Mikkel Boedker Signs With San Jose
According to ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun, the San Jose Sharks have signed free agent forward Mikkel Boedker to a four-year, $16MM deal. The 26-year old was one of the youngest free agents available this season, and represented a chance to sign a top-six player through his prime seasons.
Boedker has always been regarded as one of the fastest players in the league, and the Sharks realized they were lacking in that area when they were out-skated handily in the Stanley Cup finals by the team speed of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Now, with the addition of Boedker and the re-signing of Tomas Hertl, the Sharks have locked up two speedsters to play on the top two lines for the immediate future.
San Jose is looking ahead to 2017, when long-time superstars Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau are both set to hit free agency. Boedker’s age lines up well with captain Joe Pavelski and Logan Couture to keep the Sharks relevant through 2020. With a solid, deep defense corps – that added underrated David Schlemko earlier today – they’ll be able to continue their regular season dominance for at least another few seasons.
Los Angeles Kings Sign Teddy Purcell
According to Pierre LeBrun of ESPN, the Los Angeles Kings have signed free agent forward Teddy Purcell. Purcell spent last season split between Edmonton and Florida, scoring 14 goals and 43 points. Elliotte Friedman adds that the deal is worth $1.6MM for just the 2016-17 season.
With the Kings coming off their first round exit at the hands of the San Jose Sharks, they are looking to add some scoring punch to their top-9, and have found it in Purcell. While he has never been able to replicate the 24 goal, 65 point season he put up in 2011-12, Purcell has been a consistent offensive performer throughout his whole career including putting up 43 points last season.
With Dustin Brown becoming an anchor for the Kings, and not contributing anything offensively the team had to go after inexpensive options to upgrade their forward group. At just $1.6 million Purcell provides a solid risk-reward proposition for a team looking to get back to the playoffs this season.
Detroit Red Wings Sign Steve Ott
After signing Thomas Vanek and Frans Nielsen, the Red Wings have dipped back into the free agent forward market and signed veteran Steve Ott, according to Craig Custance of ESPN. Pierre LeBrun adds that he’ll earn $800K on the one-year deal.
Formerly a highly sought after two-way forward, Ott is coming off an injury plagued season that saw him play just 21 games for the St. Louis Blues. Soon to turn 34, the long-time Dallas Star will try to provide some leadership and responsibility to the fourth line of the Red Wings.
After signing defensive liability Thomas Vanek earlier today, Ott should add some consistency in their own end and perhaps see some time on the Detroit penalty kill. At just $800K, he’ll try to rebuild his value for one more multi-year contract after 2016-17. If he can reclaim some of the offensive ability he showed when he scored 22 goals in 2009-10, he’ll again be a wanted man when summer rolls around.
Red Wings Sign Thomas Vanek To One-Year Deal
Per Darren Dreger, the Detroit Red Wings signed forward Thomas Vanek to a one-year, $2.6MM deal.
Vanek was recently bought out by the Minnesota Wild. The 32-year-old winger never lived up to his $6.5MM AAV deal in Minnesota and was expected to get a shorter, cheaper deal. Red Wings general manager Ken Holland needed scoring help, and Vanek could be a bargain if he returns to the form that paid him handsomely.
Last season, Vanek had 41 points (18-23) in 74 games and is still a threat in the offensive zone. While his defense has continued to decline, perhaps Red Wings’ coach Jeff Blashill can guard him enough to maximize his scoring ability while minimizing his defensive impact.
Expect some movement out of Detroit over the next few months, as after the signings of Vanek, Frans Nielsen and Steve Ott they now have 17 forwards expected to compete for for NHL playing time.
Maple Leafs Sign Matt Martin To Four-Year Deal
According to Bob McKenzie of TSN, the Toronto Maple Leafs have made their first signing of free agency, inking forward Matt Martin to a four-year deal worth $10MM. After losing out on the chance to sign Markham native Steven Stamkos, the Leafs went after his former Sarnia Sting linemate in Martin – the two played together in 2007-08.
Martin was apparently a hot commodity this season despite never scoring 20 points in a single season. While he doesn’t offer much in the offensive end, he does carry his own in his own end and plays with an extremely physical style. Martin has recorded over 350 hits in three straight seasons, leading the league each time.
With Toronto expected to have a number of young players in the lineup next season, including 5’11” (if that) 164 pound (soaking wet) London Knight uber-prospect Mitch Marner, Martin will be expected to keep the peace on the ice and ensure those players can use their skill and speed to play in the offensive end.
While this seems somewhat backwards in today’s NHL, Martin isn’t a lumbering enforcer and can keep up with the play even with his 6’3″ frame. While he probably won’t play much more than the 11 minutes a night he received in New York, he’ll be a welcome addition to the Maple Leafs as they continue to rebuild.
Avalanche Sign Fedor Tyutin To One-Year Deal
Bob McKenzie tweets that defenseman Fedor Tyutin has signed a one-year, $2MM with the Colorado Avalanche. Mike Chambers confirmed the deal on Twitter.
Tyutin was recently bought out by the Columbus Blue Jackets. The 32-year-old was acquired by the Jackets from the Rangers in 2008 and is second all time in career games played with Columbus. In 2015-16, Tyutin had 3 points (1-2), a significant fall off from the 15 points (3-12) he registered a season prior. Until 2014-15, Tyutin was a solid contributor, registering 20+ points per season dating back to 2007-08.
While Tyutin was once considered a top-four defensemen, he’s seen his ability decline in recent years as he was passed over by younger blueliners in Columbus. With the possibility still remaining that Tyson Barrie will be moved out of town, Tyutin might be relied on heavily next season. Francois Beauchemin, one of the team’s best performers from last season, will be 36 when the season begins and cannot continue his strong play forever.
The small $2MM hit is a clear salary cut from Tyutin’s last contract (six years, $27MM), but he’ll be payed just over $1.45MM per season by Columbus until 2020. Not a bad combination for a player who was drafted 15 years ago.
Colorado Signs Joe Colborne To Two-Year Deal
After not receiving a qualifying offer from the Calgary Flames last week, free agent center Joe Colborne has signed with the Colorado Avalanche, according to Sportsnet’s Darren Dreger. The 19-goal scorer will earn $2.5MM per season for the next two.
With recent rumors swirling about the possibility of Colorado trading Matt Duchene, the Avalanche has added another young forward coming off a tremendous season. After scoring 28 points in his first two full NHL seasons, Colborne exploded for 19 goals and 44 points in just 73 games the past season. While many point to his extremely high shooting percentage, Colborne generally was given solid scouting reports on his play and is expected to be able to go forward as a solid number three center.
The two-year deal doesn’t mean much risk for Colorado, and the $2.5MM won’t break the bank for a team that may not spend up to the cap this season. If Colborne can repeat his 2015-16 performance, he’ll be an exceptional bargain in a market that has already given out $600MM on day one of free agency.
Lightning Extend Andrei Vasilevskiy
After re-signing both Steven Stamkos and Victor Hedman to eight year extensions, the Tampa Bay Lightning have turned their attention to goal, re-upping Andrei Vasilevskiy for another three seasons, according to Chris Johnston of Sportsnet. Vasilevskiy was still under contract for 2016-17, so the extension comes into effect after next season at $3.5MM per.
After being drafted in the first round in 2012, Vasilevskiy has continued his dominance of the KHL, AHL and now NHL, succeeding at every level. Though the Lightning have former star goaltender Ben Bishop still under contract for next season, it would appear as though Vasilevskiy has taken over as the number one guy after performing well in the playoffs.
Since his extension doesn’t come into effect until after next season, the $5.95MM that is owed to Bishop isn’t completely handcuffing. The Lightning will still be paying less than $7MM total next season for what would be one of the best duos in the league.
Vasilevskiy, still only 21-years old, played 24 games last season with a .910 save percentage, but really made his mark in the playoffs where he increased that mark to .925. Even if he falters next season with a bigger workload, he looks like one of the best young goaltenders in the league, and is now under contract for a very reasonable cap hit.
Hurricanes Sign Lee Stempniak
Veteran winger Lee Stempniak has agreed to terms on a two-year, $5MM deal with the Carolina Hurricanes, the team confirmed. Stempniak is joining his tenth team of his NHL career, and the fifth in just the last two years.
After trading long-time captain Eric Staal last season, the team needed some veteran consistency and leadership, both things that Stempniak can provide. Now 33 years old, the former fifth-round pick has proven he can be a legitimate scoring presence in any role, putting up double-digit goal totals in every year of his career save the lockout-shortened 2012-13 (in which he scored nine).
Last season saw a return to a level he hadn’t seen in years though, with Stempniak putting up 51 points for New Jersey and Boston. The Hurricanes will look to slot those points in alongside their young group up front that includes newly acquired Teuvo Teravainen. Stempniak has the skill and speed to play anywhere in the top-9 in today’s NHL, and has been a solid contributor on the penalty kill in the past.
New York Rangers Sign Michael Grabner, Nathan Gerbe
According to the team, the New York Rangers have agreed to terms with free agent forward Michael Grabner. Elliotte Friedman reports that the deal is worth $1.65MM per season for the former Islander and Maple Leaf.
The team has also announced that they’ve signed Nathan Gerbe, after playing last season in Carolina. Darren Dreger gives us the breakdown: it’s a one-year deal worth $600K.
Grabner, 28, played last season with Toronto after coming over in a trade last summer. Often suiting up on the top-line alongside Nazem Kadri, the former 30-goal man continued to prove that his offensive days are behind him. Only scoring nine goals and 18 points, his biggest contribution was on the penalty kill, where his speed and agility still offer big upside.
In New York, he won’t be asked for much more than that, slotting into the bottom six behind a crop of young forwards. Mats Zuccarello, and Jesper Fast project to skate on the right side of the top two lines, but Grabner will provide at least some depth at the position if J.T. Miller continues to be deployed down the middle.
Gerbe, one of the smallest players to ever play in the NHL at 5’5″, returns to the state he made his debut in. After being drafted by the Sabres in 2005, Gerbe put up 16 goals and 31 points in his first full season with the club. While he didn’t have a very productive 2015-16, he still adds a lot of energy and speed to the bottom six.