Chris Stewart Signs With Wild
After another disappointing season from Chris Stewart, he hit the free agency market with something to prove. According to Bob McKenzie of TSN, he’s signed on to try and make that mark with the Minnesota Wild. The former 28-goal scorer will earn $2.3MM over the next two years for a cap hit of $1.15MM.
Last year, Stewart suited up in 56 games with the Ducks, collecting eight goals and 12 assists. His 20 points is quite a bit lower than the 36 points he put up the year before. He also played in seven postseason games, picking a goal and two assists but averaged just 9:33 per game.
The well-travelled Stewart is just 28 years of age but has already played for St. Louis, Colorado, Buffalo, Anaheim, and Minnesota. He has a total of 519 NHL games under his belt, scoring 137 goals and 147 assists. He will likely play in a third line role with the Wild.
Devils Sign Ben Lovejoy
The New Jersey Devils have signed Stanley Cup champion Ben Lovejoy, reports Sportsnet’s John Shannon. GM Ray Shero, formerly of the Penguins, signs the former Pittsburgh defenseman to a three-year deal with a cap hit of $2.67MM. Lovejoy will be counted on to log some minutes to help replace the recently-traded Adam Larsson.
Lovejoy played a depth role with Pittsburgh last year, making it a bit surprising that he was able to land a three year deal at more than double the $1.2M salary he earned in 2015-16. He suited up in 66 games with the Penguins, scoring four goals and six assists while playing 18:52 per game. He also played in 24 playoff games for the Cup champions, adding two goals and four helpers while averaging 17:46 per night.
In his eight year career (with Anaheim and Pittsburgh), Lovejoy, 32, has played in 334 games, collecting 15 goals and 62 assists.
Blues Sign Allen To Four-Year Extension
According to the team, the St. Louis Blues have signed starting goaltender Jake Allen to a four-year extension worth a total of $17.4MM. This comes after the team dealt Brian Elliott to Calgary last week, clearing the way for Allen to become their undisputed number one netminder. He will join Carter Hutton, who signed with the Blues earlier today, as their goalie tandem.
Last season, Allen played in 47 games with St. Louis, compiling a 26-15-3 record with a 2.35 GAA, .920 SV%, and six shutouts. Those 47 games are a career high, something that will likely change this year as he should see much more of the workload with Elliott gone. He also got into four postseason contests (Elliott was the starter for most of their playoff run), going 2-1-1 with a 2.49 GAA and a .897 SV%.
In his NHL career – all spent with the Blues – the soon-to-be 26 year old has a 57-26-7 record in 99 games with a 2.34 GAA and a .915 SV%.
Flames Sign Chad Johnson
The Calgary Flames have their new goalie duo, as they have signed Chad Johnson to be a reliable backup for the newly acquired Brian Elliott. Sportsnet’s John Shannon reports that it is a one-year deal.
Johnson had one of the best years of his career with the Sabres in 2015-16. He suited up in a career high 45 games (thanks to an injury to Robin Lehner), posting a 22-16-4 record with a 2.36 GAA and a .920 SV%, both impressive numbers for a non-playoff team.
Johnson is becoming a bit of a hockey nomad as this will be his fifth different team in as many seasons.
He has played in parts of six NHL seasons (101 games) with the Rangers, Coyotes, Bruins, Islanders, and Sabres, collecting a 50-30-11 record with a 2.39 GAA and a .917 SV%.
New York Islanders Sign Jason Chimera
According to a report from Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, free agent winger Jason Chimera has signed on with the New York Islanders for two seasons at an annual salary of $2.25MM.
Chimera had a bounce back season with Washington in 2015-16. In 82 games, the speedy winger had 20 goals and 20 assists. He was a bit quieter in the playoffs, tallying just a goal and an assist in 12 postseason contests.
The fact that Chimera got a multi-year deal is interesting as he’s subject to the 35+ rule that means that if Chimera were to retire following 2016-17, the Islanders would still be responsible for his full cap hit.
In his 15 years, Chimera has played in a total of 951 games with Edmonton, Columbus, and Washington. He has 163 goals and 206 assists for his career.
Blues Sign Carter Hutton
Elliotte Friedman reports that the St. Louis Blues have signed former Nashville Predators backup Carter Hutton to a two-year deal with a cap hit of $1.125MM. He will replace the recently-traded Brian Elliott in their goalie tandem, joining Jake Allen, who signed an extension earlier today.
Hutton suited up as the backup for the Preds last season behind incumbent Pekka Rinne. He posted a 7-5-4 record with a 2.33 GAA and a .918 SV%, both career bests. He also picked up two shutouts. Hutton also got into three postseason contests in relief, posting a 3.00 GAA and a .667 SV%.
In his four year NHL career split between Chicago and Nashville, he has played in 76 games, collecting a 33-24-12 record with a 2.56 GAA and a .910 SV% with four shutouts.
Kings Ink Tom Gilbert For One Year
According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, the Los Angeles Kings have signed free agent defenseman Tom Gilbert to a one-year deal worth $1.4MM. The deal represents a 50% pay cut from the $2.8MM he earned last year.
Gilbert spent last season with Montreal where he scored just two points in 45 games while averaging 16:52 per game, down nearly three minutes from 2014-15. He was a healthy scratch at times before suffering a season-ending knee injury just prior to the trade deadline.
In his career, Gilbert has played in 637 games between Edmonton, Minnesota, Florida, and Montreal, collecting 44 goals and 174 assists. He’ll serve as a third pairing blueliner for the Kings.
Bruins Re-Sign Liles
The Boston Bruins will bring back trade deadline acquisition John-Michael Liles on a one year, $2MM deal, reports Elliotte Friedman. A spot on their back end moving forward was opened up yesterday with the buyout of Dennis Seidenberg.
The right-shot defenseman had six points in 17 games with the Bruins after coming over from the Carolina Hurricanes last season. He also added 15 points (6-9-15) in 64 games with the ‘Canes prior to the deal.
The 35 year old has played in 12 NHL campaigns with Colorado, Carolina, Toronto, and Boston. He has 800 games under his belt, scoring 87 goals and 278 assists.
Minnesota Wild Sign Eric Staal
After a disappointing season and an early playoff exit, Eric Staal was on the market for the first time in his career. According to TSN’s Bob McKenzie, the former 100-point man has signed on in Minnesota for three seasons, at $3.5MM per year.
2015-16 was arguably the worst season of Staal’s career. He played in 83 games split between Carolina and the New York Rangers, he had 13 goals and 26 assists. That marked his lowest point total since his rookie season back in 2003-04. His postseason performance wasn’t any better as he was held pointless in five games.
Nonetheless, the Wild believe Staal could represent a solid second line forward to help replace the recently bought out Thomas Vanek.
In his career, the 31 year old Staal has played in 929 games between the Hurricanes and Rangers, scoring 325 goals and adding 456 assists.
Troy Brouwer Signs With Calgary
After another strong playoff performance with the St. Louis Blues, free agent forward Troy Brouwer has signed with the Calgary Flames, according to Bob McKenzie of TSN. Pierre LeBrun of ESPN tells us the big forward will earn $4.5MM per season, for the next four years. He should slide in as a second line winger with Calgary.
Last season, Brouwer played with St. Louis, scoring 18 goals and 21 assists in 82 games. Durability has been a strong point for him over the years as he has missed just one game in the past five years. Brouwer also was a key cog in the Blues’ postseason run, collecting eight goals and five helpers in their 20 postseason contests.
Brouwer has played in ten NHL seasons, split between Chicago, Washington, and St. Louis. In that time, he has suited up in 613 games, scoring 150 goals while adding 144 assists.