Chicago Blackhawks Sign Colin Blackwell
According to TSN’s Pierre LeBrun, the Chicago Blackhawks have signed Colin Blackwell to a two-year contract worth $1.2MM per season. This will be Blackwell’s fourth team in three seasons, as he spent parts of the past three years on the New York Rangers, Seattle Kraken, and Toronto Maple Leafs.
Blackwell, 29, is a safe, high-floor relatively low-ceiling move, the sort of roster decision that has been decidedly rare during GM Kyle Davidson’s tenure so far in Chicago. Blackwell, 29, bounced around a bit after graduating from Harvard in 2016. He spent his rookie professional season with the San Jose Barracuda before heading to Rochester and then Milwaukee. He made his NHL debut for the Nashville Predators before signing with the New York Rangers in the 2020 offseason.
In New York, Blackwell played well enough to earn the trust of coach David Quinn and sometimes even found himself sharing the ice with Artemi Panarin. As a result, he scored 12 goals and 22 points in 47 games, a performance that led him to be the Seattle Kraken’s choice from New York in the expansion draft. Blackwell struggled with injuries in Seattle but brought similar production, scoring eight goals and 17 points before being shipped to Toronto in the Mark Stone trade.
In Toronto, Blackwell scored just three points, although his smaller role on a deep Maple Leafs team likely had more to do with that than any decline in his talent level. The Blackhawks are signing Blackwell to this deal likely with the belief that he will continue to be the valuable do-it-all depth player he was in New York and Seattle. With all the departures they’ve seen in recent days, the Blackhawks need to add NHL-quality players. Blackwell is certainly that and he comes to Chicago at an affordable price.
Arizona Coyotes Acquire Patrik Nemeth
The Arizona Coyotes have helped relieve a tight cap situation in New York. They’ve acquired defenseman Patrik Nemeth from the New York Rangers, along with a 2025 second-round pick and conditional 2026 second-round pick, in exchange for Ty Emberson.
From New York’s perspective, the motives behind this move are clear. With the signing of Vincent Trocheck at a $5.625MM cap hit, the Rangers desperately needed to clear cap space in order to have enough room to ink their two important restricted free agents: Kaapo Kakko and Filip Chytil. Nemeth’s $2.5MM cap hit was a major barrier to their ability to get those deals done, so they’ve decided to pay a pretty hefty price in order to clear his deal off their books. The Rangers have paid the Coyotes a 2025 second-round pick and a 2026 second-rounder (that the Coyotes can choose to make a 2024 third-rounder) in exchange for defenseman Ty Emberson and the Coyotes taking on Nemeth’s deal.
Nemeth never quite worked out in New York, and quickly lost the trust of coach Gerard Gallant, who scratched him for the entirety of the team’s run to the Eastern Conference Final. Nemeth’s defense-first game was more ineffective than it had been in the past, and his envisioned role sheltering fellow Swede Nils Lundqvist never materialized as Lundqvist was quickly passed on the Rangers’ depth chart by Braden Schneider.
In Arizona, Nemeth will have a chance to play in a lower-pressure environment than in New York. As recently as 2021, Nemeth was viewed as valuable enough for a team to part with a mid-round pick to acquire him, so perhaps he can improve his play well enough in Arizona to become a tradeable asset once again, especially if Arizona is willing to retain half of his salary.
For the Coyotes, acquiring Nemeth gives them two valuable draft picks for cap space they were unlikely to use otherwise. GM Bill Armstrong has spoken about his desire to “build” drafts well in advance, adding picks not only for the next two seasons but the drafts in the future, where picks can typically be had for a discounted rate. He adds two second-rounders (or a second-rounder and a third-rounder) here, although he does have to surrender Emberson, who was a top-75 pick at the 2018 draft.
In Emberson, the Rangers are getting a defenseman who just played his first full professional season since signing out of the University of Wisconsin. Emberson played 58 games and scored 11 points. Emberson is a defense-first prospect who got time on both of the AHL Tucson Roadrunners’ special teams units, including a solid amount of time on their penalty kill. The Rangers will likely have Emberson in Hartford next season and will see if he can develop into an NHLer down the line.
Overall, it’s an expensive price for GM Chris Drury to pay for such a recent mistake, and losing two valuable future picks could end up biting the Rangers if they want to be as aggressive at the 2023, 2024, or 2025 trade deadlines as they were this past spring. That being said, even though it’s an expensive price to pay, it’s a move they really needed to make.
Seattle Kraken Sign Andrew Poturalski
The Seattle Kraken are signing one of the AHL’s best, getting forward Andrew Poturalski on a two-year, one-way deal, per his agency Bartlett Hockey. Poturalski is coming off of a Calder Cup championship with the Chicago Wolves.
The 28-year-old undrafted forward may have only four NHL games to his name, but make no mistake: this is one of the deadliest scorers the AHL has to offer. Forming a lethal partnership with Stefan Noesen, Poturalski scored 28 goals and 101 points in just 71 games and topped that regular-season brilliance off with 23 points in 19 playoff games. This year wasn’t a fluke, either, as Poturalski has been a highly productive player for the majority of his AHL career.
By signing in Seattle, Poturalski has secured a starring role on the AHL’s newest team, the Coachella Valley Firebirds. In signing Poturalski, the Firebirds have made a major splash and signed the player who is likely to lead them in scoring. Coach Dan Bylsma now has a top-of-the-lineup scoring threat and this signing is indicative of the Kraken organization’s desire to give their AHL affiliate all the tools they need to have a strong first season.
Claude Giroux To Sign With Ottawa Senators
12:53 pm: The team has indeed signed Giroux to a three-year deal worth $19.5MM in total. Giroux will earn $7MM in the first two years of the deal and $5.5MM in year 3.
11:03 am: TSN’s Pierre LeBrun is reporting that the Ottawa Senators have signed veteran forward Claude Giroux to a three-year contract carrying a cap hit of $6.5MM.
Giroux, 34, had never played for an NHL team other than the Philadelphia Flyers before this season. A deadline deal, one that was highly influenced by his no-movement clause, took him to the Florida Panthers, where he managed to show he can still be a top-end offensive player. With the goal-happy Panthers, he scored 23 points in 18 games down the stretch and then was still effective in the playoffs, even if Florida’s offense dried up in other areas.
Now, as he enters free agency, it isn’t a return to Philadelphia but a homecoming of another sort. Though originally from Hearst, Giroux and his family moved to Ottawa when he was still just a teenager, giving him the chance to go to high school in the area and play high-level minor hockey. Originally passed over in the OHL draft, he would eventually find himself joining the QMJHL’s Gatineau Olympiques, just across the river. In three seasons for Gatineau, he recorded 399 points, including a franchise-record 51 in 19 playoff games during the 2007-08 season.
His No. 28 is now retired by the Olympiques, and if the deal with Ottawa is completed, he’ll get a chance to wear it in front of the home crowd once again (if Connor Brown will give it up, at least).
Though he isn’t the MVP-caliber player of his youth, Giroux’s addition to the Senators lineup would be substantial. He and DeBrincat instantly legitimize a forward group that was previously considered young, talented, but unproven, and make them a force to be reckoned with. While there are still holes on the roster, Ottawa is making a case as a real contender in the Atlantic Division.
Montreal Canadiens Sign Three Players
The Montreal Canadiens are getting some organizational defensive depth in the form of Madison Bowey, Mitchell Stephens, and Anthony Richard. The team lost their AHL affiliate’s number-one defenseman, Xavier Ouellet, to the Pittsburgh Penguins, and another important depth contributor in Laurent Dauphin to the Arizona Coyotes.
In Ouellet’s place comes Bowey, who spent most of last season on the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks. Bowey, 27, brings speed and a solid transitional game but has never been able to put together his intriguing tools into a more complete game. He had 28 points in 53 games and should play a top-four role in Laval next season.
Stephens, 25, was the 33rd overall pick at the 2015 draft. He spent 2021-22 playing for the GM that drafted him, Steve Yzerman, in Detroit. Stephens struggled in Detroit, with zero goals and six assists in 27 games, and he went unqualified by the team. Stephens is signing in Montreal likely for an AHL role, and he’s proven himself to be a capable AHL center. The Peterborough, Ontario native had eight points in 4 four games in his last bit of AHL action and has shown enough talent to be penciled into Dauphin/Cedric Paquette‘s now-vacated top-of-the-lineup role in Laval.
Richard, also 25, signs with Montreal as another capable AHL-er. Richard had 26 points in 40 games for the Syracuse Crunch last season and had 12 points in 31 games for the Milwaukee Admirals. Richard is an undersized forward with a resume of decent goal-scoring ability at the AHL level and should be a useful middle-six contributor in Laval.
The Athletic’s Rick Dhaliwal was first on Bowey’s deal.
Nashville Predators Sign Three Players
Sportsnet’s Pat Steinberg is reporting that former Calgary Flames defender Kevin Gravel is heading to the Nashville Predators organization on a two-year deal. The team will also add AHL Defenseman of the Year Jordan Gross on a two-year deal, according to his agency Bartlett Hockey. Lastly, a third minor-league defenseman joins Nashville in Roland McKeown, who Chris Johnston reports signed a two-year deal.
The first player signed, Gravel, is a big defender with a wealth of professional experience. He has 109 NHL games to his name and has occupied a priority call-up role for the past several seasons. This past season Gravel spent the year with the AHL’s Stockton Heat, registering 14 points in 59 games. Gravel ranked third on the Heat in average time-on-ice per game and saw heavy usage on the team’s penalty kill. That should be the sort of role Gravel plays in the Nashville organization, serving as an important AHL defensive defenseman as well as a safe call-up option in case they run into major injury issues.
The second player is undrafted Notre Dame product Gross, the AHL’s reigning defenseman of the year. Gross is an undersized defenseman who has excelled as an offensive blueliner at the AHL level. He had 65 points in 61 games and 10 points in nine playoff games. Gross operated as the Colorado Eagles’ number-one defenseman and saw significant time on both the power play and penalty kill. If he’s paired with Gravel, he should have even more freedom to act as an offensive generator and could have an even better AHL year than the brilliant one he just finished.
The final signing, Roland McKeown, also comes from the Colorado Eagles, where he played after spending 2020-21 in the SHL. McKeown was the Eagles’ number-four defenseman and featured heavily on their penalty kill. A similar role for him as an AHL top-four defenseman and penalty kill anchor is likely in store for him with the Milwaukee Admirals.
Pittsburgh Penguins Sign Dustin Tokarski
The Pittsburgh Penguins have effectively moved on from the legend of Louis Domingue, signing former Buffalo Sabre Dustin Tokarski to serve as their third-string netminder. The contract is a one-year, one-way deal worth $775,000.
Tokarski, 32, has spent most of his professional career as a quality third goalie and should be able to handle that role successfully in Pittsburgh. Tokarski is actually coming off of perhaps the most successful tenure of his career, as he’s played in more NHL games in Buffalo than on any other stop in his career. Tokarski, taking advantage of an unsettled situation in net in Buffalo, played 29 games in 2021-22, posting an .899 save percentage. That’s not an elite number, there were games where Tokarski certainly looked like an NHL goalie.
This will be Tokarski’s second tour of duty with the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins, the team he played with in 2019-20. He had a .924 save percentage in 18 games there, and that memory was likely fresh in the Wilkes-Barre Scranton management’s mind when they made this deal. In all likelihood, Tokarski will take the role of starting goalie for the Penguins’ AHL affiliate and be able to provide competent backup goaltending in case he’s needed in Pittsburgh.
Calgary Flames Sign Nicolas Meloche, Dennis Gilbert
TVA’s Renaud Lavoie reports the Calgary Flames have signed defenseman Nicolas Meloche to a one-year, $950,000 deal. He isn’t the only depth defenseman they’ll add though, as Dennis Gilbert is also on his way there with a two-year, one-way contract according to his agency.
Meloche, 24, spent most of last season with the San Jose Sharks, getting into 50 games as well as 10 for the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda. Meloche averaged 16:53 time-on-ice per game on a bad San Jose squad and even got some time on the team’s penalty kill unit.
The former QMJHL star defenseman came to the Sharks organization through a 2019 trade, and worked his way from reliable AHL defenseman to NHL priority call-up. It’s unlikely that the Flames rely on Meloche as heavily as the Sharks did, but he could fit in nicely as the team’s seventh defenseman, maybe even seeing bottom-pairing minutes in the roles vacated by Erik Gudbranson and Nikita Zadorov’s departures.
Gilbert, 25, was a third-round pick at the 2015 draft and spent 2021-22 manning the blueline for the Colorado Eagles of the AHL. Gilbert had 23 points in 52 games and has 25 games of NHL experience to his name. The big six-foot-two, 216-pound native of Buffalo, New York should help improve the Flames’ organizational depth and could maybe provide a few games at the NHL level on injury fill-in duty.
Sergachev, Cirelli, Cernak Sign Eight-Year Extensions In Tampa
Defenseman Mikhail Sergachev is staying in Tampa for nine more years. He’s signed an eight-year extension which will kick in for the 2023-24 season, per his agent Dan Milstein. TSN’s Chris Johnston reports the cap hit is $8.5MM.
That’s not it. Anthony Cirelli has also signed an eight-year extension with the team, this time worth $6.25MM per season according to Bob McKenzie of TSN. The semi-retired insider didn’t stop there. Erik Cernak has also inked an eight-year extension. His will be worth $5.2MM per season.
The team has now confirmed all three deals.
Sergachev was the first extension, and it’s a massive one. The Russian defender made an immediate impact after his trade from the Montreal Canadiens, authoring an impressive 40-point rookie year. Since then, Sergachev has been an important all-around defenseman for the Lightning during their Stanley Cup runs and is now being rewarded for it. Sergachev scored 7 goals and 38 points this season and has scored around that rate for most of his NHL career. Sergachev played 22:28 minutes per night last season and saw time on both the Lightning’s power play and penalty kill.
At max term and an $8.5MM AAV, the Lightning are banking on additional improvements from Sergachev. Sergachev is a great player right now, but $8.5MM is the sort of price tag typically assigned to lineup-anchoring number-one defensemen. Sergachev is now making more than his Norris Trophy-winning teammate, Victor Hedman, and only $500K less than the reigning Norris Trophy winner, Cale Makar. The Lightning are paying Sergachev like a number-one defenseman, and now it’s up to him to back up their faith with his play on the ice.
The second extension announced was one for Cirelli. Cirelli, who is just about to turn 25, is among the top defensive players in all of hockey. He has two top-five Selke Trophy finishes on his resume and helps the Lightning kill penalties. He’s also an important secondary scorer, with 17 goals and 43 points. Another top-of-the-line defensive center, Phillip Danault, was signed last season on a long-term deal with a $5.5MM AAV. Cirelli’s deal is in the same range as that contract.
Finally, we have the extension for Cernak. Cernak came to Tampa Bay as part of a heist of a trade, getting him from the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for Ben Bishop, who played only seven games in Los Angeles. Cernak has been a stay-at-home, physical top-four defenseman for the Lightning, a player who has admirably handled every challenge thrown to him by coach Jon Cooper. Cernak averaged 2:48 time on ice short-handed last season and was successful in that crease-clearing role. There’s not much offense to Cernak’s game, but the Lightning are very familiar with him and have ensured that so far highly successful marriage is extended.
On the back of all this positive news, BriseBois also announced some unfortunate as well. Joe Smith of The Athletic tweets that Cirelli and defenseman Zach Bogosian underwent shoulder surgery and will be out for the next four to six months, missing the start of the year.
Vladislav Namestnikov Returns To Tampa Bay Lightning
Per his agent, Dan Milstein, former Tampa Bay Lightning draftee Vladislav Namestnikov is returning to his first team on a one-year deal. The deal is worth $2.5MM, per the official team announcement.
Namestnikov was a first-round pick of the Lightning at the 2011 draft. Namestnikov last played in Tampa Bay in the 2017-18 season before being sent to the New York Rangers in the Ryan McDonagh blockbuster trade. Since that trade, Namestnikov has been a bit of a journeyman, with stints in Ottawa, Colorado, Detroit, and Dallas.
This past season, Namestnikov was a decent bottom-sixer for the Detroit Red Wings before being sent to the Dallas Stars in exchange for a third-rounder at the deadline. Combining his time with both teams, Namestnikov finished 2021-22 with 30 points in 80 games. That’s about what can be expected from Namestnikov, who has experience as both a center and a winger.
The Lightning are familiar with him and are trying to re-capture the Stanley Cup after losing to the Colorado Avalanche in the Stanley Cup Final. Adding Namestnikov to their bottom-six gives coach Jon Cooper a reliable, versatile option to deploy in all situations and one that should help cover for the departure of Ondrej Palat.