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Los Angeles Kings Sign Joe Hicketts

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The Los Angeles Kings have added a depth defenseman, signing Joe Hicketts to a one-year, two-way deal. The Kings have made improving their defensive depth a priority in this early stage of free agency, and Hicketts is the third blueliner the team has added in the past two days, joining Andreas Englund and Steven Santini.

Hicketts is a 27-year-old offensive defenseman who lacks size but has grown into an impactful offensive defenseman at the AHL level. While he last played in the NHL in 2019-20, Hicketts is coming off of his best season at the AHL level. He scored 48 points in 72 games for the Iowa Wild, and also wore a letter on his jersey for the first time in his pro career.

A Calder Cup champion as a rookie, Hicketts will likely play an important role on the Kings’ AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign. He’ll get a chance to quarterback their powerplay and have another strong, productive season that would allow him to push for another NHL call-up.

San Jose Sharks Acquire Anthony Duclair

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6:32 pm: San Jose has made the trade official, sending Lorentz and their 2025 fifth-round pick to Florida for Duclair.

5:42 pm: The San Jose Sharks have traded for Florida Panthers winger Anthony Duclair, according to The Athletic’s Shayna Goldman. Goldman adds that forward Steven Lorentz is expected to be part of the trade heading back to the Panthers, though there could be more moving pieces involved.

Duclair brings a more dynamic asset to the Sharks after he landed on his feet in Florida as a top-line player. Last season, he recorded just two goals and nine points in 20 games with the Panthers, missing much of the season recovering an Achilles tear. Duclair’s skill set and ability to generate scoring chances make him a valuable asset for the Sharks, however, as they sorely need some high-end skill in their lineup (even though they’re rebuilding). He’ll never provide much value defensively, but it’s not much of a concern for a Sharks team that doesn’t anticipate being competitive next season.

In return, the Panthers acquire a fine bottom-of-the-lineup forward in Lorentz and nearly $2MM in cap space, helping them fortify their fourth line while opening up some more cap space to replace Duclair’s top-nine on the open market in the coming days. He could very well center their fourth line next season after recording 10 goals and 19 points in 80 games with the Sharks last season.

New York Rangers Sign Erik Gustafsson

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The New York Rangers have signed defenseman Erik Gustafsson to a one-year contract, per a team announcement. The deal carries a $825k cap hit, according to the New York Post’s Mollie Walker.

The Rangers have been proactive in signing veteran players to affordable, sub-$1MM AAV contracts today, and Gustafsson is the latest one. They’re likely looking to clarify their financial picture before finalizing extensions for key RFA’s such as Alexis Lafreniere and K’Andre Miller, or deciding on the future of highly-priced bottom-six leader Barclay Goodrow.

Rangers GM Chris Drury is walking a salary-cap tightrope, and with that in mind, this Gustafsson signing appears to be an absolute coup for New York. Just one year ago Gustafsson’s NHL career seemed to be in a difficult spot, as his 2021-22 season with the Chicago Blackhawks was a far cry from his earlier times in Chicago, such as 2018-19 when he scored 60 points.

But after signing with the Washington Capitals, Gustafsson had a resurgent season under head coach Peter Laviolette.

He stepped up after a major injury caused John Carlson to miss extended time, and finished his time in Washington with 38 points in 61 games.

He was dealt to the Toronto Maple Leafs and scored five points in 11 combined regular-season and playoff games.

One might have assumed that a 42-point defenseman could get more than a one-year, $825k deal, but Gustafsson’s inconsistency as well as the leaguewide lack of cap space likely put a damper on his free-agent market. So instead of truly cashing in and signing a pricey free agent deal, Gustafsson returns to Laviolette and places himself in a high-upside playing situation.

He’ll be competing against Zac Jones, Ben Harpur, and Connor Mackey for one of the Rangers’ final two defensive roster spots, and likely has the inside track for the third-pairing LHD spot next to Brendan Schneider.

His high-octane puck-moving offensive game could mesh well with Schneider’s more traditional style, and perhaps more significantly Gustafsson could also occupy a quarterback-like role on the Rangers’ second-unit power play.

The Rangers’ first unit is the dominant one, of course, soaking up the vast majority of available minutes on the man advantage, but at the very least Gustafsson provides a greater degree of insurance in case of an Adam Fox injury than the team had before this signing.

There’s certainly a risk that Gustafsson regresses and plays the way he did in, say, Philadelphia, where he was less than well-received by Flyers fans. But at an $825k cap hit, that risk is very minimal.

At worst, Gustafsson provides excellent competition for Jones and Mackey and injury insurance in case the Rangers’ top power-play maestro goes down with an injury. At best, Gustafsson gives the Rangers a 40-point third-pairing defenseman who is able to be utilized effectively thanks to the Rangers’ existing defensive depth.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Detroit Red Wings Sign J.T. Compher

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Just a year after signing Andrew Copp to a significant free agent deal, the Detroit Red Wings have added another center: J.T. Compher. Per a team announcement, he’s signed a five-year, $5.1MM AAV deal to play in Hockeytown.

At first glance, this is a somewhat curious signing since the Red Wings have already committed $5.625MM per year to Copp, $8.7MM per year to Dylan Larkin, and used 2022’s sixth-overall pick on Austrian center Marco Kasper.

But seeing as the Red Wings are looking to exit their long rebuild as soon as next season, it’s possible Detroit wanted a surer bet down the middle than Kasper.

It may take a little more development for Kasper to be NHL-ready at all, let alone ready to play center in the world’s most challenging hockey league.

Compher is that surer bet, especially after a breakout season that saw him post 17 goals and 52 points. The 28-year-old former Michigan Wolverine is an ideal middle-six center, capable of contributing on both ends of the ice.

He’d be an excellent third-line center on many NHL teams or could handle second-line center duty should the Red Wings want to utilize Copp as a winger, similar to how he was used as a member of the New York Rangers.

Expecting Compher’s offensive breakout to be the new norm could be folly, but he did score 18 goals in 2021-22 and has scored at around a 30-plus point rate consistently. If that’s his floor in Detroit, a $5.1MM AAV is only slightly above what a team might ideally want to pay for that kind of production. If he can repeat his 52-point season and be a strong all-around center in Detroit, his cap hit will be more than well spent.

If Kasper ends up an NHL center sooner rather than later, will this end up a wise use of scarce cap dollars? Probably not, but if Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman is earnest about wanting to compete for a playoff spot as soon as next season, he can’t afford to wait on a player like Kasper to fill such an important role.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Toronto Maple Leafs Sign John Klingberg

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have added another Swedish defenseman: former Dallas Stars blueliner John Klingberg. The team has signed Klingberg to an undisclosed contract, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. According to Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli, Klingberg has signed a one-year deal. The team confirmed the deal, which carries a $4.15MM cap hit.

This signing is a major opportunity for Klingberg, who’ll now get a chance to play in a top-four role under some of the brightest lights in hockey. Klingberg was originally a top free agent of last year’s class but ultimately had to settle on a one-year contract with the Anaheim Ducks.

He had a very difficult season split between Anaheim and the Minnesota Wild, and is now again signing a “prove-it” deal.

Only this time, he’s signed with a consistent regular-season juggernaut rather than a team anticipating another year outside the playoffs looking in.

Klingberg finished with 33 points in 67 games, a decent total but not quite up to the high standard for offensive production he set earlier in his career.

He’ll now have a chance to return to the stratosphere of offensive production he’s been more accustomed to throughout his career, as he’s likely going to end up partnered with either Mark Giordano or Jake McCabe. Those two are well-regarded defensive defensemen who will afford Klingberg the offensive freedom to play a more aggressive, pace-pushing offensive game.

If Klingberg can manage to find a role on Toronto’s power play, the odds of him having a productive season increase even further. Morgan Rielly is entrenched as Toronto’s top offensive blueliner, but Klingberg can settle in as their second option and rack up points alongside all of the offensive talent in head coach Sheldon Keefe’s lineup.

Some might criticize this deal as an inefficient use of scarce cap dollars by new Toronto general manager Brad Treliving, and those concerns definitely have merit.

With Rielly already on their roster and the team maybe in need of more well-rounded defensive help, was Klingberg truly their most optimal target? Was adding him for more than $4MM a wise choice when Erik Gustafsson took just $825k from the New York Rangers?

Those are fair questions to ask, and they likely will be by an always on top of things Toronto media. But the best way for both Klingberg and Treliving to silence those questions will be for the defenseman to go out and have a vintage season, a year reminiscent of 2017-18 when Klingberg scored 67 points, led NHL blueliners in assists, and made the All-Star game.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Pittsburgh Penguins Sign Lars Eller

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have added another quality veteran to their roster today, signing 2018 Stanley Cup champion center Lars Eller to a two-year, $2.45MM AAV deal.

The Penguins have made upgrading their group of bottom-six forwards a priority this offseason, and adding Eller definitely helps in that pursuit. A veteran of nearly 1,000 games, Eller never quite became the top-six center he was projected to be as a top prospect earlier in his career. Instead, he became one of the league’s best third-line centers, routinely flirting with the 40-point plateau while also contributing heavily on the penalty kill.

Now 34 years old, Eller might not still be one of the better third-line centers in the NHL, though he’s likely to be an upgrade over Jeff Carter in that role for Pittsburgh. Carter’s play drew significant criticism over the course of last season, and Eller fits the role better as a more well-rounded player who can contribute on the penalty kill.

With a two-year term attached there’s risk that Eller’s regression from top-end third-liner to more regular bottom-sixer continues, and the Penguins end up paying for a caliber of play Eller can no longer provide. But those risks are inherent in shopping for veteran free agents, so it’s not like Penguins management can really side-step them in their search for bottom-six help.

At a reasonable price tag, they’ve acquired an upgrade to their third-line center role while also adding someone who can chip in on the team’s penalty kill. Tough to complain about that.

New York Islanders Sign Ilya Sorokin To Eight-Year Extension

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The New York Islanders have announced an eight-year contract extension for franchise netminder Ilya Sorokin. Per TSN’s Chris Johnston, the deal carries an $8.25MM AAV. It will go into effect at the start of the 2024-25 season, as Sorokin still has a contract for next year.

Per CapFriendly, Sorokin’s extension carries a full no-move clause for the first four years of the deal, and then a modified no-trade clause for the next four years. Under the terms of the modified no-trade clause, Sorokin can submit a list of 16 teams he cannot be traded to.

While the Islanders have made quite a bit of news today with their long-term deals for Semyon Varlamov, Scott Mayfield, and Pierre Engvall, this is easily the most significant development of the day for the team. Sorokin is the Islanders’ best player and someone firmly in the conversation for best goalie in the entire NHL.

Sorokin has been the Islanders’ undisputed number-one goalie for the last two seasons. In 2021-22, he started 52 games and posted a .925 save percentage with a 2.40 goals-against-average. He finished sixth in Vezina Trophy voting as well.

This past season, Sorokin posted nearly identical numbers in 60 starts with a .924 save percentage and 2.34 goals-against-average. Sorokin ended up the Vezina Trophy runner-up and was elected to the NHL’s Second All-Star Team.

The Islanders are a veteran squad built to win old-school defensive hockey games. They grind out tough contests and look to keep their games as manageable as possible. Having an elite goaltender like Sorokin is essential to that recipe for success, and now by locking up Sorokin for as long as possible, they’ve managed to retain the most important piece in their puzzle.

At an AAV just a shade over $8MM, Sorokin will be earning less than the two highest-paid netminders of all time, Carey Price and Sergei Bobrovsky. His deal’s AAV will rank second in the NHL behind Andrei Vasilevskiy, reflecting Sorokin’s well-earned status as one of the NHL’s best goalies.

After a playoffs that saw the Vegas Golden Knights win a Stanley Cup behind the relatively unproven Adin Hill, questions are going to be asked about whether signing Sorokin to this deal is the smartest investment of a team’s resources. But from the Islanders’ perspective, they really had no other choice.

This is the type of contract Sorokin’s brilliance has earned him, and the Islanders have built an entire lineup around their top-of-the-line starting netminder. Simply by locking Sorokin up for as long as possible and for a decent bit less than other top-of-the-line goalie deals, the Islanders can reasonably feel as though this contract is a major win.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Toronto Maple Leafs Sign Four Players

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed four players: defensemen William Lagesson, Maxime Lajoie, and Marshall Rifai, as well as goaltender Artur Akhtyamov.

Akhtyamov has signed a three-year entry-level deal with an $851k cap hit, while Lagesson and Lajoie each signed one-year, two-way deals worth $775k at the NHL level. Rifai got a $775k AAV deal as well but with a two-year term.

Lagesson, 27, is a former Edmonton Oilers and Montreal Canadiens defenseman who spent last season with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves. He scored 32 points in 65 games for Chicago and will likely be a top-four, if not top-pairing defenseman for the AHL’s Toronto Marlies while also serving as useful organizational depth for the left side of Toronto’s defense.

Lajoie, 25, also played for the Wolves last season and is less of an all-around defenseman compared to Lagesson. He’s got more of an offensive bent to his game, as reflected by the 45 points he scored for Chicago in 63 games, a number that ranked third among all Wolves skaters. He’ll likely be counted upon as a top offensive blueliner for the Marlies but might be less of a call-up possibility due to his game being less balanced compared to Lagesson.

Rifai, 25, is an undrafted six-foot-one left-shot blueliner who spent last season with the Marlies, his first as a pro hockey player. He signed with the Marlies after a four-year career at Harvard University, and led the Marlies in penalty minutes this past season with 118. This deal gives Rifai a nice bump in pay while also allowing him to continue his development in the Maple Leafs organization.

Akhtyamov is a 21-year-old 2020 fourth-round pick of the Maple Leafs who spent last season with Neftyanik Almetievsk in the VHL, Russia’s second-tier hockey league. He played extremely well there, posting a .943 save percentage and 1.74 goals-against-average in the regular season, and 1.53/.952 marks in six playoff games. Toronto already has Keith Petruzzelli, Dennis Hildeby, and Vyacheslav Peksa under contract for next season, so will likely end up in a tandem with one of them at either the AHL or ECHL level.

Colorado Avalanche Sign Jonathan Drouin

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The Colorado Avalanche have re-united franchise face Nathan MacKinnon with his QMJHL partner in crime. According to TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie, the Avalanche have signed 2013 third-overall pick Jonathan Drouin. Peter Baugh of The Athletic is reporting that the contract will be a one-year, $825K deal.

This signing is a major opportunity for Drouin, who could potentially end up once again on a line with MacKinnon. Wrist surgeries have done significant damage to Drouin’s ability to be a goal-scoring threat, as reflected by his mark of two goals in 58 games this past season.

But Drouin clearly has some gas left in the tank as a playmaker, as he finished the season with a 41-point scoring pace despite that extremely low goal total.

He’s still a capable playmaker, and in the right situation, one wonders how much more he could produce. He’s always had tantalizing offensive potential, and is in the thick of his prime at 28 years old. At a $825k cap hit, this could be Drouin’s perfect station for a career renaissance.

If he doesn’t manage that, though, and ends up in-and-out of the lineup due to injuries as he’s done over the past several seasons, it’ll be a disappointing outcome but not a catastrophe given the affordable cap hit he’ll occupy.

Vegas Golden Knights Sign Three Players

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The Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights are signing big Mason Geertsen to a one-year, two-way contract with a $775k cap hit, $400k AHL salary, and a two-year term according to PuckPedia.  Later in the day, the team announced the signings of Gage Quinney and Mason Morelli on two-year, two-way contracts.

With experience playing both along the wings and as a defenseman, the most consistent thing Geertsen brings to the table is his physicality. He’s six-foot-four and weighs nearly 230 pounds, and is more than happy to make opposing players more than familiar with how hard he can hit.

He had nearly 100 more penalty minutes than the next-highest Utica Comet last season with 136, and helped Utica reach the AHL playoffs.

He won’t provide Vegas’ AHL affiliate, the Henderson Silver Knights, with more than his physicality, but clearly the Golden Knights have made beefing up their AHL affiliate a priority, and signing Geertsen will accomplish exactly that.

As for Quinney, he’s a 27-year-old center who re-signs in Nevada, where he’s spent the last three seasons. Quinney was Henderson’s leading scorer this past season with 25 goals and 64 points in 66 games.

The former WHL champion worked his way up to this point from the ECHL and is now being rewarded with an extension to remain among Henderson’s most important players. Continuity is a rare thing in the AHL, so securing more seasons in Henderson is a nice reward for Quinney’s recent success.

As for Morelli, he recently won the Calder Cup and now departs the Hershey Bears after two full seasons there. It was in Hershey where the 27-year-old advanced from being an AHL/ECHL tweener to a true AHL contributor. He scored 41 points in 72 regular-season games and 13 in 20 playoff games, and will now look to help Henderson go on their own long playoff run while also making a push for an NHL call-up.

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