Calgary Flames Sign Three Players
The depth signings continue for a few teams on day two of free agency, and the Calgary Flames have now joined the fray. The team has announced a two-year, $1.55MM, two-way contract with forward Dryden Hunt, as well as separate one-year, $775K, two-way contracts with Martin Pospisil and Colton Poolman.
Hunt headlines the group, as he was brought over as a trade deadline acquisition from the Toronto Maple Leafs last season. It would end up being Hunt’s third team of the season, as he originally started the 2022-23 campaign off with the Colorado Avalanche. It’s not a surprise that Calgary wanted to keep him, as Hunt got off to a torrid start with Calgary Wranglers of the AHL. In 17 games played following his acquisition, Hunt scored five goals and 10 assists as well as chipping in another six points in nine playoff games.
Unfortunately for Pospisil, he wasn’t as big of a factor in the Wrangler’s season last year. Only suiting up in 20 games, Pospisil scored four goals and six assists, failing to appear in any playoff games. The Zvolen, Slovakia native has gotten more playing time in the past with the Stockton Heat, but figures to be a depth scorer at the AHL level at best.
Much like Pospisil, Poolman doesn’t put up earth-shattering offensive numbers but has shown to be a very disciplined shutdown defenseman. The former captain at the University of North Dakota, Poolman put up two goals and 12 assists last year for the Wranglers, carrying a +18 rating and serving only eight minutes in the penalty box. The ability to defend against the opposing team’s top players will always serve as a benefit in any league.
Florida Panthers Sign William Lockwood, Gerald Mayhew
Already signing forward Evan Rodrigues earlier today, the Florida Panthers continue to add to their forward depth, announcing the signing of forward William Lockwood to a two-year, $1.55MM, carrying an AAV of $775K. Shortly thereafter, the team also announced they have re-signed forward Gerald Mayhew, signing him to a one-year, $775K, two-way deal. PuckPedia later reported Mayhew’s minor-league salary is $450K.
Lockwood was originally drafted in the third round of the 2016 NHL Draft by the Vancouver Canucks, and stayed within the organization until a trade to the New York Rangers at last year’s deadline. The University of Michigan product has primarily played in the AHL for the Canucks organization but also carries 28 games of NHL experience.
Producing the best offensive output of his minor league career last season, Lockwood played in 43 games split between the Hartford Wolf Pack and the Abbotsford Canucks, scoring 17 goals and 13 assists. In the event that Florida runs into injury trouble next season, Lockwood should serve as a serviceable call-up option for the team.
In the case of Mayhew, the Panthers are continuing their due diligence to keep their AHL team competitive. In his first season with the Panthers organization, Mayhew played 69 games for the Charlotte Checkers, scoring 24 goals and 20 assists. It’s not quite the offensive outburst compared to his 2019-20 campaign with the Iowa Wild, but any 20-20 player will still carry tremendous value to any team.
Colorado Avalanche To Sign Jack Johnson
Peter Baugh of The Athletic reports that the Colorado Avalanche are bringing back defenseman Jack Johnson on a one-year, $775K deal for the 2023-24 NHL season. This will mark Johnson’s third season with the team in as many years.
Despite a brief stint with the Chicago Blackhawks last year, Johnson has spent the better part of the last two seasons with Colorado, being a part of the team that won the Stanley Cup in 2022. Not the player he used to be, Johnson still has the ability to take on around 15-17 minutes of ice time per game.
His run with the Blackhawks at the beginning of last season was not great by any means, only tallying four assists in 58 games, carrying a horrid -25 rating. After a midseason trade that sent Andreas Englund back to Chicago, Johnson played considerably better with the Avalanche. Johnson replicated his point totals in about as half as many games with the Avalanche and carrying a +10 rating along the way.
Jets, Sharks Make Minor Deal
Ken Weibe of Sportsnet reports that the Winnipeg Jets have traded the rights to Leon Gawanke to the San Jose Sharks for Artemi Kniazev. Kniazev is the biggest name in the deal, having been drafted 48th overall by the Sharks back in the 2019 NHL Draft.
Over the last two years, Kniazev has been a quality defender for the Sharks AHL affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda. In a combined 121 games at the AHL level, Kniazev has scored 12 goals and 44 assists. Only standing at six feet tall, Kniazev is not a physically imposing force on the blue line by any means but does move the puck very well and possesses strong acceleration, giving him the ability to drive the play. Kniazev has one year remaining on his entry-level contract which will pay him $789K at the NHL level this season.
Gawanke, on the other hand, was a much lower draft pick compared to Kniazev, going 136th overall to the Jets in the 2017 NHL Draft. Even though his rights are now owned by the Sharks organization, it is unlikely he will play in San Jose, given that he has already committed to playing for Adler Mannheim of the DEL next season. However, as the team looks to incorporate exciting young players into its development structure, the team could convince Gawanke to return. Over the past four years playing for the Manitoba Moose, Gawanke has played in a total of 207 games, scoring 35 goals and 79 assists.
Florida Panthers Sign Evan Rodrigues
The Florida Panthers announced that the team has agreed to a four-year contract with forward Evan Rodrigues. In a follow-up report, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet shares that Rodrigues will earn an AAV of $3MM.
Although coming off of nearly a 20-goal campaign during the 2021-22 season, Rodrigues had to wait until September to eventually sign a one-year, $2MM contract with the defending Stanley Cup Champions, the Colorado Avalanche. Playing a high-speed game, Rodrigues’ versatility fit very well into Colorado’s lineup.
Bouncing around the top three forward lines for the Avalanche, Rodrigues nearly replicated his best season, scoring 16 goals and 23 assists, while averaging almost 18 minutes of ice time per night. With a staggering amount of injuries in Colorado, Rodrigues even found himself on their second power-play unit for much of the year.
In the move to South Florida, Rodrigues is joining another team with its sights set on the Stanley Cup. His versatility should be able to factor in very well to that lineup, as General Manager Bill Zito said, “Rodrigues brings skill and the ability to compete in three zones of the ice. A culture fit and someone who adds versatility to our lineup, we can’t wait to welcome Evan to the Panthers”.
Pittsburgh Penguins Sign Three Players
As the Pittsburgh Penguins continue to build up their organizational depth, the team has announced three signings, bringing in forwards Marc Johnstone and Radim Zohorna, as well as goaltender Magnus Hellberg. Johstone’s contract will be a two-year, $1.55MM contract, while Zohorna will earn a one-year, $785K deal, both contracts being two-way deals. Shortly thereafter, the team announced that Hellberg would also be making $785K over a one-year deal.
Hellberg becomes the second goalie the Penguins have poached from the Detroit Red Wings, after having also signed goalie Alex Nedeljkovic yesterday. Starting last season with the Ottawa Senators, Hellberg was acquired by Seattle Kraken via waivers on November 22nd, and then subsequently claimed on waivers by the Red Wings the next day. Serving as the primary backup for Detroit last year after Nedeljkovic was sent down to the minors, Hellberg posted a 4-8-1 record, managing a .885 SV% and a 3.29 GAA.
Zohorna is back to the Penguins for his second stint with the organization, after a brief stint split between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Calgary Flames organizations during the 2022-23 season. Zohorna spent much of the year playing for the Flames AHL affiliate, the Calgary Wranglers, but would then finish the year with the Toronto Marlies after a midseason trade between the two teams. At the AHL level last year, Zohorna played in 51 games, scoring 12 goals and 22 assists.
Lastly, Johnstone has the least amount of experience in the group, having only spent the last two years playing for the Toronto Marlies. A Sacred Heart University product, Johnstone has a total of 73 games played in the AHL, scoring nine goals and 13 assists throughout his short career.
New York Rangers Sign Mac Hollowell
Per a team release this morning, the New York Rangers have announced the signing of defenseman Mac Hollowell. It will be a one-year deal for Hollowell according to the release, and CapFriendly confirms it will be a $775K, two-way contract for the young defenseman.
Hollowell, who recently went unqualified by the Toronto Maple Leafs, joins the second organization of his career, after having spent the last four in the Maple Leafs system. Originally drafted in the fourth round of the 2018 NHL Draft, Hollowell has spent much of his time playing for the Maple Leafs AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies.
Early last season, Hollowell got his first taste of NHL action, playing six games for Toronto in November. In those six games, Hollowell managed two assists, playing just under 13 minutes a night for the Maple Leafs. For the next two months, Hollowell was a frequent emergency loan option for Toronto, having been recalled a total of eight times between November and December.
In the AHL, Hollowell only skated in 18 games for the Marlies but still produced very well by tallying 13 assists. Unfortunately for Hollowell, his minor league season was very limited due to a knee injury suffered in January, which would keep him out of the lineup for the next four months.
Minor League Signings 07/01/2023
On day one of the free agent market opening up, the league saw a grand total of 166 signings, with a whopping $646.4MM handed out over the course of 291 total contract years. This class of free agents was expected to be one of the weaker in recent memory, but the excitement still remained as quite a few players switched cities. In all the chaos, there were some minor contracts that were inked yesterday that may have slipped under the radar for most:
- The Montreal Canadiens signed defenseman Brady Keeper to a one-year, $775K, two-way contract. Keeper spent last season playing for the Vancouver Canucks AHL affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks. He only managed to play for about half of the Canucks games, scoring one goal and five assists in 35 games. In the playoffs, although eliminated in the first round, Keeper scored one goal in two games for Abbotsford (CapFriendly).
- Defenseman Ryan Shea has inked a one-year, $775K, two-way contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Shea was a former fourth-round pick of the Chicago Blackhawks back in 2015, but never actually signed with the team, joining the Dallas Stars on an entry-level contract in 2020. The Northeastern University product played a combined 162 games for the Texas Stars of the AHL, scoring 10 goals and 56 assists (CapFriendly).
- The Washington Capitals signed forward, Pierrick Dube, to a two-year, $1.9MM, entry-level contract yesterday. An undrafted free agent last year, Dube joined the Laval Rocket, the AHL affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens. Dube played very well for the Rocket, scoring 16 goals and 16 assists in 44 games down the stretch. Still only 22 years old, Dube could factor into one of the top lines on the Hershey Bears next season, potentially even finding minutes with the Capitals in the near future (CapFriendly).
- Another depth signing for the Penguins, the team has added forward Joona Koppanen to a two-year, $1.55MM, two-way contract. Koppanen was originally drafted by the Boston Bruins in the fifth round of the 2016 NHL Draft, playing the majority of his career up to this point with the Providence Bruins. Last season, Koppanen did get his first change in the NHL, playing five games for the Bruins in January, tallying only one assist while averaging just under 11 minutes of ice time a game (CapFriendly).
- The Florida Panthers re-signed defenseman Lucas Carlsson to a one-year, $775K, two-way contract yesterday. The defenseman was acquired in 2021 from the Blackhawks in an early-April trade. Although playing in 40 games during 2021-22 for Florida, Carlsson spent the majority of last season with their AHL affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers. In the minor leagues, Carlsson was one of the highest-scoring defensemen in the league, scoring 20 goals and 34 assists in 61 games (CapFriendly).
- Securing his first contract in professional hockey, the Edmonton Oilers have added defenseman Noel Hoefenmayer to a one-year, $845K, entry-level contract. A former fourth-round pick of the Arizona Coyotes back in 2017, Hoefenmayer never played in the Coyotes system, eventually playing on minor-league contracts with the Toronto Marlies after finishing his junior career with the Ottawa 67’s. Hoefenmayer played quite well for the Marlies, scoring 11 goals and 27 assists in 65 games last season (CapFriendly).
- Returning back to North American hockey after spending the last two seasons playing for Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the Kontinental Hockey League, the Montreal Canadiens veteran forward Philippe Maillet to a one-year, $775K, two-way contract. Already 30 years old, Maillet has spent parts of his career with the Capitals and Los Angeles Kings organizations before finally making the jump overseas in 2021-22. In 66 games played for Metallurg last season, Maillet scored 22 goals and 31 assists (CapFriendly).
- The recipient of the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy from the 2023 Calder Cup playoffs, Hunter Shepard, has signed a two-year, $1.55MM, two-way contract to remain with the Capitals organization. Shepard was sensational en route to the Hershey Bears winning the 2023 Calder Cup, managing a 14-6-0 record throughout the playoffs, carrying a 2.27 GAA and a .914 SV% (CapFriendly).
Flyers Sign Garnet Hathaway
The Flyers have added some more grit to their forward group, announcing the signing of winger Garnet Hathaway to a two-year contract. The deal will carry an AAV of $2.375MM.
Hathaway’s garnered a well-deserved reputation as one of the more effective fourth-line players in the league, backing up being an annoyance on the ice with some offensive production and solid all-around play. The cap hit on this deal is perfectly fair, although it’s fair to wonder if the acquisition blocks a young player from making an impact in the Philadelphia lineup next year.
Nevertheless, he and Nicolas Deslauriers on the same line should help the latter become more effective too, actually providing a positive offensive impact via a heavy forecheck. After scoring 13 goals last year, Hathaway’s shown he can put the puck in the net with some frequency, and he’ll be an underrated offensive boost to the Flyers’ bottom six. They’ll likely be centered by Ryan Poehling, another UFA signing by the Flyers today.
Hathaway joins Cam Atkinson, Travis Konecny, and Calvin Petersen as notable members of the Flyers’ UFA class in 2025. He’ll be 33 years old at the end of the deal, and this was likely his best option to cash in on a $2MM-plus cap hit.
Andrew Cogliano Re-Signs With Avalanche
Andrew Cogliano‘s time in Colorado isn’t up just yet. Peter Baugh of The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that the Avalanche are bringing back the veteran on a one-year contract. In a follow-up tweet, he adds that the deal is worth $825K.
Cogliano will continue his NHL career after a tough end to the season, sustaining a neck injury on a hit from Seattle Kraken forward Jordan Eberle during the team’s first-round playoff loss. Once one of the NHL’s longest-tenured ironmen, Cogliano remains a reliable bottom-six defensive presence with some shooting acumen left in his game.
Likely slated again for a fourth-line role as a left winger, Cogliano notched 10 goals and 19 points in 79 games last season, his most in a season since scoring 35 with the Anaheim Ducks in 2018-19.
This likely won’t be Colorado’s last forward signing. With captain Gabriel Landeskog‘s $7MM cap hit slated for LTIR next season, the team still has around $7.5MM in cap space to play with – nearly all of which will go toward adding to their forward corps. Expect an additional acquisition for the team’s middle-six (or two) and potentially a bottom-pairing defenseman.