Boston Bruins Sign Four To Minimum Deals
The Boston Bruins aren’t slowing down. The busiest team on this first day of free agency have added four more signings to the list to help fill out their AHL ranks. Goaltender Troy Grosenick, defenseman Tyler Lewington, and forward Steven Fogarty have each signed one-year, two-way contracts worth the minimum $750K NHL salary. Forward Samuel Asselin, who spent the past two seasons on an AHL deal with the Providence Bruins, has been rewarded with a two-year entry-level contract, also with a $750K AAV.
Grosenick, 31, will join a goaltending depth chart that added Linus Ullmark and lost Daniel Vladar today, likely making him the third option in the early part of the season, until Tuukka Rask conceivably returns. He’ll require waivers to go to the minor leagues, but with a handful of NHL appearances–including two in 2020-21–he’d be in line for any starts that come about because of injury.
Lewington and Fogarty are in a similar boat, signed for the AHL but with enough experience to chip in if Boston needs some injury insurance. The 26-year-old Lewington has played ten games in the NHL, recording three points and 33 penalty minutes. The 28-year-old Fogarty is a little more experienced with 28 NHL appareances, including one playoff game for the New York Rangers in 2020. The 6’3″ forward scores at a strong rate in the AHL, but has just three points at the highest level.
Asselin meanwhile is just 23 and coming off his first full season with Providence, after splitting time in the AHL and ECHL during 2019-20. The undrafted QMJHL free agent signing scored 16 points in 25 AHL games this season, showing that the offensive production that appeared at previous levels might travel with him to the high minors. He’ll have to prove it again this season, but an entry-level contract is a nice reward for the hard work he’s put in to this point.
Boston Bruins To Sign Linus Ullmark
With Tuukka Rask out for a good chunk of next season after major surgery and Jaroslav Halak now in Vancouver, the Boston Bruins have brought in a new goaltender. Linus Ullmark has signed with the Bruins, leaving the Buffalo Sabres after a long negotiation that stretched all the way into free agency. Ullmark’s new deal with Boston will be a four-year contract worth a total of $20MM.
Beyond the financial increase, which is significant, Ullmark gets a huge competitive upgrade in terms of the team that will be in front of him on a nightly basis. Through the first six seasons of his NHL career, he had been backstopping a Buffalo team that never once finished above .500 or made the playoffs. Despite all that losing for the Sabres in general, Ullmark’s results have actually been relatively strong, posting a 50-47-13 record in his 117 appearances. This season he was responsible for nine of the team’s 15 wins, despite only appearing in 20 games due to injury. He had a .917 during those limited outings, slightly higher than his career .912.
The gamble here by the Bruins is that behind a better structure, Ullmark will not only turn into a viable starting goaltender, but an elite one. The team has committed to a $5MM cap hit through 2024-25, actually tied the 12th-highest among goaltenders in league-wide. Robin Lehner, for instance, signed a five-year $25MM deal less than a year ago coming off two seasons where he finished in the top-6 of Vezina Trophy voting.
Lehner is actually an interesting comparison for Ullmark, because he was the Sabres goaltender that once blocked Ullmark’s path to the NHL. After posting a .916 over 133 games with Buffalo, Lehner immediately broke out after going to a stronger defensive team. He had a .930 in 2018-19 with the New York Islanders, winning the Jennings Trophy and finishing as a Vezina finalist. The numbers between the two during their time in Buffalo are eerily similar, so it makes sense that the Bruins would be hoping for a similar transformation.
Still, Lehner left Buffalo (under admittedly different circumstances) and received just one year and $1.5MM on the open market, essentially having to prove himself all over again with the Islanders. Committing this much money to Ullmark already is certainly a risk for the Bruins. It also begs the question of what will happen when Tuukka Rask is healthy enough to play again, as the assumption was that he would sign with Boston after rehabbing his hip injury. With Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman in place, the team should have enough goaltending to compete. If either one falters, the franchise icon could join the team midseason and help, but if they don’t, it’s unclear where Rask’s future lies.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Blake Coleman To Sign With Calgary Flames
The Calgary Flames are going to bring in a Stanley Cup champion, as Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic confirms they will sign Blake Coleman when free agency opens. Joe Smith of The Athletic reports the deal will be a six-year contract and will carry an average annual value of $4.9MM. The Athletic’s Hailey Salvian reports that the deal carries a full no-movement clause for the first three seasons and a modified no-trade clause for the final three.
Initially linked to the Dallas Stars, his hometown team, and the Boston Bruins, a rival of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Coleman will instead head about as far from Tampa as possible by joining the Flames. Calgary is a team that is trying to become tougher to play against and Coleman’s hard-nosed game will certainly help with that. Though limited to a third-line role with the Bolts, albeit a crucial one, Coleman will likely compete for top-six minutes with the Flames. The team is deep up front with the likes of Matthew Tkachuk, Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan, Elias Lindholm, Mikael Backlund, Andrew Mangiapane, and Dillon Dube, but Coleman’s game is unlike any of these current top-nine options. He has the chance to be the piece that completes the puzzle for a Flames squad whose results have not matched their talent on paper.
Though unsurprising, Coleman’s official departure from Tampa means the team will be replacing their highly-valued third line in its entirety. Coleman, Yanni Gourde, and Barclay Goodrow will all be on new teams this season after playing a critical role the past two years, especially in the postseason.
Pittsburgh Penguins Re-Sign Evan Rodrigues
The Pittsburgh Penguins will be bringing back Evan Rodrigues, as Darren Dreger of TSN reports. The two sides have agreed to a one-year, $1MM contract, avoiding unrestricted free agency.
Rodrigues, 28, scored seven goals and 14 points in 35 games for the Penguins this season, but apparently, that was enough to bring him back for another year. He’s a skilled forward that is versatile enough to play up and down the lineup, but has never been able to bring much consistency for a full season.
In returning to Pittsburgh, Rodrigues may have a leg up in the competition to fill some of the Penguins’ recently vacated forward spots. However, he will have to compete all the same. The Penguins are looking to make changes to the tone and tenor of their bottom-six play and Rodrigues may not last long in the lineup if he cannot bring more to the table than he did this past season.
Brandon Sutter Expected To Re-Sign In Vancouver
Per TSN’s Bob McKenzie, Vancouver Canucks forward Brandon Sutter is expected to re-sign with the team when free agency opens. McKenzie expects a one-year deal for the veteran forward. The Athletic’s Thomas Drance reports that the deal is worth $1.125MM.
Sutter’s a seasoned veteran, but he’s seriously struggled to stay healthy. The last time Sutter played a full season was 2016-17 where he played in 81 contests. Since that season, Sutter’s topped 10 goals and 20 points just once in a single season. He had a bit of a goal-scoring rebound last season, potting nine markers in 43 games, but tallied only three assists for 12 points. He’s also seen his ice time steadily deteriorate over recent years, now largely serving in a third- or fourth-line role.
A veteran of 770 NHL games, Sutter will return to a Vancouver Canucks forward core that’s been rejuvenated this offseason. With some free agent turnover in depth spots, both Conor Garland and Jason Dickinson will be injected into the Canucks’ offense. And with Dickinson’s acquisition, Sutter will either serve as a right-winger for Dickinson on the third line or as the team’s fourth-line center. Sutter’s health could be a rather key piece for a Canucks roster that’s fighting to get back into the playoff picture.
Montreal Canadiens Re-Sign Joel Armia
The Montreal Canadiens have made a mark on free agency before it even gets started. Joel Armia has agreed to terms with the club on a new four-year contract extension that will keep him away from the open market. The deal carries an average annual value of $3.4MM and keeps Armia under contract through 2024-25. Chris Johnston of Sportsnet reports that the deal does not include any signing bonuses or trade protection.
Armia, 28, may not create a lot of offense, but he’s still a valuable contributor to the Canadiens that can be used in a variety of ways. One of the best penalty killers in the league, he scored two short-handed goals in Montreal’s 21-game playoff run while lining up against some impressive competition. His 6’4″ frame allows him to get a stick in passing lanes or easily strip players of the puck, all helping Montreal’s identity of a tight defensive group with a penchant for the counter-attack.
The Canadiens, who also have Corey Perry, Phillip Danault, Eric Staal and Tomas Tatar scheduled for unrestricted free agency, were going to need to add some forwards at some point this summer, so why not bring back a player you know and like. The risk involved in a four-year deal is mitigated somewhat by the fact that Armia is still just 28, though he did get a pretty substantial bump in pay. If his defensive ability declines at all, it’s hard to see how Montreal would get their value back from a player that has only hit 30 points once in his career.
Still, the team has cap space to burn, given Shea Weber‘s likely placement on long-term injured reserve for at least this season. Even with Armia back in the fold, Montreal has close to $20MM in room to add in free agency and just a handful of spots left to fill on the roster.
Taro Hirose Re-Signs With Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings have re-signed pending UFA Taro Hirose to a one-year deal, keeping him in the organization. Hirose qualified for Group VI unrestricted free agency after playing in only 42 games for the Red Wings over the last three seasons. PuckPedia reports that the two-way deal is worth $850K at the NHL level, $190K at the AHL level and includes a minor league guarantee of $220K.
Hirose, 25, was an undrafted college free agent signed out of Michigan State University in 2019, and wowed down the stretch in his first professional season. With seven points in his first ten games, it looked like the Red Wings had found a legitimate middle-six option for nothing more than an entry-level contract. As with so many players though, that early success quickly faded, and Hirose recorded just seven points in 26 games the following season. He played just six in a Red Wings uniform during 2020-21.
Still, keeping a player with 16 points in 42 NHL games around for depth purposes isn’t a bad thing, especially when he has been such a big part of the AHL attack. In 29 games for the Grand Rapids Griffins this season, Hirose racked up 28 points. While he may never turn into a full-time NHL option, a one-year deal comes with basically no risk for the Red Wings, who can move him in and out of the lineup whenever necessary.
Offseason Notes: Kuemper, Nemeth, Wideman
The Arizona Coyotes moved out Adin Hill this offseason and have Antti Raanta scheduled for free agency in two days, but that doesn’t mean they won’t listen on their other goalie. Darcy Kuemper is generating interest around the league according to David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, who lists the Toronto Maple Leafs as one team involved. The Coyotes–who have used their available cap space several times this offseason to acquire future assets–may be willing to retain some of Kuemper’s $4.5MM salary to get a deal done but the price is “quite high” according to Pagnotta.
The 31-year-old Kuemper had just a .907 save percentage this season, but showed off his skills at the World Championship, taking Team Canada to a gold medal. For his career, he has posted a .917 in 242 NHL games, a number that would certainly be interesting to several contenders looking for a tandem option. Toronto GM Kyle Dubas has been very clear over the past week that the team’s top priority is finding a partner for Jack Campbell, given Frederik Andersen appears to be heading to market. Kuemper could be that option for them or another team, though it will come at a cost.
- The New York Rangers could be adding some size to their young defensive group, as Larry Brooks of the New York Post reports that the team is expected to sign Patrik Nemeth when free agency opens this week. The 6’3″ Nemeth spent this season with the Detroit Red Wings and Colorado Avalanche, totaling 10 points in 52 games. He earned $3MM in each of the last two seasons, but could be taking a bit of a pay cut according to Brooks, who expects a two or three-year deal to be completed with an average annual value between $2.25MM and $2.75MM. The 29-year-old would certainly add some defensive responsibility to a blueline already brimming with offensive talent, though where he exactly fits would have to still be determined.
- After an outstanding season in the KHL, Chris Wideman could be returning to North America to join the Montreal Canadiens. Chris Johnston of Sportsnet reports that Wideman is a “good bet” to end up in Montreal when free agency opens. The 31-year-old defenseman led all KHL defensemen in scoring this season with 41 points in 59 games and then helped the U.S. win bronze at the World Championship. He last played in the NHL during the 2018-19 season and recently opened up about the Uber incident while with the Ottawa Senators that may have considerably changed his career path.
List Of Players Not Receiving A 2021 Qualifying Offer
The deadline to issue a qualifying offer to pending restricted free agents is today, making any player who has not received one eligible to become an unrestricted free agent on Wednesday. It does not stop them from re-signing with the team for a different amount. Below are the players who will not be issued a qualifying offer:
(this list will be updated as reports continue to come in)
Anaheim Ducks
Arizona Coyotes
Dryden Hunt, John Hayden, Frederik Gauthier, Nathan Sucese
Boston Bruins
Ondrej Kase, Robert Lantosi, Nick Ritchie
Buffalo Sabres
Stefanos Lekkas, Dawson DiPietro
Calgary Flames
Dominik Simon, Artyom Zagidulin
Carolina Hurricanes
Chicago Blackhawks
Pius Suter, Josh Dickinson, David Kampf, Adam Gaudette
Colorado Avalanche
Travis Barron, Peyton Jones, Ty Lewis, Adam Werner
Columbus Blue Jackets
Dallas Stars
Detroit Red Wings
Edmonton Oilers
Jujhar Khaira, Dominik Kahun, Theodor Lennstrom
Florida Panthers
Lucas Wallmark, Patrick Bajkov, Ryan Bednard, Alec Rauhauser, Jake Massie, Brad Morrison
Los Angeles Kings
Matt Luff, Michael Eyssimont, Drake Rymsha, Tyler Steenbergen
Minnesota Wild
Montreal Canadiens
Jake Lucchini, Joseph Blandisi
Nashville Predators
New Jersey Devils
Evan Cormier, Brandon Gignac, David Quenneville, Colby Sissons
New York Islanders
Michael Dal Colle, Dmytro Timashov, Robert Carpenter
New York Rangers
Yegor Rykov, Patrick Newell, Brandon Crawley, Gabriel Fontaine
Ottawa Senators
Marcus Hogberg, J.C. Beaudin, Michael Amadio, Jack Kopacka, Zachary Magwood, Jonathan Davidsson, Brandon Fortunato
Philadelphia Flyers
Pittsburgh Penguins
Mark Jankowski, Sam Miletic, Jesper Lindgren, Emil Larmi
San Jose Sharks
Seattle Kraken
(none)
St. Louis Blues
Jacob de La Rose, Erik Foley, Evan Polei, Evan Fitzpatrick
Tampa Bay Lightning
Toronto Maple Leafs
Vancouver Canucks
Marc Michaelis, Petrus Palmu, Jake Kielly, Jayce Hawryluk, Mitch Eliot
Vegas Golden Knights
(none)
Washington Capitals
(none)
Winnipeg Jets
(none)
St. Louis Blues Extend Nathan Walker
July 26: The Blues have officially announced the contract, confirming the details previously reported.
July 25: Forward Nathan Walker and the St. Louis Blues have reportedly reached an agreement on a new multi-year contract. CapFriendly reports that Walker, an impending unrestricted free agent, will sign a two-year, two-way contract to remain with the Blues. The deal will carry the minimum $750K NHL salary with a $300K AHL salary in 2021-22 and a $310K AHL salary in 2022-23, but with $350K total guaranteed in each season.
Walker, 27, could have tested the open market, but has already had a taste of free agency in 2019 as a Group 6 UFA. He agreed to a two-year deal with St. Louis then and this time around has decided to do the same without waiting until the market opened. Walker’s new contract closely resembles his previous two contracts with the Washington Capitals and Blues in terms of structure – a two-year pact with the minimum NHL salary and a guaranteed total higher than his AHL salary – but he has earned a significant raise. Not only is the NHL minimum salary now $100K higher than it was four years ago and $50K higher than two years ago, but his guaranteed money has increased from $150K to $175K to $300K and now $350K over his career.
The only Australian-born player in the NHL, Walker has established himself as more than just a trivia fact. The 2014 third-round pick has seen NHL action in each of the past four years, capped off by a 2020-21 campaign in which he played in only four AHL games because he spent the rest of the season on the St. Louis roster or taxi squad. Walker has been more of a bottom-six role player in his experience at the top level, but has strong scoring numbers in the AHL and could succeed in a scoring role if the opportunity presented itself. The Blues are a deep team, but could be losing some top scorers this off-season which could in turn lead to a more regular role for Walker moving forward and perhaps even some time in the top-nine.
Getting an impending UFA re-signed is a nice surprise for St. Louis, but does little to alleviate their full plate this off-season. The Blues have just seven forwards currently signed to one-way contracts with five critical RFA’s in need of new contracts and other UFA’s to consider or perhaps replace as well. GM Doug Armstrong and company have their work cut out for them this summer.