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Vancouver Canucks Announce Player Development Changes

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The Vancouver Canucks have made several changes to their player development, most notably transitioning Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin to roles in that department. They will work “daily on and off the ice with young players in Vancouver and Abbotsford.” Joining the twins are former NHL players Mikael Samuelsson and Mike Komisarek, who will work with prospects in the organization.

Cammi Granato, Ryan Johnson, and Chris Higgins will remain in their current roles. General manager Patrick Allvin released a statement on the moves:

We’re pleased to have solidified our Player Development department for next season with the additions of Mikael Samuelsson and Mike Komisarek, as well as Daniel and Henrik Sedin. Cammi Granato and Ryan Johnson led an extensive search to find the individuals with the right attributes, winning pedigrees, and who fit the overall strategy of the Vancouver Canucks moving forward

Obviously, there is plenty of excitement in Vancouver whenever the Sedins are involved, and after spending the last year as special advisors, it appears they are now ready to jump into a more hands-on role in the organization. The legendary forwards are arguably the most recognizable players in franchise history, combining for more than 2,800 games all in Canucks uniforms.

Samuelsson, 45, has his own experience with the Canucks, having played parts of three seasons with the club. The journeyman winger actually recorded the best year of his career in Vancouver, scoring 30 goals and 53 points in 2009-10. It’s no coincidence that those numbers came in a year where he received time on the right side of the Sedins whenever Alexandre Burrows was moved off the line. The three were also all part of the 2008 Swedish team that won gold at the Olympics. Likely not often thought of in this category, but Samuelsson is actually a member of the Triple Gold Club–with a Stanley Cup and gold medals at both the Olympics and World Championship.

He has served as a development coach with the Chicago Blackhawks and as general manager of a second-tier club in Sweden, but left that position at the end of last year.

Komisarek meanwhile never did play for the Canucks, but does have a history with Higgins from their time together in Montreal. The former NHL defenseman played more than 550 games in the league and has been a development coach with the Buffalo Sabres for the last few seasons.

Vancouver Canucks Hire Brad Shaw

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The Vancouver Canucks will have many of the same faces back behind the bench and on the ice at practice next season, but one important position has been filled with an experienced free agent. Brad Shaw, who previously worked with the Columbus Blue Jackets but parted ways with them last month, has been hired as an assistant for head coach Travis Green.

Kyle Gustafson has also been hired as an Assistant/Special Assignment Coach, while Nolan Baumgartner, Jason King, Darryl Seward and, perhaps most importantly, Ian Clark have all signed contract extensions. Chris Higgins will resume his role with the player development department.

The big hire here is Shaw, who has nearly two decades behind NHL benches. Before joining John Tortorella in Columbus, he worked with the New York Islanders and St. Louis Blues. He served as an associate coach with the Blues from 2012-2016, helping to develop the defensive core that helped them win a Stanley Cup a few years later. Green released a statement on his newest assistants:

We’re excited to welcome two new members to our coaching staff. Brad has a vast amount of coaching experience and a strong technical mind for the game. Kyle is a bright, young coach who will help our team and strengthens our coaching staff.

There was also plenty of concern that Clark would be leaving the organization, but Patrick Johnson of the Vancouver Province tweets that it is expected to be a five-year deal for the goalie coach. That’s a very long term for an assistant, longer even than the deal that Green recently signed.

Vancouver Canucks Hire Jason King, Chris Higgins

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The Vancouver Canucks have filled their coaching vacancy, hiring Jason King as an NHL assistant coach. King previously served as an assistant with the Utica Comets, Vancouver’s AHL affiliate. The team has also hired Chris Higgins as a skills and development coach.

Both should be familiar for Canucks fans, given they each played for the team during their on-ice careers. King, 39, was drafted 212th overall by the Canucks in 2001 and made it all the way to the NHL, recording 12 goals and 21 points in 47 games during the 2003-04 season. His career never took off after that, instead taking him through several stops in the AHL and some overseas adventures in Sweden and Germany, but he returned as an assistant coach for the St. John’s IceCaps in 2013. He has been with Utica for the last four seasons and will now take the next step in his coaching career.

Higgins meanwhile was a much more successful NHL player, who spent parts of six seasons with the Canucks at the end of his career. A veteran of more than 700 games, he scored a career-high 27 goals and 52 points during the 2007-08 season with Montreal. Higgins retired in 2016 and will now start the next chapter of his hockey story.

Vancouver lost Manny Malhotra this offseason to the Toronto Maple Leafs, who hired him away to serve as an assistant on Sheldon Keefe’s staff. Malhotra had been a development coach for the Canucks and was the “eye in the sky” assistant for them in recent years.

Vancouver Canucks Restructure Front Office

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The Vancouver Canucks have made several changes in the front office in preparation for the upcoming season. Chris Higgins re-joins the team as assistant director, player development, Todd Harvey and Derek Richard will take on additional responsibilities as amateur scouts and Troy Ward, Phil Golding and Martin Bakula have all been hired as amateur scouts. Other changes in the scouting department include Pat Conacher moving to the amateur side after several seasons as director of hockey operations with the Utica Comets, and Ryan Biech joining the team as a video analyst. Dan Cloutier, who has served as a goaltending coach and director of goaltending for eight seasons, has resigned.

This is a big season for the Canucks, given their investment in players like Tyler Myers, J.T. Miller and Micheal Ferland this offseason. Getting Brock Boeser is obviously the biggest thing left on the to-do list, but adding more resources to the scouting department is always an important step. The Canucks have hit home runs in Quinn Hughes, Elias Pettersson and Boeser over the last few years, and appear to have another top talent in Vasili Podkolzin from June’s draft.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Vancouver Canucks

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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 2017-18 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.

Vancouver Canucks

Current Cap Hit: $73,012,499 (under the $75MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Brock Boeser (Two years remaining, $925K)
F Jake Virtanen (One year remaining, $894K)

Potential Bonuses

Boeser: $850K
Virtanen: $850K

Boeser is one of the Canucks hope for the future. The team’s 2015 first-round pick has been playing exceptionally well in camp and looks ready to take a major role on the team. After two years at the University of North Dakota, Boeser managed to play in nine games for Vancouver last year, putting up four goals and an assist in that span and averaged 2.78 shots per game as well. Virtanen, on the other hand is just trying to cement a starting role on the team. The sixth overall pick in the 2014 draft, Virtanen has been disappointing and has had trouble finding a role with the club, playing 55 games two years ago and then settling for just 10 games last year. A solid camp so far suggests, he might have turned it around as he looks to take his game to the next level.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

F Daniel Sedin ($7MM, UFA)
F Henrik Sedin ($7MM, UFA)
D Erik Gudbranson ($3.5MM, UFA)
F Thomas Vanek ($2MM, UFA)
F Sven Baertschi ($1.85MM, RFA)
D Troy Stecher ($925K, RFA)
F Markus Granlund ($900K, RFA)
F Alexander Burmistrov ($900K, RFA)
F Anton Rodin ($700K, UFA)
F Reid Boucher ($688K, RFA)
D Patrick Wiercioch ($625K, UFA)

On a positive note, there are many contracts that are set to expire next year, which could give the Canucks quite a bit of cap space. What the team will do with the Sedin brothers, long-time franchise players, is still up in the air. Rumors that they have no interest in going to a contender to finish out their careers suggest that they may choose to retire or sign up for a much shorter, much cheaper deal with Vancouver. While both have been leading the franchise, their numbers have begun to decline now that they are 36 years old with Daniel Sedin putting up just 15 goals and 44 points a year ago, while brother Henrik also just putting up 15 goals and 51 points.

There are very few potential unrestricted free agents that are critical to the team’s building of the future. While Gudbranson is just 25 years old, the team has shown a willingness to move on from the defenseman and has been talked about in trade rumors all offseason. The former third-overall pick in 2010 didn’t fare well in his first year in Vancouver, suffering a wrist injury and playing in only 30 games. The team may want to move on before they lose him. Vanek, signed late in the offseason, is also likely a trade chip at the trade deadline.

As for restricted free agents, the team still has high hopes that Baertschi will continue to improve. After struggling to break into the Calgary Flames starting unit, Vancouver picked him up and got 15 goals in 2015-16 and another 18 last year. The 24-year-old could easily wind up on the team’s second line and have a big year. Granlund, 24, is another youngster who stepped up a year ago, putting up 19 goals as a full-time starter. Stecher will also be a free agent. The 23-year-old undrafted free agent had a solid rookie season after coming to the Canucks from the University of North Dakota. He is penciled in as a first-line defender. The team also has high hopes they can turn around Burmistrov’s career. The former top-10 pick in 2010 was signed away from Arizona with the hopes he can fill a need in the bottom six.

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Dead Space: Bought-Out, Buried, And Retained Salaries For Every Team

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It’s something that often goes unnoticed, but with the cap showing minimal growth the last few years, teams are starting to feel the crunch more than ever. Buyouts have become more common, especially with players with under three remaining years on their contracts. And it’s not just the big name busts that have seen the ax lately – we’ve seen lesser names at lesser money take the fall for their respective teams, then needing to scramble for work elsewhere in the league. Additionally, salary retention in trades has become a more utilized tactic as of late. Teams with “unmovable” contracts have offered to retain part of a poor contract in order to entice a team into giving them some relief.

All this said, some teams have been better with foresight than others. Some teams have shown a track record of being entirely unable of handing out poor contracts over the past five or so seasons. Considering many teams showed some progress in being more frugal this off-season, it seems a wise time to review the dead space every team has accumulated, either due to poor management decisions or poor luck.

Colorado Avalanche – $4.83 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after current year – Francois Beauchemin buyout; Cody McLeod retained

Arizona Coyotes – $4.61 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after 2020-21 – Mike Smith retained; Mike Ribeiro, Antoine Vermette buyouts

Columbus Blue Jackets – $4.025 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after 2020-21 – Fedor Tyutin, Jared Boll, Scott Hartnell buyouts

Carolina Hurricanes – $3.71 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after 2020-21 – Eddie Lack retained; Alexander Semin, James Wisniewski buyouts

Toronto Maple Leafs – $3.28 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after 2021-22 – Tim Gleason, Jared Cowen buyouts; Phil Kessel retained

Nashville Predators – $2.83 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after 2018-19 – Viktor Stalberg, Eric Nystrom, Barret Jackman buyouts

Boston Bruins – $2.73 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved 2019-20 – Dennis Seidenberg, Jimmy Hayes buyouts

New York Rangers – $2.61 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after 2022-23 – Dan Girardi buyout

Minnesota Wild – $2.5 MM in 2017-17, issues resolved after current year – Thomas Vanek buyout

Los Angeles Kings – $2.4 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after 2023-24 – Matt Greene buyout; Mike Richards termination/recapture

Edmonton Oilers – $2.33 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after 2020-21 – Lauri Korpikoski, Benoit Pouliot buyouts

Anaheim Ducks – $2.21 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after 2023-24 – Mark Fistric, Simon Despres buyouts; Patrick Maroon retained

Vancouver Canucks – $2.13 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after 2021-22 – Roberto Luongo, Jannik Hansen retained; Chris Higgins buyout

New Jersey Devils – $2.09 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after 2023-24 – Mike Cammalleri, Devante Smith-Pelly buyouts; Ilya Kovalchuk recapture

Tampa Bay Lightning – $1.83 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after 2019-20 – Matt Carle buyout

Calgary Flames – $1.82 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after 2018-19 – Mason Raymond, Lance Bouma, Ryan Murphy buyouts

Detroit Red Wings – $1.67 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after 2020-21 – Stephen Weiss buyout

Dallas Stars – $1.5 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after 2018-19- Antti Niemi buyout

Philadelphia Flyers – $1.5 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after current year – R.J. Umberger buyout

Winnipeg Jets – $1.46 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after 2018-19 – Mark Stuart buyout

Florida Panthers – $1.33 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after 2018-19 – Jussi Jokinen buyout

Las Vegas Golden Knights – $1.1 MM in 2017-18, issues resolved after current year – Alexei Emelin retained

Ottawa Senators – $350,000 in 2017-18, issues resolved after current year – Andrew Hammond buried

Buffalo Sabres – Minimal in 2017-18, increased issues ($791,00) resolved after 2022-23 – Cody Hodgson buyout

 

 

Chicago Blackhawks, St. Louis Blues, Washington Capitals, Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Islanders, San Jose Sharks,  Montreal Canadiens – No dead cap space

After compiling the list, it became clear that utilizing these options isn’t a complete hindrance to competing in the NHL. In fact, most clubs have between $1 MM and $3 MM in dead space. That said, of the teams that have not needed to utilize the buyout or retention options, there has been a great deal of success. And among the five worst offenders, the Leafs, Hurricanes, Blue Jackets, Avalanche, and Coyotes, none has moved past the first-round in multiple years. It’s hard to draw massive conclusions without taking the context of each individual situation into account, but there is something to be said for making every dollar of cap space count. Perhaps this is merely a byproduct of past success rather than an indicator of future success, but considering how amenable many managers have become to the option, it bears consideration.

(All totals courtesy of the fantastic CapFriendly.com)

Korpikoski Headed To Camp With Flames On PTO

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Veteran checking forward Lauri Korpikoski, who was bought out of his contract by Edmonton earlier this summer, is evidently going to training camp with the provincial rival Flames, joining several other experienced players looking for work in Calgary. The addition of Korpikoski was first reported by Darren Haynes, via Twitter, and later confirmed by the Flames themselves through the release of their training camp roster.

Korpikoski would have been entering the final season of the four-year, $10MM contract originally inked while a member of the Coyotes. But unhappy with the Finnish forward’s play and looking to open up a slot for a younger player, the Oilers bought out his contract in June, making him a free agent. Unable to land a guaranteed contract, Korpikoski will now have to compete with NHL veterans Chris Higgins and Matt Frattin, both of whom are also going to camp on a PTO, and several other players for a bottom-six role with the Flames.

A veteran of 540 NHL games, Korpikoski played just one season with the Oilers, tallying 10 goals and 22 points in 71 contests, after being acquired from Arizona for center Boyd Gordon. For his career, he has scored 181 points with 122 minutes in penalties and has posted a -54 plus-minus rating. Korpikoski was at one time considered a solid, defensive forward who combined for 77 points in 161 contests during the 2010-11 and 2011-12 campaigns as a member of the Coyotes. He would also garner some Selke votes, placing 40th and 35th respectively in balloting for those seasons.

You can keep track of the latest PTO signings by checking out our Training Camp Invite Tracker.

Columbus Blue Jackets Sign Jarret Stoll To PTO

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After the Calgary Flames added Chris Higgins and the Carolina Hurricanes added Raffi Torres on professional try-outs earlier today, the Columbus Blue Jackets have decided to get in on the action. The team has invited veteran Jarret Stoll to training camp on a PTO, as Aaron Portzline reports.

Stoll, 34, spent last season between the New York Rangers and Minnesota Wild contributing just nine points in 80 games. Once an effective scoring threat capable of putting up 40 points per season, Stoll hasn’t hit double digits in goals since 2010-11. Last season saw his minutes decreased to just over 12 a game, as he became a PK and faceoff specialist, hardly spending any time in the offensive zone.

Now, Stoll will try to hook on with a team in desperate need of cheap options to fill out their roster. The club is just $3.8MM under the cap, despite only having 18 players (twelve forwards and six defense) under NHL deals. While Zach Werenski, Pierre-Luc Dubois and Oliver Bjorkstrand all might make the team to provide some young inexpensive options, someone like Stoll could provide a cheap, veteran, bottom-six option for a team with so much tied up in terrible contracts.

Calgary Flames Sign Chris Higgins To PTO

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The Calgary Flames have announced the signing of Chris Higgins to a professional try-out. Higgins was bought out earlier this summer by the Vancouver Canucks after a dreadful 2015-16 season that saw him relegated to the AHL for the first time in over a decade.

Higgins, 33, has declined rapidly in recent years and put up only four points in 33 games last season at the NHL level. A former three-time twenty-goal scorer, he could once be counted on to provide 30-40 points while playing a solid two-way game. The Canucks decided he wasn’t going to be able to recapture that skill though, buying out the final year of his contract to save less than $2MM in cap space this season; Higgins will be paid $833K for the next two years, making any contract he earns in Flames camp a bonus.

This isn’t the first time Higgins will be in a Calgary sweater, as the team acquired him in 2010 from the Rangers in a four-player swap. Ironically, that was during his second worst season of his career, one that saw him score only 17 points in 72 games. Perhaps the Flames are convinced they can turn him around this time, and provide some veteran leadership to a group led by young forwards.

Snapshots: Burrows, Francis, Arbitration

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When the 2015-16 season came to a close, it seemed a sure bet that the Vancouver Canucks were going to buy out the final year of Alex Burrows’ four-year, $18MM contract. He’d seen his play dwindle, and GM Jim Benning was clear that he wanted to move in a younger direction, all but pointing the finger at the 35-year old.  But, as the first buyout window came and went, it was Chris Higgins and not Burrows that found his contract voided.

Now, Burrows says that he’s ready for the new season and is challenging himself to be better.  In talking to Ben Kuzma of The Province, Burrows provided great insight into his preparation and mindset heading into this season, including making it clear that he will relish a leadership and mentor opportunity with the younger players this season.

He’s even open to being a healthy scratch on occasion: “There are so many worse things in life than being a healthy scratch or they put a young guy in the lineup ahead of you. My wife is healthy and my kids are healthy and it puts things in perspective.”  Here’s some more from around the league:

  • After years of floundering without a clear direction, Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News opines that the Carolina Hurricanes are finally doing a re-build the right way. With a full stable of young defensemen they’ve built through the draft, the team now has the option of dealing from a position of depth – one that is scarce throughout the league. Kennedy mentions the recent rumors of David Krejci from Boston as a possible target for one of their young blueliners.
  • In hiring Brad Shaw as an assistant coach last month, the Columbus Blue Jackets added an experienced name that can help build and develop their defense like he did in St. Louis. When asked by Rob Mixer of NHL.com why he chose Columbus, Shaw made it clear that players like the recently extended Seth Jones, and second overall pick Ryan Murray were a key factor: “The young defensemen here played a big part in my decision, no doubt about it. The biggest challenge in working with young players is trying to pin down and have a clear picture of what the final product will look like when they’re at their best in the NHL. Every guy is different.”
  • After Philadelphia signed Jordan Weal earlier today, three of the twenty-five players who are headed to arbitration (through their own filing or the team’s) have now come to terms before their hearings, as General Fanager tweets. You can follow all the arbitration cases on their tracker, as well as up-to-date depth charts at Roster Resource.

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