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Detroit Red Wings Sign Anthony Mantha

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The Detroit Red Wings have reached an agreement with Anthony Mantha on a new four-year contract. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that the deal is worth an average annual value of $5.7MM. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic provides the full breakdown:

  • 2020-21: $4.5MM
  • 2021-22: $5.3MM
  • 2022-23: $6.5MM
  • 2023-24: $6.5MM

This multi-year contract locks up a core piece of the Red Wings forward group and actually becomes the longest deal on the books for GM Steve Yzerman. Mantha is the only player in the organization currently signed through the 2023-24 season, with even Dylan Larkin expiring a year earlier. That term and security likely bought Detroit some cap savings on the deal, given how effective Mantha has been in his last few seasons.

A first-round pick in 2013, it took a few years for the power forward to fill out and reach the NHL. When he did though, he brought the instant goal scoring that he had provided at every other step of the way, scoring 17 in his first full season in Detroit. Mantha followed that up with 24 goals in his sophomore campaign and 25 in just 67 games in 2018-19, showing how easily he would be able to reach the 30-goal threshold at some point.

Unfortunately, after scoring 12 goals and 24 points in his first 29 games of 2019-20, Mantha was injured when he was tossed to the ground by Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Jake Muzzin. He would miss more than six weeks of the season, making his return to the lineup in mid-February. Perhaps even more effective down the stretch, Mantha put up 14 more points in 14 games before the season was halted, bringing his totals to 16 goals and 38 points in just 43 games this year.

That kind of per-game production, especially for a player that is still squarely in his prime, is usually rewarded with even more money than Detroit committed here. The deal buys out two years of unrestricted free agency and could look like a steal if Mantha can get healthy enough to play every night, finally reaching that 30-goal mark.

For the Red Wings, who are still in their rebuilding phase, this represents a relatively low-risk investment in a core player. Without any other long-term commitments, the team has ample cap space over the next few years to develop and sign their young talent. Names like Darren Helm, Valtteri Filppula, Luke Glendening, Marc Staal, Patrik Nemeth, and Jonathan Bernier are all on contracts that expire after this season, opening up the playbook for Yzerman to build the squad as he sees fit.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Prospect Notes: Wiesblatt, Neighbours, Groshev, Stillman

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The St. Louis Blues’ and San Jose Sharks’ recent first round picks are on the move, at least for the time being. Jake Neighbours and Ozzy Wiesblatt have been loaned by their WHL teams, Edmonton and Prince Albert respectively, to the AJHL’s Brooks Bandits, the team announced. The loans carry a pre-determined end date of December 20, allowing Neighbours and Wiesblatt to get a head start on the coming season. The WHL announced in October that they had postponed the start of the 2020-21 season to January 8, while the AJHL is set to kick off their season on November 13. Neighbours and Wiesblatt will have more than a month of game action with the Bandits before heading to training camp with the Oil Kings and Raiders. The top prospects, who have both already signed their entry-level contracts, have landed in one of the best possible spots when it comes to being loaned to an inferior league. Brooks is a powerhouse program, whose current roster includes a 2021 first round hopeful in Corson Ceulemans and a number of NCAA commitments. The team just got much more dangerous with the addition of these two elite young forwards, at least for the next month.

  • Another recent draft selection has also been moved, but in a more permanent fashion. Tampa Bay Lightning third-rounder Maxim Groshev has been traded in the KHL, though “sold” is the more accurate verb. Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk has dealt their homegrown product to SKA St. Petersburg, per a team release. The return is merely “monetary compensation” but it is believed the young forward cost 40 million rubles. A big winger who was deemed ready for KHL last season at 17, Groshev recorded seven points in 36 games last year and has two points in 17 games thus far in 2020-21. SKA is an elite KHL team and not exactly known to spend time developing young players when they can attract prime talent, so the team must see considerable potential in Groshev as well as feel he has several years left in the KHL before taking his talents to North America.
  • The OHL’s postponement of their 2020-21 start to February, as well as questions about the quality of the competition once play resumes, is going to result in considerable player movement, which has already begun. In the latest notable move, potential 2021 first-round pick Chase Stillman has been loaned to Demark by his club, the Sudbury Wolves, until the OHL season begins. The Sudbury Star’s Ben Leeson reports that Stillman has already departed, and is set to join the Esbjerg Engery. Stillman, the son of former NHLer Cory Stillman, should find Denmark to be an interesting developmental adventure; it is his first pro experience but also not considered a top tier pro league by any means. If Stillman dominates in Denmark, he may have to make a difficult decision about returning for a shortened OHL season that may not include checking versus seeing his pro season through. For a highly regarded draft-eligible prospect, it’s a call that could impact his draft stock.

 

Negotiation Notes: Ekman-Larsson, Bertuzzi, Gushchin

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While the Oliver Ekman-Larsson trade rumors dominated the pre-free agency headlines, the Arizona Coyotes’ star defenseman ultimately stayed put. Now, the ’Yotes captain tells AZ Central’s Jose Romero that this was the result that he had hoped for:

I have a clause in my contract, a no-trade, no-move clause. At the same time, I did not want to stand in the way if the organization felt otherwise. That’s how I am as a person. It was more that if they wanted to remove me, I set up the two clubs as an alternative, but, as I said, I wanted nothing better than to continue in Arizona so it feels good that it turned out the way it did.

Ekman-Larsson didn’t stand in the Coyotes’ way of making a trade per say, but the longest-tenured Coyote provided as little flexibility as he could while seeming open to a deal. Ekman-Larsson provided Arizona with just two teams he would accept a trade to, the Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks, and also set a deadline of October 9 for a deal to be completed. While the team reportedly had talks with both Boston and Vancouver, no deal could be reached in time and Ekman-Larsson stayed put. While he admits that even being available on his own terms was uncomfortable, Ekman-Larsson feels happy to still be a Coyote and has moved past the whole situation. Arizona meanwhile will have to find another way to solve their current salary cap crisis.

  • While there is a negative correlation between reaching a salary arbitration hearing and the number of seasons that player spends with his team after the fact, Tyler Bertuzzi remains on good terms with the Detroit Red Wings, according to Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press. Bertuzzi tells James that all is well, even after the player was critically examined by his own team in front of an arbitrator, who seemingly agreed with an award closer to where the Red Wings filed. Bertuzzi went so far as to say the process “went smoothly” and stated that it was “nothing personal at all.” Congratulations are due to Detroit and GM Steve Yzerman on not only winning the arbitration battle, but maintaining such good terms with the subject. Bertuzzi’s experience with an arbitration hearing is far from the norm.
  • Daniil Gushchin, selected in the third round by the San Jose Sharks earlier this month, had previously signed with the OHL’s Niagara Ice Dogs this summer after the team picked him fourth overall in the 2020 CHL Import Draft. This seemingly marked the end of his consideration of going the collegiate route as well as his time in the USHL. Yet, with the OHL season delayed, Gushchin’s USHL club, the Muskegon Lumberjacks, have revealed that their star forward is still very much in the mix for the 2020-21. It is possible that the Ice Dogs have negotiated a loan of Gushchin to the Lumberjacks until OHL training camps open, but it also may be that the skilled forward has simply found himself a place to play. So long as Gushchin stays in the USHL this season and does not suit up in the OHL, he would maintain his NCAA eligibility and could still wind up joining a college program, many of whom had interest before he committed to Niagara.

Tampa Bay Re-Signs Pat Maroon, Luke Schenn

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October 29 (UPDATE): Maroon may have settled for a below-market deal to stay in Tampa Bay, but he did get some added assurances that he won’t be leaving the Bolts any time soon. CapFriendly reports that Maroon’s contract contains a full No-Trade Clause in 2020-21 and a 16-team trade list in 2021-22. It is worth noting that a full NTC is not equivalent to a No-Movement Clause, so Maroon will not be automatically protected in the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft.

October 29: Weeks after this news broke, the Lightning have officially announced the contracts for both Maroon and Schenn. As originally reported, Maroon has signed a two-year deal with an average annual value of $900K, while Schenn re-ups for one year and $800K. Tampa Bay reportedly waited to formalize the contracts until after the deadline for restricted free agents to accept their qualifying offers, after which the team re-gained some salary cap space. The Bolts still have yet to move out any of the considerable amount of salary they must be rid of in order to sign those RFA’s.

October 9: The Tampa Bay Lightning may end up bringing back some of their Stanley Cup depth, as Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports they are close to re-signing both Pat Maroon and Luke Schenn. Frank Seravalli of TSN tweets that Maroon will sign a two-year deal worth a total of $1.8MM while Schenn will be back on a one-year, $800K deal.

Maroon has been looking for a multi-year deal over the last few offseasons and finally will get a little bit of stability in his career. After winning back-to-back Stanley Cup championships with two different teams, Maroon will stay put in Tampa Bay. His salary though will stay extremely low, giving the Lightning a veteran depth piece for close to the league minimum.

Schenn too is a depth piece that showed he could still fill a certain role, especially for such an inexpensive contract. With Tyler Johnson on waivers and the team looking to trade Braydon Coburn, a little bit of cap space has been freed up to sign these depth players and the Lightning restricted free agents.

Tampa Bay Loans Alexei Lipanov To The KHL

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At least one more Lightning prospect will be playing in the coming weeks as Dynamo Moskva of the KHL announced that Tampa Bay has loaned Alexei Lipanov to them.  However, unlike many of the players that have been loaned overseas while they wait for training camps to open, this one is for the duration of the season.

The 21-year-old was a third-round pick (76th overall) back in 2017 but his first full professional season didn’t go as planned.  Lipanov played in just four AHL games with Syracuse and instead spent the majority of the year with ECHL Orlando.  Unfortunately for him, he wasn’t the most productive with the Solar Bears either, notching just nine goals and seven assists in 37 games.

This won’t be Lipanov’s first stint in Dynamo’s system as he spent parts of three years in that system before coming to the OHL after being drafted.  Perhaps a return home will be enough to get him going offensively again.

Lipanov still has two years left on his entry-level deal with Tampa Bay.  As he’s no longer junior-aged, the contract will not slide a year as a result of this loan so assuming he returns for the 2021-22 season, he’ll have some work to do to secure a qualifying offer.

Tampa Bay Lightning Re-Sign Ben Thomas

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Minor league defenseman Ben Thomas is coming back for another year with the Tampa Bay Lightning, or more accurately the Syracuse Crunch. The Lightning have announced a one-year, two-way extension with Thomas, who has spent the past four seasons with the organization playing in the AHL. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Thomas, 24, has yet to make his NHL debut, but has 274 AHL games to his credit. He skated in 56 games for the Crunch during the 2019-20 regular season, totaling three goals and 16 points. Thomas has been good for around 20 points in each of his four pro seasons. He’s also a dependable defensive presence. A 2014 fourth-round pick and WHL standout, Thomas’ performance thus far in his pro career has been good, but hasn’t quite put in a position for NHL opportunities.

However, the Lightning currently have slim pickings on the blue line. Right up against the salary cap, the Bolts are trying to figure out how to sign their restricted free agents, including defensemen Mikhail Sergachev and Erik Cernak. For now though, the team only has four defensemen signed to one-way contracts and only two two-way defensemen with NHL experience in Luke Witkowski and recent import Andreas Borgman. Unless Tampa Bay can find a way to add to the blue line this off-season, Thomas could be in line to finally see some NHL action as one of the top options in the AHL.

Tampa Bay’s Stamkos Undergoes Core Repair Surgery

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Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos, who appeared in just one playoff game for the Stanley Cup Champions, scoring one goal in just 2:47 of ice time in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals and never returned after that, underwent core repair surgery Wednesday, according to The Athletic’s Joe Smith (subscription required). Stamkos is expected to be ready for the start of the 2020-21 season.

Tampa Bay general manager Julien BriseBois said that Stamkos went to see a specialist earlier this week where it was determined that he required a second surgery, this time on his left-sided lower abdominal core muscle.

The 30-year-old underwent core muscle surgery in March and was expected to miss six to eight weeks, but was not ready to go when the playoffs started in August. He went to Toronto with his team and practiced, but was never comfortable enough to play throughout the playoffs. He had a solid regular season with 29 goals and 66 points in 57 games last season before undergoing surgery.

Vladislav Namestnikov Signs With Detroit Red Wings

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The Detroit Red Wings are staying busy on the free agent market and have landed themselves a bargain. Versatile, two-way winger Vladislav Namestnikov is set to join the Red Wings and reunite with GM Steve Yzerman, who drafted him in the first round with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Detroit has announced a two-year deal with Namestnikov which reportedly carries a $2MM AAV. This represents a surprising drop-off in salary for Namestnikov, who made $4MM on his previous contract and has 30+ points in four of his five full NHL seasons.

Namestnikov, PHR’s 20th-ranked UFA, is either the victim of a flat cap market that is already running out of money or simply took a discount to join the Red Wings and play a major role up front. The 27-year-old is coming off a season in which he recorded 17 goals and 31 points in 65 games, despite dealing with not one but two different trades. Moving from the New York Rangers to the Ottawa Senators and then to the Colorado Avalanche, Namestnikov quickly took to each of his new locales and excelled. With some consistency, he is easily capable of reaching 20 goals and 40 points while being paid like a player who might produce half that much.

A skilled forward who also plays a responsible defensive game and is a major asset on the penalty kill, Namestnikov checks a number of boxes for Detroit. If handed a major role, as he was in Ottawa, Namestnikov should be a top scorer for the Red Wings as well as one of their best special teams players. While his salary seemingly reflects a “show me” deal, the two-year term means he’ll need produce in both seasons in Detroit if he want to cash in the next time he hits the open market. Fortunately, Namestnikov stands a strong chance of  boosting his stock in Detroit and will still be just 29 as a UFA in 2022.

Tampa Bay Lightning Re-Sign Ross Colton

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The Tampa Bay Lightning are always in need of some cost-effective depth options and Ross Colton could be one of the next in line. CapFriendly reports that the restricted free agent forward has agreed to terms on a one-year, two-way extension with Tampa Bay. Colton will be as affordable as it gets at the NHL level, making the minimum $700K, while collecting $100K in the AHL.

Colton, 24, was initially drafted by the Lightning in the fourth round in 2016. He spent the next two seasons at the University of Vermont, but left early to turn pro. Over the past two years with the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch, Colton has shown substantial improvement, jumping from 31 points in 66 games to 42 points in 62 games this past season. Colton finished second in scoring for the Crunch in 2019-20, while also boosting his physicality to lead all forwards in penalty minutes.

A player who could step in as a solid fourth line option for the Bolts, Colton also has the advantage of a cheap contract. The Lightning still have many moves to make to clear out salary this off-season in order to re-sign their big-name restricted free agents – Anthony Cirelli, Mikhail Sergachev, and Erik Cernak – but they are going to be right up against the salary cap one way or another. Colton is one of just two forwards making the minimum $700K salary next season for Tampa Bay, which should boost his chances at NHL opportunities.

Tyler Johnson Clears Waivers

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Saturday: Johnson has cleared waivers, Friedman reports.

Friday: The Tampa Bay Lightning have placed Tyler Johnson on waivers, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The window for buying a contract out has passed, meaning this is not for that purpose. Instead, this is likely the Lightning trying to find a team that will take on Johnson’s entire deal, even for free.

Johnson, 30, has four years remaining on his contract and carries a $5MM cap hit, but notably also has a full no-trade clause. Though he extended a list to the Lightning that he would accept a deal to, this is one way for the Lightning to get around that. A team that wants Johnson could simply claim him off waivers, which he has no control over.

Still, it’s a lot of money for any team to take on even without giving up an asset in return. Johnson scored 31 points this season, but was underwhelming in the Stanley Cup run with just seven postseason points.

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