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Penguins, Sidney Crosby Making Progress On Extension

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After beginning formal extension discussions late last month, the Penguins are close to keeping their franchise cornerstone in the mix for a few more years. Sources tell The Athletic’s Rob Rossi that Pittsburgh should formalize an extension for captain Sidney Crosby in the coming days. The three-time Stanley Cup champion could earn an AAV as high as $10MM on a three-year deal, Rossi indicated back in April.

Crosby, 37 next month, is coming off arguably his best season in quite some time. Over his 19 seasons in Pittsburgh, he’s passed the 40-goal mark three times – including last year. He placed top 10 in Hart Trophy voting for first time since 2021 and top 10 in Selke Trophy balloting as well for the first time since falling just short of being a finalist in 2019. He hasn’t hit the century mark in points since 2018-19, but he did still churn out 42 goals and 52 assists for 94 points while playing in all 82 games for the second straight season – the first time he’s done that – to lead the Pens in every offensive category by a wide margin.

The all-time great is entering the final season of a 12-year, $104.4MM extension signed immediately upon becoming eligible for one in 2012, a deal that’s seen him play the healthiest hockey of his career. The 5’11” pivot missed a good chunk of what would have been his prime seasons due to concussions, playing only 99 out of 212 regular season games between the 2010-11 and 2012-13 seasons. Since then, injuries have held him out for more than 10 games in a campaign only twice.

The sooner a deal gets signed, the sooner speculation quiets down that Crosby may finish his career anywhere else than Pittsburgh. That’s one of the primary reasons for getting an extension done early this summer, as a league and team source told Rossi that the pending deal is viewed as “a commitment to Pittsburgh” by both Crosby and the Pens’ front office, led by general manager Kyle Dubas.

A cap hit starting with a 10 would be the richest of Crosby’s career, which may seem puzzling as he ages, but it’s likely fair value considering their inability to frontload a new deal as they did with his previous extension, which only paid him $3MM in actual salary in each of the past two seasons and will do so again this year. It’s right in line with his market value, too – Evolving Hockey projects a three-year, $10.82MM AAV deal for Sid the Kid if he inks an extension this month. A full no-move clause, as he had for all 12 seasons of his previous deal, should be expected.

Crosby’s extension won’t quite fall under the same rules as a normal contract. He’ll be given a 35+ contract due to his age, which prevents the Pens from reducing his cap hit by giving him a signing bonus in the second or third season or otherwise front-loading the contract with salary.

Multi-year 35+ contracts aren’t all that common solely because of a player’s age, but they do happen. Former Stars defenseman Ryan Suter is a recent example, inking a four-year deal that was actually backloaded, paying him more salary in the last two years of the deal than in the first two years. That allowed the cap hit to be calculated as normal, equating to the actual average annual value of the contract ($3.65MM). It also allowed them to buy out Suter this offseason and actually receive a cap benefit from doing so. Expect Crosby’s deal to carry a similar backloaded structure or award him even compensation across all three years.

As for the Pens’ roster construction, getting cost certainty on a Crosby extension is imperative for Dubas as he attempts to retool on the fly and get Pittsburgh back to playoff contention in his captain’s final few seasons. They’ve missed the postseason for two years in a row, their first time missing the playoffs in the Crosby era since his 2005-06 rookie season.

[RELATED: Penguins Options To Play On Sidney Crosby’s Line]

With Matthew Nieto expected to start 2024-25 on long-term injured reserve while he recovers from knee surgery, giving Dubas $4.42MM in cap space left to work with this summer – for now. While they’ve had some turnover among their depth defensemen and forwards, they’re expected to run it back with the same top-six forward group and top-four defenders that they ended 2023-24 with. The Penguins are hoping those additions, which include Anthony Beauvillier, Matt Grzelcyk and Kevin Hayes, are enough to make up the three-point gap that kept them out of a wild-card spot in the East last season.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

DEL’s Grizzlys Wolfsburg Sign Phil Varone

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The Grizzlys Wolfsburg of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga have signed veteran forward Phil Varone to a one-year deal, the team announced. This will mark Varone’s second straight season in Germany after he spent 2023-24 with Düsseldorfer EG.

Varone continued to serve as a top-flight scoring threat in leagues outside the NHL, posting 11 goals and 16 assists for 27 points in 34 games for Düsseldorf until his season ended in early January due to injury. His 0.79 points per game were right around his AHL career average and were his best in a single season since taking his talents overseas four years ago.

The speedy but undersized 33-year-old likely could have landed a two-way NHL contract this summer from a team looking to boost its organizational depth and add an experienced call-up option but will instead opt for some more stability in Germany. He hasn’t played in the same country in back-to-back seasons since his two campaigns with the Flyers organization in 2017-18 and 2018-19.

A fifth-round pick of the Sharks in 2009, Varone had 415 points in 521 career games in the AHL, playing in the Buffalo, Ottawa, Philadelphia, Montreal and Pittsburgh organizations before packing up for Europe. He logged NHL time with the first three, scoring eight goals and 17 points across 97 career appearances between 2013-14 and 2018-19. Varone never signed his entry-level pact with San Jose, instead becoming a free agent and later landing with the Sabres on an ELC in 2012.

While he was never a true NHL regular, he did challenge for the role with Philly in the 2018-19 campaign, playing in more than half of his NHL team’s games for the only time in his career with seven points in 47 appearances in a fourth-line role. He was coming off a 23-goal, 70-point campaign in 74 games with AHL Lehigh Valley the year prior that earned him AHL First All-Star Team honors as well as the Les Cunningham Award for league MVP. Since last suiting up in the AHL in 2019-20, he’s played for the KHL’s Barys Nur-Sultan and Spartak Moskva, as well as the Swiss National League’s Lausanne HC and SC Bern in addition to his time in Germany.

Penguins Options To Play On Sidney Crosby’s Line

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The Pittsburgh Penguins reportedly took a swing at acquiring veteran free agent winger Vladimir Tarasenko to play in their top-six forward group alongside Sidney Crosby but lost out on his services to the Detroit Red Wings. Tarasenko signed a two-year $9.5MM deal with the Red Wings and the Penguins’ interest indicates that they aren’t satisfied with their top two lines as they head into what is likely to be a transitional season for the franchise. The Penguins have Bryan Rust, Rickard Rakell, and Michael Bunting returning next season and finished last season with youngster Drew O’Connor replacing Jake Guentzel on the top line as Crosby’s left winger.

O’Connor played well for the Penguins, but he would be better served as a third liner in an ideal world. But given the Penguins’ lack of cap space, and apparent eye towards the future, none of their options will be ideal, but they do have some options when it comes to Crosby’s left winger next season.

Trade Options

Nikolaj Ehlers: Ehlers hasn’t been given an opportunity to be a top-line player with the Winnipeg Jets despite being one of their most effective players. He is the type of player that has thrived with Crosby historically, as he has high-end skill, is a high-level thinker, and is very deceptive and skilled at finding open space. The issue with Ehlers is that he is a year from free agency and the price tag to acquire him will be far too high for the Penguins’ taste given their apparent pivot to acquiring draft picks and younger players.  Murat Ates of The Athletic reported a few weeks ago that Ehlers isn’t likely to extend in Winnipeg but given his age and recent injury history, it’s hard to imagine the Penguins acquiring and extending him long-term.

Patrik Laine: The 26-year-old has fallen on hard times in recent years with the Columbus Blue Jackets but remains an intriguing option on the trade market. Laine is a former second-overall pick who has dealt with injuries in recent seasons but can still score when he is healthy. The Tampere, Finland native was a point-a-game player from 2021-23 but had just nine points in 18 games last season. While the drop in offensive production is alarming, Laine averaged almost four minutes less per game in ice time and wasn’t playing with a skilled center. That being said, his injury issues are a concern and could reduce the cost of acquiring him from Columbus. Laine is a liability defensively and doesn’t necessarily compete on every shift, however, if he were to play on the Penguins’ top line, he would be the best pure goal scorer that Crosby has ever played with.

Unrestricted Free Agent Options

Max Pacioretty: The 35-year-old Pacioretty is well removed from his days as a perennial 30-goal scorer as injuries and the aging curve have slowed down his production. Last year he dressed in 47 games tallying four goals and 19 assists while registering a -14. Pacioretty’s offensive numbers don’t look terrible at first glance, however, nearly half his points came on the power play as he tallied just two goals and 10 assists at even strength. Pacioretty won’t be expensive to sign on a one-year deal, but he hasn’t played more than 47 games in three seasons and his body likely wouldn’t be able to withstand the stress of playing almost 20 minutes a night next to Crosby.

James van Riemsdyk: van Riemsdyk is another former 30-goal scorer on the wrong side of 35 but is coming off a decent offensive season with the Boston Bruins. The Middletown, New Jersey native posted 11 goals and 27 assists last season in 71 games and wasn’t a burden on his teammates. The former second overall pick doesn’t have the pace to play in the top six anymore and would likely be a non-factor in transition which would be a big problem playing with Crosby. JVR could work on the Penguins’ power play and would give the team a net-front presence that they’ve lacked since trading Patric Hornqvist in 2020, however, he might not be physical enough at this point to be effective in the role. At this stage of his career, van Riemsdyk is best served as a fourth-line winger, something the Penguins have more than enough of.

Internal Options

Drew O’Connor: is coming off a career year in which he posted 16 goals and 17 assists in 79 games (all career highs). While those numbers aren’t earth-shattering, they are a remarkable improvement on his previous career year in 2022-23 when he posted just five goals and six assists in 46 games. O’Connor is not a pure offensive player and doesn’t possess strong passing skills or a great, however, he is fast and physical and plays a smart game. All traits they were possessed by one of Crosby’s former long-time wingers Chris Kunitz. O’Connor might be the easiest option for Pittsburgh to slide in alongside Crosby and might be the one they have to use if they don’t facilitate another transaction.

Brayden Yager: Pittsburgh’s 2023 first-round pick (14th overall) is coming off an incredible season with the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors in which he posted 35 goals and 60 assists in 57 games. He is likely a season or two away from being ready for the NHL, but the Penguins might opt to give him a nine-game audition to see what they have in the youngster. Yager is a sneaky good shooter and is excellent at taking passes in his shooting pocket, allowing him to fire off shots quickly and accurately. If he can show in training camp that he deserves a longer look he could play his way onto Crosby’s wing for at least a few games if not longer.

Crosby’s Next Winger

The Penguins had issues finding Crosby a linemate early in his career but eventually found a perfect match with Jake Guentzel. Now with Guentzel signed long-term in Tampa Bay, the Penguins are tasked with finding new linemates for Crosby in what will be the final stretch of his NHL career. While all of the options above present some downside, the Penguins are unlikely to find another Guentzel-like player and will need to make some type of concession heading into next season while keeping an eye on the future.

Poll: Which Team Has Had The Best Offseason?

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There have been several notable events of the current offseason with draft selections, trades, and marquee free agent signings. Several teams have aggressively gotten a leg up on the competition while others are putting the building blocks together for a successful future. For different reasons, the Nashville Predators, San Jose Sharks, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Washington Capitals have all had successful offseasons up to this point.

As arguably the most aggressive team once free agency opened up on July 1st, the Predators added $20.5MM to their 2024-25 salary cap total by signing Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, and Brady Skjei. The team also committed to their goaltender by signing Juuse Saros to an eight-year, $61.92MM extension that will kick in for the 2025-26 season. Nashville made the playoffs without this trio of players last year and is well-positioned to get into the top three of the NHL’s Central Division. The Predators finished the 2023-24 season averaging 3.24 GF/G (10th) and a 21.56% powerplay rate (16th) and could come close to leading the league in both categories next season.

The Sharks benefitted from being the team with the first overall pick of the 2024 NHL Draft this summer and used it to select Macklin Celebrini out of Boston University. Celebrini has already committed to San Jose next year after signing his entry-level contract while the team will also see the fourth-overall pick of the 2023 NHL Draft, Will Smith, join the team. These two alone will make the Sharks far more exciting to watch after finishing the 2023-24 season with 19 wins, and the team also added Tyler Toffoli, Alexander Wennberg, and Ty Dellandrea up front.

Unexpectedly one of the most active teams this offseason, the general manager of the Lightning, Julien BriseBois, showed off his skills as a salary cap manipulator. After picking up defenseman Ryan McDonagh from the Predators before the draft, the team moved out Mikhail Sergachev and Tanner Jeannot in separate trades that brought back J.J. Moser, Conor Geekie, Utah’s second-round pick in 2025, Los Angeles’ second-round pick in 2025, Los Angeles’ fourth-round pick in 2024, and Utah’s seventh-round pick in 2024. They also added the market’s biggest fish, Jake Guentzel on a respectable seven-year, $63MM contract. Unfortunately, all the moves couldn’t stop the team from losing their captain, as Stamkos left the organization via the free agent market.

The Capitals were certainly not happy about being swept in Round One of the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs and want to prove they are not solely focused on Alex Ovechkin breaking the all-time goal-scoring record. The front office took major steps in building up their defensive core as the team brought in Jakob Chychrun and Matt Roy which should certainly help the team improve upon their 3.07 GA/G average from the 2023-24 season. Washington also brought in goaltender Logan Thompson and his $766K salary from the Vegas Golden Knights for a pair of third-round selections as insurance for Charlie Lindgren. Lastly, to fill the team’s second-line center vacancy, the Capitals brought in the controversial Pierre-Luc Dubois in a trade with the Kings in one of the riskier moves of the offseason.

It’s been an exciting offseason up to this point, with plenty of action from all around the league. Which team has stood out the most in having the best summer up to this point? Vote below!

Which Teams Make Sense For A Jeremy Swayman Offer Sheet?

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The deadline for teams to elect for arbitration came and went yesterday afternoon. Notably, the Boston Bruins decided not to elect for salary arbitration with goaltender Jeremy Swayman leaving them vulnerable to a potential offer sheet since Swayman himself did not elect either. The Bruins have $8.6MM in cap space to deal with their lone restricted free agent but several teams could put Boston in trouble.

A hypothetical offer sheet for Swayman would likely come in at the ’Tier Five’ range which would need a salary of $6.87MM-$9.16MM and would require the signing team to send their upcoming first, second, and third-round picks (the picks may not be the original property of another team) to the Bruins if they are unwilling to match. Boston would likely match a max offer for Swayman even if it approaches the $9.16MM range but they would become uncomfortably close to the salary cap ceiling for the upcoming season.

According to CapFriendly, the only teams able to sign Swayman to a deal in that range would be the Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, Nashville Predators, New York Islanders, Philadelphia Flyers, and Seattle Kraken. The Sabres and Red Wings seem unlikely as they will have limited cap space to make moves once they sign the rest of their restricted free agents while the Predators and Islanders already have established goaltenders at the NHL level. Additionally, the Flyers and Kraken don’t hold enough cap space to cause Boston problems.

So why not theorize about reigniting one of the best rivalries in the game?

The Canadiens only have two pending restricted free agents left to sign with just over $10MM in space in Arber Xhekaj and Justin Barron. Neither player projects to cut too much into that cap and wouldn’t necessarily prohibit Montreal from making a move of this magnitude. The Canadiens are not far removed from making a statement via offer sheet as they infamously signed Sebastian Aho to a five-year, $42.27MM offer later matched by the Carolina Hurricanes.

Montreal could open up additional cap space this summer by trading Christian Dvorak and Joel Armia for nothing in return. By trading away both players, the Canadiens could open up nearly $8MM in cap space and could easily give their roster spots to younger players. This is still without factoring in their trump card.

As of right now, former goaltender Carey Price’s $10.5MM salary for the upcoming season has not been officially factored into the Canadiens’ LTIR space. Montreal would not need to put Price’s contract on LTIR space at all this season but if they choose to, their cap space would buoy up to $20.68MM — giving the Canadiens all the room in the world to safely add Swayman’s contract.

The draft picks that would need to go back to Boston would be a manageable cost for the Canadiens. Through several different trades, Montreal holds a conditional first-round pick from the Calgary Flames in 2025, Pittsburgh’s second-round selection in 2025, a conditional third-round pick from New Jersey in 2025, and Vancouver’s third-round pick in 2025. Even if the Canadiens had to part with their first, second, and third-round picks for the 2025 NHL Draft, they would still make four selections in the first three rounds.

The major drawback of signing Swayman to an offer sheet would be the negative consequences to the Canadiens’ current starting netminder, Sam Montembeault. Montembeault did not have an earth-shattering performance last season but still produced a 16-15-9 record in 40 starts with a .903 save percentage and 3.14 GAA. Montreal’s brass committed to Montembeault based on his performance by signing him to a three-year, $9.45MM extension on December 1st, 2023.

Montembeault’s consistency doesn’t come close to Swayman’s performance in Boston; however, as the netminder has produced a 79-33-15 record in 125 starts while collecting an impressive .919 SV% and 2.34 GAA throughout his career. The Canadiens can procure one of the best goaltenders in the game while subsequently punching up at their bitter rivals.

Blue Jackets Not Interested In Joel Quenneville

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The Columbus Blue Jackets remain the only team without a head coach for the 2024-25 NHL season as Don Waddell fired previous bench boss Pascal Vincent on June 17th. Since being reinstated by the league on July 1st, multiple reports have linked Joel Quenneville with the head coaching vacancy in Columbus. However, it appears Quenneville will have to wait for a new NHL home as Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports the Blue Jackets have no interest in Quenneville.

Quenneville unceremoniously resigned from his previous position as head coach of the Florida Panthers during the 2021-22 season after league investigations unearthed his involvement in the Kyle Beach sexual assault allegations against then-video coach Brad Aldrich during the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs. According to reporting, Quenneville diminished the matter at hand due to eliminating ’distractions’ during the Chicago Blackhawks’ quest for the Stanley Cup.

Upon his resignation, Quenneville said, “I want to express my sorrow for the pain this young man, Kyle Beach, has suffered. My former team – the Blackhawks — failed Kyle and I own my share of that. I want to reflect on how all this happened and take the time to educate myself on ensuring hockey spaces are safe for everyone“. After nearly three years away from the game, league commissioner Gary Bettman decided that Quenneville and others were eligible for reinstatement due to, “each of these three individuals has acknowledged that and used his time away from the game to engage in activities which, not only demonstrate sincere remorse for what happened, but also evidence greater awareness of the responsibilities that all NHL personnel have, particularly personnel who are in positions of leadership“.

Outside of the obvious controversy from the 2010 playoffs, Quenneville sits just behind legendary coach Scotty Bowman for the most wins in NHL history behind the bench. The veteran head coach has spent 25 years in the NHL between the St. Louis Blues (eight years), Colorado Avalanche (three years), Chicago Blackhawks (11 years), and Florida Panthers (three years). Over that stretch, Quenneville has compiled a record of 969-572-77-150 over 1,768 games and has made the playoffs 20 times with three Stanley Cup rings.

This takes one name off the list for Columbus as the team looks to rebound from a disastrous season in 2023-24. The Blue Jackets have not made the postseason since the 2019-20 season and have finished last place in the Metropolitan Division three out of the past four years. The next head coach for the franchise will be important as Columbus has legitimate talent on the roster such as Johnny Gaudreau and a wealth of prospects on the way.

Snapshots: Dillon, Swayman, Yager

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The New Jersey Devils were quick to bring in defenseman Brenden Dillon when free agency opened on July 1st, signing him to a three-year, $12MM contract. But that wasn’t the first time the Devils tried to acquire the physical defender, with Dillon sharing on Sportsnet’s The Hockey PDOcast that the Devils also wanted to acquire him at the Trade Deadline. He added that Winnipeg was hesitant to move any of their pending unrestricted free agents amid a strong season.

Dillon was a focal piece of the Jets’ success, once again returning to his stout role on the team’s second pairing and posting 20 points for the third year in a row. He found ways to make his presence felt every single game, leading Winnipeg with 241 hits in 77 games – 20 hits ahead of anyone else on the team – and ranking third with 111 blocked shots.

It’s clear to see why the Devils of all teams would be interested in Dillon’s services. New Jersey is entering next season with an incredibly skilled, but underdeveloped, blue-line – headlined by Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec. Both players are still rounding out their two-way game early in their careers and could stand to benefit from the physical punch that Dillon brings to the lineup. His veteran status is a nice perk as well, with Dillon appearing in 892 games across 13 seasons in the league.

Other notes from around the league:

  • The deadline for clubs to file for salary arbitration with their arbitration-eligible restricted free agents passed on Saturday with no clubs filing additional cases, shares Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman (Twitter link). Notably, this leaves star goaltender Jeremy Swayman off the list of arbitration cases. Swayman has emerged as one of the league’s strongest goalies over the last four seasons, posting 79 wins and a .919 save percentage across 132 career games. All of those games came in tandem with Vezina Trophy goaltender Linus Ullmark, though, making Swayman’s value as a standalone starter hard to gauge. That led many to anticipating arbitration, though the Bruins will now get to negotiate with Swayman directly. He’ll be set up for the lions share of Bruins’ starts next season, regardless of how these contract talks pan out.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins are leaving the door open for top prospect Brayden Yager to make the 2024-25 roster, shares Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Yager is coming off a championship-winning season in the WHL, scoring 122 points across 77 games while serving as the Moose Jaw Warriors’ top centerman. He also posted five points in five World Juniors games – on the back of very dynamic playmaking in the middle lane. It was a standout year for Yager, capping off what’s been a stellar WHL career, with Yager totaling 250 points in 211 juniors games. Even with the optimism around his chances next season, Yager has not yet signed his entry-level contract and remains eligible for the WHL next season.

Utah Signs Curtis Douglas

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The Utah Hockey Club has signed forward Curtis Douglas to a two-year, two-way contract extension. The details of the contract have not been disclosed.

Douglas was originally drafted by the Dallas Stars in the fourth round of the 2018 NHL Draft. He played in the OHL for two seasons after his draft year, before spending the 2020-21 pandemic season with Austria’s Linz Steel Wings of the Alps Hockey League. It was Douglas’ first taste of professional hockey and he managed it well, recording 12 points in 16 games before joining the AHL in the year’s second-half.

Douglas was originally drafted by the Dallas Stars in the fourth round of the 2018 NHL Draft. He played in the OHL for two seasons after his draft year, ultimately ending his juniors career left unsigned by Dallas. In response, Douglas moved to Austria’s Alps Hockey League for the 2020-21 pandemic season. It was his first taste of professional hockey and he managed it well, recording 12 points in 16 games while negotiating an amateur try-out agreement with the AHL’s Belleville Senators. He joined Belleville in the year’s second half, ultimately posting four points, eight penalty minutes, and a +6 in his first 11 AHL games.

That was enough of a showing to earn Douglas a contract with the Toronto Marlies for the following season. Under that deal, Douglas managed a career-high 13 goals and 34 points in 67 games – adding 86 penalty minutes to boot. But a midseason move to the Tuscon Roadrunners in the following year stalled out his scoring. Douglas has been much more of an intimidator now with Tuscon, totaling a whopping 267 penalty minutes across his 107 games with the club. That averages out to 2.5 penalty minutes each game.

And while Douglas seems far from the NHL lineup after his 21 points this season, his standout size and grit have proven worth investing in. With a new deal in place, he’ll plan to return to Tuscon next season, and hopefully find the scoring touch that’s eluded him over the last two years.

Hurricanes Sign Josiah Slavin

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The Carolina Hurricanes have signed forward Josiah Slavin to a two-year, two-way contract (Twitter link). The deal will carry a league-minimum $775K cap hit at the NHL level, and pay out $150K at the AHL level – though $450K is guaranteed.

Slavin was originally drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks in the seventh round of the 2018 NHL Draft. He transitioned to Colorado College two seasons later, then turned pro following the end of his sophomore season in 2020-21. He posted seven points through his first 15 games with the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs, setting him up well for a strong rookie season the following year.

Slavin took advantage of the chance, netting 18 goals and 32 points in 49 games in 2021-22. That scoring earned him his NHL debut midway through the year, though an assist in his debut would be Slavin’s only scoring through 15 games with Chicago. The tepid start in the NHL earned Slavin a move back to minor leagues, where he’s been ever since. He spent the 2023-24 season with the Toronto Marlies, where he posted 10 goals and 24 points across 70 games.

It seems Slavin will be destined for the minor leagues once again on his new deal with the Hurricanes, though he’ll get a boost of motivation by joining an organization led in part by brother Jaccob Slavin. Jaccob has carved out a proud, top-line role in Carolina over the last nine seasons, earning plenty of praise for his two-way reliability and leadership along the way. Jaccob’s “gentlemanly conduct” was recognized this season with his second Lady Byng Trophy in the last four years – placing him among a rare list of repeat winners, including Anze Kopitar, Martin St. Louis, and Pavel Datsyuk.

Flyers Sign Yegor Zamula To Two-Year Extension

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The Philadelphia Flyers have signed restricted-free agent Yegor Zamula to a two-year, $3.4MM contract extension, per NBC Sports’ Jordan Hall (Twitter link). Hall adds that the annual average value will be $1.7MM.It’s the first deal of Zamula’s career north of $1MM.

Zamula played through his first full season in the NHL this year, recording five goals and 21 points across 66 games with the Flyers. It was his first taste of an everyday role at the top level, after spending the last three seasons bouncing between the NHL and AHL lineups. He played through 26 total NHL games prior to this year, recording just four assists – all tallied in the 14 games he played with Philadelphia last season. Zamula has otherwise been stout in the minor leagues, where he’s totaled 54 points across 127 career games.

Having proven his worth at the top level this year, the two-way Zamula now gets a golden chance to carve out a confident spot in the Flyers lineup on this two-year deal. Zamula notably ends the contract with one year of RFA eligibility remaining, giving him a bit more security amid a deep Flyers defense corps. He’ll be competing with players like Erik Johnson, Nick Seeler, and Ronnie Attard for ice time near the bottom of Philadelphia’s lineup.

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