Flames Sign Chad Johnson
The Calgary Flames have their new goalie duo, as they have signed Chad Johnson to be a reliable backup for the newly acquired Brian Elliott. Sportsnet’s John Shannon reports that it is a one-year deal.
Johnson had one of the best years of his career with the Sabres in 2015-16. He suited up in a career high 45 games (thanks to an injury to Robin Lehner), posting a 22-16-4 record with a 2.36 GAA and a .920 SV%, both impressive numbers for a non-playoff team.
Johnson is becoming a bit of a hockey nomad as this will be his fifth different team in as many seasons.
He has played in parts of six NHL seasons (101 games) with the Rangers, Coyotes, Bruins, Islanders, and Sabres, collecting a 50-30-11 record with a 2.39 GAA and a .917 SV%.
Blues Sign Carter Hutton
Elliotte Friedman reports that the St. Louis Blues have signed former Nashville Predators backup Carter Hutton to a two-year deal with a cap hit of $1.125MM. He will replace the recently-traded Brian Elliott in their goalie tandem, joining Jake Allen, who signed an extension earlier today.
Hutton suited up as the backup for the Preds last season behind incumbent Pekka Rinne. He posted a 7-5-4 record with a 2.33 GAA and a .918 SV%, both career bests. He also picked up two shutouts. Hutton also got into three postseason contests in relief, posting a 3.00 GAA and a .667 SV%.
In his four year NHL career split between Chicago and Nashville, he has played in 76 games, collecting a 33-24-12 record with a 2.56 GAA and a .910 SV% with four shutouts.
Bruins Re-Sign Liles
The Boston Bruins will bring back trade deadline acquisition John-Michael Liles on a one year, $2MM deal, reports Elliotte Friedman. A spot on their back end moving forward was opened up yesterday with the buyout of Dennis Seidenberg.
The right-shot defenseman had six points in 17 games with the Bruins after coming over from the Carolina Hurricanes last season. He also added 15 points (6-9-15) in 64 games with the ‘Canes prior to the deal.
The 35 year old has played in 12 NHL campaigns with Colorado, Carolina, Toronto, and Boston. He has 800 games under his belt, scoring 87 goals and 278 assists.
Okposo Signs For Seven Years With Sabres
As reported by Arthur Staple, another talked-about deal has been confirmed, as Kyle Okposo signs a seven-year, $42MM deal with the Buffalo Sabres. The high-scoring winger stays in-state, but not in-division, moving from the Islanders in Brooklyn to the Sabres upstate.
Okposo has quietly blossomed into one of the NHL’s top scoring right wingers in recent years. Last season, he picked up 22 goals and 42 assists, good for sixth in points among NHL RW’s. That was enough to earn him the #2 ranking on PHR’s Top 50 free agents list. He spent a lot of his time alongside John Tavares and while some believe that doing so led to a lot of his points but Okposo has enough of a proven track record to show he’s a legitimate top liner in his own right.
Over the last three seasons, Okposo has averaged 22 goals and 39 assists. One area of concern is that over that span, he has missed 34 games due to various injuries and has a bit of a reputation for being an injury prone player. Still, at just 28 years of age and the fact he isn’t an overly physical player, there shouldn’t be much worry that his body will break down any time soon. Okposo should slot in as the top right winger for the Sabres next season and for several years to come.
Eriksson Inks Six-Year Deal With Canucks
As had been long expected, Loui Eriksson has signed with the Vancouver Canucks on a six-year $36MM deal, as reported by Nick Kypreos. Eriksson’s deal was one of many high-profile deals reported to be done when the free agency window began. The former Bruin winger joins former Boston Assistant GM, Jim Benning, now in charge in Vancouver, and will likely play alongside fellow Swedes Daniel and Henrik Sedin on the Canucks’ top line.
Last year, Eriksson had his best campaign since before the lockout, picking up 30 goals and 33 assists with Boston while playing in all 82 games. He also averaged 19:29 of ice time per game.
In his career, Eriksson has played in 725 career NHL games between Dallas and Boston, scoring 212 goals and 292 assists.
Campbell Returns To Chicago
After five seasons with the Florida Panthers, defenseman Brian Campbell will reportedly sign with the Chicago Blackhawks, the team with which he played for from 2008 to 2011 and helped to lead to the 2010 Stanley Cup championship.
Ironically, Campbell signed his last contract with the Blackhawks, an eight-year $57MM deal on this day in 2008, but he was traded to Florida in June of 2011 to serve out the remainder of that mammoth contract. Now that it has expired, Campbell will sign quite a different deal with Chicago, as John Shannon of Sportsnet first reported that the opening of free agency will make official a one-year, $2MM contract for Campbell, who is likely looking for another championship with the talented, but cash-strapped Blackhawks. Campbell is also eligible for performance incentives on a one year deal.
Last season, Campbell played in all 82 games with Florida, scoring six goals and 25 assists. He also added an assist in six postseason contests. In his career, he has played in 1,002 games , scoring 82 goals and adding 405 assists.
Yesterday, Campbell indicated that his preference was to rejoin the Hawks and that he would be willing to take a cheaper deal to get it done to help accommodate Chicago’s cap concerns.