Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Archives for July 2022

Maple Leafs Sign Dennis Hildeby

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Today is the first day that teams can officially sign their 2022 draft picks to entry-level contracts.  The first to do an official deal is Toronto as the Maple Leafs announced that they’ve signed goaltender Dennis Hildeby to a three-year deal with an AAV of $843,330.

The 20-year-old was a fourth-round pick (122nd overall) last week in his third year of eligibility.  Hildeby is coming off a season where he split time in Sweden’s junior level and in the SHL but it was his performance at the top level that likely got him on Toronto’s radar.  He played in seven games with Farjestad, posting a 1.93 GAA along with a .931 SV%.

Hildeby is signed with Farjestad for two more seasons which makes the timing of this deal a little curious as the expectation was that he’d stay in Sweden and play at that level before making the jump to North America.  That could still happen with the changes to the Player Transfer Agreement with Sweden making it harder for Swedish-born players to come play in the AHL.  If Hildeby remains in Sweden, his contract will not slide as that option is only available to junior-aged players.

Canadiens Re-Sign Three Players

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Canadiens have taken care of three of their pending free agents before the market officially opens up in a few hours, announcing the re-signings of winger Alex Belzile and Joel Teasdale plus center Nate Schnarr to one-year, two-way deals.  Financial terms of the contracts were not officially disclosed but TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie reports (Twitter link) that Belzile’s contract will pay $750K in the NHL, $275K in the minors, and has a $350K guarantee.  Meanwhile, PuckPedia adds (Twitter links) that Schnarr and Teasdale will receive $750K in the NHL and $82.5K in the minors.

Belzile has seen NHL action in each of the last three years with his debut actually coming in the playoff bubble in 2020.  In 2021-22, he got into 11 games with Montreal and was held off the scoresheet while averaging 10:24 per game.  The 30-year-old was more productive in the minors, notching 10 goals and 12 assists in 32 games with AHL Laval and chipped in with nine more points in 15 postseason contests.  He was slated to become an unrestricted free agent later today.

Teasdale, an undrafted free agent signing back in 2018, has yet to make it to the NHL level and has dealt with multiple knee injuries in recent years.  He was limited to just 44 games with Laval last season, collecting 15 goals and 13 assists which was good enough for the team to tender him a qualifying offer earlier this week.  Since the 23-year-old missed all of the 2019-20 season due to injury, he still has a year of waiver exemption remaining despite his entry-level contract now being finished.

As for Schnarr, he was acquired from New Jersey back at the trade deadline in exchange for goaltender Andrew Hammond.  The 23-year-old combined for 17 goals and 19 assists in 63 AHL games between Utica and Laval and will likely be earmarked to start in the minors again next season.

Evander Kane Signs Four-Year Extension

at CDT | by 5 Comments

Why sleep when you can sign contract extensions! The Edmonton Oilers and Evander Kane reached a late-night agreement on a new four-year contract, that will bring the winger back before he reaches unrestricted free agency. Kane himself announced the deal, which carries a cap hit of $5.125MM. PuckPedia has the full breakdown:

  • 2022-23: $750K salary + $5.5MM signing bonus
  • 2023-24: $1.5MM salary + $4.0MM signing bonus
  • 2024-25: $2.75MM salary + 2.0MM signing bonus
  • 2025-26: $4.0MM salary

It also includes a full no-movement clause until February 28, 2025, at which point it will change to a 16-team trade list. While the team hasn’t actually announced the deal, they did amplify Kane’s tweet about it, which included the following message.

A big part of my decision to stay in Edmonton was because of the opportunity given to me only 7 months ago but also the chance to be a part of a championship team. I want to win, and I believe after signing this deal we will be able to add the right pieces along with myself to accomplish that goal, a championship.

There’s no doubting Kane’s ability on the ice. He scored 35 goals in just 58 games between the regular season and playoffs, finding instant chemistry with Connor McDavid and finally offering the kind of high-impact scoring talent that the Oilers have been looking for. It is all the off-ice stuff that has limited his market, as seen by this new contract, which comes in well below what a player of his production level would have earned normally on the open market.

There is also still some uncertainty around his future because of a grievance with the San Jose Sharks over wrongful termination, though it should be noted that this new contract is worth almost exactly the same amount as what was left on his previous deal. Perhaps there is a path to settlement, which would clear up any potential issues with this new deal.

The Oilers, who are also expected to make a big splash in the goaltending market today, get better by bringing Kane back. The team has said goodbye to some of its older players, including Duncan Keith and Zack Kassian, and appears poised to take another run at the Pacific Division crown in 2022-23. For Kane in particular, the risk was always in a long-term deal. Keeping it to four years at least someone protects the Oilers from that risk.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Evgeni Malkin Signs Four-Year Extension

at CDT | by 19 Comments

Turns out Evgeni Malkin isn’t heading to market after all. After going back and forth for months, the Pittsburgh Penguins and their Russian superstar have come to an agreement just 12 hours before he was set to hit the open market. Malkin has signed a four-year extension that will pay him $24.4MM ($6.1MM AAV).

General manager Ron Hextall released the following statement:

Evgeni is a generational talent who will be remembered as one of the greatest players in NHL history. His hockey resume and individual accomplishments speak volumes about him as a player, and we are thrilled to watch him continue his remarkable legacy in Pittsburgh.

Malkin, 35, will now be under contract through the 2025-26 season, one year longer than teammate Sidney Crosby (but two years shorter than the recently-extended Kris Letang, who now carries the same cap hit). Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports the full details of the contract:

  • 2022-23: $4.0MM salary + $4.0MM signing bonus
  • 2023-24: $6.0MM salary
  • 2024-25: $5.6MM salary
  • 2025-26: $1.0MM salary + $3.8MM signing bonus

The deal also includes a full no-movement clause throughout, though trade speculation will likely never stop, as it has followed Malkin through most of his career.

What a career it has been. The second-overall pick from 2004 stepped into the NHL in 2006 as an instant superstar, winning the Calder Trophy in a landslide over Paul Stastny (Malkin received 120 of the 143 first-place votes) and scoring 85 points in 78 games. By year two, he was already the Hart Trophy runner-up and by year three he was taking home the Art Ross as the league’s most productive player. He also happened to take home the Conn Smythe that year, as the Malkin and the Crosby-led Penguins lifted the Stanley Cup for the first time. They would do it twice more with that dynamic duo in place, and now look to try it again while they are still effective.

It has never been Malkin’s effectiveness that is questioned, only his consistency and health. The big center has only played 70 games in a season once over the last decade, usually missing significant stretches due to injury. This season he played in just 41 games, though he still managed to score at a better than point-per-game pace, registering 20 goals and 42 points.

The negotiation, obviously stressful on both sides, has resulted in a deal that seems more than reasonable. The Penguins get to have Malkin back for a cap hit quite a bit lower than the $9.5MM he had been carrying since 2014, while the veteran forward gets the security of a four-year deal to play out his career in Pittsburgh.

Now the question of whether Malkin, Crosby, and Letang are still good enough to lead this team to the promised land will be asked–or whether all this contract confirms is that they will each be Penguins for life.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Snapshots: Zadorov, Rodrigues, Laine, Canucks

at CDT | by 2 Comments

On top of Johnny Gaudreau opting to get the open market, defenseman Nikita Zadorov will also be doing so, reports Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic (Twitter link).  The 27-year-old had a career-high 22 points last season but also averaged a career-low in ice time at 16:55 per game.  A veteran of over NHL games 500 games between the regular season and playoffs, Zadorov is a well-known commodity around the league and will have interest from teams looking to shore up the left side of their back end in free agency.

Elsewhere around the NHL:

  • Pending UFA forward Evan Rodrigues has changed representation to Darren Ferris of Quartexx, PuckPedia reports (Twitter link). After bouncing around the previous two seasons, the 28-year-old had a breakout year in 2021-22, collecting 43 points in 82 games with Pittsburgh while spending plenty of time in their top six.  After being on one-year deals the past three years, Rodrigues should be able to secure a multi-year commitment this time around.
  • While Patrik Laine is a year away from being eligible to test unrestricted free agency, Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen told reporters including Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch that there is mutual interest in getting a long-term extension done with the winger. Laine is coming off his first career point per game season, notching 26 goals and 30 assists in 56 games and received his $7.5MM qualifying offer.  He’s eligible to file for arbitration if an agreement can’t be worked out in the coming days.
  • Canucks president Jim Rutherford told CHEK TV’s Rick Dhaliwal (Twitter link) that the team will not be looking to re-sign pending UFA forwards Alex Chiasson, Brad Richardson, and Brandon Sutter right away but could circle back at some point this summer. Chiasson had 13 goals in 67 games last season, a decent return on a league minimum deal while Richardson won over 58% of his faceoffs in 2021-22.  Sutter, meanwhile, missed all of last season with long COVID symptoms and there’s no word yet on whether or not he’ll be able to play in 2022-23.

Offseason Checklist: Colorado Avalanche

at CDT | by 4 Comments

With the offseason in full swing, it’s time to examine what each squad will need to accomplish over the coming weeks.  Last up is a look at the Avalanche.

Generally speaking, a team that wins the Stanley Cup shouldn’t need to make a whole lot of changes.  Evidently, that’s not the case in Colorado as they have a new starting goalie (Alexandar Georgiev) and a new GM (Chris MacFarland with Joe Sakic moving up a rung) in just a couple of weeks after beating Tampa Bay.  MacFarland will have a few items to check off in the coming days as well.

Replace Defensive Depth

Sakic added defenseman Josh Manson at the deadline as a rental and while he didn’t have the exact same role he had in Anaheim (his minutes were more limited), he was a key role player in the postseason.  He’s likely to become an unrestricted free agent and there’s a decent chance he’ll move on.  Ryan Murray and Jack Johnson, who signed with Colorado last summer, are also set to become unrestricted free agents tomorrow and certainly aren’t locks to return.

That leaves Colorado with six blueliners that saw regular action last season and one of those (Kurtis MacDermid) is more of a winger than a defenseman at this point.  Another, Bowen Byram, has shown plenty of promise but has dealt with multiple concussions in his young career and had to take a step back to recover last season.  While the Avs will certainly be hoping that he’ll be able to stay healthy, expecting that to be the case would carry some risks.

With that in mind, MacFarland will need to add (or re-sign) at least one defenseman if not two to stay on the safe side.  These players likely won’t command long-term deals (especially since they’ll want to keep some flexibility for the future) and will be earmarked for the third pairing but that extra depth will be necessary to hedge against in-season injuries.  Fortunately for Colorado, while there aren’t many impact defenders available on the open market, there are several depth ones that are in the range that they’re going to want to pay.

MacKinnon Extension Talks

It’s quite possible that the biggest item on Colorado’s list this summer is to do something that won’t even affect their team for next season.  Nathan MacKinnon will officially enter the final year of his contract on Wednesday, making him eligible to sign a contract extension.  Prior to stepping aside as GM, Sakic recently indicated his intention of trying to get a deal done with his captain and there’s little reason to think that will change with MacFarland at the helm.

It sounds crazy to think now but at the time the 26-year-old signed his current seven-year, $44.1MM deal, there was some risk attached to it.  While MacKinnon had shown flashes of offensive dominance, he had also failed to reach 25 goals in a single season.  They were paying up with the expectation that he’d continue to improve and provide extra value by the end of the contract.  It’s safe to say he has done that and more as only two players in the league have more points than MacKinnon over the last five years.  (Both of them play in Edmonton if you’re wondering who they are.)

While the salary cap has flattened out in recent years and still has another couple of years on its current trajectory, MacKinnon is in line for a substantial raise on his next contract.  Connor McDavid’s deal represented 16.67% of the Upper Limit when it was signed; that rate applied to the current cap would push MacKinnon just past $13.75MM.  Granted, McDavid has been the better scorer but it’s not out of the realm of possibility that MacKinnon checks in around 15% of the cap which would put his next contract around the same $12.5MM AAV that McDavid currently has now.  It’s a price tag Colorado shouldn’t be balking at paying either as if he was to somehow hit the open market next summer, several teams would be going after him with that type of money.

At this point, there isn’t a lot to gain from waiting while there’s value in having certainty about costs moving forward as Colorado plans other moves.  Accordingly, expect a push to get something done on this front quickly.

Re-Sign Lehkonen

While Manson and some of their other late acquisitions were pending unrestricted free agents, that wasn’t the case for winger Artturi Lehkonen.  The extra year of team control was enough for Sakic to justify parting with one of their top prospects in Justin Barron to get him from Montreal at the trade deadline.  He certainly made an immediate impact with his new team, logging over 16 minutes a game in their middle six down the stretch and then scored two critical goals in the playoffs with the series-winner against Edmonton and the Cup-winner against the Lightning.

Lehkonen has arbitration rights in his final year of RFA eligibility so expect Colorado to take a run at signing him to a long-term deal that buys out his prime UFA years.  Such a move would push his AAV past the $4MM mark even though his highest point total during the regular season is 38 which he put up this year.  It’s a high price to pay for a winger that isn’t going to consistently light the lamp but his versatility and penalty killing ability made him an integral part of their team in the playoffs and it’s unlikely they will give him a chance to move on anytime soon.

Replace Outgoing Free Agent Forwards

While Colorado managed to get one prominent free agent off the table on Monday when they signed winger Valeri Nichushkin to an eight-year deal, they’re still set to lose a pair of key free agent forwards in Nazem Kadri and Andre Burakovsky.  Knowing the money that they’re going to be paying MacKinnon in 2023-24, they know they’re not going to be able to keep Kadri which creates a big opening down the middle.  While Alex Newhook has shown some promise, he’s not really for full-time duty in the top six yet and while J.T. Compher can hold his own when covering for injuries, he’s not the preferred option to take Kadri’s spot either.  Adding a proven veteran center on a short-term contract would be huge for the Avalanche.

Then there’s Burakovsky whose 61-point campaign likely priced himself out of what Colorado can afford with Lehkonen effectively taking his spot and role on the roster.  But another winger that can at least slot in on the third line with an ability to move up when needed would certainly help lengthen their attack.  The Avs have around $14MM to spend this summer with Lehkonen set to take up a sizable chunk of that.  Between a new center to replace Kadri and some defensive depth, there might be enough left for that type of winger to help keep one of the top attacks in the NHL three lines deep.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.  Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.

Free Agency Notes: Hague, Marchment, Kulak

at CDT | by 7 Comments

We haven’t heard a whole lot of offer sheet talk yet this offseason, but there is one young defenseman who could come into play. The Athletic’s Jesse Granger notes that he believes Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Nicolas Hague is “a real possibility” as an offer sheet candidate from general managers league-wide. Hague is an important defenseman on the rise in the Golden Knights organization, and while he doesn’t have a lot of leverage on his next contract as he’s not arbitration-eligible, another team could indeed force Vegas’ hand. A second-round pick from their first 2017 draft class, Hague’s notched a solid 42 points in 142 NHL games over the past three years. While he’s been limited to third-pairing minutes on a deep Vegas team, he’s shown really solid play-driving ability as an up-and-coming two-way defenseman. With the Golden Knights’ tight salary cap situation, it’s a reasonable bet that they couldn’t match a healthy offer for Hague.

  • TSN’s Pierre LeBrun expects the Montreal Canadiens to make an offer to bring back defenseman Brett Kulak when free agency opens tomorrow. They won’t be alone, though, as LeBrun notes that six other teams could be interested as well. Dealt to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for a package that included William Lagesson and a second-round pick at the trade deadline, Kulak is an underrated defensive commodity who’s extremely valuable in a bottom-four role. He’d spent the last three seasons prior to this year in a Habs uniform, and he was a steadying presence in 2021-22 on a struggling team.
  • If the Tampa Bay Lightning can’t come to terms with pending UFA Ondrej Palat, The Athletic’s Joe Smith lists Mason Marchment as someone the team could make an offer to in free agency. He’d certainly add a strong checking element to the team’s middle six, and while he likely wouldn’t replace Palat’s value entirely, he’d be a strong value option with a breakout year last season and great underlying metrics. Marchment finished 2021-22 with 47 points in just 54 games.

Johnny Gaudreau To Test Free Agency

at CDT | by 28 Comments

As first reported by TSN’s Pierre LeBrun, the Calgary Flames aren’t expected to reach an agreement with top free-agent forward Johnny Gaudreau prior to the market opening tomorrow at noon Eastern time. He’ll test free agency and hit the open market as a result.

Gaudreau and Calgary haven’t come to an agreement despite steadily increasing offers from general manager Brad Treliving to get him to stay. It was reported earlier today that Calgary had offered Gaudreau an eight-year deal worth more than $10MM per season. Gaudreau either believes he can get more on the open market tomorrow, or he simply wants a change of scenery out of Alberta.

After his electric 115-point season, he’ll have a certain handful of teams willing to pony up eight figures to get his services. While the Philadelphia Flyers have been linked to him constantly for years, they’ve failed to clear enough cap space in order to make signing him a realistic possibility. One team with loads of cap space that’s a logical fit is the New Jersey Devils, who could launch themselves into playoff contention with a Gaudreau/Jack Hughes connection up front.

No matter what, Gaudreau is slated to join the more-than-$10MM cap hit club tomorrow. He’d be the 15th player in the league currently on an eight-figure deal and the only left wing aside from the Rangers’ Artemi Panarin.

Free Agent Focus: Buffalo Sabres

at CDT | by 3 Comments

Free agency is almost upon us as it’s less than a day away.  There will be several prominent players set to hit the open market while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign as well.  Next up is a look at the Buffalo Sabres.

Key Restricted Free Agent

F Victor Olofsson: The 26-year-old has had some ups and downs in his career and there was a time last season when it looked like Olofsson could be a non-tender candidate when he was struggling.  However, he was much better over the final two months of the season, notching 25 points in 28 games to show that he can still be a part of Buffalo’s plans.  Olofsson is in his final year of arbitration eligibility so GM Kevyn Adams will be looking to work on a multi-year agreement which likely would fall in the mid-$4MM range.  If they can’t work out something in the next few days at least, expect Olofsson to file for arbitration and that will start the clock on working out a deal to avoid a hearing.  A one-year pact through a hearing should check in around the $4MM range if it gets that far.

Other RFAs: G Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, F Brett Murray, F Arttu Ruotsalainen

Key Unrestricted Free Agents

D Will Butcher – Few players have seen their stock plummet as much as Butcher has in recent years.  After making the All-Rookie team in 2018, things have gone downhill from there.  The 27-year-old has had a very limited role the last couple of seasons between New Jersey and Buffalo but still put up nine points in 37 games in 2021-22.  He’s only four years removed from reaching 30 points back in his sophomore year.  While his market isn’t going to be the strongest, there will be teams looking to add some low-cost offensive depth on their back end and the potential upside of a rebound will result in some interest on a one-year deal.

D Colin Miller – There are some parallels with Butcher in the sense that he’s a few years removed from his best year but his production has dropped considerably since then.  Miller is coming off a tough year on the injury front as well, missing 30 games between injuries and a stint in COVID protocol and with only 14 points in 38 games, his market is going to be similarly limited as well.  Again, teams will be looking to shore up their depth and Miller did log nearly 19 minutes a game last season so there will be some interest in a short-term pact, albeit at a much lower price tag than the $3.875MM he made the last four seasons.

D Mark Pysyk – After playing very limited roles in the previous two seasons with Florida and Dallas which included time on the wing, Pysyk returned to Buffalo and reclaimed a spot on their back end, spending most of the year on their third pairing.  At this stage of his career, the 30-year-old is likely going to be going year-to-year but as a right-shot defender that can play up front in a pinch, he should have some teams showing interest at a deal a little above the league minimum.

F Cody Eakin – Eakin’s days of being an impact energy player are largely gone but he can still kill penalties and win faceoffs having won a career-high 56% of his draws in 2021-22.  As far as fourth-line centers go, those are two elements that teams often look for.  It would be surprising to see the 31-year-old come close to the $2.25MM that he made in each of the last two years – the market for role players has dipped since then – but Eakin should have some suitors from teams looking for some cheap depth down the middle.

Other UFAs: F Drake Caggiula, D Brandon Davidson, G Aaron Dell, F John Hayden, G Michael Houser, F Mark Jankowski, F Ryan MacInnis, D Ethan Prow, D Jimmy Schuldt, G Malcolm Subban (expected to re-sign), G Dustin Tokarski

Projected Cap Space

Cap space won’t be an issue for the Sabres who have over $30MM in cap space right now and that’s even after adding in Ben Bishop’s contract that they took on from Dallas earlier this summer.  Olofsson is the only free agent of note to re-sign so Buffalo has the cap space to be aggressive in the market or to take on more contracts to add additional assets.  That said, they typically have been a budget team so it remains to be seen how much of that $30MM they’ll be able to use.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.  Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

scroll to top