Mar 17, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; New York Islanders goalie Michal Neuvirth (30) makes a save against the Chicago Blackhawks during the first period at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports
Once the Stanley Cup playoffs end, the NHL rumors will begin to heat up with teams looking to rebuild and retool. With the upcoming free agent class lacking star power, rumors of players available and restricted free agents possibly getting offer sheets will run wild.
Goaltending is more interesting this year than most as few known names are available but there is plenty of depth and an RFA that could gather some interest. There are a few usual suspects in the goalie market from last year along with some teams possibly looking to upgrade the position.
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I’m going to look at the starting goaltenders of five teams and look around the league to see who may fill those needs. Since I will only look at starters there are many teams that are considered set with their starter. Carey Price, Jonathan Quick, Henrik Lundqvist…teams aren’t replacing these guys, nor are they being traded.
But there are other teams that I expect to hear in NHL rumors as the draft approaches. The Calgary Flames are one team that could pursue an upgrade in the crease. Not that Jonas Hiller and Karri Ramo were a bad tandem. They helped the surprising Flames upset the Vancouver Canucks in the quarterfinals before the Anaheim Ducks ended their season.
However Ramo is an unrestricted free agent and Hiller is going into the last year of his contract. If Flames GM Brad Treliving believes an upgrade in-goal helps push his young, growing team to another level there will be options and there is money to spend if they want to.
I think the Flames let Ramo walk and look for a goaltender that is capable of carrying the starting load should Hiller struggle, though a high-priced goaltender expecting big term doesn’t fit. Players like Sam Bennett and John Gaudreau are eventually getting bigger long-term deals and tying up money in a big goalie contract will create issues.
The name that comes to mind here is Michal Neuvirth. He proved he could carry the load and excel behind a Buffalo Sabres team that played though tanking and severe growing pains all season. Imagine what his record would have been with that save percentage with some goal support.
Neuvirth also deserves a situation where he can play to win the starting job. He would get that in Calgary and has been around the league enough to add value in the locker room as well. He certainly would have won more games with better goal support.
Next: Minnesota Wild - What Would Dubnyk Do?
Minnesota Wild
May 7, 2015; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Minnesota Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk (40) makes a save during the first period against the Chicago Blackhawks in game four of the second round of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Marilyn Indahl-USA TODAY Sports
What once was a position of strength for the Wild now comes with questions. Devan Dubnyk went from league punching bag in Arizona and Edmonton to Vezina Trophy finalist in Minnesota. Amazing what a little defensive support can do for a career.
Dubnyk’s play helped send the Wild into the second round of the playoffs, but now decisions need to be made. The Wild had four goaltenders with periods of success starting in-goal. One of those, Josh Harding, appears ready to announce his retirement. With all he continues to battle, I wish him luck in his fight and the best of health going forward. The remaining three will be subject of NHL rumors for the whole offseason.
Nicklas Backstrom is 37 and appeared in only 19 games this past year. While his cap hit at just over $3.4 million is reasonable, his .887 save percentage last year was awful. Would a team take that contract for a short-term veteran back-up?
Then there’s Darcy Kuemper, who at 25 has shown flashes of brilliance. He also has one year left on his deal before his restricted free agent year. I have to believe the Wild like Kuemper, but is he ready to carry the load if the team doesn’t resign Dubnyk?
I expect the Wild to be involved with several NHL rumors involving goaltenders leading up to the draft. I believe they get a deal done with Dubnyk, around four years at close to Backstrom money. One of those years is already paid for should the Wild trade Backstrom, which I expect them to do before the season starts.
Look for a team like the New Jersey Devils or Arizona Coyotes to be interested, particularly Arizona. They have plenty of cap space and could use a back-up capable of twenty games so Mike Smith doesn’t have to kill himself playing 75 or more. And it’s a short-term deal so the price to acquire Backstrom would be minimal.
Next: Buffalo Sabres - Next Man Up
Buffalo Sabres
Apr 11, 2015; Buffalo, NY, USA; Buffalo Sabres goalie Anders Lindback (35) looks to make a glove save during the first period against the Pittsburgh Penguins at First Niagara Center. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports
This is the no-brainer team on the list because Chad Johnson is the only goalie under contract for the Sabres with one year left. The same Chad Johnson that was acquired from the New York Islanders and got hurt before playing in any games.
On top of that there’s the coach search, the unpredictable and sick of tanking GM Tim Murray, and the likely second pick in the draft, Jack Eichel, whom probably won’t be traded away. If ever a team was ready for the NHL rumors mill, it’s the Buffalo Sabres.
Trading for a goalie with term left on his contract makes the least sense for the Sabres. Expect the NHL rumors to surround unrestricted free agents but also restricted ones. I can see Murray making an offer to an RFA, though not in the goalie market. This isn’t a team ready to hand out a massive deal to a goaltender despite the cap space to do so.
The forwards are still taking shape and Murray knows this team has a history of building from the crease out with Dominik Hasek, Martin Biron, and Ryan Miller in recent history. Unfortunately for Sabres fans those goalies have combined for zero Stanley Cups for the Sabres, so Murray seems more likely to load up his forwards. See the Evander Kane trade.
Antti Niemi would be interesting here because he would be a veteran presence on a very young team overall, and his Stanley Cup ring would command respect in the room. At 31 years old there is still tread on the tires and I don’t believe he will command the same deal Braden Holtbycan expect.
It won’t be the most exciting signing for the Sabres, but I expect the NHL rumors to heat up about Anders Lindback resigning with the team. Lindback played very well during his time in Buffalo and is known to handle the puck very well.
That combination would take the pressure from young but talented defensemen Rasmus Ristolainen and Nikita Zadorov. I’m looking for Lindback to get a two-year deal from the Sabres with a raise over his $925,000 salary. I’m thinking two-years at $2.5 to $3 million total. The Sabres won’t make as much noise with their goalie as they do with other potential moves at the draft.
The Buffalo Sabres will continue to be the focus of many NHL rumors but they will not involve the goaltender once Lindback resigns.
Next: Toronto Maple Leafs - Goalie To Good Home
Toronto Maple Leafs
Apr 8, 2015; Columbus, OH, USA; Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Jonathan Bernier (45) against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena. The Jackets won 5-0. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
I come not to bury the Maple Leafs but to praise them. And feel a little sympathy. Try as they might Toronto has been NHL purgatory for a while now. Not the worst team in the league but not good enough to make the playoffs. Fast starts, fading finishes. At least now the team has a clear direction and it involved lots of NHL rumors.
Not that loyal Leafs fans are going to like it. This team is going to be torn down to the ground and should be one of the most active at the NHL draft. Plenty of NHL rumors are flying about Dion Phaneuf and Phil Kessel, among others. I have my thoughts about Kessel but this is about the crease.
The more likely scenario is Reimer is traded to a team looking to upgrade the backup position. The first team that comes to mind for Reimer is the Dallas Stars. The Stars brought in Jhonas Enroth at the deadline from Buffalo and then never really used him much. Reimer could have the opportunity to see more time for Kari Lehtonen, he of the unsightly .903 save percentage.
Lehtonen needs to be better if Dallas has any hope to rebound and make the playoffs, and Reimer provides a veteran backup that has played well during parts of his career. Dallas needs to have a reliable second option as expectations will be high again and head coach Lindy Ruff may not wait for Lehtonen to find his game should he struggle. If he does, Dallas will find themselves the focus of mid-season NHL rumors about players, coaches and maybe the front office.
If Toronto trades Reimer, they will likely try to keep Bernier. Both sides have options for how they can pursue this as mentioned here. With the team in transition I expect the Leafs and Bernier to use the one-year qualifying offer so both sides and see the progress (or lack thereof) as the season progresses. Then the NHL rumors can start again next season about long-term solution either via contract or trade.
Next: Washington Capitals - Release The Holtbeast?
Washington Capitals
May 13, 2015; New York, NY, USA; New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist (30) and Washington Capitals goalie Braden Holtby (70) shake hands after game seven of the second round of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers defeated the Capitals 2 – 1 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports
Let’s get this out-of-the-way first and avoid any NHL rumors about it: Braden Holtby is deserving of a serious raise on his next contract. The 25-year old arrived in a big way this playoffs despite the Capitals not making it out of the second round and blowing a 3-1 series lead to the New York Rangers in the process.
That’s not on Holtby, who posted an insane .944 save percentage and 1.71 GAA. By contrast, the likely Vezina Trophy winner Carey Price posted a .2.23 GAA and .920 save percentage in the same number of games. Small sample size, I know. But the number don’t lie and Holtby’s play has earned him a big pay-day.
Is that going to come from the Washington Capitals? The NHL rumors will swirl about Holtby and his next deal similar to Bernier in Toronto. The Capitals are on the upswing though and Holtby is entering his prime years. As good timing would have it, the money for his big contract just came available.
Mike Green was making over $6 million per season but that contract has expired as Green hits free agency. I don’t expect the Capitals to bring him back at all, let alone at a reduced salary. The money he was making must be allocated to Holtby.
Skip the NHL rumors and forget the bridge deal. The Capitals need to start talking with Holtby and his agent in the six-year, $5.5 million per year range. He doesn’t have the brand that Price, Henrik Lundqvist, Jonathan Quick or Pekka Rinne have. But Holtby is in the upper tier of goalies in this league and he should be paid like it.
As a bonus to keep your eye on, watch Martin Jones in Los Angeles. That’s a team getting tight against the cap and Jones is a restricted free agent. I expect to hear his name more than any other when it comes to NHL rumors about trade targets at the draft. He is the new Jonathan Bernier, that goaltender GM’s focus on as being the potential next good-to-great starter in the NHL.
