Coyotes Sign John Leonard
Jul 3, 2:52 p.m.: Arizona has made the acquisition official, but did not confirm the terms of the contract.
Jul 2, 6:10 p.m.: The Coyotes are set to add some more forward depth as PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan reports (Twitter link) that Arizona has agreed to terms with free agent winger John Leonard on a one-year, two-way contract. The deal will pay $775K in the NHL and $80K in the minors while having a guaranteed salary of $150K.
The 24-year-old was a sixth-round pick by San Jose back in 2018 and spent two years in their system before being moved to Nashville as part of the Luke Kunin trade last summer. Last season, he spent the bulk of the year with the Preds’ affiliate in Milwaukee, putting up 17 goals and 27 assists in 67 regular season games while chipping in with an assist in six postseason contests. However, they opted to non-tender him on Friday, making him an unrestricted free agent.
Leonard has seen NHL action in each of his three professional campaigns, including six with the Predators last season, scoring once. All told, he has 64 career appearances at the top level, tallying five goals and 11 assists while logging an average of a little over 11 minutes per night.
Leonard is likely to start the season with Arizona’s AHL affiliate in Tucson but should be among the early candidates for a recall. If things go well for him in 2023-24, the Coyotes can retain his rights as an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent through the 2025-26 campaign.
Flyers Sign Garnet Hathaway
The Flyers have added some more grit to their forward group, announcing the signing of winger Garnet Hathaway to a two-year contract. The deal will carry an AAV of $2.375MM.
Hathaway’s garnered a well-deserved reputation as one of the more effective fourth-line players in the league, backing up being an annoyance on the ice with some offensive production and solid all-around play. The cap hit on this deal is perfectly fair, although it’s fair to wonder if the acquisition blocks a young player from making an impact in the Philadelphia lineup next year.
Nevertheless, he and Nicolas Deslauriers on the same line should help the latter become more effective too, actually providing a positive offensive impact via a heavy forecheck. After scoring 13 goals last year, Hathaway’s shown he can put the puck in the net with some frequency, and he’ll be an underrated offensive boost to the Flyers’ bottom six. They’ll likely be centered by Ryan Poehling, another UFA signing by the Flyers today.
Hathaway joins Cam Atkinson, Travis Konecny, and Calvin Petersen as notable members of the Flyers’ UFA class in 2025. He’ll be 33 years old at the end of the deal, and this was likely his best option to cash in on a $2MM-plus cap hit.
Andrew Cogliano Re-Signs With Avalanche
Andrew Cogliano‘s time in Colorado isn’t up just yet. Peter Baugh of The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that the Avalanche are bringing back the veteran on a one-year contract. In a follow-up tweet, he adds that the deal is worth $825K.
Cogliano will continue his NHL career after a tough end to the season, sustaining a neck injury on a hit from Seattle Kraken forward Jordan Eberle during the team’s first-round playoff loss. Once one of the NHL’s longest-tenured ironmen, Cogliano remains a reliable bottom-six defensive presence with some shooting acumen left in his game.
Likely slated again for a fourth-line role as a left winger, Cogliano notched 10 goals and 19 points in 79 games last season, his most in a season since scoring 35 with the Anaheim Ducks in 2018-19.
This likely won’t be Colorado’s last forward signing. With captain Gabriel Landeskog‘s $7MM cap hit slated for LTIR next season, the team still has around $7.5MM in cap space to play with – nearly all of which will go toward adding to their forward corps. Expect an additional acquisition for the team’s middle-six (or two) and potentially a bottom-pairing defenseman.
Avalanche Signs Five Players To Two-Way Deals
Earlier today, Avalanche GM Chris MacFarland indicated that there were “a few depth deals in the hopper”. Those deals are now in place as the team announced the signings of defensemen Jack Ahcan and Corey Schueneman, forward Riley Tufte and Chris Wagner, and goaltender Arvid Holm to two-way contracts. Ahcan’s deal is a two-year agreement while the other four are one-year pacts. Financial deals for most of the deals aren’t yet known but PuckPedia reports (Twitter link) that Schueneman’s deal is for $775K in the NHL, $400K in the minors, and has a guarantee of $450K. CapFriendly later reported Tufte’s deal is worth $775K in the NHL and $375K in the minors, with $425K guaranteed.
Speaking of Schueneman, he comes over to Colorado after spending the past three seasons in Montreal’s system. Last season, the 27-year-old spent the bulk of the year with AHL Laval, picking up 23 points in 62 games. He also got into seven games with the Canadiens, tallying an assist. Schueneman did play in 24 games with Montreal in 2021-22 while logging over 16 minutes per game. As a result, he’s likely to position himself to be one of the top recalls from the Eagles next season and could push for the seventh spot on the back end in training camp.
As for Ahcan, the 26-year-old picked up 36 points in 68 games with AHL Providence last season, good for second on their team among blueliners. He has nine career NHL appearances under his belt with Boston between 2020-21 and 2021-22. He also could push to be in the mix to be an early recall from the Eagles in 2023-24.
Up front, Tufte spent most of last year with AHL Texas, recording 19 goals and 16 assists in 63 games. The 25-year-old also got into three games with Dallas, logging just under eight minutes per game. Tufte has a total of 13 NHL appearances under his belt with one goal to his name. The 6’6 winger figures to be a recall option for a fourth line spot at some point next season.
As for Wagner, the 32-year-old has spent the last five seasons in Boston’s organization with a good chunk of that time coming at the NHL level. However, over the past two seasons, Wagner has mostly been relegated to time in the minors. Last season, he had 19 goals and 12 assists in 62 games with Providence. For his career, the veteran has 63 points and over 1,000 hits in 360 career NHL appearances. While he has spent most of the last two years in the minors, at least part of that was for cap reasons as he carried a $1.35MM AAV on his last deal. Now being at or close to the minimum, Wagner could push for a spot on the fourth line in training camp.
Holm, meanwhile, has yet to see any NHL action and has spent the past two seasons with Winnipeg’s AHL affiliate in Manitoba. The 24-year-old had a successful season in 2022-23 with the Moose, recording a 2.67 GAA along with a .911 SV% in 35 games but was non-tendered yesterday by the Jets. He’ll likely serve as the backup to Justus Annunen with the Eagles next season.
Red Wings Sign Christian Fischer
July 2nd: Detroit has officially announced the signing, as it will be a one-year, $1.125MM deal for Fischer.
July 1st: The Red Wings have been active in filling out their roster today and they’re set to make another addition up front. Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports reports (Twitter link) that Detroit is set to sign winger Christian Fischer to a one-year contract. Financial terms of the deal are not yet known.
Fischer was among the many players non-tendered yesterday to avoid the risk of a higher-than-desired salary arbitration award. The 26-year-old is coming off a bounce-back season offensively, picking up 13 goals and 14 assists in 80 games with Arizona last season. For context, he had just 30 points in the previous three seasons combined, spanning 161 contests.
Assuming a deal is eventually finalized, Fischer should add some grit to Detroit’s bottom six as he’s averaging just under 1.9 hits per game over his seven-year career, spanning 398 games. Fischer’s qualifying offer with Arizona was for just over $1.125MM and considering the fact that he’s coming off the second-best offensive season of his career, it stands to reason that he’ll be landing a nice raise on that amount.
Blue Jackets Sign Adam Fantilli
Today is the first day that teams can sign their newly-drafted players to NHL contracts. The Blue Jackets aren’t wasting any time with their top pick, as they’ve signed Adam Fantilli to a three-year, entry-level contract. PuckPedia reports (Twitter link) that the deal carries an AAV of $4.15MM with bonuses, breaking down as follows:
2023-24: $855K salary, $95K signing bonus, $82.5K AHL salary, $1MM in ‘A’ bonuses, $2.2MM in ‘B’ bonuses
2024-25: $855K salary, $95K signing bonus, $82.5K AHL salary, $1MM in ‘A’ bonuses, $2.2MM in ‘B’ bonuses
2025-26: $855K salary, $95K signing bonus, $82.5K AHL salary, $1MM in ‘A’ bonuses, $2.2MM in ‘B’ bonuses
Fantilli was widely expected to be off the board by the time Columbus picked with the third-overall selection. However, Anaheim, who picked second, opted to not take Fantilli and instead selected Leo Carlsson.
The 18-year-old had a dominant year with Michigan. He led the NCAA in scoring this season with 30 goals and 35 assists in 36 games, collecting at least a point in all but three of his appearances. That helped him be named National Rookie of the Year along with the Hobey Baker Award for the best player in college hockey.
Fantilli also had a good showing internationally last season. He picked up five points in seven contests at the World Juniors and also saw action at the World Championship as one of only five draft-eligible players participating; Fantilli had a goal and two assists in ten contests at that event.
Last month, Fantilli expressed an openness to remaining with the Wolverines for another season but after Columbus picked him, GM Jarmo Kekalainen indicated that he’d like to see Fantilli turn pro. He’s clearly getting his wish.
While it will take some time for him to live up to his potential, the Blue Jackets believe that Fantilli has a chance to become the legitimate top-line center that they have been seeking for quite some time now. If that happens, Columbus will finally have that particular much-needed franchise pillar in place.
Devils Expected To Re-Sign Nathan Bastian
Yesterday, the Devils opted to non-tender several players, including winger Nathan Bastian, to avoid the risk of them filing for salary arbitration. It appears as least one of them will be sticking around as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that all signs point to Bastian remaining with New Jersey. PuckPedia reports he’s signed a two-year deal worth $1.35MM per season.
The 25-year-old dealt with a shoulder injury last season that limited him to just 43 games. However, Bastian still managed to have his second-best season offensively, notching six goals and nine assists. In the playoffs, he picked up a goal and an assist in 12 contests.
Of course, Bastian is more known for his physicality. After putting up nearly 200 hits in 2021-22, he managed 99 more last season despite missing nearly half the year. Between that and a serviceable offensive ability, Bastian has carved out a role for himself as a capable fourth liner in the NHL.
Bastian’s qualifying offer was just under $920K and it seems reasonable to expect that he will get more than that from New Jersey, assuming this deal becomes finalized. But with 163 games under his belt, he’d have been in line to potentially double that qualifier in arbitration, a price point that the Devils can’t really afford in their cap structure. We should soon see what middle ground they were able to find.
Sharks Expected To Sign Mackenzie Blackwood
Some eyebrows were raised yesterday the Sharks opted to non-tender goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood just days after trading for him. However, in the end, he will be suiting up in San Jose as Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports (Twitter link) that Blackwood will be signing a two-year deal with San Jose. Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports (Twitter link) that the contract is expected to carry a $2.35MM AAV.
As has been the case with several players that have re-signed already today, the Sharks didn’t want to run the risk of Blackwood filing for salary arbitration and going to a hearing. As a result, they opted to not tender him the $3.36MM qualifying offer and are now getting him for an amount that’s considerably lower.
Things have not gone well for Blackwood in recent seasons as he has consistently battled injury issues and has battled inconsistency when he has been in the lineup. He has started just 79 games in the three seasons, posting just a .897 SV% and a 3.19 GAA. Last season, he wound up losing his backup spot to Akira Schmid late in the year and wasn’t dressing for their playoff games, a clear sign that he wouldn’t be back for 2023-24.
Blackwood will now form a tandem with returning netminder Kaapo Kahkonen, a duo that will be among the cheaper duos in the NHL with a combined cap hit of just $5.25MM. It will also be one of the younger duos as both goalies are just 26. For a San Jose team that doesn’t have a true goalie of the future in the system, this coming season should serve as a tryout for both of them to prove that they’re worthy of a long-term look with the Sharks or elsewhere. It’s a tandem with some upside if both play to their perceived potential but if recent struggles repeat themselves, it could be a tough year for an already rebuilding San Jose franchise.
Metropolitan Notes: Mayfield, Devils, Kane
While veteran defenseman Scott Mayfield is officially set to hit the open market today, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman notes that one potential team with interest in him already believes he has agreed to terms on a new deal with the Islanders. In recent years, GM Lou Lamoriello has been a proponent of not announcing contracts when they’re agreed upon, waiting until closer to training camp to make them all official. If that is indeed the case here, we might be waiting a while to see what type of raise the 30-year-old will be getting. Mayfield is rated 17th on our Top 50 UFA list following a career year that saw him collect 24 points while logging over 21 minutes a night for the first time.
More from the Metropolitan Division:
- While the Devils have shown some interest in trading for Connor Hellebuyck, TSN’s Darren Dreger suggests (Twitter link) that they’ll go a different route. Instead of trading for him, he expects New Jersey to target a goalie that is set to play closer to 30-35 games, one that will cost a lot less on their books. In that scenario, Vitek Vanecek would remain the starter while Akira Schmid, who took over as the starter during the playoffs, would likely return to AHL Utica to start next season; he still is waiver-exempt. Alternatively, if they don’t find the right free agent fit, they can run with the tandem they currently have, one that would be among the cheapest in the NHL at just over $4.25MM combined.
- While the Rangers found a way to make the money work to acquire Patrick Kane at the deadline, it doesn’t appear like that will be happening again this summer. The veteran’s agent Pat Brisson confirmed to Larry Brooks of the New York Post that there have been no discussions between the two sides about a contract for next season. Kane, who is currently recovering from hip-resurfacing surgery that will keep him out of the lineup for at least the start of 2023-24, doesn’t appear to be a candidate to sign early in free agency and is instead expected to wait things out and see how things go with his recovery.
Cam Talbot Expected To Sign With Kings
It appears that the Kings have their backup goalie. Early this morning, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported there was a chance Cam Talbot would wind up with Los Angeles and it appears that will be the case as ESPN’s Kevin Weekes reports (Twitter link) that the veteran will sign a one-year deal with the Kings. Friedman also reports the deal is worth $1MM plus performance bonuses. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun clarifies the base salary is $775K, plus a $225K signing bonus and a $1MM bonus if Talbot plays 10 games.
The 35-year-old spent last season with Ottawa after indicating he wasn’t thrilled about the possibility of playing in a timeshare situation with Marc-Andre Fleury. Unfortunately for Talbot and the Sens, things simply did not go well for him. He battled injuries throughout the season and when he was healthy, he didn’t put up his best numbers, posting a 2.93 GAA along with a .898 SV%, numbers that are considerably worse than his career averages of 2.65 and .914 respectively. When the Senators acquired Talbot, they hoped it could be the beginning of a longer-term relationship but after early extension talks went nowhere, they eventually declined to offer him a contract after the season.
Despite the poor showing last season, there’s reason for optimism for Los Angeles as Talbot posted a save percentage no lower than .911 in the previous three campaigns. Accordingly, they feel that this could be just a blip on the radar.
They will be counting on Talbot to play a bigger role than he has had in recent years. At the moment, Pheonix Copley is the incumbent backup after signing a one-year, $1.5MM deal back in February. However, Copley’s career high in NHL games played in a single year is 37, set last season. For most of his career, he has been a backup or even a third-string option. As a result, the Kings will be counting on Talbot to be the strong-side option of their platoon.
While Talbot has long wanted to be a true starter, that opportunity hasn’t come along too often since leaving Edmonton back in the 2018-19 campaign. Since then, he has only reached Copley’s 37-game mark once. Barring another NHL goalie being signed, Talbot will have the opportunity to push for the true number one job in the hopes of creating a strong market for himself next summer. At a minimum, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Kings add a veteran third-string option to play the role that they originally envisioned for Copley last season, giving them an experienced third netminder to turn to if need be.
In the meantime, this pushes Joonas Korpisalo, who played a key role for them down the stretch and in the playoffs, to the open market where he’ll be one of the top options on the board.