Arizona Coyotes Extend Christian Fischer, Cam Dineen
While seemingly going unqualified today, the Arizona Coyotes have extended right wing Christian Fischer on a one-year contract, according to the team. PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan reports the deal is worth the equivalent of his qualifying offer, coming in at $1,125,875 for the one year. That could suggest Fischer and Arizona agreed to terms before qualifying offers were due today. The team also extended defenseman Cam Dineen on a one-year, two-way deal with undisclosed financial terms.
Drafted in the second round in 2015, Fischer’s development has plateaued in the past few years. While he likely won’t be the high-end middle-six power forward Arizona thought they were drafting, he’s still a decent contributor and, most importantly for Arizona, an experienced NHL player under contract. It helps matters that Fischer’s physical and exciting brand of hockey has endeared him to Coyotes fans, making it certainly a wise business decision to keep him around.
Fischer will be just the eighth Coyotes forward on a one-way contract next season. With Arizona needing to hit the cap floor, they’ll likely throw some money around in free agency to get players some cash that they wouldn’t be able to find anywhere else, but it’s a risky bet on having enough players and enough money. Retaining players like Fischer is crucial for the franchise to survive the next few years on and off the ice.
In 53 games last season, Fischer had five goals in 10 points. He has 84 points in 318 games in the desert.
Dineen 24, registered seven assists in his first 34 NHL games last season. The team’s third-round pick in 2016 figures to be a contender for their seventh defense spot next season and could even lock down a bottom-pairing role.
Colorado Avalanche Sign Valeri Nichushkin To Eight-Year Extension
The Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche are retaining winger Valeri Nichushkin with an eight-year extension. Nichushkin was one of the most valuable two-way wingers hitting unrestricted free agency this offseason. The Athletic’s Peter Baugh reports the contract is worth $49MM in total, or $6.125MM per season through 2029-30.
PuckPedia has the details of the massive extension for Nichushkin:
2022-23: $6MM base, full NMC
2023-24: $7.5MM base, full NMC
2024-25: $8MM base, full NMC
2025-26: $7.3MM base, 12-team NTC
2026-27: $4.8MM base, $1MM SB, 12-team NTC
2027-28: $4.8MM base, 12-team NTC
2028-29: $2.8MM base, $2MM SB, 12-team NTC
2029-30: $2.8MM base, $2MM SB, 12-team NTC
Nichushkin, 27, has spent the last three seasons in Colorado growing into one of the game’s most underrated commodities. Bought out by the Dallas Stars after a goalless 2018-19 season, the 2013 10th overall pick saw his defensive game get recognition with the Avalanche before finally exploding offensively in 2021-22. Nichushkin scored 25 goals and 27 assists for 52 points in 62 games this season, with all of those offensive numbers being career highs.
He’s received Selke Trophy votes each of the past three seasons, a true compliment to just how good he’s been on both sides of the puck since joining Colorado. He really just got a top-six role in earnest for the first time this season, though, averaging 19:02 per game. Nichushkin had never averaged above 15 minutes per night in his career. It’s one of the best career turnaround stories in the league, making the eight-year extension one of the feel-good stories of the offseason.
It’s a monster raise for Nichushkin, who was coming off a two-year deal with just a $2.5MM cap hit. If his 15 points in 20 playoff games is a sign that this level of production from him is sustainable over the next few years, he’ll be well worth the money — especially when considering his defensive prowess.
Next, Colorado and brand-new general manager Chris MacFarland will have to navigate what to do with Nazem Kadri and Andre Burakovsky. While Burakovsky is expected to hit the open market on Wednesday, the certainty of Nichushkin’s cap hit now allows Colorado to try and grind out an extension with Kadri. CapFriendly has Colorado with just under $15MM in projected cap space after the Nichushkin extension.
Dallas Stars Extend Marian Studenic
A waiver claim from this past season is sticking with his new team. The Dallas Stars announced Monday afternoon that the team has signed forward Marian Studenic to a one-year, two-way contract extension. Financial terms are currently unavailable.
The Slovak forward was a fifth-round pick of the New Jersey Devils just five years ago, but he’s already got a handful of NHL experience under his belt at 23. That experience caused him to lose his waiver exemption this season, and after just one goal in 17 games in New Jersey (but 10 points in 13 games with the AHL’s Utica Comets), the Devils lost him on waivers to Dallas when attempting to return him to Utica in February.
Studenic fared better in Texas, scoring a goal and two assists in 16 regular-season games and six points in four games spent in AHL Texas on a conditioning stint. He played in four of Dallas’ seven first-round playoff games as well without registering a point.
Whether Studenic actually plays for Dallas on this contract remains to be seen. The two-way nature of the deal shows a lack of confidence for him to play consistently in an NHL role. If Studenic fails to lock down a spot in training camp or disappoints early in the season, he’ll find himself right back on waivers where another team could pick him up.
Snapshots: Kane, Talbot, Kase
As the league begins to decompress from a busy NHL Draft with some blockbuster news, the Chicago Blackhawks are sure to be in the forefront of many discussions after being one of the most active teams on the market this week. One question that remains to be answered is how their Hall of Fame talent feels about the club’s direction. The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta confirms today that the team will reach out to winger Patrick Kane “in the very near future” to have a conversation about his future with the team.
Both Kane and Jonathan Toews each have just one year remaining on their matching contracts, both carrying a cap hit of $10.5MM. They also both have full say in what the future holds for them in the form of full no-movement clauses. If one or both do end up wanting a trade out of Chicago in order to make another championship run, it makes sense that the Blackhawks would want to know now. The highest value for them will likely be this offseason, as the risk of declining performance could lower their trade value by next year’s deadline.
- There’s some good old-fashioned drama in the State of Hockey. Many believed the Minnesota Wild had reinforced their goaltending situation by re-signing Marc-Andre Fleury to a two-year contract yesterday, but as quotes from general manager Bill Guerin and Cam Talbot‘s agent George Bazos reveal, Talbot may not be entirely happy with the team’s choice to keep Fleury around. Bazos gave a cryptic quote after meeting with Guerin during the third round of today’s draft, saying that Guerin “had a lot to think about.” Guerin countered later, reminding media that Talbot is still under contract, and said that “George can say whatever the hell he wants.” If the relationship turns sour quickly between Talbot and the Wild, it could leave them in an interesting position next season in the crease.
- The deadline for issuing qualifying offers to restricted free agents is July 11, and the Toronto Maple Leafs haven’t made a decision on whether or not to qualify winger Ondrej Kase. Kase is eligible for arbitration, and after producing 27 points in 50 games, the award might be too rich for Toronto’s blood if Kase elects for it. Not issuing a qualifying offer to Kase wouldn’t prevent him from returning to Toronto, but it would make him an unrestricted free agent, and could sign anywhere in the league.
Latest On Filip Forsberg
July 7: The two sides met again this morning, according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, who suggests that the stalemate could end if the Predators were willing to go to $8.5MM per season.
July 6: Filip Forsberg is one of the best potential free agents available in what’s a highly saturated market of star forwards this offseason. He may not hit the open market after all, though, as Nashville Predators general manager David Poile confirmed today that the two sides are getting closer on a deal, calling it the team’s “number one goal” to sign him.
Poile also informed reporters that Forsberg desires a no-movement clause in his contract. That’s likely a big sticking point of the deal, as Poile is notoriously stingy with handing out any form of trade protection. Only one Nashville player, captain Roman Josi, has a no-movement clause.
If Forsberg is off the market, all focus will be on Johnny Gaudreau for teams looking to add an All-Star-caliber winger to their lineup. While Calgary is pushing hard to reach an extension with the winger before July 13, it doesn’t seem nearly as close to being done as Forsberg’s deal is.
Forsberg is Nashville’s all-time leader in goals with 202. Multiple reports over the past few weeks have suggested the deal is likely to fall in the $8MM range, a fair value for the three-time 30-goal scorer who’s now consistently floating around a point per game. After signing him and acquiring Ryan McDonagh from Tampa Bay, the team would still have roughly $10MM in cap space to work with and no other big contracts to re-sign, making them a dark horse candidate to be active in free agency if Poile so chooses.
West Notes: Kaprizov, Keith, Jets Prospects
Concerns continue to rise about the availability of Russian players to NHL teams next season. One player who’s come into focus today due to a variety of conflicting reports is Kirill Kaprizov, who Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin confirmed today is still in Russia despite rumors stating he had returned to the United States. In response to reports this morning that Kaprizov is currently wanted in Russia for buying a false military ID card five years ago, Guerin said the following:
We’re not going to push the panic button or anything like that. We’re just trying to gather information right now and find out if this is even credible.
Kaprizov is one of the multiple players whose situations are in limbo, exacerbated by the fact their KHL rights are held by CSKA Moscow, a Russian army-owned team. Russo notes that in the past, CSKA players have been exempt from military service, but this is an informal and non-codified rule. In addition, Kaprizov’s exemption from mandatory military service via a studentship in a Russian organization expired at the end of June. Very little is confirmed about the situation, but it’s a significant development that bears watching over the course of the offseason as it pertains to Kaprizov’s availability to the Wild next season.
- The Edmonton Oilers will get some clarity soon on the playing future of defenseman Duncan Keith, who could potentially decide to retire with one season remaining on his contract carrying a $5.54MM cap hit. General manager Ken Holland noted that he’d spoken to Keith twice in the past few weeks and that he’s requested an answer by this Saturday. That gives the Oilers a brief window of time ahead of free agency to work out replacement plans for Keith if he retires. The 38-year-old defenseman would not inflict a cap penalty on the Oilers if he opts to call it a career.
- Winnipeg Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff gave injury updates today on a pair of important Jets prospects. Cole Perfetti, who suffered an upper-body injury in mid-February, has just started skating again and is not cleared to participate in the 2022 World Junior Championship for Team Canada. Additionally, 2021 first-rounder Chaz Lucius, who underwent ankle surgery after suffering a late-season injury with the University of Minnesota, won’t participate for the United States.
Minnesota Wild Extend Jacob Middleton
The Minnesota Wild and defenseman Jacob Middleton have come to terms on a three-year contract extension, per the team. The contract carries a cap hit of $2.45MM, a hefty raise for the now-signed restricted free agent.
Middleton played in his first full NHL season this past year at 26 years old. A seventh-round pick of the Los Angeles Kings in 2014, the 6′ 3″, 219-lb defenseman forced his way into the San Jose Sharks lineup this past season with a needed brand of physicality and impressive defensive results. It allowed the Sharks to net some solid value in return when they dealt him the Wild at this year’s Trade Deadline. Down the stretch, Middleton had five points in 21 regular-season games, averaging 17:55 per game. He added an assist in six playoff games.
Overall, Middleton’s netted four goals, 13 assists, and 17 points in 80 NHL games so far, with 14 of those points and 66 of those games coming this season.
Minnesota acquired him with the main intent of being tougher to play against, and the acquisition achieved that goal. His defensive play is a really nice byproduct too, and while his ceiling likely isn’t much higher than his current production, that $2.4MM cap hit is a decent value if his defensive game continues at its current level.
Columbus Blue Jackets Extend Adam Boqvist
The Columbus Blue Jackets are keeping pending restricted free agent defenseman Adam Boqvist around for three more seasons, per the team. The deal has a total value of $7.8MM and an average annual value of $2.6MM, taking him through the 2024-25 season.
General manager Jarmo Kekalainen gave the following statement on Boqvist’s extension:
Adam is a talented, mobile defenseman with the ability and creativity to provide offense from the blueline. Despite some injuries, he had a very good first season with our club at the age of 21 and as he gets bigger and stronger, we believe he has the potential to be a very impactful player in this league.
Losing time to those aforementioned injuries, Boqvist finished the 2021-22 season — his first in Columbus — with 11 goals, 11 assists, and 22 points in 55 games. In his third NHL season, Boqvist achieved a career-high in goals, points, and ice time (17:03). Over those three seasons, he’s played 128 games split between Chicago and Columbus and has 17 goals, 34 assists, and 51 points.
Overall, it’s been a solid start to Boqvist’s career, who Chicago selected eighth overall in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. Columbus acquired Boqvist, along with a 2021 first-round pick (used on Cole Sillinger), a 2022 first-round pick (sixth overall), and a 2021 second-round pick (flipped to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for Jake Bean) in the massive Seth Jones trade prior to last year’s draft.
The 21-year-old Boqvist still needs to work on improving his defensive game at the NHL level, but he’s shown solid transitional play and offensive zone awareness thus far, earning him the extension. In all likelihood, he’ll be slotting into a top-four role in Columbus next season.
Latest On John Klingberg
The Dallas Stars are looking to be active this offseason after bringing Peter DeBoer in as their new head coach, and multiple reports suggest Dallas is full-steam ahead on trying to stay in contention with this core. However, it seems they’ll now be doing that without defenseman John Klingberg, who Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports is heading to the free-agent market without “an avenue forward at the moment to keep him in Dallas.”
With the Pittsburgh Penguins all but certainly reaching an agreement to retain Kris Letang, Klingberg is undoubtedly the highest-quality defenseman for bidders looking to add this offseason. There’s some solid depth in the form of players like Ben Chiarot, Josh Manson, Nick Leddy, and Nikita Zadorov, but none have the ability to score 45-plus points like Klingberg.
He did have a bit of a rough 2021-22 campaign, though, likely limiting any contract he signs from exceeding the $7-8MM mark annually. While he did have a respectable 47 points in 71 games, he had the worst defensive season of his career with a -28 rating and a 49.7% Corsi for at even strength. It was his first season under the 50% Corsi mark since 2016-17.
Dallas has Miro Heiskanen ready to assume his role at the top of the depth chart, and it seems they’ll be able to reallocate Klingberg’s previous $4.25MM cap hit to improve their depth at all positions. The Stars have a projected $18.5MM in cap room per CapFriendly, but new contracts are also in order for Jason Robertson and Jake Oettinger. Even without Klingberg back in the fold, they’ll likely only have about $5-7MM worth of space to spend in free agency.
Klingberg will have a fair amount of suitors come July 13.
NHL Announces 2022-23 Regular Season Schedule
The news continues to break during what’s been a busy pre-draft week. The NHL has released the full 82-game schedule for the 2022-23 campaign, marking a return to normal dates and length for the first time since 2018-19.
2022-23 will see its curtains open overseas, where the San Jose Sharks and Nashville Predators will open the season at the O2 Arena in Prague, Czechia on October 7 and 8, 2022. The regular season will begin on the North American side of the Atlantic Ocean on Tuesday, October 11, 2022, with a classic doubleheader. The puck will drop at Madison Square Garden for an Eastern Conference Final rematch between the Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Rangers, followed by a Pacific Division showdown in Southern California between the Vegas Golden Knights and Los Angeles Kings.
The Colorado Avalanche Stanley Cup banner-raising ceremony will be the following night at home against the Chicago Blackhawks. The season will wrap up on April 13, 2023.
Some key events throughout the season include the 2022 Global Series in Tampere, Finland, where the Avalanche and Columbus Blue Jackets will play a pair of games on November 4 and 5, 2022. The 2023 Discover NHL Winter Classic is slated for January 2, 2023, between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Boston Bruins at Fenway Park, and the 2023 NHL Stadium Series is set for February 18, 2023, in Raleigh, North Carolina, where the Hurricanes will host the Washington Capitals. All-Star Weekend will be February 3-4, 2023, hosted by the Florida Panthers.