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Archives for January 2020

Marcus Pettersson Signs Five-Year Extension

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have locked up one of their young defensemen, signing Marcus Pettersson to a five-year extension. The deal will carry an average annual value of $4,025,175 and keep Pettersson under contract through the 2024-25 season. The deal also includes a modified no-trade clause GM Jim Rutherford explained why he made the deal:

In just over a year, Marcus has had a significant impact on our defensive group. He is young, reliable and smart, which is important in today’s game. Marcus is part of our young core and it was important to get him signed long-term.

As CapFriendly points out on Twitter, it looks like the Penguins and Pettersson have added the new deal to the $874,125 qualifying offer he signed last summer. That would basically make this a six-year, $21MM deal for the young defender who has found his legs in Pittsburgh after starting his career with the Anaheim Ducks.

Acquired in exchange for Daniel Sprong last season, the 23-year old Pettersson has quickly emerged as a promising option for the Penguins. A solid partner for Erik Gudbranson at the end of the 2018-19 campaign, he registered 19 points in 57 games. This season, especially when paired with rookie John Marino, Pettersson has been even better and now routinely logs more than 20 minutes a night. That role is locked in now that he’s going to cost the team a pretty penny.

In fact, Pettersson now becomes the third-highest paid defenseman on the Penguins for the 2020-21 season trailing only Kris Letang ($7.25MM cap hit) and Brian Dumoulin ($4.1MM). Add in Jack Johnson’s deal that extends through the 2022-23 season and the Penguins already have four defensemen with substantial long-term cap hits. Pettersson’s contract will raise questions about Justin Schultz, who is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year. The Penguins could extend him as well, but have some tough decisions to make in order to stay under the cap ceiling. Jared McCann, Dominik Simon, Dominik Kahun, Matt Murray, Tristan Jarry and Juuso Riikola are all arbitration-eligible restricted free agents that will be looking for raises this summer.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Poll: Can The Predators Make The Playoffs?

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Matt Duchene, the Nashville Predator’s blockbuster free agent addition of this past summer, remains very confident in his new team, despite how their season is going. Duchene, in the first season on a seven-year, $56MM contract, is one of a number of under-performing players on the Nashville roster. The team has not played up to expectations this year, which has already cost head coach Peter Laviolette his job and now threatens to cost the team a trip to the postseason. Yet, Duchene believes the team has what it takes to turn their season around and qualify. He told the media on Monday that he feels that Nashville is a playoff team and, to double down, he does not think they need to make a move ahead of the forthcoming NHL Trade Deadline.

It’s a mighty big prognostication from a player who has been part of the problem and not the solution for the Predators this year. Duchene is on pace for just 56 points this season, which would be among the worst years of his career, when he was supposed to be shine on a talented Nashville roster. He’s not alone; Filip Forsberg (59 points), Ryan Johansen (47), Viktor Arvidsson (40), Kyle Turris (36), and Mikael Granlund (30) are all on pace to finish well below what has come to be expected of them. On top of that, veteran starter Pekka Rinne and young backup Juuse Saros are both experiencing the worst campaigns of their careers. Nearly all of Nashville’s key pieces outside of Roman Josi have disappointed to this point in the season, leaving them in the basement of the Central Division and among the worst teams in the league in a number of categories.

Yet, maybe Duchene has a point. A closer look would imply that perhaps Nashville is more than their current last-place position in the Central Division. With substantial games in hand on Minnesota, Chicago, and Winnipeg, the Predators’ .543 points percentage before Monday night’s game is actually fourth-best in the division. Beyond that, while the Preds currently trail the Vegas Golden Knights by six points for the final wild card spot in the Western Conference, they are really just .005 points percentage points behind. Nashville actually seems to be well-positioned to compete for a spot. Also strange is the seeming lack of correlation between the number of underachieving core producers on the Predators and the actual state of their offense. At 3.30 goals for per game, the team is tied for seventh-best in the league in offense so far this season, even if only Josi is among the top scorers at his position.

With all that said, there is no hiding the fact that the Predators have been poor defensively and on special teams this season, their goaltending situation is shaky at best, and their best forwards have not risen to the occasion all year. Will the returns of Ryan Ellis and Colton Sissons be enough to boost the team? Can their struggling stars turn things around without help?

We already know how Duchene would vote, but what say you? Can the Predators make the playoffs?

[Mobile users click here to vote]

Overseas Notes: Martinsen, Hartikainen, Jaskin

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After clearing unconditional waivers on Saturday, veteran forward Andreas Martinsen is already well on his way to the next stage of his career. Martinsen has signed a contract with EV Zug of Switzerland’s NLA for the remainder of the season, the team announced. The Norwegian winger is no stranger to the European pro ranks, having played in Norway, Sweden, and Germany before making the leap to the NHL. Martinsen, 29, was somewhat of a late bloomer, going undrafted and not making his North American debut until 2015-16. However, he was an effective role player once he did arrive in the NHL, contributing 23 points but more importantly 446 hits in 152 NHL games between three teams. Although Martinen’s NHL opportunities have dried up in recent years, he can still be a difference-maker for Zug. The team has specifically been on the hunt for a physical forward, and will get that and more from Martinsen, who flashed 40-point potential in previous European stops. Zug currently leads the NLA and look like the favorites to win the championship this year, especially after adding an experienced forward like Martinsen. If everything works out, the two sides could be headed toward a title and possibly even an extended relationship beyond this season.

  • A European standout who won’t be making a return to the NHL any time soon, if at all, is KHL forward Teemu Hartikainen. A late round pick of the Edmonton Oilers in 2008, Hartikainen developed into a player beyond what many expected and looked like he could be an impact player in the NHL. The Finnish winger made his NHL debut in 2010, yet by 2013 he was out of the league. Hartikainen was a productive player in the AHL, recording 111 points in 164 games, but less so in the NHL, where he notched just 13 points in 52 games. Still, many felt that Hartikainen’s departure from North America was based more on his desire to play a major role for a major league team than it was on his lack of NHL ability, making him a candidate for a possible future return. However, Hartikainen is now 29 and in his seventh season with the KHL’s Salavat Yulaev Ufa, where he has been one of the club’s most consistent and well-rounded contributors. Hartikainen seems content to remain as a core member for Ufa rather than try his hand at an NHL comeback, as the team has announced a three-year extension with their star. In all likelihood, this means we saw the last of Hartikainen in the NHL back with the Oilers in 2013.
  • One player who could be primed for a return though is Dmitrij Jaskin. Jaskin, who spent the past two seasons on Stanley Cup winners in St. Louis and Washington (just not in the right order), was a free agent this off-season and held out nearly all summer for an NHL deal. He begrudgingly accepted a one-year pact with the KHL’s Dynamo Moscow in late August and has made the best of his year outside of North America. The two-way winger is currently tied for second in the league in scoring with 51 points in 49 games and has been a dominant force all season. Granted, the one player ahead of him in the scoring race is teammate Vadim Shipachyov, but the two have been the only consistent contributors on a shallow Dynamo roster. In fact, the team may not even make the playoffs despite the output from their top scorers. A poor team result, even if he has excelled personally, alongside an obvious desire to be in the NHL, could push Jaskin back to North America this summer. NHL clubs have seen him play a strong defensive game, but now have witnessed his offensive upside in the right situation as well. Jaskin certainly seems like a player who is worthy of a second chance.

Jake Muzzin Would “Love To Stay” In Toronto

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While the focus right now for the Toronto Maple Leafs has to be on how they can improve their defense for this season, general manager Kyle Dubas also has to keep one eye on the future. The team has four key defensemen scheduled for free agency at the end of the season, with Jake Muzzin, Tyson Barrie and Cody Ceci all unrestricted. The team apparently is looking for players that aren’t just pure rentals in trade, but at least one of their free agents might want to stick around. Muzzin spoke to reporters at today’s morning skate after he was recalled from a recent conditioning stint (via TSN):

The organization, the way they look after us. The guys here the buzz in the city about hockey is huge. Being close to home is always a nice touch, especially with a little one around now. There’s lots of good things here and I’d love to stay.

Muzzin, 30, is from Woodstock, Ontario, just a couple of hours down the highway from Toronto. He played most of his career to this point about as far away as you can possibly get with the Los Angeles Kings, but came to the Maple Leafs last season. A stabilizing presence on the blue line, his current five-year, $20MM deal will expire at the end of June.

If the team wants to keep one of their pending UFA defensemen, Muzzin might make the most sense. While Barrie and Ceci are both right-handed—which has been the weaker side of the Maple Leafs’ group in recent years—the former may be too expensive while the latter has struggled. Muzzin meanwhile could be right in the sweet spot in terms of salary demands, though they already have three other left-handers—Morgan Rielly, Travis Dermott and Rasmus Sandin. With Muzzin’s return tonight the team will keep Sandin in the lineup, perhaps trying out what the group could look like in a year’s time.

The veteran defenseman was also asked about the potential availability of Alec Martinez, a former partner of his with the Kings:

Oh really? I mean he’s a great, great defender. I know him well, I played with him for a long time. You know whatever happens, happens, I don’t know.

Injury Notes: Benning, Maple Leafs, Heiskanen

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The Edmonton Oilers have recalled Matt Benning from his conditioning stint with the Bakersfield Condors. Benning hasn’t played in the NHL since the beginning of December, after suffering two head injuries in short succession. He played three games in the AHL on his conditioning stint, scoring one point.

Benning’s return to full health would be a very interesting addition for the Oilers, who have come to rely heavily on some of their other young defenders in his absence. The 25-year old had played in more than 200 games for the team over the last several years and will give the team even more options to consider as the trade deadline approaches. Technically Benning is still on long-term injured reserve, though the team does have the roster room to activate him if they choose.

  • The Toronto Maple Leafs are also getting some injured bodies back, activating Jake Muzzin and Trevor Moore from injured reserve today. The Maple Leafs are back in action tonight and are expected to keep young defenseman Rasmus Sandin in the lineup even with Muzzin returning, meaning the first year of his entry-level contract will kick in.
  • Dallas Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen is expected to return tonight after missing the team’s last game with a concussion. Heiskanen suffered the injury on January 16th, but with the bye week and All-Star break will apparently only be out a single game. In 47 games during his sophomore season Heiskanen has 24 points and is averaging more than 24 minutes a night for the Stars.

Colton Parayko Activated From Injured Reserve

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After nearly a month out of the lineup, Colton Parayko is ready to make his return to the St. Louis Blues. The star defenseman has missed seven games due to an upper-body injury, but was activated from injured reserve today. Parayko is expected to play tonight against the Vancouver Canucks.

The extremely durable Parayko had only missed six games through the first four seasons of his career, suiting up nearly every night for the Blues while logging big minutes in all situations. The 26-year old returns to a club fighting to stay ahead of the Colorado Avalanche in the Central Division. St. Louis sits six points ahead of the pushing Avalanche, but lost a head-to-head matchup in the final game before their bye week. The Blues now start a four-game road trip through western Canada made up of two back-to-back situations.

Getting Parayko back is huge for the Blues, who are trying to repeat as Stanley Cup champions and still look like the favorite to come out of the west. The team cleared some roster room by sending Troy Brouwer to the minor leagues and are also expected to get Sammy Blais back soon.

Snapshots: Penguins, Hockey Canada, AHL

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have been actively looking for an upgrade at forward since Jake Guentzel was ruled out for the rest of the season, and GM Jim Rutherford told Josh Yohe of The Athletic (subscription required) that he is open to anything, including pure rentals that will be unrestricted free agents at the end of the year.

One thing Rutherford explained however is that he is happy with Pittsburgh’s defensive group and will likely not be pursuing an upgrade on the back end. The team will get Brian Dumoulin back at some point, who hasn’t played since November after ankle surgery.

  • Hockey Canada has named their management groups for the various junior age groups, while also announcing that Andre Tourigny will coach the u20 World Junior squad. Tourigny was an assistant coach with the team that recently won gold at the annual tournament, and serves as head coach of the OHL’s Ottawa 67’s. A former NHL assistant with the Colorado Avalanche and Ottawa Senators, he has plenty of experience at the international level.
  • David Andrews will retire from his position as AHL President and CEO in a few months, but held a press conference today to discuss the state of the league. Patrick Williams of NHL.com tweeted out several of the biggest news items, including the fact that the Vegas Golden Knights are interested in buying an AHL franchise. The Golden Knights are currently affiliated with the Chicago Wolves. Palm Springs is set to become the 32nd franchise in the AHL when they begin play in the 2021-22 season as the affiliate for the Seattle NHL expansion.

Troy Brouwer Clears Waivers

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Monday: Brouwer has cleared waivers and was assigned to the AHL. Armstrong explained in the release that the veteran forward will take a few days to decide whether he will report to the minor league club.

Sunday: With the expected return of forward Sammy Blais, the St. Louis Blues have placed veteran forward Troy Brouwer on waivers, according to The Athletic’s James Mirtle.

Coincidentally, it was after Blais underwent wrist surgery in November and was declared out at least 10 weeks, that the team brought in veterans Jamie McGinn and Brouwer on professional tryouts. McGinn was released from his PTO after a week, the team signed Brouwer to a one-year, two-way contract. Brouwer has mainly served as the team’s emergency backup, having appeared in 10 games this season and he has not made an appearance with the Blues since Dec. 18. He averaged just 9:56 in ATOI and scored one goal and 19 hits in those 10 games. The 34-year-old veteran hasn’t made an appearance in the AHL since playing five games in the 2008-09 season, having played 836 NHL games between the two.

Blais is expected to join the team on their upcoming four-game road trip. While it’s not known if he’s ready to jump in the lineup, general manager Doug Armstrong said he’s close enough. “I would say that he’s skating well now and looking like he’s ready to go, and hopefully coming out of the break he’ll be _ if not available in Game 1, certainly available on our road trip,” Armstrong said.

Eric Robinson Signs Two-Year Extension

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed Eric Robinson to a two-year extension that keeps him under contract through the 2021-22 season. The forward was scheduled to become a restricted free agent at the end of the year. Blue Jackets’ GM Jarmo Kekalainen released a short statement:

Eric is an exciting young player that has gotten better and better over the past two seasons. He is a tremendous young man, has game-breaking speed and we believe will be a very good player for us as he continues to work hard and improve his game.

CapFriendly reports that the deal will carry an average annual value of $975K. Robinson will be an unrestricted free agent at its conclusion.

Though he was technically scheduled for RFA status, Robinson actually had a chance at becoming a Group VI UFA this summer had he not played in 35 of the team’s final games this season. That means he’s giving up a chance to pursue other opportunities, but after finding a home with the Blue Jackets it’s hard to blame him.

The blazing fast forward, affectionately called “Wheels” in the announcement on Twitter, has five goals and nine points through 31 games for Columbus this season. Signed as an undrafted free agent out of Princeton University in 2018, he has 45 career games in the NHL.

The Blue Jackets still have quite a few restricted free agents to sign before next season, including Pierre-Luc Dubois, Josh Anderson, Joonas Korpisalo and Elvis Merzlikins.

Minor Transactions: 01/27/20

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The All-Star break is over and NHL teams have less than a month to figure out exactly what they want to do at the trade deadline. These first few games after vacation are extremely important for getting back on the right track, and 12 teams will try to do just that this evening. That includes a battle between the two Western Conference division leaders, as the St. Louis Blues head to Vancouver to take on the Canucks. As they and the rest of the league prepare, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves.

  • The Tampa Bay Lightning have recalled both Luke Schenn and Mitchell Stephens from the minor leagues as they prepare for action tonight against the Dallas Stars. Stephens has played 20 games for Tampa Bay in this his rookie season, scoring four points.
  • As expected, Blake Lizotte has been recalled by the Los Angeles Kings after getting a little taste of the minor leagues over the break. The 22-year old forward had previously spent the entire season with the Kings, scoring four goals and 15 points in 45 games.
  • Adin Hill has been recalled by the Arizona Coyotes, after losing a weekend affair to the Bakersfield Condors. Hill has a .911 save percentage in 14 appearances for the Tucson Roadrunners of the AHL, but a .920 in nine games with the Coyotes.
  • The Anaheim Ducks have officially recalled Chase De Leo, Max Jones and Troy Terry from the AHL. To make room, Blake Pietila has been reassigned to the San Diego Gulls. Terry is making his return to the NHL after suffering a broken leg earlier this season.

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