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Carolina Hurricanes Sign Andrei Svechnikov

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The Carolina Hurricanes have worked out a deal with one of their most important players. Andrei Svechnikov, a restricted free agent this summer, has signed an eight-year contract with the Hurricanes that will carry an average annual value of $7.75MM. GM Don Waddell released a statement on the deal:

Andrei is one of the cornerstones of this organization, and we are thrilled to reach a long-term commitment to keep him here. He is one of the brightest rising stars in our sport, and will play a key role in our efforts to bring the Stanley Cup to the Triangle this decade.

The contract contains a modified no-trade clause (Svechnikov will submit a list of ten teams he can be traded to) in the four unrestricted free agent years that it buys out, and the full salary breakdown is as follows:

  • 2021-22: $2.0MM salary + $4.0MM signing bonus
  • 2022-23: $7.0MM salary
  • 2023-24: $9.0MM salary
  • 2024-25: $9.0MM salary
  • 2025-26: $10.0MM salary
  • 2026-27: $7.0MM salary
  • 2027-28: $6.0MM salary
  • 2028-29: $8.0MM salary

Since being the second-overall pick in 2018, Svechnikov has done what he always does–score. The 21-year-old forward has 59 goals and 140 points in 205 career games, including a strong 42-point effort in the shortened 2020-21 campaign. His size, skill, and skating ability make him a threat all over the ice, carrying the puck through the neutral zone or battling in front of the net for space. It’s hard to find many more well-rounded wingers in the league, and Svechnikov appears to be just scratching the surface of his offensive upside.

While this may seem like a huge salary for a player coming out of his entry-level contract (and it is), the deal represents a ton of security for the Hurricanes. They now have their young star locked in through basically all of his prime years at a relatively reasonable price. Skipping a bridge deal means that they won’t get any savings over the next two or three seasons, but buying out four UFA seasons is a big win for the Hurricanes. They can now move forward knowing exactly how much their top forwards cost. Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen both have three years left on their respective deals.

Not that Svechnikov is missing out. The young forward will have the 49th highest cap hit in the NHL this season, and though that will drop down a few pegs as he moves forward and other players ink more expensive deals, he’s still being paid quite handsomely. If he does turn into the 40-goal, MVP-type that some believe he can be, it will be a steal for the Hurricanes. But more likely is that he’s paid appropriately for his impact and the team can build around him as the salary cap gets back on track.

This deal will be used as a comparable by other restricted free agents around the league, though the player agents may not be very excited about it. Brady Tkachuk, for instance, who was drafted just two spots after Svechnikov in 2018 and has similar offensive numbers through the first part of his career, is also an RFA with the Ottawa Senators.

The Hurricanes though are now finished with their RFA negotiations, meaning they have certainty over their cap situation for 2021-22. They currently project to have a little more than $4.5MM, meaning they could potentially go after another UFA or target a bigger contract in trade.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Snapshots: Senators, Slepets, Rossi

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As the Ottawa Senators look to finally move past their extended rebuild and take a step toward relevance this season, it is about time they name a leader of this next stage for the franchise. Speaking with the Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch, Senators head coach D.J. Smith stated that “It’s time for someone to be the leader of this group.” Smith believes that Ottawa is ready to name a captain after a three-season hiatus and tells Garrioch that he intends to speak with owner Eugene Melnyk and GM Pierre Dorion about making a decision before the end of training camp. The last player to wear the “C” was Erik Karlsson during the 2017-18 season and the Senators have used only alternates in the years since. However, with young defenseman Thomas Chabot signed long-term and young forward Brady Tkachuk hoping to join him for years to come, the Senators have two players that can be the face of the franchise for many years and either one would be a good pick as captain. Which one will be a difficult and important decision for the young locker room, which is why the organization’s leaders have taken their time and will still wait to name a captain until closer to the beginning of the season.

  • The odds of Carolina Hurricanes prospect Kirill Slepets making the jump to North America any time soon took another hit today. Just two weeks ago, Slepets re-signed in the KHL on a one-year deal with Spartak Moscow. The move came on the heels of a poor season for Slepets in which he played exclusively in the second-tier VHL rather than the KHL and led some to believe that the 22-year-old may cross the pond to continue his development. Instead, he stayed in Russia and after today’s trade may be settling in for an extended stay. Spartak has traded Slepets to his hometown team, Amur Khabarovsk, the club announced. Going the other way was former NHL forward Andrei Loktionov, proving that Slepets still has value in the KHL despite a down year. He has even more value to Amur, who are very excited to bring the prodigal son home and could be able to convince him to stay long-term. The 2019 fifth-round pick remains an interesting project to watch for the Hurricanes, especially given the ability he flashed at the junior level, but his NHL future is more in doubt now than ever.
  • Minnesota Wild prospect Marco Rossi has no doubt that he is ready to compete for an NHL roster spot after missing this past season due to an extensive battle with COVID-19. The 2020 No. 9 overall pick has been working out hard to get back into game shape and will get his first test this week suiting up for Austria in the Olympic qualifiers. However, he is already looking ahead to Wild training camp and is confident that he can make impact in Minnesota this year. Talking to The Athletic’s Michael Russo, Rossi stated the following:

I know I haven’t played a lot of games in the last year, year and a half, but now that I can see my fitness level and my shape, I know I’m better in shape than a lot of NHL players. I see no doubt about it that I can play in the NHL. I know I can play there. I know how good I am, but I have to prove myself in training camp that I’m ready for that. I know it’s going to be up to me to show I’m ready to play right away.

Adam Fantilli Commits To The University of Michigan

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The Wolverines have done it again. The same school that saw four members of their 2021-22 roster selected in the top five of the 2021 NHL Draft has just secured another probable top-five pick. Forward Adam Fantilli of the USHL’s Chicago Steel has committed to the University of Michigan, reports TSN’s Darren Dreger. Fantilli is considered a candidate to go first overall in the 2023 NHL Draft.

Fantilli, 16, will spend one more season with Chicago and then it is off to Ann Arbor to join the Wolverines for the 2022-23 season. Fantilli, who already helped the Steel to a Clark Cup championship this past season and took home postseason MVP honors himself, would probably be ready for the NCAA ranks already were it not for his age and academic status. Fantilli will have to try to improve in the USHL this season after already posting 36 points in 49 games last year, followed by a stunning eight goals in eight playoff games. NHL teams are already convinced of his high-end ability and impressed by his growing 6’2″ frame, but now will see if he can remain consistent and driven in the USHL and then still have another season to see how he adjusts to the college game. If the rangy center can continue to score and flash immense skill while bulking up, he could be the can’t-miss prospect at the top of the 2023 draft class.

Unfortunately, it is unlikely that Fantilli will get a chance to play with many of Michigan’s current star players. Owen Power (BUF, No. 1 overall in 2021), Matthew Beniers (SEA, No. 2 overall in 2021), Kent Johnson (CLB, No. 5 overall in 2021) and Johnny Beecher (BOS, No. 30 overall in 2019) are almost certain to turn pro after this season, while Luke Hughes (NJD, No. 4 overall in 2021), Brendan Brisson (VGK, No. 29 overall in 2020), and Thomas Bordeleau (SJS, No. 38 overall in 2020) could follow. However, it is a safe bet that Mackie Samoskevich (FLA, No. 24 overall in 2021), Erik Portillo (BUF, No. 67 overall in 2019), and Dylan Duke (TBL, No. 126 overall in 2020) will stick around for Fantilli’s freshman year, where he will be joined by other notable prospects like Jackson Hallum (VGK, No. 91 overall in 2020), Frank Nazar, and brother Luca Fantilli in the recruiting class. This should keep the Wolverines’ National Championship window open for at least a couple years longer as they have quickly turned into the premier program in college hockey.

Seattle Kraken Sign Gustav Olofsson

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The Seattle Kraken have added some more depth on defense, signing Gustav Olofsson to a one-year, two-way contract. The deal will be worth $750K at the NHL level. Olofsson reached Group VI unrestricted free agency this summer after his most recent one-year deal with the Montreal Canadiens expired. GM Ron Francis released a short statement on his newest player:

Gustav is a smart, two-way defenseman. We believe his size and willingness to play with physicality matches the style we want to play and are happy he is joining our blue line.

As we examined recently, the Kraken are in an unusual situation in regards to their NHL roster. The team has a strong depth chart on defense, but all of them are no longer waiver-exempt and many would be at risk of a claim. Adding players like Olofsson, who will likely clear waivers without issue (as he has several times in the past) gives Francis and company some insurance to stash in the minor leagues.

That’s not to say that Olofsson can’t play in the NHL in a pinch. The 26-year-old defenseman has 59 games under his belt, most of which came with the Minnesota Wild in 2017-18. His last appearance was with the Canadiens in 2019-20, as he spent the entire 2020-21 season on the taxi squad or with the Laval Rocket, racking up 12 points in 24 games.

The Kraken are now 11-deep at defense, with Dennis Cholowski still to sign. There could be more movement to change the makeup of that group, but additions like this ensure that they’ll have call-up options even if they lose a player or two in a preseason roster crunch.

Ben Thomas Signs In Sweden

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After grinding through several seasons in the minor leagues, Ben Thomas finally got his chance during the 2020-21 season. The defenseman played in five games for the Tampa Bay Lightning, finally reaching the NHL for the first time. Despite finally making it to the top, Thomas’ 25th birthday passed in May, meaning he became a Group VI unrestricted free agent when the offseason hit.

Now, Thomas is set for a new challenge. The minor league veteran is heading to Sweden to join Leksands IF in the SHL, signing a one-year contract.

Originally selected in the fourth round in 2014, Thomas suited up more than 300 times for the Syracuse Crunch, getting to the Calder Cup Finals in 2017. He had nine points in 16 games this season for Syracuse but was unable to record an NHL point in his short stint with Tampa Bay. There’s no doubt that he’s still young enough to make a return to North America at some point in the future, but it remains to be seen whether he’ll ever get another crack in the NHL.

For now, he’ll be testing himself on a whole new level, but Leksands is also hoping to continue his development and take him even further in his career.

Derick Brassard Signs With Philadelphia Flyers

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The Philadelphia Flyers have found another depth forward to add to the mix, signing Derick Brassard to a one-year deal. It will cost the team just $825K at the NHL level, meaning Brassard is making barely more than the league minimum this season as he looks to continue his career.

Brassard, 33, is certainly well known to the Philadelphia coaching staff, having played several years for Alain Vigneault with the New York Rangers. In fact, those years in New York were the best of his career, posting highs of 60 points and 27 goals. Those are numbers Brassard hasn’t come close to in recent years, including 2020-21 when he had just eight goals and 20 points in 53 games for the Arizona Coyotes.

Still, you do worse than a veteran of 905 regular season games for $825K. Brassard has more than 500 career points, has experience at both center and wing, and has suited up 117 times in the postseason. For a Flyers team hoping young players like Morgan Frost can take a step forward this season, Brassard represents a nice insurance policy.

The overall makeup of the Philadelphia roster is a lot different than a year ago. Ryan Ellis, Rasmus Ristolainen, Keith Yandle, Cam Atkinson, and now Brassard have all been added, giving the team a huge boost of experience. Whether they are actually better than a year ago remains to be seen, but GM Chuck Fletcher is certainly not sitting on his hands after a disappointing year.

For Brassard, it’s been a steady downhill ride in terms of salary since he finished his five-year, $25MM contract in 2019. He signed a one-year, $1.2MM contract in 2019-20, a $1.0MM deal in 2020-21, and now an $825K contract this season. If he has anything left, he actually could provide a nice little bit of excess value on this cheap deal. If not, there’s not much risk for the Flyers.

Calgary Flames Sign Glenn Gawdin, Justin Kirkland

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The Calgary Flames have inked a pair of depth forwards, signing Glenn Gawdin and Justin Kirkland to one-year, two-way contracts. Both will carry salaries of $750K at the NHL level.

Gawdin, 24, will actually become a Group VI unrestricted free agent next summer should he fail to secure a full-time role in Calgary’s lineup this season. With just seven games under his belt to this point, that certainly isn’t a guarantee, though he has put up big numbers at the minor league level. Originally selected by the St. Louis Blues in 2015, Gawdin became one of the most dangerous offensive players in the WHL in 2017-18, scoring 56 goals and 125 points in just 67 games for the Swift Current Broncos. He led that team to the WHL championship and then took that success right into the professional ranks, posting seasons of 38 and 47 points in his first two years in the AHL.

Now, after making his debut but recording just one point in seven games, he’ll be in a battle for NHL playing time with several other depth forwards. The fact that the Flames brought in Trevor Lewis and Tyler Pitlick probably doesn’t help Gawdin’s cause, but he still could be in line for a roster spot.

Kirkland on the other hand is a longshot for any consistent playing time at the NHL level. The 25-year-old has yet to make his NHL debut after being the 62nd overall pick in 2014, and had just two goals in 16 games for the Stockton Heat last season. Kirkland is a good minor league player to have in the system and he potentially could bring some size to the bottom of the Flames lineup, but with the number of other forwards under contract, it seems unlikely he’ll break camp with the team.

Minnesota Wild Sign Carson Lambos

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The Minnesota Wild have inked Carson Lambos to a three-year entry-level contract, after selecting him with their second first-round pick in this year’s draft. Lambos split last season between JYP in Finland and the Winnipeg Ice, but was shut down early because of a leg injury.

The 26th-overall pick this season, Lambos will almost certainly be heading back to the WHL for the upcoming season. He played just two games with Winnipeg in 2020-21, failing to record a point before injury wrecked his season. That actually may have caused a bit of a slip on draft day, as Lambos was ranked 11th by NHL Central Scouting among North American skaters and ended higher than 26 on most other public rankings. The Wild obviously believe he will recover fully and continue on his development path as a strong two-way defender, one who has a little (very little) bit of experience playing against professionals.

Should Lambos return to the WHL as expected, his contract will not kick in for the 2021-22 season. Instead, it will slide forward, meaning the Wild would have him signed through at least 2024-25. There’s no rush for the 6’1″ defenseman, who led all WHL rookie defensemen in scoring in 2019-20 with 32 points in 57 games.

Tuukka Rask Will Be “Cheap Goalie” For Boston Bruins

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The Boston Bruins spent a good chunk of cap space on a relatively unproven goaltender in Linus Ullmark this offseason, marking a drastic change from the experienced tandem they’ve had in recent years. Ullmark has just 117 NHL games under his belt, but signed a four-year, $20MM contract to be the team’s starter after both Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak hit the free agent market. While Halak signed a short-term deal with the Vancouver Canucks, Rask is dealing with the rehab for hip surgery and hasn’t signed anywhere at this point–well, not officially anyway.

Rask went on WEEI 93.7 today and explained that he has basically agreed to a deal with the Bruins to return as a veteran option partway through the season.

I have no reason to chase the money anymore and go somewhere else. It’s going to be one of those things where the Bruins are my home, Boston is my home. I’ve always wanted to play here, wanted to stay here. So the money won’t be an issue. We had a conversation with [Bruins GM Don Sweeney] and I will be a cheap goalie for them.

Now 34, Rask played in just 24 games this season for the Bruins, posting a .913 save percentage that was actually far below his career number. He was still 15-5-2 in the regular season, helped by the team’s strong defensive identity, but there were some obvious signs of fall-off as he dealt with injury. In the playoffs, he was back up to a .919 in 11 appearances, but still well below his career norms.

With Ullmark in town and 22-year-old Jeremy Swayman pushing for playing time, the Bruins won’t need Rask forever. But if he’s healthy enough to return in January as he indicated today, there’s no doubt Boston could use him down the stretch. The fact is, for all the detractors he has had throughout his career, Rask is one of the best goaltenders of his generation, if not all-time. His .921 career save percentage sits among the best in NHL history, percentage points behind the likes of Dominik Hasek and Ken Dryden, while his 306 wins put him 32nd all-time.

For those who have questioned his commitment in the past, Rask couldn’t have said anything better today when he proclaimed himself a Bruin for life and willing to take a big discount to finish his career in Boston. Now the question is just how effective he will be coming off major hip surgery.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Minor Transactions: 08/25/21

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Things are slow in the NHL offseason, but that doesn’t mean the hockey world has to come to a stop. European, junior and minor leagues continue to finesse their rosters in preparation for the season. Like always, we’ll keep track of all the notable minor moves right here.

  • It appears as though Mitchell Miller will be getting a chance to continue his hockey career. Jeff Marek of Sportsnet tweets that Miller is expected to re-join the Tri-City Storm of the USHL for this season. The Arizona Coyotes renounced Miller’s draft rights after his past assault charges came to national attention, and the young defenseman was also cut loose by the University of North Dakota. In 2019-20, he recorded 33 points in 44 games with Tri-City.
  • Colton Beck, who spent last season with the Stockton Heat, has signed with Dornbirner EC of the ICEHL. The 31-year-old forward has a long history in the AHL, mostly with the Iowa Wild, but has never suited up for an NHL game. Beck had just six points in 21 games for the Heat last season, scoring just a single goal.
  • The Seattle Kraken have invited Thomas Milic to both rookie and NHL training camp, bringing in the undrafted goaltender as a local option. Milic is from Coquitlam, British Columbia, but plays for the Seattle Thunderbirds of the WHL. He’ll arrive under an amateur tryout but could potentially earn himself an entry-level contract, the same battle many undrafted players are facing this fall.

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