While there was one arbitration hearing, several more players reached deals to avoid arbitration. Those moves highlight the top stories of the past week.
Five Years For Zucker: After avoiding arbitration with defenseman Mathew Dumba last week, Minnesota did so once again this past week, this time with winger Jason Zucker. Following a career season that saw the 26-year-old record 64 points, the two sides agreed on a five-year, $27.5MM contract, one that carries a ten-team no-trade list in the final four years of the deal. The pact makes Zucker the third highest-paid forward in terms of cap hit on Minnesota behind only wingers Zach Parise and Mikael Granlund.
Linden Out In Vancouver: In a somewhat surprising move, Trevor Linden stepped down as President of Hockey Operations for the Canucks. He had been in that role since 2014 and the team had only made the playoffs once in that span. However, the team has amassed a quality group of core prospects to build around so while they appear to be in a rebuild, brighter days are certainly on the horizon. GM Jim Benning will now report directly to ownership and Linden’s role will not be replaced so it will be interesting to see if the team decides to change course in the coming months.
Washington Locks Up Wilson: One of the surprise non-filers for salary arbitration was Capitals winger Tom Wilson. Instead of looking at short-term pacts, the focus was a long-term deal and they found one that both Wilson and the team liked as he inked a six-year, $31MM contract. The deal has raised a lot of eyebrows given Wilson’s lack of offensive production prior to 2017-18 not to mention his reputation around the league and with the Department of Player Safety. If Wilson can continue to help Washington’s top line, they should be okay with this contract but if his role diminishes, this could be a contract that they’ll come to regret before too long.
Skjei Signs: The Rangers have been a busy team this summer locking up their restricted free agents and knocked another one off the list on Saturday, signing defenseman Brady Skjei to a six-year, $31.5MM contract. The 24-year-old played a big role with New York last season and with the departure of Ryan McDonagh back at the trade deadline, it’s quite likely that he will be asked to take on an even more significant role for 2018-19 and beyond. Expect to hear more from the Rangers in the coming days with hearings on the horizon for centers Kevin Hayes and Ryan Spooner.
More Defensemen Deals: Skjei was hardly the only blueliner to sign a new deal. Veteran Dan Hamhuis is going back to where it all began after he inked a two-year, $2.5MM deal with Nashville to stabilize their third pairing. Meanwhile, Brooks Orpik’s time away from Washington didn’t last too long as he rejoined the Capitals on a one-year, $1MM pact with an extra $500K in games played bonuses. On the restricted free agent side, Joel Edmundson avoided arbitration with a one-year, $3MM deal with St. Louis while the Ducks and Brandon Montour settled on a two-year, $6.775MM pact.
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