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Archives for July 2021

Detroit Red Wings Sign Jordan Oesterle

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The Detroit Red Wings have agreed to terms with veteran defenseman Jordan Oesterle on a two-year contract. The deal carries an average annual value of $1.35MM according to Craig Morgan of AZ Coyotes Insider.

Someone has to play defense for the Red Wings this season, so why shouldn’t it be the 29-year-old Oesterle. An undrafted college signing out of Western Michigan University in 2014, the left-shot defenseman has carved out quite a nice NHL career for himself. Starting with the Edmonton Oilers with stops in Chicago and Arizona, Oesterle has suited up for more than 250 games at the highest level.

He’s not a difference-maker, and has just 65 points in his career, but can at the very least handle bottom-pairing minutes on a team that is just trying to install some structure as it builds up from the bottom. On a two-year deal, his role is likely safe even next season when Nick Leddy, Danny DeKeyser, Mar Staal and Troy Stecher will all be scheduled for unrestricted free agency. The fact that Oesterle can play both sides will come in handy as players move in and out of the rebuilding roster.

Liam Kirk Signs Entry-Level Contract

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Though it was reported earlier this summer, the official announcement of Liam Kirk’s three-year entry-level contract had to wait until today. The Arizona Coyotes have signed the breakout World Championship star three years after drafting him 189th overall. GM Bill Armstrong released a short statement on his newest prospect:

We are very pleased to sign Liam to an entry-level contract. Liam played extremely well at the World Championships in Latvia and has earned this contract. He’s a goal scorer with a great work ethic and he is very focused on realizing his dream of one day playing in the NHL. We look forward to watching him continue to develop.

Kirk, 21, was the first player born and trained in England to be selected in the NHL draft. He played for Great Britain at the recent IIHF Worlds, scoring seven goals in seven games, tied for the tournament lead. He spent the 2020-21 season split between Sweden and England after playing two years for the Peterborough Petes of the OHL. He’ll now have to show what he can do at the AHL level.

Trevor Lewis Signs With Calgary Flames

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The Calgary Flames have signed Trevor Lewis to a one-year, $800K contract according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The veteran forward will be reunited with head coach Darryl Sutter, with whom he won two Stanley Cup championships during their time in Los Angeles.

If it wasn’t a Sutter roster before, the Flames are focused on making it one, acquiring bottom-six names like Lewis, Tyler Pitlick, and Blake Coleman in recent days. Even if Lewis isn’t the twenty-something that won those championships, he showed for the Winnipeg Jets last season that he can still be effective in a limited role. Though he scored just five goals and ten points, he happily welcomed tough defensive minutes and logged more penalty-killing time than all but two Jets forwards.

In the system that Sutter became famous for, the fourth-line isn’t there to contribute offensively. They slow the game down to a crawl and make sure nothing dangerous happens at either end. That’s all Lewis will be asked to do again in Calgary, and it’s a job he has done quite well over the years. Now that he’s 34 he might not be in the lineup for all 82 games, but for $800K it poses basically no risk to bring him aboard.

Toronto Maple Leafs Sign Five Players

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have added some toughness to the roster, signing Kurtis Gabriel to a one-year deal worth $750K. The team has also signed David Kampf to a two-year contract with an average annual value of $1.5MM. James Mirtle of The Athletic adds that the team has also signed Alex Biega and Carl Dahlstrom, while extending a professional tryout agreement to Joshua Ho-Sang.

None of these are game-changing names for the Maple Leafs, but at least one of them has a chance to play every night. Kampf was specifically mentioned by GM Kyle Dubas as a player the team has been targeting for a while, likely thanks to his defensive contributions at the center ice position. One thing the Maple Leafs have been dearly missing over the last few seasons is a true center who can penalty kill and in Kampf they’ve found their answer. The 26-year-old was left unqualified by the Chicago Blackhawks and the Maple Leafs snatched him up for a not-insignificant cap hit. He’ll likely start the year as the team’s fourth-line center.

Gabriel, a 6’4″ enforcer from the San Jose Sharks, will certainly raise some eyebrows on a contract with Toronto, given the way their team is usually perceived. The Maple Leafs have been adding more and more toughness over the last few years by bringing in names like Wayne Simmonds and Zach Bogosian, but now have decided to sign a player that doesn’t really bring much else. The 28-year-old Gabriel has just 49 games in his NHL career but has racked up 153 penalty minutes, including 15 fighting majors. Even though he’s recorded just five NHL points, he could very well be on the roster to add some bite to the fourth line on specific nights.

Biega and Dahlstrom bring some defensive depth to the organization, but neither one figures to be a full-time member of the NHL roster. It’s Ho-Sang that will draw the most attention of the last three. The 25-year-old was a first-round pick in 2014 and has put up strong offensive totals in the minor leagues. There was also a public falling out with his management with the New York Islanders, leading to a split and essentially an end to his NHL career. After playing the 2020-21 season on loan in Sweden, Ho-Sang became a Group VI unrestricted free agent. If he can’t land a contract with the Maple Leafs out of camp, it seems likely that he’ll never have another chance.

Tampa Bay Lightning Sign Pierre-Edouard Bellemare

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The Tampa Bay Lightning will fill one of their bottom-six forward roles with a well-liked NHL veteran, signing Pierre-Edouard Bellemare to a two-year contract according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The deal is expected to carry an average annual value of $1MM.

Bellemare, 36, has played 51 postseason games over the past four years, filling a checking role with the Vegas Golden Knights and Colorado Avalanche. Though his playing career is likely coming to an end relatively soon, he’ll give it at least one more go with the reigning Stanley Cup champions. With the Lightning forced to part with Yanni Gourde, Barclay Goodrow, Tyler Johnson and Blake Coleman due to cap concerns, they needed to find some players to fill the third and fourth line for cheap. Bellemare is a strong candidate, though he’ll likely be lining up beside players more than ten years younger than him.

Undrafted, Bellemare took an interesting path to the NHL, spending several years in the French professional league back home before heading to Sweden for his formative professional years. By the time he debuted in the NHL in 2014, he was already nearly 30 years old. He has never been much of an offensive contributor at this level, but offers unending energy and slick defensive ability in the middle of the ice. The fact that he won more than 60% of his draws this season was surely not lost on the Lightning, whose best faceoff man is a part-time center in Steven Stamkos.

It’s unlikely that Bellemare will be able to replicate the production of any of those four players mentioned above, but the cap-strapped Lightning will have to make due. If they put him in the correct situations, he can still be a valuable addition to any playoff lineup.

Columbus Blue Jackets Sign Gavin Bayreuther, Tyler Sikura

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After a short vacation to Seattle, Gavin Bayreuther has once again signed with the Columbus Blue Jackets. The minor league defenseman was selected in the expansion draft as a pending UFA and has signed a two-year contract to return to his previous organization. The deal will be a two-way contract in 2021-22 and a one-way contract in 2022-23. The team has also signed minor league forward Tyler Sikura to a one-year, two-way contract.

Bayreuther, 27, was a confusing selection in the first place, as he has just 28 NHL games under his belt and has scored just three goals. It never seemed like he was destined for the Kraken roster, but perhaps they believed he could be signed and stashed in the minor leagues. For Columbus, that’s exactly what is likely to happen, with him returning to the Cleveland Monsters where he scored 12 points in 14 games this year.

The same can be said for Sikura, who doesn’t even have an NHL game under his belt. He did however scored 21 points in 29 games for Cleveland, and will return as a strong minor league veteran to fill out the system. It’s all about the development of their young talent now in Columbus, so keeping the relationship with the AHL team strong and productive is an important step.

San Jose Sharks, Arizona Coyotes Complete Minor Trade

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The San Jose Sharks have acquired Lane Pederson from the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for a 2024 fourth-round selection. Quickly, the Sharks signed the young forward to a two-year contract. According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, the contract will be a two-way deal in 2021-22 with an NHL salary of $750K and a one-way deal in 2022-23 worth another $750K.

Pederson, 23, made his NHL debut this season with Arizona, playing in 15 games and registering three points. The undrafted forward has been a top performer over the past few seasons with the Tucson Roadrunners, scoring at a near point-per-game pace. In San Jose, he may receive an NHL opportunity given the team signed him for two years. Perhaps they see a breakout star that can step directly into a fourth-line role, or maybe he’s just meant to strengthen the San Jose Barracuda roster.

At the end of the deal, Pederson (who turns 24 in just a few days) will be eligible for Group VI unrestricted free agency if he fails to play 65 more NHL games.

Carolina Hurricanes Sign Tony DeAngelo

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July 28: The contract has been officially announced by the Hurricanes. One year and $1MM for DeAngelo, who is still earning some of his salary from the Rangers as well. GM Don Waddell released a short statement about his newest defenseman:

Tony is a smooth-skating, puck-moving defenseman. We’ve done a lot of background work on this player and we are confident that he can be a positive addition to our group.

July 27: The Carolina Hurricanes are closing in on a one-year deal with recently bought-out defenseman Tony DeAngelo, according to Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff. Seravalli notes that there was a lot of interest in DeAngelo, but that the opportunity to play for head coach Rod Brind’Amour was appealing to him. The deal is not yet signed and no financial details have been reported at this time.

It will create a public relations mess in Carolina to bring in DeAngelo, who was sent away from the Rangers organization this season after several incidents involving teammates. The last one was between DeAngelo and goaltender Alexandar Georgiev, which led to the defensemen being placed on waivers. At the time, GM Jeff Gorton explained that it wasn’t just one incident that led to the decision, instead telling reporters that he had warned the defenseman “if his name came up in anything at all” he would find himself on waivers. DeAngelo cleared and would not play for the Rangers again.

While a trade was explored, DeAngelo declined a contract termination that would have allowed him to sign elsewhere last season, instead forcing the Rangers into a buyout this summer. He will earn one-third of the $5.3MM that was remaining on his contract with the Rangers after clearing unconditional waivers a few days ago, but should this deal go through, will now be able to collect a paycheck from the Hurricanes as well.

There isn’t anyone that doubts DeAngelo’s offensive ability, as the 25-year-old defenseman recorded 15 goals and 53 points in the 2019-20 season. He earned Norris Trophy votes that season after playing so well, which has always been the trade-off when it comes to him. Even going back to his junior career, DeAngelo has been embroiled in controversy with his teammates. Whether he can make that side of the game work in Carolina remains to be seen, but it appears as though the organization will try.

Detroit Red Wings Sign Ryan Murphy To One-Year Deal

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The Detroit Red Wings announced today that they’ve signed defender Ryan Murphy to a one-year contract. The financial details have yet to be released.

Murphy, 28, is an interesting story. The 12th overall pick in 2011, he never reached the expectations many had for him a decade ago, but he also didn’t ever flame out of professional hockey. Instead, he has just continually signed NHL contracts, bouncing up and down between the minor leagues and filling in whenever needed. The majority of his games played game early in his career, but he was still playing in the NHL as recently as 2018-19.

Then, in 2019, he decided to head to the KHL, where he scored 23 points in 56 games. That seemed to get his offensive game right back on track, as he returned this year and led all AHL defensemen in scoring with 27 points in 37 games for the Henderson Silver Knights. That earned him the Eddie Shore Award as the best defenseman in the AHL and a place on the Pacific Division All-Star team.

With 175 NHL games over his career, he’ll join the Red Wings depth chart and could add to that total. He’s still just 28 and could get another opportunity to show what he can do, especially if the team moves some of their veteran options at the trade deadline. Even if he doesn’t, he’ll likely give the Grand Rapids Griffins an All-Star performance, helping develop some of the organization’s young prospects.

Blake Coleman To Sign With Calgary Flames

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The Calgary Flames are going to bring in a Stanley Cup champion, as Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic confirms they will sign Blake Coleman when free agency opens. Joe Smith of The Athletic reports the deal will be a six-year contract and will carry an average annual value of $4.9MM. The Athletic’s Hailey Salvian reports that the deal carries a full no-movement clause for the first three seasons and a modified no-trade clause for the final three.

Initially linked to the Dallas Stars, his hometown team, and the Boston Bruins, a rival of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Coleman will instead head about as far from Tampa as possible by joining the Flames. Calgary is a team that is trying to become tougher to play against and Coleman’s hard-nosed game will certainly help with that. Though limited to a third-line role with the Bolts, albeit a crucial one, Coleman will likely compete for top-six minutes with the Flames. The team is deep up front with the likes of Matthew Tkachuk, Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan, Elias Lindholm, Mikael Backlund, Andrew Mangiapane, and Dillon Dube, but Coleman’s game is unlike any of these current top-nine options. He has the chance to be the piece that completes the puzzle for a Flames squad whose results have not matched their talent on paper.

Though unsurprising, Coleman’s official departure from Tampa means the team will be replacing their highly-valued third line in its entirety. Coleman, Yanni Gourde, and Barclay Goodrow will all be on new teams this season after playing a critical role the past two years, especially in the postseason.

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