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Ryan Strome Signs Two-Year Contract With Edmonton Oilers

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Ryan Strome didn’t file for arbitration yesterday, leading many to believe he was close to a deal with the Edmonton Oilers. In fact, he has signed a two-year deal with the team that will take him through the 2019-20 season. The contract will carry a $3.1MM average annual value according to Chris Johnston of Sportsnet.

Strome, 24, was acquired by the Oilers last offseason in a deal that saw Jordan Eberle head to the New York Islanders. Expected to be a cheaper contributor to the Oilers playoff dreams, Strome struggled once again to find his offensive touch and didn’t seem to have a regular role to fill on the Edmonton roster. Was he a winger who could help them fill out the top-six alongside Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl, or was he a bottom-six center that could be relied upon defensively? Neither were really true early, and the Oilers floundered near the bottom of the league all season.

In the late part of the season though there started to be some clarity on how things would shake out for the Oilers going forward. Strome was moved back to center where he could focus on his two-way game, while Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was put on the top line with McDavid and found immediate success. Though Nugent-Hopkins is also a natural center, it looks like he’ll be riding shotgun for another year. That leaves Strome battling with newcomer Kyle Brodziak for minutes down the middle, and trying to find some chemistry with players like Tobias Rieder, Milan Lucic and Zack Kassian, depending on how the lines are formed.

Strome had 34 points when it was all said and done last season, which was actually the second best NHL season of his career. Originally selected fifth-overall by the Islanders, there are still high hopes that he can provide some big secondary scoring numbers for the Oilers in the coming years. At $3.1MM he’s not a liability producing how he has the last two seasons, but he’s also not much of a value for Edmonton. These are the make-or-break seasons for Strome, who will be a restricted free agent for the final time in the summer of 2020.

Eric Gryba, John Ramage, Kurtis Gabriel Sign With New Jersey Devils

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The New Jersey Devils have signed Eric Gryba to a one-year, two-way contract that carries a $700K cap hit at the NHL level. Gryba was recently bought out by the Edmonton Oilers, and will receive a salary of $300K from them in each of the next two seasons. The team has also signed defenseman John Ramage and Kurtis Gabriel to one-year, two-way contracts worth $650K at the NHL level.

Edmonton Oilers To Sign Tobias Rieder

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Darren Dreger of TSN is reporting that the Edmonton Oilers have decided the price is no longer too high on Tobias Rieder, and will sign the free agent forward to a one-year contract worth $2MM. Rieder did not receive a qualifying offer from the Los Angeles Kings and became an unrestricted free agent.

The deal is the optimal “prove it” contract as the Oilers aren’t risking more that $2MM to see if they can get him to have a breakout season and if it fails, they can move on with no repercussions. With Rieder’s speed, he might be a solid fit next to Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl on one of the top two lines. If he is a success, then Edmonton still gets his restricted free agent rights next season, so they can keep him in the fold. And at age 25, he’s still has potential to improve his game and fit in well with the younger core of Oilers. He also has some penalty killing experience, which can’t hurt an Edmonton team that struggled with special teams last season.

The speedy winger has always had a tremendous amount of potential and looked to be well on his way after his first three years in Arizona in which he tallied 13, 14 and 16 goals. However, he fell out of favor with Rick Tocchet and the team opted instead to send him and goaltender Scott Wedgewood to Los Angeles for backup goalie Darcy Kuemper. Rieder posted four goals and six points in 20 games after the trade, but it wasn’t enough for the Kings to give him an qualifying offer.

Oilers Ink Defenseman Kevin Gravel

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The Edmonton Oilers add some size and strength on the back end today with the addition of former Los Angeles Kings defenseman Kevin Gravel. Edmonton Sun’s David Staples writes the contract will be a one-year, two-way deal for $700K.

Gravel, who has played the past three season for the Los Angeles Kings and their AHL affiliate, has played in 70 NHL games, but played in just 16 games last year, putting up three assists. He played 25 games for the AHL’s Ontario Reign and tallied three goals and 11 points.

The 26-year-old is likely being brought about to compete for the seventh and final defensive spot on the team and will likely compete with Keegan Lowe and Ryan Stanton, but he may also be a valuable depth commodity if veteran Andrej Sekera isn’t able to return to form this season. He can also supply Edmonton with much-needed physicality as the blueliner stands at 6-foot-4, 212 pounds.

 

Kyle Brodziak Signs With Edmonton Oilers

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The Edmonton Oilers have signed unrestricted free agent center Kyle Brodziak to a two-year contract worth $2.3MM. Brodziak began his NHL career with the Oilers back in 2005-06, and has come full circle more than a decade later.

Brodziak, 34, experienced one of the best seasons of his career in 2017-18 as he registered 33 points in 81 games for the St. Louis Blues. Despite that, he’ll get just a very slight raise on the $900K he earned last season but will get at least some security with the second season. The veteran pivot will try to bring some stability to the bottom-six for the Oilers, and provide them with some much needed center depth after moving Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to the wing last season.

It’s not a flashy signing for Edmonton, who are looking to try and bounce back after a frustrating season, but if he can remain an effective defensive player and contribute offensively it can be a good one. The deal is basically risk-free for the club, as they will be able to bury most (if not all) of the cap hit in the minor leagues should Brodziak struggle.

Snapshots: Van Riemsdyk, Komorov, Lehner, Mrazek, Brodziak

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While the free agent market is escalating fast as the window opens tomorrow, the bidding war that surrounds unrestricted free agent center James van Riemsdyk has increased in the last few hours. The Toronto Maple Leafs winger, who tallied a career-high 36 goals last year, is being heavily courted by several teams. TSN’s Frank Seravalli reports (Tweet link) that nothing is close yet and the free agent is still deliberating and hasn’t narrowed down his list beyond a handful of teams.

Regardless, optimism is abound as Arizona Sports 98.7 Sports host John Gambadoro (Tweet link) writes that the Arizona Coyotes are aggressively in the mix for van Riemsdyk and could get an answer as soon as tonight as to where the free agent will sign. AZ Sports Craig Morgan (Tweet link) adds that there is optimism that the Coyotes are a serious contender. The Athletic’s James Mirtle writes (Tweet link) that the Buffalo Sabres are also pushing hard for van Riemsdyk and it looks like the veteran sniper could break the bank with his deal.

  • The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline (Tweet link) writes the Columbus Blue Jackets and the New York Rangers are both interested in unrestricted free agent Leo Komarov. The former Toronto Maple Leafs’ center had a down year as the 31-year-old scored just seven goals and 19 points in 74 games. The veteran instigator is coming off a four-year, $11.8MM deal that he signed back in 2014.
  • With the goaltending market already spinning at high speeds, the Carolina Hurricanes must sort out their goaltending situation quickly, according to Chip Alexander of the News & Observer. With backup Cam Ward expected to sign with the Chicago Blackhawks and the struggles that surrounded starter Scott Darling last year, the team must find someone who can share duties with Darling, especially if he struggles for a second-straight year. Alexander writes the team has shown interest in former starters Robin Lehner and Petr Mrazek, both goalies who were not given qualifying offers earlier this week.
  • Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes that while there are reports that Blues’ unrestricted free agent Kyle Brodziak is close to signing a deal with the Edmonton Oilers, the Blues are still in the mix to re-sign their veteran center. The 34-year-old center played three years in St. Louis and posted his best numbers yet, tallying 10 goals and 33 points.

 

Oilers Interested In Austin Czarnik

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  • Winger Austin Czarnik has largely flown under the radar but he has received interest from 24 different teams, reports Craig Custance of The Athletic (via Twitter). He adds that a two-year deal with a Western Conference team appears to be the likeliest outcome at this time.  The 25-year-old lit up the AHL this past season with 25 goals and 44 assists in 69 games which ranked third overall in league scoring.  He also added four assists in ten games with the Bruins.  NBC Sports Boston’s Joe Haggerty tweets that the Oilers are among the teams making a push.

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.

 

Oilers Have Interest In Jason Chimera; Could Sign Kyle Brodziak

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  • There appears to be mutual interest between the Oilers and winger Jason Chimera, reports TSN’s Ryan Rishaug (Twitter link). The 39-year-old is from Edmonton and with the team having limited cap space this summer, they’re going to be shopping for bargain deals.  Chimera is coming off of a quiet year split between the Islanders and Ducks where he scored just three times but he put up 20 goals in each of the previous two seasons.
  • Center Kyle Brodziak is expected to narrow his list of teams he’s considering down to three later today, Sportsnet’s Mark Spector tweets. He adds the Oilers could very well be the favorite to land him which bring things full circle for the 34-year-old, who was drafted in the seventh round by Edmonton back in 2003.  Brodziak is coming off his best offensive performance (33 points) since 2011-12.

Red Wings Seeking To Fill Familiar Roles

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According to The Athletic’s Craig Custance, the Detroit Red Wings have special interest in four unrestricted free agents: goaltender Robin Lehner, center Valtteri Filppula, winger Thomas Vanek, and defenseman Mike Green. What all four of these players have in common is that the Red Wings have a very specific role in mind for each player. Detroit is seeking to replace, or in some case retain, players who had success in a certain organizational role.

Lehner, 26, appears to be a priority for the Red Wings. The former Buffalo Sabres starter reportedly visited Detroit today to meet with the Red Wings’ front office and coaching staff. Custance points out that Lehner is still young enough that he could get his game back on track and step into the starter role if and when 34-year-old Jimmy Howard leaves when his contract expires after next season. This was the exact role that the team had planned for Petr Mrazek, ironically the other big-name non-qualified goaltender. Mrazek was ahead of schedule and took Howard’s job for much of 2015-16 and 2016-17, but a drop-off in his performance eventually ran him out of town. The Wings seem to now see Lehner as a second chance at their plan, replacing Mrazek in hopes of landing a young heir apparent behind Howard.

Filppula is a name that Red Wings’ fans are familiar with. The veteran pivot was drafted by the team back in 2002 and spent eight seasons in Detroit. Who better than a wise, capable long-time Red Wing to replace a wise, capable long-time Red Wing? Custance writes that Detroit is worried that injuries may keep Henrik Zetterberg from returning this season and pursuing Fippula gives them a back-up option if their seasoned leader isn’t around. Both players are versatile, two-way centermen who can help the team in many ways. Even if Zetterberg is healthy, Filppula’s return to Detroit could help to groom some of their younger talent.

Vanek and Green are interesting targets in that the Red Wings want them back to avoid having to find another way to replace them. Vanek scored 38 points in 48 games with Detroit in 2016-17, but was traded to the Florida Panthers at the deadline. Almost immediately it was rumored that the Red Wings hoped to bring him back as a free agent. Instead, Vanek signed with the Vancouver Canucks and again was a deadline acquisition, this time by the Columbus Blue Jackets. While Vanek registered 56 points in 80 games, Detroit struggled to make up his production. They are now back in the running for his services this off-season in hopes that he can again provide a spark on offense. They are also trying to avoid losing Green and, like Vanek, immediately regretting the loss due to a difficulty in replacing his ability. Green is the lone high-end offensive defenseman on the free agent market and Detroit is far from the only team in the running. Custance reports that they are willing to match salary, but won’t seem to budge on a maximum two-year term. If the Red Wings were to lose Green to free agency, they would surely have a hard time making up his 30+ points and more than 22 minutes of ice time per game over the past two seasons.

The Red Wings have not been a strong team for the past few years, but there have been some facets of their game play that have worked out well. Detroit is hoping to continue, replace, or revive those successful pieces in hopes of finally returning to a complete, competitive team. Are Lehner, Filppula, Vanek, and Green the right moves? Or should the Red Wings forget about past successes and move on to a new, younger strategy?

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