Panthers Rumors

Nikolai Belov To Attend Florida Panthers’ Training Camp

August 21, 2017 at 11:10 am CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

The Florida Panthers will have some international flair to their defense corps in camp this year, as George Richards of the Miami Herald reports Nikolai Belov will be there on a tryout. Belov has played his entire career in the KHL up to this point.

The Panthers had already added Evgeny Dadonov to their team this offseason, signing the Russian sniper away from SKA St. Petersburg to a three-year deal. Perhaps he was influential in bringing Belov over, since the two won a Gagarin Cup together in 2015. Belov, 30, is a stay-at-home defender who uses his reach to disrupt passing lanes and could provide some depth to the Panthers defense corps. The group is currently counting on players like Ian McCoshen and MacKenzie Weegar to provide that depth, a role that’s perhaps not as well suited to their relative youth.

Belov scored a career-high 15 points last season with Chelyabinsk, but shouldn’t be relied upon for any offensive contributions at the NHL level. For a team trying to get back to the playoffs however, his experience and responsible play could be an asset.

Revisiting The Rare August Trade

August 18, 2017 at 3:06 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

Recent comments by Colorado Avalanche GM Joe Sakic has rejuvenated the discussion over Matt Duchene, and where he’ll spend the 2017-18 season. While Sakic still seems open to moving him, it would take a very rare occurence indeed to move him before training camp starts: the August trade.

Last year we saw something happen for the first time since 2011, a trade that took place in the month of August in the NHL. That was when the Florida Panthers felt it necessary to move Dave Bolland’s contract out of town and found a buyer in Arizona. It would cost them Lawson Crouse, an 11th-overall pick who had just made his professional debut a few months earlier. The Coyotes would send back a third-round pick plus a conditional selection that ended up being a second, because of the immediate impact Crouse had.

The then 19-year old forward broke camp with the Coyotes, and though he scored just 12 points all season, showed himself physically mature enough to handle an NHL season. He led the Coyotes’ forwards in hits on the season with 160, and put in valuable development time on the penalty kill.

It’s not to say this trade was a steal for either side—the Panthers will likely get a high second-round pick in what is expected to be an extremely deep 2018 draft—just that this is the kind of thing you can expect in the dog-days of August. You have to go all the way back to the summer of 2011 to find the next most recent deals, when Arizona sent Lee Stempniak to Calgary for Daymond Langkow and Minnestoa sold James Sheppard to San Jose for a third-round pick.

August trades are rare in themselves, but August blockbusters are near imaginary. The last real exciting deal may have been the 2008 trade of Andrej Meszaros to the Tampa Bay Lightning. In exchange for a couple of seasons of Meszaros (and an eventual second-round pick), the Lightning gave up Filip Kuba, Alexandre Picard and a first-round pick—who ended up as Kyle Palmieri.

The point is that August is not a time for much wheeling and dealing, and even when it is a player like Duchene is rarely involved. While we hope that changes in 2017, it’s not something you should bet on.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Summer Predictions: Atlantic Division

August 9, 2017 at 12:44 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 2 Comments

The hockey world is at a standstill now that August has rolled around. With all of the arbitration cases now decided and just a few restricted free agents left to sign, players and fans alike are counting the days until training camp starts. While there are still several names in free agency that could still help an NHL club, it seems like many are destined either for professional tryouts or late-summer deals after injuries strike.

So now we’ll get into our summer predictions. Before the start of the year we’ll be releasing a full season preview with projections for each club and the expected playoff teams, but first we’ll ask you to give us your take on how you believe each division will end up. Yesterday we looked at the Metropolitan division, a poll that was handily won by the Pittsburgh Penguins despite them not coming first in the Metro since 2013-14 season. The back-to-back Stanley Cup champs are being chosen by many to three-peat, even after saying goodbye to some former playoff stars like Chris Kunitz and Nick Bonino.

Today, we’ll move to the other Eastern Conference division and take a look at the Atlantic. Choose who you think will win the division this season, and make sure to leave your full prediction for the division standings in the comments. As a proxy for the overall standings, we’ll be sure to publish these results alongside our own PHR rankings in September.

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Salary Cap Deep Dive: Florida Panthers

August 7, 2017 at 7:33 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

Navigating the Salary Cap is probably one of the more important tasks for any general manager to have. Teams that can avert total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2017-18 season. This will focus more on those players who are integral parts of the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.

Florida Panthers

Current Cap Hit: $64,114,999 (under the $75MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Henrik Haapala (Two years remaining, $925K)
F Denis Malgin (Two years remaining, $690K)
D Michael Matheson (One year remaining, $925K)
F Jared McCann (One year remaining, $894K)

Up front, the Panthers will be counting on Haapala, who led the Finnish SM-liiga in scoring in 2016-17, to help fill some of the void left by some of their departures up front (including leading goal getter Jonathan Marchessault, Reilly Smith, and Jaromir Jagr). He’s undersized at just 5’9 but with their winger depth, a top-six role isn’t out of the question. Malgin surprised many by making the team out of training camp last season but saw his role reduced as the season progressed. He should make a run at a bottom-six roster spot as should McCann, who enters his second season with the team after being acquired for defenseman Erik Gudbranson last summer.

Defensively, Matheson has quickly blossomed into a core player. He logged over 21 minutes per game last year and should come in around that amount again this coming season. He also has impressed at the past two World Championships with Team Canada. With those in mind, he’s going to be in line for a big raise come 2018-19 and is a prime extension candidate before then.

Potential Bonuses

Haapala: $450K
McCann: $212.5K

Total: $662.5K

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

D Alex Petrovic ($1.85MM, RFA)
F Colton Sceviour ($950K, UFA)
F Radim Vrbata ($2.5MM plus $1.25MM in bonuses, UFA)

Vrbata parlayed a strong showing with Arizona last season into a richer deal with Florida where he will have a prominent spot inside their top six given all of the players they lose. His bonuses are structured so that he should hit at least $1MM of them ($250K for each of 10, 15, and 20 goals plus $250K for 45 points) while he’ll earn another $250K if they make the playoffs. Sceviour fit in pretty well in his first season with the Panthers as a bottom-six forward who contributed the odd goal here and there. He’s not going to make or break their fortunes and if he was to get an extension, it should come in close to his current contract.

Petrovic signed his current deal at the end of June, avoiding the possibility of going through arbitration. He’s coming off an injury-shortened season where he missed 33 games due to a lower body injury which slowed up his progression. If he can stay healthy and potentially land a spot in their top four on the back end, he may be in line for a long-term contract next summer.

Two Years Remaining

F Micheal Haley ($825K, UFA)
F Derek MacKenzie ($1.375MM, UFA)

MacKenzie is on a 35-plus contract but it shouldn’t be too much of a risk. He has fit in well as a fourth line center and penalty killer. By the time his contract expires, he’ll be 38 and will be approaching retirement. Haley has bounced around on two-way deals in recent years but after holding his own in 58 games with the Sharks last season, he landed this one-way contract that should give him a spot as the 12th/13th forward.

Three Years Remaining

F Evgeni Dadonov ($4MM, UFA)
D Mark Pysyk ($2.733MM, UFA)

Clearly, GM Dale Tallon is a full believer that Dadonov’s offensive progression shown in recent years with SKA St. Petersburg will translate into NHL success in his second go-around. Their commitment to him demonstrates that they believe he can play a top six role right away. He’s one of the riskier signings of the summer but if he can produce, he could become one of the better bargains as well.

Pysyk fit in nicely with the Panthers in his first season with the team after being acquired from Buffalo at the 2016 draft. He’s a steady fourth or fifth blueliner with a cap hit that looks a whole lot better if he can handle the former role on a regular basis moving forward.

Four Or More Years Remaining

F Aleksander Barkov ($5.9MM through 2021-22)
F Nick Bjugstad ($4.1MM through 2020-21)
D Jason Demers ($4.5MM through 2020-21)
D Aaron Ekblad ($7.5MM through 2024-25)
F Jonathan Huberdeau ($5.9MM through 2022-23)
G Roberto Luongo ($4.533MM through 2021-22)
G James Reimer ($3.4MM through 2020-21)
F Vincent Trocheck ($4.75MM through 2022-23)
D Keith Yandle ($6.35MM through 2022-23)

Up front, there’s a case to be made that most of the players are on value deals. Barkov, when healthy, has proven that he’s a capable top center. However, he has dealt with injury trouble in each of his four NHL seasons and has only reached the 70-game mark once so far. Huberdeau missed most of last year with an Achilles injury but played quite well when he returned and has established himself as a legitimate front liner. Meanwhile, Trocheck led the team in scoring last season and is one of the more underrated centers in the league.

Bjugstad’s situation is a little more interesting, however. He signed his contract in the middle of a career year that saw him pot 24 goals and 43 points. His offense has tailed off since then (he had just 14 points in 54 games in 2016-17) and now sits third on their depth chart at center. His contract is somewhat of a premium for that type of role and with the reports that the Panthers are on a tighter budget, he’s someone that they could look to move at some point over the next year or so.

Defensively, Ekblad’s contract was somewhat of a controversial one at the time considering he had only played two years with Florida before landing it. The fact he’s coming off a down 2016-17 season and a concussion doesn’t help either. He’ll be given every opportunity to bounce back, however. Yandle won’t win many over with his defensive zone play but is still one of the better puck-movers from the back end and is consistently above average in his point production. As for Demers, there has been some speculation that he could be available, in part due to their budgetary restraints. His contract is a bit on the higher end for a second pairing player but he has been fairly steady in that role for several years now which makes him a safer buy if other teams are interested. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him move over the next year or so either.

Luongo is entering the final year of his contract that pays a salary commensurate with a starting goaltender. After that, his pay starts to go down fairly quickly which will lead to speculation about him retiring. If/when that happens, Florida will be hit with a salary cap recapture penalty, the amount of which will vary depending on the year he hangs them up. With that in mind, they went out and added Reimer to give them some insurance for when Luongo retires or gets hurt. In the short-term, Reimer is one of the highest-paid backups in the league but this signing was made with the longer-term in mind.

Buyouts

F Jussi Jokinen ($1.33MM through 2018-19)

Still To Sign

No remaining RFAs although it wouldn’t be surprising to see them shop for some scoring depth up front

Best Value: Barkov (when healthy)
Worst Value: Bjugstad

Looking Ahead

Florida has plenty of cap room to work with although their budgetary restrictions will come into play. They don’t have many expiring contracts that will be due major raises (Matheson is the only one that comes to mind) so their short-term flexibility should be intact for at least a little while.

A few years from now, that should change. They already have nearly $35MM committed to just six players for 2021-22 and unless the CBA swings a higher percentage of revenues to the salary cap (which doesn’t seem like a likely scenario at this point), there’s a good chance that they won’t have the flexibility to really add another core player or two. That said, a lot can change between now and then so their future situation shouldn’t be too much of a concern for now.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Luongo, Reimer Look To Successfully Split Duties Again

August 6, 2017 at 8:50 pm CDT | by Seth Lawrence 3 Comments

The Panthers are hoping to run with the Roberto Luongo / James Reimer goalie tandem for the near future, and are seemingly OK with that. Cat Silverman wrote a piece for FanRag Sports that details how the combination might work out this season to propel the team into the post-season yet again. The duo performed admirably last year through a long down spell and a coaching change, with Reimer claiming 42 of the starts. Luongo’s save percentage was a respectable .915, just behind Reimer’s .920. Luongo will have every opportunity to return to his “starter” status, but competition isn’t always a bad thing. Luongo’s contract, with 5 years remaining at 38, looks really formidable though, so the organization has to hope he can maintain his form well enough to grind out at least 3 more seasons. Craig Anderson is still going strong at 36, and Tim Thomas had his best years after the age of 34. Lightening Luongo’s yearly load will go a long way towards keeping him fresh. Ultimately, GM Dale Tallon had a solid, if unremarkable off-season, and is staying patient with the progress of his young core. As long as neither goalie’s performance totally implodes, they should at least challenge for a playoff spot.

[SOURCE LINK]

Cost Per Point: The Best Value Deals In The NHL

August 6, 2017 at 10:00 am CDT | by Zach Leach 1 Comment

When working with a salary cap, especially one that has not been increasing as expected in recent year, it is vital for general managers to get the most production out of their players. Teams with players who meet the expected level of production implied by their contracts and teams that lack wasted dollars in bad, expensive deals are often the same teams that thrive in today’s NHL. Forget market size or free agent appeal, the key to a winning franchise nowadays is getting the best bang for your buck on every player on the roster. While no player can be fully quantified by their scoring, cost per point is an easy way to look at which players are producing at the most team-friendly rate and which have been more of a cap space killer than a positive member of the team. Thanks to CapFriendly, that information is readily available to fans and NHL executives alike.

The benchmark for this metric is about $100K/point, as GM’s expect those big-time forwards and offensive defenseman who they award with $6MM, $7MM, and $8MM per year contracts to be putting up 60, 70, or 80 points respectively. For the second year in a row, St. Louis Blues superstar Vladimir Tarasenko was the poster boy for this standard, coming in at exactly $100K/point with 75 points on a $7.5MM deal. Winnipeg’s Bryan Little and New Jersey’s Adam Henrique are two other notable names that hit the mark exactly, while phenoms like Sidney Crosby and Duncan Keith landing close to the $100K/point mark show that it is an accurate expectation.

However, the exception to the rule is obviously entry-level contracts. It is no secret that drafting and developing well is the best way to improve you team, beginning with affordable scoring from players on their rookie deals. Nowhere is that more apparent than in cost per point, where nine of the top ten and 17 of the top 20 best contracts were rookie deals. To no one surprise, 20-year-old MVP Connor McDavid and his 100 points on a $925K entry-level contract was far and away the best bargain in hockey. McDavid cost the Oilers only $9,250 per point in 2016-17. That will all change soon, as McDavid is set to begin an eight-year, $100MM contract in 2018-19, after which a 100-point campaign will cost Edmonton $125,000/point, closer to the expectations of a standard contract. For now, the Oilers can enjoy one more year of McDavid likely being the best deal in the NHL, as well as the best player. Entry-level deals joining McDavid in the top ten last year (in order) were Viktor Arvidsson, Artemi Panarin, teammate Leon Draisaitl, Conor Sheary, David Pastrnak, Auston Matthews, Nikolaj Ehlers, and Patrik Laine. Not all entry-level deals are created equal, so while Draisaitl and Pastrnak were second and fourth respectively in entry-level scoring, they were also on the ELC maximum deal of $925K and of slightly lesser value to their teams than the likes of Arvidsson ($632K) and Sheary ($667.5K). Panarin had the best contract in the league in 2015-16 and fell only to third with $10,980/point for the Chicago Blackhawks. Now in Columbus and on a two-year, $12MM deal, the Blue Jackets have to hope that they can continue to get 70+ point seasons out of him to maximize the value of that deal.

So, entry-level contracts aside, who was the best contract in hockey last season? Another easy answer, former Blue Jacket gamble Sam Gagner. After a horrendous 2015-16 campaign with the Philadelphia Flyers, Gagner struggled to find a new team last summer, eventually settling on a $650K “show me” deal with Columbus. Right away people tagged that contract, for a six-time 40+ point scorer, as an absolute bargain, even if Gagner simply bounced back to normal production. He did one better, posting a career-high 50 points for the Jackets and coming in at $13K/point, good enough for sixth in the NHL. Gagner has since moved on to the Vancouver Canucks, signing a three-year, $9.45MM contract on July 1st. However, if he is able to continue to produce at 40-50 point levels over that deal, his $3.15MM cap hit will remain a great bargain deal. Behind Gagner, another player on the move this summer, former Florida Panther and current Vegas Golden Knight Jonathan Marchessault had the 13th-ranked cost per point last year at $14,706/point. Marchessault had a breakout year, netting 51 points in the first season of a two-year, $1.5MM deal. Rather than take advantage of one more $750K season for a 30-goal scorer, the Panthers allowed Marchessault to be selected in the Expansion Draft and Vegas surely hopes he continues to be one of the best values in hockey in 2017-18. The final contract in the top 20 not belonging to an entry-level player, and the only 35+ veteran contract in the top 50, belongs to Marchessault’s replacement in Florida, Radim Vrbata. Vrbata returned home to Arizona last season after a down year in Vancouver the season prior, and the swift 36-year old proceeded to score 55 points, more than double his previous year’s total. On a one-year deal with a $1MM base salary, that only cost the Coyotes $18,182/point last season. Now at a base salary of $2.5MM in Florida, the Panthers hope that Vrbata isn’t starting to slow down just yet. Other impressive value contracts included Patrick Eaves, whose breakout season in Dallas led to a trade and subsequent extension with the Anaheim Ducks, Derek Ryan, who shocked the hockey world with 29 points for the Carolina Hurricanes in his first full NHL season at age 30, and a quartet of recently re-signed RFAs in Richard Panik, Ryan Dzingel, Ryan Spooner, and Jordan Martinook.

With the good comes the bad, and there were certainly some poor value contracts in the NHL last year. Many of the worst belong to players who were injured or AHL depth players that saw only limited time. With zero points in 13 games with a $1.25MM cap hit, Tampa Bay Lightning winger Erik Condra’s value was not even quantifiable it was so bad, and at the highest salary of any player who went pointless last season. Limited to just 18 games with only four points, another Bolts forward, Ryan Callahan, was one of the worst values due to injury with $1.45MM per point on his $5.8MM cap hit. However, the truly worst contract in the NHL has to belong to a player that player a majority of the season. Sadly for a Detroit fan base that is already feeling pretty down-and-out, that designation belongs to Red Wings defenseman Danny DeKeyser, who began a six-year, $30MM extension by scoring about a third less points for the third season in a row. With 12 points in 82 games at $5MM, DeKeyser’s $416.7K/point is pretty ugly. The Buffalo Sabres struck out twice on the blue line, with both Dmitry Kulikov (five points in 47 games at $4.33MM) and Josh Gorges (six points in 66 games at $3.9MM) coming in at $866.7K/point and $650K/point respectively, though neither is known as a major point producer. The worst forward contract? Andrew Desjardins may not have been relied upon as a full-time player with much ice time last season with the Chicago Blackhawks, but with only one point in 46 games, $800K/point, it’s not difficult to see why he remains an unsigned free agent.

While statistics and analytics in hockey are normally geared toward displaying on-ice production, it is always interesting to look at the game from a business perspective. It is important for teams and fans alike to understand not just the absolute of how a player is producing, but the relative value of that production based on how much money that player is being paid. In a salary cap league, there is nothing more important that production value, and as the game grows the focus will only further tighten on scoring as a function of dollars and the cost per point metric.

Florida Panthers Re-Sign MacKenzie Weegar

August 3, 2017 at 1:33 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

The Florida Panthers have finished signing their RFAs for the summer after announcing a one-year contract with MacKenzie Weegar. Weegar will play next year on a two-way deal, and will still be a restricted free agent next summer.

Weegar, 23, made his NHL debut this season after working his way through the minor league ranks. Drafted in the seventh round in 2013 (206th-overall), he first dominated the QMJHL and then made his mark on both the ECHL and AHL. The undersized defenseman has high-end offensive upside, but has struggled at times in his own end. Last year, he posted 14 goals and 36 points in 60 AHL contests but was held scoreless during his short NHL stint.

A legitimate option as a powerplay quarterback and sort of specialty player, Weegar would need an opening at the NHL level either through trade or injury to play a real impact on the Panthers this year. Ian McCoshen is probably ahead of him on the depth chart in terms of a full-time replacement, but that’s not to say Weegar won’t get at least some time with the team. If the Panthers are serious about moving Jason Demers, he could be a potential addition to a bottom pair that could be sheltered from tough matchups.

That said, it’s likely the AHL once again for the Memorial Cup Champion where he can try to set a new career high and evolve into one of the most valuable minor league blueline pieces in the league.

Panthers Notes: Tippett, Tallon

August 1, 2017 at 6:08 pm CDT | by natebrown 1 Comment

Breathe easy, Panthers fans. Tenth overall pick Owen Tippett was hit hard (gif via Twitter) during today’s game against the United States during the World Junior Summer Showcase. NHL.com’s Mike Morreale tweeted that it didn’t look good after the hit, but Tippett was able to leave the ice under his own power. Morreale tweeted later that he observed Tippett with his teammates, going through exercises and appearing just fine. An injury scare for the high scoring winger would have been a difficult blow for Florida. Tippett has a chance to make the roster right out of training camp, and if the skills transfer over, can be a major contributor in the scoring column. The Sun-Sentinel’s Harvey Fialkov wrote about how general manager Dale Tallon believes Tippett to have the makeup of a player who is mature beyond his years. Today’s hit appears to be just a minor incident, and one that shouldn’t stunt Tippett’s chance at making the NHL roster.

Tallon was featured in an Athletic article by Scott Powers, who wrote how Tallon holds a special place in his heart for Chicago. Tallon was responsible for the bulk of the drafting and free agent signings that turned the Blackhawks into a model franchise after being a league doormat for nearly a decade. Powers asked Tallon about his thoughts on the Panthers offseason, and he responded as such:

We had to rework it a little bit. We’re going younger, we’re going faster. We like what we’ve done. We’ve gotten quicker and faster, a little more depth. We added some grit, we added some speed and we added some skill. We got a lot of good young players that we still have coming in our organization that we really like, and we have a real strong core of young players that were injured last year. I think our team is going to be faster and younger and play with a little more energy than we did last year. The new coaches to our coaching staff are really good. I’m excited to work with them and get rolling here.

Tallon admitted that he wasn’t happy about last season and that it was a difficult decision not bringing Jaromir Jagr back, noting that he was great for leadership and exemplifying a strong work ethic. But like many executives in the NHL, Tallon felt it was time to get younger and faster.

Denis Malgin Hopes To Make Impact

July 30, 2017 at 4:04 pm CDT | by Seth Lawrence 1 Comment

The Florida Panthers are a team looking for a reboot after a disappointing campaign. GM Dale Tallon seems to have adopted a total shift in philosophy after buying out Jussi Jokinen and passing on re-signing Jaromir Jagr. The team is opting for a more total youth movement, particularly on offense. In an article with NHL.com’s Alain Poupart, the undersized Denis Malgin spoke about his hopes for the 2017-18 campaign.

[SOURCE LINK]

Performance Bonuses Around The League

July 28, 2017 at 2:10 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

In the NHL, there are only a few ways you are allowed to have performance bonuses included in your contract. One way is to be on an entry-level contract, of which almost every one contains some sort of incentive. Young players can earn either Schedule A or B bonuses for various performance markers, though the really big numbers are only usually given out to the very highest of draft picks. Even Mitch Marner for instance, drafted fourth overall in 2015 can only earn up to $850K each season and doesn’t have any Schedule B bonuses in his deal.

The other contracts that can include bonuses are more rare, and they’ll be the focus of this article. These can be given out to players who sign a one-year contract after they turn 35, or a one-year deal coming off a substantial injury (the qualifications for such an injury are that they have already played at least 400 games in their career, and spent at least 100 days on injured reserve in the final year of their previous contract). Many of these have been given out, and we’ll detail them here.

Radim Vrbata – Florida Panthers

Vrbata was given a one-year deal with the Panthers this summer after a solid season with the Arizona Coyotes, and will earn $2.5MM in guaranteed salary. He also can earn a total of $1.25MM more through performance bonuses:

$250K for 10th goal
$250K for 15th goal
$250K for 20th goal
$250K for 45th point
$250K for making playoffs

Mark Streit – Montreal Canadiens

Streit was given a $700K contract from the Montreal Canadiens just this week to add some extra depth to a defense corps that was losing Andrei Markov. His deal includes $300K of unknown performance bonuses, that could take the total contract to $1MM.

Johnny Oduya – Ottawa Senators

Oduya earned a one-year $1MM contract from the Ottawa Senators, and while it’s not clear where he fits in exactly on the blueline he could earn much more should he find a prominent role. The deal includes $1.25MM of performance bonuses:

$250K for 41st game played
$250K for 65th game played
$250K if ranked in top-5 TOI for Ottawa defensemen
$250K if ranked in top-3 TOI for Ottawa defensemen
$250K for making playoffs

Chris Kunitz – Tampa Bay Lightning

Kunitz is looking for his fifth Stanley Cup this season with the Lightning, who gave him a one-year $2MM contract. The former Penguin can earn another $1MM in various unknown ice-time bonuses, likely tied to where he ends up among Lightning forwards.

Patrick Sharp – Chicago Blackhawks

Sharp is returning to his old stomping ground this year after the Blackhawks signed him to a one-year $800K contract, but there is no guarantee he plays much of the season. Sharp’s been hurt by several injuries the last few seasons, and because of it Chicago included a $200K bonus for playing just ten games this year.

Mike Cammalleri – Los Angeles Kings

Cammalleri was bought out by the New Jersey Devils this spring, only to immediately find a new home with the Kings on the west coast. His $1MM contract has an additional $200K in performance bonuses, though the exact details are still unknown.

Deryk Engelland – Vegas Golden Knights

When the Golden Knights signed Engelland after the expansion draft, they were bringing back someone who knew the city and could help their young players get acclimated to their new surroundings. They signed him to a one-year deal worth $1MM, but it also includes another $1MM in unknown performance bonuses.

Thanks to CapFriendly for many of the performance bonus details.

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