Montreal Canadiens Sign Louis Belpedio, Cedric Paquette, Jean-Sebastien Dea
The Montreal Canadiens have snatched up another depth defenseman, signing Louis Belpedio to a one-year two-way contract according to Bob McKenzie of TSN. The deal will carry an NHL salary of $750K, an AHL salary of $225K and a minor league guarantee of $300K. Belpedio was a Group VI unrestricted free agent. Not to be forgotten is the bottom of the forward group, which has also added Cedric Paquette on a one-year contract. Paquette will earn $950K according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic. Jean-Sebastien Dea has also been signed to a two-way deal according to Renaud Lavoir of TVA Sports.
Of the three, Paquette is the name likely to be seen in the Montreal lineup most often. The physical forward is a good fourth line checker and can hold his own at the face-off dot as well. A veteran of 424 NHL games, Pacquette has logged over 1,000 hits and a +38 turnover differential as a disruptive defensive presence.
Dea, 27, is a journeyman forward who is capable of contributing as an NHL substitute, but has spent the majority of each of his pro seasons in the AHL. Dea is a well-rounded offensive player, but lack high-end skill and upside, making him an experienced minor league option, but not a player that should be pegged for a regular NHL role.
Belpedio, 25, was once a highly-regarded prospect defenseman for the Minnesota Wild, but has not panned out. The 2014 third-round pick and Miami University standout has only played in four NHL games over four pro seasons. His AHL production has left a lot to be desired as well. Montreal hopes that a move to a new organization could help to jumpstart his career.
Braden Holtby Signs With Dallas Stars
The Dallas Stars have brought in another veteran goaltender, signing the recently bought out Braden Holtby on a one-year contract. Eric Engels of Sportsnet reports that it will be a $2MM deal for Holtby, which certainly raises some further questions about the health of Ben Bishop.
One of the more unpredictable moves of the day, Dallas now finds themselves with four NHL-caliber goaltenders for the coming season in Holtby, Bishop, Anton Khudobin, and Jake Oettinger. Oettinger is still waivers-exempt, if the Stars want to go that route, while Bishop’s injury could see him back on LTIR, leaving a tandem of Holtby and Khudobin. The team may also plan to trade one of Khudobin or Bishop.
Whichever way the Stars go, it seems Holtby will play an important role for the team in 2021-22. While his short stint with the Vancouver Canucks did not go well, Holtby is still a decorated NHL netminder and at 31 should still have plenty of gas left in the tank. As a short-term, relatively low-money gamble, Holtby could be a nice addition as a reclamation project. If he returns to form, the Stars will have at least two good goalies no matter which direction they go. If that isn’t enough to get them back into the playoffs, then he also becomes a valuable trade chip in February. Compared to some of the other contracts handed out to goaltenders today, Holtby’s new pact looks like a wise investment, even from a team without an apparent need in goal.
Patrik Laine Accepts Qualifying Offer, Signs With Blue Jackets
Wednesday: Official now, Laine has accepted his one-year qualifying offer with Columbus. He will be a restricted free agent again in 2022.
Tuesday: The Columbus Blue Jackets recently extended a qualifying offer to Patrik Laine, as they would any other restricted free agent they wanted to keep in the organization. The difference was, because of the way his previous contract was structured, that qualifying offer came with a salary of $7.5MM. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that Laine has accepted that offer, meaning he will sign a one-year deal worth $7.5MM for the 2021-22 season. The contract can’t technically be announced until Wednesday.
Still just 23, Laine has turned into something of an enigma in the NHL. Supremely talented, he scored 110 goals in his first three seasons, establishing himself as one of the league’s next great snipers. Some compared him to players like Alex Ovechkin or Steven Stamkos because of his ability to hammer one-timers accurately into the net on the powerplay, giving the Winnipeg Jets a seemingly unstoppable weapon.
But then, things started to deteriorate, to the point where Laine was traded early this season to the Columbus Blue Jackets. He was quickly put in the doghouse after a run-in with an assistant coach (one that turned out to be Brad Larsen, who is now the team’s head coach) and he ended up with just ten goals and 21 points in his 45 games with Columbus. There’s no doubting his offensive ability, but his commitment to the defensive side of the game and his sometimes questionable engagement have raised questions about his future.
Auston Matthews, who was compared to him immediately because they went with the first two spots in the 2016 draft, signed a huge long-term contract out of his entry-level deal that made him one of the highest-paid players in the NHL. Laine was given a two-year bridge and traded in the middle of it. Instead of negotiating a long-term deal, he’ll now return to Columbus on just a one-year contract, though one that rewards him handsomely. Next year, he’ll be an RFA again and will need the same qualifying offer, but perhaps things will have changed.
With a new head coach in Columbus and a fresh start that doesn’t have a trade and quarantine involved, Laine could very well get back to dominating the league with that wicked shot. But now just two years away from free agency, it’s hard to know just how long he’ll be with the Blue Jackets.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Zach Bogosian Signs With Tampa Bay Lightning
After a short stop in Toronto, Zach Bogosian is heading back to the Tampa Bay Lightning. The veteran defenseman has signed a three-year contract with the Lightning that will carry an average annual value of $850K, according to Darren Dreger of TSN.
Bogosian is still just 31, despite debuting way back in 2008 as a teenager. The third overall pick from that year’s draft, he dealt with injury after injury through the first decade of his career, never living up to his potential. Only recently has Bogosian gotten his career back on track, asking the Buffalo Sabres to terminate his contract in 2020 in order to sign with Tampa Bay. He won a Stanley Cup that summer during his first taste of the playoffs, certainly a factor in him returning this time around.
In the interim, he played one season for the Toronto Maple Leafs, stabilizing the team’s third-pairing and penalty kill. After being knocked out in the first round, he’ll take his gear back to Tampa Bay and lock in with one of the best teams in the league at an incredibly low price. In fact, Bogosian is actually taking a pay cut from last season and locking himself into a number only barely higher than the league minimum.
Derek Forbort Signs With Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins have signed Derek Forbort to a three-year contract, according to Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff. The deal is expected to carry an average annual value of $3MM. The veteran defenseman completes a new-look left side of the blue line that plagued the team last season.
The Boston Bruins were disappointed to lose Jeremy Lauzon in the Expansion Draft, but have added the player most similar in ability, but with more size and experience, albeit five years older. The 29-year-old Forbort addresses the Bruins need for physicality and penalty kill ability, one that was introduced before this past season with the departure of Zdeno Chara and now further emphasized by the loss of Lauzon. The 6’4″, 220-lb. defender plays a heavy, shutdown game. Forbort is also an elite shot-blocker and capable of moving the puck and contributing modest offense.
While Forbort may seem like a typical bottom pair, stay-at-home defenseman, that hasn’t generally been the case. Forbort has played over 20 minutes per game in four of his five NHL seasons and could be looked upon for an even greater role in Boston. With Matt Grzelcyk best-suited back on the second pair with Brandon Carlo and re-signed deadline addition Mike Reilly never playing on the top pair down the stretch or in the postseason, it would seem that Charlie McAvoy still needs a running mate. Forbort could wind up filling that role, providing the defensive security that could allow McAvoy to become more active offensively. Look for Forbort and Carlo to also form a dominant duo on the team’s top penalty kill unit.
Philadelphia Flyers Sign Martin Jones
After being bought out by the San Jose Sharks, Martin Jones has quickly found a new home. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that Jones will be joining the Philadelphia Flyers. The deal is expected to be a one-year contract at $2MM.
It is easy to dismiss Jones as a player not worth getting excited about. The past three seasons in San Jose have been nothing short of horrendous four the veteran netminder, especially compared to his lofty contract. However, Jones was carrying a heavy load as the unchallenged starter for the Sharks, playing a workhorse schedule despite his struggles. The expectation is entirely different in Philadelphia. Carter Hart is coming off a difficult campaign of his own, but the talented young keeper should rebound and will be given every opportunity to hold on to the starting job. Jones meanwhile will be looked upon to mentor Hart and provide competent play at the backup position. With far less pressure, he could very well return to form.
With that said, the Flyers’ choice of Jones as their No. 2 at this salary is intriguing. Philly has only $8MM in cap space with Hart and Travis Sanheim in need of new contracts and two other roster sports to fill and could have benefited from a more affordable backup. If they were going to give out a substantial contract to a keeper, it likely should have been someone they trusted as the starter if Hart continued to struggle. The past few years have not supported the idea that Jones can still be that player. So he instead is a pricey backup, which is not ideal for the Flyers.
Sean Kuraly Signs With Columbus Blue Jackets
The Columbus Blue Jackets have added some forward depth, signing Sean Kuraly to a four-year contract according to Aaron Portzline of The Athletic. Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia tweets that the deal will be worth a total of $10MM. The $2.5MM AAV is more than double that of Kuraly’s previous contract with the Boston Bruins, implying that Columbus could have greater plans for the center than just a fourth line role.
This contract was one of the more easily anticipatable free agency deals this summer. Kuraly is a Dublin, Ohio native and Miami University grad, making his connection to Columbus obvious. For a team whose inability to retain talent in recent years has become an unfortunate focal point, it makes sense that they would commit long-term to a player who very much wants to play in the city. This is also not the first time that the Blue Jackets have targeted a Bruins fourth-line center in free agency; Riley Nash was the player that Kuraly replaced in Boston after he departed for a raise and greater role in Columbus, a move the team likely considered a success.
At 28, it may not seem that Kuraly has more room to grow. However, at times with the Bruins he flashed top-nine ability and arguably played better off the fourth line than on it. That is not to say that Kuraly isn’t an accomplished checker and smart two-way asset, but he could have the chance to produce at a much higher level if handed an elevated role by the Blue Jackets. In 2018-19 and 2019-20, Kuraly recorded back-to-back seasons of over 20 points despite not playing full seasons and being limited almost exclusively to a fourth line role. 30+ points per year is not out of the question for the newest pivot in Columbus.
Brian Elliott Signs With Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning will bring in a new veteran backup for Andrei Vasilevskiy, signing Brian Elliott according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The one-year deal is worth $900K according to Andy Strickland of Bally Sports Midwest.
Elliott, 36, is coming off of a difficult season in Philadelphia in which he was asked to do more than expected behind a struggling Carter Hart and faltered, recording an .889 save percentage and 3.06 GAA. However, there is reason to believe that things will be much different for the veteran in Tampa. He will have a much more reduced role for the Bolts behind workhorse Andrei Vasilevskiy, arguably the best goaltender in the NHL right now. He will also be playing behind a stout Tampa defense that just won back-to-back Stanley Cups. With less responsibility and more protection, Elliott could return to form. A veteran of 502 NHL games over 14 years, Elliott has a career save percentage of .910 and GAA of 2.53.
The value of this deal works out nicely for the cap-strapped Lightning. Barring an injury to Vasilevskiy, the Lightning do not need to ask much of their backup, yet were paying Curtis McElhinney $1.3MM for numbers that were no better than Elliott’s. Filling his vacancy with a respected vet for under $1MM is a savvy move for the team, especially when backup goalies have had high price tags today.
Columbus Blue Jackets Extend Eric Robinson
The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed Eric Robinson to a two-year contract extension, according to PuckPedia. The deal will carry an average annual value of $1.6MM.
Robinson, 26, still had one year left on his previous contract that will pay him $975K this season, but will now be locked up through 2023-24. He’ll earn $1.5MM in 2022-23 and $1.7MM in 2023-24, reaching unrestricted free agency at the end of the deal. An undrafted free agent signing out of Princeton in 2018, Robinson has now played 120 NHL games. He registered eight goals and 18 points this season, filling out a bottom-six role nicely.
This new deal bets that he can continue in that role, but for a team that is going through a transition period after the trade of Seth Jones it doesn’t come with much risk. At worst, he struggles to improve his offensive production and stays on the fourth-line, at best he provides a little extra secondary scoring for a reasonable price. For a player that has worked extremely hard for everything he’s earned as a professional, not a bad gamble to take.
Pittsburgh Penguins Re-Sign Evan Rodrigues
The Pittsburgh Penguins will be bringing back Evan Rodrigues, as Darren Dreger of TSN reports. The two sides have agreed to a one-year, $1MM contract, avoiding unrestricted free agency.
Rodrigues, 28, scored seven goals and 14 points in 35 games for the Penguins this season, but apparently, that was enough to bring him back for another year. He’s a skilled forward that is versatile enough to play up and down the lineup, but has never been able to bring much consistency for a full season.
In returning to Pittsburgh, Rodrigues may have a leg up in the competition to fill some of the Penguins’ recently vacated forward spots. However, he will have to compete all the same. The Penguins are looking to make changes to the tone and tenor of their bottom-six play and Rodrigues may not last long in the lineup if he cannot bring more to the table than he did this past season.