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Upcoming UFA Goaltenders With Something To Prove

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Next year’s goaltending UFA crop may lack star power, but it does contain many interesting potential rehabilitation projects. This season provides those pending UFA goaltenders with an opportunity to turn things around and show teams that they are worth more than their current reputation belies. Whether it’s a former starter regulated to backup duties, or an aging veteran with just enough left in the tank, the following goaltenders can significantly improve their stock going into unrestricted free agency.

Jonathan Bernier – Colorado Avalanche – $2.75MM
The Colorado Avalanche signed the former Toronto Maple Leafs starter to a one-year deal worth $2.75MM this season to back up presumed starter Semyon Varlamov. Varlamov struggled last season, dealing with injuries and his worst stat line in his career. The Avalanche hope that Bernier can provide steady goaltending if Varlamov continues to slide or cannot shoulder a full starter’s load. If Bernier steps up and performs admirably, he could be in line for a starters position during the offseason. Last season saw Bernier player with the Anaheim Ducks and put up his best numbers in years. Part of that is the superior team in front of him, but it shows that given the proper tools, Bernier can be a serviceable starter in the league.

Eddie Lack – Calgary Flames – $2.75MM ($1.375 retained)
The Carolina Hurricanes traded Lack to the Calgary Flames this summer and agreed to retain 50% of his salary. Lack now has the opportunity to back up new Flames signee Mike Smith. Smith turns 36 this season, and will experience the injury woes that go along with veteran goaltenders. Lack will have an opportunity to step up and show teams that he still has the skills to become a starting goaltender. He is only two seasons removed from posting a .921 SV% and a 2.45GAA in 41 games for the Vancouver Canucks.

Ondrej Pavelec – New York Rangers – $1.3MM
Continuing with the reclamation projects backing up older veterans, Pavelec has a chance to show NHL GMs what he can do behind a very good team. In Pavelec’s ten year career he has seen the playoffs just once—with the Winnipeg Jets in 2014-15—and can benefit from the Rangers’ stacked defensive corps. Luckily, his bar is set low after his worst statistical season since 2008-09. Last season Pavelec played in just eight games, earning a .888 SV% and a 3.55 GAA. He was not much better the season before, with a .904 SV% and a 2.78 GAA. Mired by a reputation for being shaky and inconsistent, this may be Pavelec’s last opportunity to convince GMs to take a flier on the former 2nd round pick.

Cam Ward – Carolina Hurricanes – $3.3MM
Ward is over a decade removed from his Stanley Cup-winning playoff performance, but since then he has been the model of consistency. Unfortunately, he has been consistently average. And once again, Ward will have some true competition coming into camp. The Carolina Hurricanes signed former Chicago Blackhawks backup Scott Darling to a $4.15MM a year contract, signalling who the team prefers to earn the starting role going forward. Ward has already experienced this before with Eddie Lack, and eventually Lack was moved out to Calgary. This time, however, a decent season may not end with a new contract from the Hurricanes, but it will garner interest from other NHL teams.

Antti Raanta – Arizona Coyotes – $1MM
Raanta is the only goaltender on this list who is not a reclamation project. The Finnish netminder has backed up elite goaltenders Corey Crawford and Henrik Lundqvist, and now has the opportunity to take the starting reins in Arizona. The New York Rangers shipped Raanta alongside Derek Stepan to the Arizona Coyotes for Anthony DeAngelo and the 7th overall pick earlier this summer. Raanta is fresh off of a 30 games season where he earned a .922 GAA and a 2.26 SV%, significantly better than Lundqvist’s .910 SV% and 2.74 GAA. If Raanta can maintain his statline for a full season in Arizona, he will be in line for a large pay increase.

 

NHL Players Finally Paid For 2016 World Cup of Hockey

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Earlier this week TSN’s Rick Westhead reported that NHL players finally received their share of the 2016 World Cup of Hockey profits. The World Cup ended in September 2016, and while prize money was doled out on time, the profits only just became available to players. The delay in paying players was first raised by NHLPA Executive Director Don Fehr this summer during the NHLPA’s annual charity golf tournament.

The NHL and the NHLPA agreed to split profits 50/50. After calculating all costs and expenses, the partnership garnered $44MM USD in profits. The NHLPA was entitled to $22MM of those profits, and would divide them amongst the players. That is slightly above previous calculations made by the Hockey News in November 2016.

Westhead reports that players who participated in the World Cup received $86K USD (before taxes) while those who did not received $10k. According to Westhead, after taking into account taxes, some players netted less than $5K (non-participants) or less than $50K (participants). That essentially works out to a 70/30 split between participants and non-participants.

Comparing Distances Between NHL and AHL Affiliates

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Earlier today, the Colorado Avalanche gained a local AHL affiliate when the ECHL Colorado Eagles became an AHL franchise. The Avalanche were previously using the San Antonio Rampage as an AHL team, but now the Rampage will be affiliates of the St. Louis Blues in 2018-19. The Blues were previously left in the cold when their AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves, agreed to partner with the Vegas Golden Knights instead.

Having a relatively local AHL affiliate provides ample benefits for an NHL club. Having coaching staff in the same vicinity allows the NHL and AHL club to more seamlessly instil a organization playing system, and reduces travel issues when recalling or reassigning players. But not every team enjoys that benefit. Some teams have AHL affiliates hundreds of miles from the NHL club. Below is a list of each NHL team and their AHL affiliates organized by distance between the two cities.

San Jose Sharks – San Jose Barracuda | 0 miles
Toronto Maple Leafs – Toronto Marlies | 0 miles
Winnipeg Jets – Manitoba Moose | 0 miles
Montreal Canadiens – Laval Rockets | 18 miles
Los Angeles Kings – Ontario Reign | 41 miles
Boston Bruins – Providence Bruins | 51 miles
Colorado Avalanche – Colorado Eagles (Loveland) | 52 miles
Philadelphia Flyers – Lehigh Valley Phantoms (Allentown) | 63 miles
New York Islanders (Brooklyn) – Bridgeport Sound Tigers | 63 miles
Buffalo Sabres – Rochester Americans | 76 miles
Chicago Blackhawks – Rockford IceHogs | 95 miles
Anaheim Ducks – San Diego Gulls | 95 miles
New York Rangers – Hartford Wolf Pack | 112 miles
Arizona Coyotes (Glendale) – Tucson Roadrunners | 128 miles
Washington Capitals – Hershey Bears | 132 miles
Columbus Blue Jackets – Cleveland Monsters | 144 miles
Detroit Red Wings – Grand Rapids Griffins | 159 miles
Carolina Hurricanes (Raleigh) – Charlotte Checkers | 167 miles
Ottawa Senators – Belleville Senators | 167 miles
New Jersey Devils (Newark) – Binghamton Devils | 168 miles
Dallas Stars – Texas Stars (Cedar Park) | 189 miles
Minnesota Wild (Minneapolis) – Iowa Wild (Des Moines) | 243 miles
Pittsburgh Penguins – Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins | 265 miles
Nashville Predators – Milwaukee Admirals | 568 miles
Tampa Bay Lightning – Syracuse Crunch | 1,266 miles
Calgary Flames – Stockton Heat | 1,291 miles
Florida Panthers (Miami) – Springfield (Ma.) Thunderbirds | 1,414 miles
Edmonton Oilers – Bakersfield Condors | 1,765 miles
Vegas Golden Knights – Chicago Wolves | 1,748 miles
Vancouver Canucks – Utica Comets | 2,929 miles

The San Jose Sharks, Toronto Maple Leafs, Winnipeg Jets, and the Montreal Canadiens all have their AHL affiliate within a thirty-minute drive. At the other end of the spectrum, Vancouver prospects have to traverse the continent to get from Utica, in upstate NY, to Vancouver, out on the west coast. The Vancouver Canucks and the Utica Comets are the farthest paired teams, with over one thousand miles more than the second farthest pairing.

[an earlier version of this article had the Colorado Eagles playing in Denver. They will continue to play in Loveland, Co., about 52 miles north of Denver. Thanks to our eagle-eyed readers for the tip.]

Nino Niederreiter’s New Contract

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The Minnesota Wild signed RFA Nino Niederreiter to a five-year deal worth $5.25MM a year and $26.25MM overall. First reported by the StarTribune’s Michael Russo, the contract comes four days before both parties’ scheduled salary arbitration hearing.

Michael Russo tweets the following contractual breakdown:

2017-18: $4.6MM
2018-19: $6.075MM
2019-20: $5.85MM
2020-21: $4.25MM
2021-22: $5.475MM

The contract values falls right on the spectrum of this off-season’s forward RFA signings. Niederreiter receives more money than Viktor Arvidsson ($4.25MM) and Conor Sheary ($3MM), and slightly less than Tomas Tatar ($5.3MM), Ondrej Palat, and Mika Zibanejad ($5.35MM). The contract does not include any NMCs or NTC, and it does not include any signing bonuses.

If Niederreiter maintains his current production, the Wild should be happy with the contract. The above contracts around the 5.3MM mark all have movement limitation clauses, implying that those players may have received more money had they not sought NTCs and NMCs. Moreover, this contract leaves approximately $10.5MM for the Wild to sign RFAs Mikael Granlund and Marcus Foligno.

Nino Niederreiter Re-Signs With Minnesota Wild

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[Update 6:14pm]: Michael Russo reports that Niederreiter signs 5 year deal worth $5.25MM AAV

Michael Russo of the StarTribune reports that the Minnesota Wild and forward Nino Niederreiter are closing in on a new contract. Both player and team are currently scheduled for an arbitration hearing this Thursday.

The 24 year-old Swiss is due for a significant raise after scoring 25G and 32A in 82 games last season. It is Niederreiter’s third straight 20 goal season, and he has increased his point total every season since joining the Wild. Niederreiter’s previous contract paid him an average of $2.66MM a year for three years.

The contract amount will depend on how many UFA years the Wild lock up. Michael Russo believes that the Wild will settle on a 3–5 year contract. Given recent signings, expect this contract to be in the $5.5MM–6MM range. The Nashville Predators locked up Ryan Johansen for $8MM a year, and the center only scored 4 more points than Niederreiter this season. At the other end of the spectrum, the New York Rangers and Detroit Red Wings signed RFAs Mika Zibanejad and Tomas Tatar to $5.35MM and 5.3MM contracts, respectively. Niederreiter playing on the wing will depress his value slightly, but he should receive at least what Tatar and Zibanejad received.

Upcoming RFA Arbitrations

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Next week is the last week for scheduled RFA arbitrations. So far no team or player has managed to actually make it to arbitration. Rather, parties have settled in every arbitration case prior to the arbitration hearing date. The same fate may await the following six players who make up the final set of arbitration dates.

August 2nd: Calvin de Haan – New York Islanders
The New York Islanders defenseman had a $1.97MM cap hit last season, and put up 5G and 20A in 82 games.

August 3rd: Nate Schmidt – Vegas Golden Knights
The former Washington Capitals defenseman—selected by the Vegas Golden Knights in the NHL expansion draft—put up 3G and 14A in 60 games last season. His previous cap hit was $812K.

August 3rd: Nino Niederreiter – Minnesota Wild
The 24 year-old Wild forward had a previous cap hit of $2.66MM and scored 25G and 32A in 82 games last season. Expect a significant raise.

August 4th: Mikael Granlund – Minnesota Wild
The 25 year-old Wild forward put up even better numbers than Neiderreiter with 26G and 43A in 81 games. Expect a significant raise over his previous $3MM cap hit.

August 4th: Conor Sheary – Pittsburgh Penguins
Fresh off a career season and a Stanley Cup victory, Sheary looks for a significant raise over his $667K contract. Sheary put up 23G and 30A in 61 games last season.

August 4th: Nathan Beaulieu – Buffalo Sabres
The 24 year-old defenseman scored 4G and 24A in 74 games last season. His previous cap hit was an even $1MM.

Who Will Play Defense For The Vegas Golden Knights?

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The Vegas Golden Knights are in a precarious situation. After drafting 30 players in this summer’s NHL expansion draft, the team is left with two goalies, thirteen forwards—and ten defensemen. They are clearly overloaded on the blue line, and common wisdom suggests that the team will part with at least two or three before the season starts. Who that may be, however, is unclear as the current defense corps does not contain a clear cut trade candidate.

The Golden Knights have a plethora of defensemen on the final year of their contracts, making them attractive at the deadline, but not necessarily attractive before the season starts. Below is a quick synopsis on the Golden Knights blue line and who may stay and who may go.

Jason Garrison: Age 32, $4.6MM, pending UFA
The highest-paid defenseman on the Golden Knights, Garrison represents the prototypical “stay-at-home” veteran defenseman old-school GMs like. Garrison scored 1G and 8A in 70 games for the Tampa Bay Lightning while averaging over 18 minutes a night on Tampa Bay’s second defensive pairing. His contract may prove unmovable though, especially to a team looking to make a playoff push.

Luca Sbisa: Age 27, $3.6MM, pending UFA
The Italian-born Sbisa scored 2G and 11A in 82 games for the Vancouver Canucks last season, while averaging just under 19 minutes a night. Sbisa entered the NHL with much fanfare in 2008-09, but has not fully met the scouts’ expectations. It is possible that Sbisa contributes more in an expanded role, as he was stuck on the Canucks third-pairing for most of the season.

Clayton Stoner: Age 32, $3.25MM, pending UFA
Stoner is looking for a bounce-back season after spending most of 2016-17 on IR. Stoner underwent abdominal surgery in late December 2016, and only managed to play 14 games last season. In those 14 games to start the season, Stoner put up 1G and 2A. Stoner has never been a prolific point-producer—his career high is 10 points—so the Golden Knights may find it hard to move his contract.

Brayden McNabb: Age 26, $1.7MM, pending UFA
McNabb has split time between the Buffalo Sabres and the Los Angeles Kings in his NHL career. His best season saw him put up 2G and 22A in 71 games in 2014-15. The Golden Knights hope that McNabb bounces back from last season’s diluted production, with McNabb scoring only 2G and 2A in 29 games wile averaging just over 15 minutes a night.

Jon Merrill: Age 25, $1.1375MM, pending RFA
Merrill scored 1G and 5A in 5 games for the New Jersey Devils last season, and averaging over 18 minutes a game. What separates Merrill from the above defensemen is his controlled contract situation and his youth. He might be a movable piece on those aspects alone.

Colin Miller: Age 24, $1MM, pending RFA
The former Boston Bruins defenseman has the most to prove on the Golden Knights. Only 24, Miller still has time to live up to his potential. He’ll have to improve on last year’s numbers, though. Miller scored 6G and 7A in 61 games while averaging just under 16 minutes a night. More opportunity for Miller should ramp up his production.

Deryk Engelland: Age 35, $1MM, pending UFA
The Golden Knights signed Engelland to a one-year deal after the expansion draft, so it is unlikely that he is traded before the season starts. He will most likely be the veteran presence in the locker room.

Shea Theodore: Age 21, $863K, pending RFA
Shea Theodore has big shoes to fill. The Golden Knights ostensibly thought enough of Theodore to be okay with making deals with the Anaheim Ducks to forego a defenseman like Sami Vatanen. Theodore scored 2G and 7A in 34 NHL games last season, but at age 21, he has time to develop into a more-integral player. The Golden Knights are unlikely to move Theodore.

Griffin Reinhart: Age 23, $800K, RFA in 2019-20
Reinhart may be moved by the Golden Knights, but that move might be down to the AHL. In 37 career NHL games since 2014-15, Reinhart has zero goals and only 2 assists. The former 4th pick overall in 2012 has yet to prove scouts right, but the Golden Knights saw enough in Reinhart to sign him to a two-year deal worth $800K a year.

Brad Hunt: Age 28, $650K, UFA in 2019-20
Hunt signed with the Golden Knights on July 1st, so it’s unlikely that he is traded before the season starts. Last season Hunt split time between the St. Louis Blues, Nashville Predators, and the AHL Chicago Wolves. Hunt put up 1G and 5A in 12 NHL games, and an additional 9G and 20A in 23 AHL games. The main knock against Hunt is his size—5’9″ and 175 lbs—but with the NHL evolving into a faster, more skill-based league, Hunt may find a permanent place on the Golden Knights blue line.

Nate Schmidt: Age 26, $TBD, current RFA
Schmidt remains the Golden Knights most interesting defensive asset, and thus could garner the most value on the trade market. Underused on the Washington Capitals blue line last season after the Capitals acquired Kevin Shattenkirk, Schmidt still put up 3G and 14A in 60 games while averaging just under 16 minutes a night. Schmidt received a bigger role in the playoffs, showcasing his potential for the upcoming season. But before all that, the Golden Knights have to sign Schmidt. Both parties have an arbitration date on August 3rd, but it is likely they come to a deal before then.

The Golden Knights need to move at least one defensemen before the season starts, unless they plan on moving some of their players to the AHL. No one player stands out as an obvious trade candidate, so GM George McPhee has his work cut out for his as the season approaches.

Evening Snapshots: Front Offices, NWHL, and the Islanders

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News and notes from around the hockey world this evening:

  • The Hockey News conducted a survey asking fans to rate the performance of each NHL team’s front office. Over 1300 people participated in the survey and ranked front offices on six distinct categories: roster building, cap management, drafting/developing, trading, free agency, and vision. The Nashville Predators earned the highest public opinion, followed by the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Tampa Bay Lightning. On the other end of the spectrum, the Colorado Avalanche had the worst public opinion ratings, just behind the Vancouver Canucks and the Detroit Red Wings.
  • The National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL) has expanded its official rosters from 17 players to 25 players. Previously, the league had two tiers of players: roster players and practice players. Practice players would only play in games if a roster player could not. Moreover, practice players did not get paid for practicing unless they also played in a game. Now, all players are considered roster players, but only 17 will suit up for a game—important because players are now played per game rather than through a salary.
  • The New York Islanders may be one step closer to moving out of the Barclays Center. Randi Marshall of Newsday reports that New York State will officially begin requesting proposals for developing valuable land next to Belmont Park—home of the Belmont Stakes. The Islanders have been rumored to be discussing a Belmont Park-located arena, and the State’s proposal request will propel those talks.

Potential 2018 Olympic Roster for Team Canada

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Hockey Canada released its roster for two upcoming international tournaments, and stated that the 2018 Men’s Canadian olympic hockey team roster will draw primarily from these two teams. The roster announcement comes on the heels of the announcement that Sean Burke and Willie Desjardins will serve as the team’s General Manager and Head Coach, respectively.

Those tournaments—the 2017 Sochi Hockey Open and the 2017 Tournament of Nikolai Puchkov—will be the stage for informal Team Canada olympic tryouts. Hockey Canada is using these tournaments as an opportunity to scout 46 different players it considers having a chance to join Team Canada in South Korea.

The full rosters are below, but notably standouts include former NHLers Derek Roy, Carlo Colaiacovo, Maxime Talbot, Mason Raymond, Kevin Klein, and Ben Scrivens. Most players listed currently play hockey in Europe.

Sochi Hockey Open Roster

Forwards
Justin Azevedo, Gilbert Brulé, Brandon Buck, Kevin Clark, Andrew Ebbett, Bud Holloway, Rob Klinkhammer, Brandon Kozun, Ben Maxwell, Brandon McMillan, Eric O’Dell, Daniel Paille, Mason Raymond, Maxime Talbot, Linden Vey

Defense
Chay Genoway, Geoff Kinrade, Patrick McNeill, Maxim Noreau, Mat Robinson, Jonathan Sigalet, Karl Stollery

Goaltenders
Justin Peters, Kevin Poulin

Tournament of Nikolai Puchkov Roster

Forwards
Taylor Beck, Sean Collins, Cory Emmerton, Ryan Garbutt, Andrew Gordon, David McIntyre, Jacob Micflikier, Trevor Parkes, Marc-Antoine Pouliot, Derek Roy, Greg Scott, Paul Szczechura, James Wright

Defense
Cam Barker, Carlo Colaiacovo, Stefan Elliott, Marc-Andre Gragnani, Kevin Klein, Shawn Lalonde, Craig Schira

Goaltenders
Kevin Poulin, Ben Scrivens

It is likely that the majority of Team Canada will draw from these two rosters, but Hockey Canada has indicated that it is looking at all options. That included potential non-signing UFAs like Shane Doan and Jarome Iginla, as well as standout junior players if the situation warrants. It also includes players on AHL-only contracts.

Some AHL Players Allowed To Go To Olympics

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The Associated Press reports that players on AHL-only contracts will be allowed to play in the 2018 Winter Olympics. According to the report, the AHL sent a memo to all of its clubs articulating that players may be loaned to Olympic teams from February 5-26. The men’s ice hockey tourney runs from February 9-25.

What the memo doesn’t say, however, is whether players on NHL two-way contracts, or those players loaned to the AHL, will be eligible for the Olympics. Most signs point to no, however, as that would open up a loophole allowing teams to send its young, waiver-exempt players to the AHL for the purposes of playing in the Olympics. It would also be inconsistent with the league’s mandate that all players with NHL contracts are barred from the Olympics.

The AHL does not have a designated break during the two-week Olympic period, but the league is used to teams losing its best players as a matter of course. Players leaving for the Olympics is no different then players being recalled for two weeks. Unfortunately for national teams, however, the crop of AHL-only players may be only marginally better than those in the NCAA or Europe.

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