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Toronto Maple Leafs Sign Joey Anderson

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed their final restricted free agent, inking Joey Anderson to a three-year contract. The deal is two-way in the first two years and one-way in the third while carrying an average annual value of $750K at the NHL level. Anderson was acquired recently by Toronto in a trade that saw Andreas Johnsson head to the New Jersey Devils.

Though the Johnsson deal was more about clearing some salary cap room for the Maple Leafs, they targeted Anderson as a potential return because he still possesses some NHL upside. The 22-year-old forward was a third-round pick in 2016 and has played in 52 NHL games with the Devils, scoring eight goals and 13 points in limited minutes. Once the captain of Team USA at the World Juniors, he brings a hard-nosed work ethic to win puck battles in the corner and in front of the net.

While Anderson may not possess high-end puck skills like many of the other Maple Leafs forwards, his playstyle could be a potential replacement for Zach Hyman, whose contract expires at the end of this season. Hyman, a Toronto native, has turned himself from mid-round afterthought with the Florida Panthers to multiple 20-goal scorer with the Maple Leafs despite not having outstanding offensive skill or playmaking ability. Scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year, he’ll be the success story that the coaching staff can point to when working with Anderson.

The three-year term may come as a bit of a surprise for a player who likely isn’t going to see full-time NHL action this season, but Anderson was obviously willing to take the security of a multi-year deal. Of course, it’s not only Hyman that is on an expiring contract. The Maple Leafs, in their attempt to make the flat cap work around their huge star contracts, have signed five players—Wayne Simmonds, Jimmy Vesey, Joe Thornton, Jason Spezza and Travis Boyd—to one-year deals. Unless they can repeat that next offseason, they’ll need players like Anderson to step in at league-minimum costs.

Snapshots: HOF, Kraken, Dubois

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The Hockey Hall of Fame will not name a 2021 class, instead deciding to give the entire spotlight to the six people elected in 2020 that have yet to have an induction ceremony. Marian Hossa, Jarome Iginla, Kevin Lowe, Kim St-Pierre, Doug Wilson, and Ken Holland were all supposed to be inducted earlier this year but had their ceremony postponed when the coronavirus pandemic put things on hold. Now, the hall has decided to make sure they get their moment. Chairman Lanny McDonald:

The magic of the induction weekend from the perspective of the new inductees is participating in several days of close interaction with family, friends, former teammates, fellow legends and fans. On that premise, the Board felt that this was the right decision to bestow upon the Class of 2020 the recognition and lifetime experience they so richly deserve in all ways consistent with past induction classes.

With no new 2021 class, the debate regarding players like Alexander Mogilny, Rod Brind’Amour, and Daniel Alfredsson will have to wait another year.

  • The Seattle Kraken have loaded up their scouting department even further, hiring another dozen scouts today. The group is headlined by Robert Kron, who will serve as director of amateur scouting and also includes Mike Dawson, Darren Yopyk, Jeff Crisp, Tom O’Connor, Tony MacDonald, Trevor Steinburg, Thomas Plante, Pelle Eklund, Marcus Fingal, Aleksandr Plyushev, and Sasu Hovi. Seattle is determined to find the best players both in the NHL and abroad as they start on their journey of creating the league’s 32nd team.
  • It may be a long negotiation for the Columbus Blue Jackets and restricted free agents Pierre-Luc Dubois and Vladislav Gavrikov, but GM Jarmo Kekalainen isn’t worried. As he told Aaron Portzline of The Athletic, “if they want to play in the NHL, we have to agree on a contract.” Dubois is arguably the team’s best forward already at age 22, and Gavrikov has grown into a valuable top-four piece for the team. Both players are due substantial raises but don’t have a ton of leverage in this negotiation. Dubois technically could be signed to an offer sheet (while Gavrikov could not), though as Portzline points out, that was likely only a threat near the beginning of free agency, not now.

Arizona Coyotes Renounce Draft Rights Of Mitchell Miller

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October 30: A day later, the University of North Dakota has also decided to drop Miller from their hockey program. In a statement, the school explains that Miller can remain a student at UND if he chooses, but will not be playing hockey.

October 29: The Arizona Coyotes have decided to reconsider their decision to draft Mitchell Miller. Selected 111th overall, Miller was the team’s first pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft after they were without selections in each of the first three rounds. Recently, Mitchell’s 2016 assault conviction for bullying and abusing a Black, developmentally disabled classmate has received widespread attention with reports in The Arizona Republic and The Athletic.

Today, Arizona has decided to renounce the draft rights to Miller. In a statement, Coyotes president Xavier Gutierrez explained:

We have decided to renounce the rights to Mitchell Miller, effective immediately. Prior to selecting Mitchell in the NHL Draft, we were aware that a bullying incident took place in 2016. We do not condone this type of behavior but embraced this as a teachable moment to work with Mitchell to make him accountable for his actions and provide him with an opportunity to be a leader on anti-bullying and anti-racism efforts. We have learned more about the entire matter, and more importantly, the impact it has had on Isaiah and the Meyer-Crothers family. What we learned does not align with the core values and vision for our organization and leads to our decision to renounce our draft rights. On behalf of the Arizona Coyotes ownership and our entire organization, I would like to apologize to Isaiah and the Meyer-Crothers family. We are building a model franchise on and off the ice and will do the right thing for Isaiah and the Meyer-Crothers family, our fans and our partners. Mr. Miller is now a free agent and can pursue his dream of becoming an NHL player elsewhere.

Mitchell’s history was well known before the draft. The 18-year-old defenseman, who is a freshman at the University of North Dakota, sent a letter to every team in the league apologizing for the incident, indicating that he regretted it and had changed his ways. As Aaron Portzline reported for The Athletic, however, that letter did not sway every team, with some “feeling unconvinced of his remorse.”

Recently hired GM Bill Armstrong was not allowed to take part in the Coyotes draft this year because of an agreement with his former employer the St. Louis Blues. He originally indicated that the team would be providing a “second chance” for the young defenseman and hoped he would use the new platform to “raise awareness about bullying and discourage this type of behavior.” Armstrong released a new statement today:

I fully support our decision to renounce Mitchell Miller’s draft rights. It was a unique situation for me not being able to participate in this year’s Draft and we were going through a transition with our scouting department. Mitchell is a good hockey player, but we need to do the right thing as an organization and not just as a hockey team. I’d like to apologize to Isaiah and the Meyer-Crothers family for everything they have dealt with the past few months. I wish them all the best in the future.

Miller is now an unrestricted free agent. Though he can sign with any team, currently doing so would make him ineligible to play at North Dakota.

Vancouver Canucks Re-Sign Guillaume Brisebois

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The Vancouver Canucks are steadily working through their remaining restricted free agents, this time signing one of their minor league defensemen. Guillaume Brisebois has signed a new one-year, two-way contract with the Canucks, though the financial details have not yet been released. Brisebois was not eligible for salary arbitration this offseason.

Brisebois, 23, was a third-round selection of the Canucks back in 2015 but has played just eight games at the NHL level to this point. Instead, the 6’3″ defenseman has spent the last three seasons almost exclusively in the minor leagues with the Utica Comets, where his offensive game never really did develop. Though he’s still valuable depth, it doesn’t look like he’ll ever become a full-time NHL roster player at this point.

The contract for Brisebois leaves just two restricted free agents remaining for GM Jim Benning; Justin Bailey and Jalen Chatfield. Both were actually eligible to file for salary arbitration but decided against it.

Calgary Flames Re-Sign Glenn Gawdin

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October 30: Now that he is signed, the Flames have found a place for Gawdin to play. The team loaned the young forward to EHC Visp Lions in Switzerland for the time being.

October 14: The Calgary Flames have taken care of a little business, signing Glenn Gawdin to a one-year, two-way contract. The deal will carry an NHL salary of $700K, and brings back one of the Flames restricted free agents. Because of his service time limitations, Gawdin was actually not eligible for arbitration (or an offer sheet, though that would have been very unexpected anyway).

Now 23, Gawdin was a fourth-round pick of the St. Louis Blues back in 2015 but actually never signed with the organization. Instead, after going back to junior for several years, he ended up signing with the Flames and has spent the last two years with the Stockton Heat.

Though he hasn’t yet made his NHL debut, it might be coming sooner than you think. The young forward scored 47 points in 53 games for Stockton this year and was included in the return to play group (though failed to make the final 31 players who traveled to the bubble). If his strong play in the minor league continues, Gawdin could be an injury call-up this season for the Flames if they need a little offense inserted into the lineup.

Kyle Burroughs Signs With Colorado Avalanche

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The Colorado Avalanche already nabbed one New York Islanders defenseman this offseason when they traded for and extended Devon Toews, and now they’ve done it again. This time it’s Kyle Burroughs, who the team acquired in exchange for A.J. Greer earlier this month. Burroughs, a restricted free agent, has signed a new one-year contract with the Avalanche. Financial terms have not yet been released.

Not only does Burroughs represent another offseason addition to the organization, but he is also the final restricted free agent to sign for GM Joe Sakic. Vladislav Kamenev, the only other player without a contract, has decided to continue his career in the KHL and signed a two-year deal overseas. That means the Avalanche offseason could potentially be over, especially considering most of their cap space has been eaten up by the new contracts handed out.

Colorado re-signed Andre Burakovsky, Valeri Nichushkin, and Ryan Graves, while bringing in Toews and Brandon Saad from outside the organization. While those may have not been the splashy free agent moves that some were expecting, the Colorado lineup looks intimidating and formidable going into the 2020-21 season.

While that deep roster is fun for the fans, it certainly shouldn’t give Burroughs much hope of making his NHL debut this season. The 25-year-old defenseman has played five seasons in the minor leagues and is likely ticketed for the Colorado Eagles in 2020-21.

Toronto Maple Leafs Sign Michael Hutchinson

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have brought back a familiar face, signing goaltender Michael Hutchinson to a two-year, two-way contract. The deal will carry an average annual value of $725K at the NHL level, making Hutchinson an inexpensive depth option at what has become a crowded position in Toronto.

Maple Leafs fans will certainly be pulling their hair out reading this news, after Hutchinson was basically run out of town for his poor performance last season. The 30-year-old goaltender posted an .886 save percentage in 15 appearances with the Maple Leafs, going 4-9-1 before eventually being shipped to the Colorado Avalanche. Perhaps it’s Colorado where his stock rose again, as Hutchinson was forced into action for the Avalanche during their postseason run and played admirably.

Though Hutchinson now comes to Toronto as the potential fourth option behind starter Frederik Andersen, backup Jack Campbell, and newcomer Aaron Dell, this move does check off a few boxes for the Maple Leafs. First, and likely foremost, Hutchinson would give the team another option should Dell be claimed on waivers if the team ever decided to send him to the minor leagues. Second, Hutchinson will now actually fill the expansion draft requirement for the Maple Leafs if they decide to leave Andersen unsigned and protect Campbell next year. Every team needs to expose at least one goaltender that is signed through the 2021-22 season, something that Andersen and Dell both do not represent.

If the AHL season goes as planned, it will be interesting to see how the Maple Leafs work out playing time though. Dell and Hutchinson are both veterans who could succeed at the minor league level, but the team also has two prospects in Joseph Woll and Ian Scott that will need seasoning. There is the speculation that the NHL may carry a taxi squad or increased rosters due to the COVID-19 protocols, in which point Dell or Hutchinson would be a strong option as a third traveling goaltender.

Alex True Loaned To Rungsted Seier Capital

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The San Jose Sharks have been one of the more active teams in the NHL when loaning out their young players around the world, and today have found another landing spot. Alex True will suit up for Rungsted Seier Capital in his home country of Denmark, loaned to the club until the 2020-21 NHL season begins. True hasn’t played in Denmark since 2014, when he left for the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds.

True, 23, finally made it all the way to the NHL in 2019-20, playing 12 games with the Sharks and recording four points. The 6’5″ forward went undrafted out of the WHL and started his professional career on a minor league contract, only to quickly become one of the most trusted offensive weapons the San Jose Barracuda had. In 2018 he signed his entry-level contract with the Sharks, a deal that has just one year remaining on it.

One of the top players that Denmark has produced in the last few years, True suited up three times for his country at the World Junior Championship, captaining the team in 2017. With some added depth up front in the way of Ryan Donato, Matthew Nieto, and others, the Sharks will have plenty of competition for the last few spots on the roster. True, who is still waiver-exempt, may end up playing most of the year in the minors once again.

Tampa Bay Re-Signs Pat Maroon, Luke Schenn

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October 29 (UPDATE): Maroon may have settled for a below-market deal to stay in Tampa Bay, but he did get some added assurances that he won’t be leaving the Bolts any time soon. CapFriendly reports that Maroon’s contract contains a full No-Trade Clause in 2020-21 and a 16-team trade list in 2021-22. It is worth noting that a full NTC is not equivalent to a No-Movement Clause, so Maroon will not be automatically protected in the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft.

October 29: Weeks after this news broke, the Lightning have officially announced the contracts for both Maroon and Schenn. As originally reported, Maroon has signed a two-year deal with an average annual value of $900K, while Schenn re-ups for one year and $800K. Tampa Bay reportedly waited to formalize the contracts until after the deadline for restricted free agents to accept their qualifying offers, after which the team re-gained some salary cap space. The Bolts still have yet to move out any of the considerable amount of salary they must be rid of in order to sign those RFA’s.

October 9: The Tampa Bay Lightning may end up bringing back some of their Stanley Cup depth, as Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports they are close to re-signing both Pat Maroon and Luke Schenn. Frank Seravalli of TSN tweets that Maroon will sign a two-year deal worth a total of $1.8MM while Schenn will be back on a one-year, $800K deal.

Maroon has been looking for a multi-year deal over the last few offseasons and finally will get a little bit of stability in his career. After winning back-to-back Stanley Cup championships with two different teams, Maroon will stay put in Tampa Bay. His salary though will stay extremely low, giving the Lightning a veteran depth piece for close to the league minimum.

Schenn too is a depth piece that showed he could still fill a certain role, especially for such an inexpensive contract. With Tyler Johnson on waivers and the team looking to trade Braydon Coburn, a little bit of cap space has been freed up to sign these depth players and the Lightning restricted free agents.

Minor Transactions: 10/29/20

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The offseason has slowed to a crawl with just a few arbitration hearings to come and a handful of free agents to sign. With the news that the AHL and some junior leagues are targeting February as a start date, however, things will likely pick up in the way of minor signings. We’ll keep track of the notable ones right here:

  • The Bridgeport Sound Tigers have signed four players, agreeing to terms with Seth Helgeson, Jeff Kubiak, Erik Brown and Nick Pastujov on AHL contracts. Helgeson, the only one of the four with any NHL experience, has played the last three seasons with Bridgeport, wearing an “A” and lending a veteran presence to the blue line. The 30-year-old defenseman played in 50 NHL contests with the New Jersey Devils between 2014-17. Pastujov, 22, was a seventh-round pick of the New York Islanders in 2016 but was not signed by the team this offseason when he left the University of Michigan.
  • Hubert Labrie, Jack Dougherty, and Cole Cassels have all signed one-year AHL contracts with the Belleville Senators, returning to the organization they played for last season. Cassels is the son of longtime NHL forward Andrew Cassels, who played more than 1,000 games at the highest level, racking up 732 career points.

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