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Milan Lucic

Edmonton Trades Taylor Hall To New Jersey

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First reported by Bob McKenzie of TSN, the Edmonton Oilers and New Jersey Devils have completed a deal that will see winger Taylor Hall change teams. In return, the Devils will send Adam Larsson the other way.  It is a one-for-one deal, only including the two young stars.

The Oilers have been long rumored to be chasing a long-term defensive piece, and Elliotte Friedman adds that there was talk of a Hall for Larsson deal at the draft last weekend. Of course, when Jesse Puljujarvi fell to the Oilers with the fourth selection, they couldn’t convince themselves to draft a defenseman.

With the glut of young forwards that Edmonton now has they would be wise to deal one of them, however Hall looks like perhaps the best one not named McDavid. His 65 point 2015-16 season was excellent, and he’s now put up 328 points in 381 games.

In Larsson, the Oilers get an excellent young blueliner that is still locked up long-term. The 23-year old is signed through the 2020-21 season at a reasonable $4.17MM rate. While he’s not quite the shutdown number one guy many people thought that Hall would command, he is a young top-pairing defenseman who the Oilers so desperately needed.  This may lend more credence to the idea that Milan Lucic has already agreed to a contract, as the Oilers completed this deal quickly after his Monday visit.

For the Devils, they get another young powerhouse talent to add to their forward group alongside Adam Henrique, Kyle Palmieri and Pavel Zacha. With a young corps of defensemen still under contract, Larsson was deemed expendable in order to get this kind of talent. First impressions are an absolute robbery by the Devils, who have more than enough room to add a top talent on a $6MM/year deal.

Free Agent Notes: Ladd, Martin, Lucic

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It’s that time of year again in the NHL, where rumors and speculation run rampant. Last night, after a report from Jimmy Murphy of VICE Sports indicated the Bruins were preparing an offer sheet for Jets’ defenceman Jacob Trouba, the Twitterverse went wild with speculation and conjecture. If the Bruins are indeed preparing a sheet, it would have to be for the maximum compensation, four first-round picks, as the team doesn’t own their second or third rounders for 2017. A tough pill to swallow to be sure, even if Trouba is the top pairing blueliner they think he is.  More news about the upcoming free agent market:

  • Darren Dreger wakes us this morning with a report that the Islanders, Canadiens, Lightning and Predators are all in the hunt for Andrew Ladd. As the Stamkos Extravaganza begins (and quite possibly ends) this Friday, the Ladd camp is moving slowly and assessing possible fits before really getting into any negotiations with teams.
  • Matt Martin, another interesting name on the market is getting a lot of calls, writes Arthur Staple of Newsday. Detroit, Toronto, Montreal, Boston, Los Angeles and Calgary have all reached out already, making the bottom-six winger one to watch over the next few days.
  • Among the chatter yesterday was talk of Milan Lucic having agreed to a deal with the Edmonton Oilers, and while this seems like it’s a little ahead of itself, it’s at least something to keep an eye on. Gene Principe of Sportsnet, among others, reported that he’s heard Lucic is probably headed to Edmonton, but can’t guarantee it.

Free Agent Profile: Kyle Okposo

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Though Steven Stamkos has been dominating the free agent headlines as we inch closer to Friday’s deadline, there’s another player who some teams might value quite highly. Kyle Okposo has been a hugely productive player the last few years, ranking 17th in PPG since 2013-14. Last season he put up 64 points, tying him with Stamkos for the lead among the unrestricted class, and only turned 28 this April.

A three-time twenty goal scorer, Okposo now has 369 points in 529 career games and usually graded out as a positive possession player. The caveat though is that he’s spent a lot of time on the wing of New York superstar John Tavares, and his stats may be inflated because of it.

Potential Suitors

Despite the potential Tavares-shaped red flag, Okposo is sure to get interest from at least a dozen teams this offseason.  His combination of youth, offensive performance and an increasingly physical style will make teams salivate as they imagine installing him on their top line. 60-point wingers don’t grow on trees, and as Arthur Staple of Newsday reports there are already a handful of teams calling for him.

If the rumors are true, the LA Kings do seem like a natural fit for the winger as they’ll be losing both Milan Lucic and Kris Versteeg this summer. Though Okposo plays the right side, and Lucic the left, the offense would be a welcome addition to a team looking to make it back to the playoffs.  Perhaps playing along excellent centers in Anze Kopitar or Jeff Carter would hide some of the regression many believe to be coming.

Detroit also seems like a good fit, as though they are deep on the left side with Tomas Tatar, Justin Abdelkader and Henrik Zetterberg (when he’s not playing in the middle) they have only Gustav Nyquist as a proven top-six guy on the right side. Okposo would be a great consolation prize if they can’t land Stamkos, as the team heads into a new era without Pavel Datsyuk.

Expected Contract

In our Top 50 List we had Okposo receiving a seven-year, $47.25MM deal from the Sabres, giving him an annual salary of $6.75MM. As GM Tim Murray has recently been quoted saying he’s going to go after the “big fish” this summer, perhaps it’s not out of the question that Okposo would land there. Either way, expect him to sign a deal for at least six years, and upwards of $40MM. The Minnesota native may in fact crack $7MM per season, something that only 28 skaters currently do.

If the last few seasons are his true talent, perhaps he’ll be looking to be paid even higher than that, as players like Corey Perry, Phil Kessel and Jonathan Toews all earn a substantial amount more, while providing less offensive production (on a per game basis) the last three years. While it would be hard to see anyone rank him ahead of these players overall, perhaps that’s just a symptom of riding under Tavares’ shadow and in the less-covered portion of New York sports.

Free Agent Profile: Milan Lucic

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When it was announced last week that talks between Milan Lucic and the Los Angeles Kings broke down, many teams around the NHL looking for size up front and scoring cackled with glee.

Listed as the #2 free agent available by the USA Today’s Kevin Allen, Lucic is a hard nosed forward known for his scoring prowess, and ability to irritate on the ice.  Traded to the Kings prior to the 2015-16 season, Lucic had 55 points (20-35) in a 81 games, an improvement from the 44 points (18-26) he had a season’s prior in Boston. Lucic has been a 20+ goal scorer four times in his career. Last season, Lucic averaged .68 points/game

Potential Suitors

Lucic’s landing spot is anyone’s guess, though most pundits believe he’ll be tempted to go back to his hometown Vancouver where he saw tremendous success in junior hockey. The National Post reports that if Lucic were to take a discount, he would still be in Los Angeles, so the Canucks should be expected to pay a higher price for Lucic to come home.  Canucks GM Jim Benning also indicated to the Vancouver Sun that he would be making a run at Lucic. The Bruins have expressed their desire to make calls on significant free agents–which would include Lucic. Lucic had a number of great seasons with the B’s, and there is certainly more than enough cap room to get a deal done. However as CBS Boston’s Matt Kalman writes,  the Bruins dealt Lucic away because of salary cap concerns, inconsistency, and a style of play that breaks the body down sooner. Though Lucic wasn’t specifically named as someone spoken with, Detroit Red Wings general manager Ken Holland had conversations Monday with several prominent free agent targets writes Helene St. James. Lucic would be a rugged, scoring option who could help the Red Wings scoring woes. Darren Dreger tweeted that Lucic was on the Red Wings “want” list.

Finally, Scott Burnside listed the Edmonton Oilers as another potential team because of Lucic’s relationship with current Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli, who oversaw the Bruins during Lucic’s tenure with the team. Pierre LeBrun tweeted that Lucic was scheduled to meet with Edmonton officials today and wrote more about the possibility of Edmonton snagging the winger.

Expected Contract

PHR has Lucic as the #3 free agent available, fetching a 5 year/$28.75MM deal by someone in the marketplace.  PHR had him re-signing with Los Angeles, but talks broke down last week. Jim Matheson recently tweeted that the Oilers could offer upwards to $6MM/year and that it would force a trade of another forward currently on the roster. Ryan Rishaug agrees, thinking that a Lucic deal shuttles a forward to another team, possibly Taylor Hall.

If Edmonton is looking at a long term deal around $6MM, it will be interesting to see if other teams are willing to offer the same amount. Expect a deal somewhere between that $5.5MM-$6MM range.

Snapshots: Blackhawks, Lightning, Vanek, Higgins

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The Blackhawks may no longer be in salary cap hell, but they are certainly thinner up front writes the Chicago Sun-Times Mark Lazerus. With Andrew Shaw being dealt to Montreal, both Bryan Bickell and Teuvo Teravainen off to Carolina, and Andrew Ladd hitting free agency, the Hawks have a number of open spots to shore up. While Chicago can now collectively breathe under the repressive Cap that has had them selling off parts since the summer of 2010, the casualties have come in the way of losing skill players. Lazerus has the Blackhawks possibly bringing back Brian Campbell, who could carry a $2MM/yr cap hit. Meanwhile, the bottom six forwards would look very different than the pedigree most Hawks fans are accustomed to. Lazerus lists Dale Weise and Tomas Fleischmann as potential candidates to return, while naming P.A. Parenteau or Sam Gagner as possible options to add in free agency.

In other league news:

  • The Lightning have tendered qualifying offers to Yanni Gourde, Kristers Gudlevskis, Alex Killorn, Nikita Kucherov, Tye McGinn, Vladislav Namestnikov, and Nikita Nesterov tweets Erik Eriendsson. In the meantime, general manager Steve Yzerman has a number of decisions to make as the free agency window opens on Friday. Steven Stamkos is still the top priority as teams are lining up to make their pitch. But the equally intriguing angle is what to do with goaltender Ben Bishop. Entering the final year of a contract with a $5.95MM cap hit, Bishop was reportedly working on contract specifics after the Flames were given permission to do so. That was scrapped as soon as the Flames acquired Brian Elliott from the Blues.
  • Jason Brough reports that both the Canucks and Rangers may have interest in free agent Thomas Vanek. Though Vanek would be a backup plan to the higher tier free agents, namely Milan Lucic and Loui Eriksson, he could be a decent pickup at a reasonable price for both teams seeking scoring help. Vanek had 41 points (18-23) and will see a much lower offer than the three-year/$19.5MM offer he received from Minnesota, who bought him out last week.
  • Elliotte Friedman tweets that Canucks winger Chris Higgins was placed on waivers for the purposes of being bought out. According to CapFriendly, the cap hit would be $833,333 through the 2017-18 season. CBS Sports listed Higgins as one of their buyout candidates, and the Vancouver Sun reported the Canucks actively shopping Higgins back in January. Higgins had 4 points (3-1) in 33 games last season.

Free Agent Notes: Stamkos, Okposo, Lucic

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With the completion of the NHL Entry Draft, the negotiating window with upcoming unrestricted free agents has now opened.  From now until July 1st, teams are allowed to contact, but not sign, the pending UFAs. This is a key period when teams decide on strategy for the summer before the free agent frenzy begins, and also the last chance for teams looking to re-sign their own players to eight year contracts. Once the player becomes unrestricted next Friday, teams may only offer seven year pacts.  Here is some information already coming out about some of the top names:

  • Steven Stamkos is the most important example of a team who would lose their advantage after July 1st, with the superstar center surely demanding a maximum length deal. Chris Johnston of Sportsnet reports that the Buffalo Sabres may be joining the hunt for the 26-year old, quoting GM Tim Murray: “We’re going to chase the big fish.”  The Sabres do have over $20MM in cap space for the upcoming season, and could fit a Stamkos-like contract into their current structure.
  • After opening, the window for Kyle Okposo must have been pretty stuffed as Arthur Staple of Newsday reports there was plenty of interest in the 28-year old. Among the teams that came calling were the Jets, Blues, Kings, Wild and Red Wings. Okposo put up 64 points last season and landed at #2 on our list of the top 50 UFAs.
  • ESPN’s Joe McDonald passes along a report that Boston Bruins’ GM Don Sweeney has considered a reunion with Milan Lucic, and that the team will at least inquire about Stamkos. Boston isn’t finding much luck trying to re-sign their own star forward, as Loui Eriksson looks poised to hit the open market next week.

Kings Re-Sign Trevor Lewis To Four-Year Deal

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The Los Angeles Kings have re-signed forward Trevor Lewis to a four-year deal, per the team site. Lewis tallied 16 points last season, and chipped in two goals in the Kings’ first-round exit.  Though the team has not released the financial details, Darren Dreger of Sportsnet tells us that it will be a four-year deal worth a total of $8MM.

A pending unrestricted free agent, Lewis was originally drafted by the Kings in the first round of the 2006 entry draft. A steady contributor to the Kings’ bottom six, Lewis has played in at least 72 games in each of the last five full seasons, and all 48 in the lockout shortened 2012-13.

At $2MM per season, the Kings have locked up a reliable presence in their lineup for a reasonable amount as they look to try and bring back their other UFAs, including Milan Lucic, Luke Schenn and Kris Versteeg.

Snapshots: Blackhawks, Avalanche, Canucks

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Chicago Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman shrugged at Evgeni Malkin rumors reports Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune. Bowman touched on a number of subject while speaking to the media on a conference call. Bowman confirmed that while he has been in talks with Andrew Shaw’s agent, no progress has been made. A source revealed to the Tribune yesterday that both Shaw and possibly Marcus Kruger could be moved if need be. Regarding the Malkin rumors, Bowman indicated he wouldn’t comment on individual player rumors. The noise regarding Shaw and Kruger’s availability only intensified the speculation that Chicago was truly investigating a trade for Malkin. Speculation, Bowman insists, is just that and that discussions will be ongoing during a time where general managers are working in close quarters.

Other news around the NHL:

  • The Denver Post provides insight as to what to expect when the Avalanche select at 10th overall during tomorrow’s draft. Possibilities at forward include Alexander Nylander, Michael McLeod, Tyson Jost Clayton Keller, Max Jones, or Logan Brown. On defense, the Post lists Olli Juolevi,   Mikhail Sergachev, and Jakob Chychrun as possibilities. Director of Amateur Scouting Alan Hepple was quoted as saying that they don’t believe any goalies are worthy of a Top 10 pick.
  • Ed Willes of The Province writes that Milan Lucic has to be at the top of Vancouver’s wish list. Yesterday, Lucic and the Kings broke off negotiations, enabling Lucic to hit the open market. While the winger is expected to have a number of teams after him, the former Vancouver Giant indicated that he was keeping his options open once July 1 hits.

Snapshots: Lucic, Campbell, Rasmussen, Red Wings

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ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that the Kings and forward Milan Lucic have broken off negotiations which means the 28-year-old winger is headed to free agency. LeBrun states that the Kings’ lack of salary cap room, and Lucic’s financial expectations were too far apart. Though he wanted to remain in Los Angeles, Lucic now will become a coveted free agent. PHR listed him as the #3 ranked UFA on our Top 50 Free Agent list. Ian McLaren listed his top three spots where Lucic would likely land with Vancouver topping the list.

In other NHL news:

  • The Chicago Tribune’s Chris Kuc indicates that former Chicago Blackhawk defenseman Brian Campbell is interested in coming back to the Windy City. The longtime Florida Panther is an unrestricted free agent, and has not re-signed with the Panthers. PHR listed him as the 14th best free agent out of the Top 50 UFAs.  Campbell would take a significant pay cut, however, as the Blackhawks still have a number of players to bring back into the fold with Andrew Shaw leading the pack.
  • The Blackhawks re-signed forward Dennis Rasmussen tweets CSN Chicago’s Tracey Myers. The deal is for one-year and approximately $600,000 according to CapFriendly. The 25-year-old forward had 9 points (4-5) for the Blackhawks in 44 regular season games.
  • Pierre LeBrun writes that the Red Wings and Hurricanes have had conversations about Pavel Datsyuk’s contract. Detroit has been looking for a suitor to take the heavy $7.5MM cap hit off its books after Datsyuk bolted for the KHL. LeBrun indicates that the Wings have been reluctant to move the contract because of the high asking price.  LeBrun also states that holding onto the contract doesn’t necessarily eliminate the Wings from going after unrestricted free agent Steven Stamkos should he hit the market. Conversely, he points out that dealing the contract away with high draft picks or prospects without knowing if Stamkos hits the market is very risky. Finally, he adds the Red Wings to a list of teams interested in the services of Lucic.
  • The Grand Rapids Griffins have signed forward Jack Barre to an AHL contract, according to the team site.  The 6’2″ 215 pound winger enjoyed a breakout senior season for the Dartmouth Big Green of the ECAC, tallying 26 points in 29 games – more than he had scored in his first three years combined.  Not thought of as an offensive force, perhaps the Connecticut native has found something to build upon in the coming years.

Free Agent Focus: Boston Bruins

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The Boston Bruins were faced with a “win and you’re in” situation in the final game of the regular season versus Ottawa. Unfortunately, Tuukka Rask was a last-minute scratch due to illness, and his backup, Jonas Gustavsson allowed 4 goals in 8 minutes in the second period as the Senators routed the Bruins 6-1. The Flyers won later in the day to clinch the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

It was a bizarre season for the Bruins, coming off their first non-playoff year since 2006-07. GM Peter Chiarelli was fired and replaced by his assistant Don Sweeney. Sweeney got off to a rough start with Bruins fans, trading emerging blue-liner Dougie Hamilton to Calgary for three draft picks, despite the belief Edmonton (now helmed by Chiarelli) had a better offer on the table. He then traded longtime Bruins winger Milan Lucic to Los Angeles, resulting in the Bruins having three consecutive picks in the first round (13-15). Sweeney selected tough defender Jakub Zboril and wingers Jake Debrusk and Zachary Senyshyn. Senyshyn was a particularly controversial pick, as he was rated to be a mid-second round pick.

The Bruins went on to post 42-31-9 record, missing the playoffs after that brutal loss to Ottawa.

Cap space: $18.43MM, 16 players under contract

Key RFAs: D Torey Krug – Krug may have been the best defenceman on the Bruins last year, scoring 44 points and averaging 21 minutes per game. Krug underwent shoulder surgery after the season and may miss the beginning of the 2016-17 season. The diminutive Krug will be looking for a raise on the $3.4MM he made last year. With Zdeno Chara getting older, the Bruins are going to rely on Krug more than ever.

Other RFAs: RW Brett Connolly, D Colin Miller, D Joe Morrow, F Landon Ferraro

Key UFAs: W Loui Eriksson – the two-way scoring winger acquired in the Tyler Seguin trade scored 30 goals and 63 points in 82 games last season. Eriksson was widely expected to be traded or re-signed by the trade deadline, but neither happened. Eriksson is believed to be asking for around $6MM per season for 5-6 years. If the Bruins don’t sign him, they’ll be in the market for his replacement.

Other UFAs: R Lee Stempniak, C Chris Kelly, D John-Michael Liles, G Jonas Gustavsson, D Zach Trotman, RW Tyler Randell

Outlook: The Bruins have a busy off-season ahead, with two of their top players needing contracts, and a desperate need on the blueline. The Bruins have allegedly had conversations about acquiring Dmitry Kulikov from the Panthers, according to Joe Haggerty from CSN. Aging defenceman Dennis Seidenberg is a potential buyout candidate. The Bruins also have $5.25MM eaten up by a pair of third-pairing defensemen Kevan Miller and Adam McQuaid. McQuaid could be on the trade block to make room for a higher priced defenceman.

Expect Frankie Vatrano to spend the entire year on the Bruins roster after scoring 36 goals and 55 points in 36 AHL games. He also scored 11 points in 39 NHL games.

They shouldn’t have a problem protecting their current roster from an expansion draft, though goalie-of-the-future Malcolm Subban will have to be exposed.

Sweeney also needs to ensure leading goal-scorer Brad Marchand is under contract well before the trade deadline.

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