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Archives for June 2017

Buffalo Sabres Sign Taylor Fedun To Two-Way Contract

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The Buffalo Sabres have come to an agreement with one of their restricted free agents, signing Taylor Fedun to a two-year, two-way contract. He’ll earn the minimum $650K at the NHL level, giving the Sabres some much-needed depth. Fedun was set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Fedun played 27 games for the Sabres this season, filling in on a blueline that saw almost every player experience an injury of some sort. The fact that he took a two-way minimum deal is a nice signing for the Sabres, who can use him as a depth piece again should they need. Fedun isn’t waivers exempt, but cleared multiple times this year and isn’t much of risk of selection unless he shows something more next year.

The 29-year old has just 39 NHL games under his belt, but could be in early contention for a full-time spot if the Sabres don’t bring anyone else in to replace Cody Franson and Dmitry Kulikov. Though they do have Victor Antipin expected to make the team, and Brendan Guhle could surprise again and make it out of camp, Fedun represents a nice fall back option for their seventh-defenseman to start the year.

Zach Kassian Re-Signs With Edmonton Oilers

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The Edmonton Oilers have locked up a key forward, signing Zack Kassian to a three-year deal worth a total of $5.85MM. Paying him $1.95MM per season, the deal buys out two of Kassian’s unrestricted free agent years, but gives him some stability as he continues to get his career back on track. He will be a UFA in the summer of 2020.

Kassian, 26, has had a long difficult road through the professional ranks since being selected 13th-overall in 2009. Stung by inconsistency and addiction—Kassian has been open about his battle with alcohol following a stint in the NHL’s substance abuse facility—the big winger finally found a home in Edmonton this year, scoring 24 points and generally being an impossible pest on the ice. His play (and facial hair) drew rave reviews in the playoffs, even if it did result in only three goals.

With the Oilers focused on re-signing Leon Draisaitl and extending Connor McDavid for the next eight years, getting Kassian under contract for such a reasonable price will help fill in the bottom six with a known commodity. If he can repeat or even improve on his scoring numbers from last season, he’ll be one of the better depth scoring options in the league relative to his contract. The fact that Edmonton took a chance on him and helped him get his life back on track likely played a part in keeping him there, and he’ll now try to take the next step and help the team get back into the playoffs.

Bob McKenzie of TSN broke the signing and provided details on the financials of the deal.

Vladislav Gavrikov Signs Two-Year Deal In KHL

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Despite the Columbus Blue Jackets’ best efforts, Vladislav Gavrikov is staying in Russia for the time being. It had previously been reported that he’d signed a two-year contract, which will now belong to SKA St. Petersburg after being traded from Yaroslavl. Gavrikov listed the chance to play in the Olympics as part of his decision, as well as the development he still requires as a hockey player.

The Blue Jackets drafted Gavrikov 159th-overall in 2015, but have tried in vain to bring him over to North America this spring as he’s already shown a capability at the highest level. Two full years in the KHL and an impressive performance at the recent World Championships has Gavrikov considered one of the top Russian defenders in the world not playing in the NHL, and though he’s not much of an offensive presence could still provide some solid depth to the Blue Jackets blueline.

Still just 21 there is no risk of the Blue Jackets losing Gavrikov’s rights, but it is frustrating for them that he re-upped for two years. After SKA won the Gagarin Cup this season, they have quite a draw on young Russian players when promised a key role, and this time they won any recruitment battle. Now, Columbus will just have to wait and watch his development from afar, hoping he’ll reconsider in the spring of 2019. Watch out during the playoffs that season, as Gavrikov could make an immediate impact like Vladimir Sobotka did for the St. Louis Blues when he came over just before the postseason.

Dallas Stars Sign Mark McNeill To Two-Way Contract

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The Dallas Stars are busying completing several roster transactions today, including signing prospect Mark McNeill to a one-year two-way extension. No financial details have been released. With the one-year term, McNeill could be eligible for Group VI free agency next summer if he does not spend most of the season with Dallas.

McNeill was acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks at the trade deadline this year in return for Johnny Oduya, and will be on some of his last legs as a prospect. Already 24, McNeill has never been able to live up to his 18th-overall billing, suiting up for just two NHL games. His goal scoring took a substantial step backwards this year even in the minors, where he registered just nine goals in 79 games split between Rockford and Texas. Expected to be a power forward capable of scoring 20 goals a season when he was drafted, he’ll try to make enough of an impact to force an NHL look this year.

The Stars will hope he can, as they could use some secondary scoring next year. The Stars had just five forwards score at least 15 goals last season, and one of them—Patrick Eaves—has already re-signed with the Anaheim Ducks. While Tyler Segun and Jamie Benn are offensive forces, and Brett Ritchie looks like he’s growing into power forward role, goals were hard to come by for the rest of the team. A surprising breakout from a player like McNeill would be a huge boost as the Stars try to make it back to the playoffs in 2017-18.

Esa Lindell Signs Two-Year Extension With Dallas Stars

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The Dallas Stars have found common ground with a defenseman, inking Esa Lindell to a two-year extension worth $4.4MM. The contract will pay him $2.2MM per season, a healthy raise from his entry-level contract. Lindell was a pending restricted free agent for the first time. Esa Lindell

The 23-year old Lindell was likely the Stars’ second-best defender as a rookie last year behind only John Klingberg, and will return to log big minutes once again. Though he didn’t bring quite the offensive flair he had shown in the minor leagues, his 18 points were still a solid number for such a young defenseman. He ranked second on the team in blocked shots, and saw the ice for almost 22 minutes a night for the disappointing Stars team. Though they’re looking to bring in a more veteran defenseman to take some of that responsibility, Lindell will continue to be relied upon in big situations.

Interestingly, Lindell rates extremely poorly in terms of possession statistics, helping generate shots at a terrible rate. While his suppression numbers are better, it will be interesting to see if he can start performing better offensively as he grows into his role. In the AHL, Lindell put up 42 points in 73 games as a rookie including 14 goals. His big shot and relatively crisp passing ability should lead to higher point totals, but he does still need work skating the puck out of his own zone at times. At 23 he has a few more years to develop into a better all-around player, but he’s already surpassed his third-round draft tag.

The Stars, with lots of cap space and a team that is expected to bounce back under the leadership of Ken Hitchcock, will be going after defensemen on the open market. Already they’ve been linked to Marc Methot from the Vegas Golden Knights, while the potentially could go after other left-handed defensemen like Karl Alzner or Brendan Smith. After clearing out some more room with an Antti Niemi buyout, they’ll be one of the more interesting teams to watch this summer.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Dallas Stars To Place Antti Niemi On Waivers, Buyout To Follow

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Unable to find a trade partner around the league, the Dallas Stars have decided to place Antti Niemi on waivers for the purpose of a buyout, according to Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News. Niemi will be the fifth player to be bought out during the current window which closes on June 30th, following Simon Despres, Matt Greene, Francois Beauchemin and Dan Girardi. With just one-year remaining on his contract, his buyout will cause a cap hit as follows:

  • 2017-18: $1.5MM
  • 2018-19: $1.5MM

After acquiring Ben Bishop and signing him long term, it was clear that one of the Stars’ current goaltenders—Niemi or Kari Lehtonen—would be on their way out. Even with the buyout, the Stars will still be paying more than $10MM next season on active goaltenders, with Lehtonen still earning $5.9MM this year. He’s expected to fill the backup role for Bishop, while Niemi will be free to sign wherever he can around the league.

A former Stanley Cup champion—as a rookie, no less—with the Chicago Blackhawks, Niemi has seen his play fall off a cliff in recent years. Once a lock for somewhere around a .915-.920 save percentage, the 33-year old goaltender registered just an .892 mark this past season and couldn’t wrestle the job away from a similarly struggling Lehtonen. The end may be near for him as he enters his mid-thirties, but there could still be teams around the league who value his playoff experience enough to bring him in as a cheap veteran backup.

There are several backup vacancies around the league since the expansion draft, and though some may fill the spots internally Niemi will be discussed as a possible option. He’ll likely have to take close to the minimum though, as he showed very little in terms of NHL-caliber goaltending last season. A short term deal to try and prove he can still play in this league is likely the only chance he’ll have.

Yanni Gourde Signs With Tampa Bay Lightning

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After inking Andrej Sustr to a contract extension, the Tampa Bay Lightning have also signed Yanni Gourde to a two-year one-way deal. The deal will pay him $1MM per season, and take him to unrestricted free agency in 2019. Gourde was coming off a two-way, minimum salary contract last season and was a pending Group VI unrestricted free agent.

Gourde has had an interesting path to the NHL, going undrafted out of junior before scoring 124 points in 68 games during his final year for the Victoriaville Tigres. That over-aged explosion earned him a few looks in the AHL before finally signing an entry-level contract in 2014. The 25-year old could have signed with anyone, but told Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times that the Lightning “gave [him] a chance.” Overlooked no more,  Gourde played 20 games in the NHL this season and recorded eight points. Though undersized, he’s proven that he can still be an effective player at the highest level, and now will likely get a shot at playing a more regular role.

Gourde and Sustr represent some of the least important free agents for the Lightning, but still have considerable impact on the fringes of the roster. Finding capable NHL talent for reasonable prices is a big part of keeping your expensive core in tact, as teams like Chicago and Pittsburgh have found out over the years. With the Lightning poised to compete next season if they can stay healthy, getting cost-certainty with contracts like this is an important first step to the offseason.

Marc Antoine Godin of La Presse was first to break the signing.

Tampa Bay Lightning Re-Sign Andrej Sustr

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The Tampa Bay Lightning have come to terms with one of their depth defensemen, inking Andrej Sustr to a one-year, $1.95MM contract. Sustr was one of the team’s restricted free agents that was due a qualifying offer by today’s deadline.

Over the past few seasons, Sustr has turned into a quality option for the Lightning, icing him for around 17 minutes a night and using his huge 6’7″ frame and reach to defend responsibly. The new contract comes as a $0.5MM cap increase, and will take Sustr to unrestricted free agency next season. That is nice fit for Sustr, who with another solid season could see himself as a fairly sought-after commodity next summer.

In 274 NHL games, Sustr has recorded 56 points and is generally regarded as a fairly solid defender. His possession numbers point to an improving shot suppression skill, and at just 26 he still has time to refine his game somewhat. Though he’ll likely find himself on the third pairing for most of the season, there is a chance he can move into a bigger role should the Lightning not add another right-handed defenseman. With the team currently relying on a consistent sophomore season from Jake Dotchin, Sustr will provide some stability behind the youngster.

Tampa Bay, who a few months ago likely couldn’t have afforded to keep Sustr, now have him locked in to a reasonable cap hit and can turn their attention to the large remaining group of free agents. Tyler Johnson, Ondrej Palat and Dotchin headline a group that could take a good chunk of the summer to get under contract. With just over $20MM remaining to spend, the Lightning could also be a dark horse contender for a big name free agent should they choose to pursue one.

Buffalo Sabres Hire Randy Sexton, Steve Greeley As Assistant General Managers

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The Buffalo Sabres have found some help for Jason Botterill, hiring Randy Sexton and Steve Greeley as assistant general managers. Sexton will also serve as the new GM of the Rochester Americans. Mark Jakubowski will move up to Vice President of Hockey Administration.

Sexton was brought over by Botterill from the Pittsburgh Penguins where he had worked as the director of amateur scouting, a role which he will likely oversee in Buffalo as well. His time in Pittsburgh was seen as a huge positive as he continually unearthed overlooked prospects. That scouting background is still most remembered though for selecting Alexandre Daigle first overall as GM of the young Ottawa Senators franchise. While that was clearly a mistake, Sexton has a long history of success with scouting and developing young players.

Greeley had previously been with the New York Rangers as assistant director of player personnel, after spending some time behind the bench as an associate coach for Boston University. Another front office addition with a scouting background, Greeley has been involved in professional and amateur scouting for more than a decade. Just 36, this is a big step for him into the front office of a young team.

 

Vegas Golden Knights Can Technically Trade Players Back

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Though it had been thought for quite some time that there was a rule preventing the Vegas Golden Knights from trading any player selected in the expansion draft back to his original team until January 1st of 2018, Pierre LeBrun of TSN clarifies the rule. There is no rule to block those trades, and teams are free to reacquire the players lost in the draft should they come to an agreement with Vegas.

Instead, the rule in place which was misunderstood is one blocking teams from reacquiring players they traded to other teams just before the draft. That would have stopped teams from just moving pieces around to block Vegas from selecting them, only to move everyone back after the draft. The new understanding though adds some wrinkles to the next few months, as teams like Nashville or Ottawa could potentially bring back players like James Neal or Marc Methot.

While there likely won’t be many instances of players being sent back, it could come into play for some teams who can’t seem to fill the new hole in free agency. For teams like Washington, who lost Nate Schmidt and may have trouble finding a suitable replacement after also losing both Kevin Shattenkirk and Karl Alzner to free agency, having at least the option of bringing him back is helpful. This is just another way in which the league can help Vegas, by opening up another team for them to negotiate with as they try to flip their selections.

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