Carolina Hurricanes Sign Jack Drury
The Carolina Hurricanes have added another top prospect to the organization, signing Jack Drury to a three-year entry-level contract. The deal will carry an average annual value of 925K. Hurricanes GM Don Waddell released a short statement:
Jack is an outstanding two-way forward who perfectly fits our system and plays the right way. We expect him to be an important piece for the Hurricanes in the very near future.
Drury, 21, was the 42nd overall pick in 2018 and spent two seasons at Harvard, becoming a star for the school in 2019-20 with a 39-point season. This year though, Drury followed an unusual path to the professional ranks. He left Harvard but didn’t sign with Carolina, taking his talents to Sweden to play for Vaxjo HC instead. It guaranteed him a full season of development after the Ivy League school announced they wouldn’t play and the AHL was still in flux.
That decision turned out to be a good one, as Drury scored 30 points in 41 regular season games, 11 more in 14 playoff matches en route to a league championship and finished second in the SHL Rookie of the Year voting. That performance landed him a spot on the U.S. World Championship squad, where he took home a bronze and got his first taste of playing against NHL competition.
Now, he signs his entry-level deal with the potential to step directly into the Carolina lineup next season. The nephew of New York Rangers GM Chris Drury, he isn’t quite the same player as his uncle but still has a commitment to the defensive end that is sometimes difficult to find from such talented offensive players. His ceiling may not be quite as high as some of the other young players already on the Hurricanes roster, but he should quickly become a valuable piece to plug into a lineup that continues to improve.
Minor Transactions: 07/07/21
The Montreal Canadiens lived to fight another day, but they’ll need that same level of desperation to win game five and continue the series tonight. While all eyes are on Tampa to see what happens, the rest of the hockey world prepares for next season. As always, we’ll keep track of any notable minor moves right here.
- Phil Varone has signed a one-year contract with Lausanne HC in Switzerland, continuing his overseas career after playing with Barys Nur-Sultan of the KHL last season. The 30-year-old forward suited up 97 times in the NHL and won the AHL MVP in 2018. In 42 games last season, he scored 25 points.
- Martin Gernat, once a fifth-round pick of the Edmonton Oilers, will also be heading to Lausanne, after spending the last few seasons in the Czech Republic. The 28-year-old defenseman hasn’t played in North America since the 2015-16 season, but did impress for Slovakia at this year’s World Championship.
- Michael Krutil will sign another AHL contract with the Rockford IceHogs after spending the 2020-21 season with them. The 19-year-old defenseman was a fourth-round pick last fall, but ended up going straight to the AHL where he recorded three points in 21 games. He has still not signed his entry-level contract but there is no rush, as the Blackhawks will hold his rights until 2024.
- The AHL’s Iowa Wild have lost a pair of players to Europe. Forwards Tyler Sheehy and Jarrett Burton are each leaving North America behind for the first time in their careers after combining for just 14 AHL points this season. Sheehy, 25, has signed with the Nurnberg Ice Tigers of Germany’s DEL on a one-year deal with an option for second year. Burton, 30, will join Norway’s Stavanger Oilers on a one-year deal.
- Cole Schneider will spend another season without an NHL contract despite strong returns in the minors. The former Buffalo Sabre, who has also spent time under contract with the Ottawa Senators and New York Rangers, was impressive again this season in the AHL, recording 28 points in 36 games with the Texas Stars and earning the club’s captaincy. It was Schneider’s second consecutive season on an AHL deal even after recording 46 points in 54 games with the Milwaukee Admirals in 2019-20. Schneider will not wait for the NHL market to open later this month and has instead opted to return to Milwaukee, as the team announced a one-year-deal for the 30-year-old forward.
Los Angeles Kings Sign Christian Wolanin
The Los Angeles Kings have retained a depth defenseman, signing Christian Wolanin to a one-year contract. The two-way deal carries an NHL salary of $750K. Wolanin was scheduled to become a Group VI unrestricted free agent this summer.
As we examined recently in our Kings Free Agent Focus piece, Wolanin was basically the only pending UFA that really carried any weight for Los Angeles. His return will give the team another depth option, but certainly doesn’t guarantee him much playing time. The 26-year-old suited up for 18 games this season, but only three of them came with the Kings after a trade from the Ottawa Senators. Since signing his entry-level contract in 2018, he has played in 61 NHL games, recording 18 points.
One thing that may have swayed things in favor of an extension? Wolanin’s strong performance at this year’s World Championship, where he posted six points for Team USA and took home a bronze medal. A league-minimum two-way contract is never a bad idea for a player that has shown an ability to play at the NHL level, and in this case it very well could be a bargain for the Kings.
Wolanin will be left exposed to Seattle, but doesn’t really seem like a prime target given the other players that could be available in Los Angeles.
Expansion Primer: Colorado Avalanche
Over the next few weeks, we will be breaking down each team’s situation as it pertains to the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft. Which players are eligible, who will likely warrant protection, and which ones may be on the block to avoid the risk of losing them for nothing? Each team is required to submit their protection lists by 4:00 PM CDT on July 17th. The full eligibility rules can be found here, while CapFriendly has an expansion tool to make your own lists.
The last time the expansion process rolled around, the Avalanche were in great shape. They ended up losing depth goaltender Calvin Pickard, who never even played a game in the Vegas organization. He cleared waivers and then was traded for a sixth-round pick and Tobias Lindberg the following October, meaning Colorado certainly didn’t part with much of an asset. This time around the Avalanche are a much deeper roster and things may not be so painless.
Eligible Players (Non-UFA)
Forwards:
Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, Andre Burakovsky, Nazem Kadri, Joonas Donskoi, J.T. Compher, Valeri Nichushkin, Tyson Jost, Kiefer Sherwood, Travis Barron, Logan O’Connor, Ty Lewis, Jayson Megna, Vladislav Kamenev
Defense:
Erik Johnson (NMC), Samuel Girard, Devon Toews, Ryan Graves, Dennis Gilbert, Cale Makar, Jacob MacDonald
Goalies:
Notable Unrestricted Free Agents
F Gabriel Landeskog, F Brandon Saad, D Patrik Nemeth, G Philipp Grubauer, G Devan Dubnyk
Notable Exemptions
F Shane Bowers, F Sampo Ranta, F Alex Newhook, F Martin Kaut, D Conor Timmins, D Bowen Byram, G Pavel Francouz
Key Decisions
Just reading through the list of eligible players you can start to see a problem for the Avalanche, and a potential reason why Landeskog remains unsigned. It’s not clear whether the team has a deal “in the drawer” for their captain (reports indicate that isn’t the case, though things can change at any moment), but it certainly would help the situation if he signs after the draft instead of before it. Remember, that strategy technically gives the Kraken a chance to speak with Landeskog ahead of the draft, meaning they could offer him a huge contract to try and pry him away from the only team he’s ever known.
Even if he and Saad are not signed before the draft though, it still leaves Colorado GM Joe Sakic with a tough decision. Do you protect seven forwards and three defensemen, potentially risking a young player from the blueline, or eight skaters in order to make sure that defense corps stays intact? The decision will be almost entirely based on whether Johnson agrees to waive his no-movement clause, which would normally force the Avalanche into protecting him. The veteran defenseman is an unlikely target for Seattle because of his age, contract, and recent injury issues, meaning waiving it would only serve to help the franchise he currently plays for.
Assuming he does waive it and the team goes the seven forwards-three defenseman route, there are still plenty of decisions to be made. Rantanen, MacKinnon, Burakovsky, and Nichushkin are easy choices to protect at forward, but that leaves the group of Kadri, Donskoi, Compher, Jost, and O’Connor to fill just three spots.
It might have been easy to pencil Kadri into that must-protect list a few months ago, but after getting another playoff suspension, there will have to be at least some discussion over whether he should be a core piece moving forward. Three times now in his career he hasn’t been available when his team needed him most, and the 30-year-old center has just one year left on his contract.
Donskoi and Compher are both valuable players, but given their cap hits ($3.9MM and $3.5MM respectively) it wouldn’t be the end of the world to lose one of them, with so many free agents to sign this offseason. One of those free agents is Jost, who is an arbitration-eligible RFA. He too has settled into a role with the Avalanche and is still just 23, but hasn’t experienced the offensive breakout that was expected when the team selected him 10th overall in 2016.
That leaves O’Connor, who some may overlook simply because of his undrafted status and lack of NHL experience, but there were real moments of upside from him this season as a bottom-six piece. The fact that he will carry a cap hit next season that is less than league minimum ($725K) makes him a valuable option for an Avalanche team that will be skirting the salary cap ceiling all year long.
Of course, even if Johnson does waive his clause, it doesn’t mean things come easy on defense. The simple answer is to protect Makar, Girard and Toews, who each logged more than 23 minutes a night this season and are all core pieces of the roster. But that would mean exposing Graves, who arguably outplayed Toews and Girard in the playoffs and carries the lowest cap hit of the three. The 26-year-old Graves looks like he is still improving and could very well be part of the Kraken top-four if left exposed.
In net, there isn’t even anyone that really deserves protecting, unless Grubauer re-signs before the draft. That means the Avalanche could actually make a trade for a new starting goaltender before the draft if they believe their incumbent Vezina finalist will be too expensive to bring back.
Projected Protection List
F Mikko Rantanen
F Nathan MacKinnon
F Andre Burakovsky
F Nazem Kadri
F Joonas Donskoi
F Valeri Nichushkin
F Tyson Jost
D Samuel Girard
D Devon Toews
D Cale Makar
*Assuming Landeskog does not re-sign before the draft and Johnson waives his NMC
Skater Exposure Requirement Checklist
When Vegas had their expansion draft, a minimum of two forwards and one defenseman had to be exposed that were under contract and played either 40 games in the most recent season or 70 over the past two combined. Due to the pandemic, those thresholds have been changed to 27 games played in 2020-21 or 54 in 2019/20 and 2020-21 combined. In creating our expansion list for each team in this series, we will ensure that these criteria are met.
Forwards (1): J.T. Compher
Defensemen (3): Erik Johnson, Ryan Graves, Jacob MacDonald
Of course, in this situation the Avalanche still have some work to do. They need to leave two forwards exposed that meet the requirements, and by protecting both Donskoi and Kadri it leaves just one. A new contract for Landeskog, or Saad would change this, but they could also just extend Bellemare or even Calvert if he is healthy enough to return to action. On the back end, Johnson waiving his NMC would do the trick, but even without him they have enough options to fill the single required spot.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.
Winnipeg Jets Agree To Terms With Dominic Toninato
The Winnipeg Jets have agreed to terms with Dominic Toninato on a two-year contract. The deal will be a two-way contract in 2021-22, a one-way contract in 2022-23 and carries an average annual value of $750K at the NHL level.
Toninato, 27, was set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer after playing just a handful of games for the Jets. In fact, because he was used as an emergency recall and placed on the taxi squad so often this year, he ended up playing just five regular season games at the NHL and AHL levels combined. He did get into three postseason games, even scoring a goal against the Edmonton Oilers in the first round, but it was still a far cry from the 46 games Toninato suited up for in 2019-20.
Of course, bouncing on and off the NHL roster is nothing new for Toninato, who has just 87 games played since he signed with the Colorado Avalanche in 2017. Originally drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2012, the 6’2″ forward spent a year in the USHL and then went to the University of Minnesota-Duluth for four seasons, even winning the NCHC Best Defensive Forward award in 2016-17.
That defensive presence will always be his ticket to the NHL, given the limited offensive upside Toninato brings. In those 87 career NHL games, he has just five goals and 15 points, though he has averaged less than 10 minutes of ice time through those matches.
This contract provides some stability for him, as well as the chance to earn a guaranteed NHL salary in 2022-23. That’s something new for Toninato, who has been on two-way deals to this point in his career.
For the Jets, his signing provides them with another player that can fill the expansion requirements at forward. Though he didn’t play much this season, the games from last year also count towards the threshold, meaning he was always likely to be extended in some fashion in order to help maximize Winnipeg’s flexibility.
Arizona Coyotes Hire Alan Hepple
The Arizona Coyotes have hired a new director of pro scouting, announcing Alan Hepple today. Hepple comes from the Colorado Avalanche, where he served as the director of amateur scouting and was responsible for selections including Cale Makar, Bowen Byram, and Alex Newhook over the last few years. Coyotes GM Bill Armstrong released a statement on the hire:
We are very pleased to welcome Alan to our organization. Alan is extremely knowledgeable and is an excellent talent evaluator. He played a very important role in building the current Colorado Avalanche roster and we are thrilled to have him lead our professional scouting department.
The Coyotes are rebuilding a scouting department that has been embroiled in several scandals recently. In August 2020, the team was stripped of a 2020 second-round pick and a 2021 first-round pick for scouting violations that included physical testing of prospects prior to the combine. The 11th overall pick later this month will be skipped because of those sanctions.
Just a few months after that discipline was handed out, the Coyotes used their first 2020 draft choice (111th overall) on Mitchell Miller, a defenseman out of the USHL. Miller’s assault conviction for bullying and abusing a Black, developmentally disabled classmate, which had been made known to every NHL team prior to the draft, quickly made international headlines, leading to the team eventually renouncing his draft rights entirely.
Those mistakes were made under the previous management regime (or during the period when Armstrong could not interfere, based on his prior commitments to the St. Louis Blues), but will still cast a dark shadow over the Coyotes for the years to come. They basically missed an entire draft class in 2020, with Carson Bantle now their highest-selected player last year (142nd overall).
Armstrong is working diligently to bring in new faces to the department, and Hepple is the newest hire that comes with an impeccable resume. Though he will now work with the pro scouts, it’s hard to imagine he won’t have a positive impact on the organization overall.
Scott Wedgewood Re-Signs With New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils have signed depth goaltender Scott Wedgewood to a one-year, two-way contract for 2021-22. The deal will carry an NHL salary of $825K, while paying the veteran netminder $375K in the minor leagues.
Not only does this give the Devils a capable third-string option for next season, but it also takes care of an expansion requirement. If the team wants to protect Mackenzie Blackwood from Seattle, they needed to have at least one more goaltender under contract for next season, or at least extend a qualifying offer to Evan Cormier. Now, with Wedgewood signed, they can leave him exposed to fulfill that goaltending requirement.
Of course, the 28-year-old Wedgewood is more than just expansion draft fodder. Selected 84th overall by the Devils in 2010, he has been a capable minor league netminder for many years. This season, he ended up being needed for 16 NHL games, where he posted a .900 save percentage despite a 3-8-3 record.
Those aren’t numbers you’d want to be penciling into the net every day, but they’re certainly not anything to complain about from your third or fourth-string option. Wedgewood will almost certainly not be the full-time backup for Blackwood next year, though that spot is not yet filled.
If the team does decide to try and stash him in Utica, he will need to clear waivers again. The extra bit of NHL money—league minimum is $750K next season—could actually be a tactic to try and avoid a claim, since the acquiring team would be required to keep him on the roster.
Seattle Kraken Hire Paul McFarland
Not only have the Seattle Kraken hired Jay Leach as reported yesterday, but Paul McFarland will also be joining Dave Hakstol‘s bench as an assistant coach for the expansion team. Both men were officially introduced today, and Hakstol released a short statement:
We’re very excited to add two talented hockey minds in Paul and Jay to our inaugural staff.
Paul’s work ethic and ability to communicate with players to give them the tools to be at their best, along with Jay’s leadership and ability to coach and develop NHL talent, will be great additions to our team.
Leach will be responsible for the team’s defense corps, while McFarland will focus on the forwards and powerplay. McFarland specifically has recent experience working alongside Hakstol, as both were assistants with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He also has a history with the Florida Panthers and most recently served as the GM and head coach of the Kingston Frontenacs.
The staff that Seattle has built has some experience but is also filled with up-and-coming coaching prospects. McFarland is only 35, and has just three seasons at the NHL level, while Leach is 41 and will be entering his first opportunity in the NHL. The latter of course has some playing experience, having suited up for 70 NHL games, but they are joining a head coach in Hakstol that is also relatively new to professional ranks.
Because the OHL didn’t play last season, McFarland’s latest stint with the Frontenacs actually didn’t include coaching a single game. In the Kingston front office, he will be replaced as GM by Kory Cooper, who had served as assistant GM since September 2020.
Sergei Plotnikov Re-Signs In KHL
After terminating his contract with Metallurg Magnitogorsk yesterday, Sergei Plotnikov has found a new KHL home. The veteran forward has signed a one-year contract with CSKA Moscow for the 2021-22 season.
Plotnikov, 31, played one season in the NHL, splitting time between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Arizona Coyotes in 2015-16. Despite strong offensive numbers overseas and internationally, he managed just three points (all assists) in his 45 NHL games.
Like his former teammate Sergei Mozyakin, who retired yesterday, this is a career spent almost entirely in Russia. Plotnikov has amassed 325 points in 568 career KHL games, which actually puts him 23rd all-time. He actually just had his best season with 43 points in 2020-21, which could have easily drawn some new NHL interest. For now, at least, that doesn’t matter, but it will be interesting to see if his name comes up again in a year’s time.
Minor Transactions: 07/05/21
All eyes are on Montreal tonight as the Canadiens try to hold off the Tampa Bay Lightning and stay alive in the Stanley Cup Finals. Beyond that series though, the rest of the hockey world continues to get work done in a shortened offseason. We’ll keep track of all the notable minor moves right here.
- Linus Omark, one of the most dynamic stick handlers in the world, is heading back to Sweden for the 2021-22 season. The 34-year-old has signed a three-year contract (technically one plus two option years) with Lulea HF in the SHL for next season, following his outstanding stop in Switzerland. During the 2020-21 season, Omark recorded 22 goals and 61 points in just 49 games for Genève-Servette HC. If you don’t remember his time in the NHL, there was nothing quite like his shootout winner in the first game of his career.
- Josh Atkinson, who has spent the last two seasons with the Iowa Wild, will replace the retiring Paul Geiger on Fehérvár AV19 in the ICEHL. The 28-year-old Atkinson went undrafted before attending the University of Alaska-Fairbanks, where he caught the eye of several professional teams. In his first season in the ECHL with the Atlanta Gladiators, the skilled defenseman scored 50 points in 66 games.
- Rinat Valiev, who played 12 games in the NHL several years ago, has signed with Ak Bars Kazan of the KHL. Valiev sat out the 2020-21 season, last playing with the Stockton Heat in 2019-20. Still just 26, the 2014 third-round pick has plenty of playing years left, even if they aren’t coming in North America.
- Quebec native and former QMJHL standout Alexandre Fortin is returning home, signing a one-year deal with the AHL’s Laval Rocket per a team release. Fortin got off to a hot start in his pro career with a strong AHL debut season with the Rockford Ice Hogs followed by 24 games with the Chicago Blackhawks the following year. However, Fortin has since not seen any more NHL action and when his entry-level contract expired last off-season, Chicago chose not to extend a qualifying offer. He played for the AHL’s Colorado Eagles this past season but failed to make much of an impact. Fortin is hoping to rediscover his scoring touch back home in Quebec.