Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Summer Synopsis: Montreal Canadiens

at CDT | by 2 Comments

Montreal finished the 2022-23 season fifth-to-last in the league and if you asked them, they might say it was all according to plan. Kent Hughes and his team have used the 2023 summer to its fullest, clearing out numerous veteran names to make space for U24 talent gathered through trades, RFA signings, and savvy UFA pickups. The Montreal rebuild is fully underway and the team seems poised for a very exciting 2023-24 campaign, even if it may not directly mean success on the scoresheet. The road ahead seems like it stretches for a few more seasons but with a wave of health and emerging new faces, Montreal will undoubtedly be worth following.

Draft

1-5: D David Reinbacher, Kloten (Swiss NL)
3-69: G Jacob Fowler, Youngstown (USHL)
4-101: F Florian Xhekaj, Brantford (OHL)
4-110: D Bogdan Konyushkov, Torpedo (KHL)
4-128: G Quentin Miller, Quebec (QMJHL)
5-133: F Sam Harris, Sioux Falls (USHL)
5-144: G Yevgeni Volokhin, Mamonty (MHL)
6-165: F Filip Eriksson, Vaxjo (Sweden U20)
7-197: D Luke Mittelstadt, Lincoln (USHL)

Montreal became the talk of the draft very quickly, with the controversial selection of David Reinbacher over more publicly-lauded players like Matvei Michkov or Ryan Leonard. But with the selection, Montreal gets a top-end right-hand defender to match with the talent they’re building on the left-side, through the likes of Adam Engstrom, Lane Hutson, and William Trudeau. And the team is clearly confident in the defender, already signing him to his entry-level contract (three years, $6.4MM) only a couple of weeks after the draft.

After their stunner, Montreal receded to a very calm draft focused primarily on finding their next netminder. The Habs took reigning Clark Cup MVP Jacob Fowler; local talent Quentin Miller; and Russia’s Yevgeni Volokhin, who was popular among goalie scouts for much of the year. The trio joins a goalie room already comprised of Jakub Dobes and Cayden Primeau, creating a clear focus for the Montreal development staff. They complemented their goalie haul with a string of savvy picks, including the undersized but dynamic Sammy Harris, hefty two-way defender Luke Mittelstadt, and Florian Xhekaj, younger brother of current Habs defender Arber Xhekaj. It was an admirable draft class for a team in the midst of a classic rebuild.

Trade Acquisitions

F Alex Newhook (Colorado)
G Casey DeSmith (Pittsburgh)
D Gustav Lindstrom (Detroit)

Montreal jumped on the Alex Newhook rumors, dealing Gianni Fairbrother and a first and second round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft to Colorado for the centerman. Newhook, 22, has not kicked off his NHL career in the way many expected. But he hasn’t been entirely unproductive either. Playing primarily down the middle – although it’s been more a 60/40 split than a defined center role – Newhook has recorded 27 goals and 66 points through 159 career games. Those aren’t terrible numbers for a young player that still looks like they’re adjusting a bit. There’s reason to be optimistic about the stylistic match between Newhook and Habs head coach Martin St. Louis, but if that will result in a rebound for him is yet to be seen.

Casey DeSmith also joins Montreal via trade, presenting as the team’s reward for middle-manning Pittsburgh’s acquisition of Erik Karlsson. DeSmith will enters the season at 32, only one year younger than Montreal’s Jake Allen. And maybe because of his older age, Montreal is now looking to flip DeSmith. There will likely be no shortage of suiters, looking to acquire DeSmith’s career .912 save percentage and team-friendly cap-hit of $1.8MM. If they do flip DeSmith, Montreal will enter the 2023-24 season with a duo of Allen and Sam Montembeault once again, unless one of their younger names can make a case at training camp.

The Habs also acquired Gustav Lindstrom when they flipped Jeff Petry from Pittsburgh to his hometown Detroit Red Wings. Lindstrom has struggled to stay fully healthy in recent years but offers good, rangy play when he is on the ice. The Canadiens defense was one of their glaring holes last season, and at only 24, Lindstrom helps them patch that hole while still staying young.

UFA Signings

D Brady Keeper (one year, $775K)*
F Phillipe Maillet (one year, $775K)*
F Lias Andersson (one year, $775K)*

*-denotes two-way contract

For a team in Montreal’s position, a quiet UFA signing season isn’t much of a surprise. Montreal isn’t fighting to rank among the league’s best next season – they’re focused on building out a young core that cna compete for years to come. However, they did reel in the 2017 NHL Draft’s seventh-overall selection, Lias Andersson, who has struggled to find his footing in any seemingly any North American league. But with 31 goals and 59 points in 67 AHL games last season, Andersson is finally showing a flash of both high scoring and consistency that’s been missed from his game in recent years. Andersson has 110 NHL games under his belt and only 17 points to show for it, so fans shouldn’t expect the world from him in Montreal. But at 24 years old, and on a league-minimum deal, there’s very little risk involved. And while we haven’t seen it yet, there will always be glimmers of upside in former top-10 picks. If all goes right, there’s a chance that Kent Hughes found his sleeper talent in Andersson.

RFA Re-Signings

F Michael Pezzetta (two years, $1.6MM)
F Cole Caufield (eights years, $62.8MM)
F Sean Monahan (one year, $2MM)
F Rafael Harvey-Pinard (two years, $2.2MM)
F Mitchell Stephens (one year, $775K)*
F Alex Newhook (four years, $11.6MM)
F Lucas Condotta (two years, $1.6MM)*
D Nicolas Beaudin (one year, $775K)*
F Jesse Ylonen (one year, $775K)*

*-denotes two-way contract

Montreal saved their big splash for the RFA group – effectively building out their forward group through RFA-signings. This includes giving Cole Caufield his first major contract extension. The deal will take Caufield to his age-29 season and carries an annual cap hit of $7.85MM, a figure that could look like an absolute steal for the winger when he enters his prime. Caufield has been lights-out under St. Louis’ leadership, recording 48 goals and 71 points in 83 games under the new head coach. This includes 26 goals and 36 points in the 46 games he appeared in last season, before a shoulder injury ended his campaign.

The Canadiens also rounded out their bottom-six, signing Monahan, Pezzetta, Harvey-Pinard, and Newhook to one-way deals that should mean a roster spot for the coming season. Harvey-Pinard’s deal is especially interesting – with a cap hit over $1MM-per-season, after the winger torched the league with 14 goals and 20 points in only 34 games last season. His 24.1 percent shooting percentage is very likely unsustainable but Montreal is letting Harvey-Pinard prove his worth with the new deal. The same can be said about Sean Monahan, who is fighting to find his footing after a shaky last few years with the Calgary Flames. Monahan recorded 17 points in 25 games with Montreal last season.

Fans can gather a strong, general look at who the Habs think will be fighting for a roster spot at training camp through their RFA signings. But, outside of Caufield, there’s not too much certainty in how the list will perform once they’re on the ice. How Montreal can build out their core group through RFA signings will be an interesting storyline as the new season begins.

Departures

F Denis Gurianov (Nashville, one year, $850K)
F Joel Teasdale (unsigned UFA)
F Alex Belzile (New York Rangers, two years, $1.55MM)
F Chris Tierney (New Jersey, one year, $775K)*
F Jonathan Drouin (Colorado, one year, $825K)
D Madison Bowey (Dinamo, KHL)
F Paul Byron (Retired)
D Joel Edmundson (trade with Washington)
F Mike Hoffman (trade with San Jose)
F Rem Pitlick (trade with Pittsburgh)

*-denotes two-way contract

The Habs survived the off-season without any unexpected losses. Joel Edmundson was popular in trade rumors for much of the year and finally got his swap, getting sent to the Capitals for draft picks. Jonathon Drouin also found his long-anticipated departure form the Canadiens, entering free agency before getting picked up by the Colorado Avalanche on a cheap deal.

Denis Gurianov is perhaps the most notable loss. Montreal acquired Gurianov partway through the 2022-23 campaign, sending Evgenii Dadonov to the Dallas Stars in return. Gurianov appeared in 23 games with Montreal, recording a meager eight points. That must’ve been enough viewing for Montreal, who failed to qualify the winger, sending him to free agency.

Also noteworthy is the one-way deal the New York Rangers provided to Alex Belzile. Belzile is a 32-year-old minor-leaguer that played his unofficial rookie season last year, playing in 31 NHL games and recording 14 points. But he appeared in just as many AHL games, signaling where his value may be the strongest. That’s a claim the Rangers will put to the test, though, providing him a contract that should warrant at least some level of NHL consideration. If Belzile is set on an NHL role, or if this deal is just a friendly nod to a 300-game AHL veteran will be a small-but-interesting story to follow.

But like many of their departures, the loss of Gurianov and Belzile doesn’t leave much wake. The Canadiens retooled nicely this summer, clearing out plenty of space on the NHL roster for their RFA signings and young prospects.

Salary Cap Outlook

The Canadiens are up against the cap as of early-September. But they’ll gain roughly $5.77MM in cap space when they’re able to put Carey Price back on LTIR, per CapFriendly. The team doesn’t have any unsigned free agents, so that money could be used creatively to bolster their top-end. Or maybe the Habs will hang on to their ample cap space. There’s no denying the value of flexibility in the modern NHL and teams like Arizona have found ways to turn open cap space into high-end draft picks and prospects.

Key Questions

What Can Juraj Slafkovsky Become? The Canadiens shocked the world by taking Juraj Slafkovsky ahead of Shane Wright, Logan Cooley, and Simon Nemec in the 2022 NHL Draft. And while he still hadn’t fully adjusted, Slafkovsky was made the pick look honorable by appearing in 39 NHL games last season. But he suffered a lower-body injury in January of 2023, effectively holding him out for the rest of the season. With nearly-40 NHL games under his belt, Slafkovsky should have a better sense of what to prepare for in the upcoming campaign. But Montreal will need the most out of their first-overall selection if they want to really speed up their rebuild.

Can Alex Newhook Breakout? Alex Newhook did not look particularly great during his time in Colorado. But his woes can be chalked up, in part, to a mismatch with the Avalanche’s dump-and-chase system. The Canadiens must think so – paying handsomely for him in both trade and contract negotiations. Newhook plays a possession-based, speedy style that could make Martin St. Louis a bit nostalgic. To say that St. Louis has had a special impact on some of Montreal’s brightest stars would be an understatement. Cole Caufield has become a near point-per-game player under St. Louis’ encouragement. It would be unfair to expect a similar breakout from Newhook but he’s only 22 years old, meaning there’s plenty of time for him to find his way on a new roster. If Montreal can get the most out of Newhook, they could add a really effective layer to an already-exciting top-nine.

Which Bottom-Six Studs Will Stick? Rafael Harvey-Pinard headlines what was a really exciting stretch from Montreal’s bottom-six. Along with Harvey-Pinard, Jesse Ylonen and Michael Pezzetta proved their case for roster spots. Montreal rewarded the trio with new contracts this off-season, giving them all good opportunity to really lock in their spot on the Habs lineup. But if they’ll actually earn their spot is yet to be seen. Maybe more important will be the answer to what Montreal will do if any of the three can’t stick. They should have exciting players like Filip Mesar, Sean Farrell, and Emil Heineman available for call-ups if they need to fill a roster spot. Seeing which of their young prospects are up next, or if the aforementioned trio can stick, should help answer how Montreal will be approaching the next few years.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Senators, Canucks Could Be Teams To Watch On Trade Market

at CDT | by 9 Comments

Speaking on today’s edition of the 32 Thoughts podcast, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman believes trade talks are beginning to heat up across the league once again, mainly incited by teams looking to clear players off their roster pre-season to alleviate roster or salary cap crunches. To that end, he identified the Ottawa Senators and Vancouver Canucks as significant players to watch over the coming days as training camps approach.

In Ottawa’s case, this is, of course, influenced by their lack of flexibility to re-sign RFA center Shane Pinto. The 22-year-old remains without a contract for this season after potting 20 goals in 2022-23, and he commands more than the paltry $895K in salary cap space Ottawa has remaining, per CapFriendly’s projection. It’s drawn out long enough that trade speculation is beginning to arise about Pinto’s signing rights, but Senators general manager Pierre Dorion would obviously rather retain their 2019 32nd overall pick.

As Friedman notes, Pinto has very little leverage in negotiations, as he carries a 10.2(c) designation and is ineligible to sign an offer sheet. That means Ottawa likely won’t need to clear massive amounts of cap space to sign Pinto to a bridge deal, but a move still needs to be made – that $895K projection already figures a bare-minimum roster of 18 skaters and two goaltenders. Evolving Hockey’s contract projection model predicts a two-year, $1.88MM AAV deal for Pinto, assuming it’s signed between August 1st and the start of the regular season. If Pinto holds out into the season, that projection drops slightly to a $1.805MM AAV on a two-year deal.

Vancouver’s potential activity spurs from the health of Tanner Pearson, who fortunately projects to be healthy for the 2023-24 campaign after a persistent (and controversially handled) hand injury nearly cost him his career last season. His availability creates both a roster and cap crunch for Vancouver, as his $3.25MM cap hit would suddenly factor into their day-to-day picture and not sit on LTIR as previously expected.

He would also likely factor into a third-line role, potentially alongside Conor Garland and Pius Suter. Pearson’s trade value will likely be minimal with other teams wary of his health, so shopping a depth player like Garland (and his $4.95MM cap hit) would likely return better value for general manager Patrik Allvin. While some have criticized Garland’s tenure in Vancouver, he’s a winger who consistently puts up between 40 and 60 points, can play a top-six role, and is cost-controlled through 2026 without trade protection. He’s the type of player a few teams looking to fill gaps in their forward group would be interested in.

Garland also seems like the most likely candidate because the Canucks’ realistic trade options are limited beyond him. They just signed Teddy Blueger in free agency, players like Dakota Joshua have shown to be reliable bottom-six presences and are on cost-effective deals, and they’d be selling low on younger prospects like Nils Höglander or Vasily Podkolzin.

At first glance, however, it seems like a tough time in the offseason to perform cap-clearing maneuvers. Most teams already have their rosters relatively set, and some teams close to contention with obvious holes don’t have the space to make maneuvers. Of teams with cap space to spare, the Chicago Blackhawks jump out as a lone destination where acquiring a veteran wouldn’t cost a spot for a younger player needing significant NHL ice time – they still could use a few more bodies to fill out their opening-night roster.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Chicago Blackhawks To Retire Chris Chelios’ Number

at CDT | by 9 Comments

#7 will be the seventh number retired in Chicago Blackhawks history. The team announced late last night that they’re retiring the number of longtime defender Chris Chelios on February 25, 2024, against Chelios’ other longtime home, the Detroit Red Wings.

Chelios joins Glenn Hall’s #1, Keith Magnuson’s and Pierre Pilote’s #3, Bobby Hull’s #9, Denis Savard’s #18, Stan Mikita’s #21, and Tony Esposito’s #35.

Since Chicago traded Chelios to Detroit in 1999, two players have donned the number. Lyle Odelein wore it for a brief stint in the early 2000s, but three-time Stanley Cup champion Brent Seabrook also wore it for his 15-year career with the club.

“We are entering a new era of Blackhawks hockey on the ice, but the importance of honoring past members of this organization is, and always will be a priority,” Blackhawks chairman Danny Wirtz said in a statement. “Chris Chelios represents not only the Blackhawks but, given his roots here, the city of Chicago.”

Wirtz is referencing the fact that Chelios was born and raised in Chicago before heading to Saskatchewan to play junior hockey in the late 1970s. He would return to the Midwest US for a two-year stint at the University of Wisconsin before turning pro with Montreal in 1983.

Chelios has one of the more storied careers in the league, spanning an incredible 26 seasons. He played until he was 48 years old, finally retiring after an eight-game stint with the Atlanta Thrashers in the 2009-10 campaign. A three-time Stanley Cup champion and a three-time Norris Trophy winner, Chelios played in parts of nine seasons for the Blackhawks throughout the 1990s and arguably had the peak of his career there, eclipsing the 70-point mark twice and winning two of his three Norris Trophies. His 395 assists and 487 points as a Blackhawk rank fourth in franchise history for a defenseman, and his 92 goals and 664 games rank fifth. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2013, his first year of eligibility.

U.S. Hockey Hall Of Fame Announces 2023 Class

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The United States Hockey Hall of Fame will induct former NHL forwards Dustin Brown and Jamie Langenbrunner, longtime NHL executive Brian Burke, former Olympian and longtime Boston College women’s program head coach Katie King Crowley, and former NHL linesman Brian Murphy as their class of 2023, according to an announcement this morning.

The captain of the Los Angeles Kings from 2008 to 2016, Brown’s power-forward style translated into an 18-season, 1,296-game NHL career spent entirely with the Kings. Leading Los Angeles to Stanley Cup championships in 2012 and 2014, he amassed 325 goals and 387 assists for 712 points in his career, scoring at least 20 goals and 50 points in a single season seven times. Among American NHL players, he sits seventh in the games played category, although he’s likely to be bumped down to eighth by Phil Kessel this season.

Langenbrunner, a two-time Stanley Cup champion and two-time Olympian, played 16 seasons in the NHL. Born in Cloquet, Minnesota, Langenbrunner was well-known for his positional versatility with the Dallas Stars, New Jersey Devils, and St. Louis Blues. Across 1,109 NHL regular-season games, the forward amassed 663 points, including 243 goals and 420 assists. He also became quite a seasoned playoff performer, recording 146 career postseason appearances and 87 points.

Selected 35th overall in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft, Langenbrunner debuted with the Stars in 1995 and later captained the Devils from 2007 to January 2011, when he was dealt back to where his career began in Dallas. He transitioned to hockey operations post-retirement and serves as an assistant general manager for the Boston Bruins.

Burke has a Stanley Cup victory and an Olympic silver medal on his managerial resume, which spans nearly 40 years. Raised in Edina, Minnesota, he played college hockey for the Providence Friars and later in the AHL with the Maine Mariners, winning a Calder Cup. He then attended and graduated from Harvard Law School, after which he ventured into NHL player representation.

Burke’s journey led him to the Vancouver Canucks’ front office, where he served as director of hockey operations from 1987 to 1992. He then assumed roles with the Hartford Whalers and the NHL office before returning to Vancouver as their general manager in 1999. Burke’s Stanley Cup win came at the helm of the Anaheim Ducks in 2007. His managerial tenure continued with the Toronto Maple Leafs as GM and the Calgary Flames as their president of hockey operations, followed by a short two-and-a-half-year stint with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Today, Burke serves as the inaugural executive director of the PWHLPA.

King Crowley, a three-time Olympic medalist, achieved rather legendary status during her nine-year tenure with the U.S. Women’s National Team from 1997 to 2006. Notably, she was pivotal in securing the inaugural gold medal in women’s ice hockey at the 1998 Nagano Olympics, amassing eight points in six games. She further contributed to Team USA’s Olympic success with a silver in 2002 and a bronze in 2006, boasting a total of 14 Olympic goals, which remains tied for the U.S. record with new PWHL Minnesota general manager Natalie Darwitz. In the IIHF Women’s World Championships, including a gold in 2005, King Crowley played 223 games, ranking third in all-time points (278).

Following her retirement as a player in 2006, King Crowley transitioned to coaching, joining Boston College’s women’s ice hockey program. She would assume the head coaching role in 2007, guiding the team to numerous accolades, including six NCAA Frozen Fours, 11 NCAA Tournaments, five Hockey East regular-season titles, three Hockey East tournament championships, and six Beanpot crowns. She’s also served as an assistant coach for the U.S. U18 Women’s National Teams, contributing to gold in 2009 and silver in 2010 at the IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship.

Lastly, Murphy, hailing from Dover, New Hampshire, boasts an exceptional NHL officiating career spanning 32 years from 1988 until his recent retirement in 2020. He is among only eight individuals and one of two Americans to officiate over 2,000 NHL regular-season games. Murphy’s on-ice career includes nine Stanley Cup Finals and 304 playoff games, and notable events like the 1999 NHL All-Star Game and the 2010 Winter Classic. He also served as president of the NHL Officials Association from 2008 to 2015. Today, he serves as the supervisor of men’s officials for Hockey East.

This year’s induction ceremony will be held in Boston on December 6.

No Suspension Coming For Kasperi Kapanen After Alcohol-Related Driving Charge

at CDT | by 8 Comments

Taking over some of the NHL news cycle this afternoon, St.Louis Blues forward, Kasperi Kapanen has been charged with an alcohol-related driving charge in his native Finland. In a statement, Kapanen said, “Last month I made an unacceptable error in judgment and take full responsibility for my actions. I offer my apologies to my family, the Blues organization, my teammates, and the fans. I understand the severity of my mistake and am committed to doing everything I can to earn back their trust”. In a following statement, the President of Hockey Operations and General Manager of the Blues, Doug Armstrong, said, “Today we became aware of the incident involving Kasperi and I have spoken with him and his agent. We are disappointed in his lapse of judgment and are entrusting him to make the necessary changes to avoid putting himself in a similar situation in the future” (X Link).

All signs indicate that Kapanen and the Blues organization will handle this matter internally, and no suspension will be coming down from the team or the NHL. Last season, after being picked up on waivers by St.Louis, Kapanen would score eight goals and six assists to cap off the last 23 games in the season.

Summer Synopsis: Minnesota Wild

at CDT | by 4 Comments

In 10 out of the last 11 years, the Stanley Cup playoffs have featured the Minnesota Wild. Unfortunately for the Wild, the playoffs have not featured them for very long, as the team has been unable to appear in the Western Conference Finals since the 2003 Stanley Cup playoffs.

Still dealing with the financial ramifications of buying out both Ryan Suter and Zach Parise, Minnesota has had little cap space to work with, but General Manager Bill Guerin has done some solid work doing the best with what he has. After the 2024-25 season, the team will be off the hook for most of the financial penalty caused by the buyouts, and they are hoping to tread water with this team until then.

However, with the team continuing to age, especially the defensive core, it may prove to be a bit difficult for the Wild to become one of the top teams in the Western Conference. The team did well in retaining some key players this summer but mostly nibbled around the edges in terms of the free agent and trade markets.

Draft

1-21: F Charlie Stramel, Wisconsin (NCAA)
2-53: F Rasmus Kumpulainen, Pelicans (U20 SM-Sarja)
2-64: F Riley Heidt, Prince George (WHL)
5-149: D Aaron Pionk, Waterloo (USHL)
6-181: D Kalem Parker, Victoria (WHL)
7-213: F James Clark, Green Bay (USHL)

In their first-round selection in Stramel, the Wild have found a player with a similar frame to Marcus Foligno, with a higher ceiling. Stramel is a solid player in the tight areas of the game, proving an ability to battle and score goals in front of the net. In his first season playing for the University of Wisconsin last year, Stramel played in 33 games, scoring seven goals and five assists. There are some concerns about Stramel, however; as many scouts have noted that his early growth spurt may have caused him to look more talented than he actually was at the time, noting that his development pace has slowed in recent years.

The team’s second-round pick, Kumpulainen, appears to be a bit of a reach. In last year’s U18 World Juniors Championships, he was a big part of Team Finland, scoring five points in five games, and playing in nearly all situations for the team. However, although he is incredibly competitive, meaning he could certainly will his way to the NHL level, his raw talent doesn’t strike much confidence in his development. It will be very difficult for the Minnesota development coaches to grow his skating ability to a professional standard, and that may prove too difficult to overcome.

Trade Acquisitions

F Pat Maroon (from Tampa Bay)
F Maxim Cajkovic (from Tampa Bay)

Acquired in the same trade from the Tampa Bay Lightning back in July, the move to acquire Maroon is likely to replace the void left in the absence of Ryan Reaves. After being acquired from the New York Rangers in late November, Reaves provided a lot of energy and fire into the Wild lineup and became a solid leader for the club. Much like Reaves, Maroon should slot into the bottom six of the Minnesota forward group, and provide the same leadership and physical presence as he did with the Lightning.

A throw-in player for the most part, Cajkovic has split the past two seasons between the AHL and the ECHL. A third-round pick for Tampa Bay back in the 2019 NHL Draft, Cajkovic spent the majority of last season with the Orlando Solar Bears, scoring 10 goals and 17 assists in 41 games. There is a chance that he could earn a spot on the Iowa Wild’s roster next year, but his most likely landing spot will be with the Iowa Heartlanders of the ECHL.

Key UFA Signings

F Vinni Lettieri (two years, $1.55MM)*
F Jacob Lucchini (one year, $775K)*

* denotes two-way contract

This summer, most of Minnesota’s available cap space was reinvested back into the team, locking in players such as Brandon Duhaime and Filip Gustavsson, as well as seeing a big contract extension kick in for forward Matt Boldy. Keeping that in mind, it was no surprise to see the Wild only make a pair of two-way signings.

Both Lettieri and Luccini will spend the majority of next season in the AHL, and assuming the health of the Wild this year, may not see NHL minutes at all.

Key Departures

D Matt Dumba (Arizona, one year, $3.9MM)
D John Klingberg (Toronto, one year, $4.15MM)
F Gustav Nyquist (Nashville, two years, $6.37MM)
F Ryan Reaves (Toronto, three years, $4.05MM)
F Sam Steel (Dallas, one year, $800K)
F Oskar Sundqvist (St.Louis, one year, $775K)

Fortunately for Minnesota, most of this group were trade deadline acquisitions, meaning they did survive for much of last season without much of this group. However, it is a lot of NHL talent to see walk away from your team over a summer. Due to the $14MM of dead cap on their books for the next two seasons, there was just no possible reality in which the Wild could retain most of this group. Because Minnesota did lose so much talent and failed to replace them in any meaningful way, it is tough to say the Wild got better this offseason.

Dumba and Reaves will make up the largest holes for the team to fill in terms of leadership. Dumba had spent the last decade making up a significant part of Minnesota’s defensive core, and although his offensive numbers took a significant dip along the way, his presence will surely be missed by the Wild.

Salary Cap Outlook

Over the next seasons, given their financial circumstances due to the Parise and Suter buyouts, the Wild will merely have to try and survive in a competitive Western Conference. In a top-heavy Central Division, there is a pathway for them to clinch a playoff spot as a third seed, but they are simply not improving enough to be considered a legitimate playoff threat.

Going into this year, the Wild have a touch over $1.6MM available to them in cap space, and much like they did last year, should spend a good chunk of that at next year’s deadline. They will have a bit of breathing room next summer, as the cap is expected to increase by a more favorable margin for them, but with Foligno and Mats Zuccarello scheduled to hit the unrestricted free agent market next offseason, there may be another repeat of some notable players walking out of the door.

Key Question

What Is This Team Missing? To put it into perspective, last year, the Wild had a 40-goal scorer star in Kirill Kaprizov, a formidable defensive unit (especially post-trade deadline), and a goalie with a SV% above .930. On the other hand, the eventual Stanley Cup Champions, the Vegas Golden Knights, only had one of those things during the regular season. Yet, once again, the Wild were simply outmatched in the first round of the playoffs, losing in six games to the Dallas Stars. Because the organization has put together some solid teams and continues to lose early in the playoffs, it has become difficult to point the finger at any individual part of the lineup.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

2009 NHL Draft Take Two: Eleventh Overall Pick

at CDT | by 3 Comments

Hindsight is an amazing thing, and allows us to look back and wonder “what could have been.” Though perfection is attempted, scouting and draft selection is far from an exact science and sometimes, it doesn’t work out the way teams – or players – intended. For every Patrick Kane, there is a Patrik Stefan.

We’re looking back at the 2009 NHL Entry Draft and asking how it would shake out knowing what we do now. Will the first round remain the same, or will some late-round picks jump up to the top of the board?

The results of our redraft so far are as follows, with their original draft position in parentheses:

1st Overall:  Victor Hedman, New York Islanders (2)
2nd Overall: John Tavares, Tampa Bay Lightning (1)
3rd Overall: Ryan O’Reilly, Colorado Avalanche (33)
4th Overall: Matt Duchene, Atlanta Thrashers (3)
5th Overall: Chris Kreider, Los Angeles Kings (19)
6th Overall: Nazem Kadri, Phoenix Coyotes (7)
7th Overall:  Mattias Ekholm, Toronto Maple Leafs (102)
8th Overall: Evander Kane, Dallas Stars (4)
9th Overall: Brayden Schenn, Ottawa Senators (5)
10th Overall: Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Edmonton Oilers (6)

PHR readers have opted to give the Oilers an addition on defense rather than offense with the 10th overall pick this time around, awarding them Ekman-Larsson with 30% of the vote. In doing so, the original top seven selections are now off the board, with Kane and Ekman-Larsson, our biggest fallers so far, dropping four selections each.

Unlike many other defenders, Ekman-Larsson’s development was not a slow burn. His best seasons came before his 25th birthday, consistently earning Norris Trophy consideration while holding down a top-pair role for the Phoenix/Arizona Coyotes. He had captured a top-four role before his 21st birthday, playing in all 82 games during his sophomore 2011-12 season and posting 32 points while averaging over 22 minutes per game.

However, after four more seasons of producing like a top-flight defender, Ekman-Larsson began to show signs of decline. His point production waned slightly, and while his combined -53 rating between the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons is much more a reflection of the team around him, his possession numbers were not nearly up to par with the more dominant two-way play he’d displayed in the years prior. The Coyotes named him captain in 2018 after the retirement of Shane Doan, but his play continued to slowly dwindle until the organization cut ties in 2021, dealing him, along with Conor Garland and other ancillary pieces, to the Vancouver Canucks. The Canucks bought out the remainder of his eight-year, $66MM extension signed with Arizona in 2018 this summer, resulting in the largest non-compliance buyout in league history.

The 32-year-old defender will now try and turn things around nearly as far away from Vancouver as you can get in the NHL, signing a one-year, $2.25MM deal with the Florida Panthers in free agency. He recorded two goals and 22 points in 54 games for the Canucks last season, alongside a -24 rating and a career-worst -3% relative Corsi For at even strength.

Despite his downfall, Ekman-Larsson’s peak years with the Coyotes were much better than any defender the Oilers had to offer at the time, and drafting him could have easily changed the team’s trajectory throughout the early 2010s. Of course, that would mean losing out on Connor McDavid and the first-overall pick in 2015.

Now, we move to the 11th overall selection in 2009: the Nashville Predators. They’re likely happy with their original choice, Ryan Ellis, as he contributed in a top-four role for the better part of 562 games with the franchise before a psoas muscle injury cut his career short after a deal to the Philadelphia Flyers in 2021. However, do you think there’s a better player not yet taken in our series? Vote in the poll below:

If you can’t access the poll above, you can click here to vote.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Who Will Be The NHL’s Next Highest Paid Player?

at CDT | by 15 Comments

Auston Matthews recent extension with the Toronto Maple Leafs has earned him the title of highest-paid player in the NHL. His new deal doesn’t kick in until 2024-25, but at that point, he will make an average annual salary of $13.25MM (CapFriendly) per season for four years. Prior to his new deal, Matthews was the fourth highest-paid player in the game behind Nathan MacKinnon, Connor McDavid and Artemi Panarin.

MacKinnon’s new eight-year $100.8MM deal kicks in this season which will make him the highest-paid player in the league at $12.6MM for this year. His actual salary is much higher than his cap hit at $16.5MM, but the final four years of his deal will back-dive to $9.9MM in salary. McDavid has three years left on his current deal with a cap hit of $12.5MM while Panarin’s deal also concludes in three seasons and pays him $11.642MM annually.

With Matthews having topped MacKinnon’s new extension by over $600K annually the question now becomes, who will be the NHL’s next highest-paid player?

Connor McDavid – McDavid is the obvious answer. He is arguably the best player in the game and undoubtedly the best player in the world with the puck on his stick. The Richmond Hill, Ontario native will be 29 years old when he reaches unrestricted free agency and could essentially ask teams for a blank check and fill in the maximum salary under the salary cap. That is if he remains the best player in the world. While it seems hard to believe there is a world in which McDavid isn’t the game’s most explosive player, three years is a long time, and in hockey, it can be an eternity. There is also another Connor who could be the one to top Matthews’ extension.

Connor Bedard – It seems crazy that Bedard has yet to play a minute in the NHL and he could conceivably be the next highest-paid player in the NHL. But it could happen. Bedard signed his three-year entry-level contract with the Chicago Blackhawks on July 17th and should be a lock to make their opening night lineup. He will become a restricted free agent in 2026, the same time that McDavid becomes a UFA. It is fair to wonder how Bedard will produce once he is playing against men in the NHL, especially given that he will be playing on a bad Blackhawks team that will have its struggles. But he dominated the WHL with 71 goals and 72 assists in 57 games and obliterated the competition at the World Junior Championships with nine goals and 14 assists in 7 games. He’s a phenom, and in three years he could be paid like one.

Leon Draisaitl – Draisaitl has been one of the best bargains in the NHL since signing his eight-year $68MM contract back in August of 2017. All he has done during his six years under this contract is score 50+ goals three times, top 100 points four times, and win a Hart Trophy as well as an Art Ross Trophy. At 27-years-old Draisaitl is coming off the best season of his career having posted 52 goals and 76 assists in 80 games.

All things considered, it seems likely that Draisaitl will top Matthews’ contract two seasons from now when he becomes an unrestricted free agent. The native of Cologne, Germany will be 29 years old, and the salary cap should go up substantially between now and then positioning him to cash in big with any team of his choosing. Draisaitl will likely hold onto that distinction for just one season as McDavid and Bedard will be following right behind him and could top Draisaitl to earn the title of the highest-paid player in the NHL.

Edmonton Oilers Rank Last In Salary Cap Rankings

at CDT | by 13 Comments

Daily Faceoff has ranked the Edmonton Oilers last in salary cap efficiency. This comes as no surprise after the website began its annual salary cap rankings list and after a deep dive into the numbers determined that there isn’t a team in a worse situation financially than the Oilers. It isn’t a shock given the Oilers current salary cap woes. The team finds itself with just 21 players on the roster and only $382,499 in cap space. Though finishing dead last on the list is new, Edmonton ranked second last in last year’s version of the list.

Daily Faceoff’s ranking system looks at no-move clauses, dead cap space, the quality of long-term contracts, bargain contracts, and the good deals versus the bad ones. Unfortunately, based on those criteria, it is easy to see why the Oilers find themselves at the bottom of that list. Edmonton has several problematic contracts on their books, and while they have some bargains like Leon Draisaitl, Connor McDavid, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. The bad deals outweigh the great ones.

Darnell Nurse is a really good defenseman; he eats a ton of minutes for the Oilers and plays a lot of tough situations. However, he does suffer a lot of mental lapses, and at $9.25 million a season, he just doesn’t bring the offensive upside you would like to see in a defenseman making that kind of money. Nurse is also likely to wear down as the miles pile up on his body. Those difficult minutes require that he play with a ton of physicality. It could take its toll on the 28-year-old when he gets on the wrong side of 30.

Some of the other bad contracts on the Oilers are goaltender Jack Campbell at $5MM per season as well as third-line winger Warren Foegele and third-pairing defenceman Brett Kulak at $2.75 million each. The contracts come in addition to the nearly $2MM per year the Oilers are still paying on the James Neal buyout.

On the surface, these contracts don’t look like outrageous overpayments because all the players listed above are still functional NHLers. However, in the flat cap era Campbell, Foegele, and Kulak are all replacement-level NHLers who could have been replaced by other players on contracts of less than $1MM per season. Couple that with the mishandling of Nurse’s previous bridge deals and it all amounts to around $10MM in inefficient salary cap spending that could lead to big problems for the Oilers down the road when they need to offer extensions to McDavid, Draisaitl, and Evan Bouchard.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

scroll to top