Columbus Blue Jackets Sign Johnny Gaudreau
After the Columbus Blue Jackets entered as a surprise team in the Johnny Gaudreau sweepstakes late this afternoon, the team has apparently signed the superstar forward, says Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. According to TSN’s Chris Johnston, the deal is worth $9.75MM per season and will be paid entirely in salary (no bonuses), bringing the total value to $68.25MM. The Blue Jackets have confirmed the signing themselves, with Gaudreau set to meet the media tomorrow at 1:00 pm ET.
The theme of Gaudreau’s free agency had largely been about staying home, whether that meant staying with the only team he has ever played for, the Calgary Flames, or moving closer to his hometown in southern New Jersey. As a matter of course, the Philadelphia Flyers, Gaudreau’s childhood team, was a frontrunner for the winger’s services, along with nearby clubs who were also looking to add a dynamic forward in the New Jersey Devils and the New York Islanders. After Gaudreau informed Calgary of his intention to hit the open market and not return, the field dropped to just the other three. However, around the time that Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher had announced that the team was done signing free agents, effectively dropping them out of the Gaudreau bidding, a dark horse in the form of Columbus entered the race and won the war.
Of course not as close to southern New Jersey as Philadelphia, Newark, or Long Island, Columbus does bring Gaudreau much closer to the east coast of the United States as he appeared to want, and puts him as the centerpiece of what was already an exciting Blue Jackets build. Gaudreau will now team up with fellow star winger Patrik Laine and star defenseman Zach Werenski to form a fearsome trio to lead an otherwise solid Columbus team that features several young players and prospects with extremely high upside such as Kent Johnson and Cole Sillinger and the recently drafted David Jiricek and Denton Mateychuk.
An issue here for Columbus now, one certainly worth dealing with, is cap room. CapFriendly now projects Columbus to have just over $3.4MM in salary cap space, but with RFAs to re-sign including Nick Blankenburg, Emil Bemstrom, and the certainly-not-cheap Laine. In order to bring back their RFAs, Columbus will likely need to make another move to clear out some cap space.
Losing Gaudreau is clearly a massive blow to the Flames, this evening’s news not making much of a difference to the organization that saw one of it’s all-time great players move on. The team will now have to choose which direction to head in, with fellow superstar forward Matthew Tkachuk a pending RFA and set to hit the UFA market next summer. How Calgary and GM Brad Treliving play this offseason could determine whether the Flames choose to push forward, add talent back in, or rebuild, potentially necessitating a trade of Tkachuk.
For the Flyers, losing out on the opportunity to sign a hometown superstar may be difficult to take, however the team bowed out on its own accord, apparently looking to take a different path, with Gaudreau not part of the plan. For the Devils and Islanders, however, losing out on Gaudreau is tougher, having been part of the bidding and both needing to add an offensive weapon in order to take a step forward; the Devils looking to escape a years long rebuild and the Islanders looking to step back into the playoffs after back-to-back Conference Finals appearances followed by a miss of the postseason completely. Still, Gaudreau wasn’t the last chip the market had to offer, with Nazem Kadri still representing a star player and Ondrej Palat another point-producer, as well as J.T. Miller on the trade market, so options do remain.
Lastly, Gaudreau moving on from Calgary in favor of Columbus seems to bring Columbus full circle and bring back memories of 2019. It was on the first day of free agency (July 1st of that year to be exact) Columbus, who had a world of promise, lost three superstars in the form of Artemi Panarin, Matt Duchene and Sergei Bobrovsky to free agency, effectively instituting the mini-rebuild the franchise has undergone since. Today, Columbus switches roles, signing the superstar free agent with Calgary now evaluating its future.
Philadelphia Flyers Sign Five Players
The Philadelphia Flyers have announced five depth signings, including Cooper Marody, whose name emerged earlier today. The others are Troy Grosenick, Louis Belpedio, Kevin Connauton, and Adam Brooks. The five have signed the following contracts:
- Brooks: Two-year, two-way contract, $762.5K AAV
- Marody: Two-year, two-way contract, $762.5K AAV
- Connauton: Two-year, two-way contract, $762.5K AAV
- Belpedio: One-year, two-way contract, $750K
- Grosenick: One-year, one-way contract, $750K
These deals certainly won’t excite many Flyers fans, who have struggled to see the plan from general manager Chuck Fletcher this offseason. They do represent some big moves for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms though, as each one has had plenty of minor league success.
The most interesting one is Grosenick, given Ivan Fedotov‘s situation in Russia and the lack of many other goaltending options in the Flyers’ system. Felix Sandstrom is the odds-on favorite for the backup role, but Grosenick’s one-way deal is an interesting twist. The 32-year-old netminder has been outstanding in the minor leagues for the last several seasons, and will now be making that $750K no matter where he plays. If Sandstrom falters at all, perhaps Grosenick will be asked to take over the NHL role behind Carter Hart at some point.
Vancouver Canucks Sign Five Players
Outside of the big signing of Ilya Mikheyev, the Vancouver Canucks have added depth all over the roster today. The team has signed Curtis Lazar to a three-year contract worth a total of $3MM, Wyatt Kalynuk to a one-year, two-way contract with an NHL salary of $750K, Collin Delia on a one-year, one-way contract worth $750K, Dakota Joshua on a two-year contract worth a total of $1.65MM, and Phillip Di Giuseppe on a one-year, two-way contract with an NHL salary of $750K.
On Lazar, the biggest signing of the group, general manager Patrik Allvin released the following statement:
Curtis is a valuable addition to our group. He grew up a Canucks fan, was raised in BC, and already has a strong connection to our club. He is a responsible 200-foot player who can line up at centre or on the wing. Curtis brings energy, an ability to kill penalties and takes draws from the right side, which will be extremely valuable for our team.
Lazar will likely receive regular minutes in Vancouver, after proving he could handle them for the Boston Bruins this season. In 70 games, the 27-year-old scored eight goals and 16 points while racking up 186 hits. He’ll replace a player like Tyler Motte, who was traded away at the deadline, in bringing energy to the fourth line every night.
Joshua, meanwhile, was getting a good bit of attention in free agency because of his performance with the Springfield Thunderbirds in the Calder Cup playoffs. The 26-year-old forward had 15 points in 18 games, an impressive total given he hadn’t ever brought that kind of offense to the table in the past. His deal suggests he’ll also be in the mix for NHL minutes, though that is sort of a lottery ticket for the Canucks given how little experience he has to this point. Joshua has played in just 42 regular season NHL matches.
There was a time when Delia looked like he might be the next starting goaltender for the Chicago Blackhawks but now he appears to be nothing more than some minor league depth. In 32 career appearances at the NHL level, he has a .904 save percentage and just nine wins. With Spencer Martin installed as the full-time backup, Delia shouldn’t be spending much time with the Canucks this season.
Kalynuk, 25, could though, if he can show that the early promise he had in 2020-21 was for real. The former University of Wisconsin standout played 21 games for the Chicago Blackhawks that season and had nine points but was limited to mostly minor league work this year. There are a lot of names ahead of him on the Vancouver depth chart but it’s not like all of them are consistent performers.
New Jersey Devils Sign Four Players
The New Jersey Devils are bringing back tough guy Mason Geertsen, according to Chris Johnston of TSN. PuckPedia reports that the one-year deal is worth $750K at the NHL level, $300K in the AHL, and includes a minor league guarantee of $350K.
Geertsen, 27, made his NHL debut this season and suited up 25 times for the Devils. In those games, he averaged nearly as many minutes in the penalty box as on the ice, being used almost entirely for his fighting ability and intimidation factor. The 6’4″ forward logged 58 hits and 77 penalty minutes on the year, while averaging fewer than seven minutes of ice time and failing to score a single point.
It’s not really different in the minor leagues, where Geertsen has only ever scored nine goals, despite more than 300 AHL appearances. One of the last remaining enforcers, he does have over 500 penalty minutes and a lengthy fight card.
New Jersey added more depth this evening, signing forward Brian Pinho to a one-year, two-way contract, says CapFriendly (link). The contract will pay Pinho $750K at the NHL level and $325K at the minor league level.
After an impressive four-year tenure at Providence College, Pinho, a sixth-round selection by the Washington Capitals in 2013, turned pro, spending parts of the previous four seasons as a member of the AHL’s Hershey Bears, putting up 17 points in 27 games this past season. Though primarily an AHLer for his career, Pinho did appear in two games for the Capitals in 2020-21.
Forward Jack Dugan will also head to New Jersey, signing a one-year, two-way contract according to CapFriendly (link). Dugan’s contract will pay him $750K at the NHL level and $125K at the minor league level and leaves him an RFA at its expiration. A fifth-round pick in the Vegas Golden Knights’ inaugural draft class, Dugan spent a year with the Chicago Steel fo rhte USHL before heading to Providence, like Pinho, then eventually turning pro, spending the previous two seasons with the Henderson Silver Knights of the AHL.
The Devils also brought back defenseman Tyler Wotherspoon on a two-year, two-way contract, per CapFriendly (link). Wotherspoon’s deal is worth $750K at the NHL level in year one and bumps up to $775K in year two. At the minor league level, the deal is wroth $300K in the first year and $325K in the second.
A veteran of 30 NHL games spread over four seasons in the Calgary Flames organization, Wotherspoon represents solid depth for a Devils organization that has had its share of injuries that have forced them to dig deep to find replacements. The defenseman has carved out a career for himself in the AHL as a reliable defenseman, blending in and producing for whatever team he has been on, the 2021-22 Utica Comets representing his fifth team, all in the AHL, in the previous five seasons.
Speaking of the Comets, Wotherspoon, as well as Pinho and Dugan, will have a chance to help Utica run it back once again after an absolutely dominant 2021-22 campaign that saw them go 43-20-8-1, clinching first place in the AHL’s North Division.
Seattle Kraken Sign Martin Jones
Official now, Martin Jones is joining the Seattle Kraken on a one-year, $2MM contract for next season. The deal comes on the heels of Chris Driedger‘s ACL injury and gives the Kraken a veteran backup for Philipp Grubauer.
Jones, 32, was once considered a legitimate workhorse starter in the league, playing in at least 60 games for four straight seasons during his time with the San Jose Sharks. There were good results too, including some long playoff runs with those impressive teams. Unfortunately, it has been quite a while since he’s even been close to league average in his performance, posting four straight years with a save percentage of .900 or below.
This season, for the Philadelphia Flyers, he had a .900 even in 35 appearances. While that 6’4″ athletic frame can still show flashes of the goalie he once was, there are too many times when pucks leak through Jones or he is caught out of position.
With a $2MM cap hit, Jones should be the regular NHL backup, though it is interesting the Kraken signed him at all. They already had Joey Daccord in the system, and inked free agent goalie Magnus Hellberg earlier today. You could argue that either one is probably a better option than Jones right now (even with their relative inexperience), and both will be subject to waivers should the team try to send them to the minor leagues.
Given Grubauer’s significant struggles last season, the goaltending position in Seattle is by no means settled at the moment. He will get the lion’s share of the work but if the team has to deal with another year of the worst save percentage in the league, it’s difficult to know how they’ll be anywhere near competitive.
Detroit Red Wings Sign Matt Luff, Austin Czarnik
The Detroit Red Wings have added a pair of depth signings, inking Matt Luff to a one-year, two-way contract and Austin Czarnik to a two-year, two-way contract. Every team needs minor league depth, and that’s exactly what Luff and Czarnik represent, even if they do have some NHL experience under their belts.
Luff, 25, played in 23 games this season for the Nashville Predators and scored six goals but ended up unqualified by the team at the end of the year. Originally signed by the Los Angeles Kings as an undrafted OHL forward, he now has 87 games in the NHL. In that time he does have a rather impressive 13 goals, though eight of those came in the 2018-19 season.
Czarnik meanwhile has a little bit more, with 142 games to his name but hasn’t seen the NHL much in the last several years. What he has done, is light up the minor leagues by scoring at a point-per-game pace over his entire career. In 2021-22 he had 37 points in 38 games for the Bridgeport Islanders, while also suiting up 17 times combined for the New York Islanders and Seattle Kraken.
Neither one should be playing regular minutes for Detroit this season, especially after they added several forwards today. Still, they’ll provide some good options for short stretches in case of injury, and load up the talent for the Grand Rapids Griffins.
Arizona Coyotes Sign Jean-Sebastien Dea, Boko Imama
The Arizona Coyotes have added another minor league standout, signing Jean-Sebastien Dea to a two-year, two-way contract according to Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports. The scribe reports that the deal will carry an average annual value of $750K in the NHL, though that isn’t actually possible as the league minimum will increase to $775K next season. Dea will earn $300K in the minor leagues.
Not to be forgotten is Bokondji Imama, who has re-signed with the team on a one-year, two-way contract. The 25-year-old had qualified for Group VI unrestricted free agent but will return to the team that gave him his first taste of NHL action this season.
Dea, 28, is an excellent AHL forward, capable of putting up big offensive numbers no matter where he’s playing. He had 26 goals and 52 points in 70 games with the Laval Rocket this year and also has experience with the Rochester Americans, Springfield Thunderbirds, and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins during his time in the minors. He also has 33 games of NHL experience, though any chance of him becoming an impact player at that level has long passed. He might get a handful of games in with the rebuilding club but is probably joining more for the Tucson Roadrunners than anything else.
The same is likely true for Imama, even if he did make his first NHL appearance this year. The 25-year-old played four games with the Coyotes and scored a goal, an impressive performance given he has never even reached double-digit tallies in the AHL. For Tucson this year he had five goals, 12 points, and 178 penalty minutes, bringing a physical presence to every shift.
Washington Capitals To Acquire Connor Brown
After he was linked to the Edmonton Oilers earlier in the day, Connor Brown is actually on his way to the Washington Capitals. The Ottawa Senators have sent Brown to the Capitals in exchange for a 2024 second-round pick, according to Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia.
It was easy to see that Brown had been pushed out of Ottawa’s top-six by recent additions Alex DeBrincat and Claude Giroux, and almost immediately trade speculation started around his future. The 28-year-old forward has just one year left on his contract that carries a $3.6MM cap hit and is owed $4MM in actual salary this season.
He didn’t play his way out of Ottawa though, as the hard-working forward was still one of the team’s most consistent options last season, averaging more than 20 minutes a night and scoring 39 points in 64 games. While he probably won’t get quite as much ice time in Washington, he arrives as an instant penalty-killing improvement and versatile player that can move up and down whenever needed.
Brown is the kind of player that coaches love, never taking a shift off or quitting on a play. Not big or exceptionally skilled, he earns his paycheck by out-working the other team. It’s been like that for years. Despite being a sixth-round pick in 2012, Brown put up 128 points during his final year of junior, actually outscoring a young Connor McDavid. When he stepped into the AHL he found immediate success, scoring 21 goals and 61 points as a rookie for the Toronto Marlies.
It will be interesting to see where he starts, given the absence of Tom Wilson to start the season. Brown is a natural right-winger, though he can play the other side as well.
For the Senators, adding a second-round pick essentially makes up the value they gave Toronto in the Matt Murray trade, making them whole while clearing a good amount of money off the books. That money has been used for DeBrincat and Giroux, two offensive stars that should immediately push their team to an entirely new level.
Carolina Hurricanes Sign Ondrej Kase
The Carolina Hurricanes have signed forward Ondrej Kase to bolster their forward depth, giving him a one-year contract worth $1.5MM. Kase was recently left unqualified by the Toronto Maple Leafs, though the team did try to re-sign him before he decided to head south. Hurricanes general manager Don Waddell released a short statement on his newest forward:
Ondrej is an exciting young player and we’re happy to add another goal-scoring winger to our forward group. He can play in all situations and we expect him to contribute offensively.
After losing several key forwards to free agency or trade (though Nino Niederreiter has yet to actually sign anywhere), and missing out on Mason Marchment, who went to the Dallas Stars, the Hurricanes have still managed to add some impressive talent up front with the additions of Kase and Max Pacioretty.
The 26-year-old Kase isn’t someone you want to rely on, as one of the most injury-prone players in the league but when he’s healthy, he’s quite an effective middle-six winger who can play in a lot of different roles. For the Maple Leafs this season, he contributed 14 goals and 27 points in 50 games, while averaging fewer than 14 minutes a night.
For a Carolina team that could have lots of different alignments, he will likely plug into the third line next to Jordan Staal or even perhaps the fourth line, something that is more than reasonable with a $1.5MM cap hit. If they can keep him healthy all season there is a ton of room for excess value–the only problem is no team has been able to do that before.
Carolina Hurricanes Acquire Max Pacioretty
Per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Carolina Hurricanes are acquiring Max Pacioretty and Dylan Coghlan from the Vegas Golden Knights in a blockbuster trade. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that the return to Vegas is nothing but future considerations.
Pacioretty, 33, has just one year left on his contract and carries a cap hit of $7MM. The Golden Knights are not retaining any of that, meaning they’ve cleared a huge chunk of space for their other moves. Still, this move appears to be a stunning example of poor asset management for the Golden Knights.
In 2018, the team traded a first, second, and third-round pick for Tomas Tatar at the trade deadline. After playing just 28 total games for the team, they then included Tatar in a trade with the Montreal Canadiens to acquire Pacioretty. Along with Tatar went recently drafted Nick Suzuki and another second-round pick, while the Canadiens retained just ten percent of Pacioretty’s contract. The Golden Knights then signed the former Montreal captain to a four-year, $28MM extension before he had even played a game for them, a contract that they are now sending along with 24-year-old defenseman Dylan Coghlan for no return.
They did receive parts of four seasons from Pacioretty in the interim, though his time in Vegas has been marred by injuries. He played just 39 games this season, a big part of why the Golden Knights eventually missed the playoffs.
Still, the Hurricanes are getting an impact goal-scoring talent, if the veteran forward can stay healthy enough next season. In his career, Pacioretty has 323 goals in 850 games, an 82-game pace of over 31. For nothing but cap space, it is a worthwhile move for general manager Don Waddell, who also landed veteran Brent Burns earlier today.
Carolina is obviously pushing some of their chips to the middle, though it’s important to note that this isn’t a long-term gamble. Pacioretty will be an unrestricted free agent next summer and off the books for the Hurricanes if it doesn’t work out.
For Vegas, this opens enough space to sign Reilly Smith, while the team also has the Shea Weber LTIR flexibility to work with.
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