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Minor Transactions: 10/21/20

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The NHL free agent market may have slowed a bit – despite a considerable amount of talent still available – but other leagues are still busy. AHL clubs are cleaning up the fringes of the NHL market, as are European leagues, and NCAA programs are finalizing transfers as they prepare for a hopeful start to the season next month. Here are some of the notable minor moves from today:

  • It was a busy day for the Stockton Heat. The Calgary Flames’ affiliate announced four signings, adding two forwards and two defensemen on one-year deals. Three of the contracts are extensions, as defenders Zac Leslie and Rob Hamilton and grinder Alex Gallant return to Stockton. Leslie, 26, is a former L.A. Kings prospect who led all Heat defensemen in points last season. Hamilton, 26, was also a top-four defenseman last year and led the team in plus/minus. Gallant, 27, is an interesting story. He played hardly any high-level hockey as a prospect, but made a career of his aggressive style, working his way up from the SPHL to the ECHL and then the AHL, logging hundreds of penalty minutes each year. He set a career high in scoring as well last year with five goals and eight points.
  • The other addition to the Heat was Mark Simpson, a hulking forward out of the University of New Brunswick. Simpson, 25, stands 6’5″ and has a more pro-ready build than many players out of the USports system. That might explain why Simpson, who finished outside the top ten in scoring for the Reds this past season, has earned an AHL contract while the program’s other top scorers have not. However, Simpson is likely destined for the ECHL while he continues to develop.
  • After the Florida Panthers opted not to extend him a qualifying offer, defenseman Thomas Schemitsch has decided to take his talents to Cleveland. The AHL’s Cleveland Monsters have announced a one-year contract with Schemitsch, who has spent nearly all of the past four seasons with the AHL’s Springfield Falcons. Schemitsch is a big, two-way blue liner who was a consistent contributor in the minors. He earned an extension from Florida last summer, but it did not yield any top level opportunities. He hopes to prove to the Columbus Blue Jackets’ brass that he is still an NHL-caliber prospect with his play in Cleveland.

Devils Re-Sign Nick Merkley

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Oct 21: New Jersey has officially announced the contract, re-signing Merkley at the terms listed. Merkley is currently playing in Finland where he has four points in seven games but will re-join the team when training camp for the 2020-21 season begins.

Oct 20: The Devils have agreed to terms with one of their remaining restricted free agents as CapFriendly reports (Twitter link) that they’ve re-signed center Nick Merkley to a one-year, two-way contract.  While the qualifying offer deadline was Sunday, the deal is for the terms of that offer, a salary of $874,125K in the NHL and $70K in the minors.

The 23-year-old was a first-round pick of Arizona back in 2015 (30th overall) but he has spent the majority of his professional career at the AHL level so far.  Merkley was a part of the Taylor Hall trade back in December but the change of scenery didn’t change his fortunes too much.

Following the trade, Merkley got into four games with New Jersey and did well with a goal and an assist in that span.  But the majority of his playing time was still in the minors where he picked up eight goals and 11 assists in 28 games with Binghamton, numbers that were close to his 3-13-16 stat line in 26 games with Tucson before the move.

Merkley is now waiver-eligible so he’ll have to pass through the rest of the league unclaimed to return to Binghamton although it’s possible that he’ll be in the mix for a spot near the back of New Jersey’s roster as well.

Meanwhile, the Devils still have some work to do this offseason as they have three remaining restricted free agents in goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood, winger Jesper Bratt, and defenseman Colton White.  None of those players were eligible for salary arbitration.

Maple Leafs Re-Sign Ilya Mikheyev

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The Maple Leafs have avoided salary arbitration with Ilya Mikheyev as the team announced they’ve re-signed the winger to a two-year deal with an AAV of $1.645MM.  Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic adds (Twitter link) that the deal pays $1.1MM in 2020-21 and $2.19MM in 2021-22.

Yesterday, the two sides filed their arbitration submissions with Mikheyev requesting a one-year, $2.7MM pact and Toronto countering with a two-year deal with a $1MM AAV.  With the player filing for the hearing which was scheduled for Wednesday, the Maple Leafs got to choose what the term would have been had they gone through with the proceedings.  As is often the case in these, they settled close to the midpoint of the two filings which was $1.85MM.

The 26-year-old signed with Toronto last offseason and played relatively well in his NHL debut, picking up eight goals and 15 assists in 39 games while logging over 15 minutes per night.  His rookie campaign was cut short due to a wrist injury which cost him 31 games although the delayed start of the playoffs due to the pandemic enabled Mikheyev to return for the postseason in their five-game loss to Columbus.

Despite the inexperience in North America, Mikheyev was eligible for salary arbitration because of his age which allowed him to earn a decent raise on the $925K he made in his rookie year.  Had his case gone to a hearing, it would have been a tricky one to navigate due to the lack of true comparable players in his situation but that’s all moot now.

While the deal gives Toronto a middle-six forward at a decent price tag, it also only buys out his two remaining RFA years, allowing Mikheyev to return to the open market in 2022.  That price tag also was originally set to be higher as Sportsnet’s Luke Fox notes that the original agreement was for slightly more but that the team called back at the last minute to ask him to take a bit less to help them stay cap compliant.

With this contract now done, Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas can now turn his focus to his last remaining NHL-level restricted free agent in defenseman Travis Dermott with recently-acquired winger Joey Anderson also needing a new deal but he will likely be AHL-bound.  Dermott recently wrapped up his entry-level contract and wasn’t eligible for arbitration.  With Toronto likely needing to carry close to a minimum-sized roster and shuffle several entry-level players back and forth with the AHL Marlies as it is to be cap compliant, it’s likely that Dermott’s contract will also be a short one to maintain as much short-term flexibility as possible.

Mikheyev’s agent Dan Milstein was the first to report the contract while Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was first with the AAV.

Predators Re-Sign Rem Pitlick

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Oct 20: Nashville has officially announced the contract for Pitlick, at the same terms that CapFriendly reported.

Oct 18: The Predators have reached an agreement with one of their remaining restricted free agents as CapFriendly reports (Twitter link) that forward Rem Pitlick has accepted his qualifying offer.  It’s a one-year deal worth $874,125 in the NHL and $70K in the minors.

The 23-year-old was a third-round pick of Nashville (76th overall) back in 2016 and turned pro in 2018 following two seasons at the University of Minnesota.  So far, his time in the pros has almost exclusively been with AHL Milwaukee except for one game with the Preds back in 2018-19.  Last season, Pitlick had 20 goals and 16 assists in 63 games for the Admirals before the pandemic put an end to the rest of their season.

Pitlick is still exempt from waivers for the upcoming season and even though the Predators have freed up some roster spots for their prospects, it’s likely that he’ll return to Milwaukee for more development although he will be a candidate to be recalled when injuries arise.

The Predators now have one remaining restricted free agent to deal with in offseason acquisition Luke Kunin.  The winger recently wrapped up his entry-level deal and is not eligible for salary arbitration.

Minor Transactions: 10/20/20

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While NHL teams continue to fill out their rosters and prepare for the 2020-21 season, minor and European leagues also are working on new contracts. We’ll keep track of some of the newsworthy minor transactions right here:

  • Shane Starrett has been signed by the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins to an AHL contract after becoming a Group VI unrestricted free agent. Starrett’s last two contracts were with the Edmonton Oilers, who he joined in 2017 after staring for the Air Force Falcons. The undrafted goaltender had an .874 save percentage in 14 appearances this season.
  • Nail Yakupov is on the move, though it’s not back to North America. The 2012 first overall pick has been traded in the KHL from Amur Khabarovsk to Avangard Omsk, in exchange for monetary compensation. Yakupov had just one goal and seven points in 15 games for Amur.

Kings Re-Sign Bokondji Imama

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Oct. 19: Los Angeles announced the contract today at the previously-reported terms.

Oct. 15: The Kings have taken care of one of their restricted free agents as PuckPedia reports (Twitter link) that they’ve re-signed winger Bokondji Imama to a one-year, two-way deal.  The contract is worth $735K in the NHL and $60K in the minors which means he has accepted his qualifying offer.

The 24-year-old signed with Los Angeles back in 2017 as an undrafted free agent but has not made his way past the minor league ranks just yet.  Last season, he played in 50 games with AHL Ontario, picking up four goals and ten assists along with 134 penalty minutes; all of those numbers were the highest over his three professional seasons.  He has shown some flashes of upside in the past though as he had 41 goals with Saint John of the QMJHL back in 2016-17.

While Imama will be waiver-eligible next season, it’s quite likely that he’ll pass through unclaimed.  Assuming he makes it back to the Reign, he’ll hope to take another step forward offensively to give him a chance of becoming a fourth line recall at some point down the road.

Kings Re-Sign Austin Strand

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Oct. 19: Los Angeles announced the contract today at the previously-reported terms.

Oct. 12: The Kings have agreed to terms on a deal with one of their restricted free agents as PuckPedia reports (Twitter link) that they’ve re-signed defenseman Austin Strand to a one-year, two-way deal.  The contract pays $735K in the NHL and $70K in the minors which means he accepted his qualifying offer.

The 23-year-old signed with Los Angeles as an undrafted free agent back in 2017 and then went to finish off his junior career with WHL Seattle where he flirted with the point per game mark, picking up 25 goals and 39 assists in 69 games.  However, that production hasn’t quite carried over to the professional level.

This past season, Strand played in 41 games with AHL Ontario, picking up eight goals and seven assists in 41 games, numbers that were a bit lower than his rookie campaign.  Nonetheless, he has shown a bit of offensive intrigue which was enough for Los Angeles to tender him his qualifier last week.  Strand will almost certainly start next season with the Reign but could emerge as a recall option if he has a strong start to 2020-21.

Senators Re-Sign J.C. Beaudin

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Oct 19: Ottawa has officially announced the contract, signing Beaudin to a one-year, two-way contract worth $700K at the NHL level. Senators GM Pierre Dorion released a statement on the young forward:

J.C. has established himself as a good depth player within the organization. He made a great impression on the coaching staff both here and in Belleville and was deserving of the opportunities he received in Ottawa throughout last season. It’s a trend we hope to see continue.

Oct 18: The Senators have agreed to terms with one of their remaining free agents as CapFriendly reports (Twitter link) that they’ve signed forward J.C. Beaudin to a one-year, two-way deal.  Instead of taking his qualifying offer, he opted for the league minimum salary at the NHL level to get a $10K raise on his AHL pay from $70K to $80K.

After spending the first two seasons of his entry-level deal, the 22-year-old split last season between Ottawa and their AHL affiliate in Belleville.  At the top level, Beaudin got into 22 games, picking up one assist but had 51 hits while winning 52.5% of his faceoffs.  He was more productive offensively in the minors though with four goals and two assists in 13 games.

Beaudin, who the Sens acquired from Colorado in 2019, is now eligible for waivers so he will have to pass through unclaimed to get back to Belleville although Ottawa could opt to keep him up as a 12th or 13th forward as well.

GM Pierre Dorion still has some work to do with his restricted free agents as winger Connor Brown, center Chris Tierney, and defenseman Christian Jaros remain unsigned.  All have filed for arbitration with Brown’s hearing slated for Thursday.

Colorado Re-Signs Tyson Jost

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Colorado has taken care of one of its restricted free agents as CapFriendly reports (Twitter link) that center Tyson Jost has accepted his qualifying offer.  That means he receives a one-year, one-way deal from the Avalanche worth $874,125.

The 22-year-old was a first-round pick of the Avs back in 2016 (10th overall) and while he made his NHL debut less than a year later, he has yet to become the impact forward they were hoping he’d be.  Instead, he has been a relatively consistent depth scorer, notching between 22 and 26 points in each of his first three full seasons.  Last year, Jost was in between those amounts, picking up eight goals and 15 assists in 67 games while his ice time dipped below 13 minutes for the first time in his career.  Things didn’t go much better in the playoffs either as he had just a single goal in a dozen contests.

Accordingly, it’s not surprising to see Jost settle for a one-year deal, even with it being at a pretty low price tag.  Without arbitration rights and the qualifier expiring today, there’s a chance that his contract could have checked in lower had Colorado tried to play hardball.  Instead, Jost will get another opportunity to try to play himself into a bigger role for his next trip through restricted free agency where he will have eligibility for salary arbitration.

With the signing, Colorado has nearly $6MM in cap space at their disposal, per CapFriendly.  However, a big chunk of that is likely heading for offseason acquisition Devon Toews.  The arbitration hearing for the defenseman is scheduled for October 31st.

Blues Sign Jake Neighbours To An Entry-Level Deal

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The Blues haven’t wasted any time getting pen put to paper on a deal with their top pick from last week’s draft as they announced the signing of winger Jake Neighbours to a three-year, entry-level contract.  Financial terms were not disclosed.

The 19-year-old was selected with the 26th pick of the first round following a strong season with Edmonton of the WHL.  After being a role player in his first couple of years with the Oil Kings, Neighbours broke out offensively, potting 23 goals and 47 assists in 63 games to finish second on the team in scoring.

While he may get an opportunity to participate in training camp with St. Louis, it’s likely that Neighbours will be heading back to junior hockey for next season; the WHL is targeting a start date of January 8th to kick off their 2020-21 campaign.  If that happens, Neighbours’ deal will slide which would mean that he’d still have three years on his contract after next season at a slightly lower cap hit.

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