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Metropolitan Notes: Rangers, Foligno, Devils

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The New York Rangers locked up restricted free agent defenseman Anthony DeAngelo to a two-year pact Thursday, but with a lopsided group of blueliners on the right side, the New York Post’s Larry Brooks writes that Rangers’ general manager Jeff Gorton and his staff have had internal discussions about moving either DeAngelo or Adam Fox to the left side.

With Jacob Trouba, Fox and DeAngelo on the right side, the Rangers would be better off if one player moves to the left, which isn’t as strong with Jack Johnson, Ryan Lindgren and Brendan Smith leading the way, not exactly what you’re looking for on one side. The Rangers then might have an opening to bring in top prospect Nils Lundqvist, the 28th overall pick in 2018, to join the team’s top six after his SHL season ends in early March, although they would still have to convince him to sign his entry-level deal.

Brooks also noted that the recent two-year deals handed out to both DeAngelo and goaltender Alexandar Georgiev suggest that both players could be trade candidates in a year as a two-year contract makes them easier to trade down the road then if there were both restricted free agents once again.

  • This should be a critical year for Columbus Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno, who is entering the final year of the six-year, $33MM contract he signed back in 2014. The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline (subscription required) writes that while Foligno has played mostly in top-six roles over the years, that role is changing, especially with his decline in offense after posting 10 goals and 31 points in 67 games last season. While head coach John Tortorella has said that he intends to be more aggressive this year and have Foligno play a big role in that, the 32-year-old will have to fight off a number of players for a top-six role, including Alexandre Texier. With other top forwards coming in in the next couple of years, Foligno’s role will have to change. Despite his respect around the organization and his love for the city of Columbus, the veteran will have to take a significant pay cut if he wants to stay for the remainder of his career.
  • One question that many fans are asking is whether the New Jersey Devils are done making moves. One area of weakness is on the team’s blueline where they have Ryan Murray and Will Butcher on the right side and Damon Severson and P.K. Subban on the left. However, the team has little else in terms of depth with injury-prone Connor Carrick and rookie Ty Smith the likely candidates for the third-pairing role. The Athletic’s Corey Masisak (subscription required) suggests the team could try and add a veteran via free agency, but there aren’t many options left. The team could circle back around to Sami Vatanen, but the team may be looking at the trade market as well with cap space being one of the few assets the team has.

 

New Jersey Devils Sign Scott Wedgewood To One-Year Deal

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The New Jersey Devils announced they have signed goaltender Scott Wedgewood to a one-year, two-way contract. The deal is worth $700K at the NHL level and $200K at the AHL level with the likely expectation of him taking up the team’s starting goaltender in Binghamton.

Wedgewood will be making his return to the Devils’ franchise after starting his career there. The 28-year-old netminder was drafted by New Jersey in the third round back in 2010 and played within the organization until he was traded to Arizona in 2017. He spent most of that time with the Albany Devils, but did get four NHL appearances in 2015-16. He made 20 appearances with the Coyotes, but then was traded again to the Los Angeles Kings as part of the Darcy Kuemper deal. He then signed with the Buffalo Sabres for the 2018-19 season and then the Tampa Bay Lightning for this past season. He didn’t make an NHL appearances, but was the Lightnings’ third goaltender in the bubble for the team’s Stanley Cup Championship run.

Wedgewood spent last season with the Syracuse Crunch in the AHL where he struggled in 26 games there, posting a 3.01 GAA and a .893 save percentage, although he did perform much better with the Rochester Americans in 2018-19 where he appeared in 48 games with a 2.68 GAA and a .908 save percentage.

Andreas Johnsson Traded To New Jersey Devils

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have moved out some money after yesterday’s spending spree, trading Andreas Johnsson to the New Jersey Devils. The Maple Leafs will get Joey Anderson in return. No other pieces are involved, and the Maple Leafs have not retained any of Johnsson’s cap hit.

After bringing in Wayne Simmonds and T.J. Brodie for a combined cap hit of $6.5MM, the Maple Leafs needed to move out some money from the forward group. Given they weren’t expected to send any of their “big four” packing, a trade of Johnsson should come as no surprise. It also follows the trade of Kasperi Kapanen earlier this summer, meaning the Toronto third line is going to look quite a bit different in 2020-21.

Johnsson, 25, has come a long way since being the 202nd overall pick in 2013. The Swedish forward made his NHL debut in 2018 for the Maple Leafs and earned a full-time roster spot the next season, scoring 20 goals and 43 points as a rookie. That rookie campaign was followed by a four-year, $13.6MM contract in restricted free agency, which was heavily front-loaded with signing bonuses.

While the Devils are taking the entire $3.4MM cap hit for three more seasons, nearly half of the actual money in the deal has already been paid by the Maple Leafs. The Devils will be responsible for just $7.6MM over three years, making Johnsson not only an excellent addition to their forward group, but an inexpensive one too.

Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald explained exactly what he sees in his new forward:

Andreas is a hard-working, competitive forward who can slot up and down the lineup. The overall versatility of his game will be a great complement to our centermen, with his skating, quickness, and scoring touch.

It’s true, Johnsson does have a good amount of versatility in his game and has succeeded even in rather limited minutes. The reason he is even available could be because of his knee injury this season, which required surgery and limited Johnsson to just 43 games. He did work all the way back to play in the Maple Leafs final postseason match, meaning he is hopefully fully healthy for the Devils whenever the 2020-21 training camp begins.

For the Maple Leafs, this deal was certainly about clearing cap space, but they’ll also nab Anderson in the trade. The 22-year-old forward was once captain of Team USA at the World Juniors and has played in 52 games at the NHL level. Though he’s not expected to ever become a huge scoring threat, he could easily find himself in the Maple Leafs lineup this season, providing his scrappy, give-it-all playstyle in their bottom-six.

Anderson does need to be signed to a new contract as a restricted free agent, but because of his service time is not eligible to sign an offer sheet or file for salary arbitration. With only 13 points in 52 games, he will likely have to ink a very inexpensive deal and hope to prove himself in the Leafs lineup.

Darren Dreger of TSN broke the deal on Twitter

Corey Crawford Signs With New Jersey Devils

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The New Jersey Devils have jumped into the free agent mix with their first signing of the day, and it’s a big one. Corey Crawford has signed a two-year contract with the team, joining Mackenzie Blackwood as a formidable tandem in net. Crawford’s new deal will have an average annual value of $3.9MM. Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald released a statement on his new netminder:

We are excited to bring Corey into our organization, as he is a proven winner and two-time Stanley Cup Champion. We will look to him to assume a leadership role and be a strong presence for our young core. Crawford’s compete level and ability to battle will rub off on the entire group. This opportunity also provides him with a new challenge in his career.

Crawford will earn $3.6MM in 2020-21 and $4.2MM in 2021-22.  He leaves Chicago after nearly 600 games, including the 96 postseason matches that landed him and the organization two Stanley Cup championships. The 35-year-old goaltender has dealt with concussion issues and a revolving door of teammates, but still managed to put up at least a .917 save percentage in nine of his 13 seasons with the Blackhawks.

In New Jersey, he won’t be the full-time starter, even though he’s likely going to be paid substantially more than Blackwood. The 23-year-old is the heir to the crease for the Devils, but is also a restricted free agent without arbitration rights this offseason. He’ll now have a mentor to work alongside as New Jersey attempts to continue to build a team around Nico Hischier, Jack Hughes and others. Crawford will get a chance to play a lot and prove he still has game, especially in a condensed 2020-21 season where both goaltenders will be needed frequently.

New Jersey Devils Acquire Ryan Murray

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The Columbus Blue Jackets continue to shed salary from their defense corps. After trading Markus Nutivaara earlier today, the team has now traded away former top prospect Ryan Murray. The Blue Jackets have announced that Murray has been dealt to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for a 2021 fifth-round pick.

Murray, 27, is a productive two-way defenseman… when healthy. The 2012 No. 2 overall pick has not been able to live up to expectations due to his inability to stay on the ice. Murray played in just 27 games for Columbus this season and has played in just 187 of a possible 316 games over the past four years combined.

Murray’s career per-game scoring rate projects 30+ point upside over a full season, even if he’s never hit that mark. However, his $4.6MM AAV implies an expectation that he will reach that point total every year. New Jersey has now taken on the financial risk for the final year of Murray’s final deal in hopes that he finally lives up to the deal. If he does, the Devils will have landed the talented blue liner at a rock bottom price.

The Blue Jackets did not trade Murray because he has fallen short of expectations though. By moving Murray and Nutivaara, as well as buying out Alexander Wennberg and knowing that they have a Brandon Dubinsky LTIR placement in their back pocket, Columbus now has roughly $20MM in salary cap space. They suddenly look like one of the top players on the free agent market and with a defense group that is still solid despite shipping out two starters and a great duo in net, the Blue Jackets can devote those funds to making major additions up front. A team whose 2019-20 season was defined by the elite talent they lost to free agency could begin next year with the opposite label, with names like Taylor Hall, Mike Hoffman, or Tyler Toffoli possibly joining the roster.

New Jersey Devils To Buy Out Cory Schneider

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The New Jersey Devils will the last day of the window to buy out goaltender Cory Schneider, according to several reports including Brian Lawton of NHL Network. Because Schneider has two years remaining on his current contract, the Devils will incur a cap charge of $2MM in each of the next four seasons. Schneider was carrying a $6MM cap hit.

Schneider, 34, wants to keep playing according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, but it might be a tough sell at this point. The 34-year-old hasn’t been an effective goaltender in several years, posting save percentages below .910 in every season since the 2015-16 campaign. He spent more time in the AHL than the NHL this past year, recording just an .887 in 13 appearances for New Jersey.

If he’s healthy and can somehow prove there is still game left, Schneider may be able to fit in as a backup around the league thanks to a long history of success in the past. But at this point it’s hard to see any team bringing him in to compete for a starting role or even guaranteeing him an NHL paycheck. With more goaltenders available than most years, this may be extremely poor timing for the veteran.

New Jersey meanwhile will move on quickly with Mackenzie Blackwood, who proved to be quite the up-and-coming netminder last season. They need to get him signed to a new contract however and will now be on the lookout for another NHL option to serve as the backup or second part of a tandem.

New Jersey Devils Issue Qualifying Offers

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The New Jersey Devils have issued qualifying offers to Mackenzie Blackwood, Jesper Bratt, Joey Anderson, Nick Merkley and Colton White, keeping them in the organization. The team did not qualify John Hayden or Mirco Mueller, meaning both players will become unrestricted free agents on Friday.

The five that were qualified don’t come as much of a surprise, but figuring out contract extensions with Blackwood and Bratt should be a priority for GM Tom Fitzgerald this offseason. The 23-year-old Blackwood has established himself as the team’s starting goaltender after posting a .916 save percentage across his first 70 appearances. Bratt meanwhile scored 16 goals this season, trailing only Kyle Palmieri and the departed Blake Coleman for the team lead.

It’s Hayden and Mueller that may raise some eyebrows, as both were regulars for the Devils this year. Hayden, a third-round pick by the Chicago Blackhawks in 2013, suited up 43 times for the Devils this year but scored just three goals. He was arbitration-eligible and could have secured a bigger deal than his qualifying offer, but with only 11 goals and 26 points in 156 games it is not like he was going to break the bank.

Mueller meanwhile was a first-round pick back in 2013 by the San Jose Sharks and has spent the last three seasons with the Devils. In 2019-20 he played 50 games for the team on a one-year $1.4MM contract, meaning his qualifying offer would have cost them the same amount.

Perhaps the team is just ready to move on, or perhaps this is another example of finances playing a part in the team’s decisions this offseason. Most have expected a few extra names to go unqualified, adding to a big free agent pool.

Devils Loan Jesper Boqvist To Timra

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While most European leagues are already underway, player loans from NHL teams continue.  This tie, it’s the Devils getting involved as they announced that they’ve loaned winger Jesper Boqvist to Timra of HockeyAllsvenskan, the second division in Sweden.  He will be recalled when NHL training camp begins.

The 21-year-old made his NHL debut this season with New Jersey, getting into 35 games.  He played a very limited role during that stint with the majority of his ice time coming on the fourth line and he was limited to just four points (all goals) as a result.  Boqvist was more productive with AHL Binghamton, however, as he chipped in with eight goals and three assists in just 19 contests there.

While Boqvist played in the SHL with Brynas as recently as the 2018-19 campaign, that league isn’t taking partial-season loans of players so he had to dip down to the lower level to have a chance to play at home.  The opportunity to play what should be a sizable role should be a positive for his development and could give him the upper hand at a regular spot with the Devils once next season gets underway.

Snapshots: Dillon, Jankowski, Devils

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According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet the Washington Capitals are trying to move some money in order to free up enough space to keep Brenden Dillon from hitting unrestricted free agency, but if he does hit the open market a return home would be of interest to him. Dillon told TSN radio today that “any Surrey kid would love to play in Vancouver” and that he would be interested in signing with the Canucks should it fall that way.

While there is still so much to happen in the next few days that could complicate a move like that, the Canucks are obviously interested in adding a defenseman given the work they’ve done to try and acquire Oliver Ekman-Larsson so far. Perhaps Dillon, who is coming off a five-year deal that carried a $3.27MM cap hit, could be a potential fallback option through free agency.

  • Not only do they have a draft and free agency to navigate, but the Arizona Coyotes are still busy building out their front office again after hiring GM Bill Armstrong to change the direction of the franchise. Yesterday they added Darryl Plandowski from the Tampa Bay Lightning and today the Coyotes have hired Ryan Jankowski as the new associate director of amateur scouting. Jankowski has worked with the Buffalo Sabres for the past two seasons after a lengthy stint with Hockey Canada.
  • Speaking of filling out a staff, the New Jersey Devils are still looking for a goaltending coach and third assistant coach, according to GM Tom Fitzgerald who spoke to reporters including Corey Masisak of The Athletic today. Mike Grier was given a chance to return but declined, while Alain Nasreddine will be returning to his position as an assistant coach.

New Jersey Devils Re-Sign Three Players

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The New Jersey Devils have re-signed a trio of minor leaguer players, inking Brett Seney, Ben Street and Joshua Jacobs to new deals. Seney and Jacobs will each be back on one-year, two-way contracts worth $700K at the NHL level, while Street has managed to secure a one-year, two-way deal that pays $750K in the NHL.

Seney, 24, played 51 games for the Devils in 2018-19 but was back to logging big minutes in the minor league this season. A sixth-round pick of the Devils in 2015, he has 53 NHL games under his belt and will likely be used as an injury replacement once again. The undersized forward has good skill, scoring 44 points in 61 games for the Binghamton Devils.

Street, the captain of those AHL Devils, has the most NHL experience of the three. A true journeyman, he went undrafted and has bounced around the professional ranks for the last decade, suiting up for the Calgary Flames, Colorado Avalanche, Detroit Red Wings, Anaheim Ducks, Wheeling Nailers, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, Abbotsford Heat, Lake Erie Monsters, San Antonio Rampage, Grand Rapids Griffins and San Diego Gulls before arriving in the Devils organization in 2019-20. He scored 42 points in 49 games for Binghamton and played just three games for New Jersey.

Jacobs, the only defender of the three, was actually a second-round pick of the Devils back in 2014 but has played just three NHL games so far in his career. Instead he has spent the last several years in the minor leagues manning an AHL blue line, the same place he’ll likely play next season.

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