The Chicago Blackhawks have agreed to terms with Matej Chalupa on a two-year contract beginning in 2020-21, the team announced Friday.
Chalupa's deal carries an average annual value of $925,000.
The 21-year-old undrafted winger out of the Czech Republic posted seven goals and 24 points for local club Hradec Kralove this season.
It was his second campaign with the team after he spent as many years with Plzen, where he was a teammate of current Blackhawks forward Dominik Kubalik.
Chalupa was also a teammate of Radek Smolenak in 2019-20. Smolenak played one of his seven NHL games for the Blackhawks in 2009-10.
Chicago center David Kampf also hails from the Czech Republic. The Blackhawks signed him out of Pirati Chomutov, another team from that nation, in 2017.
There's plenty wrong with the NHL's seven non-playoff teams - that's why they're at the bottom of the standings. None of them are a fix away from winning the Stanley Cup. The climb to the top will be a marathon, not a sprint.
That said, aside from winning the wackiest draft lottery in history - an exercise out of their hands, anyway - what are the most important pieces of business for these squads as a lengthy offseason begins?
Anaheim Ducks
It may not seem like it at first glance, but the Ducks are slowly approaching a crossroads when captain Ryan Getzlaf's contract expires next summer. Getzlaf, now 35 and past his prime, is the last remaining player from the 2007 Stanley Cup-winning squad.
This means general manager Bob Murray has some organizational soul-searching to do. What would an extension with Getzlaf look like (the two sides can start negotiating this offseason), assuming there's a desire to keep him in the fold in the first place? There's no doubt teams would be lining up prior to the 2021 trade deadline for a chance at acquiring him as a potential final piece for a Cup run.
It'll be fascinating to see how Anaheim, which boasts a well-respected scouting staff, handles the upcoming draft. GMs around the league will be relying on area scouts more than usual since the cancellation of marquee scouting events like the Under-18 World Championships and Memorial Cup cut off an important portion of the schedule. Murray and staff have seven picks - two in the first and one in each of the next five rounds.
Buffalo Sabres
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Jack Eichel and his teammates are sick of losing. Sabres fans, most notably Duane Steinel of viral fame, are sick of losing. You can bet ownership, management, and the coaching staff are, too.
Unlike many of the teams discussed in this piece, Buffalo's been desperately trying to reach the next level since Eichel arrived in 2015. Here's what can it do this offseason to re-enter the playoff hunt in 2020-21 and stay relevant for the foreseeable future:
Win the Sam Reinhart and Linus Ullmark contract negotiations.
Jeff Skinner, Kyle Okposo, and Rasmus Ristolainen are all overpaid and locked up until 2026, 2023, and 2022, respectively, so GM Jason Botterill needs reasonable deals for secondary scorer Reinhart and promising goalie Ullmark.
Hit a home run with that lottery pick.
If you exclude Dylan Cozens (who's had only one year to develop as a 2019 first-rounder), two of the Sabres' three top-10 picks in the Eichel era haven't panned out. Rasmus Dahlin, first overall in 2018, has been superb, but Alexander Nylander (eighth in 2016) was traded to Chicago and Casey Mittelstadt (eighth in 2017) is still an NHL-AHL tweener.
Detroit Red Wings
As evidenced by their 17-49-5 record, the Red Wings' rebuild is not exactly moving at warp speed. GM Steve Yzerman needs significant help; Detroit lacks high-end talent and depth top to bottom and at every position.
For what it's worth, Yzerman, hired last April, put to rest two major offseason storylines earlier this week. The Hall of Famer stated head coach Jeff Blashill's job is safe, and he noted that the team plans to name a captain before the start of the 2020-21 season. Star center Dylan Larkin, 24 years old in July and signed through 2023, is the overwhelming front-runner among pundits and fans.
Signing or trading for a decent goalie should be high on Yzerman's to-do list. It may seem like an odd move for a franchise so deep in the rebuild hole, but the tandem of Jimmy Howard and Jonathan Bernier was atrocious this season. (To be fair, team defense stunk too.) Howard, 36, is playing on a one-year contract which will surely be his last in Detroit. Bernier, 31, signed through 2021, could probably hold down the fort in a shared role alongside a sturdier partner. For Detroit's youngsters to have a fighting chance at moving up the standings, they need competent NHL goaltending. The current setup isn't working.
Los Angeles Kings
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It's fitting the Kings finished the truncated season on a seven-game winning streak and 8-2 in their final 10. After all, the club's retool - based around squeezing as much as possible out of the last effective years of Anze Kopitar, 32, and Drew Doughty, 30 - has gone swimmingly.
GM Rob Blake's prospect pipeline is bursting with high-end talents like Gabriel Vilardi, Alex Turcotte, Rasmus Kupari, and Jaret Anderson-Dolan. Los Angeles, led by a strong coach in Todd McLellan, also appears to have found its next starting goalie, Cal Petersen. There is a path to prosperity.
There's also the option of expediting the process a little bit. The Kings have plenty of future assets - 21 picks in the next two drafts, including five second-rounders - to play with this offseason. Would it make sense to flip 35-year-old Jeff Carter and a pick or two to a contender at the draft? Could that net a young but established NHLer? McLellan will eventually need some kind of buffer between the group of teenagers and the 30-something holdovers.
New Jersey Devils
The Devils' decisions are at the top since both their GM and coach carry interim tags.
Tom Fitzgerald, whose transaction history since taking over as GM for Ray Shero in January is laudable, deserves strong consideration for the permanent gig. Former Canucks GM Mike Gillis has reportedly also been interviewed, and there doesn't seem to be a big rush from ownership to finalize anything. Perhaps something can be worked out where Gillis, the macro guy, assumes the role of president of hockey operations while Fitzgerald, the nuts-and-bolts guy, continues as GM.
On the bench, Alain Nasreddine moved from assistant coach to interim head coach after John Hynes' firing in December. By all accounts, Nasreddine did a splendid job in 43 games, earning a 19-16-8 record. Of course, it would be smart to also look outside the organization during the interview process.
Ottawa Senators
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GM Pierre Dorion will be one of the busiest men in hockey this offseason.
The Senators have 13 expiring contracts (seven restricted free agents, six unrestricted) and 13 draft picks (seven in the first two rounds). Chief among the group of pending free agents are 39-year-old starting goalie Craig Anderson, and sniping winger Anthony Duclair, who turns 25 in August and has accrued arbitration rights as an older RFA.
Bringing back Anderson on a one-year deal would be a low-risk move - assuming he's not retiring - even if the longtime Senator becomes a mentor and second-stringer in 2020-21. Meanwhile, Duclair seemed to gel with first-year coach D.J. Smith right away and produced a fabulous first half. His production tailed off down the stretch en route to 40 points in 66 games, and there's a difficult projection to be made in regards to Duclair's ceiling, as well as his place on a squad going through a lengthy rebuild.
It's been relatively quiet out of Ottawa lately - and that's a good thing. Following years of controversy, there is calm, and fans can begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Everyday NHLers Brady Tkachuk, Thomas Chabot, and Colin White are clearly part of the organization's long-term plan. Prospects Josh Norris, Erik Brannstrom, Drake Batherson, Alex Formenton, Logan Brown, and Jacob Bernard-Docker lead a formidable prospect pool. And, aside from Bobby Ryan's contract, the books look pretty clean.
San Jose Sharks
About the draft lottery … The blockbuster trade featuring Erik Karlsson has GM Doug Wilson charting a different offseason path than his contemporaries.
Few would have predicted San Jose would finish last in the Western Conference one year after losing in the conference finals. The Sharks can't even reap the rewards of a disastrous 2019-20 season in which longtime coach Peter DeBoer was canned in December, nobody could stay healthy, and the losing continued until hockey stopped. Ottawa has San Jose's first-round pick because of the Karlsson deal.
Earlier this week, Wilson applauded the work of Bob Boughner, DeBoer's successor behind the bench. The GM hasn't guaranteed Boughner's job for 2020-21, however, so there's at least a chance San Jose could be searching for another head coach. That's clearly priority No. 1.
As for the roster, it might take some creativity, but Wilson must bring in a new goalie through either free agency or trade. Martin Jones has proven he's no longer an NHL starter, although the Sharks are stuck with him at $5.75 million a year for the next four seasons. Jones will have to be a very expensive backup, which means the goalie Wilson acquires will have to be a bargain.
The NHL's recent announcement of a new draft-lottery format confused most, but Ottawa Senators general manager Pierre Dorion knows his club will end up in good shape regardless of the results.
The Senators have been given a 25% chance of winning the No. 1 pick thanks to their own odds from finishing in 30th place, and owning the San Jose Sharks' first-round pick as a part of the package that sent former Sens captain Erik Karlsson to the west coast. The Sharks finished 29th.
"We’re very happy with how the draft lottery will proceed," Dorion told TSN. "We know we’re going to get two players in the top six, in the worst-case scenario, or best-case, one and two."
The Senators also own the New York Islanders' 2020 first-rounder thanks to the deadline deal involving Jean-Gabriel Pageau. However, if the Isles earn a top-three draft choice in 2020, the pick will be deferred to 2021.
This year's draft lottery could be done in two phases, and the first will be held June 26. The seven teams outside the expanded 24-team playoff cutline will be included in the first lottery, along with eight placeholders to represent the clubs eventually knocked out after the play-in round. If one of the placeholders wins a top-three pick in the first phase, the lottery will be settled at a later date.
Ottawa finished the regular season with a 25-34-12 record, missing the playoffs for the third consecutive campaign. The franchise faces a tremendous opportunity to accelerate its rebuild in the upcoming draft while owning up to nine picks in the first three rounds.
The seven clubs that aren't part of the 24-team expanded playoff format are now eligible to make trades with one another, according to The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun.
While the situation may feel unique under current circumstances, the 15 teams that don't qualify for the playoffs during a normal campaign are permitted to make trades with each other in April, when the postseason typically begins.
Bettman also announced a multifaceted plan for the June 26 draft lottery on Tuesday, with each of the seven eliminated teams receiving the traditional odds for landing the No. 1 pick.
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Alexis Lafreniere's agent is exploring all options for the 2020-21 season, including European leagues, depending on how long the start of the NHL's next campaign is delayed, TSN's Bob McKenzie reported on "Insider Trading" Thursday.
"... Where’s Alexis Lafreniere going to play this fall if the NHL season isn’t happening until January and the draft isn’t until October or November?" McKenzie said of the presumed 2020 No. 1 pick.
"Is the CHL going to be playing? Is the American Hockey League an option? We don’t know at this point," he continued. "But one thing I can tell you - (agent) Emilie Castonguay for Alexis Lafreniere is looking at all the options on the table and that will include seeing if the European club teams are up and operating in September and October."
The NHL announced in its return-to-play plan Tuesday that the draft lottery will be held June 26, but timelines for the draft itself and next season are far from settled.
Training camps for the resumption of the current season won't begin before July 10. Even if everything goes to plan, that could mean the NHL's 24-team playoff may not start until early August, possibly preventing the next season from beginning until December or January.
The CHL and all major European leagues canceled seasons outright due to the coronavirus pandemic earlier in the spring, and those leagues haven't revealed plans for a return.
Lafreniere has been labeled as the top pick among this year's crop of prospects all season. He produced 112 points in 52 QMJHL games this campaign in addition to winning a gold medal and being named tournament MVP at the world juniors.
The Detroit Red Wings own the best lottery odds for the No. 1 pick, with an 18.5% chance of winning.
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The NHL informed its players on Thursday that organized training camps won't begin until at least July 10, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.
Training camps are part of Phase 3 of the league's return-to-play plan, which commissioner Gary Bettman outlined Tuesday in an announcement that also included the groundwork for a 24-team playoff.
Phase 2 of the league's plan, expected to commence in early June, will involve players returning to their home facilities in small groups and voluntary on- or off-ice training.
The NHL paused the campaign on March 12. It officially called an end on Tuesday to the 2019-20 regular season. The league remains adamant it won't proceed with its plans until respective civil authorities deem it safe to do so.
Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid doesn't believe his club would gain a competitive advantage playing in its own building if the city is chosen as one of the NHL's hub locations.
"I would say probably not," McDavid said Thursday in an interview with Sportsnet. "It's going to feel weird in that building no matter where you play, no matter if you've played there 100 times, no matter if you've never played there.
"The building's gonna feel weird, just with no fans being in there and whatnot, so I would say probably not, but that's just my opinion."
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announced the league's 24-team playoff format Tuesday. Teams will be split into two hub cities, with Edmonton being one of the 10 candidates under consideration.
Deputy commissioner Bill Daly said the league would prefer having a Canadian city serve as a host site, but added that the country's 14-day self-isolation order for all individuals entering the country could prevent that.
Alberta premier Jason Kenney asked Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday to remove coronavirus-related travel restrictions so that Edmonton can become a hub city when the NHL resumes play.
The Oilers owned a 17-11-6 record at Rogers Place this season. The club is slated to take on the Chicago Blackhawks in the best-of-five qualifying round.
