Juuso Valimaki Signs With Calgary Flames
The Calgary Flames have inked another defenseman today, this time reaching a two-year deal with Juuso Valimaki. The contract will carry an average annual value of $1.55MM.
Valimaki, 22, has had a turbulent start to his NHL career, including missing the entire 2019-20 season with a torn ACL. He returned this year and played in 49 games for the Flames but failed to really take the big step forward that some were hoping for. He looked outstanding while playing in Finland for the start of the 2020-21 campaign, scoring 19 points in 19 games, but that kind of offense has still failed to materialize in the NHL.
Still, even considering the lost development year, the young defenseman is still a valuable piece for Calgary moving forward. He will be a regular in the lineup again this season and with Mark Giordano now there are a lot of minutes on the left side up for grabs. The Flames did add Nikita Zadorov in the offseason, but that’s really it in terms of players competing with Valimaki for ice time.
There’s a real opportunity to step into the top-four, but that would be quite the leap for a player that has averaged just over 15 minutes a night through his first 73 NHL games. Valimaki was used sparingly on the penalty kill this season as Giordano and Chris Tanev ate up most of the short-handed minutes, but that is somewhere he could really help in 2021-22. The powerplay duties that Giordano held seem likely to go to Noah Hanifin, though that potentially is another spot that Valimaki could compete. He was a big goal-scoring threat in junior when he played with the Tri-City Americans of the WHL, but has just three in his time with the Flames.
Overall, this is a very interesting player to watch in Calgary this season as a big step in his development could mean a big step for the Flames in general. Locking him in at a reasonable amount for two seasons could prove brilliant if he runs away with a top-four job. The young defenseman will be arbitration-eligible when the contract expires, but still a restricted free agent under the Flames control.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Seattle Kraken Sign Antoine Bibeau
The Seattle Kraken had just three goaltenders in the organization, meaning they needed to add at least one more before the season began just for depth purposes. Today they’ve done just that by signing Antoine Bibeau to a one-year, two-way contract that will carry an NHL cap hit of $750K. GM Ron Francis released a short statement on the signing:
After a strong season in Chicago last year, we’re excited to add Antoine to our mix of goaltenders. His experience at both the NHL and AHL levels make him a valuable addition to our organization.
There’s no doubt that the Kraken goaltending tandem to start the year will be Philipp Grubauer and Chris Driedger, but every team needs third and fourth-string options in case of injury. Seattle also has Joey Daccord under contract after selecting him from the Ottawa Senators, but he is both inexperienced enough to still need development time in the minor leagues and coming off a serious injury. If you need someone to call up as a backup for a few games, Daccord isn’t really the best option as he needs playing time to continue his transition to professional hockey.
Bibeau on the other hand is very experienced at the professional level, having played nearly 200 games at the AHL level. The 27-year-old is coming off a season with just eight appearances for the Chicago Wolves, though he did post a .912 save percentage in those games. He also has four appearances at the NHL level, including two for the Colorado Avalance in 2019-20.
Though he’ll need waivers to go to the minor leagues, that shouldn’t be an issue for Bibeau who has cleared several times in the past including once in January. The interesting part will be where he plays if he does go to the AHL, as the Kraken were only expected to provide one goaltender for the Charlotte Checkers this season. Because they don’t have a primary affiliate until next season, Seattle is giving just a handful of players (and a coach) to the Checkers, who are the affiliate of the Florida Panthers.
Evgeny Svechnikov Signs AHL Contract
The Manitoba Moose have signed free agent forward Evgeny Svechnikov to a one-year, AHL contract for the 2021-22 season. While that may be surprising to many after his history in the NHL, there’s more to the story. Sportsnet contributor Ken Wiebe reports that Svechnikov will attend Winnipeg Jets training camp on a professional tryout and will be given an opportunity to earn a two-way NHL contract should he prove healthy enough.
Svechnikov, 24, was not tendered a qualifying offer from the Detroit Red Wings earlier this summer, making him an unrestricted free agent. That was a far fall for a player selected 19th overall in 2015, but a not totally unexpected one after so many injuries. The young forward has just 41 games of NHL experience under his belt, 21 of which came this past year, and has scored just five goals so far.
That doesn’t mean his career is over though. If Svechnikov can prove he’s fully healthy and ready to contribute, there’s no doubt that his talent level deserves an NHL contract. If he doesn’t earn that NHL deal and instead spends the year with the Moose, he’ll still be a very interesting player to watch. Should he stay healthy and productive, he’ll be an unrestricted free agent again next offseason looking for a new deal and new opportunity.
Philadelphia Flyers Sign Connor Bunnaman
The Philadelphia Flyers have signed one of their restricted free agents, inking Connor Bunnaman to a two-year contract. The deal will be one-way, but carries just a $750K average annual value.
Bunnaman, 23, has played 39 games for the Flyers to this point, but has just one goal and three assists. The fourth-round pick posted plenty of offense in his first year in the AHL, but even that has disappeared in recent seasons. If he’s to ever be an impact player for Philadelphia, it’ll have to come on the defensive side of the puck as a bottom-six checking center. A full-time position even in that role seems unlikely this season, but he’ll still probably play a good number of games as an injury replacement or rotating into the fourth line on occasion.
The fact that Bunnaman is waiver-eligible now doesn’t really make much of a difference, since he will likely clear if sent to the minor leagues. Perhaps the Flyers will use him in a similar role as last season, bouncing up and down between the AHL and NHL whenever needed. In fact, signing for the minimum actually could help his case when it comes to NHL playing time. Many of the other Flyers’ depth forwards are carrying slightly higher cap hits, meaning if they get into a crunch, the difference between $925K and $750K could be very important. At the very worst, he has secured a good paycheck for the next two years even if he’s in the AHL.
Philadelphia has just one restricted free agent left to sign–Travis Sanheim, who is scheduled for an arbitration hearing later this month.
Detroit Red Wings To Buy Out Frans Nielsen
Aug 20: Nielsen has cleared unconditional waivers and will be bought out.
Aug 19: The Detroit Red Wings gained access to a second buyout window after settling their arbitration case with Adam Erne, and they’re going to use it. CapFriendly reports that the team will buy out the final year of Frans Nielsen‘s contract. Nielsen was owed $5.25MM this season. The team will have the following cap penalties:
- 2021-22: $4.25MM
- 2022-23: $500K
Nielsen has been placed on unconditional waivers.
The move will only save the Red Wings $1MM in cap space this season, but more importantly, will only cost them $500K in actual salary over each of the next two years. Nielsen’s six-year, $31.5MM contract had just $3MM left owed to him in the final year after being heavily front-loaded. It also will open another roster spot for a young forward looking to establish himself on the rebuilding club. The 37-year-old Nielsen is a shadow of his former self and has just five goals and 15 points over the last two seasons, despite playing in 89 games.
Even landing another NHL contract seems unlikely for the veteran forward, who is just 75 games away from 1,000 for his career. His play has declined significantly and the Red Wings weren’t even comfortable with him playing center this season. Once an annual Selke candidate as one of the most consistent two-way centers in the league, Nielsen’s best days are long behind him.
Again, this move isn’t really about the cap space for the Red Wings, who were already more than $18MM under the upper limit. While they continue to rebuild the roster and develop young players, GM Steve Yzerman isn’t committing any long-term money to the current group.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Calgary Flames, Nikita Zadorov Avoid Arbitration
Another arbitration hearing can be canceled, as Nikita Zadorov has reached a one-year contract with the Calgary Flames. The deal will carry a cap hit of $3.75MM and takes the defenseman right to unrestricted free agency next summer. Zadorov had a hearing set for August 26 which will no longer be required.
It’s another fresh start for Zadorov in Calgary this season after spending just a single year with the Chicago Blackhawks. Originally drafted by the Buffalo Sabres, 16th overall in 2013, he’s onto his fourth NHL team before he even turns 27. There’s been a theme to Zadorov’s entire career. The 6’6″ defenseman is an incredible physical presence on the rink, one of the most dangerous open-ice hitters in the league, but simply has never been able to find enough consistency in his own end. To that end, none of his teams have ever trusted him enough to play him 20 minutes a night despite the obvious raw talent he has.
In 55 games for the Blackhawks, Zadorov recorded eight points and 190 hits while averaging 19 minutes a night. He played a good bit on the penalty kill and had heavy defensive deployment, but once again didn’t do all that well in either area. When the Blackhawks left him unprotected in the expansion draft, the Seattle Kraken essentially forfeited their pick instead of taking him, selected a minor league UFA that has since gone overseas. The Flames sent a third-round pick to the Blackhawks to see if they could do what other teams haven’t been able to–turn Zadorov into a top-four defenseman.
The thing is, Calgary doesn’t have a lot of other options ahead of him. Zadorov should get a great opportunity for the Flames now that he’s signed, for only slightly less than the team’s top three players. Now that Mark Giordano is gone, the depth chart in Calgary is relatively thin. Committing $3.75MM to Zadorov means that he’s obviously a big part of their plans this season; whether he can handle it is still to be seen.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
New Jersey Devils Sign Chase Stillman
Aug 20: The Devils have officially announced the contract.
Aug 19: The New Jersey Devils have signed one of their 2021 first-round picks as PuckPedia reports (Twitter link) that they’ve signed winger Chase Stillman to a three-year, entry-level contract. The deal will carry an AAV of $925K in the NHL and an AHL salary of $80K.
The 18-year-old is the son of long-time NHL forward Cory Stillman who had a 16-year NHL career. Stillman was expected to spend last season with Sudbury of the OHL but those plans were dashed due to the pandemic shutting down the OHL season before it could even get started. Instead, he went to Denmark where he played in eight games with Esbjerg of their junior league and was quite productive, notching nine goals and seven assists (plus 43 penalty minutes). Stillman also represented Canada at the World Under-18’s, collecting a pair of goals and assists in seven games which helped bump him up to the back of the first round after being projected as a second-rounder by most scouting agencies.
Stillman is ineligible to be sent to the AHL next season so his options are New Jersey or the OHL. It’s quite likely that he’ll be returned to Sudbury and if that happens, his contract will slide a year and still have three years on it next summer.
Henrik Lundqvist Announces Retirement
After heart surgery took him off the ice last season, Henrik Lundqvist has decided enough is enough. The legendary goaltender has announced his retirement, thanking all the people that have been part of his career over the last few decades.
From the excitement I felt as an 8-year old at my first practice to the 15 years of butterflies I had every time I took the ice in the greatest city in the world. I’m extremely grateful for what hockey has brought me and taught me in life. These lessons will never leave me.
In the end, Lundqvist will have played every single game of his NHL career in a New York Rangers sweater after all. After 15 years with the organization, he attempted to play a year with the Washington Capitals in 2020-21, but after a heart issue was discovered in offseason training, that never happened. Now 39, Lundqvist will hang up his pads after 887 regular season appearances.
That’s good enough for eighth all-time, though Lundqvist will likely be passed by Marc-Andre Fleury this season. He sits sixth all-time in wins and finished in the top-six for Vezina Trophy voting for ten straight seasons to start his career. He took home the award in 2012 after posting a .930 save percentage in 62 appearances, finishing third in Hart Trophy voting that year as well. One of the best of his generation, Lundqvist was never able to raise the Stanley Cup but did Olympic and World Championship gold as part of Team Sweden.
Even without any championships, Lundqvist is heading to the Hall of Fame as the unquestioned greatest Swedish goaltender of all time. He’ll finish his career with a 459-310-96 record, with 64 shutouts.
A little later in the morning, the Rangers made their own announcement. This season, Lundqvist’s jersey will be raised to the rafters at Madison Square Garden and his No. 30 will be retired from use.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports
Central Notes: Parayko, Fiala, Nylander
Players signed until the end of the 2021-22 season are eligible for contract extensions and there have been some notable ones handed out already. One player that can get that next deal is Blues defenseman Colton Parayko but Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch suggests it’s unlikely that such a move would happen anytime soon. While St. Louis would undoubtedly love to keep the 28-year-old around, Parayko is coming off a tough injury-plagued year and accordingly, his value is far from its peak. Waiting to see if he can bounce back is the more prudent move from Parayko’s end as doing so would allow him to get a bigger contract in the end. He’s carrying a cap hit of $5.5MM for next season and he’ll need to get back to being a top-pairing performer if he’s going to get a sizable raise next summer.
More from the Central:
- Wild GM Bill Guerin acknowledged to reporters including Sarah MacLellan of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune that while he would have loved to sign winger Kevin Fiala to a long-term deal, it just wasn’t feasible to do so. He did indicate that he’s still hopeful that he’ll be able to get a multi-year pact in place with the 25-year-old for 2022-23 and beyond although with the buyout charges they have on the books beyond next season, that could be a little more complicated. Fiala avoided arbitration earlier this week with a one-year, $5.1MM contract that will also serve as his qualifying offer next offseason.
- Blackhawks winger Alex Nylander told Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports Chicago that he has fully recovered from the knee injury that cost him all of last season. Nylander couldn’t even pinpoint when the injury occurred (or if there was a specific incident, even) other than that it was in the bubble but he has resumed skating without the issues that arose when he was gearing up for last season that eventually resulted in the surgery. Nylander accepted his qualifying offer on Monday for just over $874K.
PHR Live Chat Transcript: 08/19/21
Click here to read a transcript of this week’s live chat with PHR’s Gavin Lee.