Minnesota Wild Sign Four Players
The Minnesota Wild have gone bargain hunting, adding a player with lots of skill but not a long track record of NHL success. Nic Petan has signed a two-year, two-way deal with the Wild. Michael Russo of The Athletic reports that it will carry an NHL cap hit of $762.5K and a massive salary in the AHL. The team also announced contracts for forward Brandon Baddock, forward Steven Fogarty, and defenseman Andrej Sustr.
Petan will earn $500K in 2022-23 and $550K in 2023-24, even if he’s in the minors all year. Baddock’s one-year, two-way contract earns him $750K in the NHL and $200,000 in the minors. Fogarty has a two-year deal which earns him $350K in the minors each year, but $750K in the NHL in year 1 and $775K in the NHL in year 2. Sustr’s one-year pays him $750K in the NHL and $400K in the AHL.
Los Angeles Kings Sign Pheonix Copley, Tobie Paquette-Bisson
The Los Angeles Kings have signed a pair of minor-league deals today, signing goalie Pheonix Copley to a one-year, one-way deal worth $825,000 and defenseman Tobie Paquette-Bisson to a one-year, two-way deal worth $750,000.
Copley, 30, was once considered a potential NHL up-and-coming netminder, when he played 27 games with the Washington Capitals in 2018-19. He’s barely been back since, though, and has just 31 appearances to his name. His deal with the Kings is almost certainly as a minor league option, where he has much more experience.
Paquette-Bisson is signing his first NHL contract after spending the last few seasons in the minor leagues. It is a heck of a success story for an undrafted, defenseman that played two full years in the ECHL.
Because he is now 25, he is not restricted by the entry-level system, which means he can get a bit more money. Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports reports that he will earn $175K in the AHL and holds a $200K minor league guarantee.
Anaheim Ducks Agree To Terms With Glenn Gawdin
The Anaheim Ducks have added a top minor league player who might be ready for an NHL opportunity, agreeing to terms with Glenn Gawdin on a two-year deal, according to Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff. The deal will be a two-way contract in 2022-23 and one-way in 2023-24.
Gawdin, 25, has played just nine games in the NHL, all with the Calgary Flames. His play since entering the AHL however, has resulted in 148 points through 201 games and this deal is a reward for that strong play.
Whether he actually gets a chance to compete for a Ducks roster spot remains to be seen but with the club having just eight forwards signed to one-way contracts, there should be some healthy battles at camp.
Alex Lyon, Anthony Bitetto Sign With Florida Panthers
Florida has landed a third-string netminder to serve behind Sergei Bobrovsky and Spencer Knight. TSN’s Chris Johnston reports the team has signed depth goalie Alex Lyon. They’ve also added some depth on the back end, adding Anthony Bitetto to a one-year, two-way contract.
Lyon, 29, is fresh off winning the Calder Cup with the Chicago Wolves, where he posted a .923 save percentage in 12 playoff appearances. An undrafted free agent signing out of Yale in 2016, he has been strong in the minor leagues but only appeared 24 times in the NHL.
He may not get any more chances this year but is at least a strong option should one of Bobrovsky or Knight face an injury.
Bitetto meanwhile is in a similar situation, save for the recent Calder Cup win. The 31-year-old defenseman has 197 games under his belt at the NHL level but none of those came in 2021-22. Instead, he split the year between the Hartford Wolf Pack and the San Jose Barracuda, scoring 17 points in 53 games.
If he’s playing regular minutes with the Panthers it is because they are dealing with serious injuries but should represent a stable veteran presence in the AHL.
Edmonton Oilers To Sign Greg McKegg
The Edmonton Oilers are adding some more forward depth, with a deal coming for Greg McKegg according to Chris Johnston of TSN.
If you weren’t paying attention, you might have missed the fact that McKegg has turned into an NHL regular the last few years. He played in 43 games for the New York Rangers this season, taking his career total to 233 appearances–142 of those since 2018-19.
That’s not to say he’ll be playing every day for the Oilers, though they will need some cheap options for the fourth line after bringing in a bunch of money today. McKegg can play center when needed and add a little bit of physicality–just don’t expect him to score. In his career, he has just 21 goals and 39 points.
Buffalo Sabres Sign Davies, Clague, Priskie
The Buffalo Sabres have added a trio of minor league defensemen, signing Jeremy Davies, Kale Clague, and Chase Priskie to one-year contracts. Clague and Davies will have NHL salaries of $750K, while Priskie will earn $800K at that level.
There was a time a few years ago when Clague was considered a top prospect, selected in the second round and playing well at the minor league level. It never did all click for him though, and he has been limited to just 58 games to this point, 36 of which came this past season. The Montreal Canadiens decided not to issue him a qualifying offer this week, making him an unrestricted free agent free to chase better opportunities.
He may find one in Buffalo, though the fact that they signed Ilya Lyubushkin to a two-year contract likely hurts the case of any of these three.
Davies, 25, has just 22 games of NHL experience, even less than Clague, since signing with the Nashville Predators in 2019. He had 31 points in 54 games at the minor league level and appears to be a signing for the Rochester Americans more than anything.
The same could be said about Priskie, who at 26 has played just four games in the NHL. A star at Quinnipiac University, he has been good in the minor leagues but not consistent enough in his own end to warrant NHL play. There may be a handful of games with Buffalo in his future but it’s hard to see him really making an impact at this point in his career.
Colorado Avalanche Re-Sign Jonas Johansson
The Colorado Avalanche have some question marks in net even after acquiring Alexandar Georgiev, meaning they need some depth at the position. That will come in the form of Jonas Johansson, who has re-signed for one year. He’ll be on a two-way contract that carries an NHL salary of $750K and an AHL salary of $350K.
After losing Johansson on waivers last December, the Avalanche had to watch as he basically became a practice goaltender for the Florida Panthers organization. The 26-year-old played just two games for Florida and one for their AHL affiliate during the five months he was with the team, meaning he will be a bit out of practice by the time he gets back in game action next season.
That is, of course, if they’re able to get him through waivers this time, which isn’t a given after his experience in 2021-22. He certainly won’t be staying with the Avalanche NHL roster though, unless there’s an injury, as Georgiev and Pavel Francouz are locked in as the everyday tandem.
Detroit Red Wings Sign Dominik Kubalik
Another year, another Chicago unqualified RFA heading to Detroit. The Red Wings have signed forward Dominik Kubalik to a two-year contract that will carry an average annual value of $2.5MM.
It’s been a rollercoaster NHL career so far for the 26-year-old Kubalik. After scoring 30 goals in 68 games during his rookie season in 2019-20, it appeared as though the Chicago Blackhawks had pulled a star out of the Swiss leagues. The lanky winger clicked immediately with Chicago’s top talent and signed a two-year, $7.4MM deal that fall that set him up nicely as a key part of their future.
Two years later and Kubalik scored just 15 goals in 78 games and is left unqualified by the team, scared of an arbitration award that would have been hefty. The Red Wings are apparently happy to snap him up, sign him to a reasonable deal for just two years and plug him into a forward group that suddenly looks formidable.
With Andrew Copp and David Perron also joining the Red Wings today, Detroit head coach Derek Lalonde should have plenty of options to mix and match as he sees fit, trying to find the best chemistry combinations up front. If Kubalik can click with a top forward like he did that rookie season, perhaps he can get back to the 30-goal man that he debuted as. If not, Detroit hasn’t put itself in a dangerous situation, since a $2.5MM contract won’t affect their overall financial structure much and they can walk away in two years if necessary.
Winnipeg Jets Sign David Rittich
The Winnipeg Jets lost Eric Comrie to free agency and needed another goaltender to backup Connor Hellebuyck. That will be David Rittich, who is coming in on a one-year, $900K contract.
While general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff suggested that Comrie’s arbitration case would have priced him out of their financial plans had they given him enough starts to avoid Group VI unrestricted free agency, it still does seem odd that they would make a change to Rittich, after his performance this year. The 29-year-old goaltender posted an .886 save percentage in 17 appearances for the Nashville Predators, numbers that following several relatively sub-par seasons.
In fact, Rittich holds a career save percentage of just .904 now, and has never posted a single season with a number over .911. “Big Save Dave” has been extremely inconsistent throughout his 152 NHL games, and now will be tasked with backing up a starting goaltender that plays more than most in the league. His starts will be sporadic, and while that may be why the team didn’t want to spend much on their backup position, if Hellebuyck were to suffer an injury, it’s hard to imagine Rittich leading them to the postseason.
Shane Wright Signs Entry-Level Contract
The Seattle Kraken have signed their top draft choice, Shane Wright, to a three-year entry-level contract. The young forward was selected fourth overall earlier this month.
Wright has a lot to prove after falling out of the top three, an unexpected result for not only him but most of the hockey world. He’ll now get a chance to become one of the first franchise icons in Seattle, if he can live up to the expectations that have been on him since he was in minor hockey.
For the Kraken, the idea of slotting in Wright and Matty Beniers down the middle for the next decade is extremely appealing, though there may be a steep learning curve this season with the youngsters in the lineup every night.
That is of course assuming Wright makes the Kraken. As an 18-year-old, he can’t be assigned to the minor leagues, meaning it’s either Seattle or Kingston for the young forward.