Five Minute Major

*Photo from the Toronto Star*     The Montreal Canadiens are keeping UFA Joel Armia around. The Canadiens are Armia are in agreement on a 4 year contract with a $3.4 million AAV, according to the team.     Last season, Armia recorded 7 goals and 7 assists for the Canadiens, with a +10 plus/minus in an ATOI of 14:42, playing in 41 regular season games. In his 7 year NHL career, Armia has 62 goals and 63 assists, with a +9 plus/minus rating in an ATOI of 14:35, in 336 games played, split between the Buffalo Sabres, Winnipeg Jets, and the Canadiens.     Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin said "Every player is unique. Everybody is different. When Joel is at the top of his game, he's very strong. He controls and protects the puck. He goes to the net. That's why we agreed on a four-year contract, which is a long term."    Since joining Montreal, his 14 total points this season are the worst marks in Armia's career, partly due to the short season, part...

*Photo from Boston Hockey now*     The Philadelphia Flyers have continued their offseason of revamping and reloading. The Flyers have signed D Keith Yandle to a one year, $900,000 deal, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The deal with the left shot defenseman was confirmed by the Flyers.    Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher said of bringing in Yandle that "We are excited to add Keith to our team. He is an established veteran defenseman who excels moving the puck and playing on the power play. He is a true professional who comes ready to play every night."    Last season with the Florida Panthers, Yandle put up 3 goals and dished out 24 assists, with a -8 plus/minus in an ATOI of 17:15, playing in all 56 regular season games. In 15 seasons, Yandle has 102 goals and 498 assists, with a -56 plus/minus in an ATOI of 21:17, playing in 1,032 games, split between 3 different teams.     In his long career, Yandle has now played in 922 consecuti...

*Photo from the Hockey Writers*     It seems like the Winnipeg Jets are finally upgrading their defense in a meaningful way. The Jets have acquired left shot D Nate Schmidt from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for a 3rd round draft pick, according to the team. Schmidt did waive his no trade clause to allow for the deal to happen.    In one season with the Canucks, Schmidt put up 5 goals and 10 assists, with a -7 plus/minus, in an ATOI of 20:06, playing in 54 regular season games. In 8 NHL seasons, Schmidt has 34 goals and 121 assists, with a +81 plus/minus in an ATOI of 19:21 in 450 games. Provided he stays healthy and in the lineup, Schmidt will reach the 500 game mark this season.    The Jets will be taking on the entirety of Schmidt's deal in the trade. He is currently owed $5.95 million a season, for 4 more years. He originally signed a 6 year deal with the Vegas Golden Knights in October of 2018. The Canucks got Schmidt for a 2022 3rd round pick, and...

*Photo from the Boston Globe*     A top piece of the Boston Bruins defense is back in the fold. The Bruins have re-signed D Mike Reilly to a 3 year, $9 million contract, with a $3 million AAV, according to Pierre Lebrun of TSN. The Bruins have confirmed the deal.    Last season, Reilly played with the Bruins and Ottawa Senators, as he was traded to Boston at the deadline for a 2022 3rd round draft pick. In total, Reilly scored zero goals, but added 27 assists, for a +5 plus/minus in an ATOI of 19:17 in 55 games last season. In 6 seasons, Reilly has 8 goals and 72 assists, with a -9 plus/minus in an ATOI of 16:43 in 259 games.    Reilly said of staying with the Bruins that "It was my intention the whole time to want to stay in Boston. Obviously, there's a process and sometimes it goes slower than you think on certain things. Obviously, the general manager is doing his due diligence and looking around the league and whatnot. I always figured it was gonna...

*Photo from Sportsnet*     The captain of the Washington Capitals isn't going anywhere. The Capitals and LW Alex Ovechkin have agreed on a 5 year, $47.5 million contract, with a $9.5 million AAV, according to the team. Ovechkin was an unrestricted free agent, but it was very unlikely he was signing anywhere but Washington.    Capitals GM Brian MacClellan said "Alex is the face of our franchise and is committed to this organization and this city. Alex embodies what our franchise is all about, and we're thrilled that he will continue his career in the Caps uniform for the next five years."    In his long career, Ovechkin has a storied history with Washington. The first overall pick in the 2004 NHL Draft, Ovechkin leads the Capitals in goals, points, games played, power play goals, and power play points. He also leads the team in all those categories in playoff stats as well. He won the Conn Smythe trophy in 2018 as playoff MVP after leading the Capitals ...

*Photo from the Washington Post*     More and more moves by the Winnipeg Jets please. The Jets have acquired D Brenden Dillon from the Washington Capitals in exchange for a 2022 and 2023 second round draft pick, according to both teams.     Dillon said "The emotions are excitement. Going to a really good team, a team that's been really good for a number of years now. They've got a lot of good pieces in place up front, a Vezina-winning goalie, and a defense that I think is only going to get better."    Last season with Washington, Dillon scored two goals and 17 assists, with a plus/minus of +15 in an ATOI of 18:57, playing in all 56 regular season games, and all 5 playoff games for the Capitals, who were eliminated in the first round. In his career, Dillon has 24 goals and 109 assists, with a +28 plus/minus in 654 games, split between 3 teams.    In terms of salary, Dillon has 3 years left on a 4 year, $15.6 million deal, with a...

*Photo from The Hockey Writers*     Paul Stastny is keeping his second stint in Winnipeg going for at least one more year. The Winnipeg Jets and Stastny have agreed on a one year, $3.75 million deal, according to the team. Stastny was a pending UFA, and would have hit free agency on Wednesday.     Last season in Winnipeg, Stastny put up 13 goals and 16 assists, with a -3 plus/minus in an ATOI of 17:25, playing in all 56 regular season games. Stastny also added one goal and one assist in 6 playoff games last season. In his 15 NHL seasons, Stastny has played 1,001 games, with 263 goals and 492 assists, with a career +36 plus/minus.    Giving his thoughts on returning to Winnipeg, Stastny said "I feel like at this time of my career, I've seen different places and played for different coaches, different organizations, and it was the best fit for me on the ice and off the ice for my family. We've always enjoyed our time there. I've spoken highly of Win...

*Photo from NBC Sports*     After experiencing a career rebound in South Florida, Sam Bennett gets to stick around. The Florida Panthers and Bennett have agreed to a 4 year, $17.6 million deal, with a $4.4 million AAV, according to Pierre Lebrun of TSN. The Panthers have confirmed the deal.    Panthers GM Bill Zito said of the extension that "Sam's impact on our club this past season was seen immediately, injecting physicality, skill and energy into our lineup. We are thrilled to have him in our Panthers lineup and look forward to what he can bring to our offense in the upcoming 2021-22 season."    After being traded to Florida at the trade deadline, Bennett put up 6 goals and 9 assists in 10 regular season games, with a +12 plus/minus in an ATOI of 18:04 with the Panthers, after the Calgary Flames traded him. In his 7 NHL seasons, Bennett has 73 goals and 82 assists, with a -55 plus/minus in an ATOI of 14:14, in 412 games, split between the Panthers a...

*Photo from MassLive*     One of the NHL's best young defensemen is now getting paid like it. The Colorado Avalanche and D Cale Makar have agreed to a 6 year, $54 million extension, with a $9 million AAV, according to his agent, Brian Bartlett. The deal with the pending RFA was confirmed by the Avalanche.    Asked about his extension, Makar said "I'm definitely fortunate that we were able to get this done. Very happy and couldn't be more excited. I know this is a team that has the potential to win and to win now, and you don't want to sacrifice or get in the way of any of that. Just tried to do something that would work for both sides and I think we came to a deal that obviously works for both of us."    Originally chosen with the 4th overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, Makar won Calder Trophy as rookie of the year in the 2019-2020 season, when he scored 50 total points in 57 games. He has 7 goals and 24 assists in 35 playoff games as well. He is ...

*Photo from Broad Street Hockey*     In another move made in an already busy offseason for the Philadelphia Flyers, this time, a longtime face is heading out of town. The Flyers have traded RW Jakub Voracek to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for RW Cam Atkinson, according to Pierre Lebrun of TSN. No salary is being retained in the trade, which has been confirmed by both teams.    Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher said "We certainly traded and moved out some excellent players and players like Jake Voracek that have been instrumental parts of our core for so long. But frankly, we needed change, it's time and we think we brought in some players that bring a lot of energy, bring some skill and will certainly change the dynamic of our team going forward."    For Voracek, it's a homecoming to the beginning of his career. He was drafted in the first round of the 2007 NHL Draft by the Blue Jackets, and spent the first 3 seasons of his career there, before winding...

*Photo from WKBW*     After trading Rasmus Ristolainen, the Buffalo Sabres are shipping another face out of town. The Sabres have traded C Sam Reinhart to the Florida Panthers in exchange for G Devon Levi and a 2022 first round draft pick, which is lottery protected, according to Pierre Lebrun of TSN. The deal has been confirmed by both teams.     Asked about the trade, Reinhart said "It's very exciting, to say the least. I've actually been fortunate enough to play with guys already on the roster. I've been in contact with a bunch of guys already, coaches, I'm absolutely thrilled and motivated to come to a group that's hungry, trying to make it to the next step. They have, in my mind, the most motivated player coming into an organization like that that's trying to make that next step and win some meaningful games."    Reinhart is currently an RFA, having just completed a one year, $5.2 million deal he signed with the Sabres last October as an RFA....

*Photo from NBC Chicago*     After dealing Duncan Keith, the Chicago Blackhawks wanted to add an impact defenseman. Enter the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Blackhawks have acquired D Seth Jones, the 32nd overall pick in the 2021 draft, and a 2022 6th round pick from the Blue Jackets, in exchange for D Adam Boqvist, the 12th and 44th overall picks in the 2021 draft, and a 2022 first round pick, according to TSN's Darren Dreger. Both teams have confirmed the trade.    Chicago GM Stan Bowman said of Jones that "He's an impact defenseman that we've been searching for, for quite some time, and to finally be able to add him to our group here is a huge move for the whole group. I think it changes the complexion of our defense in particular, but our team in general."    Over the last few months, Jones had reportedly grown upset with the Blue Jackets, and publicly stated his desire to leave, and requested a trade from the organization. Thus, he goes to Chicago, wh...

*Photo from Sportsnet*     We have an absolute grand daddy of a trade happening right here. The Vancouver Canucks have acquired D Oliver Ekman-Larsson and RW Conor Garland from the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for LW Antoine Roussel, RW Loui Eriksson, C Jay Beagle, the 9th overall pick in this year's draft, a second round pick in next year's draft, and a 2023 7th round pick, according to Pierre Lebrun of TSN.    In the trade, 12 percent of Ekman-Larsson's salary is being retained by the Coyotes. No other salary will be retained in the trade. Ekman-Larsson has an AAV of $8.25 million in his deal, which has 6 years remaining. He has experienced a sharp decline since signing his new deal with the Coyotes, with his contract looking like one of the worst in hockey.    Asked about the trade, Ekman-Larsson said "Yeah, it's been crazy, but I'm super excited to be in Vancouver and super excited with what's ahead of us. It's a little bit of a relief, too. We'v...

*Photo from The Athletic*     We have another trade involving the Philadelphia Flyers. The Flyers have acquired D Rasmus Ristolainen from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for D Robert Hagg, the 14th overall pick in this year's draft, and a second round pick in 2023, according to both teams.  Ristolainen has had a bit of a rocky career with the Sabres. He was selected with the 8th overall pick in the 2013 draft, and has 8 seasons in the NHL under his belt. He has done lots of point scoring damage on the power play, but his defensive numbers and underlying stats have left something to be desired, and had a career worst -41 plus/minus in 2018-2019.     Asked about heading to the Flyers, Ristolainen said "I'm really excited to go to Philadelphia. I'm going to do everything I can to help the team make the playoffs and make a run. I'm extremely happy it happened. I can't want to get to Philly and meet everyone."    Last season, Ristolainen recor...

*Photo from Last Word on Sports*     The winger who was responsible for David Krejci's point surge is back in Boston. The Boston Bruins have signed LW Taylor Hall to a 4 year, $24 million extension, with a $6 million AAV, according to Darren Dreger of TSN. There is also a no trade clause. The Bruins have confirmed the deal.    Hall said "It's a great city, obviously a great group of guys. Tremendous organization that I really enjoyed playing for. It was really enjoyable for me this year and really happy that I get to play another four years with the Bruins. Obviously, the teammates that I got to know in my short time in Boston were a huge reason why I wanted to direct my focus to playing for Boston as long as I can, and really happy that we're here talking about it today."    After being traded to the Bruins at the trade deadline, Hall meshed right away with his new team, scoring 8 goals and dishing out 6 assists, with a +15 plus/minus in an ATOI ...

*Photo from Broad Street Hockey*     Another day, more and more NHL moves. The Arizona Coyotes have acquired D Shayne Gostisbehere, along with a 2022 second round and 7th round draft pick, from the Philadelphia Flyers, in exchange for future considerations, according to both teams.    Coyotes GM Bill Armstrong said "We've been in touch with Philadelphia probably since the beginning of the year about him, and just the thought process, we might have a chance to acquire him. For me, he's somebody that can really run a power play from up top, he's got a great shot, he just finds ways to get it through, his first pass coming out of the zone. He gives us something we don't have, and that's a really good puck-mover back there on the back side, and that's one of his strengths."    Suiting up for 41 of 56 regular season games last season, Gostisbehere contributed 9 goals and 11 assists as an offensive defenseman, with a -2 plus/minus in an ATOI of 19:56 la...

*Photo from Sportsnet*     Right after Alex Nedeljkovic had a breakout rookie season for the Carolina Hurricanes, he will be donning another sweater next season. The Detroit Red Wings have acquired Nedeljkovic from the Hurricanes in exchange for the rights to G Jonathan Bernier and a 3rd round draft pick, according to Pierre Lebrun of TSN.    Nedeljkovic is a pending RFA, and the Hurricanes were said to be far apart in negotiations with him and his agent. They did not want to go to arbitration, so they came to the decision to trade him. Nedeljkovic has signed a two year deal with a $3 million AAV with the Red Wings.    Asked about the trade, Nedeljkovic said "Honestly, it was kind of like out of the blue. We really weren't expecting to get moved, so the trade itself was really kind of like, just out of nowhere. But when we heard that Detroit was interested and they wanted to make a trade, we were very excited and very happy that things worked out." ...

*Photo from Oilers Nation*    The NHL expansion draft for the Seattle Kraken took place last night, with the Kraken selecting their inaugural roster from every NHL team, except for the Vegas Golden Knights, who were exempt. Without further ado, here is every pick made by the Kraken. Boston Bruins: Jeremy Lauzon, Defense Buffalo Sabres: Will Borgen, Defense Detroit Red Wings: Dennis Cholowski, Defense Florida Panthers: Chris Driedger, Goalie Montreal Canadiens: Cale Fleury, Defense Ottawa Senators: Joey Daccord, Goalie Tampa Bay Lightning: Yanni Gourde, Forward Toronto Maple Leafs: Jared McCann, Center Carolina Hurricanes: Morgan Geekie, Center Columbus Blue Jackets: Gavin Bayreuther, Defense New Jersey Devils: Nathan Bastian, Right wing New York Islanders: Jordan Eberle, Right wing New York Rangers: Colin Blackwell, Center Philadelphia Flyers: Carsen Twarynski, Left wing Pittsburgh Penguins: Brandon Tanev, Left wing Washington Capitals: Vitek Vanecek, Goalie Arizona Coyotes: T...

*Photo from the Hockey Writers*     With the expansion draft merely hours away, we are starting to get an idea of what the inaugural Seattle Kraken roster is going to look like, starting with the ever important goalie. The Kraken and G Chris Driedger have agreed on a 3 year, $10.5 million deal, with a $3.5 million AAV, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The Kraken have confirmed the deal.    Driedger was left unprotected by the Florida Panthers for the expansion draft, with Sergei Bobrovsky being protected instead. Driedger would have hit free agency on July 28 had the Kraken not signed him.     Last season with the Panthers, Driedger started 23 games for the Panthers, recording a 14-6-3 record, with a 2.07 GAA and a .927 save percentage. Driedger also received some playoff action after Bobrovsky was pulled, but Driedger didn't do any better, with both him and Bobrovsky being replaced by rookie Spencer Knight, who will likely be the backup to...

*Photo from USA Today*     Folks, we have it. Our first blockbuster trade of the NHL offseason is upon us. The Nashville Predators, Philadelphia Flyers, and Vegas Golden Knights have finalized and confirmed a 3 team blockbuster with several moving parts. The key names are Ryan Ellis, Nolan Patrick, and Cody Glass.    Here's a breakdown of who is going where. For the Flyers, it's simple. They get Ellis from the Predators. Nashville gets D Philippe Myers from the Flyers, and Glass from the Golden Knights. Patrick was originally traded to Nashville, but the Predators sent him to Vegas in exchange for Glass. There are no draft picks involved, and no salary is being retained.    Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher said "Ryan is an excellent all-around defenseman. In our opinion, he's one of the best passers in the game on the blue line. He's great in transition, he can play the power play, he's got a heavy shot, and he's a very good penalty killer. He's been part...

*Photo from Sports Illustrated*     We have our first goalie for goalie trade in the NHL offseason. The San Jose Sharks have acquired G Adin Hill and a 7th round draft pick from the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for G Josef Korenar and a second round draft pick, according to both teams.     Sharks GM Doug Wilson said "We acquired a goaltender that we've really had our eye on for a while. We were ideally looking for somebody with size. He certainly has that at 6-foot-6 and athletic ability. His competitiveness is a big part of it, too. I think he might have faced some of the toughest shot quality of any goalie in the League last year and he did very well during that."    Mostly used as a 3rd goalie behind Darcy Kuemper and Antti Raanta, Hill played in 19 games while Kuemper and Raanta each went through stretches of injuries. Hill performed well under the circumstances, posting a 9-9-1 record in those 19 games, with a .913 save percentage and a 2...

*Photo from The Canuck Way*     With an expansion draft crunch, the Dallas Stars shipped away a pending RFA. The Stars have traded C Jason Dickinson to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for a 3rd round draft pick, according to the Stars.     Stars GM Jim Nill said "This is an opportunity for me to thank Jason. We drafted Jason, developed him, he's a great young man and his career is just starting. He's got a great future ahead of him and I just want a chance to thank him. I just got off the phone with him. I just wish him all the best. I talked to Jim Benning, Vancouver has a special player there. He has high-end character, he's a great skater, he's competitive and he's going to be a great fit for the Vancouver Canucks."    Dickinson played in his 6th season in the NHL this past season, where he scored 7 goals and added 8 assists, with a -2 plus/minus and an average TOI of 16:12 in 51 games for the Stars, playing all but 5 regular season game...

*Photo from NHL.com*     Right after extending Teddy Blueger, the Pittsburgh Penguins shipped someone out of town. The Toronto Maple Leafs have acquired C Jared McCann from the Penguins in exchange for F Filip Hallander and a 2023 7th round draft pick, according to Pierre Lebrun of TSN. The deal has been confirmed by both teams.    Last season, McCann suited up for 43 of 56 regular season games, scoring 14 goals and adding 18 assists, with a plus/minus of +17 and an average TOI of 14:07 during that time. In 12 career playoff games, McCann has zero goals and 3 assists, one of which came this past playoffs, when the Penguins got eliminated by the New York Islanders in 6 games.     For his career, McCann, a first round pick of the Vancouver Canucks in 2014, has 66 goals and 89 assists, with an average TOI of 13:44 and a +26 plus/minus, across 353 total games, split between the Canucks, Florida Panthers, and Penguins. McCann has one season remaining on a t...

*Photo from the Associated Press*     The Dallas Stars are not fooling around with the defense. They are paying the guy who deserves it. The Stars and D Miro Heiskanen have agreed to an 8 year, $67.6 million extension, that carries an $8.45 million AAV, according to an announcement by the team.     GM Jim Nill said "He wanted to be a Dallas Star for life. Dallas is his home, he loves the team, he loves his teammates and he just wants to know that he's compensated fairly, and that he just wants to go play hockey."    Last season, Heiskanen suited up for 55 of the 56 regular season games for the Stars, posting 8 goals and 19 assists, with a -9 plus/minus in an average of 24:58 on ice. Heiskanen has played just 3 seasons, and has 28 goals and 67 assists, with a -9 plus/minus in 23:50 average ice time, in 205 games, all with the Stars.    Heiskanen was selected by the Stars with the 3rd overall pick in the 2017 NHL draft. In the bubble playo...

*Photo from Eyes on Isles*     With an eye on clearing cap space, the New York Islanders traded a longtime piece of the defense. The Islanders have traded D Nick Leddy to the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for RW Richard Panik and a second round draft pick, first broken by Jon Morosi of MLB and NHL Network. The Red Wings are retaining half of Panik's salary. The trade has been confirmed by both teams.     Leddy suited up for all 56 games this season for the Islanders, contributing 2 goals and 29 assists, with an average TOI of 21:35 and a -3 plus/minus rating. In his 11 NHL seasons, Leddy has 65 goals and 271 assists, with an average TOI of 20:33 in 776 games played, split between the Islanders and Chicago Blackhawks.     The Red Wings are taking on the $5.5 million Leddy is due this season, and he is also under contract for next season as well, before becoming a UFA. Leddy is a former first round draft pick of the Minnesota Wild in 2009, and is a ...

*Photo from The Hockey Writers* *Photo from WPLG Local 10*     After buying out the contract of Keith Yandle, the Florida Panthers had some cap space to use. So they extended some good players. The Panthers have extended LW Anthony Duclair and D Gustav Forsling, according to TSN's Pierre Lebrun and Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Both deals have been confirmed by the Panthers.     Duclair's extension is for 3 years and $9 million, with an AAV of $3 million, according to Friedman. Duclair signed a one year deal with the Panthers prior to last season, and was a pending UFA before the extension was announced. In 43 games played, Duclair scored 10 goals and added 22 assists, with a +27 plus/minus in his first season with the Panthers.    Asked about signing his extension, Duclair said "It's awesome. I'm very excited, very happy obviously to be back first of all, and to be back for another three years is just awesome news. I've obviously worked very ha...