Day One Free Agent Recap: Metropolitan Division
The NHL’s Metropolitan Division did some shopping yesterday, with a few teams making big splashes on the free agent market. Bigger deals include the New York Islanders’ twin seven-year deals for Scott Mayfield and Pierre Engvall, as well as a pricey two-year pact between the Carolina Hurricanes and Dmitry Orlov.
Carolina Hurricanes
F – Michael Bunting (3-year, $13.5MM, $4.5MM AAV)
F – Jesper Fast (2-year, $4.8MM, 2.4MM AAV)
D – Dmitry Orlov (2-year, $15.5MM, $7.75MM AAV)
G – Frederik Andersen (2-year, $6.8MM, $3.4MM AAV)
G – Antti Raanta (1-year, $1.5MM)
Columbus Blue Jackets
F – Adam Fantilli (3-year entry-level contract $950k AAV)
New Jersey Devils
F – Michael McLeod (1-year, $1.4MM)
F – Nathan Bastian (2-year, $2.7MM, $1.35MM AAV)
F – Kyle Criscuolo (1-year, $775k)
F – Justin Dowling (1-year, $775k)
G – Erik Kallgren (1-year, $775k)
New York Islanders
F – Pierre Engvall (7-year, $21MM, $3MM AAV)
D – Scott Mayfield (7-year, $24.5MM, $3.5MM AAV)
G – Ilya Sorokin (8-year, $66MM, $8.25MM AAV)
G – Semyon Varlamov (4-year, $11MM, $2.75MM)
New York Rangers
F – Blake Wheeler (1-year, $800k)
F – Nick Bonino (1-year, $800k)
F – Tyler Pitlick (1-year, $787.5k)
F – Riley Nash (2-year, $1.55MM, $775k AAV)
F – Alex Belzile (2-year, $1.55MM, $775k AAV)
D – Connor Mackey (1-year, $775k)
D – Erik Gustafsson (1-year, $825k)
D – Nikolas Brouillard (1-year, $775k)
G – Jonathan Quick (1-year, $825k)
Philadelphia Flyers
F – Garnet Hathaway (2-year, $4.75MM, $2.375MM AAV)
F – Ryan Poehling (1-year, $1.4MM)
F – Rhett Gardner (2-year, $1.55MM, $775k AAV)
Pittsburgh Penguins
F – Noel Acciari (3-year, $6MM, $2MM AAV)
F – Lars Eller (2-year, $4.9MM, $2.45MM AAV)
F – Joona Koppanen (2-year, $1.55MM, $775k AAV)
F – Matt Nieto (2-year, $1.8MM, $900k AAV)
D – Ryan Graves (6-year, $27MM, $4.5MM AAV)
D – Ryan Shea (1-year, $775k)
G – Tristan Jarry (5-year, $26.875MM, $5.375MM AAV)
G – Alex Nedeljkovic (1-year, $1.5MM)
Washington Capitals
F – Max Pacioretty (1-year, $2MM)
F – Pierrick Dube (2-year, $1.9MM, $870k AAV)
G – Hunter Shepard (2-year, $1.55MM, $775k AAV)
Day One Free Agent Recap: Atlantic Division
The NHL’s Atlantic Division was one of the busiest yesterday, as each team (minus the Montreal Canadiens) spent quite a bit to improve their clubs. Of all 166 signings made yesterday by teams, the Atlantic Division accounted for 33.73% of that. Of the largest contracts handed out in the division, J.T. Compher‘s $25.5MM contract with the Detroit Red Wings and Joonas Korpisalo‘s $20MM with the Ottawa Senators tops the list.
Boston Bruins
F – Morgan Geekie (2-year, $4MM, $2MM AAV)
F – Luke Toporowski (2-year, $1.9MM, $870K AAV)
F – Patrick Brown (2-year, $1.6MM, $800K AAV)
F – Milan Lucic (1-year, $1.5MM)
D – Kevin Shattenkirk (1-year, $1.05MM)
F – James van Riemsdyk (1-year, $1MM)
F – Jayson Megna (1-year, $775K)
D – Parker Wotherspoon (1-year, $775K)
F – Anthony Richard (1-year, $775K)
Buffalo Sabres
D – Connor Clifton (3-year, $9.99MM, $3.33MM AAV)
D – Erik Johnson (1-year, $3.25MM)
F – Tyson Jost (1-year, $2MM)
F – Justin Richards (1-year, $775K)
G – Devin Cooley (1-year, $775K)
G – Dustin Tokarski (1-year, $775K)
Detroit Red Wings
F – J.T. Compher (5-year, $25.5MM, $5.1MM AAV)
D – Justin Holl (3-year, $10.2MM, $3.4MM AAV)
D – Shayne Gostisbehere (1-year, $4.125MM)
F – Klim Kostin (2-year, $4MM, $2MM AAV)
F – Daniel Sprong (1-year, $2MM)
G – Alex Lyon (2-year, $1.8MM, $900K AAV)
D – Brogan Rafferty (2-year, $1.55MM, $775K AAV)
G – James Reimer (1-year, $1.5MM)
D – Gustav Lindstrom (1-year, $950K)
F – Timothy Gettinger (1-year, $775K)
F – Matt Luff (1-year, $775K)
Florida Panthers
D – Niko Mikkola (3-year, $7.5MM, $2.5MM AAV)
D – Oliver Ekman-Larsson (1-year, $2.25MM)
F – Grigori Denisenko (2-year, $1.55MM, $775K AAV)
G – Anthony Stolarz (1-year, $1.1MM)
F – Kevin Stenlund (1-year, $1MM)
D – Dmitry Kulikov (1-year, $1MM)
D – Mike Reilly (1-year, $1MM)
D – Lucas Carlsson (1-year, $775K)
C – Alexander True (1-year, $775K)
Montreal Canadiens
D – Brady Keeper (1-year, $775K)
F – Philippe Maillet (1-year, $775K)
Ottawa Senators
G – Joonas Korpisalo (5-year, $20MM, $4MM AAV)
D – Erik Brannstrom (1-year, $2MM)
D – Jacob Bernard-Docker (2-year, $1.61MM, $805K AAV)
F – Rourke Chartier (1-year, $775K)
F – Josh Currie (1-year, $775K)
F – Matthew Highmore (1-year, $775K)
F – Bokondji Imama (1-year, $775K)
Tampa Bay Lightning
F – Conor Sheary (3-year, $6MM, $2MM AAV)
F – Luke Glendening (2-year, $1.6MM, $800K AAV)
F – Josh Archibald (2-year, $1.6MM, $800K AAV)
G – Jonas Johansson (2-year, $1.55MM, $775K AAV)
F – Mitchell Chaffee (1-year, $775K)
F – Logan Brown (1-year, $775K)
Toronto Maple Leafs
D – John Klingberg (1-year, $4.15MM)
F – Ryan Reaves (3-year, $4.05MM, $1.35MM AAV)
G – Artur Akhtiamov (3-year, $2.555MM, $852K AAV)
D – Marshall Rifai (2-year, $1.55MM, $775K AAV)
D – William Lagesson (1-year, $775K)
D – Maxime Lajoie (1-year, $775K)
Nashville Predators Re-Sign Alexandre Carrier
Per PuckPedia, the Nashville Predators have re-signed RFA defenseman Alexandre Carrier to a one-year, $2.5MM contract for 2023-24. The deal walks him directly to unrestricted free agency next offseason.
Carrier has been a solid contributor on Nashville’s blue line, posting solid two-way numbers and succeeding as a puck-moving defender who has decent smarts. The right-shot defender did take a considerable step back on the scoresheet in 2022-23, though, posting just nine points in 43 games after a 30-point campaign the year prior. The upside he flashed, though, warranted a qualifying offer and an extension from Nashville.
The one-year contract provides an intriguing dynamic for both Carrier and the Predators. Nashville is allowing him to set himself up nicely for a payday as the cap skyrockets up next season if he has another strong campaign, although he may not get much upward mobility in the lineup to have point-producing opportunities, especially with Tyson Barrie in the fold as the team’s main secondary offensive defenseman behind Roman Josi.
Carolina Hurricanes Re-Sign Antti Raanta
Netminder Antti Raanta is sticking around with the Carolina Hurricanes. TSN’s Darren Dreger says he’s signed a one-year, $1.5MM contract minutes before he would have hit unrestricted free agency.
Raanta, 34, has spent the last two seasons as a backup goalie with the Hurricanes. He’s played 55 games in that span and posted a .911 save percentage and 2.34 goals-against-average. Performance has never been the issue for Raanta, who has an impressive .918 career save percentage. Instead, it’s been availability that’s been his major issue.
Raanta has consistently struggled with injuries throughout his NHL career, Carolina included. As a result, Carolina has more recently preferred to carry three NHL-caliber goalies in order to insulate themselves from any Raanta injuries.
At a $1.5MM price tag with no extra term attached, the Hurricanes have taken one step towards rebuilding their three-goalie tandem, and while they certainly could opt to run with just Raanta and Pyotr Kochetkov as their goalie tandem, it’s unlikely this deal locks them out of making any other goalie moves.
Matt Nieto Expected To Sign With Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins are getting a head start on free agency, reportedly getting a veteran addition to their bottom six. Winger Matt Nieto is expected to sign a two-year deal worth $900K to join the Penguins, says TSN’s Darren Dreger, who previously reported Nieto was heading to Edmonton.
Nieto, 30, is a respected bottom-six player who split last season between the San Jose Sharks and Colorado Avalanche. Nieto has averaged just over 14 minutes of ice time per night in his career, though he saw his ice time drop dramatically after his mid-season trade to the Avalanche. He was averaging over 15 minutes per night in San Jose, and went to under 11 minutes with the Avalanche.
A capable penalty-killer and defensive presence, Nieto chipped in 12 goals and 24 points in 81 games last season. While Nieto doesn’t offer the size or overwhelming physicality that some teams would like to see out of their bottom-six forwards, there are far worse options for a team to run in their bottom-six.
Nieto has been on a few playoff runs of significance, and that’s exactly what Pittsburgh hopes to be doing next season. An offseason priority for the Penguins has been upgrading the lower-end of their lineup, and adding Nieto will help them do just that.
West Notes: Blackwood, Reaves, Shaw
In a somewhat surprising move, the San Jose Sharks opted not to qualify goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood today, just days after acquiring his rights from the New Jersey Devils for a 2024 sixth-round pick. According to Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli, the Sharks and Blackwood were not close in their brief contract discussion prior to today’s qualifying deadline. Discussions between the two parties remain ongoing, but the 26-year-old netminder could absolutely land with another NHL team after the market opens Saturday.
The Devils moved on from Blackwood with better options available internally. He was due a rather rich qualifying offer of $3.36MM, a number he won’t come close to on the open market after his performance last season. The Sharks would surely like to keep him – after all, they do have a vacant spot in their goalie tandem with James Reimer not returning – but it doesn’t seem they’re prepared to pay over market value to keep him around and would rather have just thrown away the draft pick.
Some other Western Conference tidbits as free agency looms:
- As expected, Minnesota Wild enforcer Ryan Reaves will hit the free agent market tomorrow, as confirmed by his agent, Kevin Epp. With essentially no cap space to speak of, Minnesota doesn’t have the luxury of spending on a player who’s main impact is felt in the locker room and before trips to the penalty box. Reaves did record a respectable five goals and 15 points last season, though, his most in three seasons. He’s expected to command some interest – namely from the Toronto Maple Leafs, says The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta.
- Another player who won’t be re-signing in Minnesota, at least for now, is forward Mason Shaw, who was also not issued a qualifying offer today. Shaw suffered the fourth ACL tear of his career this season, putting his long-term playing future in extreme jeopardy, and The Athletic’s Michael Russo notes the team won’t be making the decision to re-sign him until he’s completed his rehab. The team would like to extend a contract offer to him in the meantime, but with their limited cap flexibility, it’s not a feasible gesture. He is free to sign if another NHL team comes calling before he completes his recovery.
Shayne Gostisbehere To Test Free Agency
It’s been a busy week. There have been several significant trades, the sell-off of high-priced assets, and buyouts exercised to clear cap space. Oh yeah, and the 2023 NHL Draft, where all 32 teams added young, exciting talent to their prospect pipelines.
One thing that may have slipped under the radar was a note at the very bottom of Pierre LeBrun’s Tuesday column for The Athletic: Shayne Gostisbehere “will not be re-signing with Carolina.”
Gostisbehere, 30, finished 13th on our list of the Top 50 Unrestricted Free Agents after an interesting season. He started the year with the Arizona Coyotes, continuing to provide strong offensive production from the back end. His 31 points finished eighth in Coyotes scoring, despite only playing 52 games for the team.
A deadline deal took him from the bottom of the standings to the top, as he joined the Carolina Hurricanes to try and fix a struggling powerplay. In 23 games with Carolina, Gostisbehere added three goals and ten points, posting insane possession numbers in a sheltered role.
That sheltered situation positions Gostisbehere as such an intriguing free agent. He is not a strong defender, and takes too many risks to be trusted as a top-pairing option (at least on a contender). But few defensemen in the league can generate offensive chances as efficiently as him, and he routinely tilts the ice in his team’s favor when played in the right situation.
Since entering the league in 2015, Gostisbehere sits 17th in points from defensemen, ahead of names like Aaron Ekblad, Shea Theodore, and Josh Morrissey. Over that stretch, he ranks even higher in powerplay points, ahead of players like Morgan Rielly and Dougie Hamilton.
There is a role for Gostisbehere on a contending team, but it’s unclear how much teams will want to pay. The six-year, $27MM contract he received from Philadelphia in 2017 is probably out of the question, but it will be interesting to see how much he can secure this time.
Jesse Puljujarvi Undergoes Double Hip Surgery
NorthStar Bets’ Chris Johnston has an unfortunate injury update on 2016 fourth-overall pick Jesse Puljujarvi: he “recently underwent double hip surgery and is facing a lengthy recovery.” Johnston adds that Puljujarvi won’t be issued a qualifying offer by the Carolina Hurricanes and will hit unrestricted free agency in a few days.
This is the second significant medical setback hitting a young winger of the day, as it was recently announced that Buffalo Sabres winger Jack Quinn will miss quite some time with an Achilles injury. But while Quinn is firmly in an NHL team’s future plans, Puljujarvi is going to be looking for a new opportunity on the open market. The 25-year-old was dealt to the Carolina Hurricanes last season but struggled to make an impact for head coach Rod Brind’Amour’s team. He scored just two points in 17 games and one point in seven playoff games.
Puljujarvi had his moments as an Edmonton Oiler, such as in 2021-22 when he scored 36 points in 65 games but struggled immensely early in the season with them and played his way out of a future with that organization. Since he was making $3MM against the cap his qualifying offer’s cost made it incredibly unlikely, and now we know he will indeed go unqualified.
The level of interest he garners on the open market is going to be a bit of a mystery due to this injury, which does not have a disclosed recovery timeline. Given the severity of the injury, though, it could be quite some time before we see Puljujarvi back on NHL ice.
Florida Panthers Have Interest In Tyler Bertuzzi
Matthew Tkachuk and Tyler Bertuzzi on the same line could provide the Florida Panthers with a lethal combination of skill and physicality not seen in decades. It could actually become a reality, as Bally Sports Midwest’s Andy Strickland reports the Panthers are among the teams who will pursue Bertuzzi if he hits the open market on July 1.
Let’s be clear – Bertuzzi becoming an unrestricted free agent is not a given. After clearing $6MM in cap space yesterday by trading away Taylor Hall, the Boston Bruins have some room, albeit temporarily, to work out an extension with Bertuzzi. It’s something they’re expected to at least take a run at accomplishing over the next few days.
The cap situation in Boston is still extremely tight, though, and they’ll need to make more salary-clearing moves after a hypothetical Bertuzzi extension to re-sign Jeremy Swayman and fill out the rest of their forward core. It seems unlikely they’d be able to figure out a multi-step plan to make all that happen in a matter of days before UFA signing season opens.
Even then, Bertuzzi will likely be able to find more money elsewhere, and Florida now has some to spend. The expiring contract of Patric Hornqvist, a reduced Keith Yandle buyout cap hit, and roughly $10MM worth of LTIR candidates to start the season have given them a major amount of flexibility entering the free agency period. While their first priority will be adding on defense to buoy them while Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour miss the start of the season, there is still an opportunity for them to add another offensive piece if they play their financial cards right.
Florida saw what Bertuzzi can accomplish first-hand this season. He led the Bruins in scoring during their seven-game First Round loss against the Panthers, notching five goals and 10 points while averaging nearly 18 minutes per game. He certainly won’t come cheap as a bonafide top-six winger, though his concerning injury history likely brings down his cap hit slightly on the open market.
Penguins Notes: First Round Pick, Buyouts, Free Agency
Pittsburgh Penguins interim general manager Kyle Dubas held a brief media availability today, touching on many of the choices he’ll have to make as he guides the team through his first offseason at the helm. With the team in a tough situation, unable to truly rebuild after missing the playoffs for the first time in nearly two decades, Dubas has a thin line to walk to prepare the right roster for 2023-24 while not impeding the team’s long-term outlook.
One of those matters is that of Pittsburgh’s first-round pick, slated for 14th overall on Wednesday. It’s their highest selection since drafting defenseman Derrick Pouliot eighth overall in 2012, and Dubas says the team will likely keep the pick. Pittsburgh has some (but not a lot) of salary maneuverability, and Dubas says that any big trade will likely come with another team looking to shed a mid-tier salaried contract.
Other Penguins notes:
- One avenue Dubas likely won’t take to clear additional cap space is a buyout. He told reporters today he doesn’t prefer to use them, citing more “creative solutions” to opening up a team’s financial picture. Forward Mikael Granlund, who had just five points in 21 games after a midseason trade and is under contract for two more seasons at $5MM per year, was a highly speculated buyout candidate this offseason. If the team can’t find a way to move him in a deal, he’ll likely be sticking around for the time being.
- Dubas also says the team won’t be going after any high-profile free agents, instead aiming to hit on some value bets – something he had a great deal of success doing during his time with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He mentioned the door isn’t closed on contract extensions with Jason Zucker and Tristan Jarry, the latter of which is crucial for the team’s clarity without a ton of other goalie options on the open market. He alluded to defenseman Brian Dumoulin heading to the open market, and they’ll look to replace his spot with a more cost-effective UFA.