Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Edmonton Oilers Discussing Connor Brown Trade

at CDT | by 3 Comments

If you were a fan of the Erie Otters in 2014, you might want to consider becoming an Edmonton Oilers fan today. According to Bob McKenzie of TSN the Oilers are working on a deal that would bring Ottawa Senators forward Connor Brown to Edmonton, reuniting him with junior teammate Connor McDavid.

The Senators have recently added Alex DeBrincat to the forward group and are the front-runners for Claude Giroux in free agency, which would push Brown down the lineup and out of a spot where he can really bring enough value to make his $3.6MM worthwhile.

That isn’t the case in Edmonton, where he could probably find space next to McDavid or Leon Draisaitl in the top six. Even as a third-line option he would be a nice addition for the Oilers, who can use him and former Toronto Maple Leaf teammate Zach Hyman as two penalty-killing anchors.

After signing Evander Kane for a deal well below what would normally be his market value and moving Zack Kassian’s contract out of the way, the Oilers suddenly have a forward group that looks a lot deeper than in years past.

More to come…

Toronto Maple Leafs Sign Ilya Samsonov

at CDT | by 8 Comments

11:00 AM Per Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff, the Maple Leafs have signed Samsonov to a one-year deal worth $1.8MM. Toronto has now confirmed a Murray-Samsonov tandem for 2022-23.

10:28 AMThe Toronto Maple Leafs may have found their second goaltender, as Arthur Staple of The Athletic links them to Ilya Samsonov. The former Washington Capitals netminder was not given a qualifying offer as a restricted free agent this summer, putting him on the open market.

Samsonov, 25, hasn’t lived up to his first-round draft position just yet but carries the kind of massive upside that a team like the Maple Leafs have to swing for at this point in free agency. They already acquired Matt Murray from the Ottawa Senators, hoping they could bring out the level that helped him to two Stanley Cup championships in Pittsburgh, and now they’ll bring in another inconsistent netminder hoping to unlock hidden talent.

Selected 22nd overall in 2015, Samsonov had a strong rookie season for Washington in 2019-20 but has been putting up worse and worse numbers ever since. This year he had an .896 save percentage in 44 appearances, obviously not good enough for the Capitals to retain him as their starter moving forward.

Still, he had an okay performance in the postseason, and that’s what the Maple Leafs are focused on. The team simply has to find a way through the first round and with a Murray-Samsonov tandem there is at least the potential for excellent goaltending.

It is a risk though, and likely an expensive one. There is a real chance that both netminders fail to find another level and give the Maple Leafs sub-.900 goaltending all year long.

Nashville Predators Sign Devin Cooley, Jimmy Huntington

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

July 13: Nashville made the contract official today, also announcing that they’ve signed forward Jimmy Huntington to his qualifying offer. Huntington, who Nashville acquired mid-season in a minor swap with the Tampa Bay Lightning, was strong down the stretch with the Milwaukee Admirals, notching 28 points in 43 games across both the regular season and playoffs.

July 12: After receiving a qualifying offer yesterday, Devin Cooley isn’t going to wait around. PuckPedia reports that Cooley will accept the offer, meaning he’ll sign a one-year deal with the Nashville Predators worth $787.5K at the NHL level and $70K in the AHL.

Cooley, 25, was signed as an undrafted goaltender out of the University of Denver in 2020 and has spent the last two years climbing the minor league ladder. Starting in the ECHL with the Florida Everblades, he has since made his move up to the Milwaukee Admirals, where he started 24 games during the regular season. Then, in the playoffs, he took his game to an entirely new level with a .926 save percentage in seven games, likely enough to land him that qualifying offer in the first place.

Standing 6’5″ and with steadily increasing performance, Cooley is an interesting player to follow this season. If his overall AHL numbers go up again, the Predators might have a late-bloomer on their hands with a legitimate NHL future. It’s worth a one-year deal to find out, given he’ll be waiver-exempt again and can go right to the minor leagues.

Notably, a one-year deal will also make Cooley a Group VI unrestricted free agent next summer (unless he somehow gets into 28 games in the NHL), meaning you might see a mid-year extension if he’s doing well for the Admirals.

Boston Bruins Acquire Pavel Zacha

at CDT | by 9 Comments

The Boston Bruins have made a move but it isn’t an unrestricted free agent coming to town. Darren Dreger of TSN reports that the Bruins have acquired Pavel Zacha from the New Jersey Devils. Zacha is a pending restricted free agent, and eligible for salary arbitration after his current three-year, $6.75MM (total) contract expires. Erik Haula is headed back the other way.

With another double-digit goal season under his belt–Zacha scored 15 goals this season after 17 in 2020-21–that potential arbitration award would have been rather pricey, and any multi-year deal would have been buying out UFA years.

Haula, on the other hand, has just one year remaining on his contract and carries a cap hit of $2.375MM. The Devils, who are in the mix for one (or more) of the biggest free agents available, will now have more money and more roster flexibility to use.

Boston, meanwhile, has now found another young(ish) forward to slot into the middle-six that can provide some secondary scoring and a strong defensive presence. Zacha does have plenty of experience at center, though he was deployed as a winger for much of this season.

It certainly doesn’t hurt that he hails from Czechia, just like David Pastrnak and the returning David Krejci. While that doesn’t mean he’ll find a new level, it will at least present some familiarity as he makes the transition to a new team.

Now the question is how much Zacha will cost for the Bruins, and where they find the cap space for all of the pending contracts. Patrice Bergeron and Krejci are both expected to finalize deals in the coming days, meaning this will only further limit the cap space available for general manager Don Sweeney today.

Colorado Avalanche Expected To Re-Sign Darren Helm

at CDT | by 4 Comments

The Colorado Avalanche may be losing some of their key free agents but at least one more depth player is sticking around. Darren Dreger of TSN tweets that the team is close to re-signing Darren Helm, and expects the deal to be similar to Andrew Cogliano’s one-year $1.25MM contract extension.

Helm, 35, came to the Avalanche this season after more than 700 games with the Detroit Red Wings and ended up lifting the Stanley Cup for the second time. The veteran forward had won it with the Red Wings in 2008, meaning there was a 14-year gap before he was able to hoist it again. While he was never expected to provide much offense, Avalanche fans will never forget the game-winning goal that Helm scored in game six against the St. Louis Blues. With just five seconds left in the game, he slapped a puck past Ville Husso to send Colorado to the Western Conference Finals.

For that goal alone he deserved an extension but there is still some game left in Helm, who will remain in a bottom-six role for Colorado next season. He and Cogliano make up a defensive duo that can be relied on late in games against the opponent’s best, while also chipping in a goal now and again at brilliant times.

With so much talent likely taking bigger paydays elsewhere, bringing back these reliable veterans will allow Colorado to maintain some of the depth advantage that they had this season.

Evander Kane Signs Four-Year Extension

at CDT | by 5 Comments

Why sleep when you can sign contract extensions! The Edmonton Oilers and Evander Kane reached a late-night agreement on a new four-year contract, that will bring the winger back before he reaches unrestricted free agency. Kane himself announced the deal, which carries a cap hit of $5.125MM. PuckPedia has the full breakdown:

  • 2022-23: $750K salary + $5.5MM signing bonus
  • 2023-24: $1.5MM salary + $4.0MM signing bonus
  • 2024-25: $2.75MM salary + 2.0MM signing bonus
  • 2025-26: $4.0MM salary

It also includes a full no-movement clause until February 28, 2025, at which point it will change to a 16-team trade list. While the team hasn’t actually announced the deal, they did amplify Kane’s tweet about it, which included the following message.

A big part of my decision to stay in Edmonton was because of the opportunity given to me only 7 months ago but also the chance to be a part of a championship team. I want to win, and I believe after signing this deal we will be able to add the right pieces along with myself to accomplish that goal, a championship.

There’s no doubting Kane’s ability on the ice. He scored 35 goals in just 58 games between the regular season and playoffs, finding instant chemistry with Connor McDavid and finally offering the kind of high-impact scoring talent that the Oilers have been looking for. It is all the off-ice stuff that has limited his market, as seen by this new contract, which comes in well below what a player of his production level would have earned normally on the open market.

There is also still some uncertainty around his future because of a grievance with the San Jose Sharks over wrongful termination, though it should be noted that this new contract is worth almost exactly the same amount as what was left on his previous deal. Perhaps there is a path to settlement, which would clear up any potential issues with this new deal.

The Oilers, who are also expected to make a big splash in the goaltending market today, get better by bringing Kane back. The team has said goodbye to some of its older players, including Duncan Keith and Zack Kassian, and appears poised to take another run at the Pacific Division crown in 2022-23. For Kane in particular, the risk was always in a long-term deal. Keeping it to four years at least someone protects the Oilers from that risk.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Evgeni Malkin Signs Four-Year Extension

at CDT | by 19 Comments

Turns out Evgeni Malkin isn’t heading to market after all. After going back and forth for months, the Pittsburgh Penguins and their Russian superstar have come to an agreement just 12 hours before he was set to hit the open market. Malkin has signed a four-year extension that will pay him $24.4MM ($6.1MM AAV).

General manager Ron Hextall released the following statement:

Evgeni is a generational talent who will be remembered as one of the greatest players in NHL history. His hockey resume and individual accomplishments speak volumes about him as a player, and we are thrilled to watch him continue his remarkable legacy in Pittsburgh.

Malkin, 35, will now be under contract through the 2025-26 season, one year longer than teammate Sidney Crosby (but two years shorter than the recently-extended Kris Letang, who now carries the same cap hit). Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports the full details of the contract:

  • 2022-23: $4.0MM salary + $4.0MM signing bonus
  • 2023-24: $6.0MM salary
  • 2024-25: $5.6MM salary
  • 2025-26: $1.0MM salary + $3.8MM signing bonus

The deal also includes a full no-movement clause throughout, though trade speculation will likely never stop, as it has followed Malkin through most of his career.

What a career it has been. The second-overall pick from 2004 stepped into the NHL in 2006 as an instant superstar, winning the Calder Trophy in a landslide over Paul Stastny (Malkin received 120 of the 143 first-place votes) and scoring 85 points in 78 games. By year two, he was already the Hart Trophy runner-up and by year three he was taking home the Art Ross as the league’s most productive player. He also happened to take home the Conn Smythe that year, as the Malkin and the Crosby-led Penguins lifted the Stanley Cup for the first time. They would do it twice more with that dynamic duo in place, and now look to try it again while they are still effective.

It has never been Malkin’s effectiveness that is questioned, only his consistency and health. The big center has only played 70 games in a season once over the last decade, usually missing significant stretches due to injury. This season he played in just 41 games, though he still managed to score at a better than point-per-game pace, registering 20 goals and 42 points.

The negotiation, obviously stressful on both sides, has resulted in a deal that seems more than reasonable. The Penguins get to have Malkin back for a cap hit quite a bit lower than the $9.5MM he had been carrying since 2014, while the veteran forward gets the security of a four-year deal to play out his career in Pittsburgh.

Now the question of whether Malkin, Crosby, and Letang are still good enough to lead this team to the promised land will be asked–or whether all this contract confirms is that they will each be Penguins for life.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Vinnie Hinostroza Signs With Buffalo Sabres

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Vinnie Hinostroza won’t be going to market after all. The Buffalo Sabres have signed the pending free agent forward to a one-year, $1.7MM contract for 2022-23.

Hinostroza, 28, was a perfect fit for the Sabres this season, offering some solid secondary scoring in relatively limited minutes. His 13 goals and 25 points in 62 games came while averaging fewer than 14 minutes a game and seeing almost no time on the powerplay. While he’s not ever going to be a first-line player, Hinostroza offers a reliable option for the Sabres as they look to take the next step.

Originally selected in the sixth round of the 2012 draft, Hinostroza has actually carved out a nice little NHL career for himself to this point. In 334 career games, he has 51 goals and 137 points, with a career-high 39 coming with the Arizona Coyotes in 2018-19. For less than $2MM on a one-year deal, there is absolutely no risk involved for the Sabres, other than perhaps taking up a roster spot from one of their young forwards.

Even so, there had been mutual interest in a new deal for weeks (if not months) and it was hard to imagine Hinostroza getting a ton more money or opportunity on the open market.

Teams “Kicking Tires” On Brent Burns

at CDT | by 6 Comments

After new San Jose Sharks general manager Mike Grier explained yesterday that he’ll let Brent Burns “lead the way” on his future, speculation has drummed up around the league. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic tweeted earlier today that the Carolina Hurricanes are kicking tires on Burns (and Montreal Canadiens defenseman Jeff Petry) as they look to replace the offense that left with Tony DeAngelo, while Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia notes that the Ottawa Senators have done the same.

The team most often linked is the Dallas Stars, who are losing John Klingberg this offseason and have some clear connections to Burns through head coach Peter DeBoer and veteran forward Joe Pavelski.

While Grier might be letting Burns take the lead, getting out from his contract certainly wouldn’t be the worst thing for the Sharks, as they try to move forward in a different direction. The 37-year-old defensemen has three years left on his deal and carries an $8MM cap hit, though the actual salary owed is much less. Burns will earn just $16.5MM over the last three seasons of the eight-year, $64MM contract, and $3.5MM of that was in the form of a signing bonus already paid this summer.

Though his is not a full no-trade clause, Burns does have almost full control of the situation. He submits a list of just three teams that he can be traded to on July 1 of every year.

The part that makes Burns’ future so interesting is that despite his age, he is still an effective player. He recorded 54 points last season while still averaging more than 26 minutes a night and actually saw his deployment skew more defensive than in years past. In a more sheltered, offensive role, perhaps he could be even more effective for a contending team.

While the focus now is on free agency that starts in under 24 hours, there will be a number of trades also going down over the next few weeks. Whether Burns stays in San Jose appears to be completely up in the air at the moment.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

scroll to top