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Archives for July 2016

Minor Transactions: 07/22/16

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Here is where we will keep track of all the day’s minor transactions:

  • The Chicago Wolves of the AHL have brought back the second-leading goal scorer in team history, as Brett Sterling returns from Europe to re-join his old club. The 32-year old former fifth-round pick of the Atlanta Thrashers once scored 55 goals in a single season for the Wolves, and has 225 in his AHL career.
  • 39-year old Eric Boulton has re-signed with the New York Islanders on a one-year, two-way deal.  The long-time enforcer has played 654 games at the NHL level and has racked up 142 fighting majors during that time.  He’ll provide a measure of protection and leadership for the young players for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the AHL.
  • After struggling to find consistent NHL playing time last season, Andre Benoit has decided to take his talents elsewhere. The veteran of 181 NHL games has signed with the Malmo Redhawks of the Swedish Elite League. Benoit played his best season in 2013-14, when he recorded 28 points in 79 games for the Colorado Avalanche.

New York Rangers Re-Sign Kevin Hayes

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After signing Chris Kreider this morning to a four-year extension, the New York Rangers have come to terms with fellow restricted free agent Kevin Hayes, according to NHL analyst Aaron Ward. According to Ward’s source, the deal is for two seasons, at $2.6MM per.

After being selected in the first round of the 2010 Entry Draft, Hayes spent four years at Boston College in the NCAA, after which he became a free agent and chose to sign with the Rangers. In the two seasons since his transition from college, Hayes has put up solid scoring numbers, tallying 45 and 36 points, while playing in 79 games each season.

His deal represents the third time this summer the team has been able to lock up one of their young forwards, following Kreider and J.T. Miller in inking multi-year deals. Hayes, still just 24, will have a chance to move back up the depth chart in New York as Eric Staal and Viktor Stalberg both signed elsewhere.

After acquiring Mika Zibanejad the other day, the team has continued it’s push to get younger up front, and now has five 25-or-younger players expected to start the season with the club up front.

As General Fanager adds, since the Rangers have settled all four of their arbitration filings already, the team will now have a 48 hour bonus buyout window. For the updated depth charts, be sure to check out the Rangers’ Roster Resource page.

Maple Leafs Re-Sign Connor Carrick

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According to a team release, the Maple Leafs have signed restricted free agent defenseman Connor Carrick to a two-year deal. Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star tells us that the deal is one-way, worth $650K in year one, and $850K in 2017-18. Carrick came to the Leafs last season in a mid-season trade that included Daniel Winnik and Brooks Laich, and made his presence felt in the AHL playoffs leading the Toronto Marlies (and entire league) with 18 points in 15 postseason contests.

The former fifth-round pick has a lot of offensive potential, but is slightly undersized at 5’10”.  While his defensive game still needs work, he could provide a strong right-handed option for the Maple Leafs this season, who will be relying on untested rookie Nikita Zaitzev and tough journeyman Roman Polak to work from that side of the ice.

Still just 22-years old, Carrick has plenty of time to realize his potential as a second-pairing defenseman and should see time in both the NHL and AHL this season.  If he can establish himself as a capable option on the Maple Leafs second powerplay unit, he could translate that AHL scoring prowess into success with the big club.

After signing Carrick and placing Peter Holland on waivers earlier today, the Maple Leafs now have two restricted free agents left in limbo; both Frank Corrado and Martin Marincin are awaiting their arbitration dates (July 26th and August 2nd, respectively) without contracts as of yet.

Snapshots: Versteeg, Senators, Red Wings

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Darren Dreger tweets that unrestricted free agent Kris Versteeg may be leaving the NHL for the Swiss League. Versteeg is rumored to be heading to Bern and it could happen sometime this weekend. PHR listed Versteeg at #25 out of the top 50 free agents.  Last season, Versteeg had 33 points (11-22) in 63 games with Carolina. While with Los Angeles after a late February trade, he had 5 points (4-1) in 14 games. In the playoffs, Versteeg registered 2 points (1-1) in five games.

In other news:

  • NHL.com featured the Ottawa Senators as a team to watch in the Eastern Conference. Arpon Basu writes that with new coach Guy Boucher in the fold, the Sens look to return to the playoffs after missing out last season. Boucher’s first order, Basu writes, is to improve a team that hemorrhaged goals. Despite a younger team, general manager Pierre Dorion feels the Sens are poised to take the next step. Dorion recently added Derick Brassard in a trade with New York and believes that the Senators are “going to surprise some people.”
  • MLive’s Brendan Savage writes about recently acquired forward Dylan Sadowy, and his ascent through the OHL. Sadowy was acquired by the Red Wings from the Sharks for a 2017 third round draft pick after the Sharks realized they were not going to come to terms with Sadowy. The young forward turned some heads in prospect camp when he notched a hat trick during a scrimmage. But it’s the impressive numbers he put up as a member of the Barrie Colts and Saginaw Spirit that caught the Wings attention. Between both teams last season, Sadowy recorded 70 points (45-25) in 64 games.  Despite the scoring prowess, Sadowy indicates that he wants to be a two-way player. While a number of forwards are in his way,  Savage writes that Sadowy still intends to do whatever it takes to make the Red Wings roster. Even though it would be a tall order with a number of forwards already penciled in, Sadowy will work hard to make his NHL dream a reality.

Maple Leafs Waive Peter Holland

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Elliotte Friedman tweets that the Toronto Maple Leafs have waived forward Peter Holland. He is set for an arbitration hearing next Monday July 25.  James Mirtle posted a number of different tweets regarding the Leafs’ reason for making the move.  Mirtle does not believe Holland will return to the Leafs and believes he will be claimed or moved following the hearing.

Last season, Holland had 27 points (9-18) in 65 games. A season prior, he registered 25 points (11-14) in 62 games.

Holland becomes the second player waived prior to an arbitration hearing. On Tuesday,  Jordan Schroeder was waived by the Minnesota Wild.

Evander Kane Charged With Misdemeanor Trespassing

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The Buffalo News reports that Sabres forward Evander Kane has voluntarily turned himself in to the authorities in Buffalo. Several other sources have confirmed the news as well. The News writes that Kane will face one misdemeanor count of criminal trespass and up to four counts of non-criminal harassment.

Kane’s lawyer told the News that Kane maintains his innocence, and plans to fight the charges.

The News reports that Kane turned himself in at around 11am. The charges stem from an incident in a bar this past June where Kane purportedly placed his hands on a bouncer and three different women during an early morning incident.

Two incidence reports were filed. Kane allegedly tried to engage in a physical confrontation with the bouncer and then reportedly became combative with two different women both inside and outside the bar. The News reports that authorities declined to comment when asked about Kane being intoxicated.

The Buffalo Police Department have released a statement indicating the charges.

Weeks ago, ESPN reported that Sabres general manager Tim Murray was displeased with the latest round of legal issues surrounding the 24-year-old forward.  The story was written prior to the charges being filed. Darren Dreger tweets that while the NHL is monitoring the situation, they are not expected to take any disciplinary action at this time. They will, however, recommend him for behavioral health professionals for counseling if necessary.

Mike Harrington tweets that Kane will not be going anywhere. He reiterates that the charges stem from the incident on June 24th, and that nothing new was added. Harrington also bristles at the thought of Buffalo dealing Kane to another team.

The Sabres have issued a statement regarding Kane’s arrest: “We are aware of the charges against Evander Kane stemming from an incident last month. Our organization will have no further comment at this time.”  Obviously, the team will collect all pertinent information before responding to the situation.

Canadiens Sign Bobby Farnham

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The Montreal Canadiens signed forward Bobby Farnham to a one-year, two-way contract. Financial details were not released.  The deal is worth the league minimum $575K at the NHL level, reports General Fanager.  He’ll earn $300K in the AHL while the total guarantee in the contract is $350K.

The 27-year-old forward spent time with both Pittsburgh and New Jersey last season. In 50 games with New Jersey, Farnham registered 10 points (8-2). He appeared in three games with the Penguins before being waived in October.

Montreal Depth Chart

Rangers Re-Sign Chris Kreider To Four-Year Deal

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The New York Post reports that the New York Rangers have re-signed restricted free agent Chris Kreider to a four-year, $18.5MM deal.  The contract has an annual hit of $4.625MM. According to the report, it also buys out two years of his unrestricted free agency. Rangers beat writer Larry Brooks tweets that Kreider insisted on a four-year deal instead of five. Brooks also reports that it lowered the financial side of the deal, saving some cap room for New York.

The Rangers and Kreider agreed to the deal prior to the scheduled arbitration meeting at 9AM. Last season, Kreider had 43 points (21-22) in 79 games. In five playoff games, he had two goals.

The signing ensures another young forward strengthening the Rangers’ future writes James O’Brien. O’Brien notes that only Rick Nash (32) and Tanner Glass (32) are above age 30, while the younger core of Kreider, Derek Stepan, newly acquired Mika Zibanejad, Kevin Hayes, Mats Zuccarello, and J.T. Miller are all under 28. Only Zuccarello and Stepan are over 25.

Arbitration Tracker

New York Rangers Depth Chart

Arbitration Tracker

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Ten days ago, the NHLPA released the schedule for player and team-elected arbitration hearings. Since then, four hearing dates have come and gone with no hearings, with eight players agreeing to contracts to avoid the unpleasant process.

Here’s an updated list of all 24 players who were scheduled for an arbitration hearing:

Player Elected Filings:

Arizona Coyotes
Michael Stone – Stone and the tough-negotiating Coyotes have a hearing set for August 4.

Colorado Avalanche
Tyson Barrie – Hearing set for July 29. Barrie has been the subject of near-constant trade rumors this summer.
Mikhail Grigorenko – Agreed to a one-year, $1.3MM contract on July 20, just two days before the scheduled hearing.

Detroit Red Wings
Jared Coreau – Agreed to a two-year, $1.25MM contract on July 6, well before any hearings were scheduled.
Danny DeKeyser – Signed a six-year deal on July 26th, locking him up long-term for the Red Wings.

Minnesota Wild
Jordan Schroeder – The Wild signed Schroeder to a one-year, two-way deal on July 23rd worth $675K in the NHL and $275K in the AHL.

Nashville Predators
Petter Granberg – Signed a two-year, two-way deal worth $575K / $175K (300K guaranteed) in the first year, and $650K / $175K in the second.
Calle Jarnkrok – Signed a six-year, $12MM deal July 27th.

New York Rangers
Kevin Hayes – Signed a two-year, $5.2MM deal Friday afternoon, hours after Kreider.
Chris Kreider – The Rangers and Kreider agreed to a four-year, $18.5MM contract Friday morning, beating the scheduled 9am arbitration meeting.
Dylan McIlrath – The massive defender signed a one-year, $800k contract last week, beating his hearing by a week.
J.T. Miller – World Cup-bound Miller and the Rangers settled on a two-year, $2.75MM contract on July 13.

Ottawa Senators
Mike Hoffman – After a long negotiation, the Senators and Hoffman agreed to a four-year, $20.75MM deal on July 27th.

Philadelphia Flyers
Brandon Manning – Manning got an unexpected second year in his two-year, $1.95MM deal he signed on July 26th.
Brayden Schenn – Schenn and the Flyers agreed to a four-year deal worth $5.125MM AAV.
Jordan Weal – Acquired by the Flyers in the Vincent Lecavalier trade, Weal signed a one-year, two-way, $650K contract the day the arbitration schedule was released.

St. Louis Blues
Jaden Schwartz – The Blues signed their young star to a five-year, $5.5MM contract last week.

Tampa Bay Lightning
Alex Killorn – The clutch playoff performer signed a long-term extension over the weekend, agreeing to $4.45MM per year for seven seasons.
Vladislav Namestnikov – World Cup-bound forward signed a two-year deal worth $1.9375MM on July 26th, three days before arbitration hearing.

Toronto Maple Leafs
Frank Corrado – Toronto signed Corrado to a one-year, one-way deal worth $600K on July 25.
Peter Holland – Holland signed a one-year deal worth $1.3MM on July 25.
Martin Marincin – The promising young shut-down defenseman is scheduled for arbitration on August 2.

Washington Capitals
Marcus Johansson – Johansson agreed to a three-year, $4.58MM contract just minutes before his hearing was set to begin.

CLUB ELECTED FILINGS:

Detroit Red Wings
Petr Mrazek – Just before his hearing on July 27th, Mrazek and the Red Wings inked a two-year, $8MM deal. With Jimmy Howard still earning $5.3MM for next season, the duo is one of the more expensive in the league.

We’ve previously explained the arbitration process as part of our Capology 101 series. Check out our Mike Furlano’s articles on eligibility and the arbitration process.

Snapshots: Brayden Schenn, O’Byrne, Giroux, Shattenkirk, The Players’ Tribune

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Greg Paone of CSNPhilly writes today that a shorter term deal could be beneficial to both the Philadelphia Flyers and forward Brayden Schenn, as they look to avoid an arbitration battle. Paone argues that Schenn’s first five years as a Flyer have been marked by inconsistency, and the Flyers may not be ready to bet on him just yet. On the other hand, Schenn, coming off the best year of his career, could get a bigger deal later on, by betting on himself and going out and producing the same kind of totals he did this year. It may be worth noting that Brayden Schenn’s career points and goals per game numbers are just shy of those put up by Leafs’ forward Nazem Kadri, taken two pick after him in the 2009 entry draft, and who signed a six-year contract jut after the season, with a $4.5MM average annual value.

More news and links from around the NHL:

  • Former Canadiens, Avalanche, and Maple Leafs’ defenseman Ryan O’Byrne has announced his retirement from professional hockey. O’Byrne, who is perhaps most famous for an odd arrest involving a woman’s purse, last played in the NHL in 2013, during the Maple Leafs’ infamous series with the Boston Bruins. O’Byrne played this past season for HV71 of the Swedish league.
  • Joey Alfieri of NBC Pro Hockey Talk reports good news for Flyers fans. Claude Giroux skated today, a week sooner than he was expected to. Giroux, who had been expected to miss 10-12 weeks following hip surgery, scored 22 goals, 67 points in 78 games of what is actually a bit of a down year, given his normal production. That said, he was likely playing hurt for a portion of that, and was still selected to represent Canada at the World Cup of Hockey.
  • Andy Graziano, an Islanders columnist for SNY in New York, notes NHL.com’s Brian Compton’s assertion that the Rangers aren’t done, and reports that talks for Blues’ defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk are “heating back up.” Shattenkirk has been tied to the Rangers repeatedly this summer, and the recent Derick Brassard trade managed to clear some cap room.
  • Speaking of the Rangers, former Ranger Brian Leetch and current Ranger Dominic Moore took the The Players’ Tribune today. Moore wrote in advance of his annual charity ping pong tournament to benefit research for concussions, brain injuries, and ran cancers, and Leetch discussed the assortment of legends he got to play with in his time in New York.
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