The Minnesota Wild have some unfinished business to take care of.
With August quickly approaching, restricted free agents Mikael Granlund, Nino Niederreiter, and recently acquired Marcus Foligno remain unsigned, and head coach Bruce Boudreau reiterated the trio's importance to the team's success.
"They're the glue that's going to hold us together," Boudreau said Friday via the team's website. "All three of those guys had great years last year, so we're looking forward for them to be part of the Wild organization for a lot of years to come."
Boudreau acknowledged it's only a matter if time until the players are signed, but appears keen to see pen put to paper.
"It's a waiting period till at least August 3 and 4," Boudreau added, referring to arbitration dates set for Niederreiter and Granlund, respectively. "Right after they're done, training camp is right around the corner.
"As an organization, we just want to see what we have and what our team's gonna look like. We think we know what it's going to look like, but until we get all three of those guys signed, we're not 100 percent sure."
Niederreiter and Granlund are coming off career years, while Foligno - who came to Minnesota as part of the Marco Scandella trade with Buffalo - recorded 13 goals and 10 assists in 80 games for the Sabres last season.
The Wild finished second in the Central Division in 2016-17, but were knocked out of the playoffs in the first round by St. Louis.
"A year and a half ago, we made a deal with Columbus to pick up Ryan, and I think everyone would agree that was somewhat of ... a turning point in our franchise," Poile said Friday, per the team's website.
"In (these contract) negotiations, his agent used a line that 'Ryan's a driver of our team,' and I totally concur with that. I really feel in these next eight years, we're going to do really well, and when we do really well, Ryan Johansen's going to be a big, big factor in all of our winning."
The Predators, of course, are the reigning Western Conference champions, and their prospects in the Stanley Cup Final would have been greatly boosted had Johansen not suffered a thigh injury in the third round. Prior to being sidelined, the 24-year-old had recorded a team-high 13 points (three goals, 10 assists) in 14 playoff games, arguably his best stretch of play with the club.
Nasvhille boasts one of the best defense corps in the NHL, and Johansen's linemates - Viktor Arvidsson and Filip Forsberg - are also signed long term. Altogether, Poile certainly believes this is a group worth betting on.
"We have our whole core signed up, and for a lot of guys, for a lot of years," Poile said. "I hope we've chosen correctly, and I believe we've chosen correctly.
"I think our room is a very close room, so I thought it was in my best interests, and in our team's best interests, if I could get the bulk of our team locked up for a long time so they could play together for a long time. So here we go."
After the signing, the Predators still have $5,436,667 in projected salary cap space, according to Cap Friendly. Captain Mike Fisher remains unsigned, and is expected to make a decision on his future sometime next week.
Instagram user @kyleghostkeeper, a tattoo artist at FY Ink in Toronto, got a large portrait of the Edmonton Oilers captain inked on his right thigh, which he proudly showed off Thursday. The photo caught the attention of McDavid, who shared it on his own Instagram account:
To celebrate the running back's first season with the Oakland Raiders, all fans in attendance for the Sharks' Nov. 25 game against the Winnipeg Jets will receive a "Beast Mode" bobblehead.
Of all the lottery picks made by the Edmonton Oilers over the past decade, Leon Draisaitl is making a strong case to be named second-best.
The 21-year-old broke out to the tune of 77 points last season (29 goals, 48 assists), finishing eighth on the NHL's scoring list. He also helped the club clinch a long-awaited playoff spot, leading the Oilers in postseason scoring with six goals and 10 assists in 13 games.
The future is bright for this one, and he's soon going to snag a big chunk of Edmonton's $16.8 million in available cap space.
David Pastrnak
David Pastrnak recorded 34 goals and 36 assists in 75 games for the Boston Bruins in 2016-17, seven fewer points than Draisaitl in seven fewer games.
When deployed alongside Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand, Pastrnak is part of one of the NHL's most dangerous and effective lines. He's not only displayed clear star power, he also has the look of a potential franchise cornerstone winger.
Given how the Bruins have handled their young players in recent years - most notably Tyler Seguin and Dougie Hamilton - the club can ill afford to mess around here, and Boston has more than $10 million to work after recently signing fellow RFA Ryan Spooner to a new deal of his own.
The Minnesota Wild have two prominent RFAs to deal with in forwards Mikael Granlund and Nino Niederreiter, and, according to a recent report, both are seeking long-term deals that will pay them more than $6 million annually.
Working in their favor is that Granlund and Niederreiter are coming off the best seasons of their careers to date, setting themselves apart as core members of a Wild team with hopes of becoming a legit contender.
Player
Age
Games
Goals
Assists
Points
Mikael Granlund
25
81
26
43
69
Nino Niederreiter
24
82
25
32
57
Both players, it should be noted, are scheduled to go to arbitration - Niederreiter on Aug. 3 and Granlund on Aug. 4. The Wild possess almost 16 million in available cap space heading into those meetings.
Conor Sheary
This Pittsburgh Penguins winger enters free agency as a two-time Stanley Cup champion, and as a recent linemate of superstar center Sidney Crosby.
That plum assignment helped him record 23 goals and 30 assists in 61 games last season, good for a point-per-game average of 0.88, slotting him among the likes of Seguin, Patrik Laine, and John Tavares in that stat category.
The Penguins seem to have a knack for turning depth talent into effective contributors, and Sheary is in line for a decent raise thanks to how well he's fit in while pulling top-line duty.
Of all the lottery picks made by the Edmonton Oilers over the past decade, Leon Draisaitl is making a strong case to be named second-best.
The 21-year-old broke out to the tune of 77 points last season (29 goals, 48 assists), finishing eighth on the NHL's scoring list. He also helped the club clinch a long-awaited playoff spot, leading the Oilers in postseason scoring with six goals and 10 assists in 13 games.
The future is bright for this one, and he's soon going to snag a big chunk of Edmonton's $16.8 million in available cap space.
David Pastrnak
David Pastrnak recorded 34 goals and 36 assists in 75 games for the Boston Bruins in 2016-17, seven fewer points than Draisaitl in seven fewer games.
When deployed alongside Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand, Pastrnak is part of one of the NHL's most dangerous and effective lines. He's not only displayed clear star power, he also has the look of a potential franchise cornerstone winger.
Given how the Bruins have handled their young players in recent years - most notably Tyler Seguin and Dougie Hamilton - the club can ill afford to mess around here, and Boston has more than $10 million to work after recently signing fellow RFA Ryan Spooner to a new deal of his own.
The Minnesota Wild have two prominent RFAs to deal with in forwards Mikael Granlund and Nino Niederreiter, and, according to a recent report, both are seeking long-term deals that will pay them more than $6 million annually.
Working in their favor is that Granlund and Niederreiter are coming off the best seasons of their careers to date, setting themselves apart as core members of a Wild team with hopes of becoming a legit contender.
Player
Age
Games
Goals
Assists
Points
Mikael Granlund
25
81
26
43
69
Nino Niederreiter
24
82
25
32
57
Both players, it should be noted, are scheduled to go to arbitration - Niederreiter on Aug. 3 and Granlund on Aug. 4. The Wild possess almost 16 million in available cap space heading into those meetings.
Conor Sheary
This Pittsburgh Penguins winger enters free agency as a two-time Stanley Cup champion, and as a recent linemate of superstar center Sidney Crosby.
That plum assignment helped him record 23 goals and 30 assists in 61 games last season, good for a point-per-game average of 0.88, slotting him among the likes of Seguin, Patrik Laine, and John Tavares in that stat category.
The Penguins seem to have a knack for turning depth talent into effective contributors, and Sheary is in line for a decent raise thanks to how well he's fit in while pulling top-line duty.
Andrei Markov hasn't been asked to play in the Olympics, but it doesn't sound like it would take long for him to accept an invite.
"If I'm going to play well and everything, (if) I'm going to deserve to be part of the Russian team in the Olympics, I will be happy. But it's not my decision," Markov said on a conference call Thursday. "All I can do (is) just play my game, do my best, and hopefully I'm going to be there."
While NHLers won't compete in Pyeongchang, the same condition doesn't apply to those in the KHL, leaving open the possibility Markov could appear in his fourth Winter Games. On Thursday, the 38-year-old signed with the KHL's Ak Bars Kazan, effectively ending his 16-season run as a mainstay on the Montreal Canadiens' blue line.
Should Markov play for Team Russia, he could be joined by fellow KHLers and former NHL talents in Ilya Kovalchuk, Pavel Datsyuk, and Valeri Nichushkin, among others.
"It's something special, and it's too bad that NHL (is) not going there, NHL players not going there," Markov added. "Everybody understands it's a business and whatever decision NHL made, it's their decision. But for the athletes, it's a great experience, it's a great feeling, and to represent your country in such a big tournament, it's huge and it's something special."
Markov has suited up for the past three Olympic tournaments, with his best finish coming in 2006, when Russia placed fourth. The Russians haven't medaled at the Olympics since capturing the bronze in 2002.
In 62 games with the Canadiens last season, Markov netted six goals and 30 assists. Over his career, he skated in 990 contests with Montreal, trailing only Larry Robinson in games played by a Canadiens defenseman.
With Friday's signing of Ryan Johansen to an eight-year, $64-million deal, the Nashville Predators solidified their roster for next season while still leaving themselves $5.4 million in available cap space for the 2017-18 campaign.
However, Johansen's contract is the largest ever handed out by Nashville, so, naturally, the dollar amount over the course of his eight years is under the microscope.
Simply put, did the Predators overpay their No. 1 center?
Johansen was a restricted free agent, but according to the centerman, there was never a doubt in his mind about where he wanted to spend his future.
"There wasn't just one moment, it was an easy decision," Johansen told the media Friday. "I believe there's no better place to play than Nashville right now."
He appeared in all 82 regular-season games last campaign and led the Predators with 47 assists. Johansen also and tied Viktor Arvidsson for the team lead with 61 points this past season and notched 13 points in 14 playoff contests before suffering a season-ending thigh injury in the Western Conference Final this spring.
The Predators first landed Johansen in a blockbuster trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets that sent defenseman Seth Jones the other way in January 2016.
Johansen, Arvidsson, and Filip Forsberg formed one of the NHL's most productive lines in 2017-18, helping Nashville reach the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in franchise history.
Thursday's team announcement that unrestricted free-agent defenseman Andrei Markov would not be returning to the club for the 2017-18 season marked the final step of a complete overhaul to the Montreal Canadiens' defense corps since the end of the 2013-14 season.
Just four years later, the Canadiens have eight new players signed to one-way contracts at a combined cap hit of $23.96 million, according to Cap Friendly.
The one constant behind this defensive carousel remains goaltender Carey Price, freshly signed to an eight-year, $84-million contract extension set to kick in for the 2018-19 season.
Here's how the eight men in front of Price are expected to line up this year.
LHD
RHD
Karl Alzner
Shea Weber
David Schlemko
Jeff Petry
Jordie Benn
Mark Streit
Joe Morrow
Brandon Davidson
Petry is the only returning member from the defense corps of just two years ago. Along with Weber, they were the only two defensemen to average at least 20 minutes of ice time per game last season.
The pressure on Price will be higher than ever as a result of the defensive turnover and resultant eight-man group.
The true test of the trade
(Photo courtesy: Action Images)
Weber's role will need to increase after leading the team with an average of 25:04 in ice time last season. While he performed well in his first year with the Canadiens, it was the older Markov helping to ease his transition.
Shea Weber at 5v5 without Markov in 2016-17: 58.9 GF%, 50.3 CF%
The reverse affect was seen with Markov and his most common defense partner of 2015-16. Formally playing with P.K. Subban at 5-on-5, it was the latter who lifted the tandem, possessing a superior Corsi For rating when the two were separated, while Markov's dipped from 51.94 percent together to 46.95 with anyone else.
Weber spent most of his 5-on-5 time with Alexei Emelin last season - opposed to 304 minutes with Markov. When on the ice with Emelin, Markov had a Corsi For rating of 50.39 and a rating of 53.58 when apart. Emelin also noticed a slight improvement when the two were split up.
Weber's expected new defense partner, Alzner, had a severely negative affect on his two most common defense partner's in his final season with the Washington Capitals.
NAME
TOI
CF% with Alzner
CF% without Alzner
John Carlson
662:49
45.94
54.45
Matt Niskanen
433:55
50.84
55.94
With Weber being its best offensive defenseman, Montreal won't be able to afford having Alzner forcing him to spend more time in his own end.
One-way street
The greatest difference for Price will be in the defense corps' lack of puck-movers. Here are the shots and scoring chances per 60 minutes of 5-on-5 rates for the eight-man group.
NAME
SF/60
SCF/60
Weber
30.04
25.52
Alzner
27.22
24.87
Petry
32.68
28.79
Schlemko
29.60
27.36
Benn
30.58
29.32
Davidson (w/MTL)
32.42
27.26
Morrow
28.52
26.29
Streit (w/PIT)
32.39
31.95
Only Petry matched Markov's shots-for rate of 32.68, while all four newcomers fell well short of his mark.
The Canadiens ranked third in the league with a Corsi For rating of 52.54 percent and fifth with 52.48 percent of the scoring chances last season. Both rates face regression due to Markov's departure.
Help isn't on the way
(Photo courtesy: Action Images)
While the winner of the Mikhail Sergachev for Jonathan Drouin trade will be determined several years from now, it does leave Montreal's current farm system bereft of potential impact defenders.
Twenty-year-old Noah Juulsen is now considered the team's top defense prospect, but he played in just two AHL playoff games last season, after concluding his WHL career. Hockey's Future gives him a C grade for probability of NHL success.
They signed 26-year-old Jakub Jerabek to a one-year contract out of the KHL. He stood out at the World Championships this past spring, but he's nearly sure to start the year in the AHL, as he gets accustomed to the size of NHL ice and waits for an NHL roster spot to become available as a result of injury or trade.
With free agency all but wrapped up, general manager Marc Bergevin will need to find a creative way to use it in order to address the team's most glaring area of weakness.
Hopefully $8.5M in cap space will have instant chemistry with Weber next year.
