The Montreal Canadiens agreed to terms with restricted free-agent winger Joel Armia on Friday, the team announced. The deal will pay Armia $1.85 million for the 2018-19 season.
Armia was dealt to Montreal from the Winnipeg Jets along with goaltender Steve Mason on June 30 in exchange for defensive prospect Simon Bourque. The Finnish native played in 79 regular-season games for the Jets last campaign, registering 12 goals and 17 assists in 12:36 of ice time per night.
The 25-year-old forward will bring some much-needed scoring depth to a Canadiens forward group that managed the third-lowest goal total last season with a measly 207.
Armia was drafted by the Buffalo Sabres in the first round (16th overall) of the 2011 NHL Draft. He has 26 goals and 58 points in 180 career regular-season games.
These five players won't be on many radars come draft day, but fantasy owners could strike gold by plucking at least one of them in the later rounds.
LW/RW Ondrej Kase, Ducks
Kase was very productive for the Anaheim Ducks this past season despite his limited role and missing 16 games, finishing in a tie for second on the team with 20 goals. Here's how he stacked up against the team's fellow top-nine right-wingers:
Player
GP
G
A
P
ATOI
Corey Perry
71
17
32
49
17:47
Jakob Silfverberg
77
17
23
40
17:58
Ondrej Kase
66
20
18
38
13:55
While Silfverberg's ice time is more reflective of his defensive abilities, Perry is on a dramatic decline. Considering Kase is one of their best offensive players, the goal-hungry Ducks could look to give him an expanded role this coming season, eating into Perry and Silfverberg's minutes.
If Kase remains healthy, sees more ice time, and maybe even gets an audition alongside Ryan Getzlaf on the first line, he has the skill for a 30-goal season.
RW Ty Rattie, Oilers
Rattie should be classified as an extremely deep sleeper. Barring some sort of ridiculous performance in preseason, he probably won't even get drafted in your league, so he can be used with a final-round pick.
The 25-year-old has largely underwhelmed thus far, considering he was chosen 32nd overall in the 2011 NHL Draft. He's spent most of his career in the AHL, where he has produced admirably. In brief NHL stints, he failed to make an impact; that was, however, until he was placed on Connor McDavid's line.
In the final 12 games of the 2017-18 season, Rattie scored five goals and added four assists while primarily flanking McDavid and opposite Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on the Oilers' top line. While there's certainly no guarantee he takes the spot again, Edmonton hasn't added any wingers worthy of competing for that role.
Monitor his usage in training camp and preseason, and if he's still with McDavid, scoop him up as a final-round flier. A 25-goal season is possible.
C/RW Nick Bjugstad, Panthers
Bjugstad is far down the list of the Florida Panthers' fantasy-relevant players, but he could be in for a monster season, which is fitting because, at 6-foot-6 and 218 pounds, he's a monster himself.
Like many of the Panthers, Bjugstad had an excellent second half, tallying 10 goals and 27 points in his final 34 games. That second-half surge started right around the time he joined forces on a line with superstar center Aleksander Barkov.
Given how much firepower the Panthers have, a full year alongside Barkov could result in a 60-point season for Bjugstad.
A second-round pick in 2013, Zykov, now 23, is older than most rookies who will be making headlines, but he's a darkhorse Calder Trophy candidate. He led the AHL with 33 goals last year despite only suiting up in 63 games. In his 10-game audition with the Carolina Hurricanes last year, he tallied seven points while averaging less than 14 minutes of ice time.
The Hurricanes have a lot of young talent up front, but with Jeff Skinner likely on his way out, there could be a spot for Zykov in the top-six. With his upside, he's more than worthy of taking a flier on in the final round.
D Ryan Pulock, Islanders
Pulock's biggest weapon is his shot. He has an absolute bomb from the point, and he isn't afraid to use it. He scored 10 goals on 184 shots last year and both of those numbers could rise drastically this season.
Among defenseman who played at least 500 minutes at even strength last year, Pulock ranked third in shots per 60 minutes, trailing only Brent Burns and Dougie Hamilton, according to Natural Stat Trick.
With Calvin de Haan departing in free agency and Johnny Boychuk getting on in age, Pulock could see much more ice time in his second full season, and it could result in a 15-goal, 45-point campaign.
Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford says he wasn't taking an intentional shot at the Columbus Blue Jackets when he made an assessment about Jack Johnson's usage that didn't sit well with John Tortorella.
“I have nothing but respect for the Columbus Blue Jackets,” Rutherford told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Jason Mackey. “They’ve got a good city, a good franchise, a great owner, and (president of hockey operations) John Davidson to run the franchise. I feel bad that it either (came) out the way it did or it upset people; that certainly wasn’t my intent. They have a very good franchise there, and it’s very well run.”
After the Penguins made the signing of Johnson to a five-year, $16.25-million deal official on the first day of free agency, Rutherford told reporters the following about the veteran defenseman, according to The Athletic's Aaron Portzline:
"I don't think he had a bad year. He was a healthy scratch at the end of the season. I know the reason why. It wasn't because of how he was playing."
When asked Thursday to clarify what he meant by the latter remark, Rutherford declined to elaborate.
“I don’t think that’s going to do anybody any good at this point,” he told Mackey. “We feel comfortable with the homework that we did on this player.”
Rutherford's initial comments, along with Johnson telling reporters on July 1 that, “I've been really wanting to be a part of a winning culture and a place where the expectations to win are as high as they can be," clearly irked Tortorella at the time.
The always forthright Blue Jackets head coach issued an expletive-laden response in which he said that for Rutherford "to question our decision-making from three hours away, he must be a fucking magician," later adding that the Penguins GM should "shut the fuck up," and that Johnson's statement was "utter bullshit."
Johnson was scratched in all six of the Blue Jackets' playoff games this spring and he collected only 11 points in 77 regular-season contests in 2017-18.
After tumultuous 2017-18 season that yielded just 71 points - their lowest total in a full schedule since the league expanded beyond six teams in 1967 - things don't appear to be getting easier for the Habs. Making things even more uncertain for the team are recent reports that indicate general manager Marc Bergevin wants to trade captain Max Pacioretty as soon as possible, and there won't be any contract negotiations between the two sides.
Pacioretty's name swirling about the trade market is hardly news. He was frequently discussed as an expendable piece at February's deadline, after which he wholeheartedly denied any perceived desire to leave the team. The 29-year-old was also in the mix at the draft, but despite some close calls, nothing ever materialized.
So now, with one miserable season in tow, and another seemingly on the horizon, the Canadiens have the remainder of the offseason to move on from Pacioretty, and are forced to deal him for less than he's worth.
Without coming to terms on a contract extension, Montreal's lost significant leverage with any suitor vying for Pacioretty's services. A sign-and-trade is now off the table, and much like the Erik Karlsson situation in Ottawa, buying teams won't be willing to sacrifice significant pieces for a single-season's worth of Pacioretty in their top six without the guarantee that he'll stick around for the long run. In addition to Pacioretty's diminished value, the idea of Bergevin acting on a deal out of desperation is cause for concern considering how the club has made out in the aftermath of his recent major trades.
At this juncture, it's hard to imagine the circumstances surrounding a Pacioretty trade being much worse. Supplementing the contract extension scenario, Pacioretty is coming off an uncharacteristically poor season, further damaging Montreal's chances at getting a sufficient haul for its best forward.
Pacioretty only appeared in 64 games in 2017-18, accumulating just 37 points - two shy of what he managed in the lockout-shortened 2013 campaign. Before last season's dreary showing, Pacioretty was among the most productive goal scorers across the NHL. In fact, from 2011-12 to last season, the Habs' captain ranks ninth in the entire league with 206 goals in 503 games, all while carrying a remarkably team-friendly $4.5-million cap hit.
Surely his productive past will be Montreal's main selling point, but there doesn't appear to be a way Bergevin and Co. escape this saga without collecting their fair share of criticism - a recurring theme of late in La Belle Province.
Montreal's always under the microscope, but Bergevin's already taken heat for saying "the answer is in that dressing room," after a 2-6-1 start to last season, then followed up his sentiments months later in the club's year-end press conference, saying his team's attitude needs to be better. A failure to accurately assess what went wrong, on top of a handful of questionable personnel decisions over recent years, has Montreal's fan base ready for something positive, and Pacioretty's impending departure isn't that.
The Canadiens have a few glaring needs on their roster, primarily down the middle of the ice and on the blue line, but does Pacioretty currently fetch a roster player that can sufficiently step into either of those roles next season? With no term attached, does he even pull an A-level prospect or a first-round pick? If not, Bergevin will be forced to rummage through the bargain bin of future assets while giving up a player that's eclipsed 30 goals five times since 2012.
Pacioretty is certainly due for a raise next summer, as his career production speaks for itself. And even with a projected $12 million in cap space next season, the Canadiens - who ranked 29th in goals for - are depositing their captain's future into the hands of another team.
Potential avenues for a Pacioretty trade are limitless, and there's always a possibility Bergevin gets creative and finds a way to maximize Montreal's return. But the possibility of Pacioretty succeeding in greener pastures are much greater, and they'll only have themselves to blame if they have nothing to show for him down the line.
Claimed on waivers last season, McLeod skated in 25 games with the Rangers, notching two assists and 39 penalty minutes. He began the season with the Nashville Predators, where he chipped in two points across 23 games.
McLeod spent part of two seasons with the Predators after a 10-year run with the Colorado Avalanche that began in 2007.
The 34-year-old has appeared in 738 games, registering 71 goals, 55 assists, and 1,563 penalty minutes.
"I'm done playing hockey," he told Slovak newspaper Novy Cas back in May, as translated by NHL.com. "I have a contract with Chicago for the next three years, but I have to watch my health, and my body says the comeback is not possible."
He missed all of last season due to a progressive skin disorder and the side effects of the medication used to treat it.
Hossa still has three years remaining on his contract with a $5.275-million annual cap hit, though his actual salary is only $1 million for each season. Since he is unable to play, he will only cost the Coyotes $200,000 per year.
It's worth noting that Marian Hossa's contract is insured for 80% of it's value.
Meaning that the $1,000,000 in base salary that Hossa is due in each of the next 3 seasons will only cost the #Coyotes $200,000 pic.twitter.com/XLN1OlOKji
A move such as this isn't uncommon, especially for the Coyotes. Inactive contracts they've acquired in the past include Chris Pronger in 2015 as well as Pavel Datsyuk and Dave Bolland in 2016.
By taking on his deal, the Coyotes get an ultra-speedy 24-year-old winger in Hinostroza, and Oesterle, a 26-year-old blue-liner coming off a career year in which he averaged over 20 minutes per night in 55 games. They also move up two rounds in the 2019 draft.
The Blackhawks, meanwhile, gain leadership, some organizational depth, and most importantly, cap room.
By trading Hossa, Hinostroza & Oesterle off their roster, in exchange for Kruger off Arizona's roster, the #Blackhawks instantly save $4.65M in cap space with this deal.
We now show Chicago with roughly $8.55M in projected cap space based on a tentative roster of 18 (9F/6D/3G). pic.twitter.com/tMNtwPldGU
What general manager Stan Bowman does with this newfound cap space remains to be seen.
Kruger won two Stanley Cups with the Blackhawks in 2013 and 2015 but was an ineffective fourth-line center with the Carolina Hurricanes last season. He was traded to Arizona on May 3 but didn't see an NHL game. He has one year left on his deal with a $2.775-million cap hit.
Entwistle was the Coyotes' third-round pick in 2017. The right winger collected 38 points in 49 games last year with the OHL's Hamilton Bulldogs.
Maletta, 23, is coming off a rough season in which he tallied just five assists in 29 AHL contests.
Campbell, 30, has 42 NHL games under his belt but will likely be looked upon to provide leadership for Chicago's AHL team.
Teams and players can continue to negotiate up until their scheduled hearing. Last year, only one arbitration case - involving Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Nate Schmidt - went through with a hearing, where he was awarded a two-year, $4.5-million agreement.
