Predators Sign Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, Brady Skjei
The Predators and star free agent forward Steven Stamkos are nearing an agreement on a four-year contract that will be worth $32MM, sources tell Pierre LeBrun of TSN. LeBrun also reports the Predators are close to finalizing a deal with 2023 Conn Smythe Trophy winner Jonathan Marchessault that would pay him around $27.5MM over five years. The respective cap hits would be $8MM for Stamkos and $5.5MM for Marchessault. Nashville keeps their roll going by signing defenseman Brady Skjei to a seven-year, $49MM contract, per LeBrun.
The Predators have become the team of the summer, adding three of the market’s top names in one fail swoop. Their group is headlined by Tampa Bay Lightning legend Stamkos, who’s decided on Nashville in the first trip to free agency of his career. Stamkos has accomplished everything he could have as a Lightning, holding the franchise record in games played, goals, and points – in addition to captaining the team to two Stanley Cups over his decade wearing the team’s ‘C’.
Stamkos should immediately become the team’s top option at center next to Filip Forsberg, giving the Predators flexibility in moving Ryan O’Reilly down to the second unit. Not only will the former first-overall pick assist Nashville on their already above-average 3.24 GF/G during the 2023-24 regular season, but he will also help the team increase their 21.56% powerplay percentage.
Banking on repeat performances from the rest of the forward core — the Predators are poised to have one of the deadliest offenses in the league next season.
The former captain of the Lightning will not be the only 40-goal scorer Nashville will add to the lineup today. Marchessault was one of the many players to break out in Vegas’ first year of action, scoring 27 goals and 75 points – the latter still a career-high. But Marchessault’s goal-scoring upside held strong, since totaling 192 goals across 514 games with Vegas, including a career-high 42 goals this season. On a five-year contract, the Predators hope Marchessault can continue his recent work of averaging 55-70 points in a season while keeping up his status as a hard-nosed player.
General Manager Barry Trotz was not content with singularly upgrading the team’s offensive prowess as they added Skjei on a long-term contract. Skjei similarly found his stride after a move, emerging as a true top defender with 39, 38, and 47 points across the last three seasons. Skjei averaged nearly 22 minutes of ice time over that stretch while adding strong value to both special teams.
The only reason for skepticism on behalf of Skjei’s contract is how well he will operate outside the Carolina Hurricanes’ system. Nashville deploys a similar system as Carolina but does not bring the same pedigree as a possession-dominant team. Because of this, Skjei’s possession metrics increased dramatically since his time with the New York Rangers, and the Predators should be confident he can add value to the team in this department rather than revert to his previous numbers.
These moves go a long way towards boosting Nashville’s top end, as they find one of the best top-line additions to the market in Stamkos while rounding out their second lines with Marchessault and Skjei. With all three of these deals considered, the Predators still boast $5.846MM in cap space, with two holes on defense. Those could be filled by call-ups Spencer Stastney or Marc Del Gaizo, though, potentially giving Nashville just enough space for one more addition.
Free Agent Rumors: Stamkos, Bennett, Verhaeghe, Stolarz, Ekman-Larsson, Grzelcyk, Martinez
The Devils are in the market for a top-six forward today, and they may end up as one of the finalists for Lightning captain Steven Stamkos, per ESPN’s Kevin Weekes.
They’ll be one of many teams making Stamkos’ agent’s phone ring off the hook today. TSN’s Bob McKenzie also expects the Ducks, Hurricanes, Predators and Red Wings to make aggressive pushes for the future Hall-of-Fame forward.
A return to Tampa Bay is extremely unlikely for Stamkos, whose 555 career goals and 1,082 games played have all come in a Lightning uniform. They weren’t close to an extension as of last weekend, and their signing of top UFA left winger Jake Guentzel to a seven-year, $63MM deal this morning has all but completely boxed him out.
More from around the Eastern Conference amid an already busy morning:
- The Panthers are working hard on extensions for forwards Sam Bennett and Carter Verhaeghe as they become eligible to sign at 11 a.m. CT today, sources tell David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period. They’ve already gotten one big piece of business done today by keeping Sam Reinhart away from the open market on an eight-year, $69MM deal, but Bennett and Verhaeghe are two crucial pieces of their top-six forward group that remain unsigned past next season. It’s unclear what these deals may look like, but Reinhart taking a considerable discount on market value to remain in South Florida is surely a good indicator that Panthers GM Bill Zito can get them locked into deals that won’t break the bank.
- TSN’s Darren Dreger adds the Panthers are also trying to re-sign UFA netminder Anthony Stolarz, but they have some competition. The Blackhawks and Maple Leafs are also in the mix for the veteran’s services. While a career backup, he’s one of the best options on the market in a UFA class devoid of starters. He was electric when used in Florida last year, posting a .925 SV% and 2.03 GAA in 27 appearances.
- After making Chris Tanev‘s six-year deal official, expect the Leafs to add another veteran blue liner in Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Dreger says. OEL is coming off a Stanley Cup win in Florida after putting up 32 points in 80 regular-season games, averaging 18:24 per night. He’d likely anchor a third pairing in Toronto on the left side behind Morgan Rielly and Jake McCabe.
- The Penguins are among the teams linked to defenseman Matt Grzelcyk, The Athletic’s Josh Yohe reports. Grzelcyk is likely on his way out of Boston after spending the entirety of his eight-year, 445-game career there. He had 11 points and a +13 rating in 63 games last season while logging 17:36 per night.
- Alec Martinez could continue his NHL career with the Blackhawks on a one-year deal, per TSN’s Bob McKenzie. The three-time Cup winner fell down the Golden Knights’ depth chart last year, limited to 55 games due to injuries and healthy scratches. He still managed 17 points, though, his most offense in three years, but had a -2 rating while averaging 19:03 per game.
Predators Nearing Agreement With Alexandre Carrier
Defenseman Alexandre Carrier won’t be hitting the open market on Monday after all. Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that the two sides are close to finalizing a new contract. Terms of the potential agreement have not been disclosed.
After a rough 2022-23 showing, the 27-year-old had a nice bounce-back effort this past season. Carrier played in 73 games, scoring a career-best four goals while adding 16 assists and a career-high 137 blocked shots while logging a little under 19 minutes a night. He was one of their most-used penalty killers, averaging more than two minutes a night shorthanded. He added a goal and two assists with 19 blocks in six playoff contests where his ATOI jumped to over 21 minutes per game.
For his career, Carrier has played in 217 NHL games, all with Nashville who drafted him in the fourth round (115th overall) back in 2015. He has just 10 goals and 52 assists to his name but has become an effective shot blocker and defensive blueliner, even earning a spot on the All-Rookie team back in 2021-22.
Carrier played on a one-year, $2.5MM deal in 2023-24, an agreement that gave him a nice raise based on his play the past couple of years while giving the Preds a chance to walk away if he couldn’t get back to his form from a couple of years ago. Since he was able to rebound nicely, Carrier should be in line for a nice raise and a multi-year pact this time around.
Morning Notes: Askarov, Tanev, Laine
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet is reporting that the Nashville Predators have told teams interested in goaltending prospect Yaroslav Askarov that they would like to get a current NHLer back in a trade or another highly touted forward or defensive prospect.
The 22-year-old Askarov appeared to be the Predators goaltender of the future, but with Juuse Saros expected to sign a long-term extension in Nashville, Askarov will not have a path to a starter job in the NHL until he is in his 30s. Given his pedigree as an 11th overall pick and his solid AHL numbers, Askarov figures to be an NHL goalie sooner than later, but it appears likely that it will happen in a different market than Nashville.
In other morning notes:
- Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet is guessing that the Toronto Maple Leafs will look to sign recently acquired defenseman Chris Tanev to a six-year, $24MM contract extension. Toronto acquired Tanev’s rights yesterday and early reports indicated that they could offer a deal of five to eight years in length. The 34-year-old Tanev wasn’t likely to sign in Dallas and the team elected to get something for him rather than letting him walk for free. Toronto has long sought after a defenseman like Tanev, and now that they’ve jumped the line to negotiate with him, they are expected to get a deal done.
- Michael Russo and Joe Smith of The Athletic write that the Minnesota Wild have had talks with the Columbus Blue Jackets about potentially acquiring scorer Patrik Laine. The 26-year-old Laine hasn’t been the goal-scorer he was when he broke into the league with the Winnipeg Jets back in 2016-17 but hasn’t had much support in Columbus and was limited to just 18 games last season. A change of scenery could be just what Laine needs as he tries to get his career back on track. The Wild struggled to score last season and with limited cap space, they will be looking for bounce-back seasons from several current players. Acquiring Laine might provide a safety net for Minnesota if they aren’t able to get depth scoring from their current roster of players.
Predators Plan On Being Aggressive In Free Agency
Nearly one year ago, the Nashville Predators made some surprise additions in free agency by bringing in veteran forwards Ryan O’Reilly and Gustav Nyquist on multi-year contracts. Expect much of the same from the Predators organization this summer as Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports reports Nashville is looking to be aggressive once free agency opens up on Monday.
Lavoie specifically cites Steven Stamkos as a player that the Predators will take a run at — a rumor that has been picking up some steam over recent days. With just over $26MM in cap space and only a few notable pieces to retain, Nashville could do some damage on the free-agent market this summer.
Outside of Stamkos, the Predators will likely be checking in on multiple free agents over the next few days as the team could use additional help in the form of a top-six forward and top-four defenseman. Thankfully, the team captain, Roman Josi, can still be counted on for the most minutes on Nashville’s blue line but the team could certainly use some help behind him in the form of a veteran talent to lessen the burden.
Predators Interested In Brady Skjei, Shopping Yaroslav Askarov For Top Pick
- There’s still “a chance for Carolina” to retain defenseman Brady Skjei, who checks in as the top left-shot option available should he remain unsigned come Monday. But it still appears unlikely at this stage, especially considering he could command in the $7MM AAV range on the open market. LeBrun expects the Predators to be one of the most aggressive teams in pursuit of Skjei should he not ink a new deal with the Canes.
- Lastly, Predators top goalie prospect Yaroslav Askarov is all but officially on the trade block with yesterday’s report that Juuse Saros is nearing an eight-year extension to stay in Smashville. There’s still a strong chance Askarov remains with Nashville last season and enters his first full-time NHL campaign as Saros’ backup, but LeBrun reports the Preds are leveraging him to try and move into the top five of tonight’s draft. It’s not the first time they’ve done this – we wrote the exact same piece last year about the Preds trying to send him to the Canadiens to acquire the fifth-overall pick. Montreal holds the same selection this year.
NHL Announces 2023-24 All-Star Teams
The NHL announced their annual season-ending All-Star teams as part of last night’s award festivities. The rosters, as voted on by members of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association, are as follows.
First All-Star Team
LW: Artemi Panarin (Rangers)
C: Nathan MacKinnon (Avalanche)
RW: Nikita Kucherov (Lightning)
D: Quinn Hughes (Canucks)
D: Roman Josi (Predators)
G: Connor Hellebuyck (Jets)
Second All-Star Team
LW: Filip Forsberg (Predators)
C: Connor McDavid (Oilers)
RW: David Pastrňák (Bruins)
D: Adam Fox (Rangers)
D: Cale Makar (Avalanche)
G: Thatcher Demko (Canucks)
The First Team nod caps off quite a successful 24 hours for MacKinnon, who also swept both media-voted and player-voted MVP honors with the Hart Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award. It’s his third All-Star nod, although his two prior ones were both Second Team honors in 2018 and 2020. The 28-year-old pivot led the Avs in scoring with 51 goals and 140 points this season and recorded a league-high 405 shots on goal.
Notably, the voting ledger (available in the league’s announcement) indicates Kucherov was the unanimous First Team selection at right wing. That’s the first time that’s happened since 2002, when the Flames’ Jarome Iginla was the across-the-board pick after also winning the Richard and Art Ross trophies. Like Iginla, Kucherov was crowned this year’s Art Ross winner after recording 144 points in 81 games. He tied with McDavid for a league-leading 100 assists, becoming the first winger in NHL history to hit the mark.
Absent from either team is Maple Leafs superstar Auston Matthews, whose 69 goals this season were the most of anyone since Mario Lemieux in 1995-96. He also fell short of being a Hart Trophy finalist behind Kucherov, MacKinnon and McDavid. He was third in All-Star voting among centers, though, and did receive nine First Team and 55 Second Team votes out of 187 ballots. The only other center to receive consideration was the Penguins’ Sidney Crosby, who only appeared on four ballots.
Predators Interested In Signing Steven Stamkos, Chandler Stephenson
As the Tampa Bay Lightning attempt to clear out the necessary cap space to retain their captain Steven Stamkos, another team may have entered the fray. In a list of news items around the league as the hockey world heads into the offseason, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (Subscription Required) indicates the Nashville Predators will attempt to sign the star forward if he hits the free agent market on July 1st.
In addition to Stamkos, LeBrun notes that the Predators will also look into the market for Chandler Stephenson this summer as the team looks to add some punch to their lineup. As one of the most active teams of last year’s free-agent period; Nashville does not appear content to be a fringe contender next season. Even without Stamkos or Stephenson on the roster last season, Nashville was one of the best offensive teams in the league as they finished 10th in the NHL with a GF/G average of 3.24.
The Predators may be better served in putting most of their efforts toward Stephenson, as Stamkos will likely look for a team closer to Stanley Cup contention if he decides to leave Tampa Bay in the first place. In any case, money will not be a factor in the negotiations for either player as Nashville owns just north of $26MM of cap space heading into the summer. According to EvolvingHockey, Stephenson will command a four-year deal with a salary of $6.1MM while Stamkos is projected to get a three-year contract with an AAV of $8.4MM.
Red Wings Trade Andrew Gibson To Predators
The Red Wings have sent defense prospect Andrew Gibson to the Predators in exchange for the signing rights to right winger Jesse Kiiskinen and a second-round pick (53rd overall) in this week’s draft, according to a team announcement. Both players were selected by their respective clubs less than one year ago in the 2023 NHL Draft.
Gibson, 19, spent this season on loan to his junior team, the Soo Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League. There, he scored 12 goals and 32 assists for 44 points in 68 games with a +36 rating, all of which were significant steps forward from last season.
It’s rare to see teams move on from prospects this early in their development, especially after going so far as to sign them to an entry-level contract. Detroit inked the Ontario native to his ELC less than two months ago. But the 6’3″ right-shot defender risked being lost in the shuffle behind a deep group of up-and-coming defensemen in Hockeytown that includes 2021 sixth-overall pick Simon Edvinsson, Swedish compatriots Albert Johansson and William Wallinder, as well as 2023 first-rounder Axel Sandin-Pellikka. Despite being an early second-round choice last year at 42nd overall, he was already becoming expendable in Detroit’s prospect pool.
He’ll be a good fit in a Preds system that lacks any real impact prospects on the back end. In fact, Gibson immediately becomes the second-highest-drafted defender in Nashville’s pool, trailing 2023 first-round choice Tanner Molendyk.
In return, Detroit picks up Kiiskinen, who helps add depth to a thinning pool of wing prospects. Selected 26 picks after Gibson last year, the skilled Finn spent most of last season in the top-level Liiga with Pelicans, where he had four goals and six assists for 10 points in 38 games. When he wasn’t logging minutes in the pros, he was beyond electric when on assignment to their U-20 club, where he had 14 goals and 21 points in only eight games.
He has not yet signed his entry-level deal, which the Wings must do before June 1, 2027, to avoid losing his signing rights. Kiiskinen will turn 19 in August and is expected to remain in Finland next season, albeit with a new team. He transferred to HPK last month, signing a two-year deal.
With Kiiskinen being the slightly lower-valued prospect, Detroit recoups a second-round pick that nearly splits the difference between the two players’ draft spots. As it stands, it’s their second pick of the second round – they still have their own pick – and brings their total number of selections later this week to nine.
Trotz: Saros Will Have Some Form Of Trade Protection In His Next Deal
The Predators are a franchise that rarely hands out trade protection when they sign contracts, even to some of their longer-term veterans. However, in an appearance on 102.5 The Game today, GM Barry Trotz acknowledged that if he’s able to agree to terms on a long-term extension with goaltender Juuse Saros, he would have to give out some sort of trade protection though it would have to have some sort of limit to it. Saros will enter the final year of his contract in July making him extension-eligible and Trotz hasn’t hidden his desire to lock up the netminder. However, Saros is well-positioned for a significant raise on his current $5MM price tag and could push past $8MM on a new agreement. If a deal is reached, Saros would become just the third Nashville player with trade protection, joining captain Roman Josi and winger Filip Forsberg.