Oilers Add Another Monster

The Edmonton Oilers seem to be rather comfortable with Cam Talbot being their number one goalie, but that wasn't going to stop them from addressing the need of a decent back-up at the free agent frenzy.  On Friday, they decided that Jonas Gustavsson would be a capable player to try and sign, doing just that, giving him a 1-year deal worth $800,000.

Gustavsson appeared in 24 games for the Boston Bruins in 2016, registering 11 wins and 24 points for the hockey pool, making him into a qualified back-up for our pool teams in the coming season.

Talbot played in 54 games last season, which did leave 28 games for the back-ups that were in town, which does bode well for Gustavsson and the hockey poolies.  However, the Oilers defense still remains to be a point of contention, as they were very porous in the 2016 season, more so than the Bruins, so it will be important for Gustavsson to bring his A-game to the table, if he is going to want to repeat those numbers and be a good number two guy.

Weise Finds Love in Philly

The Philadelphia Flyers became a little harder to play against with the signing of forward Dale Weise on Friday.  The Flyers signed the gritty forward to a 4-year, $9.4 million deal, giving the forward a little bit more security after a few years of shifting around the NHL.

The 27-year old split time between Montreal and Chicago in the 2016 season, playing in 71 games, scoring 14 goals and 27 points in that time, just hovering above the cut line for being picked in the hockey pool.

The Flyers had a hard time getting rubber down on the road to start the 2016 campaign, but once they got a little bit of traction, they were starting to win some games and they snuck their way into the playoffs.  The acquisition of Weise will try and aid their start, give them a little bit more grit to work with and have them compete all year long, instead of just the back two-thirds.

It would seem most likely that Weise will be spending most of his time in the bottom six, but how that shakes out for him, in terms of linemates, still remains to be seen.  The Flyers didn't score a lot of goals in 2016, especially from their depth, so it could be a bit of a tough go for Weise in 2017, I might want to suggest tip-toeing around him in the projections this Fall.

Schlemko Shifts to the Sharks

The San Jose Sharks added another pool worthy piece to their already impressive regular season blueline, as they signed defenseman David Schlemko to a 4-year deal on Friday.

However, the deal itself is a little curious, as it will be a 35+ contract, which will carry a $2.1 million cap hit, regardless of if he is playing for the Sharks or not (injury not withstanding).  Usually, we wouldn't see a longer-term contract for 35+ players, since they do have a tendency to bite management in the rear end.

Nevertheless, Schlemko did have a decent season in 2016, picking up 6 goals and 19 points in 67 games with the New Jersey Devils and that made him fairly attractive to the the Sharks organization, as they add him to a deep lineup as it is.

Schlemko isn't really known as a big minute guy, which could certainly be to his benefit, since he will be lining up with some bigger minute guys like Brent Burns or Marc-Edouard Vlasic.  I don't think he will get the same 18 minutes per game he did in Jersey, so his numbers could drop off some next season.

Hutton to Back Up Allen

We had already known that the St. Louis Blues were going to have a new tandem in their crease for the 2017 season, but it took until the opening of the free agency period to know who the number two guy could possibly be.  On Friday, we found out that it could very well be Carter Hutton, who signed a 2-year deal to get a shot at the job.

Hutton's expected cap hit on the deal will be $1.145 million for each year, giving the team a little bit more flexibility for the 2017 season, as the shopping will likely continue through the Summer.

The 30-year old netminder was never drafted into the NHL and really came into light over the last couple of seasons in Nashville,  Last season, he made 17 appearances, won 7 games and came away with 19 points, ranking him 53rd among all goalies, just on the inside of being pool worthy.

Moving to St. Louis and playing behind Jake Allen may be a little bit different for Hutton and that's in a good way.  Allen isn't known as the minute pig that Pekka Rinne is, so there is certainly an upside for more minutes to be played, which should translate into more wins in his total.  I would give Hutton a small boost with this move.

McGinn Moves to the Desert

It appears that forward Jamie McGinn had a good audition in the Pacific Division, as his skills were moved from Buffalo to Anaheim at the trade deadline, becoming a show piece for unrestricted free agency. On Friday, the Arizona Coyotes, obviously impressed from that audition, signed the 27-year old forward to a 3-year, $10 million deal.

McGinn had 22 goals and 39 points in 84 games between the two teams and successfully made a name for himself.

The Coyotes are still a pretty young team at their core and McGinn won't be a great deal older than most of the team, but will certainly carry enough experience to help this side out, as they grow out of their rebuild stage.  Adding a 20+ goal scorer like McGinn should give them a little bit more credibility at the forward position, especially with some high profile young players making names for themselves at the same time.

I'm not all that convinced that a move to the Coyotes will indeed be a step up for McGinn, as their offense is still trying to work out some of the kinks, but it will come.  I don't think I am willing to bump up his projections for next season, rather he will take a slight knock in the early part of the Summer.

Johnson to Back Up in Calgary

Only a week out from getting their starting goalie, the Calgary Flames have successfully sniffed out their back-up for the 2017 season and he comes with a good portion of starting experience to boot, which is a certain bonus.

Chad Johnson became a pool worthy goalie in the 2016 season when his back-up role in Buffalo turned into a starting gig, when Robin Lehner went down with a major injury in the year.  Johnson appeared in 45 games, winning 22 and picked up 48 points in the year, ranking him 26th among goalies and he was the top goalie in the unrestricted free agent pool at the start of the day.

Johnson has been floating around a little bit and a 1-year deal with the Flames won't necessarily change that, but it will offer him some flexibility in his own career, if he was to pursue a starting job or the Flames were more comfortable moving up prospect Jon Gillies to the big team in the 2018 season.  His cap hit of $1.7 million is also a nice raise and also a flexible number for the team, as they continue to build towards the coming season.

I wouldn't expect Johnson to be the same goalie, points-wise in 2017, since Brian Elliott will likely be promised the bulk of the starts, but if all goes well, Johnson will still get 25 starts and he could still pick up some much needed wins and points, making him into a decent back-up option for a hockey pool team.

Chimera Chooses the Island

The New York Islanders made a second splash in the pool on Friday, securing the services of forward Jason Chimera, adding his veteran presence to an already interesting mix of a roster.

Chimera signed a 2-year, $4.5 million deal on Friday, joining Andrew Ladd as a key signing on the day, trying to push the Islanders a little bit further on in their quest for some more playoff glory.

The 37-year old played a pretty big role in the successes of the Washington Capitals, who eventually fell short in their playoff run, losing to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the second round of the playoffs.  In the regular season, Chimera finished with 20 goals and 40 points in all 82 games, and will be looked upon again to try and duplicate that kind of success in Brooklyn next season.

The two new acquisitions do make for an interesting blend, adding some much needed leadership to this group, which should make for a much more prepared team, when it comes to some Springtime hockey.

As for the poolies, the veteran won't turn 38 until the playoffs are underway, but it will be interesting to see how another year plays on this veteran, who doesn't shy away from the rough stuff.  Next season will be a grind on a new team, can we really expect the same kind of scoring?

Contract Extensions (Jul 1)

As the calendar turns to the next page at the middle of the year, NHL contracts take another year off, some expire and some have a year or years left. Those contracts that are now down to a single year can start to negotiate contract extensions and it all kicked off early, with the Florida Panthers locking up their most prized possession, defenseman Aaron Ekblad, the 1st overall pick in 2014.  The 20-year old defenseman signed a maximum 8-year deal with a cap hit in the neighbourhood of $7.5 million per season, making him into the franchise guy, officially.

Ekblad is already turning into a hockey pool mainstay, having two good NHL regular seasons under his belt, including 36 points in 78 games in the 2016 season.

Fringe Signings (Jul 1)

The Detroit Red Wings were one of the teams getting a jump on free agency, but more so to save their own players from hitting the open market. Early on in the day, the Red Wings announced that they had re-signed forward Darren Helm to a new 5-year deal, which would carry a $3.85 million cap hit each season.

Helm finished with 13 goals and 26 points in 77 games with Detroit last season, just finishing outside of the pool worthy list of 208 forwards, down in 217th.  I do believe we've seen what he has topped out at, offensively, which would suggest that he would be a late round pick, if picked at all in the pool.

The Boston Bruins will have Anton Khudobin as their back-up goalie for the next couple of seasons, as the Kazakh goalie signed a 2-year, $2.4 million deal in the early moments of the frenzy.  Khudobin was squeezed out of the crease in Anaheim and couldn't quite recover, but still managed 3 wins in nine appearances for the team.

The Bruins do have a couple of good goaltending prospects coming up the ranks, so it won't be a slam dunk for Khudobin to make it into the job, but he has to be the favourite to be the guy, heading into training camp.

Wild Snag Eric Staal

The Minnesota Wild made a significant addition to their lineup during the free agent frenzy and they did so at a very reasonable cost.

Next season, they will have Eric Staal patrolling the middle of the ice, as the Wild signed him to a 3-year deal, worth $10.5 million (a $3.5 million cap hit per year).

Staal, 31, was second in the league in games played last season, appearing in 83 contests between Carolina and New York, scoring 13 goals and 39 points in that time as well.  It was certainly a down year for Staal, who may have been weighed down with the looming free agency and leaving the Hurricanes, where he had spent so much time, so it will be very interesting to see if he will be refreshed with this new deal in Minnesota.

The Wild do get to add a lot of leadership and experience with Staal, who won a Stanley Cup with the Hurricanes and should be a great second line centre and getting some quality time with some of their young talent.  This might not be the end-all of deals for the Wild, but it is certainly a great building block for the club.

With the security and how the Wild are being built, I think Staal's projections are definitely trending upwards.

Liles Re-signs in Boston

The Boston Bruins were able to get John-Michael Liles back into their fold, as the 35-year old defender didn't quite have all of the options that some of his younger free agent counterparts were a privy to on Friday.

Liles signed a 1-year deal, worth $2 million and it will be a 35+ contract, which would mean that it will count against the cap, except if he was to be placed on the Long-Term Injured Reserve for any sort of reason.

The veteran blueliner has floated around the NHL for quite some time and had an okay year with Boston in 2016, scoring 6 goals and 21 points in 81 games for the club.  That was good enough for 74th among all defensemen in scoring, which means he would figure in somewhere in the middle for our pool draft, when looking at rearguards.

The Bruins already re-signed Torey Krug to a new deal, so a good portion of last season's defense is now returning for another kick at the can, which may or may not be a great thing, considering they didn't make the playoffs last season.  Still, for us hockey poolies, Liles still has some value in his game left and could still be a good late addition to your team.

Flames Land Brouwer

He may not have been too high on the high profile lists, but there was certainly going to be a market for Troy Brouwer on Friday and the Calgary Flames were the one to scoop him up off the market for a reasonable deal.

The Flames and the 30-year old winger came to terms on a 4-year deal, reportedly worth $18 million (a $4.5 million cap hit).  On a day where $6 million deals are being thrown around, this deal doesn't look too bad, adding a good veteran presence.

Last season in St. Louis, Brouwer finished with 18 goals and 39 points in all 82 games, which was good enough for 139th in scoring among all forwards.  He will certainly add a little bit of offense to this Flames team.

The cap cost is probably one of the more important parts to this deal, as the Flames will continue negotiating with their two big stars in Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan, who both went to restricted free agency on Friday.  Adding another scoring winger for a decent cost will certainly help the Flames in re-signing their pair of stars for the required dollar value.

Sabres Win the Okposo Sweeps

The Buffalo Sabres continue to build their way back to respectability in the NHL and the addition of Kyle Okposo to their forward ranks is a step in the right direction, when the end destination is the playoffs.

Okposo was another winner at the frenzy, signing a new free agent maximum 7-year deal and the dollar value was about par for the course today, coming in at a $6 million cap hit, $42 million in total.

The career Islanders player scored 22 goals and 64 points in 79 games on the island, which made him the best free agent on the open market, as the clock ticked over to Noon ET today.

The addition of Okposo means that the Sabres have yet another big body that can charge towards the opponent's net with some offensive finish.  Adding to the mix of Ryan O'Reilly, Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart, there is certainly a good core group of offensive talent on this team and they are looking more and more like a long-term solution there.

Expectations in Buffalo are trending in an upwards direction and that could mean some good things for Okposo's scoring numbers.  I would imagine he will be a popular guy come draft time.

Canucks Add Scoring With Eriksson

When your team ranked 29th in the league in goals for, your management team is likely going to join the fray with a bundle of money in the free agent market.  Indeed, the Vancouver Canucks found another linemate for the Sedin twins in Loui Eriksson on Friday.

Eriksson was among the big money parade, signing a 6-year, $36 million deal to join the Canucks, which seemed to be the going rate for some top end talent in this free agent frenzy.

In Boston, the 30-year old Swede finished with 30 goals and 63 points in all 82 games, giving them some goal scoring finish and durability.  Also being a Swedish native, he may just get an early jump at getting some chemistry with his new linemates at the World Cup of Hockey, where all three are set to represent their country in the exhibition tournament.

There is some pretty good upside here for Eriksson going to Vancouver, as the potential for a few more goals is certainly there, being the trigger man for a talented line.  I have the feeling that his projections will increase a little, but nothing too crazy.

Bruins Are Bigger and Badder With Backes

The Boston Bruins are going to be a little bit bigger and harder to play against after the signing of former St. Louis captain David Backes on Friday.

The big power forward signed a 5-year, $30 million deal at the beginning of the free agency proceedings, adding to the list of long-term big dollar deals getting done in the frenzy.

The 32-year old finished last season with 21 goals and 45 points in 79 games for the Blues, which felt like a disappointing year from a scoring perspective.

The Bruins and their grinding style of play should be a decent fit for Backes, who can certainly play that way after a long stretch playing under Ken Hitchcock in St. Louis.  Surprisingly, Boston scored more goals last season than St. Louis, so there could be some added chance to pick up some extra points here and there.

Nielsen Heads to the Motor City

With the departure of Pavel Datsyuk, both in body (to Russia) and in contract (to Arizona), the Detroit Red Wings were major players in the week leading up to free agency, getting their fingers into many pies.  They may not have come up with some of the biggest prizes in this frenzy, but the signing of Frans Nielsen is still respectable and should reflect well on the roster come October.

The 32-year old Dane signed a 6-year deal, worth $31.5 million (a $5.25 million cap hit) with the Red Wings, filling a very empty gap in their projected roster.

With the Islanders last season, Nielsen finished with 20 goals and 52 points in 81 games, ranking 99th overall in pool scoring, 71st among all forwards.

The quiet and business-like demeanour of Nielsen should be a good fit in Detroit, who can already boast those kind of players in Henrik Zetterberg or Gustav Nyquist.  Adding a responsible veteran like Nielsen should go a long way to keeping the Red Wings as a playoff bound team in the 2017 season.

Perron Returns to the Blues

It's back to familiar surroundings for forward David Perron, who signed with the St. Louis Blues on Friday, inking a 2-year deal, worth $7.5 million (a $3.75 million cap hit).

Perron split the 2016 season with the Penguins and the Ducks, getting dealt mid-season for Carl Hagelin in a one-for-one deal.  When the regular season had ended, Perron finished with 12 goals and 36 points in 71 games, ranking 168th among all forwards in scoring.

The Blues are going to be a different looking team, judging from the early part of the free agency period, but adding Perron back to their fold gives them a little bit more security, in terms of some semi-regular goal scoring.  Perron certainly had his best years with the Blues, but his value has taken a tumble in recent years and his new cap hit certainly reflects that.

With all the immediate changes to this Blues lineup, I think the 28-year old might take yet another tumble in his scoring numbers and I am giving him an early projection of about 30 points, until the dust settles, at least.

Lucic Hits the Jackpot in Edmonton

One of the worst kept secrets leading up to the frenzy on Friday morning (in Alberta) was that Milan Lucic was going to sign with the Oilers, but the numbers were the only real question mark.  Indeed, the Oilers went all-in with Lucic, giving him the maximum new free agent deal of seven years for a total of $42 million (a $6 million cap hit per year).

Lucic scored 20 goals and 55 points in 81 games with the Kings last season, ranking 57th among all forwards in scoring.

The 28-year old will be added to a mix of some top end talent, where he'll be added to provide a physical presence to protect some of their bigger assets, while getting to the front of the net to try and add some offense from the short distances.

If Lucic does find a way onto the line with Connor McDavid, his hockey pool value does go up significantly, but it will be a matter of where he fits in to their lineup.  We can only speculate, leading up to training camp.

Panthers Add Reimer

The Florida Panthers have decided to add a little more security to their crease at the start of the free agent frenzy, adding goaltender James Reimer to their roster.  The 28-year old keeper signed a 5-year deal, worth $17 million (a $3.4 million cap hit).

Reimer finished with 17 wins between Toronto and San Jose last season, finishing with 40 points in pool scoring, the 30th best goaltender in the rankings.

With Roberto Luongo already penciled in to be the team's number one goalie again next season, the Panthers will be able to work Reimer in as a solid back-up in Luongo's last year(s) as an NHL goaltender, likely trying to groom their new asset into being their new number one down the road.

This move doesn't really increase his hockey pool value for next season, especially since Al Montoya, last year's back-up didn't get nearly the same amount of action that Reimer did between his two stops.  This could be a downward trend for his numbers, for the time being.

Ladd Heads to the Island

The New York Islanders were one of the first big splashes in the free agent pool, as it was confirmed that they signed forward Andrew Ladd to a new 7-year deal, reportedly worth $38.5 million.

The $5.5 million cap hit for the duration of the deal will be among the tops on the team, just behind Johnny Boychuk and even with John Tavares, making him into a central figure on this roster moving forward.

Last season, between Winnipeg and Chicago, the 30-year old forward finished 100th in forward scoring with 25 goals and 46 points in 78 games and will definitely see an increase of minutes from those he would have had in Chicago.  It will be very interesting to see who he will initially line up with in training camp, which will probably be the best indication about what his projections will look like next season.