I'll do my best to live blog Day 1 of free agency with my quick thoughts and analysis around the league. Just hit refresh every so often!
9:35pm
- The Capitals have signed Joey Crabb to a 1 yr. deal. Crabb spent the last 2 years in Toronto, and put up 26 points in 67 games for the Maple Leafs last year. The Caps will find him quite useful on the penalty kill and as a role player in general. He'll get $950k with the Caps this season.
and I'm going to call it a night at that. Mostly minor league deals at this point (Devils sign Jay Leach to a 2-way deal, Avs sign Bryan Lerg to a 2-way deal) Thanks for keeping up!!
9:20pm
- The Sabres have agreed to "germs" according to the Sabres twitter account with John Scott. Scott played with both the Rangers and Blackhawks last year. He provides versatility as he can play wing or defense and is a nice extra to have on the NHL roster. He also plays the tough guy role quite well at a height of 6'8. It's a 1 yr deal worth $600k.
- The Penguins have signed forward Trevor Smith to a 1 yr, 2-way deal. The 24 year old center played in 16 games with the Lightning and scored 5 points. This is another AHL depth move for the Baby Pens.
9:10pm
- Things have quieted down greatly and many teams have said they are done for the day. I don't expect much else to happen tonight except for maybe a small deal or two.
8:35pm
- Bob McKenzie is reporting that Matt Carle will not make a decision until Ryan Suter has made his decision. So don't expect anything until tomorrow. Suter's agent has said that he will not make his decision tonight, "Tomorrow is a new day." Salvador appears to be following suit and will not make a decision until Suter has signed either.
8:15pm
- The Ducks have signed Jordan Hendry to a 1 yr deal in an effort to sign every defenseman left I guess. He played in the Swiss Elite League for most of last year though he does have 129 career NHL games from his time in Chicago a couple of years back.
7:50pm
- Jason Garrison is finally off the board as the Vancouver Canucks sign him after losing Salo and Rome today. Garrison's deal is for 6 years with a cap hit of $4.6 million per year. This is a long and pricey deal for a defenseman that has only proven himself for one year. If he can boost the powerplay like he did in Florida, it may be worth it, but I am skeptical of the length here. Garrison had 16 goals last year, 9 on the powerplay. Can he repeat those numbers?
Note: It appears he took less money to sign with Vancouver according to Bob McKenzie. He was being offered "Wideman-like" numbers.
- The Ducks have bolstered their blueline even more today with Sheldon Souray for 3 years, $11 million total. With a heavy shot from the blue line, they may have filled their loss from trading Visnovsky to the Isles at the draft last week. Souray had been offered a deal by the Stars but wanted to test the market for more money/years at the age of 36. For a player that was almost out of the NHL not that long ago, it's certainly an intriguingly long/pricey deal though.
- In my opinion, these two deals could fall under the "regrets" for each team in a couple of years...
5:30-7:30pm
Sorry, was away for a couple hours but here's what I missed:
- Parise and Suter are both expected to wait until tomorrow to make decisions. Parise has narrowed his list down to 6 teams and informed teams as much.
- Defenseman Bryan Allen signed with the Anaheim Ducks for 3 years at $3.5 million/yr. This is a very reasonable price for one of the better defensive guys that was available on the market. I had him going for more money than this, so I would say it's a solid deal for Anaheim and definitely improves their defense. At 6'4, 220 lbs, Allen will protect the crease well.
- Detroit signed Mikael Samuelsson to a 2 year deal for $3 million/yr. Samuelsson had success with Detroit a few years back, though he brings more age to an already aging team. Regardless, he is low risk as he already knows Detroit well and did score 31 points in 54 games with the Panthers last year. Detroit has so much cap space that the price is insignificant to them.
- Detroit also signed winger Jordin Tootoo away from Nashville for 3 years at $1.9 million/yr. Tootoo was a career Predator and scored 125 points in 486 games with the franchise. At just 5'9, he brings an abundance of scrappiness, accumulating 725 PIM during that time, and will be a solid energy guy for Detroit.
- Defenseman Aaron Rome was signed by the Dallas Stars for 3 years at $1.5 million/yr. This is a great price for Rome as an NHL caliber defenseman who was not retained by Vancouver. Dallas has an excessive amount of NHL ready defensemen right now, but this will give them depth at the position.
- The Penguins signed Warren Peters to a 1 yr, 2-way deal. The deal is worth $600k at the NHL level and $105k in the AHL. Peters can fight...yeah I'll leave it at that. More depth and grit for WBS in the AHL essentially.
5:20pm
- Rumors are swirling that Ryan Suter has picked the Red Wings per Nick Kypreos, but Pierre LeBrun has now refuted that saying that Suter's agent has no decision yet from Ryan.
- Sami Salo has signed a 2 year deal with Tampa Bay for $3.75 mil/yr. It's a steep price for the veteran who is best known for his play in Vancouver, but he will be a huge help for the Lightning and their awful defensive/goaltending situation. The market for defensemen continues to be rough.
- Toronto actually does sign center Jay McClement to a 2 year deal worth $1.5 million/yr. The price is solid and fits with the prices seen with Latendresse, Boyes, etc. The Leafs get a solid role player that will boost all aspects of their team defensively.
- The Pens have signed Pittsburgh native Dylan Reese to a 1 yr, 2-way deal. Reese scored 7 points in 28 games with the Islanders last season and brings some bulk to the defense even though he's only 6'1. He'll likely spend most if not all of his time in the AHL though.
5:05pm
- Parise and Suter are holding NHL Free Agency hostage at gunpoint as far as I can tell.
4:45pm
- The Isles have signed defenseman Jon Landry to a 1 yr, 2-way contract. Landry had 20 points in 34 games with Bridgeport in the AHL after getting promoted from the ECHL. Yes, this has slowed down so much that I'm referencing the ECHL.
4:35pm
- Columbus replaces Methot in the free agent market and signs veteran Adrian Aucoin to a 1 yr, $2 million deal (plus bonuses). Aucoin had 9 points in 64 games last season with Phoenix. Phoenix appears to be hemorrhaging veterans this offseason. Aucoin will provide a nice veteran presence for a young and somewhat lost Columbus team.
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Unfortunately for Columbus, Aucoin's beard could not
reach a deal. |
4:20pm
- Another goalie is off the market as Chris Mason has signed with Nashville for 1 year, $1.25 million plus bonuses. The Flyers were originally in on him, but that may have died off after they signed Leighton. Mason has big (literally) shoes to fill now that Lindback is no longer in Nashville to back up Rinne.
- The Blues have signed defenseman Tayor Chorney to a 2 way deal worth $525k in the NHL and $105k in the AHL. Chorney was with St. Louis for a hot second last season before going to Edmonton and will return as an AHL defender most likely.
4:10pm
- It certainly seems like quite a few teams are hamstrung by waiting on large offers for Parise and Suter. Things will liven up quickly once those 2 make decisions, but no one knows when that will happen.
- A popular Plan B option for the Parise sweepstakes, P.A. Parenteau has signed with Colorado for 4 years, $4 mil/yr. Parenteau had 67 points in 80 games last season as he turned heads, especially with 49 assists. He will be a solid powerplay addition for the Avs since he scored 19 of his 67 points with the extra man. I have a hard time believing he will be worth that money for 4 years though. Regardless, it is a nice move for improving the Avs and using their plethora of cap space.
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It will be interesting to see if Parenteau can succeed with pressure
and not just on a losing team. |
4:00pm
- Chicago has signed defenseman Sheldon Brookbank to a 2 year contract worth $1.25 mil/yr. He had 14 points in 80 games last year for Anaheim and was a +11. The Hawks were looking for a right handed defenseman which is the big key here. He's another 3rd pairing, stay at home defenseman that won't cause many problems.
- Edmonton has signed Darcy Hordichuk to a 1 year deal. Hordichuk has 1138 penalty minutes in 538 games. That's all you need to know there. He will make $850k.
- Winnipeg has signed Alexei Ponikarovsky to a 1 year deal worth $1.8 million. Ponikarovsky fit in well with the Devils after the Hurricanes traded him late in the season, but teams have generally been frustrated by his inconsistencies. He still provides a big body with a solid wrist shot though, so if he gets comfortable, there is a lot of potential still.
- The Florida Panthers have signed tough guy and mustache lover George Parros to a 2 year deal. Parros brings a great locker room presence and the typical skills of a tough guy. He is a big fan favorite around the league and does a lot of work in the community. He will average $925k per year.
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| The stache says it all. |
- The Islanders sign forward Eric Boulton to a 1 year deal. Boulton played 51 games for the Devils last year at left wing and had 0 points, a -12 rating, and 115 PIMs. He'll get $525k.
3:45pm
- As all seems to quiet down, the Avalanche have signed defenseman Greg Zanon. Zanon spent last year with Minnesota and Boston and is your typical 3rd line stay at home defenseman. I guess he will make up for the Carkner signing that never happened for Colorado. It's a 2 year deal worth 2.25 mil/yr.
3:30pm
- Ryan Suter's agent has stated they are going through offers one by one and calling teams back so it will take some time. Meanwhile, Carolina GM Jim Rutherford said Parise's decision will likely not come until Monday based on his talks with him, though Parise is expected to narrow it down soon.
3:25pm
- Michael Haley, former AHL/NHL tough guy of the Isles has switched New York allegiances to the Rangers.
- Speaking of the Rangers, Brandon Prust has signed a 4 year, $10 million total deal to join Montreal. Prust is a great pest type player for Montreal, but he does not help with their small size and that's a steep price for a pest.
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| He's such a clean player, how could you not want him? |
3:05pm
- First trade of the day is done: Ottawa has traded Nick Foligno to Columbus for defenseman Marc Methot. Methot will be a nice defensive defenseman addition for Ottawa and will replace Filip Kuba as Erk Karlsson's defensive partner. Foligno is currently an RFA but will bring a lot of speed to the Blue Jackets.
- Dustin Penner has re-signed with the Los Angeles Kings for 1 year, $3.25 million. Penner and the Kings had agreed to a paycut last week, it was just a matter of time for a deal. That price is still probably a little high for what he has done the last few regular seasons.
- Phoenix has signed goalie Chad Johnson to a 1 yr, 2-way contract. He will likely be the starter for Phoenix's AHL affiliate and provide depth if necessary.
- Kris Newbury has re-signed with the Rangers on a 2 yr, 2-way deal. He may get a couple sniffs of the NHL like in previous yeras, but it won't be much.
- Francis Bouillon has signed a 1 yr deal in Montreal for $1.5 million. He is a tough defensive defenseman that is mainly a depth guy. The price just demonstrates how tough it is to get defensemen right now.
3:00pm
- Update on Latendresse - he has passed his physical and has signed with Ottawa. Nothing else going on but rumors and talk right now...
2:45pm
- Filip Kuba has signed a 2 year deal with Florida worth $4 million per year. Kuba will take away the sting of losing Jason Garrison as he can play on the powerplay and he put up 32 points last year. It's a steep price though and makes me wonder how much Garrison and others will get on the open market.
2:35pm
- The New York Rangers have signed former Penguin Arron Asham to a two year deal worth $2 million total. Asham will officially have played for every team in the Atlantic division with this deal. Though unconfirmed, I don't believe the Pens ever even made an offer to retain him despite his wishes to remain in Pittsburgh.
- The Penguins have signed former Jets forward Tanner Glass to a 2 year deal worth $1.1 million per year. Glass fills the 4th line winger role that Asham held essentially. Glass had 246 hits last season and put up 16 points in 78 games. He is a strong forechecker with decent speed. He's not afraid to get in front of a puck either with 51 blocks last year, expect him to help fill the Staal void on the PK.
2:25pm
- Update on Ray Whitney - Dallas was actually the only team to offer him a 2 year deal, so it was a no brainer for him.
2:10pm
- Matt Carkner has now officially signed a 3 year deal with the Islanders after the Avs claimed to sign him an hour ago. The Avs twitter account can no longer be trusted. Carkner will get $1.5 million/yr., twice as much as Ottawa was offering.
- Calgary has signed center Ben Street to a 2-way deal, formerly of the AHL Penguins. He scored 57 points in 71 games for the Baby Pens last year.
2:05pm
- Columbus has signed goalie Curtis McElhinney to a 1 year, 2-way deal. Expect him to start in the AHL and be the primary backup if Mason or Bobrovsky get hurt. He will make $750k at the NHL level and $105k in the AHL.
- Pittsburgh has signed minor league center Riley Holzapfel to a 1 yr, 2-way deal. He will make $525k at the NHL level and $105k in the AHL. He had 22 points in 28 games with the Syracuse Crunch last year and 15 points in 29 games with St. John's. It appears he will just replace Ben Street, who has signed with Calgary.
- Pittsburgh has also OFFICIALLY signed Sidney Crosby to his 12 year, $104.4 million deal.
1:55pm
- San Jose signs former Stars winger Adam Burish to a 4 year deal worth approximately $1.8 million/yr. Burish provides a solid forechecking presence and adds toughness to the team as a 3rd liner.
- Ottawa signs Andre Benoit to a 1 year, 650k deal.
- Pittsburgh re-signs forward Steve MacIntyre to a 2 yr, 2 way contract. MacIntyre played 12 games for the Pens last season, accumulating no points and 6 PIMs. I flat out don't understand the signing. He will likely spend most of his time in the AHL, but he will make $625k at the NHL level.
- The Islanders have signed former Sabres center Brad Boyes to a 1 year, $1 million deal. Boyes had a very disappointing year last season, scoring only 23 points in 65 games. This is essentially a 1 year tryout for him to prove his NHL worth again. The Isles may have one of the steals of free agency in a year with this signing.
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Boyes was very promising in St. Louis before a
down year in Buffalo. This is one signing to watch. |
1:45pm
- Ray Whitney has agreed to terms with the Dallas Stars. The contract will be for 2 years, and total $9 million ($4 million in salary each year and $500k in bonuses each year). Whitney had been looking for a 2 year deal at his age (40) and found a nice pay day in that. He put up 77 points last season and was a wizard (had to say it) on the powerplay, but his age is a big question in this deal. He didn't top 60 points in the 2 seasons previous to that, so can he keep it up? His locker room presence will be great for some of the young stars in Dallas though. Expect Jamie Benn's goal total to increase with this. Whitney's deal also includes a no-movement clause, and a modified no trade clause where he can list 10 teams to be traded to.
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| Age was a deterrent to most teams, but not Dallas. |
- Brad Staubitz has signed a 2 year deal with Anaheim. Staubitz leaves the Minnesota Wild after mainly playing a tough guy role for them. He'll make $625k in the first year and $650k in the 2nd year.
- Detroit has signed forward Damien Brunner to a 1 yr, 2-way deal.
1:40pm
- Colby Armstrong has signed a 1 year deal with Montreal after being cut loose by Toronto last week. He will be reunited with former coach Michel Therrien there. The deal is for $1 million. If he can stay healthy, this will be a solid deal for Montreal. Armstrong will also be collecting $1 million from Toronto as well. Per Colby's tweet: "I am so happy to have just agreed to a one year deal with Montreal. So pumped. My fav childhood team. Can't wait
#dreamcometrue #habs"
1:30pm
- Minnesota has signed Torrey Mitchell as they continue to horde former Sharks. Mitchell has taken a regular shift with San Jose for the last 4 seasons as a 3rd/4th line center. The contract is for 3 years at $1.9 mil/yr. He's a fast and physical guy, a solid role playing forward.
- Ottawa is on the verge of signing Guillaume Latendresse. He is currently in Ottawa for a physical. The deal would be for 1 year, $1.2 million plus bonuses.
- Pierre LeBrun has reported that the Red Wings are no longer going to Toronto to visit with Zach Parise. No one knows what that means.
1:25pm
- Pittsburgh signs goalie Jeff Zatkoff to a 2 yr, 2 way deal worth $525k in the NHL and $105k in the AHL. He will add depth to the Pens minor league team behind/with Brad Thiessen. He formerly played for the Manchester Monarchs of the AHL (The Kings affiliate) and put up a 2.49 GAA and .920 save % last season with a 21-17-1 record.
- Zenon Konopka has agreed to a 2 year contract with the Minnesota Wild. He is a big bruising center that can hit and fight like very few. He is a solid faceoff man as well.
1:10pm- The New York Rangers have re-signed defenseman Stu Bickel to a 2 year deal, worth $750k per year. Bickel played 51 games for the Rangers last year and provides toughness on the back end, accumulating 108 PIMs in that time.
- The Carolina Hurricanes have signed defenseman Joe Corvo to a 1 year deal and re-signed goalie Justin Peters to a two year deal. Peters is an important signing as the Canes just lost backup goalie Brian Boucher for 4-6 months to a shoulder injury. Corvo was much maligned as a turnover prone defenseman in his previous stint in Carolina, so I can't imagine fans are pleased with that. Corvo's deal is worth only $2 million though, which is relatively cheap in this market. Peters will make $550k in the first year of his deal and $525k in the 2nd year of his deal. The 1st year is a 2-way deal and the 2nd year will be a one way deal.
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| Corvo's nickname in Carolina was "Oh No Corvo". That's not good. |
- Ottawa has signed defenseman Mike Lundin to a 1 year deal, worth $1.15 million. Lundin is your typical depth stay at home defenseman. He has over 200 games on his NHL resume but very little on the stats sheet.
1:00pm
- Zach Parise is expected to have an hour meeting with Detroit representatives starting at 3:30. I would not expect a decision from him until tonight at the very earliest, though likely tomorrow or later. The Pens have already had Sidney Crosby and Paul Martin (Minnesota connection) call him and talk to him with their offer today. Many other teams are expected to either meet or talk with him.
12:50pm
- Per Darren Dreger, John Mitchell has signed a 2 year deal with Colorado. Mitchell played in 63 games for the Rangers last year, accumulating 16 points and a +10 rating. He is a solid 4th line center and role player for the Avs to pick up. Mitchell's deal is for $1.1 million/yr.
- The Avs have also signed defenseman Matt Carkner. Carkner will provide a lot of size and grit for the Avs as a 3rd line defenseman. (confirmed by the Avs, unconfirmed by Carkner's agents - PROVEN TO BE FALSE)
12:35pm
- Sportsnet is reporting that goalie Jonas Gustavsson has signed with the Red Wings to back up Jimmy Howard. The deal is for 2 years at 1.5 million per year. This is a solid signing, I would have expected him to go somewhere where he had a chance to steal more starts. The backup goalie market is absurdly thin at this point.
12:30pm
- Things went crazy around 1:30-2pm last year...hopefully we don't have to wait that long here.
- The Florida Panthers have agreed to 1 yr, 2-way deals with center Greg Rallo and goalie Dov Grumet-Morris. This is meaningless for the NHL.
- David Moss has signed with Phoenix for a 2 year deal. (had re-signed with Calgary incorrectly before, blame the internet.)
12:20pm
- Derek Meech re-signs with Winnipeg. Meech only played 2 games for the Jets last season. Generally seen as a 7th or 8th defenseman. The deal is a 1 year, 2 way deal worth $700k at the NHL level and $105k in the AHL.
12:15pm
- The Isles have inquired into signing Brad Boyes who had a very disappointing year in Buffalo. Yes, I'm resorting to rumors because this is going so slow already...
12:05pm
- Brent Sutter re-signs with the Hurricanes on a 2 way deal worth 550k/105k, with 150k guaranteed. He will likely be taxied back and forth between their AHL and NHL team as a depth forward.
12:00pm
And we're underway!!
- Tampa Bay has signed Benoit Pouliot to a 1 year deal worth $1.8 million. He was acquired from Boston before the draft, so this signing is not a surprise.
- The Flyers have signed goalie Michael Leighton to a 1 year, $900,000 deal. Perhaps he will be Bryzgalov's backup, but the Flyers may continue looking for one still.
- Apparently teams need more than 1 minute to negotiate and sign players today.
11:48am
- Matt Carkner has turned down a $750,000 deal with the Senators and will test the open market.
- Detroit has representatives visiting both Ryan Suter and Zach Parise. Chris Cheloios and owner Mike Illitch are visiting Suter. GM Ken Holland and others are at Parise's camp.
11:42am
- The Edmonton Oilers have agreed to a 1 year deal with goalie Yann Danis. The 31 year old has 49 games of NHL experience, earning most of it with the New York Islanders in 2008-2009. Just a depth move for the Oilers.
- Terms also coming out on Jonathan Quick's extension from earlier this week. He will make $7 million over the first 7 years, and then a total of $9 million in the last 3 years of the deal. (Total was 10 years, $58 million).
11:25am
- Ryan Smyth has signed a 2 year extension worth 4.5 mil (total) with Edmonton. He never wanted to leave Edmonton and the Oilers wanted to keep him, so there is no surprise this deal happened. It is a considerable and necessary drop from his $6.25 million last year though.
- Tampa Bay has re-signed defensman Evan Oberg to a 1 yr, two way deal. Oberg has 7 games of NHL experience, so I have little to say aside from it's a depth signing.
- Darren Dreger has tweeted out that Crosby's contract numbers are starting to come out now that he can sign it today. It will be front-loaded and he will make $12 mil in the first 3 years ($8.7 cap hit overall though).
11:10am
- It's official, Parise is going to the open market but he is not ruling NJ out yet. Personally, I'm predicting he goes to Minnesota. Here's hoping I'm wrong!
- Jordan Staal has signed an extension with the Carolina Hurricanes for 10 years, $60 million. It appears to be the same offer that the Pens gave him, demonstrating his heart was truly in Carolina with his brother Eric. The Pens were lucky to get the return on him that they did. Good job Ray Shero.
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| I imagine he screamed "WOOOO" after signing. |
10:40am
- Zach Parise was supposed to say by 10am if he was going to stay with NJ. I assume since news has not leaked, he is still testing free agency - why wouldn't he at this point. Ottawa and LA are the newest teams into the mix, Ottawa supposedly offering huge bonuses according to Bruce Garrioch.
- Scott Clemmensen signed a 2 year, 2.4 mil (total) extension with Florida this morning. They still seem to be the favorites for Luongo, but that one hasn't moved for some reason that I don't know.
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| Solid backup, not the best at drinking. |
- Shane Doan will "test" free agency, but will not sign anywhere until July 9th. He is looking to stay with Phoenix and waiting to hear about the latest deal to keep the Coyotes there (which they will find out about on the 9th). So leave him off of your radar for today.
- Ray Whitney is looking for a 2 year deal. He wants to stay in Phoenix but there's a strong chance they can't keep up with other offers with their financial issues.
