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2020 Year In Review: February

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2020 has certainly been a unique year away from the rink.  However, it’s also a year that has featured several big trades and free agent signings, coaching changes, and much more.  Over the coming days, PHR will take a look back at the top stories from around the game on a month-by-month basis.  We continue with a look back at February.

Byfuglien Situation Explained: The Winnipeg Jets spent a good chunk of their season in confusion at the sudden announcement during training camp that star defenseman Dustin Byfuglien was taking a leave of absence with little to no explanation. That decision prompted the team to suspend Byfuglien, then he countered with a grievance through the NHLPA. The blueliner also underwent ankle surgery shortly after the season began. However, after months of waiting, the team got some clarification regarding Byfuglien as it was reported that Byfuglien has not even skated as of Feb. 1 and he wasn’t expected to return at all during the season. Suddenly two days later, it was reported that the Jets and Byfuglien were discussing a mutual contract termination. That led to trade rumors with the Jets trying to move Byfuglien at the trade deadline. Of course the saga continued for several more months, but February was the first month where it became quite clear that the Jets not only weren’t getting Byfuglien back any time soon, but the two parties’ were headed for a divorce.

Major Injuries: As February rolled on, injuries became a major notation in the season as many teams lost key players for significant times and many for the season (had the playoffs not been delayed until August due to COVID-19). The Sharks were the first to announce that Tomas Hertl was out for the season, a big blow for the struggling Sharks. Next, Chicago’s Brent Seabrook underwent his third surgery, followed by Seth Jones, who was expected to be out indefinitely, a major loss for the defensive Blue Jackets. Of course, the suspension of play did allow Jones to return for the playoffs. The injuries continued to pile up, including San Jose’s Erik Karlsson, Vancouver’s Brock Boeser, Toronto’s Andreas Johnsson, Winnipeg’s Brian Little and Montreal’s Shea Weber. Some were able to return for the playoffs, but those injuries crippled several teams.

Paul Maurice Extended: Despite the team’s struggles and even some light rumors that the Winnipeg Jets might consider a coaching change, the Winnipeg Jets instead signed head coach Paul Maurice to a three-year extension, who has been leading the squad since 2013. While Maurice hasn’t been able to get the Jets deep into the playoffs and the team has seen quite a few early-round exits over the years, the veteran coach has helped the Jets post impressive numbers over the years. Maurice had tallied a 264-186-53 record at the time of the extension and had kept Winnipeg above water last season despite the depletion of their defense.

Bouwmeester collapes: The St. Louis Blues suffered a shock when veteran defenseman Jay Bouwmeester suffered a cardiac event while sitting on the bench during a game against the Anaheim Ducks on Feb. 11. He collapsed behind the bench and trainers and physicians rushed to his aid and saved his life and was later taken the the hospital. He was doing “very well” the following day and underwent successful surgery two days after that. He was labeled out for the season and the playoffs two weeks later. His playing career looks to be over, but the 37-year-old is doing well.

Trade Deadline: The trade deadline came and went with dozens of trades that filled the transaction wires. While many significant names passed throughout the month, perhaps the most significant trades were made by the Tampa Bay Lightning (hint: the eventual Stanley Cup Champions). The Lightning traded for New Jersey Devils power forward Blake Coleman, giving up prospect Nolan Foote and Vancouver’s 2020 first-round pick. A week later, the Lightning were at it again, acquiring another physical forward, Barclay Goodrow, in exchange for their own 2020 first-rounder. While Tampa Bay was the obvious winner, many significant names changed hands, including Robin Lehner, Nick Cousins and Alec Martinez (to Vegas); Tyler Toffoli (to Vancouver); Ondrej Kase and Nick Ritchie (to Boston); Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Andy Greene (to New York Islanders); Tyler Ennis, Andreas Athanasiou and Mike Green (to Edmonton); Brendan Dillon and Ilya Kovalchuk (to Washington) amongst many other significant deals.

Anthony Cirelli Re-Signs With Tampa Bay Lightning

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The Tampa Bay Lightning have signed their last key restricted free agent, inking Anthony Cirelli to a three-year contract. The deal will carry an average annual value of $4.8MM and keeps Cirelli under contract through the 2022-23 season. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic tweets out the full details, noting that it is the exact same deal that Mikhail Sergachev signed earlier this offseason:

  • 2020-21: $900K salary + $1.5MM signing bonus
  • 2021-22 $3.3MM salary + $1.5MM signing bonus
  • 2022-23: $7.2MM salary

When the Lightning walked to the podium to select Cirelli in the middle of the third round back in 2015, they never could have imagined what he would turn into five years later. At that point, he had only one year of OHL hockey under his belt, and though the Oshawa Generals were successful, he certainly wasn’t the one most fans were watching. Michael Dal Colle, the fifth-overall pick from 2014 was on that team and led the Generals all the way to the Memorial Cup, scoring 31 points in 21 playoff games. Cirelli scored only two goals in the playoffs for Oshawa, but he was already showing the elite work ethic and defensive ability that would become his calling card.

When Dal Colle was traded to the Kingston Frontenacs partway through the 2015-16 season, it was Cirelli who took over the captain’s “C” for Oshawa. He would also get his first taste of AHL action at the end of that season, suiting up three times for the Syracuse Crunch. Cirelli would then go on to win another OHL Championship and a World Junior silver medal in 2016-17, never losing that shutdown defensive mindset in the process.

Now, just two full seasons into his NHL career, everything he did for Oshawa (and Erie, and then Syracuse) he is doing for the Lightning. The 23-year-old center is one of the very best defensive players in the entire league, allowing almost no production from opponents when he is on the ice. He’s married that defensive acumen with improving offensive ability that resulted in 44 points in 68 games this season. Though his offense took a backseat to the superstar forwards on Tampa Bay in the playoffs, there’s little doubt how valuable Cirelli is to the team.

At a $4.8MM cap hit, he’ll continue to be a key part of the team’s lineup for the next three years. That number already likely doesn’t live up to the value Cirelli brings and if his development continues it could be a laughably low amount very soon. The bridge deal will also leave him as a restricted free agent one last time, meaning the Lightning will have a chance to ink a big, long-term deal with Cirelli in 2023.

How can they fit another high cap hit in? Nikita Kucherov’s injury is providing some relief, but this number is high enough that the Lightning will likely need to make another move before the season begins. CapFriendly tweeted out several explanations of how they’re even allowed to file a contract like this, which takes Tampa Bay nearly $12MM over the cap ceiling for the time being. Their projected cap hit is nearly $2.2MM over the $91MM that the team will be allowed to build assuming Kucherov goes on long-term injured reserve, meaning either some creative moves or a trade will be necessary in the coming weeks.

Still, even if it costs the Lightning one of their other bloated contracts, getting Cirelli locked up at a reasonable number is some strong work from GM Julien BriseBois. The team’s younger core of Kucherov, Cirelli, Sergachev, Brayden Point, and Andrei Vasilevskiy are now all locked in for at least the next two seasons, with the veteran stars—including Victor Hedman, who only turned 30 a few days ago—all still on workable numbers.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Nikita Kucherov To Undergo Hip Surgery

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The Tampa Bay Lightning may have solved their cap problem, but it’s at the expense of one of the best players in the world. GM Julien Brisbois told reporters including Joe Smith of The Athletic that Nikita Kucherov will need hip surgery and will not play in this regular season. Kucherov can now be moved to long-term injured reserve to give the team more cap flexibility and return in the playoffs (if healthy) when there is no salary cap.

Still, this is certainly not an ideal situation for the Lightning as they look to defend their Stanley Cup championship. Kucherov is without a doubt a difference-maker on the ice and easily could have been awarded the Conn Smythe after leading the playoffs in scoring with 34 points in 25 games. The 2019 Hart, Lindsey, and Art Ross winner, the Russian winger had a career-high 128 points two seasons ago before returning with 85 in 68 during a pandemic-shortened 2019-20.

Moving his $9.5MM cap hit to LTIR though can open some interesting scenarios for the Lightning. Steven Stamkos, the team’s other injured superstar, is expected to be ready for opening day, meaning the team may actually have a few more moves to come. Even with the added flexibility of putting Kucherov on reserve, the team still only has about $3.5MM in space to sign breakout checking center Anthony Cirelli, who remains a restricted free agent. Though Cirelli doesn’t have a ton of leverage right now if he wants to play this season, it still seems unlikely that he signs for less than that unless it is an extremely short-term deal.

More likely, the team is still going to have to pursue other opportunities to shed one of their high-priced forwards. Tyler Johnson was the obvious option earlier this summer when he agreed to give the team a short list of trade destinations, but nothing was worked out and even when the Lightning placed him on waivers, he went unclaimed. Johnson, Ondrej Palat, and Yanni Gourde all count for at least $5MM against the cap this season and all have full no-trade clauses. Alex Killorn, who is the next highest-paid forward behind those three at $4.45MM has a 16-team no-trade clause.

Of course, there may be some other more creative ways around the cap given this year’s taxi squad rules. In any case, the team will have to secure a playoff spot without their most dangerous offensive weapon—not a great situation in an anything-can-happen shortened season.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Tampa Bay Lightning Sign Alexander Volkov, Mathieu Joseph

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The Tampa Bay Lightning continue to wrap up negotiations with their restricted free agents, this time signing Alexander Volkov to a one-year, one-way contract according to his agent Dan Milstein of Gold Star Hockey. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic tweets that the deal is worth $700K. The team has also announced a two-year, one-way contract for Mathieu Joseph which will carry an average annual value of $737,500.

Volkov, 23, is a very interesting player to watch this season in Tampa Bay, given how tight they are to the cap and how inexpensive he now will be. Selected 48th overall in 2017 he has done nothing but dominate at the minor league level, scoring 55 goals and 123 points in 195 games with the Syracuse Crunch since debuting in 2017. In 2019-20 he played nine games with the Lightning, scoring just a single point but flashing the same interesting mix of speed and skill that makes him dangerous in the minor leagues.

If you want to know how highly Volkov is regarded by the Lightning coaching staff and front office, remember that he dressed in a single playoff game this summer. That happened to be game six of the Stanley Cup Final, when Tampa Bay clinched a series win over the Dallas Stars to become champions.

Joseph meanwhile, who is also 23, actually already has 107 games under his belt with the Lightning and will get a chance to add to that total this season. The fourth-round pick from 2015 has a well-rounded game that can play up or down the lineup and he proved he could contribute offensively when given the chance in 2018-19. Joseph scored 13 goals and 26 points in 70 games with the Lightning that season, despite averaging just over 11 minutes a night. Though his offensive numbers dropped to just seven points in 37 games this year, he is still a valuable depth piece that the team now has locked up at a bargain price.

The Lightning may have cap problems that they need to sort out, but players like Volkov and Joseph represent exactly why they are such a tough organization to beat. They’ve built arguably the strongest player development pipeline in the entire league, which continues to churn out NHL-level talents each year out of mid-round picks or trade throw-ins. Even if they have to move on from some of their more high profile talents, they have the depth to fill out the roster internally (while also being an appealing destination for free agents).

Tampa Bay Lightning Sign Erik Cernak, Jan Rutta

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The Tampa Bay Lightning have reached agreements with a pair of free agent defensemen, signing Erik Cernak and Jan Rutta. Cernak’s new three-year contract will carry an average annual value of $2.95MM, while Rutta’s two-year pact will come in at a $1.3MM AAV.

’How can the Lightning afford that,’ you might ask yourself, but reports have recently surfaced that the team could potentially be without Nikita Kucherov to start the year. If the superstar is forced onto long-term injured reserve, the team could potentially use his $9.5MM in cap space for replacements. The move would be complicated, especially if Kucherov returned at some point during the regular season, but could give the Lightning the flexibility needed to sign these two and the still restricted free agent Anthony Cirelli.

Cernak, 23, is another success story for the amateur scouting department, as he was acquired by the team before he ever played a professional game. Selected 43rd overall by the Los Angeles Kings in 2015, Cernak was part of the surprising Ben Bishop trade in 2017 that saw the veteran netminder head across the country as Andrei Vasilevskiy took over the top job. Bishop would only end up playing in seven total games for the Kings, who still had Jonathan Quick, and would then sign with the Dallas Stars in the offseason.

The Lightning would continue Cernak’s development in the minor leagues, but it took just one AHL season for him to show he was ready for the next step. The dependable, big-bodied Slovak has played 125 regular season games over the last two seasons in Tampa Bay and was a big part of the team’s Stanley Cup run this summer. While he’ll likely never be a big point producer, he balances out the back end and allows more offensive players to take some chances.

Rutta meanwhile was never drafted, but the Lightning acquired him from the Chicago Blackhawks in 2019 as part of a depth defender swap. Sending the disappointing Slater Koekkoek—who had been a tenth overall pick—the other way, Rutta became a valued member of the Lightning and has now signed two new deals with the team.

Though he only played in 33 regular season games and five playoff contests, Rutta is a perfect depth option for the Lightning that can move in and out of the lineup this season, or even spend some time on the taxi squad. Tampa Bay brought back Luke Schenn on an inexpensive contract for a similar reason, but did lose names like Kevin Shattenkirk and Zach Bogosian from their championship roster.

Make no mistake, this is a difficult puzzle for the Lightning to put together even with the Kucherov news. The team is now quite a bit over the salary cap ceiling and still has Cirelli to sign (not to mention Mathieu Joseph and Alexander Volkov).

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Joe Veleno, Moritz Seider To Remain In Europe

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Detroit Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman held a conference call with reporters (video link via the Detroit Free Press) and among the major announcements was that both Joe Veleno and Moritz Seider will be staying in Sweden until the end of the SHL season instead of returning for training camp. Filip Zadina, Filip Hronek, Gustav Lindstrom, and Mathias Brome, who are all also out on loan, will be brought back.

Veleno, 20, is playing for Malmo in the SHL where he has 11 points in 21 games so far. The 30th overall selection in 2018 had an up-and-down AHL debut last year when he scored 23 points in 54 games, but still has a very high ceiling as a two-way center that could be a staple in the Red Wings lineup for years to come. Leaving him in Europe certainly would suggest that the Red Wings believe he has more developing to do before really pushing for an NHL roster spot, though Yzerman did note there are still so many questions about what the AHL season will look like this season.

Seider meanwhile is still just 19 but is looking right at home at the SHL level. Playing with Rogle, he has 12 points in 17 games and was not released to the German World Junior squad. Selected sixth overall in 2019 to the surprise of many, Seider has quickly become one of the top prospects in the entire world and is a key to the Detroit turnaround. The 6’4″ defenseman has all the attributes of a true number one option, meaning his development is absolutely crucial to the Red Wings.

Speaking about all of the players who have suited up overseas, Yzerman noted that though playing in Europe has likely sharpened the games of Zadina and others, it isn’t the NHL and they’ll still have to prove themselves on this side of the pond.

It’s important to remember too, that though they will stay for the rest of the year, Veleno and Seider could potentially be late-season recalls for the Red Wings once things end overseas. The SHL regular season schedule completes at the beginning of April while the NHL regular season isn’t expected to be completed until May.

Nikita Kucherov Dealing With Injury

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The Tampa Bay Lightning may be without one of their best players when the season begins, as Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that Nikita Kucherov is dealing with an injury that may keep him out “awhile.” The Lightning are expected to clarify the specifics later this week, but Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic adds that Kucherov got a hip injection last week.

Notably, as Friedman suggests, this could potentially be a fix for Tampa Bay’s cap problems. If Kucherov is forced onto long-term injured reserve, the team would theoretically not need to move any of their other high-priced assets to get under the $81.5MM salary cap ceiling. A return at any point during the regular season would obviously complicate the situation, though as James Mirtle of The Athletic points out with his tongue firmly planted in his cheek, there is no salary cap come playoff time (which is only a few months away in a shortened season).

Still, losing Kucherov is obviously a huge blow for a team looking to repeat as Stanley Cup champions. The 27-year-old forward is one of the very best offensive players in the entire world and scored 85 points in 68 games last season. That, amazingly, only landed him the 13th spot in Hart Trophy voting, but the year prior he took home the Hart, Art Ross, and Ted Lindsay awards as the undisputed best player in the league. He recorded 41 goals and 128 points in 2018-19, a true example of how dominant Kucherov can be when healthy and surrounded by talent.

It may be some time before we get to see that Kucherov on the ice again.

Lightning Sign Gage Goncalves To Entry-Level Deal

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The Tampa Bay Lightning announced they have signed second-round pick Gage Goncalves to a three-year entry-level deal. He is the second 2020 second-round pick that the Lightning has signed in the last 24 hours as Tampa Bay inked Jack Finley (#57) Saturday to an entry-level contract. Goncalves was chosen five picks later at #62.

Goncalves has taken the long road to get where he was. The forward was signed by the WHL’s Everett Silvertips as an undrafted free agent as he was considered a weak skater, who lacked size or physicality back when he was 14 years old. He was given a camp invite in 2016 and 2017 to make the Silvertips and was cut both times. However, he never gave up, continuing to work on his game and constantly working on building up his body.

He was given a third chance in 2018 and made the team. Even then, Goncalves didn’t produce much, posting just a goal and 15 points in the 2018-19 season. Then suddenly last year, everything changed for him as he broke out for 33 goals and 71 points and showcased skills that many had not seen before. One reason for the change was a growth spurt that pushed his height to 6-foot-1. That production prompted the Lightning to grab Goncalves in the second-round, something that seemed impossible just one year before that.

Despite signing a three-year deal, Goncalves is expected to return to Everton next season, which will allow his contract to slide at least one more year.

Lightning Sign Jack Finley

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Tampa Bay has signed their top pick from October’s Entry Draft, announcing the signing of center Jack Finley to a three-year, entry-level contract.  Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The 18-year-old was the 57th-overall pick of the Lightning after they dealt a pair of picks (a 2020 fourth-rounder and a 2021 second-rounder) to Montreal to secure his rights.  Finley is coming off of a strong sophomore campaign with WHL Kelowna where he tripled his offensive production from his rookie year, going from 19 points to 57 (19 goals, 38 assists) in 61 games.  While there were more productive forwards still on the board at that time, size down the middle is an element that many teams covet and at 6’5, he certainly brings that to the table.

Last month, Finley was loaned to West Kelowna of the BCHL in an effort to get him some playing time but he was only able to get into a pair of game with the Warriors before that season was shut down.  With the WHL still aiming at opening up next month, he’ll likely be returned to the Rockets before too long.

It’s unlikely that Finley will see any game action with Tampa Bay this coming season so as a result, his contract will wind up sliding a year and will still have three years remaining on it after the 2020-21 campaign.

Tampa Bay Lightning Hire Rob Zettler

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The Tampa Bay Lightning have added an assistant coach to the mix, hiring Rob Zettler to join Jon Cooper’s staff. General manager Julien Brisebois released a short statement about the hire:

Rob brings extensive coaching experience to the Lightning organization and is very familiar with a lot of our players and coaches. We believe our players will benefit from Rob’s wealth of experience, both as a long-time NHL defenseman and as a veteran coach in the NHL.

Zettler, who may be best remembered as an in-your-face defenseman that played nearly 600 NHL games for several different organizations, has been an assistant coach with the San Jose Sharks and Toronto Maple Leafs previously. He also served, notably for this position, as the head coach of the Syracuse Crunch as recently as 2016. The Crunch of course is the AHL affiliate of Tampa Bay and where Cooper cut his teeth before taking over the Lightning.

In fact, Zettler took over as head coach of the Crunch from Cooper when the latter was promoted to the job in Tampa Bay during the 2012-13 season. That team, which had been 39-18-8 when Cooper was bumped up, went all the way to the Calder Cup Finals under Zettler, eventually losing despite the efforts of young Ondrej Palat and Tyler Johnson.

That familiarity and experience will come in handy for Zettler as he joins the NHL staff.

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