The Vegas Golden Knights are signing defenseman Alec Martinez to a three-year contract extension with an average annual value of $5.25 million, reports Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli.
Martinez was eligible for unrestricted free agency this offseason.
More to come.
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NHL Rumor Mill – July 28, 2021 The free-agent market opens at noon ET today. Check out the latest on Marc-Andre Fleury, Dougie Hamilton, Ryan Getzlaf, Darcy Kuemper and many more in today’s NHL rumor mill. NO FLEURY FLIP TO PENGUINS TSN: Pierre LeBrun reports Chicago Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman didn’t acquire goaltender Marc-Andre […]
NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 28, 2021 On the eve of the free-agent market, the Avalanche re-sign Gabriel Landeskog, the Lightning trade Tyler Johnson to the Blackhawks and the Canucks ship Nate Schmidt to the Jets. Get the details plus other signings and trades in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines. THE DENVER POST: The […]
The captain is staying put.
The Colorado Avalanche re-signed Gabriel Landeskog to a maximum-length eight-year contract, the team announced Tuesday.
The deal carries an annual cap hit of $7 million, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.
The contract also includes a full no-movement clause over the first four years, then a modified no-trade clause over the last four seasons, a source told The Athletic's Peter Baugh.
The two sides came to an agreement just in the nick of time, as Tuesday at midnight ET was the deadline for teams to re-sign players to eight-year contracts. Afterward, the maximum is seven years.
Landeskog was one of the top pending unrestricted free agents set to hit the open market. The 28-year-old tallied 20 goals and 32 assists over 54 games this past season. He's also posted very strong advanced metrics over the last three campaigns:
The Avalanche drafted Landeskog second overall in 2011. He was named the team's captain just over a year later at age 19, which at the time made him the youngest player in NHL history to wear the "C" full time. The new contract sets him up to be Colorado's captain for at least 17 straight seasons.
In addition to his production and leadership, Landeskog also plays a rugged, physical game. He led the Avs with 81 hits over 54 games this past season.
After locking up Landeskog and Cale Makar, the Avs still hold $12.4 million in projected cap space, according to CapFriendly. However, Vezina Trophy finalist goaltender Philipp Grubauer is set to hit unrestricted free agency, and restricted free agents Tyson Jost and Conor Timmins need new deals.
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The Tampa Bay Lightning traded forward Tyler Johnson and a 2023 second-round pick to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for Brent Seabrook's contract, the team announced Tuesday.
Seabrook ended his playing career in March due to a hip injury. His contract, which has three years remaining with an average annual value of $6.875 million, can be placed on the long-term injured reserve where it won't count against the salary cap. The Lightning will be able to accumulate about $1.8 million in additional cap space with Seabrook on the LTIR, according to Sportsnet's Chris Johnston.
There are three years left on Johnson's deal, which carries an annual cap hit of $5 million. The Lightning have been trying to move his contract for some time, as he cleared waivers prior to the start of the 2020-21 campaign.
The 30-year-old forward is coming off the worst season of his career after registering eight goals and 14 assists over 55 games. He added seven points in 23 playoff contests while playing primarily on the fourth line during Tampa Bay's Stanley Cup repeat.
However, Johnson was highly productive during his prime. From 2013-14 to 2018-19 he averaged 25 goals and 30 assists per 82 games.
Even though the Lightning were eager to get rid of Johnson, his departure creates a hole down the middle of the team's lineup since the Seattle Kraken selected fellow center Yanni Gourde in the expansion draft.
Brayden Point and Anthony Cirelli are locks at center. Steven Stamkos is a natural center, though he's played almost exclusively on the wing over the last couple of seasons. Ross Colton, who played mostly as a winger throughout his rookie campaign, could be asked to shift back to the middle. Mitchell Stephens, Alex Barre-Boulet, and Gemel Smith are other internal options.
The Lightning project to hold about $5 million to $7 million in cap space. Colton and Cal Foote are the team's two most pressing restricted free agents.
The Blackhawks, meanwhile, will likely count on Johnson to center their third line behind Jonathan Toews and Kirby Dach. Dylan Strome is also still in the mix.
Chicago possesses less than $2.5 million in projected cap space and still needs to sign RFAs Alexander Nylander, Brandon Hagel, and Nikita Zadorov.
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The Vancouver Canucks are sending blue-liner Nate Schmidt to the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for a 2022 third-round pick, reports TSN's Darren Dreger.
Schmidt needs to waive his no-trade clause to facilitate the deal, Dreger adds.
There are four seasons remaining on the 30-year-old's contract, which carries an annual cap hit of $5.95 million, according to CapFriendly.
The Canucks acquired Schmidt from the Vegas Golden Knights last offseason for a 2022 third-round pick, meaning Vancouver essentially rented him for one year.
His lone season with the Canucks didn't go as planned, as he recorded just 15 points over 54 games, and Schmidt's underlying numbers plummeted.
Here's Nate Schmidt's card, which took a turn for the worse last year with Vancouver. Comps aren't friendly. pic.twitter.com/huWXxL1QZs
— dom at the athletic (@domluszczyszyn) July 27, 2021
Prior to joining the Canucks, Schmidt enjoyed a stellar three-year run with the Golden Knights, averaging 41 points per 82 games.
If he can return to that form, Winnipeg's blue line should improve vastly next season, as the club also acquired Brenden Dillon from the Washington Capitals on Monday.
Here's the Jets' current blue-line depth chart:
| LD | RD |
|---|---|
| Josh Morrissey | Neal Pionk* |
| Brenden Dillon | Nate Schmidt |
| Logan Stanley* | Dylan DeMelo |
| Ville Heinola | Sami Niku |
| Dylan Samberg |
*Restricted free agent
Winnipeg's defense has been a weak area since the 2019 offseason when the team lost Jacob Trouba, Dustin Byfuglien, Tyler Myers, and Ben Chiarot.
The Canucks, meanwhile, are likely looking to clear cap space to re-sign pending restricted free agents Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes. Hughes, Myers, and the newly acquired Oliver Ekman-Larsson are the only proven commodities currently under team control on Vancouver's blue line.
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Notable NHL Free-Agent Signings – July 27, 2021 With the NHL free-agent market opening at noon ET on July 28, there’s a flurry of last-minute contract signings taking place. Some involved unrestricted free agents while others are restricted free agents. Here’s the rundown of today’s notable signings. Washington Capitals signed left winger Alex Ovechkin to […]
The Vegas Golden Knights are dealing Marc-Andre Fleury to the Chicago Blackhawks, reports ESPN's Emily Kaplan.
Vegas isn't retaining any of the reigning Vezina Trophy winner's salary, and the only player Chicago is trading for him is AHL forward Mikael Hakkarainen, Kaplan adds.
Fleury's agent, Allan Walsh, confirmed the Golden Knights didn't inform the goaltender of the move, and he said Fleury will need to consider his next step.
While Marc-Andre Fleury still hasn’t heard from anybody with the Vegas Golden Knights, he has apparently been traded to Chicago. Marc-Andre will be taking time to discuss his situation with his family and seriously evaluate his hockey future at this time.
— Allan Walsh (@walsha) July 27, 2021
Fleury found out about the trade on Twitter, reports The Athletic's Jesse Granger.
The 36-year-old is under contract through next season at a $7-million cap hit, according to CapFriendly.
Fleury had one of his best seasons in 2021, posting a career-high .928 save percentage while going 26-10-0 with six shutouts over 36 games. He led all NHL netminders with 19.2 goals saved above expected at all strengths in 2021, and ranked fourth with an 11.74 GSAx at five-on-five, according to Evolving Hockey.
The 17-year veteran was one of the faces of the Golden Knights franchise, helping Vegas make an improbable run to the Stanley Cup Final in the club's inaugural season of 2017-18. He spent the last four campaigns with the Golden Knights after playing the previous 13 with the Pittsburgh Penguins, with whom he won three championships.
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Nate Schmidt and the Vancouver Canucks are trying to arrange his departure.
Canucks general manager Jim Benning and Schmidt's agent, Matt Keator, have been collaborating to facilitate a trade for the defenseman, reports TSN's Pierre LeBrun.
The team and the player's camp are hoping to find a deal for him before the NHL's free-agency period begins Wednesday, LeBrun adds.
Schmidt, who reportedly has a 10-team no-trade list, is under contract through 2024-25 at a $5.95-million cap hit, according to CapFriendly.
The Winnipeg Jets have tried to land the 30-year-old multiple times this offseason, but he's unwilling to waive his no-trade clause for the club, reports the Winnipeg Sun's Scott Billeck. Schmidt also apparently declined to be dealt to the Jets in 2020 when he was with the Vegas Golden Knights.
Vegas traded Schmidt to Vancouver for a third-round pick in October.
The Canucks have about $21 million in cap space, but franchise players Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes both need new contracts, as does recent trade acquisition Conor Garland, among many others on Vancouver's roster. The team absorbed $7.26 million of Oliver Ekman-Larsson's $8.25-million cap hit upon acquiring him from the Arizona Coyotes on Friday.
Schmidt collected five goals and 10 assists while averaging just over 20 minutes of ice time in 54 games for the Canucks this past season.
He played three seasons with the Golden Knights after they selected him in their expansion draft. Schmidt played his first four campaigns with the Washington Capitals, who signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2013.
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