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Valtteri Filppula

Top Contenders For Paul Stastny Emerging

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If and when John Tavares re-signs with the New York Islanders this off-season, there will be a lot of teams left in need of a center with few options to turn to. The trade route is an option, although a costly one when searching for a top-six pivot. Not many teams are openly shopping their top centers either. The draft is no help in a class largely devoid of pro-ready talent down the middle. The restricted free agent offer sheet has all but gone extinct. For those teams in need of center help, this leaves the free agent market as the most realistic choice and, behind Tavares, pickings are slim. Tyler Bozak, Riley Nash, and Derek Ryan are all top-five scorers among free agent centers despite all being two-way focused forwards best suited for third-line roles. Joe Thornton, Valtteri Filppula, and Tomas Plekanec are all well past their primes and their recent production proves it. There are simply very few good options.

For these reasons, it is no surprise that teams are already lining up for the services of Paul Stastny. Easily the top UFA center behind Tavares, Stastny is coming off a 53-point season with St. Louis and Winnipeg. Add in a dominant 15-point postseason with the Jets, and Stastny has greatly improved his stock heading into the open market. Both an offensive threat and a defensively responsible player, Stastny is a complete, two-way player. He is also a twelve-year veteran who dismissed talks of being past his prime this season and seems capable of high-end play over the course of another long-term contract.

In fact, the 2017-18 season was Stastny’s best offensively since his early days with the Colorado Avalanche. Ironically, the Avs reportedly would like to see if he still has that 70-point potential he showed as a younger player in Denver. Both Fox Sports’ Andy Strickland and BSN Denver’s Adrian Dater believe that Colorado is the leader in the chase for Stastny. As a team with which he has chemistry, as well as a young, exciting roster in need of a leader, it would be easy to see why a return to the Avalanche could be appealing to Stastny. Strickland also names the Winnipeg Jets as a top suitor. After acquiring Stastny at the deadline and seeing him fit in so well down the stretch and in the playoffs, it is no wonder that they would like to retain him. However, the Jets are inundated with valuable restricted free agents in need of extensions and may run out of the cap flexibility needed to compete for one of the market’s biggest names. Dater hears that the Montreal Canadiens, one of the more desperate center-needy teams in the league, is also in the hunt for Stastny. The Canadiens would be able to keep up with any bid the Avalanche could make and it would likely come down to which team Stastny feels is the best fit.

While these three teams are surely not the exclusive list of contenders, they are three teams that are logical fits for Stastny. Two teams that whose absences are noteworthy though are the St. Louis Blues and Carolina Hurricanes. Yes, the Blues traded away Stastny and when they had him it wasn’t enough to be a true Stanley Cup contender. However, a healthy St. Louis team would have been much more competitive this season and one of the holes they now need to fill to return to that place is at center. Bringing back Stastny is an idea that no one would dismiss, yet Strickland – a Blues beat writer – makes no mention of them. The Hurricanes, like the Canadiens, are simply a team in drastic need of a top center. While Stastny may not put them over the top, he would be yet another piece to a roster that has the potential to turn things around next year. Carolina also has near limitless cap space to contend for the rising price of Stastny’s services. At the end of the day, Strickland states that Stastny just wants to go somewhere where he will have a “chance to win”. Winnipeg and Colorado fit the bill, while Montreal, St. Louis, and Carolina may not. Others are sure to enter the fray too in a free agency market that may end up being defined by the choice made by Paul Stastny.

East Notes: Filppula, Vaakanainen, Boqvist, Kiselevich

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Flyers center Valtteri Filppula is expected to seek a multi-year contract in free agency, reports John Boruk of NBC Sports Philadelphia.  While he’s coming off a fairly quiet season offensively, he’s only one year away from being tagged with 35+ status which carries more risk for teams.  As a result, he may be willing to take a bit less on the open market this time around to get more security over going year-to-year.  In either case, he is going to be asked to take a considerable pay cut compared to the $5MM cap hit he has carried for the last five seasons.

Elsewhere in the East:

  • Boston GM Don Sweeney expects to sign 2017 first-rounder Urho Vaakanainen this offseason and have him play in North America, note Michael Tolvo and Mark Garbino of the Bruins’ team website. The 19-year-old has spent the last two seasons in the Finnish SM-liiga and logged just under 22 minutes per game in 2017-18.  Sweeney wouldn’t rule out Vaakanainen making a run at a roster spot in training camp but spending some time in the AHL is probably the likelier outcome at this point.
  • Peter Wallen, the agent for Devils center prospect Jesper Boqvist, told Corey Masisak of The Athletic (subscription required) that the 19-year-old will remain in Sweden for the 2018-19 season. Boqvist was the 36th overall selection back in the 2017 draft and was productive in his limited action with Brynas of the SHL, recording three goals and ten assists in just 23 games.  As he was drafted out of Sweden, New Jersey has four years to sign Boqvist so there is no rush to get a deal done.
  • Last week, the Panthers added Russian defenseman Bogdan Kiselevich on a one-year contract. CapFriendly provides the details of that deal, which is worth the league minimum salary of $650K in the NHL and $275K in the minors.  The 28-year-old has yet to play in North America but at this price, the deal carries little risk to Florida if he isn’t able to land a roster spot in training camp.

Philadelphia Flyers Will Not Re-Sign Manning, Oduya, Read

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The Philadelphia Flyers face a long offseason after being eliminated from the first round of the playoffs, but GM Ron Hextall has already made some key decisions. Speaking with media today, he made it clear that Matt Read, Johnny Oduya and Brandon Manning would not be re-signed by the club. The team’s other unrestricted free agent, Valtteri Filppula, is still being considered for a new deal.

Hextall, according to John Boruk of NBC Sports Philadelphia, also doesn’t plan on buying out Jori Lehtera at the moment and will bring back the same coaching staff.

None of the three players set to hit the open market should come as much of a surprise, after their play declined rapidly the last few years. Read, who was one of the most impactful college free agents of the last decade, was dragged down by a hefty $3.65MM cap hit and spent most of this season in the minor leagues. After scoring 24 goals as a rookie in 2011-12, he recorded just 30 over the length of his latest four-year $14.5MM contract extension. For a much smaller price, someone around the league could take a chance on him as a bottom-six player, but he’ll hit free agency at age-32 and could have to settle for a two-way deal.

Oduya, claimed off waivers just before the trade deadline, played just a single game for the Flyers this season. He battled injury and inconsistency this season in both Ottawa and Philadelphia, and will be 37 when next season begins. There may not be many suitors for him, though his solid history may get him a look somewhere as a depth defender.

Manning is perhaps the most interesting, after setting a career-high with 19 points this season. The 27-year old defenseman has serious warts to his game, but regularly posts solid possession numbers and will likely demand a relatively low price tag. He could be a sneaky pickup for a team in the league looking for some help on the blue line, though no one should consider him an answer to top-4 struggles.

Eastern Notes: Yzerman, Tavares, Hellberg

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The Tampa Bay Lightning might be currently watching the playoffs rather than playing in them, but Steve Yzerman is already working on his offseason plans. The GM has said his top priority this season is to lock up three core restricted free agents in Ondrej Palat, Tyler Johnson and Jonathan Drouin, which is expected to be quite a challenge, considering how up against the salary cap the Lightning are this offseason.

Tampa Bay Times writer Joe Smith suggests Yzerman might have trouble signing all three of them and acquire a top-four defenseman they desperately need and acquire a goaltender they need at the same time. That doesn’t include Victor Hedman’s $7.875MM extension that kicks in (and almost doubles) next year and the future contract they will have to negotiate with Nikita Kucherov in two years, which is likely to be huge.

Yzerman successfully helped Tampa Bay’s cap situation at the trade deadline when he moved the contracts of Ben Bishop ($4.76MM), Brian Boyle ($2MM) and Valtteri Filppula ($5MM). While all three were important to the Lightning, getting their cap numbers off their books only increased their chances of resigning the trio of young stars.

The scribe writes the Lightning should focus their efforts on resigning both Palat and Johnson who are integral to the team’s success and even went on to suggest that the team should consider trading the 22-year old Drouin, who enjoyed a breakout campaign this year. The thought being that Drouin may have the most trade value of the three and might net them a nice haul right before the 2017 NHL draft.

Smith also suggested other possibilities including looking to the Las Vegas Golden Knights, which has heavily scouted Tampa Bay in the last couple of months, as an option to move a player like Johnson as there is a potential replacement for him in rookie Brayden Point.

All said and done, Yzerman has his work cut out for him this offseason.

Other notes:

  • The New York Islanders, also sitting home during the playoffs, need to focus their attention on re-signing star player John Tavares. The belief is that the Islanders naming Doug Weight the permanent coach was critical to get the 26-year old star to return. Weight, who served as interim coach since January, produced a successful second half for the Islanders as he posted the second-best NHL record during that time. Unfortunately, they fell short of reaching the playoffs, but it is believed that Weight’s return will only help in Tavares opting to return. Tavares, who led the team with 28 goals and 38 assists for 66 points, is in line for a potential 8-year, $100MM extension this summer. A free agent defection would be crippling to the Islanders’ franchise.
  • The New York Rangers have recalled goaltender Magnus Hellberg for Game 3 of their playoff game with the Canadiens today. He will serve only as an emergency backup as the Hartford Wolf Pack just finished their regular season.

 

Saturday Snapshots: Tkachuk, Stamkos, Stone

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Given his pedigree, it should come as little surprise that one of Matthew Tkachuk’s strengths is his advanced hockey sense. His father, Keith Tkachuk of course, played 18 seasons in the NHL and scored 538 career regular season goals. As Darren Haynes writes on his Flames From 80 Feet Above blog, the younger Tkachuk displays hockey awareness on par with that of a 10-year veteran as opposed to that of a 19-year-old rookie.

Flames head coach Glen Gulutzan certainly agrees with the sentiment, praising the young power forward’s “gamesmanship, his hockey sense (and) his ice awareness.” Haynes describes a subtle play made by the rookie in a recent win over Dallas in which Tkachuk touched the puck with a high stick and knew if he was the first to touch it that the officials would blow the play dead. Instead, Tkachuk tracked the puck into the offensive zone and waited for a Stars player to play the puck. Adam Cracknell did just that and Tkachuk picked his pocket and moved the puck to Mark Giordano whose shot deflected off of Stars defenseman Dan Hamhuis and into the net.

Tkachuk has tallied 13 goals and 46 points in 67 games this season which represents excellent production for any rookie, much less one just 19 years old and in his first professional campaign. Yet beyond his offensive output, it may be the little things Tkachuk brings to the table that makes him such a valuable contributor to a team that appears poised to make the playoffs.

Elsewhere in the NHL on this Saturday:

  • Steven Stamkos, out since November with a knee injury, returned to the ice as a full participant at the Lightning’s Friday practice. While that has to be considered a positive sign in his lengthy recovery, Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times writes that Stamkos’ return is still not “imminent.” The Lightning, who have surprisingly managed to resurface in the playoff race despite a trade deadline selloff of goalie Ben Bishop along with forwards Brian Boyle and Valtteri Filppula, would certainly welcome a healthy Stamkos with open arms but at this point it appears they’ll have to manage without their captain for a little while longer.
  • Ottawa Senators forward Mark Stone, who has missed the last week with a lower-body injury, is still considered week-to-week and according to head coach Guy Boucher hasn’t skated while recovering from the leg issue, reports Ken Warren of the Ottawa Citizen. Stone, a terrific forechecker, has tallied 22 goals and 50 points in 63 games this season and is an important cog up front for the Senators. While the loss of Stone certainly stings, his absence has been mitigated somewhat by trade deadline acquisitions Alexandre Burrows and Viktor Stalberg, who have combined for six goals and nine points in the eight games since coming to Canada’s capital. Ottawa, at this point safely in possession of a postseason slot, will continue to look for production from the newest Sens as they work to secure a playoff berth.

Snapshots: Playoff Format, Sedlak, Lightning

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If you’re an Atlantic Division team looking at the current playoff seeding, why would you want to go after the division crown? That’s what Pierre LeBrun wonders in his latest column for TSN. The top Atlantic team will have to face one—most likely the New York Rangers—of the four dominant Metropolitan teams, all of which have more points than the currently leading Montreal Canadiens.  That system may need some tweaking argues LeBrun, who suggests going back to the straight divisional playoffs that brewed long-standing rivalries.

For what it’s worth, it doesn’t seem like the GMs have much interest in changing the format, with one telling LeBrun “it’s all cyclical. Some years some divisions are stronger.” It may not even matter, as Montreal has dominated the Rangers this season. With a 3-0 record, they are likely looking forward to  a first round matchup.

  • The Columbus Blue Jackets have activated Lukas Sedlak from injured reserve today, as he has healed completely from the oblique strain that’s kept him out for a month. The 23-year old has 12 points in 55 games this season, his first in the NHL. Never much of an offensive player, Sedlak prides himself on his defensive and faceoff success and the analytics show it. The young centerman has been an elite shot suppressor in his first season, exactly what you want from a fourth-line player.
  • The Tampa Bay Lightning will look to Brayden Point to lead their team again tonight as Tyler Johnson, Vladislav Namestnikov and Cedric Paquette remain out. Byron Froese was recalled earlier today and will figure into a lineup that was already missing Steven Stamkos, Valtteri Filppula and Brian Boyle from the start of the year. Point will have to get by a former teammate in Morgan Rielly, who he played as a 15-year old for the Moose Jaw Warriors of the WHL.

Trade Deadline Summary: Winners & Losers Of The Metropolitan Division

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The NHL Trade Deadline has come and gone, and while it wasn’t the most exciting deadline day in recent memory, there were quite a few notable moves. Here are the winners and losers of the dominant Metropolitan Division:

Winners

Carolina Hurricanes:

Not all that much happening in Raleigh, but what GM Ron Francis did do, he did well. Both Hainsey and Stalberg brought back returns that were greater than their market value. It was also nice of Francis to send Hainsey to a team where his career-long playoff drought would definitely be snapped. Not sure why Jay McClement wasn’t moved, but there simply may not have been interest. The Hurricanes have a ton of salary cap space and have to dip into their depth on defense sooner or later, but this year’s deadline was definitely not the time for big moves. Expect Carolina to be a major player in the off-season trade market.

New Jersey Devils:

The Devils didn’t really have any trade capital today other than Quincey and Parenteau, so good on GM Ray Shero for doing what he could with what he had. It’s strange that New Jersey was able to get a higher pick from the Predators for Vernon Fiddler earlier this season than they did for Parenteau, but injuries may have played into that. A full season of production and a draft pick in compensation isn’t that bad a return for an early-season waiver claim. The Quincey deal was the real star of the show though. The Devils went from taking a risk on an older, washed-up defenseman this off-season to trading him for a young, strong defensive defenseman who can be a starter for years with the team. Shero played the long con on the league this year, and it paid off.

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Trade Deadline Summary: Winners & Losers Of The Atlantic Division

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The NHL Trade Deadline has come and gone, and while it wasn’t the most exciting deadline day in recent memory, there were quite a few notable moves. Here are the winners and losers of the neck-and-neck Atlantic Division:

Winners

Boston Bruins:

GM Don Sweeney did not want a repeat of 2016, when he gave up second, third, fourth, and fifth-round picks for Lee Stempniak and John-Michael Liles, only for the team to miss the playoffs. In 2017, he succeeded in bringing in a reliable depth player and goal-scorer, Stafford, without having to pay the price of a top pick or any of Boston’s numerous high-end prospects. Sweeney deserves credit for not panicking when his divisional rivals all began making multiple moves, holding to his word of not overpaying and eventually getting a last-minute deal done at a bargain price for a good player.

Detroit Red Wings:

As hard as it is to imagine, the Red Wings are going to miss the playoffs and were in a complete fire sale at the deadline. For as long as it has been since they were in such a position, the team did pretty well. GM Ken Holland may have been able to get a better deal for Vanek earlier in the season, but getting two high picks for Smith and anything at all for Ott was nice maneuvering. The Red Wings in essence added five picks for four players that were unlikely to be on the team in 2017-18 anyway. Could they have dealt Riley Sheahan and Drew Miller too? Possibly, but they did enough as is.

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Tampa Bay Flips Streit To Pittsburgh

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Give Steve Yzerman credit. In two moves, the Lightning GM was able to rid himself of Valtteri Filppula, whose contract was a heavy burden for the team, by trading him to the Philadelphia Flyers. He then took the inexplicable return, defenseman Mark Streit, and traded him to the Pittsburgh Penguins, according to ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun. In exchange, Tampa Bay will receive a fourth-round pick from the Penguins, which will recoup the pick they sent to the Flyers in the previous deal. Basically, he took advantage of the fact that Philly and Pittsburgh don’t do business with each other to help his team in a major way by moving out Filppula.

However, Streit is also a big gain for the Penguins. After the rival Washington Capitals added elite puck-moving defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk, the Penguins have now added Streit and Frank Corrado. The Lightning will also retain 50% of Streit’s remaining salary (Philadelphia held on to 4.7% of his original contract), helping the Penguins to fit him on to the roster.

Flyers Trade Mark Streit To Lightning For Valtteri Filppula

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The Tampa Bay Lightning have acquired veteran defenseman Mark Streit from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for another veteran, center Valtteri Filppula. Streit is an impending free agent, while Filppula has another year remaining at $5MM and had to accept this trade to Philadelphia. The Lightning will also send a 2017 fourth-round pick and conditional 2017 seventh-round pick to Philly. The Flyers will retain 4.7% of Streit’s contract.

The trade is really centered around Tampa Bay’s salary cap crunch and Expansion Draft scenario. Filppula’s No-Movement Clause made him automatically protected in the draft, which put pressure on both Tampa’s expansion decisions and 2017-18 payroll. By moving Filppula and the final year of his five-year, $5MM contract, the Lightning have had many of those issues alleviated. Rather than choosing who they wanted to leave exposed or which restricted free agent they couldn’t sign, Yzerman will now have more flexibility in his maneuvers.

However, there is certainly a trade-0ff in talent. Filppula is still an effective NHL contributor, with 34 points this season, and joins a talented group of forwards in Philadelphia who may be in need of a strong veteran presence to turn their season around or, at least, to help them get back into shape next season. The Flyers had the cap space and expansion situation to acquire Filppula, and were one of the few teams who could, which explains why the cheap price of 39-year-old Streit was enough to get the deal done and why Tampa sent over draft picks as well. Streit is still a good puck-mover, but his production has dropped off significantly. The Lightning are outside of the playoffs right now, and Streit won’t hurt their chances, but trading away Ben Bishop, Brian Boyle, and now Filppula shows that the postseason is not the primary focus of the team right now.

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