Classifying The Remaining Restricted Free Agents
When the calendar flips to September, it’s time to start paying some attention to who’s left unsigned in restricted free agency. Usually at this point, two months have elapsed since the start of free agency (it’s six weeks this summer) which is typically more than enough time to get a deal done.
There are currently 13 remaining RFAs that haven’t signed elsewhere for next season. As is usually the case, those players can be grouped into a few tiers which are as follows.
Star Players
Jason Robertson (Dallas)
Generally speaking, there are usually more players in this group at this time but the 23-year-old is the only star player in need of a new deal. He’s coming off a 41-goal campaign that has the asking price justifiably high – team owner Tom Gaglardi acknowledged it’s in the $7MM range. The Stars would likely prefer to do a long-term deal that buys out some UFA years but that could push the AAV past $9MM and they don’t have the cap space to do that. At this point, what GM Jim Nill does or doesn’t do on the trade front might dictate what ultimately happens with Robertson; if they can free up some money, a long-term agreement becomes palatable but otherwise, it’ll almost certainly be a bridge contract.
Underachieving Former First Rounders
Erik Brannstrom (Ottawa), Kirby Dach (Montreal), Barrett Hayton (Arizona), Rasmus Sandin (Toronto)
Dach and Hayton were both top-five picks in their respective draft classes but have yet to show the type of offensive consistency to put them in the category of core players. Dach was traded to Montreal at the draft after a quiet season that saw him put up nine goals and 26 points, both career-highs. Despite that, it appears that the Canadiens are at least pondering a medium-term agreement that would run for four years but still leave him RFA-eligible at the end. Something a little shorter in the $2.5MM range is also an option. Hayton has just this last season in terms of being a regular under his belt and could fit in a different category than this but his performance relative to draft stock has been concerning. He’s a prime candidate for a bridge contract and with fewer than 100 NHL games under his belt, he simply doesn’t have the leverage to command anything longer. A two-year deal around the $2MM range should be where his deal falls.
As for Brannstrom, he was billed as an offensive defender but has yet to be able to produce with any consistency since joining Ottawa back in 2019. He has just two career goals in 116 career games but that hasn’t stopped his camp from seeking a multi-year agreement in negotiations which are likely playing a role in this delay. Sandin could also fit in a different category but the 2018 first-rounder has exhausted his waiver exemption and doesn’t appear to be a fit in their top six next season. His agent recently bemoaned the lack of progress in negotiations. Teammate Timothy Liljegren’s two-year bridge deal that has a $1.4MM AAV seems like a reasonable comparable but with playing time being a potential concern, might Sandin be looking for more certainty before putting pen to paper on a new deal?
Young Regulars
Michael Anderson (Los Angeles), Alex Formenton (Ottawa), Nicolas Hague (Vegas)
Formenton played his first full NHL season in 2021-22 and it was a good one as the 22-year-old speedster chipped in with 18 goals and 14 assists in 78 games. The Sens have ample cap space this coming season so there are some options beyond the bridge contract. If GM Pierre Dorion thinks that Formenton is part of their long-term core, a longer-term pact that buys out a UFA year or two in the $3.5MM range might be a better way for them to go.
Hague has done well in a limited role on the back end for the Golden Knights over the past two seasons and is coming off a year where he logged close to 19 minutes a night. They’ve already spent most of the LTIR ‘savings’ so Vegas isn’t in a spot to give him a long-term deal. But is Hague better off taking a one-year contract that would be below market value to acquire arbitration eligibility next summer? Such a deal would be in the $1.25MM range with the promise of a better payout later on. Otherwise, a bridge pact that’s closer to $2MM is probably in the cards. Anderson has logged over 20 minutes a night for the Kings for the last two years but doesn’t have the offensive numbers to support a pricey bridge deal. Los Angeles’ cap space is quite limited so, like Hague, a one-year deal in the $1.25MM range might be where they wind up settling.
Not Fully Established
Sean Durzi (Los Angeles), Ryan McLeod (Edmonton)
McLeod figures to be a part of the long-term plans for the Oilers after a promising rookie campaign but doesn’t have much leverage at this point. Edmonton’s issue here is cap space as they’re already in a spot where they need to clear money out. If they can move someone out, a multi-year bridge contract becomes their preferred route but otherwise, he’s a strong candidate for a one-year deal around that $1.25MM threshold as well, perhaps a tad below that.
Durzi quietly put up 27 points in 64 games last season but it’s his only taste of NHL action so the track record isn’t strong enough to command a sizable contract. A two-year bridge deal makes a lot of sense for him as a repeat performance over that stretch would have him well-positioned to seek $4MM or more two summers from now. However, with the cap situation for the Kings, they might be forced to push for the one-year, ‘prove it’ contract that would fall in the same range as Anderson.
What’s The Holdup?
Cayden Primeau (Montreal), Adam Ruzicka (Calgary), Parker Wotherspoon (NY Islanders)
Ruzicka played in 28 games last season for the Flames and did reasonably well with ten points but it’s not as if he’s in a position to command a sizable raise. He’s waiver-eligible but not a guarantee to be claimed if he passes through. The holdup might be along the lines of making next season a one-way or two-way contract with any subsequent season(s) being a one-way agreement. Even so, it’s odd this is taking so long.
Wotherspoon’s presence on here is arguably the most perplexing of the bunch. He opted to not file for salary arbitration which would have gotten him signed weeks ago. He has cleared waivers in each of the last two seasons and has yet to play an NHL game. Haggling over NHL money would be pointless as a result so accordingly, it’s safe to suggest his NHL pay would be $750K. At this point, AHL salary or guaranteed money is the only sticking point. In all likelihood, the gap probably can’t be more than around $25K which is a pretty small one to justify being unsigned this long.
Primeau is coming off a strong showing in the AHL playoffs but struggled mightily in limited NHL action with the Canadiens last season. Even so, he’s viewed as their potential backup of the future as soon as 2023-24 when he becomes waiver-eligible. This is a contract that should be a two-way pact next season and then one-way after that as a result and there are enough of those comparable contracts around the league for young goalies that the general framework should basically have been in place before talks even started. As a result, this is another case that feels like it should have been resolved weeks ago.
There’s still plenty of time to work something out with training camps still a couple of weeks away and several of these players should come off the board by then but there will likely be a handful still unsigned when camps get underway.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Golden Knights Acquire Adin Hill From Sharks For A Fourth Round Pick
The Vegas Golden Knights announced that they have acquired goalie Adin Hill from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for a 2024 fourth-round pick. The deal seemingly solves the issue of San Jose’s goalie trio while giving Vegas another legitimate NHL goaltender in the absence of Robin Lehner this season.
After losing Lehner, and before making the trade, Vegas did have two goalies with NHL experience in that of Laurent Brossoit and Logan Thompson, however neither had been a regular starter in the NHL. Brossoit had played parts of eight NHL seasons, but had never played more than 24 games in a season, those 24 coming in 2021-22. Certainly not a bad goalie by any stretch, Brossoit’s career .905 save-percentage and 2.84 goals-against average realistically may not have been numbers the Golden Knights trusted the bulk of their season in net with. Thompson brings with him just 20 games of NHL experience, but was a key piece in helping Vegas make a push for the playoffs with a remarkable final few weeks in net. His .914 save-percentage and 2.66 goals-against average could be sustainable as a full-time goalie for Vegas, but given his limited experience, might not be the solution to their immediate need for a starter. A fairly interesting consideration, knowing what we do now, was that only a few days ago, Vegas GM Kelly McCrimmon stated that the team would be running with a tandem of Brossoit and Thompson in net, if possible. Between all three goalies, only Thompson is waivers exempt.
Mark Stone Not Necessarily Out For Training Camp
- When Jackie Spiegel’s latest piece came out for NHL.com, examining the health of Vegas Golden Knights star Jack Eichel, one line caught the attention of many fans. It read that Mark Stone would miss training camp as he continues to recover from back surgery in May. Golden Knights insider Gary Lawless tried to clarify, noting that just because the team has indicated that Stone would be ready for the start of the regular season, it doesn’t necessarily mean he will be missing training camp. A return to full health for Stone would be a huge boost for Vegas, after he was limited to just 37 games last season.
Golden Knights Notes: Goalie Tandem, Lehner, Hague
Following last night’s signing of Phil Kessel to a one-year deal, Vegas Golden Knights GM Kelly McCrimmon spoke to the media and answered questions on a wide variety of topics. One of the most pressing topics he addressed was the team’s goaltending. As relayed by The Athletic’s Jesse Granger, McCrimmon stated that the team will run a goalie tandem of Logan Thompson and Laurent Brossoit for the entirety of next season, if possible. McCrimmon elaborated on that decision, stating that the timing of Lehner’s surgery all but made adding a goalie through free agency impossible and that the organization believes that this tandem can get them where they want to go.
For a team that is desperate to return to the playoffs next season, a Thompson-Brossoit tandem seems like a risk, at least on paper. Thompson, 25, did nearly single-handedly save the Golden Knights’ playoff hopes last spring but has just 20 NHL contests under his belt. Brossoit, 29, has served as a lightly-used backup goalie for the past few seasons, and is currently rehabbing from hip surgery. McCrimmon stated that Brossoit’s rehab has been going well and that he should be ready early next season, if he’s not ready for opening night, but even at full health this tandem is one that carries significant downside risk. With each passing day, it looks more and more likely that the Golden Knights’ hopes for next season will rest on Thompson’s shoulders.
Now, for some other notes regarding the Golden Knights:
- The goalie previously slated to be the Golden Knights’ starter, Robin Lehner, will miss the entirety of next season after undergoing hip surgery. Today McCrimmon elaborated on the nature of Lehner’s operation, stating that he is undergoing double hip surgery and has already had the procedure on one of his hips. Much has been made of the difficulties goaltenders face when recovering from hip ailments, and one has to assume that recovering from double hip surgery is even more difficult. But with all the talent Lehner possesses, his recovery from these injuries will be extremely important to the future of the Golden Knights.
- One other topic McCrimmon touched in his press conference is the status of restricted free agent defenseman Nicolas Hague. Hague is coming off of a two-year stretch where he has established himself as a quality NHLer, and is undoubtedly looking for a contract that reflects his newly-proven value. McCrimmon stated that “priority number-one” for this offseason is getting Hague under a contract, and with Lehner now set to hit long-term injured reserve he should have the necessary wiggle room under the cap to get a deal done. Given the Golden Knights’ ever-present need for salary-cap space (even with Lehner’s eventual placement on LTIR) a bridge deal could make the most sense, though one cannot rule out a long-term pact. The Golden Knights have previously shown a willingness to lock-up young blueliners to long-term pacts, as they did with Zach Whitecloud, so perhaps Hague receives a similar (albeit likely more expensive) deal.
Vegas Golden Knights Sign Phil Kessel
Late last night, the Vegas Golden Knights announced the signing of one of the biggest names still available on the free agent market: forward Phil Kessel. Per the team announcement, Kessel signed a one-year deal worth $1.5MM. Per CapFriendly, Kessel’s contract includes a modified no-trade clause, one that allows Kessel to list 10 teams he is eligible to be traded to.
CapFriendly currently has the Golden Knights as over $7MM above the cap with these signings, but that’s with players such as Robin Lehner, Laurent Brossoit, and Nolan Patrick on regular injured reserve, rather than long-term injured reserve. Both Lehner and Patrick are expected to miss the entirety of the 2022-23 season, meaning their absences give Vegas the bandwidth under the cap to add Kessel and re-sign RFA defenseman Nicolas Hague.
Kessel, who will soon turn 35 years old, has spent the past three seasons playing for the Arizona Coyotes. In his 208-game career with the Coyotes, Kessel has posted 133 points, which is a healthy 52-point 82-game pace.
Noting an 82-game pace with Kessel’s production is especially relevant due to the fact that he is currently the NHL’s reigning “Iron Man,” meaning he has gone 982 games straight without missing a contest, a steak that dates back to November 2009.
It’s definitely possible that his steak could pose a lineup dilemma for new coach Bruce Cassidy if Kessel struggles in Vegas. Cassidy has the reputation of demanding a lot from his players, and Kessel’s notorious apathy to the defensive side of the game could land him in hot water if he’s not scoring. But even with that being said, Kessel remains a talented enough offensive player to confidently project as a contributor in Vegas next season.
While he might not be the impact scorer he was in Pittsburgh anymore, Kessel is still a quality offensive talent who can offer a team a lot of value if utilized correctly. Former head coach Peter DeBoer and his assistant Steve Spott drew significant criticism from the Vegas market for the team’s lackluster power play, so the addition of Kessel could be seen as GM Kelly McCrimmon giving his new coach a new tool to help turn the page for that unit.
Cassidy will have some options as to where to deploy Kessel, especially with former top-line winger Max Pacioretty gone. Vegas could opt to stick Kessel on Nicolas Roy‘s wing on the team’s third line, or he could prefer to put Kessel on Jack Eichel and Mark Stone‘s line, with the idea that Stone’s defensive prowess will help cover for Kessel’s defensive deficiencies.
While we might not know exactly what route Cassidy will go in terms of his deployment of Kessel, there are few coaches in the NHL with a stronger resume than the Golden Knights’ new coach. If there’s any coach that will find a way to best maximize Kessel’s unique player profile, it’s Cassidy.
The Golden Knights are under significant pressure to improve upon last season’s disappointing campaign. The signing of Kessel isn’t going to be what makes or breaks their season, but it does provide their lineup with another intriguing weapon.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Vegas Golden Knights Sign Jake Leschyshyn, Paul Cotter
The Vegas Golden Knights have announced a pair of three-year contract extensions, keeping Jake Leschyshyn and Paul Cotter in the organization for the next few seasons. Both players will earn the league minimum in all three years (PuckPedia adds that Cotter’s first year will be a two-way contract). Leschyshyn was a restricted free agent, meaning his deal starts in 2022-23, while Cotter was going into the last season of his entry-level contract, meaning this extension starts in 2023-24.
Leschyshyn, 23, was part of the Golden Knights’ inaugural draft class, selected 62nd overall in 2017. He Played 41 games for the team this season in his first taste of NHL action and managed six points in the process. The minor league portion of his year was much more productive with 27 points in 34 games but he enters next season in the mix for a full-time bottom-six role with Vegas.
While the team does have some forward prospects with a bit higher ceiling – namely Brendan Brisson – Leschyshyn represents a nice homegrown talent that can help fill out the lineup in the years to come. Any regular playing for the league minimum is providing surplus value, meaning if there can be any increase in production out of the young center, this contract could actually be quite a bargain for the Golden Knights moving forward.
The same might be said about Cotter, who managed to make it to the NHL for seven games this year and scored two goals in the process. Given this will be his age-23 season (he turns 23 in November), he is signing away nearly all of his restricted free agent years at the league minimum. It gives him some nice security to have one-way contracts in 2024-25 and 2025-26 but if he can take another step forward that too could be a nice bargain for the Golden Knights.
Cotter had 20 goals and 35 points in 59 games this season for the Henderson Silver Knights, while also racking up 62 penalty minutes (including two fighting majors).
A Case For Vegas To Not Add A Goalie Despite Lehner's Injury
- While the season-ending injury to Robin Lehner has many thinking that the Golden Knights need to acquire a goaltender, Vegas’ Ken Boehlke argues that the best move they could make is to make no move at all. That will allow them to evaluate whether the core of this roster is truly good enough to contend and assess the readiness of Logan Thompson to be a full-time NHL goaltender. If they’re in the playoff picture midseason, that approach would also give them a bit of cap flexibility to try to add thanks to LTIR as they won’t have spent Lehner’s $5MM at that point. Vegas hasn’t shown much patience in their brief NHL tenure but there’s definitely a case to be made for them to have some now.
Nolan Patrick Likely To Be On LTIR Next Season
Vegas already has plenty of their payroll earmarked for LTIR next season. Robin Lehner and his $5MM will be there after his hip surgery while they added Shea Weber’s $7.857MM AAV in a trade with Montreal this summer with the veteran’s playing days already over. Those two might not be the only ones on there, however, as Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Sun relays that it’s widely expected that forward Nolan Patrick will also be on LTIR in 2022-23 as he continues to deal with an upper-body injury that dates back to last season.
The 23-year-old has basically had nothing but bad luck since being selected second overall in 2017. He has missed considerable time with migraines and after getting a fresh start with the Golden Knights, Patrick missed 55 games to various injuries. In the end, he played in just 25 games, recording only two goals and five assists. On a related note, the player he was initially traded for in the three-way swap – defenseman Ryan Ellis – only played in four games himself last season with lingering questions continuing about his availability for next season as well.
If Patrick isn’t able to play, his $1.2MM would be added to Vegas’ already sizable LTIR pool which would give them a little bit more flexibility to work with this summer albeit with another roster spot to try to fill as well. On top of that, it would likely call his playing career into question. Things aren’t quite at that point just yet but if Patrick can’t suit up at all next season, it will certainly be fair to wonder if what once looked like a promising career will be coming to a very premature end.
Parker Foo Re-Signs In KHL
Among NHL reserve lists, there are plenty of teams that own exclusive rights to players who have never suited up for them. Unsigned draft picks are the most common types of these but in most cases, those rights expire eventually – usually two or four years after they are drafted.
Some others though are maintained indefinitely, as they play in a league without a current transfer agreement. That’s the case for Parker Foo, whose rights are still owned by the Chicago Blackhawks, despite being drafted more than five years ago.
Selected 144th overall in 2017, Foo was a junior teammate of Cale Makar with the Brooks Bandits of the AJHL. He then went to the NCAA to play for Union College, before leaving for the KHL in 2020.
That move, which took him to join Kunlun Red Star, helped him qualify for the 2022 Olympics for China. The country used that KHL team as their entry in the Games, which they hosted earlier this year. Foo also played for China at the World Championship, though they competed in the lower division tournament.
Now, the 23-year-old has re-signed with Kunlun, meaning any potential return to North American hockey will have to wait. Foo’s rights, meanwhile, will stay with Chicago indefinitely while he plays in the KHL.
Interestingly enough his brother, Spencer Foo, was also part of Kunlun the last few years and on that Olympic squad but he signed a contract with the Vegas Golden Knights last month. In an ironic twist, Spencer went undrafted in his youth and is now on his second NHL contract (playing four games with the Flames a few years ago), while fifth-round pick Parker has never signed.
Poll: How Will Vegas Solve Their Goaltending?
The Vegas Golden Knights announced some stunning news today, explaining that because of upcoming hip surgery, Robin Lehner will be out for the entire 2022-23 season. With Laurent Brossoit coming off hip surgery of his own, the team is left with Logan Thompson and Michael Hutchinson as their NHL tandem for the moment.
Even if Brossoit is able to return rather quickly, he doesn’t offer a huge upgrade. The 29-year-old has a career .905 save percentage, which includes an .895 in 24 appearances for Vegas last season. While he has NHL experience he certainly isn’t the kind of goaltender you feel comfortable with if you want to be a Stanley Cup contender.
Free agents
So one can assume that they will make a goaltending addition at some point either before the start of the season, or at some point during it. The problem, of course, is that the free agent market has been picked clean at this point. There are only seven unsigned goaltenders who played a game at the NHL level last season. Braden Holtby, who leads that group with 24 appearances, is dealing with an injury of his own and is not expected to play this season.
Andrew Hammond, who is second with 11 games played last season, recently signed a professional tryout with the Florida Panthers. That certainly doesn’t block him from signing with Vegas but he isn’t the answer for a playoff contender at this point. Jean-Francois Berube, Garret Sparks, Cory Schneider, Michael McNiven, and Adam Huska are the others, who all come with similarly limited upside.
Trades
The team that immediately sprang to almost everyone’s mind is the San Jose Sharks, who have Kaapo Kahkonen, James Reimer, and Adin Hill all signed for at least $2.175MM next season. All three would need to clear waivers to be sent down, meaning there already seemed to be a trade coming at some point. The fact that San Jose signed Aaron Dell (and to a lesser extent Strauss Mann) only furthered that idea.
Both Reimer and Hill have just one year left on their contracts and either one could potentially be targeted. The 34-year-old Reimer had a .911 save percentage in 48 games last season and Hill, though he hast just 74 games of NHL experience, has performed pretty well whenever given the chance. The 26-year-old stands 6’6″ and has a career .908, despite never playing on a very good team.
There are some other interesting options around the league though. Veteran netminder Anton Khudobin was suggested by Saad Yousuf of The Athletic as a stop-gap option, while someone like Semyon Varlamov is an interesting candidate given the Islanders’ expected cap issues.
Part of the question for Vegas might be whether they believe Lehner is going to be return for the 2023-24 season, or if they need to look at a more long-term solution. Perhaps someone like 26-year-old Alex Nedeljkovic of the Detroit Red Wings could be an answer if it is the latter. The Red Wings recently made a hefty commitment to Ville Husso in free agency and Nedeljkovic will be an unrestricted free agent next summer.
John Gibson‘s name always emerges in trade discussions, warranted or not, and he’ll likely be linked again this time around. The Ducks have Anthony Stolarz and goaltender-of-the-future Lukas Dostal in place, and the Golden Knights have never been shy about going after big (expensive) names. The potential trade candidates are endless, though because Vegas now has so much cap flexibility through long-term injured reserve, another option has emerged in the conversation this afternoon
Offer sheet
Jake Oettinger still doesn’t have a contract, and if the Golden Knights wanted to really make a move, they could try to get him to sign an offer sheet. The important thing to note here is that because they don’t have their own 2023 second-round pick they would be limited in what they can put on the table. Unless they recover that pick from the Buffalo Sabres (who received it as part of the Jack Eichel trade) the Golden Knights will only be able to table an offer sheet with a certain average annual value.
This year’s compensation table looks like:
| $1,386,490 or less | No compensation |
| $1,386,491 to $2,100,472 | Third-round pick |
| $2,100,473 to $4,201,488 | Second-round pick |
| $4,201,489 to $6,302,230 | First and third-round picks |
| $6,302,231 to $8,402,975 | First, second and third-round picks |
| $8,402,976 to $10,503,720 | Two firsts, a second and third-round picks |
| Over $10,503,721 | Four first-round picks |
Anything with a second-round pick would be off the table. One other thing to mention about these totals is that it is either the average annual value or for a contract over five years in length, the total divided by five. For example, if they were to sign a goaltender to a seven-year, $42MM contract the cap hit would be $6MM but the value for compensation would be $8.4MM.
It would be a tricky needle to thread for the Golden Knights to find an offer sheet that Oettinger would actually sign, the Dallas Stars would actually fail to match, and fits their compensation abilities without that second-round pick.
There is of course the option of doing nothing, and allowing Thompson, who played well last season, to try and run with the job. If Vegas’ history is anything to go by, they’re at least considering a much bigger move. Will they be able to pull it off?