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Vegas Golden Knights Extend Adin Hill

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June 30: Vegas has confirmed Hill’s extension at $4.9MM per season over two years. PuckPedia confirms the breakdown of his contract:

2023-24: $1.6MM base salary, $4MM signing bonus, eight-team no-trade list
2024-25: $4.2MM base salary, five-team no-trade list

June 25: The Vegas Golden Knights captured their franchise’s first-ever Stanley Cup earlier this month, and while he didn’t end up winning the Conn Smythe Trophy the work of netminder Adin Hill played a significant role in getting Vegas over the line.

Now it appears Vegas is nearing a contract extension agreement with Hill, 27, who was set to hit the open market July 1st. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman has reported that Hill is “looking at an extension in Vegas around the 2x$4.9M range,” and that nothing is official at this time.

PuckPedia made a point that will be central to the reception of this contract, which is that Hill’s reported $4.9MM cap hit “would put him just outside a top 16 starter in Cap Hit. Based on last season, at that cap hit he would be expected to play 50+ games.” That’s potentially going to be an issue for Hill, as the last time he was a true full-time goalie for a full season was with the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks back in 2015-16.

In recent years Hill has consistently battled injuries, and even though he had injury troubles this season as well he actually set a career-high in NHL games played with 27.

The six-foot-four 27-year-old played quite well in those 27 games, posting a 16-7-1 record and a .915 save percentage, but those numbers won’t deliver enough return on Vegas’ $4.9MM AAV investment unless he can handle a higher workload.

Even with those concerns about availability, it’s abundantly clear why Vegas made the choice to extend Hill and reward him for his playoff heroics. Hill’s playoff performance stepping in after an injury to Laurent Brossoit was genuinely stunning, and his .932 save percentage in 16 games is a testament to that. Hill’s out-of-this-world save on Nick Cousins to set the tone for the Stanley Cup Final is going to be a moment long remembered in hockey history, and while NHL clubs probably shouldn’t let sentimentality influence major financial decisions, Vegas’ desire to keep their playoff hero around for longer than just one season is completely understandable.

There are going to be fans that snicker at Hill receiving a per-year cap hit nearly as high as what Darcy Kuemper, a tried-and-tested, durable NHL starter received on the open market after winning his own Stanley Cup. That’s an understandable point of view given just how spotty Hill’s track record has been in past years. He was let go by San Jose last summer for a mid-round draft pick, after all.

But in the end, this is a player who shouldered a significant amount of responsibility in high-leverage moments and led his team to a Stanley Cup. 26-year-old Logan Thompson, who impressed as a rookie this past season, will cost Vegas just $766k against the cap for the duration of this Hill contract extension. So assuming Vegas runs a Hill-Thompson tandem, they’ll be paying their netminders under $6MM combined, a totally affordable number.

The presence of Robin Lehner and his $5MM cap hit on Vegas’ books complicates things, especially if he plans on returning to the ice after missing the season due to hip surgeries. But with the start of free agency looming, locking up Hill and therefore a two-goalie tandem for the next two seasons is a solid bit of business, assuming Hill can stay healthy.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

San Jose Sharks Extend Jacob Peterson

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The San Jose Sharks announced that they have signed trade-deadline acquisition, Jacob Peterson, to a one-year, two-way contract extension. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but one could assume it will be for the league minimum at $775K at the NHL level.

Before arriving in San Jose, Peterson had spent the entirety of his career with the Dallas Stars organization, until he was traded at last year’s deadline to the Sharks for Scott Reedy in a minor-league swap. So far in his young career, Peterson has recorded 77 games played at the NHL level, scoring 14 goals and 11 assists split between Dallas and San Jose. Primarily playing in the AHL for the Texas Stars, Peterson scored 13 goals and 13 assists in 44 games before his move to the Sharks organization.

In only eight games played for the San Jose Barracuda, Peterson got off to a scorching start with the team, scoring one goal and five assists. Once recalled via an emergency loan in late March, Peterson finished off the season with the Sharks. Currently, San Jose is in the midst of a rebuild, so it would be unsurprising to see Peterson spend the majority of his time at the NHL level next year.

 

Metro Notes: Pacioretty, Mayfield, Penguins

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It seems that unrestricted free agent forward Max Pacioretty is generating substantial interest on the open market after back-to-back instances of a ruptured Achilles tendon within months of each other. Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports Friday the Carolina Hurricanes, for whom Pacioretty played only five games in the 2022-23 season due to the ruptures, have granted him permission to explore early negotiations elsewhere before the market opens tomorrow.

The likelihood of re-injury has certainly diminished his chances of earning a lot of cash on his next deal, especially considering a much longer injury history that predates his Achilles issues. But when healthy, the 34-year-old left wing is still a threat for 25 to 30 goals in a season and can handle top-six minutes. He did light the lamp three times in his abbreviated stint with Carolina and has shot above 10% in every season since 2018. We predicted Pacioretty to receive a one-year, $2MM bonus-laden deal on our list of this summer’s top 50 UFAs, although it seems it won’t be with his former club.

More from the Metropolitan Division today:

  • As the Saturday deadline looms, the New York Islanders are actively negotiating with defenseman Scott Mayfield’s representatives in an effort to secure a contract extension before he becomes a UFA, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic says. Mayfield, who recorded a career-high 24 points this season, is likely to earn a significant raise on his current $1.45MM cap hit. Now 30, the 6-foot-5 Mayfield is still a very effective two-way defender who doesn’t shy away from the physical side of the game, also incurring a career-high 83 penalty minutes in 2022-23.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins and goaltender Tristan Jarry have shown mutual interest in reaching a new deal before 11 am CT tomorrow, but the term of the deal is a point of contention, The Athletic’s Rob Rossi says. Jarry carries his flaws as a long-term starter, especially when it comes to the injury department, but he’ll be the best goalie available if he does hit the market tomorrow. He’s posted 20 wins in four straight seasons and averaged a .915 save percentage over that timeframe, numbers certainly reflective of a starting-caliber netminder.
  • In a related development, Rossi says there are strong indications that the Penguins are close to securing a contract extension with forward Jake Guentzel. Don’t expect it to be announced soon, though, as both Guentzel and interim general manager Kyle Dubas recognize the Penguins have much more pressing offseason matters to handle, such as Jarry’s potential extension. Guentzel, a bonafide top-line winger, has averaged over a point per game over the past five seasons and would have been one of the top wingers available on the UFA market in 2024.

Minnesota Wild Extend Three Players

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Before free agency kicks off tomorrow afternoon, the Minnesota Wild are taking care of some small pieces. The team has announced they have signed Zane McIntyre, Dakota Mermis, and Nick Swaney each to a one-year, $775K extension, all of them being two-way deals.

Under reasonable expectations, all three players should be beginning the 2023-24 season with the team’s AHL affiliate, the Iowa Wild. Mermis has the most experience at the NHL level throughout the group, having played 27 games split between the Arizona Coyotes, New Jersey Devils, and now with the Wild. Over those 27 games, Mermis has produced pretty tepid numbers, scoring one goal and three assists, averaging about 15 minutes of ice time per night throughout his career. At the minor-league level, he has been much more serviceable, scoring five goals and 21 assists in 63 games last season in Iowa.

McIntyre’s last taste of NHL action came all the way back during the 2016-17 season, playing with the Boston Bruins, producing a record of 0-4-1 in eight games. For the last two years, McIntyre has been a part of the Minnesota Wild organization, earning a total record of 35-26-8. Last season was a bit of a rough stretch for McIntyre, as he ended the regular season with a SV% of only .899, 21 points lower than the previous year.

Lastly, Swaney has the least amount of experience at the NHL level, having only played one game last year for Minnesota. He was originally drafted 209th overall in the 2017 NHL Draft, not making the jump to the Wild organization until 2021. Despite being such a relatively low pick, Swaney has actually produced quite well at the AHL level, scoring 35 goals and 35 assists over 116 regular season games for the Iowa Wild. Even with injuries to the NHL roster, it is unlikely that Swaney will receive a call-up, but he does provide the organization with a bit of depth at the AHL level.

Free Agency Notes: Gostisbehere, Quick, No-Movement Clauses

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As the defending Eastern Conference Champions start the 2023-24 NHL season, they will reportedly be without defensemen Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour. Both will be recovering from separate surgeries, and both are expected to be out for about a month after the season kicks off. Needing another defenseman aside from Gustav Forsling to manage the offensive load on the back end, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports the team has an interest in unrestricted free agent, Shayne Gostisbehere.

A top-pairing of Gostisbehere and Forsling shouldn’t be expected to replicate the output of Ekblad and Montour, but those two would be serviceable for the first month of the season, and would even represent a superb top-four once Ekblad and Montour make their return. If the Panthers and Gostisbehere do come to an agreement, it will be interesting to see the term handed out, as the team currently doesn’t have any defenseman signed beyond 2024-25.

It wasn’t so long ago that Gostisbehere was considered a salary dump, after being traded along with a second-round pick in 2022 and a seventh-round pick in 2022, to the Arizona Coyotes for nothing but future considerations. After landing in the desert, Gostisbehere had an offensive resurgence of sorts, scoring 24 goals and 58 assists in 134 games with the Coyotes. At last year’s trade deadline, Gostisbehere was moved to the Carolina Hurricanes for a third-round pick in 2026. In a combined total of 38 games in Carolina, Gostisbehere scored three goals and ten assists split between the regular season and the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs.

Other notes:

List Of Players Not Receiving A 2023 Qualifying Offer

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The deadline to issue a qualifying offer to pending restricted free agents is today at 4 pm CT, making any player who has not received one eligible to become an unrestricted free agent tomorrow. This does not mean a team is cutting ties with a player entirely, as they’re eligible to re-sign with the team at a different salary than their qualifying offer dictates. However, some have already signed contracts overseas for 2023-24. Below are the players who will not be issued a qualifying offer, listed by team:

This is a complete list as of 6:00 p.m. CT, two hours after the deadline.

Anaheim Ducks

F Bryce Kindopp, F Josiah Slavin, F Max Comtois, D Axel Andersson, D Simon Benoit, G Olle Eriksson Ek

Arizona Coyotes

F Christian Fischer, D Cameron Crotty, G David Tendeck

Boston Bruins

F Samuel Asselin, D Kai Wissmann

Buffalo Sabres

F Matej Pekar, F Tyson Jost, D Kale Clague

Calgary Flames

(none)

Carolina Hurricanes

F Dominik Bokk, F Jesse Puljujarvi, F Stelio Mattheos

Chicago Blackhawks

F Anders Bjork, F Austin Wagner, F Cameron Hillis, F Maxim Golod, D Caleb Jones,  D Hunter Drew, D Jakub Galvas

Colorado Avalanche

F Denis Malgin, D Ryan Merkley

Columbus Blue Jackets

(none)

Dallas Stars

F Marian Studenic, D Dawson Barteaux, D Oskari Laaksonen, G Adam Scheel

Detroit Red Wings (report)

F Jasper Weatherby, F Klim Kostin, F Matt Luff, F Pontus Andreasson, D Gustav Lindstrom, D Seth Barton

Edmonton Oilers

(none)

Florida Panthers

F Colin White, F Givani Smith, F Serron Noel, D Max Gildon

Los Angeles Kings

F Aidan Dudas, F Jaret Anderson-Dolan, F Lias Andersson, F Nathan Schnarr, F Taylor Ward, F Zack MacEwen, D Tobie Paquette-Bisson, G David Hrenak, G Jacob Ingham, G Matt Villalta

Minnesota Wild

F Damien Giroux, F Mason Shaw, F Sam Steel

Montreal Canadiens

F Denis Gurianov, F Joel Teasdale

Nashville Predators

F Isaac Ratcliffe, F Jimmy Huntington, F John Leonard, F Markus Nurmi, F Rasmus Asplund, D Callan Foote, G Tomas Vomacka

New Jersey Devils

F Aarne Talvitie, F Jesper Boqvist, F Michael McLeod, F Nathan Bastian, F Timur Ibragimov, D Jeremy Groleau, D Zack Hayes, G Zachary Emond

New York Islanders

F Blade Jenkins, F Collin Adams, D Bode Wilde

New York Rangers

F Patrick Khodorenko, D Cooper Zech, D Libor Hajek

Ottawa Senators

F Dylan Gambrell, F Julien Gauthier, F Viktor Lodin, D Jonathan Aspirot, G Dylan Ferguson,

Philadelphia Flyers

F Evan Barratt, F Kieffer Bellows, D Wyatte Wylie

Pittsburgh Penguins

F Ryan Poehling, D Colin Swoyer, D Joshua Maniscalco, D Peter DiLiberatore

San Jose Sharks

F Evgeny Svechnikov, F Jonah Gadjovich, F Noah Gregor, G Mackenzie Blackwood, G Strauss Mann

Seattle Kraken

F Daniel Sprong, F Morgan Geekie

St. Louis Blues

F Logan Brown, D Brady Lyle, D Dmitri Samorukov

Tampa Bay Lightning (report)

F Grant Mismash, F Rudolfs Balcers, D Dmitri Semykin

Toronto Maple Leafs

D Filip Kral, D Mac Hollowell, D Victor Mete

Vancouver Canucks

F Carson Focht, D Ethan Bear, D Travis Dermott

Vegas Golden Knights

F Maxim Marushev, F Nolan Patrick, D Connor Corcoran

Washington Capitals

F Kody Clark, D Gabriel Carlsson

Winnipeg Jets

F Alex Limoges, F Kevin Stenlund, G Arvid Holm

Dallas Stars Sign Jerad Rosburg To Extension

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The Dallas Stars have locked in some AHL depth, signing defenseman Jerad Rosburg to a one-year, two-way contract extension for 2023-24, the team announced today. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Rosburg, 27, was limited to just 12 games with the Texas Stars in 2022-23 before missing the rest of the season with an injury, but Dallas has evidently seen enough from him over the past three years to warrant keeping him around for another season. Signed to a one-year entry-level deal by Dallas in 2020 after recording 17 points in 36 games during his final season with Michigan State University, Rosburg has since skated in 115 games in Texas, recording six goals and 20 assists.

He’s yet to see an NHL recall but remains in the organization as a serviceable bottom-pairing option to round out their AHL roster. He’ll complement a group of Stars prospects eligible for AHL time that includes 2021 second-round pick Artem Grushnikov, 2022 second-round pick Christian Kyrou, and 2022 fourth-round pick Gavin White.

The 6-foot-2, 205-pound Rosburg hails from Clarksville, Maryland but underwent initial development in the Columbus Blue Jackets youth hockey system, followed by USHL stints with the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders and Sioux City Musketeers before joining Michigan State in 2015. After staying out of the lineup during his freshman season entirely, Rosburg recorded 12 goals, 43 assists, and 55 points in 141 games across four seasons with the Spartans.

Mattias Janmark Signs Extension With Edmonton Oilers

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2:02 pm: Per a release on Twitter from the team, the agreement between Janmark and the Oilers on a one-year extension is now official.

1:05 pm: Per reports from Edmonton Oilers insider Jason Gregor and TSN’s Ryan Rishaug, the Edmonton Oilers are extending winger Mattias Janmark on a one-year deal worth $1MM.

Janmark had a rocky start to 2022-23 after signing a one-year, $1.25MM deal with Edmonton in last year’s free-agent period. The 30-year-old veteran of 486 NHL games unexpectedly failed to make the team out of camp and cleared waivers at the beginning of the season, recording four points in four games with the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors over the first month of the season. Injuries forced Edmonton to recall Janmark under emergency conditions early in November, though, and he was able to stick around on the NHL roster for the remainder of the season.

After the November recall, Janmark provided some solid depth scoring for a team that sorely needed bottom-six production, scoring 10 goals and adding 15 assists in 66 games, posting good defensive impacts in the process. It’s the level of production we’ve come to expect from the Swedish winger, who’s recorded between 21 and 25 points in each of the last five seasons.

No one will complain about retaining a defensively responsible winger who can likely provide a double-digit goal total for just $225K over the league minimum. With prospect Dylan Holloway gunning for a top-nine spot next season, though, Janmark could see his minutes decrease if he drops to a fourth-line role, although he should still see some time on the penalty kill.

Vancouver Canucks Sign Noah Juulsen

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The Vancouver Canucks have agreed to terms with defenseman Noah Juulsen on a two-year, two-way contract, the team announced today via Twitter. CapFriendly reports Juulsen’s deal carries a $775K average annual value with the following structure:

2023-24: $775K NHL salary, $450K AHL salary
2024-25: $775K NHL salary, $475K AHL salary

Juulsen, a former first-round pick of Montreal, appeared in 12 NHL games for the Canucks this season, his highest total since he skated in 21 with the Canadiens in 2018-19. Between Vancouver and AHL Abbotsford, the 26-year-old played 61 regular-season games in 2022-23 – his most since turning pro in 2017. Once a highly touted two-way defense prospect, Juulsen’s pro career has been derailed by multiple severe injuries.

Playing in 49 regular-season games with the Abbotsford Canucks, Juulsen recorded a career-high 17 assists and 20 points, good enough for third on the team among defenders. Vancouver/Abbotsford is Juulsen’s third stop in his NHL career after the Florida Panthers claimed him on waivers to begin the 2020-21 campaign. Vancouver acquired him in a swap involving another first-round pick that failed to pan out, Olli Juolevi, nine months later.

Juulsen likely doesn’t have much of an NHL future ahead of him, but it’s a good story to see him get significant compensation and (hopefully) continue a major role in the minors. That’s what Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin expects of the British Columbia-born defender over the next two seasons:

We are happy to have Noah back with our hockey club. He showed last season that he can step up and compete for a spot at the NHL level and also was a key leader and contributor in Abbotsford both on and off the ice.

Along with reigning AHL defenseman of the year Christian Wolanin, Juulsen will provide a high-end veteran presence to Vancouver’s developing defense prospects, including recent undrafted college free agent signings Cole McWard and Akito Hirose.

Markus Nutivaara To Retire

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According to Yle Urheilu’s Tommi Seppala, San Jose Sharks defenseman Markus Nutivaara is calling it a career due to a hip injury. That injury cost Nutivaara his 2022-23 season, meaning he only suited up for preseason games as a member of the San Jose Sharks.

Nutivaara signed a one-year, $1.5MM deal with the Sharks after a 2021-22 season where injuries again limited him severely, this time to only one regular-season game with the Florida Panthers. Nutivaara isn’t even 30, meaning these accumulated injuries have caused him to retire likely far earlier than he otherwise would have.

Although it’s undoubtedly quite a disappointment to see his career end prematurely due to injuries, Nutivaara can definitely look back on his playing career with pride.

The Oulu, Finland native worked his way up the junior ranks in his home country before breaking into Liiga, Finland’s top league, in 2014-15. He won a Liiga title with Karpat that year and was drafted 189th overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Nutivaara spent one more year with Karpat before heading to North America, where he would make it as a full-time NHLer as a rookie. He got into 66 games for Columbus and played over 13 minutes a night as a 22-year-old blueliner.

He would go on two play two more seasons as a regular for Columbus, peaking in 2018-19 when he averaged nearly 18 minutes of time on ice per night and scored 21 points. He was on the Blue Jackets team that achieved a historic upset series sweep over the at-the-time record-setting Tampa Bay Lightning.

While the injuries dragged down Nutivaara’s career after that point, he concludes his time as a player having proven himself in the world’s toughest league and achieved championship glory in the top league in his home country.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

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