Detroit Red Wings Sign Nolan Stevens
A strong showing in the minors has earned former St. Louis Blues forward prospect Nolan Stevens another NHL contract. The Detroit Red Wings have nabbed the unrestricted free agent on a one-year, two-way deal, with CapFriendly reporting it’s worth $775K in the NHL and $150K in the AHL.
The 26-year-old center scored 15 goals and 33 points in 48 games with the AHL’s Utica Comets on a minor-league contract last season, setting a career-high in both categories. The Blues cut ties with Stevens during the 2021-22 season, trading him to the Minnesota Wild in a minor-league swap for forward William Bitten. Minnesota then opted not to re-sign Stevens when he became a UFA under Group VI rules last offseason.
Now with 119 points in 237 AHL games to his name, Stevens is slated for usage with the Grand Rapids Griffins, who will be his fifth AHL squad. Detroit’s affiliate struggled last season, posting a 28-36-8 record and missing the Calder Cup Playoffs for the second straight season. Stevens was on pace for 50 points in a full 72 AHL games last season, which would’ve placed him second on the 2022-23 Griffins squad. Needless to say, he’ll be an important cog in helping Detroit’s farm team return to postseason play.
An NHL contract provides the 6-foot-2 center a chance at his NHL debut, something he hasn’t achieved in five seasons since turning pro. The former Northeastern University captain was selected by the Blues with the 125th overall pick in 2016.
Winnipeg Jets Sign Axel Jonsson-Fjallby
The Winnipeg Jets are bringing back one of their players who hit the open market Saturday. Group VI UFA left wing Axel Jonsson-Fjallby is returning to the team on a two-year contract with an average annual value of $775K. Per the Jets, the deal is a two-way contract in 2023-24 and a one-way contract in 2024-25. PuckPedia adds his AHL salary this season will be $225K.
Winnipeg acquired Jonsson-Fjallby via waiver claim just before the beginning of the 2022-23 season. He went on to spend most of the season on the NHL roster, playing a career-high 50 games and recording six goals and 14 points in a fourth-line role.
Originally a 2016 fifth-round selection of the Washington Capitals, Jonsson-Fjallby’s only previous NHL experience came with them in 2021-22, scoring two goals and four points in 23 games. It came after Washington briefly lost him to the Buffalo Sabres in October 2021, also via a waiver claim, before the Capitals reclaimed him on the waiver wire a few weeks later.
The 25-year-old isn’t likely to play an everyday role in the Jets’ lineup, though, at least not this season. Winnipeg getting three NHL players back from the Los Angeles Kings in the Pierre-Luc Dubois trade could push Jonsson-Fjallby down to press box status, although a potential Mark Scheifele trade later on this offseason could generate more playing opportunities for the Swedish winger.
At league minimum, he’s a perfectly fine option for the Jets in a limited role. He’s a speedy forechecker who’s also responsible defensively, and while he doesn’t have much long-term offensive upside, you don’t have to worry about him as a liability at the bottom of the lineup.
Winnipeg would risk losing him on waivers if he doesn’t make the team, although awarding him a two-year deal (with a one-way salary attached in 2024-25) significantly lowers the likelihood of a claim. There’s a bit of a jam at the bottom of Winnipeg’s forward depth chart, with Jonsson-Fjallby battling with Rasmus Kupari, Jansen Harkins, David Gustafsson, and Dominic Toninato for roster spots on the Jets’ fourth line. All five would require waivers to be assigned to the AHL.
Montreal Canadiens Extend Rafael Harvey-Pinard
One of the Montreal Canadiens’ more intriguing breakout players last season has gotten a nice payday. Today, they announced a two-year contract extension for winger Rafael Harvey-Pinard, carrying an average annual value of $1.1MM. Per CapFriendly, he’ll earn $1.2MM in 2023-24 and $1.0MM in 2024-25, paid entirely in base salary.
Harvey-Pinard earns his first one-way NHL contract after a very strong late-season performance in Montreal. His 14 goals and 20 points in 34 games were equivalent to a 0.59 points-per-game rate, sixth among all qualified Canadiens.
The 2019 seventh-round pick has posted strong numbers in the minors since turning pro in 2020, putting to rest most concerns about his undersized frame. Standing at 5-foot-9 and 181 pounds, the 24-year-old Quebecer has 107 points in 145 AHL games with the Laval Rocket over the past three seasons.
He’s surely in line to make the team out of camp, but if things do go wrong for the Canadiens and Harvey-Pinard in two years’ time, his $1.1MM salary is fully buriable in the minors.
Harvey-Pinard spent most of his call-up elevated in the Canadiens’ lineup, playing on captain Nick Suzuki‘s wing. His NHL stint happened after Cole Caufield was shut down for the season with a shoulder injury, though, so he’ll likely see a slight reduction on the 17:13 he averaged per game last year. Still, he’s part of a group of budding Canadiens forwards under the age of 25 that also includes Alex Newhook, Juraj Slafkovsky, and Kirby Dach.
He’ll have arbitration rights as a restricted free agent at the end of his contract, potentially setting himself up for a big short-term payday if things go well. Due to the structure of his contract, he’ll only be due a $1MM qualifying offer in 2025.
His signing does push Montreal over the salary cap’s $83.5MM Upper Limit just slightly, but they’ll have no issue remaining compliant throughout the season with netminder Carey Price‘s $10.5MM cap hit stashed on long-term injured reserve.
Carolina Hurricanes Sign Griffin Mendel
The Carolina Hurricanes are in an interesting situation regarding their organizational depth. Their previous AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves, made the choice to operate independently for 2023-24, leaving Carolina without a dedicated farm team at the highest minor-league level.
It hasn’t stopped Carolina from retaining some talent who spent last season in Chicago on AHL deals, however. Today, they announced the signing of defenseman Griffin Mendel to a one-year, entry-level contract worth $775K at the NHL level and $75K at the AHL level. He’s also been awarded a $15K signing bonus, bringing the cap hit of his contract to $790K.
Mendel, 24, was the only skater to play in all of Chicago’s 72 games last season, an impressive feat for a rookie. In his first full professional season, the hulking Kelowna-born defender exceeded all expectations after middling offensive production in college, posting nine goals and 19 points along with a -11 rating. That’s the highest point total Mendel has posted in a single season at any level dating back to U-15 play.
The 6-foot-6, 220-pound defender is technically already a pro-league champion, appearing in one Calder Cup Playoff game for the then-champion Wolves in 2022 after signing an AHL deal at the end of the season. Before turning pro, Mendel played four college seasons with the University of Denver before transferring to Quinnipiac for a fifth and final season in 2021-22. He also attended Carolina’s training camp in 2022 on a tryout.
Although the left-shot Mendel has certainty over his financial situation next season, he doesn’t know where he’ll play yet. Carolina still doesn’t have a designated place to assign their minor-league players next season.
Mendel will be a restricted free agent next offseason, and he’ll be due a qualifying offer worth $813,750 on a two-way contract, save for the unlikely event he plays at least 60 NHL games in 2023-24.
Seattle Kraken Sign Connor Carrick
The Seattle Kraken have brought back a familiar face. Defenseman Connor Carrick is returning for his second stint with the organization, signing a one-year, two-way deal with a $775K average annual value.
Carrick, 29, joined the Kraken a couple of months before the team played their first game, signing a one-year pact with them in free agency in August 2021. He didn’t appear in an NHL game for them, though, instead spending the entire season with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers, Seattle’s affiliate for their inaugural season.
This is Carrick’s third straight one-year, two-way deal as he continues his career as a high-end AHL depth piece with some significant NHL experience. He spent last season with the Boston Bruins, leading their AHL affiliate in Providence in points from defensemen with 44 in 63 games. He made one NHL appearance with the Bruins in 2022-23, registering an assist, a +3 rating, two shots on goal, and playing 16:54 in an April 9 game against the Philadelphia Flyers.
Carrick, a right-shot defender, also did well in Charlotte, recording 10 goals and 32 points in 59 games. The past two seasons were Carrick’s first full-time AHL campaigns since 2015-16 with the Hershey Bears and Toronto Marlies, as he’d mainly stuck in the NHL as a seventh defenseman since then.
In his eight-season, 242-game NHL career, Carrick’s played for the Bruins, Dallas Stars, New Jersey Devils, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Washington Capitals. He’s amassed 13 goals, 37 assists, 50 points, and a -19 rating.
Seattle’s NHL defense corps is filled up after signing former Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Brian Dumoulin to a two-year contract on July 1. Because of that, Carrick is likely destined for another significant AHL role, this time with the Coachella Valley Firebirds. Seattle’s minor-league affiliate advanced to Game 7 of the Calder Cup Final in their inaugural campaign last year, losing to Hershey in overtime. Within the Kraken organization, he replaces the role of defenseman Brogan Rafferty, who led Firebirds defensemen in regular-season scoring with 51 points in 72 games and signed with the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday.
Arizona Coyotes To Sign Alexander Kerfoot
The Arizona Coyotes are locking in former Toronto Maple Leafs center Alexander Kerfoot for the next two seasons at a $3.5MM cap hit, PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan reports.
It’s another significant free-agent loss for Toronto today, who will undoubtedly be looking to add some reinforcements to their top nine in the coming days. For Kerfoot, though, he’ll continue to make the salary he’s made for the past four seasons with fewer taxes in the desert.
Kerfoot’s been a controversial player during his time in Toronto, with very few overtly impressed with his play. He provided immense defensive value this season, though, and he does have 45-50 point upside if given the opportunity to produce.
He could very well glean that opportunity in Arizona, potentially even slotting in as a center between Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz. Even if not, he’ll get the opportunity to play with some other up-and-coming talents like Matias Maccelli and Dylan Guenther, receiving plenty of ice time in the process.
Kerfoot will be a UFA again in 2025 at the age of 30.
Nashville Predators Re-Sign Alexandre Carrier
Per PuckPedia, the Nashville Predators have re-signed RFA defenseman Alexandre Carrier to a one-year, $2.5MM contract for 2023-24. The deal walks him directly to unrestricted free agency next offseason.
Carrier has been a solid contributor on Nashville’s blue line, posting solid two-way numbers and succeeding as a puck-moving defender who has decent smarts. The right-shot defender did take a considerable step back on the scoresheet in 2022-23, though, posting just nine points in 43 games after a 30-point campaign the year prior. The upside he flashed, though, warranted a qualifying offer and an extension from Nashville.
The one-year contract provides an intriguing dynamic for both Carrier and the Predators. Nashville is allowing him to set himself up nicely for a payday as the cap skyrockets up next season if he has another strong campaign, although he may not get much upward mobility in the lineup to have point-producing opportunities, especially with Tyson Barrie in the fold as the team’s main secondary offensive defenseman behind Roman Josi.
Shayne Gostisbehere Signs With Detroit Red Wings
The Red Wings have once again added to their back end as Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports that they’ve signed defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere. It’s a one-year deal worth $4.125MM. PuckPedia adds the contract includes a 10-team no-trade clause.
The 30-year-old has seen his value change considerably over the last couple of years. It was only two summers ago that Philadelphia parted with a pair of draft picks (including a second-rounder) to simply offload Gostisbehere’s contract onto Arizona for no return. Considering his production had dropped to just 32 points over the previous two seasons combined, it was an understandable move given their cap situation.
That trade proved to be great for Gostisbehere who rediscovered his offensive touch in the desert. In 2021-22, he picked up 14 goals and 37 assists, putting him in a tie for 15th in NHL scoring by a blueliner. He followed that up with another impressive performance this past season, tallying 10 goals and 21 assists in 52 games with Arizona before being traded to Carolina at the trade deadline. Gostisbehere saw his playing time drop by 5:30 per game following the swap to just 17 minutes a night but he still managed to pick up 10 points in 23 games following the swap before adding three assists in 15 playoff contests.
With Detroit, Gostisbehere figures to be one of the key contributors from the back end, effectively filling the role that Filip Hronek held prior to him being moved to Vancouver at the deadline. While Moritz Seider is also in the mix offensively, they could opt to give Gostisbehere the top power play minutes to help manage Seider’s ice time. If that happens, Gostisbehere could be in line for another productive season, potentially helping to boost his value and land a multi-year deal next summer.
Even after the flurry of signings they’ve had today, Detroit still has more than $9MM in cap room at their disposal, per CapFriendly, with only Joe Veleno to re-sign as a restricted free agent. Accordingly, GM Steve Yzerman still has plenty of flexibility to work with if other opportunities to add to his roster present themselves.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was the first to note the two sides were in discussions.
San Jose Sharks Sign Fabian Zetterlund
The San Jose Sharks have signed RFA forward Fabian Zetterlund to a two-year deal worth $1.45MM per season, the team announced. The contract comes just one day after the team non-tendered him to avoid giving him the ability to file for salary arbitration.
The 23-year-old came to San Jose just before the trade deadline as part of the Timo Meier trade. He was productive in a depth scoring role with the Devils, notching 20 points in 45 games despite averaging less than 13 minutes a night prior to the swap. Unfortunately for Zetterlund and the Sharks, he wasn’t able to produce at the same level, collecting just three assists in 22 games.
Still, despite the sluggish start to his time in San Jose, it wouldn’t have made much sense for the Sharks to part with a young forward with at least a brief track record of some NHL success at this stage of their rebuild. He’s likely to remain in a bottom-six role to start next season which might not yield too many scoring opportunities early on but he should have a chance to lock down a full-time spot for the first time in his career and if he can do that, he could be part of their plans for a while.
While San Jose technically signed Zetterlund as a UFA, he remains under team control through the 2026-27 campaign. The contract is slightly backloaded with a $1.4MM salary next season and a $1.5MM salary in 2024-25; the latter represents his qualifying offer in 2025 where he’ll once again be eligible for arbitration.
Colorado Avalanche Extend Bowen Byram
The Colorado Avalanche have locked in budding defenseman Bowen Byram on a very team-friendly bridge deal, signing him to a two-year deal worth $3.85MM per season, according to The Athletic’s Peter Baugh.
Byram, a highly touted prospect from the start, has shown tremendous potential since being drafted fourth overall by the Avalanche in 2019. He’s bucked the trend for defensemen taking longer to develop, already breaking out as a true top-four threat by age 22 after recording 24 points in 42 games last year, averaging nearly 22 minutes per game. Byram’s exceptional skating ability, hockey sense, and offensive instincts make him a dynamic presence behind the team’s top unit of Cale Makar and Devon Toews.
The bridge deal does provide Colorado some more space to add to its forward group but also provides some insurance against a real possibility of Byram continuing to encounter significant injury issues. Concussions and lower-body ailments have limited him to just 91 games over the past three seasons, and while he’s excelled during that time, whether he can continue a long career in a top-flight role is not a certainty.
Byram will be an RFA again upon expiry in 2025 and will be due a $3.85MM qualifying offer.