Minor Transactions: 09/24/22
The preseason gets underway today but most of the roster shuffling won’t start for a few more days at least. In the meantime, we’ll look at some of the smaller moves around the hockey world.
- Hurricanes prospect Alexander Perevalov is listed on Kunlun Red Star’s roster which means that the 18-year-old has been loaned to the KHL. Perevalov was a third-round pick by Carolina (71st overall) back in July after spending most of last year with Yaroslavl in the MHL which is also where he started this season. Now, he’ll get a taste of playing in Russia’s top division for the time being.
- Veteran winger Bobby Butler isn’t ready to hang up his skates just yet. Worcester of the ECHL announced that they’ve inked the 35-year-old to a one-year deal. Butler played in 130 career NHL games over parts of five seasons and actually went more than two years without playing before signing with the Raiders back in January. Worcester is an affiliate team of the Islanders.
This post will be updated throughout the day.
Flyers Open Extension Talks With Travis Sanheim
Flyers defenseman Travis Sanheim is entering the final year of his contract and will be eligible for unrestricted free agency next summer. However, GM Chuck Fletcher told reporters including Charlie O’Connor of The Athletic (Twitter link) that the goal is to re-sign the 26-year-old and discussions with his agent have already started.
Back in the 2021 offseason, Philadelphia somewhat surprisingly opted to file for club-elected arbitration with Sanheim. That allowed the defender to choose the term had it gone to a hearing and he likely would have picked two years, permitting him to get to unrestricted free agency at 27. It didn’t get that far as the two sides settled three days before the scheduled hearing but again, somewhat surprisingly, the Flyers agreed to give him a two-year deal with a $4.675MM AAV, putting them in the situation they are now where they’re really going to have to pay up to keep him beyond the upcoming campaign.
Sanheim is coming off arguably the best season of his five-year NHL career as he collected 31 points in 80 games last season while logging nearly 23 minutes a night. That wasn’t his best single-season point total (that was 35 back in 2018-19) but he clearly established himself as one of their top defenders.
With Ivan Provorov ahead of him on the depth chart, Sanheim slots in as their second-pairing left defender although, with special teams time, he was still their second-most-used defender last season. That’s an important distinction to note as while the team might want to argue that he’s not a top-pairing player based on their depth chart, Sanheim’s camp can easily claim otherwise.
Philadelphia already is one of the highest-spending teams in the league when it comes to their blueline at over $31MM this season. While Ryan Ellis’ playing future is in doubt, things aren’t at the point where they can conclusively rule that he won’t play in 2023-24 so they can’t automatically assume he’ll be on LTIR at that time. They already have $23.875MM in commitments to just five blueliners for that year and a new deal for Sanheim alone would push that amount over $30MM before they round out the rest of their back end.
Can they justify spending that much on their back end? Spending upwards of 40% of the salary cap on the blueline isn’t something many teams want to do. But at the same time, can they afford not to? Letting Sanheim go would deal a big blow to their defense corps and considering their stated intention is to get back to being a playoff contender, losing him would make that task much more difficult. There’s still plenty of time to work on a new deal but with most of the heavy lifting for the 2022-23 roster now done, reaching a new agreement with Sanheim should now be at the top of Fletcher’s priority list.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Salary Cap Deep Dive: New York Rangers
Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM. Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.
PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2022-23 season. This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.
New York Rangers
Current Cap Hit: $81,491,469 (under the $82.5MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
D Zachary Jones (one year, $925K)
F Alexis Lafreniere (one year, $925K)
D K’Andre Miller (one year, $925K)
D Braden Schneider (two years, $925K)
Potential Bonuses
Lafreniere: $2.85MM
Miller: $400K
Schneider: $400K
Total: $3.65MM
Lafreniere’s per-game numbers last season were nearly identical to his rookie-season numbers which doesn’t help bolster his case for a bridge-bypassing contract. The top pick in 2020 certainly has shown some upside but for now, a bridge in the $2.5MM range might be the best way to go for both sides. His ‘B’ bonuses are almost certainly unattainable but an improved performance could give him a shot at one or two of the ‘A’ bonuses worth $212.5K apiece.
Miller has averaged more than 20 minutes per game in his first two seasons and is pegged to have a top-four role again in 2022-23. His limited offensive production, however, makes it difficult to project a long-term contract as Miller’s camp would likely prefer a bridge with the hopes that the output will come. A two-year deal around $2.75MM or a three-year contract worth a little over $3MM might be where his next price tag checks in. Schneider and Jones will both be looking to establish themselves as full-time regulars this season. For Jones, that doesn’t leave much time to command a pricey second contract so he, too, will be looking for a bridge. Schneider has a bit more runway but like Miller, he might not produce enough for both sides to find a long-term price tag that they’ll like.
Signed Through 2022-23, Non-Entry-Level
F Sammy Blais ($1.525MM, UFA)
F Ryan Carpenter ($750K, UFA)
F Filip Chytil ($2.3MM, RFA)
F Julien Gauthier ($800K, RFA)
D Libor Hajek ($800K, RFA)
G Jaroslav Halak ($1.5MM, UFA)
F Dryden Hunt ($762.5K, UFA)
F Vitali Kravtsov ($875K, RFA)
F Ryan Reaves ($1.75MM, UFA)
Potential Bonuses
Halak: $50K
Chytil took a bit of a step back last season. He continues to show some signs of being able to crack a top-six spot but the consistency hasn’t been there yet. He’s likely to remain on the third line where he’ll see time both on the wing and down the middle but unless he takes a sizable jump forward offensively (his career-high in points is 23), he might not be able to get much more than his $2.6MM qualifying offer. Kravtsov is one of the bigger wildcards this season in New York. He’s no longer waiver-exempt and he wasn’t exactly lighting it up in the KHL the last couple of years. If he can lock down a regular spot in the lineup, he’ll be well-positioned for at least a small raise but otherwise, he’s likely to wind up around the $1MM mark. Gauthier hasn’t been able to progress beyond being a fringe winger thus far and it’s telling that he took less than his qualifying offer to secure a one-way deal. Until he establishes himself as a regular, he probably won’t pass the $1MM mark.
As for the UFAs, Reaves is one of the few remaining enforcers in the league. He’ll be 36 when he signs his next deal and this might be the one that starts to drive his salary downward. Blais missed almost all of last season after undergoing ACL surgery and will be looking to restore some value a year out before free agency. If he can establish himself as a power forward that’s capable of playing on the third line, he could push for double his AAV next summer. Hunt established himself a regular last season which will help him a bit but if he stays in a fourth-line role, he won’t be able to command much more than $1MM. Carpenter had to settle for the league minimum this summer in free agency and if he winds up in a depth role again, that’s about where his next deal will be as well.
Hajek was a frequent healthy scratch last season and hasn’t lived up to the billing of being an important part of the Ryan McDonagh trade in 2018. He should be on the fringes again this year. He’s not in danger of being non-tendered but at this point, the raises will be incremental at most moving forward.
Halak comes over after a tough showing in Vancouver last season. He should be able to play a bit more this time around after going long stretches between starts a year ago but he’ll be 38 next summer and will be going year-to-year from here on out with a cap hit around this range.
Signed Through 2023-24
F Kaapo Kakko ($2.1MM, RFA)
D Ryan Lindgren ($3MM, UFA)
Kakko, one of the top picks from 2019, struggled to stay healthy and couldn’t manage too much production so a bridge deal was the natural move for both sides. Considering he’s still only 21, there’s still room for him to improve and become a full-time top-six player which would give him a shot at a sizable raise in 2024.
Lindgren has stepped up into a top-four role and has become one of New York’s better shutdown defenders over the last couple of seasons. As was the case with some of their entry-level blueliners, limited production will limit his earnings potential but as he’ll be a year away from UFA eligibility in 2024, he’ll hold a lot of leverage and will be owed a $3.6MM qualifying offer. A long-term agreement would be closer to the $5MM range.
Signed Through 2024-25
G Igor Shesterkin ($5.67MM, UFA)
Shesterkin’s deal was signed when had less than 50 career NHL appearances under his belt so it did carry some risk. However, the reward already looks quite high as the Vezina Trophy winner and first-team All-Star is coming off a dominant season. He’s not in the top ten in the NHL in terms of his cap hit so the Rangers have quite a bargain on their hands. Looking ahead to three years from now, as long as he remains one of the top goalies in the league, he’ll hit the open market at 29 in a position to command close to a max-term deal where he’ll be able to become one of the top-paid netminders in NHL history. Not too shabby for someone who even now has just 100 NHL regular season contests under his belt.
Central Notes: Blackhawks, Wild Injuries, Jets
There will be teams that need to clear salary before the regular season gets underway next month. There aren’t many squads that have enough room to take on a contract but the Blackhawks have made it known that they are open to discussing such a move, relays Ben Pope of the Chicago-Sun Times. While Chicago clearly isn’t looking to win now, their impetus for doing such a move would be to pick up some other future assets along with the contract of the veteran player they’d be acquiring. Per CapFriendly, the team has roughly $7.5MM in cap room right now and while they’ll want to leave some wiggle room for injury recalls, they certainly will have enough flexibility left to make this type of trade.
More from the Central where St. Louis and Arizona will play the first-ever NHL game in Kansas tonight:
- The bad news for the Wild is that they’ll be without both defenseman Jon Merrill and winger Jordan Greenway when the regular season gets underway. However, as Michael Russo of The Athletic notes (subscription link), both players are expected back within the first five to ten games of the season. Merrill was injured in the opening game at the World Championship back in the spring while Greenway underwent offseason shoulder surgery with Russo noting that he recently had another procedure done as well. Neither player will be out long enough to be LTIR-eligible but Minnesota has enough cap space to not need the LTIR relief anyway.
- The Jets appear likely to carry eight defensemen on their roster to start the season, suggests Jeff Hamilton of the Winnipeg Free Press. With their six returning regulars from 2021-22, that leaves a couple of roster spots open. Ville Heinola and Dylan Samberg would appear to be the favorites for the final two slots but only if they’re going to be in the top six. That could have newcomer Kyle Capobianco and younger Leon Gawanke (who is now waiver-eligible) on the outside looking in, making them a pair of possible claim candidates in the coming weeks.
Hurricanes Shopping Ethan Bear
Earlier this summer, Carolina gave Ethan Bear permission to speak to other teams heading into restricted free agency. At the time, it seemed like he was a candidate to be non-tendered but in the end, the Hurricanes qualified him and signed the 25-year-old to a one-year, $2.2MM deal. However, Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports that even with the new contract, Carolina is still trying to move the young defender.
Last season was a tough one for Bear. After being a regular in a top-four role for Edmonton back in 2019-20, he battled some injury issues the following season and dropped down the depth chart which helped contribute to him being traded to Carolina a few days after the draft in 2021. The hope was that he’d rebound but instead, history repeated itself. Bear was banged up at times last season and when he was in the lineup, he struggled. Overall, he had five goals and nine assists in 58 games with a career-low 16:05 ATOI. While he underwent a minor procedure after the playoffs, Bear was available to play if needed but was scratched for every contest.
In a recent appearance on CHEK (video link), Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that the Canucks are among the teams that have shown interest in Bear. There is a definite opening on the right side of their back end but making the money work could be tricky. They’re less than a million below their LTIR ceiling (with Micheal Ferland not playing again this season) which is considerably less space than Bear’s contract. Tucker Poolman’s availability for the start of the year is in question but he’s expected back at some point which takes the option of adding Bear to slide into Poolman’s vacated spot off the table as well.
Meanwhile, Carolina has no such cap concerns. With Max Pacioretty and Jake Gardiner LTIR-bound to start the season, they have the ability to find him in without an issue. However, Dylan Coghlan is also in the fold and could push for a spot on the third pairing which could have Bear on the fringes of the lineup once again; Brett Pesce and Brent Burns are clearly locked into the right-side spots on the top two pairings already. By qualifying him, the Hurricanes determined that there was still some value but if he sits a lot early on, that will change in a hurry.
Whether it’s Vancouver or another team, it looks like Bear is a candidate to be on the move over the coming weeks and with the situation he’ll likely be in with Carolina where he’ll be battling for a spot in the lineup, it might be a move that the Hurricanes will want to make sooner than later.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Salary Cap Deep Dive: New York Islanders
Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM. Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.
PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2022-23 season. This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.
New York Islanders
Current Cap Hit: $80,139,963 (under the $82.5MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
F Oliver Wahlstrom (one year, $894K)
Potential Bonuses
Wahlstrom: $537.5K
Wahlstrom was able to hold down a regular role in the lineup last season but he hasn’t been able to show the offensive upside he had which helped him become the 11th-overall pick in 2018. While a more offensive-oriented system from Lane Lambert should help him and give him a chance to hit one of his ‘A’ bonuses, it’s unlikely that he’ll take a big enough step to completely skip a bridge contract altogether. A two-year deal in the $1.5MM range is where his next deal currently would fall.
Signed Through 2022-23, Non-Entry-Level
F Mathew Barzal ($7MM, RFA)
F Kieffer Bellows ($1.2MM, RFA)
D Scott Mayfield ($1.45MM, UFA)
F Richard Panik ($1.375MM, UFA)*
F Zach Parise ($750K, UFA)
G Semyon Varlamov ($5MM, UFA)
*-Detroit is retaining an additional $1.375MM of Panik’s deal.
Potential Bonuses
Parise: $750K
Barzal took a long time to sign this deal two years ago and wound up with the ability to hold the hammer in negotiations this summer. The three-year term puts him in a spot where he’s one year away from unrestricted free agency if he simply accepts his qualifying offer (which checks in at $8.4MM). He’ll also have salary arbitration rights at that time. Statistically speaking, he has produced closer to the level of a $7MM player than a true top center so he’ll be someone that will be banking on having a big season under Lambert to show that he’s worthy of being the focal point of New York’s attack for years to come. If that happens, an extension might put them somewhere in the $9MM or more range.
Panik spent most of last season in the minors and it’s possible that he could be headed back that way as well although, with one year left on his contract instead of a multi-year commitment, that could bolster his value a little bit. At this point, he’s likely to be closer to the minimum on his next contract, however. Bellows was in and out of the lineup at times last season but showed a bit of offensive improvement while continuing to play with some physicality. He took a one-year deal with the hopes of having a more consistent role next season which would give him a decent-sized boost on his contract. Parise had a really slow start last year but was much better from January on. The bonuses are pretty easy to hit (he’ll max out at 20 games played) and after being on these types of deals the last two years, that may be what happens next year if he wants a 19th season.
Mayfield has been a reliable defensive defenseman for several seasons now while making what a typical depth player gets. He’ll be 30 on his next contract and as a right-shot player, he plays the side that is generally in the highest demand. At a minimum, he’ll be able to double his current AAV and might be able to get something in the $3.5MM range on a longer-term deal on the open market.
Varlamov has basically become a high-priced insurance policy which isn’t the role he expected when he signed with them three years ago. It’s unlikely that he’ll be able to command this much in free agency next summer unless he gets back to being a starter. Barring injury or a trade, that’s unlikely to happen.
Signed Through 2023-24
D Sebastian Aho ($825K, UFA)
F Josh Bailey ($5MM, UFA)
F Anthony Beauvillier ($4.15MM, UFA)
F Cal Clutterbuck ($1.75MM, UFA)
F Matt Martin ($1.5MM, UFA)
G Ilya Sorokin ($4MM, UFA)
Bailey has been with the Islanders for 14 seasons now and still is looking for his first 20-goal campaign. While he was a higher-end playmaker a few years ago, his production has dipped a bit since then. By the time the 2024-25 campaign starts, he’ll be 35 and Bailey will be looking at having to take a bit less at that time. Beauvillier has shown some offensive upside in the past but is coming off a particularly quiet year. He’s a top-six winger for now and if he can hold down that spot and produce a bit more, he might be able to get this much in 2024 on his next deal. Clutterbuck and Martin’s contracts are largely for their longevity with the organization. Both are capable fourth liners still but are certainly on above-market deals for what they can provide.
Aho was in and out of the lineup last season but should have a chance to lock down a spot on the third pairing this time around. If he can become a regular, even with somewhat limited minutes, that should be enough to push him past the $1MM mark on his next contract.
Sorokin has quickly established himself as the starter for the Isles and is basically playing on his bridge deal, one that takes him to free agency. We’ve seen starters sign in the $5.5MM to $6MM range the last couple of seasons and Sorokin’s deal should come in close to that, perhaps a bit higher if the jump in the salary cap comes by then.
Signed Through 2024-25
D Noah Dobson ($4MM, RFA)
F Brock Nelson ($6MM, UFA)
F Kyle Palmieri ($5MM, UFA)
D Alexander Romanov ($2.5MM, RFA)
Nelson is coming off a career season that saw him score 37 goals. That’s well above average for a second center and as long as he can stay around the 50-point range (even with a dip in goals closer to his career average in the mid-20s), they’ll get a decent return on this deal. That said, he’ll be hard-pressed to beat this contract on the open market. Palmieri’s first full season with the Isles was a rough one. He is getting paid like a second-line winger but his production hasn’t been at that level the last couple of years which will likely have his contract considerably lower than this one.
Dobson had a breakout season last year, establishing himself as an impact defender while somewhat quietly becoming their top offensive rearguard as well. While that seemingly positioned him for a long-term contract, he had to settle for a bridge, but again, it takes him to a year away from UFA eligibility which gives him a lot more leverage that time around. If he stays at this level, that next deal could double this one. Romanov was their one notable offseason acquisition from Montreal but also got a three-year bridge contract. His limited production will limit his future earnings upside unless he can unlock that part of his game with his new team.
East Notes: Samsonov, Dubas, Fedotov
When the Maple Leafs signed goaltender Ilya Samsonov to a one-year deal in free agency, both the team, the term, and the money raised some eyebrows. However, GM Kyle Dubas told Postmedia’s Steve Simmons that the 25-year-old insisted on signing a one-year deal, likely with the hopes of rebuilding his value. Samsonov was non-tendered by Washington earlier this offseason instead of offering him $2MM with arbitration rights on the heels of a season that saw him post a 3.02 GAA and a .896 SV% in 43 games. Getting less than that in free agency was a bit of a surprise given the market for backup goaltenders but clearly, he feels Toronto was the right fit to have a bounce-back year. He will once again be eligible for restricted free agency next summer.
Elsewhere around the East:
- Still with Toronto, GM Kyle Dubas told reporters including Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic (Twitter link) that he was informed that no offer of a contract extension would be coming his way at this time. Dubas is entering the final year of his deal, his fifth at the helm of the Maple Leafs and at first glance, it seems fair to wonder if how they perform in the playoffs will go a long way to determining if he’ll be around for a sixth season.
- Flyers goalie Ivan Fedotov has dropped his appeal on charges of evading his Russian military obligations, notes team reporter Bill Meltzer (Twitter link). The decision means that the 25-year-old will not be permitted to join Philadelphia this season. The team will have the ability to toll the contract, meaning that they can roll over the one-year, $925K agreement to the 2023-24 season.
Salary Cap Deep Dive: New Jersey Devils
Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM. Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.
PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2022-23 season. This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.
New Jersey Devils
Current Cap Hit: $82,426,625 (under the $82.5MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
F Alexander Holtz (three years, $894K)
F Dawson Mercer (two years, $894K)
D Simon Nemec (three years, $950K)
Potential Bonuses
Holtz: $850K
Mercer: $400K
Nemec: $3.25MM
Total: $4.475MM
Mercer’s rookie season was a strong one as he finished fourth in freshman scoring with 42 points while grabbing hold of a spot in their top six. Assuming he stays there and boosts his production, he could be a candidate to skip a bridge deal and do a long-term pact as they’ve done with some of their other core pieces. Holtz may be up and down at times this season for cap purposes but when he’s in the NHL, he should be in the top six, allowing for some point production. If he winds up being up for the bulk of the season, he could hit several of his ‘A’ bonuses which is noteworthy with how tight the Devils are to the cap ceiling.
Nemec is another player that could be up and down at times this season. The second-overall pick from July is eligible to go to the AHL since he wasn’t drafted out of the CHL and shuffling him back and forth would allow them to manage his minutes in New Jersey and then get him to play bigger roles in the minors. If he surprises in training camp and lands a top-four spot, however, then he’ll have a good chance at reaching some of his ‘A’ bonuses as well.
Signed Through 2022-23, Non-Entry-Level
F Nathan Bastian ($825K, RFA)
G Jonathan Bernier ($4.125MM, UFA)
G Mackenzie Blackwood ($2.8MM, RFA)
F Jesper Boqvist ($874K, RFA)
F Jesper Bratt ($5.45MM, RFA)
D Ryan Graves ($3.167MM, UFA)
F Erik Haula ($2.375MM, UFA)
F Andreas Johnsson ($3.4MM, UFA)
F Michael McLeod ($950K, RFA)
D Damon Severson ($4.167MM, UFA)
F Yegor Sharangovich ($2MM, RFA)
F Tomas Tatar ($4.5MM, UFA)
F Miles Wood ($3.2MM, UFA)
Let’s start with the pending UFA forwards. Tatar continues to be a strong possession player but his production has dropped the last couple of seasons. He’s a placeholder for someone like Holtz and while waiting out the market worked relatively well for him last summer, he’ll be hard-pressed to get this on his next contract. Johnsson had a much better showing last season compared to his first year in New Jersey and considering he’ll be 28 in free agency, he could get a contract that’s somewhat close to this rate assuming he produces at a similar rate next season.
Wood played just three games last season as he worked his way back from hip surgery so this deal was largely based on his past production. If healthy, he’s an effective middle-six winger that can contribute in a few different ways. But if the injury woes persist or he struggles, he’s a candidate for a one-year deal closer to the $2MM range. Haula came over in a trade from Boston for Pavel Zacha and is coming off one of the best seasons of his career. He won’t get as much top-six time with the Devils but even if his production goes closer to the 30-point mark (compared to 44 in 2021-22), he should be able to get at least a small raise on this contract.
Bratt has been through a couple of long negotiations already and the one-year settlement they reached last month only kicked the can down the road. This is clearly a prove-it contract after leading the team in scoring last season. A repeat performance could push him towards the $7.5MM range on a long-term agreement when he’ll have the hammer next summer in his final season of RFA eligibility. Sharangovich didn’t improve much on his per-game rates as a rookie but he has certainly shown that he’s a top-six winger for the Devils. His qualifying offer is $2.2MM and right now, his next deal could be in the $3.5MM range if he plays at a similar level next season.
McLeod’s offensive production hasn’t come around compared to his days in junior but he has been a strong middleman on the fourth line the last couple of seasons. With Zacha gone, he could get more of an offensive chance although Haula will cut into those chances as well. He should land a bit more than his $1MM qualifying offer next summer and a one-year deal might be an option if he has a similar offensive showing this season. Boqvist is now waiver-eligible so he shouldn’t see any time with Utica this season. He took his qualifying offer this summer and will have arbitration eligibility next offseason where, if he can produce at a similar rate as he did in 2021-22, he could push for something in the $1.75MM range. Bastian returned after being claimed back on waivers from Seattle and provided decent production from the fourth line. His qualifier is just under $920K but with teams trying to stay cheap on their depth players, he might have a hard time getting much more than that unless he can crack the double-digit mark in goals again.
Onto the defensemen. Severson has been on a team-friendly deal for a while now and with his jump in production last season, his contract looks even better for the Devils now. He’ll be 29 when his next contract kicks in and has logged top-pairing minutes for the last few seasons. He could find himself with a long-term deal worth more than $6MM per year at this time in 2023. Graves has become a quality option on the second pairing over the past four seasons and he’ll only be 28 next summer. He won’t produce enough to command the type of money that Severson will but he could push his way into the $4.5MM range a year from now.
Bernier was signed to platoon with Blackwood but hip troubles ended his season early and will delay the start of this one. Between that and the fact he’ll be 35 next summer, he’ll be looking at a one-year deal if he’s able to play at all and it should be considerably cheaper than this one. Blackwood is coming off a tough year and his numbers have dipped in each of the last three seasons. His qualifying offer is $3.36MM next summer and if he’s once again on the weak side of the platoon, he could be a non-tender candidate. On the flip side, he’s still young enough to potentially establish himself as at least a medium-term solution beyond 2022-23.
Signed Through 2023-24
D Brendan Smith ($1.1MM, UFA)
Smith has been a serviceable and versatile veteran at the end of the roster for the last few seasons with an ability to play up front when needed as well. He’s likely to have a depth role with New Jersey which will likely have him in line for a similar contract a couple of years from now.
Signed Through 2024-25
G Vitek Vanecek ($3.4MM, UFA)
With Blackwood’s struggles and Bernier’s injury concerns, GM Tom Fitzgerald elected to bring in another goaltender and quickly inked Vanecek to this three-year deal. He has been part of the platoon in Washington for the past two seasons, posting a .908 SV% each time. He’s probably still going to be a platoon option with Blackwood but he gives New Jersey some medium-term depth with the other two on expiring contracts with prospects like Nico Daws and Akira Schmid needing more AHL time.
Coyotes Re-Sign Barrett Hayton
With training camps almost underway, the Coyotes have finally taken care of their last restricted free agent, announcing the signing of center Barrett Hayton to a two-year contract. While the team didn’t release the financial details, Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports reports (Twitter link) that the deal will carry an AAV of $1.775MM while CapFriendly provides (Twitter link) the breakdown:
2022-23: $1.42MM
2023-24: $2.13MM
The 22-year-old was the fifth-overall selection by Arizona back in 2018 and while he has shown some improvement since then, it’s safe to say that he hasn’t yet lived up to that draft billing. Last season, Hayton spent most of the season with the Coyotes, recording 10 goals and 14 assists in 60 games while averaging over 16 minutes per game; all of those numbers were career-highs. He also got into four games with AHL Tucson where he only managed a single assist.
Injuries have limited Hayton as well in the early going as he only has 94 career NHL appearances under his belt over his three professional seasons, notching 13 goals and 18 assists. His numbers haven’t been much better in the minors either as he has managed just seven goals and nine assists in 35 AHL contests. But he’s still young enough to believe that his best days are still ahead of him.
This bridge contract allows both sides a little more time to assess Hayton’s long-term future. His days of waiver exemption are now over so he’ll be up with Arizona for the entire season for the first time and he’ll likely have a spot in their top six again in 2022-23. If he can take some strides offensively over the next couple of years, he’ll put himself in line for a nice raise in 2024 and cement himself as part of their long-term plans. He’ll be owed a qualifying offer of $2.13MM in 2024 to retain his rights as a restricted free agent, this time with arbitration eligibility.
Injury Updates: Gardiner, Silfverberg, Farabee
Hurricanes defenseman Jake Gardiner was not on their training camp invite list that was released earlier today. As Luke DeCock of the Raleigh News & Observer points out (Twitter link), the veteran is likely to land back on LTIR this season. Gardiner spent all of 2021-22 on there after undergoing back and hip surgeries but GM Don Waddell had indicated this summer that the 32-year-old had recovered and was expected to be ready for the season so it appears there has been a setback of some sort. Gardiner is entering the final year of his contract that carries a $4.05MM AAV and he’ll join newly-acquired winger Max Pacioretty as players heading for LTIR to start the season which means that they’ll have plenty of short-term wiggle room available from a cap perspective.
Other injury news from around the NHL:
- Typically, players aren’t activated off injured reserve in the days leading up to training camp but CapFriendly reports (Twitter link) that the Ducks activated winger Jakob Silfverberg from IR today. He was placed there back in early March with a blood clot in his leg which ended his season early but this activation suggests that he’ll be good to go for training camp. Silfverberg had a run of six straight seasons with a point total between 39 and 43 but has slowed down the last couple of years and is coming off a 21-point performance last season in 53 games.
- It has been a tough stretch on the injury front for the Flyers with Sean Couturier out to start the season and Ryan Ellis not ready to return either. However, it appears they’ll have winger Joel Farabee available on opening night or soon after, notes Sam Carchidi of Philly Hockey Now. The 22-year-old underwent disc replacement surgery back in June with the procedure carrying a recovery period of three to four months so it appears he’s on track. Farabee had 17 goals and 17 assists in 63 games last season and could be in line for a bigger role once he’s ready to return.