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West Notes: Blackhawks, Coyotes Injuries, Gaudreau

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The Blackhawks surprised many with their upset of Edmonton in the Qualifying Round before being ousted quickly by Vegas.  Still, it was a promising step for a team that was going to miss the postseason altogether in a normal year.  Despite the small change in their fortunes, GM Stan Bowman told reporters, including Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports Chicago, that he doesn’t foresee much in the way of changes for next season.  The team already has $74MM in commitments for next season with no starting goalie under contract while winger Dominik Kubalik and Dylan Strome need new deals as well.  That doesn’t leave any room to really add to the roster.

When asked about the possibility of buyouts (defenseman Olli Maatta and forward Zack Smith are speculative candidates), Bowman acknowledged that it’s an option.  However, decisions on whether or not to use that route to free up some short-term cap space won’t be made for another month or so.

More from the Western Conference:

  • On top of Nick Schmaltz missing the entire postseason with a head injury, Craig Morgan of AZ Coyotes Insider notes (Twitter link) that center Christian Dvorak played through a shoulder injury while winger Conor Garland had a head injury. On top of that, center Brad Richardson has a thumb injury that will require surgery this offseason.  Arizona was able to get by Nashville in the Qualifying Round before falling in five games to Colorado.
  • With Calgary bowing out quickly in the playoffs again after being ousted by Dallas, many expect the Flames to make some notable changes before next season. Sportsnet’s Eric Francis suggests that winger Johnny Gaudreau is a likely candidate to be moved following another quiet postseason showing that saw all but one of his seven points come with the power play.  However, another potential factor is that Gaudreau is one season away from having a significant no-trade clause (a five-team trade list).  At a time where many teams will have to shake things up, the time may be right to test the waters on Gaudreau as well.  He has two years left on his deal with a $6.75MM AAV.

Pacific Notes: Broberg, Soderberg, Richardson, Flames

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One player making a strong case to make their team out of training camp and get an invite into the tournament bubble is Edmonton Oilers defenseman Philip Broberg. The 19-year-old was brought in from Sweden during training camp for the “experience,” but hasn’t looked out of place, which includes several highlight reel end-to-end runs that resulted in goals during Saturday’s team scrimmage.

The Edmonton Journal’s Kurt Leavins writes that while his defense remains a significant question mark, don’t be surprised if the Oilers do put him on their post-season roster. In fact, he expects that Broberg will be on it due to his impressive skating and improved offensive skills despite scoring just one goal and eight points in 45 games in the SHL. However, he was not put into any offensive situations in his rookie campaign with Skelleftea.

Whether he will crack the actual rotation could be a different matter as the left-hander is behind Oscar Klefbom, Darnell Nurse and Kris Russell as well as potentially Caleb Jones, who is now healthy. Regardless, it’s quite a step up for Broberg, who was expected to be returned to the SHL for next season, but even that could change for next season.

  • Looking into the offseason for the upcoming 2020-21 season, AZ Coyotes insider Craig Morgan writes that the Arizona Coyotes will have some significant cap issues with $80MM tied up with just 17 players. With the salary cap exected to flatten at $81.5MM, the team will have just $1.51MM to spend to fill six spots in their lineup. While that will require general manager John Chayka to move out several players, the scribe adds that it likely will end the tenures of unrestricted free agents Carl Soderberg and Brad Richardson, both who would be too expensive to keep regardless of what moves the team makes. The 34-year-old Soderberg did show some promise with 17 goals last season. However, the 35-year-old Richardson only tallied six goals last year after a 19-goal season in 2018-19.
  • Fan 960’s Pat Steinberg reports that Calgary Flames center Derek Ryan skated on his own Sunday. The 33-year-old hasn’t participated since Monday, the first day of practice, although due to the NHL new rule on injury update policy, there is no word on what has kept him off the ice until today. Steinberg adds that both Buddy Robinson and Dillon Dube were on the ice for the Flames’ second group. Both players were considered “unfit to play” since the beginning of camp.

 

Pacific Notes: Eriksson, Reaves, Richardson

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Near the trade deadline, the Sabres waived and sent Zach Bogosian to the AHL.  However, instead of reporting, Bogosian opted for a contract termination with an eye on resuming his NHL career and wound up in Tampa Bay shortly thereafter.  Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre posits that the Canucks may attempt to go down a similar path with winger Loui Eriksson.  Part of that ill-fated group of big free agent signings in 2016, Eriksson’s numbers went down as soon as he signed with Vancouver and had 72 points in his first three years combined after putting up 63 in Boston in his final year with them.  His output dipped even further this year to just six goals and seven assists in 49 games, hardly a good return on his $6MM price tag.  Once his upcoming $3MM signing bonus is paid, Eriksson will be owed just $5MM in salary over the final two years of the deal which might be enough to walk away from if he thinks he can land an opportunity with a bigger role elsewhere.

More from the Pacific Division:

  • While the Golden Knights managed to get Ryan Reaves to take a pay cut with his two-year extension earlier this week, SinBin.vegas’ Ken Boehlke argues that the team didn’t do enough to take advantage of their leverage. The winger has grown to enjoy playing in Vegas and didn’t seem to have much interest in looking elsewhere while his on-ice production isn’t the strongest either with most of his contributions coming on the physical side.  With the team being right up against the Upper Limit of the salary cap and the belief that the cap won’t be going much if at all for a few years, he suggests that they may have been better off dragging this out in the hopes of saving a bit more money in the end.
  • Coyotes center Brad Richardson told Richard Morin of the Arizona Republic that he underwent a procedure to fix a nagging injury that bothered him down the stretch. The veteran estimated that the issue prevented him from practicing over the final two months of the regular season.  While he didn’t suggest that it affected his offensive numbers, it likely was a detriment to his production as well as he dipped from 27 points in 66 games in 2018-19 to just 11 points in 59 contests this season.

Pacific Notes: Sharks Roster, Lucic, Larsson, Richardson

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With a drastically poor start, the San Jose Sharks find themselves at the bottom of the Pacific Division 4-10-1 record, tied for the second-worst record in the NHL. That wasn’t what most people expected at the start of the season and Curtis Pashelka of the Mercury News wonders when change might start happening if the team doesn’t quickly turn things around.

The team is currently in the midst of dropping five straight and being outscored 22-8 in that span. The scribe writes that while the Sharks haven’t had too many poor starts in the last 15 years, general manager Doug Wilson hasn’t sat and watched often. The team made some small moves to shake things up in 2015 when they started 0-5-1, but also made bigger moves back in 2005 when they went out and acquired Joe Thornton to shake up the team.

Now word what Wilson might do now, but the team likely will make some smaller roster moves to start. Assuming he stays healthy during his AHL game Sunday, the Sharks are likely to recall defenseman Radim Simek and place him next to Brent Burns, moving rookie Mario Ferraro next to Marc-Edouard Vlasic. The team may also recall rookie Lean Bergmann, who has looked sharp in four games with the Barracuda with three goals and three assists, and could help the team’s fourth line.

However, if things don’t start to improve soon, don’t be surprised if Wilson begins to make major changes to the roster. Also of note, the Sharks do not have their first-round pick this year as they traded it to the Ottawa Senators for Erik Karlsson back in 2018.

  • NHL.com’s John Shannon reports that Calgary Flames winger Milan Lucic, who hit Columbus Blue Jackets’ forward Kole Sherwood late on a play, already had his hearing today. There has been no word on the league’s decision yet, which could come later today, but Shannon mentions that Lucic is not considered to be a repeat offender. He was last suspended in 2016, although he was fined last year. That will likely be considered by the league when they make their decision.
  • Kurt Leavins of the Edmonton Journal writes that Edmonton Oilers defenseman Adam Larsson, who suffered a fractured fibula after playing in just one games this season, is now skating and could be back in two or three weeks. Larsson, the team’s best defensive defenseman, was projected to miss six to eight weeks after suffering the injury.
  • The Arizona announced earlier today they have recalled Michael Chaput to take the place of injured forward Brad Richardson. However, The Athletic’s Craig Morgan reports that to make room for Chaput, the Coyotes have placed Richardson on injured reserve, retroactive to his injury date, which means he can be activated whenever he is ready.

Coyotes Assign Jason Demers To Conditioning Stint

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Sunday: The Arizona Coyotes announced they have already recalled Demers from his conditioning stint after one game with the Roadrunners. He tallied one assist, three shots and had a minus-1 plus/minus. He should be ready to go for the team’s three-game homestand, starting Tuesday against Anaheim.

Saturday: In a season plagued by injuries, the Arizona Coyotes were dealt another cruel blow yesterday with the news that top center Derek Stepan would miss four to six weeks with a lower-body injury. Fortunately, they have been greeted with some good news on the injury front instead today. Veteran defenseman Jason Demers has been cleared for game action and has been reassigned to the AHL’s Tuscon Roadrunners for a conditioning stint, the team announced.

Demers, 30, has missed almost the entire 2018-19 season thus far with a lower-body injury. Injured in mid-November, Demers had only played 18 games for the Coyotes before a suspected knee injury has cost him the next 46 games and counting. If that was the only serious injury that Arizona was dealt, the absence of the capable defender still would have hurt, but to a much lesser extent. However, Demers injury was followed not long after by that of starting goaltender Antti Raanta, who is expected to be out for the season, and forward Michael Grabner, who remains sidelined. Additionally, Nick Schmaltz and Kyle Capobianco have since suffered season-ending injuries, while Stepan’s year may be over. The Coyotes have had a rough go of it this season in the injury department, with more than 300 man-games lost.

Yet, the team is still very much in the wild card race in the Western Conference, down just one point on the Minnesota Wild for the final playoff spot. With Christian Dvorak and Brad Richardson finally back to full health up front, Demers’ return would add much-needed support on the back end as the ’Yotes can take some solace in the fact that they are getting healthy at multiple positions. Demers could return to the Arizona lineup as early as Tuesday per The Athletic’s Craig Morgan, after a couple games in Tuscon. When he does, Demers brings nearly 600 NHL games worth of experience back to the locker room, as well as his strong two-way possession game. Even in the midst of numerous injuries, the veteran could be the player who puts the Coyotes over the top in their pursuit of a return to the postseason.

Pacific Notes: Canucks, Silfverberg, Ferguson, Coyotes

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After trading for New York Rangers third-string keeper Marek Mazanec yesterday, the Vancouver Canucks are returning to some semblance of a normal situation in net. The team announced that starter Jacob Markstrom has been cleared to play and will get the start tonight against the Anaheim Ducks. Mazanec will be the backup, and if Markstrom can’t hold up, could make his first NHL appearance since 2016-17 after exclusively playing in the AHL the past two years. As for Michael DiPietro, the young prospect is on his way back to the OHL’s Ottawa 67’s, as his emergency loan has come to an end. DiPietro allowed seven goals on 24 shots in his NHL debut on Monday, a forgettable performance that he’s unlikely to forget. Meanwhile, the team did not issue an update on backup Thatcher Demko, Vancouver’s other top young goalie, who is currently on the injured reserve with a knee injury. If the Canucks hope to sneak into the playoffs, they’ll likely need both Markstrom and Demko to get healthy for the stretch run.

  • As usual, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman provided plenty of insider information in his latest edition of “31 Thoughts”. An encouraging note for Ducks fans, especially during a stretch without much good news in Anaheim, is that Friedman claims term is the only thing separating the team and winger Jakob Silfverberg from agreeing to a contract extension. While that means the two sides are still apart, it was cap hit that was the major roadblock to a new deal. Due to Anaheim’s overall lack of cap space and the restrictions of “tagging”, many speculated that Silfverberg’s desired salary would be too difficult for the Ducks to manage. The fact that term remains “the final hurdle”, as Friedman puts it, would seem to indicate that the dollars have been agreed upon and a the odds of a new contract getting done are better than not.
  • Friedman adds a new name to the list of Edmonton Oilers GM candidates. While he maintains that Vegas Golden Knights AGM Kelly McCrimmon and former Toronto Maple Leafs executive Mark Hunter remain popular options, he also adds Boston Bruins AGM John Ferguson Jr. to the mix. Friedman notes that interim GM Keith Gretzky, who appears to have some job insurance moving forward even if it isn’t at his current position, has experience working with Ferguson from his own time with the Bruins. Ferguson is a well-respected NHL executive who previously served as the Toronto Maple Leafs GM from 2003 to 2008 and has been with the Bruins for the better part of this decade. This also isn’t the first time that his name has come up in regards to an opening; Ferguson was considered a candidate to run the Vegas Golden Knights and has already been considered a candidate to do the same with the Seattle expansion team. However, GM jobs don’t come around very often and, like McCrimmon, if Ferguson is offered the Edmonton job, is unlikely to pass in favor of waiting on Seattle.
  • One last interesting note comes in regards to the Arizona Coyotes. Friedman points out that the Coyotes are struggling with so many injuries that their AHL affiliate, the Tuscon Roadrunners, could only ice a lineup of 17 skaters last night, playing a man down. CapFriendly’s depth chart shows that only 15 skaters under contract with the ’Yotes, including just nine forwards, are currently in Tuscon, as Arizona needs all the help they can get at the NHL level. Fortunately, Mario Kempe, Brad Richardson, and Christian Dvorak are all getting close to a return, while Michael Grabner and Jason Demers returned to practice today writes The Athletic’s Catherine Silverman. The closer the Coyotes get to full health this season, the better their chances are to push for a playoff spot in the tight Western Conference race.

Arizona Coyotes Acquire Jordan Weal

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A day of minor trades continues with a somewhat more high-profile swap between the Philadelphia Flyers and Arizona Coyotes. The third deal of the day sees forward Jordan Weal heading to Arizona in exchange for a 2019 sixth-round pick and ECHL defenseman Jacob Graves, as first reported by Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek and later confirmed by the teams. Weal is an impending unrestricted free agent.

While it may seem strange that the Coyotes, just three points ahead of 30th-place Flyers in the league standings, are acquiring a rental player, one look at Arizona’s injury report will help to explain the move. The team has been without Christian Dvorak all season, lost Nick Schmaltz for the remainder of the year, have been missing Michael Grabner since early December, and today added Brad Richardson to the injured reserve. The team is sorely lacking in NHL-caliber forwards and found one in Weal for a relatively affordable price. Weal is likely to slide into a top-nine role for the Coyotes and could treat the opportunity as a tryout for a new contract, so as to avoid what might be a quiet off-season market for his services.

Weal, 26, is just two years removed from a season in which scored better than a point-per-game in the AHL for a half season and better than a half point-per-game with the Flyers for the other half. At 24, Weal hit the open market as a Group 6 UFA, but Philadelphia paid to keep him around with a two-year contract worth $1.75MM per year, despite having less than half a season of NHL experience. He has fallen short of expectations as a full-time player, recording 21 points in 69 games with the Flyers last season and just nine points through 28 games this year, serving as a frequent healthy scratch over both campaigns. Where Weal has excelled this season is at the face-off dot, with an impressive 59.7% mark. He has also been a strong possession player, holding a 54.8 Corsi For % that trailed only Claude Giroux and Travis Konecny among Flyers forwards. The scoring has simply been lacking from Weal, an issue that the struggling Flyers could not afford to let him work out. While Weal may seem like just another depth piece on a Coyotes team filled with similar players, GM John Chayka will likely take a look at him in a variety of situations to see whether or not he would be a long-term fit in Arizona. Don’t rule out the possibility that he could be traded again before the deadline – or waived – if he gets off to a poor start. Regardless, Weal certainly wasn’t going to be a fit moving forward in Philadelphia and new GM Chuck Fletcher will be happy to land a draft pick for a player he planned to let walk.

Arizona Coyotes Re-Sign Brad Richardson

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It seemed as though there was no room for Brad Richardson on the Arizona Coyotes after they traded for Marcus Kruger and Alex Galchenyuk, but the team has nevertheless signed the veteran center to a two-year contract according to Craig Morgan of AZ Sports. The deal will carry an average annual value of $1.25MM.

Richardson, 33, is well liked in Arizona for his willingness to do whatever it takes on the ice and played a strong bottom-six center role for the team last season. With the expectation that young Dylan Strome makes the team full-time, there may need to be a switch for Richardson to the wing this season, something that shouldn’t really reduce his effectiveness as a checking option and penalty killer. He will still likely be asked to take a ton of faceoffs as he did a year ago, easily posting the best winning percentage among Arizona forwards at 52.1%. That’s actually slightly below his career average, and a number that even Kruger—also known for his defensive abilities—has failed to reach on many occasions.

For $1.25MM this deal presents very little risk for the Coyotes, who add a quality NHL player for a little more than what can be buried in the minor leagues. Though Arizona rarely flirts with the salary cap ceiling, they can certainly afford to pay one of their veteran leaders a little less than $1.5MM for the next couple of seasons. If Richardson could ever post another season like his 2015-16, in which he scored 11 goals and 31 points, his contract would look like an incredible bargain.

Free Agent Rumor Round-Up: Roussel, Calvert, Hickey, Rieder, Perron, And More

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The Vancouver Canucks are closing in on an agreement with one of their top free agent targets. After Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman revealed that the Canucks were talking to two-way winger Antoine Roussel, colleague Rick Dhaliwal did some digging and discovered that the two sides were close on a long-term deal. Dhaliwal expects Roussel to sign a four-year deal worth more than $3MM per year with Vancouver. The former Dallas Stars brings grit and energy to the Canucks and has previously teased 30+ point potential. If the 28-year-old Frenchman can reach those levels of production while maintaining his notorious physical game, this could be a great signing by GM Jim Benning. However, it is well above what many would have expected Roussel to sign in both term and salary and could just as well be a disaster for Vancouver. Roussel is ranked 38th on PHR’s Top 50 Free Agents list with an estimated contract of two years and just over $2MM AAV.

[RELATED: PHR’s 2018 Top 50 NHL Unrestricted Free Agents]

  • Friedman has also linked the Colorado Avalanche and forward Matt Calvert. TSN’s Darren Dreger is among a few sources who have also heard about that pairing. Calvert, 28, has played his entire career for the Columbus Blue Jackets, but Dreger seems convinced that he is definitely on the move. The versatile, two-way winger would be a nice fit as a bottom-six regular who can fill gaps in the top-six, much like the role that Blake Comeau played for the team.
  • Dreger also reports that interest is high in defenseman Thomas Hickey. A shallow defense market is likely boosting the value of the serviceable defenseman, who is a tough defensive match-up and a dangerous off-the-puck play-maker, but prone to mistake when moving play. Many speculated that the Islanders would turn their attention to re-signing Hickey once the John Tavares situation had sorted itself out, but with Tavares dragging his feet and Hickey in talks with numerous teams, New York may not get that chance. We predicted that Hickey would land with the Montreal Canadiens on a multi-year deal in PHR’s Top 50 Free Agents list.
  • Another player getting a lot of attention is winger Tobias Rieder and the status of his suitors is changing quickly as the price rises. Just earlier today, the Vancouver Canucks were the first team confirmed to be in on Rieder and by now that list has increased dramatically. TSN’s Ryan Rishaug reports that the Calgary Flames, Montreal Canadiens, and Ottawa Senators are also in the running and that the price has gotten so high as to drive the Edmonton Oilers out of the bidding. The Athletic’s Craig Custance confirms the interest from the Canucks, Flames, and Habs and adds the New York Rangers and Florida Panthers to the list of interested parties. All this for a player that the Los Angeles Kings deemed unworthy of a qualifying offer.
  • As expected, David Perron is also one of the hottest names on the free agent market and his former team, the Vegas Golden Knights, are seemingly out of the running. Friedman calls it “very unlikely” that Perron returns to Las Vegas, where he set a career high with 66 points this season. For an idea on the price for Perron, he landed at #5 on the PHR Top 50 Free Agents list with a projected six-year, $32MM contract, which could be a conservative guess.
  • One team that is somewhat surprisingly in talks with Perron is Arizona. Craig Morgan of Arizona Sports details the off-season so far from the Coyotes and lists Perron, James van Riemsdyk, and Michael Grabner as Arizona’s top targets. Morgan also says that the team has not ruled out bringing back veteran forward Brad Richardson as well.
  • The Boston Bruins are moving on from Anton Khudobin and reportedly working fast to find his replacement. Beat writer Matt Kalman and The Boston Globe’s Kevin-Paul Dupont both hear that the team is very interested in Kari Lehtonen as the new backup to Tuukka Rask. With many talented goalies on the market, Lehtonen has flown under the radar somewhat despite incredibly comparable numbers to Khudobin in more starts and superior numbers to the likes of Jonathan Bernier, Cam Ward, Robin Lehner and others. Lehtonen also had the highest Quality Start rate of any of that group in 2017-18. Even here at PHR we may have underestimated Lehtonen, making him our sixth-best goalie among the Top 50 free agents.
  • Unsurprisingly, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun notes that the Washington Capitals have checked in with defenseman Brooks Orpik. A veteran leader and key contributor to their Stanley Cup run, the Capitals faced little choice but to trade Orpik away earlier this off-season in order to clear cap space to maintain their championship roster. Now that he has subsequently been bought out by the Colorado Avalanche, Orpik is fair game and could return to D.C. at a much more affordable rate. However, LeBrun warns that other teams are also in the running and Orpik may not take a discount rate in Washington over more legitimate offers.

 

Arizona Not Expected To Re-Sign Four Free Agents

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The Arizona Coyotes have agreed to terms with one of their 2019 free agents, but it doesn’t look like that will happen with any of those scheduled to hit the market this summer. Craig Morgan of AZ Sports reports that all four of Brad Richardson, Luke Schenn, Kevin Connauton and Zac Rinaldo are likely to go unsigned before July 1st and become unrestricted free agents.

Richardson’s fate was likely sealed when the Coyotes traded for Marcus Kruger recently, while Connauton has been clear that he’s hoping for a bigger role—one that might have to come on another team. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Coyotes go after some bigger names this offseason in either free agency or trade, hoping to support their young players and get back to the playoffs in 2018-19. That said, all four of the above names could find jobs around the league as they still represent useful depth options.

Schenn, a former fifth-overall pick, has already played 708 games in the NHL and won’t turn 29 until after the 2018-19 season starts. Though he never did become the shutdown first-pairing defender that Toronto thought they were picking, he’s not the worst option for a third-pairing right-handed defenseman that play a physical game and help on the penalty kill.

Connauton too brings some upside on defense, after recording 21 points in 73 games while seeing the ice just over 15 minutes a night. His 11 goals all came at even-strength, and he could have some even better numbers if given an opportunity. That’s what he’ll look for, but it’s not clear who will be willing to give him a full-time role right away.

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