Colorado Avalanche Re-Sign Cal Burke
The Colorado Avalanche have rewarded a hard-working minor-leaguer with a one-year, two-way NHL contract. Per a team announcement, the Avalanche have signed forward Cal Burke to a one-year deal carrying a $750K cap hit and a $100K AHL salary.
Burke, 25, is an undrafted player who made his professional debut in 2020-21 after a successful collegiate career at Notre Dame. In his senior season, Burke captained Notre Dame and scored 21 points in 37 games, all while being relied upon as one of their most important defensive forwards.
As a professional, Burke had a difficult first season in Colorado. He only scored nine points in 33 games and had to handle a difficult, limited role without much in the way of offensive opportunities. This season, the ice opened up for Burke and he scored 12 goals and 26 points in 57 games.
Burke was a second-unit penalty killer for the Eagles and he even saw a bit of power-play time. Burke’s tenacity, two-way play, and commitment to his work ethic are what’s earned him this NHL contract, and his fast start to this past AHL year (14 points in 19 games) is an indication that there may yet be some more offensive upside to be unlocked in his game. Burke will likely head to training camp in the fall, hoping to earn a spot on the defending champ’s fourth line.
Philadelphia Flyers Extend Isaac Ratcliffe
The Philadelphia Flyers have gotten some business done today, finalizing an extension with one of their restricted free agents: Isaac Ratcliffe. Per a team announcement, Ratcliffe has signed a one-year, two-way contract carrying a $813K cap hit.
Ratcliffe, 23, spent most of last season with the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms, and got ten games in with the main Flyers squad. Ratcliffe had his most productive professional season yet, scoring 11 goals and 28 points in 59 AHL games, a total that ranked fourth among Phantoms forwards. The six-foot-six, 200-pound winger is a former top prospect who was drafted 35th overall at the 2017 draft.
Ratcliffe was drafted so high thanks in part to his prolific scoring numbers in junior hockey. In his draft year, Ratcliffe scored 28 goals and 54 points, and followed that season up with a successful final year in the OHL, scoring 50 goals and 82 points. Ratcliffe has struggled to translate his goal-scoring prowess from juniors to the pro ranks, and his issues as a skater have largely been to blame.
Per The Athletic’s Charlie O’Connor, Ratcliffe will be in a position to contend for a fourth-line role on the Flyers in training camp, and this one-year extension indicates that 2022-23 will be a do-or-die year for Ratcliffe and his future as a developmental project in the Flyers organization.
In his media availability following free agency, Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher alluded to 2022-23 being an “important” year for many of the team’s young players to prove they still had NHL potential, and it’s likely that Ratcliffe is one of those young players who needs a strong season to remain in the organization’s long-term plans.
Los Angeles Kings Add Jim Hiller To Coaching Staff
The Los Angeles Kings have a new member of their coaching staff: Jim Hiller. The Kings announced that Hiller would be joining coach Todd McLellan‘s staff and added that he would “primarily work with forwards” as well as “focus on the powerplay.” Hiller replaces former assistant Marco Sturm, who is now the coach of the Kings’ AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign.
Hiller, 53, was let go by the New York Islanders earlier in the offseason, as part of the team’s transition to a largely new coaching staff led by Lane Lambert. Hiller’s strong body of work for the Islanders landed him “on the radar” of multiple teams with head coaching vacancies, including the Dallas Stars and Detroit Red Wings, according to ESPN’s Kevin Weekes.
Prior to Hiller’s three-year tenure with the Islanders, he was an assistant coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs, and also spent 2014-15 as an assistant on Mike Babcock’s Detroit Red Wings staff. Hiller also has head coaching experience, as the head coach of the WHL’s Tri-City Americans and Chilliwack Bruins, who were later relocated to Victoria.
This is a bit of a return for Hiller, as he was drafted by the Kings as a player in 1989 and made his NHL debut with the team, playing 40 games for them in 1992-93 before being traded to Detroit.
Hiller will have his work cut out for him, as the Kings’ power play converted just 16.1% of its opportunities last season, a rate that ranked 27th in the NHL and worst among all playoff teams. The Kings have worked hard this summer to solve the issues on their power play, as seen by their trade for Kevin Fiala last month, and it appears that the addition of Hiller is part of that solution as well.
Florida Panthers Sign Chris Tierney
July 19: The Panthers have now officially announced the signing.
July 16: The Panthers have signed center Chris Tierney, per CapFriendly, who is the second former Ottawa Senator they’ve taken a chance on this offseason, after their earlier signing of Colin White. While we are waiting on the official announcement of the deal, CapFriendly has details on the finances. Tierney is getting a one-year, $750K two-way deal with a hefty $400K AHL salary.
Tierney comes from the Senators organization, and it was there that he was once viewed as a foundational part of their rebuild, a potential middle-six staple for many years. Tierney arrived in Ottawa through the Erik Karlsson trade and was coming off of an impressive year in San Jose where he had 17 goals and 40 points. Tierney’s first year in Ottawa was impressive, and although he only had nine goals he finished with 48 points. From that point, Tierney steadily declined in offensive production, battling injuries along the way, and got to the point where he could only muster 18 points in 70 games, as he did in 2021-22.
Tierney’s two-way game had always been his calling card, but his reliability on that front suffered as well. Tierney’s once-reliable win rate at the face-off dot dipped below 50% and Tierney’s time on the Senators’ penalty kill, where he was once a fixture, all but evaporated. Tierney is only 28 years old, so there is still room for him to bounce back, and he heads to Florida with a chance to re-emerge as an impactful NHL player.
The Panthers have had success in reviving the careers of former Ottawa Senators, just one look at Anthony Duclair‘s numbers in Florida confirm that. Tierney’s signing gives him a chance to follow in Duclair’s footsteps and re-establish himself as an NHL option on the Panthers.
Minor Transactions: 07/19/22
It hasn’t even been a week since free agency opened but things have already slowed to a crawl. After hundreds of NHL contracts were handed out, minor league deals are starting to come fast and furious. We’ll keep track of the notable minor transactions right here.
- The Manitoba Moose have agreed to terms with three players to AHL deals, bringing back Evan Cormier, Thomas Caron, and Isaac Johnson. Cormier, a fourth-round pick of the New Jersey Devils in 2016, had a .905 save percentage in 14 games for the Moose this season.
- In addition to first-round pick Emile Poirier, the Laval Rocket have also signed Alex Green and Kevin Poulin to AHL contracts for the upcoming season. Poulin, 32, was excellent for Laval this season, registering a .920 save percentage in 30 appearances.
- Scott Wilson, Stanley Cup champion and veteran of more than 200 NHL games, has signed another AHL contract with the Charlotte Checkers. The 30-year-old winger was a force for the team this season, scoring 24 goals and 40 points in 71 games while being his normal hard-working two-way self.
- The ECHL’s Allen Americans have added an interesting player fresh out of college hockey. Hank Crone, 24, signed a one-year contract with the Americans after a strong final collegiate season with Northern Michigan University. In 32 games Crone had 44 points and showcased his all-around game as one of the team’s most heavily relied-upon forwards. Crone will make his pro debut in Allen and hope to translate his collegiate success to professional hockey.
- Veteran professional winger Andrew Johnston was among the British EIHL’s top scorers in 2019-20, and now he’s returning to that league after two successful seasons in France. Johnston has signed a contract for 2022-23 with the EIHL’s Nottingham Panthers, per a team announcement. The former ECHL journeyman had 31 points in 39 games for the Rouen Dragons of the French Ligue Magnus and will join a Panthers squad eager to improve on last season’s disappointing first-round playoff exit.
- The Minnesota Wild AHL affiliate, the Iowa Wild, announced that they have signed three players to one-year, two-way (AHL/ECHL) contracts: Mitchell Balmas, Kevin Conley, and Patrick Curry. Balmas, 24, is a former junior hockey star who led the QMJHL’s Cape Breton Screaming Eagles in scoring in his final season in juniors. 2021-22 was Balmas’ professional debut and he split time between the AHL and ECHL, and had five points in ten AHL games and 12 points in 17 ECHL games. Conley, 25, is the former captain of the University of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks and made his professional debut as well last season, with three points in six games for the ECHL’s Reading Royals. Curry, 26, hasn’t quite cut it as an AHL forward yet, with just eight points in 53 career games, but he had a lot of success as an upperclassman at Boston University and had eight points in his five-game ECHL run with the Toledo Walleye.
- Orli Znojmo of the European ICEHL could have a tough time repeating last season’s run to the playoffs. Two days ago, the team lost their leading scorer, Anthony Luciani, and it seems they’ve lost their captain this offseason as well. Per an announcement from his new club, Radim Matus, Orli Znojmo’s captain, has signed with Eisbaren Regensburg of Germany’s second-tier DEL-2. Regensburg are looking to establish themselves in DEL-2 after being promoted from the German third tier earlier this year, and Matus should be able to help them achieve that goal.
This page will be updated throughout the day
Markus Nutivaara Expects To Be Ready For Training Camp
Markus Nutivaara‘s 2021-22 season lasted all of seven minutes. The veteran defenseman played just 12 shifts in his one and only game for the Florida Panthers on October 29, 2021. He missed the rest of the year and underwent hip surgery around Christmas but recently signed a one-year, $1.5MM contract with the San Jose Sharks a few days ago.
Now, Nutivaara expects to be at full strength by the time training camp starts, according to Curtis Pashelka of the Bay Area News Group. That’s a good thing for the Sharks but also his pocketbook, as his contract includes bonuses for games played. According to PuckPedia, Nutivaara will earn $50K at the 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60 game thresholds, maxing out at an additional $250K.
Because of his injury-riddled last few years, it’s easy to forget just how effective Nutivaara was as a depth option for the Columbus Blue Jackets in the early part of his career. Over his first three seasons, he played in 207 games, recorded 51 points, and racked up 139 blocked shots. Averaging nearly 18 minutes a night by year three, he looked on his way to becoming a rock-solid second-pairing defenseman who could support a more offensive player in tough minutes.
Given his ability to play both sides of the ice, he may get a similar role in San Jose, though the Sharks’ group is anything but set in stone at this point. With Brent Burns traded and a new head coach still to be announced, the defensive pairings could end up seeing any number of different alignments.
No matter where he plays, health is the key factor for Nutivaara at this point. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent again in a year’s time, meaning this is a great opportunity to get his career back on track with a healthy, productive season. Otherwise, he might find himself out of the mix entirely next summer.
Emile Poirier Signs AHL Contract
Emile Poirier is coming back to North America, signing a one-year AHL contract with the Laval Rocket. He returns after two years of playing overseas, splitting time between the KHL, SHL, and Slovakian professional league.
Selected 22nd overall in 2013, Poirier would quickly make it to the NHL with the Calgary Flames after an outstanding junior career that blended offensive skill and a good level of physicality. It would be a short-lived stint at the highest level though, as after eight games in his first two professional seasons, Poirier would be stuck in the AHL for the next several years.
In 2018 he would fail to receive a qualifying offer from the Flames when his entry-level contract expired, and after two fairly unspectacular seasons with the Manitoba Moose, it was off to Europe.
Now returning at the age of 27, perhaps the 6’2″ forward can carve out a new role with the Rocket and get his career back on track. Notably, however, this deal is a two-way minor league contract, meaning he will earn a different salary at the AHL and ECHL levels. That suggests his spot with the Rocket is by no means guaranteed, quite a fall for a first-round pick.
That pick was always likely an overreach by the Flames scouting staff–a group who had made Mark Jankowski their top pick just a year earlier. Perhaps buoyed by the confidence of picking three times in the 2013 first round, the Flames took Poirier quite a bit higher than many had him ranked, with NHL Central Scouting even putting him 39th among North American skaters in their final pre-draft list.
More On Johnny Gaudreau’s Free Agent Decision
The hockey world was shocked last week when top free agent Johnny Gaudreau decided to sign with the Columbus Blue Jackets, though he maintains it shouldn’t have come as such a surprise. In a lengthy interview on the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast, Gaudreau confirms that he was talking with the New Jersey Devils before eventually deciding to sign with Columbus:
I was only talking to like two or three teams. I was super thankful that Columbus called during that late hour in the afternoon, because I was pretty much going to–I think I was trying to get a deal done with the Devils, and then Columbus called. I was like ‘I want to go here” and my agent got it done.
Gaudreau directly answered a question about the Philadelphia Flyers, explaining that though he still maintains it would be nice to play for his hometown team, he knew for quite a while that they wouldn’t be involved because of their cap situation.
Now excited about starting the next chapter of his career in Columbus, Gaudreau related how many players he already knew on the roster and how welcome the organization made him feel right away–including rookie Kent Johnson texting general manager Jarmo Kekalainen to offer up No. 13 before a deal was even signed.
With Patrik Laine next to sign, Johnson and other young players in the mix, and Gaudreau penciled in as a potential MVP-level player for the next few years, the Blue Jackets’ offensive group suddenly looks quite imposing. There is some work for Kekalainen yet to do, with just a bit of cap space available and Laine owed at a minimum a $7.5MM qualifying offer, but fans will be happy to hear just how excited Gaudreau is about the idea of playing in Columbus.
The Devils, who missed out on the star winger, ended up signing Ondrej Palat a few hours later, handing out a smaller contract but still landing one of the top free agent options. They then acquired John Marino from the Pittsburgh Penguins to shore up the defensive end, eating up more of the cap space that could have gone to Gaudreau.
New Jersey Devils Sign Vitek Vanecek
After acquiring his rights from the Washington Capitals earlier this summer, the New Jersey Devils have agreed to a multi-year deal with Vitek Vanecek. The three-year contract will be worth an average annual value of $3.4MM, and pay salary as follows:
- 2022-23: $3.55MM
- 2023-24: $3.75MM
- 2024-25: $2.9MM
Vanecek had recently filed for salary arbitration, though that process will no longer be needed. Instead, the Devils will buy out two years of unrestricted free agency with the new deal.
A contract like this would be a pretty big gamble for many teams, given how Vanecek has performed so far in his short career, but with plenty of cap room to spare it shouldn’t pose much of a problem for the Devils. The 26-year-old netminder has just 79 regular season appearances to this point and holds a career .908 save percentage, not exactly a sure thing to provide starter-level performance for the Devils moving forward.
In fact, the Capitals chose to go with Ilya Samsonov in this year’s playoffs, before eventually non-tendering him in the offseason. Samsonov signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs for one year and $1.8MM, almost half of what Vanecek will make.
That’s not to say there isn’t some potential upside here, as the Czech netminder could still take a step forward and become a true answer in net for New Jersey. The team also has Mackenzie Blackwood under contract at the moment, though it is unclear where his future lies after injuries have derailed his career, and Jonathan Bernier‘s playing status up in the air after hip surgery earlier this year.
For a team looking to contend, better goaltending is paramount. Only the Seattle Kraken had a worse team save percentage than the Devils’ .881 last season, as they used seven different netminders to try and stop the puck. Top prospect Nico Daws actually led the way with 25 appearances, and while he does not appear ready for a full-time role just yet, it does seem like his spot will soon be the tandem role with Vanecek.
Where does that leave Blackwood, many will wonder. The young goaltender has been listed in trade speculation for months, but moving him right now would be at an all-time low, after registering an .892 save percentage in this forgettable season. The team couldn’t rely on him as the only option but getting him back on track through the first part of the year and building up some value might be the best course of action in New Jersey.
Markus Granlund Signs In Switzerland
After two excellent years in the KHL, there’s no North American comeback on the table for Markus Granlund. The veteran forward has signed a new contract with HC Lugano in Switzerland for the upcoming season.
He’ll join countryman Mikko Koskinen, who is also joining Lugano this season, as part of an impressive foreign contingent, especially after how well he took to playing in the KHL. Over two seasons with Salavat Yulaev Ufa, Granlund scored 91 points in 91 games, not to mention winning Olympic gold with Finland earlier this year.
Still just 29, it appears as though an NHL return might never happen for the younger brother of Nashville Predators forward Mikael Granlund. The last time he appeared in an NHL game was during the 2019-20 season for the Edmonton Oilers, and after spending a good chunk of that year in the minor leagues, he bolted for the bigger opportunities overseas.
Over 335 NHL games, Granlund scored 58 goals and 101 points, reaching a career-high of 19 and 32 in the 2016-17 season with the Vancouver Canucks. He’ll now take his talents to Switzerland, where he should continue to be a dynamic offensive presence.