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Overseas Notes: KHL Trade Deadline, Holmstrom, Toivonen

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The deadline for teams in the KHL to trade and sign players came and went yesterday, but not without some intriguing moves involving several former NHLers. Outside of the previously reported Michal Cajkovsky signing, several other notable names changed hands. After trading former Nashville Predators top prospect Taylor Beck to Avangard Omsk, the Kunlun Red Star were quick to replace him. Kunlun inked Drew Shore, who played briefly with the Vancouver Canucks just two years ago, to a contract for the remainder of the season. While Beck had been the team’s leading scorer with 22 points through 39 games, Shore is no slouch either. With the ZSC Lions of the NLA, Shore had ten points in 16 games before departing for the Red Star. He was also one of the top scorers in Switzerland in 2016-17 at nearly a point per game. Martin St. Pierre, who played eight seasons in North America with five different organizations, also signed with Kunlun ahead of the deadline. Elsewhere, former Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Geoff Kinrade signed on with Severstal Cherepovets, as arguably the worst team in the league looks for answers on the blue line.

  • As it pertains to the current NHL, perhaps the most intriguing move at the KHL deadline was the return for the aforementioned Beck. In exchange for sending their leading scorer to Avangard Omsk, the top team in their own division, Kunlun received the rights to Swedish forward Axel Holmstrom. However, Holmstrom is currently under contract with the Detroit Red Wings. A seventh-round pick back in 2017, Holmstrom is in just his second full pro season in North America, played entirely with the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins. While there is no concrete indication yet that the young forward is thinking of retreating back to Europe, there tends to be fire where there is smoke when it comes to these transactions in the KHL, just as there was when Cajkovksy’s rights were acquired by Dynamo Moscow earlier this season. Especially considering the fact that the Red Star surrendered their leading scorer to acquire just one piece, and an abstract piece at that, there would seem to be at least some optimism that Holmstrom is considering a jump to the KHL. While Holmstrom, 22, has been productive in the minor leagues, he has yet to get a sniff of opportunity in Detroit and may be cherishing the though of a lead role in Kunlun next season.
  • A familiar name is back in North America for the first time in five years. The ECHL’s Maine Mariners announced today that they have signed 34-year-old Hannu Toivonen to a contract for the remainder of the season. Toivonen was a first-round pick of the Boston Bruins back in 2002 and spent four years with the organization. He was then traded to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for Carl Soderberg and went on to start a career-high 23 NHL games with the team in 2007-08. Toivonen also suited up briefly for the Chicago Blackhawks and various AHL and ECHL squads before returning to Europe in 2014. Before the nostalgic get too excited about a potential NHL comeback, Toivonen was a stable option in his native Finland for several years after heading back across the Atlantic, but struggled at stops in Austria and Denmark last season and has had difficulty finding work this year. While his name alone brings some intrigue and perhaps some added ticket revenue for the Mariners, this is likely just one of the final stops in a long career of a well-traveled goaltender.

Central Notes: Hartman, Crawford, Davidson, Dickinson

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The Department of Player Safety announced they have fined Nashville Predators forward Ryan Hartman $1,000 for spearing Boston Bruins’ Chris Wagner Saturday with less than a minute left in the second period.

Hartman has been in trouble with the Department of Safety before as he was suspended for one game on Apr. 19 for an illegal check to the head against Colorado’s Carl Soderberg and then was fined for $2,320 for slashing Brayden McNabb in Oct. of 2017 against Vegas.

  • The Chicago Blackhawks may get a better idea today of where starting goaltender Corey Crawford is at after he sustained another concussion on Dec. 16. According to NBC Sports’ Charlie Roumeloitis, head coach Jeremy Colliton confirmed this morning that Crawford was in the building, but still hadn’t talked to the coach. “As far as I know he’s still in the protocol. He is here, so that’s a positive,” Colliton said. Crawford missed quite a bit of time when he suffered a concussion last year in December as he still wasn’t ready to return at the start of this season. The team hopes Crawford can return much earlier this time.
  • John Dietz of the Daily Herald reports that defenseman Brandon Davidson says that he should be ready to return to the Blackhawks lineup in 7-10 days. The blueliner underwent surgery on Nov. 27 on his right knee and was expected to be out for six to eight weeks, which suggests he could be ready at the six-week mark. The 27-year-old has only appeared in seven games for Chicago this year.
  • The Dallas Stars may have lost one of their own Saturday when forward Jason Dickinson was forced out of the second period of Dallas’ game against Minnesota with an upper-body injury, according to NHL.com’s Mark Stepneski. Head coach Jim Montgomery said that Dickinson was doubtful for their game today against the Islanders. The 23-year-old has been a mainstay for Dallas on the bottom-six as he has five goals and 11 points in 34 games.

 

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Colorado Avalanche

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Navigating the Salary Cap is probably one of the more important tasks for any general manager to have. Teams that can avert total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2018-19 season. This will focus more on those players who are integral parts of the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.

Colorado Avalanche

Current Cap Hit: $67,318,095 (under the $79.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Alexander Kerfoot (one year, $925K)
F Dominic Toninato (one year, $925K)
F J.T. Compher (one year, $925K)
F Mikko Rantanen (one year, $894K)
F Tyson Jost (two years, $886K)
F Vladislav Kamenev (one year, $833K)
F A.J. Greer (one year, $741K)
D Samuel Girard (two years, $728K)
D Anton Lindholm (one year, $718K)

Potential Bonuses:

Rantanen: $850K
Jost: $850K
Kerfoot: $213K
Girard: $183K
Lindholm: $183K
Compher: $100K
Greer: $75K

Total: $2.47MM

For a successful team that made it into the playoffs and gave the Nashville Predators a run for their money, it’s a bit surprising that the team got quite a bit of contributions from entry-level players, with Rantanen probably at the top of the list of contributors. After a 20-goal season in his first full season on the team, the 21-year-old took that next step and benefitted from playing with Nathan MacKinnon on the first line, breaking out with a 29-goal, 84-point season. With the top line expected to return this season, don’t be surprised if the winger puts up another big season right before he becomes a restricted free agent and could get rewarded with a long-term contract.

The team expects similar success from Kerfoot, who arrived in Colorado as a four-year college free agent from Harvard University. The 24-year-old posted a 19-goal, 43-point rookie campaign last year as a member of the team’s third line and now is expected to move up a notch and battle Jost for the second-line center position, with the loser moving to right wing on the same line. Jost, scored 12 goals last season in his rookie season, but the 2016 first-rounder is expected to break out if he can earn a spot on that second line as well. Both are likely to have promising seasons.

The 23-year-old Compher is another young talent who will be given every chance to fight for a spot as the left wing on the second line. In his first full season, Compher posted 13 goals and could be in line for a bigger season next year. The team also has high expectations for Girard on the defense. One of the key pieces of the Matt Duchene trade, the then 19-year-old defenseman was able to stay in the NHL, averaging 17:39 ATOI once he was traded from Nashville and posted 20 points in his rookie season and should be able to improve on that as he will likely assume a top-four role already next season.

One interesting prospect is Kamenev, who also came over with Girard in the Duchene deal, but the 22-year-old center was injured one game into his Colorado career, and he missed most of the season. Now healthy, Kamenev has a good chance to earn a role on the team’s third line in hopes of putting up good numbers next year. Toninato may also be an interesting addition as he has a chance to pick up the fourth-line center spot after signing last season out of the University of Minnesota-Duluth.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

G Semyon Varlamov ($5.9MM, UFA)
F Colin Wilson ($3.94MM, UFA)
D Patrik Nemeth ($2.5MM, UFA)
D Nikita Zadorov ($2.15MM, RFA)
F Sven Andrighetto ($1.4MM, RFA)
F Gabriel Bourque ($950K, UFA)

With cap room at a premium, general manager Joe Sakic had the opportunity to use that to his advantage as he was able to acquire the bloated contract of Brooks Orpik from Washington to acquire their future goaltender in Grubauer, who has posted two straight seasons of .923 save percentages or higher. The Capitals’ backup goalie looks ready for a chance to take a starting role and while he might split time with Varlamov early on, the team’s hopes is that Grubauer steals the job away from him. Varlamov and his $5.9MM contract is set to expire next year, meaning the Avalanche are likely going to allow him to walk.

The team has a pair of defensive players in Zadorov and Nemeth, who will be fighting for contract extensions next season. Zadorov has been a key defensive player for the team, posting 278 hits as well as blocking 106 shots. He even posted a career high in both goals (7) and points (20). Nemeth came over to Colorado from Dallas and immediately jumped into the rotation and led the team with a plus-27 rating and was crucial to the team’s penalty kill and likely will take a third-pairing role once again.

Wilson could be pushed down to the team’s third line or provide a veteran presence on the second line depending if one of the youngsters fails to impress in camp. However, the 28-year-old is coming off of one of his worst-ever seasons as he posted just six goals and 18 points last season. Andrighetto will be another youngster who should get some time in the team’s bottom-six.

Two Years Remaining

D Tyson Barrie ($5.5MM, UFA)
F Carl Soderberg ($4.75MM, UFA)
F Matthew Nieto ($1.98MM, UFA)
D Mark Barberio ($1.45MM, UFA)
D Mark Alt ($725K, UFA)

The 27-year-old took that next step for the Avalanche, putting up career numbers in both goals and points as he posted 14 goals and 57 points last season as he’s proven to be a No. 1 defenseman that the franchise really needs. The team must find a way to lock him up to an extension in July next year.

Soderberg doesn’t post big offensive numbers, but is viewed as a critical shutdown defender, who the Avalanche put up against other teams’ top players. The 32-year-old did put up 16 goals and 37 points last year, but his main responsibility is to center the team’s third line. Nieto will likely end up there with him, who also produced at a career-high as he posted a 15-goal season last year.

Three Years Remaining

F Gabriel Landeskog ($5.57MM, UFA)
D Ian Cole ($4.25MM, UFA)
G Philipp Grubauer ($3.33MM, UFA)
F Matt Calvert ($2.85MM, UFA)

Landeskog has become an integral part of the Avalance’s top line as he posted numbers that are comparable to his best seasons of his career as he posted 25 goals and 62 points. The 25-year-old has added excellent balance to that top line since the team moved on from Duchene. The second-overall pick in 2011 might be able to start meeting the high expectations of his draft status if the chemistry between Rantanen and MacKinnon continue.

Cole, Grubauer and Calvert were all recent additions this offseason with Grubauer having already been discussed. However, the team hopes to get some solid value out of both Cole and Calvert at their respective positions. Cole should provide veteran depth to developing defense and if he plays well enough could beat out Girard or Zadorov for a top-four spot, but is more likely to settle into a third-line pairing. Calvert should be able to provide third or fourth-line depth since his lack of offensive skills would likely prevent him from earning a second-line role.

Four Or More Years Remaining

F Nathan MacKinnon ($6.3MM through 2022-23)
D Erik Johnson ($6MM through 2022-23)

The amazing thing is that Colorado only has two players locked up long-term and considering that MacKinnon was one of the top vote-getters for the Hart Trophy last season after the 23-year-old posted 39 goals and 97 points, the team has a steal of a deal with him. With the rising salaries of star players, the fact that Colorado has MacKinnon locked up for five more years at just $6.3MM only makes their situation better and should allow the team to add even more talent over the next couple of years.

The team also has five more years of Johnson at $6MM, which isn’t as good. While Johnson is a solid defensive defenseman, the 30-year-old is injury-prone and hasn’t been able to play 80 games just once in his 10 NHL seasons. He managed nine goals and 25 points in 62 games last season and still remains the team’s second-best defenseman.

Buyouts

D Brooks Orpik ($2.5MM in 2018-19; $1.5MM in 2019-20)

Retained Salary Transactions

None

Still To Sign

None

Best Value: MacKinnon
Worst Value: Johnson

(Excluding entry-level contracts)

Looking Ahead

The Avalanche is a young team that just a year ago many considered to be one of the worst in the NHL. Thanks to the superb play of many of their young players, the team should be in good hands. Colorado has plenty of cap space to handle long-term deals that will need to be given to their many youngsters with Rantanen the most likely to be handed a long-term extension and the team may even have the ability to go after a big-name free agent in a year or two if they continue to improve and show they are the most intriguing team in the Central Division.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Ryan Hartman Suspended One Game For Illegal Check

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The decision is in, and the fourth suspension of the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs has been handed out. Nashville Predators forward Ryan Hartman has received a one-game suspension for his illegal check to the head of Colorado Avalanche forward Carl Soderberg. As the accompanying video from the Department of Player Safety explains:

It is important to note that Soderberg does not materially change the position of his head just prior to, or simultaneously with contact in a way that contributes to the head being the main point of contact. If Hartman wishes to deliver this hit, he must hit squarely through Soderberg’s core with a full body check.

Instead, Hartman takes a poor angle of approach that picks Soderberg’s head and makes it a main point of contact, and delivers the hit with substantial force.

Hartman has not previously been suspended in the NHL, only fined earlier this season for a slashing incident. He will now have to sit out Game 5 as the Predators look to eliminate the Avalanche from their first-round matchup.

Adding Hartman’s suspension to ones already given out to Drew Doughty, Nazem Kadri and Josh Morrissey this postseason, the league has already easily exceeded the two playoff games served last year by suspended players. Nick Ritchie was forced to sit out Game 1 of the Anaheim Ducks first-round series after being suspended in the second last game of the season, and Matt Calvert earned a one-game ban in the Columbus Blue Jackets’ series for cross-checking.

Like with Morrissey, Hartman could miss out on clinching the series for the Predators as they currently sit up three games to one over the Avalanche. If Colorado can win and stay alive, Hartman is eligible to return for Game 6, though his future actions will be looked at with even more scrutiny.

Ryan Hartman To Have Hearing With Department Of Player Safety

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The playoffs have so far been quite the busy period for the Department of Player Safety, already handing out suspensions to Drew Doughty, Nazem Kadri and Josh Morrissey. Today, they’ll have a hearing with Ryan Hartman of the Nashville Predators to determine whether his hit on Colorado’s Carl Soderberg last night requires any supplementary discipline.

Hartman collided with Soderberg midway through the third period, and was given a two-minute charging penalty. The hit came after Soderberg had passed the puck and seemed to have significant contact with the head. It was actually Hartman’s third penalty of the game, and now he might face even more discipline from the league offices.

Nikita Kucherov, who was also involved in an incident last night, will not receive a hearing after his hit on Sami Vatanen last night. The league, according to Darren Dreger of TSN, decided that the head was not the main point of contact and will not review it further.

East Notes: Green, Penguins, Schneider, Staal

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While Tampa Bay is believed to be the front-runner for Red Wings defenseman Mike Green, they aren’t the only team in the Atlantic interested in his services.  MLive’s Ansar Khan reports that the Maple Leafs have also shown an interest in bringing in the pending unrestricted free agent.  Toronto’s interest in adding some help on the back end is well-known but Green isn’t the typical defensive-minded blueliner that many have expected the Leafs to covet.  As a result of their recent trades, Toronto has quietly freed up enough cap space to absorb Green’s full $6MM contract without needing Detroit to retain which could give them a leg up on more cap-strapped squads.

Elsewhere in the East:

  • As Pittsburgh’s well-publicized center search continues, BSN Denver’s Adrian Dater reports (Twitter link) that the Penguins have some interest in Avalanche pivot Carl Soderberg as a fallback option if they can’t land a more prominent target. Soderberg has had a bit of a bounce-back season with 24 points (11-13-24) in 56 games after recording just 14 in 80 contests last season.  However, he has two years remaining on his contract after this one with a $4.75MM cap hit, someone that Colorado would likely have to retain on to facilitate a move.
  • The Devils are getting closer to getting a key part of their team back in the lineup. Goaltender Cory Schneider participated in practice once again today and NHL.com’s Mike Morreale notes that he could return as soon as next week.  Keith Kinkaid has seen the lion’s share of the workload since Schneider was injured January 23rd and has struggled at times with the extra responsibility.  Once he gets the green light to return, veteran Eddie Lack will likely be returned to the minors.
  • Rangers blueliner Marc Staal will return to the lineup on Thursday for the first time since suffering a neck injury on February 3rd, the team announced (Twitter link). New York is currently carrying the minimum roster of 20 players so they will not need to make any moves to officially activate him off IR.

Snapshots: Three Stars, Calvert, Matthews

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The NHL has named its three stars for the previous week, with goaltender Corey Crawford taking top honors. Crawford earned two shutouts for the Chicago Blackhawks last week, and recorded a .919 save percentage. Unfortunately, Chicago is still just 7-6-2 on the season after dropping last night’s game against Montreal 2-0. They’ll need more solid performances from Crawford going forward if they’re to really climb towards the top of the standings.

Josh Bailey and Martin Jones took home second and third respectively, after impressive weeks of their own. Bailey had an incredible seven assists last week and now has 15 on the season, and Jones led the Sharks to three straight wins. Both the Sharks and Islanders have climbed out of early holes to establish themselves as relevant playoff possibilities once again.

  • Matt Calvert will be out three to four weeks with an upper-body injury according to the Columbus Blue Jackets’ GM Jarmo Kekalainen. Calvert was injured in Saturday’s loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning and has been placed on injured reserve. Losing Calvert will test the Blue Jackets’ forward depth even more, as they’re already without Lukas Sedlak and Cam Atkinson for the time being. The team has not made a corresponding move yet, and will take on the New York Rangers tonight.
  • Auston Matthews is a game-time decision for the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight as he deals with “soreness” according to head coach Mike Babcock. If Matthews does miss the game, it would be the first time in his career he failed to suit up. In 97 career regular season games, Matthews now has 50 goals and is showing he could be even more dominant than anyone expected when he was selected first overall. The Maple Leafs can’t afford to lose him for very long though, as their slide continued with a 6-4 loss at the hands of the St. Louis Blues on Saturday night.
  • Unfortunately for the fans in Stockholm, Carl Soderberg may not be in the lineup when the Colorado Avalanche and Ottawa Senators play NHL regular season games in Sweden later this week. The Swedish-born forward did not travel with the team, instead staying at home in Denver with his pregnant wife. Since the couple is expecting the baby on Tuesday, he hasn’t yet been ruled out for the back-to-back games.

Avalanche Notes: Sakic, Defense, Long-Term Deals

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Colorado Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic has been at the helm now for six years. His team has spiraled downward and hit rock bottom last year with a league’s worst 22-56-4 record, worth 48 points. To make matters worse, the team only has a handful of prospects and don’t seem to have a plan or path to take the franchise on.

According to NBC Sports’ Adam Gretz, Sakic is a likely candidate to be on the hotseat this season. The team’s lack of a proper path, constant roster questions that seem to be held up by a potential Matt Duchene trade that has never happened and a shortcoming of prospects seem to suggest that he may be the first general manager out the door this season. To make matters worse, the Avalanche have had the worst defense in the league for the past two years, according to Gretz, and have made no defensive changes this year.

  • The Avalanche still have quite a few questions when it comes to its roster. Although the team is currently negotiating with defenseman Nikita Zadorov, the Avalanche only have three defensemen on their roster, including Erik Johnson, Tyson Barrie and Mark Barberio, according to NBC Sports James O’Brien. With more than $11MM in cap space still remaining, Colorado has the ability to acquire more players and depth. However, considering their lack of depth, using draft picks to trade for a player makes little sense. That leaves signing leftover free agents to short-term deals, but there are very few defensive free agents of note. Trading Matt Duchene may be their best way to fill in some of those holes.
  • O’Brien also points out that, on a positive note, that the Avalanche have very few long-term deals, which should give the team quite a bit of flexibility. Only Nathan MacKinnon ($6.3MM AAV till 2022-23), Gabriel Landeskog ($5.57MM AAV till 2020-21), Carl Soderberg ($4.75MM AAV till 2019-20), Johnson ($6MM AAV till 2022-23) and Barrie ($5.5MM AAV till 2019-20) are locked up for the next three years.

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