Ben Bishop Signs Six-Year Contract With Dallas Stars
Newly acquired goaltender Ben Bishop has signed a deal with the Dallas Stars. The contract will be for six years and come in at a total of $29.5MM ($4.92MM AAV). The Stars received Bishop in exchange for a fourth-round pick on May 9th, and were immediately said to have common ground on a future contract. Bishop would have been an unrestricted free agent this summer should he have made it to July 1st.
Like Carolina, who dealt for Scott Darling before quickly signing him to a long-term deal, the Stars were not willing to wait around to address their goaltending issues this summer. Instead, they were proactive going after one of the top free agents and seem to have gotten their man without having to fight off any other teams. 
While this contract may seem like a bargain at the low cap-hit, six years is a lot to give to a goaltender who will turn 31 in November. While he clearly has the talent to be an elite netminder in the NHL, this is a big gamble by the Stars that could backfire quickly. Any contract guaranteed the Stars will make another move—whether it be a buyout or trade—of one of their other goaltenders. Kari Lehtonen and Antti Niemi already cost the team over $10MM combined, and a new contract for Bishop would make them both expendable.
Bishop is coming off a two-year deal that paid him $5.95MM per season, and though his first season was well worth it this year saw a downturn in his play. As the Lightning leaned further toward Andrei Vasilevskiy as their starter, Bishop recorded only a .911 save percentage and dealt with injury. After a mid-season deal to the Los Angeles Kings, he performed even worse stopping just 90% of the shots faced.
This deal puts him in line with goaltenders like Jimmy Howard, Jaroslav Halak and amazingly, Niemi in terms of cap-hit. While it also comes close to Frederik Andersen‘s deal from last summer with the Maple Leafs, Andersen was much younger when he inked his five-year pact. Bishop will play most of the final season on this contract at 36, an age few goaltenders make it to as starters.
The contract is broken down as follows:
2017-18: $7MM, NMC
2018-19: $6.5MM, NMC
2019-20: $5.5MM, NMC
2020-21: $3.5MM, modified-NTC
2021-22:$3.5MM, modified-NTC
2022-23: $3.5MM, modified-NTC
The front-loaded nature of the deal also poses a problem for the Stars, should they ever need to use a buyout on Bishop as he ages. With a low salary in the final few years, a buyout wouldn’t provide as much cap relief for the team, though the change to a modified no-trade clause (though details have not yet been released) could provide an avenue of escape.
Regardless of the risk involved down the road, Bishop will immediately have a big responsibility on his shoulders, trying to bring the Stars back to the promised land after a disaster season. The team will have two first-round picks to add to the stable, allowing a quick injection of talent to a roster that should already be competing for the playoffs.
Pierre LeBrun of TSN was first to report the deal was close, and also provided the first financial details.
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Richard Panik Signs Two-Year Extension With Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks have locked up a valuable piece, signing Richard Panik to a two-year contract extension. The deal is worth $2.8MM per year, and will expire after the 2018-19 season. Panik was set to become a restricted free agent this summer, and had arbitration rights that would have likely awarded a hefty raise. 
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Formerly a failed prospect that bounced through two organizations, Panik was acquired by the Blackhawks for Jeremy Morin in early 2016 and has found a perfect fit in Chicago. While the Hawks have searched for ages to find wingers for Jonathan Toews, Panik slid in nicely beside the captain and scored 22 goals this season, easily a career high. The former second-round pick is still just 26, and coming off a 44 point season looks like a core piece for the Hawks going forward.
The interesting part of this deal though is how little cap space the Blackhawks had even before factoring in his ~$2MM raise. Including Panik, the Blackhawks now have over $73MM dedicated to contracts for next season already, and while the salary cap is expected to go up to somewhere around $75-76MM, that doesn’t leave them much room to work with. Artemi Panarin‘s bonuses from this year are also carrying over, which would actually push them over that threshold. Their remaining restricted free agents include Tomas Jurco, Michal Kempny and Dennis Rasmussen, and while none of those names deserve a huge raise they will nonetheless cost something. It seems Chicago will have to move out an asset once again to maintain their salary cap structure, following the trend that has seen Teuvo Teravainen, Brandon Saad, Nick Leddy and others get shipped out long before their usefulness expired.
While a 20-goal scored for under $3MM is a solid deal for any team—as Pierre Lebrun of TSN points out, saying that Panik left money on the table to stay in Chicago—it will have ramifications elsewhere on the roster as the summer goes on. Getting out from under Brent Seabrook or Marian Hossa‘s huge deals would be beneficial for Chicago, but getting them to waive their no-movement clauses and finding a taker for the huge cap hits and term will be difficult.
Pierre LeBrun of TSN provided the financial details on the contract.
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Buffalo Sabres Announce Jason Botterill As GM
The Buffalo Sabres have announced Jason Botterill as their new General Manager today. The team had been waiting for the Pittsburgh Penguins’ second-round series to end before announcing the hire. The Sabres will presumably now begin their coaching search with Botterill at the helm, as they look to try and instill a culture change in the franchise from top to bottom.
Botterill has been rumored for weeks to be the top candidate for the job, as the team shut down the search after interviewing him a second time. The Penguins’ associate GM is considered one of the brightest young minds in hockey, with many colleagues saying he could have succeeded in any industry. He comes with a wealth of experience in many different roles, including serving as the interim GM for the Penguins between the Ray Shero and Jim Rutherford tenures.
The 40-year old Botterill was quite a player in his own day, selected in the first round by the Dallas Stars in 1994. He was a star at the University of Michigan, scoring 62 points in his senior season. Though his NHL career was limited, it didn’t take him long to get back into the game after retirement. Botterill returned to Michigan to finish his MBA before working for the league’s central scouting. Pittsburgh hired him away from the league offices in 2007, and would be promoted to assistant GM within two years. His promotion to associate came with Jim Rutherford’s hiring, though Botterill maintained a lot of the responsibility he’d had prior.
While he doesn’t have a ton of experience as a full-fledged GM in the league, it would be hard to find many people around hockey that doesn’t believe he’ll succeed as one. Legendary Michigan coach Red Berenson even once said he thinks Botterill should be the next commissioner of the NHL. His navigation of the Penguins’ salary cap situation and eye for young college talent will be a huge boost for a Buffalo team looking for anything to hang their hat on.
The Sabres once again ended up at the bottom of the Atlantic Division, this time not even receiving a top-5 pick in the process. The team that should have taken steps forward towards playoff contention stagnated at the bottom of the league, unable to keep their stars healthy or happy. Botterill will be tasked in bringing in talent to supplement the core of Jack Eichel, Ryan O’Reilly and Rasmus Ristolainen (among others) and have an immediate impact in the 2017-18 playoff picture. It won’t be easy, but there weren’t many other more exciting candidates for the team to pursue.
Darren Dreger of TSN was first to break the news on Twitter, though John Vogl of the Buffalo News had reported that he would be announced after the Pittsburgh series.
Kings Sign Tanner Pearson To Four-Year Extension
It has been a busy day for the Los Angeles Kings and new GM Rob Blake. After trading impending free agent goaltender Ben Bishop to the Dallas Stars for a fourth round pick earlier, the Kings have announced another shrewd deal no more than an hour later: young winger Tanner Pearson has agreed to a four-year, $15MM extension to stay in Los Angeles. An impending restricted free agent, Pearson had only limited leverage, but will carry a $3.75MM AAV for the next four seasons which is a number that both sides are likely very happy with.
In a season that was an overall disappointment for the Kings, Pearson was one of the few bright spots of the campaign. The 24-year-old posted a career-high 24 goals and 44 points and took on a much larger role on the team. Pearson led the team in shorthanded scoring and shooting percentage, finished behind only stars Jeff Carter and Anze Kopitar in points and just Carter in goals and his 20 assists, +5 rating, and 124 hits ranked in the top ten as well.
Yet, with just 44 points on the year and only 101 career points through four seasons, the Kings still held a significant degree of control in negotiations and were able to lock up a valuable young asset for a very reasonable rate. Pearson, who still shows signs of growth, will be a King until he is 28 at under $4MM per year. While he will make more than fellow youngster Tyler Toffoli next year, Pearson will likely be the fifth highest-paid forward on the team despite performing like the second or third-best in 2017-18. On the other hand, his contract compares to those of New York Islanders center Anders Lee and Dallas Stars forward Cody Eakin, whose play and skill set compare favorably to Pearson as well. It appears to be a good compromise all around for Pearson and Los Angeles, and the Kings can now turn to helping Pearson and his teammates out more by adding some more speed and skill to the forward corps this off-season.
Ben Bishop Traded To The Dallas Stars
The Dallas Stars have acquired Ben Bishop from the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for a fourth-round pick. Bishop is a pending unrestricted free agent and is still not under contract for next season. The pick originally belonged to Montreal, and was acquired by the Stars in the Jordie Benn deal from earlier this year.
After being dealt mid-season from Tampa Bay to Los Angeles, Bishop is heading into free agency coming off just 39 games played and a .910 save percentage. Neither of these numbers show the lofty heights that Bishop is capable of, as prior to this season he received Vezina votes two out of the last three years. If Dallas could get him signed, he’d easily become the best goaltender in town, even if it is a quite crowded crease.
The Stars already have Kari Lehtonen and Antti Niemi under contract for next season at a combined cap-hit of $10.4MM, meaning at least one goaltender will have to be either bought out or traded before the start of the season. The pair put up very substandard goaltending this season, a big reason why the Stars dropped right out of the playoff picture just a year removed from leading the Western Conference.
Bishop represents a potential huge upgrade in the crease, but doesn’t come without his own warts. He’ll turn 31 this season and has a lot of leverage now that Scott Darling has been taken off the market. Bishop would hit free agency as the clear #1 available goaltender even after his down year, and likely demand a contract in excess of $5MM per season on a multi-year deal. If he were to repeat the season he had this year the Stars would be in exactly the same situation but with a longer term deal on their hands.
In the end though, the Stars had to do something to improve the situation as they start a new era under a familiar face. Ken Hitchcock is back behind the bench and the team will be expected to have some immediate success as they continue through the primes of Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin. The latter is only under contract for two more seasons, after which he could legitimately bolt for a cup contender if there isn’t any improvement on the ice in Dallas.
For Los Angeles, they recoup some of the value they sent to Tampa Bay at the deadline and move Bishop out before he left for nothing. Helene Elliott of the Los Angeles Times reports that former Kings GM Dean Lombardi had been interested in keeping Bishop, though that would have been difficult considering Jonathan Quick is firmly entrenched as the starter. The team will now look around at other backup options for next season, including Jack Campbell a former Stars’ prospect that has had a renaissance of sorts with Ontario of the AHL.
Multiple reports have the two sides ready to start talking contracts over the next few days, though they haven’t actually discussed anything yet. Had Bishop hit the open market, Dallas would likely have been an attractive landing spot given their recent success and lack of goaltending competition—despite the big salaries. John Shannon of Sportsnet seems to confirm this, reporting that Bishop told the Kings that he preferred certain teams including Dallas. If they can get a deal done, the biggest losers of this deal may be much further north as both Calgary and Winnipeg (among others) would have likely had interest in the 6’7″ netminder. Unfortunately Calgary was on his no-trade list, though that doesn’t necessarily mean he wouldn’t have been interested. They’ll now have to look elsewhere to find an upgrade in net, and with options dwindling in free agency, perhaps it will have to be through trade.
Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News was first to hear about the deal.
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Carolina Signs Scott Darling to Four-Year/$16.6MM Deal
Per the Carolina Hurricanes website, the team has agreed to terms with goaltender Scott Darling, who was recently acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks for a third round pick. Darling inked a four-year, $16.6MM deal which averages out to about $4.15MM per the release. General manager Ron Francis was quoted as saying:
“Obviously Scott could have waited until July 1, to see what other options he might have as an unrestricted free agent. But he believes in what we are trying to do here and we are thrilled that he is committing to the Hurricanes and to Raleigh.”
The deal gives Carolina a boost between the pipes while providing Darling the starting job he coveted. In Chicago, Darling proved more than a serviceable backup and even proved steady during the Blackhawks’ 2015 Stanley Cup run when called on.
Darling’s departure from Chicago was hardly shocking, as the Hawks were strapped by the Cap and Corey Crawford was the number one goalie with a hefty contract that would be more challenging to move. Darling, though he expressed a desire to stay in the Windy City, now gets a chance to prove what he can do. In a down season for the Hawks defensively, Darling’s numbers were sparkling, posting a .924 save percentage and 28 wins. His quality save percentage clocked in at .630 and he appeared in a career high 32 games.
NBC Sports James O’Brien writes that Chicago could have boosted Darling’s standing in terms of ability. While that remains to be seen, the Hawks were not nearly as strong as defensively as in years past. Now, Darling goes to a team with a young defensive corps that is on the rise and boasts depth from years of smart drafting. Jaccob Slavin, Justin Faulk, and Noah Hanifin are all under 25, and prime to be a core that can make the Hurricanes a force for years to come. Add in a goaltender of Darling’s caliber, and now Carolina looks extremely strong in their own zone.
Though they still owe Eddie Lack and Cam Ward $2.75MM and $3.3MM respectively for another season, the Hurricanes have the cap room to absorb three goalies making just over $10MM combined. Additionally, Lack and Ward’s deal run out after the 2017-18 season. If anything, it’s just another element of depth for the ‘Canes.
Golden Knights Sign Vadim Shipachyov
The Vegas Golden Knights have made their first big player acquisition, signing KHL star Vadim Shipachyov to a two-year contract.
Shipachyov will make $4.5MM per season, per the team’s media release. He joins rookie pro and former Brandon Wheat King center Reid Duke as the only two players currently under contract by the expansion Golden Knights franchise.
The 30-year-old center is a legitimate scoring threat in Russia, having scored 26 goals and 50 assists for 76 points in 50 games this season for SKA St. Petersburg. That was good for third in the KHL and second on SKA, behind only Ilya Kovalchuk. In Shipachyov’s nine-year career in the KHL, he has 137 goals and 412 points in 445 games. His points-per-game is slightly lessened by his early years; he’s scored 190 points in 153 games over the last three years. SKA has won the Gagarin Cup twice in those seasons.
Shipachyov is a highly-skilled offensive player, but isn’t a big body at 6’1, 190 lbs. Here’s how he’s described by Elite Prospects:
Shipachyov is a skilled center with excellent on-ice vision. He skates very well and with a fluid stride. Owns great offensive instincts and likes to have the puck on his stick. Could improve his all-around game. Isn’t overly efficient in physical battles.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported back in March that Vegas was exploring the possibility of signing the highly sought-after Russian star and his SKA teammate Yegveni Dadonov.
Even though this is Shipachyov’s first contract with an NHL club, he’s too old to sign an entry-level contract and will be a UFA at the expiry of the two-year deal, according to Cap Friendly. No word yet if he’ll wear his usual number 87 in the NHL. Only Sidney Crosby and Capitals minor-leaguer Liam O’Brien currently wear the number.
Shipachyov is currently with the Team Russia at the IIHF World Championships in Colonge, Germany.
Los Angeles Kings Officially Sign Oscar Fantenberg
The Los Angeles Kings have officially announced a signing that has been expected for weeks, inking Oscar Fantenberg to a one-year entry-level contract. The details of the contract were not announced. Fantenberg will become a restricted free agent at the conclusion of the one-year deal.
After playing for years in the Swedish professional leagues, Fantenberg tried his hand in the KHL last season and was an immediate success. Named to the league’s all-star team, Fantenberg was actually replaced in the game by Montreal Canadiens recent free agent signing Jakub Jerabek when he had to pull out due to injury. Regardless, his play was good enough for all-star consideration as he scored 23 points in 44 games while logging over 22 minutes a game for Sochi. Jon Rosen for LA Kings Insider recently released a scouting report on Fantenberg, which includes thoughts from Director of Scouting Mark Yannetti:
“One of the overlooked assets of speed is actually how you get the puck up the ice,” Yannetti said. Speed is obviously important in today’s game, but moving the puck quickly is more important than simply possessing speed, according to many in the Kings organization and elsewhere.
Indeed Fantenberg will impress mostly with his smooth exits and quick decisions, and not his physical play. This year for Sochi he recorded just 45 hits in 44 games, but was still relied upon in all situations. Easily producing the most points among defenders for the team, he has an interesting comparable in Nikita Zaitsev who came over from the KHL last season at the same age. Zaitsev easily adapted to life on the Maple Leafs’ blueline, and earned himself a seven-year contract extension after just a single season with the team. While Fantenberg won’t be relied upon in quite the same way—the Maple Leafs don’t have a Drew Doughty to gobble up all the minutes—he could be a big part of the team as they start to transition towards youth and the future.
The Kings may lose a defender through the expansion draft since it currently looks like Brayden McNabb will be left unprotected despite elite underlying analytical numbers. Bringing in Fantenberg should provide some level of comfort to Kings’ fans wondering what the blueline will look like should McNabb head to Vegas. While he’s not the same player by any means, he could have a similar effect on puck possession while providing even more offence.
Vancouver Canucks Sign Andrey Pedan To One-Year Extension
Andrey Pedan has signed a one-year extension with the Vancouver Canucks for the 2017-18 season. Pedan was set to become a restricted free agent this summer. The deal will be a two-way contract worth $750K at the NHL level, and will leave him as an RFA again in the summer of 2018.
Pedan spent most of this year with the Utica Comets after making his NHL debut last season, though he was up with the Canucks for multiple stretches without getting into any game action. The 23-year old has yet to really make his mark for the Canucks, despite costing them a third-round pick in 2014 when they acquired him from the New York Islanders. Perhaps he’ll be used more frequently for the team next season as they head into a “rebuild” phase, though they currently have several defenders he’d have to hop over on the depth chart.
Always considered an interesting prospect, Pedan has all the tools to be successful in the NHL. He’s big—6’5″ 215-lbs—strong and fast enough to keep up with smaller players. He also has a good first pass and plays with a physical edge. Something about him hasn’t ever been able to put it all together though, and despite some solid point production last year he hasn’t been able to get into the NHL lineup very much. Perhaps it’s a case of a big defenseman just taking a little bit longer to develop, but as his point totals go down and penalty minutes go up, he’s getting closer to being considered a former-prospect instead of a current one. He’ll turn 24 this summer, and will try to prove he belongs at the NHL level.
Pedan’s agent Dan Milstein of Gold Star Hockey was actually the first to break the news on Twitter, while CapFriendly reported the financial details.
Sidney Crosby, Conor Sheary Diagnosed With Concussions
After being hit in the face with Matt Niskanen‘s stick last night—for which the Washington defender received a penalty and game misconduct, but no further discipline—Sidney Crosby has been diagnosed with a concussion and is out indefinitely. Crosby’s linemate Conor Sheary has also been diagnosed with a concussion, and both will be evaluated on a day-to-day basis.
Crosby has now suffered at least four concussions during his career, with several other head, jaw and neck injuries that have been related. His last one came in October of last year in practice, while his first (that we know of) happening in 2011 at the Winter Classic against these same Capitals. It was coming back too early from that first concussion that stole almost an entire year of his career, a lesson that should be remembered this time around.
Should the Penguins re-insert him during the playoffs, hopefully the risks are understood completely. Earlier this year, Aaron Ekblad was put back into the lineup for the Florida Panthers only to shut down his season after one game and a decision Tom Rowe blamed himself for. While that seemed to also have connections to the neck injury Ekblad suffered in the World Cup, it is a similar timeline for Crosby and one that should be considered. For a player who was just announced as a Hart finalist, his future, and not just the immediate opportunity the Penguins find themselves in, should be paramount.
Sheary is almost as big of a loss for the Penguins, though he’d been held in check for the playoffs so far. In just his second year, Sheary scored 53 points in 61 games and was a big part of Pittsburgh’s Stanley Cup run last season. The team will now have to rely even more on Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel to provide offense against the Capitals for the rest of the series, something that proved difficult last night against Braden Holtby and the Capitals stifling defense.