Detroit Red Wings Sign Calvin Pickard
The Red Wings have made official their expected signing of goaltender Calvin Pickard, who will battle last summer’s free agency addition, Jonathan Bernier, for the right to backup Jimmy Howard. Pickard joins Detroit on a two-year, $1.5MM contract, a substantially more affordable deal than Bernier’s which could give him a leg up in the competition.
Pickard, 27, had a dreadful 2018-19 season, starting with a waiver placement at the beginning of the year with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Claimed by the Philadelphia Flyers, he would play just 11 games for them before being waived again, only to be picked up by the Arizona Coyotes. While Arizona may have seemed like a great opportunity given the goaltending injuries they were facing, Pickard went weeks between appearances and ended up on a conditioning stint in the minor leagues for a time. He only played in six games with the Coyotes, a tough way for any goaltender to find a rhythm.
Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman must have remembered he liked Pickard in a previous year, as he rewarded that forgettable season with a two-year one-way contract. Even if he doesn’t win a job in training camp he at least has some financial stability and the two-year deal very well could scare teams off of a waiver claim.
Boston Bruins Add Maxime Lagace
In need of an established third-string option in net, the Boston Bruins have opted to sign Maxime Lagace to fill the role. TVA’s Renaud Lavoie reports it is a one-year, two-way deal for the 26-year-old and worth the minimum $700K at the NHL level. The former Vegas Golden Knights keeper will spend next season with AHL Providence barring any injuries to top tandem Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak.
Lagace wasn’t needed much as a third-sting option for Vegas this season as he only appeared in one game for the Golden Knights, but he saw quite a bit of action in the Golden Knights’ inaugural season when he became the starting goaltender for a stretch after the team lost both Marc-Andre Fleury and Malcolm Subban to injury. He appeared in 16 games that year, but struggled with a 3.92 GAA and a. 867 save percentage. He split time with Oscar Dansk this year in with the Chicago Wolves, but took more of a backup role to him, especially in the Calder Cup playoffs as Lagace appeared in just three games of their Calder Cup Finals run. However, his numbers remained solid in the AHL, where he put up a 2.43 GAA and a.914 save percentage in 33 appearances.
Lagace will replace Zane McIntyre who the Bruins were going to lose in free agency. The team hopes that Lagace can help mentor 21-year-old Dan Vladar, who showed some flashes of success at the AHL level, but also proved to be quite inconsistent and wouldn’t be able to help much at the NHL level. Lagace should be able to fill that void.
Timo Meier Signs Extension With San Jose Sharks
The San Jose Sharks might not be huge players in the unrestricted free agent market this year, but they are keeping another one of their excellent young players. Timo Meier has signed a four-year contract extension with the Sharks that will carry a $6MM average annual value. Meier will still be a restricted free agent at the end of the deal, and will be eligible for salary arbitration. GM Doug Wilson released a statement on his young forward:
Timo is one of only a few young, dominant power forwards in the NHL and we’re extremely pleased that he stepped forward to make this commitment to the Sharks. Timo has elevated himself into a core part of our hockey team and his play last season was a huge part of our success. We feel that his best hockey is still ahead of him.
With numbers rolling around for some of the top restricted free agents that sometimes approaches eight digits, the Sharks look like they got a steal of a deal with Meier. The 22-year-old had a breakout season and keeps showing marked improvement in each year, which the team was hoping for when they made him the ninth-overall pick in 2015. Meier tallied three goals and six points in 34 games during his rookie season, but took that to a new level in his sophomore campaign when he tallied 21 goals and 36 points. While solid, Meier took his game to a whole new level this year as he became a major component to the Sharks’ offense, scoring 30 goals and 66 points.
With a better than expected $6MM deal, the Sharks should have some extra money to add depth to their team. The team has lost a number of key players from last season as they recently allowed captain Joe Pavelski as well as winger Joonas Donskoi to walk away in free agency. The team also traded away defenseman Justin Braun on defense and have quite a few holes to fill.
Penguins To Sign Brandon Tanev To Long-Term Contract
The Pittsburgh Penguins were not expected to be major players in free agency, but have apparently fallen in love with one particular two-way forward. TSN’s Darren Dreger initially reported the deal, and the Penguins have now confirmed the signing of Brandon Tanev to a six-year contract with a $3.5MM AAV.
That’s a significant commitment to a player who made just $1.15MM last season and whose best season was 14 goals and 29 points, but the 27-year-old provides more than offense on the ice as Tanev finished with a career-high in hits with 278. That physicality, to go with the ability to show some offense and the fact that Tanev continues to improve every year suggests that Pittsburgh believes that his best years are still to come. The hope is that Tanev can provide the team with an energy booster in the bottom-six, but who can also help those lines add some offense.
Pittsburgh likely wouldn’t have been able to make a deal like that work, but general manager Jim Rutherford freed up quite a bit of cap room in the last week by trading off defenseman Olli Maatta as well as finding a trade partner for Phil Kessel and his $8MM salary.
The Jets were thrilled with the 27-year-old’s play, but with Tanev having received quite a bit of attention on the open market, Winnipeg realized early on that they wouldn’t have enough money to keep him in the fold considering the team would already be up against the cap once the team re-signs some of their core, including Patrik Laine, Kyle Connor and Neal Pionk.
Artemi Panarin Signs With New York Rangers
After the Columbus Blue Jackets, New York Islanders, Florida Panthers and Colorado Avalanche all made huge pitches to try and convince Artemi Panarin to join their squads, it ends up being the New York Rangers who will acquire his services moving forward. The Rangers have agreed to terms on a seven-year, $81.5MM deal with Panarin.
Panarin, 27, was the consensus No. 1 in our Top 50 UFAs this season, and will immediately become the highest-paid winger in the entire NHL. His cap hit is will be more than $1MM higher than Patrick Kane‘s $10.5MM from several years ago and well ahead of the recent market set by Nikita Kucherov and Mark Stone at $9.5MM. Part of that is the fact that he actually got to unrestricted free agency, but there is good reason to think he will be able to perform at a high level for quite some time.
In the four years he has played in North America, the originally undrafted Panarin has only gotten better. Setting a career-high with 87 points last season in just 79 games, he proved that he could create offense with any type of linemate and established himself as a legitimate superstar in the NHL. That’s exactly what the Rangers were waiting for and have now had quite the summer. They had already traded for both Adam Fox and Jacob Trouba to improve their blue line, and drafted Kaapo Kakko second overall. Panarin’s contract is extremely expensive, but also puts the Rangers in line to compete for the playoffs as soon as next season.
This is a team that just over a year ago sent a letter to fans explaining that they were going to have to trade some “familiar faces, guys we all care about and respect” but were committed to building a Stanley Cup contending team. In such a short time the team has dealt away Ryan McDonagh, J.T. Miller, Jimmy Vesey, Rick Nash, Nick Holden, Adam McQuaid, Mats Zuccarello, Neal Pionk, Kevin Hayes and Michael Grabner in order to set themselves up with an almost unmatched prospect pipeline and a great chance of success in the future.
Now, after finishing near the bottom of the league and picking second overall, the rebuild is finished in New York. Panarin’s deal ushers in the next phase that will include competing for the playoffs. That doesn’t necessarily mean they’re finished trading though, as Chris Kreider and Vladislav Namestnikov remain just a year away from unrestricted free agency and may not be considered key parts moving forward.
Dallas Add John Stevens To Coaching Staff
July 1: With Stevens’ contract expiring with the Kings, the Stars have officially added him to their staff.
June 11: The Dallas Stars and head coach Jim Montgomery are making a major addition, and free agency hasn’t even started. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that Dallas is set to hire former Los Angeles Kings and Philadelphia Flyers head coach John Stevens as an assistant on Montgomery’s staff. Stevens was considered one of the top available coaches this off-season and will be a major addition for the Stars.
It should not come as much of a surprise that Montgomery and Stevens are back together. As Friedman notes, the pair have a considerable shared history. Both Montgomery and Stevens played together on the AHL’s Philadelphia Phantoms in the late 90’s during what would be the final years of Stevens’ playing career due to a career-ending injury. Stevens would then become an assistant coach during Montgomery’s final year with the team. As Montgomery himself later transitioned into coaching, he led the USHL’s Dubuque Fighting Saints as head coach and general manager for several years, during which time he would recruit and coach John Stevens Jr., who currently plays for the AHL’s Bridgeport Sound Tigers. Of course, the two friends also coached against each other early this past season as well, as Montgomery’s Stars defeated Stevens’ Kings 4-2 in late October in one of Stevens’ final games at the helm.
Stevens’ stint as the head coach in L.A. was arguably cut short too early. In his first full season of duty in 2017-18, the Kings went 45-29-8 and made the playoffs, before a disappointing sweep by the Vegas Golden Knights in the first round. The team then started last season off 4-8-1, after which Stevens was fired and replaced with Willie Desjardins, who himself has now been replaced by Todd McLellan. Stevens still maintained a winning record as head coach of the Kings and holds the same distinction as an NHL head coach overall, despite finishing just below .500 in aggregate over parts of four seasons as the head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers from 2006 to 2010. Stevens has a strong grasp on defense and has often led teams that play a safe, conservative game, even if that doesn’t always lead to the offense needed to win games. Combined with Mongtomery’s eye for offense and the Stars’ substantial talent, Stevens has the chance to be a major difference-maker in Dallas and it is not a stretch to say he could be an NHL head coach again someday if things go well in this next stop.
Dallas Stars Sign Andrej Sekera
The Dallas Stars will add a pair of veteran forwards when free agency opens in just over an hour, and are now expected to bring in some experience on defense as well. Bob McKenzie of TSN reports that the Stars will sign Andrej Sekera to a one-year contract later today. Sekera was recently bought out by the Edmonton Oilers and will be earning $1.5MM from them in each of the next four seasons. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that the deal will be $1.5MM in salary with an additional $500K in potential performance bonuses. Though Sekera isn’t 35 yet, he spent enough time injured last season to be eligible for bonuses.
Sekera, 33, has played just 60 games for the Oilers over the last two seasons but looked like his game was starting to turn around at the end of the year. If he can recover any of the ability that made him a 44-point defenseman in 2013-14 for the Carolina Hurricanes the Stars will have a bargain on their hands, but that is far from certain. Dallas already has most of their defense corps set but were a little thin at the fringes.
The question now will be what happens to young Julius Honka, who needs a new contract but hasn’t been able to find a fit with the Stars since being selected 14th overall in 2014. Through 87 games in the NHL Honka has just 13 points, and may not have much of an opportunity in Dallas if Stephen Johns is able to return from injury this season.
UFA Notes: Hathaway, Lindberg, Gibbons, Lehner, Tanev, Chiarot
Garnet Hathaway appears to be on his way out of Calgary. Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that the winger is looking at a few options in the East. The 27-year-old is coming off a career year with the Flames that saw him go from a depth option to an important piece of their fourth line. He chipped in with 19 points (11-8-19) in 78 games along with a team-high 200 hits. That should be enough to land Hathaway a multi-year deal this summer at a nice raise over the $850K he made last season.
Other UFA notes this morning:
- The Senators aren’t expected to re-sign center Oscar Lindberg and winger Brian Gibbons, notes Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch (Twitter link). Both players were brought in near the trade deadline and Gibbons in particular finished up quite strong with 14 points in 20 games with Ottawa. Meanwhile, Lindberg didn’t fare so well but as a 27-year-old pivot with a few decent years under his belt, he should have quite a few suitors on the open market.
- Goaltender Robin Lehner declined a two-year, $10MM offer from the Islanders, reports Andy Strickland of Fox Sports Midwest (Twitter link). The netminder had a career season which makes him one of the top goalies available but his struggles in his time with Buffalo are likely playing a role in him only receiving a short-term offer from New York.
- The Jets won’t likely be able to retain defenseman Ben Chiarot or winger Brandon Tanev, notes Postmedia’s Ken Wiebe (Twitter link). He notes that both players are likely to earn significant raises on what they made last season ($1.4MM AAV for Chiarot, $1.15MM for Tanev) which will price them out of what Winnipeg can afford. The 28-year-old Chiarot logged 18:37 per night last season and is one of the more underrated blueliners in free agency while Tanev, 27, had a career season offensively with 29 points (14-15-29) while being among the league leaders in hits with 278.
UFA Notes: Pickard, Agostino, Leier, Speculation
There’s a goalie competition coming to Detroit. TSN’s Frank Seravalli reports that free agent goalie Calvin Pickard is poised to sign a two-year deal with the Red Wings when the market opens tomorrow. As Seravalli notes, that will pit him against Jonathan Bernier for the backup role behind Jimmy Howard. With Howard, 35, signed through just next year but both Bernier and soon Pickard signed for two more years, the time share in net next season in Detroit could be fascinating. Not only could the two veteran goalies battle to be Howard’s understudy next season, but they could be in line to replace him a season later. Neither keeper found much success in 2018-19. Bernier, who some expected to beat out Howard for the starting job, instead posted the worst numbers of his career – a .904 save percentage and 3.16 GAA – in 35 appearances. Pickard fared even worse, allowing an .875 save percentage and 3.86 GAA in a season split between the Philadelphia Flyers and Arizona Coyotes. Pickard’s advantage in the battle though will be his price point, expected to be low after a down year, compared to Bernier’s $3MM mark.
- The Toronto Maple Leafs are lacking the cap space to do much of anything other than adding affordable depth pieces. Adrian Dater of Colorado Hockey Now reports that one such deal is already done. Former AHL MVP Kenny Agostino is expected to sign a two-year, one-way contract with the Leafs, though Dater does not provide any salary details. Agostino, 27, finally got a full-time look in the NHL last season, playing in 63 games with the Montreal Canadiens and New Jersey Devils. Agostino recorded 24 points on the year, a mark that Toronto would be very happy with if the winger comes in at a low cost.
- It was a year of change for Taylor Leier, who experienced both his first trade, moving from the Philadelphia Flyers to the Buffalo Sabres, and his first season spent exclusively in the AHL. Despite qualifying for Group 6 unrestricted free agency, it seems the 25-year-old forward has place emphasis on familiarity instead of opportunity. The Rochester Americans, affiliate of the Sabres, have announced a one-year AHL contract with Leier. The signing comes as a bit of a surprise, considering Leier spent the entire 2017-18 season in the NHL and has been a very productive AHL player. Young and capable, Leier seemingly would have been a good fit for a two-way deal somewhere, but apparently would rather stay put in Rochester, perhaps in hopes of convincing Buffalo that he is worthy of an NHL contract.
- Spoiler alert! Although he acknowledges that they are just educated guesses and provides few details, TSN’s respected insider Bob McKenzie has offered some insight where some of the biggest UFA names may end up tomorrow. McKenzie believes that Columbus teammates Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky may not end up as a package deal after all. He thinks that Panarin, and possibly Semyon Varlamov, could land with the New York Islanders, while Bobrovsky goes alone to the Florida Panthers. Those moves would then leave the Carolina Hurricanes and Columbus Blue Jackets as the likely to suitors for Robin Lehner. McKenzie also states that a long-term deal for Mats Zuccarello with the Minnesota Wild appears to be close to done.
Anaheim Ducks Acquire Nicolas Deslauriers
In their second trade of the day, the Montreal Canadiens have dealt two-way forward Nicolas Deslauriers to the Anaheim Ducks, the team announced. In return, the Habs have acquired Anaheim’s 2020 fourth-round pick. This is yet another salary dump for Montreal, as they free up cap space ahead of the opening of free agency on Monday.
In Deslauriers, the Ducks land an affordable and effective bottom-six option. The 28-year-old Deslauriers has shown modest offense at times, albeit inconsistently, but his real value comes in his physicality and ability to create turnovers and win puck battles. Although Anaheim has great depth up front in regards to a number of pro-ready prospects, Deslauriers is the type of experienced, gritty forward who can help to protect the young offensive talent. At $950K, he hardly makes a dent in the salary cap to provide an underappreciated but critical service.
It is somewhat of a surprise that the Canadiens moved the Quebec native, but Montreal is clearly gearing up to spend money on a major addition this off-season. On top of that, they continue to stockpile 2020 draft picks for a draft that they are hosting. The Ducks’ fourth-rounder makes it 12 selections for Montreal next year, eight of which come in the first four rounds. This is thus another deal that plays into a bigger plan for the Habs.