Leafs Re-Sign Zach Hyman
The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed forward Zach Hyman to a four-year contract extension, thereby avoiding arbitration. The cap value is $2.25 AAV, but breaks down in real dollars as $2 MM annually for the next two seasons, and $2.5 MM annually for the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons. Hyman applied for arbitration today, but the parties were able to come to a deal without needed to fully exercise that option.
Hyman is an intriguing piece of Toronto’s impressive young roster. This deal could be a real bargain for Toronto as they try to squeeze other youngsters’ new contracts under the cap in coming off-seasons. Hyman looks to be a consistent 40 point player and for the other assets he brings, this is more than fair value. The 25-year-old is a bit of a late bloomer, just playing his first full NHL season this year, racking up 10 goals and 18 assists through 82 games. Under Mike Babcock, the nuts-and-bolts forward has really developed his overall game. He’s a sparkplug on the ice and is agile on his feet. He also plays bigger than his 6’0 frame, getting in on the forecheck and generally being an annoyance to opposing defensemen.
Hyman has also showed chemistry with standout rookie and probable franchise player Auston Matthews, playing a good portion of the season on his left wing. Hyman tends to do the dirty work in front of the net and in the corners while Matthews finds soft spots in coverage. He is versatile, however, and can slot up and down the lineup as needed. He can play both wings with relative proficiency, as well as center in a pinch. As a third wheel for any of the high-flying offensive threats the team has, he’s a wonderfully useful player. Toronto is likely most happy about the ability to buy out some of his unrestricted years while Hyman is likely grateful for the security. There’s not much to complain about for fans of the team, as Toronto was able to avoid the single or two year deal that would have resulted from the arbitration process.
Of note, this deal currently puts the Toronto Maple Leafs at $3.93 MM over the cap ceiling. Teams are allowed to exceed the cap ceiling in the off-season by 10 percent in the off-season, but must be compliant by the start of the year. The team still also is expected to re-sign RFA Connor Brown, but they will have both Joffrey Lupul and Nathan Horton headed to LTIR once the season begins.
Who’s Playing On Another Team’s Dime?
The most recent CBA introduced retained salary transactions—trades where a team trade a player but agree to pay a percentage of his salary. This is ideal when a team wants a player but will have trouble fitting him in under the cap. The ability to retain salary comes with restrictions, however, so let’s briefly look at how retained salary transactions work before looking at which players are subject to them.
- A team can retain up to 50% of a player’s average salary (including bonuses);
- The retained salary amount is uniform over the full length of the player’s contract;
- A team can retain up to three players’ salary at one time;
- A team cannot have more than 15% of the salary cap devoted to retained salary;
- A team cannot retain salary on a player who is already subject to two current retained salary transactions;
- If a team acquires a player with retained salary, then trades him while also retaining salary, the second retained salary agreement cannot modify the initial retained salary agreement;
- Teams cannot reacquire a player within a year of trading him if it agreed to retain salary in the initial transaction (unless the player’s contract terminated);
- Retained salary obligations apply to any cap advantage recapture amounts; and
- Retained salary obligations still apply if a player is bought out or loaned to an AHL club. The NHL team would pay a portion of the player’s AHL salary (if applicable).
Dominic Toninato Will Not Sign With Toronto Maple Leafs
- According to Zach Schneider of KBJR 6 in Minnesota, Toronto Maple Leafs’ draft pick Dominic Toninato will not sign with the team and instead become a free agent in August. Toninato finished his senior season at the University of the Minnesota-Duluth and needs to sign somewhere, but the Maple Leafs are close to their contract limit and couldn’t fit him in. Should he not be able to find an ELC somewhere around the league, there is always the possibility the Maple Leafs could circle back and sign him to an AHL contract.
Joe Thornton Re-Signs With San Jose Sharks
July 2: The Sharks have officially announced the signing. His agency, Top Shelf Hockey, reports via Twitter that Thornton will earn $8MM in 2017-18. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun adds (Twitter link) that the base salary is $6.75MM while he gets a $1.25MM signing bonus as well.
July 1: After all of the rumor and intrigue surrounding “Jumbo” Joe Thornton seeking a three-year deal and speaking with many teams other than the San Jose Sharks, NBC Sports’ California correspondent Kevin Kurz is reporting that Thornton has actually re-signed in San Jose for just one year. According to Bob McKenzie, the deal is worth more than $6 MM, and Fox Sports Northwest’s Andy Strickland has the exact total at $6.5 MM. This is nowhere near the paycut many experts expected from his previous $6.75 MM. In a weak UFA class, however, he ended up getting more AAV than many of the larger names out there.
The probable future Hall-of-Fame center has 1007 career assists, good for 13th all time. He only had 7 goals last season make up his 50 points in 2016-17, however, his lowest total in a full season. It was anticipated by many that perhaps fellow long-time shark Patrick Marleau would sign first, but the offer from San Jose and the allure of home was too much to keep Thornton from signing on the dotted line.
Thornton is obviously slowing down a step, but he is still one of the best playmakers in the game. His work on the powerplay is masterful and he has jump-started many younger players’ careers. On a one-year deal, there seems to be little downside to the Sharks, as he can still be a productive member of a top-9 offensive unit while providing solid defensive play. The price is a bit high, and it remains to be seen whether that will affect any potential negotiations with Marleau.
Toronto Signs Patrick Marleau To 3-Year Deal
The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced that they have signed unrestricted free agent Patrick Marleau to a three-year deal, $18.75MM with the average annual value set for $6.25MM. Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston tweets he has a full no-movement clause included in his deal. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun tweets that the deal will include a large signing bonus, just as the case was for Carey Price‘s deal earlier today. He will receive $14.5MM in signing bonus money, split up with $7MM coming to him in the first year, followed by $4.5MM in year two and $3MM in the final year of the contract. The three-year pact means that Marleau will be 40 during the last year of his $6.25 contract.
Reported earlier on PHR, the 37-year-old wing was considering several offers, including a two-year offer from San Jose, but the rumor was that Toronto had the most impressive offer and Marleau took it. Having spent the past 19 years in San Jose, he will move on to the young, rising Maple Leafs squad and team with the young core of Auston Matthews, William Nylander and Mitch Marner to help them take the next step. With this move, it seems obvious that the Maple Leafs plan to go all-out in hopes of capturing a Stanley Cup while they have their young core under rookie contracts. It is likely Marleau will be paired with both Matthews and Nylander as their first line.
For San Jose, the veteran team loses one of its most important players in their history. Marleau accumulated 508 goals and 1,082 points in his tenure with the Sharks and was rarely hurt, having played every game for the last eight seasons and only missing a total of 31 games in his career, according to Johnston. Although the team was able to lock up38-year-old Joe Thornton yesterday to a one-year, $6.5MM deal (although that deal is not official yet), the team lost out on one of their top goal scorers and will be hard-pressed to replace him, especially after the team struggled in the playoffs and were bounced in the first round. Those two have been playing together for the last 12 years.
Marleau Deciding Between San Jose, Toronto
Patrick Marleau‘s name has appeared everywhere as one of the top free agents that remain after the first day of free agency. The 37-year-old wing, who will turn 38 before the season gets underway, has played 19 years in San Jose and hasn’t slowed down one bit. His 27 goals are his best since the 2013-14 season and the veteran has always been consistent and healthy. So, what’s taking so long?
NBC Sports’ Kevin Kurz says that while the Sharks offered him a two-year deal on Friday, Marleau is considering other offers, despite the fact that linemate and friend Joe Thornton has already agreed to a one-year deal with the Sharks. It seems that Marleau has received multiple offers that trump San Jose’s offer and Kurz writes that the Toronto Maple Leafs offer is quite a bit better. While it would have to be a tough decision to leave a place after 19 years, it might make sense. Even with Thornton returning, the Sharks failed to get out of the first round last year, suffering a loss to a young and emerging Edmonton team, and the Sharks seem to be developing into a franchise that may have to reverse course soon and begin a youth movement. Heading to Toronto and an up-and-coming team (along with the better offer) might be a better way to go. Playing with the young core of players like Auston Matthews, William Nylander and Mitch Marner could be enticing to the veteran. According to Kurz, no one has any idea of what Marleau will decide and there is genuine concern among Sharks’ management that he may leave.
On another note, while Thornton has agreed to a one-year deal that TSN’s Bob McKenzie writes will be a $6.5MM deal, it still hasn’t become official. Kurz said that there is nothing to worry about. He believes that Thornton is waiting for Marleau to make his decision so they can be announced together, like he did in 2014. Thornton agreed to a one year deal, although Kurz says he was offered a two-year deal, like Marleau, on Friday. It’s likely that the one-year deal offered more.
Dominic Moore Signs One-Year Deal With Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed forward Dominic Moore to a one-year deal worth $1MM. Moore spent parts of two seasons with the Maple Leafs between 2007-09, and returns at the age of 36. Moore was perhaps one of the better faceoff specialists out there today, and it’s interesting to see him only earn a one-year contract.
Obviously his age was a concern, but he has shown little signs of slowing down. He had a solid bounce-back season in Boston after a subpar 2015-16 in New York, tallying 11 goals and 14 assists in Beantown. He’s played for a total of 9 NHL teams, but has never won a championship. He earned the Masterton in 2014 and has been respected league-wide as a solid two-way presence who can assist penalty kill units. His talents are probably best utilized now in a 4th-line center position, where he can play limited minutes.
Toronto finished worst among all playoff teams with 2.43 Goals Against per 60 minutes. Playing a more defensively responsible game will be imperative if the team is to take another step forward. The addition earlier today of Ron Hainsey will help on the back-end. Moore’s stabilizing presence should provide an example for the younger Leaf forwards to follow in terms of playing a 200-foot game.
2017 NHL Free Agency Tracker
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:
- Anaheim re-signs Cam Fowler (8 years/$52MM)
- Anaheim signs Ryan Miller (2 years/$4MM)
- Arizona signs Adam Clendening (1 year/$650K)
- Boston signs Paul Postma (1 year/$725K)
- Buffalo signs Benoit Pouliot (1 year/$1.15MM)
- Buffalo signs Chad Johnson (1 year/$2.5MM)
- Carolina signs Justin Williams (2 years/$9MM)
- Chicago signs Patrick Sharp (1 year/$1MM)
- Chicago signs J-F Berube (2 years/$3MM)
- Chicago signs Jordan Oesterle (2 years/$1.3MM)
- Colorado signs Jonathan Bernier (1 year/$2.75MM)
- Dallas signs Martin Hanzal (3 years/$14.25MM)
- Dallas signs Tyler Pitlick (3 years/$3MM)
- Detroit signs Trevor Daley (3 years/$9.534MM)
- Florida signs Radim Vrbata (1 year/$2.5MM)
- Los Angeles signs Mike Cammalleri (1 year)
- Los Angeles signs Cal Petersen ( 2 year ELC)
- Los Angeles signs Christian Folin (1 year/$850K)
- Minnesota signs Ryan Murphy (1 year/$700k)
- Minnesota signs Landon Ferraro (2 years/$1.4MM)
- Minnesota signs Kyle Quincey (1 year/$1.25MM)
- Minnesota signs Cal O’Reilly (2 years/$1.4MM)
- Montreal signs Kyle Alzner (5 years/$22.5MM)
- Montreal signs Byron Froese
- Montreal signs Peter Holland
- Nashville signs Nick Bonino (4 years)
- Nashville signs Scott Hartnell (1 year/$1MM)
- Nashville signs Anders Lindback (1 year/$650K)
- Nashville signs Matt O’Connor (1 year/$650K)
- New Jersey signs Brian Boyle (2 years/$5.1MM)
- NY Rangers sign Ondrej Pavelec (1 year/$1.3MM)
- NY Rangers sign Kevin Shattenkirk (4 year/$26.6MM)
- Ottawa signs Nate Thompson (2 years/$3.3MM)
- Philadelphia re-signs Mike Vecchione (2 years/$1.88MM)
- Pittsburgh signs Antti Niemi (1 year/$700K)
- Pittsburgh signs Matt Hunwick (3 years/$6.75MM
- San Jose re-signs Martin Jones (6 years/$34.5MM)
- San Jose re-signs Marc-Edouard Vlasic (8 years/$56MM)
- San Jose re-signs Joe Thornton
- St. Louis signs Beau Bennett (1 year/$650K)
- St. Louis signs Chris Thorburn (2 years/$1.88MM)
- St. Louis re-signs Oskar Sundqvist (1 year/$650K)
- Tampa Bay signs Dan Girardi (2 years/$6MM)
- Toronto signs Ron Hainsey (2 years/$3.25MM)
- Toronto signs Curtis McElhinney (1 year/$850K)
- Toronto signs Dominic Moore (1 year/$1MM)
- Toronto signs Garret Sparks
- Winnipeg signs Dmitri Kulikov (3 years/$13MM)
- Winnipeg signs Steve Mason (2 years/$8.2MM)
- Vancouver signs Sam Gagner (3 years/$9.45MM)
- Vancouver signs Michael Del Zotto (2 years/$6MM)
- Vancouver signs Anders Nilsson (2 years/$5MM)
Brian Boyle Signs With New Jersey Devils
Bob McKenzie of TSN reports that the New Jersey Devils will likely sign Brian Boyle, and that it will be a two-year contract. The deal is worth $2.55MM per season. Pierre LeBrun of TSN adds that the Toronto Maple Leafs, Boyle’s former team, did not make an offer.
The 32-year-old center had been a bottom-6 center for the Tampa Bay Lightning for several years before they traded him at the deadline for Byron Froese and a second round pick in the 2017 draft. He was having one of his better season for the Lightning at the time, scoring 13 goals and nine assists in the first 54 games of the season, which almost equals his totals for the previous two. However, partially dealing with an injury, he struggled fitting into the Maple Leafs lineup and only tallied three assists in 21 games.
At 6-foot-6 and 245 pounds, the physical forward could be of major use to a young Devils’ squad. The big center even scored 21 goals for the New York Rangers in 2010-11. His specialties—defense, faceoffs and penalty killing—will be a big boost to the Devils as they look to return to relevancy. Hoping to compete for the playoffs this year, Boyle brings ample experience in the postseason with multiple teams.
Ron Hainsey Signs With Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have found their depth defender, signing Ron Hainsey to a two-year, $6MM contract.
Hainsey is coming off the first playoff run of his NHL career, one that ended in celebration with the Pittsburgh Penguins. In over 900 games, the 36-year old has been a solid puck mover for several teams and will look to continue his career with the young Maple Leafs team. After losing Matt Hunwick and Roman Polak to free agency, the Leafs had an opening on their bottom pairing and Hainsey’s versatility—left handed but has experience on both sides—will allow them to make decisions on who else to bring aboard.
The Leafs have several other bottom-pairing options, but aren’t expected to make any big defensive signings on the open market even with a perceived need for a right-handed upgrade. The options, outside of Kevin Shattenkirk of course, aren’t an exciting group. There is still the possibility of a trade, but for now the Maple Leafs seem to be adding depth instead.
Pierre LeBrun of TSN was first to break the deal.