As we get deeper into the summer, NHL news slows down considerably, with the
main items being the occasional announcements of new RFA contracts and
arbitration proceedings.

The Anaheim Ducks provided one of those news nuggets on July 24 in announcing
the re-signing of 24-year-old defenseman Brandon Montour to a two-year bridge
contract worth an average of $3.3875 million per year. In so doing, general
manager Bob Murray and the Ducks avoided an arbitration hearing that would have
 taken place later that day.The Ducks re-signed Brandon Montour just ahead of
his scheduled arbitration hearing. (Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports)

While bridging Montour makes sense-from the standpoint that he is a player with
 just one full NHL season under his belt who has shown upside but needs more
consistency-the tradeoff in such deals is usually a lower average annual value
(AAV). Montour inking a short-term deal worth more than $3 million per year is
great for him, as he figures to be in line for a significant payday two years
from now as long as he doesn';t experience some severe regression.

Besides further cutting into Anaheim';s salary cap room in a direct way,
Montour';s contract could be a harbinger of a somewhat lucrative deal for
another rising youngster who stands as a restricted free agent (RFA) as of July
 28: Ondrej Kase.Kase';s Breakout 2017-18 Season

Although Kase is a 22-year-old winger, he shares some similarities with
Montour. The most notable here is that 2017-18 was also his first full NHL
season (though concussion issues and injuries limited him to 66 regular-season
games), as well as the fact that he showed clear signs of promise.

For Kase, the latter was much more stark. After notching five goals and 10
assists in 53 games in 2016-17, Kase erupted last season for 20 goals and 18
assists while providing the Ducks with an energetic style of play. He quickly
evolved from being a nice young depth option to a critical component of the
Ducks'; attack.The young Ondrej Kase broke out with 20 goals in 2017-18. (Amy
Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

"He's an exciting, young player and very much of an Energizer Bunny for our
group," head coach Randy Carlyle said about Kase during the past season. "He
never seems to quit. He's a young player. We keep pinching ourselves at how
young he is."

The underlying numbers also support the goal total and the eye test when
evaluating Kase. His shot rate metrics were excellent on a Ducks team that
struggled in that area, and he was incredibly efficient at creating goals at
5-on-5.Projecting Kase';s Contract

Kase is not arbitration-eligible like Montour was, so from that standpoint, he
does not have as much leverage in contract negotiations. He also is not a
defenseman, which is a position for which GMs typically pay a premium,
especially for blueliners who can provide offense. Nevertheless, his breakout
campaign, young age, potential, and stylistic alignment with the Ducks';
verbalized goals to become younger and faster all play a role in increasing his
 value.

So, where will Kase';s contract land? The Ducks could look to extend him
long-term to save money down the road, but another bridge deal might still be
more likely given his limited experience. Matt Cane of Hockey Graphs predicts a
 two-year deal worth about $1.77 million per year via his model.

That would certainly be a bargain for the Ducks if Kase can continue his
ascension, but the risk from a salary cap standpoint-as with any bridge
contract-would be that Kase would improve even more and be owed a much heftier
contract in just two seasons. That would be nice for the Ducks for two seasons
but would create a less desirable business situation thereafter. 



It';s also worth noting that Cane';s model had Montour getting a two-year
bridge deal with an AAV of $2.63 million. That, of course, was around 30
percent lower than what Montour actually got, and Kase had more of the
eye-popping and analytically-supported jump forward in 2017-18.

Montour brings excellent puck-moving ability and chipped in 32 points from the
back end last season, and those traits are all the more important in today';s
NHL. While the offense was promising and should continue to improve,
Montour';s defensive game was not the most consistent, and he posted some
mediocre possession numbers and seemed to suffer particularly with respect to
yielding high-danger chances; his 251 high-danger chances against while on the
ice were the most among all Ducks defensemen, and his high-danger Corsi-for
percentage of 47.27 percent was the worst among their regular blueliners with
the sole exception of the since-retired Francois Beauchemin.

Kase, meanwhile, as noted, excelled across the board. Between that and
Montour';s contract, Kase figures to get something higher than Cane';s initial
projection. On a short-term deal, the Ducks might be inclined to pay him closer
 to $3 million per season. If something in that range comes to fruition, then
Anaheim will be left with around $6 million in cap space with Nick Ritchie
still needing to be re-signed and two more roster spots needing to be filled
in, likely with entry-level contracts. That could then leave them with less
than $4 million in cap space for 2018-19, with John Gibson';s next contract
being due in a year.

The post What Montour';s Contract Could Mean for Kase appeared first on The
Hockey Writers.

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