Panthers Extend Reilly Smith For Five Years
Clearly the biggest players in free agency this year, the Florida Panthers are close to another move to lock up their young core. Gary Lawless of TSN was first to report that the team was close to an extension with forward Reilly Smith that would pay him $5MM a season for an additional five years. The team has since confirmed the length of the deal, though not the financial details.
In just the past few weeks, the team has traded for then signed Keith Yandle, dealt away Dmitry Kulikov, given extensions to Aaron Ekblad and Vincent Trocheck, signed free agents Jason Demers and James Reimer, and pretty much owned the hockey world.
Smith, 25, had an excellent season last year with the Panthers, scoring 25 goals and 50 points. The former third round pick has had quite a start to his career, putting up at least 40 points in each of his first three full seasons. The talented young winger came over to Florida in the deal that saw them take on Marc Savard‘s cap-hit from the Bruins, one that they recently dealt to New Jersey for some cap relief of their own.
The Panthers have been on quite a clear path lately, trying to push past the first round of the playoffs for the first time since 1996, the year they lost in the Cup finals to Colorado. After being knocked out by the New York Islanders last season, the team has made clear upgrades to their defensive group, and should have one of the better top pairings in the league with Ekblad and Yandle signed long-term.
Smith is still under contract for next season at a $3.43MM cap hit, meaning that a five-year extension would take him through the 2021-22 season. Perhaps not coincidentally, that is also when Trocheck and Aleksander Barkov will hit free agency, giving the team a chance to re-tool if they need to at that point.
If the financials are true, it would mean the Panthers have four young forwards under contract long-term for less than $6MM apiece in Barkov, Trocheck, Smith and Nick Bjugstad. All 25 or under, that quartet scored 93 goals last season. Next on the to-do list would be Jonathan Huberdeau, the former third overall pick who put up 20 goals of his own last season. He’s due $3.25MM next year before becoming an arbitration-eligible RFA next summer.
Sens’ Prospect Colin White Headed Back To NCAA
According to a report from Ken Warren of the Ottawa Citizen, Ottawa Senators’ prospect and former first-round pick Colin White has decided to go back to Boston College this season. The 19-year old was considered a possibility to crack the team’s NHL roster, but has decided to return to the Eagles for 2016-17.
White, selected 21st overall in 2015, exploded onto the college scene last season with 43 points in 37 games as a freshman. His 19 goals ranked third on the team, and those 43 points put him fifth in the entire H-East division.
While this shouldn’t scare any Senator fans, and doesn’t deserve any comparisons to the recent comments of Jimmy Vesey about hitting free agency, White did have a chance at cracking the roster as early as this season. Boston College is an outstanding program that will take control of his development for another season, and he should see an increased role in their offense as they go after another national championship.
Fellow Boston College standout Ian McCoshen recently signed on with the Florida Panthers after three seasons in college, and White may take a similar path.
Panthers Extend Vincent Trocheck
The Florida Panthers are nearing an extension with C Vincent Trocheck, reports Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Friedman adds in a separate tweet that the deal will be for six years and carry a cap hit of $4.75MM. This would mark the fourth big contract the Panthers have committed to in recent days, the others being Keith Yandle, Aaron Ekblad, and Jason Demers, who just signed earlier today.
2015-16 was a breakout campaign for Trocheck. In his first full season as an NHL regular, the 22 year old played in 76 games, scoring 25 goals while adding 28 assists while averaging 17:46 per game. His 53 points ranked 5th on the Panthers.
This deal ensures that Florida’s center situation is solidified for many years to come. Aleksander Barkov, their 20 year old top pivot, begins a new six year deal with a cap hit of $5.9MM in 2016-17 while Nick Bjugstad, who has 39 goals over the last two years, has another five years left on his deal at a cap charge of $4.1MM. At 23, Bjugstad is the oldest of Florida’s top three centers. Trocheck likely slots in as the second line pivot for the Panthers next season.
With the deal, Florida has just over $3.7MM in cap space according to Cap Friendly.
Florida Signs Jason Demers To Five-Year Deal
Chris Johnston writes that the Florida Panthers and Jason Demers have agreed to a five-year, $22.5MM deal. CapFriendly also posted the deal, indicating that the deal would be a cap hit of $4.5MM.
Johnston writes that the contract, “includes a $1-million signing bonus payable right away and a limited eight-team no-trade clause over the first four seasons.” Additionally, Johnson adds that Demers took a little less to sign with Florida.
Demers was considered one of the best free agent targets remaining on the market, and the value of his deal reveals as such. Last season with Dallas, Demers had 23 points (7-16) during the regular season. In the playoffs, Demers had three assists in 13 playoff games.
James Reimer Signs 5-Year Deal With Florida
Free agent netminder James Reimer has agreed to a deal with the Florida Panthers that will see him earn $3.4MM per year over the next five seasons, according to General Fanager.
The deal comes as somewhat of a surprise considering the Panthers already have Roberto Luongo under contract for the next six years with a cap hit just over $4.5MM. This locks up their goalie tandem for the rest of the decade while giving the Panthers a backup goalie capable of playing more than 15-20 games which could useful as Luongo ages.
Last season, Reimer had his best year, split between Toronto and San Jose. Between the two teams, he posted a 17-14-7 record with a 2.31 GAA and a .922 SV% with three shutouts.
In his career, the 28 year old has played in 215 games, collecting a 91-78-23 record with a 2.78 GAA and a .914 SV%.
Panthers To Sign Aaron Ekblad To Eight Year Extension
July 1: George Richards of the Miami Herald reports that an eight year, $60MM deal has been agreed on in principle. He adds that the deal will not likely be officially announced today but should be in the coming days.
June 24: Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that the Florida Panthers is preparing a long-term extension offer for D Aaron Ekblad. It’s believed that the offer will be the maximum of 8 years at around $60MM in total. No deal could be finalized until at least July 1st as no extensions can be signed until there is one year or less remaining on a contract. Friedman also notes that both the team and Ekblad’s representation declined to comment on the report.
Ekblad was the first overall pick in the draft in 2014 and made the jump to the NHL right away. He quickly became a top pairing option for the Panthers, averaging just shy of 22 minutes per game last season, a number that jumped to 25:37 per night in Florida’s first round playoff loss to the New York Islanders.
In two seasons, Ekblad has played in a total of 159 games, scoring 27 goals and adding 48 assists.
Snapshots: Cullen, Brown, Panthers
Pittsburgh forward and 20-year veteran Matt Cullen announced that he will be back for another season. Elliotte Friedman tweeted that the Penguins hope to keep him. Dave Molinari reports that the Penguins do indeed want to re-sign him and that Cullen, who made $800,000 last season, shouldn’t expect a raise if he returned to Pittsburgh. because of the lack of cap room. Cullen had 32 points (16-16) during the regular season and 6 points (4-2) in the playoffs for the Stanley Cup Champion Penguins.
- The Carolina Hurricanes re-signed forward Patrick Brown to a one-year, $650,000 contract. The 24-year-old Brown is the son of former NHL player Doug Brown. Brown spent time between the big club and AHL affiliate Charlotte in 2015-16. With the Checkers, Brown had 25 points (13-12) and was fifth in team scoring. During the 14 games with Carolina, Brown had 2 points (1-1).
- The Florida Panthers have announced the hiring of Leo Luongo as the goalies coach for AHL affiliate Springfield. The 31-year-old was the goaltending coach of HC Lugano in the Swiss League for the past three seasons. He is also the younger brother of current Panthers netminder Roberto Luongo.
Full List of Players Who Did Not Receive a Qualifying Offer
The deadline to make a qualifying offer to a restrict free agent ended at 5pm today. Below is a list of players who did not receive an offer and sorted by team for easy reference. Any player that did not receive a qualifying offer is eligible to be an unrestricted free agent on July 1st.
(as of writing the Toronto Maple Leafs were the only team not to confirm which players received QOs)
Anaheim Ducks
F Matt Bailey, F Brandon Pirri, F Charles Sarault, D Kevin Gagne, and D Martin Gernat.
Arizona Coyotes
F Sergei Plotnikov, , D Philip Samuelsson, F Christian Thomas, D Kevin Connauton, D Jarred Tinordi, D Klas Dahlbeck, and G Niklas Treutle
Boston Bruins
F Landon Ferraro and F Brett Connolly.
Buffalo Sabres
F Alex Guptill, F Colin Jacobs, F Jack Nevins, and Nathan Lieuwen.
Calgary Flames
F Kenny Agostino, F Bill Arnold, F Joe Colborne, F Turner Elson, F Josh Jooris, F Drew Shore, F Bryce Van Brabant, G Joni Ortio, and Kevin Poulin.
Carolina Hurricanes
F Zach Boychuk, F Anthony Camara, F Dane Fox, F Carter Sandlak, F Justin Shugg, D Danny Biega, D Michal Jordan, D Rasmus Rissanen, and G Rasmus Tirronen.
Panthers Trade Kulikov to Sabres for Pysyk And Picks
The Florida Panthers traded D Dmitry Kulikov and the 33rd pick to the Buffalo Sabres for D Mark Pysyk and the 38th and 89th pick. More details forthcoming.
Kulikov scored 1G and 17P last season in 74 games. He has one year left on his contract worth $4.33MM a year. Mark Pysyk scored 1G and 11P in 55 games for the Sabres.
2016 NHL Draft Results
Pro Hockey Rumors will be following and updating every selection of the 2016 NHL Draft. Below are the results of the first round.
Round 1
1. Toronto Maple Leafs: C Auston Matthews (Zurich Lions – SUI)
2. Winnipeg Jets: RW Patrik Laine (Tappara – SM-liiga)
3. Columbus Blue Jackets: LW Pierre-Luc Dubois (Cape Breton – QMJHL)
4. Edmonton Oilers: RW Jesse Puljujarvi (Karpat – SM-liiga)
5. Vancouver Canucks: D Olli Juolevi (London – OHL)
6. Calgary Flames: LW Matthew Tkachuk (London – OHL)
7. Arizona Coyotes: C Clayton Keller (USA NTDP – USHL)
8. Buffalo Sabres: F Alexander Nylander (Mississauga Steelheads – OHL)
9. Montreal Canadiens: D Mikhail Sergachev (Windsor – OHL)
10. Colorado Avalanche: C Tyson Jost (Penticton – BCHL)
11. Ottawa Senators (from New Jersey): C Logan Brown (Windsor – OHL)
12. New Jersey Devils (from Ottawa): C Michael McLeod (Mississauga Steelheads – OHL)
13. Carolina Hurricanes: D Jake Bean (Calgary – WHL)
14. Boston Bruins: D Charlie McAvoy (Boston University – NCAA)
15. Minnesota Wild: C Luke Kunin (Wisconsin – NCAA)
16. Arizona Coyotes (From Detroit): D Jakob Chychrun (Sarnia – OHL)
17. Nashville Predators: D Dante Fabbro (Penticton – BCHL)
18. Winnipeg Jets (From Philadelphia): D Logan Stanley (Windsor – OHL)
19. New York Islanders: LW Kieffer Bellows (US NTDP)
20. Detroit Red Wings (from Arizona via New York Rangers): D Dennis Cholowski (Chilliwack (BCHL)
21. Carolina Hurricanes (from LA Kings): RW Julien Gauthier (Val-d’Or Foreurs – QMJHL
22. Philadelphia Flyers (From Winnipeg via Chicago): C German Rubtsov (Team Russia U-18)
23. Florida Panthers: C Henrik Borgstrom (HIFK – SM-liiga Jr)
24. Anaheim Ducks: LW Max Jones (London – OHL)
25. Dallas Stars: LW Riley Tufte (Blaine – USHSW)
26. St. Louis Blues (From Washington): C Tage Thompson (Connecticut – NCAA)
27. Tampa Bay Lightning: C Brett Howden (Moose Jaw – WHL)
28. Washington Capitals (From St. Louis): D Lucas Johansen (Kelowna – WHL)
29. Boston Bruins (from San Jose): C Trent Frederic (USA U-18 NTDP)
30. Anaheim Ducks (from Pittsburgh via Toronto): C Sam Steel (Regina – WHL)