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Ducks D Corps Cooked. Fowler Trade Coming? |
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Korbinian Holzer, come on down.
You are the next contestant on Bob Murray's over crowded blue line.
Veteran Korbinian Holzer today signed a one-year, one-way contract to remain with the Anaheim Ducks. The contract is reportedly worth $700,000 AAV.
In 2015-16, Holzer played in only 29 regular season games. He chipped in three assists. He also played in nine games in AHL San Diego. Holzer is a depth signing who can play the 7D position very capably.
Earlier this month, the Ducks signed free agents Nate Guenin and Jeff Schultz for depth in Anaheim and San Diego.
The Ducks D corps is bursting at the seams with Kevin Bieksa, Simon Despres, Cam Fowler, Josh Manson, Clayton Stoner, and Sami Vatanen all signed and under contract. Murray is days away from re-signing RFA D Hampus Lindholm, 22, who is in line to earn a six year, $36 million contract extension.
But wait, there's more!
Ducks top D prospects Shea Theodore and Brandon Montour are mortal locks to see featured playing time in Anaheim this season.
What the hell is Bob Murray thinking?
The Ducks have a gaping hole at left wing on the Getzlaf-Perry line.
Rome is burning and Nero Murray is playing his fiddle.
The Holzer signing may just be the precursor to a Cam Fowler trade.
Right now, Bob Murray has just $9.7 million in available salary cap space for 2015-16.
RFAs Lindholm and Rickard Rakell will gobble up the remaining salary cap when they re-sign in the coming days.
Trading Cam Fowler to Buffalo now would create salary cap room for Murray to accommodate Evander Kane's $5.25 million AAV.
Tim Murray would have to absorb a portion of EKane's contract in order to make a Fowler to Buffalo trade work.
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Last week, 24 NHL restricted free agents elected to have their salary negotiations reviewed by the NHL arbitrator.
On Monday, the dates and times for each player's arb hearing was released.
I'll be keeping my eyes glued on the Colorado Avalanche, NY Rangers and St. Louis Blues.
Avs D Tyson Barrie has been a frequent flyer in the NHL trade rumor mill this summer. If the arbitrator awards Barrie a salary in the $6+ million range, the Avs may trade him away.
The NY Rangers are sweating bullets as the arb hearings approach. Forwards Kevin Hayes, Chris Kreider and JT Miller are due fat pay raises that could push the club over the 2015-16 salary cap. One or two Ranger forwards might be traded if they are awarded fat salary ruling.
Blues forward Jaden Schwartz is in line for a big pay raise, too.
NOTE: * signifies settlement
Arizona Coyotes
Michael Stone - August 4, 2016
Colorado Avalanche
Tyson Barrie - July 29, 2016
Mikhail Grigorenko - July 22, 2016
Detroit Red Wings
Jared Coreau *
Danny DeKeyser - July 28, 2016
Minnesota Wild
Jordan Schroeder - July 27, 2016
Nashville Predators
Calle Jarnkrok - August 4, 2016
Petter Granberg - August 3, 2016
New York Rangers
Kevin Hayes - July 27, 2016
Chris Kreider - July 22, 2016
Dylan McIlrath - July 21, 2016
JT Miller - August 2, 2016
New Jersey Devils
Kyle Palmieri *
Ottawa Senators
Mike Hoffman - August 4, 2016
Philadelphia Flyers
Brandon Manning - August 2, 2016
Brayden Schenn - July 25, 2016
Jordan Weal - July 29, 2016
St. Louis Blues
Jaden Schwartz - July 20, 2016
Tampa Bay Lightning
Alex Killorn - July 20, 2016
Vladislav Namestnikov - July 29, 2016
Toronto Maple Leafs
Frank Corrado - July 26, 2016
Peter Holland - July 25, 2016
Martin Marincin - August 2, 2016
Washington Capitals
Marcus Johansson - July 20, 2016
CLUB ELECTED FILINGS
Detroit Red Wings
Petr Mrazek - July 27, 2016
Salary Arbitration hearings will be held in Toronto beginning on July 20.
**
Imagine a world where Buffalo Sabres GM Tim Murray poaches an RFA D or forward from a competitor.
Murray is a sniper. He studies the market like a stock broker. Murray knows that salary cap strapped teams like NY Rangers and St. Louis Blues are pinching their pennies right now. Murray will do his best to mess with the caps of those teams who are up against the $73 million salary cap.
The Rangers have $12 million in salary cap apace, however, they have four RFAs, three of which who filed for salary arbitration on Tuesday. Forwards Chris Kreider, Kevin Hayes and D Dylan McIlrath will all be seeking big pay raises from the arb judge. RFA J.T. Miller also is RFA, however, doesn't have arb rights.
Kreider earned $2.475 million last season. Hayes earned $3.75M. Miller earned $875K. McIlrath $600K.
Kreider scored 21 goals last season, Hayes 14. Miller will get paid by the arbitrator after potting 22 goals last season.
I see Kreider and Hayes landing new deals in the $5M AAV neighborhood. Miller likely will end up in the $3M AAV range. McIlrath will get a modest pay raises.
The conundrum from the Rangers is Rick Nash's $7.8M AAV. Nash has two years remaining on his current contract.
Nash's contract is untradeable at this time. The Arbitrator will likely glom up all of the available salary cap space in Gotham.
Then what?
Trades, right?
Tim Murray loves trades.
Murray would be wise to make a serious play for one on Kreider or Hayes. Jack Eichel is fr I ends with both forwards. He works out with them. He competes against them in the Foxboro summer league. Murray might make a trade for either Hayes or Kreider to assist him in closing UFA LW Jimmy Vesey, who also happens to be friends with Kreider and Hayes. For that reason the Rangers are mentioned in Vesey rumors. The Sabres own Vesey's UFA rights and is property of the Buffalo Sabres until August 15.
Getting Hayes or Kreider could go a long way to closing Vesey to his Buffalo entry level contract.
*****
Watch of for Jaden Schwartz's arb hearing because he is going to get paid. Schwartz's current bridge deal just expired. He was earning $2.35M AAV over two seasons. Schwartz battles injuries last seasons, however, he has scored 70 goals and has added 80 assists in 240 career NHL games. Schwartz has earned himself a pay raise in the $6M AAV range.
The Blues have just $9.6 million in salary cap space right now. Schwartz'Schwartz's new contract will eat up the majority of the Blues' cap space.
***
Tim Murray has direct knowledge of Ottawa Senators scoring forward Mike Hoffman, who led the Sens with 29 goals in 2015-16. Hoffman has now filed for arb two summers in a row.
The arb judge gave Hoffman a $2 million, one-year contract before last season. His ask was $3.4 million contract. The Sens countered with a one-year, $1.75 million contract. The Arbitrator erred on the side of the team. Not this time around. Hoffman will get paid, be in by Ottawa, Buffalo or another NHL team.
***
Tyson Barrie is the EXACT perfect fit defenseman to feed high end, skilled forwards right now.
In 78 games with the Avs this season, Barrie piled up 13 goals (5 GWG) and 36 assists. He scored 3 PPGs and 1 shorty. He landed 172 shots on enemy goalies, and devoured 23:11 TOI per game.
At 5'10" and 190 lbs., Barrie is a graceful skater and an artful puck distributor. He plays with ice water in his veins. Very rarely do you see him make mistakes and errors with they puck. His passes are tape to tape and he skated like the prairie wind. He will turn 25 in July. He will also become RFA in July and the Avs are likely not in the mood to pay Barrie in the $5+ million AAV range.
Barrie's career has been impressive.
In 264 games, he has scored 40 goals and has added 113 assists. He has scored 10 PPGs and has amassed 52 power play points. He has also scored 11 game winning goals and 4 OT game winning goals.
So why not trade him for an experienced forward and a D prospect?
Losing Barrie would hamper the Avs as they don't have another player, nor prospect like him in their organization right now.
Tim Murray might be willing to dip his beak in the Tyson Barrie pool.
Murray has been patiently looking for a first pair D partner for Rasmus Ristolainen. If he can't land Cam Folqer, Murray might want to make an aggressive move towards Tyson Barrie.
Ideally, Murray is looking for a lefty, however, a righty like Barrie can play on his off side with relative ease. Barrie reads the play well, is very mobile, and can act like the fourth forward in the o-zone. He also has the speed and giddy up to get back to his end of the rink to defend against odd-man rushes.
Tim Murray may want to roll the bones and go hard at Barrie. We already know that Murray has favored nation trading status with Don Meehan and Craig Oster at Newport Sports, who rep ROR, Evander Kane, David Legwand, Steven Stamkos, Erik Karlsson and the best of the NHL's best players. Murray moves in mysterious ways and he may be able to wiggle himself into position to prevent Barrie from being moved to Edmonton, or another NHL team.
Who knows, while chatting about all things Stamkos, Murray could have already spoken with Barrie's people about an opportunity to reunite with his friend Ryan O'Reilly.
The thought of Barrier and Ristolainen distributing the rock to ROR, Evander Kane, Jack Eichel, Samson Reinhart, Tyler Ennis, Zemgus Girgensons, Marcus Foligno, Matt Moulson and the Sabres forwards is intriguing.
At what price Barrie for the Buffalo Sabres?
I propose a package that includes Evander Kane, a D prospect and a 2017 second rounder.
The Avs are not thrilled with having to pay Barrie north of $5M per season on a multi-year contract.
Remember how badly that things ended for Ryan O'Reilly in Denver last summer?
I see history repeating itself with Barrie.
If he were to be re-signed by the Avs, don't you think that Barrie would have re-signed by now?
Colorado Avalanche fans can't be happy with Patrick Roy and Joe Sakic. Avs fans just can't have nice things, can they?
***
Buffalo Sabres forward Ryan O'Reilly has been found not guilty of the charges.
O'Reilly's long anticipated court case opened in a London, Ontario courthouse on Monday.
The case was supposed to last two days in court.
After ninety minutes of cross examinstion of one eyewitness, the case ended with an O'Reilly acquittal.
O'Reilly's defense attorney said thay the identification from the witness was "fundamentally flawed". The witness could not identify the actual driver of the pickup truck that collided with the donut shop on the night in question in July 2015.
The Crown stated that there was, "no reasonable prospect for conviction", according to the London Free Press.
Case closed.
O'Reilly was facing impaired driving charges after police said his vintage Chevy pickup truck collided with a Tim Hortons on the morning of July 9, 2015.
O'Reilly was also facing a charge of failure to remain at the scene of a vehicle accident.
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