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New York Rangers Sign Tyler Pitlick, Riley Nash

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The New York Rangers have signed forward Tyler Pitlick to a one-year contract, per the team. Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports it’s worth $787.5K. The AP’s Stephen Whyno also reports they’ve signed veteran forward Riley Nash, who spent last season on an AHL contract, to a two-year contract.

This has been a very active day for the Rangers as GM Chris Drury aggressively targets depth players to fill spots in his lineup at affordable prices. The Rangers have precious little cap space to maneuver this offseason, so adding experienced contributors at minimal costs is a major priority.

In Pitlick and Nash, Drury has added two veteran forwards who should be able to capably fill fourth-line or reserve roles. Nash, 34, can play both center and wing and has over 600 games of NHL experience.

He’s got playoff experience as well and can be an asset at the face-off dot. He’s a possibility for the Rangers’ fourth-line center role, or could spend the year with the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack waiting on a call-up.

Nash spent this past season in the AHL, scoring 24 goals and 59 points for the Chicago Wolves. That AHL form proves there’s still some gas left in Nash’s tank, and now the Rangers are hoping he can be similarly effective for Hartford.

As for Pitlick, The 31-year-old has less NHL experience than Nash but spent the whole year in the NHL, not the AHL. He got into 61 games for the St. Louis Blues and scored 16 points, and he should be able to compete for and potentially hold down a fourth-line right winger spot.

Ottawa Senators Sign Joonas Korpisalo

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The Ottawa Senators have given netminder Joonas Korpisalo a huge payday, signing him to a five-year, $20MM contract worth $4MM per season, per the team.

This is a major investment for the Senators, who lock up Korpisalo until he’s 33 years old. The 29-year-old had quite the bounce-back season, as in 2021-22 he was backing up Elvis Merzlikins in Columbus and posting a .877 save percentage.

In 2022-23, the script flipped. Merzlikins was the one posting the grisly save percentage, while Korpisalo had an extremely strong .913 save percentage on a Blue Jackets team facing significant defensive losses.

He had an even better run of success after a trade to the Los Angeles Kings, posting a .921 save percentage in 11 games.

Korpisalo faltered a bit in the playoffs, but overall he had an encouraging bounce-back campaign.

The Senators have clearly bet on that bounce-back being more indicative of Korpisalo’s true talent level, and seeing as he had some earlier flashes of talent in Columbus there is reason to believe that bet will pay off.

But after their disastrous signing of Matt Murray, one wonders if committing term to a talented but inconsistent netminder is the best option for Ottawa. They already have Anton Forsberg and the young Mads Sogaard in the NHL mix for their goalie spots, but now one of those players might be squeezed out by this signing.

Should Korpisalo play like he did in Los Angeles with the Senators, this deal will turn out to be quite the bargain. But that’s a big “if” given the volatility Korpisalo has shown throughout his career.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Buffalo Sabres Retain Tyson Jost

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The Buffalo Sabres have retained unqualified RFA forward Tyson Jost on a one-year deal worth $2MM, per the team.

It’s the exact same cap hit Jost played last season on, and he acquitted himself well in Buffalo after a disappointing tenure with the Minnesota Wild. The 2016 tenth-overall pick isn’t the player he was once touted to be during his days as a BCHL or NCAA star, but he has become a versatile, capable bottom-six forward who provides value on both ends of the ice.

Jost scored 22 points in 59 games for the Sabres even saw time on head coach Don Granato’s penalty kill. Still just 25 years old, Jost now gets some year-to-year continuity thanks to this deal and will look to establish himself as a do-it-all bottom-six forward in Buffalo.

Carolina Hurricanes Re-Sign Frederik Andersen

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The Carolina Hurricanes are close to keeping Frederik Andersen around, with NorthStar Bets’ Chris Johnston reporting a two-year deal. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun confirms a cap hit of $3.4MM per season.

Combined with today’s signing of Antti Raanta, the Hurricanes have now retained their entire three-goalie group from last season into this year. Seeing the Vegas Golden Knights won the Stanley Cup with a stable of quality goalies the Hurricanes are looking to employ a similar strategy.

Andersen, 34 next season, has typically been Carolina’s lead netminder and has a .915 save percentage across two seasons with the Hurricanes. He came in fourth place in Vezina Trophy voting last season and shared the Jennings Trophy with Raanta, showcasing the upside he has in the right situation.

But this past year Andersen’s numbers declined, likely allowing the Hurricanes to re-sign Andersen at a pay cut from the $4.5MM he earned on his last contract.

Assuming he can have another season or two more in like with his career form, this will end up a solid investment for Carolina as they continue to work towards a goalie situation more focused on the young Kochetkov.

New York Rangers Sign Blake Wheeler, Jonathan Quick

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The New York Rangers have nabbed former Winnipeg Jets captain Blake Wheeler on the free agent market, per the team. Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports the 35+ contract has an $800K cap hit and carries $300K in potential bonuses. The team’s also made the long-reported Jonathan Quick signing official at an $825K cap hit plus bonuses, says The New York Post’s Mollie Walker.

They’ve also signed forward Alex Belzile to a two-year deal, says TVA’s Renaud Lavoie.

The Rangers’ offseason has been significantly impacted by their dearth of cap space, so adding a veteran scorer like Wheeler at such a cheap price is a major coup.

While he’s no longer the back-to-back 90-point man he was earlier in his time with the Winnipeg Jets, Wheeler remains a lethal weapon on the power play and a solid all-around offensive threat. He scored 55 points in 72 games last season and scored 60 points in 65 games the year before.

The Rangers’ biggest need heading into next season was talent along the right side of their forward corps, and Wheeler is just about the best possible option they could afford. He’ll now have a chance to play with Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider, or Vincent Trocheck and Artemi Panarin.

Assuming he stays healthy, he’s set himself up to have a monster season, especially if he can land a place on New York’s top power-play unit.

While he might not be able to set himself up for a long-term, pricey contract next summer as he’ll be set to turn 38 in August of next year, he’s put himself in a prime position on a Stanley Cup contender and under some of the brightest lights in the hockey world.

For Quick, this move allows him to back up one of the NHL’s best goalies, work with one of the NHL’s most highly-regarded goalie coaches in Benoit Allaire, as well as move closer to where he grew up. A legendary netminder whose earlier days with the Los Angeles Kings came to define that era of hockey, Quick’s form has declined sharply in recent seasons.

He posted a .876 save percentage in 31 games with the Kings last season and a .901 in 10 games with the Vegas Golden Knights. That might not be good enough to cut it in New York, but the hope is that with such a renowned coach in his corner, his numbers could rebound. In any case, he’ll now land with a potential Stanley Cup contender and be able to provide guidance to one of the league’s top goalies.

Now for Belzile, he’s reportedly getting a two-year contract which is a nice reward for a player who has worked his way up from the ECHL to the NHL. He became a top scorer for the Laval Rocket with the Montreal Canadiens and when the team faced significant injury issues he became a regular face in head coach Martin St. Louis’ lineup.

In 31 games at the NHL level Belzile scored a solid 14 points, showcasing the possibility for him to become a valuable bottom-sixer on a more regular basis. With the Rangers looking to fill depth lineup spots on the cheap and potentially also improve their AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack, Belzile could quickly prove to be a savvy signing by Rangers GM Chris Drury.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Semyon Varlamov Expected To Stay With New York Islanders

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Per ESPN’s Kevin Weekes, netminder Semyon Varlamov is staying with the New York Islanders after briefly appearing on the free agent market this morning. The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reports it’s a two-year deal. Kevin Kurz of The Athletic reports that the final contract will be a four-year, $11MM contract, paying Varlamov an AAV of $2.75MM per year.

The 35-year-old has spent the past four seasons with New York, originally serving as their starting goaltender before Ilya Sorokin took over the number one role.  Now, he’ll serve as an above-average backup to his countryman who signed an eight-year, $66MM extension earlier today.  Last season, Varlamov played in 23 games for the Isles, posting a 2.70 GAA with a .913 SV%, numbers that are right in line with his career averages of 2.65 and .916 respectively and are above average for the backup role.

That said, while New York should benefit from an above-average backup for a little while longer, the four-year term certainly raises some eyebrows.  The exact structure of the deal is not yet known so it’s unknown if this is a deal that will carry the more punitive 35+ restrictions.  And, by the time his contract ends, he’ll be one of the oldest netminders in the league so this is a bit of a leap of faith from the Islanders.  However, it allows them to keep a strong tandem intact for the time being, one that they’ll need to lean on as they look to push for a top-three seed in the Metropolitan Division next season.

Florida Panthers To Sign Kevin Stenlund

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The Florida Panthers are acquiring free agent forward Kevin Stenlund on a one-year deal worth $1MM, says Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.

Stenlund is a 26-year-old 2015 second-round pick who spent last season as a member of the Winnipeg Jets organization. He spent most of the year in the NHL with Winnipeg, scoring six goals and nine points in 54 games. At the AHL level he scored at a higher rate, posting 14 points in 19 games.

A big-bodied forward with the ability to play center or along the wings, Stenlund’s most valuable contributions to the Jets last season were on the penalty kill, where he was a regular face. He’ll be able to contribute there for the Panthers, which is an important point given how much time the Panthers spent on the penalty kill last season.

While there isn’t much offense in his game, adding a penalty-killing specialist at a $1MM cost is a move that makes a lot of sense for a team that needs to target improvements to their short-handed units with their depth signings.

Tampa Bay Lightning Sign Conor Sheary, Four Others

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The Tampa Bay Lightning are signing forwards Conor Sheary and Luke Glendening to bolster their bottom six, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports. The team announced a three-year, $2MM per season contract for Sheary. Glendening’s contract is two years at $800K per season, according to the Tampa Bay Times’ Eduardo A. Encina. They’ve also added netminder Jonas Johansson on a one-year, league-minimum deal.

They’ve also signed 2016 first-round pick Logan Brown to a one-year, two-way $775k contract, as well as forward Mitchell Chaffee to the same deal.

Heading into today’s free agency, and with the cap space situation at hand for the team, these are exactly the type of moves that Tampa was expected to make. Sheary and Glendening ultimately improve the bottom six lines, while Johansson gives the team a quality third-string backup option.

With Sheary, the Lightning should get tremendous value out of this signing. Over the last two seasons playing for the Washington Capitals, Sheary has scored 34 goals and 46 assists in just under 160 games. He became an exceptional middle-six option for the Capitals and should do the exact same in Tampa Bay.

In Glendening, the Lightning had a player that will undoubtedly help with the team’s possession numbers. Over the course of his 10-year career, Glendening has averaged a 55.7% faceoff percentage, while averaging a whopping 58.9% with the Dallas Stars alone. Already garnering a defensive unit that is one of the league’s best at moving the puck, the team will benefit greatly from having Glendening take important faceoffs.

Next, Johansson gives the team insurance if one of their regular goaltenders goes down with an injury. Spending last season primarily playing for the Colorado Avalanche’s AHL affiliate, the Colorado Eagles, Johansson sported a .920 SV% and a 2.33 GAA, helping lead his team to the 2023 Calder Cup playoffs. The Lightning are still expected to sign a more stable backup behind Andrei Vasilevskiy for the 2023-24 NHL season.

Finally, Brown adds an intriguing former top prospect for the Lightning’s development team to get their hands on. Injuries have laid waste to Brown’s development path so far but he’s been a difference-maker at the AHL level and perhaps Tampa Bay thinks they can unlock some of his upside at the NHL level.

Boston Bruins Sign James Van Riemsdyk

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The Boston Bruins are signing forward James van Riemsdyk to a one-year, $1MM deal, per Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli.

The Bruins are looking to add some talent to their forward corps at affordable prices, and securing Van Riemsdyk at a $1MM cost accomplishes exactly that. The 34-year-old is a seven-time 20-goal scorer who has hit 30 goals multiple times earlier in his career. He has notably slowed down in recent seasons, though, and only scored 12 goals and 29 points in 61 games.

That decline in production is what allows Boston to secure his services at such a cheap price, though, and in doing so they’re placing a bet that he can return to something closer to his 2021-22 production, when he scored 24 goals and 38 points. Van Riemsdyk has long been among the most talented net-front scorers in the NHL, and he’ll boost the Bruins’ efforts to crowd the front of the net and tip pucks in.

He might not bring the type of energy or scoring ability of younger talent like Tyler Bertuzzi, but he comes at a far cheaper price and brings a wealth of experience younger players can’t offer.

With Boston looking to have another strong regular season and go on a longer playoff run, this addition of van Riemsdyk is a solid bit of shopping by the Bruins front office, assuming the player can stay healthy and perform up to his career standard.

Michael McLeod Rejoining New Jersey Devils

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Per The Fourth Period’s James Nichols, center Michael McLeod is heading back to the New Jersey Devils on a one-year contract worth $1.4MM.

As fellow Devils fourth-liner Nathan Bastian also re-signed today, meaning even if Miles Wood ends up departing to another club New Jersey will have most of their fan-favorite depth line locked in for next season.

McLeod secures a nice pay raise for himself over the $975k he earned last season, and that’s a solid reward after what was a strong season for the 25-year-old 2016 first-round pick. Not much of a goal scorer, McLeod only potted four during the regular season but did manage to score half that total in 12 playoff games.

He finished with 26 points in the regular-season, a career-high, though he showed the most value on the penalty-kill and in his defensive game. The Devils may have preferred to lock McLeod up for a longer term, but at the very least this deal returns their 4C to their club at an affordable cost.

McLeod was a key piece to a Devils crash-and-bang fourth-line that would spread chaos whenever it hit the ice, and if the team is interested in maintaining that type of line keeping McLeod at an affordable cost was crucial. With this deal, they’ve done exactly that, while McLeod has set himself up for an even bigger pay raise in a year’s time if he can manage to show a little bit more of an offensive game.

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