Carolina Hurricanes Sign Three Forwards
The Carolina Hurricanes have added a little more depth to the organization, signing three minor league forwards to one-year, two-way contracts. Jeremy Bracco, David Gust and Sheldon Rempal will join the organization on contracts worth $700K at the NHL level.
Rempal, 25, is the only one of the three that has NHL experience at this point, with seven games played for the Los Angeles Kings in 2018-19. He was not issued a qualifying offer by the team this offseason, after scoring just four goals in 56 games for the Ontario Reign in 2019-20. An undrafted signing out of Clarkson, Rempal did have a strong offensive season in 2018-19 and could be a solid piece in the AHL.
Gust meanwhile was signed by the Bakersfield Condors in 2017 out of Ohio State University, but ended up playing in Carolina’s minor league system this past season. The 26-year-old scored 31 points in those 60 games with the Charlotte Checkers but shouldn’t be expected to play much of an NHL role at any point.
It’s Bracco that will draw the headlines. Still just 23, he was a second-round pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2015 and had an incredible first few post-draft seasons. In 2016-17 he not only won World Junior gold with Team USA, but also took home the Memorial Cup with the Windsor Spitfires. That Windsor team shocked a powerhouse Erie Otters squad that had the likes of Dylan Strome, Alex DeBrincat, Anthony Cirelli, and coincidentally, Bracco’s new potential teammate Warren Foegele.
Bracco, among the elite powerplay passers in all of professional hockey, unfortunately hasn’t developed the rest of his game enough to earn a chance in the NHL. In 2018-19 he racked up 79 points in 75 games with the Toronto Marlies but dealt with personal issues and clashed with the organization in 2019-20. He ended up playing in 44 games and scored just four goals (still tallying 34 points).
Needing a fresh start, he’ll go to Carolina now where he could still potentially blossom into a legitimate NHL option, at least in sheltered minutes. On a league-minimum deal, it’s certainly worth the risk.
Calgary Flames Re-Sign Tyler Parsons
The Calgary Flames have a new starting goaltender in Jacob Markstrom, but won’t be giving up on one of their depth options either. The team has re-signed Tyler Parsons to a one-year, two-way deal worth $735K at the NHL level. That’s the qualifying offer that the Flames extended Parsons, who was not eligible for arbitration this offseason.
A second-round pick in 2016, Parsons spent the entire 2019-20 season in the ECHL, posting a .911 save percentage with the Kansas City Mavericks. He’s clearly not ready to step into a role in the NHL, but after just turning 23 last month there is still plenty of time for him to develop and improve his game.
The Flames now have some impressive depth at the position, given that not only did they bring in Markstrom but Louis Domingue as well. Prospect Dustin Wolf can go back to the WHL once again (should they have a season), meaning Parsons will need to battle with Artyom Zagidulin for the AHL backup role behind Domingue.
Of course, that’s assuming that the team isn’t forced to carry three goaltenders at the NHL level like some are speculating. If the league goes to regional bubbles, teams may want to keep a third goalie with them in case of injury. The ECHL did announce today that 13 of their teams will start play on December 11, which includes Kansas City kicking things off in the first game of the year. Whether Parsons will be on that Mavericks roster on opening night isn’t clear, but he’s a candidate given the rest of the goaltending depth in the system.
New York Rangers Agree To Terms With Alexandar Georgiev
The New York Rangers will be without Henrik Lundqvist in net for the first time in years and now have both of his replacements under contract. The team announced they have agreed to terms with Alexandar Georgiev on a new contract, which CapFriendly reports will be a two-year deal that carries an average annual value of $2.425MM.
Georgiev, 24, has more NHL experience than his crease partner Igor Shesterkin, but not much. The undrafted goaltender has appeared in 77 games over the last three seasons, posting mostly excellent results whenever given an opportunity. He has a .913 save percentage and 35-31-7 record, posting four shutouts and even a 55-save performance against the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2019.
The young tandem will be incredible to watch develop with a Rangers team that is turning the corner towards contention and both will be protected from the Seattle expansion draft. Shesterkin is not eligible for selection thanks to his limited North American experience, while Georgiev can now be the goaltender the team protects, exposing third-string Keith Kinkaid in the process (a key reason why Kinkaid was given a two-year deal).
Importantly, Georgiev will also not be an unrestricted free agent at the end of this deal. Instead, he will once again be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights, a process he elected this offseason as well. Georgiev’s hearing that was originally scheduled for October 31 will no longer be necessary.
Not only will the Rangers have a strong tandem in 2020-21, but they are also only paying a total of $3.35MM for the pair of goaltenders. That will change slightly with Shesterkin’s RFA status next offseason, but given he won’t be eligible for arbitration they should have a window here of very inexpensive, but very productive, goaltending.
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Carolina Hurricanes Re-Sign Steven Lorentz
The Carolina Hurricanes have signed one of their restricted free agents, inking Steven Lorentz to a two-year, two-way contract. It will pay him $700K in the NHL this season and $750K next, the league minimum in both years. Hurricanes GM Don Waddell released a short statement:
Steven took a big step forward this season. He was an impact player on the AHL level and we believe he will contribute in the NHL in the future.
Lorentz, 24, was a seventh-round selection by the Hurricanes back in 2015 but has quickly climbed the organizational depth chart. After starting his professional career at the ECHL level, he became a full-time AHL player in 2018-19 and then a star in 2019-20. Scoring 23 goals and 46 points in 61 games for the Charlotte Checkers, the 6’4″ forward trailed only Jake Bean for the team lead in scoring.
Now, with the AHL season still shrouded in uncertainty, Lorentz will try to establish himself as an NHL option that could step in when another player is injured. The Hurricanes are already loaded with at least 12 legitimate NHL forwards, but he can compete for the last few spots and potentially make his debut in 2020-21.
Ottawa Senators Sign Evgenii Dadonov
The Ottawa Senators have made a splash on the free agent market, signing Evgenii Dadonov to a three-year, $15MM contract. Dadonov was one of the highest-ranked free agents remaining on our Top 50 UFA list. Senators GM Pierre Dorion released a statement:
We’re thrilled to have come to an agreement with Evgenii. He’s an elite offensive talent and a very consistent scorer as demonstrated by his point totals over the last three seasons. This is a key signing for us as it adds a player who will help us produce offensively and one with a proven track record on the power-play.
Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports that the deal also includes a 10-team no-trade clause. Dadonov will earn $3.5MM in 2020-21, $5.0MM in 2021-22 and $6.5MM in 2022-23.
The Senators are having quite the offseason, starting with the 2020 Entry Draft where they selected twice in the first five picks and six times in the first two rounds. The team then solidified the goaltending position by acquiring and extending Matt Murray, while also bringing in some physicality with the trade additions of Josh Brown, Erik Gudbranson, and Austin Watson.
While those additions may have seemed like a way to protect the young core, this move signifies that the front office believes they may be ready to compete sooner than expected. Dadonov, 31, is one of the better offensive players in the league and has recorded at least 25 goals in each of the three seasons since returning from the KHL. He’ll immediately become one of the team’s most dangerous options on the powerplay and can help lengthen out a lineup that was previously led by a bunch of very young players.
As with any signing the Senators make though, it is important to note how back-loaded the deal is. They have a history of moving players out before they get too expensive and with nearly half of the deal’s salary due in the final season that could still be the case here. Still, the team has obviously decided that their competitive window is opening quickly and needed some more scoring punch.
With Dadonov off the board, former teammate (and former Senator) Mike Hoffman is now alone as the top available option. While mid-level players like Mikael Granlund and Erik Haula are also still unsigned, Hoffman is the only real “splash” player still looking for a home.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Nashville Predators Still Considering Free Agents
The Nashville Predators made huge moves in the days preceding free agency, moving out Nick Bonino to the Minnesota Wild and buying out the remaining four years of Kyle Turris‘ contract. That freed up more than $8MM for the team, and since then they’ve only used a small portion of it. Mark Borowiecki, Nick Cousins and Matt Benning were all brought in as depth options, but the Predators still haven’t made the big splash that was expected.
Today, when speaking with the media including Adam Vingan of The Athletic, Predators GM David Poile explained that that may not be done yet:
I think we’re open and we have cap space. I think we’re going to look for opportunities.
Unlike normal years where free agency is essentially finished just a few days after it begins, there are still real difference-makers available right now. Three of our top-10 ranked unrestricted free agents are still unsigned, though Mikael Granlund is one of them and likely isn’t making a return to Nashville. The other two, Mike Hoffman and Evgenii Dadonov, are both high-powered offensive weapons that could change the look of the Predators upfront. Poile was quick to point out today that Nashville is one of only a handful of teams in the league that can already boast four 30-goal scorers, though none of the players he is referring to actually did that in 2019-20.
Matt Duchene, Filip Forsberg, Viktor Arvidsson and Ryan Johansen still make up the core of the forward group for Nashville, but all of them significantly trailed defenseman Roman Josi in points this season. In fact, only Forsberg scored more goals than the Norris winner with 21, the team’s only player to crack the 20-goal threshold. Even in the shortened season, Hoffman and Dadonov meanwhile scored 29 and 25 respectively and were 70-point players as recently as 2018-19.
There are more than just those two available, meaning the Predators have much to choose from over the next few days and weeks. With nearly $13MM in cap space and only Luke Kunin to sign among notable restricted free agents, there is also plenty of room to fit in more than one player if necessary.
Joe Thornton Joins HC Davos
While he prepares for the 2020-21 NHL season, Joe Thornton will be playing at home. His home in Switzerland that is, where he is spending the offseason with his family. Thornton will suit up for HC Davos in the Swiss NLA for the time being, even as rumors swirl about his future in North America.
Thornton has twice played for the European club in the past. In 2004-05 he spent the entire season there while the NHL was locked out, meeting his future wife and leading Davos to the league title. Thornton was awarded the NLA MVP that season and even led the Swiss club team to a Spengler Cup title, actually over Team Canada who he normally suited up for internationally. He has spoken fondly of that season in Switzerland, where he lined up with Rick Nash and Niklas Hagman to dominate the league.
Then, in 2012-13 when the league was dealing with another partial lockout, Thornton returned to Davos and once again was a dominant presence in the NLA. Nash would join him again for a time, though the club was unable to secure the league title thanks to the NHL resuming play partway through the season.
Now, with everyone talking about whether Thornton will return to the San Jose Sharks or try out a new home with the Toronto Maple Leafs, he’ll get back on the ice to prepare.
Snapshots: QMJHL, Foley, Weegar
The QMJHL has postponed all East and West division teams will have their games up until October 28 postponed. The league was forced to shut things down given the increased COVID-19 situations all across the province, but will reassess in two weeks.
The games in the Maritimes will continue, though the Moncton Wildcats have shut their program down indefinitely as they deal with the outbreak there. Many prospects from the QMJHL climbed draft boards after a few early 2020-21 viewings that took place before last week’s draft, but they’ll have to wait for things to calm down again before resuming play.
- Speaking of resuming play, Vegas Golden Knights owner Bill Foley was on Vegas Hockey Hotline today and let a few things slip about the potential 2020-21 season structure. Foley referenced a “Canadian division,” an idea that has been thrown around for some time, and noted that the league may be forced to go with a shortened season given the Olympics, a problem that the league was facing this year too until the Games were postponed.
- Back to trade talks, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet gave some clarity on who could be interested in Florida Panthers defenseman MacKenzie Weegar, whose name has been in the rumor mill the last few weeks. According to Friedman, the Anaheim Ducks, Boston Bruins, Colorado Avalanche, Toronto Maple Leafs and Winnipeg Jets are all “among those who have checked in.” He also mentions Travis Dermott, Andreas Johnsson (since traded to the New Jersey Devils), Tyson Jost and Jack Roslovic as potential names that were discussed with Florida.
Ottawa Senators Sign Nick Paul
The Ottawa Senators have reached an agreement with one of their restricted free agents, signing Nick Paul to a two-year contract according to Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia. Garrioch reports that the deal will carry a $1.2MM salary in 2020-21 and $1.5MM in 2021-22, giving Paul a $1.35MM cap hit.
Paul, 25, has been moving in and out of the Senators lineup for years, playing 112 games at the NHL since the start of the 2015-16 season. He finally broke through in 2019-20, scoring 20 points in 56 games and becoming a full-time roster player that should get regular minutes again this season.
One of 26 players that filed for salary arbitration, Paul actually had a hearing set for November 1. He won’t need that anymore, as this contract takes him right to unrestricted free agency. The Senators meanwhile have several other hearings on the schedule and even more restricted free agents to get deals done with in the coming months.
Winnipeg Jets Agree To Terms With Nelson Nogier
The Winnipeg Jets have reached an agreement with restricted free agent Nelson Nogier, signing him to a two-year, two-way contract that will carry an average annual value of $725K at the NHL level.
It’s not the difference-making defender that many in Winnipeg want the Jets to add, but Nogier is still a valuable depth option for the organization that can help stabilize the minor league blue line. The 6’2″ defenseman has played in 205 games for the Manitoba Moose since arriving at the professional level, suiting up just 11 times in the NHL.
Even with the lack of star power on the Winnipeg defense corps, don’t expect Nogier to really push for a spot this season. The team already has seven defensemen on one-way contracts, plus Sami Niku to sign and multiple prospects like Dylan Samberg and Ville Heinola ready to take an NHL role.