Hurricanes Re-Sign Cam Ward
The Carolina Hurricanes confirmed that they have re-signed goalie Cam Ward to a 2-year deal. According to the press release, Ward will make $3.5MM in the first year (2016-2017 season), and $3.1MM in the second (2017-2018 season). TSN’s Bob McKenzie tweeted earlier that the Hurricanes were reportedly close to re-signing the veteran goalie. The deal also includes a modified no trade clause, according to CapFriendly. The salary cap hit will be $3.3MM through the 2017-2018 season.
The 32-year-old netminder is coming off of a 6 year/$37.8MM deal. Last season, Ward posted 23 wins and a .909 save percentage.
Blackhawks Notes: Re-Signing Shaw, Panarin
After yesterday’s trade that sent Bryan Bickell and Teuvo Teravainen to the Carolina Hurricanes for a couple of draft picks, more in the media are reporting how the move was made to secure restricted free agent Andrew Shaw. But it also appears to be a move made to keep another important winger in the fold.
CSN Chicago’s Tracey Myers reports that not only are the Blackhawks keen on getting a deal done with Shaw by the end of the NHL Draft, but they are also looking ahead at re-signing Artemi Panarin once they can begin in July (per CBA rules). Chicago Tribune writer Chris Hine also tweeted that Shaw’s agent will meet with the Blackhawks at the draft to nail down a contract.
The interesting point in all of this is that while Panarin had an unbelievable season, general manager Stan Bowman is still moving with caution. Bowman had a tough year with trades as moves for Trevor Daley, and Andrew Ladd didn’t pan out the way he anticipated. Ladd, while effective, didn’t bring the goal scoring or production Bowman hoped for when he traded for the winger in February. Daley never meshed with the Blackhawks after a trade that surrendered fan favorite Patrick Sharp and top prospect Stephen Johns. Sharp helped the Stars to a Central Division title while Johns became a contributor near the end of the season and into the playoffs. Daley was dumped to the Penguins for veteran Rob Scuderi in a move widely seen as a way to move salary and give Daley the opportunity to play somewhere else. It worked for Daley–he played a major role in the Pittsburgh Penguins’ Stanley Cup run before succumbing to an ankle injury in the Eastern Conference Final. Scuderi, meanwhile, was flipped for Christian Ehrhoff, who rarely played in Chicago.
Bickell’s albatross of a contract will also remain a cautionary tale for anything Bowman chooses to do in the future. Bickell cashed in on his unbelievable performance in the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs. At the time, Bickell was rumored to get anywhere from $5MM-$6MM on the open market. The deal sealed by Bowman at the time was seen as a tremendous discount.
Regardless, most pundits will give Bowman the benefit of the doubt when it comes to offering Shaw a new contract because the organization has won 3 Stanley Cups under his watch. The Shaw move is seen as a way to acknowledge the wishes of head coach Joel Quenneville who called Shaw “irreplaceable” back in April. Whether Shaw is as irreplaceable as Jonathan Toews or Patrick Kane remains to be seen, but Shaw’s presence has been noted during Chicago’s run of success.
Panarin, on the other hand, put up dizzying numbers in his first NHL season. Once negotiations can begin in July, it will be another test on Bowman’s part in giving him a contract he deserves, but keeping the contract reasonable. Rookies scoring 30 goals in a season doesn’t happen often and the Hawks know that. Bowman will show prudence, but few will question him if it’s Panarin, and not Shaw, who benefits more from the departure of Bickell and Teravainen.
Carolina Acquires Teravainen and Bickell From Blackhawks
UPDATE 4:11 PM CST: After the NHL released the draft order, it appears that the 2016 second round pick dealt to Chicago is actually the Rangers pick (#50 overall) that was used to acquire Eric Staal at this year’s trade deadline. Carolina will hold onto the #43 selection.
3:19 PM CST: Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun Times adds that the Blackhawks now fully expect to re-sign Andrew Shaw, after clearing room with the Bickell trade.
10:48 AM CST: According to the team Twitter account, the Carolina Hurricanes have acquired Teuvo Teravainen and Bryan Bickell from the Chicago Blackhawks. In return the Hawks will recieve a second round pick in 2016 and a third rounder in 2017. The Blackhawks, in cap trouble this year were expected to move or buy-out Bickell who had another $4 million dollars coming to him this season. The Blackhawks immediately regretted giving Bickell his current four-year $16MM dollar deal almost immediately, as the bottom six forward has only recorded 45 points in the first three years.
Teravainen on the other hand is a promising young forward and a tough price to pay to get rid of Bickell’s cap hit. The Finnish winger put up 35 points this season at just 21 and is still on his entry-level contract after being selected in the first round (12th overall) of the 2012 draft. The centre will now join a young group in Carolina and figure into their long-term plans.
The fact that Teravainen didn’t cost a first rounder is a testament to how badly the Hawks needed the cap relief provided by dealing Bickell. With Andrew Shaw‘s status as a restricted free agent this summer, the Blackhawks now at least have some room to try and bring him back. They now have just over $9MM in cap room with 15 forwards under contract.
Minor NHL Transactions: 6/13/16
Some free agent signings to report around the NHL:
- The Montreal Canadiens have re-signed defenseman Mark Barberio to a 2-year deal worth $1.5MM. The 26-year-old spent last season with the Canadiens before a concussion ended his season in March. Barberio had two goals and ten points in 30 games last season.
- The Nashville Predators inked G Marek Mazanec to a one-year, $575,000 deal according to a team report. The 24-year-old netminder was signed to a two-way contract and spent the 2015-2016 season playing for the Milwaukee Admirals, Nashville’s AHL affiliate.
- The Carolina Hurricanes agreed to a 3-year deal with 18-year-old forward Sebastian Aho. The cap hit is $925,000. Aho was a second round pick for the Hurricanes in the 2015 draft and spent last season in the Finnish league Liiga where he registered 45 points in as many games. Aho will also play for Team Finland in the World Cup of Hockey. They also inked 19-year-old forward Aleksi Saarela to a two year, entry level deal. Saarela was acquired as part of the Eric Staal deal prior to the trade deadline.
- The Calgary Flames signed G David Rittich to a one-year, $925,000 deal. A team report stated that the 23-year-old Czech netminder agreed to a two-way contract. Rittich spent last season with BK Mlada Boleslav of the Czech Extraliga.