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Corey Perry Signs With Tampa Bay Lightning

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The Tampa Bay Lightning have bolstered their depth, signing veteran forward Corey Perry to a two-year contract. ESPN’s Kevin Weekes was the first to report the signing. Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports the contract carries an average annual value of $1MM.

The old adage of “if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em” stands strong here. Perry joins the Lightning after losing to the team in two consecutive Stanley Cup Finals (with Dallas in 2020, Montreal in 2021). Now 36 years old, the former Rocket Richard winner and league MVP has seen somewhat of a career renaissance after a messy end to his time with the Anaheim Ducks. After being bought out at the end of the 2018-19 season due to a combination of injuries and declining play, Perry’s scored 14 goals and 42 points in 106 games over the past two seasons. He’s kept up that same rate of production in the playoffs – nine goals and 19 points in a whopping 49 playoff contests since leaving Anaheim.

Perry is still a reliable bottom-six talent, and he’ll add to what should be a rotating cast of bottom-six wingers for the Lightning. After losing their entire checking line of Blake Coleman, Yanni Gourde, and Barclay Goodrow due to salary cap restraints, the team’s bottom six will take on a fresh look next season. They’ve already added one veteran presence, signing Pierre-Edouard Bellemare yesterday. Bellemare and Perry will provide competition for a cast of young Tampa forwards that include Ross Colton, Alex Barre-Boulet, Mathieu Joseph, and Mitchell Stephens. When three-time Stanley Cup champion Pat Maroon is added to that list, it quickly becomes apparent that there’s no guarantee Perry plays every night for the Lightning. However, a healthy and well-rested Perry is still an important piece of a three-peat puzzle for Tampa, especially come playoff time.

St. Louis Blues Sign Three Players

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The St. Louis Blues have announced three minor signings, adding some depth to the organization. Matthew Peca, Nathan Todd and Charlie Lindgren have all agreed to one-year, two-way contracts.

Peca, 28, spent most of this season playing with the Belleville Senators, but does have 78 NHL games under his belt. A seventh-round pick of the Lightning in 2011, he has shown a strong offensive ability at the college and AHL level. Even in his limited NHL time the 5’8″ forward has 20 points, but likely won’t get much of an opportunity to play at that level in St. Louis.

Instead, Peca and Todd are likely ticketed for the AHL, where they can provide some scoring depth for the Springfield Thunderbirds. Todd hasn’t ever played in the NHL, but did score 32 points in 36 games for the Manitoba Moose last season.

The interesting name of the bunch is Lindgren, if only because the Blues’ goaltending depth chart isn’t very deep. The team appears to be going into next season with the sam Jordan Binnington–Ville Husso duo they had this year, but beyond that, only two 20-year-old prospects are under contract. That would mean Lindgren is coming in as the third-string option after spending nearly the entire 2020-21 campaign on the taxi squad.

Now 27, the undrafted Lindgren has appeared in 24 NHL games over the years and has a .907 save percentage. His numbers in the AHL during that same stretch have actually been worse, but he’s it appears as though he could be in line for some more NHL action if the Blues run into any injuries. At the very least, he’ll give the team an experienced option in the minor leagues.

Buffalo Sabres Expected To Sign John Hayden

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The Buffalo Sabres have made several moves to shore up the depth of the organization, and it appears another one is coming. Craig Morgan of AZ Coyotes Insider reports that the Sabres are expected to sign John Hayden to a one-year contract. The team announced that the contract is worth a league-minimum $750,000.

Hayden, 26, played in 29 games for the Arizona Coyotes last season, registering five points and 37 penalty minutes. The 6’3″ forward has 185 games in his NHL career, most of which came with the Chicago Blackhawks. One of the assistant coaches during his time in Chicago was Don Granato, who is now behind the bench in Buffalo.

Selected in the third round in 2013, Hayden never has developed much offensive upside. What he does represent is a solid defensive option for the fourth line who also has some experience penalty killing and will engage physically when needed. With the Sabres lineup looking like it won’t be competitive this season, the team will need these structured depth pieces to help insulate the development of young forwards like Dylan Cozens and Casey Mittelstadt in more offensive situations.

Dallas Stars Sign Jani Hakanpaa, Michael Raffl

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The Dallas Stars are bringing in some size on defense, signing Jani Hakanpaa to a three-year contract. The deal will carry an average annual value of $1.5MM. Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff tweets that there was something of a bidding war for Hakanpaa, but he chose Dallas to play with the strong core of Finnish players already in place. GM Jim Nill released a short statement on his newest defenseman:

Jani is a big, physical defenseman that sees the ice well and skates at a high level for a man of his size. He is a reliable penalty killer and will help balance out our backend.

If you missed Hakanpaa’s rookie season and didn’t even realize he was on the market, you probably wouldn’t be alone. That’s never-noticed attribute is the calling card of the 29-year-old defenseman, who quietly had a pretty successful season. He played 42 games with the Anaheim Ducks, registering just a single point but racking up 168 hits, before being acquired by the Carolina Hurricanes at the deadline. While his offensive production exploded in Carolina—three points in 15 games!—he won’t be asked to do any of that in Dallas.

Instead, Hakanpaa offers a huge, intimidating frame that punishes forecheckers and net-front players. He can skate well enough to keep up with today’s game even at a hulking 6’5″, and will replace some of the size that Dallas lost when Jamie Oleksiak left in the expansion process.

That won’t be the only physical presence the Stars will add today though, as they have also signed Michael Raffl to a one-year deal. Raffl’s new contract will carry an NHL salary of $1.1MM. Nill released a short statement:

Michael is a solid two-way forward with good hockey sense, allowing him to play in a variety of situations. He has a strong, physical presence on the ice and will add veteran savvy and depth to our lineup.

Not only did the Stars lose Oleksiak on the back end, but with Andrew Cogliano signing in San Jose, they also lost a big part of their bottom-six. Raffl will help fill that gap as a two-way winger who can chip in offensively when needed. He spent the first eight years of his career with the Philadelphia Flyers before a trade took him to the Washington Capitals for last year’s playoff push. In 44 total games, he scored 11 points.

Matthew DeFranks of the Dallas Morning News broke the news on Twitter

Pittsburgh Penguins Sign Michael Chaput

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have added a depth forward, signing Michael Chaput to a one-year contract. The two-way deal will carry an average annual value of $750K.

Chaput, 29, has bounced around the NHL over his professional career, mostly suiting up in the minor leagues. His 182 games have come with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Vancouver Canucks, Montreal Canadiens and most recently the Arizona Coyotes, for who he played 13 matches this season. He has just 22 points during those 182 games, despite strong production at the minor league level, but does bring a big body for the fourth line.

The Penguins are notorious for bringing in fringe players and giving them a chance in the top-six, but that seems unlikely in Chaput’s case. With 11 forwards already under one-way contracts, two more restricted free agents to sign, and some other NHL depth options in the system, he seems destined to spend a good chunk of the year in the AHL once again. The last time he was there, he scored 16 goals in 47 games for the Tucson Roadrunners.

Buffalo Sabres Sign Ethan Prow

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The Buffalo Sabres have added some more defensive depth, signing Ethan Prow to a one-year, $750K contract. Prow was an unrestricted free agent after spending last season overseas.

Undrafted, the 28-year-old Prow has been an interesting player to follow the last few seasons. He seemed to turn a corner in 2018-19, scoring 18 goals and 50 points in 74 games for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, finally getting substantial playing time without the threat of being sent to the ECHL. He followed it up with another excellent season for the Springfield Thunderbirds, before taking his talents to Germany last season.

In 26 games for Munich EHC, he racked up 20 points, once again showing he could contribute at both ends of the rink. Whether he’ll get a chance to show that in Buffalo isn’t clear, but he couldn’t have picked a better depth chart to join if he’s looking for NHL action. The Sabres have just three defensemen under one-way contracts at the moment and all of them are potential trade chips that could be flipped before next year’s deadline.

He’ll also be coming to the organization with a familiar face. Jimmy Schuldt, who the Sabres signed yesterday, was a teammate–and sometimes partner–of Prow at St. Cloud State. Unfortunately, one of their other college teammates Will Borgen was selected by the Seattle Kraken in this month’s expansion draft.

Free Agent Frenzy 2021: Day 1 Signings By Team

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The 2021 offseason saw an incredible amount of player movement before the gates opened in free agency, and it didn’t slow down once players were allowed to sign new contracts. Nearly $800MM in contract dollars were dolled out on day one, with more than 160 players inking new deals. Here are all of the signings from day one of the free agent frenzy, broken down by team. All dollar amounts represent the average annual value at the NHL level.

Anaheim Ducks:

F Ryan Getzlaf – One year, $4.5MM
D Brogan Rafferty – One year, $750K

Arizona Coyotes: 

F Dmitrij Jaskin – One year, $3.2MM
F Ryan Dzingel – One year, $1.1MM
G Carter Hutton – One year, $750K
F Liam O’Brien – One year, $750K

Boston Bruins: 

F Nick Foligno – Two years, $3.8MM
F Erik Haula – Two years, $2.375MM
F Tomas Nosek – Two years, $1.75MM
D Derek Forbort – Three years, $3.0MM
G Linus Ullmark – Four years, $5.0MM
F Samuel Asselin – Two years, $750K
F Steven Fogarty – One year, $750K
D Tyler Lewington – One year, $750K
G Troy Grosenick – One year, $750K

Buffalo Sabres:

G Craig Anderson – One year, $750K
F Vinnie Hinostroza – One year, $1.05MM
F/D Mark Pysyk – One year, $900K
F Sean Malone – One year, $750K
D Jimmy Schuldt – One year, $750K
D Brandon Davidson – One year, $750K
G Aaron Dell – One year, $750K

Calgary Flames:

F Blake Coleman – Six years, $4.9MM
F Trevor Lewis – One year, $800K
D Kevin Gravel – One year, $750K
D Nick DeSimone – One year, $750K
G Adam Werner – One year, $750K

Carolina Hurricanes: 

F Jordan Martinook – Three years, $1.8MM
F Josh Leivo – One year, $750K
D Ian Cole – One year, $2.9MM
D Anthony DeAngelo – One year, $1.0MM
G Frederik Andersen – Two years, $4.5MM
G Antti Raanta – Two years, $2.0MM
F C.J. Smith – One year, $750K

Chicago Blackhawks:

F Jujhar Khaira – Two years, $975K
D Seth Jones – Eight years, $9.5MM*
D Jake McCabe – Four years, $4.0MM

Colorado Avalanche: 

D Roland McKeown – One year, $750K

Columbus Blue Jackets:

F Patrik Laine – One year, $7.5MM
F Boone Jenner – Four years, $3.75MM*
F Sean Kuraly – Four years, $2.5MM
F Eric Robinson – Two years, $1.6MM*
F Alexandre Texier – Two years, $1.525MM
F Tyler Sikura – One year, $750K
D Gavin Bayreuther – Two years, $750K

Dallas Stars: 

F Luke Glendening – Two years, $1.5MM
D Ryan Suter – Four years, $3.65MM
G Braden Holtby – One year, $2.0MM
D Alex Petrovic – One year, $750K
D Andreas Borgman – One year, $750K

Detroit Red Wings:

F Pius Suter – Two years, $3.25MM
F Jordan Oesterle – Two years, $1.35MM
F Sam Gagner – One year, $850K
G Calvin Pickard – One year, $800K

Edmonton Oilers:

F Zach Hyman – Seven years, $5.5MM
F Derek Ryan – Two years, $1.25MM
D Tyson Barrie – Three years, $4.5MM
D Cody Ceci – Four years, $3.25MM

Florida Panthers: 

F Carter Verhaeghe – Three years, $4.17MM*
F Maxim Mamin – One year, $975K
F Juho Lammikko – One year, $750K
G Christopher Gibson – One year, $750K

Los Angeles Kings: 

F Phillip Danault – Six years, $5.5MM
F Andreas Athanasiou – One year, $2.7MM
D Alexander Edler – One year, $3.5MM
F T.J. Tynan – One year, $750K
G Garrett Sparks – One year, $750K

Minnesota Wild: 

F Frederick Gaudreau – Two years, $1.2MM
D Alex Goligoski – One year, $5.0MM
D Dmitry Kulikov – Two years, $2.25MM
F Dominic Turgeon – One year, $750K
D Jon Lizotte – One year, $750K
D Joe Hicketts – Two years, $750K

Montreal Canadiens:

F Mike Hoffman – Three years, $4.5MM
F Cedric Paquette – One year, $950K
D David Savard – Four years, $3.5MM
D Chris Wideman – One year, $750K
F Jean-Sebastien Dea – One year, $750K
D Louis Belpedio – One year, $750K

Nashville Predators: 

F Mikael Granlund – Four years, $5.0MM
G David Rittich – One year, $1.25MM
F Zachary L’Heureaux – Three years, $925K**
F Michael McCarron – Two years, $750K
F Anthony Richard – One year, $750K
F Matt Luff – One year, $750K
D Matt Tennyson – Two years, $750K

New Jersey Devils:

D Dougie Hamilton – Seven years, $9.0MM
G Jonathan Bernier – Two years, $4.125MM
F Brian Flynn – One year, $750K
F Chase De Leo – One year, $750K

New York Islanders:

(None)

New York Rangers: 

D Patrik Nemeth – Three years, $2.5MM
D Jarred Tinordi – Two years, $900K
F Dryden Hunt – Two years, $763K 
F Greg McKegg – One year, $750K

Ottawa Senators: 

D Michael Del Zotto – Two years, $2.0MM
F Andrew Agozzino – On year, $800K

Philadelphia Flyers: 

F Nate Thompson – One year, $800K
D Keith Yandle – One year, $900K
G Martin Jones – One year, $2.0MM
F Ryan Fitzgerald – One year, $750K
F Gerald Mayhew – One year, $800K
D Cooper Zech – Two years, $838K**
D Adam Clendening – One year, $750K
D Nick Seeler – One year, $750K

Pittsburgh Penguins: 

F Brock McGinn – Four years, $2.75MM
F Evan Rodrigues – One year, $1.0MM
F Dominik Simon – One year, $750K
D Taylor Fedun – One year, $750K
G Filip Lindberg – Two years, $925K**

San Jose Sharks: 

F Nick Bonino – Two years, $2.05MM
F Andrew Cogliano – One year, $1.0MM
G James Reimer – Two years, $2.25MM
F Lane Pederson – Two years, $750K
F Nick Merkley – One year, $750K
D Jaycob Megna – One year, $750K

Seattle Kraken:

F Jaden Schwartz – Five years, $5.5MM
F Alexander Wennberg – Three years, $4.5MM
G Philipp Grubauer – Six years, $5.9MM

St. Louis Blues: 

(None)

Tampa Bay Lightning:

F Brayden Point – Eight years, $9.5MM*
F Pierre-Edouard Bellemare – Two years, $1.0MM
D Zach Bogosian – Three years, $850K
G Brian Elliott – One year, $900K
F Gabriel Dumont – One year, $750K
F Remi Elie – One year, $750K
F Charles Hudon – One year, $750K
D Darren Raddysh – One year, $750K
D Andrej Sustr – One year, $750K
G Maxime Lagace – One year, $750K

Toronto Maple Leafs:

F David Kampf – Two years, $1.5MM
F Michael Bunting – Two years, $950K
F Kurtis Gabriel – One year, $750K
G Petr Mrazek – Three years, $3.8MM
F Michael Amadio – One year, $750K
D Carl Dahlstrom – One year, $750K
D Alex Biega – One year, $750K

Vancouver Canucks:

F Brandon Sutter – One year, $1.125MM
F Justin Dowling – Two years, $750K
D Travis Hamonic – Two years, $3.0MM
D Tucker Poolman – Four years, $2.5MM
D Luke Schenn – Two years, $850K
D Brad Hunt – One year, $800K
D Brady Keeper – Two years, $763K
G Jaroslav Halak – One year, $1.5MM (+$1.5MM performance bonuses)
F Danila Klimovich – Three years, $887K**
F Justin Bailey – One year, $750K
F Sheldon Dries – One year, $750K
F Phillip Di Giuseppe – One year, $750K
F Nicolas Petan – One year, $750K
D Kyle Burroughs – Two years, $750K
D Devante Stephens – One year, $750K

Vegas Golden Knights:

F Mattias Janmark – One year, $2.0MM
F Patrick Brown – Two years, $750K
D Alec Martinez – Three years, $5.25MM
G Laurent Brossoit – Two years, $2.325MM
F Sven Baertschi – One year, $750K
F Gage Quinney – One year, $750K

Washington Capitals:

D Dylan McIlrath – Two years, $750K
D Lucas Johansen – One year, $750K
D Matt Irwin – One year, $750K
G Hunter Shepard – Two years, $750K

Winnipeg Jets:

F Michael Eyssimont – Two years, $750K
F Luke Johnson – One year, $750K

*Extension starting in 2022-23
**Entry-level contract
Indicates two-way deal

Buffalo Sabres Sign Craig Anderson, Six Others

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When the Buffalo Sabres lost both Linus Ullmark and Carter Hutton to free agency, it left their goaltending depth chart almost completely empty. Only journeyman Dustin Tokarski and prospect Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen remained, meaning the team was going to have to add another netminder at some point. They’ve done just that, though it certainly isn’t one that can handle a starting load if the need arises.

The Sabres have signed Craig Anderson to a one-year, $750K contract. The 40-year-old goaltender is now the oldest player under contract in the league. Just a few days ago, Washington Capitals GM Brian MacLellan said that Anderson was expected to retire. That obviously hasn’t happened, as he’ll now join the Sabres and potentially have plenty of playing time this season.

Buffalo has also announced several other depth signings. Jimmy Schuldt, Sean Malone and Brandon Davidson have signed one-year contracts worth $750K each, Mark Pysyk has signed a one-year deal worth $900K, and Vinnie Hinostroza has signed a one-year contract worth $1.05MM.

Hinostroza is the most interesting among the five names, after he recorded 12 points in 17 games for the Chicago Blackhawks last season following a midseason trade. He had performed well offensively in the past, even recording a career-high of 16 goals and 39 points in 2018-19. The 27-year-old has been extremely inconsistent though, and will have to really take advantage of playing time in Buffalo to get his career back on track.

A few minutes later they signed Aaron Dell, another goaltender who isn’t a true starter and has struggled in recent years. Dell had an .857 in seven appearances for the New Jersey Devils in 2020-21, winning just one game. It’s good to have depth, but it seems like it will be up to Luukkonen if the Sabres are going to have any sort of above-average goaltending this season.

Dmitry Kulikov Signs With Minnesota Wild

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The Minnesota Wild have added some defensive depth, signing Dmitry Kulikov to a two-year contract. The deal will carry an average annual value of $2.25MM.

Kulikov, 30, continues to secure healthy contracts despite a sharp offensive decline and a lack of any playoff success. The 6’1″ left-handed defenseman has registered just 36 points–four this year–in his last 265 NHL games. He brings some physicality and decent defensive awareness, but is really just a depth option at this point. Over his 12-year career, which includes 725 regular season games, Kulikov has only 27 postseason appearances and the only playoffs where his team even got out of the first round was when he played just a single game.

There are plenty of examples throughout NHL history of players that had no postseason success until they did, but this is a bit of an odd signing for a team that already has so much money tied up on defense. The Wild are also paying Alex Goligoski $5MM for the 2021-22 season, meaning the top-four combine for more than $24.5MM. The team has $20MM in cap space left, but a huge chunk of that (likely more than half) will be given out to Kirill Kaprizov and Kevin Fiala. If the team wants to make any other significant additions, the room is dwindling.

Still, Kulikov basically replaces the outgoing Carson Soucy, who was set to earn $2.75MM but was selected by the Seattle Kraken in the expansion draft. The veteran defenseman will not likely be asked to log anywhere close to 20 minutes a night but instead provides some depth in case of an injury in the top-four.

Colorado Avalanche Acquire Darcy Kuemper

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The Colorado Avalanche missed out on retaining their starting goaltender when Philipp Grubauer decided to sign with the Seattle Kraken, but have found a replacement. The Avalanche have traded defenseman Conor Timmins, a 2022 first-round pick and a conditional 2024 third-round pick to the Arizona Coyotes for Darcy Kuemper. 

The Avalanche can likely afford a price like that, given how many good young defensemen they already have in the organization, but it’s still a lot to pay for a goaltender under contract for just one season. There’s obviously a chance he will sign an extension with Colorado, but until he does, the Avalanche are pushing a few important chips to the middle after losing the bidding on Grubauer. During today’s TSN coverage of the trade deadline, Pierre LeBrun explained that Frederik Andersen was Colorado’s backup plan if they couldn’t re-sign Grubauer, but the former Toronto Maple Leafs netminder couldn’t wait and ended up with the Carolina Hurricanes when a strong offer was tabled.

There was really no other option for the Avalanche after the goalie carousel had stopped spinning today. The team needed a strong, experienced option that could potentially help them contend for the Stanley Cup, and those weren’t readily available on free agency or the trade market. Kuemper was the obvious choice, given his strong play over the last few years and overall NHL resume.

In 242 appearances, the 31-year-old netminder has posted a .917 save percentage, including a .922 in his three years with Arizona. He finished fifth and seventh in Vezina voting the two years previous to this season, and recently led Team Canada to a gold medal at the IIHF World Championship. He will now be asked to carry a heavy load for the Avalanche, splitting time with Pavel Francouz but being the obvious starting option. Kuemper’s never really had this kind of a dominant team in front of him, except perhaps for the start of 2017-18 when he served as the backup for the 45-29-8 Los Angeles Kings. During that 19-game stretch, he posted a 10-1-3 record with a .932 save percentage, numbers the Avalanche hope repeat now that he’s on a Cup contender in Colorado.

For Arizona, today played out perfectly as they waited to move Kuemper until a team was in a desperate situation. The team will not only add another high pick to their overflowing cupboard–they will now pick seven times in the first two rounds of 2022—but also bring in Timmins, a legitimate defense prospect that could very well slide in on the top pairing beside Jakob Chychrun. It’s not that Timmins projects to be that high on most depth charts, but the Coyotes only have a few NHL-level defensemen on the books.

The team has been desperately needing an influx of young talent and GM Bill Armstrong has done exceptional work this offseason to bring it in. The team has used cap space several times to add assets, while also flipping their most valuable pieces for future talent. Kuemper was unlikely to be in net the next time the Coyotes were competitive, so why not move him now when the price is so high.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Craig Morgan of AZ Coyotes Insider was first to report the trade

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