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Galchenyuk Negotiations Intensify

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Alex Galchenyuk has suddenly gone from pariah to absolute necessity. In the wake of losing top scoring threat Alexander Radulov via free agency to the Dallas Stars, Galchenyuk, a restricted free agent, has seen his internal value skyrocket. Radulov, of course, signed with the Stars earlier today for 5 seasons, and the Montreal offense was already severely lacking. Galchenyuk had a respectable 44 points in only 61 games last season, but that was a marginal drop from his 30-goal, 56-point campaign the year prior.

One of the largest issues for Galchenyuk this last season was consistency in his production, and many link that to his constant switching between the center and left wing roles. Galchenyuk is a more natural center, and has stated as such on numerous occasions. His defensive play has left many fans wanting, however. Two separate coaching staffs placed him on the wing at different points, and the organization has stated pretty clearly that he isn’t ready for top-line center duties. The problem for Montreal of course, is that they don’t have anyone else nearly as capable to fill that role. Tomas Plekanec is another year older and Galchenyuk is already arguably the better player. With Radulov (a right-wing) out of the picture, it might be wise to keep Galchenyuk content and comfortable.

According to Darren Dreger, Galchenyuk’s agent Pat Brisson has been in contact with GM Marc Bergevin, who will now turn his attention primarily to this contract. If they can’t come to an agreement, arbitration is always an option that can be utilized. That said, arbitration would probably only serve to fan the flames that have surrounded this player since he was supposedly placed on the block a year ago. Those flames are still not going out until that contract has been signed, and there will always be a market for young, talented centers.

When Jonathan Drouin was acquired for the left side, it seemed as though the writing was on the wall. But now, with Radulov out of the picture, losing Galchenyuk’s top-six offensive abilities would be a massive blow to the team. Montreal finished 13th in Goals For, but only two players hit the 20 goal mark – Max Pacioretty (35) and Paul Byron (22). Losing their top assist man and second-leading point getter in Radulov, it would be entirely devastating to draw the Galchenyuk negotiations out into the season, or worse, to trade him following a down year. Galchenyuk and his agent know they have the leverage in negotiations, and there’s a strong possibility they’ll use every ounce of it to get a better deal for the 23-year-old talent. Considering his production and league wide comparisons, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to see him make well above $5 MM.

Pacific Signings: Gazdic, Oleksy, Grant

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The Calgary Flames have signed enforcer Luke Gazdic to a one-year, two-way contract. Terms were not disclosed. Gazdic spent last year with the New Jersey Devils, where he split time between the NHL club and the AHL’s Albany Devils. Gazdic played 11 games for New Jersey, accumulating 12 penalty minutes. In 37 games for Albany, the 27-year-old wing had one goal, six assists and 63 penalty minutes.

He had his best season with the Edmonton Oilers back in the 2013-14 season in which he played a career-high 67 games and accumulated 127 penalty minutes as well as two goals and four points. Now he will move over to Calgary to provide much-needed depth to their back lines either in Calgary or the Stockton Heat, depending on the team’s needs.

The Flames have been quiet to start the offseason as they have only signed three players so far in free agency, including an entry-level contract to college star Spencer Foo, an entry-level contract to their 2016 sixth-round pick Stepan Falkovsky and a one-year deal with former New York Rangers’ wing Marek Hrivik.

  • The Anaheim Ducks have signed defenseman Steven Oleksy to a two-year, one-way contract and also inked center Derek Grant to a one-year, one-way deal, according to L.A. Times reporter Helene Elliott. The Ducks also agreed to terms with wings Michael Liambas and Scott Sabourin to one-year, two-way contracts. Oleksy comes from Toronto, but was traded there from Pittsburgh last year. While he never played for the Maple Leafs, the 31-year-old defender did get go play 11 games for the Penguins before being traded. Grant also was traded midseason last year. The 27-year-old center played 40 games for the Buffalo Sabres and another six for the Nashville Predators, although he did not appear in any playoff games. Liambas, a 28-year-old center, has played in one NHL game in his career, while the 24-year-old Sabourin has not reached the NHL yet. He played in 54 games for the San Diego Gulls in the AHL.

Red Wings Acquire Keeper Tom McCollum

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On the biggest signing day of the year, the Calgary Flames and Detroit Red Wings have instead been talking trade. The Flames have agreed to send goalie Tom McCollum, extended only for Expansion Draft purposes, to the Detroit Red Wings for a conditional seventh-round draft pick, according to TSN’s Darren Dreger. The Flames, who have recently added both Mike Smith and Eddie Lack in net and have to also accommodate prospects Jon Gillies and Mason McDonald, were reportedly working to loan McCollum out to another AHL team anyway. Instead, McCollum will head back to Detroit, the organization who drafted him and where he spent the first seven years of his career, presumably to back up Jared Coreau in the AHL.

Minnesota Wild Add Murphy, Ferraro, O’Reilly, Grant

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The Minnesota Wild have gone depth shopping on the first day of free agency, adding four players on two-way deals. Alex Grant and Ryan Murphy, recently bought out by the Calgary Flames have signed one-year, two-way deals worth $700K, while Landon Ferraro and Cal O’Reilly have signed two-year, two-way deals worth $700K each season.

Grant, a 28-year-old defenseman, is coming off a one-year deal with the Boston Bruins, but never played for the NHL club. He did, however, have a solid season for the AHL’s Providence Bruins, scoring 17 goals and 32 assists and aiding the team on their deep playoff run to the third round. He has played a total of seven NHL games, five for the Arizona Coyotes in 2015-16 and two games for the Anaheim Ducks in 2013-14, coincidentally scoring two goals in those two games.

Murphy, a 24-year-old defenseman, was the No. 12 pick in the 2011 NHL draft by the Carolina Hurricanes, who subsequently traded him to Calgary two days ago and then bought out. He has been switching between Carolina and the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers for the past five seasons, having played in 27 games for the Hurricanes this year, finishing with just two assists on the season.

Ferraro, a 25-year-old center, is coming off a torn ACL injury which he sustained in the middle of the season after signing with the St. Louis Blues organization a year ago. He never played for St. Louis, however, playing only 22 games for the Chicago Wolves in the AHL. He had seven goals and eight assists. A former second-rounder in 2009, Ferraro has dealt with injury issues for the last few years, but put up 27 goals in 2014-15 in the AHL and had good numbers previous to that.

O’Reilly, the older brother of Buffalo Sabres’ center Ryan O’Reilly, played sparingly for the Sabres for the past two years. The 30-year-old center played 11 games this year for one assist, while three goals and four assists in 20 games in 2015-16.

 

2017 NHL Free Agency Tracker

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Stay with PHR for all of the free agency signings this off-season. As of noon ET on July 1st, unrestricted free agency is open, but not before many extensions earlier in June. This page serves to organize everything in one spot, and are linked to the PHR story that corresponds with the signing. All July signings will be separated by date while June signings are organized alphabetically by team. It will be updated as soon as stories post.

Please note that signings on this list start on June 12.

July 1st:

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Sabres Sign Goalie Chad Johnson

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The Buffalo Sabres have invited an old friend back into the crease, as the team announced that they have signed goaltender Chad Johnson to a one-year, $2.5MM contract. Johnson enjoyed the best season of his career with Buffalo back in 2015-16, posting .920 save percentage and 2.36 GAA in a career-high 45 appearances. However, he left last off-season to chase a larger role with the Calgary Flames that never really came to fruition. He’ll head back to Buffalo now and his substantial salary indicates that the Sabres are prepared to give him a significant role alongside Robin Lehner.

Lehner made 58 starts in 2016-17, significantly more than when he shared the net with Johnson the year before and made just 21 starts. However, even in a reduced role, Johnson has still proven he can be a valuable asset. Johnson posted career bests in save percentage (.925) and goals against average (2.10) as the backup to Tuukka Rask with the Boston Bruins in 2013-14. No matter what role he plays, Johnson could be a shrewd acquisition for new Buffalo GM Jason Botterill in his second stint with the Sabres.

Calgary Flames Re-Sign Michael Stone

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The Calgary Flames have found a way to fit Michael Stone into their salary structure, agreeing to terms with the pending UFA for three years and $10.5MM. Despite already acquiring Travis Hamonic to play in their top-4, Stone will return to help the Flames fill out their bottom pair and give them some of the best defensive depth in the league. He was ranked #15 on our list of the Top 50 Free Agents, projecting a two-year deal worth $7.2MM. Michael Stone

Amazingly, Stone was able to lock down a third year and a little more money to keep him from hitting free agency, and will now slot in as the fifth-highest paid defender in Calgary. That number, $3.5MM per season, is a nice reward for a player who has had trouble staying healthy and producing at a consistent rate. After breaking out with 36 points in 2015-16, Stone struggled at times this year and recorded just 15 points splitting his time between Arizona and Calgary.

That potential upside is a nice acquisition for Calgary, as there’s no saying he can’t get back to the 30+ point defender given the right opportunity. Though he will likely not get much powerplay time behind other options in Calgary, he could still play a big role on what looks like a very good team. Calgary are the early winners of the offseason, improving their defense group and goaltending immensely in a short period.

Calgary will need to be careful with the rest of their cap space, as they now have less than $10MM to work with and three restricted free agents left to sign. Curtis Lazar, Sam Bennett and Micheal Ferland all need new contracts, and though it will be possible to sign them all it won’t leave much room for any in-season acquisitions or free agent signings. Perhaps Calgary has something else up their sleeve to move some salary out, but as of now they look like a pretty complete team.

For Stone, clearly staying in Calgary was a good option for him if they were going to offer him the term and money he received. Though he may not play the same role he would have somewhere else, his chances of winning are as good as anywhere and the salary is probably equal or better to what he could have found on the open market. Even with a lack of available defensemen, it’s hard to believe teams would offer him any more than $3.5MM or a guaranteed role in their top four.

It’s also a return to where he played junior hockey, a familiar stop for Stone. In four years for the Calgary Hitmen, the Winnipeg native showed off his offensive upside, won a WHL championship and even spent one season as captain. Fans of his junior performances will be able to see him for a few more years, and hopefully see him raise a different trophy.

Interestingly, a condition on the trade that originally brought Stone to Calgary was that if he re-signed before July 1st the Flames would send an additional fifth-round pick to Arizona. The Flames are now missing their second, third and fifth round picks next year, though they have an extra fourth (depending on some conditions in the Hamonic deal) and seventh.

The deal was originally broken by Bob McKenzie of TSN.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Calgary Flames Still Pursuing Michael Stone

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Even though the Calgary Flames acquired Travis Hamonic to round out their top four, Pierre LeBrun of TSN reports that they’re still trying hard to get Michael Stone under contract before he hits the open market tomorrow. Stone was acquired at the deadline and fit in rather well down the stretch, but was expected to be let go after the Hamonic move.

We ranked Stone #15 on our (rapidly diminishing) Top 50 Free Agent list, projecting a two-year deal worth $7.2MM for him should he hit free agency. Even with their buyouts of Lance Bouma and Ryan Murphy earlier today, it might be tough to fit Stone in at that price given they still owe contracts to Curtis Lazar, Sam Bennett and Micheal Ferland. The Flames have around $13.4MM in cap room, making it definitely possible, but it would mean going into the season with very little wiggle room.

Calgary Acquires Eddie Lack And Ryan Murphy From Carolina

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TSN’s Bob McKenzie reports that the Calgary Flames have acquired goaltender Eddie Lack, defenseman Ryan Murphy and a 2019 7th round pick from Carolina in exchange for defenseman Keegan Kanzig and a 2019 6th round pick. McKenzie adds that Carolina will retain 50% of Lack’s salary. The deal secures a backup goaltender for the Flames as they acquired Mike Smith from the Arizona Coyotes earlier this month.

Despite the trade, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun tweets that the Flames are still interested in bringing back Michael Stone while also perusing the options available in free agency. The acquisition of Lack solidifies a tandem in net that was lacking after a quick first round exit during the 2017 playoffs. Brian Elliott struggled in their first round tilt with Anaheim,  so acquiring Lack to backup Smith allows for a safeguard should injury or struggles in the net befall either netminder. Lack is coming off a season that saw him post an 8-7-3 record  while also suffering a scary injury in late March.

Sportsnet 960’s Pat Steinberg wonders if Murphy can be a solution on the blueline for the long haul. The 24-year-old saw 27 games with the Hurricanes, a drop from the 2015-16 season in both ice time and production.

Kanzig appeared in 40 games for the Adirondack Thunder of the ECHL and posted 5 points (1-4). With the Stockton Heat of the AHL, Kanzig registered two assists in six games.

Calgary Flames To Sign Kris Versteeg

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Another one of our Top 50 Free Agents is about to come off the board, as Darren Dreger of TSN is reporting that Kris Versteeg is close to signing a one-year, $1.75MM contract to stay in Calgary. We had Versteeg projected to earn a two-year deal worth $4.4MM on the open market, but he seems ready to stay put for a more reasonable price. Kris Versteeg

Versteeg had to settle for a PTO with Edmonton last year before signing a $950K contract with Calgary. That late-camp switch was a hard pill to swallow for Oilers fans who had hopes of Versteeg continuing to produce in his normal 35-40 point range. Produce he did, with another 37 point season for Calgary and proof that he’s able to put points up regardless of linemates or situation. For the Flames, Versteeg saw less than 15 minutes a night and only played in 69 games do to injury. That 37 points was still good for sixth among Flames forwards, and a very good per-point cost.

At $1.75MM, Versteeg again represents a bargain for the Flames as they look to compete for the Stanley Cup next season. After bringing in Travis Hamonic for draft picks, and trading for Mike Smith to anchor their net the team looks to have solved both of its issues from last season without sacrificing the roster. It wasn’t clear if Calgary was going to be able to keep Versteeg though, as they had just over $15MM of space with new contracts due for Sam Bennett, Curtis Lazar and Micheal Ferland and still some work to do on the blueline and at backup goaltender. This deal easily fits him into that structure, and puts almost no risk on the Flames with just a one-year term.

At just 31, Versteeg has played for seven different NHL franchises and seems to be a favorite target at the trade deadline. He seems to have found a home of some sort in Calgary though, and it doesn’t hurt to be from just down the road in Lethbridge. Versteeg grew up just a few hours drive from Calgary, and still has family in the area. He was clear about his desire to return at the end of the season, and now will get his wish to stay in Alberta for another year.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

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