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Columbus Blue Jackets Sign Patrik Laine

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed Patrik Laine to a four-year contract worth a total of $34.8MM. The $8.7MM average annual value will make him the team’s second highest-paid forward, coming in a little behind Johnny Gaudreau and just ahead of Jakub Voracek. Though he qualified for it, Laine had decided not to file for salary arbitration this year. His $7.5MM qualifying offer was set to expire today but the two sides have come to an agreement on a longer deal. Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports the full contract details:

  • 2022-23: $7.5MM
  • 2023-24: $9.1MM + 10-team NTC
  • 2024-25: $9.1MM + 10-team NTC
  • 2025-26: $9.1MM + 10-team NTC

Laine, 24, has already completed six seasons in the NHL, meaning a deal of this length buys out three years of unrestricted free agency. Had he instead decided to accept the qualifying offer or go to arbitration, he could have reached the open market as a 25-year-old. With that in mind, a deal like this actually may seem like something of a bargain for the Blue Jackets, given the outstanding goal-scoring ability of the Finnish forward.

Since entering the league in 2016-17, Laine sits 14th in the league with 176 goals just behind Nikita Kucherov and former Winnipeg Jets teammate Kyle Connor. His career-high of 44 was set in just his sophomore year, before a little bit of inconsistency slipped into his game. Now firmly established in Columbus after a trade last year, he was outstanding this season for the Blue Jackets, scoring 26 goals and 56 points in 56 games including seven game-winners.

The upside for the 6’5″ winger was always tremendous but the circumstances of this free agent period have Blue Jackets fans even more excited for what might be on the horizon. After general manager Jarmo Kekalainen secured one of the league’s best playmakers in Gaudreau, the idea of the pair hitting the ice together should be a frightening thought for opponents and goaltenders alike. With young talents like Cole Sillinger and Kent Johnson already making an impact before they even turn 20, the Blue Jackets forward group should be as dangerous as anyone over the next several years.

Still, this is a cap league and one that is still dealing with the fallout from the previous shutdowns. The cap ceiling increased only barely this season and the Blue Jackets will now be forced to make a move to get back under it. At the moment, the team projects to be about $2.35MM over the cap, with Emil Bemstrom still to sign. There are some ways they could drop that amount but recent reports already have the team trying to cut a much bigger chunk of salary before the start of the year.

At any rate, getting Laine signed is a huge win for the Blue Jackets, and a deal like this actually doesn’t present much risk. While there is a chance he doesn’t quite live up to a cap hit that high, a four-year deal means that he will be just 28 at its expiry, likely still in his prime as an NHL talent. Laine will be able to sign another massive deal at that point but the Blue Jackets are not yet at risk of having an anchor contract on the books as he enters his thirties.

Nearly everyone on the roster will see their contracts expire by the time Laine is ready for another deal, including recent free agent signing Erik Gudbranson, who is also signed through 2025-26. If the team needs to make a mega-offer for their Finnish star at that point, they will likely have the flexibility to do so.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

New Jersey Devils Sign Jesper Boqvist

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The New Jersey Devils don’t have to worry about a negotiation with Jesper Boqvist, as the young forward has accepted his qualifying offer and signed a one-year, two-way contract for 2022-23. The deal will carry an NHL salary of $874,125 and an AHL salary of $70K.

While some players would give up a little on the NHL salary to secure a better minor league guarantee, Boqvist is obviously confident that he will spend most of the year in the NHL again this season. The 23-year-old played 56 games with the Devils in 2021-22, scoring ten goals and 23 points in the process.

Selected 36th overall in 2017, it’s been an interesting road for the Swedish forward. It looked as though he was going to make the jump directly from the SHL to the NHL in 2019, when broke camp with the club and played 34 games through the first part of the season. But he ended up sent back to the minor leagues in January, and would make just one more NHL appearance before the league was shut down early.

While we waited for things to start back up in 2020-21, the Devils decided to loan the young forward back to Sweden. On his return, he once again wasn’t able to fully establish himself in the NHL, splitting time between New Jersey and Binghamton. Even this past season, he spent seven games with the Utica Comets.

One would think the minor leagues are behind him now, given the fact that he is no longer waiver-exempt. If the Devils wanted to send him to the AHL, he would need to be offered to all of the other teams first. With his upside and performance, there’s little chance he would make it through at this point.

Still, it’s not like there is a ton of room in the New Jersey lineup. After adding Erik Haula in the Pavel Zacha trade and signing Ondrej Palat, the team has nine forwards on one-way contracts plus Miles Wood to sign as a restricted free agent. With Dawson Mercer securing a spot while on his entry-level contract and Alexander Holtz likely doing the same, there isn’t going to be a ton of playing time to go around. If Boqvist wants to be a key contributor, he’ll have to earn is with consistent play.

The young forward will still be a restricted free agent next summer.

Staff Notes: McDonald, Boumedienne, Bradley

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The Colorado Avalanche had a vacant assistant general manager position after promoting Chris MacFarland earlier this summer, and have decided to go outside the organization to fill it. The team has hired Kevin McDonald as their new AGM, taking him away from the St. Louis Blues where he has worked for more than two decades in a variety of roles.

McDonald was most recently the general manager of the Springfield Thunderbirds, St. Louis’ AHL affiliate, a team that was just today named “Team of the Year,” for excellence both on and off the ice. The long-time scout had also served as an AGM for the Blues over the years after starting his front office career with the New York Rangers.

  • Columbus Blue Jackets director of pro scouting Josef Boumedienne has been named assistant general manager of the Swedish national team, through 2025-26. He joined the Blue Jackets front office as a European scout nearly a decade ago and was promoted to his current role last summer after a short stint as head coach of Brynas IF in the SHL.
  • The University of Vermont has added Brendan Bradley to the staff as a volunteer assistant, as he transitions into the next part of his hockey career. The 29-year-old forward played four years for the school (and served as captain) before a relatively short professional career mostly spent in the ECHL. He last played for the Kalamazoo Wings in 2018-19.

New York Rangers Re-Sign Tim Gettinger

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The New York Rangers reached an agreement with restricted free agent Tim Gettinger, re-signing him to a one-year contract. Today is the last chance for players to accept their official qualifying offer. In his case, it would have been a two-way offer worth $787.5K at the NHL level. PuckPedia reports that instead, Gettinger has agreed to a two-way deal that will carry an NHL cap hit of just $750K, though he has secured a better AHL salary at $125K.

Gettinger, 24, has been an injury call-up for a handful of games in each of the last four seasons, though they haven’t been very productive appearances. In 16 NHL games he still hasn’t scored a goal, with just one assist coming in the 2019-20 season. In the minor leagues though, the 6’6″ forward has been a force, throwing his weight around and contributing offensively whenever he can. In 45 games this season, he had 25 points for the Hartford Wolf Pack.

It’s unlikely that the fifth-round pick will ever become much of an offensive player at the NHL level but his size makes him a potential fourth-line option at some point down the road. In his 16 career games he has 40 hits, despite averaging just nine minutes of ice time, a pace that would put him among the league leaders if given a full 82-game season.

The Rangers have shown a preference for that kind of physicality in the bottom six, though there are already several players on the NHL roster that can provide it. With that in mind, Gettinger is likely ticketed for the minor leagues once again, unless injuries provide him another opportunity to jump into the lineup to start the year. In order to go to Hartford, he’ll need to clear waivers again, as he did last October.

Arttu Ruotsalainen Signs In Switzerland

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Despite specifically denying intentions to go to Switzerland this offseason, Arttu Ruotsalainen has indeed signed overseas, inking a one-year deal with EHC Kloten. The young forward received a qualifying offer from the Buffalo Sabres, meaning they will retain his exclusive NHL rights.

Ruotsalainen, 24, signed out of Finland in 2020 as an undrafted free agent after lighting up the professional ranks there, and quickly established himself as a depth option for the Sabres. In 2020-21 he scored five goals and six points in 17 NHL games, and this past season it was more of the same, with four goals in 18 matches.

Where he really stood out was in the AHL, where Ruotsalainen had 76 points in 80 games including an outstanding playoff run with the Rochester Americans this spring. In ten games, he scored eight goals and 12 points, picking up some of the goal-scoring slack for a young core that at times looked a bit overwhelmed. With Jack Quinn and Peyton Krebs failing to score even a single goal in the postseason (though Krebs did have 11 assists) it was up to Ruotsalainen and J.J. Peterka to carry the load.

Now, with him heading back overseas, it’s unclear where Ruotsalainen’s future with the Sabres lies. It appears that he was hoping for a full-time NHL opportunity when he came to North America, something that will be difficult to accomplish as Buffalo’s roster is filled more and more by top young talent. The fact that he stands just 5’9″ won’t help his case there either, despite the top offensive ability he has shown at basically every stop. Even his NHL numbers–seven goals in 35 games despite averaging fewer than 13 minutes a night–suggest that he could be of use at the highest level, but we’ll have to wait and see if he ever gets that chance again.

Simon Despres Signs In Austria

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It’s off to Austria next on Simon Despres’ hockey world tour, which has taken him through Slovakia, Sweden, and Germany the last few seasons. The veteran defenseman has signed a new contract with Villacher SV for the upcoming season.

Despres, 30, was originally selected 30th overall in 2009 by the Pittsburgh Penguins and quickly became a top prospect, making it to the NHL by the 2011-12 season. A few years later the Penguins would flip him to the Anaheim Ducks in order to bring back Ben Lovejoy, a move that did ultimately help them win the Stanley Cup in 2016.

It is in Anaheim where things started to go wrong for Despres, who experienced several concussions and was eventually bought out by the Ducks just a year into his new five-year $18.5MM contract. In fact, Despres played just a single NHL game under that contract and yet will still be earning a paycheck from the Ducks through 2024-25.

Since a failed comeback attempt with the Laval Rocket, Despres has been playing in various leagues around the world, including the KHL, SHL, and most recently the DEL, where he spent the last two seasons, winning the championship both years. The 6’4″ defenseman had the kind of all-around talent that is so desirable in today’s game but will go down as something of an unsolved mystery thanks to injury–at least in terms of his NHL career.

Seattle Kraken Sign Carsen Twarynski, Kole Lind

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6:37 pm: CapFriendly reports that Lind’s deal has an AHL salary of $150K with $175K guaranteed, while Twarynski’s deal has an AHL salary of $110K.

2:55 pm: The Seattle Kraken have agreed to terms with two of their restricted free agents, reaching one-year, two-way deals with Kole Lind and Carsen Twarynski. Both players were eligible for arbitration but did not file. Stephen Whyno of The Associated Press reports that Lind’s deal will carry an NHL salary of $850K, while Twarynski’s is the league minimum of $750K.

Lind, 23, was selected from the Vancouver Canucks in last year’s expansion draft and ended up playing 23 games for the Kraken. He scored eight points in those games despite limited minutes and actually is showing a bit of upside as a potential full-time option for the team moving forward. In the minor leagues, the winger scored 17 goals and 35 points in 46 games while racking up a team-leading 106 penalty minutes.

That included multiple fighting majors, as the hard-nosed winger continued to play a physical brand of hockey despite not being the biggest player on the ice. If he can continue to bring that kind of versatility, a bottom-six role seems like a realistic outcome this season if he can prove himself in camp.

Twarynski, another original Kraken, was the team’s pick from the Philadelphia Flyers in the expansion draft last year despite not showing a ton of offensive upside so far in his professional career. That continued this year with just five goals and 18 points in 71 games with the Charlotte Checkers, making him a potential non-tender candidate.

Instead, he’ll be coming back to the organization and is likely headed for the minor leagues once again, this time with the Coachella Valley Firebirds in their inaugural season. The 24-year-old forward does have 22 games of NHL experience with Philadelphia but hasn’t really shown anything other than physicality in those matches, registering just a single goal.

Minor Transactions: 07/21/22

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Not only are there several minor transactions to cover today but the AHL also released its full schedule for the upcoming season. Of note, the Calgary Flames affiliate–which still doesn’t have a name–is playing out of the Saddledome this year and will open things up against the new Coachella Valley Firebirds franchise. While each team prepares, there are plenty of spots to fill on rosters across the league. As always, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves right here.

  • The Colorado Eagles have signed Mitch Vande Sompel to a one-year AHL contract, after he became a Group VI unrestricted free agent this summer. The 25-year-old has played the last four seasons with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, and recorded 18 points in 56 games this year.
  • The Iowa Wild have signed Tanner Kaspick and Ty Ronning, both players that failed to receive qualifying offers from their respective NHL teams this offseason. Kaspick, who had been part of the St. Louis Blues organization, scored ten points in 45 games last season. Ronning, who had been with the New York Rangers, had 39 points in 69 games.
  • Overseas, Vegas Golden Knights prospect Martins Dzierkals signed a new one-year deal in the Czech league. The Golden Knights received Dzierkal’s exclusive rights in the original Robin Lehner trade and will hold them indefinitely as he continues to play in Europe. The 25-year-old participated in the Olympics and World Championship for his country this year after putting up 30 points in 49 games for HC Plzen.
  • Former Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Ian Scott has announced his retirement on Instagram, after going through multiple major injuries the last few years. The 23-year-old goaltender was the 110th pick in 2017 but managed just eight professional appearances in the years since.

This page will be updated throughout the day

Columbus Blue Jackets “Actively Trying To Unload Salary”

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One of the biggest names that decided not to file for salary arbitration a few days ago was Columbus Blue Jackets restricted free agent Patrik Laine. While this was taken as a strong indicator that the two sides had at least some positivity in contract negotiations, Laine remains unsigned with just a day left to officially accept his qualifying offer. That offer will expire at 4pm CT tomorrow, though there is nothing stopping the two sides from agreeing on something similar further into the offseason.

Laine’s offer of $7.5MM would put the Blue Jackets in a bit of a conundrum if he decided to accept it. The 24-year-old forward is just a year away from unrestricted free agency and if he took the one-year qualifying offer, the two sides would not be able to officially file an extension until January 1, 2023. The team would also immediately go quite a bit over the cap, which is why it should come as no surprise that Aaron Portzline of The Athletic is reporting that the team is “actively trying to unload salary” with the hope of signing Laine to a long-term extension before the weekend.

This cap squeeze that the Blue Jackets find themselves in was created by landing the top free agent on the market in Johnny Gaudreau, who ate up $9.75MM on his free agent payday. The team also added Erik Gudbranson at a $4MM cap hit and reached a multi-year deal with Adam Boqvist that raised his hit to $2.6MM. Now, Portzline tweets that a “perfect world” scenario for general manager Jarmo Kekalainen would be to clear $5-6MM in order to fit in the Laine extension.

There do seem to be some reasonably easy ways to clear that money from their current roster–Gustav Nyquist does not have trade protection and carries a cap hit of $5.5MM, for instance–but as Andy Strickland of Bally Sports Midwest tweeted today, NHL front offices are finding it extremely difficult to move expensive contracts this summer.

Teams like the Buffalo Sabres, Arizona Coyotes, Anaheim Ducks, and even perhaps the Calgary Flames, should Matthew Tkachuk be on the move, have enough cap space to accommodate these salary swaps if they choose. Waiting to do so will likely only increase the prices though, providing them with more assets for allowing a team to park their contracts.

The next 24 hours are important for the Blue Jackets, as the next step for Laine will guide the rest of their summer.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Winnipeg Jets Hire Brad Lauer, Marty Johnston

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The Winnipeg Jets have finished their staff, naming Brad Lauer and Marty Johnston as the new assistants under head coach Rick Bowness and associate coach Scott Arniel. Nolan Baumgartner will be joining the Manitoba Moose as an assistant, taking over the role that Johnston held the past five seasons.

Lauer, 55, recently won the WHL championship as head coach of the Edmonton Oil Kings, finishing a four-year run with the club that saw nearly unprecedented success. The Oil Kings went 154-46-23 over his tenure, as he helped top prospects like Dylan Guenther and Jake Neighbours reach entirely new heights. He returns to the NHL where he coached for seven seasons as an assistant with the Ottawa Senators, Anaheim Ducks, and Tampa Bay Lightning.

The 34th overall pick in 1985, the Saskatchewan native played more than 300 games in the NHL, retiring in 2002 after a short stint in the UK.

Johnston, meanwhile, is being promoted from the AHL where he served as an assistant since 2017. Before that, he was the head coach at Carleton University for seven seasons, where he led the school to a 129-49-12 record. This will be his first opportunity to coach in the NHL, a nice jump for a coach who will be one to keep an eye on in the future.

The staff will also include goaltending coach Wade Flaherty and video coach Matt Prefontaine.

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