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Winnipeg Jets Re-Sign Dylan Samberg

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The Winnipeg Jets have reached an agreement with left-shot RFA defenseman Dylan Samberg on a two-year contract, as announced today. The deal carries an average annual value of $1.4MM, a healthy raise coming off his entry-level contract.

At the age of 24, Samberg earned his first full-time NHL roster spot in 2022-23, skating in 63 contests for the Jets. He contributed two goals and eight points, but his main value came without the puck on his stick – he was one of Winnipeg’s best shutdown defenders at even strength. The team’s 43rd overall pick in 2017, Samberg’s now accumulated 13 points (two goals and 11 assists) and 29 penalty minutes across his 78 career NHL games, all coming within the last two seasons.

Before joining the professional ranks, Samberg played three seasons for the University of Minnesota-Duluth from 2017 to 2020, winning two NCAA championships in the process. This season, he appeared in his first top-level men’s tournament for the United States at the 2023 World Championships, contributing four points (one goal and three assists) in 10 games en route to a fourth-place finish.

Samberg played just 14:55 per game last season, a number that’s sure to increase as he eats into the minutes of veteran Brenden Dillon on the left side. Samberg was also extremely useful on the penalty kill, and his pairings with either Dylan DeMelo and Nate Schmidt were often Winnipeg’s best at limiting chances against on any given night.

He’ll be a restricted free agent again in 2025, although he’ll be just one year out from UFA status at that time.

San Jose Sharks Sign Leon Gawanke

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The San Jose Sharks have signed defenseman Leon Gawanke to a one-year, two-way contract, according to a team announcement, bringing him back to North America after an expected European departure. CapFriendly reports he’ll earn $775K in the NHL, $325K in the minors, and a guaranteed salary of $375K. He’ll be due a qualifying offer of $813,750 next summer.

Gawanke had signed a four-year contract in his home country of Germany just a few months ago, but that obviously won’t be honored. The move was made after failing to get much of an opportunity with the Winnipeg Jets, but after the team qualified him and then dealt his rights to the San Jose Sharks for Artemi Kniazev, he ended up in a thinner Sharks defense pipeline with more upward mobility.

A 24-year-old right-shot defender, Gawanke has shone brightly in the minors over the past two seasons. He led all Manitoba Moose defensemen last season in goals and points, recording a career-high 20 goals and 45 points. He also led the entire AHL in power-play goals among defensemen.

He went on a true offensive tear near the end of the season, notching 20 points in an 18-game span over March and April before ending the regular season on a four-game point streak. Throughout his four seasons in the Winnipeg organization with the Manitoba Moose, Gawanke played 207 AHL games, accumulating 114 points, including 35 goals and 79 assists.

While he couldn’t break through a large amount of depth defenders stashed in the Jets organization, he has a real shot at making San Jose out of camp – especially if they clear a spot on defense by trading Erik Karlsson (although they may fill that spot in the trade return). He’ll be battling with players like Matt Benning and Radim Simek for bottom-four pairing roles and could surpass the latter on the depth chart after he’s dealt with injuries and declining offense in the past few seasons – although he remains one of the few adept penalty killers on the Sharks.

Twenty Two Players File For Salary Arbitration

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The NHLPA has announced the full list of players who’ve elected salary arbitration this offseason:

F Morgan Barron (WPG)
D William Borgen (SEA)
F Noah Cates (PHI)
F Ross Colton (COL)
F Brandon Duhaime (MIN)
D Vince Dunn (SEA)
D Cale Fleury (SEA)
F Trent Frederic (BOS)
G Filip Gustavsson (MIN)
F Brett Howden (VGK)
F Tanner Jeannot (TBL)
F Philipp Kurashev (CHI)
F Jack McBain (ARI)
F Ryan McLeod (EDM)
D Ian Mitchell (BOS)
F Drew O’Connor (PIT)
G Ilya Samsonov (TOR)
D Brandon Scanlin (NYR)
G Jeremy Swayman (BOS)
F Troy Terry (ANA)
F Alexey Toropchenko (STL)
F Gabriel Vilardi (WPG)

This is not the full list of players destined for arbitration hearings – NHL teams have another 24 hours to file for team-elected arbitration with certain players not listed above.

As a reminder, just because a player files for arbitration doesn’t mean they can’t sign a new deal with their team prior to the hearing. If they do reach the hearing stage, however, the arbitrator will provide a contract award within 48 hours.

The length of arbitration awards can only be one or two years, and the party that did not elect for arbitration gets to decide on the duration. If a player is in their final year of restricted free agency, they are entitled to only a one-year term.

If a player elects for arbitration and receives a settlement of one year with a salary exceeding $4.54MM, the team has the option to walk away from the awarded salary, which would make the player an unrestricted free agent. Similarly, if the player elects for a two-year arbitration settlement with a salary exceeding $4.54MM, the team can walk away from the second year of the awarded salary, allowing the player to become a free agent at the end of the first year.

Teams cannot walk away from an award reached via club-elected arbitration.

For teams involved in arbitration cases, a second buyout window becomes available. This window opens three days after the final arbitration case is settled, either through a new contract or an arbitration award. However, this opportunity is limited to players who meet two criteria: they must have a salary cap hit of $4MM or more, and they must have been with the team at last year’s trade deadline.

Per the NHLPA, this year’s slate of arbitration hearings will take place between July 20 and August 4.

Carolina Hurricanes Re-Sign Dylan Coghlan

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The Carolina Hurricanes are retaining restricted free agent defenseman Dylan Coghlan, the team tweeted today. Per the North State Journal’s Cory Lavalette, it’s a one-year deal worth $850K.

Coghlan, 25, contributed three assists in 17 games during 2022-23 with the Hurricanes. It was a trying season for the defender, who spent most of it in the press box after coming over as a sweetener for Carolina to take the final season of Max Pacioretty’s contract off the hands of the Vegas Golden Knights. Still, Hurricanes general manager Don Waddell believes he’s a valuable piece of the team’s defensive depth:

Dylan is an important part of our blue line depth. He comes to the rink with a good attitude every day, and we’re glad to have him back.

In his NHL career, which began with Vegas in 2020-21, Coghlan has accumulated six goals and 16 assists for 22 points in 105 games. An undrafted free agent signing by the Knights out of juniors, the 6-foot-3, 207-pound defender got some extended NHL looks after strong play in the minors, namely in his first pro season.

2018-19 saw Coghlan lead all Chicago Wolves (then the AHL partner of the Knights) defensemen in points, scoring 15 goals and 40 points in 66 games. With Chicago spending the 2022-23 campaign as Carolina’s affiliate, Coghlan returned there on a short conditioning stint in December, where he scored twice and added an assist in five games.

Prior to his professional journey, the defenseman from Duncan, British Columbia, spent four seasons in the WHL, recording 38 goals and 107 assists for 145 points in 265 games with the Tri-City Americans from 2014 to 2018. With Carolina extending a massive short-term deal to Dmitry Orlov in free agency and likely acquiring Tony DeAngelo next weekend, Coghlan appears relegated to a seventh defenseman/press-box role once again, although it’s not for lack of trying. He put up solid two-way metrics during his limited action with Carolina last year, although he did play just under 13 minutes a game and wasn’t tested against any tough competition.

Washington Capitals Sign Chase Priskie

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The Washington Capitals have signed one of their 2016 draft picks, albeit four seasons after his pro career began. Defenseman Chase Priskie is heading to the nation’s capital on a one-year, two-way contract worth $775K in the NHL and $350K in the minors, the Capitals announced today.

Washington selected Priskie, 27, with the 177th overall pick in 2016. After playing four seasons at Quinnipiac University, though, he didn’t sign with the team in the summer of 2019, and his exclusive draft rights lapsed. He instead landed a two-year entry-level contract with the Carolina Hurricanes, and he’s since spent time in the Florida Panthers, Buffalo Sabres, and Anaheim Ducks organizations.

Last season, he split his time between the San Diego Gulls and Rochester Americans in the AHL thanks to a midseason trade of his NHL contract, tallying 11 goals and 11 assists for 22 points in 58 games. 13 of those points came in just 16 games with the Gulls after the Ducks acquired him from Buffalo in exchange for defenseman Austin Strand on March 3. Standing at 6 feet and weighing 185 pounds, Priskie achieved AHL career-highs in goals and games played during the 2022-23 season.

During his collegiate tenure with Quinnipiac, he accumulated 116 points and 154 games and served as team captain for his last two seasons. He was recognized as a Hobey Baker Award finalist and was named to the ECAC First All-Star Team in 2018-19.

His only NHL experience came in a brief four-game stint with the Florida Panthers in 2021-22, although he was held off the scoresheet.

After the Caps acquired Joel Edmundson from Montreal, their defensive depth chart got a little deeper. With roster spots (and ice time) needed for younger players like Martin Fehervary, Rasmus Sandin, and Alexander Alexeyev, there’s little hope for Priskie to see much of any NHL ice this year. He will, however, join a formidable right-side defense in AHL Hershey that includes minor-league mainstay Dylan McIlrath and 2021 second-round pick Vincent Iorio, both of whom played large roles in helping Hershey capture this year’s Calder Cup.

Latest On The Carolina Hurricanes, Vladimir Tarasenko

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In some rather jaw-dropping timing, UFA winger Vladimir Tarasenko has changed his representation just four days into this year’s free agency period. Per Sportnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the 2019 Stanley Cup champion is now represented by J.P. Barry and Pat Brisson of CAA. Because of this, any negotiations Tarasenko had with NHL teams have now been reset, confirming he has no deal in place to join any team with most of his peers already off the market.

One of the best players available (and No. 3 on our list of this year’s UFAs), Tarasenko seemed to be off the market a few days ago. The Athletic’s Shayna Goldman had reported things were close between Tarasenko and the Carolina Hurricanes, which a few other insiders later echoed – although no major developments were later confirmed.

Today, Larry Brooks of the New York Post said Tarasenko had “multiple” offers on the table from NHL teams, including Carolina, ranging between $5.5MM and $6MM per season with various lengths. Tarasenko (and his previous representation, Paul Theofanous) rejected them all, potentially misreading the market after countryman Dmitry Orlov signed a two-year deal with Carolina paying him $7.75MM per season.

However, all signs indicate Carolina is still the likely destination for Tarasenko once negotiations re-start and a deal gets hammered out. The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta speculates it’ll be a one-year deal at this stage, with Tarasenko likely looking to get more money in a less rigid cap environment a year from now, although he will be 32 years old by then.

With Carolina down to $4.5MM in cap space (per CapFriendly), plus the impending Tony DeAngelo acquisition on Saturday, Pagnotta notes defenseman Brett Pesce is still on the trade market without an extension past this season. He names the Nashville Predators as a team involved in Pesce trade talks, although the 28-year-old could block a trade if he leaves Nashville off his 15-team “yes”-trade list.

Florida Panthers Sign Rasmus Asplund

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The Florida Panthers have signed UFA forward Rasmus Asplund to a one-year, two-way contract, the team announced. PuckPedia reports Asplund’s deal is worth $775K in the NHL and $450K in the minors.

Asplund hit the UFA market after not receiving a qualifying offer from the Nashville Predators. Nashville had acquired Asplund as some utility depth down the stretch, sending the Buffalo Sabres a 2025 seventh-round pick for him in March.

He’s a very strong shutdown forward and is worth a spot in most teams’ bottom six groups, making it a tad puzzling he’d receive a two-way deal. He’ll have to fight for the opportunity to stay in an everyday NHL role in Florida after the team bolstered their bottom six with acquisitions such as Evan Rodrigues, Kevin Stenlund, and Steven Lorentz while also earmarking a lineup spot for 2018 15th overall pick Grigori Denisenko.

The 25-year-old Swede recorded two goals, six assists, and eight points in 46 games last season, split between Buffalo and Nashville. Able to play both wing and center, he’s totaled 18 goals and 49 points in 183 NHL contests to date.

He is still a likely candidate to make the team out of camp, even though it may be as a 13th or 14th forward. He would allow the team to more comfortably return Zac Dalpe to AHL Charlotte, where he’s served as the team’s captain for the past two seasons. Injuries forced Florida to call him up for their playoff run, where he scored a goal and posted a -8 rating in 13 games.

New York Islanders Sign Three Players

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The New York Islanders made a trio of depth forward additions today, signing Julien Gauthier, Karson Kuhlman, and Brian Pinho in free agency. Per the team, Gauthier received a two-year deal, while Kuhlman and Pinho received one-year, two-way contracts.

CapFriendly confirms Gauthier’s contract carries an average annual value of $787.5K, paid out as $775K in 2023-24 and $800K in 2024-25. Ethan Sears of the New York Post adds Kuhlman and Pinho’s deals both carry cap hits of $775K, with Kuhlman’s deal earning him $300K in the minors and a $350K guaranteed salary.

Gauthier is an interesting addition, especially on a one-way deal. The former first-round pick hasn’t lived up to expectations and is now on his fourth NHL organization, although he did score a career-high nine goals and 14 points in 57 games last season, split between the New York Rangers and Ottawa Senators.

The 25-year-old does have good size at 6-foot-4 and 227 pounds, but it’ll be tough to land an everyday spot in the Islanders’ lineup. He’ll most likely compete for a third-line role with Hudson Fasching, a career AHLer who broke out for 10 goals and 19 points in 49 games with the Islanders and earned the trust of the team’s coaching staff. With the team unlikely to break up their longstanding fourth line of Cal Clutterbuck, Casey Cizikas, and Matt Martin until one of them retires, bottom-six roles will be scarce.

Kuhlman joins the Islanders after spending the last two seasons entirely in the NHL and being claimed on waivers twice, once by the Seattle Kraken in 2021-22 and the Winnipeg Jets in 2022-23. In his five-season, 147-game NHL career, the 27-year-old American has 12 goals and 30 points. The two-way deal suggests he could be heading back to the minors for his first extended stint there since 2018-19, where he put up 12 goals and 30 points in 58 games with the Providence Bruins.

Pinho comes over as a veteran AHLer, amassing 225 games in the minors over five seasons spent with the Washington Capitals and New Jersey Devils organizations. With only two NHL regular-season games to his name, both coming in the 2020-21 season, Pinho is likely destined for a middle-six role with the Islanders’ AHL affiliate in Bridgeport.

Bruins Sign Kyle Keyser To One Year Contract

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Ty Anderson of NBC Sports Boston tweeted that the Boston Bruins have signed goaltender Kyle Keyser to a one-year, two-way contract extension worth $775K at the NHL level and $90,000 while Keyser plays in the AHL. The 24-year-old was a restricted free agent after spending the bulk of last season in the AHL with the Providence Bruins. Anderson also added the team has signed forward Jakub Lauko to a two-year contract carrying a cap hit of $787.5K. It’s a partial two-way/one-way deal, breaking down as follows, per CapFriendly:

2023-24: $775K NHL salary, $200K AHL salary, $300K guaranteed salary
2024-25: $800K NHL salary

The native of Coral Springs, Florida, went undrafted after coming out of the OHL, where he played a single season with the Flint Firebirds before spending three years with the Oshawa Generals. He posted solid numbers in his last two years in Oshawa and caught the attention of the Bruins, who signed him to an entry-level contract in 2019.

Since signing his original deal, Keyser has spent the past four seasons in Providence but has shuffled back to the ECHL on several occasions. His best ECHL season came with the Jacksonville Icemen in 2020-21, where he went 9-9-2 with a 2.46 goals against average and a .917 save percentage. Last season in the AHL with Providence, Keyser posted a .900 save percentage with a 2.72 goals-against average as he went 13-6-2. He was called up to Boston at one point during the year but never dressed for an NHL game.

At 24 years old, it’s hard to call Keyser a prospect anymore, and his play hasn’t exactly warranted a call-up, particularly with how stacked the Bruins’ goaltending depth is at the NHL level. His numbers in the AHL have been pedestrian thus far, as last season, he finished 44th in AHL save percentage out of 74 goaltenders. Given his track record, it seems likely that Keyser will continue to be a depth AHL goaltender in the Bruins system.

Lauko appeared in 23 games for the Bruins, his first set of action in the NHL. Recording four goals and seven points, he didn’t look out of place and will certainly warrant additional call-ups in the coming season – if he doesn’t make the team out of camp. Most would have him penciled in for a fourth-line role ahead of other depth signings like Jayson Megna, and he’s outperformed other Bruins prospects like Oskar Steen when given NHL minutes.

Flyers Sign Defenseman Ronnie Attard

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The Philadelphia Flyers have signed defenseman Ronnie Attard to a two-year, two-way/one-way, $1.7MM contract that carries an average annual value of $850K per season. The contract structure is a bit complicated, but it signals that Attard will likely spend the 2023-24 season in the AHL with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. He will make a guaranteed salary of $275K while in the AHL and $775K in the NHL. For the second year of the deal, he will make $925K regardless of where he plays.

The 24-year-old Attard was drafted by the Flyers in the third round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft and spent three years in the NCAA at Western Michigan University. In 94 career games with the Broncos, Attard put up 27 goals and 45 assists.

Last year was Attard’s first season with the Flyers AHL affiliate, he posted 12 goals and 20 assists while dressing in 68 games. His numbers placed him seventh in rookie scoring for defensemen and T-10 in assists for all defensemen. The 6-foot-3, 208-pound Attard was aggressive with the puck as he racked up 158 shots, putting him second among all defensemen.

Attard has seen some time with the Flyers in the NHL netting two goals and two assists in 17 career games. He dressed in just two games last season going scoreless, which must have been a disappointment given that he put up four points in 15 games the year prior. In his first run with the Flyers in 2021-22 Attard handled himself well and had encouraging underlying numbers while being effective on the penalty kill. However, in the two games he dressed for in April of this year, Attard struggled to make much of an impact as the Flyers were badly outplayed when he was on the ice. Although they were playing with a very underwhelming lineup.

It will be interesting to see when Attard can make the jump to the NHL, he should have plenty of opportunities to impress as the Flyers embark on their first real rebuild in recent memory. Right-shot defensemen are always in demand, especially ones with Attard’s size and skating ability.

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