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Calgary Flames Sign James Neal

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The Calgary Flames worked through the night to secure another free agent asset, signing James Neal to a five-year deal. The average annual value of the contract will be around $5.75MM.

Neal was the highest ranked player left on our Top 50 UFA List after day one of free agency, and is the picture of offensive consistency in the salary cap era. Scoring at least 21 goals in each of his ten seasons, Neal was once again a positive possession player and an on-ice leader for the Vegas Golden Knights in 2017-18. Though he’s almost never been his team’s leading scorer, he quietly goes about his business at both even-strength and on the powerplay providing excellent secondary scoring and reliable two-way play. That’s huge for the Flames, who have rebuilt their roster over the last few weeks with the additions like Neal, Derek Ryan, Noah Hanifin and Elias Lindholm.

The Flames enter 2018-19 with a new head coach behind the bench in Bill Peters, and several new faces up front. Where Neal fits into the group isn’t clear, but he’ll be another option for the middle-six, or potentially even spend time on the top line if Lindholm doesn’t fit as well as expected with Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan. It will be interesting to see what this means for Troy Brouwer, who still has two years at $4.5MM on his contract but is coming off back-to-back seasons of 25 or fewer points.

Even with Neal’s remarkable consistency, this deal does bring some substantial risk. The 30-year old winger has seen his assist totals decline in recent years as he tends to create less room for himself and teammates, and he isn’t the same dynamic powerplay scorer that he was earlier in his career. There’s no guarantee that as he enters the latter part of the contract he’ll still be an effective second-line option, but at a near $6MM price tag will still be paid like one.

The Flames are obviously disappointed with their lack of success in 2017-18, and have done some hard work this summer to put themselves in a better position come the fall. After waiting until the middle rounds to even make a selection at the draft, they’re clearly in a win-now mode and can’t deviate from that plan.

Calgary Flames Sign Alan Quine, Tyler Graovac

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The Calgary Flames continue to add to their forward depth, following up acquisitions of Derek Ryan and Austin Czarnik earlier with yet another pair intriguing signings. The team has inked Tyler Graovac and Alan Quine to one-year, two-way contracts that will carry cap hits of $650K and $700K respectively in the NHL.

Flames To Sign Austin Czarnik

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The Flames are expected to be active in free agency and after getting a deal done with Derek Ryan, they’ve agred to to terms with winger Austin Czarnik on a two-year, $2.5MM deal, reports Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman (Twitter link).

The 25-year-old is relatively untested at the NHL level as he has played in just 59 career games which made him eligible for Group VI unrestricted free agency.  He did get into ten games with Boston last season and was relatively productive, recording four assists.  In his career, he has five goals and 12 assists, all with the Bruins.

What is getting Czarnik this contract is his minor league production.  He ranked third in AHL scoring in 2017-18 with 25 goals and 44 assists in just 64 games while adding six more points in four postseason contests.  It’s clear that many around the league believe he has some untapped upside as it was reported on Saturday that 24 teams had shown interest in his services.  He’ll likely get a chance to start in Calgary’s bottom six and should have an opportunity to prove that he can be a full-time NHL player.

Flames Expected To Sign Derek Ryan

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After receiving interest from 20 teams, it appears center Derek Ryan is off to Calgary.  TSN’s Frank Seravalli reports (Twitter link) that the Flames are in agreement with Ryan on a three-year contract.  Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman adds (via Twitter) that the deal carries an approximate cap hit of $3.125MM.

It has been quite the journey for 31-year-old.  After going undrafted, he decided to the Canadian college route where he spent four years before heading off to Austria for three more seasons.  A stint in the SHL back in 2014-15 got him on the NHL radar and the Hurricanes signed him to a two-way deal the following season.

Since then, Ryan has emerged as a dependable secondary scorer.  Last season, he posted 15 goals and 23 assists in 80 games while winning 56.5% of his faceoffs, solid numbers for a third liner which is where he will likely line up in Calgary.  We ranked him 22nd in our Top 50 UFA list and had projected that he would sign with the Flames.

With the move, he will be reunited with his former head coach Bill Peters, who left Carolina to join the Flames earlier this offseason.  He’ll also be back with a couple of familiar teammates as Calgary picked up defenseman Noah Hanifin and forward Elias Lindholm in a draft day deal last weekend.

Ryan Reaves Agrees To Two-Year Deal To Return To Vegas

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Saturday — 8:10 p.m.: Dreger adds that Reaves will receive a two-year deal for $2.775MM per year.

Saturday — 5:50 p.m.: TSN’s Darren Dreger reports that Reaves will indeed be staying with the Vegas Golden Knights on a two-year deal despite receiving quite a bit of attention from multiple teams, including extensive talks with the Calgary Flames.

Friday: Though he was attracting interest from other teams, it appears that winger Ryan Reaves is sticking around with Vegas.  Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that the Golden Knights are expected to sign him.  Meanwhile, Larry Brooks of the New York Post adds (via Twitter) that the Rangers, who were one of the other teams interested in signing him, are aware that he is off the market.

Reaves started this past season with Pittsburgh but didn’t fare too well with them which resulted in him being dealt to the Golden Knights as part of the three-team Derick Brassard trade.  He played a regular role down the stretch and even worked his way into a regular spot in the lineup as the postseason progressed.  On the season, he wound up with ten points, 94 penalty minutes, and 236 hits in 79 games while adding a pair of goals in ten postseason contests.

The 31-year-old ranked 44th in our Top 50 UFA list with a projected contract of two years and $3MM.  While financial terms of Reaves’ deal are not yet known, it’s likely that he will receive a raise on the $1.125MM AAV he had on his last contract given the interest he was generating around the league.

Calgary Flames Sign Dalton Prout To One-Year Extension

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The Calgary Flames added some defensive depth when they signed Dalton Prout to one-year, $800K extension. The 28-year-old Prout was acquired in late December from New Jersey for veteran goaltender Eddie Lack, but never played a game for the Flames last year, as he ended up being outrighted to the Stockton Heat of the AHL instead.

Prout adds much needed depth to the team’s blueline as the team only has four defensemen under contract at the moment in Mark Giordano, T.J. Brodie, Travis Hamonic and Michael Stone. The team also has two restricted free agents in Noah Hanifin and Brett Kulak to round out the top six. However, while the team has a number of talented defensive prospects that could be ready to play for Calgary this year such as Rasmus Andersson and 2017 first-rounder Juuso Valimaki, Oliver Kylington and Josh Healey, the addition of a veteran, who could be the team’s seventh-defenseman is a great insurance policy if a youngster doesn’t impress in training camp.

Prout, who was placed on waivers almost immediately after being acquired from the Devils, played 34 games for the Stockton Heat, posting two goals, nine points and 44 penalty minutes. He only played four games for the Devils last season. He hasn’t played a regular defensive role in the NHL since the 2015-16 season when he played 64 games for the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Flames Have A Multi-Year Offer On The Table For Derek Ryan

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While center Derek Ryan won’t be returning to Carolina, he will have quite a few teams to choose from.  TSN’s Frank Seravalli reports (Twitter link) that he has a pair of multi-year offers on the table, one from Calgary and another from an unidentified Central Division team.  He adds that Detroit, Columbus, and Toronto have all expressed interest as well.  Meanwhile, Michael Russo of The Athletic notes (subscription required) that the Wild are also interested but doesn’t specify if they have an offer on the table for him just yet.

The 31-year-old is coming off of his best NHL season, one that saw him post a respectable 38 points (15-23-38) in 80 games while winning an impressive 56.5% of his faceoffs.  He’s still a relatively unknown player with just 153 career NHL games under his belt but he should slot in nicely as a third line pivot with his new team.  Ryan ranks 22nd on our Top 50 Free Agents list with a projected contract of two years and $4.8MM.

More free agent notes with the market set to officially open less than 24 hours from now:

  • Winger Austin Czarnik has largely flown under the radar but he has received interest from 24 different teams, reports Craig Custance of The Athletic (via Twitter). He adds that a two-year deal with a Western Conference team appears to be the likeliest outcome at this time.  The 25-year-old lit up the AHL this past season with 25 goals and 44 assists in 69 games which ranked third overall in league scoring.  He also added four assists in ten games with the Bruins.  NBC Sports Boston’s Joe Haggerty tweets that the Oilers are among the teams making a push.
  • It doesn’t appear that there is a big gap to bridge between the Bruins and goaltender Anton Khudobin. Igor Eronko of Sport-Express reports (Twitter link) that the two sides were only $150K per year apart on talks.  However, it appears that Khudobin, barring a change in the next little while, will go to the open market.  TSN’s Darren Dreger tweets that Dallas could make sense as a landing spot.
  • The Blue Jackets have expressed a desire to keep defenseman Ian Cole in the fold, GM Jarmo Kekalainen told reporters, including George Richards of the Columbus Dispatch (Twitter link). However, based on Kekalainen’s comments, it appears that Cole has his sights set elsewhere.  The blueliner ranks 16th on our Top 50 Free Agents list but is the number three rearguard behind only Mike Green and Calvin de Haan.

Free Agent Rumor Round-Up: Roussel, Calvert, Hickey, Rieder, Perron, And More

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The Vancouver Canucks are closing in on an agreement with one of their top free agent targets. After Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman revealed that the Canucks were talking to two-way winger Antoine Roussel, colleague Rick Dhaliwal did some digging and discovered that the two sides were close on a long-term deal. Dhaliwal expects Roussel to sign a four-year deal worth more than $3MM per year with Vancouver. The former Dallas Stars brings grit and energy to the Canucks and has previously teased 30+ point potential. If the 28-year-old Frenchman can reach those levels of production while maintaining his notorious physical game, this could be a great signing by GM Jim Benning. However, it is well above what many would have expected Roussel to sign in both term and salary and could just as well be a disaster for Vancouver. Roussel is ranked 38th on PHR’s Top 50 Free Agents list with an estimated contract of two years and just over $2MM AAV.

[RELATED: PHR’s 2018 Top 50 NHL Unrestricted Free Agents]

  • Friedman has also linked the Colorado Avalanche and forward Matt Calvert. TSN’s Darren Dreger is among a few sources who have also heard about that pairing. Calvert, 28, has played his entire career for the Columbus Blue Jackets, but Dreger seems convinced that he is definitely on the move. The versatile, two-way winger would be a nice fit as a bottom-six regular who can fill gaps in the top-six, much like the role that Blake Comeau played for the team.
  • Dreger also reports that interest is high in defenseman Thomas Hickey. A shallow defense market is likely boosting the value of the serviceable defenseman, who is a tough defensive match-up and a dangerous off-the-puck play-maker, but prone to mistake when moving play. Many speculated that the Islanders would turn their attention to re-signing Hickey once the John Tavares situation had sorted itself out, but with Tavares dragging his feet and Hickey in talks with numerous teams, New York may not get that chance. We predicted that Hickey would land with the Montreal Canadiens on a multi-year deal in PHR’s Top 50 Free Agents list.
  • Another player getting a lot of attention is winger Tobias Rieder and the status of his suitors is changing quickly as the price rises. Just earlier today, the Vancouver Canucks were the first team confirmed to be in on Rieder and by now that list has increased dramatically. TSN’s Ryan Rishaug reports that the Calgary Flames, Montreal Canadiens, and Ottawa Senators are also in the running and that the price has gotten so high as to drive the Edmonton Oilers out of the bidding. The Athletic’s Craig Custance confirms the interest from the Canucks, Flames, and Habs and adds the New York Rangers and Florida Panthers to the list of interested parties. All this for a player that the Los Angeles Kings deemed unworthy of a qualifying offer.
  • As expected, David Perron is also one of the hottest names on the free agent market and his former team, the Vegas Golden Knights, are seemingly out of the running. Friedman calls it “very unlikely” that Perron returns to Las Vegas, where he set a career high with 66 points this season. For an idea on the price for Perron, he landed at #5 on the PHR Top 50 Free Agents list with a projected six-year, $32MM contract, which could be a conservative guess.
  • One team that is somewhat surprisingly in talks with Perron is Arizona. Craig Morgan of Arizona Sports details the off-season so far from the Coyotes and lists Perron, James van Riemsdyk, and Michael Grabner as Arizona’s top targets. Morgan also says that the team has not ruled out bringing back veteran forward Brad Richardson as well.
  • The Boston Bruins are moving on from Anton Khudobin and reportedly working fast to find his replacement. Beat writer Matt Kalman and The Boston Globe’s Kevin-Paul Dupont both hear that the team is very interested in Kari Lehtonen as the new backup to Tuukka Rask. With many talented goalies on the market, Lehtonen has flown under the radar somewhat despite incredibly comparable numbers to Khudobin in more starts and superior numbers to the likes of Jonathan Bernier, Cam Ward, Robin Lehner and others. Lehtonen also had the highest Quality Start rate of any of that group in 2017-18. Even here at PHR we may have underestimated Lehtonen, making him our sixth-best goalie among the Top 50 free agents.
  • Unsurprisingly, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun notes that the Washington Capitals have checked in with defenseman Brooks Orpik. A veteran leader and key contributor to their Stanley Cup run, the Capitals faced little choice but to trade Orpik away earlier this off-season in order to clear cap space to maintain their championship roster. Now that he has subsequently been bought out by the Colorado Avalanche, Orpik is fair game and could return to D.C. at a much more affordable rate. However, LeBrun warns that other teams are also in the running and Orpik may not take a discount rate in Washington over more legitimate offers.

 

Hurricanes Notes: Free Agents, Darling, Skinner, Tavares

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The Carolina Hurricanes have already made some noise this off-season, acquiring Dougie Hamilton, Micheal Ferland, and Adam Fox from the Calgary Flames for Noah Hanifin and Elias Lindholm, but what else the team plans to do this summer remains a mystery. In speaking with Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer, GM Don Waddell indicates that they may simply stick with the status quo for now. Waddell confirmed that the team is not pursuing contracts with pending unrestricted free agents Cam Ward, Derek Ryan, and Lee Stempniak and expect all three to hit the open market on July 1st. Ward, the Hurricane’s long-time goalie, is rumored to be headed to the Chicago Blackhawks, while Ryan is expected to re-join former Carolina coach Bill Peters and his recently-traded teammates in Calgary. Stempniak’s name has not drawn much attention so far this off-season, as the veteran struggled in 2017-18 with nine points in 37 games. Waddell did not discuss recently non-qualified free agent forward Joakim Nordstrom, likely implying that they are moving on from him as well. Waddell also did not offer any updates on negotiations with restricted free agents Trevor van Riemsdyk, Lucas Wallmark, and Valentin Zykov.

  • Waddell did state that the team has no plans to move goalie Scott Darling and are committed to having him on the roster moving forward. The 29-year-old struggled in his first year with Carolina after signing a long-term contract last summer, but the team hopes that his second season as a starter will go smoother. However, Carolina is looking to add a goalie in free agency and have spoken to upwards of six candidates already. The question remains what type of goalie they are looking to bring in. A starter to compete with Darling could look like Robin Lehner, Kari Lehtonen, or Jaroslav Halak, while a steady backup could be Ondrej Pavelec, Chad Johnson, or a reunion with Anton Khudobin.
  • As of now, there is no imminent trade involving forward Jeff Skinner. Skinner’s name has been one of the hottest on the rumor mill and many speculated that the Los Angeles Kings signing Ilya Kovalchuk could be the domino that would lead Skinner to being dealt to a team that missed out on the sharp-shooting veteran. Instead, Waddell says that talks with other teams have been ongoing and they have seen some good offers, but haven’t been “comfortable” with accepting any of them. One has to wonder that if they could pull off a trade as big as the one during draft weekend but aren’t comfortable with “good” offers for Skinner, if they are even looking to trade the talented winger at all.
  • For any ’Canes fans out there still holding out hope that Carolina was a secret seventh team in on the John Tavares sweepstakes, Waddell confirmed that he has had no contact whatsoever with Tavares’ camp. The Hurricanes do have more than enough cap space to add a Tavares though, so perhaps Waddell will be active in free agency after all, but focused on other big names.

Snapshots: Ouellet, Ryan, Utah

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Xavier Ouellet was bought out by the Detroit Red Wings to open up some roster spots for their young defensive prospects, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be part of an NHL organization next year. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic tweets that the Montreal Canadiens have “kicked the tires” on Ouellet since his buyout, indicating that there is at least some interest.

Ouellet was actually born in France but played his minor hockey just outside Montreal and captained the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada during his QMJHL career. It would be a homecoming of sorts for the 24-year old defenseman should he sign with the Canadiens, who have a lot of experience on the blue line but found little success there last season. Montreal may not have room to add him on the NHL roster, but he would certainly provide a solid option for the Laval Rocket who are trying to rebuild after a disastrous season that included losing the last twelve games of the regular season.

  • The Calgary Flames are interested in their own version of reconnecting a player with a familiar structure, though this time it’s not a hometown. Derek Ryan is visiting the Flames today according to Frank Seravalli of TSN, a good fit given that his former head coach Bill Peters is now running the show. Peters was the coach who gave Ryan his first crack at the NHL after a long and winding hockey career, and the 31-year old center rewarded him with a 38-point season in 2017-18. Ryan is one of the top centers available this summer behind John Tavares, despite his relatively little experience in the NHL. Making his debut at the age of 29, he has just 153 games under his belt to this point.
  • The Utah Grizzlies are the new ECHL affiliate of the Colorado Avalanche, extending their organizational structure to a third tier below the newly promoted Colorado Eagles. The Eagles won the ECHL’s Kelly Cup in each of the past two seasons, but were bumped up to the AHL as a 31st team to provide equal numbers with the NHL. Utah wasn’t so lucky, missing the playoffs for the first time in more than a decade. The Avalanche will try to turn that around immediately, and make a commitment to developing a solid prospect base for the Grizzlies to work with.

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