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Penguins’ Jack Johnson Likely To Be Traded Before Season

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With the Pittsburgh Penguins over the salary cap upper limit, the team will have to make a move to become cap compliant by the time the season starts. The team does have a number of options that could get them to the $81.5MM limit (they are only about $400K over the cap). However, The Athletic’s Josh Yohe (subscription required) reports that defenseman Jack Johnson has been told by the front office that general manager Jim Rutherford has many trade possibilities on his desk and the majority of them involve the Penguins trading away Johnson.

Yohe goes on to quote a source who indicated there was “a 75-80 percent chance” that Johnson will no longer be a Penguin. There are evidently two teams that are willing to take on Johnson’s contract, although Pittsburgh may be forced to send a sweetener. The Penguins are also likely going to have to move one of their backup goaltenders, either Tristan Jarry or Casey DeSmith, or will have to risk sending one of them through waivers, which means one of them would likely be snagged by another team.

Johnson signed a five-year, $16.25MM deal ($3.25MM AAV) with the Penguins last summer and the contract almost immediately become one of the team’s biggest albatrosses. Johnson struggled almost immediately as he played a career low in minutes played, averaging just 19:17. Despite playing in all 82 games, he finished with just 13 points and a minus-four plus/minus.

The team has quite a bit of depth on its blueline this year and Johnson, so far this preseason, has often found himself on the outside looking in and currently looks to be used as the team’s seventh extra defenseman, a tall order for a player making $3.25MM per season for another four years. Several players have passed him since last season on the depth chart, including Marcus Pettersson, Juuso Riikola and the emergence of John Marino.

Metropolitan Notes: Jarry, Johnson, Patrick, Kempny

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have a goaltending dilemma approaching them. The team has three goaltenders who are competing for the two spots on the Penguins roster with Tristan Jarry battling with incumbent Casey DeSmith for the backup spot behind Matt Murray. However, while the competition was the exact same one year ago, the Penguins were able to keep all three by simply sending Tristan Jarry to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the AHL.

That may not be as easy this year, according to TribLive’s Seth Rohrabaugh. Jarry, who was waiver exempt last season, no longer will be, meaning Pittsburgh would have to pass him through waivers if they want to send Jarry back to the AHL. Rohrabaugh adds that the Penguins did attempt to move the 24-year-old this summer, but failed to get a decent return on any trade. However, general manger Jim Rutherford may have no choice but to look at trade options once again and even have to settle for a late draft pick as there is a good chance the team could lose him if Jarry can’t beat out DeSmith. Either way, there is a good chance Pittsburgh might lose one of their goaltenders before the season starts.

  • Sticking with the Penguins, The Athletic’s Rob Rossi (subscription required) writes that while Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Jack Johnson says he’s equal at playing on both sides of the defense, head coach Mike Sullivan says he intends to move him back to his natural left-side in hopes of getting more out of the 32-year-old blueliner. Sullivan prefers to keep all his defensemen on their natural side, if possible. At the moment, the coach has Johnson penciled in next to Justin Schultz, who brought out the best in him.
  • Philly.com’s Sam Carchidi reports that Philadelphia Flyers forward Nolan Patrick skated today and attended a team meeting, but the 20-year-old is considered week-to-week due to an upper-body injury. Patrick, who already moved back a line after the team signed Kevin Hayes this summer, must prove that he can avoid the injury bug as the center has struggled off and on with minor injuries throughout his first two seasons.
  • J.J. Regan of NBC Sports writes that Washington Capitals defenseman Michal Kempny is doubtful to play in the preseason after undergoing surgery to repair a torn left hamstring in April, but the Capitals hope that he might be ready for the start of the regular season. Kempny, who has become one of Washington’s most reliable defensemen since they acquired him from Chicago at the 2018 trade deadline, but the 29-year-old hasn’t skated yet at any team practices.

Metropolitan Notes: Konecny, Kuznetsov, Rust, Van Riemsdyk

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There was some hope that after Ivan Provorov signed, the Philadelphia Flyers would put all their attention to their other unsigned restricted free agent, Travis Konecny with the hopes of getting him to training camp as quickly as possible. Instead, that hasn’t happened yet with Philly.com’s Sam Carchidi reporting today that no progress was made between the two sides on Saturday.

Philadelphia Flyers head coach Alain Vigneault expressed his disappointment that Konecny isn’t in camp yet as he will be missing valuable time learning the new coach’s system.

“I’m very disappointed that T.K. is not here,” Vigneault said after his first practice leading the Flyers (via NBC Sports’ Jordan Hall). “It’s the start of a new era, a new group, I felt that it was very important for everybody to be here.  With my time in the NHL, my experience, anybody that falls behind — whether it’s injury or in T.K.’s situation not coming to camp — usually it takes them a little bit of time to get back at it, especially at this time with a new coaching staff and new way of doing things. It’s unfortunate, but I’m going to work with the players that are here and going to work extremely hard with those players.”

Konecny could also find himself sliding down the lineup if he can’t get back to camp quickly. On day two of training camp, Vigneault used rookie Joel Farabee (in place of Konecny) with first-liners Sean Couturier and Claude Giroux, with the rookie faring quite well and getting praise from Vigneault.

“He showed that he belonged there,” said Vigneault.

  • With a three-game suspension hanging over Evgeny Kuznetsov to start the season for inappropriate behavior, Washington Capitals head coach Todd Reirden suggested that Kuznetsov is likely to get a lot of exhibition action during the preseason to make up for the three suspended games, according to Washington Post’s Isabelle Khurshudyan. NHL.com’s Tom Gulliti adds that Kuznetsov’s $7.8MM AAV will not against the Washington Capitals salary cap during the suspension, which could be a benefit to the team, which is currently over the cap.
  • The Athletic’s Josh Yohe (subscription required) writes in his most recent mailbag column that the Pittsburgh Penguins most valuable and likely trade chip is forward Bryan Rust. The 27-year-old scored 18 goals and 35 points last season and is a key depth option, but at $3.5MM per season, Rust is the perfect candidate to solve some of the team’s cap issues, although the Penguins’ preference is to find a team that would be willing to take on Jack Johnson and his four years at $3.25MM AAV contract.
  • The Carolina Hurricanes revealed that they don’t expect defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk to be ready for the start of the season, according to NHL.com’s Michael Smith. The 28-year-old van Riemsdyk underwent surgery on his left shoulder in May and has been cleared to begin skating without contact after team practices. “I don’t expect him to be ready for the start of the season,” Hurricanes President and General Manager Don Waddell said. “It just depends on how things go for him. There’s no reason to rush him back in game one or game two. It’s a long season. If we’re going to go deep, we’re going to need him. We’ll be very patient.”

 

Penguins Unlikely To Make Cap-Clearing Trade

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The Pittsburgh Penguins are currently over the salary cap limit, per CapFriendly, with $81.66MM committed to 23 players. That does not include restricted free agent defenseman Marcus Pettersson, who reportedly has been waiting for the Penguins to clear the necessary space to sign him to a long-term contract. GM Jim Rutherford even stated that he hoped to sign the 23-year-old blue liner to a long extension and would likely need to move out another roster player to do so. So, a trade is coming to Pittsburgh before the start of the season, right? Probably not, as it turns out. The Athletic’s Josh Yohe recently caught up with Rutherford who has changed his tune on making a deal. “It might turn out that we won’t be able to give Marcus the contract that we want to be able to give right now,” Rutherford said, “But if that’s the case, we’ll make everything work with the cap. And we can do that without trading anyone.”

Yohe speculates that the Penguins could fit Pettersson under the cap on a cheap one-year deal, even though that is not the preference of either side. By demoting one of the defensemen Pettersson would be replacing on the roster, Zach Trotman or Juuso Riikola, the salaries offset somewhat. Trotman in particular appears to be more of a placeholder on the roster if Pettersson is not signed by the beginning of the regular season, as the veteran did not see any NHL action last year. Yohe also adds that keeping Tristan Jarry at $675K as the backup goalie over Casey DeSmith at $1.25MM would also add much needed space, although would be a risky endeavor. DeSmith would be an attractive claim candidate for a number of teams as an affordable backup with term on his contract. The team could choose instead to trade DeSmith, but Rutherford clearly doesn’t see that as a possibility in the current market.

Making a trade remains the simplest way for Pittsburgh to clear space for Pettersson, but Rutherford’s hands appear to be tied. “You can’t make a trade when you can’t find anyone to trade with” he stated to Yohe. The Penguins have been a fixture on the trade market over the last few years and may be running out of willing partners. Last year alone, Rutherford made nine trades during the regular season, only to keep going this off-season with trades shipping out Phil Kessel and Olli Maatta. It could also be the competitors aren’t buying what Rutherford is selling. Defenseman Jack Johnson remains the player that the team would most like to move, but he has little to no market value at his inflated salary. The team also has reportedly tried to flip former Florida Panthers forward Nick Bjugstad, whose value has declined somewhat. As for their more homegrown products, defenseman Justin Schultz and winger Bryan Rust have come up in trade rumors, but have been associated with high asking prices as well.

By saying that no one will make a trade, Rutherford likely just means that no team is currently willing to bite on the players he is open to moving at the price he is willing to take. If that continues, and Pettersson is willing to take a one-year deal with the hopes of driving the price up on an extension next summer, then Rutherford and the Penguins would be better served not to make a desperation trade and instead try to squeeze the young defender onto the roster. It may be difficult season for Pittsburgh when it comes to roster flexibility, but it may be their best solution to the current issue.

Penguins Notes: Cap Crunch, Murray, Jarry, Trade Candidates

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Although the Penguins have minimal cap space and two players still in need of new contracts in defenseman Marcus Pettersson and center Zach Aston-Reese, GM Jim Rutherford told DKPittsburghSports’ Dave Molinari that he doesn’t foresee needing to make a small cap-saving move to get in compliance with the $81.5MM Upper Limit for next season.  Instead, he indicated that their plan is to carry less than the maximum 23 skaters, a strategy that would certainly carry some risk if short-term injuries were to arise.  That plan also suggests that their intention is to sign each RFA to a one-year contract as anything longer would certainly carry a larger cap hit.  Per CapFriendly, Pittsburgh has just over $840K in cap space with a 22-man roster but some of those players on their current roster could be in the minors to start next season.

More from Pittsburgh:

  • In that same interview with Molinari, Rutherford indicated that there have been no discussions yet regarding a potential contract extension for goalie Matt Murray. He’s entering the final year of his contract with a $3.75MM AAV and as an RFA with arbitration rights next summer, it’s going to cost considerably more to keep him around.  The GM also believes that they won’t need to trade fellow netminder Tristan Jarry.  While he’s no longer waiver exempt, Rutherford feels that with most (if not all) of the backup slots around the league now filled, there’s much less of a risk to exposing him to the waiver wire.
  • If the Penguins do indeed decide to make a move to free up cap space to give themselves some additional flexibility, Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette suggests that winger Bryan Rust, center Nick Bjugstad, and defenseman Jack Johnson are the likeliest trade candidates. Rust was inconsistent last season and with a $3.5MM AAV, they could look to save there.  Bjugstad failed to come close to his 2017-18 output so his $4.1MM price tag is a bit on the high side though they’d likely prefer to see what he can do after a full training camp under his belt.  Johnson’s cost is the cheapest at $3.25MM per season but with four years remaining, Vensel acknowledged that Pittsburgh would need to provide an incentive to be able to move his contract.

East Notes: Johnson, Backes, Stralman

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The five-year, $16.25MM contract that the Penguins gave defenseman Jack Johnson last summer drew some immediate ire.  Considering that the team is still tight against the cap even after dealing away Olli Maatta over the weekend, some may be wondering if Johnson could also be on the move at some point.  GM Jim Rutherford poured cold water over that idea, telling Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that the Maatta swap means that Johnson will be sticking around:

“We certainly had to make a move from a cap point of view. … We were getting ourselves to a point where we might have been in a little trouble.  It was going to be either Johnson or Maatta to open up the necessary cap space and open up the logjam at defense. And as it turned out, it ended up being Olli.”

The 32-year-old logged over 19 minutes a game for the Penguins last season although his offensive output continued to drop as he scored just a single goal.  It appears as if Johnson will be resuming his role on their back end when the puck drops on next season in October.

Elsewhere in the East:

  • While Bruins forward David Backes has been brought up as a speculative candidate to leave Boston, it doesn’t appear as if that will be the case. Speaking with reporters including Joe Haggerty of NBC Sports Boston (Twitter link), GM Don Sweeney stated that Backes will not be going anywhere this offseason.  The 35-year-old has two years remaining on his deal with a $6MM cap hit and a partial no-trade clause but because of the structure of the contract, a buyout wouldn’t save Boston much on the cap.  Instead, it appears they’ll ask him to hold down a spot in their bottom six once again next season.
  • Lightning free agent defenseman Anton Stralman will be participating in the UFA interview window which begins next week, agent Marc Levine told Joe Smith of The Athletic (Twitter link). That suggests that there hasn’t been much progress made in discussions about a possible contract extension.  Stralman, 32, is coming off an injury-plagued 2018-19 campaign but still logged over 20 minutes a night and with the market for right-shot defenders dwindling quickly, he should have plenty of suitors if he does indeed make it to the open market next month.

Pittsburgh Penguins Trade Olli Maatta To Chicago

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have traded defenseman Olli Maatta to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for Dominik Kahun and a 2019 fifth-round pick, according to TSN’s Darren Dreger.

With a surplus of defensemen on their roster, the Penguins were going to have to make a move and unload one of their defensemen as the team already had Kris Letang, Justin Schultz, Brian Dumoulin, Erik Gudbranson, Jack Johnson, Chad Ruhwedel and Marcus Pettersson on the NHL roster. Maatta was a prime candidate to be moved after a so-so season in which the 24-year-old went from a seven-goal, 29-point season in 2017-18 to a one-goal, 14-point season this past year. Injuries have also plagued Maatta as he missed six weeks with an upper-body injury late in the season.

It looks like Pittsburgh got good value in return for Maatta, however, as they team picks up Kahun, who had an impressive rookie season for Chicago. The 23-year-old signed a two-year entry-level deal out of Germany and immediately proved his worth by making the Blackhawks’ squad out of training camp and showed off his versatility by being able to play any forward position. He contributed 13 goals and 37 points, but with the number of NHL forwards that Chicago has on its roster, the team had the luxury of trading one away to bolster its defensive core. Kahun should bolster the team’s middle-six, providing offense on whatever line the team needs. Pittsburgh general manager Jim Rutherford spoke highly of the new addition:

He is a speedy, versatile player capable of playing all three forward positions. He also saw time on Chicago’s power-play and penalty killing units. We are very excited for him to join our team.

While adding Kahun, perhaps the biggest plus to the trade was freeing up some cap space. By moving his three years and $4.08MM contract and acquiring the cheaper Kahun ($925K), the Penguins have added $3.16MM in cap space this season. The Penguins also add a coveted draft pick for this year, even if it’s in the fifth round. Pittsburgh had already traded away its second, third, fourth and sixth-round picks for this draft, so adding a second fifth-rounder helps make up for those lost picks.

For Chicago, with $19MM in projected cap space this offseason, adding Maatta’s contract wasn’t a problem and the team still is expected to have more than $17MM in cap space to make more moves this offseason. The team needed to add some experienced depth to its team and it likely was going to do it via trade. The fact that Maatta is left-handed, however, will have him battling with a group of left-handers for playing time, including Duncan Keith, Erik Gustafsson, Slater Koekkoek and Carl Dahlstrom.

 

Trade Rumors: Trade Bait, Panarin, Condon

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For everyone but the Boston Bruins and St. Louis Blues, the off-season is already in full swing and with the NHL Draft less than three weeks away, the rumor mill is starting to heat back up. TSN’s Frank Seravalli has updated his Trade Bait list and it features a whopping ten new names out of 25 total players. Leading the way among the newcomers is talented, young Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere. Gostisbehere has emerged as a candidate to move if the Flyers can land a top-six forward in exchange, as they look to be aggressive this off-season. Also new to the list are names included in the overturned Phil Kessel-to-Minnesota trade, Jack Johnson and Victor Rask, with Jason Zucker and Kessel now long-time fixtures. Another player tied to recent rumors making his trade bait debut is the Vancouver Canucks’ Loui Eriksson, who has been linked to former teammate Milan Lucic, also on the list, and the Edmonton Oilers, but could move in any number of possible deals. As the Florida Panthers look to shake up their roster in free agency, James Reimer and Mike Hoffman have made the list as possible cap space casualties. So too have Toronto Maple Leafs teammates Nazem Kadri and Mitch Marner, even though Seravalli himself agrees that a Marner trade is a long shot. With plenty of talent filling the early off-season trade bait board, it could be a busy summer for high-profile trades, some of which could begin even before the draft kicks off on June 21st.

  • A seemingly curious continued presence on the trade bait list is that of Artemi Panarin. It was one thing for Panarin to be atop the list as the trade deadline approached and the Columbus Blue Jackets were unsure whether or not they would sell the all-world forward. However, after keeping Panarin, an impending unrestricted free agent, it may seem that his trade value has now disappeared, since he is weeks away from hitting the open market. However, as a 27-year-old premiere free agent, both Panarin and his suitors will be interested in that eighth year of contract term that is only available to the incumbent team. As such, the Blue Jackets could look to squeeze the very last drops of value out of Panarin by trading his rights before the league year ends, allowing a new team to sign him to an eight-year extension rather than a seven-year free agent contract. While possible, and often valuable, acquiring UFA signing rights is not as frequent a move as one might expect. The last team to do so was the Florida Panthers in 2016, adding an expiring Keith Yandle for a a sixth-round pick and conditional fourth-round pick. That same year, the Arizona Coyotes did the same, bringing in Alex Goligoski on the tail end of his contract with the Dallas Stars for a fifth-round pick. Not since Ilya Bryzgalov in 2011 has a player’s UFA rights drawn more than a fourth-round pick at best, but Panarin is a unique player and Columbus could land a third-round pick or more in exchange for the opportunity to sign him to that one extra year – and to keep him from testing the market.
  • Unsurprisingly, the extension of goaltender Anders Nilsson in Ottawa has prompted speculation that the Senators will try to move overpaid third-string option Mike Condon. The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch writes that Condon’s “days are numbered” with the team, as there’s no room for him in Ottawa behind Nilsson and Craig Anderson and he’s not wanted in Belleville with Filip Gustavsson, Joey Daccord, and possibly Marcus Hogberg in the mix. Cap space is not a problem for the Senators, but Garrioch still believes they would prefer to trade Condon and all or part of his $2.4MM salary next season rather than buy him out at the cost of $400K next year and $1MM the year after. Garrioch can only make a case that perhaps some team with weak goalie depth would be interested in Condon as a strong AHL option next season, as the 29-year-old is unlikely to be considered a regular NHL option. Perhaps after the free agent goalie market shakes out in early July, the Senators will be able to find a partner who missed out on their targets and could use Condon’s services. Otherwise, a buyout does seem to be the more likely route.

Minnesota, Pittsburgh In Trade Talks Regarding Phil Kessel

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2:40pm: Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic has actually heard that Kessel may not waive his clause for a deal to Minnesota. Other teams that are on his small trade list have contacted the Penguins, and LeBrun believes it is a matter of “when not if” for a trade at this point.

1:05pm: The Pittsburgh Penguins haven’t been secretive about their plans to shake up the roster this summer, and Phil Kessel’s name has been front and center in all of the trade speculation. That seems to be coming to a head, as Josh Yohe of The Atheltic (subscription required) reports that the Penguins are in talks with the Minnesota Wild on a trade revolving around Kessel. Yohe notes that Jason Zucker, who has also been available in recent months, would likely be going the other way if a deal can be reached, while Jack Johnson and Victor Rask have been discussed.

The trade has apparently been “on the table for days” with Kessel’s no-trade clause the only impediment at this point. That trade clause allows Kessel to submit a list of only eight teams he can be traded to, though he can obviously waive it to accept a deal anywhere else.

Kessel, 31, is coming off another point-per-game season that saw him register 27 goals and 82 points while continuing his near decade long iron man streak. The veteran winger is an incredible offensive player but has often been critiqued for his inconsistent defensive effort and prickly personality. While teammates will often speak extremely highly of the Wisconsin native, he has proven difficult to coach at times and has already been traded twice in his career.

Still, his offensive ability and Stanley Cup experience are exactly what the Wild are looking for after failing to make the playoffs this season. Owner Craig Leipold recently made it clear that he wants the team to get back to the postseason tournament next season, and GM Paul Fenton has already done quite a bit of work to break up the former veteran core. Charlie Coyle, Mikael Granlund and Nino Niederreiter have all been shipped out over the last few months, and Zucker could now be on his way out as well.

Yohe’s colleague Michael Russo detailed earlier this week how Zucker was being shopped around, and even listed Kessel first in his examination of potential returns. The fact that Kessel provides a right-handed shot for the Wild forward group, an attribute they are desperately in need of, makes him an even more attractive option.

Obviously if a deal is completed it will likely include more than just the two forwards, but in a vacuum they don’t represent very different financial commitments. Zucker has four years left on his contract that carries a $5.5MM cap hit while Kessel carries a $6.8MM hit over the next three. The Wild would actually end up paying less actual salary, give the front-loading of Kessel’s deal and the fact that the Toronto Maple Leafs are still retaining $1.2MM per season.

Pittsburgh Penguins Extend Chad Ruhwedel

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The Pittsburgh Penguins may have a logjam on the blue line as it is, but that won’t stop GM Jim Rutherford from keeping one of his favorite players around. The Penguins have announced a new two-year, one-way deal with defenseman Chad Ruhwedel. The contract carries a minimum $700K AAV.

Ruhwedel, 29, arrived in Pittsburgh in 2016 as a free agent and took on a surprisingly large role for the Penguins as a primary depth option in the regular season and postseason en route to a Stanley Cup title. He played even more last year, skating in a career-high 44 games and starting in the playoffs. However, his career trend went in the opposite direction this season, as Ruhwedel spent almost the whole season in the press box, playing in just 18 games with Pittsburgh and five with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Even in a reduced role, Rutherford and head coach Mike Sullivan were consistent in their praise for Ruhwedel as a reliable depth player and positive locker room influence. In the team’s release detailing the new contract, Rutherford said the following of his extended defender:

Chad has exemplified what it means to be a team player the past two years. His work ethic and conditioning have allowed him to jump into the lineup at a moment’s notice, which is vital to a team’s success.

Ruhwedel was unlikely to land anything other than a minimum contract on the free agent market, so it makes sense that he chooses to return to Pittsburgh where he is comfortable and where he has found success. More likely than not, Ruhwedel will have to clear waivers at some point this season, as the Penguins are well-stocked on the back end. Barring a trade, Ruhwedel joins Kris Letang, Brian Dumoulin, Justin Schultz, Olli Maatta, Erik Gudbranson, and Jack Johnson on one-way contracts, with Marcus Pettersson and Juuso Riikola in need of a new contracts as restricted free agents. The renewal of Ruhwedal does improve the odds that a defenseman is dealt out of Pittsburgh, though.

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