Pittsburgh Penguins Re-Sign Teddy Blueger
The Pittsburgh Penguins aren’t waiting around for restricted free agency. The team has re-signed Teddy Blueger to a two-year contract that carries him through the 2022-23 season. The deal comes with an average annual value of $2.2MM, locking the centerman in at a reasonable price. GM Ron Hextall released a short statement on the deal:
Teddy has proven to be a versatile, two-way center, as well as a fixture on the penalty kill. He is a valuable player for our team.
Blueger, 26, was a year away from unrestricted free agency, meaning the Penguins have bought out one of his open market years with this contract. Originally a second-round pick way back in 2012, he finally made his NHL debut during the 2018-19 season and has been a fixture in the Penguins lineup ever since. During the 2019-20 season he even received Selke Trophy votes as one of the best defensive forwards in the NHL, but it was really this season when he added 22 points in just 43 games that his true value as a two-way option came out.
There are few forwards in the league that receive tougher deployment than Blueger, who starts nearly three times as many shifts in the defensive zone as the offensive. The idea is that if he can be a positive with such defensive responsibility, the other centers on the Penguins—of which they have some good ones—will be free to contribute more at the offensive end of the rink. While some of his possession statistics are punished heavily because of that deployment, the Penguins still generally come out on the winning end of the goals scored battle with him on the ice.
With this new contract, his role in Pittsburgh likely won’t change, with heavy penalty killing and defensive minutes baked right into his role. Of course, with a Penguins team facing some real decisions in terms of who to protect at the expansion draft, Blueger may actually end up exposed to the Seattle Kraken. If he does, a $2.2MM contract might actually be pretty enticing to a team that could give him a bigger offensive opportunity. It’s not like Blueger doesn’t have the ability to contribute at that end, as he showed in college and the minor leagues. While there will be other interesting options available, this is exactly the kind of player that an expansion team may target now that he’s on a reasonable two-year deal.
Latest On Gabriel Landeskog’s Pending Free Agency
The Colorado Avalanche are getting closer and closer to unrestricted free agency without any resolution to their two biggest UFA negotiations. While most assumed captain Gabriel Landeskog would be re-signed without issue, things haven’t progressed as quickly as the veteran forward was hoping. In fact, Landeskog expressed some frustration when speaking with Peter Baugh of The Athletic:
I can’t help but be honest with you that I’m a little bit disappointed that it’s gotten this far and it’s had to come to this point.
We’ll see what happens. I’m still hopeful that we can agree on something and come to terms, but if it was up to me, I would have liked it to be done eight months ago, 10 months ago.
It’s difficult to imagine Landeskog in any sweater other than Colorado’s, given he has been a fixture there for so long. Selected second overall in 2011, the Swedish forward immediately jumped into the NHL to win the Calder Trophy with 52 points in 82 games. By the start of year two, he was made the then-youngest captain in NHL history. It’s been his team ever since, even as other supremely talented players have come and gone, even as Nathan MacKinnon assumed the mantle as the best player on the team; it was still Landeskog who wore the “C”.
Last night, Darren Dreger of TSN reported that Landeskog and the Avalanche are “not even close” in their negotiations, which raises some eyebrows given how close free agency is. In just two weeks teams will be able to call up Landeskog and offer him a huge long-term contract. The market for his services will be large, as it’s not often a player that combines first-line offensive production with physicality and leadership hits the market at the age of 28. With 52 points in 54 games this season, he recorded his eighth season of at least 20 goals.
There is still time for the Avalanche to work things out with their captain, but given the fact that they also need to sign Vezina finalist Philipp Grubauer and restricted free agent Cale Makar, there might not be enough money to go around. The team currently has more than $25MM in cap space, but that will shrink considerably after a deal is completed with Makar and the Avalanche still have MacKinnon’s free agency to think about. The 25-year-old center will hit the open market after the 2022-23 season, likely deserving to be paid among the highest earners in the entire NHL. Signing Landeskog and Grubauer to long-term deals would certainly complicate things going forward, but watching your captain walk out the door in the prime of his career is certainly not an optimal scenario.
Free Agent Focus: Ottawa Senators
Free agency is now just under a month away and many teams are already looking ahead to when it opens up. There will be several prominent players set to hit the open market in late July while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign as well. The Senators have some juicy extensions lined up this offseason with a couple of important restricted free agents to sign to deals.
Key Restricted Free Agents
F Brady Tkachuk – Three seasons into his NHL career, the younger Tkachuk has found his way into the hearts of Sens fans with his gritty, power-forward-esque style of play. He’s been on pace for at least 20 goals and 40 points in every full season, establishing a remarkable amount of consistency throughout his young career. Don’t let his not-necessarily elite point production fool you, though. Tkachuk’s finishing ability leaves a lot to be desired, but that only means that his offensive chance generation is more than his point totals would suggest. Considering Tkachuk’s impact on the rebuilding team in such a short amount of time, it makes sense that Ottawa will want to extend him long-term. That’ll likely happen, as Tkachuk’s a player who’ll likely be affordable over the course of a long-term extension.
F Drake Batherson – A former fourth-round pick of the Sens, Batherson was a huge breakout star this season in Ottawa. 17 goals and 34 points in 56 games as a 22-year-old with not too much help stands out as someone who has quite a bit of potential. Playing legitimate top-six minutes against tougher competition, Batherson was also a great power-play threat. He looked like one of the players who fit in the most on this Ottawa team, and he’s likely to be around for a very long time. However, with only one true season showing what he can do under his belt, a cheap bridge deal is the likely outcome for Batherson. He still has multiple seasons left of RFA eligibility, so Ottawa should easily be able to lock him down long-term once his next deal is complete.
Other RFAs: F Michael Amadio, F Logan Brown, F Vitaly Abramov, F J.C. Beaudin, F Jack Kopacka, F Jonathan Davidsson, F Zachary Magwood, D Victor Mete, D Brandon Fortunato, D Olle Alsing, G Marcus Hogberg, G Filip Gustavsson
Key Unrestricted Free Agents
F Ryan Dzingel – After being in and out of the Senators organization, Dzingel had his worst season as an NHLer in 2020-21. His 13 points in 40 games between Ottawa and Carolina this season were a far cry from the potential he showed with his 26-goal, 56-point season in 2018-19. Dzingel saw a heavy reduction in minutes this season as well, playing just 12:42 a night. Dzingel likely has huge bounce-back potential if given more opportunity, but he shouldn’t and won’t get that with Ottawa. Now 29, a Dzingel re-signing would make little sense for Ottawa given the youth movement they’ve built up, with its success showing this season. Dzingel could find success elsewhere, but Ottawa shouldn’t beat themselves up too much if they let him go.
F Artem Anisimov – Brought in via trade to be an experienced veteran at their paper-thin center position, Anisimov’s done his job as a Senator. He’s actually produced at a fairly decent pace, especially considering his age and declining health. His 29 points over 68 games are definitely acceptable, especially for a player who was largely utilized in a fourth-line role. He showed he still had more left in the tank with 15 goals in 2019-20, but struggled more on the scoresheet this year. Anisimov likely has a bit more NHL hockey left in him, but he could also return home to Russia to finish out his career with a potential chance at a Gagarin Cup in the KHL.
Other UFAs: F Derek Stepan, F Micheal Haley, F Matthew Peca, D Cody Goloubef
Projected Cap Space
The Senators, predictably, have a large amount of cap space entering the offseason. Even with $28.5MM in room and a small list of players to re-sign, the Senators will likely stay true to their youth movement and corresponding rebuild this offseason. It’s unlikely that the team will be huge players on the free-agent market, but could still potentially use that cap space to acquire some assets by relieving cap-strapped teams of hefty contracts.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.
Snapshots: Landeskog, Menell, DeAngelo
The Colorado Avalanche have several key free agents to sign this offseason, including captain Gabriel Landeskog. While it has been expected for some time that Landeskog would return to Colorado one way or another, it doesn’t mean teams aren’t preparing for the alternative. Lou Korac of NHL.com reports that the St. Louis Blues will apply a “full pitch effort” should Landeskog reach unrestricted free agency, suggesting that he would move onto a line with Ryan O’Reilly and David Perron.
Landeskog, 28, is coming off another outstanding season with 52 points in 54 games, and will be a highly sought-after commodity should he hit the open market. It’s not often you have a chance to add a still-young-enough star offensive player that adds physicality and leadership for nothing but money through free agency, meaning the Blues certainly wouldn’t be the only team going hard after Landeskog if the Avalanche failed to lock him up.
- The Minnesota Wild are working to try and bring Brennan Menell back to North America, according to Michael Russo of The Athletic. The 24-year-old remains on the team’s reserve list after playing in the KHL this season, where he finished second in scoring among defensemen with 38 points in 47 games. The last time Mennell was on this side of the ocean, he scored 47 points in 57 games with the Iowa Wild and received his first NHL opportunity, suiting up five times with Minnesota. An undrafted free agent signing, the Wild will continue to hold his exclusive NHL rights through his 27th birthday.
- The New York Rangers are still expected to buy out defenseman Tony DeAngelo, but Larry Brooks of the New York Post writes that they will not do so until after the expansion draft. DeAngelo currently fills an exposure requirement for the draft, though so does Anthony Bitetto even if the team exercised the buyout now. The first window to buy out a player is open until July 27, meaning there is no rush for the Rangers at this point.
Free Agent Focus: New York Rangers
Free agency is now just under a month away and many teams are already looking ahead to when it opens up. There will be several prominent players set to hit the open market in late July while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign as well. The Rangers are more concerned with the latter than the former, with few impending UFAs of note but quite a few impact RFAs.
Key Restricted Free Agents
F Pavel Buchnevich – Buchnevich is one of four of the Rangers’ top-twelve scoring forwards without a contract for next season, alongside Chytil, Gauthier, and Di Giuseppe, but is by far the most important. Buchnevich finished third in per-game scoring for New York this year, behind only stars Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad. His 48 points were two more than his 2019-20 total, but in 14 fewer games. Buchnevich’s consistent scoring paired with his defensive improvements and success on both special teams units led to an increase in ice time to 18:44 per game, top line minutes again behind only Zibanejad and Panarin. Buchnevich timed this breakout year well; the 26-year-old forward is now a restricted free agent with arbitration rights. This is not an aberration either, as Buchnevich has shown steady improvement throughout his career and is firmly established as a top-six forward with 20-goal and 50-point regularity. The Rangers will have no choice but to pay up, short-term or long-term, with an unfavorable arbitration decision, not to mention the animosity created by the process, as a looming threat.
G Igor Shesterkin – The Rangers may have two young goaltenders in the pros and a multitude of talented prospects in the pipeline, but make no mistake: Shesterkin is invaluable. The 25-year-old netminder has only played in 47 games across two seasons since coming over from the KHL, but has been superb with a .921 save percentage, 2.59 GAA, and a .611 points percentage in his decisions for a team that has played at a .552 clip over the past two years. Shesterkin is the best of the bunch in net in New York and the Rangers need to lock him up on a multi-year deal, regardless of his lack of NHL experience. Shesterkin’s arbitration eligibility ensures that they will have to pay him fairly as well. Shesterkin is close to unrestricted free agency and the worst thing the team could do is sign what looks to be a solid NHL starter to a short-term deal (or settle for an arbitration decision) only to see him continue to perform or even improve and then price himself out of town.
Other RFAs: F Filip Chytil, D Brandon Crawley, F Gabriel Fontaine, F Julien Gauthier, F Tim Gettinger, D Libor Hajek, G Adam Huska, F Patrick Newell, F Ty Ronning, D Yegor Rykov
Key Unrestricted Free Agents
D Brendan Smith – It wasn’t long ago that Smith’s contract was one of the most criticized in the NHL as he was buried in the minors in the first season of a four-year, $17.4MM deal with the Rangers. In the years since, he has somewhat recovered to become a good albeit still overpaid depth defenseman for New York. Smith has played in over 80% of the Rangers’ games over the past three seasons since his abysmal debut season, providing physicality and defensive stability and, for the first time in 2020-21, more secure puck-handling and a hint more offense. With a deep stable of talented young defensemen, the Rangers don’t need Smith. However, they could do far worse than someone with versatility, checking ability, and veteran experience as a depth option. He would come much cheaper this time around as well, as Smith is unlikely to have a competitive market as a free agent.
F Phil Di Giuseppe – At 27 years old with only 201 career games and 53 career points, Di Giuseppe has not much more than a depth option during his time in the NHL and likely won’t be. However, he proved to be valuable in that role in two seasons with New York, playing a gritty checking game and contributing some modest offense. Di Giuseppe’s success as a plug-and-play bottom-six forward is not limited to his time with the Rangers either, as some of his best seasons were playing the same role with the Carolina Hurricanes. As an affordable extra man, Di Giuseppe has value to the Rangers as an extension candidate, but he may be on the lookout for more opportunity rather than staying on a New York roster that is deep in young players in need of ice time and hoping to add more veterans this off-season.
Other UFAs: D Jack Johnson, D Darren Raddysh
Projected Cap Space
While Buchnevich and Shesterkin will earn considerable deals this summer and Chytil is deserving of a sizeable raise as well, the Rangers remain in good shape with the salary cap. They currently project to have $22.89MM in cap space with 18 players on the NHL roster, but that includes third-string goaltender Keith Kinkaid and cap charge for defenseman Anthony DeAngelo, who will be traded or at worst bought out in the off-season. A more accurate projection is closer to $25.5MM with 17 players on the roster. New deals for Gauthier, Hajek, and possibly Smith or Di Giuseppe (or replacements) should come cheap, leaving plenty of room to re-sign the key trio of RFA’s with room to spare to add another impact forward or two.
Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.
Free Agent Focus: New York Islanders
Free agency is now just under a month away and many teams are already looking ahead to when it opens up. There will be several prominent players set to hit the open market in late July while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign as well. The Islanders, similar to last season, face an extenuating salary cap crunch that could force some moves.
Key Restricted Free Agents
F Anthony Beauvillier – It was a solid season for the 24-year-0ld winger, who’s continuing to progress into a legitimate depth option moving forward. Even with this year’s shortened season, Beauvillier’s now scored at least 15 goals for four straight years, including one of his most complete two-way years in 2020-21. Mostly relied upon for his scoring ability, he’s a good young piece for a team that struggles to have consistent offensive success. While the Islanders would love to commit long-term to Beauvillier, keeping costs down this offseason is paramount. Expect a bridge deal, likely no more than three seasons long, in the $3MM range. It allows Beauvillier to cash in at the end of the deal, and it gives the Isles some necessary breathing room.
D Adam Pelech – Underrated no more is Pelech, who even received a handful of Norris Trophy votes this season. Playing over 21 minutes a night for the second straight year, the low-event, shot-suppressing defenseman forms one of the formidable pairings in the league with Ryan Pulock. New York’s second-best defender, Pelech will need a sharp raise this offseason. Yet again, though, the salary cap will limit how long the Islanders can make an investment. Older than Beauvillier, any deal will carry Pelech into unrestricted free agency. The Isles will sign him to as much term as they can while keeping the cost as low as possible.
Other RFAs: F Michael Dal Colle, F Kieffer Bellows, F Dmytro Timashov, F Otto Koivula, F Anatoly Golyshev, F Bobo Carpenter, G Ilya Sorokin
Key Unrestricted Free Agents
F Kyle Palmieri – Despite probably the worst regular season of Palmieri’s career, he likely boosted his stock this offseason considerably with his playoff performance. He had nine points in 19 games with many coming at important moments. While there’s always the possibility of Palmieri taking a short-term deal on the cheap to try and win with the Islanders, it’s likely that he’ll receive enough more compensatory offers on the open market that he’ll be playing elsewhere next season. The Isles have younger, cheaper in-house options to replace his offense, including Oliver Wahlstrom and Kieffer Bellows.
F Casey Cizikas – The Isles’ longtime fourth-line center, this offseason could be one where Cizikas and New York part ways. Now 30 years old, Cizikas has played almost 600 NHL games and is an invaluable leader for the Isles. Yet the former 20-goal scorer remains stuck on the depth chart behind Jean-Gabriel Pageau. If Cizikas wants the opportunity to move elsewhere and play increased minutes, this may be his only shot. It’s also perfectly realistic to expect that Cizikas could take an extremely friendly deal to remain with the team. There’s always been an aspect of loyalty there, and that could come into play here.
Other UFAs: F Travis Zajac, F Cole Bardreau, F Joshua Ho-Sang, F Tanner Fritz, D Braydon Coburn, D Andy Greene, G Cory Schneider
Projected Cap Space
The Islanders are in tough this offseason with just $5.8MM to work with and important pieces to re-sign. While that number will surely increase once defenseman Johnny Boychuk‘s contract is moved to LTIR, the Islanders still likely won’t have that much room to maneuver with. It’s entirely possible that we see general manager Lou Lamoriello make some unexpected trades in order to boost the team’s talent level without much added cap expense, but only time will tell.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.
Free Agent Focus: New Jersey Devils
Free agency is now just under a month away and many teams are already looking ahead to when it opens up. There will be several prominent players set to hit the open market in late July while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign as well.
Key Restricted Free Agents
F Yegor Sharangovich – A fifth-round pick of New Jersey in 2018, the Belarusian-born Sharangovich burst onto the scene in his first NHL season in 2020-21. His 16-goal, 30-point season was rather unexpected and was good enough to put Sharangovich 10th in this year’s Calder Trophy race. While Sharangovich had shown some promise in his past few AHL seasons, he scored at a better pace in the NHL this year than he ever has in the minors. His play this season was a continuation of a strong start to 2020-21 on loan with the KHL’s Dinamo Minsk. Serving as an alternate captain for his hometown team, Sharangovich scored and 25 points (17 of which were goals) in 34 games. Sharangovich seems to have secured a spot in the Devils’ top-six forward group for next season, but the Devils will be hesitant to plop too much money down too soon on the breakout forward. Expect general manager Tom Fitzgerald to sign Sharangovich to a bridge deal in the neighborhood of two years, making him an RFA again at the end of his next contract.
F Janne Kuokkanen – Kuokkanen was another surprise this season. The former Carolina Hurricanes prospect, acquired at the 2020 Trade Deadline in a package for defenseman Sami Vatanen, scored at a 41-point pace with New Jersey this year. Playing nearly 15 minutes a night, the 23-year-old Finn posted impressive possession numbers too considering the weakness of the team. Kuokkanen figures to be an important depth piece moving forward if his early performance is any indication. A lengthier extension, maybe three years, is in line for Kuokkanen in order to take him up to the very end of his restricted free agent eligibility.
Other RFAs: F Nicholas Merkley, F Michael McLeod, F Brandon Gignac, F A.J. Greer, F Marian Studenic, D David Quenneville, D Colton White, D Colby Sissons, G Evan Cormier, G Gilles Senn
Key Unrestricted Free Agents
D Ryan Murray – Acquired by the Devils in exchange for a fifth-round draft pick prior to the season, the injury-prone defenseman didn’t quite live up to expectations this season. While Murray was fine by his standards offensively with 14 points in 48 games, Murray’s defensive play slacked considerably from his time with the Columbus Blue Jackets. That’s not to say the Devils won’t re-sign him, though. Their blueline is relatively barren and weak as is, and with Murray likely taking a pay cut on his next deal, his play could improve along with his surroundings. There’s always been the feeling of untapped potential surrounding the former second-overall pick, and the Devils may hope that they’re the ones to unlock it on his next deal.
G Aaron Dell – Once one of the more highly-regarded backup netminders in the league with the San Jose Sharks, Dell’s rough go of it this year may have cost him another NHL deal. Originally signed by the Toronto Maple Leafs prior to the season to serve as their taxi squad goalie, Dell was picked up on waivers by the Devils after Toronto attempted to return him post-callup. Getting into five starts and seven games with the Devils while they also dealt with goalie injuries, Dell won just one game and put up a .857 save percentage and 4.14 goals against average, both the worst marks of his career by far. Now 31 years old, Dell may have to head overseas or to the minor leagues to find his next team.
Other UFAs: F Ben Street, F Brett Seney, F Mason Jobst, D Connor Carrick, D Matt Tennyson, D Josh Jacobs
Projected Cap Space
Despite the flat $81.5MM salary cap continuing into next season, New Jersey is one of the few teams with very little to worry about. The team has $35.7MM in cap space and, when combined with the low quantity of free agents to re-sign, the Devils have serious amounts of free space to use to their advantage in free agency. Combine that with the intrigue of playing with a young core that includes Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, and Ty Smith, and GM Fitzgerald is in a position to acquire real talent to assist the Devils on their journey back to contention.
Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.
Free Agent Focus: Montreal Canadiens
Free agency is now just under a month away and many teams are already looking ahead to when it opens up. There will be several prominent players set to hit the open market in late July while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign as well. The Montreal Canadiens come bitterly into the offseason after a Stanley Cup Final loss, but a large amount of unrestricted free agents mean it’s a pivotal time for the franchise.
Key Restricted Free Agents
F Artturi Lehkonen – An up-and-down season ended strongly for the first Finnish Canadiens RFA. While in part due to the shortened season, Lehkonen had his worst offensive season to date, failing to post either 10 goals or 20 points for the first time in his five-year NHL career. He didn’t fare too well under either Claude Julien or Dominique Ducharme, at least in the regular season. It resulted in the lowest usage of his career, being played just 13:25 minutes per game. However, when the opportunity arose during their playoff run, Lehkonen rose to the challenge. Taking the left-wing spot with Phillip Danault and Brendan Gallagher, Lehkonen helped formed a line that shut down opponents’ top players for the majority of the playoffs. He added an overtime series winner to boot, as one of his three playoff goals sent Montreal to the Stanley Cup Final. Yet the reality stands that Lehkonen was inconsistent at best overall this season, and his next deal will likely reflect that. A shorter-term deal should be expected for a depth player like Lehkonen.
F Jesperi Kotkaniemi – It’s hard to know what to make of Montreal’s 2018 top draft pick at this stage in his career. Coming off of his entry-level deal, Kotkaniemi has broken expectations during each of his playoffs runs, totaling nine goals and 12 points in 29 games. Yet Kotkaniemi didn’t even score that amount in a full 56-game campaign this year, potting only five goals. While the young Finnish center has oozed potential during Montreal’s playoff appearances, he hasn’t been able to perform at the same level over the course of his regular seasons. With all that being said, it’s extremely unlikely that general manager Marc Bergevin commits to Kotkaniemi long-term this offseason. At just 21 years old, Kotkaniemi still has four more seasons of RFA eligibility. It’s impossible to imagine that Montreal would give him a deal longer than that, instead allowing Kotkaniemi to live up to his potential over the course of a lower-stakes bridge deal.
Other RFAs: F Joseph Blandisi, F Michael Pezzetta, F Ryan Poehling, F Jacob Lucchini, D Otto Leskinen, D Cale Fleury, G Michael McNiven
Key Unrestricted Free Agents
F Phillip Danault – Danault had largely been regarded as one of the more underrated defensive centers in the NHL over the past few seasons. That’s no longer the case. Danault’s shot-suppressing expertise was on full display throughout the regular season and playoffs. And while his offense took a backseat in the playoffs with just one goal and four points in 22 contests, he’s scored 124 points in 205 games over his past three seasons. The offense will come back next season if history is any indicator. It’s why Danault is expected to get a significant raise on his $3.083MM cap hit. With Danault possibly receiving offers over $5MM and even $6MM on the open market, Montreal will have to shell out the cash to retain their Quebec-born top-six center.
F Tomas Tatar – Montreal’s usage of Tatar this season, especially in the playoffs, was puzzling to many. It was just last year where Tatar had emerged to lead the Habs in scoring with 61 points in just 68 games. While Tatar was limited to just 30 points in 50 games this year, his line with Danault and Gallagher had performed extremely well from a possession standpoint. Even through the beginning of their first-round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Tatar’s line had succeeded at silencing Toronto’s top talent. Yet Tatar soon found himself scratched for the rest of the playoff run, with Lehkonen taking his role on that line. It’s hard to expect that Montreal will want to retain Tatar at this point, especially with outside teams knowing what they can get out of him. Expect Tatar to be in a top-six role again next season — just not with Montreal.
Other UFAs: F Corey Perry, F Joel Armia, F Eric Staal, F Michael Frolik, F Jordan Weal, F Alex Belzile, D Jonathon Merrill, D Erik Gustafsson, D Gustav Olofsson, G Charlie Lindgren
Projected Cap Space
While Montreal sits with a respectable $14.7MM in cap space, the team has a lot of expiring talent. Retaining the expected pieces and building on this roster’s weaknesses will likely bring Bergevin and Montreal into a tricky dance with the salary cap yet again next season. And while no drastic moves are expected from this year’s Stanley Cup finalist, it might be challenging for Montreal to navigate the free-agent waters after they’ve re-signed key pieces. However, Montreal’s camaraderie and team strength were on full display this season. It’s the type of performance that incentivizes players to take pay cuts to play for a winner, something that may very well be a reality for Montreal this offseason.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.
Teams Calling On Chris Driedger
The Florida Panthers have an interesting asset in Chris Driedger, the relatively unknown goaltender that has outperformed Sergei Bobrovsky for two years running. Because of Bobrovsky’s big contract and Spencer Knight‘s emergence, the Panthers don’t really need to retain Driedger, but with just a few weeks until he becomes an unrestricted free agent, time is running out if they want to cash him in.
The 27-year-old netminder is drawing interest, according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, who tweets that teams are calling the Panthers about Driedger ahead of free agency. As he notes, however, the expansion draft looms and any acquiring team would need to be able to both sign and protect him if they want to keep him out of Seattle.
Buyer beware, as the former Ottawa Senators prospect still has just 41 games of NHL experience, but perhaps the late-bloomer has really just found a new performance level. As recently as the 2018-19 season he was in the ECHL, posting a .911 save percentage in 11 appearances for the Manchester Monarchs. This year in Florida, he had a .927 in 23 NHL contests.
Overall in his 41 NHL appearances, Driedger has a .926 and has posted a 21-10-4 record. The fact that he’s still young enough to potentially improve has to be enticing to teams (even expansion ones) and his lack of history should keep his price relatively low.
The situation is eerily similar to one that played out in 2017, when the Carolina Hurricanes (then led by Kraken GM Ron Francis) traded a third-round pick for Chicago Blackhawks backup Scott Darling, then signed him to a four-year, $16.6MM contract. At the time, Darling had played in just 75 regular season games and had a .923 save percentage (and was even just a few years removed from ECHL action himself). Of course, he also came with a Stanley Cup ring, as he appeared in five games during the 2015 run.
Darling flamed out during his first season as a starter, posting an .888 save percentage in 43 appearances with Carolina, and was bought out by 2019. There’s no guarantee that Driedger would suffer the same fate, but it certainly should pause some front offices that are drooling over his performance from this season.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Nick Bjugstad Re-Signs With Minnesota Wild
The Minnesota Wild have re-signed another big-bodied forward, inking Nick Bjugstad to a one-year contract. The deal will carry just a $900K salary and keeps Bjugstad from unrestricted free agency.
Given that the 28-year-old forward is coming off a six-year, $24.6MM contract, getting him signed for just $900K seems like a huge win for the Wild. Even if he has struggled to produce the kind of numbers he put up early in his career with the Florida Panthers, he is still a reasonably effective option that has experience at both center and wing. In 44 games this season with Minnesota, he scored six goals and 17 points, adding in one goal in six playoff matches.
That’s a pretty nice value for the Wild, especially since it carries basically no risk as a one-year deal. The entire cap hit could be buried in the minor leagues if necessary, but that seems unlikely given his history in the NHL. As a 22-year-old for the Panthers, the 6’6″ center scored 24 goals, leading to the big extension. A few years later he was moved to Pittsburgh, before eventually coming to Minnesota last fall for, well, nothing. Bjugstad was traded for a conditional seventh-round pick that the Penguins did not receive because he did not meet the conditions.
Now, on such a low-cost deal, Bjugstad can fill a bottom-six role for Minnesota without the pressure or expectations that come with such an expensive contract. Perhaps that leads him to his past success, but at worst, it’ll just cost the Wild a few hundred thousand wasted dollars.