Minnesota Signs Liam Ohgren
Minnesota has signed their top draft pick from this month’s draft as the team announced that they’ve signed winger Liam Ohgren to a three-year, entry-level contract. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The 18-year-old was the 19th-overall selection last week following a strong season in Djurgarden’s system. Ohgren spent part of the year with their junior team and was quite productive offensively, picking up 33 goals and 25 assists in 30 games, earning him the award for the Best Forward in that league in the process. That earned him a lengthy stint with their SHL squad where production and playing time was a lot harder to come by which is quite normal for draft-eligible players. The fact that Ohgren played well enough to stick with the top team for 25 games is impressive in itself.
Ohgren has another year left on his contract with Djurgarden although the fact that he was a first-round pick allows the Wild to control where he plays next season and since he wasn’t drafted out of the CHL, he could go to AHL Iowa right away. However, allowing him to stay at home and play in Djurgarden for one more year wouldn’t be bad for his development as Ohgren would likely spend most of the season at the SHL level this time around. If he doesn’t play in ten games with Minnesota in 2022-23, his contract will slide and still have three years remaining on it a year from now.
Minnesota Wild Sign Four Players
The Minnesota Wild have gone bargain hunting, adding a player with lots of skill but not a long track record of NHL success. Nic Petan has signed a two-year, two-way deal with the Wild. Michael Russo of The Athletic reports that it will carry an NHL cap hit of $762.5K and a massive salary in the AHL. The team also announced contracts for forward Brandon Baddock, forward Steven Fogarty, and defenseman Andrej Sustr.
Petan will earn $500K in 2022-23 and $550K in 2023-24, even if he’s in the minors all year. Baddock’s one-year, two-way contract earns him $750K in the NHL and $200,000 in the minors. Fogarty has a two-year deal which earns him $350K in the minors each year, but $750K in the NHL in year 1 and $775K in the NHL in year 2. Sustr’s one-year pays him $750K in the NHL and $400K in the AHL.
Ottawa Senators Acquire Cam Talbot
The Minnesota Wild have officially traded goalie Cam Talbot to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for goalie Filip Gustavsson.
Senators general manager Pierre Dorion gave a statement on the deal in a team release:
Cam is experienced and provides us with greater goaltending stability heading into next season. He was instrumental in helping Minnesota reach the playoffs in each of his two seasons with the Wild. The tandem of he and Anton Forsberg sets us up nicely for the upcoming year.
The trade is an important one financially for Minnesota. It’s a net cap hit decrease of $2.9MM, giving the Wild and general manager Bill Guerin some (small) flexibility heading into the opening of free agency tomorrow.
It was clear Talbot wasn’t happy with Minnesota’s decision to retain Marc-Andre Fleury on a two-year deal, and now he’ll get another job as a clear-cut 1A goalie (at worst) with the Senators. The Senators now have a more experienced and upgraded goalie tandem taking them into next season as they aim to make some noise in the Eastern Conference, essentially swapping out the oft-injured Matt Murray with Talbot for the cost of Gustavsson, a third-round pick, and a seventh-round pick. In 49 games with the Wild last year, the 35-year-old Talbot had a 32-12-4 record, three shutouts, 2.76 goals-against average and a .911 save percentage.
The deal isn’t without on-ice merit for the Wild, either. Gustavsson is young and has decent upside, and while he doesn’t steal the “goalie of the future” tag claimed by Jesper Wallstedt, he fills the void in the organization left by Kaapo Kahkonen as a long-term tandem or backup option. Originally a second-round pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016, Gustavsson now finds himself with his third NHL organization by no fault of his own. He’s stepped in 27 games as a Senator over the past two years, maintaining a career 10-13-3 record and a .905 save percentage. Those numbers are bound to improve with increased development and more stout defense in the State of Hockey.
ESPN’s Kevin Weekes was the first to report Talbot heading to Ottawa.
Snapshots: PHF, McLeod, Nesterov
This morning, the PHF officially announced they are expanding into Montreal for the 2022-23 season, adding a seventh franchise to the women’s league. The new team will be led by Kevin Raphael and Emmanual Anderson. Through a partnership with Center 21.02–a sports complex in Verdun, a Montreal borough–will be the training home for the new club, games for the upcoming season will be played in communities across Quebec in an attempt to showcase women’s hockey to greater audiences.
The schedule for the upcoming season has yet to be announced, while the official team name and logo are expected within the next few weeks. The new Montreal club joins the Buffalo Beauts, Boston Pride, Metropolitan Riveters, Toronto Six, Connecticut Whale, and Minnesota Whitecaps in the growing league.
- The Minnesota Wild have hired Cody McLeod as a player development coach, effectively announcing his retirement as a player. The 38-year-old tough guy played in 59 games for the Iowa Wild last season and will now make the transition to coaching, along with Matt Harder, who was hired as strength and conditioning coach, and David MacLean, who was named a pro scout. In 776 NHL games, McLeod racked up 72 goals, 127 points, and 1,630 penalty minutes.
- You won’t be seeing Nikita Nesterov in the NHL anytime soon. The veteran defenseman has signed a new four-year deal with CSKA Moscow of the KHL, keeping him at home in Russia instead of attempting any kind of return to North America. The 29-year-old defenseman played in 38 games for the Calgary Flames during the 2020-21 season but never did find much success on this side of the pond. In the KHL, he was one of the most dynamic players in the league this season, logging more than 25 minutes a night and scoring 33 points in 41 regular season games, good enough for third on the entire CSKA roster.
Minnesota Wild Extend Zane McIntyre
The first of these is the Minnesota Wild extending goaltender Zane McIntyre with a one-year, two-way contract extension to stay in the organization according to CapFriendly. The contract is worth $750K at the NHL level and $300K at the minor league level, but does guarantee the goaltender a minimum of $325K. McIntyre appeared in eight games with the Boston Bruins back in 2016-17, but has otherwise made a solid career in the AHL, most recently splitting the 2021-22 season between the Tucson Roadrunners and the Iowa Wild.
Post-Draft Notes: Wild Free Agents, Nemec, Vlasic
The Minnesota Wild just wrapped up an impressive eight-man draft class, and now, with the free-agent market set to open next Wednesday, they focus their attention to the upcoming group of free agents. The team has a few players set to hit free agency, although they took one of those players off the market yesterday, re-signing Marc-Andre Fleury to a two-year extension. Two players Wild GM Bill Guerin won’t be giving extensions, as relayed by Michael Russo of The Athletic, are mid-season pickup Nicolas Deslauriers and Minneapolis native Nick Bjugstad.
The Wild acquired Deslauriers, 31, from the Anaheim Ducks for a third-round pick last season, and he added some grit and physicality to the bottom of their lineup. He looked like a decent fit in Minnesota, but with the pressure of the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts heavily squeezing Guerin’s financial flexibility this summer, it seems they don’t have the necessary cap room to retain him. Guerin did say that he expects Deslauriers to garner “a lot of interest,” which likely means Deslauriers has priced himself out of a return to the state of hockey. Bjugstad is coming off a year where he was a depth forward for the Wild, and he has not scored double-digit goals or more than 20 points since his impressive 49-point 2018-19 campaign with the Florida Panthers. It’s unlikely that Bjugstad sees the same level of leaguewide interest as Deslauriers when he too hits the market.
Now, for some other notes on information that has come out after the draft:
- The New Jersey Devils didn’t flinch when they saw long-time consensus number-one prospect Shane Wright surprisingly on the board after the Montreal Canadiens took Juraj Slafkovsky first overall. They stuck to their board and selected Simon Nemec, an extremely talented defenseman and Slafkovsky’s countryman. The Devils made a bold choice, and won’t waste any time getting Nemec into the fold in their organization. As relayed by Amanda Stein of NHL.com, Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald says he spoke to Nemec’s agent and “expects to sign” Nemec to his entry-level contract this week. Stein notes that Nemec expressed a willingness to play in the AHL at the NHL Combine in Buffalo, and Nemec joining the Utica Comets for 2022-23 is beginning to seem like the most likely outcome.
- Earlier in July, we covered the San Jose Sharks’ situation with defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic and whether he would be bought out by the team after 16 seasons in teal. Today, Vlasic told The Athletic’s Corey Masisiak that “it doesn’t look like” he’ll be bought out and that he’s “excited” for a fresh start under a new coaching staff and a new GM in Mike Grier, who he played with for three seasons. Vlasic’s past few years haven’t been up to the standard he established earlier in his career. If the Sharks have any hope of returning to contention next season, as the organization fully intends to do, Vlasic will need to play like the $7MM defenseman he once was.
Snapshots: Kane, Talbot, Kase
As the league begins to decompress from a busy NHL Draft with some blockbuster news, the Chicago Blackhawks are sure to be in the forefront of many discussions after being one of the most active teams on the market this week. One question that remains to be answered is how their Hall of Fame talent feels about the club’s direction. The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta confirms today that the team will reach out to winger Patrick Kane “in the very near future” to have a conversation about his future with the team.
Both Kane and Jonathan Toews each have just one year remaining on their matching contracts, both carrying a cap hit of $10.5MM. They also both have full say in what the future holds for them in the form of full no-movement clauses. If one or both do end up wanting a trade out of Chicago in order to make another championship run, it makes sense that the Blackhawks would want to know now. The highest value for them will likely be this offseason, as the risk of declining performance could lower their trade value by next year’s deadline.
- There’s some good old-fashioned drama in the State of Hockey. Many believed the Minnesota Wild had reinforced their goaltending situation by re-signing Marc-Andre Fleury to a two-year contract yesterday, but as quotes from general manager Bill Guerin and Cam Talbot‘s agent George Bazos reveal, Talbot may not be entirely happy with the team’s choice to keep Fleury around. Bazos gave a cryptic quote after meeting with Guerin during the third round of today’s draft, saying that Guerin “had a lot to think about.” Guerin countered later, reminding media that Talbot is still under contract, and said that “George can say whatever the hell he wants.” If the relationship turns sour quickly between Talbot and the Wild, it could leave them in an interesting position next season in the crease.
- The deadline for issuing qualifying offers to restricted free agents is July 11, and the Toronto Maple Leafs haven’t made a decision on whether or not to qualify winger Ondrej Kase. Kase is eligible for arbitration, and after producing 27 points in 50 games, the award might be too rich for Toronto’s blood if Kase elects for it. Not issuing a qualifying offer to Kase wouldn’t prevent him from returning to Toronto, but it would make him an unrestricted free agent, and could sign anywhere in the league.
Minnesota Wild Re-Sign Marc-Andre Fleury
Just as the draft is set to begin, the Minnesota Wild have finalized a deal with Marc-Andre Fleury. Fleury will return to Minnesota on a two-year, $3.5MM AAV deal, per a team announcement. The deal carries a full no-movement clause and has an even $3.5MM salary for each year that it runs, which means the normal rules covering 35+ contracts will not apply to this deal.
Fleury was sent to Minnesota in a mid-season trade and found success there, going 9-2-0 with a .910 save percentage. Like the rest of the Wild, Fleury struggled in the playoffs, eventually ceding the starter’s crease to Cam Talbot. The Talbot and Fleury tandem is set to return, and GM Bill Guerin told The Athletic’s Michael Russo that they believe their tandem is “one of the strongest” in the NHL.
Fleury’s deal also takes a big name off of the UFA goalie market, a group he was set to headline that also includes Darcy Kuemper, Jack Campbell, and Ville Husso. Now back in Minnesota, Fleury will likely split starts with Talbot as the team chases its first Stanley Cup in franchise history.
For the Wild, getting Fleury at a $3.5MM AAV is a good bit of business. With starting-caliber goalies often costing $5MM-6MM on the open market, having Fleury at a number under $4MM should help the Wild navigate the treacherous cap waters they plunged themselves into with the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts.
West Notes: Kaprizov, Keith, Jets Prospects
Concerns continue to rise about the availability of Russian players to NHL teams next season. One player who’s come into focus today due to a variety of conflicting reports is Kirill Kaprizov, who Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin confirmed today is still in Russia despite rumors stating he had returned to the United States. In response to reports this morning that Kaprizov is currently wanted in Russia for buying a false military ID card five years ago, Guerin said the following:
We’re not going to push the panic button or anything like that. We’re just trying to gather information right now and find out if this is even credible.
Kaprizov is one of the multiple players whose situations are in limbo, exacerbated by the fact their KHL rights are held by CSKA Moscow, a Russian army-owned team. Russo notes that in the past, CSKA players have been exempt from military service, but this is an informal and non-codified rule. In addition, Kaprizov’s exemption from mandatory military service via a studentship in a Russian organization expired at the end of June. Very little is confirmed about the situation, but it’s a significant development that bears watching over the course of the offseason as it pertains to Kaprizov’s availability to the Wild next season.
- The Edmonton Oilers will get some clarity soon on the playing future of defenseman Duncan Keith, who could potentially decide to retire with one season remaining on his contract carrying a $5.54MM cap hit. General manager Ken Holland noted that he’d spoken to Keith twice in the past few weeks and that he’s requested an answer by this Saturday. That gives the Oilers a brief window of time ahead of free agency to work out replacement plans for Keith if he retires. The 38-year-old defenseman would not inflict a cap penalty on the Oilers if he opts to call it a career.
- Winnipeg Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff gave injury updates today on a pair of important Jets prospects. Cole Perfetti, who suffered an upper-body injury in mid-February, has just started skating again and is not cleared to participate in the 2022 World Junior Championship for Team Canada. Additionally, 2021 first-rounder Chaz Lucius, who underwent ankle surgery after suffering a late-season injury with the University of Minnesota, won’t participate for the United States.
Minnesota Wild Extend Jacob Middleton
The Minnesota Wild and defenseman Jacob Middleton have come to terms on a three-year contract extension, per the team. The contract carries a cap hit of $2.45MM, a hefty raise for the now-signed restricted free agent.
Middleton played in his first full NHL season this past year at 26 years old. A seventh-round pick of the Los Angeles Kings in 2014, the 6′ 3″, 219-lb defenseman forced his way into the San Jose Sharks lineup this past season with a needed brand of physicality and impressive defensive results. It allowed the Sharks to net some solid value in return when they dealt him the Wild at this year’s Trade Deadline. Down the stretch, Middleton had five points in 21 regular-season games, averaging 17:55 per game. He added an assist in six playoff games.
Overall, Middleton’s netted four goals, 13 assists, and 17 points in 80 NHL games so far, with 14 of those points and 66 of those games coming this season.
Minnesota acquired him with the main intent of being tougher to play against, and the acquisition achieved that goal. His defensive play is a really nice byproduct too, and while his ceiling likely isn’t much higher than his current production, that $2.4MM cap hit is a decent value if his defensive game continues at its current level.