This article is part of our From the Press Box series.
Two big names in Winnipeg, Dustin Byfuglien and Andrew Ladd, have seen their names in the news a lot in advance of the Feb. 29 trade deadline because they are – or were – both playing out the final year of big-dollar contracts.
Byfuglien was set up to be highly coveted at the deadline as an offensive-minded defenseman who logs lots of ice time and can play the game any way you want with his rare combination of size and skill. He has also shown the ability to play on a forward line if necessary, and that added flexibility for such a high-end talent makes him an even more valuable commodity.
Of course, Ladd has also been a central figure in the Winnipeg dressing room as the captain and a productive player in his own right. He has been a consistent scorer, a key cog on the power play and a conscientious checker during his entire career. Oddly, though, Ladd has been less productive and much less visible this season, ceding some of the leadership role to others, including Byfuglien.
I originally believed Byfuglien was more likely to be traded until he admitted that he really enjoys living and playing in Winnipeg. It's not far from his Minnesota origins, which may have been a factor in his declaration, but the fact that he made those feelings so public during the course of contract negotiations was surprising.
Earlier this week, Byfuglien backed up his public admission for real, as he
Two big names in Winnipeg, Dustin Byfuglien and Andrew Ladd, have seen their names in the news a lot in advance of the Feb. 29 trade deadline because they are – or were – both playing out the final year of big-dollar contracts.
Byfuglien was set up to be highly coveted at the deadline as an offensive-minded defenseman who logs lots of ice time and can play the game any way you want with his rare combination of size and skill. He has also shown the ability to play on a forward line if necessary, and that added flexibility for such a high-end talent makes him an even more valuable commodity.
Of course, Ladd has also been a central figure in the Winnipeg dressing room as the captain and a productive player in his own right. He has been a consistent scorer, a key cog on the power play and a conscientious checker during his entire career. Oddly, though, Ladd has been less productive and much less visible this season, ceding some of the leadership role to others, including Byfuglien.
I originally believed Byfuglien was more likely to be traded until he admitted that he really enjoys living and playing in Winnipeg. It's not far from his Minnesota origins, which may have been a factor in his declaration, but the fact that he made those feelings so public during the course of contract negotiations was surprising.
Earlier this week, Byfuglien backed up his public admission for real, as he inked a five-year extension with an average annual cap hit of $7.6 million to stay with the Jets. At age 31, this is likely his last big contract, and the consensus seems to be that he left some money on the table and did the Jets' management a huge favor when it comes to the budget. Winnipeg is clearly not considered one of the league's big-money teams, so other players will be expected to fall in line behind Big Buff for at least the next couple of seasons in terms of their salary-cap structure.
Phaneuf moves to Ottawa in big intraprovincial deal
We had our first big-name player dealt ahead of the deadline this week, as Dion Phaneuf was the central figure in a nine-player swap between Toronto and Ottawa.
The former Leafs captain was the subject of widespread acclaim from his former GM and head coach through the first half of the season, in which he accomplished more by doing less on most nights, not getting much bad press as he did last season. Instead, he has been lauded for his leadership and aid in the development of Jake Gardiner and Morgan Rielly, who are expected to be two cornerstones of the Leafs blueline for years to come.
With Phaneuf's onerous contract and cap hit (four more years at $7 million per season), he was going to limit Toronto's roster flexibility. The key part of this trade is that the Leafs are not retaining any of his salary in this exchange. The complete deal saw Ottawa get minor-leaguers Cody Donaghey, Casey Bailey, Ryan Rupert and Matt Frattin, the last of whom is the only one with any prior NHL experience. In exchange, the Leafs welcome Milan Michalek ($4 million cap hit), Colin Greening ($2.65 million), Jared Cowen ($3.1 million), each of whom has one more year on his contract. Toronto also receives AHL winger prospect Tobias Lindberg and a second-round draft pick in 2017.
So, in the short run, the Leafs take on a trio of contracts that were expendable in Ottawa, with the chance that they might rehabilitate at least one of them. The prospects coming to the Leafs are more promising than those going the other way. From Ottawa's standpoint the key, in addition to dumping the three "bad" contracts was the acquisition of Phaneuf, with a plan to insert him on a more appropriate second defense pairing. This is probably a profile that will suit him better than the first-line and heavy minutes he absorbed during his tenure in Toronto. He will be paired with Cody Ceci, filling a big need on the blue line for a Senators team that leads the league in shots allowed. His addition gives the Senators renewed hope for a playoff run in the wide-open Eastern Conference race.
For the Leafs, this looks like a big win because they have now jettisoned three horrible contracts (Kessel, Clarkson and Phaneuf) that did nothing but limit their roster flexibility and certainly didn't position them as a contending team. The fact that they retained only $1.2 million from those three contracts (Nathan Horton's $5.3 million hit for each of the next four years doesn't count because he's on long-term IR) seems a minor miracle.
Now they have little in the way of poor contract value (outside of Joffrey Lupul's $5.2 million each of the next two years) and thus lots of capacity for other contracts in this summer's free agency period. Mr. Steven Stamkos, a call from Toronto may well be in your future.
This move, in combination with a rash of recent injuries, all but assures the Leafs of another high-end draft pick, too.
The Toronto rebuilding process moves on in earnest. This time it could be for real.
Gaudreau & Co. sit in Calgary
The Flames' management group made a bold move on the eve of a game against Toronto this week, sitting out Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan and Lance Bouma. Their indiscretion was a late arrival to the club's scheduled practice; the trio admitted to celebrating a little too late at a Super Bowl party the night before. The fact that Gaudreau and Monahan have established themselves as central figures in Calgary's offensive scheme early in their careers did not deter their GM and coaching staff from delivering a forceful message. No one player is bigger than the team, and no one should be exempt from scheduled team events.
The desired outcome for the Flames will be recognition by these players that they messed up and need to be more focused on a commitment to the team concept. Last season, Nazem Kadri missed a team practice in Toronto and was subsequently suspended for three games by team president Brendan Shanahan. Since then, the Leafs' front office and coaching staff has seen a more consistent and professional approach from the formerly underachieving centerman. The Flames have no quarrel with the on-ice play of their three players, but certainly want to see a similarly positive outcome here, particularly as they are still on the periphery of the playoff race.
Goalie updates in three cities
Winnipeg – Michael Hutchinson's ineffectiveness in the aftermath of Ondrej Pavelec's November knee injury opened the door for Connor Hellebuyck, who has been a revelation for much of this season. The rookie goalie has played the lion's share of games for the Jets since. He's hit a bit of a rut recently, though, surrendering three or more goals against in four of his last six starts. With the rehabilitation of Pavelec progressing steadily, the Jets will have to make a roster move in goal very soon.
Anaheim – The Ducks have gotten a lot of mileage out of John Gibson, who started the season in the minors, but was instrumental in their recovery from a terrible start this season. While Gibson has consistently proven to be the better goalie this season, Frederik Andersen is still getting a significant share of playing time. He's a restricted free agent on an expiring $1.15 million cap hit, so the Ducks will likely be evaluating him with a look toward possibly re-signing him or maybe offering him up in trade talks soon. They have already committed to Gibson, who has a three-year extension with a $2.3 million annual cap hit beyond this season.
Arizona – After workhorse Mike Smith was sidelined by sports hernia surgery, the Coyotes handed their net to Louis Domingue, who has enjoyed a very impressive rookie campaign with an Arizona team that's shown significant improvement this season. However, he's another guy who's recently hit a wall, giving up five goals in each off his last three starts. The rookie has done enough to distinguish himself as a part of the Coyotes' future, but the sense is that they may have overplayed him and we should expect to see a bit more of Anders Lindback, if only to give Domingue a break. In addition, Smith's rehabilitation remains on pace for a return in a couple weeks; if that works out on schedule, the veteran will likely return to at least a half share of the remaining starts.
