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Detroit Red Wings Sign James Reimer

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The Detroit Red Wings have signed goalie James Reimer to a one-year, $1.5MM contract, the AP’s Stephen Whyno reports.

With Alex Nedeljkovic and Magnus Hellberg cut loose to the free agent market, the Red Wings needed to bring someone in who could serve as the backup to incumbent starter Ville Husso.

They’ve tapped Reimer to fill that role, a 35-year-old veteran of nearly 500 NHL games. Reimer has spent the last two seasons with the San Jose Sharks, and while he posted a brutal .890 save percentage this past season he did manage a .911 the year before. If the Red Wings can get play out of Reimer closer to his 2021-22 form, this will end up a sound investment for the club.

Reimer likely isn’t going to receive as heavy a workload in Detroit compared to what he got in San Jose, so getting more time off between games and less pressure placed on him than he had as a true tandem goalie could contribute to an improvement in Reimer’s numbers. That’s likely what Detroit is betting on here.

Anaheim Ducks Sign Radko Gudas, Trevor Carrick

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The Anaheim Ducks have signed bruising defender Radko Gudas to a three-year, $12MM contract worth $4MM per season, says Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli. Additionally, Trevor Carrick has signed a one-year, $775K,  two-way deal with the team as well.

A ferocious, at times chaotic defenseman, Gudas enhanced his value significantly during the Panthers’ run to the 2023 Stanley Cup Final. His brand of highly physical, often agitating play from the blueline looked even better under the bright lights of the postseason, and it’s likely that his play there drove his price tag up quite a bit.

Now 33 years old, it’s fair to question whether Gudas will play up to a $4MM valuation as he gets deeper into his thirties. But in the immediate term, Gudas is a massive upgrade for the Ducks’ defense and with their slate of young talent developing on their roster could still be on this contract by the time the Ducks push to make the playoffs.

While there isn’t much of an offensive game to speak of with Gudas, he’ll be a penalty-killing anchor for the Ducks and potentially serve as a valuable mentor for young blueliner Jamie Drysdale.

With lots of offensively-focused up-and-coming young left-shot blueliners in their pipeline, such as Olen Zellweger, Pavel Mintyukov, and Jackson LaCombe, the addition of Gudas gives the Ducks a veteran partner for one of those players.

Gudas’ defensive abilities will free up one of those players to take more risks offensively and more aggressively develop his offensive game in the NHL, and in the end his impact on the Ducks’ younger blueliners could be the most positive aspect of this free-agent signing.

Carrick will rejoin his brother in the Ducks organization, making his return to the team after spending last season playing for the Syracuse Crunch in the AHL. Carrick was quite good for the Crunch last year, scoring 15 goals and 31 assists in 60 regular-season games.

Buffalo Sabres Sign Erik Johnson, Connor Clifton

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The Buffalo Sabres have signed 2006 first-overall pick Erik Johnson to a one-year, $3.25MM contract, shoring up their defense. They’ve also added a second right-shot defender in Connor Clifton, who signed a three-year, $10MM contract worth $3.33MM per season.

These deals are a major boost to the Sabres’ blueline, a unit that already boasts some top-end talent such as Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power, and Mattias Samuelsson. Now, they add an accomplished veteran in Johnson who brings nearly 1,000 games of experience and a Stanley Cup ring.

Johnson not only will shore up Buffalo’s bottom-pairing, he’ll also insulate the team in case of injuries to other left-shot defensemen. The Sabres’ form as a team declined sharply when Samuelsson was out of the lineup due to injuries, but now with Johnson in the mix they’re in better position to survive any absences.

As for Clifton, he’s an in-his-prime right-shot blueliner who combines solid skating and impressive physicality. He’s got extensive playoff experience with the Bruins and could help free up Power to take a more active role in the offensive game, should Clifton end up paired with the 2021 number-one pick.

These two moves do give the Sabres a logjam of defensemen on their NHL roster, with players such as Ilya Lyubushkin, Jacob Bryson, Henri Jokiharju, or Riley Stillman potentially displaced by these additions. But while the Sabres will have quite a few defensemen to sort through moving forward, it’s hard to argue with the talent they’ve added today at the prices they added them for.

San Jose Sharks To Sign Kyle Burroughs

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The San Jose Sharks are signing UFA defenseman Kyle Burroughs to a three-year deal worth $1.1MM per season, says CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal.

Set to turn 28 later this month, Burroughs secures a solid pay raise from the league-minimum $750k cap hit he played 2022-23 on. While he has just 95 career NHL games to his name, Burroughs’ defensive prowess, and physicality impressed during his time with the Canucks.

The Sharks aren’t looking to compete for Stanley Cups anytime soon, but need to add some value to their blueline and Burroughs accomplishes exactly that.

He’ll make the Sharks more difficult to play against, an important quality for a team that could end up losing quite a few games, and could have value later down the line as a flip-able trade asset if he gets more NHL games under his belt and earns an increased role under head coach David Quinn.

A three-year term for Burroughs is certainly a risk, but if he can continue the upward trajectory of recent seasons he could quickly make his $1.1MM cap hit look like a steal.

New York Rangers Sign Tyler Pitlick, Riley Nash

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The New York Rangers have signed forward Tyler Pitlick to a one-year contract, per the team. Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports it’s worth $787.5K. The AP’s Stephen Whyno also reports they’ve signed veteran forward Riley Nash, who spent last season on an AHL contract, to a two-year contract.

This has been a very active day for the Rangers as GM Chris Drury aggressively targets depth players to fill spots in his lineup at affordable prices. The Rangers have precious little cap space to maneuver this offseason, so adding experienced contributors at minimal costs is a major priority.

In Pitlick and Nash, Drury has added two veteran forwards who should be able to capably fill fourth-line or reserve roles. Nash, 34, can play both center and wing and has over 600 games of NHL experience.

He’s got playoff experience as well and can be an asset at the face-off dot. He’s a possibility for the Rangers’ fourth-line center role, or could spend the year with the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack waiting on a call-up.

Nash spent this past season in the AHL, scoring 24 goals and 59 points for the Chicago Wolves. That AHL form proves there’s still some gas left in Nash’s tank, and now the Rangers are hoping he can be similarly effective for Hartford.

As for Pitlick, The 31-year-old has less NHL experience than Nash but spent the whole year in the NHL, not the AHL. He got into 61 games for the St. Louis Blues and scored 16 points, and he should be able to compete for and potentially hold down a fourth-line right winger spot.

Ottawa Senators Sign Joonas Korpisalo

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The Ottawa Senators have given netminder Joonas Korpisalo a huge payday, signing him to a five-year, $20MM contract worth $4MM per season, per the team.

This is a major investment for the Senators, who lock up Korpisalo until he’s 33 years old. The 29-year-old had quite the bounce-back season, as in 2021-22 he was backing up Elvis Merzlikins in Columbus and posting a .877 save percentage.

In 2022-23, the script flipped. Merzlikins was the one posting the grisly save percentage, while Korpisalo had an extremely strong .913 save percentage on a Blue Jackets team facing significant defensive losses.

He had an even better run of success after a trade to the Los Angeles Kings, posting a .921 save percentage in 11 games.

Korpisalo faltered a bit in the playoffs, but overall he had an encouraging bounce-back campaign.

The Senators have clearly bet on that bounce-back being more indicative of Korpisalo’s true talent level, and seeing as he had some earlier flashes of talent in Columbus there is reason to believe that bet will pay off.

But after their disastrous signing of Matt Murray, one wonders if committing term to a talented but inconsistent netminder is the best option for Ottawa. They already have Anton Forsberg and the young Mads Sogaard in the NHL mix for their goalie spots, but now one of those players might be squeezed out by this signing.

Should Korpisalo play like he did in Los Angeles with the Senators, this deal will turn out to be quite the bargain. But that’s a big “if” given the volatility Korpisalo has shown throughout his career.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Buffalo Sabres Retain Tyson Jost

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The Buffalo Sabres have retained unqualified RFA forward Tyson Jost on a one-year deal worth $2MM, per the team.

It’s the exact same cap hit Jost played last season on, and he acquitted himself well in Buffalo after a disappointing tenure with the Minnesota Wild. The 2016 tenth-overall pick isn’t the player he was once touted to be during his days as a BCHL or NCAA star, but he has become a versatile, capable bottom-six forward who provides value on both ends of the ice.

Jost scored 22 points in 59 games for the Sabres even saw time on head coach Don Granato’s penalty kill. Still just 25 years old, Jost now gets some year-to-year continuity thanks to this deal and will look to establish himself as a do-it-all bottom-six forward in Buffalo.

Carolina Hurricanes Re-Sign Frederik Andersen

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The Carolina Hurricanes are close to keeping Frederik Andersen around, with NorthStar Bets’ Chris Johnston reporting a two-year deal. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun confirms a cap hit of $3.4MM per season.

Combined with today’s signing of Antti Raanta, the Hurricanes have now retained their entire three-goalie group from last season into this year. Seeing the Vegas Golden Knights won the Stanley Cup with a stable of quality goalies the Hurricanes are looking to employ a similar strategy.

Andersen, 34 next season, has typically been Carolina’s lead netminder and has a .915 save percentage across two seasons with the Hurricanes. He came in fourth place in Vezina Trophy voting last season and shared the Jennings Trophy with Raanta, showcasing the upside he has in the right situation.

But this past year Andersen’s numbers declined, likely allowing the Hurricanes to re-sign Andersen at a pay cut from the $4.5MM he earned on his last contract.

Assuming he can have another season or two more in like with his career form, this will end up a solid investment for Carolina as they continue to work towards a goalie situation more focused on the young Kochetkov.

New York Rangers Sign Blake Wheeler, Jonathan Quick

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The New York Rangers have nabbed former Winnipeg Jets captain Blake Wheeler on the free agent market, per the team. Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports the 35+ contract has an $800K cap hit and carries $300K in potential bonuses. The team’s also made the long-reported Jonathan Quick signing official at an $825K cap hit plus bonuses, says The New York Post’s Mollie Walker.

They’ve also signed forward Alex Belzile to a two-year deal, says TVA’s Renaud Lavoie.

The Rangers’ offseason has been significantly impacted by their dearth of cap space, so adding a veteran scorer like Wheeler at such a cheap price is a major coup.

While he’s no longer the back-to-back 90-point man he was earlier in his time with the Winnipeg Jets, Wheeler remains a lethal weapon on the power play and a solid all-around offensive threat. He scored 55 points in 72 games last season and scored 60 points in 65 games the year before.

The Rangers’ biggest need heading into next season was talent along the right side of their forward corps, and Wheeler is just about the best possible option they could afford. He’ll now have a chance to play with Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider, or Vincent Trocheck and Artemi Panarin.

Assuming he stays healthy, he’s set himself up to have a monster season, especially if he can land a place on New York’s top power-play unit.

While he might not be able to set himself up for a long-term, pricey contract next summer as he’ll be set to turn 38 in August of next year, he’s put himself in a prime position on a Stanley Cup contender and under some of the brightest lights in the hockey world.

For Quick, this move allows him to back up one of the NHL’s best goalies, work with one of the NHL’s most highly-regarded goalie coaches in Benoit Allaire, as well as move closer to where he grew up. A legendary netminder whose earlier days with the Los Angeles Kings came to define that era of hockey, Quick’s form has declined sharply in recent seasons.

He posted a .876 save percentage in 31 games with the Kings last season and a .901 in 10 games with the Vegas Golden Knights. That might not be good enough to cut it in New York, but the hope is that with such a renowned coach in his corner, his numbers could rebound. In any case, he’ll now land with a potential Stanley Cup contender and be able to provide guidance to one of the league’s top goalies.

Now for Belzile, he’s reportedly getting a two-year contract which is a nice reward for a player who has worked his way up from the ECHL to the NHL. He became a top scorer for the Laval Rocket with the Montreal Canadiens and when the team faced significant injury issues he became a regular face in head coach Martin St. Louis’ lineup.

In 31 games at the NHL level Belzile scored a solid 14 points, showcasing the possibility for him to become a valuable bottom-sixer on a more regular basis. With the Rangers looking to fill depth lineup spots on the cheap and potentially also improve their AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack, Belzile could quickly prove to be a savvy signing by Rangers GM Chris Drury.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Semyon Varlamov Expected To Stay With New York Islanders

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Per ESPN’s Kevin Weekes, netminder Semyon Varlamov is staying with the New York Islanders after briefly appearing on the free agent market this morning. The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reports it’s a two-year deal. Kevin Kurz of The Athletic reports that the final contract will be a four-year, $11MM contract, paying Varlamov an AAV of $2.75MM per year.

The 35-year-old has spent the past four seasons with New York, originally serving as their starting goaltender before Ilya Sorokin took over the number one role.  Now, he’ll serve as an above-average backup to his countryman who signed an eight-year, $66MM extension earlier today.  Last season, Varlamov played in 23 games for the Isles, posting a 2.70 GAA with a .913 SV%, numbers that are right in line with his career averages of 2.65 and .916 respectively and are above average for the backup role.

That said, while New York should benefit from an above-average backup for a little while longer, the four-year term certainly raises some eyebrows.  The exact structure of the deal is not yet known so it’s unknown if this is a deal that will carry the more punitive 35+ restrictions.  And, by the time his contract ends, he’ll be one of the oldest netminders in the league so this is a bit of a leap of faith from the Islanders.  However, it allows them to keep a strong tandem intact for the time being, one that they’ll need to lean on as they look to push for a top-three seed in the Metropolitan Division next season.

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