San Jose Sharks Sign James Reimer
The San Jose Sharks have brought back a familiar face to their goalie situation. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that they’ve inked former netminder James Reimer to serve with new acquisition Adin Hill. It’s a three-year deal paying him $2.25MM per season.
Just like that, it’s a new day in net for the Sharks. Gone are the days of struggling starter Martin Jones and a series of backups unable to push him. The goal now belongs to young Hill and reliable veteran backup Reimer. Reimer will push for starts against the former Coyote, who himself has only even been a backup. The competition, which has been missing in San Jose of later, could spur both keepers to play at the top of their games.
For those who have forgotten, Reimer was nothing short of amazing in his first stint with the Sharks, recording a .938 save percentage and 1.62 GAA in 2015-16 after coming over from the Toronto Maple Leafs at the trade deadline. Considerable time has passed since then, but Reimer has been a very solid backup for the Florida Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes in the years since, playing far more than a typical backup as well, and should continue to provide reliable play in San Jose.
Toronto Maple Leafs Sign Michael Bunting
TSN’s Bob McKenzie reports that the Toronto Maple Leafs have come to an agreement with forward Michael Bunting. It’s a two-year deal with a cap hit of $900,000 for the Toronto area native.
Bunting, 25, timed his late-season breakout with the Arizona Coyotes nicely with his impending Group 6 free agency, turning it into a contract with his hometown team. Bunting recorded a whopping 10 goals and 13 points in just 21 games with the ‘Yotes once cracking the lineup. While it seemed that Arizona was intent on re-signing him, other teams took notice including the Maple Leafs and Bunting decided to move on.
His contract is still reflective of his limited NHL experience, Bunting has the chance to turn this short-term pact with Toronto into a substantial raise the next time around. The cap-strapped Leafs will very likely insert the young scorer into their top-nine where he can benefit from playing alongside some of their superstar forwards to put up big numbers.
Vegas Golden Knights Sign Laurent Brossoit
TSN’s Darren Dreger is reporting that the Vegas Golden Knights have found their backup goalie. Laurent Brossoit is headed to the Golden Knights on a two-year deal with a cap hit of $2.325MM. The British Columbia native maintains his Western Conference status, now joining his third NHL team.
Brossoit, 28, has had a bit of an up-and-down career on an every-other-year basis. While this could easily be a fluke, history would at least project that Brossoit is due for a down year in his debut campaign with Vegas. That could be problematic, as starter Robin Lehner is not exactly known for his dependability either. Having given Brossoit a sizeable raise despite their lack of cap space, the Knights certainly hope that he can shake this trend and be the reliable backstop to Lehner that they need him to be.
Brossoit is no Marc-Andre Fleury, but at his best he has had some strong seasons for a backup. In 2018-19, Brossoit recorded a .925 save percentage in a career-high 21 appearances for the Winnipeg Jets. In 2016-17, he posted a .928 save percentage and 1.99 GAA for the Edmonton Oilers. This past season, Brossoit recorded his lowest goals against average in a full NHL season at 2.42.
Dominik Simon Returning To Pittsburgh Penguins
Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli is reporting that the Pittsburgh Penguins have brought back former member Dominik Simon on a one-year contract. The team has confirmed that is is a two-way deal for the depth forward worth $750K at the NHL level.
Free agents reuniting with their old teams has been a minor theme of the day and Simon is no different. The 26-year-old forward was a Penguins draft pick in 2015, came up through the system, and had put together back-to-back 20+ point campaigns for the team heading into the last off-season. He then made the unwise decision (in retrospect) to leave Pittsburgh in pursuit of a greater role. He found the exact opposite with the Calgary Flames, playing in just 11 games and recording zero points. Simon was not extended a qualifying offer from Calgary as a result.
This reunion thus makes perfect sense for both sides. Even under a new administration, the cap-strapped Penguins understand that Simon can step back into the lineup and produce with familiar teammates in a familiar system all while playing at the lowest cap number possible. This will be invaluable to a team that was largely inactive today due to their limited cap space and, barring a trade, won’t be able to make a big free agent addition this summer. Meanwhile, Simon sees a Penguins roster that has lost Jared McCann and Brandon Tanev up front and will have top-nine openings all season. Simon could be in for another strong season that could finally result in the pay day that he has been looking for.
Andrew Cogliano Signs In San Jose
San Jose Hockey Now’s Sheng Peng reports that the San Jose Sharks have brought in free-agent winger Andrew Cogliano. The Sharks will pay him $1MM on a one-year contract. Cogliano, a long-time Anaheim Duck, returns to the Pacific Division after three years with the Dallas Stars.
This could prove to be a shrewd pickup for Sharks, especially at that price point. While Cogliano’s name doesn’t carry as much weight as it once did, much of that is due to the role he was asked to play with the stars. A former “iron man” with the Ducks, Cogliano was one of the most dependable players in the NHL for over a decade, playing every game in each of his first ten seasons without missing a game and consistently producing around 30-40 points. In Dallas, Cogliano’s two-way ability was valued more than his offense, playing a physical, grinding role rather than a top-six scoring role.
Regardless of how San Jose uses him, Cogliano should outplay his $1MM valuation. The veteran forward has over 1,000 games of NHL experience and is a versatile forward who can contribute all over the lineup. He likely will never get back to his old scoring numbers, but put in the right situation he can still contribute on the score sheet while playing solid defense up front. His familiarity with the division certainly won’t hurt either.
Montreal Canadiens Sign David Savard
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that David Savard has signed a four-year deal with the Montreal Canadiens. He’ll be making $3.5MM per season on this contract, which could take him through retirement at age 34 when the deal expires in 2025.
Savard will join the team that his Tampa Bay Lighting just knocked off in the Stanley Cup Final, but more importantly the team from his home province of Quebec. The St. Hyacinthe native is yet another player who signed with his hometown team when the market opened today, though he didn’t exactly offer a hometown discount. The veteran is still a solid defensive defenseman and was highly sought-after at the trade deadline, but once he arrived in Tamp, the career Columbus Blue Jacket failed to make much of an impact. Savard was held scoreless and recorded a team-worst -8 rating in 14 regular season games for the Bolts, leading to a severely limited role in the playoffs of just 14 minutes per night. Montreal has to hope that they get the dependable defender they saw in Columbus over the last decade and not the non-factor from Tampa Bay.
If Savard declines, his contract will hurt the Habs quickly. However, if he returns to form then Savard will be a big help in making up for the long-term and possibly permanent absence of Shea Weber. At his best, Savard can provide the shutdown defense that Montreal has chased in years past with additions like Ben Chiarot and Joel Edmundson. It’s that depth in sound defensive players that allows someone like Jeff Petry or Alexander Romanov to jump into the play as dangerous offensive threats. As Montreal tries to maintain that balance on their blue line, Savard will come in handy.
Boone Jenner Signing Extension With Columbus Blue Jackets
TSN’s Darren Dreger is reporting that the Columbus Blue Jackets are extending forward Boone Jenner. Dreger reports that it’s a multi-year extension for the long-time Columbus depth forward. The Columbus Dispatch’s Brian Hedger reports that deal is a four-year contract with a cap hit of $3.75MM and will kick in at the end of this season.
Jenner, a defensively-minded middle-six forward, can play both center and wing and sits in the prime of his career at age 28. Playing over 500 NHL games, all for Columbus, Jenner will stick around with the Blue Jackets as they continue to navigate a sort of on-the-fly rebuild. Jenner’s a gritty forward who’ll swallow 17 to 18 minutes of ice time a game, a valuable asset in today’s league. While expecting him to repeat his 30-goal campaign from 2015-16 is extremely unlikely, he does carry some offensive upside and can guide some of Columbus’ up-and-coming forwards.
It’s important retention for Columbus. Jenner is a strong faceoff man and he’ll likely continue to post between 20 and 35 points per season for the duration of his next deal. Drafted 37th overall in 2011 by the team, he’s been a reliable contributor over the years and will continue to be an integral part of the team’s emotional core for years to come.
Mikael Granlund Signs Extension With Nashville Predators
The Nashville Predators are signing forward Mikael Granlund to an extension, Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston reports. It’s a four-year contract worth $5MM per season.
Granlund will return to Nashville despite a couple of rough seasons. After multiple 60-point seasons with the Minnesota Wild, he’s yet to reach that level of offense in the Nashville organization after being traded for Kevin Fiala. In fact, he’s scored just 62 points across 130 games with Nashville. There have been many instances of the Predators looking to trade him as well, but for now, Granlund will indeed stay put in the Music City. Granlund’s production jumped slightly this season along with an elevation in minutes, as Granlund could potentially serve as the team’s first-line center in lieu of Ryan Johansen or Matt Duchene. A dip in Granlund’s defensive game this season carries some significant cause for concern, though, as if that pace keeps up, he could become yet another expensive liability in Nashville’s top-six despite them embarking on a rebuild.
However, if Nashville opts to give Johansen or Duchene those first-line minutes, Granlund could still rebound to some good numbers in 2021-22 with some slightly restricted minutes. He still tracks as a capable offensive forward with some finishing ability, despite having some consistency issues over the past few seasons. The $5MM hit could make some fans nervous, but if Granlund is used effectively, it could be a gamble worth making.
Travis Hamonic Re-Signing In Vancouver
The Athletic’s Rick Dhaliwal reports that the Vancouver Canucks will be bringing back defenseman Travis Hamonic. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman says it’s a two-year deal worth $3MM per season.
This always seemed like the most likely outcome for Hamonic, who has previously expressed a desire to play in western Canada and who fit in very nicely in Vancouver this past season. With the defense around him changing dramatically, Hamonic will be one of the few veteran holdovers on the Canucks blue line and with multi-year security should step further into a leadership role for the club.
More so, the 30-year-old showed this year that he still has plenty of gas left in the tank. Always a dependable two-way defender with the New York Islanders, Hamonic’s offense fizzled out during his time in Calgary. However, he recorded ten points in just 38 games with Vancouver this season, an 82-game pace of 22 points which would have been higher than any season he spent with the Flames. Hamonic was also solid defensively, contributing to the penalty kill and finishing second on the team in blocked shots while cutting down on his turnovers. The Canucks did not ask Hamonic to play major minutes this past season and that could continue, but he will still be able to make an impact for the team in key situations.
Luke Glendening Heading To The Dallas Stars
Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports that the Dallas Stars have signed forward Luke Glendening to a two-year deal. The contract comes in at a $1.5MM cap hit and takes him through the 2022-23 season.
It’s the end of an era in Michigan, as Glendening wraps up a nine-year stint with the Detroit Red Wings to begin his NHL career, which was preceded by four seasons at the University of Michigan. The 32-year-old Grand Rapids native has only played in 30 games for teams outside the state since high school, both on minor league loans. Yet, all good things come to an end. Despite holding on to Glendening at the trade deadline, this season and last, despite considerable interest, the Red Wings were unable to retain the veteran.
The Dallas Stars were hoping to improve their team defense this summer and did just that in adding Glendening, one of the most technical, defensive-minded centers in the NHL. Elite at the face-off dot (60.9% this year) and on the penalty kill, Glendening may not play big minutes, but he makes a major impact when he is on the ice. Given his defensive ability, it is surprising that the Stars were able to sign Glendening at such a low number. It is a deal that should be a much-appreciated bargain for the cap-strapped team.