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Simon Nemec Signs Entry-Level Contract

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The second-overall pick has inked his deal, as the New Jersey Devils announced a three-year entry-level contract with Simon Nemec. The contract comes with an average annual value of $950K. Per PuckPedia, Nemec’s three-year deal has the same structure every season, earning him the max entry-level salary of $855K, max signing bonus of $95K, and max Schedule A performance bonus of $1MM. It also includes a Schedule B performance bonus of $2.25MM and an AHL salary of $82.5K.

Nemec, 18, was the top defenseman in this year’s draft after an excellent season with Nitra in the Slovakian league, including a playoff where he put up 17 points in 19 games. A member of the bronze medal-winning Olympic team, alongside top pick Juraj Slafkovsky, and Slovakia’s World Championship entry, he already has experience playing against NHL talent.

In fact, it was at the Worlds where he showed off his elite skating ability and range, scoring six points in eight games to lead all Slovakian defenders. Future New Jersey teammate Tomas Tatar was also on that team serving as captain and would have gotten a good look at the young defenseman.

After the draft, Nemec told reporters that he is ready to play in North America right away, even if that means the AHL. That will be decided at training camp but getting his entry-level deal done was the first step toward an NHL future, whenever that actually happens.

Detroit Red Wings Sign Marco Kasper

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While most teams are focused on free agents, the Detroit Red Wings are also busy locking up their future. Marco Kasper has signed his three-year, entry-level contract after being selected eighth overall in this year’s draft. The young forward is expected to spend the year in the SHL.

More to come…

Philadelphia Flyers Hire Brad Shaw

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After the news was broken previously by his former club, Brad Shaw has now been officially introduced as an associate coach of the Philadelphia Flyers. New head coach John Tortorella is getting the band back together, having previously worked together with the Columbus Blue Jackets as recently as 2020-21. He released a statement on his new addition:

The familiarity in working closely with Brad in the past and knowing his approach to the game will be a big benefit to our club. Brad’s experience both as a former defenseman and the many years in the coaching ranks has allowed him to implement a style which make his teams hard to play against while allowing players to thrive in their role.

Shaw, who played nearly 400 games in the NHL, mostly with the Hartford Whalers and expansion Ottawa Senators, has previous experience working as an associate coach under a Jack Adams winner. During Ken Hitchcock’s run as head coach of the St. Louis Blues, Shaw rose from assistant to associate, taking on more responsibilities as his experience grew. He even has a bit of experience as a head coach in the NHL, leading the New York Islanders for 40 games in 2005-06 after Steve Stirling was shown the door.

In Philadelphia, he’ll try to fix a defensive unit that was in shambles this season, despite several highly-paid talents. Ivan Provorov, Rasmus Ristolainen, Travis Sanheim, and Ryan Ellis all carry cap hits of at least $4.675MM (though the latter may not be ready for the season), and must be better this time around if the team has any chance of reaching the postseason.

Follow NBA Free Agency At HoopsRumors

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NBA free agency kicks off tomorrow at 5pm CT, and our sister site Hoops Rumors (@HoopsRumors on Twitter) has all the latest news, rumors and transactions for each of the league’s 30 teams.

The Knicks are considered the strong frontrunners to land Mavericks guard Jalen Brunson, reportedly being willing to offer a four-year deal in the range of $110MM. To free up cap space to sign Brunson, New York is trading some of their excess draft picks and a few veteran players to Detroit. The Knicks are also rumored to be pursuing Spurs All-Star Dejounte Murray via trade, so clearly they’re trying to make a splash and bolster their backcourt.

Kyrie Irving decided to pick up his $36.9MM player option for next season, ending rampant speculation that the Nets might be forced to tear down the roster if Kevin Durant asked to be traded. The Clippers have already been active, agreeing to an extension with starting center Ivica Zubac, and are reportedly set to land five-time All-Star John Wall once he clears waivers after being bought out by the Rockets.

The Hornets have said they’re going to bring back restricted free agent Miles Bridges, but will they being willing to match a maximum-salary offer sheet if a rival team offers it? What will happen with Suns center Deandre Ayton, another restricted free agent who has reportedly grown unhappy in Phoenix? Will the former No. 1 overall pick land the max deal he covets?

For the latest updates on those stories and more, check out Hoops Rumors today! There will be a whirlwind of activity over the next couple of weeks as teams reshape their rosters for next season, and we’ll be covering it all. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter – @HoopsRumors.

Check Out Hoops Rumors For NBA Draft Coverage

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Draft day is here for the NBA, and Hoops Rumors has all the latest news and rumors! Last season saw several teams jockeying for position to land coveted draft picks, and the expectation is that there will be plenty of trades tonight. We’ve already seen three significant deals leading up to the draft, but that was just the tip of the iceberg, because the rumor mill is buzzing about several other possibilities.

The top of the draft looks pretty set, as ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported this morning that a projected top three of Jabari Smith to the Magic at No. 1, Chet Holmgren to the Thunder at No. 2, and Paolo Banchero to the Rockets at No. 3 looks “increasingly firm.” The three big men are widely considered the top prospects in the draft.

If Wojnarowski is right and there are no major surprises in the top three, tonight’s fun could begin at No. 4, where the Kings have been linked to both Jaden Ivey and Keegan Murray and are reportedly considering trading the pick. The Trail Blazers are also trying to improve their squad after a disappointing season, so a win-now move for a veteran in exchange for their No. 7 pick is reportedly being considered as well.

Over at Hoops Rumors, we’ll be keeping tabs on all the latest NBA news and rumors tonight, in addition to tracking each of this year’s 58 draft picks. With the draft upon us and free agency only one week away, this is the most eventful time of year for the NBA rumor mill, so be sure to visit Hoops Rumors and follow @HoopsRumors on Twitter for all the latest updates!

Free Agent Focus: New Jersey Devils

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Free agency is now less than a month away and many teams are already looking ahead to when it opens up.  There will be several prominent players set to hit the open market in mid-July while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign as well.  Next up is a look at the Devils.

Key Restricted Free Agents:

F Jesper Bratt – The rumors surrounding Bratt have already started swirling even during the Stanley Cup Finals, with conflicting reports on the forward coming from ESPN’s Kevin Weekes, who says the two sides haven’t begun talking and other teams are interested, and Ryan Novozinsky of the Star-Ledger, who confirmed with both Bratt’s agent, Joakim Persson and with the Devils, that the two sides had been talking. Whether Bratt stays in New Jersey, is traded, or even encounters an offer-sheet scenario, one thing is for sure: he’s going to get a hefty raise. A sixth-round pick in 2016, Bratt went from an unheralded prospect, to an NHLer, to a player who proved he could carry a line, to this year, where he proved he could carry an offense. The 23-year-old set career-highs with 26 goals, 47 assists, 73 points, in 76 games, those 73 points good enough to lead a Devils team that only had 49 games of Jack Hughes this season. Now at the conclusion of a two-year contract that carried an AAV of $2.75MM, Bratt could very likely see his salary double, if not more. New Jersey finds itself with an impeccable amount of salary cap space moving forward, so meeting Bratt’s asking price shouldn’t be an issue, but negotiating term and finding the proper overall value could hold the negotiation up.

F Miles Wood – The speedy winger missed the majority of this past season following a hip injury and surgery in the preseason. He would return to the lineup in late March, getting into three games before ultimately being shutdown for the remainder of the season. Wood has been a steady presence in the Devils lineup for the past few years, acting as the team’s primary agitator while also using his speed to create some offense too. With the Devils roster turnover as they try to put a close to their rebuild, it’s possible they could let the forward walk, but given their desire to add some “sandpaper” in to the lineup, simply keeping a familiar face in Wood who has the ability to play up and down the lineup would make sense without breaking the bank. New Jersey would also likely have control in the negotiations, considering Wood’s injury history and his status as a soon-to-be 27-year-old RFA, but it is worth noting that Wood is arbitration eligible this summer. Wood recently concluded a four-year, $11MM deal.

F Pavel Zacha – The first major piece of the Devils rebuild, it’s safe to say Zacha has not lived up to the expectations set for him when New Jersey drafted him sixth-overall in 2015. Zacha appeared to turn a corner in what could be described as a breakout 2020-21 season, where he totaled 35 points in 50 games, then a career-high. The forward would eclipse that career-high with 36 this year, but that was seen as a setback, considering he played in 70 games. On the heels of a three-year, $6.75MM contract and arbitration eligible, New Jersey could move on from Zacha, opting to give some of their prospects a chance at more regular ice-time, but given the flashes of talent he’s shown over the past two seasons along with a predictably reasonable price, it’s also quite likely the Devils will give Zacha another year in the Garden State.

F Jesper Boqvist, F Tyce Thompson, F Fabian Zetterlund

Key Unrestricted Free Agents

D P.K. Subban – The former Norris Trophy winner is coming off an eight-year, $72MM contract which saw him traded not once, but twice, finally landing in New Jersey. Although not the same player he once was, Subban’s name still holds weight as an exciting player on the ice with big hits and shots, and off the ice as a charismatic and community-driven player, evidenced by his 2022 King Clancy Award. Subban’s next contract won’t see him come too close to his previous $9MM AAV, however the 33-year-old should be able to find himself a role well-suited for him at a reasonable rate. Even with his recent regression, the ball may be largely in Subban’s court with contenders close to the salary cap looking to give him a tailored role as a powerplay specialist at a lesser rate or a team with more payroll flexibility and more minutes to offer looking for an exciting name and a dynamic leader. A return to New Jersey isn’t out of the picture, but the Devils do have a bevy of young talent on defense they will try to work into regular roles at the NHL level in the near future.

F Chase De Leo, F Brian Flynn, F Frederik Gauthier, F Mason Geertsen, F A.J. Greer, F Jimmy Vesey, D Colton White, G Jon Gillies, G Andrew Hammond

Projected Cap Space:

At a time when many NHL teams are struggling to stay cap-compliant, the Devils are able to breathe easy, with just over $25.3MM in available cap space this offseason. That number actually feels a bit restrictive when you consider the $56.1MM the team is currently projected to have after the 2022-23 season. Perhaps the best part of all of this for New Jersey, is this factors in Dougie Hamilton’s $9MM cap hit, Hughes’ $8MM cap hit, and Nico Hischier’s $7.25MM cap hit.

The main financial commitment the Devils have to make this offseason is Bratt, who could approach the $7MM AAV threshold. After Bratt, the team could bring back Zacha, Wood, and Subban, and still have plenty of room with which to work. The organization will likely use that remaining cap to address their goaltending issues, the team currently expected to ice Mackenzie Blackwood and Jonathan Bernier next season, both of whom dealt with significant injury issues in 2021-22, and perhaps one of the several dynamic forwards available on this year’s trade and free agency markets. Even with their cap freedom, the Devils will need to take care, with a significant number of players hitting free agency next summer, including RFAs Yegor Sharangovich, Ty Smith, Jonas Siegenthaler and UFAs Tomas Tatar, Andreas Johnsson, Ryan Graves, and Damon Severson, amongst others.

Poll: Where Will Johnny Gaudreau Sign?

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We’re just under a month away from free agent frenzy and the potential UFA class is loaded. Franchise icons like Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, Claude Giroux, and Patrice Bergeron are all without contracts. Top-six pivots like Nazem Kadri, Ryan Strome, and Vincent Trocheck appear to be available. Even a few interesting goaltending targets are about to hit the market. But ahead of all those, at least according to some, is Johnny Gaudreau, arguably the top free agent available after his 115-point regular season.

Gaudreau, 28, has long been one of the most dynamic offensive players in the league but this season he took it to an entirely new level. After a few rather disappointing goal outputs, he set a new career-high with 40 tallies, while playing on arguably the most effective line in hockey. His plus/minus was a staggering +64 to lead the league, as a huge amount of his damage was done at even-strength.

The Calgary Flames, knowing that he is the lynchpin of their offense, are trying hard to sign Gaudreau to an extension. For the next few weeks, they have the added benefit of being able to offer him an eighth year, something that would likely seem very appealing to a player that will turn 29 later this summer. This contract could very well take Gaudreau to the end of his career, and reward him very handsomely for his outstanding platform year.

But with Gaudreau especially, there have always been whispers of a return to the east coast. The New Jersey native played his college hockey at Boston College and a return to the U.S. always seemed inevitable, even if it was at the very end of his career. Now, with just a month left before he could listen to every team’s pitch, that transition is certainly possible, if not likely.

This isn’t a player who has made his intention to go to free agency clear though. Gaudreau told the Flames before the season started that he didn’t want to discuss a contract during the year, and both sides followed his wishes. He’s only ever spoken glowingly about the city and explicitly stated at his end-of-year press availability how much his wife loves it in Calgary.

So where will he be, when the dust settles on July 13? Will Gaudreau stay in Calgary and potentially become the highest-scoring Flame of all time (he is currently 486 points behind Jarome Iginla)? Or will he take his talents elsewhere, adding his talents to a program much closer to his family? Cast your vote below, and make sure to explain it in the comments.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Buffalo Sabres To Retire Ryan Miller’s Number

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The Buffalo Sabres will have a second goaltender in the rafters next season. Ryan Miller’s No. 30 will be retired by the team, joining Dominik Hasek as the only two netminders in franchise history to receive the honor.

Miller will join Tim Horton (2), Rick Martin (7), Gilbert Perreault (11), Rene Robert (14), Pat LaFontaine (16), Danny Gare (18), and Hasek (39) as the numbers retired by the organization.

Sabres’ general manager Kevyn Adams released the following statement:

Ryan Miller embodied what people in Western New York expect from those who wear a Buffalo Sabres uniform: on-ice excellence, commitment, and authentic love for this community. His lasting relationship with the people here in Buffalo remains a standard we strive to follow every day.

We are thrilled for Ryan to take his rightful place alongside his fellow Sabres legends and look forward to celebrating his career.

One of the greatest American-born goaltenders in history, Miller played 540 regular season games for the Sabres over parts of 11 seasons, the most in franchise history. He also leads in wins (284) and saves (16,217), having posted a strong .916 save percentage over his time in Buffalo. While that doesn’t quite touch what Hasek did, Miller’s time with the Sabres was outstanding, culminating in a Vezina Trophy in 2010 as the league’s best netminder.

Interestingly enough, it was 39 that Miller wore at Michigan State and what he would have worn in Buffalo, had it not been for Hasek’s legacy with the team. The two have been compared and linked for decades, as the younger netminder came into the spotlight soon after the legend left. They’ll now both be in the rafters at the KeyBank Center, though a date has not been revealed for Miller’s ceremony to this point.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Looking At A Pair Of Intriguing Colorado Avalanche UFAs

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With the Colorado Avalanche headed to their first Conference Finals in 20 years and vying for their first Stanley Cup Championship since 2001, much has been made about their impending UFAs and their ability to re-sign them. The bulk of that discussion has centered around star center Nazem Kadri and starting goaltender Darcy Kuemper, both of whom were brought in to take Colorado to the next level as a playoff team, and the noise surrounding them has been more than justified. Kuemper posted another strong season, his first in Colorado, with a .921 save-percentage and 2.54 goals-against average. Kadri, already a strong performer, had nothing short of a sensational breakout year, with 28 goals and 59 assists in 71 games. Not surprisingly, both have carried their production over to the playoffs. If and when Kadri or Kuemper hit the UFA market in July, they will have plenty of interest.

As much as the chatter around those two is justified, there are two key pieces of the Avalanche also on the heels of breakout seasons, headed for free agency, who appear to have considerably less buzz. Despite the lack of hype, or maybe being overshadowed on a star-studded team, forwards Valeri Nichushkin and Andre Burakovsky will hit free agency with, one would expect, strong markets for their services.

Burakovsky’s production is not exactly a new phenomenon, as the winger has averaged 0.79 points-per-game over his three seasons in Colorado, his 61 points in 2021-22 actually representing a (very small) step down at 0.76 points-per-game, but is a major step-up from the 0.44 points-per-game he averaged with the Washington Capitals previously. For the most part, COVID-19’s schedule disruptions are responsible for Burakovsky’s lower point totals in the two seasons prior to this one, however this season represent’s Burakovsky’s ability to produce at this rate not over 50-60 games, but over a full NHL season. Although Burakovsky has amassed his numbers on an incredible offensive team like Colorado, during a period of increased scoring league-wide, he has shown the ability to stay in the lineup and produce consistently, and at just 27 years of age, he appears ripe for a longer-term contract.

Unlike Burakovsky, Nichuskin had a true breakout season, setting a career-high with 52 points, 18 more than his previous career-high of 34 set in his rookie season in 2013-14 with the Dallas Stars. After three seasons with Dallas, Nichushkin left the NHL to play with CSKA Moscow of the KHL, but returned for the 2018-19 season, where he struggled to just 10 assists in 57 games for Dallas. He would leave Dallas for Colorado, where he would find consistent production before a strong 2021-22 season. Though Nichushkin does not have Burakovsky’s consistency, he has shown his ability to adapt and produce throughout his career, entering the league as an 18-year-old, where he put up 34 points. He has shown an ability to produce in the NHL since then, and while his production back home in the KHL was no more impressive than his NHL production to date, he proved he could take his game from one league and one side of the globe to another and produce, then back once again. Nichushkin also has a factor in his game that cannot be taught or taken away: his size. Listed at 6’4 and 210 pounds, Nichushkin is able to use his body to impose himself and create space for him and his teammates.

Nichushkin may have trouble finding the term that Burakovsky might be able to, however his unique skillset and his recent production should be enough to land him a contract with a strong AAV, and at just 27 years old, if he can continue to match his 2021-22 production over the life of a shorter contract, perhaps two or three years, he could be in line for a long-term deal in the future.

Looking at the market for these two certainly does not mean that Colorado will not be able to retain one or both of them, however the organization does have several questions to ask. First and foremost among them is how do they fit along with trying to re-sign the aforementioned Kadri and Kuemper? After letting goaltender Philipp Grubauer sign in Seattle, replacing him with Kuemper, Colorado will likely push to retain Kuemper. As brilliant as Kadri was this season, he is likely headed for a long-term deal with a reasonably high AAV this offseason, and at 32 years of age on opening night, it might not be the most prudent investment for Colorado, especially if they can, instead, re-sign both Nichushkin and Burakovsky.

With $26.485MM in projected cap space this offseason, Colorado could, in theory, bring all four back, leaving things a bit tight cap-wise (and would likely necessitate Josh Manson leaving via free agency). However, issues then arise after next season, when Nathan MacKinnon becomes a UFA, and would require a significant raise over his current, team-friendly $6.3MM cap hit. Defenseman Erik Johnson’s $6MM cap hit would also expire, and while he might take a reduced salary to stick around, it would probably not be enough to balance out MacKinnon’s raise, all of this before considering J.T. Compher’s UFA status, and the expiration of Bowen Byram and Alex Newhook’s ELCs. As much as some of these things seem like future problems for Colorado, the questions they pose back up into now, and how the organization could approach this upcoming offseason with four of their key pieces set to become UFAs.

2022 King Clancy Finalists Announced

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After revealing the 32 nominees earlier this month, the NHL has announced the finalists for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, annually presented to “the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community.” Last year’s winner was Pekka Rinne of the Nashville Predators.

The selection committee, a group of senior NHL executives led by Gary Bettman and Bill Daly, applies the following criteria to determine a winner:

  • Clear and measurable positive impact on the community
  • Investment of time and resources
  • Commitment to a particular cause or community
  • Commitment to the League’s community initiatives
  • Creativity of programming
  • Use of influence; engagement of others

The finalists this year are Ryan Getzlaf of the Anaheim Ducks, Darnell Nurse of the Edmonton Oilers, and P.K. Subban of the New Jersey Devils.

In reality, all of this year’s nominees deserve recognition for their efforts, and picking a single winner doesn’t change the impact that each player has. Like usual, the award will have a new winner this year, as none of the three have taken it home previously. There has only ever been one player to be awarded the King Clancy multiple times; Henrik Sedin won it in 2016 on his own, and split it with his brother Daniel Sedin in 2018.

Subban has been a finalist three times previously, including each of the past two seasons. Other active winners include Patrice Bergeron, Nick Foligno, Jason Zucker, and Matt Dumba. You can read more about each of their community efforts here.

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