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Montreal Canadiens Sign Filip Mesar

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It wasn’t just Juraj Slafkovsky that the Montreal Canadiens picked on day one of this year’s draft. Fellow Slovakian forward Filip Mesar was taken later in the round and today, he signed his three-year entry-level contract.

Unlike his countryman, Mesar might take a little longer to reach the NHL given his size and relative lack of experience. But make no mistake, he too has huge upside on the offensive side of the puck thanks to his elite skating ability.

When hockey analytics people talk about the importance of controlled zone entries, they’re talking about players like Mesar, who have the ability to weave through traffic with the puck and get it into the zone without having to dump it into the corner. There’s no retrieval necessary when he’s on the ice–he’ll just carry it in and set up the offense by himself.

There are concerns about his size and whether that will hinder him at the NHL level but for now, he will likely return to Europe to continue his development at the professional level. In 37 games in the Slovak league this year, Mesar had eight goals and 16 points.

Unless he somehow makes the Canadiens roster and plays more than nine games, he will not burn the first year of his entry-level deal this season. It will slide forward, allowing them to keep him under team control a little longer.

Carolina Hurricanes Sign Zach Sawchenko

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The Carolina Hurricanes have added a goaltender to their pipeline, signing Zachary Sawchenko. The young netminder has agreed to a one-year, two-way contract worth $750K at the NHL level, $85K in the AHL, and includes a minor league guarantee of $110K. Sawchenko was left unqualified by the San Jose Sharks this week, making him an unrestricted free agent.

Signed as an undrafted free agent out of the Canadian college level–a pipeline rarely used by NHL teams–in 2019, Sawchenko quickly worked his way up the Sharks depth chart and made his NHL debut this season. He played in seven games, posting a .901 save percentage and his first win near the end of the year.

No one should believe that Sawchenko will be taking over the Hurricanes’ crease right away but adding a 24-year-old netminder with NHL experience isn’t always an opportunity that presents itself. Given that he is still waiver-exempt, he’ll be loaned to the minor leagues at the start of the season where he can continue his development.

With Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta in place as the NHL tandem, the risk of injury is always high for the Carolina crease. Pyotr Kochetkov would be next on the depth chart but beyond him, the Hurricanes had no one signed after parting ways with Jack LaFontaine. Sawchenko will fill that gap, and may even get a chance to show what he can do in the NHL again, should injuries become an issue.

Metro Notes: Penguins, Thompson, Mukhamadullin

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The Pittsburgh Penguins went into yesterday’s free agency frenzy with eight defensemen already under one-way contracts for the upcoming season. Then they made their biggest signing of the day a three-year deal for Jan Rutta. Now, with too many defensemen and not enough spots, it appears a trade is coming.

General manager Ron Hextall admitted as much at a press conference yesterday, explaining there were a “couple too many” defensemen with the team now. It should come as no surprise then when David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports that John Marino and Marcus Pettersson are both “out there” in trade talks today. The two defensemen are both signed for at least three years and at least $4MM per season, meaning these won’t be scrap heap buys for anyone who is interested.

  • The Philadelphia Flyers are expected to hire Rocky Thompson, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The former minor league enforcer parted ways with the San Jose Sharks last September, explaining that due to a medical exemption that prevented him from taking a COVID-19 vaccine, he was not permitted to continue as the team’s associate coach. Thompson has a strong coaching resume that includes stints as the head coach of the Windsor Spitfires and Chicago Wolves, though as Charlie O’Connor of The Athletic notes, it is unclear what kind of restrictions his vaccination status will lead to next season.
  • It appears as though Shakir Mukhamadullin could be spending another year in the KHL, as he is listed in the league transfers as signing a new contract with Ufa Salavat Yulaev, the club he has spent the last several seasons with. The New Jersey Devils prospect did sign his entry-level contract in the NHL but it includes a European Assignment Clause. It is likely that this new KHL agreement is in case he fails to make the Devils roster out of camp, and will lead to his return overseas instead of assignment to the AHL. There’s no rush for the 20-year-old, though he will burn the first year of his ELC no matter where he plays this season.

Chicago Blackhawks Sign Dylan Sikura

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The Chicago Blackhawks are bringing back a familiar face, signing Dylan Sikura to a one-year, two-way contract worth $750K at the NHL level. The deal will pay him a whopping $500K as an AHL salary and includes a minor league guarantee of $550K.

Sikura, 27, was one of the very best players in the AHL last season, scoring 73 points in 60 games with the Colorado Eagles. Scoring at the minor league level has never been a problem for the Northeastern University product, it’s that pesky transition to the NHL that has caused him problems.

In 58 games at the highest level, most of them coming with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2018-19, Sikura has just three goals. That would be fine for a big, physical winger who can contribute in other ways, but the slight-framed Sikura has to be producing offense to really be a helpful player.

It will be interesting to see if he gets an extended look with the Blackhawks, given the depleted roster, or spends another year in the minor leagues with the Rockford IceHogs. At the very least, he will probably get some games after the trade deadline, when the Blackhawks will probably be sellers.

Florida Panthers Sign Rudolfs Balcers

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After being cut loose by the San Jose Sharks, Rudolfs Balcers has found a new home in Florida. The Panthers have signed the young forward to a one-year contract, with general manager Bill Zito releasing the following statement:

Rudolfs is a hard-working playmaker who competes with pace and skill. His energy and competitiveness will complement our lineup well.

Given the lack of cap space the Panthers are dealing with, they’ve decided to make some calculated gambles on younger players who fell out of favor with their most recent clubs. Balcers joins Colin White as 25-year-olds who were bought out this week and have now found new contracts with Florida.

In 61 games with San Jose last season, the talented Latvian forward registered 11 goals and 23 points, setting career-highs in both marks. Despite his lack of any real success so far, scouts have always believed there was more offense in Balcers, offense he has shown repeatedly at the World Championships and AHL level, where he is routinely a point-per-game kind of player.

With a history of turning projects into players, the Panthers will try again to put Balcers in a position to succeed and capitalize on that offensive talent. He joins a loaded forward group as a versatile piece that will likely move up and down the lineup throughout the year.

There is at least a bit of “last chance” vibes with Balcers, though that may end up being more motivation than anything else.

New York Rangers Sign Ryan Carpenter

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The New York Rangers have added another center to the mix, this time signing Ryan Carpenter to a one-year contract. CapFriendly reports that the deal is worth $750K.

General manager Chris Drury had told the media yesterday that the team was still after a depth option that could play in the middle of the ice, and that’s exactly what Carpenter represents. The 31-year-old has more than 300 games of NHL experience and spent this most recent season with the Chicago Blackhawks and Calgary Flames, scoring three goals and 12 points in 67 appearances.

While he doesn’t offer much upside in terms of offense, Carpenter is a fast, physical, forward that can be plugged directly into any team’s penalty kill. He will likely step directly into the shorthanded role that Kevin Rooney held last season, anchoring a top unit alongside Barclay Goodrow or perhaps a second group should the team decide to use Vincent Trocheck on the PK.

Deals like this aren’t going to make or break a team’s fortune, but there is a reason why the Flames acquired him at the deadline last season. Depth options that are reliable defensively, willing to forecheck hard, and fit a specific role on special teams are always a wanted commodity, even if you won’t see Carpenter’s name on the scoresheet very often.

Alexander Radulov Signs In KHL

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Though it has been an open secret for months that Alexander Radulov was going back to the KHL, the league only just announced his new two-year contract with Ak Bars last night, after his NHL deal expired.

Radulov, 36, is probably finished on this side of the pond, after scoring just four goals and 22 points in 71 games last season. If that is it for his NHL career, it was an impressive one, if not exactly what was expected.

Selected 15th overall in 2004 by the Nashville Predators, Radulov would immediately come to North America to play for the Quebec Remparts of the QMJHL. It was there where he showed the world just how talented he was, scoring 152 points in 62 games during the 2005-06 regular season, and adding another 55 in 23 games while leading the Remparts to a Memorial Cup championship. He was awarded basically every trophy junior hockey had to offer, including CHL Player of the Year, and created an incredible amount of hype regarding his NHL future.

This wasn’t just another prospect. Radulov was the prospect, expected to quickly join what was already a good Predators team and take them to the next level. It worked, at least for a little while. The uber-confident youngster quickly made an impact at the NHL level, scoring 18 goals and 37 points during his rookie season, and registering even better numbers the following year. Then, it all came crashing down, when a contract dispute led to his return to the KHL in 2008.

For four years, the Predators had to watch him destroying the competition overseas, winning three consecutive KHL MVP awards and lifting the Gagarin Cup. He returned in late 2012 for a handful of games at the end of the season but would bolt for Russia again that summer, signing a new four-year deal with CSKA Moscow that essentially guaranteed his prime years would be lost, at least to the Predators.

Upon his return in 2016, he was given just a one-year deal by the Montreal Canadiens, as the whole hockey world was unsure of what his long-term plans were. It turns out, they were to play the next six years in the NHL, nearly tripling the time he had previously spent there. For the Canadiens and then the Dallas Stars, things went well enough, though Radulov was already 30 when he returned, meaning his real dominating years had passed.

One of the players that will always have a “what if” attached to his name, Radulov’s NHL career ends with 524 games played, and 368 points.

Detroit Red Wings Sign Mark Pysyk

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The Detroit Red Wings have added another depth defenseman, this time signing Mark Pysyk to a one-year, $850K contract. The deal comes just as the team announced their contract with Olli Maatta and follows the bigger addition of Ben Chiarot to a four-year deal.

Pysyk, 30, might not be a household name but is an effective bottom-pairing option, who played in 68 games for the Buffalo Sabres last season. With more than 500 games of NHL experience, a good bit of penalty-killing acumen, and even a bit of offensive upside–Pysyk did score a hat-trick while lining up as a winger in 2020–he can fill in some of the gaps for the Red Wings this season while not having too much responsibility heaped on his shoulders.

In fact, as a right-handed option on a team that already has Moritz Seider and Filip Hronek locked in, there may not be that many minutes for Pysyk at all. He joins an interesting mix of youth and experience in Detroit as the team appears ready to start contending for the playoffs again.

Nikita Zadorov Re-Signs With Calgary Flames

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The Calgary Flames are bringing back Nikita Zadorov on a two-year deal, according to his agent Dan Milstein. PuckPedia reports that the deal will carry an average annual value of $3.75MM. Calgary has confirmed the deal as well with a release welcoming Zadorov back to the squad.

Today has been a rough one for the Flames organization, not only losing franchise cornerstone Johnny Gaudreau, but also lockdown defenseman Erik Gudbranson, both heading to the Columbus Blue Jackets, but a bright spot has been welcoming back a key piece of their blueline this past season in that of Zadorov. The massive defenseman, listed at 6’6″ and 235 pounds played important minutes on Calgary’s third pair, recording 22 points and a plus-11 rating along with 181 hits in 74 games averaging 16:55 of time on ice. Zadorov will likely be expected to play much of the same role as he did this season for the Flames, but with the departure of Gudbranson, should be expected to elevate his physical play, enough for both of them.

An interesting part of the deal is that the AAV, $3.75MM, is the exact same AAV of the expiring contract. After hitting the open market last offseason, Zadorov signed a one-year, $3.75MM deal with Calgary and after a strong performance, didn’t necessarily earn a raise on a yearly basis, but did guarantee himself a the second year on the deal.

Haydn Fleury Signs With Tampa Bay Lightning

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The Tampa Bay Lightning have signed an interesting depth defenseman, inking Haydn Fleury to a two-year contract. The deal will carry an average annual value of $762.5K, meaning he’ll earn the league minimum in both seasons. Fleury was recently left unqualified by the Seattle Kraken this week, making him an unrestricted free agent.

Not the most high-profile signing of the day in the league, or for Tampa with their three massive extensions handed out, Fleury’s signing is still rather intriguing given Fleury’s history and Tampa’s ability to get the most out of players. The defenseman was drafted seventh-overall by the Carolina Hurricanes back in 2014, long being seen as one of the game’s top prospects. He would debut in 2017-18, playing in 67 games, tallying eight points, all assists. Fleury would spend the next few seasons playing in limited action for Carolina, delivering solid defense with very little offense. He appeared to turn a corner in the 2019-20 season, putting up four goals and 10 assists in 45 games, but after failing to repeat on that success the following year, he was dealt to the Anaheim Ducks.

Eventually selected by the Seattle Kraken in the 2021 Expansion Draft, Fleury played just 36 games in Seattle this season, winding up non-tendered. Given the potential and promise that made Fleury such an attractive prospect for so many years, and the glimpse of a breakout seen in 2019-20, Fleury getting a shot with Tampa Bay, who has time and again been able to take players to a new level, is intriguing, and surely encouraging for the 26-year-old defenseman. It’s unclear what role Fleury might be presented with in Tampa, but with the trade of Ryan McDonagh, a new hole has opened up on their left-side defense.

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