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Central Notes: Seguin, Parise, Trouba

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The Dallas Stars have a tough road ahead of them. With new inspiring head coach Jim Montgomery ready to take the reins in Dallas, the team is eager to force their way to the top of the Central Division, but they also know that if the team can’t sign star Tyler Seguin to an extension sometime this year, everything they’ve worked for could fall apart.

The 26-year-old star is coming off a career-high 40 goals, but has also seen his team not reach the playoffs in three of his last four seasons. On top of that, Seguin has not signed an extension as of yet, something that could have happened on July 1. NHL.com’s Mike Heika writes that while Seguin has been careful about what he says about his next contract, he has expressed his love for the city.

“My focus is I have another year with the Dallas Stars, so there is no real thought of thinking of other teams or thinking of free agency,” Seguin said. “My focus is getting ready to play this year … I love it here. My objective is I want to win a championship here. I love Dallas, it’s home to me. So that’s my No. 1 goal.”

Heika writes that one obstacle is the team is hesitant to sign any player to a higher AAV than the deal they gave Jamie Benn back in 2016. Unfortunately, Seguin might easily be able to pass that mark as John Tavares recently signed for an $11MM AAV and with salaries increasing yearly, that could be an issue that Dallas might have to re-examine.

  • Dane Mizutani of the Twin Cities Pioneer Press writes that Minnesota Wild winger Zach Parise, who suffered a fractured sternum just three games into the playoffs, says he is 100 percent now and will be ready for training camp. In fact, the 33-year-old feels so good that he has decided to participate in Da Beauty League, a weekly 4-on-4 league, to get himself back into game shape after suffering the injury. Parise, who was one of the top scorers for Minnesota late in the season, including scoring 12 goals over the final 18 games and then three more goals in the first three games of the playoffs, will be a key piece for the Wild to compete for a playoff spot next season.
  • Scott Billeck of NBC Sports writes that the Winnipeg Jets are likely going to have to pay up to sign restricted free agent Jacob Trouba and predicts the team will hand him an eight-year deal. The real question is how much will the team have to pay for Trouba, who has developed into one of the best top defensive lines next to Josh Morrissey. Trouba’s numbers may not look impressive, but he had career numbers in assists per 60 minutes at 1.03 and points per 60 minutes at 1.22. Those numbers actually compare to elite defensemen like Victor Hedman, Drew Doughty and P.K. Subban. Those numbers could bring his pricetag to a very high number.

Calgary Flames Sign Morgan Klimchuk To One-Year Deal

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The Calgary Flames announced they have signed restricted free agent Morgan Klimchuk to a one-year, two-way deal with a $700K AAV.

Klimchuk, the team’s 2013 first-round pick, has played in just one NHL game, but been able to post solid numbers while he’s been developing his game with the Stockton Heat the last few years. The 23-year-old has put up two 19-goal seasons in the AHL. With Calgary adding several forwards to their team this offseason, including James Neal, Elias Lindholm, Derek Ryan, Alan Quine and Austin Czarnik, Klimchuk, a Calgary native, is not likely to break camp with the Flames and is likely to return to Stockton for another season.

The signing leaves the Flames with eight more restricted free agent contracts to deal with, including Lindholm, Mark Jankowski, Garnet Hathaway, Noah Hanifin, Brett Kulak, David Rittich, Hunter Shinkaruk and Jon Gillies.

Former NHL Goalie Ray Emery Passes Away At Age 35

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Former NHL goaltender Ray Emery was found dead this morning at the age of 35, according to Hamilton Police. The long-time goaltender drowned in his hometown of Hamilton, Ontario. Hamilton police said Emery was reported missing early this morning and was identified as a victim of a swimming accident.

Emery played parts of 11 seasons with the Ottawa Senators, Philadelphia Flyers, Chicago Blackhawks and the Anaheim Ducks between 2003 and 2015. He played five season for the Senators and even helped take them to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2007. He eventually won a Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks in 2013 as a backup.

“On behalf of the Ottawa Senators, I wish to express my sincere condolences on the passing of Ray Emery,” owner Eugene Melnyk said in a statement. “Ray was instrumental in our run to the 2007 Stanley Cup Final, and at his best he brought a competitive edge and combative mentality to the game. On behalf of our entire organization, I wish to extend my deepest sympathies to Ray’s family, friends and loved ones.”

A fourth-round pick back in 2001, Emery played in 287 NHL games, posting career numbers of a 2.70 GAA and a .906 save percentage. His best season was the year he took the Senators to the finals as he played in a career-high 58 games that season, putting up a 2.47 GAA and a .918 save percentage. He and Corey Crawford also won the William M. Jennings Trophy in 2013 while with the Blackhawks, given to the goaltender or goaltenders who allowed the fewest goals in one season.

Pro Hockey Rumors joins in with the rest of the hockey world with thoughts for the Emery family during this difficult time.

Los Angeles Kings Ink Kurtis MacDermid To Two-Year Deal

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The Los Angeles Kings announced they have signed defenseman Kurtis MacDermid to a two-year, two-way contract. Fox Sports Jon Rosen reports the deal is worth $675K AAV.

The 24-year-old undrafted free agent broke in with the Kings this year as he made the Kings opening-day roster and played 34 games with Los Angeles, posting a goal and three assists. He was then returned to the Ontario Reign of the AHL and finished out the season there where he put up one goal and five assists.

MacDermid is considered to have a legitimate chance at earning the sixth or seventh spot on the Los Angeles Kings defensive rotation this year. With the first five spots in the hands of veterans Drew Doughty, Alec Martinez, Dion Phaneuf, Jake Muzzin and Derek Forbort, the team hasn’t added any veteran depth due to the team’s cap restraints. That could mean opportunities for MacDermid, Oscar Fantenberg, Daniel Brickley and Paul Ladue if they have a good training camp. MacDermid at 6-foot-5 and 233 pounds could provide the team with a much-needed physical presence.

Montreal Canadiens Sign Phillip Danault To Three-Year Deal

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The Montreal Canadiens announced that they have avoided arbitration and signed restricted free agent center Phillip Danault to a three-year, $9.2MM contract with an AAV of $3.08MM.

Danault, who was in his second full season with the Canadiens, was having another solid season when he was hospitalized and was forced to miss more than a month after being hit in the head by Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara’s 124-kilometer-per-hour slapshot. He was released the next day, but suffered from both concussion-like symptoms as well as vertigo. When the center returned to the lineup, he struggled upon return, tallying just one goal and one assist in his final nine games of the season

With the Canadiens short on solid center options last season, Danault and Jonathan Drouin served as a top-six center for the team. Danault is likely to serve in the same capacity with some suggestions that he could be penciled in ahead of Drouin as the No. 1 center next season since the team failed to acquire any more established centers. Regardless of what line he ends up on, the 25-year-old defensive center did have a career-high on faceoff percentage at 52.8 percent and has had a career percentage of 50.9 percent and ranked third on the team in ATOI with 16:35 behind just Max Pacioretty and Drouin.

There was some surprise it took so long for Danault to get a contract as he represents one of general manager Marc Bergevin’s biggest successes when he was acquired via trade from the Chicago Blackhawks for Dale Weiss and Thomas Fleischmann back in 2016. His best season was in 2016-17 when he played in all 82 games, putting up 13 goals and 40 points. The center just completed a bridge deal where he made just $913K, so this is a significant raise for him.

Buffalo Sabres Sign Justin Bailey To One-Year Contract

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The Buffalo Sabres have signed another restricted free agent as they have signed Justin Bailey to a one-year, two-way contract worth $715K. The winger will still have two RFA years remaining after next season. It marks the third restricted free agent to ink a new deal after Danny O’Regan signed earlier today, while Nicholas Baptiste signed on Saturday.

Bailey has been solid at every level he’s played so far, but hasn’t been able to break into the Sabres’ lineup. While he has the size and speed to play in the NHL, he hasn’t found the skill or consistency yet. The 23-year-old potted 20 goals twice with the Rochester Americans of the AHL and spent a lot of time going back and forth between Rochester and Buffalo this past year. The Buffalo native scored 10 goals and five assists in 37 games with the Americans this season, while posting three goals and an assist in 12 games with the Sabres.

Bailey’s contract is for less than he made during his entry-level deal when he was making $894K at the NHL level. The Sabres still have two restricted free agents remaining as they still have to sign winger C.J. Smith and most importantly center Sam Reinhart.

Pittsburgh Penguins Sign Filip Hallander To Entry-Level Deal

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The Pittsburgh Penguins announced they have signed forward Filip Hallander to a three-year entry-level contract. The team’s second-round pick from this year’s 2018 draft is expected to remain in Sweden to play for Timra IK in the Swedish Hockey League.

The 18-year-old forward played 40 games for Timra IK when the team played in the Allvenskan league, posting nine goals and 20 points. He also helped Sweden to a bronze medal in the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup, scoring three goals in five games. Hallander is known to be a solid skater, who can both shoot and pass the puck equally well. Many believe the 18-year-old is likely going to be a third-line forward in the NHL, but has the potential to work his way into a top-six forward.

The Penguins, who traded their first round pick to the Ottawa Senators in the Derick Brassard deal, traded up to select Hallander, sending the 64th and 146th selections to Colorado to acquire him with the 56th pick. He was the second player selected by Pittsburgh as the team took defenseman Calen Addison three picks earlier. Hallander was ranked the 13th best European skater by NHL Central Scouting.

Metropolitan Notes: Panarin, Oleksiak, Skjei

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With the team’s work with their restricted free agents now complete, Columbus Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen now has time to work on more important projects for the team. The GM’s top priority is to attempt to talk to star Artemi Panarin and try and talk him into signing a long-term deal. Now, NHL.com’s Igor Eronko reports that Kekalainen intends to meet with Panarin in France on Monday.

Panarin, who will be an unrestricted free agent next season, could become the headline superstar available to teams like John Tavares was this offseason. The 26-year-old originally signed with the Chicago Blackhawks and was traded a year ago to Columbus to alleviate salary cap issues. He posted excellent numbers with the Blue Jackets in the first season, putting upu 27 goals and a career-high 82 points. He has already stated that he isn’t willing to discuss an extension “as of now,” and it has been suggested by his agent Dan Milstein that the Blue Jackets might be better off trading him now.

Kekalainen obviously hopes that he can either convince Panarin to consider signing an extension soon or be convinced that he will have to make a trade to get Panarin to a team that he wants to play for.

  • The Pittsburgh Penguins locked up defenseman Jamie Oleksiak to a three-year, $6.4MM deal a few days ago, but it shows how far the 6-foot-7, 255-pound blueliner has come, according to Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Unable to break into the Stars’ lineup throughout the first five years of his career, he found himself traded to Pittsburgh where assistant coaches Jacques Martin and Sergei Gonchar altered his entire game like the franchise has done in the last few years with other blueliners such as Justin Schultz, Ian Cole and Chad Ruhwedel. Using film, they have worked on his defensive skills, penalty killing, his shot and his stickhandling to start and have high expectations for him next season. His offense has already started as in 47 games with Pittsburgh he posted four goals and 14 points.
  • Shayna Goldman of The Athletic (subscription required) breaks down the New York Rangers restricted free agency dilemma, especially looking at what to do with defenseman Brady Skjei in regards to giving the blueliner a bridge deal or long-term deal. The scribe looks back to forward Kevin Hayes, also a restricted free agent, who received a two-year bridge deal, but now will cost the team quite a bit of money. Skjei, who is coming off a down year, might be better off with a bridge deal to see what kind of player he becomes over the next two seasons. However, a long-term deal might also be quite beneficial because it would come at a lower cost. Even if he doesn’t become more than a third-pairing defenseman, a low-cost long-term deal has quite a bit of trade value as well.

Columbus Blue Jackets Sign Oliver Bjorkstrand To Three-Year Deal

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The Columbus Blue Jackets announced they have signed their final restricted free agent as the team has come to terms with forward Oliver Bjorkstrand on a three-year contract. NHL.com’s Brian Hedger reports the deal is for $7.5MM with a $2.5MM AAV.

The deal constitutes a bridge deal as the 23-year-old winger will still have one season left as a restricted free agent when this deal ends in 2021 and he will have arbitration rights at that point. The $2.5MM salary is solid raise from the $872K he was making on his entry-level deal.

Bjorkstrand is the last of three restricted free agents the Blue Jackets had to deal with. The promising forward had a solid year in Columbus in his first full season there. He posted 11 goals and 40 points in 82 games. A third-round pick in 2013, Bjorkstrand showed immediate promise for Columbus after being drafted when he posted 50 goals for the Portland Winterhawks of the WHL and then followed that up with 63 the next year. A fast-skating forward with a hard shot and quick release, he has produced at the AHL level, while splitting time in Columbus the next two years, but earned himself a full-time role this past year.

“He is just scratching the surface of the type of player he can be and we believe he has the potential to be a dynamic offensive player for our club,” said Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen (via Hedger).

With the deal in place, Columbus will have $5.6MM in salary cap space remaining with 24 players under contract, so the team will have to make adjustments to their roster as they can only have 23 when the season starts.

Buffalo Sabres Sign Nicholas Baptiste To One-Year Deal

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7/15: The team has officially announced the signing. Baptiste will carry a $787.5K cap hit at the NHL level and will be paid $70K in the minor leagues.

7/14: The Buffalo Sabres have signed restricted free agent Nicholas Baptiste to a one-year, two-way contract, according to TVA’s Renaud Lavoie. The 22-year-old winger will make $788K next season.

Baptiste has developed nicely in the Sabres’ system as he scored 25 goals with the Rochester Americans of the AHL in the 2016-17 season and followed that up by splitting time between Rochester and Buffalo this year. With injuries hampering the Sabres’ squad, Baptiste was able to get into 33 games this past season, putting up four goals and six points in limited time. Playing in a bottom-six role, he averaged just 9:58 of ATOI.

At 6-foot-1, 205 pounds, the forward has both the size and speed to be a solid player, but has struggled to put it all together at the NHL level as he has received some time at the top-six. The team may be looking at Baptiste as either a trade chip or more of a permanent bottom-six rotation player, but he will get one more year to prove that he can take that next step in Buffalo. That might be more challenging with the Sabres’ adding more talent this season, including some veterans like Patrik Berglund and Vladimir Sobotka, which could force Baptiste back to Buffalo.

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