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Archives for June 2023

Morning Notes: Hellebuyck, O’Reilly, DeBrincat

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Mark down the New Jersey Devils as a major player in the Connor Hellebuyck trade sweepstakes, says Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic. The 30-year-old Vezina-caliber netminder is on the trade block after informing the Winnipeg Jets he won’t sign an extension, and LeBrun says there’s mutual interest between the netminder and the Devils in a long-term agreement. Hellebuyck has gone on a remarkable run since becoming Winnipeg’s starter, leading in the league in either games played or saves made for six straight seasons. The workhorse netminder would be a massive, immediate upgrade on Vitek Vanecek, who did have a solid 2022-23 campaign but can struggle heavily with consistency. LeBrun adds, though, that New Jersey likely won’t pursue a sign-and-trade if Hellebuyck is demanding around $9.5MM on an extension, as previously reported.

More notes from LeBrun as free agency draws closer:

  • The door hasn’t closed on a Ryan O’Reilly return to the Toronto Maple Leafs, LeBrun says. The veteran center is keeping all of his options open, with a weak center class on the open market likely driving up his value despite a down season in 2022-23. He could very well price himself out of a return, but LeBrun reports Toronto general manager Brad Treliving has expressed interest to O’Reilly’s camp in having him come back after a stretch of solid play. Multiple sources have suggested the 32-year-old is in line for a short-term (but multi-year) deal north of $5MM, which may not be attainable for the Leafs, considering they have at least five forward spots to fill (and an extension for netminder Ilya Samsonov).
  • Reporting earlier this week suggested Alex DeBrincat had a set list of teams he’d be willing to accept a long-term sign-and-trade deal with, but LeBrun says other teams have “given DeBrincat’s camp some things to think about” with their inquiries. With the market expanding, Ottawa Senators general manager Pierre Dorion seems content to let this play out for a better return, and LeBrun reports he’s more than willing to accept a 2024 first-round pick to get a deal done rather than limiting himself to finishing the trade process before the 2023 draft next week. Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch had named Dallas, Detroit, Florida, Nashville, and Vegas as specific teams DeBrincat had an interest in.

West Notes: Coyotes, Canucks Free Agents, Pearson, Zhigalov

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The Coyotes enter next week’s draft loaded with picks, to put it lightly.  The team currently has nine second-round selections and nine third-rounders over the next three years.  Accordingly, Chris Johnston reports in TSN’s latest Insider Trading segment (video link) that Arizona is looking to deal from some of that future draft capital.  Instead of being a dumping ground for bad contracts as they have been in recent years, it appears as if their focus has turned to trying to acquire better pieces who could be moved because the other team is forced into making a move to get into compliance.  Accordingly, instead of receiving picks for taking on the player the other team wants to get rid of as they’ve done several times before, they’re flipping that plan around.

Elsewhere in the West:

  • With Ethan Bear needing shoulder surgery, it is no longer a guarantee that the Canucks will tender the blueliner a qualifying offer next week, reports CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal (Twitter link). Bear is owed a $2.3MM qualifier but is set to miss at least the first couple of months of the season.  With cap space still at somewhat of a premium for Vancouver, that might be too high of a price tag for their liking.  Meanwhile, Dhaliwal adds that the Canucks are working on a new contract for pending UFA defenseman Noah Juulsen and have reached out with an offer to pending UFA rearguard Kyle Burroughs.  As for goalie Collin Delia, the door isn’t closed on a return but the odds of him re-signing appear to be dropping.
  • Also from Dhaliwal (Twitter link), he recently updated Tanner Pearson’s situation. The winger has now undergone seven surgeries as a result of his wrist injury and it remains to be seen if he’ll be able to return to the ice.  The NHLPA indicated back in January that they were looking into how Pearson’s injury was handled and the continued uncertainty can’t be helping things.  Pearson has one year left on his deal which carries a $3.25MM AAV.  At this point, it looks like he’ll at least be starting next season on LTIR.
  • Avalanche prospect Ivan Zhigalov is heading home next season as Yunost Minsk in Belarus announced that they’ve signed the netminder to a one-year contract. The 20-year-old was the final pick in the draft last June with the 225th selection and spent this past season with OHL Kingston, posting a save percentage of .889 with a 3.59 GAA in 45 games.  Since Zhigalov was selected out of major junior, Colorado only holds his NHL rights through next season.

Offseason Checklist: Edmonton Oilers

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The offseason is now fully underway after Vegas took home the Stanley Cup which means that it’s time to examine what each team will need to accomplish over the coming months.  Next up is a look at Edmonton.

As expected, the Oilers featured a high-powered offense this past season but goaltending concerns once again crept up at an inopportune time which played a role in their exit at the hands of the Golden Knights in the second round.  GM Ken Holland has two years left with both Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl under contract which could represent the remaining length of their competitive window.  However, while they would certainly love to add, their salary cap situation will see them needing to take away from their roster; this is a key element of their checklist this summer as a result.

Yamamoto Decision

We took a closer look at Yamamoto’s specific situation over the weekend which basically amounts to Edmonton having some less-than-desirable options when it comes to their 2017 first-round pick.

The 24-year-old made a big impact early in his career, picking up 26 points in 27 games after being a late-season recall in 2019-20 before stalling out briefly.  Then, it looked as if he was back on track following a 20-goal campaign in 2021-22, earning himself a two-year, $6.2MM contract, but again, he stalled out this past season.  At the moment, the Oilers have around $5MM to spend, per CapFriendly, with their pending restricted free agents set to cost considerably more than that.  Someone has to go.

Yamamoto is young enough that his buyout would only cost one-third instead of the standard two-thirds.  That means that if they went that route, they’d free up over $2.6MM for next season while adding $533K in dead cap for 2024-25.  That could give them enough flexibility to re-sign their pending restricted free agents.

Alternatively, they could see if there’s a trade market for Yamamoto.  There are a handful of teams that are willing to take on money this summer, perhaps one would be interested in a younger player with the hope of trying to rebuild his value.  But those teams might prefer the incentives they’d receive for taking on a pricier veteran.  If Edmonton is able to move him this way, they’ll save a bit more cap space but the return is almost certain to be underwhelming.

The buyout deadline is June 30th so there is a fixed timeline for a decision to be made on what they’re doing with Yamamoto unless they can find a way to keep him around.  Assuming that doesn’t happen, they’ll be adding a cheap middle-six winger to their shopping list in the coming weeks.

Move Mid-Tier Money

It probably isn’t just Yamamoto that Holland will be making available around the league.  In an effort to open up cap space but not take away from their core pieces, they will likely look to move at least one other middle-tier player.  On the Oilers, those players would be winger Warren Foegele (one year, $2.75MM) plus defensemen Brett Kulak (three years, $2.75MM) and Cody Ceci (two years, $3.25MM).

It’s not that Edmonton should be particularly displeased with how any of these players performed this past season.  However, on the back end, Phillip Broberg is ready for full-time duty and is on a contract less than $100K above the league minimum.  Moving one of Ceci or Kulak would open up more ice time for the promising youngster while opening up more cap flexibility.  Similarly, while the Oilers like Foegele’s energy in the bottom six, would they be better off moving him, bringing back someone like Nick Bjugstad for less, and pocketing the savings?

Of course, this particular concept isn’t unique to the Oilers; more than half the league will be trying to do exactly something like this over the next couple of weeks.  As a result, they’re unlikely going to land a sizable return for any of these players.  But a move like that is necessary to give themselves a chance at keeping their restricted free agents while trying to add a piece or two to give them a boost (or at least replace Yamamoto).

Re-Sign Bouchard

When the Oilers acquired Mattias Ekholm from Nashville at the trade deadline, the veteran defender really helped to shore up Edmonton’s back end.  But the swap had another benefit as Evan Bouchard took a huge step forward.  Partnered with the steady Ekholm, Bouchard’s confidence soared.  And with power play specialist Tyson Barrie going the other way in the swap, the chance to load up the points was there for the taking.

Let’s just say he took advantage of it.  Following the trade, Bouchard picked up an impressive 19 points in 21 games, heading into the playoffs on a high note.  The 23-year-old then found another gear in the postseason, notching 17 points in a dozen games, leading all blueliners in playoff points despite only playing in two rounds.  That’s one way to hit restricted free agency on a high note.

Bouchard’s entry-level contract is set to come to an end on July 1st.  He won’t have arbitration eligibility but he’ll still be in line for a significant raise.  He has two full NHL seasons under his belt, both of them generating at least 40 points which should push a two-year bridge deal past the $3MM mark.  A one-year deal might get it a bit lower but would hand him arbitration eligibility the following summer.  That doesn’t seem like a wise move for the Oilers.  On the other hand, locking in long-term probably isn’t a wise move for Bouchard’s camp, nor is it an option that Edmonton can reasonably afford as things stand.

If you’re a fan of strategic offer sheets, this is a spot for one.  If a team got Bouchard to sign a one-year, $4.29MM offer sheet, the compensation would only be a second-round pick.  Edmonton would surely match but that price point would be problematic from a roster-building standpoint while, again, it gives him arbitration rights the following year.  Is such a scenario likely?  Probably not, especially in an era where offer sheets are few and far between.  But if Holland thinks a team might try it just to mess up their cap structure, it would behoove him to try to get Bouchard’s two-year bridge pact locked in sooner than later.

Avoid Arbitration

The Oilers have indicated that they will be qualifying all but one of their restricted free agents.  Among those that will be (or have been) tendered offers are forwards Klim Kostin and Ryan McLeod.  Both players had nice seasons, notching 11 goals in 57 games apiece.  McLeod worked his way into a more prominent spot on the depth chart as the season went on while Kostin, who started in the minors after clearing waivers, was mostly on the fourth line, delivering strong results.

However, both players are eligible for salary arbitration for the first time.  By tendering them their qualifiers, both McLeod and Kostin have the right to file for a hearing.  That’s the scenario that Edmonton would like to avoid.

Would either player break the bank?  Probably not but there are plenty of comparable players that would be in their favor which could help push their awards higher than Edmonton wants to pay.  They also won’t have a walkaway option on either player as PuckPedia reported last week (Twitter link) that the threshold for that remains where it has been since 2019-20 at $4.539MM.  Neither player is coming close to that; combined, they might not even get there.

But it’s certainly in Edmonton’s best interest to try to get these contracts done quickly.  They’ll both be short-term agreements again to keep the cap hit down.  Kostin’s should come in around $1.25MM or so while McLeod’s should be about $500K higher.  Getting those locked in over running the risk of an award adding a few extra hundred thousand per player would help from a flexibility standpoint.

Perhaps more importantly, it would also give them some certainty about what they can do this summer.  This whole column has been about internal focuses over external ones because of their cap situation.  They want to add but to do that, they need to move out roster players, creating more holes in the process while needing to leave room to re-sign Bouchard, Kostin, and McLeod (and perhaps try to keep Bjugstad).

Getting as many of these done as possible before July 1st becomes quite important as a result so they know what they can, or can’t afford to do on the open market.  While some teams will be doing their heavy lifting once free agency opens up, Edmonton should be hoping that most of theirs will already be done by then.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Atlantic Notes: Hoffman, Power, Gauthier

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The Canadiens appear to be open to moving winger Mike Hoffman for no return, reports Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli.  The 33-year-old signed with Montreal two years ago in the hopes of adding some offense and pop to their power play.  However, his goal-per-game outputs the last two years were the lowest of his career while their success rate with the man advantage remains near the bottom of the league.  Hoffman has one year left on his contract with a $4.5MM AAV and it seems that the Canadiens are simply hoping that someone will take a flyer on someone whose longer-term track record as a sniper has been strong.  However, with so many other teams either wanting or needing to make a move like that, they may not be able to make a move like that.  Seravalli adds that Montreal isn’t willing to buy him out.

More from the Atlantic Division:

  • Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News examined some possible comparable contracts for defenseman Owen Power who is eligible to sign an extension in July. If the two sides want to work out a max-term contract, the deals for Florida blueliner Aaron Ekblad or Dallas rearguard Miro Heiskanen could be the range.  Ekblad checks in at $7.5MM while Heiskanen’s deal, signed just last summer, is $8.45MM.  Meanwhile, if the two sides want to do a bridge contract, Sabres GM Kevyn Adams doesn’t have to look very far as teammate Rasmus Dahlin’s current deal (three years, $6MM AAV) should stand as a rough barometer for what a short-term deal for Power would cost.  Dahlin is also extension-eligible this summer and it wouldn’t be surprising to see Adams take a run at getting them both locked up early.
  • Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch notes that the Senators are undecided about qualifying winger Julien Gauthier later this month. The 25-year-old was acquired late in the season as part of the Tyler Motte trade and held his own down the stretch, notching five points in 17 games.  Owed a tender of just $840K, the hesitance would seem to revolve around his arbitration eligibility.  While his career numbers wouldn’t land him a significant raise by any stretch, it could push his price tag higher than Ottawa is comfortable paying.

Buffalo Sabres Extend Lukas Rousek

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The Buffalo Sabres have made their second signing of the day, handing out a two-year contract extension to forward Lukas Rousek per his agent, Dan Milstein. Financial terms have not yet been reported.

Buffalo selected the 24-year-old in the sixth round of the 2019 NHL Draft, but he’s quickly worked his way up the organizational depth chart after a breakout 2022-23 campaign with the AHL’s Rochester Americans.

Making his NHL debut this season, the Czech winger scored a goal and an assist in two appearances and added 56 points in 70 regular-season games with Rochester. It comes after he recorded just four points in 19 games there last year, his first season in North America.

His offensive breakout didn’t come completely out of the blue, though. His point totals were climbing up during the end of his time in Czechia, recording 38 points in 49 games in 2020-21 with HC Sparta Praha, his final season before coming stateside. He’ll almost certainly find himself out the outside looking in on opening night next season, but that’s more a testament to the depth of young forwards the Sabres have cultivated in recent years. If injuries hit the team, he’ll surely be one of their first call-up options and should build on his NHL games played total next season.

Arizona Coyotes Sign Steven Kampfer

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A long-time NHL farmhand is sticking around. After heading to the Arizona Coyotes organization after the trade deadline in a minor-league deal, journeyman defenseman Steven Kampfer is extending his stay in the desert on a one-year, two-way contract for 2023-24, the team announced. PuckPedia confirms he’ll earn the league minimum of $775K at the NHL level, $225K at the AHL level, and is guaranteed a minimum of $250K next season.

Kampfer didn’t see any NHL ice last season but was under contract with the Detroit Red Wings, spending most of the season with their AHL affiliate in Grand Rapids. A March 9 trade sent him to the Coyotes for future considerations, though, and he recorded seven points in 15 games down the stretch with the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners. It was the 34-year-old’s first season back in North America after a one-year absence spent with the KHL’s Ak Bars Kazan, which allowed him to represent the United States at the 2022 Winter Olympics.

The 2007 draft pick of the Anaheim Ducks has consistently been an eighth/ninth defenseman option for NHL teams, seeing ice in seven straight seasons from 2014-15 to 2020-21. He’s spent most of his career with the Boston Bruins (in two separate stints) but has appeared in 231 NHL games overall, scoring 39 points. He’s also appeared in NHL games for the Florida Panthers, Minnesota Wild, and New York Rangers.

While he’s likely destined for Tucson again next season, it wouldn’t surprise many to see Kampfer in at least a few games with the Coyotes’ blueline, given its paper-thin state.

East Notes: Sharangovich, Red Wings, Brodie

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The trade market this season should be unusually hot, with most teams needing to make lateral money-in, money-out moves if they want to improve their teams (as well as a middling free-agent class). One player on the block is New Jersey Devils forward and pending RFA Yegor Sharangovich, somewhat of a cap casualty after a disappointing 2022-23 campaign. Today, New Jersey Hockey Now’s James Nichols named the Colorado Avalanche, Nashville Predators, San Jose Sharks, Seattle Kraken, and Washington Capitals as reasonable trade destinations for the Belarusian forward.

The 25-year-old saw his production dip to 13 goals and 30 points this year after scoring 24 goals and 46 points in 2021-22 and is coming off a two-year, $2MM per season deal. He’s still in a position to earn a small raise on that cap hit, and all the above destinations should provide more opportunity (and, therefore, breakout potential) for Sharangovich to provide good value on his next contract. It shouldn’t cost too much to pry his services away from the Garden State, either.

More out of the Eastern Conference today:

  • Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman told reporters today he doesn’t envision moving either of Detroit’s first-round picks in this year’s draft (ninth and 17th overall). Yzerman did infer he’d be willing to trade one or more of his three second-round picks, which could easily see themselves on the move with Detroit looking to make a run at the postseason in 2024. This may be some sobering news to Ottawa Senators fans, considering Detroit is gaining steam as a top trade destination for winger Alex DeBrincat. If it does turn out that way, they may have to settle for a 2024 first-round selection or multiple later-round picks.
  • There were some spotty rumors popping up over the past few days about a potential buyout for the Toronto Maple Leafs – namely, defenseman T.J. Brodie. The Toronto Sun’s Terry Koshan relayed a report from a source today, though, that said there’s “no truth” Toronto and new general manager Brad Treliving are considering anything of the sort. Brodie, under contract at $5MM through next season, has been the team’s most consistent defensive specialist over the life of his deal but seemed a step out of place at times during the team’s playoff run this season.

Buffalo Sabres Re-Sign Zemgus Girgensons

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The longest-tenured member of the Buffalo Sabres is sticking around for another season. Center Zemgus Girgensons has signed a one-year, $2.5MM contract to stay in Buffalo, keeping one of the team’s most integral leaders in the organization. CapFriendly confirms the entirety of Girgensons’ deal is paid in base salary.

The 29-year-old Latvian just completed his ninth year as a Sabre and has settled in as a reliable enough bottom-six pivot over the past couple of seasons, although he has played much of his career on the wing. Selected 14th overall in 2012, Girgensons never did hit his ceiling coming up through one of the darkest eras in Sabres history, which makes his desire to stick around all the more justified – he wants to see Buffalo’s rebuild through rather than looking for more term on the open market.

Girgensons matched his point totals from 2021-22 this past season, scoring 10 goals and eight assists, but it took him 80 games to do so. His offense has never been a strong suit, though – in fact, he’d never put up consecutive double-digit goal seasons until his last three campaigns. Still, he’s far from a liability defensively, with some advanced metrics going so far as to label him one of the best pure shutdown centers in the league.

It hasn’t been an easy road to consistency for Girgensons, either. A hamstring injury kept him out for the entire (albeit shortened) 2020-21 campaign, and he missed more than 20 games the following year with various injuries.

He’ll attempt to make the playoffs for the first time in his career next season with a slight pay bump. Buffalo had signed him to a three-year, $2.2MM average annual value deal before the 2020-21 season. It’s certainly fair compensation for his role with the Sabres, on and off the ice.

General manager Kevyn Adams had this to say earlier in the offseason:

Zemgus is, I would call it, a quiet leader, goes about his business but cares about his teammates and teammates care about him. He’s literally the same every game. There’s very little drop off [or] ups and downs with him.

He’ll likely reprise a fourth-line role next season, and he joins a Sabres team that’s already filled out with youngsters but still looking to add in free agency. With depth crunches coming at forward, it’s fair to wonder what today’s news means for Tyson Jost, a pending restricted free agent who gave the team some decent depth scoring after being claimed on waivers from the Minnesota Wild early in the season. If the team believes better options are attainable on the open market, he could go unqualified.

Minor Transactions: 6/20/23

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Buyouts are the transaction du jour in the NHL, with the first window about a third of the way through completion. Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Patrik Nemeth, and Zack Kassian are three players who will now unexpectedly need to look for new homes next season, while others are settling on their short-term futures in other leagues. As always, we’re keeping an eye out for any of today’s notable moves outside of the NHL:

  • ECHL standout and 2017 Hockey East champion Ryan Dmowski has signed a one-year deal with HK Poproad in the Slovak Extraliga, the team announced. The 26-year-old forward helped his Idaho Steelheads finish first in the ECHL during the regular season and reach the Kelly Cup Final, leading the team by a decent margin with 41 goals and 85 points in 91 combined regular-season and playoff games. Dmowski’s strong performances in the ECHL over the past few seasons haven’t translated to any sustained AHL production, though, and he’ll choose to play high-level professional hockey in Europe without a realistic NHL opportunity in the cards.
  • Undrafted CHL free agent Landon Kosior will begin his professional career with the AHL’s Iowa Wild, as the Minnesota Wild affiliate announced they’ve signed him to a one-year, two-way AHL deal. Passed over in the 2020 NHL Draft, Kosior’s since exploded on the blue line for the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders and notched over a point per game there in his final season. Set to turn 21 in August, Kosior will now look to stick in second-tier pro hockey and catch the eye of the Wild’s NHL brass.
  • A former top undrafted free agent prospect is getting another chance in the AHL as the Milwaukee Admirals have brought in Tye Felhaber on a one-year AHL deal. Once a promising signing by the Dallas Stars in 2019 after he recorded 109 points in 68 games with the OHL’s Ottawa 67’s, Felhaber’s AHL production never came close to translating to pro hockey. He had to settle for an ECHL contract for 2022-23, which paid massive dividends – he exploded for 63 points in 51 games with the Fort Wayne Komets and even recorded a respectable 13 points in 21 games on loan to Milwaukee. He’ll get a full-time chance there now as the 24-year-old looks to revive his career.

This post will be updated throughout the day.

Pittsburgh Penguins Re-Sign Valtteri Puustinen

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have taken care of business with one of their pending restricted free agents, re-signing forward Valtteri Puustinen to a one-year, two-way contract with a $775K cap hit. PuckPedia reports Puustinen’s deal will earn him $385K at the AHL level, a solid reward for a productive season in the minors.

Pittsburgh selected the 24-year-old in the seventh round of the 2019 NHL Draft as an over-age selection. It’s quickly looking like he’ll outpace a typical career trajectory of a late-round pick. The Finnish winger has produced back-to-back 20-goal seasons in the minors with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins since coming to North America in 2021, and he scored an assist in his lone NHL appearance (which came in 2021-22). Puustinen’s 59 points in 72 games this season led the team, while his 24 goals finished second behind Alexander Nylander.

The NHL cap hit on his deal comes in a tad lower than the $787.5K qualifying offer he was due, but this contract guarantees him thousands more dollars at the AHL level than he would’ve received had he accepted a qualifying deal. He’ll be a restricted free agent again next year and will be due a qualifying offer of $814K, per PuckPedia. With the Penguins headed for some roster turnover this offseason, and considering Dubas’ past penchant for rewarding his AHL talent in Toronto, expect Puustinen to see a string of NHL games next year.

It’s the first signing in Pittsburgh for interim general manager and president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas.

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