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This in from Edmonton Oilers GM Ken Holland on his tough contract negotiations with restricted free agent forward Klim Kostin.
“We’re quite a ways apart,” Holland told Bob Stauffer on Oilers Now. “So we’ll see.”
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Kostin has arbitration rights, but he can also return home to Russia or play in Europe. “Being a Russian player in the KHL, there are always those people in people’s ears. So I’m not sure where that’s going to go.”
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Holland said he’s had multiple talks with Kostin’s agent, Paul Theofanous. “I do know that he’s got options outside the National Hockey League. It’s obviously going to be a challenge. There’s no way I’m going to be able to bring our entire bottom part of our roster back for cap reasons. We’ve got to make decisions on which ones we want to keep. I like Klim, he got 10-11 goals, he can fight. I thought he hit real hard, he’s physical. So I’ll see.”
My take
1. Kostin was a fan favourite in Edmonton and with good reason. He provided a massive boost of toughness, aggression and timely scoring after Evander Kane went out with injury early in the year. He faded a bit down the stretch with his hot shooting cooling off, but he cranked it up again in the playoffs, where he made a major contribution with limited ice time.
2. Kostin is in the prime of his career. If he’s trying to maximize how much he makes, that’s exactly what he should be doing. If he’s trying to prise as much out of Edmonton as possible, that only makes sense. He’s got a short shelf life as a pro, playing power forward takes a lot out of player physically, so he’s failing himself and his family if he doesn’t push hard for every dollar he can. No hard feelings if he ends up elsewhere.
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That said, given the massive instability and violence in Russia — where we saw the real deal of an insurrection attempt this past week with armed forces under a renegade general driving to Moscow — who would choose to play there? It would make more sense for Kostin to play in Europe if he was tired of the NHL, but can he really get a bigger contract in Switzerland or Sweden? Another NHL team might well be tempted to hand an offer sheet to him — I certainly would do so if I were an NHL G.M. — or Kostin can try to get more money from the Oilers in arbitration, which might force Edmonton to trade Kostin, as Edmonton can’t afford a major contract for this player.
My prediction is that Kostin will be in the NHL next year, just maybe not in Edmonton. I’d say it’s a coin flip on that.
If he does move on, well, the Oilers have a big, tough winger on the farm named Raphael Lavoie who is looking for an NHL opportunity.
3. Do the Oilers under-rate Kostin? It’s hard to know. But I’d much rather have Kostin on the Oilers at $1.5 million a year than Warren Foegele on the team for $2.75 million per. That’s not a shot at Foegele either. He was outstanding down the stretch and strong in the playoffs. But Kostin on a cheaper deal would provide more value, given the physical menace Kostin brings to the ice.
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4. Holland also said he was glad to have Derek Ryan back, as the player is a leader who manages the puck and the game well. Ryan wanted to remain in Edmonton and wants to win, so he agreed to reduce his cap number from $1.25 million per to $900,000. “Obviously he’s happy getting a second year (on the new deal).”
Holland said Ryan might have been hoping for a bit more but agreed to less, in part for the good of the Oilers. “In his mind, he left a little bit on the table to try to pitch in and do his part so that I’ve got a few more dollars in cap space to try to do something with our team.”
5. As for Mattias Janmark and Nick Bjugstad, Holland said he was going to meet both of their agents. “I do believe we’re close (with Janmark). He does want to stay. He loves being an Oiler, believes we have a chance to win, like his role. He’s a conscientious guy, plays good defence.”
As for Bjugstad, it comes down to how much money the Oilers have to spend, Holland said.
6. Ryan McLeod has had two good playoff seasons for the Oilers, Holland said. “I like that he can transport the puck.”
McLeod is a Restricted Free Agent with arbitration rights. “We’ll find a solution that works for him and works for us.”
Evan Bouchard does not have arbitration rights. “I’m confident in both cases we’re going to find a solution. I think ultimately they’re going to be one or two year deals.”
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7. Noah Philp will be qualified to retain his rights. Philp has retired for personal reasons but maybe two months from now there is a change, Holland suggested of the big and promising centre. “If he changes his mind over the summer, we’ve got his rights.”
8. Holland again said the Oilers will not be bringing in another player at $4 or $5 million a year, simply because the Oilers have no cap space to do so. “There’s no chance,” Holland said of any such possible addition, which will not please fans hoping the Oilers now trade for Brett Pesce or Travis Konecny.
9. Interesting to see Taylor Hall traded to Chicago. Hall is back where he started, a top player on a terrible team rebuilding around a young star, only this time the star is Connor Bedard, not him. No doubt Hall can provide support on and off the ice.
10. Holland said he’d like to accrue money against the cap as the season progresses, which means the Oilers would have to be under the cap to do so. He’s not sure however if he can do it. “I think it’s going to be more difficult to make it happen than just to chat about it.”
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