Okposo Signs For Seven Years With Sabres
As reported by Arthur Staple, another talked-about deal has been confirmed, as Kyle Okposo signs a seven-year, $42MM deal with the Buffalo Sabres. The high-scoring winger stays in-state, but not in-division, moving from the Islanders in Brooklyn to the Sabres upstate.
Okposo has quietly blossomed into one of the NHL’s top scoring right wingers in recent years. Last season, he picked up 22 goals and 42 assists, good for sixth in points among NHL RW’s. That was enough to earn him the #2 ranking on PHR’s Top 50 free agents list. He spent a lot of his time alongside John Tavares and while some believe that doing so led to a lot of his points but Okposo has enough of a proven track record to show he’s a legitimate top liner in his own right.
Over the last three seasons, Okposo has averaged 22 goals and 39 assists. One area of concern is that over that span, he has missed 34 games due to various injuries and has a bit of a reputation for being an injury prone player. Still, at just 28 years of age and the fact he isn’t an overly physical player, there shouldn’t be much worry that his body will break down any time soon. Okposo should slot in as the top right winger for the Sabres next season and for several years to come.
David Backes Signs Five-Year Deal With Bruins
According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, David Backes has signed on with the Boston Bruins for five years. The free agent center will earn $6MM per season.
Backes, who has spent some time at center the last few seasons, may have to shift to the wing with Boston as the Bruins already have Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci under contract as their top two centers. It’s likely that Backes will slide into Loui Eriksson‘s vacated spot after he signed with Vancouver earlier today.
Last season, Backes suited up in 79 games for the Blues, scoring 21 goals and adding 24 assists, while adding 83 PIMS. He also was a key part of their postseason run, tallying 14 points (7-7-14) in 20 playoff contests.
Backes, 32, has spent his entire ten year NHL career with the Blues up until now, playing in 727 games. He scored 206 goals and 254 assists while adding 969 penalty minutes for St. Louis.
Frans Nielsen Signs With Detroit
According to Red Wings beat writer Ansar Khan of MLive.com, Detroit has signed free agent center Frans Nielsen to a six-year contract minutes after the free agent frenzy began. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that the deal is worth $5.25MM per season.
Nielsen will likely take the place of Pavel Datsyuk in Detroit’s top six, who retired early this offseason and had his contract traded to Arizona at last week’s NHL Entry Draft. Last year, Nielsen played in 81 games with the Islanders, scoring 20 goals while adding 32 assists, averaging 17:43 per game in ice time.
Nielsen had spent his entire NHL career on Long Island, playing in parts of ten seasons with the team. He has a total of 606 games under his belt, scoring 119 goals and adding 230 assists.
Eriksson Inks Six-Year Deal With Canucks
As had been long expected, Loui Eriksson has signed with the Vancouver Canucks on a six-year $36MM deal, as reported by Nick Kypreos. Eriksson’s deal was one of many high-profile deals reported to be done when the free agency window began. The former Bruin winger joins former Boston Assistant GM, Jim Benning, now in charge in Vancouver, and will likely play alongside fellow Swedes Daniel and Henrik Sedin on the Canucks’ top line.
Last year, Eriksson had his best campaign since before the lockout, picking up 30 goals and 33 assists with Boston while playing in all 82 games. He also averaged 19:29 of ice time per game.
In his career, Eriksson has played in 725 career NHL games between Dallas and Boston, scoring 212 goals and 292 assists.
St. Louis Signs David Perron For Two Years
According to Gene Principe of Sportsnet, the St. Louis Blues have signed free agent forward David Perron to a two-year contract worth $7.5MM. Perron was originally drafted by the Blues in the first round (26th overall) back in 2007.
Perron got off to a slow start last season with Pittsburgh, picking up just four goals and 12 assists in 43 games. However, a midseason trade to Anaheim for Carl Hagelin seemed to revitalize him, as he scored eight times and added 12 assists in just 28 games with the Ducks despite playing less ice time per game than he did with the Penguins. He also added a goal and two assists in Anaheim’s first round playoff loss.
In his career, Perron has played in 570 career NHL games between St. Louis, Pittsburgh, and Anaheim, recording 141 goals and 191 assists.
Edmonton Inks Milan Lucic
Long rumored to be headed to Edmonton, Milan Lucic is set to sign a contract with the Oilers today, according to John Shannon of Sportsnet. Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos reports it’s a seven year deal worth $42MM.
While he didn’t covet quite as much attention as Steven Stamkos did prior to his re-signing, Lucic was the top power forward available in free agency (we had him ranked third in our Top 50 list). In 2015-16 with the Kings, he played in 81 games, scoring 20 goals while adding 35 assists. That marked the fourth time in the last five full seasons (excluding the lockout-shortened campaign) that he has hit the 20 goal mark.
Despite being one of the most physical wingers in the league, Lucic has been remarkably durable. Over the last five years, he has missed just seven games (and two of those were due to suspensions). Nonetheless, given the fact that power forwards tend to wear out quicker over time, there could be some concern for the Oilers towards the back of the contract. In the meantime though, Lucic will provide Edmonton with a legitimate top line left winger for at least the next several years sliding into the recently-traded Taylor Hall‘s spot.
Islanders Sign Andrew Ladd To 7-Year Deal
According to Nick Kypreos of Sportsnet, via Elliotte Friedman, the New York Islanders have signed free agent forward Andrew Ladd to a seven-year contract. Aaron Ward adds that the deal is worth a total of $38.5MM.
Ladd gives the Islanders a top six replacement for Frans Nielsen, who signed with Detroit earlier today. Last season, he picked up 25 goals and 21 assists in 78 games between Winnipeg and Chicago, while adding a goal and an assist in seven postseason contests with the Hawks.
The seven year term comes as a bit of a surprise as the deal will take him through his age 38 season. However, it’s likely that the Islanders got a bit of a cheaper cap hit in exchange for the longer term as it was believed he was seeking a $6MM or higher AAV.
In his career, Ladd has played in 769 games with the Hurricanes, Blackhawks, Thrashers, and Jets, scoring 210 goals and 256 assists.
James Reimer Signs 5-Year Deal With Florida
Free agent netminder James Reimer has agreed to a deal with the Florida Panthers that will see him earn $3.4MM per year over the next five seasons, according to General Fanager.
The deal comes as somewhat of a surprise considering the Panthers already have Roberto Luongo under contract for the next six years with a cap hit just over $4.5MM. This locks up their goalie tandem for the rest of the decade while giving the Panthers a backup goalie capable of playing more than 15-20 games which could useful as Luongo ages.
Last season, Reimer had his best year, split between Toronto and San Jose. Between the two teams, he posted a 17-14-7 record with a 2.31 GAA and a .922 SV% with three shutouts.
In his career, the 28 year old has played in 215 games, collecting a 91-78-23 record with a 2.78 GAA and a .914 SV%.
Campbell Returns To Chicago
After five seasons with the Florida Panthers, defenseman Brian Campbell will reportedly sign with the Chicago Blackhawks, the team with which he played for from 2008 to 2011 and helped to lead to the 2010 Stanley Cup championship.
Ironically, Campbell signed his last contract with the Blackhawks, an eight-year $57MM deal on this day in 2008, but he was traded to Florida in June of 2011 to serve out the remainder of that mammoth contract. Now that it has expired, Campbell will sign quite a different deal with Chicago, as John Shannon of Sportsnet first reported that the opening of free agency will make official a one-year, $2MM contract for Campbell, who is likely looking for another championship with the talented, but cash-strapped Blackhawks. Campbell is also eligible for performance incentives on a one year deal.
Last season, Campbell played in all 82 games with Florida, scoring six goals and 25 assists. He also added an assist in six postseason contests. In his career, he has played in 1,002 games , scoring 82 goals and adding 405 assists.
Yesterday, Campbell indicated that his preference was to rejoin the Hawks and that he would be willing to take a cheaper deal to get it done to help accommodate Chicago’s cap concerns.
Cap Space For Each Team Heading Into Free Agency
With the free agent market ready to open up, here is a closer look at what each team has to spend and how many roster spots they have filled (the maximum roster size is 23). All numbers are courtesy of Cap Friendly.
Anaheim: $14.8MM in cap space, 16 players signed
Arizona: $26.3MM in cap space, 14 players signed
Boston: $17.6MM in cap space, 16 players signed
Buffalo: $18.0MM in cap space, 19 players signed
Calgary: $21.0MM in cap space, 18 players signed
Carolina: $26.0MM in cap space, 18 players signed
Chicago: $5.2MM in cap space, 19 players signed
Colorado: $20.9MM in cap space, 15 players signed
Columbus: $4.4MM in cap space, 19 players signed
Dallas: $14.2MM in cap space, 17 players signed
Detroit: $13.3MM in cap space, 19 players signed
Edmonton: $14.4MM in cap space, 23 players signed
Florida: $18.0MM in cap space, 20 players signed
Los Angeles: $7.9MM in cap space, 19 players signed
Minnesota: $11.6MM in cap space, 16 players signed
Montreal: $9.2MM in cap space, 21 players signed
Nashville: $9.3MM in cap space, 19 players signed
New Jersey: $24.9MM in cap space, 16 players signed
NY Islanders: $14.6MM in cap space, 18 players signed
NY Rangers: $15.3MM in cap space, 15 players signed
Ottawa: $18.4MM in cap space, 18 players signed
Philadelphia: $12.0MM in cap space, 17 players signed
Pittsburgh: $1.5MM over the cap, 23 players signed
San Jose: $9.1MM in cap space, 17 players signed
St. Louis: $14.2MM in cap space, 19 players signed
Tampa Bay: $13.0MM in cap space, 18 players signed
Toronto: $3.8MM in cap space, 21 players signed
Vancouver: $10.1MM in cap space, 21 players signed
Washington: $8.9MM in cap space, 19 players signed
Winnipeg: $20.1MM in cap space, 19 players signed
Note that these amounts don’t factor in any potential LTIR savings for players that are signed but are not expected to play next season.