Buffalo Sabres Extend Tage Thompson
The Buffalo Sabres have signed forward Tage Thompson to a seven-year, $50MM extension beginning in the 2023-24 season. The contract has a cap hit of $7.143MM and runs through 2030-2031.
General manager Kevyn Adams spoke on the deal:
Tage Thompson embodies the pride we expect from every player who wears the Buffalo Sabres sweater. His success last season is a testament to his unrelenting dedication to his craft and commitment to bettering the team both on and off the ice, which we believe will help us reach even greater heights moving forward. We are thrilled to extend Tage, keeping him and his family in Buffalo for many years to come.
Thompson, who will turn 25 in October, exploded for a breakout campaign in 2021-22. Playing in 78 games, Thompson shattered his previous single-digit career-highs in goals and assists, tallying 38 goals and 30 assists for 68 points. Widely credited due to the coaching of Don Granato and moving Thompson to center, he flourished in what was a promising year for him and the team overall.
He’ll need to keep up that pace now, though. More than $7MM per season is a massive commitment for one season of more than 15 points, but it could end up being a bargain just the same if he improves on those numbers. Any opinion of the deal will solely rely on one’s opinion of Thompson’s ceiling and how much development one thinks he has left.
In any event, Thompson is the team’s number one center for the long haul now. He heads up a deep group of young centers that includes Dylan Cozens, Peyton Krebs, Casey Mittelstadt, and Matthew Savoie, who all have the potential to be long-term, high-end top-nine fixtures for Buffalo.
It also gives the Sabres a degree of financial certainty that they’ve lacked in recent years. Forced to take on contracts purely to get to the salary cap’s spending floor, deals like Thompson’s given to young players instead of bloated free agent deals are a smarter way of managing money as Buffalo exits their rebuild.
Thompson will be 33 when the deal expires, meaning this will take Thompson all the way through his prime, in all likelihood.
ESPN’s Kevin Weekes was first to report Thompson and the Sabres were close on an extension.
Pittsburgh Penguins Extend Mike Sullivan
Mike Sullivan is locked in long-term as the head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Today, the team announced a three-year extension for the esteemed coach, beginning after the 2023-24 season and lasting through 2026-27.
Sullivan gave a statement today on his extension:
My family and I are excited to continue the journey in Pittsburgh. Words can’t express the respect and gratitude I have for what we have accomplished during my tenure with the Penguins. It is a testament to the character of the people and players in this organization, and the standard of excellence that we have established collectively. I’m grateful to Fenway Sports Group and the Penguins management group for their trust and confidence in me.
Sullivan is quickly transforming into one of the most important figures in Penguins’ history. His tenure as head coach has been nothing short of elite from a management perspective, guiding the team to back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2016 and 2017 while also consistently keeping a standard of excellence throughout regular season play. The significance and amount of injuries that the Penguins have faced, especially in recent years, have been overcome largely in part due to Sullivan’s coaching.
In 507 games behind the Penguins bench, Sullivan has a record of 297-156-54 or a points percentage of .639%. He has a playoff record of 44-38.
If he remains Pittsburgh’s coach for the duration of his new extension, it’ll be at least a 12-year tenure for Sullivan as the team’s head coach. With seven seasons under his belt already, he’s been the longest continuously-serving coach in Penguins history, and he’s tied with Eddie Johnston for total seasons served behind the bench as head coach for the organization.
In the coming years, Sullivan could be given the tall task of leading the Penguins out of the Sidney Crosby/Evgeni Malkin era. Both of their contracts expire prior to 2027, and while they surely may re-sign, it’s unlikely that they’ll be at the same dominant level of play. Without a slam-dunk prospect in the system to solidify the future, the team will rely heavily on Sullivan’s coaching performance to keep them competitive.
But that’s all Sullivan’s done so far in Pittsburgh — keeping them competitive. The team has the longest active playoff streak in the NHL, dating back to 2007, and it was one he singlehandedly saved in 2016 after taking over for Mike Johnston midseason after just a 15-10-3 start. Going 33-16-5 the rest of the way, Sullivan and the Penguins won the Stanley Cup in the first two seasons he served behind the bench, and while their playoff success has been limited since that point, Sullivan’s managed to keep the ship turned in the right direction.
Vegas Golden Knights Acquire Adin Hill
The Vegas Golden Knights announced that they have acquired goalie Adin Hill from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for a 2024 fourth-round pick. The deal seemingly solves the issue of San Jose’s goalie trio while giving Vegas another legitimate NHL goaltender in the absence of Robin Lehner this season.
As Vegas tries to shake off missing the playoffs for the first time in team history, there was a clear need for some change and to re-allocate their salary. Most notably, the team re-signed forward Reilly Smith, acquired the contract of defenseman Shea Weber, who they’ll place on LTIR, signed forward Phil Kessel, and dealt forward Max Pacioretty to the Carolina Hurricanes. However, the plan became problematic when it was revealed that star goalie Robin Lehner would have surgery and miss the entire 2022-23 season.
After losing Lehner, and before making the trade, Vegas did have two goalies with NHL experience in that of Laurent Brossoit and Logan Thompson, however neither had been a regular starter in the NHL. Brossoit had played parts of eight NHL seasons, but had never played more than 24 games in a season, those 24 coming in 2021-22. Certainly not a bad goalie by any stretch, Brossoit’s career .905 save-percentage and 2.84 goals-against average realistically may not have been numbers the Golden Knights trusted the bulk of their season in net with. Thompson brings with him just 20 games of NHL experience, but was a key piece in helping Vegas make a push for the playoffs with a remarkable final few weeks in net. His .914 save-percentage and 2.66 goals-against average could be sustainable as a full-time goalie for Vegas, but given his limited experience, might not be the solution to their immediate need for a starter. A fairly interesting consideration, knowing what we do now, was that only a few days ago, Vegas GM Kelly McCrimmon stated that the team would be running with a tandem of Brossoit and Thompson in net, if possible. Between all three goalies, only Thompson is waivers exempt.
Hill, similarly to Brossoit, has never been a starting goaltender in the NHL, however he does have more intriguing numbers. For his career, Hill carries a .908 save-percentage and 2.74 goals-against average, with a similar .906 and 2.68 in 2021-22, where he played 25 games, a career-high. Also of note, Hill spent his career with the Arizona Coyotes prior to being dealt to the Sharks last offseason, two teams that have struggled to an extent. With Vegas, who is generally a competitive, defensively sound team, Hill could very well see his numbers improve.
The trade seems to be good value for Vegas, giving up a fourth round pick for Hill, who was dealt just a year ago with a seventh-round selection in exchange for young goalie Josef Korenar and a second-round pick. The two packages for Hill, book-ending what was arguably the best year of his career, may not be a great look for San Jose, however the team’s tricky situation with three goaltenders meant that they would likely be forced to trade one for less than what they would want, lose one to waivers eventually, or run the always unpopular three-goalie system. Now for 2022-23, it appears San Jose will run a tandem of James Reimer and Kaapo Kahkonen in net, at least to start. Also worth considering, after trading promising defenseman Jacob Middleton to get Kahkonen and believing they could get a semi-substantial return for Reimer, neither seemed like a candidate to be traded for any less than San Jose believed they were worth.
On the salary cap front, the deal puts Vegas $10.24MM over the cap ceiling, but with the ability to put Weber ($7.86MM) and Lehner ($5MM) on LTIR, they will effectively have $2.62MM with which to work now. If they do wind up with Nolan Patrick ($1.2MM) on LTIR, that would increase to $3.82MM. Either number would seem comfortable, however the team does still need to re-sign current RFA defenseman Nicolas Hague, who could eat up most, if not all, of the lower number.
Vegas Golden Knights Sign Phil Kessel
Late last night, the Vegas Golden Knights announced the signing of one of the biggest names still available on the free agent market: forward Phil Kessel. Per the team announcement, Kessel signed a one-year deal worth $1.5MM. Per CapFriendly, Kessel’s contract includes a modified no-trade clause, one that allows Kessel to list 10 teams he is eligible to be traded to.
CapFriendly currently has the Golden Knights as over $7MM above the cap with these signings, but that’s with players such as Robin Lehner, Laurent Brossoit, and Nolan Patrick on regular injured reserve, rather than long-term injured reserve. Both Lehner and Patrick are expected to miss the entirety of the 2022-23 season, meaning their absences give Vegas the bandwidth under the cap to add Kessel and re-sign RFA defenseman Nicolas Hague.
Kessel, who will soon turn 35 years old, has spent the past three seasons playing for the Arizona Coyotes. In his 208-game career with the Coyotes, Kessel has posted 133 points, which is a healthy 52-point 82-game pace.
Noting an 82-game pace with Kessel’s production is especially relevant due to the fact that he is currently the NHL’s reigning “Iron Man,” meaning he has gone 982 games straight without missing a contest, a steak that dates back to November 2009.
It’s definitely possible that his steak could pose a lineup dilemma for new coach Bruce Cassidy if Kessel struggles in Vegas. Cassidy has the reputation of demanding a lot from his players, and Kessel’s notorious apathy to the defensive side of the game could land him in hot water if he’s not scoring. But even with that being said, Kessel remains a talented enough offensive player to confidently project as a contributor in Vegas next season.
While he might not be the impact scorer he was in Pittsburgh anymore, Kessel is still a quality offensive talent who can offer a team a lot of value if utilized correctly. Former head coach Peter DeBoer and his assistant Steve Spott drew significant criticism from the Vegas market for the team’s lackluster power play, so the addition of Kessel could be seen as GM Kelly McCrimmon giving his new coach a new tool to help turn the page for that unit.
Cassidy will have some options as to where to deploy Kessel, especially with former top-line winger Max Pacioretty gone. Vegas could opt to stick Kessel on Nicolas Roy‘s wing on the team’s third line, or he could prefer to put Kessel on Jack Eichel and Mark Stone‘s line, with the idea that Stone’s defensive prowess will help cover for Kessel’s defensive deficiencies.
While we might not know exactly what route Cassidy will go in terms of his deployment of Kessel, there are few coaches in the NHL with a stronger resume than the Golden Knights’ new coach. If there’s any coach that will find a way to best maximize Kessel’s unique player profile, it’s Cassidy.
The Golden Knights are under significant pressure to improve upon last season’s disappointing campaign. The signing of Kessel isn’t going to be what makes or breaks their season, but it does provide their lineup with another intriguing weapon.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Alex Texier Won’t Join Columbus Blue Jackets For 2022-23 Season
The Columbus Blue Jackets announced today that forward Alexandre Texier will not join the team for the 2022-23 season, per the advice and recommendation of the NHL/NHLPA Substance Abuse and Behavioral Health Program.
Texier gave the following statement on his absence from the team:
During the past year, I have experienced some personal issues and challenges and I feel I need to be close to my family at this time. I have love and respect for the city of Columbus, the Blue Jackets, and the fans as everyone has always treated me first-class. I truly appreciate the support, help and empathy I have received from team management, the coaching staff, doctors, trainers and my teammates. This was a hard decision, but it is the best one for me right now.
After sustaining a finger injury in January 2022, Texier was granted a leave of absence in March that lasted for the remainder of the 2021-22 season. He finished the year with a strong 20 points in 36 games.
Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen reiterated that Texier’s mental health and well-being remain the team’s top priority, and pledge to continue supporting the player in any way they can.
Texier will not be paid by Columbus this season, nor will his contract count against the salary cap. Per an agreement between the player, team, NHL, and NHLPA, Texier will be permitted to sign a one-year contract in Europe for the 2022-23 season to be closer to his family.
The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline reports that the final year of Texier’s contract will slide, meaning he’ll still be under contract with Columbus if he decides to return in 2023-24.
PHR continues to wish Texier well as he takes the time he needs.
New York Islanders Sign Noah Dobson, Alex Romanov, Kieffer Bellows
Per a series of team announcements Monday morning, the New York Islanders have finally locked up a trio of restricted free agents in defenseman Noah Dobson (link), defenseman Alexander Romanov (link), and forward Kieffer Bellows (link). Dobson and Romanov have signed three-year deals, while Bellows has signed a one-year deal.
The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz reports Dobson’s deal carries a $4MM AAV, while TSN’s Chris Johnston reports Romanov’s deal has a $2.5MM cap hit. CapFriendly reports Bellows’ contract carries a $1.2MM cap hit, all in base salary.
Dobson, 22, enjoyed a career season in 2021-22, something that couldn’t be said for much of the team. The team’s 12th overall selection in 2018 displayed his full potential, leading the team’s blueline with 51 points in 80 games while averaging over 21 minutes a night. His defensive game has remained solid throughout his three-year career so far, but it was his offensive vision and confidence that spearheaded his breakout this year. He was never drafted to be a defensive stalwart, but not being a liability in his own end of the ice certainly helps his case to continue developing into a superstar defenseman.
Romanov, however, was drafted to be that defensive stalwart, and he took a real step towards that last season in Montreal despite playing in a porous system. Acquired this offseason in exchange for the 13th overall pick, Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello gets a great value signing here with a three-year term on that $2.5MM cap hit. Romanov showed that he can be a dependable defensive presence while playing top-four minutes, a role he’ll undoubtedly continue on the Island this season. A stark upgrade over the play of Zdeno Chara and Andy Greene, Romanov could likely play with Dobson on the team’s second pairing, one that could end up being their best one in a few seasons’ time. He set career-highs in 2021-22 with 79 games played, three goals, 10 assists, 13 points, and an average time on ice of 20:24.
Bellows has struggled to crack the lineup on a nightly basis under former head coach Barry Trotz, and he’s hoping a new face behind the bench will get him some more playing time. His offensive numbers finally showed great promise at the NHL level last season, posting 19 points in 45 games despite playing under 12 minutes a night. He’ll compete with veterans like Matt Martin and Zach Parise for spots in the lineup, as he’ll try to work his way into a consistent bottom-six role (with some power play time, hopefully).
All three players will again be restricted free agents at the end of their contracts.
Calgary Flames Sign Nazem Kadri
The Calgary Flames may have lost Matthew Tkachuk and Johnny Gaudreau, but they certainly aren’t rebuilding. After trading Sean Monahan to the Montreal Canadiens to clear enough cap space, the team has signed free agent forward Nazem Kadri to a seven-year, $49MM ($7MM AAV) contract. PuckPedia has the full details:
- 2022-23: $4.5MM salary + $2.5MM signing bonus
- 2023-24: $4.5MM salary + $2.5MM signing bonus
- 2024-25: $4.5MM salary + $2.5MM signing bonus
- 2025-26: $4.5MM salary + $2.5MM signing bonus
- 2026-27: $6.0MM salary + $1.0MM signing bonus
- 2027-28: $7.0MM salary
Kadri, 31, came into the summer as one of the top free agents on the market after an incredible season with the Colorado Avalanche that included a career-high 87 points and resulted in a Stanley Cup championship. It’s not often a player of that caliber sits on the open market for more than a month but it appears as though the Flames and general manager Brad Treliving (whose birthday is today) are going to be the beneficiaries. Kadri comes to town along with Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar, completely changing the look of the team and essentially replacing the production of Gaudreau and Tkachuk.
Treliving released the following statement:Nazem is a highly competitive top six player who makes our centre ice position deep. He brings a high skill level and determination to our group combined with his recent experience of a Stanley Cup championship. We look forward to welcoming Nazem and his family to Calgary and his contributions to our team’s ultimate success.
The issue some will point to is the age of the two-way pivot, who will turn 32 in October, and how he had never really come close to his 2021-22 level of production previously. While that is true, Kadri also offers some things outside his overall offensive production that can make him a valuable part of the team. A strong defensive player who has received Selke Trophy votes on three occasions, he is also willing to engage physically and has had a knack for scoring at clutch moments. Avalanche fans will fondly remember his first playoff run with the team when he led all postseason players with five game-winning goals in just 15 appearances.
Of course, as good as those two performances were, you can’t discuss Kadri without mentioning his other postseason escapades. Three times–twice for the Toronto Maple Leafs and once for Colorado–he has been suspended in the playoffs, arguably costing his team a chance at advancing. While he can say that part of his game is behind him, the most recent incident was just a year ago, and there’s no guarantee he won’t do something to jeopardize his team again in the future.
Still, adding a player like this to the mix keeps the Flames’ competitive window wide open, at least for the next couple of seasons. The Huberdeau extension and this long-term deal for Kadri will likely not end well, though, with the salary cap expected to increase significantly down the road, they at least will get some relief.
One other thing that might be brought up is how Kadri blocked a trade to the Flames just a few years ago, when the Maple Leafs tried to send him west in exchange for T.J. Brodie. The London, Ontario native explained that decision earlier this year in a piece for the Player’s Tribune, saying that it had nothing to do with Calgary and everything to do with trying to stay in Toronto, where he wanted to win. The Maple Leafs would end up sending him to Colorado, a team he couldn’t block, and signed Brodie in free agency instead.
The only way the Flames can afford a player like Kadri is by moving out considerable salary, and that’s what a Monahan trade represents. The 27-year-old forward has a $6.375MM cap hit for next season and has completely fallen off a cliff in terms of production over the last few years. Once a consistent 30-goal, 60-point center, Monahan had just eight goals and 23 points in 65 games this year while seeing his ice time drop to just 14 minutes a night. Injury has hampered his game significantly, and there’s no telling at this point if he’ll ever get back to being a top-six contributor.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Robin Lehner To Miss Entire 2022-23 Season Following Hip Surgery
The Vegas Golden Knights are suddenly without a goalie. The team announced today that Robin Lehner will miss the entire 2022-23 season after determining that he will require hip surgery. No timeline for his recovery has been given yet, other than the fact he is no longer an option for the rapidly-approaching campaign.
This news follows Lehner’s previous shoulder surgery in May, which ended his season early. At the time, there were reports that he was dealing with multiple issues, including a serious hip injury, though the decision to have another procedure was certainly not expected at this point in the offseason. The Golden Knights, who have made several cap moves this summer including shedding Max Pacioretty‘s deal for no return, are now basically down to Logan Thompson as a realistic NHL option.
Laurent Brossoit, the team’s backup that was signed to a two-year, $4.65MM contract before last season, also underwent hip surgery earlier this year and is not guaranteed to be ready for the start of the year. Thompson and Michael Hutchinson are the only two other netminders in the organization with any NHL experience.
While it means that Lehner’s contract can be moved to long-term injured reserve, something the Golden Knights were already using after acquiring Shea Weber‘s contract, there are now just two months left to the start of the season, and not a lot of capable starting options available. Thompson had a late-season breakout this year with a .914 save percentage in 19 appearances but the undrafted netminder’s career experience to just 20 NHL games. There’s no telling how he would react to carrying the starter’s load for a whole year, even if he has performed admirably in the minor leagues.
The question for Lehner now becomes whether or not his career will continue after this lost season, as major hip surgeries can often derail a goaltender’s performance even after they are medically cleared to return.
Boston Bruins Re-Sign Patrice Bergeron
The captain is back, as Patrice Bergeron has officially re-signed with the Boston Bruins. The legendary defensive forward will be back for his 19th season, agreeing to a one-year, $2.5MM contract. The deal also has an additional $2.5MM in potential performance bonuses.
Not only does this bring back one of the best players in Bruins history but Bergeron has done the team a huge favor by agreeing to such a reasonable contract. Because he is over the age of 35 and signing a one-year deal, he’s eligible for performance bonuses. If any part of that bonus money would put the team over the salary cap ceiling by the end of the year, they can be pushed to the 2023-24 books.
Given the fact that Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports is reporting that the entire $2.5MM bonus is for 10 games played, this is essentially a way for the Bruins to split Bergeron’s cap hit between two seasons. They can now operate as if he is only taking up $2.5MM, while then incurring up to a $2.5MM penalty next season – whether he plays or not.
Still, that is a ridiculously low number for a player of his ability. The 37-year-old had one of the best defensive seasons in history last year, and added 25 goals and 65 points in 73 games, winning his record fifth Selke Trophy in the process. Had he actually been on the open market, he likely could have secured multiple years and a much higher salary.
There was never any chance of him going somewhere else though, as Boston has been his home for two decades. The Bruins selected Bergeron 45th overall in 2003, and he has been a pillar of consistency in their lineup basically ever since.
One of the few players left in the league to have played before the 2004-05 lockout, Bergeron was a rookie in 2003-04 and scored 16 goals and 39 points as a teenager. After the NHL resumed in 2005, he was already an All-Star level talent, with 31 goals and 73 points in his sophomore year. After 1,216 regular season games with the team, he sits on 400 goals and 982 points, meaning he’ll have another milestone night at some point this year.
Whether the rest of the Bruins roster is good enough to contend for the Stanley Cup still remains to be seen but there is no arguing against the fact that Bergeron gets them closer. The veteran forward will be in the Hall of Fame one day, and the team is paying him as if he’s a depth option.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
2022 Arbitration Tracker
The dates for the upcoming arbitration hearings have been set, with the first one scheduled for July 27. Hearings will continue through August 11 this year, with that being the busiest day of the schedule. It is important to note that the CBA agreement in 2020 changed the rules for arbitration so that once a hearing begins, teams are no longer allowed to negotiate with the player in question.
The full schedule is:
July 27
Isac Lundestrom (Anaheim Ducks) – Settled: 2 years, $1.8MM AAV
July 29
Jesse Puljujarvi (Edmonton Oilers) – Settled: 1 year, $3.0MM
July 30
Kasperi Kapanen (Pittsburgh Penguins) – Settled: 2 years, $3.2MM AAV
Matthew Phillips (Calgary Flames) – Settled: 1 year, $750K AAV (two-way contract)
August 1
Mathieu Joseph (Ottawa Senators) – Settled: 3 years, $2.95MM AAV
Steven Lorentz (San Jose Sharks) – Settled: 2 years, $1.05MM AAV
August 2
Yakov Trenin (Nashville Predators) – Awarded: 2 years, $1.7MM AAV
August 3
Jesper Bratt (New Jersey Devils) – Settled: 1 year, $5.45MM AAV
August 5
Andrew Mangiapane (Calgary Flames) – Settled: 3 years, $5.8MM AAV
August 6
Miles Wood (New Jersey Devils) – Settled: 1 year, $3.2MM AAV
August 7
Kailer Yamamoto (Edmonton Oilers) – Settled: 2 years, $3.1MM AAV
August 8
Ethan Bear (Carolina Hurricanes) – Settled: 1 year, $2.2MM
Lawson Crouse (Arizona Coyotes) – Settled: 5 years, $4.3MM AAV
Zack MacEwen (Philadelphia Flyers) – Settled: 1 year, $925K
August 9
Maxime Lajoie (Carolina Hurricanes) – Settled: 1 year, $750K (two-way contract)
August 10
Keegan Kolesar (Vegas Golden Knights) – Settled: 3 years, $1.4MM AAV
Oliver Kylington (Calgary Flames) – Settled: 2 years, $2.5MM AAV
August 11
Mason Appleton (Winnipeg Jets) – Settled: 3 years, $2.167MM AAV
Morgan Geekie (Seattle Kraken) – Settled: 1 year, $1.4MM AAV
Tyce Thompson (New Jersey Devils) – Settled: 2 years, $762.5K AAV (partial two-way)
Matthew Tkachuk (Florida Panthers) – Settled: 8 years, $9.5MM AAV
Jake Walman (Detroit Red Wings) – Settled: 1 year, $1.05MM
Pavel Zacha (Boston Bruins) – Settled: 1 year, $3.5MM