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Minnesota Wild Not Shopping Matt Dumba

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Trade speculation will always follow Matt Dumba. The Minnesota Wild defenseman has been in the rumor mill for years and after the team signed Jonas Brodin to a seven-year extension in September, things heated up again. Today, speaking with reporters including Tom Gulitti of NHL.com, Minnesota GM Bill Guerin made it clear that he is not shopping Dumba:

I’m prepared to start the season with him, and we really like that. He’s a good young player. He’s got good energy. I love his competitiveness. Our defensive corps, I’ll put them up against anybody’s.

Of course, some will read that quote and see that Guerin didn’t commit to holding Dumba all the way through the season. Even though the team has the cap space to keep all of their high-priced blue liners through the entire 2020-21 campaign—Dumba, Brodin, Ryan Suter, and Jared Spurgeon combine for a $25.3MM cap hit—something waits at the end of the road that may force them to complete a trade.

The Seattle Kraken will join the NHL as the league’s 32nd team in 2021 and they will have an expansion draft after the upcoming season to build the core of their team. The Wild, like every other team in the league (save for the Vegas Golden Knights), have a chance to protect several roster players from selection. The problem for Guerin is that teams are either allowed to protect seven forwards and three defensemen or eight skaters. Going the normal 7/3 route would mean Dumba is left unprotected, given the no-movement clauses that the other three hold (Brodin’s new contract added an NMC onto the final season of his last deal). Protecting eight would leave the team’s forward group a little more vulnerable, though it still may be the better option if a trade isn’t reached before the expansion proceedings.

Expansion concerns shouldn’t be new to Minnesota fans. When the Golden Knights entered the league, the Wild made a deal with them to select Erik Haula, trading them Alex Tuch for a third-round pick in the process. Dumba was the main reason for that move as he was left exposed (along with others like Eric Staal and Marco Scandella) but essentially protected through the deal to select Haula, who was a restricted free agent that the team was going to have trouble signing. It was obviously tough watching Tuch become a strong contributor in Vegas, scoring 20 goals and 52 points in 2018-19—it would be troubling to see the team have to do something similar this time around.

In the same interview, Guerin also explained that the Wild will be naming a new captain before the season begins. Mikko Koivu, who had worn the “C” for more than a decade in Minnesota, was let go this offseason and signed a one-year deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Canadiens Notes: Churla, Kotkaniemi, WJC

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The Montreal Canadiens have lost one of the key members of their scouting department as Shane Churla was hired today by the Florida Panthers. Churla will serve as director of amateur scouting for the Panthers, after serving in a similar role with Montreal.

As Eric Engels of Sportsnet points out, Churla will likely have more autonomy in Florida than he did in Montreal, where Trevor Timmins still runs most of the scouting operations from his role as assistant GM. Engels also tweets that he does not believe the Canadiens will rush to find a replacement for Churla, because of the presence of Timmins.

  • Jesperi Kotkaniemi’s loan has been terminated and Arpon Basu of The Athletic reports it is to be ready for a potential training camp should the NHL actually achieve its goal of a January 1 start. Kotkaniemi would need to serve out a quarantine when he returns to Montreal. The young forward scored eight points in ten games for Assat Pori in Finland during his time overseas, turning on the production after a slow start. The 20-year-old center played very well in the NHL postseason after an up-and-down season and should be a regular in the lineup this year. The Canadiens moved on from Max Domi, opening up more minutes for young players like Kotkaniemi and Nick Suzuki.
  • While Montreal draft pick Kaiden Guhle works to make the Canadian World Junior team, a few of their other prospects will be soon battling for their own spots at the tournament. Mike Morreale of NHL.com reports that USA Hockey will hold their selection camp from December 10-13, where several Canadiens prospects will likely be taking part. Cole Caufield obviously leads that group as one of the returning players, but Jayden Struble, Sean Farrell, and Luke Tuch were all also on the WJC Summer Showcase roster before it was canceled.

Chicago Blackhawks Add To Hockey Operations

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The Chicago Blackhawks have made three hires to their hockey operations department, adding Kendall Coyne Schofield, Erik Condra, and Juan Gonzalez.

Coyne Schofield, an Olympic gold medalist and one of the most decorated players in U.S. women’s hockey, will join the Blackhawks as a player development coach and youth hockey growth specialist. The 28-year-old is from the Chicago area and is perhaps best known to NHL fans for her outstanding fastest skater performance at the 2019 All-Star game. Coyne Schofield will continue to train and compete with the U.S. Women’s National Team while working with Chicago.

Condra, who is apparently announcing his retirement with this news, joins the organization as a player development coach after a long professional career. Condra played last season with the Colorado Eagles of the AHL, scoring 35 points in 53 games. The 34-year-old has played over 400 games at the NHL level, including six in the 2018-19 season for the Dallas Stars.

Gonzalez will become the Rockford IceHogs strength and conditioning coach after previously working with USA Hockey as an advisor, designing off-ice programs for the U17 and U18 teams.

The team has also promoted Meghan Hunter to the director of hockey administration and amateur scout. Hunter had previously served as a senior executive assistant to the general manager. The 39-year-old was a dominant player in her own right, scoring 42 goals and 78 points as a freshman for the University of Wisconsin in 2000-01.

Winnipeg Jets Hire Dave Lowry

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No more staying out late, Adam. The Winnipeg Jets have hired Dave Lowry as an assistant coach for the upcoming season, adding him to the staff of head coach Paul Maurice. Lowry is the father of Jets forward Adam Lowry, who has played six seasons in Winnipeg already.

Dave Lowry meanwhile has been around NHL rinks for a very long time, in one capacity or another. A sixth-round pick of the Vancouver Canucks in 1983, Lowry played more than 1,000 games in the NHL, scoring 351 points and racking up nearly 1,200 penalty minutes. When his playing career was finished, Lowry quickly joined the coaching staff of the Calgary Hitmen before becoming an assistant with the Calgary Flames in 2009.

With experience as an assistant in both Calgary and Los Angeles, plus many years as a head coach in the WHL (Calgary, Victoria, Brandon), Lowry brings a wealth of experience to the Jets organization. He also obviously brings a special connection with the 27-year-old Adam Lowry, though how that dynamic plays out is still to be seen.

William Lagesson Signs With Edmonton Oilers

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Nov 23: Lagesson has been reassigned from HC Vita Hasten to Kristianstads IK, another team in the Swedish second league. He is still expected to return at the start of NHL training camp.

Nov 4: The Edmonton Oilers have signed William Lagesson to a new two-year contract, which will be two-way in the 2020-21 season and one-way in 2021-22. The contract carries an average annual value of $725K at the NHL level. Lagesson had been playing with HC Vita Hasten in Sweden while he waited for a new deal with the Oilers and will remain there until the start of 2020-21.

It’s been a long and winding road for Lagesson, who was a fourth-round pick of the Oilers back in 2014. Selected out of Sweden, he immediately came to North America but not to sign with Edmonton. Instead, Lagesson played a season in the USHL for the Dubuque Fighting Saints, before heading to college at UMass Amherst.

After two seasons at the NCAA level and a pair of appearances at the World Junior Championship, Lagesson signed with the Oilers but still didn’t enter their development system. Instead, he went back to Sweden and played a season on loan with Djurgardens of the SHL. It was only 2018 when he finally came back to North America to play for the Oilers organization, suiting up for an entire season with the Bakersfield Condors. Last year, he was back with the Condors but also made his NHL debut, playing eight games with the Oilers.

Currently dominating the competition in Sweden’s second-tier—with nine points in eleven games—Lagesson seems poised and ready to compete for a full-time NHL roster spot when things resume for the upcoming season. Remember, the Oilers could be without Oscar Klefbom for a good chunk of, if not the whole season and don’t have a ton of experienced depth at the minor league level. In fact, with this move Lagesson becomes just the 13th defenseman in the entire organization signed to an NHL deal, and that includes several still on their entry-level contracts.

That number should increase by at least one in the coming week, as the Oilers still have Ethan Bear to sign. He is the final restricted free agent that needs a contract before the season starts and is coming off a breakout year in which he proved himself to be a top-four option for the team.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Urho Vaakanainen, Cooper Zech Loaned Overseas

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Two young Boston Bruins defensemen have been loaned overseas this morning, with Urho Vaakanainen heading to SaiPa in Finland’s top league and Cooper Zech heading to HK Nitra in Slovakia. Both players are expected back in North America when NHL training camps open.

Vaakanainen will grab the headlines here, especially after his name was included in trade speculation recently. The 21-year-old defenseman was a first-round pick in 2017 but has played just seven NHL games to this point. That doesn’t mean his potential has diminished, but the clock is ticking on his opportunity to show he can be a legitimate top-four option for the Bruins.

For now, Vaakanainen will return to the club he played for during the 2017-18 season, the last before he came to North America. The 6’1″ defenseman scored 11 points in 43 games as a teenager for SaiPa that year, while also suiting up for the Finns at the World Juniors. The shine that surrounded his prospect status then has dulled a bit in the meantime, so this is a great opportunity to get back on the ice and prove his development has not stalled.

For Zech, simply getting into some more games is the most important part of his loan. The 21-year-old signed a two-year with the Providence Bruins of the AHL in the spring of 2019, leaving Ferris State after just one season of college hockey. He scored 14 points in 45 games for Providence this season but needs to produce at an even higher rate if he is to ever be considered for an NHL spot.

West Notes: Saad, Schmidt, Turris

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The Colorado Avalanche bolstered their offense during the offseason by trading for veteran winger Brandon Saad. The 28-year-old has done nothing but score goals over the last seven years, having scored 169 goals over his career and he should be a perfect fit with the Avalanche. Of course, Saad has just one year remaining on his contract, but has expressed interest in signing a long-term extension in Colorado.

However, what are the chances that the Avalanche bring him back?

NBC Sports’ Adam Gretz writes that there are quite a few factors that determine whether Saad comes back. However, while his numbers are solid, they don’t stand out either. However, Saad brings other aspects to his game, which Colorado might appreciate. He is a possession driver and really excels when around better players, which the Avalanche has a lot of.

However, while the Avalanche have done quite well with managing their cap space over the years, those days will soon be past. The team has already inked Mikko Rantanen to a six-year, $55.5MM deal (with five years still on it). Colorado also will have forward Gabriel Landeskog hitting free agency next season, while defenseman Cale Makar will be a restricted free agent. Those two deals are likely going to cost Colorado quite a bit.

Of course, how he performs in his one year in Colorado will have a huge impact, but unless he takes less to stay in Colorado, the team will likely have too many other contracts to deal with in the next season to bring Saad back.

  • Much credit has been given to Vancouver for being able to acquire defenseman Nate Schmidt from the cap-strapped Vegas Golden Knights for just a third-round pick. The team had just lost Chris Tanev, so bringing in Schmidt is a solid if not significant upgrade to the defense. However, The Athletic’s Harman Dayal (subscription required) writes that the real question is will it be an upgrade defensively. Schmidt is mostly known for his puck-moving skills and his ability to move the puck up the ice quickly, not necessarily for his defensive prowess, while Tanev was basically the opposite — a ruthless defensive player. Dayal looks at Schmidt’s underrated defensive game, although he also notes that Schmidt’s defensive numbers took a significant decline this past season. Was it just a down season or is his game slipping in his late 20s. While it looks like Schmidt is a solid top-four acquisition, the scribe wonders if the team needs to acquire a defensive-first blueliner to fill in the unit’s current deficiencies.
  • The Edmonton Oilers have emphasized the need for a solid third-line center for a number of years and feel good about the recent acquisition of Kyle Turris, who should fill that role. Of course, Turris, who has struggled for the past two years with the Nashville Predators and was bought out, could still struggle. If Turris can’t handle the Oilers’ No. 3 center position, the Edmonton Journal’s Kurt Leavins writes the team would then only have one option for that spot, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, a player they really want in their top-six. The lack of depth centers could end up being a significant issue if Turris fails.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Arizona Coyotes

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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.

Arizona Coyotes

Current Cap Hit: $84,270,284 (over the $81.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Barrett Hayton (two years, $894K)

Potential Bonuses

Hayton: $1.75MM

Once considered a team full of young players, the Coyotes have changed their image over the last few years and have only one young player on their team under a cheap entry-level deal with only a handful of entry-level players that are even close to joining the team. Hayton, however, could be ready for a breakout season after spending the season with the team last year. Unfortunately for Hayton, he would have benefitted the most with one year in the AHL, but wasn’t eligible to play there, so instead of returning him to his junior team, the Coyotes kept him around. He only appeared in 20 games (although he did miss time with a shoulder injury at the World Juniors), but showed enough potential that he should be an everyday player next season. A big year from the 2019 fifth-overall pick would be a boost to the team’s center position.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

F Derek Stepan ($6.5MM, UFA)
D Alex Goligoski ($5.48MM, UFA)
F Marian Hossa ($5.28MM, UFA)
D Niklas Hjalmarsson ($5MM, UFA)
G Antti Raanta ($4.25MM, UFA)
D Jason Demers ($3.94MM, UFA)
D Jordan Oesterle ($1.4MM, UFA)
D Ilya Lyubushkin ($1MM, UFA)
F Conor Garland ($775K, RFA)
F John Hayden ($750K, RFA)
F Dryden Hunt ($700K, RFA)

For a team that is looking to cut salary, the team has a lot of money coming off the books next year, suggesting the team could look drastically different in just one year. Some of those players could find themselves to be trade bait when the trade deadline comes around. The most interesting decision the team might have to make is what to do with Stepan, however. The 30-year-old was brought in from New York to stabilize their top line three years ago. He had four straight seasons of 50 or more points while with the Rangers and posted a 56-point season with the Coyotes in 2017-18. However, his production has taken a dive over the past two years as Stepan posted just 35 points (in 72 games) in 2018-19 and then dropped even further last year with just 28 points in 70 games. A team leader, the Coyotes have to hope that Stepan can return to form this season or the team could choose to move on from him.

The team’s defense is loaded with several high-priced veteran blueliners and almost all of their contracts come up next season, including Goligoski, Hjalmarsson and Demers. Goligoski is 35, but is still playing major minutes for Arizona and could be a candidate to return at a slightly lesser deal. Hjalmarsson is 33, but has seen his game break down a bit as he has dealt with numerous injuries the last couple of years, including a fractured fibula that cost him 43 games last year. The 32-year-old Demers also averaged more than 20 minutes of ATOI per game. The team may keep one or two of those players, but likely will not keep all three.

The team will also want to evaluate the play of Raanta, who has showed flashes of dominance, but also has dealt with injuries and inconsistent play at times as well. Raanta did play well last season, posting a .921 save percentage in 33 games and gives the team several options in the net. Raanta could easily be re-signed to new deal or could be a trade candidate as well.

The team will also finally be free of Hossa’s $5.28MM contract the team took on years ago.

Two Years Remaining

F Phil Kessel ($6.8MM, UFA)
G Darcy Kuemper ($4.5MM, UFA)
F Tyler Pitlick ($1.75MM, UFA)
F Lawson Crouse ($1.53MM, RFA)
F Johan Larsson ($1.4MM, UFA)
F Christian Fischer ($1MM, RFA)

The team brought in Kessel to bring in the firepower that the team needed as goal scoring remains one of the team’s biggest weak points. Unfortunately, the first year with Kessel didn’t turn out to be the big acquisition that the team was hoping for. After an 28-goal, 82-point season in 2018-19, the 33-year-old saw quite a decline in his play with just 14 goals and 38 points in 70 games. That’s way below what they were hoping for and Arizona has to hope that Kessel can return to form this year in hopes of increasing his value if the team wants to move him at the trade deadline or next offseason when he has just one year left on his deal.

Kuemper has become the Coyotes’ top asset as the 30-year-old has been nothing short of dominant over the past two years and remains on a manageable contract. His name came up in trade speculation this offseason, but with so many free-agent goalies available, Arizona didn’t get the offers it was hoping for. That could change down the road. Yet at the same time, Kuemper might be worth keeping around down the road.

Three Years Remaining

None

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Ekman-Larsson Could Still Be Traded To Bruins

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The Arizona Coyotes, attempting to free up some salary during the offseason, tried to trade their top defenseman, Oliver Ekman-Larsson. With a no-movement clause embedded within his eight-year, $66MM contract, Ekman-Larsson only gave the team two teams, the Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks, he would be willing to accept a trade to and refused any other suggestions. It proved to be a challenging task for new general manager Bill Armstrong and with no quality offers from either team, the Coyotes opted to keep him in house.

However, Boston Hockey Now’s Joe Haggerty writes that there remains a chance that the Boston Bruins could still end up with Ekman-Larsson. While the Canucks have since acquired Nate Schmidt to augment their defensive corps, the Bruins still have a number of holes in their defense after the departure of Torey Krug to St. Louis and with the uncertain status of veteran Zdeno Chara. The team only has three established top-four players in Charlie McAvoy, Matt Grzelcyk and Brandon Carlo and are hoping veterans Kevan Miller and John Moore can bounce back or youngsters Urho Vaakanainen or Jakub Zboril can step up and establish themselves as full-time players next season.

However, if the team can’t get some of those defensemen to take that next step, the Bruins might be more open to re-engage with Arizona about trading for Ekman-Larsson. With Krug gone, it’s likely that McAvoy and Grzelcyk would see a jump in their offensive numbers next year, but the team could definitely benefit from a player who has scored 10 goals of more for six straight years (would have been seven had the league not been shut down due to COVID-19), as well as two 20-goal seasons.

While Ekman-Larsson gave Arizona a window of time earlier in the offseason to send him to either Vancouver or Boston, that window has closed. However, in a recent interview with Coyotes’ insider Craig Morgan (subscription required), Ekman-Larsson suggested he’d still be open to being traded.

“That’s a question for (GM) Bill (Armstrong) to be honest with you,” said Ekman-Larsson. “There’s not much I can do about it. I’m just trying to stay in the moment. I know everybody says that but I really had a good offseason. I worked out really hard to show that I wanted to be here, wanted to get better and hopefully that transfers into the stuff on the ice. I feel really happy that I am here but if that day comes where they ask again, I will deal with it then.”

Haggerty writes that the likely timeline for a trade would be closer to the trade deadline as the Bruins want to give Vaakanainen and Zboril a chance to prove that they can handle everyday NHL duties first. If one or both can step up and prove themselves, then the team doesn’t have to do anything. However, with many questions if they are potential top-four options down the road, the team could choose to add Ekman-Larsson for their stretch run.

Boston has approximately $6.7MM in available cap space, which sounds good if they want to go out and get Ekman-Larsson. However, the Bruins still have to work out a deal with restricted free-agent Jake Debrusk and still hope to bring Chara back, if he so chooses. That likely will use up their remaining cap space. Haggerty writes for Arizona to make the trade work, the Coyotes would have to take back Moore’s contract. The veteran still has three years at $2.75MM and potentially another contract. Boston would almost certainly have to include a prospect like Vaakanainen as well.

Atlantic Notes: Toronto, Rasanen, Raymond

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With the city of Toronto beginning it’s 28-day lockdown on Monday, there are many questions on how that might affect the Toronto Maple Leafs if training camp were to begin during that shutdown. However, the Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reports that the Maple Leafs are exempt from the lockdown in that case as professional teams are free to practice.

The scribe adds that according to an NHL source, “at this point” the NHL does not “anticipate that any applicable restrictions would prevent the #Leafs from conducting camp in the normal course.” Of course, that assumes that the NHL season might begin in January, which would require training camp opening in Toronto in December, which is no certainty.

  • Sticking with the Maple Leafs, The Athletic’s Joshua Kloke (subscription required) writes that time is running out for Toronto prospect Eemeli Rasanen, the Maple Leafs second-round pick in 2017. The 6-foot-7 defenseman came highly regarded, but has struggled to make an impact since being drafted, which included playing for four different teams in four different leagues last year. Despite his size and impressive shot, the knock on the 21-year-old was his skating which was exposed after signing with Jokerit of the KHL in 2018. He has struggled, playing very little at the KHL level and was eventually sent to Jokerit’s U20 team, then loaned to Kiekko-Vantaa of Finland’s second division and then finally loaned to Frederikshavn of the Danish league. Rasanen now is playing for HFK in the Liiga and hopes to establish himself there as Toronto must make a decision on whether they intend to offer him an entry-level contract next year.
  • Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press looks at a group of Red Wings prospects and tries to evaluate which ones are ready to join the NHL club for the 2021-22 season. While some believe that Lucas Raymond, the fourth-overall pick in the 2020 draft, might need a few more years in the SHL, the 18-year-old has already surpassed his 10-point season (in 33 games) from last year as he already has five goals and 12 points in 19 games (second on his team) and taking a much bigger role with his Frolunda squad. St. James believes he will be ready to come over for the 2021-22 season

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