NHL Re-Sign Phase Recap

Signings:

Connor Carrick-Toronto Maple Leafs: 1 year, $800K

Carrick has been a reliable depth defenceman for the Maple Leafs the past two years but at age 24 it may be his last chance to secure a full-time role on an NHL team.

Markus Granlund-Vancouver Canucks: 1 year, $1.475M

Granlund had a terrible injury-riddled season last year but the previous year he netted 19 goals in 69 games which shows he has the potential to be a solid third- or fourth-line center. The deal is good for Vancouver as they lack depth scoring and a healthy Granlund could provide from the bottom six.

Stephen Johns-Dallas Stars: 3 years, $7.05M

On a weak defensive core in Dallas, Stephen Johns got an opportunity to play in the top six regularly and he made the most of it playing shut-down defence while throwing around his big body. Dallas has rewarded him with a contract which is likely to keep him on the NHL squad.

Philipp Grubauer-Colorado Avalanche: 3 years, $10M

After three years of being a great backup to Braden Holtby, Grubauer will finally get a chance to earn a starting role in Denver. It is most likely he will share the starting role with Semyon Varlamov but after a year or two, the role will probably be his. Either way, it was a very good trade and signing for the Avalanche.



Chris Wideman-Ottawa Senators: 1 year, $1M

Wideman has been a decent depth defenceman over the past three years in the nation's Capital so he was awarded with a one-year extension. His role may be bigger this year too if the Sens choose to move on from their captain Erik Karlsson.

Martin Frk-Detroit Red Wings: 1 year, $1.05M

Frk had a decent rookie season in Detroit last year so it makes sense for the rebuilding Red Wings to bring him back possibly for a bigger role. Frk could move into a regular top-six role if he improves his game or he could be a solid third-line winger like last season.

Bryan Rust-Pittsburgh Penguins: 4 years, $14M

Rust has been an average forward for Pittsburgh the past three regular seasons but come playoff time he has upped his game, scoring goals that sent Pittsburgh the the finals. Without him, Pittsburgh probably would not have beat Tampa Bay and with Sheary gone, he may get a bigger role to make a difference year round.

JT Miller-Tampa Bay Lightning: 5 years, $26.25M

Miller is one of the league's most underrated point producers putting up 56 and 58 points the last two years. During his short tenure in Tampa, he looked like a great fit notching 18 points in 19 games so he should only get better the more time he spends with one of the league's most talented rosters. Miller will have the opportunity to put up points like he never has before; the investment is worth it for Tampa Bay.



Derrick Pouliot-Vancouver Canucks: 1 year, $1.1M

Pouliot has never lived up to the potential which made him the eighth overall pick but he was decent last year in his role as a defenceman in Vancouver.

Joe Morrow-Winnipeg Jets: 1 year, $1M

Morrow is another defenceman who has never lived up to his first-round potential but after a late-season trade, he found a good fit in Winnipeg performing well to close out the regular season and playoffs. He ill fit nicely into their bottom six or their seventh-defenceman role.

Kevin Connauton-Arizona Coyotes: 2 years, $2.75M

Connauton was surprisingly effective for the Coyotes during his third season with the club posting 11 goals to go along with 10 assists. With a bigger role on the power play, he could possibly put up even more goals and be an offensive threat for an up-and-coming team.

Riley Sheahan-Pittsburgh Penguins: 1 year, $2.1M

After an early season trade sent Sheahan to the Penguins, he performed well as the third-line center before being pushed to the fourth line due to the acquisition of Derick Brassard. If he plays like last year, he is one of the best fourth-line centers in the NHL as he produces points and plays good defence.

Devante Smith-Pelly-Washington Capitals: 1 year, $1M

Smith-Pelly under performed during the regular season posting seven goals but he matched that during the Capitals' magical run which left them as champs. A reunion made sense for both sides despite the fact Smith-Pelly had larger offers from other teams.

Michal Kempny-Washington Capitals: 4 years, $10M

Once Kempny was dealt at the deadline to the Capitals, he made a major impact during their playoff run as he contributed by playing lock-down defence while playing on the bottom pair. Bringing him back gives Washington the option to play in the top four with the departure of Brooks Orpik.

Drew Doughty-Los Angeles Kings: 8 years, $88M

The Kings just locked up one of the best defencemen in the game for a long time. Doughty is a top-three defencemen now and may one day be a hall-of-fame player with his two Stanley Cups, two Olympic Gold medals and a Norris trophy at age 28. The annual cost of the deal is a lot but as an elite player he has earned the contract he got.



Logan Couture-San Jose Sharks: 8 years, $64M

Couture has been a very underrated center during his NHL career because he has faced injury problems. If he was healthy all the time, he would be considered one of the league's top centers. Even with that being said, $8 million annually is a lot to pay someone who may be your second-line center especially when you have already given out monster deals with term to others players on your team.

Mike Green-Detroit Red Wings: 2 years, $10.75M

What is Detroit doing? They keep throwing out all this money to players on the decline (Frans Nielsen, Justin Abdelkader, Henrik Zetterberg, Niklas Kronwall, Trevor Daley, Jonathan Ericsson, Danny Dekeyser and Jimmy Howard are all overpaid veterans). It's time for the Wings to go into a full-on rebuild. Green can still play but he would be more effective on a contender as a power-play specialist.

Niklas Hjalmarsson-Arizona Coyotes: 2 years, $10M

Hjalmarsson may not be the shut-down defenceman he once was but he can still contribute to a team trying to enter playoff contention after years of rebuilding. He brings his three Stanley Cups and leadership to a team stacked with young talent. The contract is not bad either as the term is short and Arizona has plenty of cap space.

Ryan Reaves-Vegas Golden Knights: 2 years, $5.55M

One of the best enforcers in the league, Reaves brings his grit and toughness to a team which may be ready for another deep playoff run. Despite interest from many teams. he has chosen to keep his fighting style in Sin City.

Trades:

Blackhawks Receive: Jordan Schroeder
Blue Jackets Receive: Jean-Francois Berube

Jean-Francois Berube will likely be the AHL starter next year in Cleveland but he could possibly push Joonas Korpisalo for the backup job in Columbus. Jordan Schroeder will push for a depth-forward role in Chicago but he will likely play a leadership role in the AHL.

Grades: Blackhawks B; Blue Jackets B

Penguins Receive: Conditional 4th Round Pick
Sabres Receive: Conor Sheary, Matt Hunwick

Conor Sheary has been a very good second or third liner during his time in Pittsburgh and it's a shame they are getting rid of him to sign Jack Johnson. Sheary is a better player than Johnson is now but they do need defence rather than offence at this point. Sheary should add some offence to a team in Buffalo that desperately needs it. He could play on any line in the top nine depending on how much they depend on him. Matt Hunwick will add some leadership and depth defence to the Sabres as well.



Grades: Sabres A; Penguins C+

Canadiens Receive: Joel Armia, Steve Mason, 2019 7th Round Pick, 2020 4th Round Pick
Jets Receive: Simon Bourque

This deal is a huge cap dump for the Jets as they get rid of Steve Mason's terrible contract which leaves space to bring back Paul Stastny. For the Canadiens, they get a promising young player in Joel Armia who should get a bigger role this upcoming season plus future picks. The Canadiens plan to buy out Mason but they are not contenders so their cap space should not be a problem.

Grades: Canadiens B+; Jets C+

Photo credit for Philipp Grubauer, Conor Sheary and Drew Doughty goes to http://www.nhl.com/. JT Miller goes to https://www.newsday.com/.

Free Agents The Flames Should Target

The Flames disappointed once again this season failing to qualify for post-season play after getting swept in the opening round the year prior. They have already made a blockbuster trade shipping out top-pair defenceman Dougie Hamilton, fan favourite Micheal Ferland and prospect Adam Fox for up-and-coming Noah Hanifin and two-way pivot Elias Lindholm. The Flames have some dire needs including goal scoring, toughness, speed, depth, leadership and goaltending. Here are some free agent signing ideas in no specific order the Flames should explore.

Carter Hutton:

17 W 7 L 3 T 2.09 GAA 0.931 SP%

Once Mike Smith went down with an injury it signaled the end of the Flames' playoff hopes as neither David Rittich or Jon Gillies could hold down the fort. Smith is injury prone and he is getting up there in age so it's time to get some insurance policy behind him. Carter Hutton is the best goalie available so they would have to offer him a large contract but it may be worth it. If not they could turn to Jonathan Bernier or Robin Lehner for the backup position. 



Riley Nash:

76 GP 15 G 26 AST 41 PTS

Riley Nash would fit perfectly as the third-line center as he is a huge upgrade from Mark Jankowski or Sam Bennett. He would provide depth scoring from the third line which was invisible for the Flames last year plus he could kill penalties and play in his own zone. Nash set career numbers in Boston last year in a limited role so increased responsibility could mean a career year at a reasonable price.



Ryan Reaves:

79 GP 4 G 6 AST 10 PTS

Calgary was pushed around by everyone last year; no one would fight or stick up for anyone. The key to fixing this: bring in one of the league's toughest players in Ryan Reaves. Reaves will fight anybody and can win any scrap he gets involved in. He would also provide energy and may even be able to pot more goals than Calgary's fourth-line wingers last year.



Patrick Maroon:

74 GP 17 G 26 AST 43 PTS

Patrick Maroon would bring in physicality and scoring to a squad that desperately needs both. He can play a third-line role or a top-line role as he proved when he rode sidekick to Connor McDavid in 2017 scoring a career high 27 goals. In Maroon you would also get someone who is afraid of no one. A perfect replacement for the recently-traded Micheal Ferland.



Derek Ryan:

80 GP 15 G 23 AST 38 PTS

Derek Ryan could be a great fourth-line center or third-line center on Calgary, bringing offence and defence to the bottom six. He is also familiar with the new bench boss Bill Peters which makes this move more likely to occur than the others on this list. Due to Ryan's lack of games in his career at age 31, he would also come very cheap.



Antoine Roussel:

73 GP 5 G 12 A 17 PTS

Roussel had an off year this past season but it's not the scoring you ask for when Roussel is in your lineup. He is one of the league's best pests, trash talking and face washing anyone who comes in his way. He takes his fair share of penalties finishing with 126 this past season but the time in the box is worth it. Roussel would be cheap too coming off the worst season of his career.



Mike Green:

66 GP 8 G 25 AST 33 PTS

The Flames' power play was atrocious in the second half of the season and that was with recently-traded Dougie Hamilton. The solution: bring in power-play specialist and former Norris winner Mike Green back to his hometown. With an already deep blue line core, Green would not have much defensive responsibility; he would instead be there to replace the offence that departed when Hamilton left.



Michael Grabner:

80 GP 27 G 9 AST 36 PTS

The Flames seemed very slow last year relative to most teams in the NHL. Enter in Michael Grabner, who is one of the league's fastest players who fills the back of the net scoring 54 goals the past two season combined. Adding this caliber of speed and depth goal scoring would be a huge boost to a team who severely needs both. Grabner will be in for a hefty pay raise from his $1.65 million deal.



Jay Beagle:

79 GP 7 G 15 AST 22 PTS

The perfect fourth-line center, Jay Beagle is one of the league's best face-off men who plays a very defensive-centered game. Bringing Jay Beagle back to the place he was born would bring a penalty-killing machine to Cow Town as well as championship pedigree as Beagle is the only player ever with a Stanley Cup, Calder Cup and Kelly Cup.



Kris Versteeg:

24 GP 3 G 5 AST 8 PTS

If Calgary fails to bring in some of the above names, they could turn to somebody already in their system. Kris Versteeg's efforts on the power play were missed during his long absence last year. Versteeg is nearing the end of his career though so he may not be good enough coming off an injury but at a cheap price the risk may be worth it.



Zac Rinaldo:

53 GP 5 G 2 AST 7 PTS

If Ryan Reaves falls out of Calgary's reach, bring in last year's Michael Haley. Rinaldo is fearless who plays on the edge. In this signing, Calgary would get nothing more than somebody other teams' fear but it is also something needed.



David Perron:

70 GP 16 G 50 AST 66 PTS

It's now time to dive into the top of the free agency class. David Perron was great for the expansion Golden Knights but a Stanley Cup finals benching will probably lead to the end of Perron's tenure in Vegas. To gain Perron's services, Calgary could offer him a spot alongside Johnny Gaudreau where Perron would have a chance to repeat his season from last year or he could help fix the bottom six as well.



James Van Riemsdyk:

81 GP 36 G 18 AST 54 PTS

Putting James Van Riemsdyk on the Flames top line would give them one of the best lines in hockey. Van Riemsdyk is one of the free agency class' best pure goal scorers; he can score from anywhere including the dirty areas. It may seem like a good fit but based on the lack of other scorers, Van Riemsdyk will probably make way more money than the Flames or anyone else should be willing to pay him.



John Tavares:

82 GP 37 G 47 AST 84 PTS

No matter how slim the chances are of landing John Tavares, he should be on everybody's list. One of the greatest free agents to ever reach the open market, Tavares will earn one of the biggest deals ever awarded in the NHL. Tavares and Gaudreau would form a deadly combo but Flames fans will only be able to dream of it because Tavares has narrowed his team list down and unsurprisingly the Flames are not on it.



Jarome Iginla:

1554 GP 625 G 675 AST 1300 PTS

The greatest Calgary Flame of all time. Give Iginla one more chance to win hockey's ultimate prize. Even if he just plays the power play and provides leadership, he would sell tickets as Flames fans would pack the Saddledome to watch his farewell tour. As it stands now, Iginla's playing career is probably over but anything is possible. 



Carter Hutton goes to http://foxsports.com/. Riley Nash goes to http://thehockeywriters.com/. Photo credit for Ryan Reaves, Antoine Roussel and Kris Versteeg goes to https://www.nhl.com/. Photo credit for Patrick Maroon goes to https://www.thefantasydoctors.com/. Derek Ryan and John Tavares goes to https://www.si.com/. Mike Green, Zac Rinaldo David Perron, James Van Riemsdyk and Jarome Iginla goes to https://www.sportsnet.ca/. Michael Grabner goes to http://nypost.com/. Jay Beagle goes to https://twitter.com/.