Edmonton Oilers Re-Sign Brett Kulak
After seeing what’s out there, Brett Kulak has decided to go back to the Edmonton Oilers after all. The depth defenseman has re-signed with the Oilers according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reports it will be a four-year deal worth $2.75MM per season.
It’s been a fast rise for Kulak, who came to Edmonton in a mid-season trade. There are some who questioned Oilers GM Ken Holland’s choice to part with a second-round pick in order to acquire Kulak, but he answered those questions with his play as an Oiler. Kulak, an analytics darling, was a reliable two-way defenseman for the Oilers during their run to the Western Conference Final, showing that he could be just as comfortable carrying the puck in transition as he was battling a forward for position in front of the net. Kulak’s versatile, all-situations game endeared him to both coach Jay Woodcroft and Edmonton fans and is likely what earned him this deal.
This deal is largely a positive one, but not without at least some risk. During his time in Montreal, Kulak would have stretches where he looked like a fit in the team’s top-four, and then have stretches where he didn’t even look like he belonged on the ice. The talent was there, but the consistency was missing. The success of Kulak’s tenure in Edmonton so far brings up the question: has Kulak become the consistently reliable defenseman he’s shown he’s talented enough to be? Or is this just another one of his “good” stretches, just one that he’s timed really well?
That’s the question Kulak will need to answer, but based on his play in Edmonton so far it’s hard to be anything but optimistic.
Anaheim Ducks Sign Frank Vatrano
The Anaheim Ducks have added some proven goal-scoring, signing Frank Vatrano to a three-year contract according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The deal will carry an average annual value of $3.65MM. Vatrano comes to Anaheim fresh off a successful (and brief) tenure with the New York Rangers.
After being acquired from the Florida Panthers in a mid-season trade, Vatrano had a combined 26 points in 42 games as a Ranger, including 13 goals. That’s a 25-goal, 51-point pace, and Vatrano’s $3.65MM AAV is likely an indication of how his strong finish to the season heightened his leaguewide profile. Before he came to New York, Vatrano was only valuable enough to net the Panthers a fourth-round pick in a trade.
In Anaheim, Vatrano will bring speed, tenacity, and goal-scoring ability. Vatrano can fly and is the sort of player who benefits from the increased emphasis placed on speed in today’s NHL game. If Vatrano can provide 20 goals, 15 assists, and the type of shift-to-shift energy he’s provided throughout his NHL career, this will be a solid market-price signing for the Ducks and GM Pat Verbeek.
Andrew Copp Signs With Detroit Red Wings
12:07 pm: The Detroit Red Wings have officially announced the contract, bringing him to Hockeytown through 2027.
11:34 am: TSN’s Darren Dreger reports a five-year deal worth $5.625MM per season in Detroit for Copp.
07:33 am: The trend this year is going home, and Andrew Copp might be the latest to do so. Multiple reports including from Darren Dreger and Bob McKenzie of TSN suggest that Copp will sign with the Detroit Red Wings when things open up, bringing him back to the place where all of his NHL dreams began.
Born in Ann Arbor, Copp would eventually don the maize and blue by heading to the University of Michigan for three seasons, where he developed into one of the most versatile players in college hockey and quickly outpaced his projections as a fourth-round pick in the NHL. By the time he was ready to exit college, the Winnipeg Jets were ready to put him directly into the lineup and Copp skipped the minor leagues entirely (he would play eight games for Manitoba, but not until after his rookie season).
After more than 450 games with the Jets, Copp found himself on the brink of free agency and because of that, traded to the New York Rangers. He excelled with his new team, showing that he could be a perfect complementary piece near the top of a lineup, and racked up 18 points in 16 games down the stretch. Another 14 in 20 playoff games, along with full-time minutes as a center, and Copp was ready for the open market.
A player who can kill penalties, contribute to the powerplay and line up at any of the three forward spots, his value to the Red Wings would likely fall in the middle of the ice. It just so happens that one of his teammates with Michigan was Red Wings center Dylan Larkin, who is also on the verge of a contract extension to lock him into the Detroit future. Should Copp sign, he’ll be surrounded by a glut of talented wingers and the Red Wings’ forward group will quickly start to take shape.
Detroit Red Wings Sign Ben Chiarot
The Detroit Red Wings are going to add some size to their defense corps, as the team announced the signing of free agent defenseman Ben Chiarot. The deal will be for four years and will carry a whopping $4.75MM cap hit.
This deal will undoubtedly be controversial, as Chiarot the free agent signing is likely to split fan opinion just as Chiarot the trade asset did in the weeks leading up to the 2022 deadline did. But this signing is more than anything else an indication of how differently NHL front offices view Chiarot compared to public opinion. The Florida Panthers surrendered a coveted 2023 first-round pick and a prospect in Ty Smilanic to acquire Chiarot at the deadline, and now the Red Wings, led by GM Steve Yzerman, are giving Chiarot a $4.75MM AAV deal with a four-year term. Those two moves show that Chiarot’s public perception hasn’t quite caught up to his perception among NHL decision-makers.
Members of the public see Chiarot and see a player who is emblematic of the flaws in old-school hockey thinking. Chiarot is a big, mean, extremely physical defenseman who is perhaps best known for taking liberties with the rules against cross-checking in order to clear the blue paint. Chiarot’s reputation was massively enhanced by his play during the Montreal Canadiens’ 2021 run to the Stanley Cup Final, as he paired with Shea Weber and formed a partnership that embodied the “hard to play against” identity so many teams strive to create. But does that reputation keep in line with the on-ice results?
That’s where things get complicated and where the public’s down opinion on Chiarot really comes from. By most public analytics models, Chiarot is an ineffective defensive defenseman whose teams often perform worse when he’s on the ice than when he’s off of it. The work by The Athletic’s Dom Luczyszyn assign’s Chiarot a per-season value of $700K, a far cry from the $4.75MM cap hit he’s earned today.
But Yzerman is an extremely accomplished GM. He laid the groundwork for the back-to-back Tampa Bay Lightning Stanley Cups, and is among the most widely respected executives in hockey. Clearly, there’s something this public perception is missing, or else Chiarot’s services wouldn’t be so in demand. Firstly, one has to assume that the private analytics Yzerman’s front office is working with are more kind to Chiarot than the public models. Secondly, there is a minority opinion on Chiarot that sees his game quite positively. They view his physical, crease-clearing play as extremely valuable, his locker room contributions to be important, and his abilities in transition and on offense to be underrated.
Whichever side on Chiarot is closer to the truth isn’t really relevant at this point. His contract is signed and finalized. He’ll be a Red Wing for the foreseeable future, and Red Wings fans simply have to have faith that Yzerman’s moves will work out as well for them as they did for fans in Tampa Bay.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was first to report the deal.
Vladislav Namestnikov Returns To Tampa Bay Lightning
Per his agent, Dan Milstein, former Tampa Bay Lightning draftee Vladislav Namestnikov is returning to his first team on a one-year deal. The deal is worth $2.5MM, per the official team announcement.
Namestnikov was a first-round pick of the Lightning at the 2011 draft. Namestnikov last played in Tampa Bay in the 2017-18 season before being sent to the New York Rangers in the Ryan McDonagh blockbuster trade. Since that trade, Namestnikov has been a bit of a journeyman, with stints in Ottawa, Colorado, Detroit, and Dallas.
This past season, Namestnikov was a decent bottom-sixer for the Detroit Red Wings before being sent to the Dallas Stars in exchange for a third-rounder at the deadline. Combining his time with both teams, Namestnikov finished 2021-22 with 30 points in 80 games. That’s about what can be expected from Namestnikov, who has experience as both a center and a winger.
The Lightning are familiar with him and are trying to re-capture the Stanley Cup after losing to the Colorado Avalanche in the Stanley Cup Final. Adding Namestnikov to their bottom-six gives coach Jon Cooper a reliable, versatile option to deploy in all situations and one that should help cover for the departure of Ondrej Palat.
Vancouver Canucks Sign Ilya Mikheyev
The Vancouver Canucks have made a big depth splash, signing forward Ilya Mikheyev to a four-year deal worth $4.75MM per season. Mikheyev signs in Vancouver after a successful run with the Toronto Maple Leafs, the team he signed with as an undrafted KH free agent.
Mikheyev’s 2021-22 season was a bit of a breakout year, as he scored 21 goals in 53 games, showing that he could effectively utilize his speed and nose for the puck to score goals. While many Maple Leafs fans may gripe about Mikheyev’s finishing ability, he was an impactful scorer at the KHL level and now seems to be figuring out how to be a scorer in the NHL.
At $4.75MM with four-year term, this signing is not without risk. Mikheyev’s breakout season proved he could be worth $4.75MM at his best, but it’s fair to question if Mikheyev is going to play like a player worth nearly $5MM for the duration of the deal with consistency. Mikheyev struggled with injuries last season and only has 146 NHL games to his name, which isn’t a massive NHL track record. But that lack of experience can work both ways, as the Canucks clearly believe Mikheyev has more to his game than he’s shown so far.
With this signing now on the books, all eyes are on J.T. Miller and a potential trade that could be involving him. Now that Mikheyev has been added, the Jim Rutherford/Patrik Allvin era of Canucks hockey is starting to take shape.
Carolina Hurricanes Acquire Brent Burns
11:55am: The deal is now complete, according to LeBrun. The Hurricanes will receive Burns and Lane Pederson in exchange for Steven Lorentz, Eetu Makiniemi, and a conditional 2023 third-round pick. The Sharks will retain one-third of Burns’ remaining contract.
10:30am: While Carolina moved a notable defenseman at the draft when they sent Anthony DeAngelo to Philadelphia, it appears they’ve found his replacement. Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that the Hurricanes are close to acquiring Brent Burns from San Jose. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman adds (Twitter link) that Carolina isn’t on Burns’ three-team trade list but it appears he’ll be willing to waive his trade protection to facilitate a move. LeBrun adds (via Twitter) that multiple players are involved in the swap.
Burns has been a staple on the back end for the Sharks for more than a decade as an all-situations defender that logs heavy minutes. A three-time Norris finalist (and one-time winner), the 37-year-old is coming off a pretty strong season as he led all San Jose defenders in scoring with 10 goals and 44 assists in 82 games in 2021-22 while logging a career-high 26:09 per game.
The reason that San Jose is moving him is his contract. Burns still has three years left on his contract with a cap hit of $8MM and with the Sharks not having a lot of financial flexibility, it was expected that they’d try to move one of their three pricey veterans on the back end. With both Erik Karlsson and Marc-Edouard Vlasic coming off tough seasons that have them on negative-value contracts, Burns was the logical one to try to move.
With Carolina, Burns shouldn’t be counted on to log anywhere near the type of minutes he did in San Jose with the Hurricanes and he could fit in nicely on their second pairing behind Brett Pesce. He would certainly help replace the minutes that DeAngelo logged last season while being able to help cover the offensive gap left behind as well.
More to follow.
Florida Panthers To Sign Colin White
After getting bought out by the Ottawa Senators, free agent forward Colin White is headed to the Florida Panthers on a one-year, $1.2MM deal per TVA’s Renaud Lavoie. White is able to sign this deal with the Panthers thanks to him being recently bought out of his long-term contract by the Ottawa Senators.
This signing is an opportunity for both White and the Panthers. For White, he gets to join the reigning President’s Trophy-winning team, a club that had one of the most lethal attacks in recent NHL history. The Panthers score goals in bunches, and the hope for White is that he can be a part of that. Success in Florida has made other players significant amounts of money, as it has done for Mason Marchment today, so White signs this one-year deal likely with the hope that he can have a productive season and re-enter the market on stronger footing next summer.
For the Panthers, they get someone who was only a few years ago seen as a core piece of the Senators for a cheap price. At $1.2MM, White should help the team’s bottom-six and be able to fill in as a center if there are any injuries, if he’s not occupying the fourth-line center slot already. The Panthers are the team that gives White the best chance of rediscovering the form that saw him post 41 points in 71 games in 2018-19.
At a $1.2MM cost, getting a 25-year-old free agent with the resume that White has is a shrewd addition for Panthers GM Bill Zito, a manager under a ton of pressure to improve after a disappointing playoff exit this spring.
Tampa Bay Lightning Sign Felix Robert
The Tampa Bay Lightning continue to go after undrafted QMJHL stars, this time signing Felix Robert to a two-year entry-level contract. Robert, unlike some of the other players that sign these deals with Tampa Bay, has been playing in the AHL for two seasons with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
More to come…
Buffalo Sabres Sign Ilya Lyubushkin, Eric Comrie
The Buffalo Sabres have brought a defenseman down from Toronto, signing free agent Ilya Lyubushkin to a two-year deal according to Bob McKenzie of TSN. The deal will carry an average annual value of $2.75MM.
The Sabres aren’t finished there, as they have also signed goaltender Eric Comrie to a two-year deal worth $1.8MM per season according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.
The first signing, Lyubushkin, is relatively straightforward. The Sabres had an extremely encouraging finish to their 2021-22 season, and the team is in a more positive place than it has been in years. GM Kevyn Adams and coach Don Granato have done a brilliant job so far in turning the downtrodden Sabres around, and they look towards next season with the hope of at least being in the conversation for a playoff spot next spring.
Lyubushkin will help them get there, as he’s the sort of proven, NHL-caliber defenseman that any team could see themselves adding. Lyubushkin, who was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs last season, is a big, physical, crease-clearing defenseman. He featured sporadically on the Maple Leafs’ penalty kill, averaging 55 seconds per game there, and should see time on the Sabres’ penalty kill next season. This deal will take Lyubushkin until he’s thirty, meaning there’s no significant regression risk, and the cap hit, while a bit pricey at $2.75MM, isn’t really an issue given the wealth of cap space the Sabres have had.
While some might not like the cost, this is a sensible, entirely reasonable addition for the Sabres to make as they attempt to end the NHL’s longest playoff drought.
In Comrie, the Sabres add a 27-year-old goalie who had an extremely successful limited run of NHL action last year. In 19 games Comrie posted a .920 save percentage, going 10-5-1 on a largely dysfunctional Sabres team. Prior to this year, Comrie had proven himself as a capable AHL starter, and should now see the first regular NHL gig in his career.
The Sabres have an uncertain future in the net, with 41-year-old Craig Anderson currently slated to be their starter. With Comrie in the mix, the Sabres have added a goalie who has a shot to make their $1.8MM per year investment look really, really good.