Columbus Blue Jackets Extend Mathieu Olivier
The Columbus Blue Jackets announced today they’ve secured the services of right wing Mathieu Olivier for the next two seasons. The team revealed that the deal is worth $2.2MM in total and will keep the 26-year-old in Columbus until the end of the 2024-25 season at a $1.1MM cap hit.
Olivier was a pending restricted free agent with arbitration rights after completing a two-year, $1.5MM contract signed with the Nashville Predators in 2021. Columbus acquired him for a 2022 fourth-round pick nearly one year ago, and the gritty winger responded by recording career highs across the board with five goals and 15 points in 65 games. He’s got a bit more skill to his game than a typical enforcer, although he doesn’t have much upward mobility in the lineup.
It’s a fine deal for a player of his role, although with the team now carrying less than $5MM in projected cap space (CapFriendly) before July’s even started, seven figures per season may have been a bit of a reach. The team’s fourth line of Olivier, Eric Robinson, and Sean Kuraly was their most consistently used in 2022-23, amassing nearly 400 minutes of play together.
The 6-foot-2 product of Mississippi will be an unrestricted free agent in two years.
Free Agent Notes: Barbashev, Jost, Ekman-Larsson
One of the top pending UFA forwards is, in fact, expected to go to market – a boon for a weak class that’s only getting weaker. There are currently no talks ongoing between the Vegas Golden Knights and forward Ivan Barbashev, ESPN’s Kevin Weekes says, and he is expected to hit the market on July 1.
The 27-year-old fit in seamlessly with Vegas after a trade deadline deal with the St. Louis Blues, scoring 34 points in 45 combined regular-season and playoff games en route to his second Stanley Cup in five years. The uptick in scoring came with a significant uptick in ice time, and he now enters the free agent market as a bonafide top-six winger in his prime. He could very well double his previous cap hit of $2.25MM on the open market on a long-term deal, something Vegas just doesn’t have the financial certainty at this point to accommodate. His performance this year came on the heels of a breakout 60-point campaign with the Blues in 2021-22.
More notes on this year’s pending free agent class:
- When the Buffalo Sabres re-signed veteran forward Zemgus Girgensons, many wondered what it meant for pending RFA Tyson Jost‘s future with the club, given the team’s depth crunch on offense. Today, general manager Kevyn Adams said he’s spoken with Jost’s agent and informed them he’d like to work out an extension, keeping him in the fold as a decent depth scoring option. The team is expected to trade Victor Olofsson this offseason, but Jost could still slip into the role of a healthy scratch if the team does make any notable free agent acquisition. The 25-year-old notched 25 points in 71 games this season.
- It doesn’t appear defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson will be without a home for long. After getting bought out by the Vancouver Canucks last week, Ekman-Larsson’s agent, Kevin Epp, tell’s CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal that upwards of 10 teams have shown interest in bringing him on, including some contending teams. One team that immediately jumps out as a natural fit for a veteran defenseman on a cheap deal needing some reduced minutes to be successful is the Tampa Bay Lightning. He’d sit on the third pairing behind Victor Hedman and Mikhail Sergachev on their depth chart, and Ekman-Larsson’s situation isn’t all too dissimilar to that of Kevin Shattenkirk a few seasons ago.
Winnipeg Jets Considering Buying Out Blake Wheeler
The winds of change are reaching hurricane force in Winnipeg. They’re undoubtedly moving on from a pair of core pieces in Connor Hellebuyck and Pierre-Luc Dubois via trade this summer, and now TSN’s Darren Dreger reports another potential trade chip could be headed straight for a buyout – former captain Blake Wheeler.
It’s been a sharp decline in play for the 36-year-old Minnesota product since recording back-to-back 90-point seasons in 2017-18 and 2018-19. The 2004 fifth-overall pick ranks among the all-time leaders in many Thrashers/Jets franchise stats, suiting up for the franchise in 897 games over 13 seasons. Thinly veiled culture issues have been widely reported on in Winnipeg over the past few seasons, though, which culminated in the team stripping Wheeler of his captaincy last offseason.
Entering the final season of a five-year, $41.25MM contract, Wheeler has both a five-team ‘yes’ trade list and a full no-movement clause attached to his deal. Trade discussions started as far back as a year ago, and while they continue to explore the market, their options of moving him for much (or any) value are limited. He did still manage 16 goals and 55 points in 72 games this season, although advanced metrics suggest much of his point production has become the product of his teammates.
He’ll be 37 years old next season, and he’s just no longer at the point of being a top-six forward on a contending team. While he once had a reputation as a capable defensive winger, that’s largely dried up, and he takes more penalties than one would expect, given his style of play. He still has value and skill as a pure passer, but he’s reaching the point where he should be relied upon for around 14 minutes a game instead of the 17 he averaged in Winnipeg last year.
Per CapFriendly, buying out the final season of his $8.25MM cap hit would reduce the cost to $2.75MM in each of the next two seasons, providing $5.5MM in savings in 2023-24.
St. Louis Blues Re-Sign Adam Gaudette
The St. Louis Blues have re-signed one of their few restricted free agents, as The St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Matthew DeFranks reports they’re bringing back forward Adam Gaudette on a one-year, two-way contract extension. Per DeFranks, the deal will pay Gaudette $775K in the NHL and $400K in the AHL but doesn’t carry a minimum salary guarantee if he spends the whole season in the minors.
St. Louis acquired the 26-year-old four months ago as a minor piece in the Ryan O’Reilly trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs. 2022-23 marked the first season Gaudette didn’t see any NHL action since turning pro in 2018, instead playing 65 AHL games split between the Toronto Marlies and Springfield Thunderbirds. He hasn’t been able to produce with any consistency since notching 33 points in 59 games with the Vancouver Canucks in 2019-20, and he’s now on his fifth NHL organization in the past three seasons.
Extended time in the minors may have renewed his offensive confidence, though. While not breaking any records, he did put up a very respectable 27 goals and 51 points in the AHL this year and added a goal in two playoff games for Springfield.
Gaudette did have arbitration rights but would’ve had no leverage to receive anything higher than his qualifying offer of $787.5K. While the NHL cap hit comes in below that, the deal continues a trend of players taking less NHL money than their qualifying offer would have granted them in exchange for more compensation at the minor-league level. He’s a reclamation project-type player, which the Blues seem to be keen on acquiring as of late, and he could push for a fourth-line role in 2023-24 without much eligible competition in the Blues’ AHL and prospect ranks.
Snapshots: Lyon, Love, Hockeyville
Sergei Bobrovsky‘s magical run for the Florida Panthers throughout most of the playoffs erased a lot of memories of the netminder who got them there in the first place. 30-year-old Alex Lyon, who started the season as the team’s third-string netminder, recorded a 6-2-1 record and .930 save percentage while playing in nine of the team’s final 12 games of the regular season, helping them snag a playoff spot after sitting on the outside looking in for much of the season.
Yesterday, Lyon’s agent, Pete Rutili of Wasserman Hockey, told Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic that his client’s preference is to stay in the Sunshine State, but there have been no talks between the Panthers and their pending unrestricted free agent. Florida expects youngster Spencer Knight back in the fold next season after taking time in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program, so Lyon wouldn’t have a likely NHL role if he returns. After seven seasons and more than 200 games of AHL action, it wouldn’t surprise anyone if Lyon went elsewhere to find an easier path to more NHL action in 2023-24.
More from the NHL news cycle today:
- The head coach of the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers, Mitch Love, hasn’t completely cut ties with the Flames after being passed over for their head coaching vacancy in favor of his predecessor in the minors, Ryan Huska. TSN’s Darren Dreger reports that while Love is still looking elsewhere for jobs on an NHL bench, he’s had discussions with the Flames about joining Huska’s staff as an assistant. Love has won AHL Coach of the Year honors in both of his two campaigns behind the Wranglers (formerly Stockton Heat) bench and guided them to a Pacific Division Final loss against the Coachella Valley Firebirds, who are now just one win away from the Calder Cup.
- Next year’s Canadian Kraft Hockeyville preseason matchups will honor both the 2022 and 2023 winners of the award, seeing the NHL head to West Lorne, Ontario, on September 27 and Sydney, Nova Scotia, on October 1. Atlantic Division teams will comprise both matchups, with the Buffalo Sabres and Toronto Maple Leafs facing off in West Lorne before the Florida Panthers and Ottawa Senators play in the Sydney showcase.
Morning Notes: Hellebuyck, O’Reilly, DeBrincat
Mark down the New Jersey Devils as a major player in the Connor Hellebuyck trade sweepstakes, says Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic. The 30-year-old Vezina-caliber netminder is on the trade block after informing the Winnipeg Jets he won’t sign an extension, and LeBrun says there’s mutual interest between the netminder and the Devils in a long-term agreement. Hellebuyck has gone on a remarkable run since becoming Winnipeg’s starter, leading in the league in either games played or saves made for six straight seasons. The workhorse netminder would be a massive, immediate upgrade on Vitek Vanecek, who did have a solid 2022-23 campaign but can struggle heavily with consistency. LeBrun adds, though, that New Jersey likely won’t pursue a sign-and-trade if Hellebuyck is demanding around $9.5MM on an extension, as previously reported.
More notes from LeBrun as free agency draws closer:
- The door hasn’t closed on a Ryan O’Reilly return to the Toronto Maple Leafs, LeBrun says. The veteran center is keeping all of his options open, with a weak center class on the open market likely driving up his value despite a down season in 2022-23. He could very well price himself out of a return, but LeBrun reports Toronto general manager Brad Treliving has expressed interest to O’Reilly’s camp in having him come back after a stretch of solid play. Multiple sources have suggested the 32-year-old is in line for a short-term (but multi-year) deal north of $5MM, which may not be attainable for the Leafs, considering they have at least five forward spots to fill (and an extension for netminder Ilya Samsonov).
- Reporting earlier this week suggested Alex DeBrincat had a set list of teams he’d be willing to accept a long-term sign-and-trade deal with, but LeBrun says other teams have “given DeBrincat’s camp some things to think about” with their inquiries. With the market expanding, Ottawa Senators general manager Pierre Dorion seems content to let this play out for a better return, and LeBrun reports he’s more than willing to accept a 2024 first-round pick to get a deal done rather than limiting himself to finishing the trade process before the 2023 draft next week. Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch had named Dallas, Detroit, Florida, Nashville, and Vegas as specific teams DeBrincat had an interest in.
Buffalo Sabres Extend Lukas Rousek
The Buffalo Sabres have made their second signing of the day, handing out a two-year contract extension to forward Lukas Rousek per his agent, Dan Milstein. Financial terms have not yet been reported.
Buffalo selected the 24-year-old in the sixth round of the 2019 NHL Draft, but he’s quickly worked his way up the organizational depth chart after a breakout 2022-23 campaign with the AHL’s Rochester Americans.
Making his NHL debut this season, the Czech winger scored a goal and an assist in two appearances and added 56 points in 70 regular-season games with Rochester. It comes after he recorded just four points in 19 games there last year, his first season in North America.
His offensive breakout didn’t come completely out of the blue, though. His point totals were climbing up during the end of his time in Czechia, recording 38 points in 49 games in 2020-21 with HC Sparta Praha, his final season before coming stateside. He’ll almost certainly find himself out the outside looking in on opening night next season, but that’s more a testament to the depth of young forwards the Sabres have cultivated in recent years. If injuries hit the team, he’ll surely be one of their first call-up options and should build on his NHL games played total next season.
Arizona Coyotes Sign Steven Kampfer
A long-time NHL farmhand is sticking around. After heading to the Arizona Coyotes organization after the trade deadline in a minor-league deal, journeyman defenseman Steven Kampfer is extending his stay in the desert on a one-year, two-way contract for 2023-24, the team announced. PuckPedia confirms he’ll earn the league minimum of $775K at the NHL level, $225K at the AHL level, and is guaranteed a minimum of $250K next season.
Kampfer didn’t see any NHL ice last season but was under contract with the Detroit Red Wings, spending most of the season with their AHL affiliate in Grand Rapids. A March 9 trade sent him to the Coyotes for future considerations, though, and he recorded seven points in 15 games down the stretch with the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners. It was the 34-year-old’s first season back in North America after a one-year absence spent with the KHL’s Ak Bars Kazan, which allowed him to represent the United States at the 2022 Winter Olympics.
The 2007 draft pick of the Anaheim Ducks has consistently been an eighth/ninth defenseman option for NHL teams, seeing ice in seven straight seasons from 2014-15 to 2020-21. He’s spent most of his career with the Boston Bruins (in two separate stints) but has appeared in 231 NHL games overall, scoring 39 points. He’s also appeared in NHL games for the Florida Panthers, Minnesota Wild, and New York Rangers.
While he’s likely destined for Tucson again next season, it wouldn’t surprise many to see Kampfer in at least a few games with the Coyotes’ blueline, given its paper-thin state.
East Notes: Sharangovich, Red Wings, Brodie
The trade market this season should be unusually hot, with most teams needing to make lateral money-in, money-out moves if they want to improve their teams (as well as a middling free-agent class). One player on the block is New Jersey Devils forward and pending RFA Yegor Sharangovich, somewhat of a cap casualty after a disappointing 2022-23 campaign. Today, New Jersey Hockey Now’s James Nichols named the Colorado Avalanche, Nashville Predators, San Jose Sharks, Seattle Kraken, and Washington Capitals as reasonable trade destinations for the Belarusian forward.
The 25-year-old saw his production dip to 13 goals and 30 points this year after scoring 24 goals and 46 points in 2021-22 and is coming off a two-year, $2MM per season deal. He’s still in a position to earn a small raise on that cap hit, and all the above destinations should provide more opportunity (and, therefore, breakout potential) for Sharangovich to provide good value on his next contract. It shouldn’t cost too much to pry his services away from the Garden State, either.
More out of the Eastern Conference today:
- Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman told reporters today he doesn’t envision moving either of Detroit’s first-round picks in this year’s draft (ninth and 17th overall). Yzerman did infer he’d be willing to trade one or more of his three second-round picks, which could easily see themselves on the move with Detroit looking to make a run at the postseason in 2024. This may be some sobering news to Ottawa Senators fans, considering Detroit is gaining steam as a top trade destination for winger Alex DeBrincat. If it does turn out that way, they may have to settle for a 2024 first-round selection or multiple later-round picks.
- There were some spotty rumors popping up over the past few days about a potential buyout for the Toronto Maple Leafs – namely, defenseman T.J. Brodie. The Toronto Sun’s Terry Koshan relayed a report from a source today, though, that said there’s “no truth” Toronto and new general manager Brad Treliving are considering anything of the sort. Brodie, under contract at $5MM through next season, has been the team’s most consistent defensive specialist over the life of his deal but seemed a step out of place at times during the team’s playoff run this season.
Buffalo Sabres Re-Sign Zemgus Girgensons
The longest-tenured member of the Buffalo Sabres is sticking around for another season. Center Zemgus Girgensons has signed a one-year, $2.5MM contract to stay in Buffalo, keeping one of the team’s most integral leaders in the organization. CapFriendly confirms the entirety of Girgensons’ deal is paid in base salary.
The 29-year-old Latvian just completed his ninth year as a Sabre and has settled in as a reliable enough bottom-six pivot over the past couple of seasons, although he has played much of his career on the wing. Selected 14th overall in 2012, Girgensons never did hit his ceiling coming up through one of the darkest eras in Sabres history, which makes his desire to stick around all the more justified – he wants to see Buffalo’s rebuild through rather than looking for more term on the open market.
Girgensons matched his point totals from 2021-22 this past season, scoring 10 goals and eight assists, but it took him 80 games to do so. His offense has never been a strong suit, though – in fact, he’d never put up consecutive double-digit goal seasons until his last three campaigns. Still, he’s far from a liability defensively, with some advanced metrics going so far as to label him one of the best pure shutdown centers in the league.
It hasn’t been an easy road to consistency for Girgensons, either. A hamstring injury kept him out for the entire (albeit shortened) 2020-21 campaign, and he missed more than 20 games the following year with various injuries.
He’ll attempt to make the playoffs for the first time in his career next season with a slight pay bump. Buffalo had signed him to a three-year, $2.2MM average annual value deal before the 2020-21 season. It’s certainly fair compensation for his role with the Sabres, on and off the ice.
General manager Kevyn Adams had this to say earlier in the offseason:
Zemgus is, I would call it, a quiet leader, goes about his business but cares about his teammates and teammates care about him. He’s literally the same every game. There’s very little drop off [or] ups and downs with him.
He’ll likely reprise a fourth-line role next season, and he joins a Sabres team that’s already filled out with youngsters but still looking to add in free agency. With depth crunches coming at forward, it’s fair to wonder what today’s news means for Tyson Jost, a pending restricted free agent who gave the team some decent depth scoring after being claimed on waivers from the Minnesota Wild early in the season. If the team believes better options are attainable on the open market, he could go unqualified.