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Tyler Pitlick

Dallas Stars Re-Sign Gemel Smith

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After locking up Radek Faksa to a new contract yesterday, GM Jim Nill and the Dallas Stars were back at it again today, announcing an extension for forward Gemel Smith. Smith signed a one-year, two-way deal with financial terms not yet disclosed.

Smith made his NHL debut in 2016-17, skating in 17 games and recording three goals and three assists. He also added 33 points in 53 games with the AHL’s Texas Stars. The 2012 fourth-round pick hadn’t found that kind of scoring success since he was a star forward with the OHL’s Owen Sound Attack.

While Smith seemed poised to take on a bigger role with Dallas this season, the additions of Alexander Radulov, Martin Hanzal and maybe even Tyler Pitlick and Brian Flynn could mean even less opportunity for Smith. At just 5’10”, Smith plays a surprisingly hard-nosed, physical game. He may need to focus more on that side of his game than his offensive ability to earn his initial role with Dallas.

Stars Sign Tyler Pitlick To Three-Year Deal

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The Dallas Stars added some more forward depth, inking Tyler Pitlick to a three-year, $3MM deal. Pitlick spent last season with the Edmonton Oilers, notching 11 points (8-3).

Pitlick comes at a relatively low cost and is still only 25 years of age. It’s a depth move for the Stars, who are looking to rebound from an injury-ravaged 2016-17 season. The Stars released their own announcement on the signing, with general manager Jim Nill saying:

“Tyler is a young player who will add speed and size to our lineup,. He offers versatility to our forward group and we look forward to him being a Dallas Star for many years.”

Free Agent Focus: Edmonton Oilers

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The free agent period is now less than one week away from opening up and there are several prominent players set to hit the open market while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign.  Here is a breakdown of the Edmonton Oilers’ free agent situation.

Key Restricted Free Agents: F Leon Draisaitl. At 21 years old and coming off a 29-goal season (along with 77 total points), Draisaitl would likely be the most important restricted free agent in the entire NHL. The Oilers have already come out and stated they will match any offer, no matter how high to retain one of the franchise’s cornerstone pieces on their team and it will prove costly. The third overall pick in the 2014 draft has been unstoppable in just three short years and he’s nowhere close to his prime. Extending the young German forward is critical for the team and a big reason the team just traded Jordan Eberle to the Islanders to free as much cap space as it can to lock up Draisaitl and Connor McDavid, who they hope to extend this year as well.

Other RFA’s: F Zack Kassian, D Joey Laleggia, D David Musil, F Zachary Pochiro, F Henrik Samuelsson, D Dillon Simpson.

Key Unrestricted Free Agents: F Tyler Pitlick. A few days ago, veteran defender Kris Russell would have been in this spot, but the defender signed a four-year, $4MM per year deal to stay with the Oilers. That leaves very little to worry about on the unrestricted free agent front. However, if you really look, Pitlick still has a lot of potential. The only problem is the 25-year-old center is quite injury prone. In the last three years, he has not played in more than 37 games a season due to various injuries with the most recent being a torn ACL back in December. Although, he was having a strong season before that, scoring eight goals in those first 31 games. However, considering the Oilers may be looking for cheap players with potential, they might consider giving Pitlick one more chance.

Other UFA’s: F David Desharnais, F Justin Fontaine, D Mark Fraser, F Matt Hendricks, D Eric Gryba, D Jordan Oesterle.

Projected Cap Space: With the Eberle contract now off the books and Russell signed long-term, that allows Edmonton almost $20MM in cap space to work with and they will likely need a lot of that to give extensions to Draisaitl and McDavid. While McDavid is not a restricted free agent until next year, the team can lock him up starting this summer and would be smart to do so. With what’s left, the team may look to add a few veterans to fill out the lineup and help guide this young team even further next year.

 

 

Pacific Notes: Redmond, Edler, Couture, Pitlick

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The Ducks have joined in the NCAA signing frenzy once again, announcing the signing of goaltender Angus Redmond to a three year, entry level contract.  Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The 21 year old Redmond recently completed his first and only season at Michigan Tech, compiling a 22-10-5 record along with a 1.85 GAA, a .917 SV%, and four shutouts in 38 appearances.  His goals against average ranked third in Division I among full-time starters while he was named WCHA Rookie of the Week on four separate occasions.

The Ducks are banking on Redmond being a late bloomer as he went undrafted after spending parts of four seasons with Salmon Arm of the BCHL.

Elsewhere in the Pacific Division:

  • Canucks defenseman Alex Edler noted to TSN 1040 (audio link) that he hasn’t given any thought to how he might respond if GM Jim Benning approached him about waiving his no-trade clause. Benning has been on record suggesting that he’d be willing to move a blueliner for help up front.  Between that and Vancouver’s current situation as a team that appears to be heading for a rebuild, it’s certainly plausible that the team could approach the 30 year old, the elder statesman on their back end, about his willingness to be moved sometime this offseason.  Edler has two years left on his deal after this one with a cap hit of $5MM.
  • The Sharks will be without center Logan Couture tonight and for at least the next two games after that as he is not with the team on their current road trip, reports CSN Bay Area’s Kevin Kurz. There remains no timetable for his return to the lineup.  Couture took a puck to the mouth on Saturday against the Predators and needed a considerable amount of dental work to repair the damage.  It wouldn’t be surprising to see him play with a full face shield once he gets the green light to return.
  • Oilers right winger Tyler Pitlick has started skating lightly as he continues his rehab from ACL surgery, notes Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal. The injury occurred back in mid-December.  Despite the fact that he’s on the ice, he’s not expected to return this season.

Tyler Pitlick Out For The Season

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The Edmonton Oilers will be without right winger Tyler Pitlick for the remainder of the season as the team announced Friday that he has suffered a torn ACL.  The injury occurred in the third period against St. Louis on Monday night.

Pitlick, a second round pick of the Oilers back in 2010 (31st overall), was in his first full season with the team and had been providing them with good production from the fourth line.  He had eight goals (tied for fifth on the team) and three assists despite averaging just under ten minutes per game.

In his career, the 25 year old has played in 58 NHL games, scoring 11 goals while adding three assists.

At least for the time being, the injury could open up a spot for rookie Jesse Puljujarvi to play more often although he’s expected to be scratched for Taylor Beck tonight.  The fourth overall pick back in June has played in just four games this month while being a healthy scratch for the other seven.  The Oilers declined to loan him for the World Juniors and if this injury doesn’t result in much more action for him in the short-term, a stint in the minors might not be a bad idea.  As he wasn’t drafted out of the CHL, he is eligible to be loaned despite being under 20.

One other player who should see more action as a result of Pitlick’s injury is veteran Matt Hendricks who has played in just 11 games this season due to a lower body injury while being scratched frequently.  It was reported earlier this month that he was on the trade block.  A more regular role for him may make it a bit easier to move his $1.85MM cap hit closer to the trade deadline.

Snapshots: Gignac, Pitlick, Cammalleri, Stone

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The New Jersey Devils announced (Twitter link) that they have signed 2016 third round pick (80th overall) Brandon Gignac to a three year, entry-level contract.  Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Gignac is off to a strong start this season with Shawinigan of the QMJHL, scoring five goals while adding 11 assists in 14 games.  The 19 year old will remain with his junior team and since it’s highly unlikely that he will play in more than nine games with the Devils this season (the only way he can be brought up is via an emergency recall), his contract won’t officially kick in this season and will instead slide a year.

He’s also set to represent Team QMJHL next week in the Canada-Russia series, a primer for next month’s World Junior Hockey Championships.

Elsewhere around the league:

  • In his sixth year at the professional level, Edmonton right winger Tyler Pitlick is making his case to stick around, writes Dan Barnes of the Edmonton Sun. Through 15 games this season, the 25 year old has five goals, more than he had in his previous NHL stints combined and has moved off of the fourth line.  The team hasn’t given him the green light to move out of the hotel and look for a more permanent residence just yet though: “I think they just want to see if I can keep it up. A lot of guys come in here and have a good first 10 games and then it starts to drop off. I think they want to see if I can hold it consistently.”
  • New Jersey left winger Mike Cammalleri will miss his second straight game tonight due to personal reasons, notes Andrew Gross of Fire and Ice. Head coach John Hynes told reporters that he’s not sure how long Cammalleri will be away from the team.
  • Arizona defenseman Michael Stone is expected to return to the lineup tonight after missing the last six games with an upper body injury, writes Sarah McLellan of the Arizona Republic. This already marks the second time this year that Stone is coming back from an injury after he missed time early on as he finished recovering from knee surgery.  Stone has three assists in four games this season but as a pending UFA, it’s safe to say that this hasn’t been the start to the season that he was hoping for so far.

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