This article is part of our From the Press Box series.
Leafs president Brendan Shanahan Was Not Kidding
Despite the fact that the coaching staff, front office and scouting department were overhauled in the last few months, there was some doubt about how much the active player roster might change in Toronto.
Well, Leafs fans and the hockey world got their answer on July 1 when sniper, and one of the lightning rods around last year's collapse, Phil Kessel, was shipped out to the Penguins.
Kessel was traded to the Pens with defenseman Tim Erixon, wing prospect Tyler Biggs and a conditional draft pick in exchange for forward Nick Spaling, recent top draft picks Kasperi Kapanen and defenseman Scott Harrington, a 2016 third-round pick and a conditional draft pick. The conditional draft picks will kick in if the Pens make the playoffs in one of the next two years. In that case, the Leafs will get Pittsburgh's first-round pick and the Pens will get a corresponding second rounder. In addition, the Leafs will pick up $1.2 million of Kessel's remaining contract (for six years) while the remaining $6.8 million annual hit will be on Pittsburgh's books.
That last point is a key consideration for both teams. The Pens bring aboard one of the league's premier goals scoring talents to join in leading the attack with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Even though they reduced Kessel's cap hit, they have a very tight fit in terms of filling out their roster. My perception is that they are
Leafs president Brendan Shanahan Was Not Kidding
Despite the fact that the coaching staff, front office and scouting department were overhauled in the last few months, there was some doubt about how much the active player roster might change in Toronto.
Well, Leafs fans and the hockey world got their answer on July 1 when sniper, and one of the lightning rods around last year's collapse, Phil Kessel, was shipped out to the Penguins.
Kessel was traded to the Pens with defenseman Tim Erixon, wing prospect Tyler Biggs and a conditional draft pick in exchange for forward Nick Spaling, recent top draft picks Kasperi Kapanen and defenseman Scott Harrington, a 2016 third-round pick and a conditional draft pick. The conditional draft picks will kick in if the Pens make the playoffs in one of the next two years. In that case, the Leafs will get Pittsburgh's first-round pick and the Pens will get a corresponding second rounder. In addition, the Leafs will pick up $1.2 million of Kessel's remaining contract (for six years) while the remaining $6.8 million annual hit will be on Pittsburgh's books.
That last point is a key consideration for both teams. The Pens bring aboard one of the league's premier goals scoring talents to join in leading the attack with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Even though they reduced Kessel's cap hit, they have a very tight fit in terms of filling out their roster. My perception is that they are a little top-heavy on the forward ranks and in need of some upgrades on a nondescript defense. They will lean heavily on youngsters Olli Maatta and Derrick Pouliot to grow into top-four defensemen. They are only $3.9 million under the cap to fill five more slots on the roster, so we should expect some more player movement.
On the other hand, the Maple Leafs used the salary dump to create quite a bit of latitude under the salary cap. Not only did they save $6.8 million from the Kessel contract hit, but they also brought in veteran forwards Shawn Matthias, Daniel Winnik, Mark Arcobello and P.A. Parenteau on short-term cap-friendly deals. In addition, Matt Hunwick will be a plus on defense for the paltry sum of a two-year, $2.4 million deal. As a result of these contracts, they have 21 roster spots (of 23 available) with $13.6 million in available cap space. They are currently negotiating with last year's starting goalie, Jonathan Bernier, on his next contract, but will clearly have plenty of cap space once that deal is done.
Clearly the Pens are in win-now mode after this deal, though they are walking a financial tightrope. The Leafs rebuild looks like it's on a good trajectory as they hope to give these veteran pickups an audition that will lead to trades at the deadline next spring, netting more future assets. In addition, that cap flexibility will allow them to prey on other cash-strapped teams in the near future.
The Hawks Re-tool On the Fly
The Cup champs didn't waste time before pulling the trigger on a deal that surprised many observers. It was known that Chicago would be feeling their own cap pinch, with the onset of the onerous $10.5 million hits over the next eight years. In fact, at this time they are over the cap by over $2 million despite only having 22 players signed. To make matters worse, only five of them are defensemen.
This is the landscape after the shocking deal that saw them peddle Brandon Saad to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Saad was thought to be a new cornerstone for Chicago, but his restricted free-agent status was thought to be an enticing target for other teams with financial wiggle room. The Hawks realized this probability and reluctantly moved him to the Blue Jackets, along with prospects Michael Paliotta and Alex Broadhurst. In return, Chicago received veteran forwards Artem Anisimov, Jeremy Morin, Corey Tropp, Marko Dano and a 2016 fourth-round pick. Beyond Anisimov, who may well move into the second-line center role, it is unclear if the others will amount to anything more than bottom six forwards or minor league insurance.
The Jacket wasted little time in making Saad their highest-paid forward with an annual $6 million cap hit through the next six years.
So, we have seen two perennial contenders make significant moves and yet they still face a summer with more key roster decisions, likely forcing them to dump a talented player or two along the way. On the other hand, teams like Columbus and Toronto have the flexibility to absorb big contracts.
We should see plenty of movement because of these circumstances and that will keep the speculation and intrigue at high levels.
The Caps and Blues Get into the Act
These two teams are both on the rise, so it was somewhat of a surprise to see them deal with one another last week. The Blues sent fan favorite T.J. Oshie to the Caps, where he will immediately slide into a first-line role with Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom. The Blues will receive power forward Troy Brouwer, goalie prospect Pheonix Copley and a 2016 third-round pick. The Blues felt the need to add more skilled physicality and did so in bringing the combative Brouwer onboard. The fleet Oshie should excel and complete what could be one of the top lines in hockey next season.
Some notable free agent signings last week:
Justin Williams, Washington: The veteran winger brings a wealth of playoff experience to the Caps. He will make up for some of the grit that they lost in the offseason.
Matt Beleskey, Boston: Beleskey parlayed his breakout 22-goal campaign into a five-year deal with a favorable cap hit of $3.8 million per year, making him a nice fit if he lives up to a top-six role.
Joel Ward, San Jose: The veteran power forward is a nice addition to the Sharks top six and will have an impact on the power play. His cap hit of $3.2 million slides in under four big hits among the Sharks' existing forwards and represents good value for what Ward brings to the table.
Shawn Horcoff, Anaheim: The Ducks are well positioned to make more noise in free agency and should represent a desired destination with their current profile. Horcoff is a cheap bit of insurance for the top-six and special-teams units.
Vladimir Tarasenko, St Louis: The Blues saw enough in this highly-skilled pending free agent to lock him up for the long-term. He moves to the head of the St. Louis roster with a $7.5 million per year cap hit over the next eight seasons. That's quite a commitment for a player who would have been a restricted free agent for the next four years, but this guy looks like the real deal after recording 73 points and a plus-27 rating last year.
