Seattle Kraken Sign Three Players
The Seattle Kraken have completed contracts with three players. They’ve signed winger Marian Studenic from the Dallas Stars, re-signed Coachella Valley Firebirds defenseman Jimmy Schuldt, and re-signed forward John Hayden. The terms for the players’ contracts are as follows:
Studenic: one-year, two-way, $775K NHL salary, $300K AHL salary, $325K guarantee
Schuldt: one-year, two-way, $775K NHL salary, $250K AHL salary, $275K guarantee
Hayden: one-year, one-way, $775K NHL salary
The 24-year-old Studenic comes over from the Dallas Stars, where he recorded three points in 19 games over the past two seasons. He’ll likely stay in an AHL role next season, where he’s been a marquee scorer: he notched 21 goals and 48 points in 67 games with AHL Texas last season. He’s a solid replacement in the Kraken organization for Jesper Froden, who played a similar role in the minors but departed in free agency for a role overseas in Switzerland.
Schuldt, a rather steady two-way defender in the minors, hasn’t yet appeared in NHL action with the Kraken but is a bonafide top-four AHL defender. The 28-year-old Minnesota product notched eight goals, 32 points, and a +22 rating for Coachella Valley last season in 71 games, all career-highs, while playing for one of the best teams in the league. The organization is happy to have him stick around as a reliable presence in their farm system.
Lastly, there’s Hayden, the player with the most NHL experience on this list at 247 games. After sticking in the NHL full-time for four seasons, Hayden found his way back to the minors for most of 2022-23, where his hard-nosed game translated into a solid amount of offense with 33 points in 47 games. He appeared in just seven games for the Kraken, scoring two goals, and he’s destined for the same role in the organization next season.
Nashville Predators Extend Cody Glass, Sign Grosenick, Angello
The Nashville Predators have signed rising center Cody Glass to a two-year contract extension carrying a $2.5MM AAV, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
Additionally, the Predators have added to their minor-league depth, signing goaltender Troy Grosenick to a one-year, $775K contract (worth $175K in the minors, per PuckPedia), as well as forward Anthony Angello to a two-year, $1.55MM contract with an AAV of $775K at the NHL. Both contracts given to Grosenick and Angello are two-way deals.
Glass is coming off a breakout year that saw him lock down a full-time NHL spot for the first time. The 24-year-old played in 72 games last season, picking up 14 goals and 21 assists while averaging nearly 15 minutes of playing time a night. That earned him a spot on Canada’s entry at the Worlds where he added four assists in ten contests. While that’s still not a great year for someone not far removed from being the sixth-overall pick in 2017, it was certainly a step in the right direction.
This contract basically represents a second bridge contract for Glass, giving both sides to see if his production last season is a sign of things to come or if it was more of a one-off. With both Matt Duchene and Ryan Johansen out of the picture now, it stands to reason that Glass should have a bigger opportunity next season. He will still be RFA-eligible at the end of this deal and with the contract paying out an even $2.5MM per season, that will also represent his qualifying offer in 2025.
Grosenick is no stranger to the Predators organization having spent parts of three seasons in their system before moving on in 2020. Since then, he has bounced around as a third-string option in Los Angeles, Boston, and Philadelphia. Last year, the 33-year-old played in just six games with Lehigh Valley, posting a 3.32 GAA along with a .892 SV%. With Yaroslav Askarov set to command the bulk of the playing time, Grosenick is likely to be Nashville’s fourth-stringer next season but could be the one recalled to cover for short-term injuries to either Juuse Saros or Kevin Lankinen.
As for Angello, the 27-year-old was acquired back in March and finished the season strong with AHL Milwaukee, collecting seven goals and five assists in just 17 games. However, Angello wasn’t able to carry over that level of success in the playoffs as he was limited to just three points in 16 playoff contests. Nevertheless, the Preds have decided to bring him back where he will serve as injury recall depth next season.
New York Rangers Sign Nick Bonino
The New York Rangers have added yet another experienced veteran forward, this time securing two-time Stanley Cup champion Nick Bonino on a one-year contract. The deal is worth $800K, according to TSN’s Chris Johnston.
Even in the latter stages of his career, the 35-year-old Bonino has posted great defensive results in a bottom-six checking role and looks to be a solid fit as a fourth-line center in New York, a position that saw some tumultuous times for the team last season. Bonino posted 10 goals and 19 points in 59 games with the Sharks before a deadline day deal to his former team, the Pittsburgh Penguins, but his second stint there lasted just three games before he sustained a lacerated kidney.
The Rangers will be his second Eastern Conference team after spending most of his career in the West. He’ll fill a role well at the bottom of their lineup, and it’s an acquisition made with the postseason in mind. Bonino’s done some of his best work there, putting up 48 points in 105 career playoff games.
Arizona Coyotes Sign Jason Zucker
The Arizona Coyotes have made some noise on the free agent market, inking winger Jason Zucker to a one-year $5.3MM deal per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
Yesterday evening, Craig Morgan of PHNX put out an article detailing General Manager Bill Armstrong‘s approach to the opening up of free agency. Grabbing a quote, Armstrong said, “Our approach in free agency is to make our team better for tomorrow, but not worse in three to four years. We don’t want the deals that we do today to take away from deals that we could be doing when we’re really good so there’s some short-term deals to be had.”
Keeping that frame of reference in mind, this deal for Zucker entirely fits the mold of what the Coyotes are trying to accomplish. Not only does this deal make the team better in the short-term, but the ability to trade Zucker at the deadline for assets is important for the team as well in the midst of their rebuild.
In a career that will now span over 13 seasons, Zucker has only played for two teams, the Minnesota Wild and Pittsburgh Penguins. Acquired at the 2019-20 deadline by Pittsburgh, Zucker did not take off offensively until this past season. Reaching his highest scoring totals since the 2017-18 season, Zucker scored 27 goals and 21 assists in 78 games for the Penguins this year.
Zucker immediately becomes one of the team’s best forward options, able to play both sides of the wing. Primarily leaning heavily into goal-scoring, Zucker should benefit well from the high-level playmaking ability of Clayton Keller on the opposite wing. Zucker is also a physical player as well, throwing 197 hits last year in Pittsburgh, giving Arizona the opportunity to move him anywhere throughout the lineup.
Unless his plays completely fall off the rails, or the Coyotes take a major leap in the standings next year, it is unlikely that Zucker will finish the year in Arizona. In the meantime, the Coyotes improve in the short-term, while also adding to their trade arsenal come next trade deadline season.
Detroit Red Wings To Sign Daniel Sprong, Tim Gettinger, Brogan Rafferty
Per Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek, the Detroit Red Wings are signing non-qualified UFA Daniel Sprong to a one-year deal worth $2MM.
They’ve also added depth forward Tim Gettinger on a one-year, two-way contract with a $775k cap hit and $250k AHL salary, according to PuckPedia. Aside from Gettinger, Brogan Rafferty has also been signed by the team for additional depth, securing a two-year, two-way deal with the team.
Sprong is coming off his best season by a considerable margin, picking up 21 goals and 25 assists in 66 games with Seattle. Prior to last season, his previous benchmarks in a single season were 14 goals and nine helpers. With that in mind, it was somewhat surprising that the Kraken opted to non-tender him but as was the case with many players around the league, his eligibility for salary arbitration was enough to dissuade them from giving him a qualifier for less than $800K.
The Red Wings are the happy beneficiaries of that, landing themselves an intriguing winger on a low-risk contract. Sprong should slot into a middle-six role next season with Detroit, giving him a chance to at least come close to matching that production. Even if he comes up a bit short in that regard, Sprong should still be able to provide a good return on this contract.
As for Gettinger, the 25-year-old spent last season with AHL Hartford, picking up 35 points in 52 regular season games plus nine more in eight playoff contests. This will be his first time away from the Rangers after spending the first five seasons of his pro career with them. Gettinger has 16 career NHL appearances under his belt and is likely to have the same role with Detroit as he did in New York, serving as injury insurance in the minors.
Rafferty, meanwhile, is coming off a strong offensive season in the minors with Coachella Valley, Seattle’s affiliate. The 28-year-old collected 51 points in 72 games with the Firebirds, putting him in a tie for third in AHL scoring among all blueliners. Rafferty has three career NHL appearances to his name (all with Vancouver), the last of which came back in 2020-21. He projects to be a key offensive threat on a new-look Grand Rapids squad in 2023-24.
Troy Stecher Returning To Arizona Coyotes
Defenseman Troy Stecher is returning to the Arizona Coyotes on a one-year deal worth $1.1MM, per Sportsnet’s Pat Steinberg.
Bringing Stecher back into the fold provides the Coyotes with a defenseman with more than 250 games of NHL experience, and he immediately becomes the most veteran player slated to take a spot in their top six. It also gives the player some familiarity after he’d played with four different teams in the past two seasons.
At one point a very solid two-way defender, Stecher’s play largely fell off with Arizona after signing as a free agent before last season, posting just seven assists in 61 games. He did, however, show signs of life after a late-season trade to Calgary, where he matched his point total with the Coyotes in just 20 appearances, although he still didn’t quite manage to capture his previous level of proficiency on the defensive side of the game.
He should slot right back into a third-pairing role, battling for playing time with Victor Soderstrom, Joshua Brown, and Michael Kesselring among Coyotes right-shot defenders.
Matt Duchene, Sam Steel To Sign With Dallas Stars
TSN’s Pierre LeBrun is reporting the Dallas Stars are signing veteran forward Matt Duchene. NorthStar Bets’ Chris Johnston reports it’s worth $3MM. The Stars also announced a one-year, $850K contract for center Sam Steel.
Duchene was a late entrant to the UFA market after being bought out by Nashville earlier today with three years remaining on his contract. It didn’t take long for him to find a new home, however, as he joins a Dallas team that already has some strong center depth which should help take some offensive pressure off of him.
Last season, the 32-year-old took a step back offensively after putting up a career-high 43 goals and 43 assists in 2021-22. However, he still managed to tally 22 goals and 34 assists in 71 games for the Preds last year, good for second on the team in scoring which made it all the more surprising that Nashville elected to buy him out.
In a potentially more limited role (since it’s unlikely he’ll be averaging more than 18 minutes a game next season), those numbers are likely to come down, Duchene should still be able to provide solid value on this deal while giving them another above-average option at the faceoff dot, adding to a team strength.
As for Steel, he had a career year last season with Minnesota, collecting 10 goals and 18 assists in 65 games, providing the Wild with a strong return on a one-year, $825K investment. However, as the 25-year-old had arbitration eligibility, Minnesota elected to non-tender Steel, making him an unrestricted free agent for the second straight year. Technically, Dallas can control him through restricted free agency through the 2024-25 campaign but he would remain arbitration-eligible next summer.
Steel averaged nearly 15 minutes per night with the Wild last season and it’s unlikely that he’ll see that much ice time on a deep Dallas forward group. Instead, he might fit in on their fourth line with an ability to move up when injuries arise.
Miles Wood To Sign With Colorado Avalanche
UFA winger Miles Wood is heading to the Colorado Avalanche, and per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, it’s a six-year deal earning him $2.5MM per season.
It’s a larger commitment than most would’ve expected for Wood – especially for a player who saw his advanced and counting stats dip the season after a major injury. But Colorado is in desperate need of bottom six pieces, and Wood brings an attractive snarl to a team lacking much identity outside of its top two lines.
Wood notched 27 points in 76 games in 2022-23, a slight decrease from his normal pace, but he also saw a decrease in role thanks to some fortified depth on the Devils’ part. He should creep back up into a top-nine spot with Colorado, potentially revitalizing some of his point production.
Defensively, it really wasn’t pretty for Wood last season, a change from past years. He essentially canceled out the excellent shutdown play of linemate Nathan Bastian, bringing the Devils’ fourth line of Bastian, Wood, and Michael McLeod to a net even in terms of chances generated and chances against.
Colorado hopes some additional recovery time from the hip injury that kept him out for nearly all of 2021-22, plus a change in scenery can reboot his all-around game. Still, six years is a risky gamble in this situation.
Carolina Hurricanes Sign Michael Bunting
Per multiple reports, including an initial report from The Fourth Period’s James Nichols, the Carolina Hurricanes are signing forward Michael Bunting to a three-year contract. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports it will carry a $4.5MM average annual value. The team later made the deal official.
Bunting will likely fill the role Carolina envisioned Max Pacioretty would occupy last season, missing out on the services of the top-flight scoring winger thanks to two Achilles injuries. Bunting is no Pacioretty, make no mistake, but he does have plenty of experience playing with elite players, stapled to Auston Matthews‘ wing in Toronto for much of the past two seasons.
His scoring trailed off a bit in 2022-23, posting 49 points after tallying 63 in 2021-22, but he’s still scored 20-plus goals in back-to-back campaigns and provides a secondary scoring threat that Carolina sorely needs. He adds an element of aggressiveness on the forecheck that’s sure to support the scoring ability of Sebastian Aho, who could very well be his centerman on opening night.
Carolina now has five legitimate top-six wingers, which could mean Martin Necas slips back to a center-ice role between Andrei Svechnikov and Teuvo Teravainen and knocks Jesperi Kotkaniemi to the team’s bottom six. Teravainen could also fall down the lineup after a disappointing 2022-23 campaign.
Regardless, this is a solid acquisition for Carolina, who should expect between 60 and 80 goals from Bunting over the life of the deal.
Buffalo Sabres Sign Devin Cooley, Dustin Tokarski, Justin Richards
The Buffalo Sabres have inked a pair of goalies today. They’ve signed Devin Cooley to a one-year contract per agent Dan Milstein, and Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports they’ve brought back Dustin Tokarski on a one-year, two-way deal worth $775K at the NHL level and $450K at the AHL level. They’ve also signed AHLer Justin Richards to a one-year, two-way $775k deal.
Returning to the Sabres organization, Tokarski spent last season in the Pittsburgh Penguins organization, primarily playing for their AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. He performed well in the minor leagues, garnering a 2.69 GAA and a .910 SV% in 36 games played. With the organizational depth in goal the Sabres already possess, Tokarski will likely serve as their fourth-string goaltender heading into next season.
In Cooley, much like Tokarski, Buffalo is adding some organizational depth to their AHL team, the Rochester Americans. Cooley was originally an undrafted free agent signed out of the University of Denver by the Nashville Predators. Last year for the Milwaukee Admirals, Cooley didn’t get off to a great start to his career, posting a 9-10-4 record, earning a .898 SV% and a 3.06 GAA in 24 games. This past season was much better for Cooley, as the young netminder carried a 15-8-2 record with a .909 SV% and a 2.93 GAA in 26 games.
As for Richards, he’s a 25-year-old center who scored 39 points in 60 games for the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters last season. He earned two NHL games with Columbus and posted one assist, and should end up a solid contributor in Rochester.