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Archives for July 2023

New York Islanders Sign Ilya Sorokin To Eight-Year Extension

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The New York Islanders have announced an eight-year contract extension for franchise netminder Ilya Sorokin. Per TSN’s Chris Johnston, the deal carries an $8.25MM AAV. It will go into effect at the start of the 2024-25 season, as Sorokin still has a contract for next year.

Per CapFriendly, Sorokin’s extension carries a full no-move clause for the first four years of the deal, and then a modified no-trade clause for the next four years. Under the terms of the modified no-trade clause, Sorokin can submit a list of 16 teams he cannot be traded to.

While the Islanders have made quite a bit of news today with their long-term deals for Semyon Varlamov, Scott Mayfield, and Pierre Engvall, this is easily the most significant development of the day for the team. Sorokin is the Islanders’ best player and someone firmly in the conversation for best goalie in the entire NHL.

Sorokin has been the Islanders’ undisputed number-one goalie for the last two seasons. In 2021-22, he started 52 games and posted a .925 save percentage with a 2.40 goals-against-average. He finished sixth in Vezina Trophy voting as well.

This past season, Sorokin posted nearly identical numbers in 60 starts with a .924 save percentage and 2.34 goals-against-average. Sorokin ended up the Vezina Trophy runner-up and was elected to the NHL’s Second All-Star Team.

The Islanders are a veteran squad built to win old-school defensive hockey games. They grind out tough contests and look to keep their games as manageable as possible. Having an elite goaltender like Sorokin is essential to that recipe for success, and now by locking up Sorokin for as long as possible, they’ve managed to retain the most important piece in their puzzle.

At an AAV just a shade over $8MM, Sorokin will be earning less than the two highest-paid netminders of all time, Carey Price and Sergei Bobrovsky. His deal’s AAV will rank second in the NHL behind Andrei Vasilevskiy, reflecting Sorokin’s well-earned status as one of the NHL’s best goalies.

After a playoffs that saw the Vegas Golden Knights win a Stanley Cup behind the relatively unproven Adin Hill, questions are going to be asked about whether signing Sorokin to this deal is the smartest investment of a team’s resources. But from the Islanders’ perspective, they really had no other choice.

This is the type of contract Sorokin’s brilliance has earned him, and the Islanders have built an entire lineup around their top-of-the-line starting netminder. Simply by locking Sorokin up for as long as possible and for a decent bit less than other top-of-the-line goalie deals, the Islanders can reasonably feel as though this contract is a major win.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Toronto Maple Leafs Sign Four Players

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed four players: defensemen William Lagesson, Maxime Lajoie, and Marshall Rifai, as well as goaltender Artur Akhtyamov.

Akhtyamov has signed a three-year entry-level deal with an $851k cap hit, while Lagesson and Lajoie each signed one-year, two-way deals worth $775k at the NHL level. Rifai got a $775k AAV deal as well but with a two-year term.

Lagesson, 27, is a former Edmonton Oilers and Montreal Canadiens defenseman who spent last season with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves. He scored 32 points in 65 games for Chicago and will likely be a top-four, if not top-pairing defenseman for the AHL’s Toronto Marlies while also serving as useful organizational depth for the left side of Toronto’s defense.

Lajoie, 25, also played for the Wolves last season and is less of an all-around defenseman compared to Lagesson. He’s got more of an offensive bent to his game, as reflected by the 45 points he scored for Chicago in 63 games, a number that ranked third among all Wolves skaters. He’ll likely be counted upon as a top offensive blueliner for the Marlies but might be less of a call-up possibility due to his game being less balanced compared to Lagesson.

Rifai, 25, is an undrafted six-foot-one left-shot blueliner who spent last season with the Marlies, his first as a pro hockey player. He signed with the Marlies after a four-year career at Harvard University, and led the Marlies in penalty minutes this past season with 118. This deal gives Rifai a nice bump in pay while also allowing him to continue his development in the Maple Leafs organization.

Akhtyamov is a 21-year-old 2020 fourth-round pick of the Maple Leafs who spent last season with Neftyanik Almetievsk in the VHL, Russia’s second-tier hockey league. He played extremely well there, posting a .943 save percentage and 1.74 goals-against-average in the regular season, and 1.53/.952 marks in six playoff games. Toronto already has Keith Petruzzelli, Dennis Hildeby, and Vyacheslav Peksa under contract for next season, so will likely end up in a tandem with one of them at either the AHL or ECHL level.

New York Islanders To Retain Pierre Engvall, Scott Mayfield

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Per a team release, the New York Islanders have announced separate contracts for forward Pierre Engvall and defenseman Scott Mayfield. Both contracts will be for seven years, while Chris Johnston of NorthStar Bets is reporting that Engvall’s AAV will be for $3MM. Similarly, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports that Mayfield’s AAV will be $3.5MM.

Engvall, who was acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs at last year’s trade deadline, fit quite well into the lineup after the move to New York. In 18 games played down the stretch in the regular season, Engvall scored five goals and four assists, creating a very stable presence in the team’s middle six. An analytics darling, Engvall transitioned quite well to the Islanders’ defense-first brand of hockey and will continue to do so for the next seven seasons.

Like Engvall, Mayfield also received a lengthy contract term from New York, one that may bode quite nicely for the team. This past season was the best of his career, playing in all 82 games for the Islanders, scoring six goals and 18 assists all while averaging over 20 minutes of ice time per night. Mayfield has become one of the better two-way defensemen on the roster, aiding in New York’s top-10 penalty kill in the league last season.

Colorado Avalanche Sign Jonathan Drouin

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The Colorado Avalanche have re-united franchise face Nathan MacKinnon with his QMJHL partner in crime. According to TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie, the Avalanche have signed 2013 third-overall pick Jonathan Drouin. Peter Baugh of The Athletic is reporting that the contract will be a one-year, $825K deal.

This signing is a major opportunity for Drouin, who could potentially end up once again on a line with MacKinnon. Wrist surgeries have done significant damage to Drouin’s ability to be a goal-scoring threat, as reflected by his mark of two goals in 58 games this past season.

But Drouin clearly has some gas left in the tank as a playmaker, as he finished the season with a 41-point scoring pace despite that extremely low goal total.

He’s still a capable playmaker, and in the right situation, one wonders how much more he could produce. He’s always had tantalizing offensive potential, and is in the thick of his prime at 28 years old. At a $825k cap hit, this could be Drouin’s perfect station for a career renaissance.

If he doesn’t manage that, though, and ends up in-and-out of the lineup due to injuries as he’s done over the past several seasons, it’ll be a disappointing outcome but not a catastrophe given the affordable cap hit he’ll occupy.

Vegas Golden Knights Sign Three Players

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The Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights are signing big Mason Geertsen to a one-year, two-way contract with a $775k cap hit, $400k AHL salary, and a two-year term according to PuckPedia.  Later in the day, the team announced the signings of Gage Quinney and Mason Morelli on two-year, two-way contracts.

With experience playing both along the wings and as a defenseman, the most consistent thing Geertsen brings to the table is his physicality. He’s six-foot-four and weighs nearly 230 pounds, and is more than happy to make opposing players more than familiar with how hard he can hit.

He had nearly 100 more penalty minutes than the next-highest Utica Comet last season with 136, and helped Utica reach the AHL playoffs.

He won’t provide Vegas’ AHL affiliate, the Henderson Silver Knights, with more than his physicality, but clearly the Golden Knights have made beefing up their AHL affiliate a priority, and signing Geertsen will accomplish exactly that.

As for Quinney, he’s a 27-year-old center who re-signs in Nevada, where he’s spent the last three seasons. Quinney was Henderson’s leading scorer this past season with 25 goals and 64 points in 66 games.

The former WHL champion worked his way up to this point from the ECHL and is now being rewarded with an extension to remain among Henderson’s most important players. Continuity is a rare thing in the AHL, so securing more seasons in Henderson is a nice reward for Quinney’s recent success.

As for Morelli, he recently won the Calder Cup and now departs the Hershey Bears after two full seasons there. It was in Hershey where the 27-year-old advanced from being an AHL/ECHL tweener to a true AHL contributor. He scored 41 points in 72 regular-season games and 13 in 20 playoff games, and will now look to help Henderson go on their own long playoff run while also making a push for an NHL call-up.

Minnesota Wild Sign Vinni Lettieri, Jake Lucchini

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The Minnesota Wild have announced the signing of two forwards: Vinni Lettieri and Jake Lucchini. Each player signed a two-way deal with a $775k NHL cap hit. Lettieri’s deal is of a two-year term with a $500k AHL salary, while Lucchini’s is a one-year pact with a $300k AHL salary.

This is a significant investment by the Wild in their AHL affiliate, the Iowa Wild. Iowa had a middling season in 2022-23, losing in the AHL’s qualifying round. That led the Wild to part ways with their AHL head coach, Tim Army, and now has led to them signing two accomplished AHL scorers.

Lettieri, 28, is a local Minnesota product who was a four-year regular as a Minnesota Golden Gopher. He’s been a quality AHLer since his first full season in the league, and scored 49 points in 48 games for the Providence Bruins last season. He’ll likely be expected to be among Iowa’s top scorers, especially if top prospect Marco Rossi finally graduates and establishes himself as a full-time NHLer.

Lucchini, 28, is like Lettieri an established AHL top-six forward. He’s scored 104 points over the last two AHL campaigns and this past season earned 11 NHL games with the Ottawa Senators. They’ll each be among Iowa’s top scorers at the end of the season, most likely, and will also provide solid competition for depth lineup spots at Wild training camp.

Pittsburgh Penguins Sign Ryan Graves, Alex Nedeljkovic; Extend Tristan Jarry

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have made likely their biggest moves of the day. They’ve signed hulking defenseman Ryan Graves from the New Jersey Devils, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Per a team release, the contract will be a six-year, $27MM contract, earning an AAV of $4.5MM. They’ve also announced a five-year extension with netminder Tristan Jarry, carrying a $5.375MM AAV. Furthermore, Friedman also reports that the team has brought in goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic as well, signing the young netminder to a one-year, $1.5MM contract.

These are two moves of major significance for the Penguins, especially the Jarry signing. By signing him to this extension, the Penguins have effectively committed to Jarry as the starting goalie for the rest of the careers of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang.

As the goal for Pittsburgh for the rest of their careers is to win the trio one last Stanley Cup, the franchise is effectively betting on Jarry to be a goalie capable of winning the Stanley Cup.

There are reasons to believe Jarry, 28, is up to the task. First and foremost, his 2021-22 season was exceptional (.919 save percentage in 58 games played), as was his 2019-20.

But Jarry has alternated each brilliant campaign with more sluggish ones, and while he still manages above-average numbers in those years they aren’t quite up to the quality expected from a goalie occupying a cap hit higher than $5MM.

For Pittsburgh to truly feel good about this signing, not only will Jarry have to have more consistency on a year-to-year basis, he’ll also need to prove that some of the playoff mistakes that cost the Penguins a playoff series against the New York Islanders in 2020-21 won’t resurface.

As for Graves, his addition gives Pittsburgh an upgrade over the departed Brian Dumoulin both offensively and defensively, as well as in the age department. The 28-year-old left-shot blueliner skates well for his size (six-foot-five, 220 pounds) and plays a respectable two-way game. He averaged around 20 minutes of ice time per night for the New Jersey Devils and was a regular penalty-kill contributor.

Graves will likely pair with either Letang or Jeff Petry, and perhaps Graves’ most promising fit is with Petry.

While the Penguins have reportedly been trying to trade Petry this offseason, his $6.25MM cap hit has proven to be a barrier to getting a deal across the line.

The best way to spur a bounce-back season from Petry could be to replicate the environment that saw him achieve so much success with the Montreal Canadiens.

Petry was at his best when partnered with Joel Edmundson, a steady defender whose abilities defensively afforded Petry the freedom to take risks and play more aggressively offensively.

Petry scored at a 63-point pace in 2020-21, largely stapled next to Edmundson, and many would argue that Graves is a better defenseman than Edmundson. So while Graves has definite value on his own, what he might be able to do to rehabilitate Petry’s on-ice effectiveness is a major bonus.

As for Nedeljkovic, the 27-year-old was sent to the Detroit Red Wings after a stellar rookie season for the Carolina Hurricanes. He posted a .932 save percentage in 23 games, leading many to believe Carolina had found their “goalie of the future.” Carolina wasn’t confident Nedeljkovic’s numbers were repeatable in a heavier workload, and Detroit found that out for themselves when they installed him as their number-one and he struggled mightily.

Nedeljkovic posted a .901 save percentage in 59 games played in 2021-22 and a .895 save percentage this past season, losing Detroit’s backup job to Magnus Hellberg. The hope likely is with this signing that Nedeljkovic can join with incumbent backup Casey DeSmith to form a strong support structure for Jarry, and with a lesser workload potentially get back to somewhere close to the way he played in Carolina.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

New Jersey Devils Sign Three Players

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The New Jersey Devils have signed three players to two-way contracts: forwards Kyle Criscuolo and Justin Dowling, as well as netminder Erik Kallgren. Each deal has an NHL cap hit of $775k.

Dowling received a two-year deal with a $500k AHL salary, while Criscuolo and Kallgren each received two-year deals with $340k and $450k AHL salaries, respectively.

Criscuolo, 31, is a former Calder Cup champion with 367 games of experience in the AHL. He scored 29 points in 60 games last season split between the Grand Rapids Griffins and San Jose Barracuda, and has 16 games of NHL experience on his resume. He’ll be expected to be a top-nine forward for the Devils’ AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets.

Dowling, 32, is also a former Calder Cup champion who has captained an AHL side before as well. Dowling was a longtime top-six force for the AHL’s Texas Stars and spent most of last season with the Abbotsford Canucks, where he scored 46 points in 56 games. He could be counted on as one of Utica’s top scorers if a player like Graeme Clarke spends significant time in the NHL.

Kallgren, 26, has been with the Toronto Marlies for the past two seasons and has seen some NHL time thanks to untimely injuries to Maple Leafs netminders. Kallgren doesn’t have an extensive track record in the AHL but will likely pair with Nico Daws to take up the bulk of Utica’s available starts.

Pittsburgh Penguins Sign Noel Acciari

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After acquiring him for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Pittsburgh Penguins hockey operations boss Kyle Dubas has acquired forward Noel Acciari for his new team. Per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, he’s signed the veteran to a three-year, $2MM AAV contract.

Acciari was acquired by Dubas at the 2023 trade deadline as part of the Ryan O’Reilly trade, and he was a decent bottom-sixer for Toronto acquitting himself well defensively while helping them eliminate the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round. Acciari has nearly 400 games of NHL experience and has been on some long playoff runs, such as the Boston Bruins’ run to the 2019 Stanley Cup final.

Acciari does have a 20-goal season on his resume but that’s not a major part of his game. He’s a steady, reliable penalty-killing bottom-sixer who provides versatility to the third or fourth lines in a lineup. He’ll likely become a favorite of head coach Mike Sullivan, who could quickly deploy him in high-leverage defensive situations.

A $2MM price tag with a three-year term might be a bit expensive for a 31-year-old with this kind of skillset, but it’s nothing unreasonable. He’ll improve Pittsburgh’s bottom-six from where it was last year, especially when combined with some of the team’s other signings from today, such as for Lars Eller or Matt Nieto.

Florida Panthers Sign Dmitry Kulikov

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The Florida Panthers have signed yet another defenseman, bringing back familiar face Dmitry Kulikov, according to TSN’s Chris Johnston. The deal has been officially announced, with the Panthers specifying that it’s a one-year pact. Per CapFriendly, it’s a $1MM AAV deal.

Florida brought Kulikov into the NHL with the 14th overall pick in 2009, and he went on to play 460 games for them over seven seasons before departing the organization in 2016. He overcame some long-term injuries in the middle of his career to rebound as a rather effective shutdown defender in the past few seasons, but he got stuck on one of the worst defensive teams in recent memory last season with the Anaheim Ducks.

He’ll try and show he’s still got what it takes to be an everyday NHLer this season in Florida, although he’s a candidate to slip out of a lineup spot upon the returns of Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour from injury. Still Kulikov’s defensive upside is worth the gamble at $1MM and can be buried in the minors if need be without penalty.

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