Noon Preseason Notes (Sep 23)

A potential top line winger in Vegas is currently sitting out hurt, as Tomas Nosek missed out on Saturday's preseason contest, uncertain if he was scheduled to be there, with a lower-body injury. He's currently listed as out day-to-day, which doesn't sound overly daunting, but with their depth, he better hope that the injury is minor, because there could be someone waiting in the weeds to take his spot.

Nosek had 15 points in 67 games last season with the Golden Knights, but in this preseason, he has been lined up with guys like William Karlsson and/or Jonathan Marchessault, which can only mean good things on this team.  He's in a good position to be a sleeper, if he's starting the season healthy.

Word out of Lightning camp is that forward Tyler Johnson is currently dealing with an upper-body injury and didn't practice on Sunday morning with the team.  There was no immediate confirmation about the nature or the severity of the injury, it's just worth noting, given his stature in the team's lineup.  Johnson could be a 50-point player this season and he'll need to get off the mark right away, if he's going to make it to that scoring plateau.

The Carolina Hurricanes coaching staff have announced that they are going to hold out forward Micheal Ferland for the rest of the preseason, as he is currently dealing with an upper-body injury. The official word is that he is day-to-day, but they are going to be cautious with one of their roster players, as they move closer to the regular season.  Ferland joined the Canes in an off-season trade with the Flames and is a fringe player, according to some of the hockey pool projections, with the possibility of a little bit more.

The injuries are stacking up across the league and the Columbus Blue Jackets have announced that defenseman Ryan Murray will start the season on the shelf, as he's dealing with a groin injury and it will cost him a couple of weeks, give or take.  Murray was kicked in the groin area in a game last week and there was some confusion about what the injury that was keeping him out actually was, until Sunday, when the team announced it's a soft tissue injury around the pubic bone.  He'll be listed as out week-to-week right now.

Afternoon Fringe Signings (Jul 19)

The Winnipeg Jets agreed to terms with restricted free agent forward Adam Lowry on Thursday afternoon, signing him to a 3-year, $8.75 million deal.  Lowry had an injury-riddled 2018 season, upper-body injury after upper-body injury, but in 45 games, he still managed 8 goals and 21 points, good enough for 287th among all forwards.  That kind of scoring pace would be enough to lift him into consideration for the hockey pool draft, if you're looking for one of those sleeper-like picks.

The deal is certainly one that suggests that the Jets believe he's on the cusp of some pretty good things, signing him in for some reasonable term and giving him a good salary cap hit at the same time.

Sabres Re-Up Gragnani

On Thursday, the Buffalo Sabres re-signed restricted free agent defenseman Marc-Andre Gragnani to a 1-year deal, worth $525,000.

Gragnani doesn't really have the numbers that would normally get him mentioned in a post for the hockey pools, with only 3 points (1 goal and 2 assists) in nine games for the Sabres in the 2011 regular season, but he did rise to prominence in the playoffs, where he had 7 points (1 goal and 6 assists) in the opening round against the Flyers.

Unfortunately for Gragnani, the Sabres went and spent a lot of money and a lot of time on rebuilding the blueline, adding pieces like Christian Ehrhoff and Robyn Regehr, which puts Gragnani in a bit of a tight spot, trying to make the roster for the 2012 season.  He will likely be competing for a spot with Mike Weber or Shaone Morrisonn, so if he can make it, he'll probably be carrying some momentum from camp into the season, which could make him into a bit of a sleeper pick.

If you can hold out until training camp to select your pool teams, then keep a close eye on the Buffalo blueline.  Otherwise, you may just want to keep a close eye on Gragnani for picking him up mid-season.

Predators Add Hillen

The Nashville Predators have breathed a sigh of relief when Shea Weber's arbitration process was complete, so on Monday, they went ahead and started to fill in the rest of the holes on their blueline, doing so by adding unrestricted free agent defender Jack Hillen to the mix. Hillen signed a 1-year deal, reportedly worth $650,000 at the NHL level (in a two-way deal).

Hillen played on Long Island during the 2011 season, playing in 64 games, scoring 4 goals and adding 18 assists.  Those 22 points were good enough for 79th among all defensemen in scoring, which would put him on the inside of the pool draft's top 80 defensemen, which makes for a pretty good year and some potential for a better year with more ice-time.

Hillen's inclusion on the team table has him in the 3rd position among defenders in scoring, which makes this signing a little bit better, as they were able to add a player that could be a top four defenseman on their side, something they desperately need.  Stay tuned to where Hillen lines up for the Predators in training camp, the right pairing could mean could things for the 25-year old blueliner.

Roster Signings on Saturday (July 9)

The Avalanche signed a pair of young players, both were key to the team's success in 2010, in the middle of the slump of 2011 and ready to bounce back in 2012. Defenseman Ryan Wilson signed a 1-year, $1.275 million deal after a season playing 67 games, scoring 3 goals and 13 assists, ranking 110th among all defensemen. Forward Kevin Porter scored 14 goals and added 11 assists in 74 games, he signed a 1-year deal, worth $850,000.  Wilson has a good shot at jumping in as a sleeper for some hockey pools this season, I think he's really coming around.  If the Avalanche can turn their offense around, look for Wilson to be a good sleeper.

The Florida Panthers re-signed unrestricted free agent forward Ryan Carter to a 1-year, two-way deal on Saturday, no dollar figures announced. Carter played in 62 games between Carolina and Florida in 2011, scoring 3 goals and adding 6 assists. Carter does have enough experience to become an every day bottom six role player, but he has lacked some consistency, which is exemplified by the two-way part of the deal.

The Wild added unrestricted free agent defenseman Mike Lundin to their roster on Saturday, signing the veteran blueliner to a 1-year, $1 million deal. Lundin, 26, played in 69 games for the Lightning in 2011, scored 1 goal and added 11 assists.  As of right now, Lundin stands to be in the 3-4 pairing for the Wild, which may give him some more minutes on the ice, but he isn't a big time producer of points, so I wouldn't be looking for too much from him.

Kings Re-Sign Martinez

The Kings re-signed restricted free agent defenseman Alec Martinez to a new 2-year deal on Friday, reported to be worth $X million.  Martinez jumped onto the scene in the 2011 season, playing 60 games for the club, scoring 5 goals and adding 11 assists.  Out of virtually nowhere, Martinez jumped into 107th among defensemen in scoring, making him an outside possibility as a defensive scoring sleeper in the 2012 hockey pool draft.

Canucks Re-Sign Salo

The Canucks have reportedly re-signed defenseman Sami Salo to a new 1-year deal, which will pay the Finn $2 million.  Salo was getting prepared to become an unrestricted free agent on Friday afternoon, but the deal was done in the hours leading up to free agency and the Canucks will retain some more of their overall depth on the blueline.


Salo's 2011 season was cut short by an off-season Achilles tendon injury, which limited his regular season to just 27 games.  Salo didn't regain some of his overall offense after the injury, only scoring 3 goals and 4 assists in those games, which has him ranked poorly going into the 2012 season.

If Salo can make it into the 2012 season at 100% health, he should be somewhat of a sleeper pick, especially in the late rounds of a draft, where a lot of people may be looking at picking up some new, inexperienced blood for their team.

With Salo on board, the Canucks now have 18 players signed (eight forwards, eight defense and two goalies) for only $53.4 million, giving them about $10 million for the remaining forwards on on their roster. Of course, with Salo on board, there is a good chance that a defenseman may shift off the team table, but we'll get to that when more things happen.

Oshie Re-Signs in St. Louis

The St. Louis Blues have come to terms with forward T.J. Oshie, signing him to a 1-year deal, reportedly worth $2.35 million. Oshie was scheduled to become a restricted free agent on Friday afternoon, but the Blues made sure he wasn't going to be an offer sheet liability.

Oshie had an injury-shortened 2011 season, playing in only 49 games for the Blues, scoring 12 goals and adding 22 assists. That unfortunately put the small power forward out of the regular scoring ranks for the hockey pools, but when healthy, he is a pretty good scoring forward, one that may turn out to be a little bit of a sleeper in the drafts for the 2012 season.

Other Minor Roster Signings on Wednesday (June 29)

Forward Nathan Gerbe was signed to a new 3-year deal on Wednesday morning by the Buffalo Sabres, reportedly worth $4.3 million, a $1.433 million cap hit per season.  Gerbe was set to become a restricted free agent on July 1st, with a qualifying offer already done up, but negotiations continued to a new deal.  Gerbe scored 16 goals and 15 assists in 64 games, giving him a scoring rate that may be considerable for next season's pool draft.

The Hurricanes announced the signing of Chad Larose to a new 2-year deal, reportedly worth $3.4 million, which works out to a $1.7 million cap hit per season.  Larose scored 16 goals and 15 assists in all 82 games for the Hurricanes, ranking him 193rd among forwards in pool scoring, just outside last season's limit for forwards in the draft.  Good depth player, rewarded nicely by the team.

The Lightning announced that they have signed veteran forward Adam Hall to a new 1-year deal, but financial terms were not disclosed in the release. Hall played in 82 games for the Bolts, scoring 7 goals and adding 11 assists in a bottom six role for the club.  His deal is a one-way agreement, which should suggest that he will be able to play another 82 games, barring injury, in the 2012 season.

Lightning Re-Sign Bergeron

The Tampa Bay Lightning continued to re-stock the blueline before the free agency silly season began, as it has now been reported that they have re-signed Marc-Andre Bergeron to a new deal, 2 years, $2 million.

Bergeron was a late-season addition by the Lightning and did provide some offensive help on the back end, as well as some puck moving and now he has been signed on again before he became an unrestricted free agent on Friday.

Bergeron played in 23 regular season games for the Lightning, picking up 2 goals and 6 assists, ranking him 176th among all defensemen in pool scoring.  His scoring rate, however, would have put him in the top 50, if he was to have played the entire season with the Lightning, so he definitely should be considered a pool player in your upcoming drafts.

Forwards	Defense	Goalies
Martin St. Louis	Brett Clark
Vincent Lecavalier	Victor Hedman
Ryan Malone	Pavel Kubina
Dominic Moore	Eric Brewer
Steve Downie	Marc-Andre Bergeron
Nate Thompson	Bruno Gervais
Dana Tyrell	Mattias Ohlund

I haven't shown an updated table in a few signings now, but all that has been added are a few defensemen, no goalies to speak of, as of yet.  Unrestricted free agency may see the Lightning make a big play for a goalie, depending on how large the Steve Stamkos contract is.

Where does this leave the Lightning at the moment? I have them in with seven forwards, seven defensemen and two buyouts at a projected cap hit of $41.9 million, leaving them approximately $22.4 million for two goalies and six forwards.  We should be assuming that Stamkos should be coming in at around $7 million, which will bring the Lightning closer to the Red Wings model of operation, keeping some cheap goaltending behind good defensemen and having a good core of two-way forwards.

Habs Re-Sign Pacioretty

The Montreal Canadiens announced on Monday morning that they have re-signed forward Max Pacioretty to a new 2-year deal, reported to be worth $3.25 million, which works out to be a $1.625 million cap hit per year.  Pacioretty was scheduled to become a restricted free agent on July 1st.

Pacioretty had a very turbulent 2011 season, starting the season in the minors, being recalled in December only to have his season cut short by a violent injury against the Bruins in March.  Pacioretty only played in 35 games in the year, but had an impressive scoring rate with 24 points (14 goals and 10 assists) in that stretch.


The Canadiens are in reasonable shape with 13 players signed on and one buyout for $41.9 million, which gives the club $22 million in approximate cap space for the last eight to 10 players they will need to have on their roster before opening night.  That works out to a pretty good per player average they can spend in this off-season.  The Canadiens have a pretty good core to work from and will likely be spending more of their remaining cap space on improving the defense going forward.


It's good to see that there was no hesitation in re-signing Pacioretty to a new deal, as his health certainly doesn't seem to be an issue after that horrific ordeal with Zdeno Chara.  It sounds like he'll be back to 100% for the opening of the season and with the scoring rate that he had in 2011, he could make himself into a very good sleeper pick in this Fall's pool draft.