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Archives for July 2022

Washington Capitals To Acquire Connor Brown

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After he was linked to the Edmonton Oilers earlier in the day, Connor Brown is actually on his way to the Washington Capitals. The Ottawa Senators have sent Brown to the Capitals in exchange for a 2024 second-round pick, according to Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia.

It was easy to see that Brown had been pushed out of Ottawa’s top-six by recent additions Alex DeBrincat and Claude Giroux, and almost immediately trade speculation started around his future. The 28-year-old forward has just one year left on his contract that carries a $3.6MM cap hit and is owed $4MM in actual salary this season.

He didn’t play his way out of Ottawa though, as the hard-working forward was still one of the team’s most consistent options last season, averaging more than 20 minutes a night and scoring 39 points in 64 games. While he probably won’t get quite as much ice time in Washington, he arrives as an instant penalty-killing improvement and versatile player that can move up and down whenever needed.

Brown is the kind of player that coaches love, never taking a shift off or quitting on a play. Not big or exceptionally skilled, he earns his paycheck by out-working the other team. It’s been like that for years. Despite being a sixth-round pick in 2012, Brown put up 128 points during his final year of junior, actually outscoring a young Connor McDavid. When he stepped into the AHL he found immediate success, scoring 21 goals and 61 points as a rookie for the Toronto Marlies.

It will be interesting to see where he starts, given the absence of Tom Wilson to start the season. Brown is a natural right-winger, though he can play the other side as well.

For the Senators, adding a second-round pick essentially makes up the value they gave Toronto in the Matt Murray trade, making them whole while clearing a good amount of money off the books. That money has been used for DeBrincat and Giroux, two offensive stars that should immediately push their team to an entirely new level.

Carolina Hurricanes Sign Ondrej Kase

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The Carolina Hurricanes have signed forward Ondrej Kase to bolster their forward depth, giving him a one-year contract worth $1.5MM. Kase was recently left unqualified by the Toronto Maple Leafs, though the team did try to re-sign him before he decided to head south. Hurricanes general manager Don Waddell released a short statement on his newest forward:

Ondrej is an exciting young player and we’re happy to add another goal-scoring winger to our forward group. He can play in all situations and we expect him to contribute offensively.

After losing several key forwards to free agency or trade (though Nino Niederreiter has yet to actually sign anywhere), and missing out on Mason Marchment, who went to the Dallas Stars, the Hurricanes have still managed to add some impressive talent up front with the additions of Kase and Max Pacioretty.

The 26-year-old Kase isn’t someone you want to rely on, as one of the most injury-prone players in the league but when he’s healthy, he’s quite an effective middle-six winger who can play in a lot of different roles. For the Maple Leafs this season, he contributed 14 goals and 27 points in 50 games, while averaging fewer than 14 minutes a night.

For a Carolina team that could have lots of different alignments, he will likely plug into the third line next to Jordan Staal or even perhaps the fourth line, something that is more than reasonable with a $1.5MM cap hit. If they can keep him healthy all season there is a ton of room for excess value–the only problem is no team has been able to do that before.

Carolina Hurricanes Acquire Max Pacioretty

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Per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Carolina Hurricanes are acquiring Max Pacioretty and Dylan Coghlan from the Vegas Golden Knights in a blockbuster trade. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that the return to Vegas is nothing but future considerations.

Pacioretty, 33, has just one year left on his contract and carries a cap hit of $7MM. The Golden Knights are not retaining any of that, meaning they’ve cleared a huge chunk of space for their other moves. Still, this move appears to be a stunning example of poor asset management for the Golden Knights.

In 2018, the team traded a first, second, and third-round pick for Tomas Tatar at the trade deadline. After playing just 28 total games for the team, they then included Tatar in a trade with the Montreal Canadiens to acquire Pacioretty. Along with Tatar went recently drafted Nick Suzuki and another second-round pick, while the Canadiens retained just ten percent of Pacioretty’s contract. The Golden Knights then signed the former Montreal captain to a four-year, $28MM extension before he had even played a game for them, a contract that they are now sending along with 24-year-old defenseman Dylan Coghlan for no return.

They did receive parts of four seasons from Pacioretty in the interim, though his time in Vegas has been marred by injuries. He played just 39 games this season, a big part of why the Golden Knights eventually missed the playoffs.

Still, the Hurricanes are getting an impact goal-scoring talent, if the veteran forward can stay healthy enough next season. In his career, Pacioretty has 323 goals in 850 games, an 82-game pace of over 31. For nothing but cap space, it is a worthwhile move for general manager Don Waddell, who also landed veteran Brent Burns earlier today.

Carolina is obviously pushing some of their chips to the middle, though it’s important to note that this isn’t a long-term gamble. Pacioretty will be an unrestricted free agent next summer and off the books for the Hurricanes if it doesn’t work out.

For Vegas, this opens enough space to sign Reilly Smith, while the team also has the Shea Weber LTIR flexibility to work with.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

San Jose Sharks Sign Three Players

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San Jose Sharks general manager Mike Grier told reporters including Curtis Pashelka of Bay Area News Group that the team has signed three more free agents, inking Nico Sturm, Markus Nutivaara, and Matt Benning.

Sturm, 27, has agreed to a three-year deal worth a total of $6MM, giving him a substantial raise over the $750K he made in 2021-22. The Stanley Cup champion can be a valuable bottom-six forward, though his offensive limitations make this kind of contract something of a surprise. In 132 games in the NHL, Sturm has scored 20 goals and 39 points. What he does bring is a big, physical presence that can win faceoffs and contribute at the defensive end of the rink, something that should bring stability to the Sharks as they transition into a rebuild.

Nutivaara, 28, signed for just one year, coming off a 2021-22 season that was almost entirely lost to injury. The left-handed defenseman played just one game for the Florida Panthers and because of that, is eligible for performance bonuses in the upcoming season. PuckPedia reports that his deal will carry a salary of $1.5MM, while also including bonuses for games played up to a maximum of $250K. Once a very promising option for the Columbus Blue Jackets, his recent history has been ruined by injury, with ust 68 games played over the last three seasons.

Benning’s deal is for four years keeping him in San Jose through the 2025-26 season. That’s an impressive get for a player who rarely more than third-pairing minutes, and has moved in and out of the lineup for basically his whole career. Still, the 28-year-old defenseman offers a physical presence and does have more than 350 games of NHL experience under his belt.

Pittsburgh Penguins To Sign Josh Archibald

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In the middle of a press conference, Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Ron Hextall announced that Josh Archibald will be returning to the team. The one-year deal will carry a salary of $900K.

Archibald, 29, started his career with Pittsburgh after being selected 174th overall in the 2011 draft. He played just 14 NHL games for the Penguins before a trade took him to the Arizona Coyotes in 2017, where he then established himself as a valuable bottom-six option.

The last three seasons have been spent in Edmonton, though this season saw Archibald play sparingly because of his vaccination status and health concerns. The energy winger has some scoring upside, though it’s now been a while since he provided it.

In both 2018-19 and 2019-20, Archibald scored 12 goals and more than 20 points. In the 60 regular season games he has played since he has just seven goals and 14 points.

For $900K he won’t be expected to score much but it does suggest that he’ll have a regular (or at least semi-regular) role in the NHL. Archibald will get a chance to show Penguins fans what they missed out on years ago.

Dallas Stars Sign Colin Miller

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The Dallas Stars are bolstering their defensive depth, signing Colin Miller to a two-year deal at $1.85MM per season. General manager Jim Nill released a short statement on the deal:

Colin is a puck-moving defenseman that will add experience and a right shot to our defensive core. We are excited to have him under contract with our organization for the next two years.

Though he has done something of a disappearing act over the last few seasons with the Buffalo Sabres, there was a time when Miller was an extremely effective player for the Vegas Golden Knights. In 2017-18 he racked up ten goals and 41 points, while dishing out 165 hits and logging more than 19 minutes a night. The right-shot defenseman has a cannon from the point and enough skating ability to keep up with the play.

Over the last few years though, the story has been injury and inconsistency, as his profile dropped in Buffalo. In 2021-22 he played just 38 games, registering 14 points.

Unfortunately, he’s stepping into pretty big shoes in Dallas, where the Stars are potentially losing John Klingberg (though that hasn’t actually been decided yet, with the free agent defenseman still unsigned) and missing out on acquiring Brent Burns. Miller shouldn’t be seen as a replacement for either of those offensive puck-movers, though he can still offer something that the likes of Jani Hakanpaa can’t on the right side.

No matter what, the Dallas defense is going to be anchored by 22-year-old stud Miro Heiskanen but Miller should offer some nice depth at the position while the Stars continue to try and compete in the Central Division.

Ottawa Senators Sign Three Players

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The Ottawa Senators have signed three depth options, inking Scott Sabourin, Jake Lucchini, and Kristians Rubins to one-year, two-way contracts. All three have NHL salaries of $750K. Sabourin will make $375K in the AHL while the other two will earn $130K.

At this point, with the Senators putting together a much more impressive NHL roster, it seems unlikely that any of the three will see extended play at the top level. Sabourin, while a fan favorite from his previous stint with the team, doesn’t offer much more than toughness and instigation. He was an important part of the Belleville Senators this season though, and will likely return to help their leadership group in 2022-23.

Rubins, left unqualified by the Toronto Maple Leafs, does have a bit of promise as a 6’5″ defenseman who moves well, though his overall upside is rather limited. The undrafted 24-year-old played three games for Toronto this year, his first taste of NHL action.

Lucchini, the only one of the three that hasn’t seen NHL time, actually had a breakout for Belleville this year, scoring 20 goals and 51 points in 72 games, leading the AHL Senators in scoring. His return, like Sabourin’s, is to keep that group together and build the “culture of winning” that is so often referenced in development circles.

Calgary Flames Re-Sign Trevor Lewis

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The Calgary Flames have re-signed a forward but it isn’t the one that fans want. General manager Brad Treliving confirmed to Salim Nadim Valji of TSN that Trevor Lewis will be back next season. Treliving added that the team is signing goaltender Oscar Dansk and re-signing Nick DeSimone. Chris Johnston of TSN reports that Dansk will be signing a one-year, two-way deal worth $750K at the NHL level and $300K in the minor leagues.

Lewis spent his first season in Calgary last year, notching six goals, 10 assists, and 16 points in 80 games. Although limited to a fourth-line role, the veteran of 810 NHL games is a favorite of head coach Darryl Sutter from his time in Los Angeles. He’ll likely reprise the same role as a fourth-line center/right wing as the Flames try to navigate post-Johnny Gaudreau life. At this point in his career, he’s purely a defensive specialist, but he does provide legitimate value in that regard.

Dansk, of Vegas Golden Knights lore, joins the Flames after a solid season in the KHL with Spartak Moscow, where he managed a .910 save percentage and 6-6-1 record. With a long track record of AHL success prior to that with the Chicago Wolves, Dansk gives the new AHL team in Calgary a strong one-two punch in net with top prospect Dustin Wolf.

DeSimone, while maybe not high on the organization’s list of potential call-ups, was a minute-muncher for Stockton last season. He’ll move with the organization up to Calgary and continue to play an important role in developing younger Calgary defensemen in the organization.

Seattle Kraken Sign Hellberg, Rafferty, Froden

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The Seattle Kraken have added some interesting names at league-minimum prices, signing Jesper Froden, Magnus Hellberg, and Brogan Rafferty for $750K each. Froden and Rafferty are both coming to Seattle on two-way deals, while Hellberg is on a one-way contract.

Hellberg gives Seattle four(!) goalies on one-way contracts. While it’ll only be three healthy ones for the beginning of the season as Chris Driedger remains injured, it’s still something most would classify as overkill. Without a bevy of goalie prospects in the organization due to the team’s young age, though, they need depth at the position. Hellberg will likely start the season in Coachella Valley alongside Joey Daccord.

Froden had a successful first season in North America last year, notching 16 goals and 34 points in 49 games with the Providence Bruins. Scoring a goal in seven games with Boston during a brief NHL showing, Froden didn’t look entirely out of place. He’ll be counted on to play a big role for the inaugural Coachella Valley Firebirds.

Rafferty, now 27, had a disappointing year in San Diego last season after basically losing the entire 2020-21 year being on Vancouver’s taxi squad. He’ll move on from the Anaheim Ducks organization after just one season and look to rebound with a bigger AHL role in Seattle.

Chicago Blackhawks Sign Three Players

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If you wondered who else would play goal for the Chicago Blackhawks this season, wonder no more. Scott Powers of The Athletic reports that Alex Stalock has signed a one-year, $750K contract with the team. They also signed Luke Philp to a one-year, two-way deal ($750K NHL / $250K AHL) and Brett Seney to a one-year, two-way deal ($750K NHL / $400K AHL).

Stalock, 34, is an experienced backup goaltender who played in a backup role for the San Jose Sharks and Minnesota Wild from 2013-14 to 2019-20. Stalock did so with moderate success, and he owns a career .908 save percentage. Stalock’s final year in Minnesota was perhaps his most impressive, as he posted a .910 save percentage playing 38 games. After that year, Stalock missed an entire year of hockey battling a heart condition he contracted after an earlier bout of COVID-19.

Stalock made a recovery and returned to the ice in 2021-22, but could not re-discover his game. In 12 games for the AHL San Jose Barracuda, Stalock went 1-8-2 with a .872 save percentage, and in 46 minutes of NHL action Stalock let in six goals on 28 shots.

The Blackhawks are signing Stalock with the hope that he can return to the form that saw him become one of the more reliable backup goalies in hockey, unless, of course, you subscribe to the belief that  GM Kyle Davison and the Blackhawks are intentionally fielding a flawed roster in order to land the highest draft pick possible at the 2023 draft. Because if that’s their goal, Stalock having a similar 2022-23 to his 2021-22 could help them to get them there.

Philp, 26, has spent three productive seasons with the AHL’s Stockton Heat after leaving the University of Alberta. After his first 20-goal season in the AHL last year, he’ll be counted on within the top-six forward group next season for the Rockford IceHogs. The same can be said for Seney, although with him having more NHL experience, he could find a home as an extra on the NHL roster with Chicago’s paper-thin NHL depth.

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