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Archives for March 2021

Florida Panthers Sign Spencer Knight

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The Florida Panthers’ goaltending position is about to get even more interesting. The Panthers have agreed to terms with top prospect Spencer Knight to his three-year entry-level contract. That will end Knight’s collegiate career after just two (outstanding) seasons at Boston College. GM Bill Zito released a short statement on his newest goaltender:

We are thrilled to have agreed to terms on a contract with Spencer. He is an immensely talented and dynamic young goaltender who has been an elite player at every level that he has played. From the collegiate ranks to international tournaments, Spencer has consistently elevated his game, a testament to his work ethic, compete and character. We are excited for him to take the next step in his career with the Panthers and look forward to his future with our club.

Knight, 19, has been embroiled in controversy since nearly the day he was drafted by the Panthers, selected 13th overall in 2019. At the time it seemed like an obvious choice, given the vacancy in Florida’s net, but a few weeks later the team would raise eyebrows all across the league by handing Sergei Bobrovsky a seven-year, $70MM contract on the first day of free agency. Immediately speculation went up over whether Knight would ever play for the Panthers, given how his path to the NHL was now blocked. College draftees do have a bit of leverage, as they can elect to stay in school for four years and become unrestricted free agents. It would be quite unusual for a player drafted as high as Knight to do something like that, but Bobrovsky’s contract immediately put that scenario (or a trade) into the realm of possibilities.

The worry was for nought, however, as Knight will sign his entry-level deal with the Panthers on schedule and enter the organization after just two seasons at BC. In his time there, the 19-year-old goaltender posted an incredible .931 save percentage across 54 appearances. He was named to the Hockey East All-Rookie Team in 2020, named Goaltender of the Year this season and is a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award. Squeezed into that college career were two appearances at the World Juniors for Team USA, including a gold medal performance earlier this year. Knight actually went to three of the U20 tournaments, winning silver in 2019 as the extra goaltender.

There are very few goaltending prospects as hyped, but Knight has basically never wavered in his performance so far. Whether he can step to the next level immediately will soon be determined, but all the skills are there to make him an elite starting goaltender at the NHL level.

What that means for Bobrovsky isn’t at all clear. The $10MM goaltender has been outplayed this season by Chris Driedger, a minor league journeyman who was playing in the ECHL as recently as 2018-19. Driedger has earned his opportunity, posting a .930 through 30 NHL appearances so far, but will be a hard player to keep around given he is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year. With Bobrovsky earning so much and now Knight joining the organization, there may not be much of a place for the 26-year-old, especially if he’s looking for a substantial raise.

The question now becomes whether that’s a good thing for the Panthers, given Bobrovsky’s struggles and Knight’s youth. The veteran has posted just a .907 this season and was even worse last year, making his contract look like one of the worst in the entire league. He’ll carry that $10MM cap hit through 2025-26. As for Knight, his deal breaks down as follows, per CapFriendly:

2020-21: $925K salary (including signing bonus), $1MM in performance bonuses
2021-22: $925K salary (including signing bonus), $1.85MM in performance bonuses
2022-23: $925K salary (including signing bonus), $1.85MM in performance bonuses

Of those bonuses, Knight will receive $1MM if he wins the Conn Smythe Trophy. The other bonuses are Schedule A ones.

Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic was first to report that a deal was close.

Colorado Avalanche Sign Keaton Middleton

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Though the deal had already been reported by CapFriendly yesterday, Keaton Middleton has now been officially announced as the latest signing by the Colorado Avalanche. The young defenseman has inked a two-year entry-level contract that will kick in right away, making him eligible for recall by the Avalanche if necessary.

Middleton, 23, was actually a draft pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2016, but after two more years at the OHL level failed to sign a contract with them. After grinding in the AHL for two seasons with the San Jose Barracuda, he arrived in Colorado to play for the Eagles this year on a minor league deal. Now, after 14 games there and nearly five years since being drafted, Middleton has his first NHL contract.

The 6’5″ defenseman has never been a big offensive weapon, recording just 27 points in 116 AHL games, but adds an element of physicality and a calm defensive game. His skating, while not elite, is still good for a player of his size and that can help his long reach end rushes quickly. It seems unlikely that he’ll ever be an impact player for the Avalanche, but the team has a very good history of developing defensemen and perhaps sees a role for him down the line.

Nick Holden, Liam O’Brien Clear Waivers

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March 31: Though Gostisbehere will still claim the headlines, Holden and O’Brien also cleared waivers today. Both players can be assigned to the taxi squad or, in O’Brien’s case, kept in the AHL.

March 30: While Shayne Gostisbehere got all the waiver attention, two more players were put on waivers Tuesday. The Vegas Golden Knights placed veteran defenseman Nick Holden on waivers again, while the Colorado Avalanche sent Liam O’Brien through waivers after signing him to a one-year deal earlier this morning, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.

Holden already cleared waivers earlier this season, but a player must pass through waivers again if he has played 10 games in the NHL. For Holden, the veteran is at 13 games and with everyday salary meaning so much, the team must attempt to pass him through waivers once again. Whether he will be claimed is a different story as more teams are eager to add to their ailing blueline. However, Holden is making $1.7MM AAV not only for this year, but for next year as well and many teams may want to avoid that second year, considering he is already 33 years old. Holden has one assist in 13 games for the Golden Knights, averaging 15:44 of ice time.

As for O’Brien, the Avalanche signed him and were forced to put him on waivers to either assign him back to the Eagles or put him on the taxi squad.

Philadelphia Flyers’ Shayne Gostisbehere Clears Waivers

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March 31: Gostisbehere has cleared waivers and can now be assigned to the taxi squad or AHL.

March 30: The Philadelphia Flyers announced they have placed defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere on waivers. While the career of the blueliner has been derailed in recent years due to injuries and on-ice struggles, Gostisbehere is still young at 27 years and only a few years away from his 65-point season in 2017-18.

With many teams successfully attempting to ease cap concerns by placing large contracts on waivers, this might seem to be something similar with Philadelphia hoping that Gostisbehere’s $4.5MM contract might dissuade most teams from claiming the defenseman. While that still might be the case, there are plenty of teams in desperate need of defensive help and while many of those teams are capped out, it wouldn’t be hard to suggest that a change of scenery away from Philadelphia could alter the career of Gostisbehere.

In fact, Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports that Philadelphia is trying to free up some cap room to make a major trade, perhaps even hoping a team might claim Gostisbehere.

His big season in 2017-18 (13 goals & 65 points) had many believing at the time that Gostisbehere would develop into a superstar, cornerstone blueliner. Instead, he struggled after that, posting just nine goals and 37 points the following year with injuries affecting his game as well. He scored just five goals and 12 points last season in 42 games and while Gostisbehere has been slightly better this year with five goals and 11 points in 25 games, the defenseman has not been able to come close to the star that Philadelphia thought he would be.

Of course, with the Flyers struggling significantly, which includes almost losing to the hapless Sabres Monday, general manager Chuck Fletcher might also be looking to just shake up the team. Moving out a player like Gostisbehere could send a significant message to the team.

It wouldn’t be unreasonable to think that even non-playoff teams might be interested in Gostisbehere and could claim him. He is still just 27 years old and while he carries a $4.5MM AAV for the next two years, he is only actually drawing $3.25MM in salary. That could be attractive to teams like Ottawa, Buffalo, Detroit and the Los Angeles Kings who have the cap space to bring in Gostisbehere. Another possibility could be the Florida Panthers, who are in need of defensive help after the injury to Aaron Ekblad. In fact, Gostisbehere is from Pembroke Pines, Florida, not far from the Panthers’ home.

Any team interested in claiming him would have be required to have $1.525MM in projected cap space or $4.5MM in salary pool relief for clubs currently in LTIR, according to CapFriendly.

Connor McDavid Fined For Elbowing

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The Department of Player Safety has determined that Connor McDavid’s elbow on Jesperi Kotkaniemi from yesterday’s action is not worthy of a suspension, but have issued a $5,000 fine. That is the maximum allowable fine under the CBA and it will keep McDavid on the ice for the Edmonton Oilers moving forward.

The incident occurred in the first period of last night’s game after the Montreal Canadiens were already up 3-0. After Kotkaniemi had passed the puck, McDavid still tried to lay a hit and extended his elbow up into the Montreal forward’s face. McDavid earned a two-minute minor for roughing and will now have to pay a fine as well.

Though he will escape suspension, the fine will go onto McDavid’s record and be taken into account for future supplementary discipline decisions. Kotkaneimi did not suffer an injury on the play.

Chicago Blackhawks Sign Isaak Phillips

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The Chicago Blackhawks have added another prospect to the mix, signing Isaak Phillips to a three-year entry-level contract. In the release, the team indicates that the deal will run through the 2023-24 season and will carry a cap hit of $859,167. Phillips is currently playing for the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL.

Technically the 19-year-old defenseman would have to return to the OHL should it start back up this season, despite his early success in the professional ranks. Through 14 games for the IceHogs, the 6’3″ defenseman has six points and is more than holding his own against opponents sometimes more than a decade older than him. That bodes well for his long-term development and is a nice surprise after he dropped to the fifth round in the 2020 draft.

Selected 141st overall, no one would have expected Phillips to step right into the AHL and keep his head above water. It’s earned him an entry-level deal right away, but there is plenty more work to be done before he becomes a part of the Blackhawks blue line.

Minnesota Wild Sign Matt Boldy To ELC

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The Minnesota Wild have reached an agreement on an entry-level contract with one of their top prospects. 2019 first-round pick Matt Boldy has decided to forego the rest of his NCAA eligibility and depart Boston College for the pros. The Wild have announced a three-year deal with Boldy that begins this season. Financial terms were not disclosed. He will report immediately to the AHL’s Iowa Wild to begin his pro career.

Boldy, 19, just completed a terrific sophomore season at BC, although he surely would have liked to see the Eagles reach the Frozen Four. He did plenty to help them all season long, though; Boldy led a deep BC team across the board with 11 goals, 20 assists, and 31 points in just 22 games. He had enjoyed a nice freshman campaign, but took a major leap forward this season, asserting himself as one of the best players in college hockey. In fact, Boldy finished fifth in points per game in the NCAA this season. Boldy’s skating has improved to match his impressive offensive instincts, hands, and shot, making him a well-rounded offensive weapon. The big forward, who exclusively played on the wing this year after struggling at times at center last season, is not only a dangerous scorer either. Boldy wins puck battles with his size and tenacity and seems to never be caught out of position.

It is not a reach to say that Boldy projects as an NHL top-six forward with both power play and penalty kill ability. The two-way forward is young, but has the size and the IQ of a much more experienced player. While he may head to Iowa at the outset, Boldy will be in Minnesota in no time. The Wild have a good thing going this season, but could desperately use a power play difference-maker. If he takes to the pro game quickly, Boldy’s net front presence and scoring ability could immediately make him invaluable to his team. Even if Boldy doesn’t really take on a major role in Minnesota until next season, he still joins Kirill Kaprizov, Kevin Fiala, Jordan Greenway, and Joel Eriksson Ek (and eventually Marco Rossi too) in a young, exciting forward core that could make the Wild competitive for years to come.

Snapshots: Expansion Draft, Novak, Pettersson

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The Seattle Kraken cannot yet make trades, but that won’t stop them from making a major impact on the upcoming NHL Trade Deadline. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that Kraken GM Ron Francis has begun to receive calls from a number of teams seeking input on potential deadline deals. Any team adding a valuable player who is not just an impending UFA rental is also adding another piece to their Expansion equation. In many cases, top contenders acquiring these quality players will either not be able to protect them or their addition will displace another valued player already on the roster. As a result, they have been reaching out to Francis to see what it would cost to make a side deal to protect assets that would be exposed by a potential deadline trade. According to LeBrun, the league’s other GM’s have not been happy with Francis’ responses. It seems the going rate for a side deal with Seattle to protect a player that they would otherwise be selecting is a first-round pick and a prospect. This price is scaring teams away from making major deals at the deadline, quieting a market that already has a number of restrictions working against it.

  • While a seventh-round pick may not mean much to the Ottawa Senators, especially given their immense pipeline of talent, it meant a lot to Bentley University. In 2018, the Senators’ final-round selection Jakov Novak became the first ever NHL Draft pick to attend Bentley, an Atlantic Hockey school who has never won their conference tournament nor qualified for the NCAA Tournament. The oft-forgotten Boston-area program was proud to add Novak, who has played up to expectations over the past three years. With 30 goals and 62 points in 87 games, including 17 points in 15 games this year, the power forward has been one of the best players in Atlantic Hockey – and other teams took notice. The junior winger is set to depart Bentley for greener pastures, leaving the program yet again absent of NHL talent. He’s not going far, though. Novak has announced that he will transfer to Northeastern University for next season. The Huskies exited the Hockey East Tournament early this year and did not qualify for the national stage, so they will be eager to add another talented forward with pro ability in hopes of taking a step forward next season. Novak hinted that 2021-22 could be the end of his NCAA career, but it only take one year for him to make a major impact at Northeastern. Vice versa, just one year playing alongside and against superior collegiate talent could be a major developmental leap for Novak that earns him a contract with Ottawa.
  • Vancouver Canucks star Elias Pettersson was eligible to be activated from the Long-Term Injured Reserve for the first time today, but his stay is not yet over. Head coach Travis Green tells NHL.com that the team underestimated Pettersson’s upper-body injury and he is not close to a return. “Definitely was more serious than we thought originally,” Green stated on Tuesday. “We didn’t think it was going to be this long. It hasn’t gotten any better to a point where he can play yet and I still think he’s going to be out for a few more games at least.” After a slow start to the season, the Canucks have been playing much better of late. In fact, they have the second-best record in their past ten games of any team in the North Division. However, still more than 100 percentage points back of a playoff spot, Vancouver will need Pettersson healthy if they want to complete the comeback.

Trade Rumors: Hall, Flyers, Panthers

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While he stopped short of stating that there is a lot of interest in Buffalo Sabres winger Taylor Hall, TSN’s Darren Dreger noted on “Insider Trading” this evening that the team is receiving different varieties of offers for the former MVP. While some teams see Hall strictly as a rental, Dreger reports that GM Kevyn Adams has also received calls from teams with interest in a trade-and-sign potential. Despite Hall’s struggles this season, it seems that there are clubs who still believe in his long-term value once he escapes Buffalo. Normally, these teams would not necessarily need to inform the opposing GM of their post-trade intentions. However, given Hall’s No-Movement Clause there seems to be more transparency from suitors in hopes that Hall would waive to come to their team. Dreger relays that Adams and Hall’s agent, Darren Ferris, recently met to discuss these offers as well as those from teams who have not yet expressed interest in an extended relationship with Hall.

GM, agent, and player will all need to be on the same page for a deal to get done, but Hall has already stated that he is open to waiving his NMC for the right move, so it seems likely that he will end up traded. Yet, don’t be surprised if the deal doesn’t happen until deadline day. Dreger believes that Adams could hold on to Hall as long as he can, allowing Hall’s pro-rated cap hit to decrease as much as possible, as a tactic to improve or at least maintain his trade value. With so many team’s facing a salary cap crunch, a cheaper Hall is a more valuable Hall. To this point, it seems teams have balked at Buffalo’s first-round price tag for Hall, but their best chance of netting that return will likely be on deadline day.

  • As young Carter Hart continues to struggle this season, it is becoming more and more likely that the Philadelphia Flyers will have to add another goalie if they want to compete for a playoff spot down the stretch. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that they are certainly considering a move, but have not made a decision yet. While the numbers for Hart as well as Brian Elliott are not appealing so far this season, bringing in a third netminder is not a simple decision. The Flyers would need to have the cap flexibility to carry three goalies and would also need to consider the mental status of Hart if they were to essentially bump the season-opening starter to a third-string role. LeBrun believes that Philadelphia will wait as long as possible to make a deal, hoping that their current tandem improves but also in order to take a realistic look at their playoff chances at the deadline and weigh whether a move in worth it. If the Flyers do opt to seek another goalie, LeBrun notes that the name they are being linked to is Detroit Red Wings veteran Jonathan Bernier.
  • It would surprise no one to hear that the Florida Panthers are looking for a defenseman in light of the season-ending injury suffered by stalwart Aaron Ekblad. However, Florida Hockey Now’s George Richards reports that the team was actually scouring the market for a top-four blue liner even before Ekblad’s injury, which only served to up their efforts. The Panthers had enjoyed strong seasons from Ekblad, MacKenzie Weegar, and Keith Yandle and had not hesitated to give considerable play time to Anton Stralman, Gustav Forsling, and Radko Gudas as well. However, the team recently waived Stralman, which just goes to show how much they value his contribution so far this season. And while Yandle and Gudas have played well, the two are somewhat of specialists, only excelling at one end of the ice. With Ekblad gone, the Panthers will have to rely on Weegar and Forsling as their most complete defensemen and neither has the experience needed to lead a contender on a deep playoff run. It is likely this concern that prompted a search even before Ekblad went down.

COVID Protocol Related Absences: 03/30/21

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Each day, the NHL will publicly release the list of players that are unavailable to their respective teams due to being in COVID-19 Protocol. Here is the updated list released today:

Anaheim – Alexander Volkov
Boston – Jake DeBrusk, Sean Kuraly
Los Angeles – Brendan Lemieux
Minnesota – Zach Parise
Montreal – Joel Armia, Eric Staal
NY Rangers – Brett Howden 
Vancouver – Adam Gaudette*

As a reminder, inclusion on this list does not mean that a player has tested positive for Coronavirus or even that they have been confirmed as a close contact to another positive person. Included in the NHL’s list of possible reasons for someone being on the list is are the following:

(1) an initial positive test which remains unconfirmed until confirmatory testing is completed pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (2) mandated isolation for symptomatic individuals pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (3) required quarantine as a high-risk close contact in accordance with the Positive Test Protocol; (4) isolation based on a confirmed positive test result and/or; (5) quarantine for travel or other reasons as outlined in the COVID-19 Protocol

Players removed today: Brad Marchand, Boston Bruins; Travis Boyd, Vancouver Canucks

As reported earlier, Vancouver’s Gaudette has tested positive for Coronavirus. Whether or not it was an actual positive or a false positive will be determined by additional tests over the coming days, but for now he lands on the CPRA list and some uncertainty surrounds the Canucks.

Of course, with Boyd switching places with Gaudette and Marchand dropping off Boston’s list, this was actually a net positive day in the league’s battle with COVID. Especially when considering that Volkov, Lemieux, and Staal are only on the list due to protocols involving travel, related to their recent trades, there are only six players whose health status is actually unknown. Of those, Parise and Howden have been on the list for some time and could find themselves activated sooner rather than later.

*denotes new addition

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