San Jose Sharks Sign Filip Zadina
After completing the contract termination process with the Detroit Red Wings last week, 2018 sixth-overall pick Filip Zadina has quickly found his new home. He’s signed a one-year, $1.1MM contract with the San Jose Sharks, as announced by the team today.
The Czech winger registered just seven points in 30 NHL games in 2022-23, the first year of a three-year, $5.475MM extension he’d signed in Detroit late last summer. With a lack of any real offensive development occurring in the Motor City, Zadina requested a trade through his agent around the 2023 NHL Draft – which Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman said he’d pursued to no avail.
Yzerman then made the decision to waive Zadina early last week, exposing him to every team in the league for free. With a two-year commitment and back-loaded contract, however, there were no takers, leading the two parties to cut ties entirely via mutual termination last Friday.
Zadina now lands in San Jose on an affordable, low-risk contract, helping him recoup some of the money he walked away from via his contract termination with Detroit. He was set to earn $1.83MM from Detroit this season, so it’s a pay cut of roughly $700K, but likely more due to taxes.
In the Bay Area, Zadina could garner attention in a top-six role out of training camp, potentially alongside countryman Tomas Hertl. San Jose did some ancillary work to boost their top six by acquiring Anthony Duclair from the Florida Panthers earlier this month, giving the Sharks and head coach David Quinn a lot of combinations for their top two lines. They’ll likely include some mixture of Hertl, Zadina, and Duclair, along with Logan Couture, Alexander Barabanov, and 2021 seventh-overall pick William Eklund.
During his less-than-illustrious NHL stint thus far, Zadina has played 190 games (all in Detroit) and has accumulated 28 goals, 40 assists, and 68 points. His most productive season was in 2021-22, recording 10 goals, 14 assists, and 24 points in 74 games played. Among Red Wings forwards, he ranked sixth in assists that season.
Zadina has also participated in 82 AHL games, scoring 26 goals and 26 assists for the Grand Rapids Griffins. Of note, his $1.1MM cap hit comes in just under this season’s buriable threshold of $1.125MM, so he can be assigned to the AHL without any cap penalty to the Sharks.
He’ll be a restricted free agent again next offseason, and he’ll be due a qualifying offer equal to this year’s $1.1MM salary.
AHL Transaction Ledger: 07/10/23
With NHL rosters quickly getting filled up after free agency opened at the beginning of the month, we’re entering one of the busiest times of the year for the AHL. Players are now flocking to the minors for playing security next season, allowing AHL teams to snap up promising young talents and veteran players alike as they round out their complementary players to their NHL affiliate’s prospects and farmhands. AHL teams have been busy acquiring talent this morning, so we’re listing all of today’s moves in the league:
- After getting his NHL contract with the New York Islanders mutually terminated, reigning AHL goal-scoring leader Andy Andreoff has officially left the North American pro circuit for KHL club Sibir Novosibirsk, signing a one-year contract. An alternate captain for the Bridgeport Islanders during his two seasons there, Andreoff’s 37 goals in 69 games were good enough to capture the league’s Willie Marshall Award for the first time in his career. This will be the 32-year-old’s first overseas experience, as the Canadian-born center developed through the OHL before beginning his pro career with the Los Angeles Kings organization in 2012.
- Czech defenseman Andrej Sustr is joining Andreoff in heading overseas, signing a contract for 2023-24 with DEL side Kolner Haie. The veteran of 362 NHL games spent all of 2022-23 in the minors, posting three goals, 11 assists, 14 points, and a +8 rating in 51 games split between the Iowa Wild and San Diego Gulls. His NHL negotiating rights were temporarily dealt from the Anaheim Ducks to the San Jose Sharks at the end of last month, but the UFA has opted to return to Europe for his first overseas experience since spending two years in China with Kunlun Red Star from 2019 to 2021.
- KHL club Dinamo Minsk joins Novosibirsk in nabbing some AHL talent today, inking forward Sam Anas and defenseman Yanni Kaldis to one-year deals. The 30-year-old Anas has played the last seven seasons exclusively in the AHL, accumulating 398 games of experience without ever receiving an NHL chance. The 2019-20 league leader in assists is fresh off a Calder Cup victory with the Hershey Bears, where he notched 12 points in 20 games of postseason play. Kaldis, 27, had spent the last three seasons with the Bakersfield Condors, where he registered 13 goals, 51 assists, 64 points, and a -2 rating in 132 games.
- The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins have signed one of their parent club’s unsigned prospects to a one-year deal for 2023-24, getting Austrian defender Thimo Nickl under contract. A 2020 fourth-round selection of the Anaheim Ducks, Pittsburgh acquired the 21-year-old defender’s signing rights in a minor swap at the end of March 2023. Nickl spent the last two seasons with AIK in the Swedish HockeyAllsvenskan, amassing 18 points and a -14 rating in 85 games. He’s a likely candidate for ECHL assignment and could spend a large portion of next season with the Wheeling Nailers.
- The Hartford Wolf Pack have signed Canadian free agent forward Sahil Panwar to a one-year contract after he concluded his junior career in 2022-23. The 21-year-old exploded offensively after a mid-season move in the OHL to the Hamilton Bulldogs, where he would finish third on the team in scoring with 21 goals and 52 points despite playing just 34 games. A very late bloomer, Panwar also attended the New York Rangers’ recent development camp on an invitation basis.
- Canadian defenseman Devante Stephens is returning to the Syracuse Crunch on a one-year contract. The 26-year-old registered 17 points in 64 appearances for the Crunch between 2019 and 2021, but spent the last two seasons with the Abbotsford Canucks and Tucson Roadrunners. A responsible bottom-of-the-lineup defender, he should compete for an everyday role in Syracuse among the Tampa Bay Lightning’s thin organizational defensive depth.
- Nine players are heading to the AHL’s Chicago Wolves, who are filling out their roster completely by themselves as they will not have an NHL affiliate next season. Forwards Peter Abbandonato, Hudson Elynuik, Kyle Marino, Cole Schneider, and Chris Terry, defensemen Tory Dello and Tyson Feist, and goaltender Adam Scheel have all signed one-year deals. The headliners here are Marino, who will rejoin the team in a bottom-six role after appearing in their 2022 Calder Cup championship run, and a pair of forwards with some limited NHL experience in Schneider and Terry. The Wolves now have 12 forwards, four defensemen, and one goalie signed to their roster for next season, so they still have a fair bit of work to do until their full complement of players is set.
- A former second-round pick, Tyler Benson, has signed a one-year agreement with the AHL affiliate of the Vegas Golden Knights, the Henderson Silver Knights. The Silver Knights are getting an above-average player in Benson, as he scored 176 points in 217 career games with the Bakersfield Condors. During the 2020-21 season, although there were no Calder Cup playoffs due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the AHL’s Pacific Division did have playoffs, and Benson was on the Condors team that defeated the Silver Knights in the finals.
- The Utica Comets, an AHL affiliate of the New Jersey Devils, announced a trio of signings today, adding Ryan Fitzgerald, Yushiroh Hirano, and Eric Cooley to AHL contracts today. Fitzgerald is the most recognizable of the group, spending the last three seasons with the Philadelphia Flyers AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. In 45 games played over the last three years, Fitzgerald has 13 goals and 10 assists. Fitzgerald is the son of the Devils’ General Manager, Tom Fitzgerald.
- The Manitoba Moose have signed forward C.J. Suess to a two-year contract, giving him playing security through 2025. Once a prospect of Manitoba’s parent club, the Winnipeg Jets, Suess spent last season in the San Jose Sharks organization, where he tallied 10 goals and 12 assists for 22 points in 46 games with the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda and made one NHL appearance for the Sharks. The 2014 fifth-round pick previously amassed 166 games with the Moose during his time in the Jets organization, recording 45 goals and 83 points.
Montreal Canadiens Re-Sign Mitchell Stephens
Center Mitchell Stephens has a new contract for 2023-24, re-signing with the Montreal Canadiens on a one-year, two-way deal. Per CapFriendly, the deal pays him $775K in the NHL and $300K in the minors, carrying a minimum guaranteed salary of $385K.
The 26-year-old Ontario-born forward was a restricted free agent this offseason, although he didn’t file for salary arbitration despite being eligible.
Stephens didn’t see any NHL ice last season, spending the entire campaign in the AHL for the first time since 2018-19. In 68 games with the Laval Rocket, he registered 20 goals and 21 assists for 41 points, finishing third on the team in scoring.
He is a reliable NHL call-up option if Montreal wants a more veteran presence. He’s accumulated 72 NHL games over three seasons with the Detroit Red Wings and Tampa Bay Lightning, scoring three goals and 13 points while largely playing in a fourth-line role.
Selected 33rd overall in 2015 by Tampa Bay, it doesn’t appear a full-time NHL role is in Stephens’ future. However, he’ll lock down a top-six role again in Laval next season.
Re-signing Stephens leaves Montreal with four RFAs still to sign: center Alex Newhook, left wing Lucas Condotta, right wing Jesse Ylonen, and left defenseman Nicolas Beaudin.
Philadelphia Flyers Re-Sign Noah Cates
The Philadelphia Flyers have avoided arbitration with up-and-coming center Noah Cates, the team announced Monday morning. The two parties have agreed on a two-year, $5.25MM contract carrying a $2.625MM cap hit.
Cates’ new contract buys two arbitration-eligible years and makes him a restricted free agent again in 2025 when he’ll also be eligible for arbitration.
The 24-year-old burst onto the scene in a big way during his rookie season. He was one of three Flyers to skate in all 82 games last year, and he finished top-15 in both Calder Trophy and Selke Trophy voting – impressive stuff for a fifth-round pick.
Born in Stillwater, Minnesota, Cates struggled heavily in the faceoff circle (39.5 win percentage) but was a defensive dynamo everywhere else, tying for the team lead in plus/minus with a +3 rating. He added 13 goals, 25 assists and 38 points, finishing eighth on the team in total scoring.
He also took on quite heavy minutes, playing nearly 18 minutes per game and facing some tough competition. In fact, he took on much of the defensive burden created by the absence of Sean Couturier, who missed the entire season with a back injury.
After Philadelphia cleared some space on the depth chart by dealing Kevin Hayes to the St. Louis Blues, Cates (along with fellow riser Morgan Frost) is slated for top-nine minutes again in 2023-24, although Couturier’s return should ease his role somewhat.
Cates also flashed solid offensive production during a 16-game stint with the Flyers to end 2021-22 after turning pro, recording nine points in 16 games. With some decreased defensive responsibility, could he build on some already solid production and turn into a bonafide top-six center?
It shouldn’t be the expectation, especially given his draft billing, but Cates has already displayed sustainable tools to become a long-term NHL center. If he can maintain his strong play away from the puck, his sub-$3MM cap hit is a great value signing for Philadelphia and general manager Daniel Briere.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was the first to report the terms of the deal.
Five Key Stories: 7/3/23 – 7/9/23
In many instances, the week, after free agency opens, can be one of the duller weeks in the NHL, but this one still featured plenty of action. Between coaching movement and player movement, there are five stories that stuck out this week.
Vigneault Calls It Quits: Not coaching for the last couple of seasons since his termination as head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers in 2021, Alain Vigneault has officially retired from coaching. After 1363 career games spent as the main bench boss, Vigneault will finish with a record of 722-489-35-117, putting him 10th all-time in the head coaching win record. Vigneault did win the Jack Adams Trophy during the 2006-07 season and got to the Stanley Cup Final twice, once with the Vancouver Canucks in 2011, and another time with the New York Rangers in 2014. With such an impressive all-time record, it would not be a shock to hear Vigneault’s name called for the Hall of Fame in the near future.
Minnesota Wild Acquire Maroon: Another consequence of the Tampa Bay Lightning’s cap situation, Pat Maroon was moved, along with forward Max Cajkovic to the Minnesota Wild in return for a seventh-round pick in 2024. Maroon had spent the last four seasons in Tampa Bay, seeing his production slip considerably last year. After seeing his playing time by an average of two minutes, Maroon only mustered five goals and nine points in 80 games. Even so, he still brings considerable experience to Minnesota, and a great locker room presence, evidenced by his back-to-back Stanley Cup championships from 2019-2021.
Toews Likely To Retire: At the beginning of the offseason, there was some speculation that Jonathan Toews would follow in the footsteps of his former teammate, Duncan Keith, and join the Edmonton Oilers, it appears that Toews will likely retire instead. Represented by hockey’s mega agent, Pat Brisson of CAA Hockey, Toews was taken off the agency’s upcoming free agent list that they annually send out to teams. Battling both chronic immune response syndrome and long-term effects of Covid-19, Toews has unfortunately been able to complete a full season since 2018-19. If it is indeed the end of the line for Toews, he will finish his career with 372 goals and 511 assists in 1067 games played, as well as three Stanley Cup rings, one Frank J. Selke trophy, and one Conn Smythe win.
Red Wings Cut Ties With Zadina: Although the Detroit Red Wings were looking to find a trade partner to take on the contract of forward Filip Zadina, they were unable to, and subsequently terminated his contract. Prized as one of the purest goal-scorers in the 2018 NHL Draft, Zadina failed to replicate any of his junior success in Detroit. In 190 games spanning over five seasons donning the ‘Winged Wheel, Zadina has 28 goals and 40 assists. With two years, and $3.65MM (including $2.73MM due in salary for the 2024-25 season), no team was interested in trading for Zadina, or even claiming him on waivers. Now an unrestricted free agent, it is reasonable to assume that Zadina will sign a minimum contract for the 2023-24 NHL season.
Toronto Marlies Hire New Head Coach: After cutting ties with their entire AHL coaching staff about a month and a half ago, the Toronto Marlies named their eighth head coach in franchise history, John Gruden. Gruden had spent last season with the Boston Bruins as an assistant coach and held the same position with the New York Islanders from 2018-2022. This will not be Gruden’s first stop in Ontario, as he was previously the head coach of the OHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs from 2016-2018. In his last season coaching the team, Gruden coached the Bulldogs to a 2018 OHL Championship finish, eventually losing to the Regina Pats in the 2018 Memorial Cup semifinals.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Detroit Red Wings Acquire Alex DeBrincat
Much of the recent speculation surrounding Alex DeBrincat and the Ottawa Senators largely centered around the New York Islanders and Anaheim Ducks as being the most likely suitors in any trade. At the beginning of the offseason, once news broke that DeBrincat may find his way out of Ottawa, the Detroit Red Wings were deemed the likeliest landing spot, but seemed to have fallen out of the running.
In a surprising turn of events, the Red Wings eventually came out on top, trading Dominik Kubalik, Donovan Sebrango, a conditional first-round pick in 2024, and a fourth-round pick in 2024. Furthermore, Detroit also announced a four-year, $31.5MM contract with DeBrincat, paying him an AAV of $7.785MM. The Farmington Hills, MI native is now officially a part of his childhood team.
By acquiring DeBrincat, Detroit immediately addresses one of the major problems that has plagued them the last several seasons, their offense. Two seasons ago, playing for the Chicago Blackhawks at the time, DeBrincat scored 41 goals and 37 assists in 82 games. This past season with the Senators, DeBrincat scored 27 goals and 39 assists in 82 games. Interestingly enough, DeBrincat has also been extremely good all-time against his new team, scoring 11 goals and 30 points in 23 games against the Red Wings in his career.
In context to the condition attached to the first-round pick headed to the Senators, Detroit will have the option to send either their own 2024 first-round selection or the Bruins’ 2024 first-round selection. On Boston’s draft pick, if the pick falls within the top ten of the 2024 draft, the pick will convey to the Bruins’ 2025 first-round selection. At that time, the Red Wings will have the option of sending their own 2024 first-round selection, or the 2025 first-round selection originally owned by Boston.
The contract for DeBrincat will place him second among Red Wings’ earners, sitting behind the eight-year, $69.6MM extension the team handed out to captain Dylan Larkin last season. Given that the 2023-24 season would have been DeBrincat’s last as a restricted free agent, the contract also buys out three years of unrestricted free agency, putting DeBrincat at 29 years for the first time he hits the open market.
From Ottawa’s standpoint, it is hard to imagine this as a positive return. Kubalik has shown offensive skill in the past but struggled mightily down the stretch for the Red Wings last season. In 81 games played for Detroit last year, Kubalik scored 20 goals and 25 assists in 80 games, something that should play well in the Senators’ middle-six forward group. The other player in the deal, Sebrango, was a former 63rd overall pick of the Red Wings back in the 2020 NHL Draft, and split time between the Grand Rapids Griffins and Toledo Walleye last year.
Unfortunately for Ottawa, they were unable to recoup the draft capital they once spent to acquire DeBrincat in the first place. At last year’s draft, the Senators sent their first-round pick, second-round pick, and a third-round selection in 2024 to acquire DeBrincat from the Chicago Blackhawks. That first-round selection would be seventh overall, allowing the Blackhawks to select defenseman Kevin Korchinski. Given the condition of the first-round pick going to Ottawa in this deal, it is unlikely that it will get even close to seventh overall in whichever year the condition is met.
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet was the first to report that DeBrincat had been traded, and the first to report he would land with Detroit.
David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period was the first to report the contract details between the Red Wings and DeBrincat.
PuckPedia was the first to report the conditions of the first-round pick going to the Senators in the deal.
Snapshots: Gibson, Columbus, Slavin
Touching on all three of the New York metro teams in a New York Post column, Larry Brooks reports that the New Jersey Devils are indeed interested in John Gibson, but only for the right price. The Devils are still weighing the possible tandem of Vitek Vanecek and Akira Schmid, and determining whether that is the right fit to earn them a Stanley Cup championship.
New Jersey’s interest in Gibson shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise, as General Manager Tom Fitzgerald has been highly focused on building a lasting winner this offseason. As the trade market also includes Winnipeg Jets’ Connor Hellebuyck, Gibson makes more sense given his current contract status.
Currently, Hellebuyck has one year, $6.17MM remaining on his current contract, but is reportedly seeking around $9MM in the next deal he signs. Articulating his displeasure with Winnipeg’s direction (similar to Gibson with the Anaheim Ducks), it is safe to say that Hellebuyck will not be getting that contract in Manitoba.
Gibson, on the other hand, has four years, $25.6MM left on his contract, a term that fits much better with the Devils’ long-term planning. No matter how much the cap increases next offseason, paying a goaltender $9MM a season for the next eight years will be tough to swallow for just about any team.
Other snapshots:
- The main columnist of the Columbus Blue Jackets on The Athletic, Aaron Portzline, reported in his article today that the Blue Jackets still have some work to do in thinning out their forward core. One of the main areas of focus, Portzline adds, will be moving out some of the centers that Columbus has on their roster. Already carrying eight forwards with the ability to play center, and a couple more possibly in the minor leagues, the Blue Jackets could make a trade to fill out weaker areas of their team.
- According to a press release, the Toronto Marlies have announced they have signed forward Josiah Slavin to a one-year deal. Slavin has spent the last several seasons playing for the Rockford IceHogs but was moved to the San Diego Gulls prior to last season’s trade deadline. Slavin has shown flashes in the past of being a solid third-line depth scorer, and the Marlies will be hoping for much of the same from him this season.
Analyzing Maple Leafs’ Salary Cap Situation
Around the time of the 2023 Stanley Cup Finals, the league all but confirmed that the salary cap for the 2023-24 season would be set at $83.5MM. It is expected to increase by a larger percentage by this time next summer, but a $1MM increase left a lot of teams with limited cap room to improve.
Impressively, after an assortment of trades and a plethora of free-agent signings, there is only one team that remains that is not currently cap compliant for next season. At this time, the Toronto Maple Leafs, even after LTIR space is factored in, the Maple Leafs will still be approximately $3.2MM over the salary cap.
Much of this has to do with the bloated contracts of Auston Matthews, John Tavares, and Mitch Marner, which carry a combined cap hit of $33.14MM, 39.69% of the team’s total financial capacity. There isn’t much concern that those three players are not worth those contracts, but Toronto will have to make a move nonetheless.
Looking at their cap situation, it appears the Maple Leafs have three different options in their approach to becoming cap compliant. The first of those options would be to move out goaltender Matt Murray, who has one-year, $4.688MM left on his current contract. It would not be hurting Toronto too much, as Murray had another disappointing season in 2022-23, and Joseph Woll gave the team some confidence to put him in a backup role behind Ilya Samsonov.
Finding a fit for Murray is going to be much more difficult than coming to the logical resolution of moving him. After a week of free agency, most teams have a full tandem in the net, and it’s hard to consider Murray an objective upgrade over the already established options. Scarcity aside, Toronto would more than likely have to attach a draft pick to entice teams to take on the final year of Murray’s deal, and the Maple Leafs may be unwilling to part with any of their third or fourth-round picks in the near future.
The second option would be for the team to trade forward Calle Jarnkrok and defenseman Conor Timmins for next to nothing. Carrying a combined cap hit of $3.2MM, clearing that out would get Toronto close enough to get crafty during the season. However, one of the major drawbacks of making a move such as this, both players are quality depth players (Jarnkrok being one of the most underrated in the league) and the Maple Leafs have had difficulty procuring players like this recently.
The last option for Toronto, and could become increasingly likely as far as negotiations have gone up to this point, is to move on from winger William Nylander. Nylander, as well as Matthews, are both up for max-term extensions this offseason, and Nylander and the Maple Leafs don’t appear close. In recent reporting, Nylander’s camp is asking for around $10MM a season, while Toronto is prepared to offer between $8MM-$9MM.
It’s tough to say Nylander hasn’t earned the contract that he wants, as he finished second on the team in scoring last season, and fourth on the team during the playoffs. Neither Matthews nor Marner seemed to take a “hometown discount” on their last deals with the team, so it’s unreasonable to suggest Nylander should either. It could become a best-of-both-worlds option for Toronto, as moving out Nylander would not only free up their cap situation but also bring back significant future assets in return.
In his first year as General Manager of the Maple Leafs, Brad Treliving has already made some prudent moves to improve the club. The acquisition of Tyler Bertuzzi, Max Domi, and John Klingberg should be significant additions, but the work is not close to being done in Toronto.
2023 Free Agency Update
Now that a full week has passed since the free agent market opened up on July 1st, there are still quite a few quality players left on the market. Unfortunately for most of these players, the fact that the salary cap only went up to $83.5MM for the 2023-24 season, has severely limited teams from adding more talent to their roster.
There are a few teams, such as the Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks, Tampa Bay Lightning, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Vegas Golden Knights that are currently too close to the cap to make any more significant additions; however, there are a number of teams that still have some financial wiggle room. In this list, we will go through some of the top remaining names left on the market organized by position.
Forwards
Patrick Kane – His long-time teammate, Jonathan Toews, is most likely headed towards retirement, but thus far, there has been no indication to suggest that Kane will join him down that path. During the 2021-22 season, Kane continued displaying incredible offensive talent, which has spanned over the last decade, evidenced by his 92 points in 78 games. Unfortunately for Kane, a nagging hip injury seemed to follow him around, as he was only able to muster a total of 35 points in 50 games for the Chicago Blackhawks, only nine of those being goals. As the league grew closer to the trade deadline, speculation grew that Kane may not be moved at all.
To prove the doubters wrong, in his last five games wearing a Blackhawks uniform, Kane scored three goals and seven assists in five games and was promptly moved to the New York Rangers. Needing some time to adjust to a new environment, Kane put up a respectable 12 points in 19 games for the Rangers during the regular season. Even more importantly, Kane did continue his impressive career-long playoff success, scoring six points in seven games for New York.
Vladimir Tarasenko – Now one of Kane’s former teammates with the Rangers, Tarasenko is also suffering from a depressed year according to his standards. Just a season ago, Tarasenko finished with 82 points in 75 games, looking to be setting himself nicely to hit the market this offseason. Much like Kane, Tarasenko’s offensive numbers took a dive, only scoring 10 goals in 38 games for the St.Louis Blues, before he was also traded to New York before the deadline.
In 31 games for the Rangers, Tarasenko did see a slight offensive output improvement, but not by much. In 31 games in New York, he scored eight goals and 13 assists, adding another four points in seven playoff games. Tarasenko had been heavily linked to the Ottawa Senators and Carolina Hurricanes towards the opening of the market, but was so underwhelmed by his offers, that he switched his representation to CAA Hockey.
Tomas Tatar – One of the more interesting names still available in the free agency market, Tatar has made it difficult for teams to gauge exactly what kind of player they are going to get. In the regular season, he is typically good for 20 goals, and anywhere from 25-35 assists. Last season playing for the New Jersey Devils, Tatar scored 20 goals and 28 assists in 82 games, impressively carrying a rating of +41 at season’s end.
Not only does he carry above-average offensive output for the majority of his career, his possession numbers are solid too, evidenced by his career marks of 60.6 CF%. The major problem for Tatar is the completely different player that seems to come out during the playoffs. In 52 career playoff games, Tatar carries a horrid seven goals and six assists, and an even worse -14 rating. This fact about Tatar has likely driven playoff teams away from his camp, and even rebuilding teams as well, as they likely wouldn’t receive much interest for his services at the trade deadline.
Defensemen
Mathew Dumba – One of the focal points to the Minnesota Wild’s defense over the last decade, Dumba has seemingly become a different player after his impressive 2017-18 season. The offensive numbers have taken the biggest hit, only scoring 94 points in the last 209 games wearing a Wild jersey. Things are not all bad though for Dumba, as he regularly played over 20 minutes a game in Minnesota, saw ice time on the penalty kill, and still carries an oiSV% of 90.5.
Because of their cap situation, it is more than likely that Dumba has played his last game for the Wild, and the two most interested teams find themselves well out of the playoff picture for the next couple of seasons. The Arizona Coyotes have reportedly been linked to Dumba, giving him better access to power-play time; and the San Jose Sharks have considered adding him as well, citing Dumba as a possible replacement for Erik Karlsson.
Goaltenders
Martin Jones – The 2023 free agency class was always considered thin, and the goalie market may have been the thinnest of all positions. Most quality names have already signed up to this point, making Jones one of the better options still available.
During the 2022-23 season, Jones had a back-and-forth season. During a stretch in early January for Seattle, Jones produced a record of 7-0-0, carrying a .926 SV% during that stretch. The win streaks that the Kraken were able to achieve with Jones in the net ultimately put the team in the playoffs, but the overall picture of Jones’ year doesn’t look promising. Although finishing with a great record of 27-13-3, Jones finished the year with a .886 SV% and a 2.99 GAA. The underlying numbers don’t bode well for Jones either, as his GSAA finished at -21.4.
Seattle Kraken Re-Sign Cale Fleury
1:36 PM: The team has formally announced the signing via a press release.
11:44 AM: The Seattle Kraken and blueliner Cale Fleury have reached a deal on a contract extension prior to their arbitration hearing, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Per CapFriendly, the deal is a two-year, one-way $800k AAV contract that will see Fleury make $775k in 2023-24 and $825k in 2024-25.
The 24-year-old right-shot blueliner was set to press his case in arbitration after a 2022-23 campaign spent mostly as a healthy scratch. Fleury was a press-box regular for Seattle last season, at one point going a stretch of 31 straight games outside the lineup.
He didn’t play at all in the AHL as the Coachella Valley Firebirds made a run to Game Seven of the Calder Cup Finals. The Kraken were likely unwilling to expose the player to the waiver wire mid-season and potentially see him claimed by a team in need of a right-shot blueliner.
Fleury was an original Kraken expansion draft selection, acquired from the Montreal Canadiens. The 2017 third-round pick already had some success on his resume as a former WHL captain who racked up 102 hits in just 41 games as an NHL rookie.
He played most of his first season with the Kraken in the AHL, serving as an alternate captain for the Charlotte Checkers. He scored a healthy 33 points in 58 games, a career-high by a wide margin.
Fleury’s success in the AHL and his time spent with Seattle as mostly a healthy scratch last season have earned him a one-way contract extension spanning the next two seasons.
While the Kraken already have Adam Larsson, Will Borgen, Justin Schultz entrenched on the right side of their defense, Fleury could be first in line to take one of their spots in case of an injury. Or, he could end up on the waiver wire and claimed by a club willing to give him a more regular opportunity to play NHL games.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images