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Snapshots: Hossa, Zadina, Brassard

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The Chicago Blackhawks have been quieter than usual this offseason and one reason that has been the case is that while it has some cap room to work with, the team didn’t have enough to make a major splash in free agency. The team had been linked at one time or another to players such as James van Riemsdyk, James Neal and David Perron, but were unable to work out a deal and a lot of that has to do with cap space. With its minor moves made after free agency began when the team inked Chris Kunitz, Cam Ward and Brandon Manning, the team only has just over $2MM to work with.

That’s where the contract of Marian Hossa comes in. His contract of $5.275MM is still stuck on the books for yet another offseason until the team can put it on LTIR to free up the money at the start of the NHL season. That’s what Chicago did last season, using that money to sign defenseman Cody Franson and using it on shuttling AHL talent back and forth all season. However, that didn’t work, according to The Athletic’s Scott Powers.

The general belief was the team wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice and would attempt to deal the bloated contract to a team that needs the contract to get them to the cap floor. However, there haven’t been any takers as teams want an asset in return for them to take on the 39-year-old’s contract, which the Blackhawks don’t want to do. They were burned back in 2016 when they threw in Teuvo Teravainen to Carolina to get the Hurricanes to take Bryan Bickell’s final year of his contract off their books. Teravainen put up 64 points this season.

One way or another, especially if the team still has plans to make a big offseason move, is to find a way to get Hossa and his contract permanently off their books, even if they have to give up a prospect.

  • With questions surrounding where prized 2018 first-rounder Filip Zadina may end up if he doesn’t make the Detroit Red Wings NHL lineup next season has been up for debate as there are rumors that the sixth-overall pick does not have to return to his junior team next season and could be eligible to jump right to the AHL. However, regardless on how the NHL decides that case, NBC Sports James O’Brien writes that it shouldn’t even matter. He writes that the team shouldn’t want Zadina to make the team next season as the team’s main focus should be to garner another high-end lottery pick next season to complete their rebuild. A 25-goal season by the flashy winger, who many had pegged as the No. 3 pick in the draft, could vault the team to that unenviable position of not being good enough to make the playoffs, but not being bad enough to get an elite prospect either. O’Brien hopes that the addition of free agent Thomas Vanek might help force Zadina to get much needed development time in the minors, no matter where he ends up.
  • Paul Zeise of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes that while he envisions the Pittsburgh Penguins keeping Phil Kessel, who has been rumored to be moved out for much of the offseason, he could see the team move on from trade deadline acquisition Derick Brassard. The team suddenly has five centers and of them all Brassard is the most expendable. He has one year remaining on his deal at $3MM, but struggled to produce once he got to Pittsburgh, especially in the playoffs, posting just four points in 12 playoff games.

Red Wings Sign Filip Zadina

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The Red Wings have locked up their top pick from last month’s draft, announcing (via Twitter) that they have signed winger Filip Zadina to a three-year, entry-level contract.  Financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed.

The 18-year-old was expected by some to go as high as third overall in the draft but he wound up slipping to sixth where Detroit scooped him up.  He’s coming off of a very strong first season at the major junior level that saw him score 44 goals along with adding 38 assists in just 57 games with the Halifax Mooseheads of the QMJHL.  He also had a strong showing at the World Juniors where he put up seven goals in as many games.

It’s expected that Zadina will make a push for a full-time roster spot in Detroit in training camp where he could slot in as a second or third line forward and add some much-needed secondary scoring.  If he fails to crack the roster though, there are some questions surrounding where he could go.

While it was reported earlier this week that he would have to go back to Halifax is he gets cut, GM Ken Holland told reporters, including MLive’s Ansar Khan, on Friday that the league is still looking into Zadina’s situation as to whether he is a CHL-contracted player or on loan from the Czech league.  If it’s the latter, he would be eligible to play at the AHL level as early as next season.  Holland acknowledged that a decision on that may come over the next couple of weeks.

Filip Zadina Not AHL-Eligible; Red Wings Have Shown Interest In Justin Faulk

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While there was some speculation that Detroit’s top pick at the draft, winger Filip Zadina, was eligible to play in the AHL next season, notes Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press.  It was originally believed that Zadina was on loan to Halifax of the QMJHL which would have made him eligible to play in the minors.  However, that does not appear to be the case which makes him subject to the usual rules for CHL draftees that restricts him from going to the AHL until he turns 20.  Naturally, the Red Wings are hopeful that this is all for naught and that he makes the team in a full-time role in training camp.  If that doesn’t happen, however, then he’ll be heading back to the Mooseheads.

  • In his latest 31 Thoughts podcast (audio link), Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman links the Red Wings as a team that has shown interest in Hurricanes defenseman Justin Faulk. Detroit is certainly in need of some more skill on their back end while Faulk has become an even likelier candidate to be moved following Carolina’s acquisition of Dougie Hamilton back at the draft.

Andreas Athanasiou Agrees To Two-Year Deal

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The deadline for player-elected salary arbitration comes and goes today, and Andreas Athanasiou won’t be filing this season. That’s because he’s agreed to a two-year deal with the Detroit Red Wings according to Craig Custance of The Athletic. John Matisz of theScore reports that the deal will come in around $3MM per season for the speedy winger, who dealt with a lengthy holdout last summer and ended up signing on October 23rd, well into the season.

Athanasiou, 23, set a career high in points last season with 33 in 71 games, but still wasn’t the dominant offensive presence that some have predicted. His speed is of the game-changing variety, but he hasn’t been able to round out the rest of his game to become a top-line player on a consistent basis. There’s nothing wrong with falling in somewhere further down the depth chart, but this two-year deal will give him another chance at showing that he can be an elite scoring threat in the NHL. Athanasiou will still be a restricted free agent when the contract expires, but would be much closer to unrestricted free agency and a potentially expensive long-term contract.

Given the long and sometimes public negotiation that went on last offseason though, this deal comes as somewhat of a surprise. There were plenty of rumors a year ago that Athanasiou could be traded, and his representation even confirmed that he was talking to KHL teams about a potential contract to go overseas. While the two would eventually come to an agreement on a one-year contract worth just under $1.388MM—or at least the prorated version of it—it wasn’t clear what Athanasiou’s long-term future was in Detroit. It’s still not a guarantee that he lasts on the Red Wings through the next part of his career, but getting him under contract before the arbitration deadline is a good sign.

The cap hit of $3MM though may pose a problem for the Red Wings. Detroit now has just over $6MM in cap space remaining, and still have to work out contracts with Dylan Larkin and Anthony Mantha. Long-term deals for either of them will eat up a good chunk of that number after Larkin led the team in points with 63 and Mantha led in goals with 24. The team does have nearly $4MM in cap space tied up in Johan Franzen who can be moved to long-term injured reserve, but that still doesn’t give them a lot of wiggle room for in-season moves or any more free agent acquisitions. The Red Wings are trying to rebuild, and cap space can often be used as a weapon in trade negotiations in order to collect extra assets. While there is quite a bit of relief coming next summer, the Red Wings look like they’ll push up against the ceiling for another year without a very exciting roster to show for it.

Red Wings Sign Four Players To Two-Way Contracts

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The Detroit Red Wings have announced another set of signings today, adding minor league depth in the form of forwards Chris Terry and Wade Megan, defenseman Jake Chelios and goaltender Harri Sateri. Terry has signed a two-year deal, while Megan, Chelios and Sateri have signed on for one year. Salary terms have not yet been disclosed.

Detroit is expected to graduate several players from the Grand Rapids Griffins this season, and needed some veteran additions to keep the minor league team competitive. Terry especially will be a huge boost to the offense, after his 71-point 2017-18 with the Laval Rocket. That was on the worst team in the AHL, something that the Griffins don’t project to be this season.

Sateri, fresh off his NHL debut in Florida, will provide some more goaltending depth for the Red Wings as well. Though they now have Jimmy Howard and Jonathan Bernier at the NHL level, Jared Coreau left the organization and they needed some more experience in the minor leagues. He’ll fight for the full-time starter role there, and try to work his way back up to the NHL should any injuries arise.

Buffalo Sabres Re-Sign Scott Wilson

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Scott Wilson played for three different teams last year, but was far and away the most successful in Buffalo. The Sabres hope that can continue, as they have signed the forward to a contract extension. Beat writer Bill Hoppe reports that it is a two-year deal worth $1.05MM annually.

Wilson fills a depth role in the bottom-six of Buffalo’s offense. Wilson was acquired from the Detroit Red Wings in a December trade, which allowed Wilson to garner more playing time. In 17 games with Detroit, Wilson failed to score a point, but with Buffalo, he showed more life, scoring six goals and 14 points in 49 games with the Sabres. However, his versatility to be able to play anywhere has made him a key asset to have.

There was some question if he would be re-signed as the Sabres did not make him a qualifying offer, but the two sides were able to come to an agreement.

Montreal Canadiens Sign Xavier Ouellet, Kenny Agostino, Michael Chaput

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The Montreal Canadiens have committed to making their AHL team better this season, and have signed three players who could easily contribute to that. Xavier Ouellet, Kenny Agostino and Michael Chaput have all agreed to join the Montreal organization on two-way contracts, with the former two signing for one season and the latter signing for two. All three will carry a $700K cap hit in the NHL. The team also signed Jesperi Kotkaniemi to his three-year entry-level contract.

Ouellet was in the news recently as the 24-year-old was bought out by the Detroit Red Wings earlier this week. The blueliner was on the roster all season long for Detroit, but only saw action in 45 games and averaged just 13:51 of ATOI. With a large group of unmovable contracts on defense and some younger options to choose from, Ouellet became expendable and since he was just 24 years of age, a buyout would only pay him one-third of his salary. With Montreal on a two-way deal, he can provide both depth for the Canadiens, but also have a big role with the AHL Laval Rockets if he can’t make the team.

For the third straight year, Agostino has signed a one-year deal with a new team only to look for a new job the following year. The 26-year-old forward has had trouble breaking into an NHL lineup after failed tenures in Calgary, St. Louis and now Boston. Agostino has only appeared in 22 NHL games since the 2013-14 season. However, he has been a solid AHL player over the past few years, which is likely what Montreal wants from him. He has scored 63 goals in the past three years in the AHL.

Chaput was just recently dealt from the Vancouver Canucks to the Chicago Blackhawks for Tanner Kero, but Chaput who was a restricted free agent with arbitration rights, was not given a qualifying offer, making him an unrestricted free agent. With a two-year deal, the Canadiens plan to use the forward for depth purposes, but also to augment their AHL team as Chaput picked up 17 goals and 25 assists for the Utica Comets last year. However, he managed just nine games for Vancouver, although he did play in 68 game for the Canucks in 2016-17.

As for Kotkaniemi, the third-overall pick in the 2018 draft signed his three-year entry-level deal with the Canadiens. The center will earn $832K with a $92K signing bonus, making his deal worth a total of $925K, according to Dan Braverman of NHL.com. The team selected Kotkaniemi over several other more highly regarded prospects including Filip Zadina and Brady Tkachuk, but the team was more interested in adding centremen to their franchise. He tallied 10 goals and 29 points in Finland’s top SM-Liiga league.

Petr Mrazek Signs With Carolina Hurricanes

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The Carolina Hurricanes have their competition for starter Scott Darling. The team has signed young Petr Mrazek to a one-year, $1.5MM deal, per a team release.

Mrazek has proven to be an inconsistent commodity over the years. The 26-year-old netminder took the starting job away from Jimmy Howard in Detroit in the 2015-16 season with a 2.33 GAA and a .921 save percentage in 54 games, suggesting he was the long-term answer in Detroit. Unfortunately, the following year he struggled, posting a 3.02 GAA and a .901 save percentage in 50 appearances. While many suggested that the team defense was to blame, a bad attitude and poor work ethic were the reason why the Red Wings opted to protect the 34-year-old Howard over Mrazek in the expansion draft last year. Instead Vegas passed on Mrazek and the youngster continued to struggle in Detroit, putting up a 2.89 GAA and a .910 save percentage in 22 games before the team opted to pull the plug and trade him to Philadelphia at the trade deadline.

The Flyers, who desperately needed goaltending help, hoped he would succeed in Philadelphia and while he had some stellar moments, he struggled more often than not, putting up a 3.22 GAA and a .891 save percentage in 17 games for them. Philadelphia opted not to offer him a qualifying offer, which allowed him to hit the free agent market.

Carolina hopes that Mrazek can rebound and find his game as the team needs another goaltender to challenge Scott Darling, who also struggled last year in his first year as a starting goaltender. Darling finished with a 3.18 GAA and a .888 save percentage. The Hurricanes hope one of the two can fix their game.

Free Agent Notes: Holden, Ellis, Namestnikov, Wilson

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The Vegas Golden Knights already surprised a few when they reached out and stole Paul Stastny away from Western Conference rival Winnipeg. However, the Golden Knights are apparently not done as The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun reports that Vegas is the front-runner for unrestricted free agent defenseman Nick Holden.

Holden, who spent time with both the New York Rangers and Boston Bruins last season, would be a solid depth defenseman that could add to Vegas’ core. he averaged 19:00 ATOI between both clubs, but only posted four goals and 17 points on the year. However, the 31-year-old may be starting to show a decline in skills as he was a 34-point player in 2016-17 with the Rangers.

Incidentally, Holden is being pursued by two teams as the Boston Bruins are also vying for the blueliner’s services, according to Sportsnet’s Mark Spector. The Bruins, after all, gave up a third-round pick and low-end prospect Rob O’Gara at the deadline.

  • LeBrun also mentions that while Nashville Predators defenseman Ryan Ellis, who will be a unrestricted free agent in one year, can sign an extension as of today. However, the scribe writes that Nashville isn’t there yet. They intend to reignite talks with Ellis and his representatives within the next one to two weeks. Nashville wants to keep Ellis in the fold at all costs as the team has put major emphasis on having a dominant four defense. The team already has P.K. Subban ($9MM AAV) and Mattias Ekholm ($3.75MM AAV) locked up for four years, while Roman Josi ($4MM AAV) is signed for another two years.
  • The New York Rangers can breathe easier after the agent for restricted free agent Vladislav Namestnikov, Dan Milstein, refuted rumors that the forward was leaving for the KHL. Namestnikov, who was acquired from Tampa Bay at the trade deadline, but saw his playing time drop once he arrived in New York. After averaging 17:30 of ATOI as a Lightning, his playing time dropped to 15:43, along with his offensive production. After potting 20 goals with Tampa Bay, he managed just four points in 19 games with the Rangers. However, Milstein insists the rumors are not true and that Namestnikov believes playing in the NHL is a privilege and honor and an extension is in the works with the New York Rangers.
  • Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News reports the Buffalo Sabres are currently working on re-signing winger Scott Wilson. The 26-year-old was picked up in a December trade this last season from the Detroit Red Wings and played a regular role as a bottom-six forward. After not scoring a point in 17 games with Detroit, he tallied six goals and 14 points in 49 games in Buffalo.

Red Wings Re-Sign Mike Green, Agree To Terms With Thomas Vanek

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9:30 AM: The Red Wings have announced (via Twitter) that Green has signed his two-year deal.

7:36 AM: Craig Custance of The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that Vanek has agreed to a one-year, $3MM deal with Detroit.

Saturday: While the Red Wings are believed to be in rebuilding mode, it doesn’t appear that this is stopping them from being active in free agency.  On top of being expected to add goalie Jonathan Bernier tomorrow, TSN’s Darren Dreger reports (Twitter link) that defenseman Mike Green is staying put and that winger Thomas Vanek is also considering a return to Detroit as well.

Green remaining in Detroit isn’t a huge surprise as the team has been actively trying to re-sign him over the past week or so, offering multiple contracts of varying term and money.  It was reported earlier this week that the team was hopeful that they could lock him up on a two-year pact.  TSN’s Bob McKenzie reports (via Twitter) that the deal will carry a $5.375MM AAV.

His re-signing would take arguably the most prominent defenseman off the market before the market even opens up.  Green ranked eighth on PHR’s Top 50 UFA list, one of only two rearguards in the top-10.  He gives Detroit back their top offensive threat from the back end; he has led the team in scoring by a defender in each of his three seasons with the Red Wings, averaging 35 points per season.

As for Vanek, he is quietly one of the highest scoring players in free agency this summer as his 56 points in 2017-18 rank third among all unrestricted free agents.  That helped earn him the #14 ranking on our list.  Despite his offensive performance in recent years, he has bounced around in recent years, playing for five different teams since 2016.

One of those teams is Detroit, who initially signed him in the summer of 2016 after he was bought out by Minnesota.  He fared relatively well as he posted 38 points in 48 games before being dealt to Florida as a rental player at the trade deadline.  It wouldn’t be surprising to see if that was the idea they have in mind here as well although Vanek would certainly prefer to have a little bit more stability and security after moving around as much as he has lately.

These moves would likely represent the bulk of Detroit’s offseason spending in free agency.  While the team has a little over $20.5MM in cap space per CapFriendly, these three veterans would likely eat up half of that or more and they still have some notable restricted free agents to re-sign, headlined by center Dylan Larkin.

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