The first full week of August is in the books and, as is usually the case at this time of year, it was a relatively quiet one. However, there were a few moves of some note which are recapped here.
Goalie Moves: A pair of teams shored up their goaltending depth with training camps now only a month away. First, the Ducks signed Alex Stalock to a one-year, $800K deal. The 36-year-old posted an impressive .908 SV% with Chicago last season, ten points higher than the team save percentage. He’ll battle youngster Lukas Dostal for the number two spot behind John Gibson. The Maple Leafs also got in on the action, inking Martin Jones to a one-year, $875K agreement. Jones played in 48 games with Seattle last season but posted a career-low .886 SV%. The 33-year-old will battle Joseph Woll for the number two spot but is likely ticketed to start with the AHL Marlies and be available as a recall if needed.
Capitals Seeking Top-Six Help: While there aren’t many top-six options left in free agency, Capitals GM Brian MacLellan acknowledged that he’s still hoping to add an impact forward to their roster for the upcoming season. Washington missed the playoffs in 2022-23 and while they’ll eventually get Max Pacioretty when he’s cleared to return from his Achilles injury, that addition alone might not be enough to get them back to the postseason. However, Washington is basically capped out at this point so if they do find a trade for a forward they’re coveting, they will need to create some cap room to do so; speculative trade candidates including Anthony Mantha and Evgeny Kuznetsov but both veterans are coming off down years which won’t help their value around the league.
Suter To Vancouver: One of the top forwards left on the market now has a new home as the Canucks signed center Pius Suter to a two-year contract that carries a cap hit of $1.6MM. The 27-year-old has scored at least 14 goals in each of his three NHL seasons and will give Vancouver a boost to their secondary scoring while he should slot in as a regular on the penalty kill as well. Suter’s addition adds to what already looked like a bit of a logjam up front, especially if Tanner Pearson is able to return. That will present GM Patrik Allvin with a bit of a cap and roster crunch to navigate through but considering that the Canucks were a little thin up front behind J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson, Suter’s addition is certainly a worthwhile one for them.
Sutter To Edmonton: Free agent center Brandon Sutter is looking to make a comeback after missing the last two seasons due to recurring symptoms from Long COVID and has picked the roster he wants to make as he has agreed to a PTO deal with Edmonton. The 34-year-old was a key third-line middleman in his prime but over his last few seasons with Vancouver, he was more of a defensive specialist while he won more than 55% of his draws in 2020-21. That’s basically all the Oilers would be looking for him to do as if Sutter was to earn a contract, he would almost certainly be signing for the league minimum.
New Arena Site For Arizona? After their plan to build a new arena in Tempe fell through following a public referendum, the Coyotes went back to the drawing board to see what other options might exist. It appears they’ve found one as they’ve submitted a letter of intent to purchase a parcel of land in Mesa to house an arena and entertainment district. While this certainly isn’t the end of what has been a very long process, it’s definitely a step in the right direction although the team will also continue to explore possible sites in Phoenix and Scottsdale even with their announcement.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Long covid could be psychosomatic. Hopefully Brandon is getting the right help
It can be phsycosomatic, I dealt with symptoms for over a year and it was very challenging. Good support system around you is definitely needed. I wish him all the best and hope he’s able to continue playing.