Archives for June 2022

Looking At Kaapo Kakko’s Restricted Free Agency

June 12, 2022 at 2:06 pm CDT | by John Gilroy 19 Comments

In what would prove to be their final game of the season last night, a 2-1 loss at the hands of the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game Six of the Eastern Conference Finals, the New York Rangers made the surprising choice to list forward Kaapo Kakko as a healthy scratch in favor of Dryden Hunt. It would be fair to say Kakko, the second overall pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, has not played up to projections so far in his young career, however given the team’s choice to scratch forward Ryan Reaves and the apparent severity of Ryan Strome’s injury, along with the developing chemistry between Kakko and linemates Alexis Lafreniere and Filip Chytil, seeing Kakko sit was a surprise to say the least.

The New York Post’s Larry Brooks, who covers the Rangers, wrote this morning examining an interesting parallel between Kakko and another Finnish forward, Jesperi Kotkaniemi (link). Brooks looks at the similarities between the two players from being drafted, the hype around them, and their young careers, Kakko’s with the Rangers, Kotkaniemi’s with the Montreal Canadiens. Brooks also addresses Kotkaniemi’s healthy scratch in Games Four and Five of last year’s Stanley Cup Final in comparison to Kakko’s healthy scratch last night.

At the conclusion of Montreal’s season, Kotkaniemi would hit the RFA market, where he would sign a one-year, $6.1MM offer-sheet with the Carolina Hurricanes which Montreal declined to match, ultimately costing the Hurricanes a first and third round draft pick. After the two healthy scratches in the Cup Final, it didn’t appear that the relationship between Kotkaniemi and the Canadiens was irreparable, however Kotkaniemi was quick to sign the offer sheet, one that Montreal was very unlikely to match. As Brooks points out in his article, Kakko could feel a similar sentiment towards the Rangers.

None of this is a given of course, but if Kakko was interested in a change of organization, choosing to shop his talents when free agency opens on July 13th, the Rangers would be put in an awkward position if Kakko were to be offered a deal like Kotkaniemi. The Rangers have just under $13.5MM in available cap space this offseason, needing to re-sign the likes of Strome, Andrew Copp, and Frank Vatrano, amongst others. Brooks suggests a two-year bridge deal worth $2MM to $2.5MM per season is appropriate for Kakko this offseason, but if he were to get an offer in the range of $4.2MM to $6.3MM per season on the open-market, that would net the Rangers only the same first and third round draft picks Montreal received for Kotkaniemi.

Circling back, the Rangers could afford to match that number, but they have K’Andre Miller and Lafreniere as expiring RFAs next offseason, both of whom would be due significant raises over their ELC contracts. If the Rangers were put in this position, the one Montreal faced last offseason, they may be forced to take the draft picks.

All of this to say, with the Rangers offseason less than a day old at publishing, things are unknown and the ultimate reason for Kakko’s scratch remains a mystery, and any hurt feelings could be a moot point. Interestingly, when ESPN’s Emily Kaplan asked Rangers head coach Gerard Gallant to elaborate on why he scratched Kakko, Gallant refused to give an answer. Kakko’s future is his own, and to an extent the Rangers’ too, but the parallel to Kotkaniemi’s situation, in recency, in on-ice performance, in being healthy scratched for the team’s biggest game of the season, and now contractually, is incredibly interesting and something to keep an eye on.

Latest On Duncan Keith, Mike Smith

June 12, 2022 at 12:30 pm CDT | by Ethan Hetu 11 Comments

We previously covered how Mike Smith told the media that he was undecided on playing next season, and we also don’t have full confirmation on whether defenseman Duncan Keith will return next season. What we do now know, though, is that the Edmonton Oilers front office would prefer to have both players’ decisions on their respective futures confirmed by July 1st. According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, the Oilers “have asked Mike Smith and Duncan Keith to let them know by around July 1st if they do plan on returning next year.”

It’s understandable that the Oilers would want confirmation on the two players’ futures before the offseason market begins in earnest. With Smith, if the team has uncertainty over whether he will be available next season, the Oilers’ entire goaltending situation becomes uncertain, and the team’s ability to pursue other starting goaltenders could be compromised. Additionally, as teams potentially scramble to make trades similar to the recent Ben Bishop deal in order to get out of LTIR, a potential Smith retirement via LTIR could complicate the Oilers’ search for additional cap room. With Keith, the team would prefer certainty about his overall future due to the immense cap implications of whatever decision he chooses to make. Per Puckpedia, if Keith retires this summer, not only is Keith’s full $5.5MM cap hit taken off their books but the Oilers are also actually given a $3.4MM cap recapture credit to facilitate even more moves. That sort of major cap space clearance could be exactly what the Oilers need to re-sign Evander Kane, for example. So the potential ramifications of his choice are huge.

Any way you look at it, without certainty on the futures of those two players, the Oilers would be entering a crucial offseason with one hand tied behind their back. With Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Darnell Nurse, and other core pieces locked up and in the primes of their careers, using this offseason to build off of the momentum of this year’s playoff run is essential if the Oilers want to go even further next year. So while being pushed for a decision on a particular time frame might not be ideal for Smith and Keith as they weigh important, life-altering decisions, the Oilers will need certainty on those two players’ futures in order to conduct their offseason at maximum efficiency.

New York Rangers Extend Vitali Kravtsov

June 12, 2022 at 10:32 am CDT | by Ethan Hetu 8 Comments

With the New York Rangers’ season now over, the team has gotten to work quickly on its business for the offseason. This morning, their first move was revealed. Dan Milstein’s Gold Star Hockey announced today that winger Vitali Kravtsov signed a one-year, one-way contract extension with the New York Rangers. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that the one-year deal carries an $875k cap hit, which is a decrease from the $925k cap hit he carried on his entry-level deal as a top-ten pick. CapFriendly notes that Kravtsov’s qualifying offer would have been $874,125, meaning this contract is an ever-so-slight raise on that figure.

Kravtsov returns to North America after a reasonably successful, albeit limited stint in the KHL. Between the regular season and the playoffs, Kravtsov got into 34 games for Traktor Chelyabinsk, netting 13 goals and 23 points. Kravtsov originally left for the KHL at the start of this season after failing to make the Rangers’ team out of training camp, and his reportedly strained relationship with Rangers GM Chris Drury was thought to be a factor in creating his steadfast resistance towards continuing his development with the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack. While that resistance to taking the developmental path the organization likely preferred for him has made him a bit of a controversial prospect, Kravtsov’s potential is undeniable. The six-foot-two, 187-pound winger boasts a rare combination of size and skill and is coming off of a productive season in the KHL. Kravtsov was originally drafted ninth overall at the 2018 draft, and he is likely hoping that it’s on this one-year contract that he establishes himself as an NHL regular similar to how fellow 2018 first-rounder K’Andre Miller has established himself over the past two seasons in New York.

Given the relatively uncertain state of the Rangers’ right wingers going into next season, Kravtsov could have a strong opportunity to earn an NHL job and hold onto it. The Rangers are not overflowing with cap space and both of the players who play right wing on the team’s top two lines (Frank Vatrano and Andrew Copp) are pending unrestricted free agents. Since it’s unlikely that the Rangers will be able to hold onto all of their pending free agents, Kravtsov’s $875k cap hit could end up working to his advantage in the fall as he fights for a role on the team.

It remains to be seen what Kravtsov ultimately becomes at the NHL level, but today’s extension confirms that he is going to enter next season with the firm intention of finally cementing himself as an NHL regular.

Atlantic Notes: Anderson, Sykora, Senators Hockey Operations

June 12, 2022 at 9:00 am CDT | by Ethan Hetu 4 Comments

The Montreal Canadiens had a season to forget in 2021-22, falling to last in the NHL standings. Part of the disappointment in Montreal this past season was not just due to the performance of the team as a whole, but also of the individual players. Winger Josh Anderson is one of those Canadiens whose 2021-22 production was a reason for disappointment. While he showed flashes of goal-scoring touch and ended up fifth on the team in points, Anderson’s 19-goal, 32-point marks are definitely on the low end of what former GM Marc Bergevin had in mind when he signed Anderson to a $5.5MM AAV contract. With all that being said, though, this season’s disappointing production apparently hasn’t stopped Anderson from being a hot name on the trade market.

Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reported as part of his Trade Targets Board that GM Kent Hughes’ “phone rang consistently with teams inquiring about Anderson.” Seravalli adds that the Canadiens have “resisted” the urge to trade Anderson, but that interest did exist on the part of the inquiring teams. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic shed some light on the situation as well, reporting that Montreal “turned down some serious offers” for Anderson and that GM’s around the league “keep asking about him,” but that the Canadiens “aren’t planning on trading” their power forward. Evidently, Anderson’s rare combination of size and speed is tantalizing enough for other teams to make “serious offers” for Anderson, despite his somewhat underwhelming production. While these reports do indicate that Montreal is hesitant to trade Anderson, it’s clear that his situation will be one to monitor once the offseason trade market begins in full.

Now, for some other news regarding teams in the Atlantic Division:

Much of the attention surrounding the Canadiens’ draft strategy revolves around who they might pick with the number-one selection. What is discussed less is the possibilities the team can pursue thanks to the second first-rounder Montreal owns as part of the Tyler Toffoli trade from earlier this year. One player Montreal could be targeting with that selection or even one of their second-round picks is Slovakian winger Adam Sykora. Per Robert Durkac of Slovakian outlet tvnoviny.sk, both the Canadiens and Arizona Coyotes have interest in Sykora and sought out additional information from the player while he was in Buffalo attending the NHL Combine. Sykora is one of the youngest players in this year’s draft and has impressed scouts with his defensively-oriented, relentless style, a style that has allowed him to be a regular at the highest level of Slovakian professional hockey, despite his youth. Sykora is ranked 42nd among European Skaters by NHL Central Scouting, although his performance for Slovakia at the IIHF World Championships has seen his stock rise in the eyes of some outlets.
The Ottawa Senators lost a high-ranked executive in their hockey operations department earlier this year, as Pierre McGuire was fired from his role with the team after less than a year on the job. Now, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, the Senators would like to add to their hockey operations department. Friedman reports that there “could be some hires” coming to Ottawa “soon,” and that the hires would be made with the intention of the Senators bolstering their hockey operations. The Senators have had a difficult few years since their miraculous run to the Eastern Conference Final in 2017, so their reported intention to add more help to their hockey operations department could be seen as a positive sign that the team is looking to get a bit more assistance on the road back to contention.

Snapshots: Flyers Head Coach Search, Sharks GM Search, Point, Kannok-Leipert

June 11, 2022 at 5:52 pm CDT | by John Gilroy 4 Comments

According to Frank Seravalli of the Daily Faceoff, the Philadelphia Flyers have reportedly narrowed down their list of candidates for their vacant Head Coach position (link). It appears the finalists for the position include, but may not be limited to, John Tortorella and Barry Trotz. The Flyers recently held their second interview of Torotrella in Philadelphia and have since told other candidates that they are no longer in the running for the position. In addition to Tortorella and Trotz, the Flyers have also interviewed the likes of Mike Velucci, Rick Tocchet, Jim Montgomery, Jeff Blashill, David Quinn, and likely others who have not been named. It’s unclear if any of these are also finalists in addition to Tortorella or Trotz.

Seeing the Flyers narrow their field is an interesting development for the coaching market as a whole, as more positions, and candidates, have opened up as time has gone on, but few of those positions have been filled. Philadelphia making a decision, depending on when that decision comes and who is selected, could serve to get the ball rolling for the rest of the league. Philadelphia has struggled in recent seasons, culminating in trading franchise forward Claude Giroux to the Florida Panthers in March, however the organization has shown an unwillingness to commit to a true rebuild. Hiring either of Tortorella or Trotz would certainly help the organization get back to its winning ways, even as the team’s roster experiences some transition in personnel.

From one high-profile search to another, it appears the San Jose Sharks are also planning to narrow their list of candidates for their vacant General Manager position this week, says The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun. It’s unclear who exactly would be on the Sharks’ shortlist, though LeBrun says the organization has had lengthy interviews of 4 to 6 hours each with a dozen candidates. The organization made clear after former GM Doug Wilson stepped down that they would take their time finding his replacement. Much like the Flyers, the organization has shown they are not interested in a lengthy rebuild and would like to find a GM who shares that vision (link).
After earlier reports that Tampa Bay Lightning center Brayden Point could be a game-time decision for tonight’s Game Six of the Eastern Conference Finals, it appears he is now considered doubtful, says Seravalli. Though it would be disappointing for Tampa to again be without one of their best players, Seravalli does add that Point is very likely to play in Tampa’s next game, whether that be in Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Finals, or in Game One of the Stanley Cup Finals, depending on the result of tonight’s game. Point was injured during Game Seven of Tampa Bay’s first round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs and has not played since. As crucial as Point has been to Tampa Bay’s recent playoff success, the team has managed to go 8-2 since he went down, including the game against Toronto, losing only the first two games of the conference final.
The Abbotsford Canucks, the AHL affiliate of the Vancouver Canucks, announced they have signed defenseman Alex Kannok-Leipert to a one-year contract extension that covers the 2022-23 season. Originally a sixth-round draft pick of the Washington Capitals in 2018, Kannok-Leipert spent five years with the Vancouver Giants of the WHL, where he was team captain for two seasons before turning pro and signing with Abbotsford ahead of the 2021-22 season. The defenseman had a solid rookie campaign in the AHL, putting up five points to go with a plus-5 rating in 41 games. An interesting note on Kannok-Leipert is though a Regina, Saskatchewan native, he was born in Thailand and is the first Thailand-born player in AHL history and the first to be drafted in the NHL Entry Draft.

Metropolitan Notes: Bratt, Blais, Drozg

June 11, 2022 at 4:00 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 1 Comment

The Devils have started discussions on a new contract for pending RFA Jesper Bratt, the winger told Ryan Novozinsky of the Star-Ledger (Twitter link). Bratt added that talks haven’t progressed yet to the point of talking salary so it’s clear that a deal certainly isn’t imminent. The 23-year-old is coming off a career year that saw him lead New Jersey in scoring with 26 goals and 47 assists in 76 games, more than doubling his previous career-high of 35 points set in his rookie year. Bratt is arbitration-eligible and two years away from UFA eligibility and both sides have expressed a desire to get a long-term contract in place. But with the year he just had, that type of deal would command a price tag of more than double the $2.75MM AAV he had on his bridge contract. Arbitration hearings aren’t likely to start until early August so there is still plenty of time to get an agreement in place.

Free Agent Focus: St. Louis Blues

June 11, 2022 at 2:58 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 4 Comments

Free agency is now less than six weeks away and many teams are already looking ahead to when it opens up. There will be several prominent players set to hit the open market in mid-July while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign as well. Next up is a look at the Blues.

Key Restricted Free Agents

D Niko Mikkola – It has taken a while but Mikkola has worked his way into being a full-fledged member of the back end for the Blues, albeit in still a limited capacity. The 26-year-old played in a career-high 54 games this season but was also scratched rather frequently. When he has played, he has shown some promise as a stay-at-home, physical defender that can do well on the third pairing. But at Mikkola’s age, that’s not a particularly high bar to try to meet. He’s owed a qualifying offer of just over $826K but the most notable element here is that he’s a year away from UFA eligibility. Between that and arbitration rights, Mikkola will be able to beat that qualifier but are the Blues in a spot where they would be willing to pay closer to $1.5MM and get a couple of extra years of team control? Will they be able to afford to do so?

D Scott Perunovich – Perunovich’s time in the pros has been mired with ups and downs. After missing all of last season due to injury, he was limited to just 36 regular season games this season thanks to injuries. When he did play, however, he showed the offensive skill that he had in college that has made him one of their top prospects. But with missing so much time, the 23-year-old certainly isn’t in a spot to command much more than his $874K qualifying offer which is a two-way tender. It’s entirely possible St. Louis opts to try to get Perunovich to take less than that in exchange for a one-year, one-way deal, giving them a tiny bit of extra cap flexibility and the blueliner a guaranteed payday.

F Klim Kostin – The 2017 first-rounder had an opportunity to spend the bulk of the season with St. Louis and held his own on the fourth line, collecting nine points in 40 games while averaging just over nine minutes a night. Those numbers certainly don’t stand out but he should be a strong candidate for a spot at the end of the roster in St. Louis next season. His contractual situation is the same as Perunovich’s – he’s owed the $874K qualifier but it’s possible the Blues try to get him to take less in exchange for a one-way salary.

Other RFAs: F Will Bitten, F Tanner Kaspick, F Hugh McGing, F Nathan Todd

Key Unrestricted Free Agents

G Ville Husso – For years, Husso was viewed as the goalie of the future for the Blues and while it took him a while to get to the NHL, he showed this season that he can be a strong goalie at the top level, posting a 2.56 GAA along with a .919 SV% (good for a tie for sixth-best in the league). However, he didn’t fare as well in the playoffs, ending his season on a lower note. With just 64 career NHL appearances under his belt (including the playoffs), the 27-year-old doesn’t have enough of a track record to command a long-term, high-dollar contract like the six-year, $36MM deal Jacob Markstrom got in free agency two years ago. But a shorter-term deal in the $4MM range should be achievable as there will be teams out there that will view Husso as a low-end starter or a high-end backup. Either way, he’s heading for a significant raise after making the league minimum the last two years.

F David Perron – Since returning to the Blues in 2018, Perron has averaged a higher point per game rate than his career average which is notable since he turned 34 last month. At a time when many players start slowing down offensively, he’s improving his output. In terms of points among pending UFAs, Perron sits eighth and if he was to get to the open market, he’d likely receive a nice raise from the $4MM AAV he had on his most recent deal. And yet, few expect him to actually get to free agency. While he has played on five different teams in his NHL career, Perron has only signed contracts with St. Louis, opting to come back each time he reached the open market with another organization and there is certainly an expectation that he will do so again. If that’s the case, he might leave some money on the table to do so.

D Nick Leddy – The Blues were able to add Leddy at the trade deadline to shore up their back end and Leddy didn’t disappoint, averaging over 21 minutes a night down the stretch and in the postseason (where he was one of several St. Louis rearguards to miss time due to injury). At this stage of his career, the 31-year-old is not the top defender that he was at times with the Islanders but he could still be a solid second-pairing player or a high-end third-pairing option on a deeper squad. With a UFA crop that isn’t particularly deep, Leddy should generate considerable interest although it would be very surprising to see him beat the $5.5MM he made on his soon-to-expire contract.

Other UFAs: F Sam Anas, F Tyler Bozak, D Dakota Joshua, G Charlie Lindgren, F Mackenzie MacEachern, F James Neal

Projected Cap Space

The Blues have just over $9MM in space below the $82.5MM Upper Limit and while they don’t have many roster spots to fill (likely a couple of forwards, two defensemen, and a goalie), they don’t have enough money to keep all of their pending UFAs around. They also have to be mindful of big contracts on the horizon for Jordan Kyrou and Robert Thomas (both 2023 RFAs) while Ryan O’Reilly will need an extension as well at that time. There’s enough room for GM Doug Armstrong to keep at least one of their UFAs in the fold but if he wants to keep more than one, he’ll need to find a way to free up some cap flexibility first.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.

Snapshots: League Calendar, Stars, Quick, Walker

June 11, 2022 at 1:57 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 11 Comments

Over the last couple of summers, the NHL has been forced to modify its schedule which has resulted in free agency starting late the last two years. Last summer, it was July 28th while it will be July 13th this time around. As Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports (Twitter link), the league plans to get back to a typical league calendar for 2022-23 which would see the start of free agency next summer come on July 1st.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

Stars GM Jim Nill told Saad Yousef of The Athletic (subscription link) that the team plans to address their right-defense situation this summer. John Klingberg is a pending UFA that will need to be re-signed or replaced while Jani Hakanpaa is their other right-shot option. Nill is a proponent of having three lefties and three righties on the back end so don’t be surprised if Dallas is on the lookout for another right-shot rearguard even if they’re able to keep Klingberg in the fold.
As we get close to the annual goaltending carousel around the NHL, Eric Duhatschek of The Athletic suggests (subscription link) that Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick should be garnering some attention as a possible candidate to move. After reclaiming the starting role this season, the 36-year-old helped lead Los Angeles back to the playoffs. Quick is down to just one year left on his contract so for a team that’s looking for a short-term addition to try to stabilize the situation between the pipes, he could be a viable option.
After recently stepping aside as an assistant coach in Vancouver, Scott Walker has found his next job as Guelph of the OHL announced that they’ve hired Walker as their new head coach. Walker was the president of hockey operations for the Storm last season and had previously been a co-owner and head coach of the team so this was a decision that shouldn’t come as much of a surprise.

Atlantic Notes: Senators, Sabres, Point

June 11, 2022 at 12:35 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 11 Comments

The Senators are among the teams that have at least suggested a potentially willingness to move their first-rounder to add a win-now player. With the seventh-overall selection, it would appear on the surface that they could get a quality veteran for that pick but some league executives told Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch that Ottawa will likely need to add to that selection to get the type of player they’re seeking. GM Pierre Dorion has stated that they’re willing to move some prospects as well and those executives suggest one of those would have to be added to provide enough value to convince a team to part with a key veteran. Garrioch suggests Minnesota winger Kevin Fiala and Vegas center William Karlsson as cap casualties that could be on the move this summer that might be of interest to Ottawa. Fiala is a pending restricted free agent while Karlsson has five years left on his contract with a $5.9MM AAV.

Offseason Checklist: Vancouver Canucks

June 11, 2022 at 10:51 am CDT | by Brian La Rose 4 Comments

The offseason has arrived for half of the league’s teams that weren’t playoff-bound plus those who were eliminated in the first two rounds. It’s time to examine what they will need to accomplish over the coming months. Next up is a look at the Canucks.

It was a season of change for Vancouver. The big move to add Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Conor Garland last summer didn’t help, resulting in GM Jim Benning being shown the door with Patrik Allvin and Jim Rutherford coming over from Pittsburgh to lead the front office. They underachieved under Travis Green, resulting in Bruce Boudreau taking over behind the bench and while they didn’t get to the playoffs, they were much more competitive in the second half. Now, Allvin has some big files to tackle this summer as he looks to get the Canucks back into the playoff picture.

Free Up Long-Term Cap Flexibility

The Canucks have enough flexibility that they can navigate through this summer, keep the core intact, and give it another go next season. But that doesn’t make the team any better and maintaining the status quo will only make it harder to make their cap situation work a year from now. They have $48.5MM in commitments to ten players for 2023-24. On the surface, that would appear to be manageable. But J.T. Miller, Bo Horvat, and Brock Boeser aren’t in that group while Elias Pettersson will be extension-eligible at that time as well. If those players all sign for market value, that really will limit them in terms of upgrading their roster. That’s at the forefront of their offseason planning.

With that in mind, Allvin needs to find ways to create some extra space. Tanner Pearson isn’t on a terrible contract at $3.25MM for two more years but they could save some money by replacing him with a cheaper piece, perhaps Russian free agent Andrei Kuzmenko who they’ve been linked to. Jason Dickinson was brought in to solidify the third-line center spot, receiving a commensurate contract in the process, one that pays him $2.65MM for the next two seasons. He didn’t fit in well in his first season with the Canucks, scoring just five goals in 62 games. Finding a new home for one or both of them would give them a bit of wiggle room next summer when they’ll really feel the cap crunch.

To that end, one other route they could look to go is finding a taker for the final year of Micheal Ferland’s LTIR contract. Yes, his $3.5MM AAV is an expiring deal next summer but if they can clear him out and stay out of using LTIR, they might be able to avoid the bonus overage penalty for 23-24 with Vasily Podkolzin and Nils Hoglander carrying sizable incentives in their contracts; Kuzmenko will likely have plenty as well if he winds up joining the Canucks. They can manage the cap situation this summer but they will need to be aggressive in freeing up some flexibility from there.

Decide Miller And Horvat’s Future

Let’s dig into some of those players that are about to get a lot more expensive. Miller is at the top of that list. He’s coming off a breakout season that saw him lead the Canucks in scoring and narrowly miss out on reaching the 100-point plateau. He also has spent a lot of time down the middle which will only increase his value. He’s set to become an unrestricted free agent next summer and impact centers rarely become available. Those that do get significant paydays and it’s safe to say Miller will be heading for one of those compared to the $5.25MM cap charge he’ll carry next season. That expected contract is what had him in plenty of trade speculation leading up to the deadline.

Rutherford (who has made the rounds in the media lately) has made it clear in recent interviews that the team expects to be able to keep Miller in the fold. Some of the recent comparable centers that have signed long-term deals (Mika Zibanejad, Tomas Hertl, and Logan Couture) all signed for $8MM or more while Sean Couturier came in just under that. All received eight-year deals. Miller’s production was higher than theirs this season but that was the only time he was over the point-per-game mark which should keep the AAV on a max-term extension somewhere in the range of those comparables.

If they go ahead and sign Miller to a deal like that, it’s going to make it harder to keep Horvat in the fold. With Miller in the $8MM range and Pettersson needing a qualifying offer of $8.82MM in the 2024 offseason, can Vancouver really afford to have another high-priced pivot in Horvat? While he won’t command the type of money their other two centers make, he’ll be in line for a raise on his $5.5MM AAV on his next deal and it wouldn’t be entirely shocking if he surpassed the $7MM mark.

While they may want to keep both of them in the fold, it will be very difficult for them to do so. Accordingly, they’ll need to find out who is willing to stay and what the asking prices are and then decide whether to start shopping one now or keep both into the season in the hopes of getting back to the playoffs. Some big decisions are on the horizon, to say the least.

Re-Sign Boeser

Most of Vancouver’s cap space this summer is heading for Boeser. Unlike Pettersson, he’s subject to the old qualifying offer rules which means his salary from this season is his qualifying offer which puts the required tender at $7.5MM. While the team certainly hoped that the winger would be able to emerge as a legitimate front-line winger, Boeser has yet to reach the 30-goal mark or record more than 56 points in a single season. On the surface, that type of production for $7.5MM isn’t ideal.

If the Canucks tender Boeser, the winger can simply accept the offer and become UFA-eligible in 2023 or try his luck with salary arbitration and hope for a small bump up. Neither is an ideal scenario for Vancouver as it would make him expensive and a rental all at the same time. It doesn’t seem like there’s any chance they’d non-tender him but they could opt for club-elected arbitration to try to get him a little cheaper as the required offer would be 90% or $6.75MM.

Knowing that, Allvin will be wanting to try to get this one resolved sooner than later. A long-term deal at or around this rate wouldn’t yield much in the way of savings but would ensure one of their top wingers will be around for a while. If discussions on that front don’t go well, however, it’s reasonable to expect Boeser will be in trade speculation as well.

Revamp The Back End

On top of all of these decisions up front, Vancouver has some work to do on their defense as well. Quinn Hughes has become a top offensive option and Ekman-Larsson is still a top-four rearguard even if he is no longer the player he was a few years ago with Arizona. After that, however, things thin out quickly.

The Canucks don’t have much in the way of offensive options behind Hughes (Travis Dermott might help a little in this regard), nor do they have a lot of depth on the right side. Tyler Myers is miscast in a top role while Luke Schenn is a capable depth blueliner but not someone who should be higher than the third pairing in an ideal situation. That’s it for righties they can count on with Tucker Poolman’s availability being in question after missing basically half the season with recurring headaches and migraines. There’s a case to be made that Vancouver needs a couple of top-four defensemen as a result although they’ll be hard-pressed to afford even one unless they can find a way to free up some short-term money for next season and some long-term money knowing what lies ahead in the 2023 summer. Allvin certainly has his work cut out for him.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.

« Previous Page

Load More Posts

Headlines