San Jose Sharks, Arizona Coyotes Complete Minor Trade
The San Jose Sharks have acquired Lane Pederson from the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for a 2024 fourth-round selection. Quickly, the Sharks signed the young forward to a two-year contract. According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, the contract will be a two-way deal in 2021-22 with an NHL salary of $750K and a one-way deal in 2022-23 worth another $750K.
Pederson, 23, made his NHL debut this season with Arizona, playing in 15 games and registering three points. The undrafted forward has been a top performer over the past few seasons with the Tucson Roadrunners, scoring at a near point-per-game pace. In San Jose, he may receive an NHL opportunity given the team signed him for two years. Perhaps they see a breakout star that can step directly into a fourth-line role, or maybe he’s just meant to strengthen the San Jose Barracuda roster.
At the end of the deal, Pederson (who turns 24 in just a few days) will be eligible for Group VI unrestricted free agency if he fails to play 65 more NHL games.
Carolina Hurricanes Sign Tony DeAngelo
July 28: The contract has been officially announced by the Hurricanes. One year and $1MM for DeAngelo, who is still earning some of his salary from the Rangers as well. GM Don Waddell released a short statement about his newest defenseman:
Tony is a smooth-skating, puck-moving defenseman. We’ve done a lot of background work on this player and we are confident that he can be a positive addition to our group.
July 27: The Carolina Hurricanes are closing in on a one-year deal with recently bought-out defenseman Tony DeAngelo, according to Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff. Seravalli notes that there was a lot of interest in DeAngelo, but that the opportunity to play for head coach Rod Brind’Amour was appealing to him. The deal is not yet signed and no financial details have been reported at this time.
It will create a public relations mess in Carolina to bring in DeAngelo, who was sent away from the Rangers organization this season after several incidents involving teammates. The last one was between DeAngelo and goaltender Alexandar Georgiev, which led to the defensemen being placed on waivers. At the time, GM Jeff Gorton explained that it wasn’t just one incident that led to the decision, instead telling reporters that he had warned the defenseman “if his name came up in anything at all” he would find himself on waivers. DeAngelo cleared and would not play for the Rangers again.
While a trade was explored, DeAngelo declined a contract termination that would have allowed him to sign elsewhere last season, instead forcing the Rangers into a buyout this summer. He will earn one-third of the $5.3MM that was remaining on his contract with the Rangers after clearing unconditional waivers a few days ago, but should this deal go through, will now be able to collect a paycheck from the Hurricanes as well.
There isn’t anyone that doubts DeAngelo’s offensive ability, as the 25-year-old defenseman recorded 15 goals and 53 points in the 2019-20 season. He earned Norris Trophy votes that season after playing so well, which has always been the trade-off when it comes to him. Even going back to his junior career, DeAngelo has been embroiled in controversy with his teammates. Whether he can make that side of the game work in Carolina remains to be seen, but it appears as though the organization will try.
Blake Coleman To Sign With Calgary Flames
The Calgary Flames are going to bring in a Stanley Cup champion, as Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic confirms they will sign Blake Coleman when free agency opens. Joe Smith of The Athletic reports the deal will be a six-year contract and will carry an average annual value of $4.9MM. The Athletic’s Hailey Salvian reports that the deal carries a full no-movement clause for the first three seasons and a modified no-trade clause for the final three.
Initially linked to the Dallas Stars, his hometown team, and the Boston Bruins, a rival of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Coleman will instead head about as far from Tampa as possible by joining the Flames. Calgary is a team that is trying to become tougher to play against and Coleman’s hard-nosed game will certainly help with that. Though limited to a third-line role with the Bolts, albeit a crucial one, Coleman will likely compete for top-six minutes with the Flames. The team is deep up front with the likes of Matthew Tkachuk, Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan, Elias Lindholm, Mikael Backlund, Andrew Mangiapane, and Dillon Dube, but Coleman’s game is unlike any of these current top-nine options. He has the chance to be the piece that completes the puzzle for a Flames squad whose results have not matched their talent on paper.
Though unsurprising, Coleman’s official departure from Tampa means the team will be replacing their highly-valued third line in its entirety. Coleman, Yanni Gourde, and Barclay Goodrow will all be on new teams this season after playing a critical role the past two years, especially in the postseason.
Boston Bruins Sign Erik Haula, Tomas Nosek
The Boston Bruins have signed Erik Haula to a two-year contract according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, who reports that the deal will carry an average annual value of $2.375MM. The team has also signed Tomas Nosek to a two-year deal according to Darren Dreger of TSN. Nosek’s deal will carry an AAV of $1.75MM.
Haula, 30, seemed like a good bet to return to the Nashville Predators after the team lost Calle Jarnkrok in the expansion draft. Instead, while the Predators did retain Mikael Granlund, they lost Haula to the Bruins where he can bring some scoring punch to the bottom-six. For just $2.375MM, a slight raise on what he earned last season, Haula doesn’t even need to approach his career-highs of 29 goals and 55 points to be an effective player for Boston. If he can be solid defensively and sit right around that 30-40 point range, the team will be that much better for it.
Interestingly enough, Nosek was teammates with Haula when he set those career-highs with the Vegas Golden Knights. Both selected in the expansion draft, it was in Vegas that Nosek became a full-time NHL player, suiting up 240 times over the past four seasons. Even in limited minutes, he adds a little bit of offense, and in 2020-21 he was on a scoring pace that would have shattered his previous numbers if it were a full season. 18 points in 38 games may not sound like much, but when it comes with positional flexibility, penalty-killing prowess and a 6’3″ frame, it equals a pretty valuable bottom-six option.
How the Bruins lines shake out with all the newcomers—the team also signed Nick Foligno—isn’t clear, but there’s certainly a lot of NHL depth to work with. The team has 14 forwards already on one-way contracts with no one earning more than Patrice Bergeron‘s $6.875MM.
Chicago Blackhawks Sign Jujhar Khaira
The Chicago Blackhawks have added some size and toughness to the bottom-six, signing Jujhar Khaira to a two-year contract. Khaira was recently let go by the Edmonton Oilers when they decided not to issue him a qualifying offer, but will land a $925K AAV in Chicago, according to Chris Johnston of Sportsnet.
Khaira was one of the most recognizable names not to receive a QO this season and the Blackhawks leapt at the chance to add the physical young forward to their lineup. However, expectations should be tempered for the big winger. Although Khaira flashed some scoring ability earlier in his career that hinted at power forward potential, his ice time has remained steady over the past four years in Edmonton but his production has decreased and his hits have increased. Khaira has settled into a grinder role rather than focusing on the skill development needed to keep contending for an offensive role.
That is not to say that Khaira isn’t good at what he does. The 6’4″, 212-pound forward checks hard and often and is a difficult match-up for opponents. He was particularly aggressive this past season, logging a career-high 151 hits despite only playing in 40 games. That’s nearly four hits per game and a full season pace over over 300 hits. Those are menacing numbers and make Khairia a rare and valuable asset, even without the offensive upside.
Carter Hutton Signs With Arizona Coyotes
The Arizona Coyotes have signed goaltender Carter Hutton to a one-year, $750K contract according to Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff. With Darcy Kuemper, Adin Hill, and Antti Raanta both gone, the Coyotes needed a goaltender with some NHL experience.
As it stands now, Hutton looks like the starter in the desert for next season unless another addition is made. This is very likely, but still a testament to the trust that the team has in him if no other moves pan out. Hutton, 35, had some hard times in Buffalo over the past three years. However, it was just before then that Hutton delivered an all-time NHL season, leading the league with a .931 save percentage and 2.09 GAA for the St. Louis Blues in 2017-18. Hutton may not be at the top of his game any more, but very well might have more in him than he was able to show in Buffalo over the past few years. The Coyotes look no better than the Sabres right now, but the system may be different enough that the veteran can benefit from a change of scenery.
However, Hutton’s best chance at success in Phoenix will be if the ‘Yotes add another netminder. Hutton’s top seasons of his NHL career have all been when he played under 40 games. With only untested Josef Korenar as another NHL option in net right now, that is not happening. The aging goalie needs someone to take at least half of the starts off his hands or the likelihood that he can stay fresh enough to excel seems slim.
Tampa Bay Lightning Announce Several Minor Contracts
The Tampa Bay Lightning have announced several minor signings to fill out their organizational depth. Gabriel Dumont, Charles Hudon, Darren Raddysh, Andrej Sustr and Maxime Lagace have all signed one-year, two-way contracts today worth the minimum $750K in the NHL.
Raddysh should be a familiar name to Bolts fans, as brother Taylor Raddysh is a Tampa draft pick and budding NHLer. Darren, like Taylor, has not played in the NHL just yet, but has been a productive AHLer. The two could both find themselves in the Tampa Bay lineup this season as the team will be looking for affordable support.
Sustr is another name well-known by Tampa. The veteran defenseman spent the first six seasons of his NHL career with the team before spending a year with the Anaheim Ducks and the past two season in the KHL with the Kunlun Red Star. He returns to the Lightning to play a depth role, likely as no more than a stay-at-home bottom-pair option.
Dumont is yet another former Bolt, having spent parts of two seasons with the team, including a career high 39 NHL games in 2016-17. Dumont and Hudon are both small, shifty forwards with NHL experience and plenty of AHL success and will be good veterans for Tampa in the minors.
Lagace, though largely an AHL netminder, played a significant role for the Vegas Golden Knights in their inaugural season and could do so again if called upon. In his one start for the Pittsburgh Penguins this season, Lagace recorded a 29-save shutout. Likely to be Tampa’s No. 3 in net, the 28-year-old is not a bad depth option for the Lightning.
Jonathan Bernier Signs With New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils have signed Jonathan Bernier to a two-year contract according to Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic tweets that the contract will carry an average annual value of $4.125MM. Bernier’s rights were recently traded from the Detroit Red Wings to the Carolina Hurricanes, but decided to test the market instead of signing with his new team. He’ll now land in New Jersey where he can be a veteran partner for young Mackenzie Blackwood.
It is an interesting move for New Jersey, who gave Bernier the fourth-highest AAV of the day among goaltenders behind younger keepers Philipp Grubauer and Linus Ullmark as well as Frederik Andersen, all of whom will be asked to take on starting roles whereas Bernier will be, at best, splitting time with young cornerstone Mackenzie Blackwood. Blackwood himself is also making just $2.8MM over the next two years, well below Bernier. While the Devils do not have cap problems, they also don’t seem like a team that needed to spend a lot of money for another goaltender, especially when other veteran options went for less.
Yet, financial details aside, Bernier is an experienced, accomplished goaltender who should serve as a good mentor to Blackwood, what the Devils were hoping for out of Corey Crawford last off-season. Bernier is also coming off of a solid season in Detroit in which he managed a .914 save percentage and 2.99 GAA despite playing in front of a porous team defense.
Keith Yandle To Sign With Philadelphia Flyers
July 28: The Yandle contract has been officially announced, at the terms reported. The veteran defenseman released a statement:
Once I became a free agent, the first team that I looked at was the Philadelphia Flyers. Obviously, having AV before and playing with Kevin Hayes helped my decision. What Chuck (Fletcher) has done this off season bringing in guys and putting the team in a place where it gives us the opportunity to succeed is a big thing for me. I know for me, all I want to do is win and coming to the Flyers gives me the best chance for that.
July 27: After being bought out earlier this offseason, Keith Yandle has found a new home. The unrestricted free agent defenseman is expected to sign a one-year, $900K contract with the Philadelphia Flyers according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Friedman adds that it will come with a no-trade clause.
Yandle, 34, is far from the top-pairing option he once was, but did still managed to rack up 27 points this season for the Florida Panthers. Almost all of that production came on the powerplay, a role he may be able to fill in Philadelphia–even if it is the second unit. Flyers head coach Alain Vigneault is familiar with what Yandle can bring from their time in New York with the Rangers, when the puck-moving defenseman tallied 47 points in the 2015-16 season. That total is actually one of the lower amounts in his career; Yandle has recorded more than 50 points in five different seasons.
In fact, at 600 points through 1,032 games, Yandle sits 42nd all-time among NHL defensemen in scoring. Though he likely won’t be seeing the Hall of Fame when it’s all said and done, the veteran has put together an exceptional career to this point. Included in that career is his current streak of 922 consecutive games played, dating back to early 2009. That’s good enough for second all-time behind Doug Jarvis‘ 964-game streak, which Yandle could break this season if things go well.
That streak of course does put a little pressure on the Flyers to ice him every night, something that wasn’t going to continue in Florida at his previous cap hit. Philadelphia’s decision to sign him indicates that they may not be entirely comfortable handing over the third pairing role to prospect Cameron York, after restructuring almost their entire blueline this summer. Yandle joins Ryan Ellis and Rasmus Ristolainen as newcomers to the back end, giving the team an entirely different looking heading into 2021-22.
Edmonton Oilers To Sign Cody Ceci
As expected, the Edmonton Oilers have added Cody Ceci to the mix according to Darren Dreger of TSN. The veteran defenseman has signed a four-year deal that will carry an average annual value of $3.25MM. The Oilers moved out Ethan Bear earlier today to make room for Ceci and the re-signed Tyson Barrie.
The Oilers are hoping that having Barrie and Ceci lead the right side of their defense works out better than it did for the Toronto Maple Leafs not long ago. Obviously, the team is already familiar with Barrie, but they are taking a risk on Ceci. Edmonton is banking on Ceci playing like he did this past season in Pittsburgh for the next four years and not like how he played in Toronto and Ottawa before that. The Penguins succeeded with Ceci in not asking him to do too much and letting him focus on just playing competent defense in limited minutes and against less difficult match-ups. At $3.25MM and on a longer term deal than any other Edmonton defense, it does not seem like the Oilers plan to let Ceci sit back and play a depth role. They risk poor results if they push him into too great a role, trying to replace the departed Adam Larsson, which could make this a difficult contract for the team.
Ceci, 27, may have learned enough from his season in Pittsburgh that he can try again at serving in a top-four role. Ceci averaged 21:25 per game through his first six full NHL seasons, during which time he was a combined -48 rating. This year, he played just 18:31 per game and earned a +18 rating. While moving the puck will likely never be a strength of Ceci’s, perhaps he is ready to take on more of a shutdown approach if handed more minutes. How the Oilers choose to use Ceci will almost certainly dictate whether he is able to succeed in Edmonton.