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Toronto Maple Leafs Sign Joey Anderson

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed their final restricted free agent, inking Joey Anderson to a three-year contract. The deal is two-way in the first two years and one-way in the third while carrying an average annual value of $750K at the NHL level. Anderson was acquired recently by Toronto in a trade that saw Andreas Johnsson head to the New Jersey Devils.

Though the Johnsson deal was more about clearing some salary cap room for the Maple Leafs, they targeted Anderson as a potential return because he still possesses some NHL upside. The 22-year-old forward was a third-round pick in 2016 and has played in 52 NHL games with the Devils, scoring eight goals and 13 points in limited minutes. Once the captain of Team USA at the World Juniors, he brings a hard-nosed work ethic to win puck battles in the corner and in front of the net.

While Anderson may not possess high-end puck skills like many of the other Maple Leafs forwards, his playstyle could be a potential replacement for Zach Hyman, whose contract expires at the end of this season. Hyman, a Toronto native, has turned himself from mid-round afterthought with the Florida Panthers to multiple 20-goal scorer with the Maple Leafs despite not having outstanding offensive skill or playmaking ability. Scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year, he’ll be the success story that the coaching staff can point to when working with Anderson.

The three-year term may come as a bit of a surprise for a player who likely isn’t going to see full-time NHL action this season, but Anderson was obviously willing to take the security of a multi-year deal. Of course, it’s not only Hyman that is on an expiring contract. The Maple Leafs, in their attempt to make the flat cap work around their huge star contracts, have signed five players—Wayne Simmonds, Jimmy Vesey, Joe Thornton, Jason Spezza and Travis Boyd—to one-year deals. Unless they can repeat that next offseason, they’ll need players like Anderson to step in at league-minimum costs.

Snapshots: HOF, Kraken, Dubois

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The Hockey Hall of Fame will not name a 2021 class, instead deciding to give the entire spotlight to the six people elected in 2020 that have yet to have an induction ceremony. Marian Hossa, Jarome Iginla, Kevin Lowe, Kim St-Pierre, Doug Wilson, and Ken Holland were all supposed to be inducted earlier this year but had their ceremony postponed when the coronavirus pandemic put things on hold. Now, the hall has decided to make sure they get their moment. Chairman Lanny McDonald:

The magic of the induction weekend from the perspective of the new inductees is participating in several days of close interaction with family, friends, former teammates, fellow legends and fans. On that premise, the Board felt that this was the right decision to bestow upon the Class of 2020 the recognition and lifetime experience they so richly deserve in all ways consistent with past induction classes.

With no new 2021 class, the debate regarding players like Alexander Mogilny, Rod Brind’Amour, and Daniel Alfredsson will have to wait another year.

  • The Seattle Kraken have loaded up their scouting department even further, hiring another dozen scouts today. The group is headlined by Robert Kron, who will serve as director of amateur scouting and also includes Mike Dawson, Darren Yopyk, Jeff Crisp, Tom O’Connor, Tony MacDonald, Trevor Steinburg, Thomas Plante, Pelle Eklund, Marcus Fingal, Aleksandr Plyushev, and Sasu Hovi. Seattle is determined to find the best players both in the NHL and abroad as they start on their journey of creating the league’s 32nd team.
  • It may be a long negotiation for the Columbus Blue Jackets and restricted free agents Pierre-Luc Dubois and Vladislav Gavrikov, but GM Jarmo Kekalainen isn’t worried. As he told Aaron Portzline of The Athletic, “if they want to play in the NHL, we have to agree on a contract.” Dubois is arguably the team’s best forward already at age 22, and Gavrikov has grown into a valuable top-four piece for the team. Both players are due substantial raises but don’t have a ton of leverage in this negotiation. Dubois technically could be signed to an offer sheet (while Gavrikov could not), though as Portzline points out, that was likely only a threat near the beginning of free agency, not now.

Arizona Coyotes Renounce Draft Rights Of Mitchell Miller

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October 30: A day later, the University of North Dakota has also decided to drop Miller from their hockey program. In a statement, the school explains that Miller can remain a student at UND if he chooses, but will not be playing hockey.

October 29: The Arizona Coyotes have decided to reconsider their decision to draft Mitchell Miller. Selected 111th overall, Miller was the team’s first pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft after they were without selections in each of the first three rounds. Recently, Mitchell’s 2016 assault conviction for bullying and abusing a Black, developmentally disabled classmate has received widespread attention with reports in The Arizona Republic and The Athletic.

Today, Arizona has decided to renounce the draft rights to Miller. In a statement, Coyotes president Xavier Gutierrez explained:

We have decided to renounce the rights to Mitchell Miller, effective immediately. Prior to selecting Mitchell in the NHL Draft, we were aware that a bullying incident took place in 2016. We do not condone this type of behavior but embraced this as a teachable moment to work with Mitchell to make him accountable for his actions and provide him with an opportunity to be a leader on anti-bullying and anti-racism efforts. We have learned more about the entire matter, and more importantly, the impact it has had on Isaiah and the Meyer-Crothers family. What we learned does not align with the core values and vision for our organization and leads to our decision to renounce our draft rights. On behalf of the Arizona Coyotes ownership and our entire organization, I would like to apologize to Isaiah and the Meyer-Crothers family. We are building a model franchise on and off the ice and will do the right thing for Isaiah and the Meyer-Crothers family, our fans and our partners. Mr. Miller is now a free agent and can pursue his dream of becoming an NHL player elsewhere.

Mitchell’s history was well known before the draft. The 18-year-old defenseman, who is a freshman at the University of North Dakota, sent a letter to every team in the league apologizing for the incident, indicating that he regretted it and had changed his ways. As Aaron Portzline reported for The Athletic, however, that letter did not sway every team, with some “feeling unconvinced of his remorse.”

Recently hired GM Bill Armstrong was not allowed to take part in the Coyotes draft this year because of an agreement with his former employer the St. Louis Blues. He originally indicated that the team would be providing a “second chance” for the young defenseman and hoped he would use the new platform to “raise awareness about bullying and discourage this type of behavior.” Armstrong released a new statement today:

I fully support our decision to renounce Mitchell Miller’s draft rights. It was a unique situation for me not being able to participate in this year’s Draft and we were going through a transition with our scouting department. Mitchell is a good hockey player, but we need to do the right thing as an organization and not just as a hockey team. I’d like to apologize to Isaiah and the Meyer-Crothers family for everything they have dealt with the past few months. I wish them all the best in the future.

Miller is now an unrestricted free agent. Though he can sign with any team, currently doing so would make him ineligible to play at North Dakota.

Vancouver Canucks Re-Sign Guillaume Brisebois

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The Vancouver Canucks are steadily working through their remaining restricted free agents, this time signing one of their minor league defensemen. Guillaume Brisebois has signed a new one-year, two-way contract with the Canucks, though the financial details have not yet been released. Brisebois was not eligible for salary arbitration this offseason.

Brisebois, 23, was a third-round selection of the Canucks back in 2015 but has played just eight games at the NHL level to this point. Instead, the 6’3″ defenseman has spent the last three seasons almost exclusively in the minor leagues with the Utica Comets, where his offensive game never really did develop. Though he’s still valuable depth, it doesn’t look like he’ll ever become a full-time NHL roster player at this point.

The contract for Brisebois leaves just two restricted free agents remaining for GM Jim Benning; Justin Bailey and Jalen Chatfield. Both were actually eligible to file for salary arbitration but decided against it.

Calgary Flames Re-Sign Glenn Gawdin

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October 30: Now that he is signed, the Flames have found a place for Gawdin to play. The team loaned the young forward to EHC Visp Lions in Switzerland for the time being.

October 14: The Calgary Flames have taken care of a little business, signing Glenn Gawdin to a one-year, two-way contract. The deal will carry an NHL salary of $700K, and brings back one of the Flames restricted free agents. Because of his service time limitations, Gawdin was actually not eligible for arbitration (or an offer sheet, though that would have been very unexpected anyway).

Now 23, Gawdin was a fourth-round pick of the St. Louis Blues back in 2015 but actually never signed with the organization. Instead, after going back to junior for several years, he ended up signing with the Flames and has spent the last two years with the Stockton Heat.

Though he hasn’t yet made his NHL debut, it might be coming sooner than you think. The young forward scored 47 points in 53 games for Stockton this year and was included in the return to play group (though failed to make the final 31 players who traveled to the bubble). If his strong play in the minor league continues, Gawdin could be an injury call-up this season for the Flames if they need a little offense inserted into the lineup.

Kyle Burroughs Signs With Colorado Avalanche

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The Colorado Avalanche already nabbed one New York Islanders defenseman this offseason when they traded for and extended Devon Toews, and now they’ve done it again. This time it’s Kyle Burroughs, who the team acquired in exchange for A.J. Greer earlier this month. Burroughs, a restricted free agent, has signed a new one-year contract with the Avalanche. Financial terms have not yet been released.

Not only does Burroughs represent another offseason addition to the organization, but he is also the final restricted free agent to sign for GM Joe Sakic. Vladislav Kamenev, the only other player without a contract, has decided to continue his career in the KHL and signed a two-year deal overseas. That means the Avalanche offseason could potentially be over, especially considering most of their cap space has been eaten up by the new contracts handed out.

Colorado re-signed Andre Burakovsky, Valeri Nichushkin, and Ryan Graves, while bringing in Toews and Brandon Saad from outside the organization. While those may have not been the splashy free agent moves that some were expecting, the Colorado lineup looks intimidating and formidable going into the 2020-21 season.

While that deep roster is fun for the fans, it certainly shouldn’t give Burroughs much hope of making his NHL debut this season. The 25-year-old defenseman has played five seasons in the minor leagues and is likely ticketed for the Colorado Eagles in 2020-21.

Toronto Maple Leafs Sign Michael Hutchinson

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have brought back a familiar face, signing goaltender Michael Hutchinson to a two-year, two-way contract. The deal will carry an average annual value of $725K at the NHL level, making Hutchinson an inexpensive depth option at what has become a crowded position in Toronto.

Maple Leafs fans will certainly be pulling their hair out reading this news, after Hutchinson was basically run out of town for his poor performance last season. The 30-year-old goaltender posted an .886 save percentage in 15 appearances with the Maple Leafs, going 4-9-1 before eventually being shipped to the Colorado Avalanche. Perhaps it’s Colorado where his stock rose again, as Hutchinson was forced into action for the Avalanche during their postseason run and played admirably.

Though Hutchinson now comes to Toronto as the potential fourth option behind starter Frederik Andersen, backup Jack Campbell, and newcomer Aaron Dell, this move does check off a few boxes for the Maple Leafs. First, and likely foremost, Hutchinson would give the team another option should Dell be claimed on waivers if the team ever decided to send him to the minor leagues. Second, Hutchinson will now actually fill the expansion draft requirement for the Maple Leafs if they decide to leave Andersen unsigned and protect Campbell next year. Every team needs to expose at least one goaltender that is signed through the 2021-22 season, something that Andersen and Dell both do not represent.

If the AHL season goes as planned, it will be interesting to see how the Maple Leafs work out playing time though. Dell and Hutchinson are both veterans who could succeed at the minor league level, but the team also has two prospects in Joseph Woll and Ian Scott that will need seasoning. There is the speculation that the NHL may carry a taxi squad or increased rosters due to the COVID-19 protocols, in which point Dell or Hutchinson would be a strong option as a third traveling goaltender.

Alex True Loaned To Rungsted Seier Capital

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The San Jose Sharks have been one of the more active teams in the NHL when loaning out their young players around the world, and today have found another landing spot. Alex True will suit up for Rungsted Seier Capital in his home country of Denmark, loaned to the club until the 2020-21 NHL season begins. True hasn’t played in Denmark since 2014, when he left for the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds.

True, 23, finally made it all the way to the NHL in 2019-20, playing 12 games with the Sharks and recording four points. The 6’5″ forward went undrafted out of the WHL and started his professional career on a minor league contract, only to quickly become one of the most trusted offensive weapons the San Jose Barracuda had. In 2018 he signed his entry-level contract with the Sharks, a deal that has just one year remaining on it.

One of the top players that Denmark has produced in the last few years, True suited up three times for his country at the World Junior Championship, captaining the team in 2017. With some added depth up front in the way of Ryan Donato, Matthew Nieto, and others, the Sharks will have plenty of competition for the last few spots on the roster. True, who is still waiver-exempt, may end up playing most of the year in the minors once again.

Winnipeg Jets Extend Sami Niku

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Oct 30: The Jets have officially announced the contract, signing Niku to a two-year deal with, as reported, a $725K cap hit.

Oct 29: The Winnipeg Jets have come to terms on a new contract with restricted free agent Sami Niku. TSN’s Frank Seravalli reports that the young defenseman has signed a two-year, two-way contract extension. The deal carries an AAV of $725K, with the 2020-21 minimum $700K in year one and the 2021-22 minimum $750K in year two.

Niku, 24, is exiting his entry-level contract still unsure of his NHL ability and long-term fit in Winnipeg. The 2015 seventh-round pick was a fast-rising prospect who was a force at the pro level in Finland’s Liiga at a young age and looked like he might be ready to take on the NHL. His AHL numbers, especially on offense, continue to show a player with great skill and mobility. The NHL has been an entirely different case though. Niku has struggled to stick with the Jets, playing in just 48 games over three seasons. In that time, he has put up modest offensive totals, but has struggled in other aspects of the game. He contributes little defensively, is prone to turnovers, and has poor possession numbers. The team does not trust him with significant ice time, shelters him from difficult match-ups, and tries to prevent exposure in the defensive end. Yet, his potential for offense continues to entice and Niku’s 2019-20 numbers offered a slight glimmer of hope that his defense may be improving.

Yet, Niku has also served as a fixture on the rumor mill when it comes to potential Winnipeg trades. Signing an affordable, multi-year deal won’t change that, as potential suitors who believe in his upside will be happy to take a two-year gamble. The Jets appear likely to make a trade before next season too. Niku’s signing puts the team over the salary cap based on a projected 23-man roster, including Niku as the eighth defenseman. Even if the club is able to put Bryan Little and his $5.29MM cap hit on Long-Term Injured Reserve, the team still needs to re-sign RFA forward Jack Roslovic. With little flexibility and a blue line that could still use another bona fide top-four member, the Jets could still be dealing and Niku could still wind up elsewhere.

Calgary Flames Seeking Right Side Defenseman

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The Calgary Flames addressed the right side of their blue line in a big way earlier this off-season, stealing free agent Chris Tanev from the rival Vancouver Canucks. Tanev is a solid two-way defenseman who has earned the respect of teammates and opponents alike over his career. He should settle in nicely as the replacement for T.J. Brodie in the top-four for Calgary, with young Rasmus Andersson beginning a new contract of his own that comes with higher expectations. Someone from the left side can slide over as well, with captain Mark Giordano, young standout Noah Hanifin, top prospect Juuso Valimaki, and recent import Nikita Nesterov under contract and restricted free agent Oliver Kylington awaiting a contract extension.

However, that apparently isn’t enough for the Flames on the right side. TSN’s Darren Dreger reports that GM Brad Treliving is still actively seeking another right side defenseman, evaluating both the free agent and trade markets. Whether this is due to Tanev’s injury history or Andersson’s inexperience, it is believed that Treliving would like to add another established right-handed defenseman. However, that may be easier said than done given Calgary’s salary cap situation. The aforementioned six defensemen under contract are part of a group of CapFriendly’s current roster projection of 21 players that comes in just about $1MM under the salary cap ceiling. With Kylington in need of a new deal and one more body required to round out the roster, the Flames don’t have enough cap space as is. Adding a significant name will be difficult without moving out considerable salary.

Ironically, the remnants of the free agent market at right side defense includes a number of familiar names. First and foremost, Travis Hamonic is the exact veteran defenseman that the Flames are trying to replace. Hamonic spent the three seasons with Calgary and alongside Brodie and Andersson made for a solid starting group on the right side. While it was seemingly a done deal that Hamonic would be leaving Calgary, emphasized by his opting out of the postseason, Hamonic’s name has not made much noise this off-season and he could decide to return to the Flames for another year if there are no superior options. Of course, Hamonic will not come cheap. Michael Stone was another member of the Flames’ right side this past season (and for parts of the past four seasons) and could make the easy transition back to the team. Veteran Deryk Engelland is also still available and could return to Calgary after three years with the Vegas Golden Knights, while Dalton Prout could return as a depth option after a one-year hiatus with the San Jose Sharks. If the Flames can move some salary to add a legitimate starter, the top free agent target would be Sami Vatanen. However, more realistic free agent options for Calgary’s budget in addition to Stone, Engelland, and Prout include Jan Rutta, Korbinian Holzer, Yannick Weber, Christian Folin, and Cody Goloubef.

Of course, if the Flames need to move out salary anyhow, the trade market may make more sense than merely signing a free agent. With a number of teams still scrambling to get their rosters set for next season under the shadow of the flat salary cap, there could be plenty of willing partners who might have a right side defenseman to spare in exchange for a similarly priced forward. Backup goaltender David Rittich, whose $2.75MM cap hit reflects a greater role than he will likely play behind big free agent addition Jacob Markstrom, could also be attractive to a number of teams still seeking a reliable backup.

One way or another, don’t be surprised if the Flames are not done making moves this off-season. Between their desire to add to the right side of the blue line and their need to clear cap space in order to complete the roster, Calgary is bound to be scouring the trade and free agent markets for a while longer.

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