Remi Elie Re-Signs With Dallas Stars
The Dallas Stars have turned their attention to their own restricted free agents, and have signed Remi Elie to a one-year $735K contract. Elie had reached free agency for the first time since being selected 40th overall in 2013 and is coming off his first full season with the Stars. The $735K salary was the qualifying offer that Elie was given last week, as he still wasn’t eligible for arbitration.
Elie, 23, played 72 games for the Stars this season and recorded 14 points while getting just over 10 minutes of ice time per game. The big, physical winger was part of a Dallas bottom six that really threw their weight around last season, but will be asked to do more than just bang and crash going forward. It’s not like Elie doesn’t have some offensive skill, but with such a top-heavy lineup in Dallas wasn’t given much of a chance to use it. With a new coach in town in Jim Montgomery, perhaps players like Elie will get a chance to shine more and contribute at both ends of the rink.
Even if he doesn’t take a step forward offensively, an NHL player for $735K is always a bargain. The Stars still have work to do to become the powerhouse that many believed they were headed for a few seasons ago, and getting solid contributions from their young players is a big first step.
Avalanche Sign Scott Kosmachuk, Sheldon Dries; Re-Sign Joe Cannata
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.
Ottawa Senators Sign Mike McKenna
The Ottawa Senators will bring back a familiar face in journeyman goaltender Mike McKenna, who previously played for the organization in 2011-12. The team announced a one-year, two-way deal for McKenna, who is currently slotted at the third-string goalie. The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch adds that the veteran will make $700K at the NHL level and $175K at the AHL level, where he excelled with the Texas Stars last season.
More to come…
Dallas Stars Sign Forward Erik Condra
The Dallas Stars continue to make moves as the first day of free agency wears on. The team announced a one-year, two-way deal with two-way forward Erik Condra. No salary terms have yet been disclosed, but it will surely be a step down from the $1.25MM cap hit Condra has carried the last three seasons for the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Condra, 31, is a sneaky good signing for a Stars organization that experienced a lot of success at the minor league level with established veterans. Names like Curtis McKenzie, Travis Morin, Sheldon Dries and Mike McKenna took the Texas Stars all the way to the Calder Cup Finals despite being underdogs in every postseason series, and while Condra will attempt to crack the Dallas roster, his presence could bring about another successful season for the minor league club.
Originally drafted by the Ottawa Senators in 2006, Condra has 392 NHL games under his belt including 26 playoff contests, and won a Calder Cup in 2011 while a member of the Binghamton Senators. He helped the Syracuse Crunch to a finals berth in 2016-17 while wearing a captain’s “C” and was an effective player for them again in the most recent season.
Stars Sign Michael Mersch And Joel Hanley
The Dallas Stars continue a busy day with contract for two valued minor league players. The team signed forward Michael Mersch to a two-year, two-way contract and signed defenseman Joel Hanley to a one-year, two-way contract. Salary terms were not disclosed.
The Texas Stars, Dallas’ AHL affiliate, went all the way to the Calder Cup Finals this season before eventually losing at the hands of the Toronto Marlies and are trying to get back there next season. After losing some of their veteran names, the team has replaced them with two useful options. Mersch, 25, is a big-bodied forward that has a knack for putting the puck in the net and recorded 21 goals and 49 points in just 65 games for the Ontario Reign in 2017-18. He’ll be a big presence at the top of the lineup for Texas, but shouldn’t be expected to compete much for a spot with Dallas.
Hanley, 27, is a well established two-way defenseman that will add some more depth to the Texas blue line and allow the organization to focus on development of some of their young players. He’ll likely be asked to cover some of the tough minutes, and let the more dynamic offensive players take advantage of weaker competition.
Golden Knights Sign Forward Curtis McKenzie
The Vegas Golden Knights add another name to the mix up front, signing former Dallas Stars forward Curtis McKenzie. Sportsnet’s Rich Dhaliwal reports that it is a two-year, $1.5MM contract for the high-scoring AHLer. At just $750K AAV, McKenzie should compete for a regular job next season as an affordable depth option.
The 27-year-old already has some NHL experience as he has played in 99 games so far in his career, including 53-game season for the Stars during the 2016-17 season in which he tallied six goals and 16 points. However, he was not able to crack Ken Hitchcock‘s rotation last year, spending the majority of his season with the Texas Stars where he posted 25 goals and 48 points, including being a major factor in the Texas Stars’ playoff run that got them to the Calder Cup Finals. He tallied 11 goals and 20 points in 22 playoff games.
The AHL veteran will have a tough time winning a spot on the Golden Knights bottom-six, but will be a great depth option as well as beef up their minor-league system as the one-year expansion team still has much work to add to their prospect pool.
Canucks Sign Jay Beagle And Antoine Roussel
The Vancouver Canucks have decided to add some veteran leadership to the bottom-six, signing Antoine Roussel and Jay Beagle to matching four-year, $12MM contracts. The pair will carry an average annual value of $3MM each, while both will get some level of trade protection.
Roussel, 28, recorded five goals and twelves assists in 73 games last year for the Dallas Stars, though he totaled 25+ points in each of the four seasons prior. Beagle, 32, if fresh off of a Stanley Cup title with the Washington Capitals and remains one of the top face-off men in the league and set a career-high with 30 points a year ago.
Vancouver GM Jim Benning is clearly investing in bottom-six experience and two-way ability, targeting both players and doing whatever took to bring them in. Both players drew ample attention and the Canucks reportedly had to beat out competitors in a tight bidding war for each contract.
Valeri Nichushkin Signs Two-Year Contract With Dallas Stars
The wait is over for Dallas Stars fans, as Valeri Nichushkin is back in the NHL. The Russian forward has officially signed his two-year contract that carries a cap hit of $2.95MM. Nichushkin is returning after two years in the KHL, and will add another dimension to the Stars offensive group.
The 23-year-old and former 10th overall pick back in 2013 started out his NHL career well as he scored 14 goals and tallied 34 points in his rookie campaign immediately after being drafted. The 6-foot-4, 205 pound forward is referred to as a freight train, but a hip injury derailed his second year and he was never able to recover and saw his playing time decrease the year after that. The moment he hit restricted free agency, Nichushkin took his game back to the KHL, where he posted 11 goals and followed that up with a strong 16-goal performance this past year for CSKA Moscow, which was good enough for third on his team in goals scored.
Now back in the fold in Dallas, Nichushkin hopes he can continue along the career path that he started at. He will be given every opportunity to take a second or third-line spot on the wing this season with the Stars.
Dallas Stars Sign Blake Comeau
Reliable depth forward Blake Comeau is on to a new team, as he has inked a multi-year deal with the Dallas Stars. First reported by TSN’s Darren Dreger, Comeau’s deal has been confirmed as three years at $2.4MM per.
The rugged forward should provide the Stars depth in their lineup as well as leadership and should develop into a fan favorite in Dallas. He was quite popular in Colorado as he was known for checking skills and solid defensive abilities as well as his ability to mentor the young Avalanche players. He is coming off one his best seasons as an Avalanche, posting 13 goals and 34 points.
The 32-year-old forward was told last week by the Avalanche that they will not be offering him a contract, most likely due to the veteran’s success and likelihood he would command a multiple year deal. That allowed Dallas to swoop in and lock up the veteran for their lineup.
Stars To Sign Roman Polak
The Stars have added some grit and experience to their back end. Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports reports (Twitter link) that Dallas has inked defenseman Roman Polak to a one-year contract.
Polak has spent the last four seasons with Toronto (aside from a brief stint with the Sharks as a rental player in 2015-16) but has seen his playing time and role decrease lately. Last season, he played in just 54 games, collecting a dozen points while averaging 17:39 of ice time, primarily on their third pairing.
It’s likely that the 32-year-old will fill a similar role with Dallas. They’ve already lost one right-shot defender in Greg Pateryn in free agency while veteran Dan Hamhuis is also an unrestricted free agent.
The Stars will be counting on Polak to provide some grit and shot blocking, elements that have long been a part of his game. He has averaged nearly 3.4 hits per game over the last four years along with just shy of 1.9 blocks per night in that span.