Toronto Maple Leafs Sign T.J. Brodie
The Toronto Maple Leafs have found their right-side defenseman (though he’s still not right-handed). Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that T.J. Brodie will be heading to Toronto, and follows up with the contract details. Brodie will sign a four-year deal worth a total of $20MM ($5MM AAV). Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic provides the full breakdown:
- 2020-21: $2.5MM
- 2021-22: $5.0MM
- 2022-23: $5.0MM
- 2023-24: $7.5MM
The Maple Leafs have been dying for a right-handed defenseman to pair with Morgan Rielly for years, but will have to settle for the left-shot-right-side Brodie, who has been a strong contributor in Calgary for a decade. Toronto even tried to acquire him last summer in a trade that would have seen Nazem Kadri head to the Flames, but it was nixed by a no-trade clause at the last minute. In his place, the team traded for Tyson Barrie who was a defensive nightmare in Toronto, and regularly stuck Cody Ceci alongside Rielly.
Now, with Mikko Lehtonen also in the fold, the Maple Leafs have presumably improved their defense quite a bit as they prepare for the 2020-21 season. That being said, Brodie’s addition also puts a lot of pressure on the front office to figure out the cap situation.
CapFriendly now projects the Maple Leafs to be over the $81.5MM cap ceiling by a little more than $1MM, with new contracts to come for Travis Dermott and Ilya Mikheyev. While some space can be made by removing names like Calle Rosen and Timothy Liljegren, two players who likely won’t start the year in the NHL, it is quite the tight fit if either of the team’s restricted free agents are looking at a substantial raise.
It also likely means the team is out of the Alex Pietrangelo sweepstakes, though a pursuit of the top free agent always seemed impossible given their financial situation. The Maple Leafs would have had to move out several pieces to make room for the Blues captain, though GM Kyle Dubas did confirm that he spoke with Pietrangelo’s agent today.
Back to Brodie, who is cashing in and receives a slight raise on the $4.65MM cap hit he has carried over the last five years with Calgary. In 634 regular season games he has recorded 266 points, including back-to-back 40-plus seasons in 2014-16. That offense did dry up a bit in 2019-20 when Brodie scored just 19 points in 64 games, but the Maple Leafs need more at the defensive end of the rink anyway. That’s where this signing does hit a bit of a snag, as though Brodie records very strong defensive metrics, he’s not the snarling, shutdown defender that so many Maple Leafs fans seem to be clamoring for. In fact, he has recorded just 264 hits over his ten-year career. Brodie relies much more on his elusive skating ability and quick decision making to recover and move pucks but is still prone to the odd glaring turnover.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Calgary Flames Sign Jacob Markstrom To Six-Year Deal
The Jacob Markstrom sweepstakes has a winner. The top goalie on the free agent market opted not to re-sign with the Vancouver Canucks but instead to join the rival Calgary Flames. The Flames have announced that they have agreed to terms with Markstrom on a six-year, $36MM contract. TSN’s Bob McKenzie adds that Markstrom’s deal carries a full No-Movement Clause.
Markstrom, 30, picked a good time to have a career year. In a market with numerous teams needing a new starting goalie, Markstrom was the consensus top option after posting a .918 save percentage and .535 winning percentage. Markstrom finished fourth in the Vezina Trophy voting for the best goalie in the league and was voted the Canucks’ team MVP. In a contract year, he established himself as a legitimate long-term starter.
What resulted was a bidding war for the netminder. Even after proclaiming all year that re-signing Markstrom was a priority, Vancouver could not keep up with rivals Calgary and Edmonton, opting instead to sign Braden Holtby to a short-term deal. Edmonton eventually fell out of the race as well and have yet to find a solution in net.
Calgary, who failed to come to terms on an extension with Cam Talbot prior to free agency opening, end up upgrading the position with Markstrom. David Rittich had failed to prove that he could be relied upon as a starter and will now settle into a backup role, if he is not traded away that is. Markstrom will add some much needed security on the back end for the Flames, who could lose defensemen T.J. Brodie and Travis Hamonic to free agency.
Ottawa Senators Sign Matt Murray To Four-Year Extension
After acquiring their new starting goaltender Matt Murray from the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Ottawa Senators have worked quickly to lock him up long term. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that the two sides have come to terms on a four-year, $25MM extension. The deal will keep Murray under contract through the 2023-24 season at a whopping $6.25MM AAV.
Murray, 26, was a restricted free agent for the final time this off-season, so his new contract buys out three UFA years. However, this is still a substantial raise from his $3.75MM AAV in Pittsburgh, despite performance and injury struggles over the past few years. In fact, Murray currently has the seventh-highest goalie AAV in the NHL. His contract also contains a ten-team no-trade list that kicks in in year two.
Part of the reason why Ottawa was so willing to commit money to Murray is that the team is still short of the salary cap floor. With a deep prospect pipeline, the Senators are hoping that many of their roster spots are filled by affordable young players. In order to meet the cap floor, the team will need to commit sizeable amounts of cap space to those few veterans that have concrete roles. Murray, who is still young himself, is clearly the top man in net for years to come and the Senators were comfortable paying him as such.
Vancouver Canucks Sign Braden Holtby
The Vancouver Canucks won’t re-sign Jacob Markstrom, but they’ll bring in a Vezina Trophy winner to replace him. The team is expected to sign Braden Holtby to a two-year contract worth a total of $8.6MM, according to several reports including Dan Murphy of Sportsnet.
Holtby joins Thatcher Demko in Vancouver’s net on an extremely reasonable contract that won’t hamstring the Canucks as they move forward. In fact, given that the team will likely protect Demko in the Seattle expansion draft, it will be interesting to see if Holtby even plays out the full two-year term in Vancouver.
For now though, Holtby joins a team that already went deep into the playoffs and has some of the best young players in the NHL. Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes will only improve in the coming years and now have a goaltender behind them that has won almost everything possible in the NHL.
A Vezina, Jennings and Stanley Cup winner, Holtby has put up a .916 save percentage in 468 regular season appearances. That number dropped dramatically in 2019-20, but having just turned 31 there are many who believe Holtby can bounce-back.
Winnipeg Jets Acquire Paul Stastny
Friday: The deal is now official, Stastny is a Jet. Vegas will receive defenseman Carl Dahlstrom along with Winnipeg’s fourth-round pick in 2022. The draft pick is conditional on Stastny playing five games with the Jets, according to Craig Custance of The Athletic. This is likely just a safeguard against the possibility of a canceled 2020-21 season.
Thursday: The Winnipeg Jets are working to bring back a familiar face, as Jason Bell of the Winnipeg Free Press and several others are reporting that the team is closing in on a deal for Vegas Golden Knights center Paul Stastny. If the deal is completed, Murat Ates of The Athletic tweets that it will include draft picks headed in both directions.
Winnipeg has long been looking for a second-line center to play behind Mark Scheifele, and for a few games in 2018 they found one. When Stastny was winding down his last contract with the St. Louis Blues, they sent him to Winnipeg in exchange for a first-round pick and prospect Erik Foley, despite being in a playoff run. The veteran forward immediately found success with the Jets on a line between Patrik Laine and Nikolaj Ehlers, scoring 13 points in the 19 games down the stretch. In the playoffs, Stastny was exactly what the Jets had hoped for and trailed only Scheifele, Blake Wheeler, and Dustin Byfuglien in postseason scoring.
That offseason, the Jets made an attempt to keep him, even moving Steve Mason‘s contract out to make cap room. It didn’t work, as Stastny took a three-year deal with the Golden Knights that carried a whopping $6.5MM AAV and was asked to replace some of the production the team was losing from free agents James Neal and David Perron.
Now, two years into that deal and hours before free agency opens, the Golden Knights obviously feel there are better things they can use that cap space on.
The 34-year-old Stastny was still effective this season, but he did take a substantial step backward in offensive statistics. In fact, his 38 points in 71 games was easily the worst per-game production of his career, though that did still include 17 goals.
More than anything, the Jets may be trying to find a way to recapture that magic the team showed in 2018 when they went all the way to the Western Conference Finals with Stastny in the middle of the ice. Or even perhaps motivate an enigmatic Laine who has expressed his frustration in the past at weaker linemates but did enjoy his time with the veteran pivot. Of course, Laine’s name has also been in the rumor mill quite a bit this summer, and taking on Stastny’s $6.5MM cap hit doesn’t leave a ton of room for upgrades to the rest of the roster.
For the Golden Knights, if they’re able to rid themselves of the entire Stastny cap hit they will not only be cap-compliant again, but a lot closer to taking a swing at one of the high profile free agents. The team has been linked to Alex Pietrangelo, though nothing is certain on that front as the Blues re-engaged their captain recently. They have also been trying to move Marc-Andre Fleury‘s deal, which would give them ample space to add on the free agent market. Nate Schmidt and Jonathan Marchessault have also been mentioned as potential trade candidates.
Currently, the Golden Knights project to be nearly $3MM over the salary cap of $81.5MM for next season. While you can operate up to 10% over that ceiling in the offseason, clearing Stastny’s contract off the books would give them a lot more flexibility in the coming days.
New Jersey Devils Acquire Ryan Murray
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.
Montreal Canadiens Sign Josh Anderson To Seven-Year Extension
The Montreal Canadiens are all in on new acquisition Josh Anderson. While the Columbus Blue Jackets signed trade counterpart Max Domi for two years at a $5.3MM AAV, the Habs have inked Anderson to a whopping seven-year contract at a $5.5MM AAV. Montreal has announced a $38.5MM pact that will keep the newest addition under contract through the 2026-27 season.
The structure of Anderson’s contract is unique. There are no signing bonuses woven into the deal, with every cent being paid out in salary. However, the salary deviates significantly, to the league maximum in fact, with low salaries in the beginning and end of the deal to help the Canadiens with the current financial crisis as well as with a potential buyout down the road. The exact payout structure is as follows, according to TSN’s Darren Dreger:
Year 1: $4MM
Year 2: $4MMM
Year 3: $7MM
Year 4: $8MM
Year 5: $7MM
Year 6: $5MM
Year 7: $3.5MM
The contract also carries some limited trade protection, per CapFriendly. In years two to four of the deal, Anderson has an eight-team no-trade list. In years five to seven, that protection shrinks to just a five-team no-trade list. It is notable that Anderson does not possess trade protection in his first year, so if things go south right away the Canadiens could move the winger to any interested team.
While any long-term deal carries some risk, this is an especially precarious pact. Anderson played just 26 games this past season with Columbus, missing much of the season due to injury. While there are no concerns remaining in regard to that injury, his durability will be in question until he can prove that his injury issues are behind him. Perhaps even more concerning is his play when he was on the ice for the Blue Jackets; Anderson recorded just four points and his shooting percentage came in under 2%. Of course, the season prior Anderson did total a career-high 27 goals and 47 points. However, it was his only season with over 20 goals or 30 points in his six-year NHL career. At $5.5MM annually, Montreal is expecting at least 20+ goals and 40+ points in each of the next seven years. They are hoping that 2018-19 Anderson is the real Anderson; if it’s not the team could be in trouble.
With all that said, Canadiens fans should take at least some solace in the fact that the team is so comfortable with their acquisition of Anderson that they were willing to hand out a massive long-term deal before he even donned their jersey. If anything, this contract shows that Montreal is going to give Anderson a major role and expects the big winger to be a core piece for years to come.
2020 NHL Entry Draft Results
It’s been more than three months since the 2020 NHL Entry Draft was originally be scheduled to be held, but the day has finally arrived. Rather than a Friday night and Saturday event held in front of a capacity crowd at an NHL venue, it is instead a Tuesday and Wednesday affair and an entirely virtual format. However, the results will be the same. A new generation of future NHLers will hear their names called, beginning with 31 top prospects tonight and another 186 hopefuls tomorrow. Below are the picks for the ongoing and completed rounds, with updated selections:
Round One
- New York Rangers – F Alexis Lafreniere, Rimouski (QMJHL)
- Los Angeles Kings – F Quinton Byfield, Sudbury (OHL)
- Ottawa Senators (from SJS) – F Tim Stutzle, Manheim (DEL)
- Detroit Red Wings – F Lucas Raymond, Frolunda (SHL)
- Ottawa Senators – D Jake Sanderson, USNTDP (USHL)
- Anaheim Ducks – D Jamie Drysdale, Erie (OHL)
- New Jersey Devils – F Alexander Holtz, Djurgardens (SHL)
- Buffalo Sabres – F Jack Quinn, Ottawa (OHL)
- Minnesota Wild – F Marco Rossi, Ottawa (OHL)
- Winnipeg Jets – F Cole Perfetti, Saginaw (OHL)
- Nashville Predators – G Yaroslav Askarov, St. Petersburg (KHL)
- Florida Panthers – F Anton Lundell, HIFK (Liiga)
- Carolina Hurricanes (from TOR) – F Seth Jarvis, Portland (WHL)
- Edmonton Oilers – F Dylan Holloway, Univ. of Wisconsin (NCAA)
- Toronto Maple Leafs (from PIT) – F Rodion Amirov, Ufa (KHL)
- Montreal Canadiens – D Kaiden Guhle, Prince Albert (WHL)
- Chicago Blackhawks – F Lukas Reichel, Berlin (DEL)
- New Jersey Devils (from ARI) – F Dawson Mercer, Chicoutimi (QMJHL)
- New York Rangers (from CGY) – D Braden Schneider, Brandon (WHL)
- New Jersey Devils (from VAN via TBL) – D Shakir Mukhamadullin, Ufa (KHL)
- Columbus Blue Jackets – F Yegor Chinakhov, Omsk (KHL)
- Washington Capitals (from CAR via NYR, CGY) – F Hendrix Lapierre, Chicoutimi (QMJHL)
- Philadelphia Flyers – F Tyson Foerster, Barrie (OHL)
- Calgary Flames (from WSH) – F Connor Zary, Kamloops (WHL)
- Colorado Avalanche – D Justin Barron, Halifax (QMJHL)
- St. Louis Blues – F Jake Neighbours, Edmonton (WHL)
- Anaheim Ducks (from BOS) – F Jacob Perreault, Sarnia (OHL)
- Ottawa Senators (from NYI) – F Ridly Greig, Brandon (WHL)
- Vegas Golden Knights – F Brendan Brisson, Chicago (USHL)
- Dallas Stars – F Mavrik Bourque, Shawinigan (QMJHL)
- San Jose Sharks (from TBL) – F Ozzy Wiesblatt, Prince Albert (WHL)
Round Two
32. Detroit Red Wings – D William Wallinder, MODO (Allsvenskan)
33. Ottawa Senators – F Roby Jarventie, Ilves (Liiga)
34. Buffalo Sabres (from SJS) – F J.J. Peterka, Munchen (DEL)
35. Los Angeles Kings – D Helge Grans, Malmo (SHL)
36. Anaheim Ducks – F Sam Colangelo, Chicago (USHL)
37. Minnesota Wild (from NJD via NSH) – F Marat Khusnutdinov, St. Petersburg (KHL)
38. San Jose Sharks (from BUF) – F Thomas Bordeleau, USNTDP (USHL)
39. Minnesota Wild – D Ryan O’Rourke, Sault Ste. Marie (OHL)
40. Winnipeg Jets – F Daniel Torgersson, Frolunda (SHL)
41. Carolina Hurricanes (from NYR) – F Noel Gunler, Lulea (SHL)
42. Nashville Predators – F Luke Evangelista, London (OHL)
43. Florida Panthers – F Emil Heineman, Leksands (SHL)
44. Ottawa Senators (from TOR) – D Tyler Kleven, USNTDP (USHL)
45. Los Angeles Kings (from EDM via DET) – D Brock Faber, USNTDP (USHL)
46. Chicago Blackhawks (from PIT) – G Drew Commesso, USNTDP (USHL)
47. Montreal Canadiens – F Luke Tuch, USNTDP (USHL)
48. Montreal Canadiens (from CHI) – F Jan Mysak, Hamilton (OHL)
49. Arizona Coyotes – Forfeited
50. Calgary Flames – D Yan Kuznetsov, Univ. of Connecticut (NCAA)
51. Detroit Red Wings (from VAN via LAK) – F Theodor Niederbach, Frolunda (SuperElit)
52. Pittsburgh Penguins (from CLB via OTT) – G Joel Blomqvist, Karpat (Liiga)
53. Carolina Hurricanes – F Vasili Ponomaryov, Shawinigan (QMJHL)
54. Philadelphia Flyers – D Emil Andrae, HV71 (SHL)
55. Detroit Red Wings (from WAS) – F Cross Hanas, Portland (WHL)
56. San Jose Sharks (from COL) – F Tristen Robins, Saskatoon (WHL)
57. Tampa Bay Lightning (from STL via MTL) – F Jack Finley, Spokane (WHL)
58. Boston Bruins – D Mason Lohrei, Green Bay (USHL)
59. Toronto Maple Leafs (from NYI via OTT) – F Roni Hirvonen, Assat (Liiga)
60. New York Rangers (from VGK via LAK) – F Will Cuylle, Windsor (OHL)
61. Ottawa Senators (from DAL) – F Egor Sokolov, Cape Breton (QMJHL)
62. Tampa Bay Lightning – F Gage Goncalves, Everett (WHL)
Round Three
- Detroit Red Wings – D Donovan Sebrango, Kitchener (OHL)
- Toronto Maple Leafs (from OTT) – D Topi Niemela, Karpat (Liiga)
- Minnesota Wild (from SJS via DET) – D Daemon Hunt, Moose Jaw (WHL)
- Los Angeles Kings – F Kasper Simontaival, Tappara (Liiga)
- Anaheim Ducks – D Ian Moore, St. Mark’s (USHS)
- Vegas Golden Knights (from NJD) – D Lukas Cormier, Charlottetown (QMJHL)
- Carolina Hurricanes (from BUF) – D Alexander Nikishin, Spartak Moscow (KHL)
- Detroit Red Wings (from MIN) – D Eemil Viro, TPS (Liiga)
- Ottawa Senators (from WIN) – G Leevi Merilainen, Karpat (U20 Liiga)
- Calgary Flames (from NYR) – D Jeremie Poirier, Saint John (QMJHL)
- Nashville Predators (from PHI) – D Luke Prokop, Calgary (WHL)
- Florida Panthers – F Ty Smilanic, USNTDP (USHL)
- Colorado Avalanche (from TOR) – F Jean-Luc Foudy, Windsor (OHL)
- San Jose Sharks (from EDM) – F Daniil Gushchin, Muskegon (USHL)
- Pittsburgh Penguins – G Calle Clang, Rogle (SuperElit)
- Columbus Blue Jackets (from MTL) – D Samuel Knazko, TPS (U20 Liiga)
- Chicago Blackhawks – F Landon Slaggert, USNTDP (USHL)
- Calgary Flames (from ARI via COL, WSH) – D Jake Boltmann, Edina (USHS)
- Chicago Blackhawks (from CGY) – D Wyatt Kaiser, Andover (USHS)
- Vancouver Canucks – D Joni Jurmo, JYP (Liiga)
- Los Angeles Kings (from CLB via OTT, TOR) – F Alex Laferriere, Des Moines (USHL)
- New Jersey Devils (from CAR) – G Nico Daws, Guelph (OHL)
- Tampa Bay Lightning (from PHI via SJS) – F Maxim Groshev, Nizhnekamsk (KHL)
- St. Louis Blues (from WAS via MTL) – F Dylan Peterson, USNTDP (USHL)
- Florida Panthers (from COL) – F Justin Sourdif, Vancouver (WHL)
- St. Louis Blues – D Leo Loof, Farjestad (SuperElit)
- Boston Bruins – F Trevor Kuntar, Youngstown (USHL)
- New York Islanders – F Alexander Ljungkrantz, Brynas (SHL)
- Vegas Golden Knights – F Jackson Hallum, St. Thomas (USHS)
- New York Rangers (from DAL) – F Oliver Tarnstrom, AIK (Allsvenskan)
- Tampa Bay Lightning – D Jack Thompson, Sudbury (OHL)
Round Four
- Philadelphia Flyers (from DET via TBL) – F Zayde Wisdom, Kingston (OHL)
- Florida Panthers (from OTT) – D Michael Benning, Sherwood Park (AJHL)
- Calgary Flames (from SJS via MTL, BUF) – G Daniil Chechelev, Chekhov (MHL)
- Detroit Red Wings (from LAK) – F Sam Stange, Sioux City (USHL)
- San Jose Sharks (from ANA via MTL) – F Brandon Coe, North Bay (OHL)
- New Jersey Devils – F Jaromir Pytlik, Sault Ste. Marie (OHL)
- Edmonton Oilers (from BUF via SJS) – F Carter Savoie, Sherwood Park (AJHL)
- Nashville Predators (from MIN) – D Adam Wilsby, Sodertalje (Allsvenskan)
- Montreal Canadiens (from WIN) – F Jack Smith, St. Cloud (USHS)
- New York Rangers – G Dylan Garand, Kamloops (WHL)
- Anaheim Ducks (from NSH via PHI) – D Thimo Nickl, Drummondville (QMJHL)
- Florida Panthers – D Zach Uens, Merrimack College (NCAA)
- Toronto Maple Leafs – G Artur Akhtyamov, Kazan (MHL)
- Detroit Red Wings (from EDM) – G Jan Bednar, Karlovy Vary (Czech)
- Pittsburgh Penguins – F Lukas Svejkovsky, Medicine Hat (WHL)
- Montreal Canadiens – F Blake Biondi, Hermantown (USHS)
- Chicago Blackhawks – D Michael Krutil, Praha (Czech)
- Arizona Coyotes – D Mitchell Miller, Tri-City (USHL)
- Los Angeles Kings (from CGY) – G Juho Markkanen, SaiPa (U20 Liiga)
- Vancouver Canucks – F Jackson Kunz, Shattuck St. Mary’s (USHS)
- Columbus Blue Jackets – F Mikael Pyyhtia, TPS (U20 Liiga)
- Carolina Hurricanes – F Zion Nybeck, HV71 (SHL)
- Tampa Bay Lightning (from PHI) – D Eamon Powell, USNTDP (USHL)
- Washington Capitals – F Bogdan Trineyev, Dynamo Moscow (MHL)
- Colorado Avalanche – F Colby Ambrosio, Tri-City (USHL)
- St. Louis Blues – F Tanner Dickinson, Sault Ste. Marie (OHL)
- New Jersey Devils (from BOS) – D Ethan Edwards, Spruce Grove (AJHL)
- New York Islanders – F Alex Jefferies, Gunnery (USHS)
- Toronto Maple Leafs (from NYR) – D William Villeneuve, Saint John (QMJHL)
- Dallas Stars – F Antonio Stranges, London Knights (OHL)
- Montreal Canadiens (from TBL) – F Sean Farrell, Chicago (USHL)
Round Five
- Vegas Golden Knights (from DET) – G Jesper Vikman, AIK (SuperElit)
- Edmonton Oilers (from OTT via SJS) – F Tyler Tullio, Oshawa (OHL)
- New York Rangers (from SJS) – F Evan Vierling, Barrie(OHL)
- Los Angeles Kings – F Martin Chromiak, Kingston (OHL)
- Anaheim Ducks – F Artyom Galimov, Kazan (KHL)
- New Jersey Devils – F Artem Shlaine, Shattuck St. Mary’s (USHS)
- Buffalo Sabres –F Matteo Costantini, Buffalo (OJHL)
- Detroit Red Wings (from MIN) – D Alex Cotton, Lethbridge (WHL)
- Winnipeg Jets – D Anton Johannesson, HV71 (SuperElit)
- New York Rangers – F Brett Berard, USNTDP (USHL)
- Philadelphia Flyers (from NSH) – F Elliot Desnoyers, Moncton (QMJHL)
- Montreal Canadiens (from FLA) – G Jakub Dobes, Omaha (USHL)
- Toronto Maple Leafs – F Dmitry Ovchinnikov, Novosibirsk (KHL)
- Edmonton Oilers – F Maxim Berezkin, Yaroslavl (KHL)
- Colorado Avalanche (from PIT) – F Ryder Rolston, Waterloo (USHL)
- Los Angeles Kings (from MTL via CAR) – D Ben Meehan, Cedar Rapids (USHL)
- Chicago Blackhawks – D Isaak Phillips, Sudbury (OHL)
- Arizona Coyotes – F Carson Bantle, Madison (USHL)
- Calgary Flames – F Ryan Francis, Cape Breton (QMJHL)
- Vancouver Canucks – D Jacob Truscott, USNTDP (USHL)
- Columbus Blue Jackets – D Ole Bjorgvik-Holm, Mississauga (OHL)
- Minnesota Wild (from CAR via STL) –F Pavel Novak, Kelowna (WHL)
- Tampa Bay Lightning (from PHI) – F Jaydon Dureau, Portland (WHL)
- Washington Capitals – F Bear Hughes, Spokane (WHL)
- Pittsburgh Penguins (from COL) – F Raivis Ansons, Baie-Comeau (QMJHL)
- St. Louis Blues – D Matthew Kessel, Univ. of Massachusetts (NCAA)
- Boston Bruins – D Mason Langenbrunner, Eden Prairie (USHS)
- New York Islanders – F William Dufour, Drummondville (QMJHL)
- Florida Panthers (from VGK via TOR) – D Kasper Puutio, Everett (WHL)
- Dallas Stars – F Daniel Ljungman, Linkoping (SHL)
- Ottawa Senators (from TBL) – F Eric Engstrand, Malmo (SHL)
Round Six
- Detroit Red Wings – D Kyle Aucoin, Tri-City (USHL)
- Tampa Bay Lightning (from OTT) – F Nick Capone, Tri-City (USHL)
- Ottawa Senators (from SJS) – F Philippe Daoust, Moncton (QMJHL)
- Carolina Hurricanes (from LAK) – F Lucas Mercuri, Salisbury (USHS)
- Anaheim Ducks – F Albin Sundsvik, Skelleftea (SHL)
- New Jersey Devils – F Benjamin Baumgartner, Davos (NLA)
- Dallas Stars (from BUF via CAR, FLA) – F Yevgeni Oksentyuk, Flint (OHL)
- St. Louis Blues (from MIN) – G Will Cranley, Ottawa (OHL)
- Winnipeg Jets – D Tyrel Bauer, Seattle (WHL)
- New York Rangers – F Matt Rempe, Seattle (WHL)
- Nashville Predators – D Luke Reid, Chicago (USHL)
- Colorado Avalanche (from FLA) – F Nils Aman, Leksands (SHL)
- Toronto Maple Leafs – F Veeti Miettinen, Espoo (U20 Liiga)
- Edmonton Oilers – F Filip Engaras, Univ. of New Hampshire (NCAA)
- Pittsburgh Penguins – F Chase Yoder, USNTDP (USHL)
- Montreal Canadiens – F Alexander Gordin, St. Petersberg (KHL)
- Chicago Blackhawks – F Chad Yetman, Erie (OHL)
- Arizona Coyotes – F Filip Barklund, Orebro (SuperElit)
- Calgary Flames – F Rory Kerins, Sault Ste. Marie (OHL)
- Vancouver Canucks – F Dmitry Zlodeyev, Moscow (MHL)
- Columbus Blue Jackets – D Samuel Johannesson, Rogle (SHL)
- Toronto Maple Leafs (from CAR) – D Axel Rindell, Kukurit (Liiga)
- Philadelphia Flyers – F Connor McClennon, Winnipeg (WHL)
- Washington Capitals – G Garin Bjorklund, Medicine Hat (WHL)
- Toronto Maple Leafs (from COL) – F Joe Miller, Blake (USHS)
- Ottawa Senators (from STL) – F Cole Reinhardt, Brandon (WHL)
- Boston Bruins – F Riley Duran, Lawrence Academy (USHS)
- New York Islanders – D Matias Rajaniemi, Pelicans (Liiga)
- Vegas Golden Knights –D Noah Ellis, Des Moines (USHL)
- Dallas Stars – G Remi Poirier, Gatineau (QMJHL)
- Tampa Bay Lightning – G Amir Miftakhov, Kazan (KHL)
Round Seven
- Detroit Red Wings – Kienan Draper, St. Andrew’s (CAHS)
- Chicago Blackhawks (from OTT via MTL) – D Louis Crevier, Chicoutimi (QMJHL)
- Toronto Maple Leafs (from SJS) – D John Fusco, Dexter (USHS)
- Los Angeles Kings – F Aatu Jamsen, Pelicans (U20 Liiga)
- Vancouver Canucks (from ANA) – D Viktor Persson, Brynas (SuperElit)
- Arizona Coyotes (from NJD) – F Elliot Ekefjard, Bjorkloven (Allsvenskan)
- Buffalo Sabres – D Albert Lyckasen, Linkoping (SuperElit)
- St. Louis Blues (from MIN) – D Noah Beck, Fargo (USHL)
- Toronto Maple Leafs (from WIN) – F Wyatt Schingoethe, Waterloo (USHL)
- San Jose Sharks (from NYR) – F Alex Young, Canmore (AJHL)
- New York Rangers (from NSH) – G Hugo Ollas, Linkoping (SuperElit)
- Florida Panthers – F Elliot Ekmark, Linkoping (SuperElit)
- Carolina Hurricanes (from TOR) – F Alexander Pashin, Ufa (KHL)
- Edmonton Oilers – F Jeremias Lindewall, MODO (SuperElit)
- San Jose Sharks (from PIT) – F Adam Raska, Rimouski (QMJHL)
- Nashville Predators (from MTL via PHI) – F Gunnarwolfe Fontaine, Chicago (USHL)
- Detroit Red Wings (from CHI via STL) – F Chase Bradley, Omaha (USHL)
- Arizona Coyotes – F Ben McCartney, Brandon (WHL)
- Calgary Flames – D Ilya Solovyov, Saginaw (OHL)
- San Jose Sharks (from VAN via NYR) – F Linus Oberg, Orebro (SHL)
- Anaheim Ducks (from CLB) – F Ethan Bowen, Chilliwack (BCHL)
- Carolina Hurricanes – D Ronan Seeley, Everett (WHL)
- Nashville Predators (from PHI) – F Chase McLane, Tri-City (USHL)
- San Jose Sharks (from WAS) – F Timofey Spitserov, Culver Academy (USHS)
- Washington Capitals (from COL via PIT) – F Oskar Magnusson, Malmo (SHL)
- Florida Panthers (from STL via TOR) – G Devon Levi, Carleton Place (CCHL)
- Toronto Maple Leafs (from BOS) – F Ryan Tverberg, Toronto (OJHL)
- New York Islanders – G Henrik Tikkanen, HIFK (U20 Liiga)
- Vegas Golden Knights – F Maxim Marushev, Kazan (KHL)
- Buffalo Sabres (from DAL) – F Jakub Konecny, Praha (U20 Czech)
- Tampa Bay Lightning – F Declan McDonnell, Kitchener (OHL)
Max Domi Signs With Columbus Blue Jackets
The Columbus Blue Jackets have already reached an agreement with their newest acquisition, signing Max Domi to a two-year contract worth a total of $10.6MM. The contract comes almost immediately after Domi arrived in a trade that cost the Blue Jackets Josh Anderson. The 25-year-old forward will earn $4.6MM in 2020-21 and $6.0MM in 2021-22.
It’s important to note here that a two-year deal takes Domi directly to unrestricted free agency, getting him there as quickly as possible. That doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll leave the Blue Jackets in the summer of 2022, but it does give him a chance to hit the open market at an early age and really cash in.
Not only that, but a $5.3MM cap hit also puts pressure on Domi to really fill that second-line center role for the Blue Jackets the next two seasons. The team has reportedly considered buying out Alexander Wennberg before the deadline and needs someone to step up and take control of that second group behind Pierre-Luc Dubois.
Until they do buy out Wennberg or trade one of their young goaltenders, the Blue Jackets don’t have a ton of room left after the Domi extension. Vladislav Gavrikov and several other RFAs still need new contracts, but the team does have plenty of depth on the back-end to deal from. Brandon Dubinsky‘s contract will also be placed on long-term injured reserve as he deals with a chronic wrist issue that has likely ended his career.
Nashville Predators To Buy Out Kyle Turris, Steven Santini
After trading away Nick Bonino, the Nashville Predators are clearing even more space down the middle. The team has placed Kyle Turris on unconditional waivers for the purpose of a contract buyout. With four years remaining on his contract, the Predators will incur a cap charge of $2MM for the next eight seasons.
The team has also placed Steven Santini on unconditional waivers for the purpose of a contract buyout. Since Santini is still just 25, the Predators will only have to pay one-third of his remaining salary. That will result in a cap charge of just $41,667 in 2020-21 and $275K in 2021-22.
The big news here is Turris, who signed a massive six-year, $36MM contract with the Predators in 2017 after coming over from the Ottawa Senators in that infamous three-way Matt Duchene deal with the Colorado Avalanche. Remember, the Predators gave up Sam Girard, Vladislav Kamenev and a second-round pick to be involved in that trade, a brutal price to pay when looking back with the benefit of hindsight.
Not only did Turris not pan out, but the team will now have a $2MM cap charge for nearly a decade just to make sure he doesn’t play for them anymore. Getting out from under his contract was important, but this is a hefty penalty to deal with in a flat cap environment.
Amazingly though, Turris now becomes an interesting option on the open market, given his experience at center and previous success. This is a player who scored at least 24 goals in three different seasons for the Senators and could now be available for a very low price. You can bet that someone will take a chance on the 31-year-old when he becomes a free agent.