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Montreal Canadiens Agree To Terms With Artturi Lehkonen

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After extending Joel Armia earlier today, the Montreal Canadiens have announced they’ve come to terms with Artturi Lehkonen on a new two-year contract. The deal will carry an average annual value of $2.4MM but unlike Armia, will leave Lehkonen as a restricted free agent in 2021.

Lehkonen, 24 (despite what the press release says), still hasn’t been able to quite replicate the 18 goals he recorded as a rookie in 2016-17, but was still a valuable part of the Canadiens’ attack last season. Setting a career-high with 31 points in 82 games, Lehkonen also increased his physical play and became a key part of the penalty kill. At his best when lined up against the opponent’s top scorers, Lehkonen can be an unrelenting forechecking presence when he wants to be. While he may still face some of the inconsistency issues that many young forwards do, there’s also still real upside if given a more offensive role down the line.

That offensive role is likely what he has his sights set on as he signs for just two seasons, hoping to make even more on his next deal after a breakout year. The question is whether he’ll get that opportunity with other forwards like Jonathan Drouin and Tomas Tatar eating up the offensive zone time and powerplay chances. Still, for the Canadiens his value is obvious as a middle-six player capable of lining up against anyone on the other team and contributing some secondary scoring. A $2.4MM cap hit is more than reasonable for the team using him in this role, especially given the goal-scoring upside he’s shown in the past.

Montreal now has just Charles Hudon and Michael McCarron left to sign as restricted free agents, and close to $6MM to do so (based on a 23-man roster). That leaves them more than enough wiggle room to continue searching the free agent market for an upgrade or take on salary in a trade.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Montreal Canadiens Agree To Terms With Joel Armia

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The Montreal Canadiens are set to sign another one of their restricted free agents, agreeing to terms with Joel Armia on a two-year contract. The deal will carry a $2.6MM average annual value and keep him in the organization through the 2020-21 season. Armia will be an unrestricted free agent when the contract expires, but avoids his scheduled arbitration hearing later this month.

Armia, 26, was acquired by the Canadiens last year in a deal with the Winnipeg Jets that saw them assume the rest of Steve Mason’s contract. Losing Armia was the price the Jets had to pay for the Canadiens to perform the buyout on Mason, which will pay him another $1.37MM this season. While it looked at that point like they might be losing just a depth forward, Armia actually took another step forward in Montreal and posted 23 points in just 57 games with a career-high 13 goals. A force on the penalty kill, the 6’4″ forward was a versatile option that likely would have set new highs in basically every category if he hadn’t suffered a knee injury in November that forced him out of the lineup for nearly two months.

The Canadiens haven’t changed the makeup of their team dramatically this summer, moving in and out depth pieces instead of pursuing the top UFA names. They did attempt to nab Sebastian Aho from the Carolina Hurricanes with an offer sheet, but now sit with many of the same faces—save for Andrew Shaw, who was flipped to Chicago for draft picks—as the summer stretches on.

There still might be more coming for GM Marc Bergevin and the Canadiens, but even just experiencing a little more health and a bit of development from young players like Victor Mete, Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Ryan Poehling may push them up to a playoff spot this season. Armia is a real part of those hopes, and if he can play all 82 there’s no doubt he can be a reliable contributor.

Snapshots: Sabres, Gardiner, Tkachyov

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Few have criticized the Sabres’ side of the recent Henri Jokiharju–Alexander Nylander trade, but it’s a fact that Buffalo is overflowing with defenders after acquiring the young right-hander from the Chicago Blackhawks. As Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News’ points out, the Sabres still have needs to fill up front and they could use their defensive depth to do so. Lysowski writes that Buffalo has ample cap space to make an addition at forward, but there are few ideal candidates left on the free agent market and the team may as well use their surplus of blue liners to swing a deal. Jokiharju is safe, as are fellow recent additions Brandon Montour and Colin Miller and 2017 No. 1 pick Rasmus Dahlin. RFA Jake McCabe is not likely to be dealt, but a potential candidate and injury-prone Zach Bogosian and overpaid veteran Matt Hunwick might be hard to move. That would seemingly leave Rasmus Ristolainen, a fixture on the rumor mill, Marco Scandella, and Casey Nelson as the most likely names to be dealt and it would not be a surprise if more than one ends up elsewhere. The Sabres are certainly not done making moves this summer.

  • Of course, this makes Buffalo just one of a surprising number of teams not biting on Jake Gardiner this summer. PHR’s top-ranked UFA defenseman, Gardiner remains unsigned more than a week after the market opened. NBC Sports’ Scott Billeck reports that Gardiner is seeking $7MM annually in his next year, which is likely pricing himself out of the range that many D-needy teams are looking for. It’s hard to argue that Gardiner was not the best available defenseman when free agency opened, but he’s also not a top-pair defenseman by most metrics and teams aren’t willing to shell out right now simply due to a weak market. Billeck names the Winnipeg Jets as a team that could use Gardiner, but can’t afford him at his current asking price. The Montreal Canadiens, Detroit Red Wings, and his own Toronto Maple Leafs also fit that description. Billeck feels the New Jersey Devils could be the leading candidate to land Gardiner right now, but there really aren’t many clear fits for the defender at this time unless he changes his expectations.
  • Despite flirting with a jump to the NHL for several years, Vladimir Tkachyov has decided to re-sign in the KHL once again. SKA St. Petersburg has announced an extension with the young scorer. Tkachyov, 23, has been a solid offensive contributor for the past several years but the best may still be yet to come. The winger was acquired by SKA last month from Salavat Yulaev Ufa for the rights to Nikita Soshnikov, who has since signed in Ufa, and Tkachyov could be set for some career-highs with the perennial contenders in St. Petersburg. It is a two-year contract with SKA, so Tkachyov has a couple more years to further prove he is a formidable forward, and could very well drawn NHL attention once again in 2021.

Latest On Nikita Gusev And The Golden Knights

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A player who a few short months ago was simply excited to finally be in North America and looking forward to playing for the Golden Knights is now in the middle of a high-pressure negotiation that could force him to be traded for the third time before even making his NHL debut. Nikita Gusev finally made the jump this spring after a phenomenal KHL career and the Russian forward was hoping to take the next step of his career with Vegas. However, the 27-year-old scorer also sought fair value, burning his entry-level deal to negotiate a fair contract. The problem is that the Knights lack the space to meet even modest demands, currently over the cap and with other players to sign. The question now is whether Gusev becomes a casualty of the cap crunch or whether Vegas is willing to move other pieces to retain him.

The Athletic’s Jesse Granger reports that the Golden Knights and Gusev’s camp are currently $2MM apart in terms of AAV on a new contract. Gusev has long been rumored to be seeking at least $4MM annually, while Granger believes the offer on the table is two years at $2MM. Granger estimates that Vegas has just over $2.5MM of cap space to work with after moving David Clarkson to the LTIR, if they make no other moves. However, Gusev is not the only player in need of a new contract, as backup goalie Malcolm Subban, standout collegiate defender Jimmy Schuldt, and potentially veteran leader Deryk Engelland are all in need of extensions. Even if Gusev were to accept the current offer or potentially even if he were to be traded, the Knights would still need to make a move to clear out cap space, so another deal is nearly unavoidable. Granger wonders if the hold up in negotiations is simply the calculus of who Vegas would have to move out to meet Gusev’s demands.

The longer that talks drag on, the more likely a Gusev trade becomes. The dynamic winger is not without fans around the league who would be willing to take a chance at his current asking price. The Hockey News’ Steven Ellis names five teams that have both the interest and the means in cap space and trade capital to acquire Gusev: the Montreal Canadiens, New Jersey Devils, Columbus Blue Jackets, Ottawa Senators, and Edmonton Oilers. Unsurprisingly, three of those five teams – Ottawa, New Jersey, and Columbus – are among the bottom five in the league in payroll and would have no concerns about paying Gusev. Montreal just took a big swing and miss at Sebastian Aho on an offer sheet, so they’re clearly willing to pay up for scoring as well. Edmonton would be a tight squeeze, but the Oilers could desperately use more forward talent to surround Connor McDavid. Ottawa could be most appealing to Gusev if he want to become a team’s centerpiece and boost his public image, while the upstart Devils may be his best chance at winning a Stanley Cup as soon as possible. However, Gusev’s preferences will matter little to Vegas if they do choose to move him, likely opting for the best package of picks and prospects they can find.

A resolution won’t be easy to come by, although both Granger and Ellis agree that the Golden Knights would be better served by keeping Gusev. If the team can figure out their cap situation, perhaps by moving the contracts of non-core players like Ryan Reaves and Nick Holden or Jon Merrill, then keeping Gusev is the ideal move given his ceiling and the potential for Vegas to have the most formidable forward corps in the league. Moving Gusev will likely bring back a nice return in building blocks, but at the cost of could-be superstar. It is not an easy choice for Vegas, whereas Gusev holds all the leverage as a KHL icon but unproven NHL commodity just waiting for his chance to break out, in Vegas or otherwise. So long as he gets paid a fair wage, Gusev is likely willing to begin his NHL career anywhere.

Snapshots: Puljujarvi, Broberg, Aho, Eriksson

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A return to the Edmonton Oilers for restricted free agent Jesse Puljujarvi is getting less and less likely. Despite hope that new general manager Ken Holland and head coach Dave Tippett might be able to give the 21-year-old a fresh start, Puljujarvi hasn’t shown much interest in returning to the team since he requested the team trade him to give him a new start elsewhere.

“Although the Oilers have a new well-respected GM and a new coach the team is still pretty much the same,” said Puljujarvi’s agent Markus Lehto (in a Finnish publication via Edmonton Journal’s Kurt Leavins. “Sometimes a player and a team are not a fit. This seems to be the case here. Nothing radical about it.”

While Leavins leaves the quote open to interpretation, especially the part where he said, “… the team is pretty much the same.” However, it’s clear that Puljujarvi has little interest in returning to Edmonton, leaving him with two options, waiting for Edmonton to find a trade partner or allowing him to leave and play overseas next season. Finding a trade partner has been challenging as the team wants good value back for a player who has just 17 goals over three full seasons.

  • A Swedish website, Hockey Svervige (translation required) reports that Edmonton Oilers first-round pick Philip Broberg, who recently signed his entry-level deal, will play for Sweden’s Skelleftea in the SHL this year alongside fellow Oilers’ prospect Filip Berglund, rather than come over to North America immediately. The Edmonton Journal’s David Staples adds that Holland’s main objective was to put him in a position to get the most minutes possible, which was the main reason for wanting him to come to North America and play in the OHL with the Hamilton Bulldogs. However, while there is no guarantee of playing time with Skelleftea, the team could always send him down to the Allsvenskan and have him return to his old team, AIK Stockholm.
  • In a tweet sent out by Carolina Hurricanes newly signed forward Sebastian Aho, the 21-year-old makes it clear that he only hoped to settle his restricted free agency as quickly as possible and had no interest in leaving Carolina. “I am grateful for the offer from the Montreal Canadiens, but it was always my hope to return to the Hurricanes,” Aho said. “As a restricted free agent, I had limited options for moving along the process to get a deal done. It was always important to me to be on the ice for the first day of training camp. This entire situation has been difficult for me and my family, and I am happy it is at an end.”
  • Patrick Johnston of The Province writes that it is becoming less and less likely that the Vancouver Canucks will be unloading the contract of veteran Loui Eriksson this offseason. The scribe writes that general manager Jim Benning has not been able to reach Eriksson to talk to him about the situation, it is clear he doesn’t intend to request a trade and isn’t planning on retiring. There are fewer and fewer options to find a team with the salary cap needed to take on his three years and $6MM AAV and with a full no-trade clause, he doesn’t have to accept a deal anywhere either. So unless, Benning can make an impressive maneuver, it looks like the Canucks are stuck with him.

Aho’s New Contract Via Offer Sheet Could Benefit Thomas Chabot

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The recent Montreal Canadiens’ offer sheet to Sebastian Aho that the Carolina Hurricanes matched Saturday was the hope of a team to take advantage of its owner. No one was quite sure what to make of billionaire owner Tom Dundon and whether he would be willing to pay up for his franchise. His early reputation made many wonder if he would be willing to pay a significant amount of money up front and Aho’s offer sheet was frontloaded with $21MM being paid out in the first 12 months of the deal. However, Dundon proved that he is willing to pay for his team as he matched the offer sheet, but it could start a precedent.

While an offer sheet to another player this year remains possible as there are a number of restricted free agents out there looking for a big contract, but the chances of a second offer sheet this offseason seems unlikely. However, many teams may look at Montreal’s plan to target an owner who may not want to pay up and that opportunity could present itself next season in Ottawa and owner Eugene Melnyk.

The Senators have seen their young defenseman Thomas Chabot develop into a star in his second season in the NHL last year. The 22-year-old broke out with a 14-goal, 55-point season and made fans quickly forget about the loss of Erik Karlsson. Now in the final year of his entry-level deal, he will become a restricted free agent next offseason. The Athletic’s Chris Stevenson (subscription required) reported last week that Ottawa general manager Pierre Dorion didn’t seem worried about signing Chabot to an extension.

“I think we get too much caught up with contract talks in this city,” said Dorion. “We know what we have to do. We’ll get it done. It’s not like he’s a UFA. He’s an RFA. We have a plan in place along with all our RFAs that are up this year, we’ve had a plan and we’re going to meet it sometime over the course of the summer.”

Chabot could have signed an extension on July 1 and the fact that Ottawa hasn’t already done so could present a problem, according to Stevenson. Chabot is likely to be a prime target by other teams in one year to target for an offer sheet as many know of Melnyk’s penny-pinching ways. A front-loaded offer sheet is a very realistic possibility and it’s likely that Chabot and his representation knows this and may be very willing to take advantage of Ottawa, which has made it clear that they intend to lock up their young talent this time around as they are in the middle of their five-year rebuilding plan. It was Melnyk’s lack of willingness to pay up that led Ottawa to lose most of their top talent, including Karlsson, Mark Stone and Mike Hoffman in the past year.

If Ottawa can’t lock up Chabot soon, the Senators could easily lose control of the situation as many teams wouldn’t mind adding a franchise-changing defenseman with a high-priced up-front offer sheet next season.

Atlantic Notes: Sabres 2020 Offseason, Heinen, Chiarot

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While the Florida Panthers received all the attention before free agency opened on July 1 due to their excessive amount of cap space and they fact that they were attracting several of the top free agents on the market, next year’s offseason will look quite a bit different. In fact, it could be the Buffalo Sabres that could be poised to take a similar role next year before free agency opens and could find themselves the team that could lock up some of the top free agents for the 2020-21 season.

The Athletic’s John Vogl (subscription required) writes that while a lot can change in a year, Buffalo has only nine key players under contract for the 2020-21 season along with six restricted free agents. The team is expected to be free of a number of contracts, including Zach Bogosian ($5.14MM), Marco Scandella ($4MM), Vladimir Sobotka ($3.5MM), Conor Sheary ($3MM), Jimmy Vesey ($2.28MM), Matt Hunwick ($2.25MM), Scott Wilson ($1.05MM) and Casey Nelson ($812K). Assuming the salary cap rises by approximately $2MM, the Sabres should have about $29.5MM of projected salary cap, and assuming general manager Jason Botterill can properly persuade them, could add a couple of top free agents.

Who could be available, assuming that some of them don’t re-sign with their teams in the next season? Taylor Hall, Nicklas Backstrom, Brayden Schenn, Chris Kreider, Mike Hoffman, Alex Galchenyuk, Torey Krug, Jake Muzzin, Tyson Barrie, Roman Josi, and Braden Holtby.

  • While it’s been assumed for some time that Marcus Johansson would not return to Boston, (he signed with Buffalo earlier today), The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa (subscription required) looked at who might replace the veteran forward this season as the third-line left wing. The problem for Boston is that the team is loaded with a number of right-shot options in Zachary Senyshyn, Karson Kuhlman or Brett Ritchie. However, general manager Don Sweeney suggested it might be best to take the third-line right wing, Danton Heinen, and move him to the left side as he possesses more versatility than the others, which could allow one of the others to move in on the right side. “I think Heinen, depending on what side you play him on,” said Sweeney when asked who could replace Johansson. “Whether it’s Karson or Senyshyn or Brett Ritchie, guys that are right shots, we could play lefty-righty and move Danton over. I think he fits into the same mold of player creative-wise.”
  • The Athletic’s Marc Dumont (subscription required) analyzes the video of the Montreal Canadiens newly signed blueliner Ben Chiarot and looks at where he might fit in their lineup. Chiarot, who told reporters that he has discussed with the coaching staff about playing on the second pairing alongside Jeff Petry. However, Dumont suggests that would be a mistake as Chiarot struggles with retrieving pucks in a timely manner, which would not work well with Petry and suggests that Brett Kulak should continue in that role like he did last season. It might be best to play him on the Canadiens’ third pairing, but that seems a waste considering his $3.5MM price tag.

 

Montreal Canadiens Sign Nick Cousins

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The Montreal Canadiens have added some forward depth, agreeing to terms with unrestricted free agent Nick Cousins to a one-year, $1MM contract. Cousins spent the last two seasons with the Arizona Coyotes, but failed to receive a qualifying offer from them this summer.

Cousins, 25, played in 81 games last season for the Coyotes, moving all over the lineup and generating seven goals and 27 points. That total includes just three powerplay points, and actually should have likely been a lot higher. Cousins had an almost unbelievably low shooting percentage of just 4.9%, much lower than league average and his previous rate of 9.1%. He also had relatively solid possession statistics, and recorded 115 hits in the best season of his short career.

The Canadiens are betting he can replicate those numbers with them, and give them a little more depth in their bottom-six. Cousins can play both center and wing, versatility that will be valuable as the team decides how to deploy their group this season. The question will be how much playing time can he get, as Montreal already has ten other forwards on one-way contracts plus three restricted free agents and at least two entry-level players penciled in. It should be a battle for playing time at training camp this year, something that is hardly ever a bad thing for a team looking to climb back into the playoff picture.

Montreal Canadiens Sign Ben Chiarot

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The Montreal Canadiens have kicked off the free agent signing once again, agreeing to terms with Ben Chiarot on a new contract. The deal is for three seasons and will carry an average annual value of $3.5MM. GM Marc Bergevin released a statement on the deal:

We are very happy to have come to an agreement with Ben Chiarot today. He is a very reliable defenseman and a solid player who will fill a need for our club. He is the type of player who can play some big minutes and be used in different situations. We are convinced he will improve our defensive group.

Chiarot, 28, has developed into quite the reliable defender for the Winnipeg Jets over the years and played in 78 games for the first time last season. Registering a career-high 20 points and logging nearly 19 minutes a night, his departure will be another painful one for a Jets’ blue line that has been ravaged this offseason. Their loss is Montreal’s gain however, as Chiarot represents some much-needed depth on the left side for the Canadiens.

Standing 6’3″, 219-lbs, Chiarot actually led the Winnipeg defense corps in hits last season with 171 and trailed only Jacob Trouba in blocked shots. He was also a key part of the penalty kill, and could be asked to handle even more short-handed time in Montreal where they don’t have the likes of Josh Morrissey in front of him. In fact, Chiarot now becomes the highest-paid left-handed option for the Canadiens, unless Karl Alzner makes a miraculous return to form and gets a regular shift this season. That could mean time with one of Shea Weber or Jeff Petry, though it is obviously not clear yet how things will shake out in training camp.

At the very least, this deal represents a great opportunity financially for the 28-year old as he has only earned approximately $5.3MM over a career filled with short-term deals. Chiarot was ranked 43rd on our Top 50 UFA list.

Montreal Canadiens Sign Phil Varone

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The Montreal Canadiens have agreed to terms with free agent forward Phil Varone on a one-year, two-way contract. The deal is worth $700K in the NHL level but will pay the minor league veteran $450K in the AHL.

Varone, 28, actually got the biggest NHL opportunity of his career last season, playing 47 games with the Philadelphia Flyers. He recorded just seven points during that time in extremely limited minutes, but has been a top minor league scorer for years. In fact in 2017-18 with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, Varone recorded 70 points in 74 games to rank second in the entire league—one point behind Laval Rocket forward Chris Terry, who has since moved on. Varone won the AHL MVP that season.

In Montreal, he’ll likely have to fight tooth and nail to secure a roster spot. The Canadiens already have ten forwards on more expensive one-way contracts, plus three restricted free agents and two entry-level players penciled in. That means he’s most likely ticketed for the minor leagues once again, where he will try to help the Rocket and serve as injury insurance for the Canadiens.

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