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Archives for September 2020

Josh Anderson Re-Focused On Long-Term Extension With Blue Jackets

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When Josh Anderson failed to return to the Blue Jackets lineup this postseason, as he continued to rehab from a major shoulder surgery this spring, it was fair to question whether he had already played his final game for Columbus. Anderson is an impending restricted free agent this off-season who went through a long, contentious negotiation with his club three years ago when he was last seeking a new contract. The two sides finally agreed to a below-market three-year, $5.5MM pact that reportedly left Anderson unhappy and led many to speculate that he could be traded before the two sides had a chance to ever return to the negotiating table. Adding fuel to that fire – on both sides – was Anderson playing well above his price tag for the first two years of his contract, then struggling with injury and inconsistency this year. Anderson’s market value is now murkier than it has ever been and many have felt that it could be in the best interests of both sides to get a fresh start.

For whatever reason, that status quo has now changed dramatically. The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline relays word from Anderson’s agent, Darren Ferris, that the 26-year-old power forward’s priority is now to sign a long-term extension to remain in Columbus. Although Anderson has not played this calendar year, and during that time he was nearly traded at the deadline, he has changed his position on the club and now sees a long-term fit. The reasoning remains unclear, but Ferris did clarify that the recent changes in the Blue Jackets’ front office, with Bill Zito departing for the Florida Panthers and Josh Flynn replacing him at the negotiating table, are not a factor. Anderson simply has decided that he would like to stay with the club.

GM Jarmo Kekalainen is also interested in a renewed commitment to Anderson, he tells Portzline. However, the experienced executive is already setting the table for what could be another difficult negotiation, stating “we’ll make every effort to get him signed, but it has to be something that makes sense for both sides.” With a flat cap, Kekalainen could be setting Anderson up for another underwhelming offer, based more on his disappointing platform season than his impressive two seasons prior.

The one piece of leverage that Ferris holds this off-season that he didn’t the last time around is salary arbitration. While it isn’t the long-term solution that Anderson is hoping for, and could in fact end up forcing a trade, arbitration rights could help Anderson to finally find fair market value, as cap space cannot be considered in an award. As always, both sides will try to avoid arbitration, but the looming threat of that option could put Anderson on the winning side of contract talks this time, whether he gets his long-term deal or a short-term pact.

GM Quotes: Sakic, Rutherford, Benning

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Although many will blame goaltending performance for the Colorado Avalanche loss in the Western Conference semifinals, GM Joe Sakic is not so quick to blame his netminders, Philipp Grubauer and Pavel Francouz. Both goaltenders were injured in the seven-game series against the Dallas Stars, leaving Michael Hutchinson to fend for himself. Grubauer also missed time due to injury in the regular season and many felt his play was affected. Overall, the pair played well this year and both are signed through at least next season at a valuable rate. While many have speculated, including Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek, that the club could still use their considerable cap space to bring in a new starting goalie for next year, Sakic says otherwise. Speaking with Mike Chambers of the Denver Post, Sakic offered support for his tandem and stated that he does not plan to bring in another keeper for next season:

They both had good years. Unfortunately, they both got hurt at the wrong time, but neither of those injuries are injuries you have to worry about. Train hard in the summer and make sure it doesn’t happen again. You can’t predict injuries, but no, they both had good stretches and we expect that next year.

Sakic revealed that Francouz was already dealing with an injury when he replaced the injured Grubauer in the postseason and tried to battle through the pain as long as he could. Fortunately, he stated that both goalies – and in fact all injured Avs – are expected to be back at full strength for next season. As a result, Sakic does not anticipate chasing a new goalie on the free agent or trade markets, as he is content with his duo’s performance, blaming only the poor timing of their injuries.

  • Pittsburgh Penguins GM Jim Rutherford made yet another major trade on Friday, his second already since his team was eliminated in the qualifying round, when he dealt Nick Bjugstad to the Minnesota Wild in a salary cap dump. Talking to The Athletic’s Josh Yohe about a deal that on paper seemed to net Pittsburgh little in return – a conditional seventh-round pick and only half of Bjugstad’s 2020-21 cap hit ($2.05MM) – Rutherford made it clear that he is simply doing what he can to create enough cap space as to allow the Penguins to be active in free agency:

Well, I’d really like to be able to get there, to be at the point where we can do something in free agency, but we aren’t there yet… I want to be able to be active on that day, but it’s going to be difficult to get to that point… You’ve got to realize that teams don’t know how much money they’ll be making next season and moving forward. Plus, teams all thought the salary cap for next season was going to be anywhere between $3 million and $6 million higher than what it is. So, everyone is in a pretty difficult situation, and that includes us… First things first, we need to get to a point where we are comfortable that we’ll be compliant with the cap. We’ll see what happens between then and now.

  • If there has been any one theme to Vancouver Canucks GM Jim Benning’s comments all season long, it has been that he would like to keep as many of his current players on the team as possible, including his pending unrestricted free agents. While much of that focus has been on a trio of top players in Jacob Markstrom, Chris Tanev, and Tyler Toffoli, Benning has thrown his support behind role players as well. The latest name that Benning hopes to squeeze back on the roster next season is Josh Leivo, who lost much of his season to a fractured knee cap but was working his way back into game shape when the Canucks were eliminated in the Western Conference Semifinals. Benning knows what Leivo can do when healthy and in an interview with TSN Radio 1040 he stated that he hopes to give him another chance in Vancouver:

He played well for us. We haven’t ruled out re-signing him… He’s a big body, shoots the puck well, is a smart player… His rehab has gone well… he’ll be ready to play next year for us.

Free Agent Focus: Vegas Golden Knights

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With free agency now less than a month away, many teams are already looking ahead to when it opens up.  There will be several prominent players set to hit the open market while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign.  Vegas has most of their core under contract already but a few veterans will be in need of new deals.

Key Restricted Free Agents

F Chandler Stephenson – He was acquired midseason in what amounted to a salary cap dump by Washington and the fit has been terrific.  The 26-year-old wound up with 22 points in 41 games with the Golden Knights, an impressive partial-season performance considering his previous career high in scoring was 16 points.  He has been a regular for them this postseason as well, averaging nearly 16 minutes per night.  Stephenson looked like someone that might be a candidate to not be tendered a qualifying offer at the beginning of the year despite his $1.05MM price tag but now, he should be part of their future plans although salary arbitration eligibility looms large.

F Nick Cousins – He started off the season with Montreal after being non-tendered by the Coyotes last summer and was used from anywhere between the second and fourth lines.  However, his role has been a bit more limited since joining the Golden Knights where he has largely been deployed in their bottom six and is currently on the outside looking in at a spot in the lineup.  A $1MM qualifying offer doesn’t seem like much but he was non-tendered to avoid arbitration last year and it’s possible that it happens again here.

Other RFAs: F Reid Duke, F Keegan Kolesar, D Brett Lernout, F Gage Quinney, D Jimmy Schuldt

Key Unrestricted Free Agents

G Robin Lehner – This appears to be a situation where ‘if there’s smoke, there’s probably fire’ when it comes to a new deal.  Multiple reports have him closing in on a long-term pact with Vegas with a price tag around his current $5MM mark but he has denied that a contract is done.  Lehner wasn’t able to get a long-term contract last summer despite his strong season with the Islanders but he played well with Chicago before being brought in as insurance for Marc-Andre Fleury.  However, he has outperformed Fleury and taken over the starting job in the process.  That has him well-positioned to earn the contract security he has been coveting, whether it’s in Vegas or elsewhere.

F Tomas Nosek – He isn’t going to win any scoring titles but the 28-year-old has been consistent over his three seasons with Vegas, collecting 15, 17, and 15 points over that span while playing multiple positions and contributing defensively.  He’s best deployed in a limited role which offsets some of his versatility but he should be able to garner some interest on the open market if he doesn’t stay with Vegas.  He made $1MM this season and his next contract should come in around that rate as well.

D Deryk Engelland – While his role this season was lower than his other two, the 38-year-old still managed to hold his own in 47 games while bringing plenty of physicality.  However, it wasn’t enough to play a regular role in the playoffs as he has suited up just seven times so far.  Nevertheless, there is still a spot for Engelland as a sixth or seventh defenseman on a team if he wants to play beyond this year.  He signed for a league minimum base salary to stay with Vegas last summer (though he has hit the majority of his $800K in potential bonuses) and he’ll need to do so again if he wants to remain with them for a fourth year.

Other UFAs: W Curtis McKenzie, D Jaycob Megna, D Jon Merrill, G Garret Sparks, F Valentin Zykov

Projected Cap Space

At the moment, Vegas has roughly $76.5MM committed to 18 players for next season, per CapFriendly.  That amount doesn’t include a $571K bonus overage penalty which could actually increase slightly as one of Engelland’s bonuses is $25K per playoff round won.  That doesn’t leave them room to re-sign Lehner and fill out the rest of their roster so there is some work to be done still.

Speculatively speaking, if Lehner re-signs, Marc-Andre Fleury’s days with the team will likely be numbered.  However, with a $7MM cap hit for two more years, it’s all but a guarantee that Vegas will have to retain a good chunk of that to move him.  However, if they can do that without taking a contract in return, it might be enough to keep Lehner around and round out the roster although they’ll be right at the $81.5MM Upper Limit once again.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Snapshots: Elliott, Honka, Vancouver UFAs

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The Flyers expect backup goaltender Brian Elliott to return next season, notes Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer.  The veteran has spent three years in Philadelphia with the last two serving as the understudy to Carter Hart.  Elliott saw his save percentage dip for the fourth straight season as it went from .907 to .899 although his goals against average actually improved slightly, from 2.96 to 2.87.

Those numbers shouldn’t have him in line for a big raise on the $2MM he received this season which would fit in well to the Flyers’ salary structure which has them with nearly $72MM in commitments already for 2020-21 and several roster spots to fill with that remaining cap room.  One thing that Philadelphia could do is make Elliott’s deal incentive-laden which he’s now eligible for having turned 35 back in April as long as he signs for one year.  That would allow them some extra flexibility with bonus overages being able to be charged on the cap in 2021-22 if needed and ensure that a working tandem remains intact.

Elsewhere around the league:

  • The Stars plan to sit down with defenseman Julius Honka at the end of the playoffs to discuss his future, reports Matthew DeFranks of the Dallas Morning News. He asked for a trade last summer but it never materialized so instead, he played in Finland and had 15 points in 46 games with JYP of the SM-liiga.  Honka’s goal remains to return to the NHL so as of yet, he hasn’t signed a deal overseas and with those leagues starting up, rosters are getting filled quickly.  The 24-year-old remains a restricted free agent without salary arbitration rights.
  • The Canucks haven’t held recent contract talks with pending UFA defenseman Chris Tanev, relays Postmedia’s Patrick Johnston. GM Jim Benning noted that there were frequent discussions during the pandemic break but nothing since play resumed or their elimination from the postseason.  Tanev has made it known that he’d like to remain in Vancouver but will almost certainly need to take a dip from his $4.45MM AAV to do so.
  • Another player that would like to remain with the Canucks is winger Tyler Toffoli who told reporters, including NHL.com’s Kevin Woodley, that his number one priority is to stay with Vancouver. He joined the team in advance of the trade deadline from Los Angeles and made an immediate impact, collecting 10 points in as many games before the pandemic hit while he chipped in with four more in seven playoff contests despite missing time with a high ankle sprain.  Toffoli had a cap hit of $4.6MM on his most recent deal and could get more than that on the open market.

Offseason Keys: Arizona Coyotes

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As teams are eliminated from the playoffs, it means that the offseason has arrived for several more squads.  Having covered the teams that weren’t a part of the NHL’s return and the ones ousted in the Qualifying Round, we shift our focus to the ones that were eliminated in the official first round.  Next up is a look at Arizona.

On the ice, 2019-20 was a decent one for the Coyotes.  They got past Nashville in the Qualifying Round before being ousted by Colorado but it was still their first playoff appearance since 2011-12.  They have a solid defense corps and two good goalies and several foundational pieces under contract.  But things aren’t exactly looking up.  Their GM resigned, they were stripped of two high draft picks, and as a small-market team, the pandemic could hit them harder than most; Katie Strang of The Athletic reported (Twitter link) last week that they were late on some signing bonus payments although that has since been resolved.  As a result, there’s a lot to do on their to-do list over the coming months and plenty of questions along the way.

Hire New GM

First things first.  Before making important decisions on what to do with their roster, the Coyotes need to decide who is making the decisions.  Following the strange and very public resignation of John Chayka, assistant GM Steve Sullivan has taken on the interim role for the time being and will certainly garner consideration to take on the role on a full-time basis.

A handful of names have been linked to Arizona in their search so far including Pittsburgh assistant GM Jason Karmanos, Canadiens scout Sean Burke, and broadcaster Pierre McGuire though the latter has since been ruled out of contention.  The one thing that stands out right away is a lack of GM experience which suggests they’re looking for a first-time option that likely will come a little cheaper than some of the more prominent veteran options and at a time where revenues are minimal at best, that’s not a small thing either.

One thing they’ll have to decide on is what type of GM they want.  Chayka was a strong proponent of significant use of analytics and that has yielded some mixed results along the way.  Do they continue in that direction or look for someone with a different mindset?

With the draft and free agency both less than a month away now, this isn’t a decision that can realistically be put off for much longer.  While it’s possible that Sullivan could guide them through those two events while still retaining the interim tag which would save some money in the short term, that would take away an opportunity if someone other than Sullivan gets the job to remake the team.  Accordingly, this is something that should be addressed in the near future.

Re-Sign Hall

I’m not sure how realistic this is but it simply can’t go without mentioning that re-signing the top free agent forward that’s set to hit the open market next month would be a huge boost for Arizona’s offseason.  The Coyotes surprised many by adding the 2018 Hart Trophy winner in a midseason trade from New Jersey and while his numbers don’t jump off the chart, he was an important player for them in the second half of the season and in the playoffs and retaining him would give their forward group a big lift.

However, how much is that going to cost?  Two years ago, it seemed like Hall was well on his way to an eight-figure AAV.  While unprecedented (at the time) for a winger, he looked to have turned the corner with New Jersey.  Things haven’t gone as well since then.  In fact, thanks to injuries last season and the pandemic this year, his combined point total over that span is actually lower than his Hart-winning campaign.  Between that and revenues bottoming out, it’s safe to take the $10MM-plus price tag off the table.

But it’s also safe to say that he’s going to get a raise on the $6MM he made on his most recent deal and certainly more than the $3MM that Arizona was responsible for with the Devils retaining half of his salary and cap hit as part of the trade.  That’s going to be difficult for them to accomplish (more on that shortly).

On top of the financial challenge, Hall has also stated that going to a winning team will be a priority for him.  For all of the talent he has, he has been in the playoffs twice in his 10-year career and had it not been for the expanded format due to the pandemic, he wouldn’t have made it this year.  Convincing Hall that the Coyotes will be a contender for years to come with him will be a challenge, especially without the ability to spend top dollar and, for now at least, no GM in place.  Getting Hall locked up would be a huge boon to their offseason if they could pull it off but they have their work cut out for them.

Free Up Cap Space

Let’s talk about that cap situation in more detail.  Hall coming off the books only frees up $3MM which isn’t much to work with.  Carl Soderberg’s $4.75MM AAV is also off the books as is Brad Richardson’s $1.25MM but adding those three up might be what it takes to re-sign Hall let alone having to fill Soderberg and Richardson’s roster spots.

On top of that, the Coyotes also have new contracts for two key players starting next season.  Starting goalie Darcy Kuemper gets a raise from $1.85MM to $4.5MM while Clayton Keller bypassing a bridge contract means he goes from his entry-level salary of less than $900K to $7.15MM.  On top of that, he hit some performance bonuses which has left them with an overage of nearly $400K to roll over to 2020-21, per CapFriendly.  (That can be amortized over two years but it wouldn’t make much of a difference considering the relatively low amount.)

All told, Arizona has a little over $80MM in commitments for next season already, excluding the bonus penalty.  Granted, that includes Marian Hossa and his $5.275MM AAV which will once again be LTIR-bound but that still doesn’t give them much room to work with.  Forget about re-signing Hall for a moment, they probably need to free up room simply to fill out the rest of their roster.

Speculatively speaking, this could be an opportunity to deal one of their defensemen.  Oliver Ekman-Larsson’s ($8.25MM) name has come up in speculation already but moving their captain would open up a big hole on their back end.  Alternatively, they could look to move one of Alex Goligoski ($5.475MM) or Niklas Hjalmarsson ($5MM); while both are pricey, they have one year left on their contracts and it’s a weak free agent market.  Up front, Michael Grabner is a big threat shorthanded but he was a healthy scratch at times and his $3.35MM price tag is a bit expensive for that.  Backup goalie Antti Raanta ($4.25MM) also looks expendable.

If they can find a team that is willing to take on some salary, Arizona should be looking for draft picks in return.  They dealt their 2020 first-rounder for Hall and lost their 2021 first-rounder and 2020 second-round pick for fitness testing violations.  Between those and other moves, they have one pick total out of the first three rounds over the next two years.  On top of that, they dealt their 2017 first-round pick in blueline prospect Pierre-Oliver Joseph to Pittsburgh as part of the Phil Kessel trade.  The cupboards are getting bare and finding a way to restock those while freeing up some cap space will be important.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Canadiens Loan Hayden Verbeek To Banska Bystrica

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After a pair of quiet seasons to start his professional career, Canadiens prospect Hayden Verbeek is getting a short-term change of scenery.  The team announced that they’ve loaned the winger to Banska Bystrica of the Slovak league and that he’ll be recalled when training camps get underway.

Montreal signed the 22-year-old as an undrafted free agent in 2018 when he was in the midst of a career year with the Soo Greyhounds of the OHL when he had 30 goals in 67 games, more than his the rest of his junior tenure (spanning 183 games) combined.

However, that hasn’t materialized in much success in the minors.  Verbeek battled injuries this season and when he was healthy, he spent most of his time with Adirondack of the ECHL where he had five goals and 14 assists in 21 games.  Over 54 career AHL contests though, he has just four goals and three assists.

Verbeek has one year remaining on his entry-level deal and through his first two seasons, he looks a potential non-tender candidate in the 2021 offseason.  With that in mind, an early start to his season to get some extra game action could go a long way towards determining his future fate.

Hurricanes Loan Dominik Bokk To Krefeld

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While Hurricanes prospect Dominik Bokk intends to make his North American debut next season, he’s not finished with his time overseas just yet.  Krefeld of the DEL announced via their Facebook page that they’ve added the winger on loan from Carolina for the start of their season.

The 20-year-old was a first-round pick (25th overall) of St. Louis back in 2018 but he wasn’t with the Blues for long.  He was moved to Carolina as the centerpiece of the Justin Faulk trade back during training camp in September but remained in Sweden which meant that his contract slid another year and will now expire following the 2022-23 season.

Bokk has spent the last two seasons in the SHL where he has produced well for a youngster.  He spent this year on loan with Rogle and managed to pick up a respectable 11 goals in 45 games despite averaging less than 13 minutes a night of ice time.  He was also quite productive in the World Juniors as he led Germany in scoring with six goals and two helpers in seven games while helping to keep them in the top division and avoid relegation.

As has been the case with many of these international moves in recent weeks, Bokk is expected to rejoin Carolina when training camps open up as his deal with Krefeld does contain an NHL out clause.  In the meantime, he’ll get a chance to play closer to home and stay in shape while waiting for a chance to push for a roster spot with the Hurricanes a few months from now.

Nathan MacKinnon Wins Lady Byng Trophy

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Though Colorado Avalanche superstar Nathan MacKinnon certainly cares more about the results of the Hart Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award, for which he is also a finalist, he can add at least one major award to his mantle for this season. The NHL announced this evening that MacKinnon is the 2020 recipient of the Lady Byng Award, his first time receiving the honor.

The Lady Byng Trophy, as voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers Association, is awarded to the player who “best combines sportsmanship, gentlemanly conduct and ability.” MacKinnon undoubtedly has the ability; he has topped 90 points in each of the past three seasons including finishing fifth in scoring this season with 93 points. However, MacKinnon is also among the elite in staying out of the penalty box, especially given his considerable ice time.  Skating in 69 games this season at over 21 minutes per game, MacKinnon managed just 12 penalty minutes on the year.

While voting for the Lady Byng often casts a wide net, MacKinnon received 64 of a possible 170 first-place votes, more than double that of Jaccob Slavin of the Carolina Hurricanes, who received the second-most first-place votes. In total voting points, MacKinnon also finished more than 350 points ahead of Toronto’s Auston Matthews in second, with St. Louis’ Ryan O’Reilly and Slavin even further behind in third and fourth respectively.

 

Minnesota Wild Acquire Nick Bjugstad

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8:00pm CT: The terms of this trade have now been revealed by Sarah McLellan of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune and certainly seem to tilt the favor even more toward Minnesota. First, the Penguins will retain half of Bjugstad’s salary this year, the final season of a six-year, $24.6MM deal. As a result, Pittsburgh will only dump $2.05MM in cap salary while the Wild get a full year of Bjugstad at a bargain price. Second, the Penguins will only receive the conditional seventh-round pick if Bjugstad plays in at least 70 games or scores at least 35 points this season. Otherwise, the team does not receive any return. If this trade is indication, shedding salary this off-season is going to be easier said than done.

7:00pm CT: Nick Bjugstad, one of the most well-regarded prospects to come out of the Minnesota high school ranks this century, is headed home. The Minnesota Wild announced that they have acquired the 28-year-old center from the Pittsburgh Penguins. In what is all but a salary cap dump, the Penguins only received a conditional 2021 seventh-round draft pick.

Bjugstad is a polarizing player, but certainly one worth risking a late pick and one year of term on. Named Mr. Hockey in 2010 as the best player in Minnesota high school, Bjugstad went on to be drafted in the first round by the Florida Panthers later that year. After starring for the of Minnesota for three years, Bjugstad joined Florida and  immediately became a contributor. He recorded 38 points as a rookie, even garnering Calder Trophy votes, and totaled 191 points in 394 games with the Panthers over parts of seven seasons. While these were solid numbers, they weren’t exactly what Florida was hoping for from one of their core players. In 2018-19, Bjugtad was traded alongside Jared McCann to the Penguins for Derick Brassard, Riley Sheahan, and three draft picks. His time in Pittsburgh has been forgettable, marred by injury and inconsistency that left him with just 16 points in 45 games to show for a season and a half.

Yet, Bjugstad is healed and expected to be fully healthy for the start of the 2020-21 season for Minnesota. No one will blame Pittsburgh for dumping Bjugstad’s $4.1MM cap hit (and $5.25MM salary) as they face a stiff cap crunch, but the Wild could easily wind up with the better side of this deal if Bjugstad can return to form back at home in the Twin Cities and produce 40-50 points as he has several times before. As the Wild look to replace the experience and two-way ability of Mikko Koivu down the middle this season – and quite possibly Eric Staal next season – Bjugstad is a prime candidate. At 6’6″ and 215 lbs., Bjugstad is a menacing presence on the ice and has the proven ability to take the puck with both brute force and finesse. After a pair of down seasons, Bjugstad may not be the most exciting name, but he could be primed for a major comeback this year with the Wild and could potentially earn himself a long-term extension with his hometown team in the process.

 

L.A. Kings Re-Sign Sean Walker

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The Los Angeles Kings have come to terms on a long-term extension with one of their more under-rated contributors. Defenseman Sean Walker has signed a four-year extension with the club after completing just his first full NHL season. The contract carries a $2.65MM AAV, all in base salary, with the following salary breakdown:  $2MM in 2020-21, $2.25MM in 2021-22, $3MM in 2022-23, and $3.35MM in 2023-24. When the contract expires in 2024, Walker will be an unrestricted free agent.

Walker, 25, played in all 70 games for the Kings this year, logging more ice time than all defensemen but Drew Doughty. Walker’s five goals and 24 points also trailed only Doughty among club defenders. Walker is also a capable checker and shot-blocker, but his true talent lies in moving the puck and creating offense. A standout at Bowling Green State University who made an immediate impact in the AHL with the Ontario Reign as well, Walker showed in 39 games with L.A. last season that he was already ready to help at the NHL level as well. However, a major boost in per-game scoring and possession led to an increase in ice time and a role that few expected for Walker in his first full NHL season. The Kings are ow hoping that he can continue to improve and take on more responsibility over the course of his next extension.

With Walker signed long-term, avoiding arbitration, the Kings’ greatest RFA hurdle of the off-season is already complete. Only the likes of Nikolai Prokhorkin, Matt Luff, and Sheldon Rempal remain meaningful RFA’s in need of a new contract. On defense, Doughty and the Kings’ young core are all signed through at least next season. The team will have to make a call on UFA’s Ben Hutton and Joakim Ryan, but could instead opt to search the free agent and trade markets for another impact veteran to complement Walker and company.

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