Carolina Hurricanes Sign Max Letunov, Alex Lyon
Saturday: The Hurricanes have officially announced Lyon’s deal at the previously-reported terms. The deal will carry a guaranteed payout of $250K. Letunov’s deal was later confirmed as well and carries a $140K guarantee.
Friday: The Carolina Hurricanes just keep signing players. Since the free agent market opened on Wednesday, the ‘Canes had already signed ten players. Make that a dozen now, as CapFriendly reports two new additions to Carolina’s list of newcomers. Forward Max Letunov and goaltender Alex Lyon have each signed one-year, two-way contracts worth the minimum $750K. Lyon will make $200K in the AHL, while Letunov will make $100K.
Lyon, 28, is entering a Carolina net situation that is completely new and different. Gone is the trio of Petr Mrazek, James Reimer, and Alex Nedeljkovic and arriving are Frederik Andersen, Antti Raanta, and now Lyon as the presumptive No. 3. The former Philadelphia Flyer will have to watch his back though; well-regarded prospects Eetu Makiniemi and Beck Warm are also expected to compete for AHL starts. Lyon brings valuable experience to the depth chart however. In four pro seasons, though never beginning the year on the NHL roster, Lyon played in 22 games with the Flyers, as well as nearly 150 career AHL appearances. Given the age and inconsistency issues of the Hurricanes’ new tandem, Lyon could easily make an NHL appearance for a fifth straight year.
Letunov, 25, is less likely to play a critical depth role for Carolina this season, but is a nice option for the team to call on. A star at the University of Connecticut, Letunov has produced in three AHL seasons as well, but it only earned him three games with the San Jose Sharks. The Russian product was a second-round pick back in 2014 due to his impressive skill, but has yet to show a complete game that will keep him in an NHL lineup. The Hurricanes could do far worse for a short-term top-nine injury replacement though.
Carolina Hurricanes Sign Jalen Chatfield, Sam Miletic
Though it was reported on the first day of free agency, the Carolina Hurricanes have only just now officially announced a contract for Jalen Chatfield. The free agent defenseman has agreed to terms on a one-year, two-way deal that will pay him $750K at the NHL level. Chatfield was a Group VI unrestricted free agent after spending the first few years of his career with the Vancouver Canucks organization.
The Hurricanes have also signed Sam Miletic to a one-year, two-way contract that carries an NHL salary of $750K. Miletic did not receive a qualifying offer from the Pittsburgh Penguins, making him an unrestricted free agent. Hurricanes GM Don Waddell released statements on both players:
Jalen is a reliable defenseman who can kill penalties. He’s coming off his first NHL season and we’re thrilled to add him to our organization.
Sam is a playmaking forward who has been an All-Star in the AHL. We’re excited for him to take the next steps in his development.
It’s been a long grind for Chatfield, 25, who went undrafted out of the OHL but signed with the Canucks in 2017. He spent three full seasons in the minor leagues, skating for the Utica Comets of the AHL, before receiving his first NHL opportunity this year. With the taxi squad in place, Chatfield didn’t have to go to the minor leagues anymore, but he still wasn’t receiving regular playing time with the Canucks. In 18 games, he recorded one point.
Miletic meanwhile is in a very similar situation, though he hasn’t received any NHL chances. The 24-year-old forward was signed as an undrafted free agent out of the OHL and has played three seasons with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. After registering just five points in 21 games this year, the Penguins cut him loose.
For both players, it seems more likely that they’ll be in the AHL than the NHL this season, but these contracts do still leave the possibility of a call-up open. To play with the Chicago Wolves of the AHL, they’ll both need to clear waivers.
Florida Panthers Agree To Terms With Zac Dalpe
Florida Panthers GM Bill Zito is bringing in another player that he is very familiar with, signing Zac Dalpe to a two-year, two-way contract. The 31-year-old forward was an unrestricted free agent.
When Zito was with the Columbus Blue Jackets, severing as GM of the AHL affiliate, Dalpe was his star. The minor league forward recorded 55 points in 55 games during the 2018-19 season with Cleveland, earning a place at the AHL All-Star Game. The next season, he returned as captain of the team under Zito’s management and added another 11 points in 18 games.
This season, after Zito moved on to Florida, Dalpe was still captain of the Monsters, but bounced back and forth between the AHL, NHL and taxi squad all season. He ended up playing more for Columbus than Cleveland, suiting up 12 times in the NHL and recording three points. Joining the Panthers organization now, Dalpe will likely serve as that same injury replacement at the NHL level but help the Charlotte Checkers tremendously as a leader and veteran forward. The two-year deal gives him some career stability, something that minor league veterans rarely find.
St. Louis Blues Sign Calle Rosen
The St. Louis Blues have shored up their defensive depth a bit more, signing Calle Rosen to a one-year, two-way contract. The deal is expected to pay Rosen $750K in the NHL and $300K in the AHL.
Rosen, 27, came over from Sweden in 2017 as a highly-touted defenseman, but has struggled to find his way in the NHL. With just 20 games at that level to this point, a deal here for the Blues is more about minor league depth than anything else. In 2020-21, Rosen spent the entire season with the Toronto Marlies, scoring 13 points in 20 games.
He’s proven himself to be an excellent AHL option, even able to play the top-pair at times. While there may be a handful of NHL games in his future should the Blues experience several injuries, the depth chart is looking pretty long already. St. Louis has seven defensemen under one-way contracts, plus names like Steven Santini and Scott Perunovich waiting for an opportunity. Rosen is likely ticketed for the Springfield Thunderbirds after training camp, as long as he clears waivers.
Ottawa Senators Sign Dillon Heatherington, Kole Sherwood
The Ottawa Senators have inked a pair of minor-league veterans to two-way contracts. They’ve signed Dillon Heatherington and Kole Sherwood to one-year, two-way contracts worth $750,000. Heatherington’s deal is worth $250,000 at the AHL level, while Sherwood’s deal is worth $150,000.
Heatherington, a 2013 second-round pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets, is now 26 and carries very limited NHL upside. He’s returning to North America after spending one season overseas with the KHL’s Barys Nur-Sultan. His first trip overseas earned him only moderate success, potting seven points in 41 games. A strictly defensive defenseman, Heatherington’s got only 11 career NHL games to his name and just two assists.
Their other signing, Sherwood, is also a former Columbus prospect and an Ohio native. Sherwood has played NHL games for Columbus in every season since graduating from the OHL in 2017-18, but he hasn’t managed to stick a full-time role. He’s yet to find his offensive touch at the pro level, but at 24 years old, still carries some potential late-bloomer upside.
Minnesota Wild Sign Kevin Czuczman
The Minnesota Wild have added another AHL defenseman to the mix, signing Kevin Czuczman to a one-year, two-way contract. The contract will carry an NHL salary of $750K and pay Czuczman $200K at the minor league level.
Though he has just 15 career NHL games, Czuczman will help solidify the blueline for the Iowa Wild, bringing experience and defensive ability to the minor league club. Undrafted out of Lake Superior State, he has spent the last four seasons with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, even serving as an alternate captain. In more than 400 AHL contests, Czuczman has recorded 124 points but incredibly has made it to the playoffs just twice, never winning a round. For an Iowa team that made it to the postseason for the first time in 2019 and obviously hope to get back, he’ll hope to change that record.
Minnesota actually doesn’t have an extremely long depth chart on defense. The team has just five defensemen signed to one-way contracts for 2021-22 and now eight more on two-way deals. Two of those, Daemon Hunt and Ryan O’Rourke, would normally be ineligible for the AHL due to their age, though the latter could be allowed under the one-time exemption after suiting up 33 times last year. Either way, at this moment there aren’t a lot of names who could be called upon as injury insurance for the NHL team, meaning Czuczman may actually see a little bit of action this year.
Boston Bruins Sign Four To Minimum Deals
The Boston Bruins aren’t slowing down. The busiest team on this first day of free agency have added four more signings to the list to help fill out their AHL ranks. Goaltender Troy Grosenick, defenseman Tyler Lewington, and forward Steven Fogarty have each signed one-year, two-way contracts worth the minimum $750K NHL salary. Forward Samuel Asselin, who spent the past two seasons on an AHL deal with the Providence Bruins, has been rewarded with a two-year entry-level contract, also with a $750K AAV.
Grosenick, 31, will join a goaltending depth chart that added Linus Ullmark and lost Daniel Vladar today, likely making him the third option in the early part of the season, until Tuukka Rask conceivably returns. He’ll require waivers to go to the minor leagues, but with a handful of NHL appearances–including two in 2020-21–he’d be in line for any starts that come about because of injury.
Lewington and Fogarty are in a similar boat, signed for the AHL but with enough experience to chip in if Boston needs some injury insurance. The 26-year-old Lewington has played ten games in the NHL, recording three points and 33 penalty minutes. The 28-year-old Fogarty is a little more experienced with 28 NHL appareances, including one playoff game for the New York Rangers in 2020. The 6’3″ forward scores at a strong rate in the AHL, but has just three points at the highest level.
Asselin meanwhile is just 23 and coming off his first full season with Providence, after splitting time in the AHL and ECHL during 2019-20. The undrafted QMJHL free agent signing scored 16 points in 25 AHL games this season, showing that the offensive production that appeared at previous levels might travel with him to the high minors. He’ll have to prove it again this season, but an entry-level contract is a nice reward for the hard work he’s put in to this point.
Liam Kirk Signs Entry-Level Contract
Though it was reported earlier this summer, the official announcement of Liam Kirk‘s three-year entry-level contract had to wait until today. The Arizona Coyotes have signed the breakout World Championship star three years after drafting him 189th overall. GM Bill Armstrong released a short statement on his newest prospect:
We are very pleased to sign Liam to an entry-level contract. Liam played extremely well at the World Championships in Latvia and has earned this contract. He’s a goal scorer with a great work ethic and he is very focused on realizing his dream of one day playing in the NHL. We look forward to watching him continue to develop.
Kirk, 21, was the first player born and trained in England to be selected in the NHL draft. He played for Great Britain at the recent IIHF Worlds, scoring seven goals in seven games, tied for the tournament lead. He spent the 2020-21 season split between Sweden and England after playing two years for the Peterborough Petes of the OHL. He’ll now have to show what he can do at the AHL level.
New York Rangers Bring Back Greg McKegg
After one year away in Boston, the New York Rangers have signed forward Greg McKegg for a second stint in the Big Apple. The contract is a one-year, two-way deal with the NHL minimum $750K salary and a $350K AHL salary, reports Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston. McKegg will return to his role as a dependable extra man on the roster or next man up in the minors.
McKegg, 29, seems like he has been around far longer than he actually has. The veteran forward has only played 190 NHL games over 10 seasons, but having spent time with seven different teams and played 40+ games with four of them, it seems like McKegg has been a key depth piece for a long time. In reality, he still has plenty of gas left in the tank and this will be far from his last NHL contract if he continues to bring value to his teams.
For the first time in his career, he is beginning a second stint with a team by returning to New York after suiting up for 53 games with the Rangers in 2019-20. Though used sparingly by the Boston Bruins this season, McKegg played well in his five games with a noticeable physical presence and a dominant face-off record. The Rangers will be looking for the same this year, as the team has a very young, skilled forward group and could look to McKegg to provide veteran presence and grit, either as an extra man or possibly even the anchor of the fourth line.
Montreal Canadiens Sign Louis Belpedio, Cedric Paquette, Jean-Sebastien Dea
The Montreal Canadiens have snatched up another depth defenseman, signing Louis Belpedio to a one-year two-way contract according to Bob McKenzie of TSN. The deal will carry an NHL salary of $750K, an AHL salary of $225K and a minor league guarantee of $300K. Belpedio was a Group VI unrestricted free agent. Not to be forgotten is the bottom of the forward group, which has also added Cedric Paquette on a one-year contract. Paquette will earn $950K according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic. Jean-Sebastien Dea has also been signed to a two-way deal according to Renaud Lavoir of TVA Sports.
Of the three, Paquette is the name likely to be seen in the Montreal lineup most often. The physical forward is a good fourth line checker and can hold his own at the face-off dot as well. A veteran of 424 NHL games, Pacquette has logged over 1,000 hits and a +38 turnover differential as a disruptive defensive presence.
Dea, 27, is a journeyman forward who is capable of contributing as an NHL substitute, but has spent the majority of each of his pro seasons in the AHL. Dea is a well-rounded offensive player, but lack high-end skill and upside, making him an experienced minor league option, but not a player that should be pegged for a regular NHL role.
Belpedio, 25, was once a highly-regarded prospect defenseman for the Minnesota Wild, but has not panned out. The 2014 third-round pick and Miami University standout has only played in four NHL games over four pro seasons. His AHL production has left a lot to be desired as well. Montreal hopes that a move to a new organization could help to jumpstart his career.