Cam Talbot To Sign With Minnesota Wild
The Minnesota Wild are expected to sign Cam Talbot according to Frank Seravalli of TSN. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic tweets that the contract will be a three-year deal worth a total of $11MM.
While we projected Talbot to land in Minnesota, it wasn’t for nearly as much as the Wild have committed in this deal. The team must obviously feel he can carry the majority of the load for the next few seasons, despite struggling in his last opportunity as a starting goaltender.
In 2017-18 when Talbot was the Oilers full-time starter, leading the league with 67 appearances, he registered a .908 save percentage and lost a league-leading 31 games. It went even further downhill the next year when he had an .893 save percentage with the Oilers before a late-season trade to Philadelphia. While Talbot rebounded this season with the Calgary Flames, he also wasn’t asked to play every game.
Minnesota still have Alex Stalock in the mix for the backup role, while top prospect Kaapo Kahkonen is still in the system. Kahkonen took home the AHL Goaltender of the Year award this season and should eventually push his way onto the NHL roster.
Tyler Motte Re-Signs With Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks have re-signed free agent forward Tyler Motte to a new two-year deal. Thomas Drance of The Athletic reports that the deal is worth a total of $2.45MM ($1.225MM AAV). The young forward will earn $1MM in 2020-21 and $1.45MM in 2021-22.
Motte, 25, was a revelation for the Canucks in the postseason, flying all over the ice and contributing some timely secondary scoring. Though he had just four goals in 17 games, that included a game-winner and a short-handed tally. Motte also racked up 61 hits in those 17 games, using his 5’10” frame to its full potential.
The Canucks loved his energy, but Motte will have to show he can be a reliable regular season option as well. In 123 games with the Canucks he has just 26 points, including just eight this season.
Bobby Ryan To Sign With Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings are expected to sign veteran forward Bobby Ryan, who was recently bought out by the Ottawa Senators. Ryan will sign a one-year deal worth $1MM according to Craig Custance of The Athletic.
Ryan, 33, was the Masterton Trophy winner this season after coming back from the Player Assistance Program as he dealt with alcohol abuse. His return to Ottawa was one of the most emotional moments of the season as he recorded a hat-trick, earning several standing ovations from the crowd and huge celebrations from his teammates.
A beloved locker room presence, Ryan will try to get his career back on track in Detroit. Carrying a cap hit of $7MM in Ottawa was just no longer possible, but perhaps there is still some hockey left in the former 30-goal man.
For Detroit, this is a perfect signing that could potentially give them a trade chip at the deadline. Give Ryan some prime minutes next in the top-six and powerplay, then flip him to a contender a few months into the season.
2020 Offer Sheet Compensation
We finally saw an offer sheet used last summer as the Montreal Canadiens signed Sebastian Aho to a five-year deal, but the deal was quickly matched by the Carolina Hurricanes. Aho stayed put, but the team had to turn down a big package of draft picks that Montreal would have had to surrender.
Offer sheet compensation is based on the average salary of the league, and the NHL has released the thresholds for this year. Below is the full breakdown, with the contract’s average annual value placing it in one of seven tiers:
| $1,439,820 or less | No compensation |
| $1,439,820 to $2,181,545 | Third-round pick |
| $2,181,545 to $4,363,095 | Second-round pick |
| $4,363,095 to $6,544,640 | First and third-round picks |
| $6,544,640 to $8,726,188 | First, second and third-round picks |
| $8,726,188 to $10,907,735 | Two firsts, a second and third-round picks |
| Over $10,907,735 | Four first-round picks |
It is important to note that any team trying to sign a player to an applicable offer sheet must use their own draft picks for compensation, not ones that have been acquired. That rules several teams out already from signing high profile RFAs, unless they were to work to reacquire their picks before submitting the contract.
There are some restricted free agents, like Philadelphia’s Nolan Patrick, that have not accumulated enough time in the NHL to be eligible for an offer sheet. The full list of eligible players can be found here. For more information about the details of offer sheets, check out CapFriendly’s FAQ.
Winnipeg Jets Acquire Paul Stastny
Friday: The deal is now official, Stastny is a Jet. Vegas will receive defenseman Carl Dahlstrom along with Winnipeg’s fourth-round pick in 2022. The draft pick is conditional on Stastny playing five games with the Jets, according to Craig Custance of The Athletic. This is likely just a safeguard against the possibility of a canceled 2020-21 season.
Thursday: The Winnipeg Jets are working to bring back a familiar face, as Jason Bell of the Winnipeg Free Press and several others are reporting that the team is closing in on a deal for Vegas Golden Knights center Paul Stastny. If the deal is completed, Murat Ates of The Athletic tweets that it will include draft picks headed in both directions.
Winnipeg has long been looking for a second-line center to play behind Mark Scheifele, and for a few games in 2018 they found one. When Stastny was winding down his last contract with the St. Louis Blues, they sent him to Winnipeg in exchange for a first-round pick and prospect Erik Foley, despite being in a playoff run. The veteran forward immediately found success with the Jets on a line between Patrik Laine and Nikolaj Ehlers, scoring 13 points in the 19 games down the stretch. In the playoffs, Stastny was exactly what the Jets had hoped for and trailed only Scheifele, Blake Wheeler, and Dustin Byfuglien in postseason scoring.
That offseason, the Jets made an attempt to keep him, even moving Steve Mason‘s contract out to make cap room. It didn’t work, as Stastny took a three-year deal with the Golden Knights that carried a whopping $6.5MM AAV and was asked to replace some of the production the team was losing from free agents James Neal and David Perron.
Now, two years into that deal and hours before free agency opens, the Golden Knights obviously feel there are better things they can use that cap space on.
The 34-year-old Stastny was still effective this season, but he did take a substantial step backward in offensive statistics. In fact, his 38 points in 71 games was easily the worst per-game production of his career, though that did still include 17 goals.
More than anything, the Jets may be trying to find a way to recapture that magic the team showed in 2018 when they went all the way to the Western Conference Finals with Stastny in the middle of the ice. Or even perhaps motivate an enigmatic Laine who has expressed his frustration in the past at weaker linemates but did enjoy his time with the veteran pivot. Of course, Laine’s name has also been in the rumor mill quite a bit this summer, and taking on Stastny’s $6.5MM cap hit doesn’t leave a ton of room for upgrades to the rest of the roster.
For the Golden Knights, if they’re able to rid themselves of the entire Stastny cap hit they will not only be cap-compliant again, but a lot closer to taking a swing at one of the high profile free agents. The team has been linked to Alex Pietrangelo, though nothing is certain on that front as the Blues re-engaged their captain recently. They have also been trying to move Marc-Andre Fleury‘s deal, which would give them ample space to add on the free agent market. Nate Schmidt and Jonathan Marchessault have also been mentioned as potential trade candidates.
Currently, the Golden Knights project to be nearly $3MM over the salary cap of $81.5MM for next season. While you can operate up to 10% over that ceiling in the offseason, clearing Stastny’s contract off the books would give them a lot more flexibility in the coming days.
Chicago Blackhawks Expected To Sign Malcolm Subban
The Chicago Blackhawks didn’t qualify Malcolm Subban by this week’s deadline, but won’t be watching the goaltender hit the free agent market after all. Bob McKenzie of TSN reports that Subban is expected to sign a two-year contract with the Blackhawks today. The deal will carry an average annual value “just south” of $900K.
Once again, the Blackhawks have indicated that they expect the trio of Subban, Collin Delia and Kevin Lankinen to compete for both NHL roles in 2020-21. That certainly doesn’t give the team much experience at the position, but Delia and Subban both have flashed the potential to start in the past.
Amazingly, this comes just a year after the Blackhawks started the season with both Corey Crawford and Robin Lehner on the books for a combined $11MM. The team has decided to go the exact opposite route apparently, now spending almost nothing on the position. Delia signed a three-year $3MM deal in Feburary of 2019, meaning he and Subban will total less than $2MM on the cap next season.
Subban, who has a career .899 save percentage in 66 NHL appearances, will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of this contract.
PHR Chat Transcript: 2020 Free Agency Edition
Free agent frenzy day is upon us! Click here to read a transcript of today’s chat with PHR’s Gavin Lee.
Matiss Kivlenieks Re-Signs With Columbus Blue Jackets
The Columbus Blue Jackets have re-signed some of their goaltending depth, reaching a two-year deal with Matiss Kivlenieks. The contract is two-way and gives the Blue Jackets a goaltender to leave exposed for the upcoming Seattle expansion draft.
In that case, the Blue Jackets are in a perfect situation even if they keep both their NHL goalies. Joonas Korpisalo is eligible for the expansion draft but Elvis Merzlikins isn’t, meaning they don’t have to make the decision on which one to keep this offseason if they don’t want. Both Korpisalo and Merzlikins have been in trade rumors over the last few weeks because of players like Kivlenieks, who is an interesting prospect in his own right.
Now 24, the undrafted Latvian netminder has been in the Columbus system for three years now. He has been inconsistent in the minor leagues but did at least hold his own in six NHL games this season. No, that .898 save percentage is not what you’re hoping for at the highest level, but in terms of a depth option that could be number four on the chart, it’s certainly no disaster.
The Blue Jackets also have Veini Vehvilainen and Daniil Tarasov under contract, meaning even if they do trade one of their NHL netminders the system still has enough talent to stand up. Kivlenieks will likely go back to the minor leagues when things get started, but now that he’s signed it seems probable that he’ll be loaned overseas like Vehvilainen and Tarasov.
Ottawa Senators Acquire Erik Gudbranson
The Ottawa Senators have found one of their cap-floor targets, acquiring Erik Gudbranson from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for a 2021 fifth-round pick. The veteran defenseman comes with a $4MM cap hit, though is only actually owed $3MM in salary this season, the last on his current contract. Senators GM Pierre Dorion has released a statement on his newest defenseman:
Erik Gudbranson provides another sizable presence to our defence corps. He’s a reliable veteran who plays an intimidating style of game and someone who will add a combination of grit, energy and, most importantly, leadership to our lineup.
The Senators have obviously made a decision that they want to get more physical on defense this season as they continue to push young players into the lineup. After losing Mark Borowiecki to free agency, the team has now added Josh Brown and Gudbranson in the span of a week, giving them two behemoths on the back end. With the team not expected to compete for the playoffs this season, instead using it as a development year for their young core, bringing in an experienced leader like Gudbranson (who also happens to be very willing to stand up for his teammates) makes sense.
It also helps Ottawa get towards the salary cap floor without taking on any long-term money. Gudbranson will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year and would likely not even cost much to retain at that point. Once one of the most hyped defensive prospects in the world, Gudbranson was picked third behind Taylor Hall and Tyler Seguin in the 2010 draft. He was a monstrous player in junior who could skate well and was expected to take a step forward offensively, but never did once he reached the NHL. Now 28, Gudbranson has just 73 career points in 518 games.
Still, this is a nice moment for Gudbranson, who is from Ottawa and will get a chance to embrace his hometown team for the first time in his career. In a year where the scoreboard outcomes don’t matter as much as the on-ice development, he’ll be an easy player for Senators fans to cheer for with his rough style. If he can somehow find the level of play that he flashed during a short period with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2019, he could even become a core piece.
For Anaheim, they get out from a bad contract and free up some space to play with in free agency. The team has no restricted free agents left to sign and had previously been right up against the cap. Now, with $4MM out the door, they could potentially get in on someone they believe can make a difference.
Justin Williams Announces Retirement
It’s over for Mr. Game 7. Justin Williams has announced his retirement through a lengthy statement from Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, ending a long and successful career. Part of the statement:
Since I first broke into the league a day after my 19th birthday back in 2000, this game has brought me so much that I will never be able to repay it. The countless experiences, relationships, lessons and hardships will remain with me forever as I move on to the next stage of my life. I’ve never once taken for granted the privilege it is to be able to play a game for a living, and that is probably why I was able to play it professionally for as long as I have…
…My family has sacrificed a lot for me to be where I am so I want to thank mom and dad for being there for me every step of the way. My sister Nikki for being my biggest fan since day one. My wife Kelly and my kids Jaxon and Jade for embracing this journey with me. Life is so much better when you have people you love to share it with. Thank you everyone as I retire from pro hockey.
If this is truly the end for Williams (he’s teased us before), he’ll leave an outstanding legacy as one of the most timely performers in NHL history. 44 of his 320 career regular season goals were game-winners, and he routinely broke hearts in the playoffs with elimination-game offense. He won the Stanley Cup three times, raising it twice with the Los Angeles Kings and once in 2006 with the Carolina Hurricanes, the team he finished his career with. In 2014 he was the Conn Smythe winner after racking up 25 points in 26 games, including the overtime game-winning goal to start the final series.
His 1,264 regular season games put him 79th all-time and he hangs up his skates just shy of 800 points with 797.