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Colorado Re-Signs Matt Nieto

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Colorado has agreed to terms on a two-year contract with winger Matt Nieto, per a team release.  Mike Chambers of the Denver Post reports that (Twitter link) the deal will carry a $1.975MM cap hit.

The 25-year-old is coming off of his first full season with the Avalanche after he was claimed on waivers partway through the 2016-17 campaign.  It’s safe to say he has emerged as a quality contributor since then.  Nieto spent a fair bit of time in Colorado’s top six and made the most of it, scoring a career-high 15 goals in 74 games while averaging just shy of 15 minutes per game.  He followed that up with a good showing in the postseason, collecting three assists in six contests.

Nieto was among the players to file for salary arbitration yesterday but clearly, that won’t be needed now.  This contract will carry him to unrestricted free agency in the 2020 off-season. The Avalanche now have four restricted free agents who remain unsigned: defensemen Patrik Nemeth, Ryan Graves, and Mason Geertsen and goaltender Spencer Martin. Of that group, only Nemeth filed for salary arbitration.

Martin Kaut Signs Entry-Level Contract

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The Colorado Avalanche have signed another exciting prospect, inking Martin Kaut to his three-year entry-level contract. Kaut, selected 16th overall in the most recent draft, is expected to remain in the Czech Republic for the upcoming season, meaning his contract will slide forward for at least one year. GM Joe Sakic had this to say about Kaut at the draft:

Martin plays a complete, two-way game. He competes, he’s strong on the puck. He’s got a great shot, and he’s a pure goal scorer. We just like the upside and what he can bring to our club.

Kaut was a dominant player for the Czech World Junior team a few months ago, part of an excellent forward group that also included Filip Zadina and Martin Necas. He also recorded 16 points in 38 games at the highest level in his home country, an impressive feat for a player who won’t turn 19 until October. Unfortunately he was limited during the recent NHL Scouting Combine due to a heart issue that was found during his medical exam, keeping him from doing any of the physical testing. Still, since the issue wasn’t a major problem the Avalanche quickly snapped him up when he was available at 16.

The talented winger should fit in nicely with a young prospect group coming through the Colorado system. Cale Makar, Conor Timmins, Josh Dickinson and others are already closing in on making an impact at the NHL level, while Nathan MacKinnon leads a group of early-20 players already among the best in the league. That doesn’t even touch on the fact that they should get another high pick when Ottawa surrenders their 2019 first-round selection thanks to the Matt Duchene trade from last year. Colorado looks like they’re ready for sustained success, and Kaut is only another piece to that puzzle.

Avalanche Sign Scott Kosmachuk, Sheldon Dries; Re-Sign Joe Cannata

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The Colorado Avalanche added depth to their team today signing two players when they inked Scott Kosmachuk and Sheldon Dries, according to Denver Post’s Mike Chambers. No terms were announced for the two signings. The scribe also added that the team re-signed goaltender Joe Cannata, who signed a one-year, two-way, $665K deal (via CapFriendly).

Kosmachuk comes over from the New York Rangers organization where he played exclusively for the Hartford Wolfpack of the AHL. The 24-year-old winger posted solid numbers there with 15 goals and 42 points. A Winnipeg Jets’ third-rounder in 2012, he has spent most of his career in the AHL, although he did get into nine games for the Jets back in 2015-16.

Dries may have the most upside as the 24-year-old had a solid rookie campaign last year with the AHL’s Texas Stars, on an AHL deal, after a four-year career at Western Michigan. The undrafted free agent scored 19 goals and 30 points, but even more importantly, posted 10 goals in 22 playoff games which took the team to the Calder Cup Finals. Dries’ new NHL deal is a one-year entry-level contract.

Cannata split time between the ECHL’s Colorado Eagles and the AHL San Antonio Rampage, but spent the majority of the season as the starting goaltender for Eagles, who won their second straight Kelly Cup title this year. The 28-year-old played 28 regular season games, posting a .931 save percentage and then followed that up with 22 playoff appearances in which he picked up 16 wins and a .913 save percentage. With the team’s ECHL affiliate now moving to Utah, the team wants to lock down their champion goaltender for another year.

Ian Cole, Matt Calvert To Sign With Colorado Avalanche

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The Colorado Avalanche will be adding some Stanley Cup experience to their blue line next season, as multiple reporters including Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet expect the team to sign Ian Cole today. The deal will be for three seasons at an average annual value of $4.25MM. The team is also expected to sign Matt Calvert, who will get a three-year deal with an AAV around $2.8MM.

Cole, who was a depth defenseman for the Pittsburgh Penguins during their previous Stanley Cup Championships, was traded twice this season before the trade deadline. The Penguins sent him to the Ottawa Senators as part of the Derick Brassard deal, who then flipped him a few days later to the Columbus Blue Jackets for their playoff run. The 29-year-old blueliner fit in well for Columbus as he saw a slight uptick in minutes. In total, he put up five goals and 20 points in 67 games. With Colorado, he’ll continue to be a significant defensive presence in the Avalanche’s top-four and could also prove to be a valuable veteran addition for the eventual addition of 2017 first-rounder Cale Makar, who the team hopes to bring in for the 2019-20 season.

As for Calvert, much was expected out of the 28-year-old winger after he put up 11 goals in his rookie season. However, Calvert failed to improve on that mark much as his career high was 13 goals back in the 2014-15 season. Since that year, he’s steadily declined with the Blue Jackets, posting 11 goals, then 10 and finished up last season with just nine goals. He averaged just 13:23 of ATOI last season. With the Avalanche, Calvert should get an opportunity to provide depth and fight for a potential spot on the team’s second or third lines.

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.

 

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.

Blake Comeau Will Not Return To Colorado

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Fans of Colorado forward Blake Comeau will be sorry to hear that his days with Avalanche are reportedly over. According to Adrian Dater of BSN Denver, the Avs have decided not to offer a contract to the veteran forward. Comeau will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1st and will be free to sign anywhere, except in Denver apparently.

Comeau, 32, is considered to be an intriguing name in a relatively shallow free agent market this summer. There are not many top-six options available as unrestricted free agents and Comeau should be able to cash in on his elevated value. Perhaps GM Joe Sakic and the Avalanche anticipated this market effect and after initial conversations with Comeau decided that they weren’t willing to bid against the field to retain an older player.

This would be a rational reason why Colorado wouldn’t otherwise want to retain Comeau. The two-way right winger is coming off of his best season with the Avalanche over the course of his three-year deal with the team. Comeau registered 34 points in 79 games and was one of only four regular forwards to finish the season with a positive rating. He also provided sound defensive play, as one of the team’s top checkers and oft-relied upon presence in key defensive zone situations. Comeau was a versatile a dependable presence for the young Avs squad and it is somewhat of a surprise that they will not reportedly not pursue an extension with him. Colorado’s loss is someone else’s gain however; the multi-talented forward is bound to find another good fit in no time on the free agent market.

Free Agency Notes: De Haan, Bernier, Stastny, Vanek

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While early reports that quite a bit of interest has been directed towards John Tavares, another New York Islanders’ unrestricted free agent has garnered attention too. David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports defenseman Calvin de Haan has received significant interest from upwards of 10 teams so far.

While Lou Lamoriello has made it clear that it is his mission to convince Tavares to stay with the Islanders, the team has two key defensive free agents to worry about as well, including de Haan and Thomas Hickey. De Haan, however, is an interesting situation as the blueliner has shown a lot of promise over the years since being drafted in the first round back in 2009, which includes some flashes of brilliance at times, but he’s never been able to put it all together in a full season for the Islanders. He did put up career highs in 2016-17 with five goals and 25 points and may well have been on his way to break that this year, but went down with a season-ending injury on Dec. 16. He posted one goal and 11 assists in 33 games.

Many teams feel that a change of scenery and the fact that the free agent is still just 27, would make him an ideal player who could become a quality top-four defenseman.

  • The Athletic’s Craig Custance reports that unrestricted free agent goaltender Jonathan Bernier has indicated that he likes Colorado and would like to return to the Avalanche. However, after the team traded for Washington Capitals goaltender Philipp Grubauer Friday and the fact they still have Semyon Varlamov listed as their starter, that would cause an unusual logjam at the goaltending position. If Colorado would rather have a combination of Grubauer and Bernier, general manager Joe Sakic would have to make another roster move to rid himself of Varlamov, who will be an unrestricted free agent in 2019. There would almost undoubtedly be a market for Varlamov if Sakic made him available. Bernier had moments of brilliance last season, but finished the year with a 2.85 GAA and a .913 save percentage in 37 games.
  • Fox Sports Andy Strickland reports that their is mutual interest for veteran center Paul Stastny to return to the Winnipeg Jets. Stastny thrived in Winnipeg’s offense alongside Patrik Laine and Nikolaj Ehlers, but the expected cost of retaining Stastny, who is the No. 2 center on the unrestricted free agent market, is not in the team’s financial plans. Custance writes the Jets are looking for a way to keep Stastny, which would require them to move out a contract to make a deal like that work. The 32-year-old put up 16 goals and 53 points between St. Louis and Winnipeg last year.
  • Sportsnet’s Rick Dhaliwal writes that while former Vancouver Canucks forward Thomas Vanek has received some early interest from teams, the Canucks are not one of them. There had been some early talk that the team wanted to bring back the 34-year-old winger after they traded the veteran to Columbus at the trade deadline. The team liked the way he mentored the younger players. His 17 goals for Vancouver (24 total for the season) suggest he still has the ability to put the puck in the net.

Carter Hutton Has Received Interest From Eight Teams

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With goaltending at a premium this season as several teams are still in need of starting help, St. Louis Blues unrestricted free agent Carter Hutton has received quite a bit of interest. In fact, he has received close to 10 teams checked in on the 32-year-old netminder, according to Fox Sports’ Andy Strickland. The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun adds that Hutton has heard from eight teams and will take the next few days to cut that list down and expand contract discussions.

The Athletic’s Craig Custance writes that the Detroit Red Wings, Carolina Hurricanes and Boston Bruins are definitely interested. NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti adds that the Islanders would be a good fit as new head coach Barry Trotz knows him well from their days in Nashville. Even NHL.com’s Joe Yerdon suggested that the Buffalo Sabres could be interested in the former UMass-Lowell goalie. Hutton is the top free agent goaltender on the market. The veteran has been an excellent back-up goalie over the past several years and played the most minutes since the 2013-14 season. He posted a 2.09 GAA and a .931 save percentage in 32 appearances.

While the Blues would undoubtedly like to bring Hutton back with the inconsistencies that starter Jake Allen has had over the past two years, the team is not likely to offer the term that Hutton and his representatives would be asking for. Custance adds the team is unlikely willing to offer more than two years. Strickland said that he is likely looking for a three-year deal, possibly a similar deal to the three-year, $10MM deal that Philipp Grubauer inked Saturday with the Colorado Avalanche. The Blues have top goaltending prospect Ville Husso, their goaltender of the future. Husso, who has already played two full seasons in the AHL, is no more than one year away, so signing Hutton to a three-year deal would affect Husso’s development. Allen has three more years remaining on his deal at $4.35MM AAV and would be difficult to move on from at this point in time.

NHL.com’s Lou Korac reports that St. Louis general manager Doug Armstrong said they have talked to Hutton, but are fully aware and have a plan in place if Hutton opts to leave the Blues.

Brooks Orpik Placed On Waivers, Buyout Expected

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Sunday: CapFriendly reports that Orpik has cleared waivers and his contract will be bought out.

Saturday: The Colorado Avalanche were clear about it when they made the deal, Brooks Orpik wouldn’t be playing for them this season. The team has placed the 37-year old defenseman on waivers and are expected to buy out the final year of his contract. Orpik was acquired yesterday along with Philipp Grubauer in exchange for a second-round draft pick. Colorado will have to face a $2.5MM cap hit next season, and a $1.5MM cap hit in 2019-20.

Orpik’s $5.5MM cap hit was just too much for the Washington Capitals to handle any longer, and needed to be moved out in order for them to re-sign John Carlson. Avalanche GM Joe Sakic admitted immediately that Orpik wasn’t a target for them, and he’d give him the chance to find a job elsewhere. Obviously there wasn’t anyone who would trade for him knowing the team would eventually buy him out, but this definitely brings up some interesting possibilities for Orpik.

The Capitals could theoretically bring Orpik back on a cheaper contract, but other teams should also have interest in the Stanley Cup champion. Orpik has plenty of experience and actually played perhaps his best hockey of the season as the playoffs went on for Washington. Though he is by no means fleet of foot, he can still provide a physical presence on the blue line and help log some tough minutes.

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