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Pittsburgh Penguins Sign Alex Nylander

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed minor league forward Alexander Nylander to a one-year, two-way contract for 2022-23. The deal will carry an NHL salary of $750K, and keep him from reaching restricted free agency. CapFriendly reports that the deal will pay $300K in the AHL.

No longer a top prospect, the 24-year-old Nylander hasn’t played in the NHL since the 2019-20 season and is now on his third team since being the eighth-overall pick in 2016. Acquired for Sam Lafferty in early 2022, he did somewhat find his stride after joining the Penguins organization, scoring 14 goals and 30 points in 44 AHL games.

Talented but inconsistent, the young forward has just 84 regular season games at the NHL level since debuting five years ago. Signing him to a deal like this poses no risk for the Penguins but time is running out on Nylander if he’s ever going to become an impact player at the NHL level. One thing in his favor is the fact that he now must clear waivers in order to be sent to the minor leagues, meaning even if he can’t latch on in Pittsburgh, he’ll have a chance to go somewhere else and test his mettle at the NHL level–if someone wants to take that chance, at least.

Montreal Canadiens Sign Michael Pezzetta

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It’s been an impressive rise through the ranks for Michael Pezzetta, and today he was rewarded with a new one-year, one-way contract. The Montreal Canadiens have signed the depth forward for a $750K salary, avoiding any restricted free agent negotiations this summer.

Pezzetta, 24, was a sixth-round pick of the Canadiens in 2016 and spent several years playing limited minutes in the minor leagues, including time with the Maine Mariners of the ECHL. This season, he became a regular in the Montreal lineup and actually produced at a reasonable pace, scoring five goals and 11 points in 51 appearances.

He’ll never be known for his offense but Pezzetta adds a bit of fire and toughness to the Canadiens’ fourth line, as he racked up 156 hits and 81 penalty minutes in those 51 games. That included five fighting majors, easily the most on the club in 2021-22.

This deal will represent the first one-way contract of his career, and sets him up for a full-time role with the team next season. It will leave him as an RFA again in 2023, as long as he avoids Group VI UFA status by playing in a minimum of 29 games.

Latest On David Krejci

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After spending a year playing overseas, it appears as though David Krejci may be on his way back to Boston. Multiple reports have emerged today including from Kevin Weekes of ESPN that Krejci is currently in negotiations with the Bruins to re-join the team for 2022-23. General manager Don Sweeney admitted he had been in touch with the veteran forward a few days ago but wouldn’t go so far as to say contract negotiations were underway at that point.

Krejci, 36, spent this past season playing in his native Czechia, where he racked up 46 points in 51 games. It was at the World Championship where the itch to return to Boston might really have started, as he rediscovered that instant chemistry with former teammate David Pastrnak en route to a bronze medal finish.

With the Bruins also expected to bring back Patrice Bergeron for at least one more year, it appears as though the team is trying to give it one more kick with the old core–a group that had so much success for so many years. Krejci himself had 730 points in 962 regular season games, all with the Bruins, and led all players in scoring during both 2011 and 2013 trips to the Stanley Cup Final.

One of the most cerebral playmakers of his generation, Krejci has never relied on speed to produce at a high level, instead creating space for himself and his teammates with ultra-quick decisions and awareness. His presence behind Bergeron down the middle of the Bruins lineup gave the team a one-two punch that was hard to beat, and fans in Boston will likely be excited to see them reunited, should both contract negotiations end positively.

With so many players on expiring deals, there will be a chance for Boston to embrace a true retool next summer. For now, it appears as though they’re trying to get the band back together.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Los Angeles Kings Sign Carl Grundstrom, Lias Andersson

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Who needs qualifying offers anyway? The Los Angeles Kings have signed Carl Grundstrom and Lias Andersson to contract extensions today, avoiding restricted free agency with the young Swedish forwards. Grundstrom’s two-year deal will carry an average annual value of $1.3MM, while Andersson has agreed to a one-year, $750K contract for 2022-23.

The 24-year-old Grundstrom came into his own this season, finding his niche as an uber-physical forechecker that could chip in a bit of offense when given the chance. He scored nine goals in 54 regular season games and then lit the lamp three more times in six postseason contests, as the Kings pushed the heavily favored Edmonton Oilers to seven games. The dogged puck pursuit from players like Grundstrom has made the Kings a tough team to play against, and this two-year deal rewards that effort with a cap hit that suggests he’ll be in the lineup every day moving forward.

Andersson meanwhile hasn’t had quite the same impact and remains an enigma, now five years removed from being the seventh overall pick in 2017. The 23-year-old forward had just two points in 20 games with the Kings during the regular season and now has just 17 in 109 career NHL contests.

At $750K there is basically no risk in bringing him back but it’s hard to see a future where Andersson becomes an impact player for the Kings. Interestingly enough, that NHL salary is lower than what he would have been owed as a qualifying offer, though because that would have been a two-way contract, this might ultimately result in more money for the young forward, should he bounce between the AHL and NHL once again.

List Of Players Not Receiving A 2022 Qualifying Offer

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The deadline to issue a qualifying offer to pending restricted free agents is today at 4pm CT, making any player who has not received one eligible to become an unrestricted free agent on Wednesday. Below are the players who will not be issued a qualifying offer:

(this list will be updated as reports continue to come in)

Anaheim Ducks

Sam Steel, Sonny Milano, Jack Badini, Roman Durny, Lucas Elvenes, Brendan Guhle, Jacob Larsson

Arizona Coyotes

Cole Hults, Christian Fischer, Cam Dineen, Kyle Capobianco

Boston Bruins

(none)

Buffalo Sabres

(none)

Calgary Flames

Johannes Kinnvall, Tyler Parsons

Carolina Hurricanes

David Cotton, Jack LaFontaine, Beck Warm

Chicago Blackhawks

Dominik Kubalik, Dylan Strome, Andrei Altybarmakyan, Wyatt Kalynuk, Cale Morris, Cameron Morrison

Colorado Avalanche

Nicolas Aube-Kubel, Andreas Wingerli, Nicholas Henry

Columbus Blue Jackets

Kevin Stenlund, Gabriel Carlsson

Dallas Stars

Colton Point, Alexey Lipanov, Jordan Kawaguchi

Detroit Red Wings

Filip Larsson, Olli Juolevi, Mitchell Stephens, Kaden Fulcher

Edmonton Oilers

Filip Berglund, Ostap Safin, Brendan Perlini

Florida Panthers

German Rubtsov, Evan Fitzpatrick, Jonas Johansson

Los Angeles Kings

Brendan Lemieux, Johan Sodergran, Vladimir Tkachev

Minnesota Wild

Fedor Gordeev, Dereck Baribeau

Montreal Canadiens

Josh Brook, Kale Clague, Rem Pitlick

Nashville Predators

Matt Luff, David Farrance

New Jersey Devils

(none)

New York Islanders

Michael Dal Colle

New York Rangers

Ty Ronning, Tyler Wall, Justin Richards, Jacob Elmer

Ottawa Senators

Adam Gaudette, Victor Mete, Michael McNiven

Philadelphia Flyers

Matthew Strome, Maksim Sushko, Kirill Ustimenko

Pittsburgh Penguins

Danton Heinen, Justin Almeida, Jordy Bellerive, Jan Drozg, Niclas Almari, Cam Lee, Will Reilly, Alex D’Orio

San Jose Sharks

Joachim Blichfeld, Jonathan Dahlen, Zach Gallant, Jake McGrew, Nicolas Meloche, Antoine Morand, Brinson Paschinuk, Zach Sawchenko

Seattle Kraken

Haydn Fleury, Dennis Cholowski, Ryan Donato, Daniel Sprong

St. Louis Blues

Tanner Kaspick

Tampa Bay Lightning

Tye Felhaber, Odeen Tufto, Alex Green

Toronto Maple Leafs

Ondrej Kase, Chad Krys, Ian Scott, Kristians Rubins, Joseph Duszak

Vancouver Canucks

Justin Bailey, Matthew Highmore, Juho Lammikko

Vegas Golden Knights

Ben Jones, Brett Howden, Dylan Ferguson, Jack Dugan

Washington Capitals

Ilya Samsonov

Winnipeg Jets

Evgeny Svechnikov, Markus Phillips

Philadelphia Flyers Acquire Tony DeAngelo

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July 11: The Flyers have officially announced the two-year extension, which will carry an average annual value of $5MM exactly. DeAngelo will be scheduled for unrestricted free agency following the 2023-24 season.

July 8: The Philadelphia Flyers have added some offense to their blue line, acquiring Tony DeAngelo from the Carolina Hurricanes for pick No. 101 today, a third-round pick in 2023 (the lowest of the three they own), and a second-round pick in 2024. The Flyers will also receive pick No. 220 today.

Philadelphia general manager Chuck Fletcher released the following:

We’re very happy to add Tony to our team and I know he is very excited to join the Flyers. We did our due diligence and we strongly believe in Tony and his ability to help our team. He is a right-handed shot who moves the puck extremely well and will drive offense from the back end for us.

Because DeAngelo is a restricted free agent, the Flyers also needed to work out an extension with him. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that the deal will be for two years, while Charlie O’Connor of The Athletic adds that it will carry an average annual value of about $5MM.

After being exiled from the New York Rangers locker room and bought out at the end of the 2020-21 season, DeAngelo arrived in Carolina to try and re-establish himself as a premier offensive defenseman in the league. He did just that, scoring 51 points in 64 games, while generally staying out of the spotlight.

Still, the Hurricanes decided to move on before they had to, as the 26-year-old defenseman could have been kept through the arbitration process. Instead, he was given permission to speak with other teams about a potential trade and extension.

They found a taker in Philadelphia, who give up a good amount of draft capital for the right to sign DeAngelo to a relatively expensive contract. The Flyers have made it very clear that they have no interest in a rebuild, and this shows they are committed to trying to compete in 2022-23.

It also might point to the uncertainty surrounding the health of Ryan Ellis, who may not be ready for the start of the season. DeAngelo can run the powerplay and log minutes on the right side, though he doesn’t exactly have the same defensive chops.

For Carolina, who is also expected to move Ethan Bear at some point this offseason, there are some holes to fill on the back end. Jaccob Slavin and Brett Pesce can cover up a lack of depth to a point but it will be interesting to see how aggressive they are in free agency next week.

Colorado Avalanche Promote Joe Sakic, Chris MacFarland

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The Colorado Avalanche are making some front office changes after winning the Stanley Cup. Joe Sakic, who was recently given the Jim Gregory award as GM of the year, will be promoted to president of hockey operations, while Chris MacFarland will become the team’s new general manager.

A move like this was necessary if the team was going to keep MacFarland in the picture, as he had drawn plenty of interest from around the league. The long-time executive has been with the Avalanche since 2015, coming over that year from the Columbus Blue Jackets where he had served for more than a decade. There was always going to be a time when he was given the keys to a team of his own, and when he wasn’t included in some of the other recent general manager searches, it appeared as though a promotion in Colorado was imminent.

In this case, he’ll get the opportunity to run a team with the support of a manager that is not only a franchise icon but an extremely successful executive in his own right. Sakic will be able to take a lot of the pressure off of MacFarland with the press and help him to continue the excellent work that the front office has done over the last several years.

It is interesting to see this move happen just ahead of free agency, and it only strengthens the idea that MacFarland was already doing a lot of the heavy lifting for the organization. He’ll now have control of the ship, even if Sakic is still standing over his shoulder guiding him across uncharted waters.

Montreal Canadiens Sign Corey Schueneman

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The Montreal Canadiens don’t need a qualifying offer for Corey Schueneman, as the minor league veteran has agreed to a one-year, two-way contract extension for 2022-23. The deal will pay him $750K at the NHL level and offers a hefty minor league guarantee of $350K.

Schueneman, 26, surprised many by climbing all the way to the NHL this season for Montreal, registering six points in 24 games at the highest level. The undrafted defenseman out of Western Michigan University had been playing exclusively in the minor leagues for the past few seasons, including time in the ECHL with the Kansas City Mavericks.

After showing he could handle himself–at least as an injury replacement–this new deal offers a nice raise even if he’s limited to time with the Laval Rocket once again. Schueneman only earned $175K in the AHL last season, but will now enjoy a $275K salary and an even bigger guarantee.

It also seems likely that he’ll get a handful of games with the big club once again, even if he isn’t expected to be a regular right away. Montreal moved out Alexander Romanov at the draft and could be shipping Jeff Petry somewhere this offseason. Depending on what they do in free agency and how their young players respond in training camp, there could be minutes available for players like Schueneman.

Chicago Blackhawks Hire Derek King, Kevin Dean

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The Chicago Blackhawks won’t be going into next season with an entirely new coaching staff after all. Derek King, who served as the team’s interim head coach last season, will be back as an assistant under Luke Richardson for 2022-23. Kevin Dean has also been hired as an assistant, providing plenty of experience for Richardson to lean on as he takes over a bench for the first time.

Goaltending coach Jimmy Waite and video coach Matt Meacham have been retained in their previous roles.

King, who had been the head coach of the Rockford IceHogs when he took over from the fired Jeremy Colliton, will still receive something of a promotion by joining the NHL bench. In 70 games as head coach, he stabilized the reeling Blackhawks and led them to a respectable 27-33-10 record. While that isn’t nearly good enough to put them in playoff contention, it’s a much better finish than many expected after the team’s 1-9-2 start, earning King some respect and an interview for the full-time job this summer.

Dean, meanwhile, comes over from the Boston Bruins, where he had served on Bruce Cassidy’s staff since 2017. With experience as a head coach at both the AHL and ECHL levels and a knack for helping young defensemen, he’ll add another quality coach to Richardson’s staff.

With the Blackhawks going through a complete rebuild, the coaching staff they have put together seems geared toward development more than anything else. That’s going to be important moving forward, though they may need to suffer through at least a few years of poor on-ice results.

Latest On Evander Kane

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The Edmonton Oilers and Evander Kane remain split in contract negotiations, according to Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff, who notes that the two sides met yesterday and made little progress. The separation appears to be in the length of the deal, with the Oilers looking to go short-term with the pending free agent forward. In fact, following the meeting, Kane has been granted permission to start speaking with other teams, according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, though agent Dan Milstein notes that there is still hope a deal can be worked out in Edmonton.

Of course, there is also the fact that Kane is currently involved in a grievance over what he claims was a wrongful termination by the San Jose Sharks, a process that does not appear to be headed toward a resolution before free agency opens on Wednesday. That certainly clouds things for the Oilers and any other team that wants to sign Kane, as there is the potential–however remote–that a new deal could be voided if the arbitrator re-instates his contract with the Sharks. By then, a team would be left out in the cold, with cap space in hand and no premier free agents left to sign. While a settlement between the Sharks and Kane would appear to be the most likely outcome, it is not decided yet.

There is also an apparent belief from Kane’s camp that he will be able to land a deal worth somewhere between $40MM and $50MM on the open market, after showing just how dominant he can be down the stretch. After joining the Oilers in January, Kane scored 22 goals in 43 regular season games and another 13 in 15 playoff contests. That is a 49-goal pace over a full 82-game season, obviously making him one of the most dangerous offensive weapons in the league.

While some of that was obviously driven by the opportunity to play with Connor McDavid, it’s exactly that chemistry that makes Kane such an appealing asset for the Oilers. Not every player can keep up with a superstar but the Oilers finally found a perfect match for McDavid in Kane, potentially making him even more valuable to them than any other team.

The fact that he appeared to stay out of trouble off the ice during his time in Edmonton will only help his case, and the Oilers’ newfound cap space should only make it easier to work out a deal. Still, if the two sides remain far apart just days before free agency, it might seem prudent for the Kane camp to at least wait to see what else is out there before circling back.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

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