Metro Notes: Penguins, Thompson, Mukhamadullin
The Pittsburgh Penguins went into yesterday’s free agency frenzy with eight defensemen already under one-way contracts for the upcoming season. Then they made their biggest signing of the day a three-year deal for Jan Rutta. Now, with too many defensemen and not enough spots, it appears a trade is coming.
General manager Ron Hextall admitted as much at a press conference yesterday, explaining there were a “couple too many” defensemen with the team now. It should come as no surprise then when David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports that John Marino and Marcus Pettersson are both “out there” in trade talks today. The two defensemen are both signed for at least three years and at least $4MM per season, meaning these won’t be scrap heap buys for anyone who is interested.
- The Philadelphia Flyers are expected to hire Rocky Thompson, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The former minor league enforcer parted ways with the San Jose Sharks last September, explaining that due to a medical exemption that prevented him from taking a COVID-19 vaccine, he was not permitted to continue as the team’s associate coach. Thompson has a strong coaching resume that includes stints as the head coach of the Windsor Spitfires and Chicago Wolves, though as Charlie O’Connor of The Athletic notes, it is unclear what kind of restrictions his vaccination status will lead to next season.
- It appears as though Shakir Mukhamadullin could be spending another year in the KHL, as he is listed in the league transfers as signing a new contract with Ufa Salavat Yulaev, the club he has spent the last several seasons with. The New Jersey Devils prospect did sign his entry-level contract in the NHL but it includes a European Assignment Clause. It is likely that this new KHL agreement is in case he fails to make the Devils roster out of camp, and will lead to his return overseas instead of assignment to the AHL. There’s no rush for the 20-year-old, though he will burn the first year of his ELC no matter where he plays this season.
New Jersey Devils Sign Four Players
The New Jersey Devils are bringing back tough guy Mason Geertsen, according to Chris Johnston of TSN. PuckPedia reports that the one-year deal is worth $750K at the NHL level, $300K in the AHL, and includes a minor league guarantee of $350K.
Geertsen, 27, made his NHL debut this season and suited up 25 times for the Devils. In those games, he averaged nearly as many minutes in the penalty box as on the ice, being used almost entirely for his fighting ability and intimidation factor. The 6’4″ forward logged 58 hits and 77 penalty minutes on the year, while averaging fewer than seven minutes of ice time and failing to score a single point.
It’s not really different in the minor leagues, where Geertsen has only ever scored nine goals, despite more than 300 AHL appearances. One of the last remaining enforcers, he does have over 500 penalty minutes and a lengthy fight card.
New Jersey added more depth this evening, signing forward Brian Pinho to a one-year, two-way contract, says CapFriendly (link). The contract will pay Pinho $750K at the NHL level and $325K at the minor league level.
After an impressive four-year tenure at Providence College, Pinho, a sixth-round selection by the Washington Capitals in 2013, turned pro, spending parts of the previous four seasons as a member of the AHL’s Hershey Bears, putting up 17 points in 27 games this past season. Though primarily an AHLer for his career, Pinho did appear in two games for the Capitals in 2020-21.
Forward Jack Dugan will also head to New Jersey, signing a one-year, two-way contract according to CapFriendly (link). Dugan’s contract will pay him $750K at the NHL level and $125K at the minor league level and leaves him an RFA at its expiration. A fifth-round pick in the Vegas Golden Knights’ inaugural draft class, Dugan spent a year with the Chicago Steel fo rhte USHL before heading to Providence, like Pinho, then eventually turning pro, spending the previous two seasons with the Henderson Silver Knights of the AHL.
The Devils also brought back defenseman Tyler Wotherspoon on a two-year, two-way contract, per CapFriendly (link). Wotherspoon’s deal is worth $750K at the NHL level in year one and bumps up to $775K in year two. At the minor league level, the deal is wroth $300K in the first year and $325K in the second.
A veteran of 30 NHL games spread over four seasons in the Calgary Flames organization, Wotherspoon represents solid depth for a Devils organization that has had its share of injuries that have forced them to dig deep to find replacements. The defenseman has carved out a career for himself in the AHL as a reliable defenseman, blending in and producing for whatever team he has been on, the 2021-22 Utica Comets representing his fifth team, all in the AHL, in the previous five seasons.
Speaking of the Comets, Wotherspoon, as well as Pinho and Dugan, will have a chance to help Utica run it back once again after an absolutely dominant 2021-22 campaign that saw them go 43-20-8-1, clinching first place in the AHL’s North Division.
New Jersey Devils Expected To Sign Brendan Smith
Per Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli, the New Jersey Devils have agreed to terms with defenseman Brendan Smith on a two-year deal carrying a $1.1MM cap hit. This signing represents Smith’s return to the tri-state area, having spent parts of five seasons on the New York Rangers. Smith, 33, is an inexpensive signing for the Devils and one that will help them shore up their bottom pairing.
At this point in his career, Smith isn’t an earth-shattering addition. He’s a bottom-pairing defenseman who averaged just under 14 minutes of ice time last season. He brings a stay-at-home, physical style that got him on the Hurricanes’ penalty kill, where he averaged 1:04 of short-handed ice time per game. A well-respected locker room voice, Smith has shown versatility and a team-first mentality in the past, having even played sporadically as a forward late in his tenure with the Rangers because he lost his spot on their blueline.
This signing won’t be the major win of GM Tom Fitzgerald’s offseason. But for one of the NHL’s youngest teams, adding a safe, veteran defenseman at an affordable price is the sort of under-the-radar move that can make a big impact. Smith won’t be the reason the Devils get back to the playoffs, but if they do end up competing in a cutthroat Metropolitan division, Smith will help steady the ship.
Boston Bruins Acquire Pavel Zacha
The Boston Bruins have made a move but it isn’t an unrestricted free agent coming to town. Darren Dreger of TSN reports that the Bruins have acquired Pavel Zacha from the New Jersey Devils. Zacha is a pending restricted free agent, and eligible for salary arbitration after his current three-year, $6.75MM (total) contract expires. Erik Haula is headed back the other way.
With another double-digit goal season under his belt–Zacha scored 15 goals this season after 17 in 2020-21–that potential arbitration award would have been rather pricey, and any multi-year deal would have been buying out UFA years.
Haula, on the other hand, has just one year remaining on his contract and carries a cap hit of $2.375MM. The Devils, who are in the mix for one (or more) of the biggest free agents available, will now have more money and more roster flexibility to use.
Boston, meanwhile, has now found another young(ish) forward to slot into the middle-six that can provide some secondary scoring and a strong defensive presence. Zacha does have plenty of experience at center, though he was deployed as a winger for much of this season.
It certainly doesn’t hurt that he hails from Czechia, just like David Pastrnak and the returning David Krejci. While that doesn’t mean he’ll find a new level, it will at least present some familiarity as he makes the transition to a new team.
Now the question is how much Zacha will cost for the Bruins, and where they find the cap space for all of the pending contracts. Patrice Bergeron and Krejci are both expected to finalize deals in the coming days, meaning this will only further limit the cap space available for general manager Don Sweeney today.
Johnny Gaudreau To Test Free Agency
As first reported by TSN’s Pierre LeBrun, the Calgary Flames aren’t expected to reach an agreement with top free-agent forward Johnny Gaudreau prior to the market opening tomorrow at noon Eastern time. He’ll test free agency and hit the open market as a result.
Gaudreau and Calgary haven’t come to an agreement despite steadily increasing offers from general manager Brad Treliving to get him to stay. It was reported earlier today that Calgary had offered Gaudreau an eight-year deal worth more than $10MM per season. Gaudreau either believes he can get more on the open market tomorrow, or he simply wants a change of scenery out of Alberta.
After his electric 115-point season, he’ll have a certain handful of teams willing to pony up eight figures to get his services. While the Philadelphia Flyers have been linked to him constantly for years, they’ve failed to clear enough cap space in order to make signing him a realistic possibility. One team with loads of cap space that’s a logical fit is the New Jersey Devils, who could launch themselves into playoff contention with a Gaudreau/Jack Hughes connection up front.
No matter what, Gaudreau is slated to join the more-than-$10MM cap hit club tomorrow. He’d be the 15th player in the league currently on an eight-figure deal and the only left wing aside from the Rangers’ Artemi Panarin.
New Jersey Devils To Buy Out Janne Kuokkanen
Though the buyout period is listed as ending today, it is a little misleading. Today is the deadline to place players on waivers for the purpose of a buyout, meaning there could be another flood of names hitting the open market in a few hours. One of those is expected to be Janne Kuokkanen, according to PuckPedia, who will be bought out by the New Jersey Devils.
Because he is still just 24, the Devils would be on the hook for just one-third of Kuokkanen’s remaining contract, and would incur the following cap penalties:
- 2022-23: $200K
- 2023-24: $325K
Since he is currently carrying a cap hit of $1.825MM and is owed $2.05MM in salary the buyout represents considerable savings in both dollars and salary cap space this season. With the team hoping to contend for the playoffs, that money can be better used after the disappointing 2021-22 campaign that Kuokkanen endured.
With just six goals and 17 points in 57 games, the young forward didn’t take the expected step forward and now finds himself without a home for next season. Originally selected in the second round by the Carolina Hurricanes, there is enough talent to play at the NHL level, just not enough (so far) to make much of an impact.
Bottom-of-the-lineup forwards are getting squeezed all over the league this year as the hard cap continues to make it difficult to pay more than the minimum for fringe roster players, and Kuokkanen will join the rest of those unqualified yesterday as late entrants to the free agent market.
Devils Expect To Sign Simon Nemec This Week
- The New Jersey Devils didn’t flinch when they saw long-time consensus number-one prospect Shane Wright surprisingly on the board after the Montreal Canadiens took Juraj Slafkovsky first overall. They stuck to their board and selected Simon Nemec, an extremely talented defenseman and Slafkovsky’s countryman. The Devils made a bold choice, and won’t waste any time getting Nemec into the fold in their organization. As relayed by Amanda Stein of NHL.com, Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald says he spoke to Nemec’s agent and “expects to sign” Nemec to his entry-level contract this week. Stein notes that Nemec expressed a willingness to play in the AHL at the NHL Combine in Buffalo, and Nemec joining the Utica Comets for 2022-23 is beginning to seem like the most likely outcome.
New Jersey Devils Acquire Vitek Vanecek
The New Jersey Devils are next to ride the goaltending carousel, acquiring Vitek Vanecek from the Washington Capitals. They will also receive pick No. 46 in today’s draft, while sending picks No. 37 and 70 to the Capitals.
For a little bit of draft capital, the Devils have found an answer in net, or at least someone to potentially pair with Mackenzie Blackwood as he looks to get his career back on track. Like Ville Husso when he was traded earlier today, Vanecek is without a contract for next season and will need to work out a new deal with New Jersey in the coming days. A significant difference, however, is that he is a restricted free agent that can’t get to the open market if the Devils extend him a qualifying offer (which they will).
That qualifying offer only needs to be $787,500 but Vanecek’s NHL history to this point would certainly land him more than that in arbitration. Since entering the league in 2020, the 26-year-old netminder has posted a .908 save percentage in 79 games, going 41-22-10 in the process. At his age, any multi-year extension would be buying out UFA seasons, thus making a deal more expensive.
Despite only ever playing for the Capitals, this actually isn’t the first time Vanecek has been traded. He was also the Seattle Kraken’s expansion selection, only to be traded back to Washington last summer. By moving him now, the team has recouped at least part of the value they had to give up in that trade, while also opening a spot for a goaltending upgrade.
Though Capitals’ general manager Brian MacLellan admitted that Vanecek and Ilya Samsonov would both get qualifying offers, it was clear that he wanted to upgrade the position in some fashion. A plan for that appears to be in place; the only question will now be whether Samsonov is also moved out, or if he partners with a newcomer for next season.
New Jersey Devils Select Simon Nemec Second Overall
It’s a clean sweep of the top two spots for Slovakia. After watching Juraj Slafkovsky go first overall, the New Jersey Devils strode to the podium and picked countryman Simon Nemec second, grabbing the defenseman they so desperately wanted.
If you wanted to pick a defenseman that screamed “modern hockey” it is Nemec, who floats around the ice creating offense whenever he touches the puck. Already a star in the Slovakian league, he represents that top-pairing, right-handed shot defenseman that is so highly sought after in the NHL.
Another member of the bronze medal-winning Slovakian Olympic team, and this year’s World Championship club, Nemec is closer to the NHL than most defensemen drafted out of Europe. He’s already proven his skill at a high level and could step into the league within just a few years.
In New Jersey, he’ll join a group of talented young players that is growing quickly and will help make the organization an interesting contender down the road.
New Jersey Devils Promote Kate Madigan
The New Jersey Devils have promoted Kate Madigan to assistant general manager, making her the first woman in franchise history to hold the position. Madigan had been the executive director of hockey management/operations for the Devils for the last two years, after joining as an analyst in 2017. Tom Fitzgerald, Devils’ general manager, released a statement:
Kate has been an incredibly valuable resource to not only me, but to our entire hockey operations leadership staff, particularly over the past three years, as part of key hockey decisions. This promotion is reflective of the duties and responsibilities that Kate has assumed within our organization during that time. Her diligence, work ethic, attention to detail, ability to communicate with all staff, strategy and vision are qualities that I look for in our leadership. We have a fantastic management team in place that is working together, solely focused on the development and success of this young, evolving core group on and off the ice, and Kate will play a role in leading the way. She has an immensely promising future in the industry, and we are glad to be a part of it.
In the release, the team indicates that Madigan will serve in the “small group” that Fitzgerald leans on for input, strategy, and decision-making. That includes roster construction, transactions, hockey personnel decisions, team operations, facilities management, and budget. Madigan will also be part of the team’s management travel party.
She becomes the fifth woman this summer to be elevated to the position of assistant general manager in the NHL, and the sixth all-time.