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Kraken Sign Chandler Stephenson To Seven-Year Deal

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The Kraken are signing free agent center Chandler Stephenson to a seven-year contract, PuckPedia reports. The deal carries a cap hit of around $6.25MM, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.

This deal moves Stephenson on from the Vegas Golden Knights, where he stamped his mark as a true top-six center in the NHL. Stephenson joined Vegas via trade in 2019, with the Golden Knights sending a 2021 fifth-round pick back to the Washington Capitals. Stephenson quickly took off with Vegas, netting 22 points in 41 games following the trade, and adding five points in 20 playoff games that year, while serving as the team’s third-line center. The hot start earned Stephenson a jump to the second line in 2020-21 – a promotion he vindicated by setting a then-career-high 14 goals and 35 points in 51 games. He followed that year up with a breakout 21 goals and 64 points in 2021-22, and quickly topped it with 65 points in 2022-23.

But it was the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs that seemed to truly cement Stephenson’s prowess. He was a focal piece of Vegas’ push to their first Stanley Cup, netting 20 points, split evenly, through 22 postseason games. He held down the team’s second line, controlling the middle lane in both directions and offering a chance for his aggressive wingers to make plays.

Stephenson has responded modestly to lifting the cup, with just 16 goals and 51 points this year, amidst a decrease in minutes in the wake of Tomas Hertl’s acquisition. Still, Stephenson has shown a propensity for making a strong two-way impact and driving the net hard. Now bumped out of his role with Vegas – thanks to Hertl and William Karlsson – Stephenson will take his talents to a Kraken team rife with opportunity.

Seattle struggled to shape their lineup this season, with high-end talents like Jared McCann and Yanni Gourde pushed to fill a long list of responsibilities. Utilityman Stephenson will help carry some of that load, and could even support McCann’s move back to the wing. It was from that spot that McCann managed a career-high 40 goals and 70 points last season. He held on to the strong scoring even in more of a center role this year, suggesting plenty of offensive upside should McCann find an ideal role. Stephenson will also be great company for youngster Matthew Beniers, who’s still building out his dynamic two-way game after scoring 20 fewer points this year than he did last year.

Seattle has had a busy start to free agency, also signing top defender Brandon Montour to a seven-year deal. He and Stephenson are certainly notable additions, though they also bring the Kraken down to just $10MM in remaining cap space. Seattle will need to use that to negotiate with their remaining restricted free agents – Beniers and Eeli Tolvanen. The pair will likely eat up most of Seattle’s remaining budget, though there could be enough room left for one more addition.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Wild Sign Eight Players To Two-Way Deals

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The Wild have signed forwards Travis Boyd and Devin Shore, supplementing their depth on offense after bringing in Yakov Trenin on a four-year deal earlier today. Both are two-way deals. Boyd’s pays him $775K in the NHL with a $550K guarantee, per The Athletic’s Michael Russo, while Shore’s pays him $775K NHL/$400K AHL with a $450K guarantee, per PuckPedia.

Boyd found a comfortable spot among the Arizona Coyotes’ bottom six over the last three seasons, kicked off by his career-high 17 goals and 35 points in 2021-22. Boyd followed that up with 15 goals and 35 points last year, though he was held to just 16 games this year after a torn pectoral ended his season in December. Boyd still scored eight points in the outings – sticking with his recent propensity for scoring – though he remains hard to gauge. Now 30, Boyd is a bit hard to project coming off injury; likely the reason for his two-way deal. But he’ll be in a prime position to bounce back next season, among a Wild bottom six in need of an impact center.

If Boyd can’t hold onto a role, Minnesota has hedged their bets with Shore – who got demoted to the AHL after 21 games in the NHL this year. He responded well to the send-down, though, recording 25 points across 39 regular season games and 13 points in 18 playoff performances. Shore has totaled 443 NHL games across the last nine seasons, though he’s managed just 139 points – and hasn’t surpassed 15 points in a year since 2018-19. Boyd’s scoring over the last two years will give him an advantage on the depth chart, though both players will compete for a consistent role at the bottom of Minnesota’s lineup.

Minnesota also inked 27-year-old right-shot defenseman Joseph Cecconi to a two-way deal ($775K NHL/$325K AHL), per PuckPedia. He had 13 points in 58 AHL games played last season with the Rochester Americans, the Sabres’ top minor-league affiliate.

The organization also announced two-way deals with forwards Brendan Gaunce, Reese Johnson, Ben Jones, defenseman Cameron Crotty, and goaltender Troy Grosenick. All eight players should open the season with the organization’s AHL affiliate, the Iowa Wild, and serve as valuable depth for Minnesota if the team succumbs to injury at any point during the 2024-25 NHL season.

Stars Sign Casey DeSmith

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According to Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff, the Dallas Stars have found their new backup goaltender as the team has signed Casey DeSmith to a three-year, $3MM ($1MM cap hit) contract.

DeSmith served as the Vancouver Canucks’ backup for much of the season, even filling a stretch of starts in the wake of injuries to Thatcher Demko. He posted modest totals in the spot starts, managing 12 wins and a .896 save percentage. It was a down year for DeSmith, after he managed a much sturdier 15 wins and .905 save percentage in 38 games with the Pittsburgh Penguins last year.

It was in Pittsburgh that DeSmith got his start, joining the organization as an AHL signing in the 2015-16 season, one year removed from the end of his collegiate career. But DeSmith was quick to bounce back to form though, recording 39 wins and a .919 save percentage across his first three seasons and 62 games in the AHL. That was enough to earn him an NHL call-up in 2017 – with Pittsburgh awarding DeSmith the first 50 games of his NHL career between 2017 and 2019. He was stellar in the initial test, posting a .917 save percentage and 21 wins.

DeSmith earned the AHL starting role in 2019-20, then the NHL backup role in 2020-21 following Matt Murray’s move to the Ottawa Senators. DeSmith held strong through his roles with Pittsburgh, emphasized by his stint in Vancouver marking the first time at any level of his pro career that DeSmith has posted a save percentage below .900. Dallas will be betting that he can return to his previously stout role next year, in a backup role that ceded 32 games to Scott Wedgewood last season.

Devils Sign Stefan Noesen, Mike Hardman

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ESPN’s Kevin Weekes reports the New Jersey Devils have signed forward Stefan Noesen to a three-year, $8.25MM contract. It will be Noesen’s second stint with the Devils organization. They’ve also signed 25-year-old depth forward Mike Hardman to a two-year, two-way deal worth $775K NHL/$350K AHL annually, per PuckPedia.

Noesen spent parts of three seasons with New Jersey the first time around but aside from a good showing in 2017-18, he was largely limited to a depth role.  That continued for a few seasons after he moved on to the point where he was primarily a full-time AHL player, not an NHL player.

However, after a dominant showing with AHL Chicago in 2021-22, Noesen got a full-time opportunity with the Hurricanes the following year.  He certainly made the most of it, picking up 13 goals and 23 assists in 78 games.  The 31-year-old then followed it up with a similar showing last year, tallying 14 goals and 23 helpers in 81 contests despite averaging less than 12 minutes a game of ice time.

The follow-up year was clearly enough to show potential suitors that his late breakout wasn’t a one-off but was rather a sign of things to come, giving him a strong enough market to get more than a 300% increase in salary.  Noesen will likely have a similar role with the Devils as he did in Carolina, playing in their bottom six at five-on-five with the hopes that he can provide some consistent depth scoring.

As for Hardman, last season was the first time in his four-year professional career that he didn’t see any NHL action.  The 25-year-old played exclusively with AHL Rockford, picking up 22 goals and 15 assists in 63 games, all career-highs.  Hardman has 37 career NHL appearances under his belt with Chicago where he has a goal and four assists.  He’s likely earmarked to play with AHL Utica next season.

Hurricanes Sign Sean Walker To Five-Year Contract

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Earlier today, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman indicated that the Carolina Hurricanes were closing in on a contract with free-agent defenseman Sean Walker. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun confirms the news by reporting Walker has signed a five-year, $18MM contract with the Hurricanes.

A lot has changed for Walker over the past 12 months.  After being part of a salary dump to the Flyers, the 29-year-old turned things around with his new team.  He picked up 22 points in 63 games with Philadelphia while logging nearly 20 minutes a night.  As a result, he was one of the best rental defensemen available, resulting in the Flyers picking up a first-round pick from Colorado (along with Ryan Johansen) in exchange for Walker’s services at the trade deadline.

With the Avs, Walker wasn’t counted on to play as high up the lineup although he still averaged nearly 18 minutes a game while picking up four goals and three assists in 18 games down the stretch.  However, he was held off the scoresheet in 11 playoff appearances, ending his campaign on somewhat of a lower note.

Even so, Walker was one of the better right-shot defenders on the open market this summer, helping secure him a raise of nearly $1MM per season along with the longest contract of his career.  That’s a pretty good outcome for someone who was effectively moved for salary purposes just a year ago.

With Brett Pesce moving on to New Jersey in free agency earlier today, Walker will have a chance to step in and play a big role next season, perhaps a bigger one than he had last season even.  And with Brent Burns only having one year left on his contract, Walker could be their top right-shot option this time next summer.  If he can play at a similar level with the extra responsibilities, this could wind up being one of the better-value contracts handed out today.

Predators Sign Scott Wedgewood

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Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reports the Nashville Predators have agreed to terms with goaltender Scott Wedgewood on a two-year contract. The deal carries an annual cap-hit of $1.5MM, per Frank Seravalli of the Daily Faceoff (Twitter link).

Wedgewood has spent much of his career in the minor leagues, though he’s recently emerged as a capable backup – playing in just one AHL game since the 2020-21 season. That includes a full-time role backing up Jake Oettinger over parts of the last three seasons. That role led Wedgewood to a career-high 32 appearances this season – setting 16 wins and a .899 save percentage in the outings. It was a modest showing – but proved Wedgewood’s ability to show up when called upon, bringing his career totals up to 48 wins, 48 losses, and a .906 save percentage across 130 games. He managed similar totals in his stints in the minor leagues, tallying 94 wins and a .906 through 191 career games. Much of those came between his professional debut in 2012 and his move to the NHL in 2020.

Wedgewood will join the Predators in direct competition with top goalie prospect Yaroslav Askarov, fighting for the backup spot behind the recently extended Juuse Saros. Whichever goalie loses out will move to the Milwaukee Admirals’ starting role, though even that spot could prove contentious after Troy Grosenick posted 17 wins and a .907 in 30 AHL games last year. Though, as it stands, Saros, Askarov, and Wedgewood are the only goaltenders under contract with the Predators.

Penguins Sign Matt Grzelcyk, Mac Hollowell, Ryan Shea

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Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports the Pittsburgh Penguins have signed free agent defenseman Matt Grzelcyk to a one-year, $2.75MM contract. Additionally, agent Dan Milstein reports his client Mac Hollowell has signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Penguins which will pay $775K at the NHL level and $250K in the AHL. They’ve also re-upped defenseman Ryan Shea to a one-year, league-minimum contract, per a team announcement.

A few years ago, Grzelcyk was a key piece on Boston’s back end.  However, the 30-year-old saw his ice time dip below the 18-minute mark for the last two seasons.  To make matters worse, after being a consistent secondary contributor who had put up at least 20 points in four straight years, Grzelcyk was limited to just two goals and nine assists in 63 games last season, leading to some time as a healthy scratch.

That said, he’s still an intriguing pickup for the Penguins as someone who should start on their third pairing but could move up to the top four when injuries arise.  On a one-year term, it’s also a relatively low-risk contract compared to some of the pricier multi-year contracts handed out throughout the day.

Hollowell is coming off his best professional season.  The 25-year-old joined the Rangers as a Group Six free agent last summer and had a productive campaign with AHL Hartford, tallying 44 points in 64 games.  However, that wasn’t enough to get him a recall to New York.  A Group Six free agent once again this year, he has opted to sign for a GM who has plenty of familiarity with his game as he previously was in Toronto’s system under then-GM Kyle Dubas.

As for Shea, the decision to sign with Pittsburgh last summer was a fruitful one.  The 27-year-old got his first taste of NHL action, playing in 31 NHL games where he had his first career NHL goal while logging more than 12 minutes a night.  Shea also got into 23 games with AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, picking up six points.  He’ll likely be in a similar role this season as one of the first recalls when injuries strike on the back end.

Hurricanes Sign Tyson Jost

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The Carolina Hurricanes have signed forward Tyson Jost to a one-way, league-minimum contract worth $775K, per TSN’s Darren Dreger (Twitter link).

It was a rough year for the 26-year-old, to put it lightly.  After agreeing to a one-year, $2MM contract to remain with Buffalo despite being non-tendered, Jost wound up having a very limited role and even struggled with it.  He played in 43 games, scoring three goals and three assists in a little over 10 minutes per game before eventually clearing waivers in late December.  Jost was more productive during his time in the minors, notching four goals and 10 assists in 25 games with AHL Rochester but it was clear the two sides would be parting ways this summer.

Despite his struggles, Jost comes to Carolina with a fairly extensive NHL track record, spanning 456 games where he has 57 goals and 83 assists.  With that in mind, this is a reasonable low-cost flyer for the Hurricanes to take.  If he’s able to lock down a full-time spot on the roster at the minimum salary, that will help free up some money to spend on their restricted free agents, headlined by Seth Jarvis and Martin Necas.  If he doesn’t make the team, he can be stashed in the minors (pending waiver clearance) where he’d likely be one of the first recall options in the event of an injury.

Panthers Sign Tomas Nosek, A.J. Greer

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Addressing depth in their forward core, Darren Dreger of TSN reports the Florida Panthers have signed free agent forward Tomas Nosek to a one-year, $775K contract. They’ve also inked forward A.J. Greer to a two-year deal, David Dwork of The Hockey News reports. That one carries an $850K cap hit, per Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports.

Nosek came to New Jersey with the hopes that he’d become a key fourth-line center for them.  Instead, he dealt with four separate injuries during the season, limiting him to just 36 games, his lowest total since the 2016-17 campaign.  In those appearances, the 31-year-old managed just two goals and four assists in a little under 12 minutes per game.

When healthy, Nosek is a consistently above-average player at the faceoff dot who can kill penalties, elements that made him appealing to Florida.  He’ll be asked to fill the void created by Kevin Stenlund who inked a two-year deal with Utah on Monday.

As for Greer, he comes over from Calgary to fill the fourth line energy role created by the departure of Ryan Lomberg who coincidentally signed a two-year deal with the Flames.  Greer’s price tag is much more affordable for the Panthers, however, given their salary structure.

The 27-year-old played in 59 games last season, recording six goals and six assists along with 100 hits while averaging a little under nine minutes a night.  For his career, Greer has 32 points and 205 penalty minutes in 167 NHL appearances between four different organizations.

Kings Sign Warren Foegele, Re-Sign Copley, Lewis; Sign Five Others

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David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports the Los Angeles Kings have agreed to a contract with free agent forward Warren Foegele. It’s a three-year deal in the $3.5MM AAV range, reports TSN’s Darren Dreger. They’re also bringing back depth goalie Pheonix Copley and fourth-line forward Trevor Lewis, per Dennis Bernstein of The Fourth Period.  The team also announced the signings of forward Jeff Malott (one-way in 2024-25, two-way in 2025-26) and Glenn Gawdin on two-year contracts plus centers Tyler Madden and Jack Studnicka along with defenseman Reilly Walsh on one-year, two-way agreements.

Foegele is the headline addition out of the group.  He’s coming off a career year with Edmonton, one that saw him post 20 goals and 21 assists in 82 regular season games despite averaging less than 14 minutes a night of ice time.  However, he wasn’t quite as productive in the playoffs, being held to three goals and five assists in 22 contests.

Still, it’s a nice raise for the 28-year-old who recently wrapped up a three-year deal that carried a cap hit of $2.75MM.  He’ll likely take the place of Viktor Arvidsson on Los Angeles’ roster; coincidentally, Arvidsson signed a two-year agreement with the Oilers today to replace Foegele.  His role will likely be the same with the Kings, splitting time between the second and third lines.

As for Copley, he received a one-year, $825K agreement.  The 32-year-old North Pole native was a feel-good story in 2022-23, coming up from the AHL to eventually post a 2.64 GAA with a .903 SV% in 37 games, earning him a one-year, $1.5MM deal for last season.  However, Copley struggled in his eight appearances before tearing his ACL, ending his campaign in December.  He’ll have a chance to battle David Rittich for the backup job with the other netminder heading for AHL Ontario.

Lewis, meanwhile, signed for $800K, a small raise after making the league minimum.  The 37-year-old played in all 82 games last season, picking up eight goals and eight assists on the fourth line while playing a regular role on the penalty kill.  He’s likely to reprise that role for 2024-25 which will be his 17th NHL campaign.

Malott has been a productive AHL scorer for the last three seasons, helping him secure a one-way year on this contract.  He played exclusively with AHL Manitoba in 2023-24, notching 22 goals and 30 assists; it was the third straight campaign of 20-plus goals at that level.  Despite that, he has just one career game of NHL experience.  Even with the change in organization, the 27-year-old will likely have to start with the Reign and try to earn a recall from there.

Gawdin has a bit more NHL experience, seeing action in each of the last four years, spanning 13 games in total.  He’s coming off a career year with AHL San Diego, one that saw him notch 22 goals and 33 assists in 70 games.  The 27-year-old will be counted on to play a prominent role with the Reign next season.

Madden, meanwhile, is someone more familiar with the organization having spent the last four seasons with them, all with the Reign.  He was non-tendered on Sunday to avoid giving him arbitration rights but quickly struck an agreement to return.  The 24-year-old had 15 goals and 19 assists last season and should remain a regular in Ontario’s lineup.

Studnicka is the most experienced of their AHL-bound signings.  He played in 22 NHL games last season but was limited to just one goal, eventually resulting in his clearing waivers.  He was more productive in the minors, collecting 21 points in 36 games between AHL Abbotsford and San Jose.  The 25-year-old has 107 career NHL games under his belt where he has six goals and ten assists.

As for Walsh, he has been a productive defenseman at the AHL level with a pair of 40-plus-point showings.  Last season, he played in Boston’s system with Providence, collecting nine goals and 18 assists in 60 games.  The 25-year-old became a Group Six free agent and should play a big role on Ontario’s back end next season.

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