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Flyers Sign Garnet Hathaway To Two-Year Extension

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The Flyers have inked grinder Garnet Hathaway to a two-year extension worth $2.4MM annually, per a team announcement. He’s entering the final season of a two-year deal at a slightly cheaper $2.375MM cap hit. His new contract will take effect with the 2025-26 season.

The 32-year-old had a decent first year in Philadelphia after coming over in free agency from Boston.  Offensively, he had seven goals and ten assists in 82 games while collecting a career-high 132 penalty minutes and 326 hits, the most of any forward in the NHL.  Hathaway averaged 12:29 per game and played a secondary role on the penalty kill.  For his career, Hathaway has 65 goals, 74 assists, 622 penalty minutes, and 1,672 hits in 539 NHL contests between four teams.

Still, it’s somewhat surprising that the Flyers elected to get an extension done this quickly with Hathaway.  For someone who produces at closer to a fourth-line level, the price point is a little high (as his current deal is) but they clearly value the grit he brings to the table with a younger core group up front.  Hathaway is now signed through the 2026-27 campaign, meaning he’ll be 35 when this new agreement expires, making him subject to 35-plus contract rules.

Stars Sign Matt Dumba, Ilya Lyubushkin, Two Others

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The Stars are landing free-agent defenseman Matt Dumba, TSN’s Bob McKenzie reports. He adds it’s a two-year deal worth $3.75MM per season. Dallas also announced they’ve inked enforcer Brendan Smith, who can play both defense and wing, to a one-year, $1MM deal. Additionally, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports they’ve signed defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin to a two-year deal with a $3.25MM cap hit. They’re also bringing back non-tendered RFA Nils Lundkvist on a one-year, $1.25MM deal, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.

Dumba was a free agent for the second straight season after having to settle for a one-year deal last summer when multi-year offers weren’t to his liking.  Unfortunately for him, things didn’t go as planned in Arizona as instead of showing that he could return to his earlier offensive success, the 29-year-old was limited to just 10 points and 150 hits in 58 games before being moved to Tampa Bay at the trade deadline.  He had a more limited role with the Lightning, notching just two assists down the stretch before logging less than 16 minutes a night in their opening-round loss to Florida.

With that in mind, it’s interesting to see that Dumba had a strong enough market to land a similar price tag to last year with an extra year.  While his stock is seemingly down, Dumba has long been a capable top-four blueliner who can log some hard minutes.  He’ll be asked to do so with Dallas following the departure of Chris Tanev to Toronto.

As for Smith, the 35-year-old comes over after spending the last two years in New Jersey, playing more of a regular role after being a depth player in previous seasons.  He collected 15 points in 63 games last season while setting new career highs in blocks (101) and hits (117).  His versatility should come in handy although at first glance, it seems as if most of his playing time should come on the back end.

Lyubushkin will also be counted on to shore up the right side of the Stars’ back end.  The 30-year-old is a bit more limited in what he can provide compared to Dumba but he can kill penalties and play on the third pairing.  Last season, Lyubushkin had eight assists, 168 blocks, and 176 hits in 74 games between Anaheim and Toronto and will likely fill a similar role to the one Jani Hakanpaa held in recent years; Hakanpaa coincidentally landed with Toronto later in the day.

Lundqvist, meanwhile, was non-tendered by the Stars on Sunday, making his return a bit more of a surprise.  Things haven’t gone quite according to plan after Dallas parted with a first-round pick to get him from the Rangers.  The 23-year-old had 19 points in 59 games last season but barely averaged 14 minutes a game.  In the playoffs, he was a frequent scratch and logged less than five minutes a night when he was in the lineup.  However, he’ll get one more chance to prove his worth with this deal although he is still controllable for three more years through restricted free agency if they want to qualify him with arbitration rights next summer.

Devils Sign Stefan Noesen, Mike Hardman

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ESPN’s Kevin Weekes reports the New Jersey Devils have signed forward Stefan Noesen to a three-year, $8.25MM contract. It will be Noesen’s second stint with the Devils organization. They’ve also signed 25-year-old depth forward Mike Hardman to a two-year, two-way deal worth $775K NHL/$350K AHL annually, per PuckPedia.

Noesen spent parts of three seasons with New Jersey the first time around but aside from a good showing in 2017-18, he was largely limited to a depth role.  That continued for a few seasons after he moved on to the point where he was primarily a full-time AHL player, not an NHL player.

However, after a dominant showing with AHL Chicago in 2021-22, Noesen got a full-time opportunity with the Hurricanes the following year.  He certainly made the most of it, picking up 13 goals and 23 assists in 78 games.  The 31-year-old then followed it up with a similar showing last year, tallying 14 goals and 23 helpers in 81 contests despite averaging less than 12 minutes a game of ice time.

The follow-up year was clearly enough to show potential suitors that his late breakout wasn’t a one-off but was rather a sign of things to come, giving him a strong enough market to get more than a 300% increase in salary.  Noesen will likely have a similar role with the Devils as he did in Carolina, playing in their bottom six at five-on-five with the hopes that he can provide some consistent depth scoring.

As for Hardman, last season was the first time in his four-year professional career that he didn’t see any NHL action.  The 25-year-old played exclusively with AHL Rockford, picking up 22 goals and 15 assists in 63 games, all career-highs.  Hardman has 37 career NHL appearances under his belt with Chicago where he has a goal and four assists.  He’s likely earmarked to play with AHL Utica next season.

Hurricanes Sign Sean Walker To Five-Year Contract

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Earlier today, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman indicated that the Carolina Hurricanes were closing in on a contract with free-agent defenseman Sean Walker. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun confirms the news by reporting Walker has signed a five-year, $18MM contract with the Hurricanes.

A lot has changed for Walker over the past 12 months.  After being part of a salary dump to the Flyers, the 29-year-old turned things around with his new team.  He picked up 22 points in 63 games with Philadelphia while logging nearly 20 minutes a night.  As a result, he was one of the best rental defensemen available, resulting in the Flyers picking up a first-round pick from Colorado (along with Ryan Johansen) in exchange for Walker’s services at the trade deadline.

With the Avs, Walker wasn’t counted on to play as high up the lineup although he still averaged nearly 18 minutes a game while picking up four goals and three assists in 18 games down the stretch.  However, he was held off the scoresheet in 11 playoff appearances, ending his campaign on somewhat of a lower note.

Even so, Walker was one of the better right-shot defenders on the open market this summer, helping secure him a raise of nearly $1MM per season along with the longest contract of his career.  That’s a pretty good outcome for someone who was effectively moved for salary purposes just a year ago.

With Brett Pesce moving on to New Jersey in free agency earlier today, Walker will have a chance to step in and play a big role next season, perhaps a bigger one than he had last season even.  And with Brent Burns only having one year left on his contract, Walker could be their top right-shot option this time next summer.  If he can play at a similar level with the extra responsibilities, this could wind up being one of the better-value contracts handed out today.

Penguins Sign Matt Grzelcyk, Mac Hollowell, Ryan Shea

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Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports the Pittsburgh Penguins have signed free agent defenseman Matt Grzelcyk to a one-year, $2.75MM contract. Additionally, agent Dan Milstein reports his client Mac Hollowell has signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Penguins which will pay $775K at the NHL level and $250K in the AHL. They’ve also re-upped defenseman Ryan Shea to a one-year, league-minimum contract, per a team announcement.

A few years ago, Grzelcyk was a key piece on Boston’s back end.  However, the 30-year-old saw his ice time dip below the 18-minute mark for the last two seasons.  To make matters worse, after being a consistent secondary contributor who had put up at least 20 points in four straight years, Grzelcyk was limited to just two goals and nine assists in 63 games last season, leading to some time as a healthy scratch.

That said, he’s still an intriguing pickup for the Penguins as someone who should start on their third pairing but could move up to the top four when injuries arise.  On a one-year term, it’s also a relatively low-risk contract compared to some of the pricier multi-year contracts handed out throughout the day.

Hollowell is coming off his best professional season.  The 25-year-old joined the Rangers as a Group Six free agent last summer and had a productive campaign with AHL Hartford, tallying 44 points in 64 games.  However, that wasn’t enough to get him a recall to New York.  A Group Six free agent once again this year, he has opted to sign for a GM who has plenty of familiarity with his game as he previously was in Toronto’s system under then-GM Kyle Dubas.

As for Shea, the decision to sign with Pittsburgh last summer was a fruitful one.  The 27-year-old got his first taste of NHL action, playing in 31 NHL games where he had his first career NHL goal while logging more than 12 minutes a night.  Shea also got into 23 games with AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, picking up six points.  He’ll likely be in a similar role this season as one of the first recalls when injuries strike on the back end.

Hurricanes Sign Tyson Jost

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The Carolina Hurricanes have signed forward Tyson Jost to a one-way, league-minimum contract worth $775K, per TSN’s Darren Dreger (Twitter link).

It was a rough year for the 26-year-old, to put it lightly.  After agreeing to a one-year, $2MM contract to remain with Buffalo despite being non-tendered, Jost wound up having a very limited role and even struggled with it.  He played in 43 games, scoring three goals and three assists in a little over 10 minutes per game before eventually clearing waivers in late December.  Jost was more productive during his time in the minors, notching four goals and 10 assists in 25 games with AHL Rochester but it was clear the two sides would be parting ways this summer.

Despite his struggles, Jost comes to Carolina with a fairly extensive NHL track record, spanning 456 games where he has 57 goals and 83 assists.  With that in mind, this is a reasonable low-cost flyer for the Hurricanes to take.  If he’s able to lock down a full-time spot on the roster at the minimum salary, that will help free up some money to spend on their restricted free agents, headlined by Seth Jarvis and Martin Necas.  If he doesn’t make the team, he can be stashed in the minors (pending waiver clearance) where he’d likely be one of the first recall options in the event of an injury.

Panthers Sign Tomas Nosek, A.J. Greer

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Addressing depth in their forward core, Darren Dreger of TSN reports the Florida Panthers have signed free agent forward Tomas Nosek to a one-year, $775K contract. They’ve also inked forward A.J. Greer to a two-year deal, David Dwork of The Hockey News reports. That one carries an $850K cap hit, per Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports.

Nosek came to New Jersey with the hopes that he’d become a key fourth-line center for them.  Instead, he dealt with four separate injuries during the season, limiting him to just 36 games, his lowest total since the 2016-17 campaign.  In those appearances, the 31-year-old managed just two goals and four assists in a little under 12 minutes per game.

When healthy, Nosek is a consistently above-average player at the faceoff dot who can kill penalties, elements that made him appealing to Florida.  He’ll be asked to fill the void created by Kevin Stenlund who inked a two-year deal with Utah on Monday.

As for Greer, he comes over from Calgary to fill the fourth line energy role created by the departure of Ryan Lomberg who coincidentally signed a two-year deal with the Flames.  Greer’s price tag is much more affordable for the Panthers, however, given their salary structure.

The 27-year-old played in 59 games last season, recording six goals and six assists along with 100 hits while averaging a little under nine minutes a night.  For his career, Greer has 32 points and 205 penalty minutes in 167 NHL appearances between four different organizations.

Kings Sign Warren Foegele, Re-Sign Copley, Lewis; Sign Five Others

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David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports the Los Angeles Kings have agreed to a contract with free agent forward Warren Foegele. It’s a three-year deal in the $3.5MM AAV range, reports TSN’s Darren Dreger. They’re also bringing back depth goalie Pheonix Copley and fourth-line forward Trevor Lewis, per Dennis Bernstein of The Fourth Period.  The team also announced the signings of forward Jeff Malott (one-way in 2024-25, two-way in 2025-26) and Glenn Gawdin on two-year contracts plus centers Tyler Madden and Jack Studnicka along with defenseman Reilly Walsh on one-year, two-way agreements.

Foegele is the headline addition out of the group.  He’s coming off a career year with Edmonton, one that saw him post 20 goals and 21 assists in 82 regular season games despite averaging less than 14 minutes a night of ice time.  However, he wasn’t quite as productive in the playoffs, being held to three goals and five assists in 22 contests.

Still, it’s a nice raise for the 28-year-old who recently wrapped up a three-year deal that carried a cap hit of $2.75MM.  He’ll likely take the place of Viktor Arvidsson on Los Angeles’ roster; coincidentally, Arvidsson signed a two-year agreement with the Oilers today to replace Foegele.  His role will likely be the same with the Kings, splitting time between the second and third lines.

As for Copley, he received a one-year, $825K agreement.  The 32-year-old North Pole native was a feel-good story in 2022-23, coming up from the AHL to eventually post a 2.64 GAA with a .903 SV% in 37 games, earning him a one-year, $1.5MM deal for last season.  However, Copley struggled in his eight appearances before tearing his ACL, ending his campaign in December.  He’ll have a chance to battle David Rittich for the backup job with the other netminder heading for AHL Ontario.

Lewis, meanwhile, signed for $800K, a small raise after making the league minimum.  The 37-year-old played in all 82 games last season, picking up eight goals and eight assists on the fourth line while playing a regular role on the penalty kill.  He’s likely to reprise that role for 2024-25 which will be his 17th NHL campaign.

Malott has been a productive AHL scorer for the last three seasons, helping him secure a one-way year on this contract.  He played exclusively with AHL Manitoba in 2023-24, notching 22 goals and 30 assists; it was the third straight campaign of 20-plus goals at that level.  Despite that, he has just one career game of NHL experience.  Even with the change in organization, the 27-year-old will likely have to start with the Reign and try to earn a recall from there.

Gawdin has a bit more NHL experience, seeing action in each of the last four years, spanning 13 games in total.  He’s coming off a career year with AHL San Diego, one that saw him notch 22 goals and 33 assists in 70 games.  The 27-year-old will be counted on to play a prominent role with the Reign next season.

Madden, meanwhile, is someone more familiar with the organization having spent the last four seasons with them, all with the Reign.  He was non-tendered on Sunday to avoid giving him arbitration rights but quickly struck an agreement to return.  The 24-year-old had 15 goals and 19 assists last season and should remain a regular in Ontario’s lineup.

Studnicka is the most experienced of their AHL-bound signings.  He played in 22 NHL games last season but was limited to just one goal, eventually resulting in his clearing waivers.  He was more productive in the minors, collecting 21 points in 36 games between AHL Abbotsford and San Jose.  The 25-year-old has 107 career NHL games under his belt where he has six goals and ten assists.

As for Walsh, he has been a productive defenseman at the AHL level with a pair of 40-plus-point showings.  Last season, he played in Boston’s system with Providence, collecting nine goals and 18 assists in 60 games.  The 25-year-old became a Group Six free agent and should play a big role on Ontario’s back end next season.

Capitals Re-Sign Ethen Frank, Chase Priskie, Mitchell Gibson

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July 1, 9:01 a.m.: Washington has made both of these depth extensions official, also inking RFA goalie Mitchell Gibson to a one-year, two-way deal ($775K NHL/$100K AHL). Gibson, 25, was a fourth-round pick of the Caps in 2018. Last year was his first pro season after a four-year career at Harvard. He played mostly with the ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays, recording a .899 SV%, 2.56 GAA and three shutouts in 42 games.

June 30, 8:14 p.m.: Just hours after issuing a qualifying offer to Ethen Frank, the Capitals have reached an agreement on a new contract with him.  PuckPedia reports (Twitter link) that they’ve re-signed the forward to a two-year contract.  The NHL portion is the minimum of $775K in both years while the AHL salary is $250K next season before converting to a one-way agreement for 2025-26.

Meanwhile, PuckPedia adds (Twitter link) that the Caps have also re-signed pending UFA blueliner Chase Priskie to a one-year, two-way agreement.  The deal pays $775K in the NHL and $400K in the minors.

Frank only has two full professional seasons under his belt after a five-year NCAA career.  In his rookie campaign, the 26-year-old put up a strong 30 goals and 19 assists in 57 games with AHL Hershey.

This past season, he followed it up with a similarly strong showing, notching 29 goals and 18 assists in 64 regular season games.  Despite that, he didn’t receive a recall from Washington during the season.  Frank finished up on a high note, collecting 10 goals and seven assists in 18 postseason appearances, helping the Bears take home the Calder Cup.

As for Priskie, the 28-year-old has four career NHL appearances under his belt from 2021-22 with Florida but has played exclusively in the minors since then.  This season, he had eight goals and 26 assists in 69 games with Hershey before adding 14 more points in 20 playoff contests.  He’s in line to play a big role for them again next season.

Stars Re-Sign Sam Steel

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July 1, 6:08 a.m.: While the team hasn’t announced it, CapFriendly reflects that Steel’s deal has been signed.

June 30, 10:40 p.m.: Although he wasn’t tendered a qualifying offer earlier today, it looks like Sam Steel will be staying in Dallas.  Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reports (Twitter link) that the center is expected to ink a one-year, $1.2MM contract to remain with the Stars.

The 26-year-old has actually been non-tendered in three straight years to avoid giving him arbitration eligibility which could have pushed the price tag higher than his previous teams wanted to pay.  That resulted in Anaheim letting him go in 2022 while Minnesota did the same last summer, paving the way for him to sign a one-year, $850K deal with the Stars on the open day of free agency last summer.

Steel had a quality year with Dallas in their bottom six, recording 24 points in 77 games while averaging a little over 13 minutes per game including nearly two minutes per night shorthanded.  He also suited up in all 19 playoff contests, picking up a goal and four helpers.

For his career, Steel has played in 339 NHL games between the Ducks, Wild, and Stars.  While he was a high-end scorer in junior, that hasn’t translated to the pros as he has just 43 goals and 74 assists in those appearances; the fact that he has become a capable defensive forward will help extend his career as it makes him a better fit to play in the bottom six.

In the end, Steel will wind up with a $350K raise, a pretty good outcome as it will be the first seven-figure contract of his career.  Meanwhile, the Stars were able to avoid the risk of going to arbitration while ensuring they can keep him at a rate they can afford.  With at least seven more players needed to fill out their roster, expect Dallas to be busy in the coming days.

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