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Kaapo Kahkonen, Steven Lorentz File For Salary Arbitration

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The National Hockey League Players Association (NHLPA) announced that 24 players have filed for player-elected salary arbitration, the deadline for which came this afternoon. This list is not necessarily the final and complete list of players headed for arbitration, with clubs now eligible to elect salary arbitration until tomorrow, July 18th at 5:00 pm ET.

Mason Appleton (WPG)

Ethan Bear (CAR)

Jesper Bratt (NJD)

Lawson Crouse (ARI)

Morgan Geekie (SEA)

Mathieu Joseph (OTT)

Kaapo Kahkonen (SJS)

Kasperi Kapanen (PIT)

Keegan Kolesar (VGK)

Oliver Kylington (CGY)

Maxime Lajoie (CAR)

Steven Lorentz (SJS)

Isac Lundestrom (ANA)

Zack MacEwen (PHI)

Niko Mikkola (STL)

Andrew Mangiapane (CGY)

Matthew Phillips (CGY)

Jesse Puljujarvi (EDM)

Tyce Thompson (NJD)

Yakov Trenin (NSH)

Vitek Vanecek (NJD)

Jake Walman (DET)

Kailer Yamamoto (EDM)

Pavel Zacha (BOS)

Notably out of this list, Mikkola had previously filed for arbitration, but the two sides were able to settle on a one-year, $1.9MM contract that will leave the defenseman an UFA after next season.

A key distinction to add is that any player who has filed for arbitration is no longer eligible to sign an offer sheet, effectively taking the players on this list off the market. Three notable names that did not file for arbitration are Winnipeg Jets forward Pierre-Luc Dubois, Calgary Flames forward Matthew Tkachuk and Columbus Blue Jackets forward Patrik Laine. Though contract talks have been quiet on Dubois and Tkachuck, word of amicable discussions between Laine’s camp and Columbus has been made known. Once tomorrow’s club-elected salary arbitration deadline passes, teams and players will have time to prepare their cases before hearings begin, running from July 27th through August 11th.

San Jose Sharks Sign Aaron Dell, C.J. Suess

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Along with announcing the reported contract for Andrew Agozzino, the San Jose Sharks have inked two more depth players today. Aaron Dell and C.J. Suess are both coming aboard on one-year contracts.

Dell will be the headliner here, given his history with the organization. The 33-year-old netminder spent four years in the NHL with the Sharks between 2016-2020, appearing in 107 games over that span. He never has been able to recapture the form he showed as a rookie (a 27-year-old rookie) that first year, when he posted a .931 save percentage in 20 games.

Over the last few seasons, Dell has bounced around and struggled not only at the NHL level but the AHL level as well, making this signing a bit of a head-scratcher. The Sharks already have five goaltenders under contract for this season plus Kaapo Kahkonen to sign, meaning there isn’t much room for Dell anywhere. Perhaps this points to the team moving one (or more) of their more veteran options out of town.

James Reimer and Adin Hill, the two goaltenders on one-way deals, are both scheduled to become unrestricted free agents next summer and don’t appear to have long futures with the Sharks. With Dell’s addition, giving the organization another option for the minor league club, perhaps someone else is on his way out.

San Jose Sharks Sign Three Players

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San Jose Sharks general manager Mike Grier told reporters including Curtis Pashelka of Bay Area News Group that the team has signed three more free agents, inking Nico Sturm, Markus Nutivaara, and Matt Benning.

Sturm, 27, has agreed to a three-year deal worth a total of $6MM, giving him a substantial raise over the $750K he made in 2021-22. The Stanley Cup champion can be a valuable bottom-six forward, though his offensive limitations make this kind of contract something of a surprise. In 132 games in the NHL, Sturm has scored 20 goals and 39 points. What he does bring is a big, physical presence that can win faceoffs and contribute at the defensive end of the rink, something that should bring stability to the Sharks as they transition into a rebuild.

Nutivaara, 28, signed for just one year, coming off a 2021-22 season that was almost entirely lost to injury. The left-handed defenseman played just one game for the Florida Panthers and because of that, is eligible for performance bonuses in the upcoming season. PuckPedia reports that his deal will carry a salary of $1.5MM, while also including bonuses for games played up to a maximum of $250K. Once a very promising option for the Columbus Blue Jackets, his recent history has been ruined by injury, with ust 68 games played over the last three seasons.

Benning’s deal is for four years keeping him in San Jose through the 2025-26 season. That’s an impressive get for a player who rarely more than third-pairing minutes, and has moved in and out of the lineup for basically his whole career. Still, the 28-year-old defenseman offers a physical presence and does have more than 350 games of NHL experience under his belt.

Chicago Blackhawks Sign Three Players

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If you wondered who else would play goal for the Chicago Blackhawks this season, wonder no more. Scott Powers of The Athletic reports that Alex Stalock has signed a one-year, $750K contract with the team. They also signed Luke Philp to a one-year, two-way deal ($750K NHL / $250K AHL) and Brett Seney to a one-year, two-way deal ($750K NHL / $400K AHL).

Stalock, 34, is an experienced backup goaltender who played in a backup role for the San Jose Sharks and Minnesota Wild from 2013-14 to 2019-20. Stalock did so with moderate success, and he owns a career .908 save percentage. Stalock’s final year in Minnesota was perhaps his most impressive, as he posted a .910 save percentage playing 38 games. After that year, Stalock missed an entire year of hockey battling a heart condition he contracted after an earlier bout of COVID-19.

Stalock made a recovery and returned to the ice in 2021-22, but could not re-discover his game. In 12 games for the AHL San Jose Barracuda, Stalock went 1-8-2 with a .872 save percentage, and in 46 minutes of NHL action Stalock let in six goals on 28 shots.

The Blackhawks are signing Stalock with the hope that he can return to the form that saw him become one of the more reliable backup goalies in hockey, unless, of course, you subscribe to the belief that  GM Kyle Davison and the Blackhawks are intentionally fielding a flawed roster in order to land the highest draft pick possible at the 2023 draft. Because if that’s their goal, Stalock having a similar 2022-23 to his 2021-22 could help them to get them there.

Philp, 26, has spent three productive seasons with the AHL’s Stockton Heat after leaving the University of Alberta. After his first 20-goal season in the AHL last year, he’ll be counted on within the top-six forward group next season for the Rockford IceHogs. The same can be said for Seney, although with him having more NHL experience, he could find a home as an extra on the NHL roster with Chicago’s paper-thin NHL depth.

San Jose Sharks Expected To Sign Andrew Agozzino

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The San Jose Sharks are getting depth forward Andrew Agozzino in free agency, according to TSN’s Chris Johnston.

Agozzino is a 31-year-old undrafted forward who has been a top-six scoring forward at the AHL level for the past decade. Agozzino had 43 points in 66 games for the Belleville Senators last season and has multiple point-per-game AHL seasons on his resume.

At the NHL level, Agozzino’s resume is far thinner. He has just nine points in 47 career NHL games and got into only one game this season in Ottawa. This move is likely a move for the San Jose Barracuda, as GM Mike Grier attempts to improve his club’s AHL affiliate. Agozzino will definitely help the Barracuda next year, and Sharks fans can count on him to be among the team’s scoring leaders.

San Jose Sharks Sign Oskar Lindblom

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After being bought out by the Philadelphia Flyers, Oskar Lindblom is getting a fresh start. He has signed a two-year contract with the San Jose Sharks and Pierre LeBrun adds that it will carry a $2.5MM average annual value.

General manager Mike Grier released a statement:

Oskar is a proven forward who can provide offensive upside in the middle of our lineup. He has overcome significant obstacles in his young career and his strength and desire to play hockey is immeasurable. We are happy to have him join our organization.

Lindblom was once one of the more promising young forwards in the Flyers organization, outperforming his fifth-round pick status and scoring 17 goals and 33 points in 2018-19. Lindblom showed an ability to effectively use his size and strength to create chances and looked like a potential middle-six scoring option with room to grow.

Then, Lindblom was hit with an immense challenge. In December 2019, Lindblom was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma and had to focus his energy, not on his battles on the ice but on his new fight off of it. Lindblom’s story rallied the entire hockey world behind him, and he eventually made his return to Philadelphia’s lineup, even featuring in the team’s three-round run in the 2020 playoffs. Lindblom won the 2021 Bill Masterton Trophy, but unfortunately, the end of his tenure in Philadelphia serves as a sobering reminder that hockey is a business above all else.

Since returning from his absence, Lindblom has been unable to rediscover the form that made him such a promising young player in 2018-19. Lindblom had 12 goals and 26 points in 2021-22, not bad production by any means but certainly not worth the $3MM they were paying him. Working against Lindblom as well was the fact that the Flyers would not only get out from under the full weight of his $3MM cap hit, but they would also get a small cap credit as well from buying him out.

So the math became simple for GM Chuck Fletcher, paving the way for Lindblom to land in San Jose. For the Sharks, if Lindblom can rediscover the form he showed earlier in his career he can be an important player in their lineup. But even if he doesn’t, $2.5MM isn’t an unreasonable price to pay for what he will provide.

Carolina Hurricanes Acquire Brent Burns

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11:55am: The deal is now complete, according to LeBrun. The Hurricanes will receive Burns and Lane Pederson in exchange for Steven Lorentz, Eetu Makiniemi, and a conditional 2023 third-round pick. The Sharks will retain one-third of Burns’ remaining contract.

10:30am: While Carolina moved a notable defenseman at the draft when they sent Anthony DeAngelo to Philadelphia, it appears they’ve found his replacement.  Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that the Hurricanes are close to acquiring Brent Burns from San Jose.  Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman adds (Twitter link) that Carolina isn’t on Burns’ three-team trade list but it appears he’ll be willing to waive his trade protection to facilitate a move.  LeBrun adds (via Twitter) that multiple players are involved in the swap.

Burns has been a staple on the back end for the Sharks for more than a decade as an all-situations defender that logs heavy minutes.  A three-time Norris finalist (and one-time winner), the 37-year-old is coming off a pretty strong season as he led all San Jose defenders in scoring with 10 goals and 44 assists in 82 games in 2021-22 while logging a career-high 26:09 per game.

The reason that San Jose is moving him is his contract.  Burns still has three years left on his contract with a cap hit of $8MM and with the Sharks not having a lot of financial flexibility, it was expected that they’d try to move one of their three pricey veterans on the back end.  With both Erik Karlsson and Marc-Edouard Vlasic coming off tough seasons that have them on negative-value contracts, Burns was the logical one to try to move.

With Carolina, Burns shouldn’t be counted on to log anywhere near the type of minutes he did in San Jose with the Hurricanes and he could fit in nicely on their second pairing behind Brett Pesce.  He would certainly help replace the minutes that DeAngelo logged last season while being able to help cover the offensive gap left behind as well.

More to follow.

Teams “Kicking Tires” On Brent Burns

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After new San Jose Sharks general manager Mike Grier explained yesterday that he’ll let Brent Burns “lead the way” on his future, speculation has drummed up around the league. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic tweeted earlier today that the Carolina Hurricanes are kicking tires on Burns (and Montreal Canadiens defenseman Jeff Petry) as they look to replace the offense that left with Tony DeAngelo, while Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia notes that the Ottawa Senators have done the same.

The team most often linked is the Dallas Stars, who are losing John Klingberg this offseason and have some clear connections to Burns through head coach Peter DeBoer and veteran forward Joe Pavelski.

While Grier might be letting Burns take the lead, getting out from his contract certainly wouldn’t be the worst thing for the Sharks, as they try to move forward in a different direction. The 37-year-old defensemen has three years left on his deal and carries an $8MM cap hit, though the actual salary owed is much less. Burns will earn just $16.5MM over the last three seasons of the eight-year, $64MM contract, and $3.5MM of that was in the form of a signing bonus already paid this summer.

Though his is not a full no-trade clause, Burns does have almost full control of the situation. He submits a list of just three teams that he can be traded to on July 1 of every year.

The part that makes Burns’ future so interesting is that despite his age, he is still an effective player. He recorded 54 points last season while still averaging more than 26 minutes a night and actually saw his deployment skew more defensive than in years past. In a more sheltered, offensive role, perhaps he could be even more effective for a contending team.

While the focus now is on free agency that starts in under 24 hours, there will be a number of trades also going down over the next few weeks. Whether Burns stays in San Jose appears to be completely up in the air at the moment.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Michael Del Zotto, Rudolfs Balcers To Be Bought Out

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In addition to Janne Kuokkanen and Oskar Lindblom, who were announced earlier today, two more players are on waivers today for the purpose of a buyout. The Ottawa Senators will buy out Michael Del Zotto, while the San Jose Sharks will be buying out Rudolfs Balcers, according to Chris Johnston of TSN.

For Del Zotto and the Senators, a buyout will result in a $500K cap penalty in 2022-23 and a $750K penalty in 2023-24, but saves the team some money and cap space for the upcoming season. It never really did work out for the veteran defensemen there, and after clearing waivers he ended up playing most of the 2021-22 season in the minor leagues.

He’ll now be a free agent, able to try and secure an NHL deal somewhere else, while still earning a $750K paycheck from the Senators for each of the next two years. Not a bad deal for the 32-year-old, who could be looking at his ninth NHL team, should he sign with someone other than the Senators, New York Rangers, Nashville Predators, Philadelphia Flyers, Vancouver Canucks, Anaheim Ducks, St. Louis Blues, or Columbus Blue Jackets.

Balcers meanwhile will be almost completely wiped off the books for San Jose, as his age means they are only on the hook for one-third of his remaining $1.85MM salary. For 2022-23, the Sharks will face a penalty of just $8,334 and in 2023-24, just $308,334. Those are certainly worthwhile prices to pay to clear his contract off the books as they look to other players for bottom-six contributions.

Mike Grier To Discuss, Allow Brent Burns To Dictate His Future

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As the San Jose Sharks look to turn a corner with the franchise, not necessarily declaring a rebuild, rumors surrounding superstar defensemen Brent Burns and Erik Karlsson have turned up in recent months, with some speculating the Sharks could try to deal one of them. That speculation didn’t seem too off-base, but with the Sharks without a GM for the first time in nearly 20 years and still searching, it was unclear if the team would want to make that sort of franchise-altering trade before making the hire, and if the new hire would want to do such a thing as well.

Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News had a chance to speak to the new man in charge in that of Sharks GM Mike Grier, who touched on Burns’ future in San Jose. Grier said that he would speak with Burns soon and let him lead the way on whether or not he wanted to be dealt, understanding if the former Norris winner wanted to win now, but adding that he had been a “great Shark.” Burns, who has a modified no-trade clause, does in effect lead the way already in this situation, but Grier’s comments show that San Jose is ready to proceed in either direction with the 37-year-old, depending on how their conversation turns out. The defenseman has three more years at $8MM per season left on his contract.

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