Atlantic Notes: Matthews, Murray, Berggren
The Maple Leafs shook things up behind the bench with a coaching change, bringing in Craig Berube to replace Sheldon Keefe earlier this summer. Now, it appears they’ll be changing their captain as well. TSN’s Darren Dreger reports (Twitter link) that the team will announce that Auston Matthews will be named captain at a press conference on Wednesday morning. Current captain John Tavares is believed to be fully supportive of the change. Matthews is entering the first season of a four-year, $53MM contract he signed last season, one that makes him the highest-paid player in NHL history in terms of AAV while Tavares is entering the final year of his agreement. Matthews has spent his entire eight-year NHL career with Toronto and is coming off a career year that saw him record 69 goals and 107 points.
Elsewhere in the Atlantic:
- Still with Toronto, goaltender Matt Murray indicated in a recent appearance on the Slangin’ the Bizkit Podcast (video link) that his hips feel much better than they have in a long time. The veteran missed almost all of last season due to bilateral hip surgery, only getting into three rehab contests late in the regular season with the Marlies. The Maple Leafs gave him a one-year, $875K one-way deal early in free agency and it appears as if he’ll enter the upcoming season in the third-string role similar to the one Martin Jones held in 2023-24.
- In an interview with Matthias Ek of Sweden’s Hockey News, Red Wings RFA winger Jonatan Berggren indicated that discussions on a new deal are ongoing and that he has not spoken with any other clubs about a possible offer sheet. The 24-year-old spent most of 2022-23 with Detroit, notching 15 goals and 13 assists in 67 games but they opted to put him with AHL Grand Rapids for most of last year. Berggren was quite productive for the Griffins, tallying 56 points in 53 games while also adding six points in a dozen contests with Detroit. That shouldn’t be the case this coming season, however, as he’s now waiver-eligible.
Pacific Notes: Gauthier, Smith, Canucks
The Anaheim Ducks will look to get prospect Cutter Gauthier involved in the top six this year but will it be in his traditional position at center? This was a question recently delved into by Patrick Present of The Hockey News who asserts that the Ducks have plenty of good problems to have up front with their roster flexibility.
For all of his collegiate career with the Boston College Eagles, Gauthier primarily served as a traditional center. Gauthier carries a large frame as a forward who plays well below the goal line and carries a tremendous shot which makes him a great option down the middle. However, Anaheim already has two young solid centers Mason McTavish and Leo Carlsson without factoring in Ryan Strome and Trevor Zegras. Carlsson is the most natural fit among the group as the rest could shift to the wing.
According to general manager Pat Verbeek, Gauthier should get some time at center during the preseason but will primarily spend his rookie campaign on the wing if the team can stay healthy. His instincts should make him a force to be reckoned with along the wall, and his insatiable forechecking will not be hindered by the move, either. If he starts on the left wing, Gauthier could slot in nicely next to Carlsson and Troy Terry on the first line which could become one of the sneakier lines this season.
Other Pacific notes:
- In an interview with Chelena Goldman of the NHL, San Jose Sharks prospect Will Smith not only has his eyes set on making the lineup out of training camp in September, but also being a huge contributor to the team. Smith is coming off a dominant season in the NCAA with Boston College in which he led the nation in scoring with 25 goals and 71 points in 41 games. Next to number one overall pick Macklin Celebrini, the two are early favorites to land in the top three of Calder Trophy voting next year. General manager Mike Grier does not want Will to assume he’s already been given a spot on the roster, however, as he said, “These older guys aren’t going to be in any rush to give their spots away to a young guy. It should make for a pretty competitive camp. May the best man win“.
- In an article last week from Thomas Drance of The Athletic (Subscription Required), he opines that the Vancouver Canucks will undoubtedly be looking for a right-handed center at next year’s trade deadline. Depending on how the season plays out, that could put Vancouver in the market for veteran Claude Giroux who is set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of next season. Giroux has a full no-movement clause from the Ottawa Senators on his current contract so he will need to green-light any move out of the organization. If Giroux is unwilling to head out West, the Canucks could look to go after Nick Bjugstad of the Utah Hockey Club or Jake Evans of the Montreal Canadiens.
What Will Brock Boeser’s Next Contract Look Like?
The looming contract of Brock Boeser of the Vancouver Canucks was recently analyzed by Patrick Johnston of The Province. Johnston argues that Boeser is almost certainly set to get a raise from his current $6.65MM salary but it shouldn’t be an unpalatable one from the Canucks’ perspective.
Like many members of the 2023-24 Canucks, Boeser is coming off one of the best statistical seasons of his career. He cracked the 40-goal mark for the first time while finishing third on the team in scoring among forwards with 73 points. Boeser also finished third among forwards in ice time while averaging 18:36 a game and played the most out of any forwards when Vancouver was tied, or leading by one or two goals.
As much as he’s relied upon by head coach Rick Tocchet, Boeser will have a hard time arguing he is more than the third-most important forward on the roster. Because of this, he will almost certainly not crack J.T. Miller‘s salary of $8MM per season in Vancouver, and he must also prove that last season was not a flash in the pan. From 2017-23, Boeser averaged a 12.7% shooting percentage while being a solid secondary scorer, and his 19.6% mark this past season leads to assumptions that regression towards his mean will soon follow.
Compared to his peers around the league, Boeser’s $6.65MM cap hit ranks 30th among wingers in the NHL, and he will once again have difficulty arguing that he is worth more to the Canucks than Jason Robertson is to the Dallas Stars who gave him an AAV of $7.75MM for four years. According to HockeyReference, Boeser shows a near-identical similarity score to Clayton Keller of the Utah Hockey Club who makes a salary of $7.15MM.
A modest $500K salary increase over a presumably longer-term deal may feel like a slap in the face to Boeser which could seriously hinder the extension negotiations. However, especially with all the data available to teams, it’s hard to envision Boeser landing more on the open market. There may be a scenario where he could earn closer to $7.75MM with the cap set to rise considerably over the next few years but that will likely be the cutoff point for many teams.
A contract in the $7.15MM-$7.75MM over the next four to six years shouldn’t be unpalatable to Vancouver either. The team will be laser-like focused on the upcoming contracts for Quinn Hughes and Thatcher Demko, but a hypothetical contract in that range for Boeser shouldn’t prohibit any long-term plans. This team will only go as far as their core can take them and given Boeser’s importance to the organization’s turnaround last season, he should be a player they envision on the team moving forward.
Flames Sign Adam Klapka, Yan Kuznetsov To Two-Way Contracts
2:56 p.m.: Kuznetsov’s deal will pay him a $100K salary in the minors, Ryan Pike of Flames Nation reports.
2:08 p.m.: The Flames have signed RFA forward Adam Klapka and RFA defenseman Yan Kuznetsov to two-way deals for 2024-25, the team said in separate announcements Monday.
As the releases note, both deals will carry $775K cap hits if the players are on the NHL roster. Their minor league salaries weren’t disclosed.
Klapka, 23, was an undrafted free agent signing by the Flames out of Czechia’s Bili Tygri Liberec in 2022. He spent most of the last two seasons with the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers.
The massive 6’7″, 238-lb winger made his NHL debut last season, recording his first NHL goal as part of a six-game call-up. He also posted a -1 rating, 19 PIMs, and 21 hits while averaging just 6:46 per game.
Across 125 games in two AHL seasons, Klapka has accumulated 34 goals, 37 assists, 71 points, 170 PIMs, and a +9 rating. His 46 points last season led the team in scoring, as did his seven points in six playoff games.
With the Flames’ forward depth thinner than in years past, there’s a decent chance Klapka lands on the NHL roster come opening night. He’ll be one of many players battling it out for three or four forward spots up for grabs alongside Walker Duehr, Dryden Hunt, and Jakob Pelletier, the latter of whom remains an RFA.
The 22-year-old Kuznetsov faces longer but not impossible odds of making the team out of camp. Selected with the No. 50 pick of the 2020 draft out of UConn, he stuck in school for his sophomore season before opting to spend 2021-22 in juniors with the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs.
Kuznetsov turned pro in earnest the following campaign, although he did see spot duty with the Flames’ former AHL affiliate, the Stockton Heat, in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons. Like Klapka, he made his NHL debut in 2023-24, posting a -1 rating and skating 11:58 in an appearance against the Senators on Jan. 9.
On the farm with the Wranglers/Heat, the Russian has 10 goals, 22 assists, 32 points, 74 PIMs, and a -5 rating in 144 games over the past four years. Those offensive numbers aren’t too concerning for a player who projects as a stay-at-home defender, and he has been able to use his 6’4″, 216-lb frame effectively since turning pro.
If the Flames opt to carry seven defenders and 14 forwards, their roster on the back end is likely set. But if they opt to drop a forward for an eighth defender, look for the extra spot to be a two-man battle in camp between Kuznetsov and Ilya Solovyov, who’s still an RFA in need of a deal.
Snapshots: Kuzmenko, Eller, Minten
Andrei Kuzmenko was one of the Flames’ best players down the stretch last season. The Russian winger scored 14 goals and added 11 assists for 25 points in 29 games after Calgary acquired him from the Canucks in the Elias Lindholm trade. That was good enough for 0.86 points per game, second-most on the team behind Nazem Kadri‘s 0.91, despite averaging a somewhat conservative 15:40 per game.
It was more of a continuation of what we saw from Kuzmenko in his rookie season two years ago when he erupted for 39 goals and 74 points in 81 games after signing in Vancouver as an undrafted free agent. But there are warning signs abound with his game, whether it be his sky-high 27.3 shooting percentage during that rookie campaign or his inconsistent play away from the puck that got him benched for a decent chunk of the early going last year before the trade. As such, if Kuzmenko is again among Calgary’s leading scorers this year, expect the pending UFA to be one of the bigger chips at the trade deadline, opines Jim Parsons of The Hockey News.
At 28, Kuzmenko doesn’t align with the Flames’ timeline for returning to playoff contention after selling off most of their core over the last 12 months. Signing him to an extension and attempting to shop him later carries many risks if his expected year-to-year inconsistency damages his trade value. But if he continues to produce at a 60-to-80-point pace as one of the Flames’ lone dangerous offensive weapons in 2024-25, Calgary general manager Craig Conroy could land the best of both worlds by recouping a decent trade return.
Kuzmenko is entering the back half of a two-year, $11MM extension the Canucks signed him to midway through his rookie campaign. He does have a 12-team no-trade list that Conroy would need to work around in potential deadline discussions.
There’s more from around the league today:
- Penguins center Lars Eller hasn’t been the subject of trade rumors this offseason, but Dan Kingerski of Pittsburgh Hockey Now argues he should be. After signing a two-year, $4.9MM deal with the Pens in free agency in 2023, the 35-year-old could find himself as Pittsburgh’s 13th forward come opening night, giving way to offseason additions Anthony Beauvillier, Kevin Hayes and Blake Lizotte. If he won’t be a regular, the Pens would likely be better off giving some NHL reps to fringe prospects like Vasiliy Ponomarev, Samuel Poulin, and Brayden Yager.
- Maple Leafs center prospect Fraser Minten will be in the mix to land a spot on the opening night roster for the second year in a row, and assistant general manager Dr. Hayley Wickenheiser tells NHL.com’s Dave McCarthy that he’s not too far away from landing a full-time spot after a four-game trial last fall. “He adapts really well,” Wickenheiser said. “He is great to work with from a development standpoint. He’s always curious on his own game. He studies the game of others and for him, it’s just about trying to assist him toward taking that next step to being an everyday NHL player. He’s very close.” After playing in his fourth season of junior hockey with the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers and Saskatoon Blades last season, Minten will be eligible to head to AHL Toronto in 2024-25 should he not make the team out of camp.
Evander Kane Likely To Undergo Surgery, Start Season On LTIR
The Oilers will likely be without forward Evander Kane to start this season as he recovers from a yet-to-be-performed undisclosed surgery, according to the team’s Bob Stauffer (X link).
Kane played through a good chunk of last season with a sports hernia, he revealed to reporters in April. It plagued him through the Oilers’ run to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, holding him out of five of Edmonton’s 25 playoff games. It’s unclear if today’s news is related.
The recovery from the undisclosed surgery would likely sideline him for at least the first 10 games and 24 days of the 2024-25 campaign, meaning the Oilers can place him on long-term injured reserve. Doing so would allow them to gain temporary relief from his $5.125MM cap hit, giving new general manager Stan Bowman some much-needed financial flexibility. Edmonton’s roster currently projects to check in at more than $350K over the $88MM upper limit, per PuckPedia. Not only do the Oilers need space for day-to-day transactions, but they also still need to come to agreements with RFAs Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway.
After an underwhelming 2023-24 season, the 33-year-old Kane may have seemed like a probable trade candidate for Edmonton to clear cap space. But a full no-movement clause through July 1, 2025, meant he could have blocked any move, including a waiver placement, and the second year of term remaining on his deal makes him a tougher sell to interested teams.
In fact, it’s been an underwhelming couple of seasons for Kane after a strong initial showing in Edmonton. His 44 points in 77 games last season were especially poor production for the power forward, and his 0.57 points per game were his worst since the 2015-16 season. He didn’t fare much better in an injury-plagued 2022-23 campaign either, limited to 16 goals and 28 points in 41 games. His 0.68 points per game that year cratered from the year prior, when he put up 0.91 per game after signing with the Oilers midseason following a contract termination by the Sharks.
The two-time 30-goal scorer still finished fourth on the Oilers in goals (24) and led them in hits (250) last year, but his 16:47 ATOI was his lowest usage since his rookie season with the Atlanta Thrashers in 2009-10.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Devils Re-Sign Nolan Foote To Two-Way Deal
The Devils have re-signed RFA left winger Nolan Foote to a two-way deal, according to a team release. He’ll cost $825K against the cap if on the NHL roster this season.
Foote, who checks in at 6’4″ and 200 lbs, was limited to eight games last season between the NHL and AHL due to a lower back injury. He scored once in his four games with New Jersey, posting a -1 rating and recording six shots on goal while averaging 10:06 per night. He added three goals and one assist in four games with the Utica Comets.
The 23-year-old was one of the Devils’ two remaining unsigned RFAs alongside Dawson Mercer. While he inked a two-way pact today, there’s a good chance the 2019 first-round pick starts the season on the NHL roster. That’s because he’s no longer exempt from waivers and would need to clear them to return to Utica to start the season. As such, his lengthy contract negotiations this summer likely revolved around lobbying for a higher-than-league-minimum NHL salary, which he landed.
After his rocky campaign, the son of former Avalanche captain Adam Foote affirmed to Kristy Flannery of The Hockey News that he wanted an NHL future in Newark. He’s logged NHL ice in the past four seasons but never more than seven games in a single campaign. In total, he has six goals and two assists for eight points in 23 career contests. Most of his time since turning pro in 2020 has been spent in the AHL with Utica and the Devils’ former affiliate in Binghamton, where he has 44 goals and 90 points in 138 career games.
In 2022-23, his last healthy campaign, Foote finished second on Utica in goals (20) and third in points (37) in 55 games. He was originally drafted by the Lightning but was traded to New Jersey in Feb. 2020 for Blake Coleman.
If he doesn’t make the Devils’ roster, clears waivers, and ends up in the AHL, Foote will earn a salary of $150K with a $200K guarantee, per the team. It’s a considerable pay bump from the $70K minors salary afforded to him by his entry-level contract.
Foote will be an RFA again next summer upon the expiry of this deal.
AHL, ECHL Affiliates For 2024-25
The following is a list of every NHL team’s AHL and ECHL affiliates for the 2024-25 season. This page can be referenced anytime under the “Pro Hockey Rumors Features” menu on the right-hand sidebar on desktop and using the Flame menu on mobile devices.
Anaheim Ducks
AHL: San Diego Gulls
ECHL: Tulsa Oilers
Boston Bruins
AHL: Providence Bruins
ECHL: Maine Mariners
Buffalo Sabres
AHL: Rochester Americans
ECHL: Jacksonville Icemen
Calgary Flames
AHL: Calgary Wranglers
ECHL: Rapid City Rush
Carolina Hurricanes
AHL: Chicago Wolves
ECHL: Bloomington Bison (working agreement)
Chicago Blackhawks
AHL: Rockford IceHogs
ECHL: Indy Fuel
Colorado Avalanche
AHL: Colorado Eagles
ECHL: Utah Grizzlies
Columbus Blue Jackets
AHL: Cleveland Monsters
ECHL: none
Dallas Stars
AHL: Texas Stars
ECHL: Idaho Steelheads
Detroit Red Wings
AHL: Grand Rapids Griffins
ECHL: Toledo Walleye
Edmonton Oilers
AHL: Bakersfield Condors
ECHL: Fort Wayne Komets
Florida Panthers
AHL: Charlotte Checkers
ECHL: Savannah Ghost Pirates
Los Angeles Kings
AHL: Ontario Reign
ECHL: Greenville Swamp Rabbits
Minnesota Wild
AHL: Iowa Wild
ECHL: Iowa Heartlanders
Montreal Canadiens
AHL: Laval Rocket
ECHL: Trois-Rivieres Lions
Nashville Predators
AHL: Milwaukee Admirals
ECHL: Atlanta Gladiators
New Jersey Devils
AHL: Utica Comets
ECHL: Adirondack Thunder
New York Islanders
AHL: Bridgeport Islanders
ECHL: Worcester Railers
New York Rangers
AHL: Hartford Wolf Pack
ECHL: Bloomington Bison
Ottawa Senators
AHL: Belleville Senators
ECHL: none
Philadelphia Flyers
AHL: Lehigh Valley Phantoms
ECHL: Reading Royals
Pittsburgh Penguins
AHL: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
ECHL: Wheeling Nailers
San Jose Sharks
AHL: San Jose Barracuda
ECHL: Wichita Thunder
Seattle Kraken
AHL: Coachella Valley Firebirds
ECHL: Kansas City Mavericks
St. Louis Blues
AHL: Springfield Thunderbirds
ECHL: Florida Everblades
Tampa Bay Lightning
AHL: Syracuse Crunch
ECHL: Orlando Solar Bears
Toronto Maple Leafs
AHL: Toronto Marlies
ECHL: Cincinnati Cyclones
Utah Hockey Club
AHL: Tucson Roadrunners
ECHL: Allen Americans
Vancouver Canucks
AHL: Abbotsford Canucks
ECHL: Kalamazoo Wings
Vegas Golden Knights
AHL: Henderson Silver Knights
ECHL: Tahoe Knight Monsters
Washington Capitals
AHL: Hershey Bears
ECHL: South Carolina Stingrays
Winnipeg Jets
AHL: Manitoba Moose
ECHL: Norfolk Admirals
Players With NHL Experience On AHL Contracts For 2024-25
During the summer, AHL contracts often take a backseat to one-way and two-way NHL contracts in terms of news coverage. But they’re a valuable outlet for NHL clubs to keep veterans with solid leadership experience in the organization without using one of their 50 contract slots.
As such, many teams will retain UFAs coming off two-way deals by having their AHL affiliate ink them to a contract for the upcoming season. Those squeezed out of NHL roles may also look to land a minor-league deal to showcase their performance without binding themselves to an NHL contract, allowing them to keep their options open and sign anywhere as a free agent.
The following is a look at which players with NHL experience will be suiting up in the minors next season as technical UFAs. They are still free to sign with any NHL club should an offer present itself. But they’ll still play in an NHL organization alongside teams’ top prospects slated for AHL action in the fall.
This page will be updated as additional players are signed or released. It can be found at any time under the “Pro Hockey Rumors Features” right-hand sidebar on desktop and the Flame menu on mobile.
Updated 8/15/24
Anaheim Ducks (San Diego Gulls)
F Ryan Carpenter
D Dillon Heatherington
D Roland McKeown
Buffalo Sabres (Rochester Americans)
Carolina Hurricanes (Chicago Wolves)
Chicago Blackhawks (Rockford IceHogs)
F Jackson Cates
D Austin Strand
Colorado Avalanche (Colorado Eagles)
Columbus Blue Jackets (Cleveland Monsters)
Dallas Stars (Texas Stars)
Edmonton Oilers (Bakersfield Condors)
Florida Panthers (Charlotte Checkers)
F Kyle Criscuolo
F John Leonard
F Aidan McDonough
D Trevor Carrick
G Kenneth Appleby
Los Angeles Kings (Ontario Reign)
Montreal Canadiens (Laval Rocket)
F Laurent Dauphin
D Zack Hayes
D Joshua Jacobs
D Tyler Wotherspoon
Nashville Predators (Milwaukee Admirals)
New Jersey Devils (Utica Comets)
F Justin Dowling
F Joseph Gambardella
New York Islanders (Bridgeport Islanders)
Philadelphia Flyers (Lehigh Valley Phantoms)
F Cooper Marody
F Garrett Wilson
Pittsburgh Penguins (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins)
San Jose Sharks (San Jose Barracuda)
St. Louis Blues (Springfield Thunderbirds)
F Matthew Peca
D Scott Harrington
Tampa Bay Lightning (Syracuse Crunch)
F Gabriel Dumont
F Daniel Walcott
Toronto Maple Leafs (Toronto Marlies)
F Kyle Clifford
F Alexander Nylander
F Logan Shaw
Utah Hockey Club (Tucson Roadrunners)
F Hunter Drew
F Austin Poganski
D Robbie Russo
G Dylan Wells
Vancouver Canucks (Abbotsford Canucks)
Vegas Golden Knights (Henderson Silver Knights)
Washington Capitals (Hershey Bears)
F Mike Vecchione
D Brad Hunt
D Aaron Ness
Winnipeg Jets (Manitoba Moose)
Information from Elite Prospects was used in the creation of this article.
Five Key Stories: 8/5/24 – 8/11/24
With training camps a little more than a month away, activity around the hockey world has slowed down considerably in recent weeks. Nevertheless, there was some news of note over the past seven days which is recapped in our key stories.
Helenius To Play In North America: On draft day, Konsta Helenius slipped to the Sabres at 14th overall despite being ranked as a top-ten prospect by several publications. Often, a European player picked in the middle of the first round will stay overseas for a couple of years but that’s not the case for Helenius as his club team in Tappara revealed that the youngster is expected to play in North America this coming season. Since he wasn’t drafted out of the CHL, Helenius is eligible to play with AHL Rochester in 2024-25 but after an impressive season in the Finnish Liiga that saw him record 36 points in 51 games, it’s possible that he makes a case to spend at least a few games in Buffalo as well.
Klefbom Confirms Retirement: Any hope of a late-career comeback for Oscar Klefbom has come to an end as the blueliner confirmed that he has retired. The 31-year-old was a key part of Edmonton’s back end for most of his career, averaging more than 21 minutes a night over his last six seasons. However, a shoulder injury that he played through eventually proved to be too much as he last played in the 2019-20 campaign, spending the final three years of his contract on LTIR before becoming a free agent last summer. Klefbom has indicated that he’d like to stay involved in some capacity but it remains to be seen if that will be with an NHL team or in his native Sweden.
Avs Add Another Blueliner: Colorado has been active in adding depth defenders this summer, bringing in Erik Brannstrom and Calvin de Haan early in free agency. They added another rearguard this past week, signing Oliver Kylington to a one-year, $1.05MM deal. The 27-year-old returned to Calgary in January after missing a year and a half for mental health reasons. While his numbers in the second half weren’t overly impressive (eight points in 33 games), his last full season in 2021-22 was a breakout showing for Kylington when he put up 31 points in 73 appearances while logging over 18 minutes a night. If he can come even close to those numbers with the Avalanche, they’ll get strong value on this contract.
Coaching Changes In Columbus: In an offseason that has seen the Blue Jackets take their time with off-ice moves, they rounded out their coaching staff under new bench boss Dean Evason. The team parted ways with assistant coach Mark Recchi and development coach Derek Dorsett (who could eventually return in another capacity); assistant Josef Boumedienne had previously been let go as well. Taking their place on the coaching staff will be new assistant coaches Scott Ford and Mike Haviland. This will be Ford’s first coaching job at the AHL level after spending the last eight seasons with AHL Milwaukee. Haviland, meanwhile, has four years of NHL experience as an assistant with Chicago and spent the last two years as an associate coach with their AHL affiliate in Cleveland.
Sillinger Nearing A Contract: Still with the Blue Jackets, they only have one remaining restricted free agent to re-sign, forward Cole Sillinger. It appears he won’t be unsigned for much longer as the two sides are believed to be close to getting an agreement on a new deal in place. It’s expected that the contract, when finalized, will be for two years. The 21-year-old was the 12th overall pick by Columbus in 2021 and turned pro right after, spending the bulk of his entry-level deal at the NHL level where he has 74 points in 220 games. With the limited production, a long-term agreement doesn’t make sense for either side so it appears he’ll get a couple of years to try to boost his value before gaining arbitration eligibility next time out.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.