Minor Transactions: 08/11/21

Arbitration hearings are being scratched off without any hearings as teams get their key restricted free agents under contract. The UFA market has dried up, with just a few names left that can make any real impact. Still, minor leagues are still filling out their rosters and we’ll keep track of all the notable moves right here.

• The Chicago Wolves have signed Dylan Wells to a one-year AHL contract, an interesting move given he received a qualifying offer from the Carolina Hurricanes earlier this offseason. He could have signed that two-way NHL contract, but instead will sign a minor league deal meaning he’s not call-up eligible. The team will still retain his rights and could sign him to an NHL contract during the year, but it’s a curious move for the 23-year-old goaltender.
• Jordan Subban has signed a one-year deal with the Hershey Bears, returning from a two-year absence from North American pro hockey. Subban played the 2019-20 season in Austria and didn’t play in 2020-21, meaning he’ll be trying to get things back on track with the Bears this year.
• After playing nine games with the Stockton Heat this season, Kris Bennett has signed a one-year AHL contract with the Iowa Wild for 2021-22. Bennett, who went undrafted out of the OHL, played three seasons at the University of New Brunswick before turning pro this year. His contract with Iowa is two-way, meaning he’ll earn a different amount depending on whether he’s playing in the AHL or ECHL.
• After a year away from the game during the pandemic, former NHL defenseman Jakub Kindl will be back on the ice this season. The 34-year-old has returned to his former club HC Plzen in his native Czech Republic on a one-year deal, the team announced. A first-round pick back in 2005 from the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers, Kindl played in 331 NHL games with the Detroit Red Wings and Florida Panthers as a big, tough stay-at-home defender. He returned to Europe in 2017 and spend two years with Plzen and last played in 2019-20 with Kolner Haie in the German DEL.