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Minor League Signings 07/01/2023

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On day one of the free agent market opening up, the league saw a grand total of 166 signings, with a whopping $646.4MM handed out over the course of 291 total contract years. This class of free agents was expected to be one of the weaker in recent memory, but the excitement still remained as quite a few players switched cities. In all the chaos, there were some minor contracts that were inked yesterday that may have slipped under the radar for most:

  • The Montreal Canadiens signed defenseman Brady Keeper to a one-year, $775K, two-way contract. Keeper spent last season playing for the Vancouver Canucks AHL affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks. He only managed to play for about half of the Canucks games, scoring one goal and five assists in 35 games. In the playoffs, although eliminated in the first round, Keeper scored one goal in two games for Abbotsford (CapFriendly).
  • Defenseman Ryan Shea has inked a one-year, $775K, two-way contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Shea was a former fourth-round pick of the Chicago Blackhawks back in 2015, but never actually signed with the team, joining the Dallas Stars on an entry-level contract in 2020. The Northeastern University product played a combined 162 games for the Texas Stars of the AHL, scoring 10 goals and 56 assists (CapFriendly).
  • The Washington Capitals signed forward, Pierrick Dube, to a two-year, $1.9MM, entry-level contract yesterday. An undrafted free agent last year, Dube joined the Laval Rocket, the AHL affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens. Dube played very well for the Rocket, scoring 16 goals and 16 assists in 44 games down the stretch. Still only 22 years old, Dube could factor into one of the top lines on the Hershey Bears next season, potentially even finding minutes with the Capitals in the near future (CapFriendly).
  • Another depth signing for the Penguins, the team has added forward Joona Koppanen to a two-year, $1.55MM, two-way contract. Koppanen was originally drafted by the Boston Bruins in the fifth round of the 2016 NHL Draft, playing the majority of his career up to this point with the Providence Bruins. Last season, Koppanen did get his first change in the NHL, playing five games for the Bruins in January, tallying only one assist while averaging just under 11 minutes of ice time a game (CapFriendly).
  • The Florida Panthers re-signed defenseman Lucas Carlsson to a one-year, $775K, two-way contract yesterday. The defenseman was acquired in 2021 from the Blackhawks in an early-April trade. Although playing in 40 games during 2021-22 for Florida, Carlsson spent the majority of last season with their AHL affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers. In the minor leagues, Carlsson was one of the highest-scoring defensemen in the league, scoring 20 goals and 34 assists in 61 games (CapFriendly).
  • Securing his first contract in professional hockey, the Edmonton Oilers have added defenseman Noel Hoefenmayer to a one-year, $845K, entry-level contract. A former fourth-round pick of the Arizona Coyotes back in 2017, Hoefenmayer never played in the Coyotes system, eventually playing on minor-league contracts with the Toronto Marlies after finishing his junior career with the Ottawa 67’s. Hoefenmayer played quite well for the Marlies, scoring 11 goals and 27 assists in 65 games last season (CapFriendly).
  • Returning back to North American hockey after spending the last two seasons playing for Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the Kontinental Hockey League, the Montreal Canadiens veteran forward Philippe Maillet to a one-year, $775K, two-way contract. Already 30 years old, Maillet has spent parts of his career with the Capitals and Los Angeles Kings organizations before finally making the jump overseas in 2021-22. In 66 games played for Metallurg last season, Maillet scored 22 goals and 31 assists (CapFriendly).
  • The recipient of the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy from the 2023 Calder Cup playoffs, Hunter Shepard, has signed a two-year, $1.55MM, two-way contract to remain with the Capitals organization. Shepard was sensational en route to the Hershey Bears winning the 2023 Calder Cup, managing a 14-6-0 record throughout the playoffs, carrying a 2.27 GAA and a .914 SV% (CapFriendly).

 

San Jose Sharks Acquire Anthony Duclair

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6:32 pm: San Jose has made the trade official, sending Lorentz and their 2025 fifth-round pick to Florida for Duclair.

5:42 pm: The San Jose Sharks have traded for Florida Panthers winger Anthony Duclair, according to The Athletic’s Shayna Goldman. Goldman adds that forward Steven Lorentz is expected to be part of the trade heading back to the Panthers, though there could be more moving pieces involved.

Duclair brings a more dynamic asset to the Sharks after he landed on his feet in Florida as a top-line player. Last season, he recorded just two goals and nine points in 20 games with the Panthers, missing much of the season recovering an Achilles tear. Duclair’s skill set and ability to generate scoring chances make him a valuable asset for the Sharks, however, as they sorely need some high-end skill in their lineup (even though they’re rebuilding). He’ll never provide much value defensively, but it’s not much of a concern for a Sharks team that doesn’t anticipate being competitive next season.

In return, the Panthers acquire a fine bottom-of-the-lineup forward in Lorentz and nearly $2MM in cap space, helping them fortify their fourth line while opening up some more cap space to replace Duclair’s top-nine on the open market in the coming days. He could very well center their fourth line next season after recording 10 goals and 19 points in 80 games with the Sharks last season.

Florida Panthers Sign Dmitry Kulikov

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The Florida Panthers have signed yet another defenseman, bringing back familiar face Dmitry Kulikov, according to TSN’s Chris Johnston. The deal has been officially announced, with the Panthers specifying that it’s a one-year pact. Per CapFriendly, it’s a $1MM AAV deal.

Florida brought Kulikov into the NHL with the 14th overall pick in 2009, and he went on to play 460 games for them over seven seasons before departing the organization in 2016. He overcame some long-term injuries in the middle of his career to rebound as a rather effective shutdown defender in the past few seasons, but he got stuck on one of the worst defensive teams in recent memory last season with the Anaheim Ducks.

He’ll try and show he’s still got what it takes to be an everyday NHLer this season in Florida, although he’s a candidate to slip out of a lineup spot upon the returns of Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour from injury. Still Kulikov’s defensive upside is worth the gamble at $1MM and can be buried in the minors if need be without penalty.

Florida Panthers Sign Six Players

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The Florida Panthers have signed forward Grigori Denisenko to a two-year, one-way contract extension, per his agent, Dan Milstein. The contract carries an average annual value of $775K, says NorthStar Bets’ Chris Johnston.

PuckPedia adds they’ve signed UFA defenseman Niko Mikkola to a three-year deal worth $2.5MM per season, and TSN’s Darren Dreger says they’ve nabbed Mike Reilly on a one-year deal worth $1MM. They’ve also announced a one-year, two-way extension for blueliner Lucas Carlsson. Per PuckPedia, they’ve signed forward Will Lockwood to a one-year, two-way deal worth $350k guaranteed with a $775k NHL cap hit and $275k AHL salary.

The team later added some more AHL depth, per PuckPedia, signing forward Alexander True to a one-year two-way deal worth $775K in the NHL, $350K in the minors, and a guaranteed salary of $425K.

With some of Florida’s forwards now on the UFA market, Denisenko is a likely candidate to start 2023-24 with the team – potentially even in a top-nine role if they don’t make any other editions. Florida drafted the Russian winger 15th overall in 2018, but he’s yet to break out with just seven assists in 26 career NHL games up to this point.

Mikkola is the big-money signing here, though, and he’s expected to be a stylistic replacement for Radko Gudas, who departed as a UFA to the Anaheim Ducks today. Even with the Panthers’ defense injuries, though, Mikkola will still likely start the season on the bottom pairing on the left side behind Gustav Forsling and Oliver Ekman-Larsson.

Reilly is likely destined for a press-box role for most of the season (he played in just 10 NHL games last year), but could find himself in the lineup ahead of players like Dmitry Kulikov and Josh Mahura if Florida desires a more offensively inclined option.

Carlsson, Lockwood, and True are likely candidates for AHL Charlotte.

Florida Panthers To Sign Kevin Stenlund

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The Florida Panthers are acquiring free agent forward Kevin Stenlund on a one-year deal worth $1MM, says Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.

Stenlund is a 26-year-old 2015 second-round pick who spent last season as a member of the Winnipeg Jets organization. He spent most of the year in the NHL with Winnipeg, scoring six goals and nine points in 54 games. At the AHL level he scored at a higher rate, posting 14 points in 19 games.

A big-bodied forward with the ability to play center or along the wings, Stenlund’s most valuable contributions to the Jets last season were on the penalty kill, where he was a regular face. He’ll be able to contribute there for the Panthers, which is an important point given how much time the Panthers spent on the penalty kill last season.

While there isn’t much offense in his game, adding a penalty-killing specialist at a $1MM cost is a move that makes a lot of sense for a team that needs to target improvements to their short-handed units with their depth signings.

Florida Panthers To Sign Anthony Stolarz

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The Florida Panthers are making moves to strengthen their goaltending depth, reportedly agreeing to terms with Anthony Stolarz on a one-year contract. According to The Hockey News’ David Dwork, the deal is expected to be in the $1MM range.

Stolarz’s addition to the Panthers’ roster is an interesting move that could provide valuable insurance in net. While Sergei Bobrovsky remains the team’s undisputed starter, Stolarz is a high-end secondary option in case backup Spencer Knight remains unavailable to the team to start 2023-24. The goaltender is expected to return to the team after spending the last few months of the season in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program, but it’s not confirmed.

The 27-year-old netminder has had limited opportunities at the NHL level for quite a while but has emerged as a legitimate backup option in the last two seasons with the Anaheim Ducks. Over four seasons in total with the Ducks organization, Stolarz posted a solid .913 save percentage in 56 games (43 starts). He has also spent time with the Philadelphia Flyers and Edmonton Oilers in his career.

Getting a third goalie in the mix is a priority for the Panthers moving forward, as outside of his stunning playoff run in these past playoffs Bobrovsky has been massively inconsistent in Florida. The Panthers needed some heroics from third-string goalie Alex Lyon to even sneak into the postseason, so with this signing, they’ve shored up their goaltending depth in case another situation like that arises.

Panthers Open To Re-Signing Radko Gudas, Lucas Carlsson

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  • The Florida Panthers are gearing up for free agency, with their main focus on strengthening their defense corps, which is set to be hit with significant injuries to start 2023-24 in Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour. While the team aims to secure players on shorter-term contracts, two of their UFAs, Radko Gudas and Lucas Carlsson, could still receive offers to return to the Panthers, general manager Bill Zito told reporters, including The Hockey News’ David Dwork. Gudas has been an invaluable shutdown defender since joining the Panthers in 2020, also compiling over 200 penalty minutes during his time in Florida whilst in a bottom-pairing role. Carlsson, on the other hand, is likely to receive a lot of NHL interest after an impressive season with the Charlotte Checkers, leading all AHL defensemen in goals. He could vie for an everyday role out of camp, with injuries opening up roster spots.

Florida Panthers Expected To Sign Oliver Ekman-Larsson

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Veteran defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson is landing on his feet after getting bought out by the Vancouver Canucks earlier this month. Per TSN’s Darren Dreger and CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal, he’s expected to sign a one-year deal with the Florida Panthers worth $2.25MM.

Ekman-Larsson hadn’t at all lived up to expectations in Vancouver, but the decision to buy him out with four years left on his deal surprised many. It is the largest non-compliance buyout in NHL history, and the Swede will now earn an additional $2.25MM this season on top of the $2.13MM he’s slated to receive in real cash from Vancouver and $290K from Arizona. It’s still less money than the $10.5MM base salary he was owed from his previous contract in 2023-24.

For the Panthers, this signing represents a low-risk, medium-reward move. Ekman-Larsson is a former All-Star and Olympic medalist, but he’s been wildly inconsistent in the past few seasons and has played long stretches of being a defensive liability in both Vancouver and Arizona, where he was a captain for three seasons between 2018 and 2021.

Now 31, Ekman-Larsson could slot into Florida’s top four to start the season and maybe longer. For now, he serves as a direct replacement on the left side for veteran Marc Staal, who’s on the UFA market. He does find himself with the best opportunity to win in quite a while, joining a Panthers team fresh off a miracle run to the Stanley Cup Final.

From a financial standpoint, the one-year, $2.25MM deal is a decent bit of work for the Panthers. It provides them with a cost-effective option to bolster their defensive depth without committing to a long-term contract – something they’d reportedly prioritized achieving.

Last season, Ekman-Larsson logged two goals and 22 points in 54 games with the Canucks, averaging just over 20 minutes per game. He’ll likely see a reduction in those minutes as the season progresses for Florida and they return to full health on the blueline.

Florida Panthers Have Interest In Blake Wheeler

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Today, TSN’s Darren Dreger reported the Florida Panthers have an interest in adding the veteran winger when he hits the open market tomorrow, although he won’t be their first priority. The team remains focused on shoring up their defense, with both Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour set to miss the start of the season. Still, the team is projected to have $10.2MM in cap space (CapFriendly) without taking any LTIR relief into account, and they should easily be able to accommodate a forward of Wheeler’s likely price. Dreger also listed a former team of Wheeler’s, the Boston Bruins, as a potential fit, although their cap situation currently makes any external additions a tough ask.

Panthers Interested In Gostisbehere

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A top-pairing of Gostisbehere and Forsling shouldn’t be expected to replicate the output of Ekblad and Montour, but those two would be serviceable for the first month of the season, and would even represent a superb top-four once Ekblad and Montour make their return. If the Panthers and Gostisbehere do come to an agreement, it will be interesting to see the term handed out, as the team currently doesn’t have any defenseman signed beyond 2024-25.

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