San Jose Sharks Sign Patrick Marleau, Matt Nieto
The San Jose Sharks have brought back a pair of familiar faces, signing Patrick Marleau and Matt Nieto to one-year contracts. Chris Johnston of Sportsnet reports that Marleau has signed for just $700K, while Curtis Pashelka of Bay Area News Group adds that Nieto will also earn just $700K.
Marleau is obviously a franchise icon and is now just 45 games behind Gordie Howe for the all-time lead in NHL games played. He should break that this season if healthy and could eclipse 1,600 games with the Sharks. San Jose GM Doug Wilson explained why they are bringing the 41-year-old back:
Patrick is one of the most iconic players in San Jose Sharks history, as well as being one of the most respected veterans in the National Hockey League. The leadership he brings on and off the ice has been well documented over his fantastic NHL career and his competitive fire to win is still burning strong. Patrick’s lead-by-example demeanor is inspiring and continues to resonate with our group of younger players.
The veteran forward leads the Sharks in almost every record thanks to his two decades in the uniform, starting way back in 1997-98. One of the most consistent offensive players in the NHL over his years, father time has finally started to catch up with him. In 2019-20 he scored just ten goals and 20 points in 58 games for the Sharks before a deadline deal to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Marleau had two points in eight games down the stretch and was basically invisible during the Penguins’ qualification round loss.
Nieto too should be comfortable in San Jose, having played parts of four seasons there to start his NHL career. The 27-year-old actually recorded his career-high in points with San Jose back in 2014-15, scoring 27 in 72 games that season. Though he’s not a top-six contributor, Nieto does have a little scoring punch to add some depth to the lineup and now has plenty of playoff experience.
Neither player will push the needle very far for the Sharks, but come with absolutely no risk at their league-minimum salaries. Marleau does not have trade protection in his deal.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Olle Alsing Loaned To Graz99ers
The Ottawa Senators have sent another prospect overseas, loaning Olle Alsing to the Graz99ers in the Austrian professional league. Alsing will be recalled ahead of NHL training camp for the 2020-21 season.
Alsing, 24, was signed to a two-year entry-level contract by the Senators in the spring of 2019 after excelling in the SHL. The young defender had led the league in +/- and was integral in helping Djurgardens get all the way to the league final. In 2019-20 he played even better, posting 20 points in 36 games in league play and then leading all defensemen in goals, assists and points during Champions League.
Now set to come to North America and push for a role in the Senators organization, Alsing will first get his skating legs back under him in Austria.
Tim Stuetzle To Undergo Surgery
Just a few days after being selected third overall in the NHL Entry Draft, Tim Stuetzle has received some bad news. The Ottawa Senators prospect will require arm surgery and will be out for six to eight weeks, his DEL team announced. Stuetzle suffered a broken bone in his arm during practice on Monday according to Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia. Senators GM Pierre Dorion released this statement once the news broke:
In consultation with doctors in Germany and with our own medical staff, it has been determined that Tim requires a surgical procedure to stabilize a fracture. The procedure is scheduled to take place in Germany later this week and has an expected recovery time of six to eight weeks. Our medical staff will remain in regular contact with Tim and his doctors as he begins his recovery through to the point that he is medically cleared.
Stuetzle, 18, is one of the players from the recent draft that is expected to challenge for an NHL roster spot immediately, though he was already training with professionals in Germany. He played 41 games for Mannheim last season, scoring 34 points.
Even if the recovery takes more than eight weeks, the Senators have time to make sure Stuetzle is at full strength before bringing him to North America. His DEL team explained to Garrioch that they will be working with Ottawa through the process, which should be complete long before the NHL training camp gets underway. Stuetzle goes under the knife on Wednesday and will face the first big challenge of his pro career.
Carolina Hurricanes Sign Clark Bishop, Vasiliy Ponomarev
The Carolina Hurricanes have re-signed one of their restricted free agents, inking Clark Bishop to a one-year, two-way contract. The deal will pay Bishop $700K in the NHL and $100K at the AHL level. Hurricanes GM Don Waddell released a short statement:
Clark is a versatile, two-way center that knows our system well. We look forward to him continuing his development this season.
Bishop had filed for salary arbitration last week, which will no longer be required.
The 24-year-old forward has played in 25 games for the Hurricanes over the past two seasons, spending most of his time as a professional at the minor league level. Like every other AHL player, Bishop will have to wait and see what the 2020-21 season looks like for minor leaguers.
The team has also signed Vasiliy Ponomarev to a three-year, entry-level contract. Ponomarev was picked 53rd overall in this year’s draft and is currently playing for the Shawinigan Cataractes of the QMJHL. The 18-year-old Russian forward had 49 points in 57 games as a CHL rookie last season and is off to a hot start with two goals in his first four games.
Montreal Canadiens Sign Tyler Toffoli
The Montreal Canadiens have landed one of the top remaining free agents, agreeing to terms with Tyler Toffoli to a four-year contract worth a total of $17MM. That gives Toffoli a $4.25MM average annual value, actually a little lower than the $4.6MM cap hit he has carried the last three seasons and well below what most believed he would receive this off-season. The deal also does not contain any trade protection.
Toffoli, 28, has settled for a multi-year deal that pays him market value for his floor, but not close to his ceiling. Toffoli is a four-time 20-goal scorer, including one season with over 30 tallies, and has four seasons of 40+ points. While he did have a pair of seasons with the Los Angeles Kings in which he only managed 34 points, his norm is well above that mark. In fact, his 82-game pace with the Kings and Vancouver Canucks last season was 29 goals and 53 points. 82 games is not uncommon for Toffoli either; the two-way winger has played in every game in three seasons and has never played in fewer than 62 games since becoming a full-time NHLer. If Toffoli can stay healthy through this contract, which does take him into his thirties, and scores even at his career average rate, this is a bargain deal for the Canadiens.
Toffoli plays a smart, two-way style. He isn’t overly physical and doesn’t dominate the typical defensive stats, but is a capable penalty killer and an effective forechecker. Offensively, Toffoli can make zone entries, gets to the net, and creates scoring opportunities. A solid all-around player, Toffoli has been an analytics darling throughout his career with his ability to positively impact play leading to strong possession numbers and high scoring expectations. With Montreal, Toffoli joins a now lethal group at right wing, including fellow new acquisition Josh Anderson and career Canadien Brendan Gallagher. Toffoli is likely to challenge for a top line role, but there is no way of knowing how that group will shake out. Either way, Toffoli will produce at even strength and will be an asset on special teams.
While this signing should make Montreal fans very happy, fans of another team in Canada have to be frustrated at this point. Prior to the opening of free agency, the Vancouver Canucks had stated over and over that they hoped to re-sign all three of Toffoli, Jacob Markstrom, and Chris Tanev, if at all possible. Four days into free agency, Toffoli’s deal with the Habs means the Canucks have lost all three of their “priorities” this off-season, with Markstom and Tanev joining the rival Calgary Flames. The inexplicable inactivity out of Vancouver is one of the biggest head-scratchers of the off-season, especially with Toffoli signing such a reasonable deal.
Minor Transactions: 10/12/20
The free agent market is still wide open with Alex Pietrangelo and others unsigned, but some minor transactions are also happening behind the scenes. We’ll keep track of some of the deals that don’t get the same headlines:
- Dalton Smith has signed a one-year AHL contract with the Rochester Americans, returning to the team for a fourth season. Smith, 28, actually made his NHL debut in 2019-2- with the Buffalo Sabres but will not be eligible for recall on this deal.
- The Pittsburgh Penguins have loaned Jan Drozg to HK Olimpija Ljubljana in Slovenia for the time being, giving him a chance to play while the North American seasons continue to wait. Drozg, 21, was the Penguins fifth-round pick in 2017 and split last season in the AHL and ECHL.
- Logan Day has signed a one-year AHL contract with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, bringing him over from the Edmonton Oilers minor league system after he was not given a qualifying offer. Day, an undrafted free agent signing out of division III college hockey, had 16 points in 48 games for the Bakersfield Condors in 2019-20.
Ryan Graves Agrees To Three-Year Contract With Colorado
The Colorado Avalanche have announced a new three-year contract for Ryan Graves, one of their remaining restricted free agents. The contract will carry an average annual value of $3.16MM and remove the need for salary arbitration that Graves elected last week. CapFriendly provides the full breakdown:
- 2020-21: $2.5MM
- 2021-22: $3.0MM
- 2022-23: $4.0MM
Though he doesn’t generate the headlines of Cale Makar or bring the experience of Erik Johnson, Graves proved this season to be an incredibly valuable piece on the Avalanche blue line. The 25-year-old led the entire league in +/- during his first full season in the NHL, finishing at a +40 in 69 games. That number represented his strong contribution at both ends of the rink, registering 26 points while also logging 150 blocked shots and 112 hits.
Graves, a fourth-round pick of the New York Rangers in 2013, ended up in the Colorado system following a 2018 trade that saw former top pick Chris Bigras head the other way. Almost immediately he made an impact at the AHL level and was playing in the NHL before the calendar year was up.
A fine skater even at 6’5″, Graves possesses a booming shot and has proven irreplaceable on the Colorado penalty kill. He averaged nearly three minutes a night short-handed, more than any other Avalanche player other than Johnson. For a team loaded with puck-movers and talented offensive weapons on the back end, Graves place as a more reliable defensive complement is secure.
Cory Schneider Close To Deal With New York Islanders
The New York Islanders are close to adding some more goaltending depth, as Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic tweets a deal is being finalized with Cory Schneider. While LeBrun points out the connection between the free agent goaltender and Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello from their time together in New Jersey, it does somewhat complicate things in New York.
Schneider, 34, was recently bought out by the Devils after struggling with injury and inconsistency the last several seasons, and likely would have to accept the third goaltender role in the Islanders organization. The team already has veteran starter Semyon Varlamov and young phenom Ilya Sorokin in the mix, meaning unless there is another move coming—or the team is going back to the three-headed goaltending option—Schneider would likely have to spend time in the minor leagues once again.
In a condensed 2020-21 season there will be a need for goaltending depth as teams are forced to play games at a heightened pace, but it’s hard to believe that Schneider would be able to displace either of the Islanders two top goaltenders. Though he was once a legitimate starting option who even challenged for the Vezina Trophy, Schneider hasn’t posted a save percentage above .910 since the 2015-16 season.
Of course, the Islanders also employ goaltending guru Mitch Korn, who has resurrected careers before and should be able to help Schneider get things back on track, if not all the way back to his previous level. At the very least, he’ll be some veteran depth in case of injury.
Minnesota Wild Sign Kaapo Kahkonen
The Minnesota Wild have already experienced huge changes in the crease this offseason, moving Devan Dubnyk to the San Jose Sharks and then committing to a three-year deal with Cam Talbot. While he will be expected to become the team’s starter in the short-term, there is still a prospect who will be challenging for the job down the line.
Kaapo Kahkonen, the reigning AHL Goaltender of the Year, has signed a two-year contract with Minnesota. That will remove the need for salary arbitration, which Kahkonen elected last week. The deal is a two-way contract in 2020-21, a one-way in 2021-22 and will carry an average annual value of $725K.
Kahkonen, 24, was a fourth-round pick by the Wild in 2014 and remains one of the top goaltending prospects in the league. In his sophomore season at the AHL level he posted a .927 save percentage and 2.07 goals-against average, earning him the top honors. He also received five games at the NHL level, where he more than held his own, posting a .913.
When asked about where the Talbot signing leaves Kahkonen, Wild GM Bill Guerin told Michael Russo of The Athletic that it gives them more time for his development and that “the last time we want to do is rush him along.”
Notably, a two-year deal will actually take Kahkonen to Group VI unrestricted free agency should he not get an NHL opportunity. Of course, the situation is also complicated by the expansion draft, where the Wild will only be able to protect one goaltender. It seems unlikely that Seattle would be targeting Talbot, but if he has a strong season in the Minnesota net the Wild will have to decide whether to leave him or Kahkonen unprotected.
New York Rangers Sign Alexis Lafreniere
Sometimes it’s easy to forget that the first-overall pick doesn’t immediately join an organization when he is selected, but still needs to negotiate a contract. That wasn’t a problem in this case, as Alexis Lafreniere has inked his entry-level deal with the New York Rangers just a few days after being picked.
CapFriendly reports that the deal, like other contracts signed by first-overall picks, will be set at the entry-level max. It includes a base salary of $832.5K, $92,500 signing bonus, $850K in Schedule ‘A’ performance bonuses and $2MM in Schedule ‘B’ performance bonuses in all three years.
Those ‘B’ bonuses are difficult to reach and include things like finishing in the top ten for NHL goals, assists, points or points-per-game, winning major awards like the Hart or Selke trophies, or making the NHL first or second All-Star teams at year’s end. The ‘A’ bonuses are much easier milestones to reach and include things like scoring 20 goals, 60 points or finishing in the top six in team ice time.
Technically Lafreniere’s contract could slide forward like any other prospect, but the young forward will play this season with the Rangers and thus burn the first year of the deal. If all goes well, he will be a restricted free agent in 2023.