Vancouver Canucks Sign Thomas Vanek
One of the long free agent waits of the offseason is finally over; the Vancouver Canucks have signed Thomas Vanek to a one-year contract worth $2MM. The deal will come in at a lower amount than his $2.4MM pact with the Detroit Red Wings from last season, even after Vanek put up a solid 48-point season. He’ll hit the open market once again next summer.
[Related: Updated Canucks Depth Chart]
Teams who want a little extra offense and are close to the playoffs could have used Vanek’s powerplay and shootout prowess in a sheltered role, but another option was always a team like Vancouver signing him only to flip him for an asset at trade time. Like Detroit last season, the Canucks could give Vanek ample opportunities to rack up points in the first half of the season, only to send him to a bubble team for a draft pick come February. Vanek netted the Red Wings a third-round pick (and Dylan McIlrath) last year, more than enough return for a relatively small amount of money.
The Canucks are in rebuild mode after struggling again last season, but have brought in several high upside players that could be used in this manner already this summer. Sam Gagner, Michael Del Zotto and Alexander Burmistrov could each fetch a solid return on the market either this year or next should they show any improvement, and Vanek could be much of the same. As the team waits out Daniel and Henrik Sedin‘s contracts and looks to build towards a future centered on Bo Horvat, Brock Boeser, Olli Juolevi and Elias Pettersson, signing tradeable assets can only accelerate the process.
Horvat’s extension now enters the spotlight, as the team will have somewhere around $7MM in cap space depending on which forwards they move off the roster before the season starts. They currently have 15 forwards on one-way contracts, not including Horvat or Boeser, who is expected to stay with the team all year. While there likely will be some injuries in training camp, it does look like Vancouver will have to make a move or try and sneak a few players through waivers.
Rick Dhaliwal of News 1130 first got confirmation that the Canucks were “in the mix” on Vanek.
Columbus Blue Jackets Sign Alexander Wennberg
So much for digging in their heels. The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed Alexander Wennberg to a six-year, $29.4MM contract, ending what has been a long negotiation this summer. The 22-year old was a restricted free agent without arbitration rights, coming off his entry-level contract. The deal will pay him an average of $4.9MM each season, though it is slightly back-loaded:
- 2017-18: $3.5MM
- 2018-19: $4.5MM
- 2019-20: $5.35MM
- 2020-21: $5.35MM
- 2021-22: $5.35MM
- 2022-23: $5.35MM
Wennberg posted career highs in nearly every statistical category last season, registering 13 goals and 46 assists for 59 points. That number put him second in team scoring on the Blue Jackets behind only Cam Atkinson, and solidified his reputation as a number one center for the team. Selected 14th-overall in 2013, Wennberg has quickly overcome any doubts in his ability to rack up points at the NHL level. Through 217 games, he has totaled 119 points and could easily set new career highs once again this season.
At first glance this contract seems like a fairly large bargain for the Blue Jackets. Wennberg comes in well below Jonathan Drouin‘s recent six-year extension, despite the Montreal forward having less experience in the league and scoring fewer points last season. While you can point to Drouin’s draft pedigree and dynamic offensive upside, contracts are usually handed out based on actual in-game production which Drouin only leads slightly in a per-game basis. The Blue Jackets will be quite pleased with contract that comes in under $5MM, and it will help them keep their entire core together down the road.
Over the next two summers, Columbus has contracts to give out to players like Atkinson, Artemi Panarin, Boone Jenner, Zach Werenski, Ryan Murray and several more, while a deal for Josh Anderson is still on the table this offseason. Getting a key member of your forward group like Wennberg locked up for a reasonable number is a huge part in keeping your salary structure possible. He’ll actually come in as just the fourth-highest paid forward on the team this season, behind Panarin, Brandon Dubinsky and captain Nick Foligno.
Wennberg isn’t a perfect player. 21 of his assists came on the powerplay this season, and he needs to do a better job generating shots while at even strength. Though his defensive game has potential to be good enough to lock down opposing top lines, it’s not yet at the level of some of the elite centers in the league. He’ll never be an overly physical player, but his size does allow him to work capably in the corners and in front of the net. Success in the faceoff dot should be expected down the road, though the team will obviously live with his shortcomings in that area in order to get him on the ice as much as possible.
It will be interesting to see if Wennberg gels with newcomer Panarin, who plays a much different game than the outgoing Brandon Saad but could form a near-unstoppable trio along with Atkinson should they see time together. The three are all gifted offensive players, but could be spread out among the top two lines in order to work with more physical players like Jenner or Dubinsky. Either way, it will be one of the most dangerous forward groups in the league, capable of beating teams in several different ways.
This contract has ramifications outside of Columbus as well, as David Pastrnak and Bo Horvat look for similar long-term contracts. Both players are in similar situations coming off their entry-level contracts, though have different offensive profiles. Pastrnak put up much higher scoring numbers last year, but plays the wing and is 20 months younger than Wennberg, while Horvat has a better two-way game and has a higher draft pedigree. Pastrnak has been looking for a contract that would far outpace this deal, while Horvat’s negotiations have spanned everything from a two-year bridge deal to an eight-year pact.
Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reported the financial details of the contract.
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Devils Sign Will Butcher To Two-Year, Entry-Level Contract
The highly-publicized wait is over as Will Butcher will be joining New Jersey, the Devils announced. The two-year deal is worth the maximum allowable base salary on an entry-level deal of $925K. Andrew Gross of The Record adds that he can add an additional $850K in performance bonuses each year. Butcher became an unrestricted free agent on August 16th after he chose to not sign with Colorado, who drafted him in the fifth round (123rd overall) in 2013.
[Related: Updated Devils Depth Chart]
Butcher played out his four seasons of eligibility at the University of Denver and saved his best play for last. Named the captain for his senior season, the 22-year-old posted a career high 37 points (7-30-37) in 43 games while helping lead the Pioneers to the NCAA Championship.
As a result of his strong play, Butcher received plenty of accolades, including First Team All-American, NCHC Player of the Year, Frozen Four Tournament All-Star, and, most notably, the Hobey Baker Award which is given to the NCAA’s best player.
Although his agent Brian Bartlett had stated on quite a few occasions that Butcher wouldn’t necessarily look to go to a team that would give him an NHL spot right away, he’ll certainly have a chance to make an immediate impact with the Devils. He’s undersized at just 5’10 but if his ability to run a power play translates quickly to the pro game, he’ll stand a pretty good chance of making their opening night roster.
As many as a dozen teams expressed an interest in signing Butcher, including the Blue Jackets, Kings, Golden Knights, Penguins, and Sabres. Of those teams, he visited Buffalo, Los Angeles, and Vegas earlier this week.
Coincidentally, the two most prominent college free agents wound up switching teams in the end as center Alex Kerfoot, originally drafted by New Jersey, signed with the Avalanche earlier this week.
Connor Brown Signs 3-Year Deal With Toronto
The Toronto Maple Leafs announced they have signed restricted free agent Connor Brown to a three-year extension, worth $2.1MM per season. The 23-year-old wing had a breakout season for the Maple Leafs last year in his first full season. In 82 games, he put up 20 goals and 16 assists for 36 points.
Brown is the final free agent that Toronto had, ensuring that everyone is signed and ready to go before training camp.
Much reaction is that Toronto got a steal of a deal. His contract falls just behind fellow restricted free agent Zach Hyman, who signed a four-year deal worth an AAV of $2.25MM. Hyman scored just 10 goals last year to go with 28 points.
Francois Beauchemin Signs With Anaheim Ducks
Francois Beauchemin has signed with the Anaheim Ducks for one-year, and will earn $1MM plus up to $500K in performance bonuses. Beauchemin was bought out by the Colorado Avalanche earlier this spring, and will return to the Ducks for a third stint. 
Now 37, Beauchemin actually still recorded an average of more than 21 minutes of ice time last season for the Avalanche, a number he’s eclipsed in every season of his 12-year career. One of the most reliable defensive options over the last decade, Beauchemin found his greatest success with the Ducks when he won a Stanley Cup in 2007. Beauchemin at that time was playing third fiddle on the blueline to hall of fame players Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger, and will now be asked again to provide some veteran depth to what is a very young group.
Both Hampus Lindholm and Sami Vatanen underwent surgery at the conclusion of the playoffs to repair various injuries, and still both have their season debuts in jeopardy. With that and the loss of Shea Theodore and Clayton Stoner to the Vegas Golden Knights, there was a need to add a depth option to help the Ducks get off to a good start. Jacob Larsson was an option to start the year, but the signing of Beauchemin likely means that the young defender can start in the minor leagues.
[Updated: Anaheim Ducks Depth Chart]
For Beauchemin this season could total as much as $3MM, since the Avalanche are paying him $1.5MM to not play for them. Due to his age, Colorado will still have to deal with his whole $4.5MM cap hit. Moving him would have cost them an asset, something that they clearly didn’t want to do.
Starting his career in Montreal, Beauchemin has played in 836 regular season NHL games and 97 additional playoff contests. He actually has 39 points in those postseason games, a rate significantly higher than his regular season production. For a Ducks team that saw their defensemen play through injury all playoffs only to fall at the hands of the Nashville Predators, adding some experience should help them down the stretch. Beauchemin will likely not be asked to play over 20 minutes a night, but clearly still has the capability to contribute to an NHL team.
Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports was the first to break the deal, and provided the financial details.
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Buffalo Sabres Sign Zemgus Girgensons
One of the last remaining restricted free agents, Zemgus Girgensons has signed with the Buffalo Sabres. The team announced the two-year contract that carries an average annual value of $1.6MM. Girgensons was coming off a one-year, $1.15MM deal and was Buffalo’s last RFA.
Girgensons, 23, still hasn’t been able to fulfill the potential that made him a 14th-overall pick in 2012. The Latvian center has taken steps backwards offensively since his career-high 30-point season in 2014-15, and last year was given just over 13 minutes a night of ice time. With Ryan O’Reilly and Jack Eichel entrenched as the top two options, Girgensons has basically been reduced to a checking option for the team.
Even though he hasn’t turned in much offense, a $3.2MM guarantee is basically no-risk for the Sabres. He’s coming in less than a million dollars over the minimum contract, and does have some redeeming factors. His shot suppression rate as a defensive player has been good, and he’s one of the most physical forwards on the team—especially with Marcus Foligno now in Minnesota.
It will be interesting to see how the team deploys him this season, with Johan Larsson back from a season-ending injury and Jacob Josefson signed as a depth center. Girgensons will be competing with both players for ice time, and that’s if the team keeps Sam Reinhart on the wing all season.
For Buffalo, this leaves them with just under $7MM in cap space to go after some of the NCAA free agents or even perhaps add one of the veteran options still available in free agency. The team should be much improved this year under the guidance of GM Jason Botterill and head coach Phil Housley, as long as they can stay healthy. Last year injuries to almost every key player ruined their season, and they could be in for a big step forward if Jack Eichel suits up for all 82.
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Edmonton Oilers Sign Leon Draisaitl To Eight-Year Contract
The Edmonton Oilers have locked up Leon Draisaitl for eight years and $68MM. The contract comes with an average annual salary of $8.5MM, and will keep the star forward under contract through the 2024-25 season. The contract makes Draisaitl one of the highest paid players in the league, coming in tied for the 10th-highest cap hit in the league next season. 
Amazingly, starting in the 2018-19 season Draisaitl and Connor McDavid will tie for the most expensive duo in the NHL, equalling the $21MM paid to Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane. That is despite both of them only just completing their entry-level contracts, and giving away no more than four years of unrestricted free agency. It’s clear that both are superstar talents in the league, but these contracts will put Edmonton in a very top-heavy salary structure going forward, and will need performance from young or cheap players to fill in the gaps.
Draisaitl put up 77 points in his third season, playing quite a bit on McDavid’s wing and showing off his all-around offensive game. In the playoffs he took it to another level, leading the club with 16 points in just 13 games. Though he played on the wing he also does have the ability to line up at center should the Oilers decide to spread out their offense, and could potentially carry a line all by himself. He’s graded out as below average on faceoffs so far in his career, though young players often struggle in that area.
The Oilers already traded Jordan Eberle earlier this offseason to clear out some salary room, and they could easily be forced into that once again in the next few seasons. With players like Milan Lucic, Andrej Sekera and Kris Russell taking up a good chunk of their cap space as they head into their thirties, the team could find itself with little room to re-sign their other young players. Ryan Strome—the return for Eberle—is a restricted free agent himself next summer, along with several others like Matt Benning and Darnell Nurse. The Oilers have more than $60MM already on the books for 2018-19, with only 13 players under contract.
Interestingly, Draisaitl’s contract should have ramifications over just the next few weeks as the Boston Bruins and Columbus Blue Jackets attempt to get their own young players under contract. David Pastrnak especially is comparable to Draisaitl after seeing a big jump in point production in his third season. Pastrnak doesn’t have the same positional flexibility as he’s solely a winger, but has an identical 0.72 points-per-game rate through the early part of his career and has actually done it in much less icetime. The Bruins have just over $10MM in cap space to sign Pastrnak, but it will be interesting to see if they give him that much more than the other big-name forwards on the club. Brad Marchand will be earning just $6.125MM in the first year of his own eight-year extension, and was a Hart Trophy candidate last season.
Back with Edmonton, the team will have Draisaitl under control through his age-29 season (he’ll turn 22 on October 27th of this year) before having to renegotiate a new deal. While that’s still a long way down the road, signing an eight-year deal now puts him in a prime spot to maximize his potential earning down the road.
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Mike Fisher Retires From NHL
It was either play for Nashville for one more season or call it quits, and Mike Fisher has decided on the latter. The free agent forward announced his retirement today, penning a letter to the fans of the Nashville Predators, thanking them for everything they’ve turned that city into over the past few years.
This is the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make, but I know I’ve made the right one. I’ve decided to retire from the NHL.
A thank you here isn’t enough to say goodbye with, but all those memories, like the moments in the locker room before Game 6, cherishing those is what I hope will keep me, this team and the city intertwined forever.
Fisher has spent parts of seven seasons with the Predators, captaining them all the way to the Stanley Cup final last year in what was a resurgent offensive season. On a team that lacked center depth throughout the year, Fisher recorded 18 goals and 42 points while playing the same hard-nosed defensive game he’s been known for his whole career.
Drafted in the second round by the Ottawa Senators in 1998, Fisher will end his career after 1,088 games and 585 points, the model third-line center. His steady presence and high effort level made him into a fan favorite in both Ottawa and Nashville, while his community involvement will keep him attached to both cities for a long time.
In Ottawa, Fisher was chair of Roger’s House, a children’s palliative care center—a role that was taken over by Chris Neil and his wife upon Fisher’s departure—while in Nashville he was involved in several charities like Room In The Inn, a homeless shelter and the Vanderbilt children’s hospital. In 2012 he was awarded the NHL Foundation Award for his charitable work, even releasing a children’s book of which all the profits were donated.
On the ice, he was a huge part of both franchises. Fisher will go down in the top-15 for both franchises in games played, while ranking sixth all-time in goals for the Senators and fourth for the Predators.
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Minnesota Wild Sign Mikael Granlund To Three-Year Deal
The Minnesota Wild have signed restricted free agent Mikael Granlund to a new three-year, $17.25MM contract. Granlund was scheduled for a salary arbitration hearing on Friday, and would have exchanged figures with the team tomorrow morning. While the deal will carry a $5.75MM average annual value, it breaks down as follows:
- 2017-18: $5.25MM
- 2018-19: $5.5MM
- 2019-20: $6.5MM
Granlund’s deal comes in an average of $500K more each season than fellow Wild RFA Nino Niederreiter, despite only giving up one year of unrestricted free agency. The 25-year old broke out this season after a move to the wing, scoring 26 goals and 69 points in 81 games. He followed that up by garnering both Selke and Lady Byng votes, and is a big part of one of the best two-way forward groups in the NHL.
The $5.75MM cap hit comes in fairly high for a player who only has one season with more than 45 points, though the Wild clearly believe in Granlund’s ability to repeat his performance. Ondrej Palat, who gave up four UFA seasons and has a longer track record of offensive success received just $5.3MM per season, though he doesn’t have the same versatility. At Granlund’s hit, he’ll come in as the third-highest paid forward on the Wild behind just Zach Parise ($7.54MM) and Mikko Koivu ($6.75MM). That will come with some added responsibility, and there is some risk to the deal.
Granlund enjoyed a shooting percentage almost twice as high as his previous career total, and rode that to an easy career-high in goals. Regression even to 10% (which would have still been a career-high) would have lost him nearly 10 goals. If he’s discovered a way to put the puck in the net more frequently (which is entirely possible) he’ll likely fulfill the contract with ease, but if he takes a small step backwards it could backfire. The two sides agreed upon a relatively short-term deal for likely this exact reason; Minnesota is minimizing risk, while Granlund believes he’ll be worth even more when he hits free agency.
The Wild now have just Marcus Foligno left to sign, acquired in a trade with Buffalo for Marco Scandella and Jason Pominville. While he’ll likely only command a salary somewhere between $2-3MM per season, the team is getting very close to the salary cap ceiling for the upcoming season. Even with Foligno signed they have just 11 forwards listed on their CapFriendly page, meaning they’re actually at least $650K closer to that ceiling when they bring up a young player to fill the last spot. That’s without carrying a 13th forward or 7th defenseman, either of which will put them right up against the cap—they also have a third goaltender listed currently, which won’t be there when the season begins.
Calvin de Haan and Nate Schmidt remain as the final two players scheduled for arbitration hearings, and both have exchanged figures already.
Michael Russo of the Star Tribune was first to report the contract details on Twitter.
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Carolina Hurricanes Sign Brett Pesce To Six-Year Extension
The Carolina Hurricanes have signed Brett Pesce to a six-year, $24.15MM contract extension that will kick in for the 2018-19 season. The $4.025MM average annual value will make him the third-highest defenseman on the team, behind Jaccob Slavin‘s own extension at $5.3MM per season and Justin Faulk‘s $4.83MM cap hit. Hurricanes GM Ron Francis released a statement on the signing:
Brett took another big step forward last season. He plays a smart defensive game and has good ability to move the puck and contribute offensively. We plan for him to be a part of the Hurricanes’ defensive corps for a long time.
Alongside Slavin, Pesce may be one of the most underappreciated defensemen in the league; one who has blossomed into a top-pairing player without anyone noticing. Some of that is due to playing in Carolina, and some is due to the extremely low-key style he plays. Logging over 21 minutes a night last season. Pesce recorded 20 points but was an absolute rock in his own end. His defensive positioning and ability to skate the puck out of trouble when he needs to make him an elite shot-suppressor, and his incredibly active stick gives him a knack for poke checks and clearing rebounds from in front of his net. As part of the extremely young defense corps in Carolina, he may even be the most reliable in his own end and someone who you can match against the opponent’s top lines for years to come.
Just 22, Pesce was a third-round pick by Carolina back in 2013 and has developed alongside Faulk and Slavin as three excellent players selected outside of the first-round. The rest of the defensive pipeline, made up of players like Noah Hanifin, Haydn Fleury and Jake Bean, will allow Carolina to work from a position of strength in any trade negotiations as they inch closer to playoff contention. Their defensive group is close to rivaling some of the best in the league, and is expected to be made up this year of six players who are 26-and-under. It’s impressive what they’ve built, but there are some downsides to the big extensions kicking in next season.
Carolina is a cap-floor team, and nowhere close to being able to spend all the way up to the $75MM ceiling (barring a huge salary increase from a potential purchase). Next season, when there is a ~8MM salary bump from these two extensions, the team will have to make some tough decisions on their restricted free agents. Hanifin, Trevor van Riemsdyk—who, incidentally was Pesce’s roommate at the University of New Hampshire—and Klas Dahlbeck are all RFAs in 2018, along with Elias Lindholm and Joakim Nordstrom, two important forwards. While some money is due to come off the books in the way of Cam Ward and Lee Stempniak, those players will need to be replaced as well making it hard to see how Carolina can afford to keep everyone.
Even if they do have to move some of their pieces, this deal could look like another steal for the Hurricanes if Pesce continues to develop. Buying out just two years of free agency allows them to keep the cap hit relatively low for the time being, while taking them right through most of his prime years.
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