Seattle Kraken Sign Kole Lind
The Seattle Kraken continue to make moves today, now signing expansion draft selection Kole Lind. CapFriendly reports that Lind accepted his qualifying offer, giving him a one-year two-way deal worth $874,125 at the NHL level and $70,000 at the minor league level.
Lind, a 2017 second-round selection by the Vancouver Canucks, will continue his development with the Kraken organization after they selected him in the expansion draft. Lind got his first taste of NHL action this season, going pointless in a seven-game stint with Vancouver. But what those numbers don’t show is his quick scoring development at the minor league level. Lind had somewhat of a breakout season for the Utica Comets in 2019-20, his second professional season, posting 44 points (14 goals) in 61 games. And while Lind didn’t play much this year as he served a decent portion of the season on Vancouver’s taxi squad, he did score eight points in just eight AHL contests.
Due to Seattle’s deep forward group, a return to the AHL (now with the Charlotte Checkers) is likely for Lind, especially with the team’s signing of Marcus Johansson today. However, Lind’s development over the past few seasons shows extreme promise, and he could be a long-term middle-six piece as the Kraken continue to take shape.
Arizona Coyotes Sign Bokondji Imama For One Year
The Arizona Coyotes have inked a recent trade acquisition, as the team announced a one-year deal today for forward Bokondji Imama. The deal is a two-way contract, and Craig Morgan reports that it’s worth $750,000 at the NHL level and $100,000 at the AHL level.
Imama is inking a deal to join this third NHL organization since being drafted. A bruising, physical winger who’s had some scoring success in the past, Imama was originally drafted in the sixth round by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2015. He was dealt to the Los Angeles Kings organization before ever playing a pro game for Tampa, and that’s where he’s spent time before a minor-league swap of players this summer sent him to the desert. Imama’s used his four seasons in the Ontario Reign organization to slowly develop his offensive game while maintaining a physical presence, and he had a career-best 14 points in 31 games this past year.
Imama will inevitably suit up for the Tucson Roadrunners this season, but it’s not inconceivable that Imama will someday suit up for the Coyotes. His physicality could be appealing for a team that will be on the rise in a few years, and Imama could see some more scoring opportunities this year with a depleted Arizona Coyotes depth chart. Increased confidence this season and some scoring development could help ensure that he stays with the organization.
Boston Bruins Re-Sign Callum Booth
The Boston Bruins have solidified their goaltending depth chart, re-signing goalie Callum Booth today. PuckPedia reports that it’s a one-year, two-way deal for the netminder, worth $750,000 with $70,000 in minor league pay.
Playing in just two games last season at any level, Booth hasn’t found much certainty throughout his playing career. Drafted in the fourth round by the Carolina Hurricanes in 2015, he’s spent the majority of his professional career playing in the ECHL but has received extended looks at the AHL level in the past. Boston’s lost all of Tuukka Rask, Jaroslav Halak, and Daniel Vladar from their goaltending depth chart this offseason, but they’ve offset the loss with the signings of Linus Ullmark and Troy Grosenick. With that being said, there’s likely some more opportunity for Booth to get looks at the AHL level, but he’ll be battling it out with Kyle Keyser for the backup role in Providence behind Grosenick.
Booth looks to get more playing time, though, regardless of where he’s playing. With certainty returning to all leagues in North America, Booth could reprise a starting role in the ECHL, possibly with the Maine Mariners, Boston’s affiliate. If not, it could potentially be another season of riding the bench for Booth, who provides more limited upside compared to Keyser.
Utica Comets Bring In Kevin Dineen As Head Coach
With the NHL’s coaching carousel coming to a grinding halt, many big names will be taking coaching jobs over the next few weeks. Kevin Dineen is one of these names, as the Utica Comets announced today that he’ll be the third head coach in team history for the New Jersey Devils AHL affiliate.
Dineen has been in headlines all offseason long, as the 57-year-old was reportedly in talks to become the first head coach in Seattle Kraken history. It didn’t pan out, and he’ll now be a head coach in the AHL for the third straight season. Dineen was let go by the Anaheim Ducks organization last season after serving as the head coach of their affiliate in San Diego for two years.
It’s Dineen’s fourth head coaching job. Soon after retiring from the NHL, he transitioned to a front-office role and parlayed that into his first head coaching job with the AHL’s Portland Pirates. He lasted six seasons there, coaching from 2005 to 2011, before coaching the Florida Panthers from 2011 to 2014. He then served for an extended period of time as an assistant with the Chicago Blackhawks before taking the head coach role with San Diego in 2019.
Dineen will oversee a roster in Utica that could contain a few very key pieces to New Jersey’s future, including Alexander Holtz, Nolan Foote, and Kevin Bahl. The Devils hope his harder-nosed style translates to success on the ice in Utica.
Minor Transactions: 08/05/21
The NHL’s having its biggest news day in a while today, as top stories include the New Jersey Devils’ acquisition of Tomas Tatar as well as clarity on future salary cap increases. And while it’s a banner day for the NHL news cycle, the rest of the hockey world is making some noise too. Every move made has some form of ripple effect, and that’s evident more in no other place than a list of minor transactions. Today is no different.
- Per CapFriendly, the Calgary Flames are inviting enforcer Alex Gallant to their training camp on a professional try-out. Gallant, who carries no relation to New York Rangers coach Gerard Gallant, is somewhat of a minor league journeyman. Never drafted, he’s only tallied more than 10 points in a season once at any level. His willingness to fight and leadership in the room is what’s kept his career alive, and the Flames have taken notice. Gallant’s actually spent the last two seasons in the Calgary organization, playing a combined 61 games with the AHL’s Stockton Heat. He’s put up 10 points and 171 penalty minutes across those two years, and a return to Stockton is likely for Gallant if he gets an NHL contract out of the experience.
- Also broken by CapFriendly today, netminder Evan Fitzpatrick has been invited to attend the Florida Panthers’ camp on a PTO. It’s actually certain that Fitzpatrick will spend time within the Panthers organization next season, after the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers inked him to an AHL deal on August 2. Fitzpatrick, who’s a former second-round pick of the St. Louis Blues, was left unqualified this summer after he struggled to get consistent playing time in any league over the past few seasons. And while his numbers have been largely unimpressive since turning pro, Fitzpatrick did post a .930 save percentage last season in a small sample size with the AHL’s Utica Comets. He’ll now take his talents to the Southeast, where there’s still hope for the 23-year-old goalie.
- Perhaps the most unlikely netminder to see NHL action this season, goalie Michael Houser has re-signed with the Rochester Americans on a one-year AHL contract. As Buffalo’s top four netminders in Linus Ullmark, Carter Hutton, Dustin Tokarski, and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen were all out with injury at the end of this season, Houser got the call-up to the big show. Playing in four contests, he played admirably, posting a .901 save percentage and a 2-2-0 record. The seasoned AHL veteran will likely be a mentor to Luukkonen in Rochester next season, but more NHL action seems unlikely for Houser.
New Jersey Devils Re-Sign A.J. Greer
The New Jersey Devils have added their name to the list of teams making transactions today. PuckPedia reports that the team’s re-signed forward A.J. Greer to a one-year, two-way deal. It pays $750,000 at the NHL level and $130,000 at the minor-league level.
Greer joined the Devils organization this year by way of trade. He was part of the package sent to the team by the New York Islanders in the deadline deal that sent Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac the other way. It was a blessing in disguise for Greer, who had an extremely slow offensive start in the AHL with just two points in 10 games for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. After the trade and subsequent assignment to Binghamton, Greer performed spectacularly with 14 points in just 16 games.
While it may not ever translate to the NHL level, as Greer’s now aged 24, there’s still some possible upside left in the former second-round pick. He’s a reliable body that can be used as a call-up in the case of injury and is a reliable producer at the minor-league level who can help assist young talent that the Devils are trying to develop. While he may not be in the organization’s long-term plans, it’s still a good idea to re-sign him for one year.
Travis Boyd Signs With Arizona Coyotes
The Arizona Coyotes signed free agent forward Travis Boyd to a one-year contract, the team tweeted today. Craig Morgan reports that the contract is one-way in nature, and his agent, Ben Hankinson, reports that the deal comes with a cap hit of $750,000.
Boyd, now 27 years old, has yet to truly become a regular in any NHL lineup. With that being said, he’s generally impressed when given the chance. He’s now scored ten points in the NHL for three consecutive seasons, including a 20-point campaign with the Washington Capitals in 2018-19. After impressing again with the Toronto Maple Leafs early in the season (eight points in 20 games), he was picked up by the Vancouver Canucks on waivers, where his game stagnated with just two goals in 19 games.
Boyd will likely be reprising a fourth-line/extra forward role with the Coyotes, but, if he recaptures his offensive touch, could potentially work his way up into third-line minutes and a regular job. It’s a grim outlook for goal-scoring in Arizona, and he could edge out the more defensive-minded Johan Larsson and Jay Beagle for added minutes. How consistently Boyd is able to perform remains to be seen, but it’s a low-risk, solid bet signing for Bill Armstrong and the Coyotes.
New York Rangers Re-Sign Adam Huska
The New York Rangers are bringing back a familiar face to their goaltending depth chart. CapFriendly reports that the team has re-signed netminder Adam Huska to a one-year, two-way deal for the 2021-22 season. It pays $750,000 in NHL salary and $80,000 in minors salary.
Huska, who hails from Zvolen, Slovakia, re-signs with the only NHL organization he’s ever known. Now 24 years of age, Huska was drafted by the Rangers in the seventh round of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. Huska’s spent most of his development playing in North America, including a three-year stint with the University of Connecticut. He’s only spent the last two full seasons playing professionally in the Rangers organization, though, and that’s not counting a pre-season loan this season to Huska’s hometown team.
Despite not putting up spectacular numbers at the AHL level, Huska’s showed signs of promise at the ECHL level with the Maine Mariners and overseas. However, if Huska does want a long-term shot with the Rangers, he’ll likely need to demonstrate solid improvement at the AHL level this season in Hartford. If not, he runs the risk of not being qualified by the team when he’s a restricted free agent again next season. There’s still upside in his game, and could eventually challenge for NHL starts, but he’ll need to give the Rangers a reason to believe sooner rather than later.
Carolina Hurricanes Sign Veteran Derek Stepan
The Carolina Hurricanes announced today they’ve signed Derek Stepan to a one-year contract. It’ll pay him $1.35MM and give Stepan at least one more try at a championship in the NHL.
Stepan, a veteran of 11 seasons and 759 NHL games, will now head to his fourth team in the NHL. After previous stints with the New York Rangers, Arizona Coyotes, and Ottawa Senators, the veteran center attempts to win his first Stanley Cup Championship at age 31 this season. He’s struggled with injuries and declining play in recent seasons, scoring just six points in 20 games in his only season with Ottawa last year. It also marked the lowest ice-time average of his career at 15:04 per night.
Even with a refreshed roster, Stepan likely won’t see any more usage than that with Carolina, who looks to take the next step towards becoming a contender next season. It’ll be a harder sell without defenseman Dougie Hamilton in the fold, but they’re a still a deep team that should be competitive all year long. Stepan likely slots in immediately as the team’s fourth-line center, serving behind Sebastian Aho, Vincent Trocheck, and Jordan Staal. If he can’t rebound offensively this season, or if he faces additional injury issues, it could be his last in the NHL.
St. Louis Blues Re-Sign Dakota Joshua
The St. Louis Blues have announced a one-year extension for restricted free agent forward Dakota Joshua. The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford reports that it’s a two-way deal for Joshua making him the league-minimum $750,000 at the NHL level. The Post-Dispatch’s Jim Thomas further adds that Joshua will be paid $100,000 at the AHL level.
Joshua made his NHL debut this year, getting into 12 contests with the Blues. He tallied his first NHL goal while he was called up, but that was his only point during his short stint. Originally drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the fifth round in 2014, Joshua produced well offensively post-draft at Ohio State University. However, he’s more well-known for his physical brand of play and could be in for a long career in the NHL as a fourth-line forward. Joshua was traded to the Blues on July 12, 2019, for future considerations.
He’s a likely candidate to see some NHL games next season after his previous call-up, but the two-way deal suggests that the team doesn’t envision him making the squad out of camp. He’ll likely start with the Springfield Falcons, the Blues’ AHL affiliate for 2021-22.