Arizona Coyotes To Acquire Anton Stralman
Florida Panthers defenseman Anton Stralman has waived his no-trade clause and will be heading to the Arizona Coyotes, according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic. Stralman has just one year remaining on his current contract, which carries a $5.5MM cap hit. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that the Coyotes will also receive prospect Vladislav Kolyachonok, and a 2024 second-round pick. The Panthers will receive a 2023 seventh-round pick in return.
The Coyotes have made move after move this summer to weaponize their cap space, using it to acquire future assets in preparation for a rebuild. Many of their key players remain in the fold, but the team has taken on bad contracts like Andrew Ladd, Loui Eriksson, Jay Beagle, and Antoine Roussel. They even received two draft picks to bring in Shayne Gostisbehere, who will likely be asked to play big minutes given how many vacancies there are on the back end. Oliver Ekman-Larsson was shipped out of town, Niklas Hjalmarsson retired while Jason Demers, Alex Goligoski, Jordan Oesterle, Aaron Ness and Jordan Gross are all pending unrestricted free agents.
That means Stralman would be joining a group that includes only Gostisbehere, Jakob Chychrun, and Ilya Lyubushkin on the back end. That’s not a group that should be very imposing, at least not anymore. The 34-year-old Stralman (who turns 35 in just a few days) was once the perfect defensive complement to high-end offensive players, but has declined rapidly in recent years. His minutes were slashed this season in Florida, where he recorded just nine points in 38 games.
Arizona meanwhile now holds five second-round picks for the 2022 draft and have now added another one for down the road, which should help them restock a bereft prospect pipeline. The team had traded away top prospects to acquire players like Taylor Hall and Phil Kessel, while also being stripped of draft picks thanks to scouting violations. GM Bill Armstrong has obviously decided that building that part of the organization back up was a priority this offseason, but it could very well come at the cost of a competitive season.
The Coyotes have just five players signed to one-way contracts for the 2022-23 season (six, if you include Ladd, who has played just five NHL games over the past two years), and have been rumored to be listening even on some of those. Unless the team is extremely aggressive in free agency, this appears like it will be quite a lean year for the roster, relying on aging veterans or fringe NHL players to fill several key spots.
For Florida, getting rid of Stralman’s cap hit is a huge boost, given their recent acquisition of Sam Reinhart. The team signed RFA Sam Bennett earlier this morning and didn’t have a lot of room left to get the 25-year-old Reinhart done. Now, with an extra $5.5MM in room, the team can not only get Reinhart under contract but could potentially look for further upgrades through free agency. Giving away a prospect and a pick is never easy, but the Panthers are in a win-now mode with their deep, relatively young roster that looks poised to do some damage in the Atlantic Division.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Adam Gaudette Re-Signs With Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks didn’t issue a qualifying offer to Adam Gaudette, but he won’t be hitting the free agent market on Wednesday. The team has instead signed him to a one-year contract worth $997,500, according to Scott Powers of The Athletic.
That’s the same amount as what his qualifying offer would have been, meaning Gaudette was willing to accept that amount to prove he can still be a top-nine contributor. The 24-year-old had four points in seven games with the Blackhawks after a midseason trade from the Vancouver Canucks, where his career had stagnated after some early success. In 2019-20 he scored 12 goals and 33 points in just 59 games, showing flashes of the dominance that made him a Hobey Baker Award winner at Northeastern University. But in the playoffs, he disappeared completely, recording no points at all through ten games.
When he returned to Vancouver in 2020-21, his minutes were curtailed and his performance declined, to the point of being a healthy scratch on a regular basis. He scored seven points in 33 games before the trade to Chicago, which gave him a fresh start in a different market. It started well, but Gaudette quickly became a healthy scratch in Chicago as well, leading to some wondering whether he’d be brought back at all. With this one-year deal, it might be his last chance to establish himself as an NHL regular.
Ondrej Kase, Nick Ritchie Do Not Receive Qualifying Offers
The Boston Bruins indicated earlier this week that qualifying offers would be extended to restricted free agents Ondrej Kase and Nick Ritchie, but that decision changed at some point. Both players did not receive offers by today’s deadline, meaning they will become unrestricted free agents on Wednesday. The team did however sign Nick Wolff to a one-year, two-way contract for the 2021-22 season, and extended qualifying offers to Callum Booth and Zachary Senyshyn.
It seemed like a bigger surprise that Kase was originally going to be tendered an offer, given his Bruins career to this point. The 25-year-old winger has played just nine regular season games since arriving in Boston during the 2019-20 season, failing to score a single goal. The former 20-goal man has dealt with serious injuries and is at a crossroads in his career. Once a play-driving middle-six option, he’ll now hit the free agent market looking to find a way back onto an NHL roster. He’s played just 88 games since the beginning of the 2018-19 season.
Ritchie on the other hand is coming off his best offensive season, with 15 goals in 56 games for the Bruins. Five of those game on the powerplay, where he used his large frame to clean up pucks in front of the net, a role that he could perhaps now fill for some other team around the league. The 10th overall pick in 2014, Ritchie has only totaled 59 career goals, but brings a high level of physicality to the bottom-six and won’t turn 26 until December.
There will certainly be teams interested in that production, and failing to receive a qualifying offer doesn’t actually close the door completely on a return to Boston. The two sides could still work out a deal, but the Bruins obviously didn’t feel comfortable issuing the qualifying offer and risking an arbitration award.
For Wolff, this is his second NHL contract after signing out of Minnesota-Duluth in 2020. The 25-year-old defenseman had just two assists in 24 games with the Providence Bruins, but stands 6’5″ and adds plenty of length to the minor league team’s blueline. He’ll be ticketed for the AHL once again, where he can continue to provide stable defensive play and hope for an NHL call-up.
Offseason Notes: Kuemper, Nemeth, Wideman
The Arizona Coyotes moved out Adin Hill this offseason and have Antti Raanta scheduled for free agency in two days, but that doesn’t mean they won’t listen on their other goalie. Darcy Kuemper is generating interest around the league according to David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, who lists the Toronto Maple Leafs as one team involved. The Coyotes–who have used their available cap space several times this offseason to acquire future assets–may be willing to retain some of Kuemper’s $4.5MM salary to get a deal done but the price is “quite high” according to Pagnotta.
The 31-year-old Kuemper had just a .907 save percentage this season, but showed off his skills at the World Championship, taking Team Canada to a gold medal. For his career, he has posted a .917 in 242 NHL games, a number that would certainly be interesting to several contenders looking for a tandem option. Toronto GM Kyle Dubas has been very clear over the past week that the team’s top priority is finding a partner for Jack Campbell, given Frederik Andersen appears to be heading to market. Kuemper could be that option for them or another team, though it will come at a cost.
- The New York Rangers could be adding some size to their young defensive group, as Larry Brooks of the New York Post reports that the team is expected to sign Patrik Nemeth when free agency opens this week. The 6’3″ Nemeth spent this season with the Detroit Red Wings and Colorado Avalanche, totaling 10 points in 52 games. He earned $3MM in each of the last two seasons, but could be taking a bit of a pay cut according to Brooks, who expects a two or three-year deal to be completed with an average annual value between $2.25MM and $2.75MM. The 29-year-old would certainly add some defensive responsibility to a blueline already brimming with offensive talent, though where he exactly fits would have to still be determined.
- After an outstanding season in the KHL, Chris Wideman could be returning to North America to join the Montreal Canadiens. Chris Johnston of Sportsnet reports that Wideman is a “good bet” to end up in Montreal when free agency opens. The 31-year-old defenseman led all KHL defensemen in scoring this season with 41 points in 59 games and then helped the U.S. win bronze at the World Championship. He last played in the NHL during the 2018-19 season and recently opened up about the Uber incident while with the Ottawa Senators that may have considerably changed his career path.
Toronto, Boston Complete Minor Trade
The Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins have completed a minor trade, involving the draft rights to an unsigned college player. J.D. Greenway, the younger brother of Minnesota Wild forward Jordan Greenway, has been sent from Toronto to Boston for future considerations according to CapFriendly. Greenway, who has completed his years of NCAA eligibility, will become an unrestricted free agent if not signed by August 15.
Selected 72nd overall in 2016, the 23-year-old Greenway doesn’t at all represent the way the Maple Leafs build their teams. Standing 6’5″ and known more for his physicality than his skill, he scored just 25 points during a four-season college career that started with the University of Wisconsin and ended with the University of Maine. There was a transfer year in the middle that Greenway spent playing for the Dubuque Fighting Saints of the USHL, but even there he was unable to really establish himself as a dominant offensive player, scoring just nine goals in 58 games.
Still, as the NHL pendulum starts to swing back towards size and strength, at least in the bottom-six and on defense, perhaps Greenway could still have a career at the highest level. The Bruins obviously believe in him enough to bring him into the organization and should be expected to sign him before the deadline. A start with the AHL’s Providence Bruins is likely.
Sam Morin Re-Signs With Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are bringing back some of their toughness, inking Samuel Morin to a new one-year contract. The deal will carry a salary of $750K and keep the 6’6″ behemoth in the only organization he’s ever known.
Morin, 26, was at a career crossroads heading into this season and decided to try his hand on the wing. Though he was never expected to provide much offense at that spot, a midseason switch back to defense has seemingly extended his NHL career. The physical, fighting Morin has landed another contract and even though it’s only worth the league minimum, it keeps him in the league for the time being.
Beloved by his teammates, Morin shouldn’t be expected to play every night for the Flyers in 2021-22, but represents an option for head coach Alain Vigneault to insert at certain times. He probably isn’t even really penciled in as a seventh option, but more of a specialty that can come in and out as needed. With the roster makeover that GM Chuck Fletcher has attempted this summer, the team has new faces like Ryan Ellis and Rasmus Ristolainen to eat up heavy minutes on the back end. Morin’s job will to be–to steal a phrase from Mike Babcock–6’6″ every day.
List Of Players Not Receiving A 2021 Qualifying Offer
The deadline to issue a qualifying offer to pending restricted free agents is today, making any player who has not received one eligible to become an unrestricted free agent on Wednesday. It does not stop them from re-signing with the team for a different amount. 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
Arizona Coyotes
Dryden Hunt, John Hayden, Frederik Gauthier, Nathan Sucese
Boston Bruins
Ondrej Kase, Robert Lantosi, Nick Ritchie
Buffalo Sabres
Stefanos Lekkas, Dawson DiPietro
Calgary Flames
Dominik Simon, Artyom Zagidulin
Carolina Hurricanes
Chicago Blackhawks
Pius Suter, Josh Dickinson, David Kampf, Adam Gaudette
Colorado Avalanche
Travis Barron, Peyton Jones, Ty Lewis, Adam Werner
Columbus Blue Jackets
Dallas Stars
Detroit Red Wings
Edmonton Oilers
Jujhar Khaira, Dominik Kahun, Theodor Lennstrom
Florida Panthers
Lucas Wallmark, Patrick Bajkov, Ryan Bednard, Alec Rauhauser, Jake Massie, Brad Morrison
Los Angeles Kings
Matt Luff, Michael Eyssimont, Drake Rymsha, Tyler Steenbergen
Minnesota Wild
Montreal Canadiens
Jake Lucchini, Joseph Blandisi
Nashville Predators
New Jersey Devils
Evan Cormier, Brandon Gignac, David Quenneville, Colby Sissons
New York Islanders
Michael Dal Colle, Dmytro Timashov, Robert Carpenter
New York Rangers
Yegor Rykov, Patrick Newell, Brandon Crawley, Gabriel Fontaine
Ottawa Senators
Marcus Hogberg, J.C. Beaudin, Michael Amadio, Jack Kopacka, Zachary Magwood, Jonathan Davidsson, Brandon Fortunato
Philadelphia Flyers
Pittsburgh Penguins
Mark Jankowski, Sam Miletic, Jesper Lindgren, Emil Larmi
San Jose Sharks
Seattle Kraken
(none)
St. Louis Blues
Jacob de La Rose, Erik Foley, Evan Polei, Evan Fitzpatrick
Tampa Bay Lightning
Toronto Maple Leafs
Vancouver Canucks
Marc Michaelis, Petrus Palmu, Jake Kielly, Jayce Hawryluk, Mitch Eliot
Vegas Golden Knights
(none)
Washington Capitals
(none)
Winnipeg Jets
(none)
San Jose, New Jersey Swap Jaros, Merkley
The San Jose Sharks and New Jersey Devils have completed a minor trade, swapping Christian Jaros and Nicholas Merkley. Immediately, Jaros has signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Devils worth $800K at the NHL level and $275K in the AHL.
Jaros, 25, played seven games for the Sharks this season after a late January trade from the Ottawa Senators. An imposing figure on the ice standing 6’3″ 222-lbs, the fifth-round pick will likely be a depth piece for New Jersey like he has been at his previous two stops. In 2018-19, his only full NHL season, he managed ten points in 61 games with the Senators. A one-year deal likely won’t come in at anything more than the $750K league minimum.
Merkley is perhaps the more interesting name to follow in this deal, if only because of his draft pedigree. Picked 30th overall in 2015, he has never been able to translate his exceptional junior production into consistent scoring at the NHL level. In 27 games this year, he recorded two goals and ten points, taking his career total to 12.
Overall, this is just a trade of two depth pieces that needed a different fit. The blueline in San Jose is overcrowded with expensive veterans, but the forward group is in need of some new additions. In New Jersey, it’s almost the opposite, with a defensive group still completely up in the air even after the acquisition of Ryan Graves. For each player it seems like there will be more opportunity in the NHL, though they’ll still need to prove they’re capable of taking on that role.
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet first reported the trade.
Vancouver Canucks To Buy Out Jake Virtanen
July 26: Virtanen has cleared waivers and will be bought out.
July 25: The Vancouver Canucks have placed Jake Virtanen on unconditional waivers for the purpose of a buyout. Because he is still just 24, the Canucks will be on the hook for just one-third of Virtanen’s remaining salary. That means the team will face a buyout penalty of $50K in 2021-22 and $500K in 2022-23. Tomorrow, when the buyout is executed, Virtanen will be an unrestricted free agent.
After scoring 18 goals in 69 games for the Canucks during the 2019-20 season, Virtanen completely fell off a cliff this year. He registered just five goals and zero assists in 38 games, essentially playing himself completely out of Vancouver’s plans. It wasn’t the first time he’d disappointed management, as Canucks GM Jim Benning was open about how he “expected more” from the young power forward in last year’s playoff bubble.
Importantly, Virtanen’s on-ice play warranted this buyout, but the Canucks are also washing their hands of a player embroiled in off-ice scandal. Earlier this summer, a civil lawsuit was filed in Kelowna, British Columbia, alleging Virtanen sexually assaulted a woman in 2017. On May 1, the Canucks placed Virtanen on leave from the team, releasing this statement:
We have become aware of the concerning allegations made about Jake Virtanen. Our organization does not accept sexual misconduct of any kind and the claims as reported are being treated very seriously by us.
We have engaged external expertise to assist in an independent investigation and we have placed the player on leave as we await more information.
The results of that investigation have not been released. Virtanen has since responded to the civil court filing, denying the allegations.
After 317 games in the NHL, the sixth-overall pick from 2014 has scored 55 goals and 100 points. There have been flashes of brilliance, using his size and speed to create scoring opportunities seemingly at a whim. There have also been long stretches of inconsistency, during which Virtanen provides very little value to the team at either end of the rink. With the Canucks recently bringing in a cap hit like Oliver Ekman-Larsson and a top-six forward like Conor Garland, there was simply no room for Virtanen or his $2.55MM cap hit in Vancouver.
Sam Bennett Re-Signs With Florida Panthers
The Florida Panthers are busy completing their RFA work today. After signing two depth defensemen earlier, the team has now reached a much bigger deal with Sam Bennett. Bennett has signed a four-year contract with the Panthers that Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports will carry an average annual value of $4.4MM. Chris Johnston of Sportsnet provides the full breakdown:
- 2021-22: $1.925MM + $1MM signing bonus
- 2022-23: $3.425MM salary
- 2023-24: $6.35MM salary
- 2024-25: $5.0MM salary
Florida GM Bill Zito released a short statement:
Sam’s impact on our club this past season was seen immediately, injecting physicality, skill and energy into our lineup. We are thrilled to have him in our Panthers lineup and look forward to what he can bring to our offense in the upcoming 2021-22 season.
Bennett, 25, is probably the happiest man in the world looking back at his deadline trade to the Panthers. He has recorded just 12 points in 38 games for the Calgary Flames, spending considerable time on the fourth line. Upon arriving in Florida, he was immediately placed in the top-six, given 18 minutes a night and managed 15 points in his final ten games. That was followed by a point-per-game performance in the first round of the playoffs, where Bennett has always excelled.
It shouldn’t be expected that Bennett performs at the level he did in those ten games, scoring at a pace that he’s never come close to in the past, but he doesn’t have to reach quite that level to be a valuable contract for the Panthers. At $4.4MM, as long as he’s a reasonable second-line player that provides physicality and playoff performance, it will work out just fine. A four-year deal buys out three years of unrestricted free agency, but also provides Bennett with the kind of security that wouldn’t have necessarily been available on the open market. Florida figures to be a strong team for the duration of the deal, providing Bennett with plenty of opportunities to show off his offensive skills.
Of course, there is a salary cap, and the Panthers have a big name to sign over the next year. Aleksander Barkov‘s deal will expire after the 2021-22 season, a player the team obviously can’t afford to lose. With Bennett now taking up a good chunk and newcomer Sam Reinhart also expected to sign a multi-year deal, the Panthers are betting they’ll still be able to fit everyone in down the road.