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Minnesota Wild Sign Louie Belpedio

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The Minnesota Wild have locked up another one of their restricted free agents, signing Louie Belpedio to a one-year two-way contract. The deal will carry a salary of $700K at the NHL level and keep Belpedio a restricted free agent at its conclusion. Kevin Fiala now becomes the final RFA for GM Bill Guerin and the Minnesota front office.

Belpedio, 23, was a third-round pick of the Wild in 2014 but spent one year with the USNTDP and then four years at Miami University (Ohio) before joining the professional ranks. With that long development history behind him he played his first full season in the organization in 2018-19 and was a strong option for the Iowa Wild. In 81 AHL games he recorded 24 points, but will have his sights set on an even bigger role this year.

The Minnesota blueline is quite crowded heading into the year, but should the team run into any injury trouble Belpedio may be one of the first to be called up. Luckily he is still waiver-exempt to start the year and can be stashed in the minor league, only to pop up at the first sign of trouble. After scoring two points in a memorable NHL debut in 2018, the young defenseman played in two more games this past season and was held scoreless.

Bruins Notes: McAvoy, Krug, Bergeron

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The Boston Bruins may be in one of the toughest salary cap situation of all teams as the team still has to sign one of their top defensemen to a contract in Charlie McAvoy. The team might have some serious issues in signing him, however, who doesn’t have the offer sheet capability that most of the other RFA’s remaining have and has even less negotiating power than most of the others. Unfortunately, that could be an issue for the Bruins.

In fact, NHL Tonight’s Brian Lawton suggests that the Bruins have a number of issues working against them when it comes to signing McAvoy. Perhaps most challenging is the fact that they have just $7.29MM in projected cap space remaining (although with certain roster moves, that could improve to about $9MM) and McAvoy could be asking for quite a bit after another impressive season. Despite injuries being an issue for a second straight season, he still put up seven goals and 28 points in 54 games and looks to be developing into a potential No. 1 defenseman. While it does sound like there is money to work out a deal, the Bruins also have RFA defenseman Brandon Carlo waiting on a new deal as well, who won’t be cheap either. With so little cap space, Boston is going to be forced to make a roster move to fit both into their salary cap and it’s likely that the team might have to settle for a bridge deal with McAvoy due to their salary cap issues.

Lawton also point out that Boston has a number of moving parts as the team may be forced to place some of their veterans on LTIR when the season starts as it’s already been reported that Kevan Miller doesn’t expect to be ready for the start of the season, while there is also talk that David Backes might start the season on LTIR as well, which could free up some money.

  • NBC Sports’ Joe Haggerty debunks the rumor that the Bruins have been shopping defensman Torey Krug this summer. In speaking to President Cam Neely, Haggerty reports the team isn’t ready to unload the 28-year-old defenseman who will hit unrestricted free agency next season and could conceivably walk away after this year. It makes sense, however, that rumors persist about a potential trade when the team hasn’t locked him up and with the team’s salary cap issues. However, Neely made it quite clear that Krug is staying. “It’s the delicate balance you have,” Neely said. “You’ll have players on expiring contracts and we talk internally about what we’re going to do and how it’s all going to pan out. With Torey he’s one of the top PP defensemen in the league and our power play has been pretty damn good, and has won a lot of games for us. [Matt] Grzelcyk is coming along, but I don’t know if he sees the ice the way that Torey does. And Charlie just hasn’t shown that he’s a No. 1 power-play defenseman just yet.”
  • The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa (subscription required) writes that Boston should also pick up a significant advantage next season due to one of the new rule changes this offseason. The board of governors, general managers and competition agreed to allow teams to choose what side teams want to face off on in the shorthanded zone during power plays. That should give Boston a significant advantage as center Patrice Bergeron is a dominant faceoff specialist on the right-side of the ice, which should give Boston even more scoring opportunities next year. Bergeron took 62 percent of the team’s power play faceoffs.

RFA Profile: Kyle Connor

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While Patrik Laine has drawn the most attention of Winnipeg’s prominent remaining restricted free agents, Kyle Connor certainly deserves consideration for being included in the second class of players still in need of a new contract beyond the top RFAs like Mitch Marner and Mikko Rantanen.  Here is a look at his situation.

Following a strong 2017-18 campaign, Connor improved his numbers offensively while locking down a full-time spot on the top line alongside Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler.  That resulted in a big jump in average ice time to over 19 minutes a night.  As it turns out, he wound up out-producing Laine, something that undoubtedly has been brought up in talks already.

One of the things that makes his deal a bit trickier than some of the others though is the shorter track record of NHL success.  Connor spent the bulk of his first professional season in the minors with his second year ultimately being his rookie season.  As a result, he has basically 50-60 games less experience than a lot of his counterparts.  That shouldn’t significantly hurt his value but it won’t help things either as instead of having three years of NHL success, he basically only has two.

Statistics

2018-19: 82 GP, 34-32-66, -7, 18 PIMS, 227 shots, 19:15 ATOI
Career: 178 GP, 67-61-128, -6, 38 PIMS, 443 shots, 17:28 ATOI

Comparables

William Nylander (Toronto): Like Connor, Nylander really only had two full NHL seasons under his belt with most of his first year being spent in the minors.  His overall point total at the end of his entry-level deal was pretty close to Connor’s although the Jets winger was more productive in the goal department.

Platform Year Stats: 82 GP, 20-41-61, +20, 10 PIMS, 184 shots, 16:41 ATOI
Career Stats at ELC Expiration: 185 GP, 48-87-135, +18, 46 PIMS, 432 shots, 16:21 ATOI

Contract: Six years, $45MM
Cap Hit Percentage: 8.76% (Years two through six)
Current Equivalent: Six years, $ 42.84MM ($7.14MM AAV)

Jake Guentzel (Pittsburgh) – His platform year had some similarities to Connor in that he moved up to the front line and set career highs across the board.  He also had a shortened rookie campaign although he managed to play half a season in that rookie year.

Platform Year Stats: 82 GP, 40-36-76, +13, 26 PIMS, 227 shots, 19:21 ATOI
Career Stats at ELC Expiration: 204 GP, 78-79-157, +11, 78 PIMS, 479 shots, 17:31 ATOI

Contract: Five years, $30MM
Cap Hit Percentage: 7.55%
Current Equivalent: Five years, $30.766MM ($6.15MM AAV)

Johnny Gaudreau (Calgary): While his platform year was better than Connor’s, he only had one NHL game in his first year (which was primarily spent in college) so the shorter track record factor came into effect here.  Of course, he has since blossomed into one of the top scorers in the league, something that Winnipeg won’t be expecting from their winger.

Platform Year Stats: 79 GP, 30-48-78, +4, 20 PIMS, 217 shots, 19:56 ATOI
Career Stats at ELC Expiration: 160 GP, 55-88-143, +16, 34 PIMS, 385 shots, 18:48 ATOI

Contract: Six years, $40.5MM
Cap Hit Percentage: 9.25%
Current Equivalent: Six years, $45.232MM ($7.539MM AAV)

Brock Boeser (Vancouver): While many are waiting for Marner to set the market, Boeser and Connor could very well be waiting on each other.  Like everyone else in this set, the rookie year was shortened (just nine games) while Boeser cracked the 19-minute a night mark last season.

Platform Year Stats: 69 GP, 26-30-56, -2, 22 PIMS, 209 shots, 19:10 ATOI
Career Stats at ELC Expiration: 140 GP, 59-57-116, -7, 38 PIMS, 413 shots, 18:14 ATOI

Contract: Currently unsigned

Projected Contract

While there has been some speculation that Laine could wind up with a bridge contract, there seems to be nothing of the sort for Connor.  Both sides want to get a long-term deal done and earlier this month, he indicated his desire to get something done before the start of training camp.

In terms of the comparables, Nylander’s contract probably serves as the best one with something coming in the high $6MM to low $7MM range on a six-year deal.  That would buy out a couple of UFA years while giving the Jets some flexibility on handling a new contract for Laine while filling out the rest of their roster as there are some holes still to be filled.  As far as the remaining RFAs go, Connor’s deal should be one of the easier ones to get done.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Snapshots: Werenski, Kempny, Pominville

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Despite all that has happened over the past few month, Columbus Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen has no regrets. He tells ESPN’s Greg Wyshysnki that the team’s decision to go “all in” at the trade deadline, holding on to Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky and acquiring Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel, was a “calculated risk”. Even though all four have departed this summer via free agency, Kekalainen made his best effort to retain them and isn’t doing to dwell on the players’ decisions not to return. Instead, the bold executive is focused only on the coming season. Kekalainen answered Wyshynski confidently about a number of issues facing his team entering 2019-20, but paid extra attention to the stalled contract talks with RFA defenseman Zach Werenski:

The real frustration for me [is when it] drags on into training camp, because that’s a time for ‘team’… They start preparing and jelling and building that chemistry that we need as a team. When it goes to training camp time, it takes away from that preparation. It takes away from the team. That’s what I’m concerned about. And that’s where we’ve drawn the hard line before: We don’t believe in taking that preparation time away from the team. We think it should be resolved before the team gets together and gets ready for the season.

It seems that the Blue Jackets and Werenski are no closer to a resolution in contract talks and it is starting to impact the GM. With so much talent leaving Columbus this off-season and very few new faces arriving, Columbus needs their leaders and core players in training camp to get ready for what will likely be a more challenging season. Werenski is one of those key players and Kekalainen is clearly doing all that he can to get the talented young blue liner back under contract as soon as possible. As training camp draws closer, the question will be whether the Blue Jackets cave to Werenski’s demands to ensure that their valuable “preparation” is not adversely affected.

  • The division rival Washington Capitals may also be without a key defenseman in training camp and perhaps longer. Michal Kempny is still working his way back from a season-ending hamstring injury and The Athletic’s Tarik El-Bashir writes that there is no clear timeline for his return. Fortunately, after a summer spent rehabbing at home in the Czech Republic, Kempny has resumed skating back in D.C. and is working one-on-one with Capitals strength coach Mark Nemish. Kempny hopes to be ready for training camp, but truly has his sights set on simply being at full strength for the team’s regular season debut. “I’m getting there,” Kempny said, “I’m not 100 percent yet, for sure. I still need some time. If I’m going to make the (start of) training camp, that’s going to be great. But we’ll see… My goal is to be ready for the season.”
  • At one point this off-season, veteran forward Jason Pominville was also hoping to see another opening night of NHL action, but as the summer has drawn on without much interest in the free agent, his mindset has shifted. Pominville explained to NHL.com that he is “fine with the way things ended” last season, if it was indeed the end of his playing career. The 36-year-old returned to the Buffalo Sabres two years ago, re-joining the team with which he spent the first nine years of his now 15-year NHL career, and proved that he could still be a contributor, posting back-to-back 30+ point seasons and taking on an important role in the locker room. Pominville hoped that he could return to Buffalo for another season, but since that seems like a longshot, he’s content to stay in the city and not move his family, even if that means hanging up his skates.

Chuck Fletcher “Not Concerned” About Lingering RFA Negotiations

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The Philadelphia Flyers are like a dozen other teams around the NHL, waiting to have some clarity on whether their top restricted free agents will be suiting up when training camp opens in a few weeks. The Flyers have two top players still without contracts in Ivan Provorov and Travis Konecny, but GM Chuck Fletcher isn’t ready to panic just because they aren’t signed yet. Speaking with Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer yesterday, Fletcher explained the Flyers are in the same situation as all of the other teams but isn’t stressing out:

We’ll keep working at it. They’re good young players and we expect to have them signed and ready to go as soon as we can. … Right now, the landscape league-wide is murky, and I think things will start to clear up in the next few weeks. At this point, I’m not concerned. This has been the trend the last few years.

Fletcher is right, restricted free agents have started to wait longer and longer to sign their deals, though this crop is even bigger than normal. Last summer saw Noah Hanifin, Ondrej Kase, Josh Morrissey, Darnell Nurse, Sam Reinhart and Shea Theodore all sign in either late-August or September, and among high profile players only William Nylander’s negotiation leaked into the season. That group doesn’t exactly stand up to names like Mitch Marner, Brayden Point and Mikko Rantanen, but it’s not just complementary or depth players either.

Things will certainly start to clear up for some of the restricted free agents in the near future, but there’s certainly no guarantee that both Konecny and Provorov will be signed by camp. Carchidi suggests that Provorov could get a deal worth around $7MM per season while Konecny is expected to get somewhere between $4-4.5MM per season. Obviously both of those cap numbers are contingent on the term of the contracts.

Snapshots: Mattheos, McDavid, Rantanen

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Carolina Hurricanes prospect Stelio Mattheos will not be taking part in the team’s training camp this year, as he instead will be completing treatment for testicular cancer. Mattheos was diagnosed in June and has already undergone surgery and multiple courses of chemotherapy. He is expected to return to full health. The 20-year old forward released a statement through the team:

I’d like to thank everyone who reached out to offer support and well wishes since the diagnosis. I’ve had amazing support from my friends, family, teammates, coaches and all of the hockey organizations I’ve been a part of, including the Hurricanes, Checkers and Brandon Wheat Kings.

I owe a debt of gratitude to my surgeon, Dr. Sabeer Rehsia, and all of the staff at Grace Hospital, as well as Dr. Piotr Czaykowski at Cancer Care Manitoba and all of the nurses on the chemotherapy ward.

The third-round pick from 2017 got his first taste of professional hockey earlier this year when he joined the Charlotte Checkers for their stretch drive and playoff run that eventually ended in a Calder Cup championship. The former WHL standout was expected to compete for a bigger role with Charlotte this season but will obviously be taking care of his health first.

  • Speaking of missing part of training camp, alarm bells went up today when Connor McDavid decided not to take part in the annual BioSteel camp in Toronto. Edmonton Oilers fans can breathe however as McDavid explained to reporters including Mark Masters of TSN that he has not suffered any setbacks in his recovery from a knee injury suffered late in the season. The Oilers star has been on the ice for the last couple of months and is working towards his goal of being on the ice at the beginning of training camp next month.
  • Mikko Rantanen doesn’t have a contract yet and will likely not be attending Colorado Avalanche training camp without one, but that doesn’t mean he’s not on the ice. The Storhamar Dragons in Norway tweeted today that Rantanen has been skating with them. Unsigned restricted free agents often find a place to skate and train while their contracts are negotiated, like we saw with William Nylander throughout the first part of last season. Mitch Marner recently was connected to the Zurich Lions, and many of the other names on the RFA list will likely follow suit if their deals aren’t completed soon.

Poll: Who Will Be The First Top RFA To Sign?

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It’s the question on everyone’s mind. When will these restricted free agents sign? The workday on the second last Friday of August has almost come to an end and there is still a huge list of unsigned stars with no real progress being made. Whether they are all waiting on Mitch Marner or Brayden Point to set the market or not, we’re starting to get closer and closer to the start of training camp and real contract holdouts beginning. We’ve already heard one player has contacted a European squad to give them a place to train, and there will undoubtedly be more.

So who breaks the dam? When Colin White signed earlier this week there was hope that things were finally progressing, but instead there has been deafening silence around the league. Even with small tidbits of information coming out from situations surrounding Zach Werenski and Brock Boeser, there still doesn’t seem to be any movement. Boston Bruins GM Don Sweeney explained today that things with Brandon Carlo and Charlie McAvoy are going “not as fast as everybody would like” but that he’s confident they will be with the organization for a long time.

It’s not even just the top players that are still out there without a contract. Names like Kevin Fiala, Brendan Perlini and Adrian Kempe are still without deals for one reason or another and may still be waiting on the high-profile players to be finished first. That’s a tough place for any young player to be in, especially when you’re not quite as established as someone like Point or Marner. Missing training camp would be a huge detriment to their careers, meaning they’re likely watching the news wire just as closely.

When will things change? Who will finally decide that the waiting game is taking too long? Cast your vote below and make sure to explain why in the comments. We’ve included the top names, but feel free to explain why another player may be the one to kick things off.

[Mobile users click here to vote]

Remaining Unsigned Restricted Free Agents

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Originally published on August 9th

The NHL is extremely quiet today with just one transaction, the one-year two-way contract for Hunter Warner. That’s the way it has been on the restricted free agent market for some time, with very few non-arbitration deals coming down the pipe. In fact with just over a month before training camps open, 46 restricted free agents remain unsigned for the upcoming season. Among them are some of the most impressive young talents in the game and several others who are still promising prospects. Still more of the players are those who will play overseas in 2019-20 and were qualified in order for a team to retain their exclusive negotiating rights.

The full list of unsigned restricted free agents is as follows:

Anaheim Ducks:

(none)

Arizona Coyotes:

F Emil Pettersson – Will not sign, playing in SHL

Boston Bruins:

F Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson* – Will not sign, playing in SHL
D Charlie McAvoy*
D Brandon Carlo

Buffalo Sabres:

(none)

Calgary Flames:

F Matthew Tkachuk
F Andrew Mangiapane
F Spencer Foo – Will not sign, playing in KHL

Carolina Hurricanes:

F Saku Maenalanen
F Roland McKeown

Chicago Blackhawks:

F Brendan Perlini
F Victor Ejdsell – Will not sign, playing in SHL

Colorado Avalanche:

F Mikko Rantanen
D Sergei Boikov – Will not sign, playing in KHL

Columbus Blue Jackets:

F Lukas Sedlak – Will not sign, playing in KHL
D Zach Werenski

Dallas Stars:

D Julius Honka
D Niklas Hansson – Will not sign, playing in SHL

Detroit Red Wings:

G Patrik Rybar – Will not sign, playing in Liiga

Edmonton Oilers:

F Jesse Puljujarvi

Florida Pantherss:

F Maxim Mamin – Will not sign, playing in KHL
F Juho Lammikko – Will not sign, playing in Liiga
F Denis Malgin

Los Angeles Kings:

F Adrian Kempe

Minnesota Wild:

F Kevin Fiala
F Joel Eriksson Ek – Signed for two years, $2.975MM
D Louie Belpedio

Montreal Canadiens:

(none)

Nashville Predators:

(none)

New Jersey Devils:

F Pavel Zacha

New York Islanders:

F Anthony Beauvillier
F Joshua Ho-Sang – Signed for two years, $1.4MM
F Michael Dal Colle – Signed for one year, two-way, $874K

New York Rangers:

F Brendan Lemieux
D Anthony DeAngelo

Ottawa Senators:

F Colin White* – Signed for six years, $28.5MM

Philadelphia Flyers:

F Travis Konecny
D Ivan Provorov

Pittsburgh Penguins:

D Marcus Pettersson

San Jose Sharks:

(none)

St. Louis Blues:

F Ivan Barbashev

Tampa Bay Lightning:

F Brayden Point
F Adam Erne – Traded to DET, signed for one year, $1.05MM

Toronto Maple Leafs:

F Mitch Marner

Vancouver Canucks:

F Brock Boeser*
F Nikolay Goldobin

Vegas Golden Knights:

D Jimmy Schuldt*

Washington Capitals:

(none)

Winnipeg Jets:

F Kyle Connor
F Patrik Laine
G Eric Comrie

*Not eligible for offer sheet

Ottawa Senators Sign Colin White

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The restricted free agent market might finally be showing some cracks. The Ottawa Senators have signed RFA forward Colin White to a six-year contract. The contract will carry an average annual value of $4.75MM and breaks down as follows:

  • 2019-20: $4.0MM
  • 2020-21: $4.0MM
  • 2021-22: $4.75MM
  • 2022-23: $4.75MM
  • 2023-24: $4.75MM
  • 2024-25: $6.25MM

White, 22, was one of the players ineligible for an offer sheet this summer and will lose just a single year of unrestricted free agency with this deal. At $28.5MM it will however take the title of the largest contract Senators GM Pierre Dorion has ever given out, eclipsing the four-year, $20.75MM deal he signed Mike Hoffman to in 2016 (the Senators would pay out just $9.45MM before trading Hoffman).

The team’s trade history when it comes to expensive players will be the first thing coming to mind for many Senators fans, but there is no doubt that this contract is a step in the right direction for the franchise. White, selected 21st overall in 2015, broke out last season with 14 goals and 41 points in 71 games during his first full NHL season. That production will only likely increase in the coming years as White takes on more and more responsibility for the Senators as their presumptive first-line center.

A $4.75MM cap hit ties White as the second highest paid player on the Ottawa roster, behind only Bobby Ryan and right alongside goaltender Craig Anderson—as long as you don’t count the injured Ryan Callahan and Marian Gaborik contracts. It means there will be plenty of pressure on the young forward to continue his development as a top-line player and puts a good chunk of the offensive burden squarely upon his shoulders.

With White signed, the team can start to look towards their next big name inching closer to free agency—Thomas Chabot. The 22-year old is heading into the final year of his entry-level contract and is already one of the premier defensemen in the league. If Ottawa is truly committed to retaining their stars and building a competitive roster in the next few years, signing Chabot to a long-term deal is key.

Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet was first to report the two sides were close.

Islanders Re-Sign Michael Dal Colle, Josh Ho-Sang

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The New York Islanders have done some damage to their list of unsigned restricted free agents today, inking two of the three in forwards Michael Dal Colle and Josh Ho-Sang. The announcement was expected after GM Lou Lamoriello mentioned last week that two unnamed RFA’s had come to terms on new contracts. It is a two-year deal for Dal Colle and a one-year deal for Ho-Sang, leaving only Anthony Beauvillier still in need of a new extension. CapFriendly reports that Dal Colle signed for the minimum $700K AAV, but on a one-way deal, while Ho-Sang signed his qualifying offer, a two-way pact worth $874K at the NHL level.

Dal Colle, 23, earns a multi-year deal despite the fact that he is still struggling to prove he is an NHL-caliber player. The 2014 fifth overall pick entered the pro ranks with enormous expectations but has fallen very short to this point. Dal Colle has just 32 NHL games to his credit, along with seven total points. In the AHL, his production has been good, but far from elite, although he was a point-per-game player in limited action this past season. Currently trending to be just a part-time depth player for the Islanders, it is far from what the team expected when he was drafted before the likes of William Nylander, Nikolaj Ehlers, and Dylan Larkin in the first round five years ago.

Ho-Sang, also 23, was drafted in that same first round, 23 picks after Dal Colle in 2014. Unlike Dal Colle, he had been a productive depth player for New York, recording back-to-back seasons of double-digit points in less than 25 games to begin his NHL career. However, he took a step back in 2018-19, spending most of the year in the AHL and recording just two points in ten NHL games. Ho-Sang’s role moving forward thus remains a mystery just like Dal Colle’s, though he has one less year to prove he’s worthy of a continued commitment.

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