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Archives for November 2020

Snapshots: DeBrusk, Lindholm, QMJHL

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While the Rangers and center Ryan Strome are content with the two-year, $9MM deal he signed earlier this week, Boston Hockey Now’s Joe Haggerty posits that Bruins winger Jake DeBrusk’s asking price likely was negatively affected by this signing.  While the two situations are different – one was arbitration-bound and the other just coming off an entry-level deal – Strome’s $4.5MM price tag will be difficult for DeBrusk to eclipse on his next contract after he came off of a career-best 59-point season while DeBrusk had a career-low 35.  The 24-year-old is a good candidate for a bridge contract over the coming weeks and doing so would also give Boston a little bit of cap flexibility if GM Don Sweeney has his eyes set on trying to add someone else to their roster.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • The Flames are considering shifting Elias Lindholm into a full-time center role, notes Sportsnet’s Eric Francis. While he was drafted as a middleman, the 25-year-old has spent considerable time on the wing as well.  It’s worth noting that Lindholm and Mikael Backlund (another center) are their two longest-signed players up front with contracts running through 2023-24.  If they do go ahead with the transition and it goes well, it could potentially create some questions surrounding the long-term future of Sean Monahan, a player who has already been in trade speculation at times this offseason.
  • Kevin Dube of TVA Sports provides some details on a short-term bubble that the QMJHL is trying to put in place for seven teams that have been out of action for a month due to rising COVID-19 cases in Quebec. If it receives the green light, it would last ten days with each team playing in six games.  As the other Canadian junior leagues look to resume in 2021, they’ll certainly be keeping an eye on this in case they find themselves in a similar situation at some point.

Free Agent Profile: Travis Hamonic

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It wasn’t that long ago that Travis Hamonic was viewed as a core defenseman.  While things have changed a bit since then (especially with mobility and offensive skills becoming more important from the back end), he’s still a capable shutdown defender.  That’s why he was ranked as the 13th-best UFA in this class, sixth among blueliners.  The five in front of him signed relatively quickly but as we approach the first full month of this offseason, Hamonic remains unsigned.

It’s not as if teams aren’t on the lookout for a right-shot defender that can play more than 20 minutes a night either.  That’s something that just about every team in the league can use.

So why is Hamonic still unsigned?  He didn’t help his cause during the regular season when he had just a dozen points in 50 games.  Again, the 30-year-old is more of a stay-at-home player but that output is still pretty low for someone who played over 21 minutes a night.  The fact that he opted out of the NHL’s Return to Play for family reasons also lingers, not in the sense that prospective suitors are holding that against him but that it may be affecting his willingness to commit somewhere at this time.

But while he’s never going to light up the scoresheet, Hamonic can still play solid defense, kill penalties, and block shots.  That’s still a role that should be in considerable demand around the league but with the UFA market slowing to a crawl at the moment, it appears he may be waiting a little while yet before signing somewhere.

Potential Suitors

There are multiple situations where Hamonic could be a fit for teams.  Quite a few will be hoping to add an impact defender over the next couple of months and he would fit the bill.  If he wants to take a shot at a Stanley Cup, there are contending teams that would find a spot for him at the right price tag.  And if he wants to take a one-year deal at the most money possible, as arguably the best defenseman still available, that type of contract should eventually become available as well.

In the Eastern Conference, the Flyers really haven’t completely filled the vacancy created by Matt Niskanen’s sudden retirement.  They brought back Justin Braun but he’s better served in more of a depth role and while they also brought in Erik Gustafsson, he’s nowhere near as good of a defensive player as Niskanen was.  Hamonic could step into that void.  Detroit could certainly use him as someone on their second pair behind Filip Hronek which would shift Troy Stecher into a third-pairing role which may be his best spot and cap space won’t be an issue for them.  Cap room also isn’t an issue for the Devils who could use a stabilizing defensive presence to help counter some of their more offensively-aggressive blueliners.

Out West, Hamonic’s hometown team in Winnipeg certainly should be a suitor.  While they were able to retain deadline acquisition Dylan DeMelo, they still have a defense corps that’s in need of some improvement.  With the announcement that Bryan Little has been told not to play this season, the Jets will have some LTIR space at their disposal which could be used to bring the blueliner in.  The Kings have plenty of cap space and could certainly stand to improve their back end, even with its relative strength being on the right side.  On a short-term deal, in particular, that might be a fit.  Dallas has a question mark with regards to the health of Stephen Johns; if he is expected to be LTIR-bound once again, Hamonic would represent a potential short-term replacement and upgrade if the Stars opt to dip into that.  (With their potential bonuses, it’s not a guarantee that they would.)

Of course, there are quite a few other teams where Hamonic would be a key player but would need to free up cap room in order to do so.  Given how difficult that is proving to be this offseason, it’s difficult to classify any of them as possible suitors at this time.

Projected Contract

When our initial projections came out, we had Hamonic receiving a three-year, $12.5MM deal.  That AAV wasn’t much higher than the deal he just finished while being lower than the salary he received in each of the last four seasons.  Even in a deflated market, that price tag seemed doable.

That doesn’t appear to be the case now as while a few teams still have money they’re willing to spend, they can afford to look for bargains.  Hamonic’s case is bolstered in that he is a top player at his position left on the open market which should help him a bit but a pay cut appears to definitely be on the horizon.  If Hamonic takes a one-year deal, a $3.5MM salary may be his ceiling with the price tag dipping if he signs for longer.  He should still wind up with a decent contract but he will eventually be added to the ever-growing list of players that will wind up with less than they expected.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Atlantic Notes: Duclair, Sabres, Bruins

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When Anthony Duclair was non-tendered by the Senators, some eyebrows were raised but the team had kept in contact with the winger in the early days of free agency.  That doesn’t appear to be the case anymore as Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports that as a result of Ottawa’s other offseason additions up front (including wingers Evgenii Dadonov, Alex Galchenyuk, and Austin Watson), he’s no longer in the mix for a spot on the roster.

Garrioch adds that Duclair turned down a two-year offer around $3MM per year from the Senators, one that would have still represented a sizable raise on the $1.65MM he made last season.  However, after putting up 23 goals and 17 assists last year, the 25-year-old thought he could do better while representing himself on the open market.  Given the state of free agency right now though, it’s hard to see Duclair receiving the type of offer that he turned down just a month ago let alone an increase on that.

More from the Atlantic Division:

  • The Sabres have named Charlie Mendola as their new director of hockey strategy, notes Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News. It’s a newly-created position within Buffalo’s department under new GM Kevyn Adams who is familiar with Mendola when the two worked together at the Academy of Hockey program at the LECOM Harborcenter.
  • While the Bruins saw their ECHL affiliate in Atlanta opt out of participating this season, they appear to be working towards finding a short-term replacement as Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic reports (subscription link) that they are in talks to place some players with Jacksonville (an affiliate of Winnipeg). The Icemen are one of the teams that will start the season next month so reaching an agreement with them would allow Boston to potentially send a few prospects there for some game action.

Red Wings Still Open To Further Off-Season Additions

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The Detroit Red Wings are firmly in a rebuild following the worst season by an NHL team since the turn of the century in 2019-20. The club has accumulated a mass amount of talent in the pipeline over the past few years and still has an impressive array of future draft selections as well. They are committed to improving internally and grooming a new core to take over down the road.

With that said, savvy GM Steve Yzerman is not one to turn away from opportunity. With the flat salary cap impacting top teams far more than bottom feeders, the Red Wings have had the room to make a number of free agent additions so far this off-season. Following a recent call with the media, The Detroit News’ Ted Kulfan writes that Yzerman has expressed that he may not be done making deals either. Detroit still has more than $9.5MM in cap space based on CapFriendly’s current projection of a 22-man roster.

Already, the Red Wings have added considerable veteran talent ahead of next season. The team signed a new (starting?) goalie in Thomas Greiss, a pair of young defensemen in Troy Stecher and Jon Merrill, and experienced, versatile forwards Vladislav Namestnikov, Bobby Ryan, and Sam Gagner. They also acquired reliable blue line leader Marc Staal (and a second-round pick) at no cost from the New York Rangers. Not only is this a massive influx of talent for 2020-21, but expiring contracts like Ryan, Gagner, Staal, and Merrill could also turn into more draft capital at the trade deadline.

Not only have the Red Wings succeeded in adding a number of capable players, but most have come at a great value as well. So too have their RFA re-signings; Anthony Mantha signed a long-term deal well below what many were expecting, Robby Fabbri was handed an affordable extension, and the team took Tyler Bertuzzi to arbitration just to save more money. All of this value means that Detroit can keep adding if they want. There are still holes throughout the lineup currently slated for underwhelming veterans. While some of these will be kept open for prospects, at least one or two could be filled via free agency or trade if Yzerman can find the right fit:

There are a lot of players still on the free agent market. We have a lot of bodies right now. I do think there’s room potentially to add, and I would consider it as we go along, or when we get closer to knowing when we’re going to start. As far as the trade market… it’s pretty quiet around the league. Certainly we’d be open to listening.

Minor Transactions: 11/07/20

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There have only been four unrestricted free agent signings so far in the month of November, as the NHL market has been stagnant in light of the flat salary cap despite considerable talent still available. However, the impact of delayed season starts continues to result in a number of loans, both at the pro level in Europe and the junior levels in North America. Loans have also begun to displace other players, as a number of notable names are on the move. With some minor moves carrying over from Friday and more expected today, keep track of all of these transactions here:

  • 2020 Tampa Bay Lightning second-rounder Jack Finley will get his season started outside of the WHL, but close to home. The Kelowna, BC native has been loaned by his club, the Spokane Chiefs, to the BCHL’s West Kelowna Warriors, the league announced. Finley is one of a large number of western junior players who will get some time in down a level before the WHL opens up next month. A hulking, 6’5″ center, Finley will be a lot to handle for BCHL competition over the next few weeks.
  • Goalie Jan Bednar, a recent fourth-round pick of the Detroit Red Wings, was expected to open up this season with his North American debut with the QMJHL’s Acadie-Bathurst Titan. Instead, he has been loaned back to his pro club in the Czech Republic, HC Energie Karlovy Vary, for the time being, the team announced. While the Titan have not been one of the Quebec clubs who have lost games due to COVID-19, Bednar still has not joined the team yet this season. After spending the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 CHL Import Draft on the netminder, Acadie-Bathurst hopes to have Bednar soon and Vary’s announcement implies that he will only play for the team until that point that he decides to finally head overseas.
  • Seeking more ice time in the SHL, Carolina Hurricanes’ 2020 second-round selection Noel Gunler has been loaned out for the remainder of the season. Lulea HF announced that Gunler has been loaned to Brynas IF after requesting a move. The team hoped to keep Gunler on the roster, but understood his desire for a greater opportunity. Considered by many to have fallen in the draft, making him a potential steal for the Hurricanes, Gunler is an exciting player to watch who may finally produce at a high level in Sweden now that he has a greater role.
  • Also on the move in Europe, although unknown where they will end up at this point, are former NHL defensemen Julian Melchiori and Raman Hrabarenka. The KHL’s Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk has terminated the contracts of both players, the league announced. Hrabarenka had two points in nine games to open up the season, whereas Melchiori had not yet played. With rumors surrounding Neftekhimik and former non-qualified Washington Capitals free agent defenseman Colby Williams, it could be that these departures were made in anticipation of another addition by the team.

NHL Still Targeting January 1st Start

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With the news yesterday that the NBPA approved a December 22nd start for the 2020-21 NBA season, questions immediately followed as to whether the NHL would be following suit in getting their next campaign underway around then as well.  While there has been some recent skepticism that the league would be able to meet their target start date of January 1st, Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly told Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic (Twitter link) that their objective remains to start at that time. 

However, LeBrun notes that the joint Return to Play committee (involving the league and the NHLPA) has yet to formally meet.  Considering the logistics in getting a schedule together and some of the concerns surrounding the pandemic (not to mention settling on the length of the season), it’s seemingly getting to be crunch time in terms of getting something down that would provide enough notice to start next season when the calendar flips to the new year.

With that in mind, TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie adds (via Twitter) that the league is hoping to make an announcement as soon as possible with a lot of work to be done in the next seven to ten days.  Speculatively, that would seemingly be a soft deadline to get a schedule in place knowing that players will need ample time to return to their club cities and go through quarantining protocols while the seven teams that didn’t return this summer are expected to receive extra training camp time.  With all of that in mind, a five-to-six-week lead time for that plus training camps and exhibition games seems reasonable so the clock is ticking on getting things settled and get that process underway by then.

Of course, there are other factors to consider such as cross-border travel between Canada and the United States.  If there are doubts about teams having that ability, the potential exists for temporary divisional re-alignment to create an all-Canadian division which would then shake up the rest of the divisions as well.  While things can certainly change in a hurry, there certainly doesn’t appear to be a lot of momentum towards seeing that border open up and while exceptions can be made, there’s no guarantee that the Canadian government will be willing to do so here.  Some decisions on that front would have to be made very soon for January 1st to remain a realistic option.

Time hasn’t run out just yet on the NHL starting up when 2021 begins but with all of the various challenges and extra things to navigate in terms of setting up the schedule for next season, there will need to be some significant progress before much longer.  Discussions may be cooling off in free agency for now but talks about this will certainly be picking up soon.

Oilers Planning As If Oscar Klefbom Will Miss Entire 2020-21 Season

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It has been known for a while that Edmonton will be without Oscar Klefbom when the puck drops on the 2020-21 season but the thought had been that he’d be able to return at some point.  That may not be the case, however.  GM Ken Holland told Postmedia’s Jim Matheson that the current assumption is that the defenseman will not be able to play at all next year:

I’m planning for 2020-21 that Oscar is not playing and anything other than that will be a surprise. A pleasant surprise.

Klefbom is currently rehabbing a lingering shoulder issue that some anticipate will eventually require surgery although clearly, the hope is to avoid it altogether considering how much time has passed.  He has gone under the knife multiple times before so they’re hoping a different approach will provide a better result this time around.  His anticipated absence created a hole that was filled by Tyson Barrie but while he will certainly be able to cover Klefbom’s offensive contributions (34 points in 62 games last season), he won’t be as reliable on the defensive side of the puck.  Although there could be some cap room added by placing Klefbom on LTIR, Holland indicated that he’s not doing that yet nor does he plan to add another defender.

Instead, the Oilers will count on youngsters like Ethan Bear (still a restricted free agent), Evan Bouchard, and the recently re-signed William Lagesson to step up into bigger roles next season.  One prospect that won’t be in the mix at the start will be Philip Broberg as Holland stated that he will remain with SHL Skelleftea until their season comes to an end.  At that point, he’ll then return to North America where the NHL and AHL campaigns will still be ongoing.

Missing Klefbom for a significant portion of next season was already a big blow for Edmonton but Holland’s belief that the 27-year-old will miss the whole year certainly hurts.  But for now, they’ll go with that they’ve got instead of dipping back into free agency to add another veteran.

Expansion Draft Signing Coming For Anaheim Ducks

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This offseason, not only are teams navigating a flat salary cap, reduced revenues, and the uncertainty of when next season will even begin, they also have to consider the upcoming expansion draft when the Seattle Kraken select 30 players and become the league’s 32nd franchise. The Vegas Golden Knights will not be forced to lose a player, but also don’t get a piece of the expansion fee, which could be very beneficial to teams at the moment.

In that expansion draft, there are various rules and requirements that must be met. One of them is that the team must expose at least one eligible goaltender who is signed through the 2021-22 season or a restricted free agent in the 2021 offseason. At least partly because of this rule, you’ve seen goaltenders like Dan Vladar, Dustin Tokarski, Kevin Lankinen, Hunter Miska, Keith Kinkaid, Michael Hutchinson, and several others receive multi-year contracts in an offseason where veteran NHL skaters can’t even find a job. It’s not that these goalies can’t be valuable additions to their organizations, it’s that the leverage required to land a multi-year agreement was a little tilted this fall.

With that rule in mind, it’s easy to see that the Anaheim Ducks will have to make a move at some point in the next few months to secure a depth option of their own. Currently, the only two goaltenders in their organization eligible for selection in the expansion draft are Anthony Stolarz, whose contract expires after this season, and John Gibson, their star netminder who will undoubtedly need protection.

Stolarz doesn’t fill the requirement at the moment, meaning a contract of some sort will have to come down the pipeline. For the 26-year-old, that might mean some added job security in the form of an extension given it might be hard to bring in another goaltender at this point. Not because they aren’t on the market, but because the Ducks may not want to clog up their minor leagues with bodies, taking away playing time from prospects like Lukas Dostal should he come to North America this season. An extension for Stolarz would get the job done and given how well he played at the AHL level last season it also may be well deserved.

Another interesting situation to keep an eye on with regards to the expansion draft is the New York Islanders, who currently only have one goaltender even eligible for selection. Since Ilya Sorokin can’t even be picked because of his lack of experience, the Islanders will also need another netminder if they want to protect Semyon Varlamov. Of course, they could also just leave him unprotected and decide not to protect any goaltender at all (don’t put anything past Lou Lamoriello) if they felt he might draw some attention away from the interesting forwards that may be available in New York.

At any rate, there are sure to be another few goaltending signings that raise some eyebrows over the next few months, if only for the length of the contract being handed out.

Overseas Notes: Reunanen, Tuulola, Wiley

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Tarmo Reunanen, who had been previously loaned to TUTO of the Finnish second league, will jump up a tier and join HPK until further notice. The New York Rangers prospect is under contract in North America but hasn’t actually come over yet. Selected 98th overall in 2016, Reunanen has played the last two seasons with Lukko and recorded 19 points in 51 games in 2019-20. In the release, it states that though Reunanen will return for NHL training camp, if he can’t find a spot with the organization he will be returned to Finland to continue his development.

More notes on prospects playing overseas:

  • Eetu Tuulola has parted ways with Vasterviks IK in the Swedish second league after the player he had replaced due to injury is set to return. Tuulola, a Calgary Flames prospect, will have to be found another spot to play by the Flames if they want to keep him on the ice. The 22-year-old forward spent last season with the Stockton Heat, scoring 23 points in 50 games.
  • Adam Helewka, who signed an AHL contract with the Cleveland Monsters earlier this offseason, will play in Slovakia until the minor league season begins. The 25-year-old forward has had quite the journey already in his hockey career, traded three times in the NHL, playing for four different minor league teams, and spending time in the KHL and SHL. He’ll play for HKM Zvolen for now, as he waits for his next chance in North America.
  • Wiley Sherman wasn’t given a qualifying offer by the Boston Bruins last month, meaning he became an unrestricted free agent able to sign anywhere in the world. That job search has taken him to Denmark, where he’ll join Esbjerg Energy this season. The 25-year-old defenseman played just 20 games for the Providence Bruins in 2019-20, recording six points.

Christoffer Ehn Signs In SHL

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After not receiving a qualifying offer from the Detroit Red Wings, Christoffer Ehn became an unrestricted free agent. He’s off the open market now after signing a new deal with Frolunda in the SHL for the rest of the season.

Ehn, 24, played 114 games for the Red Wings over the last two seasons but wasn’t able to add much offense to the team, scoring just 13 points. With younger, more dynamic prospects pushing for playing time, the Red Wings obviously felt like Ehn’s role wasn’t going to be there this year and let him go.

Still, given he is so young, remember the name for next offseason when teams are looking for depth forwards with some experience. He does bring a big frame and experience at center, things that are always coveted on the open market.

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