Latest news with #ChrisKreider
New York Times
2 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
Why these 9 overpriced NHL contracts could get traded this offseason
Every offseason, some teams are motivated to clear salary off their books and/or give one or two players a fresh start. It should be easier for teams to trade risky contracts compared to years past because of the NHL's skyrocketing salary cap. In fact, we've already seen two inefficient contracts, Chris Kreider and Erik Haula, traded for positive value returns. Advertisement We covered a big chunk of names that could be shopped with our buyout candidates list from this week, which included Matt Dumba, Pierre Engvall, Justin Holl, Mattias Samuelsson, Viktor Arvidsson, TJ Brodie, Mathieu Joseph, Philipp Grubauer and David Kämpf. Teams will scour the trade market for exit options on these types of players before considering the buyout route. Chris Johnston's trade board highlighted some other expensive contracts that could get traded, including Erik Karlsson, John Gibson and Elvis Merzlikins. But there are more players on overpriced deals — closer to being a 'slight overpay' than on an 'albatross/anchor' of a contract — that teams could consider jettisoning this offseason. Here are nine to keep an eye on. Note that the contracts on this list aren't equal; some of them are actually close to being fair value, whereas others are far more toxic. Matias Maccelli appeared to be a key part of Utah's exciting young core before the start of this season. He amassed 49 points in 64 games (a 63-point pace over 82 games) as a 22-year-old rookie in 2022-23 and followed that up with 57 points as a sophomore in 2023-24. If anything, his $3.425 million cap hit profiled as a bargain. Unfortunately, Maccelli's production collapsed, and he completely fell out of favor this past season. Maccelli slumped to just 18 points in 55 games and was a regular healthy scratch, appearing in only three of Utah's games after the 4 Nations break. He's a very crafty, slick playmaker, but he's undersized at 5-foot-11, can be a mixed bag defensively, and isn't a strong forechecker. It's hard to envision an optimal fit for him in Utah, with both sides likely to benefit from a fresh start. Maccelli only has one year left at his $3.425 million cap hit — he could be a high-upside reclamation project for a team searching for a middle-six playmaking winger. Advertisement Small wingers without an elite skill set usually aren't rated very highly on the trade market. However, with so many teams boasting excess cap space and not enough good players to go around on the free-agent and trade market, there's probably at least one team, if not more, that would bet on Maccelli. The Devils have an exciting, young core, but there are plenty of upgrades that need to be made to elevate the club to true contender status. New Jersey scored only 2.57 goals per game from Jan. 1 onward, which ranked 30th in the NHL, and mustered just 11 goals in five playoff games against the Hurricanes. Jack Hughes' injury was obviously a significant factor behind the Devils' offensive woes, but adding more dynamic forward skill around Hughes, Jesper Bratt and Nico Hischier should be a massive priority. Ideally, this wouldn't involve adding just one top-six winger this offseason, but rather adding several pieces to revamp the club's secondary scoring support up and down the lineup. Ondrej Palat is an inefficient contract that the Devils should try shipping out to fund some of those upgrades. Palat, 34, scored just 15 goals and 28 points despite playing on Hughes' line for most of the season. He has two years left at a $6 million cap hit, and on July 1, his no-movement clause will transition to a 10-team no-trade list. This won't be an easy contract to move, but Palat would still be a valuable third-line contributor, not to mention that his championship pedigree and exceptional leadership could be coveted by younger teams with excess cap space to spend. It also helps that Palat will only be owed $3.95 million in salary for next season after New Jersey pays his signing bonus on July 1. In other words, the real cash owed to him is lower than his cap hit, which can be appealing for teams and owners. If the Devils are willing to retain a bit of Palat's cap hit and/or pay a sweetener, they could conceivably find a suitor. You could argue that Evander Kane's contract, which has one year remaining at $5.125 million, is closer to fair value than overpriced in this rising cap climate. He was productive in the playoffs, despite a disappointing Stanley Cup Final performance, scoring 12 points in 21 games. In the 2023-24 season, which was his last appearance in the regular season, he scored 24 goals. With that said, there is still some risk associated with his deal. Advertisement Kane turns 34 this summer and missed the entire regular season to repair both hip adductors, two lower abdominal tears, and two hernias. He looked healthy in the playoffs when he returned, but it's fair to have concerns about how his body will hold up over the grind of a full regular season and playoffs next year. And even if Kane does stay healthy, his lack of foot speed, lack of play-driving ability, penchant for undisciplined penalties, and so-so defensive play mean that he ideally wouldn't be a full-time top-six winger for a contending team such as the Oilers. With all of those question marks in mind, trading Kane would be one of the most straightforward ways for the cap-strapped Oilers to open up some money, with Evan Bouchard's massive next contract looming. Kane only has partial trade protection (a 16-team trade list), so his contract would be easier to move than Viktor Arvidsson's or Adam Henrique's, who both own full no-movement clauses. Ilya Lyubushkin was competent for the Stars this past season — he was nowhere near the liability that Matt Dumba was — but his $3.25 million cap hit is a tad pricey for what he offers. Lyubushkin is a steady stay-at-home defenseman with limited puck skills. He'd be solid on any team's bottom pair, but clearly isn't the answer for the Stars in the top four. Dallas is mired in a salary cap crunch, even after trading Mason Marchment away. The Stars have approximately $5 million in cap space with only 16 players signed (eight forwards, six defensemen, two goaltenders). Offloading Dumba's contract, either via trade or buyout, is a necessity, but the club may need cap flexibility beyond that. Lyubushkin has two years left on his $3.25 million AAV contract and no trade protection. Teams almost always value right-shot defenders with size and penalty-killing value, so it shouldn't be too difficult to find a taker for Lyubushkin if the Stars go down that path. After re-signing Brock Nelson to a three-year, $7.5 million annual average value contract extension, the Avalanche are in a bit of a cap crunch. Colorado has only $1.2 million in cap space, with 19 players signed for next season, including just five defensemen under contract. There is currently no room to retain Ryan Lindgren (or replace him with a similar quality defenseman) or Jonathan Drouin, who are pending unrestricted free agents. Sam Malinski, a solid third-pair defenseman with upside, also needs a new deal as a restricted free agent. Advertisement The Avs aren't in a dire cap situation, but the club would benefit enormously from carving out some extra flexibility, especially to upgrade their thin blue line. Colorado has a few contracts it could shop to improve its cap picture, with Miles Wood standing out as one candidate. At his best, Wood is an impactful, straight-line bottom-six winger with tremendous speed, punishing physicality and secondary scoring ability. However, between his health and streakiness, he's proven to be an inconsistent player over the last few seasons. Wood had a down year, scoring just eight points in 37 games in an injury-plagued 2024-25 campaign. He no longer seems like an indispensable part of the Avs lineup, and there's an argument to be made that his $2.5 million cap hit should be reallocated elsewhere. Teams may view Wood's $2.5 million AAV as somewhat reasonable in a rising-cap climate where teams have money to burn, especially since this year's free-agent market is relatively weak. After all, it was only a year ago, in 2023-24, that Wood was solidly contributing at a third-line level. The tougher pill to swallow, however, would be the four years of term remaining on his contract. Still, his combination of speed and size is unique enough that another team may be willing to roll the dice on him. You can add Vladimir Tarasenko's name to the list of middle-class free-agent signings that haven't panned out in Detroit. The 33-year-old veteran sniper produced just 11 goals in 80 games in Motown after scoring 23 goals and 55 points split between the Senators and Panthers in 2023-24. That production fall-off was especially costly because Tarasenko doesn't contribute much else when he isn't scoring. Tarasenko has one year left at a $4.75 million cap hit, with his no-trade clause transitioning to an eight-team trade list on July 1. It's very unlikely that a team would be willing to absorb the full freight of Tarasenko's $4.75 million AAV (unless the Red Wings paid a sweetener like they did with Jake Walman last summer). However, if Detroit were willing to retain, say, 50 percent of his contract, it'd bring his cap hit down to just under $2.4 million, at which point he may be movable. The Rangers opened up some critical cap room by trading Chris Kreider to the Anaheim Ducks, but they may not be done there. New York has approximately $13.9 million in cap space with 19 players (12 forwards, five defensemen, two goaltenders) signed. That's enough space to re-sign restricted free agent Will Cuylle and either extend RFA K'Andre Miller or sign a top-four replacement in the event Miller is traded. However, there wouldn't be much flexibility left over to significantly upgrade a roster that missed the playoffs. Advertisement If GM Chris Drury has his eyes set on making an aggressive splash or two, he may need to move out another contract first. Carson Soucy, who has one year remaining at a $3.25 million cap hit, could make sense as a cap casualty. Soucy was acquired from the Canucks just before the trade deadline and filled the spot vacated by departing Ryan Lindgren on the top pair as Adam Fox's partner. You could understand the thought process behind acquiring Soucy at the time — he was a rock-solid top-four defender for Vancouver in 2023-24 before struggling this past season — and he could theoretically check some of the boxes Lindgren provided as a steady stay-at-home presence (at least before Lindgren's game began declining). Unfortunately, the change of scenery didn't help Soucy recapture his top form. His season-long struggles continued, and he was even occasionally healthy-scratched down the stretch. Soucy doesn't appear to be a top-four solution in New York, which means the $3.25 million committed to him is a figure that the Rangers could seek to reallocate more efficiently. After years of searching for answers, the Blues are finally set on the left side of their top-four defense. Philip Broberg cemented himself as a core piece with his terrific breakout campaign, while veteran Cam Fowler was a home-run fit on the top pair with Colton Parayko. With those two set to return, and 25-year-old left-shot Tyler Tucker potentially ready for full-time NHL duties, Nick Leddy is expendable. Leddy is still a smooth skater with capable puck-moving chops, but that skill set is redundant since the arrival of Fowler and Broberg. He only has one year left at a $4 million cap hit, and his no-trade clause will transition to a 16-team trade list on July 1. Leddy missed more than half the season due to a lower-body injury, so health and age could be concerns for prospective buyers. On the other hand, he has tons of experience munching difficult top-four minutes and considering how shallow the defense market is, it wouldn't be surprising if a team wants to roll the dice on Leddy for a year to play as a No. 4/5 defender at a $4 million AAV that's only slightly overpriced. The Kraken have a forward logjam developing. Jared McCann, Jaden Schwartz, Kaapo Kakko (assuming he's re-signed as a restricted free agent), Jordan Eberle and Mason Marchment can all be penciled into top-nine roles. That only leaves one top-nine winger spot available, with Eeli Tolvanen (23 goals) and hotshot prospect Jani Nyman likely contending for that role. Berkly Catton, Seattle's No. 8 pick from 2024, could also be NHL-ready in the fall. Catton is only 5-foot-10, so there's a chance the Kraken could shift him to the wing to ease his big-league transition. Advertisement There may not be much opportunity left over for Andre Burakovsky, who has underwhelmed since signing with the Kraken in 2022. Burakovsky scored just 16 points in 49 games in an injury-riddled 2023-24 campaign and only 37 points in 79 games this past season. He has two years left at a steep $5.5 million cap hit and owns a 10-team no-trade list. It's highly unlikely that any team would take the full freight of Burakovsky's contract on (unless Seattle paid heavy sweeteners), but perhaps there would be a taker for him if the Kraken are willing to retain a significant chunk of his deal. (Illustration: Demetrius Robinson / The Athletic; Jonathan Kozub / NHLI, Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)
National Post
4 days ago
- Sport
- National Post
Canucks: Brock Boeser reunion with J.T. Miller on Broadway a matter of dollars and sense
How are the New York Rangers going to wing it next NHL season? Article content And how does disgruntled Vancouver Canucks unrestricted free agent Brock Boeser possibly figure into their plans? Article content Article content The Rangers traded long-serving winger Chris Kreider, 34, to the Anaheim Ducks last week, hired Mike Sullivan as head coach in early May to replace the fired Peter Laviolette, and vow to get back to the Stanley Cup playoffs. Article content That go-for-it mantra will dictate spending to fill the void — the Rangers could also be targeted by offer sheets — but Boeser could be a top-six fit to rekindle chemistry with centre J.T. Miller. When healthy, Boeser is a 30-goal scorer, and his 12 points (7-5) in a dozen playoff games in 2024 opened a lot of eyes. Especially his gaudy 25.9 per cent shooting percentage. Article content 'It could be a good option and good fit with J.T.,' a source told Postmedia. 'The Rangers did free up some money, but have players to sign.' Article content New York has approximately $15 million to $18 million US in salary-cap space, depending on how it addresses its restricted free agents and improving offensively, and a key is the big RFA left winger Will Cuylle, 23. Article content He is projected as a second-liner after 20 goal and 45 points this season, but his leap from an entry-level deal could be as much as $3.4 million annually to align with Miller and Boeser. Article content The Rangers had one player in top-50 scoring who was with the club all season. Artemi Panarin finished 13th with 89 points (37-52), but they also had five who cracked the 20-goal plateau. Augmenting the right side is critical after first-liner Alexis Lafreniere, 23, who had just 17 goals this season. It thins out fast after that. Article content UFA Mitch Marner is too expensive and projected by AFP Analytics to command a seven-year deal at $13 million annually. Nikolaj Ehlers, who has been on the Canucks' radar in the past, is speedy but small and injury prone. But he is expected to land a six-year contract at $8.1 million in average value. Article content Article content Article content Boeser, 28, is slotted to sign somewhere for six years at $8.46 million annually. That is one year longer and a bump from $8 million that the Canucks were offering. Factor in odd management trade-deadline optics in March of Boeser's supposedly low return in a possible deal — instead of pumping his tires as an asset — and here we are. Article content Add too much past drama as the longest serving current Canuck and he needs a change of scenery and career outlook. Hard to imagine Boeser would pivot back to the Canucks if he doesn't find a free-agency fit.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Chris Kreider makes classy exit from Rangers, expresses ‘gratitude for how I was treated'
Beyond being one of the most prolific goal scorers in New York Rangers history, Chris Kreider was always a first-class human being start to finish during his tenure on Broadway. So, the fact that he exited the organization publicly expressing heartfelt appreciation Thursday is not a surprise. Selected by the Rangers with the No. 19 overall pick in the 2009 NHL Draft, Kreider was traded to the Anaheim Ducks for center prospect Carey Terrance and a swap of mid-round picks in this year's draft. Advertisement The departure of the longest tenured current Rangers player was expected for months, after his name was included in general manager Chris Drury's infamous trade memo in November. Though he had some dark moments the past several months, which included several injuries and a severe drop off with on-ice production this past season, Kreider took the high road Thursday. 'I think I've gone through the spectrum: Anger, sadness, grief,' Kreider told reporters. 'Whatever you want to call it. But I keep on arriving at gratitude for how I was treated, the opportunities I was given, for the connection I was able to make, the relationships, the friendships, the experiences I was able to have. 'Playing in front of that fan base, at that arena, playing in some of the games I was able to play in. Stuff that is so memorable and means so much to me and stuff that I'll take with me for the rest of my life.' Kreider also expressed his appreciation that the Rangers — Drury in particular — communicated honestly with him since the season ended about their plans to move him. It's been reported that Drury didn't enter trade discussions with the his Ducks counterpart Pat Verbeek before clearing it with Kreider, since they were on his 15-team no-trade list. Advertisement 'There was a lot of communication from Rangers management and from Chris Drury, in particular, about where they stood and kind of what the next steps in the process were going to look like,' Kreider explained. 'Around the year-end meetings, we had some good conversations and I understood that this was a very real possibility.' Related: Top 10 Chris Kreider moments with Rangers before trade to Ducks Chris Kreider leaves lasting legacy with Rangers James Guillory-Imagn Images The 34-year-old forward expressed regret that he tried to play through a hand injury after the 4 Nations Face-Off in February, reasoning that made him a shell of the impactful player he'd been previously. Advertisement Kreider finished third on the Rangers with 22 goals, but dropped from 75 points to 30 year-over-year from 2023-24. With Drury looking to shake up the roster after the Rangers missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in four years, Kreider was an obvious target to be traded, especially with a $6.5 million salary-cap hit the next two seasons. Anaheim took on the entirety of his contract, giving the Rangers much more financial flexibility this offseason, roughly $15 million. Ironically, the Ducks did the same in December, when they took Jacob Trouba off the Rangers' hands. The former Blueshirts captain is owed $8 million this season. 'Chris Kreider is the type of player we were looking to add this offseason,' Verbeek said in a statement. 'He has size, speed and is a clutch performer that elevates his game in big moments. Chris also upgrades both of our special teams units, something we really needed to address.' Kreider leaves New York as the third-leading goal scorer in Rangers history with 326. He's also 10th all-time in points (582), seventh in games played (883), and tied for first with 116 power-play goals. Advertisement No Rangers player appeared in more postseason games than Kreider (123), and no-one scored more playoff goals (48). The Rangers played in five Eastern Conference Finals during Kreider's tenure and the 2014 Stanley Cup Final, when they lost to the Los Angeles Kings in five games. Related Headlines
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Luguentz Dort hits from way downtown
The Ducks And The NHL's Pacific Division Are On The Rise The Anaheim Ducks took a competitive step forward Thursday by acquiring veteran left winger Chris Kreider from the New York Rangers.
Hindustan Times
6 days ago
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Mika Zibanejad trade: Why parting ways with the Swede may be difficult for the New York Rangers
The New York Rangers and Mika Zibanejad might be parting ways after nine seasons, with the Swedish center potentially becoming another blockbuster trade for the team. This comes after Chris Kreider already headed out of Madison Square Garden to the Anaheim Ducks. While the Athletic reported that both the Rangers and Mika Zibanejad might have already discussed the potential move, it would certainly not be easy for the center to find a new home. And there is a solid reason for that. The New York Rangers might find trading Mika Zibanejad a bit difficult, though his tally of 20 goals this season is the lowest he has achieved since his debut season in 2016-17. The reason for the difficulty is that he has five years left on his contract. He also has a complete no-move clause in each of the next four years. The final year of his deal in 2029-30 contains a modified no-trade clause. All of that carries an average annual value hit of $8.5 million, which is a sizable number for most teams to take on. Chris Kreider also had a no-trade clause in his contract, but he waived it to join Anaheim, a team with several of his former teammates and former Chicago Blackhawks Stanley Cup-winning coach Joel Quenneville. It is difficult to say whether Mika Zibanejad will do the same, but the Ducks seem to be the only team for which he could do that, for now. Zibanejad and Kreider are well-known close friends, and his departure hit the Swedish center particularly hard. 'You took me in from Day 1. You've taught me everything in what it means to be a Ranger,' an excerpt from Zibanejad's goodbye post on Instagram read. 'You've always had my back no matter what. From being kids to having kids of our own, it's a journey that doesn't end here. This is a friendship for a lifetime, teammates or not.'
