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Blues Re-Sign Magnus Paajarvi To One-Year Deal

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NBC Sports is reporting that the St. Louis Blues have re-signed restricted free agent Magnus Paajarvi to a one-year deal. According to CapFriendly, the deal is worth $700K.

The 25-year-old forward played in 48 games and had 9 points (3-6). In the playoffs, Paajarvi saw limited action, playing three games and registering an assist.

After signing Paajarvi, the Blues have just over $8.7MM left in salary cap room.

Central Notes: Blues, Jets, Predators

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Jake Allen is the undisputed #1 goalie in St. Louis writes Jeremy Rutherford as the Blues are no longer looking to platoon the position. After being a tandem with Brian Elliott, who was dealt to Calgary, Allen is now the top goaltender in the organization. General manager Doug Armstrong, goalie coach Jim Corsi, and assistant manager Martin Brodeur believe that it’s Allen’s turn, and like many other clubs around the league, are willing to hand the reins to a younger netminder.

  • While the Winnipeg Jets recently signed 2016 second overall pick Patrik Laine to an entry level deal, it’s the organization’s 2015 draft pick who is looking to make a stride within the organization. The Winnipeg Sun’s Ken Wiebe writes that Kyle Connor, a Hobey Baker finalist, is ready to take the next step as an NHL player. Connor spent last season with the University of Michigan and scored 35 goals in just 38 games. He also notched 71 points. Though the ice is crowded with forwards for the Jets, Connor is confident that if he does the right things, the impact he made at Michigan will be similar in Winnipeg.
  • The Tennessean’s Adam Vingan writes about the impact of newly acquired P.K. Subban and how the larger than life defenseman will have no problem fitting into his new surroundings. While many speculated that Montreal bench boss Michel Therrien and Subban were at odds because of a personality clash, Vingan reports that Nashville coach Peter Laviolette is of a similar no-nonsense mentality. The difference, Vingan writes, is that the Preds stand to benefit from Subban’s “on the edge” and also takes chances, something he feels benefits the Predators style of play. Vingan goes further by quoting NHL Network analyst Kevin Weekes, who stated that Subban wanted to be with an organization that values him. Weekes added that he thought “there are so many similarities between a place like Nashville and P.K.”

Vesey Remains Committed To Free Agency

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Jimmy Vesey will wait a little longer before deciding his future.

The Harvard grad says he’s committed to becoming an unrestricted free agent, but that won’t happen until August 15. The end-of-summer signing period won’t prevent him from being heavily sought-after. While Vesey has never publicly revealed his shortlist, Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe reports Toronto, Boston, Buffalo, both New York teams, New Jersey, and “potentially” St. Louis and Philadelphia having potentially having major interest.

Vesey was drafted 66th overall in 2012 by the Nashville Predators. He played 4 seasons post-draft at Harvard, posting 144 points in 128 games. But when it came time to sign his entry-level contract with the Predators, Vesey declined to put pen to paper, despite allegedly saying he would. Not wanting to lose a good prospect for nothing, the Predators traded Vesey to Buffalo for the 70th pick in this year’s entry draft, recouping the draft pick they spent on Vesey but not the four years of development.

According to Frank Seravalli of TSN, the Sabres plan on making their pitch to Vesey sometime this week, with hopes of convincing him to sign and play with his good friend, Jack Eichel. Vesey and Eichel have been playing together on a summer league team for years now, and Eichel has already given Vesey the talk about Buffalo. However, Vesey’s agent confirmed that free agency is still the plan.

Despite being done school, Vesey will spend his summer doing homework on where he wants to sign. He has family connections in Toronto, with his dad working with the Maple Leafs and his brother being drafted by them. He’s spent four seasons playing in Massachusetts. His good friend plays with Buffalo.

All of the above-listed teams have room for Vesey in their top 6 forwards, and will be getting a highly-motivated player.

Sabres Acquire Anders Nilsson

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Buffalo announced that they have added some goaltending depth on Saturday, acquiring Anders Nilsson from St. Louis in exchange for a 2017 5th round pick.

Last season, Nilsson played in 29 games, split between Edmonton and St. Louis.  He compiled a 10-13-2 record with a 3.12 GAA and a .901 SV%.  In 52 career games (with the Islanders, Oilers, and Blues), he has a 19-22-4 record with a 3.09 GAA and a .900 SV%.

Nilsson was deemed expendable by the Blues following Friday’s signing of Carter Hutton to a two year contract.  As for Buffalo, they had a vacancy between the pipes after Chad Johnson inked a one year pact with Calgary.  His arrival should allow youngster Linus Ullmark to stay in the AHL to start next season.

After the deal, General Fanager reports that Nilsson has signed on with the Sabres for $1MM, on a one-year deal.

Central Notes: Blackhawks, Blues, Stars, Wild

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The Chicago Blackhawks welcomed Brian Campbell back into the fold with a one-year, $2MM deal on Friday. Hawks beat writer Chris Kuc writes that not only does the decision strengthen the Blackhawks top four defensemen, but that it brings back a player who always wanted to return. The signing was lauded by Blackhawk superstars Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, and was a move that general manager Stan Bowman made for a defenseman he feels has an “underrated” game. In 2015-16, Campbell was a +31 and registered 31 points (6-25).

  • The St. Louis Blues are grappling with the loss of two major leaders in their locker room writes Jeremy Rutherford. When David Backes signed with Boston and Troy Brouwer headed to Calgary, Rutherford reports that the roster is a far cry from the one that propelled the Blues to a Western Conference Final trip in 2016. The Blues will also have to name a new captain for the first time since 2011, and general manager Doug Armstrong said that the term Backes was looking for served as a pause for his re-signing. On Brouwer, Rutherford writes that Armstrong countered with what he thought was a strong deal, but at the end of the day, the winger decided on Calgary’s offer instead.
  • Yahoo’s Greg Wyshynski writes that Dallas’ signing of defenseman Dan Hamhuis was “genius.” Wyshynski notes that the term and amount (two-year, $3.75MM) is a bargain for a defenseman the Stars wanted to acquire at the trade deadline.  Mike Heika reports that the Stars got the man that is the best fit for their team, and also at a price and term that is very flexible. Heika sees Hamhuis as a natural pairing with Stars youngster John Klingberg for bench boss Lindy Ruff.
  • The Star Tribune’s Michael Russo reports on what the Wild could look like on the ice next season. Russo pencils newly acquired Eric Staal in the middle with Zach Parise at left wing and also indicates that the Wild are talking with free agent Matt Cullen, who is fresh off a Stanley Cup win with the Penguins. Russo adds that Cullen’s intrigue with the Wild would be that close friend Staal signed yesterday.

Blues Sign Allen To Four-Year Extension

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According to the team, the St. Louis Blues have signed starting goaltender Jake Allen to a four-year extension worth a total of $17.4MM.  This comes after the team dealt Brian Elliott to Calgary last week, clearing the way for Allen to become their undisputed number one netminder.  He will join Carter Hutton, who signed with the Blues earlier today, as their goalie tandem.

Last season, Allen played in 47 games with St. Louis, compiling a 26-15-3 record with a 2.35 GAA, .920 SV%, and six shutouts.  Those 47 games are a career high, something that will likely change this year as he should see much more of the workload with Elliott gone.  He also got into four postseason contests (Elliott was the starter for most of their playoff run), going 2-1-1 with a 2.49 GAA and a .897 SV%.

In his NHL career – all spent with the Blues – the soon-to-be 26 year old has a 57-26-7 record in 99 games with a 2.34 GAA and a .915 SV%.

Blues Sign Carter Hutton

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Elliotte Friedman reports that the St. Louis Blues have signed former Nashville Predators backup Carter Hutton to a two-year deal with a cap hit of $1.125MM.  He will replace the recently-traded Brian Elliott in their goalie tandem, joining Jake Allen, who signed an extension earlier today.

Hutton suited up as the backup for the Preds last season behind incumbent Pekka Rinne.  He posted a 7-5-4 record with a 2.33 GAA and a .918 SV%, both career bests.  He also picked up two shutouts.  Hutton also got into three postseason contests in relief, posting a 3.00 GAA and a .667 SV%.

In his four year NHL career split between Chicago and Nashville, he has played in 76 games, collecting a 33-24-12 record with a 2.56 GAA and a .910 SV% with four shutouts.

St. Louis Signs David Perron For Two Years

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According to Gene Principe of Sportsnet, the St. Louis Blues have signed free agent forward David Perron to a two-year contract worth $7.5MM.  Perron was originally drafted by the Blues in the first round (26th overall) back in 2007.

Perron got off to a slow start last season with Pittsburgh, picking up just four goals and 12 assists in 43 games.  However, a midseason trade to Anaheim for Carl Hagelin seemed to revitalize him, as he scored eight times and added 12 assists in just 28 games with the Ducks despite playing less ice time per game than he did with the Penguins.  He also added a goal and two assists in Anaheim’s first round playoff loss.

In his career, Perron has played in 570 career NHL games between St. Louis, Pittsburgh, and Anaheim, recording 141 goals and 191 assists.

 

Snapshots: Ladd, Blues, Brouwer, Lucic, Staal, Eriksson, Avalanche, Vanek

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Thursday is the final day of the free agent interview period before the craziness begins on Friday.  The Islanders have brought left winger Andrew Ladd in for a visit, reports Newsday’s Arthur Staple.  Ladd picked up 25 goals last season split between Winnipeg and Chicago and will be one of the most sought after forwards to hit the market on Friday.

Other free agent news and notes:

  • The Blues will likely look to add a couple of forwards and a backup goaltender in free agency, suggests Fox Sports Midwest’s Andy Strickland. Louis has a pair of key forwards heading to market in David Backes and Troy Brouwer that will need to be replaced if they don’t re-sign.  The team expects Vladimir Sobotka back, but he is more likely to be a bottom six piece while the other two are top six forwards.
  • Speaking of Brouwer, he met with the Flames earlier this week and is building an offseason home there, reports ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun. In that same piece Brouwer notes that he has also been in talks about returning to the Blues.
  • Milan Lucic met with representatives from Dallas, including owner Tom Gaglardi, on Wednesday, reports TSN’s Frank Seravelli.
  • Eric Staal has received interest from the Predators, writes Adam Vingan of The Tennessean. Vingan adds that Nashville has reached out to Ladd as well as Loui Eriksson.
  • The odds of Eriksson and Boston getting a deal done by Friday unless things change drastically, writes WEEI’s D.J. Bean. Eight teams have reportedly shown interest in the 30 year old, including the Canadiens.
  • James Mirtle of The Globe and Mail suggests Colorado “has something big brewing”.  No further specifics are known at this time.
  • Michael Russo of The Star Tribune reports that Los Angeles, Arizona, Chicago, and Vancouver are among the teams that have reached out to the recently bought out Thomas Vanek.

Minor Transactions: 06/29/16

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Here is where we’ll keep track of the day’s minor transactions:

  • The St. Louis Blues have come to an agreement with AHL winger Jordan Caron, reports the team site. The former Boston Bruin had 36 points in 70 games with the Chicago Wolves last season. He has 157 NHL games in his career, tallying 28 points.
  • Former NHLer Evgeny Artyukhin signed on to remain with his Russian club Sibir Novosibirsk, says KHL insider Aivis Kalnins. The 33-year old once was a promising youngster in the NHL, but could never catch on. He played in 199 career NHL games, scoring 19 goals and 30 assists.
  • The Columbus Blue Jackets, fresh off inking Seth Jones to a long-term deal, have also come to terms with third overall pick Pierre-Luc Dubois on an entry-level contract, per Darren Dreger of TSN. Dubois was a surprise choice at #3, with many expecting the team to draft Finnish winger Jesse Puljujarvi (who eventually went to Edmonton with the next pick).
  • The Panthers have reached an agreement with recently non-qualified free agent Greg McKegg per General Fanager. It’s a two-way deal worth $700K at the NHL level, and $115K if he’s in the AHL. McKegg played 15 games for the Panthers last season, putting up two points.
  • The Sabres have re-signed RFA Casey Nelson to a two-year deal, the team released. The NCAA standout made his NHL debut last season, adding four assists in seven games down the stretch. He went undrafted and originally signed in March after Minnesota State University’s season ended.

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