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Jake Gardiner

Toronto’s Defensive Depth Thinner Than Ever

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For most of the season and even previous years, many have pointed to the Toronto Maple Leafs blue line as their obvious weakness. Even with their glut of talented forwards, the team struggled at times because of the lack of defensive awareness or skill on the back end. With Travis Dermott’s emergence late last season that was partially corrected, and when the team went out and acquired Jake Muzzin from the Los Angeles Kings the group took another step forward. While they were obviously left-heavy, there was enough talent there to perhaps take the team deep into the playoffs. That’s why they ultimately decided against adding another name at the trade deadline, given the high prices floated around for available right-handed defensemen.

Now though, that decision looks like a mistake. The Maple Leafs announced yesterday that Jake Gardiner would be out on a week-to-week basis with a back injury, and then lost Dermott during the game to a shoulder injury. Head coach Mike Babcock used the same designation as Gardiner to describe Dermott’s injury timeline, though the team has not given any additional information. That’s two major pieces down in a matter of days, and James Mirtle of The Athletic (subscription required) writes that Gardiner’s injury may actually be similar to the one Zach Parise dealt with that cost him 39 games last season. If that’s true, there’s a chance that Gardiner isn’t even ready to help the team in the playoffs at all.

The Maple Leafs will recall Martin Marincin today and will ice him alongside Justin Holl in tonight’s game against the New York Islanders. The pair has incredibly totaled just 20 games at any level this season, instead spending most of the year in the press box watching the action. That’s a disastrous place for a playoff contender to be in, even if both have shown at least some level of competence in the past.

Muzzin, who has averaged just over 19 minutes a game since arriving in Toronto (well under his career norm), will now have to take on much more responsibility down the stretch. He and Morgan Rielly will likely anchor the first two pairs and powerplay units, while Ron Hainsey and Nikita Zaitsev continue their work on the penalty kill.

After last night’s win against the Edmonton Oilers, the Maple Leafs sit third in the Atlantic Division but right on the heels of the Boston Bruins. The last 19 games of the season will determine who of those two receives home ice advantage in an almost certain first-round matchup, something that has had dire consequences in recent years. Without Gardiner and Dermott for a good chunk of the year, it will be extremely tough to secure that spot.

Jake Gardiner Out “Week-To-Week” For Toronto Maple Leafs

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When the Toronto Maple Leafs acquired Jake Muzzin earlier this season there were many who questioned why the team brought in another left-handed option. That move seems prescient today, after the team announced that Jake Gardiner will be out on a “week-to-week” basis with a back injury. Gardiner has already missed two games earlier this year with what were characterized as back spasms, but this seems like a much more serious injury.

With Gardiner out, the Maple Leafs will have to rely on Muzzin, Morgan Rielly and Travis Dermott on the left side while rookie Igor Ozhiganov draws back into the lineup. Ozhiganov has not played since January 23rd and is averaging just over 14 minutes a night for the Maple Leafs in the 42 games he has suited up for.

It’s a tough break for Toronto, who decided not to pay the high prices for rental defensemen at the deadline. Gardiner played on Monday night but ended up with his lowest ice time of the season at 16:30, and will likely miss at least a handful of important games. The Maple Leafs are likely going to face the Boston Bruins in the first round once again, but are fighting with them to decide who will enjoy home ice advantage during the series. The Montreal Canadiens are also within striking distance, meaning a Maple Leafs slump could have dire consequences.

Gardiner, for all the derision he takes at times from Maple Leafs fans, is an extremely effective player at even-strength for the team. The 28-year old has 29 points through 60 games for the team and has once again posted positive possession statistics. Those strong numbers are however marked with the odd brutal giveaway or complete lack of defensive awareness, which leads to some debate over his contributions.

Nevertheless, Gardiner was setting himself up for a huge payday in the offseason. A career-high of 52 points set in 2017-18 and the fact that he won’t turn 29 until July 4th made him quite an attractive option as a potential free agent, something he’ll almost certainly become now that the Maple Leafs acquired Muzzin’s $4MM cap hit for next year. The team will have quite the cap crunch after signing their remaining restricted free agents—a group that includes Mitch Marner, Kasperi Kapanen and Andreas Johnsson—and will likely not be able to afford Gardiner’s new deal. That said, this injury comes at a terrible time for the defenseman as he tries to prove his worth on a playoff team.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

2019 Midseason UFA Power Rankings: 11-20

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With the halfway point of the season now behind us and the trade deadline fast approaching, the All-Star break seemed like the perfect time to take a preliminary look at the UFA Class of 2019. Here is the first half of our top-20 rankings, based on votes from writers Gavin Lee, Brian La Rose, Zach Leach and Holger Stolzenberg. We’ll run numbers 1-10 as well as an honorable mention group early next week.

11. Brock Nelson, New York Islanders — If this list had come out at the end of last season, there would be little chance that Nelson would rank as high as he does now. After posting an extremely disappointing 35-point season in 2017-18, Nelson has come back to life under new head coach Barry Trotz and already has 16 goals and 31 points through 49 games. The big center has seen increased minutes since the departure of John Tavares and is thriving in a two-way role, making him an easy fit for almost any team across the league. Nelson will still be just 27 when the 2019-20 season starts and likely coming off a career year. Like the other Islanders on the list, the team will try to retain his services if possible.

12. Jake Gardiner, Toronto Maple Leafs — There are few more divisive figures in Toronto than Gardiner, who has drawn boos from the home crowd at times this season because of his high-risk style. Still, the 28-year old defenseman is logging nearly 22 minutes a night and is on pace for another 40-point season. The analytically-minded may point to his excellent possession metrics and say he should be ranked higher on this list, but his defensive ability and handedness may somewhat stifle his market. Still, defensemen are always in demand and he’ll have no trouble finding a multi-year deal if Toronto can’t find room to fit him into their crowded salary structure.

13. Wayne Simmonds, Philadelphia Flyers — The do-it-all winger is one of the biggest names on the trade market as we approach the deadline, meaning he very well might not make it to free agency if an acquiring team can convince him to stay. Simmonds adds a little bit of everything a team would want, mixing toughness and physicality with real skill around the net and a history of producing on the powerplay. Set to turn 31 before the next season begins and with a lot of miles already on his body, there may be some who are scared off by the dropping point totals the last few years and refuse to give Simmonds a long-term deal.

14. Gustav Nyquist, Detroit Red Wings — Just when you thought you had Nyquist figured out as a 40-50 point winger, he breaks out in the first half for Detroit with 43 points in 51 games. On track to blow past his career highs of 36 assists and 54 points, there will be several suitors that believe he can be that missing secondary scoring piece that costs a little less than the top names. Nyquist has always had a ton of skill and ability, but is this season’s performance just a mirage formed by opportunity and lack of playoff expectations?

15. Jordan Eberle, New York Islanders — It’s something of the opposite story for Eberle, who has failed this season to meet the lofty totals that he has reached with such consistency in the past. After six consecutive seasons with at least 20 goals (not counting the shortened 2012-13 campaign in which he tallied 16 in just 48 games), Eberle is at risk of not reaching that mark in 2018-19. With just 11 goals and 23 points in the first half, perhaps it is simply a buy-in to the more defensive structure of Trotz’ new-look Islanders. He’ll be 29 next season, but the idea of 30-goal upside and a history of clutch performances will certainly intrigue teams all around the league.

16. Ryan Dzingel, Ottawa Senators — While the Senators have turned into a circus over the last year given all the off-ice incidents, it’s easy to overlook the performances from some of their underrated players. Dzingel is the poster boy for that after a 23-goal season went almost unnoticed last year. This year he’s back at it with a little more fanfare, and now has 20 goals and 38 points through his first 48 games. All eyes are on Mark Stone and Matt Duchene at the trade deadline, but if the Senators don’t get Dzingel under contract he could be a valuable addition for any team. The fact that he’ll only turn 27 in March will be appealing to many teams looking for a cheaper option in the summer, but there’s no doubt Dzingel will get a raise on the $1.8MM cap hit he carries this year.

17. Semyon Varlamov, Colorado Avalanche — At the end of the 2014 season, Varlamov looked like he was going to take over the goaltending position in the NHL. He had just finished second in Vezina Trophy voting and fourth for the Hart after going 41-14-6 and posting a .927 save percentage. The Avalanche had certainly found their goaltender—at least so they thought. Since then Varlamov has battled inconsistency and this season has just a .908 save percentage through 31 starts. Colorado has Philipp Grubauer in place and look like they’ll move on, making a soon to be 31-year old Varlamov one of the most interesting names in free agency. Does a team trust him enough to hand over the starting role on a multi-year deal, or will he have to prove himself again in a tandem?

18. Micheal Ferland, Carolina Hurricanes — Ferland had the fortuitous opportunity to get his career on track beside Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan in Calgary before eventually getting moved to the Hurricanes as part of the blockbuster deal last summer, and now faces some tough questions about his future. It looks like the Hurricanes aren’t going to be able to convince him to stay, meaning he’ll head into free agency as sort of a question mark. Though he has 13 goals on the season, Ferland has tickled the twine just twice in his last 20 games dating back to November and has dealt with concussion issues. While he’s an extremely attractive asset at the deadline because of his low cost, investing big money in him this summer could be dangerous despite his relative youth.

19. Eric Staal, Minnesota Wild — It may say 34 years old on Staal’s birth certificate, but he hasn’t played like a declining asset since arriving in Minnesota. The long-time Carolina captain scored 65 and 76 points in his first two years with the Wild and is on pace for another 60-point performance this season. That kind of production from a center long known for his capable defensive play is extremely valuable, though his age will obvious cause teams to pause before handing out the dough. Another trade deadline candidate if the Wild fall out of the playoffs, he’ll have to perform better down the stretch than he did for the New York Rangers in 2016 if he wants to secure one last big payday.

20. Jakob Silfverberg, Anaheim Ducks — It’s been a tough year for almost every Ducks forward and Silfverberg is no exception. With just 19 points through his first 42 games and now dealing with an injury, there’s a chance he may post his lowest point total since 2013-14 when he played just 52 games. Still, a winger that earns Selke votes every season and can chip in around 20 goals isn’t worth nothing and there should be plenty of interested parties come July 1st. A strong second half by the Ducks or a new address at the trade deadline could really give Silfverberg’s market a boost, especially given his history as an excellent playoff performer.

What Your Team Is Thankful For: Toronto Maple Leafs

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With the holiday season now here, PHR continues its look at what teams are thankful for as the season heads towards the midway mark. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. Let’s take a look at what’s gone well in the early going and what could improve as the season rolls on for the Toronto Maple Leafs.  Click here for the other articles in this series. 

What are the Maple Leafs most thankful for?

Scoring and lots of it. Despite some injuires and a holdout, very little has slowed down an incredible offense. The team knew once it brought John Tavares on board this summer how good their offense would be and that has been the case as the team is ranked second in the league in scoring behind rival Tampa Bay, averaging 3.79 goals per game. That number has allowed the team the ability to put up the second-best record in hockey (behind rival Tampa Bay) with a 26-10-2 record. The team has already got six players with 10 goals or more, while another four players have seven goals or more. While many of those goal scorers have been their stars, the team has gotten impressive play from a number of unexpected players, including Kasperi Kapanen, Andreas Johnsson and Tyler Ennis.

Who are the Maple Leafs most thankful for?

The easy answer could be John Tavares with his 26 goals or Auston Matthews, who has 35 points in just 24 games, but surprisingly, the team’s points’ leader this year has been Mitch Marner, who has 13 goals and 40 assists this season. Those 53 points has him ranked fifth in the NHL and a suggestion that he’s headed for an even bigger season this year and if he can keep those numbers up is likely headed for a 100-point season for the team.

Marner is quickly finding himself among elite company. He is the first Maple Leaf to begin his career with 40 or more assists in three consecutive seasons, something that only five active NHL players have been able to do, including Sidney Crosby, Niklas Backstrom, Patrick Kane, Evgeni Malkin and Alex Ovechkin. No complaints in Toronto, however, as the team is trying to compete for a Stanley Cup championship this year. Marner’s play is exactly what they need to hopefully win a title.

What would the Maple Leafs be even more thankful for?

The team still needs to get William Nylander back on track. The 22-year-old ended his holdout on Dec. 1 after agreeing to a six-year, $45MM deal. However, Nylander has far from been a big hit since returning to Toronto’s lineup this year. The center has appeared now in 10 games for the Maple Leafs and still hasn’t registered a goal, posting just two assists so far. The team has moved him down to the third line and hopes that he will figure out a way to find his offense prowess. He is coming off a 20-goal season a year ago, but that holdout seems to have stalled that progress. If the team can get him going, it will only further improve their offense.

What should be on the Maple Leafs’ Holiday Wish List?

Some extensions. The team has several contracts to deal with this summer and after dealing with a long, drawn-out holdout from Nylander, Dubas and the Maple Leafs have to hope they can lock up their two top restricted free agents in Matthews and Marner. If the team can lock either of them up during the season, that could help set up the team’s long-term cap situation early which could allow Dubas to find more flexibility to add talent at the trade deadline.

The team has a number of other free agents to deal with as well. The team also has restricted free agents Kapanen and Johnsson on their list of players to lock up as well as unrestricted free agent defensemen Jake Gardiner and Ron Hainsey to deal with as well. The more they can accomplish during the season, the better for a team with a tricky cap situation.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Impact Defensive Rentals Could Be Quite Rare At Trade Deadline

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For an NHL team to grind their way to a Stanley Cup, a few things are almost always necessary. A hot goaltender, who can steal at least a few games through the long playoff run, center depth that can lift linemates up and provide secondary scoring, and extra defensemen who are able to step into the lineup when a top option inevitably suffers an injury. The postseason in hockey is a brutal period of injury for almost every player, and often leads to players suiting up despite major injuries.

Though you might not be able to guarantee the play of your starting goaltender at the trade deadline, you can give your team some help in the other two categories by going after players on expiring contracts. Rentals, as they are referred to because of their short-term nature, are always flipped around the league in the last few weeks of February as teams prepare for a potential playoff run. All but one team usually regret those acquisitions, but they continue anyway.

This year, the rental center market could have some legitimate impact talent in it with names like Matt Duchene, Kevin Hayes and even perhaps Eric Staal shopped by struggling teams down the stretch. Obviously any of those names or the several others available could be re-signed instead, but there should be at least a few options for teams looking to upgrade down the middle.

On defense though, teams might have to settle for players more suited to bottom-pairing or depth roles. That’s not because of a lack of pending free agents on the blue line—although the recent extensions for players like Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Drew Doughty and Ryan Ellis certainly changed the market—but because of the situations their respective teams are in this season.

When looking at the group that is scheduled to be available on July 1st, one name immediately stands out. Erik Karlsson doesn’t have a long-term extension with the San Jose Sharks yet, but that doesn’t mean he won’t before the end of the year. In order for San Jose to be eligible to sign Karlsson to an eight-year deal, they have to wait until after the trade deadline to pass. Perhaps the two sides are just waiting on that to happen, though it’s very unlikely the Sharks would trade Karlsson even if they aren’t. First of all, the Ottawa Senators included a clause in the summer blockbuster that essentially prevents Karlsson from being traded to the Eastern Conference. If the star defenseman ends up on an Eastern roster by the end of the year, San Jose would have to send over another first-round pick. But San Jose is also fighting for first place in the Pacific Division, and likely would choose to keep Karlsson regardless as a sort of “own rental.”

That same situation surrounds the other impact defensive options. Tyler Myers, Jake Gardiner and Anton Stralman are arguably the next three best rentals, and all could potentially be on different teams next season. But the Winnipeg Jets, Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning are all legitimate Stanley Cup contenders and need these players to keep them on that track. Zdeno Chara can make an impact, but holds a full no-movement clause and almost certainly will not leave Boston even if they fell out of the playoff race (something that seems unlikely anyway).

Those circumstances mean that the defensive rental market could be relatively shallow this season, with Alex Edler really being the crown jewel. Edler has been logging huge minutes for the Vancouver Canucks as they continue their rebuild and could help several teams, but beyond that names like Nick Jensen, Roman Polak and Alex Petrovic start popping up. That’s not to say there won’t be movement, but if you’re looking for real impact help teams might have to look for players with a little more term.

Toronto Maple Leafs Hope To Sign Matthews, Marner Before July

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The Toronto Maple Leafs went through a long and tough negotiation with William Nylander over the last six months, which cost the young forward the first two months of the season. Though the team obviously did fine without him, Nylander is still working his way into game shape even as the holiday season arrives. That’s not a situation GM Kyle Dubas wants to deal with again, and today he explained that the team will try to avoid it with both Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. The dynamic duo are scheduled for restricted free agency for the first time this summer, but are able to sign long-term extensions at any time. Dave McCarthy writes for NHL.com that Dubas hopes to have deals done long before July 1st:

We do want to avoid the situation we were just in (with William Nylander). It would be our intention well before July 1st that we have an agreement and both players are here long term. One way or another, we’ll get to that point.

Getting deals done with Matthews and Marner over the next few months would certainly give the team some cost certainty as they head into the next phase of their competitive window. Toronto currently has a large amount of available cap space thanks to the entry-level performances from Matthews, Marner and others like Kasperi Kapanen, Travis Dermott and Andreas Johnsson, but that won’t last very long. Four of those five players will be restricted free agents this summer—Dermott is the lone one under contract through 2019-20—though still have strong negotiating leverage with most of them. Only Johnsson is arbitration eligible, meaning that once the offseason began the two sides would have plenty of time to work through the process.

One of the reasons for getting it done before the offseason begins though would be the threat of an offer sheet, something that has come up repeatedly over the years despite the almost complete lack of them actually being put into practice. Dubas addressed that issue too, saying that he spends “zero percent” of his day worrying about the threat of an offer sheet and explaining that the Maple Leafs salary system is well set up to defend against one. An offer sheet for Matthews or Marner would almost certainly require a team to risk four first-round picks, but Toronto would also still have the ability to match any signed contract.

Interestingly though, getting deals done with Matthews and Marner before the end of February could be an appealing plan for the Maple Leafs. The team has recently been rumored to be interested in adding some help on defense, but it’s hard to know exactly how much cap room they will have going forward. That may limit the team to acquiring short-term or rental options instead of investing in a more permanent solution, unless they can find one at a very reasonable cap hit. The same applies to “own-rental” Jake Gardiner, who is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent but plays a huge role on the Maple Leafs currently. The team has been open for some time about their interest in re-signing Gardiner, but he may want to test the open market given that he would almost certainly be able to secure more money away from Toronto.

With Nylander done, the Maple Leafs have been busy over the last few weeks tying up some loose ends. Trading Josh Leivo, Adam Cracknell and Jeff Glass, while signing Calle Rosen to an extension and getting Ian Scott to sign his entry-level contract. Those are all relatively unimportant moves compared to the big ones left to come, and it’s obvious that the team would like to get long-term deals done as soon as possible.

Notably, Jonas Siegel of The Athletic also released a profile of Marner today (subscription required) which contains several interesting quotes from his family. That has already made waves with a fan base that is still a bit tender from the long Nylander negotiation, and hoping their other two stars will be locked up without a fight. We’ll have to wait and see if that’s possible for Dubas and the Maple Leafs’ front office, or if they will have to head into the summer months with some huge tasks still in front of them.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Toronto Maple Leafs Lock Up William Nylander For Six Years

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The long-awaited saga between William Nylander and the Toronto Maple Leafs is finally at an end. The Toronto Maple Leafs announced they have signed the holdout restricted free agent to a six-year, $45MM deal, according to CapFriendly. Nylander is expected to be on a plane from Stockholm to Toronto within 10 hours.

“We always tried to stay optimistic,” said general manager Kyle Dubas (via TSN’s Kristin Shilton). “We had our process and we have a great staff…it wasn’t really an emotional experience. It’s my duty to the organization to put the organization in the best possible spot with all our economics. We hope to always avoid [a standoff], but it’s a realistic situation.”

The deal has a complicated structure, especially for the first year. According to TSN’s Bob McKenzie, Nylander’s first-year salary is pro-rated at 10MM (6.67MM), plus a $2MM signing bonus, which comes out to net $8.67MM and a $10.2MM AAV. In the remaining years of the deal, Nylander’s AAV is $6.996MM.

Here is a breakdown of the deal (via CapFriendly):

  • 2018-19: $10MM salary + $2MM signing bonus = $10.2 AAV
  • 2019-20: $700K salary + $8.3MM signing bonus = $6.97 AAV
  • 2020-21: $2.5MM salary + $3.5MM signing bonus = $6.97 AAV
  • 2021-22: $2.5MM salary + $3.5MM signing bonus = $6.97 AAV
  • 2022-23: $2.5MM salary + $3.5MM signing bonus = $6.97 AAV
  • 2023-24: $2.5MM salary + $3.5MM signing bonus = $6.97 AAV

For Nylander, it ends a long holdout as Nylander missed out on 59 days of the season, officially signing five minutes before the NHL deadline for him to sign an NHL contract this year. With rumors that Nylander had been holding out for $8MM and trying to force Dubas’ hand in the rookie GM’s first holdout negotiations, Nylander was forced to settle for under $7MM, which is a win for Dubas.

“I think all offers varied. I’m not going to get into where our offers started and where theirs started,” Dubas said. “I’m happy for our team and I’m happy for William. I wish we had been able to get this done before training camp…happy to add William.”

McKenzie also notes that Nylander received a 10-team modified no-trade clause in the final year of the deal as he is not eligible for a no-trade clause for another five years.

The 22-year-old center was considered to be a key piece of Toronto’s young core, but with the team’s salary cap having tightened up over the past two years with signings to major free agents Patrick Marleau and more recently to John Tavares, the team needed to prove that they could extend some of their younger players for discounts or be forced to break apart some of the team. Nylander is only the first of many of their future contract negotiations as Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner will both be restricted free agents this coming offseason and are expected to get paid even higher than Nylander. The team also have several other key contracts, including Nylander’s on-ice replacement this year in Kasperi Kapanen, who has played well enough to earn himself quite a raise in restricted free agency next season. Andreas Johnsson’s play should also get a boost in pay as a restricted free agent as well. The team also will have to factor in the contract of defenseman Jake Gardiner who will hit unrestricted free agency next season and needs to be locked up.

“I knew people were ready to jam that one down my throat,” Dubas said. “We hope all these guys will be career Leafs. That’s our goal, is to keep it together…We’ve had discussions with [Matthews and Marner’s agents]. We want to avoid a situation where all our players aren’t in training camp. Not [making history] in the way we’d like to [with Nylander deal].”

Despite the long holdout and his $8MM asking price, Nylander fared pretty well. The Maple Leafs had made it clear early in negotiations this summer that they weren’t willing to go past six years at $6MM, so to get an extra $1MM per year is impressive, considering the team’s budget.

TSN’s Darren Dreger  was the first to report the deal.

Is There A Market For Karl Alzner?

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It’s been a brutal 17 months for Montreal Canadiens defenseman Karl Alzner. Well, the first few months after Alzner signed a five-year, $23.125MM contract on July 1st, 2017 were probably okay. Once he actually took the ice with the Habs last season though, it was all downhill. Alzner had capitalized on a weak free agent market – one in which even we here at PHR considered him the third best name – which had inflated his value far beyond what it should have been. Alzner was a solid defenseman for many years for the Washington Capitals, consistently healthy and capable of eating significant minutes. However, he lacked much in the way of offense and in retrospect his defensive abilities were amplified by the copious talent around him on the eventual Stanley Cup champions. Transitioning to a weaker roster in Montreal, Alzner was exposed when asked to play a key role on the Habs’ blue line. Carrying the puck more often, Alzer became a turnover machine. Facing tougher assignments, he was far less effective on defense and took a career high in penalties. And per usual, he contributed just twelve points and was a non-factor on offense.

Entering this season, Alzner and Canadiens fans alike hoped that he could turn it around and return to the shutdown player they felt they had signed for top dollar. However, the organization and coaching staff had other plans. Alzner was a healthy scratch in season opener and to date has only played in eight games with a major drop-off in ice time. Alzner was placed on waivers and subsequently cleared earlier this week and it was fair to wonder whether he had played his last game in Montreal just over a season into his five-year deal. That became much more probable yesterday, when the Canadiens gave Alzner and his agent permission to seek a trade.

Yet, permission to seek a trade is not the same as having concrete interest and willing suitors. Although the Habs have little reason not to accept any deal brought to them – barring an unreasonable amount of retained salary requested – that is just one side of a trade which obviously needs multiple teams. But is there even a market for Alzner? Two years ago, there was ample interest in him on the free agent market, but after a year in which he was exposed as having a game dependent on the talent of the players around him, he’s no longer the prize he once was. Then there’s also the matter of his contract, a relative albatross of four more years at $4.65MM. His stock is the lowest it has ever been, while his price is at it’s highest. That’s a tough combination to sell to a team. Alzner went untouched on waivers, meaning any team interested in acquiring him would also expect the Canadiens to retain some salary or otherwise add another piece to the deal.

Clearly, Alzner is not a player that can do much to help a rebuilding team. His cost also makes him a difficult addition for any team close to the salary cap ceiling. This leaves a narrow group of potential suitors who have talented rosters but are in comfortable salary cap shape and have a long-term need for a defensive blue liner. Any come to mind? It’s not a common occurrence, at least not currently. The Toronto Maple Leafs, although dealing with the William Nylander saga and long-term salary cap planning as is, would make some sense. The team is likely to lose Ron Hainsey and Jake Gardiner to free agency this summer and could use a long-term physical presence on the blue line at the right price. Their preference would certainly be to add a right-handed defenseman, but might not be picky if they feel Alzner would excel in their system. Barry Trotz’ new uber-conservative New York Islanders could also be a fit for Alzner, as they could stand to upgrade their blue line depth and have the existing talent to ease Alzner into his natural stay-at-home role. Alzner would seem to be a perfect fit for the Isles’ current system that emphasizes physicality and patient pace. The Columbus Blue Jackets and Minnesota Wild have fallen short of the ultimate goal despite strong recent campaigns and have the cap space to add a luxury piece like Alzner, who would be a bottom-pair defender for either team, albeit a needed depth addition. Finally, there are the Chicago Blackhawks who, despite shedding salary this summer, refrained from using their newfound cap space. Chicago had interest in Alzner when he was a free agent in 2017, considered by many the favorite to land the physical defender. The team could still use more talent and especially more shutdown play on the back end. However, with one of hockey’s worst contracts in Brent Seabrook already on the roster, could they really risk adding a similarly disappointing and overpaid defenseman in Alzner?

Those are just five teams who could potentially have interest in Alzner. There could be more, if some teams feel that Alzner’s play in Montreal has been a misrepresentation of his ability. Yet, there also could easily be less, as Alzner has done nothing in the past year plus to prove that he is anything more than a replacement level checking defenseman. Given his contract status, Alzner may find it difficult to match up with a new team and put together a successful trade out of Montreal. It is certainly a possibility, but the only team Alzner is likely going to be playing for in the near future is the AHL’s Laval Rocket.

Atlantic Notes: Matthews, Gardiner, Bergeron, Zadina

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The Toronto Maple Leafs got some good news as star center Auston Matthews practiced with the team Sunday in a red non-contact jersey, suggesting that his return could come sooner than later, according to TSN’s Kristen Shilton. He has been out for three weeks and has already missed nine games after separating his shoulder during Toronto’s Oct. 27 game against Winnipeg.

“It feels a lot better,” Matthews said (via Shilton). “I think its progressed quite well. It’s still not all there, but hopefully it continues to progress and I get back out there as soon as possible.”

Matthews was seen taking part in a full practice, which included practicing his shot on both goaltenders, including Frederik Andersen and Garret Sparks. However, Matthews said that his shot still needs work.

“Not all there,” Matthews said. “Little mechanics of it, the strength in your arm is still coming back, not fully there. Accuracy is a little off, but I think all that stuff will come back soon.”

Toronto head coach Mike Babcock said there is no timetable yet for his return and can’t even really think about it until Matthews can be a full contributor in practice. Saturday will be four weeks, which was the minimum amount of time listed as a potential return, however, Matthews didn’t sound optimistic he’ll be ready to go at exactly the four-week point of the injury.

“I don’t know, honestly,” Matthews said. “Kind of just taking it day by day. Depends how I’m progressing.”

  • Sticking with the Leafs, The Athletic’s Jonas Siegel (subscription required) wonders what might happen with Toronto defenseman Jake Gardiner who will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season. While the Maple Leafs have bigger worries amongst their own free agents, Gardiner has compiled quite a resume with the Maple Leafs over the years and is currently the 10th-highest scoring defenseman in Maple Leafs’ history. However, with the sudden improved play of Travis Dermott, the scribe wonders if Dermott could be a cheaper option for Toronto which could allow the team to avoid giving the 28-year-old a big payday which they likely can’t afford anyway. While inexperienced, he’s done an admirable job in his role that doesn’t include any power play time and he might be able to replace Gardiner completely within a year.
  • The sudden loss of Patrice Bergeron has had a greater affect on the team than many have thought, writes The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa (subscription required).  The 33-year-old, who is considered day-to-day after taking a hard check from Dallas’ Radek Faksa, is the focal point to the Bruins offense and was missed Saturday, despite squeaking out a 2-1 victory. The scribe writes that Boston immediately broke up the first line without Bergeron in the lineup as Patrnak was teamed with David Krejci, while Marchand moved to the second line to work with Jake Debrusk. Regardless, the entire lineup was shaken without Bergeron, who may be the most valuable piece to their team.
  • Max Bultman of The Athletic (subscription required) looks at the progress made by prospect Filip Zadina who is playing with the Grand Rapids Griffins in the AHL who is starting to heat up. Zadina, the sixth-overall pick in this year’s draft, has been displaying confidence recently in Grand Rapids and the fact that he’s posted six goals in his past five games may have something to do with it. With the Red Wings playing well, Zadina will likely stay in Grand Rapids, but according to Griffins head coach Ben Simon, he has quite a bit to work on still. “That’s great to look at a box score and see, but if you’re a scout in the building or you’re a coach watching the game, there’s still a heck of a lot more room for improvement to get to the NHL for him,” Simon said. “Now, that being said, he has gotten a lot more confident, a lot more settled in with what this league’s all about. I think it took him a little bit of time to figure that out.

Atlantic Notes: Gardiner, Kotkaniemi, Abdelkader, Rask

at CDT | by 3 Comments

Even though the Toronto Maple Leafs have their hands full with the contract negotiations with William Nylander and the future negotiations with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun (subscription required) writes that the team also will likely have issues with defenseman Jake Gardiner.

The scribe writes that while Gardiner has expressed his desire to remain with Toronto long-term and general manager Kyle Dubas has met up with Gardiners’ representative, Pat Brisson, it’s likely that Gardiner will have to wait until the contracts of Nylander, Matthews and Marner are finalized, which could edge him out if those players don’t take hometown discounts. Regardless, after Nate Schmidt signed for $5.95MM AAV a few days ago, Gardiner could get quite a bit more on the open market especially with so few quality blueliners available on the free agent market next season. He might be able to command $7MM per year. However, he will likely have to take less than $6MM if he wants to remain in Toronto.

  • Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette writes that today’s game against the Boston Bruins will be the 10th game for rookie Jesperi Kotkaniemi, signifiying that the team intends to burn the first year of the 18-year-old’s entry-level contract. While a few weeks ago, a move like this might have been in doubt, Kotkaniemi has shown considerable improvement over the past couple of weeks, making this move automatic for the team. He is averaging 14:04 ATOI and has four assists through his first nine games. Head coach Claude Julien compared him to Boston’s David Pastrnak at the same age. “They’re both guys who had to fill out and get stronger, but you can see the kill level,” said Julien. “With both players, you have to protect them a bit and that’s what I’ve done with K-K. It’s a little tougher when you’re on the road and you don’t get the last line change but he’s been in tough situations and he’s handled them well.”
  • Helene St. James of the Detroit Free-Press writes that one of the biggest problems to the Detroit Red Wings dismal performance through the first 10 games of the season has been the play of some of the veterans, especially the performance of Justin Abdelkader, who not only is quite offensively with one assist in 10 games, but is also struggling playing his physical brand of hockey. “You want to physically be engaged every game,” Abdelkader said. “You look for hits, and they’re definitely harder to come by in this game now. But that’s a part of my game. I’ve felt really good — had a really good summer, good training camp.”
  • In a mailbag series, NBC Sports Joe Haggerty questions whether Boston Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask is really a No. 1 goalie, pointing out that he struggles when he is used regularly, which forced the Bruins to sign Jaroslav Halak to a $2.75MM contract. A true No. 1 goaltender wouldn’t require a team to pay that much for a backup and play 30 games for him. Add to that that Rask is known to be a slow starter and really struggles when the defense in front of him isn’t at their best, Haggerty doesn’t believe that the team currently can look at him as a top-rated goalie.

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