Buffalo Sabres Re-Sign Jonas Johansson
The Buffalo Sabres have completed a bit of offseason work, signing goaltender Jonas Johansson to a one-year contract worth $700K. Johansson was a pending restricted free agent.
If you can remember all the way back to February, you’ll recall that for a little while the Sabres were without both Carter Hutton and Linus Ullmark at the same time. That’s when Johansson got his first chance at the NHL level, playing in six games and actually faring relatively well. The 25-year-old goaltender posted an .894 save percentage, stopping 135 of 151 shots.
In the minor leagues, he did much better and that’s where Johansson is likely heading once again in 2020-21. A third-round pick in 2014 he could actually become a Group VI unrestricted free agent when this contract expires, but he’s doesn’t appear to be the answer just yet for the Sabres at the NHL level.
Max Domi Signs With Columbus Blue Jackets
The Columbus Blue Jackets have already reached an agreement with their newest acquisition, signing Max Domi to a two-year contract worth a total of $10.6MM. The contract comes almost immediately after Domi arrived in a trade that cost the Blue Jackets Josh Anderson. The 25-year-old forward will earn $4.6MM in 2020-21 and $6.0MM in 2021-22.
It’s important to note here that a two-year deal takes Domi directly to unrestricted free agency, getting him there as quickly as possible. That doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll leave the Blue Jackets in the summer of 2022, but it does give him a chance to hit the open market at an early age and really cash in.
Not only that, but a $5.3MM cap hit also puts pressure on Domi to really fill that second-line center role for the Blue Jackets the next two seasons. The team has reportedly considered buying out Alexander Wennberg before the deadline and needs someone to step up and take control of that second group behind Pierre-Luc Dubois.
Until they do buy out Wennberg or trade one of their young goaltenders, the Blue Jackets don’t have a ton of room left after the Domi extension. Vladislav Gavrikov and several other RFAs still need new contracts, but the team does have plenty of depth on the back-end to deal from. Brandon Dubinsky‘s contract will also be placed on long-term injured reserve as he deals with a chronic wrist issue that has likely ended his career.
Edmonton Oilers Sign Jesse Puljujarvi
The Edmonton Oilers are welcoming back a familiar face. Jesse Puljujarvi has signed a new two-year contract with the team, bringing him back from Europe after he had previously vowed to never play for the team again. With new management in GM Ken Holland and a new coach with Dave Tippett, the relationship was mended between Edmonton and their former top prospect.
Puljujarvi will earn $900K in 2020-21 and $1.45MM in 2021-22, giving him a cap hit of $1.175MM.
Selected fourth overall in 2016, Puljujarvi’s struggles in Edmonton have been well documented. He failed to make an immediate impact in the NHL, but the Oilers kept playing him on the fourth line or sitting him out, not committing to one development path or another. That first season he played 28 games in the NHL and 39 games in the AHL, a split that would become routine through his first stint with the Oilers.
By the time 2019 rolled around, Puljujarvi was finished with bouncing around in Edmonton and ended up returning to Finland to play for Karpat last season. Dominating in a league he started in before he was even drafted, the 22-year-old scored 24 goals and 53 points in 56 games. He’s back playing for Karpat right now but will now be back in the NHL when camps open this winter.
Because he’s so young, Puljujarvi will still be a restricted free agent at the end of this contract. We’ll see what kind of role he’s given in 2020-21, but after agreeing to such an inexpensive deal it does seem like he’s ready to give the team another chance to steer his career.
Minnesota Wild Issues Qualifying Offers
The Minnesota Wild have issued qualifying offers to Louis Belpedio, Jordan Greenway, Kaapo Kahkonen and Brennan Menell, keeping them in the organization. Stepan Falkovky, Mat Robson and Hunter Warner all went unqualified, meaning they will become unrestricted free agents on Friday.
The only real surprise in the group is Robson, who was a sought after goaltending prospect out of the University of Minnesota a year ago. After a relatively successful first year in pro hockey, Robson won’t be re-signed by the Wild and instead will have to look for another opportunity elsewhere.
Of course, the Iowa Wild could potentially bring Robson back on an AHL deal, but the 24-year-old netminder can wait to see if there are any NHL offers on Friday.
Edmonton Oilers Not Expected To Qualify Andreas Athanasiou
Wednesday: The Oilers have made it official, extending qualifying offers to only Ethan Bear and William Lagesson. That leaves Athanasiou, Benning, Logan Day, Cameron Hebig, Ryan Kuffner, Ryan Mantha, Angus Redmond and Nolan Vesey unqualified. All of them will become unrestricted free agents on Friday.
Tuesday: The deadline to submit qualifying offers to restricted free agents is tomorrow evening and the Edmonton Oilers have some interesting decisions to make. After making his first-round selection tonight, Oilers GM Ken Holland spoke to reporters including Ryan Rishaug of TSN and explained that he doesn’t think the team will qualify Andreas Athanasiou or Matt Benning.
This is a scenario we discussed in our recent Free Agent Focus piece and is a disaster for the Oilers. Edmonton used two second-round picks (and Sam Gagner) to land Athanasiou from the Detroit Red Wings at the deadline and will now let him walk into unrestricted free agency just a few months later. The speedy forward ended up playing just 13 total games for the organization, scoring a single goal and being held completely scoreless in the Oilers four postseason games.
After scoring 30 goals in 2018-19, Athanasiou was a risky player to qualify for the Oilers given the flat cap landscape in the NHL. He would have required a $3MM offer just to retain his rights, but then could have earned even more than that through arbitration. Edmonton has just under $8.8MM in cap space and need to both re-sign restricted free agents Ethan Bear and Jesse Puljujarvi while also upgrading their roster considerably in free agency. If Oscar Klefbom is out for the season his cap hit can be placed on long-term injured reserve for a little more flexibility, but unless they thought Athanasiou was going to routinely play in their top-six his arbitration award was going to be too expensive.
Still, losing those draft picks and only getting a handful of games out of him hurts. The Oilers have several strong prospects but could have used the picks for a different trade upgrade this offseason. Instead, Athanasiou will enter the free agent market as a young, talented forward that could be a difference-maker in the right situation.
Los Angeles Kings Acquire Lias Andersson
The New York Rangers have finally found a taker for Lias Andersson. The former top prospect is on his way to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for the 60th overall pick in today’s draft. With the pick, the Rangers have selected William Cuylle.
Andersson was selected seventh overall in 2017 and is still actually under his entry-level contract, but has been playing in the SHL for some time. His father happens to be a scout in the Los Angeles organization and should have a good handle on how to go about the young forward’s development.
Even in 2017, Andersson was a surprise selection by the Rangers. He had been expected to go much lower in the first round, but New York obviously thought that he could become a star in the league. The biggest appeal for the young center was how polished he was, and Andersson proved it by playing seven games with the Rangers in that first year.
Unfortunately, the relationship quickly went downhill when he kept getting sent back to the minor leagues and the two sides eventually split last season. Andersson requested a trade and returned to the SHL where he has played since. He was even supposed to stay in Sweden for the 2020-21 season, though that will obviously be reconsidered now that he is in a different organization.
Perhaps the Kings can get the best out of the 21-year-old, but Andersson is heading into the final year of his entry-level contract. If he doesn’t receive an NHL opportunity right away, there is still the chance that he heads back to Sweden next offseason.
Nashville Predators To Buy Out Kyle Turris, Steven Santini
After trading away Nick Bonino, the Nashville Predators are clearing even more space down the middle. The team has placed Kyle Turris on unconditional waivers for the purpose of a contract buyout. With four years remaining on his contract, the Predators will incur a cap charge of $2MM for the next eight seasons.
The team has also placed Steven Santini on unconditional waivers for the purpose of a contract buyout. Since Santini is still just 25, the Predators will only have to pay one-third of his remaining salary. That will result in a cap charge of just $41,667 in 2020-21 and $275K in 2021-22.
The big news here is Turris, who signed a massive six-year, $36MM contract with the Predators in 2017 after coming over from the Ottawa Senators in that infamous three-way Matt Duchene deal with the Colorado Avalanche. Remember, the Predators gave up Sam Girard, Vladislav Kamenev and a second-round pick to be involved in that trade, a brutal price to pay when looking back with the benefit of hindsight.
Not only did Turris not pan out, but the team will now have a $2MM cap charge for nearly a decade just to make sure he doesn’t play for them anymore. Getting out from under his contract was important, but this is a hefty penalty to deal with in a flat cap environment.
Amazingly though, Turris now becomes an interesting option on the open market, given his experience at center and previous success. This is a player who scored at least 24 goals in three different seasons for the Senators and could now be available for a very low price. You can bet that someone will take a chance on the 31-year-old when he becomes a free agent.
2020 NHL Entry Draft Trades
Day two of the NHL Entry Draft is underway and there are still plenty of talented players available. The first round only saw a pair of trades but there will certainly be more pick swaps this afternoon. We’ll keep track of all those swaps right here.
To Rangers: 19th overall
To Calgary: 22nd overall, 72nd overall
To Washington: 22nd overall
To Calgary: 24th overall, 80th overall
To Pittsburgh: 52nd overall, John Gruden
To Ottawa: Matt Murray
To Minnesota: Nick Bonino, 37th overall, 70th overall
To Nashville: Luke Kunin, 101st overall
To Buffalo: 34th overall
To San Jose: 38th overall, 100th overall
To Ottawa: 44th overall
To Toronto: 59th overall, 64th overall
To Los Angeles: 45th overall
To Detroit: 51st overall, 97th overall
To Tampa Bay: 57th overall
To Montreal: 124th overall, 2021 second-round pick
To Rangers: 60th overall
To Los Angeles: Lias Andersson
To Minnesota: 65th overall
To Detroit: 70th overall, 132nd overall
To San Jose: 76th overall
To Edmonton: 100th overall, 126th overall
To Philadelphia: 94th overall
To Tampa Bay Lightning: 116th overall, 147th overall
To San Jose: 98th overall
To Montreal: 2021 third-round pick (WSH)
To Rangers: 127th overall
To San Jose: 196th overall, 206th overall
To Vegas: 125th overall
To Detroit: 2022 fourth-round pick
To Philadelphia: 135th overall
To Nashville: 202nd overall, 209th overall
To Toronto: 137th overall
To Florida: 153rd overall, 212th overall
To Colorado: 139th overall
To Pittsburgh: 149th overall, 211th overall
To Los Angeles: 140th overall
To Carolina: 159th overall, 2021 seventh-round pick
To Minnesota: 146th overall
To St. Louis: 163rd overall, 194th overall
To Anaheim: 207th overall
To Columbus: Conditional 7th-round pick in 2021 or 2022
To Capitals: 211th overall
To Penguins: 2021 seventh-round pick
To Blackhawks: 188th overall
To Canadiens 2021 seventh-round pick
To Arizona: 192nd overall
To New Jersey: 2021 seventh-round pick
To Detroit: 203rd overall
To St. Louis: 2021 seventh-round pick
Nashville, Minnesota Complete Nick Bonino Trade
Trade winds are blowing strong today. After Matt Murray was moved just before the start of the draft, the Minnesota Wild have acquired Nick Bonino from the Nashville Predators. The Wild will also receive picks 37 and 70 in today’s draft, in exchange for Luke Kunin and pick 101.
Wild GM Bill Guerin was with the Pittsburgh Penguins when Bonino won consecutive Stanley Cups and now he brings him into a new team that is desperate for reliable play down the middle. After trading Eric Staal and letting Mikko Koivu leave in free agency, the Wild have made several moves to address the middle of the ice. Nick Bjugstad and Marcus Johansson have both already been acquired through trade, meaning Minnesota will have a brand new look up front next season.
Kunin is the latest to be moved out, but he’s certainly not in the same decline phase as Koivu and Staal. Instead, the 22-year-old forward was one of Minnesota’s younger players and is coming off his first full season in the NHL. Kunin recorded 15 goals and 31 points in 63 games for the team, but still has some warts in his game at the defensive end.
Bonino is certainly more well-rounded, but he also comes with a price tag of $4.1MM. The Predators were clearly ready to move money out of the middle—they followed the Bonino trade with a buyout of Kyle Turris—and are now set up to be spenders in free agency once again. For the Wild, Bonino only has one year remaining on his contract and will be an unrestricted free agent next offseason. While the team certainly could re-sign him, the veteran center is now 32 and hasn’t scored 20 goals in a season since 2013-14.
Ottawa Senators Acquire Matt Murray
The Ottawa Senators have acquired goaltender Matt Murray from the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Penguins will receive the 52nd overall selection in today’s draft and prospect John Gruden in exchange. Murray, who is a pending restricted free agent, was already issued a qualifying offer from the Penguins this week, an offer that will travel with him to Ottawa.
Though the contract is not in place yet, the Senators are expected to sign Murray to an extension, giving them a new starting goaltender for the 2020-21 season and beyond. Still just 26, Murray has a championship pedigree from his time with the Penguins and will stabilize the net of a team that is quickly building an incredible prospect base.
If you think a second-round selection is a pretty good return for the Penguins, it is. In a year where goaltenders are available by the dozen, the Penguins will land another strong prospect on day two of the draft by nabbing a pick that originally belonged to the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Senators meanwhile have draft capital to burn and will still select three more times in the second round.
Gruden is certainly an interesting addition as well. The fourth-round pick went to Miami University (Ohio) in 2018-19 and struggled, deciding to make the jump to the OHL this past year. With the London Knights, one of the strongest junior programs in Canada, Gruden found a lot more success, scoring 30 goals and 66 points in just 59 games. Now 20 he is eligible to turn pro and play in the AHL, he is still likely a few years away from making an impact for the Penguins.
Murray was always going to be traded this offseason, given the $3.75MM qualifying offer he required. The Penguins have decided to hand the net to Tristan Jarry and didn’t have enough cap space to keep both goaltenders in the fold. They also were facing a very similar situation with regards to expansion and would have had to expose one of Murray or Jarry to the Seattle Kraken if they kept them both.
In Ottawa, Murray will have to try and rebound from the .899 save percentage he registered this season. The two-time Stanley Cup winner did rebound and look better in the postseason, but still wasn’t the dominant presence he represented when first entering the league.
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