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Quotable: Wild GM Bill Guerin On The Upcoming Offseason

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With Minnesota getting eliminated in the Qualifying Round by Vancouver, the offseason has arrived.  GM Bill Guerin spoke with reporters, including Dane Mizutani of the Pioneer Press, on a call and spoke about several topics beyond the change to their coaching staff that was revealed earlier today.  Here are some of the highlights.

On Goaltending:

I was disappointed in the goaltending.  It needs to be better, that’s just the way it is, and if I said anything different, I’d be lying because it was not a strong point for us.

It was a tough year for Devan Dubnyk.  After being their undisputed starter for the last four years, the veteran struggled mightily, putting up a 3.35 GAA with a .890 SV%.  The last time he had numbers like that was 2013-14, a year in which finished the season as a fourth-stringer in Montreal’s system.  Alex Stalock wound up as their defacto starter as a result and while he had his best numbers since his rookie season, those numbers were still below the level of an NHL number one.  Accordingly, Guerin left the door open to shopping for help between the pipes this summer:

If I have an opportunity to make it better, I will.  I’m also confident if those guys come back that they’re gonna be battling for a spot, and we’ve got Kaapo Kahkonen pushing them. It just has to be better, flat-out. I can’t promise anybody a spot.

Kakhonen is coming off of a stellar season with AHL Iowa, one that saw him take home Goalie of the Year honors.  He’s a pending restricted free agent with arbitration eligibility which gives him a bit of leverage.  That should be enough to land him a one-way deal but he is still waiver-exempt and with just two seasons in North America under his belt, more time in the minors would be ideal from a development perspective.

On Contract Talks:

There’s definitely a lot of moving parts right now.  It’s a little trickier not knowing the landscape of what the market is going to be, so It could take a little more time than usual.

While the list of pending free agents isn’t the largest, several quality veterans are now eligible to sign contract extensions, headlined by winger Kevin Fiala and defenseman Jonas Brodin.  While teams at least know what the cap for next season will be, there are still questions as to what the financial picture will look like beyond that time.  That certainly has the potential to delay the extension market (especially for players that will be unrestricted free agents in 2021 with Seattle’s expansion draft on the horizon) so as much as Guerin would like to get deals done – something he acknowledged on the call – he’s likely right in the suggestion that it may take longer than usual for that market to open up.

On Seeking Centre Help:

Teams don’t trade number one centers. They just don’t. Usually, it’s got to be done in the free agent market or through the draft. It’s a position that I think this organization has needed for quite some time. We are going to try to address it.

While Guerin may prefer to address this through free agency, it’s a very weak market down the middle.  One of the more intriguing options is midseason acquisition Alex Galchenyuk who was moved back to his natural position after the swap and acquitted himself relatively well.  Keeping the pending UFA on a short-term deal could provide them with a little bit of upside but not the type of top-end impact they’re looking for.

With roughly $65MM in commitments to 17 players already for next year, Minnesota may be able to leverage their cap space to their advantage.  While teams may not want to trade top centers to clear cap space, it’s not impossible that a second liner or two get moved.  Even that would represent a nice upgrade for the Wild and would help boost their middle of the pack attack.

On Buyouts:

I guess we would use it if we had to.  It’s definitely a last resort. To pay somebody to go play somewhere else is not something that I would love to do. Like I said, if we have to do it, we will do it.

The trade that saw Victor Rask come to the Wild in exchange for Nino Niederreiter worked out great for Carolina and was a disaster for Minnesota.  Rask has been in and out of the lineup and found himself scratched against Vancouver.  During the regular season, he has managed just seven goals and nine assists since being acquired.  That’s not the type of production they were expecting from someone that carries a $4MM cap hit.  They could plausibly buy him out and replace his production with someone making a lot less while freeing up some money to fill a spot elsewhere.  Doing so would cost $1.333MM against the cap for four years.

Dubnyk could also be considered for one if the opportunity to add another starter presents itself.  With only one year left on his deal, there isn’t much in the way of long-term repercussions.  However, the front-loaded nature of the contract means that there would still be a $2.667MM cap charge for 2020-21 which means they’d only free up $1.667MM for next season by doing so.  From their point of view, a trade with max retention may be more ideal, even if it still involves paying somebody to go play somewhere else.

Quotable: Robin Lehner On His Departure From Chicago

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Even though he had been in a timeshare with Corey Crawford in Chicago this season, it seemed like there was a possibility that Robin Lehner could return for next season.  Following the trade and his recent comments to reporters, including Justin Emerson of the Las Vegas Sun, that doesn’t appear to be a likely scenario anymore:

I went to Chicago to help them out and got promises of getting a fair chance to play. I came there with a good mindset, fit into the team. I didn’t play much in the beginning, or middle, beginning of the season, even if I played well, had a good camp.

Eventually, I took over and I won — I think I won like nine out of 10, 12 out of 15 — and we walked up one point out of a playoff spot. Then, all of a sudden, I found myself on the bench for no reason. That was tough. Plus, negotiations totally died out.

Lehner and Crawford were very close in appearances before the trade with Lehner only getting into one more game.  Statistically speaking, the two were very close in save percentage (Lehner .918 and Crawford .915) while Crawford’s goals against average of 2.80 was a bit better than Lehner’s 3.01 so with both goalies playing at a similar level, the timeshare wasn’t that surprising.  The fact that both players are making a sizable salary ($6MM for Crawford, $5MM for Lehner) only made that outcome an even likelier one.

What was a bit surprising, however, was the contract situation.  While he had indicated early last month that he wasn’t willing to take a hometown discount, he was certainly open to the idea of sticking around at that time.  Perhaps part of the reason of that was the Blackhawks’ unwillingness to make a long-term commitment; Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported in his latest 31 Thoughts column that the team was only willing to go as long as a two-year term on an extension.

Considering he has played on short-term deals throughout his career and the fact he’s in his second straight strong season, it’s understandable that he’d want a long-term pact.  Lehner’s struggles before that played a role in him having to take a one-year deal this summer and it’s reasonable to surmise that GM Stan Bowman had some similar reservations given their approach to negotiations.

This trade probably doesn’t help his free agent case as his playing time will be somewhat limited behind Marc-Andre Fleury.  Even if he plays more than his predecessor in Malcolm Subban, Lehner will be hard-pressed to match the timeshare situation he had in Chicago let alone improve on that.  Not surprisingly, when asked if he was hopeful that his stint in Vegas would be for more than just a few months, he was non-committal.

I don’t hope anymore. We’ll see what happens. We’ll see what happens this summer.

With his track record, Lehner’s case is certainly going to be one of the more interesting free agency cases around the league regardless of position.  He has played well enough to earn a similar payday but will he be able to get the long-term security as well?  As Lehner himself said, we’ll see what happens this summer.

Robin Lehner Comments On His Upcoming Free Agency

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2018-19 was a great season for Robin Lehner.  After struggling to the point of being non-tendered in Buffalo, he performed quite well with the Islanders but was still only able to land a one-year deal in free agency with Chicago, who gave him $5MM for the season.  Once January 1st rolled around, he became eligible to sign an extension with the Blackhawks.  John Dietz of the Daily Herald spoke with Lehner who was quick to point out that while he enjoys it there, he won’t be taking any discounts to stick around:

I’ve taken discounts my whole life.  I’m not a guy that wants to be overpaid either.  I want to gain some respect that I think I deserve and we’ll see if that happens or not.

At the very least, Lehner’s free agent case should be bolstered this summer.  Teams were likely hesitant to commit back in July when he had only the one good year under his belt.  However, he has played well this season and has posted a .922 save percentage, a mark that is well above league average and he knows that is going to work in his favor.

It’s a different summer this summer than last summer.  I have another year under my belt in my new journey.  The market is (also) wide open. There’s a lot of teams that need goalies (and) not that many goalies available.

As things stand, it certainly looks like there will be a shuffle of goalies this summer with players like Lehner (plus teammate Corey Crawford), Braden Holtby, and Jacob Markstrom at the top of the market with top backups like Thomas Greiss, Jaroslav Halak, and Anton Khudobin also certain to garner a lot of interest.  At the very least, Lehner should be able to get a longer-term commitment and a raise which would make his decision to go the one-year route last summer a prudent one.

Staying in Chicago could ultimately be the best move for him though.  With both his and Crawford’s deals coming off the books, they free up $11MM in cap space.  While a good chunk of those savings will be put towards Alex DeBrincat’s new deal that kicks in next season, there is still enough for them to spend on a starting goalie.  Lehner has been the better of the two so it’s likely that he’ll be the one they push to keep.  But after having a quiet market last July, there will be several other suitors to contend with this time around.

Quotable: Stamkos, Lehner, Tavares

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It’s not hard to find a critic of the NHL’s current playoff format, but it refreshing to hear criticism come from a player, particularly one of the game’s biggest names. Asked by the media the other night how he felt about the current format and it’s effect on the Tampa Bay Lightning, Steven Stamkos has this to say (video courtesy of TSN):

It is what it is. It’s been that way for a while now… I understand where they’re coming from from a marketing perspective, wanting to get some rivalries early on, but from a perspective of what you’re grinding 82 games for during a season is to finish as high as you can so you can have that advantage come playoffs. I don’t think that’s an advantage to Toronto or Boston to be what could be the top three teams in the whole league from one division and then have to play that team in the first round. I don’t think that’s right…. It is what it is, you can’t change it now, but I don’t think it’s the most fair in terms of why you play and the advantage you’re supposed to have come playoff time.

Stamkos very clearly demonstrates the core problem with current format which is, in an effort to improve divisional rivalries and boost TV ratings in the postseason, the league is devaluing the entire regular season. As Stamkos references, the Bruins and Maple Leafs are inching closer to locking in the second and third spots in the Atlantic Division and a guaranteed meeting in the first round, despite the fact that they are both top-five teams in the league standings. While he avoids seeming like he’s complaining by framing the argument through Toronto and Boston, Stamkos also knows that the format is a detriment to Tampa Bay, who are awarded with a first-round win this year by likely having to play the next-best team in the conference in the second round. Similarly, the current format will prevent the San Jose Sharks and Calgary Flames, both top-three teams in the league, from meeting in the Western Conference final, as they will be forced to play in the second round per the current divisional emphasis. A strong performance in the regular season should offer more of an advantage to teams in the postseason, Stamkos states. For exmaple, by the old 1-8 playoff format, the Bruins and Maple Leafs could not meet until the second round and neither could play the Lighting until the conference final, while the Sharks and Flames also could not play until the conference final. The NHL has not expressed any desire to change this current format, but with a star of Stamkos’ caliber speaking out with a very logical argument, perhaps they will begin to look at changes.

  • New York Islanders goaltender Robin Lehner is back from injury and ready to put an end to skaters crashing the net and running over goalies, as Ottawa’s Brady Tkachuk did to him earlier this month. Lehner told Brett Cygralis of the New York Post that he won’t be a victim again. Instead, he’s advocating that goalies do a better job of defending themselves, perhaps with some leniency from the referees, to teach skaters that there are consequences for these dangerous plays:

Got to be honest, everyone always does it on purpose… Plays like that, all of sudden, you tear a knee and [your] career is over. They’re the ones that do it. It’s still part of the game. Maybe I need to brace myself more for next time. Next time someone comes in, I’ll protect myself and we’ll see if they do it again. I think it’s a joke… You look around at all the different hits and all the different stuff, it’s so inconsistent… I don’t think they really know what they’re doing. This is a problem around the league that a lot of goalies get run into like that. I cannot complain about it, but maybe all the goalies should start protecting ourselves with our blockers and our sticks, and they shouldn’t call anything about that if we do it.

  • Toronto Maple Leafs star John Tavares has a problem with a lack of calls in net too, but different from Lehner’s. Tavares is sick of non-calls for the goal being intentionally knocked off it’s moorings. The Maple Leafs went down 5-0 to the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday night, but mounted an impressive comeback to come within a goal of tying the game. However, in the waning seconds of the game with goalie pulled and possession in the Chicago zone, the net came loose and play was stopped and Tavares at least suspects Blackhawks goaltender Collin Delia of doing it on purpose. Tavares told the media after the game, including TSN’s Kristen Shilton, that there should be more to it than just a whistle and a face-off:

If that’s on purpose by them, especially in the last couple minutes in big situations, I would love to see that be a challenge at some point. When we get that kind of pressure, that’s kind of a free out if that’s what happened. I didn’t really see it, but…”

 

Quotable: Coyotes GM John Chayka On Struggles, Tocchet

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Despite making several big additions over the summer, the Arizona Coyotes have continued to struggle this season and find themselves dead last overall in the NHL with just 23 points in the first half.  Despite that, GM John Chayka told Craig Morgan of Arizona Sports that although he’s unhappy with the results, he’s pleased with the direction of the team:

“I’m satisfied with the way we draft, the way we develop, the way we scout, the way we coach, the way we teach. A lot of the stuff we’re doing off the ice is important and I think those things are all trending in the right direction, but it’s like a battleship. It takes a battleship a little while to turn. Once we get things squared away and are moving in the right direction, it will move that way for a long time.”

Nov 9, 2017; St. Louis, MO, USA; Arizona Coyotes center Clayton Keller (9) handles the puck during shootouts against the St. Louis Blues at Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY SportsArizona has certainly had a lot of young players developing at the NHL level in recent years.  Forwards Clayton Keller, Max Domi, Christian Fischer, and Brendan Perlini are all 21 or younger and are regular players while Lawson Crouse, who is only 20, was a regular for most of last season.  Keller, in particular, has played very well this season, leading the Coyotes with 32 points.  Defenseman Jakob Chychrun is a key piece on their back end and is still just 19.

While most of those players could be viewed as success stories, it hasn’t been all good news.  Center Dylan Strome has been dominant at the AHL level this season (30 points in 19 games) but that hasn’t translated to much in the way of NHL success over a couple of stints with Arizona this year where he has just a single tally in 11 contests.  He’s still just 20 himself but as the third overall pick back in 2015, it’s safe to say that his development has not progressed as anyone would have hoped for so far.

Chayka pointed out to Morgan that over the past two years, the average age of Arizona’s top-five scorers has dropped by ten years from 33 to 23 which is certainly quite the drastic overhaul.

With the team scuffling even more than they were last year under Dave Tippett, some have questioned whether Rick Tocchet is still the right fit as head coach.   Chayka voiced his support for his bench boss while putting some pressure on his own shoulders at the same time:

“There’s a certain mindset and approach and mentality that goes into playing to win in this league and Rick is a guy who has done it at the highest level and done it for a number of years.

“In fairness to him as a manager, I think we can do a better job of getting him some more talent and putting them in the right positions to have success. Sometimes, when you look up and as a manager you’re evaluating it, there’s not a right solution to the problem you see, so he tries different things. Some of them might work; some of them might not, but in terms of his philosophy for how to play the game, I think we’re completely aligned. I do think he’s playing to their strengths and that’s something I want to see and do see. Once I get him some better players he’ll continue to be a better coach.”

Given where they are in the standings, it’s hard to imagine Arizona doing anything but selling at the trade deadline which will make it difficult for Chayka to add better players, at least in the short-term.  However, considering his willingness to make some bold moves last summer when he acquired Derek Stepan, Antti Raanta, and Niklas Hjalmarsson in a pair of trades, it will be interesting to see if he’s willing to do so again or if they take a swing in free agency.  Otherwise, if the hope is simply that another year of development from their young core will help them take a big step forward, they may be in for some more tough times beyond 2017-18.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Coyotes Exploring Ownership Restructure

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It was reported earlier today that Randy Frankel, a minority shareholder for the MLB’s Tampa Bay Rays, was considering buying into the Arizona Coyotes. Sportsnet’s John Shannon believed that Frankel could be a potential partner for the ’Yotes current majority owner, Andrew Barroway, as some part of larger shakeup. However, an article released later in the day by Arizona Sports’ Craig Morgan reveals that there are much bigger dealings afoot.

Morgan reports that the minority owners in Arizona have extended an offer to Barroway to buy out their shares of the organization. Barroway allegedly has until June 6th to raise the capital for a takeover and become sole owner of the Coyotes or at least leader of a new ownership group. As Shannon noted, Frankel is in the mix as a potential financial backer of the sale, as is his fellow Rays minority shareholder Tim Mullen. Morgan adds that, if Barroway chooses not to take advantage of the option, the minority owners will then be given the opportunity to buy out Barroway’s majority stake. It is also possible that neither sale occurs.

It is no surprise that the Coyotes are an organization in flux, as they have had highly-publicized issues for years with the state of Arizona. After the city of Glendale, their current home, recently terminated the team’s long-term arena lease, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman made it clear that the “Arizona Coyotes must have a new arena location to succeed. The Coyotes cannot and will not remain in Glendale.” Bettman has been poignant in his remarks about how arena relations have gone for the Coyotes in Arizona, and has reached out to state leadership directly to discuss alternative options. So far, his efforts have been futile. A plan to construct an arena complex with Arizona State University in Tempe fell through, a privately-funded offer to build a new arena on an Indian reservation outside of Scottsdale has failed to gain steam, and most recently the team had been exploring the option of building a new home alongside the MLB’s Chicago Cubs’ spring training facility in Mesa. As always, there have been continuing rumors about relocation outside of Arizona as well, most of it geared toward a move up the west coast to Portland, Oregon or Seattle, Washington.

One thing is certain: finding a new home would be the core objective of any new majority ownership group for the Coyotes. Their relationship with the city of Glendale is ruined and the team ranks last in the Western Conference in attendance. An organization that is loaded with skilled, young talent has a bright future ahead of them, but can only maximize that success in a new location. This is a story that won’t be going away any time soon.

Quotable: Shane Doan On The Possibility Of Being Traded

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The report over the weekend that suggested that long-time Coyotes captain Shane Doan could be willing to accept a trade caught many by surprise.  Speaking with reporters, including Tim Campbell of NHL.com, he clarified the situation:

“People have texted and talked to me about it. I never said I wouldn’t go anywhere. I’ve always wanted to stay here. If there was ever an opportunity, the Coyotes have always been incredible to me and respectful to me in every way.

“I’d talk about it with my family and make a decision on that if it was to come up but it would have to be so perfect and so right that it’s pretty hard for it to all line up perfectly. It would have to be exactly perfect and that just doesn’t happen too often in our sport.”

Doan has been with the organization for 21 years, dating back to their original incarnation as the old Winnipeg Jets.  He’s one of just nine players in league history to spend that long with the same organization, a legacy that’s quite important to him, notes Sarah McLellan of the Arizona Republic.

Shane Doan

The 40 year old has struggled this season, posting just four goals and eight assists in 43 games, his worst point-per-game production since 1996-97.  The team is also expected to miss the playoffs as they 29th in the league and 16 points out of the last Wild Card spot so if he wants to play in the postseason this year, it will have to be somewhere else.

Doan was also quick to note, however, that the trade talk didn’t start with him:

“It wasn’t me saying it. I’ve been frustrated with the year, with us not winning and stuff, that’s always tough. I haven’t said it to them, to management, or said anything to them, but I’ve also never said I wouldn’t [agree to be traded].

“If it comes to that point, we’ll sit down and talk about it. It’s happened in the past, it’s just that no one’s ever heard about it. We’ve had the discussion and said yes or no and for the most part it’s been no.”

Although his days of being a top six forward are over, it’s likely that several contending teams would be interested in adding him for the stretch run.  However, with a cap hit of just over $3.875MM (not including games played bonuses of over $960K), it would take some creativity to get the finances to work in a deal.  Doan’s contract also carries deferred signing bonus money over the next five years (CapFriendly has the detailed breakdown) which also has to be considered as well.

Doan was also asked about whether or not this would be his final season and noted that he isn’t ready to make that decision yet:

“I’ll decide at the end of the year. As long as I’m enjoying playing the game, I want to play. It’s the best sport in the world.”

With the trade deadline still six weeks away, there’s plenty of time for Doan to make a decision about his playing future.  If he decides to take a run at a Stanley Cup this season, he will be one of the more interesting players to change teams this season.  His case will be one to keep a close eye on in the weeks ahead.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Quotable: Darryl Sutter

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Los Angeles Kings head coach Darryl Sutter has been one of the best interviews in hockey for a long time. He’s the perfect blend of one-liners and no-nonsense. In her latest “Practice Quotes” column, Lindsay Czarnecki jotted down some of Sutter’s latest responses. The whole thing is an amazing read as always, but here are some highlights:

On the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Victor Hedman (the Lightning are in town to face the Kings tomorrow):

He’s going to win the Norris. Now they don’t say is he, they say he is. He’s dynamic. He has some risk in his game. He can play physical, he’s fast. Plays special teams. There’s a handful of guys in the league, exciting guys to watch, don’t like playing against them. Wish I had two or three of them.

On long playoff runs:

It takes its toll. Guys are human, not machines. Look at guy like Jonathan [Quick]. Since I’ve been here in six years he’s had three major surgeries. It takes its toll. These guys play a lot of — everybody looks at these sexy numbers, how many games they’ve played and all that. You should also factor 150 playoff games as they count almost as double.

On expanding roster limits:

I think as long as you’re under the cap why can’t you have whatever you want? What difference does it make? To me it doesn’t make — what’s the point? You got a salary cap, everybody’s now at 75 million dollars, well, why can’t you have 25 guys?

The Kings will take on the Lightning tomorrow afternoon at 3pm before welcoming in the San Jose Sharks to town. After that is stretch where the team will play nine out of ten games on the road before their mandated bye-week. The team currently sits in the final wild card position in the West, but has several teams nipping at their heels. This stretch will be huge in deciding the team’s fate this season.

Quotable: Babcock On Centennial Classic, Maple Leafs Future

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When Auston Matthews scored his 20th goal of the season and lifted the Toronto Maple Leafs to a 5-4 overtime victory in the Centennial Classic Sunday night, they extended their win streak to five games and pulled within three points of the third place Boston Bruins for a playoff spot. While the team is still constantly blowing third period leads and have faced exactly zero playoff teams during the streak, many fans and media members are starting to think the postseason is a realistic possibility for the young club.

After the game, head coach Mike Babcock talked candidly about where he thinks his team is now and the atmosphere at the outdoor game.

On Matthews’ continued success:

Well he’s a good player. I mean, he played head to head with [Henrik Zetterberg], Z had three points, [Anthony] Mantha had three points. They were really good too, so let’s not get too carried away there.

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Jonathan Quick Not Close To Returning

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It hasn’t been a very quick recovery for an injured Los Angeles Kings goaltender.

Jonathan Quick injured his groin in the Kings’ first game of the season, leaving Jeff Zatkoff and Peter Budaj to mind the net in his expected three-month-long absence. While the Kings have been better than many expected with a record of 14-11-2, they’re still just fifth in the Pacific Division and hanging on to the last Western Conference Wildcard spot.

Coach Darryl Sutter provided an update on his superstar goaltender’s recovery to L.A. Kings Insider:

“In terms of [his progress], he’s just starting moving to the end of training from therapy. He’s still very much in the rehab mode. They’re still talking about a month before he could even begin to say what that next step was. It’s not in this year [2016] before there’s any sort of update.”

That means the Kings will be without Quick until late January or early February. While Budaj has been decent at 0.910 SV%, it’s still below league-average goaltending. The Kings have gone the first two months of Quick’s injury without acquiring another goalie, with just Anders Lindback being brought in to their AHL team on a tryout basis. Quick will be very motivated on his return, as he was rather poor in his World Cup appearance. He was 0-2, with an 0.863 SV% and seven goals against in his two games. If Quick comes back and plays to the high level that he can, then the Pacific Division should be very wary of the Kings.

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