Down the Frozen River

Category: Free Agency

  • Mr. Lundqvist goes to Washington

    Longtime New York Ranger, Henrik Lundqvist, has a new home in Washington, D.C. with the Washington Capitals after signing a one-year contract worth $1.500 million on Friday.

    The 38-year-old goaltender was bought out by the Rangers on Sept. 30th after he was originally drafted by New York in the seventh round (205th overall) of the 2000 NHL Draft.

    Lundqvist made his NHL debut with the Rangers in the 2005-06 season and amassed a 459-310-96 record in 887 career games (871 starts) with New York over 15 seasons and has recorded 64 shutouts in that span.

    He had a 2.43 career goals against average and a career .918 save percentage with the Rangers and had a 10-12-3 record in 30 games played (26 starts) lasts season.

    A native of Are, Sweden, Lundqvist had a 3.16 GAA and a .905 SV%, as well as one shutout in a more diminished role in 2019-20 as Igor Shesterkin and Alexanar Georgiev took over the starting and backup jobs, respectively, in the crease until New York’s Qualifier matchup with the Carolina Hurricanes.

    Lundqvist started in Games 1 and 2 of the Qualifier series against the Hurricanes, posting a 0-2 record, as well as a 3.52 GAA and a .901 SV% in two games before Carolina finished off New York in three games while Shesterkin took over the reigns in the crease for Game 3 of the best-of-five game series.

    Washington won the Cup in 2018, and is looking to get back into Stanley Cup contention with Lundqvist likely backing up Ilya Samsonov in net and new head coach, Peter Laviolette, leading behind the bench.

    Meanwhile, Lundqvist is looking to fulfill a lifelong dream and win his first Stanley Cup ring in his career.

  • Chicago re-signs subban and Kubalik

    The Chicago Blackhawks have been putting the pen to the paper as Free Agency opens up. Today they announced the re-signings of Dominik Kubalik and Malcom Subban.

    Dominik Kubalik

    The Calder Trophy Finalist last season has signed a two year extension with the Blackhawks. The 2-year deal comes with a $3,700,000 salary cap hit. He is signed through 2021-22. Tallying 30 goals in your first season is rather impressive and adding sixteen assists to that adds to your value. Consistency is key.

    Malcom Subban

    The backup goalie is staying in Chicago for a bit longer as their goalie situation becomes a bit stickier. Subban signed a 2 year extension with an AAV of $850,000.

    His sample size in Chicago is as small is it can get at one game. Subaan did see a bit more ice time with 20 games played in Vegas. He is a career backup goalie and will probably see little ice time as possible unless Chicago can’t figure something out quick.

  • Simmonds signs with Toronto

    Wayne Simmonds is heading home to the Toronto Maple Leafs on a one-year, $1.500 million contract– as reported by Sportsnet 590’s Anthony Stewart– that he signed on Friday as the free agent market opened in the National Hockey League.

    The deal carries a no-trade clause.

    The 32-year-old native of Scarborough, Ontario was originally drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in the second round (61st overall) of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft and spent last season split between the New Jersey Devils and Buffalo Sabres.

    In 909 career NHL games, Simmonds has 251-248–499 totals, including eight goals and 17 assists (25 points) in 68 games last season for the Devils and Sabres.

    He’s reached the 60-point plateau twice in his career in 2013-14 and 2015-16 with the Philadelphia Flyers and has since become more of an energy player fit for a third line role.

    Simmonds looks to bolster Toronto’s forward depth on a cheap deal as the Maple Leafs face a tight salary cap– both because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and due to their own past dealings with re-signing key members of their core and since bringing John Tavares to the fold.

    He made his NHL debut with Los Angeles in the 2008-09 season and previously spent time with the Kings, Flyers, Nashville Predators, Devils and Sabres.

  • DTFR’s Best Available Free Agent List 2020

    The National Hockey League’s free agency signing period begins at 12:01 p.m. ET on Friday. Here’s our official ranking of some of the best players available on the market. All cap hits are noted prior to any retained salary transactions.

    1. D Alex Pietrangelo, 30, $6,500,000 cap hit in 2019-20

    2. D Torey Krug, 29, $5,250,000 cap hit in 2019-20

    3. LW Taylor Hall, 29, $6,000,000 cap hit in 2019-20

    4. LW Mike Hoffman, 31, $5,187,500 cap hit in 2019-20

    5. G Jacob Markstrom, 30, $3,666,667 cap hit in 2019-20

    6. RW Tyler Toffoli, 28, $4,600,000 cap hit in 2019-20

    7. D T.J. Brodie, 30, $4,650,400 cap hit in 2019-20

    8. RW Evgenii Dadonov, 31, $4,000,000 cap hit in 2019-20

    9. D Tyson Barrie, 29, $5,500,000 cap hit in 2019-20

    10. G Braden Holtby, 31, $6,100,000 cap hit in 2019-20

    11. LW Mikael Granlund, 28, $5,750,000 cap hit in 2019-20

    12. D Kevin Shattenkirk, 31, $1,750,000 cap hit in 2019-20

    13. LW Anthony Duclair, 25, $1,650,000 cap hit in 2019-20

    14. D Erik Gustafsson, 28, $1,200,000 cap hit in 2019-20

    15. D Sami Vatanen, 29, $4,875,000 cap hit in 2019-20

    16. G Anton Khudobin, 34, $2,500,000 cap hit in 2019-20

    17. LW Vladislav Namestnikov, 28, $4,000,000 cap hit in 2019-20

    18. D Travis Hamonic, 30, $3,857,143 cap hit in 2019-20

    19. RW Corey Perry, 35, $3,250,000 cap hit in 2019-20

    20. C Carl Soderberg, 35, $4,750,000 cap hit in 2019-20

    21. C Erik Haula, 29, $2,750,000 cap hit in 2019-20

    22. G Cam Talbot, 33, $2,750,000 cap hit in 2019-20

    23. D Troy Stecher, 26, $2,325,000 cap hit in 2019-20

    24. LW Ilya Kovalchuk, 37, $700,000 cap hit in 2019-20

    25. G Corey Crawford, 36, $6,000,000 cap hit in 2019-20