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Ladislav Smid

Ladislav Smid Joins Edmonton Oil Kings

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After playing the last several years back home in Czechia, Ladislav Smid recently announced his retirement. He’s now coming back to North America, joining the Edmonton Oil Kings of the WHL as a development coach.

Smid, 36, is very familiar with the area, having played parts of eight seasons with the Edmonton Oilers, and three more a few hours south with the Calgary Flames. The big, defensive defenseman spent his entire career in Alberta, making his NHL debut with the Oilers after a trade from the Anaheim Ducks (one that saw Chris Pronger go the other way), and playing his last game with the Flames in 2016.

He had just 72 points during his 583-game career and had the misfortune of never playing in a single postseason game. He’ll now try to help the next generation of players reach their dream, and perhaps even get a taste of some elusive playoff hockey.

The Oil Kings are off to a brutal 1-7-1 start after losing basically all of the top players that made them so dangerous last year.

Morning Notes: Maple Leafs, Sexton, Smid

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Details on the contracts for new Toronto Maple Leafs defenders Calle Rosen and Andreas Borgman have come down, with Chris Johnston of Sportsnet reporting that each will earn $832,500 on their entry-level contracts, with full “Schedule A” performance bonuses that will allow them to make up to $850K more each season. The deals also come with a $92.5K signing bonus each season, making the maximum they can earn $1.775MM in each season.

It’s hard to believe that both players would hit their full “Schedule A” bonuses, but the team does hope that they can make an impact sooner rather than later. Rosen, 23, has played two full seasons in the SHL already and should be prepared for life as a professional hockey player. Borgman, just 21, also has a chance to impress especially given the more physical nature of his play.

  • Chuck Gormley reports that the Buffalo Sabres’ new GM Jason Botterill may bring Randy Sexton with him to his new job. Sexton has found success as the Pittsburgh Penguins’ director of amateur scouting, but is most known for his selection of Alexandre Daigle when he was the GM of the Ottawa Senators. Daigle of course was one of, if not the, worst draft busts in history. Signed to a five-year, $12.25MM deal before he’d even hit the ice for the team, the league would later introduce rookie limits due to the disaster that was Daigle’s deal. Sexton has since served as the GM of the Florida Panthers, before joining the Penguins in 2010.
  • Despite not playing at all in 2016-17, Ladislav Smid has signed a two-year contract with his former Czech team, Liberec. Still just 31-years old, Smid is coming off a four-year $14MM deal with the Calgary Flames after being traded from Edmonton in 2013, but spent the entire final season on LTIR. In 583 games, the defenseman scored just 72 points but was a physical force at times. After several neck injuries, he was forced to sit out this entire year but apparently is healthy enough to contribute in his home country. His time in the NHL seems to be over, at least for the immediate future.

Dennis Wideman Willing To Waive No-Movement Clause

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Since the Calgary Flames acquired Michael Stone on Monday afternoon, much of the chatter around the team has been whether they will be able to find a taker for Dennis Wideman since the veteran defenseman is now basically out of a job. Wideman was scratched yesterday and told Wes Gilbertson of the Calgary Herald today that he would definitely be open” to waiving his NMC to facilitate a deal of some sort. Wideman wants to go somewhere he’s “wanted”, though that may be difficult given his declining play and hefty cap hit.

Wideman has played 810 games in the NHL and was once considered a premiere puck-moving defenseman capable of racking up points in bunches. He has four 40+ point seasons under his belt but the game seems to have slipped just out of his grasp this season. Calgary seems determined to give Matt Bartkowski a chance at locking down the third pairing, meaning Wideman will be sitting in the press box more often than not.

It will be interesting to see if Calgary can find a taker for Wideman, who carries a $5.25MM cap hit but $6MM in real salary. The team could retain some of his salary, but are already tight against the cap and using the relief granted from Ladislav Smid’s LTIR status. Perhaps they’ll include Wideman in another move they make and overpay elsewhere, but it seems like he’s stuck in Calgary for the time being. Don’t forget that the playoffs are a grind though, and one injury—perhaps to a surgically repaired knee of a recent acquisition—could force Wideman right back into a big-minute role for the Flames.

Injury Notes: Backlund, Jurco, Zetterberg, Leafs, Grabovski, Smid

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Flames center Mikael Backlund has suffered a concussion and is likely to miss the remainder of the World Cup of Hockey, according to a report from Expressen’s Henrik Sjoberg and Gunnar Nordstrom (link in Swedish).  The injury was reportedly sustained against Finland on a hit from Sami Lepisto; as a result, Backlund missed yesterday’s game against Team North America and was replaced in the lineup by St. Louis center Patrik Berglund.

Backlund has been held pointless in four games with the Swedes including pre-tournament action while playing in a bottom six role.  There is no timetable for how long he might miss beyond the possibility of missing Sweden’s remaining games at the World Cup.

While the 27 year old played in all 82 games last season, he is no stranger to  being injured as he has missed time due to a broken finger, injuries to the arm, hand, and knee, as well as to his abdominal wall all since 2011-12.

[Related: Team Sweden Depth Chart]

In other injury news:

  • Detroit winger Tomas Jurco isn’t expected to play until at least November as he continues to recover from back surgery, reports MLive’s Ansar Khan. Jurco struggled with Detroit last season, recording just six points in 44 games while spending time as a scratch.  When healthy, he’ll likely battle for a bottom six spot with the Wings.
  • In a separate tweet from Khan, Henrik Zetterberg, who withdrew from the World Cup (and was replaced by the now-concussed Backlund) due to a knee injury, will not be participating in team practices or scrimmages for the time being. He will, however, continue to skate on his own.  Last week, Zetterberg noted that he expected to be ready for the season opener although his likely level of participation in the exhibition games was unknown.
  • The Maple Leafs released their training camp roster and as expected, it was noted that defenseman Stephane Robidas (who is now a consultant for the team) plus forwards Nathan Horton and Joffrey Lupul have all failed their physicals and will start the season on injured reserve. It was reported yesterday that Lupul was heading for the IR while it’s unlikely that Horton will play again due to continuing back issues.
  • Islanders center Mikhail Grabovski continues to deal with concussion symptoms, tweets Newsday’s Arthur Staple.  He has not been given the green light to do any sort of skating yet so he’ll likely be out for a while although there is no timetable for his possible return.  Grabovski has two years left on his contract with a cap hit of $5MM.
  • Calgary blueliner Ladislav Smid will not play this season, reports Postmedia’s Kristen Odland.  A decision on retirement hasn’t been made and it’s more likely that he will spend the year on LTIR.  Smid played in just 22 games last season and suffered a neck injury towards the end of the year.

Grossmann Joins Flames On PTO

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The Calgary Flames have added D Nicklas Grossmann to its training camp roster, agreeing to a PTO the 10-year vet per this tweet from Dean Molberg of The Fan 960. Grossman appeared in 58 games in 2015-16 with the Arizona Coyotes, scoring three goals and seven points and posting a -3 plus-minus rating. Drafted by Dallas in the second-round of the 2004 entry draft, Grossman has also spent time with the Stars and Philadelphia Flyers during his NHL career.

Grossman joins a relatively crowded Flames blue line corps led by team captain Mark Giordano and rising young star Dougie Hamilton.  Veterans T.J. Brodie, Dennis Wideman and Deryk Engelland also figure to hold down regular roles. Young Jyrki Jokipakka, acquired at the trade deadline in the Kris Russell deal, will compete with Ladislav Smid and presumably Grossman for the sixth spot.

There has been talk that Calgary could be interested in a reunion with Russell, who has lingered on the free agent market all summer. It’s unclear if adding Grossman in any way changes that line of thinking though Russell, despite his struggles landing a lucrative free agent deal, is still a reasonably competent NHL blue liner whereas Grossman is likely more of a depth option at this point.

Feel free to check out our Invite Tracker for updates on all of the recent PTO signings.

Calgary Flames Reach Seven-Year Deal With Sean Monahan

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Sean Monahan is staying in Calgary a while longer. The team announced today that the restricted free agent has signed a seven-year deal. The value will come in at $44.625MM, a $6.375MM AAV and it will include a partial no-trade clause in the final three years. A press conference is to be scheduled for this afternoon to announce the deal.

Apr 7, 2016; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Calgary Flames center Sean Monahan (23) controls the puck against the Vancouver Canucks during the second period at Scotiabank Saddledome. Calgary Flames won 7-3. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

Monahan is a restricted free agent for the first time in his career, after posting 159 points through his first 237 career games. At just 21, he’s one of the best young centers in the game, and has found amazing chemistry with fellow star Johnny Gaudreau.

The sixth overall pick in what is turning out to be a fabulous 2013 draft, Monahan has proven he should be considered in the top echelon of centers in the NHL and will now stay long-term in Calgary. With he and Gaudreau publicly stating that they want to stay in the Canadian city, it was just a matter of time until the deal was finalized.

While they still need to sign Gaudreau, the Flames now seem poised to go on a long streak of contention, led by their dynamic duo up front. With Sam Bennett also making an impression in his first NHL season, they have three players 23 or younger who are capable of scoring 30 goals in a season. With Dougie Hamilton and T.J. Brodie locked up long-term on the back end, joining veteran and captain Mark Giordano, they have a core capable of making it back to the playoffs as soon as 2016-17.

[Related: Updated Calgary Flames Depth Chart]

Monahan’s $6.375MM cap-hit comes in just above Nathan MacKinnon’s number from earlier this summer, and his performance comes in right alongside the former first-overall pick (in the same draft as Monahan to boot). While Gaudreau will undoubtedly cost more, the Flames have left themselves enough room with a ton of money coming off the books after next season. Ladislav Smid, Dennis Wideman, Deryk Engelland and the goaltending duo of Brian Elliott and Chad Johnson all become unrestricted free agents next season, giving the club money to work with (for a new Bennett contract, for instance).

First teased by Eric Francis of Sportsnet this morning. Elliotte Friedman was first to give us the seven-year details, along with the dollar value. CapFriendly provided details on the NTC.

Roster Crunch: Pacific Division

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While the NHL season is still more than two months away, it seems as though most teams have finished their free agent shopping and are now focused internally on roster decisions they’ll have to make. We’ll take a look at some of the options teams will have this fall, starting with the Pacific Division.

Anaheim Ducks – 2015-16 division winners Anaheim were discussed at length last weekend, with seemingly way too many bodies than roster spots on their blueline. With between seven and ten players who deserve to be in the NHL next season (depending on how you feel about youngsters Shea Theodore and Andy Welinski), the team is still expected to make a move to shore up their forward group.

Los Angeles Kings – Like the Ducks, the Kings have quite a few options on their back-end after signing Tom Gilbert to a one-year contract.  With four spots locked up between Drew Doughty, Jake Muzzin, Alec Martinez and Brayden McNabb, the last two will be some combination of Gilbert, veteran Rob Scuderi and Matt Greene. That’s to say nothing of NCAA transplant Paul LaDue who will figure into the Kings’ plans before long.

San Jose Sharks – It’s said that depth down the middle is a key to success in the NHL, and the Sharks have that in spades.  It looks like they’ll go into next season with at least six forwards who are capable of playing center. Often last season the top line was made up of three of them, with Joe Thornton between Tomas Hertl and Joe Pavelski. If the team wants to move the young Hertl back to his natural position (as they did at points last season), they’ll have to find ice-time for him behind Thornton and Logan Couture.

Arizona Coyotes – The crunch has already started to affect Arizona, as the team bought out veteran Antoine Vermette recently to open up a spot for one of their young forwards. With Dylan Strome and Christian Dvorak both leaving junior after huge seasons, they’ll look to make the jump to the NHL this season. The Coyotes may ice one of the youngest lines in the league this year, if Strome ends up between Max Domi and Anthony Duclair like many have speculated. Another spot could open up if RFA Tobias Rieder ends up overseas next season, as has been rumored lately.

Calgary Flames – Will top pick Matthew Tkachuk break camp with the Flames, and where will he play? Many eyes will be focused on the second-generation NHLer this fall, as he tries to force his way onto the Flames roster. Otherwise, the Flames have some decisions to make on the blueline if Ladislav Smid declares himself healthy enough to start the season and Dennis Wideman remains on the roster. Jyrki Jokipakka hopes he did enough last season to deserve a spot, but if both veterans are around when October 12th roles around, he may find himself on the outside looking in.

Vancouver Canucks – The Canucks are one of the hardest teams to figure out in the league, as they seem caught somewhere between rebuilding and trying to contend. Outside of their top-four, it’ll be a battle for the defensemen in camp to lock up a spot.  Luca Sbisa has a contract that will probably guarantee him a spot, but his diminished play and injury history makes him a poor choice for the Canucks. If they decide to contend, icing him every night ahead of younger, more effective defensemen seems unwise.

Edmonton Oilers – It’s been long said that the Oilers don’t have any defensemen, and while it may still be figuratively true based on the overall skill, the team actually has too many bodies for their back end under contract. After trading for Adam Larsson, the team has eight defenders worthy of NHL time, including Jordan Oesterle who many believe proved his ability last season. One of them though, former captain Andrew Ference, may be on his own way out as he has stated more than once he’s heading to retirement if the Oilers’ buy him out.  They haven’t been able to yet because of Ference’s lingering injury, but the two sides should come to an agreement before camp.

Flames Notes: RFAs, Injuries, Tuulola

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Calgary Flames GM Brad Treliving spoke to reporters today and gave some insight into a few situations, including the ongoing negotiations with star restricted free agents Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau. Darren Haynes of the Canadian Press tells us that with a grin, Treliving said “the only hold-up is term and money“.

Despite the tongue-in-cheek joke from Treliving, Flames fans are getting nervous about their two young forwards; the duo combined for 57 goals and 141 points last season, and are both still under the age of 23. After the youngsters were benched earlier this year for being late to practice, both are looking for long-term deals that would let them become the professionals they hope to be, and stay in Calgary together for at least a decade.

  • On the health front, Treliving reports (via Haynes), that Ladislav Smid is nearing a decision on playing status for next season, after lingering neck issues have put his 2016-17 in jeopardy.  Smid underwent surgery in February of this year.  Daniel Pribyl, a Czech prospect signed earlier this year, is progressing well in his ACL recovery. The big-bodied winger underwent surgery to repair the ligament after signing with the team in late April.  Jyrki Jokipakka, part of the return for Kris Russell in February, is still nursing an injured hip and his place on team Finland in the upcoming World Cup is up in the air.
  • Eetu Tuulola, the Flames sixth-round pick from this year’s draft will be heading to the WHL for 2016-17, Treliving confirms.  Previous reports had the Finnish winger joining the Silvertips for the upcoming season, where he’ll find himself under the tutelage of former NHL head coach Kevin Constantine.

Snapshots: Predators, Smid, Coaching Updates, Gillis

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Nashville GM David Poile provided updates on some of his players in an interview with Brooks Bratton on the team’s website on Monday.

On pending restricted free agents Filip Forsberg and Calle Jarnkrok:

“We’ve had a couple of conversations with each of their agents, but as I always say, this is a process.  I don’t look for these to be getting done tomorrow, but we’re moving ahead.”

He also noted that he is attempting to trade Eric Nystrom and that he wouldn’t rule out buying out the final year of his contract if he can’t find a trade partner.  Nystrom is set to earn $3MM in salary with a $2.5MM cap hit for 2016-17.  A buyout would trigger a $500,000 cap hit in 2016-17 and a $1MM charge in 2017-18.

Poile added that he will begin to send qualifying offers to his restricted free agents starting next week.  Aside from Forsberg and Jarnkrok, the Preds have seven other RFA’s between their NHL and AHL teams.

Elsewhere around the league:

  • Ladislav Smid’s future remains uncertain as he continues to recover from a season-ending neck injury sustained back in February, writes Darren Haynes on his From 80 Feet Above blog. His neck issues stem back to his first neck surgery six years ago.  The continuing issues will prevent him from being a candidate for a buyout as the CBA does not permit injured players to be bought out.
  • Tampa Bay assistant coach Rick Bowness has agreed to a multi-year extension with the Lightning, the team announced. He was reportedly a contender for the Anaheim coaching job which instead went to Randy Carlyle.
  • The Blue Jackets have offered former St. Louis assistant coach Brad Shaw a contract to join them in a similar role according to Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch.
  • ESPN’s John Buccigross reports that Kevin Dineen is “getting a late look” for Calgary’s head coaching job. He also adds that Glen Gulutzan and Todd Reirden are other finalists.
  • Former Vancouver GM and player agent Mike Gillis has accepted a job on the board of directors for Swiss club Geneve-Servette HC, the team announced. Gillis’ Assistant GM in Vancouver, Lorne Henning, is also joining him in this new role.

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