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Klim Kostin Now Free To Sign With St. Louis Blues

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The drama that is Dynamo Moscow continued today, with the team releasing most of their players due to unpaid wages going back almost a year. The new owners would not honor those debts, and instead have given freedom to the vast majority of their players. One of those players is Klim Kostin, the 31st overall pick at the draft and St. Louis Blues prospect.

Kostin is now free to sign an entry-level deal with the Blues, and already attended their development camp last week. At camp, Kostin turned many heads and has an outside shot of even playing in the NHL this season. More likely, he’ll head to the AHL next season after expressing that he will not suit up for Kootenay of the CHL. Interestingly, St. Louis doesn’t have a primary AHL affiliate this season, meaning Kostin would either go to the Chicago Wolves (Vegas Golden Knights) or somewhere else around the league.

Evening Notes: Blackhawks, Flyers, Palmquist

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The Minnesota Wild have locked up 26 year-old defenseman Zach Palmquist to a one-year, two way contract, per Renaud Lavoie. The NHL value of the contract is $725,000. Palmquist has not yet played an NHL game, but played in 72 games for the AHL affiliate Iowa Wild last season. Palmquist is a low-scoring two-way defender, but at barely 6 foot tall, relies more on his skating and stick-checking to find success. He has a decent, accurate pass but cannot be relied upon for consistent offensive production. Still, he was trapped in a gigantic logjam with the glut of defensemen in the Minnesota system. Perhaps he finally gets his cup of tea as a bottom-pairing defender in 2017-18.

  • Mark Lazarus of the Chicago Sun-Times contemplates the effect the Chicago overhaul will have on on-ice performance next season. He’s quick to point out that the 2016-17 Blackhawks had the second-best record in franchise history, which is quite storied. That said, it seems unlikely that the Hawks will be able to replicate that regular season success with such incredible turnover. Lazarus may be a little premature in his worry about post-season contention or management firings, but GM Stan Bowman and coach Joel Quenneville will undoubtedly start feeling heat if the season starts off on a sour note. Losing Artemi Panarin and Niklas Hjalmarsson in particular have drawn ire from the fanbase, and it will be interesting to see how much faith ownership maintains if Chicago struggles early in the incredibly deep Central division. Although many of the moves were made out of salary cap necessity, the expectation is to win.
  • The Flyers never do seem to fully alleviate their goaltending troubles. Bob Ford of the Philadelphia Inquirer is quick to point out that free-agent acquisition Brian Elliott is not the answer to all their woes in between the pipes. He points out with particular concern the unlikelihood of Michal Neuvirth playing a full 40+ game split, which he hasn’t done outside of one season. Ford also attacks the tandem goaltending model, stating that it rarely finds success – though that is certainly a matter of debate. Elliott himself had his best season of his career for the 2011-12 Blues in a tandem with Jaroslav Halak. Ultimately, the franchise seems to be pinning its long-term hopes on either Carter Hart,18  or Felix Sandstrom, 20 – but neither is a sure thing. GM Ron Hextall is still not sold on Anthony Stolarz (even after protecting him in the expansion draft) and will watch his progress closely next season with the AHL Phantoms in Lehigh Valley.

Boston Bruins Sign AHL MVP Kenny Agostino

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As noted earlier today and now confirmed by TSN’s Bob McKenzie, the Boston Bruins have signed left winger Kenny Agostino to a one-year, one-way contract worth $875K. The former Yale standout will return to New England in hopes of finally getting a long NHL look. The Bruins have been fairly quiet on the first day of free agency, signing only Agostino, Paul Postma, and re-signing Jordan Szwarz. However, of the three signings, Agostino by far has the highest potential to impact the 2017-18 team.

In 2016-17, Agostino was awarded the AHL’s MVP award after registering 24 goals and 59 assists for 83 points in just 65 games with the Chicago Wolves, the former affiliate of the St. Louis Blues. Agostino led the league in scoring by 15 points and was the top assist man by 11. He also played to a +24 and was a point-per-game player in the postseason as well. In the NHL, Agostino also contributed a goal and two assists in seven games. While Agostino has never had any sustained success at the highest level, the 25-year-old has the tools to succeed if given the chance.

In Boston, Agostino should at least be given some opportunity. Many felt that the Bruins needed a top-six left winger, but GM Don Sweeney has indicated that he did not want to block the development of their younger players  like Jake DeBrusk, Peter Cehlarik, and Anders Bjork. Between Matt Beleskey, Frank Vatrano, and now Agostino, the Bruins have multiple player they can try out on the third and fourth line before dipping into the minors. If it doesn’t work out with Agostino, the Bruins also stand a good chance of passing the 25-year-old through waivers if need be. It is a very low-risk, high-upside signing for Sweeney and company.

St. Louis Blues Sign Bennett, Thorburn, Sundqvist

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The St. Louis Blues have signed a number of free agents, inking Beau Bennett to a one-year $650K contract, Chris Thorburn to a two-year, $1.8MM deal and restricted free agent Oskar Sundqvist to a one-year, $650K contract.

Bennett wasn’t issued a qualifying offer from the New Jersey Devils this week, making him a free agent at just 25 years old. The 20th-overall selection in 2010, Bennett has performed admirably as a bottom-six player and has some offensive upside to his game. He’ll fit in nicely as a big body to replace some of the outgoing size of Ryan Reaves for the Blues.

Thorburn, selected by the Vegas Golden Knights from the Winnipeg Jets at the expansion draft, is more of a 13th forward at this point in his career but locked up a two-year deal regardless. The 34-year old is willing to drop the gloves for a teammate, and has logged 750 games in his career as a fourth-line energy player.

Sundqvist was part of the deal that saw Reaves head to Pittsburgh, and will see if he can break through into the NHL in St. Louis. In 28 games so far in his career he has just four points, but found his scoring touch in the minor leagues. With 20 goals and 46 points, many believe he could develop into a legitimate power winger in the NHL one day, at least able to contribute double-digit goals.

It will be interesting to see where he plays this year, as the Blues are operating without a primary AHL affiliate. They will supply players to the Chicago Wolves who are now affiliated with Vegas, but also send certain players throughout the minor leagues. If Sundqvist is playing in Chicago, he’ll be under the tutelage of the Golden Knights’ coaching staff.

2017 NHL Free Agency Tracker

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Stay with PHR for all of the free agency signings this off-season. As of noon ET on July 1st, unrestricted free agency is open, but not before many extensions earlier in June. This page serves to organize everything in one spot, and are linked to the PHR story that corresponds with the signing. All July signings will be separated by date while June signings are organized alphabetically by team. It will be updated as soon as stories post.

Please note that signings on this list start on June 12.

July 1st:

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Morning Notes: Sharp, Bernier, Agostino

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It’s been a wild few weeks for the Chicago Blackhawks, including the departures of several key players like Niklas Hjalmarsson, Artemi Panarin, and Trevor van Riemsdyk, but the Western Conference dynasty appears to be bringing back a fan-favorite when free agency opens today to help deal with those losses. The Chicago Sun Times’ Mark Lazerus reports, as speculated, that Patrick Sharp will return to Chicago for the coming season. While details of the deal – term, salary, incentives – are not yet known, the deal is expected to be made official promptly after free agency opens at noon ET. Sharp, 35, is a three-time Stanley Cup winner with the Blackhawks and an eight-time 20-goal scorer over his impressive career. Sharp was essentially forced out of Chicago in the off-season two years ago, as the ’Hawks could not muster the cap space to re-sign the prominent forward. The Dallas Stars could, but after a strong 55-point campaign in 2015-16, Sharp struggled with injury and inconsistency this past season, recording just 18 points in 48 games. Age and health have clearly softened Sharp’s edge, but if he is going to rejuvenate his career at this age for any team, it will be in a return to Chicago and his former teammates. Sharp will join Brandon Saad as returning Blackhawks this off-season if this deal does come to fruition this afternoon.

  • Adrian Dater of BSN Denver was busy late last night, breaking the news that Jonathan Bernier is expected to sign with his Colorado Avalanche today. The Avs recently lost young backup Calvin Pickard in the expansion draft and were on the lookout for a reliable backup to Semyon Varlamov. While Bernier has been rumored to sign anywhere from the Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins to a return to the Anaheim Ducks, the fit in Colorado makes sense. One could argue that Bernier is coming off the best season of his career in 2016-17 and will have a chance to be more of a “1B” than a definite #2 with the Avalanche. Per usual, there is still no word on the details of the deal that cannot be consummated until later today.
  • Dater also reported that the Boston Bruins are set to make a small, but interesting move today, as they have supposedly come to terms with AHL MVP Kenny Agostino on a short-term contract worth $850K. The high-scoring minor league left wing has seen only limited NHL action, but over the course of an 83-point season with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves last season, he also contributed a goal and two assists in seven games with the St. Louis Blues. The Bruins were known to have some concerns over the potential of Matt Beleskey and Frank Vatrano to play top-six roles on the left side next season, but were also worried about blocking up-and-coming prospects like Jake DeBrusk, Peter Cehlarik, Anders Bjork, and more. The Agostino signing would add another option at a relatively cheap price and (likely) the flexibility of a two-way contract as well. The details will be revealed a few hours from now.
  • In more concrete news, the KHL’s Barys Astana has signed former Washington Capitals prospect Darren Dietz, according to European hockey insider Aivis Kalnins. Dietz was not tendered a qualifying offer by the Capitals by last Monday’s deadline and became an unrestricted free agent. Without any NHL interest, Dietz will try his hand at Russian pro hockey rather than a minor league deal to remain in North America.

East Notes: Smith, Daley, Kunitz

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When it came down to it, Brendan Smith felt no one else could beat what the Rangers offered. NHL.com’s Dan Rosen writes that the 28-year-old defenseman felt the Rangers provided the best opportunity after hearing other teams out:

“I think I could be a big part of that team,” Smith said. “I kind of like the niche that the Rangers have. They’re a little bit younger. I noticed that we are ahead of what I expected the Rangers to be with all these young guys.”

Smith was acquired from the Detroit Red Wings for a 2018 second round pick and a 2017 third round pick, but it wasn’t as if the Rangers didn’t benefit, either. Smith shifted into a more prominent role with the Blueshirts, whereas in Detroit, he found himself a healthy scratch or in the opinion of some fans, “misused” in terms of deployment. In nearly half as many games, Smith nearly matched his production with Detroit and saw a 90 second jump in average ice time. Smith alluded to the trade being a better fit and the stats show, especially after an impressive performance in the playoffs.

  • The Red Wings, meanwhile, appear to be closing in on signing Trevor Daley to a contract. Surprisingly, Daley seems to have left the Pens out, which is odd since he nabbed two Stanley Cups in as many years with the Penguins. The Score’s Josh Gold-Smith writes that the Bruins and Red Wings were the front runners for Daley’s services while Elliott Friedman tweeted that the Red Wings were more than likely to sign him. Sean Tierney of the Athletic analyzed some of the defensemen Detroit should target and Daley, though on the list, doesn’t measure up statistically with some of the other options out there. Tierney used an advanced metric, Goals Above Replacement, which measures a “single-measure stat that sums up the contributions a player makes during the course of a game.” Measured that way, Daley doesn’t appear to be one of the more attractive options. But should the deal come at an affordable price, it could be something that bolsters the Red Wings blueline, or help the Red Wings out at the trade deadline should they want to acquire more draft picks.
  • Chris Kunitz might find himself on the outs with the Penguins writes Fanrag’s Dave Holcomb. With a glut of forwards and specifically wings, Kunitz might find himself on the outside looking in with so many younger players filling the roster. Holcomb gauges that after the Pens bring back Matt Cullen and Nick Bonino, Kunitz may have a better idea of if he’ll be back.

St. Louis Blues Re-Sign Magnus Paajarvi

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The St. Louis Blues have locked up a young forward for another year, inking Magnus Paajarvi to a one-year deal worth $800K. Paajarvi was a restricted free agent, but will now hit the open market in a year as a UFA.

At 26, Paajarvi has yet to really pay off the 10th-overall selection that was used to select him. Edmonton, the team who drafted him, traded him along with a second-round pick for David Perron in 2013, and since then he’s been a part-time player in St. Louis. Last year, in 32 games with the Blues he scored 13 points and showed flashes of the potential they’d hoped for. In 26 games with the Chicago Wolves on the AHL, he registered 18 points.

Committing just $800K to him is a small risk for the Blues, but does take another little chunk out of what they have left under the cap. As we said yesterday when the team announced Patrik Berglund would miss the first chunk of the season, a Colton Parayko contract looks poised to take up a majority of their remaining cap space. With just over $10MM left, the team will likely have to clear out some room if they want to be players in free agency.

For Paajarvi, this is a chance to really impress and enter next summer as a sought-after free agent. With the pedigree down, if he can find a way to become the fast, power winger with 20+ goal upside, you could imagine a lineup for his services next year. That said, even a full-time role in a bottom-six would look nice right now, as the last time he played in 80 games he scored 34 points as a 19-year old. That’s what the Blues are hoping for, and what would make next summer very interesting.

St. Louis Blues Sign Chris Butler

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The run on AHL veterans continues, as the St. Louis Blues have signed Chris Butler to a two-year, two-way contract. Butler was set to become an unrestricted free agent once again.

Now 30, Butler spent almost the entire 2016-17 season in the AHL with the Chicago Wolves after what has been an interesting NHL career. Selected 96th overall by the Buffalo Sabres, Butler showed off his offensive chops at the University of Denver for three years before jumping to the professional ranks. He almost immediately became a big part of the Sabres blueline, all the way up to a trade that took him out west.

Dealt in a package for Robyn Regehr and Ales Kotalik, Butler would spend several years with the Calgary Flames before eventually took a deal with the St. Louis Blues. Since then he’s been working on one-year contracts, making this a nice bit of stability for him and his family for the next couple of years. A veteran of 388 NHL games, Butler could provide some injury insurance for the Blues if they were ever in a jam.

Patrik Berglund Undergoes Surgery, Out Until December

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In an announcement that might explain their acquisition of Brayden Schenn even more, the St. Louis Blues have revealed that Patrik Berglund underwent left shoulder surgery yesterday and will be out until December. The injury happened during his offseason training in Sweden.

Berglund is just heading into a new five-year contract extension that will pay him $3.85MM per season, and was set to start the season as one of the centers for the Blues. Instead, he’ll miss almost the first half of the season and the Blues will scramble to fill the position. Luckily, they acquired Schenn from the Philadelphia Flyers on the weekend and have several players who can move to the middle. Alex Steen, Vladimir Sobotka, Kyle Brodziak, Zachary Sanford, Ivan Barbashev and Oskar Sundqvist all have various levels of experience in the middle, giving the Blues several options behind Schenn and Paul Stastny.

Even so, losing Berglund for that amount of time is a painful hit to a team looking to contend this year. His 23 goals were a career high and actually ranked second on the team, and he’s a responsible checker capable of providing minutes in all situations. The Blues don’t have a ton of room to spend on free agency for another fix, as the majority of their cap room is going to be eaten up by a Colton Parayko extension. They have more than enough depth to fill his role, though a lesser addition to the wing may still be in the cards for the summer.

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