Fiala had filed for arbitration. He was seeking $6.25 million while the team came in at $4 million, according to Friedman. Fiala will again be an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent at the conclusion of the contract, per CapFriendly.
The 25-year-old recorded 20 goals and 20 assists in 50 games this past season. He had a career-best campaign during 2019-20, scoring 23 goals and adding 31 assists in 64 contests.
Minnesota acquired Fiala from the Nashville Predators at the 2019 trade deadline. The former 2014 11th overall pick has appeared in 337 career games while scoring 91 goals and adding 107 assists.
The 26-year-old was a restricted free agent and had filed for arbitration.
Saros has played with the Predators for the last five seasons since being selected by the club in the fourth round of the 2013 NHL Draft. For the majority of his career, he served as the backup to Pekka Rinne but took over as the primary starter over the past two campaigns.
Last season, Saros put together a 21-11-1 record alongside an impressive .927 save percentage and 2.28 goals-against average. He ranked first among all goalies with 24.64 goals saved above average at five-on-five and ranked fourth with a .868 high-danger save percentage.
The Finland native has appeared in 161 career games, managing a .920 save percentage and 2.51 goals-against average. He's projected to be the team's starting goalie for the foreseeable future after Rinne announced his retirement early in the offseason and with top prospect Yaroslav Askarov working his way up to the NHL.
NHL Morning Headlines and Rumors – August 16, 2021 Updated salary arbitration schedule including the latest on Kevin Fiala, the Sharks sign William Eklund, plus the latest speculation on the Flames and Oilers in today’s NHL morning headlines and rumors. CAP FRIENDLY: Only five of 20 cases remain in this summer’s NHL arbitration schedule. Minnesota […]
Sunday NHL Rumor Roundup – August 15, 2021 The Senators are linked to several notable centers, the Hurricanes could be looking for another top-six forward, and the Jets are eyeing a former Red Wing. Details in this edition of the Sunday NHL rumor roundup. OTTAWA SUN: Bruce Garrioch reports the Senators are still trying to […]
Erne filed for arbitration after posting 11 goals and nine assists over 45 games for the Red Wings last season, the best output of his five-year NHL career.
The news comes just five days after the Red Wings settled with electric forward Jakub Vrana on a three-year deal with an average annual value of over $5 million.
NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – August 15, 2021 NHLPA strongly encourages players to get vaccinated, Jack Roslovic out to prove he can be a top-six center, the latest contract signings and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines. THE ATHLETIC: NHL players are being strongly encouraged by the NHL Players Association to get vaccinated for […]
Vancouver acquired Dickinson from the Dallas Stars in July in exchange for a 2021 third-round pick. The 26-year-old was a restricted free agent and set for an arbitration hearing on Aug. 20.
"Jason was an important addition for our forward group this summer, and we're pleased to have agreed to terms with him on a three-year deal," Canucks general manager Jim Benning said in a statement. "He's a versatile player that can play on both the wing and at center and is also a strong penalty killer."
Dickinson registered seven goals and eight assists in 51 games last season. He also ranked sixth among Stars skaters in both hits (78) and blocked shots (49).
Dallas selected Dickinson 29th overall in the 2013 NHL Draft.
The union warned the players over a lengthy call last week that unvaccinated individuals may face stiff penalties if they contract COVID-19 during the 2021-22 campaign, cautioning that teams could have the power to withhold paychecks while an unvaccinated player is out due to the virus, or if he can't play because of local regulations.
Another issue discussed during the call was whether unvaccinated players would be allowed to enter Canada for games. The NHLPA said it's unlikely they'd receive an exemption to enter the country and would need to stay at home with their salaries withheld.
NHL deputy commissioner Billy Daly said that over 85% of players in the league are fully vaccinated. In comparison, 99% of WNBA players are vaccinated, while the NFL and NBA are at 90%.
The NHL sent a memo to all teams on Friday stating that anyone who works for a club and personally interacts with players must be fully vaccinated.
NHL Rumor Mill – August 14, 2021 A look at the status of some of this summer’s top restricted free agents in today’s NHL Rumor Mill. SPORTSNET: Luke Fox recently examined where things stand with some of the top restricted free agents. Negotiations are ongoing between the Vancouver Canucks and center Elias Pettersson and defenseman […]
The NHL's free-agency period opened with a bang in late July, as nearly every team got in on the action. There were numerous big names on the open market, and the majority of them inked new deals right out of the gate.
On Day 1 alone, 96 deals were struck worth a total of $529 million, and many more contracts trickled in over the following days. With so many deals and so much money dished around, there were sure to be a number of surprising moves that caught NHL fans off guard. Let's take a look at five of them.
Ovechkin eyeing Gretzky's record
Patrick McDermott / National Hockey League / Getty
Alex Ovechkin entered the offseason in need of a contract for just the second time in his career. After his entry-level deal with the Washington Capitals expired, he inked a 13-year contract, which he's played on until now. It was a given that the 35-year-old was going to re-sign with the Capitals, but it wasn't known how many years or how much money he'd command. When the deal came in at five years and with a $9.5-million average annual value, many were left shocked.
The Russian sniper will be nearing 41 years old when the deal expires. He hasn't shown any decline yet, and there's no reason to believe he's going to start anytime soon. There's been a looming threat that he'll return to his home country to play in the KHL before he retires from hockey, which caused some to believe his NHL career might have been nearing its end. Now, Ovechkin has at least five more seasons to accumulate 165 goals and break Wayne Gretzky's once seemingly unreachable record.
Perry joins Lightning
Dave Sandford / National Hockey League / Getty
If you can't beat them, join them, right? Corey Perry and the Montreal Canadiens indicated they were interested in striking a deal. However, Perry broke Montreal fans' hearts several days into free agency when he opted to join the Tampa Bay Lightning - the team he lost to in back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals.
The move was shocking at first, but blame can't be put on Perry. Following an impressive campaign with the Habs, the Lightning handed him an attractive two-year contract. Tampa Bay gives him a much better chance of winning another Cup over the next two seasons. With the Lightning's top six still intact, Perry will provide a major boost to the third or fourth line.
Grubauer ditches Avalanche
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty
With most marquee free-agent goalies having signed in the opening hours of free agency, it appeared Philipp Grubauer would certainly re-up with the Colorado Avalanche. There didn't seem to be many teams left that could afford Grubauer or fit him into their crease until the Seattle Kraken came out of nowhere to scoop him up.
Just a week earlier, Seattle introduced Chris Driedger at the expansion draft and made it clear that he was going to be the starting goalie moving forward. The club had a number of appealing goalie options to choose from during the expansion draft and decided to pair Driedger with Vitek Vanecek and Joey Daccord. Now, it will be interesting to see how playing time is split between Driedger and Grubauer, but the Kraken clearly couldn't pass up the opportunity to own one of the league's best tandems.
Danault cashes in, says 'au revoir' to Montreal
Florence Labelle / National Hockey League / Getty
Between the end of the playoffs and the start of free agency, Phillip Danault and the Canadiens seemed destined to part ways. The two sides agreed that Danault would test free agency, but that the door would remain open for him to return. Many thought he would eventually circle back to Montreal, unsure if a team would break the bank for the defensive pivot on the open market.
Danault wasted no time once free agency opened and put pen to paper on a six-year contract with a $5.5-million average annual value to join the Los Angeles Kings. The length and money were surprising, but the addition suddenly makes the Kings an intriguing team in a weak division. Danault seems like he'll be a perfect fit behind Anze Kopitar in the immediate future, but with young centers Quinton Byfield and Alex Turcotte looking to make the jump to the NHL, his role in the later years of the contract couldn't be more unclear.
Devils reel in Hamilton
Scott Audette / National Hockey League / Getty
Most teams should have lined up to try to recruit Dougie Hamilton as a free agent. It's not often that an elite, two-way defenseman hits the open market at 28 years old. Rumors swirled about where Dougie would end up, but not many had the New Jersey Devils penciled in as the winners of the sweepstakes. New Jersey saw the opportunity to bring in a franchise-altering blue-liner and didn't hesitate to pull the trigger.
The Devils haven't been a model of consistency as of late, missing the playoffs in eight of the last nine seasons. However, the club is certainly on the rise with an injection of youthful talent thanks to a handful of lottery picks over the years. Hamilton could have chosen any of a number of teams, but his faith in the organization is a good sign for the Devils, who will now look to jump back into perennial contention.
