In today’s edition of Stat Hockey’s NHL News & Rumours there are a few late offseason signings, both UFA and RFA. There is some news and rumours on the trade front as well as many players recently signed to professional tryouts (PTO) to discuss.
Senators Continue Strong Offseason by Signing Motte
The Ottawa Senators just continue to get better this offseason as they added Tyler Motte. The 27-year-old was signed to a one-year deal worth $1.35 million. He will likely play on the fourth line with an option to move up. He started last season with the Vancouver Canucks before being dealt at the trade deadline to the New York Rangers.
#Sens sign Tyler Motte: 1 year x $1.35 million.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) September 14, 2022
Motte had a tough time transitioning and didn’t contribute a point in nine games once joining the Rangers. He played much more in the playoffs and scored two goals while also continuing his physical play. He is a great addition to the Senators’ bottom-six.
Kings Get Deal Done With Final RFA
The Los Angeles Kings lock up their other restricted free agent defenceman and are headed into the season with zero worries and an upward trajectory. The Kings signed Mikey Anderson to a deal just five days prior, and have now locked up Sean Durzi to a two-year, $3.4 million deal. To get both of these young defenders locked up at such a cheap price is excellent, as they both excelled last season, especially in big roles.
https://twitter.com/FriedgeHNIC/status/1570454252094640128
Drew Doughty missed 43 games last season due to injuries. The Kings tasked Durzi with stepping up and filling those shoes. Last season he was a rookie with zero NHL experience prior who posted three goals and 27 points in 64 games. He handled the pressure very well. The young defenceman manned the point on the top power-play unit, recording 15 power-play points, and blocked 125 shots at the other end. He may be forced to play on the third pairing to start the season, but he should have a larger role soon enough for the Kings.
Jets Considered Trading Scheifele This Offseason
Murat Ates of The Athletic reported that the Winnipeg Jets almost started shopping Mark Scheifele. This would have been a result of many things that played out over the past year. He said:
“If the Jets had Dubois locked up long-term, there is a chance that they would have shopped star scorer Mark Scheifele. Scheifele looked disengaged defensively last season and sounded deeply frustrated when the season was over. He’s also set to become a 31-year-old UFA in 2024 and a pricey one at that, given that he’s scored at least a point per game in each of his last six seasons.”
Scheifele is making $6.125 million against the cap for the next two seasons and will require a large pay raise. Currently, he is a steal considering he has posted at least a point per game in each of the past six seasons as Ates points out. The Jets will be looking to turn things around and will likely opt to sign Scheifele to a long-term deal once his contract is over. They need a number one centre on their team.
Canadiens Could Trade Edmundson to Free Up Cap Space
The Montreal Canadiens appear to have options if they want to free up a little cap space. Defenceman Joel Edmundson has interest from other teams. According to Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports:
“I know there’s a lot of interest across the league for a defenceman like Edmundson. I don’t think he’ll be traded now, but I can tell you that there are some pretty attractive offers. They can continue to become even more attractive in the coming months.”
He didn’t have the best season in 2021-22, but the Canadiens don’t have very many great options on the back-end. The Canadiens likely don’t want to force Jordan Harris, Justin Barron, Corey Schueneman, or Mattias Norlinder into a larger role before they’re ready. In a couple of months, teams may be willing to pay more for Edmundson’s services and Montreal will get a better return. It will also have given them time to gauge their young defencemen.
Multiple PTOs Signed Before Training Camps Open in the NHL
Teams are putting the finishing touches on their teams as many are inviting players to their training camps on PTOs. Among the group recently signed are Micahel Dal Colle and Derick Brassard in Ottawa, Victor Rask and Ben Harpur in Seattle, Jason Demers in Edmonton, Alex Chiasson in Arizona, Zach Senyshyn in New Jersey, and Jean-Francois Berube in Florida.
Many of them will likely receive a one-year, two-way contract. I can see Dal Colle and Chiasson as the most likely candidates to earn spots on the opening night rosters.
Related: NHL News & Rumours: Stars, Blackhawks, Blues, Flames
