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Archives for July 2022

Seattle Kraken Re-Sign Alexander True

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One of the NHL’s few Danish players is sticking around, as the Seattle Kraken have re-signed forward Alexander True to a two-way, one-year contract extension with a $750,000 cap hit, per the team.

True was Seattle’s selection from the San Jose Sharks in last year’s expansion draft. Joining the Sharks as an undrafted free agent, he quickly worked his way up the organizational ranks but hasn’t transitioned into an NHL role yet. It was more of the same this year, with True going without a point in eight games with Seattle, but having a strong campaign with AHL Charlotte. He led the team with 42 points in 60 games, also going point-per-game in the playoffs (seven in seven).

Given the team’s expected activity in free agency and the amount of forwards under contract, the two-way deal is likely an indication that True is slated to be a key player for the inaugural edition of the AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds. There’s still some upside for the soon-to-be 25-year-old, but a decent NHL showing needs to come sooner rather than later.

Buffalo Sabres Bring Back Malcolm Subban

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The Buffalo Sabres are retaining goalie Malcolm Subban on a one-year, two-way deal worth $850,000 against the cap, per the team.

Subban becomes the second (healthy) goalie Buffalo has signed for next season after quite literally every goalie in the organization was on expiring contracts last year. He likely won’t see a whole lot of NHL time next season, given the team’s already retained Craig Anderson, restricted free agent Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is ahead of him on the depth chart, and the team is still expected to hunt for another goalie in free agency to bolster their team on the rise.

The 28-year-old played in just four games for Buffalo last season due to injury, compiling a 0-2-1 record and .871 save percentage. While he’s no longer a dependable NHL backup like he was in his days with the Vegas Golden Knights and Chicago Blackhawks, he’s strong organizational depth and gives the Sabres multiple options in case of injury, which is likely given Anderson’s age and Luukkonen’s injury history already.

The Athletic’s Matthew Fairburn was first on the deal.

Pittsburgh Penguins Re-Sign Pierre-Olivier Joseph

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The Pittsburgh Penguins announced Tuesday that the team has signed defense prospect Pierre-Olivier Joseph to a one-way, two-year contract extension to carry him through the 2023-24 season. The deal carries a cap hit of $825,000.

It seems like the 23-year-old Joseph is set to make the jump to the NHL full-time any day now, and the willingness of Pittsburgh to hand out a one-way extension is proof the organization believes that to be true. A 2017 first-round selection by the Arizona Coyotes (acquired in the Phil Kessel trade), Joseph has improved steadily throughout his three years of professional experience in AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, capping off his 2021-22 season with 33 points in 61 regular-season games and five points in six playoff games.

With 20 NHL games under his belt over the past two years, Joseph knows what he has to do to play at this level and fit in with the Penguins’ system under Mike Sullivan. It wouldn’t surprise anyone at this point to see Pittsburgh aggressively try to shop a defenseman to make room for Joseph in the lineup (and to clear much-needed cap space), most likely John Marino or Marcus Pettersson.

Ottawa Senators Acquire Cam Talbot

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The Minnesota Wild have officially traded goalie Cam Talbot to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for goalie Filip Gustavsson.

Senators general manager Pierre Dorion gave a statement on the deal in a team release:

Cam is experienced and provides us with greater goaltending stability heading into next season. He was instrumental in helping Minnesota reach the playoffs in each of his two seasons with the Wild. The tandem of he and Anton Forsberg sets us up nicely for the upcoming year.

The trade is an important one financially for Minnesota. It’s a net cap hit decrease of $2.9MM, giving the Wild and general manager Bill Guerin some (small) flexibility heading into the opening of free agency tomorrow.

It was clear Talbot wasn’t happy with Minnesota’s decision to retain Marc-Andre Fleury on a two-year deal, and now he’ll get another job as a clear-cut 1A goalie (at worst) with the Senators. The Senators now have a more experienced and upgraded goalie tandem taking them into next season as they aim to make some noise in the Eastern Conference, essentially swapping out the oft-injured Matt Murray with Talbot for the cost of Gustavsson, a third-round pick, and a seventh-round pick. In 49 games with the Wild last year, the 35-year-old Talbot had a 32-12-4 record, three shutouts, 2.76 goals-against average and a .911 save percentage.

The deal isn’t without on-ice merit for the Wild, either. Gustavsson is young and has decent upside, and while he doesn’t steal the “goalie of the future” tag claimed by Jesper Wallstedt, he fills the void in the organization left by Kaapo Kahkonen as a long-term tandem or backup option. Originally a second-round pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016, Gustavsson now finds himself with his third NHL organization by no fault of his own. He’s stepped in 27 games as a Senator over the past two years, maintaining a career 10-13-3 record and a .905 save percentage. Those numbers are bound to improve with increased development and more stout defense in the State of Hockey.

ESPN’s Kevin Weekes was the first to report Talbot heading to Ottawa.

Carolina Hurricanes Re-Sign Stefan Noesen

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The Carolina Hurricanes announced Tuesday that the team has reached a new agreement with forward Stefan Noesen on a two-year, partial two-way deal to keep him in the Carolina organization. The contract has a cap hit of $762,500, with the breakdown as follows:

2022-23: $750,000 NHL salary, $500,000 minors salary, $550,000 guaranteed
2023-24: $775,000 NHL and minors salary

Noesen had a successful first year with the Hurricanes, guiding their AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves, to the 2022 Calder Cup. Noesen led the AHL in goals with 48 and added on 37 assists for 85 points in 70 games. He had a strong Calder Cup Playoffs run as well, notching 25 points in 18 games. It marked a full-time return to the AHL for Noesen, who had spent the majority of his time in the NHL from 2016-17.

Now 29, Noesen is still a reliable call-up in case of an injury but doesn’t have much everyday NHL upside anymore. He hasn’t registered a point in the NHL since 2019-20 when he had seven goals and two assists in 40 games split between the Pittsburgh Penguins and San Jose Sharks.

Poised to reprise his role as an alternate captain in Chicago next year, Noesen will be charged with helping lead a group of young Carolina forward prospects that includes Jack Drury, Ryan Suzuki, Jamieson Rees, and Noel Gunler.

 

Snapshots: Kane, Bowman, Malkin

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Forward Evander Kane is nothing if not the most polarizing and interesting free agent on the market this offseason. The 30-year-old power forward has had his fair share of off-ice controversies in his career, including a pending arbitration hearing that may award him back to the San Jose Sharks after the team terminated his contract during the 2021-22 season. Yet Kane was still spectacular on the ice after signing a one-year deal with the Edmonton Oilers for the remainder of the season, notching 39 points in 43 regular-season games and leading the NHL in scoring during the playoffs with 13 goals in just 15 games.

Yet, reports surfaced earlier this week that Kane and the Oilers weren’t close on an extension. Today, The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta adds that there haven’t been any conversations yet today between Kane’s camp and the Oilers, adding to the likelihood Kane hits the open market tomorrow. It doesn’t limit Edmonton’s ability to re-sign him, and quite frankly, it’s still the most likely destination for him. Kane’s risk factor is only increased by the pending arbitration decision, and other teams will be hesitant to commit term to Kane without either having a deal in place with San Jose to trade back for him or having clarity on his future.

  • Legendary coach and executive Scott Bowman is moving on from the Chicago Blackhawks organization this summer, per the man himself. Now 88, Bowman had been a senior advisor for the Blackhawks since 2008. A winner of 12 Stanley Cups, Bowman will likely have any job he wants if he wants to continue his management career in the NHL.
  • Pittsburgh Penguins president of hockey operations Brian Burke spoke today, denying rumors that the team didn’t offer Evgeni Malkin his desired term of four years. He did say that giving a six-year contract extension to Rickard Rakell yesterday didn’t rule out Malkin’s return, and said that “the window is still open” for Malkin. However, with all the varying reports of Malkin’s unhappiness with the situation, his moving on in free agency is likely still a done deal.

Los Angeles Kings Extend Alex Edler

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The Los Angeles Kings are bringing back a valuable veteran defenseman. Alexander Edler has signed a one-year, league-minimum $750,000 extension to stay in Southern California, per the team. The 35+ contract also has the potential to earn Edler an additional $750,000 in games played bonuses. Per PuckPedia, the contract also includes a no-movement clause.

Edler, 36, spent his first NHL season outside of the Vancouver Canucks organization in 2021-22. His first season went well with the Kings in a reduced role, helping guide a youthful defense to strong play en route to the team’s first playoff appearance since 2018. He finished the season with three goals, 16 assists, 19 points, and a +18 rating in just 41 games due to injury. He did average just 18:28 per game, his first time averaging under 20 minutes per game as a full-time NHL player.

Another season for Edler puts him within striking distance of the 1,000 games played mark. Currently sitting at 966, the Swedish defenseman will need to suit up at least 34 times for the Kings in the regular season to hit the milestone. It’s a signifier of how impressive Edler’s career has been, and while it may be nearing its end, he’s a stellar model of leadership and consistency for the younger Kings to emulate.

With that quickly-improving young defense, though, the news likely means the Kings won’t be active on the free-agent defense market. With Michael Anderson, Sean Durzi, and Tobias Bjornfot earning NHL spots moving forward (just to name a few), and Sean Walker returning from a season-long injury absence, there aren’t any more spots available barring a trade.

The surging Kings are also beginning to push against the salary cap. With just over $3.5MM in projected space left according to CapFriendly, and Anderson and Durzi needing new contracts, don’t expect the team to make many more waves after Edler’s extension.

Vinnie Hinostroza Signs With Buffalo Sabres

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Vinnie Hinostroza won’t be going to market after all. The Buffalo Sabres have signed the pending free agent forward to a one-year, $1.7MM contract for 2022-23.

Hinostroza, 28, was a perfect fit for the Sabres this season, offering some solid secondary scoring in relatively limited minutes. His 13 goals and 25 points in 62 games came while averaging fewer than 14 minutes a game and seeing almost no time on the powerplay. While he’s not ever going to be a first-line player, Hinostroza offers a reliable option for the Sabres as they look to take the next step.

Originally selected in the sixth round of the 2012 draft, Hinostroza has actually carved out a nice little NHL career for himself to this point. In 334 career games, he has 51 goals and 137 points, with a career-high 39 coming with the Arizona Coyotes in 2018-19. For less than $2MM on a one-year deal, there is absolutely no risk involved for the Sabres, other than perhaps taking up a roster spot from one of their young forwards.

Even so, there had been mutual interest in a new deal for weeks (if not months) and it was hard to imagine Hinostroza getting a ton more money or opportunity on the open market.

Teams “Kicking Tires” On Brent Burns

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After new San Jose Sharks general manager Mike Grier explained yesterday that he’ll let Brent Burns “lead the way” on his future, speculation has drummed up around the league. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic tweeted earlier today that the Carolina Hurricanes are kicking tires on Burns (and Montreal Canadiens defenseman Jeff Petry) as they look to replace the offense that left with Tony DeAngelo, while Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia notes that the Ottawa Senators have done the same.

The team most often linked is the Dallas Stars, who are losing John Klingberg this offseason and have some clear connections to Burns through head coach Peter DeBoer and veteran forward Joe Pavelski.

While Grier might be letting Burns take the lead, getting out from his contract certainly wouldn’t be the worst thing for the Sharks, as they try to move forward in a different direction. The 37-year-old defensemen has three years left on his deal and carries an $8MM cap hit, though the actual salary owed is much less. Burns will earn just $16.5MM over the last three seasons of the eight-year, $64MM contract, and $3.5MM of that was in the form of a signing bonus already paid this summer.

Though his is not a full no-trade clause, Burns does have almost full control of the situation. He submits a list of just three teams that he can be traded to on July 1 of every year.

The part that makes Burns’ future so interesting is that despite his age, he is still an effective player. He recorded 54 points last season while still averaging more than 26 minutes a night and actually saw his deployment skew more defensive than in years past. In a more sheltered, offensive role, perhaps he could be even more effective for a contending team.

While the focus now is on free agency that starts in under 24 hours, there will be a number of trades also going down over the next few weeks. Whether Burns stays in San Jose appears to be completely up in the air at the moment.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

St. Louis Blues Sign Hugh McGing

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The St. Louis Blues have signed Hugh McGing to a one-year, two-way contract extension, after giving him a qualifying offer yesterday. The deal will pay him $750K at the NHL level and $90K in the AHL, the kind of compromise you’ll see from lots of players over the next few weeks. McGing’s qualifying offer would have been worth $874K in the NHL and $70K in the AHL but since he isn’t likely to spend much time at the upper level, he took the slightly higher AHL salary.

Originally selected in the fifth round of the 2018 draft, the 24-year-old McGing was only in his second season of professional hockey this year after a long career at Western Michigan University. In 67 games with the Springfield Thunderbirds, he scored 14 goals and 34 points and was a strong contributor during the team’s run to the Calder Cup Final.

Now back on a one-year deal, he’ll be a restricted free agent again next season and arbitration-eligible.

The signing leaves St. Louis with five restricted free agents, including Niko Mikkola, Scott Perunovich, and Klim Kostin. The team decided not to issue Tanner Kaspick a qualifying offer yesterday, making him a UFA.

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