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Archives for July 2021

Sean Kuraly Signs With Columbus Blue Jackets

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have added some forward depth, signing Sean Kuraly to a four-year contract according to Aaron Portzline of The Athletic. Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia tweets that the deal will be worth a total of $10MM. The $2.5MM AAV is more than double that of Kuraly’s previous contract with the Boston Bruins, implying that Columbus could have greater plans for the center than just a fourth line role.

This contract was one of the more easily anticipatable free agency deals this summer. Kuraly is a Dublin, Ohio native and Miami University grad, making his connection to Columbus obvious. For a team whose inability to retain talent in recent years has become an unfortunate focal point, it makes sense that they would commit long-term to a player who very much wants to play in the city. This is also not the first time that the Blue Jackets have targeted a Bruins fourth-line center in free agency; Riley Nash was the player that Kuraly replaced in Boston after he departed for a raise and greater role in Columbus, a move the team likely considered a success.

At 28, it may not seem that Kuraly has more room to grow. However, at times with the Bruins he flashed top-nine ability and arguably played better off the fourth line than on it. That is not to say that Kuraly isn’t an accomplished checker and smart two-way asset, but he could have the chance to produce at a much higher level if handed an elevated role by the Blue Jackets. In 2018-19 and 2019-20, Kuraly recorded back-to-back seasons of over 20 points despite not playing full seasons and being limited almost exclusively to a fourth line role. 30+ points per year is not out of the question for the newest pivot in Columbus.

Luke Glendening Heading To The Dallas Stars

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Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports that the Dallas Stars have signed forward Luke Glendening to a two-year deal. The contract comes in at a $1.5MM cap hit and takes him through the 2022-23 season.

It’s the end of an era in Michigan, as Glendening wraps up a nine-year stint with the Detroit Red Wings to begin his NHL career, which was preceded by four seasons at the University of Michigan. The 32-year-old Grand Rapids native has only played in 30 games for teams outside the state since high school, both on minor league loans. Yet, all good things come to an end. Despite holding on to Glendening at the trade deadline, this season and last, despite considerable interest, the Red Wings were unable to retain the veteran.

The Dallas Stars were hoping to improve their team defense this summer and did just that in adding Glendening, one of the most technical, defensive-minded centers in the NHL. Elite at the face-off dot (60.9% this year) and on the penalty kill, Glendening may not play big minutes, but he makes a major impact when he is on the ice. Given his defensive ability, it is surprising that the Stars were able to sign Glendening at such a low number. It is a deal that should be a much-appreciated bargain for the cap-strapped team.

Brian Elliott Signs With Tampa Bay Lightning

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The Tampa Bay Lightning will bring in a new veteran backup for Andrei Vasilevskiy, signing Brian Elliott according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The one-year deal is worth $900K according to Andy Strickland of Bally Sports Midwest.

Elliott, 36, is coming off of a difficult season in Philadelphia in which he was asked to do more than expected behind a struggling Carter Hart and faltered, recording an .889 save percentage and 3.06 GAA. However, there is reason to believe that things will be much different for the veteran in Tampa. He will have a much more reduced role for the Bolts behind workhorse Andrei Vasilevskiy, arguably the best goaltender in the NHL right now. He will also be playing behind a stout Tampa defense that just won back-to-back Stanley Cups. With less responsibility and more protection, Elliott could return to form. A veteran of 502 NHL games over 14 years, Elliott has a career save percentage of .910 and GAA of 2.53.

The value of this deal works out nicely for the cap-strapped Lightning. Barring an injury to Vasilevskiy, the Lightning do not need to ask much of their backup, yet were paying Curtis McElhinney $1.3MM for numbers that were no better than Elliott’s. Filling his vacancy with a respected vet for under $1MM is a savvy move for the team, especially when backup goalies have had high price tags today.

Tucker Poolman Signs With Vancouver Canucks

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The Vancouver Canucks are bringing in defenseman Tucker Poolman. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that Poolman has signed a four-year, $10MM deal with the club, moving on after four seasons with the Winnipeg Jets to begin his NHL career.

This may be one of the more surprising contracts of the day thus far, as Poolman has been viewed as little more than a depth option in his short pro career. A standout at the University of North Dakota, Poolman was a major point producer in the NCAA but it helped that he played until he was 24. In four years since, he has just 19 points in 120 games and struggled to earn an elevated role in Winnipeg. He spent an entire season exclusively in the AHL and has never played more than 57 NHL games in a season.

The Canucks see something in the 28-year-old though. Poolman has good size and contributes in all three zones, but to this point has not excelled at any one aspect. The team seems willing to commit long term and put him in a concrete starting role in hopes that he can take than next step given more responsibility.

Columbus Blue Jackets Extend Eric Robinson

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed Eric Robinson to a two-year contract extension, according to PuckPedia. The deal will carry an average annual value of $1.6MM.

Robinson, 26, still had one year left on his previous contract that will pay him $975K this season, but will now be locked up through 2023-24. He’ll earn $1.5MM in 2022-23 and $1.7MM in 2023-24, reaching unrestricted free agency at the end of the deal. An undrafted free agent signing out of Princeton in 2018, Robinson has now played 120 NHL games. He registered eight goals and 18 points this season, filling out a bottom-six role nicely.

This new deal bets that he can continue in that role, but for a team that is going through a transition period after the trade of Seth Jones it doesn’t come with much risk. At worst, he struggles to improve his offensive production and stays on the fourth-line, at best he provides a little extra secondary scoring for a reasonable price. For a player that has worked extremely hard for everything he’s earned as a professional, not a bad gamble to take.

Seattle Kraken Expected To Sign Alexander Wennberg

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TSN’s Pierre LeBrun is reporting that the Seattle Kraken are expected to sign free-agent center Alexander Wennberg when the market opens. The contract is coming in at three years with a cap hit of $4.5MM.

Wennberg revitalized his career on a one-year deal with the Florida Panthers this past season, but this contract may still surprise some. After all, Wennberg was bought out of a contract with a similar remaining term and AAV by the Columbus Blue Jackets just last year after several years of failing to meet expectations. He recovered in Sunrise with 29 points in 56 games, but even this was only a full season pace of 42 points. The Kraken will expect him to do more with less based on his AAV.

Wennberg does fill an important role for the expansion team, which was lacking depth down the middle. Wennberg will also be a contributor to both special teams units. At 26, there is still room for growth from the big forward and he will be asked to take on a larger role in Seattle than he ever has before. It will be sink or swim for the newest Kraken.

Golden Knights To Acquire Evgenii Dadonov

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The Golden Knights freed up plenty of cap space yesterday with the trade of Marc-Andre Fleury to Chicago.  A good chunk of that money will be used on winger Evgenii Dadonov as ESPN’s Kevin Weekes reports (Twitter link) that Vegas is acquiring the veteran from the Senators in exchange for defenseman Nick Holden and a 2022 third-round draft pick. The Senators have confirmed the deal.

Dadonov, 32, was a surprising signing by the Senators last off-season, as the rebuilding club landed one of the top veteran forwards on the open market. The results were underwhelming, as Dadonov’s streak of three straight seasons of 25+ goals was snapped with just 13 tallies this year, a 19-goal full season pace. Dadonov was exposed by Ottawa in the Expansion Draft, but the Seattle Kraken opted to take affordable third-string goalie Joey Daccord instead. It seems that the team moved forward in their efforts to move on from Dadonov and have found a trade partner in the suddenly-flexible Golden Knights.

Vegas has now used up much of their cap space though, adding Dadonov’s $5MM AAV without any retention from the Senators and only shipping out veteran defenseman Nick Holden, who spent much of last season buried in the AHL at a minimal cap hit. In need of a backup goalie, depth on defense, and a new contract for RFA center Nolan Patrick, the Knights currently have just over $2.5MM in cap space. Nevertheless, Dadonov does address the team’s need for more offense and should shine on the veteran roster.

Ottawa meanwhile lands a solid veteran defenseman in Holden to help develop their young blue line as well as a valuable draft pick. They make good use of a contract that they no longer wanted on the books, especially without having to eat any salary.

Pittsburgh Penguins Re-Sign Evan Rodrigues

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The Pittsburgh Penguins will be bringing back Evan Rodrigues, as Darren Dreger of TSN reports. The two sides have agreed to a one-year, $1MM contract, avoiding unrestricted free agency.

Rodrigues, 28, scored seven goals and 14 points in 35 games for the Penguins this season, but apparently, that was enough to bring him back for another year. He’s a skilled forward that is versatile enough to play up and down the lineup, but has never been able to bring much consistency for a full season.

In returning to Pittsburgh, Rodrigues may have a leg up in the competition to fill some of the Penguins’ recently vacated forward spots. However, he will have to compete all the same. The Penguins are looking to make changes to the tone and tenor of their bottom-six play and Rodrigues may not last long in the lineup if he cannot bring more to the table than he did this past season.

Jordan Martinook Re-Signs With The Carolina Hurricanes

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Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman is reporting that versatile forward Jordan Martinook will be staying in Carolina. The deal is reported to be three years at $1.8MM. Per PuckPedia, the deal’s structure is as follows:

2021-22: $900,000
2022-23: $1,800,000
2023-24: $2,700,000

The move comes as somewhat of a surprise after it was believed that the Hurricanes and Martinook would be parting ways. However, with the departure of Warren Foegele, it seems that Carolina has reversed course. Martinook is a considered a glue guy in the locker room and with plenty of turnover already in Raleigh this off-season, it will benefit team morale to keep him around, especially on a mult-year deal.

On the ice, Martinook is likely to make that $1.8MM AAV look like a value as well. The two-way forward recorded 25 points in his first (and only) full season with Carolina and in the past two shortened seasons has scored at a similar rate. Add in his work ethic and defensive ability and you have a reliable bottom-six player making a relatively small amount. As the ’Canes continue to push for a Cup, they will likely be happy that they kept Martinook in the fold.

Hurricanes Expected To Sign Antti Raanta

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It appears it will be a new goaltending tandem in Carolina this season.  Already linked to Frederik Andersen, the Hurricanes are also set to sign veteran Antti Raanta, ESPN’s Kevin Weekes reports (Twitter link).  Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports (via Twitter) that the two-year contract will be worth $2MM per season.

Raanta has spent the past four seasons with Arizona in somewhat of a roller coaster ride.  At times, he has played well enough to be a legitimate starting goalie while at others, he has struggled considerably.  In between, he has had frequent stints on injured reserve, including last season, where he was only able to play in a dozen games where he posted a 3.36 GAA with a .905 SV%, numbers that were much worse than his career averages.

Still, Raanta’s track record is strong enough to make him a viable buy-low candidate for Carolina.  His career .919 SV% is well above-average and if he can come somewhat close to that, he will provide solid value for the Hurricanes.  However, with both Raanta and Andersen having some injury trouble last year, it’s also a risk for GM Don Waddell; accordingly, he would be wise to look for a veteran third-stringer with all of their AHL goaltenders being 23 or younger with no NHL experience.

Meanwhile, Arizona may need to add a goalie of their own.  Adin Hill was moved to San Jose to avoid losing him in expansion so there is no proven option behind starter Darcy Kuemper.  Ivan Prosvetov and Josef Korenar are among the internal options they have but a more proven backup would give them some insurance, especially with Kuemper being limited to just 27 games last season and the fact he’s about to enter the final year of his contract.

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