have reached in recent years.  He also played quite well in the postseason where he led the team in scoring with 14 points in a dozen games.  As far as offensive production goes, there aren’t many real comparable players out there.

One element that Colorado may try to use against him in talks is how much offensive zone starts he had last season.  Their top line all saw heavy usage in the offensive end but none more than Rantanen.  His career OZ% rate is higher than quite a few of the players that could be considered as comparables.  There was a time where teammate Nathan MacKinnon’s $6.3MM AAV was set as the ideal ceiling for the whole team but let’s face it, that’s not going to happen.  He’s a player with two high-end seasons under his belt and is still viewed as having some upside.  He’s going to get a substantial contract that is well past MacKinnon’s.

Statistics

2018-19: 74 GP, 31-56-87, +13, 54 PIMS, 193 shots, 20:51 ATOI
Career: 230 GP, 80-129-209, -19, 112 PIMS, 513 shots, 18:53 ATOI

Comparables

Leon Draisaitl (Edmonton) – His placement here is basically to establish the floor for this contract.  Like Rantanen, they’re both viewed as the second-best offensive threat on their respective teams and while Draisaitl played the premium position (he was mostly a center at the time), Rantanen outscored him by a fair margin in each of their two full NHL seasons.

Platform Year Stats: 82 GP, 29-48-77, +7, 20 PIMS, 172 shots, 18:53 ATOI
Career Stats at ELC Expiration: 191 GP, 50-87-137, -12, 44 PIMS, 354 shots, 17:22 ATOI

Contract: Eight years, $68MM
Cap Hit Percentage: 11.33%
Current Equivalent: Eight years, $73.87MM ($9.23MM AAV)

Jack Eichel (Buffalo) – This is a contract that Rantanen’s camp will undoubtedly point to as a benchmark deal.  Eichel hadn’t reached the 70-point mark in any of his ELC years, something that Rantanen easily surpassed twice.  Yes, Eichel plays the tougher position and has the better draft pedigree but there is a good case to be made that Rantanen deserves more than this contract.

Platform Year Stats: 67 GP, 25-39-64, -25, 32 PIMS, 246 shots, 20:09 ATOI
Career Stats at ELC Expiration: 209 GP, 73-104-177, -54, 76 PIMS, 743 shots, 19:41 ATOI

Contract: Eight years, $80MM
Cap Hit Percentage: 13.33%
Current Equivalent: Eight years, $86.91MM ($10.86MM AAV)

Steven Stamkos (Tampa Bay) – I’m focusing on his post-ELC deal, not his current one.  (Since Rantanen is coming off his entry-level pact, all of the comparable contracts are also post-ELC ones.)  He went with a shorter deal to get to UFA eligibility quicker.  Stamkos, a number one overall pick, also outscored Rantanen in each season (though Rantanen’s point per game pace was a little higher than Stamkos’ platform season).  While the RFA market has improved since 2011, this deal (in today’s dollars) should be considered the ceiling of a medium-term contract.

Platform Year Stats: 82 GP, 45-46-91, +3, 74 PIMS, 272 shots, 20:12 ATOI
Career Stats at ELC Expiration: 243 GP, 119-113-232, -12, 151 PIMS, 750 shots, 18:36 ATOI

Contract: Five years, $37.5MM
Cap Hit Percentage: 11.66%
Current Equivalent: Five years, $47.51MM ($9.502MM AAV)

Mitch Marner (Toronto) – The obvious one is saved for last.  Many expected Marner’s deal to basically be a comparable as soon as it was signed and there’s little reason to think it won’t be.  Marner is a bit more of a playmaker than Rantanen and they play different styles but they’re both very productive wingers so the money is going to be pretty close one way or the other.

Platform Year Stats: 82 GP, 26-68-94, +22, 22 PIMS, 233 shots, 19:49 ATOI
Career Stats at ELC Expiration: 241 GP, 67-157-224, +21, 81 PIMS, 603 shots, 17:41 ATOI

Contract: Six years, $65.358MM
Cap Hit Percentage: 13.37%

Projected Contract

GM Joe Sakic has made it known that his preference would be to get a long-term deal done.  However, the appetite probably won’t be there at the rate it would take to get a max-term contract in place.  The Avalanche have the salary cap space to make such a move but with some of their other players that will be needing new deals a couple years from now, a slightly lesser term will give them a bit more flexibility down the road.

With that in mind, a two or three-year bridge deal likely isn’t on the table as well.  Those can be justifiable when a team is in a cap crunch but that isn’t the case here.  Four years walks him to unrestricted free agency so that’s off the table as well.

As a result, five or six years could very well be the happy medium.  If it’s five years, it should check in slightly below the $9.502MM current year equivalent for Stamkos’ deal.  On a six-year pact and a second UFA year included, the AAV should jump a little past the $10MM mark.  There’s a valid argument to have him in Marner’s territory but Colorado’s cap situation compared to Toronto’s gives the Avalanche a bit more leverage than what the Maple Leafs had as they couldn’t let Marner’s case drag out into the season and make the first year AAV higher than they could afford even with LTIR.  That should be enough to keep Rantanen’s price tag a little lower in the end.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Kevan Miller Confirmed To Miss Start Of Season

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Last month, the Boston Bruins revealed that defenseman John Moore would miss the beginning of the regular season due to off-season shoulder surgery. At the time, they also mentioned that Kevan Miller was also at risk of missing the start to the year while continuing to recover from a fractured knee cap. The team has now followed that up with confirmation that Miller will not participate in the preseason and will not be ready to begin the season, per NBC Sports Boston.

Miller, 31, struggled through a litany of injuries last season that caused him to miss 43 regular season games and the Bruins’ entire playoff run. It was the fractured knee cap that cost him the stretch run and postseason and severely limited his off-season training. GM Don Sweeney stated that Miller is not even ready to begin skating with the team yet and is a ways away from a return at this point. Even once he is healthy, one has to question what Miller’s role will be in Boston moving forward. The physical rearguard was clearly slowed by his injuries when active last season, recording just seven assists, playing a less intense style in his own end and, as a result, logging his lowest average ice time since his rookie season. Given his injury history and continuing concerns, the Bruins extended fellow righties Connor Clifton and Steven Kampfer to multi-year deals this off-season, while the newly extended Charlie McAvoy and yet-to-be-signed Brandon Carlo are clearly the future on the right side of the blue line. Entering a contract year, it seems unlikely that Miller has a future in Boston and could find it hard to earn starts and ice time over his potential 2020-21 replacements once he returns.

While Miller and Moore are out, the Bruins’ depth should be capable of shouldering the burden. McAvoy is back under contract and the team will likely move on Carlo soon. In fact, Sweeney mentioned that the absences of Miller and Moore could allow the Bruins to employ Long-Term Injured Reserve if necessary to sign Carlo. Those two plus Clifton and Kampfer give the Bruins good options on the right side. On the left side, captain Zdeno Chara has faced his own injury concerns this off-season, but it is looking optimistic for a healthy start to the season. Torey Krug, Matt Grzelcyk, and numerous promising minor league prospects provide options behind him as well. The team will also host Alex Petrovic on a PTO in camp, who would provide even more stability as an experienced stay-at-home defenseman. Whoever returns earlier from injury between Miller and Moore will likely have a leg up in winning back regular play time, while the other could struggle to carve out a role. The four years remaining on Moore’s contract do give him an advantage over Miller though, again putting into question the immediate future of the injury-prone veteran.

Calgary Flames Re-Sign Andrew Mangiapane

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After months of negotiations, young Calgary Flames depth forward Andrew Mangiapane has finally signed a new contract – his qualifying offer. The Flames announced that Mangiapane has agreed to return on the minimum one-year, two-way contract worth $715K that they had initially extended to him in June. It’s a win for GM Brad Treliving and company, who get a capable, developing winger back under contract at a bargain price as they continue to maneuver through a tight salary cap squeeze.

This is a classic case – although not as common with restricted free agents nowadays – of a team holding tight to their leverage with a young player. Mangiapane, 23, did not have any arbitration rights this summer, nor had he earned the right to demand a higher salary because the team could not survive without him. In fact, it is no surprise that Mangiapane finally caved with training camp just getting underway. The player and his camp had to know that the more training camp he missed, the less likely his chances were of earning a spot on the team. Although Mangiapane took a big career step last year with a career-high 44 NHL games played and 13 points, he didn’t yet have the job security to risk missing too much of training camp and preseason action. Calgary knew that they could assist with a difficult salary cap situation by forcing Mangiapane to accept their minimum offer. This is now very much a “show me” season for the Barrie Colts product, who will look to earn a more regular role and improve his offensive totals ahead of another round of restricted free agency next summer, this time with arbitration rights.

With Mangiapane now signed, and projected to be on the opening night roster, CapFriendly lists the Flames as having just over $75MM committed to 22 players. That leaves approximately $6.3MM to sign that final 23rd player, unsigned RFA forward Matthew Tkachuk. However, coming off a 77-point season at just 21 years old, the team may find it impossible to re-sign their young star with just that amount to work with. Treliving still has plenty of work to do before the season starts to re-shape the roster in a way that allows the team to re-sign Tkachuk.

Training Camp Cuts: 09/15/19

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After just two teams made cuts Saturday, more are likely to come today, and even more early this week. We’ll keep tabs of any cuts right here:

Detroit Red Wings (per press release)

F Mathieu Bizier (released from ATO)
F Thomas Casey (released from ATO)
D Marc-Olivier Duquette (released from ATO)
D Owen Lalonde (released from ATO)
F Cody Morgan (released from ATO)
G Anthony Popovich (released from ATO)
F Owen Robinson (released from ATO)
G Sean Romeo (released from ATO)
F Chad Yetman (released from ATO)

Edmonton Oilers (per team Twitter)

F Raphael Lavoie (assigned to Halifax, QMJHL)
G Olivier Rodrigue (assigned to Moncton, QMJHL)

Florida Panthers (per press release)

D Gustav Bouramman (assigned to Springfield, AHL)
D Vladislav Kolyachonok (assigned to Flint, OHL)
D John Ludvig (assigned to Portland, WHL)
D Dylan MacPherson (released from PTO, assigned to Springfield, AHL)
F Matt Marcinew (released from PTO, assigned to Springfield, AHL)
F Greg Meireles (assigned to Springfield, AHL)
F Liam Pecararo (released from PTO, assigned to Springfield, AHL)
F Henry Rybinski (assigned to Seattle, WHL)
F Cole Schwindt (assigned to Mississauga, OHL)
F Matthew Wedman (assigned to Springfield, AHL)

Ottawa Senators (per press release)

F Francois Beauchemin (released from PTO, assigned to Belleville, AHL)
F Michael Brodzinski (released from PTO, assigned to Belleville, AHL)
F Adam Capannelli (released from ATO)
F Chris Clapperton (released from ATO)
D Jack Dougherty (released from PTO, assigned to Belleville, AHL)
F Jonathan Gruden (assigned to London, OHL)
G Kevin Mandolese (assigned to Cape Breton, QMJHL)
D Connor McDonald (released from ATO)
G Mads Sogaard (assigned to Medicine Hat, WHL)
F Maxim Trepanier (released from ATO)

St. Louis Blues (per press release)

F Nikita Alexandrov (assigned to Charlottetown, QMJHL)
G Colten Ellis (assigned to Rimouski, QMJHL)
F Jeremy Michel (assigned to Val-d’Or, QMJHL)
D Tyler Tucker (assigned to Barrie, OHL)
F Keean Washkurak (assigned to Mississagua, OHL)

Toronto Maple Leafs (per press release)

F Mikhail Abramov (assigned to Victoriaville, QMJHL)
F Matthew Bradley (released from PTO, assigned to Toronto, AHL)
F Justin Brazeau (assigned to Toronto, AHL)
F Semyon Der-Arguchintsev (assigned to Peterborough, OHL)
F Giorgio Estephan (released from PTO, assigned to Toronto, AHL)
F Brady Ferguson (released from PTO, assigned to Toronto, AHL)
D Alex Gudbranson (released from PTO, assigned to Toronto, AHL)
D Ryan Johnston (released from PTO, assigned to Toronto, AHL)
D Michael Kapla (released from PTO, assigned to Toronto, AHL)
D Filip Kral (assigned to Spokane, WHL)
D Kalle Loponen (assigned to Sudbury, OHL)
F Aaron Luchuk (assigned to Toronto, AHL)
F Tanner MacMaster (released from PTO, assigned to Toronto, AHL)
F Zach O’Brien (released from PTO, assigned to Toronto, AHL)
D Marc-Antoine Pepin (released from ATO)
F Scott Pooley (released from  PTO, assigned to Toronto, AHL)
F Marcus Power (released from PTO, assigned to Toronto, AHL)
D Segei Sapego (released from PTO, assigned to Toronto, AHL)
F Nicholas Robertson (assigned to Peterborough, OHL)
G Ian Scott (assigned to Toronto, AHL)
F Riley Stotts (assigned to Calgary, WHL)
G Maxim Zhukov (released from PTO, assigned to Toronto, AHL)

Western Notes: Leschyshyn, Nurse, Sekera

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The Colorado Avalanche and Joe Sakic have brought in another former NHL player into the fold to work in the organization. Colorado Hockey Now’s Adrian Dater reports that the Avalanche have hired Curtis Leschyshyn as a pro scout.

Leschyshyn, 49, started his career with the organization, playing for the Quebec Nordiques for the first seven years and then moving with the team to Colorado when they became the Avalanche. He played one full season in Colorado before being traded in his second year in the city. The former blueliner, played more than 1,000 games (1,033) and scored 47 goals and 212 points.

  • Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal reports that Edmonton Oilers general manager Ken Holland isn’t ready to talk about an extension with Oilers’ defenseman Darnell Nurse yet. The GM said he wants to get more familiar with his team and what he has before committing to a player. Nurse has one year remaining on his two-year, $6.4MM deal he signed last year. The 24-year-old stepped up last season and had a breakout deal, posting career highs in goals (10) and points (41). The blueliner will be a restricted free agent again in 2020-21. Matheson writes that the contract that Josh Morrissey signed with Winnipeg at eight years and $50MM could be a template for Nurse.
  • The Dallas Stars made quite a few headlines this summer when they went out and signed Joe Pavelski and Corey Perry this summer to free-agent contracts. However, one signing that flew somewhat under the radar was the team signing defenseman Andrej Sekera. The 33-year-old blueliner has dealt with injuries the past couple of years while in Edmonton, but was their top shutdown defender before being beset by injuries. Due to his extravagant contract, the Oilers opted to buy him out, making him a free agent. NHL.com’s Mike Heika writes that Sekera is drawing rave reviews, however, in training camp so far and it looks like the veteran will be paired with 20-year-old Miro Heiskanen on Dallas’ second pairing on defense. “I actually think he’s going to be the one guy who is going to be a surprise,” said Stars general manager Jim Nill. “You talk about Perry and Pavelski, I think people are going to be surprised with what he brings to us.”

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