Maple Leafs Re-Sign Joseph Woll
The Maple Leafs have taken care of one of their pending restricted free agents, announcing the re-signing of goaltender Joseph Woll to a one-year, two-way contract. The deal will carry an NHL salary of $750K.
Toronto selected the 23-year-old back in the third round of the 2016 draft (62nd overall). He spent three years with Boston College before foregoing his senior season to turn pro, signing with Toronto back in 2019. He fared well with the Eagles, posting a 2.51 GAA along with a save percentage of .916 over 101 career NCAA appearances but that success hasn’t carried over to the pros. This past season, Woll posted a 3.54 GAA with a .892 SV% in 15 appearances with the AHL’s Marlies, numbers that were only slight improvements on his rookie season in the minors.
Woll is exempt from the upcoming expansion draft so this isn’t a move with any implications on that front as some recent goalie signings have been. As things stand, he is now one of four signed goaltenders that are likely ticketed for the minors while the Maple Leafs will need to either re-sign or replace Frederik Andersen to serve as their second netminder alongside Jack Campbell.
Stars Sign Miro Heiskanen To Eight-Year Contract Extension
The Stars have locked up their franchise defender as they announced that they’ve signed Miro Heiskanen to an eight-year, $67.6MM contract. He was set to become a restricted free agent when his entry-level contract expired at the end of the month. The deal makes him the highest-paid Finnish player in NHL history. GM Jim Nill released the following statement:
We are excited to announce that we have signed Miro to a long-term contract. Since joining us, it has been clear that Miro is part of a collection of young, rising stars that are now playing in the National Hockey League. As an organization, we truly feel that Miro has just scratched the surface of his ability and will be in the Norris Trophy discussion for years to come. On behalf of Tom Gagliardi, his family, and our organization, we want to thank Miro for his commitment to the team and we all look forward to watching him as he continues to evolve into one of the elite players of the game.
Matthew DeFranks of the Dallas Morning News reports (Twitter links) that the breakdown of the contract is as follows:
2021-22: $5MM (including $3MM signing bonus)
2022-23: $7MM
2023-24: $10MM
2024-25: $11MM
2025-26: $11MM, NMC
2026-27: $9MM, NMC
2027-28: $8MM, NMC
2028-29: $6.6MM, NMC
As the first four years of the deal were RFA-eligible seasons, Heiskanen was not eligible for any form of trade protection in those years.
The soon-to-be 22-year-old has quickly become the lynchpin of their defense corps. He was the third-overall pick in 2017 but waited a year to make his NHL debut, a move that certainly looks wise at this point. He was able to step into a prominent role as a 19-year-old rookie, logging over 23 minutes a night and has only gotten better since then.
Heiskanen was an integral part of the Stars making it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final back in the bubble a year ago where he averaged nearly 26 minutes a game in playing time while recording 26 points in 27 games, good enough to lead all defensemen while finishing third overall in scoring.
That led to extremely high expectations for Heiskanen heading into 2020-21. He actually took a small step back offensively, recording 27 points in 55 contests which created the possibility of his camp preferring a bridge contract where he’d be able to have a better platform season a couple of years from now, bolstering his value in the process. Instead, the two sides have been able to agree on a record-setting contract as this beats Thomas Chabot‘s eight-year, $64MM pact as the biggest deal handed out to a defenseman coming off his entry-level pact. The $8.45MM AAV also makes him the sixth-highest paid defenseman in the NHL.
With this signing, one of the three high-end RFA defenders are now signed with Vancouver’s Quinn Hughes and Colorado’s Cale Makar being the others that will need a new contract in the coming months. It’s clear that their agents will be using this deal for Heiskanen as a comparable in those negotiations.
Dallas now has just over $5.8MM in cap space for next season, per CapFriendly. Joel Kiviranta and Jason Dickinson are their only remaining restricted free agents while Jamie Oleksiak is their most prominent pending unrestricted free agent. That doesn’t leave Nill with a lot to work on this summer so it wouldn’t be surprising to see discussions on an extension for John Klingberg pick up now. The 28-year-old has one year left on his contract at a below-market price tag of $4.25MM and is set to become an unrestricted free agent next summer.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was the first to report that Heiskanen was nearing an eight-year deal. Line Movement’s Nick Kypreos was the first to report the $8.45MM AAV.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Blue Jackets Considering Leaving Max Domi Unprotected
The Blue Jackets don’t have much in the way of impact center depth and it has been an area that they have been trying to address for several years now. Last summer, they picked up Max Domi from Montreal in a trade for Josh Anderson to try to help that issue but he had a tough year. Now, TSN’s Darren Dreger is reporting (Twitter link) that Columbus is leaning towards leaving Domi unprotected on their expansion list which is due to the league later today.
The 26-year-old struggled considerably last season, posting just nine goals and 15 assists in 54 games, hardly the type of production they were expecting considering he had at least 38 points in his previous five NHL campaigns. Along the way, he went from playing down the middle to being shifted back to the wing and was dropped down the depth chart as the season progressed.
To make matters worse, Domi underwent shoulder surgery last month to repair a torn labrum. The expected recovery time for that procedure is five to six months which means he will miss at least the first month of next season and potentially more. Perhaps it’s for that reason that GM Jarmo Kekalainen is considering the possibility of leaving him exposed. However, he’s also owed $6MM in salary for the upcoming season which could also serve as a deterrent although Dreger believes Domi would likely be selected by the Kraken.
[Related: Blue Jackets Expansion Draft Primer]
At any rate, it certainly doesn’t appear as if Domi will be in the long-term plans for the Blue Jackets and he’s set to become an unrestricted free agent next summer which makes him a trade candidate as a rental by either Columbus or Seattle if they do indeed select him. At any rate, Kekalainen’s search for impact centers is sure to continue.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Minor Transactions: 07/17/21
With the signing and trade freeze set for 2 PM CST today, it could be a busy day around the NHL. In the meantime, we’ll keep track of any minor moves made here.
- Canadiens RFA winger Jake Lucchini has accepted an AHL contract for next season as Montreal’s affiliate in Laval announced (Twitter link) that the 26-year-old has inked a one-year deal. Lucchini had three goals and three assists in 28 AHL games this past season and will no longer take up one of Montreal’s 50 contract slots. The Canadiens can still tender him a qualifying offer later this month to retain his NHL rights.
- The Predators have added some minor league depth as their AHL affiliate in Milwaukee announced the signing of center Mitch McLain to a one-year contract. McLean spent parts of the last four seasons in Minnesota’s farm system and had five goals and two assists in 22 games with AHL Iowa in 2020-21.
Central Notes: Garland, Shalunov, Oleksiak
Last month, Conor Garland’s agent indicated there had been no progress in contract discussions between the Coyotes and the pending restricted free agent. It appears nothing has changed on that front as David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period relays (Twitter link) that there still have been no contract talks between the two sides and that Arizona appears to be trying to move him. The 25-year-old is coming off a career year that saw him collect 12 goals and 27 assists in 49 games but is arbitration-eligible for the first time. On the surface, it would appear as if the Coyotes are concerned about what contract he could be awarded in a hearing which makes him a name to watch for heading into Saturday’s transactions freeze.
Elsewhere in the Central Division:
- The Blackhawks have given the agent for forward Maxim Shalunov permission to speak to other NHL teams about finding a trade for his rights, reports Scott Powers of The Athletic (subscription link). Whether or not the 28-year-old will come back to North America (he played in the minors in 2013-14) has seemingly been an annual tradition for the last several years but with Chicago’s forward depth, there really isn’t a spot for him even if they wanted to sign him. Shalunov had 18 goals and 17 assists in 52 games with CSKA Moscow in the KHL this season and could be an intriguing acquisition for someone; Powers suggests that the asking price from Chicago wouldn’t be too high in order to give him a chance to try the NHL if they don’t have a spot for him.
- One player whose stock may have been boosted by the playoffs is Stars blueliner Jamie Oleksiak. Between that and recent contracts handed out to similar players, Matthew DeFranks of the Dallas Morning News posits that the 28-year-old pending unrestricted free agent should be able to land a contract of $3.5MM or more on the open market. That may be more than Dallas can afford knowing that Miro Heiskanen is up for a big-ticket contract in his first trip through restricted free agency this summer. Oleksiak told DeFranks that things have been quiet so in terms of discussions on a new deal.
Red Wings Acquire Nick Leddy
The Red Wings have added to their back end in advance of tomorrow’s transactions freeze, acquiring defenseman Nick Leddy from the Islanders in exchange for winger Richard Panik and the 52nd overall pick in this month’s draft. Detroit is also retaining 50% of Panik’s contract, using their first of three salary retention slots in the process. Both teams have announced the trade.
Earlier this week, it was reported that Leddy was being shopped to avoid the potential of losing him to Seattle in the upcoming expansion draft. The 30-year-old had logged steady minutes over his seven years with the Islanders, averaging more than 21 minutes per game for each of the last six seasons. Leddy even had a bounce-back year offensively this past season, tallying 31 points in 56 games. However, with the Islanders having over $77MM in commitments for next season with several key players in need of new contracts, some money needed to be moved and Leddy’s $5.5MM price tag became the casualty.
Panik was acquired as salary ballast from Washington back at the trade deadline as part of the Anthony Mantha deal and is on the move again as salary ballast in this trade. He has two years left on his deal with a $2.75MM AAV so with Detroit retaining half of that price tag, New York frees up $4.125MM in cap room with the move. They also get a fairly high draft pick and Panik at a $1.375MM cost is serviceable for someone who is best served as a role player at this stage of his career after seeing his offensive numbers drop for four straight seasons to just 13 in 48 games in 2020-21.
Meanwhile, Leddy immediately becomes one of Detroit’s top defensemen but with his age and contract which expires next summer, it certainly doesn’t feel as if he’ll be a long-term fixture on their back end, especially since they’re still in rebuilding mode. Instead, he’s someone that appears to be a strong candidate to be flipped closer to the trade deadline, perhaps with some salary retention as well to make it easier for a contender to add him later in the season where they may be able to recoup the second-rounder they’ve given up here.
As for New York’s expansion situation, this ensures they won’t lose Leddy for free but still poses some questions. Each team must leave at least one signed defenseman unprotected that has played in at least 54 games over the past two years (or played in 27 games this season). The Islanders only have three of those in Ryan Pulock, Adam Pelech, and Scott Mayfield. Presumably, those are the three they want to keep so they will now need to acquire or sign a defenseman to serve as the mandatory unprotected player before the lists are submitted on Saturday. Veterans Braydon Coburn and Andy Greene meet the games played requirement so a one-year contract for them would satisfy the requirement.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.
Canucks Notes: Cap Space, Virtanen, Holtby
With a little over $15MM in cap space per CapFriendly, it might appear that the Canucks have ample cap space but once you factor in the new deals for pending RFAs Quinn Hughes and Elias Pettersson, that cushion goes away quickly. Accordingly, GM Jim Benning acknowledged today to Patrick Johnston of the Vancouver Province that he is “trying to move some money”. If Vancouver hopes to add an impact player to their roster, clearing away a contract will be necessary to do so. Defenseman Nate Schmidt has been speculated as a trade candidate for the past several weeks and carries a $5.95MM cap hit for four more years and certainly appears as if he’d be someone that they’d be dangling to free up cap room after a tough first season with the team.
More from Vancouver:
- In a separate interview, this time with Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre, Benning indicated that they aren’t ruling out a buyout of winger Jake Virtanen, saying it’s “too early to say”. The window to buy someone out before expansion has closed but waivers will be permitted on the 22nd, allowing for enough time to go through that process before the first window closes on the 27th; there is a second window that could open up as well based on arbitration filings. Virtanen had a tough year on the ice with just five goals in 38 games, hardly the type of return that’s worthy of a $2.55MM AAV. Buying out Virtanen would only carry a $50K cap charge next season which would give Benning some cap flexibility to work with.
- Some teams are showing interest in goaltender Braden Holtby, report Thomas Drance and Rick Dhaliwal of The Athletic (subscription link). The veteran had a disappointing first season in Vancouver, posting a career-worst 3.69 GAA along with a .889 SV% in 21 games this past season so teams would undoubtedly be viewing him as a bounce-back candidate for a low acquisition price. Holtby has one year left on his deal with a $4.3MM AAV but a $5.7MM salary so some form of retention will likely be required to facilitate a trade.
Free Agent Focus: Pittsburgh Penguins
Free agency is now just under a month away and many teams are already looking ahead to when it opens up. There will be several prominent players set to hit the open market in late July while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign as well. Pittsburgh took care of one notable free agent today but they still have some regulars in need of new contracts.
Key Restricted Free Agents
F Zach Aston-Reese – The 26-year-old was a highly sought-after college free agent back in 2017 and while he hasn’t emerged as a big scoring threat, Aston-Reese has become a valuable checker for the Penguins, holding down a regular spot on the roster for the last two seasons. He had a career-high nine goals in 45 games this season while chipping in with a pair of points in six playoff games, numbers that aren’t going to command a sizable raise. His qualifying offer is $1MM and even though he’s eligible for salary arbitration, the potential for a hearing isn’t too much of a risk. Aston-Reese is in line for a small raise but it shouldn’t break the bank for a Penguins team that is already pretty tight to the cap.
F Mark Jankowski – After being non-tendered by Calgary back in the fall, Jankowski opted to take a league minimum contract in the hopes that a new environment in Pittsburgh would help to boost his value. That didn’t exactly happen. By the end of the year, he was a frequent healthy scratch and managed to post just 11 points. While that was still an upgrade on his final season with the Flames, it was still well short of expectations. Even though the 26-year-old is only owed a qualifying offer of the league minimum, it seems quite likely that the 21st pick from 2012 will be looking for a new home at the end of the month.
Other RFAs: F Kasper Bjorkqvist, G Emil Larmi, D Jesper Lindgren, F Sam Miletic, F Radim Zohorna
Key Unrestricted Free Agents
D Cody Ceci – Another player that looked to Pittsburgh to restore some value, Ceci was able to do just that as he quickly became an important piece on the third pairing. He chipped in a bit offensively with 17 points in 53 games while logging over 18 minutes a night. Those numbers don’t jump off the charts but after being miscast in a top-four role with Ottawa and Toronto, Ceci fared much better with a more limited role. GM Ron Hextall indicated a desire to re-sign the veteran recently but acknowledged that they will need to trim payroll to do so. After playing on a $1.25MM deal this past season, the 27-year-old has earned a small raise but barring the Penguins clearing out a pricey contract, it looks like Ceci will have to go elsewhere to get that pay increase.
F Evan Rodrigues – After Pittsburgh traded him to Toronto back in August, he wound up being non-tendered and went back for a second stint with the Penguins. This one went a little better even though it got off to a rocky start when he landed on LTIR early in the season. Overall, he saw considerable action on the third line and averaged just over 14 minutes per game while chipping in with seven goals and seven assists in 35 games. He’s not looking at a significant raise from the $700K he made this season but another couple hundred thousand could be doable.
F Frederick Gaudreau – This one may seem like a surprise. Gaudreau is 27 and had eight career NHL points heading into this season. He only played in 19 games this season but very quietly put up ten points, earning himself a regular spot in the lineup in the playoffs. Are there teams that will give him a shot at a full-time roster spot based on his strong two months? If so, there should be a fair bit of interest in his services.
Other UFAs: D Kevin Czuczman, G Maxime Lagace, F Colton Sceviour
Projected Cap Space
Well, there really isn’t a lot. Today’s deal with Teddy Blueger takes Pittsburgh within $1MM of the Upper Limit of the salary cap with at least one more forward to sign to fill out the roster. That’s not even enough to re-sign Aston-Reese so some work will need to be done. If Seattle takes a higher-priced player, Hextall would have some wiggle room to play with but otherwise, it could be a fairly quiet summer for the Penguins.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.
Islanders Shopping Nick Leddy
With the expansion draft fast approaching, some teams are trying to find trade takers for some veteran players over running the risk of losing them for nothing to the Kraken. One of those teams appears to be the Islanders as Arthur Staple of The Athletic reports (subscription link) that they are shopping blueliner Nick Leddy for that very purpose; as things stand, it’s unlikely he’ll be protected when the lists are submitted on Saturday.
The 30-year-old isn’t the top pairing player he was when he first came to New York but he has logged steady minutes, averaging more than 21 minutes per game for each of the last six seasons. He even had a bounce-back year offensively in 2020-21, notching 31 points in 56 games, his highest point per game average since 2016-17. Of course, his play in his own end hasn’t always been the strongest but as a strong puck-mover, it would seem as if there should be some interest in him.
However, his contract could create some challenges. Leddy, the highest-paid healthy blueliner on the Isles, is entering the final year of his deal but carries a $5.5MM AAV and a $7MM salary for next season. That’s a high price tag to absorb in an offseason when many teams are looking to shed contracts even though the defense market in unrestricted free agency isn’t the strongest. Accordingly, knowing there’s a firm deadline just three days away and a high price tag, New York may not be able to command much of a return.
However, any sort of return that doesn’t have a sizable contract attached to it would still be helpful for the Islanders. They have over $77MM in cap commitments for next season (which does include LTIR-bound Johnny Boychuk and his $6MM deal) with defender Adam Pelech and winger Anthony Beauvillier as notable restricted free agents with winger Kyle Palmieri and Casey Cizikas as notable pending unrestricted free agents. As things stand, they can’t afford them all.
That wouldn’t change with Leddy off the books but it would sure give GM Lou Lamoriello some extra flexibility at his disposal even if it means an extra spot to be filled on the back end. Depending on who they’d then lose to Seattle, the Islanders might be able to keep more of those free agents around. That process appears to involve Leddy’s contract being moved and if they want to have a shot at getting something for him, they have less than 72 hours to do so before the trade freeze kicks in.
Uncertainty Surrounding Shea Weber For Next Season
Following a trip to the Stanley Cup Final, it would seem hard to believe at first that Montreal wouldn’t consider protecting their captain from Seattle in the upcoming expansion draft. However, it appears that this will be the case. TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie reports (Twitter link) that the Canadiens won’t protect defenseman Shea Weber after recent medical evaluations revealed that he could miss all of next season and potentially longer due to injury.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman relays that the issue is a left foot or ankle problem that has been lingering for several years. He had surgery to repair a tendon in that area in 2018 and also missed time with that same issue two years later. The injury isn’t going away and the team, the league, and the NHLPA are now doing due diligence to determine next steps for the 35-year-old.
On the ice, Weber’s absence would be a significant loss for the Canadiens. While he had been slowing down in recent years, he still logged heavy minutes for Montreal and averaged 22:42 per game this season (second-most to Jeff Petry by two seconds) while recording 19 points in 48 games. His ice time increased significantly in the playoffs despite playing through a thumb injury, logging more than 25 minutes a night while still chipping in with six points in 22 games.
On the expansion front, this situation creates some clarity as the team would simply protect Petry, Ben Chiarot, and Joel Edmundson with Brett Kulak serving as the notable rearguard left unprotected.
However, it creates a big hole on Montreal’s back end as well with no real certainty on what they’ll be able to do. While he will be eligible to be placed on LTIR, the Canadiens may not be able to do much to replace him unless they can determine that he will miss all of next season. In that situation, they’d be permitted to spend up to his $7.857MM over the Upper Limit of the salary cap but if they feel he could come back at some point, they’d be more restricted in what they could do and might only be able to fill his spot with a low-cost internal replacement.
Still on the contract front, Weber’s deal still has five years remaining on it but only $12MM in cash payments due to the front-loaded nature of the contract, one that is now illegal and subject to recapture. PuckPedia has a Twitter thread about the short-term salary cap recapture potential for both teams if Weber was to retire. (Montreal’s cap recapture potential ends after the 2022-23 season while Nashville’s will last the duration of the contract.) However, the likeliest scenario at this point is that Weber doesn’t retire, collects his salary which sits at $6MM next season, and no recapture penalties would apply to either team.
The Canadiens were already eyeing down a busy offseason with several notable players in need of new contracts. This development with their captain and one of their top blueliners could very well make it that much busier for GM Marc Bergevin.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.