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Predators Sign Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, Brady Skjei

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The Predators and star free agent forward Steven Stamkos are nearing an agreement on a four-year contract that will be worth $32MM, sources tell Pierre LeBrun of TSN. LeBrun also reports the Predators are close to finalizing a deal with 2023 Conn Smythe Trophy winner Jonathan Marchessault that would pay him around $27.5MM over five years. The respective cap hits would be $8MM for Stamkos and $5.5MM for Marchessault. Nashville keeps their roll going by signing defenseman Brady Skjei to a seven-year, $49MM contract, per LeBrun.

The Predators have become the team of the summer, adding three of the market’s top names in one fail swoop. Their group is headlined by Tampa Bay Lightning legend Stamkos, who’s decided on Nashville in the first trip to free agency of his career. Stamkos has accomplished everything he could have as a Lightning, holding the franchise record in games played, goals, and points – in addition to captaining the team to two Stanley Cups over his decade wearing the team’s ’C’.

Stamkos should immediately become the team’s top option at center next to Filip Forsberg, giving the Predators flexibility in moving Ryan O’Reilly down to the second unit. Not only will the former first-overall pick assist Nashville on their already above-average 3.24 GF/G during the 2023-24 regular season, but he will also help the team increase their 21.56% powerplay percentage. Banking on repeat performances from the rest of the forward core — the Predators are poised to have one of the deadliest offenses in the league next season.

The former captain of the Lightning will not be the only 40-goal scorer Nashville will add to the lineup today. Marchessault was one of the many players to break out in Vegas’ first year of action, scoring 27 goals and 75 points – the latter still a career-high. But Marchessault’s goal-scoring upside held strong, since totaling 192 goals across 514 games with Vegas, including a career-high 42 goals this season. On a five-year contract, the Predators hope Marchessault can continue his recent work of averaging 55-70 points in a season while keeping up his status as a hard-nosed player.

General Manager Barry Trotz was not content with singularly upgrading the team’s offensive prowess as they added Skjei on a long-term contract. Skjei similarly found his stride after a move, emerging as a true top defender with 39, 38, and 47 points across the last three seasons. Skjei averaged nearly 22 minutes of ice time over that stretch while adding strong value to both special teams.

The only reason for skepticism on behalf of Skjei’s contract is how well he will operate outside the Carolina Hurricanes’ system. Nashville deploys a similar system as Carolina but does not bring the same pedigree as a possession-dominant team. Because of this, Skjei’s possession metrics increased dramatically since his time with the New York Rangers, and the Predators should be confident he can add value to the team in this department rather than revert to his previous numbers.

These moves go a long way towards boosting Nashville’s top end, as they find one of the best top-line additions to the market in Stamkos while rounding out their second lines with Marchessault and Skjei. With all three of these deals considered, the Predators still boast $5.846MM in cap space, with two holes on defense. Those could be filled by call-ups Spencer Stastney or Marc Del Gaizo, though, potentially giving Nashville just enough space for one more addition.

Blackhawks Expected To Sign Teuvo Teravainen

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The Chicago Blackhawks are expected to sign winger Teuvo Teravainen to a three-year, $16.2MM contract, shares PuckPedia (Twitter link).

This move reunites Teravainen with where it all began, having been selected by the Blackhawks 18th overall in the 2012 NHL Draft. Teravainen was drafted out of Finland’s Liiga, where he played two additional following his draft selection. The 2014-15 season marked Teravainen’s first full year in North American pros, and he managed it to good effect, earning an NHL role after posting 25 points in 39 games. The Blackhawks struggled to place the young and relatively inexperienced Teravainen in the lineup, but he still found his way to strong scoring – netting nine points in 34 regular season games and then lighting up for 10 points in 18 postseason games as the Blackhawks chased the 2015 Stanley Cup.

The performance during Chicago’s cup run turned Teravainen into a fan favorite, with Chicago eager for his first full NHL season in 2015-16. But Teravainen couldn’t hold onto his groove despite the anticipation, netting just 35 points in 78 games. Perhaps seeing their chance to sell high, Chicago dealt Teravainen to the Carolina Hurricanes, receiving a second and third-round pick in return, used on prospects Artur Kayumov and Keith Petruzzelli, respectively.

But Chicago was quickly forced to eat their words, as Teravainen posted 42 points in his first year with the Hurricanes, then exploded for 64, 76, and 63 points over the next three seasons. Each year was marked with high goal-scoring, including two 20-goal years. That’s the pace that Teravainen has held onto ever since, with last year’s 37 points in 68 games marking the lowest he’s scored when healthy in Carolina. Even then, he quickly rebounded, netting 25 goals and 53 points in 76 games this season. He added six points in 11 playoff games, pulling himself back into the scoring light after a down year.

He’ll now get a shot at potentially playing with Connor Bedard in a first-line role and is a major boon to their wing depth, joining Tyler Bertuzzi as their high-profile additions today.

St. Louis Blues Re-Sign Kasperi Kapanen

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TSN’s Chris Johnston reports the St. Louis Blues will be re-signing forward Kasperi Kapanen. The new contract will be for one year and it will pay the Finnish a total of $1MM, according to PuckPedia.

After the Blues claimed Kapanen on waivers from the Pittsburgh Penguins during the 2022-23 NHL season, he appeared to look like a promising middle-six option within the organization. Appearing in 23 games down the stretch, Kapanen put up eight goals and 14 points while averaging nearly 17 minutes of ice time per night.

Unfortunately, Kapanen could not keep up that pace over a full regular season in St. Louis as he was only able to muster six goals and 22 points over 73 games this past year. Kapanen also saw his average ice time drop by nearly two minutes as he was primarily relegated to a bottom-six role with the organization. Despite his poor showing on the offensive side of the puck, there were some positive developments in his defensive game which may have led to this contract by the Blues.

Kapanen helped St. Louis with 37 takeaways over the 2023-24 season while only giving the puck away a total of 16 times. Furthermore, Kapanen held a 90.3% on-ice save percentage in all situations while making a majority of his starts in the team’s defensive zone. If the Blues can turn Kapanen into a defensive first forward that can generate 25-30 points a year, he will be a serviceable option towards the bottom of the team’s forward core.

Brandon Montour To Sign Seven-Year Deal With Kraken

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The Kraken are landing arguably the top defenseman on the free agent market. Brandon Montour will sign in Seattle on a seven-year deal worth roughly $50MM in total, reports TSN’s Pierre LeBrun. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman confirms the contract value, which translates to a $7.14MM cap hit.

Montour will remain in Seattle through the 2030-31 season. He’ll be 37 years old when his deal expires, meaning this pact will cover the remainder of his prime – and perhaps his career.

After spending the first few years of his career with up and down results through stops with the Ducks and Sabres, Montour has emerged as a bonafide top-pairing threat in Florida over the past two seasons. He broke out in a big way in 2022-23, putting up a monster offensive season with 16 goals, 57 assists and 73 points in 80 games while posting a +9 rating and 107 PIMs. That earned him 12th place in Norris Trophy voting, as his performance from the blue line was a key reason why the Panthers advanced to the 2023 Stanley Cup Final, only their second in franchise history.

This year was a step back for Montour, who began the season on injured reserve after sustaining a shoulder injury in the playoffs. Upon his return, he was still effective, although the points didn’t come with the same ferocity. He finished the year with 33 points in 66 games, a 41-point pace. It was much more in line with his career average, but the key difference was the minutes he logged. Like last season, he remained above average while shouldering heavy usage, averaging 23:27 per game.

Montour will now form an exceptional one-two punch on the right side of Seattle’s defense along with Adam Larsson. He’s unlikely to see first-pairing minutes at even strength alongside Vince Dunn, their primary power-play man and offensive threat from the blue line. That role will stay with Larsson, but Montour could still see heavy minutes in a second-pairing role alongside Jamie Oleksiak on his left flank.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Oilers Re-Sign James Hamblin, Noah Philp, Noel Hoefenmayer

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The Edmonton Oilers will bring back a bit of organizational depth as the team announced they have signed forward James Hamblin to a two-year, two-way contract. The deal will pay Hamblin the league minimum of $775K at the NHL over both years of the contract. Additionally, the team has also signed forward Noah Philp to a one-year, two-way contract that will pay him $775K at the NHL level.

Hamblin split the 2023-24 season between the Oilers and the team’s AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors. In 31 games at the top level, the former undrafted free agent scored two goals and three points in total while averaging just under eight minutes of ice time per game. As a much more productive AHL forward, Hamblin skated in 13 games for the Condors as he collected four goals and eight points in total.

Depending on how much depth the Oilers retain over the next 48 hours, Hamblin may be a good bet to rise up the depth chart and even crack a spot in Edmonton’s bottom six. Hamblin is no stranger to the Oilers’ defensive structure and is not afraid to use his body to block shots in the defensive zone. However, the most likely circumstance is that Hamblin starts next year in AHL Bakersfield to serve as a potential injury replacement for the Oilers throughout the regular season.

Philp, on the other hand, will be back with AHL Bakersfield after missing the entire season due to personal reasons. In his last full year during the 2022-23 AHL season, Philp scored 19 goals and 37 points in 70 games while being one of the team’s better power forward options.

Later in the day, PuckPedia reported the Oilers also brought back 25-year-old left-shot defenseman Noel Hoefenmayer on a one-year, two-way deal worth $775K NHL/$100K AHL. He was a restricted free agent and had 18 points in 47 games with Bakersfield last year.

Wild To Sign Yakov Trenin To Four-Year Deal

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The Wild are signing forward Yakov Trenin, sources tell Bally Sports Midwest’s Andy Strickland. It’s a four-year deal with a $3.5MM cap hit, PuckPedia adds.

With the deal, Minnesota pays a premium for arguably the most pure checking forward on the market. Trenin, 27, was a second-round pick of the Predators in 2015. He spent his first four and a half NHL seasons there before a trade deadline deal this year sent him to the Avalanche. Understandably, with a bit of a salary cap crunch in Colorado, they opted not to retain him for the price he ended up going for.

Trenin has size for days at 6’2″ and 201 lbs, but his offensive upside is somewhat limited. His career high is 17 goals and 24 points, both set with Nashville in the 2021-22 season. He’s a strong penalty killer, as that’s where he’s received a solid chunk of the around 15 minutes per game he’s averaged the past three years. This season was tough for him offensively, dropping to 12 goals and 17 points in 76 games between the Avs and Preds, but he did post a career-high +15 rating backed up by decent possession numbers for his defense-oriented role.

While he’s effective in his role, $3.5MM is a lot of money to spend for a Trenin-type player for a Wild team that had the 21st-ranked offense last season. With only $6.25MM in projected cap space entering the day, this is likely their lone big-name free-agent acquisition.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Capitals Re-Sign Connor McMichael

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The Washington Capitals have re-signed forward Connor McMichael to a two-year, $4.2MM contract. The deal will carry an annual cap hit of $2.1MM. McMichael was Washington’s last restricted free agent after the team traded Beck Malenstyn to the Buffalo Sabres.

McMichael stood as Washington’s biggest hurdle this summer. He played in all 82 games this season, recording 18 goals and 33 points, successfully besting the meager 18 points, split evenly, that he managed as a rookie in the 2021-22 season. McMichael gapped the two NHL years with a Calder Cup-winning season with the Hershey Bears, scoring 39 points in 57 AHL games along the way.

McMichael was selected 25th overall in the 2019 NHL Draft, following a 72-point season with the OHL’s London Knights. He quickly vindicated the selection, potting 102 points in just 52 games in his last season in the OHL. But he hasn’t gotten off to the smash start at the pro level that many hoped for. Instead, he’s starting to slowly find his footing as a centerman capable of being leaned on down the lineup. He’s a flashy, high-energy forward when he finds his stride, though those moments can sometimes be few and far between. A two-year deal will give McMichael, who’s still just 23, a chance to further solidify his NHL standing and craft an argument for a raise when he becomes a restricted free agent in 2026.

Free Agent Rumors: Stamkos, Bennett, Verhaeghe, Stolarz, Ekman-Larsson, Grzelcyk, Martinez

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The Devils are in the market for a top-six forward today, and they may end up as one of the finalists for Lightning captain Steven Stamkos, per ESPN’s Kevin Weekes.

They’ll be one of many teams making Stamkos’ agent’s phone ring off the hook today. TSN’s Bob McKenzie also expects the Ducks, Hurricanes, Predators and Red Wings to make aggressive pushes for the future Hall-of-Fame forward.

A return to Tampa Bay is extremely unlikely for Stamkos, whose 555 career goals and 1,082 games played have all come in a Lightning uniform. They weren’t close to an extension as of last weekend, and their signing of top UFA left winger Jake Guentzel to a seven-year, $63MM deal this morning has all but completely boxed him out.

More from around the Eastern Conference amid an already busy morning:

  • The Panthers are working hard on extensions for forwards Sam Bennett and Carter Verhaeghe as they become eligible to sign at 11 a.m. CT today, sources tell David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period. They’ve already gotten one big piece of business done today by keeping Sam Reinhart away from the open market on an eight-year, $69MM deal, but Bennett and Verhaeghe are two crucial pieces of their top-six forward group that remain unsigned past next season. It’s unclear what these deals may look like, but Reinhart taking a considerable discount on market value to remain in South Florida is surely a good indicator that Panthers GM Bill Zito can get them locked into deals that won’t break the bank.
  • TSN’s Darren Dreger adds the Panthers are also trying to re-sign UFA netminder Anthony Stolarz, but they have some competition. The Blackhawks and Maple Leafs are also in the mix for the veteran’s services. While a career backup, he’s one of the best options on the market in a UFA class devoid of starters. He was electric when used in Florida last year, posting a .925 SV% and 2.03 GAA in 27 appearances.
  • After making Chris Tanev’s six-year deal official, expect the Leafs to add another veteran blue liner in Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Dreger says. OEL is coming off a Stanley Cup win in Florida after putting up 32 points in 80 regular-season games, averaging 18:24 per night. He’d likely anchor a third pairing in Toronto on the left side behind Morgan Rielly and Jake McCabe.
  • The Penguins are among the teams linked to defenseman Matt Grzelcyk, The Athletic’s Josh Yohe reports. Grzelcyk is likely on his way out of Boston after spending the entirety of his eight-year, 445-game career there. He had 11 points and a +13 rating in 63 games last season while logging 17:36 per night.
  • Alec Martinez could continue his NHL career with the Blackhawks on a one-year deal, per TSN’s Bob McKenzie. The three-time Cup winner fell down the Golden Knights’ depth chart last year, limited to 55 games due to injuries and healthy scratches. He still managed 17 points, though, his most offense in three years, but had a -2 rating while averaging 19:03 per game.

Flyers Re-Sign Erik Johnson

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TSN’s Chris Johnston reports the Philadelphia Flyers are expected to re-sign defenseman Erik Johnson to a one-year contract. Johnson was originally acquired by the Flyers from the Buffalo Sabres at the 2024 trade deadline and is expected to play in his 1,000th regular season game this year. The deal will pay Johnson a total of $1MM according to PuckPedia.

After appearing in 50 games with the Sabres during the 2023-24 NHL season, Johnson was moved into a much larger role in the Flyers organization. Johnson went from averaging just under 14 minutes a night in Buffalo to 16:26 minutes a game in 17 games for Philadelphia. Poised for a bottom-pairing role in the City of Brotherly Love — Johnson still packs a punch physically and is a solid veteran presence for any team’s blue line.

If Philadelphia can’t improve or repeat the team’s performance from last season, Johnson should be a tradeable asset come the trade deadline season. Whether it be filling in for injury or rounding out a contending team’s defensive core, Johnson is only two years removed from winning a Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche. Nevertheless, Johnson still holds tremendous value for the Flyers as young defensemen such as Cam York, Yegor Zamula, and Jamie Drysdale could all benefit from playing alongside the former first-overall pick.

Winnipeg Jets Expected To Sign Eric Comrie

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The revolving door of backup goaltenders will continue in the Winnipeg Jets organization as Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reports the team will be signing netminder Eric Comrie. Comrie was originally drafted by the Jets in the 2013 NHL Draft and this will mark his third stint with the organization.

Comrie is looking to rebound after a few poor showings with the Buffalo Sabres organization over the last two seasons. Since the start of the 2022-23 NHL season, Comrie has managed 29 starts and has put together a record of 11-16-1 while posting a dismal .882 save percentage and 3.68 goals against average. One silver lining in his return to Manitoba is that much of Comrie’s previous success as he has already posted a career record of 12-8-1 with the Jets while carrying a .909 SV% and 2.94 GAA.

It will be interesting to see if this signing is the end of the day for Winnipeg regarding their backup goaltending situation. The team is one of the few that does not need much depth in the department given that Connor Hellebuyck is coming off the second Vezina Trophy win of his career. Nevertheless, Comrie will have a much better defensive structure in front of him which should help turn his career in a positive direction.

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