Some News and Rumours
Just a couple quick things to keep an eye on as free agency gets underway very soon.
Philadelphia’s cap space: it seems like the Flyers are making a push to sign Gaudreau and buying out Lindblom helped them a bit but they will need to move more money by tomorrow to be able to sign him so watch guys like JVR and Konecny as they could be on their way out of Philly very soon.
Gaudreau watch: after telling the Flames he isn’t coming back, the biggest free agent is going to test free agency and it seems like the Flyers and Devils are the front runners but there may be a stealth team in there as well to get Gaudreau so we will have to see where he ends up.
Where will the biggest defensemen go: Klingberg is no doubt the best defensemen in free agency and as a right side defensemen who can put up points like no one else in this free agent class he will be heavily sought after and I can’t wait to see where he lands.
Burns name in the mill: it seems that the Sharks might try and free cap space this offseason be moving Brent Burns who is a top 4 defensemen and even though he is a older player and his $8 Million dollar cap hit is not too great I do think there will be interest as he is a top 4 right side defensemen who can still produce at a high level.
Pivot forwards on the trade market: is a team were to miss out on a big name forward in free agency then expect them to maybe make a offer to the Blues or Canucks about Tarasenko or Miller respectively as these two both have a year left on their contracts and seem likely to be moved in the near future and after the seasons they had I think they will get pretty good returns.
The top D-Men and Goalie on the trade market could also move by tomorrow: Chychrun in Arizona is the best defensemen to get via trade and if a team still needs a defensemen with the free agent market drying up expect them to ask about Chychrun who doesn’t want to be in Arizona anymore and if a team looking for a starter can’t find one in free agency then they could call Anaheim about Gibson as he is a starting goalie and would bring the Ducks a nice haul.
Penguins D-Men on the move: after signing their core players to new deals as well as Rakell the Penguins now don’t have much Cap space as it seems like they could move a defensemen such as Pettersson or Marino to clear up a bit of cap space so they aren’t to close to the cap.
Yesterday was the qualifying offer deadline and there were a couple of players who wound up not resigning with their teams and here is the list of some of the more important names to go from RFA status to UFA status in my opinion.
Forwards
Sam Steel (ANA)
Sonny Milano (ANA)
Dominik Kubalik (CHI)
Dylan Strome (CHI)
Nicolas Aube Kubel (COL)
Kevin Stenlund (COLU)
Mitchell Stephens (DET)
Brendan Lemieux (LA)
Rem Pitlick (MON)
Adam Gaudette (OTT)
Danton Heinen (PIT)
Jonathan Dahlen (SJ)
Ryan Donato (SEA)
Daniel Sprong (SEA)
Ondrej Kase (TOR)
Matthew Highmore (VAN)
Juho Lammikko (VAN)
Brett Howden (VGK)
Evgeny Svechnikov (WIN)
Defensemen
Jacob Larsson (ANA)
Kyle Capobianco (ARI)
Wyatt Kalynuk (CHI)
Gabriel Carlsson (COLU)
Olli Juolevi (DET)
Kale Clague (MON)
Victor Mete (OTT)
Haydn Fleury (SEA)
Goalies
Jonas Johansson (FLO)
Ilya Samsonov (WAS)
In the last two days we have had 6 buyouts happen as the buyout window has recently closed, here are those six buyouts and what the implications may be.
Philadelphia and Oscar Lindblom: the Flyers needed cap space to try and take a run at a particular free agennt and buying out Lindblom helps as that will take his contract from 1 year left at $3 Million, to a cap credit next year of $.333 Thousand dollars and then a cap penalty the year after of $.667 Thousand but this will help them get cap space as Lindblom was a overpaid bottom six forward and now Lindblom can go look for a new contract in free agency.
Chicago and Henrik Borgstrom: this one was a little complicated for me as Borgstrom was a decent depth piece at a cap hit of only $1 Million for the next year but they obviously thought moving on from him was the best thing, so the Hawks will have a cap penalty of $.83 Thousand for next year followed by a $.183 Thousand dollar cap penalty the year after but this buyout gets the young forward the opportunity to look for a new team to sign with and saves the Hawks just over $.900 Thousand on the cap next year.
Chicago and Brett Connolly: this one I am not surprised at as Connolly has barely played in the NHL the past few years and his cap hit of $3.5 Million was a lot of money for a depth piece. So the cap will go from 1 year at $3.5 Million to a $1.167 Million dollar cap penalty in both next year and the year after so while it does add a extra year of cap penalty it also gets almost $2 Million dollars of cap relief for the Blackhawks next year and for the Hawks getting that cap off the book was great and Connolly should look for a cheap depth option in free agency.
Ottawa and Michael Del Zotto: another one that isn’t to surprising as Del Zotto didn’t have a favourable contract and getting the cap relief will help the Senators with trying to sign players in free agency. So Del Zotto has 1 year left at $2 Million dollars but the Senators now have a cap penalty of $.500 Thousand next year and a $.750 Thousand dollar cap penalty the following year and I think this was a smart move as it does clear $1.5 Million off the books for the following season and Del Zotto will look for a new contract probably with a team who can put him on a 3rd pair.
San Jose and Rudolf Balcers: this one stumped me as Balcers finished the season well in my opinion but the Sharks think that the best thing for their team is too not bring back Balcers for next year. Now he had a $1.55 Million dollar cap hit in the final year of his deal and the Sharks now have a cap penalty of $.8 Thousand next year and a penalty of $.308 Thousand the year after and I think Balcers will be able to get a contract as a bottom 6 forward forward and I think that the Sharks will use this new found cap space to be relevant in free agency.
New Jersey and Janne Kuokkanen: another stumper in my opinion as Kuokkanen was a good young forward who played the bottom six role well but the Devils future obviously doesn’t include him. Kuokkanen had one year left on his deal with a cap hit of $1.83 but after the buyout the Debils have a cap penalty of $.200 Thousand next year and a cap penalty of $.325 the following year and I think Kuokkanen will get a opportunity as a bottom six forward and the $1.6 Million in cap space saves by New Jersey can go to signing a player in free agency.
Here is the list of NHL signings from JUL 8th to JUL 12th
The Tony DeAngelo and Ville Husso signings have now been confirmed, Husso signs with the Red Wings at $4.75 Million per year on a 3 year deal and I would expect that he is the starter in a tandem with Nedeljkovic and could be the starter by the end of the season, and DeAngelo signed for 2 year with a AAV of $5 Million with the Flyers and I would suspect that depending on the health of Ellis, if he is healthy then DeAngelo will play on the 3RD pair but if he is still injured then I would suspect DeAngelo would be on the top pair.
Pacific
Los Angeles
Winger Adrian Kempe and the Los Angeles Kings have come to terms on a 4 year contract extension that will carry a AAV of $5.5 Million dollars and the deal will begin next year. Kempe had a breakout year last season getting 35 goals and 54 points in 78 games and proved that he can be a very productive forward in LA and with this new deal I would suspect he keeps playing top 6 minutes maybe even on the top line with newly acquired Fiala.
Left Winger Carl Grundstrom and the Los Angeles Kings have come to terms on a 2 year contract extension that will carry a AAV of $1.3 Million dollars and the contract will begin next season. Grundstrom showed just how valuable he is to LA this year as he put up 9 goals and 15 points in 54 games and he even played in the top 6 with some injuries this year but I would think that he will be a bottom six forward for the Kings next year either on the 3rd or 4th line.
Center, Left winger Lias Andersson and the Los Angeles Kings have come to terms on a 1 year contract extension that will carry a AAV of $.750 Thousand dollars and the contract will begin next season. Andersson has never been able to find the level of production a top 10 pick should have and only got into 20 NHL games last year, having a goal and assist and I think he could still play at the NHL level and I believe he will either be a 4th line forward next year or a spare at the NHL level.
Left defensemen Alex Edler and the Los Angeles Kings have come to terms on a 1 year contract extension that will carry a AAV of $.750 Thousand dollars and the deal will kick in next season. Edler was injured for a lot of last year but when he played he was awesome as he got 19 points in 41 game and I think now at where he is at in his career and for what he signed to re-up with LA I think he will be a 3rd pair defensemen probably with a younger player next year.
Seattle
Right Winger, Center Karson Kuhlman and the Seattle Kraken have come to terms on a 1 year contract extension that will carry a AAV of $.825 Thousand dollars and the deal will kick in next season. After a slow start in Boston where he only had 2 points in 19 games, Kuhlman was claimed off of waivers by the Seattle Kraken and his production changed for the better as he put up 2 goals and 8 points in 25 games with Seattle and I think he can be a good 4th line player for the Kraken next season.
Center, Right Winger Alex True and the Seattle Kraken have come to terms on a 1 year contract extension that will carry a AAV of $.750 Thousand dollars and the deal will kick in next season. True had a solid season in the AHL last year as he put up 42 points in 60 AHL games and even got into 8 NHL games not putting up a point, I think that True has a NHL future so in my opinion he either plays in the AHL next year or he carves out a role in the 4th line for Seattle next year.
Central
Arizona
Winger Christian Fischer and the Arizona Coyotes have come to terms on a 1 year contract extension that will carry a AAV of $1.13 Million dollars and the deal will kick in next season. Fischer has lost the production he had a few years ago and only got 10 points in 53 games this past year and with not many players on contract right now for Arizona I think he will get a chance to play in the middle six to find that scoring touch again.
Left Defensemen Cam Dineen and the Arizona Coyotes have come to terms on a 1 year contract extension that will carry a AAV of $.750 Thousand dollars and the deal will kick in next season. Dineen got his first taste of NHL action as he played 34 NHL games this year putting up 7 points and was almost a point per game in the AHL and depending on what Arizona does in free agency I could definitely see him playing on the 3rd pair next year.
Colorado
Left Defensemen Jacob McDonald and the Colorado Avalanche have come to terms on a 2 year contract extension that will carry a AAV of $.763 Thousand dollars and the deal will start next year. MacDonald played a lot less in the NHL last year then the previous year as he only got into 8 NHL games but was nearly a point per game player in the AHL with 25 in 33 games and with the Avalanche defence right now I think he plays in the AHL next year but is a strong call up option.
Goaltender Alex Georgiev and the Colorado Avalanche have come to terms on a 3 year contract extension that will carry a AAV of $3.4 Million dollars and the deal will start next year. After recently acquiring Georgiev from NYR they get him signed as his numbers were down last year with a .898 SV% but I think as a 1A in Colorado he will do a lot better then backup in New York and I see him flourishing in Colorado with more of a opportunity.
Winger Valeri Nichushkin and the Colorado Avalanche have come to terms on a long term 8 year contract extension that will carry a AAV of $6.125 Million dollars and the contract will begin next season. Nichushkin had a breakout year this past season putting up 25 goals and 52 points in 62 games which blasted his previous career high out of the water and showed how valuable he is to Colorado and while I would have gone 6 years and not 8 and I probably would’ve given him somewhere between $5-5.5 Million per year, I still think that is a great deal and I suspect that he remains in the Avalanche top 6 probably still on the 2nd line and will remain a important piece for the Avalanche.
Dallas
Winger Marian Studenic and the Dallas Stars have come to terms on a 1 year contract extension that will carry a AAV of $.750 Thousand dollars and the deal will kick in next season. Studenic played well last year, splitting time between New Jersey and Dallas as he had 2 goals and 4 point in 33 games last year and with the Stars limited cap space I think he will be able to carve out a full time role on the 4th line for Dallas next year.
Minnesota
Goaltender Zane McIntyre and the Minnesota Wild have come to terms on a 1 year contract extension that will carry a AAV of $.750 Thousand dollars and the deal will kick in next season. McIntyre has a great year in the AHL putting up a .920 SV% in 37 games last year and while I think he could be their third string goalie I have no doubt that he will play in the AHL next year.
Nashville
Left Winger Filip Forsberg and the Nashville Predators have come to terms on a long term 8 year contract extension that will carry a AAV of $8.5 Million dollars and the deal will begin next year. Forsberg was the first Predator in history to reach the 40 goal mark and had 82 points this year and now that he is re-signed I fully expect him to continue to play on the top line for many years to come.
Goaltender Devin Cooley and the Nashville Predators have come to terms on a 1 year contract extension that will carry a AAV of $.788 Thousand dollars and the deal will kick in next season. Cooley played a majority of last year in the AHL where he had a .898 SV% in 24 games and I would suspect him to play in either the AHL or the ECHL next season.
Center Jimmy Huntington and the Nashville Predators have come to terms on a 1 year contract extension that will carry a AAV of $.750 Thousand dollars and the deal will kick in next season. Huntington was moved from Tampa to Nashville this season and with the two AHL affiliates he put up 35 points in 61 games in the AHL this year and I think that Huntington will probably play in the AHL again next year.
St.Louis
Left Winger, Center Hugh McGing and the St.Louis Blues have come to terms on a 1 year contract extension that will carry a AAV of $.750 Thousand dollars and the deal will kick in next season. McGing has a much better AHL season then his first one as he put up 34 points in 67 games last year and while I think eventually he might become a NHL player, for now I would guess he plays in the AHL next year.
Atlantic
Buffalo
Left Winger Brandon Biro and the Buffalo Sabres have come to terms on a 2 year contract extension that will carry a AAV of $.763 Thousand dollars and the contract will begin next season. Biro has barely any NHL only playing his first NHL game this year but had a breakout year in the AHL putting up 41 points in 48 games and while I don’t think he will get a full time opportunity next year I think he will be a top end AHL player and a call up option for the Sabres.
Defensemen Jacob Bryson and the Buffalo Sabres have come to terms on a 2 year contract extension that will carry a AAV of $1.85 Million dollars per year and the deal will start next year. Bryson had his first full NHL season last year and put up 1 goals and 10 points in 73 games and has proven that he can be a NHL defender and I think with this contract he will be able to be a valuable 3rd pair defensemen for the next few years in Buffalo.
Goaltender Malcom Subban and the Buffalo Sabres have come to terms on a 1 year contract extension that will carry a AAV of $.850 Thousand dollars and the contract will begin next season. Subban was acquired in season for the Sabres last year due to injuries and only got into 4 NHL games with Buffalo before he was injured and didn’t play again but with this new deal I think he can start in the AHL and be the Sabres 3rd string goalie for Buffalo next year and be a call up option if there are injuries.
Winger Vinne Hinostroza and the Buffalo Sabres have come to terms on a 1 year contract extension that will carry a AAV of $1.7 Million dollars and the contract will begin next season. Hinostroza excelled playing in Buffalo last year as he had 13 goals and 25 points which tied his 2nd highest career total and was amazing in a middle six role for the Sabres and this is a good deal for both side and I would expect him to be a role player on the 3rd line next year for Buffalo.
Florida
Left defensemen Lucas Carlsson and the Florida Panthers have come to terms on a 1 year contract extension that will carry a AAV of $.800 Thousand dollars per year and the deal will start next year. Carlsson got back to playing a lot in the NHL as he got into 40 games this past year and after producing 9 points I think he can be the 7th defensemen on this team next year as he should be given a NHL chance.
Center Eetu Luostarinen and the Florida Panthers have come to terms on a 2 year contract extension that will carry a AAV of $1.5 Million per year and the deal will kick in next season. Luostarinen played almost the entire year and did very well last year putting up 9 goals and 26 points in 78 games played and I think he will remain as the 4th line Center as he has done well in that role.
Montreal
Winger Michael Pezzetta and the Montreal Canadiens have come to terms on a 1 year contract extension that will carry a AAV of $.750 Thousand dollars and the deal will kick in next season. Pezzetta played the majority of the season in the NHL where he had 5 goals and 11 points in 51 games and I would think that after a season like that he will probably be able to carve out a 4th line role for next year.
Defensemen Corey Schueneman and the Montreal Canadiens have come to terms on a 1 year contract extension that will carry a AAV of $.750 Thousand dollars and the deal will kick in next season. Schueneman got his first taste of NHL action this year getting 2 goals and 6 points in 24 games and put up 11 points in 32 AHL games and while he had a good season in the NHL last year I do feel he will play in the AHL next year and be a call up option in a stacked Canadiens blueline.
Tampa Bay
Goaltender Maxime Lagace and the Tampa Bay Lightning have come to terms on a 1 year contract extension that will carry a AAV of $.750 Thousand dollars and the contract will begin next season. Lagace got into 2 NHL games last year but was mostly a AHL player where he excelled putting up a 910 SV% in 36 games and I would expect him to be the Bolts 3rd string goalie next year playing mostly in the AHL.
Metro
Carolina
Winger Stefan Noesen and the Carolina Hurricanes have come to terms on a 2 year contract extension that will carry a AAV of $.763 Thousand dollars and the contract will begin next season. Noesen has a outstanding year in the AHL as he put up 85 points in 70 games and helped the Charlotte Checkers claim the Calder cup but with the Canes most likely adding to their forward group soon I would suspect that he will play in the AHL next year but be a call up option for Carolina.
New York I
Forward Otto Koivula and the New York Islanders have come to terms on a 2 year contract extension that will carry a AAV of $.800 Thousand dollars and the contract will begin next season. Koivula got into 8 NHL games and put up his first points in the NHL with 2 assists but had a career year in the AHL as he had 47 points this year and I think that he could play on the fourth line with the Islanders moving out players but I think the more likely scenario is he will play in the AHL again next year.
Forward Jeff Kubiak and the New York Islanders have come to terms on a 1 year contract extension that will carry a AAV of $.750 Thousand dollars and the contract will begin next season. Kubiak is a good AHL player and had a career year in the AHL this season with 24 points and I think that he will probably return to the AHL for next season.
Forward Andy Andreoff and the New York Islanders have come to terms on a 2 year contract extension that will carry a AAV of $.763 Thousand dollars and the contract will begin next season. Andreoff is a good depth forward who had a good 42 point season in the AHL last year and did get into a handful of NHL games but I would expect him to play in the AHL next year and should be a strong call up option for the Isles next year.
Forward Sebastian Aho and the New York Islanders have come to terms on a 2 year contract extension that will carry a AAV of $.825 Thousand dollars and the contract will begin next season. Aho was in the NHL the entire time last year and got into 36 games putting up 2 goals and 12 points for his career high in points and I would suspect he will battle for a 3rd pair role with Aho the most likely to win it.
Forward Robin Salo and the New York Islanders have come to terms on a 2 year contract extension that will carry a AAV of $.800 Thousand dollars and the contract will begin next season. After a few years overseas Salo finally got his first Pro season as he put up 20 points in 40 games played in the AHL and got into 21 NHL games putting up 5 points and I would suspect he challenges for a 3rd pair role next year for NYI.
Right defensemen Grant Hutton and the New York Islanders have come to terms on a 3 year contract extension that will carry a AAV of $.775 Thousand dollars and the contract will begin next season. Hutton got into 16 NHL games this season and had 20 points in the AHL and I think the veteran is definitely a call up option for the Islanders next year but I still think that he will play in the AHL next season.
Goaltender Ken Appleby and the New York Islanders have come to terms on a 2 year contract extension that will carry a AAV of $.763 Thousand dollars and the contract will begin next season. Appleby played in the ECHL and the AHL last year and did quite good in both leagues but definitely did well in the AHL and was good enough to earn a new contract and I think that he should play next year in the AHL again.
New York R
Left Defensemen Libor Hajek and the New York Rangers have come to terms on a 1 year contract extension that will carry a AAV of $.800 Thousand dollars and the deal will kick in next season. Hajek is in a bad predicament because the Rangers don’t want to lose him for nothing as he is waiver eligible but he only got into 17 games last year having 1 assist so I think this signing is just to help facilitate a trade for him as the contract signing might make him more appealing to other teams.
Pittsburgh
Winger Rickard Rakell and the Pittsburgh Penguins have come to terms on a long term 6 year contract extension that will carry a AAV of $5 Million dollars and the contract will begin next season. Rakell was a deadline acquisition by Pittsburgh and after having 16 goals and 28 points in 51 games with Anaheim he put up 4 goals and 14 points in only 19 games with Pittsburgh and showed to them how good of a player he can be and while I am not too much a fan of the 6 year term and would’ve gone 4, I still think the $5 Million dollar cap hit is good and he should continue to be a very productive top 6 winger for the Penguins for the next few seasons.
Winger Alex Nylander and the Pittsburgh Penguins have come to terms on a 1 year contract extension that will carry a AAV of $.750 Thousand dollars and the contract will begin next season. Nylander didn’t play in the NHL last year but put up some great stats in the AHL as he had 42 points in 67 games and I think he will probably be in the AHL again next year but I I also think that he is a very likely call up option for the Penguins.
Left Defensemen Pierre Oliver Joesph and the Pittsburgh Penguins have come to terms on a 2 year contract extension that will carry a AAV of $.825 Thousand dollars and the contract will begin next season. Joesph is a good young defensemen in a crowded Pens blueline right now as he had a solid 33 points in 61 AHL games and did get into 4 NHL games but with this contract and with the Penguins looking to move a body out on defence I feel that Joseph will finally get a NHL opportunity next year probably on the 3rd pair would be my guess.
Center Evgeni Malkin and the Pittsburgh Penguins have come to terms on a 4 year contract extension that will carry a AAV of $6.1 Million dollars and the deal will kick in next year. Malkin has been a cornerstone piece in the Penguins organization for some time now and I would suspect he will continue to do so after having 42 points in 41 games last year and I while think that a 3 year term would’ve been better for them I shrink he is definitely worth the $6.1 Million dollars per year and I still believe he will play on the 2nd line as Center.
Washington
Left defensemen Lucas Johansen and the Washington Capitals have come to terms on a 2 year contract extension that will carry a AAV of $.763 Thousand dollars per year and the contract will begin next season. Johansen is a former 1RD pick who played in his first NHL game this year and had a career high 28 points in the AHL this past year and with the Capitals trying to get younger on the blue line I think he could get a shot as a 3rd pair defensemen next year but I would probably say he starts in the minors.
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