In today’s edition of Stat Hockey’s NHL News & Rumours we look at a signing with the Dallas Stars that was well overdue and the Seattle Kraken’s GM’s thoughts on their first round pick in 2022. Then a look at trade rumours and information regarding the ongoing saga of Jakob Chychrun before discussing the goaltending situation in Florida.
Stars Sign Star Forward Just in Time
After a long summer of contract discussions, the Stars have finally signed Jason Robertson. He led the Stars in goals with 41 and finished second in points last season with 79. He played just 74 games and his presence on the top line is crucial for the team’s success as that line carried the offence.
The @DallasStars have signed Jason Robertson to a four-year contract extension worth $7.75M per year. ✍️
How're we feeling, Stars fans? ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/XgY77rVmXO
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 6, 2022
He and the Stars decided on a shorter term instead of an eight-year contract, allowing the team to have him signed and in the lineup without missing time and so that Robertson can cash in on his next deal sooner. He signed a four-year, $7.75 million contract. The Stars didn’t have the leverage here seeing as the young forward was their best player in 2021-22 and projects to be again.
Wright Likely to Play Full Season With Kraken
With a very deep lineup this season for the Kraken, it appears as though Shane Wright will not only make the team, but is likely to stick in the NHL as an 18-year-old. Ron Francis is hopeful Wright will be able to play on the team the entire 2022-23 season saying, “I don’t want to draw a line in the sand, but I would think he’s with us for the year. It’s just a matter of how things go and managing it … But I think he’ll be fine. He’s fit right in. He does a lot of good things.”
Is Shane Wright going to play all year in Seattle? What are expectations for Matty Beniers? Will Philipp Grubauer bounce back? After a disappointing Year 1, what's next for the Kraken?
In my latest, chatted with Seattle GM Ron Francis:https://t.co/vDPHRXQxtj— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) October 5, 2022
Though Wright only has one assist in four preseason games, he has shown a lot of good things, enough to warrant those comments by his general manager. The young forward was projected to be taken first overall by the Montreal Canadiens, but dropped to Seattle. The team will have two top picks from the previous two drafts on their roster, giving a glimpse of the future.
Chychrun Has Preferred Destination in Trade
The Chychrun trade rumours have heated up again, and this time it appears to have been narrowed down a bit. Anthony Portzline reported that Chychrun has told those close to him that he is now open to joining Columbus. The Blue Jackets have the pieces necessary to pull off the deal, including a good young defenceman that the Coyotes would likely want as part of the return.
The Coyotes are willing to take on contracts to facilitate a Chychrun deal to teams that need it, further pushing their agenda of trading the defender as soon as possible. They have plenty of cap space with only three players signed with a cap hit over $5 million. One of them starts the season on the LTIR. It appears as though Chychrun won’t be in Arizona for much longer and will be a valuable pickup by whichever team acquires him.
Panthers Were Worried About Offer Sheets for Knight
The Florida Panthers signed their young goaltender well before his contract was up. Pierre LeBrun reported that this was because of legitimate concerns that Spencer Knight was going to be offersheeted next year. This is a completely realistic scenario considering young and talented goaltenders are very difficult to find. It would have put the Panthers in a bind seeing as they have Sergei Bobrovsky under contract for four more years with an AAV of $10 million.
Knight was signed to a three-year, $4.5 million AAV deal which will start in 2023-24 and will end at the same time as Bobrovsky. The Panthers won’t be keeping both until the end though. Right when Knight was signed, Bobrovsky was already being shopped around since $14.5 million allocated to goaltenders is far too much. It will handcuff the team in other areas. Expect Bobrovsky to be traded by the end of next offseason.
Related: Stat Hockey’s Florida Panthers 2022-23 Line Projections
This was another edition of Stat Hockey’s NHL News & Rumours as I keep you up to date with the latest around the NHL.
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