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Archives for July 2018

Tampa Bay Signs Cameron Gaunce, Kevin Lynch

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The Tampa Bay Lightning have added another option on the back end. The team has announced a one-year, two-way deal with defenseman Cameron Gaunce. Salary terms have not been disclosed, but it seems unlikely that Gaunce would secure anything above the minimum of $650K at the NHL level. The same could be said for Kevin Lynch, who also has signed a one-year, two-way contract with remain with the team.

Gaunce, 28, has bounced around the minor leagues since being selected in the second round ten years ago by the Colorado Avalanche. Playing last season for the Cleveland Monsters, he collected 24 points in 67 games but failed to make it up to the Columbus Blue Jackets for any games. In Tampa, he’ll almost surely be ticketed for the Syracuse Crunch for the entire season, and asked to lend a veteran hand to their minor league squad.

New York Rangers Sign Fredrik Claesson

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The New York Rangers have added a depth defenseman, signing Fredrik Claesson to a one-year, $700K contract according to Bob McKenzie of TSN. Claesson wasn’t given a qualifying offer by the Ottawa Senators, and reached unrestricted free agency for the first time.

The 25-year old Claesson is a worthwhile gamble for the Rangers, who will retain his rights as a restricted free agent at the end of the contract. After showing well in a limited role in 2016-17, Claesson struggled to really make an impact for the Senators last season and recorded just seven points in 64 games. That made him expendable as the team attempts to rebuild its blue line with or without Erik Karlsson, and this time it’s to the Rangers benefit. A $700K commitment is basically risk-free, as it can be completely buried in the minor leagues if necessary.

If Claesson does prove his 2016-17 is closer to his true talent, the Rangers have added a good all-around defenseman for a reasonable price. The team is working to rebuild their team with more youth and speed, and will ask the former Senator to battle with Marc Staal and John Gilmour for playing time on the left side. At the very least he offers a good injury replacement for the team, or a high-end defenseman for the Hartford Wolf Pack.

Blue Jackets Ink Defenseman Dillon Simpson

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Columbus continues to bolster their numbers on the blue line, adding a third free agent defenseman so far in Dillon Simpson. The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline reports that it is a two-year, two-way deal for Simpson, which will carry an average annual value of $675K in the NHL.

Simpson, 25, was eligible for Group VI unrestricted free agency this season and will leave the Edmonton Oilers after another season spent entirely in the minor leagues. The former University of North Dakota standout played 61 games for the Bakersfield Condors in 2017-18 and recorded 18 points. Obviously not in the Oilers plans, he’ll try to catch on with the Cleveland Monsters and show the Blue Jackets that he’s capable of excelling in professional hockey.

Columbus saw Jack Johnson and Ian Cole head to new teams in free agency and have responded by signing several minor league defensemen to rebuild their depth. The team is also hoping for a bounce back by the Monsters, who struggled this season after seeing several key graduations over the last few years.

Golden Knights Re-Sign Lagace, Sign Fucale And Carr

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The Vegas Golden Knights are keeping the goalie pipeline well-stocked and continue to add competition at forward. As beat writer David Schoen details, winger Daniel Carr and goaltender Zach Fucale join Paul Stastny, Nick Holden, and Curtis McKenzie as newcomers to Vegas. Keeper Maxime Lagace has also re-signed with the team on a one-year, two-way deal worth $650K. Carr signed a one-year, one-way deal worth $750K, while terms for Fucale have not yet been disclosed.

Carr and Fucale are coming over from the Montreal Canadiens organization, and should help to fill out the roster for the Chicago Wolves. Vegas won’t have the luxury of the St. Louis Blues sending their prospects to the Wolves any longer, meaning Vegas needed to add some players to the roster. Fucale gives them another goaltending option, though the 23-year old still hasn’t been able to find much consistency since turning pro. Last season he posted just an .890 save percentage for Laval. Carr on the other hand made a mark for the Canadiens, scoring 16 points in 38 games. That production may give him a chance at the Vegas roster, though it’s obviously not a guarantee.

Lagace made his NHL debut for the Golden Knights this year, filling in while the team was dealing with multiple injuries. In 17 games he posted just an .867 save percentage, but did enough to keep the team afloat through the early part of the season. They’ve rewarded him with another year, though it would be need to be another dire situation to see him in the NHL.

Winnipeg Jets Sign Laurent Brossoit

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The Winnipeg Jets needed to add some goaltending depth after the trade of Steve Mason, and have found it in Laurent Brossoit. Darren Dreger of TSN reports the former Edmonton Oilers goaltender has signed a one-year one-way $650K contract with the Jets. Brossoit will have to battle Eric Comrie for the right to back up Connor Hellebuyck next season.

Brossoit, 25, reached free agent status through Group VI eligibility this summer after failing to appear in enough games with the Edmonton Oilers. He did get into 28 games over his career in Edmonton, but since only 23 of them were of 30 minutes or greater, didn’t meet the threshold to stay under team control. That’s Winnipeg’s gain, as they needed to add to their goaltending group after Mason’s exit and Michael Hutchinson’s decision to head for Florida in free agency.

The young goaltender hasn’t shown much in the NHL, but does have good numbers in the minor leagues. Whether he’ll be asked to start for the Manitoba Moose or sit on the end of the bench in the NHL most nights isn’t clear, but he’s ready to do both. If Brossoit does land the Jets backup job, he’ll have to be well prepared. Connor Hellebuyck has faced injury before, and is coming off a season with a huge workload thanks to Mason’s inconsistency and injury trouble.

Kings To Sign Drew Doughty To Eight-Year Extension

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July 1: The Kings have officially announced the contract, signing Doughty to an eight-year, $88MM contract extension. The deal will kick in for the 2018-19 season, and make Doughty the highest-paid defenseman in the league, barring an even bigger extension being signed before then.

June 29: A major impending free agent is about to be off the market, but it’s not a member of the 2018 class, but the 2019 class. When July 1st arrives and players with expiring contracts after next season are first eligible to sign extensions, Los Angeles defenseman Drew Doughty is expected to re-sign with the Kings. TSN Insider Pierre LeBrun reports that the two sides put the finishing touches on a max eight-year extension today that will be officially signed on Sunday. No financial terms have been disclosed.

The Kings are undoubtedly one of the teams that benefited the most from the massive salary cap spike this off-season. That added flexibility allowed L.A. to add much-needed scoring in the form of Ilya Kovalchuk without losing the breathing room needed to retain Doughty. For a time, many speculated that Doughty would test free agency next summer, but over the past few months the Norris Trophy-winner has made it clear that he would prefer to stay with the Kings. The team’s acquisition of Kovalchuk and continued search for talent this off-season was likely the very last boost of confidence that Doughty needed to re-up in L.A.

Doughty now joins fellow defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson of the Arizona Coyotes and center Logan Couture of the San Jose Sharks as potential superstar free agents who will instead sign on with their current teams as soon as possible. Doughty is the biggest name so far and, if previous reports prove true, will soon be the highest paid defenseman in hockey. Doughty has gone on the record as saying that he would like to be paid more than Nashville Predators blue liner P.K. Subban, who is currently the highest-paid defenseman in the league at $9MM AAV. LeBrun’s TSN colleague Darren Dreger is among many speculating that deal will land in the realm of $11MM per year over the eight years, which would make him the new top dog among defenders and the second-highest paid player in the league – at least until Erik Karlsson signs his next contract.

Ilya Kovalchuk Agrees To Terms With Los Angeles Kings

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July 1: The Kings have officially announced the three-year, $18.75MM contract for Kovalchuk.

June 23: The Ilya Kovalchuk saga is finally over, and the Russian sniper has decided to move to Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Kings have agreed to terms with Kovalchuk on a three-year contract, and will officially sign him on July 1. The contract will carry a $6.25MM cap hit.

Kovalchuk is returning from the KHL after five years away, but had several teams pursuing him right down to the wire. The deciding factor seems to have been the third season, which was the exact same thing that convinced fellow J.P. Barry client Patrick Marleau to go to Toronto at an advanced age. Kovalchuk’s deal is a 35+ contract, meaning that cap hit will be applied to Los Angeles regardless of whether the player retires or returns to Russia.

Marleau’s contract is a direct comparison as it came in at the same money value as well, and could be a blueprint for the bonus structure. Kovalchuk won’t be eligible for performance bonuses, as they can only be applied to one-year deals.

The Kings have struggled for several seasons in the offensive zone, and were after nearly every scoring winger on the market. Kovalchuk may be the best of the bunch of them, and it cost them only money to sign him out of free agency. He does come with obvious risk, but after leading the KHL in scoring and winning an Olympic MVP en route to a gold medal, there apparently was just too much reward available. Kovalchuk can immediately bring goal scoring ability and help the Kings powerplay, something that desperately needed another option for 2018-19.

Los Angeles is obviously trying to compete for the Stanley Cup right now, but there is plenty to be wary of as they move forward. The core of their team is made up of players in their thirties or close to it, and many of them are signed long-term. The only one that’s not is Drew Doughty, who could sign an extension as soon as July 1st. While that group could certainly find some success this season, it’s a precarious position the organization finds themselves in while their prospects continue to develop.

Kovalchuk left the NHL with 816 points in 816 games and could easily join the 500 goal club on this contract. With 417 through the first part of his career he was one of the most dangerous offensive players in the league every year. If any of that skill is still around, the Kings will be more than happy to pay him a contract of this amount.

Stars Sign Michael Mersch And Joel Hanley

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The Dallas Stars continue a busy day with contract for two valued minor league players. The team signed forward Michael Mersch to a two-year, two-way contract and signed defenseman Joel Hanley to a one-year, two-way contract. Salary terms were not disclosed.

The Texas Stars, Dallas’ AHL affiliate, went all the way to the Calder Cup Finals this season before eventually losing at the hands of the Toronto Marlies and are trying to get back there next season. After losing some of their veteran names, the team has replaced them with two useful options. Mersch, 25, is a big-bodied forward that has a knack for putting the puck in the net and recorded 21 goals and 49 points in just 65 games for the Ontario Reign in 2017-18. He’ll be a big presence at the top of the lineup for Texas, but shouldn’t be expected to compete much for a spot with Dallas.

Hanley, 27, is a well established two-way defenseman that will add some more depth to the Texas blue line and allow the organization to focus on development of some of their young players. He’ll likely be asked to cover some of the tough minutes, and let the more dynamic offensive players take advantage of weaker competition.

Edmonton Oilers To Sign Tobias Rieder

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Darren Dreger of TSN is reporting that the Edmonton Oilers have decided the price is no longer too high on Tobias Rieder, and will sign the free agent forward to a one-year contract worth $2MM. Rieder did not receive a qualifying offer from the Los Angeles Kings and became an unrestricted free agent.

The deal is the optimal “prove it” contract as the Oilers aren’t risking more that $2MM to see if they can get him to have a breakout season and if it fails, they can move on with no repercussions. With Rieder’s speed, he might be a solid fit next to Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl on one of the top two lines. If he is a success, then Edmonton still gets his restricted free agent rights next season, so they can keep him in the fold. And at age 25, he’s still has potential to improve his game and fit in well with the younger core of Oilers. He also has some penalty killing experience, which can’t hurt an Edmonton team that struggled with special teams last season.

The speedy winger has always had a tremendous amount of potential and looked to be well on his way after his first three years in Arizona in which he tallied 13, 14 and 16 goals. However, he fell out of favor with Rick Tocchet and the team opted instead to send him and goaltender Scott Wedgewood to Los Angeles for backup goalie Darcy Kuemper. Rieder posted four goals and six points in 20 games after the trade, but it wasn’t enough for the Kings to give him an qualifying offer.

Red Wings Sign Four Players To Two-Way Contracts

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The Detroit Red Wings have announced another set of signings today, adding minor league depth in the form of forwards Chris Terry and Wade Megan, defenseman Jake Chelios and goaltender Harri Sateri. Terry has signed a two-year deal, while Megan, Chelios and Sateri have signed on for one year. Salary terms have not yet been disclosed.

Detroit is expected to graduate several players from the Grand Rapids Griffins this season, and needed some veteran additions to keep the minor league team competitive. Terry especially will be a huge boost to the offense, after his 71-point 2017-18 with the Laval Rocket. That was on the worst team in the AHL, something that the Griffins don’t project to be this season.

Sateri, fresh off his NHL debut in Florida, will provide some more goaltending depth for the Red Wings as well. Though they now have Jimmy Howard and Jonathan Bernier at the NHL level, Jared Coreau left the organization and they needed some more experience in the minor leagues. He’ll fight for the full-time starter role there, and try to work his way back up to the NHL should any injuries arise.

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