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2021 Arbitration Tracker

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Originally published on August 5

The dates for the upcoming arbitration hearings have been set, with the first three scheduled for August 11. Hearings will continue through August 26 in this condensed offseason. It is important to note that the CBA agreement last year changed the rules for arbitration, so that once a hearing begins, teams are no longer allowed to negotiate with the player in question.

The full schedule is:

August 11
Adam Pelech (New York Islanders) – Settled, 8 years, $5.75MM AAV
Michael McNiven (Montreal Canadiens) – Settled, 1 year, $750K/$100K AAV (two-way)
Jakub Vrana (Detroit Red Wings) – Player filing: $5.7MM – Team filing: $3.65MM – Settled, 3 years, $5.25MM AAV

August 12
Victor Mete (Ottawa Senators) – Settled, 1 year, $1.2MM AAV

August 13
Neal Pionk (Winnipeg Jets) – Settled, 4 years, $5.875MM AAV

August 14
Vince Dunn (Seattle Kraken) – Settled, 2 years, $4.0MM AAV
Zach Sanford (St. Louis Blues) – Settled, 1 year, $2.0MM AAV

August 16
Adin Hill (San Jose Sharks) – Settled, 2 years, $2.175MM AAV
Ross Colton (Tampa Bay Lightning) – Settled, 2 years, $1.125MM AAV

August 17
Kevin Fiala (Minnesota Wild) – Player filing: $6.25MM – Team filing: $4.0MM – Settled, 1 year, $5.1MM AAV

August 18
Juuse Saros (Nashville Predators) – Settled, 4 years, $5.0MM AAV

August 20
Dante Fabbro (Nashville Predators) – Settled, 2 years, $2.4MM AAV
Jason Dickinson (Vancouver Canucks) – Settled, 3 years, $2.65MM AAV

August 21
Adam Erne (Detroit Red Wings) – Settled, 2 years, $2.1MM AAV
Dennis Gilbert (Colorado Avalanche) – Settled, 1 year, $750K/$160K AAV (two-way)

August 23
Zach Aston-Reese (Pittsburgh Penguins) – Settled, 1 year, $1.725MM AAV

August 26
Andrew Copp (Winnipeg Jets) – Settled, 1 year, $3.64MM AAV
Nikita Zadorov (Calgary Flames) – Settled, 1 year, $3.75MM AAV
Travis Sanheim (Philadelphia Flyers) – Settled, 2 years, $4.675MM AAV

San Jose Sharks Sign William Eklund

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Aug 16: The Sharks have officially announced the contract.

Aug 15: The San Jose Sharks have inked a top prospect, signing William Eklund to a three-year entry-level contract. PuckPedia reports that the deal will carry a cap hit of $925K and does include a European Assignment Clause.

Eklund, 18, was the seventh-overall pick in this year’s draft after being the top-ranked international skater by NHL Central Scouting. He is still expected to play in the SHL this year, where he can continue his development with Djurgardens IF. In 2020-21, the young forward scored 11 goals and 23 points in 40 games at the pro level, earning SHL Rookie of the Year honors.

Despite that success, Eklund actually dropped a little lower than many were expecting, even falling behind countryman Simon Edvinsson as the first European drafted (not including Swiss-born Mason McTavish, who represents Canada internationally). The Sharks snapped him up when he was still available at seven, adding an elite two-way talent to their organization. Eklund is equally adept at both playmaking and scoring, constantly finding open ice whether the puck is on his stick or not. His size may be of a little concern, but his incessant work ethic has made up for it to this point. You won’t find a shift with Eklund floating around the perimeter, waiting for his teammates to do the heavy lifting; he’s always involved one way or another and should represent a huge boost to a Sharks pipeline that has struggled to produce impact talents in recent years.

Getting him signed was the next step, even though Eklund’s deal will slide forward if he plays outside the NHL this season. The deal takes the Sharks up to the 50-contract limit for now, though several of those–including this one–will not count toward it once they’re loaned out.

Chicago Blackhawks Agree To Terms With Alex Nylander

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The Chicago Blackhawks will be bringing back Alexander Nylander for another year, as the young forward has agreed to terms on a one-year deal. The contract will carry the same $847,125 salary that he received on his qualifying offer. Nylander missed the entire 2020-21 season following knee surgery but is expected to be at full health come training camp. GM Stan Bowman released a statement on the deal:

With Alex’s pedigree and being only 23-year-old, we feel as if there is still plenty of room for growth in his game. He is just scratching the surface of the type of player we feel he is capable of becoming. This will be an important season for him to perform consistently and contribute offensively. His size and skill are a unique combination that make him an intriguing option for our coaching staff to utilize anywhere in the lineup. 

Nylander, 23, has been a huge disappointment thus far in his NHL career. The eighth overall pick from 2016 and part of a successful hockey family, he has just 32 points in 84 career games. During his last healthy season he played in 65 games for the Blackhawks and scored 26 points, but was incredibly inconsistent in terms of his overall contributions. Too often he would seem disinterested or disengaged, and though those are complaints levied at his brother William Nylander and father Michael Nylander as well, both of them have had the production to balance out those frustrations.

Still, as Bowman suggests, it isn’t time to write off Nylander entirely at this point. He did show some improvement in 2019-20 from his days with the Buffalo Sabres and perhaps he can still become a valuable top-nine contributor for the Blackhawks. On such an inexpensive deal he won’t have to provide a ton of offense to be worthwhile, but the potential for huge upside is still there.

Nylander will still be a restricted free agent next summer, ineligible for salary arbitration once again.

Minnesota Wild, Kevin Fiala Avoid Arbitration

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With an arbitration hearing just a day away, the Minnesota Wild and Kevin Fiala have come to an agreement. The two sides have settled on a one-year, $5.1MM contract almost exactly the midpoint between their two arbitration filings. Fiala had asked for a one-year, $6.25MM contract, while the team had countered with a $4MM deal. The two sides will no longer need the hearing tomorrow.

The 25-year-old Fiala will still be a restricted free agent next summer, but will require a qualifying offer equal to this $5.1MM salary in order for the Wild to retain his rights. He will also be arbitration-eligible once again, meaning a raise is actually a possibility. It was a bet on himself to sign a one-year deal, after becoming one of the most important players on the Wild roster. Over the past two seasons, Fiala has 43 goals and 94 points in 114 games while continuing to post outstanding possession numbers. Though some of that offensive success is due to the deployment the team has offered, there’s no doubting Fiala’s raw talent.

It was Paul Fenton, the oft-ridiculed former GM of the Wild who brought Fiala to Minnesota in a trade for Mikael Granlund a little over two years ago. In terms of offensive contribution, Fiala has been much more effective, yet the two will now head into next season earning almost the same salary. Granlund signed a new four-year, $20MM deal with the Nashville Predators this offseason to continue his strong two-way play, while Fiala will be relied on as the “game-breaker” that Fenton called him when defending the move.

With Kirill Kaprizov still to sign, the Wild have plenty of work to do, but they can now be certain in their financial structure. The team still has more than $13MM in cap space this season, and though things will get tight in the future when the harsh penalties from Zach Parise and Ryan Suter’s buyouts kick in, they at least know they can fit everyone in for 2021-22. A long-term deal for Fiala would have made that more difficult, as buying out UFA years would have sent the average annual value of Fiala’s deal skyrocketing. Despite only turning 25 last month, Fiala has five seasons under his belt already, meaning he’ll be an unrestricted free agent after the 2022-23 season.

Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet broke the news on Twitter

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Five Key Stories: 8/9/21 – 8/15/21

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With the UFA market slowing down, the majority of the top news of the week came from the RFA side as players managed to avoid getting to an arbitration hearing.

Big Money For Goalies: Monday was a good day for goaltenders.  First, Flyers netminder Carter Hart signed a three-year, $11.937MM contract, a payday that certainly reflected his performance over his first two years in the NHL over his struggles in 2020-21 that saw him post a 3.67 GAA with a .877 SV% in 27 games.  Later that day, Rangers starter Igor Shesterkin landed a bigger deal, a record-breaking one even as his four-year, $22.6MM contract is the richest payday for a goalie coming off his first contract.  Shesterkin has just 47 career NHL contests under his belt but has long been viewed as New York’s goalie of the future.  With this deal, he’s certainly the goalie of the present as well.  Shesterkin’s contract bought out two years of UFA eligibility while Hart will be RFA-eligible one final time in 2024.

Vrana Avoids Arbitration: Red Wings winger Jakub Vrana was the first to get to the point of actually having to make an arbitration submission but it never got to that point as he and the Red Wings were able to agree on a three-year, $15.75MM contract the day before the hearing was scheduled to occur.  The 25-year-old was acquired from Washington at the trade deadline and had a strong finish to his year, picking up eight goals and three assists in 11 games which certainly didn’t hurt his negotiating position for this deal.  The contract takes care of his two remaining RFA years plus one season of UFA eligibility.

Jets Re-Sign Two: There were questions about whether or not Winnipeg would be able to afford to re-sign both of their prominent restricted free agents and stay cap-compliant.  They were able to accomplish that in the end, albeit barely.  First, defenseman Neal Pionk inked a four-year, $23.5MM contract, buying out his final two RFA years plus two seasons of UFA eligibility.  He nearly doubled his previous AAV in the process but deservedly so as he has put up 77 points in 125 games since joining the Jets two years ago.  That meant that Andrew Copp had to settle for a one-year deal to keep his price tag as low as possible and he was able to do so at $3.64MM.  If Winnipeg carries a 22-player roster instead of the maximum of 23, they should be able to stay under the cap.

Surgery For Matthews: Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews played through most of last season with a wrist injury, still managing to lead the league in goals with 41 in 52 games in spite of that.  However, the rest and rehab approach wasn’t fixing the problem and after reporting some discomfort as he increased his off-ice training, it was decided that surgery was the best approach.  Matthews has gone under the knife and will be out for at least the next six weeks.  It’s still early enough in the summer that Matthews shouldn’t miss any regular season action (barring any setbacks) but it’s likely he will be very limited in training camp and the preseason.

Panthers Sign A Pair: The Panthers inked a pair of forwards, one in the prime of his career and the other not so much.  First, they avoided arbitration with Sam Reinhart, inking their key summer acquisition to a three-year, $19.5MM contract, buying out two UFA-eligible years in the process.  The 25-year-old has put up at least 40 points in each of his six full NHL seasons and has tallied between 22 and 25 goals in the last four campaigns.  They then added some veteran depth with the signing of Joe Thornton to a one-year, $750K contract.  The 42-year-old has seen his production dip sharply in recent years but he still managed 20 points in 44 games with Toronto last season though the bulk of that came early in the year.  He’ll serve as a veteran mentor while giving them some extra depth in the bottom six.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Free Agent Profile: Nikita Gusev

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A few years ago, Nikita Gusev’s stock was at an all-time high.  After his third straight dominant season in the KHL, Vegas (who acquired his rights from Tampa Bay in an expansion-related trade) was finally able to bring him over to North America by burning the only year of his entry-level deal without him playing a single game.  Months later, they realized they wouldn’t be able to afford him and flipped him to New Jersey for second and third-round selections.

The Devils promptly handed him a two-year, $9MM contract, a sizable commitment for someone who had never played in the NHL before.  Still, it seemed like a reasonable move as they had openings in their top six so he’d have a chance to be an impact player right away.  His first season was pretty good with 44 points in 66 games and while there were some bumps along the way, that’s legitimate second-line production.

Things didn’t go as well last season, however.  Gusev’s role lessened to the point where he was scratched at times and after he cleared waivers and no trade partner materialized, he accepted a contract termination and signed for less money with Florida to get an opportunity down the stretch.  He did well with that, notching five points in 11 games but in the playoffs, he was scratched once again.

At 29, Gusev is certainly still young enough to play in the NHL for several more years and his first season with New Jersey showed that he has the ability to produce in the NHL.  That makes him an intriguing option among those still looking for a place to play in 2021-22.

Stats

2020-21: 31 GP, 4-6-10, -12 rating, 2 PIMS, 72 shots, 57.9 CF%, 14:21 ATOI
Career: 97 GP, 17-37-54, -27 rating, 14 PIMS, 230 shots, 51.5 CF%, 14:35 ATOI

Potential Suitors

Gusev could go a few different ways here, changing the potentially interested teams in the process.  If he’s looking to maximize money, the options will be limited.  But if he’s open to a one-year deal around the $1MM mark (similar to what he did with Florida), he becomes a low-risk option for some cap-strapped teams that are looking to make an incremental gain offensively.

In the first scenario, Buffalo makes some sense as a fit.  There would be an opportunity for Gusev to play an important role, potentially in their top six where he’d have a chance to put up a level of production closer to his first season.  Detroit could use him although he’d be a little lower on the depth chart; the same could be said for Nashville who could certainly benefit from an influx of offense as could San Jose.  In each of these scenarios, a one-year deal would also create the possibility of trying to move him at the trade deadline.  It didn’t work for New Jersey last season but with a better showing and a cheaper contract, the odds of a trade happening would be better by the 2022 deadline.

If he’s willing to sign a cheaper contract, Colorado stands out as an appealing option.  The Avs are typically a high-scoring team and Gusev would add some firepower to a forward group that lost Brandon Saad (free agency) and Joonas Donskoi (expansion) this summer.  Philadelphia has a shot at deploying four lines with decent offensive upside and someone like Gusev would further push them in that direction.

Projected Contract

Gusev ranked 41st on our Top 50 UFA list with a projected one-year, $2MM contract.  That type of contract could be on the table closer to training camp if he wants to sign with a rebuilding team but if he wants to play on a playoff-bound team, he may need to come in closer to half of that.  At that price tag, he could wind up being quite a bargain.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Senators Notes: RFAs, Brannstrom, Strome

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While many teams have been active in re-signing their restricted free agents, the Senators still have a lot of work to do on that front.  They have a total of six RFAs in need of new deals, headlined by winger Brady Tkachuk.  Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch notes that Ottawa has exchanged several different term and salary ideas with Tkachuk’s camp which suggests they’re not necessarily fixated on working out only a short-term or long-term deal.  Matthew Tkachuk’s three-year, $21MM pact has long been speculated as a possible price tag for a bridge deal while one that buys out some UFA eligibility would be more expensive than that.

Another RFA still needing a new deal is center Logan Brown.  Garrioch reports that GM Pierre Dorion is still trying to move the 23-year-old who was limited to just 14 games last season (only one of which was in Ottawa) due to injury.  The 2016 first-rounder could certainly benefit from a change of scenery but Garrioch adds that the Sens are looking to make a hockey deal and not just give him away.  In that context, it would appear as if they’re looking for a similar prospect that could benefit from a fresh start with another organization.

More from Garrioch’s column on the Sens:

  • The team would like to add an impact forward still, likely a winger and with the free agent market pretty much bereft of those now once the Islanders make their expected signings official, Garrioch suggests that defenseman Erik Brannstrom could be dangled in trade talks. The 21-year-old was the centerpiece of the Mark Stone trade back in 2019 after being the 15th overall pick by Vegas two years earlier but has yet to really establish himself at the NHL level.  Last season, he played in 30 games with Ottawa, recording two goals and 11 assists.
  • The Senators are believed to be among the teams that have inquired about Blackhawks forward Dylan Strome. The 24-year-old has been a speculative trade candidate for the better part of a year now and is coming off a tough year that saw him put up 17 points in 40 games while spending time between center and the wing.  Strome is young enough to still fit in as part of Ottawa’s core and his $3MM cap hit ($3.6MM salary) should keep the acquisition cost low.

Carolina Hurricanes Sign Ville Koivunen

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The Carolina Hurricanes weren’t done when they signed Aleski Heimosalmi earlier today. The team has also inked fellow second-round pick Ville Koivunen to a three-year entry-level deal. Hurricanes GM Don Waddell released a short statement:

Ville is a skilled, competitive winger. He continues to improve every year, and we are excited to watch him develop as a pro.

Koivunen, selected seven picks after Heimosalmi as the team’s third 2021 second-rounder, is coming off a brilliant season with Karpat’s junior program. He scored 49 points in 38 games in the U20 league, earning Rookie of the Year honors. He signed a multi-year agreement with the professional club earlier this year and could be in line to make his Liiga debut this season.

Like his fellow draft pick, the 18-year-old Koivunen will likely continue his development overseas for at least one season, perhaps more. He was also included on Finland’s Summer Showcase roster, meaning he could potentially be among the group that participates in the next World Juniors.

It’s that brilliant offensive upside that makes him so dangerous when playing against juniors, but will be tested at the professional ranks. Undersized, he’ll need to find a way to score even against bigger, more experienced defensemen to provide real value. If he can do it in Liiga, perhaps there will be an opportunity for him to come to North America in the near future. For now, his entry-level contract will slide forward while he plies his trade overseas.

Carolina Hurricanes Sign Aleksi Heimosalmi

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The Carolina Hurricanes have added to their Finnish contingent once again, this time signing draft pick Aleksi Heimosalmi to a three-year entry-level contract. Hurricanes GM Don Waddell released a short statement:

Aleksi is a highly skilled, two-way defenseman. We’re excited for him to take the next steps in his development.

Selected 44th overall in 2021, Heimosalmi is expected to make his Liiga debut this season for Assat after signing a three-year deal with the Finnish team earlier this year. With this new deal in place with Carolina, it’s not clear if the young defenseman will spend that entire time overseas, but for this season at least it is likely he continues his development in Europe.

Not only did Heimosalmi find a ton of success at the junior level for Assat, but he also dominated the U18 World Juniors, earning Best Defenseman honors for the whole tournament after racking up eight points in seven games. The smooth-skating defender has quite a way to go before he challenges for an NHL spot, but there’s no rush thanks to a strong depth chart in Carolina.

Winnipeg Jets Sign Dmitry Kuzmin

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The Winnipeg Jets have inked one of their 2021 draft picks, signing Dmitry Kuzmin to a three-year entry-level contract. The deal will carry an average annual value of $866,667 at the NHL level.

Kuzmin, 18, was the 82nd overall pick in this year’s draft, selected after a strong showing at the professional level in Belarus. The young defenseman recorded 12 points in 46 games, while also playing well at the U18 World Juniors. It will be interesting to see if the Jets leave him overseas to continue his development, or perhaps bring him to North America to get some action in the CHL. Kuzmin was selected by the Flint Firebirds in the CHL Import Draft earlier this year.

Whether he’s in Europe or the junior ranks on this side of the pond, Kuzmin won’t burn the first year of his entry-level deal in 2021-22. He’s joining what is suddenly a pretty long depth chart on defense in Winnipeg, with five NHL players signed for at least three years and a good number of prospects pushing for playing time.

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