The Hockey Writers Daily - July 3, 2023
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In today’s edition, we have the latest news & rumors from around the NHL, Klingberg to the Maple Leafs and what it means, the Canadiens free agency moves (or lack thereof), the Devils free agency approach, and much more.
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Here’s the good stuff:.
2023 NHL Free Agency Tracker
Get all the details of what's already happened & what's going to happen today, as the Free Agent window opens up for the 2023-24 season. Who's going where? Who's staying put? Who's stuck in limbo?
We've got it all here.
NHL Rumors: Penguins, Islanders, Senators, Bruins, Maple Leafs
In today’s NHL rumors rundown, the Pittsburgh Penguins and Carolina are two of the teams rumored to be heavily pursuing defenseman Erik Karlsson. In other news, the New York Islanders and Anaheim Ducks are kicking tires on an Alex DeBrincat trade. The Toronto Maple Leafs are showing interest in Tyler Bertuzzi and the Ottawa Senators are rumored to like Vladimir Tarasenko for their forward group, assuming they can move DeBrincat.
Maple Leafs Signing Klingberg Brings Promising Possibilities
If ever there was a time when a needy team found a needy player, the Toronto Maple Leafs’ recent signing of defenseman John Klingberg on July 1 was such an example.
Klingberg is an elite NHL blueliner. Perhaps he brings a reputation of having a few defensive warts; but, as an offensive defenseman, very few have been better. In addition, the Maple Leafs need some secondary scoring. As a result, they jumped at the chance to sign Klingberg for a single season on a sort of “let’s try this and see if it works” contract.
Both the player and the team have given this arrangement a season to work out. If it does work out for both Klingberg and the Maple Leafs, they have made a positive contribution to their blue line without nearly the cost that they might have had to pay.
No Canadiens 2023 Free Agent Signings, No Problem
Don’t refresh the free agent signings tracker in your browser. It likely still won’t say the Montreal Canadiens have signed anyone of note… and, just like your eyes which aren’t deceiving you, that’s all right, because everything is still going according to plan this 2023 offseason for general manager Kent Hughes.
That’s even taking into the controversial selection of David Reinbacher at No. 5 overall at the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. Even if you don’t like it, there was simply every reason to have expected the Canadiens to go off the board based on insider info (and no reason to take out any frustration on Reinbacher himself, to be clear).
However, as classless as some fans have been, reportedly directing hate messages to toward Reinbacher (from ‘Canadiens GM asks fans to be patient with David Reinbacher,’ Montreal Gazette, July 1, 2023), the vitriol isn’t the reason free agents are staying away. It at least isn’t the only reason, anyway. It just so happens Hughes seems to have everything under control.
Rangers News & Rumors: Perreault, Wheeler, Quick and More
Gabriel Perreault was selected by the New York Rangers with the 23rd overall pick on June 28 during the 2023 NHL Draft. They also made some free-agent signings, adding Blake Wheeler and Jonathan Quick on July 1. Let’s take a look at the latest changes to the roster and more in the latest edition of Rangers News & Rumors.
Holland Still Looking for 4th-Line Center: Oilers 3 Buy-Low Options
General manager Ken Holland said he was still looking for a fourth-liner center after Day 1 of NHL Free Agency. While the Edmonton Oilers will be bargain-bin shopping and it may take a few days for someone to present themselves based on what other teams are willing to offer, there are some potential buy-low options that Holland may want to look at.
As free agency rolls along, the longer these free agents sit to the side, the more likely it is that Holland can get them for a song, potentially selling the idea of playing for a contender and upping their stock on an offensively-loaded team as a bargaining chip.
Evan Rodrigues was a candidate, but he signed in Florida on Sunday. There are other names that fit the bill and here are a few:
Devils Took Smart Approach on Day 1 of Free Agency
The New Jersey Devils took the right approach to Day 1 free agency: they did nothing. That’s right. They did the smart thing and didn’t make any significant signings. Their only move in free agency (so far) has been signing goaltender Erik Kallgren to a one-year, two-way contract for a little goaltending depth behind Vitek Vanecek and Akira Schmid.
Free agency can be a way to improve depth, but teams have to be smart about it. The good organizations usually are, but as we saw on Day 1 of free agency, plenty of bad contracts got handed out to middle-of-the-lineup players. Let’s talk about a few and how the Devils were right to avoid the frenzy.
Meet the New Canucks: Carson Soucy
The Vancouver Canucks made a splash in free agency, signing defenceman Carson Soucy to a three-year deal worth $9.75 million. The deal also includes a full no-trade clause for the first two seasons and a modified 12-team no-trade clause in the final year. This will be the 28-year-old’s third NHL organization, with previous time being spent with the Minnesota Wild and, most recently, the Seattle Kraken.
Listed at 6-foot-5 and 212 pounds, Soucy is a left-shot defensive defenceman who isn’t afraid to play a physical game. The Viking, Alberta-born defender set a career-high last season with 143 hits and 96 blocked shots while helping the Kraken not only qualify for their first-ever postseason but also win their first-ever series, which came against the Colorado Avalanche. He is expected to play a big role for the Canucks, not just in the top four but also on the penalty kill over the next three seasons.
More stuff from around the NHL:
From Sportsnet - Maple Leafs sign Tyler Bertuzzi to one-year, $5.5M contract
From NHL - Lightning acquire a seventh-round pick in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft
From Sportsnet - NHL's top 10 UFAs still available: Latest buzz
From CBC - 3 New Brunswick players selected in the NHL draft
From TSN - Max Domi is joining the #leafs on a one-year deal worth $3M.
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