2017 Free agency thread.

Great question Will. Im a big believer in building out the D so improving back there should always be something to look at. That said, I think they're pretty set on D, or I believe that Sweeney thinks that anyway. As of now they still dont even have the big man signed but I still think thats inevitable. Kevan Miller is back this year so it actually may crowd things a bit back there.

RHD- McAvoy, Carlo, Clifton, Miller
LHD- Grzelyk, Chara (?), Lauzon, Vaakanainen, Zboril, Moore.

Lots of kids, specifically lefties, that should fight for ice time. I believe that Zboril is on a 1 way deal now or it kicks in next season anyway. from all accounts he has improved immensely and resigned from his post as the president of his own fan club. A few years of getting your teeth kicked in at the AHL level can do that. Vaakanainen has shown some skills, Im very interested in his upcoming season.

Somewhat on topic and any excuse to ramble about the greatest organization in sports, Im gonna take it.
Id really like to see Cassidy put Carlo and Lauzon together, essentially as the #2 D unit. Both big boys that are good in the D zone. Use them in defensive faceoffs/ situations and open up the offensive ones for McAvoy and whoever he plays with (Gryz?). I believe that Columbus does this well with Savard and Gavrikov as the shut down pair enabling Werenski and Jones to get more offensive opportunities. McAvoy is just getting to his potential, he's going to really be an elite D I think when its all said and done.

Id love to see them unload John Moore's contract but I dont see it happening with the costs associated this off season.
I'm hoping that Sweeney is still looking at Hoffman on a short term deal, he could fit well flanking Krejci and bring more competition to DeBrusk and Kase.

 

“ ... the greatest organization in sports ...”. But, Matty, this is on the board for the hockey team from Boston. That’s no place to make comments about the greatest organi ... oh, wait. You ARE referring to the hockey team from Boston.

You must be on the same dope that Bellichick is snorting. (It takes strong stuff to get you that doped up, smoking won’t get you there.)

 

Seriously, I think there’s a possibility that the team could see their window close in a hurry. Will Chara return? Will he continue to defy Father Time? (I think the odds are that both are answered yes.)

With Krug in STL there’s a huge void. We’ve discussed this before; I believe they have his replacement without having to import talent. But by any objective basis, they have to prove it. Is that second round talent that Sweeney snagged in the first back in 2015 going to advance? (The truth is I’m surprised Zboril hasn’t established himself already.)

So, IMHO, the team is likely to be a strong SC contender for at least another year or two. But, there are some cracks that Sweeney may not be able to patch.

 

I'm very happy about this. Solid but unspectacular, played quality time on first pair with Ekblad and wasn't a liability. Money is escalating over the three years, gives ownership a chance to offset some of the stupid contracts they're still getting rid of. Looks like FL's defense is just about set. Still not good, but Weegs was an important piece.

 

The 23-year-old forward was a restricted free agent. He scored 33 points (19 goals, 14 assists) in 60 games last season and 13 points (two goals, 11 assists) in 25 postseason games to help the Stars advance to the Stanley Cup Final, a six-game loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

(NHL.com)

 

Duclair agrees to one-year contract with Panthers
Free agent forward scored NHL career-high 23 goals last season



Anthony Duclair agreed to a one-year contract with the Florida Panthers on Thursday. Financial terms were not disclosed.

The 24-year-old forward was an unrestricted free agent. He scored an NHL career-high 23 goals and 40 points in 66 games with the Ottawa Senators last season and played in his first NHL All-Star Game.

"Anthony is a dynamic and highly skilled player who is capable of being a dependable offensive contributor for our team" Florida general manager Bill Zito said. "He possesses tremendous speed and goal-scoring ability and earned an opportunity to be named an NHL all-star last season. We're excited to welcome Anthony and look forward to what he can add to our team."

Selected by the New York Rangers in the third round (No. 80) of the 2013 NHL Draft, Duclair has scored 162 points (79 goals, 83 assists) in 353 regular-season games with the Senators, Columbus Blue Jackets, Chicago Blackhawks, Arizona Coyotes and Rangers.

NHL.com

 

Good signing by the Panthers. He's getting better also... hopefully for FLA's sake the trend up continues.

 

Philippe Myers signed a three-year, $7.65 million contract with the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday. It has an average annual value of $2.55 million.

The 23-year-old defenseman, who was a restricted free agent, scored 16 points (four goals, 12 assists) in 50 regular-season games with the Flyers last season and four points (three goals, one assist) in 16 Stanley Cup Playoff games.

"It's an honor to be a part of the Flyers for the next three years and I'm really looking forward to it," Myers said. "We have a real good team and I am very excited at what we are going to achieve this year and the years to come. I really do believe in this group and my expectations are to go all the way with these guys and I wouldn't have it any other way."

Signed by Philadelphia as an undrafted free agent Sept. 21, 2015, Myers has scored 18 points (five goals, 13 assists) in 71 regular-season games.

"We're happy to have Phil signed for the next three years," Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher said. "He is a big (6-foot-5, 210 pounds), mobile, right-shot defenseman who progressed into a top-four role on our blue line last season. We look forward to his continued growth."

NHL.com

 

The Tampa Bay Lightning gave their fans an early holiday gift on Thursday by announcing a new three-year contract for restricted free agent forward Anthony Cirelli.

The new contract is worth $14.4 million in total, which comes out to a salary cap hit of $4.8 million per season.

In terms of actual dollars, he will make $2.4 million this season, $4.8 million next season, and $7.2 million in year three of the contract.

It continues what has been a busy, and at times chaotic, offseason in Tampa Bay as they have attempted to keep their championship team together and also wrestle with the league’s salary cap. The Lightning are still going to be pressed against the salary cap for the entire season, but Wednesday’s news that superstar forward Nikita Kucherov will not play during the regular season due to hip surgery opened up $9.5 million in salary cap space. They need every dollar of it.

NHL.com

 

Another steal for TB. I think skinny was more right than I knew at the time talking about the advantage of being in an income tax-free state. That and having a loaded roster with everyone giving a little back to stay.

 

Corey Perry agreed to a one-year, $750,000 contract with the Montreal Canadiens on Monday.

The 35-year-old forward scored 21 points (five goals, 16 assists) in 57 games for the Dallas Stars last season after signing a one-year contract with them July 1, 2019.

Perry scored nine points (five goals, four assists) in 27 postseason games, including a goal in the second overtime to defeat the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final. The Stars lost the best-of-7 series in six games.

 

such cheap money for these guys

 

Bjorkstrand signs five-year, $27 million extension with Blue Jackets
Forward to get $5.4 million annually, could have been restricted free agent after season

 

Kunin signs two-year, $4.6 million contract with Predators
Forward was restricted free agent, acquired from Wild on Oct. 7

 

Dougie Hamilton said he wants to remain with the Carolina Hurricanes and is hopeful a new contract will be worked out.

The 27-year-old defenseman can become an unrestricted free agent after this season, the final of a six-year contract he signed with the Calgary Flames on June 30, 2015.

"For me, I'd like to stay here, but I'm going to let my agent (J.P. Barry) and [Hurricanes general manager Don Waddell] talk," Hamilton said. "I just want to focus on hockey and helping the team win."

Hamilton scored 40 points (14 goals, 26 assists) in 47 games last season and was among the leading contenders for the Norris Trophy as the top defenseman in the NHL before fracturing his left fibula against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Jan. 16. He was able to finish rehab and return for the Eastern Conference First Round, when he scored two points (one goal, one assist) in five games against the Boston Bruins.

NHL.com

 

Barzal agrees to three-year contract with Islanders
Restricted free agent center led New York in scoring last season; terms of deal not disclosed

 

Blues bet big on Binnington: six year, $36M extension



The St. Louis Blues announced a bold — and maybe baffling — new contract extension for goalie Jordan Binnington. The Blues signed Binnington to a six-year, $36 million extension ($6M AAV), which will kick in starting in 2021-22.

Blues roll dice with Binnington extension
In a vacuum, this is already a big gamble.

Being that Jordan Binnington burst onto the scene in just 2018-19, one might assume that he’s young. While Binnington is by no means ancient, he turns 28 on July 11. So the Blues are already contending with the “aging curve” a bit here.

Beyond that, the sample size of success isn’t that large.

Yes, Binnington was incredible as the Blues crushed their Stanley Cup curse in 2018-19. Especially during the regular season, when Binnington managed a .927 save percentage over 32 games.

Since then, Binnington’s been hit-or-miss. And not just when he’s motioning like he’s going to hit Erik Karlsson. Binnington was outplayed by Jake Allen last season, and struggled with an .854 save percentage in five playoff games.

Either way, Binnington hasn’t necessarily put together the track record of success that would make you feel 100% confident to hand him a long-term, big-dollar extension. He has just 102 regular-season games on his resume.

Interestingly, the Blues showed patience in giving Binnington a two-year deal right after he won a Stanley Cup. Apparently they saw enough to believe that he’s a (positive) difference-maker in net.

Could this force other key players out of St. Louis?
He’ll need to be, because with what’s expected to be a flat salary cap for the NHL’s near future, the Blues might not be able to provide the same supporting cast for Binnington going forward.

• Jaden Schwartz, Jordan Kyrou, Mike Hoffman, and Vince Dunn all need new contracts after this season.
• Colton Parayko will likely fetch a big raise from $5.5M after 2021-22. David Perron should get a big bump from $4M after next season, too.
• Even Ryan O'Reilly and Vladimir Tarasenko are only signed through 2022-23.

In signing Justin Faulk, the Blues eventually had to say goodbye to Alex Pietrangelo. That’s actually worked out quite well, as Faulk’s really rebounded alongside Torey Krug.

But the point remains: the Blues might push out other helpful players in extending Binnington. Time will tell if this was a wise decision.

Considering the makeup of this team, you wonder if they might have instead been better off going cheaper in net, and hoping their strong collective play could make it work.

NBC