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San Jose Sharks Acquire Adin Hill

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The San Jose Sharks were believed to be closing in on a goaltender ahead of the Expansion Draft roster freeze and now a deal is done. The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz reports that the Sharks have acquired goaltender Adin Hill from their now-former division rival Arizona Coyotes. San Jose will send young goalie Josef Korenar back to Arizona to satisfy exposure requirements for the Coyotes. The ’Yotes will also receive a 2022 second-round pick, while sending their own 2022 seventh-round pick to the Sharks alongside Hill, adds Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.

This trade was – obviously – all about the Expansion Draft. The Sharks did not have a goaltender that they felt was worthy of protection from the Seattle Kraken and the Coyotes had two. Arizona had reportedly been listening to offers for both starter Darcy Kuemper and backup Hill, expecting that Seattle would select Hill if he could not be protected. They end up losing the promising young netminder regardless, but get something back from San Jose – a goalie prospect and a high-value draft pick. Meanwhile, the Sharks will expose starter Martin Jones, who has failed to live up to his lofty contract, in favor of Hill. Jones is very unlikely to be selected, although such a decision would be well received by the Sharks anyhow. Kuemper and Hill had been the Coyotes’ only goaltenders eligible for the Expansion Draft, necessitating the return of Korenar to fill the exposure quota of one goaltender under contract or team control.

Hill will be given every opportunity to take the starting job from Jones this season. The 25-year-old’s role in the desert has been increasing in each of the past three years, capped off with a career-high 19 appearances and 17 starts in 2020-21. Hill is a big, positional goaltender who has translated his ability well from the AHL to the NHL. Over the past two seasons, Hill has recorded a .915 save percentage and 2.70 GAA in 32 games. Playing behind a deeper and more talented defense corps in San Jose, those numbers have a chance to improve, which would certainly be an upgrade to Jones’ recent efforts.

With that said, given the desperate position of the Coyotes in this situation, it is fair to wonder if San Jose overpaid. What will very likely be an early second-round pick next year alongside a promising rookie keeper in Korenar is a steep price. Arizona risked losing Hill for nothing and instead added quality building blocks.

Roster Freeze Notes: Sharks, Flames, Dunn

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With NHL Expansion Draft protection lists due at 4:00pm CT today, the league has enacted a freeze in all roster transactions that goes into effect in less than an hour from now at 2:00pm CT and lasts through Thursday morning after the Expansion Draft is complete. NHL teams are not taking this deadline lightly; numerous reports suggest that the trade market is no less than a complete frenzy right now as teams look to use their expansion flexibility (or lack thereof) to make deals before the clock runs out. Bally Sports’ Andy Strickland spoke with an agent who said he has never seen so many players available for trade from so many teams.

One team that seems poised to make a move are the San Jose Sharks. The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz reports that the Sharks are attempting to add a goalie before the deadline. San Jose is likely to expose expensive, underperforming starter Martin Jones in the Expansion Draft and seemingly would be open to exposing young Josef Korenar as well if they can add another legitimate NHL goaltender worth protecting. Not many teams across the league have the luxury of adding a goalie before the expansion process begins, so the Sharks are trying to take advantage of a goalie market with far more sellers than buyers.

  • The Sharks are certainly not alone in pushing for a last-minute deal. The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch reports that among the most active teams are the Winnipeg Jets, who are shopping Mason Appleton, the Calgary Flames, and the Chicago Blackhawks. The Blackhawks appear to be specifically targeting a landing spot for restricted free agent defenseman Nikita Zadorov, Garrioch notes. There has been some speculation that Chicago was not enthused about Zadorov’s asking price or potential arbitration award, but don’t necessarily want to expose him to Seattle and lose him for nothing in return. The Flames are far less single-minded; Garrioch calls the roster “unsettled” and believes that many players could be up for grabs.
  • St. Louis Blues defenseman Vince Dunn is out there in current trade discussions as well, reports Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic.  The 24-year-old has been in trade speculation for the last couple of years now but expansion could be the pressure point to get something completed.  Many expect St. Louis to use the standard protection scheme which allows for seven forwards and three defensemen.  The three blueliners expected to be protected in that scenario are veterans Colton Parayko, Torey Krug, and Justin Faulk which would leave Dunn unprotected and seemingly a prime target for the Kraken.  They could go to eight skaters to protect Dunn but would then leave three more forwards available to Seattle.  Accordingly, if the Blues want to get an asset for Dunn, today may be the last chance that can happen.

Jets Trying To Move Mason Appleton

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With the transaction freeze now just over an hour away, the Jets appear to be trying to move a player that’s likely to be left unprotected from Seattle as Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports (Twitter link) that they are shopping winger Mason Appleton.

The 25-year-old secured a full-time spot with Winnipeg for the first time this past season and certainly made the most of it, posting career highs across the board with 12 goals and 13 assists in 56 games while averaging 14:25 per night, primarily suiting up on their third line.  He chipped in with three more points in eight postseason contests.  However, while the Jets would like to protect Appleton, he’s likely to be the odd forward out when they submit their protection list to the NHL later today.

[Related: Jets Expansion Primer]

Appleton has one more year left on his deal with a more than reasonable $900K price tag which is something that most teams around the league will be able to afford.  While his overall track record isn’t the longest (just 138 career NHL games), the success he had on what was an effective third line for Winnipeg should be enough to generate some interest in his services.

Of course, one of those teams should be Seattle which is why he’s a contender to become a member of the Kraken if he’s not dealt.  The question now for GM Kevin Cheveldayoff will be if a possible return for Appleton is high enough to justify moving him and losing another player off their roster or if they’re better off just losing him on Wednesday during the expansion draft.  We’ll find out one way or the other within the next hour.

Ducks Re-Sign Alexander Volkov

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The Ducks have agreed to terms with one of their pending free agent as player agent Dan Milstein of Gold Star reports (Twitter link) that his client, winger Alexander Volkov, has signed a new one-year deal with Anaheim.  PuckPedia reports (Twitter link) that Volkov will receive a $925K salary on his one-way contract. The Ducks have confirmed the extension.

The 23-year-old split last season between Tampa Bay and Anaheim after requesting a trade from the Lightning to try to find a bigger role elsewhere.  He certainly received that with the Ducks, averaging nearly 14 minutes per night in 18 games with the team and certainly made the most of the opportunity, notching four goals and four assists in that span.  Adding in his time with Tampa Bay, his season ended with seven goals and six helpers in 37 contests.

That didn’t give him a lot of leverage heading into this contract negotiation, even with Volkov being eligible for arbitration for the first time.  Even so, he managed to get a raise of $225K from his deal from last season and if he’s able to play at a similar level with the Ducks over the course of a full season, he’ll be well-positioned for another raise next summer.

This is a move that could have some expansion implications.  With this agreement, Volkov can now serve as one of Anaheim’s two signed forwards (with 27 games played this past season or 54 in the past two) to be exposed to Seattle, giving them some extra flexibility if they wind up protecting seven forwards and three defensemen.

Chris Driedger Expected To Be Taken By Seattle In Expansion

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The protection lists won’t be finalized for a few hours yet but it appears Seattle knows who they will be taking from the Panthers.  Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that the Kraken will select goaltender Chris Driedger from Florida and sign the pending unrestricted free agent to a new contract.

Driedger has definitely been a late bloomer.  After Ottawa non-tendered him back in 2018 following a season that saw him post a 4.04 GAA in the AHL, he went to Florida on a two-way deal, doing well enough to earn another two-way contract in 2019, one that just expired now.  But instead of serving as their third or even fourth-string goaltender as they intended, the 27-year-old worked his way into an early-season promotion in 2019-20 and has stayed with the Panthers ever since.

He finished off that season with a 2.05 GAA and a .938 SV% in 12 games and while he wasn’t quite able to duplicate those numbers this past season, he came pretty close, posting a 2.07 GAA with a .927 SV% in 23 games.  By comparison, Sergei Bobrovsky, who they intended to have as their starter, had a 2.91 GAA and a .906 SV% in his 31 appearances.  Bobrovsky carries a $10MM AAV while Driedger made just $850K.

Driedger will certainly be in line for a significant raise on his next deal even though he’s still quite inexperienced in the NHL with all of 38 games under his belt.  If Seattle winds up selecting and extending him as expected, he should get an opportunity to push for the number one role depending on which other goaltenders the Kraken pick on Wednesday.

As for Florida, this will be a much different expansion experience for them.  Last time, they lost both Reilly Smith and Jonathan Marchessault to Vegas with the two becoming top-six fixtures for the Golden Knights ever since.  Now, they appear to be set to lose a player they were highly unlikely to retain anyway with top prospect Spencer Knight also in the mix for playing time between the pipes.  Losing someone they weren’t going to be able to keep is basically the best-case scenario for them, a nice reversal of fortune from 2017.

Maple Leafs Re-Sign Joseph Woll

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The Maple Leafs have taken care of one of their pending restricted free agents, announcing the re-signing of goaltender Joseph Woll to a one-year, two-way contract.  The deal will carry an NHL salary of $750K.

Toronto selected the 23-year-old back in the third round of the 2016 draft (62nd overall).  He spent three years with Boston College before foregoing his senior season to turn pro, signing with Toronto back in 2019.  He fared well with the Eagles, posting a 2.51 GAA along with a save percentage of .916 over 101 career NCAA appearances but that success hasn’t carried over to the pros.  This past season, Woll posted a 3.54 GAA with a .892 SV% in 15 appearances with the AHL’s Marlies, numbers that were only slight improvements on his rookie season in the minors.

Woll is exempt from the upcoming expansion draft so this isn’t a move with any implications on that front as some recent goalie signings have been.  As things stand, he is now one of four signed goaltenders that are likely ticketed for the minors while the Maple Leafs will need to either re-sign or replace Frederik Andersen to serve as their second netminder alongside Jack Campbell.

Stars Sign Miro Heiskanen To Eight-Year Contract Extension

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The Stars have locked up their franchise defender as they announced that they’ve signed Miro Heiskanen to an eight-year, $67.6MM contract.  He was set to become a restricted free agent when his entry-level contract expired at the end of the month.  The deal makes him the highest-paid Finnish player in NHL history.  GM Jim Nill released the following statement:

We are excited to announce that we have signed Miro to a long-term contract. Since joining us, it has been clear that Miro is part of a collection of young, rising stars that are now playing in the National Hockey League. As an organization, we truly feel that Miro has just scratched the surface of his ability and will be in the Norris Trophy discussion for years to come. On behalf of Tom Gagliardi, his family, and our organization, we want to thank Miro for his commitment to the team and we all look forward to watching him as he continues to evolve into one of the elite players of the game.

Matthew DeFranks of the Dallas Morning News reports (Twitter links) that the breakdown of the contract is as follows:

2021-22: $5MM (including $3MM signing bonus)
2022-23: $7MM
2023-24: $10MM
2024-25: $11MM
2025-26: $11MM, NMC
2026-27: $9MM, NMC
2027-28: $8MM, NMC
2028-29: $6.6MM, NMC

As the first four years of the deal were RFA-eligible seasons, Heiskanen was not eligible for any form of trade protection in those years.

The soon-to-be 22-year-old has quickly become the lynchpin of their defense corps.  He was the third-overall pick in 2017 but waited a year to make his NHL debut, a move that certainly looks wise at this point.  He was able to step into a prominent role as a 19-year-old rookie, logging over 23 minutes a night and has only gotten better since then.

Heiskanen was an integral part of the Stars making it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final back in the bubble a year ago where he averaged nearly 26 minutes a game in playing time while recording 26 points in 27 games, good enough to lead all defensemen while finishing third overall in scoring.

That led to extremely high expectations for Heiskanen heading into 2020-21.  He actually took a small step back offensively, recording 27 points in 55 contests which created the possibility of his camp preferring a bridge contract where he’d be able to have a better platform season a couple of years from now, bolstering his value in the process.  Instead, the two sides have been able to agree on a record-setting contract as this beats Thomas Chabot’s eight-year, $64MM pact as the biggest deal handed out to a defenseman coming off his entry-level pact.  The $8.45MM AAV also makes him the sixth-highest paid defenseman in the NHL.

With this signing, one of the three high-end RFA defenders are now signed with Vancouver’s Quinn Hughes and Colorado’s Cale Makar being the others that will need a new contract in the coming months.  It’s clear that their agents will be using this deal for Heiskanen as a comparable in those negotiations.

Dallas now has just over $5.8MM in cap space for next season, per CapFriendly.  Joel Kiviranta and Jason Dickinson are their only remaining restricted free agents while Jamie Oleksiak is their most prominent pending unrestricted free agent.  That doesn’t leave Nill with a lot to work on this summer so it wouldn’t be surprising to see discussions on an extension for John Klingberg pick up now.  The 28-year-old has one year left on his contract at a below-market price tag of $4.25MM and is set to become an unrestricted free agent next summer.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was the first to report that Heiskanen was nearing an eight-year deal.  Line Movement’s Nick Kypreos was the first to report the $8.45MM AAV.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Blue Jackets Considering Leaving Max Domi Unprotected

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The Blue Jackets don’t have much in the way of impact center depth and it has been an area that they have been trying to address for several years now.  Last summer, they picked up Max Domi from Montreal in a trade for Josh Anderson to try to help that issue but he had a tough year.  Now, TSN’s Darren Dreger is reporting (Twitter link) that Columbus is leaning towards leaving Domi unprotected on their expansion list which is due to the league later today.

The 26-year-old struggled considerably last season, posting just nine goals and 15 assists in 54 games, hardly the type of production they were expecting considering he had at least 38 points in his previous five NHL campaigns.  Along the way, he went from playing down the middle to being shifted back to the wing and was dropped down the depth chart as the season progressed.

To make matters worse, Domi underwent shoulder surgery last month to repair a torn labrum.  The expected recovery time for that procedure is five to six months which means he will miss at least the first month of next season and potentially more.  Perhaps it’s for that reason that GM Jarmo Kekalainen is considering the possibility of leaving him exposed.  However, he’s also owed $6MM in salary for the upcoming season which could also serve as a deterrent although Dreger believes Domi would likely be selected by the Kraken.

[Related: Blue Jackets Expansion Draft Primer]

At any rate, it certainly doesn’t appear as if Domi will be in the long-term plans for the Blue Jackets and he’s set to become an unrestricted free agent next summer which makes him a trade candidate as a rental by either Columbus or Seattle if they do indeed select him.  At any rate, Kekalainen’s search for impact centers is sure to continue.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Minor Transactions: 07/17/21

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With the signing and trade freeze set for 2 PM CST today, it could be a busy day around the NHL.  In the meantime, we’ll keep track of any minor moves made here.

  • Canadiens RFA winger Jake Lucchini has accepted an AHL contract for next season as Montreal’s affiliate in Laval announced (Twitter link) that the 26-year-old has inked a one-year deal. Lucchini had three goals and three assists in 28 AHL games this past season and will no longer take up one of Montreal’s 50 contract slots.  The Canadiens can still tender him a qualifying offer later this month to retain his NHL rights.
  • The Predators have added some minor league depth as their AHL affiliate in Milwaukee announced the signing of center Mitch McLain to a one-year contract. McLean spent parts of the last four seasons in Minnesota’s farm system and had five goals and two assists in 22 games with AHL Iowa in 2020-21.

Central Notes: Garland, Shalunov, Oleksiak

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Last month, Conor Garland’s agent indicated there had been no progress in contract discussions between the Coyotes and the pending restricted free agent.  It appears nothing has changed on that front as David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period relays (Twitter link) that there still have been no contract talks between the two sides and that Arizona appears to be trying to move him.  The 25-year-old is coming off a career year that saw him collect 12 goals and 27 assists in 49 games but is arbitration-eligible for the first time.  On the surface, it would appear as if the Coyotes are concerned about what contract he could be awarded in a hearing which makes him a name to watch for heading into Saturday’s transactions freeze.

Elsewhere in the Central Division:

  • The Blackhawks have given the agent for forward Maxim Shalunov permission to speak to other NHL teams about finding a trade for his rights, reports Scott Powers of The Athletic (subscription link). Whether or not the 28-year-old will come back to North America (he played in the minors in 2013-14) has seemingly been an annual tradition for the last several years but with Chicago’s forward depth, there really isn’t a spot for him even if they wanted to sign him.  Shalunov had 18 goals and 17 assists in 52 games with CSKA Moscow in the KHL this season and could be an intriguing acquisition for someone; Powers suggests that the asking price from Chicago wouldn’t be too high in order to give him a chance to try the NHL if they don’t have a spot for him.
  • One player whose stock may have been boosted by the playoffs is Stars blueliner Jamie Oleksiak. Between that and recent contracts handed out to similar players, Matthew DeFranks of the Dallas Morning News posits that the 28-year-old pending unrestricted free agent should be able to land a contract of $3.5MM or more on the open market.  That may be more than Dallas can afford knowing that Miro Heiskanen is up for a big-ticket contract in his first trip through restricted free agency this summer.  Oleksiak told DeFranks that things have been quiet so in terms of discussions on a new deal.

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