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Archives for November 2020

What Your Team Is Thankful For: Buffalo Sabres

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It’s Thanksgiving this week in the United States and the holiday season is right around the corner. Like the last few years, PHR will take a look at what teams are thankful for but this year comes with a bit of a change. Normally teams would have an idea of where their season was heading, coming up on the one-quarter mark with mountains of statistics to analyze. Instead, in this unprecedented year, the season hasn’t even begun. We’ll still take a look at what each group is excited about and what they could hope for once the calendar turns to 2021.

What are the Sabres most thankful for?

A deep forward group.

No longer are the Sabres putting all their hopes on youngsters. The team is suddenly loaded with established players who have proven themselves. To go with Jack Eichel, the team has added a number of key additions to go with solid playmakers as the team now boasts Eichel, Taylor Hall, Eric Staal, Sam Reinhart, Jeff Skinner, Victor Olofsson and a number of other players who can thrive in bottom-six roles like Kyle Okposo, Cody Eakins, Dylan Cozens, Casey Mittelstadt, etc. The depth at forward is a major improvement for a team that needs to score and this team should have that quality of depth that should be able to give Buffalo a chance to earn their first playoff appearance in nine years.

Who are the Sabres most thankful for?

Taylor Hall.

With the pandemic flattening out the salary cap for the foreseeable future, there weren’t too many long-term offers for Hall, the top free agent of the 2020 free agent class. Instead, Hall looked for a short-term deal from a team with extra cap room and surprised quite a few people when he picked the Sabres, due to the chance to play next to Eichel for the year.

The addition of Hall, totally enhances the team’s top-nine as he immediately will slot into the top line next to Eichel and will finally get a chance to play next to an elite center, something he hasn’t had in quite a number of years. The hope is that Hall can find his game from two years ago when he was the Hart Trophy winner with the New Jersey Devils, leading them single-handedly into the playoffs. If he can do that for the Sabres, Buffalo should have a legitimate chance to break their nine-year drought and Hall will establish himself again as the top free agent for 2021 in hopes of landing that big-term deal.

What would the Sabres be even more thankful for?

A return to form of Jeff Skinner.

After posting a 40-goal season in 2018-19 and signing a eight-year, $72MM deal, things never panned out after that for Skinner, who struggled mightily with just 14 goals and 23 points in 59 games last season. The forward was a disaster and found himself spending quite a bit of time on the third line trying to find his game. With seven years at $9MM AAV, the Sabres have to hope that Skinner will be able to bounce back and become that fixture on the second line that they were hoping for. The talent is there to surround the goal-scoring forward, but the team needs for him to execute, otherwise the team will be stuck with a player and a contract that they don’t want.

What should be on the Sabres’ Holiday Wish List?

The Sabres may be in need of help in goal. The Sabres have a solid offense and defense, but their goaltending could be what’s holding them back. The team can hope that Linus Ullmark is ready to take the starting load this season. He did produce impressive numbers with a .915 save percentage in 34 appearances, but is he the answer in net? Unfortunately, top goaltending prospect Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, might not be ready for another couple of years, meaning the team may need to find a way to bring in a more proven goaltender that can handle big minutes.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: San Jose Sharks

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

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2020-21 season.  This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL.  All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.

San Jose Sharks

Current Cap Hit: $79,146,667 (under the $81.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

D Mario Ferraro (two years, $925K)
F Danil Yurtaykin (one year, $925K)
F Lean Bergmann (two years, $837K)
F Fredrik Handemark (one year, $793K)
F Noah Gregor (one year, $768K)
F Alexander True (one year, $763K)
F Joachim Blichfeld (one year, $737K)

Potential Bonuses:

Ferraro: $213K
Bergmann: $133K
Handemark: $133K
Gregor: $65K
True: $20K
Blichfeld: $20K

Total: $584K

The Sharks are overloaded with plenty of prospects on entry-level deals. The team sampled many of those players last year in hopes of finding some bottom-six depth, but very few players were able to make their mark last year. The most obvious success was the play of Ferraro, who established himself as an NHL defenseman after spending two years at the University of Massachussets-Amherst playing alongside Cale Makar, and now will battle for a top-four spot in the Sharks’ lineup this year. While his offense is still coming around, the defenseman is a hard-worker and impressive locker room presence already after one season and should only get better.

Another player who should get a legitimate opportunity at center for San Jose is Handemark. The 27-year-old SHL veteran has been solid presence in Sweden for years and now will bring his talents over to San Jose in hopes of adding to the team’s bottom-six depth. Handemark had career highs of 14 goals and 38 points in 52 games and should replace the spot formerly held by Joe Thornton. The rest are less likely to make the squad unless one of them can prove they can handle a bottom-six role.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

G Devan Dubnyk ($2.17MM, UFA)
F Ryan Donato ($1.9MM, RFA)
F Marcus Sorensen ($1.5MM, UFA)
F Stefan Noesen ($925K, UFA)
F Patrick Marleau ($700K, UFA)
F Matthew Nieto ($700K, UFA)
F Antti Suomela ($700K, UFA)
F Dylan Gambrell ($700K, RFA)

*- Minnesota is retaining an addition $2.17K of Dubnyk’s cap hit and salary

One of the most interesting acquisitions this offseason was bringing in both Dubnyk and Donato from Minnesota. Both be free agents in a year, although Dubnyk will be an unrestricted free agent. The team brought in the long-time Wild starter with the hopes that the 34-year-old might push for the starting goalie spot next season. Dubnyk is coming off one of his worst seasons in Minnesota after many solid seasons. The team hopes he can bounce back and solidify a weak position last year. The other piece to the trade with Minnesota was Donato, a highly-touted college prospect who is already on his fourth team in just three years. The Sharks hope that dropping him into a top-six situation might set the young forward off after scoring 14 goals last season.

For a minimum deal, the team will bring back Marleau, who has the opportunity to pass Gordie Howe for first place in the NHL in games played this season. Sorensen and Noesen should establish themselves in the bottom six. Sorensen looked on the verge of joining the top six after a 17-goal season in 2018-19, but came down to earth instead, scoring just seven goals. Noesen scored 13 goals in 2017-18 with New Jersey, something that San Jose hopes he can re-create this season. The same sentiment goes for veteran Matt Nieto signed out of Colorado.

Two Years Remaining

F Tomas Hertl ($5.63MM, UFA)
F Joel Kellman ($750K, UFA)
D Jacob Middleton ($725K, RFA)

Not much went right in San Jose last year and a major injury to Hertl, who tore his ACL and MCL in his left knee in January and had surgery in February to repair them. However, when healthy, Hertl was one of the team’s top players. He made the all-star game after posting 16 goals and 36 points in 48 games before the injury and was coming off a 35-goal season the previous year. If the team can get him healthy and have him bounce back in 2020-21, the team should be in good shape and have two seasons to observe his play before having to make a decision on a long-term deal.

Three Years Remaining

F Timo Meier ($6MM, RFA)

The 24-year-old forward has proven to be a solid, dependable goal scorer for the Sharks as he posted 22 goals and 49 points in 70 games last year. That’s a touch less than the 30 goals and 66 points he had in 78 games in 2018-19, but considering the type of season that San Jose had, he is still one of the core pieces for the next three years.Read more

Atlantic Notes: Eichel, Hyman, Senators

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While many fans look to the Buffalo Sabres offseason as a success, team star Jack Eichel is just as excited about the team’s moves. The 24-year-old expressed frustration with the Sabres’ team and made it clear the Sabres were in need of more veteran players. The team did just that under new general manager Kevyn Adams, who brought in a number of experienced players, including Taylor Hall, Eric Staal and Cody Eakin to bolster their forward depth.

“I know the league is trying to go younger, but I think that you still need those older guys, the veteran guys, the guys that have been there and won,” said Eichel in an interview with Buffalo News’ Lance Lysowski. “I think you need them in your locker room, first of all, and you need them on the ice. We’ve definitely been young. We’ve been in a transition for a few years now. There’s always young guys coming through the organization and you want to see everyone have success, but you look at the transformation that our team made this offseason.”

Eichel, who has not been to the playoffs in his entire career, as Buffalo hasn’t reached the playoffs in nine years, has seen a number of veteran players moved out such as Ryan O’Reilly and Eichel’s friend Zach Bogosian in favor of bringing in younger players. However, Eichel is enthusiastic of the direction of the team this season.

“It’s so hard to win when you’re young,” said Eichel. “I think it’s so important to have that veteran presence in the room and on the ice, so I think it was good for us to add that this offseason. We’ll see what happens.”

  • The Athletic’s Jonas Siegel and James Mirtle (subscription required) debate whether the Toronto Maple Leafs can retain some of their other soon-to-be free agents, including goaltender Frederik Andersen, defenseman Morgan Rielly and forward Zach Hyman. While all three are not likely to be retained due to the team’s continual cap problems in the future, both writers agreed that the slam dunk signing would be Hyman, whose hard-working attitude and competitive culture that he sets in the locker room are critical to bringing back down the road. Of course, both writers did add that much of those hopes will come down to whether Hyman, now 28 and coming off two 20-goal seasons, will be willing to accept a minor home-town discount to stay. If he’s looking to cash in, that could force the team to go in a different direction.
  • While many people are beginning to see hope in Ottawa with some of their offseason moves this offseason as well as the development of their youth, The Athletic’s Hailey Salvian (subscription required) writes that the Senators could find themselves at quite a disadvantage next season assuming they end up in an all-Canadian division next season. Ottawa struggled against their Canadian counterparts, posting a 4-8-2 record, including a minus-12 goal differential against those teams. To make matters worse, most of the Canadian teams have improved during the offseason, which could make Ottawa’s season that much more challenging with no cellar dwellers they can take advantage of.

 

What Your Team Is Thankful For: Boston Bruins

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It’s Thanksgiving this week in the United States and the holiday season is right around the corner. Like the last few years, PHR will take a look at what teams are thankful for but this year comes with a bit of a change. Normally teams would have an idea of where their season was heading, coming up on the one-quarter mark with mountains of statistics to analyze. Instead, in this unprecedented year, the season hasn’t even begun. We’ll still take a look at what each group is excited about and what they could hope for once the calendar turns to 2021.

What are the Bruins most thankful for?

Their proven veteran core.

Up front, their top line is still among the best number one units in the entire league and accounted for just over 47% of their goals last season.  While that’s an indictment of their secondary scoring, it also shows how dominant the trio of Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak, and Patrice Bergeron has been.  It’s a line that just gets the job done nightly although they won’t all be available for the start of next season.  Once they’re all healthy though, watch for them to pick up right where they left off.

That veteran core also includes goaltenders Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak.  The pair have formed a very strong tandem the last two seasons and with a schedule that figures to feature more back-to-backs, few teams will be better equipped for that than the Bruins whose goaltending should once again be near the top of the league.

Who are the Bruins most thankful for?

Pastrnak would be an easy choice here as the young sniper on the rise to stardom but at this point, they may be most thankful for Marchand.  Over the years, he has emerged from being an agitator who could contribute in a secondary role to a legitimate star (who can still agitate from time to time).  Not all top liners take a regular turn killing penalties but he does which has led him to average more than 19 minutes per game in each of the last four years.  He has averaged over a point per game in that span as well.  For all of that, they’re paying a price tag that some 50-point players were getting in free agency not long ago at $6.25MM.  Better yet, he’s locked up at that rate through 2025.  Marchand has been a fixture in Boston for more than a decade and with that contract, he’ll continue to be one for several years to come.

What would the Bruins be even more thankful for?

A top-four left-shot defenseman.

Between the departures of Torey Krug (St. Louis) and Zdeno Chara (unsigned free agent), the Bruins have lost over 41 minutes per game from the left side of their back end and a lot of offense.  Management showed that they believe that Matt Grzelcyk is ready for a larger role when they handed him a four-year, $14.75MM deal last month.  But he hasn’t played in that role before and neither has anyone else in the organization – John Moore is more of a depth option while their prospects are still largely untested at the NHL level.  Boston is in good shape on the right side led by Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo but they’d feel a whole lot better with a proven option on the left to go with them.

What should be on the Bruins’ Holiday Wish List?

Beyond that top-four left-shot defender, the Bruins could also stand to try to upgrade their secondary scoring some more.  Craig Smith was a nice addition but knowing that Pastrnak will miss time (and potentially Marchand), they’re going to take a step back offensively in the early going.  They’re one of the few teams that’s willing to spend and still has a bit more than nominal cap room remaining.  Can they afford a top-six forward?  Not as things stand but if they strike out on adding a defender, a middle-six winger that’s looking to try their luck on the open market again next season would certainly help their chances and really give them three lines capable of producing when everyone is healthy.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Central Notes: Coyotes, Strome, Vesalainen

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Some teams are clearly in win-now mode while others are rebuilding.  Some are on the way up and others on the way down.  Then there are those stuck between the proverbial rock and a hard place and ProHockeyTalk’s James O’Brien suggests that the Coyotes qualify for that latter category with a team that falls shy of contending but can’t do much to try to rebuild either.  Without their first-round pick from the fitness testing violation penalty, the idea of blowing things up loses a lot of its luster but it also takes away the opportunity to also dangle it to try to add to the roster.  Their cap situation isn’t particularly strong either and they don’t have the ability to take on bad contracts as they once did.  As a result, it may be a little while before new GM Bill Armstrong can really put his stamp on his new team while he waits for more than $30MM in expiring contracts to come off the books.

More from the Central Division:

  • Blackhawks center Dylan Strome could see his negotiations delayed following the departure of his agent Mark Guy, suggests Ben Pope of the Chicago-Sun Times. Guy has left Newport Sports Management after spending more than 20 years there to move to the auto industry.  Both GM Stan Bowman and head coach Jeremy Colliton have indicated a willingness to re-sign Strome but until the restricted free agent finds new representation, those talks will probably have to be shelved for the time being.
  • Jets winger Kristian Vesalainen has been viewed as a forward with top-six potential since being drafted back in 2017 but he hasn’t lit it up much since then and lacks the all-around game to play on a lower line. Accordingly, as he told Jason Bell of the Winnipeg Free Press, he’s using his time on loan to HPK in Finland to prioritize shoring up his play on his own end in the hopes of earning an opportunity to break camp with Winnipeg in a limited role.  The 21-year-old had 12 goals and 18 assists in 60 games with AHL Manitoba last season.

NHL Considering Taxi Squads For Next Season

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Last season in Major League Baseball, teams were permitted to carry taxi squads in an effort to reduce the number of times that players had to be shuffled between the big club and their minor league training complex.  In the latest 31 Thoughts podcast, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that the NHL is considering a similar idea for next season.

The current idea under consideration would see players paid their AHL salaries so there wouldn’t be a substantial cost increase for owners aside from paying out NHL per diems.  Presumptively speaking, that should include players on one-way deals who would still receive their full pay if they’re assigned to the taxi squad.

The need for a group of reserve players is further highlighted by the fact that the AHL isn’t targeting a start to their season until February.  Even if the NHL doesn’t meet their January 1st target to start the season, players sent to the minors will be inactive for a few weeks before that season gets underway.  Having the ability to keep at least some of them up with the big club during that stretch would be a plus.

Such a decision could be beneficial for some of the veteran free agents that are still out there or veteran AHL players who are right on the cusp.  Their fortunes would certainly change with the creation of a taxi squad as some NHL-adjacent roster spots would at least be opened up.  Once the AHL season starts, teams may be more inclined to have veterans in their reserve group to ensure that their prospects receive as much playing time as possible.

Of course, there are still some questions that have to be answered.  Will those players be exempted from the cap if and when they’re brought up or would they count at their NHL rate or AHL rate?  Would the threshold for players ‘buried’ in the minors ($375K plus the minimum salary) come into effect if a high-priced veteran was assigned to the taxi squad instead of outright to the minors after clearing waivers?  Considering this is something that would need to be known heading into training camps (which Friedman suggests could be a lot shorter than usual in an effort to start as close to January 1st as possible), the answers will need to be determined quickly.

With travel being trickier now than it has been in the past, the idea of a taxi squad for next season has been speculated for a while but there was nothing concrete to say that it was being considered.  However, the league appears to be on a similar wavelength and now it’s just a matter of fleshing out the details before training camps get underway.  Of course, right now, when that date is just happens to be the biggest question of all that needs to be answered.

Minor Transactions: 11/28/20

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While the transaction lists for North American leagues remain relatively empty given unknown and delayed start dates, hockey is alive and well in Europe and those leagues and teams continue to collect loans and signings from North America. Keep up with all of the minor moves, overseas and otherwise, right here:

  • Despite his status as a second-round pick, goaltender Olof Lindbom has still not seen any action in the SHL, Sweden’s top league, since he was drafted by the New York Rangers in 2018. That could change soon, as the SHL’s Malmo Redhawks have announced that they have acquired Lindbom on loan from the Allsvenskan’s Mora IK. This is not Lindbom’s first promotion, but he has only ever sat as a backup in previous opportunities. However, this loan was prompted by an injury to Malmo starter Oscar Alsenfelt, leaving former Boston Bruins prospect Lars Volden, who has struggled of late, as the only other keeper on the roster. Lindom’s odds of finally making his first SHL appearance seem high. He needs to get used to facing top competition if he hopes to ever compete for a roster spot in New York given their deep stable of talented, young goaltenders.
  • After four seasons with the AHL’s Rochester Americans, the first three spent on an entry-level contract, Eric Cornel will not return to the team this season. The Buffalo Sabres’ 2014 second-round pick has signed a one-year deal with the DEL’s Nurnberg Ice Tigers, the club announced. Cornel was a productive two-way forward for Rochester, even if he didn’t live up to his draft billing. He has a chance to take on even more responsibility and improve his scoring numbers in Germany. Cornel will join a Nurnberg team that rosters a number of former NHL players and prospects.
  • Joe Whitney has also made the move to Germany, signing a one-year deal with the Iserlohn Roosters per a team announcement. Whitney is a veteran of 450 AHL games as well as a cup of coffee in the NHL, but has not played in North America since 2017-18. The veteran forward is coming off back-to-back strong seasons in Sweden with the SHL’s Linkoping HC, but has seemingly opted to try his hand somewhere new.
  • A fellow journeyman with considerable AHL experience and a brief showing in the NHL, Morgan Ellis finds himself looking for a new job after being released by the KHL’s Dinamo Riga. Ellis has made stops in the DEL, SHL, and KHL over the past three years and expected to remain in the KHL this season, but was terminated by mutual agreement, according to the team. The former Montreal Canadiens prospect defenseman will have to look elsewhere, in Europe or perhaps back in North America, for a place to play this season.

Philadelphia Flyers Loan Michael Raffl To Austria

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As had been rumored for some time, the Philadelphia Flyers have confirmed today that veteran forward Michael Raffl has been loaned overseas until the start of NHL training camp. However, this loan has some special significance. Raffl, one of the NHL’s few Austrian players, will get the chance to suit up for his hometown team, Villacher SV of the IceHL.

Raffl, 31, just signed a two-year extension with the Philly in March and is awaiting the start of his eight season with the club. In the meantime, the career Flyer is looking for a place to play in preparation for the NHL season, which does not yet have a solidified start date. In terms of convenience and fit, there is no better option than Villacher, as it is located in Raffl’s hometown and is the program that he played all of his developmental hockey with, including parts of six seasons with the top pro team.

The current iteration of Villacher has far more talent on paper than when Raffl last played for the team, but it has not shown on the ice so far this season. Despite having a number of players with North American pro experience, including Kristers Gudlevskis, Jordan Caron, and Scott Kosmachuk, Villacher has just two wins in it’s first 13 games and sits tenth out of eleven teams in the IceHL. Raffl hopes that what amounts to some preseason conditioning can also help to turn the team’s season around and propel them towards a consecutive playoff qualification.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Los Angeles Kings

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

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2020-21 season.  This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL.  All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.

Los Angeles Kings

Current Cap Hit: $67,879,285 (under the $81.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

D Michael Anderson (two years, $925K)
F Quinton Byfield (three years, $925K)
F Blake Lizotte (one year, $925K)
F Gabriel Vilardi (two years, $894K)

Potential Bonuses:

Anderson: $850K
Byfield: $2.65MM
Lizotte: $850K
Vilardi: $850K
Total: $5.2MM

It has been a tough couple of years for Vilardi who has had lingering back issues to contend with.  Fortunately, he was able to make it up to the Kings in the weeks before the pandemic shut things down and he did pretty well in a limited role.  He’ll have a shot at a regular spot down the middle next season although he’ll be battling Byfield, the second-overall pick last month, for playing time.  He still has junior eligibility but with the OHL season not starting until February, it’s likely that he’ll break camp with the Kings.  Lizotte was a regular in the bottom six a year ago and assuming he can build off that performance, he should be able to garner at least a small raise next offseason.

As for Anderson, he’s like Vilardi in that he was able to get a brief look with Los Angeles before the pandemic hit and it was probably enough to earn him a spot as GM Rob Blake didn’t change up too much on his back end.  A full season should have him in line for a modest raise but given that his cumulative experience will be less than a regular 82-game campaign, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the team try to get him to take a bit less than his qualifying offer while giving him a one-way pact.  Tobias Bjornfot (three years, $894K) broke camp with the Kings a year ago and could potentially do so again but it’s hard to imagine them burning the first year of his entry-level deal at this time.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

F Michael Amadio ($700K, RFA)
F Alex Iafallo ($2.425MM, UFA)
F Trevor Moore ($775K, RFA)
D Matt Roy ($700K, RFA)

Iafallo has very quietly become one of the better undrafted college free agent signings in recent years.  He has worked his way up to a top-six spot and very quietly finished second on the team in scoring last season.  This current UFA market hasn’t been the kindest to wingers but a similar showing from him next season should help generate plenty of interest which should secure him a nice raise with some security.  Moore was brought in from Toronto near the trade deadline and was relatively productive in limited action.  The first step is simply locking down a regular spot which is something that hasn’t happened yet and if he can do that, he’ll be well-positioned for at least a small raise although his arbitration eligibility may hurt him more than help him.  Amadio locked down a regular role last season and should be poised to build on that in 2020-21 which should comfortably move him out of league minimum territory.

Roy gave the Kings 18 minutes a night while being their best blueliner from a possession perspective.  A repeat performance could give him a strong enough platform to at least triple his current salary.  Any time a team can get a capable blueliner for the minimum, they’re thrilled.

Two Years Remaining

F Dustin Brown ($5.875MM, UFA)
F Jeff Carter ($5.273MM, UFA)
F Martin Frk ($725K, UFA)
F Adrian Kempe ($2MM, RFA)
D Olli Maatta ($3.333MM, UFA)*
D Kurtis MacDermid ($875K, UFA)
G Calvin Petersen ($858K, UFA)

*- Chicago is retaining an addition $750K of Maatta’s cap hit and salary

There are times where Brown has lived up to his price tag and others where it hasn’t been close.  He currently falls between the two as someone that’s paid to be a top-six winger and produces like a third-liner.  He’ll nearly be 38 when his next contract starts and he’ll be hard-pressed to come close to that AAV.  Carter is another player that’s on the downswing and it could very well be his last deal.  If not, he’ll be going year to year, potentially with some performance incentives.  Kempe is defensively strong while his offensive production has been consistently inconsistent.  This bridge deal makes a lot of sense for both sides and it will be his ability (or lack thereof) to improve at the offensive end that determines whether he’s a core piece of the future that can command a long-term deal or someone that has to take a lot of short-term pacts.  Frk was a strong scorer with AHL Ontario last season and did well enough to earn a two-year, one-way deal for his troubles although he could also be a candidate to be waived if other prospects show that they’re ready.

Maatta was brought in as a salary dump from the Blackhawks but he could very well be in line for a large role next season.  Still just 26, his contract could certainly be looked at more favorably if he can handle the increased ice time.  On the other hand, further struggles could lead to a 50% pay cut or more two years from now.  MacDermid is probably best suited to be a seventh option at this point and players in that situation are typically either retained at that price point or replaced by someone else at a similar rate.

Petersen has more than held his own in his first two partial seasons with the Kings although it is just a 19-game sample size.  As things stand, he is potentially their starter of the future and that could have him well-positioned for a significant jump into the multi-million range if all goes well.

Three Years Remaining

F Austin Wagner ($1.133MM, RFA)
G Jonathan Quick ($5.9MM, UFA)

Wagner has a slightly higher price tag than a lot of fourth liners have had to take this offseason but there is still some upside (he’s only 23) and it’s not as if Los Angeles is short on cap space.  It’s a deal that looks a little expensive now but if he progresses a bit at the offensive end, it could be a bargain by the end.

Quick has been a fixture between the pipes in Los Angeles for more than a decade.  However, his performance tapered off considerably two years ago and only improved a little bit last season.  Part of that is the team in front of him – the Kings are no longer contenders as they were before – but at 34, age is starting to creep up to him.  He remains the starter and that price tag isn’t overly high for someone in that range as it’s only a bit above the median among starters but they haven’t received much bang for that buck lately.  As Petersen contends for more playing time, that’s not likely to change although Los Angeles will be better for it in the long run if he can ascend to that number one role and push Quick into playing less.

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Pacific Notes: Ferland, Oilers, Kemp

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The future of Canucks winger Micheal Ferland remains uncertain, notes Postmedia’s Ben Kuzma.  The veteran has been plagued by concussion-like symptoms and left the postseason bubble when they resurfaced again although he hasn’t given up on giving it another shot.  GM Jim Benning indicated that they’re still trying to evaluate if he’ll be cleared to try to participate in camp:

He’s trying to work through it with our doctors now.  As we get closer to figuring out when we’re going to play, we’ll figure something out.

Ferland has three years left on his contract worth $3.5MM and the Canucks are already very tight to the cap ceiling.  If he isn’t cleared to play, they would be eligible to put him on LTIR and get some cap relief until he is given the green light (if it happens) which would give them a bit of extra flexibility as they figure out the last few roster spots on what is a relatively deep group of forwards.

More from the Pacific Division:

  • The Oilers are likely to bring in a veteran defenseman on a PTO deal once camps get underway, suggests Bruce McCurdy of the Edmonton Journal. Some of their prospects overseas who would seem to have an inside track for a roster spot have had their progress derailed due to injury or virus-related postponements.  Accordingly, having a veteran in camp to serve as extra depth makes a lot of sense to hedge their bets.  It was only two seasons ago that Edmonton went that route and ultimately signed Jason Garrison so GM Ken Holland could very well opt to try that approach again.
  • Still with Edmonton, the Oilers are working towards finding a place in Europe for recently-signed defenseman Phil Kemp, reports Postmedia’s Jim Matheson (Twitter link). The 21-year-old inked his entry-level deal earlier this week after his senior season at Yale was shuttered.  At this point, opportunities overseas are largely limited although Matheson adds there are a couple being considered.  If more teams bring back players for training camp – Kemp is unlikely to contend for a spot on the NHL roster so he may not be invited to camp – there may be other spots to open up in the days and weeks to come.

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