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Panthers Sign Jesper Boqvist, Chris Driedger

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The Panthers have dipped their toes into the unqualified RFA market, inking former Bruins center Jesper Boqvist to a one-year deal, per a team announcement. Financial details weren’t disclosed. They’re also bringing back netminder Chris Driedger to the organization on a one-year deal, providing some competition for the backup role with Spencer Knight.

Boqvist, 25, was let go by Boston after recording six goals and 14 points in 47 games last year with a +12 rating. It’s his second straight year not receiving a qualifying offer. He was non-tendered by the Devils in 2023 as well.

The 2017 second-round pick has proven to be somewhat of a solid tertiary scorer, even if he’s been consistently buried in the lineup and is likely a fourth-line piece at his peak. He’s not a good option at center – he really struggles to win draws (36.1 FOW%), but he is an effective winger with good possession numbers over the past two seasons. That makes him a decent replacement for some of the depth forwards Florida lost on the open market today, such as Ryan Lomberg and Kevin Stenlund.

Driedger, meanwhile, could land his first stable NHL role in a while if he outperforms Knight in training camp. He was the Kraken’s expansion draft selection from Florida in 2021, but the three-year, $10.5MM extension he immediately signed in Seattle didn’t work out. Limited significantly by injuries in his first season, he ended up spending the back half of the deal almost exclusively in the minors on assignment to AHL Coachella Valley, where he’s backstopped the Firebirds to back-to-back Calder Cup Finals. His last extended NHL action with Seattle in 2021-22 wasn’t great, posting a .899 SV% and 2.96 GAA with one shutout in 27 games played.

However, the year prior saw him serve as one of the better backups in the league with Florida, tossing up a .927 SV% in 23 appearances. That’s eerily similar to the type of elite pinch-hitting performance they got from Anthony Stolarz last year, who moved onto the Maple Leafs on a two-year deal today. The Panthers will take a low-risk bet that Driedger can recapture the magic he last had in South Florida.

Blackhawks Sign T.J. Brodie To Two-Year Contract

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The Blackhawks have signed veteran defenseman T.J. Brodie to a two-year, $7.5MM contract, per a team announcement. It carries a $3.75MM cap hit in 2024-25 and 2025-26.

Brodie, 34, is coming off a four-year deal with the Maple Leafs that largely saw him serve as one of the better defensive d-men in the league – until he wasn’t. After three years of bonafide top-pairing play, Brodie trailed off in 2023-24, seeing his possession metrics dip and his speed decrease to the point where he was a frequent healthy scratch in the postseason, falling behind multiple trade deadline pickups on the Toronto depth chart.

Numbers still show he’s an effective NHL defender, though, one that should benefit a Chicago defense that didn’t play much defense last year (outside of rookie standout Alex Vlasic). He’s consistently controlled the majority of cumulative quality chances at even strength dating back to his Calgary days in the 2010s, and he averaged at least 21 minutes per game during his four years in Toronto. He should do the same in Chicago, teaming up with Vlasic, Seth Jones, Alec Martinez, and Kevin Korchinski to form a half-decent top-five group on the back end.

Oilers Sign Jeff Skinner, Mattias Janmark, Troy Stecher

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6:30 p.m.: Edmonton is also seeing Mattias Janmark return on a three-year, $4.35MM contract, per Seravalli. It’ll cost them $1.45MM against the cap through 2026-27. The Swede is coming off a career-worst year offensively, limited to only four goals and 12 points in 75 games, but was a key part of an Edmonton penalty kill that clicked at 94.3% in the postseason. CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal adds that depth defenseman Troy Stecher is returning on an undisclosed deal. Edmonton later confirmed Stecher’s deal is a two-year, $1.575MM pact ($787.5K cap hit).

5:49 p.m.: The Oilers are expected to add winger Jeff Skinner in free agency, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports. It’s a one-year deal worth $3MM, Seravalli adds.

Skinner, 32, became a UFA after the Sabres bought out the final three seasons of the eight-year, $72MM pact he signed back in 2019. He’s had varying results throughout the contract, which carried a $9MM cap hit and was coming off a middling 24 goals and 46 points in 74 games in 2023-24.

However, he did become one of the higher-ceiling options available on the market upon his buyout. That’s because he’s got a claim to fame that few other UFA wingers have – a 40-goal season under his belt. He’s also only one year removed from a career-high 82 points and +15 rating in 79 games with Buffalo.

And what better way to unlock that potential than putting him into an Oilers top six, potentially on a line centered by Leon Draisaitl and fresh free-agent add Viktor Arvidsson on his right flank? He immediately jumps out as one of the better value signings of the day, especially after outproducing Evander Kane (who he’ll likely challenge for second-line duties) in slightly fewer minutes on a worse team.

Skinner won’t be a major defensive upgrade on whoever he pushes down the lineup. He’s not a terribly physically involved player and has consistently owned poor individual chance-prevention metrics. But he does have a knack for finishing, especially at 5-on-5, helping balance out an Edmonton offense that can occasionally be too power-play reliant.

With Skinner on the books, Edmonton still has roughly $2.75MM in projected cap space remaining, per CapFriendly.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Ducks Re-Sign Brett Leason, Urho Vaakanainen

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6:23 p.m.: Anaheim’s now finalized these deals. Per Stephens, Leason’s is worth $1.05MM, while Vaakanainen’s is worth $1.1MM.

11:33 a.m.: The Ducks have re-signed winger Brett Leason and defenseman Urho Vaakanainen to one-year deals, The Athletic’s Eric Stephens reports. The pair were briefly UFAs after being non-tendered by Anaheim yesterday.

Anaheim does a good job by bringing back two valuable depth pieces on one-year contracts for the 2024-25 season. Neither Leason nor Vaakanainen are game-breakers in their own right but they do eat up minutes as the Ducks’ prospects continue to make their way up the depth charts.

In his third season with the Ducks organization, Leason experienced a career year compared to his previous standards. Scoring 11 goals and 22 points in 68 games, not only did Leason set career-highs in goals, assists, and points; he tied for seventh in Anaheim in goal-scoring altogether.

Vaakanainen just completed his first full season with the Ducks even though he has been with the organization for two and a half. Limited by injuries at the start of his tenure in Anaheim, Vaakanainen managed a solid outing during the 2023-24 season by putting up one goal and 14 points in 68 games while being one of the three Anaheim defensemen to not produce a negative rating.

Both should factor into the Ducks’ lineup next season as the team continues to climb their way back into contention. However, with multiple prospects looking to graduate to the NHL level, neither player may be in the long-term plans for Anaheim.

Jets Sign Colin Miller To Two-Year Deal

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Defenseman Colin Miller is returning to the Jets on a two-year, $3MM contract, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports. That’s good for a $1.5MM AAV and cap hit.

The 31-year-old extends his stay in Winnipeg after arriving at the trade deadline when he was picked up from the Devils in exchange for a fourth-round pick. The nine-year veteran ended the season as the Jets’ seventh defender, though, only playing in five regular-season games down the stretch and just one of their five playoff games in their first-round loss to the Avalanche.

A multi-year deal and seven-figure cap hit both suggest the Jets envision Miller playing a slightly larger role than that in 2024-25. The departure of Brenden Dillon for the Devils and the buyout of Nate Schmidt has thinned out their defensive depth, meaning Miller more than likely will start the season in a third-pairing role on the right side behind Dylan DeMelo and Neal Pionk. What’s less clear is who his partner will be. For now, Ville Heinola, Dylan Samberg and Logan Stanley are expected to challenge for the second and third-pairing slots on the left side behind star Josh Morrissey.

That said, you could do worse than Miller as a third-pairing anchor. He’s a decent puck-mover and has overall had positive possession impacts at even strength over his 512-game career. Last season was a difficult one for him offensively, though, recording just nine points in 41 games split between New Jersey and Winnipeg. He’ll look to rebound to the 15-20 point form we’ve come to expect from him in recent years this season.

Avalanche Sign Parker Kelly To Two-Year Contract

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The Avalanche have signed depth forward Parker Kelly to a two-year contract, per a team announcement. The deal is worth $1.65MM ($825K AAV), Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports.

Kelly, 25, became a UFA today after not receiving a qualifying offer from the Senators. Ottawa is where he’d spent the first seven years of his career after signing as an undrafted free agent in 2017, slowly developing into an NHL regular over that time. Last season, he played in a career-high 80 games, notching eight goals and 18 points while proving himself as serviceable bottom-six depth.

A winger by trade, Kelly averaged 11:42 per game this year and put up passable possession numbers for his fourth-line minutes. The 6’0″, 190-lb forward lays the body well, recording over 170 hits in each of his last two seasons.

He’ll fit right into Colorado as a cheaper replacement for Brandon Duhaime, who signed a seven-figure AAV deal with the Capitals earlier today. And, solely based on last season’s results, he’s an upgrade both offensively and defensively. Kelly has a strong shot to begin the season on the Avs’ fourth line and will compete for playing time with players like rookie Nikolai Kovalenko and veterans Joel Kiviranta and Chris Wagner, the former of whom was brought back on a one-year deal today.

For less than a $1MM cap hit, it’s a tad puzzling why the Sens opted not to qualify him and retain his rights, especially when they signed his likely replacement, Noah Gregor, for $25K more against the cap. Kelly will happily take his services to Denver, where he provides the Avs with some much-needed cost-effective depth and gets a bit of security in the process with a two-year term. He’ll be a UFA upon expiry in 2026.

Predators, Juuse Saros Agree To Eight-Year Extension

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July 1: The Predators have indeed signed Saros to his eight-year deal as rumored, per the league.

June 27: The Predators and goaltender Juuse Saros can’t officially reach an agreement on a new deal until Monday.  It appears they’re getting close to having a deal in principle, however, as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that the two sides are believed to be closing in on an eight-year contract extension.  Financial terms are not known but Friedman adds that the AAV will apparently start with a seven if the deal is finalized; Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic suggests (Twitter link) that the cap charge should check in around $7.74MM.  Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic adds (Twitter link) that while some details are being worked out, the framework of the agreement is in place.

The 29-year-old has worked his way from being a little-used backup at the start of his career to one of the NHL’s true workhorse netminders in recent years.  Saros has led the league in appearances in each of the last three years, facing the most shots and making the most saves in both 2022-23 and 2023-24, making him a bargain player with a $5MM AAV which runs through the 2024-25 campaign.

This season, Saros played in 64 games, posting a 2.86 GAA with a .906 SV%, numbers that were the worst of his career.  However, given the workload and the fact that Nashville had several newcomers after shaking up their roster over the summer, it’s not surprising that he got off to somewhat of a quieter start.  However, following the All-Star break, Saros was more effective, putting up a .912 SV% which helped lead the team to a franchise-best 18-game point streak.  That stretch helped propel the Predators into a playoff spot where they were eliminated in the opening round by Vancouver.

Despite his performance in recent years, there was some speculation that Saros could be in play on the trade front this summer.  The team has Yaroslav Askarov in the system, one of the NHL’s best goalie prospects and he’s not too far away from being NHL-ready.  This potential agreement will now call into question Askarov’s long-term future with the franchise although the two netminders could work together for a few years at least, allowing the 22-year-old to ease into the NHL somewhat gradually.  In the meantime, the team is expected to pursue a backup netminder in free agency, per Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli (Twitter link).

While the Predators generally are hesitant to hand out trade protection in their contracts, GM Barry Trotz indicated earlier this week that if a new deal gets reached, it would have some no-trade provisions in there although it would be limited.

Assuming the price tag comes in around the $7.5MM mark as reported, that will be around $750K lower per season than what Connor Hellebuyck received from Winnipeg back in the fall, a contract that many felt would serve as a direct comparable for negotiations.  Instead, it appears Saros is content to come in a little below that amount to ensure he’ll be sticking around for the long haul, giving the Predators long-term stability at that position in the process.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Lightning To Extend Emil Martinsen Lilleberg On Two-Year Deal

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The Tampa Bay Lightning are reportedly in agreement on a two-year, $1.6MM extension with defenseman Emil Martinsen Lilleberg (X Link). The deal will carry an AAV of $800K at the NHL level and is set to begin a year from today.

Lilleberg made his professional debut in North America last season with the Lightning after coming over from IK Oskarshamn of the Swedish Hockey League. Since being drafted 107th overall by the Arizona Coyotes in the 2021 NHL Draft, the Norwegian defenseman had spent all of his professional career in the SHL as he scored three goals and 18 points over 93 games.

Lilleberg went on to tally five assists in 37 games for the Lightning over two separate call-ups throughout the regular season. He spent more time with the Lightning than not this year as he only collected 33 games with the team’s AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch, and scored two goals and 13 points in that time.

With Tampa Bay already having six NHL-caliber defensemen on the roster, and plenty of depth options still available on the free-agent market, Lilleberg should start the season in AHL Syracuse. Lilleberg should represent the top option to be called up if the Lightning’s blue line succumbs to injury at any point during the 2024-25 regular season.

Wild Extend Jacob Middleton

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7/1: According to TSN’s Darren Dreger, the Wild have signed Middleton to a four-year, $17.4MM extension at a $4.35MM AAV.

6/27: The Wild are likely to announce an extension for defenseman Jacob Middleton soon after he becomes eligible to sign one on Monday, The Athletic’s Michael Russo wrote earlier this week. It’s likely to come in at four years between $16MM and $18MM total, working out to a cap hit between $4MM and $4.5MM.

Middleton, 28, faced increased responsibility in 2023-24, his second full season in Minnesota. The shutdown blue-liner averaged a career-high 19:49 per game, with captain Jared Spurgeon missing most of the season due to multiple injuries and top matchup defender Jonas Brodin missing significant time as well.

With increased opportunity came increased production for Middleton, who posted a career-high 25 points (seven goals, 18 assists) in 80 games. His -15 rating was a career-low, but he’s one of more than a few Wild skaters whose ratings were negatively impacted by poor seasons from goaltenders Marc-André Fleury and Filip Gustavsson.

He’s never had spectacular possession numbers on his own, but he did prove to be a good partner for Spurgeon in 2022-23 when the two were healthy at the same time. Skating in 76 games, they controlled 53.5% of expected goals when deployed together, per MoneyPuck. The same couldn’t be said for him and rookie Brock Faber this year, who controlled only 48% of expected goals and was Minnesota’s most commonly deployed pairing at over 800 minutes together.

Middleton has certainly proven he can hold his own as a complementary top-four piece, but with him set to turn 29 midway through next season, there’s little room left for further development. Considering a four-year, $4-$4.5MM AAV deal is likely similar to what the much more established Chris Tanev will land this summer, it seems a little steep. Evolving Hockey’s projections concur that it’s a tad above market value, pegging a four-year extension for Middleton in the $3.8MM AAV range.

Wild general manager Bill Guerin also has a recent history of handing out premature extensions that are not aging well. He inked depth center Frédérick Gaudreau to a five-year, $10.5MM extension with trade protection after last season ended, and he proceeded to have his worst year in the State of Hockey with just 15 points and a -23 rating in 67 games this year. A four-year, $16MM deal set to kick in next season for Marcus Foligno also looks a tad steep after the 32-year-old struggled with injuries last season and had only 10 goals and 22 points in 55 games.

That said, the Wild will have some cap flexibility opening up when Middleton’s extension would go into effect for the 2025-26 season. The combined penalties from the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts will drop from $14.744MM to just $1.667MM, where they’ll remain annually through 2028-29. Middleton, whom Minnesota acquired from the Sharks at the 2022 trade deadline, is entering the final season of a three-year, $7.35MM deal with a $2.45MM cap hit.

Predators Re-Sign Alexandre Carrier To Three-Year Deal

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As alluded to yesterday, the Nashville Predators have signed defenseman Alexandre Carrier to a three-year, $11.25MM contract per a team announcement. By retaining Carrier over the next three years, the Predators organization continues its drive to build a contending roster for the 2024-25 NHL season.

It’s a nice bit of security for the 27-year-old, who spent last season on a one-year prove-it deal. Prove it he did, providing serviceable top-four minutes with 20 points and a +7 rating in 73 games.

Carrier won’t ever likely return to the 30-point form while averaging nearly 21 minutes per game that earned him a spattering of Calder Trophy votes a few years back, but he’s certainly an everyday NHLer with some upward mobility in the lineup. He demonstrated that clearly in the playoffs, upping his ice time to over 21 minutes per game in the first round against the Canucks and showcasing solid offensive instincts with a goal and two assists in six games.

Given the price tag ($3.75MM cap hit), the Predators likely expect Carrier to compete for a top-four spot on the right side, likely on a new-look second pairing with Brady Skjei to his left. It would likely result in some more offensive usage for Carrier, who’s been used in shutdown situations at even strength more than you’d think. Over 60% of his zone starts at even strength came in the defensive end last season, a career-high.

He’ll become a UFA upon expiry of his new deal in 2027.

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