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Minor Transactions: 08/05/21

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The NHL’s having its biggest news day in a while today, as top stories include the New Jersey Devils’ acquisition of Tomas Tatar as well as clarity on future salary cap increases. And while it’s a banner day for the NHL news cycle, the rest of the hockey world is making some noise too. Every move made has some form of ripple effect, and that’s evident more in no other place than a list of minor transactions. Today is no different.

  • Per CapFriendly, the Calgary Flames are inviting enforcer Alex Gallant to their training camp on a professional try-out. Gallant, who carries no relation to New York Rangers coach Gerard Gallant, is somewhat of a minor league journeyman. Never drafted, he’s only tallied more than 10 points in a season once at any level. His willingness to fight and leadership in the room is what’s kept his career alive, and the Flames have taken notice. Gallant’s actually spent the last two seasons in the Calgary organization, playing a combined 61 games with the AHL’s Stockton Heat. He’s put up 10 points and 171 penalty minutes across those two years, and a return to Stockton is likely for Gallant if he gets an NHL contract out of the experience.
  • Also broken by CapFriendly today, netminder Evan Fitzpatrick has been invited to attend the Florida Panthers’ camp on a PTO. It’s actually certain that Fitzpatrick will spend time within the Panthers organization next season, after the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers inked him to an AHL deal on August 2. Fitzpatrick, who’s a former second-round pick of the St. Louis Blues, was left unqualified this summer after he struggled to get consistent playing time in any league over the past few seasons. And while his numbers have been largely unimpressive since turning pro, Fitzpatrick did post a .930 save percentage last season in a small sample size with the AHL’s Utica Comets. He’ll now take his talents to the Southeast, where there’s still hope for the 23-year-old goalie.
  • Perhaps the most unlikely netminder to see NHL action this season, goalie Michael Houser has re-signed with the Rochester Americans on a one-year AHL contract. As Buffalo’s top four netminders in Linus Ullmark, Carter Hutton, Dustin Tokarski, and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen were all out with injury at the end of this season, Houser got the call-up to the big show. Playing in four contests, he played admirably, posting a .901 save percentage and a 2-2-0 record. The seasoned AHL veteran will likely be a mentor to Luukkonen in Rochester next season, but more NHL action seems unlikely for Houser.

Chase Priskie Signs With Florida Panthers

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The Florida Panthers have re-signed Chase Priskie, bringing him back on a one-year, two-way contract. Priskie was eligible for salary arbitration but decided not to file. The financial details have not yet been released.

Priskie, 25, will be eligible for Group VI unrestricted free agency next summer, unless he somehow secures a full-time spot on the Panthers blueline. That’s unlikely given he hasn’t played a single game above the AHL to this point, but he can still represent some valuable depth for the upcoming season.

Signed by the Carolina Hurricanes after deciding to test free agency in the summer of 2019, Priskie was actually the top college player available when draft rights expired that August. He was seen as a player that could potentially push for an NHL roster spot quickly, given his success at the college level, but the Hurricanes put him in the minor leagues with the Charlotte Checkers given their already full defensive group. In Charlotte, he recorded 31 points in 52 games, but was included in a deadline trade to acquire Vincent Trocheck.

In Florida, he still hasn’t cracked the NHL, and given he is still waiver-exempt for another year, might have to wait for an injury (or several) to get his chance.

Florida Panthers Agree To Terms With Sam Montembeault

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With Chris Driedger now in Seattle, there is an open spot as the third-string goaltender for the Florida Panthers. The team signed Christopher Gibson earlier this week, but now have their internal candidate locked up as well. The Panthers have agreed to terms with Sam Montembeault on a one-year, two-way contract. CapFriendly reports that the deal is worth $750K in the NHL, $250K in the AHL, and has a $300K guarantee.

Montembeault, 24, played 25 games for the Panthers in the two seasons before 2020-21, posting a 9-8-3 record and an .892 save percentage. With the emergence of Driedger and the addition of Spencer Knight, his spot as an injury fill-in for the NHL squad was lost. This year he went 8-4-1 for the Syracuse Crunch, posting an .898 save percentage as the Panthers shared an affiliate with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Next season, he’ll likely head to the Charlotte Checkers for plenty of playing time, though waivers will now be required to get him to the minor leagues. The 77th overall pick in 2015, Montembeault still has plenty of time to polish his game enough to challenge for an NHL spot somewhere around the league. He seemed on that track in 2019-20 when he had a strong .918 for the AHL club, something he’ll try to get back to this time around.

With Montembeault signing, it brings some attention to a goaltending depth chart that is relatively thin. He and Gibson have 41 NHL games combined, meaning if Sergei Bobrovsky or Knight get injured, there will be an inexperienced option coming in to replace them. Beyond those four the organization doesn’t even have another goaltender signed to an NHL contract, something that will likely change in the coming weeks.

Florida Panthers Agree To Terms With Zac Dalpe

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Florida Panthers GM Bill Zito is bringing in another player that he is very familiar with, signing Zac Dalpe to a two-year, two-way contract. The 31-year-old forward was an unrestricted free agent.

When Zito was with the Columbus Blue Jackets, severing as GM of the AHL affiliate, Dalpe was his star. The minor league forward recorded 55 points in 55 games during the 2018-19 season with Cleveland, earning a place at the AHL All-Star Game. The next season, he returned as captain of the team under Zito’s management and added another 11 points in 18 games.

This season, after Zito moved on to Florida, Dalpe was still captain of the Monsters, but bounced back and forth between the AHL, NHL and taxi squad all season. He ended up playing more for Columbus than Cleveland, suiting up 12 times in the NHL and recording three points. Joining the Panthers organization now, Dalpe will likely serve as that same injury replacement at the NHL level but help the Charlotte Checkers tremendously as a leader and veteran forward. The two-year deal gives him some career stability, something that minor league veterans rarely find.

Panthers Sign Maxim Mamin

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The Panthers have brought forward Maxim Mamin back to North America as Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports (Twitter link) that Florida is close to signing the 26-year-old to a one-year contract with an AAV below $1MM. The team later made it official, announcing they’ve signed Mamin to a one-year deal worth $975,000.

Mamin was a sixth-round pick of Florida (175th overall) back in 2016 and signed his entry-level deal a year later, leaving CSKA Moscow of the KHL to do so.  He played in 33 NHL games with the Panthers during that stretch but opted to go back to CSKA once it was finished where he spent the last three seasons.

Mamin is coming off a strong season back home, one that saw him notch 15 goals and 20 assists in 55 games, both career highs while chipping in with a dozen points in 22 playoff contests.  That is enough for GM Bill Zito to want to bring him back to Florida to give him a chance at earning a regular spot in the lineup.  It’s a low-risk move for both sides as a contract at this price tag won’t have a significant effect on their cap situation while allowing Mamin to test unrestricted free agency a year from now.

Panthers Agree To Terms With Brandon Montour

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Florida added Brandon Montour back at the trade deadline and it appears they liked what they saw from the defenseman.  Former NHLer Shane O’Brien of the Missin Curfew podcast was the first to report (Twitter link) that the Panthers have re-signed the blueliner; Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli adds (Twitter link) that the deal will carry a $3.5MM AAV. CapFriendly reports that the structure of the deal is as follows:

2021-22: $750,000 salary + $1.75MM SB
2022-23: $750,000 salary + $3.5MM SB
2023-24: $775,000 salary + $4.475MM SB

Two years ago, the 27-year-old looked like he was going to be a core NHL defender to the point where Buffalo traded a first-round pick to get him.  However, he struggled at times during his tenure with the Sabres who had given consideration to non-tendering him back in the fall.  They ultimately did reach a new deal with him (one that actually paid $350K more than this contract) and flipped him to the Panthers for a third-rounder in April.

Between the two teams, Montour managed seven goals and 11 assists in 50 games during the regular season while averaging a little over 20 minutes per game.  His role was a little shorter in the playoffs, however, as he logged 17:06 per night while being held off the scoresheet in their six-game opening-round loss to Tampa Bay.

Nevertheless, Montour still lands a nice contract, one that was made possible with yesterday’s trade of Anton Stralman to Arizona for cap relief.  He should slot in on Florida’s second pairing behind Aaron Ekblad who will be ready to return next season after missing the end of the year plus the playoffs with a leg injury.  Florida now has a little over $10MM in cap space, per CapFriendly, with a big chunk of that slated to be earmarked for Sam Reinhart who was acquired at the draft.

Panthers, Carter Verhaeghe Sign Contract Extension

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12:35pm: The three-year contract has been officially announced by the team. PuckPedia reports that the deal will carry an average annual value of $4.167MM.  GM Bill Zito released a short statement on the deal:

Carter emerged as one of the best possession forwards in hockey last season, elevating his game to fill an important role on our team. His effort, speed and creativity are infectious on and off the ice.

6:45am: Carter Verhaeghe’s first season with the Panthers was a successful one and he’s about to be rewarded for his efforts.  Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that the two sides are closing in on a three-year extension worth a little over $4MM per season.

The 25-year-old signed with Florida back in the fall after playing a limited role with Tampa Bay in his first NHL season.  As a result, the Panthers were able to sign Verhaeghe for $1MM per year on a two-year contract.  That deal has certainly turned into quite the bargain since then.

Last season, Verhaeghe got an opportunity to play in the top six and made the most of it as he very quietly finished third on the team in goals (18) and points (36) despite not seeing a lot of time on Florida’s top power play unit.  He also logged 17:44 per game, a number that jumped slightly higher in the playoffs during their first-round loss to Tampa Bay.  All that for a price tag of $1MM made him one of the better bargains in the league last season.

They’ll get to benefit from that low price tag for next year as well before that deal kicks in.  This reported new contract will buy out the remaining two years of arbitration rights and his first season of UFA eligibility.  It almost works like a bridge deal as this price tag could still wind up being below market if Verhaeghe can maintain this level of production over the life of the contract while allowing him to reach the open market in his prime earning years.

Arizona Coyotes To Acquire Anton Stralman

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Florida Panthers defenseman Anton Stralman has waived his no-trade clause and will be heading to the Arizona Coyotes, according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic. Stralman has just one year remaining on his current contract, which carries a $5.5MM cap hit. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that the Coyotes will also receive prospect Vladislav Kolyachonok, and a 2024 second-round pick. The Panthers will receive a 2023 seventh-round pick in return.

The Coyotes have made move after move this summer to weaponize their cap space, using it to acquire future assets in preparation for a rebuild. Many of their key players remain in the fold, but the team has taken on bad contracts like Andrew Ladd, Loui Eriksson, Jay Beagle, and Antoine Roussel. They even received two draft picks to bring in Shayne Gostisbehere, who will likely be asked to play big minutes given how many vacancies there are on the back end. Oliver Ekman-Larsson was shipped out of town, Niklas Hjalmarsson retired while Jason Demers, Alex Goligoski, Jordan Oesterle, Aaron Ness and Jordan Gross are all pending unrestricted free agents.

That means Stralman would be joining a group that includes only Gostisbehere, Jakob Chychrun, and Ilya Lyubushkin on the back end. That’s not a group that should be very imposing, at least not anymore. The 34-year-old Stralman (who turns 35 in just a few days) was once the perfect defensive complement to high-end offensive players, but has declined rapidly in recent years. His minutes were slashed this season in Florida, where he recorded just nine points in 38 games.

Arizona meanwhile now holds five second-round picks for the 2022 draft and have now added another one for down the road, which should help them restock a bereft prospect pipeline. The team had traded away top prospects to acquire players like Taylor Hall and Phil Kessel, while also being stripped of draft picks thanks to scouting violations. GM Bill Armstrong has obviously decided that building that part of the organization back up was a priority this offseason, but it could very well come at the cost of a competitive season.

The Coyotes have just five players signed to one-way contracts for the 2022-23 season (six, if you include Ladd, who has played just five NHL games over the past two years), and have been rumored to be listening even on some of those. Unless the team is extremely aggressive in free agency, this appears like it will be quite a lean year for the roster, relying on aging veterans or fringe NHL players to fill several key spots.

For Florida, getting rid of Stralman’s cap hit is a huge boost, given their recent acquisition of Sam Reinhart. The team signed RFA Sam Bennett earlier this morning and didn’t have a lot of room left to get the 25-year-old Reinhart done. Now, with an extra $5.5MM in room, the team can not only get Reinhart under contract but could potentially look for further upgrades through free agency. Giving away a prospect and a pick is never easy, but the Panthers are in a win-now mode with their deep, relatively young roster that looks poised to do some damage in the Atlantic Division.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Sam Bennett Re-Signs With Florida Panthers

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The Florida Panthers are busy completing their RFA work today. After signing two depth defensemen earlier, the team has now reached a much bigger deal with Sam Bennett. Bennett has signed a four-year contract with the Panthers that Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports will carry an average annual value of $4.4MM. Chris Johnston of Sportsnet provides the full breakdown:

  • 2021-22: $1.925MM + $1MM signing bonus
  • 2022-23: $3.425MM salary
  • 2023-24: $6.35MM salary
  • 2024-25: $5.0MM salary

Florida GM Bill Zito released a short statement:

Sam’s impact on our club this past season was seen immediately, injecting physicality, skill and energy into our lineup. We are thrilled to have him in our Panthers lineup and look forward to what he can bring to our offense in the upcoming 2021-22 season.

Bennett, 25, is probably the happiest man in the world looking back at his deadline trade to the Panthers. He has recorded just 12 points in 38 games for the Calgary Flames, spending considerable time on the fourth line. Upon arriving in Florida, he was immediately placed in the top-six, given 18 minutes a night and managed 15 points in his final ten games. That was followed by a point-per-game performance in the first round of the playoffs, where Bennett has always excelled.

It shouldn’t be expected that Bennett performs at the level he did in those ten games, scoring at a pace that he’s never come close to in the past, but he doesn’t have to reach quite that level to be a valuable contract for the Panthers. At $4.4MM, as long as he’s a reasonable second-line player that provides physicality and playoff performance, it will work out just fine. A four-year deal buys out three years of unrestricted free agency, but also provides Bennett with the kind of security that wouldn’t have necessarily been available on the open market. Florida figures to be a strong team for the duration of the deal, providing Bennett with plenty of opportunities to show off his offensive skills.

Of course, there is a salary cap, and the Panthers have a big name to sign over the next year. Aleksander Barkov’s deal will expire after the 2021-22 season, a player the team obviously can’t afford to lose. With Bennett now taking up a good chunk and newcomer Sam Reinhart also expected to sign a multi-year deal, the Panthers are betting they’ll still be able to fit everyone in down the road.

Florida Panthers Sign Noah Juulsen, Lucas Carlsson

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The Florida Panthers have tidied up some restricted free agent negotiations today, re-signing Noah Juulsen and Lucas Carlsson to one-year deals. Both contracts are two-way, and take care of the two young defensemen before arbitration could have been awarded later this summer. PuckPedia reports that Carlsson will earn $750K in the NHL, $150K in the AHL and has secured a $200K minor league guarantee. Juulsen’s contract details have not yet been released, but should likely come in around similar lines.

Juulsen, 24, had another season with just a handful of games played, spending a good chunk of the year on the injured reserve once again. Selected 26th overall in 2015, the former Montreal Canadiens prospect amazingly has played in just 100 professional games over the last four seasons, AHL and NHL combined. He’s dealt with major injuries, including one to his eye that caused vision problems, and finds himself on the fringe between the two levels. In four appearances with the Panthers this season he failed to record a point.

A year from now, Juulsen will become a Group VI unrestricted free agent, should he fail to secure at least a semi-regular spot in the Panthers lineup. After losing Chris Driedger in the expansion draft instead of one of their unprotected defensemen, it may be hard for him to crack the top-six.

The same can be said about Carlsson, who didn’t play a game with the Panthers after arriving in a midseason trade. Acquired along with Lucas Wallmark from the Chicago Blackhawks, the 24-year-old defenseman just played in 11 games with the Syracuse Crunch down the stretch. He did record nine points in those games, continuing a trend of offensive production in the minor leagues, but Carlsson has just 18 games of NHL experience to his name.

Even though he’s also 24, Carlsson’s birthday comes just after the Group VI cutoff for next year. The Panthers will retain his rights as an RFA regardless of where he plays this season.

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