Colorado Avalanche Sign Ryan Graves
The Colorado Avalanche have avoided arbitration with Ryan Graves, signing the restricted free agent to a one-year contract. Graves filed for player-elected salary arbitration last week, but won’t have to go through the sometimes tough process. Instead he’ll be back with the Avalanche in 2019-20, but actually could end up a Group VI unrestricted free agent next summer if he fails to play in at least 54 NHL games this season. Adrian Dater of Colorado Hockey Now reports that the contract is a two-way deal worth $735K in the NHL.
Graves, 24, made quite an impact in Colorado last season, suiting up in 26 games and recording three goals and five points. The 6’5″ defenseman had come over from the New York Rangers in a deal for Chris Bigras, but didn’t have any prior NHL experience. He’ll now have to battle for a chance to remain with the Avalanche past training camp, something that is far from certain at this point.
Colorado is facing injuries to both Ian Cole and Erik Johnson that should keep them out at the start of the season, but even after the trade of Tyson Barrie the Avalanche blue line is quite crowded. Kevin Connauton, Cale Makar, Bowen Byram, Calle Rosen and potentially even Conor Timmins all represent newcomers that weren’t available at the start of last year, and will complicate the decisions for head coach Jared Bednar and GM Joe Sakic. Graves still represents some great depth, but will have to clear waivers in order to play for the Colorado Eagles of the AHL this season.
Alex Lintuniemi Officially Signs With Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes have signed Alex Lintuniemi to a one-year, two-way contract that carries a $700K salary at the NHL level. Lintuniemi was not issued a qualifying offer by the Los Angeles Kings last month and became an unrestricted free agent. Soon after free agent frenzy opened CapFriendly reported that he would be joining the Carolina organization, though no official announcement had been released until today.
Lintuniemi, 23, played the last four seasons in the Kings organization after being selected in the second round in 2014. The former Ottawa 67’s defenseman had 25 points in 67 games last season for the Ontario Reign, but apparently wasn’t worth the qualifying offer for a team that is closing in quickly on the 50-contract limit. The Kings have 40 on the books already with seven more restricted free agents to sign, meaning they needed to make some tough decisions on who to keep around.
You can’t pick a much more familiar NHL organization if you’re a Finnish player like Lintuniemi. The club has a huge number of players from the country including Sebastian Aho, who suited up with Lintuniemi at the 2015 World Juniors. Hopefully that familiarity can lead to a brighter future for the young defenseman, who is still looking for his firs chance at the NHL level.
Vancouver Canucks Sign Francis Perron
After acquiring his rights at the draft from the San Jose Sharks, Francis Perron has signed with the Vancouver Canucks. The prospect has inked a one-year two-way contract with the Canucks. Perron was a restricted free agent but not eligible for salary arbitration.
Perron, 23, was originally selected in the seventh round by the Ottawa Senators five years ago, but ended up shipped out to the Sharks in the Erik Karlsson deal. While at that point he may have just seemed like an underperforming minor league forward that was included as a contract dump, he broke out last season for the San Jose Barracuda and earned himself another NHL deal. Perron had 18 goals and 47 points in 63 games for the Barracuda, good enough for second on the team.
The former QMJHL star will fight for an NHL role on the Canucks in training camp, but will more likely find himself on waivers to start the year. That will give other teams a chance to grab him, but if he clears he can head to the Utica Comets and try to replicate his excellent 2018-19 season. At the very worst, the Canucks have secured another shifty minor league scorer for their AHL club.
Pat Maroon Looking For More Than One-Year Deal
It seemed a good bet that Pat Maroon would re-sign with the St. Louis Blues for the 2018-19 season, after taking less money to be closer to his son last year. It worked out for everyone involved as the Blues would end up winning the Stanley Cup with Maroon in the lineup, but their interest hasn’t been clear in re-signing the veteran power forward. Now, Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic provides an update on Maroon’s free agency, indicating that he has several one-year offers from around the league but is waiting for the right fit and at least a “couple years.” Rutherford tweets that the Blues have limited interest.
Maroon, 31, finished the season with 28 points in 74 games for the Blues but was a key part of their Stanley Cup run. Scoring two game-winning goals against the Dallas Stars including the series-clinching effort in double overtime of game seven, the team may have never gotten past the second round without him. Still, his offensive production does seem to be on the decline after tallying just ten goals in the regular season, and at his size teams may be wary of his game completely falling off a cliff.
The 6’3″ 225-lbs forward is something of a throwback to a past era of NHL hockey, slower than many of his teammates but still talented and big enough to get to the right spots at the right times. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet quoted an NHL executive that explained Maroon is “a dinosaur, but there’s no one left who knows how to play against a dinosaur.”
In 449 career regular season games, Maroon has recorded 206 points. He scored 27 goals in 2016-17 with the Edmonton Oilers, and set a career-high in points with 43 the following year. If a team can get that kind of production out of the “Big Rig,” he would likely be worth whatever contract he has to settle for; whether that can realistically happen at this point is the question.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Jake Massie Agrees To Terms With Florida Panthers
The Florida Panthers have snatched up another prospect, agreeing to terms with Jake Massie on a two-year entry-level contract. Massie’s exclusive draft rights were held by the Chicago Blackhawks until recently, as he informed the University of Vermont that he intended on turning pro in late May. College players who are four years removed from their draft year are able to become unrestricted free agents 30 days after leaving college regardless of whether they have completed their NCAA eligibility; Massie played one year in the USHL and three at Vermont after being selected in the sixth round of the 2015 draft by the Carolina Hurricanes.
The 22-year old defenseman has never been known for his offensive upside, scoring just 23 points in his three-year college career. Instead, his most obvious attributes come in the defensive zone where he has been a polished talent for several years. It wasn’t clear if that would be enough to earn him an NHL contract, but the Panthers obviously feel as though they can squeeze at least some value out of him.
For the Panthers, plays like this are easy to make. The team currently sits at only 35 contracts out of their allotted 50, meaning there is still quite a bit of work to do to fill out the organizational depth chart. Massie will be just the 11th defenseman under contract, a group that needs to fill out the blue line at both the NHL and AHL level. He’ll likely start in the minor leagues, where he can show that his defensive prowess can be a positive at the professional level.
Dustin Tokarski Signs AHL Deal
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins have added another experienced goaltender, signing Dustin Tokarski to an AHL contract for the 2019-20 season. While adding depth at any position is hardly newsworthy, the Penguins already had three minor league goaltenders under contract including Tristan Jarry, who has been included in trade speculation for some time. In fact, Jarry found himself among the most likely to be traded by The Athletic’s Josh Yohe (subscription required) recently, alongside Nick Bjugstad and Bryan Rust.
Tokarski, 29 comes to the organization with a decade of professional experience, including 39 NHL appearances and even five games in the playoffs for the Montreal Canadiens in 2014. The last several years however he has been limited to almost entirely minor league action. Last year, Tokarski split the season between the Hartford Wolf Pack and Charlotte Checkers, winning the Calder Cup (the second of his career) with the latter.
It seems unlikely that Tokarski would be signed to play in the ECHL, though he could serve as a backup for Jarry in the AHL if the team feels comfortable sending their other young goaltenders to the low minors. Otherwise, his presence could mean another trade is coming in Pittsburgh sooner or later.
Carolina Hurricanes To Match Sebastian Aho Offer Sheet
July 7: The Carolina Hurricanes have officially announced that they have matched the Montreal Canadiens offer sheet, as expected. This will free up the cap room that Montreal had tied up in the offer sheet for the last five days.
July 2: It may come as little surprise but the Carolina Hurricanes are set to match the Montreal Canadiens offer sheet signed yesterday by Sebastian Aho. Aho will remain part of the Hurricanes organization and will now be on a five-year, $42.27MM contract that takes him to unrestricted free agency in 2024. The Hurricanes will not be allowed to trade Aho for one year. The important part of the release for Montreal fans is that the Hurricanes will likely take the entire week allowed to formally submit the paperwork. Carolina GM Don Waddell explained the decision:
This was an easy decision. Sebastian is one of the best players in the league and the centerpiece of what we’re building here. We’ve spoken to him throughout this process and he’s made it clear that he wants to be in Raleigh and be a part of this organization.
It’s our job to manage our cap space as our players develop and hit free agency. There was no concern at any point that we would not be able to match this contract. Once again, the Carolina Hurricanes should not be underestimated. We have a plan and all the resources to win a Stanley Cup.
Aho, 21, has developed into a premiere offensive talent in the NHL through his three seasons and will now be paid like one. The deal will carry an $8.454MM cap hit throughout, but also includes more than $38MM in signing bonuses. Aho will earn the minimum NHL salary in each season, earning the rest of his money in a lump sum every July. That structure is what was included by the Canadiens in a hope to steal Aho away from Carolina, or at least what was negotiated in by his agent in order to facilitate a deal. The Hurricanes and their star center will now not have to go through a summer of contract talks, instead having things resolved by a third party.
The deal actually doesn’t represent a real over-payment by the Hurricanes, in fact some have dubbed it a bargain after some of the numbers that had been floating around attached to this year’s restricted free agent crop. Aho will slot in as the 25th-highest cap hit in the league for the time being, right between Steven Stamkos and Claude Giroux. After his 83-point season in 2018-19 he deserves to be considered among that group, especially after moving to center full-time.
A downside to the deal for the Hurricanes though is the length. It will buy out just a single season of unrestricted free agency and could have him poised to start a bidding war for his services if the team can’t work out an extension down the line. While that is years away from consideration, having a contract thrust upon you in this manner is not an optimal situation.
Mario Kempe Signs With Los Angeles Kings
Adrian Kempe won’t have to visit Arizona anymore for family dinner. The Los Angeles Kings have signed his older brother Mario Kempe to a one-year, two-way contract worth $700K. The elder Kempe has spent the last two seasons in the Arizona Coyotes organization after a long international career in the SHL and KHL.
The 30-year old forward played 52 games for the Coyotes last season, recording nine points in limited ice time. He served as a part-time penalty killer, but was mostly given fourth-line ice time as an energy option for the team. Originally selected by the Philadelphia Flyers in 2007, Kempe played just eight games for their AHL team before returning to Sweden and not coming back until 2017. Suiting up for them at the World Championship, he added two points in four games.
It’s important to note that the younger Kempe is currently a restricted free agent for the Kings and is an important part of the future in Los Angeles. Just 22-years old, Adrian scored 16 goals and 37 points in 2017-18 before taking a slight step backwards last season. Bringing in his brother may help the negotiation, though Mario is a good player in his own right and will be competing for a spot on the Kings’ roster come September.
Minor Transactions: 07/05/19
Things haven’t picked up on the free agent market just yet, so teams are still concentrated on filling out their organizational depth charts. With that in mind, we’re keeping track of the important minor league moves around the league:
- The Rochester Americans have signed Eric Cornel, Tyler Randell, Jarrett Burton and Nathan Paetsch to one-year AHL contracts, securing some veteran experience for the team’s 2019-20 season. Cornel notably was not given a qualifying offer by the Buffalo Sabres when his entry-level contract expired this summer, but is going to stay in the organization anyway. The 2014 second-round pick scored 22 points in 76 games last season for the Americans.
- Dennis Robertson won’t be returning to the Charlotte Checkers for a sixth season, as the 28-year old defenseman has instead signed with HC Bolzano in Italy. Robertson was once the captain at Brown University for two seasons and earned an entry-level deal in 2014, but never made it to the NHL.
- The Ontario Reign won’t be bringing back Sam Herr this season, as he instead will head to the UK and play for the Nottingham Panthers. Herr spent the last three seasons with Ontario after graduating from Notre Dame, but failed to score more than 17 points in any of them.
- The same could be said about Trevor Cheek, who will take his talents from the Tucson Roadrunners to Denmark to join Esbjerg. Cheek, a 26-year old forward, recorded 10 points in 63 games for the Roadrunners last season.
Nikita Zadorov Signs With Colorado Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche have come to an agreement with restricted free agent Nikita Zadorov, signing him to a one-year contract according to agent Dan Milstein of Gold Star Hockey. Zadorov was eligible to file for arbitration before today’s deadline, but instead will re-up with the organization for one more year. A.J. Haefele of BSN Denver reports the deal will be for $3.2MM.
Zadorov, 24, was a huge part of the package that sent Ryan O’Reilly to the Buffalo Sabres in 2015, and has suited up for 225 games with the Avalanche since. An incredibly imposing figure on the ice, the 6’5″ 230-lbs defenseman is one of the most feared open ice hitters in the league and doesn’t hold back when he sees a chance. In those 225 games, Zadorov has totaled 712 hits for the Avalanche while adding 46 points.
It’s that offense that many hoped would come around when Buffalo selected Zadorov 16th overall in 2013, but he has never been able to add that side of his game. While he does have a good shot, his skill in breaking the puck out of his own zone is still lacking and he doesn’t have the playmaking upside to be involved on the powerplay. With the Avalanche adding top prospects Cale Makar and Bowen Byram in recent years, it will be imperative for Zadorov to improve his all-around play if he wants to remain a big part of the Colorado blue line. Already the team shipped Tyson Barrie out of town because of their strength on the back end, and still has at least eight capable NHL defenders on the roster.
Zadorov though now represents the third-highest paid defenseman on the team, and will be an important part early on in the season. Ian Cole and Erik Johnson are both doubtful to be ready for the start of the season due to injury, meaning that the big left-handed defender may get more ice time to show just how much of an impact he can make.