Even though we’re already less than four months away from opening night for the 2018-2019 season, the next order of business starts almost immediately: Who’ll be on the roster the first week in October?
This is how the core group of 25 players from this past season looks going forward.
The VGK currently have four unrestricted free agents (UFA), who can can entertain offers from any of the other 30 teams starting on July 1: James Neal (30 years old), David Perron (30), Ryan Reaves (31), Luca Sbisa (28).
Both Neal and Perron have stated publically that they’d like to return. Both being 30, multi-year contracts might not be a good fit for VGK. Reaves is 31, but can ride shotgun for Vegas’ skilled players going forward.
If GM George McPhee can re-sign these three players to short-term deals, thus keeping the core of the 2017-2018 team together, that would be a good thing, in my opinion.
Luca Sbisa’s future with the VGK is questionable. A UFA by the name of John Carlson might be on George McPhee’s radar. It won’t be easy to land Carlson; I’m sure he’d like a shot with Washington going for back-to-back Stanley Cups. But can Washington fit him in under their salary cap?
Carlson knows that Vegas 1) is looking to improve the team and 2) has plenty of cap space available. He might just entertain coming here to win with a different team.
The NHL’s salary cap is $75 million per team (rumor has it that it’ll be increased to $77 million). The VGK have $26.5 million available in current cap space. That much room gives McPhee plenty of flexibility in retaining his core and adding a needed piece or two, especially in the face of how Washington stifled his offense, which was a juggernaut throughout the season.
That brings me to John Tavares, who’ll be the number-one sought-after UFA come July 1. Tavares is most likely looking for a long-term contract in the range of $10 million per year, which automatically eliminates a lot of teams who would have to dump players to accommodate Tavares.
Here’s the only problem I see and it’s a good problem to have. Do you pay John $10 million to center the VGK’s number-two line, which I’m calling the T-Bomb, since he’d be playing with Alex Tuch and Tomas Tatar? If that’s their second line, watch out Western Conference! You’ll be in for a long 82-game season.
Coach Gallant could roll four lines and six defensemen blindfolded if the core returns and Tavares and Carlson are added into the mix.
The rumor mill around the league is that a lot of UFAs are asking their agents to look into the possibility of playing for Vegas. Nevada’s lack of a state income tax makes their contracts more valuable than anywhere else, except Florida. Not to mention that a lot of hockey players liked what they saw when they came to play here: the winter weather, the community around the practice facility, how the fans embraced the team, the atmosphere at T-Mobile, and certainly other personal things.
The VGK have five restricted free agents (RFA): William Karlsson (25), Tomas Nosek (25), William Carrier (23), Colin Miller (25), and Shea Theodore (22).
The deadline for teams to send their RFAs qualifying offers is the day following the NHL draft (June 29). On that date, RFAs can begin contract talks with rival teams. A qualifying offer retains negotiating rights with that player if he’s tendered an offer sheet from a rival club. If a team doesn’t send a qualifying offer to their RFAs, they become UFAs on July 1.
A qualifying offer includes a minimum one-year contract at 100% or more of the previous salary; the player can reject the offer and remain an RFA or try to negotiate a better deal with his existing team. If a player signs the qualifying offer, it becomes his contract. If he doesn’t sign, he becomes a UFA and can negotiate with any other team. If an offer sheet from a rival club is signed by an RFA, the team that owns his rights has seven days to match the offer. If an RFA is signed away by a rival club, his former team receives draft picks in compensation.
Offer sheets are rare. Since the salary cap was implemented in 2005, only eight NHL players have signed offer sheets. Of those eight players, Dustin Penner was the only RFA successfully signed away.
I believe there’s no way that GM George McPhee won’t lock Karlsson into a nice healthy multi-year deal. Nosek, Carrier, Miller, and Theodore proved themselves to be important pieces of this team and should be re-signed without too much trouble.
As for the rest of the team, Tomas Tatar (27) has three years left on his contract with a cap hit of $5.3 million per year.
Reilly Smith (27) has four years left on his contract with a cap hit of $5 million per year.
Jonathan Marchessault (27) has six years left on his contract with a cap hit of $5 million per year.
Cody Eakin (27) has two years left on his contract with $3.85 million per year.
Erik Haula (27) has two years left at $2.75 million per.
Oscar Lindberg (26) has one year left at $1.7 million.
Pierre-Édouard Bellemare (33) has one year left at $1.45 million.
Alex Tuch (22) has one year left on his entry-level contract at $925,000 with a potential $425,000 performance bonus. He’ll become an RFA for the 2019-2020 season.
Ryan Carpenter (27) has one year left on his contract at $650,000.
Brayden McNabb (27) has four years left at $2.5 million.
Nate Schmidt (26) has one year left at $2.5 million.
Deryk Engelland (36) is in the last year of his contract that has a cap hit of $1.5 million. In my opinion, this will be his last contract as a NHL player, but will join the VGK organization in some capacity.
Jon Merrill (26) has two years left on his contract at $1.375 million.
Brad Hunt (29) has one year left at $650,000.
Malcolm Subban (24) has one year left at $650,000.
And last but certainly not least (on the contrary, it’s the most), Marc-Andre Fleury (33) has one year left on his contract at $5.75 million. Fleury has said he’d like to finish his career here in Las Vegas.
The total players under contract for VGK for the 2018-2019 season are: 10 forwards with a cap hit of $31.87 million, which includes David Clarkson’s contract of $5.25 million that has two years remaining; five defensemen at $8.25 million; and two goaltenders at $6.4 million. There’s also Derick Brassard’s $2 million retained salary that was part of the deal when Ryan Reaves was acquired from Pittsburgh.
I don’t have a crystal ball, nor do I know what George McPhee is thinking, but based on his performance in the expansion draft, I trust his opinion and vision. I’m already excited for the 2018-2019 season.
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