NHL Rumor Mill – March 19, 2024
An update on the Canucks’ Elias Lindholm and Filip Hronek plus some recent news on Chris Tanev, Jacob Markstrom and Linus Ullmark in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.
UPDATES ON LINDHOLM AND HRONEK
THE ATHLETIC: Pierre LeBrun reports Vancouver Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin is noncommittal about re-signing Elias Lindholm, who was acquired from the Calgary Flames in January.
Allvin said he spoke with Lindholm’s representatives following the trade expressing an interest in signing the 29-year-old center to a contract extension. “But obviously it’s got to work for both sides. We’ll see,” he said, pointing out that it’s been an adjustment period for Lindholm since the trade.
Vancouver Canucks center Elias Lindholm (NHL Images).
The Canucks GM told LeBrun that those contract discussions will likely occur following this season.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Lindholm is slated to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. He’s in the final season of a six-year contract with an average annual value of $4.85 million.
The Canucks have $25.5 million in projected salary-cap space for 2024-25 with 13 active roster players under contract. They can afford to re-sign Lindholm, however, that will depend on how long it takes to adjust to their style of play and how much he’s seeking on his next deal.
Lindholm won’t lack suitors if he goes to market on July 1. The Boston Bruins could be among them as they were frequently linked to him in trade rumors leading up to the recent deadline.
CHEK-TV’s Rick Dhaliwal cited Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman suggesting the “sweet spot” in the Canucks’ contract extension talks with Filip Hronek is an AAV of $7.5 million. He believes it could cause problems if the 26-year-old defenseman seeks more.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hronek is a restricted free agent with arbitration rights and a year away from UFA eligibility. He’s in the final season of a three-year deal worth an AAV of $4.4 million.
Those problems Friedman alluded to could be how much Hronek’s new contract would bite into the Canucks cap space and the potential for an arbitration hearing. The latter could result in a one-year deal that could guarantee his departure as a UFA next July.
TIDBITS FROM “KYPER’S KORNER”
TORONTO STAR: In his recent “Kyper’s Korner,” Nick Kypreos wrote that the cost of a contract extension for Chris Tanev also factored into why the Toronto Maple Leafs didn’t trade for him before the deadline. He claimed the Tanev camp sought $5 million per season but it could go lower if the 34-year-old defenseman got a fourth year.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Tanev will be 35 in December. The Leafs were wise not to go for that deal.
Kypreos claimed Calgary Flames goaltender Jacob Markstrom and Boston Bruins netminder Linus Ullmark refused to waive their no-trade clauses to go to the Los Angeles Kings before the recent trade deadline.
He wrote that Markstrom had no interest in being on the West Coast while Ullmark believes the Bruins have a better chance of winning the Stanley Cup than the Kings.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Kypreos wondered where Los Angeles’ “Tinseltown magic” to draw players has gone. I’m not sure that has anything specific with the Kings or LA. Pierre-Luc Dubois and Kevin Fiala quickly signed new contracts after being traded to the Kings.
Markstrom’s situation is weird due to conflicting reports regarding a possible move to New Jersey last month. He wasn’t happy with how Flames management handled the situation as he didn’t want that distraction during the season.
It’s worth mentioning that Markstrom spent seven seasons with the Vancouver Canucks. He didn’t seem to mind being on the West Coast then. Maybe Kypreos was referring to the California coast.
Ullmark was rumored to have nixed a deal with the Kings but there are also reports that they weren’t the club he would’ve been sent to had the trade gone through. It’s also believed that 14 of the 16 teams on his no-trade list are Western Conference clubs.
The Kings have over $22 million in projected cap space for next season. That’s plenty of room to acquire an expensive goaltender via this summer’s trade market if they need an upgrade at that position. We’ll have to wait until then to see if they are having difficulty attracting players with no-trade clauses in their contracts.
Cost of living, crime, smog, super high taxes, traffic, wildfires, earthquakes, landslides, State on the verge of bankruptcy. Why wouldn’t you want to go to LA?
Cost of living, crime, smog, super high taxes, traffic, wildfires, leaf fans, sinkholes, city on the verge of bankruptcy. Why wouldn’t you want to go to TO?
Sounds like neither of you lived in either city. But both cities cost of living is top 3 in North America however, nhl hockey players aren’t working for minimum wage.
Not wanting to go to a west coast team like the Kings could simply come down to both players shouldn’t have to waste their last prime years with a team still entrenched in a rebuild or retool. Im sure they can help a team like the Kings get to the dance but by the time the Kings are primed to win a cup again, both goalies won’t be there for that.
I’m not sure that goaltending is their problem. Only Winnipeg and Vancouver have less goals against in the west.
Talbot 2.43 gaa with a .917
Rittich 2.29gaa and a .916.
Both have better numbers than Markstrom or anyone else they were linked to at the deadline.
To take that a step further,
Talbot ranks 6th in Gaa and 2nd in sv% in the entire league!
Why not Talbot?
Captain Obvious, the resurgence of Talbot after a disastrous stint in Ottawa certainly underscores the contention that the problem in Ottawa may not be so much with their current goalies as it is with the structure of the team in front of them.
Food for thought for Staios there for sure.
Born in LA. Lived in TO for 10 years. Without looking it up, I would wager to say San Francisco, New York City and Seattle might have higher costs of living….regardless. You appear to be very well all knowing………
Yesterday Ray Bark and Shoreorrpark said they rather see Boston keep Ullmark.
Ullmark will be 31 in July and Swayman 26 in November. You can’t discount them 5yrs
Boston has Brandon Bussi in Providence who they are high on and Reid Dyck of the swift current broncos coming along. also Michael Dipietro who is having a comparable season to Brandon Bussi down in the Ahl.
Goaltender is one area where Boston has some strength, most of it unproven at the Nhl level
My question with Ullmark; was he injured during the playoffs last season? there were reports he was but neither Ullmark or the Bruins confirmed the report.
If he wasn’t injured then he is a big reason why the Bruins didn’t advance. His 3.34gaa and .896sv% didn’t make the grade.
If Ullmark was injured then that a total different discussion and more to add in my negative Monty file who forgot how to coach during the playoffs.
If Swayman prices himself out of Boston, then the fall back is Ullmark and hopefully the Bruins get a really good haul for Swayman.
The reports out of Sweden was that he had a minor injury, so not a clear cut case either way. It affected him maybe a little but not very much.
CO,
Both Are UFA as of July 1st
Cam Talbot like ever other team he plays for,
Talbot runs out of Gas and dose not perform well especaly in the playoffs….He has played for a new team every year since 2018/2019 Season⁉️
Rittich has been the more consistant goaltender
LA will put a Maple Leaf and be kicked out in the first round this year.
That’s a really bizarre take. His numbers in the playoffs?
2.51 gaa
.921 sv%
What else you got?
By way of comparison,
Markstrom
2.90
.911
Vasilesky, career playoffs, one of the better in the game over the last decade.
2.37 gaa
.921
You’re gonna have to come up with something better than he runs out of gas and doesn’t perform well in the playoffs. His numbers sure do show otherwise.
Caper,
Re Boston’s Goaltending…
one of them has to go… Boston need a 1st line centre ⁉️ they cant aford to have 2 starter making a combind $15.M……….
Good Goaltenders are in Big Demand coming up to the NHL Draft June 28th and UFA period July 1st
thats when we will see the trades and movements
30 yr old Ullmark will get a 6 year Deal around
$6.5 to $7M?
Swayman will get 8 yrs Aound the $8.M mark?
if Saros gets traded to a contender,
Nashville are going into A Re/build with up and coming goaltender Yaroslav Askarov from Milwaukee posting great numbers again this year
G 34, GA 2.37 SV% ,0.912
im sure they Bring him up at the start of next season and they nigh a goaltender that can play 45 games
28 yr old Saros will get $8.M to $8.5M
I get the – Swayman is younger -Caper, and it’s a valid point. Younger players will generally be good longer. I just think Ullmark has been a better tender overall in Boston than Swayman.
Not sure what is more impressive, his career .924 sv% in BOS or his .912 over 6 years in Buffalo, on consistently poor and leaky teams.
Both guys are good, I just think Ullamrk has been good longer, and his best is up there with the best in the league.
Also I would be very wary of signing any goaltender to an 8 year, big $ deal, if that is what Swayman wants. It is a volatile position, with a small few exceptions. Ullmark has been good for 9 + years, that is as consistent as it comes. Swayman is a bigger maybe IMO.
But hey, maybe Ullmark wants to test the market, or wants huge $$ for too long, who the heck knows. Well Sweeney likely does already, and he usually makes the right call.
Lindholm has certainly been disappointing in Vancouver. Unless he picks it up, it’s hard to see him getting the type of contract he wants.
I was about to type the same thing. I’ve read he wants around $8M.
He’ll get a raise from the $4.85M, but his performance/stats are prob more $6.5M than $8M+
Would Boston be better to go after a player like Chandler Stephenson at a better price than Lindholm?
Phillip Danault was a good center in Montreal and he has been having better years since signing in LA….seems like smog, cost of living, taxes, traffic and…..aucun française, isn’t a problem.
Most of the Kings’ players live in Hermosa or Manhattan Beach. Very short drive to the airport, slightly longer to the rink. They can go out and mix in the community without being pestered, and Disneyland and Universal Studios are there for the kids. Taxes bite, but overall the players consider it a good gig.
What people often don’t consider is that athletes pay taxes in every city/state they play, so no athlete is truly “tax free” locally. And Fed Rates in the US don’t change no matter where the player is.
So a player in Florida will get 0% local/state taxes for all the games played in Florida, but they are going to get taxed on the other 41 games based on those local tax rates.
Point is, someone in Florida or Texas will get some local tax relief, but they are still paying Fed and they are paying in other locations they play. I think the tax savings argument is often overblown when these players make free agent/trade decisions.
You can say that, if you ignore that for 1/2 their paycheque, 41 games, those living in Florida don’t pay state tax. I wouldn’t call it overblown, and I guarantee that it is a consideration when players are negotiating their contracts.
But, in the end, they can only sign so many players
…. and, when they get near the cap limit with their signed roster they can no longer be among the “chosen” destinations unless hit with LTIRs or have dealt away some of their bigger cap hits
My understanding is that this is only partially true. From reading different commentary on this the Signing Bonus tax is entirely paid in state or province of home team (unless of course there is retention, then that retention amount in that states/provinces taxes); all home game salaries pay taxes in home team state/province; and most (but not all; apparently there are some weird tax calculations for these) of away game salaries are taxed at away game stat/province taxes.
Very complicated but the key thing is 50% for sure (if no signing bonus) is taxed at home state/province rate
Signing bonuses make a much more marked skew to taxes paid.
For instance, Petrangelo got $8 M in 22/23; $7M signing bonus; $1M Sal
So at a minimum he paid zero state tax on $7.5 M ($7M signing bonus and 50% of Salary)
Conversely a player on Canadian based teams (highest tax rates) with heavy signing bonus; get the reverse hit (heavily taxed)
This year’s League’s top goal scorer; next year (per Capfriendly) gets just over $15.9 M in signing bonus and only $775,000 in Salary
So basically $16.3 M of his $16.7 M in Total pay; gets taxed at Toronto (Ontario’s) rate. I think Toronto and Ottawa are only a smidgeon lower in tax rate than top taxed (Montreal).
Not sure re Ontario vs Quebec taxes; some posts say equal taxes; some say Quebec slightly more
I believe our players are somewhere in the middle if the tax spectrum.
Per Capfriendly Crosby has had 0$ in signing bonus after his entry level contract
True, George, Florida, Tampa, and I believe at least Dallas, can only sign so many players.
Say Ottawa is trying to sign a UFA that Florida and Tampa are also bidding on … how’s that going to end?
And this is on top of the so many NTCs that players have, which almost assuredly cover all or nearly all Canadian teams.
These two things just might be big reasons why the Cup hasn’t been won in Canada since, what, 1993? There are other reasons, but let’s not pretend it’s a level playing field for Canadian teams when bidding for players.
Here are some comparison tables
https://www.nesto.ca/mortgage-basics/property-taxes-by-province-in-canada-highest-to-lowest/
https://www.retailcouncil.org/resources/quick-facts/sales-tax-rates-by-province/
https://www.koho.ca/personal-finance/provincial-tax-rates/
Canadian teams can afford players just like American teams, Toronto, Edmonton and Vancouver have some of the highest paid players in the league.
Taxes are calculated on annual basis with varying deductions based on where the income is earned and where the players residence is.
Canadian teams pay players in American dollars which is a big offset on top of cost of living.
Quality of life in Canada, health, education, politics, social mores in Canada aren’t to be sneezed at.
As the league keeps expanding the odds on Canadian teams winning the Stanley Cup get lower, 30% of the league has been added since 1991
Wise words habfan30.
The forex is a big deal financially, as is the quality of life for most folks. So does up front $ and signing bonuses as you get a return on that $. Most CDN teams make good $$ and can pay them.
I think where you come from, and what you know plays a role in how we perceive that quality of life. 42% of NHL players are from Canada, and only 22% of the teams are located here. I don’t mind those odds when it comes to attracting UFA’s. The Swedes seem to like it here in Canada as well.
I don’t like to make sweeping generalizations about people based on where they are from, but I don’t imagine many Canadian players have all Canadian teams on the no trade lists. I think they are more than comfortable playing up here, just like many US players would prefer to play in the USA. Only makes sense doesn’t it?
The reality is, different players value different things. Some is quality of life. Some is who they know on the team, which is why many stay put I would think. The one thing that is common amongst all of them is, they prefer winning to losing. They are competitive people, or they wouldn’t be in the NHL to begin with.
I think the main reasons a team from Canada hasn’t won in so long, is the impact of the pressure and the microscope they are under. More so on management than the players. The constant scrutiny and 2nd guessing of every decision, doesn’t always lead to the best ones. Nor does it lead to the patience required to build a consistent winning organization to give you more chances to win the damn thing. Not sure how easy it is to be pragmatic in these markets.
Gentlemen: thanks for the thoughtful replies.
George, the issue is US taxes in the sunbelt for contract considerations, not taxation rates via province.
HF30, you are correct that Canadian players get paid in US dollars, a 40% premium. But they also get taxed on their gross income.
Ray: NTCs are still NTCs, so what difference does it make if the majority of players with NTCs are American, Swedish, or any other nationality. It still means a meaningful % of NHL players have Canadian teams on their NTCs, which reduces the choices left for Canadian teams.
Wah, boo hoo and all that, nothing likely to be done about it, but these are still factors that can’t be denied.
Correction Pierre-Luc Dubois signed a contract with Winnipeg and was immediately traded to LA